30 Nov 2011

CR IP TI ON BS SU

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

Egypt hails peaceful post-Mubarak elections

American Airlines files for bankruptcy protection

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MUHARRAM 5, 1433 AH

Gumby-like flexible robot crawls in tight spaces

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Maxi haunts Chelsea again as Liverpool reach semis

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Sheikh Nasser will not return as PM: Khorafi Opposition blasts speaker over detention of activists

Max 17º Min 09º Low Tide 09:35 & 21:31 High Tide 01:50 & 16:12

By B Izzak conspiracy theories

KUWAIT: In what could be considered as the first official indication that Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah will not be the new prime minister, National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi said Sheikh Nasser will not return as the new premier because he insists on his resignation. Reports in the meantime expected the new Cabinet to be formed soon as a prelude to dissolving the National Assembly and calling for fresh elections. Asked by reporters if Sheikh Nasser could be asked to form his eighth Cabinet since Feb 2006, AlKhorafi said: “I don’t think Sheikh Nasser will return because he is insisting on his resignation”.

Several options were floated about the new government, with some expecting Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as the likely candidate which would mean remerging the two posts for the first time since they were separated in 2003. MPs Maasouma AlMubarak and Roudhan Al-Roudhan have in fact called for merging the posts of the crown prince and the prime minister in a bid to shield the prime minister against parliamentary attacks and actions.

But opposition MP Adel Al-Saraawi said this move will be a step backward because the two posts were separated as part of political reforms, adding that the proposed move will put an end to infighting within the ruling family. The other candidate named for the post is the first deputy premier and defense minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah, whose name was mentioned for the job about two years ago during a bitter political crisis.

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Age of insanity

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

T

his is the age of insanity. I am no longer surprised to hear more shocking news in the mornings. Even if somebody walks in my room and tells me that my name is not Badrya, I will believe them. Even if they show me a white sheet of paper and tell me that it’s black, I will say that it is black.

I am making these references after the press conference about the mass murderer Anders Breivik yesterday when a strange revelation took place.

Anders killed 77 and injured 150 people in July and now his doctors came out with a 234-page report claiming that he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia - a condition that has features of temporariness.

In this case, he will not be put behind bars nor be sentenced. He will spend some time in a psychiatry clinic. In explaining his actions, the doctors said that he did the massacre for the love of his country. In this case, I think, he should not be called a mass killer but a mass healer.

Of course, Anders’ schizophrenia is a kind of temporary condition. This schizophrenia only catches Westerners who kill masses. The virus does not travel as fast as the Middle East. To put it blank for you guys, the disease never applies to Muslims. If a 15year-old Palestinian boy living in a refugee camp blows up a bus because he sees no hope for himself or his people, he is named a “terrorist”. But Anders, no. He has a temporary schizophrenia. If a Muslim kills one cat on a street, he is considered a terrorist.

Guys, this is not a joke. This is scary and I do not mean to laugh about it. In this case if the court and board of doctors decide that Anders was insane, then everybody who killed someone around the world could also be called insane. I wonder if bin Laden was also insane because he studied in the West and could have caught the virus there. Hitler, too could have suffered this condition but instead of temporary, in his case it could have been permanent.

Gaddafi could have been insane and his doctors did not realize it on time to spare the lives of the Libyan people. Mussolini is also on the list. Let’s travel a bit further to the Taleban. Maybe they are also suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. And the list goes on and on for people who kill each other and plant explosives around the world in a moment of insanity.

In order for them to get away with a crime and be labelled terrorists, perpetrators of crime should convince their doctors to declare them schizophrenic. On a serious note, I think this report is an insult to the families of the people who died and were injured during the massacre in Norway.

Have a good schizophrenic day!

Norway killer found insane OSLO: Anders Behring Breivik was criminally insane when he killed 77 people in Norway and is likely to be sent to a psychiatric ward, possibly for the rest of his life, prosecutors said yesterday on the basis of a forensic examination. Two psychiatrists who have been examining the 32-year-old rightwing extremist since his twin attacks on July 22 concluded in the report they handed over to the Oslo district court yesterday that he had over time developed “paranoid schizophrenia”. Prosecutors said that if the diagnosis is confirmed by a forensic medicine board, they would ask for Anders Breivik him to be sentenced to “compulsory mental healthcare”, possibly for life, instead of prison.

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KUWAIT: Protesters hold placards reading in Arabic ‘The nation will not forgive you, jailer of the people’ and ‘Jassem the Jailer’ during a protest outside the residence of National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi yesterday. (Inset) MP Musallam Al-Barrak speaks to the press at the Assembly yesterday. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Iranian protesters storm UK embassy Rockets fired from Lebanon hit Israel JERUSALEM: A volley of rockets fired from Lebanon slammed into Israel yesterday, prompting the Israeli military to return fire and raising new tensions in an already volatile region. An obscure Islamist group claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, the first such attack in two years, which comes amid fears that unrest rocking Syria could spill over into Lebanon, or provoke new conflict with Israel. In a statement, the Israeli military said “a number of rockets” landed in the western Galilee region without causing any casualties and that Israeli troops “responded by targeting the origin of the fire”.

Israeli media reported that a total of four Katyusha rockets hit the area, including one that hit a gas tank and caused a fire. In Lebanon, a military spokesman said at least one rocket was fired from the region of Rumaysh, and at least four Israeli rockets were fired in response. The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) also confirmed the attack and urged maximum restraint to prevent an escalation. “UNIFIL radars detected firing of at least one rocket into Israel shortly after midnight last night from the general area of Rumaysh in south Lebanon,” it said in a

statement.

UNIFIL commander Major-General Alberto Asarta Cuevas said the attack was clearly aimed at undermining stability in the area. “It is imperative to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of this attack and we will spare no efforts to this end, working in cooperation with the Lebanese army,” he said, adding that additional troops had been deployed. Residents of Ayta Al-Shaab, near Rumaysh, said they heard four rockets being fired from nearby and seven rockets fired from Israel in response. There were no reports of casualties.

The region of Rumaysh is largely controlled by the powerful militant party Hezbollah, but an official from the group told AFP he had no immediate comment on yesterday’s incident.

The attack was claimed by an obscure Al Qaeda-linked group calling itself the Brigades of Abdullah Azzam. “Early this Tuesday, rockets from the Brigades of Abdullah Azzam shelled the Zionist colonies in northern Palestine... and reached their aim,” the group said in an email message to Lebanese website Elnashra.

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TEHRAN: Protesters stormed Britain’s embassy and another diplomatic compound in Tehran yesterday, sparking international alarm and dramatically raising tensions with the West over Iran’s nuclear program. Young men chanting “Death to Britain” entered both properties, trashing offices, stealing documents and violently defying police efforts to remove them for several hours, according to an AFP journalist and Iranian media. Six British diplomats sequestered for more than two hours inside a building in Britain’s diplomatic compound in

the north of the capital by hundreds of protesters were finally freed when diplomatic police intervened, the Fars news agency reported. Inside the embassy in the city centre, several protesters scattered documents and them alight, witnesses told AFP. The incursions only came to an end late yesterday when special police units were deployed.

Britain reacted with outrage to the invasion of its embassy, saying it was “utterly unacceptable and we condemn it.” The Foreign Office warned Britons in Continued on Page 13

TEHRAN: Iranian police prevent protesters from entering the British Embassy yesterday. (Inset) Protesters hold a picture of a scene from the US movie “Pulp Fiction”. — AP/AFP

in the

news

Biden visits Iraq as troops depart

King names Islamist as Morocco premier

Jackson doc gets maximum 4 years

BAGHDAD: US Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit yesterday, during which he is due to meet top Iraqi officials, as American troops depart Iraq ahead of a year-end deadline. Biden was met at the airport by US ambassador James Jeffrey and General Lloyd Austin, the commander of United States Forces Iraq. He then boarded a helicopter to the US embassy in Baghdad. Biden’s visit comes after a bloody seven days for Iraq, during which at least 61 people were killed in a wave of attacks. The White House said that while in Iraq, “the vice president will co-chair a meeting of the US-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee. He will also meet with Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki, President Jalal Talabani, (and) Speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi”. “We are deepening our cooperation on politics and diplomacy; trade and finance; energy; services, technology, the environment, and transportation; law enforcement and the judiciary; and defence and security,” the White House said.

MIDELT, Morocco: King Mohammed VI yesterday appointed Morocco’s first-ever Islamist prime minister and charged him with forming a government following his party’s historic election win. Abdelilah Benkirane, head of the moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD), will now lead talks on putting together a coalition cabinet, the palace said in a statement.

Benkirane took the oath of office after a brief meeting with the king, and was expected to start coalition talks shortly. Yesterday’s appointment capped a series of firsts in the north African nation - the first poll since the king introduced constitutional reforms as Arab Spring protests shook the region; the first time an Islamist party won a national poll; the first time the king had to name a premier from the winning party; the first time an Islamist party will lead a government. The PJD, which has sworn allegiance to the monarchy, won 107 of the 395 seats in parliament.

LOS ANGELES: A judge sentenced Michael Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray to the maximum four years in jail yesterday, three weeks after he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the star’s 2009 death. “He has absolutely no sense of remorse,” said judge Michael Pastor, after giving a scathing summary of the case against the 58-yearConrad Murray old doctor. “There are those that feel that Dr Murray is a saint. There are those that feel that Dr Murray is the devil. He’s neither. He’s a human being. He stands convicted of the death of another human being,” said Pastor. The judge said he agreed that Murray should have to pay restitution to Jackson’s estate and children.

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LOCAL

Indian attacked by teenage gang, family seeks justice Justice delayed is justice denied

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Ali Mohammad Abdurrahman, 47, a restaurant worker (waiter) from Kerala (southern Indian state) will never forget Oct 26 - a dark day in his calendar. Before heading to work at a restaurant nearby, Abdurrahman dropped to see a friend at a nearby baqala when a gang of eight teenagers emerged from a school nearby, picked some items from the baqala and left without paying. Abdurrahman and the baqala attendant (his friend) requested them to pay for the goods.

The currency exchanged, however, were in the form of a few blows dealt to the unsuspecting Abdurrahman and his friend. Some of the attackers grabbed stones and bricks which they found at the side of the road and smashed Abdurrahman’s head leaving him unconscious, in a pool of blood. He was admitted to the Farwaniya Hospital after the unfortunate incident.

Medical report acquired by the Kuwait Times dated Oct 27 shows that Abdurrahman was admitted at the ICU in an unconscious state with a severe

head injury caused by a heavy metallic object. He also sustained multiple bone and skull fractures as well as brain hemorrhage and bruises.

Ali Mohammad Abdurrahman The patient remained in a critical condition for 21 days before being

shifted to the hospital ward.

He underwent a series of surgeries to repair some damaged bones and skull.

Abdurrahman, a father of three, left the hospital on Monday. He is thankful for being alive, but his family wants justice to be served. They want authorities here to imprison the teenagers and provide them with rightful compensation. As a result of the tragic day, Abdurrahman can only recall some events which took place a day before his attack. He suffers from partial amnesia. According to the doctors, Abdurrahman will recover fully in a few months’ time.

The Kerala Muslim Cultural Center (KMCC) President Sharafuddeen Kanneth is closely monitoring Abdurrahman’s condition and according to him, a case will be filed soon against the perpetrators who are now in police custody.

“We will file a case by tomorrow with the help of a Kuwaiti lawyer. His family has been coordinating with us and they want him back in India as soon as possible,” the KMCC president conveyed.

“The three suspects are now in the

custody of Reggae police station. They are teenagers aged between 15 and 16.

There are other suspects at large and it’s up to authorities here to arrest them,” explains Kanneth. He says that the organization’s concern is Abdurrahman’s health condition. “He is currently recuperating and we want him well.”

Kanneth explained that the families of the three suspects has been trying to arrange a compromise deal. They’re offering money to spare their sons from trial and jail but it’s up to the family to decide, he said.

“From our side [KMCC], we want them sent to jail and that will serve a lesson to others. We don’t want this tragic event to be repeated with anyone else,” he emphasized. According to Kanneth, the Indian embassy in Kuwait has been very cooperative and is ready to provide any assistance to Abdurrahman. “Maybe we will ask them (embassy) to provide him and a family member with air tickets to India. We will also refer him to a clinic back in Kerala to help him recuperate,” Kanneth said.

Maid charged with attempted murder

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A citizen pressed attempted murder charges against his housemaid at a local police station, accusing her of threatening his teenage son at knifepoint. In his statement made to Sabah AlSalem police station, the citizen explained that his 13-year-old son informed him that he had an argument with the Ethiopian maid. In a fit of rage, she grabbed a knife and threatened to kill him.

Drug overdose Police received an emergency call yesterday stating that a man’s corpse was found at a Jahra home. Upon arriving at the scene shortly, paramedics pronounced the 29year-old GCC national dead. Criminal investigators found drug paraphernalia near the victim’s body. Investigations revealed that the victim had previously been charged with drug abuse on multiple occasions.

Smuggling attempt An Asian man was arrested at the

Kuwait International Airport as soon as he arrived from a GCC country. He was caught in connection with possession of four liquor bottles he tried to smuggle. He was referred to higher authorities.

Pedestrian mugged Hawally police are on the hunt for two suspects who mugged an Egyptian man at knifepoint in the area. Investigations were launched after the pedestrian filed a case at the area’s police station. The suspects escaped after snatching KD 270

from his possession.

Harassment An Arab woman pressed sexual harassment charges against a male suspect dressed in traditional Kuwaiti attire. The man allegedly molested her in the shop she worked in Al-Farwaniya. The woman provided police with the man’s phone number. He apparently gave it to her so that a relationship can be begun.

Investigations are ongoing to locate the suspect and arrest him.

News

in brief

Al-Khalifa released on bail KUWAIT: The Public Prosecution released former MP Mohammad Al-Khalifa on a KD 1,000 bail after probe. Al-Khalifa gave himself up along with another wanted man Khalid Obeid Al-Shimmari to detectives in relation to the case of storming the National Assembly. Al-Khalifa was held on account of these charges: Participation in an unlicensed demonstration, and resisting the police and attending an unlicensed rally. Al-Khalifa denied all charges and said he did not enter the Assembly, as he fell in the determination square and was taken to a hospital.

MoH checks sick leave applications KUWAIT: Official health sources said the Ministry of Health (MoH) is checking all sick leaves granted to employees during the year, before finalizing the annual evaluation report. The sources said anyone who received unjustified long leaves will not get an “excellent” evaluation as set by the Civil Service Commission rules. The sources said that all officials were cautioned against favoritism while calculating leave applications.

Checks on restaurants, beauty salons KUWAIT: Hawally municipality branch conducted an inspection campaign on food stores, restaurants, and beauty salons in Hawally and Salmiya.

The campaign resulted in the issuance of 65 citations for expired health certificates, operating with expired licenses, and negligence of personal and general hygiene. The campaign was headed by Food and Stores Supervisor Dhaidan Al-Adwani who said inspectors check all food stores that are under the governorate’s jurisdiction on a daily basis, and that campaigns are intensified to prevent any sale of spoiled food. He said they are conducted day and night to show that the municipality works round the clock.

Kuwaiti media delegation visits HQ of Journalists Union in Kiev KIEV: A delegation of Kuwait Journalists Association (KJA) visited the headquarters of the National Union of Journalists of the Ukraine in the capital Kiev yesterday for talks with their counterparts on means of establishing mutual cooperation and exchanging expertise.

The KJA said in a statement the delegation, accompanied by the first secretary of the Kuwaiti embassy, Talal AlHazzaa, was received by the head of the union, Ihor Lubchenko, who briefed the Kuwaiti guests about the union and its activities.

The Ukrainian union, founded in 1959, groups 18,000 members. It advocates defense of rights of journalists in the country where up to 5,000 newspapers are published.

Lubchenko praised high status of Kuwait at the level of freedoms and democracy, the statement said, adding that the Kuwaiti delegation briefed the Ukrainian side about status of the national press, number of publications and activities of the media.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti delegation

visited Anatoly Murakhosky, the first deputy chairman of the government committee for radio and television, who briefed the guests about procedures of issuing publishing licenses, noting that the commission has no jurisdictions in this respect.

Boasting that the nation has been enjoying substantial press freedoms, he says that authorities have never imprisoned a journalist or closed a media organization.

They also met the director of the local radio station, Anatoly Dmitrovic, who briefed them about history of the station, founded in 1924.

The Kuwaiti media delegation represented by KJA started the unprecedented visit on Sunday.

The delegation, headed by KJA Secretary General Faisal Al-Qinai, includes KJA board member Jassem Kamal, members Ibrahim Al-Melaifi, Hussain Al-Harbi, Madi Al-Hajri, Omar AlRashidi, Jarah Al-Mutairi, Ghannam AlGhansam, Haider Saber and Hamed AlAmiri. —KUNA

KUWAIT: Rear Admiral Guan Jianguo, commander of the visiting Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ship of combined task group 169 hosted a reception on board at Shuwaikh Port this week. Naval officials, diplomats and media officials attended the reception. —Photos by Joseph Shagra

First phase of Egypt poll begins KUWAIT: The Egyptian Embassy began the counting process for votes submitted by the Egyptian community in Kuwait on Monday.

This is a part of the first phase of the first parliamentary elections to take place in the North African nation following the fall of Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade presidency reign.

A group of Egyptian citizens selected randomly by embassy officials attended the counting process which was scheduled to end yesterday. The results will be sent in a diplomatic pouch to the supreme electoral committee in Egypt.

According to Ambassador Abdulkareem Sulaiman, 23,000 Egyptian citizens out of

30,000 were eligible to vote in the four-day first phase. This number is only a part of the approximate 73,000 Egyptian citizens in Kuwait. The remaining lot will get the opportunity to vote in future phases that constitute the multi-phased voting process which is divided as per Egyptian governorates. — Al-Qabas

Al-Qinai and Lubchenko are pictured with the Kuwaiti delegation.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

local

Kuwaiti center seeks to nurture innovators New initiative launched

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah received Princess Astrid of Belgium at Al-Seif Palace yesterday.

Princess Astrid, accompanied by a delegation, is paying an official visit to Kuwait as a special representative to the campaign, the Roll Black Malaria (RBM) Partnership. The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah and the Chairperson of the Voluntary Work Center, Sheikha Amthal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Municipal Council okays key issues KUWAIT: The Municipal Council saw a busy weekly session on Monday which addressed multiple topics included in the agendas of the four previous sessions, which failed to be approved due to lack of quorum.

Led by Deputy President Shaye’a AlShaye’a, the council approved projects that included developing the Amiri Hospital, using alternative (solar) energy to power state buildings, and new regulations for construction in private accommodation areas. Furthermore, the council members voted in favor of renaming eight streets in Kuwait after Kuwaiti figures, as well as assigning the Touristic Enterprises Company to utilize public beaches in multiple activities. The members also passed a bill to provide refrigerators at border out-

lets to store imported food items awaiting their test results.

The council members agreed to allocate three locations to be utilized by the Ministry of Justice; two in Ghernata to build the Constitutional Court and Capital Market Authority, as well as a location in northwest Jahra for the Family Court.

Meanwhile, the higher planning commission in the Kuwait Municipality agreed in their recent meeting to study the possibility of imposing a complete ban on smoking cigarettes and shisha in public places, including restaurants and cafes. The meeting was attended by Minister of Public Works and State Minister of Municipality Affairs Dr Fadhel Safar, as well as Kuwait Municipality Director Ahmad Al-Subaih and senior municipality staff. — Al-Qabas

KUWAIT: The Gulf Autism Union held its 13th annual meeting recently in Kuwait under the patronage of its President Dr Sameera Saied.

The event featured a presentation of achievements made by the union since its establishment in Kuwait in 2002, which included creating an autism diagnoses protocol to be used as a reference for specialists and parents alike. The attendees also discussed ways to boost cooperation in raising awareness about autism in the region.

CP meets education officials KUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received at Seif Palace yesterday Minister of Education and of Higher Education Ahmad Al-Melaifi, accompanied by ministers of education from a host of countries in South America. The officials are representing their countries in the Kuwait-hosted First Meeting of Ministers of Education in Arab, South American States, held from Nov 28 to 30.

His Highness stressed the need to develop all levels of education to secure the concerned states a satisfactory position among

the world’s advanced countries. For a nation to develop and advance, it is vital its citizens whet their skills, gain more knowledge, and advance their qualifications.

His Highness expressed hope the meetings yield feasible recommendations based upon constructive exchange of information and expertise on all parts, and that would help meet the expectations of all nations concerned. The meeting was in presence of Crown Prince Diwan Director Sheikh Mubarak Al-Faisal Al-Saud AlSabah.— KUNA

KUWAIT: Many Kuwaiti inventors are still lurching in the dark simply because their inventions haven’t been successfully marketed. They need financial, technical and moral support to nurture talents.

The Sabah Al-Ahmad Center for Giftedness and Creativity (SACGC) is one such organization that fully backs gifted Kuwaiti individuals.

The Center was established in May 2010 as an initiative by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, in line with the country’s strategic development plan. The Center also embodies Kuwait’s commitment to encourage gifted and talented youth, highlighting their achievements, promoting cultural innovations and advancements in Kuwaiti society. The SACGC seeks aspiring and established Kuwaiti inventors to apply to the center ’s ‘Invention Development and Adoption Program,’ a new initiative to support inventors’ ideas from conception to marketing.

The program was launched on Monday at the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) during a conference that was attended by about 160 of Kuwait’s registered and aspiring inventors.

SACGC will provide them with a support and serve as a platform that enables them to excel and become competitive in their fields.

“HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah told me that he wishes to see a Kuwait product or invention on the shelf. I promise you that soon we will have Kuwaiti inventions sold in the market. I know that we have many creative inventors here, who are waiting for an opportunity to realize their ideas. And for this purpose we have launched a program,” said Dr Omar Al-Banai, SACGC General Manager. This is the first program developed by the newly founded SACGC. The program contributes to the development and advancement of science and technology in

Kuwait by recognizing creators of particularly outstanding inventions and providing them with the full support, protection, and guidance to manufacture their inventions to be sold and marketed locally, regionally, and internationally. “Kuwait has bright minds that need support and guidance. Our goal is to attract and foster Kuwait’s aspiring inventors, and

advanced and developed stages,” added Al-Banai.

The Invention Adoption Program is a six-step program that evaluates, filters, and commercializes submissions. Every submitted concept must pass through every stage of the following criteria: Application and agreement with SACGC, Initial assessment and evaluation of the idea, Patenting

Islam Abaza, Dr. Omar Al-Banai, Jamal Al-Qabandi

The inventors during the conference held on Monday. provide mentoring for Kuwait’s established inventors in an effort to boost innovation in Kuwait. We are ver y proud of our Kuwaiti inventors, and we encourage them to start applying to SACGC’s program to take their ideas to

the idea, Market analysis, Prototyping, Assistance in commercializing through licensing and manufacturing agreement SACGC is a non-profit center.

“The center is not looking for a profit, so we have to continue

existing. We take a part of the profit of the inventor after selling his invention. This is in the amount of what we spend on his project since the beginning, till we market his invention. Also now there is no limit to the number of inventions provided by one inventor, as previously each inventor could only submit two of his inventions,” he pointed out.

SACGC’s Legal Consultant, Islam Abaza said, “SACGC process and mechanism for its ‘Invention Adoption Program’ has been developed to meet both local and international criteria to ensure the protection of each inventor and his ideas. All inventors will be assessed and evaluated based on international standards and gateways will be followed to meet these criteria.”

Dr Al-Banai stressed , “This is a remarkable milestone for SACGC and for Kuwait. We are ready to start working alongside Kuwait’s best minds and see some of the most innovative ideas in both local and international market in the few years to come.”

SACGC has a solid track-record in supporting and guiding Kuwaiti inventors in different local and international exhibition and activities. Early this year, SACGC guided three Kuwaiti inventors to win medals at the Geneva International Exhibition for Inventions, the largest and most renowned competition worldwide gathering the best inventors. Last week, SACGC sponsored the fourth annual Inventors’ Exhibition organized by the Kuwait Science Club, along with a full support of 21 Kuwaiti inventors.

During the meeting, Jamal AlQabandi, SACGC IT Coordinator and Inventor presented the application process and steps that allow Kuwaiti inventors of all ages to star t applying to SACGC’s ‘Inventors Adoption and Development Program’ online through the SACGC website.

Inventors can apply online by visiting: www.kuwaitcreativity.org

Al-Khorafi expresses gratitude to former cabinet members

By A Saleh KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi expressed gratitude and appreciation to His Highness the (caretaker) Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed and cabinet members for their services to Kuwait. He expressed hope that they would have the opportunity to serve Kuwait in the future.

He denied reports that National Assembly Council intends to withdraw complaints filed against protesters that stormed the Assembly. “It is only a report about the incident, and the decision should be issued by the Public Prosecution Department. An

action will be taken by Public Prosecution Department.”

He added,” Withdrawing the case will not erase it. Musallam Al-Barrak should have thought twice before breaking the door open. But now, after the wrong doing which was denounced by all Kuwaitis, where are you? Why didn’t you think before acting?.”

He said that he hoped the detainees will not remain imprisoned for long, and that their release can be secured against guarantors. “I wish that Public Prosecution Department will hold MPs who broke into the council accountable.”

When asked if His Highness the Amir would declare martial law, he answered that

it would not happen in Kuwait. “His Highness the Amir will evaluate the situation.” He was also quick to dismiss questions related to why the PPD failed to arrest lawmakers promptly.

Al-Khorafi said, “I am not authorized to answer on behalf of the PPD, and I don’t know who the people are. The concerned cases were referred to PPD from banks in connection with money laundering, and the role will be completed once it lies in the hands of the PPD.” When asked if the National Assembly Council would be dissolved, Al-Khorafi said, “His Highness the Amir should decide that. Only he can assess the situation and make decisions.”

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in my view

kuwait digest

Learn from examples

Et tu Ameriki: Used, dumped and killed

By Faisal Al- Zamal n countries that enjoy democracy, referendum is considered an important constitutional tool, used all around the year to check public opinion on vital issues. Its practice is subject to certain conditions like: questions should not be posed in a certain way, side phrases should not be allowed so that people’s answers are not affected. Kuwait does not have access to this . So, those who oppress the public, continue to stray on their wrong track. One paper has published a declaration that has made people think that he is right and wanted by public. Western politicians keep an eye on the result of the referendum closely. They respect public wishes—uncommon in Kuwaiti political life. MPs who brought in confusion on that Wednesday are on one side and Kuwaiti public opinion is on the other. This is a big problem for democracy and should be stopped. In Switzerland for example, the system adopted is a semi-direct democracy.

People there receive four letters every year from a confederate asking them to express views by holding

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MPs who brought in confusion on that Wednesday are on one side and Kuwaiti public opinion is on the other. This is a big problem for democracy and should be stopped.

In Switzerland for example, the system adopted is a semi-direct democracy. People there receive four letters every year from a confederate asking them to express views by holding a periodic referendum on a certain case or a number of cases. Contrary to other democracies that are built on parliament representations, the Swiss public have the right to elect and practice it at all times. a periodic referendum on a certain case or a number of cases. Contrary to other democracies that are built on parliament representations, the Swiss public have the right to elect and practice it at all times.

Contrary to other people, the Swiss have the right to decide on whether a referendum should be held or not, in order to avoid misuse of the referendum.

Working in direct referendum started in 1874 and was included in the Constitution, followed by public initiatives during a partial revision to the Constitution in 1891. It made it obligatory for the government to organize a referendum on amending an Article in the Constitution or add one to make a general revision. If an application is filed with the approval of only 100,000 persons, nevertheless, most of the initiatives to amend the Constitution were refused. The public did not agree during the period between 1891 to 2007 except for 15 suggestions. Some call the Swiss model ‘The Referendum Democracy.’ I think we in Kuwait, need to be more receptive to others’ experiences making people take sides . Democracy has been misused in GCC states thanks to limited growth prospects. —Al-Anbaa

By Chidi Emmanuel

chidi@kuwaittimes.net

ith Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi gone (in the wind), one wonders who is next on the firing line of US and the West.

Many people who had worked for or allied themselves with US and the West have ended up being used, dumped, jailed and sometimes killed.

The repentant Gaddafi who renounced his nuclear ambitions, sealed oil deals with the West, received a hero’s welcome in Rome and other Western cities, was not spared by his new-found friends. The CIA reportedly worked closely with Gaddafi’s intelligence services in the rendition of terror suspects to Libya for interrogation.

The American intelligence agency was among a number of foreign intelligence services that worked with Libyan agencies, according to documents found at a Libyan security agency building in Tripoli. All these did not attract the sympathy of the West against the self-proclaimed ‘Africa’s King of Kings.’ Gaddafi was bombed, humiliated and eventually killed with the help of his new-found friends.

W kuwait digest

Fire starts with a spark

By Abdullah Al-Misfer Al-Adwani t is well-known that a fire starts with a spark. excuses like Constitutional Court and legislative What we have seen in the Irada Square, a few committee. This helps vanish grilling motions as days ago and the storming of the Parliament is well as Article 100 of the Constitution. only a spark. We want to know who started it.

Were people excited before they emptied the Did the MPs who took to the street encourage Constitution? Will the youth and street be in such the youths? Is it them who a condition? The one incited the youth to come The one who began the spark are who began the spark out and demonstrate? Who are the ones that did all the ones that did all of the above. of the above. He will obliged MPs to go out to the He will not confess that he made a not confess that he streets, halt the work of the National Assembly Council, mistake. Therefore, we ask him, if made a mistake. stop the work of the legislayou are right, why don’t you face an Therefore, we ask him, tive authority and marginalif you are right, why argument with logic and common don’t you face an arguize it? Those that played sense? If you want public interest, ment with logic and with MPs ignored them and why don’t you face reality and common sense? If you did not attend sessions. He made the sessions a secret, explain the mistakes that your ene- want public interest, and deprived the Kuwaiti mies make in front of everyone. If why don’t you face realpeople of knowledge about ity and explain the misyou don’t protect the corrupt, then takes that your enemies the happenings. why do you buy loyalties from cir- make in front of everyDid those that planned the protest picket the cumventing the law and one. If you don’t proConstitution place a price tect the corrupt, then Constitution? on every MP? Who was keen why do you buy loyalon buying loyalties? Who is ties from circumventing behind the millions deposited in MPs accounts, the law and Constitution? allowed the corrupt to take over the rights of peoSo, do not be stubborn, as matters are not easy ple in day light? and we have reached the edge. This is the fate of a Dear all, the one who started it all circumvented state that is much bigger than any person, MP or the Constitution. He stopped legislative work on writer. — Al-Anbaa

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kuwait digest

Therefore...

By Ali Mahmoud Khajah ecause I can’t stand corruption, sectarianism, lawlessness and violation of freedom in my country, I can’t tolerate the fact that all neighboring countries surpass mine in various aspects - one is going to host the World Cup. Another is competing to join the world’ seven wonders team! I can no longer hold thieves, who robbed public funds and used them against us, legally accountable. I see tribal and sectarian calls being encouraged by the government.

People’s will are manipulated by those participating in by-elections and bragging about it on TV. Then there are those that have been forging elections to receive the privileges of being an MP. I see that the government is helpless and incompetent in administering funds by turning a blind eye toward thefts, distributing gifts, misusing national resources. I learnt that legislators were paid from public funds without any form of accountability. We see citizens beaten for no reasons except when they demand freedom of expression.

I decided to take part in demonstrations at the determination yard to voice my rejection at such injustices and to join change seekers.

I know very well that some MPs and citizens at the yard are no better than the government. I will not support or cheer for them. It’s our yard, the same place where women were granted political rights, the number of electoral constituencies were reduced. We will continue to struggle.

Therefore, I stress that in doing so I swear my allegiance to the Constitution regardless of familial, religious, tribal or racial affiliations. I will make all demands accordingly based on the Constitution. Violations can only be reported in this manner. — Aljarida

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Osama Bin laden Bin Laden who apparently received training from the CIA, which had backed the Afghan holy warriors - the mujahedeen - who were tying down

The former Egyptian president who helped shape the US Middle East policies was abandoned when he needed his masters most. He was kicked out of the office, chained and dragged to the court in a hospital bed. The people whom he thought would have protected him, later joined the chorus ‘Go Go Mubarak Go’. To his greatest dismay, Mubarak saw a replica of what Julius Caesar suffered in the hands of his closest friend Brutus.

In his mind, Mubarak will be saying another ‘Et tu Brute’ or rather ‘Et tu Ameriki.’

Soviet forces in Afghanistan, later fell out with his trainers and was killed, and his body dumped into the sea. The BBC, in an article published shortly after the 9/11 attacks, stated that bin Laden “received security training from the CIA itself,” according to Middle Eastern analyst Hazhir Teimourian. It was alleged that the US government financed him when he was supporting the fight against Russia’s occupation of Afghanistan.

Interestingly enough the then US government reportedly paid for the establishment of a network of Muslim schools that were designed to use religion as first step in recruiting young men to fight the Soviet. Eventually the same network later turned against them.

The fall of Mubarak Once Washington’s heart throb, and closest US ally in the Middle East, Gen Hosni Mubarak dined and obeyed his masters (the West) religiously, ignoring the voices of reasoning until the Arab Spring forced him out of office. The former Egyptian president who helped shape the US Middle East policies was abandoned when he needed his masters most. He was kicked out of the office, caged and dragged to the court in a hospital bed. The people whom he thought would have protected him, later joined the chorus ‘Go Go Mubarak Go’. To his greatest dismay, Mubarak saw a replica of what Julius Caesar suffered in the hands of his closest friend Brutus. In his mind, Mubarak will be saying another ‘Et tu Brute’ or rather ‘Et tu Ameriki.’

Saddam Hussein Once seen as an anti-Soviet leader in the 1960s and 1970s, Saddam allied with the US against the Soviet. Iraq was a strategic buffer state for the United States against the Soviet Union then. Many even suggested that the John Kennedy’s administration supported the Ba’ath party’s takeover.

During the Iran-Iraq war, reports had it that Saddam received a lot of support from US, but when his missions were over, he was linked to 9/11 attacks, overthrown, prosecuted and sent to meet the hangman.

Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno Panamanian military dictator Noriega who previously worked with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from the late 1950s until the 1980s was removed from office in the 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States. He was captured, detained as a prisoner of war, and flown to the United States. Noriega was tried on eight counts of drug trafficking, racketeering, and money laundering in April 1992 and jailed in US. I guess all these support the maxim that “the US has no permanent friend or permanent enemy but only permanent interest. Who is next?

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Keralites in Kuwait upset as India govt dithers over dam Millions live in shadow of death in Kerala

By Sajeev K Peter KUWAIT: The Malayalee expatriate community in Kuwait expressed their anger and frustration yesterday against both India government and the Kerala state government for dillydallying over the grave issue of Mullaperiyar dam as it remained on the verge of a collapse, posing threat to over three million people residing in the three districts of the state.

“It’s shameful that both the governments are engaged in political power games when millions of people live in the shadow of death,” said George Joseph, an engineer hailing from Adimali in Idukki district of Kerala, a hilly town located close to the dam.

Many expats who spoke to the Kuwait Times echoed the sentiments of Joseph who demanded that the Indian authorities must take action on a war-footing to dismantle the 116year-old dam and build a new one there.

“I’m really worried. My house is a few kilometers down the dam and my old parents are alone there,” said Jose Varghese, who hails from the village of Upputhara, Idukki. There are thousands of Keralites living in Kuwait whose families live downstream under constant fear.

Mullaperiyar Dam, a masonry gravity dam built over River Periyar with a height of 155 feet and length 1200

feet, is located on the High Ranges of Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki.

People living downstream numbering over three million are spending sleepless nights these days as the dilapidated dam appeared precariously close to a collapse with each passing day.

Occasional tremors that rattle the area heighten the fears of the people as the dam is located in the quake-prone area.

Though the Kerala government has sought an immediate intervention of the central government, the centre is dithering on the issue as Tamil Nadu state vehemently opposes any move to dismantle the old dam and build a new one as the state receives water from it for agricultural irrigation. Even though, the Kerala government seeks to allay the apprehensions of the Tamil Nadu government assuring it that the state will continue to receive its due share of water, the TN government has been inactive.

Many feel that the central government is reluctant to displease Tamil Nadu as the government depends on the support of the Tamil Nadu members of parliament for its survival.

“Nero fiddled while Rome burned,” said Siddique Mohammed, a history teacher, quoting an old saying. He argued that the inaction of our leaders for political gains would put millions of human lives in jeopardy.

“It is a critical moment. Everyone

Vehicle flips over in Mishref

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A 22-year-old Kuwaiti sustained a bruised left leg, while a 22-year-old Egyptian suffered a lacerated scalp and bruised back when their vehicle flipped over in Mishref. They were taken to Mubarak Hospital.

A 28-year-old American complained of pain in his pelvis area following a motorcycle accident in Hawally. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital.

A 37-year-old Kuwaiti sustained fractures in his ribs and back following a car accident. He was taken to Mubarak Hospital.

A 30-year-old Syrian sustained fractured ribs following a car accident on Abdally Road. He was taken to Jahra Hospital.

A dislocated shoulder and pain in the back are what a 44year-old Iranian ended up with when his truck flipped over near Al-Doha Spur, heading to Jahra. He was taken to Jahra Hospital.

knows that the dam won’t survive another quake. So it is time for politicians to forget their differences and unite to save people in danger,” Mohammed added.

The dam is operated by the TN government based on a 999-year lease agreement made during erstwhile British colonial rule. Though, the dam has survived many minor quakes in the past, its present condition is dangerously alarming as it has developed cracks in many places and water is seeping from the fissures.

“Tamil Nadu’s concern is baseless as Kerala has assured that it will continue to provide water to the state.

After all, people’s lives are far more important than irrigation,” commented Balagopal G, stating that the governments must act fast now before the worst happens.”

“If the dam fails, it will be worse than Hiroshima. The surging flood water will sweep away the districts of Idukki, Ernakulam and Thrissur, drowning millions of people and their property,” said Faizal Edava. He said it is unfortunate that political parties have taken the issue as an opportunity to hold strikes and hartals.

Meanwhile, water level in the Mullaperiyar dam on Sunday rose to 135.7 feet against the maximum permissible storage level of 136 feet as the catchment areas received copious rains in the past two days.

Court gives expat teacher KD 6,000 KUWAIT: The Administrative Appeals court ordered the payment of salary differences to an expat teacher which amounted to nearly KD 6,000.

This unprecedented ruling opens the doors for all expat teachers who are appointed on a temporary basis to demand the salary differences, just like Kuwaiti teachers who are university graduates.

The teacher told the court that he holds a university degree, and was appointed on grade five at the Ministry of Education for a monthly salary of KD 200 and a teaching allowance of KD 31, making the total salary KD 231.

He said he deserves to be appointed on grade four that is more appropriate for his university degree for a salary of KD 260 and that he deserves the periodical KD 10 raise per year until the date of his termination. —Al-Watan

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

local

Police impersonators kidnap Asian woman Three held for smoking inside airport KUWAIT: The search is currently on for two suspects who kidnapped a woman from a Jahra apartment which they raided in the guise of police investigators. Officers at the Jahra police station were approached by an Asian man who explained that two persons made their way into his apartment after claiming to be on an official investigation mission, but instead kidnapped his wife and stole KD 45 before driving away. A case was filed for investigations.

Missing boy found A young man was found at his girlfriend’s apartment in Hawally, almost two weeks after he went missing from his family’s house.

Search for the 19-year-old has been ongoing after his father told officers at the Sabah AlSalem police station that he disappeared on Nov 15. Investigations eventually revealed that the boy had been staying in an apartment rented by a Filipina woman. He explained to officers that he decided to leave his family’s house and live with his girlfriend, before being sent back to his father.

KUWAIT: The ASEAN Committee in Kuwait held a gathering at the Hunting and Equestrian Club on Saturday to celebrate the handover of the chairmanship of ACK. The event aimed to promote and maintain strong multilateral relation among ASEAN member countries in Kuwait, become a gathering to strengthen relation among ASEAN diplomatic staff and family, and also to commemorate the success of 19th ASEAN Summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia.

Cabby framed Three teenage girls were detained after falsely accusing a taxi driver of kidnapping them in order to avoid paying the fare. Police officers rushed to the aid of the three girls when they called from a public place in Salmiya and claimed that they managed to escape from a taxi driver who tried to kidnap them after picking them up from Rumaithiya.

Police grew suspicious when the girls failed to provide the name and phone number of the taxi agency they said they had called for the

cab. Eventually, police were able to identify the taxi driver and called him for questioning.

In his statement, he said that the girls had escaped after he stopped at a red light near the place where they called the police. The girls eventually admitted that they had cooked up the story because they were out of money following a night spent at a suspicious party. They were sent to the Juvenile General Department for further action.

Airport scare An abandoned suitcase increased the level of security alert at the parking lot of the Kuwait International Airport where it was found in a suspicious position. Airport security secured the perimeter around the suitcase after a passerby reported seeing it near the sidewalk. The bag was disposed after it turned out to be an empty old suitcase that the owner probably decided to leave in the parking lot.

Brotherly hate Police are looking for a Kuwaiti man who faces murder threat charges pressed by his brother at the Khaitan police station. In his statement to officers, the complainant explained that he received text messages containing death threats from his brother, who he said had verbally and physically assaulted him previously over family disputes.

A case was filed for investigations.

Fatal fall A domestic worker died after accidently falling from the fifth floor of a Maidan Hawally building in an apparent bid to escape recent-

ly. Police and paramedics rushed to the scene where people reported a woman falling after an escape rope created from bed-sheets tied together came undone. The Asian woman was pronounced dead at the scene from fatal skull fractures. Her body was referred to the coroner while a case was opened at the area’s police station.

Maid assault A Sri Lankan woman faces charges for breaking the hand of her Kuwaiti employer’s three-year-old son when he was left in her custody. The incident reportedly happened at a mall in Kuwait City where a female citizen left her kid with the maid till she finished her shopping. The lady came back to find her child crying loudly and when she questioned her maid, she denied any wrongdoing.

However, a worker at a nearby shop told the mother that he saw the maid beating the kid and twisting his arm when he was crying and asking for his mom. The kid was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a fracture, and his mother reported the maid to the nearest police station.

Smokers held Three citizens were arrested at the Kuwait International Airport after they were caught smoking inside the no-smoking zone. At the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh police station, the men claimed that they weren’t aware of the nosmoking regulations inside the airport. They were released shortly after they signed documents where they pledged they wouldn’t violate any other rules. — Al-Watan, Al-Rai, AlQabas, Al-Anbaa

TEC triathlon scheduled for Dec 10

Nasser Al-Foudari

KUWAIT: The Touristic Enterprises Company (TEC) will organize its Fourth Annual Triathlon competition on Dec 10, sponsored by Wataniya Telecom. “ The event will start at 9 am with cycling from Egaila beach to the Ras AlArdh Sea Club, followed by running towards Shaab Sea Club, where competitors will compete in 100 meters swimming event,” said coordinator of the organizing committee Nasser Al-Foudari.

The participants will compete for a KD 1,000 grand prize as well as chances to win other prizes which include KD 750 for the second place finalist, KD 550 for third place, KD 400 for fourth place and KD 300 for fifth place winners. Traffic police patrols and ambulance will also be provided.

Al-Foudari announced that a meeting will be held at the Shaab Sea Club on Tuesday, Dec 6, to familiarize participants on details about the triathlon.

KUWAIT: NBK CEO-Kuwait Shaikha Al-Bahar along with a group of senior leaders at NBK in a group photo with the participants.

NBK launches branch managers’ training program KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) launched a branch managers’ training program for new branch managers as part of its effort to develop young leaders. The launch of this intensive program was attended by NBK CEO-Kuwait Shaikha Al-Bahar, NBK General Manager Human Resources Group Adel Hechme, NBK Head of Human Resources

Group-Kuwait Emad Al-Ablani, NBK Domestic Branches Manager Ahmed Al-Khader, along with a group of senior leaders at the bank.

“This program is part of our continuing efforts to nurture and grow our young talent. I look forward to seeing the participants moving into key leadership roles in the bank,” said Al-Bahar.

Al-Bahar added: “The branch managers’ training program comes in line with NBK strategy to develop young leaders and improve their skills.” Al-Bahar urged the managers to maximize their training and wished them success in their career at the bank.

The program is tailored to provide trainees with theoretical

and practical skills covering the different aspects of the banking industr y, managerial duties, leadership core competencies, building a culture of excellence, management of change and innovation, performance measurement and management, effective communication, high per formance teams, and self assessment skills.

Kuwait calls for educational, linguistic cooperation with South America KUWAIT: Kuwait called yesterday for building “cultural bridges” between the Arab nation and peoples of Latin American countries through teaching languages of the two nations at academic institutions. Addressing inaugural session of the first scheduled joint meeting of education ministers of Kuwait, Arab and South American states, Minister of Education and Higher Education Ahmad AlMulaifi affirmed necessity of setting up such bridges among the peoples of Arab and Latin America countries by teaching Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese languages in these countries’ educational and teaching institutions and setting up a special data network. Al-Mulaifi, representative of sponsor of the meeting, HH the (caretaker) Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, affirmed significance of the gathering for exchange of expertise and promoting information about educational policies in the participating countries.

He expressed gratitude to all authorities that contributed in preparations for the meeting, namely representatives of the participating countries, Arab League Secretariat General, the

Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), and experts who presented researches that would enrich dialogues and deliberations among the conferees.

For his part, the deputy minister of education of the Ecuador, who delivered a statement on behalf of the South America states, said interaction and communications among the Arab and Latin America peoples must be maintained in the shadow of tremendous political, economic and technological development across the world. Such an approach is necessary for global peace, he noted.

Dr Mohammad Al-Qudsi, the assistant director of ALESCO, affirmed necessity of planning for ensuring development of the vital sector of education.

Ambassador Faeka Al-Saleh, advisor of the Arab League Secretary General, indicated at mounting support in Latin America for Arab causes, namely backing for the Palestinian efforts that has recently resulted in winning membership of the UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Educational cooperation between the two nations can pave way for boosting bilateral ties, realizing prosperity and

‘Construction laws being flouted’ KUWAIT: The consumer sector of the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) suffers from lack of adherence to construction laws and engineering drafts approved by municipal authorities, an MEW official said.

He said that the ministry is committed to implementing the law on violators by changing specification, adding that most violations are increasing the number of vertical constructions or encroaching state property in violation of a contract between building owners and air conditioning companies. He said that the MEW will not connect power to such buildings unless approvals are obtained from the Municipality.— Al-Dar

sustainable development. Long geographic distances between the two nations can be made shorter, with abundant potentials and expertise of peoples of the two regions, Al-Saleh said.

She also called for establishing centers for teaching Spanish and Portuguese in Arab countries and identical institutions in South America to teach Arabic to natives. Saleh also called for working out special linguistic programs and establishing cooperation between educational authorities in countries of the two regions.

Moreover, she urged for exerting greater effort for translating Arabic publications into Spanish and Portuguese, exchanging educational techniques and methods and devoting special care to citizens, skilled in this domain.

Later on, Al-Mulaifi opened the affiliate fair, promoting information technology for education, with participation of mega companies. Eminent figures and experts are due to lecture about role of the IT in teaching, on sidelines of the meeting, held in line with a resolution of the second summit of the Arab and South American states, hosted by Qatar on March 30, 2009.— KUNA

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

Angry Pakistan boycotts Bonn conference Page 12

Sonia Gandhi returns to the political stage Page 8

Turkey ready for ‘any scenario’ in Syria ISTANBUL: Turkey does not want to consider a military option for intervention in neighboring Syria as Damascus cracks down on popular protest, but it is ready for any scenario, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday.

Davutoglu also said the international community may decide a buffer zone is needed in Syria if hundreds of thousands of people try to flee the violence there. Syria is facing growing economic sanctions and condemnation over what the United Nations calls “gross human rights violations”, but President Bashar Al-Assad shows no sign of buckling under pressure to end his military crackdown on protesters calling for his overthrow.

Davutoglu told Kanal 24 TV that the Syrian government needed to find a way to make peace with its own people, adding that Damascus still had a chance to accept international observers proposed by the Arab League. “If the oppression continues, Turkey is ready for any scenario. We hope that a military intervention will never be necessary. The Syrian regime has to find a way of making peace with its own people,” he said. A regime which tortures its own people had no chance of survival, he added.

TRIPOLI: Four of seven Lebanese men who claim that the Syrian authorities falsely used footage of them to prove “terrorist” involvement in the unrest rocking Syria, take journalists to the scene of where the footage in question was allegedly originally filmed in Tripoli. — AFP

TRADE VIA IRAQ Another minister said Turkey would conduct trade with the Middle East via Iraq if the violence worsened in Syria. Transpor t Minister Binali Yildirim made the comments after the Arab League imposed sanctions on Damascus over the crackdown, in which more than 3,500 people have been killed in eight months, according to the United Nations. Turkey’s state-run Anatolian news agency quoted Yildirim yesterday as saying that Ankara would open new border gates with Iraq if necessary. Ankara is expected to follow the Arab League in imposing sanctions on Syria, with which it has an 800-km border. Yildirim said the sanctions would not harm the Syrian people. “We plan to conduct transit shipments through new border gates in Iraq if the conditions in Syria worsen,” Yildirim said.

Turkey will selectively impose those sanctions announced by the Arab League to avoid harming the Syrian people, the Turkish newspaper Sabah reported yesterday. The Arab League imposed the

sanctions on Sunday and the European Union weighed in one day later. Sabah said Syrian government accounts at the Turkish central bank will be suspended, official sales to the Syrian state will be halted and a travel ban will be imposed on Assad and his family.

However, civil aviation flights will not be halted and Turkish Airlines services to Damascus will continue. It did not identify

sources for the story. Turkey will also avoid measures which would harm truck trade on the border. The flow of water and electricity to Syria will also not be restricted so as not to affect the people of Syria. The paper said the Arab League measures were discussed at a meeting of Turkish ministers on Sunday night and will be imposed after approval from Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. — Reuters

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

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

How does Egypt’s parliamentary election system work?

CAIRO: Egyptians voted on Monday and yesterday in the first free parliamentary election in decades after a popular uprising ended President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule in February.

Below are some questions and answers about how voting works and what is at stake: WHAT’S UP FOR GRABS? The staggered vote that started on Monday is to fill 498 seats in the lower house. The last run-off vote will take place on Jan 10. The military council will appoint 10 more deputies. Voting for the 270-strong upper house starts on Jan 29 and ends on March 11.

Ninety of those seats will be appointed after the next president is elected and 180 will be up for grabs.

WHAT POWERS WILL PARLIAMENT HAVE? The new parliament’s primary task will be to pick a 100-strong constituent assembly to write the new constitution.

Only elected members of both houses will get to pick the assembly’s members.

Parliament will have legislative power, but the military council, which took over from Mubarak, will keep its +ACIpresidential powers+ACI- until a presidential election, now expected in June, 2012. The military council will still appoint the government, but is likely to face pressure from parliament to ensure it reflects the mix of the newly elected assembly.

News

in brief

Sonia Gandhi returns to the political stage NEW DELHI: Sonia Gandhi, president of India’s ruling Congress party, returned to the political stage yesterday, making her first public speech since undergoing surgery in August. Gandhi, 64, was greeted by huge cheers as she spoke to a Congress youth rally in New Delhi organized by her son, Rahul Gandhi, who is taking an increasingly prominent role in domestic politics.

Speculation over Sonia’s health and the future leadership of the Congress party has been mounting ever since she went to the United States in August to receive treatment for an undisclosed illness. She looked tired but spoke in a firm voice for more than 10 minutes to thousands of young party members. “You have the power to beat back the forces of oppression and injustice and to make a beautiful life for yourself and for others,” she said.

Iran hangs nine TEHRAN: Iran yesterday hanged three convicted rapists and six drug traffickers-one of them a womanin different cities, local media reported. Two of the men, aged 23 and 25, were hanged in public in the western city of Kermanshah, Fars news agency reported. They were executed after being found guilty of raping a number of women, some of them university students. They were not identified. Fars also said five men and one woman were hanged yesterday for drug trafficking, notably dealing in heroin. They were not identified either. ISNA news agency also reported a young man convicted of rape and identified by the initials MS was hanged publicly yesterday in the central town of Saveh, some 120 kilometers southwest of the capital.

Bridge collapse kills 18 JAKARTA: Rescuers say the number of people killed when a bridge collapsed on Indonesia’s remote island of Borneo has climbed to 18, with two dozen others missing and feared dead. Sunarbowo Sandi, head of the search-and-rescue team, said a sonar device was being used yesterday to comb the murky bed of the 160-foot-deep Mahakam River. Some missing bodies are believed trapped inside sunken buses and cars.

Sandi says that more than 30 divers are ready to recover them. The 770-yard structure - built to resemble the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco - collapsed last week as a steel support cable snapped while repair work was being done.

Stalin’s daughter dies CHICAGO: The only daughter of brutal Soviet tyrant Joseph Stalin-who defected to the West in 1967 and became a vocal critic of the Soviet Union-has died at age 85, the New York Times reported Monday. Born Svetlana Stalina on February 28, 1926, she led an epic and complex life “worthy of a Russian novel” which ended in obscurity and poverty after decades of wandering, the Times wrote. She died of colon cancer on November 22 in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Her name changes reflected her shifting fortunes. She took her mother’s last name, Alliluyeva, after Stalin’s 1953 death and fall from grace.

WHO CAN VOTE AND WHEN WILL THEY CAST BALLOTS? Egypt has 50 million eligible voters among its more than 80 million people.

The minimum voting age is 18. Police and military officers are not allowed to vote. Voting is staggered to ensure judges supervise each phase. In the lower house, polling stations will open for two days for both the first round of each vote and any run-offs. The first stage started on Monday and voters will also be able to cast ballots the following day. Judges were sidelined in the 2010 parliamentary election under Mubarak, which rights groups said was heavily rigged.

HOW WILL VOTING WORK? For its first free vote in decades, Egypt has chosen a complex system. Twothirds of the 498 lower house seats will be picked by proportional representation, using lists drawn up by parties or alliances. Each list must include at least one woman candidate and adopt a specific symbol to help the illiterate. Seats will be allocated proportionally based on a party’s showing in each of 46 districts.

The remaining third, or 166 seats, in the lower house are open to individuals, who may or may not have party affiliations, two from each of 83 districts. Of the individual candidates, half must be +ACI-professionals+ACI- and the rest +ACI-workers+ACIor +ACIfarmers+ACI-, categories that hark back to President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s redistributive socialist policies in the 1950s

and 1960s. Qualifying rules exist, although the distinctions have little relevance.However, the system does complicate voting procedures. A winner must achieve more than 50 percent of the votes in a district or face a run-off. If a professional wins one seat, the second seat must go to a farmer or worker, although both seats can go to farmers and workers. The voting procedures apply to the upper house, too.

HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO BEFORE? Under Egypt’s voting system in the 1990s and 2000s, seats were contested by a two-round system in two-member districts, and 10 were appointed by the president. Now the constituencies have been expanded and the system reshaped in a way intended to provide a fair representation of parties, movements and ideologies, as well as new groups. For the upper house, there will be 30 two-member individual districts and 30 party list districts.

WHEN WILL RESULTS COME OUT? Exit polls may give an early indication, but the phased voting, run-off votes and a threshold that will exclude any party or bloc that fails to gain at least half a percent of valid votes in party list constituencies across Egypt means a final picture may not be clear until voting is over.

For the seats allocated to individuals, the ruling army council has promised to announce results the day after each round of elections is over. But the number of candidates may mean

CAIRO: The finger of an Egyptian voter is inked after voting in a polling station in Cairo yesterday. — AP many of the seats go to a run-off.

WHAT DO ANALYSTS EXPECT? Most admit that given the complexity of the voting system, the number of parties that have mushroomed since Mubarak’s fall and the novelty of free voting, any predictions are guesswork, especially in the absence of reliable opinion polls. Many voters are also worried that a demoralized police force will not secure polling stations, a fear further fuelled by days of violence related to protests in Cairo and elsewhere.

Overall, analysts expect no single group to emerge with a clear majority in what may prove a fragmented parliament.

Broadly, analysts say Islamists could take 40 percent of the seats, with another third or so going to liberals.

The rest could go to remnants of Mubarak’s former party or others.

Despite the list system, many Egyptians are likely to focus on known faces rather than ideologies, if they can identify their favorites among more than 6,000 candidates. In rural areas especially, local notables or members of big families, who previously ran as Mubarak loyalists, are expected to do well. Their presence in parliament could challenge the development of a coherent political party system, analysts say.— Reuters

Egypt ultra-Islamists make election debut Women in veils, gloves pass out campaign fliers ALEXANDRIA: Egypt’s first parliamentary elections since the fall of Hosni Mubarak have brought the political debut of a potentially powerful new player on the scene, the ultraconservative Islamist movement known as the Salafis. At several voting stations in this Mediterranean coastal city on Monday, Salafis packed the lines as early as 7 am, an hour before the polls opened, clearly distinguishable by the long, mustacheless beards of the men and the blanketing robes and veils of the women leaving nothing of their bodies visible but their eyes.

Their presence in the lines only grew throughout the day, as women in veils and gloves passed out campaign fliers for the Nour Party, the main Salafist entry in the race. “Anybody who is afraid of the Salafis doesn’t know who we are,” said Um Ibrahim, 43, who wore a face veil and had dragged her children to the polls with her. “The Nour Party understands religion the way that God intended and they will lead us properly.” Islamic parties in general are expected to do well, likely to win a plurality or even a majority in the next parliament, raising the likelihood that Egypt will see an increased melding of religion into its politics.

Strongest is the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s most organized political force, in existence for 80 years with a network of activists and charities nationwide. After the lifting of Mubarak’s autocratic hand, newly created Salafi parties have flooded onto the scene. They are challenging the Brotherhood’s near monopoly on the religious bloc and are likely to push even harder than the Brotherhood for religious rule.

They bring an ideology that makes the Brotherhood look moderate in comparison. Salafis advocate a Saudistyle hard-line interpretation of Islam that brooks no compromise in a literalist interpretation of Shariah law and advocates a staunch segregation of the sexes. They have long shunned the concept of democracy, saying it allows man’s law to override God’s.

During the election campaign, their bluntness startled many in Egypt, where even the pious usually have a relatively easygoing view. During an Alexandria rally, Salafis covered a public statue with cloth because it included mermaids. One Salafi leader refused to appear on a TV political talk show until the female host put on a headscarf; another insisted a partition be put between him and a female host. A sheik recently burst into a concert at a Nile Delta university, took to the stage and shouted that music was “haram” - religiously forbidden.

But the Salafis also highlight why Islamists appeal to some. In a nation where poverty is widespread, Islamists - unlike liberals - have taken the lead in providing charity work and social programs, including free medical and

ALEXANDRIA: Two veiled Egyptian women walk past a poster in Arabic that reads, “the freedom and justice party,” on the first day of parliamentary elections in Alexandria, Egypt. — AP educational services for the poor. While liberals fear imposition of Islamic law, some in this intrinsically religious society look on an Islamist candidate and see a moral person who is less likely to be corrupt.

“I am a divorced woman and the Nour party candidates have always helped me financially to stand on my feet,” said Horreya Attia, a 52-year old mother of two.

“The least I could do is return the favor at the polls.” In downtown Alexandria, Amira Salah, 19, sat with her friends talking about who to vote for. She was dressed in a way Salafis consider improper - makeup on her face, jeans and a colorful headscarf - but she surprised her girlfriends when she said she wanted to vote for the Nour Party.

“They’ll be able to run the country in the right and God-fearing way,” she said. “They will use the correct traditions of the prophet to rule Egypt. Even if they made me cover up from top to bottom and wear a face veil, I would be OK with it.” A major election question for Nour - Arabic for “light” - is whether it can cross over to Egyptians outside the Salafi fold. The movement has existed for decades but stayed out of politics and was a tiny minority. It grew in the past decade, as Salafi preachers in mosques and on satellite TV station pur-

sued new flocks, particularly among the poor. Still, many Egyptians still see them as a Saudi import.

They have several strongholds around the country, particularly Alexandria, home to a main Salafi religious institute. Nour candidates are running for 22 of Alexandria’s 24 parliament seats, and party leaders claim to have a realistic chance of winning 15. Nour party candidate Yaser Abdel-Kawy said the clean political slate helps the Salafis. “Those who have played politics with the previous regime have always been considered as soiled with the filth of the old regime,” he said. “But the Salafis are ready to enter politics after almost 30 years of pure charity and social work, and without the bad reputation of politics - so people trust us more.”

The 43-year old bearded father of five - who smelled slightly of musk, a scent some Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad wore - is a psychologist by training but well known in the Raml district where he is running because of the social programs he directs. He was surrounded Monday by his entourage - four burly young men who compared biceps in the reflection of car windows when they thought no one was looking. AbdelKawy laughed, explaining they were there to protect him in case of violence at the polls. —AP

Seif now a ‘helpless criminal’ ZINTAN: Muammar Gaddafi’s once-powerful son Seif Al-Islam is now just a “helpless criminal” in the Libyan hilltown of Zintan, where he can stay until he goes on trial, officials and town residents say. “For Zintan he is just a helpless criminal. He is not a danger. We have no problem in keeping him here and we can hold him until his trial begins if it is better for Libya,” said Ibrahim Turki, the National Transitional Council’s health coordinator in Zintan. “The Libyan authorities will decide his fate,” he said.

Residents of Zintan, a southern Libyan town now famous for its high-profile captive said that Seif was being moved regularly from one secret location to another to ensure his safety and protect him from the brutal end faced by his father.

On October 20, Gaddafi was lynched by his captors in Libya’s western city of Misrata. Leaked footage of the deposed leader’s final moments showed his bloodied, limp body being hauled onto the back of a pick-up truck as dozens of frenzied gunmen fired in the air. Gaddafi’s death

triggered widespread global condemnation and forced Libya’s new rulers to launch an investigation into the circumstances of his killing. Some Zintan residents said they initially believed Seif would also face a violent death, but are now confident he will likely live long enough to go on trial. “We were initially worried that he may face the same fate as his father. But he is in safe custody and poses no danger to Zintan or to Libya,” said Shaban Al-Waer, 48, a self-employed resident of the town. “He can be held here even for a year without any problem,” he said. Seif’s location has remained a closely guarded secret, with residents saying there has been no sign of the captive since his initial arrest on November 19. NTC officials have only confirmed that Seif is still in Zintan. “He is in a secured location,” Libya’s Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagur told reporters in Tripoli yesterday. Shagur said Gaddafi’s son is being treated in accordance with international standards. “Of course he has been and continues to be treated in accordance

with international standards and not in the way he used to treat our prisoners,” he said.

In the days after Seif’s capture, media reports suggested that Zintan’s military council was refusing to hand him over to NTC officials unless the commander of the unit that captured him was named Libya’s defence minister. Last week, the commander, Osama Juili, was given the defense minister’s post. Seif Al-Islam’s fate remains a challenge to the new Libyan leadership as it tries to balance demands for revenge against Gaddafi’s most prominent son and heir apparent, and calls by the international community to give Seif a fair trial. The International Criminal Court, which wants to try him on charges of crimes against humanity, too has called on the Libyan leadership to ensure Seif is unharmed, and treated in accordance with international laws and norms. In a statement Friday, the ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said the trial of Seif could be held in Libya under ICC auspices. — AFP

JAMAHIRIYA: An image grab taken shows Seif Al-Islam, the fugitive son of ousted Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, at an undisclosed location after he was arrested in the south of the country. — AFP

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Youths occupy buffer zone in bid to reunify Cyprus NICOSIA: Inspired by the global “Occupy” movement, youths from across the divide in Cyprus have joined forces to set up camp inside the buffer zone that has split the island since 1974, demanding reunification.

After over a week, half a dozen tents are pitched in a few square metres (yards) of the occupied “public land” along the Green Line crossing point at Ledra Street in Nicosia, Europe’s last divided capital.

Open 24/7, the crossing in the heart of the old town connects the Republic of Cyprus in the south to the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), which is recognized internationally only by Turkey. During the day, a handful of activists man the “No Borders Camp,” reading or playing music. In the evening, their number swells to around 50 as students or workers turn up at the end of the day for activities including debates on the future of the island.

Cyprus has been split since 1974 when Turkey occupied its northern third in response to an Athens-engineered coup in Nicosia aimed at union with Greece. “We took on the world call of the ‘Occupy’ movement of the 15th of October. We held meetings every Saturday. Then we said: ‘Why not occupy the buffer zone’,” said Michalis Eleftheriou, a 26-year-old Greek Cypriot activist.

The aim of the campaign, the group says on its Facebook page, is the island’s reunification, and “to raise awareness of how the Cyprus problem is but one of the many symptoms of an unhealthy global system.”

Since they began the occupation on November 19, the young activists have taken over part of the narrow strip linking the two sides where there was a UN exhibition of photographs marking the passageway’s

opening in 2008.

And they have used the flip-side of display panels at the exhibition to spell out their message. “The dead zone is now alive,” “All armies OUT of the island,” “Our interests do not conflict, it’s only one: peace,” and “Let’s do it Berlin Style,” read the scrawled or spray-painted messages.

Flying up above hangs a banner declaring “Welcome” in both Greek and Turkish, testament to support for the campaign by youths from both communities despite decades of deep-rooted animosity.

“We think that the solution has to come from the people themselves. We want to raise conscience of the people,” said Rahme Veziroglu, a 26-year-old Turkish activist and veteran of UN-backed bi-communal projects aimed at bridging the divide. In 2004, Greek Cypriot voters rejected a UN blueprint to reunify the Mediterranean island at a referendum despite overwhelming acceptance by their Turkish counterparts. This month, UN chief Ban Ki-moon reported “encouraging progress” at the last round of reunification talks in New York between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders, but warned “there is still work to be done.”

In contrast with protesters of the US or Spanish Occupy movements, the Cypriot youths hold no fears of being forcibly evicted from the site, which police forces are not allowed to enter. The UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus says it tolerates the occupation, the first of its kind since the island’s partition, even though it is the target of some hostile graffiti daubed around the site. “At the moment, we tolerate their presence, even if it forces us to adjust our patrols,” said UNFICYP spokesman Michel Bonnardeaux. —AFP

EU-bound Croatians go to polls amid scandals ZAGREB: Croatians vote on Sunday for a government that will lead them into the EU in 2013, amid a string of corruption scandals that are expected to be the downfall of the ruling conservatives. Only five days after the general elections, Zagreb will sign the European Union accession treaty in Brussels, paving the way for it to join the bloc on July 1, 2013. EU membership is a long cherished political goal for the former Yugoslav republic, which proclaimed independence in 1991. But Sunday’s vote has been overshadowed by high level corruption affairs involving officials of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which have been making headlines for months.

Opinion polls indicate that the centre-left opposition led by the Social Democrats has a commanding lead over the HDZ. The latest, from the Ipsos Puls agency, suggested that 37.5 percent of Croatians back the opposition coalition while the HDZ can count on only 19 percent. “Both camps know that the campaign is irrelevant since the (opposition) coalition will win the elections,” political analyst Zarko Puhovski said. “Basically they will win since there is a general loathing towards politicians, and especially towards those from the HDZ, who are considered mainly responsible for all these affairs.”

Former prime minister and HDZ head Ivo Sanader, who led the government from 2003 until mid-2009, is currently on trial before a Zagreb court for taking bribes from foreign businesses. He is also under investigation in several other corruption affairs. The proceedings against Sanader and several other former HDZ top officials have seriously damaged the party’s political position. Another blow was the announcement barely a month ahead of the vote that the HDZ itself is being probed over illegal financing, notably of electoral campaigns.

The fight against corruption was one of the key criteria for Croatia’s EU bid. Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, who took over from Sanader when he suddenly stepped down in mid-2009, boosted the antigraft fight only to see it boomerang back to hurt her own party. “Corruption affairs and poor economic results have created a toxic political cocktail that most Croatians just don’t want to hear about any more, not to mention voting for such an option” as the HDZ, the Jutarnji List influential daily commented. In a bid to hang on to its traditional right-wing voters Kosor radicalized her political rhetoric. She has pledged to dedicate the electoral win to veterans from the 1991-1995 war and late nationalist leader Franjo Tudjman.

Meanwhile, the head of the Social Democrat Party (SDP) and the likely new Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, has kept a low profile during Croatia’s shortest election campaign on record of just two weeks. He has made a point of not making any inflated elections claims, as surveys show Croatians’ confidence in politicians is extremely low. “We do not want to disappoint or make unrealistic promises,” the 45-year-old said. The four-party coalition’s program is focused on the economy, outlining measures to boost gross domestic product (GDP) and create new jobs.

A new government will inherit a difficult economic situation in a fragile European environment. It will have to undertake key structural reforms in the country that has been in recession for most of the past three years and faces unemployment of over 17 percent. The big challenge for a new government will be to reform Croatia’s generous welfare system and to improve competitiveness now often hindered by bureaucratic red tape. Some 4.4 million Croatians are entitled to vote, of whom some 10 percent live abroad, mainly in neighboring Bosnia, for the 151seat parliament. —AFP

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Biden to visit Greece, Turkey as Syria boils WASHINGTON: US Vice President Joe Biden travels to Turkey this week amid deepening concern over Syria, before visiting a new Greek leader battling a debt crisis that could unravel the eurozone and sink the US recovery.

Biden flies into Ankara tomorrow with a range of hotbutton topics to discuss including the eight-month crackdown on pro-democracy protests in neighboring Syria and the future of Iraq after US troops leave by the year’s end. Tony Blinken, Biden’s top foreign policy adviser, said in addition to discussing the turmoil in Syria and Turkey’s strained relations with Israel, the vice president would also talk about the fight against Kurdish PKK rebels, who he called a “common enemy” of Turkey and the United States.

Biden will meet in Turkey with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul. Aside from those talks the main public event of his trip is a Global Entrepreneurship summit in Istanbul on Saturday, which the United States hopes will promote a merchant class that can help deliver economic and political change in the Arab world.

“This summit really comes at a critical moment in the Middle East and North Africa. We’ve seen that millions of people have been calling out for not only political freedom but also economic opportunity,” Blinken told reporters.

The Obama administration has placed a premium on close ties with Turkey-a NATO member on a vital frontier between Europe, Asia and the Middle East-and Biden’s trip comes at a time of tumult in the region after the Arab Spring. Turkey, a former friend but now a sharp critic of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, said last week it was ready to take action with Arab powers if he fails to take steps to end a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.

The Arab League on Sunday slapped punitive economic sanctions on Damascus. Last week, Erdogan told Assad to quit or risk the same fate as Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, killed by rebels last month. “There has been a sea change in US-Turkish relations over the last eight or nine months that has been really remarkable,” said Ross Wilson, director of the Atlantic Council’s

Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center and former US ambassador to Turkey. “They are in sync on the Arab Awakening in general and especially on Syria ... in a dangerous region, their alliance with the United States looks much more important,” he said.

Iraq will also be a key topic, with Washington hoping that Turkey’s close diplomatic and economic ties with Iraqi Kurds will help to provide stability after US troops have left.

GREECE Biden will travel on Sunday to Athens, where he will deliver symbolically important support to Greece’s new Prime Minister Lucas Papademos. He will also meet with President Karolos Papoulias and the leaders of the two largest Greek political parties. Papademos, a former central banker, was sworn in this month and aims to steer Greece out of a devastating debt crisis that could unravel the wider euro zone and tip the United States back into recession.

“The United States recognizes the sacrifices being made by the Greek people as they pursue this reform process,” said White House economic adviser Mike

Froman. But he made clear that Biden was not bringing additional financial support beyond the European Union/IMF package already in place. Washington says the Europeans have the resources they need to shore up their banking system and bail out Greece, and protect Spain and Italy from speculative attack.

So Biden will go to Athens with warm words but no actual resources.

“We have really no ability to change any of the dynamics of the debt crisis, or how the Europeans are going to resolve this one way or another,” said Heather Conley, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “So other than a lot of encouragement ... we just don’t have a role here.”

There are other issues to discuss, including Cyprus and the need to keep tensions in check around oil and gas exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Cyprus plans to issue exploration licenses in defiance of Turkey.

But the debt crisis is likely to dominate the visit. “Politically, there is just very little space in Athens for anything but the crisis,” Conley said. —Reuters

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

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Most-wanted drug kingpin captured CARACAS: The presidents of Venezuela and Colombia have announced the capture of one of the region’s most-wanted drug traffickers and touted it as evidence that their ideologically opposed governments were united against crime. Maximiliano Bonilla Orozco-a 39year-old Colombian better known by his alias Valenciano-was captured in the Venezuelan city of Valencia late on Sunday, the two leaders said at a meeting in Caracas.

Valenciano, with a $5 million bounty on his head, is accused of shipping tons of cocaine into the United States with the help of gangs like Mexico’s Zetas.

“He’s caused terrible damage to our country,” said Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, adding that Valenciano

was the leader of a group called the Paisas, as residents of northwestern Colombia are known.

“Thank you, President Chavez. This is a good present.” Though the conservative Santos is a key US ally and socialist leader Hugo Chavez is Washington’s fiercest critic, the pair have overturned years of mistrust and forged a strong, pragmatic, relationship since last year.

Colombia has in the past accused the Chavez government of giving refuge to Marxist guerrillas, and analysts believe Venezuela has at least turned a blind eye over the years.

Venezuela also has become a major shipment route for Colombian cocaine to the United States and European nations. But since Santos came to pow-

er in August 2010, both leaders have set aside their ideological differences and stressed the need for cooperation in a border region infested by rebels, drug traffickers and other criminal bands.

After five hours of meetings between their delegations, Chavez and Santos also signed a dozen cooperation accords in oil, gas, trade and other sectors. Among them was an agreement for Colombia’s state oil company Ecopetrol to join Venezuelan counterpart PDVSA in some mature field projects in Venezuela.

There was also a plan for a pipeline between Venezuela’s Orinoco belt, which has the world’s biggest crude reserves, and Colombia’s Pacific coast.

“Wherever we’ve mentioned this, peo-

ple’s eyes open wide,” Santos said.

Furthermore, a letter of intent was signed to extend a gas pipeline between the two nations to Ecuador and Panama. Colombia is hoping for Venezuelan help in tracking down the new leader of the FARC rebels, Timoleon “Timochenko” Jimenez, who is believed to move across the border. Chavez vowed help.

“We will do everything in our power to stop any aggression against Colombia,” he said during a joint press conference at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas. According to US authorities, drug suspect Valenciano’s gang used a network of warehouses and front companies producing legitimate goods to mask the transport of

illegal substances.

“It’s a very significant arrest in terms of the Colombian drug trafficking world,” said Jeremy McDermott of security consultancy InSight. “Valenciano is a very big player. He was fighting for control of the city of Medellin. He’s believed to be a supplier to the Mexican cartel, the Zetas.”

The Colombian-based crime analyst added, however, that finding Timochenko was a much bigger challenge. “There’s going to be a difference between the capture of drug traffickers like Valenciano and the request that Santos is certain to present to Hugo Chavez which is the capture of Timochenko, the new commander in chief of the FARC.”— Reuters

13 detained in Trinidad ‘plot’ PORT OF SPAIN: The number of suspects detained in an alleged plot to assassinate Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister rose to 13, a top security official said on Monday while offering few new details about the conspiracy. National Security Minister John Sandy faced intense questioning at a news conference from reporters pressing for more specifics since Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced last Thursday that officials had uncovered a plot. The government’s vague announcement and reluctance to provide more information has puzzled many in this twin-island Caribbean country, a leading oil and gas producer and the top supplier of liquefied natural gas to the United States. Sandy said a total of 13 people had been detained in connection with the alleged assassination plot, including a police officer, two former police officers and an ex-Coast Guard member. Last week, police said nearly a dozen people had been rounded up.

None of the detainees have been shown publicly and officials have not said what evidence led to the arrests.

“What we have unearthed is real,” Sandy said, but he gave no new information about the possible motives for the alleged conspiracy to assassinate the prime minister. Persad-Bissessar, a former attorney general, said on Thursday the plot targeted her and three cabinet ministers. She called it a planned reprisal by criminals angry over a state of emergency she declared three months ago to crack down on drug-related crime and gang activity in Trinidad and Tobago.

Sandy said Persad-Bissessar’s decision to go public with the news that authorities

had uncovered the plot was “because a lot of rumors were flying ... about a coup and things like that.”

But opposition figures have strongly questioned the government’s assertion that a plot existed, saying the prime minister wants to use it as a pretext to extend the state of emergency, which is set to expire on Dec 5. “The government ... has come up with this story about an assassination plot, which cannot stand public scrutiny,” opposition leader Keith Rowley said. “The government’s action is hysterical, political expediency,” he added in comments published over the weekend. Many ordinary Trinidadians have also expressed doubt, suggesting Persad-Bissessar may be trying to shore up political support at a time when her government has been struggling to revive a faltering economy. Trinidad and Tobago has been seeking to attract fresh foreign investors, especially in the strategic energy sector.

In declaring the anti-crime emergency in August, Persad-Bissessar cited a surge in murders and other violent activity linked to the drugs trade. Located just seven miles off the coast of Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago has become a transshipment point for South American drugs headed to Europe and the United States. Sandy appeared to suggest drug activity was proving an increasing problem for the government. “I think we need to take cognizance of the fact that Trinidad and Tobago, because of where we sit geographically, has lent itself to a number of issues,” he said. “I think we need to be a bit more serious about some of the things that happen around us.”— Reuters

Democrats, Republicans trade blows on tax cuts WASHINGTON: Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress yesterday exchanged their first blows in a battle over extending a payroll tax cut for workers, the latest in a series of polarizing fights that has worried investors. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid warned that failure to continue the tax holiday would hurt US economic growth and could, according to some economists, push the country back into recession. The payroll tax cut for workers that went into effect at the beginning of 2011 has put about $1,000 in the average worker’s pocket and helped to shore up consumer spending.

The Senate could vote on a measure extending and expanding it as early as tomorrow, according to Democratic aides.

The $255 billion cost of the legislation would be paid for with a new 3.25 percent tax on income over $1 million a year.

Republicans are expected to block it, in part because of the tax on the wealthy that they say will stifle job creation. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Democrats should schedule votes on measures that have bipartisan support, instead of “symbolic show-votes that we know won’t lead to anything except more tension and political acrimony.”

The two parties have battled fiercely this year over the best way to improve the struggling US economy and create jobs to reduce a 9 percent unemployment rate.

The acrimonious debates brought the United States to the brink of a first-ever debt default in August and stalled negotiations last week on a deficit reduction plan aimed at slowing the growth of the country’s $15 trillion debt burden. Fitch Ratings on Monday gave the United States until 2013 to come up with a “credible plan” to tackle its ballooning deficits or face the downgrade of its coveted AAA rating.

Some economists have warned that letting the payroll tax cut lapse could shave anywhere from 0.75 of a percentage point to 1.5 percentage points from economic growth. The latest economic data show that the US economy grew at a 2 percent annual rate from July through September.

“The potential impact on the larger economy is downright scary,” Reid said on the Senate floor. Reid will have to find a way to gain enough support from Republicans,

NEW YORK: Republican presidential candidate, Herman Cain addresses the media as he arrives for a meeting in New York. (Inset) Ginger White poses for a photo near Dunwoody, Ga. — AP

Affair claim shakes Cain’s US presidential ambition New accuser says she had 13-year affair WASHINGTON: A woman accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain on Monday of having a 13-year affair with her that ended just months ago, a new charge that could derail his campaign for the White House. Cain, already hit by allegations of sexual harassment, denied an affair but he addressed the idea of giving up his presidential bid for the first time. Until recently a frontrunner among Republicans seeking to challenge President Barack Obama, Cain said he would stay in the race as long as his wife stood by him.

The woman, Ginger White, told a local Atlanta television station that the on-and-off affair began in the mid 1990s. She said he flew her to different locations for secret meetings.

“It was pretty simple,” White told the Fox Network station in Atlanta. “It wasn’t complicated. I was aware that he was married. And I was also aware I was involved in a very inappropriate situation, relationship.”

Earlier charges of sexual harassment by four women, coupled with campaign gaffes,

helped knock Cain out of the top of the Republican presidential race, leaving a void that has now been filled by former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Republican strategist Ed Rollins said the latest allegation could be fatal to the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO’s presidential ambitions. “I think it’s the final nail in the coffin,’ he said. “I think he was going down pretty fast anyway.”

“With five weeks to go before voters start participating, it’s not a good place to start reinvigorating your campaign,” he said, referring to early Republican electoral contests which begin in January in Iowa. Cain in a CNN interview called White a “friend,” and said he had nothing to hide and that he is staying in the race. But asked if he would drop out of the campaign due to the stream of allegations, Cain said: “I would make that decision depending on the circumstances and how it is impacting my wife and my family.” “I’m not dropping out of this race, no. As long as my wife is behind me,” he said.

CELL PHONE RECORDS The case differs from prior claims in that the woman is claiming a consensual longterm relationship. White said the two met at a presentation Cain gave for the National Restaurant Association in Kentucky, and afterward the two had drinks. Cain invited her back to his hotel, she said, and the relationship took off. The woman provided cell phone bills showing calls to a number she said was Cain’s personal mobile phone.

A reporter for the station called that number and reached Cain, he said. The television station said White had accused a prior employer of sexual harassment and had been served with an eviction notice in recent years.

She came forward because an acquaintance of hers had been telling the story to other reporters, the station said. Cain’s lawyer Lin Wood told the station it “appears to be an accusation of private, alleged consensual conduct between adults - a subject matter which is not a proper subject of inquiry by the media or the public.”—Reuters

Romney comes under fire from Gingrich, Democrats President Barack Obama who are wary about allowing the tax cut for wage earners to expire ahead of the 2012 elections but do not want to add to already huge US budget deficits.

If Democrats fail to win passage in the Senate this week, Reid said he would push for additional votes in December, before the current session of Congress comes to an end. “We are not going to let this lapse,” he said, predicting it could take up to three tries to pass a payroll tax cut extension.

Reid refused to comment to reporters when asked whether future versions of the legislation could try to pay for the tax cuts without targeting the very wealthy.

A Senate Democratic aide raised the idea of using future savings from US troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan to help defray the cost of lowering the payroll tax. Using such future savings for current economic stimulus was discussed in the deficit-reduction negotiations that collapsed last week. The current payroll tax cut that is set to expire on Dec 31 reduced workers’ taxes, which are used to fund the Social Security retirement program, to 4.2 percent, from 6.2 percent. Now, Democrats want to pare it back to 3.1 percent to put $1,500 in cash in the hands of about 120 million families. —Reuters

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney found himself coming under fire Monday for his changing positions on key policy issues from both his main challenger for the party’s nomination and Democrats supporting President Barack Obama. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose presidential campaign is on the rise just weeks before the first nominating contests take place, offered a sharp criticism of Romney.

Gingrich acknowledged that he isn’t the perfect candidate but insisted he’s “a lot more conservative than Mitt Romney and a lot more electable than anybody else.”

For months, Gingrich has refused to criticize his Republican presidential rivals and instead has focused his criticism on Obama.

That all seems to be over. Branding the former Massachusetts governor as a political opportunist, Gingrich said it is one thing to change positions if new facts become available and quite another to shift positions for political gain.

“It’s wrong to go around and adopt radically different positions based on your need of any one election, then people will have to ask themselves, ‘What will you tell me next time?’” Gingrich told WSC-FM radio Monday morning ahead of a

three-day campaign swing through South Carolina. In a career that includes an unsuccessful Senate race and one term as governor in Massachusetts, plus a 2008 presidential bid, Romney at times has favored legalized abortion, a ban on assault weapons and a pathway to legal status for some illegal immigrants. He since has rejected those views. He also takes a harder line than before on government stimulus programs and bank bailouts. Romney’s health care initiative in Massachusetts required residents to obtain medical insurance, but he rejects the notion that it was a model for Obama’s national health care reform plan enacted last year over vehement Republican opposition.

Over the years, Romney has minimized the significance of some of his shifts. He attributes others to heartfelt changes of opinion. It isn’t enough to convince some, including Gingrich.

“We think there has to be a solid conservative alternative to Mitt Romney,” Gingrich said. Romney also came under attack from the Democratic National Committee which on Monday began running ads mocking the former Massachusetts governor - a sign they view him as Obama’s most likely opponent. Party activists say it’s unlikely their ads will

Former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney significantly influence the Republican contest, even though they would prefer to have Obama run against someone other than Romney, who is seen as more moderate than his more conservative rivals.

With Democrats targeting Romney, it seemed as if the November 2012 election campaign was already under way - even though there is just a little over a month left before the first Republican nominating contest in Iowa on Jan. 3. But Democratic activists said Obama can’t afford to wait to begin undermining Romney’s standing among independent voters

in key battleground states.

A Democratic TV ad is airing in the swing states of North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and New Mexico. Democrats also held events in Iowa, Florida, Michigan, Maryland and Massachusetts to call attention to a longer and more detailed version of the criticisms on the website mittvmitt.com.

The video calls Romney “an unparalleled flip-flopper.” It shows two latenight comedians mocking his sincerity and three Fox News reporters seeming to question Romney’s authenticity.—AP

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

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In isolated Myanmar, hope and fear for the future YANGON: After decades of military dictatorship and economic malaise, glimmers of hope are finally emerging among Myanmar’s long-suffering people of a brighter future for the impoverished nation. In the most visible sign yet of the pariah

state’s efforts to return to the international diplomatic fold, Myanmar’s new nominally civilian rulers will this week welcome US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a historic visit.

The highest level US trip in more than 50 years to the nation also

known as Burma comes against a backdrop of cautious optimism on its pot-holed streets that better times lie ahead under the militarybacked government. But hopes of a democratic dawn have been dashed many times before and deep suspi-

BAGO: File photo shows Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi (center) waving to her supporters during a visit to Bago, some 80 kms north of Yangon. —AFP

cions linger about the regime’s intentions. “We heard about Hillary Clinton’s visit through the media. I cannot guess what will happen but I’m hoping good things will come,” said a 30-year-old housewife in the main city Yangon who gave her name as Muu Muu. “I dare not believe that military rule is completely finished... We still have our fears,” she added.

Others were more optimistic that the country’s darkest days are behind it. “Because of the political changes here, I don’t think we will return to military rule,” said a taxi driver in the remote capital Naypyidaw, where Clinton will receive a red-carpet welcome from the new regime today. “Our government must change to come in line with the international community. We want them to walk a path to true democracy,” he added, but asked not to be named in a reminder of the lingering climate of fear.

Clinton’s three-day visit will take her to the purpose-built new capital Naypyidaw-the showpiece of a “roadmap to democracy” promised by the generals for talks with the president, as well as to the dilapidated former colonial capital Yangon for a meeting with democracy icon

Aung San Suu Kyi. US President Barack Obama has said Clinton’s visit aims to boost what he called “flickers” of progress in the country, the target of Western sanctions over its human rights record, including the detention of dissidents. After almost half a century of military rule, Myanmar’s junta in March handed power to a new government whose ranks are filled with former generals, including President Thein Sein.

A series of reformist moves, including dialogue with a newly freed Suu Kyi and other political opponents, has sparked tentative hopes that the regime is seeking to change its ways. The new administration has passed a law giving workers the right to strike, turned to the International Monetary Fund for advice on economic reform, released around 200 political prisoners and suspended a controversial mega-dam project backed by traditional ally and regional powerhouse China. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy-which won 1990 elections but was not allowed to take power-is also re-entering mainstream politics, which could pave the way for the Nobel Peace Prize winner to stand for parliament.

Her party refused to participate in last year’s elections-in which the mil-

itary’s allies claimed an overwhelming victory-because of rules that would have forced it to expel imprisoned members. Suu Kyi, who has spent most of the last two decades in detention, was released a few days after the November vote, and officials in her party have said she is likely to run in upcoming by-elections. The NLD’s boycott of last year’s poll led to a split in the opposition, with a splinter group breaking away to form a new party, the National Democratic Force (NDF), which has a handful of seats in the new parliament.

NDF leader Khin Maung Swe hailed the planned comeback of Suu Kyi’s party as a “major turnaround”.

“It’s a big and auspicious political step for Myanmar,” he said. But amidst the flickers of optimism, doubts remain about whether the regime’s reform gestures are any more than a ploy to win international favor. “I don’t know if the changes are real or not. I only know about Suu Kyi’s release,” said Kyaw Soe, a 37year-old boatman from a suburb of Yangon. “Even under military rule, our family came out and welcomed her freedom, so we had many problems in our village. But we don’t care.

We’re not afraid as we’re standing on the right side.” —AFP

Pakistan boycotts Bonn conference No more business as usual with US: Pakistan KABUL: Pakistan has pulled out of an international conference on the future of Afghanistan next week to protest against a NATO cross-border attack that killed 24 of its soldiers and plunged the region deeper into crisis, officials said yesterday. The decision not to attend the conference in the German city of Bonn, aimed at bringing together major stakeholders in securing an Afghan peace after NATO combat troops leave at the end of 2014, could mean Pakistan won’t use its influence with Taleban militants to bring them to the peace table. “Pakistan has decided not to attend the Bonn conference as a protest,” a govern-

wider international community, including China, Japan, Iran and the European Union. “That would be a pretty huge miscalculation-it would be entirely inappropriate, because Bonn is not just the US or NATO, it is the international community and first and foremost it is about Afghanistan,” a senior diplomat in Kabul said.

Afghans also say they are concerned the decision signals a reduced commitment to seeking peace in their battered nation after Pakistani help had been sought in leading the Taleban and the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network to the negotiating table.

“Pakistan has an important lever-

shifted attention from what critics say is Islamabad’s failure to go after militants, Gilani’s comments reflect the fury of Pakistan’s government and military - and the pressure they face from their own people. “You cannot win any war without the support of the masses,” Gilani said. “We need the people with us.”

The relationship, he said, would continue only if based on “mutual respect and mutual interest.”

Asked if Pakistan was receiving that respect, Gilani replied: “At the moment, not.” Gilani’s comments cap a day of growing pressure from the Pakistani military, which threatened to reduce cooperation

LAHORE: Pakistani students protest against NATO and United States in Lahore, Pakistan yesterday. —AP ment official said after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in Lahore.

A second government official, who also asked not to be identified, confirmed the decision.

Pakistan’s decision is more a diplomatic blow to Afghanistan and the nations fighting there than an actual set-back to efforts to plan for the country’s future, as few tangible results were expected. Bonn was never intended to produce firm financial commitments but it was organized with the expectation that the United States and Afghanistan would have pinned down a strategic partnership deal defining their relationship after the departure of foreign combat troops, due to be complete by the end of 2014. Those negotiations, however, have dragged on and, without a firm commitment from the biggest foreign player, there was little expectation that others would make long-term plans.

However, Pakistan’s decision to boycott over a NATO attack has been seen by some diplomats as an over-reaction because the Bonn conference involves the

age of facilitating, cooperating, trying to put pressure on the Taleban, trying to put pressure on the Haqqani group,” said retired general and defense analyst Talat Masood. “And if Pakistan is absent, there is a possibility that all these levers that Pakistan can exercise to facilitate the withdrawal will not be available.”

NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL Meanwhile, Pakistan’s prime minister ruled out “business as usual” with the United States yesterday after a NATO attack killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and the army threatened to curtail cooperation over the war in Afghanistan.

Saturday’s incident on Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan has complicated US attempts to ease a crisis in relations with Islamabad and stabilize the region before foreign combat troops leave Afghanistan.

“Business as usual will not be there,” Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani told CNN when asked if ties with the United States would continue. “We have to have something bigger so as to satisfy my nation.” While the NATO strike has

on peace efforts in Afghanistan.

“This could have serious consequences in the level and extent of our cooperation,” military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said.

CHINA, RUSSIA VOICE CONCERN Adding a new element to tensions and giving a diplomatic boost to Islamabad, China said it was “deeply shocked” by the incident and expressed “strong concern for the victims and profound condolences for Pakistan.” Russia, seeking warmer relations with Pakistan as worry grows over the NATO troop pullout in Afghanistan, said it was “unacceptable” to violate the sovereignty of states even when hunting “terrorists.”

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Pakistan was rethinking whether to attend next week’s conference on Afghanistan in Bonn, Germany, although Washington had not yet received any definitive decision from the Pakistanis.

“We understand that they are

reconsidering,” Toner told reporters. “We hope that they do in fact attend this conference because this is a conference about ... building a more stable and prosperous and peaceful Afghanistan and so that is very much in the interests of Pakistan.”

On Saturday, NATO helicopters and fighter jets attacked two military outposts in northwest Pakistan, killing the 24 soldiers and wounding 13, the army said.

NATO described the killings as a “tragic, unintended incident.” US officials say a NATO investigation and a separate American one will seek to determine what happened. The US investigation will provide initial findings by Dec 23, military officials said. “It is very much in America’s national security interest to maintain a cooperative relationship with Pakistan because we have shared interests in the fight against terrorism, and so we will continue to work on that relationship,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. A Western official and an Afghan security official who requested anonymity said NATO troops were responding to fire from across the border at the time of the incident.

Pakistan’s military denied NATO forces had come under fire before launching the attack, saying the strike was unprovoked and reserving the right to retaliate. Abbas, the military spokesman, said the attack lasted two hours despite warnings from Pakistani border posts. “They were contacted through the local hotline and also there had been contacts through the director-general of military operations. But despite that, this continued,” he said. After a string of deadly incidents in the largely lawless and confusing border region, NATO and Pakistan set up the hotline that should allow them to communicate in case of confusion over targets and avoid “friendly fire.”

OBAMA EFFIGY BURNED The main Pakistani association that delivers fuel to NATO forces in Afghanistan said it would not resume supplies soon in protest against the NATO strike. In the Mohmand region, where the attack took place, hundreds of angry tribesmen yelled “Death to America.” About 200 lawyers protested in Peshawar city, some burning an effigy of US President Barack Obama. Pakistani editorials were strident. “We have to send a clear and unequivocal message to NATO and America that our patience has run out. If even a single bullet of foreign forces crosses into our border, then two fires will be shot in retaliation,” said one mass-circulation Urdu language paper. Pakistan joined the US-led war on militancy launched after Al-Qaeda’s attacks on the United States on Sept 11, 2001, and has won billions of dollars in aid in return. —Agencies

KUALA LUMPUR: Protesters hold up placards as lawyers march to the parliament to protest against a controversial law regulating public gatherings yesterday. —AFP

Malaysians protest ban on street rallies KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s parliament enacted a ban on street protests yesterday, defying hundreds of demonstrators who marched in the capital to denounce the legislation as a setback for civil liberties. Prime Minister Najib Razak had framed the law as part of a campaign to soften tough rules on security, free speech and assembly as he looks to shore up support ahead of elections he is expected to call next year. The assembly law replaces legislation that required a police permit for public gatherings, but critics complain it contains a range of new restrictions including an outright ban on street marches.

The government-controlled parliament passed the bill into law just hours after about 500 lawyers, opposition lawmakers and activists marched in the capital Kuala Lumpur to parliament calling for its withdrawal. Chanting “Bebas berhimpun” (“Free assembly”), the demonstrators denounced the law as a violation of constitutional protections of free speech and a sign that Najib was breaking his pledge to bolster civil liberties. The law “infringes on the rights of the people and violates the constitution,” said Wong Chin Huat of the group Bersih 2.0, which spearheaded a rally for electoral reform in July that was broken up by police.

“If they don’t change the law, (Najib’s government) will pay the price when voters abandon the government in the next general elections,” he said during the march.

Najib has defended the legislation, saying it guarantees the right to peaceful assembly.

But it has been assailed by opposition politicians who view Najib’s reform push as a cynical election ploy, arguing the bill confirms their fears that tough old laws will merely be replaced by strict new rules. The law allows gatherings to be held in desig-

nated places, such as stadiums, without prior notice, while those in other areas would first require police approval.

Malaysian Bar Council President Lim Chee Wee said the ban on street demonstrations was “outrageous.” “Assemblies in motion provide the demonstrators with a wider audience and greater visibility, in order for others to see and hear the cause or grievance giving rise to the gathering,” he said. The law passed yesterday was softened slightly in the wake of the outcry, shortening the amount of notice that assembly organizers must give police to within 10 days of the event, instead of the original 30 days. But critics including the Bar Council and Amnesty International maintain the act would grant police too much power over the timing, duration, and location of gatherings. Opponents have noted that even in authoritarian Myanmar, the notice period is just five days. In a statement, Sam Zarifi, Amnesty’s Asia-Pacific director, called the law “a legislative attack on Malaysians’ right to peaceful protest.” A Human Rights Watch statement said the numerous new restrictions and requirements make it “virtually impossible to hold an assembly in an urban setting.”

Under the close watch of dozens of riot police, the protesters marched to parliament, where they handed over a protest memorandum to a government representative. The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition now headed by Najib has been accused of routinely using tough laws to snuff out challenges to its five decades in power. But public opinion has turned against such strict measures in recent years as the onceinsignificant political opposition has gained strength and soaring Internet use has fuelled more open debate.—AFP

Rape victim seeks pardon on ‘forced adultery’ sentence KABUL: An Afghan woman, jailed two years ago for adultery after she was raped by her cousin’s husband, is seeking a presidential pardon that her lawyer hopes could set a legal precedent for other women in a similar position. Gulnaz, now 21, became pregnant following the attack in 2009 and her baby daughter was born behind bars. When her pregnancy brought the crime to light, she was, like her attacker, convicted and jailed for the crime of adultery by force.

She was initially sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, but on appeal, this was increased to 12 years. A further appeal last week saw that cut back again to three years. Gulnaz’s attacker received a 12-year prison term, later reduced on appeal to seven years. Her case has drawn attention to the challenges still faced by Afghan women, 10 years after the overthrow of the Taleban regime that banned women from almost all work and education.

With foreign combat troops set to return home by the end of 2014, some activists inside and outside Afghanistan fear that women’s rights

may be sacrificed in the scramble to ensure the West leaves behind a relatively stable state.

Human rights campaigners have condemned her conviction, and the court’s decision that she could go free if she married her attacker, which she later agreed to. He is still married to her cousin, but under Afghan law can take a second wife. This requirement for her release has now been lifted, said her lawyer Kimberley Motley, of law firm Motley Legal, although she could not comment on whether Gulnaz would reconsider her decision to marry him.

“The fact that the court eliminated the portion of the sentence that says she has to marry this man is definitely something that supports the Elimination of Violence against Women law which was signed by the government,” Motley said. “Once President Karzai chooses to grant her clemency, which I am very confident of, that will... set precedent and will show his support for the Elimination of Violence against Women act and his support for Afghan women.” —Reuters

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

Years

NEWS

Egypt hails peaceful post-Mubarak vote CAIRO: Egypt wrapped up the start of its first post-revolution election yesterday after two days of peaceful voting hailed as a triumph for democracy in a nation at the heart of the Arab Spring. On Monday and yesterday, millions filed into polling stations in the capital Cairo and second-city Alexandria as Egyptians embraced new freedoms won by the toppling of autocrat Hosni Mubarak in February. “The people have passed the democracy test,” headlined the independent daily newspaper Al-Shorouk yesterday, while the interim ruling military leaders expressed their “happiness” at proceedings.

“The election has been a huge success,” declared Ahmed Nashaat, a 29-year-old member of the leading Islamist party the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) as night fell in Cairo at the end of the voting. Turnout had been high, he said, security well controlled by the army and police, while there was “no vote rigging worth mentioning” - a stark contrast with the 30-year Mubarak era when abuses were widespread.

Analysts warned, however, that the country faced huge challenges ahead in its long, complicated and uncertain transition to democracy that is scheduled to finish only in June next year under the current timetable.

The vote on Monday and yesterday in Cairo, Alexandria and other areas was the first of three stages of an election for a new lower house of parliament. The rest of the country follows next month and in January. Preliminary results from the first phase that will give the first indication of Egypt’s political landscape - likely to be highly fragmented and ideologically split - are to be published today. The FJP, the party of the formerly banned Muslim Brotherhood, a moderate Islamist group, is expected to emerge as the largest power in the new lower parliament when final results are published on Jan 13.

The backdrop to the vote had been ominous after a week of protests calling for the resignation of the interim military

rulers who stepped in at the end of Mubarak’s rule. Fortytwo people were killed and more than 3,000 injured. Egypt’s stock market closed up 5.48 percent yesterday as investors welcomed the stability after weeks of falls caused by the political upheaval and unrest.

The successful first stage of the election was a boost for army leader Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who insisted voting should go ahead despite the unrest last week. The army “played the election card to stabilise the country in the face of pressure from the street,” said Tewfik Aclimandos, an expert at the College de France, a leading academic institute. Tantawi “expressed his happiness at the way the process was carried out and the high turnout, especially among women and the young,” said Ismail Etman, a member of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

Protesters last week had again occupied Tahrir Square in Cairo, the epicentre of protests against Mubarak, but this time they were calling for the resignation of Tantawi and his fellow generals. The demonstrations stemmed from fears that the junta, initially welcomed as a source of stability after Mubarak’s fall, was looking to consolidate its power and was mishandling the transition period. Figures for the turn-out for Monday and yesterday have not been officially given, but Etman from the SCAF estimated it could reach up to 70 percent - unprecedented in the Mubarak era.

The election “might very well be seen as a positive step in Egypt’s transition,” wrote political commentator Issandr ElAmrani, referring to the “public buy-in” to democracy and “a symbolic shift” from the army to parliament. He warned, however, about the “incompetent” organisation of the long and complicated election process, as well as the myriad uncertainties surrounding the army’s future role and the transition process. Each of the three stages of the election for the lower house of parliament will be followed by a runoff vote a week later. — AFP

NETUA: Israeli soldiers survey the damage after a rocket fired from southern Lebanon slammed into a gas tank in this northern Israeli town overnight yesterday. — AFP

Rockets fired from Lebanon hit Israel Continued from Page 1 The same group claimed responsibility for the last rocket attack from southern Lebanon against Israel in 2009.

The attack came as an uprising in Syria has deepened a rift between the pro- and anti-Syrian camps in Lebanon, sparking fears that the conflict might spill over. The unrest has also raised fears in Israel that pro-Syrian Hezbollah or other groups might attack the Jewish state to draw attention away from the uprising. In Israel, military officials told army radio they wanted to avoid an escalation and said that the response to the rocket fire would be “limited and selective”. Both Israeli government and military officials called on the Lebanese government and military to prevent rocket fire towards the Jewish state. Intelligence Minister Dan Meridor told Israeli military radio that “the Lebanese government and its army hold sole responsibility for what happens” in southern Lebanon.

In Beirut, President Michel Sleiman denounced the attack on Israel, saying it was an “isolated” incident that breached his country’s commitment to international resolutions. “This... marks a violation of the stability in the south and a breach of UN Resolution 1701, Lebanese laws and Lebanon’s obligations to the international community, primarily the United Nations,” he said in a statement.

A security analyst and former UNIFIL member Timur Goksel said the attack did not bear characteristics of

Hezbollah. But he said the attack was unusual, first because it was in a Christian village not usually a site of rocket launchings, and second because the weapon used was a longer range Grad missile that had better aim compared to the older, shorter rockets which are fired randomly. “This looks more serious. The type of rocket and apparent targeting of settlements suggests they were not noisemakers, they actually hit something and didn’t mind causing casualties. This one could have caused huge mayhem,” he said.

The most recent exchange of fire along the always tense Israeli-Lebanese border was on Aug 1, when soldiers from the two countries opened fire along the Blue Line, the UN-drawn border. That incident came almost a year after Lebanese and Israeli troops traded fire along the same border, killing two Lebanese soldiers and a journalist along with a senior Israeli officer. In 2006, Israel launched a war against Hezbollah that destroyed much of Lebanon’s infrastructure and killed more than 1,200 Lebanese - mainly civilians - and 160 Israelis, mainly soldiers.

And in May 2011, tensions once again flared as protesters massed on the border between the two countries to mark the anniversary of the 1948 creation of the Jewish state, which Palestinians term the “nakba,” or catastrophe.

Israeli troops killed 10 people and wounded more than 110 others as protesters tried to flood across the border from Lebanon. — Agencies

Iranian protesters storm UK embassy Continued from Page 1

CAIRO: In this combo image, Egyptian women pose with their inked fingers after voting at a polling station yesterday. — AP

Sheikh Nasser will not return as PM...

Continued from Page 1 Unconfirmed reports said HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlSabah was expected to dissolve the Assembly soon, with some expecting it to happen as early as today.

There was no official word on the issue. Al-Khorafi yesterday suspended all Assembly sessions because of the government’s resignation and said no more sessions will be held until the new government is formed. Asked about opposition calls to dissolve the Assembly, AlKhorafi stressed that this is one of the Amir’s sole authorities, adding that “those who don’t like the Assembly can resign”. At a huge rally Monday night, almost all speakers appealed to the Amir to dissolve the Assembly because a quarter of its members are accused of corruption and to hold fresh polls.

Meanwhile, the opposition bloc and MP Musallam Al-Barrak yesterday launched a scathing attack against Al-Khorafi and held him responsible for the detention of 24 activists for storming the Assembly building two weeks ago. In a statement, the opposition called on AlKhorafi to withdraw the complaint he submitted to the public prosecution against those who stormed the Assembly building, saying the speaker is responsible for the action taken against the activists.

The public prosecution has ordered the detention of 24 activists for three weeks and freed nine others on a KD 1,000 bail each. But AlKhorafi said he had only lodged a complaint and not a lawsuit and the issue is now in the hands of the public prosecution. Al-Barrak however blasted Al-Khorafi as the speaker responsible for sending to jail Kuwaiti people and said the opposition will escalate the campaign against him if he does not withdraw the lawsuit. A small number of activists meanwhile protested outside the diwaniya of Al-Khorafi in Shamiya to urge him to withdraw the legal action against the activists.

The detained activists meanwhile continued their hunger strike for the fifth day in a row in protest

against what they called an oppressive and illegal detention. Dozens of supporters also joined them in their hunger strike in announcements they made on their Twitter accounts. “The resignation of the government is the first fruit of a campaign against corruption launched under the leadership of youths,” opposition Islamist MP Faisal Al-Mislem said yesterday on his Twitter account.

Kuwaiti opposition figures have been careful not to link the political unrest in the state to the Arab Spring revolutions that have so far unseated four Arab leaders, noting that their campaign is not directed against HH the Amir or the ruling family. “ The Arab Spring has reached Kuwait but with a difference,” said Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, a law student studying in Egypt. “No one (in Kuwait) is calling for toppling the regime or is challenging the ruling family,” Al-Mutairi said as he camped outside the Palace of Justice to protest against the detention of the youth activists.

A record number of some 90,000 protesters took to the streets of the Kuwaiti capital Monday demanding political reforms and an end to corruption. Kuwait, which sits on about 10 percent of global oil reserves, provides a cradle-to-grave welfare system with public sector jobs almost guaranteed for citizens, services offered at highly-subsidised rates and no taxation. The state has amassed over $300 billion in reserves following 12 consecutive years of surpluses thanks to high oil prices.

Much of the surplus was used to raise salaries for citizens, a fact that leaves outside observers wondering why Kuwaitis are protesting. “We want to fight corruption and expand democratic freedoms...

(Arab) countries around us are making democratic gains and we want to expand our democracy,” youth activist Nassar Al-Khaledi said.

Kuwait embarked on democratic reforms long before its Arab Gulf neighbours by introducing a parliament and a more liberal constitution as early as 1962. But many

believe the need for even more democratic change is necessary. The Kuwaiti system, often described as a “half democracy”, offers an elected parliament with powers to unseat the prime minister and Cabinet ministers. But the unelected 16-member Cabinet holds equal powers to elected MPs and can reject legislation passed by parliament.

Speakers at Monday night’s rally insisted their campaign is not directed against HH the Amir or the ruling family. The youth group “September 16” has called, however, for a constitutional monarchy, a premier from outside the ruling family and a reformed electoral system.

The Islamic Ummah Party on Monday called on the government to legalise political parties, an elected government and an independent election commission. The Progressive Movement, a liberal group, demanded a “full parliamentary system” to end the Al-Sabah monopoly over the premiership and the ministries of defence, interior and foreign affairs.

The opposition, a loose alliance of Islamists, liberals and nationalists with often conflicting political views, are united against the premier and the fight against corruption. “I think the best solution is to draw up an entirely new constitution,” said political analyst Dahem Al-Qahtani, insisting it should be done with the realms of a national conference, not in parliament or by the government. The opposition also has been pressing for economic reforms to end the country’s heavy reliance on oil which provides 94 percent of public revenues.

According to prominent Kuwaiti economist Jassem Al-Saadoun spending has grown from $14.5 billion in 2000 to $70.5 billion this year while the bill for subsidies and wages rose almost six fold to $47 billion during the same period.

About 500,000 young Kuwaitis are expected to enter the job market in the next 15 years, most of them seeking government jobs, putting further strain on a budget that currently pays 286,000 employee salaries, he said.

Iran to stay indoors. The United States, which cut off diplomatic ties to Iran after students stormed its own embassy in 1979, taking 52 Americans hostage for 444 days, was vigorous in criticising the events. “The United States condemns in the strongest terms the storming of the British Embassy in Tehran,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. “We urge Iran to fully respect its international obligations, to condemn the incident, to prosecute the offenders, and to ensure that no further such incidents take place either at the British Embassy or any other mission in Iran,” he said.

Other nations also condemned the violation of Britain’s diplomatic properties, with UN Security Council envoys meeting over the incident ahead of releasing a statement. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the embassy storming generated “extreme concern”. French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said that “once more, the Iranian regime has shown what little consideration it has for international law.” He emphasised that Iran was responsible for protecting all diplomatic missions in Tehran. Russia Iran’s closest ally - called the embassy attack “unacceptable and deserving condemnation”. The foreign ministry in Moscow called on Iranian authorities “to immediately restore order, investigate what happened, and prevent a repetition of such incidents.”

Iranian authorities responded

quickly to the international outcry.

The foreign ministry issued a statement expressing “regret for certain unacceptable behaviour by a small number of protesters”. It emphasised what it said was the Iranian government’s commitment “to protecting the rights of diplomats and diplomatic locations”. Tehran police chief General Hossein Sajadinia said several protesters had been arrested and would face the courts.

Yesterday’s demonstration had been organised days earlier, when Iranian lawmakers passed a law to kick out Britain’s ambassador in retaliation for London’s announcement last week that it was cutting off all relations with Iran’s financial sector. The measure was part of a raft of sanctions coordinated with the United States and Canada to pressure Iran over its nuclear program, which Western nations fear is being used to build an atomic arsenal. Britain has warned it will act “robustly ” if its ambassador is expelled. Its embassy on Monday had called on Iranian authorities “to ensure that British embassy staff and premises in Iran are adequately protected” during yesterday’s protest.

The demonstration started with hundreds of protesters gathering in the street outside the embassy. A smaller group clambered up the wall and got inside, ripping down Britain’s flag and replacing it with Iran’s, and breaking windows and trashing offices and vehicles. One protester

was seen with a looted portrait of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Others carried the royal crest out through the embassy gate as police stood by, pictures carried by Fars showed.

Demonstrators waved flags symbolising martyrdom and held portraits of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. After initial inaction, police went in repeatedly to chase out the protesters, finally succeeding after firing tear gas, according to the Fars news agency. Several protesters were injured, one critically. Several officers were also hurt.

Between 100 and 300 protesters got into Britain’s other compound in the north of Tehran, blocking the six British diplomats and taking what they said were “espionage” documents that they set fire to. The looting of the British embassy and compound came ahead of an EU foreign ministers’ meeting tomorrow that was expected to reveal new sanctions against Tehran. The European Union and the United States said on Monday they were considering extra measures to pressure Iran on its nuclear activities.

The West’s suspicions that Iran was seeking an atomic bomb were crystallised in a report by the UN nuclear watchdog this month that strongly suggested Tehran had researched nuclear warheads. Iran has repeatedly said its nuclear program has only peaceful, civilian purposes, and has warned it would respond to any military attack by raining missiles on Israel and Turkey. — Agencies

Norway killer found insane Continued from Page1 “The experts describe a person who finds himself in his own delusional universe, where all of his thoughts and acts are governed by these illusions,” prosecutor Svein Holden told reporters in Oslo. The two experts who conducted 13 interviews over 36 hours with the rightwing extremist described in their 243-page report a person who had “grandiose illusions whereby he believes he is to determine who is to live and who is to die”, Holden said.

He “committed these executions out of love for his people as he describes it,” Holden said.

On July 22, he first set off a car bomb outside government buildings in Oslo, killing eight people. After that, he went to the island of Utoeya, some 40 km northwest of Oslo, where, disguised as a police officer, he spent nearly an hour and a half methodically shooting and killing another 69 people attending a summer camp, most of them teenagers. The killings were the deadliest attacks committed in Norway since World War II, and profoundly shocked the normally tranquil nation.

Although he has confessed to the facts, Breivik has refused to plead guilty, claiming he was waging a war and that his actions were “atrocious but necessary”. The confessed killer, who previously said he was on a crusade against multiculturalism and the “Muslim invasion” of Europe, predicted according to the psychiatric evaluation a scenario whereby his alleged organisation, “the Knights Templar, take over power in Europe and he puts himself forward tentatively as the future regent in Norway”.

The populist rightwing and anti-immigration Progress Party, which once counted Breivik as a member, demanded a new evaluation of the gunman. “It is completely incomprehensible and surprising that an individual who has planned these acts in such detail and who has

proven himself capable of carrying them out should be declared unaccountable”, vice party chair Per Sandberg told the VG daily’s online edition.

Among survivors of the island massacre, reactions varied. “It feels good to hear that this man is crazy,” Adrian Pracon, who was seriously injured on Utoeya, said on microblogging site Twitter. “It was obvious that he was not normal, but you can have serious psychological symptoms and still be (criminally) responsible,” another survivor, Torunn Kanutte Husvik, told the NTB news agency. Jarl Robert Christensen, who lost his 15-year-old daughter on the island, hailed that the psychiatric conclusions were “the worst possible” for Breivik, who considers himself a great thinker. This “pulverises his whole ideology, and I feel good about that”, he told the commercial TV2 News Channel. “But for us, no punishment will ever be enough,” he added.

The psychiatric evaluation will now be examined by a committee of forensic experts before the court, which usually follows expert recommendations, makes the final call on whether Breivik should be considered criminally insane. The final conclusion will only affect sentencing and should have no impact on the criminal trial to determine his guilt, scheduled to start on April 16, 2012 and to last about 10 weeks. If he is declared criminally insane and sentenced to closed psychiatric care, a judge will review his sentence every three years.

If he recovers from his illness, he could theoretically be transferred to a prison if he were considered a threat to society. He could also be released if the opposite scenario were to present itself. His release is however considered a very unlikely scenario, and several lawyers of survivors and family members of the victims have said they are confident he will remain locked up for the rest of his life. — AFP

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

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Issues

New parliament to shake up Egypt power balance

By Tom Perry gypt’s new parliament could enjoy a popular mandate not seen for decades, bringing a new force to bear on the ruling military council and shaking up the balance of power in a country long ruled by autocrats. With voters queuing to cast their ballots, the strong turnout in parliamentary elections that began on Monday underlined the political revival that has swept Egypt since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February. The election promises to resuscitate a legislature that had acted as no more than a rubber stamp for Mubarak. Like his predecessors, the president who ruled for 30 years throttled political life and entrenched a system of one-man rule.

“Today, the ball goes back into the court of the political forces. Today, we are really starting our new regime,” Diaa Rashwan, an Egyptian political analyst told Reuters, reflecting on turnout that exceeded the expectations of election officials. “Power will be in the hands of the political forces. Real politics will be in the hands of the parliament,” he said. The new parliament could add pressure on the ruling generals, who are already facing street protests by revolutionaries and a broader section of the public angry at their management of the post-Mubarak era. Having assumed Mubarak’s sweeping powers, the generals have faced ever tougher public criticism for seeking to preserve military influence and privilege now that he has gone.

They say their only concern is to steer Egypt safely towards democracy.

For now, the fact that the first day of voting went off peacefully may deflect some of the criticism. This month was Egypt’s most volatile since Mubarak was ousted: 42 people were killed in violence triggered by protests against the generals. But suspicions about their transition plans are likely to persist, despite their denials that they want to keep power. Come January, when the three-phase election for the lower house of parliament is over, any party or coalition with a substantial share of seats will want a say in government.

The man picked by the generals to head a new interim cabinet has himself said a new parliament could seek to replace him. Prime Minister-designate Kamal Ganzouri, named by the council on Friday, said his term should last until July 1. By then, the generals say they will have handed power to a president expected to be elected in June. “But some people say: ‘no if there are elections, it might bring a majority that will form a new government’. This is all possible,” Ganzouri, a 78-year-old who served as a prime minister under Mubarak, said in an interview on Sunday.

The comments appeared at odds with messages from the army council, one of whose members has said the new parliament would not be able to dismiss the government or pick new ministers. The new parliament’s main task is to select a 100-member constituent assembly to write a constitution that will then be put to a referendum. Whether that can be done before the planned presidential election in June is hard to say. Nor is it clear if a new president will immediately dissolve parliament.

On paper, the generals will have the final say over all matters of state until the new president is installed.

Yet they may discover that the popular legitimacy enjoyed by the next assembly proves irresistible. Were they to ignore parliament the way Mubarak did, they might face a new wave of unrest from Egyptians who now know the power of the street. The balance of power in Egypt will have to be renegotiated once the election is complete, even though some Egyptians believe the rules set for the vote were flawed and a limited timeframe gave an unfair advantage to established groups.

But if the elections continue to go smoothly, parliament may enjoy more legitimacy and credibility than revolutionaries camped out in Tahrir Square, though their protest movement is unlikely to disappear soon.

Nabil Abdel Fattah, a political analyst, said it was doubtful the new parliament would be able to remove the government, though it might have a say over certain ministries. He foresaw even more complex political tussles, saying: “There is a chance of tension between parliament and Ganzouri, and the military council, and between all three of these and the revolutionary factions in the Egyptian squares.” — Reuters

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Can we stand together in Durban?

By Delarey Van Tonder Ambassador of South Africa to Kuwait clear and present danger. This is the only way to describe the threats posed by climate change to our planet and humanity as a whole on the eve of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) and the 7th Conference of the Parties serving as meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol under the auspices of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Durban South Africa from 28 Nov to 9 Dec 2011. It is expected that 20,000 delegates representing nearly 200 nations and numerous civil society groupings will attend the Conference. South Africa in partnership with the UNFCCC is expected to play a key role in managing the COP17 intergovernmental negotiations in order to shape the future architecture of the global climate change regime which remains one of the most politically divisive and complex areas currently under discussion within the international multilateral context.

Besides co-hosting a successful mega international event, South Africa’s primary aim is to establish legal guidelines to regulate the reduction of global carbon emissions in the coming years. Realistically, this will only be a step towards a new global regime on climate change. The international geopolitical landscape in which South Africa will be operating remains highly complicated, exacerbated by entrenched and varying national interests.

South Africa ultimately aims to uphold the integrity of the multilateral process by making progress on the unresolved issues agreed to in Bali, in 2007, especially towards a post -2012 global climate change regime, while also ensuring the implementation of the 2010 Cancun agreements. The South African government alone is not solely responsible for the outcome of COP 17 and in order to ensure that Durban ushers in a more viable, long-term climate change architecture, South Africa needs the cooperation of all stakeholders as well as the support of the global community.

A

Is Climate Change Real?

The phenomenon known as “climate change” refers to the ongoing trend of changes in the earth’s general weather conditions as a result of an average rise in the temperature of the earth’s surface often described as global warming. This rise in the average global temperature is due, primarily, to the increased concentration of gases known as greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere that are emitted by human activities. These gases intensify a natural phenomenon called the “greenhouse effect” by forming an insulating layer in the earth’s atmosphere that reduces the amount of the sun’s heat that radiates back into space and therefore has the effect of making the earth warmer.

While weather changes on a daily basis, climate represents the statistical distribution of weather patterns over time, and on a global scale has changed only very slowly in the past - usually over periods of thousands or even millions of years which allows time for the earth’s bio-physical systems to adapt naturally to the changing climatic conditions. Currently, the global climate is changing much more rapidly as a result of global warming, leading to, among others, the melting of polar and glacier ice, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, extreme changes in rainfall, rapid desertification and higher snowfall patterns, more frequent floods and droughts and increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as tornadoes, hurricanes and cyclones. The rapid rate of this climate change does not allow

the earth’s bio-physical systems to adapt to these changes naturally.

GHGs are emitted from, and are reabsorbed by, a variety of natural sources, but the rate at which human economies and societies are emitting these gases far exceeds the capacity of natural ecosystems to reabsorb them. Increased industrial activity has led to a rapid increase in the atmospheric concentration of GHGs such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, in large part due to the burning of fossil fuels derived from oil, coal and natural gas. Land-based human activities, such as forest clearing and unsustainable agricultural practices, are not only increasing GHG emissions from these sources, but are also reducing the earth’s natural ability to absorb GHGs. The evidence that current global warming is due to human activities associated with industrialisation and modern agriculture is overwhelming.

The rate of change to the earth’s climate exceeds the ability of all types of ecosystems (marine, coastal, freshwater, and terrestrial) to adapt as well as compromising their ability to function effectively.

Ecosystems provide important services to society, such as the formation of soil; the provision of food, fresh water, wood, fiber and fuel; the regulation of climate, floods and the spread of disease; protection from storm surges and floods; and a range of economic cultural, educational and recre-

7degreesC in the interior.

With such temperature increases, life as we know it will change completely: parts of the globe will be much drier and increased evaporation will ensure an overall decrease in water availability. This will significantly affect human health, agriculture, other water-intensive economic sectors as well as the environment in general. Increased occurrence and severity of veldt and forest fires; extreme weather events; and floods and droughts will also have significant impacts. Sea-level rise will negatively impact the coast and coastal infrastructure.

Mass extinctions of endemic plant and animal species will greatly reduce global biodiversity with consequent impacts on ecosystem services. How should national governments respond to climate change? In terms of the provisions of the UNFCCC as well as the Kyoto Protocol, national governments should develop national environmental policies and implement existing international legally binding obligations in order to: • Formulate, implement, publish and regularly update environmental policies, measures and programmes to mitigate its emission of GHGs and adapt to the adverse effects of inevitable climate change; • Monitor and report to the international community the country’s GHG inventory; steps taken and envisaged to implement provisions and objectives of the UNFCCC,

Activists dressed as trees protest the deforestation of the Amazon jungle in Brazil in Durban yesterday. — AP ational services. The protection of biodiversity, habitats and ecosystems is therefore a key pillar for sustainable development and prosperity of future generations.

Impact of climate change The science is clear that action to address the causes and impacts of climate change by a single country or small group of countries will not be successful. This is a global problem requiring a global solution through the concerted and cooperative efforts of all countries. Should multilateral and international action not effectively limit the average global temperature increase to below 2degreesC above pre -industrial levels, the potential impacts globally in the medium- to longterm are significant and potentially catastrophic. Even under emission scenarios that are more conservative than current international emission trends, it has been predicted that by mid-century the coastal areas will warm by 1 to 2degreesC and interior regions by 2 to 3degreesC. By 2100, warming is projected to reach 3 to 4degreesC along the coast, and 6 to

including information relevant for the calculation of global emission trends; • Sustainably manage, conserve and enhance terrestrial, coastal and marine ecosystems, biomass, forests and oceans; • Develop national and regional climate change response plans to address integrated coastal zone, water resources, agriculture, and land protection and rehabilitation; • Mainstream climate change considerations into social, economic and environmental policy; • Promote and cooperate in the development, application and transfer of GHG emission mitigation technologies, practices and processes; • Further develop and support domestic and international research networks and programmes as well as efforts to promote and strengthen systematic observation, research and technical capacities; • Develop and implement education, training and public awareness programmes on climate change and its effects and promote and facilitate scientific, technical and managerial skills as well as public access to

information, public awareness of and participation in addressing climate change.

Conclusions: Durban and beyond The stabilisation of GHG concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that prevents dangerous interference with the climate system requires the implementation of a sufficiently ambitious and effective global agreement on GHG emission reductions. As a responsible global citizen, and in keeping with its developing country status, its capability and its share of responsibility for the problem, South Africa is committed to making a fair contribution to the global effort to reduce GHG emissions. At the same time, the country must ensure that the necessary climate change-related investments contribute to building South Africa’s future economic competitiveness and economic growth and contribute to its over-riding national priorities for sustainable development, job creation, improving public and environmental health and poverty eradication.

South Africa’s adaptation and GHG emission reduction efforts will have significant short and long-term social and economic benefits, including investment and improved international competitiveness that will result from a transition to a lowercarbon green economy and society.

Furthermore, various economic studies have shown that the costs of early action will be far less than the costs of delay and inaction.

South Africa seeks an outcome in Durban which is balanced, fair and credible in order to preserve and strengthen the multilateral rules-based response to climate change. The approach to reach an inclusive and effective outcome in Durban is informed by the principles that form the basis of UNFCCC climate change negotiations. These principles include multilateralism, environment integrity, fairness (common but differentiated responsibility and respective capabilities as well as equity) and honouring of all international commitments and undertakings made in the international climate change process.

The Cancun Agreements must be operationalised, including the establishment of the key mechanism and institutional arrangements agreed to in Cancun. The Green Climate Fund represents a center piece of a broader set of outcomes for Durban. Developing countries demand a prompt start for the Fund through its early and initial capitalisation.

For Durban to be successful, we have to do more than making the Cancun Agreements operational. We have no option but to deal with the outstanding political issues remaining from the Bali Roadmap. This means finding a resolution to the issue of the second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol and agreeing on the legal nature of a future climate change system.

Adaptation is an essential element of the outcome in Durban as it is a key priority for many developing countries, particularly small island developing states and least developed countries and Africa. The current fragmented approach to adaptation must be addressed in a more coherent manner and give equal priority to adaptation and mitigation. Any outcome in Durban has to complement the principles of sustainable development and environmental integrity. In this context the low level of international ambition is a serious concern and visionary, strategic leadership will be required in order to reach beyond narrow interpretations of self interest in finding a global solution for the common good of all humanity. The challenge in Durban remains whether we can work together to save tomorrow today!

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

sp orts

Khan to move up a division LONDON: British light-welterweight Amir Khan said yesterday he will move up a division after his fight with Lamont Peterson in Washington next month if fellow unified champion Timothy Bradley continues to snub a showdown offer.

The 28-year-old Bradley has shown little interest in 24-year-old Khan’s attempts to lure him into the ring. And Khan believes that if Bradley, his only serious challenger for the position of world number one at 140lbs, continues to refuse a big-money unification bout he will have to shed his own light-welterweight belts and search bigger challenges at welterweight. “If the Bradley fight is there for me I’ll stay at 140lbs, but if not I’ll move up to 147lbs,” said Khan. “It’s nothing to do with the making the weight, it’s for the new challenge and motivation. “I want to meet new fighters and that is what is going to drive me. We’ll see what happens after this fight and whether Bradley is going to take the fight. If not I will move up to 147lbs.”

Khan makes his debut in the US capital at the Convention Center on December 10 and is relishing the prospect of taking on home favourite Peterson in another major American city.—AFP

Tribute match for Speed

Contador eyeing Olympics COPENHAGEN: Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador, who is awaiting the outcome of a doping appeal hearing, said yesterday he would compete in the London Olympics next year if possible.

The 28-year-old Contador, whose hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ended last week, was in the Danish capital for Team Saxo Bank’s presentation of 29 riders for next season before heading to a training camp in Israel.

Asked if his main objective was to win next year’s Tour de France, threetimes Tour champion Contador said: “Yes...I know it is very difficult...but I will work very hard for this.” The Tour could also serve as good preparation

for the July-August London Olympics, said Contador who won the Tour in 2007, 2009 and 2010. “Why not try this new challenge in London?”

Contador said. “It sounds interesting...if the possibility is there, I will give it a try.”

The Spaniard tested positive for the banned anabolic agent clenbuterol during the 2010 Tour de France but was cleared by the Spanish federation (RFEC) last February, only for the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to appeal against the decision to the CAS. Last week, sport’s highest court finished the hearing and said a decision was not expected before the end of 2011.—Reuters

LONDON: Neville Southall, the only man to play more times for Wales than Gary Speed, wants a memorial match staged at Cardiff ’s Millennium Stadium in honor of the former national manager.

Speed, 42, was found hanged at his home in Cheshire early on Sunday morning in an apparent suicide and an inquest into his death will be opened later yesterday.

“I’d love to see Wales play a game in an international week against players from his former clubs,” the 53-year-old Southall, a former Wales and Everton team mate of Speed’s, told British newspapers. “Get some of the Newcastle lads down, Everton, Bolton, Sheffield United, Leeds and dedicate the game to his family. “You don’t know what sort of state his finances are in.

Pack the Millennium and everyone can pay their respects. If that can’t be done, I’d like to see a proper footballing power turn up. It would be sombre, but a success.”

Southall also said the Wales Footballer of the Year Award should be named after Speed who had begun to transform Welsh fortunes having led them to three wins in a row.—Reuters

Wild stop Lightning

Benjamin Boutin rides in this file photo

French apprentice jockey dies after fall PARIS: An apprentice French jockey has died from his injuries after falling during a race, the French Jockeys Association said yesterday.

Benjamin Boutin, who was 21, was riding Game Of Legs in an apprentices’ race at Argentan in Normandy on Saturday when he fell after being accidentally blocked by another rider.

“He died on Monday, but after his fall he was already in a deep coma. (It was) irreversible,” French Jockeys Association President Ronan Thomas told The Associated Press. “All the jockeys are very affected by this. The French jockeys will ask the (race) commissioners to be even more vigilant with regards to racing lines.

“There is no such thing as zero risk, but we want to reduce it to the minimum.” Thomas said no blame should be attached to the rider who caused Boutin’s fall.

“After 400 meters the horse that was in front pulled back, in a totally normal way - you shouldn’t incriminate the (other) jockey in any way,” Thomas said. “He took a perfectly normal (racing) line, but

he cut off Benjamin Boutin’s path. “(Boutin’s) fall was unavoidable. There was no sudden movement that would explain this drama more easily, it’s more a case of the circumstances of the race.

(It was) totally accidental.”

Jockeys will wear black armbands at upcoming races and the jockeys’ association will ask for a racing prize to be named in honor of Boutin.

“All the jockeys will wear a black armband in honor of his family, a lot of jockeys will come to his funeral, which will normally be on Thursday morning, we’re still waiting for the official date,” Thomas said. “We will ask for a racing prize to bear Benjamin Boutin’s name in his honor.”

After being attended to locally, Boutin was transferred to the intensive care unit at Alencon hospital, where he died.

Boutin began his career at MaisonsLaffitte with Joel Remy, and when Remy retired he joined Didier Prod’homme’s stable. Boutin was riding Prorisks when he got his first win last year in Deauville, and he had 14 wins overall.—AP

Elena Runggaldier in action in this file photo

Women ski jumpers prepare for World Cup GENEVA: The inaugural World Cup season in women’s ski jumping begins in Norway on Saturday on the Lillehammer hill used by the men at the 1994 Olympics.

About 50 ski jumpers from 15 countries are expected to compete after the International Ski Federation finally persuaded the Olympic movement that the sport had the depth and quality required to become part of the Winter Games in 2014.

“From my experience, 50 women would be a nice number,” Chika Yoshida, the FIS coordinator for women’s ski jumping, told The Associated Press. “If we have a chance to show off our sport, women’s ski jumping will take off.”

FIS announced the first women’s World Cup calendar last April, one week after the International Olympic Committee approved the sport for the 2014 Sochi Games.

The IOC had twice rejected women’s ski jumping for the 2010 Vancouver program, arguing that it lacked elite competition.

Lillehammer opens a scheduled 14-event season, hosted at nine venues in seven countries. It ends next March in Oslo, where the sport earned its Olympic credibility last season. In fog and high winds last March, 43 women contesting the world championships showed the IOC how far their sport had pro-

gressed. Silver medalist Elena Runggaldier of Italy defied the difficult weather to record the longest leap of 97.5 meters.

The women’s second-tier Continental Cup competition began only seven years ago, while men’s ski jumping featured in the first Winter Olympics, at the 1924 Games in Chamonix, France.

“It has had to grow up quite quickly,” Yoshida said in a phone interview. “If you see the history of men’s jumping, (the women’s event) has not had long.” Yoshida now wants to build on the IOC’s show of faith.

“I really feel an extremely big responsibility with all the organizers and athletes,” she said in a phone interview. “Everything is a challenge, not just for the athletes. It’s also a challenge for the organizers, for the marketing and also for me personally and FIS.” Reigning world champion Daniela Iraschko of Austria, who also won the Continental Cup event at Lillehammer last year, will start favorite to take the title at the end of the season.

Lindsey Van, who won the inaugural worlds gold in 2009, joins a strong American challenge with teammate Jessica Jerome.

Teenagers Coline Mattel of France and Japan’s Sara Takanashi are also expected to be podium contenders.—AP

ST. PAUL: Minnesota goaltender Niklas Backstrom rebounded from a rough outing and made 32 saves to help the Wild beat Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 in the NHL on Monday and widen its Northwest Division lead.

Steven Stamkos scored again for the Lightning, but Cal Clutterbuck’s short-handed goal and Pierre-Marc Bouchard’s goahead score in the second period proved enough for the Wild.

Mikko Koivu had an empty-net goal to pad the lead in a quick, clean game that featured only four penalties. Stamkos has nine goals in 11 games and four goals in his past four.

Backstrom was part of the team that let in five goals against Calgary the previous game, but improved to 5-1-1 in his career against the Lightning.

Kings 2, Sharks 0 In Los Angeles, Jonathan Quick earned his NHL-leading fourth shutout of the season in his 200th regular-season game, helping Los Angeles down San Jose.

Quick made 33 saves, coming up big numerous times during two San Jose power plays in the final 41/2 minutes of the second period en route to his 18th career shutout.

Ethan Moreau ended a 58game goal drought with his first goal since October 2009, and Mike Richards scored his ninth goal in 10 games for the Kings.

The Sharks were shut out for the third time this season.

LOS ANGELES: Anze Kopitar No. 11 of the Los Angeles Kings has the puck taken away by Justin Braun No. 61 and Marc-Edouard Vlasic during the second period at Staples Center. —AFP

Predators 2, Oilers 1 In Edmonton, Nick Spaling scored the go-ahead goal to end Nashville’s four-game skid with victory over Edmonton. Spaling netted the winning goal with 7:39 remaining after Jordin Tootoo sent a backhanded pass in front to him for his third of the season.

Shea Weber also scored for the

Predators. Jordan Eberle had the lone goal for the Oilers.

Stars 3, Avalanche 1 In Denver, Andrew Raycroft stopped 35 shots for his first win in nearly a year, as Dallas beat Colorado. Raycroft made his first start since taking over for Kari Lehtonen, who was placed on the

injured list after suffering a knee injury on Sunday. Michael Ryder scored twice and Eric Nystrom added his eighth of the season for the Stars. Kevin Porter scored his first this season for the Avalanche, who have won only four of 13 at home. Colorado entered with the NHL’s second-best power play, but went 0 for 3.—AP

New Meyer, but same old problem NEW YORK: At least they got their stories straight, which is no small accomplishment given the recent histories of both Urban Meyer and Ohio State.

Even as he was introducing the Buckeyes’ new head coach Monday, athletic director Gene Smith went out of his way to say their first real conversation about the job was eight days earlier, and Meyer confirmed it a few moments later in response to a follow-up question. “I got, like, a ridiculous number of letters and emails. You’re not talking about that, right?” Meyer said.

As for the rumors and a handful of reports that had the Ohio native and one-time Buckeye assistant pegged for the job soon after Jim Tressel walked away in disgrace last May, Meyer said with a chuckle, “Yeah, but it was some 12-year-old in an Ohio State sweatshirt.” Then flexed his muscles to squeeze out a few extra laughs.

If signing the best available coach in the business was that easy - and a repor ted 6-year, $40-million contract certainly didn’t hurt - keeping Meyer on the job until the end of the deal could prove a lot tougher.

He insists he’s no longer the control freak who fired off messages to his staff at Florida from a pew in church on some Sundays, nor the perfectionist so consumed by losing that he dropped 20 pounds in little more than a week trying to make sure he didn’t lose again. He says he feels great and that the health scare that prompted his decision to retire and then un-retire in the span of 24 hours is behind him, that a year working in the T V booth instead of on the sideline taught him that balancing football, family and fitness was not an impossible act.

At one point, Meyer even reached into a jacket pocket and pulled out a contract he negotiated with his wife and k ids “tougher than any contract I’ve ever signed in my life,” is how he

put it - to make sure he kept his priorities straight. “I’ve been to a place and I don’t want to go back,” Meyer said.

But in almost the very next breath, he said he intended to start his tenure at Ohio State the same way he did at Florida - and Bowling Green and Utah before that - where Meyer won almost everything in sight and then set his sights even higher. That part was fine, since nobody wins two national championships without being driven. The only thing he plans to change is succumbing

such thing, and I fell victim to that.”

Per fection will hardly be a goal early on, but just holding onto the Buckeyes’ hard-earned perch in an improving Big Ten might be. Meyer is a wizard at recruiting talent, both players and assistant coaches, and the Buckeyes tradition and deep pockets will afford him plenty of advantages.

But until the NCAA weighs in on whether the football program’s self-punishment fits the raft of infractions that took place

TUSCALOOSA: In this Oct. 2, 2010 file photo, Florida coach Urban Meyer reacts in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Alabama. —AP

to the burnout that caused him to relax his grip on the game once he reached the top.

‘When I coached at Florida, I went through some stages. I hope I’m that same guy - not hope - I will be the same guy at the beginning of my tenure and that was a guy that did have balance, that took care of himself. ...

I think as it rolled on, we were dealing with some magical things going on there and then, pursuit of perfection.

“I think at the end of the day,” he added, almost grudgingly, “we all understand there’s no

under Tressel, Meyer won’t even know how much ground he has to make up. The school proposed two years’ probation, the loss of five scholarships over the next three seasons and offered to return $339,000 in bowl money from 2010. A final decision on the matter is due within weeks.

“I think that’s where faith and trust has to come in. I have great faith and trust in our athletic director and president,” Meyer said.

“That conversation was had and I did a little bit of research.

But at the end of day, I had the

same question you had: ‘Is there anything behind door No. 2, No. 3, No. 4?’ And I feel very confident and have great trust that there’s not,” he added. “ We’ll have to deal with that scholarship issue and I have great trust that we will and we’ll move forward.”

During his year on the outside of college football looking in, Meyer said he was troubled by many of the same issues that bothered him at the end of his run at Florida - “trying to cure NCAA issues, agent issues, drug issues.” “I tried to do other people’s jobs, maybe to a fault,” he conceded.

Yet considering how much funny business went down at Ohio State last season, not to mention the more than two dozen player arrests that marked Meyer’s stay at Florida, letting his guard down won’t be an option.

Given that expectations are the same in Columbus as they are in Gainesville, and that he’s starting his new job with close to the same talent level and - at the very least - a few less scholarships, it’s tough to see where Meyer is going to find the added time to look after himself. In the midst of that bizarre gone tomorrow, here-today drama at Florida two years ago, Meyer’s close friend, Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley, talked about what it was like working in the office next to the coach: “Every single facet of this program, every detail, every player issue, staff issue, game-planning, just an unbelievable amount of preparation, then recruiting - it never ceases,” he said. “Is Urban Meyer going to be coaching football when he’s 60 doing it the way he’s doing it now? No. I knew that when he signed the new contract. ... You can’t keep up that kind of pace.”

Meyer is only 47 and says he’s not that guy anymore. “I don’t want to be a guy that sleeps in the office,” he said. This time we won’t have to wait six seasons to find out.—AP

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

S P ORT S

Tebow still unable to silence doubters NEW YORK: Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow has earned a 5-1 record since taking over the starting role but is still the subject of a raging debate about whether he has a longterm future in the National Football League (NFL).

Tebow led the Broncos to their fourth straight win on Sunday with the team now playing an option offense that is rarely used in the NFL but which Denver coach John Fox has wisely realised works best for his unorthodox quarterback.

Put simply, Denver are bucking the convention in a modern-day NFL that says your offense must be based almost entirely around accurate passing.

Instead, the Broncos are playing to Tebow’s strength by running the ball and letting their athletic quarter-

back do plenty of the running himself. During Sunday’s overtime win over the San Diego Chargers, Tebow carried the ball 22 times for 67 yards, the most carries by a quarterback in a game since 1950.

So much for the option offense being unsuited for the NFL, and so much for the ‘novelty’ of Tebow being quickly worked out by opposing defenses.

Fox has been frank in his views about the need to improvise the offense to fit with Tebow, telling NFL.com recently: “If we were trying to run a regular offense, he’d be screwed.”

After Sunday’s win, which moved the Broncos within a game of the AFC West-leading Oakland Raiders, Fox offered a little more detail.

“Part of coaching is putting your

players in the best position to take advantage of their abilities. Timmy’s got outstanding abilities. He proved it at a high level of college football,” said Fox. “It’s something that he’s comfortable with, I think our team’s adapted to it and right now I think it’s working in the run portion of our offense but he’s still got some growth to do in the pass portion.”

Tebow has been at his best when his team has needed to come from behind. Sunday’s win was the fourth time he led Denver to a win after trailing or being tied in the fourth quarter.

But still there are questions - as Fox intimated Tebow’s passing remains sketchy. He went 9-of-18 for 143 yards on Sunday but rarely looks comfortable when he has to throw.

Then there is the latest response to dealing with the unexpected success of the Floridian - giving credit for the wins to other members of the Broncos. “The recipe for the Broncos winning five of six is not Tebow, Tebow and more Tebow. It’s defense and the running game keeping things close.” Peter King wrote in his Monday column for SI.com.

There is no doubt that the stingy Denver defense has been a major factor in the team’s success. In the last three games they have allowed an average of 277 yards and 9.6 points.

And the running game is by no means all about Tebow as running back Willis McGahee was in outstanding form on Sunday, rushing for 117 yards on 23 carries.

But the Tebow factor is there. His

winning approach is evident in the way the team fights until the end, the way he keeps his nerve in the decisive final minutes and the way team mates, many expected to be skeptical of him, have rallied around him. There is, of course, another factor which explains the national obsession with Tebow that goes beyond discussions of technique and strategies - call it the ‘culture war’ aspect.

Tebow brings his religious beliefs into interviews and, by kneeling and praying on the sideline during games, onto the field. While some enjoy that, others are unimpressed.

Former Denver quarterback Jake Plummer, caused a stir by saying he would prefer it if there was less public praise of Jesus from Tebow in post-game comments.

“I’m not dissing the guy for his beliefs. He obviously is a good kid.

He’s got a lot of strong morals and values - it’s just I’ll Tivo (record) it and then I’ll mute it. I don’t have to hear it. It’s our option, we can listen if we want,” he told Denver sports radio station 102.3 The Ticket.

Plummer though is able to separate his views on the cultural aspect of Tebow and his ability on the field.

“What it is about in the NFL is winning ... that’s all the fans should worry about really. If the ball is in his hands and there is a decisive moment in a game, he is going to make plays,” said Plummer.

“He might not throw a 30-yard seam route for a touchdown but he might run it 30 yards and dodge a bunch of people. Either way, it is exciting.” —Reuters

Saints blow out Giants

NEW ORLEANS: Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (80) gains a first down on an 18-yard reception as New York Giants defensive back Deon Grant (34) and middle linebacker Jacquian Williams (57) defend during the first quarter of an NFL football game. —AP

NFL standings American Football Conference AFC East W L T OTLPF PA New England 8 3 0 0 331 223 NY Jets 6 5 0 0 256 241 Buffalo 5 6 0 0 261 281 Miami 3 8 0 1 212 206

PCT .727 .545 .455 .273

National Football Conference NFC East Dallas 7 4 0 0 270 225 NY Giants 6 5 0 0 252 277 Philadelphia 4 7 0 0 257 251 Washington 4 7 0 1 183 222

.636 .545 .364 .364

NFC North 11 0 0 0 382 227

Baltimore Pittsburgh Cincinnati Cleveland

8 8 7 4

AFC North 3 0 0 3 0 0 4 0 0 7 0 0

Houston Tennessee Jacksonville Indianapolis

8 6 3 0

AFC South 3 0 0 5 0 0 8 0 0 11 0 0

293 226 138 150

176 212 200 327

.727 .545 .273 0

New Orleans Atlanta Tampa Bay Carolina

8 7 4 3

NFC South 3 0 0 4 0 1 7 0 0 8 0 0

362 259 196 252

249 227 291 305

.727 .636 .364 .273

Oakland Denver San Diego Kansas City

7 6 4 4

AFC West 4 0 0 5 0 0 7 0 2 7 0 0

260 221 249 153

274 260 275 265

.636 .545 .364 .364

San Francisco Seattle Arizona St. Louis

9 4 4 2

NFC West 2 0 1 7 0 0 7 0 0 9 0 1

262 185 213 140

161 232 256 270

.818 .364 .364 .182

269 233 259 165

182 188 215 216

.727 .727 .636 .364

Green Bay 1.000 Detroit Chicago Minnesota

7 4 7 4 2 9

0 0 0

0 0 1

316 246 .636 288 232 .636 214 295 .182

NEW ORLEANS: New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees passed for 363 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another score as the Saints rolled to a 49-24 victory over New York on Monday, extending the Giants losing skid to three NFL games.

Tight end Jimmy Graham had five catches for 84 yards, including touchdowns of 5 and 29 yards. Brees’ two other scoring strikes went to Lance Moore, who had five catches for 54 yards.

This was a game New York was desperate to win after losing its previous two to San Francisco and Philadelphia.

Instead, the Giants (6-5) dropped a game behind first-place Dallas in the NFC East and face the likelihood of a four-game losing streak given they host unbeaten Green Bay next weekend.

The Giants took a beating on the scoreboard and on the field. Defensive end Osi Umenyiora went out with a sprained ankle and receiver Hakeem Nicks was rocked by a vicious collision with Saints rookie safety Isa Abdul-Quddus.

Nicks stayed in the game despite bruised ribs.

Giants quarterback Eli Manning passed for 406 yards, but most of that came after the Saints had a big lead. He also was intercepted by linebacker Will Herring in the end zone on the team’s first series.

The Giants, who have been struggling to run the ball all season and were without leading rusher Ahmad Bradshaw, gained only 73 yards on the ground. The Saints (8-3), meanwhile, maintained a one-game lead over Atlanta in the NFC South.

They also padded their rushing stats with 205 yards on the ground, including touchdown runs of 12 yards by Pierre Thomas and 35 yards by rookie Mark Ingram.

The Saints never trailed, striking first early in the second quarter on Brees’ 4-yard touchdown pass to Moore, who snagged a quick throw on the right side and dove to stretch the ball across the goal line before he was tackled.

The 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive included a 23-yard pass to Graham and a 23-yard run by Darren Sproles, and it was the first of three touchdown drives of more than 80 yards in the opening half.

The only scoring the Giants managed in the first half was Lawrence Tynes’ 42-yard field goal.

Tynes also attempted a 61-yarder, which fell short, at the end of the half.

Marques Colston had three catches for 78 yards, all on the Saints’ 34-second, 88-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter that gave New Orleans a 21-3 halftime lead.

Colston’s longest reception went for 50 yards when he caught a pass along the left sideline, slipped a tackle and raced up field.

The Giants did not get into the end zone until Brandon Jacobs steamrolled safety Roman Harper on an 8-yard scoring run that made it 21-10 in the third quarter, but the Saints went right back down the field and scored on Brees’ 8-yard scramble.

After Giants running back Da’Rell Scott fumbled on his own 29, Brees connected with Graham, who rumbled down the left sideline and dove for the pylon for his second TD of the game, and his team-leading eighth receiving score of the season. —AP

Nadal tired but ready for Davis Cup final SEVILLE: Rafael Nadal is tired but still motivated to lead Spain in its attempt to win a fifth Davis Cup title against Argentina.

Spain’s top-ranked player had provoked alarm in his home country last week when he said he felt “less passionate for the game” after being eliminated from the ATP World Tour Finals.

Following a practice session for the Davis Cup final which begins Friday, Nadal said Monday that his words had been exaggerated.

“Things get blown out of proportion very often because conclusions are drawn far beyond the meaning of what’s said,” Nadal said.

“It’s true that this season has been tough. More than a lack of passion, it is a weariness from many years of playing at this level, week after week.

“The important thing now is to work each day at 100 percent with the excitement needed to win the Davis Cup.” The contest is a repeat of the

2008 final, when Spain won 3-2 on a hard indoor surface in Argentina despite missing Nadal because of injury.

This time Nadal will lead a Spain team on the clay surface at Olympic Stadium which includes the fifthranked David Ferrer and probable doubles partners Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco.

Argentina is seeking its first title in four attempts. Juan Martin del Potro and David Nalbandian could face Nadal and Ferrer in the singles rubbers.

Juan Monaco, Juan Ignacio Chela and Eduardo Schwank fill out Argentina’s provisional squad with captain Tito Vazquez needing to trim his team to four players before the Dec. 1 draw.

“They have great players, all of which stand out on the circuit, so the only thing we can do is concentrate on reaching the final as prepared as possible and then hope our rivals don’t have an inspired weekend,” Nadal said.—AP

Rafael Nadal reacts during a tennis training session

STRASBOURG: A file picture shows Finnish Kimi Raikkonen waving as he enters his Citroen C4 WRC. —AFP

Raikkonen returns to F1 with Lotus LONDON: Former world champion Kimi Raikkonen will make an eagerlyanticipated comeback to Formula One next season after signing a two-year contract with Lotus, the team currently known as Renault said yesterday.

The 32-year-old Finn won his title with Ferrari in 2007 but quit Formula One two years later and switched to rallying.

“I’m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid,” Raikkonen, who also had discussions with former champions Williams, said in a team statement.

The team, no longer owned by Renault, will race under the name of their title sponsor Lotus from next season. They did not say who Raikkonen’s team mate would be, although Russian Vitaly Petrov has a contract for 2012.

France’s Romain Grosjean, this year’s GP2 champion, had been widely expected to take the second seat.

The taciturn but par t y-loving Raikkonen, who has won 18 races with McLaren and Ferrari in a Formula One career that started with Sauber in 2001, remains hugely popular with the fans who know him as the ‘Iceman’.

He said the two years he spent in rallying had been useful for him as a driver, but that he had an overwhelming hunger to return to Formula One. “I have been impressed by the scope of the team’s ambition. Now I’m looking forward to playing an important role in pushing the team to the very front of the grid,” added the Finn.

His prospects of doing that remain ver y much an open question, with Renault finishing this season fifth overall and without a win since double champion Fernando Alonso was driving for them in 2008.

The team has changed considerably since their championship glory days and, despite starting this year with two podium finishes, have rarely been able to take the fight to the top teams above them.

S even-times world champion M ichael S chumacher, R aik konen’s Ferrari predecessor who started his comeback last year after three seasons away, has yet to return to the podium

with fourth-placed Mercedes.

While many felt Schumacher left Ferrari too early, Raikkonen’s time at the Italian team after he won his championship by a single point was characterised by a sense of disinterest.

Never a driver with much interest in media or sponsor commitments, Raikkonen always did his talking on the track and Lotus will be hoping the man they get is more reminiscent of five years ago than the 2009 Ferrari version.

“All year long, we kept saying that our team was at the start of a brand new cycle,” said Gerard Lopez, chairman of team owners Genii Capital.

“Kimi’s decision to come back to Formula One with us is the first step of several announcements which should turn us into an even more serious contender in the future.”

Raikkonen’s presence means the Formula One grid will have six champions-the others being Alonso, Jenson Button, Lewis Hamilton, Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel-lining up to start the season in Melbourne next March.

Poland’s Rober t Kubica, the Pole who was supposed to be Renault ’s leading driver this year, will not be there after missing the entire season due to life-threatening injuries sustained in a rally accident in February.

Out of contract with Renault at the end of this year, Kubica’s chances of racing in 2012 now look more remote af ter R aik konen’s appointment, although he has been linked to Ferrari.

Few vacancies remain in Formula One, with the main focus now on Williams.

Germany’s Adrian Sutil is expected to join Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado at that team, leaving veteran Brazilian Rubens Barrichello out in the cold, with Force India understood to have Britain’s Paul di Resta and German N ico Hulkenberg signed up.

The top four teams will have unchanged line-ups in 2012 but Red Bull have a headache with four youngsters from their driver programme chasing two seats at Toro Rosso.

One of them, HRT’s Australian Daniel Ricciardo, has been strongly linked to a move to Caterham, formerly Team Lotus, in place of Jarno Trulli and despite the Italian having a contract. —Reuters

A

y

e niv rsar n

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

sp orts

Years

Tindall’s exoneration underlines chaos at RFU SINGAPORE: Mike Tindall’s partial exoneration and restoration to English rugby’s elite player squad will allow the 2003 World Cup winner a more dignified exit from the international set-up, but it does little to banish the image of a governing body in disarray.

Tindall was booted out of the squad and fined 25,000 pounds ($38,900) earlier this month for his antics on a night out in the New Zealand resort town of Queensland during England’s dismal World Cup campaign.

The 33-year-old, who earlier this year married the Queen’s grand-daughter Zara Phillips, was punished after being captured on film drinking with a “mystery blonde” as one tabloid termed it, and wrestling with team mates.

He remained part of the England team throughout the campaign, but the incident, and an absence of any apology

from the vice captain, dogged England throughout the World Cup. The centre was removed from the squad on his return following an inquest led by the Rugby Football Union’s elite rugby director Rob Andrew.

That the RFU’s acting chief executive Martyn Thomas on Monday night overturned the punishment, and reduced the fine to 15,000 pounds ($23,300), will only have increased the friction in the upper tiers of the sport’s governing body in England.

It comes at a time when they are trying to find a new chief executive, appoint a new national team coach, and start to build for hosting the 2015 World Cup. National coach Martin Johnson quit amid the fall-out of the New Zealand tournament, in which England were beaten by France in the quarter-finals, and just before a trio of confidential reports into

McIlroy aims for HK Open success HONG KONG: World number two Rory McIlroy said yesterday he had flown into Hong Kong determined to capture a title he has long desired and thereby crown a tumultuous past 12 months.

“It would be great to finish the season off well with win - it is a tournament I have wanted to win for the past number of years,” the 22-year-old said.

“Hong Kong is a tournament that is one of the first on my schedule every year. I absolutely love the place and I loved it from the first moment I got here in 2005,” McIlroy added. Since last visiting the southern Chinese city in 2010 McIlroy has experienced a year which saw both a final-round blowout at the US Masters in April and an almost faultless four rounds at the US Open in June to win by eight stokes. “It’s been an interesting year for me to say the least,” the Northern Irish star said. “There have been a few changes on the golf course and off the golf course and I have enjoyed every minute of it.” A well-publicised split with longtime manager Andrew “Chubby” Chandler and his continuing romance with world number one tennis player Caroline Wozniacki have ensured that McIlroy has never strayed far from the headlines.

“From having a great chance at the start of the year at Augusta (US Masters) and not quite getting it done there, I learned a lot about myself and about what I actually needed to do to become a Major champion and I feel I put a lot of that into practice at the US Open,” McIlroy said.

“Things have happened but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he added. The Northern Irishman has twice finished second at the UBS Hong Kong Open — in 2008

and 2009 — while last year he was in contention right up until the halfway point in the final round before fading to finish sixth, four strokes behind eventual winner Ian Poulter.

McIlroy flew into Hong Kong late on Monday night after a whirlwind few days which saw him partner Graeme McDowell into joint-fourth place behind the United States at the World Cup, in Hainan, China.

He then spent Monday in Yokohama playing a special earthquake/tsunami relief charity event alongside Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa.

McIlroy has an added incentive in that he has to secure victory in Hong Kong if he is to have any chance of overhauling England’s world number one Luke Donald in this season’s European Order of Merit race.

The Hong Kong Open is co-sanctioned by the European and Asian tours and serves as the penultimate event on the European calendar.

Donald is more than one million euros clear of McIlroy and ahead also of Germany’s Martin Kaymer but neither Donald not Kaymer are playing in Hong Kong this week, gifting their rival the chance to rein them in.

McIlroy would also have to claim victory in the season-ending Dubai World Championship, and he admitted it would take something “really special” to achieve the Order of Merit crown.

Also competing in the Hong Kong Open — which starts on Thursday — is defending champion Poulter, world number 16 Justin Rose, and South Korea’s Y.E. Yang, who won the US PGA Championship in 2009, making him the first Asian player to claim one of the sport’s four Majors.—AFP

Bowl Room Open KUWAIT: The Bowl Room Open bowling tournament kicked off on Monday, at the Bowl Room hall at 360 Mall, and will continue until Dec. 23. Professionals and fans of bowling are participating in this tour-

nament. Valuable prizes will be distributed to par ticipants. The Bowl Room includes 16 lanes and a special VIP Hall that can be reserved by groups and companies.

Al Qwassem team

the World Cup debacle was leaked to The Times newspaper.

Thomas, who leaves the RFU next month, said that there had been mitigating factors and that Tindall had not deliberately misled the RFU management team when he said he could not remember where he was on the night of Sept. 11.

“He was relying on other people’s versions of events which were relayed to him,” Thomas said. “There was no evidence of sexual impropriety of any nature with the woman in question and we accept the fact that she is a family friend who he has known for a long time.”

Thomas also said Tindall had expressed “deep regret” at the appeal meeting and apologised to former head coach Johnson and his England team mates.

The reports which were earlier this month leaked to The Times featured a litany of comments from players, provided on condition of anonymity, and many were critical of the senior players’ behaviour and drinking.

Thomas said: “It is, however, important to stress that we believe Mike’s behaviour fell way below that to be expected of somebody of his calibre and experience. He exposed himself to a very compromising position and exposed the rest of the team to damaging publicity.”

Thomas said the elite performance squad would be reviewed on Jan. 1, and that the decision to overturn Tindall’s exclusion would not prevent those deciding the composition of the elite squad from taking into account the Queenstown incident when making that decision.

Once a new England management is

in place, and with a World Cup on home soil in 2015 to plan for, it would seem unlikely Tindall will add to his 75 caps in the future given his age and the need to blood younger players, but at least Thomas’s ruling allows the player to make that decision for himself.

Thomas’s decision was welcomed by the Rugby Players Association with chief executive Damian Hopley saying: “We have always maintained that the original judgement was misguided and mishandled and it is our assertion that Mike has been unfairly treated as a scapegoat on this matter. “The reduction in the fine and reinstatement into the full England EPS Squad confirms this.

“The significant reputational damage to all the parties involved in this matter is something that we feel could have been avoided with the appropriate action taken at the time.”—Reuters

Cooper ponders long road back to Wallabies MELBOURNE: Having promised a shot at rugby immortality, the World Cup instead delivered Quade Cooper a shattered knee, a bruised ego and a sense that nothing can ever again be taken for granted. The New Zealandborn Wallaby now sits on the sidelines, waiting for his knee ligaments to mend as his team mates prepare for their clash with Wales at Cardiff ’s Millennium stadium on Saturday.

Rubbing salt into the wounds, James O’Connor’s marauding turn at flyhalf in the Wallabies’ 60-11 drubbing of the invitational Barbarians last week has stoked talk of Cooper losing grip on the position he has owned for the past two years.

The 23-year-old from the logging town of Tokoroa on New Zealand’s North Island can do little but try to remain positive while he studies videos of himself and plots the next stage of his drama-filled career.

“It’s not so tough watching them because I’m watching them do a good job and you still feel a part of it,” the soft-spoken flyhalf told Reuters in an interview in Melbourne, describing his time off the pitch as a “privilege”.

“But at the same time when you are having the break, you say ‘I wish I was playing’. You’ve gotta look at it from a positive point of view and try to get myself back to being a better player and deal with this injury.

“It’s good you know, someone has to be in that position when I’m not there and to see that (O’Connor’s) doing a great job is only gonna help the team.

“If I do get a chance to go back and play, to have that knowledge of each other, how we play and to see him doing so well, it’s only going to give himself confidence and the team confidence.” Cooper has not lacked opportunities to refine the art of looking on the bright side, having arrived in the country of his birth to a villain’s wel-

The Alleygators

come in the lead-up to the World Cup. Dubbed a “cheap shot-artist” and “public enemy number one” by a hostile local media, Cooper was booed by local spectators every time he got near the ball. The pressure appeared to tell as the mercurial playmaker cut a jumpy figure in the tournament, with kicks flying off the side of his boot and his normally laser-sharp passes missing targets. His World Cup ended with a standing ovation from the crowd,

me from an outsider looking in,” said Cooper after walking gingerly onto a training pitch. “My team mates-everything seemed quite normal to me.

“I was lucky enough to have a great supporting network around me, I’ve got great family, great friends, obviously a great girlfriend as well so hopefully, having that kind of support I’ll be better off for it. “Going through all those experiences puts you in a better position, the only way you can learn is

Quade Cooper in action in this file photo but it was sympathetic applause as he limped off the pitch early in the Wallabies’ bronze medal victory over Wales, his knee having collapsed during one of his trademark side-steps.

“I don’t know if (the scrutiny) got to

being thrust into it.”

Cooper has contemplated the end of his Wallabies career before. In 2009, he was charged with burglary after taking two laptops from a residence after a night out in Queensland’s Gold

The Bowling Stones

Coast.

Humiliated by the media scandal and suspended by the Australian Rugby Union, the charges were later dropped. He recovered to cement his place in coach Robbie Deans’s Wallabies squad and in partnership with scrumhalf Will Genia, drove the Queensland Reds to the southern hemisphere’s Super rugby title earlier this year.

There was very little swagger in Cooper’s bearing on Monday as he hobbled around, flicking passes to a state politician and a former Wales player for a photo-shoot to promote the British and Irish Lions Tour to Australia in 2013. He faces at least another five months on the sidelines following his knee reconstruction and is expected to miss at least half of next year’s Super season.

It may then take weeks to gain match fitness, leaving him scrambling to prove himself ready to return for the Wallabies’ June tests against Wales and Scotland.

Although he speaks of himself as the incumbent flyhalf and a career Wallaby, when pressed, Cooper conceded his future remained up in the air and bound by only one year left on his national contract.

Having been wooed by clubs in Australia’s hugely popular National Rugby League, a return to the rival code he played in his school days remains a temptation.

“It does (appeal) in some respects,” he said. “It’s a game that I haven’t played in a couple of years since I was at school and it’s a game that I enjoyed playing.

“I enjoyed my time playing rugby union as well and I’ve achieved a lot of things I’ve set out to as a young kid but there’s always a lot more that you can achieve. “I’ve got the opportunities to play for the Wallabies again... hopefully, given that chance.”—Reuters

West End Watches Co. team

iBowl strike down Fire Fly West End Watch Co. back on track KUWAIT: In a week where most of the pace setters are under pressure league leader Al Qwassem stood tall by keeping the lead after routing Solo Sorisso in the 12th week. The Time masters of West End Watches Co. got back on track and closed in at No.5 in the intermediate group.

While The Kuwait Federation Bowlers maintain their position at No.2, Pin Pointers lead in the Greenie Group. Fire Fly got struck down in a stunning match up with iBowl. Three weeks will decide which teams will lock in their respective categories.

Meanwhile, Al Qwassem the No.1 standing in the champion group who finally played against Solo Sorisso at No.4 position also in the Championship group found themselves evenly matched. As the teams bowled toe to toe in the opening game, Al Qwassen crew of Ali Boulishi, Ayad Amiri, Fahad Abul, Fahad Rughaib & Yacoub Shatti eventually subdued Solo Sorisso magnates 820-735.

The nip and tuck affair continued on the next game where Solo Sorisso pulled off a 928-822 victory. Sensing danger Al Qwassem once again revamped its lineup in game three and this move earned them a decisive 882-819 win.

Suiting up for Solo Sorisso (Just Smile) in this match were Abdullah Behbehani, Ibrahim Al Jaddi, Mohammed AlRashed, Nawaf Al Hassan & Hamoud Al-Rashed.

In another upset of some sort, iBowl took advantage of a surprisingly weak spot of Fire Fly with a 2142-2061 shake up to the big pin buster team. iBowl booked a win in all three games with a 729-685, 659-650 & 754-726. iBowl with a sudden streak of luck dished out Fire Fly with ease and went home victorious after weeks. Bowling for iBowl team were Kamran Shaikh, Xavier Mascarenhas, Ramona Soares, Sameera Shaikh & Roy Vaz. A badly beaten

up Fire Fly Team disappointed for the first time as three weeks more to qualify for the Championship Group.

Moving on to the highlights of the scheduled 12th week matches, Kegler Strikers with Al Berlarmino, Ed Mendoza, Jane Nance, Rommel Genciana & Joe White on board were able to nip their rivals Bowling Stones 2458-2227 total pin falls. Bowling Stones however did not take the set back lightly as Branden Pinto, Conrad Pinto, Leroy Rodrigues & Cary Pereira stepped up in the game to deliver a 751-749 victory. With everything falling in the right place, Kegeler Strikers went on to claim game one and three 890-703 & 819773 after crushing Bowling Stones in the final.

Meanwhile Kuwait Federation Bowlers stopped their skid in the team standings by clobbering the neophyte Alleygators 2239-2126. After surviving a scare in game one where Alleygators put up a strong challenge before they were able to post a close 676-664 win.

The Kuwait Federation Bowlers regrouped in the next two games and showed their opponents how things are done via convincing 775-703 and 800-747 victories. Top point contributors for Kuwait Federation Bowlers in this match were Paul Delany, Salem Hajras, Mohammed Yousef & Ahmad Aloun.

The losing side on the other hand was bannered by Rohan Fernandes, Samantha Fernandes & Gloyne Fernandes.

Banking on its hard earned win in game two and three, the Pin Pointers subdued Amaya 2321-2173. For Amaya who snatched game one 767-755, the leading strikers were Rey Ualat, Raine Ualat, Marj Mercado & Lito Mercado who gave the Pin Pointers a scare in the first game.

The Pin Pointers quartet who successfully regrouped and eluded Amaya on their way to a 775-663 and 791-743 victories were Alfred Avila, Joe Presenta, Rudy Delima & Fe Ferrer.

In the remaining two matches of the week also fighting desperately for a seat in the Championship Group, Whiplash stayed within striking distance. No Strikes!! shook them with a shared win points in Game one 679-679. Whiplash having changed their game plan managed to overpower the youngsters with a 808-771 & 834-775 win in Game two and three.

Whiplash crew were led by Aga Cuadrazal, Rico Baluyot, Aldin Avila & Vernie Villaruel went home victorious with a total pin fall of 2321-2225.

West End Watches Co. also made up for their disappointing performance in the past two weeks by stopping the Street Bowlers dead in their tracks with a 2492-2113 win. Led by the super charged Ahmad Sultan, Lloyd Fernandes, Rudolph Castelino, Nelson D’Souza & Caloy Garay who sent the Street Bowler down the alley with an 788-706 win in game one.

Finally capitalizing on their stronger lineup, that closed the gap 854-716 & 850-691 in game two and three. West End Watches Co. move up from 7th place to 5th place right outside the championship group. The losing team were lead by Amaldo Fernandes, Shirley Castellino, Celine Fernandes, Domnic Picardo & Floyd Suares.

In a week where the matches were all closely contested, the Spare Us who booked their victory stood out from the rest of the field when they clobbered Petrolink with a 782761 in game one. In Game two Petrolink did some fine tuning and came back with a 832-768 win against Spare Us. In Game three Spare Us bowled like professionals and annihilated the Petrolink lane masters with a 753-670 victory.

Spare us was lead to victory by the amazing games of Anthony King 220, 233 & 237 rest of the support crew were Adrian Noronha, Bala Subramanyam, Brian Fernandes, Colin

Costa & Monali Jeremiah.

The team standings after twelve weeks are as follows (read as rank, team name and total points) Championship Group: 1.

Al Qwassen - 330 2.

Kuwait Federation Bowlers - 317.5 3.

Kegler Strikers - 275 4.

Solo Sorisso - 240 Intermediate Group: 5.

West End Watches Co. - 230 6.

Petrolink - 230 7.

Fire FLy - 225 8.

Whiplash - 202.5 9.

Spare Us - 190 10.

No Strikes!! -172.5 Greenie Group: 11.

Pin Pointers -145 12.

Amaya - 145 13.

Street Bowlers -135 14.

Alleygators -115 15. iBowl - 90 16.

Bowling Stones -82.5 Weekly High Team Series was taken by Al Qwassem with 2524. The Weekly Men’s High game was bowled by Abdullah Khalid of Petrolink with a 257 game. The Weekly Women’s High Game was captured by Blanca Mercado of Amaya with a score of 218.

The IBL Season 2 has been made possible with the help of their Sponsors Advanced Technology Company, New India Assurance Co. & Amman Bhel Puri Restaurant. The matches of the Indian Bowling League are held every Friday at the Salmiya Cozmo Bowling Center at 1.30pm.

18

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

SPORTS

New sports minister pledges ‘great’ World Cup RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil’s new sports minister Aldo Rebelo pledged Monday that the South American country will put on a “great World Cup.” Addressing corruption scandals and delays surrounding the 2014 World Cup, Rebelo spoke just days after Brazilian media reported that Ricardo Teixeira, the president of the 2014 World Cup organizing committee, is preparing to resign.

Teixeira, a member of FIFA’s executive committee, is being linked to an investigation of kickbacks at ISL, the marketing agency that owned World Cup television rights until its 2001 bankruptcy with debts of around $300 million.

Rebelo was named in October to replace Orlando Silva, who resigned after being embroiled in his own corruption scandal. Rebelo spoke at the

opening ceremony of Soccerex in Rio de Janeiro, a global trade show for the football industry.

“It is not only the world of football that is going through tough times because of claims of corruption, problems with racism, intolerance,” Rebelo told hundreds of delegates at the convention. “These facts are undesirable.

These are things that are happening in the whole world.”

The minister’s comments touched on problems surrounding Sepp Blatter, the embattled president of FIFA, who has been under growing pressure to reform football’s world governing body following a series of scandals.

FIFA has promised to publish Swiss court papers in December identifying senior officials who took payment from ISL. British broadcaster BBC has

named the officials as Teixeira and his former father-in-law Joao Havelange, the longtime FIFA president who Blatter succeeded in 1998.

Speaking on the sidelines after his address, Rebelo was asked about the tension between FIFA and Teixeira. He hinted new blood might be needed.

“This is nothing new, this has always been my opinion,” he said.

“The renewal and rotating system in any institution is always a good thing for sport and democracy.

Rebelo also addressed organizational problems in building infrastructure such as airports and stadiums and getting World Cup venues ready on time. FIFA officials have repeatedly said the preparations are behind schedule. Earlier this month FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke told Brazilian lawmakers that the pace of

work had to be stepped up, saying “we are late, we can’t lose a day.”

“Rest assured that Brazil will have a great World Cup in 2014,” Rebelo said.

“We are also going to have a good World Cup in terms of organization.

The federal government, the state governments and the municipal governments of the 12 host cities are fully engaged in organizing this event to meet all the expectations of the world, of our country, of the athletes, the tourists and the organizers and promoters.”

“From Tibet to Patagonia,” he added, “humankind expects Brazil to have a good World Cup.” Tony Martin, chairman of Soccerex, also defended Brazil. “Those that have misgivings about the hotels, transport facilities, stadiums not meeting five-star criteria are wrong,” he said. “This marvelous

country has a way of doing things in its own relaxed manner, but invariably will deliver on time.”

Thierry Weil, FIFA’s marketing director, said the scandals were having little effect on FIFA’s major sponsors and partners. He described sponsorship deals for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup package as “going extremely well.”

He said FIFA was talking frequently with sponsors about the reforms promised by Blatter. “Currently we have not any sponsor - or any partner who has thought about stepping out,” Weil said. “They want to be informed and to know about the measures.”

Weil compared FIFA to a family with some problems.

“You see that a lot of people are saying wrong things. Somethings are maybe right,” Weil said. “We are on the way to change it.”—AP

Barcelona crush Rayo

Preview

Ferguson happy to put his faith in United’s kids MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will use today’s League Cup tie with Crystal Palace to give fans a glimpse into the future - despite failing to win the last two games.

United have left themselves with work to do to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League and lost ground in the title race after failing to beat Benfica and Newcastle in the last week.

But Ferguson intends to rest key players and instead put his faith in the club’s youngsters as four-times winners United look to advance to the semi-finals of the competition. The likes of Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Nani - who all featured in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle at the weekend are likely to be given the night off ahead of Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa. Instead 18-yearold Frenchman Paul Pogba could make his first senior start in midfield alongside fellow teenager Ravel Morrison.

England defender Chris Smalling, who has recently recovered from a cracked bone in his foot, will be one of the few senior players in action, while fringe players like Mame Biram Diouf and Federico Macheda are also set to make an appearance. “There will be complete changes,” said Ferguson. “Chris Smalling has come back and I may be able to play him. He’s still young and it’ll be a young squad against Palace. “The only area where I’ve got problems is centre midfield. It’s possible I could play Pogba in there but we’ll wait and see. I’ve got enough players to choose from, that’s for sure.” United last won the League Cup in 2010 when they defeated Aston Villa at Wembley.

And Ferguson has made it clear he is keen to get his hands on it again even though the competition is behind the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in terms of the club’s list of priorities. “I think the League Cup has turned into quite a good tournament,” he added. “Clubs like United are able to introduce young players and ones who have not been playing regularly in the first team, and it’s been good to us over the years.

“We’ve won two finals at Wembley with young players, which is good going, and I think it’s become an important tournament for us in terms of getting the youngsters an introduction into winning and having an

Sir Alex Ferguson understanding of the progress they’re making.”

Palace, currently 10th in England’s second-tier, have already overcome Premier League opposition in the competition this season in the shape of Wigan.

Written off by many as relegation candidates, Dougie Freedman’s side have proved to be one of the surprise sides in the Championship and while they have slipped towards mid-table, they remain just one point off the play-off places.

Financial constraints have forced Freedman to place his faith in youth with forward Wilfried Zaha and full back Nathaniel Clyne both catching the eye of bigger clubs.

The manager believes the high profile trip to Old Trafford will encourage the latest stage of his players’ development, but maintains Palace are certainly not heading north simply for the experience of facing Ferguson’s team.

“When you go to United, you can’t think ahead to the following game, you’ve got to go for it,” he said. “We’ll pick our best team and hopefully get a result. As a professional, you train day in and day out for this type of occasion.

However, if they are to cause a surprise and progress into the last four they will have to break a barren run that has seen them fail to score for 485 minutes.—AFP

Willstrop breaks Egyptian monopoly Kuwait PSA Cup KUWAIT: James Willstrop broke the Egyptian monopoly of the trophy and captured the biggest title of his career when he won the $165,000 Kuwait PSA Cup with another performance suggesting he is in the best form of his life.

The Englishman’s 11-7, 10-12, 11-4, 11-2 win over Karim Darwish, the former world number one from Egypt, earned him back-to-back World Series titles and made virtually certain that he will equal his career highest ranking of world number two.

Willstrop is now the only player to have won more than one World Series title this year apart from Ramy Ashour, the previous winner of the title here, who may be out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.

“It’s not like it’s come out of the blue,” said Willstrop. “I just feel good. You just have to keep battling away and keep learning as much as you can. I’m keeping a relaxed attitude, and hopefully it will be maintained.”

His success has also been due to the evolution of a rhythmic, less flamboyant attack, applying pressure with fewer risks, and closing out matches economically.

He had not dropped a game in two tournaments, winning 28 in a row, until Darwish sneaked the second in a final which Willstrop otherwise dominated.

An extended roof had been placed over the arena to deal with the forecast threat of possible rain and high winds, but the only storm came from the manner in which Willstrop tore through the last two games.

After a collision sent Darwish tumbling for a third time, Willstrop advanced rapidly to 6-1 in the third game, gaining a psychological hold on the match.

The Egyptian played intelligently and determinedly but found the Englishman’s weight of shot and consistency too much.

After Willstrop fell heavily early in the fourth, he got up and took the next three rallies with brilliantly taken quicker winners, and continued the streak into an unstoppable sequence of ten successive points.

“I am tapping into my strengths a little bit better,” he said rather modestly of his fine run of

victories. “I have been helped by some fantastic people physically and have adapted my squash to suit my physical constitution which has been one of my weaker areas.”

If Willstrop’s run of form is mainained, as he said he hopes, and if world number one Nick Matthew fails to recover from an adductor injury before next month’s World Series in Delhi next month, he could even come close to reaching the pinnacle before 2011 is out.—AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

UEFA Europe League

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BARCELONA: An Alexis Sanchez brace helped Barcelona to a 4-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano yesterday which reduced Real Madrid’s lead to three points and showed they will not give up their title without a fight. Barca were given a quick chance to respond to their 1-0 away defeat to Getafe at the weekend as this fixture was brought forward due to the Catalan side’s involvement in the Club World Cup next month in Japan, and they ran out resounding victors.

While Real have been in ominous form and recorded their 13th consecutive victory by beating local rivals Atletico Madrid at the weekend, Barca have stuttered recently away.

At home though they have been as impressive as ever and with their victory over Rayo they have now scored 34 goals without reply at the Camp Nou. Still they started nervously until Sanchez gave them the lead after 28 minutes and then before the break the Chilean again and David Villa gave them a commanding

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez, from Chile (right) scores past Rayo Vallecano’s Alejandro Arribas during a Spanish La Liga soccer match. —AP advantage. Lionel Messi made it 4-0 four minutes into the second half.

Andres Iniesta returned to Barca’s starting line-up while Cesc Fabregas, also fit again, was on the bench along with the rested Sergio Busquets.

Promoted Rayo lost at home to

Valencia on Saturday but they have had a fairly good start to their first top-flight campaign since 2002-03.

The visitors from Madrid held their own in the opening stages and were unlucky not to take the lead with Lass Bangoura shooting wide from close range in only the

Zico to widen Iraqi player search RIO DE JANEIRO: After steering Iraq into the next phase of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers, Zico plans to widen his search for players until June when the team will play for a berth at the 2014 finals in Brazil.

Former Brazil midfielder Zico said that on taking charge as Iraq’s coach in late August he had had to build his team quickly because the qualifiers were upon them and he could not call up all the players he wanted to.

Zico told Reuters he and his coaching staff knew little about Iraq’s players when they started and picked the team from a squad of 27 that included 17 semi-professionals from the national league.

“We lost our first match and won the other four and qualified ahead of time,” said former Japan coach Zico, whose team went through alongside Jordan in Group A with a match to spare.

“Now we’ll have plenty of time to see other players, watch championships...and widen our scope and the range of players,” the 58-year-old said.

“I had to make practically the same callups (each time). I’m going back to lead the team in the Arab League, I’m going to bring on many reserves and Olympic-age players.” Zico said the challenge in Iraq was similar to the pressure he experienced in the big clubs he coached like Fenerbahce in Turkey or Olympiakos of Greece.

He said Baghdad had not recovered yet from the destruction of war and could not stage international matches.

“We are aware of what football means to Iraqis and we want, if possible, to continue giving joy to a suffering people,” he said. Zico was confident Iraq would qualify for the finals in his home country, saying: “We’re working for that and we have qualities to fight for a place. We won the first stage.”—Reuters

Iraqi football team coach Zico

third minute. Barcelona were tentative and struggling to find their rhythm, and while Dani Alves had a shot well saved by keeper David Cobeno, at the other end keeper Victor Valdes tipped a free-kick, which had been crossed in by Michel Sanchez, onto the crossbar.

A goal for the home side did not look on the cards but then a moment of magic from Sanchez put them in the driving seat.

He moved the ball from his left to his right foot and curled a shot in off the post from the edge of the area. It opened the floodgates as Rayo began to pay for their expansive play.

Alexis prodded in a second after 40 minutes in slightly fortuitous circumstances with the ball coming back to him off Xavi Hernandez’s heel and then two minutes later Villa slotted into an empty net after being supplied selflessly by Dani Alves. After the break Messi burst away from Javi Fuego on the right wing before running in unchallenged on goal and finishing clinically to complete the scoring.—AFP

Juve retain unbeaten start ROME: League leaders Juventus twice fought back from two goals down to earn a thrilling 3-3 draw at Napoli yesterday and stretch their unbeaten start in Serie A to 12 games.

The Old Lady of Turin also opened up a two-point lead over second placed AC Milan having battled back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits.

Napoli blew the chance to reignite their title chances and the point leaves them down in sixth and nine points behind Juve.

Goals from Marek Hamsik and a Goran Pandev brace looked to have given Napoli victory but the visitors hit back through Alessandro Matri, Marcelo Estigarribia and Simone Pepe.

Napoli suffered a blow before kick-off as top scorer Edinson Cavani was ruled out with injury but his replacement Pandev didn’t disappoint.

There was early drama when the hosts were awarded a penalty on the quarter hour mark after Andrea Pirloís rash challenge on Ezequiel Lavezzi.

Hamsik stepped up to take the spot-kick and coolly slotted home off the post, only for the referee to order it to be retaken for encroachment.

Television replays showed most of the players in the area were Juve ones. At the second time of asking, the Slovakia midfielder blazed his effort over the bar and although a Juve player may have been in the area, this time there was no retake. Napoli did not have to wait long to take the lead and did so courtesy of Hamsik on 23 minutes.

Lavezzi swung a free-kick into the box and Leonardo Bonucci’s attempted headed clearance was weak, giving Hamsik, who had been in an offside position when the free-kick was taken, a simple headed finish from six yards.—AFP

Preview

Celtic gear up for Spanish test

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English League Cup

Man United v Palace Aljazeera Sport +5

Cut Real lead to three points

22:45

PARIS: Celtic striker Anthony Stokes believes that today’s Europa League game against Atletico Madrid represents a golden opportunity for the Hoops to show they’ve turned the corner after an indifferent start to the season.

The Glasgow side have won four straight matches in the Scottish Premier League to cut Rangers’ lead at the top from 12 to four points and in so doing have reignited their title aspirations.

But Neil Lennon’s side can ill-afford defeat against Atletico at Parkhead if they want to stay alive in Europe this season.

Celtic are third in Group I with five points from four matches - two fewer than both Atletico and Udinese - and a loss would spell the end of their European campaign should Udinese secure victory against Rennes in the group’s other match.

Stokes, who has 11 goals to his name this season, said: “It’s going to be a very tough game against a top-class side, but it’s a game we’re looking forward to. “It’s the best team we’ll have played in a long, long time - it will be interesting to see what happens.”

Atletico beat Celtic 2-0 in the reverse fixture at the Vicente Calderon in September, but the

Spaniards’ have been a model of inconsistency this season and suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of cross-city rivals Real over the weekend. On his team’s stuttering start to the campaign, Stokes said, “Early on in the season we had a bad spell. I think we’ve come out of that now and we’ve shown what we can really do.

“I think we’ve improved a little bit, we’ve tightened up at the back - we’re not conceding as many goals lately it doesn’t seem - and it’s paying dividends. “We want to keep on this run, keep winning games and keep the momentum going,” the 23-year-old added.

Elsewhere, Stoke City could wrap up a place in the next phase of the competition with a point against Dynamo Kiev at the Britannia Stadium.

Republic of Ireland midfielder Glenn Whelan said: “The Dynamo Kiev game is a massive one for the players and the club because European nights like this certainly don’t come around too often.

“But the lads are buzzing now and the Blackburn win will give us the confidence to go into Thursday’s match and get the result that we need.”

Tottenham Hotspur welcome Group A

leaders PAOK Salonika to White Hart Lane, knowing that a victory would leave them requiring just one point from their final match to seal a berth in the last 32 of the competition. Michael Dawson remains sidelined for Spurs, while Roman Pavlyuchenko and Giovani dos Santos are doubtful. However, dynamic Croatian midfielder Luka Modric could return after illness ruled him out of Sunday’s Premier League encounter against West Brom.

The other game in Group A sees Shamrock Rovers go to Rubin Kazan, with the defending League of Ireland champions still looking for their first point in the competition.

Meanwhile, Fulham - the tournament’s runners-up two years ago - face a tricky tie against Dutch side Twente, who have already qualified for the knockout stages.

The Cottagers’ fate will remain in their own hands regardless of the result tomorrow, but three points for Martin Jol’s men would see them advance from Group K. Birmingham City are embracing their European adventure as they seek an immediate return to the Premier League, and the Blues are one of three teams on 7 points in Group H - along with Braga and Club Brugge. —AFP

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

SPORTS

Acid test on home soil for Australians BRISBANE: Michael Clarke’s beleaguered group has only played one match since it was condemned as the worst Australian Test lineup in decades.

To the relief of millions of armchair selectors - for cricket is the national summer sport - that one game was a gritty comeback win to level the series in South Africa.

Yet in the latest sign of how the once mighty has fallen, only a week or so later Clarke’s injury-plagued squad is considered little better than an evenmoney chance heading into the opening game of a two-test series against New Zealand, which hasn’t won a test in Australia since 1985.

Those Black Caps victories, inspired

by Richard Hadlee, came at a time when Allan Border was rebuilding the team in the wake of the World Series Cricket schism of the late 1970s, the retirements of Dennis Lillee, Rod Marsh and Greg Chappell and the further fractures caused by the rebel tours to South Africa.

Border’s teams went 14 tests without a win before gaining traction, winning the 1987 World Cup and then dominating the 1989 Ashes. That ushered in a long period of success for Australia which rendered the dark days of the mid-1980s to the deep recesses of memory.

Some memories were sharply revived earlier this month when Clarke’s team was dismissed for 47 and lost the first test by eight wickets to South Africa at Cape Town. Respected cricket analyst Malcom Conn, noting the insipid innings and a record of two

wins in 12 tests, declared them “the worst Australian side in a quarter of a century.” “Not since Allan Border singlehandedly held the team together in the mid-1980s has the test side played so poorly,” he said.

Such sentiments were echoed in mainstream and social media, and in conversations in pubs and cafes across the island continent.

That cloud of pessimism was temporarily lifted in the next test, thanks largely to the efforts of 18-year-old fast bowler Pat Cummins, who snared six wickets in the second innings and hit the winning runs on debut in a thrilling two-wicket victory at Johannesburg.

Things seemed to be on the up for Australia until Cummins and four other front-line players were ruled out of the opening test against New Zealand due to injury.

Making matters worse, the three young quicks who were added to the test squad made little impact in a tour match against New Zealand last weekend. Even New Zealand coach John Wright, who played in the ‘85 win, courteously thanked the Australian selectors for giving his batsmen a look at the young bowlers.

After flaying the Australia A attack for 175, including 16 sixes over the white picket boundaries at Allan Border Field, Jesse Ryder could barely conceal a smirk as he spoke with a quiet assuredness about New Zealand’s prospects.

“We got what we needed out of it,” Ryder said of the four-day tour match.

“Going into the first test, everybody’s

confidence is pretty high.” Ryder concedes that from what he’s heard, the Australians “seem a little bit down at the moment.”

A victory “would mean the world to the (New Zealand) cricket public,” Ryder said. “It would mean the world to us, too.” Australia started the last southern summer in reasonable shape. It was no longer No. 1 in the test rankings and still rebuilding following the retirements of some of the greatest players in generations including Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist - but still considered good enough to win back the Ashes on home soil. By the end of the series against England, Cricket Australia was in crisis after an unprecedented run of innings defeats.

Amid the uproar from fans unaccustomed to such defeats, ex-test captains Border, Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh - who guided Australia through its most sustained period of Ashes domination of eight consecutive series wins from 1989-2002/03 were recruited to help in a broad review that led to an overhaul of the whole structure around the national team. Now, Australia has a new captain, a new coach and a new selection panel that is all overseen by a newly created general manager of performance - a role filled by Pat Howard, a former rugby union international, pharmacist and businessman.

Clarke has replaced Ricky Ponting as captain and is part of a five-man selection panel that also includes coach Mickey Arthur and is headed by

John Inverarity. Arthur, who guided South Africa to the top of the test rankings during his five years in charge of the Proteas, was last week unveiled as Australia’s first foreign coach.

With Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson, Ryan Harris, Cummins and batsman Shaun Marsh out of the first test against New Zealand, Arthur will have for his first game in charge an attack featuring two of the three uncapped pacemen - Ben Cutting, James Pattinson or left-armer Mitchell Starc - and led by Peter Siddle, who has played just 25 test matches himself. David Warner, a success in the shorter formats, will make his test debut as opener alongside Phil Hughes, who hasn’t even cemented his spot in the team.

Arthur has the excuse of being new to the scene. Clarke, asked to lead the least experienced lineup of any Australian captain in decades, will find it tough.

Clarke doesn’t possess the obstinate character traits of Border - a legendary figure in Australia after galvanizing a team of mediocre talents into a winning combination across the decade after Kim Hughes’ tearful exit in 1984 - or Taylor or Waugh, but he does have their backing, and the support of the team.

“What I did take out of South Africa was the character and courage of the blokes in this team. The way we won that last test is very exciting for all of us,” said the 30-year-old Clarke, who averages 46 in 74 test matches. “We

know we’ve got a lot of work to get back to be the No. 1 test team in the world, but in my opinion we’ve started that.”

Clarke has two wins, two losses and two draws as Australia captain going into his first home summer as the skipper and is coming off two centuries in his past three tests.

“We’ve had some great success in Sri Lanka. We won the one-day series in South Africa and leveled the test series against the No. 2 test team in the world in their own back yard, so I certainly see a lot more positives than negatives in this team at the moment,” Clarke said. The Australians have inched up one spot from an all-time low No. 5 test ranking so far this year.

Bob Simpson, the former test captain who was hired as the first full-time coach of the Australia team in the Border era, recently told a crowd at a Hall of Fame induction that current state of Australian cricket reminded him of when he was hired in 1986.

“What we did then was pick players who you think are going to make it and give them as much encouragement as possible,” he said. “You’ve got to be very careful that you don’t expect everyone to be like the past greats. It’s vitally important to let a player develop in his own way and fit him into the structure.”

Arthur says he has a similar ethos, so it’s likely talented players will get an opportunity, while selectors must also make concessions to the more crowded calendar than existed in the 80s by using a rotational policy to develop a

broader squad and reduce injuries.

He’s confident that building a “sustainable” squad, will help Australia get back to the heights.

“We’ve got to be realistic. We’ve got to take it tour by tour, but ultimately if we keep chipping away and getting the success we want, in a year or two down the line I firmly believe Australian cricket can be back at the top of the tree,” Arthur said.

He’s been given no clear deadline to achieve a No. 1 test ranking, but expects he can achieve it before his contract expires after the 2015 World Cup. “It’ll be two Ashes series and a Twenty20 World Cup and a 50-over World Cup. By that time we’ll have a really good indication of where we’re at and I’m confident that with the personnel we’ll have available we’ll be able to get ourselves back to the top.”

Greg Chappell, who spent time as coach of India before returning to a talent identification role in Australia, said there were more good players emerging now than there was a few years ago.

“I’m excited about the prospects for Australian cricket. The next couple of years will be very exciting,” Chappell said. “We do have some really good young cricketers around the place.”

Asked what he’d advice he’d give to a public concerned about the state of its national team, Arthur suggested: “Have a bit of patience with the team, but also embrace the excitement with it. There’s a lot of really exciting talent there - young talent needs time.” —AP

Sharma guides India to win over Windies

DHAKA: Bangladeshi captain Mushfiqur Rahim (left) plays a shot as Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq (right) and wicketkeeper Umar Akmal (center) watch during the Twenty20 cricket match. —AFP

Pakistan fight back to beat Bangladesh DHAKA: Resurgent Pakistan continued their winning form to defeat Bangladesh by 50 runs in a low-scoring Twenty20 international at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka yesterday.

Misbah-ul-Haq’s men, buoyant after a successful series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates, where they won in all three formats of the game, proved their mettle once again.

The tourists, playing their 50th Twenty20 match, fought back after being restricted to 135-7 to keep Bangladesh down to 85-9 on a slow wicket that hindered stroke-making.

Mohammad Hafeez claimed 2-11 in four overs and Shoaib Malik picked up two wickets in three balls as Pakistan recorded their fifth successive Twenty20 win over Bangladesh.

The Tigers were in danger of falling below their lowest T20 total of 78 — against New Zealand at Hamilton last year-when they stumbled to 69-9 in the 17th over.

But Nasir Hossain hit a defiant unbeaten 35 with two boundaries and a six to ensure Bangladesh batted out their stipulated 20 overs.

Misbah was delighted by his team’s performance over the past month. “This is a good time for the team because we are really doing well,” the Pakistani captain said. “It’s just great the way everyone

is responding with bat and ball. Everyone is performing.”

Misbah said he had hoped to defend a total of around 150 because it was a tough wicket to bat on. “As it turned out, 130-plus was a good score,” he said. A disappointed Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim conceded Pakistan were the better side.

“It was a tough wicket to bat on,” he said. “On pitches like this, it is difficult to beat a side like Pakistan which has been playing such consistent cricket of late.”

The hosts were left to rue a lethargic batting display in which nine batsmen failed to reach double figures, while two ran themselves out.

The match was as good as over when Bangladesh lost half their side by the ninth over with the total at 23. The batsmen undid the good work by the bowlers who kept the Pakistani batting in check after Misbah won the toss and elected to take first strike.

Spinner Alok Kapali, the eighth bowler used by Rahim, picked up two for 12 and former skipper Shakib Al Hasan finished with two for 24.

Hafeez top-scored for Pakistan with 25, but found little support from the other end. The rivals begin a threematch one -day series in Dhaka on Thursday, which will be followed by two Tests. —AFP

Scoreboard DHAKA: Full scoreboard of the one-off Twenty20 international between Bangladesh and Pakistan at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka yesterday: Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez b Shakib 25 Imran Farhat c Rahim b Shakib 16 Asad Shafiq c Razzak b Nasir 19 Umar Akmal st Rahim b Kapali 20 Misbah-ul-Haq not out 21 Shoaib Malik c and b Razzak 2 Shahid Afridi c Nasir b Kapali 8 Sohail Tanvir run out 6 Umar Gul not out 4 Extras: (lb3, w10, nb1) 14 Total (for seven wickets, 20 overs) 135 Fall of wickets: 1-30 (Farhat), 2-61 (Hafeez), 3-87 (Akmal), 4-92 (Shafiq), 5-98 (Malik), 6-112 (Afridi), 7-127 (Tanvir).

Bowling: Shafiul 3-0-20-0 (w1), Razzak 4-0-25-1 (w3), Shakib 4-1-24-2, Farhad 1-0-10-0, Rubel 2-017-0 (nb1), Nasir 2-0-14-1 (w4), Mahmudullah 10-10-0, Kapali 3-0-12-2 (w2).

Bangladesh: Naeem Islam lbw b Gul 3 Imrul Kayes run out 2 Alok Kapali c Misbah b Hafeez 0 Shakib Al Hasan b Hafeez 7 Mushfiqur Rahim run out 10 Mohammad Mahmudullah c Akmal b Cheema2 Nasir Hossain not out 35 Farhad Reza lbw b Afridi 6 Abdur Razzak c Afridi b Malik 9 Shafiul Islam lbw b Malik 0 Rubel Hossain not out 0 Extras: (lb6, w5) 11 Total (for nine wickets, 20 overs) 85 Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Naeem), 2-4 (Kapali), 3-15 (Kayes), 4-17 (Shakib), 5-23 (Mahmudullah), 6-39 (Rahim), 7-51 (Reza), 8-68 (Razzak), 9-69 (Shafiul).

Bowling: Hafeez 4-0-11-2, Gul 2-0-7-1 (w2), Ajmal 40-19-0 (w2), Afridi 4-0-15-1, Cheema 2-0-9-1, Tanvir 20-11-0, Malik 2-0-7-2 (w1). Pakistan won by 50 runs

CUTTACK: Rohit Sharma hit a responsible 72 under pressure as India survived a top-order collapse to post a thrilling one wicket win over the West Indies in the opening one-dayer yesterday.

India were reeling at 59-5 following Kemar Roach’s three wicket burst and Andre Russell’s double strike before reaching the 212-run target with seven balls to spare in front of 45,000 spectators at the Barabati stadium in Cuttack.

Sharma came to his team’s rescue with an 83-run stand for the sixth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (38) in the day-night game, which was held up for nearly five minutes during India’s innings due to disturbances in the stands.

Sharma, returning to the side after recovering from a finger injury, then added 42 valuable runs with Vinay Kumar (18) to help his team to a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

He cracked one six and three fours in his ninth half-century in one-dayers. The hosts needed nine runs to win in the last two overs before Umesh Yadav hit the winning boundary off seamer Darren Sammy as India posted their 10th successive one-day win at home.

Paceman Roach removed Parthiv Patel, Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli in his sharp opening spell before Russell accounted for skipper Virender Sehwag (20) and Suresh Raina to put pressure on India.

India earlier put in a disciplined bowling performance to restrict the West Indies to a modest total despite Darren Bravo’s impressive half-century.

Left-handed Bravo, who hit two hundreds in the recent Test series against the hosts, topscored for the West Indies with a 74-ball 60 for his sixth half-century in one-day internationals.

Bravo, who survived a difficult

CUTTACK: Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the first One Day International (ODI) match between India and West Indies at The Barabati Stadium. —AFP caught-and-bowled chance off off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on 26, was bowled by part-time spinner Suresh Raina in the 35th over after hitting six fours.

The West Indies were struggling at 52-3 before Bravo steadied the innings with a 75-run stand for the fourth wicket with Danza Hyatt (31).

The tourists failed to build on Bravo’s effort and they added just 44 runs in the last 10 overs, with tailender Russell making a 20-ball 22.

Indian pacemen Yadav and Varun Aaron each bagged two wickets. The tourists raced to 52 off 10 overs after being put in to bat but lost top-three batsmen Lendl Simmons (19), Adrian Barath (17) and Marlon Samuels (10) in the process, with Vinay Kumar, Yadav and Aaron each taking a wicket. —AFP

Scoreboard CUTTACK: Complete scoreboard of the opening one-day international between India and the West Indies at the Barabati stadium in Cuttack yesterday: West Indies: L. Simmons b Yadav 19 A. Barath c Patel b Kumar 17 M. Samuels b Aaron 10 D. Bravo b Raina 60 D. Hyatt run out 31 K. Pollard c Kohli b Ashwin 13 D. Ramdin c and b Yadav 14 D. Sammy b Jadeja 0 A. Russell b Aaron 22 K. Roach not out 12 A. Martin not out 3 Extras (lb4, w6) 10 Total (for nine wickets; 50 overs) 211 Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Barath), 2-46 (Samuels), 3-52 (Simmons), 4-127 (Hyatt), 5-154 (Bravo), 6-159 (Pollard), 7-169 (Sammy), 8-183 (Ramdin), 9-200 (Russell).

Bowling: Kumar 6-0-27-1 (w1), Yadav 8-133-2, Aaron 9-0-47-2 (w4), Ashwin 10-130-1 (w1), Jadeja 10-0-42-1, Raina 5-0-201, Sharma 2-0-8-0.

India: P. Patel c Martin b Roach 12 V. Sehwag b Russell 20 G. Gambhir c Ramdin b Roach 4 V. Kohli b Roach 3 R. Sharma b Martin 72 S. Raina c Bravo b Russell 5 R. Jadeja c Simmons b Pollard 38 R. Ashwin run out 6 V. Kumar c Roach b Sammy 18 V. Aaron not out 6 U. Yadav not out 6 Extras (lb3, nb4, w16) 23 Total (for nine wickets; 48.5 overs) 213 Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Patel), 2-41 (Gambhir), 3-47 (Kohli), 4-51 (Sehwag), 5-59 (Raina), 6142 (Jadeja), 7-159 (Ashwin), 8-201 (Sharma), 9-201 (Kumar). Bowling: Roach 10-0-46-3 (nb3, w9), Martin 6-1-35-1 (w1), Russell 9-1-29-2 (nb1, w1), Sammy 8.5-140-1, Samuels 10-0-37-0 (w2), Pollard 5-023-1 (w3). Result: India win by one wicket

Wasim advocates one coach for Pakistan KARACHI: Former Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram yesterday urged the nation’s cricket authorities to appoint a single head coach rather than three separate ones for bowling, batting and fielding.

Pakistan have been on hunt for a national team coach since Waqar Younis quit the post in September this year citing health problems.

Former opening batsman Mohsin Khan has since led the team on an interim basis and has shown a willingness to continue.

But the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formed a three-man committee to find a replacement for Younis, suggesting a foreigner would be better suited to the hot-seat.

New PCB chief Zaka Ashraf has stressed the need for separate batting, fielding and bowling coaches in addition to a head coach, but Wasim cautioned against complicating

team affairs.

“I think the idea of separate coaches doesn’t suit Pakistan,” Wasim told AFP. “Pakistan need one head coach who should guide the team... in case the of too many coaches things will get complicated.”

The PCB committee had shortlisted five candidates for the post but progress has been delayed after Ashraf said he wanted separate coaches for each department.

Sources within the PCB told AFP that former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore, who also guided Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in 1996, is favourite to take the post.

Wasim said he hoped a new coach will build on the success overseen by current captain Misbah-ul-Haq who has guided Pakistan through an undefeated run in Tests and one-day series’ dating back to October last year.

“This current team under Misbah-ul-Haq is doing very well,” he said. “Misbah is very wise and is handling things very well.”

Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 1-0 in three-Tests, 4-1 in the five-match one-day series besides winning the only Twenty20 — all matches played in United Arab Emirates.

They are now touring Bangladesh where they will play a Twenty20 on Tuesday, followed by three one-dayers and two Tests.

Wasim, who played 104 Tests and 356 onedays for Pakistan during an illustrious career, is currently working for UNICEF as an ambassador.

“It is an exciting challenge as under the current programme I am working under the UNICEF umbrella to create awareness among the people of Pakistan as to how we can provide hygienic food to our kids,” said Wasim. —AFP

Barcelona crush Rayo, cut Real lead

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Sharma guides India to win over Windies

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Saints blow out Giants in NFL action

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Liverpool reach semis at Chelsea’s expense

LONDON: Chelsea’s Alex (top) vies for the ball with Liverpool’s Craig Bellamy during the English League Cup quarter final soccer match. —AP

LONDON: Liverpool claimed a place in the League Cup semi-finals as second half goals from Maxi Rodriguez and Martin Kelly ensured Kenny Dalglish’s side won 2-0 against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The win moved Dalglish one step closer towards claiming the first trophy of his second spell in charge of the Anfield club.

But the problems continue to mount for Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas after a defeat that will do nothing to ease the pressure on the Portuguese coach, who has been forced to deny his future at the club is under threat.

Rodriguez’s 58th minute goal-which followed his strike against Chelsea nine days ago and is his 10th goal in his last nine starts-put Liverpool ahead before Kelly made it two in the 63rd minute, deflecting attention from Andy Carroll’s first half penalty miss.

Both goals were created by Craig Bellamy who returned to the Liverpool line-up after withdrawing from the weekend draw with Manchester City following the death of his close friend Gary Speed, the Wales manager.

Both managers made wholesale changes from their weekend line-ups with Villa-Boas bringing in nine new faces while Dalglish made seven switches. But with the memory of Liverpool’s hard-fought Premier League victory here still fresh in the memory, it was clear the rivalry between the two teams remained as fierce as ever. And an explosive start to the game ensured this cup tie carried on where the league meeting left off.

Less than three minutes into the game, Chelsea defender David Luiz made a powerful surging run into the Liverpool area where he went tumbling under the challenge of Sebastian Coates. There was clearly contact between the two players’ legs, but referee Phil Dowd decided Luiz had deliberately collided with Coates and showed the Blues stopper a yellow card for diving.

Chelsea were incensed but they had reason to be grateful for the match official’s lenience

four minutes later when Luiz was again involved in a penalty area clash.

This time the Brazilian appeared to push Carroll as the two men jumped for a cross in the home box but Dowd waved play on, this time provoking an angry response from the visitors’ bench.

It was Liverpool who were the superior side in the opening 20 minutes, however, with Carroll’s physical threat causing problems for the Chelsea defence. Carroll’s strength and height finally proved to much for Chelsea centre back Alex who used his arm to divert Jose Enrique’s cross away from the striker’s forehead.

Again the referee was reluctant to award a penalty before pointing at the spot after consulting with his assistant. Carroll, though, was unable to make the most of the chance to show Dalglish he is worthy of a more regular start, firing the penalty straight down the middle of the goal and against Ross Turnbull’s legs.

The miss had the effect of inspiring Chelsea who stepped up their efforts in the latter stages of the first half without troubling Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina.

A glancing header from Romelu Lukakuwho moments earlier had escaped with an ugly challenge on Jordan Henderson-on the stroke of half time flashed wide but that was the closest Villas-Boas’s side came to breaking the deadlock. The second half resumed at a frantic pace and Chelsea came close in the 55th minute when Florent Malouda volleyed Frank Lampard’s free kick against the bar before Coates cleared Luiz’s follow up header off the line. But two minutes later Liverpool were ahead after producing the best move of the game. Henderson’s excellent ball picked out Bellamy on the right and the forward’s low cross picked out Rodriguez who turned home from close range.

Chelsea needed a quick response but they paid the price for failing to pick up Kelly from Bellamy’s 63rd minute free kick, allowing the defender to head home unhindered.—AFP

Aguero’s late winner eliminates Arsenal LONDON: Sergio Aguero came off the bench to send Manchester City into the League Cup semi-finals with a 1-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium yesterday.

The Argentina striker netted his 12th goal of the season when he settled the tie with seven minutes remaining, finishing off a swift counterattack which started in City’s own penalty area.

Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, finalists last season, enjoyed the better chances before Aguero struck and forced saves from Costel Pantilimon before their nine-match unbeaten run was ended. Between the two clubs, only one player remained from their starting line-ups at the weekend, with both managers choosing to rotate their squad and give fringe players a chance.

That one player was Samir Nasri, with the France midfielder receiving jeers from home fans following his move from Arsenal to City at the start of the season.

Nasri drifted in and out of the action during an open quarter-final where both teams appeared intent on attacking. City were the first to create an opening, with England winger Adam Johnson firing just over the crossbar from 25 yards with 10 minutes on the clock.

Arsenal went close a minute later after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started an attack on the right flank. The ball was worked to Francis Coquelin and his low cross found Park Ju-Young six yards from goal.

Park’s finish appeared to be heading for the corner of the net but City goalkeeper Pantilimon flung out his hand as he dived to his left and tipped around the post.

Pantilimon was called into action again when Oxlade-Chamberlain exchanged passes with Marouane Chamakh and drove towards the top corner from the edge of the area, with the Romanian youngster deflecting the ball over. There was confusion just after the halfhour mark when City wanted to make a substitution.

Nasri appeared to be heading towards the

LONDON: Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero celebrates his goal during the English League Cup quarterfinal soccer match against Arsenal. —AP touchline and was booed by supporters, but it was Aleksandar Kolarov who made way for Aguero.Kolarov also appeared to be upset with the substitution as he took his seat on the bench.

Both teams went close after the interval, firstly when Edin Dzeko curled wide of the post with an effort from 25 yards out.

The Bosnia striker was also off target with a finish when he met Pablo Zabaleta’s cross with a volley. At the other end, Oxlade-Chamberlain cut inside from the right, tricked his marker with a step-over and forced Pantilimon to punch away with his save.

Chamakh also went over the bar after being slipped through by Yossi Benayoun, who was captain for the evening.

Wenger made his move midway through the second half, replacing Park with Gervinho in an attempt to break the deadlock.

But the decisive moment came with seven minutes remaining after Dzeko carried the ball forward from his own penalty area.

After threading the ball through for Johnson, the touch back to Aguero was perfect for him to run forward and finish confidently past Lukasz Fabianski.—AFP

Cardiff blank Blackburn CARDIFF: Blackburn manager Steve Kean faces a fight to avoid the sack after Championship club Cardiff claimed a 2-0 win over struggling Rovers in the League Cup quarter-finals yesterday. The Bluebirds strolled to victory at the Cardiff City Stadium as goals from Kenny Miller and Anthony Gerrard put the Welsh club into the last four of the League Cup for the first time since 1966.

Scotland striker Miller opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a low left-footed finish and Gerrard sealed the win by nodding home five minutes after the break after Blackburn keeper Mark Bunn had failed to deal with a corner. At the other end David Goodwillie had his headed effort well saved by Cardiff keeper Tom Heaton and Scott Dann also nodded wide, but in truth Rovers who sit bottom of the Premier League-were well beaten. The visiting support made clear their dissatisfaction with repeated chants of “Kean out”.

The evening had begun with both sets of fans uniting in a round of applause and a minute’s silence in memory of Wales manager

Gary Speed, with the home support regularly breaking into chants of “There’s only one Gary Speed” throughout the contest.

Blackburn had most of the pressure in the early stages, but Morten Gamst Pedersen gifted the hosts the lead in the 19th minute.

Aron Gunnarsson seized on a poor pass by Pedersen to play Miller in to beat Bunn with a low left-footed finish.

It could have been 2-0 five minutes later as Miller jinked past Bunn, only for his shot to be blocked by Scott Dann with the home crowd baying for a handball against the former Birmingham man.

David Dunn’s drive from distance was tipped round the post by Tom Heaton and a Dann header from the resulting corner was deflected over the bar as Blackburn rallied.

Cardiff had appeals for a penalty waved away early in the second half despite Mauro Formica making a clumsy challenge on Peter Whittingham on the edge of the box. But it only proved a brief reprieve for the visitors as Cardiff doubled their lead through Gerrard. —AFP

FASTtelco inks purchase agreement with GBI Page 22

Kuwait eyes KD9bn budget surplus Page 23 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

KSE stocks stabilize

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Britain may be dragged into euro-zone recession Page 26

American Airlines files for bankruptcy Airline’s shares fall 85% as trade resumes

GRAPEVINE: Giving the thumbs up after a news conference, are Jim Albaugh, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Gerard J rpey, president and CEO of AMR Corporation, Thomas Enders CEO of Airbus and Thomas W Horton president of American Airlines at Dallas-Fort Worth nternational airport in Grapevine, Texas. — AP DALLAS: American Airlines and its parent company AMR Corp filed for bankruptcy yesterday after failing to win a labor deal with pilots and suffering from mounting fuel costs.

AMR had been the only major US carrier to avoid bankruptcy in the past decade. Its rivals used bankruptcy to restructure their labor agreements and cut costs.

That left AMR, the third-largest US airline behind United Continental Holdings Inc and Delta Air Lines Inc, with the highest labor costs in the industry and the only major airline still funding worker pensions. “It com-

pletes the cycle,” said Helane Becker, an analyst with Dahlman Rose & Co. “Every major airline in the united States has filed for Chapter 11.”

Shares in American Airlines’ parent company fell 85 percent yesterday after the firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Minutes after trade AMR resumed late yesterday the stock was trading down 84.57 percent from Monday’s close, at around 25 cents apiece.

AMR’s move comes as US airlines brace for an economic downturn that could see travel demand sag this year. Some top airlines,

including AMR, have announced service reductions to offset weak demand.

In its bankruptcy filing, AMR said its costcutting in recent years had been insufficient and that it could not continue without changing its “uncompetitive cost structure.”

“Without addressing the realities of the marketplace, AMR cannot be competitive with its peers,” it said.

Shares of AMR, whose passenger planes average 3,000 daily US departures, have tumbled 45 percent since the end of September.

Last week the shares hit their lowest level

since 2003, when AMR skirted bankruptcy by winning wage concessions from its unions.

The airline said last month it was also suffering from soaring fuel prices that sent its costs up 40 percent in the third quarter compared with a year earlier.

AMR yesterday named Thomas Horton as chairman and chief executive, replacing Gerard Arpey, who retired. Under its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in a New York court, the company listed assets of $24.72 billion and liabilities of $29.55 billion. The company said it has $4.1 billion in cash.

Euro-zone ministers meet to salvage euro

Libya looks to build economy beyond oil TRIPOLI: After eight months of war and 40 years of the often bizarre rule of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya’s new regime wants to move quickly to reshape a Libyan economy almost completely dependent on oil and gas.

“We have had our political revolution. Now we need an economic revolution,” interim Economy Minister Tahar Sharkass told AFP only days after being sworn in to office. When under the thumb of Gaddafi, ousted and killed by forces of the National Transition Council who now run the country, the state controlled everything in Libya, but without necessarily following a coherent direction.

With Gaddafi, the economy was mostly a shambolic mix of the eccentric leader’s latest whims, a mix of socialism and capitalism that usually ended up in nepotism.

Centering around Gaddafi and his cronies, after four decades the Libyan economy was left a country with a private sector ignored and a public sector crumbling from neglect.

“It wasn’t a state. It was a mafia,” businessman Abdenasser Mohammed Okak said, describing a system that orbited the Gaddafi family and its associates.

Libya is a rich country, but its jobless rate passes 30 percent and whatever economic pulse existed was stopped cold by war. The banking sector is all but dead.

Petrol in Libya remains king, counting for more than 98 percent of export receipts. With oil companies, both national and international, hard at work to reopen the taps, oil production should reach about 700,000 barrels a day by the end of the year, still only a fraction

of the 1.6 million bpd that pumped out of Libya before the NATO-backed uprising started.

But oil and gas reserves will not last forever and it is therefore important to diversify the economy, Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagur told a group of business leaders during a recent meeting to discuss how to rebuild the economy.

The new government intends to promote private enterprise, but to do so requires a package of laws to undo the Gaddafi system. “ We must facilitate business and open the way for foreign investment,” minister Sharkass said. “We are going to try to strike down any law that is not logical,” he said, though the minister could not say whether this will be done during the current transition period or not.

For now he said the priority was stability and a climate more likely to attract foreign investment back to Libya, where ragtag brigades bearing weapons now rule the streets after bringing down Gaddafi. “What we want first is stability and security,” said Okak, the businessman.

“We also need to re-establish trust with investors,” he said.

“Before I worked in fear. We have to be sure that rules do not change overnight as they would during the old regime,” he added. Minister Abu Shagur called for a system that introduces the private sector into the economy and that “encourages investors and protects priority rights”. And in the long term, education, which was ignored in the old regime, needs to be revamped so that Libya can build the capacity suited to a modern economy, Abu Shagur said.—AFP

AMR said both American Airlines and its regional carrier American Eagle were expected to fly normal schedules throughout the Chapter 11 process.

AMR’s top rivals, UAL Corp and Delta Air Lines, used bankruptcy protection to slash costs and have since found merger partners: Delta bought Northwest Airlines and UAL bought Continental Airlines to form United Continental Holdings. US Airways and United Airlines sought relief under Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002. Delta and Northwest filed in September 2005. — Reuters

ABU DHABI: United Arab Emirates Central Bank Governer Sultan Nasser Al-Suweidi speaks to journalists in Abu Dhabi yesterday.—AFP

UAE CB says buying US govt debt again ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates’ central bank has resumed investing in US Treasury bonds because interest rates on them are now reasonable, the bank’s governor said yesterday.

Gulf Arab oil exporters such as the UAE mainly invest in dollar assets since most peg their currencies to the US dollar and crude oil, priced in dollars, provides most of their budget revenue.

But the UAE central bank said in July, when the risk of a US debt default was unsettling markets, that it did not hold any US Treasuries and that most of its foreign reserves, though denominated in dollars, were invested in non-US assets.

Yesterday, central bank governor Sultan Nasser Al-Suweidi told a news conference marking the UAE’s national day that purchases of Treasuries had resumed.

“Now, we do (invest in US Treasuries) because the circumstances have changed. The interest rates are now reasonable,” he said. “It (the volume of investment) is fluctuating depending on what the yield is,” he told reporters, but did not give details. The 10-year Treasury yield hit a record low of 1.72 percent in September and has since rebounded to around 2.0 percent. The central bank’s foreign currency assets edged down to a

three-month low of 199.1 billion dirhams ($54.2 billion) in June. But within that total, holdings of foreign securities rose to 86 billion dirhams in June, the highest level since at least 2007, the latest available data show.

Asked whether the UAE was considering imitating Austria’s central bank, which this month signed a deal with China allowing it to invest in Chinese local-currency assets, Saif Hadef AlShamsi, senior executive director at the UAE central bank’s treasury department, said: “Having more places to invest in is always good. “But the channel is closed. When it is open I can address your question,” he told Reuters on the sidelines of the news conference.

European leaders and the European Central Bank have not asked the UAE, one of the world’s top five oil exporters, for help in containing the euro zone debt crisis, Suweidi also said.

Euro-zone finance ministers are expected to agree yesterday on reforms of their bailout fund, the 440 billion euro European Financial Stability Facility, to expand its effective size through leverage. The EFSF will be able to attract cash from private and public investors to its co-investment funds. —Reuters

BRUSSELS: The 17 finance ministers of the countries that use the euro converged on EU headquarters yesterday in a desperate bid to save their currency - and to protect Europe, the United States, Asia and the rest of the global economy from a debt-induced financial tsunami.

The ministers were discussing ideas that would have been taboo only recently, before things got as bad as they are: countries ceding fiscal sovereignty to a central authority; some kind of elite group of euro nations that would guarantee one another’s loans - but require strong fiscal discipline from anyone wanting membership.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated her support for changes to Europe’s current treaties in order to create a fiscal union, that will include binding and enforceable commitments by all euro countries.

“Our priority is to have the whole of the euro-zone to be placed on a stronger treaty basis,” Merkel said Tuesday in Berlin. “This is what we have devoted all of our efforts to; this is what I’m concentrating on in all of the talks with my counterparts.”

Merkel acknowledged that changing the treaties usually a lengthy procedure - won’t be easy because not all of the European Union’s 27 member states “are enthusiastic about it.” But she dismissed reports that the eurozone, or some nations within the bloc, might go ahead with a swifter treaty between governments.

Changes to existing euro-zone rules are being touted as one way the euro-zone can get out of its debt crisis, which has already forced bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal, and is threatening to engulf bigger economies such as Italy, the euro-zone’s third-largest. If Italy were to default on its debts of around euro1.9 trillion ($2.5 trillion), the fallout could spell ruin for the euro project itself and send shock waves throughout the global economy.

Even countries outside the euro-zone were ratcheting up pressure on the ministers to find a solution. President Barack Obama, meeting with top EU officials on Monday, said a European failure to resolve its debt crisis would complicate his own efforts to create jobs in the U.S. And even Poland, historically wary of German dominance beyond its borders, appealed for help.

“I will probably be the first Polish foreign minister in history to say so, but here it is,” Radek Sikorski said in Berlin. “I fear German power less than I am beginning to fear German inactivity. You have become Europe’s indispensable nation.”

Illustrating the urgency is the fact that euro-zone governments have euro638 billion ($852 billion) in past debts coming due in 2012, of which 40 percent needs to be refinanced in the first four months of the year, according to a Barclays Capital estimate last week.— AP

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

BUSINESS

FASTtelco inks purchase agreement with GBI Al-Naqeeb: The first company to break foreign monopoly KUWAIT: Abdul-Wahab AlNaqeeb, Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of AlDeira Holding, and CEO of FASTtelco announced that FASTtelco, the communication company that provides innovative communication solutions to both consumer and corporate markets, signed a purchase agreement with Gulf Bridge International (GBI), a regional cable operator funded by Gulf State sovereign wealth funds. This agreement comes as a part of FASTtelco commitment to continue serving their customers, where it has chosen GBI to facilitate their plans to further expand their operations in the Kuwaiti market and further beyond local borders.

This contract is considered the first of its kind secured by GBI and its first in Kuwait. The agreement will provide FASTtelco with connectivity on routes both within the Gulf and onward to Europe and to America. The GBI Cable System will provide FASTtelco with greater choice, value, diversity, and resilience for their traffic.

GBI is committed to providing FASTtelco with seamless turnkey solutions for 15 years and bringing their customers to the heart of

on GBI’s network. GBI’s ability to connect customers to the main European hubs is just one of its many differentiating factors that

been focused on remaining on the cutting edge of technology and providing practical solutions to its customers” , adding that “Our aim is to differentiate ourselves among all local operators and further expand our operations beyond Kuwaiti border.” He went on to say that “GBI is a company that is wholly owned by Gulf State sovereign wealth funds with Kuwait Investment Authority being one of their shareholders. We are pleased to support an international company that is from the region and for the region”.

He added, “We are happy to see that GBI is taking the lead on meeting the growing demand for capacity in Kuwait and the region, a commitment that FASTtelco is also undertaking”.

Ahmed Mekky, Board Member, and CEO of GBI said that we FASTtelco has selected GBI as their carrier of choice and we are confident that we will exceed their expectations. Kuwait is a strategic market for GBI and it deserves a state of the art network that GBI will offer”.

Al-Naqeeb concluded by thanking all the employees in the company for the contentious support and efforts in light of a challenging working environment and surrounded with expertise that support their aspirations for a better future. He also stressed that the coming stage will witness a development in the performance of Al-Deera Holding the base through the distribution of assets and investments and continuity in its overall strategy in terms of the distribution of investments by sector and geography, which will achieve returns for our shareholders distinctive.

KUWAIT: Abdul-Wahab Al-Naqeeb, CEO of FASTtelco and Ahmed Mekky, Board Member, and CEO of GBI, exchange agreement documents.

Europe; thus eliminating the need to interact with third parties with a traffic of 5 terabyte per second and enabling them to rely solely

serve to distinguish them in the market. Al-Naqeeb said that “ Since its establishment in 2001, FASTtelco’s Strategy has always

EQUATE wins Middle East’s ‘Plant of Year 2011 Award’ KUWAIT: EQUATE Petrochemical Company earned the Middle East Chemical Week’s “Plant of the Year 2011 Award” organized by Petchem Arabia and the UK-based World Refining Association.

This award was granted to EQUATE in recognition for its worldclass operational excellence and exemplary environmental contributions. This is an excellent recognition of EQUATE’s safe and reliable operations, as well as its environmental contribution.

On this occasion, EQUATE President and CEO Hamad Al-Terkait EQUATE President and said, “To achieve Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) excellence, CEO Hamad Al-Terkait

EQUATE has developed its own set of relevant programs, objectives and goals which are regularly tracked and reported. These programs are not only related to business efficiency, they are also relevant to the employees and the community’s overall health, safety and pollution prevention, as well as preserving valuable natural resources.”

Al-Terkait expressed utmost appreciation and infinite congratulations to EQUATE’s employees for their commitment and world-class performance which have made EQUATE a true success at all levels.

Earlier in 2011, EQUATE became the first Kuwaiti company to earn

the internationally recognized Responsible Care accreditation and certification.

Established in 1995, EQUATE is an international joint venture between Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Boubyan Petrochemical Company (BPC) and Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company (QPIC). Commencing production in 1997, EQUATE is the single operator of a fully integrated world-scale manufacturing facility producing over 5 million tons annually of highquality petrochemical products which are marketed throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.

Eames Demetrios speaking at the INDEX Design talks.

Index 2011 confirms status as top interiors and design event in region A total of 918 companies participated at INDEX 2011, showcasing their products across 10 halls and occupying 18,213 m.sq. of floor space. The international nature of the exhibitions was also reflected in the origin of the exhibitors who came from 45 countries, 20 of which had dedicated national pavilions including France, Italy, Indonesia, Spain, Korea, Portugal, Turkey, Thailand and Singapore. “ The six product-specific shows Furnishings, InRetail, Kitchen & Bathroom, Lighting, Outdoor Living and Textiles - that were introduced this year received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our visitors. “ said Naomi Barton, who has been appointed as the new Event Director for INDEX 2012. “We have already started working on next year’s INDEX event and we will keep improving its format and add to the content to cater to the design market’s evolving needs. New product sectors that will be part of INDEX 2012 include four new show areas: Inspire, Couture, Furniture and Surfaces & Finishes will next year be part of INDEX, making the 22nd edition of the event larger and even more memorable than the previous shows”.

The new shows will continue to give the exhibition a more product-specific structure, making it easier for visitor to find what they are looking for. Couture will be dedicated to high-end luxury furniture; Furniture will showcase contemporary and classic bedroom, living and dining furniture; Surfaces & Finishes will focus exclusively on surfaces, flooring and finishing products; and Inspire is a new high-end home fashion and lifestyle section of INDEX 2012. INDEX 2012 will run from 24th to 27th September 2012 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. For the first time, INDEX will also take place in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 29th to 31st May 2012.

DUBAI: INDEX, the Middle East and North Africa’s largest and longest established Interiors and Design Exhibition, yesterday revealed figures from its show and confirmed its status as the region’s leading sector event. Over 27,870 people - 11.4 percent more than the previous edition - visited the 2011 show which took place from 22nd to 25th October at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

INDEX is undoubtedly the most important occasion for the MENA region’s Architect and Design community to meet, discuss and do business. Trade visitors were the largest attendees group making up to two thirds of show visitors (18,719 people) with some non-trade visitors, media and students also attending. Over 11 percent of attendees flew into Dubai from other GCC countries as well as from Europe, the USA, African countries, India and Pakistan.

The high profile of the exhibition was reinforced by the numbers attending through the ONE VIP Program. Over 1,600 influential VIP buyers from ongoing projects with budgets totalling $ 102,500 million were present at the event.

“INDEX 2011 was a great success both from the exhibitors’ and visitors’ perspectives; we hit the mark with INDEX’s innovative profile for 2011 that introduced a new structure and additional show features to the event”, said Paula Al Chami, Event Director for INDEX 2011. “During the event, professionals and design-passionate people had the opportunity to immerse themselves in new trends and innovations from the international design industry. Visitors packed the halls and all the features - from “Les Collections Exclusives” to the Design Talks and the Student Challenge - got an incredible response. We couldn’t be more satisfied with this year’s result”.

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

.2730000 .4260000 .3670000 .2980000 .2650000 .2720000 .0040000 .0020000 .0750520 .7312060 .3810000 .0700000 .7168150 .0040000 .0430000

.2800000 .4370000 .3770000 .3090000 .2750000 .2830000 .0072500 .0035000 .0758060 .7385550 .4010000 .0760000 .7240200 .0072000 .0530000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2757000 .2793000 GB Pound/KD .4310710 .4367000 Euro .3694380 .3742620 Swiss francs .3006870 .3046130 Canadian dollars .2679820 .2714810 Danish Kroner .0496560 .0503040 Swedish Kroner .0400710 .0405940 Australian dlr .2768440 .2804590 Hong Kong dlr .0353810 .0358430 Singapore dlr .2129620 .2157420 Japanese yen .0035470 .0035930 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 .0053970 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 .0024600 Pakistan rupee .0000000 .0031760 Bangladesh taka .0000000 .0036530 UAE dirhams .0750920 .0760720 Bahraini dinars .7315910 .7411440 Jordanian dinar .0000000 .3950500 Saudi Riyal/KD .0735400 .0745000 Omani riyals .7163830 .7257370 Philippine Peso .0000000 .0064500

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 3.598 5.337 3.154 2.436 3.341 213.250 35.672 3.580 6.336 8.873 0.271 0.273

GCC COUNTRIES 74.150 76.402 722.230 738.540 75.715

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 47.500 46.282 1.272 189.860 392.670 1.865 6.003 33.814

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 277.950 Euro 370.650 Sterling Pound 431.930 Canadian dollar 268.420 Turkish lire 153.940 Swiss Franc 300.620 Australian dollar 277.000 US Dollar Buying 277.750

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

SELL CASH 279.500 738.550 3.820 272.300 545.400 44.900 50.700 167.800 48.420 375.000 36.330 5.750 0.032 0.214 0.241 3.650 394.390 0.188 89.710 46.400 4.270 213.600 1.799

48.300 721.330 3.330 6.610 76.820 74.150 215.190 35.890 2.646 435.000 40.800 305.400 5.400 9.310 198.263 75.720 278.100 1.230

721.150 3.165 6.375 76.390 74.150 215.190 35.890 2.435 433.000 303.900 5.400 9.060 75.620 277.700

10 Tola

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 433.000 277.700

Sterling Pound US Dollar

SELL DRAFT 278.000 738.550 3.585 270.800

215.200 46.289 373.500 36.180 5.345 0.031

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

281.01 272.86 305.72 373.39 434.83 3.62 3.592 5.321 2.438 3.343 3.156 75.58 738.54 46.26 395.01 721.59 76.56 74.14

280.00 275.00 310.00 376.00 435.00 3.62 3.740 5.725 2.650 4.150 3.350 76.00 738.55 48.42 394.30 722.50 76.95 74.30

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd 393.510 0.187 89.710 3.360 212.100

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar

Selling Rate 276.850 268.505 443.300 374.970 303.055 733.125

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

75.350 75.990 73.785 389.700 46.310 2.422 5.309 3.179 3.615 6.383 679.095 3.675 8.955 5.830 3.415 91.960

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co.

GOLD 1,779.930

UAE Exchange Centre WLL

GOLD 315.500 159.000 81.500

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

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 277.650 Pak Rupees 3.165 Indian Rupees 5.355 Sri Lankan Rupees 2.445 Bangladesh Taka 3.595 Philippines Peso 6.410 UAE Dirhams 75.685 Saudi Riyals 74.185 Bahraini Dinars 738.000 Egyptian Pounds 46.260 Pound Sterling 436.300 Indonesian Rupiah 3.190 Yemeni Riyal 1.550 Jordanian Dinars 394.400 Syrian Pounds 5.750 Euro 376.400 Canadian Dollars 274.400 Nepali rupee 3.690

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 277.250 Euro 373.300 Pound Sterling 432.800 Canadian Dollar 270.500 Japanese Yen 3.595 Indian Rupee 5.340 Egyptian Pound 46.225 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.434 Bangladesh Taka 3.560 Philippines Peso 6.355 Pakistan Rupee 3.154 Bahraini Dinar 738.500 UAE Dirham 75.550 Saudi Riyal 73.100 *Rates are subject to change

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BUSINESS

IFRS in focus at KPMG seminar KUWAIT: KPMG Kuwait Safi Al-Mutawa and Partners held a special two-day seminar on November 28 and 29 on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for clients at the Sheraton Kuwait Hotel. The event was attended by around 100 professionals across the corporate world.

“Financial reporting standards get very complicated by the day, every day,” said Yusuf Hassan, a partner at KPMG Safi Al-Mutawa and Partners as he spoke at the opening of the seminar. The two-day annual event saw participation from various sectors apart from KPMG executives in Kuwait Safi Al-Mutawa and Dr Rashid Al-Qenae. The seminar aimed to keep clients updated on IFRS changes and also aid them to handle IFRS problems if any and mainly addressed professionals who are in-charge of reporting finances.

“The idea is to get them to prepare or present the financial statement in a way that it correctly reflects what is happening inside,” said Hassan. He also laid emphasis on the new standards issued and the International Accounting Standards Board

(IASB)’s latest developments, including current projects.

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is a set of accounting standards developed by an independent, nonprofit organization called the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) whose

KHOA chief selected for AHIC council KUWAIT: The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) selected touristic expert and General Manager of the Kuwait Hotel Owners Association (KHOA), Mohammad Najia, as a member of the consultative council for a conference which is held in Dubai annually.

Najia joins a group of representatives from companies specialized in hotel investments, as well as officials from hotel management firms. In their recent meeting, the council discussed efforts to encourage citizens of Gulf Cooperation Council countries to invest in the hotel industry, Najia said in a press statement.

goal is to provide a global framework for how public companies prepare and disclose their financial statements. IFRS is proving to be crucial to many countries that are either adopting IFRS as the basis for their national accounting standards or incorporating IFRS into their existing

Kuwait eyes KD9 billion budget surplus in 2011 Mid-year revenues top full year target NBK economic report KUWAIT: Kuwait’s 6-month follow-up statements on fiscal year 2011/12 (FY11/12) reveal a total government spending of KD 5 billion, 12.1% up year on year (y/y). Growth in demand-impacting spending grew 7.3% and is expected to accelerate in the second half. Total revenues reached KD 13.9 billion, up a notable 40% y/y mostly driven by higher oil prices and receipts. Revenues already exceeded their target for full FY11/12 by KD 0.5 billion.

Halfway into the year, Kuwait’s budget revealed a massive surplus of KD 8.9 billion. We forecast a similar surplus for the entire fiscal year (as spending picks up later in the year). With KD 5 billion in total expenditures, Kuwait would have spent 26% of FY11/12 budget. The spending pace at midyear is more or less in line with the 5-year average. Spending on chapter 1, wages and salaries, reached KD 1 billion, up 10% on the comparable period. The government had lately approved a series of salary hikes that were on top of the usual annual salary increases. This “chapter” is projected to grow 24% for the whole year.

Spending on chapter 2, goods and services, came at KD 872 million, up 4.4% y/y. The cost of fuel incurred by the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) typically makes up more than two thirds of this category. Spending on chapter 3, vehicles and equipment, was only KD 54 million, 5.5% y/y.

Spending under this chapter remains a small (and volatile) spending category with minimal impact on aggregate figures. Spending on chapter 4, projects, maintenance and land purchases, totaled KD 447 million in the 6 months of the FY11/12, the second year of the development plan. This more crucial chapter is down 9.3% y/y, yet at 18% of budget remains in line with the historic average and behavior. We do know that spending (and reporting) should generally pick up in the second half of the fiscal year.

Chapter 5, transfers and miscellaneous expenditures, reached KD 2.6 billion, up 21% compared to the same period of FY10/11. The largest increase came from transfers to social security (PIFSS) but the ministry of defense also showed a notable

Joyalukkas chairman honored with ‘Asian Achiever of Year 2011’ in UK

Stars of McDonald’s winners revealed KUWAIT: Showcasing its dedication to developing and fostering its employees on all levels, McDonald’s celebrated its crew and managers at its Stars of McDonald’s talent competition finale, which took place on Wednesday October 19 at Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai. A group of four talented performers from McDonald’s UAE was awarded first prize at the event, which brought together singers, dancers and instrumentalists from McDonald’s talented pool of crew and management from the Middle East and Africa region.

Out of the seven semi-finalist acts, the Grand Prize of $10,000 was awarded to the UAE Dance Team, consisting of Jeffrey Carcha, Jaime Madriaga, Ronald Espinosa and Bryan Catalan, whose dynamic, wellcoordinated performance blew the judges away. The Second Prize of $5,000 went to first runners-up, energetic, hip-hop UAE Duo, Christine Anne Acedo and Eric Pasamonte. Cypriot performer, George Gkiourtsides, won the Third Prize of $2,000 for his outstanding display.

Also performing in the semi-finals were Ashish Beshukarma (McDonald’s UAE ), Yousef Abdulshakur (McDonald’s Jeddah ), in addition to Esmerelda Salangang and Mark Lester Salmo (McDonald’s Kuwait).

Coca-Cola Happiness Wall awards of $1000 were presented to Wilson Ong (McDonald’s Kuwait), Faisal Al Sulimi (McDonald’s Oman), Fuiller Nunez (McDonald’s Kuwait) and Raymund Recamadas (McDonald’s Kuwait), for their photographs depicting the joy that Coca-

Cola brings to them. Raymund proved so talented in expressing his happiness that he won twice!

The winners, UAE Dance Team, all agreed that participating was “incredibly exciting,”, and that the competition had been especially tough. Bryan Catalan summed up their feelings; “We’re very happy to have won, and would like to thank McDonald’s for organizing this competition. Everyone who took part was very talented, so it is an honor to have been chosen as the winner!”

“At McDonald’s, we are dedicated to being an employer of choice and as such are always developing initiatives to support our employees in every way we can think of. This competition served to encourage our valuable staff to recognize their talent, reinforcing our pride in them while promoting crew and manager engagement. Finally, it was also a lot of fun which we believe is a big part of any great work environment.” said Mogamat Noah, HR Business Partner, McDonald’s Middle East & Africa region.

McDonald’s also offers proactive training and development programs and strong prospects for promotion. Indeed, most of McDonald’s restaurant managers today have successfully developed careers with the company from crew member positions.

The restaurant is known worldwide for its ability to recruit, retain and develop strong talent, and features some of the best worldwide health policies and safest working environments.

In recognition of his visionary entrepreneurship and business acumen, the chairman of Joy Alukkas Group, Joy Alukkas, was recently presented the ‘Asian Achiever of the Year 2011’ award. The award was presented by UK shadow minister for employment Stephen Timms MP, at a meeting of the UK - Kerala Business Forum held at the William Pitt chamber of the British Parliament. The award was accepted on behalf of Joy Alukkas by John Paul Joy Alukkas, Executive Director, Joyalukkas Group.

“It is an honor to be bestowed with the award of ‘Asian Achiever of the Year’ and I thank the UK - Kerala Business Forum for this recognition. I would like to dedicate this award to my team at Joyalukkas and our loyal customers who have helped me achieve success and recognition,” said Joy Alukkas, Chairman, Joyalukkas Group.

Joy Alukkas, followed in his visionary father’s footsteps and expanded the ‘Joyalukkas’ name to a global level. His father Varghese Alukkas started his first jewelry showroom way back in 1956 and since then Joy Alukkas has made ‘Joyalukkas’ an household name in jewelry. Joy Alukkas took his first step by setting up a jewelry showroom in UAE in the year 1987, since then there has been no looking back for him. Under the vision and direction of Joy Alukkas, and with

his single-minded dream to consolidate Joyalukkas’ position as the world’s favorite jeweler, the Joy Alukkas Group has grown, in a span of little over two decades, into a $1 billion plus global conglomerate.

“My father’s vision and passion has helped us achieve all our success, I feel privileged to accept this honor on his behalf. Every employee at Joyalukkas is motivated by our Chairman’s drive and enthusiasm and we as a team rejoice in his achievement. Our vision is to ‘Ornament the world’ and Joy Alukkas along with every employee at Joyalukkas, strives towards achieving this vision every day,” said John Paul Joy Alukkas, Executive Director, Joyalukkas Group.

Joyalukkas is today a global brand with 85 showrooms across 9 countries around the world in UK, Singapore, UAE, India, KSA, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar. The group is currently rapidly expanding its business portfolio and the Groups’ business outside the jewelry line to include luxury aviation, Shopping Malls, Textiles and Money Exchanges.

In addition to various awards and recognition the company and its visionary chairman have received worldwide, Joyalukkas was recently awarded the Superbrand status in the UAE for the second year in a row.

Qatar bond due; state may add 30-yr tranche DUBAI: Qatar plans to raise at least $1 billion from a dualtranche dollar bond sale, and sources said the Gulf Arab state could be eyeing a bumper issue, with the potential for a 30year portion to be added to the final deal.

Guidance for the long five-year tranche maturing in January 2017 was issued at 225 basis points over US Treasuries (UST), and 262.5 bps over UST for the long 10-year tranche maturing in 2022, according to a document from lead banks seen by Reuters.

Both tranches will be benchmark sized, it added, meaning at least $500 million each. Qatar’s five year credit default

year was a record one and elaborated that KPMG provides a better perspective of topical issues like IFRS. KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services, which operates in 150 countries and has 138,000 people working in member firms around the world.

national standards. While IFRS changes are only applicable from 2013, the potential impact of adopting them will require entities to review their financial information gathering process in order to be prepared when these standards become effective.

Safi Al-Mutawa said that the turnout this

swaps, or the cost to insure sovereign debt, were bid at 125 basis points on Tuesday afternoon, data from Markit showed.

“This is likely to be a jumbo-sized transaction ... In the current climate, dominated by volatility and nervousness, investors are likely to welcome the chance to buy a credit as solid as Qatar sovereign to add a degree of stability to their portfolios,” said Chavan Bhogaita, head of markets strategy unit at National Bank of Abu Dhabi.

Qatar’s bond will be structured under the 144a format, meaning it is open to institutional investors in the United States. Three market sources said lead arrangers were gaug-

ing investor interest for a 30-year tranche to be added to the final deal, which may appeal to pension funds and insurance portfolios.

Citi, J.P. Morgan, HSBC, Mitsubishi UFJ, Qatar National Bank and Standard Chartered are the lead managers on the transaction. The world’s top liquefied gas exporter concluded investor meetings in New York on Monday, having also undertaken roadshows in London last Friday.

Qatar’s last global bond was a three-tranche, $7 billion issue in November 2009, just before Dubai’s debt crisis broke, shutting regional bond markets for months. — Reuters

increase (KD 156 million) reflecting the salary increases of military personnel which were approved by the government last year (military salaries fall under Chapter 5).

Meanwhile, revenues totaled KD 13.9 billion and already exceeded the target for the whole year. The increase was largely driven by strong oil receipts.

Kuwait export crude (KEC) averaged around $108 pb in the first 6 months of FY11/12, well above the assumed price of oil of $60 pb in the budget. Oil revenues were thus up 42% from the comparable period last year when oil prices averaged $74 pb.

Non-oil revenues totaled KD 638 million, up 11% y/y. The increases were led by “miscellaneous revenues and fees” most likely due to compensation payments from the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC). Kuwait did receive two large payments from the UNCC in recent months. Meanwhile, “land sales” and “property fees”, though small categories, saw decent growth likely related to improved real estate sales this year.

Burgan Bank announces names of daily winners of Yawmi Account KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday the names of the five lucky winners of its Yawmi account draw, each taking home a prize of KD 5,000.

The lucky winners for the five daily draws took home a cash-prize of KD 5000 each, and they are: 1. JABER HMOUD SABAH AL SABAH 2. NAJI GORGI LASKARI 3. ABDULLAH ABDULRAZZAQ MOHAMMAD SULAIMAN 4. AHMED HUSSAIN AHMED ALI 5. ALAA MOHD METWALI ABDULRAHMAN The newly re-launched Yawmi Account is better, easier and faster than any day before. With its new and enhanced features, the Yawmi Account has become more convenient, easier, and faster for customers to benefit from. Now, customers will be eligible to enter the draw after 48 hours only from opening the account. Customers are also required to deposit KD 100 or equivalent only to enter the daily draw, and the coupon value to enter the draw stands at KD 10.

The newly designed Yawmi account has been launched to provide a highly innovative offering along with a higher frequency and incentive of winning for everyone. Today, the Yawmi account is a well understood product, where its popularity can be seen from the number of increasing account holders.

Burgan Bank encourages everyone to open a Yawmi account and/or increase their deposit to maximize their chances to becoming a daily winner. The more customers deposit, the higher the chances they receive of winning the draw.

Opening a Yawmi account is simple, customers are urged to visit their nearest Burgan Bank branch and receive all the details, or simply call the bank’s Call Center at 1804080 where customer service representatives will be delighted to assist with any questions on the Yawmi account or any of the bank’s products and services. Customers can also log on to Burgan Bank’s www.burgan.com for further information.

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KSE stocks stabilize GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) closed in green zone after His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah accepted the resignation of HH Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, tasking the premier and the ministers to continue in the service on care-taking basis till formation of a new government.

Global General Index (GGI) ended the day up by 0.55 percent, at 180.72 point. Market capitalization was up for the day, reaching KD29.58bn. On the other hand, KSE Price Index closed at 5,800.3 point, adding 17.6 points (0.3 percent) to its previous close.

Market breadth During the session, 94 companies were traded.

Market breadth was skewed towards advancers as 46 equities advanced versus 21 that declined.

Trading activity was down yesterday. Total volume traded was down by 18.07 percent with 120.41mn shares changing hands at a total value of KD9.95mn (37.71 percent lower compared to Monday session).

Investment sector was the volume leader. The sector accounted for 47.99 percent of total shares exchanges. Al-Ahlia Holding Company was the session’s most traded stock with 23.68mn shares exchanged. The services sector was the value leader, having 34.19 percent of total traded value.

In terms of top gainers, Arkan Al-Kuwait Real Estate Company was the top gainer for the day, adding 15.87 percent to its share value and closing at KD0.073. On the other hand, Warba Insurance Company shed 6.94 percent and closed at KWD0.134 making it the biggest decliner in the market.

Sectors During the session, six out of eight indices ended the day on a positive note. Global Banking Index topped the gainers’ list among other sectors, adding 0.91 percent to its value. Heavyweights, Kuwait Finance House rose by 2.25 percent, to close at KD0.910 and National Bank of Kuwait went up by 1.79 percent to close at KD1.140.

Industrial sector followed adding 0.44 percent.

Among the sector’s components, National Industries Group (Holding) gained 1.89 percent, to close at

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

BUSINESS

KD0.270 and Salbookh Trading Company rose by 6.25 percent, closing at KD0.051. Metal & Recycling Company was the top gainer in the sector, adding 7.55 percent to its share value, and closing at KD0.114.

Global Services Index recorded an increase of 0.36 percent during the session. In sector’s news, Aref Energy Holding Company has received a purchase offer worth $28.35mn for 81 percent of its 64.25 percent equity in Sudan-based Heglig Petroleum Services & Investment Company. Upon concluding the sale, Aref will maintain 19 percent of its equity in the company. The bid is currently under study, and Aref will duly inform KSE management of any developments after finalizing the study. The scrip closed up by 3.85 percent at KD0.108.

On the other hand, Global Insurance index was the biggest loser among the sectors, shedding 0.58 percent dragged down by a sole drop in Warba Insurance Company. The scrip was the biggest loser during the

session, as it declined by 6.94 percent, closing at KD0.134.

Corporate news National Cleaning Company (NCC) renewed contracts to provide cleaning services with Kuwait Municipality. The contracts, which terminated on November 24, 2011, will be extended for one more year. NCC’s percentage of these agreements is as follows: 100 percent of NCC’s agreements worth KD2.62mn. 100 percent of affiliates’ agreements worth 7.57mn. 90 percent of affiliates’ agreements worth 4.42mn. 67.5 percent of affiliates’ agreements worth 2.86mn.

Oil news The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $108.75pb a barrel on Monday, compared with $107.73pb the previous Friday, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

Oil up above $109 on bond auction, Iran LONDON: Oil was trading up above $109 a barrel yesterday after Italy successfully completed a closely watched bond auction, boosting investor confidence, whilst tensions around Iran continued to support as protesters stormed the British embassy. Brent crude futures were up 64 cents to $109.64 a barrel by 1355 GMT, and US crude was up 14 cents to $98.35 a barrel. Both contracts had traded higher straight after the Italian bond auction, with Brent pushing to an intraday high of $110.87 and US crude touching $99.30 a barrel.

Italy paid record yields of nearly 8 percent to sell its three-year paper but crucially managed to raise 7.5 billion euros, close to the top of the targeted 5 billion to 8 billion range.

European stocks and the euro rallied on news of the result and oil prices also received a strong boost.

“This is helping to restore a bit of confidence,” said Simon Wardell, oil analyst at IHS Global Insight. Some of the gains were given up later in the session when the euro lost ground after the European Central Bank failed to attract enough deposits from banks to offset its purchases of bonds from debt-ridden euro-zone countries.

“The euro has fallen back again and we have seen a bit of technical selling in the oil market as well, particularly in the Brent as it fell through $110,” said Rob Montefusco, a trader at Sucden Financial in London.

However, analysts and traders said that a floor remained under the oil price because of geopolitical risk, reflected in the attack on the British Embassy in Iran.

Iranian protesters hurled petrol bombs and burned the British flag during a rally to protest against sanctions imposed by Britain, live Iranian television showed. The UK

government has banned all British financial institutions from doing business with their Iranian counterparts, including the Central Bank of Iran, as part of a new wave of sanctions by Western countries.

Paris has argued that Europe should ban Iranian oil as part of Western steps to ratchet up pressure on the country, following a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency that suggested Iran had worked on designing an atom bomb.

An apparent explosion was heard from Iran’s Isfahan city on Monday afternoon, the head of the judiciary in the province said, but the province’s deputy governor denied that there had been a big blast. An important Iranian nuclear facility involved in processing uranium is located near Isfahan.

“Looking forward, we might get a leg up again if there is any traction with this oil embargo on Iran,” said Montefusco. “That would certainly get us going. OPEC would have to produce at full pelt.”

OPEC oil output has risen in November to the highest since October 2008 due to increased supplies from Angola and a further recovery in Libya’s production, a Reuters survey found on Tuesday.

But the prospect of an embargo is making countries such as Greece, which is amongst those that would be most impacted, unhappy. Crude oil inventories and refined products remain tight in both Europe and the United States. “We get US inventory data later today and tomorrow which may show a further decline in product stocks and could lend support to crude oil prices. Brent will stay range-bound at $105-$110 a barrel,” said Carsten Fritsch, an analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt.—Reuters

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Europe talks, US consumer confidence send stocks up Overall readings remain historically weak

OLELEWA: The first refinery of the country in Olelewa in Niger. Niger officially became an oil producer with the opening of a refinery run by the state and a Chinese company. —AFP

South sees no future in Sudan oil infrastructure JUBA: South Sudan will continue to press for a new oil pipeline because it does not see a future in Sudan’s oil infrastructure, the oil minister said yesterday, a day after Sudan said it halted shipments of the South Sudanese government’s oil at port.

South Sudan took about three-quarters of the formerly united country’s roughly 500,000 barrels per day of output when it seceded, but must still export its oil through pipelines running north to a Red Sea port in Sudan. The two sides are still negotiating a raft of issues in Addis Ababa related to the divorce of the two nations.

South Sudan’s oil minister Stephen Dhieu Dau said Khartoum’s decision to halt shipments of oil sold by the government of South Sudan was “unfortunate” and would negatively affect all of Sudan’s oil interests. “We do not see a future in the oil infrastructure of the north. Our oil must have access to international mar-

kets. We should not be punished because we decided to secede,” Dhieu told Reuters by telephone from the Ethiopian capital.

He said the new nation had offered Sudan a $5.4 billion transitional financial package for the next five years to help plug a $7.8 billion fiscal deficit caused by the split of the country in July, in line with a figure he said was calculated by the International Monetary Fund.

“We have offered to pay $2.6 billion over five years and forgiveness of arrears of $2.6 billion, for a deal in which we would not pay transit fees,” he said. “This is the package of financial assistance we are offering to Khartoum, and while this is happening we were surprised by this unilateral decision (to halt shipments of oil). This unilateral action taken by Khartoum will have negative impact on all of Sudan’s oil interests.”

He said the alternative would be to pay a transit fee which would not be more than $0.75 per barrel. —Reuters

OPEC oil supply up in November LONDON: OPEC oil output has risen this month to a three-year high due to increased supplies from Angola and a further recovery in Libya’s production, a Reuters survey found yesterday.

Supply from all 12 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is expected to average 30.27 million barrels per day (bpd) this month, up from a revised 29.81 million bpd in October, the survey of sources at oil companies, OPEC officials and analysts found.

November’s total is expected to be OPEC’s highest since October 2008, shortly before the producer group agreed to a series of supply curbs to combat recession, based on Reuters surveys.

The biggest increase is coming from Angola where Total’s Pazflor field is expanding output, followed by Libya.

Libya’s oil exports and refinery demand

amount to 500,000 bpd in November, according to the survey, less than the production figures given by Libyan officials. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf OPEC allies raised production unilaterally after failing at the group’s last meeting in June to convince other members to agree a coordinated increase to meet a shortfall in supplies from Libya.

After a reduction in October, Saudi Arabia has increased supplies slightly in November due to higher demand from some customers in Asia, sources in the survey said. Kuwait has also expanded output. OPEC holds its next meeting on Dec. 14. With oil prices well above $100 and Libya’s output yet to reach the prewar rate, analysts and OPEC officials have predicted a low-key gathering unlikely to make major changes to output policy. —Reuters

First batch of Msheireb Properties workers get IT training certification DOHA: A group of construction workers who are rebuilding the centre of Doha through the Msheireb Downtown project, have significantly boosted their skill sets after successfully completing a free IT training course offered by the project developer, Msheireb Properties.

Msheireb Properties, a subsidiary of Qatar Foundation, said the first group of construction staff received their certificates in October after completing six weeks of training in the Microsoft Office suite of applications, as well as an introductory course looking at IT hardware.

The developer’s IT team members Mohammed Samiullah and Kris Tabili ran the free course at the workers’ living quarters as part of the company’s commitment to the welfare of its workforce and to expand the skill set of construction workers The IT training which comprised 12 twohour sessions with two classes held each week in English and Hindi, was made available to employees of contractors working on the QR20 bn Msheireb Downtown Doha development.

Mohammed Al-Marri, Projects Director at Msheireb Properties, said: “We are delighted with the level of participation and commitment shown by the first intake

of students and look forward to expanding the program in the future to include construction workers from outside our contractor base Career development and skills training is an integral part of our approach to human resources and community development and, we believe in making available learning opportunities and creating the potential for advancement to all those involved in the construction of our unique development.

The initiative is just one facet of Msheireb Properties’ comprehensive corporate social responsibility programs, through which it aims to support employees and the wider local community. Previous successes aimed at workers include hosting a Ramadan tent for construction workers during the Holy Month and a health and safety initiative that rewards individual workers for their strict adherence to safety rules.

In keeping with its commitment to fostering a sustainable future, Msheireb Properties has also launched the Green Program for Schools, which aims to educate and engage with school pupils in Doha on issues relating to sustainability and green living.

NEW YORK: Stocks rose yesterday, a day after a huge rally, as European leaders struggle to craft new cures for the region’s debt crisis. The market also got a lift from a jump in US consumer confidence.

Europe’s finance ministers met yesterday to discuss ideas for salvaging the region’s finances and shared currency that would have been off-limits only recently, including countries ceding fiscal sovereignty to a central authority. Europe’s proposals for wriggling out of a potential financial catastrophe have become more radical as borrowing costs for the region’s large economies, including Spain and Italy, spike.

President Barack Obama said Monday in a meeting with top EU officials that if Europe failed to solve its crisis, the US economy would suffer. US consumer confidence rebounds Meanwhile, US consumers regained oodles of confidence in November, with a key sur vey released yesterday showing a recovery from the lowest levels seen in more than two years. The Conference Board said its consumer confidence index stood at 56.0 in November, up sharply from 40.9 in October.

“Confidence has bounced back to levels last seen during the summer,” said Conference Board researcher Lynn Franco.

“Consumers assessment of current conditions finally improved, after six months of steady declines.”

“Consumers appear to be entering the holiday season in better spirits, though overall readings remain historically weak.”

AMR Corp plunged 85 percent after the parent company of American Airlines said it would file for bankruptcy protection because it can no longer shoul-

der rising fuel costs and its heavy debt load. Competitor United Continental Holdings Inc. jumped 6.6 percent, and Delta Air Lines Inc rose 5.2 percent.

AMR Corp has continued to lose money while other U.S. airlines returned to profitability in the

Dow Jones industrial average rose 61 points, or 0.5 percent, to 11,584 at 10:15 a.m. (1515 GMT).

The Dow jumped 291 Monday on expectations that European leaders were moving more aggressively to prevent the region’s debt crisis from causing a cata-

Tiffany & Co plunged 11 percent, the most of any stock in the S&P 500, after the luxury retailer forecast fourth-quarter earnings that were below Wall Street’s expectations. The fourth quarter includes the holiday shopping season.

NEW YORK: Consumers lug their bags through Herald Square during the busiest shopping day of the year, in New York. A private research group says consumer’s confidence in the economy this month soared 15 points to its highest level since July. The report was encouraging news for the holiday shopping season. —AP last two years.

Stocks started with small gains and moved higher after 10 a.m., when the Conference Board, a private research group, reported that its Consumer Confidence Index jumped in in November to its highest level since July. The

strophic breakup of their currency union.

The Standard & Poor ’s 500 index rose 7, or 0.6 percent, to 1,199. The S&P broke a seven-day losing streak Monday. The Nasdaq composite rose 7, or 0.3 percent, to 2,534.

Seagate Technology PLC jumped 5 percent after the hard drive maker forecast revenue for the current quar ter that was higher than analysts were expecting. Citi analyst Joe Yoo said higher hard disk drive prices were driving the gain. —AP

France, Germany spar over top ECB job FRANKFURT: France and Germany are battling for a key post at the European Central Bank amid deepening differences over the role the bank should take in the euro-zone debt crisis, sources revealed yesterday.

Until now, Berlin had assumed its number two at the finance ministry, Joerg Asmussen, would automatically take over from fellow German Juergen Stark as the ECB’s chief economist when he steps down at the end of the year.

But sources familiar with matter told AFP that Paris has also now thrown its hat into the ring in the person of Benoit Coeurechief economist of the French economy and finance ministry and number two at the French treasury. The source was confirming a corresponding report in German business daily Handelsblatt yesterday. “Berlin and Paris are both laying equal claim to the post.

It’s a dead heat,” the newspaper quoted French government and central bank sources as saying.

“Benoit Coeure clearly has the competence and the profile for the position of chief economist,” one source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“He and Asmussen could swap portfolios and Asmussen could be responsible for the bank’s international affairs. But, ultimately, it’s up to the executive board to decide,” the source said.

In a shock announcement in September, 63-year-old Stark, who has been the ECB’s chief economist since 2006, said he would step down before his term of office ends in May 2014.

Stark cited “personal reasons” for his decision but it is widely believed he is quitting in protest over the ECB’s controversial programme of buying bonds of those countries-such as Greecewhich find themselves unable to drum up financing on the markets. The six-member executive board is the body responsible for the day-to-day running of the ECB and implementing the decisions taken by the bank’s policy-setting governing council at its twice-monthly meetings. Ever since the ECB was set up, the position of chief economist has been held by a German: first Otmar Issing and then Juergen Stark.

However, the rule is not set in stone and, according to the ECB’s statutes, appointments are not made according to nationality, but expertise and competence.

Nevertheless, with the retirement of Frenchman Jean-Claude Trichet as president, France, the euro-zone’s number two economy, has no representative on the six-member executive board, while Italy has two-Trichet’s successor Mario Draghi and Lorenzo Bini-Smaghi. As a result, Paris exerted heavy pressure on BiniSmaghi to hand over his seat to a Frenchman and the Italian finally succumbed and announced his early resignation earlier this month. —AFP

Sharp delivers 57 of its 108-Inch LCD Monitors for QNCC DOHA: Sharp Corporation has delivered a large number of 108-Inch commercial LCD monitors, the world’s largest in screen size, for installation in meeting rooms of the Qatar National Convention Centre, one of the world’s most sophisticated convention and exhibition centres.

The LB-1085 commercial LCD monitor has so far been used as a display in cinema lobbies and event venues, and has been highly rated for its outstanding features, including the ability to display crisp, clear images even in brightly lit

locations and for its large screen that measures approximately 238.2 (H) x 134.0 (V) centimetres.

The Qatar National Convention Centre is designed to host a wide variety of major events and exhibitions, and numerous visitors are expected from around the world. One 108-inch LCD monitor will be installed in all 57 meeting rooms in the convention centre and will mainly serve as a presentation and video conferencing system in the meeting rooms.

India proposes foreign investment in airlines NEW DELHI: India’s aviation ministry said yesterday it supports allowing foreign airlines to invest in the country’s cash-hungry carriers, but added that a final decision must be made by the cabinet.

Permitting foreign investment could bring much-needed capital for India’s cash-strapped Kingfisher, Jet and other airlines which have been battling to keep in business in the fiercely competitive aviation market. Foreign investment “is acceptable till a limited point,” Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi told CNBC news channel. But he said the level to which foreign investment should be allowed was still under discussion.

He said the aviation ministry had proposed allowing “less than 26 percent” investment by international airlines in domestic carriers.

The industry ministry earlier this month suggested permitting 26 percent foreign investment, saying the domestic airlines were “in dire need of funds” to compete with global carriers.

Ravi said the cabinet would have the final word but did not say when. A decision by the Congress party-led government last week to allow foreign retailers to own 51 percent of multi-brand supermarkets has raised expectations it may also allow foreign carriers to buy stakes in domestic air-

lines as it pursues its economic reform agenda.

The television report came after executives of some of India’s largest airlines met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week to seek government assistance for the beleaguered industry. India’s airlines may lose a total of $2.5 billion in the year ending in March 2012, according to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, an industry body. The airlines have been demanding change in the aviation policy to allow foreign airlines to pick up stakes in Indian carriers and provide cash infusions.

Earlier this month, Singh said

airlines should be managed efficiently, “but if they do get into difficulties, we have to find ways in supporting the development of the country”. On the surface, demographics make India, a country of 1.2 billion, an attractive story. India’s passenger aviation sector is estimated to be growing at between 15 and 20 percent each year. But all of India’s six main airlines-barring budget carrier IndiGo-announced steep losses in the financial quarter to September.

Ravi said the aviation ministry was also urging state governments to reduce steep taxes on sales of jet fuel. —AFP

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Murdoch suffers BSkyB revolt, but hangs on

LONDON: News Corporation Chief Rupert Murdoch (right) leaves his London home in a car with tinted windows. — AFP

LONDON: Investors holding nearly a quarter of BSkyB shares failed to back the reelection of chairman James Murdoch yesterday, in protest over the former chief executive’s handling of a phone hacking scandal that has damaged the family name.

A BSkyB spokesman said that excluding the shares controlled by News Corp, investors owning 24 percent of the company voted against his reappointment. An initial estimate put the figure at 19 percent. That does not take into account those shareholders who withheld their vote, so the final figure could be higher when it is confirmed in a regulatory filing later in the day.

“The vote is as expected but that doesn’t mean it will not have an impact.

Murdoch will have to work hard to get his image back with the institutional investment community to where it was before the scandal broke,” said Sanford Bernstein analyst Claudio Aspesi.

James Murdoch, who was well regarded as CEO of BSkyB between 2003 and 2007, had been expected to win re-elec-

tion to that role, thanks to the support of family and allies. But several shareholders told Reuters ahead of the key annual meeting that they would vote against the 38-year-old because they wanted a truly independent chairman rather than an executive of News Corp, which owns 39 percent of BSkyB. Murdoch is chairman of News International, News Corp’s British newspaper arm, and deputy chief operating officer at News Corp, where he survived a massive protest vote against his membership of the board last month.

News Corp failed earlier this year in a bid to buy the rest of BSkyB. During the phone hacking furore Murdoch appeared regularly as a representative of News Corp and among a flurry of statements also gave evidence to a parliamentary committee that was later criticized by politicians as being misleading.

British communications regulator Ofcom has said it is monitoring developments in the phone-hacking investigations. The regulator has a duty to ensure that owners of UK media are “fit and proper.” Shares in BSkyB were down 0.5 percent

at 1247 GMT, underperforming a flat bluechip FTSE index.

“It’s a very clear shot against his bows,” said Peel Hunt analyst Patrick Yau. “Some of the current shareholders are unhappy with his performance, not necessarily to do with BSkyB because the company has performed quite well, but in terms of wider issues and perhaps he needs to heed those warnings.”

News Corp had to withdraw its $12 billion offer for BSkyB in July following revelations that people working for a News Corp weekend tabloid, the News of the World, had hacked into the phones of celebrities and murder victims to secure stories. Murdoch was not running the newspaper division when the hacking took place but critics have accused him of failing to appreciate the scale of the problem and the impact it could have.

Investors are now concerned that the damage done to the family name could spread to BSkyB in the eyes of politicians, regulators and even consumers. So far, significant numbers of BSkyB customers have not switched away. — Reuters

Britain may be dragged into euro-zone recession UK growth slows to crawl, austerity to persist LONDON: Britain’s coalition government unveiled sharply lower economic growth forecasts yesterday and said it would take much longer than hoped to wipe out its deficit, meaning tough austerity measures would extend beyond the next election due in 2015. Finance Minister George Osborne, in one of two major annual economic setpieces, warned the British economy risked getting dragged into recession if the euro zone debt crisis was not solved.

“If the rest of Europe heads into recession it may prove hard to avoid one here in the UK,” he told parliament. “Much of Europe appears to be heading into recession caused by a chronic lack of confidence in the ability of countries to deal with their debts. We will do whatever it takes to protect Britain from this debt storm while doing all we can to build the foundations of future growth,” he said.

The economy was now forecast to grow by

only 0.7 percent next year, way below a March budget forecast of 2.5 percent, Osborne said, presenting figures from the independent Office for Budget Responsibility. The OBR expects the economy to shrink by 0.1 percent in the last three months of this year. Growth was expected to recover to 2.1 percent in 2013, down from a previous forecast of 2.9 percent, before accelerating to 3.0 percent by 2015 - a rate which analysts said was optimistic.

Osborne said pay rises for public sector workers would be capped at one percent once a twoyear pay freeze ends in 2013. That will fuel anger among unions on the eve of a one-day strike by 2 million public sector workers over cuts by the Conservative-led coalition that will make them pay more and work longer for their pensions.

Borrowing will fall much less than expected because of slower growth, erasing any margin for error in the government’s plan to erase the

LONDON: In this video image British Treasury chief George Osborne George gives his Autumn Statement to the House of Commons in central London yesterday flanked by Prime Minister David Cameron, right, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, left, and Danny Alexander, the No 2 Treasury official, second left. — AP

Cyprus’ troubled banks threaten austerity package NICOSIA: Debt-burdened Cyprus is desperate to enforce a new wave of austerity measures to avoid an EU bailout, but it could be a lost cause if its banks have to be rescued with outside help, experts warn.

The euro-zone member is already under pressure from Brussels to slash spending and boost revenues as the government’s budget deficit is almost double the European Union’s ceiling of 3.0 percent of gross domestic product.

The European Commission predicts it will be near 5.0 percent in 2012 and, unless tough action is taken, the Mediterranean island faces financial sanctions. Even if the government puts a lid on the deficit, it lacks the financial clout to support the banks, which need an extra 3.6 billion euros in capital as a buffer laid down by the European Banking Authority (EBA) to weather the crisis.

Cypriot banks are badly exposed to toxic debt in Greece, and face a write-down of Greek bonds a so-called haircut, of 50 percent. As a bank’s assets fall in quality, regulations on ratios of risk to shareholders’ funds may require a strengthening of shareholder funds, or else the lender concerned has to find ways of reducing the risks it takes on, typically be reducing lending.

Economist Fiona Mullen said although Bank of Cyprus may be able to cover the 1.5 billion euros required, Marfin Popular Bank will struggle to raise the additional cash needed.

“Marfin at the very least will have to beg for money from the government, which doesn’t have that kind of spare cash,” Mullen told AFP. “An EU support mechanism is inevitable whatever the government does because the two junk-rated banks will not be able to raise all of the 3.6 billion in capital by June 2012 that has been preliminarily demanded by the European Banking Authority,” she added.

Mullen said BoC could use about 890 million euros in contingent convertible bonds (CoCos), which would reduce its capital requirement to an estimated 600 million, of which it is trying to raise 400 million euros in a share issue.—AFP

structural deficit within five years.

The coalition has made erasing a deficit that peaked at 11 percent of national output its priority. Opposition Labor said its strategy had been blown way off course. Labor finance spokesman Ed Balls accused Osborne of a catastrophic error of judgment. Centre-left Labor, ousted from power in May 2010, says the coalition is squeezing the life out of the economy by cutting too much and too quickly.

It is that argument which will go a long way to deciding the result of the next election, still four years away. “The country either needs a new Chancellor or a new plan ... The Chancellor needs to change course and he needs to do so now,” Balls told parliament.

The new figures bring the government broadly into line with independent forecasters.

The OECD rich nations’ economic think-tank said on Monday that Britain will slip back into a modest recession early next year. It lowered its 2012 growth forecast to just 0.5 percent and urged the Bank of England to expand its money-printing program.

“The near-term forecasts are broadly similar to our own but I think the long-term forecastsout to 2016 — are very optimistic given that fiscal restraints will continue for quite some time and the uncertainty created by the euro zone crisis,” said Howard Archer, an economist at Global Insight.

“The only strong card the chancellor has is the fiscal restraint he’s looking at.”

Despite fears that the country is being pushed back into recession, the government will not fundamentally change tack. Britain has enjoyed record-low borrowing costs thanks to its perceived status as a safe-haven from the euro zone debt crisis, which helps alleviate the pressure on public finances.

The yield on 10-year gilts has been trading at 2.3 percent, well below the 3.8 percent average rate projected by the OBR in March, resulting in a total debt interest saving of 22 billion pounds up to 2015/16, Osborne said.

What stimulus there is, is likely to come from monetary policy. — Reuters

Italy’s rates record high, yield curve inverts MILAN: Italy’s borrowing rates shot up to a new high yesterday, breaking through the 7.0-percent warning threshold, with an inversion in the yield curve reflecting investor concern that the country could default.

At a bond sale closely watched by investors worried that the country could need a bailout, the rates on bonds with shorter maturities were higher than on longer maturities, an inversion of the normal rise of a yield curve.

The Treasury raised 7.5 billion euros ($10.05 billion) with bonds to expire in 2014, 2020 and 2022, falling slightly short of its target of between 5.0 and 8.0 billion euros but temporarily reassuring the markets. But yield on bonds maturing in 2014 shot up to 7.89 percent from 4.93 percent, while rates on those expiring in 2022 rose to 7.56 percent compared to 6.06 percent at the last similar operation-causing a yield curve inversion.

Interest on bonds due in 2020 also rose from 5.47 percent to 7.28 percent.

Because time is risk, the interest rate on long-term loans is usually higher than rates on shorter term lending. It is the first time recently that the yields have inverted on the Italian primary market, though the distortion began several days ago on the secondary market for already issued debt.

“It means that the markets perceive a serious risk of default in the short term,” said Sergio Capaldi, bond strategist with Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo bank. Although the Milan index had risen in line with

other European stock markets following the bond sale, by early afternoon it had dropped to show a gain of less than 0.29 percent.

On Friday, Italy had to pay 6.504 percent to borrow money for six months.

Interest rates this high are considered unsustainable in the long term for Italy, which is struggling to reduce an unwieldy debt mountain of 1,900 billion euros-around 120 percent of its Gross Domestic Product.

“We can see the glass as half empty or half full,” said Ciaran O’Hagan, bond strategist with the French bank Societe Generale. “It went well, the bonds were sold but Italy cannot pay rates at that level every month. It’s not tenable in the longer term,” he said.

Capaldi said that while the fears Italy would not find takers for its debt had not been realised, “the rates are at scandalous levels.” “It’s a price Italy cannot pay for more than a few quarters. All emissions at rates over 7.0 percent bring us closer to the moment Italy will need external help,” he said.

An inversion of yields means that the usual equation of longer loans with higher risk has been distorted. Greece, Ireland and Portugal all saw their yield curves invert before being forced to ask for emergency funds. The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, said on Monday that the fund had not received any request for aid from Italy, despite rumours of a bailout of up to 600 billion euros for the ailing economy. — AFP

KARACHI: Pakistani stockbrokers sit under an index board showing a decreasing stock graph during trading session at the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) in Karachi yesterday. The benchmark KSE-100 index was 11461.07, down 33.08 points in mid of the day’s session on the Pakistan current situation after NATO strike on Pakistan troops. — AFP

S&P may cut France rating outlook PARIS: Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s could change its outlook on France’s AAA rating to negative within days, a French newspaper reported, adding to fears France may lose its position among the top rank of sovereign borrowers. S&P declined to comment on the report, based on anonymous sources. If true, it would signal that the risk of a downgrade has risen after months of concern about the impact on French public finances of sluggish growth and the costs of the euro zone debt crisis.

Economic and financial daily La Tribune said S&P-which on Friday cut Belgium’s credit rating to AA from AA+ — had planned to make an announcement on France the same day but postponed it for unknown reasons.

“It could happen within a week, perhaps 10 days,” La Tribune quoted a diplomatic source as saying of a change to the outlook. The euro briefly dipped on the report, which coincided with news that another rating agency, Moody’s, could downgrade the subordinated debt of a swathe of euro zone banks, but edged up against the dollar by mid-morning.

French Finance Minister Francois Baroin said the focus should not be solely on France and that while the euro-zone debt crisis was serious, Paris was “clear-sighted” on it. He also ruled out a third round of budget cuts, as called for by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which said a likely recession would drag French growth far below government targets next year.

“Everyone is concerned, not just France.

It’s all the euro zone countries,” Baroin told France Info radio, asked about the La Tribune report. “France is not an island or economically cut off from the world. It depends on different parts of the euro zone for a large part of its economic activity and that’s why we are, to a large extent,

clear-sighted on the crisis.”

He said the government was sticking to its 2012 growth forecast of 1 percent, and said that allowed for elbow room in the budget. “However the economy evolves in the weeks ahead, we are maintaining our forecasts,” said Baroin, who will meet other euro-zone finance ministers in Brussels on Tuesday to agree on details of bolstering the bloc’s bailout fund.

Bearish sentiment towards France appeared to be affecting the French public, however, with an opinion poll by Harris Interactive showing yesterday that two French people out of three would not be willing to buy French bonds to finance the public debt under current market conditions. France’s rating outlook is stable with S&P and Fitch Ratings, but Moody’s is evaluating its outlook. Months of talk that a downgrade could be on the cards is rattling the French government, which would be hit by up to 3 billion euros a year in extra interest payments if its rating was cut by one notch.

President Nicolas Sarkozy, who faces a tough re-election battle in April, is determined to avoid going down in history as having let France lose its cherished tripleA status.

A French downgrade could also hamper the ability to borrow of the euro zone’s EFSF bailout fund, whose own triple-A rating is dependent on those of the six topgrade countries that underpin it.

The yield premium investors demand to hold French 10-year OATs rather than low-risk German bunds rose on Monday by 7 basis points to a peak of 146 bp before falling 13 to 133 bp.

But with French 10-year yields already at 3.60 percent, Rabobank strategists said the country’s debt was already trading as if it had been downgraded and therefore the market impact of any rating change might be relatively small. — Reuters

HONG KONG: People walk past a PCCW store in Hong Kong yesterday. Shares in the telecommunications trust carved out of PCCW Ltd were unchanged in morning trade November 29 as they debuted on the Hong Kong stock market after a $1.2 billion initial public offering. — AFP

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TECHNOLOGY

Programming language can’t be copyrighted LUXEMBOURG: A computer programming language cannot be protected by copyright, the adviser to the EU’s top court said yesterday in an opinion that could affect the competitive IT industry. Advocate general Yves Bot argued that programming languages-different digital vocabularies such as HTML and Java used to make a computer per-

form certain tasks-should be compared to the language used by a novelist.

The functionalities of a computer programme should also not be eligible for copyright, Bot said, adding that they are the equivalent of ideas and that protecting them would “amount to making it possible to monopolise ideas.”

The advocate general’s opinions are not binding but the Luxembourgbased European Union Court of Justice follows his advice in 80 percent of cases. The opinion arises from a case pitting North Carolina-based SAS Institute, which provides business analytics software and services, against British software firm World Programming Ltd.

SAS launched a complaint in Britain against WPL after the US company created a product that can execute programmes written in SAS language. The High Court of Justice in Britain asked the EU judges to issue a preliminary ruling to clarify the scope of EU legal protection for computer programmes.

“The functionalities of a comput-

er program and the programming language cannot be protected by copyright,” Bot said. Bot said however that copyright can cover “the means for achieving the concrete expression” of the functionalities.

“The way in which formulae and algorithms are arranged-like the style in which the computer program is written-will be likely to

reflect the author’s own intellectual creation and therefore be eligible for protection,” he said. But the holder of a programme license can reproduce or translate a source code without the author’s authorisation, under certain conditions, so as to ensure different elements of a programme work together, Bot said. —AFP

Is tech friend or foe to Santa Claus?

Santa sites can be found by any kid with an iPad NEW YORK: Kids can video chat with Santa, follow him on Twitter or enlist NORAD to track his every move online. And yet in many ways, technology may be making it harder for parents to keep their children believing in the jolly old elf.

At nearly every turn, the Internet threatens to blow the fat man’s cover. Practically any schoolchild can type “Is Santa real?” into Google. And just a few clicks can bring youngsters to websites that sell customized letters from the North Pole or offer advice on how Mom and Dad can fool the kids into believing

submit lists to Santa online. I don’t have tracking apps on my phone,” she said. “Too much proof means you then have to explain away when the next crazy thing contradicts it.”

Kevin Grout and his wife had a close call recently while watching a Santa Claus parade on TV with their children, ages 6, 4 and 5 months. A commercial came on for a website that creates email greetings from Santa. They switched channels just in time.

“We’re definitely in this boat, primarily with our oldest. She’s a smart cookie,” said Grout, of St. Catharines, Ontario. “It was clear to me a

This screen shot made on Friday, Nov. 25, 2011 shows the Santatelevision.com website. At Santatelevision.com, where Lapland and other Santa-related environs are promoted, a banner headline urges parents to order letters from St. Nick mailed right there from his backyard in Finland. —AP in old St. Nick. “I have a love-hate relationship with technology and Santa,” said Kristi Kovalak, a mom in St. Louis. “The beauty of Santa is the not knowing. Technology is all about knowing, and knowing this instant. I swear, Google is the nemesis of the North Pole.”

She embraces digital life daily but stays far away from cyber-Santa for her two boys, ages 5 and 11. “We don’t do robo-calls. We don’t

poor strategy to run it during a Santa Claus parade when many kids would be tuned in.”

Santa sites can easily be found by any kid with an iPad. Igco.com, for example, screams: “Discover our acclaimed letter from Santa, phone call from Santa, Santa evidence kits and official good list certificate. Make your children’s eyes pop out of their heads this Christmas!”

(Parents might have fun explaining away the

Santa boot print kit, complete with a plastic template and a shaker full of snow crystals, for $15.99.)

Over at Santa.com is a menu of prices for letters from Santa. There’s a fancy one on a scroll for $19.99 and a simple postcard for nearly $3. (Mommy, why does Santa charge?)

Enter the search query “Is Santa real?” and up comes an entry on a psychology site about the dreaded question itself and how parents who are trying to keep the Santa secret live in fear this time of year.

Kyla Kelim of Fairhope, Ala., caught her oldest, a 9-year-old boy, on her iPad playing Santa sleuth a week or so ago. “We’re so close with him this year, not believing,” she said. “He was Googling ‘Santa,’ and I saw him type the word ‘myth’ when I grabbed it and said no electronics. I’m constantly having to follow my phone and iPad and stuff around right now.

We’re trying not to debunk Santa for our 7year-old.” Not all parents are worried technology will destroy the magic.

Dad Brian Searl in Ormond Beach, Fla., keeps the Santa secret for his 7-year-old daughter through apps that offer Santa video chat and recorded calls from the big guy. “It isn’t getting harder. The methods are just different,” he said.

And what happens when she’s older? He said he might go retro and haul out the movie “Elf ” with Will Ferrell, the one “where the sleigh doesn’t have enough power because people don’t believe.” Other parents, though, are finding that in some ways, it was easier to maintain the Santa myth before high-speed Internet.

When Kimberly Porrazzo’s boys, now in their 20s, were little, she and her husband jingled sleigh bells outside their kids’ bedroom windows on Christmas Eve, and Dad took to the roof to make scampering hoof sounds.

When one of the boys was still a believer at 12, she broke the news - gently - before some playground skeptic did it for her. The Lake Forest, Calif., mother turned the experience into a little book she self-published, “The Santa Secret: The Truth About Santa Claus.”

“Now, with technology, all the various opinions on whether or not he exists are more readily available to children beyond asking their parents,” she said. “It’s likely they will Google rather than asking their parents. That’s why parents need to share the secret on their terms.” —AP

Gumby-like flexible robot crawls in tight spaces LOS ANGELES: Harvard scientists have built a new type of flexible robot that is limber enough to wiggle and worm through tight spaces. It’s the latest prototype in the growing field of soft-bodied robots.

Researchers are increasingly drawing inspiration from nature to create machines that are more bendable and versatile than those made of metal.

The Har vard team, led by chemist George M. Whitesides, borrowed from squids, starfish and other animals without hard skeletons to fashion a small, four-legged rubber robot that calls to mind the clay animation character Gumby. In recent years, scientists have been tinkering with squishy - sometimes odd-looking - robots designed to squeeze through hard-toreach cracks after a disaster like an ear thquake or navigate rough terrain in the battlefield.

“The unique ability for soft robots to deform allows them to go places that traditional rigidbody robots cannot,” Matthew Walter, a roboticist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said in an email.

A team from Tufts University earlier this year showed off a 4inch (10-centimeter) caterpillarshaped robot made of silicone rubber that can curl into a ball and propel itself forward. The Harvard project, funded by the Pentagon’s research arm, was described online Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The new robot, which took two months to construct, is 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) long.

Its four legs can be separately controlled by pumping air into the limbs, either manually or via computer. This gives the robot a range of motions including crawling and slithering. The researchers tested the robot’s flexibility by having it squirm underneath a pane of glass just three-quarters of an inch from the surface.

Scientists maneuvered the robot through the tiny gap 15 times using a combination of movements. In most cases, it took less than a minute to get from side to side. Researchers eventually want to improve the robot’s speed, but were pleased that it did not break from constant inflation and deflation.

“It was tough enough to survive,” said Harvard postdoctoral fellow Robert Shepherd, adding that the robot can traverse on a variety of surfaces including felt cloth, gravel, mud and even JellO. There were drawbacks. The robot is tethered to an external power source and scientists need to find a way to integrate the source before it can be deployed in the real world.

“There are many challenges to actively moving soft robots and no easy solutions,” Tufts neurobiologist Barry Trimmer, who worked on the caterpillar robot, said in an email. Robotics researcher Carmel Majidi, who heads the Soft Machines Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, said the latest robot is innovative even as it builds on previous work.

“It’s a simple concept, but they’re getting lifelike biological motions,” he said. —AP

This undated photo provided by Harvard University/Robert Shepherd shows a soft-bodied robot navigating, top to bottom, an obstacle course. Harvard researchers have built this flexible prototype robot that can crawl and move in a wavelike motion. Unlike rigid robots, soft robots can be used to squeeze into tight spaces. —AP

LONDON: A man operates an iPhone in London, on November 17, 2011. A new outbreak of hi-tech ailments is sweeping across Britain — users of smartphones and tablet computers are increasingly coming down with conditions such as “text neck” or “text thumb injury.” —AFP

‘Cyber Monday’ sizzles with US online shopping SAN FRANCISCO: US shoppers were on pace to drive “Cyber Monday” sales to a new record high as people flocked the Internet to snap up deals offered by online retailers. By mid-afternoon in New York, IBM Benchmark reported that online sales on the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday were 15 percent higher than they were at the same point last year.

Cyber Monday of 2010 marked the first time online sales in the US broke the billion-dollar mark and this year, research firm comScore forecasted the tally for the day will be $1.2 billion. “IBM (Benchmark) is reporting very healthy online sales growth,” said eMarketer principal analyst Jeffrey Grau. “Overall, it is certainly shaping up to be a good season.”

Cyber Monday was launched in 2005 by a US national retail association to bring online shopping into the mainstream. As lifestyles increasingly revolve around the Internet, people in the US are growing more comfortable with making purchases online. IBM Benchmark reported that 7.4 percent of Cyber Monday shopping as of mid-day was done on Internet-linked mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

“E-commerce is sort of reshaping the holiday shopping landscape,” Grau said.

“More consumers are saying they want to shop online.” Retailers that operate realworld shops are under pressure to compete with online bargains or risk losing customers to Internet-only shops such as Amazon.com and Newegg.com.

US retailers are also very sensitive to the limping economy and troubling unemployment figures, according to Grau. “The way to deal with it is to be aggressive and early with promotions,” the analyst said.

“Retailers are offering some of their best deals online.”

It remained uncertain whether strong sales in deal-hunting days after Thanksgiving signaled a booming season in store for retailers. It could be that budget-conscious shoppers will close purses after snatching up bargains. “People could be loading up at the front end,” Grau said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a slowdown.”

Despite more buyers turning to Internet shops, eMarketer believed overall US retail sales for the year would see “meager growth” of about three percent thanks to sales this holiday season. —AFP

Russia’s Internet gives election voice to oppn MOSCOW: As Russia becomes Europe’s largest Internet user, online media and blogs burst with vociferous criticism of the authorities, exposing political scandals and abuses ignored by state media.

Whether it’s a Twitter poster parodying President Dmitry Medvedev or a YouTube video of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin being whistled, the Internet is seething with subversive commentary ahead of Sunday’s legislative polls.

Russia came late to mass Internet penetration, but in September it overtook Germany as the European country with the most Internet users: 50.8 million aged over 15, according to Comscore ratings agency. Putin famously dismissed the Internet last year as “50 percent pornography”, but the Russian-language sector is more and more dictating the news agenda despite the state domination of print and television media.

What’s less clear is whether the mood of protest against Putin’s ruling party United Russia on the Internet will translate into concrete support for any opposition party.

State television, with its Kremlin-dominated news, is still Russians’ main source of information. But almost a quarter of Russians say they get most their news from the Internet, with its access to uncensored news and opinion. “Twentyfour percent, this is a very serious figure,” federal mass media agency chief Mikhail Seslavinsky told journalists this month, adding that 53 percent use the Internet to read news.

The increasing use of the Internet has posed problems for United Russia, which has found itself mercilessly mocked by critical bloggers. When Alexei Navalny, an influential blogger who won fame exposing corruption at state companies, coined a slogan for United Russia: the “party of swindlers and thieves”, it spread uncontrollably, even appearing on car window stickers.

“Just using the Internet, without having access to other media, neither television nor print, Navalny carried out an intervention with a slogan,” said Alexander

Morozov, a political analyst and director of the Moscow Centre of Media Studies. “It defines the perception of United Russia for millions of people now.”

United Russia officials have themselves jumped on the Internet bandwagon, but with mixed results. While Medvedev’s blog largely repeats his official statements, he was the most cited blogger in Russian media in the second week of November, according to Medialogiya analysis agency. Yet he is shadowed on Twitter by “KermlinRussia”, a satirical account that parodies his posts. Last year the site, which nicknames the president “a wimp”, won a national prize for the best micro blog.

Putin has not flirted with social media, but is also widely mocked online. In a much discussed incident this month, the audience at a bloody no-holds barred fight event at Olimpiisky stadium in Moscow whistled and booed as Putin gave a speech on live television.

The boos were edited out of state television news, but a YouTube video has been watched more than 2.7 million times. “What I wrote about a year ago is coming true: either the regime will destroy the Internet, or the Internet will destroy the regime,” responded outspoken commentator Yulia Latynina in Novaya Gazeta newspaper.

Other commentators were more cautious however, on how far the Internet could influence the national vote. “The Internet and social media are just instruments,” said Morozov. “The most important factor is the position of the new urban middle class, plus the intentions of the parliamentary opposition.”

Opposition activist, blogger and journalist Roman Dobrokhotov said he was deeply sceptical about the polls, but called the Internet an indicator of a general disillusionment with politics. “I think that now, after Putin was whistled in Olimpiisky, and with the fact that discontentment with Putin is growing among ordinary people, this is a general turning point. The Internet is just one of the instruments.” —AFP

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Medicare back on the brink over cuts to doctors WASHINGTON: Politicians of both parties outdo each other vying for the approval of seniors, but their inability to compromise on the federal budget has put Medicare in the crosshairs again.

Unless Congress acts before Jan. 1, doctors face a 27 percent cut in their fees for treating Medicare patients. That could undermine health care for millions of elderly and disabled beneficiaries. Last year around the holidays doctors were looking at a cut of about 20 percent. It’s become a recurring symbol of the government’s budget dysfunction. The cuts are the consequence of a 1990s budget law that failed to control spending but never got repealed.

Congress passes a temporary fix each time, only to grow the size of reductions required next time around. The supercommittee’s breakdown leaves the so-called “doc fix” unresolved with time running out.

A thousand miles away in Harlan, Iowa, Dr. Don Klitgaard is trying to contain his frustration. “I don’t see how pri-

mary care doctors could take anywhere near like a 27 percent pay cut and continue to function,” said Klitgaard, a family physician at a local medical center. “I assume there’s going to be a temporary fix, because the health care system is going to implode without it.”

Medicare patients account for about 45 percent of the visits to his clinic.

Klitgaard said the irony is that he and his colleagues have been mak ing improvements, keeping closer tabs on those with chronic illnesses in the hopes of avoiding needless hospitalizations. While that can save money for Medicare, it requires considerable upfront investment from the medical practice.

“The threat of a huge cut makes it very difficult to continue down this road,” said Klitgaard, adding “it’s almost comical” lawmakers would let the situation get so far out of hand. There’s nothing to laugh about, says a senior Washington lobbyist closely involved with the secretive supercommittee

deliberations. The health care industry lobbyist, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to make public statements, said lawmakers of both parties wanted to deal with the cuts to doctors, but a fundamental par tisan divide over tax increases blocked progress of any kind.

The main options now before Congress include a one-year or twoyear fix. The problem is the cost.

Congress used to add it to the federal deficit, but lawmakers can’t get away with that in these fiscally austere times.

Instead, they must find about $22 billion in offsets for the one-year option, $35 billion for the two-year version. A permanent fix would cost about $300 billion over 10 years, making it much less likely.

“It’s going to be a real challenge, and there’s not a lot of time to play pingpong,” said the lobbyist. “It’s entirely possible given past performance that Congress misses the deadline.”

Congressional leaders of both parties

have said that won’t happen. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., says the Medicare fix is too important not to get done before the end of the year. His House counterpart, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., agrees. But how? The endgame for a complex negotiation also involving expiring tax cuts, unemployment benefits and dozens of lesser issues remains unclear.

“They have to come up with a solution, and they will have to appear to pay for that solution, and that will be contentious,” said economist Robert Reischauer, one of the public trustees who oversees Medicare and Social Security financing. One option: cut other parts of Medicare. Another: trim back spending under the health care overhaul law. Either of those approaches would mobilize opposition.

A nonpartisan panel advising lawmakers is recommending that doctors share the pain of a permanent fix with a 10-year freeze for primary care physi-

cians and cuts followed by a freeze for specialists. Doctors aren’t buying that.

The Obama administration says seniors and their doctors have nothing to fear.

But doctors are becoming increasingly irritated about dealing with Medicare. Surveys have shown that many physicians would consider not taking new Medicare patients if the cuts go through. Some primary care doctors are going into “concierge medicine,” limiting their practice to patients able to pay a fee of about $1,500 a year, a trend that worries advocates for the elderly. Ultimately, the solution is an overhaul of Medicare’s payment system so that doctors are rewarded for providing quality, cost-effective care, said Mark McClellan, an economist and medical doctor who served as Medicare administrator for President George W. Bush. That continues to elude policymakers. Instead, the threat of payment cuts has become a holiday tradition, said McClellan. “It ’s just not a ver y enjoyable one.”—AP

China prepares for big entry into vaccine market China’s entry in market will be a ‘game changer’

BUCHAREST: Romanian volunteers hold hands to form a red ribbon during a flash-mob downtown Bucharest yesterday to mark the upcomming World AIDS Day tomorrow. In Romania today over 10 000 people live with HIV, and of these, 7,000 are young people who were infected in the period 1988-1990, victims of the Communist-era health care system acording to Romanian National Union of HIV Infested Persons (UNOPA). — AFP

HIV-positive men urge China PM to end discrimination BEIJING: Three prospective school teachers have appealed to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to end discrimination against people with HIV after they said they were wrongly denied teaching jobs because their employers discovered they had the virus that causes AIDS. The landmark petition, delivered on Monday by mail to the State Council Legislative Affairs Office, is a bold test of China’s promise to enforce the rule of law. The three signatories had filed separate lawsuits against their local governments after provincial education bureaus rejected their applications for teaching jobs because mandatory blood tests revealed they were HIV positive, even though they had passed written tests and interviews.

The three men had hoped to persuade the courts that a five-year-old law supposed to protect the employment rights of people with HIV should supersede local regulations that prevent the hiring of HIV-infected civil servants. Two courts in China have ruled against the two men who filed lawsuits against their governments in Anhui and Sichuan in 2010.

In the third lawsuit filed in Guizhou, the judge told the plaintiff in October the courts “will not accept the lawsuit and that the plaintiff should ask the local government to solve it,” Yu Fangqiang, whose Nanjing-based organisation, Tianxia Gong, advocates for people with HIV, told Reuters. “We know that in a country like China that has 1.3 billion people, 740,000 people who are infected with HIV is just a small portion of the population,” said the petition, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.

“The voices to defend the employment rights of people with HIV tend to be drowned out by the majority’s sense of fear.” “But we also know that the adherence to the country’s

rule of law and the equality of its people is the country’s soul and is the backbone of the country’s modernisation,” it said.

“Every Chinese citizen and every department will undoubtedly benefit from this and will not be subject to the threat of the unlawful deprivation of their legitimate rights and interests.” Beijing was initially slow to acknowledge the problem of HIV/AIDS in the 1990s and had sought to cover it up when hundreds of thousands of impoverished farmers in rural Henan province became infected through botched blood-selling schemes.

But the government has since stepped up the fight against it, spending more on prevention programmes, launching schemes to give universal access to anti-retroviral drugs to contain the disease, and introducing policies to curb discrimination.

The virus is now primarily spread in the country via sexual contact. In a country where taboos surrounding sex remain strong and discussion of the topic is largely limited, people with HIV/AIDS say, however, they are often stigmatised.

Yu said that discrimination of people with HIV, especially in civil service recruitment, is “still a very big problem.” People in China living with HIV and AIDS are routinely being denied medical treatment in mainstream hospitals due to fear and ignorance about the disease, according to a study released by the United Nations’ International Labour Organisation (ILO) in May. The petition, which was sent to the government office that helps to draft and oversee the implementation of laws, comes ahead of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. The signatories to the petition said they had noted that Wen had previously “shown his concern” for people with HIV on the day, by “shaking the hands and embracing” HIVinfected people. — Reuters

BEIJING: The world should get ready for a new Made in China product - vaccines. China’s vaccine makers are gearing up over the next few years to push exports in a move that should lower costs of lifesaving immunizations for the world’s poor and provide major new competition for the big Western pharmaceutical companies.

However, it may take some time before some parts of the world are ready to embrace Chinese products when safety is as sensitive an issue as it is with vaccines - especially given the food, drug and other scandals the country has seen.

Still, China’s entry into this market will be a “game changer,” said Nina Schwalbe, head of policy at the GAVI Alliance, which buys vaccines for 50 million children a year worldwide. “We are really enthusiastic about the potential entry of Chinese vaccine manufacturers,” she said. China’s vaccinemaking prowess captured world attention in 2009 when one of its companies developed the first effective vaccine against swine flu - in just 87 days - as the new virus swept the globe. In the past, new vaccine developments had usually been won by the US and Europe.

Then, this past March the World Health Organization announced that China’s drug safety authority meets international standards for vaccine regulation. It opened the doors for Chinese vaccines to be submitted for WHO approval so they can be bought by UN agencies and the GAVI Alliance. “China is a vaccine-producing power” with more than 30 companies that have an annual production capacity of nearly 1 billion doses - the largest in the world, the country’s State Food and Drug Administration told The Associated Press.

But more needs to be done to build confidence in Chinese vaccines overseas, said Helen Yang of Sinovac, the NASDAQ-listed Chinese biotech firm that rapidly developed the H1N1 swine flu vaccine.

“We think the main obstacle is that we have the name of ‘made in China’ still. That is an issue.”

China’s food and drug safety record in recent years hardly inspires confidence: in 2007, Chinese cough syrup killed 93 people in Central America; one year later, contaminated blood thinner led to dozens of deaths in the United States while tainted milk powder poisoned hundreds of thousands of Chinese babies and killed six.

The government has since imposed more regulations, stricter inspections and heavier punishments for violators. Perhaps because of that, regulators routinely crack down on counterfeit and substandard drugmaking. While welcoming WHO’s approval of China’s drug safety authority, one expert said it takes more than a regulatory agency to keep drugmakers from cutting corners or producing fakes.

“In the US, we have supporting institutions such as the market economy, democracy, media monitoring, civil society, as well as a well-developed business ethics code, but these are all still pretty much absent in China,” said Yanzhong Huang, a China health expert at the Council on Foreign Relations. “For China, the challenge is much greater in building a strong, robust regulative capacity.”

Last year, a Chinese newspaper report linked improperly stored vaccines to four children’s deaths in northern Shanxi province, raising nationwide concern. The Health Ministry said the vaccines did not cause the deaths, but some remained skeptical.

Meanwhile, Chinese researchers reported in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year that a pandemic flu vaccine given to 90 million people in 2009 was safe.

WHO’s medical officer for immunization, Dr. Yvan Hutin, said WHO’s approval of the Chinese drug regulatory agency is not “a blank check.” Each vaccine will be evaluated rigorously, with WHO and Chinese inspectors given access to vaccine

plants on top of other safety checks, he said.

Vaccines have historically been a touchy subject in the Western world, rife with safety concerns and conspiracy theories. Worries about vaccine safety resurfaced in the late 1990s triggered by debate over a claimed association between the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella and autism. The claim was later discredited.

For China, the next few years will be crucial, as biotech companies upgrade their facilities and improve procedures to meet the safety and quality standards - a process that is expected to be costly and challenging. Then they will submit vaccines to the UN health agency for approval, which could

personally predict that in the next five to 10 years, China will become a very important vaccine manufacture base in the world,” said Wu Yonglin, vice president of the state-owned China National Biotec Group, the country’s largest biological products maker that has been producing China’s encephalitis vaccine since 1989.

CNBG will invest more than 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) between now and 2015 to improve its facilities and systems to meet WHO requirements, Wu said. The company also intends to submit vaccines to fight rotavirus, which kills half a million k ids annually, and polio for WHO approval.

BEIJING: In this photo taken on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2011, a worker inspects labels on vials containing H1N1 flu vaccine during production at the Beijing-based drug maker Sinovac Biotech Ltd. in Beijing. The world should get ready for a new Made in China product, vaccines. — AP take a couple of years.

First up is likely to be a homegrown vaccine for Japanese encephalitis, a mosquito-borne disease that can cause seizures, paralysis and death. The vaccine has been used for two decades in China with fewer side effects than other versions. Its manufacturer expects WHO approval for it in about a year. Also in the works are vaccines for polio and diseases that are the top two killers of children - neumonia and rotavirus, which causes diarrhea.

Vaccines also are a significant part of a $300 million partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the development of new health and farming products for poor countries. China’s entry into this field is important because one child dies every 20 seconds from vaccine-preventable diseases each year. UNICEF, the children’s agency and the world’s biggest buyer of vaccines, has been in talks with Chinese companies, said its supply director Shanelle Hall. The fund provides vaccines to nearly 60 percent of the world’s children, and last year spent about $757 million.

Worldwide, vaccine sales last year grew 14 percent to $25.3 billion, according to healthcare market research firm Kalorama Information, as drugmakers which face intensifying competition from generic drugs now see vaccines as key areas of growth, particularly in Latin America, China and India. China’s vaccine makers, some of whom already export in small amounts, are confident they will soon become big players in the field. “I

Smaller, private companies are also positioning themselves for the global market. Sinovac is now testing a new vaccine for enterovirus 71, which causes severe hand, foot and mouth disease among children in China and other Asian countries. It is also preparing for clinical trials on a pneumococcal vaccine Yang says could rival Pfizer’s Prevnar, which was the top-selling vaccine worldwide last year with sales of about $3.7 billion. Pneumococcal disease causes meningitis, pneumonia and ear infection.

“In the short term, everyone sees the exporting opportunities, because outside of China the entire vaccine market still seems to be monopolized by a few Big Pharma (companies),” Yang said. The entry of Chinese companies is expected to further pressure Western pharmaceutical companies to lower prices. Earlier this year, UNICEF’s move to publicize what drugmakers charge it for vaccines showed that Western drugmakers often charged the agency double what companies in India and Indonesia do.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders criticized the vaccine body GAVI for spending hundreds of millions of dollars on anti-pneumonia vaccines from Western companies, saying it could put its buying power to even better use by fostering competition from emerging manufacturers like those in China.

GAVI’s Schwalbe said the vaccine body has to buy what is available and negotiates hard for steep discounts. “We need to buy vaccines now to save children’s lives now. We can’t wait.” — AP

Clinic in China infects kids with hepatitis

HEFEI: A woman holds her child while getting a medical treatment for Hepatitis C at a hospital in Hefei in central China’s Anhui province. State media reported yesterday that dirty needles at a private clinic have been blamed for an outbreak of hepatitis C among kids in central China, underscoring the challenges of policing healthcare as clinics mushroom to meet growing demand. — AP

BEIJING: Dirty needles at a private clinic have been blamed for an outbreak of hepatitis C among kids in central China, underscoring the challenges of policing healthcare as clinics mushroom to meet growing demand.

State media reported yesterday that reuse of needles at a private clinic in Henan province’s Maqiao township spread hepatitis C to at least 13 people, including many children. In the 1990s, Henan province was rocked by unsanitary blood plasma-buying

schemes and tainted blood transfusions that allowed HIV to gain a foothold. Operators often used dirty needles, and people selling plasma - the liquid in blood - received replenishment from a pooled blood supply.

The Global Times newspaper said that health officials in Henan’s neighboring province of Anhui reported that as many as 56 people may have been infected with hepatitis C at the clinic.

The Chinese-language People’s Daily quoted Gao Pei, vice director of the Center for Disease

Control in Anhui’s Guoyang county, as saying an initial investigation found that doctors at the Miaoqian Clinic in Henan reused needles when giving shots to patients.

The clinic in Henan is close to the border with Anhui, and all the victims so far have been from Anhui, it said. The People’s Daily said investigators were surveying 16 local villages to determine whether more people were infected. Patients were being treated at the Guoyang People’s Hospital, it said.

The report didn’t say whether the clinic has been shut down or whether anyone had been punished or arrested. A man who answered the phone at the Maqiao Public Security Bureau said he was unaware of the case.

Like many Chinese bureaucrats, he declined to give his name.

China is promoting smallscale private hospitals and clinics as part of a health care overhaul that is meant make ser vices available to more people and ease pressure on its badly overcrowded public hospitals. — AP

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Researchers find malaria parasite’s blood lifeline PARIS: European scientists yesterday said they had identified a new way by which the malaria parasite survives in human blood, a finding that marks the latest laboratory advance against the disease. Malaria’s death toll has declined by a fifth over the last decade thanks to better drugs and distribution of insecticidetreated mosquito nets, but still claims some 800,000 lives every year, mostly children under five in subSaharan Africa.

Researchers from Britain and France said they had identified genes in the Plasmodium falciparum parasite which produce enzymes called kinases. Thirty-six kinases are needed for the parasite to develop in human blood cells, a key part of its complex life cycle, they reported in the journal Nature Communications.

“We are now looking for drugs that... stop the protein kinases from working. If we find these drugs then we will have a new way of killing the malaria parasite,” said Christian Doerig of France’s Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (Inserm).

Andrew Tobin of Britain’s University of Leicester said the search for a new weapon was vital, given the parasite’s dismaying ability to build resistance against treatment. “It seems perfectly realistic to us that we can now develop novel anti-malaria drugs based on the findings that we have made-it certainly is a big moment in our fight against this terrible disease that mainly affects the world’s poorest people,” he said in a press release issued by the university.

The research is a further step, at research level, in identifying chinks in malaria’s armour. Earlier this month, a team at Britain’s Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute said they had discovered a single microscopic channel through which P. falciparum must pass in order to infect red blood cells.

Intrusion depends on the interaction between a specific molecule on the parasite, called a ligand, and a specific receptor on the surface of the blood cell.

Blocking this lock-and-key interaction prevents the parasite from breaching the cell wall. In October, early results from clinical trials among African children showed that the world’s first malaria vaccine cut infection rates by roughly half.

The so-called RTS,S vaccine, made by the British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, is the first of its kind to prime the immune system against a parasite, rather than a bacterium or a virus. —AFP

Making sure kidney donors fare as well as promised WASHINGTON: More and more Americans are donating one of their kidneys to a loved one, a friend, even a stranger, and now a move is on to make sure those donors really fare as well as they’re promised.

Specialists insist the surgery rarely brings serious complications for the donor. What’s less certain is the risk of any long-term health consequences, in part because transplant centers can lose track of donors after they go home.

“Who’s taking care of the donor after the surgery? Really, no one is,” says kidney donor Krystal cLear, 32, who serves on a committee for the network that runs the U.S. organ transplant system. The United Network for Organ Sharing is debating some new policies to change that. Among the proposals: A checklist for evaluating would-be donors and fully explaining the risks - plus requirements to better monitor those donors’ health and social stability for two years. Centers would have to track such things as the condition of the remaining kidney, and whether the donor has a hard time getting health or life insurance afterward.

There is reassuring data. A 2009 study

from the University of Minnesota, for example, traced the records of nearly 3,700 people who had donated a kidney there dating back four decades. It concluded those donors lived a normal life span and were no more likely than the general population to suffer kidney failure later in life, probably in part because they were so super-healthy to start.

But there have been more than 109,000 living kidney donors throughout the US in the past two decades, and theya are a bit different today. Donors are getting older. Some transplant centers are accepting donors who would have been turned away not too long ago because they’re overweight or have high blood pressure.

More African-Americans, who are more prone to kidney disease, are becoming living donors and there is less information about their outcomes. Even if people were the picture of health when they donated, later-inlife obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes can raise the risk of kidney disease.

“We’re changing,” says Dr. Connie Davis of the University of Washington in Seattle, who heads the UNOS living donor committee. “We really do need to take a look at things again

in real time to say, OK, in this current climate what are our risks?”

More than 90,000 people are on the US waiting list for a kidney, and the wait can stretch for years. There are fewer than 17,000 kidney transplants a year. But more than 6,000 of them each year are thanks to living donors. Surgery always brings risks, but donor deaths are extremely rare. The donor network data shows that since 2000, there have been 13 donor deaths within 30 days of a kidney donation that were not from a clearly unrelated cause. Davis says no more than 5 percent of donors experience surgical complications such as bleeding or blood clots. What about later? Transplant centers are supposed to do minimal monitoring but a UNOS analysis found they lose track of too many donors.

Just a year after donation, they only knew if two-thirds were still alive or dead, and far fewer had had their remaining kidney tested.

“There is this perception out there that donors don’t want to be followed up. That’s not necessarily the case,” says McLear, who insists that her doctors check her kidney and that her blood pressure remains low.

McLear traveled to Michigan in 2008 to

donate a kidney to her 26-year-old cousin, and is glad she did - her cousin is thriving. But McLear had trouble finding out what to expect about her own post-surgery health.

And a week after the donation, she developed a dangerous pancreas inflammation, a rare complication. She was readmitted to the hospital for seven more days and out of work for 12 weeks, nearly twice as long as she had expected.

The new proposal: Transplant centers would have to track at least 90 percent of their living kidney donors for two years - not just if they’re still alive and having their kidney checked, but if they’ve had hospital readmissions, developed any other health problems, and had any loss of income or insurance due to their donation.

Separate proposals lay out the first standard informed-consent document to explain the risks, and aim to eliminate variation in how centers test a donor’s fitness. The proposals are open for public comment through late December, before a final decision next year. Among the concerns are donor cooperation and whether transplant centers have the staff and money to do the tracking. — AP

Cancer drug ‘scalpers’ corner US market WASHINGTON: Pssst. Wanna buy some chemo drugs? A new trend in pharmaceutical sales has raised concerns over ethics and patient safety, as companies buy up critical cancer drugs in short supply and attempt to resell them at huge markups.

Rather than operate by the dark of night on street corners, these drug dealers work in broad daylight using fax, phone and email to deluge hospitals with offers. Experts say the so-called “gray market” is not illegal and could even be poised to surge further after President Barack Obama issued an executive order that tried to fix the problem, but may have just opened a larger loophole.

“These are a number of very small firms that have popped up out of nowhere. Most of them are relatively new,” said Thomas Smith, director of palliative medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. “It happens in every other market, we just don’t expect it to happen in pharmaceuticals for cancer treatment,” he told AFP. More than half (56 percent) of the 549 hospi-

tals surveyed by the non-profit Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) earlier this year said they received daily solicitations from gray market vendors “to purchase medications no longer available through the manufacturer or usual wholesaler.”

About half of hospitals surveyed (52 percent) admitted to buying one or more drugs from gray market vendors in the past two years, as manufacturers halted production of some generic drugs because they were no longer profitable. “I would like to know why hospitals can’t get these products, but the ‘scalpers’ can. It is unreal to have to deal with ‘scalpers’ in healthcare,” said one survey respondent whose name was withheld by ISMP. Drug prices ranged from 650 percent to 4,000 percent over the usual cost, said the survey, which referred to all kinds of pharmaceuticals, not just cancer drugs. Prescription drug shortages in the United States nearly tripled from 2005 to 2010, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Just why drugs are falling out of production, particularly in

cancer care, has to do with the extremely low price of generic medicines and the profit incentive that drives cancer doctors to prescribe costlier medications. Oncologists get a portion of their pay by buying drugs wholesale and billing the government’s Medicare behemoth for reimbursement, a practice that ended up paying US doctors more than they spent on the drugs by $1.6 billion per year.

A law signed by president George W. Bush in 2003 tried to clamp down on inflated billing by ordering Medicare to pay doctors based on a drug’s average selling price, plus six percent.

Prices were also prohibited from rising more than six percent every six months.

That limited the market’s ability to respond to a shortage of a generic drug by increasing its price. Manufacturers were faced with limited demand and a 90 percent price drop for a generic drug. And cancer doctors were faced with a deep cut to their bottom line— AFP

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W H AT ’ S O N Greetings

Wish you many many happy returns of the day to our loving daughter Sancia. May God bless you. With lots of love, wishes & kisses from proud parents Sylvia & Austin D’Cunha.

Happy belated birthday wishes to Kithana. Best wishes come from mum, dad, Raaga and friends.

Upcoming events 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 lTaught 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.

Christmas music concert Men’s Voice and Choral Society - Kuwait, the renowned Christian musicale group in Kuwait since 2001, who were able to put up a splendid Christmas carol in the form of a Living Christmas tree last year, are going to be back on stage this season of winter with their 11th Annual Christmas Music Concert “Celtic Christmas” for all the music lovers of the region on Wednesday 7th, December 2011 at 7 pm at Hall of Faith, National Evangelical Church (NECK), Kuwait. They are at their final stages of practice rounding up and polishing the best carols from English and Malayalam favorites. Every Music Lovers are cordially invite everyone to this spiritual musical concert, for more details contact 94064465/94063481 or visit www.mensvoicekuwait.org 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 tomorrow, December 1 from 7:30 pm. Invites will be available after Eid.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Tolerance Day at KNES

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n keeping with our school’s philosophy and school guiding statement, Kuwait National English School held a Tolerance Day assembly this week to raise student awareness on the importance of tolerance.

Kuwait National English School is home to both students and staff from different parts of the world, who

come from different cultural backgrounds, religious denominations, race groups and nationalities. Our pupils are taught to respect the cultures of all people, irrespective of their colour or creed.

We reinforce in our students that we all belong to one Human Family. Our primary assembly reinforced what they

learn during citizenship classes and focused on inculcating in pupils values such as respect, accepting differences amongst people and cultural diversities, anti-bullying, helping others by supporting charities, showing courtesy to the elderly and disabled in our community and assisting those in need.

Stage set for ‘Sangeerthanam 2011’

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he stage is set for ‘Sangeerthanam 2011’ an evening of melodious Indian music, which will be presented on Friday, Dec 2 from 6 pm onwards at the Indian Community School (Senior Girls), Salmiya.

Thyagabrahmam musical troupe from Cochin, led by well-known South Indian musician T S Radhakrishnaji, will arrive tomorrow in Kuwait to present the musical evening. The troupe will render songs in five Indian languages catering to the diverse taste of the multi-lingual audience.

In addition to Radhakrishnaji, the seven-member troupe also consists of popular singers like Rain Drops fame Ravisankar, upcoming singers Vinayak and Aravindan, percussionists and instrumentalists.

Radhakrishnaji has been on a musical

odyssey since his childhood. A graduate in Philosophy from the Maharajas College, Cochin, he played bass guitar for eight years for the western band

Annual Christmas bazaar

Auditions for KLT season

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t’s audition time again for the next show of the KLT season, a ‘GLEE-esque’ show choir production Vocal Rhapsody’s “Love Story”, slated for the stage in February 2012. Vocal Rhapsody’s “Love Story” - is a show choir production with hit songs from artists such as Journey, Queen, Katy Perry and Meatloaf. If you love to sing and perform come out to audition for this ‘GLEE-esque’ production that is guaranteed to be fun, exciting and musically intriguing for all!

Auditions are held in Kuwait Little Theater in Ahmadi on Saturday December 3rd from 6pm-8pm, Sunday December 4th from 7pm-9pm, and Monday December 5th from 7pm-9pm (you should arrive promptly at the start time on the day you choose to attend and stay until your audition is complete. You only need to attend one audition.)

has created many masterpieces which were sung by eminent South Indian singers led by Padmabhushan Dr K J. Yesudas, P. Jayachandran, P. Leela, S. Janaki, Suseela, Sujatha, K.S. Chitra, Unni Menon, M.G. Sreekumar, Kavalam Sreekumar, G. Venugopal, Hariharan, Biju Narayanan, Radhika Tilak and Madhu Balakrishnan. Radhakrishnaji’s distinct style of rendition and soothingly melodious voice have earned him a name in South India as a musician of repute.

As a promising South Indian singer, Ravisankar has come a long way over the last few years from an anchor of a musical show in Kairali TV to an upcoming Malayalam playback singer. He will render Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada songs during the musical evening. All music lovers are welcome.

Alghanim Industries hosts blood donation campaign

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he Salesian Cooperators are hosting “Annual Christmas Bazaar” with lots more items on sale!

Homemade goodies, chocolates, decoration and much much more! Please be a part of their drive to help the underprivileged— especially this Christmas season.

All proceeds go to charity! When: Friday, December 2nd, Time: 9:00am - 12:30pm, Where: IEAS - Don Bosco School, Salmiya Kuwait

‘Hijackers’.

Over the course of his intimate sojourn with the ‘Saptha Swaras’, as a musician composer-musicologist, he

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lghanim Industries (AI) held its second annual blood donation campaign at its corporate headquarters in Shuwaikh last week, in cooperation with Kuwait’s Central Blood Bank (KCBB).

The campaign was a huge success, with a large number of employees taking the time to donate blood to the worthy cause. AI extends its thanks to the KCBB doctors and staff who facilitated the event.

The annual blood donation campaign is part of Alghanim Industries’ ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility and community engagement.

YMCA representatives meet Indian ambassador

Rak dance academy new year hangama-2012

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he RAK Dance Academy (RDA) Kuwait, is planning to put a charity event as celebration of its New Year Hangama 2012, on 31st December, 2011, from 6.00pm onwards, at Carmel School Khaitan. All participants are well known artists from Kuwait. The main purpose of this celebration is to collect donations and raise money for supporting handicapped children in India.

Advertisement will be published throughout Kuwait absolutely free of charge. We are expecting huge crowd for this event. The fund raised will be beneficial handicapped children. In order to make this event joyous and successful we are seeking kind contributions from you.

Your attendance is your donation. Please join for an evening for a good cause. Darla Srinivasulu Achari, 99 692266; Mob: 65728740 K. Eswar Babu, Phone 99692266, Lashmeesha 65925730 Email: rakdanceacademy@gmail.com

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he representatives of YMCA, Kuwait met with the new ambassador of India, Satish C. Mehta at the Indian Embassy and extended a very warm welcome to him on his arrival in Kuwait on behalf of YMCA. President Babu Johnson explained about the various activities being carried out by YMCA in India and in Kuwait. His Excellency has shown keen interest on the activities hosted and carried out by YMCA. Gen Secretary Parimanam Manoj

informed that the YMCA based in Kuwait is helping the needy people in India and also catering towards the financial support for education. Mathew Eapen informed that YMCA is conducting an award function for the toppers of Science and Arts streams of plus two students, to encourage the students towards achieving better grades, higher marks and setting higher standards, which was also appreciated by the ambassador. The meeting also dis-

cussed various challenges faced by the community at large. On his part, His Excellency expressed his intention towards extending all needed support from the Indian Embassy to foster enhanced and comprehensive development to the YMCA located in Kuwait.

Babu Johnson (Chairman), Parimanam Manoj (General Secretary), Mathew Eapen, Jacob George, Johnykutty Oommen & Biji Samuel were present in the team of representatives for YMCA.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

W H AT ’ S O N

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF BRAZIL The Embassy of Brazil requests all Brazilian citizens in Kuwait to proceed to the website www.brazil.org.kw (Contact Us Form / Fale Conosco) in order to register or update contact information. The Embassy encourages all citizens to do so, including the ones who have already registered in person at the Embassy. The registration process helps the Brazilian Government to contact and assist Brazilians living abroad in case of any emergency. nnnnnnn

GUST hosts unique experience The flying adventure

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he Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) hosted a unique presentation by members of the executive team of the Kuwait Flight Simulation Center (FSC). The event was a chance for students and faculty alike to learn more about Kuwait’s aviation history and present and have the opportunity to experience a live simulation of how to take off, fly and land a plane.

Madonna Tan Estrellado, the Executive Administrative Assistant

introduced the team members and their presentation topic. Bashar Al-Kandari, the ATC Instructor, began the presentation with a walk through of Kuwait’s aviation history. He spoke about how the aviation schools were founded in Kuwait, how the pilots were trained and aviation companies were established.

After learning about the history, the audience was welcomed by Bill Anderson, the FSC Business Development Manager who gave an informative expositionabout the com-

pany itself and how it operates.

The highlight of the event was a live simulation that was performed in front of the audience over a live feed from the FSC’s headquarters. Karim Al-Sayed, IT Manager and Instructor, ran the simulation giving the audience a Flying 101 lesson; a crash in how to take off, fly and land an Airbus 320! In the simulation, AlSayed flew from Bromley; London Biggin Hill Airport to London Heathrow Airport, which lasted about 15 minutes in total.

Afterwards, Anderson and Tan

Estrelladodistributed prizes from their sponsors to members of the audience through a draw. Over 20 prizes were given including vouchers from their sponsors GulfNet, e-Games and from their institution itself.

The Kuwait Flight Simulation Center is the biggest flight simulation center in the world. It hosts the most advanced technological simulators used globally and is the leading exporter of simulators to the GCC, Europe, India and Egypt.

AUK’s human rights club holds discussion on democracy

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Nahid Al-Sheikh

AOU starts registration for second semester

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he Arab Open University announced the start of registration for the second semester for the 2011/2012 school year, which takes place in the period between the third and six of December 2011.

The registration is required to be made online at the AOU’s website (www.aou.edu.kw) where the students can fill their application.

In a statement made recently to the press, admission and registration officer Nahid Al-Sheikh explained that the AOU accepts applications of high school graduates with a minimum 60% GPA, or high school graduates below that average provided that they have at least four years of experience in the work field.

he Human Rights Club at the American University of Kuwait organized a discussion titled “Civil Engagement & Democracy” in the AUK auditorium to explore the challenges and strategies for building greater citizen participation and social engagement in Kuwait. The speakers included Dr Mohammad Al-Wuhaib, Professor of Philosophy at Kuwait University and the Director of the Kuwait Center for Activate Citizens, as well as Slobodan Milic, Deputy Director of the Gulf Program of the National Democratic Institute Regional Office in Dubai.

Dr Al-Wuhaib began the discussion with a brief history of the formation of the modern Arab regional States. “In order to understand Kuwaiti civil societies towards democracy one must recall the history,” he said. Dr AlWuhaib explained the legacy of the Ottoman rule over the Arab world and the subsequent

European colonial context that helped create the current dictatorships. According to Dr Al-Wuhaib, the colonial legacy in particular left the Arab world struggling with many dualism such as secularism or Sharia, tribal identity or national identity, democracy or authoritarianism. “People,” he said, “end up doubting both value systems.”

He went on to discuss the current legal climate of civil associations in Kuwait. He said that as long as the state has the power to dissolve any association for any reason, the only associations that will develop are those that strictly support the status quo or religious institutions.

Slobodan Milic continued the discussion by speaking of possible strategies and solutions for building civil societies and enhancing democratic participation from examples drawn from different parts of the world. Milic first stated that from world history “democracy means different things to different people.” He

noted that some of the most repressive autocracies such as the former USSR, Hitler’s Germany, Pol Pot’s Cambodia, and the Bosnian militias have all called themselves democratic.

Drawing from the ancient Greeks Milic defined Democratic society as “one where the citizens monitor, assess, intervene, and reorganize the system of power.” He argued that citizens should take an active role within civil society to make sure that people in power don’t fall into their “natural behavior” to monopolize resources and decision making.

Milic emphasized the importance of women in political participation and that empowering women as political candidates should be a priority to building civil societies.

The Human Rights Club at the American University of Kuwait is a student organization that seeks to spread awareness about democracy and human rights.

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. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF GERMANY

The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Kuwait wishes to announce that as of 1 May 2011, the external service provider Al Qabas Assurex is operating a Visa Application Centre in support of the German Embassy. Short-term visa applications for travels to Germany (e.g. for tourism, visits, business) are to be submitted to the service provider Al Qabas who for your convenience will ensure that all relevant documents are included in your application. Your personal appearance at the Application Centre is not required. Address of the Visa Application Centre: Al Qabas Assurex Sanabel Tower (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

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 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

FAIPS retains IDF Interschool Health quiz rolling trophy

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n a thrilling photo finish, Fahaheel Al Watanieh Indian Pvt. School raced past the other teams to retain the IDF Rolling Trophy, winning the 2nd IDF Interschool Health Quiz 2011 on 25th November.

Initiated last year, the IDF Interschool Health Quiz is a unique event which raised the benchmark for quizzing events with its distinctive style and original rounds. The event was introduced last year by the Indian Doctors Forum, Kuwait with the intention of disseminating health information and also to raise awareness about the health profession among students.

The unique format and randomisation in all rounds ensured fairness and the same advantage for each team.

Teams from almost all of the Indian schools consisting of students from Class X, XI or XII attended the preliminary written test which was held earlier in the day.

The top scoring six teams in the prelims went on to participate in the quiz finals.

The finalists were: Indian Community School, Amman Br.

represented by Ajish Sam George and Sharan Sunil Kumar Yadav Carmel School Kuwait represented by Faiza Syed Jafar and Stephi Thilak Solomon Indian Educational School represented by Akhil Govind Pai and Anjali Mohandas Korambeth Gulf Indian School represented by Allwyn John Karikunnel and Jincy Johnson George Indian Central School represented by Siddharth Yadav and Faiza Sayed Zaheer Fahaheel Al Watanieh Indian Pvt. School represented by Juanna Jinson Kolencherry and Guru Nandha.

The KMA Auditorium in Jabriya where the finals were held was packed with students, parents, teachers and the IDF members energetically cheering their favourites. Dr. Narayanan Nampoory, the President of the IDF while inaugurating the event spoke about the role of India in the evolution of medicine and hoped that more students would take up careers in health care.

The quiz which was conducted by Dr

Sebastian Mathew and Dr Anathapriya Vaidya, featured stimulating brand new rounds this year which had the participants working their brains furiously! The audience were also kept exercising their grey cells with questions (and prizes) for them.

It was a close fight between Indian Community School, Amman Br. and FAIPS, but FAIPS with a near perfect score in the final rapid-fire round prevailed.

The First Secretary of the Indian Embassy to Kuwait, Vishnu Nair awarded the IDF Rolling Trophy to the winners, Guru Nanda and Juana Jimson Kolencherry of FAIPS (DPS). The winners also got an I-Pad2 each which was presented to them by Ramesh, Country Manager of Gulfmart, and the main sponsor of the event. E.D. Titus, Director and GM of Bahrain Exchange Company (BEC) - the co-sponsor - of the event, presented the runners up awards to Ajish Sam George and Sharan Sunil Kumar Yadav of Indian Community School, Amman Br along with an I-Pod touch

each as their 2nd prize.

The event was compered by Dr Jafer and Dr Preetha. The technical support for buzzers was provided by the engineers of NIT. Dr Reji and Dr Niranjan handled the tough task of being the scorers and ensured that the scores were accurately recorded.

Dr Susovana, Dr Sajna, Dr Anitha, Dr Muralidharan, Dr Janaki helped to conduct the written prelims.

The question bank for the quiz was created by Dr Sebastian, Dr Ananthapriya, Dr Sakeer, Dr Rani, Dr Hasil, Dr Sreedharan, Dr Yamini, Dr Merley, Dr Rajender Mishra, Dr Niranjan and Dr Rosh.

The floor managers of the event were Dr Sunil Kodali, Dr Unnikrishnan and Dr Mahesh Kadam. Expressing the vote of thanks, Dr Preeti Jolly Jt. Secretary of the IDF thanked all the teams, sponsors and guests for their participation and support to make the event a resounding success.

One can be sure that next year’s event will be keenly awaited by all !

EMBASSY OF RUSSIA Embassy of the Russian Federation will hold the elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (Parliament) on December 3, 2011, between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm in the Embassy s premises by the address: Kuwait City, Daiya, Block 5, Diplomatic campus, Plot 17. All the Russians are invited to participate.

They are requested to present valid Russian passports. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF US The United States and Kuwait enjoy a long-standing and fruitful relationship with higher education. As evidence of this enduring partnership, the number of Kuwaiti students enrolled in US institutions of higher education in 2010/11 increased from 2442 to 2998, a 22.8% increase compared to the previous year. Kuwaiti students study in 45 states.

This year, embassies and institutions around the world will be celebrating International Education Week the week of November 14-18.

In honor of International Education Week, the US Embassy s Mobile American Corner will be at the Marina Mall on Wednesday evening, November 16, and at the Avenues Mall on Thursday evening, November 17. Information about higher education in the US, English language classes and the student visa application process will be available, and staff will be present to answer questions about study in the USA from the general public.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

TV PROGRAMS

00:50 01:45 02:40 03:35 04:30 05:25 06:20 07:10 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:10 11:05 12:00 12:55 13:50 14:45 15:40 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:25 19:20 20:15 20:40 21:10 22:05 23:00 23:55

Crocodile Feeding Frenzy Animal Cops Miami Life Of Mammals Big Five Challenge Crocodile Feeding Frenzy Cats 101 Animal Cops Miami Wild Africa Rescue Monkey Life The Really Wild Show Natural Born Hunters Jeff Corwin Unleashed Breed All About It America’s Cutest...

Cats 101 Animal Cops Houston Michaela’s Animal Road Trip Animal Cops Specials 2009 Animal Cops Miami Life Of Mammals Monkey Life The Really Wild Show Growing Up... Wolves Cats 101 Dogs 101: Specials Monkey Life Breed All About It Cats 101 Life Of Mammals Speed Of Life Untamed & Uncut

00:30 Blackadder Goes Forth 01:00 One Foot In The Grave 02:05 The Weakest Link: S10: Set 2 02:50 Holby City: Set 1 03:40 Doctors: Set 2 04:10 One Foot In The Grave 04:40 3rd & Bird: set 01 04:50 Bobinogs 05:00 Boogie Beebies: Set 4 05:15 Poetry Pie 05:20 Tweenies: Set 15 05:40 Fimbles: Set 3 06:00 3rd & Bird: set 01 06:10 Bobinogs 06:20 Boogie Beebies: Set 4 06:35 Poetry Pie 06:40 Tweenies: Set 15 07:00 Charlie & Lola: Set 2 07:10 Fimbles: Set 3 07:30 3rd & Bird: set 01 07:40 Bobinogs 07:50 Boogie Beebies: Set 4 08:05 Poetry Pie 08:10 Tweenies: Set 15 08:30 Charlie & Lola: Set 2 08:40 Fimbles: Set 3 09:00 3rd & Bird: set 01 09:10 Bobinogs 09:20 Boogie Beebies: Set 4 09:35 Poetry Pie 09:40 Poetry Pie 09:50 Tweenies: Set 15 10:10 Charlie & Lola: Set 2 10:20 Fimbles: Set 3 10:40 One Foot In The Grave 11:40 The Weakest Link: S10: Set 2 12:25 The Planets (Revoiced & Updated) 13:15 Doctors: Set 2 13:45 Eastenders: set 253 14:15 Holby City: Set 1 15:10 One Foot In The Grave 16:40 The Planets (Revoiced & Updated) 17:30 The Weakest Link: S10: Set 2 18:15 Doctors: Set 2 18:45 Eastenders: set 253 19:15 Holby City: Set 1 20:10 The Planets (Revoiced & Updated) 21:00 The Weakest Link: S10: Set 2 21:45 Doctors: Set 2 22:15 Eastenders: set 254 22:45 Casualty: Set 3 23:40 Gracie!

00:40 01:25 02:15 02:40

Design Star Come Dine With Me What Not To Wear What Not To Wear

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

Design Star Come Dine With Me What Not To Wear Design Star Design Star Fantasy Homes By The Sea Daily Cooks Challenge Antiques Roadshow Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me Daily Cooks Challenge Antiques Roadshow Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds Bargain Hunt Come Dine With Me Rhodes Across The Caribbean Come Dine With Me Antiques Roadshow Bargain Hunt: Famous Finds Bargain Hunt Holmes On Homes

00:00 BBC World News America 00:30 Hardtalk 01:00 BBC World News 01:30 World Business Report 01:45 Sport Today 02:00 BBC World News America 02:30 Asia Business Report 02:45 Sport Today 03:00 Newsday 03:30 Asia Business Report 03:45 Sport Today 04:00 Newsday 04:30 Asia Business Report 04:45 Sport Today 05:00 Newsday 05:30 Asia Business Report 05:45 Sport Today 06:00 Newsday 06:30 Asia Business Report 06:45 Sport Today 07:00 Newsday 07:30 Hardtalk 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 World Business Report 08:45 BBC World News 09:30 World Business Report 09:45 BBC World News 10:30 World Business Report 10:45 Sport Today 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 World Business Report 11:45 Sport Today 12:00 BBC World News 12:30 Hardtalk 13:00 BBC World News 13:30 World Business Report 13:45 Sport Today 14:00 BBC World News 14:30 World Business Report 14:45 Sport Today 15:00 GMT With George Alagiah 16:00 Impact With Mishal Husain 17:30 World Business Report 17:45 Sport Today 18:00 BBC World News 18:30 Hardtalk 19:00 BBC World News 19:30 World Business Report 19:45 Sport Today 20:00 The Hub With Nik Gowing 21:30 World Business Report 21:45 Sport Today 22:00 World News Today With Zeinab Badawi 23:30 World Business Report 23:45 Sport Today

00:05 00:30 00:55 01:20 01:45 02:10 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:10

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

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

Duck Dodgers The Garfield Show New Yogi Bear Show Bananas In Pyjamas Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Jelly Jamm Pink Panther And Pals Puppy In My Pocket The Garfield Show Dastardly And Muttley The Flintstones Tom & Jerry Pink Panther And Pals Top Cat New Yogi Bear Show Puppy In My Pocket Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Bananas In Pyjamas The Jetsons Duck Dodgers Looney Tunes Scooby Doo Where Are You! Tom & Jerry The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop Droopy: Master Detective Wacky Races Scooby-Doo And ScrappyDastardly And Muttley Tom & Jerry Dexters Laboratory Gerald McBoing Boing Bananas In Pyjamas Top Cat Wacky Races Tom & Jerry The Scooby Doo Show Dastardly And Muttley Tom & Jerry Johnny Bravo Dexters Laboratory

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 Ben 10: Ultimate Challenge 08:04 Cow & Chicken 08:25 Angelo Rules 08:50 Best Ed 09:15 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 09:40 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 10:05 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 10:30 Courage The Cowardly Dog 10:55 Cow & Chicken 11:20 I Am Weasel 11:35 Adventure Time 12:00 Ben 10 12:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 12:50 The Secret Saturdays 13:15 Samurai Jack 13:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 14:05 Codename: Kids Next Door 14:30 Skunk Fu! 14:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 15:15 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 15:40 Ed, Edd n Eddy 16:05 Camp Lazlo 16:30 Chowder 16:55 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 17:25 Cow & Chicken 17:50 Courage The Cowardly Dog 18:15 I Am Weasel 18:40 George Of The Jungle 19:05 Codename: Kids Next Door 19:30 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated

BLOOD OUT ON OSN ACTION HD

19:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 20:20 Generator Rex 20:45 Bakugan: Gundalian Invaders 21:10 Hero 108 21:35 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 22:00 Total Drama Action 22:25 Adventure Time 22:50 The Grim Adventures Of Billy & Mandy 23:00 Ben 10 23:25 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 23:50 The Secret Saturdays

00:00 Connect The World With Becky Anderson 01:00 Backstory 01:30 World Sport 02:00 The Situation Room 03:00 World Report 04:00 Anderson Cooper 360 05:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 06:00 Quest Means Business 07:00 World Sport 07:30 Inside Africa 08:00 World Report 08:30 Backstory 09:00 World Report 11:00 World Sport 11:30 News Special 12:00 World Business Today 13:00 American Morning: Wake-Up Call 13:30 Talk Asia 14:00 World One 15:00 Piers Morgan Tonight 16:00 News Stream 17:00 World Business Today 18:00 International Desk 19:00 The Brief 19:30 World Sport 20:00 Prism 21:00 International Desk 21:30 News Special 22:00 Quest Means Business 23:00 Piers Morgan Tonight

00:15 Swamp Brothers 00:40 Dual Survival 01:35 Overhaulin’ 02:30 Dirty Jobs 03:25 Ultimate Survival 04:20 Mythbusters 05:15 How It’s Made 05:40 How It’s Made 06:05 Dirty Jobs 07:00 Wheeler Dealers 07:25 Fifth Gear 07:50 Overhaulin’ 08:45 How It’s Made 09:10 Mythbusters 10:05 Cake Boss 10:30 Border Security 10:55 Auction Kings 11:25 Curiosity: Is There A Parallel Universe?

12:20 Mythbusters 13:15 Ultimate Survival 14:10 Dual Survival 15:05 Swamp Brothers 15:30 Cash Cab Us 16:00 Wheeler Dealers 16:25 Fifth Gear 16:55 Overhaulin’ 17:50 Mythbusters 18:45 Cake Boss 19:10 Border Security 19:40 Auction Kings 20:05 How It’s Made 20:35 How It’s Made 21:00 Cash Cab Us 21:30 Deception With Keith Barry 22:25 Mythbusters 23:20 Curiosity: Is There A Parallel Universe?

00:40 The Gadget Show 01:05 The Tech Show 01:35 Monster Moves 02:25 Green Wheels 02:50 The Sun 03:40 Brainiac 04:35 The Gadget Show 05:00 The Gadget Show 05:25 How Stuff’s Made 05:50 Monster Moves 06:40 Stuntdawgs 07:10 Engineering Ground Zero 08:00 Junkyard Mega-Wars 08:50 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 09:40 The Tech Show 10:10 Weird Connections 10:35 The Gadget Show 11:00 The Gadget Show 11:25 Engineering Ground Zero 12:20 Sci-Fi Science 12:45 How Stuff’s Made 13:15 The Sun 14:05 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 14:55 Stuntdawgs 15:20 Green Wheels 15:50 Monster Moves 16:40 Weird Connections 17:05 Junkyard Mega-Wars 18:00 Brainiac 18:50 Sci-Fi Science 19:15 The Tech Show 19:40 Weird Or What?

20:30 How The Universe Works 21:20 Science Of Storm Chasing 22:10 The Gadget Show 22:35 The Gadget Show 23:00 Weird Or What?

23:50 How The Universe Works

00:00 00:25 00:50 01:15 01:35 02:00 02:25 02:50 03:15 03:35 04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15 05:35 06:00 06:20 Cody 06:45 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:35

Kim Possible Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Stitch Stitch Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Stitch Stitch Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Emperor’s New School The Suite Life Of Zack And Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

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

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00:25 Kendra 00:55 Style Star 01:25 Too Young To Kill 03:15 25 Most Stylish 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Extreme Hollywood 06:00 50 Cutest Child Stars: All Grown Up 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Bridalplasty 10:15 15 Remarkable Celebrity Body Bouncebacks 12:05 E! News 13:05 Ice Loves Coco 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:35 Giuliana & Bill 15:30 E! Investigates 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 17:25 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 17:55 E! News 18:55 E! Investigates 19:55 Ice Loves Coco 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:25 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 22:25 E! News 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

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00:00 Adventure Wanted 01:00 Meet The Natives: USA 02:00 Banged Up Abroad 03:00 Cycling Home From Siberia 03:30 Deadliest Journeys 04:00 Amazing Adventures of A Nobody 04:30 Which Way To 05:30 Earth Tripping 06:00 Adventure Wanted 07:00 Meet The Natives: USA 08:00 Banged Up Abroad 09:00 Cycling Home From Siberia 09:30 Deadliest Journeys 10:00 Amazing Adventures of A Nobody 10:30 Which Way To 11:30 Earth Tripping 12:00 Adventure Wanted 13:00 Destination Extreme 13:30 Word Travels 14:00 Wild Rides 15:00 The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia 16:00 Around The World For Free 17:00 Nomads 18:00 Best of Treks in a Wild World 19:00 Destination Extreme 19:30 Word Travels 20:00 Wild Rides 21:00 The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia 22:00 Around The World For Free 23:00 Nomads

00:00 Halloween 2-18 02:00 Fading Of The Cries-PG15 04:00 Blood Out-18 06:00 Echelon Conspiracy-PG15 08:00 The Librarian: The Curse Of Judas Chalice-PG15 10:00 The Three Musketeers-PG15 12:00 Legendary-PG15 14:00 The Librarian: The Curse Of Judas Chalice-PG15 16:00 Rocky v-PG15 18:00 Legendary-PG15 20:00 Child’s Play 3-18 22:00 Sanctum-18

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00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Private Practice Royal Pains Covert Affairs Grey’s Anatomy Alias Good Morning America Law & Order Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View Private Practice Grey’s Anatomy Alias Live Good Morning America The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Once Upon A Time Terra Nova True Blood Covert Affairs Law & Order

00:00 The Glades 01:00 Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior 02:00 Royal Pains 03:00 Grey’s Anatomy 04:00 Private Practice 05:00 Commander In Chief 06:00 The Glades 07:00 Outsourced 07:30 Coronation Street 08:00 Bones 09:00 Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior 10:00 Grey’s Anatomy 11:00 Royal Pains 12:00 Outsourced 12:30 Coronation Street 13:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 14:00 Bones

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01:00 The Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day-18 03:00 Blood Out-18 05:00 Rage: Carrie 2-PG15 07:00 Bodyguard: A New BeginningPG15 09:00 Patriot Games-PG15 11:00 No Time To Fear-PG15 12:15 Rocky III-PG15 14:15 No Time To Fear-PG15 15:45 Wyatt Earp-PG15 19:00 Zombieland-18 21:00 The Tripper-18 23:00 Sleep Dealer-PG15

00:00 Valentine’s Day-PG15 02:00 Away We Go-PG15 04:00 It’s A Wonderful AfterlifePG15 06:00 Nine Months-PG15 08:00 The Big Green-PG 10:00 Dr. Dolittle-PG 12:00 Dr. Dolittle 2-PG 14:00 What’s The Worst That Could Happen?-PG15 16:00 Valentine’s Day-PG15 18:00 Cop Out-PG15 20:00 The Slammin’ Salmon-18 22:00 American High School-18

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00:15 Dare-18 02:00 Iron Man 2-PG15 04:15 Carnera: The Walking Mountain-PG 06:30 Stomp The Yard 2: Homecoming-PG15 08:00 Who’s Your Caddy?-PG15 10:15 Iron Man 2-PG15 12:30 Stomp The Yard 2: Homecoming-PG15 14:00 School Of Rock-PG15 16:00 Who’s Your Caddy?-PG15 18:15 Grown Ups-PG15 20:00 Essential Killing-PG15 22:00 Ticking Clock-PG15

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00:30 Golfing World 01:30 Trans World Sport 02:30 Futbol Mundial 03:00 Scottish Premier League 05:00 Beach Volley Ball 05:30 ICC Cricket World 06:00 European PGA Tour Highlights 07:00 Scottish Premier League 09:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 09:30 Futbol Mundial 10:00 Golfing World 11:00 Beach Volley Ball 11:30 International Rugby Union 13:30 Scottish Premier League 15:30 Golfing World 16:30 World Hockey 17:00 ICC Cricket World 17:30 Trans World Sport 18:30 Futbol Mundial 19:00 International Rugby Union 21:00 European PGA Tour Highlights 22:00 Premier League Snooker

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00:00 01:30 02:30 03:00 04:00 07:00 08:00 10:30 11:30 12:30 14:30 15:30 17:30 18:30 20:30 21:30 23:30

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00:45 Penelope-FAM 02:20 All The Fine Young CannibalsPG 04:15 The Split 05:45 They Died With Their Boots On-FAM 08:00 The Sandpiper-PG 09:55 Ben-Hur-PG 13:20 Come Fly With Me-FAM 15:05 Boys’ Night Out-FAM 16:55 Boys’ Town-PG 18:25 Ride The High Country-PG 19:55 Son Of A Gunfighter-FAM 21:25 Elvis On Tour-PG 23:00 Pennies From Heaven

Classifieds WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

teacher's effort to help disabled student inspires Xbox accessory MIAMI: A disabled student's frustration with the limitations of his misshapen hands fueled an inventive teacher's imagination, and from that inspiration a device was born that thousands of video gamers are using to play faster than ever before.

When Danny Lamarca, now 16, confided in David Kotkin that he longed to play video games as well as his peers, the Holmes Braddock Senior High art teacher thought he could do something about it. The solution he devised gave rise to The Avenger.

Looking like it belongs in the Bat Cave rather than the family room, the black, snap-on shell turns a mild-mannered Xbox 380 controller into a monster: Flexible tentacles extend from the side and rubber straps pull taught against a claw-like stand, giving players hair-trigger control and decreasing finger fatigue.

This new weapon in the global gaming arena has garnered praise from reviewers for being comfortable to use and enhancing player reaction time _ vital when a split second can mean the difference between victory and game over.

"With a few more adjustments to fit my style, I was suddenly reloading faster, switching weapons with my left index finger, and never taking my hand off either analog stick," one early tester wrote at GadgetReview.com: "The Avenger works."

Since the gaming accessory made its public debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, about 7,000 have been sold; of those, about 5,500 have been shipped. (The $39.99 introductory price will soon jump to $49.99.)

The Avenger's West Kendall, Fla., origins had little to do with claiming market share, however, and everything to do with helping a student.

Danny Lamarca used to struggle to hold his PlayStation 3 controller.

That's because he was born with Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica, a hereditary condition that affected the size of his hands. His palms are a little bigger than a half-dollar coin, and his fingers are short, looking more like toes. His skin is also sensitive and can blister easily.

Danny's mom, Veronica Lamarca, knew it might be difficult for him to play, but she didn't want to deny him the video gaming his peers enjoyed.

"There were kids in school asking, 'Don't you have this? Don't you want it?' And since he has good grades, and with his condition he cannot do sports and go outside, what else could we do?" his mother said in Spanish.

"We wanted to give him a young person's distraction."

Danny became Kotkin's student in the fall of 2009. As they built a rapport, he vented to his teacher about the difficulty he had using the gaming system he had begged his parents to buy for Christmas.

"It wasn't so much as frustrating," the teen says. "It was more like I wished I could play better, to my fullest potential."

What he didn't know is that his teacher had begun tinkering with an idea several months earlier: Is there a way to make a game controller easier to hold and play for long periods of time?

Danny's gaming aspirations spurred him on.

"I knew I had to do my best work because I thought I

ACCOMMODATION

Furnished room with all facilities available in Salmiya. Please contact: 99787621. (C 3751) David Kotkin holds his Avenger controller, an external adapter for the XBox 360 controller that helps gamers hit buttons faster and more fluidly. Kotkin, a Miami, Florida, art teacher, originally invented the device to help one of his disabled students play video games more easily then adapted the idea to develop for a general audience. — MCT could help him," Kotkin said.

With Scotch tape and Popsicle sticks, super glue and strings, he crafted levers for buttons, attached strings to triggers, and connected a weighted stand to prop the controller against the body. Two weeks later, he handed the test model to Danny.

That night, the teenager won his first online match playing Call of Duty and ranked fourth out of 15 players.

"It took a couple of games to really get acquainted," Danny says. "I used to have to play with my chin or play with my foot sometimes. With the strings, it worked."

And so began Kotkin's two-year journey and $300,000 investment to create an accessory that would improve any player's game.

The Avenger turns a controller into an extension of the player's hand.

You never need to lift your thumb from the joystick _ a key factor in beating an opponent in a blink. Flexible rubber arms extend from the buttons, resting on your fingers, and a slight lift or twitch of a finger pushes a button.

Rubber bands turn the back-side trigger buttons into hair triggers that fire with a fraction of the pressure normally needed.

Convincing engineers to believe in the design was Kotkin's biggest challenge.

"I probably wouldn't have done it if I knew how hard it was going to be," he said. "This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

An Avenger for Sony's PlayStation 3 is expected to be released in late summer. The device is manufactured in

China, but there are plans to switch to a Pompano Beach, Fla., manufacturer in the next three to six months.

This is the second Kotkin invention to become a global-selling success.

The first was the Go Duster, a battery-powered, spinning duster.

Telebrands has sold about 2 million of the $20 gadgets through infomercials and in retail stores.

Kotkin funded development of The Avenger with Go Duster profits, personal savings and help from his family.

He credits his creativity and drive to invent to a disability of his own.

"Dyslexia has made me see things where other people don't," Kotkin said."The curse became a blessing in a way."

The learning experience from the Go Duster helped him and his wife, Melissa, handle the stress involved in the process.

"It's not easy," says Melissa, who is not a gamer. "But when I saw the interest that others had in it, it definitely helps you keep the faith."

As for Danny, he's in Kotkin's class again this year. He wore out the Avenger prototype, and the teacher made him an upgraded version that he shares with his younger brother, who has the same condition.

"It's pretty cool that someone actually thought of something for me," he says.

In a letter to his school principal, Danny wrote about what a gift it was to be a gamer on the same level as his peers: "Thanks to Mr. Kotkin, I am starting to think that being different isn't so bad." — MCT

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DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR PIA RBG JZR ETH RLB THY UAE QTR DHX MSR VTF FDB ETD GFA THY DHX JZR JZR BAW KAC AFR KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB ETD GFA FCX IRA RBG KNE JZR RKM IRM MEA MSR JZR CLX KAC GFA MSR

Arrival Flights on Wednesday 30/11/2011 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 205 LAHORE/PESHAWER 3564 ASSIUT 539 CAIRO 620 ADDIS ABABA 1202 BISHKEK 772 ISTANBUL 853 DUBAI 138 DOHA 370 BAHRAIN 612 CAIRO 1013 IRAQ 67 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 211 BAHRAIN 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 555 ALEXANDRIA 529 ASSIUT 157 LONDON 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 6702 PARIS 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 352 COCHIN 382 DELHI 302 MUMBAI 284 DHAKA 362 COLOMBO 344 CHENNAI 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 203 DUBAI 603 SHIRAZ 3555 ALEXANDRIA 839 JEDDAH 165 DUBAI 310 RAS ALKHAIMAH 5066 MASHAD 404 BEIRUT 610 CAIRO 201 DAMASCUS 792 LUXEMBOURG 672 DUBAI 219 BAHRAIN 621 ASSIUT

Time 0:20 0:25 0:40 0:50 1:45 2:00 2:15 2:35 2:40 2:55 3:00 3:05 3:05 3:10 3:15 4:50 5:15 6:00 6:20 6:40 6:45 7:00 7:40 7:45 7:50 7:50 7:55 8:15 8:20 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:05 9:20 9:35 9:55 10:30 10:40 11:05 11:05 11:20 11:45 11:50 11:55 12:55 13:00 13:15 13:20 13:25 13:30

SYR FDB KAC UAL IRC QTR KNE SVA RJA ABY JZR KAC QTR JZR JZR ETD UAE KAC GFA SVA RBG ABY JZR ALK JZR FDB KAC KAC JZR KAC KAC KAC KAC AIC KAC KAC FDB JAI OMA DHX VOS MEA GFA QTR UAE JZR SAI JZR UAL AXB DLH PIA

341 57 790 982 6791 140 745 500 640 123 257 546 134 561 213 303 857 550 215 510 3557 127 777 227 177 63 542 618 787 786 614 674 166 975 102 774 61 572 647 372 81 402 217 136 859 135 441 239 981 393 636 215

DAMASCUS DUBAI MEDINAH WASHINGTON DC DULLES MASHAD DOHA JEDDAH JEDDAH AMMAN SHARJAH BEIRUT ALEXANDRIA DOHA SOHAG DEIREZZOR/ALEPPO ABU DHABI DUBAI SHARM EL SHEIKH/SOHAG BAHRAIN RIYADH SOHAG SHARJAH JEDDAH COLOMBO/DUBAI DUBAI DUBAI CAIRO DOHA RIYADH JEDDAH BAHRAIN DUBAI PARIS/ROME CHENNAI/GOA NEW YORK/LONDON RIYADH DUBAI MUMBAI MUSCAT BAHRAIN BAGHDAD BEIRUT BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN LAHORE AMMAN BAHRAIN KOZHIKODE/COCHIN FRANKFURT KARACHI

13:45 13:50 14:00 14:05 14:20 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:40 14:45 15:00 15:20 15:25 16:10 16:45 16:50 16:55 17:10 17:15 17:20 17:35 17:40 17:45 18:10 18:15 18:40 18:50 18:55 19:05 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:35 19:40 20:00 20:10 20:15 21:00 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:35 21:40 21:55 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:40 23:50 23:55

Airlines UAL AXB AIC DLH PIA RBG ETH THY VOS FDB UAE DHX MSR ETD QTR THY JZR VTF RLB GFA JZR FDB KAC BAW AFR KAC JZR KAC KAC JZR JZR UAE ABY KAC FDB QTR ETD KAC GFA IRA RBG FCX KNE KAC JZR KAC RKM MEA IRM KAC

Departure Flights on Wednesday 30/11/2011 Flt Route Time 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 0:45 390 MANGALORE/KOZHIKODE 0:50 982 AHMEDABAD/HYDERABAD/CHENNAI1:05 637 FRANKFURT 1:20 206 LAHORE 1:25 3562 ALEXANDRIA 1:25 621 ADDIS ABABA 2:45 773 ISTANBUL 3:15 94 DUBAI/KANDAHAR 3:30 68 DUBAI 3:45 854 DUBAI 3:50 371 BAHRAIN 3:55 613 CAIRO 4:00 306 ABU DHABI 4:00 139 DOHA 4:55 771 ISTANBUL 5:50 164 DUBAI 6:55 1014 BAGHDAD 7:00 1203 SHARJAH 7:00 212 BAHRAIN 7:00 200 DAMASCUS 7:30 54 DUBAI 8:25 545 ALEXANDRIA 8:30 156 LONDON 8:40 6702 DUBAI/HONG KONG 8:45 671 DUBAI 9:00 256 BEIRUT 9:00 549 SHARM EL SHEIKH/SOHAG 9:15 789 MEDINAH 9:25 560 SOHAG 9:30 212 ALEPPO/DEIREZZOR 9:35 856 DUBAI 9:40 126 SHARJAH 9:45 117 NEW YORK 10:00 56 DUBAI 10:05 133 DOHA 10:10 302 ABU DHABI 10:20 177 FRANKFURT/GENEVA 10:35 214 BAHRAIN 10:40 602 SHIRAZ 11:40 3558 SOHAG 11:45 204 DUBAI 11:45 840 MEDINAH/JEDDAH 11:55 541 CAIRO 12:00 776 JEDDAH 12:15 103 LONDON 12:30 311 RAS ALKHAIMAH 12:50 405 BEIRUT 12:55 5065 MASHAD 13:20 785 JEDDAH 13:40

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

JZR MSR GFA MSR FDB SYR CLX KAC KNE UAL IRC ABY RJA KAC SVA JZR KAC KAC QTR JZR ETD JZR QTR UAE GFA RBG ABY KAC SVA JZR JZR ALK FDB JZR KAC KAC FDB KAC DHX KAC JAI OMA DHX MEA GFA KAC QTR KAC JZR UAE KAC JZR

176 611 220 622 58 342 792 673 746 982 6792 124 641 617 503 786 613 773 141 238 304 538 135 858 216 3556 128 153 511 266 134 228 64 184 283 361 62 331 171 351 571 648 373 403 218 381 137 301 554 860 205 502

DUBAI CAIRO BAHRAIN ASSIUT DUBAI DAMASCUS VIETNAM DUBAI JEDDAH BAHRAIN MASHAD SHARJAH AMMAN DOHA JEDDAH RIYADH BAHRAIN RIYADH DOHA AMMAN ABU DHABI CAIRO DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN ALEXANDRIA SHARJAH ISTANBUL RIYADH BEIRUT BAHRAIN DUBAI/COLOMBO DUBAI DUBAI DHAKA COLOMBO DUBAI TRIVANDRUM BAHRAIN COCHIN MUMBAI MUSCAT BAHRAIN BEIRUT BAHRAIN DELHI DOHA MUMBAI ALEXANDRIA DUBAI ISLAMABAD LUXOR

13:50 13:55 14:20 14:30 14:35 14:45 14:45 15:05 15:10 15:20 15:20 15:25 15:35 15:40 15:45 15:50 16:20 16:25 16:30 17:15 17:35 17:40 17:45 18:10 18:15 18:20 18:25 18:30 18:35 18:45 19:05 19:10 19:20 19:55 20:15 20:20 20:40 21:00 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:15 22:00 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:45 22:45 22:50 23:00 23:35

34

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

stars CROSSWORD 513

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) You enjoy socializing with people from different backgrounds.

You can be very popular when you are open to trying new things.

With an open mind to what others have to say, you could feel great support from others. Showing up for work early, you are able to enjoy long relationships with friends from all over the world. You can be a positive influence on others just now. Think adventurously but be careful that your enthusiasm is not so strong that it makes others uncomfortable. Remember, others have to work and achieve at their own level.

You will lead others today in some group activity. You are a natural group leader or trainer—your vitality and drive is communicated to everyone you see, especially the young people in your life.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You are always out front and manage to spend a lot of time in the spotlight and today is no exception. Others find it easy to watch and learn from you. Your mind is on cutting through the nonessentials and penetrating to the core of issues—you want to know who, or what pulls the strings.

Sex, taxes, investments and other subjects of life’s most compelling phenomena may captivate your interest now. You are very animated and may find communicating your ideas is a particularly easy thing to do today. Political, lecturing or teaching concerns could be involved with this need to communicate. You may find yourself being put to good use by your friends this afternoon. You show understanding to a friend this evening.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. A master's degree in library science.

4. Any member of Athapaskan tribes that migrated to the southwestern desert (from Arizona to Texas and south into Mexico).

10. Standard time in the 7th time zone west of Greenwich, reckoned at the 105th meridian west.

13. A plant hormone promoting elongation of stems and roots.

14. Small genus of shrubs and lianas and trees of Africa and Madagascar.

15. (informal) Of the highest quality.

16. Support resembling the rib of an animal.

17. An Oscan-speaking member of an ancient people of Campania.

19. A ballistic missile that is capable of traveling from one continent to another.

21. A person with an unusual or odd personality.

23. Port city of Denmark in eastern Jutland.

25. A logarithmic unit of sound intensity.

26. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

27. Type genus of the family Ostreidae.

31. An informal term for a father.

32. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

35. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

38. Animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes.

40. A metric unit of volume or capacity equal to 10 liters.

42. Of or relating to or near the coccyx.

45. Brazilian statesman who ruled Brazil as a virtual dictator (1883-1954).

47. A collection of objects laid on top of each other.

49. (Irish) Mother of the ancient Irish gods.

50. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

53. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

55. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

59. English monk and scholar (672-735).

61. Lacking or deprive of the sense of hearing wholly or in part.

64. Aircraft landing in bad weather in which the pilot is talked down by ground control using precision approach radar.

65. The fatty flesh of eel.

66. A member of an agricultural people of southern India.

68. A recurring sleep state during which dreaming occurs.

69. An informal term for a father.

70. A port city in southwestern Iran.

71. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

DOWN 1. Little known Kamarupan languages.

2. Concerning those not members of the clergy.

3. A midnight meeting of witches to practice witchcraft and sorcery.

4. A dark-skinned member of a race of people living in Australia when Europeans arrived.

5. An archaic name for Easter or Passover.

6. A drug combination found in some over-the-counter headache remedies (Aspirin and Phenacetin and Caffeine).

7. A state of extreme confusion and disorder.

8. Located at or near the back of an animal.

9. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

10. The arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek.

11. A burn cause by hot liquid or steam.

12. A unit of magnetic flux density equal to one weber per square meter.

18. A French abbot.

20. God of death.

22. A doctor's degree in dental surgery.

24. Popular music originating in the West Indies.

28. Powdery starch from certain sago palms.

29. Herbs and subshrubs.

30. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

33. A bachelor's degree in religion.

34. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores.

36. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

37. A widely distributed system consisting of all the cells able to ingest bacteria or colloidal particles etc, except for certain white blood cells.

39. 1,000,000,000 periods per second.

41. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

43. Of or relating to or characteristic of the Republic of Chad or its people or language.

44. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

46. An associate degree in nursing.

48. A genus of Ploceidae.

51. (Greek mythology) Goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in ancient mythology.

52. Occupied or in the control of.

54. A small ball with a hole through the middle.

56. A city in northern India.

57. Type genus of the Aceraceae.

58. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

60. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

61. (astronomy) The angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing.

62. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

63. A device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or surfaces.

67. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Strong beliefs are keynotes to your power today—the power of ideas and the power they wield over people. Religious, cultural or philosophical controversies and crusades have a way of stirring your blood. You like to work with words and ideas and you have a natural appreciation for anything that is artistic. Ideas come quickly. Creative writing is an excellent outlet of expression. Put some thoughts down on paper for future use. You may find yourself editing or proofing work to be published. As you relax this evening, you could write in some form of prose. You may enjoy talking about your experiences today and asking the advice of an older and more experienced person. You enjoy looking for new ways of self-discovery.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

You could find yourself working a longer day than usual today—you may be sought after as just the person for a particular job. You are open-minded and democratic, enthusiastic and have a definite sense of mission. You are at home with different cultures, peoples and lands and may lend yourself to others for teaching reading, technical applications, math, etc. You love to work with and in groups and will find your day full of interaction with all different types of people. Your sense of responsibility will be what guides you and proves successful. Your general outlook on life is attractive—people seek you out to help them.

You are a natural counselor and may find yourself involved in deep discussions concerning the lifestyles of others.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Your energies are up and there are lots of new projects that are up for grabs in your place of business. Outer circumstances make it easy for you to make clear decisions, as usual. Things seem to fall in place and progress is easy. Be careful not to overextend your energies—plan ahead. You want to get things organized—you have the initiative to do it. This is a time of ambition—a time to keep your cool and pace yourself. Working hard is smart, but working smart is better. Obtaining and exchanging information takes on a good deal of importance just now. Communicating feelings becomes more important, especially with family members this evening. Conversations of an inspiring kind may be in order with young people, or others around you.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You have a lot of energy and drive today—perfect for starting something or for taking care of old business. Communications may tend to be short and to the point this morning. You are very determined and deliberate at whatever you choose to do. This is a great time to get things accomplished.

Emotional beginnings, a fresh start, perhaps the establishment of new habit patterns is also in the making today. This afternoon is a good time to broaden your horizons both intellectually and spiritually. A strong urge for the social life may find you out and about this afternoon. Very physical too—exercise or romance is in order this evening.

Perhaps you will meet that special person at the spa at the center. No matter; fun times are ahead.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Others may find you a little stressed but never disrespectful.

Perhaps the pressure of completing your part of a job process is most important at this time. You may have insights or breakthroughs with regard to your working situation or life circumstances. Others value you for your independence and unique qualities. As a renewed energy takes hold in your life, romance and social interaction take on a greater importance for you as well.

Harmonious ties to others are what you seek. The ideal partnership, the perfect balance, the highest standards of truth and beauty—are some of the things that quicken your pulse now. An afternoon get-together with neighbors or friends will find you laughing and enjoying yourself.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) This may be a slow day. You are happiest when lots of activity is around you. While the energies will pick back up soon, it is not the end of the world. You should take advantage of the slow-moving day by planning your next professional deal. It goes well for you when you offer to help another coworker complete a project. The planetary influences make it possible for you to see things clearly and make successful, future financial plans. You are ready for a fresh start with regard to some personal routine—perhaps the establishment of new habit patterns would be beneficial. You can be very effective playing behind the scenes. This afternoon there is time for creative adventures while visiting a hobby store.

Household chores are shared this evening.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) At work, you may want to take charge of the most important issues first. You may have plans to leave work a little early today so you will busy yourself quickly and with purpose. This is also a time of ambition and responsibility as well as a time to be considered in some promotion. There are good results for your efforts today. You have the opportunity to show off your unique and unusual qualities all day long. Communication is at a high. There is time this afternoon to run a few errands, perhaps the cleaners, a florist, etc. On the home front there is an urge to do a little decorating. Enjoy dinner out this evening. Perhaps you will choose a new establishment or perhaps you are ready to entertain others tonight with your special cooking.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

You value independence, as well as anything unusual or different. You are expressive and creative and find ways to solve problems and accomplish projects at work today, very quickly. Someone near you, a neighbor, friend or relative may have added responsibilities this next weekend. Volunteer some of your time to walk the dog, bring in the mail, etc. Your offer will be appreciated and then the group of you can relax together later next week. When it comes to finances, you seem to have an angel watching over you. Of course, this does not mean you can throw caution to the wind and take risks. If you want to shop for a new winter coat or begin to purchase gifts for the next family celebration—after work today would be a good time to shop.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You communicate with consummate skill and it is stimulating just being with you. Your high degree of mental concentration makes you an excellent student, able to excel in speaking, writing and all types of communication skills. Today you show your competitive side—perhaps even pushy.

However, all is fair in love and war and your determination to prove yourself successful is at full steam ahead. Your ambitions go hand-in-hand with communication and using the mind and the two should never be far apart. You are full of suggestions today and you will motivate many through your own winning attitude. This afternoon you involve yourself in the arts . . . music, dance or even a sports competition. This evening you may enjoy a lively trivia game.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Lovely words and a flair for description—the artistic in all its many forms is where you excel above any other today. You have an inner sense of warmth and goodness with the ability to express this. Kind and easy to be with, people enjoy being with you. This is a time for imagination and creativity when it comes to ideas and thinking. You may be working on some form of advertising or house design; whatever the case, you will hear praise from all around you. Your key word is responsibility—the ability to respond. You are able to find yourself in others, in relationships, rather than alone—a mirror or clear pool. You can be peaceful, calm and undisturbed. Today you manage to get a family member to agree to a plan.

A

y

e niv rsar n

Years

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 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

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22517144

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24848075

Keifan

24849807

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24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

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22526804

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24814764

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22515088

Dasmah

22532265

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22531908

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22518752

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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

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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

Kuwait Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways FlyDubai Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines Aeroflot

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PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

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25739272

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22562226

22618787

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22561444

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22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

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25620111

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

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25355515

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24726446

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25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Dr. Salem soso

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

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36

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Years

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

lifest yle G o s s i p

he 31-year-old TV star - who announced she was separating from husband Kris Humphries after 72 days of marriage in October always dreamed of having a large family but is now worried she won’t ever become a mother and may have to settle on being a “good aunt” to 23-month-old nephew Mason, her sister Kourtney’s son. Kim who has five siblings and four step-siblings - said: “I always wanted what my parents had. And at first I was like, I want six kids. Then I went down to four, then I was down to three, and now I’m like, maybe I won’t have any.

Maybe I’ll just be a good aunt. “At this moment in my life, I feel like maybe I’m not supposed to have kids and all that. That’s how I feel. Maybe my fairytale has a different ending than I dreamed it would, but that’s OK.”

T

Following her marriage split, the sexy socialite - whose mother is Kris Jenner - now believes she needs to be a “little more realistic” about her expectations for life and of men. In an interview with America’s Glamour magazine, she said: “I’ll always be a hopeless romantic. It means that I believe and love and the dream of having a perfect relationship, but my idea of it has changed. “I think I need to not live in a fairytale like that. I think I maybe need to just snap out of it and be a little more realistic. What I want isn’t possible.”

Eva Longoria feels ‘lucky’ to have found Eduardo Cruz he ‘Harry Potter’ star retained the top spot in heat magazine’s 30 Under 30 Rich List with his fortune increasing by £6.1 million from last year’s figure. Daniels earnings were boosted by the final two films in the boy wizard franchise, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Parts 1 and 2’, for which he is thought to have earned in the region of £25 million. In second place is Keira Knightley, with an estimated worth of £31 million which she has amassed from films such as the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise and lucrative modeling contracts with brands including Chanel. Her fortune has not grown significantly over the last year, however, as Keira has focused on making art house films. ‘Twilight’ hunk Robert Pattinson came third in the poll with a fortune estimated at around £25 million, The latest film in the series, ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1’, has taken £315 million worldwide at the box office since it was released earlier this month. Daniel’s ‘Harry Potter’ co-star, Emma Watson, dropped from third to fourth place on the list with an estimated fortune of £24 million, while a third member of the cast - the most profitable franchise in history - Rupert Grint, rounds out the top five with £22 million in the bank. While actors dominated the list, singer Adele was a new entry at number 16 with £7 million and Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole was the the highest climber, with a fortune estimated at £11 million seeing her rise from 14th to seventh.

T

he ‘Desperate Housewives’ started dating Eduardo - the younger brother of Spanish actress Penelope Cruz - soon after splitting from ex-husband Tony Parker last November and is grateful to have him in her life. She told Vanity Fair magazine: “The truth is, I should be angry, resentful and disillusioned about relationships. But I’m not. I was very lucky to find Edu.” Eva says her failed marriage to basketball star Tony who was accused of cheating on her during their three-year union - hasn’t put her off tying the knot again in the future. She said: “There’s a reason I fell in love and got married. I believed in it. Love did not work with that person. But it can work with another.” The 36-year-old beauty recently said if a boyfriend were to propose, she would not waste time being engaged and would want to marry quickly. She said: “I never believe in long engagements. People think engagement is another step. It’s not another step. You’re single and then you’re married. The engagement is the planning party. So I always agree with short engagements. So many guys are getting married to buy time, ‘Maybe this will buy me more time.’

But if I’m the bride, I’m like, ‘Oh no, alright let’s get going.’ “

T

Heat magazine’s 30 Under 30 Rich List, top ten: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Daniel Radcliffe, 22, £51.7 million Keira Knightley, 26, £30.8 million Robert Pattinson, 25, £24.9 million Emma Watson, 21, £23.9 million Rupert Grint, 23, £21.7 million Leona Lewis, 26, £13.2 million Cheryl Cole, 28, £11.4 million Katie Melua, 27, £10.7 million Craig David, 30, £9.6 million Charlotte Church, 25, £9.6 million

he 33-year-old actress - who has a five-year-old daughter Ramona with her husband Peter Sarsgaard - is said to be expecting the couple’s second child next year. A friend told Life & Style magazine: “Maggie has been telling friends that she’s six months pregnant. Her bump is so big! “She’s thrilled to be pregnant! She and Peter have wanted another child for a while. They’re very happy that they’ll have another baby in the house soon.”

While Maggie and Peter are thrilled with their news, her brother, ‘Brokeback Mountain’ star Jake, is also delighted at the announcement that he is to become an uncle again. The source added: “Jake is so happy that she’s pregnant again because he loves kids.

Maggie’s said that he’s the best uncle and has done a lot of sweet things for her first child.” Maggie and Peter - who live in New York with Ramona - have been in a relationship since 2002 but only married in 2009 after their daughter was born.

T

he physician was sentenced yesterday after being found guilty earlier this month of the involuntary manslaughter of the ‘Thriller’ hit maker from an overdose of Propfol in July 2009, and his mother Milta Rush has sent a letter to Judge Michael Pastor asking him to give her son mercy because he is learning the “toughest lesson of his life”. She said: “He is referred to as a gentlemen by all who know him. He never drank alcohol, took drugs or smoked cigarettes in his life. He and I have always had a close relationship as mother and son and there is that special bond with him being my first born. “This is the first time he is facing such an ordeal. Nothing like this has ever happened to him before.” She added, “He is saddened and remorseful about the death of his friend Michael Jackson and I do believe he is certainly learning the toughest lesson of his life.” Milta added she was “humbly begging” for compassion because he was sorry for the pop star’s death. She told TMZ.com: “Conrad is my son and as a mother I must say I know him inside out. He is sorry for what happened to Michael and had no ill intent towards him. I humbly beg for your heart felt consideration of everything I have said about Conrad, and ask for your compassion and leniency in giving him probation or community service.” Despite her request, the Jackson family’s close friend Reverend Al Sharpton has revealed he is hoping for the maximum four year sentence. He said: “I hope he gets the maximum and more. Anything short of the maximum would send the wrong message to people who are willing to exploit the medical profession for personal greed and gain.”

T

he 49-year-old actress - who gave birth to son Benjamin, her third child with husband John Travolta, just over a year ago - revealed as an older mother she was worried about losing the baby weight but is thrilled with her new physique. She told People: “When I got pregnant at 48, I didn’t know if my body would bounce back. “I lost 39 lbs, have more energy than I had 20 years ago - and I feel amazing. I’m going to be turning 50 next year - holy s**t! Hey, 50 is the new 30.” Along with her delight over her weight loss, Kelly revealed the couple are besotted with Benjamin and can’t believe he is already one year old. She said: “We just celebrated Ben’s first birthday. I can’t believe it’s already been a year.”

Kelly and John’s eldest child, 16-year-old Jett tragically passed away three years ago when he suffered a seizure while on a family holiday in the Bahamas and the actress - who also has a daughter Ella Bleu, 11, with her spouse - has previously revealed Benjamin has helped the entire family to cope with their loss. She said: “It’s been wonderfully healing. Of course, you know, we still - it’s still every day. But it’s been, I think, a really nice gift for a lot of people throughout the world.” She added, “We’ve gotten the most beautiful letters. And the most beautiful notes of happiness. And I think - just sort of a sigh of relief, a bit. And that’s been really nice to sort of share that with people.”

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he ‘Tourist’ actress - who raises six children with her partner Brad Pitt revealed the death of her beloved granddad and his subsequent funeral when she was younger affected her so deeply that she considered becoming an undertaker to help her deal with her grief. In an interview with ‘60 Minutes’, she explained: “It sounds like this very strange, eccentric, dark thing to do but in fact I lost my grandfather and was very upset with his funeral. How somebody passes and how family deals with this passing and what death is should be addressed in a different way. If this whole acting thing didn’t work out that was going to be my path.” Angelina has previously alluded to her unusual career choice, revealing she completed a home study course in the subject as a teenager. She said: “When I was younger, I went to a funeral, and I didn’t think it was enough of a celebration of the life of the person. I thought I could do better.

I wanted to study, so I got a home course when I was about 14. I did a mail-order degree.” — Bang Showbiz

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

lifestyle Music & Movies

Josh Radnor, left, and Felicity Jones are seen at IFP’s 21st annual Gotham Independent Film Awards afterparty at Andaz Wall Street on Monday.

Directors Alexander Payne, left, and Bennett Miller.

Actress Charlize Theron attends the IFP’s 21st Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on Monday. — AP photos

‘Tree,’ ‘Beginners’ tie at Gotham Film Awards

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ward season kicked off with a tie for Best Feature at the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards as Terrence Malick’s highly imaginative “The Tree of Life” shared the night’s high honor with Mike Mills’s flashback comedy, “Beginners.”

Presenter Tilda Swinton introduced the nominees, but before opening the envelope, deferred to a prerecorded message on the venue’s large video screens. The unprecedented ruling was then announced by jury member Natalie Portman who explained her peers were faced with the extraordinary dilemma of being “stuck” when it came to selecting a winner, so they “made a bold and independent decision” and “chose to honor both.”

Swinton then read off the winner’s names live, and

presented the award.

“The Tree of Life” starred Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, and also won the Palm d’Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. “Beginners” was released last year and stars Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer. Some of the evening’s other winners included Felicity Jones for Breakthrough Actor in “Like Crazy”; the cast of “Beginners” for Ensemble Cast; and “Scenes of a Crime” for Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You. The Audience Award went to “Girlfriend,” a film about a young man with Down syndrome who has a crush on a troubled single mother. Hosted by Edie Falco and Oliver Platt, the presenters were mostly darlings of the independent film world like Stanley Tucci, Melissa Leo, and actress, directorial nominee

Vera Farmiga, and Swinton. “Independent film is my amniotic fluid. It’s like the sea I swim in,” Swinton said when she arrived.

This year’s Gotham Tributes went to director David Cronenberg; film executive Tom Rothman, actor Gary Oldman, and actress Charlize Theron.

Actor-comedian Patton Oswalt introduced Theron, and then made self-deprecating jokes while standing next to her at the podium. “I’m only here because I’m armpit height,” the much shorter Oswalt said. Later he said: “I feel like you’re accepting me for the award.”

“The irony is that you are the award,” Theron joked. The pair star in the upcoming dark comedy “Young Adult,” written by Diablo Cody and directed

by Jason Reitman. Theron called Reitman “one the best directors” she ever worked with, and her mother, who was sitting next to him, “for giving me the character and the strength to be who I am.” Before the ceremony, Theron said the best award she ever got was that she “never had to get a second job to pay the bills.” The Gotham Independent Film Awards are presented by the Independent Feature Project, the largest organization in the United States committed to independent film. Since its inception in 1991, Gotham Independent Film Awards has honored many Oscar-nominated films, including the 2008 winner for best Picture, “The Hurt Locker.” Next week, nominees for the Film Independent Spirit Awards will be announced in Los Angeles. — AP

‘Twilight’ keeps shining with $42m second weekend

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he latest “Twilight” movie has plenty of daylight left with a second-straight win at the weekend box office. “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1” took in $42 million domestically over the three-day weekend and $62.3 million in the five-day Thanksgiving boom time from Wednesday to Sunday. That raised its domestic total to $221.3 million, while the Summit Entertainment release added $71.5 million overseas to lift the international total to $268 million and the worldwide take to $489.3 million.

Debuting at No. 2 was Disney’s family flick “The Muppets,” with $29.5 million for the three-day weekend and $42 million over the five-day holiday haul. Three other family films rounded out the top-five: the Warner Bros. sequel “Happy Feet Two” at No. 3 with a three-day total of $13.4 million and $18.4 million for five days; Sony’s animated comedy “Arthur Christmas” at No. 4 with $12.7 million for three days and $17 million for five days; and Paramount’s epic adventure “Hugo” at No. 5 with $11.4 million for three days and $15.4 million for five days. Between “Breaking Dawn” and the blitz of family films, analysts thought Hollywood had a shot at record revenue over the Thanksgiving holiday, one of the year’s busiest weekends at movie theaters.

But viewers did not come in anywhere close to record numbers.

“I was pretty surprised by this. I just thought this was the perfect combination of films in the marketplace,” said Paul Dergarabedian, analyst for boxoffice tracker Hollywood.com. “Maybe there was just too much out there.”

Domestic revenue totaled $234 million from Wednesday to Sunday, well below the $273 million record set two years ago, when “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” led the Thanksgiving weekend, according to Hollywood.com. Receipts also fell short of last Thanksgiving’s $264 million haul, when “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1” finished on top. Studio executives concede it’s growing harder to lure fans into theaters given all the portable games, devices and other electronics people have to fill up their entertainment time. A so-so Thanksgiving on a weekend with such a good variety of movies could be a sign that Hollywood simply has to live with diminished expectations.

“I don’t know that choice is ever a bad thing, and in terms of a weekend for families, this is one of the best,” said Dave Hollis, head of distribution for Disney, which brought “The Muppets” back to the big-screen after a 12-year absence. “The challenge is breaking through and being relevant and meaningful and fresh enough to take the more finicky customers and have them

choose you.”

Disney reported that “The Muppets” drew a good mix of families and couples without children who fondly remember Kermit, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang on “The Muppet Show.”

The film stars Jason Segel and Amy Adams as fans helping to reunite the Muppets for a telethon to save their decaying studio. “Breaking Dawn” was holding close to the pattern set by “New Moon” two years ago, though domestic revenues were off slightly.

Factoring in higher ticket prices since

Dawn” has a shot at making up some ground, Fay said. “Happy Feet Two” has failed to live up to its Academy Awardwinning predecessor, a blockbuster that took in nearly $200 million domestically. The sequel about dancing penguins has managed just $43.8 million since opening Nov. 18, a 10-day total that barely matches the opening-weekend gross of the 2006 original. “Arthur Christmas,” from the British animation unit Aardman that made “Chicken Run” and the “Wallace and Gromit” films, has long-haul potential because of its good

Taylor Lautner arrives to the world premiere of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1” on Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, in Los Angeles. —(AP Photo/Matt Sayles)

“New Moon,” the audience shrank even further for “Breaking Dawn.” “I think the audience has changed a bit.

Everybody’s grown a little older, and I guess we lose a few of our patrons to age,” said Richie Fay, head of distribution for Summit.

With no big new releases coming next weekend, though, “Breaking

reviews and holiday story line. The voice cast includes James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie and Jim Broadbent in a Christmas Eve romp about a child’s present that falls through the cracks in Santa Claus’ high-tech delivery operation. “To have the one picture that really is kind of carrying the torch as a Christmas picture really bodes well for

the future,” said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony.

Distributor Paramount has similar long-term hopes for Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo,” which also has great reviews.

Based on a children’s book, “Hugo” follows the adventures of an orphan boy who tends the clocks in a Paris train station and becomes caught up in unraveling a mystery that connects a surly old man (Ben Kingsley) and a mechanical automaton the youth is trying to repair.

Paramount scaled back “Hugo” from a full wide release over Thanksgiving, opening it in 1,277 theaters, about a third the number for most other top movies. The studio plans to roll the film out more gradually, spreading its marketing budget over the coming weeks to capitalize on the critical word of mouth and potential awards buzz leading up to the Jan. 24 Oscar nominations. Critics have praised “Hugo” for Scorsese’s dazzling use of 3-D. Unlike 3D fatigue that set in for some other recent movies, whose 3-D business dipped below half of total revenues, “Hugo” audiences have been willing to pay an extra few dollars to see it in three dimensions. About 75 percent of the film’s revenue came from 3-D screenings, according to Paramount.

“People are reading the reviews that say, ‘You’ve got to see it in 3-D,’ and they’re going out and voting with their dollars,” said Don Harris, head of distribution at Paramount.

In narrower release, the Marilyn Monroe drama “My Week with Marilyn” opened solidly with a $1.8 million weekend and $2.1 million since opening Wednesday. The Weinstein Co. release stars Michelle Williams as Monroe during her tumultuous time filming Laurence Olivier’s “The Prince and the Showgirl.” Playing in 244 theaters, “My Week with Marilyn” had a weekend average of $7,266 a cinema, compared with a $10,330 average in 4,066 locations for “Breaking Dawn.”

Another Weinstein release, the blackand-white silent film “The Artist,” had a big opening in limited release with a three-day haul of $210,414 in just four New York City and Los Angeles theaters.

That gave the film an average of $52,604 a theater. “The Artist” traces the fall of a silent-film star (Jean Dujardin) and the rise of a new screen sensation (Berenice Bejo) as talking pictures take over in the 1920s and ‘30s. The acclaimed film gradually expands to nationwide release during the buildup to the Oscar nominations.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com.

Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday. — AP

In this file photo, actor Michael Nyqvist arrives for the International Emmy Awards in New York. Nyqvist, who stars in the original Swedish “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” film, says his daughter Ellen, has a role as an extra in the US version of the film, starring Daniel Craig. — AP

‘Dragon Tattoo’ star’s daughter in US film

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he star of Sweden’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” movie says his daughter appears in the upcoming US remake with the actor who takes on his role in the crime drama: Daniel Craig. Michael Nyqvist and Craig both play investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist in films based on the crime trilogy from Swedish author Stieg Larsson.

Sweden’s “Millennium” television series, which includes adaptations of Larsson’s other books in the series “The Girl Who Played with Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest,” just won the 2011 International Emmy for best TV miniseries.

Swedish-born Nyqvist said he was curious to see the American version because he says David Fincher “is such a good director and Craig is a good actor,” and because his 21-year-old daughter, Ellen, is an extra in the film “by coincidence.”

The film shot in a Los Angeles cafe where his daughter, a college student, was working. She landed a walk-on role that included pouring coffee for Craig, who has played James Bond. According to Nyqvist, while she was pouring she turned to Craig and asked, “Do you know who my dad is?” The film’s distributor, Columbia Pictures, confirms Ellen Nyqvist appears in one scene with Craig.

The elder Nyqvist, who is a huge star in Sweden, plays the villain Hendricks in the upcoming, “Mission Impossible: The Ghost Protocol” starring Tom Cruise. The latest “Mission: Impossible” and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” open Dec 21. Nyqvist says he has also just wrapped the film “Disconnect” with fellow Swede Alexander Skarsgard, son of another Swedish acting icon Stellan Skarsgard, an old friend of Nyqvist who, coincidentally, has a supporting role in the upcoming “Dragon Tattoo” film. — AP

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Years

lifestyle Shen Wei, left, and the Shen Wei Dance Arts company rehearse.

—AFP photos

Dancers from the Shen Wei Dance Arts company rehearse.

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Chinese dancer/choreographer Shen Wei, right, and the Shen Wei Dance Arts company rehearse “Folding” at the Park Avenue Armory in New York. Shen Wei used one of New York’s most cavernous spaces to premiere his latest dance yesterday- but for the man behind the opening ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Olympics nothing is too big. — AFP

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hen word came that Barbara Cook was to be saluted at the Kennedy Center Honors, one of the first people to send best wishes was Stephen Sondheim. “He said, ‘Nobody deserves this more than you.

Except me,’” Cook says, laughing. Cook, whose buttery soprano helped define show after show on Broadway, from “Candide” and “The Music Man” to various revivals of “Carousel,” will be recognized for her contribution to American culture next month at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. “To me it’s a validation not only of all my work, but because I put so much of my life into what I do, I feel like it’s a validation of my life,” she says in her handsome Upper West Side apartment that she shares with two parakeets, Gilbert and Sullivan.

Cook will join a handful of other theater professionals for the honor, including Bill T. Jones, Andrew Lloyd Webber, James Earl Jones, Edward Albee, Harold Prince, Arthur Miller and Sondheim, who has written many of the songs she is famous for singing. CBS will broadcast the show Dec 27. Despite a slipped disc in her spine and an arthritic knee that force her to use a cane, Cook is hardly slowing down.

She’s doing a monthlong stand with Michael Feinstein at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency and she is also working on a memoir. This summer, she released her latest CD, the swing-influenced “You Make Me Feel So Young.”

hinese-American choreographer Shen Wei is using one of New York’s most cavernous spaces to premiere his latest dance yesterday-but for the man behind the opening ceremony at the 2008 Beijing Olympics nothing is too big. The Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan, a one-time military drill hall, hosts “Undivided Divided” and by the sound of things anything less than that vast hangar-style roof mightn’t have been able to contain Wei’s creative flair. “It will be something nobody experienced before and that I myself have never tried before,” Wei told AFP in an interview during a break in final rehearsals for the show.

Performed by the Shen Wei Dance Arts company, “Undivided Divided” will combine dancers painting as they move, digital projections, and what is billed as a “wholly immersive experience” in which audiences will be inside the set. At Monday’s rehearsal, dancers were not even able to go through all the new production since all that paint would have to be cleared up in time for the premiere. Wei, though, seemed to revel in the uncertainty that an only partially rehearsed show promises. “I don’t know what will work,” he said. The performance, will be like “the whole journey of life and not just trying to set up a repeat. There’s nothing repeat in our lives.” The Chinese-born American has won global fame for his mastery of dance, his bridging of East and West, and skill at combining different performance arts.

His role as head choreographer of the Beijing Olympics ceremony, watched by billions of people on television, no doubt included a great many rehearsals-and very little of the “will-it-work-or-not” edginess coming to the Armory.

The diminutive maestro’s meticulous side was on view Monday when journalists were allowed to attend a last rehearsal for “Folding,” a dance that premiered in 2000 and which will also be on the program. Originally created for

“Of course, I think I’ve gotten better at it,” she says about her performances. “I still think this is a work in progress. I do. Seriously. As the years go by, I have more and more courage to go deeper and deeper and deeper.” Though her Grammy Award-winning voice may have changed over the years, Cook is philosophical. “I’m 84,” she says. “I’m lucky there’s still enough there that I can make the songs happen. I’m very fortunate.” Feinstein says Cook’s spirit remains eternally youthful and that she has an undiminished enthusiasm for music and art. Her pipes may have deepened, but so has her ability to tunnel into a lyric. “She can’t sing ‘Glitter and Be Gay’ any more, but she has supreme abilities as an interpreter and still is a damn good singer,” he says. “I mean, what she may have lost off the high end most people didn’t have to begin with.”

With Feinstein, Cook plans to sing Irving Berlin - a songbook of his work sits on her piano’s music rack - Duke Ellington, and Rodgers & Hart, as well as Broadway hits and holiday classics. Cook is unfussy and warm, with a slight Southern accent and an appetite for popular culture. She calls Lady Gaga “terrific” and enjoyed listening to Amy Winehouse on Tony Bennett’s new CD (“There’s something about her work that’s very appealing to me, even though I cannot understand a word hardly.”) She enjoyed Hugh Jackman’s new show on Broadway and wants to see

In this theater publicity image released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Barbara Cook, left, and Vanessa Williams are shown in a scene from the Roundabout Theatre Company production of “Sondheim on Sondheim,” in New York. — AP

China’s Guangdong Modern Dance Company, “Folding” sees wraith-like figures in long black or red skirts glide across the huge stage space in the middle of the Armory, twisting and bending as if blown in the wind. At one point, Wei, a boyish figure in black jodhpurs and tight sweater, dashed down from his command point in the audience area to perform his own brief role in “Folding” before racing back up to his seat to observe the others.

“Don’t put your butt out. Straight up,” he commanded a male dancer in a red skirt.

“Much, much better,” he encouraged a female dancer, calling down from his perch through a microphone.

Reflecting afterwards, Wei said there were big differences between dancers in the country of his birth and his new homeland, where he is a citizen. “In China how people express themselves is different. The Westerners they like to ask questions and get the answer immediately. In China

“Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” (“You know, just leave my brain at the door and enjoy it”).

The idea of joining the Kennedy Center’s august group of artistic giants makes her a little flustered. “Barbara Cook and Gregory Peck? Barbara Cook and James Cagney?

Barbara Cook and Fred Astaire? Gee whiz. Wow,” she says, noting past recipients. Raised in Atlanta, Cook has always hated vocal exercises, never had a vocal coach and has an effortless skill of creating beauty by just opening her mouth. “I don’t remember when I didn’t sing. I just always sang,” she says. “I think I breathed and I sang.” Cook made her Broadway debut in 1951 in the unsuccessful “Flahooley” but later was cast in Leonard Bernstein’s musical version of Voltaire’s “Candide,” Arthur Schwartz’s “The Gay Life” and Meredith Wilson’s 1957 hit musical “The Music Man,” for which she won a Tony Award. She has spent the last several years on her own concerts and solo albums, including “Mostly Sondheim,” “Barbara Cook at Carnegie Hall” and “Barbara Cook’s Broadway.”

Early in her career, Cook battled nerves and self-doubt until she realized that pouring herself into a role was enough. She recalls one moment in particular when it became clear. “I was auditioning for something, standing in the wings, waiting to go on, and thinking that everybody was prettier, everybody sang better, everybody had a better body - all that stuff,” she says. “Suddenly, I thought, ‘You know? We are all so individual. And if I can find my individual take on this - whatever that turns out to be - then there’s no competition.’” Cook, who later in life battled alcoholism - “I was a drunk” she says plainly at one point - and is still haunted by the contentious relationship she had with her mother, sometimes teaches master classes and enjoys passing along her hard-fought wisdom.

When asked what her advice usually is to aspiring singers, she says it boils down to three words that she learned early on herself and have been her guide: You are enough. “You are enough. You are always enough. You don’t ever have to pretend to be anything other than what you are. All you have to do is deeply embrace who you are and you’ll be fine,” she says. “In life, aren’t you drawn to the more authentic people? Of course. You’re not drawn to phonies.” — AP

they don’t ask questions,” he said. Asian artists, he said, are “more internal,” whereas his Western colleagues are “more external,” but also “more sharp, more dynamic.” But then Wei added the nuance: Chinese dancers, he said, may “try to find out the answer by themselves. That’s the good part.

In West, some people just ask questions-and they don’t want to find out the answer.” “Undivided Divided,” along with “Folding” and “Rite of Spring,” opened yesterday and runs at the Park Avenue Armory through December 4. — AFP

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he British Museum says it has been given a complete set of 100 etchings by Pablo Picasso thanks to a donation from a financier. Picasso called the etchings, made between 1930 and 1937, a “visual diary.” They include images of his studio and his then-muse, Marie-Therese Walter, as well as scenes inspired by Greek mythology. The museum says fund manager Hamish Parker bought the prints for about 1 million pounds ($1.6 million) as a gift for the museum. Known as the Vollard Suite, the etchings were commissioned and published by Paris art dealer Ambroise Vollard.

Some 313 sets were printed, and the set acquired by the museum is considered one of the best impressions. The museum said yesterday that it will put the etchings on display next year. — AP

An employee at the British Museum poses for pictures with a print entitled ‘Portrait of Vollard II’ by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, during a photocall at the museum in London yesterday. — AFP

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Korean actress Kim Hee Sun poses on the red carpet of the MNET Asian Music Awards ceremony. — AFP photos

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US rapper Snoop Dog poses on the red carpet to attend MNET Asian Music Awards ceremony in Singapore yesterday.

host of young Korean stars are taking to the stage in London, New York and beyond in a bid to crack one of the final global frontiers for Asian culture-pop music. “K-pop,” as Korean pop is called, has made major inroads into Japan, the world’s second largest music market. But breaking into key countries further afield like Britain, Germany, France and, most crucially, the United States, has so far eluded acts who may be household names at home but remain virtual unknowns outside Asia. Korean bands are not the only ones trying to be the next Britney Spears, Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber.

Japanese artists, some of them “J-pop” superstars, have also looked overseas for new audiences, although the size of their own market, only just behind the United States in the world rankings, means they have less incentive. “It is a pain for a lot of these Japanese bands to make the effort to try and penetrate overseas markets,” said Steve McClure, executive editor of McClure’s Asia Music News and an authority on the region’s music scene. “Time spent doing that is time not spent here and it’s a really fast-paced market and you have to work at it,” he told Reuters, speaking from

Blackeyepeas member will.i.am, left, and apl.de.ap, right, pose on the red carpet to attend MNET Asian Music Awards ceremony.

Japan. Foreign music accounts for around a quarter of Japanese record sales, and the top 10 albums on record are all by local artists. Hikaru Utada holds the record with “First Love” from 1999, while Mariah Carey is the biggest international artist.

K-POP VS. J-POP McClure, like many others, believes that K-pop stands a better chance at success globally than J-pop, although even that is far from certain. The structure of Korea’s relatively small music market is such that telecom companies control a large proportion of revenues, he said, meaning bands have an economic incentive to look abroad. And K-pop acts, often created and nurtured by savvy record companies like S.M. Entertainment, are being groomed for specific markets-learning Japanese, for example, and fitting in with Japan’s musical mores. One recent success story has been the nine-member South Korean girl band Girls’ Generation, whose first fulllength Japanese album sold over 500,000 copies in Japan.

McClure also argued that Korean pop acts, though often manufactured, were generally more professional than their

Korean pop group 2NE1 pose on the red carpet to attend MNET Asian Music Awards ceremony.

Japanese rivals and produced a better sound. The most obvious, and biggest barrier to Asian acts breaking regions like Europe and North America is language.

Since music is about communicating ideas and feelings, common language helps.

And the prevalence of English makes it easier for a singer from Toronto, for example, than one from Tokyo. “The language barrier is probably the biggest thing that sets us apart from the global (arena),” said G.NA, a 24-year-old Canadian-Korean singer whose first language is English but who has found success in Korea. She, along with two other K-pop acts, will be appearing at London’s 02 Academy Brixton on Dec. 5 as part of what the PR company handling the gig called “The Invasion of KPop.” It follows a K-pop concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden in October. Those and other similar gigs outside Asia underline the ambition of K-pop acts and management companies to conquer the West and beyond. It may be less invasion and more a small-scale foray, but promoters say there are encouraging signs for K-pop.

“We can’t spend too much money if there is no market for us,” said Ronnie Yang, head

of CABA Entertainment who is organising the London gig featuring artists from Cube Entertainment. “But we feel this is the right stage for developing a new market-there is demand and it is higher than before.”

G.NA, for one, is not getting lost in the hype. Chance, she says, is as important as anything else. “This industry is kind of like gambling,” she told Reuters by telephone from Seoul. “You lose something, and you may lose everything. You may win and win more than expected. I think there’s a lot of luck. “It does depend on how much we try, but no matter how hard we try, if the circumstances don’t work out, then things may not work out the way we planned.

This concert is huge-if people don’t like it that could be the end of that.”

“GENRE-SPECIFIC” The wide pop genre may be the hardest market to crack abroad, but there has been success in the United States and elsewhere within narrower categories of music like classical, dance, rock and heavy metal.

Japanese heavy metal band X Japan staged a North American tour in 2010 catching the attention of major news outlets, and have visited Europe, Latin

America and Asia this year. L’Arc-en-Ciel, a Japanese rock group, has flirted with the United States and Europe, and plans a 2012 world tour. The event is limited in scale so far, however, with seven dates showing on the website including indigO2 in London with a capacity of around 2,500.

The band’s guitarist Ken alluded to a cultural barrier which has proven tough to break down.

“In Japan I am always listening to music from the US and the UK,” he told Reuters by telephone, speaking through a translator. “But I never really got the impression people in the UK were listening to music from other parts of the world. So I’m really looking forward to getting a sense of how those people in Britain will perceive our music.” McClure added: “Music is meant to be the universal language...well, yes and no. “There does seem to be this inability to accept an Asian face in the world pop music market place. I don’t know why that is, as there are Asians who have done well in other spheres.” — Reuters

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e hasn’t toured or issued a physical album in the past five years, but Paul Westerberg hasn’t been entirely inactive. Here are his decidedly random and often surprising goings-on: •

September 2006: Issued his last “real” album, the soundtrack to the animated fuzzy-creature feature “Open Season”-suitable work for a dad, and for someone looking to take some time off. (It paid well.)

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October 2006: Wal-Mart began selling the Paul Westerberg model First Act guitar for $159.99. Price eventually drops to $79.99.

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June 2007: Performed a short, loving set at the Fitzgerald Theatre for Minnesota Public Radio’s “Fakebook” episode on his wife, Laurie Lindeen, promoting her memoir “Petal Pusher.”

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September 2007: Filmed an episode for the (now sadly buried) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-affiliated series “The Craft” at First Avenue, featuring a live interview and 10 songs. He hasn’t been onstage since.

July 2008: Issued “49:00,” a bizarre, 44-minute “album” of unedited, overlapping but sporadically brilliant home recordings sold only as a single-track MP3 on Amazon.com for 49 cents.

2008-09: Three similar Amazon-only download EPs followed, including “PW & the Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys” with the original “Ghost on the Canvas.”

March 2010: Wrote a tribute to “mentor” Alex Chilton in the New York Times Op-Ed page. “Those who fail to click with the world and society at large find safe haven in music,” he wrote.

Paul Westerberg, best known for his time with The Replacements, performs at a benefit concert in 2004 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. — MCT •

May 2010: Sang two songs atop the visitors’ dugout at a vacant Target Field for the travelogue documentary “40 Nights of Rock ‘n’ Roll” (still unreleased, but snippets quickly hit the Internet).

•

August 2011: Alzheimer’s-afflicted Glen Campbell issued his presumed farewell album with “Ghost on the Canvas” as title track.

•

October 2011: Ellen DeGeneres’ website debuted the “Ghost on the Canvas” music video with Westerberg.

— MCT

Twilight tops box office

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011

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Jeffrey Katzenberg, right, Chief Executive Officer of Dreamworks Animation touches Gronckle, a dragon from the live entertainment event “How To Train Your Dragon Arena Spectacular” yesterday. Beginning its global tour in Australia in March 2012, high-flying, fire-breathing dragons will be brought to life in this epic arena adventure which is inspired by the Academy Award nominated DreamWorks animation film “How To Train Your Dragon”. — AFP

Poll: 8 in 10 pet owners visited vet last year E

ight in 10 pet owners have taken their animals to the vet in the past year, with an overall average expenditure of $505, according to a new APPetside.com poll. Sixty percent of those who took their pets to the vet spent $300 or less, but the average expenditure was boosted higher by the one in eight pet owners (13 percent) who spent $1,000 or more. About one in six pet owners say their pet faced a serious illness during the year, and those pet owners spent an average of $1,092 on vet care. One percent say they took their pets to the vet and spent no money.

Thomas Klamm, 76, of Boone, Iowa, says he and his wife Beverly spent $3,000 on their two Chihuahuas, sisters Kati and Keli, and he would have spent more if necessary, even though his annual income is under $50,000. The biggest bills resulted from a spinal condition Kati had, but Klamm says he has a lot of confidence in the vets and senior students at Iowa State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital in nearby Ames, where the little dogs have been going since they were pups. According to the poll, most pet owners have faith in the treatment vets recommend. Overall, 52 percent say vets do not often recommend excessive treatment, 26 percent say that happens moderately often, 17 percent extremely or very often.

Those whose pets had been seriously ill in the past year were no more likely than others to say that vets suggest treatments that go beyond what is reasonable and necessary. Among those who did not take their pets to the vet last year, 52 percent say they only take their pets to the vet “when they’re really sick” and a third say they can’t afford it at all. Luis Calderon, 56, of El Monte, Calif., couldn’t afford to take Buddy, his 3-year-old German shepherd, to the vet last year. Buddy was given to Calderon when the dog was 6 months old.

“We have become best friends,” he says.

Calderon, a self-employed handyman, has a wife and two kids and says work is scarce. If Buddy needed a vet, Calderon says he would have to go through public services or use credit. “We would have to get him help.”

How much would be too much? It would depend on what was wrong and what the vet said, Calderon says. “At that point I would have to consider whether to keep him or let him go, put him to sleep,” he says. He hates the idea of putting limits on Buddy’s health. “But we have to survive.

At this point, my mortgage is No. 1. This month is really close to the edge,” Calderon adds. Fifty-eight percent of those who did not take their pets to a vet in the past year said they “have a type of pet that doesn’t need much veterinary care.” Among them, 52 percent have dogs, 52 percent cats, 10 percent fish, and 5 percent birds.

Not surprisingly, higher-income pet owners (household incomes over $50,000) were more apt to take their pets to the vet than those with incomes below $50,000 90 percent versus 74 percent. Forty percent of those with household incomes below $50,000 who didn’t take their pets to the vet say they can’t really afford to do so. Art Jones, 62, of Alameda, Calif., says two of his family’s cats died in the last year. He estimates he spent $600 on vet bills - half of that to euthanize one of the cats. The other cat died at home. “But we are not so wealthy we can spend thousands on a house pet. That’s unfortunate, but that’s the truth,” Jones says.

He says he has family friends whose dog is getting cancer treatment and the cost is nearing $10,000. “To me, that’s insane,” Jones says.

Over the past few years, Jim Salsman, 51, of Las Vegas, paid for several $500 trips to the vet for his neighbors’ cat, Mau, after the declawed feline got in fights with other animals. Last year, the neighbors left and gave the cat to Salsman. He ended up paying another $400 in vet bills, but says he didn’t mind because his neighbors were in foreclosure and struggling, and the cat became an important member of the family. “He means everything to us,” Salsman said. According to the poll, dog owners were a bit more likely to take their pets to the vet than cat owners - 85 percent of dog owners compared with 79 percent of cat owners. But dog owners spent a bit less an average of $537 - than cat owners, who spent an average of $558. —AP

Luis Calderon plays with Buddy,

center, and his wife’s dog Lola , right. — AP

British personality Victoria Beckham poses for photographers with the Award for Best Designer Brand at the British Fashion Awards 2011 at a central London venue on Monday. —AP

Victoria Beckham triumphs at ‘fashion Oscars’

F

wife’s dog, German shepherd, Buddy, and his In this file photo, Luis Calderon’s has a wife an, dym han d eron, a self-employe Lola, right, run in El Monte, Calif. Cald says he eron Cald vet, a ded nee dy Bud ce. If and two kids and says work is scar AP ices or use credit. — would have to go through public serv

Ringling circus agrees to $270K fine by US

T

he owner of the Ringling Bros. circus has agreed to pay a $270,000 fine to settle allegations that it violated federal animal-welfare laws in its handling of elephants, tigers, zebras and other exotic animals. The US Department of Agriculture says the civil penalty announced Monday is the largest ever assessed against an animal exhibitor under the Animal Welfare Act. Vienna-based Feld Entertainment, which owns the circus and other well-known acts such as Disney on Ice, said it does not admit to violating the law and agreed to the settlement as a cost of doing business to resolve its differences with the USDA. “We look forward

to working with the USDA in a cooperative and transparent manner that meets our shared goal of ensuring that our animals are healthy and receive the highest quality care,” said a statement released by Kenneth Feld, chief executive officer of Feld Entertainment.

In inspection reports from 2007 through this year, inspectors said circus handlers made elephants perform when they were ill and used the same wheelbarrows to feed meat to tigers and haul away their waste, among other allegations.

An inspection report from August alleged that a 35-year-old female Asian elephant, Banko, was forced to perform at a show in Los

Angeles despite a diagnosis of sand colic and observations that she appeared to be suffering abdominal discomfort. Circus officials told the inspectors that separating Banko from the performing elephants would have been even more distressing to her. The inspection reports also cited splintered floors and rusted cages used to contain big cats such as tigers, and an incident in March 2008 where two zebras briefly got loose from their enclosure at 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore.

In 2010, another zebra escaped its enclosures in Atlanta and had to be captured by area law enforcement, according to the reports. Feld spokesman Steve Payne said that, generally,

the circus has seen an increase in recent years in inspections not only by the USDA but also by state and local regulators. He said that from June to September, one of the circus’ traveling units was inspected 82 times by 18 different agencies. “We’re highly regulated.

We accept that regulation. We embrace it,” Payne said.

Norfolk-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has filed numerous complaints with USDA against the circus, especially for its handling of elephants, said the fine is a good first step. But it called on the government to confiscate the elephants. —AP

ormer Spice Girl Victoria Beckham’s elevation into the fashion industry’s elite was confirmed Monday when she was awarded a major prize at Britain’s most prestigious design awards. The singer, wife of iconic footballer David Beckham, won the Best Designer Brand prize at the British Fashion Awards ceremony held in central London’s exclusive Savoy Hotel. Wearing a black halter-neck gown, Beckham claimed the ‘fashion Oscar’ after beating off competition from industry giants Stella McCartney, Tom Ford and Burberry. Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen won Designer of the Year for 2011. The council said Burton - who earlier this year drew praise for designing Kate Middleton’s much-heralded wedding dress - has “allowed McQueen’s legacy to live on while still giving her own twist of creative genius to a collection that has outshone its rivals on and off the catwalk.” The glitzy, star-studded gathering on Monday also honored Paul Smith with the Outstanding Achievement in Fashion award to recognize the designer’s impact on the industry. The council called Smith “inspirational” and a “true icon” for all he brings to fashion. Celebrity favorite Stella McCartney picked up the Red Carpet award in recognition of the “quantity and quality of her designs worn on the red carpet.” A-listers including model Kate Moss and actor Colin Firth joined fashion icons including Marc Jacobs for the event held at London’s Savoy Hotel. Other winners included model Stella Tennant and TV presenter turned catwalk star Alexa Chung. Among the guests were supermodel Kate Moss, Oscar winning actor Colin Firth and Samantha Cameron, wife of British Prime Minister David Cameron. Harold Tillman, chairman of the British Fashion Council, said the range of nominees “demonstrate the breadth and creativity London has to offer. “The fashion brands and designers that are based here set the trends across the globe,” he added. — AFP/AP