10th Oct

CR IP TI ON BS SU

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

Asian economic powers look to boost cooperation

Tunisia police thwarts Salafist attack on TV station

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McCartney marries American heiress

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Legal panel starts debate on anti-corruption law MPs: Make wealth disclosure articles retroactive

By B Izzak

Philippine envoy denies maid ban

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Philippines’ Ambassador to Kuwait yesterday denied a report that Manila is officially banning Filipino domestic workers from coming to the country to work.

Ambassador Shulan Primavera told Kuwait Times in a phone interview yesterday that the reports were untrue.

Several sources reported yesterday that Manila had officially announced that it was suspending the process of sending Filipino domestic workers to Kuwait indefinitely until new legislation is introduced to protect these workers. The ambassador rejected these claims, however, saying, “The last update I received from the team that visited Kuwait last week was that the committee in the House of Representatives will review the Migrant Workers Act. So far, as we’re talking, we haven’t received any official statement or information from Manila, and all of my sources are denying it [that an official announcement has been issued].”

The head of the Domestic Workers’ Union in the Philippines previously stated that what she had seen during her recent visit to Kuwait helped explain why Manila has been contemplating the introduction of such a decision for some time, as well as demonstrating the need for Kuwait to follow the regulations issued by the Philippine labor authorities in compliance with Republic Act 10022, more commonly known as the Migrant Workers Act. If a ban were to be imposed on Filipino domestic workers coming to Kuwait, any workers currently employed in Kuwait but on vacation back home could face difficulties in returning to Kuwait, being potentially delayed in Manila indefinitely, said an official at a Philippines-based recruitment agency who visited Kuwait recently.

During her visit to the country, two weeks ago, Miriam Mondragon, the Vice President of the Philippine Association of Licensed Agencies for Kuwait Continued on Page 13

CAIRO: Coptic Egyptian demonstrators, one carrying a wooden cross, set on fire an army vehicle during clashes with Egyptian army soldiers following a demonstration yesterday. — AP

Riots erupt as Christians protest in Cairo, 19 dead CAIRO: Fierce clashes erupted between Christians protesting a recent attack on a church and the Egyptian military, leaving at least 19 people dead and more than 150 injured, Health Ministry officials said.

In rioting outside the state television building along the Nile in Cairo, witnesses said some of the protesters may have snatched weapons from the soldiers

Syria warns against recognising oppn DAMASCUS: President Bashar AlAssad renewed a pledge of reforms yesterday, as Syria threatened retaliation if countries recognise an opposition bloc increasingly active on the international scene. “Syria is taking steps focused on two main fronts political reform and the dismantling of armed groups” seeking to destabilise the country, Assad told the visiting Cuban and Venezuelan foreign ministers. The embattled president said “the Syrian people had welcomed the reforms but that foreign attacks intensified just as the situation in the country began to make progress”. He accused Western powers of having “little interest in reform”, seeking instead to “push Syria to pay the price for its stances against foreign schemes hatched outside the region”. “Despite everything, a process of reform is under way,” he assured them.

Activists said security forces yesterday killed at least three mourners at a

Max 38º Min 20º Low Tide 05:05 & 17:29 High Tide 11:12 & 23:22

Damascus funeral, a day after two people were killed at the funeral of Kurdish activist Meshaal Tamo, a murdered member of the new Syrian National Council (SNC). The foreign ministers of Venezuela and Cuba headed a delegation of leftist Latin American countries - including Ecuador, Nicaragua and Bolivia - that travelled to Syria to “show support”. The delegates denounced the “political and media campaign being waged against Syria,” state news agency SANA said.

The eight-member Latin American bloc’s talks aim to denounce “political destabilisation attempts by the United States and its allies”, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said before the visit. “We reject all forms of interventionism that the empire is trying to apply as it did in Libya for a violent process of regime change”.

Washington has renewed its calls for Assad to step down immediately amid Continued on Page 13

and turned them on the military. The protesters also pelted the soldiers with rocks and bottles. The clashes spread to nearby Tahrir Square and the area around it, drawing in thousands of people. They battled each other with rocks and firebombs, some tearing up pavement for ammunition and others collecting Continued on Page 13

KUWAIT: The National Assembly’s legal and legislative affairs committee yesterday started its debate on a government-sponsored anti-corruption law that calls for wealth disclosure and setting up a corruption combating authority. But the panel members differed on whether the wealth disclosure portion should have a retroactive power when implemented or not and asked its legal advisors to study to settle these different viewpoints based on Kuwait’s constitution, rapporteur of the committee MP Maasouma Al-Mubarak said.

A number of MPs, mainly from the opposition, insisted that wealth disclosure articles must have a retroactive effect in order to allow authorities to inspect the fortunes of officials since they were appointed to their posts. But Mubarak said that under Kuwaiti constitution, laws can both have a retroactive effect when enacted. The draft law requires the prime minister, ministers and top government bureaucrats in addition to the Assmebly speaker and MPs to disclose their wealth before and after assuming office. The bill stipulates jail sentences of up to seven years and a fine not exceeding KD 7,000 for those who exploit public office to achieve illegal profits. It also stipulates a maximum of five years in jail and a KD 3,000 fine for those who provide false information in their disclosures.

The legal committee is also reviewing around 20 draft laws on fighting corruption submitted by MPs and the panel’s job is to produce a single legislation on combating corruption. Mubarak said that members of the committee also objected to the formation of the proposed corruption combating authority as the government proposes it to be under the justice minister while MPs want it to be directly under the Cabinet. She said that it is proposed that the head of the authority will be appointed in the capacity of a minister and accordingly, a minister cannot be under another minister. MPs also want that the chairman to be assisted by two judges as advisors while the six remaining members of its board should be appointed equally by the government and the Assembly.

The draft law is supposed to be ready before Oct 25 opening of the new term of the Assembly so it can be debated and approved by the Assembly in one of the first few sessions. On her part, liberal MP Aseel Al-Awadhi doubted the bill will be ready before Oct 25, saying that it requires a lot of work. Awadhi, a member of the National Action Bloc, meanwhile said her bloc has not issued any decision regarding the proposed grilling of the prime minister expected to be filed later this week.

Forces take key sites in Sirte SIRTE, Libya: Libya’s new regime forces were on the verge of claiming full control of Muammar Gaddafi’s hometown Sirte after seizing its showpiece conference centre and university from his diehards yesterday. In their advance, fighters of the National Transitional Council (NTC) also seized control of the Mediterranean town’s hospital and university campus, AFP correspondents said. The fortress-like Ouagadougou conference centre, constructed to host pan-African summits, has been a major objective of the NTC forces since they launched a September 15 offensive on the city. “ We control 100 percent of the Ouagadougou centre,” said Mohammed AlFayad, an NTC military chief, adding the capture “opens the way” for his forces to overrun the city centre. An AFP correspondent on the spot confirmed the NTC fighters were in control of the landmark complex. “We are ready to take the centre” of Sirte “within a matter of hours,” said Fayad. “It is only a question of coordination between (Misrata fighters on) the western front and (Benghazi fighters on) the eastern front. We just need time.”

As he spoke, NTC fighters spread throughout the sprawling complex, tearing down portraits of the fugitive Gaddafi and the green

SIRTE, Libya: Libyan revolutionary fighters attack pro-Gaddafi forces beside the Ouagadougou conference center yesterday. — AP flags of his fallen 42-year regime. They later had caved in under the artillery barrage. “All advanced another kilometre north along this was built with the money of Libyans. It’s streets littered with debris and lined by pock- our money and yet no resident of Sirte was marked buildings towards the heart of the allowed to come here,” said one fighter, sitting city. At the war-ravaged centre, giant win- back on a sofa. dows were all blasted in and its metal roof Continued on Page 13

in the

news Education ministry refutes accusations

KUWAIT: The General Administration for Citizenship and Travel Documents receives the sons of those who were granted Kuwaiti citizenship during the past years and started formalities to grant them Kuwaiti citizenship. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

KUWAIT: The education ministry, answering claims that became under pressure to change the Islamic education curriculum and struck out a saying of the Prophet (PBUH) about reviling his companions explained the following: “We thank those who brought up the subject and their piousness to their religion”. It added that the Islamic education curricula, like others is subject to revision and amendment in order to develop the education process. “A committee at the shariah college at Kuwait University was formed and asked to review school curricula from grade 1 to grade 12 and the committee did its job very well and prepared a technical report on amendments that must be made. As for the Islamic education book in the seventh grade (first part), the hadeeth in question mentioned on page 30 of the first edition was struck out based on a recommendation by the technical committee, because the topic is about believing in angels, and the hadeeth speaks about the love of companions and condemning those who insult them, so the hadeeth was placed where it belongs, with subjects related to the Prophet’s (PBUH) companions,” the ministry said.

TOKYO: Naser Al-Othman of Kuwait falls from the pommel horse during the men’s qualification round of the world gymnastics championships yesterday. — AFP (See Page 20)

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Fighting stereotypes

By Lisa Conrad KUWAIT: “Some students just don’t want to work,” said a lecturer at one of Kuwait’s top universities, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s obvious. It’s a shame because they have potential but they know they don’t necessarily need it to get a good job later. Others do, but the problem is that even if they do work, people will say they got the job through connections anyway, it won’t change how people judge them.”

Stereotyping, prejudice, and racism are hot topics in Kuwait, but those indulging in them rarely consider the stereotypes and assumptions attached to the citizens of Kuwait themselves. The stereotypes attached to Kuwaitis, however, have considerably different consequences than those applied to expatriates.

According to our source, along with the stereotypes applied to many Kuwaiti students, the assumption that Kuwaiti citizens’ achievements are not earned can severely stifle their ambitions, “I did get my job through ‘wasta’ [nepotism or connections] yes, but to say that we get things easily doesn’t represent the situation properly,” insisted Mohammed, a 27-year-old banker.

“Connections are needed to achieve anything a lot of the time. It isn’t actually much of a choice anymore, this is just how the system works now.”

Another Kuwaiti national, Farah, noted the prevalence of stereotyping when she went overseas to study: “Everyone thinks that we’re lazy and unproductive. They ’ll deny it, of course. But they do think that way.”

Farah, who is currently studying for a Masters degree in the UK, insists that the upcoming generation of Kuwaiti’s have been misrepresented, “ The stereotypes attached to being Kuwaiti are more negative than I’d assumed, and since I’ve been abroad I’ve noticed that people voice them in front of me more openly. They assume that we’re all lazy, which is an awful image to have, really.”

Farah is just one example of the many young Kuwaitis trying to shake off stereotyping, and feels that education is the first step in doing so, “No matter what we do, people will see us as privileged. And it’s true, we are very lucky and enjoy many benefits,” she said. “But the difference between being seen as spoilt or appreciative is what you do with these opportunities.”

Another Kuwaiti, 29-year- old Loulwa, who works in marketing, agrees with Farah’s assessment: “I worked hard to get where I am,” she pointed out. “I did my Bachelors and Masters Degrees in the US, I stay up to date with the business journals and magazines, and I excel in my job.”

She added, “People still assume that, because I’m Kuwaiti, my success is due to luck or connections, but at least now I can prove that I worked to get where I am through my achievements at work. It makes a world of difference in terms of job satisfaction and productivity. Hiring based on connections alone may be socially beneficial, but business-wise, it’s detrimental.”

The solution, Loulwa says, is to get rid of the wasta system, “We need to stop basing things on connections; it kills productivity, and really tarnishes the image of the country,” she asserted. “Plus, it’s unfair because some really bright people can lose the chance to contribute because they didn’t k now the right person.”

According to Farah, the inaccuracy of stereotypes needs to be urgently addressed” “Many Kuwaiti students are pursuing PhDs now, and they still say we’re lazy and incapable of working?! Some people ruin the situation for everyone by fulfilling that stereotype, but it doesn’t mean an entire nation can be painted with the same brush.” Farah added, “ We were already working towards developing our country. Now, we’re working for the sake of development but also for the sake of reputation. I t ’s the responsibility of our generation to prove that stereotyping is unfair and, more importantly, inaccurate.”

Asian meeting in Kuwait to seek economic cooperation 31 ACD member nations attending KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Foreign Ministr y Undersecretary Khalid Al-Jarallah said here yesterday that Asian nations are bound to be affected by the worsening economic crisis in Europe and the US, adding that the current Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) forum would seek cooperation to combat these threats. Speaking after attending a meeting to discuss the preparations for the event, which began yesterday, the senior official said, “We are a part of this world and we interact with it. When we talk about what happens in a country, particularly those with larger economies, like problems related to sovereign debts in Europe and the US, this affects Asian countries,” Al-Jarallah continued, “Luckily, Asian countries are far away from these economic crises, particularly those related to sovereign debts, but to what extent will they remain distanced? We seek protecting our Asian countries from these severe crises, and cooperation is required to protect us and our interests, through coordination and cooperation.”

Al-Jarallah also hailed His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah’s patronage of the event, which he said would give it a positive boost.

Asked about the topics under discussion at the forum, he said the talks would range over “many areas, like climate change, the environment, energy, poverty, the economy and other dimensions included in the Kuwaiti declaration.”

The senior ministry official said that delegates attending the high-level meeting have been made aware of the contents of the soon-to-be issued Kuwaiti declaration, adding that “they had presented a number of structural and word-related amendments on issues related to economic cooperation and environmental disasters.”

On proposals to transform the ACD into a formal organization, he said “There are many ideas to elevate this dialogue, making it more effective. One of these is to turn [the ACD] into an organization and Kuwait will propose this to the foreign ministers.”

He continued, “Ten years in the lifespan of nations is a short period. When we are talking about Asia we are talking about China, Japan and India. We are also talking about giant economies and diverse cultures, faiths and ancient civilizations. We cannot expect this cooperation to happen overnight - this needs time and we are steadily and continuously moving forward, year after year.”

Al-Jarallah further explained, “Committees to supervise the ACD were formed five years ago to provide working papers on each of the issues under discussion during the forums. There are proposals we will all benefit from. We will work closely, during our chairing of this session, with the General Supervisor, Thailand, which is the country responsible for founding [the ACD].”

Representatives of all 31 ACD member nations are attending the forum. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Asia Cooperation Dialogue conference in progress yesterday.

—Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Spanish FM ‘pleased’ at results of Kuwait FM’s visit

KUWAIT: The drug dealers pictured after their arrest.

Drug peddlers arrested

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Police from the General Department for Drug Control(GDDC) arrested two GCC nationals after receiving a tip off on drug related activities, especially in connection with possession of Methamphitamine (ICE). While police made preparations for the arrest, the two planned to flee the country with the drugs.

Acting Assistant Undersecretary for

Criminal Security Affairs Maj General Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdallah Al-Khalifa and Director General of Customs Department Ibrahim Al-Ghanim coordinated the arrest of the duo near the Nuwaiseeb border crossing. At least 500 grams of the drug was seized from the car. In another incident, police arrested a citizen in Abdaly for trading in drugs. The arrest was made after they raided his place of residence and confiscated five kilograms of opium.

MADRID: Spanish Foreign Minister Trinidad Jimenez yesterday expressed satisfaction at the results of the latest visit by Kuwait’s Deputy Premier and Foreign M inister Sheik h Dr Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah to the country, lauding them as “fruitful.”

Jimenez said the visit had contributed to achieving greater closeness between the two friendly countries, adding that a number of issues of common concern, with a focus on the Middle East peace process and establishing a Palestinian state, were amongst the subjects discussed.

Jimenez said that she sees in Kuwait a “brotherly and friendly” country, indicating the distinguished relationship enjoyed by Spain’s King Juan Carlos and His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as evidence of these close ties.

She also commended Kuwait’s support for democracy, social equality and freedoms, adding that, thanks to its spirit of tolerance and the presence of a democratically-elected parliament, Kuwait is considered to be amongst the Arabian Gulf ’s most prominent countries.

This, along with Kuwait ’s openness to reforms and its adoption of the method of dialogue in dealing with any potential crisis, is what distinguishes it, Jimenez pointed out.

The two countries are strategic partners, the Spanish minister continued, as Kuwait is extremely supportive of Spain’s Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) initiative. The AoC was proposed by former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero at the 59th UN General Assembly in 2005.

Kuwait also has an important role in sus-

taining stability in the Middle East region, the minister noted. Asked about the results of Sheikh Dr. Mohammad’s visit, Jimenez said, in the city of Seville, she and Kuwait’s senior diplomat had discussed issues of common interest at the regional and international levels. During the meeting, the senior officials also agreed to exempt Kuwaiti and Spanish diplomatic passport holders from the requirement to obtain a visit visa in one another’s countries. The Kuwaiti foreign minister arrived in Spain on Oct 2, in response to an invitation issued by the Spanish monarch during a visit to Kuwait in February of this year when he attended the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the Gulf nation’s independence, the 20th anniversary of its liberation from Iraqi occupation and the fifth anniversary of HH the Amir’s investiture. —KUNA

GCC to spend $54 billion on developing power networks KUWAIT: The GCC states are set to spend around $54 billion in the near future to increase the capacity of their electricity networks by 32,000 megawatts, according to a report released yesterday.

The report, issued by the Kuwait Financial Center (Markaz), indicates that the GCC states have taken some giant steps towards developing their electrical power networks, noting that increases in the Gulf States’ population and consumption levels played an integral part in creating the demand for these increas-

es. On the subject of the GCC-wide power grid project, the report said that the first two phases of the project were successful, adding that the last phase involves linking Oman to the network.

The GCC states, said the report, are also considering alternative energy sources such as solar power, natural gas, and nuclear energy to replace oil, said the report, adding that the GCC states welcome private sector initiative to invest in power projects in cooperation with the public sector. — KUNA

Women’s psychiatric health forum begins

KUWAIT: Director of the Saad Al-Abdullah Academy for Security Sciences Maj Gen Fahad Al-Sharqawi held a welcome meeting over the weekend with the new specialized university graduate cadets joining the academy in Batch 23 and their parents.

NA official disgraced over forging PAYS document KUWAIT: A forum on women’s psychiatric health began here yesterday with the objective of formulating proposals to improve women’s psychiatric and sexual wellbeing. Dr. Haya Al-Mutairi, the head of the Ministr y of Health’s (MoH) Psychiatry Department, explained that the three-day event, which is taking place at the Marina Hotel’s Salwa Hall, is being held under the ministry’s auspices.

She revealed that a number of psychi-

atric experts, religious scholars and other officials would be taking part in the discussions, with sessions scheduled for both mornings and afternoons.

Discussions at the forum will focus on women’s psychiatric diseases, sexual psychological disorders, and other related illnesses, explained the health ministry official, calling on those wishing to attend the event to register for places as soon as possible. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Steps are underway to penalize a senior parliamentary official who reportedly presented a forged Public Authority for Youth and Sports (PAYS) letter in order to request a period of leave so he could take part in a sports contest.

According to one parliamentary insider, National Assembly

Secretar y General Allam AlKandari was notified of the document, submitted by Abdullah Saud, the head of the NA workers’ labor union, in which Saud requested leave in order to take part in an event being held by the Kuwait Motorsports Club. AlKandari noted that a document purported to be from the PAYS

which was attached to Saud’s letter of request appeared to be forged. Al-Kandari’s suspicions were confirmed when a PAYS official verified that the letter lacked the official stamp or the signature of the General Director, subsequently formally confirming that Sauds ‘PAYS letter’ had not come from the PAYS. The NA Secretary

General is reportedly pursuing legal action against Saud despite coming under pressure from a former MP and another figure described by insiders as “a senior sporting figure from the ruling family.” The labor union head faces charges of forging official documents, and the investigation is continuing.— Al-Rai

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Punish big companies before us: Small traders Municipality head proposes death penalty for violators

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: A senior municipality official has demanded the introduction of the death penalty for food traders in Kuwait “who risk our health and our children’s health.” The president of the Municipal Council, Zaid Al-Azmi, told local daily Al-Rai that far more stringent penalties must be imposed on all traders convicted of selling rotten or expired foodstuffs, suggesting that the current penalties are an insufficient deterrent to those selling such goods.

“Traders who are selling spoilt foods are only fined up to KD1,000 for foodstuffs worth up to KD200,000. This is a very small amount and we need stiffer penalties.” He also lamented the fact that “there are municipality inspectors and employees who receive bribes from traders” to turn a blind eye to their trading in items unfit for consumption.

Intermittent inspections and raids by municipality inspectors

on restaurants, shops and souqs take place across Kuwait almost every day to ensure public food safety and health. Although tons of spoilt and rotten goods and foodstuffs unfit for human consumption are confiscated and incinerated by the inspection crews every day, many small business owners are unhappy that no large firms or traders have been penalized to date, with only small shops, cafes and restaurants facing punishment or closure.

Speaking to the Kuwait Times on condition of anonymity, one restaurant owner expressed disillusionment with the lack of action taken against the big suppliers and wholesalers selling rotten or expired foodstuffs. “We don’t have the ability to import massive amounts of food products from outside the country, so what we get is normally bought from big companies that are importing the items wholesale,” she explained. “The problem with these companies is, they import massive amounts of stuff that’s

nearly expired and sell those items at discounted prices, and those are the items we get.”

The owner of another small restaurant, who also asked not to be identified, echoed this view, voicing frustration at the regular raids and inspections on small restaurants and other small businesses whilst ignoring larger businesses. “The problem is not with us, it’s with [the municipal authorities],” the disgruntled restaurant owner insisted.

“They should have come up with clear guidelines. Raids and inspections are carried out almost every week at my restaurant in Farwaniya, and in my other restaurant in Fahaheel they’re almost every day. There’s something wrong; we’re following their standards, but all I can see is that they only impose strict rules and regulations on small businesses like us. They should impose the same standards on big companies who are also selling spoilt food items. Why haven’t they shut down the massive firms when

they ’ve found them selling expired products? The problem is that the law ’s only applied against small businesses like us, but not against the major violators.”

A regular customer at a Farwaniya restaurant voiced support for the municipality ’s extreme solution to health and safety regulation infractions, saying that Al-Azmi’s proposal “is really good because it’s for our own benefit, for the health and safety of consumers. I’ll definitely support it.”

Another customer, a Kuwaiti businessman, was scathing about Al-Azmi’s suggestion, however: “It’s nonsense!” he said. “We have to first impose the current law strictly before we talk about introducing capital punishment for people selling spoilt foods products! Secondly, 99 percent of those who might consume expired or rotten food won’t die, so how can you impose capital punishment for violators? It’s a nonsensical suggestion.”

KUWAIT: The Minister of Education and Higher Education, Ahmed Al-Mulaifi yesterday inaugurated the new Ideal Sadeem Primary School for Boys in Mubarak Al-Kabeer. It is the first Specialized Learning Disabilities (LD) school that was established in collaboration with the Center for Child Evaluation and Teaching and the Awqaf Ministry’s secretary general. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ceremony, Al-Mulaifi stressed that the school has launched a project that aims to integrate children with learning disabilities into the mainstream. —Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

German Cultural Week celebrated at KU

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Kuwait University (KU) launched the German Cultural Week yesterday in cooperation with the German Embassy. Cultural activities are being held from Oct 9 to 12. A seminar will held as part of the event entitled ‘the Kuwait-German Partnership in the Fields of Technology, Innovation, Science and Research’ at the Social Studies Faculty of KU, Shuwaikh Campus at the Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Theatre.

At the inaugural event, several speeches were delivered by Prof Dr Muna Al-Mohammed, Head of the Euro-Gulf Research Unit and Professor of Political Sciences College of Social Sciences KU. A short review of the unit’s activities were presented. This was followed by a speech delivered by Prof Dr Abdul-Reda Assiri, Dean College of Social Sciences. Frank M Mann, German Ambassador to Kuwait addressed the gathering next. Also Sheikha Rasha Sabah spoke during the ocassion.

An exhibition will also be conducted showcasing pavilions by firms namely, German Chamber of Commerce and Industry GCC States/Abu Dhabi, Lufthansa German Airlines, Siemens Kuwait, Holiday Inn Hotel, Salmiya/Kuwait, Moevenpick Hotel Shuwaikh/Kuwait, A. R.Albisher and Z.Alkazemi Co. (Mercedes-Benz), Ali Alghanim and Sons Automotive Co. (BMW), Fouad Alghanim and Sons Automotive. Co. (Audi), Jafar

(Left) Ambassador Frank M. Mann (centre) Dr. Rasha Al-Sabah (right) Prof. Dr. Abdul-Reda Assiri Behbehani Tristar Motorcycles Est (BMW Motorcycles) and others.

A musical concert was performed outdoors by the Youth Jazz Orchestra from German state of North-RhineWestphalia. All the events are open to the public. At the end of the week, a raffle draw will also be held. Two air tickets will be given away by Lufthansa, two test drives on Mercedes cars will be offered by Albisher and Alkazemi Co, and one dinner voucher for four persons at the Holiday Inn Salmiya Hotel.

This event is being organized to commemorate German National Day celebrations, “On October 3, Germany celebrated its 21st year of German unity. As we reflect about our nation, we reflect at the same time about the

relationship we have with our partners worldwide. The German Week in Kuwait which we are about to launch, intends to position Germany as a leading world player in technology, innovation, science and research to the Kuwaiti academic sector and the Kuwaiti public in general. In addition, it will highlight the successful bilateral cooperation between Kuwait and Germany in various fields,” said Frank M Mann, German Ambassador to Kuwait. “This year we celebrate 125 years of the German automotive industry. A larger contribution will be dedicated to the many achievements that have been made by German car manufacturers. Kuwait is a strong partner in this development. It a major investor in the German car

KUWAIT: Youth Jazz Orchestra of German State of North-Rhine-Westphalia performing yesterday.— Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

industry. We will have the chance to listen to a presentation made on the latest technological innovations prepared by the industry and participate in a car show which will highlight the latest models of German car manufacturers,” he added.

He also thanked the Old and Vintage Car Museum Kuwait for participating in this show and display some specimens of early German car production, “ The museum is a treasure trove for car lovers and brings together many exquisite samples of German technology. I only regret that there is no Volkswagen ‘Beetle’ or Trabant on display two cars which have marked life in Germany for many decades,” he went on to say. He underscored the relevance of the event, “It deals at the same time with environment, energy and economic aspects. As has been reported widely in the press, this year Germany has decided to phase out nuclear energy and base its future energy supply to a large proportion on renewable energy.

We will have the chance to listen to presentations on new developments in the energy sector dealing with renewable energies, environmental aspects of renewable energies and the contribution of energy efficiency for our future energy supplies. We will touch on the important field of how best to deal with scarce water resources.” “Through the German Week we will be able to show to you an exhibition on renewable sources made in Germany which has been developed by the German Energy Agency. This Exhibition has been made available in Kuwait by the German Embassy in cooperation with Siemens.

German companies are world leaders in the field particularly in solar and wind energy. This technology has the potential to become as important as the automotive industry with its 125 years of history,” he concluded.

KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad yesterday received the Palestinian authority leader’s envoy, Yasser Mahmoud Abbas who delivered a letter to HH the Amir.

KPC firm on implementation of Kuwaitization policy

By A. Saleh KUWAIT: Oil minister Mohammad AlBusairi said there are penal conditions in the contracts signed with contractors concerning the Kuwaitization program at the state -owned Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC). Responding to a question from MP Ali Al-Deqbasi on contractors’ responsibilities in this issue, Al-Busairi said the responsibility for imposing these penalties lies with those concerned with implementing the Kuwaitization program in every unit at the oil sector in those companies. In his written response, the minister told Al-Deqbasi that “according to the answers from the concerned companies, there were no statements indicating that contractors on recent contracts are not complying with the conditions or that there were any violations.”

On a separate issue, MP Aseel AlAwadhi said the National Action Bloc (NAB), of which she is a member, will meet as soon as its members currently on an overseas official visit return to Kuwait. She said rumors of the bloc’s stance on various subjects are incorrect, adding that each members’ statements express their own person-

al opinions rather than speaking on behalf of the NAB. On another subject, Al-Awadhi said that the protests in Determination Square are expressions of public anger over the allegations of multimillion dinar bribes being paid into some parliamentarians’ bank accounts. She added that those reading daily papers will discover that the NAB’s grilling of former minister Ahmad Al-Fahad is still hurting some senior figures immensely, and the bloc’s attacks on corrupt figures indicate that it is on the right path.

Al-Awadhi also revealed that she recently attended a meeting of the parliamentary legislative committee to discuss the proposed anticorruption legislation, adding that 21 further recommendations have been added to the government’s proposed legislative measures, and the committee has been asked to complete the final draft of the bill as soon as possible. She added a note of caution, however, suggesting that the committee’s report will not be easily completed due to the complexities involved, but concluded that the responsibility for the delay lies with the current and previous parliaments.

Fires kill ten in August KUWAIT: Ten people died and 19 more, including 14 firefighters, were injured in 1,211 fires recorded in Kuwait during August of this year, according to a senior Kuwait Fire Services Directorate (KFSD) official.

Speaking to local daily Al-Qabas, Lieutenant Colonel Khalil Al-Amir, the Manager of the KFSD’s Public Relations and Media Department, explained that firefighters were also involved in a lot of rescues during the same period.

“Three hundred and fifty-six rescue missions were carried out during the 1,211 incidents in August,” he revealed, adding that poor household wiring and faulty electrical equipment were behind 176 house fires that month,

with 113 others being caused by young children left alone and playing with dangerous objects such as matches or lighters. Overloaded multi-plug adaptors were behind a further 49 of the fires, he revealed, while 39 others were started by carelessly discarded cigarette butts and 27 of the blazes were deliberately set.

Lt. Col. Al-Amir revealed that Farwaniya saw the largest number of fires in August, 338 in all, followed by Hawally, where 275 blazes were reported, then the Capital with 219 fires, Ahmadi with 154 and Jahra with 104.

Mubarak Al-Kabeer saw the fewest reports of fire in August, with 103 blazes reported in the area. — Al-Qabas

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Years

LOCAL Local Spotlight

Satire Wire

The apples that changed the world

The dilemma facing Arabs

By Sawsan Kazak

By Muna Al-Fuzai sawsank@kuwaittimes.net

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ast week the CEO and co-creator of Apple, Steve Jobs, passed away after a long battle with cancer.

His death has affected millions of people around the world. The rock star of the technology world, the aftermath of Jobs’ death rivals those of the biggest stars.

What other time has the passing of a businessman affected so many people? Never has one CEO touched so many lives; from students, to companies to top leaders. He is not only a creator, inventor and businessman, he was a technology enthusiast. His love for his product and belief in it created such loyalty to the Apple product. I felt as though the company was not just trying to take my money in exchange for a gadget, but they were trying to improve my life. Yes, I know this sounds so lovey-dovey and Utopianish, but when I think about it, Apple products did improve my life.

The iPod has made my exercise fun and entertaining. The iPhone has replaced my alarm clock, calendar, digital camera, notepad and in some situations my computer. The iPad has made traveling a breeze; one wire, 10 hours of battery and limitless supply of activities.

As cliched as this next sentence might sound, I must express it: Steve Jobs was taken from us too soon. He started a technology movement and taught us to think outside the box. He made using the latest gadget accessible to those who are not tech nerds and he made people excited about the future. The term avantgarde is overused but when speaking of Jobs it’s correct, the man knew what we wanted before we even had a clue.

There is a theory in business that states every person in a company is replaceable, but when it comes to someone as fundamentally original as Jobs, I’m not sure this theory applies. Other innovators will come and create, but they will have Jobs’ work as a base.

We all knew he has been sick for a while but his death still seemed to be a shock. The superman of the information world, Jobs gave off an air of invincibility; the underlying belief that he was going to get better and bounce back.

I recently read a message posted by a mourner saying ‘there are three apples that changed the world: The one that Adam ate, the one that fell on Newton’s head and the one Steve Jobs built.’ I don’t know if he knew at the time, how iconic the name he chose would be, but it’s clear now it will forever be a part of history.

kuwait digest

Split opinions over strike action

muna@kuwaittimes.net

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kuwait digest

The reason I’m not participating in rallies

By Dr Suleiman Al-Khadari

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any Kuwaitis, myself included, are currently seen as sharing an apparently passive stance towards the events now taking place on the local political scene, mainly in regards to the multimillion dinar deposits scandal.

This stance can easily be misread as indicating weakness or uncertainty, but for me this is simply a temporary position whilst awaiting the right circumstances to take action.

While demonstrations have taken place against corrupt individuals, the attitude of citizens who share the same viewpoint as me has been misconstrued by many as indifference about what’s happening.

Here I’d like to point out that I am no less concerned about Kuwaitis’ wellbeing than any other citizen. I have noticed, however, that the majority of political

events have been a series of recurring activities in a tedious routine that convinces me that they will ultimately be fruitless.

The corruption scandal is not the first of its kind to be exposed in Kuwait, and it’s fairly certain that it won’t be the last. In the meantime, there are no indications that give the impression that the players on our political scene have matured enough to come up with radical solutions other than replacing senior officials.

While I don’t question the noble intentions of youth groups currently active in addressing the scandal, I can’t say the same of the intentions of political who take over the young people’s efforts and try to use them to serve their own interests. How can it be reasonable that MPs with history of suspected violations including wasta (illegal

kuwait digest

By Nasser Al-Khaldi

T

here is certainly more than one opinion among Kuwaitis concerning the spate of strikes in the country, with many insisting that public sector workers have abused their rights and don’t deserve further pay hikes and bonuses since they haven’t achieved anything at work. I believe that this opinion is unfair.

The second school of thought among Kuwaitis is that public sector workers are in genuine difficulty, with no working environment encouraging them to be productive and no justice in the allocation of positions, or in decisions concerning pay, bonuses or incentives. Due to these problems, they believe that strike action is the only option left open to them.

Every state seeks growth and development and people seek to advance their interests through ensuring a suitable working environment which takes staff members’ demands into consideration, thus avoiding all the problems Kuwait is seeing, including the strikes, which are certainly harmful to the state and to public interests, especially since the culture of strikes, as we know, can take place at any time. Unfortunately, they can go on for a full day at a time, with many members of the public frustrated at the resulting delays and other problems.

Employees with every public sector body are complaining of low pay and poor promotional opportunities and of dissimilar pay rates at different institutions for those performing the same jobs. Many believe that the solution to their problems lies in collectivity, taking strike action en masse. “You don’t get your rights without striking” is a common refrain.

This slogan is not suitable for a state seeking growth and development, however. The government should have paid attention to public sector workers’ demands, giving them whatever they want every time in order to achieve justice and prevent strike action. Striking is not a long-term solution, however, since it opens doors to situations that we may not know how to escape unless the government capitulates every time, ultimately leaving the state weakened.

A few days ago, I visited Sheikh Salman AlHumoud Al-Sabah, who recently assumed the post of Ministry of Information Undersecretary. At the present time this is a whole new experience, requiring greater work and effort than ever before. We trust in the vision of Abu Sabah to carry out his work without being affected by political affairs, and this is a policy which should be applied in the same way to every official, who should comply with this strategy. We must all continue to do the best we can in our jobs without falling victim to entanglement in political issues. — Al-Anba

mediation), are invited to attend anticorruption rallies?

It seems as if the pent-up frustration at the continuous failure of the executive authority has led some Kuwaitis to look for a ‘savior’ or a heroic figure from the other, legislative, authority.

What I am seeking, however, is a comprehensive national reform project that goes beyond the subject of political corruption to address corruption at all state departments, as well as dealing with our contemporary cultural and social vacuum by outlining the role of religion and traditions and their relation to politics and public life in a way that strengthens individuals’ freedoms and productivity.

Unless these issues are addressed, then I have to respectfully decline all invitations to attend public rallies. — Al-Rai

The Cabinet’s contradictions

By Walid Al-Ghunaim

K

uwaitis cannot be blamed for their pent-up frustration at the performance of the current Cabinet, as we continue witnessing the same problems happening over and over again each day, with the government doing nothing but issuing anodyne statements.

The current government is incapable of solving longstanding problems or preventing new problems from arising. Whilst it made the development plan as a new basis for its work, the only thing that the Cabinet is really ‘developing’ is an increasing number of problems in the country. Last week, three ministers made headlines with incidents and statements that exposed the government’s real weakness in running the state, handling the problems that it faces or even making the right decisions at the right time.

In one of these incidents, Minister of Oil Dr Mohammad Al-Busairi, claimed infamously that the pay raise for oil sector employees would not be taken from the state budget. He made this statement whilst attending a dinner party held by the labor union representing employees working at the oil sector’s state bodies to celebrate the introduction of pay rises.

I am not sure exactly what Al-Busairi is celebrating. Is it the fact that the oil sector workers forced the government into bowing to their demands? Is it the fact that the Cabinet enforced the pay raise 48 hours after announcing that it would not give in to pressure? For Al-Busairi to accept the invitation to the ceremony is eloquent testimony to the cabinet’s acceptance of the approach used by the oil sector workers’ union in threatening strike action if its members’ demands were not met.

Meanwhile, Minister of Communication Salem Al-Othaina announced that the introduction of the initiative to enable cell phone users to switch providers without having to change their numbers has been delayed until next year.

This comes after the previous communications minister, Al-Busairi, insisted a year-and-a-half ago that the project was completely settled. Since then, a new Cabinet has been appointed and the government has so far failed to make telecommunication companies comply with its decisions. This means that the government isn’t even capable of settling a relatively easy issue such as transferring phone numbers between service providers.

In the meantime, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Mohammad Al-Noumas yielded to pressure

from MPs to cancel a directive terminating the contracts of employees assigned from other departments to work at the ministry, issuing his decision only a few days after the directive was issued. This makes us wonder, was the decision originally a rash one, or has the minister simply chosen to avoid clashing with MPs? Kuwaitis are not asking for much. We only want a Cabinet that knows what it’s doing, has strong decision-making capabilities and doesn’t yield to pressure. Is this too much for us to ask? — Al-Qabas

The current government is incapable of solving longstanding problems or preventing new problems from arising. Whilst it made the development plan as a new basis for its work, the only thing that the Cabinet is really ‘developing’ is an increasing number of problems in the country. Last week, three ministers made headlines with incidents and statements that exposed the government’s real weakness in running the state, handling the problems that it faces or even making the right decisions at the right time.

n 2007 an American movie called ‘No Country for Old Men’ was released in the United States. Its storyline was simple though the plot was complex. The movie was critically applauded and received many awards because it examined the theme of fate and opportunity, in addition to how people react during a violent situation. This movie gains relevance in the context of the disintegration of the Arab political structure. People are left behind with no awareness or knowledge about how the consequences can be dealt with. This real-life tragedy is similar to the movie’s theme, in terms of how people respond when opportunities are available to exercise true democracy.

I think the current situation is a living example of how the lack of true democracy can lead to chaos and that no dictator can repress people’s will. The Middle East is like one large ship . When one part of that ship is damaged, then the vessel is in danger of sinking. The truth is that no one is safe or can hope to receive shelter.

How did Arabs hear and learn about democracy?

From home, school, TV, newspapers and talk. When parents do not allow children to decide what they want to be, who they want to marry or even openly discuss every day matters, then children will never get a basic idea of democracy. We have all seen Arab parents that want their children to be doctors or engineers and marry rich people.

School curriculums encourage only rote learning.

Most of the information is completely removed from the true need of Arabs or their problems. Are there any state-owned TV channels that criticize the ruling system? Do they function as a platform for freedom of speech? No one dares to because the dissenter will be jailed and his family will be harmed. The policy of torturing one person to inspire fear in thousands is common.

What about the socialist democracy? We will discuss this in my subsequent article.

To be Continued

in my view

Who bears ultimate responsibility?

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

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hose attempting to bring the culprits involved in the bribery scandal to justice should continue with their mission because nobody has the right to stop them doing so, despite the fact that clear confirmation of a crime or evidence that would convict any government members has yet to appear.

In the meantime, I’d like to look into the social and historical aspects of this issue.

Throughout Kuwait’s modern history, several powerful individuals have worked to marginalize the legislative authority’s role through controlling the election results. Their efforts focused primarily on ensuring the election of MPs with no clear programs, objectives or even intentions.

Since the beginning, this has given us those types of MPs who have nothing to do with politics or with parliamentary work, in other words the lawmakers commonly referred to as ‘services MPs.’ These legislators made it to parliament not only after selling their allegiance to the government, but also because the constituents who voted them into office were just as much purchased through ‘favors,’ financial privileges and illicit actions like the use of wasta.

With the help of its supporters in parliament, the government turned citizens’ public services and constitutional rights into tools of bribery, using them to lure Kuwaiti voters into supporting certain corrupt candidates. On top of this, the government used financial and other inducements, often in the form of free gifts to celebrate national events, to win the people over, an action supported just as much by the anti-government MPs in parliament since it provided them too with a perfect way to buy voter satisfaction at no cost to themselves.

The recent scandal over MPs accused of being paid multimillion dinar bribes is only the natural result of the dominant ideology with which citizens have grown up, which successive governments have ensured permeates every level of Kuwaiti society.

Kuwait already has the necessary rules and regulations which, if enforced properly, could have put an end to this sort of corruption and questionable behavior. Unfortunately, however, instead of this the wasta-based approach has flourished and been used to further strengthen the culture of corruption, rather than being treated as the illegal and immoral phenomenon it is.

The government and the legislators in parliament have also ensured that every law enforced includes exemptions and loopholes for themselves, which they exercise freely. These exemptions and loopholes are used as the government’s trump card in strengthening the dominance of ‘services MPs’ in parliament, as well as directing and controlling voter preferences.

If we take the citizenship law as an example, we find that 22 of its 24 articles include exemptions subject solely to the minister’s personal whim.

If the Kuwaiti public wants to demonstrate in Irada Square and hold the government accountable for the multimillion dinar corruption case, that’s fine; they are used to blaming the government for everything anyway, regardless of what they or the MPs they voted for may have done. These protests, however, cannot change the fact that corruption has become a social tradition in Kuwait. Our best hope is that those citizens who are genuinely concerned about their country’s interests will begin pushing for legal amendments and the removal of all the exemptions and loopholes that can be used to spread corruption. — Al-Qabas

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local

Kuwait to officially recognize Kosovo soon PRISTINA: Kuwait’s visiting National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi said here yesterday that the State of Kuwait will soon announce its recognition of the Republic of Kosovo, saying that Foreign Minister of Kosovo Enver Hoxhaj would arrive in Kuwait next Tuesday for a short official visit.

Al-Khorafi, during his meeting yesterday with Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo Hashim Thaci, expressed his hope that this visit would achieve the desired results.

He also expressed hope both countries would establish their official ties during this visit for the best interest of both governments and people. He said Kuwait and Kosovo have agreed on the need to start and prepare to lay the foundations of bilateral relations and joint cooperation in the political, economic, trade, investment and tourism spheres as the bilateral parliamentary relations between the two countries had preceded these areas.

He recalled the recent visit of Speaker of the Kosovo Parliament Dr. Jakup Krasniqi to Kuwait, which confirmed the presence of “good” bilateral relations in the parliamentary field between the two countries.

Al-Khorafi praised the care shown

by His Highness the Amir Sheik h Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Krasniqi’s visit, expressing his belief that “it is the first time for a head of state to receive a parliament Speaker of another State where both governments have no recognition”.

He added that HH the Amir told Krasniqi during the visit that Kuwait’s recognition of the Republic of Kosova was coming after the issuance of a ruling in this regard by the International Court of Justice.

“This assertion by HH the Amir is just a proof of his keenness on the establishment of official bilateral relations between Kuwait and Kosovo in all spheres”, noted Al-Khorafi.

Al-Khorafi also conveyed the best greetings and regards of His Highness Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo Hashim Thaci and to the Government and the friendly people of Kosovo for more progress and prosperity. For his part, Thaci considered Kuwait’s recognition of his country as “significant”, saying such recognition is a “milestone” that is anxiously been awaited by the government and the people of Kosovo with great patience. — KUNA

Finance ministry warns against yielding to employees’ demands Stage set for customs protest KUWAIT: The strikes to be held by Customs General Department employees today are expected to paralyze Kuwait’s border areas and hamper oil exports. According to a report quoting sources with knowledge of the issue, Ibrahim Al-Ghanim Customs Department’s General Director held an ‘important meeting’ at his office yesterday morning with senior officials at the department to discuss repercussions of the planned strike.

In addition to halting oil exports, the customs employees strike will stop export and import by preventing the mobility of trucks at land border and container ships at seaports. Last week, the government avoided a strike scheduled by the Kuwait Airways Corporation staff, after approving 70 percent of their demands, leading it put protest plans on hold for a month. The Labor Union at the Ministry of Health also announced suspension of strike plans. The union representing lab technicians insist on meeting minister Dr Hilal Al-Sayer to discuss their demands.

The government asserted that the decision to raise the pay scales of oil sector employees was not made under pressure. It

has given way to a wave of demands made by several unions in the private sector, resulting in numerous strikes and sit-ins, escalating to a point where firefighters stormed into the Kuwait Fire Services Directorate building, reported Al-Rai. Meanwhile, a report quoting a source with knowledge of the situation says that Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Homoud Al-Sabah will provide a detailed report on the sit-in that took place during a weekly meeting that was reportedly postponed, reported Al-Anba.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has repor tedly warned the Civil Ser vice Commission(CSC) in a written letter from approving pay increases without prior detailed studies.

This is in order to prevent inflation.

According to officials familiar with the report, the ministr y explained that pay raises enforced in recent years has increased the budget allocated for public sector salaries to account for 80 percent of the state’s budget.

The report also warns that the provision of such incentives drive citizens away from

seeking employment in the private sector.

The same Al-Jarida article also quotes a second repor t released by the Finance Ministry, which warns that oil prices will drop next year creating a negative impact on Kuwait’s budget that depends primarily on oil sale revenues, reports Al-Jarida.

Other officials quoted in an Al-Shahed report that warns of an “economic crisis that can take place in the short and long term.”

This could happen if the government yields to employees’ demands, stating that inflation rates can soar to 40 percent of salary raises.

Officials who spoke anonymously argued that a large percentage of Kuwaiti labor forces are unproductive and should not be granted more financial privileges, reported Al-Shahed.

Recent statistics show that the budget allocated for public sector in the fiscal year 2011/2012 reached approximately KD 9.29 billion. The average monthly pay of Kuwaiti employees stand at KD 1,378, and for nonKuwaiti employees it stands at KD 436. The average salary paid to non-Kuwaitis in the military is KD 1,102, reported Al-Qabas.

Cleaning campaign

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: In a Municipality- sponsored initiative, the Cleaning Center at Kuwait City, carried out a cleaning campaign at Gharaballi and the Mubarak Kiosk Yard.

It was carried out under the directives of Municipality Director General Ahmad Al-

Subaih. The team removed leftovers and trash from adjoining areas. The Bin Bahar oasis was cleaned in an operation that lasted four hours, under the supervision of Khalid Al-Shihab Municipality Director.

Al-Subaih said that the Municipality will continue the campaign to maintain the capital’s hygiene.

Plans to increase social allowances

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The Green Line Environmental Group (GLEG) plans to hold a press conference at its headquarters at 11:30 AM today, with MPs Ahmad Al-Saadoun, Musallam Al-Barrak and Hassan Zohar attending the event to discuss a number of environmental issues.

Announcing the event yesterday, GLEG president Khalid Al-Hajri praised the coordination on environmental issues between the group and the members of the parliamentary environmental committee, saying, “We provide them with various documents to support their humanitarian and environmental goals to serve society and safeguard Kuwaiti children’s health.”

In other news, MP Askar Al-Enezi has submitted a bill proposing an increase in the state social allowance paid for each Kuwaiti child from KD50 to KD100 per

month. The MP has suggested amendments to a 1992 law which would grant all citizens increases in social allowances, pensions and public aid.

On a separate issue, Kuwaiti MP Mohammed Hayef yesterday lauded National Assembly Speaker Jassem AlKhorafi’s announcement of Kuwait’s intentions to officially recognize the Republic of Kosovo within the next few days, noting the Speaker’s major role in advancing this recognition.

The MP said that Kuwait’s National Assembly (parliament) has established distinguished relations with the Kosovar parliament, revealing that a parliamentary friendship committee of Kuwaiti lawmakers will visit the republic in the near future. Fellow MP Ali Al-Omair also expressed satisfaction at the warm reception which the visiting delegation of Kuwaiti MPs had received during their trip to Kosovo.

Mishref sewage plant faces setback KUWAIT: As the Ministry of Public Works(MPW) readies to re-open Mishref sewage treatment plant after two years of closure, a new issue has surfaced.

Further delays are expected creating a new setback. The problem lies with main pipeline that connects the plant. It was closed by a contractor at the request of

the Ministry since the beginning of the Mishref catastrophe, reported Al-Watan.

Following repairs, the ministry discovered a plug that needed to be removed.

He refused because it is not included in the contract, and asked for a changing order to be issued so that it would be opened.

KU signs co-op agreement with pharmaceutical firm KUWAIT: Kuwait University yesterday signed a scientific cooperation agreement with the leading pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca Gulf to conduct a research on coronary arteries diseases in several Gulf Arab states.

“This agreement comes within the framework of the University commitment to contribute to the development of knowledge society through a series of academic research programs,” University Chancellor Abdel-Latif Al-Bader said in press statements following the signing ceremony. Under the agreement, Kuwait University will supervise and AstraZeneca Gulf will finance an extensive research on the coronary arteries diseases in several Gulf Arab states. The joint research will include study of 4,000 patients, with heart problems particularly who underwent acute heart attacks, from Gulf Cooperation Council member states.

The research would be themed “Gulf Coast” because it covers four GCC states overlooking the Arab Gulf, namely Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. For his part, AstraZeneca Gulf Chairman Tarek Rabah said medical care of people needs cooperation from all bodies concerned. “We can’t shoulder this responsibility solely, so this study is important for improving healthcare,” he said. He pointed out that the study is meant to provide all data about the conditions of heart patients particularly from coronary arteries diseases. Meanwhile UK Ambassador to Kuwait Frank Baker, who attended the ceremony, hailed cooperation between Kuwait and UK institutions in all fields, specially the academic one. He noted that over 3,500 Kuwaiti students conduct their post-graduate studies in the UK universities and educational institutions every year.

AstraZeneca Gulf is a subsidiary of the leading global UK-based AstraZeneca pharmaceutical and biologics company. AstraZeneca is the world’s seventh-largest pharmaceutical company measured by revenues and has operations in over 100 countries. It has a portfolio of products for major disease areas including cancer, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infection, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni pictured during the embassy reception. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

Bangladesh FM hails ties with Kuwait KUWAIT: The Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Dr Dipu Moni M.P., is currently visiting Kuwait with a high-level delegation to attend the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Forum, which began here yesterday and concludes on Tuesday.

On Thursday evening before the forum began, Dr Moni attended a reception organized by the

Bangladesh Embassy in Kuwait at its Chancery building in Khaldiya.

Syed Shahed Reza, the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Kuwait, presided over the program of events. Embassy officials and prominent members of the Bangladesh expatriate community in Kuwait were present at the reception. During the event, the minister cordially exchanged

views on various issues with the expatriate Bangladesh nationals in Kuwait.

Dr Moni also thanked the Bangladesh expatriates in Kuwait for complying with Kuwaiti laws, urging every Bangladesh national in the country to contribute to the development of Bangladesh. In her speech at the reception, she reiterated the importance of bilat-

eral relations between Bangladesh and Kuwait, stressing that Kuwait is a longtime friend of Bangladesh. In his introductory speech, meanwhile, Ambassador Reza expressed satisfaction at the positive role played by members of the Bangladeshi community in Kuwait, saying that this helps to further enhance Bangladesh’s image here.

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local

Youth in police custody for sexual assault in Hawally Toddler dies in tragic accident KUWAIT: A 20-year-old man is facing rape charges after two 17-year-old girls accused him of sexual assault. One of the girls’ father pressed charges against the suspect at Hawally police station, telling officers there that his daughter and her friend had apparently been set up by the man and a friend, with this friend inviting the two girls to a birthday party at a flat in Hawally.

On arriving at the apartment however, the girls quickly realized that they had been lured into a trap, with both being sexually assaulted by the ‘party’ host, apparently whilst other people looked on. The accused man has denied the allegations. He remains in custody pending the results of the continuing investigation.

Zain Telecom launches breast cancer awareness campaign KUWAIT: Zain Telecom yesterday announced the launch of a new breast cancer awareness campaign as a measure to counter the disease in its early stages.

Speaking at a press conference held to announce the launch, Zain’s head of Public Relations Walid Al-K ashti explained that the campaign aims to spread greater awareness amongst women to help in fighting breast cancer, affirming that Zain will utilize visual,

audio, and print media in helping to achieve this goal.

All of the Zain Group’s branches will be displaying a pink ribbon, the international symbol of breast cancer awareness, as a way of showing Zain’s serious stance concerning the issue, said the official.

Zain is allocating a sizeable portion of its social program funding to support this cause in order to help women fight breast cancer, Al-Khashti concluded.

Entertainment City winter timing announced

Anwar Al-Nisf

KUWAIT: The Entertainment City will begin welcoming visitors on weekdays from Monday to Thursday (4 pm to 12 am) and on weekends from (2pm to 11 pm).

The announcement by Operations and Activities Department Manager at the Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC) Anwar Al-Nisf.

Al-Nisf also noted that the city will host a female-only entertainment program on Oct 24, in addition to an Indian festival on the same day.

The Entertainment City will be open exclusively to female visitors on Mondays.

Tragic accident A one-and-a-half-year-old boy died in a tragic accident in Saad Al-Abdullah on Saturday when a neighbor, unaware that the toddler was playing behind his car, reversed the vehicle into him. On realizing what had happened, the horrified driver immediately called the emergency services hotline, but although paramedics and police rushed to the location the infant was pronounced dead at the scene. The child’s body was removed for autopsy and an investigation is underway into the incident.

Fatal crash A police officer died of the massive head injuries he sustained in a car crash on the Sixth Ring Road on Saturday. Although emergency services personnel rushed to the accident location, the 31-year-old officer was pronounced dead at the scene. The body was removed for autopsy and an investigation was opened to determine the cause of the accident.

Brutal attack A search is underway for three cowardly thugs who brutally attacked the president of the Kuwait Society for Hearing Disabilities, with the assault taking place a few days after he received a poison pen letter threatening to kill him. The incident reportedly took place on a walkway in Shuwaikh when, Hamad Al-Merri, the head of the hearing disabilities group was leapt on by three unidentified assailants who savagely beat and stabbed him before fleeing. Al-Merri was

subsequently rushed to hospital, with his brother, Dr. Rashid Al-Merri, telling police investigating the attack about the death threat which his sibling had received a few days earlier. The search for the thuggish attackers is continuing.

Wandering tot The negligent father of a three-year-old girl who was found wandering lost in a Salmiya mall turned up at the local police station to report her missing three hours after she was taken there. Security guards at the mall had found the tot wandering around and called police to inform them of the lost child, with officers quickly arriving and taking her to the area police station. Their efforts to calm the little girl down and stop her crying proved largely fruitless, as did their attempts to coax any information about her parents from her in order to identify them.

Thankfully, her father turned up three hours after she was taken into custody to report her missing, admitting that he and her mother had only noticed she was gone as they were preparing to leave the mall. After being reunited with his relieved infant daughter, the man signed an undertaking promising to keep a closer eye on the child in the future.

Ex from hell A young woman was temporarily detained after getting into a violent confrontation with her ex-boyfriend in front of his home in Rumathiya. Police rushed to the scene after neighbors reported that the couple were having a screaming row in front of the ex-boyfriend’s house, separating the couple who were by that stage involved in a violent fight. After both were taken into custody, questioning revealed that the possessive young woman had attacked her former beau after he rejected her when she went to his house to plead with him to get back together. The young man explained that he had broken off the relationship a year ago feeling stifled by his then-girlfriend’s possessiveness and attempts to control every aspect of his life. Since then, he said, she had phoned him constantly begging him to get back together, ignoring his repeated rejections and disrupting his attempts to focus on his academic studies. The controlling ex-girlfriend was later released after signing a

Al-Shimali also thanked Xie for the Chinese authorities’ suppor t which enabled the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), an investment arm of the Kuwaiti government, to establish an office in Beijing, noting that this is the KIA’s first ever overseas office.

Xie, meanwhile, expressed his appreciation for the long-term financial assistance provided by Kuwait for various projects in China, which he said has greatly contributed to the improvement and development of the country’s infrastructure. Since 1982, the KFAED has provided loans for 34 major projects, all concerning developmental and infrastructural projects especially in poor areas, with a total value of $880 million.

Meanwhile, more than 20 Chinese companies are currently operating in Kuwait and contributing to its development through such projects as crude gathering systems, pipelines and work being carried out on Boubyan Island.

The volume of two-way trade between the two countries reached $8.54 billion in 2010, up 68 percent year-on-year, or 40 times more than it was at the beginning of official diplomatic relations.

Kuwait is also a major supplier of crude oil to China, with its shipments to the world’s biggest energy user exceeding the previous record amount of 10 million tons (201,000 barrels) per day last year. The two countries also plan to jointly construct a $9 billion refinery and petrochemical complex in China’s south.

The Kuwaiti Ambassador to China, Mohammad Al-Thuwaikh, and KIA Managing Director Bader Al-Saad also attended the high-level meeting. The Kuwaiti minister is currently on a four-day official visit to China, during which he is also scheduled to meet other Chinese officials, including Yi Gang, Deputy Governor of the People’s Bank of China and administrator of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange. — KUNA

Sharq streaker A drunken Asian man is facing a number of charges after stripping naked and chasing random passersby along a beach in Sharq. Police were quickly at the scene after a number of onlookers reported the Sharq streaker, and he was taken into custody at the local police station to sober up.

Fraudster caught A Syrian expatriate working as a company representative was arrested after conning a number of other expats out of money, telling them that he’d help them to complete transactions at ministries and other state bodies in exchange for payment. The man was caught red-handed in a sting operation set up by police, admitting under questioning to his illegal actions. He has been referred to the relevant authorities.

Fugitive found Police manning a checkpoint in Salhiya arrested a Kuwaiti fugitive who was previously sentenced to three years in prison for his part in a passport forgery case. When he stopped at the checkpoint, the man claimed to have mislaid his ID card, instead handing over his driver’s license, apparently unaware that this also contained his ID details. After the license details were checked against the police database, the fugitive’s luck finally ran out and he was placed under arrest. He has been referred to the relevant authorities in order to ensure that he serves his sentence.

Dumb drunks An Arab man from another GCC country and his girlfriend were arrested in Salmiya for drunk driving and public intoxication. The man was pulled over by police on Amman Street for reckless driving, with officers immediately noting that both he and his passenger were heavily inebriated. Both were taken into custody and referred to the relevant authorities.

—Al-Rai, Al-Qabas, Al-Anbaa

AUK art exhibition for world peace

Kuwait, China pledge greater economic cooperation BEIJING: Visiting Kuwaiti Finance M inister Mustafa Al-Shimali and his Chinese counterpar t Xie Xuren on Saturday pledged to further boost economic and trade ties between the two countries, as well as ensuring greater cross-investment.

During their meeting in the Chinese capital, Al-Shimali and Xie exchanged views on bilateral, regional and global financial and economic issues, including the two nations’ fiscal policies.

The two ministers also lauded the steady growth of Sino-Kuwaiti relations ever since the nations first forged diplomatic ties 40 years ago, saying that both countries have witnessed sustainable and growing levels of cooperation in various areas, and expressing confidence in the prospect of all-round cooperation in the future.

Kuwait was the first Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nation to forge diplomatic ties with China in 1971.

Speaking after the meeting, Al-Shimali said that he had issued a formal invitation to Xie, telling the senior Chinese official that Kuwait welcomes the participation of all Chinese entities and businesspeople in its current five-year development plan, which concludes in 2014, adding that Xie welcomed this invitation.

Kuwait’s ambitious development plan is designed to pave the way for the country to become a regional trade and financial hub through the implementation of sustainable economic development and economic diversification to boost GDP growth.

The major projects included in the plan involve renewing energy and oil facilities, establishing the country as a regional business hub, constructing a major container harbor, as well as a 25km causeway, railway and metro system, and other major infrastructure work, including hospitals, institutes, and universities.

formal undertaking promising that she would give up stalking and harassing her former beau and would not approach his home.

KUWAIT: The Moral Guidance Department at the National Guard held a religious seminar for new recruits, as part of an initiative to spread religious awareness among youth in the military. It was held in cooperation with the Non-commissioned Officers Training School.

KUWAIT: An exhibition of works by internationally recognized self-taught American painter Matt Lamb opened at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) yesterday, with the event aiming to promote world peace and coexistence.

Organizers from the Matt Lamb Organization explained that the exhibition features 60 pieces of the artist’s work, adding that the ‘Matt Lamb Umbrellas for Peace’ project is accompanying the touring exhibition as an effort to promote peace worldwide.

The project was launched after the 9/11 attacks to help children affected by hardship and encourage the world community to spread understanding and peace amongst nations.

AUK’s President Dr Winfred Thompson said that the exhibition, which concludes this Thursday, brings art and peace together in one mold and promotes these ideas in societies around the world. The AUK is keen to host the exhibition due to its noble objectives, added Dr. Thompson. — KUNA

NA Women’s Affairs panel to take part in Geneva meeting KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Cabinet’s Women’s Affairs Committee will take part in the fifth session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) of the United Nations at the UN headquarters in Geneva from Oct 13 to 21.

The Committee quoted its Chairperson Sheik ha Latifa Fahad Al-Salem Al-Sabah as saying that the participation is a response to an invitation ex tended by the M inistr y of Foreign Affairs to discuss

Kuwait’s third and fourth reports of the (Convention on Elimination of all Discrimination against Women).

The statement stressed the impor tance of the meeting, which comes amid increasing international efforts to eliminate discrimination against women and work to achieve gender equality, explaining that the meeting will discuss the efforts made by Member States in order to reduce discrimination against women and follow-up obligations of States to implement the

provisions of the International Convention relating to this matter.

The United Nations in July 2010 established a body for gender equality and women’s empowerment in order to improve the status of women in all areas.

The statement said that the State of Kuwait contributes to all international efforts to strengthen the role of women in society and to achieve gender equality and combat discrimination against women.

It added that Kuwait was one of the first countries in the world that welcomed the establishment of the United Nations’ body for gender equality and suppor t its ac tivities for the advancement of the position of women in all areas.

It said that Kuwait is looking forward to cooperating with the United Nations and all active international organizations for the advancement of women and enable them to play their due role as a true partner in the community. — KUNA

Female voters to outnumber males in Kuwaiti elections KUWAIT: A total of 400,296 Kuwaitis will be eligible to vote in any parliamentary elections held before April 2012, with the majority of these being female; 215,000 women will be entitled to cast votes in any election compared to 184,996 men.

The largest number of voters, 113,407, is registered in the fifth constituency, which includes Ahmadi. Next comes the fourth constituency, incorporating Jahra

and Farwaniya, with 103,280 voters, followed by the first constituency, including most of the Capital area and Hawally, where 71,146 voters are registered to vote. The third constituency, which includes Hawally and some parts of the Capital area, contains 67,063 registered voters, while the smallest number of voters, 45,400, is to be found in the second constituency, which includes Sulaibikhat and Shamiya. — Al-Watan

Divers remove large nets off Bneidar reefs KUWAIT: Kuwaiti divers successfully removed large fishing nets that were stuck at the Bneidar coral reefs near Al-Zoor beach. They freed different types of marine species that were trapped in nets.

“The nets covered a large area underwater which posed risks to divers and marine species alike,” said Kuwait Diving Team member Jasser Al-Nassrallah. He explained that airbags were used to help lift the net to the

surface without damaging coral reef.

The team, which represents the Environmental Voluntary Foundation, urged authorities to impose stricter penalties on fishermen who dispose damaged nets.

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China marks century-old revolution amid controversy

Saleh keeps Yemenis guessing with talk of stepping down Page 8

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TUNIS: Police arrest one of the 300 Tunisian Salafists who took part in the attack on the headquarters of a private TV station that aired a French-Iranian film and organised a debate on religious extremism yesterday. — AFP

Tunisia police quell Salafist attack Messages posted on Facebook TUNIS: Tunisian police yesterday broke up a mob of angry Salafists intent on attacking a TV network that aired a film on the Iranian revolution, raising fears of unrest with historic polls only two weeks away.

The crowd targeted Nessma TV for airing “Persepolis”-an award-winning animation film they say is offensive to Islam-in the latest attack by conservative Muslims against signs of secularism in post-revolution Tunisia. “There was a first attempt to attack our headquarters by a group of around 200 Salafists, who were dispersed by police before reaching our offices,” said Nebil Karoui, the head of the private channel. He had earlier told AFP that the mob had attacked his offices and tried to torch it but

he then clarified that he only feared they would do so. The interior ministr y ’s spokesman, Hichem Meddeb, confirmed the incident and said that up to around 100 people had been rounded up.

“Some 200 Salafists who were later joined by another hundred people headed towards Nessma to attack the station. Security forces stepped in and broke up the posse,” he said.

An AFP photographer said a second group of protestors arrived after the first one was dispersed to chant slogans against Nessma.

“After we aired ‘Persepolis’ on Friday, there were messages posted on Facebook calling for Nessma to be torched and our journalists to be killed,” Karoui said.

“Persepolis” is an internationally-acclaimed

French-Iranian animation feature based on Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical and eponymous graphic novel.

It describes the last days of the USbacked shah’s regime and the subsequent 1979 revolution led by Ayatollah Khomeiny through the eyes of a young girl. The airing of the film in the local dialect was a first in Tunisia. “We are used to threats but what is alarming is that this time they put words into action,” Karoui said.

“Nessma is the progressist channel in the Maghreb and we will not be deterred. We will continue to programme whatever we choose. We did not kick one dictatorship out to bring in another,” he said. Salafists-whose Tahrir party has not been legalised-are one

of the most conservative and radical currents in political Islam.

Two hundred protestors on Saturday stormed a university campus in the city of Sousse, south of Tunis, after a female student was denied a place because she was wearing a full face veil. Many observers have voiced fears that the Arab Spring-which started in Tunisia-would herald the rise of Islamist hardliners across the region.

But the country’s leading Islamist political party, Ennahda, condemned the attack, calling it an “isolated incident” that should not provoke concern about growing radical influence. “We can only condemn this type of incident,” Samir Dilou of Ennahda’s political bureau told AFP.

“If people have criticisms against Nessma, they must express themselves in the media, not use violence.” Dilou said he had not seen “Persepolis” and therefore declined to offer an assessment of the film.

“When confronted with this type of incident, it is neccessary to apply the law. There is no need to be alarmed,” he said. Ennahda is considered a favourite in elections scheduled for October 23, where Tunisians will choose members of a constituent assembly tasked with crafting a new constitution.

In June, six Salafists were arrested in Tunis after they stormed a cinema and broke its glass doors in a bid to stop the screening of the film: “Neither Allah nor Master” on secularism in Tunisia. —AFP

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Jewish settlers clash with Palestinian farmers AWARTA: Jewish settlers clashed with Palestinian farmers yesterday as they tried to pick olives from land owned by the family of two men convicted of killing a young settler family in March.

At least three Palestinians were injured when dozens of settlers armed with sticks and stones attacked the group of about 50 workers as they tried to harvest the olives from land which belongs to the Awwad family from the nearby village of Awar ta, an AFP correspondent reported.

The olive groves lie very close to the edge of the Itamar settlement where a young couple was stabbed to

death along with three of their young children earlier this year, in an attack by two young Palestinian men from the Awwad family in Awarta. Israeli troops arrived at the scene and broke up the clashes, and were trying to protect the farmers, although the settlers remained close by, throwing stones and shouting: “Death to the Awwad family.”

Settler officials told AFP they were protesting over the fact that the Palestinians were work ing land belonging to the Awwad family.

Hakim Awwad, 18, confessed to the murders before an Israeli military cour t in September and was sen-

tenced to five consecutive life sentences, while his 19-year-old cousin Amjad Awwad admitted his involvement on October 4. He has not yet been sentenced.

Palestinian sources confirmed the land belongs to the Awwad family, part of which lies within the boundaries of the settlement.

Benny Katsover, head of the committee representing settlers in the northern West Bank, said the army had allowed the Palestinians to pick olives from a grove next to the settlement’s boundary which belonged to the Awwad family.

“It is an absolute scandal to allow

these Palestinians to come so close to Itamar, above all when we are talking about the family of those murderers who killed the Fogel family,” he told AFP. “Once again, the army is putting the lives of Itamar residents in danger,” he said. Twelve-year-old Tamar Fogel, who lost her parents, two younger brothers aged 11 and 4, and her three-month-old baby sister, in the grisly stabbing attack, was one of those who went out to confront the farmers, he said.

David Haivri, a spokesman for settlers in the northern West Bank area, accused the farmers of attacking the demonstrators. “ The Palestinians

threw stones at the demonstrators and shouted death threats at them, saying: ‘We’ll do the same to you as to the Fogels’,” he said in a statement emailed to AFP. An Israeli army spokeswoman confirmed that one Palestinian had been injured in clashes which erupted with settlers near Itamar. “It’s the start of the olive picking season so there were clashes,” she said. “We dispersed the clashes, and now the Palestinians are being allowed to pick olives with the force securing them.” She said one Palestinian was hurt by a rock and treated at the scene by an army medic. — AFP

Saleh keeps Yemenis guessing with talk of stepping down UN Security Council may pass Yemen resolution

JAFFA: Israelis and Palestinians protest after two cemeteries, one Muslim and the other Christian, were vandalized by graffiti in the mixed Arab Jewish neighborhood of Jaffa, Israel, Saturday. — AP

Muslim, Christian graves desecrated in Israeli city TEL AVIV-JAFFA: Dozens of gravestones were desecrated at adjacent Muslim and Christian cemeteries overlooking the sea at Jaffa and a fire-bomb was thrown at a nearby synagogue, on Saturday, Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

At least five tombs were smashed and some 20 others sprayed with Hebrew graffiti, including “Death to Arabs” and “Price Tag”, a slogan used by militant Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank and their supporters. The “price-taggers” have vowed to avenge any move by Israel to uproot West Bank settlement outposts built without Israeli government permission, and have set fire to mosques and vandalised both Israeli and Palestinian property.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said a fire-bomb thrown onto the roof of a synagogue in the Jaffa area caused no damage or casualties. He said an investigation had been launched and that patrols had been stepped up.

“We are looking into who could possibly be behind the (grave) desecration,” he said.

A few dozen Israelis and Palestinians turned out in a show of protest against the attacks and a local councillor blamed settlers. Jaffa is the ancient part of Tel Aviv, with a mixed Jewish and Arab population, including Christians and Muslims.

“All these extreme settlers are doing different activities and they are not paying a price for anything,” said Sami Abu-Shehadi,

a member of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality council. “Settlers have been saying that they want to bring the conflict inside (Israel) and this is exactly what they are doing now,” he said.

Rosenfeld said there was no initial indication the suspects were settlers or settler supporters, and that there was also a possibility that they might be soccer hooligans.

Israeli President Shimon Peres condemned the vandalism. “The desecration of graves is a forbidden and criminal act that defames our honour and is contrary to the moral values of Israeli society,” he said.

On Monday, a mosque in a Bedouin village in northern Israel was set on fire and graffiti sprayed on its walls in an attack authorities have blamed on hardline Jewish settlers. The attacks have drawn broad condemnation from top Israeli leaders and Peres, and the country’s chief rabbis visited the scene in a bid to calm tensions.

In 2005 a Jewish couple was charged for throwing a pig’s head into a Tel Aviv mosque in an attempt to derail Israel’s pullout from Gaza, which went ahead in August of that year. I n 2008 riots erupted in the coastal city of Acre in northern Israel when Jews accosted an Arab man who drove his car into a predominantly Jewish neighbourhood d u r i n g Yo m K i p p u r w h e n a l l t r a f f i c halts and the country shuts down for 24 hours. —Reuters

Israel hands over body of militant killed in 1976 QALQILYA: Israel yesterday handed over to the Palestinians the remains of a militant who was killed in clashes with the army in 1976, Palestinian security sources said. The handover of the remains of Hafez Abu Zant took place at the Jaljulia crossing near the northwestern town of Qalqilya in the West Bank, they said.

“We received Hafez’s body and we will now transfer it to his family in Nablus, then to Rafidia hospital,” said Salem Khilleh, head of the Palestinian Campaign for the Recovery of War Victims’ Bodies.

He said the funeral would be held early today. Abu Zant was killed on May 18, 1976 when he and two other gunmen from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) mounted an attack on Israeli troops in the Jordan Valley, known as

the Lina Nabulsi operation.

During the raid, Abu Zant and the two other gunmen, Mashour Aruri and Khaled Abu Ziyad, were killed, and their bodies were kept by Israel. Following years of legal wrangling, the body of Aruri was released last year. The Israeli military could not immediately confirm details of the handover. The DFLP issued a statement saying the release of Abu Zant’s body “marked the resolution of a national problem that has long plagued the martyrs’ families and NGOs working in the field of human rights.” According to Issam Aruri, director of the Jerusalem Legal Aid Centre (JLAC), Israel is still holding the remains of 338 militants killed in combat, whose bodies are kept in numbered, rather than named, graves. — AFP

NABLUS: Palestinian mourners carry the coffin of Hafez Abu Zant during his funeral in the West Bank city of Nablus yesterday after Israel handed over the remains of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) militant who was killed in clashes with the army in 1976, Palestinian security sources said. — AFP

SANAA: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh suggested that he would step down within days, a promise he has made three times already this year, and analysts said it was yet another stalling tactic in a succession crisis that has spread turmoil through the country.

A government official said Saleh was merely indicating readiness in a speech on Saturday to reach a deal to end months of popular unrest.

Saleh’s foreign minister met the US ambassador for talks yesterday, par t of what many expect to be a diplomatic push to deflect any action by the UN S ecurit y Council when it is briefed on the Yemen situation in the coming days. The wily leader, who came to power in 1978, is under pressure from international allies and an array of street activists, armed opponents and opposition parties to make good on promises to hand over power and end a crisis that has raised the spectre of a failed Arab state overrun by militants.

Confusion over Saleh’s intent has been familiar fare in a conflict that has dragged on since January when protesters first took to the streets to demand reform and end the authoritarian grip of Saleh and his family.

“I reject power and I will continue to reject it, and I will be leaving power in the coming days,” the 69-year-old Saleh said on state television.

He has already pulled back three times from signing a Gulf Arab peace initiative that would have seen him form an opposition-led cabinet and then hand power to his deputy before early parliamentary and presidential elections.

Officials said often during his convalescence in Riyadh after an assassination attempt in June that he would return “in days” or “soon”. He flew back unannounced in late September.

“He said this to show his commitment to this plan, but there is no plan for a resignation or transfer of powers before we have agreed and signed a deal.

That would just plunge the country into chaos or even war,” Deputy Information Minister Abdu al-Janadi told Reuters.

“He is ready to leave power in days, yes, but whether this happens in the coming days or months will depend on the success of negotiations for a deal.”

Protests against Saleh’s rule have eroded government con-

SANAA: Protesters flash victory signs during a demonstration to demand the resignation of Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sanaa, Yemen, yesterday. — AP trol over swathes of the country and fanned fears al Qaeda’s regional wing may use the upheaval to expand its foothold near oil-shipping routes through the Red Sea. Saleh’s comments may been aimed at forestalling intervention from the United Nations headquar ters in New York .

Diplomats have said they are close to getting international consensus on a Security Council resolution, which could come as early as next week, that would call on the government to implement the Gulf plan, which has US backing.

A UN envoy, Jamal Beomar, left Yemen to brief the council last week after a fruitless two weeks tr ying to mediate between Saleh’s government and the opposition. Yesterday, US Ambassador Gerald Feierstein met Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr Abdullah AlQirbi and discussed the power transfer plan, Yemen’s official news agency SABA reported.

In Saturday’s speech, Saleh repeated his condition that he will not cede power to longtime rivals from the opposition par ties, who he says have hijacked the youth ac tivists’ protests and aim to subvert the constitutional process.

Saleh’s presidential term ends in 2013 and he has said he will not run again, but analysts suspect he would like to outlast the crisis until then. The state of his health is not clear, though, after he was badly burned in the

June attack. “This is new propaganda from Saleh before Yemen is discussed at the S ecurit y Council,” said Mohammed alSabri, a spokesman for the opposition coalition group.

“Four months have passed since he said he accepted the Gulf transition deal, so what is stopping him? He doesn’t even need a few days to do it.”

New pressure came from an unexpected quarter on Friday when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Tawakul Karman, one of the leading activists who has been on the street at “Change Square” outside Sanaa University since February.

The recognition of a Yemeni democracy activist could refocus global attention on the struggle in Yemen, an impoverished state of 23 million with problems ranging from declining water resources to al Qaeda militants taking advantage of chaos in the capital.

K arman used the prize to push home the message that street mobilisation will not stop until the uprisings claim Yemen too. “This is just Saleh’s latest line. I don’t think it’s really anything new,” said political analyst Abdulghani al-Iryani. “I remember he once before said he would be ready to leave any day, so I don’t think he means what he said.”

Public US pressure has been lacking even as he cooperates with Washington in its covert war on militants in Yemen. A CIA drone killed American-Yemeni

cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen last month in what was seen as a major coup for US President Barack Obama in the battle against al Qaeda.

Saudi Arabia, a vital financial backer of Saleh’s government, shares US concerns about al Qaeda and is as keen as Saleh is to control the succession process. Analysts say a power transition involving Saleh stepping down and early elections will not be feasible while the capital and much of Yemen is under the military and security thumb of his relatives.

Fighters from the Ahmar clan and renegade general Ali Mohsen both opponents who are backing the protesters-have staked out their turf in the capital. Opposition politician Ali Seif Hassan said Saleh was threatening the opposition in the speech that if they do not come to an agreement with him, he will go to elections on this own terms. “It’s clear he wants to run the elections while his son and relatives are still running most of the military.”

In the speech, Saleh seemed to signal fuller backing for his vice president Abd-Rabbu Hadi Mansour. State television showed Mansour rather than Saleh greeting parliamentarians af ter wards at the presidential palace. Mansour has long been seen as the ideal consensus candidate acceptable to the opposition, though hardliners in the ruling party have shunned him. — Reuters

Turkish police block mass Kurdish protest ISTANBUL: Kurdish activists were forced to abandon plans for a mass march yesterday, as Turkish police blocked roads and turned away buses carrying protesters to a northwestern province where Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan is imprisoned.

The provincial governor of Bursa had declared the march illegal, and police had set up checkpoints on roads to Gemlik, a small port on the Marmara Sea across the water from the island prison where Ocalan is being held. “We won’t be able to hold the march today because of police obstruction,” Aysel Tugluk, a Kurdish member of parliament, was quoted as saying by the staterun Anatolian news agency.

One convoy, of around 1,000 people, was stopped from leaving Diyarbakir, the main city in the mainly Kurdish southeast, on

Saturday afternoon, NT V news channel repor ted. Ocalan, head of the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), is incarcerated on Imrali island south of Istanbul, and has held on-off talks with state officials seeking ways to end a separatist conflict that began in the 1980s.

The PKK is now fighting for greater autonomy and Kurdish rights, having earlier sought a separate state. Ocalan’s supporters want the state to recognise him as a legitimate representative of the Kurds in possible peace talks, and complain that he has been barred from seeing his lawyers for over two months.

More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including three victims of a car bomb in Ankara last month carried out by a PKK splinter group. Turkey’s mili-

tary has been mounting air and artillery strikes since August on PKK positions in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq, in reaction to a string of militant attacks.

Within Turkey, security forces have reportedly detained thousands of Kurds suspected of ties to the PKK in recent months. Interior Minister Idris Naim Sahin said on Friday that Kurdish media were exaggerating the numbers, though he said courts had formally arrested 277 suspects since Sept. 1. On Friday night, according to Anatolian, police arrested 49 suspects in Istanbul and 18 in Diyarbakir. They were picked up as part of an operation against a Kurdish organisation regarded as close to the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. —Reuters

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US soldiers in midst of equipment revolution WASHINGTON: Kevlar underwear, enhanced night-vision goggles and portable solar panels: the US military is seeing a gear revolution, thanks to the lessons learned during 10 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The M4 rifle remains the basic firearm of the American GI, but the addition of many gizmos now makes the soldier look more like Inspector Gadget than GI Joe: the typical gear kit includes 73 items, from clothes to weapons.

Program Executive Office Soldier, the military unit responsible for inventing and producing army equipment, says some items are designed to better protect soldiers on the ground, while others help them understand the terrain. Since 2004, every soldier has been issued a bulletproof vest with extra protection panels.

But the increased use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), responsible for more than half the deaths of US soldiers in Afghanistan, has led to the

development of new protective gear. Over the next two months, “tens of thousands” of Kevlar outergarments to protect the pelvic area will be sent to US soldiers in Afghanistan, according to Colonel William Cole, who is part of the PEO Soldier unit.

“It protects soldiers if they step on an anti-personnel IED. It can really mitigate their injuries,” he told reporters. The protective outergarment is worn over the soldier’s fatigues. Soldiers in Afghanistan also will have a Kevlar undergarment, similar to a pair of biker shorts, which helps protect them against infections caused by dirt and stones kicked up in a blast. “When you keep the wound area clean, you prevent follow-on infections,” Cole said.

To combat the frequent traumatic brain injuries suffered by troops in both Afghanistan and Iraq, which doctors say often lead to cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, helmets are being tricked out with sensors. “When a soldier is caught in an IED

event, we will be able to immediately download the data from his helmet to determine what kind of impact the helmet got to help the medical community correlate that to what kind of brain injury he might have,” Cole said.

Colonel Stephanie Foster, the program manager for the unit’s Soldiers, Sensors and Lasers project, expresses her pride in the new “Individual Gunshot Detector” system, which will help soldiers locate hidden snipers. “You can wear it on the shoulder or other parts of your equipment,” Foster said of the IGD sensor, 5,000 of which are already being used on the ground. “Basically you have the ability to have counter-sniper situational awareness. With its acoustic device, you’ll be able to get the range and direction of the incoming fire.”

For night-time combat, modern armies have the upper hand over insurgents thanks to night-vision goggles. The new-generation eyewear, which is just

reaching the field, will allow troops to more easily detect enemy fighters.

Other gadgets in the works-like the lightweight Joint Effects Targeting System-will allow soldiers to use a laser target to guide an air strike. The US military currently uses a laser designator weighing several kilos (pounds) which is mounted on a tripod.

The use of too many electronic gadgets can be cause for concern. “When you’re in an hostile environment, how do you recharge your batteries?” wonders Bill Brower, a deputy project manager, displaying a box as big as a pack of cigarettes.

“It’s basically a power manager. With it, I can take power from virtually any source. If I come across an old car battery, I can plug this in.” If there are no power sources around, soldiers can always use a portable solar blanket covered with minisolar panels, which can be used to charge up a small computer. — AFP

Romney rivals may go Police shoot man with after him for flip-flops knife at newspaper office Most qualified Republican to challenge Obama WASHINGTON: Mitt Romney faced relentless criticism four years ago for changing his positions on abortion and gay rights and equivocating on other issues, including immigration and gun control. This year, the former Massachusetts governor has largely escaped such attacks as he competes again for the Republican presidential nomination.

That might be changing. Among his rivals, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann have started to assail him for being wobbly on the issues. “For some candidates, pro-life is an election-year slogan to follow the prevailing political winds,” Perry told social conservatives recently. And Bachmann said: “You won’t find YouTube clips of me speaking in support of Roe versus Wade. You won’t find me equivocating or hemming or hawing when I’m asked to define marriage as between one man and one woman.”

Neither mentioned Romney by name but the comments, three months before primary voting begins, were obviously aimed at him.

The remarks signaled the likely start of a new phase in the GOP nomination fight as his opponents look to derail the failed 2008 candidate, who sits atop national opinion polls and on a mound of campaign cash while shoring up support among the party’s establishment.

In this race, Romney has tightly tied his message to the economy, arguing that his business background makes him the most qualified Republican to challenge President Barack Obama next fall.

He’s avoided the issues that tripped up his last campaign. And his rivals have let him, at least until now.

Their attempts to raise such issues have been tepid and tentative. He seems prepared to take it harder on the chin if it comes to that. He’s already casting his shifts as the hallmark of a good businessman. “In the private sector, if you don’t change your view when the facts change, well you’ll get fired for being stubborn and stupid,” Romney said last month in New Hampshire. A week earlier, he said Americans “can tell when people are being phony and are pandering to an audience, and you’ll see that in politics. You’re not going to see that in my campaign.”

In 2008, Romney ran to the right of the eventual nominee, Sen. John McCain, casting himself as a rockribbed conser vative on cultural issues even though he had through the years reversed his positions on such topics, priorities for religious Republicans who make up an important part of the GOP base. His Mormon faith also dogged him with evangelicals, many of whom do not believe that Mormons are Christian.

His 2008 opponents, who didn’t hide their disdain for Romney, largely kept their distance on the faith issue, but they didn’t hold back on

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential candidate former Governor Mitt Romney, arrives to deliver his remarks at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, Saturday. — AP

his position shifts and successfully tagged him as a flip-flopper. People wondered what, if anything, he stood for. “I have kept a consistent position on right to life and I haven’t changed my position on even-numbered years or have changed because of the different offices that I may be running for,” McCain said at one point during that race.

Romney gave his rivals much fodder then by casting himself as the conservative choice and staking out hardline positions on cultural issues.

That didn’t square with the moderate views he expressed in an unsuccessful 1994 Senate race and a victorious 2002 governor’s race in liberalleaning Massachusetts.

During his Senate race against Edward M. Kennedy, Romney said that regardless of his own personal beliefs, “abortion should be safe and legal in this country.” Running for governor, he said he personally opposed abortion but would “protect the right of a woman to choose under the law of the country and the laws of the commonwealth.” Then as a presidential candidate, he described himself as “pro-life” and said the Supreme Court should overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion.

On gay rights, Romney wrote a letter during his Senate race promising a gay Republican group he would be a stronger advocate for gays and their rights than Kennedy.

As a presidential candidate, he emphasized his opposition to gay marriage and civil unions. Today, he defends marriage between a man and a woman as “critical for the wellbeing of a civilization” and decries same-sex weddings.

In his first two campaigns, Romney emphasized his support of gun-control measures. In 1994, he said: “I don’t line up with the NRA.” But in the midst of his White House campaign he called himself “life-long hunter” and defender of Second Amendment rights to own guns. It wasn’t long before it was disclosed that he had only recently become a

card-carr ying National Rifle Association member.

“I’ve always been a rodent and rabbit hunter, small varmints, if you will,” Romney explained later. McCain poked at him for wavering on immigration, too. “Maybe his solution will be to get out his small varmint gun and drive those Guatemalans off his lawn,” McCain said sarcastically after it was disclosed that several illegal immigrants, including at least one from Guatemala, worked at the lawn care company that tended Romney’s property in a Boston suburb for a decade.

That didn’t square with his hardline position on illegal immigration, and issue over which he also equivocated. In 2006, he said he was against “rounding up 11 million people and forcing them at gunpoint from our country.” But during the presidential primary, he emphasized strengthening the US-Mexico border and said: “I disagree fundamentally that the 12 million people who come here illegally should be allowed to stay here permanently. I think that is a form of amnesty and that it’s not appropriate.”

Romney said then that it’s hardly a crime to change an opinion over time. He said that is a virtue in leadership. “If you’re looking for someone who’s never changed any positions on any policies, then I’m not your guy,” he said then. “I do learn from experience. If you want someone who doesn’t learn from experience, who stubbornly takes a position on a particular act and says, ‘Well, I’m never changing my view based on what I’ve learned,’ that doesn’t make sense to me.”

L a s t m o n t h , Pe r r y j a b b e d R o m n e y i n a d e b a te fo r h i s changes on abortion and guns, but his words were clumsy. Another 2012 Romney rival, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, dinged him on guns when he visited a gun store in New Hampshire recently. Asked what he hunts, Huntsman chided: “Oh, large varmints.” Expect more to come. —AP

KRASNODAR: Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev speaks next to performers wearing traditional costumes as he visits a rowing center in the southern Russian Krasnodar region, yesterday. — AFP

SCHENECTADY: An armed man who refused to leave the offices of an upstate newspaper Saturday was apparently trying to commit suicide by having an officer shoot him, authorities said. Elvis Norwood, 21, was shot by an officer after police say Norwood refused to put a knife down and lunged at the officer.

Norwood was in stable condition at a hospital Saturday evening.

The shooting happened around 4 p.m. at the offices of the Daily Gazette after a quiet news day in Schenectady, a city of more than 60,000 just outside the state capital of Albany. The newspaper reported that the man appeared weak and possibly medicated when he arrived. He talked his way into the locked building by asking a security guard for a drink of water. Then, he

refused to leave and began wandering the halls, the paper reported.

Nor wood eventually said he needed help. Daniel Beck, the newspaper’s general manager, called 911 when he saw that Norwood was carrying a knife and bleeding from his hand. The police officers who arrived at the office requested a backup officer with a stun gun, Schenectady police Sgt. Matthew Dearing told The Associated Press.

Norwood charged at Officer Brett Ferris when the other officer turned to let the backup inside the locked lobby, Dearing said.

Ferris, who has been on the force for four years, fired four shots, striking Norwood at least three times, once in the arm, chest and lower abdomen, Dearing said. “For five minutes they asked him to put the

knife down,” said Linda Eldeen, Beck’s girlfriend, who was at the office. “He did start going at them.

He looked like he was going to charge them.”

Norwood was hospitalized in stable condition, Dearing said, adding that it was too early to determine charges. A 9-inch-long kitchen knife was recovered, he said.”At this point, we’re forced to believe that this was an attempt of suicide by the police,” Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett told the newspaper.

Norwood had been picked up fewer than 10 days ago for mental health issues and taken to a hospital, Dearing told the AP. The two initial officers were placed on administrative leave, per department policy, until they are cleared to return to duty, Dearing said. — AP

Hurricane Jova grows in Pacific, threatens Mexico MEXICO CITY: Hurricane Jova was strengthening as it headed for the southwestern Mexican coast, US meteorologists said yesterday, warning the system would likely grow further in the coming days. The category one hurricane was at 0900 GMT packing maximum sustained winds of up to 85 miles per hour (140 kilometers per hour), said the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

Mexican authorities warned of landslides from heavy

rain generated by the hurricane of the season, affecting five coastal states along the west coast. The storm was veering eastward towards the Mexican Pacific coastline, where it could make landfall by tomorrow, meteorologists said. Jova was expected to strengthen in the coming days as it moved eastward. In its latest advisory, the NHC said the system was some 385 miles (615 km) west-southwest of the Mexican coastal city of Manzanillo. —AFP

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Mugabe wants to quiz Anglican leader on gays HARARE: Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe wants the Archbishop of Canterbury to explain the Anglican church’s stance on homosexuality and the western sanctions on his inner circle, a spokesman said yesterday.

Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the world’s Anglicans, came by road to Harare on Sunday for the second and most contentious stop on his threenation African tour. He spent the last three days in Malawi to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of British missionaries who at the urging of David Livingstone brought Christianity into the country.

While his visit to Malawi centred on remembering the role of early missionaries in ending the slave trade and on the modern church’s charity work, he faces thorny political challenges in Zimbabwe. Excommunicated bishop Nolbert Kunonga, a fervent backer of Mugabe, has seized all of the church’s property in Harare and moved to claim 3,800 properties in Zimbabwe and neighbouring countries.

His supporters have violently forced Anglican faithful from churches, while also running teachers and nurses from schools, clinics and orphanages. For

weeks Williams has sought a meeting with Mugabe to discuss the split, with no firm answer by yesterday.

Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba did not say if the two men would meet, but told the state-run Sunday Mail newspaper that if they did speak, the 87-year-old president would challenge Williams about gays and sanctions. “Fundamentally, he would want to know why the church of the British state, the Anglican Church, has remained so loudly silent while the people of Zimbabwe, and these people include Anglicans, are suffering from the illegal sanctions,” Charamba said.

“The second issue that the president wants this man of God to clarify is why his Anglican Church thinks homosexuality is good for us and why it should be prescribed for us. “He thinks the Archbishop will be polite enough to point to him that portion of the Great Book (that) sanctions homosexuality and sanctions sanctions.”

Mugabe and members of his inner circle, including Kunonga, are under a travel ban and asset freeze imposed by Britain and other western countries because of a decade of violently

flawed elections. Mugabe is renowned for his anti-gay stance and has described gays and lesbians as “worse than pigs and dogs.”

Williams has struggled to maintain unity in the Anglican communion amid disagreements over the ordination of female bishops in Britain, and

HARARE: Anglican spiritual leader Archbishop Rowan Williams (R) of Canterbury greets Bishop Chad Gandiya (L) of the Harare diocese on Williams’ arrival in Harare yesterday for a two-day visit in solidarity with local Anglicans embroiled in a feud with an excommunicated bishop who has seized church property including buildings. — AFP

of openly gay bishops in the United States. When he arrived in Malawi, Williams reiterated the church’s stand on gays, opposing violence and prejudice, but not supporting same-sex marriage or ordination of gay priests.

The Church of England said in July that it was reviewing its approach to same-sex relationships, an issue that has threatened to tear the church apart-particularly in Africa where many leaders are more conservative than their European counterparts.

Despite the controversies, thousands of faithful were expected to attend the communion service at a sports stadium on the outskirts of the capital later Sunday, said Precious Shumba, spokesman for the Anglican church’s Harare diocese.

“People are coming from all over the country for this great occasion,” he said. The service at the stadium mirrors how most Anglicans in Harare now worship. Forced from their own property, they now pray in tents, parking lots or other churches.

Williams is expected to visit Zimbabwe today, and then head to neighbouring Zambia before returning to Britain on October 13. — AFP

Polish premier seeks new reform mandate in election Victory could test Russia, Germany ties

LAGUENNE: A elector casts her vote in the first round of the French Socialist Party primary election to chose a candidate for the 2012 French presidential elections, in Laguenne, central France, yesterday. — AP

French left chooses presidential hopeful in US-style primary PARIS: French left-wing voters yesterday held their first US-style primary to choose the Socialists’ candidate to take on an increasingly vulnerable Nicolas Sarkozy in next year’s presidential election. Opinion polls put former party leader Francois Hollande at the head of a pack of six candidates in the primary, open for the first time in France to any self-declared left-winger on the electoral roll who pays a nominal one-euro fee.

The winner will in April 2012 take on embattled conservative Sarkozy, with the resurgent left intent on entering the Elysee palace for the first time since France’s longest-serving president Francois Mitterand left in 1995. “This is a demonstration of 100-percent democracy, especially as we’ve never been able to choose a candidate for the presidency before,” said Patrick, a 54-year-old civil servant, as he voted in Paris.

Fellow voter Vincent admitted that he and his partner would vote Green in the first round of the presidential but said he “wanted to influence which Socialist candidate will stand against Sarkozy in the second round.”

After five years in office, Sarkozy’s popularity has been hit hard by the sputtering economy, high unemployment and a series of of scandals involving close aides. The latest IFOP poll predicted that Hollande would win Sunday’s vote with 43 percent. Next is Martine Aubry, a former labour minister and creator of France’s popular 35-hour working week, tipped to win 28 percent of votes.

In the likely event that no candidate receives an absolute majority in Sunday’s first-round vote, a second run-off round will be held October 16. Either Hollande, 57, or Aubry, 61, would beat Sarkozy in next year’s presidential vote, opinion polls say, with the Socialists having last month taken control of the Senate for the first time in decades.

“I’m full of hope because I think that the process of this primary will place us squarely ahead of the right and the farright,” Hollande said as he cast his vote in the southwestern town of Tulle. Hollande has benefited greatly from the spectacular collapse of former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s political career.

Strauss-Kahn had been favourite to return in triumph from Washington, win the Socialist primary and then sweep Sarkozy from office, until May, when he was arrested in New York and charged with sexually assaulting a hotel maid.

The US case against him collapsed, but Strauss-Kahn’s long-planned campaign was sunk, and Hollande’s equal careful preparation allowed him to fill the gap. Since last year, the former Socialist general secretary has been on the trail, meeting voters, losing 10 kilos (22 pounds) of unpresidential body fat and shaking off an image as a jovial but uninspiring party apparatchik.

Aubry voted in the northern city of Lille, where she is mayor, hailing “this beautiful democratic act that we have striven to organise.” — AFP

Sudan sets ‘deadlines’ to resolve north-south issues KHARTOUM: Sudan has set deadlines to resolve outstanding disputes with the south, President Omar al-Bashir said yesterday, as a top-level southern delegation wrapped up its first visit to Khartoum since independence.

“We have agreed to have committees and have given them deadlines to reach a solution on all the pending issues,” Bashir told a news conference, standing alongside South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir.

The failure of the two parties to resolve certain key issues, including oil and borders, and the ongoing conflict in Sudan’s border region, where the army is battling rebels with historic ties to the south, have badly strained north-south relations.

No breakthrough deals were announced before Kiir’s team departed for Juba. But the two presidents yesterday reaffirmed their intention to work together for peace and stability, and to put the years of conflict behind them, during a cordial visit that seems to have set the stage for future negotations. “My government is ready to dis-

cuss any final solutions on all outstanding issues, being on the economy, security, borders and Abyei’s status,” Kiir told reporters.

“My brother al-Bashir and I myself are committed to ensure that none of these issues will take us back to war.

“There might be some elements on both sides that would like to take us back... to war.

But I repeat, we left the war station behind in 2005.” South Sudan proclaimed independence from the north on July 9, after 22 years of devastating civil war, in which some two million people died.

The conflict, which was fuelled by religion, ethnicity, ideology and resources such as oil, ended with a 2005 peace agreement but left the south in ruins. Efforts to regulate Sudan’s political and economic division, both prior to and since partition, have made only limited progress.

Khartoum has insisted that future talks should take place directly between the two parties, without external mediation. — AFP

WARSAW: Poland voted in a parliamentary election yesterday that could give Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centre-right Civic Platform four more years in power to pursue gradual economic reforms and preserve political stability.

Civic Platform, which guided Poland through the 2008-2009 financial crisis and favours closer ties with the rest of the European Union, would be the first party to hold on to power in an election in Poland since the collapse of Communism in 1989.

Opinion polls show no party will win an outright majority and another four years of coalition government are likely in the country of more than 38 million people after Civic Platform’s four-year alliance with the Peasants’ Party. The polls put outspoken ex-premier Jaroslaw Kacynski’s conservative-nationalist Law and Justice party in second place. His return to power after four years in opposition could strain ties with Russia and Germany but is widely considered unlikely because his party would struggle to forge a coalition.

Tusk, 54, portrays himself as a guardian of stability. A mild-mannered pragmatist with a common touch, he has eschewed radical economic reforms, avoided talk of austerity despite a large budget deficit and promised to continue cautious reforms.

Law and Justice has promised more state involvement in the economy, including a bank tax and higher taxes for the rich, and vowed to wind down large-scale privatisation.

“PO (Civic Platform) should continue to govern because they have done a great deal.

Just look at the roads,” said Maria Mlodzikowska, an 80-year-old retired physical education teacher, after voting in Warsaw.

But Jan Mazur, a 74-year-old retired printer, said he had voted for Law and Justice for the sake of his grandchildren.

“I don’t want them to grow up in a country which owns nothing because the PO has sold everything off under the pretext of what they call privatisation,” he said.

More than 30 million people are eligible to vote. They will elect 460 lawmakers in the lower house, the Sejm, and 100 to the upper chamber, the Senate. Voting started at 7 am (0500 GMT) and ends at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT), when the first exit polls will be released. The official result will take several hours to come in. Police said two polling stations in the eastern city of Lublin were closed because of a bomb scare but there were no other reports of problems across the NATO member state.

Ratings agencies say they could downgrade Poland if it does not swiftly act to reduce the budget deficit, expected to reach

5.6 percent of gross domestic product this year, and the public debt, expected to reach 53.8 percent of GDP this year.

Economists doubt Law and Justice would be able to meet the challenge. The current coalition, however, has failed to deliver on

sought stable ties with Russia and Germany, its largest and most powerful neighbours.

Kaczynski, 62, deeply distrusts the countries which carved up Poland under a NaziSoviet pact before World War Two and also raised eyebrows during the election cam-

WARSAW: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk with his wife Malgorzata(R) and daughter Katarzyna with their ballots go to vote in one of a polling stations in Warsaw during the parliamentary elections yesterday. — AFP promises of far-reaching liberal market reforms. The EU’s largest former communist economy has lost some of its lustre since 2007 when Tusk took power, but Poland was the only EU state to maintain positive growth through the turmoil of 2008-2009 and growth is estimated at 4 percent this year.

The Euro 2012 soccer championship, which Poland will co-host with Ukraine, should also boost demand. If Tusk wins but cannot forge a strong coalition with just the Peasants’ Party, he may have to turn to Palikot’s Movement, a new party that supports gay rights, abortion and legalisation of soft drugs for support.

Led by Janusz Palikot, a wealthy businessman and former Civic Platform lawmaker, the party has criticised Poland’s powerful Catholic Church. “I support Palikot ... at least he’ll be a breath of fresh air in the stiflingly stodgy Sejm,” said Krystyna Celinska, a 28-year-old graphic artist. Tusk favours deeper EU integration despite the euro zone debt crisis and has

paign by repeating in a new book his view that Berlin is trying to subdue Poland.

“I back PiS (Law and Justice) because they put Poland’s interests ahead of those of Brussels or Berlin,” said Maria Derkacz, a translator in her early 60s.

Tusk has continued the rapprochement with Moscow, which held sway over Poland for decades after World War Two, despite a setback since a plane crash last year killed then-President Lech Kaczynski, Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s twin, and 95 others.

Moscow says mistakes by Polish pilots were the sole cause of the crash. Warsaw believes Russian ground controllers also played a role in the tragedy and Kaczynski says Tusk and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin bore some responsibility.

“I don’t much like Tusk but he will prevent Kaczynski getting into power,” said Andrzej Antczak, a 42-year-old communications specialist. — Reuters

Pope condemns organised crime LAMEZIA TERME: Pope Benedict yesterday condemned “ferocious” organised crime groups in the southern Calabria region, where lawlessness, corruption and underdevelopment have resulted in one of Italy’s highest unemployment rates.

The pope, in a homily for tens of thousands of people from all over the region that forms the “toe” of Italy, said the area seemed to be in a constant state of emergency and that he wanted to encourage the people’s efforts to improve their condition.

“This is an area .... where problems exist in acute and destabilising forms, where crime groups that are often ferocious tear at the social fabric, a land that seems to be in a constant state of emergency,” he said. Calabria is home to the ‘Ndrangheta, considered among the most dangerous and power ful crime syndicates in western Europe.

Investigators believe that the

highly secretive Calabrian group has overtaken the Sicilian Mafia to dominate drug trafficking and extortion rackets in Europe and beyond. Unemployment in Calabria, one of the most backward regions in Italy despite its potential in industries such as tourism and shipping, is about 32

percent against a national rate of 7.9 percent. Youth unemployment peaks at about 50 percent in parts of the mostly mountainous and coastal region. Lamezia’s mayor, Gianni Speranza, who has received threats from the mob because of his anti-crime programme, speaking before the

LAMEZIA: Pope Benedict XVI leaves at the end of a mass celebrated in an industrial area of the town of Lamezia Terme, yesterday during his one day visit in Italy’s southern Calabria region battling high unemployment among young people and mafia crimes. —AFP

pope, called Calabria “a land of suffering ... of unacceptable unemployment, of dramatic injustices and violence.”

In a damning assessment of Italy’s south, US diplomatic cables written in 2008 published by WikiLeaks this year describe Calabria as a region plagued by crooked or ineffective politicians, organised crime and a fatalistic people who are forced to pay protection money to the mob. US diplomats said in their economic and social assessment that Calabria would be a “failed state” if it were independent.

The pope urged Calabrians to be “strong, hopeful and courageous” as they face the many difficulties in their region. Combined annual turnover of Italy’s three main crime groups, the Calabrian ‘Ndrangheta, the Sicilian Mafia and the Neapolitan Camorra, is estimated at 135 billion euros ($188.6 billion), according to business association SOS Impresa. — Reuters

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Indian police detain Tibetans outside China embassy NEW DELHI: Indian police detained 13 Tibetan students yesterday at a protest outside the Chinese embassy in New Delhi after two men reportedly set themselves on fire at a monastery in southwest China.

About 20 young protesters from India’s large Tibetan exile community climbed lamp posts and raised anti-Beijing banners before the police moved in and bundled them into vans. “They were protesting to highlight that seven men have set themselves on fire this year in selfimmolation attempts against Chinese repression and China’s intensified military crackdown,” activist Tsering Tashi told AFP. “We youngsters want to show the world that we will never give up fighting,” Tashi, coordinator of the Delhi chapter of the Students for a Free Tibet group, said. A Delhi police official, who declined to be named, said that 13 students including seven girls were detained at the demonstration against the Chinese government.

Tibetan rights groups said that two young men set themselves on fire on Friday near a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in southwest China. The latest incidents take the number of people reported to have set themselves ablaze to seven this year.

The two were former monks from Sichuan province’s Kirti monastery, the scene of repeated protests against perceived religious oppression, the London-based Free Tibet group said in statement. It said there were unconfirmed reports that one had died.

Many Tibetans inside and outside China are angry about what they view as increasing domination by the country’s majority Han ethnic group. China, however, says that Tibetan living standards have improved with billions of dollars in Chinese investment.

In August, China jailed three monks for helping a young monk kill himself in March, raising criticism from the United States and rights groups.

Meanwhile. South Africa refused to give the Dalai Lama a visa to visit for Desmond Tutu’s birthday because the foreign ministry feared his trip would jeopardise trade ties with China, a newspaper reported yesterday.

“The People’s Republic of China is South Africa’s largest trading partner and was key in avoiding the last recession, among others,” read a secret foreign ministry document, which the weekly City Press said it had obtained.

The document said that South Africa’s “strategic relationship” with China depended on Pretoria unconditionally supporting Beijing’s “one China” policy, which rejects Tibetan independence. China regards the Dalai Lama as a “splittist” and frowns on overseas travel by the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader. “ The issue of Tibet is high in China’s priority and is seen as posing a threat to sovereignty. South Africa respects the quest for China to protect its sovereignty,” the document said, according to the paper.

“In dealing with the Dalai Lama, the government is sensitive to the need to uphold the right of association espoused in our constitution but

must balance that with the real or imagined role of Dalai Lama,” it reportedly said.

“The government, in pursuit of

NEW DELHI: A Tibetan student in exile is detained by Indian police officers during a protest outside the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi yesterday. —AFP

South Africa’s national interest, has sought to balance these two issues,” it said. South Africa never publicly announced if it would grant a visa to the Dalai Lama, who was scheduled to give a speech in Cape Town on Saturday to mark Tutu’s 80th birthday.

The Dalai Lama cancelled trip, saying he had received no news about his visa, provoking a furious reply from Tutu who called President Jacob Zuma’s administration “worse than the apartheid government” for bowing to China and ignoring the values of the liberation movement. South African media also reported yesterday that in the midst of the visa scandal last week, a top-level delegation from the governing African National Congressled by the party’s secretary general Gwede Mantashe-quietly flew off to China.

“It is about understanding the political system and how to take lessons from the Chinese on governance issues,” one party official told City Press. —Agencies

Sri Lankan police probe deadly shootings at polls Ruling alliance sweep polls

KABUL: Afghan parliament speaker Abdul Rahoof Ibrahimi, right, listens to Afghan lawmaker from western Herat province, Simeen Barakzai, lying down in her tent as she continued her fast for the eight consecutive day in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. —AP

Afghan MP ‘critical’ on eighth day of hunger strike KABUL: An Afghan woman MP was in a critical condition yesterday, after entering the eighth day of a rare hunger strike to protest against her expulsion from parliament over alleged vote fraud. Semin Barakzai, a 30year-old mother of three and one of nine MPs expelled from the national assembly over vote rigging claims, has refused to eat until she is reinstated to the parliamentary seat she claims to have won in 2010 polls.

Her persistence comes one day after dozens of lawmakers returned to the lower house of parliament, ending a boycott over the disqualifications after a year of bitter dispute over the polls. “The law has been violated. Justice has been undermined and I won’t end this (hunger strike) until justice is done and the law restored,” Barakzai told AFP, lying in a protest tent outside parliament and barely able to speak.

A doctor assigned to monitor her told AFP she was entering a critical condition after eight days without food. “She’s not doing well. She already had stomach problems and I’m afraid this is dangerous for her,” Doctor Mohammad Fardin said. On Saturday, Barakzai’s blood pressure dropped and she was given a drip overnight.

Yesterday, Barakzai refused to take a further drip in front of an AFP reporter. “I don’t want it,” she whispered, shaking her head, lying on a bed in a white tent in the heavily guarded neighbourhood. She and eight other members of the Wolesi Jirga were kicked out by the Independent Election Commission last August in an attempt to resolve nearly a year of disputes over wide-

spread graft in September 2010 parliamentary polls. Hunger strikes, particularly by a woman, are unusual in Afghanistan, a deeply conservative male-dominated society where violent protests are more normal expressions of frustration. Several cabinet ministers and Vice President Karim Khalili have been to visit Barakzai in her tent, along with journalists and rights activists Dozens of MPs who boycotted parliament calling the move unconstitutional, on Saturday returned to their seats, but said they still supported Barakzai. “We decided to return and carry on our struggle from inside parliament. We support the move by Mrs Barakzai,” lawmaker Ahmad Behzad told AFP, adding that he considered the expulsion of the MPs illegal.

The election row exposed a lack of transparency in Afghan politics, 10 years after the 2001 US-led invasion sought to impose parliamentary democracy and as foreign combat troops fighting the Taleban aim to withdraw in 2014. Trying to find a way out of the impasse and quell opposition, President Hamid Karzai has offered official positions to the nine outgoing lawmakers.

Part of the urgency is that he needs parliament to confirm seven acting cabinet ministers before an international conference on the future of Afghanistan scheduled for December in the German city of Bonn.

Jandad Spinghar, executive director of the Free and Fair Election Foundation, said Barakzai’s hunger strike should be supported as evidence of a growing culture of civil protest rather than violence. —AFP

Special ops, CIA first in, last out of Afghanistan FORT BRAGG: They were the first Americans into Afghanistan after the Sept.

11 attacks and will probably be the last US forces to leave. As most American troops prepare to withdraw in 2014, the CIA and military special operations forces to be left behind are girding for the next great pivot of the campaign, one that could stretch their war up to another decade.

The war’s 10th anniversary Friday recalled the beginnings of a conflict that drove the Taliban from power and lasted far longer than was imagined. “We put a CIA guy in first,” scant weeks after the towers in New York fell, said Lt. Gen. John Mulholland, then a colonel with US special operations forces, in charge of the military side of the operation. US Special Forces Green Berets, together with CIA officers, helped coordinate anti-Taleban forces on the ground with US firepower from the air, to topple the Taleban and close in on al-Qaeda.

Recent remarks from the White House suggest the CIA and special operations forces will be hunting al-Qaida and working with local forces long after most US troops have left. When Afghan troops take the lead in 2014, “the US remaining force will be basically an enduring presence force focused on counterterrorism,” said National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, in remarks in

Washington in mid-September. That will be augmented by teams that will continue to train Afghan forces, added White House spokesman Tommy Vietor.

The White House insists this does not mean abandoning the strategy of counterinsurgency, in which large numbers of troops are needed to keep the population safe. It simply means replacing the surge of 33,000 US troops, as it withdraws over the next year, with newly trained Afghan ones, according to senior White House Afghan war adviser Doug Lute.

It also means US special operators and CIA officers will be there for the next turn in the campaign. That’s the moment when Afghans will either prove themselves able to withstand a promised Taliban resurgence, or find themselves overwhelmed by seasoned Taleban fighters. “We’re moving toward an increased special operations role,” together with US intelligence, Mulholland said, “whether it’s counterterrorism-centric, or counterterrorism blended with counterinsurgency.” As outgoing head of US Army Special Operations Command, Mulholland has been in charge of feeding a steady stream of troops to commanders in the field. He knows they need as many special operations troops as he can produce and send. —AP

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan police launched an investigation yesterday into an election-day gunfight between political rivals in which three people were shot dead, including one adviser to the president. President Mahinda Rajapakse’s ruling alliance swept the polls, winning 22 out of 23 local councils in elections, but right groups said the shooting underscored the link between violence and politics on the island.

Two factions within the ruling alliance clashed shortly before voting closed on Saturday, leaving Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and two of his bodyguards dead. More than a dozen people were seriously wounded. Police said at least two officers were among those critically hurt in the shoot-out on a main street near a polling booth in the constituency of Kolonnawa, an eastern suburb of the capital Colombo.

At the site of the shoot-out, a cur few was lifted on Sunday morning but hundreds of police commandos and soldiers remained on patrol after party supporters went on a rampage damaging property and setting vehicles on fire. Police said Premachandra, 55, died of multiple gunshot wounds along with the two bodyguards in the short but bloody fight after a rival faction within the ruling alliance opened fire.

At least 28 firearms, including automatic assault rifles, had been involved, police said.

Premachandra’s arch rival, legislator Duminda Silva, was also wounded in the confrontation and was in intensive care after surgery to remove two bullets from his

brain, hospital sources said.

The shooting has seriously embarrassed the government, which is yet to comment, and police said no arrests had been made. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), based in

Alliance party won 22 of 23 local councils, but it lost the most prestigious race-the Colombo Municipal Council.

The fractured opposition faced a rout elsewhere with Rajapakse’s party gaining large

was a vote of confidence for the president. Rajapakse has boosted his popularity and tightened his grip on power since government troops crushed Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009 to end nearly four decades of ethnic conflict which

COLOMBO: A Sri Lankan army motorcycle unit patrols in Kolonnawa, a district of Colombo yesterday, where gunmen shot dead a presidential aide, Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and two of his bodyguards a day earlier. —AFP Hong Kong, said Saturday ’s killings underlined that the brutal and sometimes deadly nature of Sri Lankan democracy.

“This violent conflict between two prominent members of the ruling regime points to the type of politics prevailing in the country,” the AHRC said in a statement. Poll results released on Sunday showed Rajapakse’s United People’s Freedom

majorities in provincial towns.

Saturday’s poll, in which 1.5 million people were eligible to vote, was seen as a mid-term test for Rajapakse, who won a second term for himself and his party in elections last year.

Government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella did not comment on the gunfight, but said in a statement that the overall victory for the ruling party

had claimed up to 100,000 lives.

“People have endorsed the president’s plans to take development to villages after ending terrorism in 2009,” Rambukwella told reporters. After the results were released, the main opposition United National Party said the ruling alliance had broken campaign rules and that voting had been affected by widespread irregularities. —AFP

Deadly Thai floods threaten Bangkok BANGKOK: Nearly 200 factories, including one run by Japanese car maker Honda Motor Co Ltd, closed in the central Thai province of Ayutthaya because of flooding, which could threaten Bangkok this week, officials said yesterday.

About 261 people have died since late July in flood-related incidents, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said. Some 2.3 million people have been affected in the worst flooding to hit

parts of Thailand in 50 years, mainly in the centre, north and northeast.

The Rojana estate in Ayutthaya province, run by Rojana Industrial Park Pcl, was flooded after a wall of sandbags failed to hold back water overnight. “All 198 factories at Rojana have to be closed because the water is about 5.1 metres high,” Industry Minister Wannarat Channukul told Reuters.

A Honda spokeswoman said it had moved about

AYUTTHAYA: Villagers with belongings wade through a flooded street during an evacuation in Ayutthaya province, central Thailand yesterday. Thailand’s prime minister warned that rising floodwaters which have wreaked havoc across the nation are now threatening the capital, Bangkok. —AP

3,000 assembled cars from the estate to other areas.

Hana Microelectronics Pcl has also had to close its plant in Ayutthaya. On Thursday the Center for Economic and Business Forecasting, part of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, cut its forecast for gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year to 3.6 percent from 4.4 percent because of the floods. It put the impact of the flooding at between 1.0 and 1.3 percentage points of GDP and said its new growth forecast would have been lower but for recent strength in exports. The commerce ministry said on Friday it had slashed its forecast for the main rice crop, which farmers are just starting to bring in, to 21 million tonnes from 25 million because of the flooding.

Thailand is the world’s biggest rice exporter. The crop damage will add to the pressure on export prices, already being forced up by the high buying price set under a government intervention scheme aimed at helping poor farmers.

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said in a statement the authorities were preparing an evacuation plan to move people from affected areas if floods hit the capital, much of which is just two metres above sea level.

Some riverside areas have already suffered minor flooding but the level of the Chao Phraya River could rise sharply from Oct. 15-18 when a large amount of water will reach the area from the north, where dams are close to overflowing, at a time of high sea tides.

The government was trying to accelerate the drainage of water from the Chao Phraya into the sea before the high tide. Other Southeast Asian countries have suffered serious flooding in recent weeks because of heavy monsoon rains combined with tropical storms. The death toll from two strong typhoons that cut across the north of the Philippines’ main island and left behind widespread flooding had risen to 101 as of yesterday, the national disaster agency said. —Reuters

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Mao cap-wearing Philippine communist rebel is dead MANILA: A popular Mao cap-wearing Filipino guerrilla, who gave a voice and face to one of Asia’s longest-running Marxist insurgencies as its spokesman with a common-folk touch, has died of a heart attack, his comrades said yesterday. He was 64.

The outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines said Gregorio “Comrade Roger ” Rosal died in a guerrilla zone in the country’s north on June 22, but delayed the public announcement of his death until his daughters were notified. Reaching them was difficult because of intense military operations.

The communist par ty and its armed wing, the New People’s Army, mourned Rosal’s death in a statement, saying “his life of service to the revolution will serve as an inspiration

to the people to carry forward their revolutionary struggles.”

All Maoist guerrillas will pay a tribute with gun salutes on Oct. 15, the party said. “He was the effective voice of the revolution,” Netherlands-based rebel leader Luis Jalandoni told The Associated Press by telephone. “He was so loved by the masses and members of the media. He was always easy to reach for interviews.”

While it hunted Rosal for years, the 120,000-strong military offered its condolences to Rosal’s family yesterday, saying it once offered medical help when news of his failing health spread. Rosal turned down the offer.

A son of impoverished sugar plantation workers, Rosal became a trade union organizer and student activist before deciding to go underground

in the mountainous Quezon region southeast of the capital, Manila, in the 1970s to join the fight for a Marxist state.

He was captured a year after dictator Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial rule in the Philippines in 1972, but escaped a few months later.

While considered a celebrity even among his comrades, Rosal was among guerrilla leaders who were subjected to an unspecified punishment by the rebels for failing to take a strong stand against an internal purge of suspected military spies in the late 1980s.

Rosal served as rebel spokesman from the 1980s to the 1990s, using laptop computers, two way radios and cellphones to bring guerrilla statements using the Tagalog dialect

to households through radio and TV interviews. He debated passionately with military spokesmen over the radio and often arranged visits for journalists to rebel encampments, regaling them by playing his harmonica and shaking their hands.

He nearly died of typhoid fever in 1995 then suffered a series of strokes in succeeding years, gradually removing him from the limelight.

After the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the Filipino guerrillas became a target of the U.S.-led global war on terror when Washington placed them on its list of terrorist organizations and urged nations to help wipe them out by denying them refuge and money.

But Rosal said then that the homegrown guerrillas were hardly affected because they survive on local contri-

butions, attack government troops for weapons or buy guns from corrupt officers, and get “the best sons and daughters” as recruits from families suffering from poverty, landlessness and government neglect. “ The government is the No. 1 recruiter of the New People’s Army,” Rosal said. While dodging military assaults, Rosal never ran out of wit and humor and constantly countered the military’s portrayal of the rebels as murderous terrorists - a view shared by the US government.

After a clandestine news conference in a pine-clad northern forest in 2004, Rosal pulled out a harmonica to entertain reporters. “I’ll provide the caption for you: the singing terrorist,” he said as photographers captured the moment. — AP

China marks century-old revolution amid controversy One-party rule brought stability, prosperity

TAIPEI: Taiwanese military honour guards perform a flag lowering ceremony on a square in downtown Taipei yesterday. Taiwan marked the 100th anniversary of its formation following the revolution and the 1949 rise to power of the Communists in China. — AFP

China’s president calls for reunification with Taiwan BEIJING: China’s President Hu Jintao yesterday called for Taiwan and the Chinese mainland to reunite, as he marked the 100th anniversary of the revolution that ended the nation’s long imperial history.

Speaking at a ceremony attended by top Communist Party leaders-including former President Jiang Zemin, who made his first public appearance since rumours emerged that he had died-Hu also ruled out Taiwanese independence.

“Achieving reunification through peaceful means is what most suits Chinese people’s fundamental interests, including Taiwan compatriots,” he said.

“We must strengthen our opposition to Taiwanese independence... and promote close exchanges and cooperation between compatriots on both sides.”

The ceremony at the Great Hall of the People marked the 100th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution, which overthrew the Qing dynasty, bringing more than 2,000 years of nearly unbroken imperial history to an abrupt end. The Republic of China then emerged, but it only lasted until 1949 on the mainland.

That year, the Communists took power and the remnants of the republic moved to Taiwan, which still calls itself the Republic of China although Beijing claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island. “Working together to promote the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations... should be the goal of both sides,” Hu said, adding both should “heal the wounds of history”.

Relations between the two sides have improved markedly since the Beijingfriendly Taiwanese President Ma Yingjeou came to power in 2008. China is Taiwan’s largest trading partner, its largest investment destination, and now also home to a growing number of Taiwanese.

They, and thousands of short-term

travellers, now have access to direct flights every week, whereas all air travel once had to go through Hong Kong.

Yesterday, two of China’s top carriers announced they would launch more direct flights to Taiwan, the state-run Xinhua news agency said. China Eastern Airlines will increase the number of weekly direct flights between the eastern city of Hefei and Taiwan’s capital Taipei from October 31.

China Southern Airlines, meanwhile, will increase its weekly direct flights between the northeastern city of Shenyang and Taipei from November 1, the report said. But many Taiwanese are wary of the military threat posed by China, which has never given up on its goal of regaining the island, by force if necessary.

Hu reiterated that China was committed to peaceful development, amid concerns about the nation’s military build-up and growing territorial assertiveness.

“China was, is, and will be a positive force for maintaining world peace and promoting common development,” he said.

Beijing has repeatedly sought to alleviate fears over its pursuit of sophisticated missiles, satellites, cyber-weapons and fighter jets, stressing that its policy is “defensive in nature.” But its neighbours view with concern China’s increasing assertiveness in its claims over the East and South China Seas, most of which it considers its maritime territory, but where other Asian nations have competing claims.

As Hu spoke, Jiang was shown sitting alongside other top officials at the ceremony-broadcast live on state televisionlooking frail and tired. It was the 85-yearold’s first appearance in public since rumours emerged in July that he had died, which eventually forced Xinhua to issue a rare public denial. —AFP

Australian military hit by sex assault claim SYDNEY: A female soldier serving with Australian forces in Afghanistan was allegedly sexually assaulted on a military base, officials said yesterday, just days before the release of a report into defence abuse cases. The soldier, whose rank and age have not been released, reported the assault at the Tarin Kot base in restive Uruzgan province to her superior officer on Wednesday, defence officials told AFP. “The (identity of the) alleged assailant is not known, it happened on a multi-national base and there’s a few different organisations there,” a defence spokesman said.

“The matter is now the subject of an investigation. Further details regarding the alleged assault will not be released while this process is under way. “Defence does not condone inappropriate behaviour and treats such allegations seriously.” It is the latest in a series of sex scandals to rock the Australian military which saw an inquiry called into the treatment of women, and a broader abuse probe

that attracted more than 1,000 complaints. That investigation is due to deliver its official report this week.

The second sex assault reported by a female soldier in as many months, it also follows Canberra’s announcement that all frontline combat roles would now be open to women for the first time in Australia’s history. Opponents say closequarters combat is too dangerous and that the policy will result in women being unfairly targeted.

The reviews into abuse and treatment of women followed a scandal at the elite Australian Defence Force Academy where a female cadet was unwittingly filmed and broadcast on the Internet having sex with a male classmate.

Australia’s military has gained an unwanted reputation for drinking and sexist attitudes, with a report into incidents on board the supply ship HMAS Success this year finding a sexually predatory and boozy culture, concealed through silence and fear. — AFP

BEIJING: China’s Communist Party elite yesterday marked a century since the revolution that ended millennia of rule by emperors, a date that has stoked warnings by critics that the party must tackle deeper reforms or also risk losing power.

China’s calendar is speckled with anniversaries heavy with political symbolism, and even the distant events that triggered the fall of the Qing dynasty and birth of a republic in 1911-12 have become a focus for controversy about the country’s future.

President Hu Jintao said China’s history since the toppling of the Qing dynasty showed that one-party rule remained vital to the nation’s hopes for economic prosperity and political unity, including reunification with selfruled Taiwan. “ To achieve the great revival of the Chinese nation, we must certainly firmly uphold the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party,” Hu told hundreds of officials gathered in the cavernous Great Hall of the People in central Beijing in a nationally televised keynote speech celebrating the “Xinhai Revolution.”

But the party’s version of the fall of the dynasty has been challenged by critics who say the chaotic chain of coups and insurrections that toppled the corrupt empire and subsequent violent faction conflicts and invasion by Japan are a reminder of the need for democratic reform in the present.

China again faces a dangerous confluence of official corruption, volatile public discontent and stalled reform, Zhou Ruijin, the former deputy editor-in-chief of the People’s Daily newspaper said in a recent essay about the 1911 revolution.

“Grievances, distrust and rancour that have accumulated over many years have reached a peri-

BEIJING: China’s President Hu Jintao (L) stands with former president Jiang Zemin (C) during a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. — AFP od when they break out,” Zhou wrote in a Beijing magazine. In past months, authorities have shown how sensitive they are about liberal intellectuals using the events of 1911 as a mirror to criticise or cajole the government. Some seminars and debates about the anniversary have been cancelled.

“For us, China’s Xinhai Revolution is still not dead history, it still has a strong resonance with present-day realities,” said Lei Yi, an historian at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. “A key lesson of the revolution is that the country’s fate depends on whether the rulers

make the right choices about advancing reforms. Above all, there’s still the issue that a modern China needs a modern form of government-constitutional government.”

The 1911 revolution has also been celebrated in television dramas and a movie whose stars include Jackie Chan, a martial arts actor better know for high kicks than high politics. President Hu is due to leave office from late next year, when a Communist Party congress will install a new leadership.

The 1911 Revolution gave birth to the Republic of China in early 1912 under President Sun

Yat-sen. Taiwan is still formally called the Republic of China after Nationalist forces fled there in 1949 to escape advanced Communist forces.

Hu used his anniversar y speech to warn Taiwan against ever pursuing outright inde pendence and to call for closer ties with the island, which holds a presidential elec tion in January. Among the guests in the Great Hall was 85-year-old former president Jiang Zemin, making a rare public appearance after widespread speculation in July that he was in failing health, even near death, after a heart attack. —Reuters

Philippine rebels free town mayor, 11 hurt in two blasts ZAMBOANGA: Communist guerrillas freed a town mayor and his two military guards yesterday after two months of jungle captivity in the southern Philippines in a move welcomed by the government after a major rebel attack last week provoked a new military offensive.

Rebel spokesperson Rubi del Mundo said New People’s Army guerrillas handed Mayor Henry Dano and his two bodyguards to their families and officials after the three apologized for their roles in the government’s counterinsurgency operations. The three walked free near Trento town in southern Agusan del Sur province. Dano and his bodyguards were seized at gunpoint by the rebels last August from his house in Lingig town, where he served as mayor, in nearby Surigao del Sur province.

The Maoist guerrillas also freed on Saturday four jail guards they captured on July 21 during a rescue of a jailed comrade in southern Bukidnon province.

Alexander Padilla, who heads a government panel engaged in peace talks with the rebels, welcomed the releases of Dano and the jail guards, saying they were noncombatants whose kidnappings violated international humanitarian laws. Their families “have suffered enough,” he said.

Police officials said they would pursue criminal charges against the kidnappers. Del Mundo warned the mayor and his bodyguards could be snatched by the rebels again if they resume acts against the guerrillas. The releases came after more than 200

rebels disarmed guards, briefly held employees and torched trucks, heavy equipment and company offices in nearly simultaneous attacks that have alarmed the local mining industry.

Those attacks, among the

CARAGA: Mayor of Mindanao’s Lingig town Henry Dano (C) smiles as he is reunited with his wife (L) and daughter (R) following his release by Philippine communist rebels of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the Caraga region of the insurgency-wracked southern Philippine Mindanao island yesterday. — AFP guerrillas laid siege on three nickel mining complexes last Monday in Claver town in southern Surigao del Norte province. The

largest mounted by the rebels in recent years, sent the government scrambling to reassure mining companies and foreign

investors by deploying hundreds of additional army troops to secure remote mines and hunt down the guerrillas. The Marxist rebels, estimated to number more than 4,000, have continued attacks despite resuming talks this year aimed at settling one of Asia’s longest-running communist insurgencies. Philippine officials said they would continue with peace negotiations with the rebels despite Monday’s mine attacks.

Meanwhile, two power ful explosions believed to be from home -made bombs ripped through a motel and a cock-fighting arena in the southern Philippines yesterday, wounding 11 people, police said. The first explosion at noon tore through the ground floor of the twostorey Red Palm inn in Zamboanga, a port city in the troubled southern island of Mindanao, where Islamist militants operate.

“It was a huge explosion. Six of my friends were injured and taken away for medical help after a wall fell on them after the explosion,” said hotel guest and witness Roland Teofilo, who escaped unharmed. “I believe the blast happened below our room.”

Police suspect the explosion was caused by a bomb, said local commander — Agencies

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NEWS

AHMEDABAD, India: Indian artist Shaikh Salimbhai, 26, cleans off the dust from a replica of the Taj Mahal made from matchsticks yesterday. Salimbhai made this Taj Mahal from around 75,000 matchsticks and it took him 1 year and 19 days. — AFP

UAE activists miss trial, kin urge release ABU DHABI: The families of five activists who again refused to appear in a United Arab Emirates court yesterday on charges of insulting top officials have made a joint plea for their release.

“We, the families of the five activists, who are held in prison over misdemeanour cases at the Higher Federal court... come forward with this petition to your most courteous selves after they had spent six months in imprisonment,” said the statement received by AFP. “We turn to you asking for your interference, with your influence, in order to stop this trial that isn’t consistent with international standards for fair trial, cancel the charges and order the release of the detainees,” said the letter addressed to the president and vice president of the UAE and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi.

The procedures and treatment of the detainees “before or during the trial, violated the standards of fair trial as internationally defined,” said the statement. The violations include “their right to release pending trial... to be presumed innocent... to be tried without undue delay... (and) the right to appeal,” said the statement. It also said that the procedures have violated “the international standards of right of the

defence to question witnesses against the accused... (and) to prepare a defence.”

The defendants, alleging mistreatment, have refused to attend the hearings, drawing protests from prosecutors who accused them of “hampering the court’s work”. The next hearing is set for Oct 23. The families’ plea said the detainees were denied “adequate medical care” and that some of them “were shackled with chains and handcuffs, and were not allowed to complain... They were occasionally deprived of being exposed to natural light, recreation time and exercise”.

Khalifa Al-Nuaimi, a relative of one of the defendants, Nasser bin Gaith, wrote on his blog on Thursday that the head of the state security prosecution had visited the detainees in prison to monitor their situation. “According to news leaked from the prison, their cells were cleaned and medical files were opened for the five detainees,” wrote Nuaimi. But “I have fears and concerns that these sudden actions taken by the prosecutors and the prison administration may be proactive measures to prepare for visits by local or foreign parties,” he said.

Bin Gaith’s wife, Wedad Al-Muhairi,

told AFP her husband had already served more than six months in prison and called for his immediate release on the basis that if convicted, his sentence would be a period of three to six months. “The court has refused to release them on bail, although detainees shouldn’t stay detained until the verdict,” she said. Blogger Ahmed Mansoor and Bin Gaith, who lectures at the Abu Dhabi branch of the Sorbonne University, were detained in April along with activists Fahid Salim Dalk, Hassan Ali Khamis and Ahmed Abdul Khaleq.

The men are accused of using the Internet to insult UAE leaders, call for boycotting last month’s Federal National Council elections and for anti-government demonstrations.

Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement yesterday that “the real insult to the Emirati government is not anything these men said, but the fact that the country’s leaders have jailed them for it”. The UAE, a federation of seven emirates led by oil-rich Abu Dhabi, has not seen any of the widespread protests calling for reform that have swept other Arab countries, including fellow Gulf states Bahrain and Oman. — AFP

Riots erupt as Christians protest in Cairo...

Continued from Page 1 stones in boxes. At one point, a group of youths with at least one riot policeman among them dragged a protester by his legs for a long distance.

The Christian protesters said their demonstration began as a peaceful attempt to sit in at the television building. But then, they said they came under attack by thugs in plainclothes who rained stones down on them and fired pellets. “The protest was peaceful. We wanted to hold a sit-in, as usual,” said Essam Khalili, a protester wearing a white shirt with a cross drawn on it. “Thugs attacked us and a military vehicle jumped over a sidewalk and ran over at least 10 people. I saw them.”

Wael Roufail, another protester, corroborated the account. “I saw the vehicle running over the protesters.

Then they opened fired at us,” he said. Khalili said protesters set fire to army vehicles when they saw them hitting the protesters. Television footage of the riots showed some of the Coptic protesters attacking a soldier, while a priest tried to protect him. One soldier collapsed in tears as ambulances rushed to the scene to take away the injured.

Christians blame Egypt’s ruling military council for being too lenient on those behind a spate of antiChristian attacks since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in February. Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority makes up about 10 percent of the country of more than 80 million people. As Egypt undergoes a chaotic power transition and security vacuum in the wake of this year’s uprising, Christians are particularly worried about the increasing show of force by the ultraconservative Islamists.

Yesterday’s rally began in the Shubra district of northern Cairo, then headed to the state television building along the Nile where men in plainclothes attacked about a thousand Christian protesters as they chanted denunciations of Egypt’s military rulers. “The people want to topple the field marshal,” the protesters yelled, referring to the head of the ruling military council, Field Marshall Hussein Tantawi. Some Muslim protesters later joined in the same chant.

Armed with sticks, they chased the Christian protesters from the TV building, banging metal street signs to scare them off. It was not immediately clear who the attackers were. Gunshots rang out at the scene, where lines of riot police with shields tried to hold back hundreds of Christian protesters chanting “This is our country.” Security forces eventually fired tear gas to disperse the protesters. The clashes then moved to nearby Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the 18-day uprising that ousted Mubarak. The army closed off streets around the area.

The clashes left streets littered with shattered glass, stones, ashes and soot from burned vehicles. Hundreds of curious onlookers gathered at one of the bridges over the Nile nearby to watch the unrest. After hours of intense clashes, chants of “Muslims, Christians one hand, one hand” rang out, a call for a truce. The stonethrowing died down after that. In the past weeks, riots have broken out at two churches in southern Egypt, prompted by Muslim crowds angry over church construction. One riot broke out near the city of Aswan, even after church officials agreed to a demand by local ultraconservative Muslims, called Salafis, that a cross and bells be removed from the building. — AP

Syria warns against recognising oppn Continued from Page 1 escalating violence against antiregime protesters that the United Nations says has left nearly 3,000 people dead. Turkey, meanwhile, has kept constant pressure on Damascus by hosting gatherings of Syrian dissidents and repeatedly calling on Assad’s regime to introduce reforms.

Foreign Minister Walid Muallem warned that Damascus will retaliate against any state which recognises the SNC, formed in Istanbul in late August and uniting the key groups opposed to Assad’s rule. “We will take significant measures against any country that recognises this illegitimate council,” Muallem told a news conference, as the SNC lobbied for support in Cairo where the Arab League is based.

The SNC groups the Local Coordination Committees (LLC), an

activist network spurring protests in Syria, the long-banned Muslim Brotherhood as well as Kurdish and Assyrian groups. Tamo’s assassination on Friday sparked the condemnation of the United States, France, the European Union and Turkey.

Damascus blamed the assassination on a “terrorist” group. “There are groups carrying out acts of violence in Syria and who have killed a great number of martyrs. The West speaks of a peaceful revolution and does not admit these groups exist but arms them anyhow,” Muallem said.

He also issued a thinly veiled warning to Turkey which condemned the assassination as a “loathsome” act.

“Syria will not stay with its arms crossed. If Turkey throws us a flower, we will send them one back,” he said.

Security forces killed at least two people on Saturday when they fired on a crowd of more than 50,000 mourners at Tamo’s funeral proces-

sion in Qamishli in the north, after it turned into an anti-regime rally, activists said. The United States has charged that Assad’s regime was escalating its tactics against the opposition with bold attacks on its leaders, while the LCC inside Syria has accused Damascus of trying to “physically eliminate” top dissidents.

The SNC is courting foreign recognition and plans to hold a meeting to elect its leadership, a member of the exile group told Egypt’s official MENA news agency.

Moscow said on Saturday it will receive Syrian opposition politicians tomorrow for unofficial talks and that it also expects to host a visit from SNC delegates later in the month.

Meanwhile, Syria’s embassies in Europe have become a focal point of angry protests, with a group of 30 demonstrators storming the Syrian embassy in Berlin on Saturday night. — AFP

Forces take key sites in Sirte Continued from Page 1 NTC fighters also took control of the town’s Ibn Sina hospital, whose upper floors were all blasted. A massive firefight broke out near the hospital late yesterday, with intense machinegun and rocket fire. Patients’ beds lined ground floor corridors at the hospital. Some were unconscious and some with horrible injuries, most of them young men, an AFP correspondent said. Osama Swehli Muttawa, an NTC field commander, told AFP: “We took 50 prisoners. They were mostly mercenaries.

They were lying in beds pretending to be wounded.

Some were wounded. We found Kalashnikov and other weapons under their beds.” He pulled a hand grenade out of his pocket and said: “I found this under one of their beds.”

Dr Nabil Lamine told AFP: “It was a holocaust, not a hospital. We had no drugs, no oxygen. We brought people from the upper floors to the corridor on the ground because of the shelling.” At the hospital morgue, fighters looked for the bodies of dead comrades amid a stench of death. “We found a lot of dead bodies, of people we were looking for,” Muttawa said of missing NTC fighters.

A day after taking a four-lane avenue into the centre, the NTC forces also took control of Sirte’s university and its new campus, a huge site where Gaddafi snipers had been picking them off from unfinished buildings. “We have taken the university... We have liberated the area from Gaddafi’s dogs,” NTC commander Nasser Zamud said, as hundreds of his fighters roamed the campus.

“The fighting has been difficult; there were a lot of snipers,” Zamud said of the assault on the university in the Mediterranean city’s southeast.

At a Gaddafi palace about 500 m from Ibn Sina, partly destroyed by NATO air raids according to the NTC fighters, a group of men jumped up and down on a four-poster bed. Despite the celebrations, the NTC’s battle for Sirte has come at a heavy cost. The ferocity of the Gaddafi forces’ resistance in Sirte and their other

main bastion, Bani Walid, has surprised the new regime, with NTC chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil admitting the battle was “very vicious”.

There were no immediate figures for casualties yesterday. Medics say that 23 NTC fighters have been killed and almost 330 wounded since Friday, when they launched what they have been calling their final assault on Sirte. Thousands of civilians were still trapped in the city, and NTC commanders said they have been pacing their advance to evacuate some of those who had not fled and to avoid losses from friendly fire.

On the western front, NTC forces also controlled most of the so-called 700-house complex, but they came under sniper fire as they advanced yesterday, another AFP correspondent reported. “We’re waiting for reinforcements to come and then we will move forward,” NTC commander Ahmed Brasali said from a frontline position. “We were attacked this morning by 10 Gaddafi loyalists on foot; they fired RPGs and Kalashnikovs. We killed them all,” he told AFP. The gains inside Sirte are seen as crucial by the NTC, which awaits its capture to declare the liberation of the whole of Libya, clearing the way to draw up a timetable for elections. The council has ruled most of the oil-rich country since its forces overran Tripoli on Aug 23, forcing Gaddafi and his inner circle to flee. NTC commanders believe that one of Gaddafi’s sons, Mutassim, is holed up in Sirte and that another, Seif al-Islam, once seen as the former strongman’s successor, is hiding in Bani Walid, possibly with his father.

New regime fighters have been stationed for weeks outside Bani Walid, an oasis 170 km southeast of Tripoli.

They took control on Sunday of the town’s airport, the NTC said. And heavy fighting was raging between NTC fighters and Gaddafi loyalists around a kilometre from the downtown area, which residents have abandoned, according to the military joint command in Tripoli. The NTC forces have been trying for a month to gain control of Bani Walid. — AFP

Philippine envoy denies maid ban Continued from Page 1 (PHILAK), warned that if a nation fails to comply with any of the three stipulations listed in the Migrant Workers Act, “there will be no excuses”. She added that Filipino domestic workers employed in Kuwait but on vacation back home would be unable to return to Kuwait if any ban were intro-

duced without warning. “That is according to our law and we can’t do anything about it if such a law is imposed,” Mondragon noted.

The Philippines recently announced its readiness to introduce legislation banning domestic workers from coming to Gulf nations, including Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, to work, citing the Migrant Workers Act as justification.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

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Issues

Myanmar risks China anger to woo the West

By Amelie Bottollier-Depois yanmar’s suspension of a controversial mega-dam project is the latest glimmer of change from a regime reaching out to the West at the expense of ties with traditional ally China, experts say. The surprise decision to halt construction of the Chinese-backed hydropower project for several years at least - risking the anger of Beijing - was a rare concession to public opinion in the authoritarian nation. It was also the latest conciliatory gesture by the new nominally civilian government towards its critics, including Western nations who impose sanctions on the regime, the suppressed pro-democracy movement and armed ethnic rebels.

“In recent years Burma has been seen as a client state of China,” said Gareth Price, senior research fellow at the Chatham House think-tank in London, using the country’s former name. “Maybe they feel after this political process that they have gone through that there’s a need to distance themselves from China,” he added. “So they think they are going to get some new friends and sanctions will be lifted.”

In March Myanmar’s junta announced it was disbanding following the first election in two decades, held in November, which handed power to a new government headed by President Thein Sein, a former general and junta premier. Initially derided by critics as a frontman for the military, Thein Sein has surprised many by promising a range of political and economic reforms, although sceptics argue nothing has yet been done that could not be easily reversed.

In announcing the suspension of the $3.6 billion Myitsone Dam hydropower project in northern Kachin state in late September in the capital Naypyidaw, Thein Sein said the government had a duty to “respect the will of the people”. The project has long been opposed by residents in the area, where fighting has flared up recently between government troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of several armed ethnic militias around the country.

Resistance to the dam had also been growing among pro-democracy and environmental activists in the main city of Yangon, with small protests testing the new government’s proclaimed tolerance of freedom of expression. The halt “is a significant signal that Naypyidaw intends to send to multiple audiences: Beijing, Washington, the KIA and the local public,” said Maung Zarni, a researcher and activist at the London School of Economics.

For the people of Kachin, the Myitsone dam has come to symbolise the struggles they have faced for decades as a marginalised ethnic group in the repressed nation under almost half a century of military rule. So the suspension of the project “holds out a hand to the Kachin people, who are very doubtful as they fear a possible renewal of the civil war,” said Renaud Egreteau, a Myanmar expert at the University of Hong Kong. It also reflects “the strength of feeling that Myitsone provokes at the heart of Myanmar’s civil society,” he added.

The United States praised the suspension, describing it as a “significant and positive step” that suggested the leadership was listening to its people. President Barack Obama’s administration, which has pursued both diplomatic engagement and continued sanctions against Myanmar, has welcomed signs of political change in the Southeast Asian nation. Myanmar appears eager to engage with Washington and see sanctions lifted, even if its relations with China suffer as a result. “There is absolutely no love lost between Naypyidaw and Beijing and many in Naypyidaw believe that it is only Western sanctions that have pushed them into an unnatural dependence on China,” said Thant Myint-U, author of “Where China Meets India: Burma and the New Crossroads of Asia”.

The US administration has in particular welcomed the Myanmar leadership’s dialogue with democracy icon and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who met the president for the first time in August. Suu Kyi for her part has said she believes Thein Sein genuinely wants to push through reforms, but cautioned it was too soon to say whether he would succeed. Thein Sein is widely thought to face resistance from regime hardliners, while Western governments are calling for Myanmar to release its estimated 2,000 political prisoners to show it is genuine about wanting to reform.

Local activists have also called for the suspension of another controversial project to transport gas by pipeline from Myanmar’s western coast to China, which appears to have been taken by surprise by the halting of the dam project. China’s official Xinhua news agency quoted Lu Qizhou, president of China Power Investment Corp, the energy giant behind the dam project, as saying he was “totally astonished” by the move, which he learned of through media reports. — AFP

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

Palin won’t run or hide from spotlight

By Emmanuel Parisse onservative diva Sarah Palin won’t appear on the 2012 presidential ballot but will remain on the national stage, reveling in her star power as the race to the White House heats up, analysts say. The 2008 vice presidential candidate and Tea Party superstar put to rest months of speculation this week when she said she would not seek to replace President Barack Obama but vowed to remain his bugbear. “I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President,” Palin said in a statement Thursday, in which she also vowed to help Republican congressional candidates.

“We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs,” she added.

But some experts believe Palin - who stepped down as governor of Alaska in 2009 after just two and a half years - is more interested in the fame and money of media stardom than the drudgery of day-to-day politics.

“I don’t think she was really interested

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in running because it’s just too much work. I think she made the right decision,” said Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute. “What we don’t know and what will be interesting to watch is, now that she passed the point of flirting for the position, whether she can retain her cachet, her star quality, and do what she’s been doing, what (she) likes so much, which is giving a lot of speeches and making a lot of money. My guess is that her cachet is going to decline.”

In the three years since she burst onto the national stage as Senator John McCain’s surprise running mate, Palin has become a paid contributor on Fox News, a highly sought-after public speaker and a bestselling memoir-author. For months she had stoked specula-

tion about her plans with a campaign-like bus tour, a private dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem and a highly publicized appearance at a Washington motorcycle rally.

But her approval ratings have slid during her time in the spotlight, and a McClatchy-Marist poll last month found that 72 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents did not want her to run. A Quinnipiac poll this week found Palin had just nine percent support among the Republican candidates, less than half the 22 percent enjoyed by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the current frontrunner.

“I think she measured the field and, being realistic, she must have realized the extreme difficulty of securing the nomination,” said Stephen Hess of the Brookings Institution, a

Washington, DC think tank. “She knows how much you need in terms of staff, in terms of raising money. It’s a big business. She was just simply too late to create the infrastructure she would have needed to run.”

John Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont-McKenna College, said polls had long shown “that a lot of Republicans didn’t want her to run and wouldn’t support her”. “But by holding open the possibility of a presidential race she managed to increase public attention, and Sarah Palin loves public attention.” Few expect Palin to have a major effect on the campaign, even if she endorses one of the candidates. “I don’t think she’ll be a major influence. She’ll make a lot of media appearances and become even wealthier than she already is,” Pitney said.

Palin’s announcement came two days after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, another popular Republican, also said he would not run, virtually ensuring that the roster of Republican candidates is set.

And with months to go before the first crucial nomination contests, the Quinnipiac poll found that 18 percent of Republican voters still haven’t chosen a candidate, indicating that the race is still wide open.— AFP

Yemenis ask ‘Where’s the catch?’

By Andrew Hammond emeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s declaration in a speech on Saturday that he would leave power “in the coming days” is yet another act of brinkmanship from a leader who has spent much of the “Arab Spring” claiming he is about to step down. Saleh’s words were taken almost universally as a ruse by Yemenis who have seen the famed wily operator survive through thick and thin since he took power in 1978. “Where is the catch?” said Gregory Johnsen, a Yemen scholar. “Saleh is dealing with a trust deficit in Yemen, and Yemenis are very wary of promises from this president.”

Phrases like “in the coming days” have a highly flexible meaning for Saleh, who returned to Yemen from treatment in Riyadh a month after he said in a speech to supporters that he would be back “soon”. His vice president said repeatedly after Saleh was hurt in an assassination attempt in June that he would return from Saudi Arabia “in a few days”. Saleh has offered a long list of apparent concessions since youth activists, buoyed by uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, first took to the streets of Sanaa in January to protest for an end to his rule and for democratic reforms.

Ominously, they have often come with a sharp sting.

After his ruling party called for dialogue with the opposition in a bid to stem anti-government protests on Jan 29, his supporters attacked Yemenis trying to march to the Egyptian embassy to express solidarity with Egyptians who succeeded two weeks later in bringing down Hosni Mubarak. “He doesn’t mean he’s leaving in a few days literally,” said opposition politician Ali Seif Hassan. “He is trying to threaten the opposition that he can go alone to new elections without an agreement, but he can’t now. It’s too late.”

After government snipers shot dead 52 people one day in March, Saleh shifted ground to talk publicly on numerous occasions of his readiness to step down and distaste in holding onto power for its own sake, but he expressed the desire to make sure of the people he hands the reins on to.

“We don’t want power but we need to hand power over to safe hands,” he told thousands of his own supporters on March 25. Following that, his government engaged openly in talks mediated by Gulf Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia and backed by the United States, on a mechanism for a transition to early parliamentary and presidential elections after Saleh formed a new opposition-led cabinet then relinquished the presidency.

That arrangement, which even offered guarantees of no legal action against Saleh and his family, fell through three times as Saleh came up with last minute excuses for not signing. During his stay in Riyadh, he began to push the

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line more forcefully that the Gulf initiative needed modification to make sure the established opposition did not inherit power. Saturday’s apparent countdown to leaving office has a familiar ring to it then. In the same breath Saleh repeated that this long-time opposition party rivals, who he has outfoxed throughout his career, must not be the beneficiaries.

Saleh was merely reiterating these positions, an adviser said. “Saleh has made it clear that he is ready to leave, but this will not happen before Yemen is led to a safe place where power can be transferred peacefully,” he said. Saleh may well have had good reason, though, to give the impression of imminent movement, analysts say. On Friday the Nobel Peace prize was awarded to Tawakul Karman, one of the leading activists who has been on the street at ‘Change Square’ outside Sanaa University since February.

The recognition of a Yemeni democracy activist is set to bring renewed global attention to the struggle in Yemen, an impoverished country of 23 million with problems stretching from declining water resources to Al-Qaeda militants taking advantage of chaos in the capital.

Karman used the prize to push home the message that street mobilisation will not stop until the uprisings claim Yemen too. “This is a victory for the Yemeni people, for the Yemeni revolution and all the Arab revolutions,” she said in Sanaa. “Our peaceful revolution will continue until we topple Saleh and establish a civilian state.”

Saleh will also be mindful of the possibility of action at the United Nations Security Council, where there is talk of a resolution urging the government to implement the Gulf initative, possibly sometime next week. A UN envoy left Sanaa last week to brief the council on what appeared to be a fruitless effort to mediate in a crisis which has brought Yemen to the brink of civil war and its economy to a standstill. “I think the man wants to confuse the UN Security Council before they make a motion to discuss Yemen,” said Hamdan Al-Haqab, a youth leader in the protest movement.

One thing Saleh may want to avoid is an ignominious exit under international pressure. He has said himself that if he leaves office it should be “with dignity”. “Within days” is a vague enough term in his dictionary to leave the door open to a short- or mid-term exit if the walls finally close in.

In an ideal world, Saleh would want to hold on until his term in office ends in Sept 2013. Alongside the deft domestic manoeuvring, Saleh has played to the concerns of his international allies.

Public US pressure has been lacking while he cooperates with Washington in its covert war on militants in Yemen. A CIA drone killed American-Yemeni cleric Anwar

Al-Awlaki in Yemen last month in what was seen as a major coup for US President Barack Obama in the battle against Al-Qaeda. Saudi Arabia, a key financial backer of Saleh’s government, is as keen to control the succession process as he is. A Saudi government adviser said Saleh was still bound by an agreement with King Abdullah to work to hand over power. “This is part of the understanding Saleh had with the king and now he will have to follow through and implement the Gulf plan,” the adviser said. — Reuters

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

Years

sp orts Honors even at Oceania Cup

Van Avermaet wins classic FRANCE: Belgian Greg van Avermaet timed his move to perfection to clinch the Paris-Tours cycling classic yesterday, as Mark Cavendish failed to play much of a part in his first race in the world champion’s rainbow jersey. BMC rider Van Avermaet jumped from a breakaway group with less than 20 kilometres left and was joined by Italian Marco Marcato, whom he easily beat in the final sprint to clinch the greatest win of his career. “In the breakaway group, I was one of the fastest riders so it was not easy to attack,” Van Avermaet told Eurosport. “I had to wait a little.”

Van Avermaet and Marcato quickly closed the gap on Frenchman Arnaud Gerard, who had gone a bit too early, and they never looked back. Marcato suffered from cramp in the final stretch, which had been reduced from 2,600 to 600 metres because of road works, and could not really fight for the win.

“Winning this classic is something special.

It’s a nice step in my career,” Van Avermaet added. On a day of showers and gusting winds, Briton Cavendish’s HTC team were unable to launch a proper chase behind the fugitives. — Reuters

HOBART: The Australian men’s field hockey team retained their number one ranking and the Oceania Cup with a crushing 6-1 victor y over New Zealand in Hobart yesterday.

But in the women’s contest the New Zealanders came out on top, taking the trophy with a 4-2 win against Australia in the final match of the three-match series.

The Australian men’s team, known as the Kookaburras, needed to win by four goals or more following a surprise 3-0 defeat in the first game of the series on Thursday and a 3-3 draw on Saturday. The Australians played with a spark that was missing in the first two games, and goals for Will Ockenden, Kieran Govers and skipper Jamie Dwyer had them 3-

0 up after just 16 minutes.

Striker Glenn Turner led the way in the second half with three goals, before Black Sticks skipper Phil Burrows finally put the Kiwis on the board from a penalty stroke in the 65th minute.

Australian coach Ric Charlesworth said the Kiwis were a better side than their world ranking of seven indicated. “I think our opponents play pretty tough, hard hockey, and you have to match that,” he told reporters.

New Zealand gained revenge in the women’s cup which, like the Australian men, they won on aggregate. Australia won the first match 2-1 and secured a 3-3 draw in the second, but the two-goal margin yesterday gave the Kiwis the edge. —AFP

Slattery wins maiden title MADRID: Britain’s Lee Slattery clinched his first European Tour title when he won the Madrid Masters yesterday by a stroke from Italy’s Lorenzo Gagli.

A tired world number one Luke Donald trailed in seven shots behind Englishman Slattery, who closed with a one-under 71 and a 15under 273 four-round total.

It was a nail-biting end for former shop assistant Slattery before he could ring up the $223,000 first prize. Leading by three strokes going to the last, he sent his third shot into the lake at El Encin’s 18th and needed to ensure he took only two putts for a double-bogey to deny Gagli a playoff.

Slattery led by two shots overnight but looked to have blown his chances of a maiden win when he bogeyed two of the first five holes, conceding his lead first to veteran Argentine Cesar Monasterio and then tour rookie Gagli.

Then the 33-year-old Englishman, in his sixth full tour year and looking to better two runner-up places, came alight with four birdies in five holes from the 11th. — Reuters

Rangers win 3-2 over Tigers

OAKLAND: In this Dec. 26, 1998 file photo, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis gives a thumbs-up to fans prior to the game with the Kansas City Chiefs. —AP

Davis always in charge NEW YORK: Only seconds remained in the game at the Orange Bowl in Miami as the Dolphins prepared to punt the ball away. The Raiders win had already been secured, and most of the writers were on their way downstairs when a loud voice broke the relative silence of the press box.

“Tom, Tom!” Al Davis yelled to a coach who had no chance of hearing him on the sidelines. “Watch out for the fake!” Always in charge.

Forever the coach.

Forget that, and you didn’t last long with the Raiders. Davis could be a benevolent dictator one moment, a vindictive one the next.

He was the only owner with his own catch phrase: “Just win, baby!” It was as much a part of the culture of the Raiders as the menacing fans in silver and black wearing spikes in the stands.

That he stayed too long and meddled too much was evident by the decline of his teams in recent years. But he held on as all dictators do before finally losing the one battle even he knew he couldn’t win.

“I can control most things,” Davis said a few years ago, “but I don’t seem to be able to control death.”

That the tributes poured in after his death Saturday at his home in Oakland was expected. Whatever anyone thought of Davis - and there were some who thought some unprintable things - he was an icon of the sport who did a lot more for the NFL than just put together three Super Bowl winning teams.

That some of the tributes were carefully worded was equally expected. Cross Davis and you were usually an enemy for life, pursued at times in the courtroom with the same intensity he demanded that his Raiders show on the field.

He went through seven head coaches in the last decade alone, and the breakups were never pretty.

After introducing new coach Hue Jackson in January, Davis took the opportunity to accuse fired coach Tom Cable of lying to him and putting the Raiders in possible financial peril.

“All this stuff goes a long way against my wishes ... and against the Raider way,” Davis said. “And I just wasn’t going to take it anymore.”

Be loyal to him, though, and you were a Raider for life. The Raiders were a dysfunctional family, yes, but a family nonetheless.

“To me, he is the greatest,” said 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, who got his first NFL coaching job in Oakland. “ The autumn wind will always be a Raider.”

Davis, who is believed to have missed only three games during his 49 years with the Raiders, watched them for the last time yesterday when they were beaten by New England at home. The man who insisted that winning was everything ended with a loss, and in that some might find a bit of irony.

He had been frail for years, using

a walker to get around. But he still worked the phones, looking for talent around the league or an edge that he might be able to pass on to his new coach.

He never backed away from a fight in nearly a half century in the league. But there wasn’t much left to fight for in today’s NFL, where owners now all wear suits, talk about revenue enhancements and wait for the next check to come in and make them even richer.

There won’t be another Al Davis because there can’t be another Al Davis. Not today, when the NFL is such big business that there’s no chance of anyone advancing through the ranks as a coach, general manager and finally owner. Not today, when coaches are so risk averse that they wouldn’t dream of allowing someone like Dar yle Lamonica to sling one long pass after another to Fred Biletnikoff.

Davis was always willing to take a chance, whether it was suing the NFL so he could move the Raiders to Los Angeles, or giving $32 million in guaranteed money to No. 1 draft flop JaMarcus Russell. Indeed, Davis had a reputation for throwing good money after bad players in his later years, so desperate was he that his beloved Raiders would win again.

“He wasn’t afraid of standing alone and making a bold move such as suing the league,” former Raiders linebacker Matt Millen said. “He had naysayers, but he didn’t care, because he didn’t care what people thought.”

That put him in the same company as another larger-than-life owner in a different spor t. Davis and George Steinbrenner were both born on July 4 - though a year apart - and the two bombastic owners sometimes would call to cheer the other one on if his team was not doing well. When Steinbrenner died last year, Davis was eager to join in the tribute to a man he called his friend.

“I judge sports figures based on individual achievement, team achievement and contributions to the game,” Davis said. “George was right up there with me at No. 1 bright, aggressive and, most of all, not afraid.” Davis will likely never get the kind of monument dedicated to Steinbrenner at Yankee Stadium, if only because the Raiders don’t own their own stadium. But fans came by Raiders headquarters Saturday to find a black flag with the team’s pirate logo flying at half-staff.

They left bouquets of flowers and handwritten cards beneath it, a touching tribute to a man who in life never seemed touched by much.

A league he helped build will survive without him, of course. The NFL is huge and powerful and depends on no one man. It’s more personal in Oakland, where it’s hard to imagine the Raiders without Al Davis. “Just win, baby!” will never seem the same. —AP

ARLINGTON: The Texas Rangers overcame the Detroit Tigers and nearly two hours of rain delays to win 3-2 in Saturday’s opening game of the American League Championship Series.

The defending AL champion Rangers scored all their runs off Detroit ace Justin Verlander before the game was interrupted twice for a total of 1 hour, 50 minutes in the top of the fifth.

David Murphy hit an RBI single in the second and scored on Ian Kinsler’s single, and Nelson Cruz broke a postseason slump with a leadoff homer in the fourth to make it 3-0.

In between the delays, Detroit’s Austin Jackson doubled in a run and scored on a wild pitch by R angers star ter CJ Wilson. Alexi Ogando, the only Texas pitcher to beat the Tigers during the regular season, pitched two scoreless innings for the win.

Verlander was not his usual, dominant self. The R angers scored twice in the second and got a solo homer in the fourth, matching the number of runs he’d allowed in all 21 previous innings he’d pitched at Rangers Ballpark.

He’d thrown only 82 pitches, though, when the first delay hit.

Af ter a 41-minute wait, the Tigers scored twice and had the bases loaded when more rain fell, delaying the game again for 1 hour, 9 minutes.

“When the original one hit he was actually coming back out,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland. “ When the second one came about, that was a no-brainer.

This was a little bit of a weird night, obviously, with the rain the way it was.”

Rick Porcello, Detroit ’s announced starter for Game 4, replaced Verlander and pitched two scoreless innings. A series of relievers shut down the Rangers the rest of the way, but the Tigers couldn’t get anything

going against Texas’ bullpen, either.

The game began under threatening skies, and Detroit got off to a promising start by loading the bases with one out against Texas starter C.J. Wilson.

With Verlander ready to take the mound, the Tigers had to be

center that just kept carrying until it one -hopped the wall, turning into an RBI triple. A twoout single by Kinsler drove in Murphy for a 2-0 Texas lead.

Verlander gave up a two-out single to Beltre in the third, then in the fourth saw Nelson Cruz drive a pitch high and deep into

“That’s not easy to come out after the rain delay and walk up there with the bases loaded and they bring in a new pitcher, a lefty,” Leyland said. “He won the battle tonight. I have no problem with that. That’s a tough situation for anybody.” Detroit’s two runs came when Jackson hit

ARLINGTON: Texas Rangers left fielder David Murphy hits a triple off Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander during the second inning of Game 1 of baseball’s American League championship series. —AP feeling good knowing they were one hit from taking control.

I nstead, Magglio Ordonez grounded into a double play. “CJ made a great pitch on Magglio, cut a fastball in and got him to ground it to third,” Leyland said. “ That was obviously a huge inning.”

Mike Napoli opened the second against Verlander with a single through the right side. Then David Murphy hit a ball to right-

the left-field seats.

“H is control was not ver y good. He didn’t really have his cur veball going for strikes,” Leyland said. “He had a tough time with it.”

The Tigers wasted a basesloaded chance in the first inning, and again in the fifth. After the second delay, which also ended Wilson’s night, Alex Avila hit a weak grounder to second base off reliever Mike Gonzalez.

an RBI double and scored on a wild pitch. Alexi Ogando - who had all three of Texas’ regularseason wins against Detroit, all as a starter - shut out the Tigers in the sixth and seventh to earn the win.

Because Wilson didn’t go five innings, the winning pitcher was at the discretion of the official scorer. Game 2 is Sunday. Derek Holland pitches for Texas against Max Scherzer. —AP

Alexander wins Ironman title KAILUA-KONA: Craig Alexander ran away with the Ironman World Championship on Saturday, setting a course record to win the event for the third time.

The 38-year-old Australian, also the 2008 and 2009 winner, finished in 8 hours, 03 minutes, 56 seconds in the 140.6-mile race that includes a 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike ride through lava fields and marathon run in and around Kona village.

“I wish I could tell you how it feels,” Alexander said. “It’s unbelievable I wish everyone in the world could feel what I felt in the that mile. It’s the finish I’ve been dreaming of.”

Alexander leapt across the finish line, collapsed flat on his back and received hugs from his family. He admitted he has been suffering from cramps during the final miles of

the run. The previous course record was 8:04:08 by Belguim’s Luc Van Lierde in 1996.

“It’s beyond belief really,” Alexander said.

“My race today was near perfect. Getting beaten last year hurt a lot. You saw the fruits of 12 months planning today. It’s not just a physical race anymore.

It’s strategy now. I wanted to race like an athlete who’d won here before, with that confidence. I think of the people who have raced here. I am aware of the history and I’m totally humbled.”

Alexander fought a virus earlier in the early in the year that caused him to cough so hard he cracked a couple of ribs and had to curtail his training. However, he shaved 13 minutes off his personal best bike time.

Ironman rookie Pete Jacobs, also from

HAWAII: Chrissie Wellington, of Britain, returns to Kailua-Kona from a 112-mile bike ride before beginning the 26.2-mile marathon during the Ironman World Championship competition. —AP

Australia, was second in 8:09:11. Germany’s Andreas Raelert was third in 8:11:07.

In the women’s division, Britain’s Chrissie Wellington hung on for her fourth world title, finishing in 8:55:08. The 34-year-old Wellington ran the last 100 yards trailing a huge Union Jack and burst into tears as she broke the tape. Her parents were there to greet her with hugs.

“This race means more to me than anything. It’s the sweetest victory - I just proved that anything is possible,” she said. “I had to dig so deep today. I tried to have faith in my body. To be crowned the Ford Ironman World Champion is the greatest honor.”

Wellington, who missed last year’s race due to illness, was racing injured. She crashed her bike during training two weeks ago and is recovering from road rash along her left leg and arm.

Wellington was pushed during the last several miles by 2010 champion Mirinda Carfrae of Australia. Wellington was still at the finish line when Carfrae breezed in at 8:57:57.

Carfrae set the run-course record last year at 2:53:32 and lowered that time “My victory is also hers,” Wellington said. “I want to congratulate her on an amazing second place.” Britain’s Leanda Cave was third in 9:03:29.

Wellington’s time was the second-fastest women’s time ever on the Hawaii course.

Wellington set the course record of 8:54:02 in 2009.

Carfrae ran her way into the record books last year with a 2:53:32 run. She lowered the record with her 2:52:09 marathon Saturday.

Alexander and Wellington received $110,00 each for their wins.

A heavy rain shower Thursday night cleared the air over the Big Island and temperatures spiked along the race course. Race officials said the temperature out on Queen Kaahumanu Highway reached 135. The race included 50 professional men, 30 professional women and more than 1,800 amateurs. —AP

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

sp orts

Spurs’ Parker prepares for post-NBA future in France PARIS: Tony Parker packed his bags for three months - just in case the NBA lockout lasts that long. Farewell, San Antonio, and hello Villeurbanne. The Spurs star will play for peanuts in France and he’s dipped into his own, admittedly deep, pockets to pay for his own insurance, too.

So why bother? Because Parker is taking a long view. Having worked alongside the likes of San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, Parker plans a management role for himself, too, in his postNBA future. Boss Parker. Has a good ring to it.

Rather than fritter away the next few weeks or months - however long the NBA labor dispute lasts - Parker will invest his time in the French club he partly owns, Asvel, based in Villeurbanne in the city of Lyon, one of the food capitals of the world.

He will play for minimum wage: $2,000 a month. But he’ll also get valuable hands-on frontoffice experience working alongside club president Gilles Moretton. Asked if this was something of a business internship for him, Parker said: “Exactly, exactly.”

“I always said that after my career I wanted to be the president of a club and manage a club,” Parker said at a news conference at a luxury Paris hotel on Thursday. “With Gilles, I have the perfect president to learn from. He can train me so that I am ready in 10 years when I retire. “I’m learning marketing, how to speak to sponsors, how to push projects forward and all that. I want to learn.”

Parker bought shares in the 17-time French champions in 2009, some three years after he, Tim Duncan and other Spurs players played a preseason game at Asvel’s 5,600-seat arena, the Astroballe, and routed the French club 115-90.

After the first two years learning the ropes, Parker

became general manager of basketball operations at the club this June, giving him a large say over player hires, contract negotiations and dealings with agents.

Parker said he wants to grow Asvel into “one of the biggest clubs in Europe” and build an academy there for young players, too, next to its planned new arena.

In sneakers and ripped jeans, Parker didn’t look like a typical suit - but he does talk the talk.

“First meeting, Monday, 8:30,” he said, looking ahead to next week. Then, he joked: “We are going to have to change the hours.”

“There are always projects. There are always things to do, managing people and different personalities. I like the development side, watching the young players, recruiting them, choosing who we are going to sign. All aspects of managing a club,” he said.

Parker said he turned down rich offers from China and elsewhere to play for Asvel. French sports newspaper L’Equipe reported that his playing insurance cost Parker $250,000 for three months. Parker wouldn’t give a figure but said: “I’m not going to make my own club pay for my insurance.” “For me it wasn’t at all a question of

PARIS: San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker (left) poses with his new team jersey of Lyon’s ASVL and the President of the club, Gilles Moretton during a press conference in Paris in this file photo. —AP

money,” he said. “If it was a question of money, I would have gone to China or to Barcelona. What was most important to me was to give back to France everything that it give to me.

“I’m helping my team. I invest a lot of my time, a lot of my money, with the team and I want, you know, to try to help French basketball to have a better place in France,” he said. “I know in the States, you know, it can sound crazy. But for me, I have a bigger picture. I know what I want to do with Asvel.”

So the three-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion with the Spurs will now ride to games in a team bus, live in an apartment provided by the club and “be a player like everyone else.”

Not quite like everyone else. He said he phoned one of his new teammates, 19-year-old Leo Westermann, to ask if he would lend him the No. 9 jersey, which Parker wears for San Antonio, during his French sojourn.

“He said, ‘No problem,’” Parker recounted.

“Then again, he didn’t have a choice because I’m the vice president.

“No, I’m kidding,” he quickly added. “Had he wanted to keep it, I would have taken another number. He said it was an honor.”

The NBA has already canceled its entire preseason, and the first two weeks of the regular season will be wiped out if there is no labor agreement by Monday.

“No one knows what is going to happen with the lockout. Honestly, I have no idea. For the moment I’m here and when it (the NBA) starts again, I will go back to San Antonio,” Parker said. “I packed my bags for three months. Because the rumors about the NBA say that we’ll start again in January, so I packed for three months, just in case.” — AP

Tseng wins sixth title of season in S Korea

MIAMI: A fan holds up a sign referring to the NBA lockout during the first half of the South Florida All-Star Classic NBA basketball game. —AP

Now what? Players meet on lockout MIAMI: Carmelo Anthony fully expects the NBA to cancel some regular-season games soon, and said players around the league have been bracing to hear that grim news. The way Anthony put it Saturday night, it almost seems inevitable.

“They’re going to cancel the first two weeks of the season,” Anthony said. “We’ll see what happens then. If they want to lock us out, lock us out. We’re going to stick together.”

The New York Knicks forward played in the South Florida All-Star Classic hosted by Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami, the latest - and most competitive - of the many exhibitions players have participated in during this lockout that reached the 100-day mark Saturday. NBA Commissioner David Stern has said that the first two weeks of the regular season could be canceled as early today if a deal is not struck.

Anthony says it would not be “realistic” for the sides to agree on anything before then.

“I don’t think nothing is going to happen between now and Monday,” Anthony said. “So we’ve just got to be prepared for that, be prepared for the lockout for the first two weeks and see where all this is going.”

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Wade called an hour long meeting with players after his Team Wade pulled out a 141-140 overtime victory over Team LeBron. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because talks were to remain private, saying Wade, Chris Paul and Miami Heat player representative James Jones fielded questions about the status of negotiations.

The person also said Wade has taken “a more active role” in talks about a new labor deal of late and that he urged players to be “informed rather than accept any deal.” Before the meeting, Anthony said the lockout is “sad all the way across.”

“It’s sad for us as players. It’s sad for the whole NBA. It’s sad for the fans of the NBA. It’s sad for our personal fans. So we want to keep giving back like this,” Anthony said.

Virtually all the players in Saturday’s game shared a similar sentiment. The game drew a sold-out crowd of 4,000 to Florida International University, where Basketball Hall of Famer - and past NBA players’ association president - Isiah

Thomas is the Panthers’ coach.

Thomas has said often during the lockout that he expects nothing to happen until owners and players agree that neither can succeed without the other. “ The players aren’t canceling the game, so they shouldn’t take the responsibility, nor should they have the fault of carr ying the burden for canceling games,” Thomas said Saturday night.

“They’re willing and ready to play.”

Saturday’s game at FIU wasn’t like many other exhibitions. Defense was played by both sides until the final seconds, players argued for calls and even dove for loose balls. Other games this summer have had little defense, almost no offensive structure and turned into glorified dunk contests.

“You could see from the way we played tonight, we want to play,” Golden State’s Dorell Wright said. “And the way the fans reacted to us, you could see they want to see us play.”

On Friday, word came that a late attempt to get the two sides together broke down when the NBA wouldn’t move off a 50-50 revenue split with players. Players were guaranteed 57 percent of basketball-related income under the previous collective bargaining agreement and have proposed lowering it to 53 percent in a new deal, but that remaining 3 percent represents an unbridged gap of about $120 million.

For players and fans, the prospect of no basketball this season - or even a shorter schedule - was difficult to take Saturday.

“The good thing about this whole situation is that the fans are thirsty for basketball, we’re thirsty for basketball and we want to play it,” said free agent forward Caron Butler. “Everyone needs to understand that we’re locked out. We’re not on strike. We’re locked out. We want to play basketball, so when we’re able to play basketball under the right terms, we’re ready.”

Anthony said he would like to schedule an exhibition in New York for sometime around the middle of November.

He’s holding off on the planning for one big reason - he’d rather be in training camp with the Knicks soon.

“We’ll keep it going,” said Anthony, who has been a key part of several exhibitions this offseason, including ones in Baltimore and Philadelphia. “Until they say the lockout is over, we’ll keep putting these games on.” —AP

INCHEON: Yani Tseng made it six LPGA wins this season as she triumphed over two-time defending champion Na Yeon Choi to take the LPGA HanaBank Championship in Incheon, South Korea yesterday.

“It was very tough out there... Na Yeon Choi was playing so good,” Rolex Rankings No. 1 Tseng said after notching up her 11th career victory on the LPGA Tour, “I tried to focus on every shot, every hole.”

Taiwan’s Tseng had started the day tied with Korea’s Choi, one shot back of second-round leader SooJin Yang, also from Korea. But she shot 33 on the front-nine to take an early lead in the final round.

It was a tight ending as Tseng shot a final-round, four-under 68 to finish at 14-under-par and one shot ahead of Choi.

“The crowd is amazing”, Tseng said, “When Na Yeon makes birdie, it was like a huge crowd, and I think it’s the first time in my life I saw that many people on a golf course.”

It was a special win for Tseng after the disappointment of two years ago, when the LPGA HanaBank Championship came down to the final hole, and Choi made a birdie to beat Tseng by a stroke and capture her second career LPGA victory.

Tseng, who is good friends with

INCHEON: Yani Tseng of Taiwan kisses the winner’s trophy for the LPGA Hana Bank Championship golf tournament at Sky72 Golf Club Ocean course. —AP

Fowler clinches maiden career title SOUTH KOREA: American Rickie Fowler won his first professional golf title with a six-stroke victory over US Open champion Rory McIlroy in the Korea Open in Cheonan yesterday.

The long-haired Californian, one of golf’s most exciting young prospects, carded a three-under-par 68 in the final round at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club for a four-day total of 16-under 268.

“It was a lot of fun. I played well early on in the final round and then I was comfortable over the last few holes. Overall, I enjoyed the whole week,” the 22-year-old

SOUTH KOREA: Rickie Fowler of the United States holds the trophy after winning the Korea Open golf tournament at Woo Jeong Hills Country Club in Cheonan. — AP

Fowler told reporters.

World number three McIlroy, tied for fourth overnight, clinched second spot with a superb closing round of seven-under 64, ahead of South Korea’s Kim Meen-whee and compatriot Y.E. Yang, third and fourth respectively.

“It feels great to have the first win,” said Fowler. “I played well all week, although I did have to hang in on Friday and post a score. But on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday I had good control of my ball, I drove well and I made some putts.”

Fowler never slipped from the top of the leaderboard over the four days and said his consistency was the main factor behind his first title.

“I’m happy with the way I have played on the PGA Tour, but I have never shot low enough to win,” he added. “This week I played well for four rounds which I have not been able to do in the past.”

Winning a title on the PGA Tour and a place in the Ryder Cup team would top his agenda for next year, he said. “I am looking forward to some time off and then I can look at everything and set some goals for next year. I will play mainly on the PGA Tour next year and I would like to get my first win there, and this win will definitely help me achieve that.

“I also haven’t made the Tour Championship in the last two years, so that is another goal for next year. But the biggest goal is to make sure I make the Ryder Cup team.”

Northern Irishman McIlroy said he had been happy with his finish but added: “All the damage was done during the third round with a couple of bad holes in the middle of the round.

“Looking back on this week, I will rue my third round, which could have been a lot better. “If I had played a little better and shot a few under I might have had a chance, but Rickie has played fantastic this week and he deserves the win.” —Reuters

Choi off the course, had to sink her par putt on the 18th hole to complete her win.

“She played great and I played good”, Tseng said, reflecting back to the 2009 event. “I did my best then, and I feel like she just played better than me and she deserved to win the tournament.

“Two years after, we both have got some more experience and we both got more wins. It’s very different out there.”

Birdies on No. 13 and 15 helped Tseng to a two-stroke lead but after Choi made a birdie on 18 to cut the lead to one, Tseng had to sink a short par putt to secure the title.

After tallying seven bogeys over her first two rounds to go along with 16 birdies, Tseng posted a bogey-free final round to earn her 11th career LPGA Tour success.

Just short of the three-peat: Choi was not just chasing her first victor y of the 2011 season on Sunday, she was trying to capture the tournament title for a third consecutive year.

Choi, who won in her home country of South Korea in 2009 and 2010, fell just shy of accomplishing the feat. The four-time winner on the LPGA Tour finished one shot behind Tseng after shooting a finalround 68. —AFP

Baird two ahead of Els and Casey SAN MARTIN: American journeyman Briny Baird covered his final seven holes in four under par to break two strokes clear of a tightly bunched leader board in Saturday’s third round of the Frys.com Open.

Bidding for his first PGA Tour title in his 348th start on the US circuit, the 39-year-old fired a superb seven-under 64 on a glorious afternoon of sunshine in the Santa Clara valley.

Baird eagled the driveable par-four 17th, rolling in a 15-foot putt, before shrugging off a bogey at the last, where his tee shot ended up in a hazard, to post a 13-under total of 200.

That left him two ahead of three-times major winner Ernie Els, who carded a 67, and British world number 20 Paul Casey, who returned a 68 at CordeValle Golf Club. Tiger Woods, who teed off in the first group from the 10th, briefly closed to within three strokes of the lead before losing momentum on the way to a 68, in a tie for 38th a distant nine strokes off the pace.

“It’s getting better,” Woods, who is playing his first PGA Tour event in seven weeks, told reporters after mixing five birdies with two bogeys. “I’m improving day by day. “Obviously tomorrow I need to improve a lot, make the putts and post a really low one.”

With conditions near perfect for scoring on a beautiful autumn day at CordeValle, the scoreboard fluctuated wildly as the players vied for supremacy in the PGA Tour’s Fall series event.

Els briefly forged two strokes clear at 11-under after sinking a five-footer to eagle the par-five ninth but he immediately slipped back with a three-putt bogey at the 10th.

Five players held a share of the lead at 10-under late on the back nine-Els, Baird, Bryce Molder, Charlie Wi and Adam Hadwin-before Baird took control with birdies at 14 and 15.

“I felt very surprisingly in control of my golf game,” Baird said after covering the back nine in four-under 32. “I felt very good today.

“I haven’t played well the last couple of years, so I’m definitely a little out of my element up near the lead of a golf tournament.”

Asked how he would handle the pressure of trying to win his first PGA Tour title in Sunday’s final round, Baird replied: “If I can feel tomorrow like I did today, I’m probably going to be a very, very hard guy to beat.” —Reuters

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Years

sp orts

Red Wings soar over Avalanche

WELLINGTON: South Africa’s Bryan Habana is tackled by Australia’s James O’Connor and Will Genia (left) during their Rugby World Cup quarter-final match. —AP

New Zealand and Australia book semi-final showdown WELLINGTON: Hosts New Zealand and twice champions Australia set up their third World Cup semi-final yesterday after the All Blacks defeated Argentina 33-10 and Australia scraped an 11-9 win over defending champions South Africa.

Battle will resume at Auckland’s Eden Park next weekend where Wales will play France on Saturday followed by the All Blacks versus the Wallabies a day later.

A final on Oct. 23 between the remaining two teams from each hemisphere was guaranteed once Ireland upset twice champions Australia in the pool stages to ensure a quarter-final against Wales.

New Zealand, seeking their first World Cup since the inaugural 1987 tournament, lost to the Wallabies in the 1991 and 2003 semi-finals. They will, though, be boosted by the knowledge that no side has won the Webb Ellis trophy after losing in the group stages. “Positive sides did well (in the quarter-finals) and that’s fantastic for the game,” Australia coach Robbie Deans said.

“In the next couple of weeks, I have no doubt will be some of the best World Cup rugby we’ve ever seen because the bar just keeps going up in terms of the capability of all the sides.”

Argentina, who finished third at the 2007 tournament after defeating hosts France in the opening match and the third place playoff, belied their first round form with a splendidly defiant performance against the All Blacks at Eden Park. They even took the lead briefly in the first half with the first try of the match, scored against the run of play by flanker Julio Fariaa Cabello. However, New Zealand kept their shape and late tries to forwards Kieran Read and Brad Thorn put the issue beyond doubt.

In the absence of the injured Daniel

Carter, man-of-the-match Piri Weepu calmed the fears of a nation willing their heroes to victory with seven penalties.

New Zealand were also relieved by the display of Aaron Cruden, their third choice flyhalf behind Carter and Colin Slade, who left the field injured in the first half.

Cruden grew in stature as the match progressed and Weepu’s prowess with the boot settled any debate about the first All Blacks’ halfback combination for the remainder of the tournament.

The third of the weekend’s quarterfinals, after Wales beat Ireland and France upset England on Saturday, played on a still, sunny day at the Wellington Regional Stadium, proved no advertisement for southern hemisphere rugby.

Both teams produced a series of basic handling and kicking errors which had the crowd groaning in disbelief. The match statistics proved an indictment of the Springboks’ sterility on attack. They won 76 percent of the territory, 56 of the possession and stole five Australian lineouts and one scrum.

Despite this overwhelming advantage they could not score a single tr y, although fullback Pat Lambie crossed the Australia in the second half but was called back for a forward pass. In the end, the most significant statistic was the 147 tackles the Australians were forced to make to repel the most experienced South African side ever to take the field.

“We had some real issues clearing the ball in the second half and they put us under a lot of pressure but I’m really, really proud of the way the guys fought,” said Australia captain James Horwill, who scored the only try of the match.

“We knew that defence wins these big games and our discipline was really good.”—Reuters

DENVER: The Detroit Red Wings beat Colorado 3-0 in the NHL on Saturday to spoil a night in which the Avalanche retired the jersey of Peter Forsberg.

Johan Franzen scored the opening goal, with Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk also finding the net for the Red Wings. Detroit goalie Ty Conklin was sensational in net as he filled in for Jimmy Howard, making 29 saves. Semyon Varlamov made 36 saves in his Avalanche debut.

In a pregame ceremony, the Avs raised a banner with Forsberg’s name and number to the rafters, where it will hang alongside those of Joe Sakic (19), Patrick Roy (33) and Ray Bourque (77).

Ducks 2, Rangers 1 In Stockholm, Bobby Ryan scored the only goal in a shootout as Anaheim overcame a stellar performance by New York goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

Andrew Cogliano opened the scoring for the Ducks midway through the first period, which stood until Brad Richards tied it with 2:15 left in the third period.

Lundqvist, playing before his ‘home’ Swedish fans, kept the Rangers close and rewarded the sellout crowd with an outstanding game in the net, stopping 27 of 28 shots. Jonas Hiller made 14 saves for Anaheim.

Sabres 4, Kings 2 In Berlin, Luke Adam scored twice in a 2:20 span early in the second period to help Buffalo beat Los Angeles in the first NHL game in Germany. Paul Gaustad and Drew Stafford also scored, Ryan Miller made 31 saves, and Austrian star Thomas Vanek had two assists for Buffalo.

Anze Kopitar scored twice for Los Angeles, having also had a goal and an assist Friday in the Kings’ season opener.

Bruins 4, Lightning 1 In Boston, Rich Peverley scored twice to lead Boston over Tampa Bay and give the Stanley Cup champions its first win this season.

Brad Marchand had both assists and Tim Thomas made 25 saves for the Bruins in the rematch of the Eastern Conference finals. Boston won that series and went on to earn its first NHL title since 1972.

Martin St. Louis scored for the Lightning, and Mathieu Garon stopped 38 shots.

Maple Leafs 6, Senators 5 In Toronto, Phil Kessel had three goals and an assist as Toronto held off Ottawa for its second victory in two games this season.

Joffrey Lupul had a goal and two assists, Mikhail Grabovski and Colton Orr also scored, and James Reimer made 27 saves for Toronto, which led 5-1 midway through the third period. Daniel Alfredsson scored twice for the Senators. Colin Greening, Jason Spezza and Stephane Da Costa, with his first in NHL goal, also scored.

Capitals 4, Hurricanes 3 In Washington, Mike Green scored a power-play goal 2:24 into overtime to give Washington victor y over Carolina and its 10th straight win in home openers.

Green’s drive from the top of the right circle trickled between goaltender Brian Boucher ’s legs.

Alexander Semin and Jason Chimera scored second-period goals for the Capitals, and Brooks Laich tallied in the third period.

Michal Neuvirth had 28 saves for Washington as the surprise starter over veteran free agent signing Tomas Vokoun. Eric Staal had a pair

DENVER: Peter Forsberg, of Sweden, watches as his jersey ascends to the rafters during a ceremony to retire his Colorado Avalanche jersey No. 21 before the start of an NHL hockey game between the Detroit Red Wings and the Avalanche. Forsberg played the majority of his career with the Avalanche. —AP Penguins 5, Flames 3 In Calgary, Evgeni Malkin, Craig Adams and Tyler Kennedy scored to lead Pittsburgh over Calgar y.

Defenseman Matt Niskanen had a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh and Jordan Staal added an emptynetter. Curtis Glencross, Rene Bourque and Olli Jokinen scored for the Flames in Calgary’s first game of the season.

of power-play goals for Carolina, and Jussi Jokinen sent the game to overtime with a late goal.

Flyers 3, Devils 0 In Newark, Ilya Bryzgalov made 20 saves as Philadelphia spoiled another home opener with a win over New Jersey. The Flyers started the season on Thursday with a 2-1 win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins in Boston.

Claude Giroux, Matt Read and Wayne Simmonds provided the goals to support Bryzgalov. The Flyers win spoiled Peter DeBoer’s debut as Devils coach.

Wild 4, Blue Jackets 2 In St. Paul, Minnesota, Dany Heatley didn’t take long to make an impact for Minnesota, giving his new team a power-play goal and an assist in a season-opening victory over Columbus.

Heatley, acquired in a summer trade with San Jose, gave the Wild a 3-0 lead when he one-timed a pass threaded into slot traffic by PierreMarc Bouchard midway through the second period.

Soon after his lapse contributed to Aaron Johnson’s opener for Columbus, Heatley zipped a perfect cross-ice pass to Devin Setoguchi, another key acquisition from the Sharks, for a textbook two-on-one goal and a 4-1 Wild lead.

Defenseman Marco Scandella scored his first career goal on a power play in the first period after Matt Cullen put the Wild on the board just 70 seconds into their season. Maksim Mayorov also scored for the Blue Jackets.

Sharks 6, Coyotes 3 In San Jose, the hosts notched their highest ever score in a season opener, beating Phoenix. Joe Pavelski and Andrew Desjardins scored two goals apiece, while newcomer Michal Handzus and Ryane Clowe also scored and Patrick Marleau had two assists for the Sharks, who jumped on the Coyotes from the start and finished with 52 shots on goal.

San Jose’s first four goals came from four different lines to spoil Mike Smith’s debut as Phoenix goalie. Acquired in the offseason to help replace Ilya Bryzgalov, Smith allowed six goals in the first two periods. Shane Doan scored two power-play goals and Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored on the man advantage for the Coyotes.

Predators 4, Blues 2 In St. Louis, David Legwand had two goals and two assists as Nashville ended a lengthy scoring slump against Jaroslav Halak with a victory that spoiled St. Louis’ season opener.

Kevin Klein got the Predators’ go-ahead goal in the third, less than a minute after Jason Arnott had tied it for the Blues only four seconds into a tripping penalty.

Legwand added an empty-netter.

Nashville won despite getting outshot 33-16, scoring three times on just five shots in the third. Patrik Berglund also scored for the Blues.

Blackhawks 5, Stars 2 In Chicago, Dave Bolland scored two goals while Andrew Brunette, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp each had one to lead Chicago over Dallas. Vernon Fiddler and Steve Ott scored for the Stars, who were outplayed for most of the game by the energized Blackhawks. Chicago ended a four-game losing streak against Dallas.

Panthers 2, Islanders 0 In Uniondale, New York, Stephen Weiss and Jason Garrison scored and Jose Theodore made 27 saves to lead Florida over New York. The Panthers won in Kevin Dineen’s first game as an NHL head coach.

Theodore’s shutout was the 31st of his career.—AP

NHL results/standings NHL results and standings on yesterday.

Anaheim 2, NY Rangers 1 (SO); Buffalo 4, Los Angeles 2; Boston 4, Tampa Bay 1; Toronto 6, Ottawa 5; Philadelphia 3, New Jersey 0; Washington 4, Carolina 3 (OT); Florida 2, NY Islanders 0; Nashville 4, St Louis 2; Minnesota 4, Columbus 2; Chicago 5, Dallas 2; Detroit 3, Colorado 0; Pittsburgh 5, Calgary 3; San Jose 6, Phoenix 3. (OT = overtime, SO = shootout)

Philadelphia Pittsburgh NY Rangers NY Islanders New Jersey

W 2 2 0 0 0

Buffalo Toronto Boston Montreal Ottawa

2 2 1 0 0

Florida Washington Tampa Bay Carolina Winnipeg

1 1 1 0 0

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division L OTL GF 0 0 5 0 0 9 0 2 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 Northeast Division 0 0 8 0 0 8 1 0 5 1 0 0 2 0 8 Southeast Division 0 0 2 0 0 4 1 0 6 1 1 4 0 0 0

GA PTS 1 4 6 4 5 2 2 0 3 0 3 5 3 2 11

4 4 2 0 0

0 3 5 9 0

2 2 2 1 0

Western Conference Central Division Detroit 2 0 0 8 3 4 Nashville 2 0 0 7 4 4 Chicago 1 1 0 6 4 2 St. Louis 0 1 0 2 4 0 Columbus 0 2 0 4 7 0 Northwest Division Minnesota 1 0 0 4 2 2 Vancouver 0 0 1 3 4 1 Edmonton 0 0 0 0 0 0 Calgary 0 1 0 3 5 0 Colorado 0 1 0 0 3 0 Pacific Division San Jose 1 0 0 6 3 2 Los Angeles 1 1 0 5 6 2 Dallas 1 1 0 4 6 2 Anaheim 1 1 0 3 5 2 Phoenix 0 1 0 3 6 0 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L

Kuwait’s team

Kuwait collects 15 medals at world jet ski tourney KUWAIT: Kuwaiti jet skiers collected a total of fifteen medals in the ongoing International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) tournament held in the US state of Arizona.

Veteran international competitor Mohammad Burabie’a made an unprecedented achievement when he finished first in all pro-division races he participated in, collecting five medals, including two gold, two silver and one bronze.

Meanwhile, the reigning UAE Grand Prix champion Mohammad Al-Baz has so far collected two gold and one silver medal.

Fellow teammate Khalid Burabei’a also collected six multicolor medals, while Yaqoub Al-Huwaidi won two gold and two silver medals.

“The players are doing a great job representing their country as their efforts is attracting the attention of fans and the media in the United States”, said

Abdulqader Al-Najjar, the head of the marine committee at the Kuwait Sea Sports Club who leads the Kuwaiti delegation in the tournament.

Mohammad Burabie’a

White: Champions League means we’re well-prepared CAPE TOWN: Australia’s Twenty20 squad has limited time together ahead of a testing two-match series in South Africa but the Champions League tournament in India has ensured players are in good shape, captain Cameron White said yesterday. Australia’s players arrived in South Africa in separate groups this weekend, with the likes of Shane Watson, in-form batsman David Warner and highly rated young quick bowler Pat Cummins flying in from India.

Under new interim coach Troy Cooley, the Australians will only have their first practice session together on Monday, just three days out from the series opener at Cape Town’s Newlands. That doesn’t worry White who told reporters that game time in India meant some players were already well-prepared for the Proteas.

“It’s not ideal but at the same time those guys who are coming from all parts of the world have been playing some cricket,” White said at a hotel in the city’s waterfront. “Some of the guys coming from back home haven’t played too much.

Although you’d like to be together longer in the lead-up, at least some of the guys have had some Twenty20 cricket.

“I think it’s a good thing coming off real match-

es and hardened competition. It’s better than coming out of Australia with a bit of net preparation.”

Australia will look to explosive hitter Warner and teenager Cummins to help it make a winning start to a monthlong tour of South Africa which also includes three one-day internationals and two tests. And the short-term appointment of Cooley after Tim Nielsen stepped down shouldn’t impact negatively on the performance, White said.

“It’s up to the players once you get out onto the field, to make sure you perform,” White said. “At the end of the day the side we have got out on the park is a pretty experienced Twenty20 side that plays a lot of Twenty20s as individuals, so we know how to play the game.”

Left-hander Warner has been in devastating form - including successive T20 centuries at the Champions League in his last two innings.

White said he was also looking forward to linking up with the pacy 18-year-old Cummins, who had already got the Aussie T20 skipper “excited” with his performances in India.

“I saw him (Cummins) bowl a couple of games on TV,” White said. “Anyone who bowls at 150 (kph), it’s really good to watch. Even just sitting back. I’m not a big cricket watcher when I’m not playing

(but) those type of players keep you interested in the game and, yeah, you do get a bit excited.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him in the flesh.

Clearly he has got some very good pace.”

White and teammates began the tour with an early morning start yesterday to watch Australia’s victory over South Africa in a bruising quarterfinal at rugby’s World Cup in New Zealand. Cricket series between the countries are traditionally just as fierce. With Australia still smarting over a 2-0 T20 series loss in Sri Lanka two months ago - and the Proteas eager to make a strong start under new coach Gary Kirsten - the short-version games in Cape Town and Johannesburg will likely set up a tough, uncompromising contest in all formats between the old rivals.

T20 cricket was not only important for the bigmoney, high-profile tournaments like the Champions League and Indian Premier League, White said. “We’re coming off a Sri Lankan series where we didn’t play so well and we think we’re an improving T20 side,” White said. “We take it very seriously and are trying to win these two games and will try everything out there to do so. “There’s no doubt they’re a great side and they will be very tough to beat.” —AP

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

SPORTS

Oklahoma rout Texas DALLAS: Oklahoma made a strong case to reclaim college football’s No. 1 ranking by routing Texas 55-17 on Saturday.

Quarterback Landry Jones threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns, Dominique Whaley ran 64 yards for another touchdown and the Oklahoma defense scored three more touchdowns.

Having slipped from first to second to third over successive weeks, Oklahoma stomped its Red River rivals almost as easily as it did lowly Ball State the previous week. The Sooners wound up with their most lopsided win over the No.11-ranked Longhorns since 2003.

Texas, with an inexperienced quarterback combination of David Ash and Case McCoy, couldn’t up with Jones and his talented receivers. All-American Ryan Broyles had 9 catches for 122 yards.

NORMAN: Oklahoma running back Dominique Whaley (top) flies over Ball State cornerback Armand Dehaney (bottom) after a tackle by Dehaney in the first quarter of an NCAA college football game. —AP

Berdych, Radwanska lift China Open crown BEIJING: Third seed Tomas Berdych ended his long title drought with a clinical, 3-6 6-4 6-1 victory over Croatian Marin Cilic on a smoggy final day at the China Open tennis yesterday.

Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska took her third title of the year when she beat ninth seed Andrea Petkovic 7-5 0-6 6-4 in a rally-loaded women’s final.

German Petkovic, seeded ninth, survived a knee injury scare in the first set and surged back to whitewash her opponent in the second.

The 22-year-old Radwanska, who won last weekend’s Tokyo Pan Pacific and August’s Carlsbad titles, used her powerful return against the German in the deciding set to clinch the trophy and the $775,500 prize.

“This is my biggest title of my career,” said Radwanska. “It’s always hard to come back, especially when you lose the set 6-0. She was just killing the ball and she killed me in the second set. It was very, very tough.”

Czech Berdych, who last won a title in Munich in May 2009, staged a secondset revival against the 25th-ranked Cilic and blazed through the decider.

“I was really hanging in there. When I lost the first set, I knew I needed to start to play a little more aggressively or change something,” said the world number 10. Cilic, facing his first seeded play-

er in this year’s competition, set the tempo by breaking Berdych’s serve in the second game.

Berdych’s errors played a part in the first set which Cilic, who also lost the final two years ago, finished off with an ace.

Berdych, playing in his first final since his 2010 Wimbledon centre court loss to Rafael Nadal, fought back, and took the match to a third set.

“When I lost my serve and I was two breaks down, I was still positive,” he said.

“I think the key moment was a break at 5-4. Marin was serving and I made a set point and won the second set. From that moment I started to feel great; I had more energy for the third set.”

Cilic admitted nerves had got the better of him as the Czech made his comeback. “I had two advantages at 4-4 in the second set and maybe I (suffered) from a little bit of tension,” he said. “He started to play better and I wasn’t finding the right solutions.”

Both players dripped sweat in the unseasonably humid Beijing autumn weather and the problems were compounded by a pall of smog enveloping the National Tennis Centre.

The air quality monitor at the United States Embassy in Beijing recorded “hazardous” levels throughout the final day of competition. —Reuters

Oklahoma State 70, Kansas 28 I n Stillwater, Ok lahoma, Brandon Weeden threw for 288 yards and five touchdowns playing less than a half asOklahoma State had its highest scoring game since 1970 and crushed Kansas.

Jamie Blatnick recovered a fumble and leaped to tip an interception to himself for two of the Cowboys’ four first-half takeaways, and Oklahoma State scored touchdowns on all eight of its possessions before halftime against the nation’s worst defense.

Arkansas 38, Auburn 14 In Fayetteville, Arkansas, Tyler Wilson threw for 262 yards, completing 19 straight passes at one point for Arkansas in the win over defending champs Auburn.

Wilson, who set a school

Nebraska 34, Ohio State 27 In Lincoln, Nebraska, Taylor Martinez ran for a touchdown a n d p a s s e d fo r t wo o t h e r s while bringing Nebraska back from a 21-point second-half deficit against Ohio State, the biggest comeback in school history.

Rex Burkhead scored the goahead touchdown on a 17-yard run with 5:10 left.

West Virginia 43, Connecticut 16 In Morgantown, West Virginia, Geno Smith threw for 450 yards and four touchdowns and West Virginia navigated through another slow start to win its Big East opener against Connecticut. West Virginia struggled to a 10-9 half time lead before erupting for 23 points in a 7:35 span of the third quarter to take control.

attempts against its Big 12 rival.

Virginia Tech 38, Miami 35 In Blacksburg, Virginia, Logan Thomas ran 19 yards for a touchdown with 56 seconds to play, capping a wild fourth quarter for Virginia Tech against Miami.

The Hokies rescued their chances of contending in the Coastal Division with the dramatic rally, and may have killed the hopes for the Hurricanes.

Arizona State 35, Utah 14 In Salt Lake City, Brock Osweiler passed for 325 yards and three touchdowns and Arizona State forced five turnovers to beat Utah. Jon Hays threw three interceptions in his first major-college start for the Utes.Wake Forest 35, Florida State 30 In Winston-Salem, North

Louisiana State 41, Florida 11 In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Spencer Ware rushed for 109 yards and two scores as Louisiana State showed that was a worthy No.1 by cruising past Florida.

Each of LSU’s quarterbacks passed for touchdowns. Jarrett Lee gave the Tigers the lead for good on their second offensive play, hitting Rueben Randle deep over the middle for a 46-yard touchdown. Jordan Jefferson used a jump pass to Mitch Joseph for another score.

Florida was playing with a quarterback who had never taken a snap in a college game. Jacoby Brissett, playing because both John Brantley and Jeff Driskel were hurt, couldn’t muster any offense against the Tigers.

It was the second straight week Florida was pounded by an Southeast Conference West heavweight. The Gators were trounced by Alabama last week.

Alabama 34, Vanderbilt 0 In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, AJ McCarron passed for career-highs of 237 yards and four touchdowns for Alabama in the win over Vanderbilt.

Trent Richardson rushed for 107 yards and a touchdown in his fifth straight 100-yard effort for the Crimson Tide.

Stanford 48, Colorado 7 In Stanford, California, Andrew Luck threw for a season-high 370 yards and three touchdowns, as Stanford stayed perfect with victory over Colorado. With former Stanford standouts Tiger Woods and John Elway on the sidelines, Luck completed 26 of 33 passes with a rare interception to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 13 games.

Clemson 36, Boston College 14 In Clemson, South Carolina, Tajh Boyd threw for a touchdown and ran for another before leaving with a hip injury as Clemson downed Boston College.

The severity of Boyd’s injury was unknown. He came in leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in total offense and has been the catalyst for the Tigers’ first 6-0 start in 11 years.

TUSCALOOSA: Vanderbilt wide receiver Jonathan Krause (17) hauls in a pass as Alabama defensive back Dre Kirkpatrick (21) defends in the first half of an NCAA college football game. —AP record with 510 passing yards in a win over Texas A&M last week, ended the first half against the Tigers by completing 18 straight passes.

Michigan 42, Northwestern 24 In Evanston, Illinois, Denard Robinson threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more, helping Michigan come back from a 10-point halftime deficit against Nor thwestern and remain unbeaten.

Robinson threw for 337 yards and ran for 113 as M ichigan scored on its first three possessions of the second half. The Wolverines trailed 24-14 after a first half in which Robinson threw three interceptions.

Georgia Tech 21, Maryland 16 In Atlanta, Tevin Washington ran for 120 yards and t wo touchdowns and Georgia Tech’s least impressive offensive showing of the season was enough to see off Maryland. Georgia Tech led 21-3 before holding off the Terrapins’ fourth-quarter comeback.

South Carolina 54, Kentucky 3 In Columbia, South Carolina, new starting quarterback Connor Shaw threw for 311 yards and four touchdowns to lead South Carolina to a big win over Kentucky.

Shaw, who took over as starter this week from Stephen Garcia, completed 26 of 39 passes and had no interceptions.

Illinois 41, Indiana 20 In Bloomington, Indiana, Nathan Scheelhaase and A.J. Jenkins hooked up on two long TD passes to lead Illinois past Indiana. The Illini is off to its best start since the 1951 team was 7-0.

Kansas State 24, Missouri 17 In Manhattan, Kansas, Collin Klein ran for three touchdowns as Kansas State edged Missouri to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 2000.

Klein finished with 157 yards of total offense and John Hubert added 126 yards on the ground for the Wildcats, who nearly blew a big second-half lead but steadied to win its first game in six

Carolina, Tanner Price threw three touchdown passes to lead Wake Forest past Florida State.

Josh Harris rushed for 136 yards and Price was 21 of 35 for 233 yards for the Demon Deacons, who are off to their best start to ACC play in school history.

Texas A&M 45, Texas Tech 40 In Lubbock, Texas, Ryan Tannehill ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead Texas A&M over Texas Tech.

After leading by double-digits at halftime and losing the last two weeks, Texas A&M finally put together four quarters, despite being outscored 20-14 in the second half.

Baylor 49, Iowa State 26 In Waco, Texas, Robert Griffin ran for a season-high 107 yards and Terrance Ganaway rushed for a career-high 200 yards for Baylor.

Tevin Elliott returned a fumble 86 yards for a touchdown for the Bears, who bounced back from a 36-35 loss last weekend to No. 20 Kansas State. —AP

Murray flattens Nadal to clinch Japan Open

BEIJING: Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska (right) talks with Germany’s Andrea Petkovic after the trophy presentation in the women’s singles final of the China Open. —AP

TOKYO: Andy Murray reduced Rafa Nadal’s granite-like resistance to rubble as he stunned the Spaniard 3-6 6-2 6-0 to capture the Japan Open tennis yesterday.

It was the Briton’s second title in two weeks, after he won in Bangkok, and ended Nadal’s bid to become the first man since Pete Sampras in 1993-94 to retain the Tokyo crown.

“I played some great tennis, especially in the third set,” Murray told repor ters af ter inflicting the dreaded ‘bagel’ on Nadal in the decider to win his 20th career title.

“It was the best tennis I’ve played against Rafa,” added the Scot, who had lost 13 of his previous 17 matches against the world number two.

Murray, who has won 21 of his last 22 matches, will wish he could bottle the magic he produced in an astonishing third set, when he dropped just four points.

“To only lose four points - and against Rafa - will never happen again,” he said. “I’ve hit the ball like that before but for such a long period, that’s definitely the first time. “I’ve given myself the target of ending the year at number three (in the world) so

hopefully I can carr y on that form.”

Murray, who can close the gap on Roger Federer further in Shanghai next week, returned to court after a quick rubdown to

back brilliantly, breaking for 3-1 in the second with a rifled forehand into the corner.

Murray, accused in the past of having a ‘glass jaw’, nervelessly saved triple break point in the

TOKYO: Andy Murray of Britain kisses his trophy he won after beating Rafael Nadal of Spain in their final match at the Japan Open tennis tournament. —AP win the Tok yo doubles with brother Jamie. “ Winning with my brother makes it the perfect week,” he said, the singles trophy gleaming beside him.Top seed Nadal took the first set on a superb lunging volley but Murray hit

next game with three cracking aces to leave Nadal shaking his head in disbelief.

The second seed, who had been screaming at himself and pointing furiously at his box in the first set, levelled the match with a bullet back hand that

Nadal could only dump into the net.

Nadal’s game unravelled and the 10-times grand slam champion wore the look of a tortured man in the final set as Murray caught fire, ripping winner after winner past him.

Nadal overtook world number one Novak Djokovic for most match wins this year with his 65th in his semi-final victory over Mardy Fish, but he had no answer to Murray’s power.

Fans of Nadal, many draped in Spanish flags and some in red-and-yellow, afro-style wigs, fell silent as Murray tore through the decider in 29 minutes.

Murray set up triple match point with a rocket forehand down the line before forcing Nadal into a loose backhand to end a pulsating final after two hours, 16 minutes.

“Andy played unbelievable.

He deser ves the title,” said Nadal, playing his first tournament since helping Spain to reach the Davis Cup final last month. “I’ve lost a few sets 6-0 of course. You prefer it doesn’t happen, but he played fantastic and in the third set he started to play at a really high level.

Accept. That’s it.” —Reuters

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Mosop, Shobukhova win Chicago Marathon

CHICAGO: Moses Mosop of Kenya celebrates as he wins the Chicago Marathon. Mosop finished at 2:05:37.—AP

Scotland aim to reign in Spain MADRID: Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher should be fit to face Spain tomorrow as Scotland aim to beat the world champion and secure a playoff spot for the European Championship.

Scotland must at least equal Czech Republic’s result at Lithuania to clinch second place in Group I. Fletcher made a quick recovery from tonsillitis to captain Scotland in the 1-0 win at Liechtenstein on Saturday to draw praise from coach Craig Levein.

“He went above and beyond the call of duty,” Levein said. “He can’t be 100 percent after his illness during the week but he does it again, he turns in another fantastic performance.”

Scotland faces an uphill task against a Spain team that has won all its qualifying matches so far and has dominated the group.

“There must be no fear. If we go there with fear we will end up playing into their hands,” Fletcher said. “If we’re all doom and gloom it will affect our performance. We must go there with a bit of hope - stranger things have happened.”

Craig Mackail-Smith scored his first international goal to beat Liechtenstein and is likely to start up front again as Kenny Miller struggles with a groin injury.

Levein said the Brighton striker had adapted quickly to international football.

“It’s difficult to come into a team where none of the lads in the Scotland set-up play for Brighton so it’s not as if he’s got anybody alongside him who understands how he plays,” Levein said. “To get a goal on his first competitive start is a dream come true for him.”

While Fletcher’s return against Liechtenstein was a bonus, Liverpool’s Charlie Adam and Aston Villa winger Barry Bannan are doubts after picking up knocks.

“No fear” was a recurring theme as Levein looked forward to the Spain match.

“It is a tall order, we understand that, but there is nothing for us to fear, that is the important thing, there is nothing to fear,” he said. “We are playing the world champions, of course, but we are in the position where if we win the game we qualify (for the playoffs).”

Scotland has 11 points going into the final match, one ahead of Czech Republic but with a worse head-to-head record.

Czech Republic lost at home to Lithuania last September, but a Scotland loss in Spain would mean the Czechs would only need a draw in Kaunas to reach the playoffs.

Levein said he would have accepted that position at the start of the campaign.

“If we win the game we finish second, that’s a fact,” he said. “We can’t go in the game relying on what happens in Lithuania, we have no influence over that.”

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque is likely to rotate his players for the match in Alicante. Valencia left-back Jordi Alba should make his debut, while Thiago, Javi Martinez, Pedro and Santi Cazorla could all start.

“We have lots of players with quality and plenty of alternatives,” Del Bosque said. “Our players have been playing a lot of games and it is normal some have suffered tiredness. That is why rotating the team against Scotland is an option.”

However, misfiring Chelsea striker Fernando Torres is likely to be given another chance to break an international scoring duck that stretches back more than a year.

“I saw Fernando in good form with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Unfortunately we didn’t find the right pass for him against the Czechs but I am happy with his performance,” Del Bosque said. “He did what I asked him. Fernando made them defend deep and opened up space.”

Goalkeeper and captain Iker Casillas could also drop down to the bench despite being one match away from equaling Andoni Zubizarreta’s record 126 caps.

Casillas is believed to prefer celebrating the milestone during a Wembley friendly with England next month and that could mean a start for Adam’s Liverpool teammate Jose Reina.

“We have to try to win. The Scots are fighting with the Czech Republic yet there is nothing we can do but play our best,” said Reina, who said no favors would be granted. “The target is not to lose a single point in the group so even a draw wouldn’t be good for us.”—AP

CHICAGO: Kenya’s Moses Mosop set a course record in winning the Chicago Marathon yesterday and Russia’s Liliya Shobukhova claimed the women’s title to become the race’s first three-peat champion.

Both runners had no trouble pulling away from the pack on a warm morning to claim their $100,000 prizes. Mosop earned another $50,000 for finishing in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 37 seconds and breaking Sammy Wanjiru’s course mark by 4 seconds.

He easily beat countrymen Wesley Korir (2:06:15) and Bernard Kipyego (2:06:29), with Ethiopia’s Bekana Daba (2:07:59) and American Ryan Hall (2:08:04) rounding out the top five.

Shobukhova also made it look easy in becoming the first runner - male or female - to three-peat in Chicago, clocking in at 2:18:20. She was about a minute off Paula Radcliffe’s course mark of 2:17:18 set in 2002 and outclassed the rest of the field.

Ejegayehu Dibaba of Ethiopia took second in 2:22:09 and Japan’s Kayoko Fukushi third in 2:24:38.

Shobukhova is hoping to secure an Olympic berth and might have done just that with her performance. Her country’s federation will select its team based on the two fastest times posted between Sept. 1 and the end of the year.

Mosop, meanwhile, was spectacular again after a string of impressive performances, raising his arms and pointing toward the crowd as he crossed the finish line at Grant Park.

He ran the second-fastest 26.2 miles in history in his debut at the Boston Marathon this year, but finished behind fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai in 2:03:06 with a tailwind on a course that doesn’t meet specifications for world records. He then set the world mark in the 30,000 meters at the Prefontaine Classic in June, but his Achilles issue limited his training during the summer.

Even so, Mosop was hoping to break the course record of 2:05:41 set by the late Wanjiru in 2009, when he won the first of two straight Chicago Marathons. If Mosop’s Achilles tendon was bothering him, he did a good job of hiding it.

He didn’t flinch when Korir made a move to break from a five-man pack and briefly led through 18 miles. Mosop kept pace and quickly put him away.

There were 45,000 runners registered and 37,400 made the start on a day that seemed made for hanging out by the lake if not running 26.2 miles.

The race-time temperature was 64 degrees and expected to reach about 80 during the day, the fourth time in five years the weather was unusually warm, but race officials were confident they had the proper procedures in place to prevent and handle any emergencies. A Michigan man with a heart condition died four years ago, but since then, organizers have improved communication between various agencies and the runners. They’ve also added more water distribution points and medical aid stations.—AP

CHICAGO: Liliya Shobukhova, of Russia, celebrates as she crosses the finish line during the Chicago Marathon. —AP

Doubts linger over Portugal defence after shaky display LISBON: Portugal coach Paulo Bento has urged his makeshift defence to show drive and concentration to help the team qualify for Euro 2012 by securing at least a draw against Denmark tomorrow.

The Portuguese and the Danes are level at the top of Group H on 16 points, but having beaten their rivals 3-1 at home a year ago, Portugal need just a draw in their final game to book a berth at next year’s finals in Poland and Ukraine.

Denmark will likely have to take the initiative so Bento hopes his back four will not give in to the Danes’ physical game and wobble as they did against Iceland on Friday, when they won 5-3 but only after surviving a shaky second-half performance.

“We will need to improve our concentration levels and play at some stages of the game with greater aggressiveness at the back,” the coach said.

Key defenders Pepe and Fabio Coentrao are sidelined after picking up injuries playing for Real Madrid, while their club mate Ricardo Carvalho was last month banned from the national side for a year after abandoning their training camp without explanation.

Experienced central defenders Rolando and Bruno Alves looked vulnerable against Iceland’s set pieces and long balls in a second half during which the team nearly lost control of the game.

Winger Nani’s flamboyance and firepower made up for the defen-

sive woes, and Eliseu, who stood in for Coentrao at left back, also impressed by grabbing two assists and scoring a fine goal.

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo looked lively despite not getting his name on the scoresheet and remains the team’s top scorer in the qualifiers alongside Nani on four goals. Following a dismal start to the campaign under Carlos Queiroz, the wingers have spearheaded Portugal’s revival under his replacement Bento, helping the new coach become the first ever to win the first five competitive matches after taking over.

“We are naturally happy to arrive at a situation where we can go decide the qualification in Denmark,” Bento said.

France seek medical ‘miracles’ PARIS: Injury-plagued France need their medical staff to perform “miracles” before tomorrow’s Euro 2012 qualifying decider at home to Bosnia where Les Bleus will be going for a win despite needing only a draw.

France, who lead the Group D standings with 20 points and hold a one-point advantage over Bosnia, made light work of Albania in a 3-0 win on Friday, playing forwardminded football throughout and

they intend to do the same tomorrow.

They are, however, hampered by defensive problems as they are without Bacary Sagna and could miss Patrice Evra, Mathieu Debuchy and Eric Abidal, who are injured.

Centre back Adil Rami, who picked up a knock on Friday, should be available, as well as Evra, according to Blanc, but Abidal, striker Kevin Gameiro and midfielder Yohan Cabaye may struggle to be

fit. “It will be complicated. The medical staff will have to work miracles,” Blanc, who also has to deal with the absence of the injured striker Karim Benzema, told a news conference.

While a point would put the former champions into next year’s tournament in Poland and Ukraine, they want to make absolutely sure by taking all three points.

“We should not be trapped into playing out a draw. It’s not our

Toure brothers rescue Ivory Coast JOHANNESBURG: Brothers Kolo and Yaya Toure of Manchester City scored yesterday as Ivory Coast snatched a 2-1 home win over Burundi to finish with the only per fect record in the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying competition.

Centre -back Kolo Toure put the ‘Elephants’ ahead on 70 minutes at Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium in Ivorian commercial capital Abidjan only for Dugary Ndabashinze to level for the ‘Swallows’ soon after.

It was left to former Barcelona midfield ‘enforcer’ Yaya Toure to earn 1992 Cup of Nations champions Ivory Coast a sixth victory from six Group H outings with a goal three minutes into stoppage time.

Rwanda, whose Ghana-born coach Sellas Tettah quit last month after securing just one win from five qualifiers, climbed two places to second on the final table with a surprise 1-0 away win over Benin in Porto Novo cour tesy of a sixth-minute Mere Kagere goal.

Group E table-toppers Senegal could not quite match the maximum 18-point haul of Ivory Coast, finishing with 16 after scoring a couple of early goals to triumph 2-0 in Mauritius and inflict a humiliating sixth loss on the trot for the Indian Ocean islanders.

Dame N’Doye scored from a free kick on nine minutes and after Mauritian Stephane Badul was red-carded for fouling the Denmark-based striker, Papiss Cisse of German club Freiburg added a second goal midway through the opening half.

The qualifying competition for the finals in Gabon and Equatorial Gabon between Januar y 21 and Februar y 12 ends late Sunday when Group D leaders Morocco host Tanzania and Algeria have home advantage over second-place Central African Republic.

Apar t from the co-hosts, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Libya, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Tunisia and Zambia have secured 2012 Cup of Nations slots and Morocco and Sudan are likely to complete the line-up.—AFP

Morten Olsen’s Denmark will count on veteran Dennis Rommedahl’s effective crossing, forward Nicklas Bendtner’s awareness and Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen’s creativity to cause damage.

“I’ve never lost to Portugal in Parken, so hopefully that statistic continues,” Bendtner said. The Danes rattled in four goals in 22 first-half minutes against Cyprus on Friday, and a draw against Portugal could be enough to put them through to the finals as best runners-up depending on results in other groups.

The other eight group runnersup enter a two-legged playoff for the remaining four spots at the tournament.—Reuters

KIEV: Fireworks are set off near the newly reconstructed Olympiyskiy Stadium during its opening ceremony. The Olympiyskiy national stadium will host the final soccer match of the Euro 2012 tournament.—AP

game, we’re not Italy, who can close the shop and wait for their opponent,” midfielder Samir Nasri, who was finally near his best in the navy blue shirt on Friday, told reporters.

“We’re going to play our football and put them on the back foot. The good thing is that they are a team who like to play so there should be space. We’re not going to make calculations and do everything we can to win.”

Blanc agreed, stressing Bosnia would not be content with a draw either as they look to qualify for their first major tournament as an independent nation.

“My only strategy is to win this game. We will not play against our nature,” the coach said. “We will prepare this game just like the others: to win it.”

It may, however, be trickier against Bosnia than Albania. Safet Susic’s team crushed Luxembourg 5-0 on Friday to make sure they will finish at least second in the group and clinch a playoff berth.

The team led by Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko will look to take advantage of France’s defensive concerns although Bosnia coach Susic believes the hosts remain the favourites despite their injury woes.

“France are the strong favourites to win because they have several world class players in every position, so it’s not a huge problem for them if someone is injured,” he was quoted as saying by local media.

“We have to take risks in Paris but we also have to stay focused and keep our feet on the ground because our fans sometimes expect us to play like world champions, such is their mentality.” The Bosnians are likely to field their usual 4-4-2 formation with Dzeko and Vedad Ibisevic up front.—Reuters

Berdych, Radwanska lift China Open crown

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Spurs’ Parker prepares for post-NBA future in France Page 16

TOKYO: Kohei Uchimura of Japan performs on the ring during the men’s qualification round of the world gymnastics championships. —AP

Lord of the rings TOKYO: As good as the Americans were, the Japanese were still better. The Olympic silver medalists took the early lead in qualifying at the world gymnastics championships yesterday with 364.291 points, finishing about 2.7 points ahead of the US men.

Germany, last year’s bronze medalist, was third with 354.132 points. Though qualifying is only halfway over, that should be good enough to earn all three teams spots at next summer’s London Olympics.

China, Olympic champion and winner of the last four world titles, Russia, South Korea and Britain compete today. The top eight teams qualify for the Olympics and make Wednesday night’s team finals.

“It is just the first competition,” two-time world champion Kohei Uchimura said through an interpreter. “But I have the full confidence to get the gold medal.”

The Americans have been saying they believe they can contend for the gold medal in London, and there’s no question they have improved. They had only one fall - Steve Legendre landed his vault on his knees - and posted higher scores than Japan on vault and floor exercise.

John Orozco, who is not even 15 months removed from a blown Achilles, and U.S.

champ Danell Leyva showed they’re game for giving the stylish Uchimura a rare challenge, finishing about 2 points behind in the individual standings.

Even the worst US event, pommel horse, was solid with the Americans counting two scores above 15. Alex Naddour and Orozco look almost un-American with their smooth and fluid routines. Naddour started by spending what seemed like ages working on one pommel, incredibly difficult because it requires a gymnast to maintain perfect rhythm and consistency.

And the Americans should be even better in team finals. Their team sets up better for that format, where three gymnasts go on each event and all three scores count. In qualifying, five gymnasts compete on each event with the top four scores counted.

“We’re a much stronger team in three-up, three-count,” said Jonathan Horton, a double medalist at the Beijing Olympics. “Not to put down my team at all, but our fourth score up on every single event is much lower than the top three guys. So when we go with our top three, we are as good as anyone in the world and we know it.

“Not to be cocky or overconfident, but we have that belief in us that we are as good as

these teams.” That confidence was bolstered this summer, when the Americans finished less than a point behind Japan at the Japan Cup in this arena.

“All we have to do now is go out there and treat it like Japan Cup,” Orozco said. “It’s going to be fun.” Still, there is a reason Japan has battled China for supremacy in men’s gymnastics the past decade. Uchimura is, simply, otherworldly, doing every routine with polish and precision. On still rings, gymnastics’ version of a torture chamber, he did three somersaults and came to a dead stop, the cables not moving a millimeter. He could have been a model in an art class on parallel bars, holding his handstands for what seemed like ages with statue-like stillness.

And every gymnastics coach needs to get a DVD of his high bar routine and put it on repeat. His release moves were massive, soaring so high above the bar it’s a wonder he didn’t bang his head on the ceiling. As the crowd oohed and ahhed, Uchimura gave a smile and pumped his fist. “I had some mistakes,” Uchimura said, who fell on his vault landing and hurt his leg.

Japan got a scare on floor exercise, when Yusuke Tanaka landed his first tumbling pass on his head. Tanaka was clearly dazed, but

still attempted his next skill before the Japanese coaches could climb onto the podium and pull him off the floor. He walked down under his own power and took a seat on the sidelines, putting his face in his hands.

He was later taken to the hospital for tests.

Tanaka was leading the all-around at that point, and it will be a big loss if Japan doesn’t have him Wednesday. But they have plenty of depth - as Makoto Okiguchi showed.

Okiguchi wasn’t supposed to compete on pommel horse, but he had little choice because of Tanaka’s injury and a fall off horse

by Tanaka’s older brother, Kazahito.

With the home fans urging him on, Okiguchi put on a solid show and earned a more-than-respectable 14.533. Germany dug itself a big hole on its first event, with Fabian Hambuechen and Philipp Boy both falling off pommel horse. But the Germans rallied with stylish sets on parallel bars, where they posted the second-highest score of the day behind Japan.

“I’m not satisfied with the results because we did so many mistakes,” said Boy, who still posted the sixth-highest individual score.

“Training was really, really good. I don’t know how to say it. This was really not expected for us.”—AP

Vettel seals F1 crown SUZUKA: Sebastian Vettel became the youngest driver to win consecutive Formula One championships yesterday after finishing third at the Japanese Grand Prix, a race won by Jenson Button. Button, who started from the front row alongside pole-sitter Vettel, took the checkered flag at the Suzuka circuit for his third win of the season, finishing 1.160 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

Vettel needed just one point to wrap up the title or for Button not to win the race. The 15 points he earned for third was more than enough to allow the German to become the sport’s youngest two-title winner at age 24.

“We’ve had a long year, a fantastic year,” Vettel said.

“Today’s race was difficult. We weren’t as fast as we wanted to be on the soft tires and it was difficult as we lost two positions but it was a strong result today to win the championships and I want to thank the team.”

Vettel joins some of the greats of the sport in becoming only the ninth driver to win consecutive championships, along with Alberto Ascari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jack Brabham, Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Mika Hakkinen and Fernando Alonso.

The German’s voice cracked as he spoke over the radio to team boss Christian Horner on his way back to the pits after the race, but when he got there he was all smiles, running to the outside of the pit wall where he was mobbed by his team in jubilant celebrations. Vettel briefly challenged Alonso for

second with 10 laps to go but it didn’t make sense for him to take any risks knowing he had the championship wrapped up with a third-place finish. He finished 2.006 seconds behind Button. At the start of the race Vettel and Button nearly collided on the run to the first corner. Vettel got a slightly tardy start and cut hard to his right to block Button, who was forced to slow and put wheels on the grass verge to avoid contact. Button could be heard over his team radio saying “He’s (Vettel) got to get a penalty for that” but stewards reviewed the footage and elected not to punish the Red Bull driver. After the race, as the top three drivers prepared to walk out on the podium, Button asked Vettel, “didn’t you see me at the start?” Vettel said he was within his rights to defend his position because he was ahead, not beside Button. Vettel said he had no intention of putting Button in danger.

“Obviously, as I said, I didn’t want to put him in danger,” Vettel said. “But I think we have to race each other hard.”

Vettel held the lead until the second round of pitstops after lap 20 when Button got out ahead, and led Vettel, Alonso and Webber for rest of the race.

“This circuit is very special,” Button said. “We love this place and it was great to get a win here. I want to thank the team.

The improvements that they did to the car were impeccable.”

Vettel, who won last year’s championship at the last race of the year, compared that victory with wrapping up the title with four races remaining. —AP

SUZUKA: Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany holds his trophy after finishing third in the Japanese Grand Prix to clinch the Formula One drivers championship. —AP

TOKYO: Germany’s Philipp Boy performs on the vaulting table during the men’s qualifying of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. —AP

Mumbai win T-20 Champions League CHENNAI: Harbhajan Singh bagged three wickets to help Mumbai Indians lift the Twenty20 Champions League title with a 31-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final yesterday.

The off-spinner removed hard-hitting Chris Gayle (five), Virat Kohli (11) and Daniel Vettori (one) as Mumbai dismissed Bangalore for 108 after scoring a modest 139 on a low, slow pitch where stroke-making was not easy. Harbhajan was superbly backed by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who finished with 2-9 off three tight overs. Bangalore lost their way after Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan dominated a 38-run stand for the opening wicket off four overs with Gayle. Dilshan scored a 20-ball 27 before being bowled by compatriot Lasith Malinga (2-23).

Mumbai, who were without star batsman Sachin Tendulkar due to a toe injury, got $2.5 million for clinching the title while Bangalore took home $1.3 million. Mumbai earlier looked like setting a stiff target after winning the toss when they reached 105-3 in the 14th over, but they lost four wickets for as many runs, with left-arm spinner Vettori taking two.

New Zealander James Franklin (41) propped up the innings after Mumbai had lost both openers for 24 runs as he added 41 for the third wicket with Ambati Rayudu (22) and 40 for the next with Suryakumar Yadav (24). But Mumbai suffered a twin blow when well-set Franklin and Yadav were run out in the space of three runs. Franklin hit two sixes and as many fours in his 29-ball knock.

New Zealander Vettori then struck twice in his fourth and last over to put more pressure on Mumbai, dismissing Kieron Pollard (two) and skipper Harbhajan for no score to finish with 2-30.

Seamer Raju Bhatkal was the most successful bowler with 3-21, including two wickets in his third over.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 139 in 20 overs (J. Franklin 41, S. Yadav 24, A. Rayudu 22; R. Bhatkal 3-21, D. Vettori 2-30) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 108 in 19.2 overs (T. Dilshan 27; Harbhajan Singh 3-20, Y. Chahal 2-9, L. Malinga 2-23, Abu Nechim Ahmed 2-26) by 31 runs.—AFP

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Kuwait equities rally

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Emaar Properties showcases gallery of Guinness Records Page 22

SEOUL: South Korean protesters stage a rally against a free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the United States in Seoul yesterday. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will visit the United States to meet US President Barack Obama to discuss a range of economic and security issues as well as review progress on a free-trade agreement between their countries. — AP

Merkel, Sarkozy tackle euro differences Crisis risks spiralling into banking meltdown BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel was to thrash out differences with French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday over how to use the euro zone’s financial firepower to counter a sovereign debt crisis threatening the global economy.

With the turmoil threatening to spiral into financial meltdown as the value of banks’ sovereign bond holdings slide, Merkel and Sarkozy are likely to discuss in Berlin both how to manage Greece, prevent contagion and strengthen lenders. The implosion of Belgian lender Dexia, the first victim of the crisis, has added a sense of urgency to the talks. The prime ministers of France and Belgium and the finance minister of Luxembourg agreed a rescue plan for Dexia yesterday ahead of the stricken Franco-Belgian bank. “Dexia will be among the topics that will be discussed but the main topic is Greece and the euro zone, as banks are only a consequence” of the crisis, a

source at the French finance ministry told Reuters.

Sarkozy is due to arrive in Berlin late afternoon and hold a meeting with Merkel followed by a working dinner. A news conference will take place at 1530 GMT. Talks are continuing over a vital aid tranche for Greece, which could run out of cash as soon as mid-November. European finance ministers are considering making banks take bigger losses on Greek debt-an issue that could be discussed at the Merkel-Sarkozy meeting. “It is possible that we assumed in July a level of debt reduction that was too low,” German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble was cited as saying by a newspaper yesterday.

Separately, European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso told Bild a Greek default would have unforeseeable consequences and may cause the crisis to spread.

“This is new territory for us and we are dis-

cussing solutions which have not really been tested before,” he said.

BOLSTERING BANKS Germany and France have so far been split over how to recapitalize Europe’s banks, which Ireland estimated on Saturday may need more than 100 billion euros ($135 billion) to withstand the sovereign debt crisis, while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said the banks need 200 billion in additional funds.

Paris wants to tap the euro zone’s 440 billion European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) to recapitalize its own banks, while Berlin is insisting the fund should be used as a last resort.

Qatar is being cited by some media as a potential savior for European banks yet analysts believe tiny Gulf Arab state is an unlikely white knight, as Europe’s needs are too great.

Top French banks BNP Paribas and Societe

Generale denied a report yesterday that they could seek to raise a combined 11 billion euros as part of a broader European bank recapitalization plan.

Another key dispute is how to use the EFSF to buy sovereign debt to prevent contagion of the crisis, particularly crucial if Greece fails to secure its next aid tranche. France does not want to set guidelines for the EFSF on the matter, whereas Germany wants to limit the sum used for each member state and set a time limit for bond purchasing.

“Given that the EFSF is limited overall, it makes sense also to limit the purchases on the secondary market for each country,” Michael Meister, deputy parliamentar y leader of Merkel’s conservatives, told Reuters.

There was a danger, otherwise, the funds could be quickly used up, he said. Berlin could be prepared to allow a more flexible use of the EFSF to prop up states and banks if Paris

France, Belgium, Luxembourg agree Dexia rescue BRUSSELS: France, Belgium and Luxembourg agreed a rescue plan for Dexia SA yesterday ahead of a planned board meeting expected to decide on a break-up of the first lender to fall victim to the euro zone crisis. French Prime Minister Francois Fillon, his Belgian counterpart Yves Leterme and Luc Frieden, the finance minister of Luxembourg, where Dexia has a large presence, had found a solution for the stricken FrancoBelgian bank, Leterme’s office said early Sunday afternoon. “The governments ... have reaffirmed their solidarity in finding a solution to secure the future of Dexia,” it said in a statement after two hours of talks at Egmont Palace in Brussels — also the site of talks on a previous Dexia rescue bid in 2008.

“The suggested solution, which is also the result of intense consultations with all partners involved, will be submitted to Dexia’s board of directors for approval,” Leterme’s office said without providing details of the rescue plan. Dexia’s board was due to meet from 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) in Brussels. It was forced to seek government help this week after a liquidity crunch hobbled the lender and sent its shares down 42 percent over the past week.

At stake in the talks is how much each government will have to contribute to help wind down Dexia, a thorny subject given that Belgium

and France are already struggling to contain large deficits.

The need to recapitalize banks is

ings agency Moody’s to warn Belgium late on Friday that its Aa1 government bond ratings may fall.

BRUSSELS: Bernard Thiry, general director of Ethias Bank and insurance company, arrives to attend a meeting of the Dexia board of directors on the future of French-Belgian Dexia bank in Brussels, yesterday. —AFP emerging as another strain for European governments whose budgets are already stretched. Belgium had a debt-to-gross domestic product ratio of 96.2 percent last year, lower only than Greece and Italy among euro-zone members and on a par with bailout recipient Ireland.The burden of bailing out Dexia led rat-

The negotiations to dismantle Dexia, which has global credit risk exposure of $700 billion-more than twice Greece’s GDP- are being watched closely for signs that Europe might be capable of decisive action to resolve its banking crisis.

“I am convinced that it is possible ... by tomorrow morning to have an

agreement in which Belgium resolves the issue without pushing up the debt level of our country too high,” Leterme told Belgian television before the talks began yesterday.

Dexia, which used short-term funding to finance long-term lendings, has found credit drying up as the euro zone debt crisis worsened. This problem has been exacerbated by the bank’s heavy exposure to Greece.

Dexia’s near collapse stoked investors’ anxieties about the strength of European banks and coincided with growing talk about coordinated EU action to recapitalise banks across the continent. French President Nicolas Sarkozy was due to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin to thrash out differences on how to use the euro-zone’s financial firepower to salve a sovereign debt crisis that threatens the global economy. Germany and France have so far been split over how to recapitalise shaky European banks. Paris wants to tap the euro zone’s 440 billion euro ($594 billion) European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) to recapitalize French banks, while Berlin is insisting the fund should be used as a last resort.

Dexia’s overhaul will likely see its French municipal financing arm split from the group and merged with French state bank Caisse des Depots and Banque Postale, the French post office’s banking arm.— Reuters

agrees to a broad haircut on Greek debt, a German paper wrote yesterday. But a government source told Reuters: “There is no such agreement”. Furthermore, Merkel warned last Tuesday that the threat of contagion from a euro zone country rescheduling its debt would be huge, and it only made sense once it had achieved a primary surplus again.

The two euro-zone heavyweights have come under pressure worldwide to resolve Europe’s crisis which is roiling markets. US President Barack Obama on Thursday urged Europe to “act fast”, calling the common currency bloc’s crisis the largest obstacle to the United States’ own recovery.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick told Wirtschaftswoche magazine there was a “total lack” of vision in Europe and Germany in particular needed to show more leadership.

Merkel will visit Vietnam and Mongolia this coming week. —Reuters

OIB at 18-month high, markets rise MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Oman International Bank surged to an 18-month high yesterday over its merger talks with HSBC’s Oman operations, and other Gulf bourses also advanced on hope that the European debt crisis would be resolved.

OIB climbed 7.1 percent, reaching its highest value since March 31 last year.

HSBC Holdings and Oman International Bank are in discussions for a potential merger of HSBC’S Oman operations with the Gulf lender, OIB said on Thursday. A source at the Omani bank told Reuters that HSBC is in talks to sell its Oman operations to OIB. “We saw a very strong buying into OIB stocks today due to the announcement,” said Adel Nasr, United Securities brokerage manager. “ We believe this momentum will continue for the bank. The bank is changing its strategy and this will have a positive impact.”

OIB shares accounted for more than half of the trading on Oman’s bourse , which ended 0.5 percent higher.Other banks also advance with Bank Muscat gaining 0.6 percent.

In the United Arab Emirates, Dubai’s bluechip firm Emaar Properties led the rally as traders were encouraged by a steady end to the trading week on global

markets. Emaar gained 0.8 percent, ending at a one-week high. Abu Dhabi’s Aldar Properties gained 0.9 percent.

However, volumes remained muted.

“Without a major value increase in the daily trading, it will be difficult to break the current range we entered last week,” said Mohammed Yasin, CAPM Investment chief investment officer.

“What could change that is positive news from Europe, a major economic announcement or better-than-expected results from some major companies.

Waiting for international investors to come and save our markets is unrealistic.

Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) advanced as investors expect positive third-quarter earnings from the company. SABIC gained 1.7 percent, lifting the Saudi index by 0.3 percent.

“SABIC is advancing as speculation has already begun that the company will see good earnings this quarter,” said Hesham Tuffaha, Bakheet Investment Group head of research.

Saudi Arabian Fertilizers Co (Safco) drops 0.5 percent, after gaining in early trade. Safco third-quarter net profit doubled after prices for its products rose globally.— Reuters

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business Inmarsat to showcase mobile sat offerings at GulfComms 2011 KUWAIT: Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, announced that it will be showcasing its full portfolio of land services at this year’s GulfComms exhibition in Zabeel Hall, stand Z-C25.

For the first time, Inmarsat will be highlighting the new machine-to-machine (M2M), fixed voice and broadband data services. Visitors will have the opportunity to understand how the Inmarsat enhanced portfolio can now meet a broader range of business-critical applications in various industry sectors.

“As demand for mobile satellite communications services continue to grow in the Middle East, Inmarsat is committed to providing customers with cost-effective and high-speed mobile technologies. Our portfolio of land services offers a variety of performance options to suit different applications. Services are accessed through a range of portable, fixed and vehicular terminals, and you can use the same device worldwide,” said Drew Brandy, Land Mobile Director, Inmarsat.

All of Inmarsat services are backed by a global satellite network, which operates at an unrivalled 99.9 per cent reliability and has an expected life into the 2020s, a trusted offering for the present and in the future.

Launched in the Middle East at last year’s GulfComms, IsatPhone Pro is a handheld satellite phone designed for professional users in the government, media, aid, oil and gas, mining and construction sectors. With global coverage, IsatPhone Pro offers high-quality satellite telephony, text and email messaging. Location data can also be viewed and sent in a text message.

The voice and broadband data capability of Inmarsat’s award-winning BGAN service offers remote access to office-based applications like email, internet or VPN access. Users requiring more bandwidth and guaranteed data rates - such as for videoconferencing, telemedicine or live broadcasting - can benefit from the ease in portability and fast streaming connections of BGAN X-Stream.

For tracking and monitoring mobile assets on a global basis, Inmarsat’s low speed data services provides efficient low data rate messaging, tracking and monitoring. Inmarsat plc is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services.

Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organizations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air.

Emaar Properties showcases gallery of Guinness Records Emaar holds five Records for Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall, Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and At.mosphere 22 million man hours to build.

With a total internal floor area of 5.9 million sq ft, The Dubai Mall - also in Downtown Dubai - has 3.77 million sq ft of gross leasable space and over 1,200 retail outlets including two anchor department stores - Galeries Lafayette and

(From Left to Right) Mr Haroon S. Siddiqui, Senior Director - Business Operations, Emaar Hospitality Group; Mr Nasser Rafi, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group; Ms Low Ping, Emaar Group Chief Executive Officer; Mr Ahmad Juma Al Falasi, Executive Director — Property Management, Emaar Properties; Mr Issam Galadari, Chief Executive Officer - Dubai Operations, Emaar Properties.

Burj Khalifa utilized a record-breaking 330,000 cubic metres of concrete; 39,000 tons of steel reinforcement; 103,000 square metres of glass; and 15,500 square metres of embossed stainless steel. The tower took

Bloomingdale’s - and over 160 food and beverage outlets. The Dubai Mall offers an unparalleled retail mix combined with world-class dining, entertainment and leisure attractions. A 440,000 sq ft fashion

precinct dedicated to haute couture, positions The Dubai Mall as the fashion capital for the region. Leisure attractions include Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo featuring over 33,000 aquatic animals and a 270degree walkthrough tunnel; KidZania, an innovative children’s ‘edutainment’ concept that has been introduced to the region; SEGA Republic, a 76,000 sq ft high adrenaline indoor theme park; the 22-screen Reel Cinemas megaplex with a total capacity of 2,800 seats; and the Olympic-sized Dubai Ice Rink keeping adults and children entertained year round. The record-holding ‘Single Largest Acrylic Panel’ at Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is 32.88m long x 8.3m high.

At.mosphere is located on Level 122 of Burj Khalifa, at a height of 442 metres (1,350 ft). It is only two levels below ‘At the Top, Burj Khalifa,’ the world’s highest observatory deck with an outdoor terrace. The outlet offers two exceptional dining experiences a vibrant lounge and a delectable grill. The entrance is through Burj Khalifa’s Corporate Suites lobby with guests exiting the express elevator on Level 123 to face a twostoreyed glass atrium. A flight of cantilevered staircases lead them to the arrival lobby where they can enjoy panoramic views of the city.

The grill at At.mosphere, open for lunch from 12.30pm to 3pm and for dinner from 7pm to 11.30pm, is billed as ‘the must visit’ restaurant in the city, on par with the world’s finest. The upscale lounge, with a seating capacity of 130 and a private area for 35, is open from 12pm to 2am, and opens to glittering views of the city.

Adorned in mahogany walls and ceilings, Adam Tihany furnishings, and floors of cafÈ au lait limestone and hand-tufted carpet, At.mosphere also has a stunning beverage display and cellar.

Air Arabia takes off to Donetsk, Ukraine

Qatar gives Egypt $500m to help with budget CAIRO: Egypt’s finance minister, who has been negotiating with Gulf Arab states for financial assistance, said yesterday that Qatar had given a grant of $500 million to support the budget which has ballooned as a result of political turmoil.

Hazem el-Beblawi said last week he was negotiating with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for funds worth close to $7 billion. He also said he was considering International Monetary Fund financing that Egypt previously turned down.

Egypt’s economy, which had been growing robustly before the popular uprising earlier this year, was hit hard by the protests, which prompted foreign investors to withdraw funds and saw major revenue sources like tourism suffer.

“They transferred $500 million as a grant to Egypt,” Hazem el-Beblawi told Reuters, adding that the Qatari funds had been transferred in the past week or so. “It is a

building in the world.

The tower, located in the heart of Downtown Dubai, the 500-acre megadevelopment of Emaar described as ‘The Centre of Now,’ became the world’s tallest man-made structure just 1,325 days after excavation work started in January 2004.

KUWAIT: Emaar Properties PJSC, the global property developer, has showcased for the first time ever its impressive gallery of Guinness World Records.

At a celebratory event held at At.mosphere, the innovative lounge and grill located in Burj Khalifa, Emaar showcased four of its Guinness World Records - the Tallest Building and Tallest Man-made Structure Ever for Burj Khalifa; Largest Shopping Centre for The Dubai Mall and Highest Restaurant from Ground Level for At.mosphere.

Emaar also holds the Guinness World Record for the ‘Single Largest Acrylic Viewing Panel’ for Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, which is displayed on site.

Senior managers of Emaar Properties also received a plaque honouring At.mosphere at the event from Talal Omar, Adjudication Manager of Guinness World Records. Ahmad Al Matrooshi, Managing Director, Emaar Properties, said: “We are honored to be recognized with the Guinness World Records for our iconic developments. The records are a true demonstration of Dubai’s ability to innovate, and add to our city’s civic pride. For us, the goal is not simply to set records.

Through our accomplishments we look to inspire the world and to encourage people to think beyond the obvious and push their boundaries. All our record-holding achievements have set benchmarks globally, and will serve as referral points for future developments in high rises, malls or luxury restaurants.”

Described as both a ‘Vertical City’ and ‘A Living Wonder,’ Burj Khalifa rises gracefully from the desert, and honors the city with its extraordinary union of art, engineering and meticulous craftsmanship. At 828 metres (2,716.5 ft), the 200 plus storey Burj Khalifa has 160 habitable levels, the most of any

grant for budgetary support,” he added.

Egypt forecasts a budget deficit of 8.6 percent of gross domestic product in the financial year to June 2012. Economists say the estimate may prove optimistic.

Khaled Al-Attiyah, Qatari minister of state for international cooperation, told Al Jazeera satellite channel late on Saturday that Qatar’s aim was to offer direct support for the budget and loans at very low rates to deal with the immediate economic issues, as well as to offer investment.

He mentioned two projects in port cities, one in Port Saeed and the other in Alexandria. “These two projects will provide hundreds of thousands of job opportunities,” he said. Egypt reached a $3.2 billion deal with the IMF earlier this year, but the previous finance minister opted in June not to move on with it, partly because the ruling military council did not want to build up debts. — Reuters

KUWAIT: Air Arabia, the first and largest lowcost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, started its flights to Donetsk in Ukraine with its inaugural flight taking off on October 7, 2011. Donetsk is Air Arabia’s second destination in Ukraine after Kiev. The carrier will start its services to Kharkiv, third route in Ukraine to serve from Sharjah on October 12, 2011.

Service to Donetsk is twice weekly, including flights on Tuesdays and Fridays. Air Arabia flights will depart from Sharjah International Airport at 12:20PM and arrive at Donetsk International Airport at 15:40PM. Return flights will depart from Donetsk on the same days at 16:40PM and arrive in Sharjah at 21:50PM. “Air Arabia’s promise of value for money is now further spread into Ukraine with the launch of our services to the City of Donetsk,” said A.K Nizar, Head of Commercial at Air Arabia. “With our existing services to Kiev, customers can now enjoy Air Arabia’s award-winning service, affordable fares and a great network”.

With flights to the City of Kharkiv commenc-

ing on October 12, Air Arabia’s will be offering eight flights per week between its primary hub in Sharjah, UAE, and three destinations Ukraine, offering its customers unmatched service to this nation of more than 46 million people.

Air Arabia (PJSC), listed on the Dubai

Financial Market, is the Middle East and North Africa’s leading low-cost carrier (LCC). Air Arabia commenced operations in October 2003 and currently operates a total fleet of 27 new Airbus A320 aircraft, currently serving 67 destinations from three hubs in the UAE, Morocco and Egypt.

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2740000 .4250000 .3670000 .2960000 .2630000 .2660000 .0040000 .0020000 .0749700 .7304140 .3810000 .0700000 .7160390 .0040000 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2761500 GB Pound/KD .4275910 Euro .3698620 Swiss francs .2988310 Canadian dollars .2657590 Danish Kroner .0496780 Swedish Kroner .0405450 Australian dlr .2689840 Hong Kong dlr .0354770 Singapore dlr .2125210 Japanese yen .0036030 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0752140 Bahraini dinars .7327850 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0736600 Omani riyals .7175520 Philippine Peso .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

3.652 5.643 3.176 251.450 3.554 214.110 35.675 3.674 6.367 8.990 0.271 0.273

.2806000 .4360000 .3760000 .3110000 .2725000 .2755000 .0072500 .0035000 .0757240 .7377550 .4010000 .0760000 .7232350 .0072000 .0530000 .2782500 .4308420 .3726740 .3011040 .2677800 .0500560 .0408530 .2710290 .0357470 .2141370 .0036300 .0056790 .0025310 .0031980 .0036950 .0757860 .7383570 .3935640 .0742200 .7230090 .0063820

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

GCC COUNTRIES 74.043 76.292 721.190 737.480 75.606

Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 49.500 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.546 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.270 Tunisian Dinar 194.230 Jordanian Dinar 392.100 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 186.300 Syrian Lier 5.994 Morocco Dirham 33.055 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 277.550 Euro 375.800 Sterling Pound 436.110 Canadian dollar 270.940 Turkish lire 150.240 Swiss Franc 304.400 Australian dollar 271.140 US Dollar Buying 276.350 GOLD 303.000 153.000 79.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY

SELL CASH

Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal

275.000 737.090 3.880 270.500 544.400 36.800 50.900 167.800 48.460 375.500 36.300 5.870 0.032 0.239 0.241 3.700 393.470 0.188 89.810 46.200 4.260 217.300 1.796 48.700 719.900

SELL DRAFT

273.500 737.090 3.675 269.000

215.500 46.507 374.000 36.150 5.635 0.032

301.000 5.600 9.150 75.470 277.100

Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 433.500 277.100

Sterling Pound US Dollar

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer

Selling Rate

US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

277.050 268.055 428.910 374.960 301.210 734.555 75.405 76.045 73.840 389.985 46.499 2.509 5.645 3.181 3.680 6.354 679.584 3.710 9.050 5.835 3.610 92.030

Currency

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

275.57 270.92 303.66 374.10

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

277.100 3.185 5.655 2.520 3.685 6.375 75.550 74.040 736.700 46.500 436.600 3.190 1.550 393.700 5.750 376.400 272.200 3.690

Al Mulla Exchange

UAE Exchange Center WLL Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro

434.42 3.67 3.695 5.627 2.515 3.537 3.177 75.43 737.07 46.51 394.23 720.16 76.41 73.99

435.50 3.62 3.705 5.930 2.600 4.200 3.230 75.60 737.00 48.40 392.50 720.55 76.65 74.00

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency

Currency

719.720

3.185 6.365 76.240 74.000 215.500 37.290 2.512 433.500

GOLD 1,699.730

10 Tola

391.730 0.187 89.810 3.560 215.800

3.220 6.580 76.670 74.000 215.500 37.290 2.618 435.500 41.700 302.500 5.600 9.300 198.263 75.570 277.500 1.220

275.00 270.00 302.50 375.50

US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

276.950 374.000 433.000 268.700 3.628 5.643 46.500 2.513 3.653 6.370 3.183 737.000 75.400 73.950

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Dollar remains mixed amid risk aversion NBK WEEKLY MONEY MARKETS REPORT KUWAIT: The US dollar had a mixed performance against its major counterparts throughout last week as markets were torn between risk aversion and risk tolerance.

Additionally, investors watched closely a number of important central bank meetings that addressed the impacts of the slowing global demand and the contagion risks that accompanied the euro-zone’s debt crisis. The Euro opened the week at 1.3387 but quickly lost grounds to reach a low of 1.3146. The currency gained momentum towards the end of the week as the European Union finance ministers announced they were examining ways of co-coordinating recapitalization of financial institutions, after they agreed that additional measures to support the region’s banks are required urgently.

On Thursday, the ECB boosted confidence in the market after announcing more liquidity to banks driving the Euro to a high of 1.3525. However, this trend reversed as Fitch cut Italy’s and Spain’s credit ratings on Friday afternoon, a move that knocked the wind out of the Euro driving it to close at 1.3377. The Sterling Pound started the week at 1.5584 but dropped dramatically after the BoE announced an additional £75 billion to its asset purchase program pushing it to the low of 1.5270.

However, the currency recouped most of its losses to close the week at 1.5563. The Japanese Yen range traded throughout the week between 76.50 and 77.00. The Swiss franc started the week at 0.9082 but weakened against the greenback reaching a low of 0.9316, before closing the week at 0.9272.

Expansion Manufacturing in the US expanded for the 26th consecutive month at a rate slightly higher than expected, despite signs of a slowdown in the economic recovery. The ISM manufacturing index rose to 51.6 from a previous 50.6 in August. In parallel, services industries expanded in September but at a slower pace, a sign that the recovery is struggling to gain momentum. The ISM non-manufacturing index fell to 53.0 from a previous 53.3.

Fed Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said that the Federal Reserve could take further steps to sustain a recovery that’s “close to faltering” and cautioned lawmakers against making changes in fiscal policy that could harm growth. He also reiterated some options he had mentioned previously, that the Fed could give more information about its pledge to keep interest rates low at least through mid-2013, reduce the

rate paid on bank deposits, or buy more securities. Additionally he signaled that high inflation this year would not stop the Fed, stating it has not become “ingrained” in the economy. The Chairman also added that the Fed needs “to make sure that the recovery continues and doesn’t drop back and that the unemployment rate continues to fall downward.”

Weak job data Employers hired more workers than

expected in September and job gains for the prior two months were revised higher easing recession fears. The unemployment rate remained unchanged adding pressures on President Obama and the Fed to produce a plan to drive a stronger recovery.

Nonfarm payrolls rose 103,000, but part of September’s good number was due to the return of 45,000 striking communications workers. Excluding those workers, employment increased by a meager 58,000. Job growth is still below the needed pace to pull down unemployment, but the report had a stronger tone than market expectations. The length of the average work week rose and revisions showed 99,000 more jobs were added in July and August than initially reported. Additionally, claims rose less than forecast last week to a level that shows companies may be starting to slow the pace of firings. Applications for jobless benefits increased by 6,000 in the week to 401,000, below expectations of an increase to 411,000.

Europe Moody’s lowered Italy’s credit rating for the first time in almost two decades on concern that the government will struggle to reduce the region’s second-largest debt amid persistently weak growth. The agency lowered Italy’s rating by three notches to A2 from Aa2, with a negative outlook. The decision comes after Standard & Poor’s downgraded the country’s rating earlier in September. Last month Italy announced a £54 billion austerity plan aimed at balanc-

ing the budget in 2013 convincing the ECB to buy the nations bonds, while the purchase initially brought down bond yields, borrowing costs remain near record highs mainly due to the contagion risk surrounding the Euro zone.

Moody’s Investors Service downgraded its ratings for nine Portuguese banks, citing the increased risk linked to their holdings of Portuguese government debt and the sovereign downgrade of Portugal in July, highlighting the pressure for decisive gov-

declined 0.3% in August, reversing July’s 0.2% gain. However, the drop was in line with market expectations.

ernment action in support for the industry.

Similarly, Standard & Poor’s downgraded the Franco-Belgian financial group Dexia, a bank with a large exposure to Greek debt.

companies to put off investments.

ECB decision The European Central Bank (ECB) reinstated some of its most powerful tools to curb risks emerging from the growing euro-zone crisis, but chose to keep interest rates at 1.50% despite some of the bank’s policymakers calling for cuts. The ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet warned that the bank saw “intensified” threats to the Euro zone economy from the debt crisis and slowing global economic growth. The President stated that the bank will offer two new injections with extremely discounted 1-year funding and buy another Ä40 billion of covered bonds, asset backed by loans or public sector lending, in an effort to avoid a liquidity crisis. The ECB’s view on inflation remains intact, with expectations for it to stay above the 2% in the upcoming months but to decline thereafter. The president also added, “The economic outlook remains subject to particularly high uncertainty and intensified downside risks.” The statement increased market expectations that the ECB will eventually cut rates to spur growth.

Retail sales Retail sales in the Euro zone fell in August for the first time in three months as consumers turned reluctant to spend amid lingering debt woes in the region. Sales

Factory orders German factory orders unexpectedly fell for a second month in August as domestic demand declined. Orders declined 1.4% from July when they dropped 2.6%.

Concerns that the debt crisis and the slowdown in economic growth could drag the economy back into recession prompted

German production Industrial production in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, declined less than expected in August after surging in the previous month. Production fell 1% from July, when it jumped 3.9%. The German economy slowed down sharply in the second quarter and the European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said that expansion in the euro area, Germany’s largest export market, will be “very moderate” in the second half of the year.

UK manufacturing British business conditions in the manufacturing sector expanded for the first time in three months, easing some of the pressures on the Bank of England from the previous contractions. The PMI manufacturing index rose to 51.1 from the previous contraction at 49.4 in August. Markets expected the figure to provide evidence of a deeper contraction, by falling to 48.5. In parallel, the services sector unexpectedly picked up momentum in September. The Services PMI rose to 52.9 from a previous 51.1, moving away from the 50 barrier that separates growth from contraction.

BOE announces QE2 The Bank of England voted to buy an additional £75 billion in assets to shield Britain’s economy from the Euro zone debt crisis and to keep the faltering recovery

going. The MPC’s decision to expand its asset purchase program to a total of £275 billion, the biggest expansion since the first round of stimulus in March 2009, highlights the unstable state of Britain’s economy as global growth slows. As widely expected, the bank kept their key lending rate unchanged at 0.50%.

House prices drop House prices in the UK fell for a second month in September as a darkening economic outlook and a squeeze on household incomes curbed demand for homes.

The Halifax house price index dropped by 0.5% from August.

Moody’s Investor Service cut the senior debt and deposit ratings of 12 British lenders including the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and Lloyds Banking Group, saying the government would be less likely to provide support in the event of failure.

Lloyds TSB Bank, Santander UK and CoOperative Bank had their ratings lowered one notch by Moody’s, while RBS and Nationwide Building Society lowered by two. Moody ’s added that The Bank of England, the Financial Services Authority and the Treasury have provided guidance that banks that fail in the future should not expect a taxpayer-funded bailout.

Japan The Bank of Japan held off from adding more monetary stimulus as it studied whether a strong Yen and slowing growth abroad were damping the economy ’s recovery. Unanimously, Governor Masaaki Shirakawa and his policy board members kept the overnight lending rate between zero and 0.10%. They also left the credit and asset-buying programs totaling •50 trillion ($652 billion) unchanged, while extending a loan program in earthquakeaffected areas.

Australia The Reserve Bank of Australia signaled that it could lower interest rates if the global financial turmoil persists, an important shift that underlined the spreading impact of the European and US debt crises on economies worldwide. The Reserve Bank of Australia left its key interest unchanged at 4.75% at its policy meeting and kept a balanced assessment of the impact that the troubles in Europe and the United States will have on other parts of the world.

Kuwait Kuwaiti Dinar at 0.27645 The USDKWD opened at 0.27645 on Sunday morning.

GCC Power: Coping with ever increasing demand MARKAZ ECONOMIC REPORT President Barack Obama holds up a copy of his jobs act as he speaks at Eastfield College in Mesquite, Texas. — AP

US economy adds 103,000 jobs, but it’s not enough WASHINGTON: The jobs crisis isn’t getting worse. But it isn’t getting much better, either. The economy added just enough jobs last month to ease fears of a new recession.

But hiring is still too weak to bring down unemployment, which has been stuck at about 9 percent for more than two years.

The nation added 103,000 jobs in September, an improvement from the month before, the Labor Department said Friday. But the total includes 45,000 Verizon workers who were rehired after going on strike and were counted as job gains. Even counting those workers, the job gains weren’t enough to get the economy going. It takes about 125,000 jobs a month just to keep up with population growth. For September, the unemployment rate stayed stuck at 9.1 percent.

“Well, the sky is not falling just yet,” Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors, said in a note to clients. But there was nothing great about the report, he added. “It’s incredible how low our sights have been set.”

On one hand, the unemployment report was encouraging for economists. Some of them had feared the nation would lose jobs in September, raising the risk of a painful second recession. But everyday Americans can’t take much solace from it, either. The Great Recession has been over for almost two and a half years, and while corporate profits and the stock market have bounced back in that time, unemployment is still high.

There are 14 million people counted as unemployed in the United States. An additional 9.3 million are working part time and would rather work full time. And 2.5 million more have simply given up looking for a job. The Labor Department said the economy added more jobs than first estimated in July and August. The government’s first reading had said the economy added zero jobs in August. While the report was clearly better than feared, it also showed the economy is not gaining much momentum, said Tom Porcelli, chief US economist at RBC Capital Markets. “It moves you away from the ledge,” he said. It was also discouraging news for President Barack Obama, who will almost certainly have to wage his 2012 campaign under the highest unemployment of any president running for reelection since World War II. Gene Sperling, a White House economic adviser, said the administration was “slightly comforted” that the jobs figure came in better than expected. But he said it was not good enough. —AP

KUWAIT: Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” recently published the executive summary of an updated version of their GCC infrastructure series covering: Power, Airports, Seaports, Roads & Railways, ICT and Water.

For the past several years, GCC countries have made concerted efforts toward enhancing their power generation capacity in an effort to satiate rising demand due to the increase in the population and economy.

Power consumption across the GCC has grown at an annual rate of about 9% from 2002; Saudi Arabia and the UAE account for a combined 75% of the total GCC consumption.

The major power projects, completed across the GCC during the past decade, have now commenced operations; installed capacity has doubled from nearly 46,600 MW in 2002 to almost 98,000 MW in 2009: a CAGR of 10%. The year 2009 saw a massive 23% increase in capacity as several plants in Qatar and Saudi Arabia started operations.

Currently, the GCC operates with a reserve margin of about 19% with an excess reserve mainly in Qatar and Abu Dhabi (43% and 30%, respectively).

Furthermore, the GCC power grid has successfully passed through two phases and now entered its third and final phase: the inclusion of Oman. Saudi Arabia, with the largest installed capacity, is expected to be a major player in the selling of power and has begun studying the possibility of linking the grid to North Africa and even Europe.

The GCC states have also begun exploring alternative sources of energy including solar power, nuclear, and natural gas in an effort to boost capacity and diversify the energy mix.

Demand is expected to grow at between 7% and 8% annually over the coming years, and the GCC counties are expected to spend US$45 billion until 2015 in order to add an additional 32,000 MW of capacity.

According to Meed Projects, there are currently 361 power projects (generation, transmission, substations, and so on) throughout the GCC with a total value of US$277 billion.

The majority of these projects are in Saudi Arabia and the UAE: a combined contribution of 70% of the total. Saudi Arabia has the highest number of projects at 161, followed by the UAE at 70 projects. The global slowdown has impacted the GCC with 11% of projects “cancelled” (with a value of $31 billion) while 3% are currently “on hold.” Over half of the cancelled projects (15) are in Saudi Arabia with a value of $17 billion while $5.4 billion worth of UAE projects have been cancelled.

One-third of the projects (with a value of

$92 billion) are in the execution phase, and these are mainly based in Saudi Arabia (73).

The GCC is set to increase capacity due to ambitious growth plans following the strong “post-08/09 crisis” oil price to satisfy fastgrowing energy needs. The speed and quality of development are varied, and depend on a specific country’s needs and approach. Thus, Kuwait has witnessed the slowest rate of annual growth in power consumption during the last decade at 6% whereas consumption in the UAE and Qatar has grown at around 15%.

Although the power sector has seen major structural changes around the world and especially in developed countries, the micro-

economics of power production and especially distribution (selling and pricing) remain antiquated in the GCC. This may be a hindrance toward adopting modern frameworks and financing structure for new projects.

Supply Catching Up with Demand Apart from Kuwait, whose reserve between production and consumption is only 10%, other GCC countries have relatively more comfortable margins. However, the high expected growth rates, will rapidly reduce this reserve. Hence, this factor is a major incentive for the GCC to increase their production to maintain a surplus.

Qatar aims to be a source of power exports after the GCC Power Grid is fully functional; with a reserve margin of more than 40%, it is well placed to supply power to its neighbors. The UAE is also keen to play a role, especially Abu Dhabi, the source of most of the excess capacity.

Saudi Arabia, which has the largest installed capacity, is rapidly streamlining and

increasing the efficiency of its power sector in order to play a role in power exports, although the growth in demand hinders its ability to do so. If substantial increases in capacity are not made, the reserve margin could fall to 9% by 2014.

Private Sector The GCC countries are gradually welcoming private sector participation in power projects. PPPs are a good first cooperative step instead of pure privatization; this model has been used successfully in the GCC for a number of years now. It is true that with surplus revenues and pricing not reflecting the real economics and occasional slow administra-

tions, the environment has not been very conducive to attracting private investment.

Infrastructure Power was one of the first sectors to be opened up by GCC governments for development by the private sector. Oman has significant experience with regard to PPPs in the power sector-the country successfully set up five power projects with 1,800 MW of power capacity and planned four additional Independent Power Producers (IPPs) with a combined additional capacity of nearly 3,500 MW. The remaining GCC governments have adopted the Independent Water and Power Project (IWPP) model to develop their power and water sectors. The successful implementation in 2009 of the SAR9 billion ($2.4 billion) Shuaiba IWPP private sector project-the first of the four IWPPs-with a capacity of 1,191 MW was an inspiration for other IWPPs in Saudi Arabia. SABIC, the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), and the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu joined hands with pri-

vate investors to set up a utility company, Marafeq, to expand water and power supply in the industrial cities of Jubail and Yanbu, currently having a capacity of over 1,000 MW. In Kuwait, Sulaibiya Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation Plant was the first large infrastructure project to be carried out by the private sector. In Bahrain, the Al Ezzel power plant and Hidd IWPP are owned and operated by international power developers.

Retailing and Pricing With free energy in Qatar and heavily subsidized energy in Kuwait, major reforms are needed in retailing. However, selling energy to consumers at or above production prices and also incorporating the externalities of pollution costs, is politically very difficult in the GCC. However, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have already started to increase their prices.

Dubai, which is not oil-rich, increased the price of electricity (and water) to consumers in March 2008 and has instituted a “slab-pricing” structure whereby the price increases with higher consumption, in an attempt to curb consumption. Emiratis are exempt from the new pricing. DEWA estimates that only 20% of consumers will be affected by the new rate. Saudi Arabia plans to introduce competitive pricing in retailing by 2016.

Governments can always choose to pay Independent Power Producers (IPPs) at a rate which will allow them to make a profit and then sell the electricity to its population at a subsidized price. The business model will work, albeit with a major distortion. The prices obtained by producers will be attractive, but consumers will still have little incentive to save energy. Demand for peak power will not abate, thus requiring more wasteful investment in power generation.

The GCC Electricity Grid This US$1.4 billion project is aimed at meeting rapidly increasing power demand and avoiding shortages. As soon as it is completed, it will provide electricity across the GCC. The second phase (out of three) became operational in April 2011. The grid will provide a platform for energy trade and exchange; it will improve the reliability of existing energy systems and lower electricity reserve requirements. The members are now negotiating to sell power to each other and will be penalized if they do not maintain a minimum reserve level to support their neighbors during an emergency. Oman’s joining is delayed and now expected to happen in two years.

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Kuwait equities rally GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait’s equities rallied to a modestly higher close yesterday, amid optimism over the upcoming third-quarter earnings season, and as strength in the industrial and real estate sectors lifted the Global General Index to its best level in over seven sessions.

Global General Index (GGI) ended the day up by 0.09 percent, at 180.79 point. Market capitalization was also up for the day, reaching KD29.48bn. On the other hand, KSE Price Index closed at 5,852.2 point, adding 26.1 points (0.45 percent) to its previous close.

Market breadth During the session, 108 companies were traded. Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 55 equities advanced versus 17 that declined.

Total volume traded was up by 54.74 percent with 249.19mn shares changing hands at a total value of KD25.53mn (30.96 percent higher compared to Thursday’s session). Services sector was the volume leader, accounting for 38.51 percent of total shares exchanges.

National Ranges Company was the session’s most traded stock with 42.80mn shares exchanged. The same sector was the value leader, having 41.76 percent of total traded value.

In terms of top gainers, Kuwait Commercial Market Complexes Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 8.20 percent to its share value and closing at KD0.066.

On the other hand, Gulf Franchising Company shed 7.32 percent and closed at KD0.019, making it the biggest decliner in the market.

Sectors Six out of the 8 Global sector indices registered gains for the day.

Global Industrial Index led the sector indices gains with a daily increase of 1.64 percent to close at 174.19 points mainly on the back of the daily gain of 4.17 percent regis-

Dow, Saudi oil firm sign accord for $20bn plant

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tered in heavyweight Kuwait Cement Company. The scrip ended the day at KD0.500. Metal & Recycling Company led the sector gainers list, advancing by 5.08 percent to close at KD0.124.

Global Real Estate Index followed, registering an advance of 1.24 percent backed by Mabanee Company. The heavyweight scrip closed up by 1.22 percent and closed at KWD0.830. International Resorts Company has seen the heaviest trading in over four months during Sunday’s session. A total of 5.20mn shares were exchanged. The scrip closed up by 7.81 percent at KD0.0345.

Global Services Index registered an increase of 0.46 percent to close at 785.9 points on the back of the increase in Agility’s share price which rose by 6.94 percent to close at KD0.385. Agility may post better

financial results in the third quarter compared to the 1Q2011 and 2Q2011 quarters, Al-Anba reported, without saying where it got the information. Agility has been approached about possibly competing for a contract to supply logistics for a Canadian base in Kuwait, the newspaper said.

Only the banking sector spoiled the party, weighing down further market gains. Global banking Index slipped 0.66 percent on the back of National Bank of Kuwait’s (NBK) 1.85 percent slide with the scrip closing at KD1.060. Elsewhere in the sector, the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) has given the goahead to Kuwait International Bank (KIB) for buying back a 10 percent maximum of its issued shares for further 6 months ending on April 23, 2012. KIB closed the day up by 1.85 percent at KD0.275.

Corporate News Further to its previous announcement dated September 18, 2011, Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) declares that National Cleaning Company (NCC) got a nod from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) on October 05, 2011 to lift its capital.

The company had earlier obtained the final approval from the Capital Market Authority (CMA) in this regard. It is set to hold a board meeting to define the date of the secondary capital call. NCC stated that it will inform the bourse management duly of any developments.

The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $101.63pb on Thursday, compared with $99.90pb the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

ow Chemical Co and the Saudi Arabian Oil Co. said on Saturday that they signed an agreement that advances their plan to build one of the world’s biggest chemical plants in Saudi Arabia. The $20 billion complex is expected to begin production in 2015.

The two companies agreed to a joint venture for Sadara Chemical Co., which will own the plant being built in the desert kingdom. The companies estimate it will generate about $10 billion in revenue annually within a few years of operation.

Dow and Saudi Aramco together are investing about $12 billion, and a portion of Sadara will be sold to shareholders in a public offering in 2013 or 2014. The complex, with 26 manufacturing units, will be the largest integrated chemical facility ever built in one go, the companies said.

It will make chemicals and plastics for the energy, transportation and consumer products industries. The companies are looking to sell the products in fast-growing markets such as China, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa. Once completed, the complex will have capacity to produce 3.3 million tons a year of chemical products for use in an array of items including auto parts and food packaging.

Dow and Saudi Aramco, which is owned by the kingdom’s government, announced in July that their boards had authorized them to set up the joint venture for the plant in Jubail

Andrew Liveris, Chairman and CEO of Dow Chemical, speaks at the Clinton Global Initiative, in New York.

Industrial City. The site is 60 miles (100 kilometers) northwest of the eastern Saudi city of Dammam. Dow, based in Midland, Michigan, will have access to Saudi Arabia’s relatively cheap hydrocarbons, which will be used to make chemicals at the plant. The company has adopted a strategy of moving away from its basic plastics business and toward specialty materials used in consumer electronics and other products. For Saudi Arabia, the plant will bolster its push to diversify its industrial base, reducing reliance on oil production, the companies said. The Sadara project and related investments are expected to produce thousands of new jobs, they said. —AP

Dinar stable against dollar KUWAIT: The exchange rate of the Kuwaiti dinar stood against the US dollar at KD 0.276 yesterday, and increased against the euro at KD 0.369 said the daily bulletin of the Central Bank of Kuwait

(CBK). The sterling pound increased to KD 0.430, and unchanged KD 0.003 against the Japanese yen and down at KD 0.298 against the Swiss franc, CBK added. —KUNA

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Vladivostok gets facelift to be ‘Russian San Francisco’ VLADIVOSTOK: Vladivostok, the mythical terminus of the Trans-Siberian railway, is being turned upside down in a huge rebuilding project that aims to turn the city into the Russian Far East’s answer to Istanbul or San Francisco.

A city closed to foreigners under the Soviet Union due to its hosting of the Pacific Fleet, Vladivostok suffered after the USSR collapse as inhabitants left, buildings crumbled and it acquired a seedy reputation for mafia crime. But in one of the Kremlin’s most wildly ambitious construction projects, the city currently resembles a vast building site as vast new hotel complexes, highways and two bridges are built to host a major summit in 2012.

And as if welcoming leaders including the US president at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit was

not enough, the meeting is due to be held on an island outside Vladivostok that has never been connected to the mainland.

Russki Ostrov (Russian Island) has until now been a sleepy verdant area popular largely with daytrippers and nature lovers who make the journey by ferry.

All that will change with the construction of the APEC conference facilities on the island andthe crowning glory of the entire project-a gigantic 1.9-kilometre (1.2-mile) bridge to connect it to the mainland.

The authorities hope the bridge will become a symbol of the city and the Russian Far East.

“This will be our Golden Gate Bridge, like in San Francisco!” enthused Alexander Machevsky, the spokesman of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov who is the government’s pointman for the project.

Just one month after the

summit is over, the new complex on the island will host Russia’s Federal Far Eastern University and its 25,000 students. In the medium term, the university wants to attract some 35,000 students not just from all around Russia but also abroad, according to local Vladivostok official Alexei Moisseyenko. The project goes far beyond the works on Russki Ostrov. Some 43 kilometres of new highway are being built, currently causing horrific traffic jams, as well as a new airport terminal.

A barely less ambitious bridge of 1.4 kilometres is also being built across Vladivostok’s Golden Horn inlet which should relieve the city of the traffic congestion that has become a daily trauma for residents.

Officials are proud to boast the city will be the Istanbul of the Far East, a regional hub replete with magnificent sus-

pension bridges. — ‘A City of One Million’ — The cost, naturally, is astronomical. The federal program sets out $20 billion in spending but according to Moisseyenko even this is going to be overshot. Some 23,000 workers are now working round the clock to ensure that the facilities are finished on time, though strikes over unpaid wages have caused some delays.

And in one bizarre incident this summer, Muslim migrant workers from ex-Soviet Central Asia downed tools in protest at not being allowed to bring alcohol onto the site to celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan. But the stakes are high. The ultimate aim of the project is to reverse a major population decline that risks harming Russia’s hold on a region next door to a resurgent China. The project is champi-

oned by Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, keenly aware of the need to show the strength of Russia’s Far East to its Asian neighbors.

According to Machevsky, the authorities want to make the city a metropolis of one million people. Currently the population is 600,000.

To reach this aim, massive investment is going to be needed. “We are hoping to attract 300 billion rubles ($9.3 billion) annually compared with 120 billion ($3.7 billion) at the moment,” Sergei Darkin, the governor of the Primorye region of which Vladivostok is part, told AFP. The construction has caused inevitable controversy in the city but many residents are happy to acknowledge that Vladivostok’s ramshackle infrastructure was in dire need of change.

“It’s great for the develop-

ment of the city,” said one local, Larissa Kovalenko, 40. Viktor Chernikov, a pensioner, was also happy, even if he believed there was still a lot to be done.”Now residential buildings need to be built,” he said. Most controversial is the hosting of the APEC summit itself in September 2012, an event that will only last a few days yet is the main focus of the construction efforts.

“A huge sum has gone into the building on Russki Ostrov and the building of bridges that are going to be of little use except for the summit,” said Natalya Zubarevich, expert at the Independent Institute of Social Policy. “This money could have been spent in the reconstruction of the infrastructure of the city itself or in the service sector. Then Vladivostok would have had a chance to integrate itself within the Asia Pacific region.” —AFP

China exporters hurting as EU debt crisis deepens European orders slump 50%

Beijing tells US to stop pressuring China BEIJING: China yesterday urged Washington to stop pressuring Beijing as the US Senate prepares to vote on a controversial bill aimed at punishing the Asian nation for alleged currency manipulation.

The proposal, powered by a tide of US voter anger at the sour economy and high unemployment ahead of November 2012 elections, calls for retaliatory duties on Chinese exports if the yuan’s value is unfairly “misaligned”. In a statement, China’s foreign ministry reiterated its “firm opposition” to the bill. “China... urges the United States to abandon protectionism and stop putting pressure on China using domestic legislation,” it said.

The US Senate has defied White House complaints and stiff opposition from China and big business to press ahead with the legislation, and is expected to vote on the bill next week.

Lawmakers of both major US parties charge that China keeps the yuan unfairly cheap against the dollar, giving its goods as much as a 30 percent edge over comparable US products.

But Beijing, which has let the yuan rise against the dollar as it faces stubbornly high inflation at home, has hit back at criticism of its currency policy.

Even if it is passed, the bill still faces an uncertain future in the House of Representatives, where Republican House Speaker John Boehner has signalled the legislation will die.

“It’s dangerous. You could start a trade war. And a trade war, given the economic uncertainty here and all around the worldit’s just very dangerous, and we should not be engaged in this,” Boehner said.

US President Barack Obama has expressed concern the bill could violate World Trade Organization rules. But he still delivered an unsparing assault on China’s policies on Thursday.

“China has been very aggressive in gaming the trading system to its advantage and to the disadvantage of other countries, particularly the United States,” he said, accusing Beijing of keeping its yuan weak against the dollar.

“And that makes their exports cheaper, and that makes our exports to them more expensive. So we’ve seen some improvement, some slight appreciation over the last year. But it’s not enough.”

China’s foreign ministry did not directly respond to Obama’s comments, saying instead that China has always cooperated with other countries in “joint development”. —AFP

US unemployed seek protection against job bias WASHINGTON: After two years on the unemployment rolls, Selena Forte thought she’d found a temporary job at FedEx that met her qualifications. But Forte, a 55-yearold from Cleveland, says a job recruiter for a temporary agency told her the company wouldn’t consider her because she had been out of work too long.

“They didn’t even want to hear about

underemployed Americans who complain they are being screened out of job openings for the very reason they’re looking for work in the first place. Some companies and job agencies prefer applicants who already have jobs, or haven’t been jobless too long.

She could get help from a provision in President Barack Obama’s jobs bill, which would ban companies with 15 or more employees from refusing to consider - or offer a job to - someone who is unemployed. The measure also applies to employment agencies and would prohibit want ads that disqualify applicants just because they are unemployed.

Obama’s bill faces a troubled path in Congress, as Republicans strongly oppose its plans for tax increases on the wealthy and other spending provisions.

The effort to protect the Selena Forte, 55, poses for a photo by a FedEx unemployed has drawn praise drop box Saturday in Cleveland. —AP from workers’ rights advocates, but business groups say my experience,” said Forte, a former bus it will just stir up needless litigation by frusdriver. “It didn’t make sense. You’re always trated job applicants. The provision would told just go out there and get a job.” give those claiming discrimination a right Forte, who last month found a part-time to sue, and violators would face fines of up job as a substitute school bus driver, is part to $1,000 per day, plus attorney fees and of a growing number of unemployed or costs. —AP

BEIJING: Wu Wenlong, a belt maker in China, has seen European orders slump 50 percent as the region’s debt crisis hits demand for Chinese exports and threatens to tip major economies back into recession. While Zhejiang L.F. Gifts and Decoration Co Ltd has not yet laid off workers at its small factory in the eastern province of Zhejiang, Wu said the outlook for the belt market was bleak.

“It looks unlikely that overseas economies will turn around any time soon.

They may need at least two years to recover,” the sales manager told AFP. Manufacturing activity in export-driven China has been contracting for several months as overseas demand for Chinese-made shoes and gadgets weakens and analysts expect the situation to get worse if the euro-zone crisis deepens.

The European Union is the world’s biggest buyer of Chinese exports-worth about $380 billion in 2010 — and a collapse in demand could trigger heavy job losses in Chinese factories, which employ millions of people, analysts said. “An escalation of the euro-zone debt crisis would be a triple whammy for China,” Eswar Prasad, a professor at Cornell University in New York and a former head of the IMF’s China division, told AFP. “It would result in a stronger dollar and, by extension, a stronger yuan, and hurt growth in Europe, which remains China’s largest export market. “The knock-on effects on confidence and financial markets in other advanced economies would dampen their demand for China’s imports.”

Ren Xianfang, an economist at IHS Global Insight in Beijing, agrees. “In the most extreme case that European demand collapses, the impact will be quite significant as the EU accounts for about one-fifth of China’s total exports,” Ren said. “But if the United States holds up, the impact won’t be as huge as in 2008.” Europe’s struggling economies are increasingly looking to cash-rich China which is investing a rising portion of its world-leading foreign exchange reserves in euro-denominated assets-as a possible rescuer. While Chinese leaders have repeatedly expressed confidence in the region’s economies during the debt upheaval, Beijing has indicated it won’t be bumping up its economic growth rate in order to save the global economy.

Central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said inflation remained a “top concern” for Chinese policymakers during recent annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington. Emerging economies such as China, which contributed heavily to the global recovery from the 2008 crisis, now faced stiff headwinds from “excessive global liquidity, volatile cross-border flows, weakening external demand, and fluctuating commodity prices,” Zhou said.

China went on a massive spending spree in late 2008, unveiling a $586 billion stimulus package and ordering state-owned banks to open their credit valves to spur economic activity.

The stimulus helped China grow even as other major economies sank into recession, but the country is now battling to contain rising inflation and soaring property prices. “The real-

ity is that there seems to be no appetite in Beijing for another large-scale stimulus,” Mark Williams, China economist at Capital Economics research house in London, told AFP. “Moderately looser lending controls and more supportive fiscal policy may be all that

hesitate to respond aggressively to the eurozone crisis if it threatened jobs in China, where leaders worry about the potential for social unrest in the country of more than 1.3 billion people. “Job growth is likely to take precedence,” he said, predicting that tackling unem-

Workers operate (top and above) machines for making yarn at a textile factory in Huaibei, east China’s Anhui province. Manufacturing activity in export-driven China has been contracting for several months as overseas demand for Chinese-made shoes and gadgets weakens. —AFP we can hope for.” Beijing has been tightening interest rates and increasing the amount of money banks must keep in reserve to stem a flood of credit in the world’s second largest economy.

Nevertheless the politically sensitive consumer price index has been hovering above six percent for months, increasing pressure on the already stretched budgets of the country’s millions of poor.

But Prasad said policymakers would not

ployment, rather than inflation, would be the priority.

Zhuodong Textile Garments Co Ltd in the southern province of Guangdong- China’s manufacturing hub-is turning to the Chinese market to make up for the sharp fall in European orders. But it takes time to find new customers. “We have had no new clients since January,” Yang Lingtong, a marketing manager, told AFP. “We have to remain confident to keep going forward.” —AFP

EU: Employers federations call for more integration PARIS: The French, German and Italian employers’ federations on Saturday appealed for greater European integration, calling for a new treaty to get over “the current shortcomings of the eurozone.”

“So that the foundations can be laid for a prosperous and politically strong 21st century Europe, we call on the European Union to start work on a new treaty, which would be a new step towards closer political and economic union,” France’s Medef, Germany ’s BDI and I taly ’s

Cofindustria said.

In their statement, they called for “solid public finance”, competitive economies, “political commitment” and “a stronger Europe.” Calling for measures already agreed by European leaders to be implemented rapidly, they stressed that “the question of adequate capitalisation of banks is a condition for the solution of the current crisis and must be treated as such by political leaders.”

The new treaty which they are calling for must, among other

things, “turn the European Stabilisation Mechanism into an independent fund, which will be able to operate according to clear and transparent rules.” The mechanism is due to replace the EU’s rescue fund, the European Financial Stability Facility, by 2013 at the latest. The employers’ appeal for greater European integration comes as European countries are battling a sovereign debt crisis, which is having a knock-on effect on banks and rattling the financial markets.

“There is no reason why the

real economy should plunge back into crisis. The real world economy is intact. Many European businesses are world leaders in their domain. Global economic prospects remain full of promise,” the federations said.

“Europe and the euro-zone are not the only causes of the deep crisis of confidence which is affecting the international financial markets, but they play a part.

Faced with this situation, Europe must commit itself resolutely to restoring confidence,” they added. —AFP

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business

Slovakia’s euro honeymoon sours as days tick to key vote Citizens against sharing euro-zone’s massive debt

MADRID: Spain’s finance Minister Elena Salgado looks at papers during a session at the Spanish Senate in Madrid. — AP

Rajaratnam sentencing may be Wall St warning NEW YORK: Raj Rajaratnam, convicted in the biggest US insider trading case for years, faces a sentence of up to 24 years prison next week at the close of a case seen as making an example of the hedge fund tycoon. The sentencing hearing on October 13 before federal Judge Richard Holwell in New York will be closely watched for the message it sends to Wall Street.

Sri Lankan-born Rajaratnam, 54, was convicted in May on 14 counts of conspiracy and securities fraud related to his use of illegal insider tips for an edge on multi-million dollar stock market trades.

The trial grabbed attention because it exposed deeply hidden corruption on Wall Street and also because of the ruthlessness of prosecutors who took the unusual step for a white collar probe of using telephone wiretaps to gather evidence.

According to prosecutors, the brilliant founder of the Galleon Group hedge fund netted about $72 million on the basis of those tips, which included deals on shares in Goldman Sachs, Intel Corp, and Google Inc. In final pre-sentencing arguments on Tuesday, prosecutors demanded Rajaratnam be sentenced to as much as 293 months, or about 241/2 years, in prison, and a minimum of 19.5 years.

They told Holwell that Rajaratnam should be punished for personal gains and also for the money that his illegal trades earned Galleon. Prosecutor Reed Brodsky argued that Rajaratnam further aggravated his crime by acting as leader of a wider conspiracy.

“Mr Rajaratnam is uniquely situated... (as) an individual at the top of a pyramid in his hedge fund” with “interlocking trading schemes,” he said.

Defense lawyers made a combative last stand to save their client from spending what could be the rest of his life behind bars.

The core of their argument is that insider trading is mostly a victimless crime and that nothing Rajaratnam did caused others to lose money. In addition, they dispute government allegations that Rajaratnam led any sort of network, instead insisting that most of the time he was an above-theboard trader.

As a result, gains directly attributable to Rajaratnam were less than $8 million and his sentence should be as low as 6-1/2 years, the defense says. Jacob Frenkel, a lawyer specializing in white collar crime and securities enforcement, told AFP that given tough sentences already handed down to lesser participants in the Galleon scandal, the judge will probably throw the book at Rajaratnam.

“If you look at the long sentences for his colleagues who pleaded guilty and the dollars involved, the only logical sentence is a long one,” Frenkel said. “This will be a sentence in the teens.”

That’s certainly what the government hopes, Frenkel said, since its strategic goal in the high-profile case has been to create a deterrent.

Now “people understand the government may be taping and you may go to jail for a long time for insider trading,” Frenkel said. Prosecutors call Rajaratnam a “serial inside trader” and “egregious offender” who profited handsomely from special deals and now deserves none.

But in their pre-sentencing briefing, defense lawyers said that a sentence of 20 years would even be considered at the high end for manslaughter and child pornography convicts and would, in his case, “guarantee” death in prison.

According to the defense, Rajaratnam is in ill health, with a “constellation of ailments ravaging his body”-although they have asked that details remain private. Whatever Holwell’s sentence, a new, smaller battle will immediately be fought. Rajaratnam’s lawyers have said they will appeal over the use of wire taps-the key to the prosecution case-and they are asking that the court allow the fallen trader to remain on bail pending that process.

The judge could allow this, or give Rajaratnam a much briefer grace period before going into prison, or have him led directly into custody. — AFP

BRATISLAVA: In just over two years, Slovakia’s euro-zone honeymoon is over and only a minority of its citizens want lawmakers to approve Bratislava’s share of a massive bailout aimed at stemming the 17-member bloc’s sovereign debt crisis.

Prime Minister Iveta Radicova’s deadlocked four-party coalition meets today in a last ditch effort to agree passage of the revamped 440 billion euro ($598 billion) European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), indispensable to buoying debt-ravaged Greece and European banks which are its creditors. All 17 euro -zone members must ratify changes agreed to the EFSF in July for it to be implemented and with Malta expected to back it today, Slovakia’s decision, as the last state to vote this Tuesday, is crucial.

But just 38 percent of Slovakia’s 5.4 million citizens support contributing Bratislava’s 7.7 billion euro share to the fund. As the second poorest euro-zone state suffering deep public spending cuts after the last global crisis, ex-communist Slovakia was the only member

of the single currency club that refused to participate in the first Greek bailout last year.

Now a rebel junior coalition party in Radicova’s centre-right government, Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), wants a cash opt-out from the EFSF and has vowed a veto on Oc tober 11 if its demand is not met.

At an open-air produce market in central Bratislava, Slovaks selling garden-grown fruits and vegetables to earn extra cash echo this position and show little sympathy for Greece or its creditors. “The government should help Slovak citizens in the first place, then others,” says 67-year-old pensioner Margita Meszarosova, selling herbs from her garden to make ends meet.

“I have a monthly pension of 250 euros, if I didn’t work in the garden and grow some vegetables, I would be broke,” she adds bitterly. Marian, a 48year-old selling pumpkin seeds who declined to disclose his last name, voices doubts about Slovakia backing the EFSF as an expression of solidarity with fellow euro-zone members.

“From the supposed loan to Greece, Greeks won’t see a cent. All the money will go to their creditors and banks,” he exclaimed. “When we joined the eurozone (in 2009), I felt euphoric. But the reality kicked in fast,” he added.

Selling potatoes, Gertruda, 50, doesn’t mince words when asked about the bailout, but concedes she’s undecided about whether Slovakia should go so far as to veto it. “I have a dilemma.

Slovakia has benefited from the EU so much that we should contribute to the rescue fund. But on the other hand, when I compare the living standards in Greece and in Slovakia, I think it’s unfair to bail out richer nations,” she told AFP. “The Greeks are lazy. They got used to a higher standard of living than they could afford,” she added.

Slovakia’s centre-right Prime Minister Radicova supports the EFSF but has just days to secure agreement for it to pass Tuesday. Normally commanding a majority 79 votes in the 150-member parliament, Radicova is dependent on the nay-saying SaS’s 22 seats-or failing their support, the 62 seats of the oppo-

sition left Smer-SD. The leader of the Smer-SD, ex-prime minister Robert Fico, on Wednesday pledged his party’s support, in a second separate vote, but in exchange for a power shift in the coalition government or a snap election. Legal experts say that if parliament fails to ratify the EFSF on Oc tober 11, the vote could be repeated immediately.

The Slovak ballot comes as EU powerhouses France and Germany along with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were scrambling this weekend to cobble together a plan to recapitalize banks overexposed to risky sovereign debt. The debt crisis, which began in Greece, has snared Ireland and Portugal and now put Italy and Spain in the firing line too, threatening to sink the entire euro project as banks find it hard to raise funding.

French banks in particular are seen as overexposed to Greek, Italian and Spanish debts, and leaders fear a default in a weaker Mediterranean economy could trigger a financial crisis across the continent. — AFP

Nigeria, Cameroon and S Leone in fishing projects FREETOWN: Three West and Central African countries agreed to implement two competitive projects on fisheries and aquaculture for a three-year period starting from January 2012.

After meeting for three days in the Sierra Leonean capital, 40 representatives from the National Agricultural Research Systems agreed on “poverty eradication and grassroots empowerment through sustainable integrated rice and piggery production and sustainable integrated pond based aquaculture” which will be undertaken simultaneously in the three States.

Each of the projects will cost 500,000 US dollars funded through the West and Central Council for Agricultural Research and Development (Coraf/Wecard).

Launching the projects, Sierra Leone’s Fisheries and Marine Minister Soccoh Kabia said they “will go a long way in meeting the ever increasing demand for fish and fishery products

especially for non-coastal communities”.

“Sierra Leone currently relies heavily on coastal fisheries for the supply of fish to its market as well as a source of revenue and employment,” the minister said adding that “marine fish stocks have been exploited by a variety of smallscale fishing units along with industrial trawlers for over 40 years.”

Alfred Dixon, director-general of the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute, said “one of the major causes of malnutrition in the West and Central African subregion is the inadequate intake of animal protein”.

According to conference statistics, the subsector of fisheries and aquaculture contributes three percent to regional GDP, making fish the leading export product with annual revenues at $2.7 billion.

In 2008, fish production in the West and Central African subregion was estimated at 2,815,649 tons. — AFP

BRUSSELS: Government official and PS chairman Elio Di Rupo arrives for a meeting with outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme and his French counterpart Francois Fillon on the future of French-Belgian Dexia bank at the Egmont palace in Brussels yesterday. — AFP

RioTinto to give up 51% stake in Zimbabwe deal HARARE: Mining multinational RioTinto’s Zimbabwean subsidiary Murowa Diamonds has ceded 51 percent of its equity to comply with a new law giving local blacks majority shares in foreign companies, a report said Saturday.

“Murowa Diamonds wrote to us yesterday saying they have given up 51 percent shares and these would be given to our people,” the state-owned Herald newspaper quoted Indigenisation Minister Saviour Kasukuwere as saying. Zimbabwe gave foreign companies including banks and mines up to September 25 to submit plans to sell 51 percent of their shares to the black community by 2015.

An official in the indigenisation ministry said around 700 companies had

missed the deadline, warning them to follow the law or risk de-registration.

But Zimbabwe has also proved willing to strike individual deals with companies, giving platinum-mining giant Zimplats more time to submit its proposal and allowing British insurer Old Mutual to conduct a “first phase” of compliance by handing over 25 percent of its shares.

Long-ruling President Robert Mugabe says the indigenisation law aims to fight poverty and put control of the economy in local hands, but the scheme has raised tensions within the shaky unity government with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai’s party, which holds most economic portfolios in government, fears the law will scare off investors. — AFP

Onyx in bid to recover Blue City investment DUBAI: Onyx Investments Ltd, 100-percent owned by government-controlled Oman Investment Fund, yesterday said it had filed a statement of claim with the Omani courts, as a first step to recover its investment in the stalled real estate project Blue City.

In March, Onyx bought all of Abu Dhabibacked firm Essdar Capital’s bond investments in the troubled Blue City project for an undisclosed amount in a rare distressed

deal in the Gulf. Onyx had bought 100 percent of the Class A notes and 98 percent of the Class A3 notes from Essdar. The Bank of New York Mellon and Bank Muscat are security trustees and filed the statement of claim with the Primary Commercial Court of Oman “to obtain a debt recovery judgement which is required in order to subsequently commence enforcement of the project security in Oman,” Onyx said in a statement. — Reuters

NEW YORK: Occupy WallStreet demonstrators walk down Broadway from Washington Square Park to Zuccotti Park on Saturday in New York. — AP

Wall St protesters’ aims an enigma 3 weeks on NEW YORK: Anti-corporate activists who triggered a national protest movement by occupying a square near Wall Street could not be more focused, except on one little detail: what exactly it is that they want. After three weeks of permanent demonstration at Zuccotti Park in Manhattan, protesters have astonished doubters-and won attention from both President Barack Obama and his Republican opponents-with their staying power, organizational savvy and ability to grow.

The core sleeping rough is only a few hundred, but more than 5,000 people streamed through rush-hour traffic last week and smaller branches of the Occupy Wall Street brand are popping up in cities nationwide to protest the fate of the little guy in America, or what they call “the 99 percent.”

They use every latest social media tool. They rake in thousands of dollars in donations to buy basic supplies for the camp. By and large they maintain steely discipline when marching so as to avoid provoking the police. They are in every way the model of a grassroots protest movement-except for that absence of a unified demand.

On Saturday, the start of the fourth week for a protest that initially seemed unlikely to survive a few days, about 1,000 people swarmed away from New York’s Financial District to a park further uptown. The gathering showcased the strengths of the movement. Peaceful, brimming with intellectual discussions about economic policy, and unfazed by the scorching sun, the crowd took part in what the protesters call their General Assembly-a daily gathering where practical matters are discussed.

Because megaphones would contravene the laws on unsanctioned demonstrations, the protesters use an ingenious method of relaying what speakers have said in a chorus through the crowd.

For an hour, the demonstrators discussed minutia of how to maintain and improve their protest machine. Only no one was saying where the machine wanted to go. A forest of handmade cardboard protest signs decried everything from the Afghanistan war to the bailout of Wall Street institutions and soaring college tuition fees. But the absence of a simple, common goal frustrated some.

“The problem with their street theater is that it discredits the whole thing. It doesn’t seem serious,” said writer Chris Gay, 53. “They have got the attention, but now what? Once you have people’s attention, you need some proposals.”

Scathing criticism was leveled Friday by none other than Liberia’s peace campaigner Leymah Gbowee, shortly after she was named joint winner of the Nobel

Peace Prize. She praised the US activists for their energy, but said: “If you are doing a protest you need to have an agenda. If you wake up in the morning and poke a guitar, take a drum downtown and someone is singing and another one is dancing and movie stars are coming and saying do this, do that... and everyone is confused, you’ll be there for a long time.”

Some pundits believe that a likely avenue for Occupy Wall Street is to develop into a left-wing version of the conservative Tea Party movement.

The Tea Party has likewise lacked unity over much other than anger at the status quo. Yet it proved a powerful weapon during the 2010 congressional elections.

According to this scenario, the youthdriven activists of Occupy Wall Street would then reignite Obama’s tattered base just in time for what will likely be a bitter reelection fight in 2012.

A budding alliance between the activists and high-profile trade unions already has the potential to generate considerable street power.

Yet few protesters seem ardent about Obama, the Democrats or politicians in general. And they seem highly unlikely to seek the equivalent of the potent relationship that the Tea Party forged with right-wing media and Republican billionaires.

“People realize we have to be careful.

It is an election season, but the banks control the government,” Lindsey Smith, 25, said, holding a placard that linked Wall Street’s titans to Washington’s masters.

“They give millions and millions of dollars to the politicians. Wall Street funds campaigns and then they get bailed out. It’s completely corrupt.”

Disillusioned with the political and business elite, the protest movement appears determined, for now, to instead follow its idiosyncratic path.

If anything, the lack of hurry to name a goal reinforces the message that these protesters don’t play by normal rules.

“The exhausted political machines and their PR slicks are already seeking leaders to elevate, messages to claim, talking points to move on. They, more than anyone, will attempt to seize and shape this movement,” the latest edition of the protest camp newspaper The Occupied Wall Street Journal said.

“For Wall Street and Washington, the demand is not on them to give us something that isn’t theirs to give. It’s ours. It’s on us. We aren’t going anywhere. We just got here.” At Saturday’s rally, Neha Kagal, 26, a student from India, said the protest’s diffuse nature is “the good part of it.” “That’s what gets more people involved-and that’s what revolutions are made of.” — AFP

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TECHNOLOGY

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish Text of Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University commencement speech (This is a prepared text of the Stanford University commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, the then CEO of Apple and Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005.)

A thank you apple sits on the fence railing at the home of Steve Jobs in Palo Alto on Saturday. —MCT

Jobs: The man who dented the universe Steve Jobs, the visionary entrepreneur, passed away at the age of 56. Few people have had a more profound influence on the world. Jobs’ genius lay in his ability to see technology for what it is-a tool that has the capacity to transform how we live.

His success reflected his ability to humanize technology, making it accessible, useful and beautiful. He ushered in the age of personal technology and then refined it, never shying away from his vision, even when it meant destroying his earlier work. He aspired to make, and ultimately succeeded in making, a dent in the universe.

The outline of Mr. Jobs’ life is the stuff of legend.

He was put up for adoption by his natural parents who were not ready to take on the responsibilities of child rearing. A precocious child, he was fascinated by electronics. That interest led to an association with Steve Wozniak in high school. The two developed ways to hack the telephone system and make free calls. He dropped out of college after a single semester but stayed on to audit classes that interested him. That period, he later enthused, validated his sense of curiosity and intuition.

Jobs eventually returned to Silicon Valley, where he grew up, to work at Atari, a video game manufacturer. After a trip to India, he hooked up again with Wozniak who had developed what was to become the Apple I computer; they formed the Apple computer company in 1976, and wowed the computer world with the Apple II a year later. Sales reached $600 million by 1981, and by 1983, Apple was in the Fortune 500.

By the time he was 29, Jobs was hailed as the “father of the computer revolution.”

Then, he stumbled. Jobs’ next project, the Lisa, failed. And while the Macintosh computer ultimately revolutionized personal computing-the iconic “1984” commercial still stands alone-initial sales disappointed. The Apple board of directors stripped him of his operational role and he left the company in 1985. His next venture, NeXT Inc., aimed to build a workstation computer for higher education, but it too failed commercially.

Then his luck turned. In 1986, he invested much of his money in The Graphics Group, a struggling graphics supercomputing company. Nine years later, the company, renamed Pixar, transformed the movie industry with the release of “Toy Story.” When the company went public after a string of box-office successes, Jobs emerged a billionaire.

In 1997 Jobs returned to Apple as an adviser and he became chief executive again in 2000. This time his tenure was marked by one triumph after another. Recognizing the centrality of music to everyone’s life, he pushed Apple into the digital music business, creating iTunes and then the iPod music player. With a revolutionary pricing scheme-all songs for a single price of 99 cents-he rewrote the rules of the music industry. Apple’s music division now generates nearly 50 percent of Apple’s revenue.

The iPod was the first triumph in Jobs’ new life.

The iPhone followed in 2007, again transforming an industry that was central to everyday life. The initial goal was to sell 10 million handsets in its first year, or about 1 percent of the global cellphone market.

It exceeded that goal by selling 11.6 million units; by the end of 2010, nearly 90 million units had been sold.

Last year, the iPad was released, a device that will again revolutionize digital communications. It has already sold 30 million units since its release. Most remarkably, the iPad is likely to end the era of the personal computer, making Jobs both the father of an era and its destroyer.

Some would say that failure helped make Jobs the success he was. In a much quoted commencement address at Stanford University in 2005, he urged his audience to “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

He reminded them that “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. ... Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

He certainly trusted his own judgment. He believed in taste (particularly his own) and aimed to uncover the “simple, elegant reality” of every product. He could be maddening in the process, being involved in even the smallest details, from the packaging of products to the shape of plugs and sockets. His tantrums were legendary; yet, he also inspired a loyalty and enthusiasm among colleagues and consumers that verged on the cultlike.

For some, the measure of his success was the transformation of a ho-hum computer company into a $380 billion technology titan that became the world’s most valuable company (in terms of market value) earlier this year. He was worth $8 billion when he died last week of pancreatic cancer.

For many others-and Jobs himself, who claimed it was never about the money-his legacy will be the way he transformed the relationship between people and technology.

Mr. Jobs believed that technology should be a simple and inextricable part of our daily lives. It is a measure of how successful he was that such a sentiment seems obvious today; yet, a little over a decade ago, humans and machines seemed fated to eternal opposition. No longer. For that, we have Steve Jobs to thank. —MCT

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it.

No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at bir th by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.”

My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college.

But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition.

After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple.

I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on.

Let me give you one example: Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed.

Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and

san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just

out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs downthat I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me-I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was

Flowers, photos and apples make up a memorial in front of the home of Steve Jobs in Palo Alto, California, on Saturday. A constant stream of people stopped by the home all day with about 50 people there at all times. —MCT copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something-your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky-I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation-the Macintosh-a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling

still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together. I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t

found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything-all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure-these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important.

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.

This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept: No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life.

It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away.

Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true. — MCT

Summit unites groups to improve Valley life

SAN FRANCISCO: Jose Zurita, an employee of Ubisoft, plays the Rocksmith video game at a demonstration event in San Francisco, California. For the first time, people will be able to plug real guitars into videogame consoles, pretend to be rock stars and actually walk away knowing how to play the instruments. —AFP

Joysticks transform US warfare in Afghanistan COMBAT OUTPOST MONTI, Afghanistan: In battle they take out Taliban fighters with joystick-controlled weapons, while back at base American soldiers hook up their Xboxes and kill their way through video games.

In Afghanistan, on and off-duty activities have become strikingly similar for US troops, as 21-year-old Specialist Tyler Sandusky can attest. Out on missions in the rugged northeastern province of Kunar, Sandusky locates distant targetsday or night-with remarkable clarity on a video screen within a giant armored truck. “It’s pretty fun watching people.

They’re so far away and they don’t know you’re watching,” he told AFP as he demonstrated a system known as the CROWS (Common Remotely Operated

Weapon Station).

“It does feel like a game when you’re driving along.” Perched atop the vehicle is a .50 calibre machine gun with a firing range of more than 6.7 kilometres (four miles), which Sandusky operates through his screen and a joystick trigger to the right of his seat. “You see a red mist and then you know they’re down,” he said. Back at Combat Outpost Monti, troops drew parallels between the CROWS system and one of their favorite pastimes.

“A lot of guys compare it to Call of Duty,” said Sergeant John Henington, referring to the graphic video game franchise set in various battle zones. “We play that game most of the day when we’re not doing anything.” — AFP

BROWNSVILLE: The Vista Summit at UTB-TSC this past week seemed to mean one thing to those who attended-a new type of effort to improve the lives of the people of the Rio Grande Valley.

Ideas were only the beginning at the University of Texas System’s two-day event that focused on the promise of future partnerships and collaborations by bringing key figures in different sectors together at UT Brownsville.

“You have to understand who you are and then build on those strengths and then make some bets as to what your growth should look like,” Bruce Katz of the Brookings Institution said on Thursday in a session with local media.

Figures from academia, local governments, business, and national philanthropic foundations came to discuss how to push the Valley into becoming a place with a healthy, educated workforce that will positively affect the state’s economy.

The main idea of Katz’s presentation was that metro areas like Brownsville and McAllen power the nation’s economy.

But the identity he spoke to went far beyond economics. “Not everybody that left there is going to change the world today, but you just never know when a trigger comes that will get programs here that impact our Valley kids,” Vista Summit panelist Elizabeth Llongueras said on Friday.

Llongueras, a Hanna High School counselor and mother of a graduate of the UTB Mathematics and Science Academy, was one of more than 20 speakers to share ideas and perspectives during the summit. She had a specific

reaction to the remarks of Syracuse University Chancellor Nancy Cantor, who detailed her university’s work with a battered urban area and becoming an “anchor institution” for change in the community.

“I think it is kind of a way to rattle us all into figuring that we need to ... have an equal success story come out of Brownsville, if not all of South Texas,” Llongueras said of Cantor’s presentation.

“It was very motivational.” The summit pointed to Valley assets, including the healthcare industry, education industry and potential in the green industry, calling for partnerships, collaboration and innovation.

Past to present More than 20 years ago a four-year university in Brownsville was only an idea, but Mary Rose Cardenas said that back then, the area didn’t have “the luxury to wait” for a university.

Cardenas, a long-time Texas Southmost College board member and key player in bringing the UT System to Brownsville, sat in the front row of the audience at the summit.

Today, she said she agreed the Vista Summit might signal a new chapter in the role of the university here. Though she did not support the end of the UTBTSC partnership, she said UT System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa and UTB president Juliet V. Garcia have gotten the right momentum going. “We’re on the right track,” she said. “We have the proper leadership and we have the cooperation and the ears of the regents.” — MCT

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Western fast food, waistlines expanding across in India One in three private school children now obese

FUKUSHIMA: A boy is taken by his mother to Fukushima Medical University Hospital for a thyroid test in Fukushima, northern Japan, yesterday. — AP

Fukushima starts thyroid testing TOKYO: Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency arrived in the Japanese city of Fukushima yesterday to observe the massive decontamination effort following the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.

Local doctors also began a long-term survey of children for thyroid abnormalities, a problem associated with radiation exposure. Officials hope to test some 360,000 people who were under the age of 18 when the nuclear crisis began in March, and then provide follow-ups throughout their lifetimes. The 12-member IAEA group was to visit farms, schools and government offices throughout Fukushima prefecture in northeastern Japan to observe the cleanup process. It is the U.N. atomic agency’s second major mission to Japan since the crisis at Fukushima’s Dai-ichi nuclear power plant began.

Nearly 20,000 people were killed when the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, and the disaster severely damaged the Fukushima complex. Officials say the plant is now relatively stable, but tens of thousands of people still cannot - or choose not to - return to their homes because of the radioactive contamination. No one has died from radiation in the nuclear crisis, but concerns remain high over how the lingering contamination will impact the safety of Fukushima’s children. The thyroid testing program is intended to allay those fears and build a database that might help deal with future disasters. On its opening yesterday, more than 100 children, whose thyroid glands are more susceptible to radioactive iodine than adults, were checked.

The results were not made public, but officials have said that if any abnormalities are discovered, the children - to be tested every two years until age 20, and then every five years after that - will be provided with further care. More than 6,000 cases of thyroid cancer have been detected in people who were children or adolescents when exposed to high levels of radioactive fallout in the period immediately after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. A 12-mile no-go zone remains in effect around the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Japan recently lifted other advisories that warned residents just outside of that zone to be prepared to evacuate at any time, a move largely aimed at reassuring evacuees that it is safe to return. To further bring down contamination levels, towns outside of the no-go zone have begun washing down public areas and removing the top soil in parks and schoolyards.

The task is a daunting one because the nuclear accident spread radiation unevenly over a broad swath of Fukushima, leaving some areas near the plant relatively safe, while creating dangerous hotspots farther away.

Japan’s government has acknowledged that the effort could take years. According to a report yesterday in the Asahi, a major newspaper, officials are aiming to complete the decontamination outside of the exclusion zone by the end of March 2014. — AP

NEW DELHI: Every lunchtime at a McDonald’s on the corner of one of central New Delhi’s biggest streets, queues of hungry young patrons, often four-wide and unruly, snake towards the counters. The majority of those standing in line are under 30, most are in Western rather than Indian dress, and almost all in their choice of conversation and style are identifiably part of the muchfabled booming Indian middle class. The only exceptions are the cheaply dressed office assistants who arrive bearing orders for McSpicy wraps or McVeggie burgers for their superiors back in the nearby corporate buildings.

“My elders say ‘don’t eat at Mcdonald’s because it’s not good for your health’ but I don’t listen to them,” said 20-year-old student Salman Khan as he left the store on Janpath with a friend. “It’s cheap and tasty.” Drawn by a growing and increasingly wealthy population of young people in India, McDonald’s aims to increase the number of its outlets in the country from about 200 to 1,000 in the next five years. Yum! Restaurants, which owns the KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands, will open 100 new outlets this year in India and also aims to have 1,000 restaurants by 2015, most of the them selling fried chicken.

“We are going to grow very quickly on the basis of young, nuclear families stepping in, and more and more people moving away from traditional cooking,” McDonald’s India managing director Vikram Bakshi told AFP earlier this year. “We are quick, hygienic, clean and are seen as part of global culture.” Western fast-food in India has never been more popular, with its image as something fresh, young and sophisticated burnished by huge market-

ing budgets that push localised versions of international best-sellers.

The Big Mac in Hindu-majority India, where eating beef is taboo, has become the chicken Maharaja Mac; in KFC, fried rice dishes are sold alongside Zinger burgers and Popcorn Chicken. “We are very focused on young people. Our core target is young adults, the

he says, where you see “umpteen requests asking ‘when are you coming? when are you opening here?’ There is a lot of latent demand.” KFC “is very aspirational in smaller towns... the awareness of the brands is there and they’re waiting to join the party.”

As well as its favorable demographics and openess, India has a strong culture of eating on the

bound are to be more brands coming out here,” Bakshi from McDonald’s said. “The market is so large and so wide and is growing at such a great pace that I believe today more people coming in only helps the category of food services. It allows us collectively to reach across to the consumers.” But the increasing consumption of processed food that

NEW DELHI: People eat at an Indian McDonalds fast food outlet in New Delhi on October 4, 2011. —AFP under 30s, and that also includes teens,” Dhruv Kaul, director of marketing at KFC India, told AFP in an interview. “In the last couple of years, our marketing has increased. We have more and more on television and massive spillover.” The result can be seen on the KFC India Facebook page,

run at street-side stalls and snacking on greasy deep-fried dishes, such as samosas or pakoras. Add all this together and it is not hard to see why the country of 1.2 billion people is seen as a sort of Eldorado by the fast-food industry.”Asia is the hottest area in terms of growth so there are

is high in fat and sugar is causing worries that India is importing the Western disease of obesity, creating a ticking public health bomb that the country can ill-afford.

While under nutrition is rampantmore than 50 percent of children are stunted due to malnutrition, according to a 2008 study in The

Lancet medical journal-the overfed middle class is growing in numbers and in trouser sizes. A November 2010 study by the National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation of India found that one in three children in private schools in New Delhi were obese, compared with one in ten in government schools.

The average daily intake of fat per person rose by a third in urban India from 1972-73 to 2004-05, figures from the National Sample Survey Organization show, and is expected to have increased further since then.

“Obesity is emerging in India which has serious implications for metabolic health in the future,” researcher Seema Gulati told AFP. “Schoolchildren are attracted to the way it (junk food) is advertised,” she said. “They feel it is something that is high status.

They want to try it out.” The warnings about the future impact are multiplying. A major 2010 study called “The Rise of Asia’s Middle Class” by the Asian Development Bank warned that in the next 2030 years Asia will be faced with “an increasing number of chronic diseases on a scale previously unseen”. These include cancer, heart disease and diabetes, which are linked to the adoption of high-fat, high-sugar diets coupled with sedentary lifestyles involving little physical activity.

“Casual empiricism suggests that the urban middle class has become more sedentary as it has come to rely more heavily on motor vehicles, raising levels of obesity,” it stated. In another study published last month, the International Federation of the Red Cross focused on the “double-edged scandal” of the coexistence of malnutrition and obesity. — AFP

NVIDIA names Johns Hopkins CUDA Center of Excellence SANTA CLARA, California: NVIDIA announced that it has named The Johns Hopkins University a CUDA Center of Excellence, recognizing its groundbreaking work leveraging NVIDIA GPUs and NVIDIA CUDA technology to drive education and research programs across a range of scientific disciplines. The CUDA Center of Excellence program rewards and fosters collaboration with leading institutions that are at the forefront of parallel computing research.

Johns Hopkins joins an elite network of 12 institutions around the world that are advancing awareness of parallel computing, and empowering academics and scientists to conduct world- changing research.

University researchers have pioneered the field of data-intensive computing, addressing a key bottleneck to transformative scientific discovery - researchers’ inability to analyze in a timely manner the massive amounts of complex data

generated by instruments and simulations. They are leveraging the tremendous processing power of GPUs to dramatically speed up data analysis across multiple fields, including astrophysics, fluid dynamics, genomics, life sciences, medical imaging, and numerical simulation, among others. “Modern scientific computing is amazingly diverse, with scientists assembling novel systems by combining commodity components in unusual ways,” said Alex Szalay, Alumni Centennial Professor of Physics and Astronomy at The Johns Hopk ins University. “Our collaboration with NVIDIA will open up new directions in data-intensive scientific computing. We are working to enable researchers to dramatically increase the pace of scientific discovery by focusing on ways to on quick ly and cost- effectively stream petabytes of data into an array of a hundred GPUs for processing at supercomputer rates.”

Johns Hopkins has integrated CUDA technology and GPU computing curriculum into multiple disciplines across the schools of science and engineering. In addition, it is developing a new e Science curriculum to educate students across all campus disciplines in modern parallel computing techniques. As a CUDA Center of Excellence, Johns Hopkins will utilize GPU computing equipment and grants provided by NVIDIA to support a number of research and academic programs, including: Deployment of the “Data-Scope,” a GPU-powered, ultra-high throughput supercomputer to dramatically increase the speed of scientific data analysis.

Exploration of innovative astronomy algorithms, potentially leading to major new discoveries.

Extreme-scale numerical simulations of the universe, which can help reveal how galaxies were formed.

Massive processing and remote visu-

alization of medical images, designed to improve the quality of healthcare.

Expand multi-scale, multi-physics efforts to handle very large environmental simulations, like ocean circulation models.

Real time planning of radiation oncology treatments with ray tracing on GPUs to individualize and improve treatments of cancer patients.

Explore future extreme data intensive architectures, with low power computing.

Other CUDA Centers of Excellence include: Georgia Tech, Har vard University, Institute of Process Engineering at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Taiwan University, Stanford University, Tokyo Tech (Japan), Tsinghua University (China), University of Cambridge (England), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Maryland, University of Tennessee, and University of Utah.

Sperm donors father huge ‘families’ in US, Canada MONTREAL: In a scenario straight from science -fic tion, exper ts are increasingly concerned about lax rules for sperm donors in the US and Canada where some men have anonymously fathered dozens of children.

Unlike in some countries such as France and Britain, there are no laws in either Canada or the United States officially limiting the number of children who can be born from a single donor, the Canadian health ministry said. An international norm places the ceiling at 20 pregnancies from the same donor. In Denmark, the limit on a single donor is 25 births. And most sperm banks set their own regulations.

But the rules are not always respected. Some families try to create a “designer baby” by carefully choosing the donor from a catalog, drawn by his particular genes or characteristics, such as eye color or IQ level. The practice has meant some of these star donors have now left a huge and at times overwhelming legacy, and the issue has stirred recent debate in Canada and the United States, spawning a number of films and documentaries. “Starbuck,” a popular Canadian comedy released this year, told the story of a perpetual bachelor who accidentally fathers 533 children by selling his semen for quick and easy cash.

In a stranger-than-fiction twist, Toronto documentary maker Barry Stevens has used his experiences-born in Britain through a donor who then went on to sire some 500 to 1,000 children during his three decades working with sperm banks-to fuel his own work. His siblings are now spread

across Canada, the United States, Europe and beyond. And last month the US Style Network channel launched a reality series called “Sperm Donor ” in which one donor, Ben Seisler, 33, tells of his surprise on going onto the registry and of learning that “to date I know of around 70 kids.”Fears of incest and genetic disease Specialists warn over-reliance of one donor increases the risk of the transmission of genetic diseases and malformations, and some say there are dangers of inadver tent incest between half-siblings. “ We can’t exclude the possibility that children of one donor can meet and enter into a sexual relationship, and indeed the possibility that the donor himself could sleep with his daughter without knowing the relation between them,” said Stevens, who has made films about his search for his real father and his half-siblings.

Juliet Guichon, a professor of bioethics at the University of Calgary, said involuntary incest with donor children happens more frequently than it might at first seem. “People who seek sperm donation are from the same socio-economical status.

They k now each other, they are advised to see the same doctor, they live in the same neighborhood. It’s not randomly distributed,” she said.

“Sperm giving is a market-driven phenomenon. What is governing this is market consideration, not consideration for the best interest of children.

And that is why we have this outcome.” Guichon also noted that Canada lacks accurate data on the number of donor children in the country and suggested donor anonymity

should be abolished to promote greater transparency and control.

Since 2004, donors have no longer been paid in Canada, leading to the depletion of stocks and forcing clinics to rely heavily on imports, especially from the United States. The popularity of certain specific donors has also had a major impact. The US-based Donor Sibling Registry, which helps children get in touch with their half-brothers and sisters, highlighted the growing number of such families. “We have a group of 150 children of one donor, and this number keeps growing,” said Wendy Kramer, executive director and co-founder of the registry which she established in 2000 to connect socalled donor families. “It’s overwhelming for those kids, and we don’t know how they will react.” Her group allows donor children to initiate contact anonymously at first.

The donor is identified only by a number, but children can see how many half-siblings they likely might have.Jonah Jacobson and his twin sister, Hilit, have in recent years formed a close bond with their half-siblings, Jayme and Jesse Clapoff, also twins whose biological father is the same donor, identified only by a number.

The four met through the sibling registry and now get together often and are in regular contact. And they have discovered that there are a total of 15 siblings from the same donor most of whom they have now met. “We have the same sense of humor, we are all athletic. We all clicked together from the first time,” Jonah told CNN last year. And even though initially it can be a little awkward, “you definitely feel a bond right away,” he added.— AFP

SKEKARSBO: View of a shooting star (Draconid) and northern light near Skekarsbo at the Farnebofjardens national park 150 kilometers north of Stockholm, late on October 8, 2011. — AFP

Looking on bright side may not be such a bright idea PARIS: If you are always seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, be warned-it could be an oncoming train.

So says a study published yesterday in Nature Neuroscience which concludes that our well-known penchant for donning rose-tinted glasses may be a failure to store risk awareness in a key part of the brain. Tali Sharot, a professor at University College London, was intrigued as to why so many peopleeven when facing long odds or bleak prospects-remain stubbornly, even pathologically, optimistic. To learn more, 19 volunteers were asked to take part in an experiment. Sharot and colleagues monitored subjects in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner as they were confronted with life situations ranging from unpleasant to catastrophic.

Having their car stolen, getting fired from their job, developing Parkinson’s disease or cancer were among 80 scenarios evoked. After each hypothetical

disaster, the volunteers were asked to estimate the odds of the misfortune happening to them. While still in the scanner, they were then informed of the true average probability of the risk.

Sometime later, the volunteers once again quantified the odds for personally experiencing each scenario. The researchers found that the volunteers updated their initial estimates but only when the true figures were less gloomy.

If, for example, they had predicted a 40 percent chance of contracting cancer but the average likelihood turned out to be 30 percent, they were far more likely to adjust their estimate sharply downward. But if the odds were worse than originally thought, the volunteers simply ignored the true statistics. “Our study suggests that we pick and choose the information that we listen too,” said Sharot. “The more optimistic we are, the less likely we are to be influenced by negative informa-

tion about the future,” said Sharot. Why so? In the brain scans, all participants showed increased activity in their frontal lobes-which is strongly associated with emotional control-whenever the real numbers were better than expected. The activity indicated that the new information was being processed and stored. But when the news was more dire than the first guesstimate, respondents who had rated highest for “optimism” in a personality test, taken beforehand, showed the least activity in their frontal lobe.

Sharot said the work showed that unbridled optimism had unperceived risks. “Seeing the glass as half full rather than half empty can be a positive thing-it can lower stress and anxiety, and be good for our health and well-being,” she said. “But it can also mean that we are less likely to take precautionary action, such as practicing safe sex or saving up for retirement,” she said. — AFP

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Families battle obscure, newly identified PANDAS illness Illness caused by immune response to strep gone awry CLAYTON: Karli Bossman’s odd behaviors came in a sudden, overwhelming wave. Karli, then 5, had loved going to kindergarten, but suddenly she began grabbing door frames and fighting furiously to stay home every morning when her parents tried to take her. She was afraid to ride in cars because she feared they would run out of gas. She wouldn’t go anywhere there was an elevator. Except for one or two favorite pair, she refused to wear underwear, saying it hurt. She ripped off her shoes and socks no matter how many times her parents put them back on before school. Karli had been sweet and gentle, but now there were meltdowns, she threw stuff. At first, Kelly and Kevin Bossman thought their oldest daughter was just being a defiant kid. But then it became clear that no consequences could persuade her to stop acting on her obsessions.

They took Karli to a doctor. Then a psychologist.

Then another. Quickly the list of medical professionals they had tried began to mount. The Bossman family didn’t know it yet, but they had begun what has now become a three year, 11-doctor, three-psychologist odyssey through the medical system to get Karli’s mysterious problem diagnosed and treated. “I would go through every doctor in a practice, and none of them would have anything to offer me, so we’d just switch practices,” said Kelly Bossman. Finally - after two years, a host of conflicting diagnoses, and a frightening regimen of powerful antipsychotic drugs for Karli - Chris Mauro, a psychologist at Duke University, diagnosed a children’s illness that only recently has begun to be accepted by some members of the medical community: Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infection, which goes by the acronym PANDAS. The Bossmans, who had heard of PANDAS but had given up suggesting it as a possibility to skeptical doctors, persuaded a doctor to at least try a course of antibiotics, a basic treatment for PANDAS. “Within 48 hours we were meeting another kid who we hadn’t seen in a long time,” Bossman said. “She was really sweet.” Now the Bossmans, both 31, have joined part of a small, but growing group of North Carolina parents of PANDAS kids - including one in Dunn, and others in Youngsville and Holly Springs - who trade tips and information about the condition. Kelly Bossman hopes to pull together a support group of PANDAS moms this fall for regular meetings. Diagnosed patients and doctors who are knowledgeable about PANDAS are spread

so thinly that it takes the Internet to stitch them together through web sites such as the PANDAS Support Network, and the Facebook page for PANDAS parents. That support is crucial, say parents and doctors, because the condition is as tricky to manage as it is to diagnose.

Va, for example, sneezed an estimated 12,000 times a day for months until she got proper treatment. Awhile later she developed an eye twitch. Gradually, the number of doctors who have heard of PANDAS is increasing, but those with expertise in treating it are still so rare that lengthy searches for help like the Bossmans’

CLAYTON: Karli Bossman, 8, right, takes medication while her mother, Kelly Bossman, looks on at their Clayton, North Carolina home. — MCT PANDAS was first identified in the mid-1990s. The question of whether it actually existed was controversial; but recent research, including a 2009 study at Columbia University, has bolstered the case for PANDAS, and the National Institute of Mental Health formally recognizes it. Researchers believe that strep infections trigger an immune response that goes awry, causing anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behavior and physical or verbal “tic” symptoms. A girl in Chesapeake,

senses' harmony ... with life

are typical, said Sara Davis Furr of Dunn, NC Her 8-yearold son Gage was diagnosed with PANDAS after he came home from school one day giving vivid descriptions of snakes that only he could see and leaping awake at night to rip off his clothes. The symptoms can wax and wane, sometimes apparently in association with a new case of strep or other infections. Once, in Karli’s case, Lyme disease triggered a fresh wave of symptoms. The far-flung nature of doctors in the know

Al Seef Hospi A Al-Seef Hospital tal Visiting Vi isiting Doctors Pro Program ogram

about PANDAS means that even after families finally get the right diagnosis, they may have to travel several states away for help. Furr said she was lucky, because antibiotics have kept Gage’s symptoms mostly under control. But she knows a family in Virginia that must travel regularly to doc tors in Mar yland and Connecticut. And every few weeks, the Bossmans pack up all four of their kids and drive to Darien, Conn., so Karli can see Dr. Denis Bouboulis, an immunologist who is among the nation’s top experts in treating PANDAS. That’s because Karli still has long periods of ups and downs, and while the pediatrician in Dunn they now share with the Furrs is supportive, he doesn’t know much about PANDAS, said members of both families. Furr said her family and Gage’s school were supportive, but the Internet community is all the more important because many PANDAS parents she corresponds with say their broader families are skeptical. “A lot of people think you just did a bad job raising your child,” she said.

PANDAS is almost certainly under-diagnosed, but it’s unclear how common it is. Bouboulis, who is a member of the board of directors of the PANDAS Support Network, has said as many as 5 percent of all children could have it. But Dr John March, Chief of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center and an internationally recognized expert in obsessive-compulsive disorders among children, thinks it’s rare. Of the more than 1,000 children with OCD he has worked with, March says only a handful have a sure diagnosis of PANDAS. “I actually think PANDAS exists, I just don’t think it’s very common,” he said. “Most pediatric tic disorders aren’t terribly common, but they’re not rare either, while strep infections are clearly quite common. And I think that leads to a lot of people putting two and two together in a specific case when in fact the link isn’t all that clear.”

Still, it’s important not to miss a proper diagnosis for PANDAS, he said, because it’s important to get the treatment right. Karli is better, but she isn’t cured. Kelly Bossman, frustrated by how few parents and doctors know about PANDAS, has become a kind of evangelist for spreading information about it. “What I really, really hope to do is I guess bring awareness to doctors here. I d like them to learn a little more about it,” she said. “Also, I’ve met so many moms online, and seeing what Karli has been through, you just worry about how many kids out there are being given these antipsychotics or no treatment at all, and who really need antibiotics.” — MCT

17 th - 2 th 4 Oct

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N Kuwait Times sponsors

Birthday Greetings

‘Most Beautiful Egyptian Child’ contest 99 finalists

By Sherif Ismail

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Wish you a Happy 5th Birthday Charan Best wishes from: Mother Sapna, Father Subarmanyam, Uncle Shiva.

Announcements BEC T10 Cricket tournament The BEC T10 Tennis Ball Cricket Tournament will be organized & played from 7th October to 11th November, 2011. The Tournament being organized by RED N BLACK CRICKET CLUB and sponsored by BEC EXCHANGE will be played out in Abu Halifa cricket grounds. For registration and other queries please mail at mail@rednblack.org or call 66820148/ 66130940/ 66841653.

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l-Bayan bilingual school made a donation to the Kuwait Red Crescent Society to be used in their ongoing relief to victims of the famine crisis in Somalia. The picture shows KRCS Chairman Barjas Al-Barjas receiving the donation from students Muneera Al-Bahar and Suad Al-Sabah.

he ‘Bawabat Al-Masreyeen’ (Egyptians Gate) Facebook page in Kuwait launched a course in operating the Photoshop program which deals with editing pictures and preparing designs.

There is also a contest for the picture of the most beautiful child among Egyptian community children in Kuwait. The contest started on the 29th of September. The results will be announced on Saturday, October 15 wherein, Toqa Mustafa, superwiser of compitetion says the top three winners will grace the Kuwait Times office to be awarded for their prizes which include free lunch/dinner date at SwissBelhotel and a luxury wristwatch (First Prize), free lunch/dinner at Swiss-Belhotel and a food processor (Second Prize); free lunch/dinner at Swiss-Belhotel plus a coffeemaker (Third Prize). It is worth mentioning that the Gate began dealing with the community’s problems two weeks ago, as it presents them to concerned officials, and the most important problem is that of Egypt Air so far. Photo album available on website: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.281930285159021.76191.19121369 7564014&type=3

Laif annual convention Here comes LAIF Annual Convention. The Life Abundant International Fountain Kuwait is holding its first annual convention at the National Evangelical Church, Kuwait (Neck CompoundHall 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 66332844 50611737, 66922052, 665SO209 or e-mail: laifkuwait@yahoo.co.uk, www.facebook.com/L.A.I.F.CHURCH. Tulukoota talent hunt Tulukoota Kuwait will hold a “Talent Hunt 2011” a chance to prove an inborn trait in you that confirms your individuality, uniqueness. So step forward to grab this opportunity to show your caliber and entertain. Dance, music, art or any special talent- now is your chance to showcase it and be part of this year’s Talent Hunt & Tulu Parba. Talent Hunt event is open to all Tuluvas.

For more information and registration form kindly log on to our Website: www.tulukootakuwait.org or visit our facebook page - Tulukoota Kuwait Talent Hunt 2011. You could also email your form request to: secretary@tulukootakuwait.org or contact our area coordinators mentioned below. Mangaf, Fahaheel, Abuhalifa : Ronald Dsouza- 60035824, Shalini Alva- 23726164, Suma Bhatt- 97834578 Salmiya & Hawally: Swarna Shetty- 99006934, Kripa Gatty- 66044194 Kuwait City, Jahra, Sharq: Rekha Sachu- 65044521,97862115 Farwaniya, Abbassiya, Shuwaikh & Khaitan: Sathyanarayana66585077 Sanath Shetty- 67712409.

OICC Kuwait celebrates Onam

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verseas Indian Cultural Congress(OICC) celebrated its 1st Onam celebrations “Onam 2011” with its full spirit and fervor on Friday Indian Central School. The meeting was presided over by MA Hilal, chairman of the OICC.

MK Raghavan MP (member of Indian Parliament) inaugurated the celebration.

Distinguished guests His Exclency Sathish.

C. Metha , Indian Ambassader to Kuwait, Rajan Daniel, Dr. Nampoori, and Sharafudheen Kannoth felicitated the occasion.

General Convener Varghese Puthukulangara extended Onam greetings and welcomed the audience and Raju Zacharias proposed the vote of thanks . Various cultural Programme were organized under the leadership of Nixen george and Manoj Channapetta,. The

enchanting Thiruvathira kali cinematic dance, solo, Fusion dance, Vallam Kali, small skit are the highlights of the cultural programme. The reception of Mahabeli in its traditional style with thalapoli, chendamela, muthukuda witnessed its golden era during the reign of King Mahabeli.

Brain Bang Calling all students aged 11 and above, Support Group for Accelerated learning under the umbrella of FOCC (Friends of CRY Club, Kuwait), BRAIN-BANG invites you to join us in our fortnightly Friday Class from 11.45 am to 13.45 pm in Salmiya starting October 7th for the next 6 months. Successfully running for the seventh consecutive year.

Areas of development are : lMemory tools to Understand and Learn Better lTools and Techniques to empower your mind lActivity, fun, games and worksheet based assignments lPractical Experiments lMind Gymnastics lApplication of Learning Techniques to conventional study. Register before October 5th 2011.

Limited seats. Register early to avoid disappointment. Website: www.focckwt.org E-Mail: brainbang@focckwt.org Phone no: 25660835/25618471/97677820 Annual competition Tulu Koota Kuwait has great pleasure in inviting its valuable members to Tulukoota Kuwait annual competitions on 14th October 2011. It’s a unique opportunity to our members & their children to showcase their talent at the varied competitions. There will be singing, dance, fancy dress competitions for all age group, cute baby photo contest etc. Competitions will be held on Friday 14th October from 10 am onwards in Indian Community School (Senior Girls), Salmiya.

For details, competition rules and registrations please contact 65044521, 65013887, 66958848, 97834578 Or visit our website www.tu1ukootakuwait.org or mail us at secretary@tulukootakuwait.org.

Several children participate by singing with their guru Manoj Kanjangad as part of the initiation to learning ceremony at Raagtharang music academy.

K’s path to hold 2nd annual charity golf tournament

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’S PATH (Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and Their Habitat) in association with Gulf Bank, will hold its 2nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament on Saturday, 29th October 2011 at the Sahara Golf Club.

The tournament is a fundraising event with all proceeds going towards K’S PATH programs.

“Our 2nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament builds upon the encourag-

ing response that our first such tournament received last year”, says K’S PATH Chairman Ayeshah Al Humaidhi. “There’s a growing community of golf lovers in Kuwait and our fundraising tournament is an opportunity for families and friends to have a great time while supporting a great cause. We’d like to thank Gulf Bank and Sahara Golf Club for their contribution to this much-awaited fundraising tournament.”

Taking the format of a 4-man Texas Scramble with exciting prizes for the winning team and a special ‘nearest the pin’ prize, the tournament will tee off at 8.30 am at Sahara’s lush green golf course. Sahara Club members, and nonmembers, are invited to join the tournament for varying fees. Those who don’t play golf are welcome to join as spectators (at a lesser fee) and root for teams at Sahara’s grand terrace overlooking the

golf course. The tournament will be followed by an award ceremony and lunch.

To register, email golf@kspath.org or visit www.kspath.org K’S PATH’s 2nd Annual Charity Golf Tournament tournament celebrates the spirit of sportsmanship and drive to transcend challenges, virtues reflected in K’S PATH’s organizational philosophy to champion animal welfare and habitat protection in Kuwait.

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Years

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF ARGENTINA In order to inform that 23rd of October 2011, will be Argentine national election where all Argentinean citizen residents permanently in Kuwait can vote only if they are registered at the Electoral Register of the Argentine Embassy. The procedure of inscription ended on 25 of April 2011. To register it is necessary that Argentinean citizens should come personally at the Argentinean Embassy (Block 6, street 42, villa 57, Mishref ) and present the DNI and four personal photos (size 4x4, face should be front on white background). For further information, contact us on 25379211. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF BRITAIN The Visa Application Centre (VAC) will be closed on the same dates above. The opening hours of the Visa Application Centre are 0930 - 1630 Application forms remain available online from the UKBAs’ website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk or from the Visa Application Centre’s website: www.vfs-ukkw.com. And also, from the UK Visa Application Centre located at: 4B, First Floor, Al Banwan Building (Burgan Bank Branch Office Building), Al Qibla area, opposite Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City. For any further inquiries, please contact the Visa Application Centre: Website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com E-mail:info@vfs-uk-kw.com Telephone:22971170. The Consular Section will also be closed on the same dates. For information on the British Embassy services, visit the British Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk

Kottayam Association Kuwait celebrates Onam

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ottayam Association celebrated its 13th Onam celebrations “Onam 2011” with full spirit and fervor on Friday at United Indian School. The meeting was presided over by Somu Mathew, chairman of Kottayam Association. Vidhu P Nair, First Secretary, Indian Embassy, Kuwait, inaugurated the celebration. Distinguished guests Thomas Chandy MLA, John Mathew, TA Ramesh, Country head, Gulfmart and Vina Sabu (Chairperson Vanitha wing of

Kottayam Association) felicitated the occasion. Kottayam Association honored Ramesh with Ponnada for his valuable contribution to the Indian Community.

General Secretary Raju Zacharias extended Onam greetings and welcomed the audience and Secretary M P Sen proposed the vote of thanks . The colourful “Pookalam” intricate flower carpet laid under the supervision of Vanitha Wing chairperson Vina Sabu, General Secretary Lila Mohan, Lija Ranjith, Elssy

Somu, Secretary Shiny Ambi, Shinu Sudhin, Suna Jacob, Kessiya Sunny (Cultural Convener Vanitha) added beauty to the celebrations. “Pulikali” performed by Philip Mathew Tharakan, Selvin John and Neethu Elsa Joseph was the most attracting item .

Vallamkali performed by Mathew Tharakan, Giju Chacko, Sudhin Abraham, Raju Karunakaran, Jomon Joseph, Sunny Thomas and Artist Jacob entertained the audience. A jury committee of

Ranjith, Anju Mathew Tharakan and Mebu declared Tony Mathew as Kottayam Mannan 2011 and Kesiaya Sunny as Kottayam Manka..

A traditional sumptuous Onasadya was served under the leadership of Sen, Raju Karunakaran, Mohan Maliekal, P Kurian, Mathew Tharakan, Manoj Kuriakose, Sudhin Abraham, Sunny Nokia, Jijo Chacko, Sabu George, George Varkey, Jomon Joseph and Tony Mathew.

Friends of Kannur celebrates Onam/Eid

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riends of Kannur Kuwait Expats Association FOKE, celebrated “Onam Eid Sallapam 2011” at Indian central school, Abbasiya. The program was inaugurated by the chief guest Hon Indian Ambassador HE Satish C Mehta by lighting the traditional lamp. Member of Parliament from Kozhikode Parliament constituency M K Raghavan who hails from Kannur district was the guest of honor.

FOKE president Vijayes KV presided over the inaugural function and Gen Secretary Jithesh MP welcomed the gathering. Prominent personalities from the cross section of the Indian community where present for the function. Indian Doctor’s Forum president Dr Nampoory, India International School Director Malayail Moosa Koya, Al Salal Group MD Suryakanth Balagopal, FOKE chief patron I V Dinesh and FOKE Vanithavedi Chairperson Anita Somaraj were felicitated the program. Program committee Convener Prasanth K delivered the vote of thanks. Academic Excellence Awards were distributed to the children of FOKE members during the function. Kumari Chandana S Kumar and Kumari Krisha Prame Prabhakar received awards from Suryakanth Balagopal. Prizes to the winners of a drawing competition were also distributed during the function.

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EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel 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/IMM5 257E.PDF. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF GERMANY The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application. Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (Al-Babtain) Mezzanine (M3) opposite Sharq Mall Kuwait 22924444 Fax: 22924442 Further information are available on the following websites: www.kuwait.diplo.de www.qavisa.com nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on October 26, 2011 (Wednesday) Diwali. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF KENYA

KDA meets ambassador for Biju’s release

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ozhikode District Association met HE Satish Chand Mehta, Indian Ambassador to Kuwait, at his office and requested all help to get the release of Biju Kollaraveettil, a member of the Association who was

abducted by a terrorist group while he was at his wife’s residence in the Philippines. The ambassador promised that he will immediately follow up with Embassy of Philippines in Kuwait to get the latest information

on Biju and whatever possible at his level will be done to expedite the release of Biju who has been in the custody of terrorists for more than three months.

Kozhikode District Association rep-

resentatives including Rajagopalan E, Rishi Jacob, Santhakumar M, Hameed Keloth, Sreeja Santhakumar and Asma Abdulla had a detailed discussion with His Excellency on various issues affecting Kozhikode natives in Kuwait.

Tulu Parba 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

The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to request all Kenyans resident in or training through Kuwait to register with the Embassy. We are updating our database. This information is necessary in order to facilitate quick assistance and advise in times of emergency. Kindly visit in person or register through our website www.kenyaembkuwait.com. The Embassy is located in: Surra Area - Block 6 - Street 9 Villa 3 Tel: 25353362 - 25353314; Fax: 25353316. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk nnnnnnn

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

EMBASSY OF PERU Embassy of Peru in Kuwait has the honor to announce the opening of its office soon in Sharq area, Ahmed Al-Jaber street, AlArabiya Tower, 6th Floor, Kuwait City.

Moreover, please be notified that there will be “Peru Expo-Tour, Trade & Invest” and the working hours will be from 09:00 till 14:00 (Sunday-Thursday). You are cordially invited to visit us in order to know why Peru should be your new touristic destination and your best business partner.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

Years

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 01:40 02:35 03:30 04:25 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:40 09:10 10:05 11:00 11:55 12:50 13:45 14:40 Baker 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:25 18:20 19:15 Baker 20:10 21:05 22:00 22:55 23:50

00:15 00:45 01:35 02:25 03:10 04:00 04:30 04:50 05:05 05:25 05:40 05:50 06:10 06:25 06:45 06:55 07:05 07:25 07:40 08:00 08:10 08:20 08:40 08:55 09:15 09:25 09:40 10:40 11:30 12:20 12:50 13:20 14:10 15:40 16:30 17:15 17:45 18:15 19:10 20:00 20:45 21:15 21:45 22:40

00:00 00:10 00:30 01:00 01:30 01:45 02:00 02:10 02:30 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30

Cats 101 Killer Whales Wildest Africa Whale Wars Untamed & Uncut Cats 101 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Monkey Life The Really Wild Show Penguin Safari Breed All About It My Cat From Hell Cats 101 K9 Cops Pit Bulls And Parolees Animal ER Mutant Planet Weird Creatures With Nick Monkey Life The Really Wild Show Natural Born Hunters Jeff Corwin Unleashed Cats 101 Breed All About It Weird Creatures With Nick Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 Planet Earth My Cat From Hell Untamed & Uncut Maneaters

As Time Goes By The Weakest Link The Fixer The Weakest Link Lark Rise To Candleford Keeping Up Appearances Balamory Gigglebiz Me Too Charlie And Lola Buzz & Tell Balamory Gigglebiz Me Too Charlie And Lola Buzz & Tell Balamory Gigglebiz Me Too Charlie And Lola Buzz & Tell Balamory Gigglebiz Me Too Charlie And Lola Buzz & Tell Keeping Up Appearances The Weakest Link North And South Doctors As Time Goes By Life On Air Keeping Up Appearances North And South The Weakest Link Doctors As Time Goes By Life On Air North And South The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Dalziel And Pascoe

BBC World News World Features Horizons BBC World News Asia Business Report Sport Today BBC World News The Health Show Our World Newsday India Business Report Newsday Asia Business Report

04:45 Sport Today 05:00 Newsday 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Sport Today 06:00 Newsday 06:30 Hardtalk 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 World Business Report 07:45 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 Sport Today 10:00 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Hardtalk 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 World Business Report 12:45 Sport Today 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 GMT With George Alagiah 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 World Business Report 15:45 Sport Today 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 20:30 World Business Report 20:45 Sport Today 21:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 22:30 World Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 BBC World News America

00:05 Robotboy - Elements 00:30 Squirrel Boy 00:55 George Of The Jungle 01:20 Cramp Twins 01:45 Chop Socky Chooks 02:10 Best Ed 02:35 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 03:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 03:25 Generator Rex 03:50 Adventure Time 04:15 Flapjack 04:40 Chowder 05:05 Powerpuff Girls 05:30 Ed, Edd n Eddy 05:55 I Am Weasel 06:20 Squirrel Boy 06:45 Cow & Chicken 07:00 Eliot Kid 07:04 Cow & Chicken 07:12 Eliot Kid 07:25 Angelo Rules 07:50 Best Ed 08:15 Flapjack 08:40 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 09:05 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 09:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog 09:55 Cow & Chicken 10:20 I Am Weasel 10:35 Adventure Time 11:00 Ben 10 11:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 11:50 The Secret Saturdays 12:15 Samurai Jack 12:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 13:05 Codename Kids 13:30 Skunk Fu! 13:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 14:15 Flapjack 14:40 Ed, Edd n Eddy 15:05 Camp Lazlo 15:30 Chowder 15:55 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 16:25 Cow & Chicken 16:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog 17:15 I Am Weasel 17:40 George Of The Jungle 18:05 Casper’s Scare School 18:30 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 18:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 19:20 Generator Rex 19:45 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 20:10 Hero 108 20:35 Bakugan: New Vestroia

21:00 21:25 21:50 22:00 22:25

Total Drama Island Adventure Time Billy And Mandy Ben 10 Bakugan Battle Brawlers

00:20 01:10 02:00 02:45 03:35 04:25 05:15 06:00 06:20 Cody 06:45 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:35 09:00 09:10 09:20 09:30 09:40 10:05 Cody 10:30 10:50 11:15 11:35 12:00 12:25 12:45 13:10 13:30 13:55 14:55 15:20 15:45 16:10 16:35 Cody 17:00 17:25 17:50 18:15 18:45 19:35 20:00 20:25

Replacements Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic Stitch Kim Possible Emperor’s New School Stitch Emperor’s New School The Suite Life Of Zack And Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction The Hive Handy Manny Imagination Movers The Suite Life Of Zack And Phineas And Ferb Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Good Luck Charlie Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Phineas And Ferb Fish Hooks Shake It Up The Suite Life Of Zack And Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Shake It Up Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Jake & Blake

00:00 Travel Today 00:30 Glutton For Punishment 01:00 Planet Sports 02:00 Secrets of Ancient China 03:00 Essential Specials 04:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 People of the Sea 09:00 Planet Sports 10:00 Planet Food 11:00 Distant Shores 12:00 Globe Trekker Special 13:00 Opening Soon 13:30 Hollywood and Vines 14:00 Short History of Convict Australia 15:00 Essential Specials 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Distant Shores 17:30 Cruise Today 18:00 Opening Soon 18:30 Hollywood and Vines 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Flavours of Greece 20:30 Essential 21:00 It’s a Woman’s World 22:00 Tall Ship Explorers

01:10 Posse 03:00 Semi-Tough 04:45 Dying To Dance 06:09 Police Story: The Freeway Killings 08:35 Invasion Of The Body Snatchers 10:30 Just Another Story 11:45 Danielle Steel’s Remembrance 13:15 Mystery Date

THE THREE MUSKETEERS ON OSN ACTION HD

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

Science Of The Movies Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear The Future Of...

How Do They Do It? Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings Ultimate Survival Deadliest Catch Ultimate Survival Extreme Fishing Swamp Brothers Cash Cab Us Wheeler Dealers Fifth Gear The Future Of...

Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings How Stuff’s Made How It’s Made Cash Cab Us Ultimate Survival Deadliest Catch Dual Survival

00:05 Green Wheels 00:30 Race to Mars 01:20 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 04:50 Engineering Thrills 05:40 Green Wheels 06:10 Human Body: Ultimate Machine 07:00 Scrapheap Challenge 07:55 Space Pioneer 08:50 The Tech Show 09:15 Weird Connections 09:40 The Gadget Show 10:35 The Future of...

11:30 Sci-Fi Science 11:55 How Stuff’s Made 12:25 Future Weapons 13:15 Space Pioneer 14:05 One Step Beyond 14:30 Stunt Junkies 14:55 Kings of Construction 15:45 Weird Connections 16:10 Scrapheap Challenge 17:00 Brainiac 17:50 Sci-Fi Science 18:15 The Tech Show 18:40 Monster Moves 19:30 When Aliens Attack 20:20 Nextworld 21:10 The Gadget Show 21:35 The Gadget Show 22:00 Monster Moves 22:50 When Aliens Attack 23:40 The Gadget Show

00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 Unwrapped 01:45 Lidia’s Italy 02:35 Barefoot Contessa 03:25 World Cafe Middle East 04:15 Chef vs Britain 04:40 Unwrapped 05:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 05:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 05:50 Paula’s Party 06:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 07:00 Chopped 07:50 Guy’s Big Bite 08:15 Everyday Italian 08:40 Chef vs Britain 09:05 Ten Dollar Dinners 09:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 09:55 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 10:20 Aarti Party 10:45 Lidia’s Italy 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Paula’s Party 12:25 Everyday Italian 12:50 Paula’s Best Dishes 13:15 Chef vs Britain 13:40 World Cafe Middle East 14:30 Lidia’s Italy 14:55 Unwrapped 15:20 Grill It! With Bobby Flay 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Guy’s Big Bite 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 17:50 Aarti Party 18:15 World Cafe Middle East 19:05 Chef vs Britain 19:30 Food Network Challenge 20:20 Paula’s Party 21:10 Chef vs Britain 22:00 From Spain With Love 22:50 Boy Meets Grill 23:40 World Cafe Middle East

00:05 00:15 00:40 01:10 01:30 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:20 03:40 04:10 04:35 05:00 05:30 05:50 06:15 06:45 07:00 07:15 07:45 08:15 08:30 09:00 09:15 09:25 09:45 09:55 10:15 10:45 11:10 11:30 11:45 12:10 12:35 13:00 13:15 13:25

Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Little Einsteins Higglytown Heroes Jo Jo’s Circus Jungle Junction Higglytown Heroes Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Handy Manny The Hive Timon And Pumbaa The Hive Mickey Mouse Clubhouse The Little Mermaid Handy Manny Imagination Movers Jungle Junction Lazytown Handy Manny Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Special Agent Oso Little Einsteins

13:50 14:15 15:05 15:30 15:40 15:55 16:20 16:45 17:00 17:10 17:20 17:30 17:55 18:25 18:50 19:05 19:25 19:50 20:10 20:20 20:30 20:55 21:20 21:35 21:50 22:15 22:25 22:40 22:55 23:20 23:50

Imagination Movers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny The Hive Jake & The Neverland Pirates Imagination Movers Lazytown Jungle Junction The Hive The Hive Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Little Mermaid Special Agent Oso Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 101 Dalmatians Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Hive Timmy Time Imagination Movers Little Einsteins Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Timmy Time Handy Manny Jungle Junction Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction

00:25 Style Star 01:25 E!es 02:20 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Reality Hell 05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 06:00 40 Smokin’ On Set Hookups 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10:15 25 Hottest Hollywood Cougar Tales 12:05 Extreme Close-Up 12:35 Fashion Police 13:05 Khloe And Lamar 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:35 Giuliana & Bill 15:30 E!es 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Bridalplasty 17:55 E!es 18:25 Ice Loves Coco 18:55 E!es 19:55 The Dance Scene 21:25Kourtney & Kim Take New York 22:25 Style Star 22:55 Fashion Police 23:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:15 Aiya TV 01:30 Final Fu 02:20 Fantasy Factory 02:45 Glutton For Punishment 04:50 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships...

05:40 BMX Megatour 06:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 08:00 Cape Epic 08:25 Ticket To Ride 2009/2010 10:55 Fantasy Factory 11:45 Final Fu 12:35 Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Ride 13:25 Eddie Jordan’s Bad Boy Racers 14:15 World Combat League 15:05 Fantasy Factory 15:55 Final Fu 16:45 Cape Epic 17:10 Ticket To Ride 2009/2010 19:40 Eddie Jordan’s Bad Boy Racers 20:30 Pinks: Lose The Race, Lose Your Ride 21:20 Glutton For Punishment 22:10 World Combat League 23:00 Wrestling With Reality 23:25 Aiya TV

00:30 Cuff Me If You Can 01:15 Nightmare Next Door 02:05 I Almost Got Away With It 02:50 Couples Who Kill 03:40 Cuff Me If You Can 04:25 True Crime With Aphrodite Jones 05:15 Disappeared 06:10 Mystery ER 07:00 Murder Shift 07:45 Forensic Detectives 08:35 Mystery Diagnosis 09:20 Real Emergency Calls 09:45 Street Patrol 10:05 The Will: Family Secrets Revealed 10:50 FBI Files 11:40 Murder Shift 12:25 On The Case With Paula Zahn 13:15 Disappeared 14:00 Mystery Diagnosis 14:50 Street Patrol 15:15 Real Emergency Calls 15:35 The Will: Family Secrets Revealed 16:20 FBI Files 17:10 Forensic Detectives 18:00 Murder Shift 18:45 Real Emergency Calls 19:10 Mystery Diagnosis 19:55 Street Patrol 20:20 On The Case With Paula Zahn 21:10 Disappeared

00:00 Travel Madness 00:30 Madventures 01:00 Cooking The World 02:00 Going Bush 02:30 Bluelist Australia 03:00 Food School 03:30 Banged Up Abroad 05:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 06:00 Travel Madness 06:30 Madventures 07:00 Cooking The World 08:00 Going Bush 08:30 Bluelist Australia 09:00 Food School 09:30 Banged Up Abroad 11:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 12:00 Travel Madness 12:30 Madventures 13:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 14:00 Word Travels 14:30 Market Values 15:00 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall

TIMBER FALLS ON OSN MOVIES ACTION 15:30 Finding Genghis 16:00 Which Way To 17:00 Endurance Traveller 18:00 Ultimate Traveller 19:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 20:00 Word Travels 20:30 Market Values 21:00 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall 21:30 Finding Genghis 22:00 Which Way To 23:00 Endurance Traveller

00:15 02:15 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Assassination Tango-PG15 Gothika-18 Jennifer’s Body-18 Patriot Games-PG15 Heaven’s Fall-PG15 The Karate Kid III-PG The Three Musketeers-PG15 Heaven’s Fall-PG15 The Next Karate Kid-PG The Three Musketeers-PG15 Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassin’s Ball Rocky II-PG

01:30 The Devil’s Teardrop-PG15 03:15 Attack On Leningrad-PG15 05:15 Skellig-PG15 07:00 Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea-FAM 09:00 The Boys Are Back-PG 11:15 Leap Year-PG15 13:15 Winx: Secret Of The Lost Kingdom-PG 15:00 Mee Shee-PG 16:45 Make It Happen-PG15 18:30 The Karate Kid-PG 21:00 Flash Of Genius-PG15 23:15 Takers-PG15

00:00 Curb Your Enthusiasm 00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Neighbors From Hell 02:00 Happy Endings 02:30 Curb Your Enthusiasm 03:00 Friends 03:30 Friends 04:00 Two And A Half Men 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Malcolm In The Middle 06:00 Coach 06:30 Weird Science 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Two And A Half Men 08:30 Friends 09:00 Malcolm In The Middle 09:30 State Of Georgia 10:00 8 Simple Rules ...

10:30 Coach 11:00 Weird Science 11:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:30 Two And A Half Men 13:00 Friends 13:30 Malcolm In The Middle 14:00 Coach 14:30 State Of Georgia 15:00 8 Simple Rules ...

15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Weird Science 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Friends 19:00 8 Simple Rules ...

19:30 Traffic Light 20:00 Seinfeld 21:00 The Daily Show Global Edition

01:00 The Gene Generation-18 03:00 4.3.2.1.-18 05:00 Timber Falls-18 07:00 Ransom-PG15 09:00 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time-PG15 11:00 Sherlock Holmes-PG15 13:15 Deceit-PG15 15:00 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time-PG15 17:00 The One-PG15 19:00 Mindhunters-18 21:00 Rocky II-PG 23:00 44 Inch Chest-18

00:00 02:00 03:00 06:00 00:00 Indian Summer-PG15 02:00 Alvin And The Chipmunks: The 07:00 08:00 Squeakquel-FAM 09:00 04:00 500 Days Of Summer-PG15 10:00 06:00 The Big Green-PG 08:00 The Prince And Me 3: A Royal 16:00 18:00 Honeymoon-PG15 19:00 10:00 Dr. Dolittle-PG 20:00 12:00 Dr. Dolittle 2-PG 21:00 14:00 How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days 16:00 Indian Summer-PG15 18:00 Without A Paddle-PG15

01:00 03:00 05:00 06:45 09:00 11:00 13:45 15:15 17:00 19:15 21:00 23:00

In America-18 Amelia-PG15 Glitter-PG15 Tron: Legacy-PG15 Valentine’s Day-PG15 2012-PG15 Cinema Verite-PG15 Moon-PG15 Valentine’s Day-PG15 The Losers-PG15 Get Him To The Greek-18 Harry Brown-18

00:00 Lego: The Adventures Of Clutch Powers-FAM 02:00 Shipwrecked-PG15 04:00 Queen Of The Swallows-FAM 06:00 Nanny Mcphee And The Big Bang-PG 08:00 Turtle Hero (1)-FAM 10:00 How To Train Your Dragon-PG 12:00 Shipwrecked-PG15 14:00 Turandot-PG 16:00 Arthur And The Revenge Of Maltazard-PG 18:00 How To Train Your Dragon-PG 20:00 Ed-PG

00:30 05:00 07:00 11:30 12:30 14:30 15:30 16:30 21:00

Rugby World Cup WWE SmackDown Rugby World Cup Trans World Sport WWE SmackDown WWE Tough Enough Speedway FIM World Rugby World Cup UFC 136

01:30 04:00 04:30 06:30 07:00 09:00 11:30 12:00 13:00 16:30 17:30 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 22:00 22:30

Super League RWC Highlights Euro 2012 Qulaifiers FEI Equestrian World Darts Grand Prix Super League RWC Matchday RWC Highlights Premier League Snooker Golfing World RWC Matchday World Hockey Futbol Mundial Trans World Sport Darts Grand Prix Asian Tour Golf Show Euro 2012 Qulaifiers

00:00 European PGA Tour 04:30 Super League 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 European PGA Tour 12:30 Darts Grand Prix 14:30 RWC Weekly Highlights 15:30 Trans World Sport 16:30 Super League 19:00 Spirit of Yachting 19:30 FEI Equestrian World 20:00European PGA Tour Highlights 21:00 ICC Cricket World 21:30 Futbol Mundial 22:00 RWC Weekly Highlights 23:00 European PGA Tour Highlights

01:30 02:30 03:30 07:00

UFC 136 Countdown UFC 136 Prelims UFC 136 WWE Bottom Line

UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC 135 Prelims UFC 135 UFC Unleashed WWE Bottomline WWE Tough Enough Speedway FIM World Le Mans WWE SmackDown WWE Tough Enough Speedway FIM World UFC 135 Prelims UFC 135

00:00 Pawn Stars 01:00 American Pickers 02:00 Pawn Stars 03:00 Underwater Universe 05:00 How the Earth Was Made 06:00 Pawn Stars 07:00 American Pickers 08:00 Pawn Stars 09:00 Underwater Universe 11:00 How the Earth Was Made 12:00 Pawn Stars 13:00 American Pickers 14:00 Pawn Stars 15:00 Underwater Universe 17:00 How the Earth Was Made 18:00 Pawn Stars 19:00 Ice Road Truckers 20:00 Engineering Disasters 21:00 Lock N’ Load with R. Lee Ermey 22:00 IRT: Deadliest Roads 23:00 Ax Men

00:00 Top 10 01:00 Videofashion Daily 01:55 Videofashion News 02:25 How Do I Look?

03:20 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

04:15 Married Away 05:10 Homes With Style 05:35 Area 06:05 Clean House 07:00 Videofashion News 08:00 Videofashion Daily 09:00 Open House 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 Daily 14:45 How Do I Look?

15:40 Ruby 16:35 Jerseylicious 17:30 How Do I Look?

18:25 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 19:25 Open House 20:20 Clean House 21:15 Top 10 22:10 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 23:05 How Do I Look?

02:00 Audi MedCup Barcelona 02:30 MLB: ALCS Game 2 TBA at TBA 05:30 Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour 06:30 Asian Tour Macau Open 07:00 All Star Golf - Bayer v Crampton at Medinah CC 08:00 Playing Lessons - Jerome Bettis & Lou Holtz 08:30 Charles Barkley The Haney Project - Lights, Camera...Hesitation?

00:20 Whose Life Is It Anyway?

02:15 Edge Of The City-PG 03:40 Seven Women-PG 05:05 36 Hours-PG 07:00 Never Let Me Go-FAM 08:30 42nd Street-FAM 10:00 Anchors Aweigh-FAM 12:15 Escape From Fort Bravo-FAM 13:55 Billy The Kid-PG 15:30 Boom Town-PG 17:25 G-Men-FAM 18:50 The Strip-PG 20:15 Captain Nemo And The Underwater City-FAM 22:00 Shaft 23:40 Demon Seed

Classifieds MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

Blue whales dine in treacherous waters off Los Angeles's coast

An approximately 80-foot blue whale reveals it’s fluke as it begins a deep dive for krill with a view of Rancho Palos Verdes coastline in California, in the background as viewed from the Harbor Breeze Cruise’s Christopher boat. The whale was one of four or five blue whales spotted in the area Tuesday. Cascadia Research Collective CoFounder John Calambokidis, who is partnering with the Aquarium of the Pacific, located a GPS tag that he placed on a blue whale. — MCT sensors that record the animals' low frequency calls and the LOS ANGELES: The waters near the nation's largest port tarily slow down.

With the increase in blue whales near the Los Angeles- rumble of passing freighters. Researchers approach a whale complex have become a bustling feeding ground for increasing numbers of blue whales, putting the endangered animals Long Beach port complex, Calambokidis said, "now we're in an inflatable motorboat and use a long pole to press the shoe-sized apparatus to its back as it surfaces. at greater risk of being hit and killed by the enormous ships worried about here."

The information collected so far has uncovered a disturbFor two years, Calambokidis has headed the project to moving in and out of the harbor, according to researchers photograph, tag and keep tabs on whales that feed near the ing pattern: At night, the whales spend twice as much time who've been tracking them for nearly two years.

The whales, which migrate along the coast of California shipping lanes. Interns for the Aquarium of the Pacific accom- lingering near the surface, where they are most vulnerable to and are regularly spotted from May to December, are congre- pany tourists aboard twice-a-day whale watching trips by being hit by ships. And they show no sign of trying to avoid gating in such numbers in the midst of this virtual freeway of Harbor Breeze Cruises to photograph and mark coordinates approaching container ships.

For reasons that are not yet understood, the whales often ship traffic that the spot has become "the area of densest of the few dozen blue whales that have taken to grazing draw closer to the vessels, increasing the odds of a collision. concentration close to shore in all of California," said research about five miles off the Los Angeles coast.

A better understanding of the whales' behavior in busy As part of the ongoing work to track the whales' movescientist John Calambokidis.

Daily appearances by the world's largest animal feeding ments through the busy waters off Long Beach, Calambokidis waters could help authorities decide how to separate them along an underwater drop-off outside Los Angeles Harbor — who looks the part of a seasoned mariner: wind-swept gray from ship traffic. Ocean carriers are backing a proposal to have been a huge draw for sightseers. But the underwater hair, gray-blue eyes and a thick beard — searched this week alter shipping routes to avoid whale feeding grounds while buffet of krill, the shrimp-like crustaceans the whales feast for one of the bright orange transmitters used to monitor the conservation groups have petitioned the Obama administraon, is in the path of a major shipping lane and puts them in creatures. The transmitter had been attached with a suction tion for a speed limit through California's national marine sanctuaries. cup to the back of a surfacing blue whale a day earlier. danger of being hit and killed by vessels leaving the port.

Later on the research trip, Calambokidis spots a group of The 80-foot whale whose tag was scooped from the "While this is a unique and exciting opportunity to have these animals out here, it also puts them at great risk," said ocean Tuesday as part of a demonstration for reporters is a whales surfacing to breathe as a fully-loaded cargo ship cruises by. "These whales are in the outbound shipping lane," Calambokidis, co-founder of the Olympia, Wash.-based regular visitor that has been in the area for about a month.

When researchers tagged the same whale a week before, he says. Among them is the regular — the same whale they Cascadia Research Collective.

Over the last decade, dozens of whales off the California they downloaded data that revealed a typical behavior pat- had just retrieved the tracking device from. He can recognize coast have been injured or killed by ships, and scientists think tern. The animal spent most of the day just outside the port, the individual by its skinny dorsal fin and unique pattern of the slowly recovering population of about 2,500 West Coast diving as deep as 1,000 feet. After dark, it stayed near the sur- dark blotches, markings that are like fingerprints but even face, perhaps to rest, and swam to the Santa Monica Bay. The more detailed. blue whales are especially vulnerable.

It's not surprising the abundant food has the creature Four blue whales were struck and killed by vessels in 2007 tag, which is designed to fall off after less than 24 hours, was coming back again and again. near the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary off the eventually recovered in the South Bay. "They're constantly in this mode of looking for a place to The GPS tracking device records the whale's coordinates coast of Santa Barbara, raising the alarm of federal wildlife officials, who now monitor the whales from the air and use each time it surfaces, measures how deep it dives and how it feed," Calambokidis says. "So when they find a patch of prey, their coordinates to issue notices asking freighters to volun- reacts to passing ships. Some are equipped with acoustic they stick around for a while." —MCT

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DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines BBC THY ETH UAE DHX ETD FDB GFA QTR KAC JZR FCX JZR KAC JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR ABY ETD GFA SHY MEA IRC MSR JZR KAC MSR SYR UAL RJA FDB OMA QTR SVA JZR

Flt 45 772 622 853 370 305 67 211 138 544 503 201 555 412 531 157 206 302 53 352 284 344 362 855 132 125 301 213 1125 404 6521 623 201 618 610 341 982 640 57 645 140 500 257

Arrival Flights on Monday 10/10/2011 Route DHAKA/BAHRAIN ISTANBUL ADDIS ABABA DUBAI BAHRAIN ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA CAIRO LUXOR DUBAI ALEXANDRIA MANILA/BANGKOK ASSIUT LONDON ISLAMABAD MUMBAI DUBAI COCHIN DHAKA CHENNAI COLOMBO DUBAI DOHA SHARJAH ABU DHABI BAHRAIN ANTALYA BEIRUT LAMERD SOHAG DAMASCUS DOHA CAIRO DAMASCUS WASHINGTON DC DULLES AMMAN DUBAI MUSCAT DOHA JEDDAH BEIRUT

Time 0:55 1:15 1:45 2:25 2:55 2:55 3:10 3:15 3:20 4:40 5:15 5:25 6:10 6:15 6:20 6:30 7:15 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:10 8:20 8:20 8:25 9:00 9:10 9:30 9:35 10:45 10:55 12:00 12:10 12:45 12:55 13:20 13:25 13:30 13:35 13:50 14:00 14:15 14:30 15:10

QTR KNE KAC KAC KAC MLR ETD UAE GFA SVA JZR ABY RBG FDB ALK KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC JAI FDB OMA JZR VOS MEA KAC DHX KLM UAE KAC GFA QTR UAL JZR TAR JZR MSR DLH JZR PIA

134 745 546 550 118 403 303 857 215 510 239 127 3553 63 227 104 542 786 744 614 674 774 975 572 61 647 179 81 402 552 372 445 859 1502 217 136 981 135 327 185 612 636 539 239

DOHA JEDDAH ALEXANDRIA SOHAG NEW YORK COLOMBO/DUBAI ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH AMMAN SHARJAH ALEXANDRIA DUBAI COLOMBO/DUBAI LONDON CAIRO JEDDAH DAMMAM BAHRAIN DUBAI RIYADH CHENNAI/GOA MUMBAI DUBAI MUSCAT DUBAI BAGHDAD BEIRUT DAMASCUS BAHRAIN AMSTERDAM DUBAI BEIRUT BAHRAIN DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN TUNIS DUBAI CAIRO FRANKFURT CAIRO SIALKOT

15:15 15:25 15:30 15:35 16:15 16:40 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:35 17:40 17:50 17:55 18:00 18:35 18:50 19:00 19:15 19:20 19:25 19:25 19:30 19:35 20:00 20:10 20:10 20:15 20:15 20:45 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:35 22:00 22:10 22:15 22:35 22:50 23:00 23:30 23:55

Airlines AXB DLH KLM AIC PIA AFG BBC THY ETH UAE FDB DHX ETD QTR GFA JZR BAW KAC FDB JZR KAC UAE KAC ABY QTR ETD GFA SHY KAC MEA KAC JZR KAC IRC MSR KAC MSR SYR RJA FDB UAL OMA KAC KAC

Departure Flights on Monday 10/10/2011 Flt Route 390 MANGALORE/KOZHIKODE 637 FRANKFURT 447 AMSTERDAM 982 AHMEDABAD/CHENNAI 206 PESHAWER/LAHORE 406 KABUL 46 DHAKA 773 ISTANBUL 622 BAHRAIN/ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 212 BAHRAIN 200 DAMASCUS 156 LONDON 545 ALEXANDRIA 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 549 SOHAG 856 DUBAI 617 DOHA 126 SHARJAH 133 DOHA 302 ABU DHABI 214 BAHRAIN 1126 ANTALYA 165 ROME/PARIS 405 BEIRUT 541 CAIRO 238 AMMAN 103 LONDON 6522 LAMERD 624 SOHAG 785 JEDDAH 611 CAIRO 342 DAMASCUS 641 AMMAN 58 DUBAI 982 BAHRAIN 646 MUSCAT 673 DUBAI 551 DAMASCUS

Time 0:25 0:40 0:55 1:05 1:10 2:00 2:10 2:15 2:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 5:00 7:10 7:15 8:25 8:35 8:40 9:10 9:20 9:40 9:45 9:50 10:00 10:15 10:20 11:45 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:10 12:30 13:00 13:10 13:30 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:35 14:45 15:00 15:10 15:25

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

KAC SVA JZR KAC KNE QTR KAC KAC JZR VOS ETD MLR QTR UAE GFA ABY JZR JZR RBG SVA FDB ALK JZR KAC JAI FDB JZR KAC KAC OMA MEA DHX KLM UAE GFA FCX QTR KAC KAC TAR JZR JZR KAC UAL MSR

1501 501 178 773 746 141 613 743 538 82 304 404 135 858 216 128 184 266 3554 511 64 228 134 283 571 62 528 331 351 648 403 373 445 860 218 102 137 301 205 327 554 504 411 981 613

BEIRUT JEDDAH DUBAI RIYADH JEDDAH DOHA BAHRAIN DAMMAM CAIRO BAGHDAD ABU DHABI DUBAI/COLOMBO DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN SHARJAH DUBAI BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA RIYADH DUBAI DUBAI/COLOMBO BAHRAIN DHAKA MUMBAI DUBAI ASSIUT TRIVANDRUM COCHIN MUSCAT BEIRUT BAHRAIN BAHRAIN/AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD DUBAI/TUNIS ALEXANDRIA LUXOR BANGKOK/MANILA WASHINGTON DC DULLES CAIRO

15:35 15:45 16:00 16:05 16:10 16:15 16:20 16:25 16:40 17:00 17:35 17:40 17:45 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:30 18:35 18:40 19:10 19:10 20:00 20:35 20:40 20:50 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:15 22:00 22:05 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:55 23:05 23:10 23:35 23:40 23:40 23:50

34

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

s ta rs CROSSWORD 464

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) Your happiest times all month are the days, like this day, when you spend time with friends in group activities. Spiritual practices and some charity work may be involved in making this a rewarding time. You may find yourself being put to good use by your friends and this should go rather smoothly.

You have quick answers, great wit and a surplus of insights and solutions today. This is a good time to write and communicate with real originality. Inventions and breakthroughs are possible. Everything conspires to value and to bring out your unique and unusual qualities. You may find that someone close to you understands and is supportive of your eccentricities. You could feel loving and warm to those around you and you are appreciative of your own life.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) This may be a challenging day where you can use your skills and expertise to solve problems and feel successful. You may be teaching in a religious setting or you could be working with a few co-workers to help you on this day. You may find that your personal growth depends on how you can handle some very sensitive psychological material coming up now. Perhaps the people you are communicating with today have plenty of questions for you—regardless of what job you are undertaking. You can take control and rise above whatever stress you experience at this time. You will benefit from investigative insights and getting to the heart of things. Enjoy a sunset or, if possible, get away from the city lights this evening, perhaps with a loved one.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. Very dark black.

5. A river that rises in central Germany and flows north to join the Elbe River.

10. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

13. Plant with an elongated head of broad stalked leaves resembling celery.

14. A wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention.

15. 10 hao equal 1 dong.

16. Having relatively few calories.

17. Fabric dyed with splotches of green and brown and black and tan.

19. English scholastic philosopher and assumed author of Occam's Razor (1285-1349).

21. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores.

23. A white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily.

24. A manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language.

26. An associate degree in applied science.

29. Round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games.

33. A festival featuring African-American culture.

36. Any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water.

38. Surpassing the ordinary especially in size or scale.

40. (psychology) Characterized by acceptance or approach.

41. A genus of Ploceidae.

42. (prefix) Bad or erroneous or lack of.

43. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

46. A sock with a separation for the big toe.

51. The content of cognition.

53. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

57. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

58. The 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet.

59. An industrial city in southern Poland on the Vistula.

60. (British) A waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric.

61. Headdress that protects the head from bad weather.

62. Straighten up or out.

63. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

DOWN 1. (prefix) Within.

2. The Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the Dali region of Yunnan.

3. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

4. Relating to or accompanying birth.

5. (of champagne) Moderately dry.

6. Brazilian tree with handsomely marked wood.

7. A large fleet.

8. A toilet in England.

9. A trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group.

10. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

11. The lower house of the parliament of the Republic of Ireland.

12. Having finished or arrived at completion.

18. A rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion.

20. Italian nationalist whose writings spurred the movement for a unified and independent Italy (1805-1872).

22. Crash together with violent impact.

25. Tropical American tree grown in southern United States having a whitish pink-tinged fruit.

27. Inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence.

28. A dress worn primarily by Hindu women.

30. A small cake leavened with yeast.

31. An extension at the end and at right angles to the main building.

32. Small cubes with 1 to 6 spots on the faces.

34. The mother-in-law of Ruth whose story is told in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament.

35. A book of the New Testament.

37. A family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in southeastern Asia.

39. Resembling apes.

40. A toilet in England.

44. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

45. An indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovary having one or many seeds within a fleshy wall or pericarp.

47. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

48. Anything that serves as an enticement.

49. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

50. The basic unit of money in China.

52. Fallow deer.

54. A Kwa language spoken by the Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria.

55. Bulky grayish-brown eagle with a short wedge-shaped white tail.

56. Water soaked soil.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) This Sunday may be challenging, but it is quite gratifying when you look back to see the accomplishments you make in such a short time. This could mean that some project is completed successfully or you help a friend install the border around a vegetable garden. Whatever the case, you seem to have the energy and enthusiasm to keep up with the requirements of the day. Time away from regular responsibilities this afternoon gives you new insight and renewed appreciation of just where you are in your lifeís path at this time. Opinions and beliefs of different cultures have an appeal for you. There is an urge to study religious, cultural or philosophical controversies: crusades that have a way of stirring your blood.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

If you need a loan, the first of next week brings high probabilities of being granted a loan. Get the necessary papers together now, especially if this is something you want at the beginning of next week. Social affairs are wonderful ways in which to network. Accept the invitations that will be coming now and through the end of this month. Neighbors or relatives, brothers or sisters in particular, can be subjects for concern on the home front today. It may take some effort and patience on your part to keep things on an even keel. Remember that there is a tendency to be out of touch or uncommunicative just now; listen to your conversations and be your own judge as to how you want to improve your communication skills in order to be most clear. Hugs are healing.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Independence, a need for freedom and an interest in trying new and different things may take hold of you now. You may behave in unusual or unconventional ways. You could also have an interest in the exotic or in eccentric friends. Breaking away and upsetting the trend of the moment may be the name of the game. A much more adventurous you will emerge. However, be careful that you do not become some sort of a speed demon. This urge to speed may be at your command for a good long time. The thrill of the chase, the smell of the greasepaint or the roar of the crowd is what gets your juices flowing now that you have entered a new cycle. To be appreciated, to be admired—adored, even—is what you desire. Make your passions positive.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Deeper levels of consciousness open up for you now. You may be a bit quiet because you are especially impressionable. You are psychically aware of the deepest inner feelings of others. A soul-mate experience—or the yearning for one—can change your whole approach to relationships. There is a tendency to see someone as though he or she were on a pedestal and to measure him or her against an ideal. If you put people on pedestals, they are bound to fall and you could experience some disappointments. This is not the most practical time to get into a close partnership, regardless of how alluring the prospect. Dive into some activities this afternoon with your friends. Short or long trips bring wonderful adventures your way.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

This whole month gives you the opportunity to work on focus and understanding. Understand your feelings and take responsibility for them—you will jump ahead in the game of life many, many steps. You can demonstrate great understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others just now. You are in a good position to communicate concerning groups and society in general. You could be most persuasive with others and moving in speech and communication. The situation is a natural for self-expression and lends itself to your particular thinking. You may find yourself in charge of a sports team or teaching manners to young people. A good conversation with those you love is possible. You might enjoy updating the photo album this evening.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Friends may take control of most of your day today—you do not mind. You love a social life—friends and relationships play a major role in your makeup. You draw emotional sustenance and a sense of security from ideals, friends and social involvement. You love to communicate and discuss ideas with other people. Your ideas are always fair and impartial, especially when it comes to helping others and perhaps in helping further charity organizations. You are at your mental best when you are communicating with others. This evening you are highly motivated when it comes to a particular romantic relationship and you may find yourself showing off your best attire for a special event. Keep grounded with your own emotions, perhaps gardening.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Confidence and conviction are keynotes of a new phase you have begun. There is power behind your ideas and the way you gain attention for your viewpoint. Religious, cultural or philosophical controversies and crusades have a way of stirring your blood. Travel and adventure are compelling temptations as you dare to test your character and stretch your horizons. Sympathy and understanding are emotional qualities that take on a greater importance. You have plenty of enthusiasm and warm up to people quickly. You have an inner self-confidence that burns with its own light. Your taste in art and appreciation in general are heightened today and you may find yourself creating or enjoying a visit to an art show this day.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

Communicating and getting your message across to others is at a high just now. Your timing should be perfect and those around you should find you most spontaneous. Romance, recreation and creativity take on an inspirational and perhaps wildly idealized quality now. Such experiences can be truly soul-stirring. Someone you care about—a child or lover perhaps—may have difficulty distinguishing fantasy and reality.

Experimenting with different types of music may help you to unveil the different types of moods. Music can be enchanting but some music can be quite grounding. You have real vision and insight into the unity that ties this world together. You find new ways to bring people together—to unify situations.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You are concerned with preserving the usual and are stable and methodical in your ways of keeping everything the same.

You resist change and may have trouble initiating change—once on the move— you are indomitable. A kind of romantic thinking characterizes your approach to life now. This could mean a longing for a soul mate or a yearning to save the world. Community or family concerns may hold your interest this afternoon.

There is an interest in bringing people together. This could mean that you become involved in developing communications between neighbors, friends or family—healing. Others want to help you in whatever you decide your quest is— you will find all the support or help you need is available.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Making peace with the past is essential now, and it’s the only way you can get to the future you want. Ignore this and the questions about the past will never go away. People who cannot help themselves pay a bigger role in your life now: do unto others. Meditation brings self-awareness, and that can set you free from being a prisoner of your own plan. Sometimes lazy and perhaps a bit absent-minded, you would benefit from making a list of your goals . . . longterm and short-term. This will bring some focus into your day as well as recognizing progress. Make it a point to mark off at least two of the most important things on your list. This is a day where you can get your personal needs met and much can be accomplished—emotionally and physically.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

Years

i n f o r m at i o n FIRE BRIGADE

112

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24742838

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24874330/9

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3900322

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Paul McCartney ormer Beatle Paul McCartney and American heiress Nancy Shevell got married yesterday after four years of dating, arriving at a central London town hall where they were met by a crowd of fans and paparazzi. The loving couple waved to the hundreds who had gathered on the steps of Old Marylebone Town Hall for the big event. The dark-haired bride wore an elegant, above-theknee ivory dress designed by McCartney’s daughter Stella.

McCartney wore a dark suit, a somber tie, and a big grin as he climbed the town hall stairs. It was something of a memory trip for McCartney - he married his first wife, Linda Eastman, at the same place in 1969, breaking the hearts of teenage girls throughout much of the world.

Drummer Ringo Starr, the only other surviving member of the band that rocked the globe in the 1960s, arrived shortly before the ceremony along with other family and friends. Details of the ceremony have not been released. Press reports suggest McCartney’s younger brother Mike will serve as best man and his young daughter Beatrice will be flower girl. A tent had been set up at McCartney’s house nearby in the St. John’s Wood neighborhood, and party decorations

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and champagne were delivered for a gala reception after the ceremony.

McCartney’s traditional good luck seemed to hold - gloomy skies brightened as the events unfolded. Rain early in the day had stopped.

Shevell, 51, is to become McCartney’s third wife. They were engaged earlier this year. The couple met in the Hamptons in Long Island, New York, shortly after the singer’s divorce from Heather Mills in 2008. It will be Shevell’s second marriage. She seemed relaxed and radiant as she arrived for the ceremony, waving easily to the crowd. Shevell, who is independently wealthy, was married for more than 20 years to attorney Bruce Blakeman and serves on the board of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority. She also is a vice president of a lucrative New Jersey-based trucking company owned by her father. McCartney married Eastman, a talented photographer who specialized in rock and roll portraits, at the height of the hippie era, when the Beatles were at the apex of their global fame.

The marriage of the Beatle known as “the cute one” caused young women and girls to burst into tears outside the registry office, and broke the hearts of uncounted fans through-

out the world. While many rock and roll marriages from that era broke down, the McCartneys enjoyed a long, happy marriage for many years, raising four children and spending virtually every night together except when McCartney was briefly jailed in Japan on marijuana charges. Linda played and sang in his successful postBeatles band Wings - even though critics thought she added little to the ensemble - and used her marriage to a Beatle to promote vegetarianism and other causes that were also backed by McCartney.

Her life was cut short by breast cancer in 1998, leaving McCartney adrift. Mills then entered the picture.

They married in 2002 at a gala affair at an Irish castle, and soon after had a daughter. But the marriage collapsed fairly quickly and ended with a bitter divorce in 2008. Mills publicly accused McCartney of cruelty and sought a massive $250 million divorce settlement, but the judge sided with McCartney, calling her claims exorbitant. The British public, enamored of the sunny Sir Paul since his early Beatle days, also sided with the singer.

The case offered a rare glimpse into the magnitude of McCartney’s fortune, which includes songwriting royalties from a raft of classic tunes,

Paul McCartney and his new wife Nancy Shevell leave Marylebone registry office in central London following their wedding yesterday. —AFP many co-written with the late John Lennon, who would have turned 71 yesterday. Court papers filed by McCartney at the time indicated he had a net worth of approximately $800 million, including a valuable collection of art works including paintings by Picasso and Renoir

Roger Williams, ‘Pianist to the Presidents,’ dies oger Williams, known as “the Pianist to the Presidents,” died on Saturday at the age of 87 in his California home after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, his former publicist said. Williams scored his first hit in 1955 with a chart-topping “Autumn Leaves,” the best-selling piano record of all time. He would go on to earn 18 gold and platinum records and albums throughout his six-decade career, making him the top charting pianist in the history of Billboard magazine.

Born Louis Weertz on Oct 1, 1924, in Omaha, Nebraska, Williams learned to play piano at age 3 in his father’s church. Before turning 18 Williams was given his own radio show in Des Moines, Iowa. While there he met and formed a relationship with the station’s sports announcer, future

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President Ronald Reagan. Former first lady Nancy Reagan said in a statement on Saturday that Williams and her late husband had remained friends for decades. Williams performed for a concert marking what would have been Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday at the Reagan Library this year.

“Roger was a great pianist, a great American, and a great friend. I am saddened by his death, and my sympathy and prayers go out to his family,” Reagan said. In 1942, at age 18, Williams enlisted and served in the Navy throughout World War Two. After the war he graduated with a masters degree in music from Drake University in Des Moines.

Williams moved to New York City to pursue a career as a pianist. He was signed to his first recording label after being spotted by a record producer

while playing at the ritzy Forest Hill Inn. Williams’s second release, “Autumn Leaves,” would catapult him to touring the United States. While touring, President Harry S. Truman asked Williams to stop and play at his Missouri office. Later President Dwight D. Eisenhower would invite him to the White House, and he would eventually perform for nine presidents, earning him his nickname. Williams, the first pianist to be honored with a star on the Hollywood “Walk of Fame,” performed for the last time a few days after announcing on his website in March he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. —Reuters

based on the Beatles’ memorable song titles. The best was probably “Ticket To Bride”, a play on the 1965 chart topper “Ticket to Ride.” —AP

French icon Huppert praises Asian cinema

wo-time Cannes winner and muse of Europe’s top directors, Isabelle Huppert delighted fans in Busan this week as she said the best surprises in cinema were coming from the East. “The great new cinematography from the last 20 years has come from Asia”, the French icon said during an open talk at the region’s leading film festival in South Korea. Huppert, whose career spans more than 90 films since her screen debut in 1971, has worked with the likes of Michael Haneke, Claude Chabrol and Maurice Pialat in Europe and twice scooped the best actress award at Cannes.

At the 16th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), where she then will attend the screening of her latest film “My Little Princess,” Huppert said she had long been taken by what was happening in the region’s film industry.”I think the new good surprises (in cinema) don’t come from the West they come from the East.” When you are European, people keep asking you about the American dream and American fantasies, but it has been a long time French actress Isabelle Huppert participates in a hand-print ceremosince I have thought that the good ny at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). —AFP new things are coming from Asia.”

Huppert has recently collaborated exhibition titled “Woman of Many Faces.” International with some of Asia’s cutting-edge filmmakers, from her lead guests joining her in Busan include compatriot Luc role in Filipino Brillante Mendoza’s thriller “Captured” to Besson, who is bringing his biopic of Myanmar democraher work with South Korean Hong Sang-soo in his next cy activist Aung San Suu Kyi “The Lady” to the festival, feature. “I think there is a strong connection between along with its star from Malaysia, Michelle Yeoh. Rising French cinema and Korean cinema”, she said. “I can’t Hollywood actor Logan Lerman is also coming to town explain really why but this is something I feel very deeply. with his latest production, the 3D blockbuster “The Three There is a simplicity to the filming here which I think Musketeers” in which he plays D’Artagnan. Heading Asia’s sometimes is quite French.”

A-list is Taiwanese heart-throb Takeshi Kaneshiro and But the 58-year-old Huppert ruled out a more permaChina’s Tang Wei, who starred in Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution”, nent move to the region. “I am still a French actress,” she attending to promote the Peter Chan-directed martial said. “I am just being curious.” Huppert also gave a rare arts blockbuster “Wu Xia”. The festival continues till insight into her life to fans at the festival through a photo Friday. —AFP

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File photo shows Roger Williams playing the piano during his 83rd birthday celebration in Simi valley, calif. —AP

along with luxury real estate holdings and sound music investments going well beyond his own works.

The impending marriage of one of the most enduring figures in British cultural life sparked Britain’s fevered tabloid headline writers to try to come up with new puns yesterday

Santa Fe welcomes world’s newest movie studio

his historic state capital and artistic enclave, long a favorite vacation and second home destination for celebrities, is expanding its star power this month with the opening of the world’s newest movie studio. But the development on 65 picturesque acres (26 hectares) southeast of town is more than a warehouse with a few sound stages.

It’s also a sophisticated and uniquely Santa Fe-style operation that both its backers and competitors hope will help the state regain its stature as a leading alternative to Hollywood and New York for film makers.

Developed to resemble the pueblos of New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon, Santa Fe Studios looks from the outside more like a luxury hotel than a traditional warehouse-style movie studio. Its amenities - beyond its 360degree mountain views and two 60-foot sound stages - include plush offices and dressing rooms complete with terraces, access to electric cars and a special ultrahigh-speed Internet network used by researchers at the nearby Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories.

It was developed by longtime movie producing and directing brothers Lance and Conrad Hool, along with Lance’s son Jason.

They describe it as a “boutique” studio that was made “by film makers for film makers.”

“You just don’t get this anywhere else in the world,” CEO Lance Hool said on a recent tour of the $25 million facility, set to open as soon as the final permits are issued in the next week or two. Still, thanks to a double-whammy dealt by the recession and by Gov. Susana Martinez’s attempts earlier this year to cut rebates intended to lure film productions to the state, the highly-touted development may be opening after nearly six years in the making with no announced movie deals.

“We are suffering the wrath right now of

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Zsa Zsa Gabor

Gabor, 94, better after fever sa Zsa Gabor’s husband says she is doing better hours after she lost consciousness at her Los Angeles-area mansion and was rushed to a hospital. Husband Frederic Prinz von Anhalt said late Saturday that Gabor’s fever is down, she’s responding to antibiotics, and she has opened her eyes, though hasn’t spoken.

Doctors at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center are planning to replace a tube that was bleeding in her stomach yesterday. Von Anhalt says his wife is a “fighter” and he’s confident she’ll make it. The 94-year-old actress appeared in a handful of films, but has been most famous for playing the role of herself on talk shows, game shows and at times the news. She has been hospitalized repeatedly since breaking her hip in July 2010. —AP

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people not knowing,” Hool said of industry reaction to the political debate that left the state’s 25 percent rebate program for filmmakers in limbo earlier this year. “We lost a big Tom Cruise movie,” he notes. “They went to Louisiana.” New Mexico, under former Gov. Bill Richardson, in 2003 was among the first states to offer a 25 percent tax rebate on money spent filming in the state. The generous incentive program, combined with the state’s moderate climate, varied landscape and proximity to Los Angeles soon put New Mexico solidly on the moviemaking map.

Movies filmed here in recent years include “ The Longest Yard,” “ Transformers,” “No Country for Old Men,” “Terminator Salvation” and “Crazy Heart.”

The state now has five studios with 14 soundstages, more than 200 film-related businesses and one of the largest local crew bases outside Los Angeles and New York. And Santa Fe Studios alone has room to add nine, possibly more, soundstages as demand allows. While many considered the state a growing third coast of sorts for film, the industry this year saw how quickly its star could fall. With the tax incentive in limbo, projects quickly moved to some of the two dozen other states that now offer competing incentives. One major studio went so far as to put a blanket ban on filming in New Mexico.

Lawmakers and Martinez ultimately reached agreement to keep the state’s incentive but to cap annual payouts at $50 million well below the $76.7 million paid in 2009 and $65 million in 2010. Anything that was filed after the limit was hit would fall into a queue for payment the next year. Although Martinez’s office this summer committed to pay all eligible applications received by July 1 under the old rules - easing concerns the cap will be hit in the next few years - publicity

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan prays in front of a statue of Hindu God Lord Hanuman during a function for the launch a musical rendition of the Hanuman Chalisa in Mumbai yesterday. Hanuman Chalisa - a devotional song based on Lord Hanuman as the model devotee, is a poem written by legendary poet Tulsidas with the Hanuman Chalisa having 40 verses. The album, Shri Hanuman Chalisa, was recorded by Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and 20 other renowned playback singers and artists from the Indian film industry. —AFP about the political debate as well as growing competition by other states trying to tap film industry development continues to dog the once flourishing industry here.

“We’re still suffering from the confusion,” said Wayne Rauschenberger, chief operating officer of Albuquerque Studios, the state’s largest studio, which recently finished up filming the “Avengers” movie. The studio also is home to the set for the television series “Breaking Bad” and is currently filming “Blaze You Out,” with Arnold Schwarzenegger. “It’s one of those thing where so many states have put out incentives it’s really hard to get their attention clearly. They’re like, “Didn’t you do

something to the incentive program? Didn’t it get taken away?’ So we’re still a little slow.”

The Martinez Administration is trying to make amends. Nick Maniatis, who was appointed this summer to take over the state’s film office, recently completed a round of meetings with major studio heads to relay the state’s commitment to the industry. And Martinez has issued an open letter touting the state’s assets and affirming her commitment to the industry’s ongoing success. That effort, combined with the opening of a new studio near a city industry insiders have long enjoyed visiting, has many optimistic of a turnaround. —AP

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m o v i e s

British singer, Alexandra Burke performs

British singer Pixie Lott performs.

The family of Michael Jackson celebrates following the ‘Michael Forever’ concert in memory of the late Michael Jackson at The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. —AFP

ichael Jackson’s three children helped 40,000 fans honour the late pop legend Saturday as the “Michael Forever” show in Wales overcame a troubled build up to end on a high note. There had been doubts over whether the tribute show would go ahead after months of controversy, but the presence of Prince, 14, Paris, 13, and nine-year-old Blanket along with star line-up ensured a celebratory atmosphere. Host Jamie Foxx joined Jackson brothers Marlon, Tito and Jackie on stage at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium for a triumphant rendition of “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough” to send most of the crowd home happy.

Headline acts earlier included US pop diva Christina Aguilera, Motown legend Smokey Robinson, British boy-band JLS and soul icon Gladys Knight. Michael Jackson’s sister La Toya said afterwards “Michael was enjoying the show” and that “having all these wonderful artists coming together shows the children how special their father was”. But youngest child Blanket appeared overawed by the occasion, and had to be helped out by his older siblings while introducing R&B star Beyonce’s performance via satellite from the US. The three children wore outfits inspired by different periods of their father’s career.

The side show of family feuding, rumours of feeble ticket sales and a last-minute headline cancellation threatened to overshadow the main event, but despite a downscaling, those that were present made sure the empty seats went largely unnoticed.

“It was wonderful,” said Joanne Webb from nearby Swansea. “I don’t know why they had it in Cardiff but it’s been great for the area, seeing all these people coming out and looking so happy. “Seeing the Jacksons was a highlight, you just don’t think you’re going to see these people live,” she added.

Some fans and members of the Jackson family had questioned the timing of the concert with the trial of Conrad Murray, the doctor accused of Jackson’s involuntary manslaughter, ongoing in Los Angeles. Eva Vidal, the president of Spain’s Michael Jackson fan club, told AFP that it had been a positive evening, but the timing was a problem. “It was good but would have been better if it hadn’t been on this date,” said Vidal, who made the trip over from Spain with two friends. Vidal, who was wearing a T-Shirt emblazoned “Who is behind Conrad?”, stressed that she had come over to pay tribute, but also to fight for justice. “We think there is a conspiracy,” she explained. “We have seen the trials and everybody is blaming Conrad but we believe there are others involved”.

US R&B star Ne-Yo kicked off the show with a cover of Jackson’s seminal hit “Billie Jean” complete with dazzling white socks and a passable attempt at a Moonwalk. “This is not about controversy, this is about celebrating his music and life,” the performer said to loud cheers. The 75,000 capacity stadium in Cardiff, the Welsh capital, is better known as the home of Welsh rugby but for one night sporting rough-and-tumble made way for showbiz glitz.

Global megastar Beyonce sent her own tribute, performing “I Wanna Be Where You Are” from the US. Many fans were dressed in Jackson’s trademark top hat and red leather jacket while Jackson’s famous high-pitched “woo-hoo” reverberated around the arena and inside the stadium’s atrium.

The “Thriller” star died at his Los Angeles home in 2009 aged 50. The event was the brainchild of Jackson brothers Marlon, Tito and Jackie, sister La Toya and 81-year-old mother Katherine but siblings Jermaine, Randy and Janet were opposed. There has also been dispute over where proceeds from the concert will eventually end up. A portion of the takings will go the AIDS Project Los Angeles and Prince’s Trust-both charities supported by Michael Jackson-but many fans have been angered by reports that the Jackson family themselves stood to make a profit. —AFP

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(From left) Jamie Foxx,and Christina Aguilera perform at the Michael Forever the Tribute Concert, at the Millennium Stadium. —AP Photos

Latoya Jackson, center, performs.

American pop and R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo performs.

American soul singer Cee Lo Green

concert is a success

The Jacksons’ Tito, Jackie and Marlon perform.

Michael Jackson’s children, Prince Jackson, Blanket Jackson and Paris Jackson speak on stage during the ‘Michael Forever’ concert.

Nephews of Michael Jackson - ’3T’ perform.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

lifestyle

F a s

WILLS LIFESTYLE

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India

F A S H I O N

Models display creations

by Samant Chauhan at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2012 in New Delhi, India. —AP photos

Bollywood actors Prateik Babbar, left and Kalki Koechlin display creations by Rina Dhaka at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2012 in New Delhi, India. —AP

Cats in hats:

‘Mad Men’ style fuels interest in fedoras and more C Models display creations by Ankur & Priyanka Modi.

Models display creations by designers Gauri and Nainika.

Creations by Urvashi Kaur

edric the Entertainer isn’t known by his surname. (It’s Kyles.) But he is known for a certain accessory. So when he transformed from mere celebrity to global brand this summer, he didn’t roll out sunglasses or fragrance. (Would anyone buy Eau de Ced?) He launched the “Who Ced?” hat line. “I didn’t want to do something that wasn’t genuine-I wear hats all the time,” he explains.

Same goes for R&B recording artist Ne-Yo, who this fall launched the Francis Ellargo collection of Rat Pack-ish fedoras. Nice timing, guys. Fedora sales have risen in recent years, thanks to-do we even need to say it? — a particular TV series about 1960s ad men. “‘Mad Men’ initiated the resurgence of men’s accessories in general-hats, briefcases, the pocket square,” says Kevin Harter, Bloomingdale’s vice president of fashion for men’s and home. “It just keeps pushing and pushing.” New retro-’60s shows like “Pan Am” and “The Playboy Club” will fuel interest more.

Meanwhile, European designers showed Amish-like wide brims on runways this year (think “True Grit” without the dust).

That’s for fashion-forward dudes, Harter admits. “For everyone else, we’ve got smallerbrimmed fedoras and porkpie hats.” And good ole knit caps. “Oh, yeah,” Harter agrees.

“They’re still big business.”

Why should rockers and sports stars get all the fame? Or all the halls, for that matter? For the past three years, the Headwear Association (a 103-year-old industry group) has inducted hat lovers (men and women) into the Headwear Hall of Fame, including Jackie Kennedy, Sarah Jessica Parker and, this year, Ne-Yo and Carlos Santana. The justannounced inductees for 2012 include Fred Astaire, LL Cool J and Kid Rock —MCT

LL Cool J attends the 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.

—MCT

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

lifestyle F A S H I O N

Slither into this

new reptile trend

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Band of Gypsies kimono, $48, Nordstrom, nordstrom.com.

re you ready for this season’s style story? Just say yesssssssssssssssssssss. Snake is in.

Effective immediately. It’s showing up in every possible accessory from bags to gloves to key chains and sunglasses. There are snake prints on dresses and underwear, bangles, hosiery and scarves. Best news: It doesn’t have to cost a lot for you to rock a reptile.

Many high-end fashion houses are showing their own luxe versions of snake this season: Valentino, Prada, Chloe, Dries Van Noten and others. But fabulous fakes abound in leather and pleather, and often it’s hard to tell the difference between a $350 belt and one that costs $35. Every item on this pagesome of them modeled by my co-worker Amy Winter-is less than $120 and most are less than $50.

“Reptile always looks sophisticated,” says Gregg Andrews, a national fashion director for Nordstrom.

In natural shades, it’s more subtle than the popular leopard prints you’ll see in every store in town. But like leopard, a little snake goes a long way. You’re better off not matchy-matching snakeskin shoes to bag to belt. And if you’re brave enough to pick an overall reptile print, consider first whether your figure is up to looking as if you’re being swallowed by a big, bad boa. —MCT

Zara jacket, $89, zara.com.

Calvin Klein dress, $118, Macy’s, macys.com.

Aldo shoes, $60, aldoshoes.com Snake is in, with faux snake patterns like this Gap scarf, $29.95 reduced to $19.50, gap.com.

Models display outfits by Serbian designer Lidija Kolovrat during the ModaLisboa fashion week in Lisbon, Saturday. —AP

ModaLisboa Fashion Week

Jackson children ensure tribute concert is a success

MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2011

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Visitors look at the artwork ‘Guns’, giant replicas of handguns, an installation by Czech artist David Cerny in the courtyard of the Artbanka Museum of Young Art on October 8, 2011 in Prague. —AFP

Lebanon’s

public school students face uphill battle

Book fair to tackle challenges of digital age storytelling

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uthors once just had to deal with a publisher but are now being forced to embrace the digital age and negotiate the rights to their works for TV, films and ebooks. Organizers of the Frankfurt Book Fair, which opens on Wednesday, said the challenges thrown up by the upheaval in the book world would be a central theme at the world’s biggest gathering of industry movers and shakers. Buying and selling of rights to works has soared by 30 percent in the last seven years, Frankfurt Book Fair Director Juergen Boos said.

“Rights trading has become broader and has become a trade with companies, with people, agents who we did not (even) know in recent years,” he told reporters. “Suddenly there are lots of people with whom one has to talk.” He highlighted Cornelia Funke, one of Germany’s best-known children’s authors, whose book “Reckless” was written with a scriptwriter alongside from the start. “A book contract for us is 10 pages at the most. In the film industry they are thousands of pages because everything must be covered,” Boos said of the practical challenges. Gadgets such as the “enhanced ebook”, a mixture of the book, audio, video and game, and other multimedia products have taken the fair by storm in the last few years. Now, organizers say, authors and publishers need to formulate business strategies with multimedia interest in mind. “We talked a lot in recent years about the devices, the ebooks (electronic books), tablet PCs (tablet personal computers) and the Kindle (electronic book reader) ...,” Boos said. “I think this theme is slowly becoming old news... what is on these devices is really the focus.”

In response, an exhibition hall will be dedicated to representatives from different creative industries to help them meet and generate business during the five-day fair. More than half of the events at the fair in the western German city will address digitization.

Some 7,500 exhibitors from more than 110 countries are expected to attend, including from debt-ridden Greece and Portugal. Literature from Iceland, which experienced its own dramatic economic collapse in 2008 and is now on the path to recovery, will be in the limelight as guest of honor.

A new translation into German of the Icelandic Sagas, perhaps the country’s best-known literary accomplishment, describing 10th and early 11th century events in Iceland, will be presented in Frankfurt. —AFP

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itting in a small barren classroom in the village of Fnaydiq, in northern Lebanon’s remote Akkar region, 11year-old Zeynab is eager to tackle the new school year. But the odds are heavily stacked against her even making it to high school. Zeynab’s is a story by no means unique in Lebanon, where public schooling is largely synonymous with poor quality education and where the state for decades has all but turned its back on the sector.

“The situation of public schools in Lebanon is way beyond catastrophic, it’s horrible and sad,” said Hassane Kobeissi, professor of education at the state-run Lebanese University and a member of the Lebanese Association for Educational Studies (LAES).

“The state cares little for that sector... and there is no political will to change things.” Nowhere is the picture gloomier than in rural regions like Akkar where a good portion of the population lives below the poverty line and kids, however motivated, face an uphill battle to succeed at school and beyond. Teachers, students and principals interviewed at several schools in the mainly Sunni Muslim area describe a hopeless situation which forces them to cope with the bare minimum, with such basics as heating, school desks, maps, or even a proper playground, toilets or teachers’ lounges often lacking.

That’s not to mention lab equipment, computers or extra-curricular activities like sports, theatre or music, which are nonexistent. “The state has turned its back on us and we have become the leftovers of society,” said Khaled Issa, principal at Fnaydiq Gharbyeh primary school which has around 200 students. “Imagine, I have been calling around for three months trying to find 20 desks,” he lamented, standing in a classroom where pupils are crammed four to a desk designed for two. In the tiny village of Deir Dalloum, teachers raise their hands in despair when asked to describe conditions at the local public school where some 230 students are enrolled. “We keep pleading and pleading for help but no one answers,” said Shafiqa Kanj, who teaches French.

“We are not offering children an environment where they can excel and school has become a sort of punishment for them,” she added. “For example we are supposed to encourage children to read, but we have

Lebanese children at the gate of their school in the tiny village of Deir Dalloum.

Lebanese children sit at their desks in their class room in the tiny village of Deir Dalloum, in northern Lebanon’s remote Akkar region.—AFP photos

Lebanese children drink water at taps outside their class room.

no library, we teach them science but we have no labs, and the list goes on.” The dire conditions, experts say, result in poor academic scores, especially at the primary level, and a high drop-out and repetition rate.

“Sometimes there are bloomers but in general it’s not a question of whether or not the students drop out but rather when,” said Raouf Ghusayni, professor of education at the American University of Beirut and president of LAES. Kobeissi said statistics show that between 20 and 30 percent of children in

primary schools-which normally should have a 100 percent success rate-either drop out or fail and repeat classes.

Compounding the problem is the fact that teachers and school administrators are usually under qualified and underpaid, especially at the primary level. “The state is not hiring specialized teachers that graduate from the faculty of education,” Kobeissi said. “They would rather hire unqualified teachers on a contractual basis for a mere 8,000 Lebanese pounds ($5.30 or 4 euros) an hour.

“That way they don’t have to declare them to social security or pay them a pension.” Of the 35,000 teachers in the primary sector, some 15,000 are hired on a contract basis, he said. As for school inspectors, there are a total of 60 nationwide who are tasked with overseeing 45,000 teachersone inspector per 750 teachers-at the primary and secondary level, Kobeissi added.

The ministry of education acknowledged that much was needed to improve conditions but pointed to a five-year plan launched this summer to rehabilitate all public schools. “It is clear that there are schools with great needs but there are also others which are excellent at all levels,” said Fadi Yarak, the ministry’s director general.

He said public schools face many challenges in part due to the 1975-1990 civil war which destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure and led to a proliferation of private schools operated by Lebanon’s various sects. According to Yarak, the annual budget for public schools has amounted to no more than 1.2 billion Lebanese pounds ($800,000 or 600,000 euros) annually for the past five years, nearly 90 percent of which goes to cover operational costs.

Organizations such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have meanwhile stepped in to fill the void. With the assistance of the Italian cooperation, UNICEF in 2009 launched a three-year project to refurbish schools in three municipalities in Akkar, supplying them with school buses and much-needed equipment and training.

“Education is a human right in itself,” said Annamaria Laurini, UNICEF’s director in Lebanon. —AFP