24 Sep

N PT IO RI SU BS C

150 Fils

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

No: 15219

SHAWWAL 26, 1432 AH

Palestinians make history at the UN Abbas defies US, Israeli opposition

Max 43º Min 26º

from the editor’s desk

Getting better with age

By Abd Al-Rahman Al-Alyan

myopinion@kuwaittimes.net

O

n the 24th September, 1961, Yousef Saleh Al-Alyan followed through with his vision to bring Kuwait closer to the world by establishing the Kuwait Times. The newspaper was the first English independent daily in the Gulf region. Over the years, Kuwait Times has adapted to its changing environment and its versatile readership.

Catering to such a diverse readership is a difficult job especially in an unstable region such as the Middle East which introduces many challenges and surprises. From wars to invasions, economic downturns and many other rollercoaster of events, Kuwait Times has not only survived but also thrived as a tough competitor among the English media in the Gulf. Of course this would not have been possible if it wasn’t for God’s blessings, the support of our readers and the hard work of former and current staff.

Today, the Kuwait Times celebrates its 50th anniversary with a very different form compared to its 1961 edition.

However, our mission and dedication remains the same and we are proud to celebrate 50 years of reporting in the same year that Kuwait celebrates 50 years of independence. Over these 50 years, Kuwait Times was not only the first English daily in the region, but it was also the first to publish supplements in Malayalam, Tagalog, Urdu and French, and it was the first to introduce a tabloid size edition - the Friday Times. Also, Kuwait Times was the first newspaper in Kuwait to go online and introduce the compact size broadsheet in Kuwait, which is the new size Kuwait Times has adopted at the start of 2011.

As Editor-in-Chief of the Kuwait Times, I would like to show my appreciation to the individuals who have contributed to the Kuwait Times either full-time or part-time. Irrespective of whether you are still with the Kuwait Times or you have moved on to pursue your dreams elsewhere, on behalf of the management, I thank you all for your efforts that make Kuwait Times what it is today.

I would also like to pay my respects to those who have played a major role in the establishment, development and success of the Kuwait Times, but have sadly passed away.

Continued on Page 5

UNITED NATIONS: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (left) hands over a formal letter for Palestine to be admitted as a state to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the 66th UN General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York yesterday.

(Inset) A Palestinian woman holds a UN sticker during a rally in support of the Palestinian bid for statehood at a Palestinian refugee camp, in Beirut, Lebanon. — AFP UNITED NATIONS: Defying US and Israeli opposition, Palestinians asked the United Nations yesterday to accept them as a member state, sidestepping nearly two decades of failed negotiations in the hope this dramatic move on the world stage would reenergize their quest for an independent homeland. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was greeted by sustained applause and appreciative whistles as he approached the dais in the General Assembly hall to deliver a speech outlining his people’s hopes and dreams of becoming a full member of the United Nations.

Some members of the Israeli delegation, including Foreign Minister Avigdor Liebermann, left the hall as Abbas approached the podium. Negotiations with Israel “will be meaningless” as long as it continues building on lands the Palestinians claim for that state, he declared, warning that his government could collapse if the construction persists.

“This policy is responsible for the continued failure of the successive international attempts to salvage the peace process,” said Abbas, who has refused to negotiate until the

construction stops.

“This settlement policy threatens to also undermine the structure of the Palestinian National Authority and even end its existence.” To another round of applause, he held up a copy of the formal membership application and said he had asked UN chief Ban Ki-moon to expedite deliberation of his request to have the United Nations recognize a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

To be sure, Abbas’ appeal to the UN to recognize an independent Palestine would not deliver any immediate changes on the ground: Israel would remain an occupying force in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and continue to severely restrict access to Gaza, ruled by Palestinian Hamas militants.

Beyond that, Security Council action on the membership request could take weeks or months. The strategy also put the Palestinians in direct confrontation with the US, which has threatened to veto their membership bid in the Council, reasoning, like Israel, that statehood can only be achieved Continued on Page 5

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Kuwait, Australia coordinating to regulate livestock imports KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Minister of Public Works Dr. Fadhil Safar said on Thursday that Kuwait and Australia are working together to regulate Kuwaiti imports of live Australian livestock for slaughter according to the provisions of Islamic Sharia (law).

“The Australian government is keen on trading in sheep with the State of Kuwait, which is one of the main importers of livestock,” said Dr. Safar, who is also the Minister of State for Municipal Affairs. “Cooperation between the authorities of the two

KUWAIT: A file photo of the Kuwait sheep market.

—Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

countries is the key to the success of our commercial ties, and serves the interests of both sides,” he added.

The minister was speaking after a meeting with the Australian Ambassador to Kuwait, Glenn Miles and an accompanying delegation of senior officials from Australia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who are currently visiting Kuwait.

“The delegation’s visit aims to apprise us of the latest achievements and projects in order to expand commercial ties,” explained Dr. Safar, adding that the delegates had put forward a number of suggestions for optimizing conditions for the importation and shipping of sheep.” The minister revealed that in the last two years, Australian experts have paid a number o f visits abattoirs in Kuwait, making several observations and recommendations on their operations, and commended the efforts made by the Kuwait Municipality.

“The Kuwaiti government strictly and constantly supervises slaughterhouses’ operations under the BOT [Build Operate Transfer] system,” the minister explained, adding, “It also regulates the activities of agencies importing Australian sheep to verify their compliance with the relevant laws.” —KUNA

Twelve hurt in crashes KUWAIT: Five Kuwaiti men in their early twenties were rushed to Mubarak Hospital after sustaining multiple injuries in a crash on the Fifth Ring Road yesterday.

In a separate incident, a 43-year-old Egyptian man and two Bangladeshi men aged 28 and 41 sustained various injuries in a car accident on Ghous Street. All

were taken to Adan Hospital.

Meanwhile, two Kuwaiti women aged 17 and 40 were taken to Jahra Hospital after suffering various injuries in a crash.

In a fourth accident, this time in Jahra, a 17-year-old Kuwaiti man sustained a broken left leg. He was also taken to Jahra Hospital.

Finally, an 18-year-old Kuwaiti man

was hospitalized after suffering multiple lacerations in a crash on King Fahad Road.

Work accident A 39-year-old Indian man working at Shuwaikh Port suffered broken bones in his left foot in an accident there. He was taken to Sabah Hospital.

Kuwaiti, Bosnian FMs discuss bilateral relations UNITED NATIONS: Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem AlSabah and his Bosnian counterpart Sven Alkalaj on Thursday discussed bilateral relations and international issues on the Security Council agenda, Bosnia and Herzegovina being a non permanent member.

Alkalaj said that the meeting “was a continuation of the discussions I had with Sheikh Mohammad during my recent visit to Kuwait, how to improve and enlarge relations between Kuwait and Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

“We also discussed some international issues - Palestine how to move forward and how to be very constructive in creating peace in the Middle East,” he added. Asked about Bosnia’s position regarding Palestine’s bid for full UN membership, Alkalaj said “Bosnia is working with all permanent and other countries in the Security Council and we are trying to find the best solution for moving ahead with the peace process.”

On whether Bosnia will vote in favour of a resolution should one be put to a vote, he said “the decision has not been made. We follow (the issue) closely and there is a specific way of decision-making in Bosnia. So we are collecting all the data so our President can make a final decision.”

Sheikh Mohammed, who is part of the Kuwaiti delegation headed by HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah representing HH the Amir to the activities of the General Assembly’s 66th session, also discussed earlier in the day bilateral relations and ways to expand them with his Hungarian counterpart Janos Martonyi. —KUNA

Big Increase in consumption of arab energy

UN expert lauds Kuwaiti democracy RABAT: An international parliamentary expert yesterday applauded democracy in Kuwait and the atmosphere of openness and freedom enjoyed by its people under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

“The Kuwaiti National Assembly is one the most effective and active Arab parliaments,” Mahmoud Mohamed Ali Sabra, United Nations and World Bank parliamentary affairs consultant said. He added that the Kuwaiti National Assembly was a pioneering body in democratic practice and work in the development of the Kuwaiti society. Sabrah also hailed Kuwait’s support of Arab causes and national interests.

He had participated in the first annual meeting of the Association of Secretaries General of Arab Parliaments, hosted by the Moroccan ca pital of Rabat on Sept 21 and 22. He welcomed the Association of Secretaries General of Arab Parliaments decision to hold the Third Arab Conference on Legislative Drafting in December in Kuwait, expressing confidence that the conference would prove successful. —KUNA

UNITED NATIONS: Sheikh Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah holding talks with Sven Alkalaj on Thursday.

By Nariman Moucer

RAS JDIR, Tunisia: The Libyan people thanked Kuwait for its recent dispatchment of a convoy carrying aid worth one million US dollars to their country. The aid was sent to Tripoli and several other Libyan cities seriously affected by the ongoing violence in the north African country. The new aid convoy, supervised by Kuwait’s Zakat House, consists of five trucks carrying 35,000 food packages and varied school supplies.

KUWAIT: The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) stated Thursday in its monthly report that Arab energy consumption had increased by 4.2 percent in 2010. The report equated the increased consumption to an extra 10.8m barrels of oil per day (BPD), with oil and natural gas currently still the most sought-after energy sources in the region. OAPEC has predicted that energy consumption may reach 20.8m BPD in 2030 if individuals’ energy-consuming habits remained unchanged in the region. The Arab consumption of oil in 2010 had reached 52.9 percent, 5.7 million BPD, noted the report, adding that the gas consumption was at 45.5 percent. Saudi Arabia topped the list of Arab consumers, reportedly accounting for 27.7 percent of Arab energy consumption. The UAE and Egypt followed with 13.7 and 12.9 percent, respectively.

OAPEC has stated it hopes Arab nations will consider implementing measures to reduce energy consumption and the organization has said it will support plans and projects designed the achieve such an objective.

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NEW YORK: HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and other dignitaries (left) seeing off His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah and his accompanying delegation at the John F. Kennedy International Airport on Thursday. HH the Amir with the National Assembly Speaker Jassim Al-Khorafi (right) upon his arrival at London’s Heathrow Airport yesterday.

Saudi Arabia marks 81st National Day KUWAIT: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrated its 81st National Day yesterday, with Saudi Ambassador to Kuwait Dr. Abdulaziz AlFayez issued the following statement to mark the occasion: “The first day of Libra (Sept 23) represents a historic and glorious day and it is represented by that major national epic that led to the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into one entity and a strong cohesive state in 1932, when the Late King Abdulaziz Al-Saud announced the unification of all the provinces of the Kingdom. It also brings back the memory of a national occasion dear to every Saudi citizen, to recall the sacrifices of grandfathers and fathers who established this vast entity, while, at the same time, it gives them a motive to preserve the gains achieved, and to continue building the country and strengthening its pillars for coming generations.”

Ambassador Al-Fayez continued, “When King Abdulaziz established security and stability for this large country, the civilizational, economic and cultural movements began - in addition to those in all other fields - to sweep the entire land in order to take Saudi Arabia into the future. His children, the late Kings Saud, Faisal, Khalid and Fahad, adopted the policies of the founding king insofar as complying with Islamic teaching and Arab belonging were concerned, and continued the progress of construction and of a flourishing state. The Kingdom witnessed a comprehensive renaissance in all fields during their reigns.

Since King Abdullah took over as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Kingdom has ushered in a period of high standards of living for its citizens. The recent royal decrees issued were concerned with the interests of the Saudi citizen first and the Saudi economy second. The recent decrees confirm King Abdullah’s keenness on utilizing all national resources to serve citizens, and to achieve these ends all decrees and decisions will work on improving citizens’ standard of living, providing them with suitable residences and improving public services currently enjoyed.”

The ambassador went on: “The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was able, with his

Saudi Ambassador Dr Abdulaziz AlFayez vast experience in politics and administration, to continue the progress of development and has made qualitative moves in all fields despite developmental and regional circumstances. This allowed Saudi Arabia to take leadership of the Arab and Muslim worlds, adding to its religious, political and economic authority. “The Kingdom is the cradle of the Two Holy Mosques, confirming its Islamic role, and it cares for the interests of both Arab and Muslim nations and carries out its religious duties towards the faith and towards the two Holy Mosques. The Holy Mosque in Mecca witnessed, over more than 14 centuries, much construction, but the expansion for which the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques laid the cornerstone [this past] Ramadan is considered the largest expansion project in the history of the Holy Mosque [at Mecca]. There are an additional several developmental projects in the holy places. The current expansion is an outstanding mark in the history of the construction of the Holy Mosque.”

Ambassador Al-Fayez also pointed to Saudi Arabia’s other achievement: “Besides being a state that seeks the preservation of its national security, and its ability to afford prosperity to its citizens, and after achieving the unity of the vast land, the Kingdom continues its integral role both regionally and interna-

tionally through active diplomacy and unyielding efforts in serving the causes of the Arab and Muslim worlds. Today, with the 81st anniversary of its establishment, and under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Highness The Crown Prince, the Kingdom enters a new era of its renaissance that enables it to become one of the most important countries in the world in the 21st century.”

He continued, “Since the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques took power over six years ago, the Kingdom has been under a comprehensive program of development, with economic, educational, social and health sectors, in addition to communications, transportation, water and electricity witnessing major development and growth. The King employed the national wealth to develop all sectors, and launched several economic, educational and health initiatives, and the Kingdom, under his leadership, was able to weather the repercussions of the international economic crises, taking its deserved place among the top 20 countries that influence the international economy, and as one of the world’s financial and monetary policy makers.

“As for the strategy the Kingdom’s leadership is adopting to protect those gains, this is represented in several points. The first is its compliance with the Islamic ideology in words and in deeds. The second is its adherence to Arab identity. The third is preserving the country’s unity and its lands’ integrity and the fourth is providing good living standards for the Kingdom’s citizens through the economic, political, and social plans.”

Ambassador Al-Fayez concluded his statement by saying, “This occasion reminds us of the sacrifices of our forefathers and motivates us to complete the comprehensive development requirements that were launched by the late King Abdulaziz to build this country, which, during the short history of countries and people, were able to take it to the level of many countries that preceded it in building a modern state, and was able to instill the pillars of the first example of Arab unity in modern era. It has withstood all regional and international challenges, and still carries out its Arab and Muslim duties.”

UNITED NATIONS: His Highness Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, representative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to the UN General Assembly 66th session met yesterday Jordan’s King Abdullah II at his residency in New York.

MSAL officials to stage sit-in over retirement grievances KUWAIT: A number of senior Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) officials plan to stage a sit-in outside the office of minister Dr. Mohammad Al-Afasi on Oct 5.

The officials, including deputy directors, supervisors and departmental heads, are demanding that all MSAL personnel who have worked in their positions for 30 years or more should be forced into retirement. The protest comes after Dr. Al-Afasi issued a directive allowing some senior officials the option of remaining in their positions.

According to an MSAL insider, those planning to protest believe that the minister’s decision is unfair to 800 more junior ministry personnel, leaving them with no chance of career advancement in order to favor a few senior ministry officials.

Jamal Al-Doussari, the MSAL’s Assistant Undersecretary for Labor Affairs, said that an agreement had been reached with staff at the ministry’s legal department to end strike action by them. — Al-Jarida

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Iraqi concerns over Mubarak Al-Kabeer ‘not real’: Zebari Part of regular friendly talks

ALGIERS: Kuwaiti and Algerian officials take part in the culture day.

Kuwaiti culture day begins in Algeria ALGIERS: A Kuwaiti culture day, marking the selection of the Algerian city of Tlemcen as the capital of Islamic culture for 2011, officially kicked off Thursday at Al-Thaqafa Palace in the Algerian city of Tlemcen.

Assistant Secretary General of Kuwait’s National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters (NCCAL) Abdulhadi Nafel AlAjmi and his accompanying delegation, including Kuwait’s ambassador to Algeria Saud Faisal Al-Douish, took part in the inauguration ceremony.

Kuwait’s National Folklore Troupe for Arts started the day with a performance at Al-Thaqafa Palace, after which Al-Ajmi inaugurated the opening of a book fair showcasing Kuwait’s many publications from NCCAL. Al-Ajmi then toured five other exhibitions with Algerian officials, including Minister of Culture Rabeh Hamdi. Kuwait’s delegation includes NCCAL Director of Administrative Affairs Meteb Al-Muhana, Director General of NCCAL Office Ahmad Salem Al-Abaidley and NCCAL Public Relations Coordinator Abdulaziz Al-Baroud. — KUNA

UNITED NATIONS: Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said yesterday that the final report submitted by the Iraqi experts who last month visited Kuwait’s Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port detailing their findings shows that Iraqi concerns over the possible detrimental effects of the facility on Iraq are “not real.” Speaking after a meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah AlSabah, who is also a Deputy Prime Minister, the Iraqi foreign minister said, “The report shows that the principal concerns on Iraq’s part [over the port] are not real.”

Zebari continued, “The report answers many of the questions raised by the Iraqi media regarding the possible impact of the port on our economy, the free maritime movement [in Iraqi waters] and the environment,” adding, “I’m sure that we’ll be able to overcome all problems through close coordination and cooperation between Iraq and Kuwait based on wisdom and reason.”

On the meeting itself, the minister said, “It’s part of our regular friendly talks stemming from the close neighborly ties between our two countries.

It’s normal for us to meet our Kuwaiti brothers regularly in order to discuss the Kuwait-related UN Security

Council resolutions that imposed sanctions on Iraq. We consult on how Kuwait can help Iraq rid itself of the sanctions imposed under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter.”

by Kuwait in the liberation of the Iraqi people,” he said. “This is a truth that has to be stated openly anywhere and at any time.”

Sheikh Dr. Mohammed is in New

Zebari expressed thanks for Kuwait’s help in overthrowing the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, whose forces invaded Kuwait in 1990, occupying the country till the liberation in 1991.

“We appreciated the efforts made

York accompanying His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser AlMohammed Al-Sabah, who is representing HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah, as the premier heads the Kuwaiti delegation at the 66th UN General Assembly Session. — KUNA

Jahra police arrest trio who mugged goldsmith

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Jahra police arrested a Kuwaiti and two bedoons after the three recently robbed a Pakistani goldsmith, making away with KD 16,000 worth of gold jewelry. Documents related to the case indicate that the goldsmith reported being beaten, robbed and run over by a vehicle while he was carrying the gold from one store to another.

The arrest comes as the victim identified the three suspects in a police identification parade. More investigations are still in progress.

Road casualties A 38-year-old Afghan pedestrian died instantly after he was run over by a speeding vehicle along Fahaheel Expressway, off Subahiya, according to security sources. The deceased is reported to have succumbed to a major head injury. Two Kuwaiti teenagers suffered mild injuries after their vehicle collided with another in Mishref. The two were admitted to Mubarak Hospital for treatment.

Elsewhere, a 30-year-old citizen fractured his left foot and sustained further injuries after a vehicle collided with another outside Kuwait’s Central Jail.

The man was admitted to Farwaniya Hospital for treatment. Officials have also reported that a 51year-old citizen sustained mild injuries after being run over by a speeding vehicle in Fahad AlAhmed.

Missing cash A Kuwait City money exchanger has reported KD 15,000 missing. The individual is said to have discovered the anomaly while conducting inventory. Interrogations of company employees are

reported to be underway. In a separate incident, a policeman reported that an thief broke into his parked vehicle outside an Ahmadi supermarket and stole $900 and $1,000. A case has been filed and an investigation launched into the case.

Jahra fire tackled A fire broke out yesterday at a Jahra house, noting that firefighters from Jahra fire station arrived on the scene in six minutes. With the assistance of another Jahra station and the Operation Center team, firefighters controlled and extinguished the flames in 20 minutes. A firefighting lieutenant sustained a head injury in the process and was administered treatment on site. No casualties were reported.

Drunk driving A drunk man lost control of his car and crashed it into the outer wall of a residence in Adailiya, security sources have reported. The car was stopped on impact and further damage to the residence was thus avoided. The heavily intoxicated man was still behind the wheel when police arrived on the scene and referred him to relevant authorities.

Mechanic assaulted A bedoon assaulted a Kuwaiti with a metal object, causing head injuries, in Jahra, said security sources. Documents pertaining to the case indicate that the suspect had taken his car to be repaired at the Kuwaiti’s garage. When the mechanic malfunction persisted despite the promised-repair, the bedoon demanded further repairs.

When repairs were refused, the scuffle erupted.

Dangerous heights A Kuwaiti sustained various injuries when he fell off a water tank atop a Failaka Island house, said security sources. The man was airlifted back to an inland hospital. In a similar incident, an Arab construction worker fell off scaffolding, breaking his foot, while working construction site in AlWaha, said security sources. The man was rushed to Jahra Hospital for treatment.

Bad romance tested A young man was arrested for harassing a young lady, said security sources. Having successfully followed the lady from South Surra to the Qurain Co-op parking lot, the suspect then walked over to her vehicle and started chatting her up. It was at that moment that the girl thought it prudent to take off her shoe and totally nail the young man in the face, all the while screaming for help.

Bed intruder flees In a peculiar report, a Kuwaiti woman reported that on entering her bedroom, a man who had been hiding in cupboard charged at her, knife-inhand, and proceeded to beat her for unknown reasons, as she put it. Upon conclusion of the activity and without further ado the man showed himself out. Further investigation into this unsubstantiated claim is still in progress.

Familial disputes erupt A divorced woman called the police reporting that her ex-husband had broken into the house upon her refusal to admit him together with some treats - liquor and ice - that he brought along with him, according to security sources.

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Getting better with age Continued from Page 1 People such as my father, the Founder of Kuwait Times Yousef Al-Alyan, our first Marketing Manager Malik Azzam, Managing Editors Khawaja Asif and ABS Jeffery, General Manager Ibrahim Shamas, Circulation-in-Charge Miraj Alddeen, Editor Alex Fernandes, Marketing Representative Clement Mendonca, and Sayed Safdar and Waji Al-Ishaq both from the Urdu section of the newspaper. May you all rest in peace and may the Almighty Allah have mercy on your souls. You may have all passed away but your work and legacy lives on with the Kuwait Times forever.

As the saying “Save the best for last”, I would like to show my appreciation and gratitude to all the past and present Kuwait Times readers for their loyal support which has fueled the success of the Kuwait Times over the past 50 years. This support is also what inspires us to do more for our country, community and you, our dear readers. Kuwait Times will do its best to continue this success and set the benchmark for the next chapter of this newspaper’s life as there are many planned changes which will hopefully meet our readers’ approval and continue to raise the bar and set the trend as we have done in the past.

Palestinians make history at the UN Continued from Page 1 through direct negotiations between the parties to end the long and bloody conflict.

Also hanging heavy in the air was the threat of renewed violence over frustrated Palestinian aspirations, in spite of Abbas’ vow - perceived by Israeli security officials as genuine - to prevent Palestinian violence. The death yesterday of 35-year-old Issam Badram, in gunfire that erupted after rampaging Jewish settlers destroyed trees in a Palestinian grove, was the type of incident that both Palestinians and Israelis had feared would spark widespread violence.

Yet by seeking approval at a world forum overwhelmingly sympathetic to their quest, Palestinians hope to make it harder for Israel to resist already heavy global pressure to negotiate the borders of a future Palestine based on lines Israel held before capturing the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza in 1967. In recent weeks, international mediators have been furiously trying to piece together a formula that would let the Palestinians abandon their plan to ask the Security Council for full UN membership, and instead make do with asking a sympathetic General Assembly to elevate their status from permanent observer to nonmember observer state.

The other part of that formula would include the resumption of negotiations in short order. The US and Israel have been pressuring Council members to either vote against the plan or abstain when it comes up for a vote. The vote would require the support of nine of the Council’s 15 members to pass, but even if the Palestinians could line up that backing, a US veto is assured. The resumption of talks seems an elusive goal, with both sides digging in to positions that have tripped up negotiations for years. Israel insists that negotiations go ahead without any preconditions.

But Palestinians say they will not return to the bargaining table without assurances that Israel would halt settlement building and drop its opposition to basing negotiations on the borders it held before capturing the West Bank, east Jerusalem and the Gaza in 1967. Israel has warned that the Palestinian appeal to the UN will have a disastrous effect on negotiations, which have been the cornerstone of international Mideast policy for the past two decades.

Netanyahu, who addressed the General Assembly later, shortly after Abbas made his own address, opposed negotiations based on 1967 lines, saying a return to t hose frontiers would expose Israel’s heartland to rocket fire from the West Bank. He also feared that if that principle becomes the baseline for negotiations, then Palestinians won’t settle for anything less, despite previous understandings between the Palestinians and previous Israeli governments to swap land where settlement blocs stand for Israeli territory.

Talks for all intents and purposes broke down nearly three years ago after Israel went to war in the Gaza Strip and prepared to hold national elections that ultimately propelled Netanyahu to power for a second time. A last round was launched a year ago, with the ambitious aim of producing a framework accord for a peace deal, but broke down just three weeks later after an Israeli settlement construction slowdown expired.

Quartet envoy Tony Blair cautioned that the move at the UN must be followed by negotiations. “You can pass whatever resolution you like at the United Nations, or at the Security Council, and it doesn’t actually deliver you a state,” Blair said. “And if you don’t have a negotiation, whatever you do at the UN is going to be deeply confrontational.” The UN recognition bid has won Abbas broad popular support at home, but it is opposed by his main political rival, the Islamic militant Hamas movement that violently wrested control of Gaza in 2007. — AP

‘Infected’ cemetery workers terminated Low-paid employees face daily hazards

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Those mourning the death of their loved ones now face the risk of having to bury corpses on their own thanks to a dearth of workers at the cemetery. At least 23 former workers that contracted hepatitis were terminated from work. According to an source from the Funerals Department of Kuwait Municipality, this is not a official figure. “Medical checkups are performed on employees. Out of the first 200 laborers we obtained tests from, 23 were infected. Some were cured, but those suffering from Hepatitis C will most probably not be cured. We are still waiting to receive test results,” officials told Kuwait Times.

All the infected employees were issued termination letters. “The staff belong to different nationalities and both genders, mostly Egyptian, Iranian, Syrian and Asian. Only one or two are Kuwaitis. According to the Ministry of Health’s regulations, they should no longer be employed if infected, and will not be accepted even if complete recovery is achieved. The majority are Egyptians, and one of the 23 recently released who returned to Egypt died there yesterday,” he added.

“The problem is that it (the disease) is easily contracted. We even have two employees including the ‘mandoub’ who works in our department and not in the cemetery. They were infected. So even our family members may be in danger (of contracting the disease). It mostly spreads between workers, and

when they come in contact with corpses,” he explained.

“They do not fall into the highincome earning group. They were not granted job hazards allowance.

However, an allowance of about KD 30

somehow attract them to stay rather than search for another job,” he said.

The 23 employees that lost their jobs have filed a complaint and seek compensation, “They have lost the case.

They have no right to demand compen-

KUWAIT: A file photo shows a cemetery attendant digging a grave in the Sulaibiya cemetery. The image is used for illustrative purposes only. —Photo by Joseph Shagra per month is paid,” the official pointed out.

The Department’s Director has demanded that all workers be paid a job hazard allowance, “The workers deserve this allowance. This work is dangerous because and low-paid. It will

sation because they have already received an allowance. This disease is easily contracted. Despite wearing protective clothing, and disinfecting themselves every morning as part of routine ablutions, they were infected,” the official concluded.

Al-Shamali arrives in Washington for IMF, World Bank meetings WASHINGTON: Kuwait’s Minister of Finance Mustafa Al-Shamali arrived here, late on Thursday, heading an official delegation to take part in the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, which are taking place from Sept 23 to 25 in Washington D.C. The high-level forums bring together global policymakers for a series of discussions on the global economy.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait, Sheikh Salem Abdulaziz AlSabah, is also in Washington attending and taking part in the discussions of the annual meetings.

The World Bank and IMF forums aim to discuss all the issues which affect the troubled global economy through comprehensively reviewing the IMF’s World Economic Outlook (WEO) and Global Financial Stability (GFSR) reports.

The discussions will touch on the IMF’s proposed and initiated adjustments of the current regulatory and supervisory mechanisms and related issues.

The annual meetings of the World

Bank Group and the IMF each year bring together the heads of central banks, ministers of finance and development, private sector executives, and academics to discuss issues of global concern, including the world economic outlook, poverty eradication, economic development, and aid effectiveness.

The directors of the IMF’s and the World Bank’s governing boards normally meet once a year to discuss the work of their respective institutions.

The annual meetings, which generally take place in September-October, are customarily held in Washington for two consecutive years and in another member country in the third year.

This year’s annual meetings are taking place ahead of the meetings of the International Monetary Fund Committee, the Development Committee, the Group of Ten, the Group of 24, and various other groups of members.

At the conclusion of their meetings, the International Monetary and Financial Committee and the Development Committee, as well as several other groups, issue communiques.

The events will include a day each of plenary sessions, during which the board directors focus on consultation and discussion of business matters. At the annual meetings, the boards of directors take decisions on how current international monetary issues should be addressed and approve the corresponding resolutions.

The annual meetings are each headed by a director of the World Bank or the IMF respectively, with the chairmanship rotating among the member nations each year. Every two years the bodies elects Executive Directors, with new members welcomed into the two international bodies annually.

Because the yearly meetings bring such a large number of member country officials together, they provide opportunities for consultations large and small, formal and informal.

Numerous seminars are held in conjunction with the meetings, which are designed to foster creative dialogue among leading figures in the private sector, government representatives and senior bank and fund officials. —KUNA

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LOCAL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Mideast faces shortfall of affordable homes ‘Housing woes contributed to Arab Spring unrest’ KUWAIT: The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) faces a shortfall of some 3.6 million units of affordable housing over the next five years unless the region’s governments and property developers make a combined effort to solve the problem, warns a report by the global real estate investment and advisory firm Jones Lang LaSalle.

Egypt, the region’s most populous country, faces the biggest shortfall of affordable housing, with Jones Lang LaSalle estimating the shortfall between supply and demand would reach 1.5 million units. War-ravaged Iraq is one million units short and Morocco needs 600,000. Even wealthy countries face a shortage, although on a smaller scale: Saudi Arabia needs 400,000 the report forecast.

The shortage is serious enough that Craig Plumb, director of MENA research at Jones Lang LaSalle, cited it as a factor in the turmoil that has swept the region this year. “The lack of access to affordable housing has been identified as one of the problems behind the Arab Spring. Social unrest has been linked to lack of jobs and lack of housing,” Plumb said. “As a result, there have been fairly bold initiatives by governments [to address it] in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.” The affordable housing shortage is an example of the problematic economic growth the MENA region has experienced. While many countries saw their gross domestic product expand at relatively high rates, most of the extra wealth accrued to the richest while incomes stagnated and insufficient numbers of new jobs were generated. In the housing market, a parallel trend occurred, with developers focused on building for the top income earners.

But with the region’s population growth outpacing much of the world and a very young population that will be forming families and demanding homes, MENA economies have little time to waste, the report warned.

The report defines affordable housing as any that requires some kind of government intervention to be built either because potential buyers cannot pay the price prevailing on the free market. In much of the

MENA region, the report said, prices are way beyond the reach of the average person and even for those who might be able to pay it is difficult to get a mortgage. In Algeria, average high prices are 30 times the average

those kinds of prices, Jones Lang LaSalle said. In the UAE, for instance, the minimum monthly salary someone needs to qualify for home and other loans is $5,500 a month, which puts a mortgage beyond the reach of

ing may finally get around to being addressed.

Developers have soured on the luxury real estate market, especially in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), after prices collapsed in 2008. Meanwhile, the

KUWAIT: This file photo shows Kuwait’s Sawaber complex where low-cost accommodation is available. The image is for illustrative purposes only. —Photo by Joseph Shagra annual salary, according to the report. Other countries are not as bad - in Tunisia it’s 24.8 times, Egypt 18.4 times and in the UAE

half the country, the report estimated. Authors Deepak Jain and Bansrelal Goshichand said home prices were inflated by the high

“More private sector initiative to lower-cost housing is already underway as property prices and rents in the Gulf continue to fall” 6.4 times. By comparison, in the US a home price is only 2.8 imes the average annual salary and in Germany the ratio is 5.1.

Mortgages are hard to obtain even for those who can afford

cost of land and the tendency to build small numbers of units at a time rather than cheaper, largescale developments. Nevertheless, they said they see some signs that the shortfall in affordable hous-

region’s governments are paying new attention to the segment as they try to respond to popular grievances over economic issues.

The biggest initiative is coming from Saudi Arabia, whose government has set aside some $130 billion, or around 30 percent of its annual economic output, on social projects that include building homes. In March, King Abdullah pledged to spend $67 billion on 500,000 new homes and raised the value of mortgages provided by the Real Estate Development Fund to 500,000 riyals ($133,000) from 300,000 riyals. In addition, the country’s Shura Council has approved a much anticipated mortgage law.

More than half of all Saudis rent due to the high prices of land and housing, which have become unaffordable for low- to middle-income families because mortgage lending isn’t an option

for financing a home purchase.

Ordinary bank loans entail substantial down payments, short terms of no more than 15 years and high interest rates.

Meanwhile, Egypt’s interim military government has ordered the Housing Ministry to supervise construction of one million affordable units by 2015 in 22 cities. However, the task is immense. Egypt’s economy has slowed since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted last February and the pace, which works out to completing 550 homes a day, is ambitious, especially for the country’s sluggish bureaucracy.

That’s why Jones Lang LaSalle’s Plumb said the private sector will have to take a role in building the homes. “It’s a very ambitious goal,” he said. “The private sector would like to help here but at the present it isn’t economically viable to develop affordable housing in most of these markets. In a nutshell; that’s why it hasn’t been built.”

More private sector initiative to lower-cost housing is already underway as property prices and rents in the Gulf continue to fall, Standard and Poor’s said in an outlook report on the region last month.

Developers in markets like the UAE, which are oversaturated with top-of-the-line housing, are likely to favor renting their properties. S&P said it expected to see greater emphasis on regenerating urban areas with “a pronounced shift away from highend residential development toward affordable housing,” particularly in Saudi Arabia, analyst Tommy Trask said.

Governments face a challenge in ensuring that the affordable housing they do build doesn’t turn into slums. The lower-cost housing that is built is generally in remote areas where land is cheaper, but developers have often failed to ensure there is adequate public transportation to jobs, schools and shopping or to develop local amenities.

“Governments should get more involved to avoid the high social and economic costs involved in the current piecemeal approach where most sites for affordable housing are located in remote and inaccessible locations,” said Deepak Jain, head of strategic consulting. — The Media Line

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Shiite cleric slams Bahrain for ‘fake democracy’

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Zambia’s Sata wins presidency

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slain former Afghan prez buried

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HOMS: In this citizen journalism image made on a mobile phone and provided by Homs Quarters Union, anti-Syrian President Bashar Assad protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against the Syrian regime, in Homs province, Syria yesterday.—AP

More deaths as sanctions on Syria widened Security forces shot dead two civilians DAMASCUS: Another three deaths in Syria were reported yesterday, a traditional day for protests, as the EU and Switzerland both said they were widening sanctions against the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad. Security forces shot dead two civilians in separate incidents near the central city of Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement, also reporting the death of a man wounded the day before.

“One demonstrator was killed when security forces opened fire on a march in Talbisseh, while another was shot dead and three more were wounded when they gathered after Friday prayers in the village of Al-Zaafarana,” the group said. “The sound of heavy machinegun fire was heard in Talbisseh.” In Zabadani, some 45 kilometres (28 miles) northwest of the capital Damascus, a passerby shot as security forces chased demonstrators late on Thursday died of his wounds.

The Observatory also said nearly 2,000 people staged a demonstration in the eastern oil hub of Deir Ezzor, calling for Assad’s downfall, and that security forces were trying to

disperse them.

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva has said the death toll from the crackdown on dissent since March 15 had risen to more than 2,700.

Protest organizers have used the Facebook page, “Syrian Revolution 2011” to rally support against the regime. They have called for Friday protests under the banner “Unity of the Opposition” to overthrow the regime, which they termed “a national duty.”

Yesterday, the main Muslim day of prayer, has become a rallying point for anti-regime demonstrations, as thousands of people surge into the streets to be met with a harsh security crackdown. The latest deaths come as both the European Union and Switzerland announced they were widening sanctions against Damascus over its deadly crackdown on dissent.

The European Union banned new investments in the oil sector and prohibited the delivery of banknotes to the Syrian central bank. “The EU restrictive measures are designed to have maximum impact on the

Syrian regime, while minimizing any potential negative impacts on the Syrian population,” EU chief diplomat Catherine Ashton said in Brussels. The 27-member EU also added two individuals and six companies to a list of people and entities facing an assets freeze and travel ban, a diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

The new measures, the seventh set of EU sanctions imposed to punish Assad’s regime for its relentless crackdown, will come into force today. Earlier this month, the EU adopted a ban on crude oil imports expected to hit Damascus hard, as the EU buys 95 percent of Syrian oil exports, providing a third of the regime’s hard currency earnings. Switzerland also announced yesterday that it was imposing an embargo on the import, sales and transport of Syrian oil and oil products.

“Due to the relentless repression imposed by the Syrian security forces, the Federal Council has decided to tighten sanctions against Syria,” said the Swiss economy ministry in a statement. Its sanctions will also take effect today. Switzerland had already targeted

the Assad regime with travel embargos and asset freezes on 54 individuals. Some 12 companies were also been hit by the restrictions.

Syrian assets frozen in Switzerland currently stand at 45 million francs (37 million euros, $50 million). Damascus does not accept that popular opposition to the authorities exists, instead blaming “armed gangs” and “terrorists” for trying to sow chaos. On Thursday, the official news agency SANA said five members of the security forces were killed and 17 wounded in an ambush by “armed terrorist groups” in the southern Daraa province, one of the main springboards of opposition.

It also reported a customs official killed by “armed men” and two members of the security forces wounded in Qseir south of Homs.

The Local Coordination Committees (LCC) Thursday reported three civilians killed in Homs, while in Daeel in Daraa province security forces shot at students, wounding some and arresting others. Pro-democracy activists also voiced support for the opposition Syrian National Council set up in August in Turkey at the initiative of Syrian Islamists.—AFP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Saleh returns, adds confusion to crisis SANAA: President Ali Abdullah Saleh made a surprise return to Yemen yesterday after more than three months of medical treatment in Saudi Arabia in a move certain to further enflame battles between forces loyal to him and his opponents that have turned the capital into a war zone. Saleh immediately called for a ceasefire and said negotiations were the only way out of the crisis, his office said.

The statement, however, suggested he does not intend to step down immediately and was likely to only anger protesters who have been demanding his ouster for months and the military units and armed tribal fighters that back the opposition. “His return means more divisions, more escalation and confrontations,” said Abdel-Hadi Al Azazi, a protest leader said. “We are on a very critical escalation.”

Saleh’s return to Yemen could further damage already crumbling efforts by the United States and Saudi Arabia to work out a peaceful handover of power. Washington is eager for some sort of post-Saleh stability in the strategically placed but deeply divided and impover-

ished nation in hopes of continuing an alliance against Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen - the terror network’s most active branch, blamed in several plots for attacks on US soil.

Both the US and Saudi Arabia were believed to be trying to keep Saleh from leaving Saudi Arabia. Saleh went to the kingdom for treatment after he was severely burned and wounded by a June 3 explosion at his presidential compound in the capital Sanaa. His departure fueled hopes that he would be forced to step down, but instead he staunchly refused to resign, frustrating protesters who have been taking to the streets nearly daily since February demanding an end to his 33-year old rule.

As time passed and Saleh recuperated, he was widely expected to stay in the kingdom and the timing of his return yesterday was a surprise. The crackle of gunfire continued to be heard over Sanaa even after the president’s office issued the cease-fire call. This week, the long deadlock that endured even during Saleh’s absence broke down into the worst violence in months as forces loyal to the president’s son

attacked protesters in the streets and battled troops led by one of the regime’s top rivals, Maj. Gen Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, a former Saleh aide who joined the opposition early in the uprising.

Around 100 people have been killed the past week - mostly protesters as regime troops hit their gathering with shelling or barrages of sniper fire from rooftops. Residents have been forced to hunker down in their homes or flee the city as the two sides exchanged bombardment over Sanaa from strongholds in the surrounding hills. The fighting continued even after Saleh returned at dawn yesterday. Heavy clashes and thuds of mortars were heard throughout the night in Sanaa and into morning hours.

One person was killed overnight after mortars hit the square in central Sanaa where protesters demanding Saleh’s ouster have been camped out for months, a medical official said on condition of anonymity. By noon, thousands of Saleh supporters and opponents poured into the streets for parallel rallies in different parts of Sanaa during a lull in fighting. The rallies revolved around Friday prayers and also includ-

ed funeral ceremonies for those from each side killed in the clashes.

Reflecting Yemen’s widening rift. each side blamed the other for igniting the latest violence.

At the pro-Saleh rally along Boulevard 70 in southern Sanaa, sermon leaders accused the opposition of attempting a coup and warned against civil war. Saleh’s supporters carried his pictures along with those of the Saudi king in a tribute to the neighboring country where Saleh was recovering. Some chanted, “We love you, Ali.” At the opposition rally on Boulevard 60, demonstrators carried pictures of those killed in the violence as speakers urged security forces to stop killing their own people. Yemeni TV announced his return yesterday morning, but did not show any footage of him. It aired old footage of Saleh at public events along with images of fireworks and patriotic songs, accompanied by a scroll from the Interior Ministry, urging citizens not to fire celebratory gunfire in the air in their joy over Saleh’s return because the shooting was dangerous. — AP

Shiite cleric slams Bahrain for ‘fake democracy’ Shiite-led groups call for demonstrations

BANI WALID: Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters push an ambulance that fell in a ditch at the frontline on the outskirts of the city of Bani Walid, one of the last remaining bastions of fugitive ex-Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, yesterday.—AFP

Family car destroyed as it flees Gaddafi hometown SIRTE: A fighter for Libya’s interim government helping desperate residents flee Muammar Gaddafi ‘s hometown was killed yesterday and a packed family car was destroyed when proGaddafi forces fired on their convoy, a local commander said. One month to the day since Gaddafi ‘s compound fell to rebels in Tripoli, the campaign to take Sirte and the fugitive exLibyan leader’s other remaining bastion of Bani Walid was on hold for another day.

Asked why National Transitional Council (NTC) fighters were delaying a final assault on Sirte, commander Osama Muttawa Swehly said “we’re trying to get the families out. “We are averaging between 400 to 500 cars a day. We are basically trying to starve (the Gaddafi forces) out.” He said reports from inside the city are that there is no electricity, the water is cut off, shops are closed and people are running out of food.

“We are giving the families every chance to get out. Once that stream turns into a trickle then stops, then it will be time to act. We don’t want victory at any cost.” One resident, Malik Mohammed Ferjani, left with about 40 relatives

in a seven-car convoy yesterday, saying he was on a Gaddafi hit list. “People are being executed

by Gaddafi soldiers,” Ferjani said. “Gaddafi soldiers have a list of 500 names; my name is on that list.” The family decided to flee “after they fired three rockets at my house this morning,” he said.

He was speaking at a field hospital 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Sirte, where NTC officials were searching cars coming from the city before allowing them to proceed. The officials said that, by midday, 385 people had come through. When rebel fighters stormed and captured Gaddafi ‘s Bab al-Aziziya headquarters on August 23, they found no trace of the strongman, who has since made several broadcasts claiming he is still in Libya. While the country’s new authorities do not know where he is, they are focused on taking the coastal city of Sirte and the desert redoubt of Bani Walid, two places where some think he might be.

Following fierce resistance by defenders, Gaddafi spokesman Mussa Ibrahim called yesterday for continued resolve against “agents and traitors.” —AFP

MANAMA: Bahrain’s Sunni rulers are practicing “fake democracy,” the Gulf kingdom’s leading Shiite cleric said yesterday as opposition groups called for a boycott of weekend parliamentary elections and stepped-up protests for greater rights. The voting today is for 18 parliament seats abandoned by Shiite lawmakers six months ago to protest crackdowns on anti-government demonstrations.

Shiite-led groups have called for demonstrations to press demands for more freedoms from the Sunni monarchy that has ruled the tiny, but strategically important Gulf island for more than 200 years.

Yesterday’s calls for dissent include marching to Manama’s Pearl Square, the former epicenter of Bahrain’s uprising, which broke out in February as crowds drew inspiration from Arab revolts elsewhere. Bahraini authorities have stepped up pressure on anti-government activists ahead of the elections, threatening those who use social media and websites to urge acts of dissent with jail.

“There is a class of society under repression and there are obstacles at every turn, blocking their voice,” said Sheik Isa Qassim during yesterday’s sermon. The cleric told worshippers in a mosque in Diraz, an opposition stronghold northwest of the capital, Manama, that the vote today is meaningless.

“This is fake democracy,” Sheik Isa said. The government has criticized calls for an election boycott and said those refusing to vote today aim to stall political reform in Bahrain.

Shiites make up a majority of Bahrain’s people, but they have long complained of discrimination at the hands of the country’s ruling Sunni dynasty and a lack of economic

opportunities. More than 30 people have died since the protests started in Bahrain, which is home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. Hundreds of activists have been detained and brought to trial on anti-state charges in a special security court since March, when Bahrain’s rulers imposed martial law and invited a Saudi-led Gulf military force to help deal with the dissent.

Bahrain lifted emergency rule in June.

Since then, government opponents have clashed with police almost every night.

Yesterday, sporadic clashes with police took place in predominantly Shiite neighborhoods on the outskirts of Manama. Riot police fired tear gas at groups of protesters and chased opposition supporters along narrow alleys of the capital’s suburbs. There were no reports of injuries.

Manama’s landmark square has been heavily guarded since Bahrain’s security forces stormed the protesters’ encampment camp there six months ago. Police checkpoints were erected on the streets leading up to Pearl Square ahead of today’s elections.

Armored police vehicles were seen parked near the former hub of anti-government protests and riot police were lined up behind the vehicles.

The opposition’s boycott of today’s vote will likely tighten the grip of the kingdom’s Sunni rulers, who have so far managed to ride out the Arab Spring’s longest unrest with the help of allies, particularly other Gulf Sunni rulers. They fear any concessions to the Shiite opposition in Bahrain will strengthen the influence of Iran, the Middle East’s Shiite powerhouse.—AP

Bombs kill 5 in Baghdad BAGHDAD: Iraqi officials say five people have been killed in a series of blasts in western Baghdad. Police officials say five bombs were planted early yesterday near three houses and two parking lots in the mostly Sunni neighborhood of Ghazaliyah. The pre-dawn blasts also wounded 12 people, including three children and two women. A doctor at al-

Yarmouk hospital confirmed the causality figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to release the information. Violence has ebbed across Iraq, but deadly bombings and shootings still occur almost daily as U.S. troops prepare to leave by the end of the year.—AP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

UK’s SAS offers rare details of secret missions LONDON: Britain’s elite Special Air Service yesterday disclosed rare details of its daring secret missions, including an ambitious 1944 plan to capture or the kill infamous Nazi Field Marshal Erwin Rommel. The army unit, which was formed during World War II, has allowed previously hidden accounts of the regiment’s wartime efforts to be published in a book marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the SAS in 1941.

Files written by the regiment’s founder David Stirling and other soldiers, which document attacks in North Africa and France, had previously been stored in secret archives. The existence of the files wasn’t even acknowledged within Britain’s special forces for at least 50 years. In a striking one-page docu-

ment, dated July 1944, the SAS are given an order to attempt to kill or kidnap Rommel and senior members of his staff while they were in France. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had sent Rommel into France to lead forces preparing for the Allied invasion.

The document, which is marked secret, notes that “if it should prove possible to kidnap Rommel and bring him to this country the propaganda value would be immense.” However, it also discloses that commanders believed it would be easier to simply assassinate the target. “Kidnapping would require successful two-way W/T (walkie-talkie) communication and therefore a larger party, while killing could be reported by pigeon,” the order states. It isn’t known whether the SAS ever made attempts to

carry out the mission before Rommel committed suicide in October 1944 following his implication in a failed plot to kill Hitler. The new 600-page book, called “The SAS War Diary,” also details the regiment’s role in the invasions of Sicily and Italy and famed D-Day landings in France.

“The SAS War Diary is an icon. The fact that its existence has been a secret for over 50 years - even within the regiment - is incredible,” said Viscount John Slim, a former SAS soldier and member of the House of Lords. “I can think of no better way of marking the 70th anniversary of the SAS than allowing it to break cover.”

The SAS is best known for a daring 1980 raid to rescue hostages from a siege at the Iranian embassy in London,

Pope tells German Muslims ‘all must be bound by law’ BERLIN: Pope Benedict told German Muslims in Berlin yesterday they can expect cooperation and support from Roman Catholics as long as they respect Germany’s constitution and the limits it sets on pluralism. Meeting representatives of the country’s four million Muslims, he said the constitution drawn up in post-war West Germany was solid enough to adapt to a pluralistic society in a globalised world and make room for new religions as well.

Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Muslims last year that Islamic law, sharia, had no place in Germany. She and other conservative politicians have recently been stressing Germany’s Christian roots. Benedict told Muslim leaders that societies needed to agree on fundamental principles: “This common frame of reference is articulated by the constitution, whose juridical content is binding on every citizen, whether he belongs to a faith community or not.”

After the meeting, the pope left for the eastern German city of Erfurt, where he was due to meet Protestant leaders in the monastery where the 16th century reformer Martin Luther once lived. He has said the meeting, which he asked to be longer than originally planned, would be a highpoint of his four-day visit. Protestant leaders are hoping he will signal some flexibility on their requests for more ecumenical cooperation.

Muslim leaders praised the pope for confirming through the meeting that Islam was now a part of German society.

But they said their loyalty to the constitution was never in question. “As Muslims in Germany, we have always said that we see the German constitution as a good basis for peaceful life

together,” Bekir Alboga, head of interreligious dialogue for the Turkish mosque association DITIB, told Reuters after meeting the pope. Aiman Mazyek, chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, told reporters: “My impression was that the pope wants to launch a new era of dialogue with Muslims.”

sen a new approach in his meeting with Muslims,” he said. “I think one must look to the future and see where the possibilities for good cooperation are.” The Bavarian-born pontiff began his third and most challenging visit to his homeland on Thursday with an address to parliament and an open-air Mass at Berlin’s

ERFURT: (L-R) German President Christian Wulff, Praeses Nikolaus Schneider, president of the council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Pope Benedict XVI and Thuringia’s state premier Chrisitne Lieberknecht pose for a picture after an oecumenical service at the protestant monastery of St. Augustin in Erfurt, eastern Germany yesterday.—AFP Alboga said the pope’s short address also represented a change from his controversial 2006 speech in Regensburg, where his use of a medieval emperor’s quote about Islam being violent and irrational sparked heated protests across the Muslim world. “The pope has now cho-

Olympic Stadium. About 8,000 people protested in central Berlin against his conservative moral teachings and the clerical sexual abuse scandals shaking the Church. Almost 100 left-wing deputies boycotted his speech to the Bundestag lower house of parliament. —Reuters

UK High Court delays Traveler eviction ruling LONDON: A British judge said yesterday that a decade-long battle between authorities and a community of Irish Travelers who have been living illegally on a former scrapyard must be brought to an end, but acknowledged there would likely be no immediate ruling in the case.

Justice Anthony Edwards-Stuart told the High Court that he would rule next week on an injunction which prevented a local authority from clearing the Dale Farm site, 30 miles (50

kilometers) east of London, earlier this week. The judge also confirmed that a new legal challenge to prevent the Travelers being evicted had been launched. “These matters have got to be put to bed sooner and not later,” Edwards-Stuart told Britain’s High Court. Officials say the long simmering dispute between authorities and residents relates to a a simple planning issue - the 86 families lack permission to pitch homes on the land. — AP

but the files show that not all its missions have been successful. Its first operation in Nov 1941 was planned to see troops parachute deep behind enemy lines and destroy German and Italian aircraft at two airfields in Libya. However, strong winds and driving rain caused chaotic conditions, with several soldiers becoming injured as they attempted to parachute and one plane shot down, killing 15 troops and the crew.

Those who did land found their explosives had been soaked, and that containers of weapons that had been air-dropped in advance were swept away in rushing waters. Proceeds from the book are being donated to the SAS Regimental Association’s welfare fund, which helps veterans - including those injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. —AP

Prosecutors sum up their case in Knox trial PERUGIA: Italian prosecutors sought to persuade an appeals court to uphold the murder conviction of Amanda Knox, saying during closing arguments yesterday that “all clues converge toward the only possible result” of finding the young American woman and her co-defendant guilty. Speaking for two hours in a packed room, Prosecutor Giancarlo Costagliola urged the jury to keep in mind the family of the victim, British student Meredith Kercher, who was Knox’s roommate at the time of the slaying. His fellow prosecutor, Giuliano Mignini, urged the jurors to ignore the media hype and what he said was a pro-defendant slant surrounding the case. A verdict in the appeals trial of Knox and her co-defendant and one-time boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito is expected at the end of this month or early next month. Costagliola denounced what he said was “an obsessive media campaign that makes everyone feel like the parents of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito.”

“As you make your decision, I wish that you jurors feel a little bit like the parents of Meredith Kercher, a serious, studious girl whose life was taken by these two kids from good families.” Mignini claimed that the prosecution was “subjected to systematic denigration of a political and mediatic nature” and urged the jury to forget the pressure of an international press he said was overwhelmingly in favor of the defendants.

“The trial must be held here, in this courtroom,” Mignini said. “This lobbying, this mediatic and political circus, this heavy interference, forget all of it!” Knox and Sollecito were convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering Kercher on the night of Nov 1, 2007 in the house Knox and Kercher shared while exchange students in Perugia.

Knox was sentenced to 26 years in prison; Sollecito to 25.

Both deny wrongdoing and have appealed the verdict, which was issued by a lower court in December 2009. The prosecutors argue that the 21-year-old Kercher was the victim of a drug-fueled sex assault. In the original trial, the prosecutors had sought life sentences - Italy’s stiffest punishment. Like the defendant, they have also appealed the lower court’s verdict, as they can in Italy.

Costagliola, at the start of closing arguments expected to last two days and involve two more prosecutors, summed up what he said were the clues that point to the defendants: bloody footprints found in the house that are compatible with those of the defendants, cell phone activity and witness testimony that appear to contradict the defendant’s alibi that they spent the night at Sollecito’s house and stayed there until about 10 a.m. the day after the murder, a staged burglary at the house of the murder aimed at sidetracking the investigation. This all pointed to ascertaining the defendants’ presence at the scene of the crime, he said, adding: “All clues converge toward the only possible result of finding the defendants guilty.” Costagliola also talked of an independent review of DNA evidence that cast doubt on much of the genetic evidence used to convict Knox will help his daughter overturn the conviction. — AP

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Turkish ship sets sail on Cyprus gas mission ANKARA: A Turkish ship embarked on a controversial gas exploration mission off the coast of Cyprus yesterday, further stoking tensions around the divided island after the start of a rival offshore drilling project. Live television footage showed the Piri Reis setting sail from a port in the Aegean province of Izmir in an apparent response to a move by Greek Cypriots to press ahead with gas drilling in the eastern Mediterranean.

Regional tensions have been rising after the Cyprus government, recognised internationally but not by Turkey, made a deal with US energy firm Noble, which has already started exploratory drilling for gas off the south coast. Turkey on Monday responded by threatening to start its own oil and gas exploration, complete with a naval escort.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip

Erdogan, who is currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, held talks with UN chief Ban Ki-moon on the sidelines of the summit on Thursday about the situation in Cyprus. Turkey’s Anatolia news agency quoted Erdogan as saying that Turkey was willing to drop its gas exploration plans if the Greek Cypriots did the same. Turkey’s decision to send the seismic ship comes after it signed an accord with the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a statelet only recognised by Ankara, to explore energy supplies in designated waters off the island.

Turkish Cypriot authorities on Thursday granted the Turkish Petroleum Co. a licence for gas and oil search in the eastern Mediterranean, media reports said.

Cyprus has been divided along ethnic lines since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied its northern third in

response to an Athens-engineered coup in Nicosia aimed at union with Greece. With the island now a member of the European Union, the Cyprus dispute is a major obstacle to Turkey realizing its ambitions of joining the bloc. Turkey has threatened to freeze its ties with the EU if Cyprus takes the rotating presidency of the bloc as scheduled next year.

In a speech to the UN General Assembly, Cyprus President Demetris Christofias Thursday denounced what he called Turkish provocations over the exploration for hydrocarbon deposits off the island.

“Unfortunately, the effort of the Republic of Cyprus to exercise its sovereign right for exploitation of its marine wealth is met by threats of Turkey against Cyprus,” he said.

“Turkish naval manoeuvres in the region of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone, where exploration is being car-

ried out, are provocative and a real danger for further complications in the region,” Christofias said.

“At the same time, Turkey continues its illegal actions by concluding an ‘agreement’ with the illegal regime in the occupied area of the Republic of Cyprus, to pursue exploration within the Republic of Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone.” Turkey’s parliament speaker Cemil Cicek yesterday accused the Greek Cyriot government of acting like a “spoilt child” and hiding behind its membership of the European Union.

Under Erdogan, Turkey has been pursuing an increasingly muscular foreign policy and recently pledged to have a more visible naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean amid a dispute with one-time ally Israel, which is also cooperating with Cyprus on oil and gas exploration. —AFP

Zambia’s ‘King Cobra’ Sata wins presidency in election upset

Sudan moving troops to contested area: US group

Tearful Banda concedes defeat

NAIROBI: A US monitoring group said yesterday that new satellite imagery appears to show what it called a “massive” military march toward a rebel stronghold in a contested region near South Sudan. The Satellite Sentinel Project said the images show heavily camouflaged military equipment and several thousand troops moving south toward the rebel stronghold of Kurmuk in Blue Nile state.

The group said the force appears to be equipped with tanks, artillery and infantry fighting vehicles.

“Since May, the government of Sudan has used indiscriminate and disproportionate force, including campaigns to bombard civilians, in the three border areas of Abyei, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile State,” said Enough Project Executive Director John C Bradshaw. “This irrefutable, visual evidence of massive military operations in Blue Nile State provides a human security warning to civilians in Kurmuk and the surrounding area.” South Sudan, a region of black tribesmen, officially broke away from the mostly Arab north Sudan in July. But residents in the three border areas who are aligned tribally and politically with the south have seen military attacks from Sudan, according to human rights groups. Late last month international rights groups accused Sudan’s government of killing at least 26 people in indiscriminate aerial bombardments in the Nuba Mountain areas of South Kordofan state. — AP

LUSAKA: Zambian opposition leader Michael Sata, a critic of Chinese investment, secured an upset presidential election victory yesterday which may dent foreign companies’ view of Africa’s biggest copper producer as a sound investment destination. In a continent where leaders are often reluctant to give up power, incumbent Rupiah Banda tearfully conceded defeat, saying the people had spoken.

His Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) party has run Zambia since one-party rule ended in 1991.

“Now is not the time for violence and retribution. Now is the time to unite and build tomorrow’s Zambia together,” he told a news conference, his wife Thandiwe standing at his side.

Sata, 74 and nicknamed “King Cobra” because of his sharp tongue, toned down his rhetoric against foreign mining firms, especially from China, in the closing stages of the six-week campaign but his victory could still make investors nervous.

Zambia’s kwacha fell 2.8 percent to a 14-month-low of 5,145 against the dollar after Sata’s victory and traders said it would remain vulnerable until he gave clearer indications on his future policies. Analysts said Sata, the leader of the Patriotic Front (PF), would almost certainly review contracts with foreign companies struck

by Banda’s administration, and could overhaul the country’s mining, trade and banking regulations.

“Sata’s upset victory will likely usher in a new era for a resource-nationalist mining sector policy,” said Sebastian Spio-Garbrah, an analyst at Africa consultancy DaMina Advisors.

“Sata has said that his government will insist that foreign miners keep all

their export forex revenues within the country and only repatriate profits. He has called for a new revamp of the country’s mining code and a review of mining contracts signed under Banda.” Sata told Reuters last week he would maintain strong commercial

that included stints in motor vehicle assembly plants in Britain and as a porter with British Rail before becoming a grassroots political activist under first president Kenneth Kaunda. He likes to keep a statue of a rearing snake on his desk as a reminder to

LUSAKA: Supporters of presidential challenger Michael Sata take to the streets of Lusaka, Zambia, late Thursday, as Sata is declared winner over Zambia’s President Rupiah Banda. The chairwoman of the Electoral Commission of Zambia says Sata has defeated the incumbent in presidential elections. —AP and diplomatic ties with China and would not introduce a minerals windfall tax, but implied he might impose some form of capital controls to keep dollars in the country.

Chief Justice Ernest Sakala declared him the winner after he received 1,150,045 votes compared with Banda’s 961,796 with 95.3 percent of constituencies counted. Sata received 43 percent of the vote, which was also contested by many minor parties. Sata has enjoyed a long and varied career

enemies of his sharp tongue.

Supporters of Sata, who will be sworn in as president later yesterday, celebrated the win. “At long last the will of the people has been respected. The people wanted change,” said street vendor Peter Musonda. Sata secured support among the youth on the back of campaign promises to create jobs and his criticism that Banda’s government failed to let ordinary Zambians share in the proceeds from the country’s copper mines. — Reuters

Six killed in Tunisian clashes near Algeria TUNIS: Clashes this week between Tunisian soldiers and an armed group that crossed the border from Algeria left six dead among the infiltrators, a western diplomatic source said yesterday. “According to our reports, six attackers were killed,” the source said, while the Tunisian ministry of defence said one body had been found so far. The fighting took place on Wednesday when the Tunisian army neutralized an armed convoy of nine vehicles fitted with anti-aircraft guns that crossed over from the Algerian desert near Bir Znigra.

“For the moment, one body has been found and a team of specialists and a forensic doctor have been sent to the site,” an official in the ministry of defence told AFP. “But there are probably several dead among the infiltrators,” the official added, stating that traces of bodies dragged through the sand had been found. A vehicle not spotted by the Tunisian army could have picked up the dead and wounded and taken them back to Algeria, he said. — AFP

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INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, SepTembeR 24, 2011

Obama rolling back Bush-era education law

WASHINGTON: A young girl holds up a “I love my teacher” sign in a sea of teachers during a vote to end the Tacoma teacher strike at Mount Tahoma High School, Thursday in Tacoma, Wash. Teachers in Washington state’s thirdlargest school district approved a new contract Thursday, ending a 10-day strike. —AP

Teachers end strike, parents rejoice WASHINGTON: Teachers in Washington state’s third-largest school district approved a new contract, ending a 10-day strike that had kept Tacoma’s 28,000 students at home for more than week. The news is a big relief to parents who have been scrambling to find daycare - and also to students. “We were thrilled,” said Jill Furman after the strike ended. She was preparing to go grocery shopping with her ninth-grade daughter Rebecca, who said she was running out of things to do in the days off.

“It just got boring after a while,” she said. Classes were scheduled to resume yesterday, the school district announced on its website. Nearly 99 percent of teachers voted Thursday to approve a deal brokered a night earlier by Gov. Chris Gregoire, who called representatives from the district and the teachers union to her office in Olympia after negotiations stalled.

“I think there’s a sense of elation not only at getting students and teachers back in the class but that we came up with an agreement that sets the stage for innovation in how we match up teachers with the needs of schools,” district spokesman Dan Voelpel said after the teachers ratified the contract.

Teachers were told the three-year contract would keep basic salaries and class sizes the same. On the most contentious issue of teacher transfers, the contract calls for a committee of union and school district representatives to recommend a fair policy.

The union is concerned teachers could be transferred at the whim of principals. The district wants to consider factors in addition to seniority.

The district, which has 55 schools, has averaged 150 teacher transfers in the past five years. Teachers are transferred because of enrolment fluctuations, changes in programs or from school closings. Two closed last year. Of the 1,701 teachers present at the high school Thursday, only 15 voted against the new three-year contract. Before and after the vote, the atmosphere was jubilant with sporadic chants, standing ovations given to the union’s leaders and teachers dancing to Journey on the bleachers.

“We need to start healing. We need to get back to our classrooms,” Tacoma Education Association president Andy Coons said to a packed and muggy gym at Mount Tahoma High School, where the vote took place. “We need to focus on why we did this ... we need to get back to that work tomorrow.”

Teachers went on strike Sept. 12. After a Superior Court judge ordered them back to work days later, the teachers defied him, this time with 93 percent of the teachers voting to continue the walk out. —AP

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama, trying to energize school performance at the local level, wants to give states the flexibility to opt out of provisions of the No Child Left Behind law, a Bush-era education initiative that has grown increasingly unpopular as more schools risk being labeled a failure. Under the plan Obama was to outline yesterday, states would be allowed to ask the Education Department to be exempted from some of the law’s requirements if they meet certain conditions. That includes enacting standards to prepare students for college and careers and setting evaluation standards for teachers and principals.

“To help states, districts and schools that are ready to move forward with education reform, our administration will provide flexibility from the law in exchange for a real commitment to undertake change,” Obama said in a statement Thursday. “The purpose is not to give states and districts a reprieve from accountability, but rather to unleash energy to improve our schools at the local level.” The administration says it is acting because Congress has been slow to address the issues by rewriting the law.

But Rep John Kline, R-Minn, who chairs the House Education Committee, has questioned whether the Education Department has the authority to offer waivers. He’s said the president has allowed “an arbitrary timeline” to dictate when Congress should get the law rewritten and that the committee needs more time to develop its proposals. Kline on Thursday called the administration’s plan a political move and said he could not support a process that sets a precedent by granting the education secretary “sweeping authority to handpick winners and losers.”

Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., the ranking member on the Senate committee that oversees education, said the presi-

dent’s plan would undermine the policymaking authority of Congress.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has said the plan would not undermine efforts in Congress because the waivers could serve as a bridge until Congress acts. Duncan said the emp hasis would be more on growth than on test scores. “We can’t have a law on the books that’s slowing down progress, that’s slowing down innova-

tutoring to students attending schools deemed failing. In Obama’s plan, states granted waivers would have more control over how troubled schools are handled, although to qualify for a waiver they would have to show they had a plan to help low-performing schools.

Critics say the law placed too much emphasis on standardized tests, raising the stakes so high for school districts

WASHINGTON: A Marine Honor Guard salutes as President Barack Obama steps off Marine One helicopter on the South Lawn at the White House in Washington, Thursday after returning from Cincinnati, Ohio, where he spoke about jobs. —AP tion,” he said Thursday in Joplin, Mo, where schools were left in ruins after a tornado in May. The No Child Left Behind law passed in 2001 with widespread bipartisan support and much fanfare. It sought to hold schools more accountable for student performance and get better qualified teachers into the classrooms. It also offered school choice and extra

that it may have even driven some school officials to cheat. In particular, the requirement that all students be on grade level in math and reading by 2014 has been hugely unpopular. Duncan has warned that 82 percent of schools next year could fail to reach proficiency requirements and thus be labeled “failures,” although some experts questioned the figure. —AP

New clashes between House, Senate over disaster aid bill WASHINGTON: Congress’ latest must-pass bill is prompting a new House-Senate showdown, highlighting a partisan rift so raw that an effort to help disaster victims has become mired in disputes over jobs, the national debt and the discredited Solyndra solar energy company. The Republican-led House approved revamped legislation early yesterday providing $3.7 billion to help people battered by Hurricane Irene, Texas wildfires, tornadoes and other natural disasters. The money would replenish an emergency fund that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned could be depleted early next week.

The measure would also prevent a federal shutdown next weekend by financing government agencies from the Oct. 1 start of the new federal fiscal year through Nov 18. It was approved by a near party-line 219-203 vote shortly after midnight.

Leaders of the Democratic-run Senate promised to quickly kill the legislation, saying it lacked enough disaster assistance.

Democrats also complained about cuts it would make to help pay for the aid by trimming $1.5 billion from Energy Department loans aimed at spurring development of fuel efficient vehicles, a program they said is creating badly needed jobs.

“They insist on holding out on Americans who have suffered devastating losses,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said of GOP lawmakers. “Americans are tired of this partisanship. They deserve to know that when disasters strike, we will be there to help them.” The Senate version, approved last week with the support of 10 GOP senators, provided $6.9 billion in disaster aid and no cuts to help pay for it.

It was unclear how the standoff would be resolved. The House and Senate had both planned to take next week off, but

neither seemed likely to risk accusations of ignoring the thousands of Americans victimized by natural calamities or of allowing the government to shut its doors. “We’re establishing priorities,” said Rep David Dreier, R-Calif. “We have a priority, that being dealing with our fellow Americans.”

House passage represented a reversal from an embarrassing setback the chamber dealt its Republican leaders on Wednesday. On that day, the House rejected a nearly identical measure, shot down

by Democrats complaining its disaster aid was too stingy and conservative Republicans upset that its overall spending was too extravagant. The bill the House approved yesterday morning contained just one change - an additional $100 million in savings from cutting a second Energy Department loan program, this one aimed at sparking new energy technologies.—AP

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INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, SepTembeR 24, 2011

Australia ‘collar bomb’ suspect extradited from US Man faces charges on bizarre attack

HAVANA: In this picture released by Cuba’s state newspaper Granma and taken by Estudios Revolucion, Cuba’s President Raul Castro, right, embraces Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez as Chavez departs for Venezuela from Jose Marti airport in Havana, Cuba. —AP

Chavez urged Iran to free Americans CARACAS: A Venezuelan diplomat said Thursday that President Hugo Chavez played a behind-the-scenes role in efforts to secure the freedom of two Americans who were released from prison by Iran this week. Deputy Foreign Minister Temir Porras said Venezuela’s government was approached for help last year by friends and supporters of the two men, Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer. Porras said Chavez, who is a strong critic of Washington yet expresses friendship for the US people, believed the Americans’ account that they were simply hiking when they were detained in 2009 along the Iran-Iraq border and accused of spying.

He said Chavez made his plea on the Americans’ behalf to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, first during a visit to Tehran in October and later in telephone conversations early this year. “He made a request through the president for Iranian institutions to carry out a benevolent review of these young men’s case and ... make a humanitarian decision so they could return to their families,” Porras told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Chavez has had close relations with Ahmadinejad, and the two have regularly teamed up to criticize the US government and defend Iran’s nuclear energy program. Porras said Sarah Shourd, a third American hiker who was detained but was released a year ago, was among those seeking Venezuela’s assistance, as was actor Sean Penn, who has a friendly relationship with Chavez.

American linguist and activist Noam Chomsky also signed a letter asking for Chavez’s support in calling for the Americans’ release, Porras said. The two Americans were released Wednesday under a $1 million bail-for-freedom deal. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the pair’s release was a gesture of Islamic mercy and a response to calls for their freedom by leaders such as UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Oman’s ruler and Chavez.

Porras said Chavez felt it best to keep his requests private. “It was kept absolutely secret in the first place because our top interest was that the arrangement be successful,” the diplomat said. Eva Golinger, a Venezuelan-American lawyer and editor of the English edition of state newspaper Correo del Orinoco, said some of her friends who are close with the hikers contacted her soon after the three were detained to see if Venezuela could help.

Golinger, a close Chavez ally, said she took up the matter with the Foreign Ministry and eventually with the president.

“He saw the humanitarian side of this and saw that in the end it seems as though this was a very unfortunate misunderstanding,” Golinger said. —AP

SYDNEY: An Australian investment banker accused of chaining a fake bomb to a teenage girl’s neck as part of an elaborate extortion plot was being extradited yesterday from the US to Australia to face a slew of charges related to the bizarre attack, police said. New South Wales police said Australian detectives were flown to the US to assist in the extradition of Paul Douglas Peters, 50, who had been held in a Louisville, Kentucky, jail since his August arrest.

Police declined to release details of his travel arrangements, though TV footage showed Peters getting off a plane at a Los Angeles airport.

Peters is accused of attacking 18-yearold Madeleine Pulver, who was studying at her home in a wealthy Sydney suburb on Aug. 3 when a masked man carrying a baseball bat broke into the house and tethered a bomb-like device to her neck.

The man left behind a note demanding money, along with an email address that appeared to refer to a novel about a ruthless businessman in 19th-century Asia.

A police bomb squad spent 10 hours working to remove the device, which was later found to contain no explosives.

Pulver was not injured. Peters, a successful international businessman who travels frequently between the US and Australia, was arrested by the FBI at his ex-wife’s house in a Louisville suburb on Aug 15. Australian police have said they plan to charge him with a range of offenses, including kidnapping.

It’s not clear what ties Peters has to the Pulvers, though federal court documents say Peters once worked for a company with links to the family. The Pulvers

have repeatedly said that they don’t know Peters, and that they have no idea why Madeleine was targeted. Madeleine Pulver’s millionaire father, William Pulver, was once the president and CEO of NetRankings, a pioneer in tracking

surveillance footage showed Peters in several locations where they believe he accessed an email account with the address dirkstraun1840(at)gmail.com the same address left behind on the note attached to the fake bomb. Dirk Struan is

KENTUCKY: In this Aug 16, 2011 file photo, Paul Douglas Peters, left, of Sydney, Australia, is escorted from the Federal Courthouse in Louisville, Ky., after he was arraigned in connection with a bomb hoax in Australia. —AP online exposure and readership for companies advertising on the Internet. He left after the firm was sold to ratings giant Nielsen in 2007. He is now CEO of Appen Butler Hill, a company that provides language and voice-recognition software and services.

New South Wales police have said

Pacific Hurricane Hilary swells to Category Four MIAMI: Hurricane Hilary swelled to a Category Four storm yesterday but was moving away from Mexico’s Pacific coast and was not expected to strike land, according to the US-based National Hurricane Center. Packing winds of 145 miles (235 kilometers) per hour, the storm was 115 miles (185 kilometers) away from the beach resort of Acapulco.

“The core of Hilary should continue to move parallel to the coast of southwestern Mexico... but any deviation to the north of the track could bring stronger winds to the coast, “ the NHC said in its 0600 GMT bulletin.

Mexican authorities warned that tropical storm-force winds and heavy surf could affect the coast, but Hilary was not expected to make landfall. Hilary is expected to drop between three and five inches (7.6 to 13 centimeters) across parts of southern Mexico, “with isolated amounts of 10 inches possible,” the NHC said.

Large swells generated by Hilary “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” are affecting parts of the coast, it said. Hilary is a small storm: hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (35 kilometers) from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 80 miles (130 kilometers). —AFP

the main character in James Clavell’s 1966 novel “Tai-Pan,” about a bitter rivalry between powerful traders in Hong Kong after the end of the First Opium War. US lawyer Scott Cox, who initially represented Peters before he was replaced, has said Peters plans to fight the charges. —AP

Chinese tourist mistaken as petitioner beaten unconscious BEIJING: A young Chinese tourist travelling on his own in Beijing was forced back to his hometown and beaten unconscious after being mistaken for a petitioner who had come to the capital to air a grievance, local media reported yesterday. Millions of petitioners visit government offices across China every year to demand redress and are often treated by officials as an embarrassing nuisance, even a threat to control, despite rules that say they should be given a hearing.

People with complaints are often pounced on by police sent up from the provinces and held in a government-run centre to be forced home, or detained in illicit “black jails”, to stop unwanted light being shed on local problems in Beijing. The Beijing News, in a story widely picked up by Chinese websites, including that of the official Xinhua news agency, said that Zhao Zhiwen checked into a Beijing hotel and ended up sharing a room with three other people,

who were petitioners.

The next day, all four were dragged out of the hotel by unidentified men and taken back to their home province of Henan in central China, the report said. Zhao was later found unconscious in a street in Luoyang city, having been beaten up. “Perhaps the wrong person was caught,” the newspaper quoted Luoyang police as saying. The story spread quickly across China’s popular Twitter-like service, Sina Weibo, with users expressing shock and anger at the violence meted out to Zhao.

“Those damn Henan official are the worst!” wrote “starting 123”.

Premier Wen Jiabao met petitioners in Beijing in January, in a rare public show of worry about unhappiness with the government. Wen’s meeting amounted to a blunt acknowledgement that China’s feverish economic growth had also brought discontent, especially over land confiscations, harsh work conditions and corrupt bureaucrats. —Reuters

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INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, SepTembeR 24, 2011

Crowds weep as slain former Afghanistan president buried Rabbani’s supporters vow vengeance

SIKKIM: In this handout photograph released by the Indian Air Force yesterday Indian National Disaster Relief Personnel are seen with supplies inside the hold of an Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter while flying an earthquake affected area in North Sikkim on Thursday. —AFP

Soldiers reach last of India’s quake-hit villages MANGAN: Soldiers in India’s northeast have reached the last villages cut off by landslides from a powerful earthquake that shook the Himalayan region last weekend and killed more than 100 people, an army officer said yesterday.

The first soldiers were airlifted into the nine villages on Thursday carrying food and medicine for the nearly 1,000 residents stranded after last Sunday’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake, Maj Gen SL Narasimhan said.

He said more soldiers were able to make their way into the villages by ground after hiking along mountainous paths. Rescue efforts following the quake, which also struck parts of Tibet and Nepal, were hampered by heavy rains that had kept helicopters grounded. Mudslides triggered by the disaster blocked roads leading into remote, mountainous villages. “It will take some time to clear the damaged roads,” Narasimhan said. The helicopters were able to evacuate some injured people to hospitals for treatment, he said.

Meanwhile, a magnitude 3.9 aftershock Thursday night caused fresh panic in Sikkim state, one of the hardest hit, with thousands of people rushing out of their homes, said KS Topjay, a state government spokesman. There were no reports of damage from the aftershock, Topjay said. He said no more bodies had been recovered since Thursday. The death toll stood at 106 — 93 in India, six in Nepal and seven in Tibet. —AP

KABUL: Weeping Afghans gathered under tight security yesterday to bury former president Burhanuddin Rabbani, the government’s chief peace negotiator killed this week by a suicide bomber posing as a Taleban envoy with a message about possible talks. After prayers at the presidential palace, a coffin draped in the black, red and green national flag was taken to a hilltop in the Wazir Akbar Khan district for burial.

Crowds along the procession route pushed, shoved and clambered their way through the throngs of mourners to touch Rabbani’s coffin as it made its way towards the burial site. Others chanted “God is great” as the coffin passed by.

Hundreds more were clustered on the hilltop around his grave. Bursts of automatic gunfire briefly unsettled the capital as police fired shots into the air to disperse large groups who moved towards the burial site without having passed tight security checks.

Streets surrounding the capital’s political and diplomatic heart were blocked-off and almost empty. Special forces guarding the funeral procession route leading to “swimming pool hill,” a small outcrop overlooking Kabul’s diplomatic enclave where the Taleban once carried out executions in a disused, Soviet-built pool.

Rabbani was killed by a man who claimed to be a Taleban envoy with a message of peace from the insurgent leadership. His death has reignited longsimmering ethnic tensions, stirring fears of retribution. But his supporters and political allies called for a peaceful burial yesterday. “We will avenge the death of our leader but today, please be calm,” said a man using a loudspeaker. Others rushed to take control of the microphone and shouted slogans attacking the government and foreign troops operating in the country. “Death to the

American allies,” one man roared before a defence ministry official ordered the speakers switched off.

Car windscreens and walls along normally congested roads were covered with posters bearing the face of Rabbani, an ethnic Tajik and former mujahideen resistance fighter who became president after the fall of the Soviet-backed regime. “Professor Rabbani’s martyrdom is a big loss for Afghanistan and it is a sad day for all of

governments condemning Tuesday’s killing and urging Afghans not to give up on Rabbani’s fledgling peace process.

President Hamid Karzai, who chose Rabbani to head the High Peace Council last October, cut short his trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to return for the burial. He has come under intense criticism from political opponents who say he instructed Rabbani to meet with the

KABUL: Afghans carry the coffin of Afghanistan High Peace Council and former president Burhanuddin Rabbani during his burial ceremony in Kabul yesterday.—AFP us,” said restaurant owner Mohammad Zia. One of Zia’s customers sat sipping tea beneath a window bearing Rabbani’s photo and added: “Rabbani was killed at the most difficult time for Afghans, when security is at it’s worst and people feel hopelessness.”

Condolences and tributes poured in from prominent Afghans and foreign

assassin. Karzai’s office has said he was not involved. Rabbani’s protege and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, one of Karzai’s most longstanding critics, wept as the coffin was taken up the hill. “Today we bury our respected leader but we will not keep silent,” he shouted, prompting a huge roar from the crowd. —Reuters

Pakistan condemns US spy agency comments ISLAMABAD: Pakistan lashed out at the US for accusing the country’s most powerful intelligence agency of supporting extremist attacks against American targets in Afghanistan - the most serious allegations against Islamabad since the beginning of the Afghan war.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar dismissed the claims as mere allegations. She warned the US that it risked losing Pakistan as an ally and could not afford to alienate the Pakistani government or its people.

“If they are choosing to do so, it will be at their own cost,” Khar told Geo TV on Thursday from New York City, where she is attending a UN General Assembly meeting. “Anything which is said about an ally, about a partner publicly to recriminate it, to humiliate it is not acceptable.” Khar’s comments were first aired in Pakistan yesterday. Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani responded to the US criticism by saying Washington was in a tough spot.

“They can’t live with us. They can’t live without us,” Gilani told reporters yesterday in the southern city of Karachi. “So, I would say to them that if they can’t live without us, they should increase contacts with us to remove misunderstandings.”

The Pakistani officials were responding to congressional testimony by the top US military officer about Pakistan. Adm Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, accused Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency Thursday of supporting the Haqqani insurgent network in planning and executing the assault on the US Embassy in Afghanistan last week and a truck bomb that wounded 77 American soldiers days earlier.

He also said the US had credible information that Haqqani extremists, with help from the ISI, were responsible for the June 28 attack on the Inter-Continental Hotel in Kabul and other small but effective assaults. The Haqqani insurgent network is widely believed to be based in Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal area along the Afghan border. The group has historical ties to Pakistani intelligence, dating back to the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s. The US military has said the Haqqani network, which has ties to both al-Qaida and the Taleban, poses the greatest threat to American troops in Afghanistan.

Mullen insisted that the Haqqani insurgent network “acts as a veritable arm” of the ISI, undermining the uneasy US -Pakistan relation-

ship forged in the terror fight and endangering American troops in the almost 10-year-old war in Afghanistan. Pakistan is “exporting violence” and threatening any success in Afghanistan, Mullen told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

“In choosing to use violent extremism as an instrument of policy, the government of Pakistan, and most especially the Pakistani army and ISI, jeopardizes not only the prospect of our strategic partnership but Pakistan’s opportunity to be a respected nation with legitimate regional influence,” Mullen said. “They may believe that by using these proxies, they are hedging their bets or redressing what they feel is an imbalance in regional power. But in reality, they have already lost that bet.”

Mullen’s harsh words marked the first time an American official had tied Pakistan’s intelligence agency directly to the attacks and signaled a significant shift in the US approach to Islamabad. In the past, US criticism of Pakistan largely had been relayed in private conversations with the countries’ leaders while American officials publicly offered encouraging words for Islamabad’s participation in the terror fight. Mullen did not provide specific

evidence backing up his accusations or indicate what the US would do if Pakistan refuses to cut ties to the Haqqani network. The US has repeatedly demanded that Pakistan attack the insurgents and prevent them from using the country’s territory.

Pakistan has denied ties to the group in the past and has said it cannot attack them because its troops are stretched too thin fighting other militants in the country’s semiautonomous tribal region. Many analysts believe, however, that Pakistan wants to remain on good terms with the militants because they could be useful allies in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw.

Mullen’s comments carry particular weight since the Joint Chiefs chairman has nurtured ties with the Pakistanis during his tenure, meeting with officials more than two dozen times.

His congressional testimony was his last before he retires next week.

Mullen reaffirmed his support for continued US engagement with the nuclear-armed Pakistan and warned of the consequences if the relationship should break down. But his comments could make that engagement harder and continue a recent downward trend in ties between the two countries. —AP

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INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, SepTembeR 24, 2011

Massacred Indonesia village awaits Dutch amends RAWAGEDE: Six decades have passed, but Kadun bin Siot’s voice still trembles as he recalls the morning Dutch troops surrounded his tiny Indonesia village and nearly wiped out its entire male population. He was 12, peering through the slats of a wooden barn as soldiers flushed his father out of his hiding place in a trash heap, stabbing it with bayonets until he emerged, blood pouring from his face.

“They dragged him away,” the 76year-old farmer said. “I never saw him again.” Dutch troops clinging to their retreating colonial empire arrived in Rawagede by the hundreds just before dawn on Dec 9, 1947 and opened fire, sending sleepy residents scattering from their homes in panic.

The troops were looking for resistance leader Lukas Kustario, known for ambushing Dutch bases. When villagers said they didn’t know where he was, the soldiers rounded up the boys and young men and took them to an open field.

Squatting in rows, with both hands placed on the backs of their heads, they were shot one by one.

The Dutch said 150 were killed in the massacre - for which they have yet to apologize - but villagers put the toll at nearly three times that. Only a few survived. Relatives of the victims have spent a lifetime waiting for justice. Though a landmark ruling by a Dutch court last week offered compensation to surviving widows, now

in their 80s and 90s, it could take years for the money to wind its way through the political and bureaucratic maze.

But time’s running short. Of the 10 claimants in the suit, three have already died, the most recent in May. Another $1.2 million in “development aid” promised to Rawagade 30 months ago for construction of a school, a hospital and a market is stuck in The Hague. It’s supposed to go to Indonesia’s Interior Ministry, but a dispute between two foundations representing the interests of the villagers is holding things up.

Standing on his toes, Wahidin carefully lifts a cardboard box off the top shelf from his office and sifts through a bundle of papers until he finds the blueprints. “Ah, here they are,” the regional financial officer says, dusting off the drawings and letting out a deep sigh. It’s as if he almost forgot as well. “A lot of talk, plans, a rice field was even cleared at one point,” said Wahidin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. “But we haven’t seen any of the money that was supposed to go toward helping building these. Not a cent.”

JAVA: In this Monday, Sept. 19, 2011 photo, Cawi binti Baisa prays at her husband’s grave at the heroes’ cemetery in Rawagede, West Java, Indonesia. —AP

Malaysian resort forced to scrap Miss Bikini night KUALA LUMPUR: A beach resort in Muslim-majority Malaysia yesterday scrapped a publicity event for an international “Miss Bikini” pageant after officials warned it could promote indecent behavior. The Pangkor Island Beach Resort had planned to host a preview of the pageant, which is scheduled to take place in Thailand later this year. However, government officials in Malaysia’s northern Perak state issued a statement this week insisting the event would “tarnish the country’s image.”

The resort will proceed with a “Full Moon Beach Party” on Oct 7 but will cancel the “Miss Bikini” preview that was to be part of the program, resort spokeswoman Doris Chin told The Associated Press. The preview would have featured an ice sculpture and announcements of pageant details, but no women parading in bikinis, Chin said. The two-day barbecue beach party with a disc jockey music competition is expected to attract 1,500 guests.

Controversy surrounding the event surfaced partly because some Muslim activists in Perak believed the resort was organizing a bikini-wearing contest in Pangkor, a fishing island that authorities often promote for its idyllic seaside and boating activities. Hamidah Othman, the state government’s official in charge of tourism and investment, said authorities would not allow such an event, which she said could “cause a negative impact and shame the nation.”

Activists were also concerned because photos on Facebook of a beach party at the resort last year showed several young bikini-clad women, mainly from Malaysia’s ethnic Chinese non-Muslim minority. Chin said the resort cannot prevent female guests from wearing bikinis, but it will ensure that no women who do so appear onstage during the party to “respect the government requirements and local culture.”

Malaysia is known for conservative policies for issues related to sexual morality. Unmarried Muslim couples caught alone together in hotel rooms and other private places can be jailed for an offense described as “close proximity.” Muslim women who become pregnant without getting married can also be imprisoned for up to two years in some states. —AP

Though described as one of the worst massacres by Dutch troops during Indonesia’s bloody fight for independence, few in this nation of 240 million have ever heard of Rawagede. Those who have know it only through a poem by Chairil Anwar that is still recited by school children.

The bones of unsung heroes, he wrote, were stretched like a carpet between the neighboring West Java towns of Karawang and Bekasi.

But 92-year-old Wanti says she needs no such reminders. “We’ll always remember it!” she said, recalling how she hid under her bed with her two children for a day because she was so scared, the rat-a-tat sound of gunfire assaulting her ears.

The next morning, the women in the village went outside to collect the bodies of their husbands, brothers and sons. “We carried the bodies ... to our homes, dug holes with our bare hands, and buried them in our backyards,” said Wanti, recalling how her children helped cloak their father in sheets ripped off the bed.

Her face is grooved with thick lines, her eyes milky from cataracts.

“It was so sad.” Indonesia declared its independence from Dutch colonial rule when World War II ended in 1945. The Netherlands fought unsuccessfully to try to maintain control of its lucrative Asian outpost and Indonesia was finally recognized as independent in 1949. The massacre -

like the failure of peacekeepers to protect Muslims in Srebrenica a half century later - remains a black page in Dutch history.

When Nikolaos van Dam, then the Dutch Ambassador to Indonesia, attended a memorial service in Rawagede in 2008, the first representative of his government do so, he said he was “sorry” about the killings.

The remarks, not cleared in The Hague, caused a diplomatic uproar.

Survivors can only hope this month’s court ruling will make it easier for the Netherlands to face its past. They pray they will get not only financial compensation - though no one has said how much - but also a heartfelt apology and, eventually, the school, hospital and market their village was promised.

The Dutch insist the money was “development aid,” not reparations, and that it will come eventually.

Villagers say they need it. Though the farming community of 3,300 is surrounded by glistening rice paddies, their small health clinic has only one bed. And with no high school, teens have to travel more 35 miles (60 kilometers) if they want to continue past middle school. “I’m tired of waiting,” said Cawi binti Baisa, who was only 20 when her husband of two years left the house to work in the rice paddies never to return.”But what choice do I have,” said the 84year-old. “I’ll wait until I die, if I have to.” —AP

Hundreds of protesters attack police station in China Rioters angered by a govt land deal BEIJING: Hundreds of protesters attacked a police station in southern China and ransacked vehicles, leaving dozens injured in the latest unrest to hit China’s industrial heartland, authorities said yesterday. It was the latest in a series of protests sparked by perceived social injustices in Guangdong, known as the workshop of the world for the tens of millions of migrant workers who toil in the province’s factories.

Rioters angered by a government land deal and rumors that police officers had killed a child wrecked vehicles and attacked police at the station in Guangdong’s Lufeng city, local authorities said in a statement. Unrest first broke out Wednesday among local people but escalated after rumors of the child’s death spread, the statement said. Yesterday, further protests were reported in a village nearby.

“On September 22 at around one in the afternoon, some villagers who had ulterior motives spread rumors about police killing a child, inciting some of the villagers to storm a border police station,” the statement said. One insider with close knowledge of the incident, who refused to be identified,

told AFP by phone that villagers took more than 20 government and public security officials hostage in the police station.

He said they were angry about the detention of four other residents, and only when these were freed did they let the officials go. More than 30 villagers had been injured in the unrest, he said, adding the area where the violence happened was quiet so far yesterday. But residents in a village nearby-which comes under the jurisdiction of Lufeng-had protested in the morning and torn down a placard on the building site for a new public security bureau, he added.

“Land issues are a very serious problem here. The government has forcibly grabbed land and has not given compensation to farmers,” he said.

According to the statement, more than 10 police were wounded and six cars were wrecked by the protesters, who also blocked roads and trashed a local government office, a restaurant and a textile factory. The statement put the number of protesters at 200, but the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong daily, quoted a local businessman as saying there were several thousand.

The protesters were angered at the

sale of collectively-owned land by local government officials without their consent, the paper said. Calls to the Lufeng police and government went unanswered yesterday, but blog posts from the area said the military had surrounded the city, blocking roads. “All the roads leading into and out of our village have been sealed and guarded by the military, our entire village has been sealed,” Charles_suen posted on Sina’s Weibo, a Chinese site similar to Twitter.

A search for the word “Lufeng” appeared to be censored on Weibo yesterday, yielding a message saying results could not be shown due to “relevant laws, rules and policies”. In the last reported protest in Guangdong in June, hundreds of people battled police and destroyed cars after a factory worker was wounded in a knife attack over a wage row. In the same month, riots erupted after rumours spread that police had beaten a street hawker to death and manhandled his pregnant wife.

Television images at the time showed hundreds of police officers and armored vehicles deployed on the streets, with people hurling bricks at local officials, vandalizing ATMs and police posts. —AFP

Indian rupee rises on suspected intervention

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Moody’s downgrades eight Greek banks

Business

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

UBS board considers investment bank’s fate

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HP names Whitman as CEO

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NEW YORK: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange during morning trading yesterday in New York City. US markets faced another volatile day amidst fears about economic growth in Europe. — AFP

G20 vows financial stability Euro up, metal prices fall LONDON: European shares edged up from 26-month lows yesterday and the euro rose after the G20 major economies pledged to preserve financial stability, but risk sentiment remained fragile on fears of renewed recession in the developed world.

US stock index futures pointed to a tentative recovery on Wall Street after finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 said they would take “all steps necessary” to calm the global financial system and said central banks were ready to provide liquidity.

The G20 pledge of action provided a respite for world stocks after they tumbled to their lowest level in 13 months on Thursday, hurt by the risk of new recessions in the United States and Europe and weaker economic data from China. Metals prices bucked the trend, falling on worries that the gloomy economic outlook signalled lower industrial demand, and analysts said any G20-inspired market bounce would probably be shortlived. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index rose 0.8 percent, after dropping 4.7 percent on Thursday while futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 were up 0.5 to 0.7 percent. “It is a relief rally and

investors are just picking up some stocks on the cheap,” Mark Priest, senior trader at ETX Capital said.

“I do not see how everything has changed overnight. Kick-starting the economy is easier said than done and it will take a lot more than what has been put on the table.” European banks led early gains but some French banking stocks soon came under pressure again.

They have suffered heavy losses due to their exposure to euro zone sovereign debt and concerns about their liquidity and funding.

Societe Generale, which has lost nearly 60 percent since July, was down 1 percent while Credit Agricole was 2.2 percent lower.

Overall gains in European shares contrasted with falls in Asia, where the MSCI’s broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan fell 3 percent to its lowest level since May 2010.

That pulled the MSCI world equity index 0.1 percent down.

Global stocks as measured by the MSCI AllCountry index are now in bear market territory-defined as a fall of 20 percent or more from their peak-having tumbled 23 percent from their 2011 high in May. The oil price picked up, trading near $106 a

barrel, as some investors saw its slide to a sixweek low on Thursday on concerns about the global economic outlook as overdone. The G20 statement came as finance ministers and central bankers met in Washington, under pressure from investors to show action in the face of rising stresses in the financial system.

The euro clawed off an 8-month low against the dollar and was last up 0.6 percent up at $1.3540 after the G20 pledge and as the tentative recovery in equities prompted some profit taking in the dollar. The G20 also said the euro zone’s rescue fund could be bolstered but traders said there was little that was new and the pledges needed to be followed up with action.

“Talk is cheap at the minute,” said Orlando Green, European fixed income strategist at Credit Agricole. “No matter how many proposals or pledges you get, action is required.”

Traders said that unless markets stabilised, most would seek to trim risk exposure for the relative safety of the dollar and yen. Both rallied on Thursday as investors cut exposure to commodity- and growth-linked currencies.

The dollar yesterday was last 0.5 percent down at 78.09 against a basket of currencies ,

but remained within sight of a seven-month high of 78.798 reached on Thursday. “With no immediate circuit breaker on the horizon, investor confidence is quickly evaporating, which is increasing the risk of a financial market crash developing in the coming months,” Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UJF said in note.

“In these circumstances, the safe-haven currencies of the yen and US dollar should continue to outperform against more cyclically sensitive, commodity-linked G10 currencies.” Commodity markets, copper in particular, bore the brunt of the global rout on Thursday that accompanied the US Federal Reserve’s gloomy economic outlook.

Metals fell further yesterday, with threemonth copper on the London Metal Exchange slumping to $7,115.75 a tonne, its lowest level since August 2010 before paring losses to last trade 3 percent down at $7,450 a tonne. Nickel was down 3 percent, having shed more than 8 percent earlier when tin plunged more than 12 percent.

The sell-off in commodities pulled gold prices lower, with spot gold down 0.2 percent at $1,731.29 an ounce. Brent futures were slightly firmer at $105.72 a barrel. —Reuters

BUSINESS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Jordan bank dismissal spotlights economic struggle AMMAN: Although it has been spared the popular uprisings that have rocked other Arab nations, cash-strapped Jordan is facing high unemployment as it struggles to define its economic policy. The dismissal of liberal Central Bank governor Fares Sharaf on Sunday over accusations by Prime Minister Maaruf Bakhit that he took “unilateral” decisions and publicly opposed the government highlights a floundering economic policy.

“It’s not the first time the government has sacked an official for his or her opinion in economic policies,” former economy minister Samer Tawil told AFP. “There is no agreement on economic policies and the political regime is incapable of developing an implementable national economic model.” Jordan is one of the lower middle income nations, where gross national income per capita is estimated at between $766 and $3,035, according to the World Bank. “One of the problems is that some want to implement International Monetary Fund programmes without taking into consideration Jordan’s peculiarities, while conservatives oppose these plans without providing local alterna-

tives,” Tawil said. Officially, unemployment is about 14 percent in the country of nearly 6.5 million people, 70 percent of them under the age of 30. Other estimates, mostly from non-government organisations, put unemployment at 30 percent, however. “Government ministers are divided. Some of them say we need to maintain subsidies and consider Arab spring developments, while others think the budget cannot handle this,” said Jawad Anani, another former economy minister. On Monday, Bakhit accused Sharaf of “not believing in government policies and inciting the public against them.” “He does not believe in small businesses and projects and opposes a social market economy,” Bakhit said. “Because he is liberal, he strongly supports free market policies, demands that the government raise prices and publicly opposes its approach at political salons. He cannot deny that,” the premier added, charging that Sharaf “takes unilateral decisions.”

“That is why he had to go, in order to save the Central Bank from such decisions,” he said. But Sharaf denied the allegations, insisting that he has never called

for raising prices. “Eighty percent of government subsidies on certain products and services benefit the rich and those who do not deserve it,” Sharaf said.

“No one has the right to categorise Jordanians as liberals and non-liberals. I do not know the real reason behind the government’s decision to sack me.”

Newspaper columnists linked Sharaf’s dismissal to his decision to take to court a businessman accused of trying to launder $100 million. The former governor’s mother, senator Laila Sharaf, resigned from the upper house of parliament in protest at her son’s dismissal, slamming what she called “a freeze on the reform process” and “lack of efforts to fight corruption.”

The IMF has estimated economic growth in Jordan this year at 2.5 percent and 2.9 percent in 2012, but Jordanian experts warn that the local economy is still vulnerable. “Economic indications in the first half of this year were negative.

Jordan’s foreign currency reserve has dropped $1.2 billion. Tourism revenue has dropped by 24 percent while investments have been frozen,” economist and writer Salameh Daraawi told AFP.

“The public debt has exceeded 65 percent of growth domestic product, which is extremely dangerous, especially with a budget deficit of nearly $1.5 billion.”

According to economist Yussef Mansur, about 90 percent of government spending is current expenditure. “Around 70 percent covers the salaries of government employees, 10 percent the salaries of retirees and 10 percent goes to interest on the public debt,” Mansur said. “Public debt has exceeded $15.5 billion. Economic growth is less than population growth of 2.8 percent, which means that income per capita has dropped.”

For Ibrahim Saif, resident scholar at Carnegie Middle East Centre, “the idea is that growth is not a goal in self.” “There has to be a distributional effect of the growth, in order to have a positive impact on the various groups in society.

“Sometimes growth may contribute in widening income gap and thus fuelling frustrations, especially among limited income groups and areas which have not been benefiting from growth,” Saif said.

“This is what we call a limited ‘trickle down’ effect.” — AFP

HP names Whitman as CEO Change was ‘a step towards regaining credibility with investors’

HONG KONG: A woman walks past a jewellery poster during the Hong Kong jewellery and gem fair 2011 yesterday.

Over 3,400 exhibitors from 46 countries and regions are attending the fair. — AFP

Fitch affirms Abu Dhabi at ‘AA’, outlook stable ABU DHABI: Fitch Ratings has affirmed Abu Dhabi’s Longterm foreign and local currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) at ‘AA’ with a Stable Outlook. Fitch has also affirmed Abu Dhabi’s Short-term foreign currency IDR at ‘F1+’. The UAE Country Ceiling is affirmed at ‘AA+’.

“The affirmation and Stable Outlook reflect the continuing strength of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign balance sheet, which conveys exceptional fiscal flexibility,” says Richard Fox, Head of Middle East and Africa Sovereigns at Fitch. “The 20082009 global financial crisis was a severe stress test for Abu Dhabi, but one which left its balance sheet largely undented.

Any future stress would have to have harsher consequences than this to trigger negative rating action,” Fox added.

Abu Dhabi’s rating is anchored by one of the strongest balance sheets of any rated country. Foreign assets, including equity investments, are estimated by Fitch at approaching USD300bn, with just USD4bn of direct sovereign external debt. Sovereign net foreign assets of an estimated 167% of GDP are therefore second only to Kuwait. Fitch estimates gross sovereign financial assets by the end of 2011 will be 16% higher than their end-2007 level, having dipped only slightly in 2008. At current oil prices, they are forecast to rise steadily, propelled by investment returns and overall fiscal surpluses. —Reuters

NEW YORK: Hewlett-Packard on Thursday named former eBay chief Meg Whitman its new president and chief executive officer, replacing Leo Apotheker at the helm of the world’s biggest computer maker.

Whitman, 55, stepped down in 2008 at eBay, the Internet auction giant, and last year made an unsuccessful run to replace Arnold Schwarzenegger as California governor, losing to Democratic veteran Jerry Brown.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Meg Whitman’s caliber and experience step up to lead HP,” said Ray Lane, who was named executive chairman of the computer giant. “We are at a critical moment and we need renewed leadership to successfully implement. Meg is a technology visionary with a proven track record of execution.”

Among the changes at HP, Ray Lane has moved from non-executive chairman to executive chairman of the board of directors, and the board intends to appoint a lead independent director, a company statement said.

“These leadership appointments are effective immediately and follow the decision that Leo Apotheker step down as president and chief executive officer and resign as a director of the company,” the California group said.

In the statement Whitman said, “I am honored and excited to lead HP. I believe HP matters-it matters to Silicon Valley, California, the country and the world.” The shakeup comes with HP struggling for direction despite its leadership in the PC busi-

CALIFORNIA: In this Oct 23, 2011 photo, Meg Whitman, (then) a republican candidate for Calif.

Governor, campaigns at Saigon Kitchen, in San Jose, Calif.

Hewlett-Packard is set to name Meg Whitman, as its new CEO, according to published reports Thursday. —AP ness. Katy Huberty, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, said the change was “a step towards regaining credibility with investors” but warned that “the path to a full recovery of investors’ faith in management and the company’s earnings power will take several quarters, if not longer.” Apotheker, a veteran of German business software

giant SAP, took over HP in November and has been refocusing the company on software and cloud servicesoffering applications and storing data services over the Internet.

But HP shares have fallen more than 40 percent since Apotheker replaced Mark Hurd, who resigned following a sexual harassment accusation. HP shares plunged 20 percent on a single day last month after Apotheker announced a dramatic strategic shakeup at the world’s top personal computer maker that includes spinning off its PC business.

HP announced on August 18 it was exploring a spin-off of its PC unit and buying British enterprise software company Autonomy for $10.24 billion as it refocuses on software and technology solutions. In a further move away from the consumer space, HP said that it was stopping production of its TouchPad tablet computer, its rival to Apple’s iPad, and phones based on the webOS mobile operating system acquired from Palm last year for $1.2 billion.

HP began laying off employees in its webOS unit on Tuesday. Forrester analyst Frank Gillett said earlier Thursday that HP’s “strong customer brand is being damaged” by uncertainty aboot the direction of the company and its leadership. “The company is in a difficult strategic position. It might undo the planned PC spinout, but only if they value the supply chain synergies,” he said in a note to clients. “The company has a long shot possibility to become a leader in enterprise cloud as an anchor of a larger ecosystem of products and services.” — AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Two-speed Europe better than no-speed WARSAW: A two-speed Europe with the closer political and fiscal integration among current eurozone members appears to be the only way the 17member bloc can survive, Poland’s central bank chief said yesterday.

“I’m not partial to a two-speed Europe-I would rather that it (Europe) travel along one track. But do you prefer a two-speed Europe or a no-speed Europe that gets stuck and then collapses?,” Marek Belka, NBP governor and former Polish prime minister told the Polish PAP news agency.

“If today the best way to save the eurozone is further budgetary integration, or even political integration within the framework of some kind of federalism, then we cannot prevent it and we should not protest against it,” he added.

“So if to save the eurozone it is necessary to go in the direction of a confederation, I am for it,” Belka said. “In my opinion, for us the greatest catastrophe would be the disintegration of the eurozone and the collapse of the common currency,” he added.

The largest ex-communist state to have joined the European Union, Poland is bound by its entry agreement to join the eurozone but has no fixed deadline for the move.

Authorities in Warsaw have vowed to meet the Maastricht Treaty macroeconomic criteria for entry by 2015 but have refused to peg a target entry date in light of the eurozone’s debt crisis.

In February, Central European EU members gave a cool reception to a Franco-German proposal for a eurozone

competitiveness pact involving closer integration among the existing 17 eurozone members, pointing to the risk of a two-speed Europe, even though few are in any rush to adopt the single currency given the crisis.

Poland’s liberal Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned against the proposed pact “leading to a return to a twospeed Europe” in a comment made as clear signal to Brussels as Poland prepared to assume the EU’s six month rotating presidency in July.

Belka, also a former Polish finance minister and senior IMF manager, on Friday broke with the caution expressed

by Tusk and other leader in the region.

“In order for the single European currency to survive, the eurozone countries are obliged to forge ever closer economic

and budgetary cooperation and this implies certain elements of political cooperation,” Belka told the PAP. “Regardless of how dangerous this sounds to our national sensibilities, without certain elements of political union, the euro won’t survive,” Belka added. Despite Poland’s sound fundamentals, this week the value of the freefloating Polish currency, the zloty, tumbled to a near-record low against the euro and dollar amid worries about the impact eurozone debt turmoil may have on its main trade partner Germany.

Warsaw expects output to expand by up to 4.0 percent this year facilitating a planned reduction of the deficit to below the Maastricht Treaty mandated 3.0 percent of the gross domestic product for eurozone entry. — AFP

House Republicans pass bill on second attempt Disaster aid could run out on Monday

SINGAPORE: UBS executive board member and co-chairman and co-chief executive of UBS Asia-Pacific region, Alex Wilmot-Sitwell leaves after a board meeting at UBS ‘s offices in Singapore yesterday. — AFP

UBS board considers investment bank’s fate SINGAPORE/ZURICH: The board of UBS met yesterday amid the glamour of Singapore’s Grand Prix event to decide the future of its scandal-hit investment bank and CEO Oswald Gruebel, on whose watch it lost $2.3 billion in alleged rogue trading.

Top executives at the Swiss bank, which has staggered from crisis to crisis over the past three years, are under pressure to downsize or fence off risky trading activities and protect its core business of managing private investors’ wealth.

After the meeting a casually-dressed Gruebel declined to comment on his future. Wearing a black polo shirt and khaki trousers as he crossed the lobby of Singapore’s Ritz-Carlton hotelwhere the bank’s top brass are staying-Gruebel shook his head when asked by a reporter whether he could say anything.

Clients pulled nearly 400 billion Swiss francs ($442 billion) — almost 20 percent of total client assets-from UBS during the financial crisis as the bank was battered by subprime losses, a prolonged dispute with the US tax authorities and the biggest annual corporate loss in Swiss history. The bank’s inflows have since turned positive but other private banks are now circling again to nab clients worried about reputational risk in the wake of the rogue trader affair.

The $2.3 billion allegedly racked up by UBS trader Kweku Adoboli in unauthorised trades compares to the 4.9 billion euros ($6.6 billion) lost by rogue trader Jerome Kerviel at Societe Generale just three years ago, an event which prompted calls for tighter rules and felled that bank’s then-chairman and CEO Daniel Bouton.

With his job now on the line, Gruebel, a former trader himself, was expected to have urged the board to keep him and his ‘integrated banking’ strategy-maintaining the investment bank which he placed at the heart of UBS’ recovery when he took over in 2009.

A UBS source said before the end of the meeting-held in UBS offices at the exclusive Raffles Quay location-that the board would be given an update on its internal investigation into the trading debacle.

UBS’s board meeting, one of four regular meetings per year, coincides with the Singapore Formula One motor racing Grand Prix, of which UBS is a major sponsor.

The crisis has left Gruebel facing not only strategic issues, such as whether the bank should stick to its safer core wealth management business, but also concern about his management team and lax risk supervision.—Reuters

WASHINGTON: Republicans in the US House of Representatives regrouped yeterday to approve a must-pass spending bill, but the prospect of a government shutdown loomed as Democrats said it would go nowhere in the Senate.

Even in the face of rock-bottom approval ratings, the dispute suggested that lawmakers may not be able to bridge their differences to pass even the most essential legislation. Aid for victims of tornadoes, wildfires and other disasters could dry up by Monday if Congress does not replenish a dwindling relief fund. Funding for everything from national parks to law enforcement could expire in a week.

By a largely party-line vote of 219 to 203, the Republican-controlled House in an aftermidnight vote approved a bill that would keep the government running through Nov. 18 and provide $3.65 billion for disaster relief in one of the most extreme years for weather in US history.

Republican leaders managed to minimize defections from Tea Party movement aligned conservatives, who had helped defeat a near-

ly identical version of the bill a day earlier.

Democrats overwhelmingly voted against the bill on the grounds that disaster aid was inadequate and a cut to an electric-vehicle program would hurt the economy.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid said the bill would fail in that chamber, where his party holds the majority. House Speaker John Boehner said the dispute would not lead to a government shutdown. Congress has more than a week to resolve its differences, and every spending debate this year has gone down to the wire.

“I urge the Senate to quickly pass this bill so we can send it to the president and keep the focus on the American people’s top priority: jobs,” Boehner said in a statement after the vote. Boehner and other Republican leaders have vowed to lower the temperature on Capitol Hill after fierce budget battles with Democrats pushed the government to the brink of a shutdown in April and the edge of default in August. The months of turmoil in Washington have spooked consumers, rattled investors and led to a cut in the country’s topnotch AAA credit rating. — Reuters

SYDNEY: An elderly couple look at data describing steep falls on share price monitors at the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in Sydney yesterday. Australian stocks slumped following steep falls on international markets amid new worries that Europe and the United States are sinking into recession. — AFP

BUSINESS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Weakening European economy may force rate cut FRANKFURT: The European Central Bank is facing mounting pressure to cut interest rates soon amid growing signs the eurozone economy could slide into recession. Economists said yesterday that the quickly worsening economic outlook could push the bank to take back interest rate hikes it made earlier this year. Some say a rate cut could come as soon as October.

The bank raised rates by a quarter point in April and July to the current 1.5 percent, to ward off what then appeared to be growing inflationary pressures. But since then Europe’s government debt crisis has worsened and in recent days leading indicators - data that suggest where the economy is going - have soured.

“Pressure is mounting on the ECB to quickly reverse its recent monetary pol-

icy tightening cycle rather than just halting it, with a near-term interest rate cut,” said Howard Archer, chief European economist at IHS Global Insight. “Falling prices charged in the services and manufacturing sectors combined in September add to the evidence that eurozone inflationary risks are rapidly dwindling and give the ECB scope to act.” Bank President JeanClaude Trichet made it clear at a news conference Sept. 8 that the bank had halted its series of increases because the growth outlook had worsened and inflation risks had eased.

Keeping inflation under control is the bank’s primary mandate and rate increases are its primary tool to do that. Rate cuts on the other hand can stimulate growth under the right conditions by encouraging business to

borrow and expand, and freeing up some cash for households if their mortgages and credit card bills fall. A run of downbeat data in recent days, including a closely watched index of industrial activity that registered outright contraction, and a dip in eurozone consumer confidence and industrial orders, has tilted the balance in favor of an imminent rate cut.

Royal Bank of Scotland economists said Friday they reckon there is a 60 percent chance the bank will slash rates by a half-percentage point at the Oct. 6 meeting. Last month RBS expected a 40 percent chance of lower rates by year end. But the worsening economic outlook led to a shift in the prediction; the bank’s economists now predict a eurozone recession, or drop in economic output. A recession could

complicate efforts to deal with Europe’s debt crisis at a time when political leaders are trying to fend off a debt default by Greece that could shake the banking system and wider economy. Greek and European officials are haggling over whether Athens has met conditions for another installment of its ?110 billion bailout package, without which it will default next month. Outside the 17 countries that use the euro, slowing growth in emerging markets could undermine Europe’s export-oriented industry. German carmakers in particular recorded rich earnings in the first half of the year, largely because of booming sales in countries such as China, Brazil and Russia. But the World Trade Organization has cut its forecast for the increase in world trade to 5.8 percent from 6.5 percent. — AP

Moody’s downgrades eight Greek banks Nationwide strike set for Oct 19

YINCHUAN: Two Uighur women wearing traditional costumes visit a trade fair during the China-Arab State Economy and Trade Summit in Yinchuan, in northwest China’s Ningxia region. As European and US economies falter, China is making a trade push with the Arab world, where businessmen say recent political changes will further open up the region to investment. — AFP

Russian markets tumble on global contagion fears MOSCOW: Russian stocks tumbled six percent and the ruble extended losses against the dollar to a two-year low as nerves over a new global recession prompted investors to pull out of risky emerging markets.

In contrast to the troubled eurozone, Russia can boast a relatively narrow budget deficit and a highly centralised decision-making system, but its dependence on oil exports could make it vulnerable to a global slowdown. At 1200 GMT the Micex index was down 6.09 percent at 1,304.87 points while the RTS was down 6.21 percent at 1,297.51 points.

Meanwhile, the ruble was trading at 32.3 rubles to US dollar, its weakest level since August 2009. Its value against the euro-dollar currency basket that serves as its marker was the worst since December 2009. “Russia is ... the first in the queue to be bought or sold as the global mood shifts,” said Chris Weafer of the Troika Dialog investment bank.

“It matters not a jot that Russia’s macro, fiscal and budget position is far better than that of most countries in the world,” he added. “There is far too small a base of domestic investors to compensate for when foreign investors bolt for the exit.”

President Dmitry Medvedev meanwhile said that he would soon call a meeting of the government and top bankers to discuss the problems on the financial markets. “The situation is not simple and we need to behave very carefully,” Medvedev said at a meeting with the head of state bank VTB Andrei Kostin. “We need to understand what is happening and talk about the eurozone, the US economy.”

The plunge on the Russian markets coincided with the opening day of the annual congress of the dominant party United Russia which is expected to set the strategy of the ruling elite ahead of presidential and parliamentary polls. —AFP

ATHENS: Moody’s ratings agency downgraded eight Greek banks by two notches yesterday due to their exposure to Greek government bonds and the deteriorating economic situation in the country, whose government has struggled to meet the terms of an international bailout.

Moody’s Investors Service downgraded National Bank of Greece, EFG Eurobank Ergasias, Alpha Bank, Piraeus Bank, Agricultural Bank of Greece and Attica Bank to CAA2 from B3. It also downgraded Emporiki Bank of Greece - which is majority owned by French bank Credit Agricole - and General Bank of Greece majority owned by another French bank, Societe Generale - to B3 from B1.

The agency said the outlook for all the banks’ long-term deposit and debt ratings was negative. Shares on the Athens Stock Exchange plunged, with the general price index shedding 4.6 percent in afternoon trading to dip below the 800 mark at 791.7 points. Bank shares were down by more than 8 percent.

Moody’s cited “the expected impact of the deteriorating domestic economic environment on non-performing loans” and “declines in deposit bases and still fragile liquidity positions” in its reasoning for the downgrade.

Greece has been kept solvent by a euro110 billion ($149 billion) bailout in 2010 from other eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund. But it has needed another massive bailout this summer, and has angered international creditors by lagging behind in its commitments to implementing reforms and carrying out pledges.

European officials have begun to speak openly of the possibility of a Greek default, and the fears have further roiled international markets. A Greek default could send shockwaves through the eurozone banking system and the global economy. European officials have tried to prevent one because it could mean losses for banks that hold Greek government bonds and prompt speculation that other governments with shaky governments

ATHENS: Workers at Greek mental health institutes are seen during a protest outside the Greek Parliament in central Athens yesterday. The Greek government has imposed a string of increasingly desperate austerity measures in recent days to secure continued funding from its international rescue loan lifeline. — AP could face increasingly acute funding pressures.

Dutch central bank president Klaas Knot said he could no longer rule out the possibility that the country will be unable to pay back its debts. “I won’t say that Greece cannot default,” Knot said in an interview with Dutch newspaper Het Financieel Dagblad, published Friday.

Knot, who recently became president of De Nederlandsche Bank, is also a European Central Bank governing council member. The ECB has insisted Greece must stick with its bailout plan and has opposed default as a solution.

“I have long been convinced that a default is not necessary,” Knot said. “But the news from Athens is sometimes not encouraging. All efforts are aimed at preventing this, but I am now less positive in ruling out a default than I was a few months ago.”

Greek bondholders have already agreed to take a 21 percent loss on the value of their investments in a swap for new bonds. That loss is relatively mild by the standard of government defaults,

which often inflict losses of 50 percent or more. But some economists say the current swap arrangement does not give Greece enough debt relief. Greece needs an euro8 billion ($11 billion) bailout installment by mid-October to keep from defaulting on its massive debts as it moves into a fourth year of recession.

Debt inspectors from the IMF, ECB and European Commission, collectively known as the troika, are due back in Athens next week to complete their review of Greece’s progress and make a recommendation on whether it should receive the next loan installment.

To secure the money, the government this week announced another round of tax hikes and pension cuts, angering an already austerity-weary public. Metro, tram and train workers in Athens went on strike Friday, while all public transport workers and taxi drivers are to hold a 48hour strike next week. However, an Athens court ruled a 24-hour air traffic controllers’ strike set for Sunday was illegal, meaning flights will operate normally over the weekend.—AP

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Geithner slams China’s intellectual property policies WASHINGTON: US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Thursday that China is holding to its decades-old strategy to steal American intellectual property, in a pointed statement reflecting US officials’ growing impatience with Beijing.

“They [China] have made possible systematic stealing of intellectual property of American companies and have not been very aggressive to put in place the basic protections for property rights that every serious economy needs over time,” Geithner told a forum in Washington.

“We’re seeing China continue to be very, very aggressive in a strategy they started several decades ago, which goes like this: you want to sell to our country, we want you to come produce here ... if you want to come produce here, you need to transfer your technology to us,”

Geithner said.

Although unusually direct, Geithner’s comments echo a common refrain from US officials and executives. The new US Ambassador to China, Gary Locke, who has assailed China in the past for its trade practices, has put the defense of US intellectual property among his chief priorities. China has said it would drop some of its “indigenous innovation” rules that have riled foreign companies who say access to government equipment and technology orders hinge on their transferring patents and other intellectual property. But business associations in China argue that enforcement of Beijing’s promises has been spotty, particularly at the local government level, hampering foreign companies’ access to a market estimated to be worth as much as $1 tril-

lion a year. In an offshoot of Washington’s dissatisfaction with Beijing’s trade policies, leaders in Washington have long argued that China’s yuan currency is undervalued, giving Chinese companies a price advantage that costs US jobs.

But the foreign business community in China-concerned about what they see as China becoming more closed toward foreign investors in recent years-has argued that the emphasis on yuan revaluation distracts from the most serious issues threatening US business interests.

A coalition of 51 US business groups sent a letter dated Wednesday to senators considering a currency bill, urging them to focus more on China’s inadequate protection of intellectual property and restrictions on market access. “... unilateral legislation on this issue

[yuan reform] would be counterproductive not only to the goals related to China’s exchange rate that we all share, but also to our nation’s broader objectives of addressing the many and growing challenges that we face in China,” the groups said.

Piracy and counterfeiting of US software and a wide range of other intellectual property in China cost US businesses alone an estimated $48 billion and 2.1 million jobs in 2009, the US International Trade Commission has said. The United States’ trade deficit with China hit a record $273 billion in 2010 and could top that this year. In May, China was listed for the seventh year by the US Trade Representative’s office as a country with one of the worst records for preventing copyright theft. — Reuters

Signs of China slowdown add to dim global outlook China’s role in powering world growth is significant

HONG KONG: A man studies stock price at a brokerage firm in Hong Kong yesterday. Asian stocks faced sharp losses early yesterday following a precipitous session of trading of Wall Street sparked by fears that a global recession may already be under way. — AP

HK shares end down 1.4%, worst since Oct 2008 HONG KONG: Hong Kong shares finished lower yesterday in their worst week since October 2008 as investors sold materials stocks, cutting riskier holdings amid escalating fears of a global recession and as turnover surged to the highest in more than a month.

The Hang Seng Index closed down 1.36 percent on the day and 9.18 percent on the week at 17,668.83. The China Enterprises Index ended down 1.84 percent on the day and 11.87 percent on the week at 9,033.09. The Shanghai Composite Index closed down 0.41 percent on the day and 1.98 percent on the week at 2,433.16, but off intraday lows after gains in energy issues cut losses in materials counters. Materials were the standout underperformers on the day.

Amid growing fears that the United States will slip into recession, investors shorted top beta plays. Short-selling accounted for almost 18 percent of total turnover for Citic Pacific Ltd on Friday, according to data from the Hong Kong stock exchange. Citic, a mainland steel producer, lost 5.7 percent, sinking to the lowest since April 2009 in early trade. The stock is down more than 38 percent on the quarter. Short-covering by market players who shorted property names limited losses on the day. China property developers, already under pressure for much of this quarter, slumped further on Thursday after mainland regulators clamped down on trust companies, requiring them to declare their exposure to Hong Kong-listed property developer Greentown China Holdings Ltd Among the top Hang Seng losers on Thursday, China Overseas Land & Investment Ltd rose 2.6 percent and China Resources Land Ltd gained 3.9 percent. Chinese insurers with their own trust companies, such as Ping An Insurance (Group) Co of China Ltd , were hit hard.

Ping An lost 6.3 percent in the highest volume in a month, sinking to its lowest since May 2009. It is down more than 17 percent this week, its worst week since the 2008 financial crisis. —Reuters

SHANGHAI: Signs that powerhouse China is slowing have spooked global markets and sharpened fears that the world economy will not escape another recession. The dramatic stock market fallout from one small, preliminary survey of Chinese manufacturers far exceeded the data’s importance, analysts said yesterday. The world’s No. 2 economy is slowing, as expected, but growth will remain relatively strong, they say. If nothing else, the market rout that began Thursday and continued yesterday reflects China’s growing importance for world growth, said Xianfang Ren, chief China economist for IHS Global Insight. A preliminary reading of HSBC’s index of manufacturing for September, released about a week before the final survey is due, was at a two-month low of 49.4 and like August’s reading of 49.9 is under 50 - indicating that activity is contracting. An official manufacturing index that surveys a bigger number of companies is also due about the end of September.

The HSBC survey and weak indicators from other major economies prompted panicked selling by global investors afraid that governments hamstrung by debt crises, inflation and unemployment may be unable to avert a recession.

But the HSBC survey is only a monthly snapshot, ill-suited to indicate long-term trends, said Ren. It also is heavily weighted toward exporters, who are bound to be feeling cautious given the current global outlook but is not a reliable measure of the broader economy, said CLSA analyst Andy Rothman.

“If you look at other measures of what’s happening in China ... everything is cooling down, but not dramatically, and there’s still strong growth,” Rothman said. Most forecasters pick economic growth of above 9 percent this year and between 8.5 percent and 9 percent next year.

As one of the few big economies that is expanding at a rapid clip, China’s role in powering world growth is significant.

That’s especially so for nations such as Australia that are heavily dependent on China’s voracious demand for the miner-

SHANGHAI: In this file photo taken March 2, 2011, a forklift arranges the shipping containers near a port in Shanghai. Signs that powerhouse China is slowing have spooked global markets and added to fears that the world economy will suffer another recession. — AP als they export and for export reliant economies in Asia including Singapore, Taiwan and Japan. The Conference Board forecasts China to account for about a third of the increase in global GDP this year. Yet despite China’s rising power, experts say its economy is still not big or strong enough to fully compensate for meltdowns elsewhere, since its own investment and spending is only onesixth that of the European Union and United States. “From a global perspective, China’s domestic demand is still way too small to offset the impact of a recession” in Europe and the US, Deutsche Bank economist Ma Jun said in a report.

To make up for a 3 percentage point drop in growth in those economies, China would have to grow by 18 percent this year, he says. “This is mission impossible.” Some worry that China’s economic planners in their zeal to reduce inflation from near three-year highs could overshoot by cooling the economy too much.

August’s inflation figure of 6.2 percent, down from 6.5 percent in July, suggests that Beijing’s inflation battle may be yielding results that would allow it

greater leeway for policies aimed at keeping growth on track. A drop in global demand for China’s exports could also wallop its economy, as it did in 2008, though domestic factors such as consumer spending and investment in infrastructure are increasingly driving growth.

Most economists still downplay any risk of a so-called “hard landing” in China that would darken the global outlook.

Such fears are “unwarranted,” said HSBC’s own economist Hongbin Qu. “Resilient domestic demand is sufficient to support around 8.5 percent to 9 percent growth in the coming quarters.”

China’s advantages over other major economies include its relatively low level of debt despite growing worries over local government borrowing, its cashrich corporate sector and pent-up demand among its newly affluent consumers. Massive stimulus spending launched in response to the 2008 global crisis is still washing through the economy, driving sales for both heavy industries like steel and cement, and light ones such as appliances, clothing and home furnishings.—AP

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Copper extends slide on recession fears LONDON: Copper fell to its lowest in more than a year yesterday, as escalating fears over an economic slowdown in the United States, Europe and China and mounting worries over a debt default in Greece triggered a brutal sell-off of the industrial metal.

Other base metals were also aggressively sold with tin and nickel at one point falling by more than 14 percent and 11 percent respectively.

Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) traded at $7,260 in rings, down about 5 percent from a close of $7,674 a tonne on Thursday. It fell to its lowest since August 2010 at $7,115.75.

The red metal used in power and construction was on track for its steepest weekly loss since December 2008 after losing almost 8 percent in the previous session. “Base metals are macro sensitive so there was a very dramatic sell-off in copper also aided by the PMI data in China,” said Andrey Kryuchenkov, an analyst at VTB Capital.

“I think it’s overdone, but as I say there is extreme risk aversion... Yet open interest is down which suggests longs closures rather than new short positions. Support is now at $7,000 per tonne.”Data on Thursday showed the manufacturing sector contracted for the third consecutive month in China, suggesting the world’s No.2 economy may not be able to provide much of a counterweight to flagging US and European growth. China is the world’s largest consumer of industrial metals.

Comments from a European Central Bank Governing Council member and from Greece’s finance minister over the possibility of a Greek default also fuelled the grim market sentiment. Supply tightness concerns did little to stem further copper price falls and talks of a strike extension beyond one month at Freeport Indonesia’s Grasberg copper mine lifted prices only briefly.

Fuelling the commodity liquidation this week the dollar rallied against the euro and other curren-

cies as the dismal economic outlook sent investors out of stocks and other bets on growth and into dollardenominated assets such as Treasuries.

A stronger US currency makes dollar-priced commodities costlier for holders of other currencies. Tin hit its lowest since July 2010 at $17,000; nickel fell to its lowest since Dec. 2009 at $16,800; zinc hit a 14-month low at $1,894 and lead hit a 13month low at $2,000 .

“Aluminium, zinc, nickel and tin are all trading below their marginal cost of production so if prices stay at current levels, would think we start to see a supply side response to what has already been projected as a tight market going into year end and early next year,” RBC said in a research note. Tin shipments from top exporter Indonesia could fall by more than half to 40,000 tonnes per year if benchmark prices for the metal remain at current levels or below, an industry association said on Friday.

Aluminium, which was more

resilient than other metals, fell to its lowest since November 2010 at $2,187.”We believe that although the risks from slowing global growth could pose further threat to aluminium prices, the downside risk is likely to be limited due to a combination of strong global demand, rising energy prices and other input costs,” said Metal Bulletin Research analyst Kamil Wlazly.

“Additionally the Chinese supply/demand balance continues to tighten and low interest rates should ensure that inventory financing and LME delivery bottlenecks will keep the metal out of the physical market at least until mid 2013.” The metal, used in packaging and transport trading at $2,205 in rings from $18,880.

Zinc changed hands at $1,956 from $2,008 and lead at $2,021 from $2,105 at Thursday’s close. Tin, untraded in rings, was bid at $19,000 a tonne from a close at $19,850, while stainless steel material nickel , also untraded in rings, was bid at $18,000 from $18,880. — Reuters

Asian markets slump for second straight day Asian sell-off followed heavy losses in US, Europe

MUMBAI: A shopkeeper counts Indian currency notes recieved from a customer at his shop in Mumbai yesterday. India’s rupee rose against the dollar, amid speculation the central bank had intervened in the foreign exchange market to prop up the ailing currency, traders said. — AFP

Indian rupee rises on suspected intervention MUMBAI: India’s rupee rose against the dollar yesterday amid speculation the central bank had intervened in the foreign exchange market to prop up the ailing currency, traders said. The currency has fallen sharply in recent days to a 28-month-low of 50 rupees to the dollar as traders rush to the safe haven US unit due to fears over the outlook for the global economy.

The central bank was believed to have sold the greenback at around 49.8 rupees, “which helped the rupee recover”, a dealer at a Mumbai-based trading house said.

“After the (suspected) intervention, the rupee pulled back to 49.09 per dollar,” he told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The Reserve Bank of India may not allow the rupee to fall further,” he added.

A central bank spokeswoman was unavailable for comment and the size of the intervention was not immediately clear. Unlike fellow emerging market giant China, India allows its currency to float freely.

The RBI does not target any particular currency rate or direction and intervenes in the foreign exchange market only to curb excess volatility. Weak local equity marketswhich have slid more than 20 percent so far this year — have also put pressure on the rupee as overseas funds sell Indian stocks. — AFP

HONG KONG: Asian markets fell for a second straight day yesterday and the dollar rose amid growing fears that the global economy is on the verge of slipping back into recession. However, most markets were off their earlier lows after G20 finance chiefs meeting in Washington promised to take collective action to stabilise the financial system.

Seoul slumped 5.73 percent, or 103.11 points, to 1,697.44, while Hong Kong gave up 1.91 percent in the afternoon. Sydney closed 1.56 percent, or 61.7 points, lower at 3,903.2.

However, the market was off its earlier lows and at one point even edged into positive territory.

Taiwan fell 3.55 percent, or 259.28 points, to 7.046.22 while Shanghai lost 0.96 percent. Bangkok, which at one point dived five percent, was 4.33 percent lower in the afternoon. Tokyo was closed for a public holiday. The Asian sell-off followed heavy losses in the United States and Europe, which were caused by the Federal Reserve’s comments on Wednesday that the US economy faced “significant downside risks”, with the economy struggling with slow growth, high unemployment and a depressed housing market. The warning came after the Fed announced a $400 billion plan to boost the economy that would see it shift its shorter-term debt portfolio to longer-term bonds in a bid to lower long-term interest rates, a move that disappointed markets.

On Wall Street the Dow slumped 3.51 percent-marking its worst two-

day fall since November 2008 — the S&P 500 sank 3.19 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite shed 3.25 percent. The Fed’s forecast piled the pressure on already nervous

$1.0024 from $1.0017 late Thursday after falling to as low as 98.02 US cents. The Aussie hit a record high above $1.10 just two months ago. The greenback, which in recent months

KARACHI: A Pakistani stockbroker watches the latest share prices on a monitor during a trading session at the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) in Karachi yesterday. — AFP investors, who were selling assets earlier in the week amid fears Greece is on the verge of default, which could spread to other economies and lead to another global financial crisis.

“The selloff in risk assets threatens to become disorderly,” Tim Condon, economist at ING, told Dow Jones Newswires. The dollar extended its rise against regional currencies as dealers shifted their attention away from riskier assets.

The Australian dollar was at

was languishing near record lows against several Asian currencies, was up at Sg$1.3015 from Sg$1.2878 and to Tw$30.47 from Tw$30.34. However, it edged down to 1,165.00 South Korean won from 1,179.57 amid reports the Korean central bank had stepped into the markets.

The euro edged up to $1.3492, from $1.3464 late Thursday in New York, while it was also at 102.90 yen, from 102.64. The dollar fetched 76.29 yen, from 76.25 yen. — AFP

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Willow the cat reunited with owners in NYC www.kuwaittimes.net

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Indian folk dancers participate in a full dress rehearsal for the forthcoming Navratri festivities or Dance Festival of Nine Nights in Ahmedabad yesterday. Navratri festival begins from September 28 to October 6, 2011. — AFP

Andy Warhol’s art takes centerstage

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Romanian mathematician Nicusor Dan, 41, a researcher at the Institute of Mathematics of the Romanian Academy and the founder of the Save Bucharest non-governmental organization, poses in front of the Matache marketplace, a historical building saved from demolition in Bucharest. — AFP

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t takes courage to defend Bucharest’s rich architectural heritage against real estate speculators and corruption. Yet 41-year-old mathematician, Nicusor Dan, took up the challenge and has made some unexpected wins in court. Once called the “little Paris of the Balkans” because of its exquisite architecture and booming cultural life, the Romanian capital has suffered a long agony. In the 1980s, communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu ordered more than one quarter of the historical districts to be razed to erect a pharaonic palace for himself and his wife Elena.

The couple was ousted before the building was finished, but in the process traditional Bucharest homes with gardens as well as historical monuments were irrevocably lost. The return of democracy in 1989 did not end the sufferings for the Romanian capital. “Many owners got back the houses confiscated by the communists but they did not have the money to renovate them,” historian Andrei Pippidi told AFP. Dozens of stunning Art Nouveau villas were replaced by ordinary but very profitable apartment blocks, explained Pippidi, a former head of the National Commission for historical monuments. High-rise glass towers were erected next to 19th-century monuments, despite protests.

Even Vatican complaints could not prevent the construction of a 75-metre (246 feet) high-rise next to the Catholic cathedral in Bucharest. The building permit has been declared illegal by a court but the tower still stands.

The municipality’s plans to enlarge roads in the centre, even though historic buildings would be destroyed, also drew criticism amidst European Union efforts to encourage the reduction of traffic in inner cities. Many have been discouraged by this “cultural parricide”, as Pippidi, the author of acclaimed articles on Bucharest, called it in the weekly Dilema Veche.

But Nicusor Dan, a mathematician who graduated from the Sorbonne university in Paris, decided to fight back-even if this meant spending less time on his cherished research about polylogarithms and the K-theory at the Romanian Institute for Mathematics.

It was an unexpected turn for the son of a chemical worker and an accountant who grew up 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the capital, in the mountain town of Fagaras. “I fell in love with Bucharest when I came here to study at the university. I like the mix of Western and Eastern

influences, the magic you encounter in some historical districts,” he said. And to defend the monuments and parks, he was ready to go to court.

“Demonstrations and petitions are important but I realized they cannot stop the destruction,” Dan said.

Though he looks like a dreamy teenager, uneasy in front of TV cameras, Dan turned out to be a sharp adversary for authorities and real estate promoters who were breaching the law.

“In this David versus Goliath fight, he was many times a solitary winner, helped by a few lawyers and very dedicated citizens gathered in the ‘Platform for Bucharest organization’,” Sandra Pralong, an advisor for the United Nations in Romania told AFP. After legal actions started by Dan’s NGO “Save Bucharest”, some villas were salvaged and one of Bucharest’s emblematic covered markets, the Matache market, escaped destruction. “Nicusor is an example of courage and dignity,” Pippidi said.

“He found the most efficient way to attack questionable decisions taken by the authorities. This is very unusual in our country where the long communist dictatorship weakened any will to contest what comes from higher up,” the historian added. Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu, who saw several of his projects suspended, complained against “NGOs that want to block the development of the city.” And the chief architect to Bucharest city hall, Gheorghe Patrascu, cast doubt on Dan’s competence in urban development but did praise his “courage”.

Dan, meanwhile, won’t give up. He has said that if the capital’s mayor is not condemned for destroying historical buildings around the Matache market, he will give up his Romanian citizenship and settle in France, where he once lived and got his inspiration for civic action. Though he spent some sleepless nights for “failing to prevent the destruction of Hotel Marna, an Art Deco landmark in Bucharest,” he remains optimistic.

“We now have better laws protecting parks and historical buildings. More and more people care about the environment and the heritage,” he said. — AFP

dozen children holding tin cans rush out of school in a shantytown in Rio. In a moment, they are screaming as a dog lunges after them. But then one of them stops to place his can on the ground, and in a matter of moments the cylinder, modified to be used as a simple pinhole camera, has captured an image of life in the city’s gritty favelas. “I’ve taken my photo!” exclaims Jonathan, as he picks up the metal container. A tiny hole lets light through to imprint an upside-down image on film.

The device was made in the first photography school established seven years ago by an association in Mare, a slum, or favela, in Rio that counts among the city’s most violent. The aim of the organizers of the school was to encourage creativity among the favela’s kids, and to have them capture moments of daily life beyond the guns, drugs and danger that the place is more often known for. “We put photo paper inside the can which reacts to light.

There’s no need to focus or to set the aperture,” explains one of the amateur photographers, 13year-old Julia.

With the errant dog now tied up by its owner, the boys and girls of the class gather around to take pictures. “It’s a camera that’s easy to use and it’s cheap, everyone can have one,” their teacher, Tatiana Altberg, says. She started the “Project Pinhole” school in 2005 for pupils aged nine to 16. Funding comes from Globo TV, Brazil’s biggest private television network, and the Rio de Janeiro state government.

“The biggest problem is that they lose attention easily. They only think about the computer.

Amateur photography is a counterbalance to the unbridled use of digital photography,” she said. Taking a pinhole photo demands patience.

Whereas a digital camera can snap several images per second, to be immediately looked at, a pinhole camera demands standing still for seconds or for minutes, and only seeing the result once the film is developed.

“They have discovered another era, before that of immediate photography. They are taken by this other notion of time that is the opposite of the speedy world in which we live,” she said. After a 10-month course, they pupils are shown how to digitize their images and do basic touch-ups, and how to scan photos. They are also taught the history and techniques of photography.

Fagner Fran’a, 20, studied under Tatiana and now he works with her as a tutor. “I studied photos, I’m a photographer and I want to keep

Young photography student Jenifer Martins poses before her pin hole camera. — AFP going. I want to show the perspective of someone who’s always lived in the favela. It’s very different to the stereotypical photos you see in newspapers that show what people want to see, the poverty and the violence,” he said.

“Newspaper archives are a far cry from the real variety of the community,” he said.

Some 200 students have gone through the school since 2004, and 40 have continued to work as photographers. Founded by Joao Roberto Ripper, a photographer with ties to human rights groups, the school has also started its own photo agency and photo library, called “Images of the People” which contains 8,000 photos, nearly half of them online.

“Ripper believes the people in the favelas should be producers of images, with political training to know their rights. One of the guiding lines of the project is to distribute photos as artistic products,” said the coordinator of the library, Joana Mazza, even as she complained that sponsorship is difficult to find. “We are well-placed in the photo network but we are lacking photographers at a cultural level.

Nobody can train photographers who think.

They (stock photo agencies) want laborers, handymen in the favela. As we’re a school aiming for excellence they don’t want to sponsor us,” she said. — AFP

Young photography students load their pin hole cameras with photographic paper in the darkroom during a class at the favela da Mare shantytown in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. — AFP

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A portrait of Elizabeth Taylor by Andy Warhol from Elizabeth Taylor collection is shown in Moscow’s GUM department store at a pre-auction Christie’s exhibition.

An attendee is reflected in front of the Andy Warhol and JeanMichel Basquiat acrylic and oil stick on canvas, entitled: “Ailing Ali In Fight of Life, 1984” during a press preview.

Andy Warhol and Keith Haring synthetic polymer, Day-Glo, and acrylic on canvas, untitled (Madonna, I’m Not Ashamed), 1985, is viewed. — AP

ndy Warhol is known for soup cans and celebrity images, not so much for painting headlines and abstract works. The late pop artist has left much to be discovered in two shows that open tomorrow on the National Mall.

The National Gallery of Art is opening its first Warhol exhibit with “Warhol: Headlines,” an examination of his use of news headlines throughout his career. At the same time, the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum will feature “Andy Warhol: Shadows,” a 450-foot-long (137meter-long)installation in the round museum that marks the first time all of Warhol’s 102 abstract “shadow” paintings will be shown together as the artist intended.

“This might surprise people,” said Hirshhorn curator Evelyn Hankins. “They get two very different sides of Warhol.” Besides his obsession with celebrities and iconic images, it turns out Warhol was a news junkie. At a time when nearly everyone on the New York City subway had a newspaper in hand, Warhol was watching, fascinated by the consumption of news. “Probably for him, it was like a kid in a candy store,” said Matt

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Wrbican, archivist at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Warhol’s hometown.

“He was a news hound.” Soon Warhol was sketching his own versions of the New York Daily News, the National Enquirer and The Wall Street Journal in the 1950s, mimicking their layouts and tweaking their headlines.

His first painting of a front page, “A Boy for Meg,” in 1962 is a near exact replica of a New York Post page announcing the first-child born of Princess Margaret in Britain. Warhol used a projector to trace the newspaper with his brush, though he left out the Post’s copyright line. Such work was a precursor to later artists who have been sued for similarly tracing news images.

The piece inspired curator Molly Donovan of the National Gallery of Art to look closer at Warhol’s use of the news. “By enlarging the front page of the tabloid source on which it’s based, this painting signifies the immediacy Warhol conveyed in his art and tells us that something as mundane as the daily newspaper can indeed be grand,” she said. Donovan eventually brought together about 80 paintings, drawings, prints,

photographs, sculptures and videos from Warhol’s career that carry the theme. Forty percent of them have not been shown publicly before.

The works include a commissioned piece from 1981 to commemorate an Italian earthquake. Warhol blew up a newspaper headline reading “Fate Presto,” which translates to “Hurry Up,” to emphasize the human toll. It is being shown in the U.S. for the first time. “Headlines” will be on view until January when the exhibit travels to the Museum fur Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt, Germany, followed by the Galleria nazionale d’arte moderna in Rome and The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

Another of Warhol’s most overlooked pieces, “Flash,” is on view in full for the first time, Wrbican said. Warhol created the installation in 1968 to mark the fifth anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. It includes teletype newswire accounts from The Associated Press and others, along with 14 images to show how news of Kennedy’s death unfolded. “Flash: Dallas - Two priests summoned to Kennedy in

emergency room,” one line reads, followed by “Flash: President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. (CST).”

The show closes with a nod to Madonna. In 1985, Warhol teamed up with Keith Haring to make a wedding gift for their friend before her marriage to Sean Penn. They replaced a New York Post image on the front page with a picture of the couple under the headline: “Madonna on nude pix: So What!”

At the Hirshhorn, curators timed the “Shadows” exhibit to coincide with the “Headlines” show, as well as a film festival and other events. Warhol created his colorful “shadows” in 1979 as a play on abstract expressionism, Hankins said. He did it his own way, though, painting his silkscreen images with a mop. That began nearly 10 years of other abstract works.

“I’ve come to realize we’re just beginning to understand this prolific artist’s work,“ Donovan said. “I’ll never be able to glance casually at the tabloids in the grocery store again.” — AP

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year for the same book, also on show, Simenon marks down eight days to write the book, a week of rest and three days to re-edit the manuscript. “It’s true my father had an amazing capacity for work and could write a book in a fortnight,” said his son John in an interview released by the museum, which is running “Georges Simenon, the Journey of a Belgian Writer”, its opening temporary show, until February.

“But first there would be a two-week gestation where he wasn’t particularly thinking about the plot but about the characters and their relationships, learning to know this new family.”

“Once he knew them, once they existed inside him, all that had to be done was to find the trigger, the crisis that would drive them to the edge.” Unlike fellow fictional sleuths Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, slow-moving pipesmoking Maigret has little interest in clues or evidence.

Like well-travelled Simenon, who explored the seamy side of life as a cub reporter while still in his teens, Maigret’s passion was unraveling the psychological tensions of characters often from the underclass. Simenon was a bright student and avid reader whose talent for producing

torrents of words developed as a touch-typing junior reporter, promoted from covering local crime to full-blown columnist before turning 20.

He then headed for Paris where he pumped out some 200 pulp fiction novels under pseudonyms, between nights out on the town and a fling with cabaret star Josephine Baker. By 24 he was wealthy enough to travel. By his own admission, hard-living Simenon had 10,000 women over several decades “on the basis of two or three women a week”, he once said. But “he was a good father and a family man,” his son said.

Curator Hubert said the 150-odd documents chosen for the show “highlight the role of the written word and its place in a man’s individual story.” The new museum, located in an up-market 19th century walk-through gallery, features some 500 old letters and manuscripts, dating from the 12th century to current times, including Einstein’s scrawling as he scrambled to produce his theory of relativity. “We wanted to open a museum of manuscripts in the heart of Europe,” director Gerard Lheritier told AFP.” The Brussels gallery, a favorite haunt of 19th century political exiles such as Victor Hugo and Charles Baudelaire, is famed too as the scene of a happily non-fatal shoot-out between poet Paul Verlaine and his longtime literary rival Arthur Rimbaud. — AFP

e had 33 homes, 10,000 women, penned 500 novels, yet despite such excess, Georges Simenon, the writer who dreamt up world-known super sleuth Inspector Maigret, worked to a rigorous ritual. A new museum opening this weekend in the heart of his homeland, Belgium, tracks the obsessional work patterns of a man who left school at 15 to eventually be lauded as the most prolific writer of the 20th century. For its launch, Brussels’ new-born museum of letters and manuscripts brings together manuscripts in Simenon’s spidery longhand with original typescripts of Maigret and other novels that all told sold 550 million copies in 55 languages.

Underlining the velocity and ease of a writer able to churn out 60 to 80 pages a day, “the manuscripts show he made few corrections”, said curator Jean-Christophe Hubert. “He worked only a part of the year,” Hubert said. “But he had a routine that became a superstition.”

Simenon, who died two decades ago in Switzerland after moving from Belgium to Paris to the United States and back again, more often than not in a ‘menage-a-trois’ or more, rolled out every major work under the same formula.

On a yellow manila envelope dating back to the 1950s showcased in the museum, Simenon scrawled the title, “Maigret’s Little Joke”, adding the names, ages and addresses of the main characters in a book whose plot was yet to be worked out. In an airline calendar of the same

A girl reads a magazine in the museum of letters and writing under the picture of Belgian writer Georges Simenon in Brussels.

— AFP

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Sheen draws record viewers for ‘Men’

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ead or alive, Charlie Sheen ruled the TV airwaves pulling in record audiences for his Comedy Central roast and more than 28 million Americans to his “Two and A Half Men” TV funeral. Some 28.7 million watched CBS bury Sheen’s wayward TV character Charlie Harper and introduce new star Ashton Kutcher in an all-time series high audience for the lucrative comedy, according to updated figures from research company Nielsen.

And after months of headlines following Sheen’s bitter exit from the most-watched comedy on US TV, 6.4 million people watched his sex life, drug use and recent career meltdown draw laughter on Comedy Central’s TV roast by fellow celebrities including “Jackass” stuntman Steve-0 and boxer Mike Tyson.

Comedy Central said Sheen’s was its mostwatched roast ever, while the audience for “Two and A Half Men” was more than double that of last year’s season opener and bigger than any episode in the show’s first eight seasons with Sheen in the starring role. Monday’s season premiere of “Two and A Half Men” crushed the opening of “Dancing With the Stars” on rival ABC despite a celebrity cast that gave viewers their first glimpse of the ballroom contest’s first transgender contestant,

Charlie Sheen is seen at the “Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen” in Culver City, California. — AP

Chaz Bono, and TV legal analyst Nancy Grace both doing the cha cha.

Nielsen figures showed that 18.6 million people watched the season premiere of

“Dancing with the Stars”-a 24 percent drop from last year’s opening show. Reviews for Kutcher’s debut on “Two and a Half Men,” playing a heartbroken Internet billionaire with

a penchant for walking around nude, were kind and suggested that the series- a cash cow for both CBS and program makers Warner Bros television-was far from dead.

“Kutcher’s performance was good, nearly as poker-faced fine as Sheen’s was ... Kutcher will probably prove just as skilled,” wrote Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker. TV Guide’s Matt Roush said that judging by first impressions the revamped “Men” will “will survive both Charlie’s just fine for at least a little while longer.”

The Los Angeles Times called the premiere “a promising beginning” adding that “Kutcher brings a softness to a series that could be brittle and sour, misanthropic and misogynistic, and temperamentally middleaged.” Sheen was the highest-paid actor on US television before being fired in March after an insulting tirade against the show’s creators and producers that followed months of partying and attempts at rehab.

Sheen and Warner Bros are said to be close to a settlement of the actor’s $100 million lawsuit over his firing. Sheen has also made a number of contrite appearances in the past week, including delivering an awkward mea culpa at the Primetime Emmy Awards show on Sunday. — Reuters

Emmy viewers down, mixed reviews for host Jane Lynch

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iewership for the 2011 Primetime Emmy Awards fell 8 percent from last year to just over 12 million Americans who watched Jane Lynch host the heavily promoted TV show that drew mixed critical reviews. According to preliminary viewing figures from media research company Nielsen, 12.4 million people watched the three-hour show, down from 13.5 million last year when the Emmys were moved to avoid competition from popular football games. If the early results hold up, that would make Sunday’s Emmys on Fox one of the least viewed telecasts of the past five years. The show put on by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which gives awards for programs and performances, received its lowest ever audience in 2008 when 12.2 million Americans tuned in.

Time magazine blogger James Poniewozik described Lynch, who won an Emmy last year for her acid-tongued cheerleader coach role in “Glee”, as “game” in her hosting

duties but said she “had only occasionally good material to work with.” Hollywood paper Variety, on the other hand, said Lynch proved an inspired choice both in her off-the-cuff remarks and in videotaped sketches that skewered some of the biggest stars and shows on US television.

“It may come as small comfort to Fox on a night when its shows failed to earn a single win, but the network knows how to throw a helluva of an Emmy Awards,” wrote Variety’s Andrew Wallenstein. Entertainment Weekly’s Ken Tucker called Lynch a “spunky, clever host”. But for many critics, the best thing about the show was the touching moments when newcomers came up to the stage for the first time. Six of the eight main acting awards went to Emmy first-timers, including Kyle Chandler for “Friday Night Lights”, Julie Bowen and Ty Burell for “Modern Family, and popular winner Melissa McCarthy for comedy “Mike & Molly.”

Host Jane Lynch performs at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles. — AP

McCarthy’s beauty pageant-style “crowning” and the impromptu lining up on stage of all six comedy actress nominees was seen as one of the highlights of Sunday’s ceremony.

Advertising drama “Mad Men” and “Modern Family” took the top prizes again for best drama and comedy series. Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times said “the host and the surprises kept things pleasant if not scintillating.” But Washington Post’s Hank Stuever felt the show lacked originality, saying “the year’s ‘biggest night in television’ fell flat in writing, performance and imagination, except in the most fleeting moments.” — Reuters

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ritish singer Elton John is in talks to make a film about his life, his spokesman said yesterday, in response to media reports about a planned biopic called “Rocketman.” Newspapers and websites said that Rocketman would be produced by John’s partner David Furnish and Steve Hamilton Shaw and executive produced by the singer himself. Playwright Lee Hall will provide the script. Asked to comment on the reports, John’s London spokesman replied only: “Just discussions.”

He did not expand on whether anyone had been singled out to play the lead in the movie, although the Sun tabloid said Scottish actor James McAvoy had been tipped for the role. John and Hall have worked together before on the hit musical adaptation of the dance movie “Billy Elliot.”

“Rocketman will be a radically different kind of biopic,” Shaw told Hollywood entertainment website Deadline, adding that it would be “non-linear and hyper-visual.”

Initial reports of plans for a John biopic surfaced early this year. The 64-year-old behind hits including “Candle in the Wind” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” was a child piano prodigy who rose from a part-time pub player to become one of the most successful recording artists of all time. The glam rocker has sold an estimated 250 million records and won an Oscar and several Grammys. John, Furnish and Shaw have worked together before on a movie through their Rocket Pictures venture. Their 3D animation “Gnomeo and Juliet” grossed $190 million at the global box office, according to website boxofficemojo.com. — Reuters

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor attends the funeral of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi in New Delhi, India yesterday. Pataudi, a former India cricket captain who led the country to its first series victory abroad, died Thursday at a local hospital where he was being treated for a lung disease. He was 70. (Right) Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, son of the late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, takes part in his funeral procession in New Delhi yesterday. — AP photos

Singing legend Cesaria Evora retires at 70

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egendary Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora, nicknamed the “barefoot diva”, has decided to retire at 70 due to ill health, her record label Lusafrica said yesterday. The company said the star had arrived in Paris “in a state of great weakness” and, unable to complete a planned series of French concerts, had decided to bring her career to a close.

“Her new health problems come after she had to undergo several operations in recent years, including open heart surgery in May 1010,” the statement said.

“Her Paris doctors told her she had to cancel her upcoming tour, so Cesaria and her producer and manager Jose da Silva decided to end her career, and give up this wandering life that has taken her to the four corners of the world.” Evora has sung the melancholy, blues-influenced “saudade” of her native Cape Verde since her twenties, but came to world fame late in life in 1992 after decades singing in the bars of Mindello, on the island of Sao Vicente.

Her third album Miss Perfumado, which came out that year, was a worldwide hit and in all she has produced 10 studio albums and an anthology of historic radio recordings while touring far from her Atlantic island home. In 2008 she suffered a stroke after a concert in the Australian city of Melbourne and returned to her Paris base to recover, In this file photo, Cape but still managed to record Verdean singer her latest album Nha Cesaria Evora Sentimento for release in performs on stage 2009. Her international during a concert. — AP career began in 1988 when, at 47 and after three decades of singing in bars in her remote, windswept African homeland, a young Frenchman invited her to Paris to record an album. “La diva aux pieds nus” (The Barefoot Diva) was a hit with the Cape Verdean exile community, and her “coladera”-catchier than the usual saudade, for dancing-”Bia Luchera” became popular with making her a star. It was four years and two albums later that she became a breakthrough success, selling out shows to Cape Verdean and French audiences alike.

Alongside up-beat coladera’s she popularises the bluesy “morna” style. —AP

Willow the cat

reunited with owners in NYC

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In this photo, Julie Bank, executive director of New York’s Animal Care and Control, holds Willow, a 6-year calico cat that went missing from her Colorado home during a renovation 5 years ago, before a reunion with her owners in New York. — AP

ive years after she went missing from her Colorado home, Willow the cat has been reunited with her owners in New York City. How the calico cat ended up on a Manhattan street remains a mystery. But three children and their parents are certainly glad that she’ll be headed home with them. “Hey, kitty cat!” squealed three-year-old Lauren “Lola” Squires, as she greeted the cat for the first time at the Hilton New York hotel on Thursday evening.

Lola hadn’t been born when Willow went missing from the family’s home near the Rocky Mountains. But since the cat popped up more than 1,600 miles away, she has captured the little girl’s imagination. Now the family is on a whirlwind media tour. The “Today” show flew them out to New York and they were headed to NBC’s studios for interviews early Friday morning. The reunion - which came just moments after the family arrived at the hotel - was also taped. The cat’s adventures - which mom Jamie Squires now hopes to parlay into a children’s book were the subject of intense speculation in some circles. The news website Gothamist claimed an exclusive when an unnamed tipster said a New York man “fell in love” with the cat while on a ski trip in Colorado and adopted her. A blogger for The New Yorker wondered whether she’d “be bound to complain that nothing stays open late enough,” upon her return to Colorado.

Willow disappeared when a contractor left the front door ajar during a home renovation project five years ago.

The family sent out frantic online messages and put up posters around their home in Broomfield. But when Willow didn’t return, they assumed the petite 2year-old had been eaten by a coyote.

But it turns out Willow was never on the

menu. On Sept 14, a man brought her to Animal Care & Control in New York, saying he had found her on East 20th Street. A quick scan identified a microchip implanted when she was a kitten. The chip contained a code linked to a database of owner information.

Despite moving from Broomfield to Boulder, the Squires had updated their information, making it easy for authorities to contact them.

When Jamie’s husband Chris got the call, the couple doubted it could really be Willow. They asked the shelter to send a photo of the cat in question. Sure enough, it was long-lost Willow. At the Hilton, Jamie Squires marveled at the weight the cat had put on. She seemed to be well-cared for, with a shiny coat and tipping the scale at a healthy seven pounds when she was found. The children - the older two are Jack, 10 and Shelby, 17 - delighted in asking where Willow could possibly have been for all that time. They may never know the answer. But Jamie Squires, who has vacationed around the world with her family, tells them Willow might have done some globe-trotting of her own.

Willow is set to fly back to Boulder tomorrow. She will join her former housemate, a yellow Labrador named Roscoe, and a new one: an English mastiff named Zoe. Julie Bank, executive director of New York’s Animal Care & Control, which runs the city’s animal rescue and shelter system, said the unlikely reunion underscored the importance of implanting microchips in pets. All animals in city shelters get the chips before they’re adopted. Bank added that when a pet goes missing, people often give up hope too soon. “You should never give up,” she said. “You never know when your pet is going to return home.” — AP

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

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Models wear creations as part of the Moschino women’s Spring-Summer 2012 collection that was presented in Milan, Italy, yesterday. — AP photos

ullfighter and flamenco dancer outfits took to the catwalks yesterday for the latest Moschino collection at Milan Fashion Week, while Antonio Marras brought out designs of maids dressed up as mistresses. The Moschino designs featured distinctive matador jackets in cream, black and gold that were stitched with heart shapes and embroidery, as well as long billowing lace skirts on models topped by elaborate Spanish-style fascinators.

Dominant themes were the juxtaposition of black and gold colors, as well as the purity of the white beachwear outfits, giving the spring-summer 2012 collection a retro film quality that has been a feature of the Milan shows. The everoriginal Marras also dug into the past for a collection inspired by French playwright Jean Genet’s 1947 play “The Maids” in which two housemaids

e ngage in sadomasochist games imitating the maid-mistress power divide.

The show began with a phone ringing and a voice from the film version of the play saying: “It’s my turn to be Madame!” as models showed off outfits resembling maid uniforms adapted to look like the get-ups of bourgeois ladies. Pleated skirts-a trend for next year emerging at Milan Fashion Weekwere one of the highlights of the collection, as well as cream dresses with black and red flower patterns resembling Japanese woodblock prints. Green skirts, trousers and belts also featured heavily in the show, which concluded to enthusiastic applause with Edith Piaf’s “Non, je ne regrette rien” as screens lifted to reveal models posed like mannequins in a showroom. — AFP

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Models parade during the D&G women’s Spring-Summer 2012 collection that was presented in Milan, Italy. — AP photos

orget subtle tones and retro allusions: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana raunched up Milan with their new D and G collection on Thursday as the two announced they were winding up the line. Dripping gold jewelry, micro tunic-style dresses and big platform sandals were the main features of the lusty lineup for the warm months of next year, shown off to the sounds of James Brown’s soul classic “Sex Machine”.

The famous designers announced in a press release that they would integrate D and G in their main Dolce and Gabbana collection starting next season, saying the move would give “even more strength and energy to our collections.”

“To us, it’s like going back to when we began our adventure: full of ideas. We have a lot of new projects to start in the same way as many years ago when D and G was born,” they said, without providing any hints on the future.

The colors of D and G’s last collections were bright greens and pinks with prints reminiscent of some of Gianni Versace’s classic designs and the fabric of preference was silk twill, a type of weave with diagonal lines. Some of the models

looked like expensively dressed Roma dancers with billowing skirts, others like palace courtesans from the Roman Empire lounging by a pool in outsize straw hats, chunky necklaces and wristcovering bracelets. D and G said the defining feature of the collection was the use of foulards. The silk twill foulard is used “as a central element in the construction of clothes, shirts, trousers, skirts and accessories,” the designers said. The shapes “are either soft or made tighter by a foulard winding itself sensuously around the body,” said the couple, whose show took place in the historic 1940s Metropol cinema in central Milan owned by their company. — AFP

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Models display designs by Agatha Ruiz de la Prada during the Pasarela Cibeles fashion show, in Madrid.— AP photos

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hat do you get when you cross a 1950s American college girl with a boy racer? Something like the new springsummer collection from iconic Italian label Prada shown off at Milan Fashion Week on Thursday. Leather skirts and handbags with car themes alternated with exquisitely embroidered dresses and pastel-colored pleated skirts in a range intended to replace the aggressive, go-getting woman with a softer but still modern image. The show for the new 2012 designs by the Milanese company, which started out in 1913 as a luggage maker for Italy’s kings in the famous Galleria Umberto, was held in a large former warehouse at Prada headquarters near the centre.

The space was decked out like a car racing track, with dirty grey walls, metallic mesh covering on the columns and even foam cars along the catwalk. Some of the highlights of the collection were the figure-hugging polychromatic leather skirts, the bottlegreen handbags and delicate pleated skirts emblazoned with the paint work designs like on a souped-up Mustang. Romantic ambient music filled the hall at the start of the show as the blonde models in light pink and cream colored daywear streamed past. The soundtrack changed to a rugged blues track and the eveningwear brought out more of the racer motifs as well as embroidered retro bathing suits. The show comes just days after

Prada, which listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange in June, announced a 74.2-percent rise in first-half net profits-thanks mainly to a 35.4 percent boom in sales in Asia-Pacific this year.

The group opened 29 new boutiques in the first six months of the year and is planning to have 550 by the end of 2013 — with around half of them in Asia. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York last month announced it will honour Miuccia Prada with an exhibition next year. — AFP

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tro combined soft silhouettes and bright pop colors against cooler backgrounds for next spring and summer women’s wardrobes, punctuated by bold geometric patterns and dramatic cutouts. The designer notes say the collection aims to suggest the new Jazz Age, and there was plenty on display in yesterday’s preview show during Milan Fashion Week to recall the Roaring ‘20s. Dresses were either dropwaisted or without any waist at all. Skirts were pleated or swishing.

And flowing dresses of the simplest cut were layered underneath with pleated or frilly slips for a very feminine look.

Flapper-inspired dresses offered a simple interpretation of the era in plain black-and-white, set off by slicked-back hair.

But designer Veronica Etro also emboldened the look, deconstructing its signature prints to emphasize curves. Large cutouts on the sides and shoulders along with plunging necklines and dangerously low backs added drama to the collection. Hemlines brushed the knee, but also fell to mid-calf and floor-length. Not all the looks required jewelry. When they did, earrings were large geometric shapes in metal and stone.

Shoes were flat or high-heeled strappy sandals, or metallic high-heeled sneakers. — AP Models display creations as a part of Etro Spring-Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collection on September 23, 2011 during the Milan’s women fashion week. — AFP photos

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Questions and answers on the latest ‘New Facebook’ NEW YORK: Every year or so - and sometimes more often - Facebook manages to miff a vocal percentage of users by changing the look and feel of its site. As it adds new features, it invariably takes away things that people have grown attached to. It’s no different with the changes unveiled this week. Some have already gone live while others will be coming to your Facebook page soon.

Here are some questions and answers on Facebook’s latest transformation.

Question: Why don’t I have the new Facebook yet?

Answer: Facebook rolls out its new features gradually, so not all 800 million users see the updates at once. First, the changes are tested internally Facebook employees. Once they are public, the changes are rolled out geographically. US users will likely see the changes first, but even that could depend on where you live. You also may need to close and reopen your browser or log out and log back in. The just-announced timeline feature won’t be available users until later this year Facebook has not yet said when.

Q: Why does Facebook keep changing things? I liked it the way it was.

A: At its heart, Facebook is a technology company that wants to keep improving its products so that people keep using it and it doesn’t grow stale.

Sometimes, the changes are things people ask for.

Other times, engineers try to anticipate new ways people will want to use Facebook. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t. Facebook also tends to change its site so that it encourages users to share and interact more, whether that’s with each other or with businesses, public figures and the like. This has often raised concern among privacy advocates Q: What is the scrolling, Twitter-like list of my Facebook friends’ activities doing on the right side of the new layout?

A: Facebook calls this the “ticker” - not to be confused with, but similar to, Twitter. The idea is to show a live feed of everything going on with your Facebook friends and pages you follow as it is happening. There will be information here that doesn’t appear on your regular news feed, such as

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gestures during the f/8 conference in San Francisco on Thursday. —AP songs your friends are listening to on the music service Spotify, news stories they are reading or, eventually, even movies or TV shows they watched on Netflix.

Q: Does Facebook care about angering its users with the changes?

A: Facebook has said in the past that the percentage of users who complain about its changes is small.

But a small percentage of 800 million users is still a big group. And even with angry users taking to social media to complain, the growth of Facebook’s user base, not to mention how much people are sharing on the site and beyond, is growing at a staggering pace. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Thursday Facebook passed a milestone recently where it had 500 million of its users logged in at once. So while a lot of users may hate the changes, it is not driving them away. The company is betting it knows what people want.

Q: How do I go back to the “Old Facebook”?

A: You mean other than a time machine? That’s tough. But there are some website plugins, such as “Better Facebook” that try to enhance the way your Facebook page looks and feels. Using the mobile application will also give you a more simple Facebook experience.

Q: How does Facebook determine what my “top news” should be?

A: The “top news” feature has already existed on Facebook, it just didn’t automatically appear on the top of your news feed every time you logged in. This is the stuff Facebook thinks you will be most interested in.

So it’s updates from friends you interact with the most, big news stories from media accounts you follow or photos from your friends that got a lot of comments, for example. It’s not an exact science, so you can uncheck a top story by clicking on a tiny triangle on its upper left corner. The site will try to remember, and a box will pop up saying “we’ll try not to pub more stories like this at the top of your News Feed.”

Q: Isn’t this all about getting Facebook more advertising money?

A: That will almost certainly be one outcome, though Facebook has never made that its outright goal.

It’s more of an “if we build it, they will come” type of situation. The company is expected to bring in $3.8 billion in worldwide advertising revenue this year and $5.8 billion in 2012, according to research firm eMarketer. The more time people spend on its site or share and the more information they share about themselves, the better companies can target their ads.— AP

Facebook weaving in movies, music and news SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook is packing movies, music, news and digital books into overhauled profile pages crafted to serve as online homes for members of the world’s largest social network. Major changes being rolled out in coming weeks will let members discover and share media content in real time while also artfully chronicling their lives. Facebook on Thursday introduced a new class of “open graph” applications that let people discover and share music, movies, books and news as well as seemingly lightweight experiences like bicycle rides.

The applications will be integrated into overhauled “Timeline” profile pages that let people digitally map everything they’ve ever done. “The heart of your Facebook experience, completely rethought from the ground up,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said while announcing the overhaul at Facebook’s annual f8 developers conference.

“Timeline is the story of your life.”The new applications will let members automatically allow chosen friends to see their

news feeds without needing to click “Like” or “Share.” Digital music service Spotify will let Facebook users see what friends are listening to at any moment in “Ticker” realtime feeds and then click to listen along.

The same principle will apply to computer or mobile gadget applications and the feature will extend to digital books, news, and films. “Now, you don’t just have to ‘Like’ a book, you can read it,” Spotify chief content officer Ken Parks told AFP. “You can connect to anything you want; it’s simple but it is really powerful.” Zuckerberg demonstrated the Timeline by showing how his new profile page brought together everything from baby photos to pictures from his meeting with US President Barack Obama in April.

“The biggest challenge was to tell the story of your life in a single page,” Zuckerberg said.”What Timeline does is show all the recent activity and then, as you go back in time, it starts summarizing the things you’ve done in your life.” Facebook has no plans for an “app store” along the lines of the one run by Apple at its online

iTunes shop. Instead, it will leave it to members to spread media sharing applications.

People will need to install third party applications to share snippets in Timeline profile pages, which will feature privacy controls.

Applications will also require people to set data sharing “permissions” before they are used.

Partners ready with “open graph” applications include online streaming video services Netflix and Hulu. Facebook board member and Netflix chief executive Reed Hasting said Facebook approached his company about a year ago with the idea of a tighter integration. “We are super excited about all these great applications and all the social aspects of Netflix,” Hasting said.

“If Netflix does huge success in pioneering social TV, then many other firms will also become social.”

Applications were also available to deliver and share news stories from sources including Yahoo!, the Washington Post and The Daily. “I think it has the potential to not only rethink the way we read news, but rethink the way the whole news industry

works,” Zuckerberg said. News Corp is releasing the Web app version of The Daily only in Facebook because it believes in the power of people reading stories recommended by friends, he added.

“Facebook is positioning itself as not just your social graph online, but your life online,” said Forrester analyst Sean Corcoran. “These changes not only help trump rival Google, but will open up new opportunities for marketers with new kinds of customer experiences, long-term engagement, advertising, and customer intelligence.” Facebook said it has worked with privacy groups while developing Timeline and that it has made it simple and clear to control what information gets shared with whom.

Facebook users this week had complained about a barrage of recent updates intended to make it easier to manage the torrents of updates from friends. Palo Alto, California-based Facebook hit a new milestone this month with a half-billion people using the social network in a single day, according to Zuckerberg. — AFP

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Skype phone, adapter for home calling Products to save money on international calls

SHANGHAI: Staff gesture during the opening ceremony of a new Apple store in Shanghai yesterday. —-AFP

Samsung to step up Apple patent war SEOUL: A top Samsung executive says the company will take a bolder stance in its patent battle with smartphone and tablet rival Apple, which Samsung claims has been “free riding” its patented wireless technologies. “We’ll be pursuing our rights for this in a more aggressive way from now on,” Lee Younghee, head of global marketing for mobile communications, said in an interview.

Lee, a senior vice president at Samsung, did not say what form the South Korean company’s stronger stance would take or if there would be more lawsuits. But her remarks suggest a definite change in tone. She described its previous approach as “passive.” So far, Samsung has mostly spoken about the dispute through press releases and comments by anonymous company officials in South Korean and foreign media. The public nature of the comments appeared to back up recent South Korean media speculation the company was planning to go on the offensive.

The fight began when Apple sued Samsung in April in the United States, alleging the product design, user interface and packaging of Samsung’s Galaxy devices “slavishly copy” the iPhone and iPad. Samsung has responded with its own lawsuits accusing Apple of violating its intellectual property.

The fight has spread to 10 countries, according to Samsung, including the United States and South Korea.

The battle is all the more complex as Apple and Samsung are not only competitors in the fast-growing global market for smartphones and tablet computers, but also have a close business relationship. Samsung Electronics Co, the world’s biggest manufacturer of memory chips and liquid crystal displays, supplies some of the key components that go into Apple Inc. products. Lee said that Samsung has kept that relationship in mind amid the dispute with the Cupertino, California-based company, and has largely been pulling its punches.

“We’ve been quite respectful and also passive in a way” in consideration of those links, Lee said during the interview in her office at Samsung’s headquarters building in southern Seoul. “However, we shouldn’t be ... anymore.”Apple reacted to Lee’s comments by reiterating its claim Samsung has violated its intellectual property.

“It is no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging,” said Seoulbased spokesman Steve Park. “This kind of blatant copying is wrong and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.” Lee’s comments came after a German court ruled earlier this month that Samsung cannot directly sell its new Galaxy Tab 10. 1 tablet in the country, saying the design too closely resembles Apple’s iPad 2. Samsung has appealed the decision.

Samsung ranked No 2 globally in smartphones behind Apple in the second quarter of this year, according to US based market research firm IDC, which cited the growing global popularity of the Galaxy S smartphones. In overall mobile phones, Samsung ranks second behind Finland’s Nokia Corp. —AP

NEW YORK: With two new products, Skype has made it easier to make Internet calls from home phones, for savings on international calls and potentially also domestic ones. But compared to other Internet calling options for the home, Skype’s solution is a piecemeal and complicated way to save money. All the same, some Skype fans may appreciate the new cordless phone with a built-in Skype function.

We tested the phone along with the new Freetalk Connect-Me phone adapter, which Skype sells for $40. That price includes an hour calling. For an additional $20, you can get free calls to the US and Canada for a year. Calls to people on Skype (as opposed to those reached by dialing a number) are free, no matter where they are. The adapter is a small box that plugs into a power outlet. You connect cables to your Internet router, your phone jack and your home phone. When you make a Skype call, the adapter diverts the call from the external phone line to your Internet connection. But first you have to pre-program the adapter to recognize certain speed-dial numbers as corresponding to Skype contacts or phone numbers. Since it’s truly a “black box” with no buttons or screen - you reach it through your computer’s Web browser.

This clunky setup prevents you from making impromptu Skype calls. Because your phone isn’t designed to work with Skype, you can’t access your Skype address book directly on the handset, or see who’s online to take your calls. Since home phones don’t have cameras, you won’t be able to do video calls. On the plus side, the phone lets you receive Skype calls at any time, without having your computer on.

But what really sinks the Skype adapter in my esteem is the sound quality. On calls to international and domestic phones, there were odd hissing noises in the background and voices were muffled. One person I called heard her own echo, a common phenomenon on poorly configured Internet phone systems. The audio improved greatly, to the level of a good cellphone call, when I ditched the adapter for the other recent Skype release, the GE Digital Cordless Expandable phone. It

This product image provided by Skype, shows the GE Digital Cordless Expandable Telephone.

Skype is making it easier to place less expensive Internet calls from home phones. —-AP

costs $70 with 400 minutes of calls thrown in. For another $20, you get a year of calls to the US and Canada and 200 minutes of calls to international phones.

It looks like any cordless phone, except it has a prominent “Skype” button. It can make and receive regular phone calls, and the buttons and screen make it a lot easier to make Skype calls than it is with the adapter. The phone shows you which of your Skype contacts are online, and when you dial a number, you can choose whether to route it through Skype or the phone company. It sounds good to be able to choose between the boring old phone company and the jazzy new Internet guerrilla for every call. But how much money will that really save you?

Most plans from phone and cable companies already include unlimited domestic calling, so there isn’t much point to running those over Skype. Their international rates, though, are good. And of course,

calls to Skype contacts are free. But if you call the same few people overseas over and over again, and they’re not big Skype users, there’s another way of making cheap Skype calls from your home phone, without the use of an adapter or special phone. You can sign up for the To Go service on Skype’s website. If you give it an international number that you like to call, it will give you a local number back. Call that number from your home phone, and Skype connects your international call at its rates, rather than the phone company’s. It’s like a calling card, but without the hassle of entering a bunch of numbers on the phone. (A competitor called Rebtel has a similar service.) The drawback to Skype To Go is that you can only call phone numbers - it won’t connect you to Skype users for free. Now, it looks like you could reap some really big savings by eliminating your home phone service altogether in favor of the Skype phone or adapter. —AP

Blockbuster expected to announce streaming service SAN FRANCISCO: Dish Network Corp. is expected to unveil an Internet video service yesterday in a move that could give movie lovers another reason to abandon Netflix. The service will be offered through Blockbuster, the video store chain that Dish Network bought out of bankruptcy court for $321 million five months ago. Netflix’s success as a subscription service that mails rented DVDs and streams video over high-speed Internet connections played a pivotal role in Blockbuster’s downfall.

Now, Dish and Blockbuster are apparently hoping for a little payback as Netflix faces a customer backlash triggered by changes to its prices and format. Earlier this month, Netflix raised its prices by as much as 60 percent and then

riled its subscribers again this week by revealing its intention to spin off its DVD-by-mail service into a separate website called “Qwikster.” The uproar is causing mass customer cancellations and contributing to a sell-off that has seen Netflix’s stock price plunge by more than 50 percent since the price increase was announced in July.

Although Dish is based in Englewood, Colo., the company decided to come to San Francisco to roll out its assault against Netflix, which is based about 50 miles to the south in Los Gatos, Calif. Dish Network CEO Joe Clayton and Blockbuster President Michael Kelly are supposed to be on hand to discuss “a stream come true,” according to an invitation sent out to reporters. — AP

TV listings

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

03:30 Monster Bug Wars 04:25 Killer Jellyfish 05:20 Animal Cops Houston 06:10 Dogs 101 07:00 Meerkat Manor 07:25 The Really Wild Show 07:50 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife 08:40 Breed All About It 09:10 My Cat From Hell 10:05 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 11:00 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 11:55 Meerkat Manor 12:20 Wildlife SOS 12:50 Animal ER 13:45 Animal Cops Houston 14:40 Animal Precinct 15:30 RSPCA: On The Frontline 16:00 The Really Wild Show 16:30 Crocodile Hunter 17:25 Must Love Cats 18:20 Breed All About It 18:45 Gorilla School 19:15 Crocodile Hunter 20:10 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 21:05 Into The Dragon’s Lair 22:00 Big Five Challenge 22:55 In Search Of The Giant Anaconda 23:50 Planet Earth

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

Eastenders Doctors My Family Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Forget Me Not Farm Spot’s Musical Adventures Spot’s Musical Adventures Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Forget Me Not Farm Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Jackanory Junior Poetry Pie Poetry Pie Tweenies The Roly Mo Show Me Too Jackanory Junior Poetry Pie Poetry Pie My Family My Family The Weakest Link Lark Rise To Candleford Doctors Eastenders Casualty My Family My Family My Family Lark Rise To Candleford The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Lark Rise To Candleford The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Casualty Ray Mears: Wild Food My Family

03:45 The Naked Chef 04:15 The Naked Chef 04:40 Daily Cooks Challenge 06:10 The Naked Chef 06:35 The Naked Chef 07:00 Daily Cooks Challenge 07:30 Sweet Baby James 07:55 Daily Cooks Challenge 09:50 What Not To Wear 10:40 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 11:05 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 11:30 What Not To Wear 12:20 Antiques Roadshow 13:15 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 13:40 Holmes On Homes 14:30 What Not To Wear 15:20 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 17:05 Antiques Roadshow 18:00 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 18:25 Holmes On Homes 19:15 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook

EchElon conspiracy on osn cinEMa 19:40 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 20:10 Cash In The Attic 20:55 Antiques Roadshow 21:45 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 22:10 Holmes On Homes 23:00 Masterchef Australia 23:25 Masterchef Australia

03:00 03:30 03:45 04:00 04:30 04:45 05:00 05:30 05:45 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 07:45 08:00 08:30 08:45 09:00 09:30 09:45 10:00 10:30 10:45 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 12:45 13:00 13:30 13:45 14:00 14:30

Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Asia Business Report Sport Today Newsday Hardtalk BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News BBC World News World Business Report BBC World News BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today BBC World News Hardtalk BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today BBC World News World Business Report Sport Today GMT With George Alagiah GMT With George Alagiah

15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 BBC World News America 23:30 Hardtalk

03:00 The Powerpuff Girls 03:15 Chowder 03:40 The Secret Saturdays 04:05 Samurai Jack 04:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:55 Best Ed 05:20 Skunk Fu! 05:45 Cramp Twins 06:10 Eliot Kid 06:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 07:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 07:25 Cow & Chicken 07:50 Angelo Rules 08:05 Cartoon Network Dance Club 08:20 Adventure Time 08:45 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 09:10 Generator Rex 09:35 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 10:00 The Powerpuff Girls 10:20 Robotboy 10:35 Hero 108 11:00 Ben 10 11:25 Chowder

11:50 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 12:15 Camp Lazlo 12:40 George Of The Jungle 13:05 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 13:30 Codename: Kids Next Door 13:50 Ben 10 14:15 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 14:40 Squirrel Boy 15:05 Eliot Kid 15:30 Ed, Edd n Eddy 15:55 Cow & Chicken 16:25 Chop Socky Chooks 16:50 Skunk Fu! 17:15 Chowder 17:40 Best Ed 18:05 Hero 108 18:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 18:55 Generator Rex 19:20 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 19:45 Adventure Time 20:10 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 20:35 Courage The Cowardly Dog 21:00 Cow & Chicken 21:25 Ed, Edd n Eddy 21:45 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 22:00 Adventure Time 22:25 Hero 108 22:50 Ben 10 23:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:35 Chowder

03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:30 08:00

World Business Today Piers Morgan Tonight Anderson Cooper 360 World Sport Talk Asia World Report Backstory World Report

09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 Call 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00

World Report World Sport News Special World Business Today American Morning: Wake-Up

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

Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear Mythbusters How Do They Do It? How Stuff’s Made Dirty Jobs Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear How Stuff’s Made Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings Mythbusters Weird Or What?

Ultimate Survival Miami Ink Dirty Jobs Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear Mythbusters Deadliest Catch: The Phil Harris

News Special World One Piers Morgan Tonight News Stream World Business Today International Desk The Brief World Sport Prism International Desk News Special Quest Means Business Piers Morgan Tonight Connect The World

Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings How Stuff’s Made Cash Cab Us Miami Swat Get Out Alive Kidnap And Rescue Deadliest Catch: The Phil Harris

03:00 Weird Connections 03:25 Da Vinci’s Machines 04:15 How Stuff’s Made 04:45 Man Made Marvels: Highest Railway in...

05:40 One Step Beyond 06:10 Engineered 07:00 Da Vinci’s Machines 07:55 Mission Critical: Hubble 08:50 The Gadget Show 09:15 The Gadget Show 09:40 How Stuff Works 14:55 How Stuff Works 15:45 Weird Connections 16:10 Da Vinci’s Machines 17:00 Tank on the Moon 17:50 Sci-Fi Science 18:15 The Gadget Show 18:40 Prototype This 19:30 Bang Goes the Theory 19:55 Bang Goes the Theory 20:20 Smash Lab 21:10 The Gadget Show 21:35 The Gadget Show 22:00 Prototype This 22:50 Bang Goes the Theory 23:15 Bang Goes the Theory 23:40 The Gadget Show

03:15 03:35 04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:20 06:45 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:35 09:00 09:10

Emperor’s New School Stitch Stitch Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Emperor’s New School Suite Life On Deck Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction

09:20 09:30 09:40 09:50 10:10 Cody 10:35 10:50 11:15 11:35 12:00 12:25 12:45 13:10 13:30 13:55 14:20 14:55 15:20 15:45 16:10 16:35 17:00 17:25 17:50 18:15 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:35

The Hive Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Sonny With A Chance The Suite Life Of Zack And Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb Fish Hooks Shake It Up Jake & Blake Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Jake & Blake Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Jonas Los Angeles

03:15 25 Most Stylish 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Extreme Hollywood 06:00 25 Hottest Hollywood Cougar Tales 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Khloe And Lamar 09:45 Khloe And Lamar 10:15 25 Most Sensational Hollywood Meltdowns 12:05 E! News 13:05 Fashion Police 13:35 Extreme Close-Up 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:35 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 15:30 THS 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Holly’s World 17:25 Holly’s World 17:55 E! News 18:55 THS 19:55 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:25 Khloe And Lamar 21:55 Khloe And Lamar 22:25 E! News 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

03:00 03:50 04:45 05:15 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:05 09:30 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 19:05 19:55 20:20 Jones 21:10 22:00 Jones 22:50 23:40

I Almost Got Away With It Dr G: Medical Examiner Black Museum The Haunted Mystery ER Undercover Forensic Detectives Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Mystery ER Ghost Lab FBI Files True Crime With Aphrodite FBI Case Files Mystery ER Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Ghost Lab FBI Files Forensic Detectives Undercover Real Emergency Calls Mystery ER Street Patrol True Crime With Aphrodite FBI Case Files True Crime With Aphrodite True Crime Scene Dr G: Medical Examiner

TV listings SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30

Endurance Traveller Departures Departures Meet The Amish Wild Rides Wild Rides Destination Extreme Destination Extreme Endurance Traveller Departures Departures Meet The Amish David Rocco’s Dolce Vita Bondi Rescue Bondi Rescue Travel Madness City Chase Rome Adventure Wanted Ultimate Traveller Meet The Natives: USA David Rocco’s Dolce Vita Bondi Rescue

04:00 06:00 08:15 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Orphan-18 Star Trek-PG15 The Lost Future-PG15 Virtuality-PG15 Bad Girls-PG15 The Lost Future-PG15 Bangkok Adrenaline-PG15 Bad Girls-PG15 The Gene Generation-18 Jennifer’s Body-18

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

5 Dollars A Day-PG15 Mee Shee-PG It’s A Wonderful Afterlife-PG15 5 Dollars A Day-PG15 Charlie & Boots-PG15 Who Is Clark Rockefeller-PG Echelon Conspiracy-PG15 The Flyboys-PG15 The Open Road-PG15 Jonah Hex-PG15 Kisses-18

12:00 13:00 14:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Supernatural Warehouse 13 Live Good Morning America Boston Public The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Look-A-Like Bones White Collar Inside The Actor’s Studio Burn Notice The View

03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Warehouse 13 Terriers Terriers Downton Abbey Hot In Cleveland Coronation Street Huge Covert Affairs Warehouse 13 Supernatural Hot In Cleveland Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Huge Downton Abbey Hot In Cleveland The Ellen DeGeneres Show Huge Bones White Collar Inside The Actor’s Studio Burn Notice The Gates

03:30 05:15 07:00 09:00 11:00 12:45

Triangle-18 From Within-PG15 Dick Tracy-PG15 The Snow Walker-PG15 Deceit-PG15 The Order-PG15

14:30 The Snow Walker-PG15 16:30 Alatriste-PG15 19:00 Bad Boys II-PG15 21:30 The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations-18 23:00 Neowolf-18

04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Nativity!-PG Mafia!-PG15 500 Days Of Summer-PG15 Hanging Up-PG15 Love Happens-PG15 Ball & Chain-PG15 Furry Vengeance-PG15 Wake-PG15 50 First Dates-PG15 Road Trip: Beer Pong-18

03:00 04:45 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 16:45 18:45 21:00 22:45

Cry Baby-PG15 Paradise-PG15 Not One Less-PG Everybody’s Fine-PG15 Where The Wild Things Are-PG Maneater: Part I-PG15 Fantastic Mr. Fox-FAM Teen Knight-PG15 Riding In Cars With Boys-PG15 Punch-Drunk Love-18 Thunderheart-18

03:00 Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel-PG15 04:30 Another Year-PG15 07:00 Hurricane Season-PG15 09:00 The Ramen Girl-PG15 11:00 America’s Sweethearts-PG15 12:45 The Lovely Bones-PG15 15:00 Too Big To Fail-PG15 17:00 The Ramen Girl-PG15 19:00 The Messenger-18 21:00 Jonah Hex-PG15 23:00 Harry Brown-18

03:00 Shorts-PG 05:00 Toy Story 3-FAM 07:00 My Fair Madeline-FAM 10:00 Garfield-PG 12:00 Monsters vs. Aliens-PG 14:00 Lego: The Adventures Of Clutch Powers-FAM 16:00 The Enchanted Mountain-PG 18:00 Leave It To Beaver-PG 20:00 Garfield-PG 22:00 Lego: The Adventures Of Clutch Powers-FAM

04:00 Whip It-PG15 06:00 Nanny Mcphee And The Big Bang-PG 08:00 Flicka 2-PG15 10:00 My Dog Tulip-PG15 12:00 Accidents Happen-PG15 14:00 Long Weekend-PG15 16:00 Flicka 2-PG15 18:00 The Lightkeepers-PG15 20:00 The Hurt Locker-18 22:15 A Fork In The Road-PG15

07:00 10:30 12:30 14:30 15:30 19:30 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:30

Twenty20 Cricket WWE SmackDown NRL Premiership Trans World Sport Live European PGA Tour Le Mans Series The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 WWE NXT Trans World Sport Powerboats UIM Class One European PGA Tour

07:00 Rugby World Cup Classics 07:30 Mobil 1 The Grid

03:00 Just Shoot Me 03:30 Just Shoot Me 04:00 Two And A Half Men 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Will And Grace 06:00 Coach 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Two And A Half Men 08:30 Just Shoot Me 09:00 Will And Grace 09:30 The Simpsons 10:00 Parks And Recreation 10:30 Coach 11:00 The Drew Carey Show 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Two And A Half Men 13:00 Just Shoot Me 13:30 Will And Grace 14:00 Coach 14:30 The Simpsons 15:00 Parks And Recreation 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 Outsourced 19:30 Community 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 State Of The Union 22:30 Rita Rocks 23:00 The Ricky Gervais Show 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00

Warehouse 13 Boston Public Good Morning America The Event Emmerdale Coronation Street Eat Yourself Sexy Huey’s Cooking Adventure The Martha Stewart Show The View

The Order ON OSN MOVIeS ACTION

08:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:30 13:00 15:00 17:00 17:30 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 21:30 23:30

Trans World Sport Golfing World European Tour Weekly World Hockey Beach Volley Ball AFL Highlights Rugby World Cup Classics NRL Premiership Scottish League Cup Beach Volley Ball Trans World Sport Futbol Mundial AFL Highlights Golfing World SPL Highlights Live Premier League Snooker Futbol Mundial

04:30 05:00 05:30 06:00 07:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 12:30 13:30 14:00 15:00 15:30 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 23:30

Rugby World Cup Classics FEI Equestrian World Spirit of Yachting PGA European Tour Highlights Golfing World Rugby Union Scottish Premier League Total Rugby Trans World Sport World Hockey Golfing World Euro Tour Weekly Live PGA European Tour Spirit of Yachting Total Rugby Rugby World Cup Classics NRL Full Time Live RFL Championship PGA European Tour

03:00 06:00 07:00 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00

UFC 134 UFC Unleashed WWE SmackDown WWE Bottomline Powerboats F1 Highlights Mobil 1 The Grid Modern Pentaholn WWE Vintage Collection WWE Bottomline V8 Supercars Championship V8 Supercars Championship Modern Pentaholn Modern Pentaholn WWE Vintage Collection WWE NXT UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC 134

03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 22:30 23:00

Britain At War Tales Of The Gun UFO Hunters Life After People Ice Road Truckers Patton 360 Britain At War Tales Of The Gun UFO Hunters Life After People Ice Road Truckers Patton 360 Britain At War Tales Of The Gun UFO Hunters Life After People Ice Road Truckers Ax Men Ax Men Sliced Sliced Deep Wreck Mysteries

03:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

04:15 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

05:10 Homes With Style 05:35 Area 06:05 Clean House 07:00 Big Boutique 07:30 Big Boutique 08:00 Videofashion News 08:30 Videofashion News 09:00 Fashion Avenue 09:25 Fashion Avenue 09:55 How Do I Look?

10:50 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

11:50 Clean House: Search For The Messiest...

12:50 Clean House 13:45 Videofashion News 14:15 Videofashion News

14:45 15:40 16:35 17:30 18:25 19:25 19:50 20:20 21:15 22:10 23:05

How Do I Look?

Ruby Jerseylicious Ruby How Do I Look?

Big Boutique Fashion Avenue Clean House Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

Big Rich Texas Jerseylicious

03:17 05:00 06:00 07:17 09:17 13:17 15:17 16:00 16:45 17:17 18:00 18:45 20:00 20:45 21:00 21:15 22:17

Playlist Legend Playlist Playlist Playlist Playlist Playlist R&b 10 Playlist Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Sound System 10 Playlist Guest Star - David Guetta Playlist Playlist

07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Rivers of the World 09:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 10:00 Planet Food 11:00 Dream Destinations 11:30 Dream Destinations 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Flavours of Chile 13:30 Flavours of Chile 14:00 Rivers of the World 15:00 How To Holiday Greener 15:30 Essential 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Dream Destinations 17:30 Dream Destinations 18:00 Flavours of Chile 18:30 Flavours of Chile 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 The Blue Continent 21:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 22:00 Glutton For Punishment 22:30 Chef Abroad 23:00 Globe Trekker

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

Looney Tunes The Flintstones Top Cat The Jetsons Popeye Classics The Perils of Penelope Pitstop Tom & Jerry Kids Hong Kong Phooey Scooby Doo Where Are You! Droopy & Dripple Looney Tunes The Addams Family Top Cat The Scooby Doo Show Tom & Jerry The Flintstones Wacky Races Puppy In My Pocket The New Scooby Doo Movies Duck Dodgers Duck Dodgers Wacky Races Dexter’s Laboratory The Garfield Show Looney Tunes Top Cat Top Cat Pink Panther and Pals Pink Panther and Pals Popeye King Arthur’s Disasters King Arthur’s Disasters The Flintstones The Flintstones New Yogi Bear Show Tom & Jerry Dastardly And Muttley Johnny Bravo The Scooby Doo Show The Scooby Doo Show Puppy In My Pocket The Perils of Penelope Pitstop

what’s on SATURDAY, SepTembeR 24, 2011

Konkani drama

K

uwait Goan Association (KGA) after presenting popular Konkani tiatrs ‘Ghor Bandlem ghorabo Modlo’ and ‘Tujea Moga Passot’, now all set to present Tragedy King 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

Kala Onam celebrations

O Aware lecture

‘A

n overview of the history of Kuwait’ will be presented by Ilene Winokur-AlZaid. This presentation explores Kuwait’s rich history and uses it as a guide for understanding the country and its people of 2011. It looks at the rich heritage of Kuwait’s past and how it influenced

adjustment to change and modernization with the residents of today. This will be held on September 27 at 7 pm at the AWARE Center. For more info, call 25335260/80.

Ilene came to Kuwait in October 1984 and has been learning about her “adopted” home since. She is an educator who

held positions as teacher and principal at a private American school in Kuwait for 10 years plus. Currently, she is employed at Gulf University for Science and Technology while pursuing her doctorate in Educational Administration with research in the area of leadership and professional development of teachers.

nam celebrations along with the closing ceremony of the free Malayalam Education Program of Kerala Art Lovers Association (Kala, Kuwait) will be held on September 30, 2011 Friday at Indian Community School, Khaithan. Dance, Art and Cultural programs including Athapookalam Competition, Thiruvathira dance, Nadanpattugal, Onapattugal, Vallom kali will capture the day till 4pm in the evening.

By 5pm, closing ceremony meeting of Malayalam classes will begin which will include cultural meeting, honoring of the teachers and representatives who provided spaces to take Malayalam classes and finally presentation of trophy’s to winners of the quiz competitions held at different zones in Kuwait. Chief guests from India as well as prominent guests from Kuwait will also attend the function. For more details please contact: 24317875, 97817100 or 66656642.

Notice to Filipino citizens

N

otice is hereby given that under Republic Act No. 9189, otherwise known as “The Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003”, all citizens of the Philippines abroad, not otherwise disqualified by law, at least eighteen (18) years of age on the day of the election, and who are registered overseas absentee voters with approved applications to vote in absentia, may vote for Senators and Party-list Representatives. For this purpose, all qualified Filipino citizens not registered as voters under Republic Act No. 8189, otherwise known as “The Voters Registration Act of 1996”, (the system of continuing registration) shall file an application for registration while

those who are already registered under the said Act shall file an application for certification. For purposes of the May 13, 2013 elections, the filing of applications for registration/certification and transfer of registration records shall be filed at the Post or other designated registration areas from October 31, 2011 to October 31, 2012. The 30-day voting period is from April 13, 2013 until 3:00 o’ clock in the afternoon (Philippine time) of May 13, 2013 at any Philippine Embassies or Consulates. (The time for voting to be announced later). For details, please contact telephone number: 65184433 (Kuwait)

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Announcements NAFO Onam celebration NAFO Kuwait to celebrate Onam on September 30, 2011 at the Indian Community School (Senior for Girls) auditorium Salmiya. Cultural activities such as dance,skit, nadan pattukal, vallapattukal etc will be held which will be followed by the traditional onasadhya. All NAFO members are requested to make this program a grand success by participating in various activities. Please register your name at Contacts@nafoglobal.com.said the convener of the program Rajasekaran Nair. For details please contact Nandakumar 99559416, Udayakumar 66464577 or Rajasekharan Nair 97824780.

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 Shetty99006934, Kripa Gatty- 66044194 Kuwait

City, Jahra, Sharq : Rekha Sachu65044521,97862115 Farwaniya, Abbassiya, Shuwaikh & Khaitan: Sathyanarayana- 66585077 Sanath Shetty- 67712409.

Creative discussion Steve Sabella will give a follow-up discussion to discuss his life and work. The talk includes a screening of a 10-minute documentary film among other videos, and will deal with the idea of constructed identities, imagined cities and hyper-realities on September 28th and September 29th between 7pm-9pm at Life Center (Industrial Shuwaikh, Block 2, Street 28, Top floor).

‘Mother’s Day’ Theater Xavier-Manuel productions presents a super hit theater of this season from Goa titled “Mother’s Day.” It will be a Konkani

drama dedicated to all mothers with loads of comedy, solos, duets, trios, etc. and all new songs! The event is on September 30th at 3:30pm at Kuwait Medical Association Hall (Beside Blood Bank, near Mubarak Hospital, Jabriya).

Kuwait Little League Baseball Nights Kuwait Little League Baseball will be holding its Registration Nights at our fields inside the Hunting and Equestrian Club. If you have not yet registered online via our website Q8LL.org, and would like to be part of baseball for this year, please do so before Thursday. Please print the registration confirmation email and bring it to the registration. We look forward to a very active baseball season! This will be on Thursday September 22nd and Friday September 23rd between 6pm - 9pm.

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what’s on SATURDAY, SepTembeR 24, 2011

Study in Canada Fair 2011

Embassy Information

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rganized by the Embassy of Canada, the sixth annual Middle East Education Initiative (MEEI) will be visiting Kuwait from Oct 1 to 4, 2011.

Representatives of 20 leading Canadian universities and colleges will be available to meet students, parents, teachers and guidance counsellors to present the advantages of studying in Canada. On Sunday, Oct 2, 2011 a Study in Canada exhibi tion will be held at the Marina Hotel, Salmiya from 6-9:00 pm for potential students and their parents to attend. The Canadian institutions will also be visiting local schools to speak to interested students about opportunities to study in Canada.

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.

Free Arabic courses provided by IPC

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ake your opportunity to learn and improve your Arabic skills. The women section of Islam Presentation Committee will be conducting FREE Arabic Language Course in Basic & Advance Level for non-Arab LADIES commencing on September 30, 2011. Islamic subjects and Quran classes are also offered in different languages.

Classes are offered only once a week.

Register now! For more information: Rawdah22512257-97290278; Salmiya-25733263-97533263; Khaitan-24730137-99285459; Mangaf-23723002; Jahra-24558830-67720696.

Merit scholarship

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ulu Koota Kuwait is pleased to announce its Merit Cum Means Scholarship Award to be awarded during Tulu Parba which will be held on 4th November 2011 in American International School Auditorium, Maidan Hawally.

Tulu Koota Kuwait firmly believes in the great value of education and is strongly committed to helping needy students to achieve their educational goals. Application accepted from minimum one year valid members children studying either in State of Kuwait or in India, scoring high grades at X and XII standard Board Examination held during Academic year 2010-2011. Contact Tulukoota Kuwait Welfare officer Suresh Shyam Rao on 65976789 or email: shyamson@yahoo.com to submit the copies of marks sheet & proof of income with the application. Candidates obtaining high grades but not eligible for merit cum means scholarship shall be honored with Merit Certificate and Medal. For further information please contact: Harish Bhandary Tel. 50264416

‘Most Beautiful Egyptian Child’ Contest begins

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he ‘Bawabat Al-Masreyeen’ (Egyptians Gate) blog in Kuwait launched a course in operating the photoshop program which deals with editing pictures and prepare designs. There was also a contest for the picture of the most beautiful child among Egyptian community children in Kuwait. The contest began yesterday and will continue until Wednesday, September 28, a nd results will be announced on Thursday, September 29. It is worth mentioning that the gate began dealing with the communityís problems two weeks ago, as it presents them to concerned officials, and the most important problem is that of Egypt Air so far. The gate met with the Director of Egypt Air in Kuwait to find a quick solution for the problem. http://www.facebook.com/egykwt

Aurora the Terrier Mix

LAIF Annual Convention

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ere Comes LAIF Annual Convention. The Life Abundant International Fountain Kuwait is holding its first annual convention at the National Evangelical Church, Kuwait (Neck Compound-Hall of Faith), Near Parliament House, Kuwait City from Thursday, October 6-9, 2011. It will commence on Thursday at 7 pm, Friday at 10 am, Friday at 10 pm, Saturday at 6 pm and Sunday at 6:30 pm. For more information, contact and transport, call 66332846, 50611737,66922052,66550209 or e-mail: laifkuwait@yahoo.co.uk, www.facebook.com/L.A.I.F.CHURCH.

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urora is a pretty and gentle two-year-old Terrier mix female. Aurora was rescued from Ahmadi where she was found abandoned. This brave girl soon won over hearts at the shelter with her affectionate ways.

Aurora loves to run and play and will retrieve a ball in exchange for a belly rub. She will be a great addition to a family with children aged 12 and above. To adopt Aurora, contact K’S PATH at 6700 1622 or visit the website www.kspath.org

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 ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, AlMutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca.

Canada offers a registration service for all Canadians travelling or living abroad. This service is provided so that Consular Officials can contact and assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait. Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.UAE.gc.ca.

Effective January 15, 2011, the only Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) application form that will be accepted by CIC is the Application for Temporary Resident Visa Made Outside of Canada [IMM 5257] form.

All previous Temporary Resident Visa application forms will no longer be accepted by CIC and instead will be returned to applicants. Should old applications be submitted prior to January 15, 2011 they will continue to be processed.

To ensure that the most recent version of the Temporary Resident Visa application form is being utilized, applicants should refer to the CIC website. As of January 15, 2011, forms are to be filled in electronically.

The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday.

Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday.

The forms are available on the internet at: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/forms/IMM5257E .PDF. A guide explaining the process can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5256E.PDF.

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health & science SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Pillar of physics challenged Roll over Einstein

SALT LAKE: In this Aug. 29, 2011 photo, Kelsey Olsen, a pharmacy buyer at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, holds a tray of Magnesium Sulfate, a drug in short supply. — AP

Hospitals face drug price-gouging TRENTON: A severe shortage of drugs for chemotherapy, infections and other serious ailments is endangering patients and forcing hospitals to buy life-saving medications from secondary suppliers at huge markups because they can’t get them any other way.

An Associated Press review of industry reports and interviews with nearly two dozen experts found at least 15 deaths in the past 15 months blamed on the shortages, either because the right drug wasn’t available or because of dosing errors or other problems in administering or preparing alternative medications.

The shortages, mainly involving widely-used generic injected drugs that ordinarily are cheap, have been delaying surgeries and cancer treatments, leaving patients in unnecessary pain and forcing hospitals to give less effective treatments. That’s resulted in complications and longer hospital stays.

Just over half of the 549 US hospitals responding to a survey this summer by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, a patient safety group, said they had purchased one or more prescription drugs from so-called “gray market vendors”- companies other than their normal wholesalers. Most also said they’ve had to do so more often of late, and 7 percent reported side effects or other problems.

Hospital pharmacists “are really looking at this as a crisis. They are scrambling to find drugs,” said Joseph Hill of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. A hearing on the issue was set for Friday before the health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Food and Drug Administration is holding a meeting Monday with medical and consumer groups, researchers and industry representatives to discuss the shortages and strategies to fight them.

The FDA says the primary cause of the shortages is production shutdowns because of manufacturing problems, such as contamination and metal particles that get into medicine. Companies abandoning the injected generic drug market because the profit margins are slim. Producing these sterile medicines is far more complicated and expensive than stamping out pills, and it can take about three weeks to produce a batch. Making things worse, companies don’t have to notify customers or the FDA that they’ve stopped making a medicine. That means neither FDA nor competitors can try to fill the gap.

Only a half-dozen companies make the vast majority of injected generics. Even if other companies wanted to begin making a generic drug in short supply, they’re discouraged by the lengthy, expensive process of setting up new manufacturing lines and getting FDA approval. Theft of prescription drugs from warehouses or during shipment. Secondary, “gray market” vendors who buy scarce drugs from small regional wholesalers, pharmacies or other sources and then market them to hospitals, often at many times the normal price. —AP

GENEVA: A startling find at one of the world’s foremost laboratories that a subatomic particle seemed to move faster than the speed of light has scientists around the world rethinking Albert Einstein and one of the foundations of physics.

Now they are planning to put the finding to further high-speed tests to see if a revolutionary shift in explaining the workings of the universe is needed - or if the European scientists made a mistake.

Researchers at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research outside Geneva, who announced the discovery Thursday are still somewhat surprised themselves and planned to detail their findings yesterday.

If these results are confirmed, they won’t change at all the way we live or the way the universe behaves. After all, these particles have presumably been speed demons for billions of years. But the finding will fundamentally change our understanding of how the world works, physicists said.

Only two labs elsewhere in the world can try to replicate the results.

One is Fermilab outside Chicago and the other is a Japanese lab put on hold by the March tsunami and earthquake.

Fermilab officials met Thursday about verifying the European study and said their particle beam is already up and running. The only trouble is that their measuring systems aren’t nearly as precise as the Europeans’ and won’t be upgraded for a while, said Fermilab scientist Rob Plunkett.

“This thing is so important many of the normal scientific rivalries fall by the wayside,” said Plunkett, a spokesman for the Fermilab team’s experiments.

“Everybody is going to be looking at every piece of information.”

Plunkett said he is keeping an open mind on whether Einstein’s theories need an update, but he added: “It’s dangerous to lay odds against Einstein. Einstein has been tested repeatedly over and over again.”

Going faster than light is something that is just not supposed to happen according to Einstein’s 1905 special theory of relativity - the one made famous by the equation E equals mc2.

The speed of light - 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second) - has long been considered a cosmic speed limit.

“We’d be thrilled if it’s right because we love something that shakes the foundation of what we believe,” said famed Columbia University physicist Brian Greene.

“That’s what we live for.”

The claim is being greeted with skepticism inside and outside the European lab. “The feeling that most people have is this can’t be right, this can’t be real,” said James Gillies, a spokesman for CERN. CERN provided the particle accelerator to send neutrinos on a breakneck 454-mile (730-kilometer) trip underground from Geneva to Italy. France’s National Institute for Nuclear and Particle Physics Research collaborated

with Italy’s Ran Sass National Laboratory for the experiment, which has no connection to the atomicsmashing Large Hadron Collider, which is also located at CERN. Gillies told The Associated Press that the readings have so astounded researchers that “they are inviting the broader physics community to look at what they’ve done and really scrutinize it in great detail.” That will be necessary, because Einstein’s special relativity theory underlies “pretty much everything in modern physics,” said John Ellis, a theoretical physicist at CERN who was not involved in the experiment. “It has worked perfectly up until now.” And part of that theory is that nothing is faster than the speed of light.

CERN reported that a neutrino beam fired from a particle accelerator near Geneva to a lab in Italy traveled 60 nanoseconds faster than the speed of light. Scientists calculated the margin of error at just 10 nanoseconds, making the difference statistically significant.

Given the enormous implications of the find, they spent months checking and rechecking their results to make sure there were no flaws in the experiment. A team at Fermilab had similar faster-than-light results in 2007. But

Fermilab team spokeswoman Jenny Thomas, a physics professor at the University College of London, said there must be a “more mundane explanation” for the European findings. She said Fermilab’s experience showed how hard it is to measure accurately the distance, time and angles required for such a claim.

Nevertheless, the Fermilab team, which shoots neutrinos from Chicago to Minnesota, will go back to work immediately to try to verify or knock down the new findings, Thomas said.

Drew Baden, chairman of the physics department at the University of Maryland, said it is far more likely that there are measurement errors or some kind of fluke. Tracking neutrinos is very difficult, he said.

“This is ridiculous what they’re putting out,” Baden said. “Until this is verified by another group, it’s flying carpets. It’s cool, but...” So if the neutrinos are pulling this fast one on Einstein, how can it happen?

Stephen Parke, head theoretician at the Fermilab, said there could be a cosmic shortcut through another dimension - physics theory is full of unseen dimensions - that allows the neutrinos to beat the speed of light.

Indiana University theoretical physicist Alan Kostelecky says there may be

ROME: Handout picture taken on August 15, 2005 and made available on September 23, 2011 shows equipment at the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics INFN’s Gran Sasso Laboratory in Rome. Physicists reported on September 22, that sub-atomic particles called neutrinos can travel faster than light, a finding that — if verified — would blast a hole in Einstein’s theory of relativity. — AFP that experiment had such a large margin of error that it undercut its scientific significance.

If anything is going to throw a cosmic twist into Einstein’s theories, it’s not surprising that it’s the strange particles known as neutrinos. These are odd slivers of an atom that have confounded physicists for about 80 years.

The neutrino has almost no mass, it comes in three different “flavors,” may have its own antiparticle and even has been seen shifting from one flavor to another while shooting out from the sun, said physicist Phillip Schewe, communications director at the Joint Quantum Institute in Maryland.

situations when the background is different in the universe, not perfectly symmetrical as Einstein says. Those changes in background may change both the speed of light and the speed of neutrinos.

But that doesn’t mean Einstein’s theory is ready for the trash heap, he said. “I don’t think you’re going to ever kill Einstein’s theory. You can’t. It works,” Kostelecky said, adding there are just times when an additional explanation is needed.

If the European findings are correct, “this would change the idea of how the universe is put together,” Columbia’s Greene said. — AP

New Hope …

New Life

Al-Seef Hospital

International Visiting Doctors Program Al Seef Hospital is proud to announce the visit of Dr. Josip Buric Consultant in spinal neurosurgery • Society for Medicine of Italy (1997) • International Medical Ozone Society (2000) • Training in Neurosurgery at University Dept.

• Member of the North American Spine Society for Neurosurgery in Florence NASS (2008) • Opinion leader for the DIAM (Medtronic) (2009) • Reviewer of the SAS Journal (2007) • Minimally invasive spine procedures for disc diseases.

• Disc radio frequency ablation, endoscopic disc removal, laser ablation and ozone injection • Injection procedures for epidural space, discs, articular joints and paravertebral muscles • Treatment by spinal endoscopic catheterization (epiduroscopy) • Short time procedures for spinal canal stenosis (narrowing) and low back pain in elderly patients.

• Decompression and discectomy procedures with the use of microscope • Major combined fusion procedures For Reservation andFor Further Reservation: inquires: 60014054 Email: visitingdrs@alseef-hospital.com

To advertise on this page please contact us:

248 33 199 ads@kuwaittimes.net

• Dermatology & Cosmetology • General Medicine • Internal Medicine • Ent • Ophthalmology • Peadiatric • Ob & Gynecology

• Orthopedic • X-ray & Ultrasonography • General Physician • Dental • Laboratory • Pharmacy

Cosmetology Clinic.

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We Accept All Major Insuramce Cards FARWANIYA - OPP. POLICE STATION Behind Magadheer Commercial Complex

• - 65561619 TEL: 24734000

shifakuwait@gmail.com www.shifakuwait.com Working Hours: 8.00 am to 12:00am

LayOut 2.indd 2

9/22/11 4:35 PM

CLASSIFIEDS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

FOR SALE Complete contents of 1 BR flat for sale. 1 deal for newlywed or single executive, for details and viewing call: 99701641 or email: alem.furnz@gmail.com (C 3640) 24-9-2011 Brand new Nissan Altima 2011 for sale, will offer good discount, car still in showroom. Contact: 66947732.

(C 3635) 20-9-2011

ACCOMMODATION Accommodation available in Abbassiya two bedroom furnished flat, bachelor accommodation KD 35, from Oct 1st. Contact: 99162583.

(C 3641) 22-9-2011

LOST Policy No. 633001847 for Mehmood Ul Hassan Chohan issued by State Life

Insurance has been lost, if anybody found please contact: 22452208-9. (C 3643) 22-9-2011

SITUATION WANTED

Fresh dynamic Mechanical Engineer with immaculate English language skills looking for opportunities, in engineering, media or related fields. Transferable residence. Phone: 67078742. (C 3639) 21-9-2011

CHANGE OF NAME I, Sweatha Ibrahim, holder of Indian Passport No. E8320183 hereby change my name to Hilda A. D’Souza.

(C 3644) 24-9-2011 I, Kannanaikkel Devassy Joy, holder of Indian Passport No. E2157210 issued at Kuwait, hereby change my name as Joy Davis. (C 3642) 22-9-2011

information SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines PIA THY ETH PIA UAE DHX ETD MSR FDB GFA QTR JZR THY JZR JZR KAC BAW KAC FCX JZR KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA QTR MHK JZR MSR IRC JZR IRM KAC MSR KNE UAL RJA MSR FDB KAC JZR SWT QTR KAC SVA KAC KNE JZR CLX QTR JZR AFR KAC IRC ETD UAE KAC SYR GFA KAC SVA JZR JZR ABY RBG KAC FDB

Arrival Flights on Saturday 24/9/2011 Flt Route 215 KARACHI 772 ISTANBUL 620 ADDIS ABABA 239 SIALKOT 853 DUBAI 370 BAHRAIN 305 ABU DHABI 614 CAIRO 67 DUBAI 211 BAHRAIN 138 DOHA 529 ASSIUT 770 ISTANBUL 503 LUXOR 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 157 LONDON 416 JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR 201 BAHRAIN 1541 CAIRO 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 302 MUMBAI 53 DUBAI 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 362 COLOMBO 344 CHENNAI 855 DUBAI 132 DOHA 125 SHARJAH 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 6130 DOHA 711 BAGHDAD/NAJAF 165 DUBAI 623 SOHAG 6807 SHIRAZ 201 DAMASCUS 5066 MASHAD 672 DUBAI 610 CAIRO 703 MEDINAH 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 640 AMMAN 621 ASSIUT 57 DUBAI 786 JEDDAH 357 MASHAD 93 DUBAI/KANDAHAR 140 DOHA 562 AMMAN 500 JEDDAH 552 DAMASCUS 745 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 792 LUXEMBOURG 134 DOHA 535 CAIRO 6706 PARIS 118 NEW YORK 6791 MASHAD 303 ABU DHABI 857 DUBAI 154 ISTANBUL 341 DAMASCUS 215 BAHRAIN 178 GENEVA/FRANKFURT 510 RIYADH 777 JEDDAH 239 AMMAN 127 SHARJAH 3553 ALEXANDRIA 550 SOHAG/SHARM EL SHEIKH 63 DUBAI

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

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

227 177 104 502 542 618 607 774 674 458 572 975 790 61 647 179 402 789 788 618 2600 372 445 859 217 136 981 614 2602 135 606 513 185 612 636 393 539

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

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

Departure Flights on Saturday 24/9/2011 Flt Route 1540 CAIRO 637 FRANKFURT 976 GOA/CHENNAI 447 AMSTERDAM 216 KARACHI 773 ISTANBUL 621 ADDIS ABABA 240 SIALKOT/ISLAMABAD 94 DUBAI/KANDAHAR 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 306 ABU DHABI 615 CAIRO 139 DOHA 771 ISTANBUL 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 200 DAMASCUS 785 JEDDAH 356 MASHAD 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 534 CAIRO 153 ISTANBUL 671 DUBAI 551 DAMASCUS 256 BEIRUT 561 AMMAN 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 549 SOHAG/SHARM EL SHEIKH 101 LONDON/NEW YORK 133 DOHA 302 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN 165 ROME/PARIS

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

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

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

6131 541 776 238 711 501 624 6808 176 702 5065 611 641 58 622 982 673 787 789 746 617 178 505 773 512 141 538 792 82 304 6792 135 6706 342 858 216 128 184 266 3554 511 64 613 134 228 283 604 571 62 331 268 351 648 790 403 457 619 543 9300 373 445 860 218 102 381 137 301 205 188 9302 554 607 502 411 981 613

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

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

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

C R O S S W O R D

4 4 8

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

ACROSS 1. (British) Sleep.

4. Used to refer to cited works.

10. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

13. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

14. (music) A short recitative that is melodic but is not an aria.

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

16. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

18. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

19. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

20. An association of people to promote the welfare of senior citizens.

21. A nonmetallic largely pentavalent heavy volatile corrosive dark brown liquid element belonging to the halogens.

22. Away from the mouth or oral region.

24. The formation of frost or ice on a surface.

26. A summary that repeats the substance of a longer discussion.

27. A shade of brown with a tinge of red.

29. A city in central Alabama on the Alabama river.

33. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

37. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

39. The United Nations agency concerned with the international organization of food and agriculture.

40. The compass point midway between east and southeast.

41. A unit of information equal to one million (1,048,576) bytes.

43. Large family of important mostly marine food fishes.

48. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

49. A chronic disease of the nose characterized by a foul-smelling nasal discharge and atrophy of nasal structures.

51. Greek mythology.

55. Submerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers.

59. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

60. 4-wheeled motor vehicle.

61. The 3 goddesses of fate or destiny.

63. Having undesirable or negative qualities.

64. Bulky grayish-brown eagle with a short wedge-shaped white tail.

65. Naked freshwater or marine or parasitic protozoa that form temporary pseudopods for feeding and locomotion.

66. Used of a single unit or thing.

DOWN 1. A family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in southeastern Asia.

2. (anatomy) Of or relating to the ilium.

3. United States painter (1870-1966).

4. Committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates.

5. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

6. A range of mountains (usually with jagged peaks and irregular outline).

7. Surface layer of ground containing a matt of grass and grass roots.

8. (Old Testament) The second patriarch.

9. A port city in southern Kenya on a coral island in a bay of the Indian Ocean.

10. The sixth month of the civil year.

11. A small cake leavened with yeast.

12. Of or relating to or characteristic of the Republic of Chad or its people or language.

17. Transient cessation of respiration.

23. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

25. A physician who is not a specialist but treats all illnesses.

28. Being nine more than ninety.

30. A German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano.

31. An independent group of closely related Chadic languages spoken in the area between the Biu-Mandara and East Chadic languages.

32. On or toward the lee.

34. Light informal conversation for social occasions.

35. Mentally or physically infirm with age.

36. Weight to be borne or conveyed.

38. The father of your father or mother.

39. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

42. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy.

44. Fairly small terrestrial ferns of tropical America.

45. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

46. (in Scotland) A child.

47. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily.

50. A Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria.

52. A metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells.

53. A feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause).

54. An officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer.

56. In favor of (an action or proposal etc.).

57. (informal) Of the highest quality.

58. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

62. Before noon.

Yesterday’s Solution

sports SATURDAY, SepTembeR 24, 2011

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

Minnesota 3, Seattle 2; NY Mets 8, St Louis 6; Oakland 4, Texas 3; Tampa Bay 15, NY Yankees 8; Baltimore 6, Detroit 5; Cleveland 11, Chicago White Sox 2; Washington 6, Philadelphia 1; Toronto 4, LA Angels 3 (Extra innings); Houston 9, Colorado 6; LA Dodgers 8, San Francisco 2.

Texas LA Angels Oakland Seattle

American League Eastern Division W L 95 61 88 68 86 70 79 77 66 90 Central Division 90 66 77 78 76 80 68 88 60 95 Western Division 90 66 85 71 70 86 66 90

X-Philadelphia Atlanta Washington NY Mets Florida

National League Eastern Division 98 58 88 68 76 79 74 82 71 85

.628 .564 .490 .474 .455

10 21.5 24 27

Milwaukee St Louis Cincinnati Chicago Cubs Pittsburgh Houston

Central Division 91 65 86 70 76 80 69 87 69 87 54 102

.583 .551 .487 .442 .442 .346

5 15 22 22 37

Arizona San Francisco LA Dodgers Colorado San Diego

Western Division 90 66 84 72 78 77 70 86 68 88

X-NY Yankees Boston Tampa Bay Toronto Baltimore X-Detroit Cleveland Chi White Sox Kansas City Minnesota

PCT .609 .564 .551 .506 .423

GB 7 9 16 29

.577 .497 .487 .436 .387

12.5 14 22 29.5

.577 .545 .449 .423

5 20 24

.577 .538 6 .503 11.5 .449 20 .436 22 X—Won Division Title

Cardinals collapse NL Roundup ST LOUIS: The St Louis Cardinals blew a four-run lead in the ninth inning and hurt their wild-card hopes when shortstop Rafael Furcal misplayed a potential double-play grounder, allowing the New York Mets to rally for an 8-6 win Thursday. Ahead 6-2, the Cardinals walked three batters in helping the Mets take the lead with a six-run burst. Willie Harris drew a walk to begin the inning and capped it with a tiebreaking, two-run single with two outs. The loss dropped St Louis two games behind idle Atlanta for the wild card. Each team has six games left. The Cardinals lost for only the third time in 16 games. The Mets, who had lost nine of their previous 11, came back against three St Louis relievers.

Nationals 6, Phillies 1 At Philadelphia, Brad Peacock, making just his second major league start, pitched 5 2-3 scoreless innings and Michael Morse hit a three-run homer as Washington downed Philadelphia. Roger Bernadina drove in two runs for the Nationals (76-79), who handed the division champions their sixth straight loss. Washington has won five straight overall and eight in a row on the road, and needs to win five of its last six for the organization’s first season over .500 since 2003. Carlos Ruiz had three hits and an RBI for the Phillies (98-58), who clinched their fifth straight NL East title on Saturday night but haven’t won since. The season-high six-game skid is Philadelphia’s longest since last May and it was the first time the Phillies have been swept in a series of more than two games since last August.

Astros 9, Rockies 6 At Houston, Carlos Lee doubled and drove in four runs and pinch-hitter Matt Downs knocked in three more as Houston extended Colorado’s losing streak to a season-high eight games. Houston starter Henry Sosa (3-5) yielded a season-high nine hits but allowed just three runs in 6 1-3 innings to end a three-game losing streak. Wilin Rosario doubled and hit a three-run homer in the eighth to cut Houston’s lead to 8-6 and Kevin Kouzmanoff had a solo shot in the seventh.

Dodgers 8, Giants 2 At Los Angeles, Matt Kemp went 4-for-5 with a two-run homer and a career-high three doubles in his final home game of the season, and Juan Rivera homered and drove in three runs as Los Angeles pushed San Francisco to the brink of elimination in the NL West playoff race. The Giants open a three-game series at first-place Arizona yesterday and a victory by the Diamondbacks, who were idle Thursday. —AP

Athletics avoid three-game sweep AL Roundup OAKLAND: Coco Crisp hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning as the Oakland Athletics beat the first-place Texas Rangers 4-3 on Thursday to avoid a series sweep. The reigning AL champion Rangers had their magic number for winning the West Division reduced to two when the Angels lost to Toronto later Thursday night. Texas, which started the day with a five-game lead over Los Angeles, headed home for three games with the Mariners before ending the regular season at Anaheim. Grant Balfour (5-2) pitched a 1-2-3 eighth for the win, then Andrew Bailey finished for his 21st save in 23 chances as the A’s snapped Texas’ four-game winning streak. Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba left in the eighth after experiencing a headache following a foul tip.

Twins 3, Mariners 2 At Minneapolis, Rene Tosoni hit an RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning as Minnesota ended an 11-game losing streak by beating Seattle. The Twins avoided another sweep and won for just the second time in 17 games.

This was the third-longest losing streak in Minnesota’s 51-season history, behind a 14-game slide in 1982 and a 13-game drought in 1961, the first year the franchise moved from Washington.

Trevor Plouffe drew a two-out walk from Steve Delabar (1-1) and Tosoni followed with a drive that hopped off the right-field wall. Plouffe slid home, easily beating the relay.

Rays 15, Yankees 8 At New York, Matt Moore struck out 11 batters in five innings of his first major league start as Tampa Bay unloaded on the watered-down Yankees a night after New York clinched the AL East title. The Rays avoided a four-game sweep and pulled within two games on idle Boston in the AL wildcard race. Both teams have six games left. Before this game, New York catcher Russell Martin declared how much he hated the Red Sox and would like to see them miss the playoffs. Tampa Bay took advantage of four Yankees errors and romped. BJ Upton was a double shy of the cycle in four at-bats, Ben Zobrist homered among his three hits and Johnny Damon also connected for Tampa Bay. Facing a lineup of backups and rookies, the Rays roughed up Bartolo Colon and led 13-0 in the fifth inning.

Indians 11, White Sox 2 At Cleveland, Asdrubal Cabrera drove in five runs and Jeanmar Gomez won his fifth straight start as Cleveland beat Chicago to remain in second place in the AL Central. Cabrera hit a threerun homer and tied his career-high for RBIs. Kosuke Fukudome added three RBIs and Travis Hafner singled for his 1,000th career hit as Cleveland moved 11/2 games ahead of the White Sox.

CALIFORNIA: Koji Uehara No 19 of the Texas Rangers pitches against the Oakland Athletics in the seventh inning during an MLB baseball game at O.co Coliseum in Oakland. —AFP Fukudome’s two-out, two-run single off Philip Humber (9-9) in the fifth inning broke a 2-2 tie.

Blue Jays 4, Angels 3 At Toronto, Edwin Encarnacion hit a game-ending home run in the 12th inning as Toronto dealt Los Angeles another blow in its chase for a playoff berth. Encarnacion led off the 12th with a drive down the left field line off Garrett Richards (0-2), his 17th homer of the season. Encarnacion turned to watch the ball and with his right arm kept trying to wave it fair. The ball ended up just inside the foul pole. Shawn Camp (5-3) worked one inning for the win as the Blue Jays improved to 11-0 in extra inning games at home. Toronto is the first team in recorded history to win 10 or more extra-inning home games without a defeat.

Orioles 6, Tigers 5 At Detroit, JJ Hardy and Adam Jones homered as Baltimore ruined the Detroit’s homecoming. Back home from a road trip during which they clinched their first division title since 1987, were given a standing ovation when they took the field for the first inning. The crowd of 28,847, though, was the smallest at Comerica Park since June 29. Zach Britton (11-10) gave up five runs, six hits and four walks in five innings. Vladimir Guerrero’s RBI single scored Hardy in the first, and Hardy’s 29th homer made it 2-0 in the third. Detroit leveled the game with four runs in the fifth, including a long three-run homer

by Delmon Young, but Baltimore went back up in the sixth when Reimold beat out a two-out infield single off David Pauley (5-6). —AP

SPORTS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Storied rivalries highlight NFL’s week 3 LOS ANGELES: The last time Green Bay and Chicago met at Soldier Field, the Packers booked a berth in Super Bowl 45 and the Bears impressive playoff run was over. Two of the National Football League’s oldest and most storied rivals meet once again in one of 15 games in week three of the 2011-12 season tomorrow. In last season’s NFC championship game, Green Bay beat Chicago 21-14 to earn its first trip to the Super Bowl in 13 years. The defending Super Bowl champion Packers seek to fluster Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and a offence that stumbled badly last week.

Chicago, who gave up a leagueworst 56 sacks last year, have already allowed a league-leading 11 in just one

win and one loss this season. Cutler was sacked six times in last Sunday’s 30-13 loss to New Orleans and he now faces an unbeaten Packers team that has seven sacks and got to him 11 times in three contests last season.

Green Bay also has problems on defense. Their pass defense took a hit when three-time all pro safety Nick Collins suffered a season-ending neck injury in the fourth quarter of last Sunday’s 30-23 victory. “It’s definitely a punch to the gut,” said Green Bay safety Charlie Peprah.

But on offence it has been a different story. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, who is one of the most spectacular quarterbacks in the league, has looked sharp, completing 70.8 percent of his

Ho steals a march in Asia-Pac Open SHIGA: Korea’s S K Ho battled his way into contention at the Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open yesterday, posting a flawless five-under-par 66 to surge into a second round lead.

Ho signed for a two-day nine-under-par 133 to take a two shot lead over South Africa’s Jbe Kruger who returned with a 71 for second place at the $1.7 million co-sanctioned Asian Tour and Japan Golf Tour event.

Bae Sang-Moon of Korea added a 69 to his opening 67 to take third place while Japan’s Daisuke Maruyama and Katsumasa Miyamoto signed for matching 137s for a share of fourth place at the Biwako Country Club. Thailand’s Prom Meesawat and India’s Jeev Milkha Singh were six shots off the lead in tied-eighth, after both posted 139. A multiple-winner in Japan, Ho cut his professional teeth on the Asian Tour where he has won once. Having decided to focus his career in Japan, Ho’s familiarity with the country looked like it has handed him an advantage.

“I enjoy playing in Japan and I like the golf courses around here. Overall I’m happy with how I’ve played today. I told myself that I must stay close to the leaders and I’m happy that I was able to exceed that today,” said Ho. Starting his round in tied-second, three shots behind overnight leader Kruger, Ho made his first birdie on the fifth hole. After reaching the turn in 34, the Korean whose full name is Hur Suk-ho, quickly made up ground with two birdies in three holes at the outward-nine. The Korean then stormed home with another two birdies in his closing three holes.— AFP

F1 McLaren Group eyes IPO in 5 years SINGAPORE: McLaren Group, which runs the Formula 1 team and recently entered the luxury sports car market, said yesterday it would look at listing the company in five years and would consider all markets including Singapore. Ron Dennis, Executive Chairman of the group, told reporters the company was in the process of more than doubling its production to 4,000 cars per year as it sought to tap demand for luxury cars around the world, particularly in Asia.

“In five years, which is the point of which we have the mathematics to logically have an IPO, we will look at all markets,” Dennis said during a visit to the city state to launch its car in the country and for the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix. He did not elaborate the size of the float and the structure. Earlier this year, McLaren introduced the MP4-12C two-seater sports car, which competes with Ferrari 458 Italia and Lamborghini Gallardo and sells for around 168,500 pounds ($260,000) in Britain. The company, which backs 2008 and 2009 Formula 1 champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, recently got an investment from Singapore billionaire Peter Lim. Riding on its popularity in Asia, English Premier League soccer club Manchester United are seeking a $1 billion listing in Singapore although the marketing process is on hold due to volatile markets. — Reuters

passes for 620 yards and five touchdowns. Over the years the Bears have done a good job of keeping him in line. In five games against Chicago since 2009, Rodgers is averaging 230.6 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions. Like the Packers, the New England Patriots seem to be able to score points at will this season. But they will be going up against Buffalo in a battle of undefeated teams tomorrow. The Bills have lost 15 straight to the Patriots. The last time they beat New England was a 31-0 rout on opening day in 2003. The Dallas Cowboys face the undefeated Washington Redskins on Monday night in another of the NFL’s most storied rivalries.

Cowboys injured quarterback Tony

Romo is doubtful but if he does play the Redskins will keep the pressure on and if he steps out of the protection of the pocket, they will make him pay.

Like Romo, the status of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is unclear for tomorrow. Vick was forced to leave in the second half after he suffered a concussion in a 35-31 loss at Atlanta last Sunday. The Eagles insist Vick doesn’t have “a whole lot of concussion symptoms,” but said he would undergo further testing. Giants coach Tom Coughlin knows what to expect. “I expect Michael Vick will play and if he can play, I am sure he will,” Coughlin said. The Eagles hope to continue their domination of New York, having won six straight against the Giants.—AFP

Extra Cup pressure for Senden at East Lake ATLANTA: With Presidents Cup aspirations looming large among other major incentives this week, John Senden put himself under extra pressure by making an erratic start to the Tour Championship on Thursday. The 40year-old Australian, who has set his sights on making a dream Presidents Cup debut at Royal Melbourne in November, carded a three-over-par 73 in the opening round to lie a distant nine strokes off the pace.

That left him with plenty of work to do in his multiple bid to triumph at East Lake Golf Club on Sunday, clinch the lucrative FedExCup and also book his place on Greg Norman’s International team in his native Australia. “I’ve just got to do what I gotta do this week, and what I’ve got to do tomorrow,” Senden told Reuters after mixing a triple-bogey at the third with two bogeys and two birdies. “That’s all I think about. There’s lots going on for every single player this week and everyone’s got to handle it.

“And the best way to handle it is to concentrate on what you’re doing with your own game right at this present point which, for me, is getting organized in my mind ready and set for tomorrow.” Buoyed by a superb runner-up finish at the BMW Championship on Sunday, Senden came into this week a lofty ninth in the FedExCup standings with the chance to win the playoff title and its $10 million bonus. He was also among a handful of contenders for the final two spots on Norman’s 12-man team for the ninth Presidents Cup against the United States from Nov. 17-20.

John Senden of Australia DREAM DEBUT “It would be a dream,” Senden said of his quest to play in the Ryder Cup-style Presidents Cup. “It would be fantastic, especially with Greg Norman as our captain and Royal Melbourne is our number one golf course. “Playing with your friends and family probably watching, that would be fabulous. It’s certainly very high up on the scale of things I want to do.” Senden is vying with compatriots Robert Allenby and Aaron Baddeley, Fiji’s Vijay Singh, South

Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Rory Sabbatini, and Colombian Camilo Villegas for Norman’s two wildcard picks. Norman is scheduled to announce those selections on Tuesday but, for the moment, Senden knows he needs to focus on playing as well as he can at East Lake.

“I’ve just got to do my job as best as I can and if I get lucky enough to be picked for the Presidents Cup, that would be a feather in the cap,” he said

after ending the first round joint 28th in the elite field of 30. “I need to concentrate on the issues of the process to get a good round in tomorrow. My goal is to hopefully get back into the red numbers (under par). “It wasn’t the greatest of starts today and I feel a bit disappointed with that,” added Senden, who ended his round on a good note by rolling in a seven-foot birdie putt at the last. “But this golf course suits me so I am looking forward to tomorrow.”— Reuters

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sports SATURDAY, SepTembeR 24, 2011

Fiji, Samoa set for Pacific showdown AUCKLAND: Fiji and Samoa yesterday promised not to let emotions get the better of them in this weekend’s Pacific Islands showdown which will decide which has a chance of escaping the “Pool of Death”.

A full house is expected at Auckland’s 60,000-seat Eden Park for tomorrow’s fixture matching two of the tournament’s most compelling teams in front of tens of thousands of fanatical expatriate supporters.

“It’s a huge game for both countries,” said Fiji captain Deacon Manu.

“There’s a lot of support in New Zealand for both teams. It’s going to be quite emotional for a lot of the guys out there, playing in front of so many people and in front of so many fans and family.” Manu pledged Fiji would not abandon the famous running game which took them to a 36-18 win at the Pacific Nations Cup in July, while Samoa showed their intent by giving hulking prop Census Johnston his first start of the World Cup. The stakes are high with both teams sitting on one win and one defeat from two games and needing victory tomorrow to have a shot at qualifying from a killer Pool D also including South Africa, Wales and Namibia. “When you look at the draw this is the main hinge-point of how the pool’s going to go,” Manu said. “It’s going to be such a tough encounter up front and in the back line. There’s probably not going to be much in it and there’s going to be so much passion and emotion around.

“We’ve got to make sure we control that and really just stick to the game plan and believe we can do it.”

While historical results favor Fiji 25-17, Samoa are the form team after shocking Australia in July and running Wales close last weekend in Hamilton.

Samoa have to beat Fiji and defending champions South Africa to reach their first quarter-final in 16 years, while Fiji need to win tomorrow and then against Wales to reach the last eight for the second time of asking. “The reality is if we want to be quarter-finalists, we have to win the next two games. The equation is pretty simple for us,” said Samoan assistant coach Tom Coventry.

“The first step is getting past Fiji. The last time we played them, they beat us in Suva. They played pretty well that day. So we know it’s a big challenge for us and we will look at South Africa after the weekend. “We knew before we came that we would have to beat either the Welsh or the Fijians and the South Africans to get through. They call it the Pool of Death so we will just have to make sure we knock each game off at a time.” Fiji named an all-new back row among four changes to their pack and brought in veteran fly-half Nicky Little, 35, for his 70th cap.

Samoa tapped 135 kilo Toulouse prop Johnston and welcomed back influential fly-half Tusi Pisi after he sat out the Wales game with a hamstring injury.

Both players were born in Auckland. “These boys are seasoned professionals, they’ve played a lot of rugby in Britain and Europe and in New Zealand, so they’re no novices at getting themselves up for big occasions,” said Coventry. “Keeping the emotions (under control) is always a big part of getting a Test match won. “Certainly there’s some hype, there’s talk of a big crowd there tomorrow and we’re aware that we need to get our heads around that and also function as a team.” —AFP

Aussies big win comes at a cost Injury-hit Wallabies rout US 67-5 WELLINGTON: Australia suffered a grim injury toll as it restored some authority to its Rugby World Cup campaign yesterday, beating the United States 67-5 six days after its loss to Ireland caused the first major upset of the tournament. Winger Adam Ashley-Cooper scored three tries in a seven-minute spell in the second half as the Wallabies won by 11 tries to one, improving their record against the Americans to 7-0 in all matches and to 3-0 at World Cups.

Australia’s victory also ended a period of soul-searching prompted by its 15-6 loss to Ireland, leaving it with some hope of reclaiming first place in its pool and of avoiding world champion South Africa in the quarterfinals. Center Rob Horne suffered a fractured cheekbone yesterday in the most serious of a catalog of injuries which afflicted the Australian team. Horne’s recent career has been cluttered with hamstring injuries and his World Cup campaign may have begun and ended in the first minute of his first test in more than 12 months.

His midfield partner, Anthony Fainga’a, was knocked unconscious in the final minute of the match while making a tackle.

Fainga’a lay motionless for several minutes before being taken off the field on a stretcher and faces a likely layoff due to a concussion. Pat McCabe suffered a dislocated shoulder after replacing Horne in the second half and faces a potentially long layoff, leaving the Australians to decide whether a midfield replacement may be necessary. The Wallabies have eight days before their next match against Russia and coach Robbie Deans said they would take that time to decide what backup may be needed. “We’ll see what the medics say first before we make that sort of decision,” he said.

Deans expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance yesterday, although there were still clear areas of concern, not least the performance of flyhalf Quade Cooper. Cooper finished the game at fullback in a rearranged backline but struggled in the early stages to impose Australia’s game plan. “We’re pretty pleased, actually,” Deans said. “It wasn’t perfect but there were elements in that game that we made good progress on and in the circumstance, with the amount of changes and so on, they retained their momentum and approached the game with a slightly better mentality, a bit more discipline in their decisions.”

When Berrick Barnes took over from

Cooper near halftime, marking his own return from a long layoff caused by head injuries, the Australian backline functioned more smoothly. “We spoke about it this week, that we needed to be smarter in our decision-making,” Australia captain Will Genia said. “The scoreline was a bit flattering but I think the best thing about our performance was the way we went about it and our decision-making.” The United States scored its only try, to JJ Gagiano, from a period of extended pressure on an Australian defensive line which was

with a try to Kurtley Beale.

It wasn’t until the 34th minute that Australia produced a try from set move.

Wycliff Palu off-loaded to Horne in a midfield gap and the inside center was able to run his midfield partner, Faingaa, in for Australia’s fourth, bonus point try. The American defense began to yield early in the second half as Australia went to its bench for fresh legs. Winger Drew Mitchell scored five minutes after halftime, in his first test for Australia this year, and McCabe, who replaced Horne, touched down three

WELLINGTON: Australia’s Adam Ashley-Cooper is airborne as he scores a try during their Rugby World Cup pool C match against the USA at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington yesterday. —AP stressed and occasionally brittle. The try was the first scored against Australia in three matches at this tournament.

After a break by scrumhalf and captain Tim Usasz and lock Scott LaValla, who was stopped in a lifting tackle by Cooper, the US held the ball through 18 phases near the Australian line. Cooper was eventually driven back over his own goal line and from the ensuing five-meter scrum, No 8 Gagiano detached and found no defense on the blindside. Lacking a reliable source of possession through the first 30 minutes and unable to play with field position - the Americans had 59 percent of territory before halftime - Australia was forced to depend on its counterattack for points.

When the US dropped the ball near the Australian goal line in the 29th minute, Rocky Elsom scooped it up and launched a length-of-the-field counter which ended

minutes later. Ashley-Cooper became Australia’s seventh individual try-scorer in the 59th minute and went on to a rapid hat trick. He dashed more than 65 meters for his second in the 63rd minute and added his third in the 66th.

Faingaa scored his second, and Australia’s 10th, four minutes later while Radike Samo added its last in the 78th minute. “Obviously, we’re disappointed to lose the game but there were no shocks,” Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan said.

“Australia were hot favorites. Overall the scoreline was probably a little harsh. “I thought we played some good rugby at times (but) a little inexperience and the pressure Australia brought to bear meant we gave up some long-range tries which were a killer. “I think Australia had something to prove as well so they didn’t let up on us at any stage.” —AP

Russia to debut youngster TAURANGA: Russia’s youngest squad player, Denis Simplikevich, will make his debut for the Bears against Ireland in the Rugby World Cup match tomorrow in Rotorua’s International Stadium. The 20-year-old Simplikevich, a fullback from Siberia, will start on the right wing after missing out on the 22 in the first two Pool C matches, losses to the United States and Italy.

Simplikevich impressed at the 2010 and 2011 Junior World Rugby Trophy. Russia made nine changes yesterday, only one less than Ireland.

Following the 53-17 loss to Italy on Tuesday in Nelson, Russia will feature an all-new front row with hooker Valery Tsnobiladze and 74-cap tighthead prop Alexander Khrokin making their first starts in the tournament, while loosehead prop

Sergey Popov was back after playing the US. Denis Antonov, who also faced the Americans, will partner Australian-born lock Adam Byrnes, the only player in the front five to retain a place.

Artem Fatakhov, another from the US, was back on the blindside flank. With hooker and captain Vladislav Korshunov rested, Alexander Yanyushkin was in at scrumhalf to lead the Bears. Inside center

Sergey Trishin will make his World Cup debut, and Simplikevich’s introduction has forced Vasil y Artemyev to slide out to fullback in place of Igor Klyuchnikov. “We’ve been forced to address the impact of small injuries which are not able to recover with such a short turnaround, and as such we’ve decided that it is necessary to freshen the team up,” coach Nikolai Nerush said.—AP

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SPORTS SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

India, Pakistan mourn Pataudi NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led India yesterday in paying rich tribute to the country’s charismatic former cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who died aged 70 following a lung disease. “He was a dashing and daring captain, who brought a new confidence to the Indian cricket scene,” Singh said in a condolence message a day after his death. “Even after his playing days were over, he remained an iconic figure, an embodiment of poise and polish and a great advocate of sportsmanship.”

Pataudi, nicknamed “The Tiger” for his superb fielding, played 46 Tests between 1961 and 1975, scoring 2,793 runs at an average of 34.91 with six centuries despite losing his right eye in a car accident in England.

“Tiger Pataudi was the most charismatic cricketer of his generation,” said legendary former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar. “To bat with almost zero vision in one eye and still to score nearly 3,000 runs and half-a-dozen centuries in Test cricket tells you what a genius he was.”

Cricket-loving Pakistanis also paid tribute to Pataudi, who was equally popular across the border for his grace and charismatic character, saying the death of the charismatic player left a void in the cricket world.

Former Pakistan captain and a contemporary

NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor and wife Sharmila Tagore (center left) and son Saif Ali Khan (center right) attend the funeral of Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi in New Delhi yesterday. — AP

of Pataudi, Hanif Mohammad said the news was a shock. “I recently watched him on television and he looked great, but the sudden news of his death is a shock to me,” said Mohammad, nicknamed “Little Master” for

Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan to put the opposition on the back foot.

“To my mind, Tiger Pataudi was the best thing that happened to Indian cricket from

NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan (second right), son of the late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, takes part in his funeral procession in New Delhi yesterday. — AFP his batting in 1950s and 60s. Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan, a cousin of Pataudi, said his death “will leave a great void” in cricket, adding that the former captain “was a great ambassador of Indian cricket.” International Cricket Council chief Sharad Pawar, a federal Indian minister, said Pataudi was “one of India’s greatest, most charismatic and flamboyant captains.”

“He was a man of exceptional talent who turned out to be an inspiration to millions of cricketers, not only in India but across the globe,” said Pawar. “It was an honor and privilege to have known him.”

Pataudi was always credited with making India competitive and respected in world cricket during his illustrious career. He did not have genuine pacemen at his disposal but shrewdly used the renowned spin quartet of Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna,

the time India got Test status. He was the first Indian captain to drill ‘Indian-ness’ into the Indian dressing-room,” said Bedi. “He was the best captain the spin quartet played under. He got the best out of all of us at various stages of our respective careers.” Sachin Tendulkar, the world’s leading run-getter in both Test and one-day cricket, described Pataudi as a “hero” while prolific Indian batsman Rahul Dravid described him as an “inspiration.” “It’s a terrible loss to the cricketing world. I had the privilege of meeting him on a few occasions. World cricket will miss a hero like him. I really respected him,” said Tendulkar. Pataudi became India’s youngest captain at the age of 21 during a tour of the West Indies in 1962 when the then skipper Nari Contractor was injured after being hit on the head by a bouncer from Charlie Griffith. — AFP

Mills returns for Black Caps WELLINGTON: New Zealand recalled Kyle Mills and included uncapped Doug Bracewell and Dean Brownlie for the one-off away test against Zimbabwe, the country’s cricket board (NZC) said yesterday. The Black Caps will play their first series since they lost in the World Cup semi-finals in March and under new captain Ross Taylor, who replaced Daniel Vettori after he stepped down. The visitors will play two twenty20, three onedayers and a lone test match during their tour of Zimbabwe, which starts on Oct 15. 32-year old Mills, who last played a test match in March 2009, was recalled in the 16-man squad after injury ruled out frontline paceman Hamish Bennett while Tim Southee raced against time to get fit for the test match.

Marsh named Lanka coach COLOMBO: Former Australian batsman Geoff Marsh has been named Sri Lanka’s coach on a two-year contract, the country’s cricket board said yesterday. “He (Marsh) takes up his new assignment on September 27,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.

“With his vast coaching and playing experience at the highest level, Sri Lanka Cricket is confident that he would be an ideal choice.” The former Australian opener, 52, scored 2,854 runs in 50 Tests and 4,357 in 117 one-dayers before he quit international cricket in 1992. Sri Lanka have been without a regular coach since Australian Trevor Bayliss stepped down after guiding the team to the World Cup final in April.

Sri Lanka appointed Stuart Law as an interim coach for the England tour and then former paceman Rumesh Ratnayake for the recent home series against Australia.

Olympic boxing under scrutiny LONDON: The tarnished image of Olympic boxing faced fresh scrutiny yesterday over allegations that multimillion dollar bribes were paid to ensure fighters from Azerbaijan won gold medals at the 2012 Games in London. An investigation by BBC’s Newsnight program alleged that $9 million was paid by an Azeri national to organizers of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA)’s World Series of Boxing (WSB). The money was allegedly paid to secure gold medals for Azeri fighters competing at next year’s Olympics.

AIBA president Wu Ching-Kuo rejected the allegations as “totally untrue and ludicrous” but confirmed the organization would launch an immediate investigation into the claims. “I will immediately conduct an investigation into this because there is a zero tolerance policy in AIBA,” Wu said. “I must say it is totally untrue and ludicrous because AIBA and the WSB conduct in a very fair and transparent

way,” he said. “I want you to know... how much effort I put in to clean the house. Four vice-presidents, a secretary general, six members of the executive committee, all expelled because of wrongdoing.

“Any corruption or manipulation is totally unacceptable. We have been cleaning the house for the last four years. I can guarantee you AIBA, like the other international federations, is fighting corruption.” Azerbaijan’s boxing federation vice-president Agajan Abiyev on Friday blasted the allegations as “absurd”. “I think that the information was created by Azerbaijan’s enemies,” Abiyev said in comments published on the Azerisport website. He said that the country’s rivals were unhappy that the World Championships the first Olympic qualifying event for boxingwere being staged this weekend in Baku, the capital of the oil-rich former Soviet republic.

The championships were moved to

the Azeri capital after being originally awarded to the South Korean port city of Busan. “As regards the nine million (dollars), this is absurd,” he added. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) welcomed the AIBA’s announcement of an investigation. “For its part the IOC takes all allegations of corruption very seriously,” the IOC said. “And we would urge the BBC to make any evidence they have available to AIBA and to our Ethics Commission which will then determine if further action is necessary.”

The BBC investigation, citing an unnamed insider, said the claims involved the AIBA’s World Series of Boxing, a full-time salaried tournament launched last year with the intention of retaining fighters in the amateur ranks. According to the BBC, the WSB’s chief executive Ivan Khodabaksh had been involved in brokering a deal to secure several million dollars of funding from Azerbaijan in exchange for fixing the

boxing competition at the Olympics.

Khodabaksh angrily denied the claims as “an absolute lie.” “I deny that I have offered anyone two gold medals or have any understanding that anybody else has offered two gold medals to Azerbaijan,” he was quoted by the BBC as saying.

Olympic boxing has long battled allegations of corruption and questions over its scoring system. The most notorious scandal involved Roy Jones, who was robbed of a gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, when he lost a split decision to South Korea’s Park Si-Hun despite outpunching his opponent 86-32. A hugely embarrassed Park held up Jones’ hand to acclaim the American as the rightful winner while the three judges who voted for the Korean were later suspended. Scoring controversies also dogged boxing during the 2008 Beijing Games, where several fighters complained of being cheated by judges. — AFP

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Rangnick’s sudden walkout earns support BERLIN: German football officials and coaches yesterday rallied behind Ralf Rangnick a day after he surprisingly resigned as head coach of Schalke 04 due to exhaustion.

The 53-year-old’s unexpected announcement jolted Germany’s football world, still sensitive to mental and physical health issues following the 2009 suicide of Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke.

Enke, who was on track to become Germany’s first choice for the 2010 World Cup, had been suffering from depression but kept it secret for years for fear of professional repercussions. He threw himself in front of a speeding train in November 2009. After four years at Hoffenheim, taking them from the third division to the Bundesliga and then the top of the standings at the halfway mark in 2008, Rangnick left last January and took over at Schalke 04 in March.

“His energy levels are finished,” Thorsten Rarreck, Schalke team doctor, told reporters. “A Bayern Munich coach once said: ‘Empty bottle, and that is what it is.’

“When he took over here after his Hoffenheim period there was no recovery time for him. He has reached his physical limits but it is a reversible situation. This is a preventive measure.” Rangnick himself said in a brief statement he could not fulfill the club’s ambitions in his current state and needed a break after a successful six-month stint in which he led them to the Champions League semi-finals and German Cup victory.

“I have great respect for his decision and the fact that he openly deals with his condition,” said German football association (DFB) boss Theo Zwanziger. “Maybe the situation in this tough business called professional football has changed following the tragic death of Robert Enke. “Maybe weaknesses and illnesses are tolerated and respected more than they were two years ago. At least that is what I hope.”

Germany coach Joachim loew called it a “show of strength, to publicly admit that the batteries are empty.”

His departure from top flight football after admitting to burnout also got the support of his Schalke predecessor Felix Magath. “This is a personal, courageous and respectful move,” Magath said. “I know from personal experience how demanding and burdensome the coaching job can be.” Bayer Leverkusen coach Robin Dutt added: “We all think that football is the most important thing in the world

and now we realize that it is not the most important thing.

“We all need to have more respect for each other because in this system everyone puts pressure on everyone.

“Players on coaches, coaches on players, media on players and coaches and fans on players and coaches.” — Reuters

WOLFSBURG: Schalke’s head coach Ralf Rangnick reacts during the German first division Bundesliga soccer match between VFL Wolfsburg and FC Schalke 04 in Wolfsburg. — AP

No respite for Wenger ahead of Bolton visit LONDON: After a week in which he was moved to defend his record as a manager, Arsene Wenger will hope his Arsenal players can provide a similar riposte to growing criticism by beating Bolton Wanderers today. Wenger’s position has been placed under increasing scrutiny following a poor start to the season that has so far brought a miserly four points from five Premier League games. The manner of last weekend’s defeat at Blackburn amplified concerns about Arsenal’s defensive weaknesses while the unconvincing League Cup victory over League Two Shrewsbury did little ease the tension surrounding the club.

On the morning of the game, Gunners chief executive Ivan Gazidis offered Wenger unwavering support and the manager’s reaction after the game-he insisted his achievements told their own story-hinted at his frustration at finding his methods up for debate. The manager has accepted, however, that only results will silence the criticism, underlining the importance of the meeting with Owen Coyle’s side. The season may only be

in its infancy but already Arsenal are facing a succession of must-win games.

They are fortunate then to be facing a Bolton side who have slumped alarmingly after opening the campaign with a 4-0 victory at QPR. Left back Kieran Gibbs-currently fighting for his starting spot following the arrival of Brazil defender Andre Santos-admits it has been a testing season.

“It’s not been the easiest of months, not just weeks,” Gibbs told arsenal.com. “But I can assure everyone the team is together and you can see from the stats of the games what we are doing is right. “On some occasions we are not getting the results at the minute but we are looking to turn that around as soon as possible so that we can lift the club.”

Acknowledging the defensive mistakes that have plagued the side, he added: “We have progressed in our last couple of games but sometimes we do individually lack concentration.

“At the minute we make one mistake and it’s a goal. It’s unbelievable how much it has affected us but we will

overcome it I am sure. We bring a lot of trouble on ourselves at times but it happens in football.” Wenger will get a close look at Gary Cahill, one of the players he identified this summer to strengthen his defense. Arsenal’s late bid for the England centre back was dismissed as derisory and Wenger eventually moved to bring in Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen.

However, Wanderers manager Coyle insists Cahill will have nothing to prove to Wenger at the Emirates Stadium and expects renewed interest in the player in January. “Gary is focused and destined for great things - and he needs to prove nothing to anybody,” said Coyle. “Arsene knows his quality.

He just needs to keep showing the form of the last few years. If I’m honest, I think there will be more than just Arsenal coming back in January.

“That’s a problem for then. But Arsene likes him as a player and he’s been up front and honest about it and there’s no problem with that.” Bolton are stranded in the bottom three having won just once out of five Premier League games this season. — AFP

City juggle squad as Bayern loom MANCHESTER: Manchester City face yet another significant test of their squad as face Everton at Eastlands with the Champions League trip to Bayern Munich looming in Roberto Mancini’s thoughts. City swept past Birmingham in the League Cup in midweek, beating the Championship side 2-0 despite making 11 changes from the side that drew 2-2 with Fulham at the weekend.

Mancini was boosted by Owen Hargreaves making his debut as he works his way back to full fitness after three years of knee problems. Defender Kolo Toure came through 90 minutes after serving a ban for a failed drugs test and will be hopeful of at least making the bench against David Moyes’ side as he attempts to put pressure on Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany.

More importantly ahead of today’s game, midfielder James Milner recovered from a head knock to feature as a substitute in the win over Birmingham.Mancini was frustrated to see two points dropped at Fulham after making just two changes from the team that had to come from behind to draw City’s first-ever Champions League match with Napoli in their opening match of the tournament.

Having fallen two points behind rivals Manchester United, who still have a perfect record in the Premier League, Mancini must balance the need to keep up with the champions with his selection at Bayern Munich on Tuesday. The two clubs shared bad blood when City signed Lescott from Everton in a protracted deal two summers ago.

But Everton maintain an impressive record against their big-spending hosts, with victories in seven of the last eight meetings between the two teams, a run that has included four straight wins at City. Everton saw Mikel Arteta, Yakubu and Jermaine Beckford depart on deadline day and they lost to QPR early in the season.

But they are unbeaten in five matches since, including taking seven points from their last three matches in the Premier League. — AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

English Premier League Man City v Everton Abu Dhabi Sport HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sport HD 5

14:45

Arsenal v Bolton Abu Dhabi Sport HD 4

17:00

Chelsea v Swansea Abu Dhabi Sport HD 3

17:00

Liverpool v Wolves Abu Dhabi Sport 4

17:00

Newcastle v Blackburn Abu Dhabi Sport HD 8

17:00

West Brom v Fulham Abu Dhabi Sport HD 9

17:00

Wigan v Spurs Abu Dhabi Sport HD 6

17:00

Stoke v Man United Abu Dhabi Sport HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sport HD 5

19:30

Spanish League Real Madrid v Rayo Vallecano Al jazeera Sport +2

21:00

Barcelona v Atletico de Madrid Al jazeera Sport +2

23:00

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Celtic desperate to bury Old Firm heartbreak GLASGOW: Celtic manager Neil Lennon has urged his players to go on a winning run in the Scottish Premier League and put last weekend’s Old Firm derby defeat behind them. The Hoops responded to the 4-2 defeat to Rangers by disposing of Ross County in the third round of the League Cup in midweek. And now the Celtic manager wants his players to atone further for their loss at Ibrox, starting with the visit of I nverness Caledonian Thistle to Parkhead today. It will be the first time the two sides have met since Terry Butcher’s team ended Celtic’s title hopes last season when they defeated them 3-2 in May. The Glasgow giants then host Udinese in the Europa League before taking on Hearts at Tynecastle.

There will then be a two-week international break. “We’ve got a block of

games coming up before the international break and we want to win the majority of them - or win them all if we can,” Lennon said. “I know they are mentally strong, they showed that last year. They just didn’t turn up for the second-half on Sunday. We’ve had a few choice words with them and we don’t want to see that again.” Celtic will be without Charlie Mulgrew due to suspension while Kelvin Wilson and Scott Brown are injury doubts. Meanwhile, Rangers boss Ally McCoist has demanded a positive reaction from his players following their League Cup exit in midweek. The Ibrox side were on a high following their Old Firm victory but came crashing down to earth with defeat to First Division Falkirk in the cup. However, Rangers could push even further clear at the top of the table with victory against Dunfermline

in the early kick-off match and McCoist warned against complacency. “As I’ve said 100 times, the Celtic game is massive but it’s not the be all and end all.

It’s no use performing out of your skin against them if you can’t do it elsewhere. “That’s the biggest thing about playing at this club - you have to be able to do it in every game and we need a good reaction now.”

Dunfermline have had a good start since their promotion but boss Jim McIntyre is wary of a Rangers backlash in the match at East End Park. “They’ll certainly be disappointed, and any time you lose a game you look for the reaction in the next match,” McIntyre said.

“They were fabulous last weekend against Celtic and we know when the champions come to town that they have top players. We’ll need 11 players on top form to have a chance. “That’s

not being pessimistic - it’s facts. They have better players than us, but that doesn’t always win you the game.”

Elsewhere today, Craig Brown takes his Aberdeen side to Fir Park to take on former club Motherwell on the back of one of the club’s worse defeats. The Dons were knocked out of the League Cup by second division East Fife in midweek and sit one point off the bottom of the table while third-placed Motherwell have lost three games on the bounce. Only goal difference is keeping Hibernian off bottom spot and they welcome Dundee United to Easter Road. St Mirren could leapfrog Kilmarnock into the top six if they beat the visitors to New St Mirren Park today. Tomorrow, Hearts will look to get over their League Cup exit to Ayr United when they travel to McDiarmid Park to take on St Johnstone. — AFP

Mourinho hopes for home comfort

Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard

Liverpool’s Gerrard eyes silverware after torment LIVERPOOL: Steven Gerrard wants to make up for his six-month injury absence by inspiring Liverpool to their first major silverware since 2006. Gerrard is in the frame to start his first match since March 6 when Wolves visit Anfield today. It follows the 31-yearold England midfielder’s successful return in midweek, when Gerrard appeared as a substitute for the final 15 minutes of his team’s 2-1 League Cup third round win at Brighton. Gerrard, who has been troubled by a groin injury which required surgery, described the last six months as a “nightmare”.

But he is determined to make up for lost time by helping Kenny Dalglish’s side bring silverware to Anfield. “We’re glad to be in the draw for the next round and we’re looking forward to seeing who we get in the draw today,” said Gerrard after his successful comeback on Wednesday.”We haven’t been to a major cup final for a long time. We have to take every cup seriously and when there’s no Europe that makes it easier to put strong sides out. “It’s been tough and the last six months have been a rollercoaster. It’s been a nightmare for me. I’m not best when I’m out injured and watching games. “It’s behind me now and I’m looking forward to getting match fit and getting back in the starting lineup.”Gerrard’s return to action has put him in the frame to feature in England’s crucial Euro 2012 qualifier with Montenegro on October 7. But Dalglish has urged England Coach Fabio Capello to be careful with Gerrard as Liverpool look to avoid another clubversus-country row.Gerrard suffered a damaged hamstring towards the end of England’s 2-1 friendly defeat to France last November, an injury which sparked an angry reaction as Liverpool had been expecting Gerrard to play no more than an hour. —AFP

MADRID: Ahead of today’s visit of Rayo Vallecano, Jose Mourinho has admitted he is “worried” by Real Madrid’s form and says they cannot afford to drop any more points cheaply. Since a 4-2 victory over Getafe in their last outing at the Bernabeu, Real have suffered on their travels, slumping to defeat at Levante before a goalless draw at Racing Santander left them five points off the lead held by Real Betis. “It’s less worrying to draw a match in which you’re the only side that tries to play and win,” said Mourinho after Wednesday’s match in Santander.

“But we’ve dropped five points in two away games and that is worrying. We’ve scored one goal in our last three games and we must return to normality by scoring and winning today.” Portuguese internationals Pepe and Fabio Coentrao will be missing for Real, having both picked up muscular injuries in the shock 1-0 defeat

by Levante, while Ricardo Carvalho and new signing Nuri Sahin are also unavailable. Rayo Vallecano have had a mixed start on their return to La Liga. Having opened the campaign with draws against Real Zaragoza and Athletic Bilbao, Rayo’s 1-0 victory at Getafe last weekend was followed by a 2-1 home defeat in mid-week against Levante. Fortunately for Mourinho, Barcelona are not yet firing on all cylinders either and lead Real by just a point after twice coming from behind to draw 2-2 at second-placed Valencia on Wednesday.

The Catalans were majestic in their 8-0 thrashing of Sporting Gijon last weekend, but they were indebted to a late equaliser from Cesc Fabregas at the Mestalla in mid-

Jose Mourinho week. After the game, which has left Barca four points off the top, coach Pep Guardiola was once again drawn into a debate over the so-called ‘League of Two’.

“Despite what they say or think about the people who manage the game, sportsmen always turn up,” he said. “All players want to compete and win and that is what Valencia showed.” Barcelona host a resurgent Atletico Madrid today and will hope to have Gerard Pique available after the Spain centre-back returned to full training on Monday following a calf injury.

Attacking midfielders Andres Iniesta and Alexis Sanchez have trained alone all week, however, and are not expected to

return in time for today. Meanwhile, Atletico will arrive fresh from a brace of 40 victories at home to Racing Santander and Sporting Gijon, the goals of new signing Radamel Falcao having turned around their early-season form. On Wednesday against Sporting he scored twice and had a hand in the other goals, on the back of a hat-trick last Sunday, prompting coach Gregorio Manzano to claim: “He is on his way to rubbing shoulders with Ronaldo and Messi.” Today’s other big game sees Sevilla entertain Valencia, as both teams bid to extend their unbeaten records and prove their readiness to crash the BarcaReal duopoly.—AFP

Fearless youth give Ferguson no choice MANCHESTER: Michael Carrick says the fearless approach of Manchester United’s youngsters has left Sir Alex Ferguson with little choice but to discard the old guard.

The Manchester United manager has been left spoilt for choice following the emergence of the likes of Phil Jones, Chris

Smalling, Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck this season. It has meant the likes of Michael Owen, who scored twice in a midweek League Cup win at Leeds, along with Dimitar Berbatov and Carrick have been forced to play second fiddle at the start of the season. Ferguson could turn to

his old heads when they face Stoke City today, in a match that will test his side’s 100 per cent start to the Premier League season. But Carrick says there can be no complaints if the fresher faces at Old Trafford are given the vote of confidence once again at the Britannia Stadium.—AFP

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Italian League Preview

AC Milan giants look to kick-start season ROME: AC Milan and Inter face the perfect opportunity to kick-start their disastrous Serie A campaigns when they play the bottom two today. Milan, who have two points from their first three matches, host rock bottom Cesena, who have yet to pick up a single point. Inter, meanwhile, travel to Bologna, who picked up their first point of the season in a 1-1 draw at 10-man Juventus on Wednesday. While those clashes may sound easy on paper, the reality is somewhat different for the two title favorites.

Inter may be playing the team one off the bottom of the table but they are only above Bologna by a single goal’s difference. Inter have started the season with away defeats at Palermo (4-3) and Novara (3-1) while being held to a stale goalless draw at home by Roma.

Victories over the minnows is certainly not a foregone conclusion for Inter at the moment.

Having also lost to Milan in last month’s Italian Supercup and been humiliated 1-0 at home to Trabzonspor in the Champions League, Inter have lost four out of five official matches this season and won none.

That makes their form the worst of any team in Italy. Gian Piero Gasperini paid for that most ignominious of starts to his Inter career with his job as he was fired on Wednesday, the day after Inter’s Novara debacle. He has been replaced by Claudio Ranieri, who is no stranger to picking up the pieces at clubs. He was the man who dragged up a faltering Roma two seasons ago to challenge Inter for the title.

Before that he guided newly-promoted Juventus to a third place finish on their return to Serie A and he was well on course for going one better the next season before Juve fired him two games from the end of the season.

Inter president Massimo Moratti believes Ranieri is the right man for the task. “Ranieri was the best choice. I believe he’ll have the necessary good sense to revitalize the team both from an individual perspective and a collective one,” said Moratti. “I’m satisfied with the choice of Ranieri because he has the quality to do well. We spoke about what was needed to do well, he’s very motivated. He has a lot of experience which is what we need right now.” Champions Milan have ruled out a similar drastic change but they are only one point better off.

Their problems are different, however, as they have a long injury list and on Wednesday also lost Brazilian forward Pato for a month to a hamstring strain, leaving them short up front with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robinho and KevinPrince Boateng also in the treatment room.

Their chief executive Adriano Galliani is convinced, though, that Coach Massimiliano Allegri will turn things around. “When we get our injured players back we’ll also rediscover winning ways,” said Galliani. “It’s not about luck or bad luck, we have 10-12 players injured, that’s tough but it will pass. We won the title last season and the Supercup last month so it would be wrong not to stay calm.”

If Milan do win, they will have equalled the number of points they had at the same stage last season. In other games, league leaders Genoa travel to Chievo while the two teams denied top spot only on goals scored, Juventus and Udinese, play away to Catania and Cagliari respectively. Napoli will also be looking to bounce back from their midweek defeat at Chievo as they look to regain the top spot they just lost. They host Fiorentina and coach Walter Mazzarri is likely to restore at least most of the six players he rested on Wednesday, to ill effect. —AFP

ROME: AS Roma’s David Pizarro (right) and Siena’s Francesco Bolzoni vie for the ball during a Serie A soccer match in Rome’s Olympic stadium on Thursday.— AP

Siena’s Vitiello denies Enrique first Roma win ROME: A late equalizer from Siena defender Roberto Vitiello piled the pressure on AS Roma coach Luis Enrique as the Spaniard’s team were held to a 1-1 home draw by the Serie A newcomers on Thursday. Vitiello swept the ball home with two minutes to go after Franco Brienza’s shot had struck the upright, earning Siena a deserved point after an open encounter at the Stadio Olimpico.

Roma took the lead through new signing Pablo Osvaldo in the 25th minute but were never comfortable and Luis Enrique said afterwards his side had become anxious. The draw left him without a win from his opening three matches in charge and put Roma and Siena on two points. “My analysis of the match can’t be positive because of the result,” the Spaniard told Italy’s Sky Sport. “We are far from where we want to be but I still have faith. “The players are a bit afraid because we are still awaiting out first win. I now have 72 hours before

the next match.” After picking up his first point as Roma coach in the goalless draw at Inter Milan on Sunday, Enrique selected three forwards - Francesco Totti, Borriello and Osvaldo - in his now familiar Barcelonastyled 4-3-3 formation. However, despite a high-tempo start to the match by the home side it was Siena, playing on the break, who created the better early chances. Striker Emanuele Calaio was inches away from springing Roma’s offside trap on two occasions before Brienza met an Angelo cross with a bullet header that goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont did brilliantly to fist away.

The muscular Borriello, whose Roma future had been in doubt over the summer, had three chances in a seven-minute spell midway through the half. After shooting a yard over and seeing his deflected 25-yard effort land on the top of the net, the former AC Milan striker barged his way to the byline before drilling a left-foot centre for Osvaldo to sidefoot home from close range.

Promoted Siena, who had picked up one point from their opening two matches, came close to equalizing within four minutes when Calaio, played in by the lively Brienza, struck an angled shot inches wide of the far post.

Seljko Brkic came to Siena’s rescue on two occasions as Roma searched for the killer goal, first palming away Osvaldo’s fierce shot from the edge of the area, then clutching a swerving 35-metre free kick from Totti. Pablo Gonzalez should have equalized for Siena when he fired wide with five minutes to go but Vitiello’s left-foot strike stunned the Roma fans to give the Tuscan side a fully deserved draw. Siena coach Giuseppe Sannino felt his side had enough chances to have taken all three points. “They scored at a difficult moment for us but we fought back and had lots of chances,” he said. “It’s been a hard week and we have a small squad, so I hope we can recover before Sunday.” — Reuters French League Preview

PSG’s unbeaten streak faces Montpellier test PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain’s nine-game unbeaten run is set for a stern examination today when Antoine Kombouare takes his expensively assembled side to league leaders Montpellier. PSG have not lost since a 1-0 reverse at home to Lorient on the opening day and go into today’s game two points behind Montpellier in third place.

They overcame obdurate opposition to beat Nice 2-1 on Wednesday and their all-new forward line of Nene, Jeremy Menez, Kevin Gameiro and record signing Javier Pastore is beginning to click into gear.

A slick interchange of passes involing Pastore, Gameiro and Nene led to the penalty from which Nene broke the deadlock against Nice, with a 71st-minute Gameiro spot-kick securing victory after Fabian Monzon had equalised. Paris visit Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League next Thursday and holding midfielder Blaise Matuidi, a summer recruit from Saint-Etienne, says his team-mates are ready for the challenges ahead-starting with Montpellier. “Now we have a big game against a team full of confidence,” said the France international. “There will lots of tests, and this match is one of them.”

Montpellier returned to the Ligue 1 summit by winning 3-1 at Ajaccio on Wednesday, with goals from Remy Cabella, Marco

Estrada and John Utaka deciding the contest by the 35th minute.

Rene Girard’s side will welcome back centre-back Vitorino Hilton and top scorer Olivier Giroud after both were rested in midweek.

Christophe Jallet is suspended for PSG following his sending off against Nice, but Mohamed Sissoko could be named in the squad for the first time since his move from Juventus as Paris chase a first win at Montpellier since 1999. Lyon host Bordeaux today, having seen their nine-match unbeaten start to the season ended by a 1-0 loss at Caen on Wednesday. The result allowed Montpellier to take over top spot and saw Lyon fall into the group of four teams-alongside Rennes, PSG and Toulouse-at the front of the chasing pack. Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris’ sending off against Caen, for a foul on Romain Hamouma that allowed Benjamin Nivet to score the winning goal from the penalty spot, means he misses out against Bordeaux through suspension.

“I’m particularly annoyed about Hugo, because he’d had nothing to do before (the foul), nobody troubled him and now he can’t play in the next match,” said Lyon coach Remi Garde. “But I’m lucky to have (Remy) Vercoutre as my number two and I have every faith in him.” Yoann Gourcuff and Lisandro Lopez (both ankle) remain sidelined for Lyon, but Garde says he hopes both will be fit for the headline clash at PSG on October 2. —AFP

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India, Pakistan mourn Pataudi

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SEVILLA: Real Betis’ Paraguayan forward Roque Santa Cruz (left) vies with Zaragoza’s Paraguayan defender Paulo da Silva (center) and Zaragoza’s defender David Mateos (right) during their Spanish League football match, on September 22, 2011. — AFP

Real Betis maintain 100% record Santa Cruz lifts 10-man Real Betis MADRID: Manchester City reject Roque Santa Cruz scored twice as 10-man Real Betis maintained their 100 percent La Liga record with a 4-3 victory over Real Zaragoza on Thursday to open a two-point lead at the top. Santa Cruz, on loan from English giants City, scored the first of a double after seven minutes and Salva Sevilla extended the lead from the penalty spot before Efrain Juarez pulled a goal back for Zaragoza.

Betis, promoted from the second division last season, never looked secure at the back but another penalty this time from Benat Etxebarria and Santa Cruz’s second on 49 minutes gave them a comfortable cushion. However, midway through the second half, Betis keeper Casto Espinosa rashly darted off his line and was red-carded for upending Luis Garcia despite having defenders behind him. A double from Juan Carlos led to some anxious last minutes for Betis but they held on. Betis coach Pepe Mel is refusing to get carried away by the impressive run.

“We are 10 points from the drop zone, the team are leading and we are playing well,” said Mel. “These are the only things that I am looking at. We have won the four games we have played so far but all we can do is look to the next one against Getafe.”

Super-sub Walter Pandiani scored an injury time winner as Espanyol beat Getafe 1-0 and condemned their rivals to their third successive defeat. Getafe had not won away since January and their confidence was not high after a poor start to the season but they were up against an Espanyol team who had also suffered two defeats from three games.

There was plenty of toil but little flowing football in the first half. However, after the break Espanyol took the game to the visitors. Javi Marquez saw a deflected shot go just wide and Alberto Lopo blocked a Vladimir Weiss strike on the goal line but it was really keeper Miguel Moya who was keeping Espanyol at bay.

In particular he did well to stop a Thievy Bifouma shot from close range.Getafe missed a glaring chance themselves when Juan Valera blazed wide late on but Espanyol got a deserved win a minute into injury time, when Pandiani coolly slotted home in the box.

“This victory gives us a good feeling because as well as the three points it is good to get your reward after searching for the goal for so long,” said Espanyol coach Mauricio Pochettino. “We struggled to get in the game during the first half but after that we dominated completely.” —AFP

Iraq banned from playing at home BAGHDAD: Iraq will have to play all their home qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup and next year’s London Olympics at a neutral venue due to fears over security, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said yesterday. In a letter sent to the Iraq Football Association (IFA), FIFA raised concerns over security conditions and a breach of safety regulations in their qualifier with Jordan earlier this month, according to an AFC statement. IFA President Najih Hmoud said Iraq would try to have the ban lifted. “We will respect the FIFA decision and we will implement it. But I think it was not appropriate because it was based on incorrect information,” Hmoud said. The FIFA letter said Iraq would have to nominate a neutral ground in Asia for the World Cup qualifying matches

by Oct 1 and the 2012 Olympic qualifiers by

Oct 3. The venue must not be one of the countries where Iraq is scheduled to play qualifiers, however.

Iraq, ranked 109 in the FIFA world rankings, lost 2-0 to Jordan on Sept 2 at Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil, which appeared well over capacity and suffered a power cut during the match. Arbil is the capital of Iraq’s semiautonomous northern Kurdish region, which was left relatively undamaged by the war and is considered among the safest areas in Iraq.

“Arbil is a safe city. FIFA could have sent a factfinding delegation. They could have asked the attaches of foreign embassies in Arbil,” Hmoud said. “I don’t believe the circumstances that the report included ... are enough to transfer matches to another venue. “It is too early to nominate a new venue. —Reuters