20 Nov 2011

ON IP TI SC R SU B

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

13 killed in Syria as Arab deadline looms

General killed in Iran blast ‘was working on missiles’

150 FILS

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Philippines’ ex-president booked on poll fraud

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www.kuwaittimes.net

German game off after referee’s suicide bid

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Gaddafi son captured after months on run

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NO: 15274

THULHIJJA 24, 1432 AH

‘Scared’ Saif al-Islam seized without a fight

Govt to put Al-Yawm TV in the dock Irada Sq ‘open’

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Sources yesterday said Al-Yawm TV channel will be referred to the public prosecution for violating the audiovisual law after it covered last Wednesday’s storming of the National Assembly building by protesters. Sources said the decision will be made next week as part of following up the recommendations of HH the Amir to maintain security in the country.

Sources also said MP Musallam Al-Barrak, after learning about this decision, threatened to grill newlyappointed Information Minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah if the decision went through.

“They want to use you as a thick stick to beat on freedoms and good channels, and any measure against Al-Yawm TV means a grilling motion against you,” Al-Barrak warned the minister. He said Al-Yawm did not create the event, rather “it showed the truth as it was, and we will bring the matter up before you swear in” in the Assembly.

Separately, an Interior Ministry statement said the so-called Irada (Determination) Square in front of the National Assembly is accessible to everyone to express their opinions and views. However, the statement indicated that any rallies without permits will not be allowed for security reasons.

TRIPOLI: Libyans celebrate the capture of Saif al-Islam, fugitive son and one-time heir apparent of murdered leader Muammar Gaddafi, in the capital yesterday. (Inset) This image from Libyan television shows Saif al-Islam in custody in an undisclosed location. — AFP/AP

Max 31º Min 20º Low Tide 00:14 & 12:29 High Tide 05:29 & 19:29

ZINTAN, Libya: Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam has been captured, scared and with just a few thousand dollars, in the Libyan desert by fighters who vowed to hold him in the mountain town of Zintan until there was a government to hand him over to. The fighters claimed his capture as gunfire and car horns expressed jubilation across Libya at the seizure of the British-educated 39year-old who a year ago was set for a dynastic succession to rule the oil-producing desert state. Saif al-Islam, who vowed to die fighting but was taken without firing a shot, was arrested overnight, officials said, and he was not injured during his seizure - unlike his father, who was killed a month ago on Sunday after being captured in his home town. “At the beginning he was very scared. He thought we would kill him,” Ahmed Ammar, one of his captors, told Reuters.

Saif al-Islam told Reuters that he was okay and that his hand was bandaged due to wounds sustained in a NATO air strike a month ago. Asked by Reuters on the Soviet-made cargo plane which flew him to the town of Zintan if he was feeling all right, Gaddafi said simply: “Yes.” The Zintan fighters, who make up one of the powerful militia factions holding ultimate power in a country still without a government, said they planned to keep him in Zintan, until they could hand him over to the authorities. Prime minister-designate Abdurrahim ElKeib is scheduled to form a government by Tuesday, and the fate of Saif al-Islam will be an early test of its authority. Libyans want to try him at home before, possibly, handing him over to the International Criminal Court which accuses him of crimes against humanity.

The European Union urged Libyan authorities to ensure Saif al-Islam was brought to justice in cooperation with the ICC whose prosecutor is heading for Libya soon to discuss where and how the legal process will take place. Libyans believe Saif al-Islam holds the keys in his head to billions of dollars of public money amassed by the Gaddafi family but when captured, his captors Continued on Page 13

US audit blasts Gulf arms sales

NUSA DUA, Indonesia: US President Barack Obama (right) listens as Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao speaks during their meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia summits on the resort island of Bali yesterday. — AFP

Obama in diplomatic victory over China NUSA DUA, Indonesia: US President Barack Obama yesterday succeeded in hauling a maritime dispute into an Asian summit despite China’s objections, in a diplomatic victory at the end of his Pacific tour. The “robust” discussion on the South China Sea territorial row, at the East Asia Summit on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, took place after a week of increasingly sharp exchanges between the two world powers. Washington’s new diplomatic campaign to assert itself as a Pacific power has alarmed China which sees the

initiatives, including stationing US Marines in northern Australia, as intruding into its sphere of influence.

China’s Premier Wen Jiabao has warned against interference by “external forces” in the maritime wrangle, over a strategic and resource-rich area where several regional nations have overlapping claims. But shortly after hastily arranged talks between Obama and Wen on the summit sidelines, the group leaders held a “very robust conversation on maritime Continued on Page 13

WASHINGTON: US authorities have failed to adequately monitor weapons sales to Gulf countries criticized for dismal rights records or recent security crackdowns on protesters, a government audit said Friday. The Government Accountability Office pointed to “gaps” in how the State Department and the Pentagon monitor military equipment, including sensitive technology, after it is sold. Rising tensions in the Middle East and North Africa between longstanding regimes and protesters seeking their removal triggered concern from government auditors, especially ahead of a looming $53 million arms deal with Bahrain.

While the State Department has vetted hundreds of individuals and units due to receive US-funded training in the Gulf to make sure the equipment will not be used for rights abuses, it has not done so for $188 million in assets due to reach Oman and Bahrain, the GAO said. “Such vetting is especially critical given Bahrain’s use of its security forces to quell public demonstrations since Spring 2011,” it said, noting the lapses mean that sensitive technology like night vision devices are left “prone to diversion”. It also looked at equipment such as medium range airto-air missiles and javelin missiles.

Earlier this year, Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy crushed pro-democracy protests, spearheaded by the majority Shiites, with the help of troops from other Arab states in the Gulf, led by Saudi Arabia. Twenty-four people died during the month-long crackdown, according to official figures from Manama.

Continued on Page 13

Police, protesters clash in Tahrir Sq CAIRO: Egyptian police clashed yesterday with protesters, firing rubber bullets and tear gas as they broke up a sit-in among whose organisers were people injured during the Arab Spring which overthrew veteran president Hosni Mubarak. “Down with Tantawi,” hundreds of protesters cried, referring to the country’s military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, as they lobbed rocks and whatever they could towards policemen who responded with heavy volleys of rubber bullets.

The official MENA news agency reported that police moved into Tahrir Square in the morning to disperse the demonstrators, who included relatives of victims of the revolt that overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in February. An AFP correspondent reported clashes later between riot police and roughly 200 protesters whose numbers later swelled. Clashes continued unabated through the afternoon and demonstrators seized a police truck. The vehicle was set ablaze and thick black smoke billowed over Tahrir Square, the emblematic site Continued on Page 13

CAIRO: A female protester argues with Egyptian riot police officers in Tahrir Square yesterday. — AP

SITRA, Bahrain: Hundreds of mourners gather for the funeral of a protester who died as police were dispersing Shiite demonstrators near an American naval base yesterday. — AP

Bahrain teen killed amid high tensions Youth run over by police van DUBAI: Crowds of mourners confronted police in Bahrain yesterday after a teenage protester was killed by a police car, residents said, heightening tensions in the Gulf state where majority Shiites are demanding more political rights. The 16-year-old was run over early yesterday by the police car at a protest in an area near a US base, residents and a human rights group said. The state news agency BNA said a police vehicle lost control and hit the youth because protesters had poured oil on streets to disrupt traffic. The violence occurred just days before an international panel is due to release a highly anticipated report on the unrest.

The island’s Shiite majority are demanding more political rights and an end to what they say is discrimination practised by the Sunnidominated monarchy, which put down a prodemocracy uprising earlier this year. Many Shiite areas are witnessing almost nightly clashes with security forces. Police sealed off the village of Sitra, the main site of the memorial gathering, and fired tear gas to try to turn back long queues of cars carrying protesters.

“Police are using tear gas to disperse the protesters and hitting some cars,” a resident told Reuters by telephone.

The protester’s uncle told AP his 16-year-

old nephew, Ali Yousif Bagdar, died after a police vehicle ran him over during a demonstration early yesterday in the Juffair area. The uncle, Ibrahim Ali Bagdar, said he rushed to the area with the boy’s father, but police cordoned the site off and would not let anybody approach. “Our boy was dead and they left him laying on the street for hours,” the uncle said before his nephew’s funeral.

Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, posted on Twitter photographs of cars he said had been damaged by security forces. “All roads to Sitra are blocked and people are taking secondary roads. All roads are packed,” Rajab said. He said several people had been wounded but it was not clear how many. There was no immediate comment by officials.

“Sixteen-year-old Ali Yousif Al Satrawi was run over last night by Bahrain security forces at Juffair and died at the scene. This comes after several videos emerged of attempts by riot police to run over protesters,” the Bahrain Center for Human Rights said on its website.

The agency BNA said: “A police patrol vehicle skidded due to the spilled oil and hit him, causing his death on the spot. The rioters earlier took to the streets ... committing acts of sabotage and pouring oil.” — Agencies

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

LOCAL Team flies 490 kites on constitution anniversary

Russia calls for speedy transformation in Syria

KUWAIT: Kuwait Kites Team launched 490 kites into the skies marking the 49th anniversary of establishing the Kuwaiti Constitution, as part of the team’s festive activities that kicked off yesterday until March 31.

Head of the kites team Amer Buhamad said that the team flew 490 kites of different sizes and shapes resembling the Kuwaiti flag and national figures at Messila beach. Buhamad said the event was held from 1 pm to 5 pm.

The team let into the skies a giant rotating kite, ornamented with the Kuwaiti Flag colors. This kite is called “Kuwait’s Eye” and has a 25-m radius.

All kites were designed by the Kuwaiti team, he added, noting that all safety measures were taken to prevent any accidents.

The cost of one kite varies from KD 250 to KD 3,000 and reaches the lengths of three to 50 meters, he explained.

Kuwait Kites Team has started its activities in the 70s under the slogan of “Kuwait brings us together.” It is one of the biggest kites teams in the region. It owns more than 750 kites. — KUNA

MP among those involved in ‘Parliament storming’ Plans for gathering at Irada Square KUWAIT: An opposition bloc MP and a former lawmaker are among 150 protestors that stormed into the Parliament on Wednesday, their names being printed in a list issued recently by the General Department of State Security Investigations. “A joint team from the State Security Service and General Department of Criminal Investigations is currently working toward identifying those that raided the Parliament,” stated a report. MP Musallam Al-Barrak and former MP Fahad Al-Khanna are among prominent individuals featured in the list. The report also quotes anonymous sources stating that a large number of protestors were identified through fingerprints collected from the scene, reported Al-Jarida.

The Ministry of Interior continued to review pictures and video footage obtained to identify those involved.

According to a source that requested anonymity owing to the sensitive nature of the subject, the ministry is trying to verify whether non-Kuwaitis were part of the melee.

The Ministry of Interior cordoned off the Irada Square temporarily on Friday, in an attempt to prevent gatherings or

marches. Meanwhile, dozens of citizens staged a gathering in front of the Dasman Palace to condemn the incident.

MP Waleed Al-Tabtabae announced plans to host an opposition blocs-sponsored gathering at the Irada Square tomorrow. It is the same day in which MP Saleh Al-Ashour also indicated that a carnival entitled ‘God Save Kuwait’ will be held at the same place.

The Opposition Bloc was scheduled to hold a meeting yesterday to discuss their future moves, according to MP Naji Al-Abdulhadi, who also indicated that MPs will make preparations to file a grilling motion against Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al-Sabah over the cash deposits case.

In a related development, MP Dr AlTabtabae criticized fellow lawmaker Faisal Al-Duwaisan over statements made to the BBC hinting at a Saudi involvement in Wednesday’s event. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wishes nothing but Kuwait’s welfare, while Iran’s supporters wish to plant seeds of animosity between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries,” Al-Tabtabae said in a

statement addressed to Shiite MP AlDuwaisan.

Moreover, Al-Tabtabae criticized the government’s “silence over AlDuwaisan’s accusations which contradict with the prompt penalization of MP Mohammad Hayef over remarks made to the Syrian Ambassador.”

A Cabinet member used the term ‘Sad Wednesday’ to describe the incident and added that it “was very hard for His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to watch.” “[HH the Amir] is committed to the law and Constitution in holding those responsible for Wednesday’s events accountable,” said Minister of Oil and State Minister of Parliament Affairs Dr Mohammad Al-Busairi in an interview with Al-Rai TV on Thursday. He added that the Cabinet is currently studying the interpellation motion over the graft scandal.

Meanwhile, Al-Busairi expressed deep concern at the possibility of oil prices dropping below 90 US dollars per barrel, saying that this would seriously affect public sector salaries “which eat into 85% oil revenues.”

—Al-Jarida, Al-Qabas, Al-Rai

KUWAIT: Statement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview with Russian media on the margins of the Apec summit in Honolulu regarding the situation in Syria and Iran.

QUESTION: “How will you comment on Syria’s suspension from the Arab League?”

SERGEY LAVROV: “We have repeatedly said that the Syrian leadership has been making mistakes, and is slow on reforms. In our capacity as friends, we have been giving good advice to Damascus to speed up transformation. President Bashar Al-Assad has adopted a number of important laws, and set up a committee that deals with the reform of the constitution, including elimination of the monopoly of the Baath Party. In parallel the opposition, as well as our European and US colleagues have flatly refused to recognize the reforms, stating in a politicized manner that Syria’s President isn’t doing anything at all. That’s not true.

Unfortunately, the Syrian leadership has made plenty of mistakes.

One was the reluctance to fling the doors wide open to the media.

Several news agencies worked there, including RIA Novosti, as well as TV channels Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, Rusiya Al-Yaum, and Russia 24.

However, the reports reflecting a balanced and objective picture were getting swamped by more biased information flows.

We have always called for putting pressure on Damascus, while making a parallel bid to induce the uncompromising radical opposition, especially that part which is based in Turkey, France, USA and other countries not to boycott the process but take an active part in it. If you want to be heard then sit down at the negotiating table, make your case, seek concessions, and the very same democratic changes that you publicly uphold. But as you know, the opposition was in every way obstructed from doing so, including by the very same countries where it was based. From the very beginning we tried to reach out to them by holding meetings at the level of parliamentary diplomacy and expertlevel contacts under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. But when the opposition hears tough talk from Washington and Brussels that with Bashar AlAssad it is impossible to engage in dialogue, and that he should voluntarily go, it does not impel them to pursue a constructive dialogue.

We also worked with the League of Arab States. As you know, a very important decision was made about two weeks ago. The LAS leadership together with the Syrians developed a plan to stop any violence, from whatever quarter. This is a very important point, because there is irrefutable evidence that arms are being smuggled into Syria, particularly through the territories of Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and evidently other countries. No one disputes these facts, though they are little commented on. Armed extremists use peaceful demonstrators in order, by mixing in with them, to provoke the authorities to react violently.

Confirmed cases of attacks on police stations and military personnel have been registered. In several cities some time ago office buildings had simply been captured, which gave cause for the Syrian leadership to send the army into those populated areas.

The plan provided for the cessation of all violence, after which the League was going to support a national dialogue. But the problem that I mentioned - the opposition’s rejection of any contact with the regime - has not gone away. When the plan was adopted by the Arab League, I specifically called its Secretary-General Al-Arabi, and sent a message to twenty addresses - the ministers of all LAS member countries - and to Ankara, Washington, Paris, Berlin, London, Brussels, and EU High Representative Ashton. I called on them to take advantage of this unique opportunity created by finalizing the plan put forward by the Arab countries and supported by Syria and not to let it “die.” I urged colleagues to work with the opposition, with those of its groups that are based in these countries and on which they have direct influence.

We are deeply disappointed by the fact that early on, when hardly a week had passed since the plan’s release, French Foreign Minister Alain Jupp? stated publicly that the plan of the Arab League was “dead” and out of Washington came strong and public advice for the opposition not to respond to al-Assad’s call to lay down arms and get amnesty in return. This was despite the fact that the document provided for a twoweek period to stabilize the situation in Syria.

Thus, calling a spade a spade, I will say that there has been and continues to be incitement of radical

members of the opposition towards a strong commitment to regime change as well as the rejection of any invitation to dialogue.

We have not stopped our efforts.

In just two days’ time, on Nov 15, we will host Burhan Ghalioun in Moscow, who is the head of the Syrian National Council, one of the most implacable Syrian opposition groups. We will try to convey to him our concerns. The struggle for power often becomes an end in itself. But you should still think about your country and your people. We already have the Libyan example, which has shown that if the African Union plan for negotiations had been adopted, tens of thousands of lives could have been saved. It is estimated that thirty thousand people were killed there.

The situation in Syria is complicated. Let me repeat that a two-week period was set to assess the progress of carrying the plan out. But the League has said that the situation does not improve, and President alAssad is doing nothing. Yet a few days before the decision, Damascus had invited Arab League observers to come to Syria and visit any part of it so they could to make their own objective opinion. Responding to this by the suspension of Syria - we believe it is wrong - the authors of the decision have lost a very important opportunity to steer the situation towards a clearer course. In any case, the presence of LAS observers would have played a stabilizing and calming role.

And having sorted out all the facts, I have to state that someone really does not want the Syrians to agree amongst themselves, in much the same way as someone did not want the African Union to help the Libyans agree amongst themselves.”

QUESTION: “How do you assess the prospect of the Syrian dossier being handed over to the International Criminal Court? “ SERGEY LAVROV: “I do not think that the developments will follow this scenario. At this point, we still expect that our partners having influence on different opposition groups will nevertheless become aware of their responsibility for what is happening. We will do all we can to ensure that such is the case.

The International Court is a body at which, in accordance with its Statute, legal action can be taken. In this case, as in the case of Libya, the Statute provides that the action shall be initiated by the UN Security Council. As for Libya, we turned to the International Court, which, in turn, stated that it would deal with crimes or allegations of crimes committed by not only the regime but also by the opposition. There, too, much has been done by militant rebel groups that may well fall under the mandate of the ICC. Gaddafi was one of those named in the Security Council resolution, but there was no trial against him. The International Court must now investigate how he was killed, which falls under the jurisdiction of this structure. You cannot kill war prisoners, it is necessary to ensure their safety. In the case of the murder of POWs a war crime is committed. This is one reason why the International Criminal Court can and should intervene.

We respect the position expressed by human rights defenders. But when people are killed in the name of human rights (and the military operation was launched in Libya in the name of protecting the rights of the population), saying that there will be no end to the threat against civilians until the regime is changed, then civilians become pawns and their life the cost of achieving geopolitical goals. The main human right is the right to life, but it was blatantly flouted in the same Libya. “ QUESTION: “Recently, Russia suddenly declared a strike on Iran inadmissible. Why is such a tough position being expressed by the Russian side right now? Is it because new data have appeared on the possibility of a military solution to the Iranian problem?”

SERGEY LAVROV: “There was no suddenness; we’re talking about it constantly. Just every time the subject is thrown into the public domain, for example, through the remarks of Israeli President Shimon Peres or President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, we always confirm our position, exhorting for a more responsible attitude to statements about the use of force. Otherwise, it is fraught with devastating consequences.

On November 1st, I took part in the meeting between Russia and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf in Abu Dhabi. My Arab colleagues cannot imagine even a hypothetical possibility of a strike against Iran, knowing what devastating consequences this could bring to them.

The situation around Iran is developing in a way that someone has determined, based solely on the goal of whipping up confrontationist sentiments. All this is very similar to the

change of political regime scenario.

The latest report of the DirectorGeneral of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, does not contain anything new, it only reaffirms that on some of the topics that are described as “possible military dimensions” to Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran has still not given the necessary explanations. Those topics are not new. Information that such concerns may exist has been available to the IAEA for the past eight years. It was just stated each time that Iran was not responding. In its turn, the Iranian side kept saying that it must have the original documents that justify suspicions of its carrying out a nuclear weapons program. Indeed, the documents now being presented to Tehran are just a computer printout.

We take this seriously and try to persuade our Iranian neighbors to enter into dialogue with the Agency and to answer all outstanding questions after all. By the way, there are some documents that, as claimed by IAEA and those who provided it with them, have come in from another country with regard to Iran. We urge the IAEA to name the country, because it’s necessary to understand the situation.

Just a week ago, the Iranians said they would discuss the current issues. This is a definite change in their position - in fact they have hitherto refused to speak on this topic.

The important point is that the Deputy Director-General of the Agency Herman Nackaerts in recent months traveled to Iran, where they showed him the work on the construction of a heavy water reactor for the first time. Thus, the process is moving, albeit slowly. We must be prepared to accept that the problem cannot be resolved overnight. There ought to be no adjusting to someone else’s pre-election campaigns the responses that would suit the appropriate countries. This is a lengthy process that brooks no fuss and politicization.

Despite the fact that on the “possible military dimensions” nothing new has been found, suddenly in the last report the IAEA Director General decides to designate the facts known for eight years as proving that there is a military program. You can see what an uproar has arisen. Because of this, in Israel, the United States and Europe, the topic has begun to unfold on a basis which contains nothing new in itself. I assume that this campaign may have been orchestrated to whip up passions in public opinion and prepare the ground for the imposition of unilateral sanctions. We consider the sanctions track against Iran exhausted.

Through the UN Security Council everything has been done that can be attributed directly or indirectly to Iran’s nuclear program, which is the exact purpose of the sanctions pressure. Everything else is done unilaterally by the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia and Canada. And Americans adopt unilateral sanctions against Iran in an extraterritorial context, in effect, punishing companies of third countries that comply with the UN Security Council resolutions, but do not fit into the much more stringent unilateral US sanctions.

Indeed, within the framework of the IAEA, we can confirm our concern that the INP problem is still not solved and urge Iran to cooperate fully with the Agency. We will also need to reaffirm our willingness to negotiate, when Iran begins to cooperate. But, again, extra punishments will lead nowhere. Libya, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire - everywhere our Western partners chose the policies of confrontation, regime isolation and change, but in none of these points has the calm come or will.

A similar situation occurred in Iraq, where since the start of the war the policy of isolating the Sunnis was adopted. There were dissolved the Baath Party, the army and the police, because they consisted entirely of Sunnis. Now the Shiite majority has come to power, but problems still fail to be solved, because Iraq is in a very deep political crisis. To this day a government cannot be formed in the country and consideration begins to be given to the necessity of looking for compromise forms, so that the Sunnis also feel that they are part of the power structures.

Thus, the path of isolation and confrontation has no prospects. It is necessary to engage the Iranians in the discussion that the P5+1 (the five UNSC permanent members and Germany) offered. There were formulated the collective positions of the group. Russia is actively working with Iran, meetings at the level of presidents and foreign ministers have been held. We are trying to develop a specific roadmap that will help begin carrying out the position worked out by the P5+1. Threatening with sanctions or air strikes would move further away, not bring closer the possibility of a negotiated solution.”

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

local

Factory sets precedence in waste management Initiative aims to recycle industrial waste

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: A training course on precautionary measures to be taken in the event of a nuclear accidents concluded on Thursday. The closing ceremony was held at the Infection Prevention Department in Sabah.

Dr Faisal Al-Ghanim was present at the event. At least 60 graduates from various sectors were awarded certificates. Dr Al-Ghanim thanked faculty members from the Egyptian Atomic Authority for preparing for the course. —Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

Interior minister denies GCC countries’ role in Assembly storming

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Humoud AlSabah denied allegations leveled by lawmakers against Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries of plotting the recent incident where the National Assembly(NA) was stormed on Wednesday.

Al-Humoud, speaking to Al-Hayat newspaper said that “these accusations are not true, and it is very difficult to accuse our brethren, be it the Kingdom or others. This is because we consider their security situation as our own.” He said, “if there were Saudis or others who participated in the demonstration, then they will be handed over to their respective countries.”

Commenting on the incident, he said that legal proceedings have begun and the case is currently sub-judice. and “We in

Kuwait, enjoy freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. Meanwhile, the National Guard will begin an investigation into the case. Officials said that if investigations are proved, the case will be handed over to the Public Prosecution Department.

Officials said that the Interior Ministry has learnt that 75 non-Kuwaitis were involved in the mayhem including (Saudis, Syrian and bedoons). Officials expect to complete investigations within two weeks.

The National Guard personnel who were injured in the melee that followed will file lawsuits against MPs. The Member of Parliament Musallam Al-Barrak asked MP Faisal Al-Duwaisan to reveal the names of the non-Kuwaitis who participated. “You had announced that a foreign network of 60 Gulf citizens that entered Parliament were arrested. Their goal is to shake the foundations of Kuwait’s security.”

KUWAIT: The Landmark Group organized a walkathon yesterday morning to raise awareness on fighting diabetes. A number of people from different walks of life participated in it.

— Photos by Joseph Shagra

Safar confident in facing potential grilling KUWAIT: A Cabinet member has said that lawmakers are permitted, by the recent Constitutional Court ruling, to avoid any abuses of grilling motions, a tool that he reiterated is “a constitutional right”. Dr Fadhel Safar, the Minister of Public Works and State Minister of Municipality Affairs, explained his argument during a recent inter view. He described the tensions between the Parliament and Cabinet as being normal, “as long as the government is working and the parliament is monitoring its activities”.

Whilst he admitted that the Kuwait Municipality suffers from multiple problems, including corruption and prolonged procedures, Dr Safar insisted that his efforts “have been focused on saving the municipality from its bitter reality.” The minister rejected the notion that corruption is simply allowed to spread in the municipality, adding “There is no such a thing as an institution that sponsors corruption, but there are corrupt individuals who abuse their positions to facilitate violations.”

A report, that was compiled using comments from Kuwait Municipality sources,

reveals that at least 15 senior officials are expected to be referred to retirement following a decision, which is expected shortly, from Dr Safar. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the sources also noted that the reshuffling procedure will include the transfer of 11 senior officials to work as consultants at the Minister’s office or the office of the Kuwait Municipality General Director, Ahmad Al-Subaih. “This step is meant to elevate the quality of work at the Municipality by hiring younger, more rejuvenated staff members in senior posts,” the sources explained.

However, the sources added that this was a secondary reason behind the minister’s decision to retire certain officials because, “they were found responsible for providing secret information from the Municipality to MPs, who plan to file a grilling motion against the minister.” In other news, Dr Safar is expected to chair the second meeting this Wednesday for a committee formed to study problems concerning the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area and find solutions for the current issues. — AlJarida, Al-Qabas

KUWAIT: Aiming to play a vital role in treating and recycling waste, the Arab International Industrial Projects Company (AIIP) inaugurated its biggest factory in Kabd yesterday. “AIIP was established with the desire of preserving the environment, and today it’s executing the most number of projects that apply international solutions and innovations to recycle environmental waste, especially industrial waste, both local and regional. It continuously encourages complementary projects and scientific solutions to preserve the environment and recycle waste,” said Yaser Al-Jafar, Chairman of AIIP during the opening session.

Minister of Public Works and State Minister of Municipal Affairs Dr Fadhel Safar and members of the board of AIIP attended the event. “This inauguration is the result of years of hard work and success. This factory puts AIIP on par with international companies

working in the waste management field. And this factory becomes the basic pillar of support for the national economy and our country’s environment,” added Al-Jafar.

“Regardless of the obstacles faced in the beginning, in the absence of expected support and suitable infrastructure for environment-friendly projects, I still believe in our desire to preserve the environment through a correct investment policy and work morals. This has helped us launch this factory today,” he added.

“We were always able to offer products made from recycled construction materials. We have taken good steps to protect the environment. The work continues to open up new horizons. We also realize the responsibility of our clients from public and private sectors,” highlighted Al-Jafar. The factory to treat industrial waste and recycling was built in accordance with the Build-OperateTransfer system in Kabd covering

an area of 257,000 square meters.

This space includes the administration buildings and laboratory, the center of operations and logistic services, reception and weighing products and a sales center, the factory, and warehouse.

Fadhel Al-Oun, the company’s Managing Director said that the factory receives 2.25 million tons of construction waste every year.

“This waste is stored as primary material. The factory achieved an average monthly production of 545,000 tons (650,000 tons every year). The ‘clinker’ comprises about 63 percent of waste. This is followed by broken sand at 21 percent, and the rest is ‘breaker dirt’ that is used in the mixture.

The company is expected to recycle material that total to one million ton every year. The pioneering project will be performed by the private sector, as it decreases the space of landfills,” he explained.

Al-Jafar stated that the current

production of the factory is being marketed locally to cover the local needs. The company plans to create an effective share in Kuwait’s market, depending on the size of projects undertaken.

“Creating such a factory has enabled us to achieve development goals from which the country will benefit. This is coincides with executing the biggest development plan in the history of Kuwait,” he pointed out.

Al-Jafar concluded by outlining the factory’s main goal. “These will benefit waste management by rehabilitating landfills in the past.

The factory provides about 1,000 meters of land into which garbage has been flung, in addition to preserving state property that can be used for future development plans and projects. It also provides job opportunities for citizens, decreasing the high cost the government spends on treating landfills.

Finally, it preserves the natural desert environment from soil, plants, and creatures.”

PAI, EPA feud over industrial licensing KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Industry (PAI) has recently requested permission to have exclusive powers to license industrial construction, something it currently shares with the Environment Public Authority (EPA). The step is being

described as a bid to “end the EPA’s efforts in preventing violations.” The PAI must first obtain permission from the EPA before issuing license for a new industrial facility.

This process allows the EPA to ensure that new facilities adhere

to environment-safety regulations. According to sources from a joint committee which issues industrial licenses, the PAI already submitted a request to the Cabinet to eliminate the process of consulting the EPA from the licensing pro-

cedures. The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, added that the EPA has taken action to thwart the PAI’s request by requesting a meeting with the Supreme Council for Planning and Development and the PAI. —Al-Rai

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LOCAL

Local Spotlight

kuwait digest

Under the mercy of the sponsor

The struggle has become too dangerous

By Abdullatif Al-Duaij

Muna Al-Fuzai

K

uwait is suffering today as a result of the constant and continuous struggle between Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah and his foes. It is important to stress that fact, regardless of how committed Sheikh Nasser is to maintaining his position, and regardless of his commitment to seeking constitutional means, at the only way that the opposition can achieve their aim is by ousting him.

This leads us to the conclusion that the country is in dire need of an end to this continuous struggle, no matter what the consequences might be.

The prime minister and his opponents today are equal in strength and stubbornness in their continuous game of tug of war.

While Sheikh Nasser - and most likely HH the Amir as well - keep pushing for disputes to be resolved only through constitutional means, the

While Sheikh Nasser - and most likely HH the Amir as well - keeps pushing for disputes to be resolved only through constitutional means, the opposition seeks every opportunity to take a potshot at the Cabinet in order to lead to its dissolution, although this approach isn’t necessarily in line with democratic regulations and principles itself. This forms a huge threat to Kuwait’s democratic system which has yet to mature, and to the country’s laws and regulations that still haven’t been anchored completely. opposition seeks every opportunity to take a potshot at the Cabinet in order to lead to its dissolution, although this approach isn’t necessarily in line with democratic regulations and principles itself.

This forms a huge threat to Kuwait’s democratic system which has yet to mature, and to the country’s laws and regulations that still haven’t been anchored completely.

This threat is snowballing every day, and unfortunately for the government (or perhaps fortunately for its opponents), it looks like it will keep taking potshots through crises used by the opposition to gain leverage in their battle with the Cabinet.

When the multimillion-dinar deposits scandal emerged, the opposition immediately pronounced the government guilty on all charges before any investigation even began.

Most recently, a dispute between Colonel Shukri Al-Najjar and a Kuwaiti woman is being used to put suffocating pressure on the Interior Minister, as well as the entire Cabinet and of course, the Prime Minister.

It’s ironic that the same MPs who threaten to grill the interior minister or the premier over alleged governmental mediations for Col Al-Najjar, were involved in mediating for criminals on numerous occasions in the past. The struggle between HH Sheikh Nasser and his opponents has become very risky. After it put hurdles in front of the development plan, this struggle now threatens the basic foundations and principles of our democracy. It’s tragic that this is allowed to happen, and it seems to be more about certain individuals’ goals to oust the Cabinet and premier than about Kuwait’s wellbeing or anything else. — Al-Qabas

muna@kuwaittimes.net

T

kuwait digest

Their tactics will not work

By Ahmad Al-Rujaib

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fter Kuwait’s liberation from the Iraqi invasion (1990-91), Tariq Aziz, Iraq’s then-foreign minister under Saddam Hussein had said that Kuwait did not need to be invaded externally. By that, he presumably meant that there were individuals within Kuwait who would carry out the mission without ‘alien’ help.

Are today’s events proving him right?

Even the casual observer can tell that something is happening in Kuwait, with tensions growing day by day. The proof lies in the unprecedented criticism of His Highness the Amir and public indifference to the results of such slander over whether or not the culprit has been caught.

Young men are being goaded by some MPs to cross all limits, some are linked to political groups known for their relationships with other countries.

Something is happening in Kuwait and it is growing by the day. Proof of this is insulting His Highness the Amir and apparent aloofness on the repercussions of such acts. Young men who are being pushed by some MPs who crossed all lines are known through their connections abroad.

This political bloc does not conceal its desire to rule, encouraged by other branches in Arab countries who have power.

There are some who want to take revenge on

Kuwait. They began encouraging their youths to reach goals. They think they form the real opposition by taking cues from the political changes taking place in some Arab countries. Therefore, there is pressure on the government. The observer knows that they mean to pressure the ruling system and the coming days will prove that. Pressure will continue and will not wane, even if the government resigns. The dissolution of the government will be the first step in their plans.

The plan is to fight corruption which no two persons differ about and to fight it through law so as to not disturb the country. Any attempt to disrupt stability in the state will destroy the ruling system. This is the core of all agendas, internal and external. There are some who want to destroy Kuwait for their own interests. We are aware of the vested interests that want to pull Kuwait into a dark abyss. We know that there are some who classify themselves as opposition blocs and pretend to be promoting nationalism. Here, no one should think that the state belongs to him/ her alone. Every lover of (the Arab Spring) the ‘American dream’ should know that Kuwait is not an easy target. Secondly, there are others who are after Kuwait, but they want to make it one of their subsidiaries. You should know that they are more organized. Would you package them the nation as a ready to eat meal? — Al-Anbaa

his is the true story of an expatriate who confronted a situation here that killed his dream of earning a better living. He was forced to go back home empty-handed after putting in years of good work.

Few years ago, this Arab man came to Kuwait seeking a job as an accountant. His sponsor owned a small catering company that was unsuccessful and was in deep financial trouble. This expat wanted to help his boss expand the business venture. He did his best and devoted all his time to the company and his boss. He didn’t grumble when he did not receive an overtime payment. He was more focused on how an excellent job is done. He consoled himself saying that when the situation turns out to be better, his boss would reward him. That dream came true and that small, troubled company grew bigger and gained public recognition, thanks to the hard work that the man put in.

Years later, this accountant began feeling frustrated about not receiving salary increments although the company has grown larger. He asked his boss to raise his salary after many years. He was shocked when the sponsor denied the request, claiming that he doesn’t want to waste money paying salaries to staff members. The boss, instead warned against his wasteful practices!

He felt dejected that the time and effort he spent for the place was not valued. He found a job elsewhere. But, his boss refused to release him from employment and allow the transfer of his residence permit to the new company. What is sad is the fact that this expat believed that he would be rewarded for his sincerity and hard work.

Of course, this man could lodge a complaint with the Ministry of Social Affairs about this. However, he couldn’t wield the much-needed ‘wasta.’ He thought a good reference would help at least. He was wrong and went back to his native country heart -broken and empty handed. The selfishness of this sponsor reflects the ugliness of the sponsorship system that places many workers’ hopes under the mercy of the sponsor. I really fail to understand why so much cruelty is shown toward workers! Such behaviors tarnish Kuwait’s international image.

kuwait digest

kuwait digest

Lost in translation

Qatar exports revolutions!

By Dr Hassan Jouhar

T

he Arab spring that has been raging for almost a year now, overthrowing Arab regimes is not the first phenomenon in the Middle East.

Similar scenarios have taken place with a domino effect since the end of the 1950s till the end of 1960s.

Yet, there are two strange perspectives on those two ‘springs.’ The first one was more Nasseric and revolutionary when Arabs called for fighting colonization and colonists’ puppet regimes that had sold the nation’s will and their peoples’ wealth to the European imperialism. They forged alliances with the new colonizers, the United States. At that time, Arabs also had another major aim to fight Israeli occupation, particularly after the 1967 defeat.

The second perspective involves the geographic aspect of the movement that also started in Egypt with the toppling of the first Arab monarchy that was followed by others in a domino-effect manner in Libya, Iraq and Yemen to be followed by military regimes in Syria, Tunisia and Algeria. The Gulf states came second in the ‘first spring.’ However, Gulf monarchies survived the change thanks to the oil boom that played a vital role in developing these countries in a way that made them reject the revolutionary ideologies that conquered other Arab capitals in military coups led by young officers.

Their results were inevitable and predicted in

view of all the poverty, oppression and single-party rules. It changed many regimes into new monarchies in the form of republics. All kinds of political and financial corruption spread leading to the second spring revolutions demanding freedom. However, the semi-united Gulf attitude towards the Arab spring events is another reversed reflection of the image in the first spring when Gulf countries were targeted by the revolutionary Arab regimes. Today, the Arab Gulf, particularly through Al-Jazeera news channel, is the only media outlet for revolting Arab peoples that shed light on their situation when all other social networking websites Facebook and Twitter were blocked.

Gulf states did not only settle for the media role, they also took political initiatives to suffocate rejected regimes by directly taking part in toppling them like what happened in Libya.

In all this, the state of Qatar played the role of the ‘dynamo’ running Gulf policies through its mighty media system that is capable of shaping public opinion. This tiny gulf state might have play significant role in demarcating the New Middle East and is expected to play greater roles in regional politics in the future.

It also seems that Doha is advancing well towards achieving the title ‘Kuwait of the past, Today’s Dubai and Tomorrow’s Qatar!’ — Aljarida

By Salah Al-Alaj

I

was surprised at the lack of translation in Arabic for information provided at the world-renowned Louvre Museum in Paris.

I could see translations given in more than seven languages. These were from countries that shared no historical relations with France. I concluded that most business in the country is conducted in its native language. One thing in common between the United States, Japan, France, Spain, Italy, China or any other developed country is that they have made significant advancements in adapting their mother tongue to imbibe scientific and technological terms. They keep up with the times using their own language. If any new developments are discovered and documented in a foreign language, they don’t hesitate to translate it to their native tongue. Our Lebanese brothers, Africans and our

One thing in common between the United States, Japan, France, Spain, Italy, China or any other developed country is that they have made significant advancements in adapting their mother tongue to imbibe scientific and technological terms. They keep up with the times using their own language. If any new developments are discovered and documented in a foreign language, they don’t hesitate to translate it to their native tongue. brothers in Morocco did not benefit from their knowledge of the French language.

Those not proficient in English among us Arabs, are looked down upon disdainfully. The Englisheducated give themselves airs and continue to demand allowances that match with their educational levels. Regardless of their contribution to society, we should be proud that we have among us doctors and the elite who speak English fluently!

Other countries will develop and continue to remain developed. Scientific discourses are held in their respective local languages, which is understood by the educated, the ignorant, the young and old. Equipment and machines also operate in their local language. Therefore, they understand and comprehend in a simple manner. In our case, if one is not fluent in English, they are going to remain backward for sure. — Aalam Al-Youm

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local

News

in brief

KD 68m to renovate embassies KUWAIT: The government has allocated a KD 68 million budget to the Foreign Ministry so that maintenance works at 35 Kuwaiti embassies and consulates can be renovated. The fund will be used to build new homes for Kuwaiti diplomats.

This was revealed by a ministry insider, made on condition of anonymity. The official added that embassies to be covered by the budget are located in Tehran, Colombo, New Delhi, Canberra, Tokyo, and Prague, reported Al-Jarida. This is in addition to building new embassies in Riyadh, Washington, Brazil and Bangkok.

Fatal accident KUWAIT: An 18-year-old citizen was killed in a car accident that took place along Sabhan road.

He lost control over the vehicle, which veered off to roadside pavement and collided into another car that had been parked there.

Sheikh Jaber in Riyadh RIYADH: Kuwait’s First Deputy Premier and Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah arrived in Riyadh yesterday to congratulate the new Saudi Defense Minister Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz. Sheikh Jaber was received at the Airbase in Riyadh by Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Hussein Al-Qubail and senior officials from the Kuwaiti Embassy. Sheikh Jaber is accompanied by Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Ahmad Khaled Al-Sabah and senior army officers.

Saudi delegation in Kuwait KUWAIT: A delegation from the Prince Sultan Rehabilitation Complex visited the Marefa (knowledge) school for people with special needs yesterday. Head of special needs services at the Marefa school Faisal Hardan said that the delegation were briefed about the school’s experience within such field. He added that a full presentation on the school’s mode of operation was presented to the Saudi delegation as part of the exchange experience.

Traffic department holds raids KUWAIT: The Ministry Of Interior’s General Traffic Department held unscheduled raids in six governorates over the weekend resulting in the issuance of 5,015 citations. At least 123 vehicles were impounded.

The distribution is as follows: In the Capital governorate, 951 citations were issued and 28 vehicles were impounded.

In Farwaniya governorate, 930 citations were issued and 40 vehicles were impounded. In the Hawally governorate, 1,931 citations were issued and 42 vehicles were impounded.

In the Ahmadi governorate, 411 citations were issued and three vehicles were seized. In Mubarak Al- Kabeer governorate, 105 citations were issued and two vehicles were seized.

In Jahra governorate, 165 citations were issued and one vehicle was impounded. The department urged road users to abide by traffic regulations for safety reasons.

Arab group urges Israel’s signing of NPT VIENNA: The Arab Group to the UN nuclear watchdog said yesterday Israel continued to defy the international community through its refusal to sign the Nuclear NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) and to open its nuclear facilities for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.

Group Chairman, Kuwait’s representative to the Vienna-based IAEA Mohammad Al-Sallal, addressing the IAEA’s Board of Governors’ meeting, said all Arab countries have signed the NPT and expressed readiness to help create aspired-after nuclear-free Middle East.

“But Israel challenges the whole international community and refuses to sign NPT or allow IAEA inspectors into its nuclear facilities,” Al-Sallal said.

He also voiced Arab countries worry about the Israeli nuke activities.

“Israel’s nuke capabilities and hostile policies towards its Arab neighbors threaten the peace and security in the region,” he added.

Al-Sallal mocked the Israeli talk about signing the NPT only after a lasting peace is reached.

“Israel sets a lasting peace as a condition while its leaders are undermining every effort or initiative to achieve the peace or create a nuke -free Middle East,” he pointed out. — KUNA

ASEAN sets goals beyond 2011 Leaders upbeat as 3-day summit ends

By Sajeev K Peter NUSA DUA, Bali, Indonesia: The ASEAN leaders wrapped up their three-day summit in this island city yesterday asserting their growing political and economic clout with a firm commitment to establishing the ‘ASEAN community’ by 2015.

Barring a few regional spats that overshadowed the summit, the negotiations were held in smooth and cordial atmosphere where leaders and negotiators agreed on the need to move ahead as one community to achieve their declared development objectives.

The Bali Declaration, endorsed after a series of summit discussions between heads of ASEAN member states and the Secretary-General of ASEAN, set the goals beyond the 2015 vision, rebalancing the bloc’s strategic engagement in the context of emerging global political and economic scenarios.

Indonesian President and the current Chairman of the ASEAN 2011 summit, Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, after emerging from the discussions said, ‘ASEAN Community’ would be a reality and a framework has been established for the equitable economic development of the region ensuring sustainable growth.

Obama and job President Barack Obama, who is on a ‘job-hunting offensive,’ said what brought the US to the region was trade and business opportunities that would provide more jobs for Americans. He sought to allay fears of the regional leaders over the US plan to establish a military base in Darwin, just 820km from Indonesian territory, saying that the peace and stability of the region was uppermost in his mind and that ‘Darwin Plan’ was only a usual bilateral agreement. The US president on Friday evening presided over a meeting that reached a $20 billion-plus deal between Boeing and Indonesia’s Lion airline to buy 230 Boeing aircraft.

Praising the Indonesian leader for the country’s excellent human rights record, he said the initiative undertaken at Bali summit will go a long way in fostering democracy and economic stability in the region. Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon yesterday appointed President Dr Yudhoyono as the first UNISDR global champion of disaster risk reduction at the 19th ASEAN summit.

“Within weeks of taking office, President Yudhoyono was confronted with one of the worst disasters in his country’s history. He rose to the occasion and set about

transforming risk management in Indonesia through a series of far-reaching measures which will be an enduring part of his political legacy,” said UNISDR

Indian Premier Manmohan Singh, Japanese Premier Noda, Australian Prime Minister Julian Gillard to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and others under-

ment as its top priority as the region endured one of the worst natural disasters in history in the last few years.

Similarly, the trilateral meetings

NUSA DUA, Bali: ASEAN Summit 2011 Chairman and President Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono poses with other summit leaders yesterday.

NUSA DUA: President Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hold bilateral discussions on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit yesterday in Nusa Dua, Bali. chief Maragreta Wahlstrom here yesterday. Alongside the ASEAN Summit 2011, East Asia Summit, ASEAN Plus 3 summit (China, Japan and South Korea), and ASEAN Business summit were also held in addition to a series of conferences and fairs to showcase the growing might of the ASEAN powers.

The presence of world leaders from President Obama, Premier Wen Jiabao,

score the growing importance of the region both politically and economically.

Disaster management Japanese Premier Noda said the ASEAN-Japan action plan envisages greater connectivity among member nations to facilitate further growth and development of the region and Japan.

The summit also set disaster manage-

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon between China, Japan and South Korea held yesterday on the sidelines of the summit have resulted in exploring new areas of cooperation between the countries. The meeting has decided to set up an East-West-South corridor between South China Sea and Indian Ocean. Noda will visit China later this year to mark the 40th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan.

UN workshop for Kuwait traffic cadres KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior (MoI) in cooperation with the UN Development Program (UNDP) will hold today a workshop for national traffic and transport sector cadres. In a press statement issued yesterday, the ministry said that the workshop, which comes as part of Kuwait national traffic strategy, is held under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hamoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

and MoI Undersecretary for Traffic Department Maj Gen Mustafa Al-Zaabi. It added that the workshop is held in cooperation with UNDP and General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development. The workshop also coincides with the launch of the United Nations Decade (2011-20) for Action of Road Safety.

A large number of traffic and transport experts from the UN, Ministry of Interior’s Traffic Department and

prestigious educational institutions and research centers will take part in the workshop.

The workshop will focus on the implementation of Kuwait National Traffic Strategy advocated by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, developing a system to identify and deal with Black Spots, traffic awareness, roads designing and reducing traffic accidents. — KUNA

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British Embassy holds Remembrance Day ceremony KUWAIT: The British Embassy in Kuwait held a service to commemorate the 11th of November marking the annual commemoration day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of the First World War, known as Remembrance Day. The Remembrance Day service was held at the embassy’s garden, set up as a traditional church service, complete with a cenotaph, and church choir. The service was broken down in five parts; the introduction, introduced by

Avinash Awhad of St Paul’s Anglican Church. This was followed by the first reading by the British Ambassador Frank Baker leading to the second part of the service. The congregation then led in prayer by the intercessor Col Chesty Benet.

Then British Defense Attache John Ensor stepped up for the second reading before Awhad gave the sermon. As Awhad was present at the first service paying respect to the 47 British men and women

that lost their lives in the Gulf War, he expressed his feeling to the reasons behind the importance of these services every year, not just to remember the lives lost in the 1st and 2nd World Wars, but all wars, were honorable men and women give their lives for freedom. Reminding us that freedom is not free, a precious price was paid for the lives lost and the least we could do to offer was to remember.

After the touching sermon the act of remembrance began. Ambassadors from

different countries came forth to pay their respect by placing a wreath at the altar.

This was followed by the British ambassador and commander of the British military mission, Ian Cholerton coming forth to each place a wreath at the cenotaph, were a bugler played ‘The last post’ followed by two minutes of silence.

Just before concluding the service with the blessing, the whole of congregation pledged themselves to the service of God in the act of commitment.

Remembrance Day is also about the families affected by war. It is a way to help them remember their loved ones that gave their lives for future generation to have a liberated life. It also shows unity that so many countries coming together to provide one thing, freedom. This occasion also comes under the British Embassy’s program to celebrate Kuwait’s 50th independence and 20th liberation anniversaries since the UK has played a significant role in both occasions.

Citizen may receive pardon for murder during Hajj ‘Blood money’ talks begin KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti man charged with committing murder in Saudi Arabia may return home in the near future as rumors suggest that he may receive a pardon. The citizen stabbed a drug addict during Hajj for harassing him at a grocery store. The citizen, who was visiting Saudi Arabia to perform the annual Muslim pilgrimage, was arrested and charged with murder.

Recent news reports however emerged yesterday reporting that Kuwaiti cleric Shaikh Dr Mohammad Al-Awadhi had said that a Saudi businessman related to the victim’s family has discussed the possibility of the murder suspect’s release should he secure a family pardon. The report further indicates that the businessman is set to arrive to Kuwait sometime this week to finalize the pardon procedures. Under Islamic Sharia Law, which Saudi Arabia strictly follows, the family of a murder victim can pardon the perpetrator and choose to accept monetary compensation for their loss.

Hit and run Police are still searching for a driver who fled the scene after fatally running over a pedestrian in Jabriya. Paramedics pronounced the victim dead at the scene. Eyewitnesses weren’t able to record the license plate number of the perpetrator, but police have filed a case for further investigation.

Multiple crashes A drunk driver attempted to report his car stolen in order to avoid prosecution after he hit several vehicles while driving under the influence. According to a security source, the Kuwaiti suspect stopped his car at a street in Al-Jahra after realizing that he had hit multiple cars. In an attempt to get out of his predicament, the sus-

pect disposed of five liquor bottles near his car, and then ran towards the nearest police station to report it stolen. He was followed, however, by the owners of the damaged cars who reported the real story to the police, who launched an investigation into the incident.

Suicide attempts A man was hospitalized in critical condition after reportedly setting himself on fire in an apparent suicide attempt. His cousin also sustained first degree burns attempting to save him and tackle the flames. Firefighters accompanied by paramedics and police rushed to the apartment in Hawally and were able to rescue two roommates who suffered serious burn injuries.

Once at Mubarak hospital, the victim’s cousin explained that his cousin had soaked his clothes with a flammable liquid before setting himself on fire. A case was filed for further investigation.

Meanwhile, a young woman was rushed to the Adan Hospital after she slitting her wrists in an attempt to commit suicide. The incident took place at a house in Jaber Al-Ali where the victim was found by her brother. She was rushed to hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit.

Work accident A laborer was killed after sustaining fatal wounds after a billboard fell on him. The incident took place in Hawally, where the Pakistani victim was operating a crane hoisting the 3-ton billboard to be placed on top of a mall in the area. The billboard fell on top of the crane following an accident, seriously injuring the crane operator. The victim was rushed to the Mubarak Al-Kabeer hospital in critical condition, but soon succumbed to his injuries. An investigation was opened.

Armed citizens Eight citizens have been arrested after being found in possession of light weapons nearby where the recent murders took place in a Salmiya mall over the Eid Al-Adha holiday.

Police intensified security recently following a string of violent fights and stabbings and found, on Thursday, the young men in possession of knives. The detainees were taken to the General Department of Criminal Investigations for further action.

Murder suspect A murder suspect has been arrested in an ambush near a coffee shop in Al-Reqa’ei. Special task forces surrounded the coffee shop and placed the suspect under arrest, which was met with considerable resistance. In addition to the murder charges, the man is also wanted for outstanding debts amounting to KD 55 thousand.

His case is with the authorities pending further action.

Safes thieves Police are reportedly looking to arrest one or more suspects responsible for at least ten thefts which have taken place across the country during the past three months. The thefts follow a similar pattern in which safes are stolen from houses and later broken into. According to a security source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the safes are found nearby after having been broken into. Investigators have been unable to identify the type of equipment used to break open the safes, which usually have strong security systems and heavy steel doors.

The thieves also burnt the safes after emptying them, which has made lifting fingerprints impossible. - Al-Rai, Al-Anba, Al-Watan

KSSC participates in GCC pearl diving event Annual Pearl Diving KUWAIT: A work team Expedition held last July,” from the Kuwait Sea said Ali Al-Qabandi, team Sports Club (KSSC) put leader and head of the up an exemplary perteam. formance while particiAl-Qabandi added pating at a GCC Pearl that two traditional Diving event. It was held Kuwaiti ships gifted by in Qatar under the late Amir His Highness patronage of Amir of Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Al-Sabah were displayed Khalifa Al-Thani yesterat the Katara exhibition day. “The team included Ali Al-Qabandi where old diving ships a senior nokhitha (ship captain) Khalida Al-Rashid, as well as used in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) young sailors who took part in the 23rd countries were showcased.

Maid murders woman to spite victim’s mother KUWAIT: A housemaid accused of killing a female citizen on the night of her wedding day has admitted to the murder. She provided further detail regarding her motive and said that her actions were motivated by vengeful feelings towards the victim’s mother, who she accuses of mistreatment.

The victim, a Kuwaiti woman in her thirties, was found dead Thursday night at her family’s home in Jaber Al-Ali. The maid, who is Ethiopian, was arrested a few hours later at Kuwait International Airport whilst attempting to book a flight to Ethiopia.

“The suspect confessed that she deliberately chose to kill her victim on her wedding night in order to hurt the victim’s mother as much as possible,” said a security source. The source, who

spoke on the condition of anonymity, added that the murder was premeditated “The murderer knew only the victim and her brother would be in the house that night.”

According to her confessions during interrogations, the killer explained that she had grabbed a knife and cleaver from the kitchen after ensuring that the victim’s brother was asleep. “The victim violently resisted her attacker at first, and even bit her in the arm, but her power eventually faded following the stab wound,” the source said, adding “[The attacker] then used the cleaver to slit her throat to be sure her victim was dead.”

The murder weapons were found on the roof of the house, where the suspect said she had disposed them before washing her hands and

leaving the house to take a ride to the airport. In the flurry of events, however, the maid explained that she had been ‘too horrified’ following her actions and had forgotten her passport.

Police gathered information from the victim’s brother, who found her body approximately an hour after the crime took place. He had placed an emergency call upon finding his sister and alerted police that the housemaid had escaped.

This added detail turned out to be vital in capturing the maid before she successfully fled the country.

The murderer underwent a medical examination at the forensic department, which confirmed signs of the victim’s resistance, including the bite on her arm. She is currently being held pending trial. — Al-Jarida

Kuwait participates in GCC Capital Markets meeting

Dr Mahdy Al-Jazzaf KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Capital Markets Authority(CMA) took part in the Fifth Meeting of the Heads of CMAs in Gulf Cooperation Council countries in Riyadh.

“The committee [of CMAs’ heads] adopted a project to unify regulations on disclosure of stock and placing them in GCC capital markets,” said Dr Mahdy Ismail Al-Jazzaf Deputy Vice Chairman of the Council of Commissioners of Kuwait’s Capital Market Authority.

The meeting also featured a discussion to carry out a feasibility study to establish a joint center that collects data from capital markets in GCC countries, performs studies, consultations and training.

KUWAIT: The College of National Security recently held a seminar entitled ‘The Role of Security in Boosting Social Development,’ featuring 18 participants from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Information and the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training. The two-day event was organized by the Institution of Security Strategic Studies, held under the patronage of Lt Gen Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Ministry of Interior’s assistant undersecretary for learning and training.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

Jebali poised to become Tunisia PM

Filipino police fingerprint arrested ex-leader Arroyo Page 11

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DAMASCUS: A handout picture released by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows the funeral of army Abdul Karim Mohammed Dawood and Walid Ahmed Mohaimee, reportedly killed in recent fighting in the country, during a military funeral in Damascus outside the Tishreen military hospital in Damascus yesterday. — AFP

At least 13 dead across Syria Arab deadline looms DAMASCUS: At least 13 people were killed across Syria yesterday, activists said, as an Arab League deadline for Damascus to stop its lethal crackdown on dissent was set to expire.

Among the dead were four intelligence agents killed by gunmen who raked their car with gunfire and two mutinous soldiers who died in clashes with regular troops as the military raided the central town of Shayzar after a heavy shelling, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The latest bloodletting came just hours before the 2200 GMT deadline from the Arab League as world pressure mounted on President Bashar al-Assad’s regime to stop the violence which the UN says has killed more than 3,500 people since mid-March.

With rebel troops inflicting mounting losses on the regular army, Turkey and the United States both raised the spectre of civil war and Russia called for restraint.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague was to meet rebel leaders in London on Monday. After talks with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said: “It is indispensable to increase international pressure. “We have tabled a resolution at the United Nations. We hope it will find as wide support as possible.” Russia has staunchly resisted any attempt to internationalise the crisis, fearing it could clear the way for a Libya-style military intervention under a UN mandate. In October, both Russia and China vetoed a Western-drafted UN Security Council resolution that would have threatened Assad’s regime with “targeted measures” over its crackdown.

“We are calling for restraint and caution.

This is our position,” Putin said a day after after his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, had likened the situation in Syria to a civil war.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu both warned that the risk of civil war was real, amid growing losses among regular troops at the hands of mutineers.

“I say there is a risk of transforming into civil war,” Davutoglu told AFP, pointing to the upsurge in attacks by army defectors.

Clinton told NBC news: “I think there could be a civil war with a very determined and well-armed and eventually well-financed

opposition that is, if not directed by, certainly influenced by defectors from the army.”

The Arab League said it was examining a Syrian request to make changes to a proposal to send 500 observers to Damascus to help implement a peace deal agreed earlier this month. Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi was to meet aides at 1600 GMT and later issue a statement concerning sending an observer mission to Syria, Arab officials said.

Syria has been told by its Arab peers to stop the lethal repression against protesters by midnight (2200 GMT) yesterday or risk sanctions, and the Arab League has already suspended it from the 22-member bloc.

As the clock ticked, there was further bloodshed in Syria and troops pressed on with their repression, activists said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said seven civilians were killed in various parts of the country, and said that security forces raided towns and villages in the centre and northwest of the country.

It quoted a mutinous officer as saying that two army deserters “were killed in clashes with regular troops in Qusayr” in the restive central Homs province.

Also in central Syria “deserters raked with gunfire a car carrying four members of the air force intellience near the village of AlMukhtara on the Salmiyeh-Homs road killing everyone on board,” the Britain-based watchdog said. Earlier, troops stormed the central town of Shayzar, the Local Coordination Committees, an opposition umbrella group, reported. On Friday, government forces killed at least 15 people as protesters defied a massive security force presence to urge nations to expel Syrian ambassadors to further isolate Damascus, activists said.

The Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation said it will convene an emergency meeting next Saturday at its Saudi headquarters to urge Syria to “end the bloodshed.”

OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said he “rejects foreign intervention in Syria” but warned that further unrest theatens regional stability as well. Elsewhere, dozens of people rallied outside the US consulate in west Jerusalem in support of the Assad regime, denouncing what they called a “conspiracy” against Syria. — AFP

W Bank land seized for Israeli kibbutz JERUSALEM: An Israeli researcher said a tract of Palestinian land in the West Bank has been annexed to a nearby kibbutz inside Israel for the first time. Researcher Dror Etkes says for decades Israeli authorities seized such lands for Jewish settlers inside the West Bank, but not for communities in Israel proper. Etkes said 375 acres

from the Palestinian village of Bardaleh were annexed to the Israeli Kibbutz Meirav.

The land in question lies on the Israeli side of a barrier built to keep out Palestinian militants. Israeli military spokesman Guy Inbar confirmed yesterday that the land now belonged to the kibbutz, but he didn’t have more details. — AP

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Dead Iranian commander was testing missile TEHRAN: A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander killed in an explosion at an ammunition depot west of Tehran last week died while testing an intercontinental missile, his brother was quoted by a government newspaper as saying yesterday.

Mohammad Tehrani Moghaddam, himself a Guard officer, also said in an interview published yesterday that his brother Gen. Hasan Tehrani Moghaddam had founded the missile unit of the Lebanese Hezbollah group.

Gen. Moghaddam was killed together with 20 other Guard members Nov. 12 at a military site outside Bidganeh village, 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Tehran. The Guard said the explosion was an accident, and occurred while military personnel were transporting munitions.

But Mohammad Tehrani Moghaddam was quoted by the government-run Iran newspaper as saying that his brother was killed when the weapon exploded during testing. He did not dispute that the explosion was accidental. “He lost his life while doing a final test of the missile,” Moghaddam said in quotes which appeared on the paper’s website.

“The project was in the final testing phase. It was related to an intercontinental ballistic missile ... It was a completely high-tech, confidential process.”

The Guard has praised Moghaddam as the founder of the elite unit’s surface-to-surface missile capability. In a statement released after the explosion, the Guard said it would not forget Moghaddam’s “effective role in the development of the country’s defense ... and his efforts in launching and organizing the Guard’s artillery and missile

units.”

Moghaddam headed a “self-sufficiency” unit of the Guard’s armaments section, it said. In the interview, Mohammed Tehrani Moghaddam said that this brother had set up Hezbollah’s missile capability. “Hasan ... visited Lebanon and created Hezbollah’s missile unit there,” he was quoted as saying.

Iran is a key supporter of Hezbollah and is believed to funnel it weapons and millions of dollars in funding, though Tehran denies arming the Shiite group. Hezbollah, also closely allied to Syria, boasts a heavy arsenal of rockets capable of reaching deep inside Israel.

The Revolutionary Guard, Iran’s most powerful military force, is in charge of Iran’s missile program.

Iran’s arsenal boasts missiles with a range of about

1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) that were designed for Israeli and U.S. targets. The missile capability, along with Iran’s nuclear program, are among the reasons why Israel considers Iran its most dangerous enemy.

Moghaddam said his brother was also involved in Iran’s space program, assisting the rocket that took an Iranian satellite into orbit.

He didn’t elaborate but said Hasan was favored

by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Moghaddam himself was once Khamenei’s bodyguard. The Guard initially said 17 Guard members were killed in the explosion. The semi-official Mehr news agency listed the names of 21 victims prompting the military force to say some of those critically injured had succumbed to their wounds later. — AP

Iraq airport dispute signals problems ahead BAGHDAD: A bitter dispute over the fate of a military base in the contested Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk is providing an early glimpse of potential conflict following the final pullout of US troops this year.

Iraqi civilian and military officials on Thursday held a handover ceremony for the Hurriyah base, which includes the airport in Kirkuk, the capital of the ethnically mixed, oilrich province of the same name, which the autonomous Kurdistan region wants to incorporate against Baghdad’s wishes.

The US military said that as far as it is concerned, the base was not officially turned over to Iraq.

But nevertheless the ceremony quickly drew condemnation from Kurdish politicians, who said the provincial council had voted earlier in the week for the base to become a civilian airport, and thus to be controlled by local police instead. The dispute over the base “is a clear sign that Kirkuk will be an area of real problems between the Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen,” said Hamid Fadhel, a professor of politics at Baghdad University.

“It is also a sign that the situation in Kirkuk could lead to an ethnic war.” Najm al-Din Omar Karim, the Kurdish governor of Kirkuk province, held a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite Arab, to address the dispute.

“We asked the provincial council to vote on turning the military airport into a civil one, and they agreed,” Karim said. “That is why we asked Maliki to implement this order, and he... said that he was ready to accept this decision and to implement it in the future.”

Karim said that the base should be protected by a force under the direction of the Baghdad-controlled defence ministry, but that it should still be composed of troops from Kirkuk, or of members of the “Golden Lions”-a joint Arab-Kurdish security force.

Eventually, the parties “reached a deal that says that 12-15 Iraqi army vehicles will protect the airport, and we are happy with this solution,” he said.

“There may be some sides that want to make a crisis, but the prime minister’s acceptance of turning the military airport into a civil

one eased the tension,” Karim said.

Before a solution to the dispute was reached, Kurdish security officials had said that additional Kurdish ex-rebel security forces, or peshmerga, had been sent to Kirkuk, although this was denied by Jabbar Yawar, the top official in the Kurdish ministry responsible for peshmerga affairs.

For his part, defence ministry spokesman Major General Mohammed al-Askari said: “Our ministry official received Hurriyah base in Kirkuk airport.

“Implementing the security pact between Iraq and the US is going smoothly, and without any problems,” he said. Officials in Kirkuk, however, painted a different picture of the handover.

Ribwa Faeq al-Talabani, the vice president of the provincial council, said that “what happened in the city is a result of the absence of trust between the government and the provinces, and especially between the government and Kirkuk.”

And Kamran Kirkuki, a member of the provincial council, accused the government of “trying to form areas of tension through ethnic disputes” to divert attention from real problems. Sheikh Abdulrahman Munshid Aasim, one of the leaders of the Arab Political Council in Kirkuk, on the other hand, praised army control of the facility.

“Handing over the base to the Iraqi army is a good step taken by the government to preserve Iraq,” he said. “This is a first step to deploy Iraqi army forces in Kirkuk, and we as Arabs appreciate this step. The problem that happened between the army and the police is evidence that the police are politicised and should be reconsidered.”

US troops have played the role of mediators between Iraqi central government forces and those of the Kurdistan regional government, and were instrumental in setting up the Golden Lions.

But US forces are to quit Iraq by the end of 2011, leaving just a small number of soldiers under US embassy authority. “There is danger for all Iraq from Kirkuk,” Fadhel said. “I think that Kirkuk will be the real test for an Iraq without Americans.” — AFP

TUNIS: Combo photo shows (from L) Mustapha Ben Jaafar of the Ettakatol party, Hamadi Jebali of the Islamist Ennahda party, and veteran rights activist and opposition politician Moncef Marzouki in Tunis. A senior politician said that under a deal struck between the country’s three main parties, Hamadi Jebali will be Tunisia’s next prime minister, Moncef Marzouki Tunisia’s president and Mustapha Ben Jaafar president of the constituent assembly. — AFP

Jebali poised to become Tunisia PM Tunisian parties strike deal on power-sharing TUNIS: Hamadi Jebali of the Islamist Ennahda party was poised yesterday to become Tunisia’s new prime minister in the first elected government to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings. In a deal struck by the three main parties, to be officially unveiled Monday, Jebali will take the premier’s post while Moncef Marzouki of the Congress for the Republic party (CPR), will become president, party sources said.

Mustapha Ben Jaafar, of the third-largest party Ettakatol, will occupy the third key post, president of the constituent assembly.

All three appointments are subject to the approval of the assembly itself when it holds its first meeting on Tuesday.

News of the appointments were confirmed by key figures in the three-party negotiations, including senior CPR figure Abdelwaheb Matar and a senior Ettakatol figure who preferred to remain anonymous. The deal followed Tunisia’s historic democratic elections nine months after the January overthrow of dictator Zine el Abidine

Ben Ali, the first ruler toppled in the Arab Spring.

The October 23 poll, the first held as a result of the uprisings that have shaken the region, gave Ennahda (Arab for Renaissance) the most seats in the 217-strong constituent assembly, with 89.

They were followed by the leftwing nationalist CPR with 29 seats, and the leftist liberal Ettakatol (Forum) party with 20. Jebali, 63, an Islamist, is the moderate deputy leader of Ennahda, whose leader, Rached Ghannouchi, is associated with a more hardline position on Islam. Jebali’s credibility comes in part from the fact that he spent 15 years in Ben Ali’s jails. He speaks fluent French and has been at pains to allay fears that his party wants to impose an intolerant brand of Islam.

He stumbled in that task last Sunday, alarming some observers with a reference to “the caliphate”, an old system of government based on Islamic sharia law.

Marzouki, 66, also has a long track record of resistance to Ben Ali. A doctor and the former president of

the Tunisian human rights league, he was first jailed and then forced into exile until the fall of the dictator. Marzouki, who founded the CPR in 2001, is a gifted speaker and respected by many as a man of integrity. He has defended himself against those who denounce his willingness to negotiate with Ennahda by stressing the moderate nature of the movement, while insisting that he will not compromise on basic human rights.

But some have also reproached what they see as his unseemly haste in announcing his decision to announce his run for the presidency just three days after Ben Ali had fled. Ben Jaafar, 71, heads the leftist Ettakatol (Forum) party. One colleague has described him as as a hand of steel inside a velvet glove.

While his gift for dialogue and affable manner helped keep him out of Ben Ali’s jails, when it came to his principles, he never gave an inch, the colleague said.

With his polite manner and cutting wit he knows how to cut his adversaries down to size, one veteran of the Tunis diplomatic scene

said. “We saw him do it under Ali,” the diplomat added. The task of the new constituent assembly is to draw up a new constitution and appoint a caretaker government until the country calls a general election.

Abdelwaheb Matar, who took part in the negotiations on behalf of the CPR, told AFP the CRP still had to be approved Tuesday’s inaugural meeting of the constituent assembly.

A senior Ettakatol official, who also confirmed the deal, added that the three parties were still in talks to determine who would get which ministerial posts in the new interim government. Ennahda leader Ghannouchi meanwhile, on a three -visit to Algeria, already appeared to be enjoying a treatment that reflected his new-found status, according to diplomatic sources and media reports.

Ghannouchi was accompanied by the president of the Algerian Senate, Abdelkader Bensaleh, Le Soir d’Algerie reported-a treatment normally reserved for a head of state, it noted. — AFP

Iran defiant after UN nuclear resolution RAMALLAH: Mahmood Abbas, President of the Palestine Authority, receiving Indian Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed yesterday in Ramallah. The Indian minister arrived in Palestine to attend a function of IBSA (India Brazil, South Africa).

UN calls on Iran to aid Saudi envoy plot probe UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly on Friday overwhelmingly backed a resolution calling on Iran to help the investigation into an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador in Washington.

The Saudi-US resolution on the plot, which the United States has accused Iran of masterminding, was passed with 106 votes in favor, nine against and 40 abstentions. Iran has strongly denied involvement in the case.

After rebuffing attempts by Iran to get its name taken off the resolution, the 193-member General Assembly said it was “deeply concerned” by the alleged plot against Saudi envoy Adel al-Jubeir. The resolution called on Iran “to comply with all of its obligations under international law” and “cooperate with states seeking to bring to justice all those who participated in the planning, sponsoring, organization and attempted execution of the plot.”

Saudi Arabia did not directly accuse Iran.

Its UN ambassador, Abdullah al Mouallimi, told the assembly however that Tehran had been implicated “in the confessions of the main culprit behind this plot.

“Justice demands that we give full opportunity to the Islamic Republic of Iran to come

clean and prove its innocence if it is not involved in this plot,” he said. Iran’s ambassador Mohammad Khazaee called the resolution “mind-boggling” as nobody had yet been found guilty in court of organizing a plot.

He said the action was “based on an unsubstantiated claim by a state which has a long history of animosity against my country”-a reference to the United States. Khazaee said the resolution risked “creating tension in international relations.”

US ambassador Susan Rice said attacks on diplomats “have long been understood as emblematic acts of international terrorism.”

“We cannot let this plot go unanswered. To do so would suggest that acts like these are within the bounds of acceptable behavior to resolve international conflicts,” she told the assembly.

An Iranian-American, Manssor Arbabsiar, pleaded not guilty to involvement in the plot in a New York court last month. An Iranian, Gholam Shakuri, is still wanted and said to be in Iran. Arbabsiar has allegedly said he organized the hit on behalf of a cousin, whom he described as a high-ranking officer in the Quds Force, a special operations unit of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.— AFP

TEHRAN: Iranian media yesterday described a resolution from the UN nuclear watchdog expressing “deep and increasing concern” about the country’s atomic programme as a victory, celebrating the fact it does not call for new UN sanctions.

But Washington has already lined up new unilateral sanctions aimed at Iran’s multi-billion-dollar petrochemical industry and will pressure its allies to follow suit, sources told Reuters.

“Additional sanctions put on hold,” ran the lead headline on Jomhuri-ye Eslami daily. “Global opposition to U.S. nuclear scenario,” read Hamshahri.

“US failure in IAEA’s governing board,” said Qods, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency resolution that Washington says upped pressure on Iran. Russia and China signed up to the resolution calling on Iran to clarify questions over its atomic activities “to exclude the existence of possible military dimensions”, but they have resisted pressure from Washington for more UN sanctions.

Iran said the resolution had strengthened its determination to push ahead with the nuclear programme it says is aimed solely at power generation and medical and agricultural applications.

Mohammad Javad Larijani, a foreign affairs adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, told PBS television Iran was “100 percent away” from getting nuclear weapons but aimed to

have the hypothetical capability to make them as its nuclear know-how increases. “If you ask in terms of capability, hypothetically, ‘is Iran capable to do that if it decides?’ Obviously yes.

Any country who has nuclear technology is capable of doing that,” Larijani said, according to a transcript issued

by PBS. He cited Germany and Japan as countries that had no nuclear weapons but could make them in a matter of months if they wished and said Iran aimed to be more advanced than them. Iran dismissed a report issued by the IAEA last week that included intelligence indicating Iran had worked on designing an atom bomb as “unprofessional, unbalanced, illegal and politicised” and some Iranian lawmakers are calling for the country to stop all cooperation with the agency.

In a separate move, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution on Friday condemning an alleged plotblamed by US authorities on Iranian agents-to kill Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the United States, allegations Tehran has dismissed as a fabricated “comedy show”.

Amid the rising international heat over its nuclear programme, Iran’s army said it had started a large-scale, four-day exercise on Friday aimed at testing its defences. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has sought to play down speculation of possible air

strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites- something Washington and Israel have said they do not rule out — saying such a move could have “unintended consequences” including harming the global economy.

But with Republican presidential hopefuls voicing willingness to get tough on Iran, the political and diplomatic pressure on Iran is set to intensify in the coming months.

While Russian and Chinese resistance has prevented the likelihood of

any additions to the existing four rounds of UN sanctions imposed since 2006, sources in Washington said tough new US sanctions could be unveiled as early tomorrow. The new measures would aim to bar foreign companies from aiding Iran’s petrochemical industry, with the threat of depriving them of access to the US market. Similar sanctions already stop banks and other financial companies that have business in the United States working with Iran. — Reuters

TEHRAN: Iranians walk past an anti-US mural painted on the wall of the former US embassy in Tehran yesterday. The United States said Iran was now locked in “unprecedented” isolation after UN bodies overwhelmingly condemned its nuclear programme and an alleged Tehran-planned terror plot. — AFP

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Pope Benedict warns against corruption on visit to Africa ‘Do not deprive your citizens of hope’

WARSAW: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, center, waves to lawmakers as he stands with members of his cabinet after the new government won the confidence vote in the parliament in Warsaw, Poland, yesterday. Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak is second right and Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak is standing right. — AP

New Polish government wins parliamentary backing WARSAW: Poland’s new government led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk won a parliamentary vote of confidence yesterday after he vowed to push through tough reforms to shield the economy from the euro zone crisis.

In the 460-member lower chamber, the Sejm, 234 deputies backed the two-party coalition-comprising Tusk’s centre-right Civic Platform and the small agrarian Peasants’ Party-and 211 voted against.

Two abstained and others were absent.

Ahead of the vote, Tusk said his reform programme, which includes hiking the retirement age and eliminating many tax and pension privileges, would yield some 10 billion zlotys ($3 billion) in annual savings from 2013.

“Nearly all of the opposition leaders, even if they would not vote for the government, have said they were ready to work together on some of my proposals,” Tusk told the parliament. “I didn’t propose anything that would buy easy popularity. I put forward very hard and difficult tasks. This is a very good sign for the public and international opinion,” he added.

Presenting his plans to par-

liament on Friday, Tusk said the government would gradually raise the retirement age to 67 years from the current 65 for men and 60 for women and phase out special pension arrangements for various occupational groups including farmers, miners, policemen, firemen and priests.

Ahead of the yesterday vote, Tusk defended a plan to implement a mining tax expected to raise about 2 billion zlotys annually after shares in state controlled copper miner KGHM shed as much as 14 percent on the news.

The drop pushed Warsaw’s main stock index 2.3 percent lower on Friday, although the Polish zloty firmed as investors welcomed the new belt-tightening measures. Markets will now await the reaction of rating agencies, which had said they could raise Poland’s rating if the new government shows a strong commitment to serious fiscal reforms.

The new programme aims to reduce the budget deficit to below 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) next year from an expected 5.6 percent in 2011. Tusk said the government targets a deficit of 1 percent of GDP by the end of his four-year term. — Reuters

COTONOU: Pope Benedict XVI yesterday denounced corruption, warning it could lead to violent upheaval, while calling on African leaders not to rob citizens of hope on his second visit to the continent.

Benedict issued the call during a speech at the presidential palace in the west African nation of Benin, a voodoo heartland and Catholic bastion where thousands greeted him joyously as he arrived on Friday. “At this time, there are too many scandals and injustices, too much corruption and greed, too many errors and lies, too much violence which leads to misery and to death,” he said in a speech at Benin’s presidential palace.

“These ills certainly afflict your continent, but they also afflict the rest of the world. Every people wishes to understand the political and economic choices which are made in its name.

They perceive manipulation and their revenge is sometimes violent.”

He added later in the speech before politicians, religious leaders and diplomats: “From this place, I launch an appeal to all political and economic leaders of African countries and the rest of the world.

“Do not deprive your peoples of hope! Do not cut them off from their future by mutilating their present!”

He also seemed to make reference to uprisings in the Arab world and spoke of the independence of South Sudan, Africa’s newest nation.

“During recent months, many people have manifested their desire for liberty, their need for material security, and their wish to live in harmony according to their different ethnic groups and religions,” he said. “Indeed, a new state has been born on your continent. Many conflicts have originated in man’s blindness, in his will to power and in political and economic interests which mock the dignity of people and of nature. Human beings aspire to liberty,” the 84-year-old pontiff said.

Benedict was to travel later to Ouidah, a city heavy with symbolism as a centre of voodoo and which served as a major slave trading port. While there, he is to sign a document seen as a roadmap for the Catholic Church in Africa at a time of religious tension and with evangelical movements making huge gains on the continent.

The main message of the document-an apostolic exhortation called “The Pledge for Africa”-will be peace, reconciliation and justice.

The document, a summary of the conclusions of a 2009 synod of African bishops, is also expected to refer to the problems of unequal development, corruption, rural poverty and the rise of an alternative Christian movement. The pope may face questions over the Church’s stance on condoms, after his comments on his first African trip to Cameroon and Angola in 2009 caused a global outcry when he suggested condom distribution aggravated the

AIDS problem.

He has since seemed to ease that stance, saying in a book published last year that condom use is acceptable “in certain cases,” notably to reduce the risk of HIV infection.

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to near-

ly 70 percent of the world’s HIV cases.

The Vatican has also faced a major challenge from Pentecostal and other evangelical movements in Africa, with their lively, down-to-earth services seen by many as more relevant to their lives. — AFP

BENIN: In this photo released yesteday, by the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI is welcomed by Benin’s president ThomasBoni Yayi upon arrival during a ceremony at Cotonou’s international airport in Benin. — AP

Eight dead, 37 injured in German road accidents

GRONAU: An autobahn pileup is seen near Gronau, northern Germany yesterday. Police say a 52-vehicle pileup on the highway in northwestern Germany has left 8 people dead and 37 injured. — AP

BERLIN: At least eight people were killed and another 37 injured in two road accidents in western Germany, one of them causing a massive pileup of more than 50 cars, police said yesterday. The pile-up on a highway in North Rhine-Westphalia state, near the border with The Netherlands, late Friday left three people dead and more than 30 injured, police said, adding that a heavy fog had cut visibility to no more than 150 metres (500 feet).

Some of the victims were found trapped in their vehicles and 14 were hospitalised with serious injuries, police said. Then early yesterday near

Aachen, a head-on collision of two cars killed five people and left two others critically injured, a police statement said.

The 24-year-old driver of one of the cars had lost control due to driving too fast, and rammed into a car coming in the opposite direction, police said. Besides the driver, a 22year-old woman and 19-year-old man died on the spot. Another 20year-old woman in the car was hospitalised.

In the other vehicle, two people, aged 45 and 47, died instantly and another 32-year-old person suffered serious injuries. — AFP

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Romney declines to endorse supercommittee deal MANCHESTER: Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney declined to back a deficit-cutting plan offered by some GOP lawmakers that includes increased tax revenue while comparing the supercommittee process created to help balance the federal budget to a deal with the devil.

The former Massachusetts governor, who leads many polls in race for the GOP nomination, declined to endorse the proposal offered by Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., that would raise revenue by limiting the tax breaks enjoyed by people who itemize their deductions, in exchange for lower overall tax rates for families at every income level.

A growing number of Republicans in Congress have said they would support a tax overhaul package that increases revenues if it is paired with significant spending cuts. But Romney said he was withholding his endorsement because he hadn’t seen a specific proposal.

“I’m not going to sign up for it, of course, without reviewing it,” Romney told radio host Hugh Hewitt.

“I’d like to see us have lower tax rates, and have a broader base. And it sounds like their idea is looking for a way of doing that.”

But he said he the home mortgage interest deduction needs to remain. Romney told his New

Hampshire audience that he disagrees with Democrats who want “a proposal to raise taxes a lot.”

But he didn’t go beyond that while speaking to members of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, and he took no questions from reporters, who were asked to leave the law firm that hosted the gathering before he left the building.

The congressional supercommittee has until Wednesday to produce a plan to cut deficits by at least $1.2 trillion over 10 years. Failure would trigger automatic, across-the-board cuts to the Pentagon and a wide variety of domestic programs beginning in 2013, an outcome Romney called “entirely unac-

ceptable.” If the committee fails, “we have been fed a Faustian bargain,” Romney told his audience. “We’ll see hundreds of billions of dollars cut from our military at a time when the world is not a safe place.”

Asked by an audience member what he would like to see the committee purpose, Romney said it should eliminate unnecessary programs such as the Obama administration’s health care overhaul and return other programs, including Medicaid, back to the states.

He also called in general terms for “making government itself slimmer” by reducing the number of federal employees and bringing their compensation in line with that of private sector workers. — AP

Firefighter injured in wind-whipped Reno fire 16 hospitalised, 25 homes damaged RENO: A cloud of grayish-white smoke settled over upscale homes and horse pastures at Reno’s edge Friday as firefighters from across Nevada came close to taming a sudden wildfire that sent 16 people to hospitals and destroyed or damaged 25 houses.

The unexplained blaze also gave a firefighter first- and second-degree burns and was blamed for the death of a 74-year-old man who had a heart attack while trying to flee, but authorities said the worst was likely over as growing snow flurries and falling temperatures stoked hopes that the remaining showers of ember and ash would die down.

Reno Fire Chief Mike Hernandez said firefighters had largely contained the blaze that sent nearly 10,000 people from their homes in the middle of the night and sent flames licking the edges of the region’s mountain roads.

“We are actually backtracking and going over areas that have burned and extinguishing hot spots,” Hernandez said. Fire officials at an evening news conference didn’t declare victory over the blaze.

“The threat to homes is still there,” said fire spokesman Mike Regan. “There is still a lot of hot embers and dry fuel out there.” The cause of the blaze wasn’t known, but a downed power line or homeless encampments in the area might be to blame, Hernandez said. He said the region is also a popular area for teenagers who might have started the fire to stay warm.

At least 400 firefighters from as far as 260 miles away flocked to Reno early Friday as multiple fires roared from the Sierra Nevada foothills in northwestern Nevada and spread to the valley floor.

Flames reached 50 feet high and embers pushed by the wind traveled up to a mile.

Police went house-to-house, pounding on

doors and urging residents to evacuate in the dark of the night. Hernandez said residents ran from their homes dressed in pajamas, frantically trying to grab as many possessions as possible. One elderly man dressed in his underwear ran out with a blanket wrapped around his body. “The people are in a state of shock and are hanging in there,” Gov. Brian Sandoval said.

Dick Hecht said that when he escaped from his home with his wife, “the whole mountain was on fire,” and it was so windy he could barely stand.

“It was so smoky, you couldn’t hardly see,” Hecht said. The couple tried to return to their home before morning, but they were turned back by high winds and erupting flames. As they made their way back down the mountain roads, flames burned less than 40 yards from their vehicle.

Gusts of up to 60 mph grounded firefighting helicopters and made it difficult for firefighters to approach Caughlin Ranch, the affluent subdivision bordering pine-forested hills where the fire likely began after 12:30 am.

The strong winds, combined with the area’s dry terrain, helped the fire spread from 400 acres to 2,000, or more than 3 square miles. Firefighters said their efforts spared 4,000 homes but that the disaster would likely cost many millions of dollars.

The gusts were comparable to the Santa Ana winds that often aggravate and spread wildfires in the hills surrounding Los Angeles, officials said.

“The wind is horrific,” said Reno spokeswoman Michele Anderson. “We just watched a semi nearly blow over on the freeway.”

More than 150 people had filled two shelters set up at area high schools by midmorning. John and Maggie Givlin were among those watching a television at Reno High School, scanning the screen for details on whether the home they left

behind was safe. They already were preparing to flee when a police officer knocked on their door at about 1:30 am.

“I smelled smoke and got out of bed, and the electricity was out,” said John Givlin, a retired civil engineer who has lived there about eight years. “I looked out the front window and saw the glow over the hill before us.”

He and his wife made their way out of their home with a flashlight. Outside, flames billowed in every direction. More than 4,000 NV Energy customers lost power as poles and electrical wires were scorched and knocked down, said spokeswoman Faye Andersen. Utility workers were not allowed into the fire area.

More than 100 police officers and National Guard members were patrolling streets in the fire area to protect homes from vandals, Assistant Police Chief Mike Whan said. “These next 24 hours, with all the power lines down and everything else, it is still a very, very dangerous area,” Reno Mayor Bob Cashell said.

Evacuees could return to their homes at noon Saturday, Cashell said. A number of local hotel-casinos were also offering discounted rooms to displaced residents. At least 90 schools were closed for the day to clear the roads of school traffic and make way for emergency workers.

The US Postal Service suspended delivery to the area for the day, and the state high school athletic association moved its football playoffs from Friday night to Monday. Most of the 16 people who went to hospitals were treated for smoke inhalation.

Health officials urged residents to stay inside and reduce physical activity, warning that the dust and smoke could cause health problems for those in the affected regions and downwind neighborhoods. — AP

Law limitations may protect abused children in US

HAVANA: In this Dec. 23, 2004 file photo, Cuban leader Fidel Castro is helped by his brother Raul Castro to take his seat after arriving at the National Assembly in Havana. This year, President Raul Castro is matching his free market economic changes with a zealous battle against entrenched corruption on this Communist-run island, much of it involving Cuban officials at key state-run companies and ministries and the foreigners they do business with.

Cuba says the crusade is essential to save the socialist system. — AP

Killing spree suspect sentenced to life GALESBURG: An Illinois judge on Friday sentenced a man accused of killing eight people across two states to life in prison without the possibility of parole for a 2008 slaying. Judge James Stewart sentenced Nicholas Sheley for his conviction in September in the death of Ronald Randall, 65, of Galesburg. Stewart also gave Sheley concurrent sentences of 30 years for aggravated vehicular hijacking and seven years for possession of a stolen vehicle.

Randall was one of eight people to die in Illinois and Missouri during what’s believed to be a killing spree that lasted several days in June 2008. Authorities say Sheley bludgeoned his victims into submission.

A prosecutor said that Sheley killed Randall because he was on the run from the law and needed money and transportation without being reported. Randall’s body was found behind a Galesburg grocery store. His pickup truck was stolen and the blood-stained vehicle was later found in an industrial area in St. Louis.

The same day, authorities in Missouri found the bodies of an Arkansas couple behind a gas station in Festus, Mo., near St. Louis. Sheley pleaded not guilty in all eight killings. Two years ago, he told a judge he wanted to admit guilt in Randall’s death, only to change his mind two months later.

During the sentencing hearing, family members told the court through victim impact statements that Randall was a happy man who loved to work in his yard and attended lots of family sporting events.

“The devil is waiting for Nick Sheley,”

Randall’s daughter, Cari Smith, said. Sheley has pleaded not guilty to killing the Arkansas couple and five other people in Illinois. He next faces trial in Whiteside County, Ill. for the death of 93-year-old Russell Reed of Sterling - Sheley’s hometown - that could take place as soon as March.

Reed is believed to have been the first victim to die. Randall’s friends and family members released balloons into the air outside the Knox County Courthouse on Friday after the sentences were handed down. Family members then visited Randall’s grave.

“Today was the Randall family’s day,” Knox County State’s Attorney John Pepmeyer told WGIL Radio. “It’s their day, what we geared for all along.” Smith told The (Galesburg) Register-Mail in an interview that they wished Sheley was eligible for the death penalty. Illinois abolished the death penalty this year after a decade-long moratorium on executions. Missouri still has capital punishment.

“I can’t wait until I get the phone call or read the day he’s dead,” Smith said. “It will be the greatest day after today.”

Randall’s sister, Dee Connour, said she thought she would feel better after Sheley was convicted, but she is still angry and sad about the crime. “Sheley should never be able to hurt or kill anyone ever again,” she said.

Sheley’s trial in Galesburg, about 180 miles southwest of Chicago, was held first because those authorities were the first to file charges. — AP

NEW YORK: High-profile accusations of child sex abuse in the United States have refocused attention on laws that are meant to protect the rights of the accused but in fact can help pedophiles escape prosecution. Experts say statutes of limitation that prevent criminal charges being brought after a certain number of years may need to be reconsidered in the sex abuse of children because victims typically need years before they are able to come forward.

The latest case in the spotlight involves an assistant basketball coach at Syracuse University in the New York state.

The coach, Bernie Fine, has declared his innocence and he was cleared in a university investigation in 2005. Like the child sex abuse scandal rocking Penn State University football, the Syracuse accusation involves the coach of a highly profitable sports program in a university town with a fervent fan base. By extension, the cases have rattled college sports programs across the country.

Syracuse police on Thursday reopened an investigation into Fine when a second accuser came forward. The first accuser, Bobby Davis, now 39, first reported in 2003 that Fine fondled him “hundreds of times” from when he was 11 until he was 27, telling the television network ESPN that police dropped his case because the statute of limitations had expired.

But in the wake of the Penn State scandal, Davis’s stepbrother Mike Lange, 45, came forward in an interview with ESPN to say Fine fondled him 15 to 20 times when he was a boy. The TV interviews led police to bring both accusers in for questioning on Thursday. Fine was placed on administrative leave by the university pending the investigation.

“Simply put, these allegations are patently false in every aspect,” Fine said in a statement on Friday. “I am confident that, as in the past, a review of these allegations will be discredited and restore my reputation.” The more serious accusation of first-degree abuse, which involves penetration or oral contact, carries no limitation but the acts described by Davis and Lange would constitute second-degree sexual abuse and must be prosecuted within five years of the most recent act under New York state law.

Several proposed laws in the state legislature would extend that limit, including one sponsored by Assemblyman Gary Pretlow that would put it at 30 years. The Syracuse incident will “absolutely” reinvigorate his push to get the bill passed, Pretlow said from the state capital Albany.

“If something is close to the Albany mindset, as Syracuse is, then it will resonate much more,” Pretlow said. “Many times, people are too embarrassed to come forward because of the way society treats victims of sexual attacks. If people do come forward later in life, the person who did it should be punished.”

Robert Shoop, a Kansas State University expert on the sexual abuse of children, advocates for a law that would eliminate statutes of limitation in all states.

“The down side of eliminating a statute of limitations is that the further you get from the event the more difficult it is for both sides to make their case. However, by eliminating a person’s right to bring a case forward I think you’re doing more harm than the risk to the defendant,” Shoop said.

“There’s always a lot of discussion in the midst of a hot issue like this one. We’ll see six months from now if those conversations are still going on.” Even if the statute of limitations prevents a prosecution, investigators might want to interview the accusers in case there might be other, younger victims whose cases are still valid, said attorney Matthew Galluzzo, a former Manhattan prosecutor of sex crimes who is now in private practice.—Reuters

NEW YORK: Imam Hajj Talib Abdur-Rashid, center, of the Mosque of the Islamic Brotherhood of New York, prepare to address a rally of Muslims and supporters protesting the NYPD surveillance operations of Muslim communities, Friday, in New York. — AP

Muslims to NYPD: ‘Respect us, we will respect you’ NEW YORK: Hundreds of Muslims prayed in a lower Manhattan park and marched to New York Police headquarters Friday to protest a decade of police infiltrating mosques and spying on Muslim neighborhoods.

Bundled in winter clothes, men and women knelt as the call to prayer echoed off the cold stone of government buildings.

“Being Muslim does not negate our nationality,” Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid told the crowd of about 500 gathered in Foley Square, not far from City Hall and local courthouses. “We are unapologetically Muslim and uncompromisingly American.”

The demonstration was smaller and more subdued than the Occupy Wall Street protests that led to clashes with police and made headlines worldwide. Police wore windbreakers, not riot gear, and protesters called for improved relations with police.

“We want for you to respect us,” AbdurRashid said, “and we will respect you.” It was the first organized opposition to the NYPD’s intelligence tactics since an Associated Press investigation revealed widespread spying programs that documented every aspect of Muslim life in New York. Police infiltrated mosques and student groups. Plainclothes officers catalogued Middle Eastern restaurants and their clientele. Analysts built databases on Arab cab drivers and monitored Muslims who changed their names.

“Had this been happening to any other religious group, all of America would be outraged,” said Daoud Ibraheem, 73, a retired graphic artist from Brooklyn. Following the prayer service, the Muslims - joined by about 50 Occupy Wall Street demonstrators - crowded the sidewalk for the short walk to the large police headquarters building known as One Police Plaza. They stayed only briefly, chanting for Police Commissioner Ray Kelly’s ouster, before returning to Foley Square.

Protesters carried signs that said “NYPD Watches Us. Who Watches NYPD?” A dozen or so uniformed police officers monitored the demonstration and followed the march, but there were no clashes between protesters and police At an unrelated news conference Friday, Kelly told reporters that he “categorically” denied the idea that the NYPD was spying.

Kelly and his intelligence chief, David Cohen, have transformed the NYPD into one of the nation’s most aggressive domestic

intelligence agencies. It operates far outside the city borders and its manpower and budget give it capabilities that even the federal government does not have. NYPD analysts were among the first to study the thorny question of how people are radicalized.

Kelly said his officers only follow leads and do not simply trawl neighborhoods. “We do what we believe necessary to protect this city, pursuant to the law,” Kelly said. “We have a battery of very experienced, well-trained lawyers that advise us on all of our tactics and operations.”

Outside the department, however, there is little oversight of the Intelligence Division and it’s roughly $60 million budget. The City Council is not told about all the department’s secret operations and city auditors have not scrutinized the unit since it was transformed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Some of its tactics, such as monitoring name changes, would not be allowed by the FBI because of civil liberties concerns.

Many of the NYPD programs were built with the help of the CIA as part of an unusually close collaboration that is now the subject of an internal CIA investigation. “America is supposed to be a country that protects your freedoms,” said Yusuf Ali Muhammed, a protester from the Bronx who wore an embroidered skullcap and a white Middle Eastern robe. “But America has become a hypocritical government, a government that thinks it can do anything it wants with nobody objecting.”

Abdur-Rashid, of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood in Harlem, said it was no secret that police have been watching mosques for years. But monitoring everything from Islamic schools to restaurants, as shown in NYPD documents, was unacceptable, he said.

“We’re peaceful people,” said Dalia Nazzal, 18, a freshman at the City University of New York, a target of police infiltration. “We don’t deserve to be under surveillance.” Mohamed Mahmoud, 40, the owner of a Brooklyn printing shop, said he knew several people who had been approached by NYPD officers trying to recruit them as informants. Documents obtained by the AP also show that police monitored even those Muslims who decried terrorism and partnered with the government to prevent violence. “They think that all Muslims are criminals, and it’s not right,” Mahmoud said. — AP

ALMOCAGEME: In this Friday, Oct. 14, 2011 file photo, American fugitive George Wright stands by the door of his house in Almocageme, Portugal, outside Lisbon. The tale of Wright’s life on the run spans 41 years and three continents. It starts in New Jersey with a prison break, moves to Algeria on a hijacked plane, to Paris where he lived underground, to Lisbon where he fell in love, to the tiny West African nation of Guinea-Bissau - and finally to an idyllic Portuguese seaside village, where he built a life as a respected family man. — AP

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Murder charges over Australian nursing home fire SYDNEY: A male nurse was charged yesterday with multiple counts of murder after a fierce fire tore through the Sydney nursing home where he worked, as the death toll from the tragedy climbed to five. Roger Dean, 35, appeared via video link at Parramatta Court from local cells but said nothing.

He did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody ahead of another court appearance on Thursday.

Hundreds of firefighters, police and paramedics raced to the Quakers Hill Nursing Home in Sydney’s west to tackle the blaze on Friday. Three elderly residents were declared dead at the scene, a fourth died overnight and a fifth yesterday, police said.

About 30 others remain in hospital, some fighting for their lives after suffering severe burns.

Police had been treating the incident as suspicious after saying they believed the fire broke out in two separate wings of the facility, although no arson charges have so far been laid.

Superintendent Michael Willing, who is leading the case, said police acted on information they received after making an appeal.

“All I can say is that last night detectives were speaking to the man at Mount Druitt Police Station, where they formed the opinion that they had sufficient evidence to place him under arrest,” he said.

Willing added that Dean, who was a registered nurse, had only been working at the home for a short time, but he would not comment on any motive. The blaze broke out in the early hours of Friday morning, and emergency services said they found a “chaotic and tragic” scene after an automatic fire alarm went off.

Battling thick black smoke so dense they could not see their hands in front of their faces, firefighters and police evacuated nearly 90 disorientated and frail people, some blind or suffering dementia, as their home burned down.

Reports said that a rear ward was cut off when a

fire door closed to stop the flames spreading, and this was where the three people declared dead on Friday had perished, most likely from smoke inhalation.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation added that Dean was seen at the scene of the fire and spoke to the media, saying he was involved in the rescue. Prime Minister Julia Gillard called it “a very dark day”.

“To imagine the frail, elderly people caught up in a fire like that, at risk of being engulfed by flames, is truly horrifying,” she said. “My condolences go to the families who have lost loved ones and to those whose loved ones are now in hospital and who are with them and awaiting news of their condition.”

Willing added that investigators had still not been able to fully access the scene of the blaze because the roof of the building had collapsed, meaning it was proving difficult to piece together

all the evidence.

“The building is still structurally unsound and it will be some time before we can complete our examinations there,” he told reporters. The blaze has renewed calls for changes to building codes in Australia to make water sprinklers compulsory in care facilities. The Quakers Hill home reportedly did not have any installed.

Although the home passed a safety audit in July, reports said the operator Domain Principal Group, a profit-based private company owned by AMP Capital Investors, has a checkered history. The Australian and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers both claimed that several Domain nursing homes across Australia have previously been the subject of Department of Ageing sanction notices for “noncompliance” with regulations.

A sanction notice is the government’s most serious level of administrative action against nursing homes. — AFP

Filipino police fingerprint arrested ex-leader Arroyo Second ex-Philippine president to face trial

BANGKOK: A young Thai girl joins up as volunteers sweep an intersection during a cleaning drive after floodwaters receded in Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. Hundreds of city workers, police, army personnel and civilian volunteers performed the cleaning at various sites which were flooded earlier. — AP

Central Bangkok ‘safe’ from floods: Thai PM BANGKOK: Thailand’s premier declared central Bangkok safe from the kingdom’s devastating floods yesterday, as the death toll passed 600 and President Barack Obama vowed the US will give whatever help it can.

Thailand is suffering its worst flooding in half a century, and 5.4 million people are still affected around the kingdom, but Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that inner areas of the capital were out of danger.

Yingluck met Obama on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit on the Indonesian island of Bali yesterday-her first face-toface meeting with the US leader. “It’s certain that the inner zone of Bangkok will be safe from floods because the measures to hold floodwaters have been successful,” she said in her weekly radio and television address.

The drainage of floodwaters in the western part of the capital was progressing slowly, she said, but she remained confident that a key road linking the city to the country’s south would not be cut.

“Many feared that Rama II road may be submerged, but it’s unlikely now and if it is inundated it will not be serious,” she said.

Some 602 people have been killed in floods and two are still unaccounted for, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said in an update yesterday.

Many areas in the north and west of the capital are still under water and full or partial evacuation orders are in force in 24 of the city’s 50 districts. Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra joined 1,000 volunteers clearing up a major road junction in the city’s north yesterday after the waters receded, and he vowed to clean up the whole city by the end of the year.

Obama congratulated Yingluck on her “inspirational” election victory in July and pledged US support in the floods crisis. “We will extend any assistance we can,” he said.

“The US and Thailand are two of the oldest allies, with great friendship. We extend our heartfelt condolences to the victims of the flood.”

Washington has promised more than $10 million to help Thailand recover from the disaster. The meeting with Obama comes at a delicate time for Yingluck, the sister of the deeply divisive former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives abroad to avoid a twoyear jail sentence for corruption. — AFP

MANILA: Police fingerprinted and photographed former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on her hospital bed yesterday over electoral fraud charges her lawyer says were brought with “indecent haste.” Arroyo wore a hospital gown and neck brace while sitting on her bed as the police photographer snapped pictures and a technician held her name plate, Police Senior Supt. Joel Coronel said.

Members of her family, relatives, friends, as well as her lawyers and doctors, were around, added Coronel, who supervised the procedure. A police medical officer who examined her said Arroyo appeared to have lost weight, was slightly dehydrated and had an elevated blood pressure of 140/100. Her doctor, Juliet Cervantes, said she has lost her appetite and was being hydrated with IV fluid.

Seventeen months after leaving office, Arroyo became the second ex-Philippine president to face trial. She denies wrongdoing and accuses authorities of preventing her from seeking overseas medical treatment for a bone ailment. The 64-year-old Arroyo has been in the hospital since her failed attempt to leave the country Tuesday.

Police served an arrest warrant in Arroyo’s 16th-floor hospital suite late Friday, capping a day of legal drama in which the Supreme Court upheld her right to travel but a lower court accepted the formal charges against her. The government rushed the case in court, saying Arroyo may be trying to evade justice.

“For the meantime the (former) president will remain under guard and detention here at St. Luke’s Medical Center,” Coronel said. He said it will be up to the court to determine if she will remain confined in the hospital or transferred to another detention facility.

Arroyo lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said he will petition the Supreme Court on Monday to suspend the arrest warrant and other legal effects of the preliminary investigation jointly conducted by the Commission on Elections and the Department of Justice.

Her lawyers already filed motions before the Supreme Court questioning the legality of the joint investigating committee and the jurisdiction of the court that issued the warrant. Topacio has said the government filed the charges with “indecent haste” and the quickness of the arrest was a “minor miracle” in the Philippine judicial system.

He appealed to media not to use Arroyo’s mugshots, which have not been released by police. Arroyo’s successor, President Benigno Aquino III, was overwhelmingly elected on promises to rid the Philippines of corruption and has said he wants to start with Arroyo.

His deputy spokeswoman Abigail Valte said yesterday it will be up to the court to determine where Arroyo will be be detained later. The justice secretary previously said she would not be handcuffed and removed from the room. The election fraud charges carry a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. They stem from allegations that Arroyo conspired to tamper with results of 2007 congressional polls to favor her candidates.

She was accused of having direct knowledge of massive cheating in an autonomous Muslim region in the southern Philippines, the country’s poorest and notoriously corrupt region. A probe this year by the Senate Electoral Tribunal found that an Arroyo ally, who later resigned, benefited from fake ballots. An election supervisor and a

former governor of the Muslim region have alleged that Arroyo and her husband ordered election rigging.

During her tumultuous nine-year presidency from 2001 to 2010, Arroyo ranked as the country’s least popular leader and faced down several coup and impeachment attempts over corruption allegations.

Her most serious crisis came a year after she was elected in 2004, when a wiretapped recording surfaced of her talking to an election official allegedly about securing a vote margin for herself. She later apologized but said she did nothing wrong.

After stepping down last year, Arroyo was elected to the House of Representatives and immediately faced at least half a dozen legal complaints, including allegations that she diverted state funds for her campaign effort and benefited from foreign contracts. The Justice Department is still investigating the other complaints. — AP

MANILA: An elderly man reads a Manila newspaper yesterday that carries a digitally manipulated photograph of former Philippine president Gloria Arroyo behind bars while wearing a neck brace.

The ailing 64-year-old ex-president faces a possible life sentence if convicted by the lower court in Manila on vote-rigging charges, after a tumultuous week in which the government went head-tohead with the Supreme Court to stop her leaving the country. — AFP

Ban to visit Myanmar to propel reforms

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse serves food to a Buddhist monk during an event hosted as his Temple Trees residence in the capital Colombo yesterday. Sri Lanka staged a series of religious services to coincide with the president’s 66th birthday on November 18, and him completing six years in office yesterday. He invited 1,000 Buddhist monks to the ceremony. — AFP

Renowned Japan temple refuses yakuza visits TOKYO: Enryakuji Temple, one of Japan’s most prestigious temples near the ancient capital Kyoto, has refused to allow members of Japan’s biggest organised crime syndicate to pay their respects there, an official said yesterday.

The temple’s refusal follows a request from police, who are cracking down on yakuza gangsters nationwide. News of the temple’s refusal was reported widely by Japanese media amid speculation that organised crime was somehow involved in an accounting scandal at Japan’s disgraced Olympus.

Members of Yamaguchi gumi group have made annual visits to the temple each August. In June, the temple in the Shiga prefecture of eastern Japan told the group they would not be welcome this year, said an official from the temple.

The Enryakuji temple keeps spiritual tablets from Yamaguchi gumi’s late leaders, the official said. The tablets are wooden bars on which the Buddhist names of sick members are printed and are used for

memorial services.

“We allowed them to visit the temple because we wanted to give family members ... an opportunity to pay a visit,” said the official, who asked not to be named. “But in the past four years we have only seen the group members visiting, which is different from the original purpose,” he said.

The temple also wanted to cooperate with police in cracking down on organised crime groups, he said. Japanese authorities are investigating Olympus after the maker of cameras and endoscopes admitted it hid investment losses for decades using funds from acquisition deals.

A unit from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s organised crime division has joined the investigation, according to a source familiar with the matter. Links between companies, “yakuza” gangsters and politicians have a long tradition in Japan. Authorities have been trying to crack down for decades, most recently with laws targeting not only crime syndicates but firms that do business with them. —Reuters

NUSA DUA: UN leader Ban Ki-moon said yesterday he would visit Myanmar as soon as possible to propel reforms, in the latest high-profile mission triggered by hopes of a shift to democracy. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will also travel to Myanmar on December 1-2, to investigate whether the new military-backed leadership there is serious about allowing political and economic change.

Ban said on the sidelines of an East Asia Summit where President Barack Obama Friday announced Clinton’s historic visit-the first by a US secretary of state in 50 years-that he would visit Myanmar “as soon as possible”. He said that in talks with Myanmar’s President Thein Sein he urged more progress on the fledgling reforms which have seen the government hold direct talks with opposition leader Aung Suu Suu Kyi. “I strongly urged him it is not necessary to wait ‘til 2014 but even before that they should take all the political reforms,” Ban said, referring to the date when Myanmar will host the Southeast Asian bloc’s

annual summit.

“I told him that there will be huge expectations... and he should meet the expectations of the international community.” UN envoy to Myanmar, Vijay Nambiar, said Ban’s visit had not been finalised but it would take place “in the next few months”.

Myanmar has called for its reform gestures to be rewarded with the lifting of punishing sanctions imposed by the United States and other nations during its decades of military rule. “I think there is a movement now to consider looking at these issues again,” Nambiar said of the sanctions, adding that the decision was “for the countries concerned” to make. “I think it is important that the people, the livelihoods of the people... are developed. All actions should be taken in order to reach that goal,” he said. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy said Friday it would re-register as a political party and contest coming by-elections after boycotting last year’s poll, paving the way for the 66-year-old Nobel laureate to run for office.—AFP

YANGON: This handout picture released and taken by National League for Democracy (NLD) yesterday shows members of the NLD’s youth wing listening to their leader, democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi (not pictured), at the party’s headquarters in Yangon. Myanmar may offer an unlikely chance of redemption for President Barack Obama’s spurned call for despotic regimes to unclench their fists and take his “extended hand” of engagement. — AFP

N Korean spy held in South: Report SEOUL: A North Korean spy has been arrested after arriving in South Korea posing as a refugee, a report said yesterday. Authorities found during a routine background check that the man, surnamed Kim, was assigned to the North’s military intelligence command and had received espionage training, the report by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said.

The man had entered the South in April after a journey through China and Southeast Asian countries including Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, it said. “As he has been under questioning since his arrival, he has had no chance to engage in espionage. He has not yet received a concrete mission,” an unidentified official was quoted as saying.

Many North Koreans fleeing from the impoverished communist state cross the border into China and travel on to South East Asian countries in a bid to reach prosperous South Korea, where they are granted aid and can resettle.

Last month, Seoul’s spy chief reportedly told parliament’s intelligence committee that South Korea had arrested several North Korean agents for plotting to assassinate anti-Pyongyang activists.

Won Sei-Hoon, head of the National Intelligence Service, said the North was apparently intensifying attempts to assassinate prominent anti-North activists in the South. In October, Seoul prosecutors charged a North Korean agent with attempting to murder an outspoken antiPyongyang activist in Seoul with a poison-tipped weapon. — AFP

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Pakistan ‘coup’ memo was dictated: Businessman Haqqani denies connection with the memo

DHARMSALA: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama gestures as he arrives for an event near Dharmsala, India, yesterday. The Dalai Lama inaugurated new hostels built by a Dharmsala based NGO Tong-Len Charitable Trust for displaced children. — AP

Dalai Lama questions self-immolations LONDON: Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has said he is worried about the growing number of monks and nuns setting themselves on fire in southwest China, in an interview broadcast yesterday.

The Dalai Lama told the BBC that those setting themselves alight were courageous, but questioned how effective self-immolation was as a form of protest against Chinese rule. “The question is how much effect” the self-immolations have, the 76-year-old asked British broadcaster.

“That’s the question. There is couragevery strong courage. But how much effect? Courage alone is no substitute.

You must utilise your wisdom.” Eight Buddhist monks and two nuns have set themselves alight in ethnically Tibetan parts of Sichuan province since the selfimmolation of a young monk in March at Kirti monastery sparked a government crackdown.

Activists say that at least five monks

and two nuns have died and that Chinese police have at times responded by beating the burning protesters and their colleagues rather than providing assistance.

Many Tibetans in China are angry about what they see as growing domination by the country’s majority Han ethnic group. Asked whether the self-immolations could make life worse for people in Tibet, the Dalai Lama said: “Many Tibetans sacrifice their lives.

“Nobody knows how many people killed and tortured-I mean death through torture. Nobody knows. “But a lot of people suffer. But how much effect? The Chinese respond harder.” The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet following a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, founded a government in exile in the northern Indian town of Dharamshala after being offered refuge there. He remains revered in China’s Tibetan areas but is vilified as a “separatist” by China’s communist authorities. —AFP

KATHMANDU: Former Maoist rebels and their families gather for an integration program at Shaktikhor Cantonment in Chitwan, about 220 kilometers (140 miles) southwest of Kathmandu, Nepal, yesterday. — AP

New life begins for Nepal’s ex-rebels SHAKTIKHOR CANTONMENT: Nepal’s Maoist fighters yesterday began the process of leaving the camps they have called home since the end of their insurgency in 2006, to join the regular army or start new lives.

The historic transition follows a breakthrough peace deal signed on November 1 by the Maoists and the three other major political parties which paved the way for life beyond the cantonments for the battle-hardened ex-rebels.

“It’s a critical time in their lives. It’s also challenging and demanding for us,” said Balananda Sharma, a retired lieutenant general who is overseeing the integration of the 19,000 ex-rebels into the army and Nepalese society.

The fighters formed a queue snaking around a hill at the Shaktikhor cantonment in Chitwan, about 220 kilometres (150 miles) southwest of Kathmandu, to ask army monitors in blue jackets about their options for the future. Under the deal, 6,500 fighters will be integrated into the Nepalese Army while the remainder choose between retirement payoffs of 500,000 to 800,000 rupees ($6,300-$10,200) and a rehabilitation package that includes vocational training.

“I’ve wanted to join the army since my childhood. Seven years ago I attended a few programmes organised by the Maoists and joined them because their policies attracted me,” said former combatant Bikash Shahi, 28.

“I was in two battles after joining the party and saw the deaths of my comrades. I wanted to serve the nation so I have decided to go for integration into

the Nepalese Army.” Sharma said those opting for the payoff would get their cash in two instalments, one year apart, while those who went for the training packages would be counselled by career experts.

“We will offer them alternatives based on their qualifications,” said Sharma, adding that the reintegration process would take more than 10 days and the combatants would remain in the camp until their leaders had worked out the logistics of the retirement and rehabilitation packages.

The rest of the thousands of former fighters will leave the camps over the coming days. “We will give them enough time to decide their future because, after joining the war, this is the most crucial decision they are going to make in their career,” Sharma added.

“The issue of Maoist fighters is the most important aspect of the peace process and the regrouping is the first major step towards it.” There are more than 19,000 former fighters confined to seven cantonments across Nepal.

The camps were set up and monitored by the United Nations until January when the UN mission in Nepal handed over the keys of Maoist weapons containers to a cross-party special committee.

The Maoists fought a decade-long war against the state in which at least 16,000 people died. The former rebels left their jungle redoubts and joined mainstream politics in 2006, going on to win landmark elections two years later and abolishing the country’s 240-year-old monarchy. — AFP

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani-American businessman said on Friday that Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States asked him in May to appeal to the Pentagon to help the civilian government ward off a coup by Pakistan’s powerful military. Businessman Mansoor Ijaz, an American of Pakistani origin based in Zurich, said in a column in the Financial Times last month that a senior Pakistani diplomat asked for assistance in getting a message from President Asif Ali Zardari to Admiral Mike Mullen, then chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Ijaz told Reuters on Friday he wrote a memo outlining the civilian government’s fears of military intervention and sent it to the Pentagon on the instructions of Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Husain Haqqani.

The affair highlights the fundamental tension in Pakistani politics since the nation was founded in 1947 - competition for power between civilian politicians and military commanders. That Zardari wants to exert greater civilian control over the powerful military is an open secret in Islamabad. But the memo, which the Pakistan ambassador denies writing, would appear to show the civilian government trying to bring the United States to

its side in the struggle with the military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half its history.

The memo requested Mullen’s intercession to stave off any coup but added that, with the military on the defensive after the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a US raid on his Pakistani hideout, there was an opportunity to bring it to heel.

Ijaz said Haqqani called him on May 9, one week after the US raid that killed bin Laden, to help get a message to the Americans. “The memo’s content in its entirety originated from him,” Ijaz told Reuters, referring to Haqqani.

“At a certain point he started talking so fast, I opened up my computer and I started typing the basic outline of the verbal message he wanted me to transmit.” “He was originally asking me to deliver a verbal message. And when I went back to my US interlocutors-all three of them-said they wouldn’t touch this unless it was in writing.”

Haqqani has denied any connection with the memo. “I refuse to accept Mr Ijaz’s claims and assertions,” he said in a statement on Thursday. “I did not write or deliver the memo he describes, nor did I authorize anyone including Mr Ijaz to do so.”

Last Wednesday, Haqqani offered his resignation to Zardari. It has not been accepted but he has been summoned to Islamabad.

Some analysts cast doubt on Ijaz’s credibility. “Ijaz is someone who has been circulating on the fringes of Washington policy circles for years but most Pakistan watchers don’t find him particularly reliable,” said Lisa Curtis, a veteran Pakistan analyst at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.

Copies of the memo have been published in Pakistan with the controversy stoked by anti-American and anti-government media speculating whether it was authorized by Zardari or if Haqqani was acting on his own. Ijaz says he does not know.

Haqqani has said: “Zardari doesn’t even know this guy.” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the matter on Friday. The memo’s contents are likely to anger Pakistan’s military, which sets foreign and security policies. In recent months, there has been sharp tension between the weak civilian government and the military leadership.

Ijaz wrote in the newspaper column that Zardari feared a military takeover after the U.S. raid that killed bin Laden, which brought intense pressure on the army. He

told Reuters that Haqqani approached him in the days imme diately after the raid, asking for help against what he feared was an imminent coup.

“Civilians cannot withstand much more of the hard pressure being delivered from the army to succumb to wholesale changes,” the memo states according to published reports, which Ijaz confirmed matched the document he sent to Mullen.

“I don’t know if Haqqani had a blanket power of attorney with Zardari, whether he ever discussed this with Zardari or whether he was acting on his own,” he said. In the memo, the military and intelligence agencies are accused of being complicit in aiding bin Laden. The military has repeatedly said it had no links to bin Laden.

Mullen has said he received the note but his staff said he took no action. “Neither the contents of the memo nor the proof of its existence altered or affected in any way the manner in which Admiral Mullen conducted himself in his relationship with General Kayani and the Pakistani government,” said Captain John Kirby, who was his spokesman when he was in office. “He did not find it at all credible and took no note of it.” —Reuters

Afghan national assembly backs security pact with US KABUL: An overwhelming majority of delegates at a traditional national assembly yesterday backed calls from Afghanistan’s president for a longterm security pact with the US on some conditions, including an end to unpopular night raids by military forces searching for insurgents.

By midday, more than two-thirds of the delegates attending the meeting had expressed support for President Hamid Karzai’s call for a security pact that will govern the presence of US troops after 2014, when most international forces are to have left or moved into support roles.

More than 2,000 delegates attended the four-day assembly, known as a Loya Jirga, and were divided into 40 committees to discuss negotiations that are currently under way. More than 30 committee heads had endorsed Karzai’s call for an agreement by noon. Karzai was expected to address the meeting at the end of the day.

The jirga’s findings are not binding, but they are likely to bolster Karzai’s negotiating position with the United States during talks for a written US-Afghan agreement, which the US calls a Strategic Partnership Document. Karzai does not need the jirga’s permission to broker a pact, but he wants its approval to strengthen his position at the talks.

Both sides visualize a force of several thousand, which would train Afghan forces and help with counterterrorism operations. But the legal status of that force, how it would operate, where it would be based, and what it could or could not do has held up the talks. Washington sees the document as a nonbinding set of principles guiding the two nations’ future relationship. The Afghans want a strong and binding agreement to govern the presence of American forces in the country after 2014.

Afghan politicians are under pressure to uphold the country’s sovereignty, but also see the agreement as a key bulwark against both homegrown insurgents and some of its neighbors, including Iran and Pakistan - which has been accused of maintaining ties with some Afghan militant groups.

“Regarding the strategic partnership with the United States, everyone said it is a must for the Afghans. It is the only way for Afghanistan to survive,” said Mahmoud Karzai, a businessman and the president’s brother.

“Our independence depends on it and we are in an area which is probably the worst in the world, surrounded by countries which are in the mode of confrontation and not in the mode of peace and economic development,” he said.

But as much as it says it needs the agreement, Afghan’s government also wants to show that it can rein in American operations. President

pressure on militants. The coalition estimates that an average of 12 operations are conducted every night in Afghanistan.

And although Karzai often plays to anti-American sentiment in Afghanistan by denouncing the US, he needs America’s military and financial strength to back his weak government. Delegates also backed Karzai’s effort to make peace with the Taleban through reconciliation talks, although many said a peace council set up last year should be broadened.

Talks have made no headway, and efforts were brought to a halt following the Sept. 20 assassination of for-

KABUL: An Afghan delegate, center, talks with a colleague during the last day of Loya Jirga or grand council in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. A traditional Afghan national assembly yesterday endorsed President Hamid Karzai’s decision to negotiate a long-term security pact with the US but imposed some conditions, including an end to unpopular night raids by military forces searching for insurgents. — AP Karzai has said he will demand an end to nighttime “kill-or-capture” raids which citizens of this deeply conservative country say intrude on their privacy, and has asked that all detention centers in the country come under Afghan control.

The U.S.-led coalition has given no indication that it is willing to stop the raids. It says night operations are conducted with Afghan security forces and are an effective way to keep

mer Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, who was leading the Afghan government’s effort to broker peace. Rabbani was killed at his Kabul home by an assassin posing as a peace emissary from the insurgent group.

Rabbani has not been replaced as head of the 70-member council, which is made up former Taliban, exwarlords, members of parliament, top tribal elders and clerics. Critics

have said that it is too heavily packed with Taliban opponents.

“We should appoint people who are more popular with the communities and are fully supported by the people. They should be able to go to villages, to remote areas,” Gul Pascha Majudi, a Pashtun parliamentarian from the eastern province of Paktia, where Afghan and international military forces have been battling insurgents.

The meeting took place under tight security and the Taliban had vowed to carry out attacks to disrupt the gathering. On Thursday, two rockets were launched at the structure housing the meeting on the outskirts of the capital. One rocket landed on a hillside about half a mile (kilometer) from the meeting site, while the other landed farther away in an open area, wounding a couple of civilians and shattering a few windows.

Separately, Afghan and NATO authorities said two Afghan policemen died in a friendly fire incident late Friday outside the city of Ghazni in eastern Afghanistan. Ghazni provincial governor Musa Akbar Zada said two other policemen were wounded in the incident at a checkpoint. According to Zada, NATO forces were conducting an operation that was not coordinated with Afghan forces and that when the coalition forces ignored Afghan police orders to stop, shots were fired and the policemen were in killed in a gunbattle. The US-led military coalition said a joint Afghan and NATO force called for air support and tried several times to identify themselves as friendly forces.

When they were unable to stop the threat, they engaged in selfdefense, killing the two. NATO also said one of its soldiers was killed late Friday during an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan. No other details were released and the death brought to 19 the number of foreign troops killed this month, for a total of 509 since the start of the year.

Police in Tarin Kot, the capital of the southern province of Uruzgan said a roadside bomb killed four people Friday night, including three children.— AP

Man with US passport blows himself up

KARACHI: Pakistani people wearing traditional Sindhi caps and Ajrak attire celebrate the Sindh Cultural Day festival in Karachi yesterday. The event observed highlights the culture of Sindh province, one of the four provinces of Pakistan and is renowned for its various handicrafts and arts. — AFP

KARACHI: A suspected militant who blew himself up in southern Pakistan during a raid by security forces was carrying a US and a Pakistani passport, authorities said yesterday. According to a statement by Pakistan’s paramilitary Rangers, the dead man has been identified as Saeed Abdul Salam. He detonated an explosive device Thursday when troops raided his apartment in the port city of Karachi.

Post-mortem tests on Salam’s body confirmed the man died due to the explosion of a hand grenade, it said, adding “documents used for acts of terrorism were also recovered” from his possession.

The US Embassy could not immediately confirm the development. The Rangers’ statement said Salam had divorced his wife a month ago and was living with four children, who were unharmed. According to Salam’s passport, he had traveled to many countries, the statement said. Karachi is home to around 18 million people and is the capital of Sindh province. Several al Qaeda and Taliban operatives have been captured or killed there in recent years. — AP

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NEWS

CAIRO: Tear gas surrounds Egyptian riot police as they stand guard during clashes in Tahrir Square yesterday. — AP

Giant tyre mound in US visible from space COLUMBIA, South Carolina: The sprawling pile of hundreds of thousands of tyres isn’t easy to spot from the ground, sitting in a rural South Carolina clearing accessible by only a circuitous dirt path that winds through thick patches of trees. No one knows how all those tyres got there, or when. But, Calhoun County Council Chairman David Summers says of this giant rubber menace, “You can see it from space.”

Authorities have charged one person in connection with the mess of roughly 250,000 tyres, which covers more than 50 acres on satellite images. And now a Florida company is helping haul it all away.

Litter control officer Boyce Till said he contacted the local sheriff and state health department, which is investigating who had been dumping the tyres. But the worst possible penalty that could be

imposed locally? A single $475 ticket for littering. Records show the property is owned by Michael Keitt Jr of Far Rockaway, New York. A phone number for Keitt could not be found, but local officials said the man was one of several heirs to the property, all of whom live out of state.

As part of the state Department of Health and Environmental Control’s case, a state grand jury issued indictments against George Fontella Brown, 39, of Easley, on three charges of violating the state’s solid waste act, according to DHEC spokesman Adam Myrick. Those state charges carry much heftier possible penalties, including thousands of dollars in fines and up to a year in jail. Myrick would not discuss details of the case against Brown, and a spokesman for state Attorney General Alan Wilson did not respond to messages. No working

phone listing could be found for Brown, who also faces similar charges in Greenville and Orangeburg counties, and court records did not list an attorney for him.

Tyre dumping has historically been a problem in Calhoun County and other rural areas, said Summers, who recalled another giant tyre pile in the 1990s that would dwarf the current monstrosity. “This tyre pile here is a baby compared to what that one was,” said Summers, who previously worked for a company that ended up shredding those used tyres. South Carolina retailers charge motorists $2 for every new tyre they buy, which helps pay for the cleanup and recycling of old tyres. But Summers said many tyres never make it to recycling plants, instead being discarded and growing into gargantuan piles. — AP

Gaddafi son captured after months on run Continued from Page 1 said, they found only a few thousand dollars and a cache of rifles in seized vehicles. Ammar told Reuters that his unit of 15 men in three vehicles, acting on a tipoff about a possible high-profile fugitive had intercepted two cars carrying Gaddafi and four others in the desert about 70 km from the small oil town of Obari at about 1:30 am. (2330 GMT on Friday).

“We have arrested Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in (the) Obari area,” Justice Minister Mohammed al-Alagy told Reuters, adding that the younger Gaddafi was not injured. After the fighters fired in the air and ground to halt the cars, they asked the identity of the passengers. The man in charge replied that he was “Abdelsalam” - a name that happens to mean ‘servant of peace’. But the fighters quickly recognised Saif al-Islam and seized him without a fight. The fighters put him at ease and he accepted that he would be taken to Zintan, a town in the western mountains south of Tripoli that was a stronghold of antiGaddafi rebels.

A crowd of hundreds thronged the runway in Zintan, preventing his captors removing the prisoner for an hour. Some people tried to board the plane but were held back by the fighters, who all came from Zintan. Saif al-Islam appeared relatively at ease and was not handcuffed as he sat on a bench at the rear of the plane.

Wearing traditional Tuareg robes with a scarf pulled over his face, Saif al-Islam had a heavy black beard and wore his rimless spectacles. His thumb, index and another finger were heavily bandaged from the wounds sustained in the NATO strike.

Muammar Gaddafi’s beating, abuse and ultimate death in the custody of former rebel fighters was an embarrassment to the previous transitional government.

Officials in Tripoli said they were determined to handle his son’s case with more order. “The capture presents a challenge to the NTC. If they want to try Saif then what can they do to make Zintan hand him over?” said Henry Smith, an analyst with the Control Risks group, referring to the National Transitional Council which won international recognition as Libya’s new authority.

“They do not have the capacity to use coercive means so do they offer the town the coveted security portfolios in the forthcoming cabinet? If so, then to which of the Zintan militias? They may leave his fate to Zintanis but then where does that leave Libya’s embryonic judicial system? This is an acid test of the NTC’s authority.”

Memories are still fresh of the days Gaddafi’s father’s corpse spent rotting and on public view in the city of Misrata, another rebel stronghold, as its militia leaders trumpeted their capture of the fallen leader as part of their campaign to extract power and patronage from the new interim government. A fighter from an antiGaddafi unit, the Khaled bin Al-Waleed Brigade, which

said it seized him in the wilderness near the oil town of Obari told Free Libya television: “We got a tip he had been staying there for the last month.

“They couldn’t get away because we had a good plan,” Wisam Dughaly added, saying Saif al-Islam had been using a 4x4 vehicle: “He was not hurt and will be taken safely for trial so Libyans will be able to prosecute him and get back their money. “We will take him to Zintan for safekeeping to keep him alive until a government is formed and then we will hand him over as soon as possible,” Dughaly said. He added that Saif al-Islam, once seen as a reformer who engineered his father’s rapprochement with the West, appeared to have been hiding out in the desert since fleeing the tribal bastion of Bani Walid, near Tripoli, in October.

“I’m really surprised that Saif al-Islam has not met the same fate as his father and his brother,” Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations at the London School of Economics, told BBC TV. “The best thing that the new leadership can do is to hand Saif al-Islam to the International Criminal Court because I don’t believe it really has the resources and the means to try Saif alIslam and give him a fair trial.” Asked of the chances of that, he said “Almost zero.” He said he expected him to get the death penalty and be executed in Libya. “This is unfortunate for the new Libya,” he said.

Justice Minister Alagy said he was in touch with the ICC over how to deal with Gaddafi, either at home or The Hague. He told Al Jazeera: “We Libyans do not oppose the presence of international monitors to monitor the trial procedures that will take place for the symbols of the former regime.” Other Libyan officials have said a trial in Libya should first address killings, repression and theft of public funds over the four decades of the elder Gaddafi’s personal rule. After that, the ICC might try him accusing him of giving orders to kill unarmed demonstrators after February’s revolt. There was no word of the other official wanted by the ICC, former intelligence chief Abdullah Al-Senussi.

The ICC said yesterday it had received confirmation of the arrest of Saif al-Islam from Libya’s Ministry of Justice.

“We trust that the Libyan authorities and the International Criminal Court will ensure that justice runs its course, so that the new Libya can be built on the rule of law and respect for human rights,” NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said. In June, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam and Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi on charges of crimes against humanity after the UN Security Council referred the Libyan crisis to the court in February. The ICC said last month that Saif al-Islam was in contact via intermediaries about possibly surrendering, but that it also had information that mercenaries were trying to take him to a friendly African nation where he could evade arrest. — Reuters

Police, protesters clash in Tahrir Sq Continued from Page 1 of the 18-day revolt that brought down the Mubarak regime, the correspondent said.

Down the road, between the square and the nearby interior ministry, riot police were seen advancing and retreating, and firing tear gas and rubber bullets at stonethrowers. A policeman on an armoured car was shooting rubber bullets into the crowd, striking a journalist in the forehead and a Western photographer in the face, the correspondent said.

Earlier, a security official said dozens of people were lightly wounded in the clashes and a number of arrests were made. One of the protesters, Ali Abdel Aziz, said security forces beat up protesters to break up the morning sit-in. “They

beat us harshly, they didn’t care for either men or women. The interior ministry must take responsibility.

We have one demand, the military council must go,” said the 32-yearold accountancy professor.

“Violence breeds violence,” said Sahar Abdel-Mohsen, an engineer who joined in the protest after a call went out on Twitter urging people to come to Tahrir to defend against the police attacks. “We are tired of this and we are not leaving the square.” “The people want to topple the regime,” shouted enraged crowds, reviving the chant from the early days of the uprising.

Organisers of the sit-in, which had gone for several days, had called for speedy trials of policemen and officials accused of involvement in the deadly crackdown that accompanied Mubarak’s abortive bid to

retain his grasp on power. Mubarak is on trial along with his former interior minister and security chiefs on charges of ordering the killings of some of the roughly 850 people killed during the uprising. The sit-in had been joined by some of the tens of thousands of protesters who flooded the square on Friday to demand a quick transition to civilian rule.

Friday’s demonstration, which was spearheaded by Islamist groups, also called on the military-appointed cabinet to withdraw a constitutional draft that would prevent parliamentary scrutiny of the defence budget. The military, in charge since Mubarak’s resignation on Feb 11, says it will hand over power after a yet unscheduled presidential election. Parliamentary polls are to start on Nov 28. — Agencies

Obama in diplomatic victory over China Continued from Page 1 security and the South China Sea” according to a US administration official. Obama was “encouraged” by the talks and the tone was “constructive,” the official said on condition of anonymity, referring to a famous Wild West gunfight by saying it was “not a shootout at the OK Corral”. There was no “tirade” from Wen, he said, adding: “Even though maybe he started off maybe a little grouchy, by and large he was very measured.”

Chinese state media indicated that Wen reluctantly agreed to the issue being raised at the 18-nation summit. “I don’t want to discuss this issue at the summit, however, leaders of some countries mentioned China on the issue. It’s impolite not to make a return for what one receives,” he said according to the official Xinhua news agency. “The South China Sea is an important transportation passageway for China, regional countries and even the world. The Chinese government has made a positive contribution to safeguard the navigation security in the South China Sea,” he added.

China, which claims the South China Sea in full, had insisted on discussing the dispute individually with its smaller neighbours but the US has now succeeded in making it a topic for debate at an international forum.

The region is a conduit for more than one-third of the world’s seaborne trade and half its traffic in oil and gas, and major petroleum deposits are believed to lie below the seabed. China claims all of it, as does Taiwan, while four Southeast Asian countries declare ownership of parts of it, with Vietnam and the Philippines accusing Chinese forces of increasing aggression there.

“The US position here is a principled position - the United States is a Pacific power, it is a trading power, it is a maritime power,” US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon said in Bali. “The United States has an interest in the freedom of navigation, the free flow of commerce, a peaceful resolution of disputes (but) we don’t have a claim, we don’t take sides in the claims.”

Donilon said Obama discussed concerns about what Washington sees as the artificially low value of the yuan

and trade disputes that he raised with China’s President Hu Jintao in Hawaii last week. Wen told Obama China would increase the flexibility of the yuan while stressing that reforms had already had an effect, Chinese state media reported. “We are closely watching the changes to the yuan’s exchange rate ... and will encourage the yuan’s flexibility in both directions,” CCTV quoted Wen as saying.

Wen and Obama met on the same day that a commentary by China’s official Xinhua news agency dripped with contempt for his attempt to show that the United States considers itself a Pacific power. As well as the deployment of 2,500 US Marines to northern Australia, Obama and has also irked Beijing with his support for expanding negotiations on a pan-Pacific trade deal in which China is not included. “If the United States sticks to its Cold War mentality and continues to engage with Asian nations in a self-assertive way, it is doomed to incur repulsion in the region,” the Xinhua commentary said. “It is also called upon to guard against sparking disputes and encroaching on others’ interests,” it added, in an apparent reference to the row over the South China Sea. However, China has adopted a largely restrained response to the expansive moves by Washington. “The US has been an important player in Asia ever since the Second World War. We are looking forward to cooperating with them, with the US, in the region,” China’s Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters in Bali.

China is also likely to be concerned by a dramatic US foray into Myanmar, its resource-rich ally and southern neighbour. On Friday Obama said he would send Hillary Clinton there next month, the first visit by a US secretary of state for 50 years, as Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy said it would take part in upcoming by-elections. Washington is looking to encourage tentative reforms by the new nominally civilian regime in a country which for decades was ruled by a military junta, and developed close ties to Beijing while the West imposed sanctions on it. — Agencies

US audit blasts Gulf arms sales Continued from Page 1 Four protesters have since died in custody. The opposition says 40 people were killed.

Auditors also criticized the Defense Department for failing to document its efforts to verify the security and accountability procedures in countries receiving sensitive military equipment, while Pentagon staff in five of six Gulf countries did not document monitoring activities for less sensitive items. “We need to ensure that the equipment is not being diverted to third parties, and that those groups and units who are the intended recipients are not implicated in human rights violations,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Gulf Cooperation Council countries Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the

United Arab Emirates - are among the US military’s biggest clients, with some $22 billion in arms sales from 2005 to 2009. US arms deals are likely to increase with Gulf countries concerned about Iranian intentions and how the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq will affect the stability of the region.

The State Department did not immediately comment on the report. The department said last month that the review and monitoring of defense trade is integral to ensuring that weapons are delivered in compliance with US law and foreign policy goals. All possible violations are investigated, the department said, and infractions can warrant increased monitoring, suspension of future deliveries or even a ban on new weapons sales or maintenance agreements with countries. — Agencies

14

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

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Issues

Risk of civil war looms in Syria

By Rana Moussaoui

T

he risk of civil war looms large over Syria as army defectors increasingly take aim at regime forces and diplomacy fails to resolve the escalating crisis, experts say. “We are moving down that track and the longer the international community and the Arab League delay (action), the sooner we will be there,” said Salman Shaikh, head of the Brookings Doha Center. “The continuing intransigence of countries like Russia will only lead us to a situation whereby no one will want to talk politics and (the Syrians) will start to fight each other,” Shaikh told AFP. The eight-month revolt in Syria has turned increasingly violent, with the Free Syrian Army, made up of army defectors, mounting a daring attack this week against a military intelligence base near the capital and the opposition becoming more militarised. The international community, notably Washington, has expressed concern about the use of violence by the opposition, warning it plays into the hands of the regime. The United Nations is also fearful of civil strife and Syria’s allies in Moscow on Thursday said the previous day’s attack by renegade troops looked like the start of a civil war.

But analysts say that while the risk of such a conflict exists, they did not believe it was imminent.

“The risk for generalised civil war is real though we are not there yet,” said Marwa Daoudy, lecturer at Oxford University’s department of politics and international relations. And a former French diplomat with long experience in Syria said he believes those leading the revolt against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad were still keen to avoid violence. The diplomat, who requested anonymity, warned however that the regime, feeling cornered on all sides, was now pushing for the conflict to turn sectarian.

The Syrian government is dominated by the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, while the majority of the population is Sunni Muslim. “The regime has done so many horrible things that at some point there is the risk of explosion,” the former French diplomat said.

But experts believe that in the event of civil war, the conflict would not necessarily be sectarian but would pit renegade soldiers and the opposition against a regime bent on holding on to power.

“Civil war would not necessarily imply strife between Alawites and Sunnis despite the regime’s attempts to scare the Alawite community with potential future retaliation on the part of the Sunnis,” Daoudy said.

The political opposition, at least for now, has steered clear of taking up arms and pushed for the revolt to remain peaceful. “We are at a turning point,” Burhan Ghalioun, who heads the Syrian National Council, the largest and most representative opposition group to have emerged since midMarch when the revolt erupted, said on Thursday.

“One path can lead us to freedom and dignity, the other toward a civil war that the regime keeps pushing for in order to undercut the revolution,” Ghalioun, a professor of political sociology in France, added in a statement. He said sectarianbased kidnappings and killings were already taking place in several parts of Syria, notably in the central city of Homs and in Daraa, to the south.

But experts say that such incidents for now are isolated and it was up to the opposition to stick to the largely peaceful nature of the revolt, despite a crackdown that has left more than 3,500 people dead, according to the UN. “It is remarkable to what extent the protesters have resisted the efforts of the regime to sow sectarian strife in the country,” said Shaikh. “Everything that I have heard from the opposition (indicates) a desire, even in the transitional phase, to make sure all minorities” are included in any future government, he added. “They don’t want an Iraq-like scenario where the (minority) Sunnis woke up one day and found out they had lost everything.” — AFP

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.

Iraq Syria stance Sunni-Shiite related

By Sammy Ketz

I

raq’s refusal to back Arab measures against Syria, which has since March been trying to crush a popular uprising, has confessional overtones and may boost sectarian division here, analysts say. Iraq now has a Shiite-led government, but was ruled by members of the country’s Sunni minority for most of its histor y. Syria is ruled by minority Alawites, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, while protesters demanding reforms are largely from its Sunni majority. More than 3,500 people have been killed in the conflict, according to UN figures.

Iraq has trod carefully in its response to the violence, and was the only country to abstain from a Nov 12 vote to suspend Syria from the Arab League.

“Our country is deeply confessionally divided, and the Shiites voted for (Syrian President) Bashar Al-Assad,” reacting along sectarian lines, said Hamid Fadhel, a professor of politics at Baghdad University. “Sectarian divisions are already a reality here, with the desire of

politicians to create Sunni and Shiite regions,” Fadhel said of moves by Sunnimajority Salaheddin province, and earlier by Shiite -majority Basra, to form autonomous regions. “The same thing that is happening here will arrive in Syria. Syria will be like Iraq and Lebanon,” he said.

Various Iraqi Shiite leaders have said they support the freedom of the Syrian people, but at the same time condemned the Arab League suspension of Syria on Wednesday. “Suspending Syria’s membership in the Arab League came in an unacceptable way,” Iraq government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Iraqiya television. “We want complete freedom for (Syrians), but not in this forced way that moves the Syrian issue... to internationalisation,” he said. “This issue is very dangerous.”

Iraq’s anti-US Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr said in a recent statement on Syria that “we support your demonstrations to show your opinion”. But at the same time he asserted that there is “a big difference” between events in Syria

and other Arab states that have seen anti-regime protests this year, as “Bashar Al-Assad is against the American and Israeli presence and his attitudes are clear”. Ali Al-Saffar, an Iraq analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit in London, said Iraqi leaders fear instability in Syria spilling over into Iraq, but that Baghdad’s position on Syria risks increasing domestic sectarian divisions.

“I think they (Iraqi leaders) to some extent fear Assad being overthrown will empower the Sunni majority, and that if there was any instability, that that could spill over... into Iraq,” Saffar said.

Syria and Iraq share a 605-km border, and Sunni-majority provinces along the frontier were strongholds of resistance against United States forces and the Shiite-led Iraqi governments that have followed the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.

Saffar noted that Baghdad’s position on Syria is at odds with its strong condemnation of a crackdown by Bahrain’s Sunni government on protests led by the kingdom’s Shiite-majority in March.

“The Iraqi government took a very strong stance against the violence in Bahrain, or at least it made the right noises back then,” Saffar said, which contrasts sharply with its stance on Syria. “It’s going to be very difficult for the Iraqi government to venture, actually, that this is not a sectarian move, and that there are actually internal security implications that they’re taking into consideration,” he said, referring to Iraq’s stance on Syria. And if the government “is not managing to convince the Iraqi Sunnis that... this isn’t a sectarian issue,” he said, “then I think it’s going to spread the (division) along Iraqi sectarian lines”.

Political analyst Ihsan Al-Shammari, meanwhile, said he believes Iraq is concerned by the stances of Sunni-ruled Gulf countries.

“Concerned that certain movements that are hostile to the political system in Syria and linked to Gulf states are becoming predominant, Iraq wants to impress upon those countries that it oppose their desire to intensify the crisis in Syria,” Shammari said. — AFP

US overtures may lure Myanmar from China

By Matthew Pennington

T

he first visit to Myanmar in a half-century by the top US diplomat will open a door for that nation’s military-dominated government to reduce its international isolation and dependence on China, a staunch but mistrusted ally. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans to travel to Myanmar, also known as Burma, on Dec 1-2, to meet with government and opposition leaders. It is the culmination of a two-year effort to engage with a repressive government the US long had shunned.

Washington hopes to encourage further democratic reform rose after Myanmar staged elections last year that ushered in a government of civilians, albeit one dominated by a military structure that had directly ruled the country since 1962.

The new government also freed and began high-level talks with Nobel laureate and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The Obama administration’s diplomatic overtures have a strategic intent, too, of seeking to expand US ties in economically vibrant Southeast Asia as a counter to the growing influence of China.

China has been an all-weather friend to its southern neighbor, Myanmar, and its ruling generals.

After a bloody 1988 crackdown on democracy protesters that heralded Myanmar’s descent into pariah status, China provided diplomatic support, investment and weaponry, while Western nations imposed tough economic, trade and political penalties.

Despite that backing, Myanmar’s fiercely nationalistic leaders have an ingrained suspicion of China and are wary of becoming in thrall to another power. They have sought to balance China’s influence by building ties with a neighbor to the west, India. “Burma has always

been uncomfortable with both of those relationships and wants to balance them with others,” said Priscilla Clapp, who served as the top US diplomat in the country between 1999 and 2002. “That’s the choice they are making now.”

She said that many of the older generation of army officers that now hold senior positions in the government first gained their military experience fighting

insurgents who once controlled large tracts of the vast country’s north, backed by China under then-ruler Mao Zedong. China has long since ended that support. Its economic footprint has grown in the past two decades, particularly in the north of the country, through investments and exploitation of natural resources, such as oil, gas, minerals and timber. The Chinese influ-

ence has bred resentment among the wider population, said Aung Din, a former political prisoner in Myanmar and now executive director of the US Campaign for Burma. Probably the single most significant decision made by the new government of President Thein Sein has been to suspend work on a massive, China-backed hydropower dam in northern Kachin State that would have

US President Barack Obama (left) stands by Myanmar President Thein Sein as they participate in the East Asia Summit family photo in Nusa Dua on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali yesterday. —AFP

yielded major revenues from electricity exports.

Thein Sein said the project, which would have flooded an extensive area and disrupted the flow of the nation’s main Irrawaddy River, was against the will of the people. His decision also sent a powerful signal at a time the US was making energetic efforts to engage Thein Sein’s government: Myanmar was not beholden to China. Myanmar will have to do more to get what it really wants from Washington, which is the lifting of sanctions.

That would require the approval of Congress, where some influential lawmakers have strong personal interest in restoring democracy to Myanmar. The country will first need to fully reconcile with Suu Kyi, release its political prisoners and make peace with ethnic insurgents.

In the meantime, the Obama administration can reward progress with significant gestures. Clinton’s visit, the first by a US secretary of state since John Foster Dulles in 1955, is a diplomatic boost to Thein Sein and rewards the tentative reforms he has initiated so far that could yet face resistance from hardliners in the military establishment.

Clinton’s visit also should strengthen the hand of Suu Kyi, who gave her green light for the trip and whose approval will be key to further US steps to deepen ties with the government.

Even if Myanmar ’s government unclenches its fist to meet the extended hand that the Obama administration says it is offering, do not expect lightning political change. Washington has welcomed the decision of Suu Kyi’s party to contest coming byelections after unfair regulations were amended. But even if it should fare well, her party will have limited leverage. The military-proxy party controls nearly 80 percent of the seats. — AP

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Star wins Betfair Chase

Six NFL players fined NEW YORK: Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and five other players were fined a total of $62,500 for incidents in Sunday’s ill-tempered game between the Lions and Chicago Bears, the National Football League (NFL) said on Friday.

Stafford was fined $7,500 for unnecessary roughness after he grabbed Bears defensive back D.J. Moore by the helmet in the fourth quarter, an NFL spokesman told Reuters.

Moore drew a $15,000 fine for striking Stafford in retaliation. He also was ejected from the game, won 3713 by the Bears.

Detroit defensive

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

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tackle Nick Fairley was also docked $15,000 for unnecessarily driving Bears quarterback Jay Cutler to the ground.

Guard Rob Sims and defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch of the Lions were each fined $7,500 for striking an opponent late, and Bears receiver Earl Bennett was assessed a $10,000 fine.

His infraction? For the second time this season, he wore dominantly orange shoes, a uniform violation, the NFL said.

“I asked (team mates) ‘Should I wear the orange shoes again?’” Bennett told reporters.

— Reuters

HAYDOCK: Veteran champion Kauto Star rolled back the years by powering to an eight-length victory over rival Long Run at the Betfair Chase at Haydock yesterday.

The 11-year-old gelding (6-1) showed he still has the legs to compete with Britain’s leading steeplechasers, making all the running in a strong six-horse field before streaking away in the final furlong to win the race for the fourth time.

Long Run, the 6-5 favorite who stole the King George VI Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup titles from Kauto Star last season, trailed home in second place.

“That was the best ever day I’ve had,” said Kauto Star trainer Paul Nicholls, who has guided the horse to

four King George VI wins and two Gold Cup successes.

Long Run came up alongside Kauto Star halfway through the three-mile trip but couldn’t match his rival’s impeccable jumping in the first big steeplechase race of the British season.

“He’s an amazing horse,” jockey Ruby Walsh said. “It’s a privilege to ride him. I was hoping for one more big run ‚Ä” it’s a pleasure to be on him.”

Many pundits called for Kauto Star to be retired after his pair of draining defeats last season to Long Run but he showed he can still challenge for the biggest prizes this season ‚Ä” starting with a fifth King George VI title at Kempton in December. — AP

FIFA’s best goal shortlist ZURICH: Superstar forwards Lionel Messi, Neymar and Wayne Rooney were featured on the 10-goal shortlist published by FIFA on Friday competing to be chosen the best scored in 2011.

Messi was nominated for a strike featuring delicate skill for Barcelona against Arsenal in the Champions League; Neymar for a solo goal for Santos against Flamengo; and Wayne Rooney for his overhead kick in a Premier League Manchester derby match.

Inter Milan’s Dejan Stankovic was nominated for volleying in from 50 meters (yards) against Schalke in the Champions League.

United States forward Heather O’Reilly was selected for a long-range

Sabres stop Hurricanes R ALEIGH: Buffalo’s Jhonas Enroth recorded his first shutout of the season by making 34 stops to lead the Sabres to a 1-0 win over the reeling Carolina Hu r r i c a n e s on Fr i d ay nig ht . J aso n Pominville scored the game’s only goal.

Enroth is filling in for Ryan Miller as the Sabres’ top goaltender recovers from a concussion suffered Nov. 12 against Boston. It was just his second career shutout.

Carolina has lost seven of its last eight games to sink to the bottom of the Southeast Division standings and prompt speculation about coach Paul Maurice’s future.

Back-up goalie Brian Boucher made 19 saves for the Hurricanes while starting in place of Cam Ward. Boucher has yet to post a win this season.

Avalanche 3, Stars 0 In Denver, Jean-Sebastien Giguere ma de 24 s ave s a s t he Co l o rado Avalanche beat the Dallas Stars 3-0.

Paul Stastny and Chuck Kobasew had a goal each and Matt Duchene scored an empty-net goal with 4.5 seconds left to seal the win and end Colorado’s three-game losing streak.

Giguere’s last shutout was against Ottawa on Feb. 6, 2010, when he was with Anaheim. Kari Lehtonen had 42 saves for Dallas, which has lost four straight. Colorado has struggled at home this season, winning for just the third time in 10 games.

Kobasew gave Colorado a 1-0 lead when he redirected a shot by Ryan

CALGARY: Roman Horak No.51 and Paul Byron No.32 of the Calgary Flames battle for the puck with Dave Bolland No. 36 of the Chicago Blackhawks in third-period NHL action. — AP

Wilson 6:10 into the first period. It was Kobasew’s third goal of the season.

Colorado had to wait until deep into the third period to score again when Stastny poked in a rebound on a power play with 5:26 left for his sixth goal of the season.

Flames 5, Blackhawks 2 In Calgary, Curtis Glencross had two goals and an assist to lead Calgary to a 5-2 w in over th e visitin g Ch ic ago

Blackhawks.

The season-high five-goals was a relief for the Flames after they managed just one goal in five of their previous eight games. Lee Stempniak, Rene Bourque and Paul Byron also scored for the Flames.

Defenseman T.J. Brodie, called up from the AHL on Nov. 9, got his first NHL point by assisting on Stempniak’s goal.

Viktor Stahlberg and Marian Hossa

s core d t he B l a c k haw ks’ goa l s.

Chicago’s Corey Crawford stopped 21 of 26 in the loss. M iik k a K iprusoff made 30 saves on 32 shots for the home team.

Calgary scored twice in a 17-second span at the start of the second period to take a 3-1 lead. The Black hawks reduced the deficit with a power-play goal, but Glencross restored Calgary’s two-goal cushion heading into the third. — AP

strike against Colombia in the Women’s World Cup. Mexico’s Giovani Dos Santos was nominated for his floated chip shot over the United States defense in the Gold Cup final.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic made the list for his goal for AC Milan against Lecce in a Serie A match, and Benjamin De Ceulaer was chosen for scoring in a Belgian League match for Lokeren against Bruges.

—AP

NHL results/standings Buffalo 1, Carolina 0; Colorado 3, Dallas Chicago 2.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF Philadelphia 11 4 3 67 Pittsburgh 11 5 3 58 NY Rangers 10 3 3 47 New Jersey 9 7 1 45 NY Islanders 5 8 3 35 Northeast Division Buffalo 12 7 0 56 Toronto 10 7 2 54 Ottawa 10 9 1 61 Boston 10 7 0 58 Montreal 8 8 3 49 Southeast Division Washington 10 6 1 57 Florida 9 6 3 53 Tampa Bay 9 7 2 52 Winnipeg 7 9 3 52 Carolina 6 11 3 46 Western Conference Central Division Chicago 12 5 3 69 Nashville 10 5 3 50 St. Louis 10 7 1 46 Detroit 9 7 1 45 Columbus 3 13 2 39 Northwest Division Minnesota 11 5 3 44 Edmonton 9 7 2 41 Vancouver 9 9 1 56 Colorado 9 10 1 55 Calgary 8 9 1 41 Pacific Division Los Angeles 10 6 3 48 Dallas 11 7 0 48 San Jose 10 5 1 49 Phoenix 9 5 3 47 Anaheim 6 9 4 39

0; Calgary 5,

GA 52 47 34 48 50

PTS 25 25 23 19 13

47 65 68 39 49

24 22 21 20 19

49 46 56 61 68

21 21 20 17 15

58 44 40 40 66

27 23 21 19 8

38 43 56 61 47

25 20 19 19 17

44 50 41 43 57

23 22 21 21 16

Lievremont breaks silence over France’s World Cup PARIS: Former France coach Marc Lievremont has criticized the All Blacks for their attitude toward his players since New Zealand’s victory in the World Cup final, a match he finds too painful to watch again.

In an interview published late Friday on Le Monde newspaper’s website, Lievremont praised New Zealand rugby fans during France’s unlikely run to the final on Oct. 23. But he was less kind about the All Blacks’ attitude since the game and also questioned whether match referee Brian Joubert had coped with the pressure in the closing stages as New Zealand ground out an 8-7 victory. “They didn’t have a word to say about the France team, and at the gala night at the end of the tournament, it was all about the All Blacks,” Lievremont said. “They were faced with a very trying context because they absolutely had to win. I always thought they were there for the taking. I was more afraid of South Africa.”

The match was packed with incident, with France center Aurelien Rougerie escaping being cited for alleged eye gouging against All Black captain Richie McCaw despite evidence showing the he had a case to answer.

France lost flyhalf Morgan Parra to an early injury when McCaw’s knee caught the side of his head after Parra was trapped underneath the ruck.

“We didn’t appreciate the behavior of their coach Graham Henr y, of the captain R ichie McCaw. They ’re still talk ing about Aurelien Rougerie’s eye gouging on the basis of rather tendentious editing,” Lievremont said.

“But when you see how McCaw behaved, notably with Morgan Parra ... I think they could have shown a bit more humility.”

Lievremont felt France should have beaten a shaky New Zealand team - and raised questions about Joubert’s refereeing decisions.

“We had some clues, we showed that by keeping the ball, by moving New Zealand about, they had problems getting back into position,” Lievremont said. “If the referee had been consistent we could have drawn them into fouls, too.”

Despite the All Blacks pack constantly backpedalling, and failing to roll away in the ruck during the closing stages, Joubert did not blow his whistle.

“We knew there would be a lot of pressure on his shoulders. I think he’s an honest man who was influenced,” Lievremont said. “My regret is that, despite this refereeing which was, let’s say, ‘permissive,’ we could have won. We created chances to score a try he couldn’t have refused.”

Lievremont felt the Australians also had “a referee who didn’t always help them” in their semifinal loss to New Zealand.

“Everyone was eulogistic (about New Zealand), but I felt the Australians missed out,” Lievremont said. Lievremont, however, was touched by New Zealand’s fans.

“I think there’s a big difference between the behavior of (New Zealand’s) leaders and New Zealand’s media, who put an enormous amount of pressure on the All Blacks’ rivals, and the attitude of people in the street,” Lievremont said. “In the hearts of New Zealanders, France was already a special opponent and I think we won their respect. They never stopped encouraging us.”

Lievremont, who has been replaced by Philippe Saint-Andre, still can’t bear to watch the final. “It’s maybe the only match in four years I haven’t watched again,” he said. “It could open up wounds.

There’s a feeling of bitterness. We were so close to something huge, one of the biggest exploits in French sporting history.”

Lievremont ’s own World Cup became a sideshow as he grew a thick mustache after losing a bet with his backroom staff.

“I saw people in New Zealand who were wearing a (fake) mustache and who applauded me perhaps a bit more than certain players,” he said. “I think certain (players) didn’t like that. That probably didn’t help.”

Tensions persisted between him and key players like flanker Imanol Harinordoquy during the tournament. Lievremont’s tough man-management was unconventional and unpopular.

“He cast the stone at us too often. When something goes wrong, we’re all in the same boat,” Harinordoquy said after the tournament. “I felt he was lost ... I won’t miss him.”

After the semifinal win over Wales, Lievremont was furious players defied a curfew to go out late into the night. He called them “a bunch of undisciplined, spoilt brats, disobedient, sometimes selfish, always complaining, always whining, and they’ve been (frustrating me) for four years.”

I t was an astonishing outburst, although Lievremont still claims he meant affectionately.

However, he felt Harinordoquy was hypocritical for speaking out against him after the tournament.

“I consider him to be an intelligent guy with a big ego,” Lievremont said. “I was surprised by his lack of sincerity, because he shook my hand right until the end. Even after the final he could have told me he didn’t like me.”— AP

Red Bull Art of Motion KUWAIT: The second and final day for the Red Bull Art of Motion continues with the five teams focusing on taking the best shots around Failaka Island. The teams have 36 hours to produce a short video clip incorporating their best Free-running and Parkour.

“This event involves team spirit and cooperation as you have to search for the best locations, plan your moves, film and then edit your best shots and produce an interesting video clip. Our team “Qarouh” has the team spirit to accomplish this mission,” said Ryan Doyle.

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Coach: Allegations are ‘patently false’ SYRACUSE: Syracuse University assistant basketball coach Bernie Fine dismissed as “patently false” allegations that he molested two former ball boys for years, and the university chancellor vowed Friday to “do everything in our power to find the truth.”

The school, a college basketball powerhouse, immediately placed Fine on administrative leave “in light of the new allegations” that surfaced Thursday, just two weeks after the Penn State child sex-abuse scandal, and pending an investigation by the Syracuse City Police.

Like Penn State, the Syracuse basketball program put an isolated Northeastern town on the American sports map, and made a star out of its longtime coach, Jim Boeheim. The Penn State scandal cost legendary coach Joe Paterno his job.

Fine, in his 35th season as an assistant on the Syracuse bench, asked for a quick review and expressed confidence he would be vindicated.

“Sadly, we live in an allegation-based society and an internet age where in a matter of minutes one’s lifelong reputation can be severely damaged,” Fine said in a statement released by one of his attorneys. “I am confident that, as in the past, a review of these allegations will be discredited and restore my reputation. I hope the latest review of these allegations will be conducted expeditiously.”

Fine thanked Chancellor Nancy Cantor for her statement that “I should be accorded a fair opportunity to defend myself” and added: “I fully intend

to do so. There should never be a rush to judgment when someone’s personal integrity and career are on the line.”

Cantor vowed that the school will not turn a blind eye to the allegations made by two stepbrothers to ESPN. Both of Fine’s accusers are now adults. Bobby Davis, now 39, told ESPN that Fine molested him beginning in 1984 and that the sexual contact continued until he was around 27. A ball boy for six years, Davis told ESPN that the abuse occurred at Fine’s home, at Syracuse basketball facilities and on team road trips, including the 1987 Final Four, when the Orange lost to Indiana in the national championship game.

Davis’ stepbrother, Mike Lang, 45, who also was a ball boy, told ESPN that Fine molested him starting while he was in fifth or sixth grade. “ The dilemma in any situation like this, of course, is that - without corroborating facts, witnesses or confessions - one must avoid an unfair rush to judgment,” Cantor said. “We have all seen terrible injustices done to the innocent accused of heinous crimes. And we’ve all seen situations where the guilty avoid justice.”

The chancellor said a man contacted the school in 2005 about allegations he had previously reported to police of abuse in the 1980s and 1990s, but that police had declined to pursue it because the statute of limitations had expired.

She said the school conducted its own fourmonth investigation at that time, including inter-

views with people the accuser said would support his allegations, but all of them “denied any knowledge of wrongful conduct” by Fine. Syracuse police spokesman Tom Connellan says the university did not contact police in 2005.

In an email to The Associated Press, Kevin Quinn, the school’s senior vice president for public affairs, said that when the school learned of the allegations in 2005, “it had already been reported to the Syracuse City Police and was already addressed within the criminal justice process.”

Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick has vowed to conduct a complete investigation. He was out of town, and the AP was unable to reach him for comment.

Fitzpatrick told The Post-Standard of Syracuse that prosecutors were never notified when Syracuse police were told of the complaints in 2002 or 2003 and when the university conducted its own investigation in 2005.

Prior to Aug. 5, 2008, when New York’s law changed and the statute of limitations was eliminated, prosecutions for felony and sex abuse of a child had to begin within five years after authorities learned about it or within five years after the child turned 18. Paul DerOhannesian, defense attorney and former Albany County prosecutor, said the five-year statute of limitations has clearly passed for any crimes in this case if they took place in New York. But any out-of-state incidents during basketball road trips would be subject to the laws

of those states, which might not have the same limits, he said.

DerOhannesian said the prosecutor also can bring information and witnesses before a grand jury to do a fact-finding report and recommend changes in the law. “In the course of that investigation, if people lie you then have criminal offenses which are timely,” he said.

Both ESPN and The Post-Standard said they first investigated Davis’ accusations in 2003 but decided not to do a story because there was no independent evidence to corroborate the allegations.

Davis told ESPN that coach Boeheim knew he was traveling on the road and sleeping in Fine’s room. “Boeheim saw me with Bernie all the time in the hotel rooms, on road trips,” Davis said. “He’d come in, and see me laying in the bed, kind of glance at me like, ‘What are you doing here?’ But he wouldn’t say that. He’d just scowl. And I would look at him like, I’d be nervous. I felt embarrassed ‘cause I felt stupid that I’m there. I’m not supposed to be here. I know it, and Boeheim’s not stupid.”

In a telephone interview Thursday night with the AP, Boeheim defended Fine and denied ever going to the assistant’s room, much less seeing Davis there. In an on-camera interview with ESPN, Davis said he was sexually abused “hundreds of times.” Asked why he didn’t come forward during the 16 years he accuses Fine of molesting him, Davis said: “I honestly didn’t think anybody would believe me.” —AP

Edwards, Stewart ready for NASCAR’s prize fight

HOMESTEAD: Austin Dillon, driver of the No 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the 2011 Series Championship in the NASCAR Camping World Truck SeriesFord 200. —AFP

Dillon wins Truck Series HOMESTEAD: Austin Dillon played it safe and ended up winning big. Dillon, the 21-year-old grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, finished 10th in the Truck Series finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday night - good enough to win the series championship.

Rookie of the year in the series a year ago, Dillon is the youngest champion in series history. He also stands as one of racing’s up-and-coming drivers. He is scheduled to drive a full schedule in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series in 2012.

Johnny Sauter won the rain-shortened race, holding off Denny Hamlin just before the final caution dropped. Sauter finished second in points, just ahead of James Buescher.

The sky opened up with 15 laps remaining. NASCAR officials called the race a few minutes later. Dillon celebrated wildly, hugging crew members and his younger brother while splashing in puddles.

Dillon started the race 20 points ahead of Sauter and 28 points ahead of Buescher. All Dillon needed to do was finish 16th or better to secure the title. He spent much of the race in the top 10. There was one moment of concern, when he fell to 15th following a restart. But it was short-lived. He quickly worked his back toward the front, staying out of trouble while passing several other trucks.

Buescher was in the middle of the chaos. Harvick almost wrecked Buescher on an early restart and bumped him later in the same green-flag run. Buescher turned low to block Harvick on the restart. Harvick seemingly didn’t like the move and rammed Buescher’s rear bumper.

Things really got whacky on the next pit stop. As Buescher slowed to turn down pit road, Harvick tried to pass him on the outside. Buescher then turned into Harvick, nearly spinning him around.

Harvick finished third in his final truck race for Kevin Harvick Inc. He announced in September he was shutting down the race team.

Nelson Piquet Jr. was fourth, followed by Joey Coulter. Ty Dillon, Elliott Sadler, Timothy Peters and Jason White rounded out the top 10. —AP

MIAMI: The fighting talk from NASCAR title challengers Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards has ventured close to boxing territory and today, in the season-ending championship race at Homestead Speedway, there really are only two contenders staring each other down.

Carl Edwards goes into the race with just a three point lead over Tony Stewart, meaning that a victory for either driver would be a knockout blow, guaranteeing them the championship.

With Jimmie Johnson’s remarkable five year streak of wins having come to an end, the chance of a walk-off winner on today is a dream finale for the sport.

NASCAR’s play-off system was introduced in 2004 with the intention of creating more closefinishes to the season and none have been closer than this year’s.

Edwards needs only to finish ahead of Stewart to clinch his first series championship while Stewart, who owns the tie break, needs only to tie Edwards to clinch what would be his third.

The 40-year-old Stewart’s victories in 2002 and 2005 haven’t, however, taken away any of his hunger for glory. “I’d wreck my mom to win a championship, I’ll wreck your mom to win a championship,” Stewart told Edwards at a press conference on Thursday.

There was a smile on Stewart’s face as he said those words but that hide the clear desire he has to bring a title to his own team, Stewart-Haas Racing. “I respect him (Edwards) as a driver, but this isn’t about friendships this weekend. This is a war. This is a battle. This is for a national championship,” he added. “It’s no holds barred this weekend. I didn’t come this far to be one step away from it and let it slip away, so we’re going to go for it,” he added.

Edwards, eight years younger than his rival, is clearly enjoying the pressure and the possibility

HOMESTEAD: Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet, talks with a crew member in the garage during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400. — AFP

joining the sport’s list of champions.

“Don’t think for a second that either one of us are going to let anything slide. We’re going to go out here, we’re going to race hard, and we’re going for this championship,” he said. “I don’t think you could find two harder racers than us up here and we both know that about each other.”

Edwards has been impressively consistent this year with 18 top five finishes and 25 top 10s.

Stewart and Edwards have both won twice at

Homestead but Edwards comes into the race with better form while Stewart has four wins to his rivals’ one this season and the added experience.

While a champion is guaranteed, the odds are that neither racer will emerge as the winner of Sunday’s race as there have been 18 different winners this season no-one has ever won Homestead and the championship in the same year. — Reuters

Chan clinches Trophee Bompard for the 3rd time

PARIS: Song Nan of China performs his Men Free Skating program during the Ice Skating Bompard Trophy at Bercy arena. — AP

PARIS: World champion Patrick Chan won the Trophee Bompard for the third time yesterday, despite an error-strewn free program that saw him land awkwardly on two falls and stumble on a step sequence.

Chan started strongly by nailing a quad toe loop-triple toe loop combination, but then lost his balance during the circular step sequence. It seemed to affect his confidence, and he landed awkwardly on two jumps in quick succession.

“The warmup felt really good, the program didn’t,” the Canadian said. “I felt shaky on the quads all week. Sometimes you make mistakes but overall I’m very pleased.”

Having dominated the short program on Friday, Chan had enough overall points (240.60) to comfortably beat Song Nan of China (224.10) and Czech ice skater Michal Brezina (218.60).

The 20-year-old said he was not focusing properly, however, when he made a basic error during the

step sequence. “I’m not thinking enough about keeping my center strong,” he said. “I get too carried away.”

Song glided effortlessly across the ice to Franz Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2”, drawing loud applause from the crowd at the Bercy arena.

“It wasn’t as good as my Cup of China, but I’m pleased I was able to do two quad toes,” said Song, who was first in free skate when he finished third at the Cup of China two weeks ago. “It was tough but I enjoyed competing here. There are many things I need to improve to get to (Chan’s) level.”

Brezina qualified along with Chan for next month’s Grand Prix Final. “That was a goal of mine for three years and I finally made it,” Brezina said.

“That’s good, and I’m really happy but I still need to work on the quad.”

Later yesterday, world junior runner-up Elizaveta Tuktamisheva of Russia defended her lead in the women’s free. —AP

Nowinski hopes former players lend hand CHICAGO: Already at the forefront of research on the effects of repeated blows to the head, Chris Nowinski is trying to raise awareness at a grassroots level and he hopes former players will lend a hand.

As CEO of the Sports Legacy Institute at Boston University, Nowinski has studied the issue closely.

High-profile cases in recent years have made it a hot-button topic, but he’s also trying to raise awareness by educating coaches and athletes on the high school and youth levels.

“Having the former NFL players is just a great way to get into the door,” Nowinski said. “People love them. We’re hoping it just gets us more invitations.”

That was one of his goals at the “Eye On Concussions ... Taking a Closer Look” fundraiser on Friday, along with raising money and promoting education on the effects of head trauma. Roughly two dozen former professional athletes along with politicians, medical personnel and educators were on hand for the event, which organizers expected to raise about $50,000.

The proceeds were to go to the Sports Legacy Institute, which has been studying the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, along with Illinois Eye Institute Foundation and the Chicago Concussion Coalition.

Nowinski grew up in the Chicago area, played football at Harvard and had his career as a professional wrestler cut short by concussions. He has since dedicated himself to the issue.

The groups have helped educate about 2,000 Chicago Public Schools coaches and 5,000 nationally through various workshops. They’ve also visited with about 6,000 youngsters, mostly in the Boston area, but plan to conduct more in Chicago.

“I think it’s been phenomenal what Chris has done,” said Reggie Smith, president of Chicago chapter of the NFLPA and a former offensive lineman. “The support that he’s gotten nationally and internationally, he’s letting folks know in an upfront way. This has always been there, but now, there’s an advocate making sure something is done - not from a ‘look what happened to these guys’ but ‘let’s not let this happen again.’”

The long-term effects of repeated blows to the head have dominated discussions in the NFL, around the NCAA and into the prep ranks for some time now, with states passing laws intended to protect young athletes from trauma.

High profile cases in recent years such as pro wrestler Chris Benoit’s suicide after murdering his wife and young son in 2007 and the suicide of former Chicago Bears Pro Bowl safety Dave Duerson helped shine a light on the issue. The late Bob Probert, who spent part of his career as one of the NHL’s toughest enforcers with the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks, had CTE, too, and relatives of former NFL player and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Corwin Brown have said they believe he has the disease.

Brown was taken from his home in Granger, Ind., near South Bend after a seven-hour standoff with police Aug. 12 in which prosecutors say he held his wife hostage with a handgun and bruised her. The standoff ended after Brown shot himself in the abdomen. “I’m lucky,” former Bears player Charlie Brown said. “But I’ve known a lot of guys

who weren’t. Dave Duerson was a friend, and we both wore the same number as Bears - 22. I can’t pass judgment on Dave. I just thought he was a fine person.”

The NFL and NHL require players who have suffered concussions to be cleared by an independent neurologist before they’re allowed to play again.

The NFL also made significant changes in offseason workout schedules, reducing team programs by five weeks and cutting organized team activities (OTAs) from 14 to 10 sessions as part of the new labor deal reached this past summer. Practice time and contact is more limited now, too, but youth and high school players don’t have a union bargaining for them. They’re relying on the adults to look out for them. They’re also more prone to concussions because their bodies are still developing and they’re not necessarily using the best equipment. Young children might not possess the language skills to alert coaches who might not recognize the symptoms that there is a problem. That’s why officials insist education is essential, and that’s where the workshops come in. —AP

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

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Spithill, French reach ACWS racing finals SAN DIEGO: Oracle Racing’s Jimmy Spithill and France’s Energy Team swept their semifinal matches to reach the finals of the America’s Cup World Series match racing championship.

Spithill, the defending America’s Cup champion, beat overall series leader Dean Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand in two races Friday to set up a best-of-3 final against France’s Energy Team on Saturday.

Energy Team beat Sweden’s Artemis Racing, which is skippered by American Terry Hutchinson, in both races. Sailed in fast, 45-foot catamarans with wing sails, the ACWS is a prelude to the 2013 America’s Cup, which will be sailed in 72-foot cats on San Francisco Bay. Oracle tested its massive trimaran off San Diego before beating Alinghi of Switzerland in Valencia, Spain, in February 2010 to return the America’s Cup to the United States for the first time since 1995.

“It’d be nice if it was a bit windier, but we spent a little time here over the last three years, so it’s a bit like coming home for most of us,” said Dutchman Dirk de Ridder, who trims the wing sail. “We had a good time here when we were here preparing for the Cup. It’s an easy place to fly into, good restaurants, the bars are pretty good as well, we found out once in a while.

It’s great to be here again.”

This is the first America’s Cup racing in the United States since Russell Coutts, now the CEO of Oracle’s sailing team, led Team New Zealand to a fiverace sweep of Dennis Conner off San Diego in 1995. The new catamarans replace the plodding sloops that were used in the America’s Cup from 19922007.

The wing sails, which look and operate like airplane wings, replace traditional soft-sail rigs. They’re an offshoot of the radical, 223-foot wing sail that powered Oracle’s trimaran in the

2010 America’s Cup. De Ridder trimmed that wing in the America’s Cup, although he said it was easier because it had an engine to aid the process.

The wing sail on the 45-foot catamaran “is creating a lot more lift than a normal soft sail does, for a lot less load,” de Ridder said. “Sailing like today, it would be around three tons of mainsheet tension, vertically, and now we have about 200 kilos of side load to deal with. So the trimming is much more accurate and much more direct than it would be on a soft sail.

It’s much easier. I like the wing because it’s very responsive.”

While it was a good day for Oracle Racing in the matchup of heavyweight sailing teams, it wasn’t for the Kiwis, the overall series leader coming into San Diego. They were hoping to reach the match racing finals for the third straight ACWS regatta.

Team New Zealand lost to Spithill in

the finals in Cascais, Portugal, before beating Team Korea in Plymouth, England. “We just clearly didn’t sail anywhere near the level we needed to today, and against opposition like that, you can’t afford to sail badly,” Barker said. “For whatever reason, we just had a bad day.”

In the second semifinal, Energy Team trailed early in both races before using a similar passing move on the first downwind leg. With Artemis Racing leading toward the course boundary, new Energy Team skipper Yann Guichard was able to gybe his boat inside the Swedish challenger in both races, each time getting a favorable puff of wind at a critical moment to power ahead of Artemis.

“It’s a big surprise for us to be in the semifinal today and now we are in the final, so we will enjoy the moment,” Guichard said. “I feel the pressure but I like the challenge, so I’m happy to be in the final. I think the competitor in

front of me, Spithill, is one of the best ones, so I’m really happy to fight with Spithill tomorrow.”

Hutchinson used a football analogy to describe getting passed by the French in the first race. He said it didn’t help that his boat had a knot in the gennaker sheet that slowed down the gybe. “The first race is standing in the end zone, wide open, hitting the guy right in the numbers, and he drops the ball,” Hutchinson said. “Yet we picked ourselves up and battled our way back into the race. In the second race, same thing again. We got a great start, had about a four-length lead at the off-set mark, we matched them with a gybe and he got a puff of wind we didn’t get. That is the difficult part about sailing. There is a Mother Nature part that sometimes you just can’t control.

It’s way more painful in these boats because they accelerate so quickly, and the guy that gets a little bit more wind takes off.”—AP

Contador comes to court for 2010 Tour doping case GENEVA: One of the biggest doping scandals in recent years goes to court next week in a case that could hang on a slice of prime beef that was eaten 16 months ago.

Did Alberto Contador’s positive test for clenbuterol during his 2010 Tour de France victory stem from eating contaminated steak bought in Spain?

The three-time Tour winner’s legacy and the integrity of world anti-doping rules will hang in the balance during a trial beginning Monday at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. Given the case’s legal and scientific complexity, a verdict is not expected until January.

Contador’s large, and expensive, legal team will argue that he should be exonerated because he was not at fault for eating meat that was either illegally fattened up with the banned drug in his native Spain or imported already containing it.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will try to prove over the four-day hearing that the red meat is a legal red herring.

They will argue that contamination is the least likely explanation for Contador having a tiny amount of the anabolic agent in his urine; perhaps, that a banned blood transfusion reintroduced the doping substance to his body on July 20-21, 2010, when he was just four stages from victory in Paris.

If found guilty of doping, Contador can expect to receive a two-year ban and be stripped of his 2010 Tour title and his 2011 Giro d’Italia victory.

Contador has said he calmly awaits his time in court, and prepared by marrying longtime girlfriend Macarena Pescado this month and going on honeymoon to the Caribbean and Rome.

The 28-year-old rider was cleared by a Spanish cycling federation tribunal last February, and the court of public opinion in his home country where he is a sports icon.

Another victory for Contador could force parts of the World Anti-Doping Code the basis for policing drug cheats in sports to be rewritten.

The code says that athletes testing positive for substances such as clenbuterol are guilty of a doping offense because of strict liability, unless they can specifically show how it entered their body.

Yet the contents of Contador’s dinner plate on a Tour de France rest day in Pau are long since gone. Leading American sports lawyer Howard Jacobs believes that evidence is the crux of the case.

“It’s going to be Contador’s burden to prove,” Jacobs told The Associated Press.

“He has to prove where the clenbuterol came from. That’s what the code says.”

WADA is bringing the butcher who sold the beef to a Contador friend as a witness at the hearing, according to Spanish media reports. A representative of Spain’s cattle farmers - whose integrity also is at stake also has reportedly been summoned. CAS secretary general Matthieu Reeb told the AP he expected “around 20” expert witnesses will be called in a case that has amassed documents totaling nearly 4,000 pages.

Former Contador teammates, who also ate the beef but were not tested at the Tour, will testify.

“Alberto is a friend and he asked me to testify, so I’ll go there and give my version of what happened,” Italian rider Paolo Tiralongo told The AP in a phone interview.

“Alberto told us that afternoon that his friend was coming with (the meat),”

Tiralongo said, adding that the Astana team cook prepared the dinner.

Contador’s legal team also includes English anti-doping expert Vivian James; Paul Scott, an American who has run testing programs for cycling teams; Italian blood analyst Giuseppe Banfi; and a statistician to challenge readings from the UCI’s biological passport - the main weapon in cycling’s fight against the doping that has so often discredited the sport.

The Spaniard’s legal team has also reportedly lined up American lie detector expert Louis Rovner, in an echo of past high-profile doping cases.

In 2004, lawyers for Marion Jones presented US anti-doping officials with results from a polygraph test in which she denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs.

The disgraced sprinter later confessed to doping in the notorious BALCO case and served jail time for perjury.

Contador is expected to give evidence on Tuesday and be cross-examined. The quality of questioning could be decisive if, as Spanish cycling federation president Juan Carlos Castano told The AP, “there’s no indication of how the case will go.”

Castano’s federation first handled the case and its independent anti-doping tribunal was advised to ban Contador for one year.

Two weeks later, and after Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on Twitter that there was no reason for sanctions, Contador was cleared.

WADA and the UCI appealed that decision in March and appeared to be backed by sports law.

However, their case has since been complicated by the contaminated meat defense succeeding for athletes who tested positive after competing in countries where many farmers feed clenbuterol to livestock.

WADA accepted this defense last month when it abandoned an appeal in a case involving five Mexican soccer players. It had little choice after FIFA demonstrated that more than 100 players at the recent Under-17 World Cup hosted by Mexico also were contaminated.

The low levels of clenbuterol found in some of the FIFA cases were similar to those recorded in Contador’s sample - 50 picograms - by the same lab in Cologne, Germany. The small amount also makes it difficult to differentiate between contamination and doping.

“As far as the numbers go, both hypotheses hold up and you need to determine which one is right,” said Francesco Botre, director of the WADA-accredited Rome laboratory, which is not involved in the Contador case.

Jacobs, a highly sought defense lawyer for sports doping cases, sees one distinguishing factor. “Just because there’s all these positives in Mexico and China doesn’t mean that he tested positive for the same reason in France,” Jacobs said.

WADA officials declined to comment on the case and the agency’s legal strategy is unclear. One option could be to allege that Contador used an illegal blood transfusion after stage 16 stage as a boost for the grueling 17th leg that finished atop the Tourmalet peak. Contador led by just 8 seconds over eventual runner-up Andy Schleck of Luxembourg on the rest day; he would extend the lead to 39 seconds in the stage 19 time trial, the day before taking victory in Paris.—AP

Alberto Contador in court for biggest doping scandal

MELBOURNE: Tiger Woods chips out of a bunker on the third day of the President’s Cup tournament played at the Royal Melbourne golf course. —AP

Tiger tamed but US sniff victory MELBOURNE: South Korea’s Kim Kyung-tae drained a clutch putt on the 18th hole to beat Tiger Woods in their four-ball match and give the Internationals a glimmer of hope with the Americans closing in on a seventh Presidents Cup victory yesterday.

Partnered with YE Yang, Kim’s six-foot kneetrembler in front of a massive gallery at Royal Melbourne sealed a 1-up victory over Woods and Dustin Johnson as the Internationals edged the United States 3-2 in the four-ball matches.

Having dominated the morning foursomes 41 on a wet and windy day, the US carry a 13-9 point lead into Sunday and need only five wins from the 12 singles matches to clinch their fourth straight trophy at the venue of their sole loss in 1998.

“We will get the old guys, as we did get a couple of guys on the team bus to tell them, this isn’t far from over, and you need to go out and everyone needs to win a point,” US captain Fred Couples told reporters.

“That’s kind of the game plan ... Once they tee off on number one, they are pretty much on their own.” Kim and Yang’s personal triumph marked a banner day for South Korea as KJ Choi partnered with Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy to defeat Steve Stricker and Matt Kuchar 1-up.

But the Internationals’ traditional weakness in the alternate shot format may ultimately prove decisive as the disparate band of nations once again failed to gel.

Having lost 4-2 in Thursday’s foursomes, they finished 8-3 for the tournament in the format, which the US play on alternate years in the Ryder Cup. “It’s a hell of a tough task. I’ve seen so many captains come and go, and you know, we still haven’t got the formula right,” said South Africa’s Ernie Els. “But it’s a difficult thing to get going. But once that clicks, you know, this could be a lot dif-

ferent. But we’ve got to find that formula.”

Retief Goosen and fellow South African Charl Schwartzel ended the dream run of Webb Simpson and Bubba Watson in the first four-ball match but the Americans hit back through Billy Haas and Hunter Mahan.

Mahan rolled in a 22-foot putt on the par-four 17th to seal a 2&1 win over Australians Aaron Baddeley and Jason Day and celebrated a win in an atmosphere he likened to the Ryder Cup. “I thought we were going to have a pretty good afternoon and just turned windy and cold and rainy and felt like we were back in England,” he said.

“And (the spectators) were singing-they were very boisterous today, playing with Aaron and Jason.” Adam Scott, who partnered Els, had a chance to steal a late half-point against Jim Furyk and Nick Watney on the 18th, but his long putt slid right of the hole as the Americans won the final match-up 1-up to snatch back the momentum at the close.

The US were earlier sparked by a third leadoff win by Cup debutants Watson and Simpson, who marched to a 3&2 win over Australians Robert Allenby and Ogilvy, their third straight victory.

Mahan and David Toms had teamed up to thrash Goosen and Schwartzel 5&4 while Woods broke his points drought by teaming up with Johnson to down Adam Scott and Choi 3&2.

Phil Mickelson and Furyk closed out their third successive win with a 2&1 victory over Baddeley and Day. Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa provided a rare bright bright patch on a gloomy morning for the Internationals with some brilliant clutch putting late in his match-up with Els to win a point against Haas and Kuchar.

He finished off nervelessly sinking a five-footer to seal the win and give the pair a breakthrough victory after two straight losses to Watson and Simpson in their opening matches.

Staring at his second straight Cup defeat as captain against Couples, this time on home soil, Greg Norman tried to keep positive in the face of the mammoth task to upend the Americans on Sunday.

“Right now, we have got our backs against the wall, no question about it, and you’ve got to believe that you can come back,” he said. “I believe the guys can.”—Reuters

MELBOURNE: International team’s Ernie Els of South Africa reacts after missing a putt on the 7th green during the Presidents Cup golf tournament at Royal Melbourne Golf Course. —AP

‘Silly’ foursomes should be scrapped: Thomson MELBOURNE: Foursomes, golf’s alternate shot matchplay format, is a “very silly game” and should be dumped from the Presidents Cup, according to five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson.

“It is an anachronism,” Thomson, the only International captain to wrest the trophy from the United States, told Reuters at Royal Melbourne Golf Club yesterday.

“It has largely died out, if it ever was prominent. It’s a silly idea and it’s not good for people watching. I don’t think it serves much purpose in the contest.” Thomson, who led his team to a one-sided victory at Royal Melbourne in 1998, was speaking after the Internationals lost four of the five morning foursomes matches to finish 83 down for the tournament in the format.

While no fan of foursomes, Thomson said the

internationals should still be “better at it than we are. I don’t know the mystery of why they lose.”

Foursomes matches are not common in the United States yet the Americans seem to have mastered the format, perhaps because they play it every other year in the Ryder Cup. Robert Allenby has lost seven times in foursomes, second only to Retief Goosen (8) for the most losses in the format of any Presidents Cup player. Allenby’s 16 overall losses are the most by any player. Internationals captain Greg Norman rested Allenby for the four-ball format yesterday, hoping the rest would rejuvenate the Royal Melbourne specialist for today’s singles matches. Allenby is looking to avoid joining American John Huston as the only captain’s pick to fail to contribute at least a half-point to his team’s total. Huston went winless and pointless

in four matches at Royal Melbourne 1998.

Thomson said the United States were ahead simply because they had a superior team, though the Internationals could still mount a challenge.

“There are 12 points to be distributed tomorrow (in Sunday singles matches). That can quite quickly take care of a deficit,” he said.

Regardless of the final result, Thomson said both teams were losers on the Royal Melbourne course, criticising the rock-hard greens as “over the top” after they proved a nightmare for players during hot northerly breezes on Friday.

International assistant captain, Frank Nobilo, said on Friday the course was “right on the edge” of being unplayable. “I think he was being generous,” said Thomson, who still ranks Royal Melbourne’s famous composite layout among his favorite all-time.—Reuters

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

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Match called off after referee suicide bid BERLIN: The Bundesliga referee, who attempted to commit suicide yesterday morning just hours before he was scheduled to officiate a German league game, is stable in a Cologne hospital and out of danger. German league referee Babak Rafati, 41, was discovered in the bathtub of his hotel room in Cologne by his assistant referees early yesterday having tried to commit suicide by cutting open his veins.

Theo Zwanziger, president of the German Football Federation (DFB), confirmed Rafati’s condition during a Cologne press conference and praised the three assistant referees whose actions had

undoubtedly saved their colleague’s life.

“It is an extraordinary situation, when one of our top referees makes a suicide attempt,” said Zwanziger. “After Babak was not at breakfast, and then didn’t come to a meeting to discuss the game, his assistants had his room opened and they found him in the bathtub.

“There was a lot of blood. That is all I can say, the other details should be spared. “I have to say, the three assistant referees saved Babak’s life.”

The German league match Rafati should have officiated between Cologne and Mainz was called off 40 minutes before

kick-off and will be replayed.

Rafati is being treated in an intensive care unit and Zwanziger said Germany had learnt little from the tragic death of Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke, who took his life two years ago after battling with depression for several years. “One wonders why such a young man sees only hopelessness before him,” said Zwanziger about Rafati.

“I can only offer that our referees are exposed to an incredible amount of pressure and we have not managed to get things in the proper balance. “It is clear, however, that he will need further intensive

treatment.”

Bundesliga coaches have expressed their dismay at the news. “I know him very well, the news has shocked me greatly,” Hanover 96 coach Mirko Slomka told German Sky. Schalke coach Huub Stevens was dumbfounded.

“It’s hard to believe that something like this can happen,” said the Dutchman. “I am lost for words. “Health is always the most important thing and football is only a minor matter in comparison.

“I can imagine no one wanted to play after hearing the news.” Rafati, who is of Iranian origin, has been a Bundesliga refer-

ee for six years, ironically his first match having also been between Cologne and Mainz, and he has officiated 84 top-flight German league games.

“I am incredibly concerned. This affects the entire football community,” said Germany’s three-time World Cup referee Markus Merk, an expert for German Sky television. He had been a FIFA referee since 2008, Rafati was not nominated by the DFB to referee this year at international level.

He had been often criticised by Bundesliga players and German magazine Kicker had voted him the worst referee in the league on a few occasions.—AFP

Barca crush Zaragoza

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s batsman AB de Villiers (right) plays a reverse shot as Australia’s wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (left) follows play during the third day of the second Test. —AP

Amla and De Villiers frustrate Australians JOHANNESBURG: Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers shared an unbeaten century partnership as South Africa regained the initiative on the third day of the second and final Test against Australia at the Wanderers Stadium yesterday.

South Africa were 229 for three when bad light ended play, an overall lead of 199. Amla was on 89 and De Villiers 70. Their fourth wicket stand was worth 139.

It was yet another turnaround in a series in which there have been some remarkable changes of fortune. At lunch Australia would have thought they were in a good position to push for a series-levelling win after 18-yearold fast bowler Pat Cummins struck twice as South Africa lost three wickets. The host nation were 94 for three at lunch.

“There is a bit of disappointment in the dressing room,” admitted Australian allrounder Shane Watson. “After having South Africa three down we couldn’t get that one more wicket.

In this series one wicket has often led to a couple more and we might have been able to get through. But Amla and De Villiers batted very well.” Watson admitted that Australia were in a situation where they had to work their way through the South African batting if they were to have a chance of squaring the series following an eight-wicket defeat in the first Test in Cape Town.

“We have to bowl them out,” he said.“ They’re a tough team and they’re not going to give us a chance, being one-nil up in the series. We would do the same if we were in their position.”

Watson was unable to bowl after straining a hamstring in the first innings. He said the injury would probably prevent him from bowling in at least the first Test against New Zealand in Brisbane starting on December 1.

Cummins was Australia’s leading bowler,

taking two for 46 in 17 overs. He dismissed opening batsman Jacques Rudolph, who mistimed a pull against a ball which lifted sharply, and then had Jacques Kallis caught at first slip for two after an impressive sequence of deliveries which troubled South Africa’s star batsman.

“It was very impressive to see a young guy working over a legend of the game,” said Watson. “To do that to Jacques Kallis shows a serious amount of talent.”

Cummins had a confident shout for leg before wicket against Amla turned down by umpire Billy Bowden shortly after lunch.

The Australians asked for a review and Bowden’s decision was upheld when replays showed the ball would have hit the leg bail in the umpire’s discretionary area.

De Villiers also had a close escape against Cummins when he edged the ball down the legside dangerously close to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.

But the pair gradually got on top of the bowling. Although dramatic collapses have been the norm in the short series, South Africa will hope to build on their total as they push to win a home series against Australia for the first time since 1969/70, a victory which preceded 21 years of isolation for South Africa.

Rudolph said it was important for Amla and De Villiers to continue. “There are 11 overs before the second new ball and they have a chance to play themselves in before it is taken,” he said.

“With us losing three wickets quite early I thought the game was on a knife edge but those two batted really well and almost took it away from the Australians,” said Rudolph.

He said that although the South Africans felt they could defend anything over 300 they would be looking to extend the lead to around 400.—AFP

SCOREBOARD JOHANNESBURG: Close of play scores on the third day of the second and final Test between South Africa and Australia at the Wanderers Stadium yesterday: South Africa, first innings, 266 Australia, first innings, 296 South Africa, second innings (overnight 0-0) G. Smith c Hughes b Lyon 36 J. Rudolph c Haddin b Cummins 24 H. Amla not out 89 J. Kallis c Clarke b Cummins 2 A. de Villiers not out 70 Extras (b4, lb1, nb1, w2) 8

Total (3 wkts, 69 overs) 229 Fall of wickets: 1-40 (Rudolph), 2-75 (Smith), 3-90 (Kallis) Bowling: Johnson 17-1-58-0, Cummins 17-346-2 (2w), Siddle 17-6-41-0, Lyon 11-3-41-1, Hussey 4-0-9-0, Clarke 2-1-2-0, Ponting 1-0-8-0.

Match situation: South Africa, with seven second innings wickets remaining, lead by 199 runs.

BARCELONA: Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 win over Zaragoza yesterday, provisionally drawing level with Spanish leader Real Madrid before its visit to thirdplace Valencia.

Barcelona’s precision passing game kept Zaragoza on the back foot as the three-time defending champions had little trouble extending their excellent start to 19 games without a loss this season.

Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi scored before halftime, with Carles Puyol forcing Zaragoza defender Maurizio Lanzaro into adding an own goal before David Villa capped the win late.

Zaragoza failed to draw a single save from goalkeeper Victor Valdes. Barcelona has outscored its league opponents at Camp Nou 30-0 in seven games this season.

While Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola left Villa and Andres Iniesta on the bench to begin the game with his team set to play AC Milan on Wednesday in the Champions League, he started Messi despite his recent matches and travels with Argentina.

The long international break appeared to show early as Barcelona dominated possession but lacked spark in attack.

But that soon changed when Xavi Hernandez picked out Pique charging into the area unmarked to head home his free kick for the 18th-minute opener.

“Sometimes it is good to take advantage of set-pieces when teams play back in defense,” said Pique, adding that he wasn’t counting on Madrid slipping at Valencia. “We just have to focus on ourselves. There is a lot of league left to play.”

Ahead in the score, Barcelona

began to bombard Zaragoza’s area with only Roberto Jimenez’s goalkeeping denying the hosts a quick second goal as he saved shots from Messi, forward Alexis Sanchez and left-back Maxwell.

Messi provided a constant threat with his advances through the middle of the defense, and

game, he could have been an asset for the team, just like (contemporary Sachin) Tendulkar,” Pawar added.

Kambli hit two double-centuries and two single ones in his first seven tests before his career stuttered, primarily because of his lack of focus. BCCI also joined some of Kambli’s former team mates, including then captain Mohammad Azharuddin, in ruling out any wrongdoing in the match.

“I don’t think we need to attach any importance to someone who wakes up 15 years after the incident to make these allegations,” BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla told reporters.

Sports Minister Ajay Maken, however, called for a probe into the allegations. “When a player of the team has made a charge, it should be thoroughly investigated,” Maken told reporters.

“It should be properly investigated and if something wrong has happened then the culprits should be punished.” Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were jailed this month for taking bribes to fix incidents in last year’s Lord’s test.—Reuters

injured strikers Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar, was rewarded for his strong overall per formance when he finished off a counterattack with a deft chip in the 21st minute.

After a good start to the season, Betis’ winless slump extended to eight straight games as it

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Carles Pujol (left) scores against Zaragoza’s goalkeeper Roberto Jimenez during a Spanish La Liga soccer match at the Camp Nou stadium. —AP he soon took his league-leading goal tally to 15 when he received Cesc Fabregas’ pass inside the area and shot by Roberto with a low right-footed strike. It was the star’s 50th goal for Barcelona in 2011.

Zaragoza showed some effort to cut the deficit after halftime, but the result was soon put

was alone in the area in the 75th to head in B-teamer Isaac Cuenca’s cross for his first goal in seven league games.

Elsewhere, Borja Valero’s firsthalf goal gave Villarreal a 1-0 win over visiting Real Betis for its third win of the season.

Valero, a midfielder pressed into attack with Villarreal missing

failed to turn its greater possession into an equalizer.

On Sunday, it’s: Real Sociedad vs. Espanyol, Osasuna vs. Rayo Vallecano, Spor ting Gijon vs.

Getafe, Sevilla vs. Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid vs. Levante, and Granada vs. Mallorca. Racing Santander hosts Malaga on Monday to close round 12.—AP

Dortmund scrape past Bayern BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund blew the German League title race wide open with a 1-0 win at leaders Bayern Munich, but the attempted suicide of a Bundesliga referee over-shadowed yesterday’s matches.

Defending champions Dortmund cut Bayern’s lead at the top of the Bundesliga to just two points when Germany star Mario Goetze scored the winner at Munich’s Allianz Arena in a tense game.

After playing a double pass with Japan winger Shinji Kagawa, Goetze got the better of Bayern’s Germany defender Jerome Boateng and drilled his shot past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer on 65 minutes. The win is a

huge confidence boost for Dortmund who take on Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Dortmund claim second only by virtue of goal difference after Borussia Moenchengladbach Marco Reus scored a hat-trick in the 5-0 hammering of Werder Bremen to join Borussia on 26 points with Bayern on 28. Like Goetze, Reus is one of Germany’s rising stars and his three goals left him with seven in his last three league games and 10 from 13 Bundesliga matches this season.

Premier League side Manchester City and Bayern are just two of the teams interested in signing the rising

star. Venezuela midfielder Juan Arango and Patrick Herrmann added the other two goals as Bremen, who drop to fifth in the table, were well beaten. Schalke moved up to fourth after Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, twice, Germany Under-21 captain Lewis Holtby and Raul scored in the 4-0 win over Nuremberg.

The Royal Blues were without both Peru forward Jefferson Farfan and Germany defender Benedikt Hoewedes, who both picked up injuries while on international duty last Tuesday.

Ten-man Hanover drop to seventh in the league after they were hammered 4-1 at Wolfsburg as Ivory

Coast striker Didier Ya Konan was sent off for unsporting conduct after throwing the ball at Japan’s Makoto Hasebe in the 58th minute.

Veteran former Bayern and Juventus midfielder Hasan Salihamidzic scored twice and the victory lifts the 2009 German champions up to 12th in the table.

Hertha Berlin were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, whose midfielder Stefan Reisinger hit the equaliser in the 95th minute. Bayer Leverkusen warmed up for Wednesday’s visit of Chelsea in the Champions League with a 2-0 win over Kaiserslautern with Michael Ballack getting on the scoresheet.—AFP

Strugglers Inter earn rare victory

ICC chief and BCCI dismiss Kambli corruption claims NEW DELHI: International Cricket Council (ICC) President Sharad Pawar yesterday joined the Indian cricket board (BCCI) in dismissing former player Vinod Kambli’s claims of possible corruption in India’s 1996 World Cup semi-final loss to Sri Lanka.

A teary-eyed Kambli recently told a television channel he had doubts about some of the decisions, including opting to bat first, taken in the Kolkata match, which Sri Lanka won by default following crowd trouble at Eden Gardens.

Chasing 252 for victory, India suffered a batting collapse and slumped to 120-8 when a violent crowd stopped the game and Kambli left the ground sobbing.

Pawar had his doubts about the allegations made by a former cricketer known for his headline-grabbing penchant. “If he is honest and committed cricketer, he should have informed all. Even if he knew something, he kept quiet,” Pawar told Indian media.

“I honestly feel his allegations are an irresponsible statement. I would rather go by what (former India captains) Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar or Ajit Wadekar say.

“Had he (Kambli) focussed more on his

beyond doubt when Lanzaro pushed the ball across his own goalline in a desperate attempt to stop Puyol from tapping home a rebound of his own strike that Roberto had done well to block.

Villa went on with Iniesta as substitutes and the Spain striker

ITALY: Inter Milan Brazilian defender Jonathan Moreira (left) challenges for the ball with Cagliari midfielder Radja Nainggolan, of Belgium, during the Serie A soccer match.—AP

ROME: Troubled Inter Milan earned only their third league win of the season yesterday as they beat Cagliari 2-1 at the San Siro. The result left the 2010 Champions League winners still down in 16th position ahead of the rest of the weekend’s games and only three points above the relegation zone.

Thiago Motta scored a controversial opener before Coutinho secured the points although Joaquin scored a late goal for the visitors to give Inter some nervy moments at the death.

The victory was crucial for Caludio Ranieri’s players who have struggled at the bottom of the table all season. And they weren’t helped before kick-off when playmaker Wesley Sneijder pulled up with a muscle problem, although his replacement in the starting line-up Coutinho grasped the chance with both hands.

For Calgiari, who were being guided by their third coach this season in Davide Ballardini, it continued their recent slump that has seen them now lose their last three and fail to win in six scudetto matches.

The first decent chance of the game came when Cagliari’s Albin Ekdal burst 40 yards from the halfway line, holding off Walter Samuel before firing wide.

Thereafter the game settled into a predictable pattern with Inter dominating possession and pushing forward, although they struggled to break down the stubborn Sardinians.

Their best two chances came a couple of minutes apart halfway through the first period.

Giampaolo Pazzini took aim from 20 yards but his fizzed effort was tipped onto the bar by goalkeeper Michael Agazzi.

And moments later Mauro Zarate lined up a free-kick that he sent curling towards the top corner but again Agazzi got a finger-tip to it and the ball struck the crossbar.

Inter broke the deadlock nine minutes into the second half after Ricardo Alvarez, who had replaced Zarate at the break, swung over a freekick from the left which Pazzini flicked on for Motta to bundle home.

There was a suspicion of both offside and handball from Motta but the officials let the goal stand and there was a huge sigh of relief in the stands.

Brazilian starlet Coutinho came close with a skimming shot that went just wide but then on the hour mark he finished off a swift attacking move with a daisy cutter from 17 yards that crept just inside the near post.

Cagliari looked to have pulled a goal back 20 minutes from time as Davide Biondini played in Larrivey who finished with aplomb but he was ruled offside. Television replaays suggested he was a lot less offside than Motta had been earlier though. He was well onside a minute from time, though, when he turned home Radja Nainggolan’s shot from the left.—AFP

y

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Years

SPORTS

Soccer results/standings Everton 2 (Jagielka 44, Baines 83-pen) Wolves 1 (Hunt 37-pen); Man City 3 (Balotelli 41-pen, Richards 44, Aguero 72-pen) Newcastle 1 (Gosling 89); Norwich 1 (Morison 16) Arsenal 2 (Van Persie 26, 59); Stoke 2 (Walters 8, Shawcross 64) QPR 3 (Helguson 22, 54, Young 44); Sunderland 0, Fulham 0; Swansea 0, Man Utd 1 (Hernandez 11); West Brom 2 (Thomas 16, Long 56) Bolton 1 (Klasnic 21-pen); Wigan 3 (Gomez 7, Caldwell 31, Crusat 88) Blackburn 3 (Yakubu 2, 90pen, Hoilett 59);

Scottish Premier League results Aberdeen 1 (Vernon 10) Motherwell 2 (Higdon 6, Daley 53); Dundee Utd 1 (Robertson 24) Hearts 0; Hibernian 1 (Griffiths 49) Kilmarnock 1 (Pacali 37); Inverness CT 0, Celtic 2 (Stokes 61, 72); Rangers 0, St Johnstone 0; St Mirren 2 (McLean 25, Hasselbaink 45) Dunfermline 1 (Cardle 63).

Van Persie at the double as Arsenal down Norwich

Italian Serie A results Inter Milan 2 (Motta 54, Coutinho 60) Cagliari 1 (Larrivey 89)

Norwich 1

Playing Monday Tottenham v Aston Villa

Playing today Bologna v Cesena (1130 GMT), Catania v Chievo, Genoa v Novara, Juventus v Palermo, Parma v Udinese, Siena v Atalanta, Roma v Lecce (1945 GMT)

Arsenal 2

English Football League results Championship Barnsley 2, Doncaster 0; Birmingham 1, Peterborough 1; Burnley 1, Leeds 2; Coventry 1, West Ham 2; Derby 0, Hull 2; Middlesbrough 2, Blackpool 2; Nottingham Forest 3, Ipswich 2; Reading 1, Cardiff 2; Southampton 3, Brighton 0; Watford 2, Portsmouth 0.

German League results Schalke 04 4 (Huntelaar 13, 66, Raul 39, Holtby 84) Nuremberg 0; SC Freiburg 2 (Reisinger 61, 90+5) Hertha Berlin 2 (Ramos 20, Niemeyer 45+1); Borussia M’gladbach 5 (Herrmann 16, Reus 23, 38, 51, Arango 53) Werder Bremen 0; VfL Wolfsburg 4 (Salihamidzic 22, 36, Chris 56, Madlung 74) Hanover 1 (C. Schulz 43). FC Cologne v Mainz 05 - cancelled

Division One Brentford 0, Charlton 1; Colchester 1, Milton Keynes Dons 5; Huddersfield 2, Notts County 1; Leyton Orient 0, Stevenage 0; Oldham 5, Chesterfield 2; Preston 0, Rochdale 1; Scunthorpe 0, Har tlepool 2; Sheffield Utd 1, Carlisle 0; Tranmere 1, Sheffield Wednesday 2; Walsall 2, Bury 4; Wycombe 0, Bournemouth 1; Yeovil 2, Exeter 2.

Playing today VfB Stuttgart v FC Augsburg Hamburg v Hoffenheim

Playing today Chelsea v Liverpool

Division Two AFC Wimbledon 1, Swindon 1; Aldershot 1, Gillingham 2; Bradford 2, Rotherham 3; Bristol Rovers 0, Barnet 2; Cheltenham 2, Port Vale 0; Crawley 4, Oxford 1; Dagenham and Redbridge 2, Southend 3; Hereford 2, Burton 3; Macclesfield 1, Accrington 1; Morecambe 1, Crewe 2; Northampton 2, Shrewsbury 7; Torquay 3, Plymouth 1.

English Premier League table English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Man City 12 11 1 0 42 11 34 Man Utd 12 9 2 1 29 12 29 Newcastle 12 7 4 1 18 11 25 Chelsea 11 7 1 3 24 15 22 Tottenham 10 7 1 2 21 15 22 Arsenal 12 7 1 4 25 22 22 Liverpool 11 5 4 2 14 10 19 Aston Villa 11 3 6 2 16 15 15 QPR 12 4 3 5 13 22 15 West Brom 12 4 2 6 11 17 14 Norwich 12 3 4 5 17 20 13 Everton 11 4 1 6 13 16 13 Swansea 12 3 4 5 12 16 13 Stoke 12 3 3 6 10 22 12 Sunderland 12 2 5 5 14 13 11 Fulham 12 2 5 5 14 15 11 Wolves 12 3 2 7 13 20 11 Bolton 12 3 0 9 19 29 9 Blackburn 12 1 4 7 16 27 7 Wigan 12 1 3 8 10 23 6 English Football League tables Championship Southampton 17 12 3 West Ham 17 10 4 Middlesbrough 17 8 7 Cardiff 17 8 6 Leeds 17 8 4 Hull 16 8 3 Blackpool 17 7 5 Crystal Palace 16 7 4 Derby 17 7 3 Peterborough 17 7 2 Brighton 17 6 5 Birmingham 14 6 4 Leicester 16 6 4 Reading 17 5 6 Barnsley 17 5 6 Ipswich 16 6 2 Nottingham Forest 17 6 2 Portsmouth 17 5 4 Watford 17 5 4 Millwall 16 4 6 Burnley 16 5 3 Bristol City 16 3 4 Coventry 17 2 6 Doncaster 17 3 3

2 3 2 3 5 5 5 5 7 8 6 4 6 6 6 8 9 8 8 6 8 9 9 11

40 30 22 31 28 16 28 18 22 33 19 19 20 17 19 23 18 19 17 19 21 14 14 13

17 14 14 21 26 15 21 14 25 30 20 15 19 17 21 30 29 20 26 18 25 27 26 30

39 34 31 30 28 27 26 25 24 23 23 22 22 21 21 20 20 19 19 18 18 13 12 12

Division One Charlton Huddersfield Sheffield Wednesday Milton Keynes Dons Sheffield Utd Notts County Stevenage Tranmere Brentford Hartlepool Carlisle Oldham Bury Colchester Preston Bournemouth Leyton Orient Scunthorpe

1 0 4 3 4 6 5 6 6 5 6 7 8 5 8 8 7 6

40 37 33 35 32 31 24 20 20 24 24 27 24 26 31 22 19 23

14 15 24 18 22 25 18 18 19 24 28 29 27 29 35 26 28 27

43 38 36 33 32 28 27 26 26 26 26 25 24 23 23 22 19 18

18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 17 18 18 18 18 17 18 18 18

13 10 11 9 9 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 7 6 4 3

4 8 3 6 5 4 6 5 5 5 5 4 3 8 2 4 7 9

Friday Kaiserslautern 0, Bayer Leverkusen 2 (Ballack 54, Sam 70) Italian Serie A results Inter Milan 2 (Motta 54, Coutinho 60) Cagliari 1 (Larrivey 89) Playing today Bologna v Cesena, Catania v Chievo, Genoa v Novara, Juventus v Palermo, Parma v Udinese, Siena v Atalanta, Roma v Lecce Rochdale Exeter Walsall Yeovil Wycombe Chesterfield

18 18 18 18 18 18

4 4 3 2 3 3

5 5 6 7 4 4

9 9 9 9 11 11

21 17 18 20 17 23

33 30 25 30 28 36

17 17 15 13 13 13

Division Two Southend Crawley Town Cheltenham Shrewsbury Burton Albion Morecambe Swindon Gillingham Oxford Utd Torquay Rotherham AFC Wimbledon Port Vale Macclesfield Aldershot Crewe Bristol Rovers Accrington Stanley Hereford Northampton Barnet Bradford Dagenham Plymouth

18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18 18

13 12 11 10 9 8 9 9 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 4 4 4 4 3 4 2

2 3 2 4 5 6 3 3 5 6 6 5 4 4 2 1 3 8 5 4 4 5 1 3

3 3 5 4 4 4 6 6 5 5 5 6 7 7 9 10 9 6 9 10 10 10 13 13

36 38 26 30 29 35 28 33 27 31 33 27 32 20 23 21 23 17 16 22 22 20 17 14

17 24 17 19 24 19 16 25 20 26 31 32 28 18 22 27 31 23 31 35 37 28 33 37

41 39 35 34 32 30 30 30 29 27 27 26 25 25 23 22 21 20 17 16 16 14 13 9

0 3 4 4 5 6 6 5 7 7 8 9

30 27 20 15 14 13 21 20 15 15 14 19

6 13 18 11 14 10 26 25 23 29 18 30

39 29 29 20 20 19 17 16 14 13 12 12

Scottish Premier League table Rangers 15 12 3 Celtic 14 9 2 Motherwell 15 9 2 St Johnstone 14 5 5 St Mirren 15 5 5 Hearts 15 5 4 Dundee Utd 15 4 5 Kilmarnock 15 3 7 Hibernian 15 3 5 Dunfermline 14 3 4 Aberdeen 14 3 3 Inverness CT 15 3 3 Italian Serie A table Udinese 10 Lazio 10 AC Milan 10 Juventus 9 Palermo 10 Napoli 9 Roma 10 Catania 10 Siena 10 Cagliari 11 Fiorentina 10 Atalanta 10 Genoa 9 Chievo 10 Parma 10 Inter Milan 10 Bologna 10 Lecce 10 Novara 10 Cesena 10 Note: Atalanta deducted for match-fixing

6 3 6 3 6 2 5 4 5 1 4 2 4 2 3 5 3 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 0 3 2 3 1 2 2 1 4 0 3 six points

1 13 4 21 1 16 8 21 2 23 14 20 0 15 7 19 4 14 11 16 3 13 7 14 4 13 11 14 2 12 16 14 3 12 8 13 4 10 12 13 4 10 9 12 2 13 12 12 3 13 12 12 4 8 11 12 6 12 18 12 5 13 17 11 6 8 16 10 6 8 16 8 5 12 19 7 7 3 13 3 at start of season

Schwarzer frustrates Sunderland Sunderland 0

Fulham 0 SUNDERLAND: Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer earned Fulham a 0-0 draw at Sunderland with a superb save in stoppage time at the Stadium of Light yesterday.

Schwarzer ensured the Cottagers returned to London with a point when he managed to block Stephane Sessegnon’s goal-bound shot with his leg despite being sent the wrong way by a wicked deflection.

The former Middlesbrough star’s heroics were tough on Sunderland, who had earlier hit the woodwork through Kieran Richardson and Jack Colback.

Sunderland have now won only two of their 12 Premier League games this season and, like Fulham, they remain just two points above the relegation zone.

The Black Cats might have gone in at the break two goals to the good, but equally could have headed for the dressing room trailing by the same margin

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

after a half in which both sides created chances.

Richardson was the unlucky man with nine minutes gone when he met Sessegnon’s left-wing cross with a header which wrong-footed Schwarzer, but clipped the top of the crossbar.

Seven minutes later, it was Colback who was left cursing the frame of the goal when he blocked Damien Duff ’s attempted clearance before spinning and drilling a left-foot shot against it.

Fulham striker Moussa Dembele had earlier forced a fine reaction save from Keiren Westwood after skipping past Lee Cattermole and Michael Turner on the edge of the penalty area.

Phil Bardsley helped Bobby Zamora’s header out for a corner and then, when Sunderland old boy Dickson Etuhu met Duff’s set-piece, Cattermole cleared off the line to ensure the sides remained locked together.

It took a good save by Westwood to deny Chris Baird after he had drilled in a low drive from Zamora’s clever 51stminute free-kick.

However, it took an even more stunning stop from Schwarzer to keep out Sessegnon’s goal-bound effort after it had clipped Philippe Senderos with just seconds remaining. —AFP

NORWICH: Robin van Persie scored both goals as Arsenal came from behind to win 2-1 at Norwich City in the Premier League’s early kick-off game yesterday.

The double strike saw the Netherlands international become only the fifth forward to have scored 30 Premier League goals in a calendar year.

He has now scored 31 in 29 games and is closing in on Thierry Henry’s Arsenal best of 34 and Alan Shearer’s overall record of 36.

No wonder that many regard the Arsenal captain as the best frontman in the world, although he was controversially omitted from a shortlist of 23 players for the FIFA Ballon d’Or award. Arsenal dominated the early exchanges and created plenty of chances to take the lead.

Van Persie spurned the first after just a few seconds with a mis-hit effort across goal after Theo Walcott had crossed from the right.

Walcott, the England winger, came close himself 10 minutes later with an exhibition of skill that allowed him to get past Marc Tierney in the Norwich box.

The shot that followed had the beating of John Ruddy in the home goal but centre-back Russell Martin was able to get back just in time to stick out a leg and deflect the ball over.

It seemed that it would only be a matter of time before Arsenal did find the net but suddenly Paul Lambert’s Canaries were ahead via an extremely avoidable goal.

Per Mertesacker had plenty of time to deal with Tierney’s hopeful delivery into the Arsenal penalty area but the Germany international somehow allowed Morison, Norwich’s only front-man, to make up ground and take the ball off him.

And as the tall Mertesacker toppled to the ground Wales international Morison, who was a nonleague player only two years ago, went on to slot past Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny.

Martin, converted from full-back to centre-back earlier in the season, cleared another effort off the line soon afterwards, this time to deny Gervinho, the Ivory Coast forward.

Yet it was not long before Wenger’s side were level thanks to van Persie’s ninth goal in his last seven games, which arrived in the 26th minute.

Again Walcott was involved, getting the better of Tierney by pushing the ball past him, and although Gervinho completely missed his attempt to flick in the resulting cross van Persie was in the right place for a close-range finish. Norwich made a change at the break, bringing on winger Elliott Bennett for David Fox, but it was Arsenal who continued to look more dangerous Thomas Vermaelen, Mertesacker’s central defensive partner, came charging forward but Gervinho could only head the resulting cross straight at goalkeeper John Ruddy.

Ruddy was required to make a

LONDON: Norwich City’s Wesley Hoolahan (left) and Arsenal’s Clarindo Andre Santos battle for the ball during their English Premier League soccer match at Carrow Road stadium. —AP much more difficult stop soon afterwards when van Persie put Gervinho through. It seemed as though the forward had done enough to get a sight of an empty goal but the former Everton reserve stretched out his massive frame to save.

The ball was finally in the Norwich net once more on the hour mark and van Persie was again the scorer. Martin lost possession to

Alex Song in the centre circle and when the Cameroon midfielder played his captain through Ruddy was beaten by a precise finish over his diving body.

Norwich sent on Grant Holt, their physically imposing forward, in search of a late equaliser but the substitute picked up only a booking for an obvious attempt to con the referee into awarding a penalty. —AFP

Wigan denied by late penalty Wigan 3

Blackburn 3 WIGAN: Wigan put an end to their eight match Premier League losing streak here yesterday but were denied all three points when a 99th minute penalty by Nigerian veteran Ayegbeni Yakubu grabbed a 3-3 draw for Blacburn Rovers. Wigan had looked like they were going to leapfrog Rovers into second from bottom when Albert Crusat scored two minutes from time in what was manager Roberto Martinez’s 100th game in charge of the club.

However, those hopes were dashed as Rovers former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson went up for a corner and ended up being kicked in the head leading to the penalty being awarded Yakubu made no mistake with his second goal of the game.

Wigan - who only escaped relegation on the last day of last season - stay bottom five points adrift of safety while Rovers are just a point above them. Contrary to expectations beforehand the opening quarter was an explosive affair with the visitors taking the lead in the 68th second as Nigerian veteran Yakubu scored on their first attack catching Gary Caldwell cold and chipping over Ali Al Habsi for his 100th Premier League goal.

Wigan hit back almost immediately and were level in the seventh minute as Jordi Gomez slotted home from the edge of the penalty area. The hosts took the lead on the half hour mark as skipper Gary Caldwell — returning from suspension — headed home past former England ‘keeper Paul Robinson, who was making his 350th Premier league appearance. Wigan should have extended their lead three minutes before half-time but Victor Moses headed tamely over the bar with just Robinson to beat for his second bad miss of the half. Those misses came back to haunt the host when Junior Hoilett levelled just before the hour mark.

The hosts desperately threw everything into restoring their lead and a much-needed three points and Blackburn had Robinson to thank for keeping them on level terms as he sprang to deny Hugo Rodallega what would have been his first goal of the season. —AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

LONDON: Stoke City’s Danny Higginbotham (top) outjumps Queens Park Rangers player Jamie Mackie during the English Premier League soccer match. —AP

Stoke slump continues Stoke 2

English Premier League Chelsea v Liverpool Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3

19:00

Spanish League Sociedad v Espanyol Aljazeera Sport +2 Sporting v Getafe Aljazeera Sport +5 Osasuna v Vallecano Aljazeera Sport +9 Sevilla v Bilbao Aljazeera Sport +2 Aljazeera Sport 2 HD Atletico v Levante Aljazeera Sport +2 Aljazeera Sport 2 HD

14:00 18:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Italian League Bologna v Cesena Aljazeera Sport +1 Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Parma v Udinese Aljazeera Sport +8 Juventus v Palermo Aljazeera Sport +1 Genoa v Novara Aljazeera Sport +7 Catania v Chievo Aljazeera Sport +4 AS Roma v US Lecce Aljazeera Sport +1 Aljazeera Sport 1 HD

14:30 17:00 17:00 17:00 17:00 22:45

QPR 3 STOKE: Stoke crashed to their fourth consecutive league defeat as newly promoted QPR battled to a 3-2 win at the Britannia Stadium.

Two goals from Icelandic international veteran Heidar Helguson and a Luke Young strike handed victory to Neil Warnock’s side, who moved up two places in the table to ninth after the win.

Stoke started strongly, and had vigorous appeals for a penalty waved away after only seven minutes when Jermaine Pennant was felled in the area after a Joey Barton tackle.

Yet City did not have to wait long before they took the lead, with Peter Crouch playing in Republic of Ireland international Walters who drilled a low shot past Paddy Kenny for 1-0.

Alejandro Faurlin should have done better with a half chance for Rangers soon afterwards but his weak shot failed to trouble Danish international Thomas Sorensen.

Crouch then squandered a golden

chance to double Stoke’s lead when he pounced on a mix-up between Anton Ferdinand and Kenny only to see his first shot blocked before Clint Hill cleared his follow-up. With Rangers under the cosh, it seemed only a matter of time before Stoke added to their tally.

But against the run of play the visitors produced an equaliser when Helguson struck his first on 22 minutes, the veteran heading home Armand Traore’s cross.

Stoke continued to press, however, and Robert Huth should have done better with an inviting Pennant cross only to head over before Matthew Etherington shot wide following a run into the box.

But after soaking up the Stoke onslaught, Rangers found yet another sucker punch in the 44th minute, when good approach play by Shaun WrightPhillips and Jamie Mackie created an opening for Luke Young who swept home to make it 2-1.

Helguson then added his second of the match to make it 3-1 early in the second half, prodding home Barton’s cross to punish poor defending from Stoke on 54 minutes.

Ryan Shawcross set up a tense finale when he pulled a goal back for Stoke 10 minutes later, and Stoke had strong appeals for a penalty turned down when Barton brought down Huth late on before Rangers held on.—AFP

Van Persie at the double as Arsenal down Norwich

Tiger tamed but US sniff victory

19

17

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

Edwards, Stewart ready for NASCAR’s prize fight

Page 16

Baines’ late penalty buries Wolves LIVERPOOL: Leighton Baines kept his nerve Everton 2 to convert the late penalty that gave Everton a dramatic 2-1 win over fellow strugWolves 1 glers Wolves at Goodison Park yesterday.

David Moyes’ side, who had lost five of their previous six league matches, were heading for another depressing defeat when Stephen Hunt fired Wolves ahead with a first half penalty.

But England defender Phil Jagielka equalised just before the break and his international colleague Baines bagged the winner after a foul by Stephen Ward on Louis Saha seven minutes from full-time.

The win lifted Everton four points clear of the relegation zone and eased the gloomy mood around the blue half of Merseyside, while Wolves are only one place above the bottom three. Prior to kick off there had been another march by around 250 supporters from the Blue Union group to protest about stagnation at the club in relation to finding a new buyer. And they had more reasons to fear the worst for their club in the first half.

Saha had Everton’s only chance of the opening stages as he forced goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey to tip over from Tim Cahill’s knock-down. Everton continued to struggle with their final ball and they were hit with a classic sucker punch in the 36th minute. David Edwards’ diagonal run across the corner of the penalty area did not appear to pose too much threat but Marouane Fellaini, returning after suspension, caught him with the slightest of touches and it was enough to send the midfielder to the ground.

Hunt smashed home from the spot and it looked like Wolves would hold on to their lead until a minute before the break when Jagielka nodded home Baines’ free-kick with a twisting header.

In first half stoppage time Everton could have gone in front but Fellaini’s shot was half-saved by Hennessey and Cahill appeared to be pulled back by Karl Henry as he raced to reach the loose ball but referee Jon Moss awarded only a corner. Everton were in the ascendancy after halftime but still squandered chances. Cahill, who has not scored since December 20, looked certain to break his drought when Saha’s flick-on from Coleman’s cross found him six yards out but he did not connect cleanly and Ward and Hennessey combined to save.

They finally made the breakthrough in the 83rd minute when Ward needlessly fouled Saha to give Baines the chance to coolly side-foot home the penalty.—AFP LONDON: Swansea City’s Michel Vorm (left) collides with Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney during their English Premier League soccer match at the Liberty Stadium. —AP

Hernandez strike downs Swans Swansea 0

Man United 1

SWANSEA: A goal from Javier Hernandez at the Liberty Stadium was enough to keep Manchester United hanging on to the coat-tails of Premier League leaders Manchester City.

The 23-year-old Mexican striker struck after 11 minutes to leave United five points behind their city rivals. Swansea gave it a go in the second half and perhaps deserved a point if only for the man-

ner in which they approached their biggest game in years. Still, last season’s Championship play-off winners saw their unbeaten home record go despite golden oppor tunities for Scott Sinclair, Mark Gower and Neil Taylor.

Desperate to close the gap on the runaway leaders, United, who had never previously won in Swansea, should have been a goal down inside four minutes. Sadly, just as he had at Anfield two weeks previously, Gower wasted a glorious chance from 20 yards. The hosts were made to pay for that miss, barely four minutes later.

Ryan Giggs picked up Angel Rangel’s careless pass on the edge of his own box, and Hernandez converted the Welshman’s cross at the near post.

It took the sting out of Swansea and the

crowd too. A full house attendance had arrived in hope of seeing the Swans extend their unbeaten run on home soil this season. To their credit they continued to play the kind of expansive football that has endeared them to so many in recent seasons. Unfortunately, they came up against a United side that begin to grow in confidence on the back of Hernandez’ goal. Rooney and Giggs pulled the strings in midfield with Nani and Park Ji-Sung causing problems out wide. The only missing ingredient was a second goal. To their credit, Swansea should have been level in the 22nd minute. Wayne Routledge presented Sinclair with an open goal, but with David De Gea stranded, the former Chelsea man missed from barely half a dozen yards. Buoyed by that, Swansea

enjoyed their fair share of possession with Nathan Dyer having a spirited tussle with Patrice Evra.

In the final minute of the first half, Rooney and Hernandez exposed Swansea down the left and should have done better with only M ichel Vorm to beat.

Thankfully, for Swansea, Hernandez failed to find Rooney at the far post and the ball disappeared to safety. Evra’s rash tackle on D yer, a minute into the second half, earned the full back a deserved booking. A minute later, Taylor ’s shot was beaten away by De Gea after excellent work from Dyer on the right. The introduction of Joe Allen at half time had given Swansea far more bite in midfield and though United had been dominant for much of the game, they were suddenly under the cosh.

Long header sinks Bolton

City march on as Newcastle falter Man City 3

Newcastle 1

MANCHESTER: Manchester City continued their remarkable start to the season with a 3-1 victory over previously unbeaten Newcastle at Eastlands.

The victory gave Roberto Mancini’s side their 11th win from their opening 12 games. With City only dropping points in a draw at Fulham, Mancini’s men have now made the best start to a campaign in Premier League history.

First half goals from Mario Balotelli and Micah Richards, both the result of errors by defender Ryan Taylor, and a seco nd h a lf p e n a lt y fro m S ergio Aguero also took City’s goals tally to an impressive 42 from their dozen league matches, before a consolation for substitute Dan Gosling.

City were required to survive a couple of first half scares from an able Newcastle side but they had the points secured before the interval with two goals in four minutes.

O nl y f i ve m i n u tes o f t he hal f remained when Balotelli’s goalbound shot struck the arm of Taylor and refer-

ee Chris Foy correctly pointed to the spot. Balotelli himself strode up and nonchalantly rolled the penalty into the bottom right hand corner of the Newcastle net for his sixth league goal of the campaign.

That may have been harsh on the visitors, who had impressed to that point, but Newcastle only had themselves to blame when City doubled the l ead. Samir N asr i an d Yay a Toure exchanged passes in midfield before the former slipped a pass towards Richards. Taylor was again to blame as failed to make the clearance and only succeeded in boun cin g th e ball against the City full-back, who showed great poise to fire an unstoppable leftfoot finish past Tim Krul.

City had taken their time to hit their stride against a Newcastle defence which came into the game with the best record in the Premier League.

They migh t h ave breach ed th e Magpies’ defences at the midpoint of the first half when Toure fed Aguero, who turned sharply only to shoot high over the bar.

Then Gael Clichy’s left-wing cross was met by a Richards’ header that fo rced R yan Tay lor an d Fabr icio Coloccini into emergenc y clearing duties. Just before the half-hour it looked like City would take the lead as Balotelli’s six-yard header, from James

Successive corners from Sinclair caused further difficulties for the visitors and Garry Monk’s far post header was diverted behind by Giggs.

Sinclair then wasted a golden chance to put Dyer through on goal and as United struggled to contain Swansea’s five man midfield, Sir Alex Ferguson introduced Darren Fletcher. Swansea continued to battle relentlessly, but were fortunate to survive when Rooney escaped the clutches of Monk and attempted the most audacious chip over the advancing Vorm. The Dutch keeper looked on helplessly as the ball landed on the top of his net. Two minutes later and with Swansea now a spent force, Phil Jones broke into the City box and duly struck an upright with a shot that left Vorm rooted to his spot.—AFP

LONDON: Manchester City’s Joleon Lescott (right) fights for the ball against Newcastle United’s Hatem Ben Arfa during their English Premier League soccer match. —AP

Milner cross, forced Krul into a fingertip save over his cross-bar. But the visitors showed the confidence and selfbelief that their own impressive opening to the campaign has generated and a telling pass from Hatem Ben Arfa played in Demba Ba whose shot drew a superb save from Joe Hart. Shortly af ter wards, Yohan Cabaye’s corner found the head of Ba, who should have done better with an effort he steered the wrong side of the post, a miss that would prove especially costly as City’s goals soon followed.

The pressure from the home team continued after the restart, a great pass from Nasri sending Aguero sprint-

ing to the by-line where he pulled the ball back across goal, forcing Steven Taylor into a desperate clearance.

Any chance of an unlikely fightback was removed on 71 minutes when the impressive Richards cut power fully into the Newcastle area from a David Silva pass on the right wing and was brought down by Ben Arfa.

With Balotelli having been substituted, Aguero was handed the task of beating Krul from the penalty spot, one he easily accepted.

Gosling conver ted into an open goal in the final minute after Hart had saved from Ba following a deflected through ball from James Perch.—AFP

LONDON: West Bromwich got back to winning ways West Brom 2 with a battling 2-1 win over struggling Bolton at The Hawthorns yesterday.

Goals from the outstandBolton 1 ing Jerome Thomas after 16 minutes and fit-again Irish striker Shane Long after 56 were enough to ensure all three points stayed in the Midlands with goal-shy Bolton only managing a Ivan Klasnic penalty after 21 minutes.

The win hoists The Baggies up into mid-table respectability while Bolton remain firmly stuck in the relegation zone.

Roy Hodgson’s side kicked off in 14th place with 11 points from 11 games, just two points clear of Owen Coyle’s struggling Lancashire outfit who were stuck in the bottom three despite winning 5-0 over Stoke City last time out.

West Brom were boosted by the return from a knee injury of top scorer Long and it was the Baggies who struck first after 16 minutes when Thomas beat the offside trap on a pass from Zoltan Gera to round Jussi Jaaskelainen and fire home. Just five minutes later though Thomas turned sinner when he clumsily upended Fabrice Muamba in the box and Klasnic blasted home from the penalty spot to level for The Trotters.

West Brom had by far the best of the pressure as the second half got underway with Gera and Thomas to the fore again but it was an inch-perfect cross from Nicky Shorey after 55 minutes that set up Long to head home his fourth goal of the season.

Bolton brought on Martin Petrov for Chris Eagles and David Ngog for Kevin Davies as they pushed forward in search of the equaliser, but it was West Brom who came close to going 3-1 up with a Gera snapshot rising over the crossbar.

It was all West Brom in the closing stages with England defender Gary Cahill outstanding in a hard-pressed Bolton defence. Graham Dorrans came on for Thomas after 80 minutes as the home side looked to hold on to their lead, which they managed to do comfortably enough.—AFP

Govt asks Iranians to stop buying dollars Page 22

Shaimaa Ali Haji wins KD 125,000 Page 23 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

Gains in economic gauge signal brighter outlook Page 26

Porsche unveils Carrera at 2011 Dubai Motor Show Page 23

NEW YORK: Occupy Wall Street demonstrators carry signs expressing their views outside Zuccotti Park, Friday, Nov 18, 2011. — AP

‘Kick Occupy protesters off welfare’ ‘Supercommittee’ moment awaits DC occupiers WASHINGTON: As Occupy Wall Street struggles to get back on its feet in New York after police stormed its Manhattan encampment, its two Washington offshoots are poised for their moment at the vanguard. A bipartisan but deeply divided “supercommittee” on Capitol Hill is under the gun to meet a Wednesday deadline to outline $1.2 trillion in public spending cuts over 10 years to rein in the galloping US deficit. For the occupiers of Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square, it is a perfect opportunity to drive home their core demands for greater social equality and less corporate influence over US politics, organizers said Friday. “ There’s going to be a series of protests” around the report, said Kevin Zeese of Occupy Washington DC in windswept Freedom Plaza, where protesters living in 75-odd tents enjoy a postcard view of the Capitol down the avenue.

“We see the supercommittee as a really great opportunity to highlight the disconnect between the government and the people, and what the people want and what the government is doing,” the seasoned activist from Maryland told AFP. A few blocks away, under the oak

trees of McPherson Square in the K Street lobbying district, Matt Patterson of Occupy DC said: “We definitely are going to be doing some action ... to make sure that the outcome benefits everyone.”

“Every lobbyist on K Street is working overtime here right now, tr ying to defend their turf” as the supercommittee finalizes its work, Patterson told AFP from behind an “Ask An Occupier” desk he set up to engage passers-by.

Occupy DC popped up spontaneously on October 1, nearly a fortnight after Occupy Wall Street began, while its nearnamesake grew out of an anti-war protest that started October 6 after several months of preparation. Unlike their counterparts in New York and elsewhere, however, both have largely avoided serious confrontations with the police, enabling them to deepen their respective roots and establish themselves as winter sets in.

Washington Mayor Vincent Gray signaled Wednesday that both occupationsin public space that belongs to the National Park Service-will be tolerated, so long as they do not threaten public order. Warming up for next Wednesday, the Freedom Plaza occupiers earlier this

month held their own al fresco “Occupied Supercommittee” meeting that was covered by the C-Span public affairs cable channel.

Out of that came a set of what Zeese called “evidence-based” job-creating proposals, including higher taxes on the rich, less military spending, free health care for all Americans and an end to “corporate welfare.” Copies were hand-delivered Thursday to all 12 supercomittee members, “but we don’t expect they will respond because the proposals we have in there are the complete opposite of where they want to go,” Zeese said.

At McPherson Square, occupiers are expanding their tool kit of tactics, after a march on a conservative fund-raising dinner on November 4 resulted in scuffles with police and traffic incidents in which six people were hurt. On Thursday, they joined their Freedom Plaza counterparts led by the SEIU public service union through the heart of the US capital that was carefully organized not to block rush-hour traffic or alienate commuters.

Patterson, a young Californian who has been at McPherson Square since day one, said his fellow occupiers favor smaller-scale actions-such as open-air teach-

ins and, on Friday, telling “why do I occupy” stories to subway riders. “I think what we’re trying to do is to adopt some of the older tactics that we think work,” he said, “and ditching the older tactics that maybe didn’t work, like getting arrested or being too confrontational unnecessarily.”

In another development in Amsterdam, the ruling party in the Netherlands wants to strip welfare benefits from protesters in the Occupy movement, saying they shouldn’t be allowed to protest for weeks at taxpayers’ cost.

Protesters pitched around 25 tents outside The Hague, the seat of the Dutch government, in mid-October, wanting banking reforms and greater income equality. VVD politician Boudewijn Revis said yesterday the government should send investigators into the camp to check whether any of them are on welfare. “If you really want to demonstrate that you want a better economy, then go work,” he said. The pro-business national VVD party - which leads the country’s ruling conservative coalition - supports the idea, though the welfare system is administered by city governments. —Agencies

Market eyes Europe, DC after worst week NEW YORK: The worst week for US stocks in two months ended with traders mostly sitting it out on Friday as they waited for politicians in Europe and the United States to tackle festering debt problems. The Dow and S&P 500 were little changed and the Nasdaq composite index fell. Friday’s directionless market showed more exhaustion than relief as Europe remained investors’ primary worry. Stocks found support after Italian and Spanish bond yields fell thanks to buying by the European Central Bank.

In the United States, doubts grew whether a bipartisan committee could come up with budget cuts and tax increases that Congress can agree on next week. Financial shares, which have been among the most sensitive to euro zone financial strains, rose on Friday. The S&P financial index was up 0.5 percent.

Morgan Stanley shares edged up 0.6 percent to $14.21 but fell more than 13 percent last week.

A major question has been whether the European Central Bank will find a way to act as a lender of last resort in the manner of the US Federal Reser ve.

Speculation has grown the ECB could lend money to the International Monetary Fund to bail out some euro zone members.

“It’s hard to see the ECB changing roles, but on the other hand the powers to be have to be very aware of the consequences if this gets out of control,” said John Manley, chief equity strategist at Wells Fargo advantage funds in New York.

“I can’t imagine it is allowed to go to a level that it causes serious harm to the marketplace.” The Dow Jones industrial

average gained 25.43 points, or 0.22 percent, to 11,796.16. The S&P 500 dipped 0.48 point, or 0.04 percent, to 1,215.65.

The Nasdaq Composite lost 15.49 points, or 0.60 percent, to 2,572.50. For the week, the Dow fell 2.9 percent, the S&P dropped 3.8 percent and the Nasdaq lost 4 percent.

The S&P failed to rise above 1,225 after a drop below it on Thursday triggered massive selling, and it is now strengthening as technical resistance.

Little conviction characterized this week’s market action as traders worried changes in governments in Greece and Italy failed to bring bond yields much lower. Spain’s likely new leader, centerrightist Mariano Rajoy, pleaded with financial markets for breathing room to start tackling the country’s economic crisis if he wins power in a parliamentary

election this weekend.

“If people don’t see politicians standing behind change, markets are ready to force change,” said Subodh Kumar, chief investment strategist at Subodh Kumar & Associates in Toronto. While investors try to come to grips with how much of an impact the European crisis may have on the US economy, data for the United States showed continued improvement.

A gauge of future US economic activity rose more than expected in October, according to the Conference Board.

About 6.7 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE Amex and Nasdaq on Friday, below the current daily average of 8 billion shares.

Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by a ratio of about 13 to 10, while on the Nasdaq decliners beat advancers 1,259 to 1,226. —Reuters

EU agrees 2% budget rise BRUSSELS: European Union negotiators agreed to a two percent rise in the bloc’s budget for next year to 129 billion euros ($174 billion), following more than fifteen hours of talks which ended in the early hours yesterday. The deal was seen as a victory for cashstrapped capitals grappling with Europe’s debt crisis, which had opposed demands by EU lawmakers to increase the budget by more than 5 percent. More than two thirds of the EU budget is spent on subsidies for farmers and regional aid funds, which finance road construction, environmental clean-ups and other projects. But some EU officials said limiting the budget rise to forecast inflation for next year could leave the bloc unable to pay its bills and threaten the EU budget’s AAA credit rating. “This is clearly an austerity budget, as most member states are in the midst of a serious financial crisis,” said EU Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski, who had originally proposed a five percent rise in spending in 2012.

“There is now a serious risk that the European Commission will run out of funds in the course of next year, and will therefore not be able to honor all its financial obligations towards beneficiaries of EU funds,” he said. That is because while agreeing to limit their contributions to the EU budget to 129 billion euros next year, governments gave in to the European Parliament’s demands to allow EU spending commitments next year to go up to 147 billion euros.

“Today’s commitments become tomorrow’s payments, so they are playing a very dangerous game indeed,” said one EU official. But Britain, which campaigned hard to contain EU spending, welcomed yesterday’s deal, with financial services minister Mark Hoban, saying austerity at EU level was vital when member state governments struggle to tighten their belts.

“This is an excellent deal for the UK. We have stopped the European Commission and parliament’s inflation-busting proposals and have delivered on the government’s promise to freeze the EU budget in real terms,” he said. “Throughout this process, we have argued that with member states facing tough decisions on spending at home, we could not afford these unrealistic demands.” Parliament won some concessions in the discussions, including an extra 100 million euro in aid for the Palestinian territories in 2012.

Talks on the EU’s spending in 2012 are seen as a prelude to a tougher fight on the bloc’s next long-term budget for 2014-2020. — Reuters

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

BUSINESS Jet Airways chairman receives Belgian National Distinction

Govt asks Iranians to stop buying dollars Economy minister against buying gold TEHRAN: The Iranian government has asked its citizens not to buy dollars, in an effort to stem a rush for hard currency that has sent the exchange rate plummeting in recent months. The official news agency IRNA quoted Economy Minister Shamseddin Hosseini yesterday recommending Iranians “avoid for the time being buying foreign currency or gold coins due to their high rates”. “Considering that the forex and gold coin rates are to drop, consequently those who buy them at high prices should not complain later on,” he said.

Rising inflation and a reduc-

tion in bank deposit interest rates have spurred demand for foreign currency and gold among Iranians worried about the value of their savings and the central bank has struggled to support the value of the rial. Under its “managed floating exchange rate” the Central Bank of Iran’s official dollar rate yesterday was 10,880 rials, but the real amount it cost to buy a dollar at an exchange bureau was 13,380, 23 percent more.

The Central Bank, which devalued the official rate by 10 percent in June in an attempt to narrow the gap between the official dol-

lar rate and the market price, has appointed a new head of its foreign exchange department, Minoo Kiani-Rad, formerly head of its foreign affair section, according to its website.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has blamed Iran’s enemies for undermining the currency, saying “ill-wishers keep buying up the dollar”, forcing the state to inject hard currency into the market. Economists say demand for dollars and gold is due to people seeking a safe haven as inflation rose steadily to 19.1 percent in October from a 25-year low of 8.8 percent in

E

August 2010. Kayhan daily said the government had banned the import of foreign-made gold products in an attempt to combat smuggling.

Economic sanctions aimed at pressuring Iran to curb its nuclear program have had some impact on the economy but the biggest inflationary factor has been Ahmadinejad’s policy to slash billions of dollars’ worth of food and fuel subsidies. With wages not rising to match, amid economic growth the IMF has forecast as 2.5 percent this year, Iranians are increasingly complaining of a hit to their spending power. —Reuters

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NEW DELHI: In a unique honour, Belgium conferred the “Commandeur of the Order of Leopold II”, one of the country’s highest civilian distinctions, to Naresh Goyal, Chairman, Jet Airways, for his meritorious service and efforts to foster business and cultural ties with Belgium. This distinction has been conferred on him by the King of the Belgians.

In recognition of Jet Airways’ contribution to India’s business and cultural ties with Belgium, the Belgian Ambassador Pierre Vaesen handed over the Commandeurs cross of the Order of Leopold II in the presence of the visiting Minister - President of Flanders, Kris Peeters. Also present at the glittering ceremony to celebrate the Kings Day, in New Delhi and to witness the event were heads of missions and members of the diplomatic community from varied nations as well as Indian officials and captains of the Belgian and Indian industry.

Commenting on the conferment of the high civilian distinction to Mr. Goyal, the Belgian Ambassador Pierre Vaesen said, “I warmly congratulate you on being conferred this highest distinction, which is a recognition of your remarkable career in global aviation and of the lead taken by you in helping establish and nurture Indo - Belgian cultural and economic ties. Our King and the people of Belgium wish to pay their tribute by conferring this distinction on you.”

Named in honour of King Leopold II of Belgium the “Order of Leopold II” is one of the highest civilian distinctions in Belgium. It was, established on August 24, 1900 by Leopold II. The distinction is awarded for meritorious service by the

Sovereign of Belgium. Importantly, the Order of Leopold II can only be awarded by a Royal Decree.

Commenting on the conferment of the Commandeur of the Order of Leopold II Naresh Goyal, Chairman, The Jet Airways Group said, “I am deeply humbled to be considered worthy of the

BELGIUM: Belgian Ambassador Pierre Vaesen awards Naresh Goyal ‘Commandeur of the Order of Leopold II’ distinction. conferment of the Commandeur of the Order of Leopold II and offer my heartfelt thanks to His Majesty, the Government and citizens of Belgium for this singular honor. I accept it on behalf of each and every member of the Jet Airways family, whose consistent pursuit of excellence has singularly enabled the success of our Airline. And I pledge to continue our combined endeavor to add further value towards nurturing and enhancing IndoBelgian economic and cultural ties in the years ahead.”

Qatalum participates in int’l aluminium summit KUWAIT: Senior officials from the travel agencies in Kuwait participate in the familiarization trip on board with Superstar Libra under Star Cruises promotion campaign.

Star Cruises takes Kuwait travel agents on board KUWAIT: Cruise business is booming.

Cruising for years has been one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry - the fastest by some measures.

It appeals to a wide range of tastes, lifestyles, and budgets and interests.

Cruising has become the popular holiday of choice for vacations as on a cruise, you can visit multiple destinations not having to constantly pack and unpack your luggage.

The demands for cruise holidays are increasing among people as they don’t necessarily to fly. In order to appeal more to the local market in Kuwait, Star

Cruises and its GSA, Caesars Holidays recently took a delegation from the travel trade in Kuwait to Malaysia for a familiarization trip on Superstar Libra during mid-September this year. Star Cruises and Norwegian cruises offers many exciting promotional deals which are mainly targeting the families, couples, honeymooners, incentive trips and school groups from local and expatriate communities. Star Cruises Group and Norwegian Cruise Line are represented

by Caesars Holidays in Kuwait, offering exciting cruise itineraries throughout the year.

Q

atalum has wrapped up its participation in the 15th International Arab Aluminium Conference and Exhibition (Arabal), the premier trade event for the Middle East’s aluminium industry which concluded in Muscat, Oman, on November 16. During the prestigious event, of which the company was a sponsor, Qatalum was announced as the host for Arabal 2012, due to take place in Doha, Qatar, next November.

Themed “Global Challenges for sustainable growth in the aluminium industry and the role of the Gulf smelters”, this year’s conference - which brought together approximately 400 delegates at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Muscat looked at issues affecting regional and global manufacturers, downstream industries and suppliers.

Said Tom Petter Johansen, Qatalum CEO: “The Gulf is seen as

the fastest growing and most important production region in the world for aluminium, and we are proud to be able to demon-

enhancing the Arab world’s status as a growing hub for the aluminium industry as well as to pursue opportunities, and we look for-

The Qatalum team is pictured. strate the growing importance of Qatar’s growing aluminium sector; not only at this year’s conference, but also as hosts of Arabal 2012.

“We believe that Qatalum is well placed to contribute in

ward to showing the world how far Qatalum has come since reaching full production in September.”

Qatalum’s Deputy CEO, Khalid Mohamed Laram, added: “Our

participation in Arabal 2011 proved very fruitful as it provided us with an excellent platform for networking with our regional and global peers, to learn of new trends and developments in the industry, and to explore solutions to some of the challenges facing the aluminium sector. We are also very proud to act as the host for next’s conference, and are delighted at the hugely positive response we have had to the announcement.”

With a production capacity of 585,000 metric tonnes per year, Qatalum is set to contribute a significant portion towards GCC aluminium production. In addition, due to aluminium’s excellent recyclability and the leading-edge, low environmental impact technology used by Qatalum, the smelter is one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly to ever be constructed.

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

.2742610 .4316050 .3699780 .2981750 .2681750 .2771540 .0054420 .0024970 .0747000 .7277720 .3879230 .0731550 .7126440 .0063640 .0462500

.2795480 .4399260 .3771110 .3039230 .3039230 .2824970 .0055460 .0025040 .0761400 .7418030 .3954010 .0745660 .7263830 .0064870 .0471410

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2757000 .2778000 GB Pound/KD .4338690 .4371740 Euro .3719190 .3747520 Swiss francs .2997390 .3020220 Canadian dollars .2695810 .2716340 Danish Kroner .0499740 .0503540 Swedish Kroner .0405740 .0408830 Australian dlr .2786090 .2807310 Hong Kong dlr .0354140 .0356840 Singapore dlr .2132090 .2148330 Japanese yen .0035800 .0036080 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0055120 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0025290 Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0032080 Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0036480 UAE dirhams .0750920 .0756640 Bahraini dinars .7315910 .7371630 Jordanian dinar .0000000 .3929280 Saudi Riyal/KD .0735400 .0741000 Omani riyals .7163830 .7218400 Philippine Peso .0000000 .0064450

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.617 5.458 3.179 2.510 3.421 214.810 35.607 3.613 6.372 8.975 0.271 0.273

GCC COUNTRIES 73.923 76.168 720.020 736.280 75.484

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal/for 1000 Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira/for 1000 Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES 48.750 46.295 1.268 191.760 391.470 186.000 5.984 34.000

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 277.100 Euro 375.190 Sterling Pound 437.820 Canadian dollar 272.790 Turkish lire 153.940 Swiss Franc 302.910 Australian dollar 279.870 US Dollar Buying 275.900 GOLD 325.000 164.000 84.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

SELL CASH 283.800 736.560 3.740 274.500 544.000 36.800 51.600 167.800 48.290 378.000 36.350 5.830 0.032 0.224 0.241 3.690 393.050 0.187 90.310 46.000 4.260 216.600 1.795

49.900 719.380 3.370 6.620 76.620 73.950 215.600 36.620 2.616 440.200 42.900 304.900 5.500 9.360 198.263 75.510 277.300 1.210

719.200 3.195 6.380 76.190 73.950 215.600 36.620 2.509 438.200 303.400 5.500 9.190 75.410 276.900

10 Tola

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 438.200 276.900

Sterling Pound US Dollar

SELL DRAFT 282.300 736.560 3.618 276.000

215.000 46.357 378.500 36.200 5.470 0.032

Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

282.16 274.06 307.44 377.43 441.54 3.66 3.627 5.390 2.513 3.381 3.182 75.37 736.54 46.29 393.94 719.64 76.36 73.94

284.00 275.00 311.00 378.00 441.00 3.62 3.740 5.810 2.610 4.250 3.370 75.75 736.60 48.20 393.00 719.50 76.65 73.50

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd 392.450 0.186 90.310 3.430 215.100

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar

Selling Rate 273.850 277.615 442.140 389.790 317.635 726.070

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

74.535 75.165 72.990 385.475 45.923 2.482 5.619 3.164 3.606 6.425 671.723 3.710 9.070 5.765 3.560 90.965

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

GOLD 1,837.250

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria

Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

Currency Rate per 1000 (Tran) US Dollar 276.900 Pak Rupees 3.180 Indian Rupees 5.460 Sri Lankan Rupees 2.515 Bangladesh Taka 3.630 Philippines Peso 6.415 UAE Dirhams 75.495 Saudi Riyals 73.995 Bahraini Dinars 736.200 Egyptian Pounds 46.325 Pound Sterling 441.300 Indonesian Rupiah 3.190 Yemeni Riyal 1.550 Jordanian Dinars 393.400 Syrian Pounds 5.750 Euro 379.400 Canadian Dollars 276.400 Nepali rupee 3.690

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 276.600 Euro 376.500 Pound Sterling 438.000 Canadian Dollar 271.500 Japanese Yen 3.620 Indian Rupee 5.405 Egyptian Pound 46.283 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.507 Bangladesh Taka 3.603 Philippines Peso 6.385 Pakistan Rupee 3.190 Bahraini Dinar 735.850 UAE Dirham 75.350 Saudi Riyal 73.850 *Rates are subject to change

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

BUSINESS

Porsche unveils Carrera at 2011 Dubai Motor Show Porsche wows Motor Show crowd with regional premiere

KUWAIT: The winner of the first prize of KD 125,000 Shaimaa Ali Haji receives the prize from NBK Head Office Branch Manager, Ahmed Al-Essa.

Shaimaa Ali Haji wins KD 125,000 in NBK’s top Al-Jawhara prize KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) recently announced the names of the AlJawhara Draw prize winners for the month of November 2011 which was conducted at NBK’s Head Office. The first prize of KD 125,000 went to Shaimaa Ali Haji, while the second place winner Abdulmuhsin Taqi Muzaffar received KD 7,500. The third winner Tareq Suleman Dawood Alkharif was awarded KD 3,000 and the remaining 97 winners were awarded KD 400 each.

The first prize winner of KD 125,000 Shaimaa Ali Haji received the prize from NBK Head Office Branch Manager Ahmed Al-Essa. Haji expressed her thanks and appreciation for NBK, saying: “I am

extremely happy for winning this valuable and unexpected prize. I have never expected to be so lucky and to win a much-acclaimed prize”.

“I was truly surprised and very excited when I first heard the news of winning the grand prize. It is something I have always dreamed of”, Haji added. The winner said that she is intending to achieve her dream of buying her dream house.

She concluded: “NBK has always been unique by its rewarding offers and promotions, not to mention the way NBK treats its customers. I would like to express my appreciation for NBK and best wishes of more success and advancement”.

Al Jawhara Winners November 2011 Sr.# Cert. No. Name of Customer Prize 1 60028823 SHAIMAA ALI HAJI DAHDARI 125,000 2 39008207 ABDULMUHSIN TAQI MUZAFFAR 7,500 3 4972287 TAREQ SULEMAN DAWOOD ALKHARIF 3,000 4 18280595 AHMED GASAAN AHMED ALNAQEEB 400 5 39491145 MAHMOUD IBRAHIM GHLOUM MOHAMMED 400 6 13308092 AISHA YOUSEF MOHD ALSAEED 400 7 102076243 HASINA MUTAR BILAL 400 8 5321093 MARWAN SALAHALDEEN ABDULSALAM HEIKAL 400 9 21422125 GHULAM SARWAR MOHAMMED SHERIEF 400 10 55048668 SOUD MOHD KUMAIKH MOHD ALAZMI 400 11 2006316 HOSAMELDIN AHMAD ALKHAYYAT 400 12 26142406 SADIA KLITIM 400 13 39384217 MAZIED BADER MAZIED ALMAZIED 400 14 65002393 MOHAMADD JABBAR KHAZRATI 400 15 73000205 SANAA ALLAH JAN HEDAYA ALLAH 400 16 9307656 JAMILAH AQAB MOHD ALKHATEIB 400 17 649481 HUSSAIN ALI MOHAMED ALGHARIB 400 18 47418583 MAHER MOHAMMED NOUREDDINE 400 19 39343863 HASAN MOHAMMED ALI ATASH 400 20 69007128 BILAL NAYEF FAZZAA HINDAL 400 21 5196299 ABDULAZIZ SHAKER HUSSAIN ALALWAN 400 22 65102134 MINOR MOHAMMED AMER ALDASHTI 400 23 15423352 ABDULRAHMAN AHMAD AMEESH 400 24 5253098 YOUSEF KHALIFA ABDULLA ALDOSARI 400 25 15299694 SALEM JABER LAEFTAH ALMUTAIRI 400 26 2232782 HEND SULAIMAN YOUSEF ALBALOUL 400 27 15056007 ABDULAZIZ ABDULRAZAQ HAMAD ALKHALED 400 28 42528909 DINA MOHAMMAD NABIL TIMSAH 400 29 7548389 BADIYEAH DHAWY MOHAMMED AL OTAIBY 400 30 12205850 LAILA ABBAS ABDULLA ABAL 400 31 18217648 MAJEDA ABDULHAMED AHMAD HUSAIN 400 32 23221585 JAMAL AHMED ABDULRAHMAN ALBAHAR 400 33 62024515 LAILA HAMAD AHMAD AL HAMAD 400 34 100243924 DAKHEEL ALI ALDAKHEEL ALHABASHI 400 35 12018805 TAHANI ABDULMOHSEN EBRAHIM ALKHAMIS 400 36 18368646 MIN ALI SULAIMAN ALI BO KHAMSEEN 400 37 51233894 HAMEEDA HABEEB SAFAR SANASIRI 400 38 39499448 ALI ABDELATIF ABDELREDA QABAZARD 400 39 12134805 SHAKER ABDULLAH ABDULATIF AL OTHMAN 400 40 23043016 SALAH ALI SHAHEEN ALSELAITI 400 41 13300717 OMAR SAUD ABDULAZIZ ALOMAR 400 42 748358 MOHAMMED JAMAL ABDULMONEM MOSELHY IBRAHIM 400 43 65031288 MIN MAHMOUD MOHAMMED ALDAKROURY HASANIN MOHAMMED400 44 72000112 HANIN HASHEM SAID ANBAR ALREFAEE 400 45 2366894 NADEYAH ESSAM ALASAAD 400 46 54017742 SUNDUS ALI HAIDER ASHKANANI 400 47 53028864 NUHA ABDULRAZAG ABDALKADER ALATEEQI 400 48 16267079 ABDULLAH SALEM MARZOUQ AL AZMI 400 49 961116 PAULINE FURLY LEE 400 50 37306146 MOHAMED ISSA HAMED 400 51 18286003 ABUBAKER PALACKODAN THARAYIL 400 52 32046464 HASAN SHABAN HAJI ZAMAN 400 53 100711502 HASAN AHMED SULAIMAN 400 54 75000652 BASSAM NATHER ALKHAIMI 400 55 51174391 EMAN HASSAN ALI ALSHATTI 400 56 28119592 ABEER ABDULAZIZ MURTADAH ALBILOUSHI 400 57 51020947 BASMAH IBRAHIM ISMAEIL ALSULTAN 400 58 961434 SANA ALAULDEEN TAWFEQ JOUMA 400 59 54121272 MADIHA MATSHAR KHAFIF 400 60 15422259 EMAD SAAD LOUQA HANNA 400 61 9324720 NAHLA HOMOUD ABDULMOHSEN AL AYADHI 400 62 62039016 FATEMAH A ALREDHA MOHD ALSHEIKH 400 63 47380292 MASHOUR MOHD HASSAN AL SALEH 400 64 18296564 SARAH ABDULLAH SALMAN ALOSTATH 400 65 55014402 MARYAM ADEL HMOUD ALNUSIF 400 66 15235378 MAHA AHMAD ASSAD ASSAD 400 67 5199719 MAHMOUD SAMI AHMAD JOUHAR 400 68 39185923 SILNA YOUSEF ALKHOURI 400 69 102546517 HANA OWAIS MOHAMADAIN 400 70 4151879 AYAD ELIAS EL JAMMAL 400 71 17104971 GHAZI JAMEEL QADDOUMI 400 72 60001437 FADEELAH ABBAS SADAQAT 400 73 4384342 HESHAM ABDELFATTAH ABDELGHANY HELAL 400 74 31155987 ALI AHMED MOHSEN QANSOUN 400 75 14144573 YAQOUB YOUSEF YAQOUB KHAJA 400 76 18349854 MIN OMAR HUSSAIN MEJRIN ALMEJRIN 400 77 9395555 MIN BADER ESSAM BADER ALESSA 400 78 4905342 JANET DAKRAN GHAZARIAN 400 79 69020949 MIN NOUR BADER ALI ALSHWEKIR 400 80 506303 LATE OF ABDULRASOUL ABUL HASAN SADEQ 400 81 12243191 VIJAY KUMAR SHARMA &OR ELIZABETH SHARMA 400 82 26104245 SALAH AYED AL SHARHAN AL SHAMMARY 400 83 100580041 MIN AHMAD KHALID KHALIL DASHTI 400 84 51091895 MOHD ABDULLA KHALED ALHARBI 400 85 28149068 BASHAR HASAN ABDULLA ALSAYEGH 400 86 18347517 NOHA NABEIL ALI MOHHAMED 400 87 9413782 HASAN MAHMOUD AHMAD MAH KAREEM 400 88 100647340 ZAHRA MOHD HAJIYA HASAN 400 89 59152192 MIN ALI HUSAIN ALI QASEM 400 90 18347703 IYAD SHAREEF ALATTAR 400 91 18266096 ZAINAB ABDULHADI NASER BASH 400 92 13085719 GHANEEMA DEGHAITHER RASHED ABDULLA ALDEGHAITHER 400 93 80125727 MOHAMMED ABDULLAH ALI MOHAMMED 400 94 32742169 HANAN IBRAHEM MUBARAK ALARFAJ 400 95 102675953 ASMAA MAHMOUD ABBAS HUSSAIN 400 96 47492635 GIBICSAR ISTVAN 400 97 23293985 ABLA ALI HUSSAIN ALGHAREEB 400 98 13063030 BADER AHMAD MAHMOUD ALHASSAN 400 99 39230406 YOUSEF MUSA JAFAR MARAFI 400 100 18310451 ALI HUSAIN ABDLRASOL IBRHIM 400

DUBAI: Porsche revealed its new 911 Carrera S to an expectant crowd at Dubai International Motor Show last week. The show, which ran from November 10-14, provided the brand with its first opportunity to showcase the iconic vehicle in the Middle East region.

Premiered to ultra-enthusiastic response at the Frankfurt Motor Show just a few weeks ago, the new 911 has a flat, stretched silhouette, exciting contours and precisely designed details. Re-designed after 48 years, Porsche’s wheelbase is 100 millimetres longer and it sits lower to the ground, resulting in even better handling dynamics.

George Wills, the newly appointed Managing Director of Porsche Middle East and Africa FZE, says: “The first response from regional media and visitors has been overwhelming. The regional premiere couldn’t have been better for us. “ To build a new 911 meant we had to redefine the epitome of a sports car. The research and development team practically started with a clean sheet of paper with a very simple aim: the new 911 must be - as always - the best new 911 of all time. I am glad that visitors see this, too.” The 911 Carrera features a 3.4-litre boxer engine producing 350 horsepower and the 911 Carrera S with its 3.8-litre boxer engine producing 400 horsepower.

It is the first passenger vehicle in the world to feature a seven-speed manual transmission. It is also the first sports car equipped with an auto start/stop function; electromechanical power steering and features a new ‘coasting function’. Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) is now available in the Carrera S and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) makes its debut in the S version as a standard feature.

The athletic 350 hp 3.4-litre boxer engine on the 911 Carrera consumes a mere 8.2 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres - 1.6 litres per 100 km less than its predecessor. And with an emission level of 194 g/km CO2, it is the first Porsche sports car to make it below the 200 g/km mark.

The all-new, lightweight body is an intelligent aluminium-steel construction, providing an overall weight reduction of up to 45 kilogrammes, and significantly greater rigidity.

Aerodynamic optimisation measures, including a wider, variably extending rear spoiler,

DUBAI: George Wills introduces the new 911 Porsche Carrera.

DUBAI: Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed Rashid Al-Maktoum is pictured at the motor show. means the lift of the new 911 Carrera is fur- car and do justice to the 911 legend”, concluded Wills. Along with the completely rether reduced.

“The new 911 Carrera is our approach to designed icon, the automaker is also giving the preservation of tradition. It is precisely UAE visitors the first opportunity to see its how we respond to the passion for the sports breath-taking 918 RSR concept car.

Oil prices rebound in October NBK ECONOMIC BRIEF

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fter September’s dollar-driven slide, oil prices regained their footing in October.

From a low of $97 per barrel (pb) at the start of the month, the price of Kuwait Export Crude (KEC) rose by around $10 over the next two weeks and remained range bound for the rest of the month. Other global benchmark crudes followed a similar pattern. Brent crude, for example, rose around $8 to settle near the $110 mark from midmonth. The main US benchmark crude, West Texas Intermediate ( WTI), saw even stronger gains, climbing $16 to $93 pb. This reduced the now well-established discount to its main European rival to a four-month low.

Just as September’s oil price slide was driven by dollar strength, the rebound in October was affected by dollar weakness. The dollar trade-weighted index fell more than 4 percent through the month, partly the result of growing expectations of a further round of monetary easing in the US, which benefited other reserve currencies and commodity based currencies such as the Australian dollar and the Brazilian real. In euro terms, oil price gains through October were modest.

It is also notable that alarm over the growing economic crisis in the Eurozone has not yielded any significant weakening of the euro, helping to limit oil price volatility through currency channels. This may be because the euro is still seen as a strong currency: the region’s problems are more related to inequalities within the Eurozone than its overall competitiveness.

Moreover, belief that weaker countries may be forced to exit the single currency implies that stronger countries would be left behind, requiring a stronger currency. Yet despite these short-term financial flow effects, continued turmoil in

Europe will surely damage the prospects for global economic growth, and therefore affect oil price fundamentals over the longer-term.

Oil demand outlook Indeed, rising pessimism about economic prospects for Europe have resulted in a bunch of further downgrades to analysts’ forecasts for global oil demand. Because of weaker economic growth projections, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has revised down its forecast for oil demand growth by 0.05 million barrels per day (mbpd) to 1.0 mbpd (1.1 percent) for 2011 and by 0.2 mbpd to 1.3 mbpd (1.4 percent) for 2012. This is now close to the consensus view. Meanwhile OPEC has pushed down its demand forecasts by 0.2 mbpd to 0.9 mbpd for 2011, and by 0.1 mbpd to 1.2 mbpd for 2012. Finally, the Centre for Global Energy Studies (CGES) already one of the most bearish in the market - has revised down its demand growth forecasts for both 2011 and 2012 by 0.1 mbpd, to 0.7 mbpd and 0.8 mbpd, respectively.

Note however, that despite these across-the-board downgrades, oil demand growth is still not expected to be especially weak. Between 2000 and 2010, annual oil demand growth averaged 1.1 mbpd, close to the average forecast for next year.

Oil supply outlook Latest data shows that OPEC-11 (i.e. excluding Iraq) crude output dropped by 78,000 bpd to 27.24 mbpd in September, its first drop since April. The main catalyst was the 162,000 bpd decline in Nigerian output, reportedly as a result of sabotage and theft. But in addition, production in Saudi Arabia fell by 122,000 bpd to 9.6 mbpd. This could be a response to the tailingoff of summer heating demand in

the Kingdom. However it may also reflect the Kingdom’s desire to leave OPEC’s overall supply stance unchanged as Libyan oil gradually returns to the market. Libyan output rose for the first time since the war began, by 89,000 bpd to 96,000 bpd and recent reports suggest that output may have jumped to 500,000 bpd since then. Further reversals of the Gulf region’s earlier emergency increases in crude output are likely to be seen as OPEC looks to maintain the market balance.

Non-OPEC supplies are forecast to see a decent-sized increase of between 0.8 mbpd and 1.3 mbpd in 2012, following on from a more modest rise of 0.6 - 0.9 mbpd in 2011. Around 0.4 mbpd of next year’s increase is due to come from OPEC natural gas liquids, or NGLs, following a similar contribution this year. On the other hand, the IEA’s June 2011 60 million barrel stock release will (unless repeated) in effect reduce supply growth next year by around 0.2 mbpd. Taken together, OPEC and non-OPEC supply should rise by around 1-1.3 mbpd in 2011.

Price projections Oil market fundamentals have tightened through 2011, though it is possible that things will ease next year. Using the more pessimistic CGES forecast of a 0.8 mbpd increase in demand in 2012, and assuming an increase in non-OPEC supplies of 0.8 mbpd, OPEC may need only a modest increase in output next year to avoid a repeat of this year’s stock draw. This could be achieved without much fuss given the possible ramping-up of output in Libya. If OPEC output increases, on average, by just 0.1 mbpd next year, the price of KEC could edge down below $100 pb by 1Q12, but still average a record high $104 pb for FY2011/12 as a whole. Prices

could begin to firm up again later on in 2012, however, given steady fundamentals.

If, on the other hand, non-OPEC supplies rise by 0.3 mbpd less than expected next year, oil prices could climb steadily in the absence of more aggressive OPEC supply increases. Under this scenario, the price of KEC rises to $110 in 2Q12, rising further towards the end of the year. Alternatively, oil demand growth could turn out much weaker than expected, partially the result of high oil prices dampening economic growth in already frail OECD economies. Demand growth of as little as 0.5 mbpd (0.6 percent) in 2012 would likely galvanize OPEC into making significant cuts in output from the middle of next year, but too late to prevent oil prices weakening significantly. In this case, the price of KEC falls sharply to around $80 pb in 2Q12, and to under $70 in the second half of the year.

Budget projections With more than half of the fiscal year 2011/12 already gone, the full force of the scenarios described above will not be felt this year. They imply fiscal year average oil prices of between $101 and $108 pb, an increase of 23 percent to 31 percent on a year earlier. Figures for the first half of the fiscal year in fact show that actual revenues have already exceeded those projected in the budget for the year as a whole. If, as we expect, spending comes in at 5-10 percent below the government’s forecast, the budget could see a surplus of between KD 7.5 billion and KD 10.7 billion before allocations to the Reserve Fund for Future Generations. This would compare to the government’s projection of a KD 6 billion deficit (based on $60 pb).

Oula extends free car wash promotion KUWAIT: Oula Fuel Marketing Company has recently announced its collaboration with Wataniya Telecom to become a partner in Wataniya’s Reward Loyalty Program. The partnership has so far added value to both the Oula and the Wataniya customer bringing more rewards and surprises to their daily experiences.

The launch of the partnership offered a special promotion to the reward program customer where it granted them a free car wash once they fill their cars for a minimum of KD3 from any of

Oula’s stations located in Kuwait. The promotion was intended to last until November 16, yet when Oula Fuel Marketing has measured the success of the promotion and the satisfaction of the customers the company has decided to extend the period until November 30.

Customers who earn the free car wash during this period only (up to November 30) can redeem their free car wash up until December 17 when showing their receipt. Customers can redeem their car wash from the following four

stations: Mubarak Al-Abdulla (West Mishref ), Shuwaikh Station (Jamal Abdulnaser Street), AlJahra Station (Al-Qasr) and Al-Deeya station.

As a partner in the Loyalty Reward Program, now customers subscribed to Wataniya’s program can redeem their points for fuel at any of Oula’s gas station in Kuwait. Wataniya customers can redeem their points at anytime by visiting Wataniya head office to receive the vouchers which will grant them fuel at any of Oula Fuel stations.

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Bourse ends week with losses KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week in the red zone. The price index ended last week with a decrease amounted to 0.89 percent, while the weighted index dropped by 1.01 percent compared to the closings of the week before. Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover decreased by 33.50 percent, compared to the preceding week, reaching KD 14.06 million, whereas trading volume average was -83.80 million shares, recording decrease of 39.31 percent.

The main event during last week was the listed companies’ results. Since the stock market didn’t extend the announcement period, many traders expected a large number of listed companies become subject to suspense form trading. As a result the traders were confused about their decision. After Tuesday, the announcement period will be ended, with new 47 companies suspended from trading, repre-

BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT senting 22 percent of the total number of listed companies. By the end of the announcement period, the total profits for the companies announced its result were KD 1.36 billion, with 26.39 percent retreat compared to the same period last year, where it was KD 1.85 billion.

By the end of the week, the price index closed at 5,857.80 points, down by 0.89 percent from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index recorded a 1.01 percent decline after closing at 414.08 points.

Sectors’ indices Six of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the red zone, while one recorded increase, On the other hand, the Insurance sector’s index closed with no change from the week before. The Non

Kuwaiti Companies sector headed the losers list as its index declined by 1.97 percent to end the week’s activity at 5,248.6 points.

The investment sector was second on the losers’ list, which index declined by 1.79 percent, closing at 3,634.4 points, followed by the Services sector, as its index closed at 13,151.7 points at a loss of 0.92 percent. The Banks sector was the least declining as its index closed at 11,526.0 points with a 0.17 percent decrease. On the other hand, the Food sector was last week only gainer, which index grew by 0.43 percent, closing at 4,463.9 points.

Sectors’ activity The investment sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 141.59

million shares changing hands, representing 33.79 percent of the total market trading volume. The services sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 25.74 percent of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 107.88 million shares.

On the other hand, the Banks sector’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 23.55 million or 33.49 percent of last week’s total market trading value. The Services sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 15.70 million represented 22.32 percent of the total market trading value.

Market capitalization KSE total market capitalization declined

by 0.99 percent during last week to reach KD 29.19 billion, as seven of KSE’s sectors recorded a decrease in their respective market capitalization, whereas the Insurance sector’s market capitalization remained the same from the week before. The investment sector was the most declining as its total market capitalization reached KD 2.15 billion, decreasing by 2.15 percent. The Non-Kuwaiti Companies sector was the second in terms of recorded decline with 1.92 percent decrease after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 1.71 billion. The third place was for the food sector, which total market capitalization reached KD 722.98 million by the end of the week, recording a decline of 1.78 percent. The banks sector was the least declining with 0.13 percent recorded decrease after its market capitalization amounted to KD 13.04 billion.

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Indian police raid Bharti, Vodafone in telecom probe Officials allege irregularities in 2G spectrum

NEW DELHI: People look at new products at an electronics stall during the India International Trade Fair in New Delhi yesterday. — AP

EU, India to work ‘full steam’ on free trade NEW DELHI: The European Union and India will work “full steam ahead” in talks due to start this week on clinching an ambitious free trade pact ahead of a February deadline, the EU said yesterday.

India has been in discussions with the EU, its biggest trading partner, since June 2007 to liberalize trade in goods, services and investment through a free trade agreement.

“The EU and India are working full steam ahead to find solutions which are acceptable to both sides,” EU trade spokesman John Clancy said in a statement. Frustrated by delays in reaching an agreement, European governments threatened in September to break off talks with India on the free-trade deal and set a February 12 deadline to conclude a pact.

Thirteen rounds of talks have already taken place. More work is needed on issues such as tariffs, services and procurement policy, the EU said. The EU statement said negotiations would begin from tomorrow and last until December 5.

The talks are being held in Brussels, an EU spokeswoman said. “Intense negotiations will continue over the coming months to effectively solve the remaining core issues between now and the EU-India summit, which is scheduled for February 10” in New Delhi, Clancy said.

Earlier last week India’s Commerce Minister Anand Sharma expressed satisfaction with the progress of negotiations.

But Sharma’s comments came at the same time as a top German government official expressed concern in Berlin over the

“painfully slow ” progress of talks.

Germany’s head of the Foreign Trade Division, Berend Diekmann, said the EU bloc and India were “far away” from reaching an agreement on a deal and that there was no way a treaty could be signed before the India-EU summit. “India and the EU are far away from each other as far as the negotiations are concerned,” Diekmann was quoted by the Press Trust of India as saying. The two sides originally hoped to conclude a wide-ranging deal by 2010 that could increase bilateral trade to $237 billion annually by 2015 from around $92 billion currently.

India and the EU have been at odds over intellectual property rights involving life-saving generic HIV/AIDS drugs and other medicines which are produced by Indian companies. UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, has expressed fears that EU proposals for the agreement could make generic HIV drugs unaffordable-something that New Delhi has pledged to resist. High tariffs on automobiles, chemicals, machinery products, agriculture and wines and spirits in India are the other issues which need to be resolved. “There are some important issues outstanding, and only an ambitious agreement will bring significant benefits,” Clancy said. The free trade pact would involve slashing of duties on more than 90 percent of the trade and opening up of mutual markets for services and investment. India has already implemented free trade agreements with countries such as Japan, Malaysia and South Korea. — Agencies

Work-life balance for professionals in ME Bayt.com

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ar from being a luxury, the notion of achieving an optimal work life balance has become a key goal for working professionals worldwide, men and women alike. A recent Bayt.com survey about employee motivation in the Middle East workplace showed that 91 percent of working professionals in the region consider work-life balance a vital factor which directly impacts their motivation levels at the workplace.

Furthermore, 37 percent of Middle Eastern professionals stated their employers provide them with “good” to “complete” support in order for them to achieve work- life balance. Career experts from Bayt.com, The Middle East’s 1 Job Site, provide you below with their 6 top tips to make the process of achieving work-life balance more achievable and realistic: 1 Manage your time effectively no matter what: A working professional cannot possibly hope to achieve worklife balance if he spends two thirds of every day working in the office. Make it a point to commit to your working schedule (occasional overtimes are tolerable but working late on a daily basis is an absolute don’t!). Put your best efforts into your job “during working hours” so that you can “leave work at work” and make your way out knowing you still have enough time (and energy) to invest in your daily routine responsibilities. Learn to work ‘’smart’’ as opposed to ‘’long’’ and focus on making your precious hours at work that much more condensed and productive so you can leave the office on time as many days as possible.

2 Say no when you have to: Do not let feelings of guilt or bogus responsibility find their way to your heart. You are a working professional, and therefore you should be focusing on primarily your “own” job responsibilities and your ‘’own’’ personal activities which make you happy. Do not be hoodwinked into taking on the responsibilities of a work colleague who has booked for a spa appointment at lunchtime and needs you to compile his sales figures report at the cost of your precious time.

3 Check your options: Telecommuting is now widely popular across Middle Eastern workplaces. In fact 47 percent of professionals surveyed by Bayt.com in a recent poll sur-

vey stated that working from home is an option that is allowed in their organizations for some roles. Telecommuting has proved to be useful and conducive to productivity and profitability all around the world. Can your job be done from home at least partially?

Does it necessitate your presence in the office at all times? Is job sharing an option in your job? Check your options!

Job flexibility can undoubtedly be a key factor in achieving a more optimal work-life balance.

4 Maintain open communication channels with your boss: If anyone can make your life easier (or much harder) at work, it is mainly your direct manager. Make sure you maintain a very transparent yet professional relationship with your boss. Seek to be expert in all “reasonable” job responsibilities you are expected to undertake during working hours and do not feel bound to take on a heavier work burden than is really possible given your personal circumstances. Discuss the matter frankly with your boss; as long as you are doing your job to the fullest, a certain amount of flexibility with personal matters should not really be an issue.

5 Keep fit: Eat well, sleep well and grab every opportunity you get to exercise. Sleep deprivation not only results in you being overly and easily exhausted, it also affects your personal and professional productivity levels.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle which combines a fair chunk of fitness-boosting foods (vegetables, fruits and proteins), at least 8 hours of sound sleep and 30 minutes to an hour of walking, jogging, etc... on a daily basis.

6 Celebrate your weekend: The weekend is yours. Just as you set a daily planner at work, make sure you do the same for your weekend and time off work. Schedule activities with family and friends, take the kids on a weekend trip, go fishing, rafting, camping; just make sure you do allot a couple of hours solely for your personal well being. Indulge in a spa session, a soul feeding mini-retreat, super long walk or any other activity that makes you relax and unwind.

You’ve worked hard all week to make ends meet and you absolutely deserve it! Remember you are working to live, not living to work!

NEW DELHI: Indian police yesterday raided offices of two of the nation’s biggest telecom firms, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar, in a widening probe into alleged wrongdoing in the awarding of mobile spectrum. India’s top federal police force, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), searched offices of Bharti Airtel and the Indian unit of Vodafone, part of Britain’s Vodafone Group, as well as senior former government telecom officials, a CBI spokeswoman told AFP. The searches involved alleged irregularities in the distribution of second-generation (2G) mobile spectrum between 2001 and 2003 when the previous Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party was in power, the spokeswoman said. “ The searches were in connection with allegations that have been framed,” she said.

The raids were part of an increasingly sprawling police investigation into awarding of spectrum that has engulfed the current Congress-led government and threatens to taint the previous BJP government which was in office until 2004. The BJP accused the Congress government of seeking to blacken the opposition party’s name and nicknamed

the CBI “the Congress Bureau of Investigation.”

“What is happening is part of a political conspiracy to divert attention away from the government,” said BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar. The raids come as a former Congress telecoms minister is on trial with 13 other top government and other officials over an alleged multi-billion-dollar corruption scandal involving the allocation of mobile spectrum in 2008. A. Raja, telecoms minister from 2007 to 2010, is the central figure in the case that has rocked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s administration and helped make corruption one of India’s hottest political issues.

Responding to the raids, a spokesman for Bharti Airtel, India’s leading mobile provider by subscribers, said “all the spectrum allotted to us from time to time has been strictly as per the stated government policy.” Vodafone said the company had acted in “complete compliance” with rules. Britain’s Vodafone bought a 67-percent stake in Hong Kongbased Hutchison Whampoa’s Indian mobile unit in 2007, renaming it Vodafone Essar. The CBI alleged in its preliminary enquiry report

that the telecoms department increased the spectrum base under late telecoms minister Prahmod Mahajan beyond the prescribed limit for a token sum and favored certain companies, causing a loss to the exchequer. No formal charges have been laid. Mahajan, a prominent BJP politician murdered by his brother in 2006 in a family argument, served as BJP telecom minister from 2001 to 2003.

The sale of 2G spectrum by the Congress government in 2008 at far below market rates to selected companies could have cost the treasury up to $40 billion in lost revenue, the public auditor has alleged. Raja has insisted he was only following the previous BJP government’s policy in awarding mobile spectrum. Meanwhile, separately, a court sentenced an 86-year-old former telecom minister Sukhram, who goes by one name, to five years “rigorous imprisonment” for taking bribes when serving under a Congress government in 1996.

Critics have called India’s telecom ministry, which has been regularly shaken by allegations of irregularities over the years, an “ATM machine” for politicians. — AFP

Textile makers weave a resurgence PHILADELPHIA: Textiles, once a signature craft of Philadelphia industry, teeters on the brink of extinction, with 178 companies left in a city that once housed many times that. There are hopes of sustaining the sector - mainly by connecting it with a younger generation of more design-oriented artisans. But to do so, the textile -manufacturing sector must overcome a daunting calculus: Are enough skilled workers available to keep the existing companies alive long enough for the young entrepreneurs to grow enough business and expertise to sustain them?

As Philadelphia’s factories closed, their workers moved on and now manufacturers say it’s a challenge to find the skilled workers they need. “If you want to find a sewing operator, or someone who knows how to cut fabric, or someone who knows how to dye fabric, or fix a knitting machine, those are hard competencies to find,” said Mark Sunderland, assistant dean of design, engineering, and commerce at Philadelphia University, founded in 1884 as the Philadelphia Textile School.

On a recent weeknight, however, the optimists convened in Frankford at the first gathering in recent memory of the city’s textile sector. Old-line manufacturers and the young artisans met and mingled at Global Dye Works, a former textile factory that is now a warren of artists’ studios.

Steve Jurash, head of the Manufacturing Alliance of Philadelphia, and Karen Randal, director of the city Commerce Department’s office of business attraction and retention, organized the event.

“All too often we hear that manufacturing is dead in Philadelphia,” Jurash told the group. To him, the fact that 178 textile manufacturers remain is proof that “manufacturing is very much alive.” But, as he said that night, 56 percent of local textile manufacturers sur veyed said they had trouble attracting skilled workers. “The thing that concerns me the most is that the average age (of textile employees) is 49,” Jurash said. “Who is coming up behind them?” “No one,” someone in the group called out. Decades ago, the city’s textile industry employed thousands of Philadelphians. Now the average company employs 13.

Even as recently as 2001, 4,500 people worked in textile and apparel manufacturing in Philadelphia, according to the US

Department of Labor. By 2010, that number dropped below 2,100. The fading of Philadelphia’s textile sector is not just attributable to the global push for cheaper labor. “It was the growth of the mass consumer market,” said Walter Licht, a University of Pennsylvania history professor.

“Our textile industry was highly specialized and did not compete with the large-scale, stan-

event would connect design students from the region’s universities with companies able to sew, create patterns, cut fabric, create specialty dyes, create specialty fabrics, and manufacture samples. “We graduate these wonderful trained designers,” she said, who move to New York or abroad to manufacture.

Designer Sarah Van Aken had been manufacturing her line in

PENNSYLVANIA: At GJ Littlewood & Son in Philadelphia, Parker Donahue unloads a dyeing machine full of fiber that will eventually be used to make paint rollers for Home Depot. — MCT dardized cloth producers of New England,” he said. In Philadelphia, before a fabric got to a cutting floor, it might have moved through a half-dozen companies, each highly specialized in a component of fabric manufacturing, from spinning to dying to finishing. The result was a high-quality product that attracted high-quality, high-cost manufacturers. But mass consumption, fueled by the rise of stores like Sears, Roebuck & Co, required low-cost mass production - not Philadelphia’s strong suit, Licht said.

Even today, the remnants of Philadelphia’s textile industry reflect that heritage - high craftsmanship and high specialization for niche markets. In fact, that characteristic fuels Jurash’s and Randal’s hopes for collaboration between the young artisans at the industry event and the oldline manufacturers who still operate plants in the city. For example, in attendance were David Littlewood, owner of GJ Littlewood & Son, founded in 1869, the oldest surviving dye house in Philadelphia, and partners Mira Adornetto and Elissa Meyers, founders of BlueRedYellow, a city dye business so fledgling that the company doesn’t have a phone number.

Randal said she hoped the

Bangladesh. Now her factory, S.V.A. Holdings Corp., employing 14, sits atop her Sa Va boutique in Philadelphia. “My youngest employee is in her 40s, and there is no one coming up behind them,” Van Aken said.

The workforce at CSH Inc, a custom cutting and sewing house in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond area, is mainly Asian, recruited by owner Steven Levin’s manager,

Mai “Lilly” Yau. She learned the trade in Hong Kong and hires immigrants who gained their experience in China and Cambodia. “I remember when high schools had classes (in industrial sewing),” Levin said.

“They used to come to my factory on field trips.” At Littlewood in Philadelphia, master lab technician Bill Cook mixes dyes and solutions.

He spent part of a morning fine-tuning a sky-blue hue to be used in paint-roller covers sold by a big hardware store chain. “The lab technician is one of the hardest jobs to find,” said Cook’s boss, David Littlewood. It takes skill and experience to know which dyes are appropriate with each material, to make sure the color holds when viewed in daylight, artificial light, or in something akin to sunset lighting, and then finally to calculate manufacturing costs, striking a balance between quality and expense.

As Cook worked in the lab, the employees, largely unskilled, loaded fibers into vats to be dyed a rich gold - also for paint-roller covers, these bound for a rival chain. Littlewood ships the dyed fibers to a fabric manufacturer that weaves them into a material then affixed to a paint roller, which is wrapped in plastic and goes on the shelf in the store.

Cook handles the initial chemistry and David Littlewood’s brother, James, the head dyer, has the skills to make adjustments in the course of the dying process. Both men are in their 50s. The youngest local industrial dyer they know is 30, the nephew of one of their competitors. — MCT

KSE price index declines MARKAZ ANALYSIS KUWAIT: The KSE market price index started on a weak note and the index touched an intraweek low of 5,842 before closing at 5,857 level, a loss of 0.9 percent or 52 points. While the KSE weighted index declined 1 percent at 414 level compared to previous week. Among sectors indices, the Non-Kuwaiti and the investment sectors were major losers that declined 2 percent and 1.8 percent respectively. The industrial and the services sectors decreased by 0.9 percent each, the real estate was 0.5 percent down and the banking sector ended marginally 0.2 percent lower, while the food index had 0.4 percent positive closing on weekly basis. The market sentiment was negative as 92 stocks declined against 27 stocks ended higher and 19 stocks remained unchanged on weekly basis.

Among the large caps stocks, the major losers were KPROJ -3.1 percent, NMTC -3 percent, NIC -2.9 percent, FOOD -2.6 percent, AGLTY -2.5 percent, NIG -1.9 percent, GBK -1.9 percent, KFH -1.1 percent, ZAIN -1.1 percent, while the stocks of NBK and MABANEE remained unchanged compared to last week. The KSE weighted index has downside support at 411 level and faces upside resistance at 417 level, while the KSE price index face upside resistances at 5,880 to 5900 levels and it has downside support at 5800 level.

Four Films to be Diamond Sponsor at Horeca 2012 KUWAIT: One of the leading print media companies in Kuwait since 1976, Four Films continues its endeavor to reach new heights by being a Diamond Sponsor at HORECA 2012. The milestone event will be held at the Arraya Ballroom, Marriott Courtyard, Kuwait from January 22-24, 2012.

With a fleet of state-of-the-art offset and digital printing machines, laser-technology for die-cutting, lamination, NCR and leatherworks, Four Films has all the answers for print and beyond. Its track record of excellence has helped Four Films achieve an ‘A’ rating with the Ministry of Education for leadership in the field of school books printing. Four Films also holds the distinguished honor of having printed the largest encyclopedic collection of Arab poetry the Babtain Encyclopedia, at the Babtain Centre for Oral Poetry in Kuwait. In order to provide turnkey solutions for clients, Four Films has established a strategic partnership with

specialized production and design entities.

4F.E.S.T. (Four Films Environments, Signage, and Tradeshows) is a leading specialist company providing a full range of services, from wide format printing to exhibition booths and interior construction.

The team produces booths and stands, including complete furniture backup, lighting, electric networks and plasma screens for exhibitions, tradeshows and signage. Custommade stands for 3D displays can be manufactured along with installations throughout Kuwait and the Middle East. At 4F.E.S.T, clients are assured of timely completion of the project within the stipulated budget, guaranteeing peace of mind.

Going by the belief that good communication holds both commercial and cultural value, PAD 10 combines the fields of architecture, graphic design, web design, packaging and exhibition design, journalism, marketing and

new media to offer integrated solutions for the digital age. The company is involved in many prestigious projects such as the architectural and interior renovation of the Pearl Marzook residential project, the websites design and development of Salhia and Al-Raya mixed use projects, the design for the profile of Sabah AlAhmad Sea City in Khairan and the Dar AlAthar Al-Islamiyyah cultural publications for 2011-2012 among others. PAD 10’s cultural insight on the milieu it operates in is documented by the ‘the Kulture Files’, a quarterly pamphlet it curates and prints.

PressDesigns is a brand that offers a range of products designed by PAD 10. The collection is manufactured from reused matter sourced at Four Films. The materials utilized in crafting the products include paper, wood, metal and acrylic. The eco-friendly and contemporary products possess a uniquely modern sensibility with aesthetic and functional relevance.

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Visitors to LA auto show have latest cars in mind LOS ANGELES: After two years of pushing off buying a car, Michael Kennedy says he’s ready to take the plunge. That’s why he waited in line for 45 minutes Friday to be one of the first to check out the hundreds of vehicles on display at the Los Angeles Convention Center. “It’s about time to buy,” said the 50-year-old Pasadena, California, resident, who last purchased a car in 2003 after seeing it at that year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. “I was looking last year, the year before, but, you know, with the economy, that just wasn’t realistic.”

Many pouring into the convention floor echoed Kennedy’s attitude about the economy, and rather than just looking to be entertained by cool cars, they had a practical goal in mind: researching a replacement for their aging autos. And the car companies said they were prepared for an uptick in potential buyers. The show runs through Nov 27, including Thanksgiving Day. With the economy appearing to be on the rebound, automakers were back in full force at the show with larger and more interactive exhibits, readying to

woo back buyers who were wary to make big-budget purchases during the recession. “A lot of people who are at the displays today are serious buyers,” a Kia spokeswoman said. “They’re asking the core questions, not just ‘how fast does this car go’-type of questions.

Hands down, our sales are increasing exponentially.”

She noted that Kia’s US sales were up 30 percent last month compared with the same time last year. Like many manufacturers at this year’s auto show, Kia increased its display floor space by about 4,000 square feet from last year, according to product specialist Dexter Echiverri. “I think three or four years ago, when the Big Three were in trouble ... auto shows were really down,” he said. “Now it’s coming back in fuller force than even before.

Kia was waiting in the wings, and now we’re a destination point.” At its exhibit, more people milled around its SUVs than the flashy, interactive dance screen with Kia’s new ad campaigns, which include NBA star Blake Griffin and dancing hamsters. Jordan Van Meter, 46, said she was looking for a new family-friendly car. — MCT

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business

Gains in economic gauge signal brighter outlook US Economy adds 80,000 jobs in October WASHINGTON: The latest evidence that the US economy is making steady gains emerged Friday from a gauge of future economic activity, which rose in October at the fastest pace in eight months. A string of better-than-expected economic reports this month has led some analysts to revise up their forecasts for growth. Still, they caution that their brighter outlook remains under threat from Europe’s financial crisis. “ Things are looking better than we thought they would - not great, but better,” said David Wyss, former chief economist at Standard & Poor’s.

The most recent sign was Friday’s report by the Conference Board that its index of leading economic indicators surged 0.9 percent last month. It was the index’s best showing since February. And it was far faster than the increases of 0.1 percent September and 0.3 percent in August. The index is designed to predict economic activity. The October figure marked the sixth straight increase.

The jump reflected gains in nine of the index’s 10 components. Leading the way: a surge in permits for home construction; a narrower gap between short- and long-term interest rates that suggested less concern about inflation; a recovery in stock prices; and growth in the US money supply.

A longer average workweek and fewer applications for unemployment benefits also con-

tributed to the rise in the index. All told, the components of the index signaled that the economy is steadily, if still slowly, strengthening. On Thursday, the government reported further improvement in the number of people seeking unemployment benefits for the first time. The number fell to 388,000, the fewest since April. In October, the economy added a net total of 80,000 jobs. It was the 13th straight month of gains. Still, the additional jobs were fewer than the roughly 125,000 that are needed each month just to keep up with population growth.

Many economists said the October gain in the leading indicators offered further assurance that the economy is in no imminent danger of slipping back into a recession, so long as Europe doesn’t fall into a severe downturn.

“This was a very positive reading for the leading indicators,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “The economy seems to be holding its own.” Steven Wood, chief economist at Insight Economics, said the string of positive readings suggests “the economy should continue to experience at least moderate growth over the next six to nine months.”

In the first six months of the year, the economy grew at an annual rate of just 0.9 percent.

Growth expanded to a 2.5 percent rate in the July-September quarter. Before this month, many economists had estimated that growth in

the current October-December quarter would roughly match the 2.5 percent pace of the JulySeptember period. — Reuters

OHIO: In this file photo, the Bob Evans restaurant in Solon, Ohio advertises job openings. — AP

Ford honors recipients of 2011 Conservation Grants 12 projects from around the GCC, Jordan and Lebanon receive $100,000

Jazeera Airways issues Sept 2011 performance report KUWAIT: Award-winning airline Jazeera Airways, the largest airline serving the Middle East out of Kuwait, yesterday issued its monthly operational performance report for September 2011, which showed that the airline has once again captured a leading market share on most of the routes it operates.

The September 2011 report showed that Jazeera Airways grabbed a leading market share to Alexandria, Assiut, Damascus, Luxor, Sharm El Sheikh and Sohag, putting it ahead of all other carriers operating the routes. The airline was

also the leading Kuwaiti operator to the majority of its destinations, including high-demand routes such as Beirut, Amman, Bahrain and Dubai. The company secured the month-on-month lead in market share since July 2009 thanks to its expanding value offering to customers, great schedules, and operating at high on-time performance of 98 percent during the month, making the airline once again one of the most punctual airlines in the Middle East. The report is based on data from Kuwait’s Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Ford Explorer is Sport Auto’s ‘SUV of the Year’ KUWAIT: The all-new Ford Explorer has been named “SUV of the Year” by Sport Auto Middle East magazine, one of the region’s leading and veteran car publications. The all-new Ford Explorer edged out other nameplates to win the “Afdal Award” as the magazine’s SUV of the Year 2012, which was presented to Ford Middle East on the opening day of the 2011 Dubai International Motor Show.

“The Ford Explorer has a very strong following not only in North America but here in the region as well,” said Larry Prein, Ford Middle East’s managing director. “And being named SUV of the Year is quite a feat for the all-new Ford Explorer as it’s a clear vote of confidence that our One Ford plan is working to deliver vehicles people truly want and value, with industry-leading quality, fuel efficiency, safety and smart technologies.”

During the award presentation ceremony, Gerard Saunal, Editor-in-Chief of Sport Auto said: “There is no doubt about the overall performance, driving dynamics and smart technologies of the Ford Explorer - it is quite a character. The latest generation Explorer embodies the modern SUV on all fronts, and is a far cry from its predecessors. It has exceeded our expectations.”

The all-new Ford Explorer has received various honors and recognitions, includ-

ing the coveted North American Truck of the Year award for 2011, while its innovative and industry-first rear inflatable seat belt technology won the 2011 Best New Technology Award from the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada and has been named a Breakthrough Product Award winner by Popular Mechanics.

Ford Explorer fully-reinvented In the Middle East, Ford launched the all-new Ford Explorer last October showcasing its off-roading capabilities with its new Terrain Management System, improved driving dynamics, segmentexclusive technologies, and segmentleading safety innovations. The standard 3.5-liter V6 engine enables class-leading highway fuel economy while delivering a segment-leading 290hp (net). Featuring technologies such as twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT), a sixspeed automatic transmission, electric power-assisted steering (EPAS) and aggressive deceleration fuel shutoff, Explorer also offers a wind-skimming aerodynamic shape to maximize fuel economy. The all-new Ford Explorer has been reinvented to reflect 21st century customer needs, while honouring the fully capable heritage of previous Explorer models over the past two decades. It is built at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant.

KUWAIT: Ford officials receive the ‘SUV of the Year’ Award by Sport Auto Middle East magazine.

KUWAIT: Abdul Rahman is pictured receiving the Ford grant.

KUWAIT: Ford Middle East honored the recipients of the 2011 Ford Motor Company Conser vation and Environmental Grants, with 12 grassroots level projects receiving a total of $100,000 in an awards ceremony held in Dubai. The ceremony was attended by various environmental personalities and groups from the region. This year, environmental education rings loud with most of the projects involving the youth in order to start early advocacies to protect the environment.

Schoolchildren as young as 10 years old, have been involved and mobilized to be guardians of the environment in their own respective communities. Hussein Murad, Ford Middle East’s director of Sales, said: “Our winners for this year are doing a phenomenal job in raising awareness to protect the environment in their local communities. We are glad to be able to assist them to further their cause and mission. It is quite exemplary that most of the projects involve the youth who represent the future and will be able to pass on to their peers ways to conser ve the environment. We hope to see more of these projects come to life year-on-year.” “ We also thank UNESCODoha and Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Al-Nuaimi, who has graced the Ford Grants this year as Ambassador, for spreading the word about the Conser vation and Environmental Grants, helping us reach out to the local community groups that need this type of support,” added Murad.

Dr Benno Boer, UNESCO’s Ecological Sciences Advisor in the Arab Region, said: “As one of the longest running and most commendable programs initiated by the private sector in the region, the Ford Motor Company Conser vation and Environmental Grants have been quite instrumental in helping local groups and organizations continue with their projects and we thank them for their continued suppor t. With our effor ts com-

bined, we can influence more communities to do their part in protecting the environment.

This is a laudable effort during the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014), and the composition of the jury is a real contribution to gender equality, which is an over-arching priority of UNESCO.” This year’s winners include projects saving coral reefs and protecting marine resources in Kuwait, Oman and the UAE, initiatives that engage communities to become eco-police in and protect natural resources in Lebanon, setting up community theaters to inculcate environmental awareness in Jordan, volunteerism to collect and segregate plastic waste in Kuwait, and many more.

“There is a dire need to educate and activate the communities to preserve the environment. An informed citizenry is our best instrument in fighting the rapid deterioration of the environment. It is truly laudable that the recipients of the Ford Grants are passionately pursuing raising environmental awareness through education and example. We are all beneficiaries of the environment and we must do our part to protect our natural resources against fur ther harm,” said Sheik h Abdul Aziz Bin Ali Al-Nuaimi, also k nown as The Green Sheik h, Ford Grants Ambassador.

The Ford Grants is part of the company’s efforts to support grass-roots level initiatives that protect and preserve the environment and natural resources in the GCC and Levant countries, and has awarded a total of $1.2million to more than 140 projects since its inception in 2000. Since the program’s global launch over a decade ago, Ford has awarded more than $2,000,000 in grants to over 300 high-quality projects throughout Asia Pacific, Caribbean, Central America, Middle East and Puerto Rico to further their environmental initiatives.

The GCC and Levant Chapter of the Ford Motor Company

KUWAIT: Waleed Al-Shatti is pictured receiving the Ford grant.

Conservation & Environmental Grants has seen support from various governmental and nongovernmental environmental authorities including the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Emirates Wildlife Society, the Arab Forum for Environment & Development (AFED) and UNESCO. This year ’s winners have been chosen by an independent panel of jurors consisting of academics, as well as experts from environmental ministries and agencies. The panel of judges, which has been carefully selected in association with UNESCO, based on geographical coverage, age and gender equality, looks for initiatives

that demonstrate a welldefined sense of purpose, a commitment to maximizing available resources, and a reputation for meeting objectives and delivering planned programs and services.

Each year, the Ford Grants make available a total of $100,000 to individuals, community and non-profit groups that have projects currently running in the areas of preservation of the natural environment, environmental education and conservation engineering.

The program is open to applicants from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

And the winners are: JORDAN 1 Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature Project: Integrating Environmental Concepts into National Curricula and Supervisors/Teacher Training Grant: $10,000 2 Jordan Society for Environment Conservation Project: Al Rusayfa Environmental Community Theatre Grant: $10,000 KUWAIT 3 Kuwait Dive Team Environmental Chapter Project: Protecting Marine Life and Coral Reefs in Kuwait Grant: $10,000 4 Abdur Rahman Abdullah Project: Ramadan Mosque recycling project Grant awarded: $7,000 LEBANON 5 Association for the Protection of Jabal Moussa (Jabal Moussa Biosphere Reserve) Project: TREECON Conservation of natural resources in Jabal Moussa Grant: $3,000 6 Arc En Ciel Project: ‘Bouchons Roulants’ (Rolling Caps) Grant: $14,500 7 Dalia Kamil Al-Jawhary Project: Twinning

Traditional Successful Approach of water resources management in order to combat today’s challenges in Natural Resources Management Grant: $5,000 8 Safadi Foundation Project: Educational project ‘Our Environment, Our Responsibility’ Grant: $9,000 OMAN 9 Biosphere Expeditions Project: Protecting the reefs of the Musandam peninsula through education & capacitybuilding (previous winner) Grant awarded: $7,500 10 National Earth Secrets Oman / World Habitat Society (Germany) Project: Geological Heritage of Oman Grant awarded: $7,000 UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 11 Emirates Diving Association Project: The importance of grazers for healthy reefs in extreme environments Grant: $10,000 12 Biosphere Expeditions Project: Arabian Oryx, Gordon’s wildcat and other species of the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve Grant awarded: $7,000

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

TECHNOLOGY

Finnish iPad app aims to help budding guitarists NEW YORK: Finnish startup Ovelin is launching a game in the United States and Britain that is designed to help people stick with their music lessons, with the first version of the game playable on Apple’s iPad. The game, called WildChords, helps people learn to play the guitar, and went straight to the No. 1 spot in its

home country of Finland when it was launched there this month. Other instruments and other platforms are likely to follow Thursday’s international launch.

“What we are going for is to bring the joy of music to the whole world,” says co-founder Christoph Thuer. “How many of you have dropped learning to

play an instrument?” Thuer asked an audience at a recent startup conference. “Put your hand up.” He raised his own hand and a majority of the audience followed.

Pilvi Pursiheimo, who teaches music in the town of Lempaala in southern Finland, says she has seen the game motivate children to learn more in the

classroom and at home. “It seems to boost children’s motivation. Everybody wants to play,” Pursiheimo said.

WildChords, which won an award as the best European learning game even before its launch, uses iPad’s microphone to determine whether the player hits the right chords on his or her guitar, and awards stars for passing

each level. Thuer says there are 150 million potential customers in Europe and the United States, with even bigger potential in emerging markets. First exercises are free for anyone to download, with additional packages, roughly one per week of practice, costing 2.99 euros (about $4) each. — Reuters

Walls between Internet, TV crumbling: YouTube Battle for viewers’ attention has become ever harder

NEW YORK: Catherine Devine, 22, reads instant messages on her laptop screen at her home in Kings Park, N.Y. Devine had her first brush with an online bully in seventh grade, before she’d even ventured onto the Internet. A new Associated Press-MTV poll of youth in their teens and early 20s finds that most of them — 56 percent — have been the target of some type of online taunting, harassment or bullying, a significant increase over just two years ago. — AP

Online gamers crack AIDS enzyme puzzle PARIS: Online gamers have achieved a feat beyond the realm of Second Life or Dungeons and Dragons: they have deciphered the structure of an enzyme of an AIDS-like virus that had thwarted scientists for a decade.

The exploit is published in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, where-exceptionally in scientific publishing-both gamers and researchers are honoured as co-authors. Their target was a monomeric protease enzyme, a cutting agent in the complex molecular tailoring of retroviruses, a family that includes HIV. Figuring out the structure of proteins is vital for understanding the causes of many diseases and developing drugs to block them. But a microscope gives only a flat image of what to the outsider looks like a plate of one -dimensional scrunched-up spaghetti.

Pharmacologists, though, need a 3-D picture that “unfolds” the molecule and rotates it in order to reveal potential targets for drugs.

This is where Foldit comes in.

Developed in 2008 by the University of Washington, it is a fun-for-purpose video game in which gamers, divided into competing groups, compete to unfold chains of amino acids-the building blocks of proteins-using a set of online

tools.

To the astonishment of the scientists, the gamers produced an accurate model of the enzyme in just three weeks.

Cracking the enzyme “provides new insights for the design of antiretroviral drugs,” says the study, referring to the lifeline medication against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

It is believed to be the first time that gamers have resolved a long-standing scientific problem.

“We wanted to see if human intuition could succeed where automated methods had failed,” Firas Khatib of the university’s biochemistry lab said in a press release. “The ingenuity of game players is a formidable force that, if properly directed, can be used to solve a wide range of scientific problems.”

One of Foldit’s creators, Seth Cooper, explained why gamers had succeeded where computers had failed. “People have spatial reasoning skills, something computers are not yet good at,” he said.

“Games provide a framework for bringing together the strengths of computers and humans. The results in this week’s paper show that gaming, science and computation can be combined to make advances that were not possible before.” — AFP

Pentagon successfully tests hypersonic flying bomb WASHINGTON: The Pentagon held a successful test flight of a flying bomb that travels faster than the speed of sound and will give military planners the ability to strike targets anywhere in the world in less than a hour.

Launched by rocket from Hawaii at 1130 GMT, the “Advanced Hypersonic Weapon,” or AHW, glided through the upper atmosphere over the Pacific “at hypersonic speed” before hitting its target on the Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands, a Pentagon statement said.

Kwajalein is about 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) southwest of Hawaii. The Pentagon did not say what top speeds were reached by the vehicle, which unlike a ballistic missile is maneuverable.

Scientists classify hypersonic speeds as those that exceed Mach 5 — or five times the speed of sound — 3,728 miles (6,000 kilometers) an hour.

The test aimed to gather data on

“aerodynamics, navigation, guidance and control, and thermal protection technologies,” said Lieutenant Colonel Melinda Morgan, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

The US Army’s AHW project is part of “Prompt Global Strike” program which seeks to give the US military the means to deliver conventional weapons anywhere in the world within an hour.

On August 11, the Pentagon test flew another hypersonic glider dubbed HTV2, which is capable of flying 27,000 kilometers per hour, but it was a failure. The AHW’s range is less than that of the HTV2, the Congressional Research Service said in a report, without providing specifics.

The Pentagon has invested 239.9 million dollars in the Global Strike program this year, including 69 million for the flying bomb tested Thursday, CRS said. — AFP

LOS ANGELES: YouTube’s new premium content push featuring the likes of Madonna and Ashton Kutcher spurred speculation that the Google-owned site is issuing a direct challenge to the television industry.

That suspicion was given further credence by reports that Google is considering offering paid cable-TV services to consumers. For Michael Hirschorn, chief creative officer of the recently launched IconicTV and one of the nearly 100 content providers participating in the initiative, there’s something much bigger taking shape. The programming veteran believes that YouTube’s initiative shows that walls between traditional television and digital video are collapsing.

As evidence that the barriers are weakening, he cites the explosive growth of connected televisions and tablets. “The new terrain lives in between TV and the Internet,” said Hirschorn. “It requires a nimbleness and where appropriate, a humility, to be open to all the change that is approaching.”

Iconic is a joint venture between Hirschorn and Larry Aidem. Aidem, the former chief executive officer of the Sundance Channel, and Hirschorn, a former Vh1 executive and the author of a controversial Atlantic piece on the demise of the New York Times, will oversee three programs for YouTube.

Iconic’s initial offerings are “Life and Times,” which will focus on Jay-Z’s cultural and artistic interests, “Uno Dos Tres,” a bi-lingual channel featuring music, dance and telenovelas; and “Myish,” a platform for emerging indie singers.

Each channel will be responsible for 50 hours of programming a year, and in return, YouTube will advance the content creators a nine figure sum against ad revenues.

Hirschorn declined to comment on how any profits would be split.

Talks between Hirschorn, Aidem and YouTube brass began six months ago, with the video service deciding what channels would be part of the launch in August and early September. Hirschorn believes that

YouTube may have found the right formula to make broadcast quality digital entertainment pay. “The battle for viewers’ attention has become ever harder, but being good in this medium requires a different set of attributes,” Hirschorn said. “This is a punk rock moment, it’s not an arena rock moment. Helicopter

YouTube’s new premium TV services. shots are not going to impress this audience.

Instead you need to do it with an intelligence and speed and brevity and a really good sense of humor.”

Hirschorn maintains that the new normal with regard to entertainment consumption is “a steady diet of cable TV, YouTube, Hulu, Yahoo, and Amazon.” As all of those offerings begin to be better integrated on various devices, the distinction between internet and

Unprecedented hack attacks on Norway firms OSLO: The biggest wave of hacking and espionage attacks in Norway’s history has hit key defence and energy companies, the National Security Agency (NSM) said Friday. At least 10 companies have over the past year fallen victim to hackers in a string of attacks believed to be the work of one group, the NSM said in a statement.

“We have to suppose that the actual number (of victims) is much higher, but that many (companies) have not been in contact ” with authorities, the agency said. The security agency said it was difficult to track down the perpetrators, who used servers based abroad for their attacks, refusing to point fingers at any suspects.

“This is the first time that a hacking campaign of this magnitude has been detected in Nor way,” NSM spokesman Kjetil Berg Veire told AFP. The hackers in each case tried to gain access to the corporate network by sending seemingly legitimate emails to specific people, along with a well-concealed virus handing them remote access to the computer in question, according to the agency. But each attack was “tai-

lored” for the specific company, making it possible to escape detection by anti-virus programmes, it said.

The main targets of the attacks were companies in the oil, gas and overall energy sector, as well as in defence.

The names of the targeted companies were not divulged. “ The attacks have on several occasions come when the companies have been involved in large-scale contract negotiations,” NSM said. The attacks had allowed the hackers to gain access to documents, industrial charts, usernames and passwords.

According to Berg Veire, however, it is impossible to quantify the possible losses, as an overview of what had been taken was lacking. A US intelligence report released earlier this month branded the Chinese the world’s “most active and persistent perpetrators” of economic espionage.

“US private sector firms and cybersecurity specialists have reported an onslaught of computer network intrusions that have originated in China, but the (US intelligence community) cannot confirm who was responsible,” said the intelligence report. —AFP

Amazon sells $199 tablet at a loss NEW YORK: Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle Fire tablet, which started shipping this week, costs $201.70 to make, a research firm said Friday. That’s $2.70 more than Amazon charges for it. The analysis by IHS indicates that Amazon is, at least initially, selling the tablet at a loss that it hopes to cover through sales of books and movies for the device. The manufacturing cost of a new gadget usually comes down over time as chips become cheaper.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos told The Associated Press in September that the company’s goal was to make a small profit from the hardware, but as a retail company, Amazon was willing to live with a smaller margin than most electronics companies would. “We want the hardware device to be profitable and the

content to be profitable. We really don’t want to subsidize one with the other,” Bezos said.

IHS’s estimate includes the cost of components and assembly, but not the costs of development, marketing or packaging. The most expensive part of the Kindle Fire is the 7-inch color touch screen, which costs $87. Amazon kept the cost of the tablet low compared to Apple Inc.’s iPad and similar tablets by making it smaller - the screen is half the size of that for the iPad - keeping the amount of memory low and excluding a camera and microphone.

But the difference in manufacturing cost is much smaller than the difference in retail price: IHS puts the cost of the basic iPad 2 model at just under $300, while Apple sells it for $499. — AP

television programming will become less stark. Ultimately, cable networks may begin making carriage deals with YouTube just as they would a cable provider, Hirschorn speculated. As part of the new offering, Hirschorn said that YouTube is shaking up the way it is organized-a rhizomatic format that may have

helped turn “David at the Dentist” into a viral phenomenon, but hasn’t allowed the company’s modest efforts at hosting premium content to get off the ground.

“With its Google TV interface, YouTube is attempting to solve the problems of their search based discovery,” Hirschorn said.

“It’s a little unanswerable, but all this influx of new content will change viewership patterns.” — Reuters

Half of Swedish three year olds online: Study STOCKHOLM: Swedes are among the world’s most connected people and are swarming to the Internet at an ever earlier age, a study published showed, indicating that half of Swedish three-year-olds have been online.

“The Internet continues to spread to younger and younger children,” according to the study on Swedish online habits, conducted by Internet infrastructure foundation .SE. In 2000, half of Swedish children had begun using the Internet by the age of 13. By 2004, the beginner age had dropped to nine, by 2008, it stood at five, and this year it was down to three, according to the study.

There is also an increase in usage among younger children, the study showed, pointing out that today 19 percent of four-year-olds use the Internet on a daily basis up from two percent in 2009, while 25 percent of six-year-olds go online every day compared to five percent two years ago.

Titled “Swedes and the Internet 2011,” the 72-page study was based on telephone interviews with 2,537 people over the age of 16, including 429 parents who were asked about the Internet habits of 616 children.

It also revealed that a full 88 percent of Sweden’s nine million inhabitants have access to the Internet and 85 percent have access to broadband at home. In fact, there are more computers than people in Swedish households, which on average count 2.5 family members and an average of 2.8 computers.

Meanwhile, 81 percent of Swedish Internet users go online every day, and 62 percent of them use social networks, the study showed. Among other revelations in the study was that illegal file-sharers are more willing to pay for music online than people who refrain from filesharing.

Among file-sharers aged 12 to 35, 22 percent paid to download songs and 30 percent paid for online music service subscriptions. That compares with 14 percent of non-file-sharers in the same age group who paid to download songs and 20 percent who paid for music service subscriptions. — AFP

Amazon readying smartphone

SAN FRANCISCO: In this Oct. 14, 2011 file photo, people line up to purchase an Apple iPhone 4S at a Sprint store in San Francisco. The Associated Press reporter Rachel Metz explains why she chose the Apple iPhone 4S as her updated smartphone, in a column. — AP

NEW YORK: Love your Kindle? And the new KindleFire tablet? Well, how about a Kindle phone?

Citigroup analysts Mark Mahaney and Kevin Chang believe that Amazon will release a smartphone some time next year. “With the clear success of the Kindle eReader over the past 3 years, and Kindle Fire possibly succeeding in the low-priced Tablet market, we view this as the next logical step for Amazon,” wrote Mahaney and Chang. “We continue to believe Amazon has now set its eyes on the Mobile (and Tablet) Media and Product.”

This would raise the stakes yet again in the AmazonApple-Google rivalry. Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android are already fighting for mobile users, and the platform is seen as the key battleground for the two companies moving forward. — Reuters

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health & science

Regeneron’s eye injection Eylea approved by FDA NEW YORK: Regulators on Friday approved Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s drug Eylea, an injection designed to treat a common cause of blindness in older people.

Eylea is intended to treat neovascular or “wet” age -related macular degeneration. More than 200,000 cases are diagnosed in the US every year.

The standard treatment for the condition is Roche’s Lucentis, which was approved in 2006 and posts $1.5 billion in annual sales.

Analysts have high expectations for

Eylea because clinical trial data showed it could be administered every other month, although the Food and Drug Administration recommends monthly injections for the first three months and then bimonthly. Lucentis is approved to be used once per month, although Roche says the drug is often used less frequently.

Regeneron said it will launch Eylea next week. Each dose will cost $1,850, while Lucentis costs $2,000. The company said health insurers and programs like Medicare will save money

because patients won’t have to visit their doctor as often for injections and checkups. It said those visits cost $250 to $300 each. Earlier this year, clinical trial data showed Roche’s cancer drug Avastin, which is chemically similar to Lucentis, was as effective as Lucentis. A specialty-formulated injection of Avastin costs $50.

Separately, on Friday the FDA withdrew its approval to market Avastin to treat breast cancer because of concerns that the drug’s side effects were too great and that it didn’t help

enough, although it will remain on the market for certain colon, lung, kidney and brain cancers.

The most common side effects of Eylea included bleeding of the conjunctiva, eye pain, cataracts, detachment of the retina from the vitreous humor, and greater pressure within the eye. In a few patients, strokes, nonfatal heart attacks, and vascular death, including deaths of unknown cause, occurred. Those side effects occurred in about 1.8 percent of patients combined.

An FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended approval for Eylea in June, but in August, the FDA extended its review of the drug by three months to check additional data.

If the drug is approved in other markets, Bayer HealthCare will market Eylea and the companies will split the profits. Shares of Regeneron fell $1.32, or 2.6 percent, to close at $49.81before the company announced the FDA approval.

The stock picked up 54 cents to $50.35 in aftermarket trading. —AP

McDonald’s drops US egg supplier over farm cruelty Decision comes after animal rights video surfaces CHICAGO: Fast food giant McDonald’s severed ties with one of its American egg suppliers Friday after a video taken by undercover animal rights activists exposed shocking cruelty to chickens at a farm. The footage showed chicks having the tips of their beaks being burned off by a machine and then tossed into cages along with images of barely identifiable corpses of birds that were left to rot in cages.

It also showed unwanted chicks left to die in plastic bags, birds mangled by the bars of overcrowded cages, and a chicken flapping its wings in distress as a plant worker swung the creature on a rope in a wide circle.

There are no federal laws governing the treatment of poultry on US farms and most states have sweeping exemptions for farmed animals which allow for abuses to run rampant without prosecution. “Unfortunately, much of the abuse we documented is not only standard, it’s legal,” Nathan Runkle, director of Mercy for Animals, which obtained the clandestine footage, told AFP. “We’ve done over a dozen investigations at

factory farms from coast to coast,” he said.

“Every time we’ve sent an investigator into one of these facilities they’ve come out with shocking evidence of abuse and neglect.”

McDonald’s confirmed it had directed its supplier, Cargill, to stop sourcing McDonald eggs from Sparboe, the company at the center of the cruelty video.

“The behavior on tape is disturbing and completely unacceptable,” McDonald’s said in a statement. “McDonald’s wants to assure our customers that we demand humane treatment of animals by our suppliers. We take this responsibility-along with our customers’ trustvery seriously.”Sparboe, a family-run company, said it had launched a probe after learning of the video and has fired four workers who engaged in mistreatment of chickens. In a message posted on a dedicated website, owner Beth Sparboe Schnell said an independent auditor from Iowa State University confirmed the company is in “full compliance with our animal welfare policies.”

She said Sparboe Farms was the first

American egg producer to have its “sciencebased animal care production guideline” certified by the US Department of Agriculture. But Runkle noted that the video shows that “much of the mishandling type of abuse took place directly in front of and under the watch of supervisors and managers” at Sparboe facilities in Iowa, Minnesota and Colorado. He also said McDonald’s decision to drop Sparboe as a supplier also fails to provide a solution to the real problem-the use of cramped battery cages which give hens no room to walk or spread their wings, Runkle added.

Mercy for Animals said it was urging McDonald’s to use its influence as the largest egg purchaser in the United States to improve industry standards and stop buying eggs from farms that use such cages.

The video was released a day after federal inspectors issued a warning letter to Sparboe citing “serious violations” of food safety rules, including inadequate rodent control and testing for the presence of deadly Salmonella bacteria. — AFP

Blood type may affect stroke risk, study finds

New Mowasat Hospital hosts workshop on ‘Recell’ KUWAIT: New Mowasat Hospital host- the standardized clinical application of ed the Avita Medical workshop for the the technique is still in a very early latest technology in the field of skin stage and we shall have to explore the treatment: the “ReCell”. options and opportunities opened by The workshop took place in the New the ReCell technology further in the Mowasat Hospital Auditorium on the coming years.” Dr Peter added.

17th and 18th of November to present He also stated that, as the first prian innovative revolutionary tool that vate hospital, New Mowasat shall intetreats different types of burns, scars, grate ReCell therapy into the portfolio pigmentation of services availproblems, and in the For the first time in the able acne marks in a Mowasat Cosmetic simple, quick and private sector in Kuwait Center. “In this efficient process interdisciplinar y New Mowasat Hospital center for cosmetic for the first time in the private sector m e d i c i n e hosts a workshop for in the state of Dermatology and Kuwait.

Plastic Surgery as The Revolutionary Attending the well as Beauticians Technology in Skin workshop was work closely New Mowasat together to Regeneration: “ReCell” treatments offer Hospital’s Plastic cusSurger y & tomized to the Dermatology surgeons: Dr. Peter needs of the individual patient. In it Hirsch, Director of Mowasat Cosmetic ReCell will hopefully find its place.” Dr Center, & Dr Hisham Alkhatib, Head of Hirsch clarified.

Dermatology & Venereology in On his part, Dr Hisham Al Khatib, Mowasat Cosmetic Center; whereas Dr head of Dermatology and Venereology Jeremy Rawlins and Dr Tiziano Caldera in New Mowasat Hospital, stated that attended from Avita Medical Company. the workshop is an opportunity to disAfter the workshop, Dr Peter Hirsch cuss this new technology and to identiand Dr Jeremy Rawlins performed the fy the use of such innovation in the surgeries with a live broadcast to the treatment of many of the difficulties auditorium. faced before, such as vitiligo and after The main concept behind the burns skin deformities and many oth“ReCell” machine is processing a very ers. thin skin biopsy into a viable cell susDr Hisham further expressed his pension for immediate application on pride for the fact that the hospital is wounds which enables the cells to the first in the private health sector in regenerate faster and more effectively. Kuwait to use this modern technology The treatment has been successfully which will contribute significantly in tried in France, Germany & the United the treatment of many patients.

Kingdom. This technology has proved Since 1965, New Mowasat Hospital its effectiveness when used in conjunc- has always taken the initiatives for tion with grafts, dermatological laser introducing pioneering revolutionary treatments and many other skin disor- technologies to the public. ders.

Being the first and only hospital According to Peter Hirsch, New which obtained both international Mowasat Hospital is pleased to host accreditations from the Accreditation the first ReCell workshop in a private Canada International (ACI) & the Joint hospital in Kuwait. “We appreciate that Commission International (JCI), New ReCell is a very interesting new appli- Mowasat carries the honorable responcation for the treatment of conditions sibility as one of the most reliable which demand partial or complete healthcare providers in the state of replacement of skin cells. This includes Kuwait and maintains its position treatments for burns, scars, vitiligo, through such initiatives which benefits post acne scars and others. Although the patients and gives them a broader developed already about 10 years ago selection of options for their treatment.

FLORIDA: Your blood type might affect your risk for stroke. People with AB and women with B were a little more likely to suffer one than people with O blood - the most common type, a study found. The research can’t prove such a link. But it fits with other work tying A, B and AB to more risk of blood clots in the legs and heart attacks. Blood type O also has been tied to an increased risk of bleeding, which implies less chance of clots, the cause of most strokes.

“There’s increasing evidence that blood type might influence risk of chronic disease,” said one of the study leaders, Dr JoAnn Manson, chief of preventive medicine at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “It’s not at the level where we want to alarm people and we want to make that clear. But it’s one more element of risk that people would want to know about,” and it could give them one more reason to keep blood pressure and cholesterol in line, she said.

The study, led by Brigham’s DrLu Qi, was presented Wednesday at an American Heart Association conference. It involved 90,000 men and women in two observational health studies that have gone on for more than 20 years. Looking at the 2,901 strokes that have occurred and taking into account other things that can cause them, such as high blood pressure, researchers found: Men and women with AB had a 26 percent increased risk of stroke compared to those with type O. Women but not men with B blood had a 15 percent greater risk compared to those with O. What’s the explanation? Blood type depends on proteins on the surface of red blood cells. A pattern of immune system responses forms early in life based on them. Certain blood types may make red cells more likely to clump together and stick to the lining of blood vessels, setting the stage for a blood clot, Manson said. “You can’t change it, and we don’t know if it’s the blood type per se or other genes that track with it” that actually confers risk, said Dr Larry Goldstein, director of Duke University’s stroke center. “There are other things that are more important” than blood type for stroke risk, such as smoking, drinking too much and exercising too little, he said. —AP

A great academic achievement for Dr Rubina Ali from Al Seef Hospital KUWAIT: Al Seef Hospital is proud to announce the latest academic achievements of Dr Rubina Ali: A consultant in Obstetrics and Gynecology and a specialist in the field of Infertility & Reproductive medicine at Al-Seef Hospital. She was awarded the Fellowship for her senior status from the “Royal College of Obstetrics & Gynecology” London, UK in September 2011. Dr Rubina completed her post graduate training in the United Kingdom and received the CCST. She continues to be fully registered with the “General Medical Council (UK)”. Dr Rubina has advanced training in Infertility, Gynecology Ultrasound and 3-D scanning. She has several publications in peer review journals and is looking forward to continuing her educational career. Dr Rubina is passionate about her work and ready to take care of all your women’s health needs.

It is worth mentioning that Al Seef Hospital is a subsidiary of United Medical Services Company. It was awarded as the Best Hospital in the Middle East, it is the

only Hospital in the private sector having the most advanced Operating Theater (OR1) worldwide, and it contains several in-patient and out-patient clinics.

Moreover, Al Seef Hospital is distinguished within the private sector for having the first Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery & Dental Center, the first Surgical Oncology Unit, as well as ENT Treatment & Surgery Department, Orthopedic & Spinal Surgery, Pediatric & Laparoscopy Surgery, and Inter ference X-Ray & Catheter Unit.

The Hospital also encompasses other departments namely Urinary Tract, Gynecology & Obstetric, Diagnostic XRay, in addition to an integrated unit for Internal Diseases having the most advanced clinic for Digestive System & Liver diseases, Neurology Unit and others. The Hospital is also unique for offering treatment services to critical emergency cases for both adults and children.

Besides, it embraces a selected group of professional doctors proficient in their specialties, and it also make available the latest medical equipment.

NASA spacecraft spies sand dunes shifting on Mars

TOKYO: A white whale wears a Santa Claus hat during a show at the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise aquarium-amusement park complex in Yokohama, near Tokyo yesterday. —AP

CALIFORNIA: Sand is blowing in the wind on the surface of Mars - at least in some places. NASA on Thursday released images documenting dozens of spots on the red planet where sand dunes shifted several yards.

Scientists had suspected this was occurring but thought it was limited to a few locations. The latest images were

taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been photographing the Martian surface since 2005. Dust is constantly being blown around on Mars, but sand grains are tougher to move. In a study published online in the journal Geology, scientists surmised that the planet has stronger winds than expected in order to move the sand. —AP

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

he a lt h & s c ie n c e Number of 90 year olds in US tripled since 1980 The ranks of the oldest residents in the United States are growing quickly now that people who reach age 90 are expected to live longer than ever before, according to a study released on Thursday. The number of Americans age 90 and older nearly tripled in the past three decades, to the current 1.9 million from 720,000 in 1980, said a report from the US Census Bureau.

That number may reach 9 million by 2050, according to the report titled “90+ in the United States: 2006-2008.” “I think it’s going to grow even faster than predicted in the report,” said Richard Suzman, director of behavioral and social research at the National Institute on Aging, which commissioned the study. More folks over the age of 90 means increased stress on pension and retirement funds, health care costs and caretaker relationships with younger generations, the study said. A person who makes it to 90 years old today is expected to live almost another five years, the study said. And, a person who lives to celebrate a 100th birthday is likely to live another 2.3 years.

An increase in education, improvements to nutrition and public health, a decline in smoking, diabetes controls and a reduction in strokes have been major factors contributing to the aging boom, Suzman said. The report, which details the demographic, health and economic status of the oldest Americans, is based on the 2006-2008 American Community Survey. It was released on the US Census Bureau website.

“This is very important data for policy makers and researchers to start considering whether to change the definition for oldest-old from 85 to 90-plus,” said Wan He, a Census Bureau demographer and an author on the report.

The so-called “oldest-old” in the United States has generally been defined as 85 and older. Given the aging boom and increased life expectancy, that marker may now be inching closer to 90, researchers said, and it’s important to understand the differences among the older population.

For example, of people aged 85-89, about 69 percent reportedly have a disability, which might include trouble hearing or seeing or a physical limitation. At ages 90-94, that number jumps to nearly 83 percent. Other study findings showed that the 90-plus population in the United States is overwhelmingly white with most earning a high school diploma. Education is linked to a number of factors related to a person’s well-being, according to the report, with higher education linked to lower mortality rates and better overall health.

Women over the age of 90 outnumbered men by nearly 3 to 1, according to the report. Nearly 80 percent of those women were widowed while more than 40 percent of the men 90 or older are married, it said.— Reuters

Pilates popularity on the rise Liz Brealy is a British Certified Instructor in Pilates. Liz shares her expertise with The Kuwait Times this week.

What is Pilates?

There are many different methods of Pilates. Stott Pilates, a contemporary approach to the original exercise method pioneered by the late Joseph Pilates.

Pilates is an exercise method, designed to strengthen and restore the body to balance. Based upon the anatomical understanding of the body’s muscular and skeletal systems, the Pilates teacher creates a comprehensive exercise programme for the client. Classes focus on specific areas individually while using exercises that integrate the whole body to re-educate and restore it to optimum muscular and skeletal function. Osteopaths, physiotherapists and general practitioners recommend Pilates as one of the safest forms of exercise today.

What are the benefits?

There are so many benefits to Pilates.

Mainly it increases core strength and stability.

Is it recommended for everyone?

Pilates can be beneficial for just about everyone, regardless of age or fitness level.

If you have an injury or medical condition, ensure that you have permission from your doctor or medical practitioner prior to your first class. On occasions a specialist practitioner (doctor or physiotherapist) may refer you to a Pilates class.

How long will it take before you see results?

The average active person doing 2 to 3 classes per week should see some results within 12 classes. This will vary depending on each individual and other factors, such as the number of classes a person takes each week, whether they are private or group classes, whether they participate in other physical activities and whether they have any existing injuries.

Pilates exercises There is a choice of exercising on a mat or a Reformer.

If you choose mat, most of the Pilates exercises are done lying on a mat using one’s own body weight. Small equipment can be added, such as a stability ball to work on balance, co-ordination and

strength and a Flex Band and Fitness Circle to make exercises easier or more difficult. A couple of examples of the exercises are: Ab Prep, Swan Dive Prep.

How is reformer Pilates different from mat Pilates?

Some of the exercises deployed in mat Pilates are also per formed with the Reformer. For example, the “Hundred” is done in both mat and Reformer Pilates.

However, there are also exercises that can be done on the Reformer that cannot be done on the mat. For example, Feet in Straps is an exercise only designed for Reformer Pilates.

What do you suggest for newcomers to Pilates?

Start with a certified Pilates teacher.

Ask to see a copy of their certificate and ensure they teach the basic principles of Pilates: breathing, pelvic placement, rib cage placement, scapula movement, stabilisation and head and cervical placement. These are key to performing the exercises safely and effectively. These principles help you to become more body aware and gain better results for your workout.

What should one wear to a Pilates class?

• You should wear comfortable, non restrictive clothing. Footwear is not necessary Summary of Benefits of Pilates • Leaner muscles (less bulk, more freedom of movement) • Improves postural problems • Increases core strength, stability and peripheral mobility • Helps prevent injury • Enhances functional fitness; ease of movement, balances strength and flexibility • Heightens body awareness • No impact, easy on the joints • Can be customised to suit everyone, from people recovering from injury to elite athletes • Improves performance in sports • Improves, balance, cordination and circulation Interested?

If you are interested in taking a class you can email: balancedpilateswithliz@hotmail.co.uk or contact Fawzia Sultan Rehabilitation Institute on Tel: 25720338.

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Shaima Ashkanani held her 2nd personal exhibition ‘Zain Al-Hayat’ at Al Tilal Gallery. The exhibition included a number of her new works, and was attended by a number of artists and media persons.

—Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

KES holds bake sale for CRY

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New Malayalam book collection

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lexander Chacko, Kuwait’s dealer of DC Books, India’s most famous bookseller of Malayalam books, said the new collection of Malayalam books have been exhibited at Lulu, AlRai. These books are in addition to the books from the now closed down Al-Shamel Books, Alexander said. Alexander still plans to open bookstands at various stores across Kuwait, keeping in mind the growing needs of reading expats.

uwait English School Preparatory Department raised KD 254 on Wednesday during a one hour bake sale in support of Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY). The event was in memory of Shamil Hamid, a former KES student who passed away at University in England one year ago. “We would really appreciate it if you could spend some time making some cakes or biscuits with your child to bring in on Wednesday so that we can sell them” requested Head Teacher Mrs Searle. Teachers manned the tables for the sale, which started at noon. Farah Hamid, mother of Shamil and reception teacher at KES until June, baked a huge amount of delicious cakes which sold immediately. Generous parents of children in KG and reception donated baked goods and others contributed by buying the treats.

AUK-Dartmouth music recital: An evening of enchantment

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he Music Program of the American University of Kuwait (AUK) in collaboration with Dartmouth College, one of the premiere “Ivy League” universities of the USA, presented a stellar music recital at 7 pm on Monday 14 Nov in the AUK Auditorium Liberal Arts Building, Salmiya Campus. Before a packed house of an audience of over 300, advanced student musicians from both distinguished institutions, accompanied by faculty, performed an exciting repertoire of vocal and instrumental solo and chamber works, demonstrating the continued success of AUK’s cultural collaboration with Dartmouth.

The concert, which was the fourth AUKDartmouth recital, featured great variety, including works by Chopin, Haydn, FaurÈ, Mozart, and Verdi. Music professionals, Drs Elena Tsenkova (piano) and Feruza Kadirova (violin), and Professors Anna Karadimitrova (voice), Agnieszka Fajga (cello), and Dagmara Galas (flute) showcased both their and their students’ talents. The Dartmouth intern at AUK Shloka Kini, playing guitar, accompanied AUK student Sara Suliman (flute) on two pieces. Ms. Kini went on to perform a Kuhlau solo piano sonatina, and then joined the full ensemble as a singer in the finale Schubert Serenade.

Outstanding AUK instrumental students included Faisal Al-Bahairi (piano), who opened the evening with a charming Chopin waltz. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar (guitar) next mesmerized the crowd with a classical Spanish piece. Featured on three works, including a duet with Professor Dagmara Galas, was the advanced student Sara Suliman (flute). Sarah Al-Ajmi (piano) presented a lovely Nielsen composition, and Alaa Buqammaz joined Dr. Tsenkova in a fiesty piano duet version of Mozart’s Symphone 40, 1st movement. A showstopper of the evening was the impressive Bach Double Violin Concerto performed by talented AUK student Salem Almathkour

along with Dr. Feruza Kadirova, accompanied by Dr. Tsenkova on piano.

A highlight of the evening included vocal students Bashayer Al-Saad, Khaldah Al-Rowdan, Sarah Al-Arbeed, and Zainab Al-Sammak. Their spirited rendition of an American folksong thrilled all. The “Kuwaiti Three Tenors”—Ali Atesh, Nader Abdullah, Yousef Al-Jenai—took the stage next with a crowd-pleasing version of Verdi’s “La donna e mobile”. Political science professor Dr George Irani joined lead soprano Prof.

Anna Karadimitrova in a Penella duet, rousing great cheer from the students in the audience. The grand finale piece included all professional instrumentalists and student singers, leaving the audience wanting more.

“This may have been our best concert yet,” said Dr. Lisa Urkevich, Coordinator of the Music Program. “The quality of the performances gets better and better each year. The AUK Music Program is certainly making an impact, not just on campus, but in the community. In fact, I was delighted to see so many students in attendance who came from other universities and high schools, all interested in the quality of our program.”

The American University of Kuwait (AUK) is an independent, private, equal opportunity, and co-educational liberal arts institution of higher education. The educational, cultural and administrative structure, methods and standards of AUK are based on the American model of higher learning. The lanuage of instruction is English. AUK and Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire (USA) have worked closley together since 2003, when the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding that facilitated a serios of advisory, consultative and cooperative projects. Dartmouth College is a member of the group of universities in the United States known as the “Ivy League”.

Galleries & Art Exhibition lThe Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (DAI) is a cultural organization based on a Kuwaiti private art collection. Since its inception in 1983, DAI has grown from a single focus organization created to manage the loan of the prestigious Al-Sabah Collection of art from the Islamic world to the State of Kuwait to become an internationally recognized cultural organization.

DarMuseum.org.kw lAl Americani Cultural Centre and Administrative Offices in the Historic Americani Hospital Buildings Tel: (965) 2240 0992 Fax: (965) 2246 7770 Email: info@darmuseum.org.kw lSultan Gallery: As the first venue of its kind in Kuwait, Sultan Gallery believes in the power of art as a medium of meaningful expression. Founders Ghazi Sultan, and the late Najat Sultan, envisioned a gallery that would serve as a platform for Arab artists to showcase their most inspired work. Empowered by the mission to forge cultural understanding and artistic appreciation in Kuwait, Sultan Gallery has spent 40 years exhibiting both the most visionary artists and thought provoking themes. Sultan Gallery showcases artists that explore the breadth of creative expression - from the traditional painting to the contemporary audio and visual installation. Sultan Gallery enriches the Kuwaiti cultural scene with its passion for art as a vehicle

of cultural understanding through visual language. Email: sultangallery@sadeer.com Location: Sabhan, Sadeer Co, Block B, Street 105, Building 168 lAl-Maidan Cultural Centre: Abdullah al-Salem School, Maidan Hawally, near al-Shaab Leisure Park.

Opening Hours: Sunday - Thursday 9am 5pm, until 9pm on event nights. Tel: (965) 2563 6561/ 2563 6528 Fax: (965) 2565 3006 Email: friends@darmuseum.org.kw lThe Kuwait National Museum is located on the Arabian Gulf Street between Seif Palace & the National Assembly (Parliament). Phone: 2245-1195 or 22456534 lKuwait Textile Arts Association (KTAA) The Kuwait Textile Arts Association (under the auspices of Sadu House) is a non-profit multinational organization which aims to bring together individuals interested in textiles and the fibre arts including appliquÈ, embroidery, knotting carpets, quilting, silk painting and weaving. Members include a number of talented decorative artists who hold classes throughout the year. Quilt Group: q8quilter@yahoo.com Yarn & Fiber Group: q8yarnandfibregroup@yahoo.com Contact: Joan Fisher Tel: 2390-3462 (English)/2243-2395 (Arabic) Email: wovenpieces@yahoo.com

Dar Al-Funoon art exhibition

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ar Al Funoon has the pleasure to invite you to an art exhibition of works from Hamad Al-Saab & Ali Sultan titled: Connect To Disconnect To Connect When: Opening on November 14th & will continue until November 21st Where: Dar Al Funoon (Behbehani Compound, House 28, Kuwait City). Time: 7pm on opening night

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Art Exhibition

ebut exhibition by Samira Bukhamseen. The exhibition will take place on November 14th, and it will run until the 24th. The first day will be for women only. If you’re an art lover or would like to visit, the exhibition will be held in Mishref, Block 6, Street 5, Villa 40. Daily viewing hours are from 10am 1pm & 5pm - 8pm (closed Fridays). I must say the painting above is exquisite! She is truly talented! Best of luck to her on all her future endeavors!

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Upcoming events

Embassy Information

Aware Center Arabic lessons The AWARE Management is glad to inform you that Winter 1 Arabic language courses will begin on November 20th, 2011 until January 12th, 2012.

AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind. The environment is relaxed and courses are designed for those wanting to learn Arabic for travel, cultural understanding, and conducting business or simply to become more involved in the community. We cater to teachers, travelers & those working in the private business sector. Arabic classes at the AWARE Center are unique because students are provided with the chance to practice their Arabic through various social activities that aim at bringing Arabs and Westerners together.

AWARE Arabic courses highlight: l Introductory to Level 4 Arabic language basics l Better prepare you for speaking, reading and writing Arabic l Combine language learning with cultural insights l Taught in multi-nationality group settings l Provide opportunities to interact with Western expatriates and native Kuwaitis/Arabs.

For more information or registration, call 25335260/80 ext 105/104/0 or log onto: www.aware.com.kw.

BLS Winter Bazaar The BLS Winder Bazaar will be held on Saturday the 26th of November, from 10am to 4pm. The official opening will be at 1.30pm. Bigger and better than ever before, it will include over 80 tables of delightful gifts, unusual ideas and handmade items. It will be held in the Marble Arch area in the British School Kuwait campus, Salwa, Block 1, Street 1. Entry for visitors is free of charge!

‘KAVIYARANGAM (Poets Meet)’ We are glad to inform that “Valaikuda Vanambadi Poets Association”, Kuwait celebrates every year a grand “KAVIYARANGAM (Poets Meet)” with our NRI Tamil Poets along with Famous Tamil Poets from Tamil Nadu.

This year we are planning to conduct the Kaviyarangam on Thursday, 24th Nov 2011 at American International SchooL auditorium which is in Maidan Hawally at 5:00 pm. The Indian Ambassador to Kuwait, His Excellency H.E Satish C. Mehta will be presiding over the function.

We have invited Col. Dr. G. Thiruvasagam, Honorable Vice Chancellor, University of Madras and the Famous Tamil Cinema Poet & Lyricist Kalaimamani Kabilan, who has written more than 1500 cine songs and the popular Folk song singers Kalaimamani Selvi Ayyappan and Ayyappan who had performed on more than 1000 stages from India as chief guests, to entertain the Kuwait living NRIs with their tremendous performance and speech. As an additional entertainment, Classical dance will be performed by “Sangamam” dance group and karaoke songs by Valaikuda Vanambadi s singers.

So, we expect your presence and contribution to make this program a grand success.

For more details, contact 97801299, 67077302, 99847838.

Rafi-Kishore Nite 2011 an unforgettable musical event

‘R

afi-Kishore Nite 2011’ - the musical cum entertainment event organised by Kozhikode District Association, Kuwait has become an unforgettable event. The event that lasted for more than 5 hours was held in connection with the social welfare program ‘Karunyam’ launched by the association recently. Thousands thronged to the Central School open auditorium, Abbasiya on 8th Nov 2011 to hear Kuwaiti singer Mubarak Al-Rashid singing from his heart.

The moment Mubarak Al Rashid began to sing the famous duet song ‘Qurbani’ with Pakistani singer Jameel, the crowd went into a delirious mood that continued till the end of the event.

Rafi Kozhikode popularly known as Junior Rafi sang the hit songs of legend Late Mohammed Rafi and the audience had the rare opportunity to hear songs of two legends sung side by side by two excellent singers. Jameel, famous Pakistani singer added spice with his melodious Arabic and Hindi songs.TV

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/form s/IMM5257E.PDF. A guide explaining the process can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5256E.PDF. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF GERMANY

artists from Kozhikode Vinod Kovoor and Devaraj had a great day with the crowd with their classic numbers that evoked unstoppable laughs.

Their immaculate performance will remain in memory for a long time.

Reputed singers Rebecca, Idea Star fame Neelima and Anzar added a different flavour to the musical program. Excellent dance performances including a qawwali added variety to the whole event. The artists were presented with mementos and gifts by guests, sponsors and office bearers of the association.

Prizes to raffle coupon winners were also distributed on the occasion.

Association President Rajagopalan Edavalath presided over the inaugural function of Rafi Kishore Nite 2011. Shabeer Mandoly, patron of the association inaugurated the event. General Convenor Anas Puthiyottil welcomed the gathering. Rishi Jacob, General Secretary spoke on the social welfare scheme ‘Karunyam’.

Santhakumar Manathanath, Treasurer, expressed the vote of thanks.

Abuhalifa Kala cricket tournament champions

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 (AlBabtain) 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

A

buhalifa A team bagged the championship trophy in the one day limited over cricket tournament conducted by Kerala Art Lovers Association (Kala) Kuwait. In the enthusiastic match Abuhalifa A team defeated Shuaiba team who were the champions of 2010 match.

Jose Kurishingal, international cricket umpire inaugurated the tournament which was held at Ahmadi KOC cricket ground. Kala Kuwait president Sam Pynumood presided the event in which reception committee chairperson Janardhanan and sports wing general convener Johnson George spoke .

In the semi finals, Shuaiba team defeated Ahmadi team and Abuhalifa A team defeated Fahaheel team and ensured their places amongst the finalists. Abuhalifa team won the match by a score of 18 runs thereby defeating Shuaiba team. Johnson of

EMBASSY OF KENYA 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. Fax- 25387719.

Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk

Abuhalifa team was awarded both the Man of the Series and Man of the Match and Kamal of Ahmadi team won the trophy for getting the highest score. Arivu of Abuhalifa team won the title of best bowler. Edward, Emson,

Jose, Anil Kumar, Das and Don steered the tournament.

Saji Thomas Mathew, J Saji, Johnson George, Sudharshanan, Janardhanan and G SanalKumar distributed the trophies. P B Suresh, T V Hikmath, Sunil

Raj, Jyothish, Prinston, CKrishnan, Noby Antony, Reji, Renjith, Gopakumar, Babu, Ravikumar and Suresh rendered endless help and support for the success of the tournament.

Announcements

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EMBASSY OF PERU The Embassy of Peru is located at Al-Arablya Tower, Sharq, Ahmed Al-Jaber Street, on the 6th Floor. In the same place, as a part of the Chancellery of the Embassy of Peru in Kuwait, also is located the Showing Room of “PeruExpoTour, Trade & Invest.” nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF UKRAINE November 24 Lebanese cooking classes: Would you like to prepare Lebanese Cuisine for your family and loved ones? Its food will soon adapt to your kitchen with, and its favorite ingredients will tickle your taste buds! Ladies only.

From November 24th - December 15th at TIES Center (Shuhada, Block 4, Street 413, Villa 64). For more information contact 2523-1015/6 or 97228860/9779-344.

November 25 Movie Day: AWARE Centre hosts a movie day on November 25th at 3pm.

Join the AWARE Center once a month as they explore the culture of the Arabs and Muslims through film. This

Friday’s film is titled Cairo Time; a 2009 drama Canadian Film.

Cairo Time is a 2009 film by Canadian director Ruba Nadda. It is a romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair that catches two people completely off-guard. This movie won the “Best Canadian Feature Film” at the Toronto International Film Festival 2009. Duration: 90 minutes.

Plot Synopsis Juliette (Patricia Clarkson) is a Canadian magazine editor who arrives in Cairo for a vacation with her long-time husband (Tom McCamus), a UN official working in Gaza. Delayed, her husband asks his friend-a handsome Egyptian named Tareq (Alexander Siddig)-to watch over Juliette. Juliette finds herself falling in love not only with

the city but with Tareq.

For more info: 2533-5260/80 December 9 Christmas Carol concert: The Ahmadi Music Group will be holding a fantastic Christmas Carol Concert on December 9 and 10 at New English School (NES) from 5pm both days with an adult show at 7:30pm on both days, in which Santa will be making an appearance, and the children can get involved with singing, waving jingle bells, etc. Guaranteed Christmas fun for the whole family!

Talent Hunt: Wesal Media Team is organizing a new concept competition for little talents in Kuwait. This

competition is for children ages 6-12 years who have excellent talents in singing, dancing, drawing, etc. All interested little talents are welcome to participate. To sign-up, just visit their website and register your child.

The final announcements will be published in a short event at Discovery Mall with famous singers and actors in Kuwait. For more information: 9754-7705 St Andrews Ball The Kuwait Calendonians are pleased to invite you to the St Andrews Ball 2011 to be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Thursday, December 1 from 7:30 pm. Invites will be available after Eid.

We’d like to inform you that in response to the increasing number of our citizens who work in the state and the need for 24-hour operational telephone in case of emergency the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait has opened “hotline telephone number” - (+ 965) 972-79-206.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

TV PROGRAMS

00:50 Untamed & Uncut 01:45 Dogs 101: Specials 02:40 Best Bites: 25 Greatest Shark Moments 03:35 Monster Bug Wars 04:30 Bear Feeding Frenzy 05:25 Dogs 101: Specials 06:20 Animal Cops Houston 07:10 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 08:00 Monkey Life 08:25 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip 09:15 Breed All About It 09:40 The Really Wild Show 10:10 Panda Adventures With Nigel Marven 11:05 Project Puppy 11:30 Monkey Life 12:00 Crocodile Hunter 12:55 Dogs 101: Specials 13:50 Wildest Africa 14:45 Wildest Africa 15:40 Dogs vs. Cats 16:35 America’s Cutest...

17:30 Must Love Cats 18:25 Monkey Life 18:50 Monkey Life 19:20 Ray Mears’ Wild Britain 20:15 Venom Hunter With Donald Schultz 21:10 Cats 101 22:05 Bear Feeding Frenzy 23:00 Wildest Africa 23:55 Whale Wars

00:00 Blackadder Goes Forth 00:30 Beautiful People 01:00 Doctor Who 01:45 BBC Electric Proms 2009: Robbie Williams 02:40 Blackadder Goes Forth 03:10 Blackadder Goes Forth 03:40 As Time Goes By 04:10 Last of the Summer Wine 04:40 3rd & Bird: set 01 04:50 Bobinogs 05:00 Boogie Beebies: Set 4 05:15 The Adventures Of Spot 05:20 Me Too: Set 1 05:40 Fimbles: Set 2 06:00 3rd & Bird: set 01 06:10 Bobinogs 06:20 Boogie Beebies: Set 4 06:35 The Adventures Of Spot 06:40 Me Too: Set 1 07:00 Charlie & Lola: Set 1 07:10 Fimbles: Set 2 07:30 3rd & Bird: set 01 07:40 Bobinogs 07:50 Boogie Beebies: Set 4 08:05 The Adventures Of Spot 08:10 Me Too: Set 1 08:30 Charlie & Lola: Set 1 08:40 Fimbles: Set 2 09:00 3rd & Bird: set 01 09:10 Bobinogs 09:20 Boogie Beebies: Set 4 09:35 The Adventures Of Spot 09:40 The Adventures Of Spot 09:50 Me Too: Set 1 10:10 Charlie & Lola: Set 1 10:20 Fimbles: Set 2 10:40 Incredible Journeys With Steve Leonard 11:30 Incredible Journeys With Steve Leonard 12:20 Doctor Who 13:10 Casualty: Set 3 14:00 Big Cat Diary 14:30 Big Cat Diary 14:55 Incredible Journeys With Steve Leonard 15:45 Incredible Journeys With Steve Leonard 16:35 Doctors: Set 2 17:05 Doctors: Set 2 18:05 Doctors: Set 2 18:35 Doctors: Set 2 19:05 Doctor Who 19:50 Incredible Journeys With Steve Leonard 20:45 Coast 21:50 Big Cat Diary 22:15 Big Cat Diary 22:45 Emma (2009) 23:35 The Fixer

00:35 03:45 08:00 08:20 08:50 13:50 14:40 18:30 19:15 20:00 20:50 21:40

Holmes On Homes Come Dine With Me Glamour Puds Daily Cooks Challenge Come Dine With Me Antiques Roadshow Bargain Hunt Design Star Design Star Gok’s Fashion Fix Gok’s Fashion Fix Holmes On Homes

00:00 BBC World News 00:30 Dateline London 01:00 BBC World News 01:10 The World Debate 02:00 BBC World News 02:10 World Features 02:30 Middle East Business Report 03:00 BBC World News 03:10 World Features 03:30 Equestrian World 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Dateline London 05:00 BBC World News 05:10 The World Debate 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Newsnight 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 Click 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 India Business Report 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 Fast Track 10:00 BBC World News 10:10 The Health Show 10:30 Equestrian World 11:00 BBC World News 11:10 World Features 11:30 Dateline London 12:00 BBC World News 12:10 World Features 12:30 Horizons 13:00 BBC World News 13:10 World Features 13:30 Africa Business Report 14:00 BBC World News 14:10 World Features 14:30 Newsnight 15:00 BBC World News 15:30 The Bottom Line 16:00 BBC World News 16:15 Sport Today 16:30 Click 17:00 BBC World News 17:30 One Square Mile 18:00 BBC World News 18:10 The World Debate 19:00 BBC World News 19:30 India Business Report 20:00 BBC World News 20:30 Talking Books 21:00 BBC World News 21:10 World Features 21:30 Africa Business Report 22:00 Sports World Have Your Say 22:30 Sports World Have Your Say 23:00 BBC World News 23:10 This Week With Christiane Amanpour

00:00 00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:05 03:30 03:55 04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:15

Dexters Laboratory The Garfield Show Scooby Doo Where Are You! The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop Droopy: Master Detective The Flintstones Johnny Bravo Duck Dodgers King Arthur’s Disasters The Scooby Doo Show Popeye Classics Tom & Jerry Popeye The Jetsons The Flintstones Looney Tunes Pink Panther & Pals Tex Avery Duck Dodgers The Garfield Show The Addams Family

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

Popeye Paddington Bear Gerald McBoing Boing Bananas In Pyjamas Baby Looney Tunes Jelly Jamm Puppy In My Pocket Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch Yogi’s Treasure Hunt The Garfield Show Pink Panther And Pals Looney Tunes The Good, The Bad And...

New Yogi Bear Show Tex Avery The Addams Family Droopy & Dripple The Flintstones The Garfield Show Duck Dodgers Wacky Races Scooby-Doo And ScrappyDastardly And Muttley The Jetsons Wacky Races Scooby Doo Where Are You! Popeye Classics The Scooby Doo Show Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes Pink Panther & Pals Top Cat Dastardly And Muttley Tom & Jerry Wacky Races The Scooby Doo Show Tom & Jerry Johnny Bravo

00:15 Samurai Jack 00:40 Megas XLR 01:05 Robotboy 01:30 Squirrel Boy 01:55 George Of The Jungle 02:20 Cramp Twins 02:45 Chop Socky Chooks 03:10 Best Ed 03:35 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 04:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:25 Generator Rex 04:50 Adventure Time 05:15 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 05:40 Chowder 05:55 Powerpuff Girls 06:30 Ed, Edd n Eddy 06:55 I Am Weasel 07:20 Squirrel Boy 07:45 Cow & Chicken 08:00 The Life & Times Of Juniper Lee 08:04 Cow & Chicken 08:25 Powerpuff Girls 08:50 Cartoon Network Dance Club 09:05 Eliot Kid 09:30 Chowder 09:55 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 10:20 Adventure Time 10:45 The Amazing World Of Gumball 10:55 Cow & Chicken 11:30 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 11:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 12:20 Generator Rex 12:45 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 13:10 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders 13:35 Hero 108 14:00 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 14:25 Robotboy 14:50 I Am Weasel 15:15 Best Ed 15:40 Chowder 16:05 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 16:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog 16:55 Cow & Chicken 17:20 Adventure Time 17:45 Codename: Kids Next Door 18:10 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 18:35 Generator Rex 19:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 19:25 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack

8 MILE ON OSN ACTION HD

19:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 20:15 Adventure Time 20:40 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 21:05 Chowder 21:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog 21:55 Cow & Chicken 22:20 Best Ed 22:45 I Am Weasel 23:00 Ben 10 23:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:50 The Secret Saturdays

00:00 Eye On 00:30 African Voices 01:00 The Best Of Backstory 01:30 World Sport 02:00 World Report 02:30 Mainsail 03:00 World Report 03:30 Inside Africa 04:00 Your Money 05:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 06:00 The Best Of The Situation Room 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Mainsail 08:00 World Report 08:30 The Best Of Backstory 09:00 World Report 09:15 CNN Marketplace Middle East 09:30 Road To Durban: A Green City Journey 10:00 World Report 10:15 CNN Marketplace Africa 10:30 I Report For CNN 11:00 World Sport 11:30 Mainsail 12:00 African Voices 12:30 Talk Asia 13:00 Eye On 13:30 Inside Africa 14:00 World Report 14:30 World Sport 15:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 16:00 Fareed Zakaria Gps 17:00 State Of The Union 18:00 International Desk 18:30 Inside Africa 19:00 I Report For CNN 19:30 World Sport 20:00 Prism 20:45 CNN Marketplace Middle East 21:00 International Desk 21:30 Road To Durban: A Green City Journey 22:00 World Report 22:30 Mainsail 23:00 Piers Morgan Tonight

00:40 Extreme Fishing 01:35 Nothing Personal 02:30 How Do They Do It? 03:00 How It’s Made 03:25 How Do They Do It? 03:55 How It’s Made 04:20 How Do They Do It? 04:50 How It’s Made 05:15 How Do They Do It? 05:40 How It’s Made 06:05 How Do They Do It? 06:35 How It’s Made 07:00 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 07:50 Desert Car Kings 08:45 Ultimate Biker Challenge 09:10 South Beach Classics 09:40 Extreme Fishing 10:30 River Monsters 11:25 Ultimate Survival 12:20 How It’s Made 12:45 Cash Cab Us 15:05 Cake Boss 17:20 Mythbusters 18:15 Ultimate Survival 19:10 Deadliest Catch 20:05 Dual Survival 21:00 Mythbusters 21:55 Curiosity: Alien Invasion: Are We Ready?

22:50 Ross Kemp: Battle For The Amazon

00:40 Bang Goes The Theory 01:05 The Tech Show 01:30 Nasa’s Greatest Missions 02:20 Science Of The Movies 06:40 The Tech Show 07:10 How The Universe Works 08:00 Nasa’s Greatest Missions 08:55 Head Rush 08:58 Sci-Fi Science 09:25 Weird Connections 09:55 Da Vinci’s Machines 10:45 Prototype This 11:35 Science Of The Movies 15:45 Head Rush 15:48 Sci-Fi Science 16:15 Weird Connections 16:45 Bang Goes The Theory 17:10 The Gadget Show 18:00 Build It Bigger: Rebuilding Greensburg 18:50 How The Universe Works 19:40 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 20:30 Moon Machines 21:20 Nasa’s Greatest Missions 22:10 Invisible Worlds 23:00 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 23:50 Moon Machines

00:20 Replacements 01:10 Fairly Odd Parents 02:00 A Kind Of Magic 02:45 Stitch 03:10 Stitch 03:35 Kim Possible 04:00 Kim Possible 04:25 Emperor’s New School 05:15 Stitch 06:00 Jungle Junction 06:25 Handy Manny 06:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 07:10 Jake & The Neverland Pirates 07:30 So Random 08:00 The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody 08:25 My Babysitter’s A Vampire 08:50 Good Luck Charlie 09:15 Shake It Up 09:40 Fish Hooks 10:05 Friends For Change Games 10:30 Beauty And The Beast 12:00 Friends For Change Games 12:25 The Adventures Of Disney Fairies 12:50 Good Luck Charlie

13:15 13:40 14:00 14:25 14:50 15:15 15:35 15:55 Cody 16:20 Cody 16:45 17:10 17:30 18:00 18:20 18:45 19:10 20:35 20:55 21:25 21:50 22:15 22:40 23:05 Cody 23:30 23:55

Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Stitch Shake It Up Fish Hooks So Random The Suite Life Of Zack And The Suite Life Of Zack And My Babysitter’s A Vampire Wizards Of Waverly Place Sonny With A Chance Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Beauty And The Beast Friends For Change Games Wizards Of Waverly Place My Babysitter’s A Vampire Good Luck Charlie Suite Life On Deck Sonny With A Chance The Suite Life Of Zack And Hannah Montana Kim Possible

00:25 Fashion Police 00:55 Chelsea Lately 01:25 Beauty Queens Gone Wrong 03:15 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Reality Hell 05:30 Wildest TV Show Moments 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Style Star 09:45 Style Star 10:15 Giuliana & Bill 11:10 Ice Loves Coco 11:40 Ice Loves Coco 12:05 E! News 13:05 Fashion Police 13:35 Style Star 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 15:00 Giuliana & Bill 15:55 Dirty Soap 16:55 Behind The Scenes 17:25 Behind The Scenes 17:55 E! News 18:55 Bridalplasty 19:55 Kendra 20:25 Kendra 20:55 Ice Loves Coco 21:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 22:25 E! News 23:25 The Soup 23:55 Chelsea Lately``

00:40 01:30 02:15 03:05 03:50 04:40 05:25 06:15 07:10 08:00 08:50 09:40 10:25 11:10 11:35 11:55 12:40 13:25 14:15 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:35 17:20 18:10 19:00 19:45 20:10 20:55 21:20 22:10 23:00 23:50

A Haunting A Haunting The Haunted Ghost Lab A Haunting A Haunting On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis FBI Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Real Emergency Calls On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared FBI Files Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Nightmare Next Door I Almost Got Away With It

00:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 01:00 Word of Mouth 01:30 Pressure Cook 02:00 Cooking The World 03:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 04:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 06:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 07:00 Word of Mouth 07:30 Pressure Cook 08:00 Cooking The World 09:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 10:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 12:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 13:00 Delinquent Gourmet 14:00 Exploring The Vine 15:00 Word of Mouth 15:30 Banged Up Abroad 17:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 18:00 Travel Madness 18:30 Madventures 19:00 Delinquent Gourmet 20:00 Exploring The Vine 21:00 Word of Mouth 21:30 Banged Up Abroad 23:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels

00:00 John Carpenter’s Ghosts Of Mars-PG15 02:00 Jason X-18 04:00 Empire-18 06:00 The Three Musketeers-PG15 08:00 The Karate Kid II-PG 10:00 King Arthur-PG15 12:15 Ong Bak 2-PG15 14:00 The Karate Kid II-PG 16:00 Rocky II-PG15 18:00 Ong Bak 2-PG15 20:00 Chicago Overcoat-18 22:00 8 Mile-PG15

01:00 Love The Beast-PG15 03:00 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star-PG15 05:00 Crazy On The Outside-PG15 07:00 Make It Happen-PG15 09:00 Planet 51-PG 11:00 Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star-PG15 13:00 Ramona And Beezus-PG 15:00 Planet 51-PG 17:00 The Eclipse-PG15

LOVE THE BEST ON OSN CINEMA 19:00 The Client List-PG15 20:45 Tron: Legacy-PG15 23:00 Brighton Rock-PG15

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 South Park 02:00 Saturday Night Live 03:00 Melissa And Joey 03:30 Mr. Sunshine 04:00 According To Jim 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Dharma And Greg 06:00 Yes Dear 06:30 Just Shoot Me 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 According To Jim 08:30 Melissa And Joey 09:00 Dharma And Greg 09:30 Hot In Cleveland 10:00 Community 10:30 Just Shoot Me 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Yes Dear 12:30 According To Jim 13:00 Melissa And Joey 13:30 Dharma And Greg 14:00 Just Shoot Me 14:30 Hot In Cleveland 15:00 Community 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Yes Dear 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Friends 18:30 Friends 19:00 How I Met Your Mother 19:30 State Of Georgia 20:00 Happy Endings 20:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 South Park 23:30 Happy Endings

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00

The Killing C.S.I. Miami Top Gear (UK) C.S.I. Alias The View Good Morning America Detroit 1-8-7 Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View The Killing C.S.I. Alias C.S.I. Miami Live Good Morning America The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Cold Case Charlie’s Angels Pan Am Top Gear (US) Detroit 1-8-7

The Closer Top Gear (UK) The Killing C.S.I. Miami C.S.I. The Good Guys The Closer Outsourced Coronation Street White Collar Top Gear (UK) C.S.I. C.S.I. Miami Outsourced Coronation Street White Collar The Glades Outsourced Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Bones Cold Case Charlie’s Angels Pan Am

22:00 Top Gear (US) 23:00 The Good Guys

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Child’s Play 3-18 Empire-18 Halloween 2-18 Patriot Games-PG15 Dick Tracy-PG15 Tracker-PG15 Ballistica-PG15 Dick Tracy-PG15 Echelon Conspiracy-PG15 Jennifer’s Body-18 Case 39-18 Clive Barker’s Book Of Blood-18

00:00 The Dukes-PG15 02:00 Death At A Funeral-PG15 04:00 Everybody Wants To Be Italian-PG15 06:00 Valentine’s Day-PG15 08:00 16 To Life-PG15 10:00 All About Steve-PG15 12:00 The Prince And Me 3: A Royal Honeymoon-PG15 14:00 Straight Talk-PG15 16:00 The Dukes-PG15 18:00 Last Of The Living-PG15 20:00 Aim Low: The Very Best Of Dylan Moran-18 22:00 Threesome-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 14:45 16:45 18:45 21:00 23:15

Asylum-18 Moonlight And Valentino-PG15 Limousine-PG15 Ed-PG Return To Rajapur-PG15 Glitter-PG15 Free Style (2008)-PG15 Catch That Kid-PG The Informant!-PG15 Riding In Cars With Boys-PG15 The River-PG15 New York I Love You-18

01:30 03:15 05:15 PG15 07:15 09:00 10:45 12:15 14:15 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Alfie-18 The Box-PG15 The Sorcerer’s Apprentice-

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 11:45 14:00 16:00 FAM 17:45 19:45 22:15 FAM

Gladiators: The Tournament-PG The Prince Of Dinosaurs-PG Big Fat Liar-PG Tangled-FAM Diary Of A Wimpy Kid-PG The Nimbols: Part I-PG15 Like Mike-PG Big Fat Liar-PG The Three Musketeers (2008)-

Easy Virtue-PG15 The Fog Of War-PG15 Freestyle (2010)-PG15 Drumline-PG15 My Name Is Khan-PG15 The Fog Of War-PG15 Cop Out-PG15 The Time Traveller’s Wife-PG15 Jonah Hex-PG15

WWE SmackDown Aquabikes Trans World Sport Live European PGA Tour UFC All Access UFC Countdown UFC 139 Prelims UFC 139 UFC The Ultimate Fighter

01:00 01:30 03:30 05:30 06:30 07:00 07:30 09:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 17:30 21:00 22:00

Futbol Mundial Rugby League 4 Nations Scottish Premier League Trans World Sport ICC Cricket World Futbol Mundial Live V8 Supercars Darts Rugby League 4 Nations Scottish Premier League Futbol Mundial Live Darts Trans World Sport Live Darts

02:00 European PGA Tour 06:30 Asian Tour Golf 07:00 European Senior Tour Highlights 08:00 Live European PGA Tour 12:00 ICC Cricket World 12:30 Trans World Sport 13:30 Live European PGA Tour 17:30 Scottish Premier League 19:30 European PGA Tour

00:00 Globe Trekker 01:00 Warner Bros Movie WorldAustralia 02:00 Australia’s Great Wildlife Islands 03:00 Trabant Trek 03:30 Trabant Trek 04:00 The Blue Continent 05:00 Globe Trekker 09:00 Cruise Today 09:30 Glutton For Punishment 10:00 Glutton For Punishment 10:30 Rudy Maxa’s World 11:00 Swiss Railway Journeys 12:00 Inside Walt Disney Studios Paris 13:00 Globe Trekker 14:00 Sophie Grigson In The Home Counties 14:30 Sophie Grigson In The Home Counties 15:00 Journey Into Wine-South Africa 15:30 Journey Into Wine-South Africa 16:00 Essential 16:30 Essential 17:00 Globe Trekker 18:00 People Of The Sea 19:00 Cruising The Spirit Of Adventure 20:00 Globe Trekker 21:00 Planet Sports 22:00 Globe Trekker 23:00 Essential 23:30 Life’s A Trip

Like Mike-PG The Karate Kid-PG The Three Musketeers (2008)-

02:00 Legendary-PG15 04:00 Carnera: The Walking Mountain-PG 06:15 Oceans - Into The Deep-PG 08:00 Triassic Attack-PG15 09:30 The Lightkeepers-PG15 11:15 Open Season 3-PG15 12:45 Legendary-PG15 14:45 Cats & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore-PG 16:15 Triassic Attack-PG15 18:00 Charlie St. Cloud-PG15 20:00 Chicago Overcoat-18 22:00 Howl-18

00:00 00:30 01:30 03:30 04:00 05:00 08:00

10:00 12:00 12:30 13:30 17:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 23:00

Futbol Mundial UFC 139 Countdown Rugby League 4 Nations UFC All Access Live UFC 139 Prelims Live UFC 139 Rugby League 4 Nations

00:00 America: The Story Of The Us 01:00 America: The Story Of The Us 02:00 Dead Men’s Secrets 03:00 Cities Of The Underworld 04:00 The President’s Book Of Secrets 06:00 America: The Story Of The Us 07:00 America: The Story Of The Us 08:00 Dead Men’s Secrets 09:00 Cities Of The Underworld 10:00 The President’s Book Of Secrets 12:00 America: The Story Of The Us 13:00 America: The Story Of The Us 14:00 Dead Men’s Secrets 15:00 Cities Of The Underworld 16:00 The President’s Book Of Secrets 18:00 America: The Story Of The Us 19:00 America: The Story Of The Us 20:00 American Pickers 21:00 Pawn Stars 21:30 Pawn Stars 22:00 Chasing Mummies 23:00 Battles B.C.

Classifieds SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

ACCOMMODATION One room available with decent bachelors in two bedroom flat for Indian bachelors/ family near Garanada cinema at Khaitan. Call 99775589.

(C 3736) 20-11-2011 One full room available for 1 or 2 decent executive bachelor from 25 onwards with separate bathroom kitchen and sat facility, W&E free near Shara Amman st, opp Appolo hospital, Naser Al Bather St. Salmiya. Call 99761807. (C 3734) 16-11-2011

No: 15274

Sharing accommodation available in a 2 bedroom, 2 toilets, new building, in Farwaniya. For Indians only, for couple, single working ladies, executive bachelors.

Contact: 66625901.(C 3733) 15-11-2011 Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya near Integrated Indian School, Highland supermarket building, Keralite family.

Contact: 99379252.

(C 3732)

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines LMU SYR AFR JZR KAC RBG JZR JZR MLR ETH THY UAE QTR DHX MSR FDB ETD RJA GFA KAC DHX JZR FCX JZR BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE KAC ABY QTR FDB ETD IRA GFA FCX RBG IRC RKM JZR IRA MEA SYR MSR JZR GFA

Arrival Flights on Sunday 20/11/2011 Flt Route 1109 ALEXANDRIA 341A DAMASCUS 6708 PARIS 185 DUBAI 154 ISTANBUL 3564 ASSIUT 267 BEIRUT 539 CAIRO 1405 COLOMBO/DUBAI 620 ADDIS ABABA 772 ISTANBUL 853 DUBAI 138 DOHA 370 BAHRAIN 612 CAIRO 067 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 642 AMMAN 211 BAHRAIN 544 CAIRO 170 BAHRAIN 555 ALEXANDRIA 403 DOHA 529 ASSIUT 157 LONDON 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 206 ISLAMABAD 053 DUBAI 352 COCHIN 382 DELHI 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 855 DUBAI 284 DHAKA 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 055 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 603 SHIRAZ 213 BAHRAIN 203 DUBAI 3555 ALEXANDRIA 6801 AHWAZ 310 RAS ALKHAIMAH 165 DUBAI 615 SHAHRE KORD 404 BEIRUT 341 DAMASCUS/ALEPPO 610 CAIRO 201 DAMASCUS 219 BAHRAIN

Time 00: 01 00: 05 00: 10 00: 20 00: 35 00: 40 00: 45 00: 50 00: 55 01: 45 02: 15 02: 35 02: 40 02: 55 03: 00 03: 05 03: 10 03: 10 03: 15 04: 40 05: 15 06: 00 06: 15 06: 20 06: 40 06: 45 07: 40 07: 45 07: 50 07: 50 07: 55 08: 05 08: 30 08: 35 09: 00 09: 05 09: 20 09: 35 09: 40 09: 55 10: 30 11: 05 11: 10 11: 15 11: 20 11: 35 11: 55 12: 35 12: 55 13: 00 13: 25

KAC KAC FDB UAL QTR KNE SVA RJA ABY KAC JZR KAC QTR JZR JZR ETD UAE GFA SVA RBG ABY JZR FDB KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC ALK FDB JAI OMA AFG MLR KAC DHX VOS MEA GFA QTR UAE KAC JZR AIC KAC JZR UAL AXB DLH

744 774 057 982 140 745 500 640 123 788 257 550 134 561 213 303 857 215 510 3557 127 177 063 502 542 787 786 618 674 166 102 562 267 061 572 647 405 1407 512 372 081 402 217 136 859 172 135 981 678 239 981 389 636

DAMMAM RIYADH DUBAI WASHINGTON DC DULLES DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH JEDDAH BEIRUT SOHAG DOHA SOHAG DEIREZZOR/ALEPPO ABU DHABI DUBAI BAHRAIN RIYADH SOHAG SHARJAH DUBAI DUBAI BEIRUT CAIRO RIYADH JEDDAH DOHA DUBAI PARIS/ROME NEW YORK/LONDON AMMAN COLOMBO/DAMMAM DUBAI MUMBAI MUSCAT KABUL/DUBAI COLOMBO/DUBAI TEHRAN BAHRAIN BAGHDAD BEIRUT BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI FRANKFURT BAHRAIN CHENNAI/HYDERABAD MUSCAT/ABU DHABI AMMAN BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE/MANGALORE FRANKFURT

13: 25 13: 45 13: 50 14: 05 14: 20 14: 25 14: 30 14: 40 14: 45 14: 50 15: 00 15: 15 15: 25 16: 10 16: 45 16: 50 16: 55 17: 15 17: 20 17: 35 17: 40 18: 15 18: 40 18: 45 18: 50 19: 05 19: 10 19: 15 19: 25 19: 30 19: 35 19: 50 19: 55 20: 00 20: 10 20: 15 20: 30 20: 50 20: 55 21: 00 21: 15 21: 20 21: 25 21: 35 21: 40 21: 45 21: 55 22: 05 22: 05 22: 45 23: 00 23: 35 23: 50

Airlines AXB LMU UAL AIC BBC SYR DLH RBG MLR AFR ETH THY VOS FDB UAE DHX MSR ETD QTR JZR GFA RJA JZR FDB BAW KAC JZR KAC KAC JZR JZR UAE ABY KAC FDB QTR ETD KAC IRA GFA KAC FCX RBG KAC IRC KAC IRA RKM MEA KAC SYR

Departure Flights on Sunday 20/11/2011 Flt Route 394 COCHIN/KOZHIKODE 1110 ALEXANDRIA 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 976 GOA/CHENNAI 44 CHITTAGONG/DHAKA 342A DAMASCUS 637 FRANKFURT 3562 ALEXANDRIA 1405 COLOMBO 6708 DUBAI/VIETNAM 621 ADDIS ABABA 773 ISTANBUL 94 DUBAI/KANDAHAR 68 DUBAI 854 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 613 CAIRO 306 ABU DHABI 139 DOHA 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 643 AMMAN 200 DAMASCUS 54 DUBAI 156 LONDON 549 SOHAG 256 BEIRUT 171 FRANKFURT 787 JEDDAH 560 SOHAG 212 ALEPPO/DEIREZZOR 856 DUBAI 126 SHARJAH 117 NEW YORK 56 DUBAI 133 DOHA 302 ABU DHABI 773 RIYADH 602 SHIRAZ 214 BAHRAIN 743 DAMMAM 204 DUBAI 3558 SOHAG 541 CAIRO 6802 AHWAZ 103 LONDON 614 SHAHRE KORD 311 RAS ALKHAIMAH 405 BEIRUT 501 BEIRUT 342 ALEPPO/DAMASCUS

Time 0:40 0:45 0:45 0:50 1:00 1:00 1:20 1:25 1:55 1:55 2:45 3:15 3:30 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:00 4:00 4:55 6:55 7:00 7:10 7:30 8:25 8:40 8:55 9:00 9:05 9:25 9:30 9:35 9:40 9:45 10:00 10:05 10:10 10:20 10:25 10:40 10:40 10:45 11:45 11:45 12:00 12:10 12:30 12:35 12:50 12:55 13:00 13:35

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

KAC JZR MSR GFA FDB KAC KAC KNE UAL ABY KAC RJA SVA KAC JZR KAC QTR JZR ETD JZR QTR UAE GFA RBG ABY SVA JZR JZR FDB JZR KAC KAC FDB DHX KAC ALK JAI OMA MLR KAC DHX MEA GFA FCX QTR JZR KAC UAE KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC

785 176 611 220 58 561 673 746 982 124 677 641 503 617 786 511 141 238 304 538 135 858 216 3556 128 511 266 134 64 184 283 361 62 171 351 267 571 648 1407 543 373 403 218 102 137 554 301 860 205 343 502 415 411

JEDDAH DUBAI CAIRO BAHRAIN DUBAI AMMAN DUBAI JEDDAH BAHRAIN SHARJAH MUSCAT/ABU DHABI AMMAN MEDINAH/JEDDAH DOHA RIYADH TEHRAN DOHA AMMAN ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA SHARJAH RIYADH BEIRUT BAHRAIN DUBAI DUBAI DHAKA COLOMBO DUBAI BAHRAIN COCHIN COLOMBO MUMBAI MUSCAT COLOMBO CAIRO BAHRAIN BEIRUT BAHRAIN BAHRAIN DOHA ALEXANDRIA MUMBAI DUBAI ISLAMABAD CHENNAI LUXOR KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA BANGKOK/MANILA

13:40 13:50 13:55 14:20 14:35 14:45 15:05 15:10 15:20 15:25 15:25 15:35 15:45 15:50 15:50 16:25 16:30 17:15 17:35 17:40 17:45 18:10 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:35 18:45 19:05 19:20 19:55 20:15 20:20 20:40 21:00 21:05 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:50 21:55 22:00 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:45 22:50 23:00 23:30 23:35 23:45 23:55

34

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

s ta rs CROSSWORD 503

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) You find yourself at your most imaginative now, at least when it comes to ideas and thoughts. Today you will have an opportunity to rise above the everyday thoughts and soar into more cosmic musings. Libraries, museums and perhaps art shows, all have a particular appeal for you just now. You have a desire to explore all kinds of new horizons. Travel, education and other ways to stretch your horizons will open new doors of opportunity. Religious, philosophical and cultural matters are likely to have special appeal for you; transmitting ideas on a broad scale brings gain. This is a time in your life where you will be able to enjoy those that support you, as well as the accomplishments you have achieved.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You may find the need to be persuasive today. You are able to be most successful in this endeavor. A good conversation with those you love is possible. Sympathy and understanding are emotional qualities that take on greater importance. It’s wisdom, not knowledge, that counts now. Coming to grips with the past or getting in touch with the mystical and the spiritual are the things that give you a sense of completeness. There is time today to have a little private conversation with someone you love. General good feelings and a sense of support and harmony makes this a happy time. Your home environment, friends and surroundings in general become simplified and receive encouragement. Young people have a lot to teach you this weekend.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. (Scottish) Bluish-black or gray-blue.

5. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

9. By bad luck.

13. A member of the Siouan people formerly living in the Missouri river valley in NE Nebraska.

14. (in Gnosticism) A divine power or nature emanating from the Supreme Being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe.

15. The 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

16. A benevolent aspect of Devi.

19. A midnight meeting of witches to practice witchcraft and sorcery.

21. Filled with a great quantity.

23. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

25. A light touch or stroke.

26. (computer science) A standardized language for the descriptive markup of documents.

29. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

33. A small restaurant where drinks and snacks are sold.

38. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

40. Small or little relative to something else.

41. Stem of the rattan palm used for making canes and umbrella handles.

44. A resort city in southern Ukraine on the Black Sea. 45. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

47. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

50. (Old Testament) The eldest son of Isaac who would have inherited the Covenant that God made with Abraham and that Abraham passed on to Isaac.

55. A member of a Mayan people of southwestern Guatemala.

58. South African term for `boss'.

59. A defensive missile designed to shoot down incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles.

60. Come into possession of.

62. Government agency created in 1974 to license and regulate nuclear power plants.

63. A negative.

64. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

65. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code.

DOWN 1. A bachelor's degree in music.

2. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

3. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

4. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

5. A republic on the island of Malta in the Mediterranean.

6. A former agency (from 1946 to 1974) that was responsible for research into atomic energy and its peacetime uses in the United States.

7. A young horse.

8. An associate degree in nursing.

9. A unit of dry measure used in Egypt.

10. Lacking excess flesh.

11. United States tennis player who was the first Black to win United States and English singles championships (1943-1993).

12. Wearing footgear.

17. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

18. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

20. A large bundle bound for storage or transport.

22. A public promotion of some product or service.

24. The cry made by sheep.

27. An amino acid that is found in the central nervous system.

28. 300 to 3000 kilohertz.

30. Round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games.

31. The universal time coordinated time on board the spacecraft.

32. Long-bodied long-tailed tropical American wildcat.

34. Large burrowing rodent of South and Central America.

35. Before noon.

36. A swampy arm or slow-moving outlet of a lake (term used mainly in Mississippi and Louisiana).

37. Divulge information or secrets.

39. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

42. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

43. One of the three Furies.

46. Genus of western United States annuals with showy yellow or white flowers.

48. A metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells.

49. An annual award for outstanding achievements in television.

51. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

52. A loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral.

53. (obstetrics) The number of live-born children a woman has delivered.

54. United States writer (born in Poland) who wrote in Yiddish (1880-1957).

56. A former monetary unit in Great Britain.

57. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

61. A soft gray ductile metallic element used in alloys.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) This morning is a good time to devote time and energy to completing some creative project. Take a survey of your property now— draw up a plan for a spring planting. Romantic and social relationships are apt to be in a state of change; respond to the challenge and establish new directions and you will stave off those feelings of dissatisfaction. Feel good about yourself. This is a great day to partake in self-improvement activities. Start with a new hairstyle or outfit. Your support system is becoming more secure. You are able to dispense with some of the unessential and develop what is most basic in your environment. You encourage better support. Friends find you most caring and in a listening mood. Many things give you confidence about the future.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

Making a good impression and putting your best foot forward take on a greater importance as a new cycle gets underway in your life now. Appearances and style may count more than substance. Romance, the arts and life’s other pleasures seem to take center stage. There is a pronounced curiosity about taboos and mysteries in which you may soon become quite interested. You could feel great support from those around you, or circumstances could dictate your taking action—you feel healthy and natural. Perhaps you will plan to attend or create a treasure hunt where your friends and you search for treasure. Everything points to your taking the first steps in a creative direction. Fun activity with others is the basic idea for the afternoon and evening.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Supporting your friends and ideals—maybe even struggling with them—comes into the picture now. This may involve quite a bit of volunteer service. You are actively involved on a social level, taking a bigger part in collective events. You have little patience for people who do not live up to their principles. Broadening your intellectual and spiritual horizons takes on a high priority now. You are intent on seeing the big picture and getting to the point. Being in touch with ideas and people on a grand scale keeps your mind busy. The study of psychology or self-help tools may be helpful in understanding or aiding others. You feel a love of order and law—an appreciation for responsibilities and duty. Problems are seen as lessons, rather than obstacles.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Close relationships and other ties between people become a focus for much of your energy. New partnerships are entered into and old ones are renewed or else they are left behind. A partnership can raise high hopes and give your spirits a boost. People close to you are optimistic and have good prospects. You may find yourself analyzing your life situation and surroundings. You could find yourself giving advice to someone—perhaps a young person—concerning a fishing, camping or survival trip you participated in lately. Conversations of an inspiring kind may be in order with young people or others around you. This is a good time to review the social scene. There is a renewed perception of commitment that could lead to marriage or some form of yoga.

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Libra (September 23-October 22) A pronounced curiosity about taboos and mysteries plays a greater part in your life now. Your mind is on cutting through the nonessentials and penetrating to the core of any situation you may find. This may mean you are reading instructions on how to put together an easy-to-assemble product. Sex, taxes, investments and life’s other most compelling phenomena may captivate your interest more than ever. You are determined to become more organized and informed so that when tax time comes next year, you will be able to get through it quickly! For those of you who are not married—you may become more interested in finding that perfect mate. The search for a mate and marriage in particular are crucial for you—you are driven.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Information that you have been examining and thinking about will now begin to take shape and prove useful to you. This is a time of action and embarking on new projects. A growing sense of direction and self-worth will find you reaching out and establishing yourself. Circumstances can throw you into positions where you must use your mind and deal with communications, service or enclosed hidden interests. You may deal with education, psychology, spiritual enlightenment or teaching principles and techniques. Networking this afternoon may turn up some valuable opportunities. Get on the phone and start dialing your colleagues and associates. Let them know your ideas. Be patient—the universal energies are about to turn the corner to favor you.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) There is a feeling of being at peace and stable on the emotional level at this time. Stability and permanence satisfies a deep emotional need. Music is likely to play a more important role now. A period of material acquisition can satisfy a deep yearning to be free from want. You have questions today that are on an emotional level. You have needs but you seem to have trouble getting others to respond. Because you appear so self-sufficient, others may find it very difficult to imagine that you might need love and attention. A new hobby fascinates you. You enjoy expressing yourself creatively—intellectually, the people who share your interest are compatible friends. Plan to enjoy a little quiet time with a loved one tonight.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Yester

Your home environment, friends and surroundings in general get attention today. You could be working on a picture album, scrapbook or shuffling keepsakes into a more organized place. You feel that your life is balanced and you keep yourself busy trying to keep it that way. You are wise to make notes for the chores or jobs you will want to complete later. This will keep you from becoming distracted. You could gain from young people this afternoon. These young people have lists of their own to complete and you may be able to help guide them.

You may spend time to consider the food and gifts to be purchased during this winter season—a plan will help you economize. Today you can work out a family budget that is agreeable to all.

Yesterday’s Solution To

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Today you will be able to tackle tasks that require real discipline or organization. You will find yourself in a very practical mood—working with, instead of against, yourself. You may have some serious or contemplative moments. There is a yearning for adventure and far horizons or to just have fun; you remain steadfast in your determination to finish whatever project you start. Travel may be in order soon so pull out the patient side of you as the opportunities will come to you soon. This evening you may find yourself in a poetic mood. You are able to put your dreams and ideals into words and communicate them through speaking and writing. Your whole mental environment takes on an almost otherworldly hue at this time. Your personal goals are in sight.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

An emotional beginning, a fresh start, perhaps the establishment of a new relationship or new patterns of living is coming up for you now.

Your conversations today are full of quick answers, great wit and a surplus of insights and solutions. This is a wonderful time to write and communicate with real originality.

Inventions and breakthroughs are possible. Completing a short story and submitting it to be published can be accomplished today. You may be sought after for your advice regarding very personal issues. You will be able to be understanding and handle this very volatile material. Music, spiritually filled visions, clear communication with others all go toward making this a very nice day and perhaps one filled with renewed appreciation for all that is beautiful and fine. You feel like lavishing affection on those near you tonight.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

i n f o r m at i o n

FIRE BRIGADE

112

Al-Madena

22418714

Al-Shohada’a

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

24812000

Al-Jahra

25610011

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

Hospitals Sabah Hospital

POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

Clinics Rabiya

4732263

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Kheitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

PHARMACIES

AIRLINES

ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

PHONE

Ahmadi

Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Hawally

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Selena Gomez’s main hobby is baking

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he 19-year-old star - who is dating Justin Bieber - loves to spend her free time in the kitchen when she is not on tour or on set, and although she confesses she isn’t a culinary master she is getting better. She revealed: “I like to bake - cookies and cakes and stuff. I’m not that good but that’s the whole fun of it; you get to mess around and experiment.”

When she’s not baking in her spare time, Selena also likes to just relax at home and watch movies in her comfy clothes. The ‘Monte Carlo’ star added: “It’s nice to feel pretty and get dressed up but otherwise I’m definitely in jeans and my hair is up. I just like sitting on my couch watching movies.” This week, Selena has been worried about her three-month-old puppy Baylor after he almost died from eating some small rocks. Selena who adopted the Purina Puppy Chow last month with Justin wrote on her twitter page: “My baby is sick :( praying for his surgery. (sic)” Justin and Selena adopted Baylor after visiting the Winnipeg animal rescue centre D’Arcy’s ARC, where they fell in love with him.

Moore, Kutcher therapy sessions developed into ‘intense rows’

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emi Moore and Ashton Kutcher called time on their marriage after therapy sessions developed into “intense rows”. The couple - who announced their intention to divorce earlier last week after six years together amid stories of 33-year-old Ashton’s alleged infidelities - desperately tried to work out their differences but gave up when the fighting became too much for them. A source told

Bieber scheduled a paternity test

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People: “Ashton is unhappy; [Demi]’s unhappy. It just got to a point where they had to end it. “The fighting could get pretty intense. Whatever therapy they did was fine for a quick fix but could not get to the heart of the problem.”

Cole dressed up in fanciest clothes to watch royal wedding

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he ‘Fight for This Love’ singer and her Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley Walsh co-hosted a tea party to celebrate the nuptials of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in April and Cheryl says she wanted to look her best even though she was only watching it on TV. She said: “I made all the sandwiches; egg mayo and bacon bits, cucumber and ham . I even cut the crusts off. My brother brought down some pease pudding from Newcastle and we also had stottie bread. We took it as an excuse to eat all day - it was a disgrace and we all felt sick that night. “I got all dressed up like I was going, because it’s history! I was a baby when Charles and Diana got married, but this is something you’ll want to tell your kids about and say, ‘Look at what me and Auntie Kimberley were doing when William and Kate got married.” Cheryl says she’s closet to Kimberley out of all of her bandmates and the pair spend a lot of time together. The pop beauty - who is also joined in the girl group by Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding and Nicola Roberts - said: “All the girls from Girls Aloud are good friends, but I live near Kimberley, so I make her jog round to mine, then I reward her with cups of tea. That’s fair enough, right?”

he 17-year-old singer has vehemently denied being the father of fan Mariah Yeater’s fourmonth-old son and wants to prove his innocence by undergoing DNA testing. His manager Scooter Braun told ‘Extra’ last night : “He’s ready to take a paternity test, at any moment. We have one scheduled for tomorrow. [Justin] doesn’t mind.

He’s like ‘I’m just going to go ahead of it and be fine.’ “ While Mariah has dropped her lawsuit, her new lawyer has stated they plan to pursue the matter privately but Scooter hinted they are willing to take legal action against her over the claims. He said: “We’ve never even seen the lawsuit, but we’re going to just get ahead of this thing and go right after it. I think it’s important to hold people accountable for their actions.” Justin - who is dating Selena Gomez - hopes that if they take action against Mariah, it will deter other people from making similar claims in future. He said: “We don’t want it to seem like it’s OK for everyone to say, like, ‘I had Justin’s baby or having his baby.’ “Justin previously revealed he was happy to take a DNA test to prove his innocence but insisted he would not “waste” his time meeting his accuser face-to-face because her fabricated claims were vindictive. He said: “All this stuff is dealt with by my legal team. But if they want me to (take a paternity test) then I will.” When asked what he would say to Mariah if he could meet her, he said: “Nothing, I wouldn’t waste my time. I guess [she’s done this] for attention, but it’s not something I am interested in. These people are not worth my thought or time.”

Kendra and husband recycle ‘every single thing we have’

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he reality TV star and her NFL player spouse - who have a 22month-old son Hank Baskett Jr. together - are both keen to protect the environment, something Kendra says she learned from her grandfather. Kendra told E!: “I recycle baby Hank’s clothes by donating them. I donate to women’s shelters all the time. I’m a huge advocate for donating. I love to donate. “Mine and my grandfather’s hobby was to go and drive around and look for cans on the side of the streets and we used to hop out and we used to just collect as many cans as we could and then recycle them. That was the fun thing to do. I get it from my family.

Recycling is a part of who I am.” Hank Jr. is sure to pick up some recycling tips from his parents as Kendra recently revealed the tot is like a “sponge” and she is constantly amazed at how smart he is.

She said: “The other night he said his ABC! He is a sponge right now he is learning so much and we love to piggy back on that and we love to teach him. Right now we know he is a sponge and we are just throwing stuff at him as much as we can for him to learn. He is the smartest kid, he can put together a five-piece puzzle right now. His concentration is amazing I can’t believe that when we are filming he can just sit down and put together a five piece puzzle so quickly, he has great concentration.”

Pattinson says best thing about fame is he can ‘delay being an adult’

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he 25-year-old actor has achieved worldwide success with his role as vampire Edward Cullen in the ‘Twilight Saga’ film series and one of the main benefits of his job is that he can have fun at work every day. He said: “I’m living a life I didn’t really know existed and I can kind of delay being an adult for a while! It’s fun. I get to meet really interesting people who think they are making something great.” The Hollywood heartthrob recently finished shooting the final two ‘Twilight’ movies and he is now looking forward to starting a new chapter in his career. Robert - who is in a relationship with his co-star Kristen Stewart - isn’t worried about being typecast because of his famous role, because there aren’t that many parts similar to Edward. He added: “I’d be interested to see how I’m perceived in a couple of years. I don’t know how to predict anything. Edward’s so specific, you can’t really get typecast.

I mean, there are only so many parts that are benevolent vampires! It would be insane to do another one afterwards.”

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Kate Moss’ favorite portraits sell at auction

he black and white nude picture of the supermodel, taken by photographer Albert Watson at the end of a day’s shoot in 1993, sold at Bonhams in London to an anonymous private UK buyer and is one of a limited edition of 10. Photography specialist Jocelyn Phillips of Bonhams said of the picture: “Kate Moss is a contemporary icon and the photographer is a well-established name. Combine that with the size and limited edition nature of this lot and it all combines to make it interesting to collectors.” The company has previously said of the image: “Watson created probably two of the most iconic images of Moss on a shoot for German Vogue, and today they remain among his most popular pictures. “At the end of a day shooting on a roof-top in Marrakech, Watson suggested he create nude photographs of Moss and she happily obliged.” Watson also described the picture, part of a series, as “among the best pictures ever taken of her”. Two other photographs of Kate - auctioned in two separate lots at the same sale - were each bought for £2,750.

One shows her with her eyes shut and was taken by the late Corinne Day for The Face magazine in 1991, while the other, by Mario Testino in 2005, shows her sitting in a cafe wearing a tie. —BangShowbiz

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

LIFESTYLE

Gourmet-on-the-go chef Bourdain savors

ou are laid over in a city somewhere out there in the world with 24 hours to kill.

Do you burrow into your hotel suite, fed by room service and movies-on-demand, until time to head back to the airport? Not if you’re Anthony Bourdain, globe-trotting gastronome and on-the-fly bon vivant. With no time to spare, you gorge on local cuisine, savor local sights and maximize exposure to indigenous culture. Tomorrow on the plane you can catch up on your sleep!

That, in Bourdain’s words, is “the art of the layover,” the finer points of which he shares on “The Layover,” his new Travel Channel series premiering Monday at 9 pm. On the debut hour, Bourdain lands in Singapore at 5 a.m., with his scheduled departure the next day at noon. The clock is ticking, and though Bourdain does not exhibit the franticness of Kiefer Sutherland on “24” (nor is the fate of the world at stake), “There’s plenty to do,” says Bourdain. And he does plenty, demonstrating the gusto fans have already come to expect on his food-adventuring travel show, “No Reservations.”

On “The Layover,” Bourdain tells you which bus will get you from the airport to your hotel most efficiently. But under his tutelage, you are in your room just long enough to drop your bags: There are things to see and food to eat. “There’s all sorts of good (expletive) you can have for breakfast!” he declares as he sets out for a starter feast at a multi-

stalled Hawker Center. But besides his many recommendations, Bourdain, with delicious directness, offers warnings to any traveler who wants an authentic experience: “No one in Singapore drinks Singapore Slings. It’s a disgusting drink. You don’t want it. Don’t waste your time.”

Future episodes find Bourdain visiting New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Hong Kong, London, Rome, Montreal and Amsterdam. Bourdain, staying true to the show’s no-time-to-waste creed, actually performs each hit-and-run in the few hours indicated. “The crew arrived two days before me in Singapore and started shooting B-roll,” he says, explaining the breakneck routine during a recent interview. B-roll is footage that will be used to illustrate the program, not including interview segments.

“From the second I arrive they’re shooting me, every minute. Then I fly to Hong Kong, where another crew has been shooting B-roll, and we get going. We had leapfrogging crews, alternating shows as I went from place to place. “We were looking to do another series fast, between seasons of ‘No Reservations,’” he says, “and we had accumulated a lot of knowledge over the years, me and my crew, while traveling around. Even if we weren’t necessarily laid over, we have certainly found ourselves with a few hours between scenes, when the challenge is to go eat well and have a good time.”

The recommendations he makes are his own. There are no fees, promotional considerations or solicitations from venues hoping for a plug, he says. “On this show we include

In this April 7, 2011 file photo, Anthony Bourdain attends the Food Banks ‘Can Do Awards’ gala in New York. —AP

places that anyone lucky enough to travel internationally could try; restaurants and hotels and things to see - that I endorse. Or that I think suck and should be avoided.”

In the latter category, he lumps the London Eye, the huge Ferris wheel that’s become a tourist favorite: “I’m telling you up front I’m not doing it, when I could be drinking Guinness in a real English pub.” Over beer and tasty lamb burgers in a Manhattan bistro that Bourdain hand-picked, he bemoans any tourist who opts for what the mass of other tourists do, rather than investigate places frequented by locals.

Consider the time-strapped New York visitor who opts for the Statue of Liberty rather than bingeing at a world-class local deli such as Katz’s or Barney Greengrass: “You’ve made a really terrible error, maybe one you won’t regret for the rest of your life, but if you knew better, you would!” It should be clear by now that food (and drink) is a driving force in how Bourdain, an unrepentant sensualist, greets the world. At 55, he is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and a decadeslong veteran of professional kitchens, from dishwasher to chef. In 2000 he published a best-selling tell-all memoir of his experiences behind those swinging kitchen doors, “Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly,” which rocked the foodie world. Other foodcentric books - not just nonfiction but even

The

crime novels - followed. In 2005, his rollicking culinary travelogue, “No Reservations,” premiered on Travel Channel. (The first episode: “Why the French Don’t Suck.”) Rumpled and rangy at 6 feet and 4 inches, often deadpan and more often outspoken, Bourdain gained a reputation early on as a bad boy chef, an angry guy of the gourmet set.

“I’m sure I benefited from those descriptions, but I didn’t take it seriously in the beginning, and I certainly don’t now,” says Bourdain, who, in person, is a personable sort and no more edgy than a few million others in New York, which Bourdain, with his wife and 41/2-year-old daughter, calls home when not dining at the far corners of the world. “I enjoy the travel,” he says, listing his job’s selling points, “and I like taking you on a trip, trying to make you feel about a place the way I feel about it.” But he is not a grandstander, he insists. “Do I get any satisfaction seeing myself on television? Zero. In a perfect world, my physical presence in front of the camera would be dispensable.”

He still cooks occasionally (he’ll be whipping up Thanksgiving dinner for the family on Nov. 24) and values his years as a pro in the kitchen. But escaping its relentless demands for television has only made him more appreciative of what he left behind. “Real work is back there,” he says, motioning toward this restaurant’s kitchen doors. “THAT’S ... work! I know how lucky I am!” —AP

First ladies’ gowns return to view at Smithsonian D

resses, china and mementos dating back to days when Americans referred to the first lady as “lady presidentress” or “republican queen” will returned to view yesterday at the National Museum of American History, along with Michelle Obama’s dashing inaugural gown as a centerpiece. The new exhibition “The First Ladies” features 26 dresses and about 160 other objects ranging from Martha Washington’s White House collection to a first look at Laura Bush’s china. It’s the 10th version of the first ladies exhibit in nearly 100 years. The last one closed in October as the museum moves historic objects out of its west wing for a major renovation beginning early next year.

“We knew that it would be unacceptable during the renovation timeframe for the public to go two years without this popular and almost 100-year-old tradition at the Smithsonian,” interim museum director Marc Pachter said. When it first opened in 1914, the first ladies collection was the first time the Smithsonian Institution gave women a prominent place in history, he said. Every first lady since Helen Taft has followed the tradition of donating her inaugural gown to the collection. Last year, Obama gave the museum her dress designed by Jason Wu. According to the Smithsonian, the term “first lady” was first used in 1894 by President Zachary Taylor in his eulogy of Dolley Madison. Before that, a variety of other terms were used over the nation’s first 100 years.

The new exhibit examines how first ladies have shaped their roles as the influence of women in society has changed and ponders what will happen when a woman is elected president. Eight dresses and at least 10 other items, including Laura Bush’s state china service, are on view for the first time or the first time in decades as the museum freshens its display and incorporates new stories.

“There is no job description for first lady of

the United States,” said Lisa Kathleen Graddy, curator of the collection. “Each one remakes the undefined and challenging position to suit her own interests, the needs of the presidential administration and the public’s changing expectations of women in general and first ladies in particular.” Sections of the exhibition are devoted to the first ladies’ impact on fashion, her role as the nation’s hostess, inaugurations and formal events and the changing role over time.

Madison, for example, got engaged in politics early by gathering information and talking about public opinion, and Mary Todd Lincoln was criticized for her attempts at patronage.

For decades, first ladies have influenced fashion, whether through popularizing colors like Nancy Reagan’s red or setting trends as with Jacqueline Kennedy or Lou Hoover, who was

The image released by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History shows first lady Dolley Madison’s evening gown which goes on display at the museum.

first to appear in Vogue magazine in a bid to promote American-made clothes. The public scrutiny of their fashion sense is an unexpected part of the job for many first ladies, Graddy said. Curators refer to Caroline Harrison’s evening gown, on display for the first time, as “early bling.” The burgundy velvet and gray satin gown is embroidered with a floral gray pearls and steel beads.

For the first time, curators also mixed in mementos and other “secondary objects” along with gowns and china, Graddy said.

There’s a scrap of fabric from Lincoln’s redecoration of the White House parlor, a piece of burnt wood from when the British burned the executive mansion and a copy of the book “Treasure Island” that Edith Roosevelt gave to her son’s friend Charley Taft, the next child who would occupy the White House.

She signed it “Charley, from Quentin’s mother,” and Charley took the book to read during his father’s 1909 inauguration ceremony, presumably to keep from getting bored.

“I really wanted it to be about memory,” Graddy said of the revamped exhibit. “My word was always scrapbook. These are the things that people save. These are the things that women especially save, and this is so much a women’s show.” As the museum plans its renovation of the 120,000 square feet of its west wing exhibit space, there will be a permanent home for the first ladies’ gallery in a larger section devoted to American democracy, Pachter said. There will be floors devoted to the nation’s economy and entrepreneurship, the underpinnings of the political system and culture ranging from music and entertainment to sports.

“We’re going to give people a way to think about the whole of our society and who we are,” Pachter said. Construction is slated to begin in spring of 2012 and with the wing reopening in late 2014 for the museum’s 50th anniversary.— AP

This March 9, 2010, file photo shows first lady Michelle Obama standing with the gown that she wore to the 2009 inaugural ball as she donates it to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington.

The image released by the Smithsonian National Museum of American History shows first lady Caroline Harrison’s evening gown which goes on display at the museum.—AP Photos

Latam art sales in US have best year since 2008

Hong Kong Disneyland hopes for expansion magic

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atin American art sales, which totalled nearly $90 million in New York in 2011, scored their best year since the 2008 financial crisis, aided by a boom in Brazilian art and demand from Asia. The sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s were second only to the 2008 Latin American market total of $96 million, according to the auction houses.

While they primarily attribute the success to the selective quality of the works, collectors and gallery owners said a bigger factor is the global emergence from recession and demand from countries with strong economic expansion. Brazil’s robust economic growth has helped drive the soaring prices at the auctions, according to Mary-Anne Martin, who owns an art gallery in New York specializing in Latin American works.

“Brazilian art is pulling way ahead because of the Brazilian economy,” she explained. “What makes its work so expensive is that Brazilians have a lot of money now and are bidding against each other for prized work.” At Christie’s, which sold a total of $20 million in Latin American art this week, the bidding was most heated for Brazilian work. Of the 20 artist records set at the sale, 10 were for Brazilians. Indonesia’s growing wealth has also came into play as its collectors compete for the Balinese work of Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias. “Before the Indonesians wanted the art but didn’t have the money to pay for it,” said Martin. “Now they do.”

At Christie’s in May, Covarrubias’ 1932 “Offering of Fruits for the Temple” set an auction record for the artist at $1.02 million, This week Covarrubias work on paper also hit a new high, selling for $290,500 also at Christie’s. At Sotheby’s in May, many Southeast Asians bid online, with Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam well represented in an auction.

Sotheby’s said Asian buyers snatched the top-selling works by Fernando Botero. “Botero is the best known living artist in the world,” said Sotheby’s Latin American chief Carmen Melian.

Christie’s said a private European buyer paid $1.76 million on Tuesday for Botero’s bronze “Dancers,” the most ever paid at auction for a sculpture by the artist. —Reuters

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Fashion designer Donna Karan and actress Barbara Streisand arrive at the 10th Annual Celebration of Dreams, in Santa Barbara, Calif on Friday.—AP

ith a new theme area that makes guests feel as if they’re being shrunk to the size of a toy, Hong Kong Disneyland hopes to boost the number of visitors to a magic kingdom the performance of which to date has been less than dazzling. Since opening to great fanfare in 2005, Disney’s first park in China has struggled to attract the expected flood of visitors from the mainland. Stakes will rise with the planned opening of a rival Disneyland in Shanghai in several years.

Thursday’s opening of Toy Story Land, based on the blockbuster movie trilogy, is the first phase of a three-part, $468 million expansion that will increase the physical footprint of the park by 23 percent by 2013 and bring the number of attractions, shows and other exhibits to more than 100. “We believe it will be a strong boost in terms of business,” said Andrew Kam, Disneyland managing director. “I’m really happy about that too because, not only does it bring business to Hong Kong Disneyland, it actually creates demand for tourism to Hong Kong.”

Among the three new attractions is a 25metre (80-foot) “Toy Soldier Parachute Drop”.

Coming over the next two years are the “Grizzly Gulch” and “Mystic Point” theme areas. The park’s performance has been difficult to gauge given Disney declined to fully disclose key results and attendance figures.

But last year, in its first major disclosure of its

financial performance since opening, it announced a loss of $169.4 million in 2009 while attracting 4.6 million visitors. The Hong Kong government-which has a 52 percent stake in the park with the Disney company holding the remainder- expressed disappointment, calling on the park to improve.

Disneyland initially said it hoped to attract 10 million visitors a year after 15 years, but attendance has fallen short of targets. The park was the smallest Disney theme park. As part of the expansion deal, partly financed by Hong Kong, Disney pledged to boost the transparency of its operations by releasing annual operating and financial results. Once the expansion is complete, visitor numbers are projected to rise to between 5.2 million and 8 million by 2015. “What I think we do best is to create these environments that completely immerse you,” said Joe Lanzisero, creative senior Vice President, Walt Disney Co, at the opening.

“When you walk into our parks and you’re no longer in the real world, you’re transported to a completely different place.”

Visitors invited to the launch of the new area said they enjoyed it, despite the rain. “Great view of the park when you get up to the top and it was just great dropping down,” said Mandy Petty, who had just tried the Toy Soldier Parachute Drop. “It wasn’t too scary, just within the comfort zone.” —Reuters

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

lifestyle

Gym Class Heroes grow up, get serious on new album

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ym Class Heroes has graduated from party life to adulthood on their latest album, “The Papercut Chronicles II,” a follow-up to their first CD after three records of anthems to youth, rebellion and just plain having fun. Lead singer Travie McCoy said the new album represents a sort of coming-of-age for the band with songs about moving ahead after lost loves and thinking more deeply about topics such as how a rock star life is not always glamorous.

“It’s about...thinking about the bigger picture rather than the smaller things,” McCoy told Reuters. “I’m 30. We’ve all grown up now, some of us have kids.” Along with McCoy, the New York band features drummer Matt McGinley, guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo and bassist Eric Roberts. They released their first official studio album, “The Papercut Chronicles” in 2005, and from it came one of the band’s best-selling singles, “Cupid’s Chokehold.”

A second album in 2006, “As Cruel As School Children,” delivered more hit singles including “Clothes Off!” and was followed “The Quilt” in 2008, with its single “Cookie Jar.” Recent years have found the band writing personal songs and some with themes around heartbreak and the isolation of pop stardom. McCoy said that to draw inspiration, the band returned to “Papercut Chronicles” and looked at how far they had come. “Papercut Chronicles II” is the product of their musical soul searching and includes a fusion of sounds including hip-hop, rock and pop on tracks like “Solo Discotheque (Whiskey Bitness),” “Lazarus, Ze Gitan” and the upbeat “Stereo Hearts.”

“We had a sense of urgency in the past records. We were young kids searching for a sound,” said McCoy. “We wanted to recreate not the album, but that sense of hunger.”

McCoy said the album became a personal diary, to some extent, as he sings of past romances and fighting his

demons. “‘Live Goes On’ defines me best, because people don’t see that this life is not all glitz and glamour. There’s a darker side,” said McCoy. The new album also features several collaborations such as on the lighthearted love song, “Stereo Hearts,” featuring Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine. It currently sites in the top 5 on the Billboard singles chart. One Republic’s Ryan Tedder, who received Grammy nominations for writing and producing songs like Beyonce’s “Halo” and Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love,” created the inspirational tune “The Fighter” in which Tedder sings and McCoy raps.

While Levine and Tedder are high-profile collaborators, McCoy also works with lesser known artists such as Danish singer Oh Land, who supplies vocals on “Life Goes On.” “It’s great to find people who might not be getting a lot of recognition but just have a ton of talent,” said McCoy, “There’s a cool resurgence of ‘out there’ music like The Speakers. There are lots of artists I’m digging right now, like The Weekend and James Blake.”

Despite the band’s popularity and charting single “Stereo Hearts,” the album has not been received so warmly by critics. Rolling Stone’s Judy Rosen cited “dull, rock-rap tunes with hooks that would’ve sounded dated a decade ago.” Entertainment Weekly’s Kyle Anderson also criticized the album’s “revved-up aggro crunch and laughable lyrical raging against the machine,” but praised some tracks where the band “jettison their limp rap-rock instincts and plunge into crossover pop like the haunting ‘Life Goes On’.”

But McCoy is focused on his fans, and he believes they will accept the album as “another Gym Class Heroes record,” with the band’s trademark fusion of different music styles. “What we listen to is so diverse so when it comes to our albums, they tend to reflect our tastes, and our fans like that,” said the rapper. — Reuters

Coldplay’s ‘Mylo Xyloto’ tops Billboard album chart Rihanna hits No 1 on singles chart

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oldplay debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart Wednesday with “Mylo Xyloto,” while pop star Rihanna scored her 11th No 1 single with “We Found Love” on the Hot 100 chart. “Mylo Xyloto,” the fifth studio album from Coldplay, sold 447,000 copies in the first week of its release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It beat out stiff competition from “American Idol” alumni Kelly Clarkson, who entered the charts at No 2 with her fifth album, “Stronger,” selling 163,00 copies.

This is the third studio album for British rockers Coldplay to debut at No 1, following their 2005 release “X&Y” and 2008’s “Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends.” Coldplay’s latest record is the third biggest-selling album to top the charts this year, and the largest single-week sales for a rock record in nearly three years, according to Jim Donio, president of the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM), a music business association.

“Mylo Xyloto” has received mixed reviews, despite

its chart-topping success. Rolling Stone’s Josh Eells gave the record three-and-a-half stars, saying “the choruses are bigger, the textures grander, the optimism more optimistic,” but other critics were less impressed. Alexis Petridis of British newspaper The Guardian, criticized the lack of evolution in Coldplay’s music and said that a lot of the album “just sounds like standard-issue Coldplay, replete with echoing guitars, woah-oh choruses and vocals that signify high drama by slipping into falsetto.”

British singer Adele, who has been dominating the album charts with “21,” dropped to No 4 as Michael Buble’s holiday album ‘Christmas,” released last week ahead of the festive season, debuted at No 3. Country singer Toby Keith rounded out the top five albums on the Billboard 200, with his 15th studio album, “Clancy’s Tavern,” also released last week, while singer-songwriter Tom Waits scored his first Top 10 album with “Bad As Me” entering the charts at No 6.

Completing the Top 10 albums were Scotty

McCreery’s “Clear As Day” at No 7 followed by Lady Antebellum’s “Own The Night,” Tony Bennett’s “Duets II,” and Casting Crowns’ “Come To The Well,” in that order. In the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, Rihanna has become the fastest solo artist to earn 20 hits in the Top 10 in the course of her six year career, as her latest single featuring French DJ David Guetta, “We Found Love,” took the No 1 spot from Adele’s “Someone Like You.” The previous record for fastest solo artist to reach 20 Top 10 singles in her career was previously held by Madonna, whom Rihanna beat by 5 months. The single is the 11th No 1 hit for the Grammy-winning Barbadian singer, who became the fifth female artist to reach 20 Top 10 singles, an achievement shared with Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Madonna.

Rihanna’s sixth studio album, “Talk That Talk,” is due for release on Nov 21. Next week’s album chart are likely to feature new entries from Justin Bieber, Miranda Lambert and Florence + The Machine, all of whom have released new albums this week. — Reuters

Drake lonesome Hip-Hop lothario in ‘Take Care’

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rake certainly didn’t invent hip-hop solipsism. But the genre’s newest superstar proves more intriguingly introspective than most on “Take Care,” a solid sophomore effort that’s destined to have hundreds of thousands of eager buyers also gazing into his navel this week. The singer-rapper establishes his twin themes pretty effectively in his first two lines: “I think I killed everybody in the game last year, man, I was on, though/And I thought I found the girl of my dreams at the strip club, mm-mm, I was wrong, though.”

That’s right: Money (and a debut album that sold almost a half-million copies in its first week last year) can’t buy love. Lapdances, yes. Breaking news alert, right? Generally speaking, it’s best for artists who are into at least, say, the third or fourth year of their recording careers to write albums about how it ’s lonely at the top. And “ Take Care” has its moments of predictably woe-is-fame, boo-hoo bravado.

But the strangely tender album title is a tip-off that Drake is willing to delve further into vulnerability than just about any of his contemporaries.

And not for the sake of being a ladies’ man-though that certainly seems to be a side effect-but because he seems to be a legitimately candid late-night diarist. The closest comparison might be something like K anye West ’s confessional “808s & Hear tbreak,” without that album’s stultifying AutoTune, off-the-scale paranoia, or deficit of musical variety.

You do have to wade through some token introductory braggadocio to get to the good stuff.

“Shout- out to all my [N-word] living taxfree/Nowadays it’s six figures when they tax me,” he announces in the opening cut, sparing us any details on how insta-millionaire playas feel about the 9-9-9 plan. Once we’ve established that he is already a man of wealth (and taste; check out his references to Napa Valley restaurants), things get more interesting, as Drake details the differences between love and sex, only one of which he appears to have had a lot of during the past year.

The best track, “Marvin’s Room,” stands as the best drunk-dialing anthem since Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now,” albeit a far more epic one. “I’ve had sex four times this week-I’ll explain,” he tells the ex he’s still in love with after getting home from the club. “Having a hard time adjusting to fame ...” Tell her about it.

The song gets stranger and woozier as it goes along, finally melting into a bizarro coda in which he uses an electronic filter to croon some truly deathless verses to The One That Got Away: “If you was in a pine box ... I’d just jump right in and fall asleep, because you are the death of me.” What gal wouldn’t swoon, hearing that on her voicemail in the morning?

Beneath all the B-words and N-words lurks the heart of a true romantic, which is why Drake has such unusual female-demo appeal (well, it’s part of it). The fact that he only seems to want to reveal his hopes and wounds under drunken duress helps keep the guys on board in a way they wouldn’t with one of urban music’s more uncloaked lotharios. At times, “Take Care” comes close to being a concept album about workaholism. “Headlines,” the album’s first single, is actually about deadlines. “Money over everything, money on my mind/Then she wanna ask when it got so empty,” he sings. “Tell her I apologize-If they don’t get it, they’ll be over you/That new s—- that you got is overdue.” When the girl in question can’t wait around for him to finish his album, Drake laments: “I guess it really is me, myself, and all my millions.”

Guest stars abound, of course, including Rihanna (on the subdued title track, as mellow a hip-hop single as you’ll hear), Nicki Minaj (not so subdued on “Make Me Proud,” Drake’s ode to womanhood, just in case all those B-words had you thinking otherwise), Rick Ross, and, inevitably, Lil Wayne. It’s late in the game that Andre3000 steals the show with the oddest and funniest cameo. The OutKast co-frontman raps quietly about friends “that are married that don’t want to go home/But we look up to them, they wish they were us/They want some new trim, we lust for some trust.” —TheWrap.com

Early Beatles letter seeking drummer makes $55,000

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handwritten letter from Paul McCartney on Aug. 12, 1960 inviting an unnamed drummer to audition for a place in the Beatles has sold at Christie’s for 34,850 pounds ($55,000). The document was discovered folded up in a book purchased at a car boot sale in Liverpool, birthplace of the Fab Four. It had been expected to

fetch 7-9,000 pounds at a rock and pop memorabilia sale at Christie’s in London late on Tuesday.

Shortly after the letter was written, the newly formed Beatles travelled to Hamburg, Germany, to play a series of gigs as they set out on the road to superstardom. According to online Beatles timelines, drummer Pete Best

joined the Beatles on Aug 12. He was thrown out of the band two years later and replaced

by Ringo Starr. The auctioneer said the letter was one of the earliest examples of the band being referred to as the Beatles.

It was also important to pop historians because it suggested McCartney was seeking an alternative to Best until the last minute and

knew more about the details of the Hamburg trip than previously thought. The top lot of the sale, fetching 97,250 pounds, was a hand-written sign reading “BED PEACE” displayed during one of John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s famous “bed-ins” for peace in 1969. Overall the auction fetched around 480,000 pounds.— Reuters

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

lifestyle

Film producer Gest promises fresh take on Jackson R

eality TV star and concert promoter David Gest has promised fans a fresh insight into Michael Jackson in his documentary about the late “king of pop” which has its premiere in London on Wednesday. Gest has teamed up with Universal Pictures to make “Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon,” released this week on Blu-ray and DVD with the blessing of Jackson’s mother Katherine.

“This is not a rehashed story,” Gest told Reuters in a recent interview to promote the picture. “It’s totally new in what you learn.” The producer, a long-time friend of the “Thriller” singer, is also involved in a singing and spoken-world tribute tour to Jackson which kicks off in Britain next spring. His projects are part of a series of Jackson-

related events that have been staged, screened or planned since the star died in June 2009.

“Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” a 2009 documentary film about rehearsals for his comeback tour which never took place, made more than $260 million at the global box office. A posthumous album entitled “Immortal” is due out this month, a $60 million Cirque du Soleil extravaganza recently launched in Canada and Wales hosted a tribute gig last month attended by Jackson’s mother and three children. Jackson, who was 50 when he died of an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol which he used as a sleep aid, was one of the most successful recording artists of all time. Asked if he felt such projects were merely attempts to cash in on the singer’s name, Gest replied: “There’s a place

if it tells a story that nobody knows and you enlighten the public (as) to who he is.

“I think if a project is interesting and new and different people are fascinated by Michael Jackson,” the American added. “I think the Cirque du Soleil (show) is brilliant. I think people will by entertained (by my film). This film is so different because I would say 90 percent of it is new information you have never heard.

“You see who the man was behind the music.”

The Life of an Icon features interviews with Katherine Jackson, the singer’s siblings Tito and Rebbie and friends and colleagues including Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick and Whitney Houston. Tito discusses what the family went through during the child molestation trial in 2005

where his brother was eventually acquitted on all counts.

The film traces Jackson from his breakthrough in the Jackson 5 to his rise to fame as a solo artist through to his sudden death in Los Angeles. “You see Katherine Jackson in a totally different light,” said Gest. “She’s very honest and she’s very open and you really feel for her, especially when you see her talking about his death and how it affected her.” Gest promised amusing anecdotes as well as moving recollections.One, he said, involved Houston recalling a visit she made to Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in California where she was involved in an embarrassing mealtime mix-up between Jackson and his pet chimpanzee Bubbles. — Reuters

Michelle Williams channels

Marilyn Monroe

in new film

In this film publicity image released by The Weinstein Company, Dougray Scott portrays Arthur Miller and Michelle Williams portrays Marilyn Monroe in a scene from “My Week with Marilyn.” —AP

M In this image released by Paramount Pictures, Asa Butterfield portrays Hugo Cabret in a scene from “Hugo.” —AP

‘Dog Sweat’ shows life of rebellious Iranians

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ranian-American filmmaker Hossein Keshavarz’s directorial debut, “Dog Sweat,” has won recognition at world film festivals, but it will never be seen in his homeland. That’s because the tale of rebellious youth was shot underground in Iran with Keshavarz stealing scenes in public places, filming in private homes, then placing his film on a computer hard drive, putting it in a backpack and leaving the country.

“There’s no (Iranian) theater that would show this,” said Keshavarz, a graduate of Columbia University’s film program. “Dog Sweat”, which opens in US movie theaters on Friday, is the name of a type of liquor that can be bought on the Iranian black market in a country where alcohol is forbidden.

In the movie, it is a metaphor about a diverse group of young people looking for pleasure in a country where so much is prohibited. A gay man is forced into an arranged marriage. An unmarried couple cannot find a place to be alone. A female musician isn’t allowed to pursue a career due to her gender. Nearly 70 percent of Iran’s roughly 80 million people are under the age of 35, and while Keshavarz was raised in the United States, he said he returns frequently to Iran.

“You go to the movie theaters and you never see anything that reflects our lives. Something as simple as having drinks with your friends and talking, meeting up in a restaurant, meeting up in a cafe. People are really insistent on living their lives freely,” he said. The subject matter seen in “Dog Sweat” is forbidden in Iran. The government prefers movies that represent an idealized version of the country-a place without gay men and women and where members of the opposite sex mix only if married.

A typical film production involves submitting a screenplay to the censorship board. They will either reject it or return it with notes. Once it’s been approved, production can begin. But no movie is released without the board’s final approval. “We did not go through any board,” laughed Keshavarz. “We shot the film underground. It really was by any means necessary.”

“Dog Sweat” was filmed before Iran’s disputed 2009 presidential elections that returned

ichelle Williams eschewed the chair and sat on the floor of the private dining lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel, sipping a cup of tea. “Much more comfortable,” she said, crossing her legs and unwrapping a granola bar. The night before, Williams, 31, had flown into Los Angeles for 48 hours from shooting “Oz: The Great and Powerful” playing Glinda the good witch.

At that moment, however, Williams was out of that head space and focusing on another enchanting woman who weaved her magic on American cinema: Marilyn Monroe. Williams stars as the iconic starlet in the indie film “My Week with Marilyn,” based on Colin Clark’s book of the same name and opening in US theaters on Nov 23. It chronicles the author’s experience of spending a week with Monroe in 1956 while she was in England shooting the romantic comedy “The Prince and the Showgirl” opposite Sir Laurence Olivier.

“This isn’t the Marilyn Monroe story, so the movie is not a tragedy,” Williams said. “It’s a movie that Marilyn Monroe happens to be a character in.” It’s also the type of movie that may resonate with Oscar voters. Williams has been Oscar-nominated twice, as best supporting actress for “Brokeback Mountain” and best actress for 2010 drama “Blue Valentine.” Now, as she embodies one of Hollywood’s own, Williams may find herself on a winning streak.

Between 2000 and 2010, seven of the best actress Oscar wins were for roles depicting real people including Sandra

Bullock (“The Blind Side”), Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”) and Helen Mirren (“The Queen”).

Williams laughed off the thought. “I try not to live in the future because it’s crazy!” she said with a blush. “I’m just relieved that I paid a proper homage, because I didn’t want to let her down.” She was referring to Monroe and the research and physical transformation it took to embody the legendary actress. “I watched every movie countless times,” Williams explained. “The Internet became a great research tool. There were a few fronts that were up and running simultaneously- the physical, the facade, and her essence.”

One of those was the way Monroe moved. Williams described it as “a series of continuous poses, completely fluid, but at any point if you stopped, you could take a picture and it would be a perfectly set up pose.” Gesturing with her hands, she continued: “It looked like she loved her body, loved touching her body, loved referencing it, loved being able to guide people’s attention to where she wanted them to look.” Though in person the waif-like Williams bears little physical resemblance to Monroe, in the film, she is as voluptuous as Monroe.

Were those her real hips? Or padding? Can she talk about which body parts were hers and which weren’t?

“Apparently not,” she demurred. “Apparently my director had some other ideas about it.” “I was definitely heavier than I am now, but I really don’t know how much,” she added. “But there are ways that she and I will never meet physically. For certain things, no matter what I do, I won’t be able to achieve that sameness...I was never going to get a body like hers!” What Williams does have is a singing voice and coordinated feet. The actress does all the singing and dancing in the film, despite her only previous such experience being as a child doing children’s theater.

“Who knew I would actually sing and dance in the movie? I had a blast!” said Williams. Despite the fun, Williams was keenly aware of Monroe’s tragic side-the pills, the alcohol, the marriages and her co-dependency on other people. “Something about her said, ‘Love me, protect me,’ and a lot of people took that on and felt a kind of devotion to her,” mused Williams. Many people felt a similar protectiveness towards Williams when in 2008, her former boyfriend and “Brokeback Mountain” co-star Heath Ledger died of an accidental drug overdose, making the actress a single mother to their child, Matilda, who is now 6 years-old. Though Williams declined to drudge up that past, she did say that unlike Marilyn, “I’m not in as needy of a place, although I think I was when I played the (Marilyn) role. I found myself becoming far more dependent and clingy in a way that I had never done before.

“Luckily, I have a stabilizing force, which is my daughter,” she continued. “I often think, if Marilyn had a kid, she would have pulled through, I really do.”— Reuters

‘Happy Feet Two’ features way too many happy feet

“H

appy Feet Two” may be set in Antarctica, but it’s only a lukewarm effort. In this 3D sequel to the Oscar-winning, 2006 animated hit, the lesson all the characters learn, no matter their species, is that only when they all work together can problems- including a shift in the glacial landscape that threatens the penguin community’s very existence-be overcome.

Or, as I seem to recall learning years ago while watching “Sesame Street,” the word for the day is cooperate. “Two” introduces a new leading character, Erik (Ava Acres), the adorable, fluffy penguin son of the original’s tap-dancing hero, Mumble (Elijah Wood). Erik is feeling blue because, unlike his dad, he can’t dance, and unlike his mom, Gloria (Alecia Moore, aka the singer Pink, who takes over a role originated by the late Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power, triggering demonstrations and violence. It has won prizes at the Austin and Rome film festivals and nominations at the Los Angeles and Tokyo events.

“I don’t think we would be able to make this film now. Ever since Ahmadinejad came into power they’ve been kind of cracking down,” said Keshavarz. The environment for artists has become increasingly perilous following the 2009 elections. Influential filmmaker, Jafar Panahi has been under house arrest since March 2010, and another six producers, directors and documentar y makers were arrested in September, sparking criticism from Hollywood and across Europe. “Some of the charges are very vague-insulting Islam, indecency,” said Keshavarz. “They’re these laws that are basically grab-all laws that they can use if they don’t like what you’re doing.”—Reuters

Brittany Murphy), he’s not excited by singing.

In addition to Erik and Mumble, other major characters include Ramon (Robin Williams), a boastful penguin who falls for curvaceous Carmen (Sofia Vergara); Sven (Hank Azaria), a penguin whose ability to fly turns Erik into a worshipful acolyte; Bryan (Richard Cater), a lumbering elephant seal; and Will (Brad Pitt) and Bill (Matt Damon), two tiny, shrimp-like krill who leave their swarm behind to venture out into the ocean. The problem with “Happy Feet Two” is that its profusion of storylines and characters leave it feeling hectic and overstuffed but without much of a payoff. Few of the characters or plotlines have enough heft or originality to draw in a viewer. At a mere 99minutes running time, this sequel feels like a long haul.

Which is not to say that the movie, which is again directed and co-written

by George Miller (“Mad Max”), isn’t without its charms. Real life pals and sometimes co-stars Pitt and Damon have looky-loos fun as Will and Bill, the adventurous krill, even managing a few topical jokes. When Bill suggests that the duo pair up and raise a family, Will points out that they’re both male. Bill, unbothered, replies, “We can adopt.”

And there’s a lovely, unexpected moment late in a movie when little Erik breaks out into a full-throated, soaring operatic aria (cribbed from Puccini’s “Tosca”) in praise of his father.

For small fry viewers, the main target audience for the movie, there are pee and poop jokes aplenty, a surefire laugh getter when one is oneself only a few years past wearing Pull-Ups. — TheWrap.com

Al Jazeera English documentary wins prestigious 2011 Rory Peck Award

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ibyan-born film-maker Abdallah Omeish has won the 2011 Rory Peck award for features for his exclusive Al Jazeera English film - “Libya: Through the fire”.

Abdallah Omeish travelled to Benghazi in February 2011, capturing chaotic scenes of local people under attack by the Gadaffi regime and the fear on the faces of captured mercenaries. The centerpiece of the film, however, is the story of Mohammed Nabbous the first person to report on events with-

in Libya in English and Arabic. Abdallah’s film follows Nabbous from his first attempts to set up an independent satellite TV station to his eventual death when he was shot and killed whilst filming. The judges described the film as “moving and powerful”, adding that Mohammed Nabbous embodied the story of the Arab Spring. One said: “His story carried you through events which were on a very wide scale. Through his story you could empathise with them on a very human level.”

“I want thank all those who died in Libya fighting for freedom, because if it was not for them I would not be standing here today accepting this award. I will be forever indebted to them”, said Abdallah Omeish after picking up the award. “I would also like to thank Al Jazeera for giving me this amazing opportunity to shed light on stories that would otherwise have gone unreported.

I am delighted that our efforts have been recognized at such a prestigious award ceremony”.

Williams channels Monroe in new film

39

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2011

Women more likely to have ‘broken heart syndrome’ A

woman’s heart breaks more easily than a man’s. Females are seven to nine times more likely to suffer “broken heart syndrome,” when sudden or prolonged stress like an emotional breakup or death causes overwhelming heart failure or heart attack-like symptoms, the first nationwide study of this finds. Usually patients recover with no lasting damage.

The classic case is “a woman who has just lost her husband,” said Dr M ariell Jessup, a Universit y of Pennsylvania heart failure specialist who has treated many such cases.

Cyndy Bizon feared that was happening when her husband, Joel, suffered a massive hear t attack in 2005. “May God work through your hands,” the Maine woman told the surgeon as her husband was wheeled past her into the operating room. She later collapsed at a nurse’s station from “broken heart syndrome” and wound up in coronary care with him. Both survived.

Japanese doctors first recognized this syndrome around 1990 and named it Takotsubo cardiomyopathy; tako tsubo are octopus traps that resemble the unusual pot-like shape of the stricken heart. It happens when a big shock, even a good one like winning the lottery, triggers a rush of adrenaline and other stress hormones that cause the heart’s main pumping chamber to balloon suddenly and not work right. Tests show dramatic changes in rhythm and blood substances typical of a hear t attack, but no ar ter y block ages that t ypically cause one. Most victims recover within weeks, but in rare cases it proves fatal.

Dr Abhishek Deshmukh of the University of Arkansas had treated some of these cases. “I was ver y curious why only women were having this,” he said, so he did the first large study of the problem and reported results Wednesday at an American Heart Association conference in Florida. Using a federal database with about 1,000 hospitals, Deshmukh found 6,229 cases in 2007. Only 671 involved men. After adjusting for high blood pressure, smoking and other factors that can affec t hear t problems, women seemed 7.5 times more likely to suffer the syndrome than men.

It was three times more common in women over 55 than in younger women. And women younger than 55 were 9.5 times more likely to suffer it than men of that age. No one k nows why, said Dr. Abhiram Prasad, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist who presented other research on this syndrome at the conference.

“I t ’s the only cardiac condition where there’s such a female preponderance,” he said. One theory is that hormones play a role. Another is that men have more adrenaline receptors on cells in their hearts than women do, “so maybe men are able to handle stress better” and the chemical surge it releases, Deshmukh said.

Bizon was 57 when her attack occurred; she’s now 63. She and her husband are pharmacists and live in Scarborough, Maine. “I remember grabbing the counter and a black cur tain coming down before my eyes,” she said in a telephone interview. Her attack was so severe that she went into full cardiac arrest and had to have her heart shocked back into a normal rhythm. Although most such attacks resolve without permanent damage, she later needed to have a defibrillator implanted.

About 1 percent of such cases prove fatal, the new study shows.

“In the old days, we’d say someone was scared to death,” said Prasad.

About 10 percent of victims will have a second episode sometime in t h e i r l i ves. A nd al t ho ug h hear t attacks happen more in winter, broken heart syndrome is more common in summer.— AP

A Nepalese Buddhist monk performs traditional mask dance during the last day of Mahakala Puja, a Buddhist ritual ceremony, at Sangay Chhoeling Monastery in Katmandu, Nepal. —AP

Star-studded sendoff at Heavy D funeral service

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eavy D was remembered with laughter and tears Friday during a starstudded funeral service that included Jay-Z and Will Smith, humorous anecdotes from longtime friend Diddy, and words of encouragement for the late rapper’s family, delivered in a letter from President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama. “We extend our heartfelt condolences at this difficult time. He will be remembered for his infectious optimism and many contributions to American music. Please know that you and your family will be in our thoughts and prayers,” read the note from the Obamas, according to the Rev. Al Sharpton, who quoted from it during the service.

Xea Myers, Heavy D’s 11-year-old daughter, also spoke briefly, telling the audience that her father was “still here, not in the flesh, but in the spirit.” Grace Baptist Church

was filled to capacity for the two-and-halfhour service, which was also streamed live on the Web. It was so crowded, an overflow area was set up. Among those in attendance were Usher, Queen Latifah, Don King, Q-Tip, John Legend and Rosie Perez.

“Silently he’s been influential in a lot of our careers,” Usher said after the service. “His love still lives on.” A large photo of Heavy D sat next to his closed casket. Heavy D died last week in Los Angeles at the age of 44. His family said the death was due to complications from pneumonia. The self-proclaimed “Overweight Lover” was born in Jamaica but reared in Mount Vernon, which he dubbed “Money Earnin’ Mount Vernon.” It was also the home of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Diddy talked about how Heavy D helped give him his start in the music industry, and how their decades-long friendship continued up until

Boxing promoter Don King leaves the funeral for Heavy D at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, N.Y., Friday.—AP

Singer Usher leaves the funeral for Heavy D at Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, NY. —AP

V

Heavy D’s death. “He became my friend. He became my brother, and I’m not talking about friend-brother like we cavalierly use the word, I’m talking about a real friend, a real brother,” Diddy said. “Somebody I shared my dreams and my secrets with, somebody that’s been there for me at my lowest point, my darkest hour when nobody wanted to be beside me.”

But he also told jokes as he recounted his “bromance” with the rapper, including a recent visit to Miami that was supposed to last for three days, but “turned into three weeks.” He added that Heavy D got to know his chef “very well.”

Sharpton also drew laughter when he noted that James Brown “made us black and proud; (Heavy D) made us fat and proud.”

But singer Johnny Gill was tearful when he approached the altar, saying: “Just want to

say to Heavy: Job well done.” He later gave a powerful rendition the gospel hit “Never Would Have Made It.” Heavy D’s nieces were also teary-eyed as they sang the gospel standard “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.” Yolanda Adams and Anthony Hamilton also performed.

Heavy D, whose real name was Dwight Myers, was influential in the development of rap as it grew into a phenomenon in the late 1980s and 1990s.

His hits included “Now That We’ve Found Love” and “Nuttin’ But Love”; much of his music marked the “New Jack Swing” era in urban music, and he stood out from the pack with his rhymes, typified by a positive vibe and a lightheartedness that endeared him to so many. Salt, of Salt-N-Pepa, recalled touring with Heavy D & the Boyz, and said the rapper always told her: “I love you.” — AP

Philbin says farewell to ‘Live!’ after 28 years

eteran talk show host Regis Philbin on Friday ended his run on the popular television program “Live!” with well-wishers including Mayor Michael Bloomberg stopping by to pay tribute to his nearly three decades on the daily show. Philbin, 80, bid farewell to the syndicated morning show after 28 years on the air, saying viewers had always told him they watched the show “because it makes them feel better, and it can’t get better than that.”

“I’ll never be able to top that,” he added in his sign-off remarks before a star-studded audience that included Tony Danza, Alan Alda, Diane Sawyer, Donald Trump, Katie Couric and Meredith Vieira. Philbin announced in September that Friday would be his final appearance on “Live! with Regis and Kelly,” which will be renamed “Live!

With Kelly” as Kelly Ripa welcomes a series of guest cohosts starting next with comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

Ripa, who joined Philbin in 2001 replacing former cohost Kathie Lee Gifford, recalled in a halting voice her

first-day jitters. As the hosts came on stage, the audience cheered and Philbin told her, “You see that sweetie, that’s all for you.” The final show featured a several video clips and montages, including many of guests and comedians ranging from Dana Carvey to Barney the Dinosaur imitating Philbin’s signature, syncopated and enthusiastic manner of speech. Gifford was on hand but did not appear on stage. A series of younger stars including Justin Timberlake, Selena Gomez and Anne Hathaway all offered thanks and congratulations to Philbin in taped tributes.

Bloomberg presented Philbin with a key to the city, and suggested new jobs for Philbin including cabbie, New York Yankee, underwear model and New York mayor, with images of the retiring TV host digitally inserted into appropriate photos. “You have been New York City’s biggest fan for 28 years and I just wanted to come and tell you New York feels the same way about you,” Bloomberg said, adding that the city enjoyed tourism business from people coming to the city for the show. —Reuters

Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa appear on Regis’ farewell episode of “Live! with Regis and Kelly”, in New York Friday. —AP