11 Sep

ON IP TI SC R SU B

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

Obama urges national unity on Sept 11 anniversary

G8 raises Arab Spring finance pledge to $38 billion

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SHAWWAL 13, 1432 AH

Djokovic downs Federer to reach US Open final

Tobacco addiction kills Indian ‘Superman’

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Kuwaiti activists demand Arab Spring-like reforms Youths call for constitutional monarchy, parliamentary govt

By B Izzak

Fighters hit Gaddafi-held stronghold NEAR BANI WALID, Libya: Libyan fighters trying to capture one of Muammar Gaddafi’s last strongholds battled for the desert town of Bani Walid yesterday against stiff resistance from Gaddafi loyalists. Forces of the ruling Transitional National Council (NTC) said they had advanced to within 500 m of the town centre, but then pulled back shortly before NATO aircraft struck at least seven times at Gaddafi positions around the town.

Meanwhile, Libya’s new interim leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil arrived in Tripoli for the first time since his forces seized the city last month and was treated to a red-carpet welcome at the Metiga military base, an AFP correspondent reported. His arrival in Tripoli, where he was mobbed by hundreds and had to be protected by a thick human chain, was eagerly awaited in hopes it would help tackle rivalries emerging among rebel groups that overthrew Gaddafi.

Black plumes of smoke rose from surrounding areas and artillery explosions echoed across a rocky valley in Bani Walid’s northern outskirts. A rocket fired by Gaddafi loyalists landed in the hills, kicking up clouds of dust.

“Field commanders have told us to retreat because NATO will be bombing soon,” fighter Abdul Mulla Mohamed said, driving away in one of dozens of vehicles leaving the town, which lies 150 km southeast of Tripoli. “All our troops have retreated because of NATO. We are waiting for orders from our comrades to go back in again.”

The main NTC positions on the northern approaches to Bani Walid came under fire, with sniper bullets and shells whistling over military pickup trucks scattered around the narrow valley. “We are not far from liberating Bani Walid,” Daw Saleheen, a representative of the NTC’s military council, said earlier. “We urge Gaddafi fighters to lay down their weapons. You can go to any house and will be safe. It is not too late.”

Two NTC commanders were killed and two wounded in the fighting. Doctors said two Gaddafi soldiers and one NTC fighter were killed on Friday. Abdullah Kanshil, an NTC official, said four or five civilians had died in overnight fighting. Kanshil said about 1,000 Gaddafi soldiers were defending the town - far more than the 150 previously estimated. “They are launching Grad rockets from private houses so NATO (warplanes) cannot do anything about it,” he said.

Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan (right) meets Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday. — KUNA

Iran eyes brotherly ties with Gulf states Ahmadinejad chides Turkey on missile shield

By Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief TEHRAN: Iran desires to establish solid and brotherly ties with the other states of the Gulf region, the Iranian president said. The Islamic Republic of Iran has contin-

uously aspired to cement “its brotherly relations with the states of the region”, said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a meeting with a visiting delegation of eminent Kuwaiti media figures, headed by the Chairman of the Kuwait Journalists Association, Ahmad Behbehani.

Continued on Page 13

Nearly 200 die as ferry capsizes off Zanzibar STONE TOWN, Zanzibar: Nearly 200 people drowned when an overloaded ferry capsized off east Africa as it sailed from Zanzibar to Pemba island, police said yesterday, Tanzania’s worst maritime disaster in at least 15 years. Fishing boats, tour operators and diving instructors spent the night scouring the sea off the coast of Tanzania looking for survivors, many clinging to strewn cargo. One photo showed two men and a child floating on a mattress, clinging to a fridge.

Zanzibar police spokesman Mohamed Mhina told Reuters 192 bodies had been recovered and 606 passengers rescued from the Indian Ocean so far. “There is a possibility that more bodies still remain at sea. Rescue workers are still searching for survivors and retrieving bodies,” he said.

Two tug boats docked at Zanzibar’s port, one carrying 17 bodies and another

Max 44º Min 26º Low Tide 05:20 & 18:08 High Tide 11:18

with 15 bodies, many of them children.

At the northern tip of the island, dozens of soldiers carried bodies onto white sand beaches, where thousands of people anxiously awaited news of survivors.

“The ferry flipped and capsized. There could be more bodies trapped inside the hull of the ship with the cargo,” rescue worker Ali Ramadhan told Reuters at the port. “We suspect the ship was overcrowded with more than 800 passengers onboard. It is normal for these ferries to overload passengers and cargo.”

Zanzibar Police Commissioner Mussa Alli Mussa said early yesterday that more than 500 people were on the ship’s manifest. Abdual Said, registrar of Zanzibar’s seafaring vessels, said the MV Spice Islander was licensed to carry 600 passengers. The vessel had been sailing from Zanzibar to Pemba, the two main islands Continued on Page 13

ZANZIBAR: Tanzanian police carry bodies of children from the sea yesterday. — AP

KUWAIT: Kuwaiti youth activists planning to stage a rally on Friday have made Arab Spring-like demands, calling for a constitutional monarchy, a parliamentary government and for dissolving the National Assembly and the government. Calling themselves the “September 16 Youths”, they also called for a war against corruption, holding accountable those involved in all forms of corruption including suspicions of money laundering by members of parliament.

The new calls come amid rife rumours that the Assembly will be dissolved before the start of the next term on Oct 25 and fresh general elections will be held, the fourth since May 2006. Writing on his Twitter account, Islamist political activist Abdulrazzaq AlShayeji cited well informed parliamentary sources as saying that a decision had been taken to dissolve the Assembly and call for snap polls. Under Kuwaiti law, only the Amir has the power to dissolve the Assembly and call for early elections.

Shayeji said that some senior MPs have already informed their supporters to start preparing for the next elections and there are “strong indications and moves on the ground” to support the idea that the country is on the verge of parliamentary elections. The activist also quoted parliamentary sources as saying that the dissolution move will be accompanied by redrawing the electoral districts from the current five to 10 districts like the system that existed before 1981.

The Sept 16 Youths said that under the constitutional state concept, the posts of the Amir and the crown prince will be protected for the Al-Sabah ruling family while the people have the right to run the affairs of the state. The group, which had staged several rallies before the summer break under different names to press for changing the prime minister, said the constitution should be amended to guarantee the formation of a fully elected parliamentary government following fair elections.

The call amounts to previous calls by political groups that the government must be headed by a person from outside the ruling family based on the outcome of the election like any other parliamentary system. Since democracy was introduced to Kuwait in 1962, the premiership remained with the ruling family. The crown prince used to be the prime minister until 2003 when the two posts were separated. The group also called for amending the election system to guarantee a fair and honest political environment under which the proposed constitutional amendments will be considered.

It called for adopting the single electoral district system, regulating the operation of political groups and Continued on Page 13

Egypt on alert after Israel embassy attack ‘Scared’ Israeli envoy flees

DAMASCUS: Syrian President Bashar Assad (right) meets Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Arabi yesterday. — AP

Deal struck on Syrian reforms Regime kills 7 DAMASCUS: Syrian forces killed seven people yesterday to crush anti-regime dissent, activists said, as the Arab League rejected foreign interference in Syria and announced an agreement on reforms. Arab League chief Nabil Al-Arabi met President Bashar Al-Assad with a 13point document outlining Arab proposals to broker an end to the bloodshed in Syria, hold elections and push for reforms in the League member state. During his talks with Assad, Arabi said the League and other Arab countries “reject any form of foreign interference in Syrian domestic affairs”, the official news agency SANA reported.

Arabi said upon returning to Cairo that they had reached an “agreement on steps to carry out the reforms, (and) the elements will be submitted to the council of the Arab League,” which meets in Cairo tomorrow. SANA reported that Assad said that there was a need “to not get caught in campaigns of disinformation against Syria”. It said Assad denounced the campaign of spreading “wrong facts” aimed in his opinion “to harm the image of Syria and destabilise” the country.

Arabi’s remarks come as the United States is set to ramp up work on a UN Security Council resolution targeting Syria.

Continued on Page 13

CAIRO: Egypt was in a state of alert yesterday after protesters stormed the Israeli embassy, prompting the ambassador to flee, in the first attack of its kind since the two nations made peace 32 years ago.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the mob attack a “serious incident” and an unnamed official warned it was a “painful blow to peace” between Egypt and the Jewish state. US President Barack Obama asked Egypt to protect the embassy housed in a highrise building overlooking the Nile in Cairo’s Giza district, as French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe expressed concern over Egyptian-Israeli ties.

The Israeli official said Ambassador Yitzhak Levanon, other staff and dependants had all left Egypt but that a senior diplomat remained behind. “We left the deputy ambassador to keep up contact with the Egyptian government,” the official told AFP in Jerusalem. He said six embassy staff were plucked to safety by Egyptian commandos. “It was a painful blow to the peace between us and a grave violation of diplomatic norms,” the official said. In Jerusalem, the Israeli government said Levanon would return to Egypt only after security could be guaranteed.

Continued on Page 13

CAIRO: A protester holds the Egyptian national flag as a fire rages outside the building housing the Israeli embassy late Friday. — AP

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

local Email service to address aggrieved Shiites

Iraqi MPs demand compensation for ‘kidnapped, tortured’ fishermen Call to appeal against UN Resolution 833

By A Saleh

KUWAIT: The Shiite Principle Movement has opened an e-mail service to receive complaints from aggrieved Shiite employees, in the event of them suffering from discrimination at the work place.

The group issued a statement that read: “Kuwaiti Constitution is formed of many articles that protects the rights of the Kuwaiti citizen in a just and equitable manner, especially in the field where the government deals with its citizen.” The statement added, “ there are many Shiite citizens who suffer from sectarian discrimination at their work place, either by not evaluating them or delaying their promotion. They are prevented from reaching top positions because of their religious beliefs, despite having the expertise and competency as far as performance and production are concerned. This is considered social injustice and contradicts with the Kuwaiti Constitution, human justice, civil rights and orders of HH the Amir.

He has called for avoiding sectarian strife that tears apart the society’s fabric and national unity.”

The statement went on to state, “We call upon those who are discriminated against, or suffer from injustice in their promotions, or not allow them to reach decision making posts.’ Those interested can send in their details along with proof and evidence to the following e-mail address: thwabitshi3a@gmail.com.

KUWAIT: An Iraqi political party head has demanded that Kuwait pay financial compensation to the Iraqi fishermen recently detained by Kuwaiti coast guards after being found in Kuwaiti territorial waters, alleging that they were tortured during their detention. Meanwhile, another Iraqi legislator demanded that the existing border demarcation agreement between Iraq and Kuwait be completely annulled.

In a press release issued on Friday on behalf of the White Iraqiya Party, its chairperson Aliya Nasif demanded that compensation be paid to the fishermen who were recently arrested by Kuwaiti

MEW prepares for next summer KUWAIT: As temperatures begin to dip, signaling the end of hottest period of the year, the Ministry of Electricity and Water(MEW) appears to have successfully ensured a summer that was free from power outages or water service disconnections despite heavy usage. Consumption rates of both electricity and water usually peak every summer in Kuwait. The fact that the holy month fell on August this year raised concerns on the ministry’s ability to handle an overload in consumption.

Kuwaiti pensioners worried over soaring living costs KUWAIT: Many Kuwaiti pensioners are facing difficulties as living costs continue to increase, with large numbers of those approaching retirement age feeling nervous for the future, more especially if they have been unable to save a sufficient amount to ensure a comfortable retirement or to set up a private pension.

Unlike most countries, Kuwait has no set retirement age, but retirement on a full pension is automatic for any employees who have worked for a 30-year period. A growing number of Kuwaitis are beginning to question this system, however, with many feeling resentful at being forced to retire in their 40s or 50s when they wish to

continue contributing positively to society and putting their skills and experience to good use in the country’s service.

Some MPs have already put forward proposals to bring accomplished and experienced civil servants out of retirement in order to allow state bodies to utilize rather than discard their expertise and wisdom.

Some analysts have suggested that ensuring a range of age groups in the workplace is extremely important, claiming that younger staff who show an unprofessional attitude and seek to use the easiest rather than the best working methods need the positive example of older staff to give them a positive example.—Al-Anbaa

Poor security allows dealers, smugglers to thrive in jail KUWAIT: A recent report indicates that severe staff shortages at Kuwait’s Central Prison mean that on average one security officer will be monitoring over 20 of the jail’s internal CCTV cameras at any one moment, making efforts to thwart the smuggling of contraband extremely difficult. The report, from the Ministry of Interior’s (MoI) General Department of Inspection and Monitoring suggests that security measures at the country’s main prison are not as strong as they should be.

This suggestion is supported by regular reports of contraband, including drugs and mobile phones being found during periodic cell searches, whilst a narrowly averted escape attempt by some inmates from other GCC countries a few months ago seems to prove that maintaining security is a problem.

“The fact that a single warden is watching over 20 surveillance cameras at a time makes it easier for smuggling activities to take place,” according to a prison staff

coastguards after entering Kuwaiti territorial waters without permission, alleging that they had been kidnapped then tortured whilst in custody, and asserting that the fishermen are eligible for the same compensation paid to all victims of terrorist acts.

“Iraqi fishermen who were kidnapped, tortured and humiliated by the Kuwaiti government before they were released must be covered by the compensation allocated to victims of terrorist activities”, said Nasif in the statement, comparing “the Kuwaiti crime and other known terrorist crimes.”

In another statement released the

insider, who suggested that the MoI report had served as a wake-up call to interior ministry officials on the problems faced by prison staff.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the insider indicated that the numerous media reports of arrested drug dealers revealing when questioned that they’ve been working on behalf of others incarcerated in the prison offer further proof that many prisoners are continuing with their ‘outside’ criminal careers by proxy even while locked up.

“After their arrest, drug dealers use smuggled mobile phones to continue their operations from their cells,” said the insider, warning that a notable surge in the numbers of mobile phones discovered during these periodic searches - with 22 being found in one recent such operation alone raises suspicions that some wardens might be involved in the smuggling process, or at least turning a blind eye to it in exchange for payment. — Al-Qabas

Within ten days into September, the MEW has been able to meet demand that touched 11,200 megawatts on certain days. It also secures a daily production rate that exceeds 12,000 megawatts, in addition to pre-summer maintenance operations that significantly helped avoid transformer and cables malfunctions due to consumption overload. In the meantime, the ministry has begun preparing for the next summer season, with the hope that it avoid resorting to methods like automated service disconnection.—Al-Rai

MPS disapprove of youth protest KUWAIT: A number of MPs have clearly disapproved of some youth groups’ decision to organize a protest at a public yard on the 16th of this month. Parliament officials said that a number of MPs have expressed their disappointment at the way some of their colleagues were being invited for participation and in selecting speakers, reported Al-Anbaa. They said that isolating some MPs from participation influences public opinion on the results of the upcoming elections.

KHRS head praises move to fund DNA tests for bedoons KUWAIT: The head of the Kuwait Human Rights Society (KHRS) recently praised the Central System for Remedying the Situation of Illegal Residents’ (CSRSIR) decision to work with the Zakat House in order to jointly meet the costs of carrying out DNA tests on members of Kuwait’s bedoon (stateless) population.

KHRS chairman Dr. Adel Al-Damkhi lauded the step as a humanitarian gesture on the body’s part, adding that it is one more positive step towards resolving this issue, especially since many bedoon people are unable to meet the high costs of the DNA tests given their straitened circumstances.

Al-Damkhi stressed the importance of taking the living conditions of Kuwait’s bedoon population into account, calling on members of the bedoon community to be patient and asserting that although they have been through a great deal the light at the end of the tunnel is visible and their problems should be resolved in the near future. The KHRS chief said that Kuwaiti society’s concerns over security issues have meant that many bedoon people have been prevented from benefiting from the positive steps taken to end their suffering, calling for the country’s security bodies to expedite their work in resolving these issues as quickly as possible.

same day, meanwhile, MP Suzan Al-Saad of the Al-Fadhila (Islamic Virtue) Party asserted that the current Iraqi government is not entitled to commit the country to complying with United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 833, which was adopted in 1993. Al-Saad said that the former Iraqi regime was forced to adopt the resolution which established the current Iraqi-Kuwaiti border demarcation after it lost the war resulting from its 1990-91 invasion and occupation of Kuwait and as part of its quest to curb the subsequent uprisings in southern Iraq. “ The unjust resolution contains a

Cases filed against ‘magical conman’ KUWAIT: Two fraud cases have been filed against a conman who posed as a ‘magician’ capable of solving his clients’ personal problems through casting black magic spells on their behalf in return for large amounts of money.

One case was filed by a lawyer representing two clients, a Kuwaiti woman who apparently paid more than KD12,000 over a three-month period for the ‘magician’s’ services, whilst a Kuwaiti man apparently accused the conman of magically turning him into an abusive husband after he consulted the fraudster to find answers to questions about his wife’s late pregnancy.

Road accident A Kuwaiti motorist died and two passengers in his car were injured when the vehicle overturned on Kabad Road on Friday night. The deceased man’s body was referred to the coroner after paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, while the two injured were rushed to hospital. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.

Heart attack death A 68-year-old American man was pronounced dead in the ambulance rushing him to hospital after he apparently suffered a massive heart attack at his home in Salmiya. The man was already in a critical condition when paramedics arrived at the home shortly after he suffered the heart attack, with their efforts to resuscitate him proving unsuccessful. The body was removed for autopsy to conclusively determine the cause of death.

Family drama A Kuwaiti woman was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after being repeatedly stabbed when she attempted to stop her former father-in-law abducting her young daughter. The victim had taken custody of her daughter following divorce after her husband was imprisoned on unrelated charges. At the time of the attack she was visiting her mother’s home with the child when the ex-father-in-law stormed into the house armed with a knife and demanded that she hand over the little girl. When she refused to do so and attempted to shield her daughter, he stabbed the woman repeatedly before seizing the distraught little girl and fleeing the scene. The victim’s traumatized mother immediately called emergency services, with the critically injured woman being rushed to hospital. When detectives eventually managed to contact the brutal former father-in-law by phone, he admitted to abducting his granddaughter, daring the police to find and take action against him. A hunt is ongoing for the man and the little girl.

Failed elopement A young Kuwaiti woman returned to

Inspection teams launch crackdown

KUWAIT: The Inspection and Follow Up Department at the Kuwait Municipality inspected Al-Dhaher to ensure the quality of food items, as well as cleanliness and personal hygiene. At least 46 citations were issued in connection with expired health permits.

Also, 201 kilograms of food were destroyed. Fahad Al-Shitaili Acting Director of Ahmadi Municipality branch has urged shops and restaurant owners to comply with health conditions to safeguard consumers’ well-being.

Shareesda Al-Mutairi, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Municipality Director said that the emergency team launched a crackdown on vendors in the area and confiscated 25,000 CDs.

her family’s house a few days after eloping with her lover after discovering that marriage wasn’t among his future plans for them. The 21-year-old woman was reported missing by her father, who told police that she ran away with a man whom the parents rejected when he requested their permission to marry her.

A few days later, however, the girl returned to her family’s home in Jahra, pleading for her parents’ forgiveness and explaining to them that she fled from her lover when she found out that he wasn’t planning to marry her and after he attempted to sexually assault her. The young woman’s father then escorted her to the local police station where they pressed charges against the man, who claimed during questioning that he had never asked permission to marry the girl or encouraged her to elope with him. The investigation into the case is continuing.

Bootlegger busted An Indian man was arrested in Saad Al-Abdullah in possession of 120 bottles of homemade liquor which he was preparing to sell. After police received a tip-off about the bootlegger’s activities, patrol officers headed for the location, quick ly spotting the suspec t. He attempted to flee on foot on seeing them approach, but was speedily caught, with the bottles of hooch being recovered from his car. The busted bootlegger has been referred to the relevant authorities for further action.

Unbeautiful behavior A Kuwaiti woman lodged a complaint with police against a female compatriot who she said had verbally insulted and spat on her as they passed one another in a beauty salon doorway.

The complainant told officers at Andalus police station that as she was entering a beauty salon in Riggae she passed the other woman, a stranger, who for no apparent reason immediately launched a tirade of insults at her, calling her “ugly” amongst other things, and spitting at her before leaving. An investigation is under way into the unpleasant incident.

Cheeky burglar A burglar who was caught red-handed by a Kuwaiti homeowner in Qusour whilst robbing the family’s home apparently attempted to claim subsequently that his victims’ daughter had invited him into the house. When police arrived at the scene to apprehend the intruder, they found that he was bleeding from both knees as a result of the householder dragging him along the floor after catching him robbing the house. Police were skeptical of the burglar’s claims to have been invited to his victims’ home and he has been referred to the relevant authorities for further action.

— Al-Watan, Al-Rai, Al-Anbaa

One dead, 18 hurt in road accidents By: Hanan Al-Saadoun

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

huge flaw in placing the border south of [the Iraqi border area of ] Sefwan, which allowed Kuwait to move more than 70 kilometers north into oil engineering and excavation sites”, Al-Saad said, further claiming that the demarcation process was based on “weak and unconfirmed information” cited in old maps provided in 1932 by the English oil companies “which had control over oil fields at the time.” Al-Saad urged the Iraqi government to appeal against UN Resolution 833 “or at least mark its name in history by making a national stance and announcing that it no longer recognizes the resolution”. — Al-Qabas & Al-Anbaa

KUWAIT: An unidentified man was killed, whilst two Kuwaiti boys aged 15 and 16 sustained a fractured left arm and severe chest pain respectively in a car crash near the camel market in Kabad.

Meanwhile, another unidentified man was rushed to Jahra Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in a critical condition following a crash on the Sixth Ring Road.

Two Saudi men aged 65 and 24 who were also involved in the accident suffered severe head trauma and pelvic injuries respectively, with both also being quickly taken to hospital. In a separate incident, ten male and female Asian expatriates were taken to hospital after suffering various injuries ranging from bruising to fractured bones in a collision between two buses in Dhajeej.

In another collision, this time on Al-

Ghazali Highway, a 22-year-old Kuwaiti man sustained injuries to his left foot whilst a 20-year-old Egyptian man complained of severe back pain. Both were taken to Farwaniya Hospital.

In a fifth accident, a 33-year-old Indian man was taken to hospital after sustaining fractures to his right thighbone when he was hit by a speeding car whilst crossing a road in Sulaibikhat.

Fall fracture A five-year-old Kuwaiti girl was taken to Mubarak Hospital after fracturing her right thighbone when she tripped and fell whilst playing near the Scientific Center.

Fight club A 28-year-old Egyptian man was taken to Mubarak Hospital after sustaining a stab wound to one shoulder in a fight in Hawally.

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

local

TEC elects new CEO KUWAIT: The Touristic Enterprises Company’s (TEC) board of directors has elected board member Ahmad AlTahous as the new CEO. The decision was made during a recent meeting chaired

by Khalid Al-Ghanim Deputy CEO and Managing Director at the company’s headquarters in Shuwaikh. Al-Tahous, who was elected by default, succeeds Sheikh Duaij Al-Khalifa Al-Malik Al-Sabah who resigned recently as the CEO. During their meeting, TEC board members expressed gratitude to Sheikh Duaij Al-Sabah for his efforts at TEC, and wished him success in future endeavors.

Kuwaiti media delegation regrets flying Qatar Airways

By A Saleh

Ahmad Al-Tahous

NA panel investigating KPC-Shell contract to meet next month KUWAIT: The parliamentary committee formed to look into suspected irregularities in a contract signed between the state -owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and multinational oil giants Shell will resume its meetings in early October after its members return from missions abroad where they are currently participating in parliamentary delegations.

The first meetings will focus on discussion of the responses from the concerned bodies to the committee’s earlier questions during the committee’s short break.

According to a committee insider, when the parliament ’s new term begins in late October the committee members will request that the investigation deadline be extended beyond the current December 2011 deadline.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the insider indicated that through holding six meetings in the month of August the committee was able to finish its analysis of the multimillion-dinar consultative contract signed earlier this year between KPC and Shell, although the committee still requires more time to conclude work on its recommendations.

The insider sharply criticized KPC for failing to provide the details requested by the committee or any copy of the contract, which they requested in early August. Eventually, explained the insider, the committee had been forced to

obtain a copy of the contract from the State Audit Bureau (SAB).

The committee is particularly interested in uncovering the reasons behind the $800 million KPC-Shell contract being conducted through a direct contracting agreement rather than via the standard public tender method, which is the customary procedure followed by state bodies concerning major contracts. The insider also revealed that the government has so far failed to launch its own investigation into the issue, despite promising to do so in June of this year, adding that the committee was informed during a meeting with government officials that this investigation had been delayed due to another investigation, this one into smuggling allegations, being in progress.

Although oil minister Dr. Mohammed Al-Busairi subsequently announced the formation of a government fact-finding committee to look into the subject of the contracts, this was only after the parliamentary committee had already launched its own investigation. The insider fur ther revealed that the committee has submitted ten questions on the multimillion-dollar contract to both the SAB and KPC after learning that members of the KPC’s own tenders commission were unauthorized to provide answers to them when they met with the committee previously. —Al-Qabas

Hajj convoys to face penalties KUWAIT: Hajj convoys that transport pilgrims from Kuwait to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia this year, must strictly follow the 25 passenger limit, or pay fines that range between 2,000 and 5,000 Saudi Riyals (approximately KD 147 to 367), a news report quoting a source stated.

He spoke on condition of anonymity, further indicating that the vehicles will be impounded until the twelfth Hijri month of Dhu Al-Hijjah. The driver will be deported.

This stipulation is par t of the new restrictions placed by Saudi authorities to tackle irregularities committed during the Hajj season. It includes a crackdown on pilgrims that arrive with unlicensed campaigning agencies.

Debacle in Doha

Also, the Saudi Hajj Ministry is looking into a request made by the Kuwait ’s Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs to increase the number of workers that super vises convoys by 10%. He also announced that the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs plans to inspect the services provided by local agencies, reported AlQabas.

Embarking on a Hajj is the main ritual in Islam in which millions of Muslims head to the holy sites in Makkah, Saudi Arabia in early Dhu Al-Hijjah, the twelfth and final month of the Muslim lunar calendar. The following day of Hajj on the ninth day of Dhu Al-Hijjah, it marks the beginning of Eid Al-Adha.

KUWAIT: What happened to a Kuwaiti high-ranking journalists’ delegation on its way back from an official visit to Tehran via Doha is completely unacceptable and requires an immediate explanation from officials at Qatar Airways whom the delegation holds responsible for an unjustifiable 7-hour flight delay in Doha. Incidentally, the reason the group had selected to fly Qatar Airways was because the transit period was only 45 minutes long.

The misery started when Qatar Airways flight 489 from Tehran to Doha was delayed for half an hour, which made the Kuwaiti delegation contact the pilot through the head of the cabin crew informing him the names of the delegation members including the Vice Chairman of the Arab Journalists Union and KJA chairman Ahmed Behbehani, Al-Anbaa Editor-in-Chief Yousef Khaled Al-Marzouq, Al-Nahar Editor-in-Chief Emad Bukhamseen, Kuwait Times Editor-in-Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan, Al-Anbaa journalist Faisal Al-Zamel, Al-Yaqatha magazine’s deputy editor-in-chief Dalia Behbehani and AlNahar’s PR Manager Abbas Taqi, who all had a very tight schedule and work appointments after their official visit to Iran.

The flight reached Doha around 10 minutes late, but the connecting flight had already departed, despite assurances by Qatar Airways officials in Tehran that they would accommodate the Kuwaiti delegation. The group had also asked the TehranDoha flight pilot to urge his colleague on the DohaKuwait flight to take the delay into consideration and try to make up for lost time, a request that was denied and ignored which resulted in further delay that consequently delayed publishing stories and interviews with Iranian senior officials in time, although all professional journalists realize how sensitive it is to observe timings and deadlines in the world of journalism.

The long seven-hour wait at Doha airport was just a start of further agony. The carrier gave the delegation economy class seats although their reservation was for the rather expensive first class ones. The delegation was divided by giving two of them first class seats and sending five to the economy class.

Those on economy were told also to go to another part of the terminal, and the delegation’s protests were rebuffed by Qatar Airways’ staff, who were very unprofessional, unreasonable and unhelpful.

The drama continued even after boarding the plane. A stewardess said there was a complication

TEHRAN: The Kuwaiti media delegation poses with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials on Friday. — KUNA with Kuwait Times’ Al-Alyan’s boarding pass, although he was traveling as part of the group. He was taken at the back of the plane and made to wait. After a while, the stewardess called the captain to resolve the problem, who instructed her to let AlAlyan sit with his friends in his original seat instead of waiting in the pantry. After the flight filled up, there turned out to be no complications with the seat.

“Every airline, I’ve traveled on, be it British Airways, American Airlines, Emirates or any other carrier, mistakes happen,” Al-Alyan said. “But they compensate by giving upgrades, vouchers etc. Qatar Airways didn’t even bother to compensate. On the contrary, they asked to go to the economy area despite they being at fault, and didn’t even compensate the difference in fares. When I told them other airlines compensate, they said they were compensating by accommodating us on the other flight!” he said.

What Qatar Airways did is a complete violation of IATA regulations that highly value timings and gives due respect to passengers’ obligations and appointments. Therefore what happened with the Kuwaiti delegation can be considered deliberate irresponsibility in such a vital and sensitive sector where irre-

sponsibility is absolutely unjustifiable.

Had the Kuwaiti delegation known what would happen, they wouldn’t have flown with a carrier that doesn’t value the precious time of its first class passengers traveling on an official trip involving meticulous timings and appointments. What Qatar Airways did completely disregarded all aviation, commercial, business and political professional ethics and values that ought to be fully observed by a carrier named after a brotherly country. Instead, they acted thoughtlessly with the leaders of the most active regional media sector represented by the Kuwaiti delegation on an official mission.

Knowing that airlines that respect and value their passengers show commitment and respect for their timings, Qatar Airways made an intolerable mistake with a media delegation on a mission valued, respected and provided with all possible facilities.

Journalists can’t afford delaying publishing a story or miss an appointment, especially with a country’s top officials.

The delegation hopes this is a message to Qatar Airways officials so they will take action and contact them so that they wouldn’t misunderstand the incident and take it as an intentional one against Kuwaiti journalists.

Paramedics resign over limited pay KUWAIT: A number of paramedics working in state medical facilities have submitted their resignations in protest at what they say are the limited allowances they receive compared to those paid to paramedics working for the army and National Guard or employed in the oil sector.

According to one insider, 18 paramedics resigned in protest

af ter their demands, which included per formance -related bonuses and ‘danger money’ payments to compensate for the threat of contracting dangerous diseases, were not met.

Speak ing on condition of anonymity, the insider fur ther indicated that expatriate paramedics have been calling for driving allowances similar to those

paid to Kuwaiti paramedics.

The insider also warned that these resignations are only the latest in a steady flow of paramedics leaving Ministry of Health (MoH) jobs where the paramedical division is struggling to find or retain suitable and sufficiently skilled workers due to the lack of financial incentives available.

“A serious staff shortages prob-

lem is looming with more medical facilities opening around the country to keep up with demographical expansion”, the insider warned.

The MoH paramedical division is also suffering from a shortage of ambulances, the insider added, claiming that the department has not received a new ambulance in four years. — Al-Qabas

Sit-in at embassy to demand deportees’ return KUWAIT: A group of Egyptian political blocs and public figures plan to stage a demonstration outside the Kuwaiti Embassy building in Giza, Egypt (Sunday), in protest against the deportation of 27 Egyptian residents from Kuwait. They were punished for attempting to hold a political rally in April 2010.

“ The sit-in adopts the slogan ‘Dignity, Freedom, Social Justice,’ and demand that the deportation decision be canceled,” said official spokesman of the ‘Dignity for Egyptians Abroad Movement,’ Mohammad Farraj, adding that demonstrators will also demand that financial compensation be paid to the depor-

tees. Furthermore, Farraj also indicated that the gatherers demand “an end to Kuwaiti intervention in Egypt’s internal affairs,” citing the action in which a group of Kuwaiti lawyers arrive to the North African nation to join the defense team of former president Hosni Mubarak.—Al-Rai

Egyptian teachers arrive today KUWAIT: The first group of the Egyptian teachers recruited this year to work in Kuwait’s state schools is set to arrive today (Sunday), joining fellow teachers from Tunisia, Syria and Jordan who arrived in the country earlier in summer. “ The Ministry of Education [MoE] exerted great efforts to ensure that all the teachers recruited would arrive in the country before the start of the new school year,” said a statement issued on Friday by the ministry, further indicating that all the necessary steps were taken to welcome the new teachers and help

them to settle in.

These measures include providing accommodation and transportation, as well as a payment in advance.

Special teams of MoE recruitment experts travel to Egypt, Tunisia, Syria and Jordan every summer to recruit new teachers to work in the country’s state schools which all see a high staff turnover rate, with most of the teaching staff being recruited to teach subjects in which the ministry can’t find sufficient numbers of suitable candidates from or in Kuwait. — Al-Rai

Information ministry to resume fingerprint system in November KUWAIT: Municipality officials destroying the confiscated foodstuffs.— Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: After suspending the use of its high tech electronic fingerprint staff registration system for five years, the Ministry of Information is to resume use of the system from November for all personnel.

Since the system was initially introduced in 2006, the ministry has undergone a reorganization and streamlining process, explained an insider, making it far easier to reintroduce the system.

The insider explained that the department tasked with monitoring employee attendance rates has asked all employees to update their electronic fingerprint before the ministry resumes

use of the system in November, with staff being warned that staff members whose timekeeping is persistently poor or whose absences exceed the number permitted will face legal action which could extend to dismissal.

The ministry insider added that all staff without exception, including senior management and depar tment heads, will be expected to use the electronic fingerprint attendance monitoring system, as instructed by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and acting information minister Salem Al-Othaina, who is also the Minister of Electricity and Water. — Al-Jarida

Municipality confiscates 14 tons of salmonella-infected chicken

By Hanan Al-Saadoun

KUWAIT: Inspectors from Kuwait Municipality’s food quality control department recently confiscated and destroyed 14 tons of salmonella-infected chicken and 423 kilograms of

other meats unfit for human consumption from local retailers’ warehouses, along with 30,240 liters of bottled water found to be unfit for drinking.

The figures were revealed by the director of the food quality control department, Istiqlal Al-

Mislem, who indicated that the incidence of retailers selling rotten and out-of-date foodstuffs has decreased markedly in recent months, adding that all the confiscated foodstuffs had been destroyed.

Meanwhile, Minister of State

for Municipal Affairs Dr Fadhil Safar, who is also the Minister of Public Works, praised the food quality control inspectors’ efforts to prevent rotten and out-of-date foodstuffs from reaching local consumers’ tables.

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Local Spotlight

kuwait digest

In memory of 9/11

Who gave them permission?

By Mohammad Al-Shaibani

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group of Kuwaiti lawyers have rushed to defend the tyrant Hosni Mubarak and his two sons, claiming to be acting on behalf of the Kuwaiti people. They announced that they are ‘representatives of the Kuwaiti people,’ during a press conference held in Cairo.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

Before defending Mubarak, have the Kuwaiti lawyers considered the feelings of families of victims that were killed during Egyptian demonstrations, or by Egyptian intelligence throughout Mubarak’s three-decade long rule?

muna@kuwaittimes.net

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kuwait digest Their actions make us question the basis on which lawyers try to represent the Kuwaiti people.

Who gave them permission to claim so? Do they have a document signed by all, half, one third or even a small portion of the Kuwaiti people to support their claim of representing Kuwaitis? If they seek attention, why does it have to be at the expense of the Kuwaiti people?

This case obviously pertains with the relations shared between people and the governments of two countries. Have the lawyers taken that into consideration when they headed to “represent the Kuwaiti people” in defending Mubarak?

Have they asked permission from the Cabinet before going ahead with an action that places the relationship between the two countries in jeopardy? Weren’t they supposed to at least obtain permission from the Kuwait Journalists Association(KJA)? Unless the KJA has already given them permission to do so - which would be yet another disastrous action taken at the expense of the Kuwaiti people’s reputation.

I personally am pleased that the lawyers’ first press conference that was disrupted due to the fight that broke out as a result of the Egyptian people’s disapproval of what has been happening.

Before defending Mubarak, have lawyers considered the feelings of families of victims that were killed during Egyptian demonstrations, or

by Egyptian intelligence throughout Mubarak’s three-decade long rule?

I urge the KJA to announce its stance on this issue. Furthermore, I urge the Kuwaiti government to given their opinion, which is unprecedented, in the entire Gulf and Arab region. — Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

The sacred trust of the diwaniya

By Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijri

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ome principles and values are non-negotiable; everything can be bargained over except for the noble values and traditions we grew up with. We are not free to give these up and they cannot be folded over like a calendar page that we can forget about easily; those values have been planted deep in our minds and souls by our ancestors, therefore we don’t have the right to alter or give them up as we might wish.

One of these values is to show full respect for gatherings, with the subjects discussed there being treated as wholly confidential and maintaining that confidentiality being a sacred trust. Each word spoken during these events is entrusted only to the ears of those present. Thanks to such values, Kuwait’s Diwaniyas have always played a major role in the country’s social life.

Therefore, it’s so saddening to find out that some people are trying to abuse such a well-established and unique social tradition, in which rules and traditions are valued and known to all visitors without having to written in any charter or anything of that nature.

With this in mind, one cannot help but condemn what was done to the chairman of Kuwait Airways’ management board, Hamad Al-Falah; regardless of what he said or whether or not we agree or disagree with him, it’s a matter of principle that what he reportedly said at a diwaniya gathering should not be published and that anyone asked to do so should refuse to record it or use it as material to disseminate.

It’s strange how some people resort to such methods in a country like Kuwait that is ruled by institutions, laws, fair courts and an independent judiciary system. We also have a free press - so why use such twisted methods? This absurdity makes us wonder about the real motives of whoever made and leaked these recordings. If they were meant to punish Al-Falah, this should be done through the proper official and legal channels instead of in this chaotic manner that can only lead to turmoil. On the other hand, this underhanded behavior in recording what the man reportedly said might conversely make people sympathize with him simply because of the deception used by the individual recording him, and this has already started taking place. — Al-Qabas

Will Arab Spring end in Cold Autumn?

By Ambassador Yousef Al-Enezi

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t has been said that the French Revolution, which began in 1789, and lasted 10 years, is the mother of world revolutions. The same revolution, however, has also been called the revolution that devoured its own, as during the following decade countless people were dragged to the guillotines that were erected everywhere in France.

More tragically still is that this revolution which was against oppression, corruption, hunger and deprivation, and terminated the authoritarian dictatorship of Emperor Louis XVI, his family and entourage of nobles, businessmen, and clergy, declaring France a republic, was the same one that paved the way for another expansionist dictatorship represented by General Napoleon Bonaparte.

Now a game of dictatorship dominos has begun in the Arab world with a series of popular revolutions collectively called the Arab Spring, moving from Tunisia to Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and Oman. Although I am not a supporter of conspiracy theories generally, there are some legitimate questions to be asked: is it possible that one young Tunisian man ‘Bouazizi’ really moved hundreds of millions of “oppressed” people all over the Arab world?

Will this spring continue or will it pass through summer only to turn into an autumn when leaves will fall and many facts will be uncovered?

Under the differences and disputes between former allies in the form of parties and factions, everyone is trying to finish everyone else off, because there is no place for opinion and counter-opinion on how and to what extent these differences will escalate; we are all in the dark on this, and we fervently hope it will not be a start on the road back to the absolute rule that

Now a game of dictatorship dominos has begun in the Arab world with a series of popular revolutions collectively called the Arab Spring, moving from Tunisia to Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, Bahrain and Oman. Although I am not a supporter of conspiracy theories generally, there are some legitimate questions to be asked: is it possible that one young Tunisian man ‘Bouazizi’ really moved hundreds of millions of “oppressed” people all over the Arab world? depends on brutal enforcement by security forces.

No one doubts, that it will take some time, maybe years, before things settle down in the region, but is it not possible for us to take lessons from what happened in those other countries and avoid those stages in order to protect our countries?

Will these Arab revolutions need 10 years of killing and chaos and mounting poverty before things settle down?

It is certain that there is no one who support the methods of the regimes in the countries of revolutions other than those who benefit from them - and we are not among those defending regimes that ruled countries and people brutally and turned them into zeros living on society’s margins, limiting their roles to dancing and singing for the leaders’ glory.

The big question remains: how have those people benefited from displacing these leaders? We also remember the concern that the alternative to the deposed regimes

are military regimes, with a martial mentality and philosophy, as was the case with previous Arab revolutions, from Egypt’s 23 July 1952 revolution to the September 1st revolution in Libya and ending in Iraq’s revolution of 1958, with all of these revolutions ultimately resulting in dictatorships whose oppression and corruption far surpassed that allegedly practiced by the former monarchies These revolutions created oppressive police systems which claimed to be safeguarding the revolution’s gains, but which came in time to be solely concerned with protecting the personal gains of the leader, his family and supporters. Billions accumulated in their accounts, while development deteriorated and ignorance and poverty increased, ultimately to a point at which the people could no longer accept it, taking to the street, not to search for cake, but to search for bread.

May Allah protect Kuwait, its leadership and people from all such harm. — Al-Jarida

kuwait digest

The oil sector strike

By Waleed Al-Rujaib

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il sector labor unions announced that a mass strike would be held on Sept 18, 2011, because of the government’s failure to enforce salary raises that were passed in 2007.

These regulations entitle workers to a pay rise once in every three years.

Several studies have already confirmed the need to increase the salaries paid to oil sector employees, which feature among the lowest oil sector salaries in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Instead of meeting those duties, the government referred the issue to the Civil Service Council despite the fact that oil sector employees fall under the pur view of the Supreme Council of Petroleum; not the state’s civil service regulations.

The Civil Service Council has ignored all the studies conducted on implementing a pay rise to the oil sector. It has enforced a proportional salary raise in the form of allowances that does not even cover the end of service payment. Oil

sector employees were too smart to be fooled and proceeded with their plan to stage a strike and stay committed to their demands.

The oil sector, which has produced many experienced workers, has suffered a series of setbacks after the role played by citizens was marginalized by private contracting companies. They employ cheaper expatriate laborers instead of trained Kuwaitis.

The strike is the last resort that

unions have been forced to seek, which is their right as per the international regulations. That being said, if the announced protest takes place, as long as the government continues to ignore worker’s demands, it will severely affect Kuwait’s only source of national income. If this happens, it would be a result of the government’s marginalization of the country’s laborers in favor of traders and major investors. — Al-Rai

The strike is the last resort that unions have been forced to seek, which is their right as per the international regulations.

That being said, if the announced protest takes place, as long as the government continues to ignore worker’s demands, it will severely affect Kuwait’s only source of national income.

he 9/11 anniversary has passed without much clamor this year. Like many tragic global incidents, its impact fades with time. It is said that time is the best healer. I don’t totally agree with that saying because there is nothing more traumatic than losing a loved one, especially if they met a violent death.

The aftermath of that horrible morning of 9/11 is a memory that no one will ever be able to erase, neither from the minds of the Americans nor the Arabs. I believe this sad memory should serve as the greatest lesson in humanity and peace.

It is the lesson that Muslims and Americans should learn. It could serve as a guide for the future. I believe that it is time for the US to move ahead and forge better economic relations with the Islamic World, regardless of the global chaos that many Arab countries are facing now, with the old-fashioned system crumbling.

The Muslim World needs to work hard toward embracing tolerance and peace as much as securing a business partnership .The USA is an ideal destination today. A quick look at the long queues outside the US embassies in Arab countries seeking visit visa requests, medical care or travel speak for themselves. With the Desert Storm and Desert Shield operations, American blood was shed for the sake of freedom and democracy.

When the 9/11 tragedy occurred, the sentiments of anger and hatred against Islamic world grew. That can be justified. If someone tried to break into your house and kill your family, you can never forgive them.

Necessary measures should be taken to ensure that this crime will never take place again. The US did it when it beefed up safety rules as a precautionary measure .

9/11 should not prevent us from isolating each other in the future. It should not prevent us from sharing, no matter what we think. We need each other. Those who died in 9/11 will not be forgotten. They are remembered every day by their loved ones. How much have we prayed to not witness another century of crime?

kuwait digest

Govt must lead by example on national unity

By Dr. Mohammad Al-Qazweeni

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t long last the government has proposed a draft law to parliament on protecting national unity.

We do at least have the right to be happy at the proposed law, however late its appearance, and despite knowing in advance that it will provide a chance for politicians to accuse one another, believing everyone but themselves to be dishonest.

The important thing is that the draft law has been completed and is awaiting discussion; we can only hope that it will not take long time to pass. What I want to say, however, is that the first one to trample over national unity has been the government itself in its current and all its former incarnations, by siding when convenient with those groups which oppose and abuse national unity, by allowing wasta and the employment of friends and family members in secretarial or other positions; this in turn has encouraged others to go down the same route and to follow this example. Therefore, the government of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed AlSabah must comprehend the reality not the theory of national unity; real national unity will not come about through legislation which is near impossible to apply but simply through policies that exemplify it being put into practice by the government first before anyone else.

This government, which has had to deal with various inherited problems, must start a campaign to create a spirit of national unity through making positive choices itself in all fields, from naming streets and schools and other public facilities to selecting senior government officials and giving real equal opportunities to all candidates for appointment or promotion rather than being guided by nepotism and favoritism.

Given Kuwaitís demographic composition is not right, for instance, to have a 13-person government committee with only one Shiite member or to employ ten undersecretaries not one of whom is Shiite, with the same applying in other fields.

If the government does not believe in the importance of balance, this sends an important and a potentially dangerous message which is most definitely noticed by the various groups and sects within Kuwaiti society and will be interpreted by them accordingly.

Those deprived of equal opportunities will receive this message in silence but will feel pain at the point being made, with that pain being nursed in their hearts until the next time, whilst the other party gloats over it and urges even greater isolation of the marginalized; the victim of all this in the end is Kuwaiti society.

As well as this, the government must act fast in confronting those who create problems in society before they can spread their poison, regardless of who is doing so. In connection with this, I call on the government to take decisive action to end the rumored sectarian abuse between staff at the Kuwait Airways Corporation.

Only if the government itself fails to meet its responsibility to protect national unity in any part of the country will we need to demand the introduction of legislation to achieve it for all. — Al-Anba

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Shimali visit to Sudan to pave way for partnership KHARTOUM: Visit of Kuwaiti Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shimali to Sudan was “successful by all standards” and would pave way for establishing “genuine partnership” between the two brotherly countries, said a Kuwaiti diplomat yesterday.

Khaled Al-Mutairan Al-Harbi, the Acting Charge d’affaires in Khartoum, said the talks between Al-Shimali and his Sudanese counterpart, Ali Mahmoud, were held in a cordial atmosphere. The two sides expressed sincere desire to deepen cooperation and discussed means of elevating the level of the bilateral relations to reach genuine partnership between the two countries.

Al-Shimali has discussed, during meetings with the Sudanese officials, various issues related to the Kuwaiti investments and enterprises in the Sudan, Al-Harbi said, indicating that he was “assured” about execution of ventures of the Kuwaiti Government here.

The diplomat said Al-Shimali was warmly received by residents of East Sudan, where local leaders and notables expressed gratitude for Kuwait’s financing of construction of 28 hospitals and schools.

On Al-Shimali’s talks with the Vice President, Ali Othman Taha, Al-Harbi indi-

cated that the senior official assured the Kuwaiti side that all needed facilities would be granted for Kuwaiti enterprises in the nation.

Al-Harbi expressed satisfaction at the outcome of Al-Shimali’s visit, outcome of which would enhance further the growing ties between the two countries. He also expressed hope to see further cooperation to translate accords into action.

For his part, the Sudanese Minister of Electricity and Dams, Usama Abdullah Ali, praised Kuwait for funding a series of vital ventures, such as the dams of Marwa, Taaliah and Al-Ruwaisras.

Construction of the two dams, Stait and Upper River Atabra, would partly irrigate some two millions feddans of land (a feddan is approximately 4,000 sq m). Kuwait is contributing with $80 million for this project.

Al-Shimali concluded a two-day official to Sudan yesterday-during which he held officials talks. The visit also witnessed the signing of an accord according to which Kuwait would grant Sudan $50 million for financing educational and health projects in East Sudan. The minister also inspected sites of construction of dams, funded by Kuwait. — KUNA

Govt appeasement of unions leading Kuwait into crisis Salaries take up 56 percent of budget KUWAIT: “The government’s policy of appeasing labor unions is leading Kuwait into a serious crisis,” warned a Kuwaiti government insider yesterday. The government insider was reacting to reports that the government is leaning towards meeting the anticipated demands of 32 labor unions in the country at an estimated additional cost of KD750 million per year. Many observers believe that further demands are likely after the Civil Service Commission (CSC) recently approved a new pay rise for oil sector workers who threatened to stage a mass strike on Sept 18 unless their demands were met.

Other reports, however, suggest that during its weekly meeting today (Sunday), the Cabinet is actually likely to suspend the recently agreed wage increases for oil sector workers, making the prospect of industrial action next week more likely.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the insider warned that the government might be forced to begin using money from the Future Generation Fund, the sovereign wealth fund established to assist future generations of Kuwaitis, if it continues acceding to public sector pay rise demands. While MPs’ support for labor unions’ demands in Kuwait is nothing new in Kuwait, the insider warns that some ministers are also supporting many of these demands without taking into account the serious impact that such financial pressures put on the state’s public interest.

Public sector workers’ salaries take up a massive 56 percent of the state’s budget, with the average amount paid by the state in welfare, subsidies and other costs for each Kuwaiti citizen currently standing at KD3,200 per month, said the insider. The government source further revealed that in the past five years alone an additional KD4 billion has been spent by the state on meeting salary increase demands, despite repeated warnings from the World Bank of the detrimental impact of this on the country’s finances. The government’s failure to achieve significant improvement in the quality of services provided to citizens also forms a major obstacle hindering the enforcement of any tax system, said the insider, describing the introduction of such a system as “essential” to supporting the state’s budget. “How could the government maintain a budget balance if oil prices fell to less than $80 per barrel?”, the insider asked, adding that in such a situation the government would be forced to take money from the future generation’s reserve fund to make up the difference. — Al-Qabas

Divers remove 3-ton fishing net KUWAIT: Kuwaiti divers removed a three-ton, 1,000 meter long fishing net that lay intertwined with the coral reef bed, located 5.7 kilometers north of Al-Zour, south of Kuwait.

They successfully freed it following a marathon nine-hour long mission.

“The fishing nets posed a risk to maritime activity as well as marine life, and the safety of coral reefs,” said Waleed AlShatti, Chief Operator of the Kuwait Diving Team of the Environmental Voluntary Foundation(EVF). “The buoyant part of the net spanned over a two-meter diameter area, and could only located during the low tide.”

The disposed nets affected an area where coral reefs were found five-meter underwater, over an area estimated at 28,000 square meters, “The divers were able to remove the nets with the and also freed marine species,” Al-Shatti said, adding that the nets were tied to a boat and towed towards the Khairan Resort beach. It was carried although its weight bogged them down the divers. Al-Shatti also thanked the Khairan Resort’s administration for their cooperation, also providing a crane to remove the net from the water.

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Kuwait, Qatar criticized as terror finance hubs Symposium at Treasury Department

By Samuel Rubenfeld

ALGIERS: Members of the Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation pose for a group photograph yesterday.

Kuwaiti MP calls for coordination among Arab parliaments ALGIERS: Head of Kuwait-Algeria Friendship Committee, Kuwaiti MP Mubarak Al-Khrainij, called yesterday on Arab parliaments to take a positive stance toward the current events in the Arab world.

The legislator also urged the Arab legislative assemblies to coordinate for “sake of making stands aimed at enabling the Arab peoples attain their rights.”

Al-Khrainij expressed his belief that the “spring of the Arab revolutions” would persist, and expressed hope that the Syrians would find a path out of the

current stalemate. He also called on the Damascus leadership to cooperate with the Arab League to resolve the crisis.

Al-Khrainij, also chairman of the foreign affairs committee, arrived in the country on Friday, heading a delegation.

The Kuwaiti MPs’ visit is aimed at enhancing ties at political, economic and cultural levels. The delegation, staying in the country for four days, is due to visit Tlemcen - considered by the Algerians to be the Islamic cultural capital - where the MPs will visit a number of Islamic historical sites. — KUNA

WASHINGTON: Key to stemming the flow of funds to terrorists is working with international partners, but what if your partners don’t do anything about it? That seems to be the message US officials sent to Kuwait and Qatar during a symposium at the Treasury Department on Thursday about counter-terrorist financing. Each country was tagged as not doing enough - or anything - about stopping the flow of terrorism dollars.

Kuwait and Qatar “unfortunately have become permissive environments for extremist fundraising,” said David Cohen, Treasury undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

“There is no question that Kuwait and Qatar are strong allies of the United States...but the fact remains that Kuwait is

the only country in the Gulf that has not criminalized terrorist financing...and although Qatar enacted a good terrorist financing law a year ago, implementation has lagged,” he said.

A report by the International Monetary Fund released earlier this week found many shortcomings in Kuwait’s anti-money laundering regulatory regime, and said growth in its banking sector could make it a hub for money laundering and terrorism financing.

Ambassador David Benjamin, the US State Department, said during a panel discussion that Kuwait is on the right track, however, and he is optimistic over the long term about getting it aboard the effort to stop terrorism funds from flowing through its financial system. “ They need to realize it’s in their own interest to comply,” Benjamin said.

Conversely, officials heaped praise on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for their work.

“Important progress has been made by some of our Gulf partners, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, in disrupting terrorists’ financial pipelines,” said John Brennan, the Obama administration’s counter-terrorism adviser.

Yet it wasn’t a quick process to get them aboard, other officials noted.

Saudi Arabia, for example, is a cash-dominant economy and records were difficult to come across, said Fran Townsend, a former counter terrorism assistant to President George W. Bush, during one of the panels. Now, however, the country has better record-keeping, she said, a result of changes that “must come from the top.”—Wall Street Journal Blogs

Qatar moves to reach food sustainability KUWAIT: Many Gulf countries have been investing in foreign farmland, mainly in fertile Africa, to serve as their bread basket. But Qatar has recently announced that it was going to boost its own food security and start investing in a master plan to turn 45,000 hectares (111,000 acres) of its own land into farms. The government’s Qatar National Food Security Program says its plan is to achieve self-sufficiency using the most modern technological advances to feed its booming population.

At the moment, Qatar, an arid country of some 1.8 million inhabitants jutting off Saudi Arabia into the Gulf, can only produce about 10% of its food needs and is desperately reliant on imports. Greenhouses are a rarity at the moment and they exist only about 1% of cultivated land, according to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

As a first step, Qatar plans to set up 1,400 farms, according to Mohamed AlAttiyah, chairman of the Qatar National Food Security Program. He said these will use the latest agricultural technology and train more people to work in the agricultural sector to improve productivity.

Currently, only 1.6 % of Qatar is arable land and agriculture only contributes 0.1% to gross national product, according to the FAO. Al-Attiyah noted that existing farms were working at only 10% of their capacity since it suffered from a lack of qualified staff and water shortages.

Qatar ’s Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, issued a decree calling for a master plan to be ready by 2013 and for full food security to be reached within a decade.

“This decree is an important message that demonstrates Qatar’s willingness to overcome one of its main challenges,” Al-Attiyah said.

Pedro Berliner, an expert in dryland agriculture and director of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, said this was feasible, but that Qatar faced many obstacles.

“Technology has been able to overcome many natural conditions. You can desalinate water, and add fertilizer. You don’t even need soil and can grow plants hydroponically. It all depends on the costs,” Berliner told The Media Line.

“You could grow wheat in a greenhouse, but it would cost about five times what you’d pay on the market.”

This also would require a very high degree of technological skill and you

have to acquire that or seek out the alternatives and bring in trained foreign workers, Berliner added.

Attiyah warned in a recent interview with The Peninsula newspaper in Qatar that climate change and water shortages “could pose a very serious problem for future development.”

According to the World Bank, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states of Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates import some 90% of the food they need to feed their 40 millionstrong population at a cost in 2010 of $25.8 billon. Qatar itself imports some $1.3 billion in food annually.

“High dependence on imports makes the GCC food supply very vulnerable and highly dependent on the world food market. In the past, any form of disruption in food imports, either due to policy restrictions by exporting countries or natural calamities has affected the region significantly,” according to a recent report by Alpen Capital Investment Bank.

The oil boom brought a population explosion to Qatar and the rest of the Gulf states and food production has not been able to keep pace.

Furthermore, food prices and oil prices are interconnected. As oil prices rose so too did food prices. Wealthy Arab states have been trying to create a food pipeline to stave off riots.

In an effort to improve their food security Gulf state countries have been buying up tracts of fertile, but often underutilized land in African countries like Ethiopia, Sudan and Mozambique.

Qatar recently leased 400,000 hectares of farmland in Kenya in the Tana River Delta to grow food for home in exchange for a $3.5 billion loan to the government. This “land grab” has raised alarms by these countries who fear they won’t be left with any food for their own people.

The announcement by the chairman of the Qatar National Food Security Program to improve domestic food production seems to reflect a little paranoia that in times of crisis, it would not be able to import food for its residents. “This is the opposite of globalization,” said Berliner of the Blaustein Institute. “In a global world everyone provides their best product and they are traded around the world so you have what you need. This is going the other way around. It would seem that they do not want to be affected by globalization.” — The Media Line

KUWAIT: Some of the dignitaries who attended the lecture presentation by Lt Gen Pagonis. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KGL Holding hosts Lt Gen Pagonis lecture KUWAIT: KGL Holding in coordination with The Global Center, College of Business Administration at Kuwait University organized a lecture presentation by Lt Gen William G. (Gus) Pagonis entitled “In the Eye of the Storm: The Liberation of Kuwait and Outstanding Courage of the Kuwaiti People” on Wednesday at the Sahara Kuwait Resort. Lt Gen Pagonis who was the Director of Logistics during the Gulf War of 1990-1991 is widely recognized for his logistical achievements particularly during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The event was attended by key executives both from the public and private sectors and members of the diplomatic corps.

The lecture presentation is in line with KGL’s Corporate Citizenship initiative in seeking every opportunity to help in the advancement of education in the communities it serves. With its active partnership with The Global Center, KGL Holding continuously provides a forum for International Exchange, Development and Leadership Programs by continuously providing executive training programs and inviting worldrenowned speakers and experts to share their expertise.

Lt Gen Pagonis was the Logistics expert during the Gulf War under the term of US Central Command Commander Gen Norman Schwarzkopf. He was the first American to arrive in Saudi Arabia, hours after the decision was made to deploy troops to Kuwait. With his expertise in logistics, Lt Gen Pagonis has shown an exemplary example of overall leadership in the management of very complex projects and organizations.

During his lecture, Lt Gen Pagonis tackled the efforts and dili-

Lt Gen William G. (Gus) Pagonis gence that was required to put together the monumental task of supplying the largest military campaign since World War II. Lt Gen Pagonis who won high praise from Gen Schwarzkopf for successfully masterminding logistics for the Gulf War also highlighted in his lecture the outstanding courage of the Kuwaiti people at the time.

He discussed at length during his presentation the military timeline and decision-making that led to the liberation of Kuwait and the logistical efforts associated with the war. A short film was also shown that outlined the complexity and magnitude of the deployment. He cited the support provided by the Kuwaiti military throughout the conflict. Finally, he touched base on the post-war reconstruction efforts. During that period, Lt Gen Pagonis supervised the immediate reconstruction activities as he was the Southwest Asia Theater Commander. Lt Gen Pagonis was the Director of Logistics during the Gulf War of 1990-1991 and is widely recognized for his logistical achievements particularly during

Desert Shield & Desert Storm. After successfully masterminding Logistics for the Gulf War and winning high praise from Gen Norman Schwarzkopf, he left the Army in 1993. Lt Gen Pagonis served in the United States Army for 29 years, retiring with the three-star rank of Lieutenant General. Currently, Lt Gen Pagonis is the Vice Chairman for GENCO-ATC, a leading thirdparty supply chain management company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He also served as Chairman of RailAmerica, Inc., the world’s largest short-line railroad, based in Boca Raton, Florida through 2008. Additionally, he is the former Chairman of the Department of Defense Business Board, reporting to Secretary of Defense.

Prior to joining the boards of GENCO-ATC and Rail America, he was the Executive Vice President of Supply Chain for Sears, Roebuck and Company for 11 years where he played a key role in helping propel his retail giant back to profitability. In his position he functioned as the single point of con-

tact for all Sears Logistics. He was responsible for all supply chain functions, including establishing policies and procedures for inventory flow, vendor relations, transportation, distribution, international logistics, home delivery services and the integration of information systems, which brought it all together. He directed logistics for more than 2,500 stores and, in the processes, established a network of strategically positioned distribution centers to process over 500 million pieces of merchandise per year. In addition, he served as President of Sears Logistics Services, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears.

Lt Gen Pagonis earned both his undergraduate degree in trade and transportation and an MBA, with a concentration in logistics and operations research, from Penn State University. He is the author of the business bestseller, Moving Mountains: Lessons in Leadership and Logistics from the Gulf War, published by Harvard Business School Press.

Kuwait & Gulf Link Holding (KGL Holding) is the premier provider of integrated Supply Chain Management (SCM) services.

Headquartered in Kuwait with operations in the GCC and MENA region, KGL Holding fulfills the Transportation, Logistics, Port Management, Shipping and Freight Forwarding needs of countless regional and international clients.

The Company’s SCM services are complemented by a range of Passenger Travel Management, Real Estate and other Support Services.

KGL Holding operates through a network of highly integrated Business Units to offer comprehensive services to its customers in the Middle East, Africa and beyond. KGL Holding’s address on the World Wide Web is: www.kgl.com

Kuwait to host 2012 training meeting

ROME: Kuwaiti ambassador to Malta Faisal Suleiman Al-Musaileem received yesterday the Kuwaiti delegation participating in the ‘Hope Sea Journey’ conference aimed at building social ties and networks for the mentally disabled. AlMusaileem welcomed the delegation members and lauded His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheihk Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s support to all Kuwaiti citizens, especially the disabled.

ANKARA: As the current chairman of the International Federation of Training and Development Organizations (IFTDO), Kuwait will host the organization’s annual meeting on April 15-18 of 2012, the IFTDO chairman Jamal AlDuaij revealed yesterday.

Al-Duaij explained that he is currently visiting Turkey to invite senior state officials, along with representatives of governmental and private institutions, to attend the conference, which aims to facilitate the exchange of international human and economic expertise on training and

development courses. During his visit, Al-Duaij extended invitations to the Turkish Ministry of Labor and Social Security, employment agencies, economic institutes, telecommunication companies, Kuwait Finance House-Turkey and Istanbul’s Bilgi University, he revealed.

“Inviting Turkey to attend this conference stems out from Turkey’s vital involvement in regional and international affairs,” the senior official explained, adding that Turkey’s civil communities also have an advanced network of training and development bodies. He further explained

that the state officials and representatives of the Turkish bodies welcomed and accepted the IFTDO head’s invitation to next year’s conference.

The IFTDO, established in 1972, is a non-profit institute based in Switzerland and registered with the United Nation’s Social and Economic Council that aims to develop and maintain a worldwide network committed to identifying, developing and transferring knowledge, skills and technology to enhance personal growth, human performance, productivity and sustainable development. — KUNA

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Yemen army liberates city from al-Qaeda

US ‘stronger’ 10 years after Sept 11 attacks Page 9

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Palestinians see ICC membership US weighs contingencies of Palestinian UN push WEST BANK: Palestinian youths sit placards bearing anti US and USAID slogans during a protest against United States policies in regard to the Palestinian-Israel conflict in the West Bank city of Ramallah yesterday. — AFP

WASHINGTON: The United States said yesterday it has begun talking to Israel and the Palestinians about how to deal with the aftermath of a Palestinian bid for full UN membership despite US and Israeli opposition. While disclosing the contingency planning, a State Department spokeswoman said Washington did not regard such a Palestinian push as a foregone conclusion, even though a Palestinian spokesman reiterated such plans on Thursday.

Two senior US envoys, David Hale and Dennis Ross, met Israeli and Palestinian officials in the region this week but appeared to make no progress in dissuading the Palestinians from trying to upgrade their status at the United Nations.

The United States and Israel argue that issues such as Palestinian statehood should be decided by the two sides at the negotiating table rather than at the United Nations. The Palestinians believe acquiring full UN membership now a virtual impossibility because it requires Security

Council approval and the United States has said it will exercise its veto-will improve their bargaining position in any future negotiation.

“The trip was certainly useful in terms of working with both sides to think through how we can continue to try to avoid the situation in New York and, if we can’t avoid it, how we can manage things so that after New York we can still stand a chance to get back to the table,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters at her daily briefing. “Our priority is plan A, which is that we can get them back to the table,” Nuland added. “There is no escaping the fact that it is difficult.”

There have been no direct negotiations between the two sides since they collapsed nearly a year ago because of a dis-

agreement over Jewish settlement construction on land that the Palestinians want for their state.

Diplomats have said it is not clear what the Palestinians will do when the UN General Assembly opens on Sept 19. Rather than seeking full UN membership for a state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip-territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war-they could seek status as a “non-member state,” which would require a simple majority of the 193-nation assembly. At the

United Nations, Palestinian representative Riyad Mansour said on Friday there could be a formal announcement of the Palestinian course of action following an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Monday.

Mansour said he understood that becoming a “non-member state” would allow the Palestinians to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) - a possibility that worries Israel, which fears they could seek to have Israeli military leaders prosecuted. — Reuters

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Gaddafi’s fall strengthens Morocco over Western Sahara RABAT: The fall of Libya’s Colonel Muammar Gaddafi means a change in the geopolitics of north Africa that could put the conflict in the Western Sahara back in the spotlight, regional observers said. A source of recurrent tension between Morocco and Algeria, the 36-year-old conflict also strained ties between Rabat and Tripoli: Gaddafi backed Polisario Front, the independence movement in the Western Sahara.

This support, which ebbed and flowed depending on Gaddafi’s frame of mind, long prevented his Jamahiriya “people’s republic” and the Moroccan kingdom from maintaining stable relations.

When Libyan rebels announced their victory towards the end of August, Morocco was one of the first countries to send its foreign minister, Taeib Fassi Fihri, to Benghazi to express support for the new regime. Libya’s ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) swiftly aired its views

on the issue of the Western Sahara.

“The future of the Sahara can only be conceived under the sovereignty” of Morocco, NTC spokesman in London Guma al-Gamaty said on regional television in Laayoune, the capital of the Western Sahara. From that point on, neighboring Algeria became the sole main political and financial supporter of the Polisario Front. The Front has been observing a ceasefire with Morocco for two decades, while the United Nations attempts to organize a referendum on the future of the territory.

In this context, NATO’s intervention in Libya and the active role of France in the collapse of Gaddafi’s regime could change the regional situation. It may lead the international community to press for a rapid solution to the Western Sahara conflict. “The cards will be reshuffled, and in terms of the requests the countries of the south could make on the north, Morocco

could include the Western Sahara,” said Khadija Mohsen-Finan, a researcher at Paris-VIII University. “Now, a new partner has come out of the woods: NATO,” Finan, a specialist in north African affairs, added.

“And France in particular is saying that we need to reconsider relations between the north and south of the Mediterranean. “Even if the position of Algeria regarding this conflict has not changed, because it continues actively to support the Polisario Front, the new regional situation could lead the international community to press for a rapid solution to this conflict,” Finan concluded.

For Mustapha Naimi, a researcher at the University Institute of Scientific Research in Rabat, Algeria appears today to be isolated in the north African region, despite its links to NATO and the United States. “Algeria remains a reliable partner in terms of cooperation and

security exchanges concerning the region, as much with the United States as with NATO,” he said. But Algeria “is sticking to positions of principle that isolate it and today appear overtaken by events,” Naimi said. “Certainly, what interests France today is the economy, and the French can no longer intervene politically on behalf of either party,” Mohsen-Finan said.

“But France can put the Western Sahara issue high on the agenda of priorities, in an international framework,” she added. Rabat proposes considerable autonomy to the Western Sahara, with its own government and parliament, but insists that sovereignty is not negotiable. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, seeks “the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination”. The Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony annexed in 1975 by Morocco, which lays a historical claim to the phosphate-rich territory. — AFP

Turkey seeks strong ties with Arab Spring nations Erdogan to meet young Egypt’s leaders

SANAA: Yemeni anti-government protesters shouts slogans against President Ali Abdullah Saleh during a protest in Sanaa, yesterday, as Yemen’s army has freed the base of the 25th Mechanised Brigade, besieged by Al-Qaeda suspects in the country’s south since late May, state news agency Saba reported. — AFP

Yemen army liberates city from al-Qaeda ADEN: Yemen’s army has recaptured a southern provincial capital held by Islamist militants since May, the state news agency said yesterday, citing the provincial governor and military officials.

The army launched an offensive two months ago against the militants controlling the coastal city of Zinjibar, which lies east of a strategic shipping strait through which some 3 million barrels of oil pass daily.

Militants with suspected links to al Qaeda have seized swathes of territory in the southern province of Abyan, taking advantage of turmoil in a country convulsed for months by protests against President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s 33-year rule.

Just last week, militants took another town in Abyan despite the army campaign backed by air strikes and heavy weapons. A military official said earlier yesterday the army had broken a fourmonth siege of a brigade based near Zinjibar by fighters said to be from al Qaeda’s Yemen-based wing.

He said many militants had fled towards Jaar, another town they control in Abyan, adding that three were killed in clashes in and around Zinjibar and four soldiers were wounded.

The 25th brigade was surrounded in May, when the militants took over Zinjibar, a few km (miles) from its barracks. “We are pursuing limited pockets of militants, but the real battle will be to cleanse the town of Jaar,” said General Mohammad al-Somali.

President Saleh, recovering in neighbouring Saudi Arabia from a June assassination attempt, congratulated the army on its what he called its victory against the militants. The United States and Saudi Arabia fear lawlessness and political chaos in Yemen will give al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula more room to launch attacks in the region and beyond.

Saleh’s opponents accuse him of exaggerating the threat of al Qaeda and even encouraging militancy to scare Washington and Riyadh into backing him. — Reuters

Israel wary at ‘harsh’ Turk naval challenge JERUSALEM: Israel will keep blockading Gaza in the face of Turkey ’s unprecedented naval challenge and is prepared for escalation though it wants to ease tensions with its former ally, officials said on Friday. Deepening a crisis over Israel’s killing last year of nine Turkish citizens aboard an aid flotilla that tried to reach the Palestinian enclave, Turkey vowed on Thursday to assign warships to escort such convoys in the future. The prospect of a showdown at sea with Turkey, a NATO power and fellow US strategic partner in the region, rattled Israelis already on edge over Arab world political upheaval and Iran’s nuclear program.

Breaking an almost 24-hour-long silence on the warships comments, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israeli policy “was and remains the prevention of deterioration in our ties with Turkey and easing the tensions between the countries”. “The prime minister and cabinet discussed the various theoretical possibilities should escalation occur,” it said in a statement. “But a decision on such will be made only if and when required.”

Confrontation did not appear imminent after the IHH, a Turkish Islamist charity that owned the Mavi Marmara cruise ship stormed by Israeli marines on May 31, 2010, said in Istanbul it had no plan “for now” to mount another Gaza mission. But Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan also pledged to boost naval patrols around eastern Mediterranean gas fields being developed by Israel, a potential blow to the Netanyahu government’s quest for energy independence. The Obama administration appealed for restraint.

“We are quite concerned ... We are urging both sides to refrain from rhetoric or actions that could be provocative, that could contribute to tensions,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters in Washington.

“Obviously, we would like to see both sides cool it and get back to a place where they can have a productive relationship.”

Turkey and Israel had tried to mend fences before a UN report last week that deemed the blockade a legal means to stem the flow of arms to Gaza’s governing Hamas and other Palestinian militants. Israel formally declared it during a 2008-2009 war with Hamas. Turkey argues that the naval closure amounts to illegal collective punishment of Gaza’s impoverished 1.5 million Palestinians and made lifting it a condition for reconciliation.

“There is no intent to review the blockade as long as Hamas amasses missiles.

This is a measure consistent with international law,” said Yigal Palmor, spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

The UN inquiry also called Israeli marines’ gunfire in brawls aboard the Mavi Marmara “excessive and unreasonable” and the deaths caused “unacceptable”. Israel voiced regret but rejected Ankara’s demand for a formal apology and compensation. While Turkey’s navy outclasses Israel’s, the latter could make use of its advanced air force in any coastal face-off. Yet analysts see them coming to blows as unlikely. “The things Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said are harsh and serious, but I don’t think it would be right to get into any verbal sabre-rattling with him,” Netanyahu deputy Dan Meridor told Israel’s Army Radio. “Our silence is the best response. I hope this phenomenon will pass.”

Erdogan’s comments about the eastern Mediterranean also drew a warning from the European Union not to threaten Cyprus, an EU member pursuing joint offshore gas drilling with Israel. Non-EUmember Turkey is the only country that recognizes a separate Turkish-run state in Cyprus’s northern third, which it invaded in 1974 in response to a Greekinspired coup. — Reuters

ANKARA: Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will tomorrow begin an “Arab Spring” tour to Egypt, Tunisia and Libya in a bid to forge stronger ties as relations with Israel are sinking to new lows over a flotilla row. The visit to Egypt comes amid a state of high alert declared yesterday in Cairo after protesters stormed the building housing Israel’s embassy and clashed with police, prompting a mass evacuation of the ambassador and other staff, a Turkish diplomat said.

Erdogan, a popular leader on the Arab street due to his strong challenge to the Jewish state, will seek closer economic and military ties with the new rulers of Egypt as Turkey is positioning itself as a regional player.

A strong sympathizer of the Palestinian cause, Erdogan in the past embarrassed Egypt with his outspoken condemnation of Israel’s treatment toward Palestinians, in contrast to the restraint of now ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s regime. In Cairo, Erdogan will meet with his Egyptian counterpart Essam Sharaf as well as Marshal Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. He will also deliver a speech at the council meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers, according to

his official program.

Besides his official talks, Erdogan will meet Egypt’s young leaders who spearheaded the country’s popular revolt that ousted the 82year-old strongman. In February, those young activists who gathered in Cairo’s central Tahrir square listened live to Erdogan’s calls for Mubarak to step down, as carried by AlJazeera television. Erdogan’s visit to Egypt comes at a time its relations with Israel have reached a new low after last-ditch efforts to reconcile between the once-regional allies over last year’s deadly flotilla raid on a Gazabound Turkish ship failed.

In retaliation for Israel’s refusal to apologize for the killing of nine people in the raid, Turkey ’s Islamist-rooted government announced a set of measures including expelling the Israeli ambassador and suspending all bilateral military agreements.

Erdogan went even further by saying that Turkish ships would appear more frequently in the eastern Mediterranean.

On Thursday, Erdogan expressed his government’s will to allow more ships to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza, saying that Turkish warships would escort the country’s

aid vessels, a move sparking fears of a confrontation with Israel.

He also threatened to visit the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, entering via neighboring Egypt, but Turkish officials ruled out such a trip for the time being, saying that Ankara did not want to become a problem for the new Egyptian administration. Observers say the Turkish measures against Israel could boost the country’s popularity in the Arab world as Ankara is also a fervent supporter of the Palestinians’ drive for statehood at the United Nations later this month.

In a sign of solidarity, Erdogan will continue his tour with a trip to another Arab Spring country, Tunisia, before travelling to Libya the next day. In Libya, he will confer with Mustafa Abdul Jalil, head of the now-ruling National Transitional Council (NTC) based in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Turkey, the only mainly Muslim member of NATO, gradually took a hard line against the old Libyan regime, after at first criticizing Western air strikes against the forces of Muammar Gaddafi. In July, Turkey recognized the NTC as Libya’s legitimate government. — AFP

News

in brief

BEIT OMAR: Israeli soldiers detain foreign activists as Palestinian, Israeli and foreigners tried to reach and work in Palestinian farms in the West Bank village of Beit Omar, near Hebron and the Jewish settlement of Karmei Tzur, but were evacuated by force by Israeli soldiers and border police yesterday. — AFP

Egypt unrest, Turkey row deepen Israel’s isolation JERUSALEM: Already embroiled in a fierce diplomatic row with former friend and ally Turkey, Israel found itself in fresh crisis yesterday with southern neighbor Egypt after crowds trashed its Cairo embassy. Israel has few friends in the Muslim world, and the chill on two fronts further deepens its isolation ahead of Palestinian plans to seek full membership in the United Nations.

The overnight attack on the mission, in which crowds smashed through an external security wall, tossed embassy papers from balconies and tore down the Israeli flag, was the worst since Israel set up its mission in Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state, in 1979. Along with Jordan it is still one of only two Arab states to host an Israeli ambassador. Since Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak’s ouster in February after a popular revolt, activists have called for a revision of the peace treaty with Israel. “The mob attack on the Israeli embassy is a serious incident,” Israeli news website Ynet yesterday quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying.

“It was a painful blow to the peace between us and a grave violation of diplomatic norms,” an Israeli official said on condition of anonymity, but added that a senior diplomat stayed behind after the ambassador and his staff were evacuated, to maintain delicate ties with Egypt. “We left the deputy ambassador to keep up contact with the Egyptian government,” the official said. Israeli army radio said the remaining diplomat was “in a safe place.” “Peace between Israel and Egypt is a strategic interest of both

countries and must be maintained despite the angry mob on the streets,” Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni told Ynet.

Egypt declared a state of alert after police clashed with protesters who raided the building housing Israel’s embassy.

It was the latest episode in worsening relations between Egypt and Israel since the killing of five Egyptian policemen last month on their common border as Israel hunted militants after a deadly attack.

Zvi Mazel, a former Israeli ambassador to Egypt, said that military ruler and current de facto head of state Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi was out of touch with grass roots secular demonstrators.

“It’s a situation of total anarchy where there is nobody on the military committee, General Tantawi or his friends, who can go to the Egyptian people and say ‘Enough, finish, we have a problem. We have to revive the economy, move forward’,” Mazel told public radio. “ The Egyptian interim military government is weak, unable to have a dialogue with the Egyptian people,” he said. Israel’s latest Egyptian woes came hard on the heels of the worst exchange yet with Turkey, after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday threatened to send warships to escort any Turkish vessels trying to breach Israel’s naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said that the cabinet had considered various responses to a further worsening of already stormy relations with Turkey, but had not taken action. “Israel acts and will act responsibly and hopes that Turkey will also act in the same way,” it said in a statement. — AFP

Iran warplane crashes TEHRAN: An Iranian warplane crashed yesterday in the northwestern city of Tabriz without causing casualties, as the Islamic republic conducts military maneuvers in the area, media reports said. “An Iranian warplane crashed this morning in Tabriz,” the English-language network Press TV reported, adding that the pilot was able to parachute to safety before impact. “The pilot managed to maneuver the plane in a way that no one else was hurt,” the report added, without providing further details. Fars news agency said the warplane crashed in a square next to an air force base in the city in East Azarbaijan province. The state television website said the aircraft came down after experiencing “technical difficulties” after taking off from Tabriz. It was not immediately known what type of aircraft was involved in the accident. Iran is conducting 10 days of “offensive” aerial drills in its northwest, with warplanes flying out of air force bases throughout the country, including in Tabriz.

Common virus kills 98 HANOI: The World Health Organization says an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease has surged in Vietnam, killing 98 children and sickening more than 42,000 others this year. It says three-quarters of the deaths have been in children three years old or younger. This year’s outbreak is a sharp increase over previous years. Since 2008, about 10,000 to 15,000 cases were reported per year, with about 20 to 30 children dying annually. The WHO statement quoted Vietnam’s health minister as warning that cases might increase in coming months when preschools and kindergartens resume. The disease is spread by sneezing, coughing and contact with fluid from blisters or infected feces. No vaccine exists, but illness is typically mild and most children recover quickly.

Drug smugglers hanged TEHRAN: Two convicted drug traffickers were hanged yesterday in a prison in the northern city of Sari, the ISNA news agency reported. The report did not identify either of those executed. The latest hangings bring to 186 the number of executions reported in Iran so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on media and official reports. Iranian media reported 179 hangings last year but international human rights groups say the actual number was much higher, ranking the Islamic republic second only to China in the number of people it executed in 2010. Tehran says the death penalty is essential to maintain law and order, and that it is applied only after exhaustive judicial proceedings. Murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery are among the crimes punishable by death in Iran.

Pope recalls 9/11 VATICAN CITY: Pope Benedict yesterday condemned violence in God’s name, but said that 10 years after the Sept 11 attacks, the world still had much to do to address the grievances that can give rise to acts of terrorism. “Once again, it must be unequivocally stated that no circumstances can ever justify acts terrorism,” he said in a letter to New York’s archbishop, Timothy Dolan, who is also head of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Recalling what he called the “brutal assault” on the United States, the pope said: “The tragedy of that day is compounded by the perpetrators’ claim to be acting in God’s name.”

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Oil workers missing off stormy Mexico coast VILLAHERMOSA: Mexico’s state oil company and a Texas-based company searched for 10 missing oil workers Friday, including four Americans, who evacuated from a research vessel in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of Tropical Storm Nate. Petroleos Mexicanos said it had two ships searching in the stormy area where the workers, employed by Houston-based Geokinetics Inc., called for help Thursday afternoon after leaving a vessel known as a liftboat, the Trinity II, on an enclosed life raft.

“We’re deeply concerned about the incident in the Gulf of Mexico involving our employees and others who had to abandon a disabled liftboat due to conditions brought about by Tropical Storm Nate,” Geokinetics spokeswoman Brenda Taquino said. “ The safety and rescue of the employees, everyone on the life raft, is a top priority.” Taquino said the company learned Thursday morning that the 94-foot, 185-ton Trinity II, contracted from Louisiana-based Trinity Liftboat Services LLC, was disabled in the Bay of Campeche because of storm conditions.

A liftboat can lower legs to the sea floor and then elevate itself above the water level. This one was being used as a recording vessel and housing for the crew, and it was in waters about 25 feet deep. On board were four crew members who operate the liftboat as well as three contractors and three employees of Geokinetics, which specializes in seismic studies for the oil and gas industry. They were made up of four Americans, four Mexicans, one from Kazakhstan and a 10th worker

of unconfirmed nationally, said an official at the port of Dos Bocas, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to journalists.

He said Pemex and Mexican navy rescue crews were also working along the beaches in nearby Frontera, the closest port to where the men evacuated the liftboat, because high winds and unrelenting rain made it too difficult to venture out to sea. Randy Reed, president of Trinity Liftboat in New Iberia, Louisiana, was unavailable for comment Friday, a person answering the phone at his office told The Associated Press. But Reed told the Advertiser newspaper in Louisiana that the rescue effort involved boats, helicopters and aircraft conducting a grid search of the area where they went missing off the coast of Mexico. “We’re optimistic.

They’re good seamen. They’re professionals at what they do,” Reed said.

“The life raft is out there, we just haven’t found it yet ... We’re all working diligently to locate the raft so we can locate our loved ones.” The Trinity II captain reported they were abandoning the vessel about midday Thursday, and a ship several miles away also reported seeing the crew enter the life raft. But there has been no communication since.

Pemex said its boats initially had difficulty reaching the area about 8 miles off shore of the southeastern Mexican state of Tabasco because of high winds and waves.

The Pemex communications office said Friday that its boats had reached the area but it couldn’t

say what weather conditions were like. The Mexican navy said in a statement that sailors had reached the Trinity II and found no crew. It said it has deployed a plane, three helicopters and four boats to search for them. Taquino said the life raft was a sealed capsule containing enough food and water to last for several days, but there was no way to communicate with it. “Visibility is not that great,” she said. Two additional vessels were monitoring the Trinity II because it could not be secured due to high seas, and a helicopter was sent out, Taquino said.

Tropical Storm Nate was drifting slowly westsouthwestward over the southern gulf late Friday with maximum sustained winds of near 50 mph, according to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was centered about 205 miles eastnortheast of Veracruz. Forecasters said it was expected to hit Mexico’s gulf coast Sunday possibly as a hurricane. A tropical storm warning was declared from port cities Tampico to Veracruz. A hurricane watch also was posted for the coast, meaning there was a chance the storm could strengthen into a hurricane.

Pemex said late Friday that it had evacuated 473 workers from platforms off the coasts of the Gulf coast states of Veracruz and Tamaulipas.

Mexico’s gulf ports were closed to navigation Friday and preparations were under way in the neighboring gulf state of Veracruz, where civil protection authorities decreed a tropical storm alert for 212 municipalities and were readying shelters.

Tropical Storm Maria, meanwhile, headed toward the Lesser Antilles at the eastern end of the Caribbean late Friday, while rain from what had been Tropical Storm Lee continued inundating a wide portion of Pennsylvania and other northeastern states, leaving at least seven dead.

Maria’s maximum sustained winds Friday night were near 45 mph, with some slight strengthening possible, according to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami. It was moving toward the westnorthwest near 14 mph. A tropical storm warning was in effect for a host of islands: Antigua, Anguilla, Barbuda, Montserrat, Nevis, St Kitts, British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe, St Maartin, Saba, St Eustatius, St Barthelemy, St. Marteen, Martinique, Dominica, and Puerto Rico including Vieques and Culebra.

On its current forecast track, Maria’s center would reach the Leeward Islands early Saturday and be near the Virgin Islands by yesterday night, the hurricane center said.

Also in the Atlantic, Hurricane Katia was moving northeast over open water after passing between the US and Bermuda. Despite not hitting land, the hurricane center said large swells generated by the Category 1 storm will continue affecting the US East Coast and Bermuda. Katia was centered midway between Bermuda and Nova Scotia and was moving northeast near 29 mph. It had maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph).

The long-term forecast indicated it could reach Scotland as a storm tomorrow. — AP

9/11: Flight 93 gets national memorial SHANKSVILLE: The 40 passengers and crew of the fourth, often forgotten 9/11 airliner were due to be honored yesterday, the eve of the 10th anniversary of the attacks, on the daisy-dotted field where they died.

Thousands are expected outside this village in southwestern Pennsylvania for the dedication of phase one of a national memorial to those on United Airlines Flight 93 who foiled an apparent bid by Al-Qaeda hijackers to strike Washington.

Then-president George W Bush, on his third visit to Shanksville since September 11, 2001, is scheduled to attend, along with Vice President Joe Biden and former president Bill Clinton. Nightfall will see the solemn lighting of more than 2,900 luminarias in memory of all 9/11 victims. Today, President Barack Obama is to join a twohour commemorative service at the spot where Flight 93 went down-lifting the profile of a virtually forgotten episode of the 9/11 attacks.

Security will be tight, after the Federal Aviation Administration declared a no-fly zone up to 18,000 feet over Shanksville, about 200 kilometers west of Washington, for much of today. So far, the Flight 93 National Memorial comprises a “field of honor” that gently descends to the crash site, plus a visitors’ plaza. Future plans call for a memorial wall by 2014, a grove of 40 trees and, in time, a 93-foot “tower of voices” comprising 40 wind chimes-although 10 million dollars still needs be raised before the project is done.

Several days of heavy rain which triggered floods in much of Pennsylvania this past week forced organizers to alter the staging of this weekend’s events, although fairer weather is forecast from mid-day yesterday. Notwithstanding a Hollywood movie, the story of Flight 93 has largely been overshadowed by the destruction of

the World Trade Center and the direct hit on the Pentagon.

In-flight recordings pulled from the rubble revealed how the passengers and crew, aware of the World Trade Center attack from mid-air cellphone calls to loved ones, fought the four hijackers for control of the Being 757. The plane crashed in a fireball at 10:03 am, hitting the ground at 563 miles an hour, just 20 minutes’ flying time from its presumed target, the Capitol building.

Everyone on board died instantly. In the aftermath of 9/11, local volunteers took on the task of greeting visitors and maintaining a makeshift memorial along the chainlink fence that overlooks what some call “America’s first battlefield against terrorism.”

The 2,200-acre site has drawn up to 6,000 people a week in the summer months, with an uptick seen this year, said Marlin Miller, 78, a retired Methodist pastor who is one of the volunteer guides. “The story’s not about Shanksville, but what brave people (aboard Flight 93) did that day,” he said on Friday, as a steady drizzle failed deter several dozen people from coming off the nearby Interstate 70 to pay their respects. “We planned on coming up and we picked today to come. Tomorrow will be a bit busier,” Bill Irwin, 36, a farmfencing salesman, told AFP alongside his wife Wendy, 35, and their four home schooled children. The Irwin family had discussed Flight 93 the night before, Wendy Irwin said, “and we cried a lot. It was very emotional ... We cried over what people did on that flight, what they did for our country.” The new memorial is not without its detractors, however. In the local Daily American newspaper, opponents of its design took out a large advertisement to allege that its curved format resembles the Islamic crescent, facing Makkah. — AFP

WASHINGTON: Mementos are left at a 9/11 memorial bench at the Pentagon in Washington yesterday. — AFP

ELLIOTT BAY: A US Coast Guard response boat drives past the Seattle skyline as it returns from a cargo ship inspection mission in Elliott Bay near Seattle. On the 10th anniversary of the Sept 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Coast Guard boats will be providing escorts and security for Washington state ferries and other marine traffic in the Seattle metro area. — AP

US ‘stronger’ 10 years after Sept 11 attacks Obama says enemies still targeting US WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama said yesterday the United States was stronger 10 years after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks and Americans would “carry on” despite continued threats against their safety. Marking today’s 10th anniversary of the “9/11” attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, Obama noted that Al-Qaeda’s strength had been sapped by relentless US efforts in the decade since the tragedy killed nearly 3,000 people. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our military personnel and our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security professionals, there should be no doubt: today, America is stronger and al Qaeda is on the path to defeat,” Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address.

New York police amassed a display of force on Friday, including checkpoints that snarled traffic in response to intelligence about a car or truck bomb plot linked to the anniversary. Obama noted that terror groups would continue to target the United States. “Yes we face a determined foe, and make no mistake-they will keep trying to hit us again.

But as we are showing again this weekend, we remain vigilant,” he said. “We’re doing everything in our power to protect our people, and no matter what comes our way, as a resilient nation, we will

carry on.”

Rudolph Giuliani, the mayor of New York at the time of the attacks, said the country still had work to do to become better prepared for further threats. “People often ask me, ‘Is America safer now than it was before September 11?’ The answer is: ‘Yes, but not as safe as we should be,’” he said in the weekly Republican address. “We’ve made significant improvements in intelligence gathering and in airport security. But much work remains,” he said, citing port security and preparedness levels at state and local governments as requiring improvement.

Obama will travel to all three sites today where hijackers turned planes into missiles, bringing down the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, hitting the Pentagon in Virginia and crashing into a Pennsylvania field. The attacks sparked US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the latter of which Obama, a Democrat, opposed.

“They wanted to draw us in to endless wars, sapping our strength and confidence as a nation. But even as we put relentless pressure on Al-Qaeda, we’re ending the war in Iraq and beginning to bring our troops home from Afghanistan,” he said.

“Because after a hard decade of war, it is time for

9/11 lawyers reflect on decade of legal twists NEW YORK: Gregory Cannata was standing in a parking lot on Barclay Street at 9:03 am on Sept 11, 2001, staring at the smoking North Tower of the World Trade Center a block away. He was wondering how a pilot could have accidentally crashed into the skyscraper when United Flight 175 roared up over the harbor and exploded into the South Tower. “People were screaming and crying,” he said. “Pieces of the plane dropped onto Church Street.” Cannata, a personal-injury lawyer, was so affected by the attacks that he volunteered his services in the following months, along with many other lawyers. He spent most of his time advising clean-up workers who believed they had been sickened by toxins around the World Trade Center site, but who were ineligible for money from the newly established 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund.

One morning in the shower, it occurred to Cannata that many of the workers had a cause of action under New York State labor law against the building managers and contractors who hired them.

That realization began a decade of work on behalf of the cleanup workers. Today Cannata is one of the lead lawyers for 1,500 plaintiffs in one of the last major

Sept. 11-related cases. For Cannata, like many of the lawyers involved in Sept 11 litigation, the legal work cannot be separated from the emotional experiences of that day, and of the months and years after. “It was a very traumatic thing for everyone,” Cannata said, recalling the days after the attacks. “I saw it, and felt it, and smelled it, and tasted it.” The mass of litigation that flowed out of the Sept 11 attacks is seemingly without end: Since 2001 more than 12,000 victims’ families, first responders, cleanup workers, property owners, businesses and insurers have filed lawsuits against a host of defendants, from the airlines to the city of New York to the contractors who handled the recovery efforts at Ground Zero. Due to a law passed shortly after the attacks, almost every Sept 11 case has landed on the doorstep of the federal courthouse in Manhattan, only blocks from where the Twin Towers stood. The cases were eventually consolidated into four “master cases,” all overseen by US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.

There are surely mass tort cases with more plaintiffs, or with greater claims for damages, but lawyers involved say the Sept. 11 litigation has few rivals when it comes to sheer complexity. “This is one of

the most unique pieces of litigation in American history,” said Robert Clifford, one of the plaintiffs’ liaison counsel for the consolidated case brought by property and business owners who suffered losses. “The number of plaintiffs may be the same or less as in other mass tort cases,” said Joseph Hopkins, co-counsel for the city in its case against the first responders.

“But the degree of complexity is many magnitudes of order greater.”

The case against the airlines was deceptively simple: Were the attacks preventable, and if so, did the airlines fail in their duty to safely screen their passengers? But security concerns complicated those cases, as lawyers were forced to request security clearance from the government in order to view classified documents related to the attacks. The case involving first responders and cleanup workers claiming illness from exposure to toxic dust includes the assertion of 350 separate medical conditions. Lawyers in that case first had to assess damages based on each plaintiff’s disease, then assign liability by determining what portion of the illness was caused by the dust, and finally decide which defendants were responsible. — Reuters

nation building here at home.”

Giuliani, who made a failed bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, said the attacks showed the importance of a US military presence abroad, and he indicated he opposed a hasty withdrawal of forces from those two war zones. “The (drawdown) timetable should not be based on a politically expedient calendar, but on when we’ve eliminated the threat of domestic attacks being generated in that particular part of the world,” he said. “We must not allow impatience to prevent our military from achieving its objective in Iraq and Afghanistan-and the objective is the elimination of the threat to our nation.”

US forces killed former Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, considered the mastermind of the Sept 11 attacks, earlier this year. The president referred to bin Laden’s death and said the democratic movements in Arab countries cast a shadow over Al-Qaeda’s legacy. “We’ve forged new partnerships with nations around the world to meet the global challenges that no nation can face alone,” Obama said. “And across the Middle East and North Africa, a new generation of citizens is showing that the future belongs to those that want to build, not destroy.” — Reuters

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Austrian incest suspect freed; testimony changes VIENNA: An 80-year-old Austrian man held for around two weeks on suspicion that he regularly raped his daughters for 41 years has been freed after the two women changed their story, prosecutors said. Until Friday’s stunning development, the case was described as having parallels to that of Josef Fritzl, another Austrian serving a life sentence for fathering seven children with his daughter in a windowless cellar.

Any similarities appeared to be rapidly dissolving, however. The women in the latest case still say they were sexually molested but were now blaming another man - not their father - for the alleged assaults, which they say happened some time in the past, said the state prosecutor’s office. That version is now being checked, a prosecutor ’s

statement from the Upper Austrian city of Ried said. Now 53 and 45 years old, the women have been described by officials as having mental disabilities - one to a slight degree, the other more severely affected.

In the Fritzl case, the Austrian imprisoned his daughter for 24 years and repeatedly raped her, fathering her seven children. Fritzl was sentenced to life imprisonment two years ago for that crime and for responsibility in the death of one of the children. No one had been charged in the latest case, however. The man was detained Aug 25 pending investigations by state prosecutors after local police had questioned the women and said their testimony was believable.

The two had accused their father of repeatedly raping them at their home

between 1970 and May 2011. They said he warned he would kill them if they resisted, occasionally threatening them with firearms and beating them with a stick and a pitchfork, police said. But subsequent questioning weakened the case. On Friday, prosecutor Ernestine Heger said that it became unclear whether the two women understood the nature of their accusations. She said that they continued to claim they were sexually molested, but insisted it was not their father who was responsible but another perpetrator.

Austria Press Agency cited Josef Wimmer, the lawyer of the 80-year-old, as saying that the women did not comprehend what they were accusing their father of doing. “They understand rape as being tied to a bed or being pushed

out of a bed,” he told APA, while they consider someone running around naked as performing a sexual act. “They say ‘Papa did not do this with us,’” but a stranger did, the lawyer said. Officials said they are still investigating the allegations of beatings and threats.

The lawyer cited the two women as saying “Papa did beat us but not since our mother died,” three years ago. He said any threats uttered by his client were not to be taken seriously, describing them as general expressions of anger and frustration. The man - from the Upper Austrian village of St Peter am Hart - had faced potential charges of assault, torture or neglect of defenseless individuals, threat to life or physical condition, rape and other sex crimes. The women initially told police that they

escaped when their father fell and was unable to get up after the older daughter pushed him during the last attempted rape.

Police and local media originally said the suspect had allegedly kept the victims locked in a tiny room of their home for 41 years, but later revised that version, suggesting they had limited freedom of movement, even though all three slept in one small room. With the allegations appearing increasingly flimsy, local police are likely to come under scrutiny for their handling of the case.

Regional police commander Martin Pumberger had described the women’s accusations as “believable” and the prosecutor’s office became involved after a police investigations recommended further follow-up.— AP

ALBA warns against NATO action in Syria Leftist group calls for end to NATO Libya bombing CARACAS: Latin America’s leftist ALBA bloc of nations on Friday called NATO’s actions in Libya a “dangerous precedent” and warned against a similar campaign in Syria, where protesters pleaded for international protection. Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, a prominent voice in the bloc, often warns of possible US aggression against his oil-rich country. He has pointed to the months-long NATO campaign in Libya as an example of “imperialist” aggression.

After meeting in Caracas, ALBA foreign ministers issued a statement saying the bloc “expresses its most urgent alarm over the threat that this same process could be

repeated against Syria, taking advantage of the country’s political problems.” Taking its inspiration from South American independence hero Simon Bolivar, the bloc’s full name is the “Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America.”

It was born in 2004 as an initiative of Chavez and Cuba’s Fidel Castro, both critics of US “hegemonic” influence. Pro-democracy protesters in Syria meanwhile on Friday called for international protection after six months of bloody rebellion. Syria’s government has responded to the protests, inspired

by Arab popular uprisings that have toppled three autocratic leaders in North Africa this year, with

WEST PITTSTON: A coffee shop is consumed by floodwaters in West Pittston, Pa. — AP

Bachmann confident in Iowa despite Perry

Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland battle floods

DES MOINES: Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said yesterday she is confident in her ability to compete strongly in Iowa despite a challenge from rival Rick Perry for the state’s conservative votes. “I’ve demonstrated something that the other candidates haven’t-that’s a level of consistency as a conservative,” she told Radio Iowa. Bachmann could be the candidate whose chances are hurt most by Texas Governor Perry’s entry into the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Both Bachmann and Perry are deeply conservative.

Perry has soared to the top of Republican polls in just a month in the race, and leads Bachmann in Iowa despite her victory in the state’s straw poll in mid-August. Iowa holds the first US election contest on Feb 6 and a victory there can give a Republican candidate important momentum in the race to choose a nominee to face Democratic President Barack Obama in November next year. Many analysts believe Bachmann may have to win the Iowa caucuses in order to remain in the race. “I have a very strong level of support in Iowa. I’m very grateful to Iowans for that level of support. People I believe, again, know me and trust me,” Bachmann said.

She said she would be back in Iowa this weekend and her campaign has been contacting her supporters across the state. “We’ve been holding the line with people who not only are saying that they’re supportive, we’re bringing many, many new people in as well because I have a very strong pro-growth policy,” Bachmann said. Bachmann was largely overshadowed by Perry and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in a Republican candidates’ debate on Wednesday.

Perry called the popular Social Security retirement plan for seniors a “Ponzi scheme”-a comment with which Bachmann appeared to take issue in her interview with Radio Iowa. She said US policymakers have to “keep faith” with Social Security beneficiaries. “That’s wrong for any candidate to make senior citizens believe that they should be nervous about something they have come to count on.

We need not do that, but I think at the same time we also outline our positive solutions,” Bachmann said. “That’s what I’m trying to do.”—Reuters

WILKES-BARRE: The Susquehanna River, swollen by rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, reached record levels in Pennsylvania on Friday and submerged some towns amid worry that flood waters had been turned toxic by swamped sewage processing plants. Rainfall ended in the region from the powerful weather system that earlier drenched the US Gulf Coast. But rising rivers and stressed dams and levees presented a stern challenge to Pennsylvania as well as Virginia and Maryland, states socked by flooding in late August after Hurricane Irene.

One Pennsylvania college town, Bloomsburg, was under water and closed to all but emergency workers. The Susquehanna reached a record high of 42.6 feet in hard-hit Wilkes-Barre early on Friday but the levee system held in the northeastern Pennsylvania city, meteorologists said.

The river topped the 40.9-foot level in flooding caused by Hurricane Agnes in 1972.

By later on Friday, Susquehanna had receded a bit to 41.4 feet. A levee system protected Wilkes-Barre but remained under heavy pressure and had sprung a few small leaks, Luzerne County engineer Jim Brozina said at a news conference. “It is under extreme stress right now. I mean, we are well beyond our design for this system,” Brozina said. “Every hour is a benefit to us as that river starts to recede.” Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett earlier told residents to steer clear of the river waters, which were turned into a toxic mess after flooding washed out 10 sewage processing plants.

VIRGINIA DECLARES EMERGENCY Governor Bob McDonnell on Friday declared a state of emergency in Virginia due to the flooding. At least five people earlier were killed in the flooding in

Pennsylvania and Virginia and more than 130,000 people were evacuated on Thursday in Pennsylvania, New York and Maryland. “This is a record flood in many areas, and people should expect the unexpected,” said Joel Myers of Accuweather.com, who warned of potential sinkholes, flash floods, dams failing and bridges collapsing. The most severely flooded were small towns without dikes along the Susquehanna River about 50 miles north and south of Wilkes-Barre.

Dikes at Wilkes-Barre and Kingston, on the opposite side of the Susquehanna, were raised as much as 12 feet and fortified following the devastating flood caused by Hurricane Agnes. National Guard troops went house to house in a search and rescue mission in West Pittston, a nearly submerged town without levees. “My nightmare is the mud and the smell and the cleaning,” said Annette Billings, who was evacuated to a shelter with her son Brandon and their dog from their groundfloor apartment in Luzerne, a Wilkes-Barre suburb. Flood warnings were issued for Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts and flash flood watches remained in effect in Maryland, Virginia and the US capital Washington, according to the National Weather Service.

As the Susquehanna slowly receded, in a Pennsylvania town along its banks called Forty Fort, caravans of dump trucks carried boulders to reinforce the vulnerable levees.

Police used bullhorns to chase onlookers from the levees, but in some areas along the edge of the flood zone, children rode bicycles and families strolled the river bank to inspect the churning waters. The sun shone brightly in a clear blue sky. Two bison at the Hershey Park attraction in central Pennsylvania were among the flood casualties.— Reuters

15 killed in Nigeria JOS: Fresh overnight attacks killed at least 15 people in Nigeria, the latest in a wave of recent killings in an area beset by sectarian violence, a local government official said yesterday. “Fifteen people were killed ... in Vwang district of Jos south local government area of Plateau state in a midnight attack,” a government spokesman Pam Ayuba said. The attack in a central district on the outskirts of the city of Jos, targeted predominantly Christian ethnic farming villagers known as Beroms. More villagers were missing in what appeared to be a wave of spiralling attacks suspected to be staged by Fulani herdsmen from adjoining villages. Some of the attacks in recent days have nearly wiped out entire families.

“This is the third time such attacks are taking place (in recent days) suggesting a premeditated murder,” he said.

Dozens of suspects have been arrested in connection with some of the recent attacks. Ayuba said “54 persons have been arrested so far ... the last few days.”

Jos has been hit by waves of violence between Christian and Muslim groups that have left hundreds dead in recent years. The area lies between the predominantly Christian south and mainly Muslim north of Africa’s most populous nation. The Geneva-based office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday expressed concern at the resurgence of violence in central Nigeria.

The renewed violence is the latest of woes for the government of President Goodluck Jonathan which is already under pressure to put an end to Islamist bomb attacks mainly in the north of the country and the capital Abuja. A Nigerian Islamist sect known as Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for an August 26 suicide attack that killed at least 23 people at the UN headquarters in Abuja. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation with 158 million people, divided roughly in half between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.— AFP

militar y assaults in which the United Nations says 2,200 people have died.

In Libya, fighters launched assaults on the final bastions of Muammar Gaddafi loyalists on Friday, with battles reported inside the holdout town of Bani Walid and near the ousted ruler’s home town of Sirte. Though Venezuela and Cuba are the loudest voices in ALBA, the group also comprises Bolivia, Nicaragua, Ecuador and the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and St Vincente and the Grenadines. “The ministers agree to promote a discussion in the United Nations General Assembly about the dangerous

precedent that has been set in Libya,” their statement said.

Chavez also said Washington’s blacklisting of four of his officials this week for alleged links to drugrunning Colombian rebels was a sign that Washington had Venezuela in its sights. Highly sensitive over persistent allegations of collaboration with guerrillas in neighboring Colombia, the Chavez government has reacted with fury at the US Treasury Department’s measures against the four men. “Let them present just one bit of proof against us,” Chavez said, in the latest flare-up between the ideologically-opposed nations who nevertheless maintain a massive oil trade.— Reuters

ST PETERSBURG: 81-year-old WWII veteran Galina Babkova talks in her flat in St Petersburg. 70 years later, Galina Bobkova still has nightmares of the horrors that the Nazi army put them through during the Leningrad (St Petersburg) blockade which started on January 27, 1944 and lasted almost 900 days. — AFP

Germany and Italy before UN court over Nazi reparations THE HAGUE: Germany and Italy will argue before the United Nations’ highest court next week in a dispute over reparation claims for victims of Third Reich abuses that have been lodged before Italian courts. From tomorrow, the two countries’ lawyers will argue their cases before judges of the International Court of Justice, where Germany applied in 2008 to stop Italy from allowing civil claims for Nazi war crimes.

Germany will put its case on Monday, I taly will follow on Tuesday, then on Wednesday, Greece, a “non-party” state in the case, will state its position. A second round of arguments will follow Thursday and Friday before judges retire to make a decision. Germany has argued that by permitting claims for abuses, committed between September 1943 and May 1945, Italy “failed to respect the jurisdictional immunity ” that modern- day Germany enjoyed under international law.

Germany has urged the ICJ to order Italy to live up to its international responsibility and take steps to ensure decisions by Italian courts “infringing on German sovereign

immunity” cannot be enforced. “To date, approximately 250 plaintiffs have brought civil actions against Germany, pending in 24 district courts and two appeals courts,” Berlin said in its application. Also before the Hague-based court is Greece, because relatives of victims of a 1944 massacre at Distomo, in Greece, which claimed 218 lives, turned to the Italian courts after their case stalled in Athens.

In 1997 a Greek court ordered Germany to pay 28.6 million euros (37 million dollars) to the Distomo plaintiffs, but opposition from Berlin and reluctance from Greek justice ministers meant the ruling was never enforced. An Italian court however enforced the original ruling and slapped a financial charge on two buildings owned by the German state. Germany has always refused to pay, saying the issue of compensation was settled by a bilateral agreement with Greece dating from 1960. Established in 1945, the ICJ is the UN’s highest judicial organ and settles disputes between states.

It is the only one of the six main UN bodies not located in New York.—AFP

Queen portrait decree draws ire in Canada

ARENA YAROSLAVL: Relatives of victims grieve at a funeral service for the victims of Wednesday’s plane crash, in the Arena Yaroslavl, 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Moscow in Russia, yesterday. The chartered Yak-42 jet crashed Wednesday into the banks of the Volga River moments after takeoff from an airport near Yaroslavl. — AP

MONTREAL: A Canadian government decree that the Queen’s portrait be displayed in all embassies and missions abroad triggered an angr y response Friday from a former diplomat and an opposition lawmaker. “This decision is retrograde and anachronistic,” said Paul Heinbecker, Canada’s erstwhile ambassador to the United Nations. “After 60 years of emancipation, this is a step back for our country,” he added. On Wednesday, Foreign Minister John Baird’s office confirmed that all of its diplomatic missions had been told to raise a portrait of the Queen, given that she is Canada’s head of state. The move was largely seen as a sign of ever better ties with Britain after the success of Prince William and his wife Catherine’s first official overseas trip which saw them feted by the Canadian

public in late June and early July.

The duke and duchess of Cambridge paddled in a canoe in the far north, shared the grief of thousands displaced by forest fires in Alberta and snuggled in a rustic wooden cabin in the Rockies. Their only bad experience came from a few republican protestors in the French-speaking province of Quebec. The decision to hang the Queen’s portrait abroad also angered Paul Dewar, a lawmaker from the New Democratic Party (NDP), which tripled its seats and came second only to the ruling Conservatives in elections this year. “We don’t have a minister of foreign affairs, we have a minister of interior decorating,” Dewar said, noting that other Commonwealth countries such as Australia and New Zealand do not impose such a decree.— AFP

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Post-9/11 Afghan war ‘stigma’ on West: Taleban KABUL: The post-9/11 invasion of Afghanistan by the United States and its allies “will remain a permanent stigma on the face of Western democracy”, the Taleban said yesterday. The Islamist grouping, which refused to give up Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in the wake of the outrage 10 years ago Sunday, also said the people of Afghanistan had “endless stamina for a long war” and would “send the Americans to the dustbin of histor y ”. In a long statement issued in Persian and English, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said the attacks on the US in 2001 had been used, unjustly, as a “pretext” for the subsequent invasion of Afghanistan.

“Each year, the 9/11 reminds the Afghans of an event in which they had no role whatsoever, but, using this as a pretext and a clout, the American colonialism shed blood of tens of thousands of miserable and innocent Afghans. Still the atrocity has been continuing,” the English language version said.

The Taleban had called for an “impar tial” investigation into the events of 9/11 but the US and its allies had instead responded by “sending cruise missiles, poisonous and depleted uranium embedded weapons instead”, it said. “It will remain a permanent stigma on the face of the Western democracy that America and

her Allies martyred tens of thousands of Muslims under the pretext of this ambiguous and murky event.

“Children, old men, women and even infant of a few days are among the victims. They destroyed our villages, orchards, standing plantations and even townships under the unjustified name of war on terror. “They have been keeping thousands of Afghans in detention at Guantanamo, Bagram and Kandahar prisons and at Shindand, Nangarhar, Mazar-i-sharif, Khust and other bases where they are brutally tortured. Tens of best sons of this land have breathed their last under torture.

“We urge all concerned circles of

the world to press on the war-mongering American colonialist rulers to desist from gobbling down our land and natural resources under the socalled unjustified name of terrorism.

“Otherwise, the Afghans have an endless stamina for a long war and, perceivably through a countr y-wise uprising, will send the Americans to the dustbin of the history like they did send other empires of the past to such a destination. (Inshallah).”

A decade of fighting in Afghanistan began with Operation Enduring Freedom and snowballed into a huge effor t currently involving around 140,000 troops from 48 countries.

Launched a month after the 9/11

attacks, the US-led military campaign under president George W. Bush was designed to topple the Taleban and ensure Al-Qaeda could no longer use Afghanistan as a safe haven.

Of 100,000 US troops in Afghanistan, 33,000 will leave by mid2012, even as a still-potent Taleban insurgency is focused on headlinegrabbing suicide attacks against government officials and foreign targets.

In 10 years of conflict, battlefield successes have ebbed and flowed for the troops, who invaded the country on October 7, 2001 alongside the antiTaliban mujahedeen, driving the Taleban from Kabul by early December. — AFP

Eleven dead in China ferry sinking: Reports ‘92 schoolchildren were on the ferry’

MANILA: Filipino Muslims and Christians join together as they hold flowers and candles commemorating the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 terror attack in New York City yesterday in Manila, Philippines. — AP

Japan mourns dead as PM visits tsunami-hit area TOKYO: Japan’s new Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda visited the northeastern region devastated by the March 11 quake and tsunami yesterday as the nation prepared to mark six months since tragedy struck. Noda, visiting ravaged Miyagi and Iwate prefectures for the first time since taking office a week ago, inspected the port city of Kesennuma, one of the most severely damaged communities on the Pacific coast.

The new premier, accompanied by state minister in charge of post-disaster reconstruction Tatsuo Hirano, later visited Iwate prefecture’s devastated Rikuzentakata city. Escorted by local officials, Noda walked around an area flattened by the monster waves that left only concrete foundations behind and where now weeds have begun to sprout.

“I saw how massive the tsunami force was with my own eyes,” he said, according to Jiji Press. “I would like to see proposals from local residents so that we can help them rise again from this.”

After inspecting the destroyed facilities of the Kesennuma fish market, Noda promised to local officials that the government will “reflect your needs and opinions on such measures as special economic zones for reconstruction, subsidies and the third extra budget.”

Noda’s visit, a day ahead of the sixmonth anniversary of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami, follows his inspection of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Thursday.

Ceremonies to mourn the dead and rallies against nuclear power are scheduled to take place across the nation with silent prayers to be offered at 2:46 pm on Sunday, the exact moment the quake struck six months ago. A day ahead of the anniversary, survivors in Soma in Fukushima prefecture held a memorial ceremony for the 459 people dead or

missing from the city.

“I promise to address the reconstruction with all my strength and all my heart,” said Fukushima governor Yuhei Sato as he stood in front of a stage full of white chrysanthemums. Planned events in the disaster area include one organised by fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto in Soma, in which hundreds of paper lanterns will be released into the air yesterday evening.

Yamamoto held similar memorial events in Chernobyl, which experienced a serious nuclear accident 25 years ago, and Indonesia-the nation hardest hit by the 2004 Asian tsunami. The March 11 tsunami ravaged Japan’s northeast, leaving nearly 20,000 dead or missing, according to the latest police figures.

The towering wall of water battered cooling systems at the Fukushima plant, 220 kilometres (138 miles) northeast of Tokyo, triggering the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Noda replaced Naoto Kan, who stepped down amid criticism over his handling of the aftermath of the triple disaster. But the new prime minister has already faced pressure from the opposition over one of his minister’s gaffes about radiation contamination in Fukushima.

Yoshio Hachiro, the economy, trade and industry minister appointed only about a week ago, provoked anger when he called the area around the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant a “shi no machi” or a “town of death”. Witnesses have also said that after he visited the plant, Hachiro made as if he was rubbing his jacket against a journalist, while making a remark to the effect that “I will infect you with radiation.”

His remark and apparent joking about radiation were widely seen as insensitive and immediately prompted opposition parties to criticise the new minister and demand Noda dismiss him. — AFP

BEIJING: At least 11 people, including nine schoolchildren, died when an apparently overloaded ferry capsized in a river in southern China, reports said yesterday. Local authorities said 45 people, including two crew, were aboard the boat when it became ensnared in a cable and tipped over, CCTV reported.

But witnesses quoted by the Beijing News said there were 92 schoolchildren on the ferry, and one blogger claimed to have counted as many as 63 bodies in the river after the Friday afternoon incident.

Officials said the ferr y cut across a cable that appeared to then become wrapped around a propeller on a river in Shaoyang in southern Hunan province. They said three people were still missing, while 16 were injured and 13 had escaped unharmed.

“Several witnesses reported that at the time of the accident, 92 schoolchildren were on the boat,” said a report in the Beijing News. The report added that people had begun cleaning the bodies of the victims and burning paper money-a common offering for the dead in China. “It was so crowded we had trouble breathing,” one survivor told the paper, adding that she had seen a half-

SHAOYANG: This photo taken on September 9, 2011 shows family members waiting by the bodies of victims after a ferry capsized while crossing a river in Shaoyang, in central China’s Hunan province. At least 11 people, including nine schoolchildren, were killed in the sinking in Hunan province. —AFP erased notice on the boat saying it was only licensed to carry 32 passengers. One user of the microblogging service Tencent claimed to have counted 63 bod-

ies taken from the river. The Xinhua news agency said the two owners of the boat, which had been chartered by a local school to transport students, were

Over 200 killed by floods in Southern Pakistan ISLAMABAD: While the spell of monsoon rains continues in the Southern Sindh province of Pakistan, more than two hundred people have been killed and millions have been affected by flash floods. According to latest figures released by the provincial disaster management authority (PDMA), near 200 people have been killed and 467 others have been wounded. While, 5,500,000 people have been affected by flash floods, triggered by torrential rains in at least twenty-two districts of the province.

The figures, released to media, further stated that the floods have wrecked havoc in 545 villages, completely inundating them, and damaged crops covering more than 1.7 million acres of land. About eighty percent of cash crops have been damaged.

President Asif Ali Zardari last week appealed to the international community for urgent relief aid and assistance to the flood victims. He also urged the United Nations, in his call to the Secretar y General Ban-Ki Moon, to launch an international appeal for humanitarian assistance.

A local journalist from Sukkur, Mushtaq Saen, told KUNA by telephone that people have not yet recovered from 2010 destructive floods that another wave of flash floods has caught them. He said there were chances of outbreak of different disease and that number of affected victims has outnumbered number of established relief camps.

A team of PDMA and UN on Friday visited the flood-hit areas to launch a ‘Rapid Response Plan’ to initiate a swift assessment of flood losses. Kuwait was among the first few countries, who provided immediate relief aid and assistance to flood-hit areas of not only Sindh province but eastern Punjab and northern KhyberPakhtunkhwa provinces as well.

Meanwhile, at least 30 passengers were wounded when a train derailed yesterday in an eastern Pakistani city, said officials. A passenger train, travelling from Lahore to Rawalpindi city, derailed near Gujrat city. Railway Authorities said that six cars of the train derailed because of the rainy weather. They said 30 passengers were wounded, several of them critically. — KUNA

Pakistani pleads guilty in US on nuclear charges WASHINGTON: A Pakistani citizen on Friday plead guilty to illegally attempting to export nuclear material to organizations in his homeland that are classed “of concern” to US national security, justice officials said.

Nadeem Akhtar, 46, faces up to five years in jail and a $250,000 fine, for conducting a scheme to provide restricted items to clients in Pakistan, including agencies of the government in Islamabad. Akhtar, a legal permanent US resident, used his company, Computer Communication USA, to try and obtain radiation detection devices, resins for coolant water purification and calibration equipment over a five-year period.

A license was required to export the restricted nuclear materials given their possible use in commercial or military environments. “Akhtar conspired to violate export regulations by selling controlled items while misrepresenting what they were and to whom they would be sold,” said District of Maryland Attorney

Rod Rosenstein.

Akhtar also unlawfully obtained or attempted to obtain or export mechanical and electrical valves, cranes and scissor lifts, according to a department of justice statement. “The restricted entities in Pakistan included organizations of concern to the US government as acting contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States,” the statement said.

Akhtar took direction from the owner of a trading company in Karachi, Pakistan’s economic hub, “who had business relationships with governmental entities in Pakistan,” it added, noting that he received commission on deals. He also tried to evade US regulations by using third parties and real or fake businesses in Pakistan, Dubai and the United States, and by conspiring with contacts in Illinois and California to procure items for him under false pretenses. Akhtar, who remains in US custody, is due to be sentenced on January 6. —AFP

arrested. Lax regulation and poor enforcement of safety rules on China’s waterways make fatal accidents a fairly common occurrence. — AFP

KARACHI: Commuters cross a flooded street following rains in Karachi yesterday. Six people including two women and a minor were electrocuted and more than two dozens injured in different parts of the city as heavy downpour lashed the metropolis afternoon, paralysing the communication and power supply network as more than 100 feeders of Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) tripped off the system. — AFP

RALEGAN SIDDHI: Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare, left, addresses the media as associate Kiran Bedi, right, looks on after a meeting in Ralegan Siddhi, in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, yesterday. Diversifying his campaign against corruption to electoral reform, Hazare will write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking his views on having an annual performance audit of lawmakers, according to a news agency. — AP

Australia quiet on moves to revive Malaysia deal SYDNEY: Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen yesterday refused to confirm reports that the government is poised to revive a plan to send asylum-seekers to Malaysia by changing existing legislation. Prime Minister Julia Gillard reportedly cut short her visit to New Zealand for the Pacific Islands Forum to meet with senior ministers in Canberra on how to resolve the Malaysia deal which was recently blocked by an Australian court.

Media reports said the government was considering changing the 1958 Migration Act-which controls immigration into Australia-to ensure the offshore processing of asylum-seekers can go ahead. “Our consideration of the entire matter of the regional framework, of how to deal with asylum seekers is well advanced and we’ll be saying more in coming days,” Bowen told reporters in Sydney. “But we’ve made it clear that we have all options on the table.”

Attorney-General Robert McClelland has said that amending the act is “appropriate”. “Obviously the cabinet... (has) to consider these issues but yes we believe that an amendment is desirable to put offshore processing beyond doubt, we think that should be done,” McClelland told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

The government, which is flailing at record lows in opinion polls, was dealt a heavy blow last month when the High Court ruled against its plan to send 800 asylum-seekers to Malaysia. Canberra had hoped the arrangementunder which it agreed to resettle 4,000 of Malaysia’s registered refugees-would deter asylum-seekers from risking their lives on perilous boat journeys to Australia.

But the High Court rejected the deal, saying Australia could not transfer asylum-seekers to another country unless that nation was bound by law to protect them.

Malaysia is not a signatory to the United Nations convention on refugees. Refugee activists said they were disappointed the government could now amend the law.—AFP

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Nearly 200 die as ferry capsizes off Zanzibar Deal struck on Syrian reforms Continued from Page 1 of the Zanzibar archipelago, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania and popular beach destination for tourists. Rescue worker Ramadhan said a lack of equipment was hampering rescue operations. “A helicopter helped to rescue some survivors but with the high tide coming in some of the bodies could drift as far as (the Kenyan port city of) Mombasa,” Ramadhan said.

A stream of military trucks brought in bodies to the Maisara football grounds in Zanzibar’s main city, where tens of thousands of people gathered to identify the dead. Emergency workers covered bodies in dark blankets and placed the victims’ clothes on top so relatives could identify them. Hundreds of people gathered outside the main Mnazi Mmoja Hospital where medical workers read out the names of survivors and posted lists on hospital walls. “We are still receiving many bodies by truckloads ... The death toll will likely be much higher,” doctor Karim Zah of the Mnazi Mmoja Hospital in Zanzibar told Reuters.

At the tourist destination of Nungwi at the northern tip of Zanzibar, fishing boats and diving vessels ferried survivors ashore.

Crowds waded waist deep into the water as the boats approached, desperately seeking relatives. “Many of us got here about 2.30 a.m.

(2330 GMT) this morning,” said Suleiman Amis, 32, who works on a local diving tour boat. “We sent out some boats to search for the survivors, but we did not find them until very, very late. We have friends who we know took that boat and we want to go back out to find them as soon as possible,” he told Reuters. Pemba is about

40 km from Zanzibar. Passengers who regularly take ferries between the two islands said the vessels are in a poor state and often overcrowded. “They normally pack us in like sardines in a can.

And for that I really fear this could be a very big disaster,” said resident Mwnakhamis Juma. A parent in Mkoani on Pemba island was already mourning his three children who were aboard. “I had two sons and a daughter coming back to Pemba from a school holiday break ... I am fearing for the worst,” said Juma Bakar.

“It was terrifying, people were screaming and shouting in the dark,” said Aisha Mohammed, aged seven. “I can’t find my mummy, I lost her when we were all in the water,” she added, after being picked up by a rescue boat. Other survivors angrily accused port and ferry officials of overloading the boat. “We were shouting at the captain and at the people in the port even before we left that the boat was too full - it was packed with people and with cargo,” said Zaid Amour, a 50-year-old survivor. “This was not an accident but is the fault of those who did not stop the boat from leaving when it was clear to passengers it was not safe.” Rescue diver Ali Shante who arrived at scene some five hours after the ferry capsized said many of those rescued were “found floating using mattress, wood and bags of rice”. The government announced three days of mourning and Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete postponed a trip to Canada. The government in Zanzibar said last month it planned to invest in bigger, more reliable vessels to ferry passengers between the two islands. “We are fearing the greatest calamity in the history of Zanzibar. This is a disaster,” said a government official, who declined to be named. — Agencies

Egypt on alert after Israel embassy attack Continued from Page 1 After a meeting with the ruling military council, Information Minister Osama Heikal had harsh words for the violence and said authorities will take all necessary steps to preserve order, including the protection of embassies.

Calling the unrest an “attack on Egypt’s image,” he said “it is clear that the behaviour of certain people menaces the Egyptian state in its entirety” and that “exceptional circumstances demand decisive judicial measures”.

Consequently, the “security forces will have recourse to all necessary measures, including the right to legitimate self defence, to preserve the security of the homeland.” He also said Cairo would apply “all articles” of an emergency law in force for 30 years that provides greater powers to the judiciary and police. He also affirmed Egypt’s “total commitment to respecting international conventions, including the protection of all (diplomatic) missions”.

The embassy attack was the worst since Israel established its mission in Egypt after becoming the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state in 1979. The violence is also the worst episode in tense relations since the killing of five Egyptian policemen last month on the border as Israel hunted militants after a deadly attack.

Three people were killed in the overnight clashes between police and protesters, hospital sources said, and the health ministry said one person died of a heart attack. More than 1,000 people, including some 300 policemen, were also injured in the clashes that continued overnight, medical and security sources said.

Police, meanwhile, arrested 19 peo-

ple and referred them to the military prosecution which immediately began interrogating them, a security official said. Protesters demolished a security wall around the mission with sledgehammers, removed the Israeli flag and entered the embassy, grabbing thousands of documents. They also torched police trucks and attacked the Giza police headquarters. Hundreds of soldiers backed by armoured cars rushed to the area after Obama called on Cairo to protect the embassy.

Interior Minister Mansur Al-Eissawy declared a state of high alert, cancelling all police leave, while Prime Minister Essam Sharaf called for an emergency cabinet meeting yesterday. Quoting an “informed source,” government daily AlAhram reported on its website that “there is clear intention that the government will submit its resignation after its failure to contain” the violence.

The attack came as about 1,000 protesters marched from Tahrir Square where thousands had massed Friday to press Egypt’s military rulers to keep promises of reform after a JanuaryFebruary revolt ousted president Hosni Mubarak. Israeli Defence Minister Minister Ehud Barak’s office said he called US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta to request help protecting their embassy. Obama spoke to Netanyahu by phone and expressed “great concern about the situation at the embassy, and the security of the Israelis serving there,” the White House said.

“The mob attack on the Israeli embassy is a serious incident but could have been worse had the rioters managed to get through the last door and hurt our people,” Ynet news website quoted Netanyahu as saying. Israeli public radio said the six rescued men

were security officers, and Netanyahu’s office said they had returned home safe.

“When the violence got out of hand, some 80 (Israelis) were taken out” of Egypt, an Israeli official said. “All our people are safe and sound.”

Egyptian state television said that Levanon met a general of the ruling military’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces before leaving Cairo, and that the ambassador appeared “anxious and even scared”. In Jerusalem, Israeli government spokesman Ron Sofer told army radio Levanon would take up his post again “as soon as the security of the embassy is provided by Egypt”.

Protesters dumped documents in Arabic, English and Hebrew, bearing watermarks of the embassy, to people on the streets who jostled to grab them like trophies. A former Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Zvi Mazel, said he believed the documents were not top secret. “It may be that our people anticipated something like this and destroyed the most secret things,” he said.

Last month, Egypt asked for an official apology from Israel following the Aug 18 killing of five policemen along the border, deaths that triggered huge protests outside the embassy. Activists have called for a revision of the 1979 peace treaty with Israel since Mubarak’s ouster in February. “Our dignity has been restored,” said Mohi Alaa, 24, a protester near the site of the overnight clashes. Bits of concrete and bullet casings were strewn over the street. “We don’t want the Americans’ money,” he said, showing the greater readiness of many Egyptians to express resentment of Israel and the United States and anger at Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, after decades of pragmatic official relations. — Agencies

Iran eyes brotherly ties with Gulf states Continued from Page 1 Iran believes that all issues of dissension involving Iran and these states can be resolved. However Tehran “believes that rights of the peoples of the region cannot be attained through foreign intervention”, he said. “We believe that issues of the region should be settled with the determination of the regional countries,” said the Iranian president during the two-hour meeting. Some foreign powers are behind some of the problems embroiling the regional states, he charged, adding that the Gulf states are not at odds on basic issues.

The president indicated that during his participation in the 2007 GCC summit, he called on the regional countries to seek to secure their common interests without external intervention. On the events in Syria, he called for “calming down the situation”, charging that some states have been sending arms to that troubled country. “Syria is a Muslim nation, thus the Islamic states must intervene and seek a collective accord and help in resolving the differences and conducting reforms,” Ahmadinejad added.

He accused the United States and its allies of plotting to destabilize the Middle East, and expressed readiness to host a meeting of Muslim nations to help in settle problems in Syria “without intervention of the foreigners”. “States of the region should seek to secure rights of their peoples without the intervention of the West ... because the West won’t withdraw easily and the Zionists will continue to repress the Palestinians and the Islamic countries harshly,” he added.

He reassured countries of the region about safety of the Bushehr nuclear reactor, and reiterated the call to send in delegations to inspect the safety standards applied at the plant. He noted that Western powers, namely Germany, had contributed in launching the reactor project before the Islamic revolution, but later when Tehran opted to shift to Russia for aid for its construction, they claimed “the reactor posed a danger to the region”.

Elaborating in the interview with KUNA, Ahmadinejad charged that Western powers have been campaigning against the nuclear plant because they have not benefitted financially from the venture. “They have repeatedly declared that the reactor poses hazards to the region,” he said.

“However, all necessary safety and security standards at it

have been observed, and rest assured we are equally concerned about safety of the people of Bushehr city, the Kuwaiti, the Qatari and Bahraini peoples, and the government does not discriminate among the brothers of the region - Iranians or peoples of other nationality,” the president assured the Kuwaiti guests. Iran believes that its development will be also useful for other nations of the region, he said, expressing readiness to put Iran’s resources at the disposal of other Muslim nations.

On arms stockpiles in the region, he charged that the big powers seek to create regional conflicts with the illicit intention to trigger wars and be able to sell their weapons to the parties of strife. On Libya, he called for intervention by Muslim nations to try reach an understanding among the warring parties and prevent intervention by the West and NATO, charging these powers of harboring colonial intentions in that country.

He expressed readiness for coordination with Saudi Arabia, a regional nation of significant political weight. “If the countries of the region unite, the Zionist entity will not be able to continue killing the Palestinian, Lebanese and Egyptian peoples,” he added. The president called on Muslim nations to establish joint banks and invest their funds locally.

On international sanctions on Iran, Ahmadinejad said these curbs have boosted national development.

On the West’s plan to deploy a missile shield in Turkey, Ahmadinejad said the Turks “are our brothers and close friends but when the enemies decide to station a missile shield there and declare that this action is directed against Iran, in that case we have to be cautious”. “All know that America cannot defeat Iran ... but Iran is concerned about its brothers in the region and when we say that we are against foreign intervention ... it is because they see no other way but to sow discord among friendly nations to advance their interests,” he said.

The Kuwaiti delegation arrived on Tuesday on a severalday visit to Iran. They included Kuwait Times Editor in Chief Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan, Al-Anbaa Editor-in-Chief Yousef AlMarzouq, KUNA Editor-in-Chief Rashed Al-Rwaished, KJA board member and Al-Watan daily journalist Fatma Hussein, Al-Nahar daily Editor-in-Chief Emad Bukhamseen, Al-Rai daily writer Sheikha Fawziya Al-Sabah and Al-Anbaa journalist Faisal Al-Zamel. — Agencies

Kuwaiti activists demand Arab Spring-like...

Continued from Page 1

allowing an independent commission to oversee the elections. This should be followed by sacking the government and dissolving the Assembly and then holding the next elections on this new basis. The group said that Kuwait has been plagued with corruption and backwardness over the past several years that has hit all government agencies, adding that the last government hos-

pital was built in the early 1980s while the only state university has remained scattered in different sites for the past 50 years.

Corruption has reached our homes, food and even medicines and fish in our sea, the group said, adding that despite the discovery of thousands of tonnes of expired food, “we have not seen anyone held accountable”. “Our only consolation was the presence of the Assembly which represented the nation in confronting

corruption,” said the group. “But this Assembly has become plagued with corruption and the government has exploited it as a cover to pass deals that squander public funds. It has even exceeded that by becoming a place for money laundering and bribes”. The group stressed that those responsible for taking Kuwait to this desperate state of affairs must be held to account, adding that despite widespread corruption, gangs of corruption have escaped punishment.

Continued from Page 1 “We’re looking at accelerating that work next week,” US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in reference to a draft resolution likely to include sanctions. Arabi’s mission came three days later than originally planned and as activists reported seven new deaths.

Activists said security forces killed seven people in northwestern and central Syria yesterday. “Five civilians were killed during a military and security operation to track down wanted people in the Al-Basateen neighbourhood of Homs,” in central Syria, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. In the northwestern province of Idlib a 45-year-old man was killed when security forces manning a checkpoint opened fire, said the Observatory, while the Local Coordination Committees said a woman was killed at dawn in Saraqeb. Meanwhile, the Observatory reported that troops and security forces raided the village of Hit bordering Lebanon, arresting nine and damaging houses.

The United Nations says more than 2,200 people - mostly civilians - have been killed in a crackdown on almost daily protests by pro-democracy and anti-regime demonstrators in Syria since mid-March. But Radwan Ziadeh, head of the Washington-based Damascus Center for Human Rights Studies in

Syria, said in Tunis that “more than 3,000 people have been killed, the majority of them civilians, have been killed in 112 Syrian towns and cities”. These included 123 aged under 18, he added.

Damascus insists that it is battling “armed terrorist gangs”.

Arabi’s trip came after protesters across Syria on Friday demanded international protection. According to a copy of an Arab League document seen by AFP earlier this week, Arabi was due to propose that Assad hold elections in three years, move towards a pluralistic government and immediately halt the crackdown. Assad should declare his “commitment to making the transition towards a pluralistic government and use his powers to speed up reforms and announce multi-candidate elections ... for 2014, when his current mandate ends,” says the document.

Assad has pledged reforms and issued a decree in August allowing opposition political parties alongside the ruling Baath party, in power since 1963 with the constitutional status of “the leader of state and society”. The Arab initiative, agreed at a foreign ministers meeting in Cairo last month, also calls on Syria “to immediately end” the crackdown, “separate the military from political and civil life” and begin talks with the opposition. The initiative angered Syria, which said it contained “unacceptable and biased language” and Damascus had postponed Arabi’s trip which was initially due on Wednesday, citing “circumstances beyond our control”. — AFP

Fighters hit Gaddafi-held stronghold Continued from Page 1 NTC fighters said they believed Gaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam and his spokesman Moussa Ibrahim were still in Bani Walid, which they said had received reinforcements from Sirte and Sabha, a Gaddafi stronghold deep in the southern desert. Heavy fighting erupted around Bani Walid and the coastal city of Sirte, Gaddafi’s birthplace, on Friday, a day ahead of a deadline for a negotiated surrender set by the NTC. NTC officials said the truce was effectively over, paving the way for what could prove the final battles of a civil war that evolved from February’s popular uprising against Gaddafi.

Now that his 42-year rule has ended, diplomats said Britain plans to submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council early next week to start easing sanctions against Libya and establish a modest UN mission in the country. The International Monetary Fund also chipped in yesterday, recognising the NTC as Libya’s legitimate governing body and saying it planned to send a team there when it is safe enough.

NTC forces which finally overran the Libyan capital on Aug 23 must still capture Gaddafi’s last strongholds and find the deposed leader before they can declare Libya liberat-

ed and set the clock ticking for elections and a new constitution. The frontlines around Sirte appeared to be quieter after Friday’s fighting. The NTC has been sending hundreds of fighters south towards Sabha in the last two days. It is not known whether Gaddafi, wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, is holed up in any of the three main strongholds his loyalists still control.

In a defiant message broadcast on Thursday, Gaddafi said he was still in Libya to lead the fight against what he called “rats” and “stray dogs” who had taken over the capital. Niger, which has taken in several of Gaddafi’s fugitive aides and generals, said it would respect its commitments to the international court if Gaddafi or his sons arrived. A convoy of 12 Libyan vehicles and two Nigerian military vehicles left Niger’s northern city of Agadez in the direction of Niamey on Friday afternoon, a Reuters witness said. The convoy was believed to contain a group of 14 former Gaddafi officials, including General Ali Kana and General Ali Sharif Al-Rifi, that had reached Agadez on Thursday.

Hisham Buhagiar, the military coordinator of the NTC’s hunt for Gaddafi, said on Friday he had indications his quarry was in or near the

town of Birak, some 700 km south of Tripoli. NATO forces had bombed the area late on Thursday, he said. “We thought he was in Birak. I saw NATO heavily bombed Birak. They’re following the same trail,” he said. He said he would move to Sabha, near Birak, within two days to pursue the chase.

Gaddafi is said to rely on loyal tribes to protect him in the south, where the NTC has little sway.

Sabha has been isolated from the rest of Libya since soon after Tripoli fell.

Little information has emerged from the town of 100,000, home to many sub-Saharan African migrants. While the NTC seeks to extend its territorial grip on Libya, some signs of political discontent have emerged in Tripoli, where disparate military factions are jostling for influence, and in Benghazi, the eastern cradle of the revolt.

Hundreds of people marched from a charred former Gaddafi compound in Benghazi on Friday night criticising what they called “climbers” and “opportunists” in the NTC leadership, many of whom are defectors who once served under Gaddafi. A memorandum signed by 56 political organisations, mostly from eastern Libya, also decried an NTC roadmap for future governance, saying it “does not express the desires of the street nor the wishes of the liberal people”. — Reuters

14

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

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Issues

Qaeda influence growing south of the Sahara

By David Lewis he bombing of a UN office in Nigeria has deepened fears that Al-Qaeda’s influence on militant groups in sub-Saharan Africa is growing, although the extent of its involvement remains murky. Experts say increasing numbers of Nigerians are training with fighters linked to Al-Qaeda in the desert, potentially adding black African recruits to ranks still mostly dominated by Arab faces, and broadening Al-Qaeda’s regional influence. Sharing men and ideas is not new-Islamists from North Africa flooded to Iraq to take part in the insurgency there, with many having since returned back home.

But evidence is emerging that Al-Qaeda may be broadening its reach south, possibly by sharing training, tactics and weapons, with other militant groups, after failing to strike in Europe and facing heavy resistance in Algeria. The United States, United Nations and the European Union have also expressed concern that AlQaeda fighters in the Sahara may be acquiring weapons looted from former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s stocks.

The Nigerian Islamist sect Boko Haram, which claimed the Aug. 26 Abuja bombing, and Al-Qaeda’s North African wing AQIM which emerged from Algerian militant groups and now roams across much of the Sahara, appear awkward bedfellows due to traditional tensions between black and Arab Africans. “(But) the links between Boko Haram and AQIM are there and probably getting stronger,” said a diplomat who follows security issues closely but asked not to be named. “We are not clear on the degree of cooperation. But if you are training people you are going to be talking about strategy, so there is a degree of coordination,” the diplomat added.

Nigerian authorities said last week they suspected a member of Boko Haram “with Al-Qaeda links” who returned recently from Somalia to have been involved in the bombing that killed 23. The bombing was a clear escalation in targets and methods for a group that rejects Western education but previously targeted security forces in the poor, marginalised Muslim north. It also mirrored Al-Qaeda’s bombing of UN headquarters in Iraq in 2003 and another in Algeria in 2007.

Kwesi Aning from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping and Training Centre said that the apparent convergence of at least some of the groups’ interests was a significant concern. “It changes the equation totally,” he said. Any potential links have not come out of the blue.

Al-Qaeda offered Boko Haram help last year to fight Christians. Citing the lack of open-source proof on collaboration and ethnic differences between the groups, most analysts have tended to remain cautious over any kind of alliance.

“Although AQIM has expanded into sub-Saharan Africa, there remains a level of distrust between black Africans and the group’s Arab leaders,” the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a report this month. Peter Sharwood-Smith, Nigeria country manager at risk consultants Drum Cussac, stressed Boko Haram still appeared Nigeria-focused but perhaps was open to collaboration. Aning said that while details and numbers remained sketchy, links between the groups had been growing for several years.

According to Sahara-researcher Jeremy Keenan, a “couple of dozen” Nigerians have trained with AQIM in the Sahara. Citing African intelligence sources, CSIS went further, saying said there was evidence that some members of Boko Haram have trained with AQIM in Niger.

Weeks after the leaders of Niger and Nigeria met on security issues, Nigerian authorities said a Niger citizen had been arrested when a bomb-making factory was found near Abuja. Clearly conscious of its Arab-dominated image, AQIM has broadcast videos seeking to show that it had succeeded in luring recruits from south of the Sahara, with one propaganda film last year showing fighters preaching in a number of languages, including Fulani, Haussa and Portuguese.

Al-Qaeda’s Sahara wing has raised its profile in the Sahel region in recent years after getting pushed south

by Algeria’s military into the vast and lawless desert regions of Mali, Niger and Mauritania. While kidnappings and a slice of the trans-Saharan smuggling routes, now also ferrying cocaine, have swelled AQIM’s coffers, the group has struggled to launch a spectacular attack in the zone. Vows of attacks in Europe have also failed to materialise.— Reuters

T

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

Obama’s risky calculus on Iraq troop levels

By Phil Stewart

hen it comes to the tricky political calculus of deciding how many US troops to keep in Iraq, President Barack Obama may truly have no good options. Obama was an Iraq war opponent who repeatedly promised no US troops will remain in the country beyond 2011, the deadline for the US withdrawal under a bilateral pact. But his past two defense secretaries have publicly advocated keeping some US forces there on a training mission, should Iraq ask for it. To that end, Iraq and the United States agreed to start formal negotiations last month.

Sources tell Reuters the Obama administration is now considering options including a training force as small as 3,000 troops in the country.

Obama’s Democratic base may still feel that is too many and Republican critics say that number is too few to guard against a dangerous escalation in violence. Any deterioration in Iraq could come back to haunt Obama during the 2012 US presidential election year. It would remind Democrats that American forces are still in danger there while bolstering a Republican narrative of policy

W

blunder. In his State of the Union address, Obama vowed to “finish the job of bringing our troops out of Iraq.”

Civilians, he said, would forge a lasting partnership with the Iraqi people, a nod to an expanded role planned for the State Department. To counter the impression of backpedaling, the Obama administration appears to be flirting with the idea of rebranding current military operations in Iraq as “combat” and future ones as “training”. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last month, at event where she was flanked by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, “our combat mission in Iraq ends at the end of this year”.

“Our support and training mission, if there is to be such a one, is what the subject of this discussion (with the Iraqis) would be,” she said at the National Defense University.

There is a problem though: Obama has already announced the end of the US combat mission in Iraq. The remaining 43,000 or so forces in the country are already in an ‘advise and assist’ role, even though the US military still sometimes conducts air strikes. Declaring that the “tide of war is receding,” Obama announced in June a faster withdrawal from Afghanistan than his military had

recommended. That may now happen in Iraq, although there are competing visions within the military itself about just how big a force may be needed.

Eight years after the United States ousted Saddam Hussein, Iraq is still building its police and army to battle a lethal Sunni Islamist insurgency and Shiite militias within, as well as defending against external threats. Anti-US Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr, a key member of Prime Minister Nouri AlMaliki’s coalition government who openly opposes any continued US presence, has threatened to escalate protests and military resistance if any American troops stay. So, the US military has emphasized that “force protection” for American troops will be key to any future mission in Iraq. The Pentagon declined to comment on internal deliberations, but sources familiar with the matter said US officers have felt at least 10,000 troops would be necessary to help Baghdad address all the shortcomings in its security forces. Even so, Army Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno, until last year the top US commander in Iraq, has not expressed alarm at the possibility of keeping on just 3,000 troops. He told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday: “I

always felt that we had to be careful about leaving too many people in Iraq.

I’m not saying 3,000 to 5,000 is the right number. But what I would say is there comes a time when ... it becomes counter-productive” to have too many forces.

Too many troops risk being seen as an occupying force, he said.

One example of a mission that could fall by the wayside is US operations to keep the peace between Arabs and Kurds. The president of Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region warned this week that the withdrawal of US forces will increase the possibility of a civil war.

“If you’re doing 3,000, you could do a scaled-back version of the Northern Iraq mission and that’s all you’d be doing,” said a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Odierno, who had long been the face of the Iraq mission before General Lloyd Austin took over this year, said that wasn’t necessarily the case. “I’ve heard some discuss where we need 5,000 people to work the Arab-Kurd issue. Well, I’ve read some things lately that we think that they are starting to handle that,” he said. “So if that’s the case, then we don’t need those 5,000,” he added, without directly taking a position on the issue. — Reuters

Turkey to complicate life for Israel

By Crispian Balmer

urkey’s threat to send warships to protect aid convoys to Gaza is unlikely to trigger conflict with Israel, but the dramatic deterioration in relations between the onetime allies could jeopardise Israeli energy ambitions. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised the stakes with Israel on Thursday, saying he would dispatch the navy to escort any future flotillas to Gaza and prevent a repeat of an Israeli raid last year that killed nine Turks.

Ankara has already downgraded diplomatic relations with Israel and halted defence trade following the Jewish state’s confirmation last week that it would not apologise for the deadly 2010 assault on a boat challenging its Gaza blockade.

Despite the intensifying rhetoric, it seems hard to believe that the region’s two biggest military powers, both important allies of the United States, would face off over the Palestinian enclave Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamist group Hamas. “It won’t turn into a military confrontation, because the Turks aren’t stupid. It’s absurd to think a NATO country would get into a military confrontation with Israel,” said Gad Shimron, a retired Mossad officer and defence expert.

By the same token, it seems unlikely that Erdogan will let the matter drop, with many analysts seeing his repeated criticism of Israel as a calculated bid to boost his standing in the Arab world and assume a dominant role in the Middle East. Tellingly, he made his comments to Al Jazeera, the pan-Arabic television station, upping the ante just days before he is due to visit a trio of Arab countries, including Egypt, which has itself fallen out with Israel in recent weeks. “Erdogan thinks the easy target is Israel, but he doesn’t know if it will pay off. He is taking a gamble,” said Yossi Shain, a professor at both Tel Aviv University and Georgetown University in Washington. “He wants to

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be the champion of the Arab and Islamic world, but it is not clear whether he can.”

Turkey has a much larger navy than Israel but would have to think twice about any military brinkmanship given the imposing strength of the Israeli air force. “Keep in mind that were Israel to initiate an interception, say against a Turkish bid to sail on Gaza, it would have the advantage of choosing the time, place and deployment strength,” a former Israeli admiral told Reuters, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject. Indicating there is no

Israel is looking to exploit recently discovered gas fields off its coasts and hook up with Cyprus to build energy facilities.

Turkey does not recognise Cyprus’s Greek Cypriot government, while Lebanon has accused Israel of breaking international law by exploring for gas without an agreement between the two countries which are formally at war - on their maritime border. Israel denies this.

A heavy Turkish naval presence near the disputed fields could undoubtedly cause Israel headaches, just as it thought that it had finally overcome its long-

Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan attends a welcoming ceremony in Ankara on Sept 8, 2011. – AFP imminent danger of a clash, the charity that organised last year’s convoy to the Gaza Strip said on Friday it had no plans for now for another flotilla.

Regardless of that, Turkey has also said it will make its presence felt in the eastern Mediterranean at a time when

standing energy shortages. “This is a feasible and significantly troubling prospect. I imagine it would compromise foreign investment in those fields,” the former admiral said. Israel has sought to play down the diplomatic crisis, with officials pointing out that the two countries

had already overcome previous rows, such as in 1980 when Turkey curbed ties to protest at Israel’s annexation of Arab East Jerusalem. But back then, Turkey was a much poorer nation than it is today, and there were very few cultural, sporting or business links between the two countries.

The implications of a falling-out today are much more significant, with trade between Turkey and Israel worth $3.5 billion last year, helping keep thousands of people in work. “Turkey is a very strong country today and this is very serious situation,” said Alon Liel, the head of the Israeli diplomatic mission in Turkey from 1981 to 1983 and a former director general of the Foreign Ministry.

Although Turkey is an undoubted regional power, it has suffered a difficult few months due to the Arab uprisings. It has had to retool its foreign policy in Syria and Libya, losing old allies in the process, and has distanced itself with Iran. Erdogan is clearly trying to regain the initiative and will have to be careful not to push things too far. “He has painted Turkey into a very tight corner,” said Gareth Jenkins, an Istanbul-based security analyst. “Turkey is squandering the moral capital it had gained after the (2010 flotilla) incident, in which international public opinion sided with Turkey.

But the international community will be very hostile.” Washington has stayed largely quiet over the past week, urging reconciliation between the two parties without publicly taking sides. However, much more Turkish sabre-rattling is sure to fire up passions, with the US Congress fiercely pro-Israel. “(Erdogan) is about to get a tough response from Washington.

They are watching him and letting him play, but the moment is coming,” said Shain, who is working in the United States. Erdogan may well be calculating that Washington cannot afford to imperil relations with Turkey at such crucial moment for the Middle East, but as with his fight with Israel, that is a risky bet to take. — Reuters

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Cavendish poised for return LONDON: Mark Cavendish makes a long-awaited return to the Tour of Britain here today, determined to make his mark on the event after a four-year absence. The 26-year-old is one of the biggest names in British cycling, having won 20 stages of the Tour de France as well as this year’s green jersey, but last competed in the Tour of Britain in 2007.

He was given special dispensation to return to the race this year by world cycling’s governing body the UCI following his decision to withdraw from the Tour of Spain. Under UCI rules a rider who withdraws from one race is unable to compete in another if the first event is ongoing-the Tour of Britain overlaps with its Spanish counterpart by one day. Cavendish however will be racing for HTC Highroad in Britain this week after securing permission from international cycling chiefs. HTC team manager Brian Holm said the Isle of Man sprinter had made the right decision by skipping the Tour of Spain. “He did the right thing pulling out - he had stomach trouble, felt pretty empty and there was a risk of making it worse,” he said. —AFP

Kubica to be back on track MONZA: Formula One driver Robert Kubica should be back on a racetrack next month for the first time since his rally accident in February, the Pole’s manager Daniele Morelli told Reuters on Friday. Kubica had final surgery on his injured right elbow last month and has now started full rehabilitation to regain strength.

“Robert will need to try a racing car rather than a simulator,” Morelli said of the next step. “First to drive a car, a racing car on a normal track, and then we will see if it (the simulator) is needed.

“We think that in October Robert can start to drive a car, any car,” he added, speaking in the Italian Grand

Prix paddock. Kubica, who lost a huge amount of blood in the near-fatal accident in Italy and has undergone a series of operations, has missed the entire Formula One season and is unlikely to race this year.

His Renault team has already said Brazilian reserve Bruno Senna will see out the season with Russian driver Vitaly Petrov. Morelli said his main concern was for Kubica to be fit enough to drive. “Finally we have the elbow that is not blocked any more and that is permitting the movement of the forearm and the wrist. And this is needed to get back the strength because the muscles are now very weak,” he said.—Reuters

Gyan to join UAE club SUNDERLAND: Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan is to join United Arab Emirates side Al Ain on a season-long loan from Sunderland, the Premier League club said yesterday. The 25-year-old international became Sunderland’s record signing when he arrived at the Stadium of Light for 13 million pounds ($20 million) from French club Rennes just over a year ago, but has failed to settle.

“My wish would be that he finds his spark again and we see him in red and white stripes next season in the form that first attracted us to him,” Sunderland coach Steve Bruce said. Gyan made his name at the 2010 World Cup where he scored three goals, but missed a penalty with the final kick of extra time in the quarterfinal against Uruguay. Ghana lost the ensuing penalty shootout, though Gyan did convert his kick. Gyan scored 11 goals in 37 appearances for Sunderland, but found his place under threat after the recent signings of South Korea’s Ji Dong-won, England under-21 striker Connor Wickham and Denmark’s Nicklas Bendtner.—Reuters

England win brutal clash

DONCASTER: Masked Marvel ridden by William Buick leads the field to win the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster Racecourse. —AP

Masked Marvel bags oldest classic DONCASTER: Masked Marvel gave trainer John Gosden and jockey William Buick their second successive victory in the oldest classic in racing the English St Leger here yesterday.

It was the first of two St Legers for Gosden as late yesterday his runner Duncan deadheated with Jukebox Jury in the Irish version at The Curragh.

Masked Marvel (15/2) came home under Norway-born Buick to beat Brown Panther — owned by former England striker Michael Owen — by three lengths while 2/1 favorite Sea Moon was third.

“From the day I saw him (Masked Mar vel) when he was purchased at Deauville (for 200,000 euros) I saw him as a St Leger horse,” said Gosden, who was winning the race for the fourth time.

“To win the oldest classic is something that we planned two years ago. Shows such plans do come to fruition at times,” added the 60-year-old, who saddled Arctic Cosmos to win the race last year. Buick, 22, said that he knew he was not going to get beaten because of the horse’s phenomenal speed.

“He really quickened for me. When he went he just killed everything else off,” said Buick, whose proud mother Maria was present to see him win.

Buick sent Masked Marvel to the front halfway down the final straight, after stablemate Buthelezi had set a brutal pace, and never looked like getting caught,

though, Kieren Fallon conjured a late run from Brown Panther to take the runners-up spot.

It made Owen’s journey to the Yorkshire course worthwhile - though as agreed with manager Sir Alex Ferguson he had to make a quick dash to Bolton immediately afterwards to meet up with the rest of the Manchester United squad for the Premier League match.

The climax to the Irish St Leger was a thriller as Duncan under Eddie Ahern clawed back ground on the longtime frontrunner JukeBox Jury, ridden by Johnny Murtagh.

Favourite Fame and Glory was never a factor as the five-time Group One winner was one-paced down the straight and the Aidan O’Brien-trained runner was eased up well before the line.

O’Brien had at least landed the Group One National Stakes with Power as his star two-year-old came home clear while stablemates filled third and fourth as well.

Earlier, Born To Sea - half brother to 2009 Epsom Derby and Arc de Triomphe winner Sea The Stars - justified his tag of 5/2 favourite to win his first ever start in impressive fashion the listed Blenheim Stakes.

Born To Sea - trained like his great halfbrother by John Oxx - earned himself odds of 6/1 favourite with some bookmakers for next year’s English 2000 Guineas and 16/1 for the Epsom Derby.—AFP

WELLINGTON: England overcame a tough challenge from a brutal Argentina on the second day of the rugby World Cup yesterday while the smaller nations showed that the gap to the top sides, so often a cause for concern at the tournament, may slowly be closing.

The 2003 World Cup winners, expected to battle with Argentina for top spot in Pool B, needed a late try from replacement scrumhalf Ben Youngs to eke out a 13-9 victory in a tough encounter in the new indoor Otago Stadium.

England flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson and Argentina fullback Martin Rodriguez, who took over the goalkicking from injured captain Felipe Contepomi, missed five shots at goal each.

“I probably aged about 20 years, but we said that before we came here that’s what World Cups are about, you will be in a game that isn’t going your way ... and you have to find a way to win and we did,” England manager Martin Johnson said in a televised interview.

“There were opportunities for both sides and they missed them and we were left with the win.

“It’s not a fantastic performance by any means, but it’s a fantastic win in the circumstances.”

Japan almost produced a huge upset when they drew to within four points of Pool A heavyweights France late in the second half before Lionel Nallet, Pascal Pape and Morgan Parra scored tries in the final 10 minutes to put a gloss on the scoreline.

“Well done to the Japanese they have played very well,” France coach Marc Lievremont told reporters after their 47-21 victory at North Harbour Stadium in Albany. “(Japan coach) John Kirwan wanted to show how much Japan had progressed and I think he can be very satisfied with his team’s performance. “I think Japan really deserved to not lose by such a difference.”

Former All Blacks winger Kirwan was convinced that had Japan scored once more, they could have provided one of the biggest shocks in seven World Cup tournaments.

“We had them rattled but instead of scoring a try we turned the ball over or gave away a penalty,” said Kirwan. “Rugby is very much ebb and flow and when we had the flow on we probably just didn’t get enough points. If we had scored when it was 25-21 it would have been a very exciting finish.”

Romania also provided some ner vous moments for their higher ranked opponents as their forwards destroyed Scotland’s scrum for Dan Carpo to crash over and help his side take the lead with just six minutes remaining in

Invercargill.

Winger Simon Danielli, however, broke a twoyear international drought to score two late tries for the Scots to give them a 34-24 victory.

“We were a bit shell-shocked to find ourselves in that position,” Danielli said. “I was thinking, ‘we can’t lose this game, we’re not going to lose this game’. “I was really pleased to get over the tryline, especially given the situation we were facing.” Fijian winger Vereniki Goneva, who did not make the 2007 World Cup squad, marked his debut with four tries as the Pacific islanders overcame a battling Namibia 49-25 in Rotorua.

Local media reported massive delays on the rail system to Eden Park, with fans missing the start of the New Zealand-Tonga match while some people abandoned stationary carriages and scrambled up banks on to the road.

World Cup Minister Murray McCully criticised officials on Saturday for the failure of the transport system and told them they must ensure it did not happen again during the tournament.

“Auckland’s public transport system failed to deliver to the required standard,” McCully said.

“Urgent steps will now need to be taken to ensure that these matters are rectified before

DUNEDIN: England’s Chris Ashton is tackled by Argentina’s Juan Jose Imhoff during their Rugby World Cup pool B match at Otago Stadium. —AP “This is the first time I’ve scored four tries. It’s an honour and a privilege,” he told reporters.

“I missed out on the World Cup team last time, and it was my dream to make the team for this World Cup. It is my time.”

Despite many hailing the success of the opening day celebrations around the country on Friday, red-faced local government officials in Auckland were forced to explain the failure of their rail system and overcrowding as people flooded onto the streets downtown.

the next large Eden Park match next weekend.”

Organisers at least received some good news with ticket sales now at almost NZ$1million ($820,000) a day. Having reached $249 million in sales, they are now seemingly on track to reach their target of $268 million.

“We always expected sales to rise as the tournament comes alive across the country so its great to see so many New Zealanders now wanting to be ringside,” tournament chief operating officer Therese Walsh said.—Reuters

Preview

Blake eyes new mark, Isinbayeva withdraws BERLIN: Recently-crowned men’s 100 metres world champion Yohan Blake will be the star attraction today at the ISTAF athletics meet and will be bidding at the very least to run the fastest ever 100m here.

While Blake’s star is on the rise one who’s star may be on the wane Olympic pole vault champion Yelena Isinbayeva - only sixth at the world championships - has decided to skip the meet citing a lack of form.

There will be 11 world champions at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium - which hosted the 2009 world championships - and even without Jamaica’s sprint superstar Usain Bolt, compatriot Blake will be looking to underline his current 100m form.

The 21-year-old, who profited from training partner Bolt’s false start to win gold in Daegu, clocked 9.82secs in Zurich on Thursday and is looking to take the Berlin record of 9.86secs held by both Maurice Green, in 2000, and compatriot Asafa Powell, in 2006. At Zurich’s Diamond League meeting, Blake showed he still has plenty in his tank despite the exertions of Daegu when he clocked his personal best ahead of Powell and Walter Dix of the USA after an

impressive last 20 metres. “After my success in Daegu and Zurich, I can really run relaxed here,” said Blake.

Germany ’s discus star Rober t Harting is expecting plenty of noise from the crowd and the world champion is relishing attempting to pass the 70m mark, despite struggling with a knee injury.

“This is the competition I like the most after the world championships,” he told the Berliner Morgenpost.

“I hope we get a big crowd who will make plenty of noise. There will be 33 medal winners from Daegu in the 17 events in Berlin. A premium of 50,000 euros is on offer for the athlete who sets a world record in either the women’s hammer or the men’s 3,000 metres steeplechase.

Berlin’s Betty Heidler is the current record holder in the hammer and she will be looking to break her own mark of 79.42m having won silver in Daegu to Russia’s Tatyana Lysenko.

The Internationales Stadionfest (ISTAF) is one of the world’s oldest meets, having first been held in Berlin in 1937 and organisers are hoping for a bumper crowd of more than 50,000 for the IAAF world challenge meet.—AFP

CHINA: In this photo released by the International Triathlon Union, the Under23 men cycle during the 40km bike portion of the 2011 Beijing ITU Triathlon Under23 World Championships. —AP

Brownlee wins triathlon title BEIJING: Britain’s Alistair Brownlee won the triathlon world title for a second time after racing to victory in the final event of the season in Beijing yesterday.

The cold and rain didn’t stop Brownlee as he completed the Beijing run comfortably ahead of Switzerland’s Sven Riederer and his brother Jonathan Brownlee, who finished third on the day and second in the final series standings.

Brownlee said he felt good throughout the race and thought the poor weather would play in his

favor. He won in Madrid and London in wet conditions last year.

“When I woke up this morning and saw it was cold and wet, I just thought, yes,” he said.

Having maintained a steady pace throughout the race, he moved up a gear towards the end leaving his struggling brother behind.

“I knew (Jonny) wasn’t really great, you realise that when you train together every day,” the 23year-old Brownlee said. “I wanted to keep him with me but I realised I

should probably go on that last lap.”

As he raced across the finish line, he high-fived spectators as he carried a flag bearing the symbol of his hometown, the White Rose of York.

His brother Jonathan Brownlee said he was happy with the outcome. “I’m really pleased I held on for third because I could have quite easily given up, and thought ‘oh this is a bad day, I’ll just come sixth or seventh’. But it was a hard, hard race out there,” he said.

Riederer crossed the finish line smiling, with his moving him from

seventh to fouth in the standings.

“It was so hard at the end, everyone was bunched together but I knew I had a really strong finish and I concentrated on the last 300 metres,” he said.

Riederer also ended a run of bad luck in Beijing, a city where he previously broke a toe, lost a wedding ring and performed poorly during the Olympics. Spain’s Javier Gomez ended the season third overall after placing sixth yesterday. Today, the women’s world series will have its final event.—AP

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LOS ANGELES: Tulsa Shock guard Andrea Riley lays the ball around Los Angeles Sparks guard Noelle Quinn (right) and Sparks forward Jenna OíHea during the first half of an WNBA basketball game.—AP

Storm down Mercury SEATTLE: Katie Smith scored 11 of her seasonhigh 26 points in the third quarter to help Seattle beat Phoenix 85-70 on Friday and clinch homecourt advantage against the Mercury in the playoffs next week. Tanisha Wright added 18 points and Sue Bird had 15 for Seattle (20-13), which has the tiebreaker against Phoenix (19-14) for the No. 2 playoff seed in the Western Conference with one game remaining. The Storm won the season series 3-1. Diana Taurasi scored a season-high 36 points for Phoenix. She had 28 in the first half, three shy of the WNBA record, to help the Mercury to a 41-35 lead. But after tying a league record with six 3-pointers in the first half, she did not make one in the second. Phoenix opens the best-of-three series Thursday at Seattle, which has won seven of eight.

Sparks 84, Shock 73 At Los Angeles, Jantel Lavender scored 19 points and a season-high 12 rebounds for Los Angeles. The Sparks (14-19) snapped a twogame losing streak and won for only the second

time in six games despite missing leading scorer and rebounder Candace Parker, who sat out for precautionary reasons after her right knee flared up. Ticha Penicheiro scored 13 points and Kristi Toliver added 12 for the Sparks. Andrea Riley and Liz Cambage each scored 18 points for the Shock, who lost their fifth straight game.

Liberty 83, Fever 75 At Newark, New Jersey, Essense Carson scored 18 points and Kia Vaughn had 15 points and nine rebounds as New York beat firstplaced Indiana. Nicole Powell added 13 points, and Plenette Pierson and Cappie Pondexter had 12 apiece to help the Liberty (19-14) pull into a tie with Atlanta for third place in the Eastern Conference with one game remaining. New York visits second-place Connecticut on Sunday, while the Dream visit Indiana. Katie Douglas scored 17 points and Shannon Bobbitt had a career-high 16 for the Fever (21-12), who had already secured the No. 1 seed in the East.—AP

MILWAUKEE: Philadelphia Phillies’ Raul Ibanez hits a run-scoring single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers. —AP

Howard homers as Phillies top Brewers MILWAUKEE: Ryan Howard homered in his return to the lineup and Roy Halladay continued the Phillies’ pitching dominance in Milwaukee, leading Philadelphia to a 5-3 victory over the Brewers on Friday. The National League East’s top team won its fifth straight and bettered the National League Central-leading Brewers again.

Cole Hamels tossed a complete game in Thursday’s opener with Howard out because of a lingering heel injury. On Friday, the Phillies’ cleanup hitter staked Halladay a three-run, firstinning lead with his 32nd homer of the season.

Halladay (17-5) struck out nine to reach 204 for the season and scattered four hits and a run over eight innings after the Brewers roughed him up in April. Milwaukee scored twice in the ninth before dropping its fourth straight.

Dodgers 2, Giants 1 At San Francisco, NL Cy Young pitching award contender Clayton Kershaw outdueled two-time winner Tim Lincecum, and pinch-hitter Jamey Carroll drove home the go-ahead run in the ninth and Los Angeles beat San Francisco.

Rod Barajas singled to start the ninth against Santiago Casilla (2-2) and former Giant Eugenio Velez came in to pinch-run. Justin Sellers sacrificed him to second and Velez moved to third on a wild pitch. Second baseman Jeff Keppinger then threw home on Carroll’s grounder but a sliding Velez just beat the tag by catcher Eli Whiteside. The reigning World Series champion Giants fell to 81/2 games back of first-place Arizona in the NL West with 18 to play after the Diamondbacks beat the Padres 3-2.

Marlins 13, Pirates 4 At Pittsburgh, Omar Infante and Logan Morrison both homered during a nine-run third inning as Florida pounded out 22 hits in a rout of Pittsburgh. Infante drove in five runs, adding a solo shot in the first while Morrison had four hits and three RBIs. The Marlins had a club record 10 hits in the third. Morrison and Bryan Petersen each had two hits in the third as Florida broke the record of nine, which had been done four times, most recently on Sept. 17, 2001 at Montreal. Infante got an assist on his three-run homer in the third when it bounced off the glove of left fielder Alex Presley, who was on the warning track, and into the left-field bleachers.

Petersen, Emilio Bonifacio, Gaby Sanchez, Donnie Murphy, John Buck and winning pitcher Ricky Nolasco (10-10) all finished with two hits for the Marlins.

Nationals 4, Astros 3 At Washington, Jimmy Paredes, inserted in the game in the top of the 11th, made a wild throw to second base, allowing Ryan Zimmerman to score the winning run in Washington’s victory over Houston. With one out, Lucas Harrell (0-1) walked Zimmerman and Michael Morse. Wilton Lopez replaced Harrell.

Jayson Werth hit a bouncer to Paredes, who pinch-ran in the top of the 11th. Parades overthrew second baseman Jose Altuve and Zimmerman scored. Werth was credited with a single. Tyler Clippard (3-0), Washington’s fifth

pitcher worked two scoreless innings for the win.

Mets 5, Cubs 4 At New York, Justin Turner drove in the winning run on a long single with two outs in the ninth inning to give New York a victory over Chicago. Turner also had a tiebreaking double in the fifth and finished with three hits. Jason Bay doubled twice and threw out a runner at the plate for New York in the opener of a weekend series that culminates Sunday night with a pregame ceremony to mark the 10-year anniversary of 9/11. The Mets are offering free tickets to New York City first responders and their families for that game. Earlier on Friday, several current and former Mets visited New York City firehouses - from David Wright and Bobby Parnell to Mike Piazza, Edgardo Alfonzo, Robin Ventura and John Olerud.

Reds 4, Rockies 1 At Denver, the Reds took advantage of a poor defensive play by Colorado on Joey Votto’s single in the sixth inning and rallied for four runs to beat Colorado, ending a 10-game losing streak at Coors Field. Homer Bailey, who won for the first time in five starts since Aug. 13, allowed one run in 7 2-3 innings as the Reds won for the first time since Aug. 23, 2008, at Coors Field. The Reds scored twice after right fielder Seth Smith and shortstop Chris Nelson made errors on Votto’s single that allowed one run to score in the sixth.

They followed that miscue with two walks, and scored two runs on a single by Ryan Hanigan and another on Paul Janish’s single.

Cardinals 4, Braves 3 At St. Louis, Nick Punto hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the 10th inning after Albert Pujols’ two-run single leveled it an inning earlier as St. Louis kept its faint postseason hopes alive with a victory over Atlanta. Pujols had three hits and his hit just inside the first-base line with two outs in the ninth ended Craig Kimbrel’s streak of 25 consecutive saves. Pujols is batting .298 and has 87 RBIs with 18 games to go. He’s batted .300 with 100 RBIs each of his 11 seasons. Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman singled off Scott Linebrink (4-3) to start the 10th. After a sacrifice and intentional walk Punto ended it with a line drive to center.

D’backs 3, Padres 2 At Phoenix, seldom-used first baseman Lyle Overbay singled in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning and Daniel Hudson pitched his third complete game of the season to lead Arizona over San Diego. Overbay’s hit drove in Aaron Hill, who led off the eighth with a walk against reliever Chad Qualls (6-7). He advanced to third on Miguel Montero’s single. Hudson (169) allowed two runs — one earned — on five hits and struck out seven. He gave up a leadoff double to Jesus Guzman in the ninth but stranded the runner at third base.

Padres starter Mat Latos, who has some of the worst run support in the NL, lasted seven innings and struck out eight, allowing two runs on eight hits.—AP

VILNIUS: Holders Spain cruised into the European basketball championship quarter-finals with a match to spare in the second group stage after crushing 2009 runners-up Serbia 8459 on Friday.

Hosts Lithuania still have work to do after a 73-67 defeat by France, who stretched their unbeaten record to seven games, while Germany rekindled their hopes of reaching the last eight with a 73-67 win over Turkey.

France top Group E with four wins, Spain have three wins and one defeat while Lithuania have a 2-2 record. Serbia, Turkey and Germany all have one win and three defeats and are still in the hunt for a berth in the knockout stage.

The Spaniards romped to an early 15-5 lead against a disorganised Serbian team and never looked back as they had 11 rebounds and eight steals more than their opponents.

Centre Pau Gasol and his younger brother Marc were again at the heart of Spain’s success, the former scoring 26 points to go with eight rebounds and the latter finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the onesided contest. Marc Gasol, perennially overshadowed as a top player by his elder brother, who helped the Los Angeles Lakers to the 2010 NBA title, played down his immense contribution to Spain’s smooth run in Eurobasket 2011. “How I play personally is not as important as how the team per forms and the team is improving day by day,” he told Spanish television after delivering a basketball lesson to his Serbian rivals Nenad Krstic and Kosta Perovic.

“Today we played a very complete game, particularly in defence and we now have to see where we will finish in this group.” Serbia’s coach Dusan Ivkovic was furious with his team’s nonchalance which produced a third straight defeat and left them needing a win in their last group match against Turkey on Sunday to advance.

“What I don’t understand is that my team has shown less respect for Spain, whose players have won NBA, European and world titles, than they have shown for us,” he told a news conference. Spain will win the group if they beat France on Sunday but the French, led by their outstanding point guard Tony Parker, will in all likelihood be a much tougher nut to crack.

VILNIUS: Nenad Krstic (down) and Nemanja Bjelica (up) both from Serbia fight for a ball with Felipe Reyes (center) from Spain during the EuroBasket European Basketball Championship Group E match. —AP Having secured their own quarter-final berth with two games to spare after Wednesday’s win over Turkey, the French showed no nerves against Lithuania, who were roared on by a passionate 11,000 home crowd in the Siemens Arena.

What they did demonstrate was depth in their 12-man roster which could lift them to their first title in any major event. Reserve shooting guard Nando De Colo started instead of the injured Mickael Gelabale and finished as the game’s top scorer with 21 points, burying 11 of them in the latter stages to give France a 6254 lead which sealed the rip-roaring contest. Parker, a triple NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, was

also instrumental with 19 points and Chicago Bulls centre Joachim Noah capped an excellent all-round performance with nine points and 13 rebounds. “Tonight I took my opportunity to play my game with more time on the court and playing hard was they key to our success,” De Colo told a news conference. Lithuania’s coach Kestutis Kemzura said: “Congratulations to the French team, we are now looking forward to a crucial game (against Germany) on Sunday and we are not going to make an early exit because we will win.” Turkey had pulled one of the shocks of the tournament with a preliminary pool win over Spain but then lost to France and their lack of

resources was also obvious against Germany. Los Angeles Clippers centre Chris Kaman led the winners with 20 points, Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 and forward Philipp Schwethelm added 14, including a barrage of three-pointers in the fourth quarter which swung the tie Germany’s way.

“It’s great that we have given ourselves a fighting chance of reaching the last eight and it will be a big challenge,” Nowitzki, who steered the Dallas Mavericks to the 2011 NBA title, told Germany’s Sport 1 television. “It will be difficult against the Lithuanians because they will have the crowd behind them and we also need other results to go our way.”—Reuters

Rays roll over Red Sox ST. PETERSBURG: Wade Davis threw a six-hitter and John Jaso hit a three-run homer as the Tampa Bay Rays moved within 5 1/2 games of American League wild-card leading Boston with a 7-2 victory over the Red Sox on Friday. Davis (10-8) struck out eight in his second career complete game. Jaso put the Rays ahead 3-0 with a three-run homer off John Lackey (12-12) in the second. Boston has lost five of six. After two more games in Florida this weekend, the Red Sox will host Tampa Bay in a four-games series that starts Thursday at Fenway Park.

Angels 2, Yankees 1 At Anaheim, California, pinch-hitter Maicer Izturis drove home pinch-runner Jeremy Moore with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth inning as Los Angeles rallied to beat New York for its fifth win in six games. Jered Weaver struck out 11 during eight innings of three-hit ball, but the Los Angeles ace left without a victory when his teammates couldn’t solve Bartolo Colon, who yielded six hits and an unearned run in seven resilient innings.

After Alberto Callaspo led off the ninth with an infield single off Aaron Laffey (22). Angels closer Jordan Walden (5-3) pitched the ninth, and Howie Kendrick had a run-scoring single as the Angels stayed 21/2 games behind the AL Westleading Texas Rangers. Rookie Jesus Montero hit his third career homer for the AL-leading Yankees, who have lost three straight.

Orioles 2, Blue Jays 0 At Toronto, Jeremy Guthrie allowed just eight hits over seven innings, and Vladimir Guerrero and Nick Markakis each drove in a run as Baltimore won its third straight.

The major league leader with 17 losses, Guthrie (7-17) came in having won just once in his past six starts and was seeking to avoid setting a career high for defeats.

The right-hander made sure of that in a stellar outing. he walked three and struck out five. Pedro Strop worked the eighth and Jim Johnson pitched around a leadoff walk to close it out in the ninth for his fourth save.

Tigers 8, Twins 4 At Detroit, Alex Avila hit a three-run homer in the second inning and Ramon Santiago added a two-run shot in the fourth to help Detroit rally past Minnesota for its seventh straight victory. Brad Penny (10-10) allowed four runs in the top of the first but settled down after that and Detroit was able to slug its way back from the early deficit. The first-place Tigers have won 17 of 21. Kevin Slowey (0-5) allowed six runs and seven hits in four innings.

Rangers 13, Athletics 4 At Arlington, Texas, Colby Lewis

pitched into the eighth inning for his first victory in nearly a month, even while giving up another home run, as AL West-leading Texas beat Oakland. Lewis (12-10) trailed 2-0 only four batters into the game after Josh Willingham’s two-run homer, the AL-high 33rd allowed by the Rangers’ right-hander this season. Adrian Beltre had an RBI double for his 2,000th career hit and Elvis Andrus had two run-scoring hits, including a tiebreaking RBI double in the fifth that made it 3-2.

Indians 8, White Sox 4 At Chicago, Lonnie Chisenhall set career highs with two homers and four RBIs as Cleveland beat Chicago to snap a four-game losing streak. Ezequiel Carrera, Kosuke Fukudome, Shelley Duncan and Lou Marson had two hits apiece for the Indians. Carrera and Fukudome each drove in two runs.

Jeanmar Gomez (3-2) allowed two runs and six hits over six innings and improved to 3-0 with a 0.52 ERA in three starts since being recalled from Triple A Columbus on Aug. 30. White Sox starter Mark Buehrle (11-8) had his second straight rough outing, allowing seven runs and eight hits over 5 2-3 innings.

Mariners 7, Royals 3 At Seattle, Ichiro Suzuki had four hits, including a home run, to help Seattle beat Kansas City. Miguel Olivo and Justin Smoak each added three hits for the Mariners. Olivo fell a single short of the cycle. Blake Beaven (4-5) gave up three runs in 6 1-3 innings, retiring 13 straight batters during one stretch. Jeff Francis (5-16) allowed five runs in 3 1-3 innings.—AP

ST PETERSBURG: Tampa Bay Rays’ Johnny Damon (22) safely steals second base as Boston Red Sox shortstop Marco Scutaro leaps over him to grab the high throw from catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia as umpire Dana DeMuth (left) watches during the second inning. —AP

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

Detroit 8, Minnesota 4; Washington 4, Houston 3 (11 innings); Florida 13, Pittsburgh 4; Baltimore 2, Toronto 0; Tampa Bay 7, Boston 2; NY Mets 5, Chicago Cubs 4; Texas 13, Oakland 4; Philadelphia 5, Milwaukee 3; Cleveland 8, Chicago White Sox 4; St. Louis 4, Atlanta 3 (10 innings); Cincinnati 4, Colorado 1; Arizona 3, San Diego 2; LA Angels 2, NY Yankees 1; Seattle 7, Kansas City 3; LA Dodgers 2, San Francisco 1.

NY Yankees Boston Tampa Bay Toronto Baltimore Detroit Chicago Cleveland Kansas City Minnesota Texas LA Angels Oakland Seattle

American League Eastern Division W L PCT 87 56 .608 85 59 .590 79 64 .552 72 73 .497 58 85 .406 Central Division 82 62 .569 72 71 .503 71 71 .500 60 86 .411 59 85 .410 Western Division 82 63 .566 79 65 .549 65 79 .451 61 83 .424

GB 2.5 8 16 29

Philadelphia Atlanta NY Mets Washington Florida

9.5 10 23 23

Milwaukee St. Louis Cincinnati Pittsburgh Chicago Cubs Houston

2.5 16.5 20.5

Arizona San Francisco LA Dodgers Colorado San Diego

National League Eastern Division 93 48 .660 84 61 .579 71 73 .493 66 76 .465 64 79 .448 Central Division 85 61 .582 77 67 .535 71 73 .493 66 78 .458 62 82 .431 48 96 .333 Western Division 84 61 .579 75 69 .521 71 72 .497 67 77 .465 62 83 .428

11 23.5 27.5 30 7 13 18 22 36 8.5 12 16.5 22

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ITALY: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany drives on his way to setting the pole position for the Italian Grand Prix. —AP

Vettel on pole in Italy MONZA: Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel chalked up Red Bull’s 13th pole position in 13 races this season with a blistering lap in Italian Grand Prix qualifying yesterday.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, nearly half a second slower than the German in the final session, will line up alongside the championship leader on the front row with team mate Jenson Button in third place.

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, last year’s winner from pole position at the fastest track on the calendar, qualified in fourth place in his team’s home race.

It was Vettel’s 10th pole of the season, four shy of Briton Nigel Mansell’s 1992 record of 14, and the 25th of his 75 race career. Red Bull have now been on pole for the past 14 races, with Vettel also quickest at last year’s Abu Dhabi season-ender.

“We thought it would be much closer than that,” said Vettel, who won from pole at Monza with Red Bull’s Italian-based sister team Toro Rosso in 2008, after taking the top slot with a lap of one minute 22.275 seconds. “This year I have to say the car is so good here. The balance is perfect.”

Red Bull Racing have yet to get one of their drivers on the podium at Monza but Vettel, 92 points clear of Australian team mate Mark Webber with seven races remaining, should end that on Sunday.

“I remember the last time and hopefully I am back on the podium tomorrow,” he smiled. “I didn’t have another half a second in the bag,” said Hamilton, who lapped in 1:22.725, of the demoralising gap between him and the 24-year-old Vettel.

“Clearly we are very competitive here so that’s a great step,” he added. “But today in the last lap that

(time) was untouchable for me.”

Button, who has been runner-up at Monza for the past two seasons, could only agree. “We were never going to challenge Seb,” he said.

Webber, who has yet to win this season, lines up fifth alongside Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and ahead of Renault’s Vitaly Petrov and former Ferrari ace Michael Schumacher, now with Mercedes.

Brazilian Bruno Senna, in his second race with Renault, will again start in the top 10 and next to Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg.—Reuters

Latvala leads Rally Australia

HILVERSUM: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays a shot from the 1st tee during the KLM Open Golf tournament. —AP

Kaymer makes early exit HILVERSUM: World number three Martin Kaymer said he was “a little shocked” at the sudden reversal of form that saw him make an early exit from the Dutch Open yesterday. A one-under 69 when he returned to finish his disrupted second round was not enough to rescue the 2010 U.S. PGA champion, whose threeover 143 total was three shots off the cut mark. Kaymer is now in serious danger of losing his world ranking place to U.S. Open champion and world number four Rory McIlroy, who lies four shots off Briton Simon Dyson’s halfway lead.

Two wayward shots that cost the German double-bogeys on the sixth and seventh holes the previous night cost him dearly.

They proved to be the root of an alarming change in fortunes following a second place finishing in the European Masters in Switzerland last Sunday.

“I couldn’t hit the fairways pretty well all week, that was my problem,” Kaymer

told Reuters. “I finally managed to in my last few holes this morning when I made three birdies.

“But as my dad, who’s with me this week, says: ‘in golf this often happens’.

I’ve now got two weeks back in America to get my swing back in shape before I come back to play the Dunhill Links, a tournament I love.” Leader Dyson, looking for a remarkable third win in this event in six years, finished off a 66 on Saturday morning to move to nine-under 131, a stroke better than Kaymer’s compatriot Marcel Siem.

Two more Britons, former winner David Lynn and Stephen Dodd, and India’s Shiv Kapur, share third place a further stroke back. Dyson had another early start but was awake enough to birdie the last two holes for the lead. “ This morning was my third 6am alarm call in four days, so I’m thinking of going back to my room for a snooze,” said the Englishman.—Reuters

Britain and Ireland set the pace ABERDEEN: Britain & Ireland took an early 3-1 lead against the United States as the 43rd Walker Cup got under way with the foursomes at Royal Aberdeen yesterday. Patrick Cantlay and Chris Williams prevented a whitewash for the US with a 5&3 victory in the fourth match against Steve Brown and Stiggy Hodgson.

Tom Lewis and Michael Stewart defeated Peter Uihlein and Harris English 2&1 in the opening contest before Jack Senior and Andy Sullivan beat Russell Henley and Kelly Kraft by same scoreline.

Irish pair Paul Cutler and Alan Dunbar then claimed the biggest victory of the morning session, 5&4 over Nathan Smith and Blayne Barber, before the Americans rallied in the final foursome.

Despite the gray, damp conditions, large crowds surrounded the first tee when Peter hit a safe iron off the tee to a perfect position on the fairway, while Lewis sent his drive soaring into the gorse down the left into what proved to be an unplayable lie. Result, Uihlein and English one up against Lewis and Stewart.

First blood to the United States. The next two holes were halved before Britain & Ireland got back to level with a birdie at the fourth, but it needed birdies at 10 and 11 to put them ahead for the

first time.

For Cutler and Dunbar, it was a rollercoaster ride. They were 2 up after three holes, but then lost 4, 5 and 6 to pars to go one down, only to birdie 7 and 8 to get back in front. They then won four holes in a row from the turn, and a half at the 14th was enough to win the match.

Senior and Sullivan were never behind against Russell Henley and Kelly Kraft. Three up after five with winning birdies at 4 and 5, they lost the 6th to a birdie, won the 8th with a par but then lost the 9th to a par to turn two up.

They lost the tenth 10th when Senior drove out of bounds, but he immediately made amends by holing a 30-footer for a winning birdie on the short 11th and Sullivan slotted home from 15 feet for a winning birdie at the next to restore their three-hole lead on the way to a comfortable win.

Cantlay and Williams were always in front against Brown and Hodgson, taking the lead with a winning par at the short third, then birdying four more to be five up at the turn.

The next four holes were halved, Britain & Ireland got one back with a winning par at the 14th but then a par at the next was enough to give the United States a welcome point.—AP

SYDNEY: Ford’s Jari-Matti Latvala cashed in on team mate Mikko Hirvonen’s struggles on loose gravel to grab the lead after the second day of the Rally Australia yesterday.

After a wet and eventful opening day, blue skies and dry weather greeted the crews but the brightness was probably lost on Hirvonen.

The Finn began with a seven second lead but squandered the advantage in the opening test, losing precious time sweeping aside loose gravel in the region south of Coffs Harbor.

It allowed compatriot Latvala to power ahead in the first stage and the Ford driver fiercely protected the lead to make sure he would start the final day with a 22.7 second cushion.

Latvala will also be first though Sunday’s final six tests but the Finn is unperturbed. “I’m not worried about running first,” he told the event website (www.rallyaustralia.com).

“There has not been a big fight but there has been some pressure because you need to keep your car on the road and that has not been easy.”

Norway’s Petter Solberg maintained third position in his privately entered Citroen, 59.5s adrift of the lead after a trouble-free day.

“We know (Latvala and Hirvonen) are strong but you can never say never,” said Solberg who ended the day ahead of fourth-placed Briton Matthew Wilson. Wilson’s Ford team mate Henning Solberg was forced out because of an electrical glitch but the Citroen duo of Sebastien Ogier and world championship leader Sebastien Loeb re-joined the rally, both having retired on Friday.—Reuters

COFFS HARBOR: In this photo released by Rally Australia, Sebastien Loeb of France and co-driver Daniel Elena race through a corner during the second day of Rally Australia. —AP

Stacy, Tseng tied for lead ROGERS: Stacy Lewis and Yani Tseng shot rounds of 5-under 66 on Friday to share the lead of the LPGA Northwest Arkansas Championship after the opening day.

Tseng, the world’s No. 1 player and defending champion, eagled the par-5 18th hole with a downhill 6-foot putt to cap her round. Lewis, playing one group behind, birdied the 18th with a 5-foot putt to share the lead. Lewis, a former Arkansas University player, had three birdies in her last four holes.

“Normally toward the end of the day we get crowds sort of dwindling a little bit,” Lewis said. “So everybody hung around and it was - I mean, I don’t know, you can’t get the smile off my face right now.”

Tseng said the par-4 14th was a mental boost during her round because of how her approach shot went straight at the pin. Tseng said until then her approach shots were wayward, leaving her two long putts.

“I felt very comfortable, confident after that hole,” Tseng said.

“I was hitting my shot straighter than I saw it because I kind of worked on my shot. And my caddie kept telling me, ‘Your swing is good, don’t think too much.’ That helped a lot.”

Lewis said the pressure of finishing well and appeasing fans in her “hometown tournament” was tough to handle during the opening round.

“I can just feel it in people,” she said. “They want the putts to go in, they want the shots close and I have to kind of take a step back and kind of relax a little bit. I think I told myself on one of those last two putts, ‘You’re here by yourself. There’s nobody else here, you’re on the putting green just trying to make these putts.’ I know if I’m near the lead towards the end, I’m definitely going to have the advantage.”

Karen Stupples, Taylor Leon and Jin Young Pak were all at 4 under. Suzann Pettersen, the world’s No. 2 player, was another stroke back in a group of nine that included Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel.

Pettersen went to the 18th tee level for the lead, but she made a bogey after landing in a green-side bunker in two shots and then taking three putts.

Michelle Wie, who finished second here last year, had six bogeys and a double-bogey for a 78. Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg, who finished at 2 under, started with a par on No. 10, aced No. 11, had a double-bogey on 12 and birdied 13.

The hole-in-one on the 190-yard 11th was the second professionally for the second-year pro and third in her golfing career.

“It was right at the pin the whole way, but since it was early in the morning, the sun was pretty low and I couldn’t see anything,” said Lindberg, 25. “I saw a bounce that was pretty straight to the pin. They were kind of excited up there, but not hole-in-one excited.”—AP

ROGERS: Yani Tseng, of Taiwan, waves following a putt on the 18th green during the first round of the P&G NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament. —AP

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SPORTS

Djokovic downs Federer to reach US Open final NEW YORK: World number one Novak Djokovic rallied from two sets down and saved two match points to beat five-time champion Roger Federer 6-7 (7/9), 4-6, 63, 6-2, 7-5 to reach the US Open final yesterday.

The top-seeded Serb, who had also saved two match points en route to a semi-final win over Federer at Flushing Meadows last year, avenged his loss at the hands of the Swiss legend in the French Open semi-finals, a defeat which ended his 43-match winning run.

Federer had appeared poised for victory after breaking Djokovic for a 5-3 lead in the fifth set-Djokovic’s untimely double fault giving Federer triple break point in that game.

But the Swiss great couldn’t convert either of two match points in the following gameDjokovic saving one with a searing forehand return-and his own double fault on break point allowed Djokovic to even the set.

Two games later, Djokovic punctuated two long rallies with forehand winners to gain another break and he captured the three hour, 51 minute battle when Federer sent a service return long.

The defeat in the final Grand Slam of the year means Federer’s streak of consecutive seasons with at least one major title ends at eight.

He claimed the last of his record 16 Grand Slam crowns at the 2010 Australian Open.

Djokovic, who will face either defending champion Rafael Nadal or world number four Andy Murray in tomorrow’s final, has a chance to add a third Grand Slam title to the Australian Open and Wimbledon trophies he has lifted in a spectacular season that has seen him win 63 of

his 65 matches.

Playing their fourth successive meeting at the last-four stage at Flushing Meadows, Djokovic and

then double-faulted himself before an unreturnable serve gave him a 6-3 lead and three set points.

NEW YORK: Novak Djokovic of Serbia reacts after winning a semifinal match against Roger Federer of Switzerland at the US Open tennis tournament.—AP Federer waited out an 80-minute rain delay then set the tone for a tense duel when neither dropped a point on serve in the first three games.

Neither faced a break point-in fact not a game went to deuce-as they took the opening set to the tiebreaker.

Djokovic’s double fault gave Federer a commanding 5-2 lead in the tiebreaker with two serves for the Swiss coming up. Federer

Djokovic saved the first with a service winner, and the second with a forehand off a high netcord bounce. The third, on Federer’s serve, Djokovic saved with a mighty forehand.

After Djokovic saved one more set point on his own serve, Federer gave himself another with a shot behind Djokovic that had the Serb wheeling around in vain. Federer secured the set with a stinging backhand

Djokovic could barely get a racquet on.

Federer earned the first break points of the match when he ripped a backhand down the line for a 15-40 lead in the second game of the second set.

Djokovic saved one with his serve and the next when Federer’s backhand flew long, but after Djokovic netted a backhand Federer seized the break.

After a brief pause in play as a fan was apparently taken ill in the upper deck of the stadium, Djokovic regained the break to knot the set at 3-3.

But Federer responded by breaking the Serb to love for a 43 lead en route to a taking a twoset lead. Djokovic was energized by a break for 2-0 in the third set, a game in which Federer squandered three game points then saved two break points before Djokovic induced him to hit a forehand into the net.

It was the only opening Djokovic needed. Suddenly Federer was looking all of his 30 years. He never had a chance to break back and surrendered the set seven games later when he shanked a backhand.

Djokovic looked even more dominant in the fourth, breaking Federer in the first and fifth games and racing through his first three service games without surrendering a point.

He still needed six set points to close it out, Federer saving two as he held serve for 5-2 to force Djokovic to serve it out.

Although the Serb quickly took a 40-0 lead, he wasted his first opportunity with a double fault before Federer’ saved the next set point with a forehand winner. Djokovic went long with a forehand, before delivering two winning serves to knot the tie at two sets apiece.—AFP

SCOREBOARD

Marsh, Hussey hit 100s PALLEKELE: Debutant Shaun Marsh and Michael Hussey completed centuries on a rainaffected third day of the second Test yesterday as Australia established a 237-run first-innings lead over Sri Lanka.

Australia were 411 for seven when the day’s play was called off after only eight overs were bowled in the second session. Usman Khawaja was 13 not out and Ryan Harris nine not out.

In the first session, Marsh and Hussey made quick runs from the start. The pair added 110 runs to the overnight score of 264 and extended their fourth wicket partnership to 258 runs before Hussey was dismissed for 142, his 14th test century, when he was caught by Kumar Sangakkara off part-time bowler Thilan Samaraweera.

Marsh, who replaced Ricky Ponting in the side after the former captain returned home after the first test for the birth of his second child, completed his debut century when he swept the ball to midwicket and completed a scrambled second run.

The 28-year old, who made 141, notched his hundred in front of his father and former Australian test opener Geoff Marsh, who gave the traditional baggy green cap to his son on Thursday.

“I still can’t believe it really. It’s a dream to play test cricket. To be given an opportunity and to go there and getting the hundred in my first innings is a dream. I am so happy,” Marsh told reporters. “I really enjoyed batting with Huss, especially today. We both scored hundreds and it’s a very special day. He is a very good man and he has helped me since I have been playing international cricket.”

With two more days remaining in the second test, Australia’s first inning lead will be a huge advantage for the tourists against the home team, who are struggling to score runs and were bowled out for a paltry 174 runs in the first innings.

“I personally think we cannot give any excuses,” Sri Lanka coach Rumesh Ratnayake told reporters. “I really wouldn’t know as to what is going on in their minds...It is frustrating. We’ve been trying to encourage the players and say it’s not too late.”

The tourists added 33 runs in the eight overs possible after lunch but lost three quick wickets.

Marsh’s 315-ball knock came to an end when he was caught by Sangakkara at midwicket off Suranga Lakmal.

In the next over, Suraj Randiv dismissed Brad Haddin for one when the wicketkeeper-batsman

PALLEKELE, Sri Lanka: Scoreboard at the close on the third day of the second test between Sri Lanka and Australia yesterday.

Sri Lanka first innings: 174 (A. Mathews 58, K. Sangakkara 48; R.Harris 3-38) Australia first innings: (overnight 264-3) S. Watson b Lakmal 36 P. Hughes c Paranavitana b Randiv 36 S. Marsh c Sangakkara b Lakmal 141 M. Clarke c M. Jayawardene b Welegedara 13 M. Hussey c Sangakkara b Samaraweera 142 U. Khawaja not out 13 B. Haddin c Sangakkara b Randiv 1 M. Johnson b Randiv 0 R. Harris not out 9 Extras (lb 9, w 1 n 10) 20 Total (for seven wickets; 132 overs) 411 Fall of wickets: 1-60 2-95 3-116 4-374 5-391 6-392 7-392 Still to bat : Trent Copeland, Nathan Lyon, Bowling (to date): C. Welegedara 23-3-74-1 (3 nb, 1 w), S. Lakmal 23-2-102-2, (7 nb) S. Prasanna 23-380-0, T. Dilshan 14-4-32-0, S. Randiv 43-7-103-3, K. Sangakkara 2-0-4-0, T. Samaraweera 4-0-7-1.

was caught at long-on by Sangakkara, who took three catches in the day. Randiv then bowled Mitchell Johnson with the very next ball.

Australia won the first test of the three-match series in Galle by 125 runs.—Reuters

England edge India in third ODI LONDON: England survived some anxious moments to complete a three-wicket victory over India under a full moon at the Oval on Friday night in a rain-reduced third oneday international.

Chasing 218 from 43 overs under the Duckworth/Lewis system after an hour’s rain break in the day-night match, England survived a wobble in mid-innings to get over the line with seven balls to spare.

England lead 2-0 in the five-match series after the first game was rained out. The teams meet again at Lord’s on Sunday and in Cardiff next Friday.

World Cup champions India, who lost their place at the top of the world rankings during a 4-0 whitewash in the test series, rallied from 58 for five to reach 234 for seven from their 50 overs.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, an injury replacement for Gautam Gambhir, stroked the ball beautifully to score 78 from 89 deliveries. He added 112 with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (69) and 59 from 31 balls with Ravichandran Ashwin (36 not out). Alastair Cook asked India to bat after winning the toss and won an immediate reward when Ajinkya Rahane, who had scored 155 from 120 balls in his three previous one-day internationals, was dismissed without scoring, caught behind prodding at James Anderson’s fourth delivery of the day. Anderson then ran out Rahul Dravid (2), swooping from mid-off to pick up the ball and throw down the stumps at the batsman’s end in one motion.

Dravid, who had been late starting after Parthiv Patel had pushed the ball into the off and then hesitated before running, looked distinctly unimpressed with his partner’s calling, swishing his bat in irritation as he to the pavilion.

Patel did not linger, departing for three when Anderson uprooted his off-stump

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

and Virat Kholi (7) edged Anderson to give wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter his second catch and compound India’s misery.

Dhoni smacked his second ball for four and Suresh Raina launched Anderson into the crowd for the only six of the innings.

Raina reached 21 before he tried to swipe Broad to leg and was caught behind.

With the innings in disarray, Dhoni and Jadeja batted with skill and judgment.

Jadeja drove Broad lavishly through extra cover then struck the pace bowlers for consecutive boundaries and sliced Graeme Swann to the third man boundary.

Dhoni dismissed Ravi Bopara to the boundary with a wristy flick and brought up his half-century from 69 balls to a huge cheer from the substantial Indian contingent in the crowd. Dhoni skied a low full toss from Tim Bresnan to Cook at mid-off and Jadeja was caught by Ian Bell off Jade Dernbach but India still took 51 from the batting powerplay and 84 from the final 10 overs. England began brightly with Kieswetter lofting Praveen Kumar for six over the mid-wicket boundary, sweeping a second to fine leg from the same bowler and driving a third off Munaf Patel over long-off.

He lost Cook lbw to Patel for 23 off the last ball of the compulsory powerplay, after the pair had put on 63 off 62 balls for the first wicket, and survived a straightforward caught-and-bowled chance to Patel on 41.

Kieswetter went to 51 when he was comprehensively bowled middle stump by slow left-armer Jadeja. Jonathan Trott (11) followed five balls later, bowled by offspinner Ashwin by a delivery which slid past the outside of his bat. Rain began to fall and the players left the field with England 95 for three, sufficient for victory under the Duckworth/Lewis method for deciding rained-out matches.—Reuters

SCOREBOARD Scoreboard in the third one-day international between England and India at The Oval in London on Friday.

India innings P. Patel b Anderson 3 A. Rahane c Trott b Anderson 0 R. Dravid run out 2 V. Kohli c Kieswetter b Anderson 7 S. Raina c Kieswetter b Broad 21 MS Dhoni c Cook b Bresnan 69 R. Jadeja c Bell b Dernbach 78 R. Ashwin not out 36 P. Kumar not out 1 Extras (lb7 w10) 17 Total (for seven wickets; 50 overs) 234 Did not bat: M. Patel, RP Singh Fall of wickets: 1-1 2-9 3-13 4-25 5-58 6-170 7-229 Bowling: Anderson 9-1-48-3 (2w), Bresnan 10-2-32-1 (1w), Dernbach 10-1-53-1 (3w), Broad 9-1-47-1 (2w),Swann 10-031-0, Bopara 2-0-16-0 (1w) England innings A. Cook lbw b M. Patel 23 C. Kieswetter b Jadeja 51 J. Trott b Ashwin 11 I. Bell run out 23 B. Stokes b Ashwin 20 R. Bopara b Ashwin 40 T. Bresnan b Jadeja 28 S. Broad not out 5 G. Swann not out 9 Extras (w3 lb3 b2) 8 Total (for seven wickets; 41.5 overs) 218 Did not bat: J.Anderson, J. Dernbach Fall of wickets: 1-63 2-87 3-89 4-131 5-133 6-193 7-208 Bowling: Kumar 4-20-0 (1w), Singh 6-0-32-0 (1w), M.Patel 8.5-0-63-1, Jadeja 9-0-42-2 (1w), Ashwin 9-0-40-3, Raina 5-016-0 Result: England won by three wickets (D/L method)

Soccer results/standings Arsenal 1 (Arshavin 40) Swansea 0; Bolton 0, Man Utd 5 (Hernandez 5, 58, Rooney 20, 25, 68); Everton 2 (Osman 19, Baines 69-pen) Aston Villa 2 (Petrov 63, Agbonlahor 83); Man City 3 (Aguero 13, 63, 69) Wigan 0; Stoke 1 (Walters 21-pen) Liverpool 0; Sunderland 1 (Ji 90) Chelsea 2 (Terry 18, Sturridge 51); Wolves 0, Tottenham 2 (Adebayor 67, Defoe 80).

Playing Sunday Norwich v West Brom Fulham v Blackburn Playing Monday QPR v Newcastle English Football League results Championship Barnsley 1, Leicester 1; Blackpool 2, Ipswich 0; Bristol City 0, Brighton 1; Burnley 0, Middlesbrough 2; Cardiff 2, Doncaster 0; Coventry 2, Derby 0; Leeds 3, Crystal Palace 2; Peterborough 0, Hull 1; Reading 0, Watford 2; Southampton 3, Nottingham Forest 2; West Ham 4, Portsmouth 3.

Playing Sunday Birmingham v Millwall Division One Bournemouth 0, Chesterfield 3; Bury 2, Rochdale 4; Carlisle 1, Hartlepool 2; Charlton 2, Exeter 0; Colchester 1, Leyton Orient 1; Huddersfield 2, Tranmere 0; Notts County 2, Walsall 1; Oldham 1, Stevenage 1; Scunthorpe 1, Sheffield Utd 1; Sheffield Wednesday 3, Milton Keynes Dons 1; Wycombe 0, Brentford 1.

Plaayed Friday Preston 4 Yeovil 3 Division Two Aldershot 1, AFC Wimbledon 1; Bradford 2, Bristol Rovers 2; Cheltenham 2, Macclesfield 0; Crewe 3, Barnet 1; Gillingham 1, Accrington 1; Morecambe 6, Crawley 0; Northampton 0, Torquay 0; Oxford 2, Burton 2; Plymouth 0, Port Vale 2; Rotherham 3, Dagenham and Redbridge 1; Shrewsbury 3, Hereford 1; Swindon 2, Southend 0.

Scottish Premier League results English Premier League table English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Man Utd 4 4 0 0 18 3 12 Man City 4 4 0 0 15 3 12 Chelsea 4 3 1 0 7 3 10 Stoke 4 2 2 0 3 1 8 Liverpool 4 2 1 1 6 3 7 Newcastle 3 2 1 0 3 1 7 Wolverhampton 4 2 1 1 4 3 7 Aston Villa 4 1 3 0 5 3 6 Wigan 4 1 2 1 3 4 5 Everton 3 1 1 1 3 3 4 Arsenal 4 1 1 2 3 10 4 Bolton 4 1 0 3 7 11 3 Tottenham 3 1 0 2 3 8 3 QPR 3 1 0 2 1 6 3 Norwich 3 0 2 1 3 5 2 Sunderland 4 0 2 2 2 4 2 Swansea 4 0 2 2 0 5 2 Fulham 3 0 1 2 1 4 1 West Brom 3 0 0 3 2 5 0 Blackburn 3 0 0 3 2 6 0 English Football League tables Championship Brighton 6 5 1 Southampton 6 5 0 Middlesbrough 6 4 2 West Ham 6 4 1 Derby 6 4 0 Cardiff 6 3 2 Blackpool 6 3 2 Crystal Palace 6 3 1 Hull 6 3 0 Leicester 6 2 2 Peterborough 6 2 1 Leeds 6 2 1 Millwall 5 1 3 Portsmouth 6 1 3 Barnsley 6 1 3 Watford 6 1 3 Ipswich 6 2 0 Coventry 6 1 2 Burnley 5 1 2 Nottingham Forest 6 1 2 Bristol City 6 1 2 Birmingham 4 1 1 Reading 6 1 1 Doncaster 6 0 1

0 1 0 1 2 1 1 2 3 2 3 3 1 2 2 2 4 3 2 3 3 2 4 5

11 15 12 15 8 9 8 9 4 8 12 11 6 7 4 6 8 4 5 6 4 5 5 2

4 8 5 7 5 6 5 7 6 9 9 11 5 8 6 9 16 5 8 11 9 7 8 10

16 15 14 13 12 11 11 10 9 8 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 1

Division One Sheffield Utd Charlton Milton Brentford Huddersfield Hartlepool Preston Sheffield Wed Notts County Tranmere Stevenage Carlisle Colchester Walsall Oldham Bury Scunthorpe Yeovil Wycombe Chesterfield Rochdale Exeter Bournemouth Leyton Orient

7 7 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 7 7 7

5 5 5 5 3 3 4 4 4 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

2 2 1 0 4 4 1 1 0 2 4 1 3 2 2 1 5 2 2 2 2 1 0 2

0 0 1 2 0 0 1 2 3 2 1 3 2 3 3 4 2 4 3 4 4 5 6 5

14 14 16 11 12 12 12 12 13 7 11 8 13 8 8 8 9 7 5 7 9 3 5 3

4 5 8 5 6 7 8 9 10 6 8 10 11 8 12 14 11 10 9 12 15 10 16 13

17 17 16 15 13 13 13 13 12 11 10 10 9 8 8 7 5 5 5 5 5 4 3 2

Division Two Morecambe Rotherham Shrewsbury Crawley Town Cheltenham Torquay Port Vale Gillingham AFC Wimbledon Burton Albion Dagenham Southend Swindon Oxford Utd Bristol Rovers Crewe Accrington Stanley Aldershot Macclesfield

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 2 2 3 2 2 2

1 1 2 1 0 3 2 2 2 4 1 1 0 3 3 0 3 2 1

1 1 1 2 3 1 2 2 2 1 3 3 4 2 2 4 2 3 4

16 17 10 15 10 10 16 9 11 10 5 8 10 9 9 9 6 5 8

3 8 6 13 7 7 11 8 11 9 7 11 8 9 11 11 8 7 8

16 16 14 13 12 12 11 11 11 10 10 10 9 9 9 9 9 8 7

Celtic 4 (Forrest 9, 74, Ledley 33, Ki 67) Motherwell 0; Dundee Utd 0, Rangers 1 (Lafferty 61); Inverness CT 1 (Tade 50) Hearts 1 (Elliott 81); Kilmarnock 3 (Heffernan 32-pen, 45, Kroca 62) Dunfermline 2 (J.Thomson 14, R.Thomson 49); St Mirren 0, St Johnstone 0; Playing Sunday Hibernian v Aberdeen Scottish Football League results First Division Livingston 1, Falkirk 1; Morton 4, Ayr 1; Queen of the South 1, Hamilton 0; Raith 0, Dundee 1; Ross County 2, Partick 2.

Second Division Airdrie 4, Albion 0; Brechin 0, Forfar 1; Cowdenbeath 3, East Fife 2; Dumbarton 3, Arbroath 4; Stirling 2, Stenhousemuir 2.

Third Division Berwick 1, Montrose 2; Clyde 0, Queen’s Park 2; East Stirling 0, Alloa 1; Peterhead 1, Elgin City 3; Stranraer 4, Annan Athletic 2.

German league results Werder Bremen 2 (Pizarro 53, 78) Hamburg 0; Borussia Dortmund 1 (Lewandowski 88) Hertha Berlin 2 (Raffael 49, Niemeyer 81); Bayern Munich 7 (Gomez 8, 52, 55, 71-pen, Ribery 26, 41, Petersen 90) Freiburg 0; Mainz 0, Hoffenheim 4 (Roberto Firmino 16, Babel 45pen, 74, Noveski 85); Stuttgart 3 (Okazaki 9, Kuzmanovic 79, Tasci 86) Hanover 96 0; Borussia Monchengladbach 1 (Arango 58) Kaiserslautern 0.

Sunday FC Cologne v Nuremberg Wolfsburg v Schalke 04 Friday Augsburg 1 (Hosogai 5) Bayer Leverkusen 4 (Sam 6, 72, Kiessling 23, Derdiyok 80) Spainish League Results Real Madrid 4, Getafe 2; Real Sociedad 2, Barcelona 2; Villarreal 2, Sevilla 2.

Bradford Northampton Barnet Hereford Plymouth

7 7 7 7 7

1 1 1 1 0

3 3 3 2 1

3 3 3 4 6

9 6 9 3 3

10 9 14 12 15

6 6 6 5 1

Scottish Premier League table Rangers 6 5 1 Celtic 6 5 0 Motherwell 7 4 1 Kilmarnock 6 2 3 Hearts 7 2 3 St Mirren 7 2 3 Dunfermline 6 2 2 St Johnstone 6 1 3 Dundee Utd 7 1 3 Inverness CT 7 1 2 Aberdeen 6 1 1 Hibernian 5 1 0

0 11 1 16 1 14 2 15 2 9 9 13 1 9 6 9 2 7 4 9 2 4 5 9 2 9 10 8 2 4 6 6 3 7 12 6 4 7 13 5 4 2 8 4 4 3 10 3

Scottish Football League tables First Division Morton 5 3 2 Hamilton 5 2 2 Raith 5 2 1 Dundee 5 2 1 Livingston 5 1 3 Falkirk 5 1 3 Ross County 5 1 3 Partick 5 1 2 Ayr 5 1 2 Queen of the South 5 1 1

0 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 3

Second Division Arbroath Cowdenbeath Stenhousemuir Stirling Brechin Forfar Airdrie Utd Dumbarton Albion East Fife

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

4 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1

0 1 1 2 1 1 0 1 1 0

1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4

Third Division Elgin Annan Athletic Alloa Stranraer Clyde Queens Park Montrose Berwick Peterhead East Stirling

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

4 4 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1

0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0

1 11 5 12 1 13 8 12 1 8 7 10 2 14 8 9 2 5 5 7 2 7 8 7 3 5 9 6 3 8 11 4 4 6 10 3 4 3 9 3

German league table Bayern Munich 5 Werder Bremen 5 Borussia 5 Bayer Leverkusen 5 Hoffenheim 5 Schalke 04 4 Hertha Berlin 5 Hanover 96 5 VfB Stuttgart 5 Dortmund 5 Mainz 05 5 Nuremberg 4 Cologne 4 Freiburg 5 VfL Wolfsburg 4 Augsburg 5 Kaiserslautern 5 Hamburg 5

4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0

0 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 1

1 16 1 1 11 5 1 7 3 1 6 3 2 9 4 1 10 6 1 6 5 1 6 7 2 7 3 2 6 4 2 7 10 2 3 4 2 6 12 3 9 16 3 4 8 3 4 10 3 2 8 4 6 16

0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 10 0 7 0 4 0 4 0 4 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 2 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0

Spanish League Standings Real Madrid 2 2 Barcelona 2 1 Sociedad 2 1 Sevilla 2 1 Valencia 1 1 Betis 1 1 Mallorca 1 1 Levante 1 0 Bilbao 1 0 Vallecano 1 0 Atletico 1 0 Osasuna 1 0 Getafe 2 0 Villarreal 2 0 Racing 1 0 Sporting 1 0 Malaga 1 0 Granada CF 1 0 Espanyol 1 0 Zaragoza 1 0

8 3 11 9 5 8 6 5 7 5 6 7 9 8 6 6 6 6 6 8 6 6 7 5 7 10 5 5 9 4

17 14 10 12 8 8 10 13 6 4

9 12 9 10 7 10 9 8 8 7 8 7 10 6 15 4 14 4 13 3

2 2 3 3 3 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 5 7 4 2 2 1 1 6

12 12 10 10 9 9 8 8 7 7 7 6 4 4 3 2 2 1

6 4 4 4 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

S P ORT S

Liverpool pay the penalty Stoke 1

Liverpool 0

MADRID: Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal celebrates after scoring against Getafe during a Spanish La Liga soccer match. — AP

Real defeat Getafe, Barcelona held 2-2 BARCELONA: Real Madrid seized an early advantage in the Spanish league by beating Getafe 4-2 yesterday after Barcelona squandered an early lead to draw 2-2 at Real Sociedad.

Madrid striker Karim Benzema and Getafe’s Nicolas “Miku” Fedor scored in an evenly matched first half at Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s spot kick and Benzema’s second goal threatened to spark a Madrid rout after the break, but Miku scored again to keep the game in doubt until Gonzalo Higuain sealed Madrid’s victory late.

In San Sebastian, Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas struck early for Barcelona while Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta rested for Tuesday’s Champions League game against AC Milan. But after being dominated for 45 minutes, Imanol Agirretxe and Antoine Griezmann equalized for Sociedad with two goals in as many minutes in the second half.

“Two defensive lapses, two errors that cost us dearly,” Xavi said. “That’s football.

The game was under control and we could have even sealed the win with a third goal.”

Madrid leads the Spanish league standings with six points- two more than Barcelona.

After Madrid and Barcelona outscored their opponents 11-0 in week one, many in Spain worried the gap between the two powerhouses would be greater than ever this season.

But Getafe did not shrink against its bigger crosstown rivals, and Sociedad knew how to take advantage of Barcelona’s defensive mistakes to snatch an unexpected result.

Madrid started strong and Mesut Oezil laid off for Benzema to pick his spot from the center of the area and slot into the right side of the net in the 14th.

Brazil left back Marcelo almost gifted Getafe the equalizer when his clearance careened into the post shortly before Miku received Lacen’s pass at the top of the area, spun and beat goalie Iker Casillas with a low strike in the 39th.

Cristiano Ronaldo converted from the penalty spot in the 60th after the referee ruled that Cata Diaz fouled the Portuguese forward in the area. Replays showed the foul took place outside the penalty box.

Ronaldo then found Benzema with a long

diagonal pass and the striker shot under ‘keeper Miguel Moya.

Getafe did not fold, however, and in the 73rd Miku controlled a rebound in the area, cut back to his left foot and slotted past Casillas.

New Getafe coach Luis Garcia was sent off for protesting a foul before Higuain came on to cap Madrid’s second league win in the 88th.

At Anoeta stadium, Fabregas quickly showed his versatility, making the key pass for Xavi’s opener and a minute later finishing off another passing display to double the visitors’ advantage.

Fabregas picked out Alexis Sanchez breaking behind the defense and the Chile forward slid a pass across for Xavi to volley in from close range in the 10th.

Seconds later it was Xavi’s turn to find Fabregas sprinting free. The former Arsenal captain slipped the ball across to Pedro Rodriguez, whose timid shot was blocked by goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, but Fabregas was quick to pounce and fire into the top of the net.

David Villa substituted Sanchez at the half hour mark when the former Udinese player hurt his right thigh and had to be assisted off the pitch. The club said he will be out for six to eight weeks.

“Barcelona can be beat, but never playing like we did in the first half,” said coach Philippe Montanier, whose Sociedad was the better team after the break in his home debut.

Agirretxe rose above his marker to head in Xabi Prieto’s short cross in the 60th for his third goal of the young season.

Moments later, Villa erred in his back pass that fell to Agirretxe. The Basque striker rounded goalkeeper Victor Valdes only to hit the crossbar, but French winger Antoine Griezmann rushed in to head in the rebound.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola sent on Messi and Iniesta, but Bravo smothered Messi’s best chance inside the area with 15 minutes to play.

Also, 10-man Villarreal drew 2-2 with Sevilla. Later, Atletico Madrid visits Valencia. Today, it’s: Espanyol vs. Athletic Bilbao, Betis vs. Mallorca, Racing Santander vs. Levante, Osasuna vs. Sporting Gijon, and Rayo Vallecano vs. Zaragoza. Malaga is at Granada tomorrow. —AP

STOKE: Kenny Dalglish was condemned to his first defeat of the season after Jon Walters extended Stoke’s remarkable hoodoo over Liverpool at the Britannia Stadium.

A 21st-minute penalty from Walters was enough for Stoke to preserve their own unbeaten record this season and secure their fourth successive home game against their opponents without defeat.

Peter Crouch and Wilson Palacios both made their debuts for Stoke but it was the man whose place looks under jeopardy who delivered the hammer blow to his home town.

Born ten miles away from Anfield in Merseyside, Walters won and scored the spot kick that only served to keep the feel-good factor buzzing around the Potteries.

Liverpool and Stoke were two of the biggest, and most successful, spenders in the transfer window, with Dalglish and Tony Pulis forking out nearly £80 million between them this summer.

But despite the vast outlay by Dalglish he still cannot find the formula for Liverpool to win at the Britannia Stadium.

This was their fourth trip in the Premier League and Walters’s goal was enough to send them back to Merseyside contemplating another defeat.

Liverpool’s resurgence since their last visit to the Britannia Stadium has been remarkable. On that rainy November night Roy Hodgson suffered another chastening experience as his side were swatted aside after a timid performance.

But under Dalglish they are now a different

LONDON: Stoke City’s Jermaine Pennant (right) competes for the ball with Liverpool’s Charlie Adam during their English Premier League soccer match. — AP proposition and they went toe to toe with Stoke’s streetfighters in a scrappy opening.

There is a steely resilience to the new-look Liverpool but after 20 minutes their determination to match the abrasive approach of their opponents went too far when Jamie Carragher foolishly hauled down Walters in the area.

Walters picked himself up to emphatically power the penalty past Jose Reina. That setback robbed Liverpool of their early verve and vigor, even though Luis Suarez was a constant menace in the first half and the Uruguay international created an opening for Martin Skrtel nine minutes before half-time but the defender blazed horribly wide.

Adebayor gets Spurs off the mark Wolves 0

Tottenham 2

LONDON: Debutant Emmanuel Adebayor scored the opening goal as Tottenham Hotspur belatedly got their season in gear with a 2-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers yesterday.

Adebayor, a loan signing from Manchester City, was teed up by fellow new recruit Scott Parker in the 67th minute, before Jermain Defoe netted Tottenham’s second.

The result ended Wolves’ fine unbeaten start to the season and gave Spurs their first points, after Harr y Redknapp’s side lost 3-0 at Manchester United and 5-1 at home to Manchester City in their opening two fixtures.

Spurs handed starts to both Parker and Adebayor, while Wolves coach Mick McCarthy changed his starting line-up for the first time this season as Michael Kightly came in for injured winger Matt Jarvis.

Wolves narrowly escaped falling behind early on, with Wayne Hennessey doing well to prevent Roger Johnson putting Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s cross through his own goal before Niko Kranjcar’s follow-up was cleared off the line.

The hosts gradually asserted control of the game, however, and visiting goalkeeper Brad Friedel had to save twice in quick succession from Spurs old boy Jamie O’Hara and the marauding Karl Henry.

Tottenham centre-back Ledley King, making his first start of the season, headed into the ground and over the bar after being picked out unmarked at a corner, but Wolves soon reassumed their assault on Friedel’s goal.

They should have gone ahead in the 36th minute, but Kightly’s inswinging free-kick from the left was headed wide from point-blank

for Tuesday’s visit of Premier League side Arsenal in Europe’s premier club competition.

After the hosts dominated the opening half, Berlin’s Brazilian striker Raffael enjoyed considerable luck for the opening goal.

Germany defender Marcel Schmelzer tried to clear the danger, but in the scramble with goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller, the ball fell to Raffael, who fired into an empty net on 49 minutes.

Berlin doubled the lead when midfielder Peter Niemeyer netted a second on 82 minutes and although Dortmund’s Poland striker Robert Lewandowski scored a consolation goal on 88 minutes, it was too little, too late.

This was Dortmund’s second defeat in four league games and leaves Jurgen Klopp’s side 10th in the table and puts Berlin seventh. “Hertha deserved to win,” said Klopp. “ They were ver y disciplined in defence, we made it easy with our impatience. “They had a bit of luck with their goals, but sometimes you need a little nod to win a game.”

Borussia Moenchengladbach, who only avoided relegation last season by the skin of their teeth, maintained their great start to the season with a 1-0 win at home to Kaiserlautern to go second in the table.

Stuttgart enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Hanover, while Hoffenheim moved up to fourth in the table after they hammered Mainz 4-0.

On Friday Bayer Leverkusen warmed up for Tuesday’s trip to Chelsea in the Champions League with a 4-1 win over Augsburg which puts them third in the table.

Later yesterday Werder Bremen host Hamburg in the north German derby, while today Cologne are at Nuremberg and Schalke 04 are at 2009 champions Wolfsburg where they will face former Royal Blues coach Felix Magath. —AFP

range at the back post by skipper Roger Johnson.

Inattention from O’Hara almost enabled Spurs to snatch the lead on the cusp of halftime, but after he had been robbed by Defoe, Hennessey got down well to push away the England striker’s low effort.

An open first half gave way to a more attritional encounter in the second period, until Spurs’ new boys combined to break the deadlock. Kranjcar found Parker in space on the edge of the Wolves box and he stabbed a first-time pass into the path of Adebayor, who rounded Hennessey and slotted the ball home.

Adebayor has now scored on his debut for all the English sides he has represented, having also found the target in his first league games for City and Spurs’ bitter north London rivals Arsenal.

Defoe, who claimed a brace at Molineux in a 3-3 draw last season, extended Spurs’ lead with 10 minutes to play, gathering Kranjcar’s pass in his stride and slamming a crisp shot into the bottom-left corner. —AFP

Agbonlahor earns point for Villa

Seven-goal Bayern ready for Europe BERLIN: Bayern Munich warmed up for next week’s trip to Villarreal in the Champions League with a 7-0 win over Freiburg yesterday in the German league as striker Mario Gomez and midfielder Franck Ribery shone.

Germany striker Gomez, last season’s top scorer in the Bundesliga, scored four goals-including a second-half hat-trickto take his tally to eight in the league after just five games.

Not to be out-done, Ribery netted twice in the first half as part of an eyecatching display when the French winger showed great footwork, especially for his first goal when he left two defenders standing.

Bayern replacement Nils Petersen profited from Munich’s midfield enjoying complete control when he scored the seventh just before the final whistle.

Munich are at Villarreal on Wednesday in Group A of the Champions League and are in impressive form.

“We understood from the beginning we had to maintain the same momentum, attitude, motivation and concentration that we showed in Kaiserslautern,” said Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes after his team won 3-0 away a fortnight ago.

“My team put in a classy display, not just in the first half, but also showed a lot of enthusiasm and allowed the opposition very little in defence.

“In the second half, we kept scoring despite leading 3-0 and that is an important character trait of the team. “I am very satisfied, but we all know that we have to improve.”

The rout leaves Bayern top of the league and with just over a month gone of the new season, they already have a goal difference of 15. Regardless of results elsewhere they will finish the weekend as Bundesliga leaders.

Defending champions Borussia Dortmund suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at home to Hertha Berlin as they prepare

Suarez then manufactured an opportunity for himself out of nothing, turning Matthew Upson in the area before shooting straight at Asmir Begovic.

Liverpool were dominant in the early stages of the second half and were denied an equaliser on the hour by the brilliance of Begovic.

The Bosnia international produced a stunning hat-trick of saves to deny Jordan Henderson twice and then Charlie Adam as the hosts clung valiantly onto their lead.

Referee Mark Clattenburg piled the agony on the visitors when he waved away late penalty claims, even though Matthew Upson appeared to handle Luis Suarez’s cross. —AFP

LONDON: Arsenal’s Andrey Arshavin (left) competes with Swansea City’s Steven Caulker during their English Premier League soccer match. — AP

Arsenal bounce back after Vorm blunder Arsenal 1

Swansea 0

LONDON: Andrey Arshavin capitalised on a mistake by Swansea keeper Michael Vorm to ensure Arsenal returned to winning ways after the humbling 8-2 defeat at Manchester United.

Arshavin struck in the 41st minute after Vorm rolled a clearance against the legs of team-mate Angel Rangel, allowing the Russia international to finish into an empty net.

With Swansea unable to break their Premier League scoring duck that now extends to four games, Arsene Wenger’s side held on to claim their first league win of the campaign.

Arsenal manager Wenger has come in for growing criticism this season and three points will ease the pressure at the Emirates Stadium after a miserable start to the campaign.

Wenger reacted to the Old Trafford drubbing by moving swiftly into the transfer market and tying up deals for five new signings before the August 31 transfer deadline.

The international break meant he was forced to wait before fielding his new look line-up and the Gunners manager handed first starts to two of those new faces-Germany centre back Per Mertesacker and former Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta-with Andre

Santos, Yossi Benayoun and Park Chu-Young named among the substitutes.

There was no doubt Arsenal needed an injection of fresh ideas after a dismal start and both Arteta and Mertesacker quickly showed they will be an asset in the months to come.

Arteta in particular wasted no time in making himself at home, picking out Aaron Ramsey’s run from midfield in the opening minute and the Wales captain should have done much better than shoot over. Eight minutes later the Spaniard, operating in a central role behind Robin Van Persie, spotted the striker’s move through the Swansea defence and again created the opening with a threaded pass.

Mertesacker meanwhile added height and composure to the backline although that was not enough to prevent Swansea carving out an excellent early opening that would have brought them the opening goal but for an excellent save from Wojciech Szczseny.

The keeper dived full length to divert Danny Graham’s close-range effort to safety after Nathan Dyer’s low cross had exposed the Arsenal backline.

That disrupted the home side’s early flow, but Wenger’s team still dominated possession although they were guilty of putting Vorm under real pressure. Theo Walcott broke clear in the 14th minute and sent a scuffed shot past the visiting keeper only for centre back Steven Caulker to recover in time to clear off the line. But that proved to be a rare moment of danger and Swansea-whose manager Brendan Rodgers was absent on compassionate leave following the death of his fathergrew in confidence and started to take the game to Arsenal. —AFP

LIVERPOOL: Gabriel Agbonlahor scored a Everton 2 late equaliser as Aston Villa twice came from behind to rescue a 2-2 draw Aston Villa 2 against Everton at Goodison Park yesterday. Alex McLeish’s team trailed to a Leon Osman goal in the first half but Stilian Petrov equalised and, after Leighton Baines’ penalty restored Everton’s lead, Agbonlahor popped up to head Villa level with seven minutes left.

The England forward’s goal extended Villa’s unbeaten start to the season, although they have won only one of their four matches, while Everton have four points from three matches.

The result left Everton frustrated after their first match following the controversial sale of Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta to Arsenal on transfer deadline day. The game was preceded by a peaceful protest outside the stadium by several hundred supporters frustrated at a lack of investment under chairman Bill Kenwright. Villa midfielder Jermaine Jenas, who arrived with Alan Hutton from Tottenham on deadline day, was ruled out by a thigh injury, while Everton left their loanees Royston Drenthe and Denis Stracqualursi on the bench. With Ayegbeni Yakubu and Jermaine Beckford having also left Everton and Louis Saha and Victor Anichebe injured, Everton started without a recognised striker. Yet it barely showed as Osman and Tim Cahill filled the forward roles superbly. Villa striker Darren Bent headed off his own line as Phil Jagielka got forward to connect with a Baines corner.

Baines stayed on the right and whipped in a low cross for Osman to turn and shoot but Shay Given instinctively stuck out a hand. Jagielka headed another chance wide before Villa made a change after just 18 minutes when Emile Heskey left the field injured.

David Moyes’ side were rewarded for their bright start after 19 minutes when Petrov and Richard Dunne failed to clear a Seamus Coleman pass and Cahill squared for Osman to side-foot home.

Yet Villa were enjoying a good spell and levelled in the 63rd minute when Petrov found space outside the area and scored with a stunning shot.

Villa were energised but Everton struck again nine minutes later. Australia midfielder Cahill brought a fine reaction save from Given as he met a Baines corner with a firm header but Jagielka was then bundled over by Fabian Delph.

Referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot and Baines stepped forward to tuck away the penalty.

Villa were not finished yet and Agbonlahor struck in the 83rd minute when he headed a Marc Albrighton cross past Howard from close-range. —AFP

Liverpool pay the penalty

Spain crush Serbia in European championship

19

16

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

Vettel on pole in Italian Grand Prix Page 17

LONDON: Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooney (second right) celebrates after scoring their fifth goal to compete his hat-trick during the English Premier League football match against Bolton Wanderers. — AFP

Magical United destroy Bolton Rooney slams second hat-trick Bolton 0

Man United 5

BOLTON: Wayne Rooney’s second consecutive hat-trick saw Manchester United reclaim top spot in the Premier League after losing it to Manchester City for just a few hours.

Rooney, who scored a treble in the 8-2 demolition of Arsenal, scored twice before the break to set Sir Alex Ferguson’s side on

the way to eclipsing the efforts of closest rivals City, who had beaten Wigan 3-0 earlier in the day.

The England striker scored his third in the second half as his efforts, along with a brace from Javier Hernandez, mean United have scored 18 times in their four opening league games.

Both Manchester clubs have signalled that this year’s duel for the title will be a two-horse race, but it is United who lead the way at this early stage on goal difference. It was an afternoon where the old guard shone alongside a new generation of stars as Rooney combined brilliantly with Hernandez and summer signing Phil Jones. Ferguson fielded an arguably

stronger line-up than the one that hammered Arsenal at Old Trafford in their last match before the international break.

Mexican Hernandez returned to partner Rooney in place of Danny Welbeck, while Rio Ferdinand replaced Chris Smalling in the centre of defence.

The architect of this latest victory, perhaps even more so than Rooney, was Nani. His hat-trick of assists, and two more from the impressive Jones, was as much a part of this triumph as the fine finishing of Rooney and Hernandez.

The champions began the game at break-neck speed and Ferguson was left cursing referee Andre Marriner for not booking Kevin Davies after his challenge

forced the United boss to replace Tom Cleverley with Michael Carrick.

The Bolton skipper escaped with a talking to and the angry United manager had only just caught up with play when his side took a fifth-minute lead.

Wayne Rooney found Nani on the right and the Portuguese crossed into the six-yard box where Harnandez arrived and beat Jussi Jaaskelainen at the near post.

United were immediately forced into the change when Cleverley limped off, and they also found themselves on the back foot in their own box.

The ball was cleared by Jonny Evans and fell to Chris Eagles, whose shot was cleared by Rooney when an equaliser

Man City 3

Wigan 0 MANCHESTER: Sergio Aguero hit a stunning hat-trick as Manchester City warmed up for their Champions League debut by defeating Wigan 3-0 at Eastlands yesterday.

Argentina international Aguero made it six goals in four league games since joining from Atletico Madrid for £38 million ($60m) as Roberto Mancini’s side maintained their 100 percent winning start to the campaign.

City make their Champions League bow at home to Napoli on Wednesday, and the Italians are in for a tough game if Mancini’s side can repeat this performance.

Wigan were fortunate to escape lightly as Carlos Tevez also missed a penalty, while Micah Richards and Vincent Kompany both rattled the woodwork.

Fortunately for Mancini, Aguero was not so wasteful in front of goal. Little has gone wrong for City on the pitch this season yet the world’s richest club found themselves engulfed in controversy behind the scenes in the build up to Wigan’s visit.

Chief executive Garry Cook resigned on the eve of the match amid claims he emailed City defender Nedum Onuoha’s cancer-suffering mother mocking her illness.

Yet City, who had Kolo Toure on the bench after he served a six-month ban for failing a drugs test, are back in the headlines for the right reasons thank to Aguero.

They were ahead as early as the 13th minute, yet could have been three up before

see it ruled out by the referee’s assistant for offside. He did, however, make it four in the 59th minute following good work from Nani. The winger weaved into the box and teed up Carrick, and the former Spurs midfielder saw his shot blocked and run loose into the path of the Mexican, who pounced once again.

Nine minutes later, the job was complete when Rooney completed his hattrick with a right-footed strike after more creative magic by Nani.

United also missed countless chances to get closer to the eight goals put past Arsenal in their last outing, with Hernandez guilty of misfiring at least twice.—AFP

Chelsea extend unbeaten run

Aguero shines for City as Wigan outclassed they made the breakthrough.

Adam Johnson was presented with a glorious chance to mark his return to the side with a goal, but the unmarked England winger fired wastefully over the bar following Gael Clichy’s fifth-minute cross.

Then Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi produced a fine save to keep out David Silva’s 20-yard effort in the 10th minute before defender Joleon Lescott headed another chance over the bar from point-blank range.

Wigan were unbeaten in the previous seven league games. Yet their defence finally cracked as Aguero fired through the legs of Honduras defender Maynor Figueroa following an impressive move involving Tevez and Silva.

Tevez was then presented with an opportunity to mark his first league start with a goal when Wigan defender Adrian Lopez fouled Silva in the 17th minute.

However, Al Habsi saved comfortably as the Argentina striker spurned the chance to double the lead with a weak effort from the spot.

City continued to dominate yet were twice denied by the woodwork in the space of eight minutes before half-time.

A defence-splitting pass by Tevez left Richards with only the keeper to beat but the defender could only hit the underside of the bar before Kompany headed against the post.

City stepped up the tempo after the interval and Aguero completed his hat-trick with two goals in the space of six minutes.

The hosts were thankful to keeper Joe Hart for denying Hugo Rodallega before substitute Samir Nasri marked his home debut by teeing up Aguero to tuck home his second in the 63rd minute.

And the forward completed his hat-trick in the 69th minute with a neat finish following Silva’s delicious pass.—AFP

looked odds-on. Davies finally found his way into Marriner’s notebook when his tackle on Patrice Evra earned him a yellow card. Within seven minutes, United were further ahead. Phil Jones exchanged passes with Nani after a throw-in and Rooney finished the cross after reaching the ball ahead of Gary Cahill and Dedryck Boyata.

Then in the 25th minute, United made it three. Former Blackburn midfielder Jones was involved again as he raced through home defence unchallenged.

He evaded Zat Knight’s attempted block before seeing his shot saved by Jaaskelainen’s legs. But Rooney was on hand to tap in the rebound. Hernandez thought he had added a fourth, only to

Sunderland 1

Chelsea 2

LONDON: Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero (right) celebrates after scoring a goal against Wigan during their English Premier League soccer match. —AP

SUNDERLAND: Chelsea maintained their unbeaten start to the Premier League season with a comfortable 2-1 win at Sunderland.

Goals from John Terry and Daniel Sturridge secured a routine success at the Stadium of Light and helped Chelsea keep up the pressure on the two Manchester clubs with their third win in four matches.

Sunderland grabbed a stoppagetime consolation through South Korean Ji Dong-Won, but never really looked like adding to their two points so far this season. Sturridge’s goal, which came via a sensational second-half back-heel, justified Andre Villas-Boas’ decision to start with the England Under-21 international ahead of Fernando Torres, who was dropped to the bench.

Villas-Boas will also have been delighted with the performances of Juan Mata and Raul Meireles, both of whom arrived at Stamford Bridge last month.

Mata was a constant threat on Chelsea’s left-hand side, while Portugal international Meireles provided constant protection to the visitors’ back four.

Perhaps the biggest event of the day from a Sunderland perspective occurred prior to kick-off, with striker Asamoah

Gyan completing a surprise season-long loan to United Arab Emirates side Al-Ain. Gyan was linked with a move to Turkey and France in the closing stages of the European transfer window, but headed to the Middle East after an agreement was struck on Friday evening.

Black Cats boss Steve Bruce said: “Anyone who has seen Asamoah play will know he hasn’t been himself in recent months. This option suits all parties at the present time.”

In Gyan’s absence, Nicklas Bendtner made his Sunderland debut after joining on loan from Arsenal. The Dane scored two goals on international duty in the week, and should have opened his Black Cats account in the 12th minute.

Seb Larsson delivered a teasing freekick from the right, but after stealing a yard on the Chelsea back four, Bendtner glanced an eight-yard header wide of the target. The miss proved costly, as Chelsea opened the scoring themselves six minutes later. Mata’s free-kick hit the outside of the post, but after Jose Bosingwa kept the ball in play, Ramires crossed for Terry at the back post.

The defender’s first shot was blocked, but he found the back of the net with the second via a deflection off Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley.

With Chelsea dominating possession for the majority of the first half, Nicolas Anelka and Ramires both shot over the crossbar from decent positions.

Simon Mignolet was also forced to make an excellent save to deny Anelka after Ramires’ blocked shot fell kindly for the Frenchman in the area.—AFP

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MARSEILLE: Group of Seven Finance ministers pose for the group photo in Marseille, southern France on Friday. —AP

Lenders pledge $38bn more to Arab Spring Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Jordan to benefit for reform programs MARSEILLE: The World Bank and several other international lenders promised more money yesterday to encourage democratic reforms in Arab countries, nearly doubling a previous pledge to $38 billion.

That brings to at least $58 billion the amount of money so far promised over the next two years to Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Jordan to suppor t countries that have either thrown off their authoritarian regimes or are slowly opening up their systems of government. In addition to

funds promised by the lenders, the Group of Eight - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Russia and the US - had pledged $20 billion in May. French Finance Minister Francois Baroin said yesterday that commitments from those countries had “increased strongly” but he did not specify by how much. The French contribution more than doubled to $2.7 billion, for instance.

There has been criticism that the funds have been slow in coming.

Baroin said everyone was working to hand over the money as quickly as possible. Libya was also included in Saturday’s discussions but is not yet eligible for money. The country ’s rebels have taken control of most of the country and are working to establish a government. The G8 meeting was tacked onto the end of a Group of Seven finance chiefs meeting on Friday in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille that pledged a coordinated response to the faltering global economic recovery but offered few

Iraqi Kurd oil exports see sharp decline KIRKUK: Crude exports from Iraq’s northern Kurdish region have dropped to 50,00060,000 barrels per day from 160,000 bpd since late last month, several Iraqi government sources said yesterday.

The reason for the decline was unknown, they said. “The oil ministry was informed at the start of this month by the North Oil Company that crude quantities pumped from the Kurdish region were cut to 50,000-60,000 bpd from 160,000 bpd at the end of August,” an oil ministry source said. A North Oil Company source said that Kurdish exports had declined by “more than half” from 160,000 bpd around the end of August.

“We haven’t the least idea about the reasons for the decline and we informed the oil ministry of this issue more than a week ago,” said the source, who asked not to be named. “This cut will definitely affect Iraq’s exports via Ceyhan port and then the coun-

try’s total export level.”

A source in the office of Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Hussain Al-Shahristani also confirmed the sharp decline and said: “We hope it is a technical fault.” Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region and the central government in Baghdad have longstanding disputes over control of the northern oilfields. Iraqi Kurdistan halted exports in 2009 due to disagreements with Baghdad over contracts the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) signed with foreign oil firms to develop its fields.

Baghdad considers the contracts illegal.

The Kurdish region resumed exports in February, boosting Iraq’s total exports. In August, Iraq exported a total of 2.189 million bpd of crude in August, including 461,000 bpd from northern fields, according to figures from the State Oil Marketing Organization, up from 2.164 million bpd in July. Most of Iraq’s exports are shipped from the southern oil hub of Basra. Much of the oil from the northern fields flows by pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan. The ongoing dispute between the central government and the KRG shows no sign of abating. On Sept 5, the Iraqi Oil Ministry said it was barring US oil firm Hess Corp from its 4th energy auction in January because the company signed deals with the KRG. Later the same day, the KRG issued a sharply worded statement criticizing a new draft hydrocarbons law making its way through Iraq’s parliament, saying it violated “the essence of the constitution.” The KRG said the Iraqi parliament should reject the new law, long awaited by foreign firms seeking more solid legal footing for investments in Iraq. —Reuters

specifics to appease beleaguered financial markets.

The Deauville initiative was set up under France’s G8 presidency to help North African and Middle Eastern countries swept up in the Arab Spring foster democratic reforms by making aid and development credits conditional on political and economic reforms. The financing is mostly in the form of loans, rather than outright grants, provided by G8 and Arab countries, the World Bank, multilateral development banks such as the

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and other lenders. G8 officials were due to endorse the extended Deauville partnership later on Saturday after spending the morning discussing the economic challenges faced by countries like Tunisia and Egypt that have ousted autocratic leaders.

Britain would push to ramp up trade and open markets between Europe and North African and Arab states, a Treasury spokesman told reporters on Friday. The EBRD is also

taking a lead role in the Deauville partnership as it extends its lending mandate to encompass countries affected by the Arab Spring.

Delegations taking part in Saturday’s G8 meeting included representatives of Libya’s ruling interim council, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey. Regional bodies present included the Arab monetary fund, the Arab fund for economic and social development and the OPEC’s fund for international development, OFID. — Agencies

Swiss banks ‘allegedly’ providing info to US GENEVA: Swiss banks have “allegedly” begun providing information to Washington on accounts held by US citizens, Swiss media reported yesterday.

Local daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung reported that US authorities had “allegedly” received information from Swiss banks on their American customers, without citing sources. It said that on Friday nine banks “allegedly ... provided the requested information”. Another media outlet, the

daily TagesAnzeiger, said that Credit Suisse had earlier in the week provided to Washington information on US clients. “The Credit Suisse banker responsible for the negotiations took a plane for Washington and submitted the information,” it said. The TagesAnzeiger also said that Switzerland’s government has “partially” agreed to a Washington ultimatum that information on US nationals who have money in the country be handed over.

It said that Swiss authorities, in a confidential

Japan trade minister quits over Fukushima TOKYO: In an early blow to Japan’s new government, the economy, trade and industry minister resigned yesterday over his comments about radiation contamination in crisis-hit Fukushima.

Yoshio Hachiro, appointed only a week ago in the new government of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, provoked anger when he called the area around the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant a “shi no machi” or a “town of death.” In a press conference Hachiro said Noda had accepted his resignation, which came a day before Japan was to mark six months since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, which left 20,000 dead or missing and sparked the nuclear crisis at Fukushima.

The resignation comes as an early blow for Noda, whose new government was named a week ago replacing the administration of Naoto Kan, who resigned amid heavy criticism of his handling of the crisis. Noda had pledged to boost recovery efforts but the early resignation of one of his cabinet ministers will do little to instill confidence. Out of Noda’s 17-member cabinet, 10 including Hachiro are newcomers to ministerial posts.

Hachiro, who accompanied Noda on a tour of the plant and its vicinity on Thursday, had told a news conference: “Unfortunately, there was not a soul in sight in the streets of the surrounding towns and villages.” Kyodo reported that after his visit to the nuclear plant, Hachiro made as if he was rubbing his jacket against a journalist, while making a remark to the effect that “I will infect you with radiation”. — AFP

letter to 10 local banks said the US request could “be partially agreed upon”, but that the data transfer would have to be done by the banks themselves, and not the government.

Furthermore, the letter said the banks would need to provide data on banking activities only going back to September 30, 2009. Prior to that date, information should only be provided “if there is a violation of US legislation or obvious tax fraud”, the newspaper said.— AFP

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UAE ranked in highest stage of economic development Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012

Iconic New York accessory brand Coach opens store at the 360 Mall KUWAIT: Coach, Inc, a leading marketer of modern classic American accessories celebrating its 70th Anniversary, is pleased to announce the opening of its first store in Kuwait on the ground floor of 360 Mall.

The store, which boasts a retail space of over 1,500 square feet, was designed by the Coach Architecture Group. The new store features Coach’s product assortment including fine leather and mixed material handbags, small leather goods, footwear, travel accessories, scarves, jewelry, watches and sunwear collections. To celebrate this opening, Coach will be offering the Kristin Cheetah Haircalf Carryall exclusively to the 360 Mall in the United Arab Emirates.

Also available is Coach’s Middle East exclusive Kristin Embossed Python Satchel.

The opening of the flagship store in Kuwait is part of Coach’s continuing expansion plans in the Middle East, with stores already operating in Bahrain at Al A’Ali Mall, in Abu Dhabi at Marina Mall, and in Dubai at The Dubai Mall, Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdale’s.

Ian Bickley, President of Coach International, said, “The opening of our first premiere location in Kuwait is an important step for us in further developing our global strategy and raising brand awareness in this fast growing market for

luxury accessories. We expect that this store will enhance our positioning and attract new consumers to the Coach franchise.”

For seventy years, Coach has been a classic mainstay on the landscape of American design. Founded as a familyrun workshop in a Manhattan loft, six artisans handcrafted a collection of leather goods using skills handed down from generation to generation. Today, Coach is a $4.1 billion company offering chic and fashionable products that represents innovation, quality, authenticity, value and a truly distinctive American style. During its rich history, Coach has created some of the most distinctive pieces in fashion and has been known for its durability, versatility, and style.

The appeal of Coach’s products, which include a wide array of accessories and gifts, continues to grow significantly worldwide.

Coach, with headquarters in New York, is a leading American marketer of fine accessories and gifts for women and men, including handbags, women’s and men’s small leathergoods, business cases, weekend and travel accessories, footwear, watches, outerwear, scarves, sunwear, jewelry, fragrance and related accessories. Coach shares are traded on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol COH.

AND Group appointed as distribution partner for Inmarsat FleetBroadband KUWAIT: AND Group plc, an internationally recognized provider of communication services to the marine and offshore sectors, announces that it has been appointed as a distribution partner for Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband service.

AND Group can now distribute the full range of FleetBroadband services: from FB150 for smaller vessels needing voice communications and lower data speeds, through to FB500 for large merchant fleets needing high-speed data, valueadded services and a full managed service provision.

The company has also been appointed as a distribution partner for Inmarsat’s global satellite phone services, which include FleetPhone for the marine environment and the global handheld satellite phone IsatPhone Pro. “We are delighted to welcome AND Group as a FleetBroadband distributor,”

said Perry Melton, Chief Operating Officer of Inmarsat. “AND Group has built a solid maritime business and a strong reputation for knowing what maritime customers need. We are excited about the potential for AND Group to tap into two key areas of growth for FleetBroadband: migrating their customers who are inadequately served by their current satellite communications services, and securing new customers and exploring new parts of the market.”

Ian Robinson, CEO of AND Group, said, “We have achieved some significant customer wins with FleetBroadband, across the whole family of services. This is good news for us and our customers. Being appointed as an Inmarsat distribution partner will enable AND Group to build on our success, offer our customers better services and long-term value, and grow our business.

KUWAIT: The Global Competitiveness Report 2011/2012 issued by the World Economic Forum, ranked the UAE 27th globally for competitiveness. The report classified the UAE as an innovation-driven economy. This is the highest stage of economic development that a country can achieve. This classification is based on factors that promote innovation in economic development. The UAE was the only Arab country to be classified in this category for three years consecutively. Other countries in this stage of economic development include Germany, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Canada, the United States, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Singapore.

According to the report, the UAE has ranked among the top ten countries in more than 20 global competitiveness indicators, and has scored advanced positions among the 142 countries that the report has covered: The UAE ranked 3rd globally in business costs of crime and violence; 4th globally in quality of air infrastructure; 5th globally in wastefulness of government spending; 5th globally in government procurement of advanced tech products; 5th globally in flexibility of wage determination; 6th globally in quality of port infrastructure; 7th globally in quality of roads infrastructure; 7th globally in the burden of customs procedures. The UAE also scored 10th globally in buyer sophistication subindicator.

The Global Competitiveness Report, published annually by the World Economic Forum, ranks countries along key pillars of competitiveness. This year 142 countries are ranked along 12 key pillars (comprised of110 indicators), namely: Institutions; Infrastructure; Macroeconomic environment; Health and primar y education; Higher education and training; Goods and market efficiency; Labor market efficiency; Financial market development; Technological readiness; Market size; Business sophistication and innovation.

The Global Competitiveness Repor t methodology classifies countries according to three main stages economic development, with transitional stages between them: Stage 1: Factor-driven, which includes a number of developing economies such as Nigeria, Chad, India and Vietnam; Transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2: Most Arab countries fall in the transitional phase between Stage 1 and Stage 2, including Algeria, Saudi Arab Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar, Syria, as well countries

such as Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Angola; Stage 2: Efficiency-driven includes countries such as Albania, Bulgaria, Colombia, Jordan; Transition from Stage 2 to Stage 3: includes several Eastern European countries such as Poland,

Abdullah Lootah Hungary, Turkey, as well as the Arab countries of Oman and Lebanon. Stage 3: Innovation-driven is the highest stage of economic development; and economies in this category depend on innovation for their economic development. Countries in this group include United Arab Emirateswhich has been ranked in this category for the third year in a row-and countries such as Germany, Japan, Sweden, Australia, Canada, the United States, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Singapore.

The Global Competitiveness Report is published annually by the World Economic Forum since 1979, and is a tool that helps countries benchmark their economic performance relative to that of other economies. The information can be used to identify strengths and weaknesses as well as obstacles to sustainable economic growth and prosperity. The methodology of the report, which uses110 indicators, is based on32% statistical data and 68% on questionnaires.

Commenting on the report, Abdullah Lootah, Secretary General of the Emirates Competitiveness Council, noted that the UAE continues its drive to build the UAE as a world-leading destination for business and foreign investment. The effort includes strengthening the legal framework, and providing excellent infrastructure. He added that the Emirates Competitiveness Council will closely review the findings of the report, and engage the participation of public and private sectors in interactive sessions to identify ways to improve performance in key areas of importance to the country.

His Excellency also stressed the importance of accurate and data. He underscored the need for coordination between federal and local authorities to provide accurate statistics to ensure that UAE performance is properly captured and communicated to international ranking institutions, such as UNESCO the International Monetary Fund, and UNDP, United Nations and others.

Further, he pointed out that achieving high ranking in global competitiveness reports is not an end in itself. Rather it is an indicator of the performance of social and economic sectors, and a chance to compare our performance with that of other countries. Noting the goal is to promote longterm economic growth and well-being of the people of the nation.

The UAE seeks to compete with the leading countries of the world on the basis of its knowledge capital rather than dependence on natural resources. The visionary leadership of the country has recognized the importance of competing on the basis of knowledge to maintain growth and momentum over the long term, as is clearly stated in the UAE’s Vision 2021. The vision document focuses on strengthening the partnership between the government and the private sector in order to achieve the vision of the national knowledge-based economy.

The efforts of the country have been reflected through several other international reports; UNDP’s Human Development Report 32 internationally, and 1st in the Arab World; 21st globally and 1st among Arab countries for intellectual property rights; 15th worldwide and the 1st in Arab in Report of the Quality of Life index by the Economist Intelligence Unit and3rd in the world and 1stamong Arab countries in Trading Across Borders in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Report.

KFH offers free Wi-Fi services at branches

Emad Al-Saraawi

KUWAIT: Branches Department Manager at Kuwait Finance House (KFH) Emad Al-Saraawi announced that KFH offers free Wi-Fi internet at most of its branches for men and ladies, such as main office, Faiha, Salmiya, Keifan, Fahaheel, and Jahra.

He added that the service allows clients to browse the internet while they are at the branch, including kfh.com, in addition to being able to perform online banking operations through Tamweel Online service.

He mentioned that launching such services serves to cement KFH’s leadership in taking advantage of innovative technology applications, which paved the way for KFH to receive several prestigious regional awards in the technology field; in addition to accom-

plishing KFH’s goal to expand locally and overseas, since KFH has been keen to offer safe online services.

Moreover, Al-Saraawi hoped that the new service would add value to KFH existing series of services offered by branches, especially that the number of internet users is rising, while banks are more and more dependable on advanced technology to improve their services.

It is worth noting that KFH branches offer a variety of services for its clients, such as having separate branches for women, Al-Tamayyuz services for VIP clients, services for representatives of companies, and various real estate and commercial services.

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

Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat 9.290 Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2700000 .4380000 .3860000 .3220000 .2740000 .2870000 .0040000 .0020000 .0740490 .7214410 .3810000 .0700000 .7072410 .0040000 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2722500 GB Pound/KD .4408050 Euro .3880140 Swiss francs .3243360 Canadian dollars .2761890 Danish Kroner .0520880 Swedish Kroner .0426510 Australian dlr .2893470 Hong Kong dlr .0349980 Singapore dlr .2261610 Japanese yen .0035460 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0742880 Bahraini dinars .7237630 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0727530 Omani riyals .7087180 Philippine Peso .0000000

.2760000 .4490000 .4490000 .3530000 .2820000 .2960000 .0072500 .0035000 .0747940 .7386590 .4010000 .0760000 .7143490 .0072000 .0530000 .2748500 .4441990 .3910020 .3268330 .2783150 .0524890 .0429790 .2915750 .0352670 .2279020 .0035730 .0060010 .0025040 .0031560 .0037500 .0748600 .7293350 .3887550 .0733130 .7141740 .0065440

Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.623 5.938 3.145 2.501 3.738 225.510 35.376

GCC COUNTRIES 73.223 75.756 716.120 732.300 75.075

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 47.500 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.063 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.261 Tunisian Dinar 199.160 Jordanian Dinar 389.350 Lebanese Lira 1.850 Syrian Lier 5.952 Morocco Dirham 34.667 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 274.700 Euro 380.470 Sterling Pound 441.920 Canadian dollar 280.680 Turkish lire 154.060 Swiss Franc 317.330 Australian dollar 288.530 US Dollar Buying 274.400

Sterling Pound US Dollar

SELL CASH

293.400 732.850 3.860 281.800 541.300 36.600 54.100 167.800 47.230 382.100 36.020 6.310

0.033

389.470 0.185 95.540 3.750 230.300

SELL DRAFT

291.900 732.850 3.695 280.300

316.300 5.600 9.370 74.030 275.500

229.400 46.103 380.600 35.870 5.915

US Dollar 274.450 Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro 388.450 Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees

Currency

Selling Rate

278.920 439.820 320.850 727.660 74.700 75.330 73.150 386.320 46.140 2.488 5.970

5.780 3.820 91.164

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 440.500 275.500

Rate for Transfer

3.146 3.682 6.490 673.198 3.650

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. 715.560 3.150 6.500 75.800 73.570 229.430 41.070 2.495 440.500

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Bahrain Exchange Company

Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees

0.034 0.241 0.240 3.660 390.940 0.186 95.540 47.600 4.240 231.800 1.866 52.500 715.740 3.270 6.660 76.230 73.570 229.430 41.070 2.638 442.500 43.600 317.800 5.600 9.620 198.263 75.130 275.900 1.230 GOLD 1,915.530

10 Tola

GOLD 340.000 171.000 88.500

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

COUNTRY

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

3.680 6.481 9.180 0.271 0.273

273.900 3.145 5.955 2.495 3.680 6.515 74.675 73.190 728.200 45.970 445.500 0.00003280 3.910 1.550 389.200 5.750 390.400 281.800

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

274.150 380.500 440.000 280.000 3.555 5.910 45.945 2.490 3.685 6.465 3.150 730.025 74.675 73.275

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The 7 wonders of the BMW 7 Series Over 30 years ago, BMW’s “large class” of cars spawned a successor that was to become a byword for luxury, elegance and innovation - the BMW 7 Series. Today, the BMW 7 Series is not only the flagship BMW model, but it also continues to set design and technology trends in the luxury car segment. Here are seven reasons for its resounding success.

1) Middle East Design: An industry trendsetter from its inception in 1976, the latest 5th generation BMW 7 Series was designed by a Middle East duo: Lebanese-born Karim Habib who is Head of Exterior Design for all BMW models and I ranian born, Nader Faghihzadeh who designed the interior. Launched in November 2008, the BMW 7 Series is a harmonious blend of elegant and sporty design and powerful performance that delivers sheer driving pleasure.

2) It Speaks Your Language: BMW launched the automotive industry’s first Arabic-language iDrive control system which has an Arabic interface and navigation system. So whether you are looking for nearby hotels, need to receive or write emails, or want to plan your leisure activities, all these functions are provided with a male Arabic voice, and with an option to switch to English.

3) Relevant Technologies to Keep You Connected: BMW is also the first automobile manufacturer to offer Bluetooth and unlimited use of Internet in the car via the built-in screens and iDrive controllers. Data

such as emails, appointments, contacts or text messages can all be accessed in the Control Display via the Bluetooth connection. Passengers in the rear can also browse websites and access their e-mails through a separate iDrive controller at any time. For safety reasons, those in the front can only access these functions when the car has safely stopped.

4) Fuel Efficiency with Power: The BMW 7 Series is the most fuel-efficient vehicle in its class, and more powerful and fuel efficient than the predecessor model, proving that sustainability and driving performance can go hand-inhand. In addition to the conventional BMW 7 Series model, there is a BMW

ActiveHybrid 7 which combines the use of a combustion engine with an electric motor giving significantly more power while at the same time, more than 15 per cent lower fuel consumption and emissions than the standard BMW 750Li without hybrid technology.

5) Connecting to the Outside World: Under the umbrella of BMW ConnectedDrive, a wide range of new technology features gives the driver and passenger’s information and services to help make their driving experience safer and more comfor table.

Some of these include Head-Up Display which projects driving information such as speed, navigation,

direction and alerts onto the windscreen, so that the driver’s attention stays on the road; Lane Change Warning and Lane Departure Warning which help the driver overtake and change lanes safely by monitoring traffic conditions in adjacent lanes with radar sensors.

6) A Work of Art in More Ways than One: Highlighting the company’s commitment to cultural event, BMW sponsored an international youth piano competition and manufactured 100 special limited-edition BMW Individual 7 Series models inspired by Steinway & Sons. Both exterior and interior designs are modelled on the colours of the piano keyboard and its contrast

QNB Capital: GDP per capita in Qatar will top $100,000 in 2012 Rising gas-related exports, high energy prices main drivers DOHA: As outlined by QNB Capital’s upcoming “Qatar Economic Insight - September 2011” report, Qatar’s nominal GDP expanded by 30% in 2010 to reach QR463bn ($127bn). This makes Qatar the fourth largest economy in the GCC, accounting for 12% of the region’s GDP. This has been achieved despite Qatar having a relatively small population. With GDP per capita reaching $75,000 in 2010 at market exchange rates, Qatar is the wealthiest country in the GCC. QNB Capital forecasts that Qatar’s nominal GDP per capita will rise to around $109,000 by 2012 on the back of strong oil prices and increased output.

In terms of GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (a measure of GDP that equalizes the purchasing power of local currencies rather than using market exchange rates), Qatar overtook Luxembourg in 2010 to become the country with the highest GDP per capita worldwide at $88,559. At market exchange rates, Qatar had the third highest GDP per capita at market exchange rates in the world behind Norway and Luxembourg in 2010.

Rising gas-related exports and high energy prices have been the main drivers of nominal GDP growth, according to the Qatar Economic Insight report. The development of Qatar’s North Gas Field, liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects and other gas-related products, such as gas to liquids, condensates and natural gas liquids (liquid hydrocarbons that are usually extracted from raw gas), have boosted the importance of the gas sector. Gas-related exports have risen from 38% of total exports in 2006 to a remarkable 60% in 2010.

Overall, the oil and gas sector accounted for 52% of GDP in 2010. LNG is largely sold through long-term supply contracts with some contracts having prices linked to crude oil. Oil prices are therefore a key driver of Qatar’s nominal GDP. Qatari crude oil prices rose by 25% from an average of $62/barrel (/b) in 2009 to an average of

$78/b in 2010. This, combined with further LNG expansion, was instrumental in the 30% increase in nominal GDP in 2010, according to QNB Capital.

Qatar’s strong economic growth continued in the first quarter of 2011. Nominal GDP rose by 12% from QR126bn ($35bn) in the fourth quarter of 2010 to QR142bn ($39bn) in the first quarter of 2011. In the first eight months of 2011, Qatari crude oil prices (the average of dukhan and marine crude) have averaged $108/b. QNB Capital expects oil prices to be slightly lower in the remainder of the year as global economic weakness negatively impacts demand.

Therefore, Qatari crude is forecast to average $105/b over 2011, falling to $100/b in 2012.

Based on these strong oil prices and a substantial increase in natural gas production, nominal GDP is expected to grow by 36% in 2011 to reach $173bn. In 2012, a further increase in oil and gas production and growth in the non-oil and gas economy will more than offset softer oil

prices, boosting GDP a further 14% to reach $197bn. QNB Capital forecasts that the oil and gas sector will grow by 53% in 2011 to $101bn and by 14% to $115bn in 2012.

The non-oil and gas sector will, in turn, be boosted by high revenues flowing into the economy from the oil and gas sector and by committed development spending by the government.

This will lead to a significant 17% growth in the non-oil and gas sector in 2011 and by 14% in 2012. The financial services, insurance and real estate sector is expected to expand by 15% in 2011 to $20bn and by 22% in 2012 to $24bn due to public and private investment in major projects. Manufacturing is expected to grow by 26% to $17bn in 2011 and by 11% to $19bn in 2012 due to higher prices and additional output from new petrochemicals, metals and fertilizer facilities.

All these factors will contribute to pushing nominal GDP per capita at market exchange rates in Qatar over the $100,000 mark by 2012.

Mideast concrete to provide high-profile platform for precast concrete industry KUWAIT: Leading precast concrete companies in the UAE and across the GCC have thrown their weight behind the inaugural Middle East Concrete (MEC) exhibition, being held alongside the industry leading Big 5 Show at Dubai’s World Trade Centre from 21 to 24 November 2011.

Nathan Waugh, the Exhibition Manager of Middle East Concrete, said the debut MEC event will host a Precast Zone, which will see the participation of ten of the major UAE precast companies including, Emarat Europe, Dubai Precast and Exeed Precast alongside many other key names in the concrete industr y such as Lafarge, Sany and Edama.

MEC’s debut comes as the building industry continues to gather pace in the Gulf. According to market research firm Ventures Middle East, construction contracts worth $20 billion were signed in the GCC in the second quarter alone. “MEC will bring together suppliers, buyers, contractors, architects and other key players to experience and interact with the full range of concrete products, share information and technical knowledge and participate in ground breaking discussions on a global scale”, explained Waugh.

A relatively new sector within the Middle East’s concrete industry, precast, in which concrete products are molded and cured in off-site

plants, is making major inroads. It boasts a number of benefits over on-site mixing, which has long been the norm in the Middle East construction sector, including better control, lower cost of production, durability and minimal material wastage.

“Concrete is at the hear t of every building project and is used in many applications, from decorative to functional, so a dedicated exhibition will help develop the sector and address its various needs,” Waugh said. “Attendees and participants will notice a particular emphasis on precast at the event, which is a reflection of its increasingly important role within the sector. With a great range of applications and real impact on the bottom line, precast will undoubtedly prove itself to be an indispensible product across the industry in the years to come.

“GCC economies account for over 40 percent of the Middle East concrete market spurred by the region’s largest construction market. Multi-billion dollar projects are currently being built across the GCC ranging from rail and metro projects, to large scale commercial, industrial and residential developments and infrastructure projects.

The demand for concrete will be on the increase”, Waugh pointed out. Dr. Daniele Pfeffer Seraphim, COO of Abu-Dhabi-based Gulf Precast Concrete Company, said

her company, a major contributor to the UAE construction market for the past 28 years “intends to use MEC as an opportunity to identify new trends in techniques and products so as to later use it and integrate it within the company processes”. “MEC will also be a great platform to exchange knowledge, meet potential partners and collect more information about the forthcoming developments across the GCC”, she added.

Emad Shahin, Factory Manager at Union Precast, which produces a comprehensive range of products from simple items such as boundar y walls to sophisticated pre stressed precast elements and entire precast structures, viewed MEC as a vital event that is sure to positively reflect on the sector.

“Construction laws and regulations in the UAE are changing and are favoring precast concrete and MEC will be the ideal channel to promote our products, discuss issues of interest to the sector and meet new players and stakeholders in the market,” he said. “The fact that the event is co-located with Big 5 will make it accessible to a larger audience that is also interested in precast and stands to benefit from having a product specificshow on concrete all under one roof,” he added.

Construction professionals including contractors, architects, manufacturers, and engineers will

also have the oppor tunity to attend a range of free to attend seminars every day of the event, with day 2 devoted to topics on the products and trends related to the precast industry. Workshops are scheduled to include educational forums, product showcases and panel discussions aimed at highlighting key trends in concrete products and technologies. More information on this exclusive seminar series will be updated on the Middle East Concrete website in the coming weeks.

Robert Campbell, Commercial Manager of Xtramix Concrete Solutions and Xtramix International Precast, recognized market leaders in sustainable concrete solutions, commented on the significance of MEC across the UAE construction industr y, saying: “with a projected construction spend of US$600 billion in the Middle East over the next three years, the market is clearly picking up, whilst becoming increasingly competitive. MEC is an opportunity for a company such as Xtramix to set itself apart from other key players, while reaching out to potential clients.”

The event held at the Dubai World Trade Centre will also feature the live product demonstrations in a dedicated area, during the entire event, offering practical product information in an interactive environment.

between black and white. High quality craftsmanship and the use of exquisite materials are used in the interior giving the 7 Series an even more exclusive and sophisticated appearance.

7) The Joy of Sheer Driving Pleasure: Performance is at the heart of every BMW that gives drivers sheer driving pleasure The BMW 7 Series offers customers a choice of four different engines: the BMW 760Li 12 cylinder topof-the-range, the 750Li V8 and the six cylinder 740Li and 730Li. All models have TwinPower Turbo technology making the engines incredibly responsive and High Precision Injection that ensures exactly the right amount of fuel enters the cylinders.

Is now the time to quit?

Bayt.com report Has your work routine become a permanent nightmare and your weekend become a lengthy game of worrying about the advent of a new work week? Are you consistently overlooked for a welldeserved raise or promotion? Bayt.com looks at five reasons that indicate it may be time to quit.

1. Your health is suffering Whether it’s your mental or physical health that is being significantly impaired by the stresses of the job, heed the early warning signs and don’t wait until the symptoms are long-term and severe. Common symptoms include being chronically fatigued, insomnia, poor concentration, inability to focus and chronic headaches, backaches and/or stomach pains.

2. The demands of your job are unrealistic If you find yourself doing a job that is best suited for two people or more and you have been unable to marshal the resources or support to lighten the workload to a more realistic level, it may well be time to leave before you completely burn-out. This state of affairs may be due to a recent merger or acquisition, cost-cutting activity or simply oversight by your boss; whatever it is, don’t allow yourself to be taken for granted and make sure your boss is made aware of the nature of the burden you are carrying before you call it quits and seek more realistic job responsibilities elsewhere.

3. Your relationship with your boss is damaged beyond repair It may be that you have allowed your relationship with your old manager to turn irreversibly sour over the years through poor communication skills, laziness, unprofessional conduct, poor judgment or simply an inertia to invest in the relationship. Perhaps a new boss has replaced your old boss and you simply cannot get along with him despite your best efforts or he has made it clear that you do not feature in any of his plans for the department. Needless to say, your future prospects with the firm are largely impaired if your relationship with your manager cannot be salvaged and it is better to leave before you find yourself increasingly mar-

ginalized or forced to the door.

4. Your relationship with co-workers is damaged beyond repair Have you lost all interest in your colleagues lately and begun to find yourself left out of team projects, group discussions or even the office grapevine? Do you find it increasingly difficult to get along with your peers and have trouble completing projects or meeting deadlines because of this? Have you lost the respect of your work colleagues through misconduct, poor performance or poor team-playing skills? You may be better off learning from this experience, starting afresh elsewhere and committing to never let the situation repeat itself.

5. You have consistently been overlooked for a raise or promotion The need to be recognized and appreciated by your employer is a key motivational factor and nothing is more demeaning and unsettling than being consistently overlooked for a raise or promotion particularly if your peers and subordinates are rising through the ranks and perhaps even overtaking you in the salary and titles race while your position remains largely static. Make sure you talk the situation through with your boss before making any rash decisions as he may have big plans for you down the line that you are unaware of. If your boss is unresponsive and you see no future growth prospects either in your present job or in other roles within the company, it may well be time to call it a day and seek momentum for your career elsewhere.

Whatever your reasons for leaving, don’t under-estimate the impact of this decision on your life and rush into it before thinking through the consequences. In some cases, a speedy exit may be warranted and it would be futile and counterproductive to drag on a bad situation needlessly. Analyze your situation objectively, talk it through with your mentor and significant others and make sure you don’t jeopardize your career by acting too hastily or by declining to act fast enough in response to the writing on the company walls.

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KSE witnesses positive momentum BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) witnessed a positive leap to its main indices, and was able to rise in all sessions during last week, ending the week in the green zone, among purchasing trend included many stocks of different sectors. The green zone was dominant on most of the daily sessions, as purchasing activities were headed by the blue chips, particularly in the banking sector, in addition to the positive speculations and buy and hold operations on some small-cap stocks.

Moreover, stock market witnessed growth in the three trading indicators during most of the sessions last week, especially the traded liquidity, which was able to achieve a noticeable increase on the daily level. Noteworthy, continuous market gains in conjunction with the high trading activity will contribute significantly to the improvement of investor confidence in the market, and will help to pump new liquidity, which may lead to improved stock prices in the next phase.

On the other hand, movements of leading investment groups’ stocks was observed during some sessions last week, which enhanced the market’s gains and pushed its indices to record levels considered the highest since early August. Despite the positive market performance, profit taking operations was present and influenced the trading environment, as it was concentrated on blue chips stocks, mainly banking sector, especially after the good performance of

such stocks, which caused the market to lighten its gains, and weighted index to close in red zone during some sessions. By the end of the week, the price index closed at 5,962.5 points, up by 2.96%, whereas the weighted index recorded gains of 3.56% after closing at 416.59 points. Moreover, last week’s average daily turnover was up by 181.81%, whereas trading volume average recorded a growth of 237.91%, compared to the 5 trading days of the preceding week.

Sectors’ Indices All of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the green zone. Last week’s highest gainer was the Non Kuwaiti Companies sector, achieving 4.57% growth rate as its index closed at 5,667.0 points. Whereas, in the second place, the Banks sector’s index closed at 11,862.4 points recording 4.46% increase.

The Investment sector came in third as its index achieved 3.90% growth, ending the week at 3,689.5 points. The Insurance sector was the least growing as its index closed at 2,582.7 points with a 0.53% increase.

Sectors’ Activity The services sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 280.18 million shares changing hands, representing 33.43% of the total market trading volume. The Real Estate sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 28.65% of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 240.17 million

shares. On the other hand, the Services sector’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 27.61 million or 31.73% of last week’s total market trading value. The banks sector took the second place as the sector ’s last week turnover of KD 19.88 million represented 22.84% of the total market trading value.

Market capitalization KSE total market capitalization grew by

3.55% during last week to reach KD 29.32 billion, as all of KSE’s sectors recorded an increase in their respective market capitalization.

The Investment sector headed the list as its total market capitalization reached KD 2.20 billion, increasing by 6.31%. The Non Kuwaiti Companies sector was the second in terms of recorded growth with 4.19% increase after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 1.80 billion. The

third place was for the Real Estate sector, which total market capitalization reached KD 1.67 billion by the end of the week, recording an increase of 4.13%. The Insurance sector was the least growing with 0.64% recorded growth after its market capitalization amounted to KD 299.75 million.

For further details, please visit our web site: www.bayaninvest.com. -Prepared by the Studies & Research Department Bayan Investment Co.

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business NBK ECONOMIC REPORT

Kuwait’s nominal GDP rose to 17% in 2010

KUWAIT: Vikas Jain, Business Director, Micromax Informatics Limited, and the team during the launch of new mobile handsets in Kuwait. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Micromax boosts its product portfolio in Kuwait market Mobile firm partners with Solvin Int’l

KUWAIT: According to the latest official figures, Kuwait’s gross domestic product (GDP) recovered impressively in 2010, rising by 16.9% to KD35.6 billion. Oil GDP increased by 22.5% on the back of strong oil prices last year, while the non-oil sector recorded a less significant but still strong gain of 9.8%. This year, we expect GDP to grow by around 27%, supported still by high oil prices and by the government’s development plan. In real terms, we expect GDP to grow by an average of 4.5% this year and the next.

Sector performance Trade, mining (oil and gas) and manufacturing were the largest gainers in 2010, recording over 20% growth year-on-year. Oil related industries, mining and manufacturing (which is driven by oil refining), witnessed robust growth as a result of a 26% increase in Kuwait export crude prices in 2010; this is in stark contrast to 2009 which saw a significant slowdown in these sectors when oil prices plummeted.

The two sectors grew by around 22% each last year, but the oil refining sector in particular was the best performer in the economy, grow-

ing by 33.1%. The wholesale and retail trade sector grew 27.6% in 2010, recording its first double digit growth since 2002. This confirms the consumer sector’s strong recovery following the financial crisis. Meanwhile, construction grew a meek 3.5%, reflecting lack of investment in infrastructure and oversupply in the commercial real estate sector. The sector is expected to improve as the development plan begins to kick in and the effects of the financial crisis wither.

The share of the oil sector in GDP increased slightly in 2010 given high international oil prices and a modest recovery in crude oil production. Although high oil price levels are likely to keep the sector’s contribution to GDP above 50%, the government’s development plan should help boost activity in the non-oil sector in the next few years.

Expenditure The expenditure components of GDP showed decent recovery in all areas during 2010. Private consumption gained 6.4% after falling 8.5% in 2009, while capital formation jumped 24.1% after losing 21.6%. Both con-

sumption and investment recovered as the result of regained confidence in the economy in 2010. Having declined by more than 30% in 2009, exports rebounded 18.1% last year on the back of high global oil prices.

This year, private sector activity should continue to improve gradually, and growth in exports will be supported by a good performance in the oil sector. As for government spending, consumption is expected to grow on the back of salary increases. Large increases in public investment spending are seen this year and next as a result of the implementation of the development plan.

In the 2011/12 budget, demand impacting expenditures by the government (which excludes some transfers and other items that have minimal effect on economic activity) were up some 30%, compared to 15% in the 2010/11 budget, and flat growth in the year before (chart 4). This reflects increased spending on salaries and some project spending for the development plan, and should bode well for growth in non-oil GDP in the coming years where we expect nominal growth of 8% this year.

Merkel urges Germans to be patient with Greece

KUWAIT: Micromax Informatics Limited (“Micromax”), India’s leading handset manufacturer strengthened its wide range of mobile devices by launching new handsets in the Kuwaiti market. The company announced the launch of 6 new models, including X210, X226+, X266, Q50, Q75 and X560. The new handset range launched are available in Bar, Touch and Qwerty form factor and comes packed with exciting features, like integration to social networking, Wifi, 3-D Cube UI, etc to provide the users with a delightful experience.

Speaking on the occasion, Vikas Jain, Business Director, Micromax Informatics Limited, “Kuwait is an exciting and fast growing market. Our increasing market presence in the region enables us to bring together a bigger and wider product portfolio and still provide value-formoney offering as we are able to consolidate our volumes across GCC. We are proud of the consumer confidence that we have received in the region and intend to grow the brand on the basis on this positive and encouraging consumer feedback. We desire to bring out our innovations in multiple form factors and delight our customers as always.

He further added, “With the new range of products, we aim to significantly increase our foothold in the lucrative market of Kuwait and further strengthen our operations in the GCC region.”

Since its inception in Kuwait, Micromax has been able to create a distinctive space in the mobile handset industry and has catered to the changing demands of the youth by bringing trend-setting products in the market.

The company has introduced an array of innovative products ranging from ranging from feature -rich mobile phones with dual SIM such as X250 & X360, utility phones, music phones, and QWERTY chat-phones such as Q55 & Q7.

New products and its feature highlights: X210- Entertainment on the go: With this nifty dual SIM mobile phone, users can capture and share memories using its digital camera and get the hottest music on its FM radio. Not only this, one can also watch favorite movies on the video player or use its audio player to play all beloved songs. The Bluetooth enabled phone helps users share moments without any hassle.

Nonetheless, LED torchlight comes handy for those dark moments. The phone also supports an expandable memory up to 4GB capacity.

X226+ - All time classic: A dual SIM support handset, the X226+ offers users with an amazing built-in Yamaha Audio amplifier, wireless FM with telescopic antenna, an expandable memory of up to 8 GB and a 1.3 MP Camera.

X266 - It is more than just a multimedia phone: A dual SIM support handset, X266 comes with an animated user interface that offers interesting features for multimedia needs of users.

Besides this, the phone packs many other features such as built-in Yamaha Audio amplifier, stereo FM Radio, 1.3 MP camera, try-LED torch and an expandable memory capacity of up to 8 GB. X266 also allows you to be connected on the go through Facebook, Yahoo Messenger and MSN and supports multiple audio and video formats.

Q50: Dual SIM Qwerty handset with a very interesting product design comprising Pearly-White and Burn-Black IML casing. The phone comes packed with social networking client, Java support, Opera Mini web browser and also other features like 2 MP Camera, FM Radio, Bluetooth etc.

Q75: Robustly built dual SIM Qwerty handset with Trackball for easier navigation, expandable memory support of up to 8GB, Multiple Video playback formats, Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity adds up to the charm of this beautiful QWERTY handset.

X560: A Dual SIM Touch handset with big Capacitive touch lens making for a smooth and effortless touch experience, the product also comes with 2MP camera, Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity and a very special and intriguing 3-D Qube User interface which keeps the user engrossed in the handset.

The new products are competitively priced ranging between RRP KD10 to RRP KD 40 and are available through all major outlets in the country.

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on her compatriots to be patient with Greece in its current struggle to overcome a severe debt crisis. “What hasn’t been done in years cannot be done overnight,” Merkel told the Sunday edition of Berlin’s Tagesspiegel newspaper, pointing to Germany’s bid to spruce up infrastructure in former communist East Germany after unification in 1990.

“Remember the reunification process,” said Merkel who grew up in East Germany. “How much time it took in the early 1990s to rebuild new administrative infrastructures, share know-how and privatize.” “ We must be patient,” she said. Merkel also called on the Greek government of Prime Minister George Papandreou not to waver in his reform drive.

“Greece knows that credit is only available if it meets its obligations,” she said. Merkel spoke after Joaquin Almunia, a vice president of the executive European Commission, assailed Germany, the Netherlands and other European countries for not giving more support to the bailouts of Europe’s problem economies.

He also rejected the notion that Greece, unable to service its debts or fully implement sweeping reforms demanded by its bailout partners, could be expelled from the eurozone, as suggested by top Dutch officials.

“There are member states, in particularly some of the most powerful-Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Austria-who feel that they don’t have

ATHENS: Members of the communist party affiliated labor union PAME shout slogans during an anti-austerity protest in Athens yesterday. At least seven separate marches have been called for Saturday afternoon in Greece’s second-largest city of Thessaloniki, ahead of Prime Minister George Papandreou’s annual speech on the economy. —AP this kind of problem,” he said on Thursday. The same day Germany’s Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble warned Greece must fulfill the conditions required if it wants more help to combat its debt crisis. Ratcheting up

China’s trade surplus tumbles to $17.8bn BEIJING: China’s trade surplus contracted sharply to $17.8 billion in August, down from $31.5 billion in July, as imports rose to a new record high, according to official data released yesterday.

The trade surplus is a perennial point of contention for China’s key trade partners, the United States and Europe, who seek better market access to the world’s secondbiggest economy. China’s August exports rose 24.5 percent year-on-year to $173.3 billion, the customs agency said in a statement.

But imports jumped 30.2 percent to $155.5 billion in August, breaking the previously monthly record of $152.2 billion set in March. “One month reduction in trade surplus does not equate to a sustained reduction in the trade surplus,” Alistair Thornton, an analyst at IHS Global Insight, told AFP. “The export growth shows that there is a huge amount of resilience and momentum still in the Chinese economy despite the fact that we’ve undergone a sustained period of monetary tightening.” The decline in the trade surplus exceeded forecasts made

by a panel of 12 economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires, who had a median expectation of $23.4 billion for August.

The economists had expected imports to increase by just 21 percent, and exports by 21.6 percent. Some analysts had expected poor consumer confidence in the United States and Europe to hit China’s exports, but the latest figures show outgoing shipments above forecasts, indicating the Chinese economy is weathering the downturn. “The weakness we’ve seen in the past months in the euro-zone and the US hasn’t yet filtered into China’s export growth,” Thornton said.

But he warned that “the recent weakness in the advanced economies will start to show up in the export data towards the end of the year”. In the first eight months of the year, Chinese trade with the European Union was worth $372.1 billion, up 21.8 percent year on year, while in second place trade with the US rose 17.8 percent to $285.6 billion. Also from January to August, Chinese imports of iron ore increased by 10.6 percent in terms of quantity, but with the price per ton increasing by 37.4 percent. —AFP

Berlin wants deputy FM as new ECB economist MARSEILLE, France: German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said yesterday Berlin wants his deputy Joerg Asmussen to replace Juergen Stark, the European Central Bank’s chief economist who resigned on Friday.

Schaeuble told a press conference during a meeting of G8 finance ministers in Marseille that Asmussen, 45, a social democrat, was being put forward to replace Stark, whose decison to quit sent European stock markets plunging. In a short statement, the ECB said Friday that Stark, 63, had decided to resign “for personal reasons” before the end of his term of office in May 2014.

ECB watchers, however, suggested Stark’s departure could point to deeper differences among EU and euro-zone policy

makers over the way out of the current debt crisis.

Stark has been critical of the bank’s controversial program of buying bonds of eurozone countries who find themselves unable to affordably borrow on the markets. In a commentary to be published Monday in the German daily Handelsblatt, Stark called for drastic reforms to strengthen economic governance of the euro-zone.

“We find ourselves in a situation where risks to public budgets undermine financial stability,” wrote Stark. Schaeuble said Friday the German government “regrets and acknowledges with respect” Stark’s decision to step down, adding that Berlin would make “a good proposal” for his succession. — AFP

the pressure on Athens, Schaeuble said it was “very premature” to talk about a second bailout package for Greece before it had implemented the reforms required to receive its first full disbursement. — AFP

Panasonic launches ‘Earth’s Witnesses’ project with National Geographic anasonic Corporation is proud to announce a new venture with National Geographic, the world-renowned scientific and educational organization.

Panasonic has named the project “ The Earth’s Witnesses,” and it will support the global research explorations conducted by National Geographic’s Emerging Explorers and Young Explorers.

Panasonic aims to be the No 1 green innovation company in the electronics industry, making the environment central to all of its business activities and take the lead in promoting the ‘Green Revolution’ which is taking place around the world. National Geographic has long fascinated the world with breathtakingly beautiful photos of its global explorations - chronicling nature, peoples and culture. The research and conservation activities of National Geographic to preserve these assets have helped to raise awareness of global conservation in people worldwide.

National Geographic Emerging Explorers are visionary, innovative scientists and trailblazers who are pushing the boundaries of discovery, adventure and global problemsolving. The Young Explorers Grants program supports individuals between the ages of 18 and 25 in their pursuit of research, exploration and conservation-based field projects.

“The Earth’s Witnesses” project will be supporting the work of Emerging Explorers like wildlife biologist Aparajita Datta, who is exploring the conservation challenges facing the tropical forest of India’s Arunachal Pradesh region - one of the world’s last vast tracts of wilderness - and the complex issues confronting the tribal Lisu people who call it home; and the work of Young Explorers like biologist Greg Smith and photographer Drew Fulton, who are working to conserve the cloud forest of Costa Rica. The new joint venture and on activities supported by “The Earth’s Witnesses” project, including videos and photographs made with Panasonic’s LUMIX cameras in the field will be available at both Panasonic and National Geographic official websites.

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US stock market primed for more volatility WALL STREET WEEKLY OUTLOOK NEW YORK: Investors will grapple with more turbulence surrounding Europe’s deepening debt problems this week and the prospect of another round of dismal data on the faltering US economy.

More volatility is almost guaranteed after the top German official at the European Central bank quit and rumors circulated throughout global markets that Greece will default this weekend. Greece later called the rumor market speculation designed to hurt the euro. Recent market trading patterns and options activity also suggest August’s roller-coaster ride will keep apace throughout September.

Juergen Stark’s sudden resignation from the ECB on Friday came after a conflict over the bank’s policy of buying government bonds to combat the euro zone’s debt crisis, raising questions about a program that has been a key market stabilizer in recent months.

“You can tie our stock market directly to European banks- the problem they have is sovereign debt exposure,” said Jack de Gan, chief

investment officer at Harbor Advisory Corp in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In a light week for earnings with only electronics retailer Best Buy Co Inc and diversified manufacturer Pall Corp among S&P 500 companies set to report, investors will eye a batch of data for any clues the economy has regained its footing. Economic readings over the past two months have left little reason for optimism.

But the euro zone, where a twoyear sovereign debt crisis has unsettled investors worldwide, will be the real focus. De Gan noted the ECB’s critical role in potentially solving the sovereign debt issue, highlighting the implications for global markets on any reports of internal turmoil.

“Europe matters right now-the ECB resignation, Trichet’s keeping rates flat as opposed to outright cutting them,” said Phil Orlando, chief equity market strategist, at Federated Investors, in New York.

“There are rumors I can’t substantiate, but the rumors are still out there that this is the weekend Greece goes bust. “So certainly, Europe is going

to capture our attention,” Orlando said. A senior US official, speaking after the close of the Group of Seven

meeting in France, said there was no doubt European officials have the ability to cope with the issue and

want to show markets they have the will to do so.

Data on tap for this week includes retail sales along with the consumer price and producer price indexes for last month. Also expected are regional manufacturing surveys by the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank and by the New York Federal Reserve Bank, both of which showed contractions in factory activity last month.

Credit Suisse analyst Andrew Garthwaite boosted the probability of a mild recession to 25 percent from 20 percent, citing US growth concerns and poor political leadership in Europe. He lowered his 2011 target on the S&P 500 to 1,180 from 1,220 while also cutting his 2012 target to 1,260 from 1,300.

“Each bit of this data theoretically gets us down the road to understanding what the true state of the economy is. I expect overreaction to rule the day,” said Kim Caughey Forrest, senior equity research analyst at For t Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh.

At the same time, the benchmark

S&P 500 has been mired in a range of about 100 points-between 1,120 and 1,220 — for the past month, leaving the market susceptible to wide swings on a daily basis. “We are just kind of in this nowhere zone,” said Ken Polcari, managing director at ICAP Equities New York.

“We haven’t broken through to the downside but nor have we broken it to the upside. So what you are going to continue to get is this erratic movement in the market until at some point, it’s going to have break out one way or the other.”

The continued rise in the CBOE Volatility index also points to large moves in the market. The index rose nearly 20 percent to top the 40 level for the first time since Aug. 26, indicating a rise in investor skittishness.

“I expect high volatility next week, big swings to the upside and downside. The VIX is quite high and pretty elevated,” said Randy Frederick, director of trading and derivatives at Charles Schwab & Co in Austin, Texas. “When the VIX is rising the way it is, that generally means the puts are going up too.” —Reuters

G7 vows robust action to fix global economy Group hails $447bn US jobs plan MARSEILLE, France: G7 rich nations vowed tough measures on Friday to get the global economy back on track but were short on detail and admitted the problems were so complex that a unified response was impossible. The meeting in Marseille came as stock market turmoil returned to both the United States and Europe after the shock resignation of the European Central Bank’s top economist fuelled fears over the continent’s debt crisis.

“We are committed to a strong and coordinated international response,” the finance ministers and central bank governors of the group of industrialized nations said in a statement issued in the southern French city.

Such action is needed to combat the slowing economic growth and the sovereign debt crisis afflicting both the United States and Europe that continue to rattle the financial markets, they said.

They hailed the $447 billion (322-billion-euro) jobs plan unveiled on Thursday by US President Barack Obama to energize the world’s largest economy and praised European states’ moves to rein in massive government debt. They also vowed to “take all the necessary actions to ensure the resilience of banking systems and financial markets.”

But there was little detail on how they would deliver on their promises and a senior US official said that a unified response was not possible given the widely differing circumstances in individual countries. Ministers and bankers from Canada, the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France and Italy went into the talks with the aim of preventing a repeat of the 2008-2009 recession. But they differed sharply on what approach to take. While the Americans were clearly plumping for stimulus, the Europeans were determined to railroad reform and austerity measures through parliaments.

An Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report issued on the eve of the meeting said a new recession in some rich

countries could not be ruled out and warned that the euro-zone crisis could deepen. International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde warned there could be no foot-dragging about finding ways to boost growth. “ The key message I wish to convey today is that countries must act now-and act boldly-to steer their economies through

options may be fewer, there is a path to recovery.”

The US package announced Thursday by Obama was aimed at giving a kick-start to the stalled American economy.

The centrepiece is a deeperthan-expected $240 billion payroll tax cut for employers and employees meant to keep money in the pockets of those most in

MARSEILLE: German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble, right, and German Central Bank Governor Jens Weidmann react during a press conference in Marseille, Friday. Finance Ministers from the Group of Seven leading economies gather in Marseille amid jitters about Europe’s debt crisis and the health of the global economy. —AP this dangerous new phase of the recovery,” she said in London before travelling to Marseille. The world was suffering from “a crisis of confidence” amid heightened fears over the health of banks and sovereign debt, she said.

“All this is happening at a time when the scope for policy action is considerably narrower than when the crisis first erupted,” Lagarde said. “But while the policy

need, spur demand and encourage firms to hire new workers.

Most European nations used stimulus spending to temper the effects of the recession that followed the 2008 financial crisis, but have now focused on cutting their deficits given their high debt loads.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said that taking a stimulus approach in Europe

now would “aggravate the problems instead of resolving them.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking in Paris, also said Europe was unlikely to follow the US example. When asked if Europe needed a similar plan, Sarkozy said: “No. A recovery plan, we’re not going to be asking Greece to do that.”

Greece’s European partners have been demanding that the country-which benefits from a massive bailout to head off a government debt default that would weaken the euro-slash state spending and raise taxes.

But French Finance Minister Francois Baroin conceded that European governments must also go for growth. “We must tread the difficult path of achieving fiscal adjustment plans while supporting economic activity,” he told reporters. US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said in Marseille that European states needed to do more to prove that they have enough political will to deal with the financial crises roiling the continent.

“They’ve got more work to do in that area,” he told Bloomberg Television, but he added that he was certain the single European currency would survive the current crisis. Libya’s new rulers have also been invited to the Marseille meeting in a follow-up to the economic support for the so-called Arab Spring announced at a G7 meeting in May. The fledgling Libyan administration will on Saturday join Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Jordan as they explain how they plan to relaunch their economies and hear what help they can expect from the world’s major powers. —AFP

US probes Liechtenstein bank on tax dodge work NEW YORK: Federal prosecutors in New York are building a criminal-fraud case against Liechtenstein’s oldest bank, Liechtensteinische Landesbank, that could result in charges it helped wealthy Americans evade taxes, according to persons briefed on the matter.

These persons said an investigation has been under way for at least six months. “We do not wish to comment on this matter,” Cyrill Sele, a spokesman for Liechtensteinische Landesbank, said on Friday when asked about the investigation.

Carly Sullivan, a spokeswoman for the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, said the office never confirmed or denied the existence of investigations and declined to comment.

The US Justice Department has ramped up an investigation of Swiss and Swiss-style banks with private banking operations that have enabled US clients to evade billions of dollars in US taxes over the last 10 years or so.

While that broad investigation is focused on Swiss financial giant Credit Suisse AG, which received a target letter from the Justice Department; London-based HSBC Holdings Plc and an array of smaller Swiss private and cantonal banks, it has widened to include banks in other countries as well, according to persons briefed on the matter.

On Aug. 31, US Deputy Attorney General James Cole sent a confidential letter to a top Swiss government official asking Switzerland to turn over by Sept. 6 statistical information on the types of secret Swiss accounts held by US clients at 10 banks with headquarters or branch operations in Switzerland, according to these persons.

US officials are angry that the existence of the request was made public by two Swiss newspapers within days of the letter’s receipt by Switzerland’s Secretary of State for International Financial Matters, Michael Ambuehl, and the Swiss point-man for negotiating the showdown with the Justice Department, according to these persons.

The scrutiny of Liechtensteinische Landesbank turns a spotlight on the tiny Alpine principality of Liechtenstein, a noted tax haven with Swiss-style secrecy laws. Liechtenstein banks, trust companies and other intermediaries have figured in the background of indictments and criminal information charges against US clients and Swiss bankers at UBS AG, Credit Suisse and HSBC, according to court papers.

While Liechtensteinische Landesbank has not been named in any of those legal actions, it allegedly has been involved in offshore private banking schemes used for tax evasion, according to these persons. In 2008, Mario Staggl, an executive at New Haven Trust company in Liechtenstein,

was co-indicted with Bradley Birkenfeld, the former UBS private banker whose disclosures about tax evasion services at UBS resulted in the bank paying a $780 million fine, admitting to criminal wrongdoing and turning over the names of 4,450 of American clients-a watershed in Swiss bank secrecy. A US Senate subcommittee report in 2008 detailed how a large Liechtenstein bank, LGT, owned by the country’s royal family, sold unreported private banking services to wealthy American billionaires.

American officials learned of Liechtensteinische Landesbank’s identity and alleged role through scores of voluntary disclosures made by wealthy Americans in recent years to the US Internal Revenue Service. The disclosures, which offer reduced fines and penalties in exchange for coming forward with secret offshore accounts, require US taxpayers to provide detailed information about the network of banks, trusts, shell corporations and intermediaries they have used. The deadline for entering into the second voluntary disclosure was Friday. The private bank division of Liechtensteinische Landesbank has 60 billion CHF in assets (about $68 billion at current rates). The bank has not lost money due to the crackdown on Swiss private banking and net new money inflows rose 1.1 percent as of end-June, to CHF 529 million (about $600 million), compared with the previous year. —Reuters

NEW YORK: A specialist works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Friday. —AP

Dollar jumps to nearly 7-month high vs euro NEW YORK: The US dollar jumped to a nearly seven-month high against the euro late Friday, undermined by renewed concerns about a Greek default and the surprise resignation of a European Central Bank official.

Juergen Stark, one of the ECB’s policymakers, abruptly resigned three years before the end of his term. He is considered a “hawk” - a policymaker who would be more likely to push for higher interest rates because of inflation worries. “His sudden departure means there is one less person in the central bank to champion for tighter monetary policy and makes it ever clearer that the ECB will not be raising interest rates again this year,” said GTF research director Kathy Lien.

The ECB has raised rates twice since April. Lower rates tend to make a currency, in this case the euro, less attractive to investors.

The head of the ECB had suggested that interest-rate increases were on hold on Thursday as the European debt crisis hurts the continent’s economy. Also weighing on the euro were rumors that Greece could default on its loans “as early as this weekend,” Lien said. Another rumor circulating was that Germany was already preparing for a Greek default and putting together a plan to protect German banks that are exposed to Greek debt.

In late trading Friday, the euro fell to

$1.3656 from $1.3891 late Thursday.

Earlier, the euro fell to 1.3626, its lowest point since February 22. It has dropped more than 6 percent since late August as Europe’s debt crisis, and fears of a Greek default, worry investors about the health of the larger euro bloc’s economy and banks.

Also on Thursday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke failed to lay out more plans for aid to the US economy, as many investors had hoped he would.

Additional bond buying from the Fed, designed to support lending and pump money into financial markets, could drive US interest rates lower.

That might support the economy, but it tends to make the dollar less appealing to investors seeking big returns on their bets.

The dollar is also gaining more broadly. Some analysts said President Barack Obama’s $447 billion plan to increase jobs could also help heal the economy, increasing demand for the dollar. Stock markets dropped, however. The dollar tends to gain on a safe-haven bid when stock markets are lower.

In other trading, the British pound fell to $1.5864 from $1.5967 late Thursday, while the dollar strengthened to 77.43 Japanese yen from 77.49 yen. The dollar also gained to 99.73 Canadian cents from 98.91 Canadian cents and rose to 0.8841 Swiss franc from 0.8747 Swiss franc. —AP

Germany’s Schaeuble denies he is next Eurogroup chief MARSEILLE, France: German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble dismissed a report yesterday that he might succeed Luxembourg’s Jean-Claude Juncker as the head of the Eurogroup of finance ministers. “ That is nonsense,” said Martin Kreienbaum, spokesman for the minister who was in Marseille in southern France for a meeting of top finance officials from the G8 group of rich nations.

German news magazine Focus, quoting diplomats, wrote on Saturday: “When names are mentioned, most of the time, the name of German Schaeuble comes up (...) If he wants it, he will get it.”

Schaeuble, who will be 69 this

week, is considered a potential candidate to take over from Juncker as chairman of euro-zone finance ministers in Januar y and is seen as a favorite in the negotiations about a successor, Focus added.

“Wolfgang Schaeuble is certainly someone who is perfectly appropriate,” it quoted Markus Ferber, parliamentary leader of the ultra-conservative CSU junior partner in Angela Merkel’s centre-right coalition government, as saying. “Germany should lead politically if a culture of stability is to prevail in all of Europe,” Ferber added.

Non-German diplomats quoted by the magazine also said it was likely that a German would be appointed to take over the Eurogroup. —AFP

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technology

Kinshasa residents fume over electricity cuts KINSHASA: Sylvain Mandigu, a Kinshasa resident, is fed up. “For the past month, we’ve lived in the dark, forced to use firelight and storm lamps. It’s unacceptable,” he fumed. Residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital city already have their fair share of daily hardships, but for the past three months poor electricity supply has sent whole neighborhoods into pitch darkness and forced factories to slow production.

With Kinshasans angry as presidential and legislative elections approach in November, President Joseph Kabila recently replaced the heads of Societe Nationale d’Electricite, the national power utility. He also visited the Inga dam in the country’s west, the ageing hydroelectric electricity complex that is the reason for Kinshasa’s persistent darkness. Plans are underway to rehabilitate the plants and to build massive new stations on the powerful

Inga falls, which lie in a narrow strip of DRC territory through which the Congo River runs down to the Atlantic coast.

Studies have said modernized power stations at Inga would be able to generate enough to provide electricity to all of southern Africa. Yet for now, lack of investment together with rapid population growth have left this country of 67 million residents, poverty-stricken despite vast natural mineral wealth and ravaged by civil and local conflicts over the past decade, with one of the lowest levels of electricity consumption in the world. Overall, the country has an electrification rate of just 10 percent but until recently, the capital had fared better.

For Leny Ilondo, head of local charity SOS Kinshasa, the government did the right thing by “throwing out” the old management team, “but the problem is more than one of persons”, he

said. Since April, the flow of the Congo River has slowed considerably. River authorities say it is now at 20,000 cubic metres per second when it should be twice that. But the power grid in Kinshasa is also considered a “white elephant” and overwhelmed, with at least eight of the 14 turbines that make up the two power plants at Inga dam broken.

However “you can have the 14 Inga machines in operation but the grid can only transit 400 to 420 megawatts. You won’t have the 1,700 megawatts (that can) be generated at Inga,” said Daniel Yengo, part of the sacked management team. ‘Forgotten how to iron’-”The shortage can only be met when the second transmission line is built two years from now,” he said while adding that “maybe” the fall in river flow was due to climate change.

Ilondo, like many experts, blames the lack of dredging over the last three years. “The prob-

lem is that conduits towards the turbine reservoirs are filled with sand” and not the water levels, said Ilondo. The Inga dam, which usually generates 800 megawatts, is currently generating only 300. Kinshasa requires 650 megawatts for its electricity needs. Sylvain Mandiagu, 23, said that in his eastern Kinshasa suburb, the electric current turns on at one o’clock in the morning and cuts off at three.

Kinshasa residents have “forgotten how to iron their clothes” and could no longer use their refrigerators, said Alfred, an unemployed man in his 40s. Andre, a civil servant, said the “solution is to create two electricity companies and generate competition.” To reduce the shortfall in the mining province of Katanga, the public utility imported up to 120 megawatts from neighboring Zambia. In May, the company launched a $51.5 million emergency program to improve electricity distribution in Kinshasa.— AFP

Senegal dreams of ‘African Einstein’ with science hub Mathematics institute launched in Senegal

NEW YORK: This file photo provided by Apple shows Apple former CEO Steve Jobs holding an iMac computer. — AP

Cyber attacks expose big flaws in Internet security WASHINGTON: A major cyber attack in Europe that apparently was launched from Iran has revealed significant vulnerabilities in the Internet security systems used to authenticate websites for banking, email and e-commerce around the world. The attack over the summer wrought havoc in the Netherlands, where the Justice Minister warned the public last Sunday that the only secure way to communicate with the Dutch government was with pen, paper and fax machine. The digital assault compromised a Dutch company called DigiNotar, which issues digital certificates, small pieces of computer code that assure browsers that a website is what it appears to be. The certificates also encrypt communications between the user and the site so that they can’t be intercepted.

The Dutch government has seized control of DigiNotar, which was recently purchased by Vasco Data Security, a Chicagobased company that specializes in Web authentication. Vasco said in a statement that it had not integrated DigiNotar’s products with its own. The attackers produced 531 fake DigiNotar certificates for heavily used websites, including Google, Microsoft, Twitter and Facebook - as well as the public websites for the CIA, and the spy services for Britain and Israel, according to an interim audit by Fox-IT, a Dutch security company.

The audit showed that nearly all the 300,000 IP addresses using the bogus certificates to visit Google in a single day originated in Iran. On Thursday, Google instructed Iranians to change their Gmail passwords.

Iran’s uranium enrichment program was targeted in 2009 by Stuxnet, a highly sophisticated cyber weapon that sent nuclear centrifuges spinning out of control. Outside experts who have studied the case believe US and Israeli engineers designed the worm to derail Iran’s nuclear program, but neither government has acknowledged responsibility.

In the latest case, a hacker who said he was a 21-year-old Iranian acting alone, posted comments claiming responsibility for the attack. His identity is unknown, but many US experts are convinced that Iran’s government directed the massive operation in an effort to spy on its citizens and ferret out political dissidents. In April this year, the same hacker claimed credit for an attack on Comodo, an Internet security company based in Jersey City, NJ. In that case, nine certificates were forged, the company said.

The company said the perpetrator had “executed its attacks with clinical accuracy,” and that “circumstantial evidence” suggests the attack originated in Iran and was likely “a state-driven attack.”

Communications, rather than financial domains, were targeted in both the April

attack and the latest cyber invasion, said Roel Schouwenberg, a security specialist with Kaspersky Lab, a Russian-based computer security firm with regional offices in Woburn, Mass. “It’s not about finance,” he said. “It’s all very clearly aimed towards intelligence, and this has all the hallmarks of a government operation.” Whatever the motivation, the Dutch government, which uses DigiNotar certificates, announced last week that it could no longer trust the security of its own websites, a move that threw communications in the Netherlands into chaos.

Dutch lawyers were told to file court documents on paper, for example.

“What somebody has figured out and if it’s the Iranians, that means the Chinese and the Russians, have figured it out too - is that if you can compromise this infrastructure, you immediately get access to all sorts of cool things and people don’t necessarily know about it,” said Jim Lewis, a cyber expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “This is big deal,” said Joel Brenner, former general counsel of the National Security Agency, the Pentagon agency responsible for protecting government communications. “The certificate authorities vouch for who’s who. If you can penetrate a certificate authority and falsify certificates, then nobody knows who they are dealing with. You’ve got to suspect a security service is behind this.”

The Fox-IT audit accused DigiNotar of lax security procedures, and the company’s certificates were not widely used in the US But experts worry that some of the 500 other providers of certificates also may be compromised. A Belgium-based company, GlobalSign, suspended production of new certificates last Monday after the hacker claimed to have penetrated it as well. The company said it plans to restore service next Monday, saying it had been the victim of “an industrywide attack.”

“What this means is that anybody who uses those certificates cannot be assured of the person who is on the other end,” said Jeff Hudson, chief operating officer of Venafi, an encryption company based in Sandy, Utah, that produces software that manages digital certificates. “The whole trust model gets a little shaky. Nobody thought this was going to happen and people aren’t ready for it.”

VeriSign, which is the largest certificate provider in the United States and is owned by security software giant Symantec Corp, based in Mountain View, Calif, says it is confident it can withstand a cyber attack. “Not all certificate authorities are created equal,” said Michael Lin, senior director of product management at Symantec. “We’ve invested heavily in what we feel is a very secure, very robust infrastructure that protects us from these types of attacks.” — MCT

MBOUR: A mathematics institute which opened in Senegal this week is the first step to creating a west African science centre, which backers hope could produce the continent’s own Albert Einstein. The institute is the second of its kind on the continent. It is modeled after the African Institute of Mathematics (AIMS) opened in Cape Town in 2003. This new institute sprang out of a larger research and education centre (Cirem).

Built on a site overlooking the sea in Mbour 80 kilometers southeast of Dakar) the centre is aimed at reviving basic and applied research in Africa, said Mamadou Sanghar, the director of AIMS-Senegal, at the launch on Tuesday. The centres aim to train Africans to tackle many of the problems faced by the continent, such as climate change, food insecurity and infectious diseases, and use science and technology towards its own development.

Senegal’s Higher Education Minister Amadou Tidiane Ba bemoaned the “weakness of high-level scientific and technological innovation” coming out of Africa. The continent “produces only 1 percent of scientific articles and patents identified on the planet ... the challenge is to contribute to the gradual reversal of this trend,” said Ba, who is also a researcher in plant biology. Tuesday’s opening ceremony in Mbour was attended by 1985 Nobel physics prizewinner Klaus von Klitzing and Cedric Villiani, who won the prestigious Field Medal for mathematics in 2010.

“AIMS was created by scientists who want a Pan-African centre of excellence so that Africa can be a scientific leader,” said South African physicist Neil Turok at the centre’s inauguration. The project is very much his brainchild.

The institute was created by France’s Institute for Development Research (IRD), the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar and Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), with the support of the Senegalese government, and western research bodies.

It is intended to serve West and Central

MBOUR: Nobel prize for Physics German Klaus Klitzing (left) and French Cedric Viliani, Fields Medal 2010 laureate, are seen during the inauguration of the African center for teaching Mathematics (AIMS) in Mbour, some 80 kilometers south of Dakar. — AFP

Africa. The centre opens with 35 students from 14 African countries for masters-level education. “The students are chosen among the best on the continent. They benefit from full support. Courses will be taught by professors from around the world,” said Sanghare.

Over 360 students from 31 countries have already graduated from AIMS Cape Town.

These include Viateur Tuyisenge who lost his whole family in the Rwandan genocide. He has already studied computer science in France, the IDRC said.

Esra Khaleel from war-torn Darfur is doing a PhD in nuclear physics and wants to help solve South Africa’s energy crisis, the Canadian centre said in a statement. “We must use the momentum to go further. We all dream of an African Einstein,” said Vincent Rivasseau of AIMS-Senegal, referring to the German scien-

First XXX domain names available for purchase FORT LAUDERDALE: XXX now officially marks the spot for dirty sites on the Internet. Stuart Lawley, a Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., entrepreneur, has launched the sale of the first Internet domain names ending in .xxx - taking its place alongside the better-known “edu,” “com” and “org.” Lawley has fought Internet regulators for more than a decade to create the .xxx domain and position his company, ICM Registry, as the first to sign up pornographers and adult entertainment operators.

The I nternet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers - ICANN - approved Lawley’s request in March to set up what some have called the first “online red-light district.” Lawley said Thursday that he already has received 900,000 inquiries about 650,000 names. He projects first-year revenues between $30 million and $80 million. According to Lawley, the .xxx suffix creates a “win-win” for both adult entertainment providers who want to

brand their content and browsers who would rather avoid it. He said ICM will daily scan each new .xxx site for malicious software and viruses, making browsing for adult content far safer than on most sites.

Conservative religious and political groups, concerned a separate domain legitimized porn, helped stall .xxx’s creation throughout the 2000s, Lawley said. “But pornography is out there, and it’s not going to go away,” he said.

“Our slogan is: Let’s be adult about it.”

ICM, as the domain operator, has contracted with about 60 to 70 domain registrars worldwide to process the initial launch for verified adult entertainment businesses, which ends Oct. 28.

Those outside the adult industry also can register .xxx domains during this time, protecting their famous names or brands from others who might hijack it for salacious purposes. Registration was opened to the general public on Nov 8. — MCT

Hacker group Anonymous overwhelms Peru websites LIMA: Members of the hacker group Anonymous are claiming responsibility for cyberattacks that overwhelmed the websites of Peru’s presidency and judiciary. The activists say on Facebook that they launched Friday’s denial-of-service attacks to protest the “ineptitude and corruption” of Peruvian authorities. Such attacks flood websites with data, typically using Internetconnected “zombie” computers hijacked with Trojan Horse programs. The chief of Peru’s police cybercrime unit confirms the attacks, which knocked the sites offline for at least six hours. Oscar Gonzales says the sites’ owners did not report the outages to police. Spokesmen for the presidency and judiciary have declined to confirm their sites were under attack. — AP

tific genius regarded as the father of modern physics. The IRDC says some one million students graduate from African universities every year, but high-level training in scientific and technical fields is generally not available.

“Mathematical sciences are after all the backbone of the modern economy,” said the centre.

The reduction of the scientific divide plaguing Africa “will not be overnight, (but) I think she will do great things in science in the coming decades,” said Fields Medal winner Cedric Villani. Klaus von Klitzing revealed that he had convinced Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade to support the project during a trip to the country two years ago. “Other (developed) countries have invested heavily in education and knowledge. It is an absolute necessity,” the physicist said. AIMS plans to open 15 centers across the continent by 2020. — AFP

Switch from coal to natural gas no boon to the climate WASHINGTON: Relying more on natural gas than on coal would not significantly slow down the effects of climate change, even though direct carbon dioxide emissions would be less, a new study has found. Burning coal emits far more climate-warming carbon dioxide than natural gas does, but it also releases lots of sulfates and other particles that block incoming sunlight and help cool the Earth, according to a study to be published in the peer-reviewed journal Climate Change Letters in October.

Using more natural gas for fuel could also produce leaks of methane, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas more than 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, study author Tom Wigley said in a statement. “Relying more on natural gas would reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, but it would do little to help solve the climate problem,” said Wigley, of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Adelaide in Australia.

“It would be many decades before it would slow down global warming at all, and even then it would just be making a difference around the edges,” he said. A global, partial shift from coal to natural gas would speed up global warming slightly through at least 2050, even with no methane leaks from natural gas operations. If there were substantial methane leaks, the acceleration of climate change would continue through as late as 2140, according to Wigley’s computer simulations.

After that, the switch to more natural gas would start to slow the increase in average global temperature, but only by a few tenths of a degree, he said. The number of rigs drilling for natural gas in the United States fell by three this week to 892, the third straight weekly decline, according to oil service firm Baker Hughes.

This includes rigs used to exploit natural gas contained in the vast Marcellus shale formation in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast through hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking.

Critics blame the process for polluting underground water supplies; the industry disputes this. The Center for American Progress has characterized natural gas as a “bridge fuel” that could ease the shift to greener energy in the United States. With less than half the carbon dioxide emissions of coal, the center said a transition to natural gas trucks and buses could cut oil use by at least 1.2 million barrels per day by 2035 if US legislation were passed to encourage the shift.

Oilman T Boone Pickens has also joined the push to fuel more vehicles with natural gas. But Joe Romm, who blogs at Climateprogress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress, says this latest study should be sobering. “If your goal is to avert serious catastrophic global warming, then natural gas is not a bridge fuel,” Romm said. “What this study shows ... is the way people think about natural gas is just wrong, and that from a climate perspective, you have to get off of all fossil fuels as quickly as possible.” — Reuters

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health & science

Tobacco addiction kills Indian ‘Superman’ MUMBAI: Shafique Sheikh was not a big name in the Indian film industry and few would have heard of him outside Malegaon, his home town in the western state of Maharashtra. But with cruel irony his death at the age of 25 last week from tongue cancer-an apparent result of a heavy chewing tobacco habit since childhood just a week after the premiere of his new film, has brought him posthumous fame.

In “Ye Hai Malegaon Ka Superman” (This is Malegaon Superman), Sheikh plays a spoof version of the superhero, fighting an evil “gutkha king” who wants to flood the town with the highly addictive chewing tobacco.

“In the movie he’s fighting against smokeless tobacco as Superman but in real life he himself has succumbed to the habit,” his doctor Pankaj Chaturvedi, a head and neck cancer surgeon at Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital said. “He was supposed to be there at the premiere but he could not go. He was very, very sick,” he added.

Sheikh’s story is depressingly familiar for Indian cancer specialists, increasingly alarmed at a rise in tobacco use in the south Asian country and oral cancer rates among young people. The slightly built former textile worker first started using gutkha tobacco mix at the age of eight and was consum-

ing between 30 and 40 packets a day until at 18 he was diagnosed with oral sub-mucous fibrosis, which affects the jaw. The condition later developed into cancer, leading to him having most of his tongue and the glands from both sides of his neck removed. He also had radiotherapy to stop the disease spreading.

“These patients (with stage four cancer) have almost a 50 percent chance of the disease coming back,” said Chaturvedi, an internationally renowned specialist on tobaccorelated diseases.”It happened to Sheikh within six months. His disease came back in his lungs and spread to the rest of his body.

Nothing could be done. He was just on painrelieving drugs.” Tobacco has been chewed for centuries in India, most commonly as “paan”-betel leaf with tobacco powder, areca nut, slaked lime and catechu (Acacia tree extract) — or “paan masala”, a flavored variety with or without tobacco. Ready-made packets of gutkha have become popular in recent years, with sachets selling for as little as two rupees (less than 0.5 US cents) each.

Doctors’ concern about gutkha use comes because of its use by people of all ages, particularly children, and from all walks of life and its being advertised as tobacco-free or as a breath freshener. Gutkha, paan and

beedis-cheap, hand-rolled tobacco leavesaccount for 85 percent of India’s tobacco market, with the remainder taken up by packaged cigarettes. Chaturvedi said Indiathe world’s second largest consumer of tobacco behind China, with more than 240 million users-is seeing a rise in oral cancers, whereas in the West rates are declining.

The World Health Organization has said the dramatic increase in oral sub-mucous fibrosis is “a new epidemic, especially among the youth... (that) has been attributed to chewing gutk ha and paan masala”. “We’re seeing a real surge in various oral cancers among young people, who are getting addic ted,” said Chatur vedi. “Normally we wouldn’t have such cancers in youth. About 30 percent are below 35 years of age. “It’s shocking. That means they’re starting at the age of 12 and developing cancers after 10 years’ consumption.” “Sheikh was so frustrated with the whole gutkha issue,” Chaturvedi said. “He didn’t want his children to suffer the same fate.... But through his movie, he wants the message to be spread.” — AFP

MUMBAI: A masked Indian school student holds a placard as his classmates offer prayers during the ‘Crusade Against Tobacco’ at the Colaba Municipal school in Mumbai. (Inset) An Indian man prepares chewing tobacco, ghutka, on the eve of the World No Tobacco Day in New Delhi. — AFP

US FDA advisers wary of time limit on bone drugs Bisphosphonates widely used to prevent osteoporosis

JOHANNESBURG: The reconstructed hand of the ‘Sediba Fossil’, the remains of a hominin discovered by Professor Lee Berger, an American who is a professor at South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand, are displayed during its unveiling in Johannesburg yesterday. Until now, the first tool-maker was widely believed to be Homo habilis, based on a set of 21 fossilized hand bones found in Tanzania that date back 1.75 million years. However, a close examination of two partial fossilized skeletons of Au. sediba discovered in South Africa in 2008 and the new Sediba Fossil discovery suggest that these creatures who roamed the Earth 1.9 million years ago were crafting tools even earlier, and could be the first direct ancestor of the Homo species. — AFP

South Africa: First black child with aging disease JOHANNESBURG: The elfin child with the big personality and bright smile calls herself “the first lady” and dreams of the future. But doctors say 12-year-old Ontlametse Phalatse has only, perhaps, another couple of years to live. “I call myself a first lady because I’m the first black child with this disease ... Which other black child do you know with this disease?” she challenged. Ontlametse is the sole living black child diagnosed with progeria, a rare and fatal genetic condition that accelerates the aging process, the Progeria Research Foundation said.

It was aware of two other black children ever diagnosed with the disease, who died in the United States and the Netherlands.

Nobody knows how many kids in the world have it, though experts estimate that between 200 and 250 children live with progeria at any one time. In a two-year campaign to identify them, the Progeria Research Foundation says the number of children diagnosed around the world has soared from 54 to 80 on five continents - a 48 percent increase.

The foundation’s executive director, Audrey Gordon, says the only Africans diagnosed with the disease were found in South Africa and only two survive - Ontlametse and a 5-year-old white girl. That is probably because South Africa, an economic powerhouse, offers some of the best medical care on the continent. At least one other South African diagnosed, a white male, died in the past year. Gordon says there are several black holes on the map in her office studded with colored tacks where they have found children living with progeria.

“We know that there are children (with progeria) in Africa, in China and Russia, but we just can’t seem to get to them,” she said in a telephone interview from the foundation’s office in Peabody, Massachusetts. Ontlametse’s mother, Bellon Phalatse, says her baby was born looking normal but that she realized early on that something was wrong. The baby suffered constant rashes and by the time she was 3 months old Phalatse thought she had a skin disease.

Before Ontlametse celebrated her first birthday “her hair was falling, her nails weren’t normal, the skin problems, we were going up and down to the doctors.” As the child aged prematurely, her father abandoned the family

when Ontlametse was 3 years old. Despite her frequent illnesses, Ontlametse enrolled in school at 6 and proved a bright pupil. But she was often scorned by classmates, teachers and others who thought she was so small and skinny because she had AIDS. South Africa has the highest number of people living with AIDS of any country but the disease still carries a terrible social stigma.

“It was horrible, I don’t know how to explain” what we went through, Phalatse said.

It was not until two years ago that a doctor friend suggested she have Ontlametse tested for progeria, and brought her a book about the disease. It included pictures. Children with progeria look remarkably similar, despite different ethnic backgrounds: small and bald with oversized heads, eyes that bulge a bit, gnarled hands. They suffer from thinning skin which has a network of blue veins showing on the heads of white children. Ontlametse’s veins bulge.

Phalatse said she knew immediately, and a doctor confirmed the diagnosis. “I’m very happy now that I understand what causes progeria,” Phalatse said. The diagnosis came with the news that most children with the disease die at 13. But it also brought a better understanding of what they can do to try to prolong Ontlametse’s life, and it has brought her the specialized care she needs. Each school holiday, Ontlametse and her mom fly to the United States, where she participates in research funded by the Progeria Research Foundation at Children’s Hospital Boston. It gives her access to cutting edge drugs that are not yet commercially available.

Back home, they struggle to feed her the required healthy diet. Phalatse is unemployed and the two survive on her daughter’s government disability allowance. Ontlametse is unfazed: “Sometimes when my mommy has money, she buys lettuce and cucumbers and I help her do salad.” At school, Ontlametse keeps her hat on her head, self-conscious of her bald head. One of the things on her wish list is a specially designed wig. She has two friends in her class but says not all her classmates are kind, but it doesn’t bother her. “I don’t care what people say about me,” she says, making a throwaway motion with a hand misshapen with arthritis, knobby fingers and discolored nails. — AP

ADELPHI: US health advisers declined to suggest how long women should take a class of drugs used by millions to prevent bone fractures, but agreed the labels should be changed to reflect uncertainty about the risks and benefits of long-term use. The Food and Drug Administration had asked two of its advisory panels to recommend whether a “drug holiday” or some time limit was warranted on a class of osteoporosis drugs known as bisphosphonates that have been linked to unusual thigh fractures and other side effects. Instead, the advisers voted 17-6 on Friday to make changes to the labeling with many in favor of specifying how often patients need a re-evaluation of whether they need the medicine.

Panelists repeatedly raised concerns that they did not have enough evidence to come up with specific suggestions or conclusions, and some recommended raising awareness of such uncertainties in the label as well. “I don’t think we have enough data to restrict anything at this point,” said Dr. Maria SuarezAlmazor, professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a panel member. The drugs under review include Merck & Co’s Fosamax, Warner Chilcott’s Actonel, Roche’s Boniva and Novartis’ Reclast.

This class of drugs has also been linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw, or jaw bone death, and a possible higher cancer risk.

Studies presented by the FDA and the industry did not paint a conclusive picture to estimate whether benefits outweigh the risks in taking bisphosphonates for longer than three to five years or how exactly each of these drugs affects various subgroups of

patients, advisers said. “I’m used to dealing with ambiguity in a clinical setting, but this raises it to different heights,” said Brian Erstad, pharmacy professor at the University of Arizona and a member of the drug safety and risk management advisory panel.

the pill facing competition from cheaper generics beginning in early 2008. Analysts have said mounting concerns about bisphosphonates may drive patients to Amgen Inc’s new medicine, Prolia, a different type of osteoporosis drug.

RISKS AND BENEFITS Some 4.5 million Americans over the age of 55 filled prescriptions for bisphosphonates in 2009, predominantly women after menopause to prevent osteoporosis, a progressive bonethinning condition that typically causes bone fractures in the hip, wrist or spine. FDA staff said the use of the drugs is associated with unusual femur fractures, and the risk of jaw bone death may increase the longer people take them orally. But they said the evidence for an increased cancer risk was inconsistent.

Boniva is available as either an injection or a tablet, Reclast is an injection, and the other drugs are taken orally. FDA researchers found no advantage in staying on the drugs beyond five years and no loss of efficacy from discontinuing their use. Drugmakers, however, warned that a sweeping imposition of an interruption in treatment by the FDA may leave patients vulnerable to more fractures.

“Despite rare side effects, those patients who take bisphosphonates have fewer fractures and lower mortality, and these findings need to be shared with our patients,” said Dr Robert Adler, an invited speaker and endocrinology professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University. With millions taking the medication, the sales of Merck’s Fosamax reached $3 billion in 2007 but revenue plunged to $926 million by 2010 with

BAD REP Orrel Lanter took Merck’s Fosamax and its generic version, known chemically as alendronate, for nine years. “I felt something go ‘snap’ in my leg. My right foot flopped out to the right and my leg became a noodle, the pain was excruciating,” she told the advisers on Friday. At the emergency room, she was told she had an atypical femur fracture that she attributes to years of taking bisphosphonates.

“I was a happy healthy, very active outdoors woman now left crippled because of this awful drug,” said Lanter, who is now 68 and walked out of the room using a cane. Since Merck’s Fosamax became the first bisphosphonate to get approval for osteoporosis in 1995, the labels for the drugs in this class have undergone multiple reviews and changes.

In 2005, a warning of higher risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw was added to labels, and in 2009, a caution about adverse gastrointestinal reactions. Earlier this year, the labels were changed to add a warning of atypical femur fractures and Reclast’s label now mentions a higher risk of kidney failure. Still, drugmakers and some of the panelists agreed that some groups of patients, perhaps those at highest risk of bone fractures, could benefit from longer-term use of such drugs. Whether and how to address these issues is now up to the FDA. — Reuters

BUNAWAN: Photo shows an unidentified wildlife hunter subdueing a giant 6.4-metre, 1,075-kilogram saltwater crocodile in the town of Bunawan. — AFP

Philippines urged to free giant crocodile MANILA: An animal rights group urged the Philippines yesterday to free what is thought to be the world’s largest crocodile in captivity, even though it allegedly killed two people. The monster 21-foot male saltwater crocodile was placed in a penned pond after it was caught in a remote southern creek on September 3, with officials planning to use it as a tourist attraction once it adapts to its cage.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals senior Asia-Pacific campaigner Ashley Fruno said that despite suspicion it is a man-eater, the reptile was better off being returned to the wild, away from human settlements. “(The government) should do the compassionate thing and order this crocodile to be returned to his natural habitat, as taking him away to be locked up in an animal prison is just plain wrong,” she wrote to AFP. Penned animals are prone to psychotic behavior and its immense size and power could prove dangerous to visitors and those caring for it, she warned. “While even those

zoos with the best intentions can never replicate the natural environment of animals, how do they expect to come remotely close with a crocodile roughly two or three times the size of a regular adult?” The 1,075-kilogramme beast is suspected of eating a local man who went missing in July in the southern town of Bunawan, and of killing a 12-year-old girl whose head was bitten off in 2009.

Rollie Sumiller, who led the team that trapped the animal, earlier said removing from the wild a huge reptile suspected of attacking humans was the correct thing to do. He could not be reached for comment yesterday. The Philippine specimen is bigger than the previous largest captive saltwater crocodile, which the Guinness World Records website lists as a 5.48-metre (18-foot) male that lives at an Australian nature park. Press reports say the former had not eaten anything for a week. In the wild the species is known to survive without food for months after a meal. — AFP

Asthma linked to two mutant genes HONG KONG: A drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis could help asthma patients, scientists said on Friday, as they identified two mutant genes that may predispose a person to asthma. Over 235 million people worldwide suffer from asthma and it is the most common chronic disease among children, according to the World Health Organization. In a paper published in The Lancet medical journal, researchers in Australia said they had identified the two rogue genes after comparing 58,000 DNA samples of people living in Australia, Europe and the United States with and without asthma.

“We found two regions of the DNA that are consistently different between asthmatics and non-asthmatics,” lead author Manuel Ferreira at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Brisbane told Reuters by telephone.

One of the genes is also known to be linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the researchers suggested that the drug tocilizumab, which is used to treat RA, may also work for asthma. Tocilizumab, marketed under the brand Actemra

by Roche Holding AG , targets a certain molecule in the body called “interleukin-6 receptor” and reduces inflammation in RA patients. — Reuters

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Sharks saved from soupy fate set free at sea PATTAYA: Saved from the soup bowl at a Thai restaurant, the baby shark wriggled out of the bag and into the open sea-a rare survivor of a trade that kills millions of the predators each year. On average an estimated 22,000 tons of sharks are caught annually off Thailand for their fins-a delicacy in Chinese cuisine once enjoyed only by the rich, but now increasingly popular with the wealthier middle class.

Thanks to a group of environmental activists calling themselves the Dive Tribe, dozens of sharks were returned to the wild in the Gulf of Thailand recently, bought from animal markets or restaurants. Among them were several young bamboo and black tip reef sharks which narrowly avoided ending up as shark fin soup-prized in particular by the Chinese who believe it boosts sexual potency.

Gwyn Mills, founder of Dive Tribe, laments the fact that the plight of sharks is largely overlooked compared to animals such as elephants and tigers. He fears it may be only five or 10 years before the damage is irreversible. “We are losing too many sharks. We can’t afford to take any more out of the ocean,” Mills said.

Scientists blame the practice of shark-finning-slicing off the fins of live animals and then throwing them back in the water to die-for a worldwide collapse in populations of the predators, which have been swimming since the time of the dinosaurs.

The maritime conservation group Oceana estimates that up to 73 million sharks are finned each year around the world, depleting many populations by as much as 90 percent. Although the shark is portrayed as an insatiable man-eater in Steven Spielberg’s hit 1975 movie “Jaws”, naturalists say most species pose no danger to humans. “Actually attacks on people are rare,” said Jean-

Christophe Thomas, a scuba instructor involved in the shark release.

Yesterday, 60 sharks left their temporary home at the “Underwater World” aquarium in the Thai resort city of Pattaya in plastic bags filled with water. Loaded onto a boat, they were released one by one back into the wild.

“I was carrying the plastic bag and did not even notice when he left,” said Wayne Phillips, a lecturer in marine ecology at Mahidol University. “But I like that. He was not given freedom. He took it. He was living in a tank, then in a plastic bag. He’s better here.” While the release was a largely symbolic event designed to raise awareness, the stakes are real.

Environmentalists say that sharks, particularly the apex predators, play a vital role in the marine ecosystem. “So if we protect the sharks, the rest of the reef will be protected,” said Phillips. “We need to make people realise how impor tant sharks are.”

Environmentalists argue that sharks are slow to reproduce, making them unsuitable for commercial fishing.

Some types of shark species, including the great white and the hammerhead, are endangered, threatened or vulnerable, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

Some countries are taking action. The tiny Pacific nation of Palau declared the world’s first shark sanctuary in 2009, prompting similar moves by the Maldives and Honduras. Taiwan, one of the world’s major shark catchers, is moving to tighten measures against hunting the predator while the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo Island is also seeking to ban shark fishing.

The members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) also adopted a resolution in 1994 on shark conservation and man-

Farewell to Pain…

agement. And in 1999, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation adopted an International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks.

But a report by the wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic and the Pew Environmental Group released in January said not enough was being done to implement that plan. “International concern about shark stocks continues to grow because of an increasing body of evidence that many shark species are threatened and are continuing to decline as a result of unregulated fishing”, it said.

Activists believe the best hope of reversing the situation is to highlight the benefits of sharks to the tourism industry. The animals are a major attraction for snorkelers and scuba divers, but it is increasingly rare to see the creatures in the seas off Thailand. Mills argued that one reef shark is worth many times more to the tourist industry than it would fetch in a restaurant. He thinks fishermen should be compensated for releasing the sharks that get entangled in their nets.

While swimming with sharks is a joy for many scuba divers and naturalists, for some the shark remains a creature to be feared-an image unlikely to be helped by the upcoming release of the Hollywood movie “Shark Night 3D”. The film tells the fictional story of a group of carefree teenagers killed off one by one by hungry sharks in a salt lake in Louisiana.

According to the International Shark Attack File, compiled at the University of Florida, 79 unprovoked shark attacks occurred around the world in 2010, six of which were fatal. This was the highest number in a decade and an increase of 25 percent on 2009. For Dive Tribe and other shark lovers, the battle is only just beginning. — AFP

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AT&T defends T-Mobile deal WASHINGTON: American telecom giant AT&T submitted a defense of its takeover bid for TMobile on Friday in response to the US government’s lawsuit seeking to block the $39 billion mega-merger. In the filing with the US District Cour t here, AT&T rejec ted the Justice Department’s claim that the deal would be anticompetitive and said it would benefit consumers.

“Rather than substantially reducing competition, the combined firm will usher in more intense competition to an already vibrantly competitive market,” AT&T said. “T-Mobile is losing customers and subscriber shares in a growing market, is not a unique or material competitive constraint on AT&T, and will not be one going forward in the absence of this transaction,” it argued.

The Justice Department filed a suit on August 31 to block AT&T from taking over T-Mobile, saying the deal would harm competition. US District Judge Ellen Huvelle has ordered lawyers for the Justice Department, AT&T and T-Mobile, the US unit of Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, to attend a meeting on September 21 to discuss the prospects for a settlement. She has also asked them to prepare a schedule for managing the case if it goes to trial. — AFP

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NECK to host preschoolers’ motivation program

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t. Johns Mar Thomas Church, Kuwait, is set to hold a brief pre-school Motivation Program (Ezhuthiniruthu Sisrusha) for children about to begin school or nursery for the first time. All children in these categories and their parents and guardians are invited and cordially welcomed to participate in the special service, which will be held on September 23 at 10:00 AM in the National Evangelical Church of Kuwait’s (NECK) church and parish hall. Certificates will be given to all the children attending the program.

Those who are interested in taking part in the event are kindly requested to contact the Vicar on 65563486, the Convener on 66742985 or the Secretary on 66546705.

Announcements Dreams of Youth Indian National Association (DYINA) formed On 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 Indian music album to be shot in Kuwait A 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 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 Alva23726164, Suma Bhatt- 97834578 Salmiya & Hawally: Swarna Shetty- 99006934, Kripa Gatty66044194 Kuwait City, Jahra, Sharq : Rekha Sachu65044521,97862115 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.

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.

KES student wins medal at 22nd World Scout Jamboree

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Kuwait English school student won a medal at the 22nd World Scout Jamboree, held this summer at Rinkaby in Sweden between July 27 and August 8.

“KES team were very organised and gained respect from everybody. The team had excellent scouting skills and were very well behaved. Really Kuwait should be very proud of them” said Kuwait English School Arabic teacher, Tarek Hassanein, who led the KES team.

Ali Al Radaan, at KES since Year 1, won

a medal at the international gathering of over 39,000 young male and female students from 161 countries around the world. Waleed Burhama, Fahad Al Mohammed, Mohammed Al Ali, Abdulaziz Khayyat, all of whom attended KES since KG, also represented KES at the camp.

“The Kuwait team were very active and participated in all of the competitions”, Hassanein said adding that they gained three medals in total.

Hassanein led the team with five

Kuwait English School students, who represented the Private English Schools in Kuwait . Fifty male students from Kuwait attended the camp. The other 45 males were selected from governemnt schools in Kuwait.

“I had the honour to be selected by the Arab organisation for Scouts to represent all the Arab countries to meet the King of Sweden, His Excellency King Karl Gustav XVI at a reception at the start of the camp and when His Highness visited the camp for the closing speech”

Hassanein said.

The theme for the Jamboree this year was Simply Scouting. Hassanein said Sweden was a generous host and provided every facility to the participants.

The KES team then spent 4 days in Denmark and returned to Kuwait on August 12.

Hassanein said the Kuwaiti Minister of Education has promised to organise an event to honour the participants of this international gathering through Kuwait Scouts Society.

IBL paves fresh path for bowling aficionados

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he Indian Bowling League (IBL) after a successful first season commenced with season 2 of their tournament on August 12, 2011. Now in its third week the IBL has seen quite a turnout this season, from 7 teams last season to an impressive 16 team participating this time. Matches take place every Friday from 1:30 to 4:30 P.M. at Cosmos bowling centre in Salmiya.

Relative to its context, Kuwait, bowling is very quickly growing to epic proportions. More and more alleys are popping up around the country and it seems to be a very popular recreational activity. There exists however a divide, between those who are known as casual bowlers and regular bowlers. For those of us who end up buying our own equipment like shoes, bowling balls and bowling bags as well as various accessories, we need a constant competitive and motivational environment.

Fortunately, these environments exist.

The IBL is one, and promises to deliver so much to its participants.

Once a week, 4-man teams compete on a round-robin basis for glory and bragging rights. The league’s system

considers bowlers on various levels and caters to the seasoned veterans as well as the fledgling rookies. The IBL provides fun and recreation on top of competitive focus. The league’s ranking is split into 3 levels, designed to allow all levels of skill to stand a chance to compete. Despite its name, various nationalities play

together and even Kuwait’s resident Bowling Federation is participating.

After the first week, Federation Bowlers notched up the top spot in the Championship Group, followed closely by West End Watches, StreetBowlers and Spare Us. The teams beyond the 4th ranking fall into the Intermediate Group.

Whiplash, Al Qwassem, Kegler Strikers, Alleygatorz and No Strikes all jumped in the group after their first week performance. The last group, Greenie Group, comprised of I Bowl, Solo Sorisso, Pinpointers, Amaya, Petrolink, Firefly and Bowling Stones. The Men’s Weekly High Game went to Andrew Frawley who bowled a massive near-perfect 299 game, and the Ladies’ Weekly High Game was bowled by Ramona Soares chalking up a 259 game. The Team Weekly High Game went to Federation

Bowlers with a whopping 2518.

The second week saw a shuffle in the rankings and new holders of the Weekly High Games. After the Friday afternoon contest, West End Watches, Federation Bowlers, Spare Us and Al Qwassem took up the Championship Group spots. The Intermediate Group now consisted of Street Bowlers, No Strikes, Firefly, Solo Sorisso and Whiplash. Following on, in the Greenie Group, was Kegler Strikers, Alleygatorz, Pinpointers, I Bowl, Amaya, Bowling Stones and Petrolink. The Men’s Weekly High Game was taken by Kuwait’s very own 12 Year Old Moustafa Mousawi, who bowled a 256 game. The Ladies’ Weekly High Game was snapped up by Nasha King with a 220 game, and the Team Weekly High Game spot went to Al Qwassem, who totaled a respectable 2569 series.

Further match-ups are proving to bring in lots of fun and competition. So early in the league, the rankings are fickle, making times very exciting indeed.

The IBL’s system accommodates bowlers of various skill levels and is definitely worth looking into in the future if you’re looking to satisfy your bowling appetite.

Onam banquet Indian chef Raman Nair, the chief chef of a south Indian restaurant in Kuwait poses while preparing for the Onam vegetarian banquet at his workplace, Friday. Keralites all over the world celebrated Onam, the harvest festival on Friday and in Kuwait many of the expats used the coincidental occasion of having this year’s Onam on a Friday by dining out.

Swiss-Belhotel International hosts Kuwait National Football team

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he Swiss-Belhotel Plaza Kuwait had the opportunity to host the training camp for the Kuwait National football team under the age of 16.The team arrived at the hotel for the preparation of the Asian championship that will be held in Kuwait starting September 10th till the 22nd.

All the participating teams will be staying at the Swiss-Belhotel Plaza Kuwait to savor the Arabian hospitality with a swiss flavor to make their stay tremendous.

“We will make sure their stay will be comfortable and we will do our best to show the real Kuwaiti hospitality,” said Katrina Jarlos

the communication and public relation executive of the hotel. She added:” assuring that all teams are having the best service and the great food that Swiss-Belhotel Plaza is famous for”.

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 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 nnnnnnn

Wedding celebration

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t was a rosy moment yesterday as families, friends and well-wishers joined Timothy and Joy as they celebrated their holy matrimony at the Life Abundant International Fountain Church in Kuwait City. The ceremony attracted a lot of dignitaries including the Nigerian ambassador to Kuwait.

Konkani drama

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uwait Goan Association (KGA) after presenting popular Konkani tiatrs ‘Ghor Bandlem ghorabo Modlo’ and ‘Tujea Moga Passot’, now all set to present Tragedy Mario Menezes most popular Konkani drama “Hatachim Panch Bottam” in Kuwait on Friday, 18th November 2011 with full troupe. Await for more details or email: kgakuwait@gmail.com

Kanajar Welfare Association to celebrate Monthi Fest

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anajar Welfare Association, Kuwait - is delighted to announce the celebration of Monthi Fest 2011 with Kanajar Parishioners on September 16th at residence of Lancy Mendonca and Rose Mary Mendonca at Farwaniya.

Monthi Fest (Nativity) has always been of special significance to us, the people of South Canara, as we celebrate the Birthday of Mother Mary this day which coincides with the Harvest festival. As per the tradition, first fruit of a farmers labour will be blessed and then distributed to all the family members.

Kanajar Welfare Association, Kuwait is inviting all the members along with the Family and Friends to come together and celebrate this occasion as one family. This is an opportunity for all of us to show our love & gratitude to our heavenly mother.

All are invited to come and share this joy by celebrating this feast in a traditional way. Showering the flowers to the honor of mother Mary will cherish the childhood memories for all of us. The day will be filled with activities, presenting lot of Games and fun. The program will start at 10 am. For more details please contact: Henry Britto 97947098, Edward Prakash D’souza 55488023.

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/IMM525 7E.PDF. A guide explaining the process can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5256E.PDF. nnnnnnn

Artist Johnarts Kalabhavan presenting a caricature of Major Archbishop of the Syro Malankara Catholic Church His Beatitude Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Catholicos, Friday, during a function in Kuwait.

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.

AWARE center diwaniya

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he AWARE Center cordially invites you to its diwaniya presentation Tuesday September 13th, 2011 entitled, “Don’t be Clueless: 9 helpful habits to help you adjust to a new culture”

by Dr. Linda Fouke So you have moved to Kuwait. Are you feeling Disoriented, Disgruntled or Disillusioned? Are you experiencing “Culture Shock”? You are not alone.

If you or someone you know has experienced the uncertainty of an extended stay abroad, you may be dealing with the reality of “culture shock.” Is this a hackneyed, over-dramatic term or a legitimate state of mind? Come share your story with Dr. Linda Fouke as she leads a discussion entitled, “Clueless in Kuwait - 9 Helpful Habits while in Kuwait.” At this presentation you will learn more about the phases of culture shock and 10 essential keys to helping you cope with the stresses of relocation. If you are interested, the AWARE Center is the best place to visit on September 13th, 2011 at 7pm. (Linda Graves Fouke, Ed.D is the Principal of Hope School for Special Needs, Chairperson, Kuwait Special Needs Administrators Network, Vice President, Kuwait Textile Arts Association and co-Founder, Great Books Foundation Discussion Group Kuwait City, Kuwait). For more information, call 25335260 ext 0 / 104 / 105 or log onto: www.aware.com.kw or email: saleha.aware@gmail.com “

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EMBASSY OF KENYA

IES outwits others

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ndian Educational School (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan), Kuwait has bagged the first position among the juniors, and the third position in the open category of contestants who competed in the Shaastrotsav 2011 conducted by the NSS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING Alumni association Kuwait chapter at Gulf University of Science and Technology Campus, Mishref which was held in May..

The unique event which overshot all expectations of the organizers had many exhibits epitomizing the excellence and scientific exuberance of the bud-

ding scientists. The project presented by Bhavanites based on the concept of accelerating the launching of a rocket with the energy formed by the compression of spring attracted the attention of all inquisitive spectators.

Instead of depending fully on the fossil fuel energy, this novel and genuine concept propagates the use of spring energy to be used any one stage of fuelling the vehicle. Daksh Sha, Dilip Menon, Harikesh Pradeep and Siddarth Menon of class 10 all proven talents of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan are very happy for having got a chance to prove their mettle on

an interschool level competition.

In another open category of contest meant of seniors, Revanth Vishnu Wajallah, Arjun Panicker and Hari Teja, all belonging to the junior sections won the third position against their senior counterparts. Their project was based on the Pascal s Law (Hydraulic Press and Hydraulic Arm). The principal and the whole teaching fraternity joined the victory celebrations with words of blessings and appreciation. Special congratulations went in favour of the whole Department of Science in general and Mr Prasad Jayan, a Senior PGT in a special way.

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 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 Untamed & Uncut 01:40 Best Bites: 25 Greatest Shark Moments 02:35 Jaws Comes Home: Return Of The...

03:30 Monster Bug Wars 04:25 Dogs 101 05:20 Animal Cops Phoenix 06:10 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 07:00 Lemur Street 07:25 Crocodile Hunter 08:15 The Really Wild Show 08:40 Animal Crackers 09:10 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife 10:05 Must Love Cats 11:00 Dogs 101 11:55 Crocodile Hunter 12:50 Sharkman 14:40 Big Five Challenge 15:35 My Cat From Hell 16:30 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife 17:25 Ray Mears’ Wild Britain 18:20 Wildest Africa 19:15 Monster Bug Wars 20:10 Dogs 101 21:05 Shark Invasion 22:00 Shark Attack File 3 22:55 Whale Wars 23:50 The Animals’ Guide To Survival

00:40 The Jonathan Ross Show 01:30 Gavin & Stacey 02:00 Rob Brydon’s Annually Retentive 02:30 Mutual Friends 03:25 As Time Goes By 03:55 Allo Allo 04:30 Balamory 04:50 The Roly Mo Show 05:05 Me Too 05:25 Jackanory Junior 05:40 Poetry Pie 05:45 Poetry Pie 05:50 Balamory 06:10 The Roly Mo Show 06:25 Me Too 06:45 Jackanory Junior 07:00 Balamory 07:20 The Roly Mo Show 07:35 Me Too 07:55 Jackanory Junior 08:10 Poetry Pie 08:15 Poetry Pie 08:20 Balamory 08:40 The Roly Mo Show 08:55 Me Too 09:15 Jackanory Junior 09:30 Poetry Pie 09:35 Poetry Pie 09:45 As Time Goes By 10:15 Allo Allo 10:50 Robin Hood 11:35 The Weakest Link 12:20 Casualty 13:10 Casualty 14:00 The Weakest Link 14:45 The Weakest Link 15:35 Doctors 18:00 Robin Hood 18:45 As Time Goes By 19:15 Allo Allo 19:50 Coast 20:50 Heart & Soul 21:40 Lark Rise To Candleford 22:35 Spooks 23:25 Dalziel And Pascoe

00:45 Antiques Roadshow 02:25 Holmes On Homes 07:10 Come Dine With Me 12:55 New Scandinavian Cooking 15:05 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 17:10 Holmes On Homes 20:25 Masterchef Australia 21:15 Masterchef Australia 21:40 Masterchef Australia 22:30 Masterchef Australia 22:55 Masterchef Australia 23:45 Holmes On Homes

00:00 BBC World News 00:10 The Intelligence Squared Debate 01:00 BBC World News 01:30 Middle East Business Report 02:00 BBC World News 02:10 World Features 02:30 Newsnight 03:00 BBC World News 03:10 World Features 03:30 Spirit Of Yachting 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Dateline London 05:00 BBC World News 05:10 The Intelligence Squared Debate 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Click 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 Newsnight 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 India Business Report 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 Fast Track 10:00 BBC World News 10:10 The Health Show 10:30 Spirit Of Yachting 11:00 BBC World News 11:10 World Features 11:30 Dateline London 12:00 BBC World News 12:10 The Secret War On Terror 13:00 BBC World News 13:10 World Features 13:30 Third Eye 14:00 BBC World News 14:30 Newsnight 15:00 BBC World News 15:10 World Features 15:30 BBC World News 16:00 BBC World News 16:15 Sport Today 16:30 Click 17:00 BBC World News 17:30 BBC World News 18:00 BBC World News 18:10 The Intelligence Squared Debate 19:00 BBC World News 19:30 India Business Report 20:00 BBC World News 20:30 Third Eye 21:00 Sports World Have Your Say 22:00 BBC World News 22:30 Spirit Of Yachting 23:00 This Week With Christiane Amanpour

00:05 Robotboy - Elements 00:30 Squirrel Boy 00:55 George Of The Jungle 01:20 Cramp Twins 01:45 Chop Socky Chooks 02:10 Best Ed 02:35 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 03:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 03:25 Generator Rex 03:50 Adventure Time 04:15 Flapjack 04:40 Chowder 05:05 The Powerpuff Girls 05:30 Ed, Edd n Eddy 05:55 Cow & Chicken 06:20 Squirrel Boy 06:45 I Am Weasel 07:00 The Life & Times Of Juniper Lee 07:25 The Powerpuff Girls 07:50 Cartoon Network Dance Club 08:05 Angelo Rules 08:30 Chowder 08:55 Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 09:20 Adventure Time 09:23 Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 09:30 Adventure Time 09:45 Courage The Cowardly Dog 10:05 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 10:27 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 10:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 11:20 Generator Rex

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

TV PROGRAMS 11:45 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 12:10 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders 12:35 Hero 108 13:00 Eliot Kid 18:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 18:25 Flapjack 18:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 19:15 Adventure Time 19:40 Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 20:05 Chowder 20:08 Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 20:15 Chowder 20:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog 20:55 Cow & Chicken 21:20 Best Ed 21:45 I Am Weasel 22:00 Ben 10 22:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 22:50 The Secret Saturdays 23:15 Samurai Jack 23:40 Megas Xlr

00:20 00:45 01:10 01:35 02:00 02:20 02:45 03:10 03:35 04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:45 07:10 07:30 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:30 12:00 12:25 12:50 13:15 13:40 14:00 15:35 16:00 16:20 16:45 17:10 17:30 18:00 18:20 18:45 19:10 20:55 21:25 21:50 22:15 22:40 23:05 23:30 23:55

Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic A Kind Of Magic Stitch Stitch Kim Possible Kim Possible Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Stitch Stitch Jungle Junction Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Fish Hooks Suite Life On Deck Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Beauty And The Beast Shake It Up Shake It Up Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Good Luck Charlie Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure Fish Hooks Shake It Up Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Stitch Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up Beauty And The Beast Wizards Of Waverly Place Fish Hooks Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Sonny With A Chance Suite Life On Deck Hannah Montana Kim Possible

00:40 Killer Whales 01:35 I Escaped Death 02:30 How Stuff’s Made 03:00 How Do They Do It? 03:25 How Stuff’s Made 03:55 How Do They Do It? 04:20 How Stuff’s Made 04:50 How Do They Do It? 05:15 How Stuff’s Made 05:40 How Do They Do It? 06:05 How Stuff’s Made 06:35 How Do They Do It? 07:00 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 07:50 Ultimate Car Build-Off 08:45 Wheeler Dealers 09:40 Extreme Fishing 10:30 Extreme Fishing 11:25 Ultimate Survival

THE KILLER INSIDE ME ON OSN CINEMA

12:20 12:45 15:05 17:20 18:15 19:10 20:05 21:00 21:55 Zero 22:50

How Do They Do It? Cash Cab Us Cake Boss Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Deadliest Catch Dual Survival Mythbusters Rising: Rebuilding Ground Surviving The Cut

00:05 The Gadget Show 00:30 Mighty Ships 01:20 The Colony 02:10 Building the Future 03:00 Engineered 03:50 Da Vinci’s Machines 04:45 Catch It Keep It 05:40 How Does That Work?

06:10 Superships 07:00 NASA’s Greatest Missions 07:55 Head Rush 07:58 Sci-Fi Science 08:25 Weird Connections 08:55 Brainiac 09:45 Prototype This 10:35 Smash Lab 14:45 Head Rush 14:48 Sci-Fi Science 15:15 Weird Connections 15:45 Bang Goes the Theory 16:10 The Gadget Show 16:35 The Gadget Show 17:00 Smash Lab 17:50 Engineering Ground Zero 18:40 Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman 19:30 The Science of Fear and Lust 20:20 Killer Outbreaks 21:10 Sci-Fi Science 21:35 The Tech Show 22:00 Eco-Tech 22:50 Mighty Ships 23:40 The Science of Fear and Lust

00:05 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia 01:45 Food Network Challenge 02:35 Chopped 03:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 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 - Back To Basics 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 Unwrapped 21:10 Lidia’s Italy 22:00 Barefoot Contessa 22:25 Barefoot Contessa 22:50 World Cafe Middle East 23:40 World Cafe Asia

00:17 01:00 01:45 02:00 02:45 13:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:45 20:00 20:45 21:00

Playlist Sound System 10 Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Urban Hit 30 Playlist New Playlist Focus - Back To School Urban Hit Playlist French Hit 10 Playlist Legend

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 07:40 07:55 08:20 08:30 08:45 09:00 09:10 09:25 10:15 10:45 11:10 11:30 11:40 12:05

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 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Timmy Time Little Einsteins The Hive Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Lazytown Art Attack Imagination Movers The Hive Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

12:30 12:45 13:00 13:15 13:25 13:35 13:50 14:15 15:05 15:20 15:50 16:05 16:20 16:45 17:10 17:35 17:50 18:00 18:25 18:40 18:55 19:05 19:23 19:25 19:50 20:09 20:10 20:35 20:50 21:00 21:30 21:55 22:10 22:35 22:55 23:20 23:50

Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction The Hive Timmy Time Special Agent Oso The Little Mermaid Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Handy Manny Lazytown Art Attack Imagination Movers Jungle Junction The Hive Little Einsteins Jake & The Neverland Pirates Handy Manny Timmy Time Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Animated Stories Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates A Poem Is...

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

00:25 Fashion Police 00:55 Chelsea Lately 01:25 E!es 02:20 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Reality Hell 05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Kendra 10:15 Giuliana & Bill 11:10 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 12:05 E! News 13:05 Fashion Police 13:35 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:05 THS 15:00 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 15:55 The Dance Scene 16:55 Behind The Scenes 17:55 E! News 18:55 Holly’s World 19:55 Giuliana & Bill 20:55 Khloe And Lamar 21:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:15 Aiya TV 01:30 M1 Selection 2010 02:20 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2009 03:35 Untracked 04:00 Born To Run 04:50 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships...

06:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2009 08:00 FIM World Motocross MX3 Championships...

09:15 FIM World Motocross MX3 Championships...

09:40 Summer Dew Tour 2010 11:20 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships...

13:00 BMX Megatour 13:50 Mantracker 14:40 Fantasy Factory 17:10 I’ll Do Anything 18:00 Mantracker 18:50 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships...

20:30 BMX Megatour 21:20 Eds Up 21:45 Eds Up 22:10 Mantracker 23:00 I’ll Do Anything 23:50 Aiya TV

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 04:45 05:15 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 11:10 12:00 Jones 12:50 13:40 14:30 14:55 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 19:55 20:20 Jones 21:10 22:00 22:25

A Haunting Ghost Lab The Haunted A Haunting Crime Scene Psychics Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Street Patrol I Almost Got Away With It FBI Files True Crime With Aphrodite FBI Case Files Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Street Patrol I Almost Got Away With It Forensic Detectives Murder Shift FBI Files Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared Stalked: Someone’s Watching Who On Earth Did I Marry?

00:00 By Any Means 01:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 01:30 Pressure Cook 02:00 A World Apart 03:00 Ultimate Traveller 04:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 05:00 Long Way Down 06:00 By Any Means 07:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 07:30 Pressure Cook 08:00 A World Apart 09:00 Ultimate Traveller 10:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 11:00 Long Way Down 12:00 By Any Means 13:00 Cruise Ship Diaries

LAKE PLACID ON OSN MOVIES HD 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:30 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:30 23:30

Exploring The Vine Food School Banged Up Abroad Banged Up Abroad Finding Genghis Travel Madness Travel Madness Cruise Ship Diaries Exploring The Vine Exploring The Vine Food School Banged Up Abroad Banged Up Abroad Finding Genghis

00:00 Lake Placid 3-18 02:00 Ong Bak 2-PG15 04:00 Patriot Games-PG15 06:00 G.I. Joe: The Rise Of CobraPG15 08:00 Shanghai Knights-PG15 10:00 Jesse Stone: No Remorse-PG15 12:00 Star Runners-PG15 14:00 Shanghai Knights-PG15 16:00 Independence Day-PG15 18:30 Star Runners-PG15 20:00 Across The Hall-PG15 22:00 The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course-PG15

01:15 The Killer Inside Me-18 03:30 Furry Vengeance-PG15 05:15 Mee Shee-PG 07:15 Winx: Secret Of The Lost Kingdom-PG 09:00 Attack On Leningrad-PG15 11:15 Planet 51-PG 13:00 Leap Year-PG15 15:00 Easy Virtue-PG15 17:00 The Eclipse-PG15 19:00 Hurricane Season-PG15 21:00 Clash Of The Titans-PG15 23:00 Freakonomics-PG15

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 Melissa And Joey 03:30 Mr. Sunshine 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 Melissa And Joey 09:00 Will And Grace 09:30 How I Met Your Mother 10:00 Outsourced 10:30 Coach 11:00 The Drew Carey Show 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Dharma And Greg 13:00 Mr. Sunshine 13:30 Will And Grace 14:00 Coach 14:30 How I Met Your Mother 15:00 Outsourced 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 30 Rock 19:30 30 Rock 20:00 My Boys 20:30 Curb Your Enthusiasm 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 The Ricky Gervais Show 23:30 My Boys

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00

El Orfenato-18 Patriot Games-PG15 Battlestar Galactica: The Plan Deceit-PG15 Annihilation Earth-PG15

11:00 Ballistica-PG15 15:00 Annihilation Earth-PG15 17:00 8 Mile-PG15 19:00 John Carpenter’s Ghosts Of Mars-PG15 21:00 The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course-PG15 23:00 30 Days Of Night: Dark Days

00:00 00:15 04:45 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 11:15 11:45 12:15 20:15 20:30 21:00

RWC Highlights PGA European Tour Super League The Challenge Series Golf Trans World Sport ICC Criket World Futbol Mundial LIVE NRL Premiership The Challenge Series Golf ICC Criket World LIVE Cricket ODI RWC H/L RWC Highlights Weekly Live PGA European Tour

00:00 01:00 01:55 02:25 03:20 04:15 05:10 05:35 06:05 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:55 10:50 11:50 12:50 13:45 14:45 15:40 16:35 18:25 20:20 20:45 21:15 22:10 23:05

Homes With Style Videofashion News Big Boutique How Do I Look?

Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

Married Away Homes With Style Area Clean House Big Boutique Clean House Top 10 Homes With Style Open House Videofashion News How Do I Look?

Videofashion Specials Open House Top 10 Big Rich Texas How Do I Look?

Fashion Police Clean House Comes Clean Clean House Jerseylicious Ruby

01:25 03:20 05:30 07:00 09:00 11:00 12:50 14:40 16:30 18:30 20:00 22:00 23:45

Blow-Up Kiss Me Kate-FAM Live A Little, Love A Little-PG Boys’ Night Out-FAM Never So Few-PG Young Cassidy-PG Meet Me In St. Louis-FAM Les Girls-PG Billy Rose’s Jumbo-FAM Son Of A Gunfighter-FAM The Night Of The Iguana 3 Godfathers-FAM Savage Messiah-18

00:00 500 Days Of Summer-PG15 02:00 Four Last Songs-PG15 04:00 16 To Life-PG15 06:00 Nativity!-PG 08:00 My Father The Hero-PG15 10:00 Chasing Papi-PG 12:00 The Prince And Me 3: A Royal Honeymoon-PG15 14:00 All About Steve-PG15 16:00 500 Days Of Summer-PG15 18:00 Last Of The Living-PG15 00:00 UFC 134 20:00 Road Trip: Beer Pong-18 03:00 V8 Supercars Championship 22:00 American High School-18 04:00 V8 Supercars Championship 05:00 UFC Unleashed 06:00 UFC Unleashed 07:00 V8 Supercars Extra 07:30 Live AFL Premiership 00:30 Boogie Nights-18 10:30 WWE SmackDown 03:00 Post Grad-PG15 12:30 WWE Tough Enough 05:00 Enid-PG15 13:30 Live Le Mans 07:00 District 9-PG15 19:30 Live Scottish Premier League 09:00 Did You Hear About The 21:30 WWE Tough Enough Morgans?-PG15 22:30 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 11:00 Flicka 2-PG15 23:30 Speedway 13:00 Hachiko: A Dog’s Story-PG15 15:00 The Last Airbender-PG15 17:00 Did You Hear About The Morgans?-PG15 19:00 Land Of The Lost-PG15 21:00 Drag Me To Hell-18 00:00 Ancient Discoveries 23:00 Two Lovers-18 01:00 True Caribbean Pirates 03:00 Ancient Discoveries 07:00 True Caribbean Pirates 09:00 Ancient Discoveries 13:00 True Caribbean Pirates 00:00 Daddy Day Care-PG 15:00 Pawn Stars 02:00 Turtle Hero (2)-FAM 15:30 9/11 Remembered 04:00 The Spy Next Door-PG15 15:46 102 Minutes That Changed 06:00 Tangled-FAM America 08:00 Groove Squad-FAM 17:30 Sliced 10:00 Catch That Kid-PG 19:00 American Pickers 12:00 Daddy Day Care-PG 20:00 Pawn Stars 14:00 Yogi Bear & The Magical Flight 20:30 Pawn Stars Of The Spruce Goose-PG 21:00 9/11: The Days After 16:00 Treasure Island-PG 23:00 Hotel Ground Zero 18:00 Catch That Kid-PG 20:00 Adventures Of A Teenage Dragonslayer-PG 22:00 Yogi Bear & The Magical Flight Of The Spruce Goose-PG

01:30 Rugby World Cup 03:45 Rugby World Cup 06:00 Live RWC Matchday 06:30 Live Rugby World Cup 08:00 Live RWC Matchday 09:00 Live Rugby World Cup 10:30 Live RWC Matchday 11:30 Live Rugby World Cup 13:00 Live RWC Matchday 13:30 Live Cricket One Day International 20:15 Trans World Sport 21:15 Speedway FIM World Championship 22:15 RWC Highlights 22:30 RWC Weekly Highlights 23:00 Cricket One Day International

00:45 01:00 03:00 03:15 05:15 05:30 06:00 06:30 08:00 09:00 10:30 11:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 15:00 15:30 17:00 18:00 19:30 20:30 22:00

RWC Highlights NRL Premiership RWC Highlights Rugby Union Currie Cup RWC Highlights Futbol Mundial Live RWC Matchday Live Rugby World Cup Live RWC Matchday Live Rugby World Cup Live RWC Matchday Live Rugby World Cup Live RWC Matchday Futbol Mundial Trans World Sport RWC Matchday Rugby World Cup RWC Matchday Rugby World Cup RWC Matchday Rugby World Cup RWC Matchday

Classifieds SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

ACCOMMODATION Furnished room available with double bedroom CA/C flat in Fahaheel, decent bachelor or single couple preferred.

Contact: 99232986. (C 3613) 11-9-2011 Sharing accommodation with Malayali family Malayali working lady or Malayali bachelors from Sept last.

Contact: 65889384. (C 3609) Fully furnished 1BRK flat for an executive bachelor from 01st Oct 2011 to 31st Dec 2011. Contact: 24752182, 66365212. (C 3608)

FOR SALE Toyota Prado TXL white pearl model 2010, excellent condition, 31000 km, price KD 10,000. Contact: 66430722, 66704439.

(C 3614) 11-9-2011 Mitsubishi Bus L300 9 seater for sale. Contact: 66052331. (C 3612) 10-9-2011 2007 model, Chevrolet Captiva, silver exterior, excellent condition. Price KD 3,600. Tel: 66526872.

Toyota Corolla 2009 model, white color, excellent condition, well-maintained, low mileage, lady driver, KD 3,400. Contact: 60951195.

(C 3603) 6-9-2011

SITUATION WANTED Experienced Indian, in general hardware, oil field materials, equipments, welding and safety items, timber, construction materials, seeks suitable senior position, can do general management, import, export, procurement (local and international) can make business travel.

Contact: 66889375.

(C 3615) 11-9-2011

MATRIMONIAL Christian Orthodox Kerala girl 33 yrs B.Sc Nurse working in MOH, Kuwait, divorced no liabilities inviting proposals from professionally qualified God fearing Malayalee boys, send photos and details to rosym55@yahoo.com or

mathewt72@yahoo.com (C 3610) Proposals invited for Pentecostal Keralite Girl, 24, B.Tech, MBA, financially sound, from parents of professionally qualified Keralite boys. Please contact: beracah77@gmail.com (C 3611) 10-9-2011

CHANGE OF NAME I, Thamer Medhat Mohd Khattab, holder of Pilipino Passport No: T T0990386 hereby change my name to Tamer Medhat Moh. Khattab.

11-9-2011

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines RJA MLR JZR MEA THY ETH UAE MEA DHX ETD MSR JZR JZR FDB GFA QTR KAC FCX JZR JZR KAC BAW KAC JZR KAC KAC IRA KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY IRA ETD GFA IRC FCX MEA JZR JZR JZR RBG KAC MSR UAL RJA KAC FDB

Flt 642 1405 267 406 772 620 853 408 370 305 614 269 189 67 211 138 544 201 503 555 412 157 1542 1541 206 382 615 284 302 53 332 678 352 855 132 125 603 301 213 6801 203 404 165 121 561 3553 672 610 982 640 774 57

Arrival Flights on Sunday 11/9/2011 Route AMMAN COLOMBO / DUBAI BEIRUT BEIRUT ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA DUBAI BEIRUT BAHRAIN ABU DHABI CAIRO BEIRUT DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA CAIRO DUBAI LUXOR ALEXANDRIA MANILA / BANGKOK LONDON CAIRO CAIRO ISLAMABAD DELHI SHAHRE KORD DHAKA MUMBAI DUBAI TRIVANDRUM MUSCAT / DUBAI COCHIN DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH SHIRAZ ABU DHABI BAHRAIN AHWAZ DUBAI BEIRUT DUBAI BAHRAIN SOHAG ALEXANDRIA / SOHAG DUBAI CAIRO WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN RIYADH DUBAI

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

QTR KAC SVA KAC KAC JZR QTR KAC JZR ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR JZR ABY JZR FDB ALK JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC JAI SYR FDB OMA VOS MEA KAC KAC DHX UAE KAC GFA QTR UAL AFG AIC JZR JZR JZR MSR DLH AXB JZR KLM JZR PIA

140 562 500 788 746 257 134 1802 535 303 857 215 510 777 239 127 213 63 227 177 166 542 618 786 614 102 674 572 341 61 647 81 402 552 512 372 859 172 217 136 981 405 981 135 787 185 612 636 389 539 447 481 205

DOHA AMMAN JEDDAH JEDDAH ABU DHABI / DAMMAM BEIRUT DOHA CAIRO CAIRO ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH DEIREZZOR / ALEPPO DUBAI COLOMBO / DUBAI DUBAI PARIS / ROME CAIRO DOHA JEDDAH BAHRAIN NEW YORK / LONDON DUBAI MUMBAI ALEPPO DUBAI MUSCAT BAGHDAD BEIRUT DAMASCUS TEHRAN BAHRAIN DUBAI FRANKFURT BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN KABUL / DUBAI CHENNAI / AHMEDABAD BAHRAIN RIYADH DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT KOZHIKODE / MANGALORE CAIRO AMSTERDAM / BAHRAIN SABIHA LAHORE

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

Airlines KAC AXB KAC DLH IAC MLR MEA THY ETH SWT MEA UAE FDB DHX ETD MSR QTR JZR JZR RJA GFA JZR BAW IRA FDB KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR KAC ETD GFA KAC IRA JZR IRC FCX MEA JZR KAC JZR KAC KAC

Flt 677 394 1541 637 976 1405 407 773 620 94 409 854 68 371 306 615 139 560 164 643 212 120 156 614 54 1801 534 171 671 745 256 561 787 856 126 133 117 302 214 773 602 212 6802 204 405 776 541 238 103 785

Departure Flights on Sunday 11/9/2011 Route DUBAI / MUSCAT COCHIN / KOZHIKODE CAIRO FRANKFURT GOA / CHENNAI COLOMBO BEIRUT ISTANBUL BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA DUBAI / KANDAHAR BEIRUT DUBAI DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA SOHAG DUBAI AMMAN BAHRAIN BAHRAIN LONDON SHAHRE KORD DUBAI CAIRO CAIRO FRANKFURT DUBAI DAMMAM / ABU DHABI BEIRUT AMMAN JEDDAH DUBAI SHARJAH DOHA NEW YORK ABU DHABI BAHRAIN RIYADH SHIRAZ DEIREZZOR / ALEPPO AHWAZ DUBAI BEIRUT JEDDAH CAIRO AMMAN LONDON JEDDAH

Time 0:10 0:15 0:30 0:40 0:50 1:15 1:45 2:15 2:30 3:30 3:45 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 4:05 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 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:25 9:40 9:50 10:00 10:00 10:15 10:20 10:20 10:25 10:50 11:15 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:00 12:10 12:30 13:30

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

RBG JZR MSR RJA FDB UAL KAC KAC KAC SVA JZR QTR KAC KAC JZR ETD QTR UAE GFA ABY JZR SVA FDB JZR JZR ALK JZR KAC KAC KAC JAI FDB SYR KAC KAC OMA MEA KAC DHX UAE GFA FCX QTR KAC KAC JZR JZR JZR KAC UAL MSR KAC

3554 176 611 641 58 982 551 673 617 503 480 141 613 511 538 304 135 858 216 128 184 511 64 786 204 228 134 1501 283 361 571 62 342 343 351 648 403 543 373 860 218 102 137 301 205 502 554 530 411 981 613 415

ALEXANDRIA DUBAI CAIRO AMMAN DUBAI BAHRAIN DAMASCUS DUBAI DOHA MEDINAH / JEDDAH SABIHA DOHA BAHRAIN TEHRAN CAIRO ABU DHABI DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI RIYADH DUBAI RIYADH DAMASCUS DUBAI / COLOMBO BAHRAIN BEIRUT DHAKA COLOMBO MUMBAI DUBAI ALEPPO CHENNAI COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT CAIRO BAHRAIN DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD LUXOR ALEXANDRIA ASSIUT BANGKOK / MANILA WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO KUALA LUMPUR / JAKARTA

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

34

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

stars CROSSWORD 435

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) Go out of your way to be most gentle as you communicate with seniors or young people. People respect your viewpoints and guidance. When you are critical it could be taken harshly, especially with young people. With your insights, you will find some problems of the past can be easily worked through. Do not take chances or risks just now—be satisfied with the ordinary. At heart, you have a deep sense of responsibility and this seriousness is genuine and felt by others. You seem to gravitate to those things which last and hold true. You manage to get down to the bare necessities of a matter. Law, religion and philosophy subjects of the most resolute kind hold your interest. There are many conversations around these subjects today.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You may appear very relaxed today. Everything seems to be working together and you may find yourself expressive and able to communicate well. Keeping your attitude positive may create some wonderful insights. A time of sudden jolts and realizations into some of the most sensitive and vulnerable areas of your inner self and psychology is available. There are breakthroughs regarding inner growth and transformation. This is a time during which you reach new levels in understanding life and death. Your own inner psychology and vulnerabilities are open to you at this time—almost as if in a waking dream. A renewed interest in exploring the realm of dreams and imagination finds you getting to the heart of your secret and sensitive areas.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. 3 to 30 gigahertz.

4. A board game in which players try to move their pieces into their opponent's bases.

9. Anything that serves as an enticement.

13. A unit of length of thread or yarn.

14. The principal evil jinni in Islamic mythology.

15. Edible starchy tuberous root of taro plants.

16. (Norse mythology) One of the Aesir known for his beauty and skill with bow and skis.

17. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds.

18. A golf shot that curves to the right for a right-handed golfer.

19. (Norse mythology) God of light and peace and noted for his beauty and sweet nature.

21. A genus of Stromateidae.

23. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

25. A branch of the Tai languages.

26. (Greek mythology) One of the three Graces.

28. A United Nations agency to promote trade by increasing the exchange stability of the major currencies.

32. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

33. One thousand periods per second.

35. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

37. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

41. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

42. Fallow deer.

44. A Dravidian language spoken in southern India.

46. A small cake leavened with yeast.

47. The compass point that is one point east of due south.

48. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that was formed by an explosion.

55. A Kwa language spoken by the Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria.

58. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

59. Extremely pleasing.

60. A person who has received a degree from a school (high school or college or university).

62. The syllable naming the first (tonic) note of any major scale in solmization.

63. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.

64. An unbroken series of events.

65. A period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event.

DOWN 1. Soft lump or unevenness in a yarn.

2. Goddess of the dead and queen of the underworld.

3. Cheap showy jewelry or ornament or clothing.

4. Of or relating to the language of the Hebrews.

5. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

6. A three-year law degree.

7. Large genus of evergreen lianas of tropical America.

8. Wild ginger.

9. Make less visible or unclear.

10. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.

11. Severe diabetes mellitus with an early onset.

12. 100 toea equal 1 kina.

20. East Indian tree bearing a profusion of intense vermilion velvet-textured blooms and yielding a yellow dye.

22. A message received and understood that reduces the recipient's uncertainty.

24. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

27. Offering fun and gaiety.

29. God of death.

30. Of or relating to or characteristic of the Republic of Chad or its people or language.

31. An amino acid that is found in the central nervous system.

34. Being ten more than one hundred ninety.

36. Long coarse hair growing from the crest of the animal's neck.

38. Tropical American tree with large peltate leaves and hollow stems.

39. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

40. Baked dish of layers of lasagna pasta with sauce and cheese and meat or vegetables.

43. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

45. The compass point that is one point east (clockwise) of due north.

49. A Kwa language spoken in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

50. A hazy or indistinct representation.

51. Pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness.

52. A Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria.

53. Little known Kamarupan languages.

54. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

56. The state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by.

57. In or of the month preceding the present one.

61. A state in northwestern North America.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Your taste in art and appreciation are heightened at this time. If you are planning to entertain, or be entertained, you have picked a great time. This is the perfect day to just enjoy expressing yourself, perhaps by writing out your plans or enjoying your talents. You may have some new ideas: a breakthrough in thinking. You find yourself at your most imaginative. Right now you have an opportunity to transcend the everyday thoughts and soar into more eternal musings. Obtaining and exchanging information takes on emotional significance. Being more involved with neighbors or sibling(s) this evening satisfies a deep emotional need. Catching up on family affairs is an important pastime this evening. Hugs and smiles are easy to find.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

You may be asked for your advice and counsel today. You are able to cut through the red tape and get at what is beneath and behind a problem very quickly. Your friends know that although your outer personality may look tough and self-centered, you are more sensitive to the needs and feelings of others than you seem. You are at your mental best with sharp ideas and clear thoughts. This is an excellent time to make decisions and take care of mental work.

Take a little trip, or get outside this afternoon. You may want to break your routine and try something new or different at this time. A new hobby or completing an old project around the house may be quite satisfying this evening. Insights into day-to-day problems are possible now.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You may find yourself speaking to a group of people today— you could be most persuasive with others and would do well if you are working to make a sale. There are opportunities for self-expression and creative ideas. Your surroundings, circumstances and support system are the key link in the chain of how you make your life decisions. The work that makes your heart sing may be another option for decision making, either for a change in profession, a hobby or a volunteer involvement. It is the satisfaction of a life well spent when you are doing something you love. A new cycle begins for you, signaling a greater than usual interest in relationships, social connections and the arts. You succeed in building on your love relationship at this time.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This is a very lucky day for making plans or decisions and finding your way through just about any problem you may discover. You feel successful and able to contend with difficulties. Let yourself dream today. Your dreams and ideals are the number-one component for action in your birth chart. You might take some time to reflect on your own situation, just how you feel about yourself. These days do not come too often—do not ignore this opportunity to let your imagination loose. Your imagination is crucial to your functioning. Perhaps a good book or movie will take on that more-than-real dimension. Family and friends are congenial and helpful. Your emotions and the feelings of those around you may be very clear. This is a productive day.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

You actively support your community and have much energy for improving your surroundings or life situations as well. You are very motivated to improve and to help others do the same. There could be some hard feelings if you become too aggressive—especially from young people.

Take some time with the young people around you to become involved in some games or sports. You can demonstrate great sensitivity to the needs of others just now because you listen. You are in a good position to communicate concerning groups and society in general. Law, politics, education, travel or religion may come into play today. You find it easy to solve the problems that present themselves and others benefit from this ability of yours.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Friends and young people gather around you today—fun is in the forecast. You appreciate your particular situation and enjoy support from those around you. There is an opportunity to show your appreciation to others. You may decide to take part of your day to organize your affairs or rearrange your living situation. Information that you have been examining and thinking about will now begin to take shape and prove useful to you. This next period is one of action and embarking on new projects. You will feel more and more confident and outgoing—a sense of confidence grows strong. You may enjoy a good movie or book or feel like escaping from day-to-day realities for a while this evening. You can appreciate an imaginative approach.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You will enjoy today as you should find everything running in a smooth manner. You may be inspired to appreciate the beauty in your life and in those around you. At the same time, everything will seem to take on an added value and importance. Be careful that you do not overspend or indulge too much just now. Enjoy. There is the possibility of new visions or sudden insights into your dreams. You may decide to remake your philosophy or religion. There are breakthroughs in compassion and communion. You could be moody and dreamy at this time. Your emotions and feelings could reach heights that are close to ecstatic. It is easy for you to find the proper motivation to fulfill your dreams. Air travel is in your future . . . plan early!

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Your thoughts and ideas today may not mesh with the plans and methods of someone you love. A compromise will make everyone happy. You may also have the opportunity to sit with children or help with groups of children this afternoon. You have more than just the gift of gab. Your words and ideas can transport and enchant listeners, carrying them beyond the world as they know it to be at the present and moving into the world as they wish it could be. You create change and help others to create change and in most positive ways. Your sense of what connects all of life is felt in your speech and in the way you communicate. You will enjoy helping a friend. Your wry sense of humor delights everyone. Good fortune is coming soon.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) This is a day for thinking and ideas. You may feel like talking a bit more than usual, exploring new ideas or getting happily lost in a conversation. There will be an urge to communicate. Also, perhaps a short trip or a special phone call is in order. Your high degree of mental concentration makes you an excellent student and if you are not involved in any sort of educational achievement you may want to do so now. This could be something as simple as taking a class in scuba diving or a writing class up to dating your working skills. You are able to excel in speaking, writing and all types of communication skills. Your ambitions go hand-inhand with communication and using the mind, and the two should never be far apart.

Friends want to play this evening. Enjoy!

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

There is much sexual appeal at this time. If you are not involved with a loved one you could find the phone ringing off the wall these days. You could be most influential in talking with others. The situation is a natural for self-expression and lends itself to your ideas and thoughts.

This is a time to take risks and dare to be a little unconventional. You will prosper through new insights, inventions and an independent point of view. However, you should be careful if you decide to shop today—compare prices. You may find yourself appreciating everything you see, which could lead to overspending or indulging too much. You may find yourself involved in competitive sports with friends later today and may enjoy the winning edge.

e niv rsar n

y

A

ISLAM

Years

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

i n f o r m at i o n

FIRE BRIGADE

112

Al-Madena

22418714

Al-Shohada’a

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

24812000

Al-Jahra

25610011

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

Hospitals Sabah Hospital

POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

Clinics Rabiya

4732263

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

AIRLINES

PHARMACIES ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Hawally

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Psychologists /Psychotherapists

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lifestyle

Reese Witherspoon hit by a car while jogging G O S S I P

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David Beckham cuts his own hair

he Oscar winning actress was in Santa Monica, near Los Angeles, when the vehicle struck her while travelling at around 20 miles per hour, and she was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police Sergeant Richard Lewis said: “The initial investigation revealed that the driver of the vehicle, an 84-year-old female resident of Santa Monica, was travelling southbound and

he soccer ace has sported a number of daring hairstyles during his career, including a Mohawk, and a shaved head, but insists he doesn’t spend a great deal of money on his hairstyles, and always makes a spur of the moment decision on whether change his locks. He told GQ magazine: “People try to read too much into it. Over the years they’ve said I’ve spent £2,000 on a hairstyle, which I’ve never done. Either a friend has cut it or I do it myself. “Sometimes, I wake up and I’m bored of it, I want to shave it off.

It literally is a spur of the moment decision. And I don’t think of anything apart from whether I am happy with it.” The 36-year-old hunk - who is married to fashion designer Victoria Beckham, with whom he has four children - is currently happy with a quaffed hairstyle, and although he could change it any moment, he insists there are certain styles he will not revisit. He added: “I’m getting older so I can’t pull off the Mohawk or the ponytail anymore.

The way I’ve got it at the moment, my wife likes it, my kids like it, so I’m happy with it. But that could all change in the morning.”

her ex-husband Ryan Phillippe - had to wear a soft cast on her left foot after badly twisting her ankle.

Thankfully that injury happened after her March wedding to Hollywood agent Jim Toth, during which she wore a pair of skyscraper heels, although she was quick to swap them for cowboy boots at her reception as they were more comfortable for her to dance in.

struck a female pedestrian jogging westbound within an unmarked crosswalk.” The driver of the car was given a citation for failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk. The ‘Walk the Line’ star’s spokesperson, Nanci Ryder, told E! News she was not seriously hurt in the accident and is now “resting comfortably at home”. Earlier this year, Reese who has two children, Ava, 12, and Deacon, 8, with

Jonas makes comeback to Broadway he 18-year-old singer - who has previously appeared in musicals ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Hairspray’ - will now tread the boards in ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’. Portraying the lead role of J Pierrepont Finch, Nick - who also joins older brothers Kevin and Joe in pop group the Jonas Brothers - will succeed ‘Harry Potter’ actor Daniel Radcliffe and ‘Glee’ star Darren Criss when he takes on the part in 2012. Writing on his twitter page, he said: “It’s official. I’m coming back to Broadway. So excited & honored to play the role of J Pierrepont Finch in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying next year! (sic)” However, Nick assured Jonas Brothers fans that while the trio are pursuing individual projects for the time being, they plan to reunite to make music again at some point in the future. He tweeted: “The three of us are so thrilled to support each other in our individual projects knowing we’ll come back together again one day. (sic)”

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Ellen DeGeneres kicks mom’s boyfriends out

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Evan Rachel gets her teeth knocked out he ‘True Blood’ actress was celebrating her 24th birthday with friends when an erratic reveler’s wayward elbow hit her in the face, knocking a tooth out and giving her a fat lip. A representative for the star confirmed to website TMZ she will continue her current tour of Europe promoting her film ‘Ides of March’ - which co-stars George Clooney and

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he multi-award winning star - who recently starred in ‘Horrible Bosses’ with Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell - admitted he had a tough time in Junior High when he was ridiculed by his classmates for wanting to be an actor. Speaking at the launch of the Amex Be Inspired campaign in London yesterday, he told BANG Showbiz: “I like working with these kids at the Prince’s Trust because I was one of these kids once upon a time. When I was growing up and I know sometimes this can be hard for people to imagine after you become successful that you were ever at one point in your life shy and had a difficult time expressing yourself but that was me when I was in Junior High. I was the drama geek that people made fun of in school.” However, Kevin’s life was turned around when he got the opportunity to take part in a drama class with his idol Jack Lemmon and he hasn’t looked back since. He explained: “I was lucky because I got this incredible opportunity through my drama class, because I got to take part in a theatre workshop being run by one of my idols, the incredible Jack Lemmon. I was 14 years old and I cannot tell you what it meant to me as this young kid with a dream of being an actor but hadn’t had the experiences that gave me a sense of confidence but after I finished doing a scene, Jack came up to me and goes, ‘That was terrific kid, you should be doing this professionally. What’s your name?’ “It just gave me this incredible sense of, ‘Wow this person I admire so much has just praised me,’ and it just shows what can happen when adults can say just the right thing at just the right moment to a young person. Without question it changed my life and amazingly 13 years later I got to play the role of Jack Lemmon’s son in a Broadway production of ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’ which was one of my first big parts. One of the things Jack said consistently was that if you’ve done well in the profession that you want to succeed in, you have a responsibility to send the elevator back down and help those on the way up and I always thought that was a really succinct way of putting it and that’s what I try to do - send the elevator back down.”

R yan Gosling - but has already made an appointment with a dentist to have the gnasher replaced. Evan - who was at one time engaged to shock rocker Marilyn Manson recently revealed she isn’t ready to be in a relationship with anyone at the moment. She said in June: “I’ve stayed single since last summer. I was in relationship after relationship and

everyone told me, ‘You need to spend some time alone and get to know yourself,’ and I was terrified of doing that, but now I’m so glad that I’ve taken this time. “But I don’t even have rules about dating guys or girls. I’m open. I’m attracted to people’s confidence, rather than what they are - the way they carry themselves and their personalities.” —Bang Showbiz

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he talk show host was 13 when her parents split after almost 20 years of marriage and she admits she took on the parental role with her mum and had to get rid of some of the “horrible men” who came into the lives. She told Good Housekeeping magazine: “My mom had some really bad things happen in her life, and she’s a trouper. She’s tougher than I am, I’d say. When my parents divorced, it was my mother and me, by ourselves in an apartment. At that point, we kind of became roommates. I was 13 years old. She’d been married for almost 20 years, and I watched her go through a tough time, trying to date, trying to figure things out. She dated some horrible men whom I had to kick out of the house. So, at 13, I kind of became an adult and was taking care of her ... watching her struggle. It made me go, ‘Oh, you’re my mom, but you’re just a human being.’ I saw her in a different role all of a sudden.” While her childhood wasn’t always idyllic, Ellen - who is married to actress Portia de Rossi - says she’s never been happier than she is now. The 53-year-old revealed: “Well, I’m definitely happier than I’ve ever been. I assume tomorrow I’ll be happier than today, because things are great. I have a great career and I have wonderful fans who really are supportive and loyal - because I’m not hiding anything from them. So, on the spectrum of happiness, I’m pretty high up there.”

Lady Gaga is dating new actor T

he 25-year-old singer met 30-year-old Taylor Kinney -who is best known for his role as a werewolf on TV show ‘The Vampire Diaries’ - on the set of the shoot for the single which she wrote about her exboyfriend Luc Carl, and the pair were spotted in a clinch at a beachside bar in California this week. A source told RadarOnline.com: “It was just casual at first, but things are getting pretty hot and heavy. “I couldn’t tell it was her at first. It just looked like some hot couple making out, but then I realized it was Lady Gaga!

Everyone went nuts! She was so sweet too she even signed some autographs.” Gaga who split from Luc for the second time earlier this year - has previously revealed she gets emotional when she sings the song ‘You and I’ because it brings up memories from their past relationship. She explained: “ There is not one song on any of my records that wasn’t written by me, and I think when you write your own music you find ways to reinvent [the songs] emotionally through yourself and performance so that they are different every night and that song you know, sometimes it’s about the guys and sometimes it’s about the fans.”

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Years

lifestyle

This picture shows a worker walking past a row of French army tanks still kept as war relics from the historic battle of Dien Bien Phu. — AFP

This picture shows mini models of Dien Bien Phu victory monument being displayed for sale at a tourist souvenir shop next to the former French command post at Dien Bien Phu. — AFP

Historic

Vietnam site in new battle with tourism

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anks, artillery pieces and other relics of war are still scattered around the valley where Vietnamese forces won a decisive victory over the French at Dien Bien Phu nearly 60 years ago.But a new battle-to attract more visitors to the historic site and boost the impoverished region’s earnings from tourism-is tough going for the descendants of the triumphant troops.

Efforts to restore the weaponry and other reminders of combat are slowly attracting more travelers, helped by improved road access, according to local tourism officials. Yet the remote area in northwestern Vietnam on the Lao border is still struggling to meet its goal of making tourism the leading industry in the province. “Most of our clients, notably foreigners, have deplored the bad state of infrastructure and the quality of service here,” said Tran Thu Nga, 47, who operates the small May Hong hotel in Dien Bien city, the provincial capital. “We don’t have as many geographic and logistical advantages as our colleagues” at the country’s popular coastal beach resorts, she said. Those who make the effort to reach Dien Bien Phu find that authorities have preserved many reminders of the 56-day battle, which ended on May 7, 1954 and was the critical event in Vietnam’s emergence as an independent nation. “This is one of the places where the wars in Indochina are clearly represented” with a full display of relics,

visiting Australian David Smith said. “It was a decisive battle... makes for more of a landmark, I suppose.” The bearded lawyer said he stopped in Dien Bien city on his way to Laos from the better-known tourist destination of Sapa, and it was a shame that other Westerners on his bus just continued on.

One complaint is about the lack of English spoken in the historic locale-unlike Vietnam’s bigger cities or resorts. “It was difficult to get a menu last night,” Smith said. Signs at the war relics are only in Vietnamese, not English or French, which is rarely spoken in the country these days. Vietnam’s National Tourism Administration has acknowledged that service standards need to be improved in the country, which saw five million visitors last year, a figure far below Thailand and other neighbors. The battle at Dien Bien Phu saw the forces of legendary General Vo Nguyen Giap-who marked his 100th birthday on August 25 — haul artillery through the jungle to pound the French led by Colonel Christian de Castries, whose dank, dimly-lit four-room command bunker has been partially restored. Much more of the original command site is to be recreated in future, said local tourism official Doan Van Chi. The battle led to the collapse of France’s colonial empire but cost thousands of lives on both sides. A network of trenches has been re-created on Hill A-1 — known as “Eliane” to the French-where some of the most brutal fighting took place.

Sept 11 art show stands out for what it avoids

Soaked in blood during the battle, the site is now a peaceful and park-like memorial in Dien Bien’s city centre. It looks out towards row after row of identical headstones in the distant cemetery for Vietnamese fighters who died.

Near de Castries’ bunker, a white obelisk in a peaceful garden commemorates French casualties. Unlike other Dien Bien Phu monuments, this was a private initiative by a Foreign Legionnaire who fought in the battle Chi says Dien Bien wants to draw not only history buffs but also eco-tourists who can enjoy its natural attractions, as well as people looking to experience local ethnic culture with a homestay.

Most of Dien Bien’s 500,000 residents are ethnic Thai and Hmong. Although there are two flights a day from Hanoi, travelers usually arrive by road and as the route has improved, more are coming, Chi said. “Even just three years ago, part of the road was still very bad,” he said. The winding journey from Hanoi still takes about 11 hours. Despite its isolation and other challenges, Chi says tourist numbers to the province have “grown remarkably”, from more than 70,000 in 2000 to 300,000 last year, although not all visit the war relics. That figure included 50,000 foreigners-mostly from France-about one percent of Vietnam’s total number of overseas visitors.

“The number of tourists to our province keeps increasing over the past few years because in 2002 the government

British sculptor’s work to make rare US appearance

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ony Cragg, a British-born sculptor who rose to prominence in the 1980s making sculptures solely from materials he found, is opening his first major US exhibition in almost 20 years. The exhibit, “Tony Cragg: Seeing Things,” runs through Jan 8 at the Nasher Sculpture Center and features about 30 sculptures, most of which were made in the last decade. “Tony Cragg is widely held as one of the most important artists of our times, particularly in sculpture,” said museum curator Jed Morse.

“I think he’s incredibly inventive and unlike a lot of artists he doesn’t have a signature style,” Morse said. “He has an incredibly diverse body of work.” Cragg’s work has been featured in galleries and museums all over the world, but his last major US exhibition ended in 1992 and Morse said he thinks the Dallas show was long

Indian artist Harwinder Singh Gill displays a model of the September 11, 2001 attack on New York’s World Trade Center’s twin towers in Amritsar yesterday. Gill said that he made the models as a tribute to the people who lost their lives during the September 11 attacks, on the eve of the anniversary. — AFP

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he attacks of September 11, 2001 were the most witnessed disaster in history, yet to capture their impact, a new exhibit has no art, pictures or music depicting that fateful day. Works in the show, “September 11,” opening on Sunday at New York’s MoMA PS1, make reference to the World Trade Center towers or to a blue and sunny sky reminiscent of that day, but let viewers make their own connections to the deadly attacks. In fact, most of the 70 or so works in the exhibit at MoMA PS1, the Museum of Modern Art’s satellite location in the New York City borough of Queens, were made before 2001.

Selected from a wide-swath of contemporary artists, with some work dating back to the 1960s, the exhibit is meant to trigger memories and emotions 10 years after planes crashed into the twin towers, bringing them down and killing thousands of people, without addressing that day explicitly. “There were certain things that we did not want to see, I think in part because of how much we have been forced to see,” said MoMA PS1 curator Peter Eleey, describing the challenge of assembling an art show on the well-documented tragedy.

The torrent of images from Sept 11, Eleey said, “dramatically complicated how art could respond.” So, he chose instead to avoid showcasing it directly. Curators installed a 1999 audio recording called “World Trade Center Recordings: Winds after Hurricane Floyd” by artist Stephen Vitello in the basement boiler room of the museum. The recording is of eerie creaks and groans of the skyscrapers as they were buffeted by a hurricane. An untitled 2008 work by artist Roger Hiorns consists of mounds of silvery dust of a pulverized passenger aircraft engine spread on the floor in a seemingly haphazard way. A photograph by American artist William Eggleston of a hand twirling a colorful iced drink in the sunny cabin of an airplane might bring to mind how an ordinary flight turned into a hellish nightmare. —Reuters

approved the project to preserve the relics,” Chi said. The problem, he added, is that tourists don’t stay long or spend enough. Tourism ranks as the number-two earner for the province, whose economy was estimated at 1.8 trillion dong ($85 million) in 2009. “It is our target to turn tourism into the key sector for economic development,” he said. Dien Bien is working with other provinces to woo tourists and recently a team visited northern Laos, where the World Heritage site of Luang Prabang is a major draw, to look at ways of boosting travel between the two regions.

“I know the provincial officials have made a lot of effort but we still need several years to transform Dien Bien into a real tourist zone,” said Nga, the hotel owner. At the 50th anniversary of Vietnam’s Dien Bien Phu victory seven years ago, the authorities inaugurated a grandiose North Korean-style monument that overlooks the city. Parts of it are now crumbling and six former officials were jailed this year for corruption over the sub-standard construction.

For Dutch tourist Kim Van Denengel, 23, and her Belgian companion Fien Hiel, 22, the monument offered a scenic place to read a book on their brief, incidental stopover. “We passed through from Laos to Sapa,” Van Denengel said, illustrating the challenge in making the area a destination in itself. “We didn’t just come for Dien Bien Phu.” — AFP

overdue. “He’s been doing so much fantastic work that hasn’t been available for the general museum going audience in the United States,” Morse said. Cragg said his work has evolved from working with found materials, which he did into the 1980s, to using materials like wood and metals to create different forms. “The work now is much more reliant on controlling the materials, making new forms with material,” he said. Among the works featured in the exhibit are sculptures that, when viewed from a certain angle, reveal faces. Another piece is comprised of a wooden boat covered in metal hooks with all of its contents covered in the hooks as well.

The boat, he said, is “a little bit a viral work.”

“Viruses attach to things. It gives the whole work an energy,” he said. Another sculpture is completely covered in dice. Inspired, he said, after

spotting a bag of dice in a second-hand store.

Some of his sculptures represent forms morphing into other forms. One sculpture, for instance, portrays several vessels morphing into each other, including a shampoo bottle morphing into a disinfectant bottle.

“You work with it until you make a new form, which is a completely new form,” he said. Morse said Cragg’s works are “incredibly imaginative forms that are evocative of so many things.”

Cragg, who had an exhibition at the Louvre in Paris this year that included one of his works being placed beneath the museum’s pyramid, was born in Liverpool in 1949 but has lived and worked in Germany since the late 1970s. The Nasher Sculpture Center, located in downtown Dallas, is dedicated to the study and display of modern and contemporary sculpture. — AP

Tiger in love triangle kills mate at Texas zoo

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female tiger, caught in a feline love triangle, has killed her mate at a West Texas zoo, authorities said on Friday, in a rare attack that came after months of simmering jealousy. Threeyear-old Malayan tiger Seri killed 6-year-old Wzui at about 4 pm on Thursday in an enclosure at El Paso Zoo, zoo spokeswoman Karla Martinez said on Friday, As soon as the incident was reported, zookeepers closed the tiger exhibit and veterinary staff were called. They examined Wzui, and found he was dead.

“Tragic incidents such as this are not unheard of but we don’t consider this common,” zoo Director Steve Marshall said. Marshall described the deceased tiger as very down to earth and loving and said he would “be greatly missed.” Malayan tigers are a critically endangered species, with just 500 or so of the animals remaining in the wilds of Thailand and Malaysia, according to the World Wide Fund For Nature. Both Seri and Wzui were on loan from other zoos as part of the American Zoo Association’s Species Survival Plan to aid in their conservation through captive breeding. Marshall said keepers had not observed any signs of aggression leading up to the attack, and that the two cats had been seen playing affectionately at the exhibit earlier in the day. However, in June, zoo authorities reported what they called a “tiger love triangle” between Seri, Wzui and a 15-year-old female called Meli, who was transferred to El Paso from a zoo in Fresno, California, in 2001. “The male tiger Wzui likes both females, but the two females don’t like each other,” the zoo said in a press release dated June 14. “The girls are jealous of each other,” collections Supervisor Griselda Martinez said. Staff expect that another tiger will be transferred to the El Paso Zoo to replace Wzui for breeding purposes. — Reuters

Chinese lanterns are on display at a Chinese temple as part of celebrations for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival on Penang Island, Malaysia yesterday. —AP

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Years

lifestyle

Broadway performers sing “New York, New York” during an event commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Sept 11 attacks, Friday Sept 9, 2011 in New York’s Duffy Square. —AP

with iconic song J

oel Grey, Kara DioGuardi, Bebe Neuwirth, Ben Vereen and Brian Stokes Mitchell - along with sailors, nuns, drag queens, ballerinas and a Spider-Man - helped mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks with a full-throated reprise of the song “New York, New York.” The stars and cast members from musicals like “The Book of Mormon,” “Anything Goes” and “Priscilla Queen of the

Desert, the Musical” gathered in Times Square on Friday to belt out the John Kander and Fred Ebb song made famous by Frank Sinatra.

The event was put on to support the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance’s “I Will Campaign,” which asks people to observe the anniversary by performing good deeds, supporting charitable causes, volunteering and engaging in acts of

China wonderkid is ‘role model’ to 50 million pianists

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e won international recognition as a classical pianist when he was in his teens. Now aged 28, Chinese prodigy Yundi Li sees himself as a model to millions of young musicians in his home country. “Now in China there are 50 million people studying the piano, it is a big musical country,” Yundi said in an interview with AFP in Bucharest where he performed during the 20th Enescu music festival. “My responsibility is to support young musicians. I want to be a role model for them and use my energy to help them grow.” Wearing jeans and a white T-shirt and looking still like a teenager, an easy-going Yundi speaks passionately about the “king of the piano”, Frederic Chopin, the composer to whom he owes his first major international prize. It was in 2000, just two weeks after turning 18, that he received top honours at the 14th international Yundi Li Frederic Chopin piano competition in Warsaw, becoming the youngest contestant in history to claim the first prize.

“I have the chance to continue to represent Chopin’s music for the younger generation, to have more people listen and understand his music, his thoughts, his heart,” he said, in fluent English. In Romania this week, he drew a standing ovation from an audience of connoisseurs with an all-Chopin program. Going from Nocturnes to Mazurkas to the Sonata 2 opus 35 (the Funeral March), he displayed emotion and remarkable technique, winning the public’s hearts and eliciting an avalanche of enthusiastic bravos.

“Music inspires me, music is the only way to communicate with the world without language, it can bring together people from different cultures. “This is the power of music and it is an unbelievable experience for me.” The pianist, who received strict education from his parents and drew inspiration from his mother, an occasional ballet dancer, visibly enjoys his popularity and smiles when told he is often compared to a rock star. “My generation is the 1980s generation and the first one really to have got on the international stage of music.”“That brought a lot of interest and hope for families and for kids. I think it was my luck to be born in this time,” he said.

After spending several years in Germany, at Hannover, where he studied with Israeli classical pianist Arie Vardi, he returned to his homeland and now lives in Hong Kong.

But he continues touring the world, and has already given 70 performances since the beginning of the year. The young pianist said he wants to see the world “understand more about China and its culture”, adding that he recently recorded traditional Chinese folk melodies but also worldpremiere songs and planned to promote Chinese keyboard music.

“China has a long history in culture. Now there is even more care about education and especially about music, and every city is building its own concert hall,” he stressed.

He also said his passion for music means more to him than fame. “It does not matter if I am famous as long as I am on stage and enjoy performing.” —AFP

compassion. “Each of us has a gift.

Each of us has something that we have been given. Each of us has something that we can share with others.

That’s part of what today is about: using the gifts that we were given to make the world a better place,” Mitchell said.

The event drew together puppeteers from “War Horse,” singing nuns from “Sister Act,” sailors from

“Anything Goes,” crooners from “Jersey Boys,” colorfully-dressed drag queens from “Priscilla Queen of the Desert,” dancing children from “Billy Elliot: The Musical,” Reeve Carney of “SpiderMan: Turn Off the Dark” and the four main actors in “The Book of Mormon” Andrew Rannells, Josh Gad, Nikki M James and Rory O’Malley.

Firefighters from a nearby firehouse were saluted and New York

police officer Daniel Rodriguez also sang an operatic “God Bless America.”

As the sun moved away and left the square in darkness, the Broadway singers lifted their voices and arms as they sang the city’s anthem. The miniconcert was a replay of what the Broadway community sang 10 years ago to promote theater in New York City following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. One newcomer this time was

DioGuardi, the songwriter and ex”American Idol” judge who has begun performances in the musical “Chicago.” “I think it’s really important that everyone on the day remember to take some time out to remember the people we lost and hopefully help someone in need,” she said. —AP

Film casts Palin as resentful grudge-holder A

documentary about Sarah Palin depicts the Tea Party idol and former vice presidential candidate as a woman with enormous personal charm but merciless vindictiveness. Director Nick Broomfield’s “Sarah Palin: You Betcha!”, which is playing at the Toronto International Film Festival, offers a glimpse of the former Alaska governor from interviews with family, including her parents, and former friends and associates. It screened Friday for reporters ahead of its official festival premiere today.

Palin comes across as a woman known for ruthlessly firing people and holding spiteful grudges, leaving many Alaskans worried to talk about her for fear of reprisals, whether from Palin or her supporters.

“I think that beneath the charisma, which she undoubtedly has, and her ability to engage with people, which she undoubtedly can do, there was a sense of fear about her vindictiveness,” Broomfield said in an interview before the festival.

“That she would go to the ends of the earth once you became an enemy to vilify you.

Not to just fire you from a job but make you unemployable anywhere.” Several former supporters say the phrase often used in Palin’s circle was throwing people “under the bus.”

Broomfield spent 10 weeks in the winter in Palin’s hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, where she was mayor before being electing governor and becoming Republican presi-

dential contender John McCain’s running mate in 2008. In Alaska, Broomfield interviewed Palin’s parents, along with supporters, former friends and longtime enemies.

betcha I could do that.”

Palin never did give him an interview.

Broomfield, whose previous films include the musician portraits “Biggie and Tupac”

In this image released by the Toronto International Film Festival, director Nick Broomfield poses with a cardboard cut-out of former Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a scene from the documentary “Sarah Palin. —AP Palin appears in book signings and other public appearances, and the film gets its title from Palin’s catch-phrase - “You betcha” - which she echoed when Broomfield asks her for an interview and she replies, “I’ll

and “Kurt and Courtney,” said he approached Palin with an open mind, intending to make the film a diary of his findings “rather than going out to nail her.”

“I think what you get is an unauthorized

portrait of her from the people who know her best. Friends and family and colleagues,” Broomfield said. “I think you get a very accurate portrait of her way of being and working.” It’s not a flattering portrait.

Former friends and colleagues say Palin is a master of engaging with people one-onone but that once elected governor, she was disinterested in legislative business, spending her time in meetings texting on her Blackberrys.

Broomfield digs up footage of Palin playing high school basketball, competing in beauty pageants and muffing a TV sports report in college, when she aspired to a broadcasting career. The film includes embarrassing moments of Palin as governor, too, among them a holiday newscast shortly after her and McCain’s 2008 defeat in which Palin discusses the fun she had in a turkey-pardoning event, while other turkeys are being bloodily slaughtered right behind her. Throughout the film, Broomfield persists in seeking an interview with Palin. He finally went to a Palin event with a question-and-answer session, where he shouted out to her, “Do you think your political career is over?” After a swig from a water bottle, Palin gestured at her supportive crowd and said, “Ask these people.” The crowd cheered, and Broomfield was escorted out by security. —AP

Collaboration results in sweet ‘Dreams’ for Nicks

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Stevie Nicks performs at the “Good Morning America” GMA Summer Concert series at Central Park in New York City. —MCT

tevie Nicks has her own way of doing things. And why shouldn’t she? The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer with five platinum albums to her name, not to mention all her work with Fleetwood Mac, has done pretty well for herself. So when producer Dave Stewart, of Eurythmics fame, showed up at her house one day, guitar in hand, expecting to write a song with a woman who has written alone for decades, Nicks was taken aback. “He just said, ‘I like this poem.

Let’s do this one,’” says Nicks, calling from her home in Los Angeles. “I’m thinking, ‘OK, he doesn’t really think we’re going to write a song here in the room together.’ Then, he just started playing and he said, ‘Chime in.’ And I’m like, ‘OK,’ and I start reading my poem and pretty soon a melody started to happen, and in 20 minutes, ‘You May Be the One,’ which is a pretty serious song, was done.”

For Nicks, it was an epiphany. “I got it,” she says. “I understand why people

write together who don’t have to write together. I understand Paul and John, and Rodgers and Hart, and Carole King and Gerry Goffin. ... They didn’t need to write together. They could write just great on their own. So why did they? Well, now I know.” Nicks says the sessions that became her recent album “In Your Dreams” (Reprise) were so good that she thought, “Oh, my god, I’m never gonna make a record this good again.”

“This record is what we would call in San Francisco in the ‘60s a ‘happening,’” she says. “Every part of it was so much fun. It was glorious. It was really the best year of my life. It had everything that I love. It had craziness, and we set up a very romantic setting.

There were a lot of people here, and we had dinners every night, where we stopped and talked about the world. ... We created a Parisian salon in the ‘20s in my house. Friends came, and they asked if they could listen, and we

said, ‘Sure, come on,’ because it was a very open thing. Everybody was welcome. It was a very easygoing, freeflowing musical thing.”

The result of those sessions is Nicks’ most eclectic-sounding solo album yet, from the classic-sounding single “Secret Love” to the upbeat comfort of the title track to the stunning blues of “Soldier’s Angel,” inspired by a visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

“I walked in having no idea what to expect,” says Nicks, who visited the hospital in 2006 during a Fleetwood Mac tour. “I was there for six or seven hours and probably saw 25 to 30 soldiers. When I was leaving, we found ourselves in this giant entryway, in the middle of this raging medevac. It was filled with doctors and nurses, and they were trying to get us out of the way, but they couldn’t find our car. —MCT

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Venice film festival nears end, contest wide open T

he Venice film festival ends yesterday with the award of the coveted Golden Lion for best picture, but critics struggled to name their favorite in a year that had plenty of good films but few, if any, great ones. The 2011 competition lineup boasted 23 movies, ranging from George Clooney’s political thriller “The Ides of March” to the odd-ball, low-budget Greek tragedy “Alps.” Outside the main line-up, and ineligible for awards, were Steven Soderbergh’s all-star “Contagion” and Madonna’s second feature as director, “W.E.,” about Wallis Simpson and her affair with Britain’s King Edward VIII. Those two pictures bumped up the star-power-a vital ingredient to a successful film festival-and Madonna, Clooney, Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet and Al Pacino were among the Alisters on the red carpet this year. One notable absentee was Roman Polanski, unable to travel for fear of being extradited to the United States for a sex crime, but

his “Carnage” was nonetheless among the favorites for the top prize. The adaptation of a play takes place in real time in a New York apartment, giving it a theatrical feel, and the comedy of manners and sharp critique of U.S. middle class mores impressed the critics. Clooney’s The Ides of March, also based on a play, starred Clooney himself, Ryan Gosling and Philip Seymour Hoffman in a slick take on corruption in U.S. politics.

Books to screen Popular literary adaptions included Russian director Alexander Sokurov’s reworking of Goethe’s “Faust” and Briton Andrea Arnold’s visceral interpretation of Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights.”

Swedish film maker Tomas Alfredson took on John Le Carre’s notoriously complex Cold War spy classic “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” and won almost universal praise for a taught, well-acted drama full of tension. In Gary Oldman he also got one of the performances of the festival as George

Smiley, the British spy immortalized by Alec Guinness in the 1970s British television series.

“This beautifully modulated piece of underacting deserves to make him a strong contender at next year’s Oscars,” Chris Tookey wrote of Oldman in the Daily Mail. Irishman Michael Fassbender was also tipped for the best actor award for his performance as a sex addict in “Shame,” itself a frontrunner for the Golden Lion.

And Matthew McConaughey took some viewers by surprise with an unusually dark turn as a cop turned bad in “Killer Joe.” Hong Kong film maker Ann Hui won plaudits for her ode to the elderly “A Simple Life,” while Italian entry L’Ultimo Terrestre” (Last Man on Earth) would be the first home win in Venice since 1998.

Soderbergh’s Contagion, while out of competition, was a critical hit for its wellstructured account of a disease that spreads around the world claiming millions of lives. Madonna’s W E was less well

John Wayne’s personal items E are up for auction Ethan Wayne, the youngest child of the late movie actor John Wayne, poses for a portrait with some of his father’s personal possessions. —MCT photos

In this copy photograph, Ethan Wayne, the youngest child of the late movie actor John Wayne is seen with his dad on a movie set.

The auction catalogue, “The Personal Property of John Wayne,” contains photographs, descriptions and estimated values.

High-profile women look back on life in ‘Tanner Hall’

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atiana von Furstenberg and Francesca Gregorini may be first-time filmmakers telling a tale of growing up as privileged kids at boarding school, but their backgrounds suggest they know what they are talking about.

Von Furstenberg, daughter of fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, and Gregorini, daughter of actress Barbara Bach and stepdaughter of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, met at Brown University and have been inseparable ever since. Now the two have co-written and directed “Tanner Hall,” a coming-of-age tale of two girls learning about life, love and friendship in theaters on Friday. Filmed in 2008, the ensemble cast stars Mara Rooney, who went on to star in “The Social Network” and the upcoming “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” Von Furstenberg, 40, and Gregorini, 43, sat down with Reuters to talk about the film, their friendship and growing up with famous parents.

Q: Why set “Tanner Hall” at a boarding school?

Von Furstenberg: “Adolescence is about emerging into adulthood but still being dense with childhood. Francesca and I met during adolescence, so many of our stories went to that.”

Gregorini: “All the characters are composites of ourselves and experiences we’ve had or heard about at boarding school.”

Q: Tatiana, did you ask your mom for help on the wardrobe?

A: “She did the school uniforms, which was a large piece of the costuming. We had three weeks of pre-production on a very tight budget-under $3 million, but probably closer to $2 (million). My mom really delivered for us.”

Q: How do you co-direct?

Gregorini: “We had a kind of unspoken rule between us that whoever felt more passionate about a certain decision, then they got their way. We did many takes so if Tatiana didn’t like something she would make a change and we’d go again.”

Q: Was your friendship ever tested?

Gregorini: “It was tested in editing. (laughs) There were a lot of lessons we had to learn.”

Q: What happened?

Von Furstenberg: “Francesca and I have very different work styles. She’s very slow and thorough in combing through things, and I tend to just trust my judgment on the first throw up.”

Gregorini: “The editing process is the final word. It’s your last chance to put together your movie. Deciding on takes was grating after a while.”

Q: Do you think you will direct together again?

Gregorini: “I’m the eternal optimist and I want to say yes. However I can guarantee you that we’re both going to do a separate film each after this. We may come on to produce the other person’s film because we’re such an amazing support system for each other.”

Q: Being so close, does that ever affect the other relationships in your lives?

Gregorini: “Yes. I think it takes a very secure person to walk into what we have and find a place that feels safe and true and meaningful.

We are very close and finish each others sentences and talk daily. We’re sisters. I consider Tatiana family. She’s not a negotiable piece of my life.”

Q: How does your past influence you as filmmakers?

Von Furstenberg: “In pre-production, we’re taking executive risks, signing contracts with guilds and unions and overnight having an entire team that we need to lead. I’d been around risk taking executive decisions my entire life so it felt natural. I had not awoken that part of me before.”

Gregorini: “Yeah, we all saw this side of her come to the fore, which was very necessary to navigate the waters that we were heading into.”

Von Furstenberg: “With Francesca, I think that because she grew up with a James Bond girl her as her mother, there’s a certain sensibility in having been on film sets as a young child and backstage with the Beatles. She knows how to make things larger than life, which is why you want to see a movie.”

Gregorini: “When the bar (with your parents) is that high, you’re not going to cross it. So it’s kind of liberating because you get to be yourself and do what you want to do. No matter what achievements I do in my life, I’m not going to be a Beatle. And that’s okay (laughs) I made my peace with that early on and find liberation in being the artist that I am.” —Reuters

received, although some reviewers pondered whether she was being judged unduly harshly because of her fame as a pop star.

Head of the jury Darren Aronofsky knows all about the ups and downs of launching movies in Venice. He won the competition in 2008 with “The Wrestler” and two years later “Black Swan” went on to earn a slew of Oscar nominations, and a best actress Academy Award for Natalie Portman. But his “The Fountain,” in competition in Venice in 2006, was a critical flop. —Reuters

than Wayne, the youngest son of Hollywood legend John Wayne, hates to have anything in his pockets because as a young boy he couldn’t go out of the house with his dad without a stack of business cards that read, “Good Luck, John Wayne” on one side and the Duke’s name typed on the other side stuffed in his pockets. “He would always take care of the fans no matter how busy he got,” said Wayne, 49, who is named after his father’s character in John Ford’s influential 1956 Western “The Searchers.”

“If he couldn’t sign (an autograph) or talk to them, they at least got a card,” said Wayne. “I would say to him, ‘Dad, why do we have to talk to this guy?’ He’d say, ‘Son, because these are the people who allow me to do what I do.’ Because they watched his films he was allowed to do what he did and live a certain lifestyle and take care of his family way until his late 60s. He was always astonished (by his success).”

Since 2003, Ethan Wayne has headed John Wayne Enterprises in Newport Beach, Calif., which is owned by the Duke’s children and grandchildren and whose primary mission is to preserve and protect the name, likeness and image of the larger-than-life movie star. He also has such a large collection of his father’s movie memorabilia that he has opened his archives for auction. “We get phone calls here, not daily anymore, but certainly weekly from fans saying, ‘How can I get one of your dad’s vests from this film or these films?’” said Wayne, sitting in a conference room at his office. “People have been calling for 32 years. His films affected people and they have a personal relationship with the guy and they want that connection. I remember how important the fans were to my father.”

As a result of that continuing interest,

Director Marco Bellocchio holds aloft the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 68th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice. —AP

Wayne has joined with Heritage Auctions in Dallas to conduct the first single-owner auction from Wayne’s personal collection.

Public exhibitions will be held in Dallas on Sept. 16-18 and in New York on Sept. 2326. An exhibit and the auction itself will take place at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and also online Oct 3-6. Among the items being offered are the actor’s Golden Globe for “True Grit” - with an estimated value of $50,000 - one of his eye patches from the movie, plus 400 other costumes, scripts, personal documents and awards.

“We tried to create a broad, honest sampling of this guy’s life and all the stuff that he kept,” said Wayne. Though the actor most widely known for his Westerns died of cancer in 1979 at the age of 72, his popularity remains unparalleled. A Harris poll released earlier this year listed Wayne as America’s No. 3 favorite actor after Johnny Depp and Denzel Washington.

Wayne won the lead actor Oscar as the wily one-eyed marshal Rooster Cogburn in 1969’s “True Grit,” and starred in some of the most respected films of the 20th century, working with John Ford on such acclaimed movies as 1939’s “Stagecoach,” 1948’s “Fort Apache,” 1949’s “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” and 1952’s “The Quiet Man.” He also appeared in director Howard Hawks’“Red River” in 1948, 1959’s “Rio Bravo” and 1962’s “Hatari.”

Selecting what would be in the auction was a difficult decision, said Wayne, who has worked as an actor and stuntman, and starred opposite his dad in 1971’s “Big Jake.”“No matter what you do, someone is going to be looking over your shoulder saying that it’s great that you are allowing it to go and another person is saying that it’s horrible, how can you do that? Yes, the Golden Globe is going but

the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Oscar are not going. We are keeping some scripts and letting some go.” Besides the “True Grit” Golden Globe, other highend items in the auction include a costume from 1949’s “Sands of Iwo Jima,” which has an opening bid of $20,000; a Stetson cowboy hat from 1953’s “Hondo,’ at $25,000; and an Andy Warhol limited edition signed print from the “Cowboys and Indians” series, also at $20,000.

But not everything on the block will be for the deep-pocketed serious collector.

There are a handful of items for the average fan that are valued at less than $100, including two lapel buttons reading “I Have True Grit” that have an opening bid of $25, a “True Grit” mouse ornament that is going for $55 and a group of cocktail glasses from the 1960s that have a current bid of $100.

Ethan Wayne said that he believes his dad still resonates with fans around the world not only because of his movies “but he was also liked personally. People knew he was the same kind of guy off screen as he was on screen. You can sense that about him. He never got bogged down with the darker side of his life.” For the younger Wayne, the bond went much deeper. “This was an outdoor adventurous guy who lived life to the fullest. I lived with my father until the day he died. I drove him to the hospital and I held his hand when he took his last breath. He was a good friend of mine. I have my memories of times with a great coach.” —MCT

Brad Pitt (right) and Angelina Jolie arrive for the Gala Premier of his film “Money Ball” at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto, on Friday, Sept 9, 2011. —AP

INDIE THEATER WINS APPEAL in battle against Cinemark

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he high-profile owners of an independent movie theater in the Southern California community of Palm Desert have won a key appeal in their long-running anti-trust battle against the much larger Cinemark chain. This lawsuit threatens to expose the theatrical distribution practice of “circuit dealing,” in which larger cinema chains use their market power to deprive smaller outlets access to big, commercially viable movies. Late last month, the California Court of Appeals ruled that the owners of Palm Desert’s Palme d’Or Cinemaswhich include ESPN radio host Steve Mason and Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston-can proceed to trial with their anti-trust suit against the larger Cinemark USA exhibition chain.

The Palme d’Or owners filed their suit against Cinemark several years ago, alleging that Cinemark’s nearby 15-screen outlet, The River, is using its market power to deprive

their small indie location from top new titles. “Instead of receiving a proportion of available film product, we got nothing meaningful with any commercial upside — absolutely nothing except for very small releases,” said Mason, who, along with his ownership group, purchased the Palme d’Or in 2003. “[Cinemark] used its circuit power to shut us out of all titles. They used a predatory booking policy known as circuit dealing.”

With the appeals judge overturning earlier rulings favorable to Cinemark that called for a summary judgment, the Palme d’Or group can now depose and subpoena a broad spectrum of witnesses from within the motion picture distribution business. “We now get a trial against exhibition behemoth Cinemark, and we will soon be embarking on discovery,” Mason said. “It is possible that some of the most powerful people in the industry will be noticed for deposition,

and this case has the chance to change the way the distribution business is conducted forever,” he added.

In a written statement, Cinemark said the company “respectfully but strongly” disagrees with the appellate court’s ruling. “The Court of Appeal’s holding is legally flawed and flies in the face of established modern antitrust law,” the company wrote. “We intend to seek all available relief, including a petition for rehearing and, if necessary, California Supreme Court review to reverse the Court of Appeal’s flawed decision.”

The dispute goes back to 2003, when Mason, Cranston, movie producer Alise Benjamin-Mauritzson (“Ray”) and long-time theater operator Brian Tabor opened the Palme d’Or. Mason said he opened the movie theater because there weren’t many places in the Coachella Valley to see art films. But once the location opened its doors,

The River-which was purchased by Cinemark in 2006 when it acquired the Century Theaters chain-started showing art films, too.

“They began to monopolize all of the art films and all of the commercial films,” Mason said, explaining that if movies went to The River, they couldn’t go to his theater.

Mason said he couldn’t compete with The River because the larger, chain-affiliated outlet used its muscle to take every good movie. He explained that Century owned movie theaters at 80 locations in 12 states-more than 1,800 screens.

“When we go through our discovery process and we’re able to depose who we want to depose, we’re going to potentially change the way business is done,” he said.

“And that’s really what we wanted to do from the start.” —Reuters

Lenin

Broadway marks 9/11 with iconic song

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

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A touch of nerves over security

at NY Fashion Week The Nicole Miller Spring 2012 collection is modeled during Fashion Week, in New York.

Shantel VanSanten, Joanna Garcia Swisher, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Ashley Tisdale, left to right, attend the Luca Luca Spring 2012 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, Friday, Sept 9, 2011. — AP photos

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touch of nerves over a terrorist alert permeated Day 2 of Fashion Week as the industry ran to and fro Friday through stepped-up security on road and rail. “It’s kind of scary,” Christian Siriano said as he madly put the finishing touches on his Saturday show. “We’re just kind of pumping through it.” National Guard troops and transit police with assault rifles watched crowds at Penn Station and stopped vehicles at the 59th Street bridge in Manhattan after counterterrorism officials received a tip of a possible Al-Qaeda car bombing in New York City or Washington around the Sept 11 anniversary Sunday.

“We’re taking the threat seriously and are in constant contact with city and police officials,” said Zach Eichman, a spokesman for IMG, which runs the eight-day series of spring previews at Lincoln Center. A London student, 20-year-old Jessica Anuna, who also edits an online fashion magazine, is staying in a Times Square hotel during her first turn at Fashion Week. “I was a bit worried to be honest, but I’m This photo shows the confident that New York has it under Mara Hoffman Spring control,” she said after attending 2012 collection modshows for Project Runway contest- eled during Fashion ants and the Luca Luca brand. “I’m Week in New York. not doing anything different really, just being more aware of my surroundings, more alert,” Anuna added.

“It’s not really at the forefront of my mind.” Actress-singer Ashley Tisdale, on the front row at Luca Luca and Rebecca Taylor, was also mindful. “I think we’re always on alert, but I feel safe,” she said.

Meanwhile, optimism prevailed on the runways for next season’s style on the second day of shows for editors, retailers and stylists.

After the New York catwalks close down, shows shift to London, then Milan and Paris. Jason Wu debuted a collection fit for modern sophisticates who aren’t fussy or stuffy. Inspired by pop art, he went with “electrified embroideries” that mixed sequins, beads and pearls, and flashes of bright yellow, pink and blue. —AP

Models pose backstage at the Concept Korea Spring 2012 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. — AFP The Rag and Bone Spring 2012 collection is modeled during Fashion Week, Friday, Sept 9, 2011 in New York.

The finale of the Cynthia Rowley Spring 2012 collection is modeled during Fashion Week, Friday, in New York.