16 Jul

Kuwait Times

July 16, 2010

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Pearl-diving fest starts Voyage preserves marine heritage; strengthens youths’ ties to the past

By Ben Garcia

Riding the wave of change PAGE 4

ʻAbductedʼ scientist returns to Iran PAGE 10

Is Vaselineʼs skin-whitening Facebook app beyond the pale?

PAGE 56

Lindsey best female athlete, best Olympian at Espy Awards PAGES 60-64

KUWAIT: A send-off ceremony, known as a Dasha, was held yesterday at the Kuwait Sea Sports Club (KSSC) headquarters in Salmiya in honor of the 200 young sailors aged from 8-17 who are currently participating in the 22nd Annual Pearl-Diving Expedition.

Parents, brothers, sisters and friends thronged the venue in the early morning to bid them farewell and wish their loved ones success on their nine-day voyage off Khairan Resort. While some of the more emotional divers shed a few tears, all the participants’ faces expressed both happiness and excitement.

The annual expedition has become the most exciting event of the year for many Kuwaitis as it revives what was once the most important occupation of their forefathers in the pre-oil era. The annual event, which is held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in order to preserve this national heritage, this year takes place between July 15 and 24.

Yousef Al-Najjar, the head of this year’s diving expedition, was delighted to see the happy faces of participants, parents and officials. “It’s another beautiful dasha for this year’s pearl-diving festival. We are delighted to see these young children participating in the revival of Kuwait’s most important national heritage,” he told the Friday Times. “The 200 youngsters have all been excited about this event and we are looking forward for a safe return and also for the success of our expedition.”

Last year, at least three of the expedition vessels have joined with counterparts in Bahrain, but there are no boats from outside Kuwait this year. “We have little time left as we’ll be welcoming the holy month of Ramadan early next month,” Al-Najjar explained. “So that’s one reason why we didn’t consider any extensions [of the trip].”

At the event, Dr Ali Al-Nasifi represented HH the Amir, expressing the monarch’s gratitude to the organizers, the captains of the boats and all the participants for all their hard work and for continuing to maintain Kuwait’s national heritage.

The Dasha began with the singing of Kuwait’s national anthem and a recitation of some verses from the holy Quran. The participants were then presented to Dr AlNasifi, who wished them every success.

After the short ceremony, the 15 vessels set sail. They were expected to arrive after a two-hour journey at the Khairan resort where they will remain until July 24.

A supply boat, coast guards, paramedics and doctors accompanied this year’s expedition, with all the participants excited about the event which is expected to be busier than those in previous years with representatives of the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) accompanying the young sailors to teach them about marine life.

“We are very excited and at the same time proud to be part of this pearl-diving

KUWAIT: A young boy (inset) who is taking part in the 22nd pearl-diving festival is bidding farewell to a relative as the vessels (above) with some 190 youngsters leave for their nineday voyage. — Photos by Joseph Shagra ( See Page 8) event,” said one participant, a 16-year-old Qusoor High School pupil called Ali. “For us Kuwaitis, if you’re really a man, you must try and be a part of this annual event. I am participating for the first time.”

Another of the young sailors, Muhammad, a 15year-old pupil at Yousef Al-Nasif High School, said that the training had been invaluable to him. “This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. The training is

over and we are finally going out for the real challenge,” he told the Friday Times.

A colorful celebration of the expected bountiful pearl harvest from the voyage is set to take place on Monday at the Khairan Resort where families and friends of the young sailors will be able to watch several performances related to the pearl-diving expedition.

LOCAL

Page 2 IN MY VIEW

HalluciNations

Do we have a sense of rumor?

Hundreds of Egyptians and other Arab bloggers were reporting the ‘news’ of the supposedly dead president. All this occurred after reports of Mubarak’s death were broadcast on a Russian and some Arabic television channels.

By Malick Diagne

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ave you ever been a victim of a malicious rumor? Have you ever felt hurt or cried because someone spread a negative rumor about you? Well, if you have, then you’re not alone.

Here is my take on rumors today and how much harm they can cause. Although rumors can be viewed as unverified explanations of events circulating, they can affect people whether in a good or a bad way. For example, one of the most recent rumors to circulate in the Arab World, in March to be precise, suggested that Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak had died following surgery in Germany. The rumor spread at the speed of light thanks to contemporary technology, being posted from one blog to another and from one Twitterer to another. Hundreds of Egyptians and other Arab bloggers were reporting the ‘news’ of the supposedly dead president. All this occurred after reports of Mubarak’s death were broadcast on a Russian and some Arabic television channels.

Rumors stem from different situations that we encounter and that is what makes them true or false. Otherwise matter-of-fact people are tempted sometimes to modify a message or just don’t do it on purpose. Different processes can take place, such as the message being abbreviated or certain parts of it being emphasized (when people keep details they like and even add information to strengthen the impact) or changing it to suit their beliefs, emotions and values. These are the main reasons for the distortion of rumors.

Friday, July 16, 2010

France has been no stranger to rumors either. Some stories became legendary like the ‘Tract of Villejuif’ rumor of the 1970’s. It went like this: in the mid-1970s, photocopies of a list allegedly issued by a hospital in Villejuif in Paris reported the presence of a number of carcinogenic additives in food, said to include innocent E330 (citric acid) and even E300 (Vitamin C).

Nobody could trace the origin of the rumor or its implications, but as a result it’s said that many worried mothers took Vitamin C out of their children’s diet.

While the hospital repeatedly denied being responsible for this document, this urban myth still re-emerges from time-to-time and reenters circulation, nowadays also assisted by electronic means.

Rumors usually affect people negatively.

There are so many relationships, careers and reputations that can be destroyed because of rumors. When some rumors are spread, confidence and trust in their subjects are reduced and people begin withdrawing to avoid involvement.

More than this, rumors create a divided, stressful and harmful environment. When it comes to the media, journalists have to consider and check all the facts and ensure that rumors don’t make it into print until they are confirmed as facts - meaning that the information must be verified by at least two credible, independent sources beforehand. As journalists, we bear a responsibility to objectively report the truth. Hence, rumors need to stay out of our notebooks and off newspaper pages. local@kuwaittimes.net

Selfless acts of selfishness

By Ahmad Saeid

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he selfless acts of parents to protect their children have always amazed me. The passion with which parents talk about their kids, and the tremendous amount of love they describe having for them have always been a complete mystery to me. Indeed, the whole spectrum of parental feelings is a conundrum to me. This is not at all odd, however, since I don’t have kids yet myself. The weirdest thing is probably the fact that I don’t under-

There are many reasons why people decide to have kids - because they want to ‘enjoy’ them, because they want to have an extension of themselves, because they want to keep their names alive, because they want someone to take care of them when they get old, to take over their kingdom when they die, to increase the number of fighters in the tribe, or even just to get a further KD 50 in allowances! stand the reasons why people decide to have kids in the first place!

A few days ago, I was reading an interesting book about psychology. One chapter talks about the way infants interact with their parents as a means of explaining the roots of human emotions. Since the human mind is probably the most important topic of interest to me, for a moment I flirted with the idea of

having a child in order to thoroughly understand some of those phenomena I was reading about.

Instantly, I caught myself thinking that this would probably be a selfish reason for having kids. Then I entered into a long debate with myself, and with many other people, about the reasons people decide to have kids, because for me - apart from the ‘accidental’ knock-ups - all the other possible reason for having kids seem selfish, too.

Think about it; there are many reasons why people decide to have kids - because they want to ‘enjoy’ them, because they want to have an extension of themselves, because they want to keep their names alive, because they want someone to take care of them when they get old, to take over their kingdom when they die, to increase the number of fighters in the tribe, or even just to get a further KD 50 in allowances!

I tried to come up with one selfless reason for which people would decide to have kids, but I couldn’t. The most common reasons, though, are having no protection, wrong calculations, or running out of contraceptives.

For men, the most common reasons would be ignorance and laziness. For some women, it’s either to ‘tie their husbands to them,’ as some told me, or due to the hormones that make them want to fulfill their biological duty (feminists, please don’t get angry, I am only talking about their biological duty to give birth, not implying that this is the only duty that women have).

Whenever people think about having kids, they only consider their own good, their own point of view, their own interests. Nobody really looks into whether he can provide these new people with what they need to live a happy life. People tend to make the mistake, and then after having kids, and instinctively loving them, try to do whatever they can to make them happy. They just don’t make these calculations until after they have kids. People don’t even think about whether or not the world is a good place to invite our most beloved future people to live in.

I am not saying that this is necessarily wrong. Maybe we really can’t logically explain our instincts, as some friends of mine argued. I am just trying to come up with a ‘right’ reason to have kids, that doesn’t seem selfish to me. If I can come up with one, I would love to have kids, but I just don’t think that the fact that I simply want to is enough reason to do so. saeid@kuwaittimes.net

KUWAIT: One of summer’s most favorite fruits, the watermelon, is in high demand at vegetable and fruit souqs. — Photo by Joseph Shagra

LOCAL

Friday, July 16, 2010 FRIDAY SPOTLIGHT

By Muna Al-Fuzai

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think the understanding of what a holiday means needs to be urgently addressed at this time of the year, when many Arab families are packing their suitcases and heading abroad. It is also the time of year during which many expatriate residents and citizens leave, either to see their families abroad or to visit new places. Yet, at the end of the summer they fail to feel happy or admit that their holiday wasn’t that great. This really needs a deeper analysis.

Before we jump into this subject, we need to shed light on the weak points or some of the areas which many families don’t take into consideration in the process of planning a vacation.

W h o , w h e re , w h y a n d h o w much? These are the four main elements that any family needs to decide on before they rush to a travel agency to book a holiday.

The easy part ends here with the decision as to who is going. If this is a trip for two family members then how old are they? If you have infants and young kids then you probably need to go somewhere that they can enjoy space and outdoor activities, such as a beach area or a resort with a kids’ pool and the possibility of arcade games or outdoors trips in the woods.

K i d s t o d a y a re s h u t i n enclosed spaces, shut in at school and at home nearly all year round. It would be great for a family to plan their holidays to provide a change to this, to take kids to a new, more enjoyable

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Summer holiday or summer disaster? environment. Kids love change and such trips are an adventure for them. I have seen many families with children, however, travelling to destinations where the mother can do more shopping and the only activity for the kids is to sit in the hotel watching TV o r w a n d e r ro u n d m a l l s d o i n g nothing and having nothing to eat. At the end of the day, they a re t i re d , h u n g r y a n d b o re d , unable to do anything exciting that’s tailored to their age group!

So, a good plan that takes the needs of all the family members into account is a priority, especially when the kids are coming along. This means that parents need to make a small sacrifice and be less selfish, i.e. to act as adults, helping to make the trip enjoyable for the children too.

Credit cards are another contentious issue here. Many people f e e l t h a t t h e y ’ re e a s y t o u s e when travelling. The consequences of misusing them and exceeding one’s financial limitations can bring a lot of trouble l a t e r o n , s o b e c a re f u l w h e n u s i n g t h e ‘ m a g i c c a rd s , ’ a n d remember they’re not free; this is your money you’re using, even if it doesn’t look the same - failing to remember this can result in major problems after your trip.

There are numerous problems I can’t understand. For instance, why many Arab families carry large amounts of luggage as if they’re emigrating rather than going on holiday for a few weeks.

The funny thing here is that they then travel to a destination where they go shopping and end up with even more bags and cases! Do they really need to bring along all these clothes with them or what? For example, what is the point of taking a hairdryer when you’re going to stay in a five-star hotel?! I’ve seen this

happening and could never figure out the reasoning behind it.

What all families need is two sets of plans; the first for before they leave the country and the other for af ter their arrival at their destination, not only for the adult holidaymakers, but also for everyone accompanying them, including the servants.

Also, if the maid comes along on vacation, why isn’t she given the right to decide where she wants to go and what to do and see there? Why isn’t she given time off on her own to explore the destination instead of being expected to be stuck with the family the whole time?

Finally, one odd thing that I’ve seen frequently is the elaborate

ritual of emotional farewells and welcome homes, in which ten or more family members and friends will turn out at the airport even just to see one single man travelling on holiday off on his flight or to welcome his return. All the family and friends come along to bid the traveler farewell and, of course, to kiss and hug him as if he were leaving not for a couple of weeks holiday but for the front line in a war without any means of maintaining contact with him while he’s away!

I h a v e g re a t d i f f i c u l t y i n understanding such behavior and why so many people feel the need to turn up to see even just one holidaymaker off on their vacation, and why they can’t

spare the airport staff the overcrowding and problems produced by their apparent need to see one p e r s o n o f f o n h o l i d a y. H o w important is going on vacation that all these people need to come to the airport simultaneously, causing unnecessary chaos for everyone else, just to show their love, indeed passion, for their vacationing friend or relative?

We n e e d t o b e c o m e m o re aware and many families need to learn how to travel - not to change locations, but to change the rhythm and to amend their hectic thought patterns and money-wasting behavior. m u n a @ ku w a i t t i m e s . n e t

IN MY VIEW

Putting names to faces in the time of ‘recession’

By Sajeev K Peter

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uess what? I am one of those poor souls who cannot put a name to a face.

Even in this technologically advanced age, many people are affected by this virus and I am one of them.

I play all sorts of games. Trust me, I do, just to reciprocate to the very cordial ‘Hello, how are you Sajeev?’ greeting from the other chap, to make him feel that I know him as well as he does me. But it seldom works. Some say it is the recession of the mind, but I don’t buy this.

It goes like this: ‘Hello! How are you? How have you been?’ I put on that plastic smile while my mind races up and down. And then there I am, wondering what to say next as I just can’t place him. The situation is made even more embarrassing when he elaborately recounts my past deeds (or misdeeds).

The art of communication or conversation is dying out. People are so vague and have no power of self-expression!

I quickly run through the alphabets in my mind hoping that one will strike the right chord and ‘twang,’ the name will reverberate.

It works, but only about five percent of the time. Then I try another charade: “So, how’s it going?” I will blurt out hoping that if he mentions his vocation, it will open up some association. But people are so uncooperative - “Not bad, but you know what? With the tight money market condition, it is not as good as one would have liked.” How informative! Why, for the love of God, wouldn’t he say that the price of

cloth was down or electronics were so competitive during this summer to give me a hint.

I scratch my head and mutter, “But you are right in the hub of the market and must be drawing a lot of customers?”

Again the blighter does not come out clean and remains elusive: “No, no my friend, after the recession, people now avoid big markets...” he hopefully offers.

How discouraging! Instead of babbling about big markets and so on, why doesn’t he just say that people were no longer thronging the Friday Market or Irani Souk.

This is really very upsetting. The art of communication or conversation, I tell you, is dying out. People are so vague and have no power of self-expression!

Then I get a flash, cursing myself why I did not think of it before, I pull out my business card: “Look, why don’t you give me a ring sometime or come over? Then we’ll talk at length.”

Brightening up he says, “Yes, that’s right. I will do that. I’ll give you my number too.” That is exactly what I have been waiting for.

Then he picks up a floating piece of paper, borrows my pen and scrib-

bles a number. Great! Sometimes though I hastily goad him, ‘Put down your name too, otherwise I’ll wonder later whose number it could be.” Mostly, though, I sheepishly take it, being no wiser in the process than when we first shook hands.

To cut the whole rigmarole short, I have made it a practice when in doubt, to immediately say, “Hello I am sorry, but remind me of your name,” while shaking hands.

It sounds rather silly but most of the times people respond by telling me it.

If this virus conquers me and some day you meet this man who cannot fix a name to a face, please be one of those noble hearts, and say “You are not able to place me.

Well I am....’ I hold such people in great esteem. However, if anyone has a cure or a name-fixing remedy for me, please don’t hesitate to knock at my door. sajeev@kuwaittimes.net

LOCAL

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By Hussain Al-Qatari f you have lived in Kuwait long enough and have been in contact with its young people, you’ve probably encountered to some degree negativity in attitude. Finding the easy way out, being lazy, xenophobic and intolerant of other cultures have all become stereotypes of the typical young Kuwaiti.

While a lot of attention has been given to issues that are either complex or vague, like campaigns for wearing hijab, praying on time, quitting drug addiction, and so on, none have discussed the simple things we encounter in our everyday life.

This was the case anyway until the recently formed Kuwaiti initiative group Zawaya launched its new campaign entitled Moujat Altaghyeer (‘Wave of Change’). The campaign which targets the young generation advocates tolerance, respect, productiveness and giving back to society. The tools employed to deliver the message are simple: a 30second video clip, directed by the renowned Yaroub Bourhama, posted on YouTube. The campaign reaches a far bigger audience with billboard ads on the streets, a Facebook group and a Twitter account.

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They pledge One video shows a young girl on a typical day during summer vacation who is battling boredom.

Holding a professional camera, she decides to take photos of what she finds beautiful in the ordinary, refusing to sulk and give in to the boredom. She pledges: “I will enrich my talents and search for what makes me unique.” Another video takes a light comedic stance to discussing the issue of sectarianism and classism. Three young men sit round a table at a coffee shop. One of the men’s friend arrives. He greets his friend, introduces himself and asks one of the two other men rather inquisitively: “You look like you come from a rich family. Are you a bedouin?” Annoyed by the question, the man leaves. He turns to the other man and asks, “Oh, what about you? Are you a Sunni, or a Shiite?” The clip ends with a short message: “A

brain is a blessing, and holding prejudices against it is a waste of this blessing.”

The spread of these videos on the internet makes them more accessible to young people. As a large percentage of young people own smartphones and have access to the internet around the clock, launching such a campaign will definitely succeed in getting the attention of many.

Friday, July 16, 2010

is in need of the promotion of respect for the law, pluralism, tolerance, and the protection of minority rights. Investment in the young and educating them in work ethics, productivity, meritocracy in the workplace, preservation of and investment in the country’s natural and public resources, protection of the environment, and combating corruption, conflicts of interest and nepotism are all values that should have a strongly positive impact on society if pursued.

For more information about the campaign, send an email to mojat_altaghyer@hotmail.com. You can also follow the news of Moujat Altaghyeer on the following websites:

Oqism campaigning The people behind this campaign are the same ones who brought the highly successful Oqism Campaign to Kuwait, which utilized the popularity of well-known and much-loved figures in spreading positive energy across the country. Zawaya Company, the group behind the campaign, is run by entrepreneur siblings Khaled and Nouf Al-Roudhan, as well as Rana Alhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=133185203380511 Khaled, and TV director Yaroub YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/ZawayaPA Bourhama. The new campaign is a culmination of months of thinking and brainstorming, and owes much of its success to the young people who participated in creating it.

“We believe that the role of the private sector and civil society organizations is extremely crucial in supporting initiatives of this kind, and we look forward to working more closely with them on similar projects as part of our role in contributing to awareness-raising and their contributions to social responsibility,” says Al-Khaled about the company Zawaya.

Zawaya was born out of the desire of its partners to utilize the media and create public campaigns to promote civil, human and legal rights in Kuwait through the dissemination of public information and media campaigns. The company pays close attention to delivering messages in a meaningful and creative manner devoid of any religious, ethnic, and sectarian bias or political overtones.

Zawaya’s founders believe that Kuwait today

KUWAIT: The Moujat Altaghyeer team pictured while working on one of the campaign videos. — Photos courtesy of Moujat Altaghyeer’s Facebook group

LOCAL

Friday, July 16, 2010

By Sam Brett onflict-ridden, isolationist, and religiously intolerant.

These are some of the misconceptions held about the Middle East which were challenged by a recent report published by PR company Asda’a Burson-Marsteller. The report highlights the increasingly optimistic, global, and multicultural outlook of youth in the Arab Middle East.

The Second Arab Youth Survey was conducted through over 2,000 face-to-face interviews carried out in nine countries throughout the Middle East. In Kuwait, some 200 18-24-year-olds were interviewed.

The findings will come as a surprise to many; the most important concern of youths was living in an open, democratic, country with good infrastructure. It also found that youths self-identify as global citizens of an international community - far more than with their national, religious, or ethnic backgrounds and traditions.

The survey also found that the youth were highly engaged.

Most regularly used some kind of news media - via the Internet or television - in Arabic, English or both. Many however still regularly read newspapers, which for most beat television as their most important source of news.

Friday Times interviewed two young Kuwaitis to see how their views compared.

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Yahya and Nada I met Yahya, a student, at Starbuck’s cafe. Young and technologically savvy, he keenly identifies himself as part of a global citizenry.

“I started identifying as such about two years ago,” he says. “Before that, my knowledge of politics around the world, of issues didn’t physically affect me. I mean it was there, but now with Facebook especially I see that problems here are a reflection of other problems around the world”.

He started blogging and contributing to sites dedicated to political issues. Because Kuwait is more open than other countries in the region, he says, the youth are more engaged with politics via new media, such as Facebook. This is drawing them away from identifying strongly as Kuwaiti.

“I don’t feel any sympathy for nationalism, it’s such a trivial thing,” he comments.

He believes that globalization is a process which will inevitably alter Kuwait, “It is changing people’s morals, and not only morals, but the way people apply morals to their daily lives. People can be very Islamic, and yet celebrate Christmas or allow their daughters out late with friends.”

Yahya added that while

Nada believes Kuwaitis have embraced globalization superficially, but are still confused about its moral and ideological implications, and have failed to reconcile the outward signs of westernization with their deeper sense of Kuwaiti ‘tradition’ and ‘identity’. western brands are prevalent in Kuwait, this doesn’t necessarily signify westernization in any real sense, “Sure we have Starbucks here, but it means something very different.

When a brand enters a new culture it translates differently, and its function changes.”

Nada, another student, takes what is in many ways a different view.

“I lived through the war,” she says, “If nationalism ensures sovereignty, humanity, and dignity surely it is a positive thing.” However, she shares Yahya’s sense of a globalized community, “I view myself as transnational, but I don’t agree with those who offer a polarized view of the world - westernize or Islamize - people only offer that when they are looking to exploit. My friends, family and I want to be transnational but in a more complex way.”

Nada believes Kuwaitis have embraced globalization superficially, but are still confused about its moral and ideological implications, and have failed to reconcile the outward signs of westernization with their deeper sense of Kuwaiti ‘tradition’ and ‘identity’. She is also concerned that Kuwaitis are becoming increasingly individualist, distracted, and contrary to what Yahya says less aware of issues such as global inequality.

“I think it’s wrong to say that globalization is inevitable; nothing is inevitable,” she added, “but we have to be careful about what kind of globalization we embrace: one that is exploitative and consumerist, or one that is more compassionate and humanist. This is my main concern.”

She is positive about the role Islam can play in a globalized world, “Islam originated as a modernizing force, economically and socially, and is not very far from the phenomena we witness today.

However it has been manipulated by some in power.”

She also believes that new media, especially the Internet, is superseding newspapers, radio and TV as the main source of news for youths.

Researching Arab youth The First Arab Youth Report, published in 2008, found similar results. Most youth were optimistic about the future, and shared the same sorts of concerns as those polled in the second survey. The 2008 report also found similar levels of optimism about the future

and confidence in the direction countries were taking, as well as new media usage.

As early as 2003, a study published by the University of Washington found that the Internet had become a tool

for Kuwaiti youth to communicate, meet members of the opposite sex, and spread ideas and politics away from the supervision of family members and the authorities.

It appears that these trends are growing.

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Friday, July 16, 2010

LOCAL

By Rawan Khalid ut of their passion for etiquette, investment in education, and emphasis on furthering etiquette studies in Kuwait, the House of Etiquette was established by Bibi Al-Ghanim and Maab Al-Qassem. Fully certified instructors, both Bibi and Maab are eager to bring their skills to students. They use examples from everyday social situations and professional day-to-day experiences to train and educate people of all ages.

Friday Times attended a first class dining course for teens to get an insight into the academic process. Each of the four teenage girls in attendance commented on the course that gives hands-on real life situations. Sara Al-Thukair said, “This is by far the best class I have ever taken! My only recommendation is that they should have more courses for teenagers.

Everything I learned I will apply in my everyday life.”

Another student in the class, Fatima Abdulla, said “I am so happy that I came here. I learned how to arrange flowers and walk properly. It is a very good program!”

For Thania Al-Thukhair, attending the House of Etiquette went beyond proper table manners. “I learned how to speak and talk with etiquette and how to arrange tables,” said Thania Al-Thukhair. “Most of all though, I love my instructors.”

Al-Jowhara Al-Sabah explained that she has learned a lot in three days. “I think this program is entertaining and interesting,” she said recommending that other teenagers enroll in the program as well.

Al-Ghanim, who is a Managing Partner and Director of the House of Etiquette said, “We always say that our idea is a past reality, which means it has always been there. Both of our mothers are extremely into etiquette and my mother spent six years giving etiquette courses. Maab’s mother is renowned for her etiquette background as well. Combining both of our mothers’ teachings convinced us to resurrect etiquette and start teaching it.”

Both Bibi and Maab lived in a world filled with the codes of etiquette and

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KUWAIT: In this photo a young girl is learning the art of walking. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

cultural awareness. Living and studying in London further enhanced their knowledge in the field. They always participated in courses, which revolved around the forms of l’art de vivre and spent time visiting countries that appreciated the forms of classical art and finesse. “Our parents trained us together,” Bibi added. “We went to London and earned a training certificate from Mind and Manners International School of Protocol and Etiquette. We trained with them for 11 month and have been working on the school for two years now.”

inshallah. We worked hard on this.”

Maab Al-Qassem, who is Managing Partner and Director, explained that the House of Etiquette opened doors in May, just in time for summer, but it offers programs throughout the year. “We have already completed our program schedule for September and October and soon we will have the November and December schedule programs ready.” She added that the programs are available to both genders and for all ages.

Maab explained that the House of Etiquette was originally to focus on young

Bibi Al-Ghanim (left), and Maab Al-Qassem, the Managing Partners and Directors of The House of Etiquette, Kuwait are seen before the start of one of their classes.

“We have over 15 programs to choose from in the dining program,” Bibi explained. She added that under the dining programs there are five courses for students of different ages. “We come up with new courses anytime we see that there is gap in someone’s request,” Bibi explained.

Bibi commented on their future plans by saying, “We are optimistic and see ourselves doing this in the future,

children. “Since our opening we have received a lot of feedback and about a month ago we started offering private sessions for adults,” she said.

“We strive to instill and spread the essence and beauty of etiquette throughout our nation,” Maab said. “Our goal is to serve our country and society in an educational form and we strive to provide quality services to etiquette training.”

Maab Al-Qassem and Bibi Al-Ghanim demonstrate to the students how to layout a table.

LOCAL

Friday, July 16, 2010

By Abdullah Al-Qattan rands surround our every day existence but we rarely stop for even a second to think about its real meaning. The word brand started simply as a way to tell one person’s cattle from another by means of a hot iron stamp.

These brands usually belong to a product, a service or a business that distinguish each other. Now the word brand has evolved to encompass identity - it affects the personality of a product, company or service.

But what is a Kuwaiti brand and is it representing itself without constraints? Is a purely Kuwaiti brand influenced by other western brands and is it associated with technology?

Mohammed Al-Attar says that brands usually represent a creative group or a product, but what usually represents a country is the traditions that its people carry out from generation to generation.

“Some Kuwaiti brands have indeed shifted from what they really were, because you can consider a traditional outfit as a brand of a country, and in Kuwait, people rarely wear that anymore” Al-Attar explained.

Freelancing Graphic Designer Jassim Al-Elwani says that brands are sometimes represented in visual elements where it

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makes it easy for a consumer to familiarize it from other brands. He also added that one of the best, if not the only brands in Kuwait, are the NBK and Bait Al-Tamweel, because in their services they offer a high degree of professionalism while reflecting the core of the Kuwaiti identity which is found when dealing within a personal level.

Jassim also adds that social brand giants such as Facebook base their success on technology and Internet as a means of socializing and financing their ads. Public Relation expert Hussain Arab says that all the major brands usually conduct Integrated Marketing Campaigns (IMC), to see if their brand name is one of the “top three on the mind”.

For example, if you ask a person to mention three brands of toothpaste, the first three brands which often pop into a person’s head are the one with the good branding plan.

Hussain also adds that the above can be achieved by implying the main function within the name of the brand and also implying it within the logo. Like when you are asked about any burger restaurant, Burger King will appear in your head before McDonald’s would owing to the fact that the word burger is in both the name and the logo and this acts on your brain faster.

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LOCAL

KUWAIT: Various people attended the send-off ceremony called Dasha which was held yesterday at the Kuwait Sea Sports Club (KSSC) in Salmiya in honor of the 200 young sailors (aged between 8-17 years of age) who are currently participating in the 22nd Annual Pearl Diving Expedition. The annual voyage has become the most exciting event of the year as it revives what was once the most important occupation of their forefathers: ‘Pearl Diving’, in the pre-oil era.

—Photos by Joseph Shagra

Friday, July 16, 2010

LOCAL

Friday, July 16, 2010

in the news Jaber Al-Ahmad housing payments postponed KUWAIT: The Board of Directors at the Credit and Savings Bank (CSB) agreed to postpone monthly payments for housing units in Jaber Al-Ahmad area for a year or until power reaches the area, CBS said yesterday. The payments were postponed based on an initiative tendered by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister of State for Development Affairs and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, said a statement issued by his office, KUNA reported. It also came to “ease the suffering” of Jaber Al-Ahmad’s residents along with the conditions they endure, it said, and called on those concerned to visit CBS to have their payments delayed.

Awqaf foundation to sponsor campaign The Islam Presentation Committee (IPC) announced that it will launch in August a campaign on Islam which will be sponsored by Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation. IPC Assistant Secretary General Jamal Al-Shatti said that the foundation believes in the great role of the committee in spreading the message of Islam and caring for new Muslims regardless of their nationalities. He stressed on the significance of the foundation’s role in supporting charitable work in general and the committee activities in particular, noting that it sponsored previous campaigns of IPC. Al-Shatti said that the aim of the campaign was to deliver the committee’s message to all categories of the society, including Muslims to encourage them to spread the teachings of Islam. The campaign also aims to show the importance of “Dawa,” he added.

Kuwait Municipality signs contracts Head of Kuwait Municipality engineer Ahmad Al-Subih signed a contract with Arab Center for Commerce and Real Estate yesterday to renovate and provide maintenance for municipality facilities. The contract is worth KD 1.84 million and covers work for facilities in Al-Asima and Jahra Governorates, KUNA reported. Al-Subih, quoted in a press release, said this is a two-year contract, and was sought after approval of both the Central Tenders Committee and the Audit Bureau. The Municipality is to sign other contracts to serve other governorates, the release said, and the cost would depend upon volume of work required in each.

Kuwaiti surgeons celebrate Mideast first in operation The medical team at Jaber Al-Ahmad Armed Forces Hospital performed a successful Gastric Laparoscopic Placation for the first time in the Middle East, Kuwait Army said yesterday.

The operation, only the fourth worldwide, will enable obese people to lose weight without having loose parts of the stomach or using hazardous substances, chief of medical care services at Kuwaiti Army Major General Dr Zuheir AL-Haj Mohammad said in a press release, KUNA reported. He praised the hospital’s consecutive medical achievements alongside the ongoing supported of Acting Prime Minister and Defense Minister Sheikh Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sheikh Ahmad AlKhalid Al-Sabah. The keenness of both was displayed in providing the hospital with medical hi-tech and health care services to present those enrolled in the ministry and their families with the a premium care.

Kuwaiti driver hopeful about ME drifting championship Kuwaiti racing driver Mishari Al-Dhifiri said he is confident of a good result in the final round of the Middle East Drifting Championship, set to kickoff in Beirut next Friday. The driver said yesterday he would again prove his mettle in the race, recalling his first place win in the last championship, held in Kuwait in May. As the only Arab participant, he said he was pleased to have shown Arabs are just as capable as their peers. He noted he fitted his Mitsubishi car to suit the drifting conditions, and the alterations included adjustment of the suspension gear, tires, and engine programming. The Kuwaiti praised the support of the Kuwait Auto and Motorcycle Club for the support and its help with securing leave for participants to take part in competitions, KUNA reported. The support of the acting head of the Kuwait Authority for Youth and Sports Esam Jaafar is also commendable, he noted. Fans in Kuwait meanwhile are waiting for the freestyle race cars show at Jaber Al-Ahmad ring on the Sixth Ring Road which will kick off today.

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IFTDO aims to boost investment

Kuwait to host training, development conference KUWAIT: The International Foundation of Training and Development Organizations (IFTDO) is scheduled to hold a conference in Kuwait on December 13. Dr Hilmi Salam, the head of IFTDO’s regional office, said yesterday that he was optimistic concerning the preparations for the conference and hailed the efforts of the event’s organizers. He said that IFTDO

is keen on holding regular meetings to exchange expertise among the foundation’s member states to improve performance in all international development bodies.

He stressed the importance of investment in people in the development of societies, especially in developing countries.

Salam praised Kuwait’s experience in

the training and development fields, saying that it is exceptional at the Gulf level.

He further asserted that current education expenditure levels in Arab countries are unsatisfactory. While the governments of most Arab countries are ready to develop the education sector, he said, real action on this front is needed. — KUNA

Lebanese patient turns impatient

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A Lebanese man awaiting treatment at Al-Rai Hospital lost patience with staff there after being kept waiting for some time, yelling insults at doctors and nurses.

One staff member called police and lodged a complaint and the man was taken to Shuwaikh police station to be charged.

Garage mugging An Asian expatriate told police in Shuwaikh that four unidentified thugs had come into the car repair shop where he works and held a knife to his throat before robbing him of KD 80. A hunt is underway for the attackers.

Domestic arrest A police officer investigating a domestic dispute between a 28-year-old Kuwaiti man and his wife at their home in Fintas ended up arresting the householder after the man verbally insulted and made obscene gestures at him.

Storage shed fire A fire broke out in a tin shed on the roof of a home in Andalus, which was being used to store foam mattresses, tents and electricity generators. Firemen from Sulaibikhat and Ardiya quickly put out the blaze, which is believed to have begun when one of the foam mattresses caught light due to the heat and possibly assisted by the presence of petrol from the generators. The house was evacuated and the power supply disconnected until the blaze was extinguished. One fireman sustained a slight injury, which was treated at the scene.

Police families’ day out The families of local police officers yesterday enjoyed a subsidized trip to Um AlMaradam Island courtesy of the Police Officers’ Club and the Coast Guard. The trip, which cost KD 3 per person, included lunch. The event was a great success and another one is planned for Saturday July 24.

KUWAIT: A fireman is pictured helping to extinguish the blaze that broke out in a storage shed on the roof of a home in Andalus.

— Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun CRIMES

Bangladeshi man shot at by stranger KUWAIT: A Bangladeshi expatriate was rushed to Mubarak Hospital by a Kuwaiti Good Samaritan after being shot in the chest by a stranger from a passing car. After his condition stabilized, the man told police that he was waiting for friends outside a co-op in Sabah Al-Salem when a car with three young men inside pulled up beside him, with one of the occupants pulling out a gun and shooting him at close range. The victim said that thankfully a horrified citizen who saw the incident immediately took him to hospital. Police have taken descriptions of the gunman and his friends and the car they were in and a hunt is underway.

Police hunt Romeo conman Detectives are hunting for a fraudster in his twenties who has conned a number of women of a total of KD 60,000. The suspect apparently tells his victims that he is Kuwaiti, although police say he may be using forged ID documentation. One of his victims, a Kuwaiti woman in her 30s, told police that he had wooed her for some time, repeatedly visiting her at work and eventually proposing marriage. A short time after she accepted his proposal, he informed her that he had financial problems which would delay the marriage and needed to wait until he had resolved these with his brothers. The naive woman offered to give him money, but after repeatedly rejecting her offer he took a few thousand dinars from her before disappearing. When she was unable to get back into contact with him despite repeated attempts, the woman realized she had been tricked and reported

the incident to the police. The conman is understood to have used the same technique with all his victims.

Brother ly l ove The brothers of a fugitive being arrested by police attacked the arresting officers, stabbing one detective who had to be taken to hospital. A police official said that the detectives waylaid the man while he was leaving his family home in Sabah AlNasser and apprehended him, but were then assaulted by his brothers in an unsuccessful attempt to free him, with the brother who stabbed the detective fleeing the scene immediately after doing so. The wanted man was taken into custody and the brother later handed himself in, telling police that he was only trying to defend his sibling.

Tr yst inter r upted A Kuwaiti man who woke up at night after hearing strange noises in his home traced them to his maid’s bedroom, where he found her and her lover in a compromising position. The householder locked the couple in the room and called police, who took the maid and her boyfriend into custody.

Wife-beater vs brother-in-law After a woman called her brother to tell him that she had been beaten by her husband at the marital home in Sulaibiya, her enraged sibling arrived at her home and got into a fistfight with her spouse.

The woman’s attempts to end the fight were unsuccessful and she had to call police to intervene.

Both men were taken into custody.

INTERNATIONAL

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Friday, July 16, 2010

Conflicting accounts about Amiri's story

'Abducted' scientist returns to Iran TEHRAN: Flashing a victory sign, an Iranian nuclear scientist who claims he was abducted and abused by US agents a year ago returned yesterday to his homeland and into the heart of the latest crossfire between Washington and Tehran. The conflicting accounts about Shahram Amiri , captive or defector who got cold feet , are unlikely to alter the Western-led pressure on Iran over its nuclear program. But Iran's leaders are expected to use Amiri to ring up as many propaganda points as possible against Washington, showing that relations remain in a deep freeze and hopes of breakthrough talks appear as distant as ever. It also gives the ruling clerics a welcome distraction at a time when domestic protests are growing over Iran's stumbling economy and worries about the fallout from international sanctions.

Amiri's return "shows the strength of the Islamic republic," boasted lawmaker Amir Taherkhani. Another prominent parliament member, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, called the alleged kidnapping a "terrorist act." But the Washington Post reported that the CIA paid Amiri $5 million to provide intelligence on Iran's nuclear program. The Post in its online edition late Wednesday said the money came from a secret program aimed at inducing scientists and others with information on Iran's nuclear program to defect.

US officials also told the Post that Amiri should be unable to get to that money now that he's returned to Iran, which is under financial sanctions.

It remains unclear how Iranian authorities will ultimately deal with Amiri, and the US claims he cooperated with American authorities, despite his hero-style welcome. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki called Amiri a "dear compatriot" and said Iran was keenly interested in learning more about the reasons for his alleged abduction. Journalists were allowed to cover Amiri's first steps back in Iran in a rare relaxation of media restrictions. The last such press gathering permitted at Tehran's international airport was linked to another tussle with Washington: the May visit by the mothers of three jailed Americans arrested last year on the Iran-Iraq border. Amiri's pre-dawn arrival capped a stunning tumble of events over the past month that included leaked videos with mixed messages, Amiri

TEHRAN: Shahram Amiri, center, an Iranian nuclear scientist who disappeared a year ago, holds his 7-year-old son Amir Hossein at the conclusion of his news briefing as he arrived at the Imam Khomeini airport just outside Tehran, Iran yesterday. —AP surfacing at a diplomatic compound in Washington and the White House finally acknowledging his presence in the country.

The US says he was a willing defector who changed his mind and decided to board a plane home from Washington. Amiri has told a very different tale, claiming he was snatched while on a pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and bundled off to the United States to be harshly interrogated and offered millions of dollars by the CIA to speak against Iran.

Amiri was embraced by his family , including his tearful 7-year-old son , and greeted by a top envoy from Iran's Foreign Ministry. The 32-year-old Amiri smiled and gave the V-for-victory sign.

Speaking to journalists after a flight via Qatar, Amiri repeated his earlier claims that he was snatched while in the Saudi holy city of Madinah

and carried off to the United States. The first months were full of intense pressures, he alleged. "I was under the harshest mental and physical torture," he said at the Tehran airport, with his young son sitting on his lap.

He also alleged that Israeli agents were present during the interrogations and that CIA officers offered him $50 million to remain in America. He gave no further details to back up the claims or shed any new light on his time in the United States, but promised to reveal more later. "I have some documents proving that I've not been free in the United States and have always been under the control of armed agents of US intelligence services," Amiri told reporters.

Previously he claimed that CIA agents "pressured me to help with their propaganda against

Iran," he said, including offering him up to $10 million to talk to US media and claim to have documents on a laptop against Iran. He said he refused to take the money. Yesterday, Amiri sought to play down his role in Iran's nuclear program , which Washington and allies fear could be used to create atomic weapons. Iran says it only seeks energy-producing reactors.

"I am a simple researcher who was working in the university," he said. "I'm not involved in any confidential jobs. I had no classified information."

His case was often raised by Iranian officials in the past year, but Washington offered no public response. It took a higher profile after Iranian authorities decided to pursue charges against the three Americans arrested along the border with Iraq in July 2009.

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Hassan Qashqavi, said there would be "no link" between Amiri's return and the case of the three Americans, whose families say they were hiking in northern Iraq and that if they crossed the border, they did so inadvertently. US officials also have repeatedly asked Iran for information about Robert Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran in 2007.

Amiri was generally a footnote in the international showdown over Iran's nuclear ambitions until last month. Iranian state TV aired a video he purportedly made from an Internet cafe in Tucson, Arizona, to claim he was taken captive by US and Saudi "terror and kidnap teams." The video was shortly followed by another, professionally produced clip in which he said he was happily studying for a doctorate in the United States. In a third, shaky piece of video, Amiri claimed to have escaped from US agents in Virginia and insisted the second video was "a complete lie" that the Americans put out.

US officials never acknowledged he was on American soil until Tuesday, hours after he turned up at the Iranian interests section at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington asking to be sent home.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Amiri had been in the United States "of his own free will and he is free to go." Yesterday in Tehran, he asked American authorities to explain their secrecy.—AP

US transfers last prison under its control to Iraq BAGHDAD: The United States handed over the last detention facility under its control to Iraqi authorities yesterday, a milestone in Iraq's push for complete sovereignty seven years after the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

Iraq's assumption of control over the base near the international airport on the southwestern outskirts of Baghdad also marks the end of a troubling chapter in the US presence in the country, one defined for years by the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.

With the handover, Iraq has now taken control of the last of three such prisons controlled by US forces. The transfer raises questions about how well prepared the Iraqis are to handle the detainees, with concerns about sectarian tensions spilling over into the prison system.

Inmates in Iraqi detention facilities have repeatedly complained about torture and beatings by the police, as well as overcrowding and poor

conditions behind bars.

Prisoners in US custody, meanwhile, have benefited from reforms in the wake of photographs showing abuse of inmates by US soldiers at Abu Ghraib in 2004. The American general in charge of detainee centers in Iraq said the Iraqis were ready for the added responsibility.

"There is overwhelming evidence they are equipped, prepared and poised to take over," Maj. Gen. Jerry Cannon said, stressing that the detainees still being held by the US were under Iraqi jurisdiction.

Camp Cropper held members of Saddam's ousted regime, who were housed in separate quarters from the other prisoners.

The exdictator was kept in a cell there until his December 2006 execution. The base was renamed Karkh Prison. During a ceremony, the Americans symbolically handed over a key to the prison, which now holds 1,500 detainees.

The United States will continue to hold 200 other detainees, including eight former regime members who will be kept in a separate part of the facility dubbed Compound 5, Cannon said. With the exception of those 200, there are no more prisoners in US custody in Iraq, he said. Iraq's assumption of control over the base comes at a critical juncture for the country.

The US is readying to pull out all combat forces by September, leaving a force of some 50,000 ahead of a full withdrawal by the end of next year.

Iraqi officials, meanwhile, are locked in a power struggle over forming a new government four months after no clear winner emerged from the March 7 elections. The ensuing political vacuum has prompted complaints from Iraqis that the politicians are more interested in their political welfare than the interests of a nation still struggling with near daily bombings and shootings. At least 10 people were killed in a

TIKRIT: Salim Walid, 20, grieves for his younger brother Ali Walid, 15, who was killed in a car bomb attack in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, Iraq yesterday. —AP host of bombings across Iraq yesterday. The deadliest attack took place in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit north of Baghdad, when a car bomb targeting a police patrol exploded, killing three police and three bystanders, police said. A day ahead of Camp

Cropper's handover, Iraqi officials said the US had turned over 55 former regime figures, including ex-Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz, to Iraqi authority since last year.

Rights groups have raised concerns about the treatment of prisoners in Iraqi custody, most

recently in April, when Sunnis alleged they were tortured in secret prisons run by Iraq's Shiite-dominated security forces. But Iraqi officials sought to allay concerns that Iraqi jailers would fail to respect the human rights of those in their charge.—AP

INTERNATIONAL

Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 11

Teenage marriage in Jordan stirs up debate AMMAN: Wesal Jamil was 16 when her family arranged her marriage to a man in his thirties.

A decade later, the mother of seven regrets her lost youth.

"My dream was to become a teacher but my marriage deprived me from education and now I have many duties," Jamil told AFP. "I regret that.

Education would have secured me a job to at least help my husband shoulder financial responsibilities," she added.

Jamil is one of thousands of Jordanians under 18 who get married every year after obtaining court permission. In the past two years, 14,000 teenagers have tied the knot, according to court records. The issue stirred up debate in Jordan after proposed amendments to the civil status law in May retained a clause that allows 15year-old girls to marry.

While Islamists support such marriages, women's activists cry foul. "Allowing a 15-year-old girl to get married is like legalizing rape," said Nadia Shamrukh, head of the Jordanian Women's Union. The draft amendments had initially kept a civil status law article that allowed any Islamic judge to endorse the marriage of a 15-year-old girl.

But following objections by women's rights activists, further amendments were introduced, requiring that a committee of Islamic judges approve such marriages, "which should take place only in accordance with certain conditions," to be determined by the judges.

Women's groups, who have been pushing for the legal age of marriage for girls firmly set at 18, were disappointed. "It's not enough. We had hopes that the entire article would be scrapped," Shamrukh said.

"Marriage of girls under 18 should not be allowed unless there are clear and justifiable reasons," said Asma Khader, a former minister and a lawyer who heads the Jordanian National Commission of Women.

In the United States, Europe and other parts of the world, under 18s can marry with parental or judicial consent.

"We receive many complaints about marriage of minors. In one of the cases, a 16-year-old girl

got married to an 80-year-old man," said Buthainah Freihat of Jordan's National Centre for Human Rights.

"We feel that some Islamic judges endorse these marriages without making sure that girls are actually ready to get married," she added. Freihat demanded "clear regulations to deal with this problem and protect the rights of teenaged girls."Fifteen-year-old girls might not be ready to get married, for physical or other reasons," she said.

For the Islamists, there is nothing wrong with the planned legal amendments. "Islam allows marriage as long as the male and female are mature. Sexual and mental maturity could happen before the age of 18," said Hammam Said, leader of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood. "So, if a judge sees that a girl can handle marriage physically and mentally, there should not be a problem.

Why can't she get married?"

Women make up nearly half of conservative Jordan's six million population, 70 percent of which is under 30. "Some girls under 18 get married because their families want to ease their financial burdens and tackle unemployment," said University of Jordan sociologist Issa Masarweh.

According to the International Monetary Fund, unemployment is at more than 12.7 percent in Jordan, but other estimates put unemployment at 25 percent.

Poverty stands at more than 13 percent, according to official figures. "These marriages lead to disasters. They deprive girls of education and they become ignorant about their rights, becoming subject to violence," said Masarweh.

In Jordan, between 15 and 20 women are murdered each year, often by close relatives in socalled "honour killings" involving allegations of adultery or sex outside of marriage. Jamil, the young mother of seven, said she will not let her 11-year-old daughter suffer her fate. "Lara must finish her education first and build her future the right way. I won't let the same thing happen to her."— AFP

BEIRUT: Palestinians from Democratic Front carry Lebanese and Palestinian flags during a protest to demand their civil rights as they stand in front of the Lebanese Parliament in Beirut, Lebanon yesterday. The banner in Arabic reads "enough oppression, deprivation and discrimination for Palestinian people, the right to work and ownership goes together to remove deprivation from the Palestinian refugees".—AP

Arab TV airs video of Times Sq car bomber CAIRO: The man who pleaded guilty to carrying out the attempted Times Square car bombing appeared in a video recorded before the failed attack that shows him meeting with senior Pakistani Taleban leaders and vowing to strike the US In the video, aired in segments Wednesday by the Dubai-based television station Al-Arabiya, Faisal Shahzad said the attack on the New York City landmark would avenge the deaths of Muslims killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. "All the Muslim Arabs that have been martyred — I will take revenge on their behalf," he said. "I really wish that the hearts of the Muslims will be pleased with this attack, God willing." One of the figures he praises as a martyr is Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader of al-Qaida in Iraq who was killed in a US airstrike in Iraq in 2006.

Shahzad, 30, is seen in the video sitting on the ground in a black turban and olivecolored vest, with an AK-47 next to him.

He calls jihad, or holy war, a pillar of the

Muslim faith, and says "Islam will spread on the whole world and democracy will be defeated."

"Eight years has passed by Afghanistan, and you will see that the Muslim war has just started," he said. Al-Arabiya said the full tape shows Shahzad meeting with Pakistani Taleban Hakimullah Mehsud.

IntelCenter, a US-based group that monitors extremist groups, said Mehsud and Shahzad shake hands in the video.

IntelCenter also says the video bears the mark of the Pakistani Taleban's media arm, Umar Media. Analysts said the Pakistani Taleban appears to be trying to use the video as a means of boosting the reputation of Mehsud and reminding the Pakistani Taleban's supporters that they can hit the US on American soil. Evan Kohlmann, an analyst at globalterroralert.com, a private, US-based terrorism analysis group, said that such a video "can significantly prolong the visceral impact of even an unsuccessful

operation." Shahzad, who was born and raised in Pakistan before moving to the US to study and eventually taking US citizenship, was arrested days after the failed May 1 bombing in Times Square.

He pleaded guilty in June to carrying out the attack, and admitted to attempting to establish contact with the Taleban while on a 2009 trip to Pakistan. He also told the New York court that he considers himself "a Muslim soldier." He said he sought and received five days' training in explosives before returning to the United States in February to carry out the bomb plot with funding from the militant group.

The indictment said he received $5,000 in cash on Feb. 25 from an unnamed coconspirator in Pakistan and $7,000 more on April 10, sent at the coconspirator's direction. His image in the video is widely different from the previously circulated snapshots of Shahzad, and is typical of previous martyrdom videos released by other attackers.—AP

Israelis convicted in Palestinian's shooting

TEL AVIV: Israeli officer Lt Col Omri Burberg sits in a military court room in Tel Aviv, Israel yesterday. The Israeli military court convicted him and one of his soldiers in the shooting of a bound and blindfolded Palestinian demonstrator. —AP

JERUSALEM: An Israeli lieutenant colonel and one of his soldiers were convicted yesterday in the shooting of a bound and blindfolded Palestinian demonstrator. The Palestinian had been detained in July 2008 at a violent protest against Israel's West Bank separation barrier. Video taken by a local resident showed the soldier firing a rubber-coated bullet from close range at the feet of the Palestinian man, whose hands were tied behind his back.

The Palestinian's toe was bruised. He

was one of several dozen Palestinians who hurled stones at soldiers during a protest against the barrier near the village of Naalin in the West Bank. A military court convicted the officer for ordering the soldier to shoot.

He resigned his field command shortly after the shooting but continued to serve elsewhere. Both were convicted of unbecoming conduct, and the soldier was convicted of unlawful use of a weapon. The soldier, a sergeant, has since completed his compulsory service.

They have not been sentenced yet, but the charges carry a maximum punishment of three years in prison. The human rights group B'Tselem, which distributed the video of the shooting, welcomed the court's ruling as "important both as a measure of justice for the victim, as well as for the deterrent message it sends to soldiers and commanders." Palestinians have long complained of abuse from Israeli soldiers and critics have accused Israel of not doing enough to prosecute and convict soldiers suspected of such offenses.—AP

INTERNATIONAL

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Friday, July 16, 2010

New audio message released

Shabab leader threatens more Uganda attacks MOGADISHU: The leader of the Al-Qaeda-linked Somali militant group that claimed responsibility for twin bombings in Uganda during the World Cup final threatened further attacks in a new audio message released yesterday. The leader of Al-Shabab, Sheik Muktar Abu Zubayr, also thanked the militants who carried out Sunday's twin bombings in Uganda that killed 76 people. It was the first time Al-Shabab had struck outside Somalia's borders. In the audio message played on Mogadishu radio stations, Abu Zubayr told Uganda's president that more attacks would be carried out.

NTUNGAMO: Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, with his wife who is also Member of Parliament, Janet Museveni, centre, talk to a local in Ntungamo district about 400km from Uganda capital Kampala on Wednesday. –AP

Turkey may open Armenia border for NATO exercise ANKARA: Turkey is considering whether to temporarily open its border with Armenia for a NATO disaster relief exercise in September, a Turkish diplomat said yesterday. "We will be taking part in the exercise," to be held in Armenia on September 11-17, the diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity. "We are looking into the possibility on whether the border may be opened if such a necessity arises....

There has been no decision yet," she said.

The frontier has been sealed for 17 years due to political tensions between the two neighbours, long estranged over Armenian allegations that their kin were the victim of genocide at the hands of Ottoman Turks during World War I. The diplomat said the authorities were looking into whether the infrastructure of the border area was suitable for use during the NATO drills, to be based on a scenario of civil emergency after an earthquake.

Re-opening the border was a key item in a historic deal Turkey and Armenia signed in October to establish diplomatic ties. But the process stalled in April when Yerevan halted ratification of the accord on the grounds that Ankara was not truely committed to its terms. The Today's Zaman newspaper reported yesterday that Ankara was in favour of opening the frontier for the

exercise.

"During technical discussions at NATO headquarters in Brussels a while ago, when such a possibility was raised by NATO officials, the Turkish side responded favorably," unnamed sources told the daily.

The drills will be held in Armenia's Kotayq region with up to 1,000 participants from NATO member and partner countries, according to NATO's Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre, which organises the event.

Asked about suggestions the border might remain open to allow Armenian pilgrims to cross shortly afterwards for a mass at a historic Armenian church in eastern Turkey, the diplomat told AFP that "this is out of the question." Hundreds are expected to travel to Turkey for the September 19 mass at the Church of the Holy Cross, a 10th-century edifice on a lake island in Van province, which is currently a museum. Ankara gave permission for the service in a gesture of good will to Armenians. Turkey sealed its border with Armenia in 1993 in a show of solidarity with Azerbaijan after Yerevan-backed ethnic Armenian separatists seized the Nagorny Karabakh region from Baku in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.—AFP

"I say to the Ugandan president what has happened in Kampala was only the beginning. We will keep revenging what your soldiers remorselessly did to our people. Your tanks destroyed the remains of our buildings in Mogadishu and we will also revenge that," Abu Zubayr said. The bombings on Sunday ripped through a restaurant and rugby club as crowds watched the World Cup final between Spain and the Netherlands on television. AlShabab said the bombings were revenge for Uganda's deployment of peacekeepers in Mogadishu with the African Union force, known as AMISOM. Al-Shabab battles African Union and Somali forces in the streets of Mogadishu daily, in an effort to topple Somalia's weak, UN-backed administration. Those attacks often miss their military targets and the crossfire kills scores of civilians, "What is called AMISOM has committed a nasty massacre in Mogadishu, worse than the ones committed before by the Ethiopians and Americans: constant shelling at poor civilian populations, tanks leveling what remained of Mogadishu buildings and machine-guns shot at public vehicles. All those were the habits of AMISOM," Abu Zubayr said.

Abu Zubayr also thanked the militant team that carried out the attacks. He said they were members of the Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan contingent, named after the militant killed in a U.S. commando raid in rural southern Somalia last September. Nabhan was wanted for the 2002 car bombing of a beach resort in Kenya and an attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner.

Meanwhile, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said at a news conference that his country is committed to sending 2,000 more troops to Somalia if the East African regional bloc known as IGAD agrees. He also called for African Union members to send up to 20,000 troops to Somalia "as soon as possible."

There are currently more than 5,000 AU troops in Mogadishu from Uganda and Burundi.

After the twin bombings in Kampala, al-Shabab also threatened to attack Burundi.

Uganda hosts an African Union summit later this month where Somalia force levels will be discussed. —AP

MADRID: Cuban dissident Julio Lester Gonzalez shows his Cuban passport during a press conference in Madrid yesterday. —AFP

Cuba prisoners shared cells with rats, roaches MADRID: Freed Cuban political prisoners who were flown to Spain this week say their cells were rat- and roachinfested and that disease was rampant. Julio Cesar Galvez told reporters at a press conference in Madrid yesterday that "the hygiene and health situations in prisons throughout the island of Cuba are not terrible, they are worse than terrible. He says "We had to live with rats and

cockroaches... with excrement.

It's not a lie." Galvez is one of nine political prisoners released by Cuba and flown to Spain, part of a group of 52 activists being released in stages by the Cuban government after being imprisoned in a 2003 crackdown. A 66-year-old journalist sentenced to 15 years, Galvez says there were outbreaks of dengue and tuberculosis in prison. — AP

Sudan jails three opposition journalists KHARTOUM: A Khartoum court jailed three opposition journalists after finding them guilty of destabilizing the constitutional system, their lawyer said yesterday, in the latest sign of a media crackdown. A judge sentenced Abuzar al-Amin, deputy editor in chief of the daily Rai AlShaab, to five years in prison, and two other journalists, Ashraf Abdelaziz and Al-Tahir Abu Jawhara, to two years each, said the lawyer.

"It is not reasonable to put journalists in prison for what they write with their pens. We will appeal," defence counsel Abdel Moneim Osman, told Reuters. Osman said the judge also ordered the closure of Rai Al-Shaab, which is linked to the Islamist opposition Popular Congress Party (PCP).

Armed security agents raided the paper in May, arresting staff and seizing a print-run. Agents also arrested the party's leader Hassan alTurabi and held him for six weeks before releasing him without charge. Government officials told Reuters at the time that Rai Al-Shaab articles accusing Sudan president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir of rigging April elections and saying Iran was developing weapons in a Sudanese factory had set out to destabilize the country.

Sudan's constitution enshrines press freedom but an unpopular national security law and other legislation allows authorities broad powers to restrict the press. Campaign group Human Rights Watch last

month reported a surge of arrests and intimidation against journalists, activists and opposition figures during and after the April poll, which boycotting opposition groups said was marred by fraud.

"The sentence is a blatant abuse of power to silence opposition and free speech. It is very harsh," PCP foreign secretary Bashir Adam Rahma told Reuters after the trial.

"Abuzar Ali al-Amin just wrote an analysis of the election results. That was what angered the president." Osman said the three were charged with destabilizing the constitutional system, an offence which can lead to the death penalty, and false reporting.

A fourth Rai al-Shaab journalist Ramadan Mahjoub was acquitted, he added.

Khartoum newspapers last week said the security service had warned them they would now face daily censorship and had already ordered them to remove articles that might cause tension between Khartoum and south Sudan's semi-autonomous government.

Residents of Sudan's oilproducing south secured a referendum on whether to stay in Sudan or secede as part of a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of north-south civil war. The security service last week shut down the Khartoum newspaper Al Intibaha, a publication seen as progovernment that also campaigned for the separation of north and south Sudan, state media reported.—Reuters

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Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 13

Obama's pick: Job creation must be 'high priority' WASHINGTON: Janet Yellen, the president's pick to be the secondhighest ranking official at the Federal Reserve, told Congress yesterday that invigorating the recovery and reducing unemployment is a "high priority."

Yellen, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, made the comments in prepared remarks to the Senate Banking Committee. The panel is considering Yellen's nomination along with President Barack Obama's nominees for two other positions on the Fed. As vice chairwoman, Yellen's duties would include helping build support for policy positions staked out by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, who began a second term in February. The three Fed nominations allow Obama to put a bigger stamp on the central bank at a crucial time. The Fed is trying to steer the fragile economy into a lasting

recovery. The nation has suffered the worst recession since the Great Depression, and the economy is vulnerable to shocks. At the same time, the Fed will play a leading role in implementing Congress' overhaul of financial regulations, which is moving closer to becoming law. "Over the next few years, the Fed must craft policies that ensure that our economy accelerates its progress along the recovery path it has begun to trace," Yellen said. "With unemployment still painfully high, job creation must be a high priority of monetary policy," she said. The unemployment rate is 9.5 percent. The Fed has said it will take five or six years to bring the economy and the employment closer to normal health.

Yellen is considered a dove on monetary policy. That means she would be expected to be concerned

Mexican prez replaces top security official MEXICO CITY: Mexico's president accepted the resignation Wednesday of his top domestic security official, Interior Secretary Fernando Gomez Mont, and named a former congressman with experience in fighting drug cartels to replace him.

President Felipe Calderon praised the handson experience the new federal interior secretary, Francisco Blake, gained serving in the same post at the state level in Baja California, a border state plagued by drug violence.

"In that position, he has played a fundamental role in confronting in a decisive way the problems of violence in that state," Calderon said of Blake, who will oversee the multiagency national security council. "The knowledge he has of crime, and the good relations he managed to build between the police and army in the fight against crime in Baja California, will without doubt be of great value in strengthening the fight for public safety," Calderon said.

Calderon also praised Gomez Mont, but more for his efforts at political and economic reforms enacted since assuming the post in November 2008, than for any hands-on involvement in the war against drug cartels.

Gomez Mont's most famous moment in the drug war was an undignified moment in the border city of Ciudad Juarez when a heckler in the drug-plagued city slapped him in the back of the head.

The announcement came after a highly publicized dispute between Gomez Mont and Calderon

over the advisability of forming electoral alliances with leftist parties to prevent a predicted wave of victories by the old ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party.

Gomez Mont heatedly opposed such alliances, and resigned from Calderon's conservative National Action Party in February to protest the pacts, which some party members said placed in doubt the party's ideological underpinnings. However, the alliances helped coalition candidates wrest two important governorships from the PRI in the country's July 4th elections.

The new interior secretary, Blake, stressed his commitment to human rights and press freedoms, and promised "a democratic security policy, supported not only by the forces of law and order, but also by the three branches of government, and society as a whole."

"We will have to specially direct our efforts in meeting the challenges to public safety and the fight against organized crime," Blake said in accepting the post.

Calderon also announced the appointment of Bruno Ferrari, the former head of the country's investment promotion agency, as economy secretary, to replace Gerardo Ruiz Mateos, who will move on to become Calderon's chiefof-staff.

Gomez Mont's brother, Miguel , the former head of the country's tourism investment fund , was involved in an embarrassing scuffle at the soccer World Cup in June, and later resigned.—AP

more about high unemployment than about rising inflation. Still, she told lawmakers that once the recovery is fully entrenched, the Fed must be prepared to start boosting record low interest rates "in a careful and deliberate fashion" to avoid any inflation threats. And, Yellen said the Fed must do its best to avoid another financial crisis like the devastating one in 2008.

"We have learned a harsh lesson about teh dire consequences a financial crisis has for ordinary Americans in the form of lost jobs, lost homes, lost wealth and lost businesses," she said. "Those of us charged with overseeing the financial system should always keep this human cost in mind," she added Lawmakers in Congress and others have blamed the Fed for lax regulation, failures to crack down on dubious lending practices and

missing signs of risks, which all factored into the crisis.

In addition to Yellen, the president has nominated Sarah Raskin, a Harvard-educated lawyer who is the Maryland commissioner of financial regulation, and Peter Diamond, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to become Fed members.

All three nominations are subject to Senate approval. If the Senate confirms all three nominees to the Fed, Obama will have appointed five of the seven members of the Federal Reserve Board in Washington.

Diamond told lawmakers a central theme of his research has been how the economy deals with risk. If confirmed, Diamond said this background would be helpful as the Fed develops ways to avoid another financial crisis. Yellen has a long

history with the Fed. She has been president of the San Francisco Fed since 2004, and she was a member of the Fed's Board of Governors from 1994 to 1997. She'll replace vice chair Donald Kohn, who plans to step down in September.

Diamond is an authority on Social Security, pensions and taxation.

Raskin, who served as counsel to the Senate Banking Committee, would expand the Fed's expertise over financial regulation. That would include consumer issues, which are important to Obama and Congress as they seek to revamp the nation's financial regulations. "Even though the worst of the crisis is over, it remains a precarious time for far too many of our families and businesses," Raskin said.

"The Fed must do its part to restore the underlying strength and vibrancy of the American economy."— AP

Argentina legalizes gay marriage in historic vote BUENOS AIRES: Argentina legalized same-sex marriage yesterday, becoming the first country in Latin America to grant gays and lesbians all the legal rights, responsibilities and protections that marriage brings to heterosexual couples. After a marathon debate, 33 lawmakers voted in favor, 27 were against it and 3 abstained in Argentina's Senate in a vote that ended after 4 a.m. Since the lower house already approved it, and President Cristina Fernandez is a strong supporter, it now becomes law as soon as it is published in the official bulletin.

The law is sure to bring a wave of marriages by gays and lesbians who have increasingly found Buenos Aires to be more accepting than many other places in the region. The approval came despite a concerted campaign by the Roman Catholic Church and evangelical groups, which drew 60,000 people to march on Congress and urged parents in churches and schools to work against passage. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio said "everyone loses" with gay marriage, and "children need to have the right to be raised and educated by a father and a mother." Nine gay couples had already married in Argentina after persuading judges that the constitutional mandate of equality supports their marriage rights, but some of these marriages were later declared invalid. As the debate stretched on for nearly 16 hours, supporters and opponents of held rival vigils through the frigid night outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires.

"Marriage between a man and a woman has existed for centuries, and is essential for the perpetuation of the species," insisted Sen. Juan Perez Alsina, who is usually a loyal supporter of the president but gave a passionate speech against gay marriage.

But Sen. Norma Morandini, another member of the president's party, compared the discrimination closeted gays face to the oppression imposed

by Argentina's dictators decades ago. "What defines us is our humanity, and what runs against humanity is intolerance," she said. Same-sex civil unions have been legalized in Uruguay, Buenos Aires and some states in Mexico and Brazil. Mexico City

BUENOS AIRES: Senators debate at Congress in Buenos Aires, early yesterday. Senators voted to approve a law allowing same-sex marriage, making Argentina the first in Latin America to grant same-sex marriages all the rights of heterosexual unions. —AP has legalized gay marriage.

Colombia's Constitutional Court granted same-sex couples inheritance rights and allowed them to add their partners to health insurance plans.

But Argentina now becomes the first country in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide, granting gays and lesbians all the same rights and responsibilities that heterosexuals have. These include many more rights than civil unions, including adopting children and inheriting wealth.

Gay rights advocates said Argentina's historic step adds momentum to similar efforts around the world. "Today's historic vote shows how far Catholic Argentina has come, from dictatorship to true democratic values, and how far the freedom to marry movement

has come, as twelve countries on four continents now embrace marriage equality," said Evan Wolfson, who runs the US Freedom to Marry lobby.

He urged US lawmakers to stand up "for the Constitution and all families here in the United States. America should lead, not lag, when it comes to treating everyone equally under the law." Among the opponents were teacher Eduardo Morales, who said he believes the legislation was concocted by Buenos Aires residents who are out step with the views of the country. "They want to convert this city into the gay capital of the world," said Morales of San Luis province. Ines Franck, director of the group Familias Argentinas, said the legislation cuts against centuries of tradition. Opposing the measure

"is not discrimination, because the essence of a family is between two people of opposite sexes," he said. "Any variation goes against the law, and against nature."

The president, currently on a state visit to China, spoke out from there against the Argentine Catholic Church's campaign and the tone she said some religious groups have taken.

"It's very worrisome to hear words like 'God's war' or 'the devil's project,' things that recall the times of the Inquisition," she said.

Some opposition leaders have accused her of promoting the initiative to gain votes in next year's presidential elections, when Fernandez's husband, former President Nestor Kirchner, is expected to run again. —AP

INTERNATIONAL

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Friday, July 16, 2010

38 people remained missing

Power back after typhoon kills 26 MANILA: Electricity was restored in the Philippine capital, flights resumed and schools reopened yesterday after the first typhoon of the season killed at least 26 people and plunged most of the main northern island into darkness.

Thirty-eight people remained missing, mostly fishermen caught by Typhoon Conson's fury at sea. Electricity was

restored to most of Manila and nearby provinces after Conson, packing winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, slammed ashore late Tuesday and early Wednesday, toppling power lines, downing trees and ripping off roofs and tarpaulin billboards. Flights at the Manila international airport also resumed and schools reopened.

MANILA: A Philippine Coast Guard officer walks past submerged barges and fishing boats at Mariveles township, Bataan province 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Manila, Philippines yesterday. —AP

Vietnam publishes human rights magazine HANOI: Vietnam, often criticized by Western governments and international groups for its poor human rights record, has published the first issue of a human rights magazine to help counter what it calls "erroneous and hostile allegations," state media reported yesterday.

The official Vietnam News Agency quoted Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem as praising the country's major achievements over the past 25 years following reforms that push Vietnam to exercise better human rights.

"Hostile forces, however, have constantly abused the issues of democracy, human rights, religion and ethnic minorities to slander, distort and interfere in our development," Khiem was quoted as saying.

The foreign minister said

the monthly magazine would serve as one of the sources of information to disseminate the ruling Communist Party and state's policies on human rights and help people inside and outside the country to understand "protecting human rights is the nature of our regime."

Khiem said the magazine will also help to "fight erroneous and hostile allegations."

Vietnam considers any form of dissent a threat that could potentially overthrow the Communist government. Hanoi has targeted dissidents within in the country along with Vietnamese living overseas, especially activists living in the US, branding some organizations as terrorist groups. The US, European Union and international human rights groups have often criticized Vietnam for

jailing religious and prodemocracy dissidents who peacefully raise their voices.

Last month, Google criticized Hanoi for passing new regulations requiring public Internet sites to install software that could potentially block access to some websites and monitor user activity.

Vietnam's one-party system does not tolerate any form of dissent, and the government often uses vague national security laws to imprison anyone who challenges its rules publicly or on the Internet. The US has labeled Vietnam as one of the world's worst offenders of religious freedom and has continually called for the government to allow citizens to express themselves without fear of reprisal. Over the past year, Vietnam has jailed nearly 20 pro-democracy activists. — AP

Heavy rains, unrelated to the typhoon, have also wreaked havoc in China and Japan. The death toll from rain-triggered landslides rose to 41 in western China, and workers raced to drain overflowing reservoirs in the southeast. Flooding has killed more than 100 people in China so far this month, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Storm in southern and western Japan left two dead and three missing.

An elderly woman drowned in a swollen river and another woman in her 70s was found buried in a landslide in Hiroshima, western Japan, according to Hiroshima police.

Two women in their 70s also were missing there, as was an 82-year-old man in neighboring Shimane prefecture. More rain was predicted yesterday in both Japan and China. Conson, which weakened into a tropical storm over the South China Sea, was forecast to make another landfall along the Chinese-Vietnamese border this weekend.

In the Philippines, many died while fleeing the typhoon's fury, regional disaster operations officer Fred Bragas said. The 26 deaths were spread over six provinces and areas near Manila.

Newly elected President Benigno Aquino III scolded the weather bureau for failing to predict that the storm would hit Manila, which left government agencies unprepared for the onslaught.

The Philippines is hit by about 20 typhoons and storms a year, gaining a reputation as the welcome mat for the most destructive cyclones from the Pacific. Last year, back-to-back typhoons inundated Manila and outlying provinces, killing nearly 1,000 people. Several people were killed by falling debris or electrocuted. One man drowned trying to save a dozen pigs in a swollen lake south of Manila, while his companion was swept away and is missing, Bragas said.

Twenty-seven out of 30 towns in Laguna province were flooded and the governor declared a state of calamity.

A concrete wall collapsed and pinned four carpenters to death while a landslide killed a man in his house in nearby Tagaytay city. —AP

SEOUL: A South Korean student takes a picture of a poster of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, painted by North Korean defector Sun Moo, at the Korean War exhibition in Seoul, South Korea yesterday.—AP

North Korea demands its own probe into ship sinking SEOUL: North Korea's military renewed its call for its own investigation into the March deadly sinking of a South Korean warship as it met yesterday with the US-led UN Command for the first time since the incident raised tensions on the Korean peninsula. An international investigation in May concluded a North Korean submarine fired a torpedo that sank the 1,200-ton Cheonan near the tense Korean sea border, killing 46 South Korean sailors.

At the talks, the North's officers stressed that Pyongyang's inspectors should be permitted to go to the site of the sinking to verify those results, according to state media. Seoul has so far rejected the North's request. "Field investigation by an inspection group ... should precede under any circumstances to ensure the successful opening of the general-level talks," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch.

Colonel-level officers gathered yesterday at the Korean border village of Panmunjom for about 90 minutes and discussed the hosting of higher-level talks to discuss the sinking, the UN Command said in a statement.

The two sides agreed to hold the second colonel-level meeting in Panmunjom around July 20, KCNA said.

Yesterday's talks came a week after the UN Security Council approved a statement that condemned the sinking but stopped short of directly blaming North Korea. South Korea and the US have called the sinking a violation of the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War in 1953, while Pyongyang flatly denies it was responsible and has warned any punishment would

trigger war.

The UN Command, which oversees the armistice, separately investigated whether the sinking violated the truce, though the findings have not been disclosed. Late last month, the command proposed military talks with North Korea to review its findings and initiate dialogue.

The North first rejected the offer, criticizing the US for allegedly trying to meddle in inter-Korean affairs under the name of the UN But it reversed its position last week and proposed working-level talks at Panmunjom to prepare for higher-level talks by general officers on the sinking.

North Korea and the UN Command launched generallevel talks in 1998 as a measure to lessen tension between the sides. If a new round is realized, they would be the 17th of their kind, according to the UN The US stations 28,500 troops in South Korea, a legacy of the Korean War, which ended in an armistice that has never been replaced with a permanent peace treaty.

The US and South Korea will likely forge ahead with military exercises in the Yellow Sea in response to North Korea's alleged attack on the warship, Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said Wednesday.

China reiterated yesterday its opposition to the US-South Korean naval exercises, saying the actions would threaten Chinese interests and unsettle an already tense region. "We firmly oppose any foreign warships and airplanes conducting activities undermining China's security interests in the Yellow Sea and China's coastal waters," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters in Beijing at a routine media briefing.—AP

INTERNATIONAL

Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 15

Attack sign that Islamist militants still active

Blast in Pakistan's Swat Valley kills 5, wounds 58 ISLAMABAD: Indian's Foreign Minister SM Krishna (2 L) holds talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi (2 R) at the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad yesterday. —AFP

India, Pakistan hold key talks in Islamabad ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministers of nuclear-armed rivals Pakistan and India yesterday were holding their first key talks in Islamabad since the 2008 Mumbai attacks derailed a peace process. The talks are the third high-level contact in six months and the foreign ministers' first meeting since 10 Islamist gunmen killed 166 people in 60 hours of carnage in India's financial capital two years ago. The agenda is likely to be dominated

by Indian concerns about terrorism, violence in Indiaadministered Kashmir, rivalry in Afghanistan and allegations that Pakistan's intelligence agency was behind the 2008 attacks.

India's S.M. Krishna and Pakistan's Shah Mehmood Qureshi shook hands and went into talks at the foreign ministry, part of the heavily guarded "Red Zone" that is home to government and diplomatic missions in the centre of Islamabad. As the ministers met, a suicide attack killed five people in the northwestern district of Swat, spotlighting Pakistan's own struggle against Islamist militants who have killed more than 3,500 people in three years.

The meeting was also overshadowed by comments that an Indian newspaper attributed to India's senior civil servant in the home ministry, G K Pillai, blaming Pakistani intelligence for masterminding the Mumbai siege. India and the United States accused Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) over the bloody siege, which India considers its own

September 11.

Pakistan has admitted that the attacks were planned partly on its soil and an anti-terrorism court has charged seven suspects in connection with the violence, including alleged mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. Indian newspapers called on Krishna to spell out alleged new evidence that Pakistan's intelligence agency orchestrated the Mumbai attacks. Pillai told the Indian Express newspaper that the level of involvement of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had become clear through recent questioning of David Headley, a suspect under arrest in the United States.

Headley, the US-born son of a former Pakistani diplomat and an American woman, was arrested in Chicago last year and has pleaded guilty to scouting the hotels and other sites in Mumbai that were targeted by the militants.

"Foreign Minister S M Krishna to nail Pak using David Headley," said the front-page of the Hindustan Times. Although the ultimate goal is to resume peace talks, analysts say the meeting is unlikely to yield concrete agreement beyond possible trust-building measures that could help ease deep distrust. A Pakistani official told AFP that a scheduled news conference had been delayed more than three hours to 6 pm (1300 GMT), to make way for talks with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. — AFP

KABUL: A US helicopter lands near recruited Afghan soldiers during an oath taking ceremony at the Ghazi Military Training Center, where they are being trained by Turkish military officers of the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), in Kabul yesterday. —AP

MINGORA: An apparent suicide bombing near a bus terminal in Pakistan's Swat Valley killed five people and wounded at least 58 yesterday, officials said, a sign that Islamist militants remain active in the northwest region despite a massive army operation. The explosion went off around noon in Mingora, the main town in the one-time

tourist haven that was overrun by the Taleban in 2007.

Pakistani TV footage showed vehicles bent and twisted due to the force of the blast. Some men were desperately trying to open the doors of a car to reach a woman and man sitting in the front who were bloodied and appeared unconscious.

The area struck was crowded, so the death toll could rise significantly. Senior police official Qazi Ghulam Farooq said five people died, including two women, and that officials believed a suicide bomber was involved.

At least 58 people were wounded, he said.

The Pakistan military launched its biggest operation against the Taleban in Swat in 2009 after a failed attempt at a peace deal that included pledges to impose Islamic law in the area. The operation forced some 2 million people to flee, but after a few months, the army said it had taken control and many of the refugees returned home.

Still, violence has occasionally flared in Swat, shaking people's confidence.

A handful of targeted killings of anti-Taleban elders in particular has worried those who fear the insurgents are staging a comeback in the valley.

In recent weeks, several major suicide attacks have shaken Pakistan. Last week, a pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up in the Mohmand tribal region, killing at least 102 people in the deadliest attack in the USallied nation this year.

tribal area along the Afghan border. The attacks have been especially frequent in North Waziristan, the home base of the Al-Qaeda-linked group led

by Jalaluddin Haqqani and his son Siraj.

Militants have responded by assassinating tribesmen whom they accuse of spying, including two men whose

SWAT: Pakistani soldiers and police officers secure the site of apparent suicide bombing in Mingora, the capital of Pakistan's troubled valley of Swat yesterday. —AP The attacks come as Washington is pushing Pakistan to do even more to root out militant groups that use its soil to plan attacks on Western troops across the border in Afghanistan. The US has also launched more than 100 missile strikes against Taleban and Al-Qaeda fighters in Pakistan's semiautonomous

bullet riddled bodies were found yesterday in the Datta Khel area of North Waziristan, said an intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. The bodies were accompanied by notes saying they were killed for spying on the Taleban, he said.—AP

Afghanistan health team abducted; local official killed KABUL: Gunmen kidnapped five Health Ministry employees in Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar province while insurgents killed a district official elsewhere, reportedly on the orders of the Taleban supreme leader, officials said yesterday.

Insurgent bombings, gunbattles, assassinations and abductions have been increasing this year as thousands of American troops partnered with Afghan forces fan out in the militants' southern strongholds to try to wrest back control and establish effective local government.

Members of a medical team were abducted Wednesday afternoon while returning to Kandahar city, the provincial capital, after visiting a project in Maiwand district, provincial spokesman Zulmi Ayubi said yesterday. The gunmen forced the car to stop about a mile (two kilometers) outside Maiwand and abducted two doctors, a pharmacist, a nurse and their driver, Ayubi said. The Health Ministry issued a statement calling for their release. The kidnappers were not identified, but Taleban insurgents have

been on spree of assassinations and abductions of government workers. The campaign of fear is especially intense in Kandahar, where Afghan and international forces have been increasing their presence, with the apparent message that the militants can still operate in their traditional stronghold. Kandahar is the spiritual birthplaces of the Taleban, who follow an extreme form of Islam that they imposed on Afghanistan during their five years in power before their regime was toppled by US-backed forces for sheltering Al-Qaeda terrorist leaders.

In neighboring Uruzgan province, insurgents manning a makeshift checkpoint pulled a district leader out of his vehicle and shot him dead in the road on Tuesday, according to Gulab Khan, the provincial deputy police chief. Saleh Mohammad was a member of a local tribal council in Khas Uruzgan district, an area where US forces are working with local government.

A US special forces officer was quoted in a NATO statement as saying the local leader was on a list of Afghan officials that

Mullah Mohammad Omar, the leader of the main Afghan Taleban faction, sent to his followers with orders to kill them.

Mullah Omar, who headed the Taleban's former government, is in hiding, possibly around the Pakistani city of Quetta. Also in Uruzgan, police said they had killed a local Taleban commander, identified as Mullah Dawood, in a gunbattle.

A routine police patrol discovered the insurgents in a village in Tarin Kot district and started fighting, according to Gulab Khan, the deputy police chief. He said five insurgents, including the commander and a bomb-maker, died and the police suffered no casualties. Taleban spokesmen could not be reached for comment. Building up Afghan police and army into a reliable security force is one of the lynchpins of the new counterinsurgency policy for the war, which calls for an increase in international troops to secure areas and then turn them over to local authorities, eventually allowing foreign troops to withdraw without the Taleban seizing power again.— AP

BUSINESS

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Friday, July 16, 2010

Arabtec up on payment hope as markets stutter CAIRO: Dubai's Arabtec surged yesterday after indebted property developer Nakheel said core banks had unanimously approved its multibillion dollar restructuring proposal.

Builder Arabtec climbed 6.4 percent, helping Dubai's index reach a new two-week high, but most Middle East markets fell, tracking losses in global equities. Kuwait's index also fell 0.4 percent to 6,513 points. "The announcement Nakheel is finalising its restructuring is helping sentiment and retailers are picking up Arabtec at current levels in the belief the company's cash flows will now be better," said Marwan Shurrab, vicepresident and chief trader at

Gulfmena Alternative Investments.

Some analysts have put the figure Nakheel owes Arabtec at around 2 billion dirhams ($544.5 million).

Nakheel is holding separate debt restructuring talks from those put in place by its parent, state-controlled conglomerate Dubai World. Last week, a source told Reuters Nakheel would complete paying overdue debt to contractors, which include Arabtec, by the end of July. Dubai's index rose 1 percent to its highest finish since June 27.

Like many traders, Mohamed Laboudi, Prime Emirates relationship manager, said he had expected UAE markets to decline as

a US rally faltered, indicating a correction could be imminent following six straight gains on Wall Street.

"We thought investors would be wary of holding onto stocks over the weekend in case the US has a bad Friday, but we're getting buy orders from institutional clients, which implies they are confident of good Q2 numbers from select companies."

Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) fell 3.7 percent, its largest decline for seven weeks after reporting a 35 percent drop in second-quarter profit. "The consensus is that QIB's top-line was good, but that provisions hurt the bottom line," said a Qatar analyst who

asked not to be identified.

"These provisions were taken to comply with government requirements and if the stock falls I would this as a buying opportunity year-on-year profit has fallen, but quarter-on-quarter it's flattish and if you take off the provisions, the results are actually pretty good."

Egypt's Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) dipped 0.3 percent.

On Wednesday, the company said it had bought a Dutch storage tank owner and operator as part of an expansion into Europe. "From a fundamental perspective it (the purchase) won't affect the stock's fair value price, but people perceive it as

OCI extending their network in different areas," said Sally Refaat of Pharos Securities.

Bank Dhofar ended flat, while National Bank of Oman climbed 0.9 percent after both lenders reported rising quarterly profits, helping Oman's index end higher for a ninth session in 11. "Bank Dhofar's net profit is encouraging," said Gunjan Gupta, head of research at Oman Arab Bank. "We believe the stock has already moved upwards and adjusted for higher growth expectation. At current multiples, Bank Dhofar is expensive amongst local peers, thereby making it less attractive." — Reuters

Qatari Diar bond sale heavily oversubscribed

NEW DELHI: An Emirates A380 Airbus - the world’s largest passenger aircraft - taxis after touchdown at terminal T-3 of Indira Gandhi International Airport yesterday. The Emirates flight EK 516 was the first commercial A380 flight to land at the new terminal a day after it was inaugurated - a shiny glass-and-steel symbol of the country’s aspirations as an emerging global power. The stateof-the-art hub, which cost nearly three billion dollars and can handle 34 million passengers a year, was showcased at a special ceremony by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ahead of its mid-July public opening. The airport was built in a record 37 months when similar projects abroad have taken more than 60 months, officials said. – AFP

Kuwait plans 300,000 bpd refinery on Java island

KPC to invest $8-9bn in Indonesian refinery JAKARTA: Kuwait Petroleum Corp will invest $8-9 billion in a new 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) oil refinery on Indonesia's Java island, Indonesian Industry Minister MS Hidayat said yesterday. The move would help cut fuel shipments into Asia's biggest gasoline and diesel importer, where delapidated refineries do not meet demand in Southeast Asia's biggest economy and where no new refinery has been built since 1995. However no timeframe was given for the Kuwaiti project, and previous plans to build new refineries have failed.

Hidayat said Kuwait Petroleum Corp and Indonesia's state energy firm Pertamina will sign an MOU at the end of this month for a refinery in Balongan in western Java. "A joint venture will be formed within six months," he said. "The crude oil will be supplied from KPC at a discount price." Indonesia's state oil firm Pertamina has said previously it planned to build a new refineries in west and east Java in joint ventures with foreign investors, and to boost capacity at its refineries in Balikpapan, Dumai and Balongan.

Pertamina has asked the government for tax incentives for new refinery projects to attract investors. Indonesia's investment chief Gita Wirjawan said the government will consider giving a tax holiday to refinery investors. "I have talked with the finance minister and he responded positively about giving tax incentives for new refinery projects," Wirjawan told reporters yesterday.

Indonesia has not build new refineries because of the high cost of projects and low margins in a country where fuel is subsidised.— Reuters

DUBAI/LONDON: Qatari Diar's dual tranche $3.5 billion bond sale attracted combined orders of over $23 billion according to a lead manager, as investors scrambled to get their hands on state-backed paper from the Gulf Arab state. Foreign investors are keen to buy into debt issues from Qatar, the Gulf country rich in natural gas reserves and whose economy is expected to show double digit growth rates this year and in the next three to five years.

The $1 billion five-year tranche sale from the property arm of Qatar's sovereign wealth fund attracted an order book of over $11 billion. The bond yielded 3.5 percent. Diar's $2.5 billion 10-year tranche received more than $12 billion in orders, one of the lead arrangers on the deal said.

The 10-year tranche carries a 5 percent coupon. "Qatar has got a pretty spectacular credit story to tell - growth rates are strong. They are seen as a very sensible and smart issuer, and they've demonstrated that again here," said Spencer MacLean, a banker with Standard Chartered bank in London.

Joint lead managers on the sale were Barclays, HSBC, Qatar National Bank, RBS and Standard Chartered.

Asian investors bought 10 percent of the five-year tranche and 12 percent of the ten-year tranche from the issuer showing increased demand for Qatar issues from Asia. "If you rewind the clock to last November, the Asian orders for the five-year were 5 percent, and 3 percent for the 10-year. So demand has doubled for the five-year and quadrupled for the 10-year," Spencer said.

In November, Qatar sold $7 billion in bonds in three tranches which attracted a heavily oversubscribed order book. Following the issue, the regional bond market remained shut for months after Dubai's debt troubles came to light. Diar has been an active investor in real estate projects in the Gulf and abroad. Qatar, the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, is ensuring its key property firms weather the global crisis, which has hit nearby Dubai hard, by pushing through defensive mergers and using Diar to invest in them. —Reuters

Oman's Bank Dhofar Q2 profit rises 16% MUSCAT: Bank Dhofar, Oman's second-largest bank by market value, saw quarterly net profit rise 16 percent yesterday but the results fell short of analysts' forecasts. Second-quarter net profit rose to 8.9 million rials ($23.12 million) from 7.7 million rials in the second quarter of 2009, according to Reuters calculations.

The lender posted a profit of 8.8 million rials for the first-quarter of the year. Analysts had forecast net profit of 9.1 million rials for the second quarter, according to a Reuters survey.

For the six months ended June 30, the bank's profits rose 25 percent to 17.7 million rials, it said in a statement. Customer deposits for the first half of the year rose 15.1 percent, while loans and advances grew 6.8 percent.

Omani banks have so far reported strong growth in quarterly earnings as asset quality improves and lenders book lower provisions as they recover from the impact of the financial crisis.

On Wednesday, Oman's largest bank by market value, Bank Muscat reported an 87-percent jump in second-quarter profit, while National Bank of Oman said second-quarter profit rose 21 percent. — Reuters

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Water row key to India-Pakistan rivalry BUDHAN KAY, Pakistan: For Pakistani farmer Ghulam Sarwar, only war with India can overcome the water shortages parching his crops and drying up his profits. His family owns 85 acres in northern Punjab, traditionally the bread basket of Pakistan but where the country’s sizeable agriculture sector is finding it increasingly difficult to irrigate crops.

“This year water supply is less than last year. Crop earnings decline every year and water shortages have affected 50 percent of our agricultural business.

The problems with India can only be resolved with war,” said Sarwar.

The 29-year-old says his family is forced to use costly motors to pump water in their village of Budhan Kay, 40 km north of Lahore. “Our yields have

declined up to 50 percent in the last two, three years. If things continue, agriculture will go down 75 percent in the next 10 years,” he said. When the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan sit down yesterday for their first faceto-face talks since New Delhi called off a peace process after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, water will be one of the issues on the agenda.

Water availability in Pakistan has fallen from about 5,000 cu m per capita in the early 1950s to less than 1,500 cu m, said a 2008 report for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Growing population, rising demand, and snow and ice reductions in the Himalayas account for the shortages, which are compounded by inefficient irrigation, abysmal urban

sanitation and unequal water rights, it said.

But many in Pakistan have accused arch-rival India, the powerful neighbour to the east, of stealing water.

Whipping up anger, Islamist groups even called for a new jihad, or holy war, over water - something few took seriously. “Only jihad can help get water released to Pakistan, so people should rise up,” said Jammat-ud-Dawa, a charity seen as a front for Lashkar-eTaiba, blamed for the Mumbai attacks.

India denies that it is unfairly diverting water. Indian analysts accuse Pakistan of trying to divert attention from water mismanagement and a crippling energy crisis, saying Islamabad should better share out water within Pakistan. India and

Pakistan say all issues are up for discussion, but rightwing religious groups and farmers in Pakistan believe the dialogue will be useless unless Pakistan focuses on water and Kashmir. Unreliable rains mean that agriculture in Punjab depends heavily on river water. Agriculture accounts for about 20 percent of Pakistan’s gross domestic product and millions of jobs depend on farming.

The 1960 Indus Water Treaty gave India and Pakistan three Himalayan rivers each and the right to hydropower and irrigation resources. It established the India-Pakistan Indus Commission, which is supposed to resolve any problems that arise. If not, they can call on World Bank-appointed experts and arbitration. That last

happened in 2005, when India was told to make small changes to the design of another big dam to which Pakistan objected. But Pakistan now wants court of arbitration over an Indian hydropower dam on the Kishanganga river that it says violates the 1960 treaty. Hamid Malhi, co-ordinator of the Punjab Water Council that represents farmers, said urgent talks were required to appease Pakistani fears that Indian hydro-electric stations could run Pakistan’s rivers dry. “If diversions like the Kishanganga project are not settled as it should be, then we have serious apprehensions that diversions from other rivers would also be made and precedents would be set,” he told AFP. “The only way is to sit down and talk.” —AFP

Recovery inches painfully ahead

Japanese central bank raises growth forecast

MUMBAI: Research scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology D Udaya Kumar displays the new symbol of the Indian currency designed by him yesterday. —AP

India launches rupee symbol NEW DELHI: India unveiled yesterday a symbol for its rupee currency that it hopes will become as globally recognised as signs for the dollar, the yen, the pound and the euro. Ministers made their final decision at a cabinet meeting after examining a shortlist of five designs inspired by the letter “R” in the Roman alphabet and “Ra” from the ancient Devanagari script used in Hindi. “This establishes the arrival of the Indian currency as a robust currency on an international platform and I think every Indian should be proud about it,” Ambika Soni, the minister for information, told reporters. “Some of us in the cabinet tried to write it out and it is not difficult at all,” she said.

The rupee is currently referred to by the abbreviations “Rs”, “Re” or “INR”, though it remains uncertain whether the new symbol will be widely taken up. Udaya Kumar, a post-graduate student at the Indian Institute of

Technology, submitted the design which beat 3,000 other entries in a national competition to win a cash prize of 250,000 rupees ($5,350).

“The guidelines asked us to incorporate Indian culture and traditions, and be suitable for computer keyboards,” he told the NDTV news channel. “My design has a horizontal line which also makes the tricolour of the Indian flag.”

The government plans to introduce the symbol on computers shortly and to have it in regular international use within two years. India’s economy has experienced rapid growth since liberalisation reforms in the early 1990s reduced controls on foreign trade and investment, and the country is widely forecast to become a global superpower. The Indian government predicts the economy will grow by 8.5 percent this fiscal year and should hit double-digit expansion within five years.—AFP

TOKYO: Japan’s central bank yesterday raised its growth forecast to 2.6 percent for this fiscal year as recovery in Asia’s biggest economy inches painfully ahead thanks to demand in emerging nations. “Japan’s economy shows further signs of moderate recovery, induced by improvement in overseas economic conditions,” the Bank of Japan said, raising its GDP forecast from the 1.8 percent it predicted in April. “Exports and production have been increasing mainly due to high growth in emerging economies and increased global demand for IT-related goods,” the bank said in a statement after a two-day board meeting.

Demand especially from China and Southeast Asia has helped Japanese exporters. Japan’s sluggish growth sharply contrasts with that of China, which yesterday said its economy had expanded 10.3 percent in the second quarter. Despite the more upbeat assessment, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) kept its key lending rate unchanged at 0.1 percent, as expected, and said it would “aim to maintain the extremely accommodative financial environment”.

The rate has not changed since Dec 2008 - the lowest point in a global financial crisis which plunged Japan into recession - and lags behind other Asian economies that have recently tightened their monetary policies.

The bank slightly downgraded its GDP forecast for the fiscal year 2011 to 1.9 percent from a previous estimate of 2.0 percent.

The BoJ also warned of risks from Europe, where a fiscal crisis has threatened the global recovery.

The euro has plummeted against the yen recently, hitting Japanese exporters and eroding their competitiveness. Japan fell into a severe recession amid the global financial crisis but clawed out of it in early 2009. Since then its recovery has gathered steam, with GDP reaching an annualised five percent in the first quarter of 2010. —AFP

TOKYO: A woman walks past the Bank of Japan building yesterday. —AP

Germany plans €26 tax on air passengers FRANKFURT: Airlines will have to pay up to €26 ($33) per passenger under the German government’s plan to impose an air travel tax to raise €1 billion a year, according to a draft law seen

by Reuters yesterday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel last month announced the tax plan as part of €80 billion of budget measures, stunning the aviation industry and sparking protest from airlines and lobby groups.

German airlines and lobby groups protested the planned tax, which they said would lead to jobs and passengers moving abroad. “The Dutch example showed us that an air travel tax that is introduced on a national level leads mostly to a shift of passengers abroad,” Ralf

Teckentrupp, the president of German airline association BDF, said in a speech in Berlin. The Dutch government scrapped its air travel tax last year after passenger numbers in the country dropped dramatically.

European airlines are struggling to return to profit after the industry’s worst downturn in decades. BDF said it expected 10,000 jobs to shift abroad and German passenger volume to drop by 5 million per year due to the tax. In 2009, there were 182 million passengers in Germany. Under the government’s plan, airlines are to be taxed according to the distance their passengers travel, starting on Jan. 1, 2011.

For shorter trips, within the

European Union and other countries less than 2,500 km away, the tax is set at €13. For longer trips it would be €26. A spokesman for German flagship carrier Lufthansa said the higher tax on long haul flight could result in more passengers choosing to depart from airports outside Germany. “It is incomprehensible to us that the burden on long haul is double that of short haul since long haul can almost entirely be substituted with foreign airports,” the spokesman said.

The draft law showed that the air travel tax would be lowered from 2012, when airlines will have to start buying certificates as part of a European emissions trading scheme. —Reuters

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Spain bond sale snapped up, Italy govt wins vote MADRID/ROME: A successful bond auction in Spain and the Italian government’s victory in a confidence vote yesterday provided some relief for those countries’ struggling prime ministers. Spain’s sale of €3 billion ($3.8 billion) of 15-year government bonds followed solid demand for auctions in Portugal and Italy and a successful sale of treasury bills in heavily-indebted Greece, all adding to evidence that fears of a sovereign debt catastrophe are easing.

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s triumph in a parliamentary vote on an unpopular 25-billion-euro ($31.77 billion) austerity plan averted the prospect of his government resigning over what he had portrayed as a confidence vote. Although much depends on the results next week of tests of European banks’ resistance to economic shocks, signs are growing that policymakers have - at least for now staved off the worst dangers in a debt crisis that began in Greece.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the euro’s strength had lulled some countries into a false sense of economic confidence but had also forced euro zone members to put their economies in shape by implementing austerity measures. “The euro is, in fact, being an extremely powerful driver for what Europe needs and what Europe needs most of all is not to live above its means and, secondly, to make the structural reforms to become more competitive in the global economies,” Barroso, the head of the EU executive, told the Times newspaper.

Investors have punished Spanish bonds in recent months, concerned about the sluggish economy and a deficit which soared to 11.2 percent of gross domestic product at the end of 2009. But yesterday’s sale was at the top end of the Spanish Treasury’s target range and a source said there was a more than a 50 percent take-up by foreign investors.

There has been some concern among

investors that Spanish debt has only attracted demand from domestic banks.

“A very good result, and one which will improve risk sentiment,” said Peter Chatwell, a strategist at Credit Agricole CIB in London.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will be heartened by the outcome as he tries to push through an austerity budget and see out his term to 2012, despite becoming increasingly unpopular as Spain’s battles an economic crisis. Berlusconi also badly needed success in the Senate vote, which the government won by 170 votes to 136. His approval ratings have tumbled as economic problems pile up, a widening corruption scandal has tainted his government, and an open rift with his nominal ally Gianfranco Fini threatens the survival of the ruling coalition.

The austerity budget, which includes pay cuts in the public sector and severe reductions to regional funding, will now go before the lower house, where the

government is also planning to call a confidence vote by the end of this month. Italy and Spain are among many European countries trying to implement austerity measures to try to prevent a sovereign debt crisis which flared in Greece spreading through the euro zone. Some leaders face resistance to the moves but policymakers are sounding increasingly confident the worst is over and investors are starting to take a new look at European assets, wondering if the market panic was overdone.

Markets are now looking to the release of the results in stress tests of 91 European banks to assess how well Europe could withstand another financial crisis. The results are due on July 23 and EU finance ministers have been divided over what data would be published. Investors worry they are not stringent enough and whether governments have funds to recapitalise a bank that fails the test.

Bank of Italy Governor and

European Central Bank policymaker Mario Draghi called yesterday for “a maximum of transparency” and said European governments should be “ready to intervene if the results show capital weaknesses and market solutions are not available”. Some investors fear the stress tests will show poor levels of capitalisation for Spain’s smaller banks - as well as some in Germany - but Spain’s government says the tests will show a solvent sector that is able to withstand adverse shocks.

In yesterday’s Spanish auction, the average yield was 5.116 percent, higher but not dramatically so than the 4.434 percent at an equivalent auction on April 22. Demand for the paper was strong, exceeding what was on offer by more than 2-1/2 times.

The spread between Spanish 10-year government debt and benchmark German Bunds eased to around 202 basis points after the auction from around 210 basis points, reflecting waning market anxiety.—Reuters

Germany, Russia sign multibillion-euro deals Moscow-Berlin ties further cemented

TOKYO: British Foreign Secretary William Hague talks to journalists after his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan yesterday. —AFP

UK launches diplomatic offensive to boost trade TOKYO: British Foreign Secretary William Hague called yesterday for a diplomatic offensive to swell trade and investment and strengthen Britain’s tentative economic recovery. Hague, who took office two months ago as part of a coalition government, said he had written to all 15,000 employees of the Foreign Office urging them to step up efforts to drum up business for Britain, which is recovering slowly from a deep recession. “We will not prosper without a sustained economic recovery, access to new markets and new sources of inward investment,” Hague said in Tokyo, where he is visiting until Friday.

He said in a speech that Britain must work with others to reform the International Monetary Fund and implement a framework for rebalancing economic growth launched by the Group of 20 economies in Pittsburgh in the United States last September. Hague said Britain must also find innovative ways to take forward stalled negotiations on a new global trade agreement, which he said would boost the global economy by about $170 billion a year.

Hague has said the new coalition government will step up ties with emerging economies such as China and India, putting the country’s extensive diplomatic network at the service of boosting Britain’s economy. Giving diplomats a stronger economic role could also help spare them from some of the cuts faced by ministries as the coalition seeks to rein in a record peacetime budget deficit. “Nothing will come to us by right or by virtue of the past. We have to work hard to earn our living as a nation and maintain our international influence,” Hague said, promising to inject a “new commercialism” into the work of the Foreign Office.

“This is a political commitment from the top of government.”

Ministers will be visiting various countries to support this new approach, including Prime Minister David Cameron’s planned visit to India, he said. Hague, who visited China on Wednesday, will go to the Gulf later this week. — Reuters

YEKATERINBURG, Russia: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday oversaw the signing of multi-billion-euro deals to cement tight Moscow-Berlin links further.

German engineering giant Siemens signed deals worth several billion euros for the supply of trains and wind turbines to Russia as the country embarks on a drive to modernize its outdated economy.

Siemens also agreed to help the Kremlin in its efforts to establish a technology centre in Skolkovo just outside Moscow the country’s answer to Silicon Valley - for which the government has earmarked 170 billion rubles ($5.5 billon).

“These truly are serious, big agreements,” Medvedev told reporters after the talks with Merkel - their fifth meeting this year - in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. “This is the evidence of a fundamental character of our strategic partnership.”

Medvedev expressed hope that German companies would bring their expertise to the Skolkovo high-tech hub as he welcomed a decision by Siemens to build a research centre there. “This is a very encouraging example for us,” he said. Under a memorandum of understanding Siemens will modernise 22 Russian railway switching yards by 2026 and jointly with Russian Railways build 240 regional trains over the next ten years. Siemens is also to install wind turbines with a total capacity of up to 1,250 megawatts in Russia by 2015, the company said in a statement.

The deals have a total value of “several billion euros”, Siemens said, without giving further financial details. German government sources have reportedly said the railway deal alone is worth €2.2 billion ($2.8 billion). The German firm also inked a deal with state conglomerate Russian Technologies and utility company RusHydro. Russia’s VEB development bank and Germany’s KfW bank group for their part signed an agreement to support small and medium-

He also expressed hope that Russia’s “strategic partnership” with Germany would help Russian companies expand their footprint in the Western European market.

While German investment in Russia amounted to around $20 billion, Russian investment in Germany lagged behind. “There is a certain disproportion indeed,” Medvedev said. “Of course we would like to be more actively represented in the German economy. We have both a desire and money for it,” he added.

Germany is Russia’s main economic partner and enjoys close diplomatic relations with Moscow. Medvedev this week

YEKATERINBURG, Russia: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel shake hands after a press conference during talks in this Ural Mountains city yesterday. —AP sized businesses.

Medvedev invited German businesspeople to invest in companies which had until recently been off limits to foreigners. “I expect that German companies will take part in the modernisation of companies they are interested in, also taking into account my decision to reduce the number of strategic enterprises,” Medvedev said. Last month, Medvedev announced he was cutting fivefold the number of firms deemed “strategic” and in which the state is obliged to own a stake, opening the way for broader participation of foreign companies in the economy.

told Russian diplomats that one of their top tasks was to help businesses forge economic alliances with the West and Germany in particular.

“Germany should take a worthy place in the modernization alliances,” the Kremlin chief said yesterday. Calling Medvedev “dear Dmitry,” Merkel for her part said Russia and Germany had achieved “a high level of understanding”. “I believe that the aim to diversify Russia’s economy, put it on a broader footing also meets the needs of our cooperation,” Merkel said, noting that 6,000 German companies were now active in Russia. — AFP

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New strike hits auto parts supplier in China FOSHAN, China: A strike has broken out at a south China factory supplying parts for Japan’s Honda Motor, the latest in a string of stoppages by Chinese workers demanding a bigger piece of the country’s economic wealth. The strike, at Atsumitec Co. in the city of Foshan, began on Monday, with about 90 of the plant’s 200 workers stopping work to demand a nearly 60 percent pay increase, said a worker who declined to be identified.

On Wednesday, nearly all of the remaining Chinese employees joined the stoppage in response to a threat from factory management to fire the strikers, the worker added. “The Japanese managers just threatened and humiliated us Chinese,” he said. A Honda spokeswoman in Tokyo said the factory supplied gear sticks to the car maker’s local plants, and said the workers had been on strike since July 12. She said the action has not yet had

any impact on Honda’s car-making operations in China, some of which were affected last month by strikes at other parts makers.

The new strike marks the end of a couple of weeks of relative calm for foreign-run Chinese factories.

Stoppages by workers demanding pay increases had disrupted operations for several weeks in May and June. “I’m not surprised to see another strike breaking out,” said Geoffrey Crothall of the China Labour Bulletin. “The increases in minimum wage announced in several places in China this month might be enough to take the edge off of worker discontent, but it’s not enough. The basic problems of low pay, long working hours and the lack of effective communication between workers and management are still there.”

Various cities in China are raising their minimum wage by 20 percent, but multinationals typically pay above

this threshold. The strikers are demanding Atsumitec increase their monthly wages to 1,540 yuan (about $227) from 900 yuan (about $130), the worker said. “We are taking into consideration the average salaries in Foshan and at other autoparts factories in the area,” he said, adding that the 1,540 yuan per month was less than the wages paid at some of the other plants.

The factory supplies parts to Dongfeng Honda, a tie-up with Dongfeng Motor Group Co and Guangqi Honda, Honda’s joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile, the worker said. The plant has enough inventory to last through Friday, meaning that the car assembly plants would run out of parts if the strike continued through the weekend, he said. The labour action follows a turbulent period in June, which saw hundreds of workers at foreign-owned factories, many in the affluent Pearl

River Delta, walk out to demand better pay.

The strikes highlight how just-intime manufacturing, now highly popular among western manufacturers, can put companies at risk because it allows little margin for error when supply chains get disrupted. The work stoppages are a symptom of a broader trend that many investors will have to consider: a Chinese workforce becoming more assertive and selective, and sometimes inclined to protest by strikes, slow-downs and, most often, quitting. “The chance of more strikes increases the more successful the previous strikes are. There’s been more and more communication between workers and advocacy groups,” said Duncan Innes-Ker, Beijing-based China analyst for the Economist Intelligence Unit. “The workers have networks to exchange information even when there has been

a state media blackout. The example set in one place tends to encourage others.”

The wave of current unrest hit a peak in June, but reports tapered off at the end of the month. The last reported stoppage, at Japanese-owned Tianjin Mitsumi Electric Co, ended on July 3. China’s domestic media have been largely mute about the strikes, apparently due to state censorship.

But Xinhua has issued reports about the unrest on its English-language service. Labour costs in China have been rising, partly encouraged by a government that wants to turn farmers and workers into more confident consumers, even as it tries to keep a lid on strikes. Earlier strikes disrupted production at auto makers Toyota and Honda, and have laid bare the rising demands of China’s 150 million migrant workers, especially younger ones wanting to secure a foothold in urban areas. —Reuters

Subdued AgBank debut dampens China outlook AgBank Shanghai shares rise smaller-than-expected 1%

BEIJING: People walk past a billboard in a shopping mall yesterday. China said its economic growth slowed in the second quarter. — AFP

China growth slows in second quarter BEIJING: China said yesterday its economic growth had slowed in the second quarter, as massive stimulus spending was scaled back and moves to rein in soaring property prices started to bite. Gross domestic product maintained its double-digit growth for the third quarter in a row, expanding 10.3 percent in the three months to June, according to the national statistics bureau. The second quarter figure marked a slowdown from the blistering 11.9 percent growth in January-March and 10.7 percent in the last quarter of 2009, after Beijing introduced measures to cool the red-hot economy.

The data added to mounting evidence that the Chinese economy is losing steam, although Beijing has shown no intention of reversing tightening policies, and analysts downplayed the risk of a sharp let-up.

“Generally speaking, the economy is running well,” NBS spokesman Sheng Laiyun told reporters. Sheng said the moderate braking in second-quarter growth would help prevent overheating. “There are still a lot of difficulties and problems in the course of economic recovery,” he added.

The economy grew 11.1 percent in the first half of 2010 compared with the same period a year earlier, the data showed. Analysts said growth was expected to slip to single digits in the second half, but dismissed the idea of any serious troubles in the short term. “Despite the slowing growth, we think the chance for double-dip in China is quite small as China’s pragmatic policy makers are quite flexible on policy stance,” said Lu Ting, an economist at Bank of America-Merrill Lynch. “They still have a deep pocket to buffer any big slowdown.”

The closely watched consumer price index, the main gauge of inflation, rose 2.9 percent year-on-year in June, compared with 3.1 percent the previous month, the statistics bureau said. The slowdown puts inflation back within Beijing’s three-percent inflation target for the year. Inflation was up 2.6 percent in the first half of 2010 from a year earlier.

Morgan Stanley economist Wang Qing said there was a “high probability” the government would increase its 7.5 trillion yuan ($1.1 trillion) bank lending target for this year as inflation continues to ease. China’s fixed asset investment in urban areas, a measure of government spending on infrastructure and a key driver of the economy, rose 25.5 percent in the first half from the same period last year, the government said. — AFP

SHANGHAI: Agricultural Bank of China’s record $22 billion IPO made a lacklustre debut in Shanghai, underscoring the challenges ahead for China’s markets as other big banks look to tap investors for billions of dollars.

AgBank’s listing completes its transformation from technical insolvency to a sprawling giant with assets of close to $1.4 trillion as of March and a customer base of 320 million, larger than the population of the United States.

However, it comes against the less-than-ideal backdrop of a stock market that has been the world’s second-worst performer this year after Greece, questions over economic growth and rival banks returning to capital markets to supplement their coffers after a state-decreed lending spree last year.

“There’s a lot profit-taking pressure from investors, who are not optimistic about the long-term prospects of China’s economy or the banking sector,” said Liu Jun, analyst at Changjiang Securities in Wuhan.

“The debut reflects worries over slower growth and rising bad loans at Chinese lenders, and continued weakness in the stock may prompt a renewed slump in the overall market.”

AgBank shares were up 0.8 percent to 2.70 yuan ($0.40) in afternoon trade, versus its IPO price of 2.68 yuan. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had expected the stock to gain about 5 percent or less. The Hong Kong shares list today and are seen making similarly modest gains.

AgBank, which is aiming to raise a record $22 billion after exercising an overallotment option, took a low-key approach to its listing, not opening the debut ceremony to foreign media. Chairman Xiang Junbo, a former soldier and scriptwriter, marked the occasion by giving a crystal model of AgBank’s Beijing headquarters to the head of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, who gave Xiang a bronze opening gong in return, live television pictures showed.

Investors around the

“Apparently, investors think the AgBank IPO was overvalued, and the only reason it isn’t falling is that it’s a political task to keep it above the IPO price,” said Qiu Zhicheng, an analyst at Guosen Securities Co in Shanghai.

“This is not good for other banks’ fundraisings going forward.”

However, some retail investors looked to AgBank’s modest day-one performance as a positive sign for the long run.

“A debut like this means the stock price will soon choose a direction, and I think it’s more likely to rise,” said Tony Shu, a

SHANGHAI: Agricultural Bank of China Chairman Xiang Junbo (second right) and Communist Party Secretary of Shanghai Yu Zhengsheng (right) hit the gong during a ceremony marking the first day of trading of Agricultural Bank of China’s initial public offering at the Shanghai Stock Exchange yesterday. — AFP country watched the debut of the last of China’s “Big Four” lenders to go public closely, looking for signs of whether the beleaguered stock market might find relief after shedding about a fourth of its value so far this year, in part because of jitters over the massive AgBank offering. At one brokerage in downtown Shanghai, individual investors, many of them retirees, swapped theories on how much the government was controlling the stock market while watching with disappointment as AgBank’s share price failed to take off.

lawyer who bought 20,000 shares, worth around $8,000, in the IPO. “I won’t sell AgBank until it reaches 3 yuan, which I think is very possible,” he said.

The lacklustre debut for China’s third-largest bank by assets weighed on other banking stocks, despite encouraging economic data that showed inflation stayed in check in June.

The main stock index fell 0.3 percent in afternoon trade.

AgBank has about a 5 percent weighting in the index, putting it neck-and-neck with China Construction Bank (CCB) as the index’s third-biggest component. —Reuters

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US jobless claims fall, production steady WASHINGTON: New US weekly claims for jobless benefits fell to their lowest level in nearly two years while industrial production eked out a small gain in June, but producer prices fell for a third month providing more evidence that economic growth is slugglish. Investors have been monitoring the economy for signs that the recovery lost steam heading into the second half of the year. The Fed trimmed its 2010 growth forecast at its last policy-setting meeting in June, and many private economists have cut estimates for both the second quarter and the full year.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 29,000 to a seasonally adjusted 429,000 last week as seasonal layoffs

at factories eased, the US Labor Department said yesterday. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected claims to fall to 450,000 from the previously reported 454,000, which was revised up to 458,000 in Thursday’s report.

Separately, the New York Federal Reserve Bank’s “Empire State” general business conditions index fell almost 15 points to 5.08 in July, the lowest since Dec 2009. US stock index futures were lower after the data, while the US dollar fell sharply against the euro. “Overall, US fundamentals are making the US less attractive to investors and reinforcing the idea that investors want to move on from the fiscal problems in Europe,” said Kathy Lien, director of currency research at GFT Forex in New York.

US Fed weighs new measures WASHINGTON: The Federal Reserve revealed it was weighing new measures to keep the faltering US recovery on track Wednesday, warning jobs and growth will be tougher to regain than expected. Facing a stubborn recession, the US central bank warned growth will slow to 3.0 to 3.5 percent this year, down from the 3.2 to 3.7 predicted just months ago. The warning - contained in the minutes of the Fed’s June meeting - fueled concerns that the United States faces tough times for years to come.

Noting that the recovery continued at a “moderate pace,” members of the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee said a worsening outlook should prompt debate over more government stimulus. “The committee would need to consider whether further policy stimulus might become appropriate if the outlook were to worsen appreciably,” the minutes said. But with interest rates at all-time lows, experts say the Fed has few tools at its disposal. During the height of the crisis, the Fed and the Treasury plowed trillions of dollars into the economy by buying up “toxic” assets and government debt.

The White House argues such measures staved off a second “Great Depression,” but they remain deeply unpopular with voters. Analysts said the Fed’s language did not necessarily spell a repetition of that policy, but was a clear message that reversing crisis-era policies will come later rather than sooner. “The indefinite deferral of any asset sales amounts to a modest easing in monetary conditions,” said Brian Bethune of IHS Global Insight.

The Federal Open Market Committee’s meeting took place on June 22-23, amid fears about the impact of a European debt crisis that roiled global financial markets.

Against this bleak backdrop, the Fed also raised its end-ofyear unemployment forecast to 9.2 to 9.5 percent, predicting the troubled labor market would recover more slowly than expected. Unemployment is not expected to go below seven percent before 2013, leaving millions of Americans out of work.

That is bad news for President Barack Obama, who would face reelection in 2012. In a poll published this week, only 43 percent of those surveyed said they approved of Obama’s handling of the economy. The Washington Post-ABC News poll showed US voters’ trust in President Obama’s ability to get his job done has slid to a new low. And only 27 percent of those surveyed said they thought the economy was getting better. Almost one in 10 American workers is still without a job and unemployment stands at 9.5 percent.

The Fed had predicted that unemployment would fall to between 9.1 and 9.5 percent by December. Citing a weakened job market, market uncertainty and even the risk of deflation, Fed members warned the recovery would continue to be restrained.

Fed members expected “the pace of the economic recovery to be held back by... household and business uncertainty, persistent weakness in real estate markets, only gradual improvement in labor market conditions, waning fiscal stimulus, and slow easing of credit conditions in the banking sector.” The minutes “show more concern about the recovery than during the previous meeting, in late April,” said Augustine Faucher, director of macroeconomics for Moody’s Economy.com. —AFP

The weak labor market, characterized by a 9.5 percent unemployment rate, is holding back the economy’s recovery from the most painful recession since the 1930s. Lack of income has caused consumer spending to turn sluggish in the past months, prompting economists to trim their growth forecasts for the second quarter. New claims for jobless benefits normally rise this time of the year as manufacturers, including automakers, implement annual shut downs.

However, General Motors is keeping the majority of its plants open during the annual summer retooling shutdown to meet demand for some models.

A Labor Department official said

layoffs that are normally scheduled for this time of the year did not appear to have materialized. “This not just a General Motors thing, we are seeing this across a swathe of states, we did not see an increase in claims as we would normally,” the official said. Last week, the four-week moving average of new jobless claims, considered a better measure of underlying labor market trends, fell 11,750 to 455,250.

US industrial production eked out a small gain in June, beating expectations for a slim decline, as hot weather drove up demand on utilities, a Federal Reserve report showed yesterday. Industrial output rose 0.1 percent, stronger than the 0.1 percent decline that economists polled by Reuters had forecast but still down

sharply from May’s 1.3 percent advance, another unusually hot month that boosted air conditioning usage.

For the second quarter as a whole, industrial production increased at an annual rate of 6.6 percent, down from the 7.0 percent pace recorded in the first quarter, the Fed said.

Manufacturing fell 0.4 percent, breaking a three-month streak of gains, adding to evidence that the second quarter may have ended on a soft note. Utilities output rose 2.7 percent after a 5.6 percent jump in May. Capacity usage, a measure of slack in the economy, held steady at 74.1 percent, up sharply from a year earlier but still 6.5 percentage points below its average from 1972 to 2009.—Reuters

BP finds leak in valve

BP faces test delay, says it lobbied UK over Libya LONDON/HOUSTON: BP Plc yesterday faced further delays to a test on its ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well that could staunch the flow of crude which has polluted the ocean and coastline for nearly three months. A leak in a line connected to one of the valves in a capping device is the latest setback for the British company, which could face being barred from getting new US offshore oil and gas exploration leases for up to seven years.

The group, which is in lawmakers’ crosshairs over the largest offshore oil spill in US history, also confirmed yesterday that it had lobbied the UK government over a prisoner transfer agreement with Libya in late 2007. In Aug 2009, the UK released a Libyan convicted of blowing up a US jet, provoking an angry American reaction. The spill started after an explosion at a rig on April 20 ruptured an undersea well and killed 11 workers, and has soiled hundreds of miles of shoreline and shut down about a third of Gulf fisheries.

BP installed a capping device on the well on Monday and started shutting a sequence of valves after getting approval from the US government, which had delayed the plan by 24 hours on fears the process could irreparably damage the well. “The actual well test hasn’t got under way yet. When we were doing the final checks and tests we spotted a small leak in a choke line so we’re repairing that before the test itself gets under way,” said a BP spokesman. “It will take them a short while to fix this particular problem and then we’ll get the well test itself underway. I would expect that to happen today.”

If tests, which will be

GULF OF MEXICO: This still image from a live BP video feed shows yesterday a well integrity test for oil leaking in the Gulf of Mexico. —AFP assessed every six hours, show that closing the cap might cause further damage to the well, the capping device could instead be used as part of a complex system to capture the oil and siphon it to ships on the surface. In London, BP shares fell 0.4 percent to 399.6 pence, underperforming a flat FTSE 100 bluechip index, as investors waited for the test results. Arbuthnot analyst Doug Youngson said: “There is quite a lot of nervousness about how effective this cap is going to be and whether it might, in fact, make matters worse.

There is a very high degree of uncertainty over which way this is going to go. The language was very bullish at the start of the week but it’s quite quickly turned around.”

The shares have taken a battering as a result of the spill,

with $100 billion in market value being knocked off at one stage, before a three-week rally sparked by takeover talk, speculation about investment by a sovereign wealth fund and hopes that the well would be capped. Retired Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is overseeing the US response to the spill, has said if tests show the well can withstand certain pressures, odds are good it could be “shut in” indefinitely.

But even if the immediate problem of spewing oil is resolved, BP faces more hurdles in doing business in the crucial US market. On Wednesday, a US house committee passed bill language saying that BP’s safety record would bar the company from getting new US offshore oil and gas exploration leases for up to seven years. “This was always

one of my concerns, whether or not BP’s position in the States long-term was going to be viable. It’s too early to tell how this is going to go but, at face value, it doesn’t look too good,” said Arbuthnot’s Youngson.

And Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she would look into a request by US lawmakers that the State Department investigate whether BP had a hand in the release of Libyan Abdel Basset Al-Megrahi, convicted in connection with the 1988 bombing of a US airliner that killed 270 people. BP confirmed that it had lobbied the UK government in late 2007 over a prisoner transfer agreement amid concerns a slow resolution would impact an offshore drilling deal with Libya. —Reuters

BUSINESS

Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 21

To boycott or not to boycott Some want to send a message to BP; others want to back local owners hen it comes to gasoline, Lesta Little buys only BP these days.

“We need to support BP, so they can afford to pay for the cleanup,” said Little, 62, who remembers the Exxon Valdez oil spill and its aftermath.

She thinks boycotts are shortsighted, even ridiculous.

Little is just one of many consumers buying only BP these days, while others are boycotting the company responsible for the Gulf oil spill. Dick Cardell started boycotting BP gasoline when the spill began April 20.

Cardell, 73, who lives near the intersection of San Jose Boulevard and University Boulevard, said he drives by two BP stations nearly every day to buy gasoline elsewhere.

“Boycotts can be very effective,” he said. “We can’t continue to support a company that doesn’t promote safety.”

Boycotts aside, there’s a good chance that most BP-branded gasoline in Jacksonville isn’t from a BP refinery or oil rig. And much gasoline sold under other brands may well come from BP oil rigs, refineries or storage tanks. Put simply, gasoline is a commodity and there can be a number of places it can come from, according to Scott Dean, a BP spokesman.

Usually, the only difference between one brand of gasoline and another is a small formula of additives injected into a tanker truck just before leaving the Jacksonville-area terminal, Dean said.

While boycotting can hurt the neighborhood station owner and its employees, the idea that a boycott could hurt BP isn’t reasonable, said Jim Smith, president and chief executive of Florida Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association .

“BP doesn’t care about the downstream,” Smith said. “They don’t get hurt at all.” But downstream, Smith explained, are small commercial accounts and individual gas stations.

With regards to an ongoing boycott,

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Smith estimates a 6 to 10 percent drop in BP station gasoline sold since the spill.

To counter that, BP has allocated $60 million to lower some of its fees for independent stations and to increase local advertising, Dean said. “Customers should not punish independent station owners,” Dean said. “Judge us on the

pay attention to the brand on the pump, but now she said it’s important to notice the difference.

Meanwhile, a local radio station has led the charge for a BP boycott. Andy Johnson, owner of WSJS (105.3 FM) Progressive Talk Radio and a radio commentator, said not buying gasoline

Boycotts aside, there’s a good chance that most BP-branded gasoline isn’t from a BP refinery or oil rig. And much gasoline sold under other brands may well come from BP oil rigs, refineries or storage tanks. Put simply, gasoline is a commodity and there can be a number of places it can come from. overall response.”

Along the First Coast, many don’t agree with a boycott and go out of their way to support BP. Chris Farkas thinks the boycott is an outright waste of human resources and people should be more worried about the actual spill. “We can worry about legal claims later; we just need to get the oil out of the water,” said Farkas, a 41year-old Jacksonville resident.

Like Little, others have turned to buying only BP gasoline to support local owners.

Debbie Rhoden will drive out of her way to find a BP station. “I feel so sorry for the station owners,” Rhoden said.

“It’s a tragedy.” Rhoden, 51, used to not

from local owners does hurt the small business owners, but he maintains it will trickle up to BP when local station owners call BP for help.

Another talk radio host, Stan Swart, thinks the boycott should continue, but people should continue shopping in the convenience store to support the business owner. Just don’t buy the fuel, which has the smallest profit margin, Swart said. The radio station recently organized a BP picket at stations around Jacksonville and Swart said he was pleased with the turnout of about 40 people.

“The best part is the people that drive by honking on their horn and cheering us on,” Swart said. — MCT

A customer fills their gas tank at a BP gas station in Panama City, Florida. —MCT

Foreclosure wait period can lead to problems J

odie Meyers knew she was losing her Hollybush Terrace home to foreclosure, but never expected the bank to be so quick in taking it. She and her three children already were in the process of moving out when GMAC Mortgage won a foreclosure auction of the fourbedroom house last month. Just three days after the auction, the locks had been changed-even though the family still had personal belongings inside.

That angered Meyers, who contends that amounted to trespassing because GMAC couldn’t legally take ownership for another week.

“They should have played by the rules and they didn’t,” she said.

Neither the bank’s attorneys or the real estate agent involved in the case returned calls Friday. But foreclosure experts said while the lock-changing was done unusually quickly, it appears the lender and its representatives acted within their rights to secure and protect the property.

Still, experts said the episode highlights a little-known and sometimes gray area of the

BP contractors replace 18-inch containment booms with 30- and 36-inch booms at the mouth of the Bay of St. Louis in Mississippi. — MCT foreclosure auction process: A waiting period before winning bidders can take possession.

“It has caused some problems,” said Shari Olefson, a Fort Lauderdale real estate attorney and author of “Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the

American Dream,” Olefson is not involved in the Meyers’ case.

State law requires winning bidders to wait at least 10 full days before they can take title to a foreclosed property, in case there are any objections to the auction or new

filings in the foreclosure court case.

The waiting period begins when a court clerk issues a certificate of sale, usually on the same day as the auction.

If there are no objections or new court filings at the end of that 10-day window, then the clerk can issue a certificate of title. But winning bidders, usually lenders, or their representatives sometimes change locks, board up windows and take other action to secure the property before that time is up-especially if they suspect it is abandoned or vacant, experts say.

“They’re mostly worried about further damage to the property,” said Dawn Bates-Buchanan, managing attorney of Gulf Coast Legal Services Inc. in Bradenton.

She said lenders and their attorneys usually hire local real estate agents to inspect properties after they are auctioned, usually within 24 hours, and secure them as needed. Whether to do anythingsuch as have the locks changedbefore the 10 days are up frequently is a judgment call on the agent’s part.

May Aston, a RE/Max Alliance Group agent who specializes in

distressed properties, said agents typically knock on doors, look through windows, check with electrical providers and talk with neighbors to determine if a justauctioned house is occupied. Despite those efforts, there’s always the chance of being wrong.

“You can’t get it right 100 percent of the time,” said Aston, who was not involved in the Meyers’ case.

“Sometimes the curtains are drawn and you can’t see inside. You just do the best you can and if you find out later that you were wrong, you make it right.”

Meyers said nothing was taken from her home and she later was allowed back into the house to gather more belongings. But the episode so steamed her that she called the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office in hopes of pressing criminal charges.

Deputies declined, telling her it was a civil matter. She later filed a report at the sheriff’s office.

Nearly a month later, Meyers has moved out but still simmers over what happened.

“The house still was mine,” she said. “The bank had no business being there.” —MCT

CAREER

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Friday, July 16, 2010

You wore what to the interview???!

10 clothing faux pas to avoid on the big day irst impressions are everything, and at a job interview with other applicants, sometimes they’re all you have. A good first impression can set you apart from the crowd, while a bad impression can send your rÈsumÈ straight into the trash can.

One of the best ways to ensure you nail that job interview is to focus on making a good first impression with your appearance.

By staying on the conservative side of what you wear to the interview, but still letting your personality shine through, you’re bound to start off on the right foot.

Before you dress for your big day, take note of these ten things you should never wear to a job interview:

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7. iPod It may be the norm to walk the streets with your iPod ear buds hanging around your neck, but tuck these away before opening the door to your job interview. You never know who you might run in to in the elevator, so be “interview ready” as soon as you walk in the door.

8. Stained clothing Every job seeker has had a bad day where they forgot to iron their clothes or spilled breakfast on their shirt while rushing out the door.

Try to avoid this as much as possible by giving yourself enough

1. Revealing clothes Male or female, revealing clothes could offend a potential employer.

Button up your shirt to the top, and ladies should be conscious of skirt length.

2. Too much jewelry If you normally wear a lot of jewelry, consider toning it down for your interview to avoid any distractions. Earrings and necklaces should be small and simple, while it’s recommended not to wear more than one ring on each hand.

3. Baggy clothes The opposite extreme of wearing clothes that reveal too much is wearing clothes that don’t fit at all.

Your interview clothes should be tailored for a perfect fit.

4. Poor footwear There’s an old saying that states you can tell everything about a person by looking at their shoes.

What does it say about you if you walk into a job interview in sneakers or unprofessional sandals?

Be sure to have nice dress shoes that match your interview attire.

5. Hat There is a reason why your high school teachers always told you to take off your hat in class. Hats are unprofessional and sloppy, so leave them at the door.

6. Denim Even if you know that the office you’re stepping into is casual, stick to professional interview wear.

Avoid denim when walking into any workplace - being overdressed is always better.

time to dress properly for your interview, and staying just as polished as you were when you stepped out of your house.

9. Remnants of a late night out Your future employer will not be impressed by concert wristbands or bar stamps on your hand, so remove any evidence from the killer concert or bar you hit up over the weekend.

10. Graphic teeshirts Interview wear isn’t as conservative as it used to be, but that doesn’t mean you should sport your favorite graphic t-shirt to your meeting. You never know who will be interviewing you, so avoid wearing any shirts that could be too trendy and thus distracting.

— www.jobs.aol.com

Does this resume make me look fat? ost job seekers I meet have some sort of “special circumstance” or blemish on their resume that they feel makes them unattractive to a hiring manager.

For some, it’s accounting for the dot-com they worked for that went

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bust after nine months or the year they took off from work to care for an aging parent or newborn. For others it’s that “what the heck was I thinking when I took that job” faux pas or the “my boss was a raging lunatic and I had to get out fast” scenario.

Since almost everyone has at least one of these “special circumstances,” they really aren’t that special-they are a part of life and part of most people’s career journey.

When crafting a compelling resume, the trick is to tell the story of your career path in a way that focuses on

your best assets and makes you shine.

When we purchase clothing, we make decisions on what to buy based on what we think will best complement our greatest assets. We don’t say, “My thighs are huge, so let me find a pair of pants that

accentuates that.”

But most of the resumes that job seekers write for themselves seem to do just that.

They often scream “look at my mistakes” or yell “I know it’s hard to figure out why I took this job, but here it is.”

Friday, July 16, 2010

TECHNOLOGY

Page 23

Windows tools that stand out These days, the best Windows utilities tend to be those that perform a single function and perform it well. The trouble is, you might download, install, and try out hundreds of tools before finding a handful that fulfill their promise and earn a permanent place on your hard drive. Take a shortcut to utility nirvana by trying the tools mentioned here first. All of these apps are among the best in their categories - and some are free.

File synchronization With external hard drives, flash drives, CDs, and DVDs, you probably have multiple copies of important files scattered across your storage media. That’s a good thing. What’s not so good is that all of those files are likely out of sync, which is where a file synchronization tool comes in.

Microsoft has taken multiple stabs at the file synchronization problem, from the now outdated Briefcase model in Windows XP to SyncToy (http://bit.ly/17AYut), which is still available, to Live Sync (https://sync.live.com), which utilizes online file storage as an intermediate repository.

None of these solutions, though, has offered either the power or simplicity of third-party applications.

Super Flexible File Synchronizer (http://www.superflexible.com) stands out as one of the best.

Available in a 30-day trial version, this tool packs synchronization options in a wizard-based package that’s easy enough for novices but full-featured enough for experts.

What’s more, it can be installed as a Windows service, which means that you can “set and forget” file synchronization jobs that will run automatically at pre- defined times.

Quicker copies With each new version of Windows, Microsoft changes the look and feel of the Windows Explorer file manager, but it hasn’t done much to improve Windows’ often frustrating file copying behavior. The free TeraCopy (http://bit.ly/dTLC) does.

TeraCopy claims to speed up copy and move operations in Windows, and subjectively, it seems to.

However, the greater benefit of TeraCopy come in the power it gives you during the process of copying large amounts of data.

First, with TeraCopy, you can pause and resume file transfers something that, amazingly, is simply not possible with Windows’ standard file copying utility.

Equally important, TeraCopy will not abort a copy operating when it encounters a problem file, as Windows does.

Instead, the tool will try multiple times to copy a file. If that fails, it will skip over the file and continue with the rest of the copy operation.

Failed file transfers are reported after the operation is complete, allowing you to troubleshoot issues and copy the file later.

Awesome screen caps When you need to capture something on your computer screen, you have a few choices. The lowly PrtScn simply sends an image of your entire screen to the Windows clipboard. Vista and Windows 7 users can employ the Snipping Tool to

trace out a section of the screen and even to annotate the resulting capture.

But for truly impressive screen captures, nothing really compares to Snagit (http://www.techsmith.com).

The tool can be every bit as easy to use as PrtScn. In fact, in its default configuration, it’s activated by pressing the PrtScn button. But that’s just where the fun begins.

Among Snagit’s many tricks are the ability to capture long web pages that can be viewed only by scrolling the browser, a host of attractive annotation tools, an extensive memory of screen captures you’ve made in the past, as well as one-click insertion of a captured screen into the body of an e-mail message. Snagit isn’t free, although there is a free trial available. But if screen captures are a part of your computing routine, it’s likely that you’ll consider the purchase to be money well spent.

Close all now Ever find yourself with 15 open browser windows, a few instances of your word processor, a dozen or more Windows Explorer windows, and other open applications cluttering up your taskbar or desktop? Shutting them all down is a chore - unless you have the nifty little Close All Windows utility (http://bit.ly/3wFl6O). Put this little tool on your taskbar, and with one click, you’re back to a clean desktop.

Why didn’t Microsoft think of that?

Quick app launching How many times a day do you launch your web browser? Your word processor? Your other favourite applications? If the answer is “a lot,” you’ll wonder how you ever lived without a Windows utility that allows you to assign a Windows key shortcut to the application so that you can fire it up without clicking.

Today, Hotkeyz (http://bit.ly/4WRPq) is that application. With this free tool, you can open your browser, Word, Outlook, or any other oft-used tool with the Windows key in combination with any other key on your keyboard.

Setup Hotkeyz to start automatically with Windows, and after initial configuration, you won’t even remember it’s there - but you will appreciate its usefulness.

One tip: on Windows Vista and Windows 7, in order to get Hotkeyz to launch automatically when Windows starts, it may be necessary for you to right-click the Hotkeyz icon in the Start menu, select Properties, choose the Compatibility tab, and place a checkmark in the “Run this program as an administrator box.” Once you’ve done that, simply select “Add Hotkeyz to Windows startup” from the Hotkeyz Settings menu, and you’re done. — dpa

BEAUTY

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Friday, July 16, 2010

Tips for bridal make up How to look perfect on your special day

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n your wedding day, you want to look fabulous-but remain true to yourself. Bride make up take care under the professionals beauty parlous.

They dress you according to your tastes and preferences.

They are chosen carefully taking into consideration the brides face structure and suitability.

With rising awareness about make-up, different concepts of beauty and individuality, women of today know what they want.

They give bride has a trial session with the beautician beforehand. This will help her to select the correct make-up and hairstyles, saving time.

Tips for bridal make up The first thing to remember before one starts applying any makeup is that the face should first be thoroughly cleaned and pores must be closed as this ensures a smooth look. The Bridal make up have to be in bright contrast shades or bright mac thing shades for shading and highlighting facial contours due to the draining effect of artificial lighting.

Foundation texture should be matte to give good coverage for camera shots.

Tined foundations can be used in different colors to reflect the shaded and highlighted areas. Cosmetic sponge can be used to apply and settle the foundation for a natural texture.

Perfect finishing effect of foundation should be aimed at because the face is being prepared like a canvas for the more flattering elements of make up.

Foundation must be applied over the face, neck, eyes, ears and even on the lips to reflect an even look.

Wrinkles can be concealed with foundation.

The foundation should be applied sparingly and evenly. It should be applied in an outward circular movement over the entire facial area.

Excess foundation, if it accumulates in the furrows of wrinkles, should be removed. The face must be checked thoroughly to achieve a smooth texture.

Under eye dark circles and spots can be covered completely with the help of a skillful use of erase foundation. A lighter shade of foundation should be applied in a thin coat. let it dry for a few minutes and then once again apply the foundation of the skin co lour on the whole face to give a smooth and even look.

Keep a balance between your lips and your eyes. Lip liner frames your lips and

holds color in. But choose a natural color - nothing too dark.

Curly hair that is

straightened -Use a deep conditioning treatment before hand, blow dry, run a hot iron through your hair

and then brush in a glossing product.

Straight hair that is curled

- Keep a curling iron handy for touch-ups. For an instant fix, wrap select pieces in velcro rollers and lightly

spray. Remove after a minute or two, spray lightly with a soft spray. Go ahead in life, be a beautiful bride.

BEAUTY

Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 25

How to get great hair highlights at home

Step 1 First look through some magazines and find pictures of highlighted hair. Not all hair highlights are the same so keep your eyes peeled for bold streaks and subtle shading to see which you prefer.

you satisfied. You may want to pull out sections only in the front for a subtle lift around the face or all over for a lighter effect throughout.

Step 15 Once all the hair is pulled through the cap put on your protective gloves and mix the coloring agents according to the directions. Be sure to shake the bottle well before applying to the hair.

Step 2 Buy a home highlighting kit that is designed for your length of hair. Those with short hair will do best with a hair highlighting kit that includes a cap and hook, while those with long hair should pick up a kit that includes a special application brush that lets you “paint” on the highlights.

Step 16 Coat all the pulled out sections thoroughly with the color and use your fingers in a lathering motion to be sure no hair is missed.

Step 3 Choose a hair highlighting color that will give you the results you’re looking for. For a subtle effect try buying a color only two to three shades lighter than your natural color. For a bolder look try a light blonde or bold red as your highlight of choice.

Step 17 Set timer for the designated processing time, according to the kit’s directions and place a plastic loosely over highlights to keep the heat of your scalp intact. This heat will help the color process faster.

Step 4 Keep your coloring in mind. If you look better in cool colors, such as purples, cool blues or bright yellows you are a “cool” colored person.

Choose platinum or ash toned blondes or violet based reds. If you look great in browns, warm orange colors or warm reds then you are a “warm” person. Stick to golden or buttery blondes and orange based reds such as auburns or flame reds.

Step 5 Perform highlights on completely dry hair. If at all possible, try to highlight your hair on a day that you haven’t washed it.

The natural oils of your hair will help protect your strands during the coloring process.

Step 6 Highlighting your hair in either a bathroom or kitchen is best. Remove anything in the area you’ll be using that may be ruined should it come in contact with some of the color solution.

Step 7 Put on an old shirt that you won’t be worried about ruining. Also, have some old towels on hand to wrap around your shoulders and protect counter tops.

Step 8

Step 18 Once the time is up, use a towel to gently remove the color from one or two of the strands. Grab a section of the towel in both hands and place the hair between your hands. Rub back and forth in a gently scrubbing motion until the strands are mostly free of color. Check to see that the color is close to what you wanted. Remember, your hair is still damp from the color so it will dry slightly lighter than it appears now.

Brush hair thoroughly to remove all tangles. If you have long hair be sure to brush your hair into the style you usually wear it in.

This will ensure you place your highlights right where they’ll make the most impact.

highlighting endeavor.

Step 9 Open the highlighting kit and read the instructions from start to finish before beginning.

Make sure to read any cautions or recommendations. You’ll also want to note any toll free help line numbers on the box, just in case you hit a snag in your hair

Step 11 Place the hair highlighting cap on your head and pull it down so it sits snugly on the head. Tie the strings tightly but so you are still comfortable.

Step 10 Drape your shoulders with one of the old towels and secure with a hair clip. This will help catch drips.

Step 12

Grasp the hook included in the kit as you would a pencil. Starting as close to your front hairline as possible, carefully puncture the designated holes of the cap with the hook. For the

best

results have the

hook come in at a slight angle.

Step 13 If you want thin hair highlights that will enhance your color but generally blend in, only pull out thin sections of hair from the punctured hole. This is best achieved by not letting the hook penetrate your hair too deeply once the cap has been punctured. For thicker and bolder highlights pull larger sections out by going deeper into your hair.

Step 14 Continue to carefully pull out the desired amount of strands until

Step 19 Once the color is done remove the cap and rinse your hair thoroughly. If possible, avoid shampooing your hair to remove the color as the cuticle, or outer layer, of the hair is still slightly open.

Washing may prematurely remove or fade your new hair highlights. Instead rinse very well and apply a conditioner to seal the cuticle and moisturize the hair shaft.

Step 20 Towel dry hair and use a blow drier to dry your hair.

This will allow you to check out those new highlights in all their glory.

If any problems are apparent call the toll free number and speak to a professional. ( w w w. e h o w. c o m )

HEALTH

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Friday, July 16, 2010

More than just snoring:

Sleep apnea, what is it and should you be worried? ealth risks of snoring and sleep apnea

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Lack of oxygen can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease Read more • More about sleep apnea • Causes and Risk Factors • Sleep Apnea Symptoms • When to Call a Doctor The word apnea is Greek for “without breath.” And it’s as scary as it sounds-both at night, while struggling for air in bed, and during the day, when you’re exhausted and driving behind the wheel.

Because its main symptomssnoring and daytime sleepiness-are often unrecognized or overlooked, people can suffer for years with sleep apnea. Read on to see if you or a loved one might be affected, and how to seek treatment.

What is sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea means that your breathing often is blocked or partly blocked during sleep. The problem can be mild to severe, based on how often your lungs don’t get enough air. This may happen from 5 to more than 50 times an hour.

A less common type of apnea, called central sleep apnea, can occur in people who have had a stroke, have heart failure, or have a brain tumor or infection. Even though this topic isn’t about central sleep apnea, some of the treatments discussed here may also help treat it. Talk with your doctor to find out more about central sleep apnea.

What causes obstructive sleep apnea?

Blocked or narrowed airways in your nose, mouth, or throat can cause sleep apnea. Your airway can become blocked when your throat muscles and tongue relax during sleep. Sleep apnea can also occur if you have large tonsils or adenoids or a large uvula. During the day, when you are awake and standing up, these may not cause problems.

But when you lie down at night, they can press down on your airway, narrowing it and causing sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can also

occur if you have a problem with your jawbone.

In children, the main cause of sleep apnea is large tonsils or adenoids . Sleep apnea is more likely to occur if you are overweight, use certain medicines or alcohol before bed, or sleep on your back. What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms of sleep apnea that you may notice are: • Not feeling rested after a night’s sleep • Feeling sleepy during the day • Waking up with a headache.

Your bed partner may notice that while you sleep: • You stop breathing.

• You often snore loudly.

• You gasp or choke.

• You toss and turn.

Children who have sleep apnea: • Nearly always snore • May be hyperactive or have problems paying attention during the day • May be restless during sleep and wake up often. They also may have problems with bed-wetting

The most undiagnosed sleep disorder may also be the most dangerous: Obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that robs millions of rest every night.

But children may not seem very sleepy during the day (a key symptom in adults). The only symptom of sleep apnea in some children may be that they do not grow as quickly as most children their age.

Should you worry about sleep apnea?

If you have sleep apnea, you may not be sleeping as well as you could. And you may be more likely to end up with serious problems such as: • High blood pressure

• High blood pressure in your lungs An abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure, coronary artery disease (CAD), or stroke.

• Depression.

• Diabetes.

• How is sleep apnea diagnosed?

Your doctor will probably examine you and ask about your past health. He or she may also ask you or your sleeping partner about your snoring and sleep behavior and how tired you feel during the day.

Your doctor may suggest a sleep study. A sleep study usually takes place at a sleep center, where you will spend the night. Sleep studies find out how often you stop breathing or have too little air flowing into your lungs during sleep. They also find out how much oxygen you have in your blood during sleep. You may have blood tests and X-rays.

How is it treated?

You may be able to treat mild sleep apnea by making changes in how you live and the way you sleep. For example: • Lose weight if you are overweight • Sleep on your side and not your back • Avoid alcohol and medicines such as sedatives before bed If lifestyle changes do not help sleep apnea, you may be able to use an oral breathing device. These devices help keep your airway open while you sleep.

If you have moderate to severe sleep apnea, you may be able to use a machine that helps you breathe while you sleep. This treatment is called continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP (say “SEEpap”). Sometimes medicine that helps you stay awake during the day may be used along with CPAP. If your tonsils, adenoids, uvula, or other tissues are blocking your airway, your doctor may suggest surgery to open your airway. (www.health.com)

HEALTH

Friday, July 16, 2010

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Choosing the right food and drink for running Counting carbs “There is no special secret, but it’s crucial to get the food and fluid intake right and the optimal balance of nutrients to be able to perform at your best,” says Wendy Martinson, sports nutritionist for the British Olympic Association. “Of prime importance is energy intake. Runners must take in sufficient calories to fuel their training.”

A 1.8-metre tall, 70kg marathon runner needs around 3,500-4,000 calories a day - considerably more than the average couch potato.

This is best achieved by consuming more carbohydrates, because carbs are the primary fuel source for running, says Wendy.

While recreational runners are unlikely to be using enough energy to merit upping their calorie intake, it is important to have a carbrich source at every meal: “Preferably low glycaemicindex (GI) carbs, such as porridge oats, wholegrain bread or pasta, brown rice, beans and pulses, which release their energy more slowly,” says Wendy.

As a general guideline, she advises consuming four to five grammes of carbohydrate per kg of your body weight if you run for a total of three to five hours a week. If you run five to seven hours a week, aim for five to six grammes per kg.

Pile on the protein A good protein source at each meal is also important.

“Protein helps muscle repair and recovery,” says Wendy.

“For example, milk on your cereal, tuna or chicken on your lunchtime sandwich and lean red meat or fish at dinner.”

Like any healthy diet, the runner’s should be rich in a variety of fruit and vegetables. “The vitamins, minerals and antioxidants they contain aid recovery and support the immune system, which gets a battering from hard training.”

Monitor your mealtimes When you eat is also important. “If you had lunch at 2pm and intend to go running at 7pm, you should have a carbohydrate-rich snack at around 5pm,” says Wendy. “A cereal bar and a banana or a fruit smoothie would fit the bill.” If you don’t have time for a pre-workout snack, opt for a high-GI food or drink such as a handful of jelly babies or a sports drink, for a quick glucose boost.

“This is adjusting your carb source to the situation,” says Wendy. “Low GI for sustained energy release, high GI for instant energy.”

As soon as your run is over, fuel up. This should be high carb with a little protein - for example a milkshake, a

tuna sandwich or yoghurt with banana and honey. “This is very important if you are training more than once a day, says Wendy. “But if you are training just two to three times a week then eating your usual meal soon after is sufficient.”

Fluid thinking Hydration is also key for runners. “Begin your session well hydrated, and on runs longer than 30 minutes, carry fluid with you,” she says.

The American College of Sports Medicine advises drinking 5-7ml per kg of body weight over the four-hours before you run. “Weigh

yourself before and after exercise, adjusting for the amount drunk,” says Wendy.

“One kg weight loss equals one litre fluid loss. You should aim to lose less than 2% of body weight through fluid loss during exercise.”

Water is fine for runs shorter than an hour, but an isotonic sports drink is recommended for longer runs, providing carbs for energy and electrolytes to replace salts lost through sweat. Make your own by mixing 200-250ml of squash (not sugar-free) with 800ml water and adding a quarter of a teaspoon of salt.

—Guardian

Paula Radcliffe eats lean red meat and snacks on dark chocolate. World champion sprinter Usain Bolt dines on chicken nuggets and yams.

Olympic dietician Wendy Martinson reveals what (and when) you should be eating.

PETS

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hen retirees in wheelchairs gathered at a nursing home here to trade some stories on Sunday, a guest with perhaps the most improbable story had nothing to say. It was Holli not a person but an alpaca, maybe the only one on wheels.

Doomed twice but still going strong, the domesticated camelid in a custom-built wheelchair brings amusement to the old and young alike, validating the hopes of an owner who, with others, has spent a small fortune to spare her life.

In the visit to the Hidden Lake Care Center, “Holli was able to come right up in her wheelchair and join the other folks in their wheelchairs and walkers and the ones sitting in rockers,” explained her owner, Michelle Zumwalt. She raises the creatures in north St Louis County, at the Alpaca Patch.

Terry Foster, Hidden Lake’s nursing director, said Holli’s visit was both therapeutic and fun. “It was such an endearing event,” she said. “I was just so proud to be part of it.”

Alpacas are usually prized for their coats. Annual shearing produces luxurious fiber durable enough to make heirloom clothing, blankets and rugs.

But Holli is prized as an inspiration. Unlike the therapy dogs that visit the Hidden Lake on Mondays, the spinedamaged Holli arrived in a wheelchair, at the same level as many of the residents, Zumwalt explained. “So they could reach out and really handle her, and she’s very patient and very energetic and enthusiastic to interact with them.”

Alzheimer’s patients are especially drawn to her, Zumwalt said. “She seems to really encourage them because she has never given up ... She makes them laugh.” Children from schools or scout troops

Friday, July 16, 2009

said Smith, 58, an occupational therapist. Smith and her husband sought medical opinions and helped bring Holli to the care of Dr David E Anderson, a professor of veterinary medicine at Kansas State University.

He told a reporter that animals with profound problems - or their owners -

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Holli, a nine-month-old alpaca, roams the pasture of her ranch in Spanish Lake, Missouri, with the help of her specially built lift that holds up her injured back legs. — MCT photos

often become overwhelmed and give up. But not Zumwalt and Holli. “These types of injuries require intensive daily care, physical therapy, and muscle stimulation to maintain any hope of recovery.”

Anderson said.

Holli’s who tour the farm respond just as well, she said. “She has a light that she shares with children that have had a very difficult life and been abused.”

Zumwalt, 48, whose farm has a reputation for rescuing endangered alpacas, obtained Holli in September 2009 from a south county farm that lacked resources to handle the premature newborn. “We just found that that is where our heart is, to help the ones that just need a little bit of help and then they thrive,” Zumwalt said.

Holli rebounded, but the

worst came 20 days later. A dog, boarded temporarily with Zumwalt, spooked the alpaca herd and the young newcomer’s spine was damaged in the commotion.

She was paralyzed from the waist down. That cut her life expectancy to months or less, and the usual answer is euthanasia.

Zumwalt chose a fight that came to include acupuncture, massages, water therapy, supplements and other treatments. Along the way, she said, caregivers watched for signs of suffering. “We will not

Holli the alpaca gets lots of attention from Helen Parsons, 89 (left) Virgalee Shoptaugh, 92 (center) and Ruth Seris, 91 (right) at Hidden Lakes Care Center in Spanish Lake, Missouri.

Michelle Zumwalt, 48, performs massage therapy exercises on the back legs of Holli.

ask anything of an animal that is beyond what they are comfortable with.” She noted, “Our goal was always to try to give her a chance.” Holli responded almost immediately.

“She did not want to give up.”

The job was not just grueling but expensive.

Zumwalt estimated that she has spent more than $10,000 on the treatments. Along the way, she was laid off from her job at US Fidelis, the car repair insurance marketer, and resorted to garage sales to help meet Holli’s needs. Neighbors, friends and strangers donated generously. “Little kids would

come to visit her and bring a dollar,” Zumwalt said.

She and others modified a walker to help hold up the animal.

Word about Holli spread through the alpaca show world.

Valerie Smith, of Topeka, Kansas, was so taken by Holli that she paid to have a $700, one-of-a-kind wheelchair built.

A harness holds Holli up as she uses her front legs to inch her way along, while her limp back legs dangle between the wheels.

“When I heard about Holli, I knew it’s just like a baby with multiple physical handicaps,”

progress, he suggested, is remarkable, perhaps miraculous. “At this point, I would have to speculate that Holli has every chance of living a high-quality life,” he said.

“Based on her response to the therapy she has received, she may even have the opportunity to walk again.

Her ready adaptation of the wheelchair is a testament to her desire to get up and going.” Toward that end, Zumwalt said the next step will be an evaluation in September, to see whether Holli might be a candidate for hip replacements. — MCT

RELATIONSHIPS

Friday, July 16, 2010

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American society battles worrying trend hink of it as a new “normal” in American family life. After creeping slowly and steadily upward most of the last 50 years, the number of babies born to young unmarried women quietly crossed a troubling threshold in 2006.

For the first time in a halfcentury of record-keeping, a majority of babies born to women younger than 30 were out of wedlock.

That year, women such as Sara Bell of Lexington, delivered 50.4 percent of the children born to those under 30, according to Andrew Sum, an economist at Northeastern University in Boston. Last week, the nation got a reminder that unwed pregnancies can happen anywhere when Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin announced that her 17-yearold daughter, Bristol, was five months pregnant. The family said Bristol will keep the baby and marry the baby’s father.

Bell, now 24 and newly married, bore her first child when she was 19 and single.

That baby died a day later, and Bell went on to give birth to two more children, with different fathers. As a college student, she was burdened with homework as well as the draining work of caring for two children. She remembers the thought that danced through her mind during moments of exhaustion. “There were times when I was like, ‘This is why people marry when they have a kid.’ “ Bell had a great deal of help from her mother and relatives. In June, she tied the knot, shifting her singlemother status to married with children, solidly middle class with two paychecks.

For the vast majority of single young mothers, however, there’s no rescue in sight. In fact, Sum, who directs Northeastern’s Center for Labor Market Studies, warns that the burgeoning number of such families presages “disaster.”

His 2006 calculations are his most recent.

“The inequality of incomes in these families is unbelievable,” said Sum, who has written numerous books and articles about the job market, young families and poverty. “Forty percent are poor, or near-poor. A large fraction is dependent on public assistance. Unless the mother is very welleducated and has a bachelor’s degree or above, there’s a huge fiscal cost to the rest of us.” Most of the mothers are not collegeeducated. In fact, the story of the American family has split into two widely divergent realities, according to Sara McLanahan, a professor of

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Sara Bell Stockton (center) and her children, Matthew Bell-Ross, 3 (left) and Allissa Bell, 23 months, play outside their home in Lexington, Missouri. — MCT

Barack Obama chose Father’s Day to chastise men in the black community in particular for failing to perform any duties of fathering beyond the act of conception. sociology and public affairs at Princeton University. By and large, she said, collegeeducated women are marrying later, having babies within a marriage and divorcing less.

Their husbands are spending more time with the children.

Women without a college degree are doing just the opposite - and in growing numbers.

“The next generation of children is going to be much more unequal than what we have today,” Sum warned. “You’re going to have a really elite group and a group that will massively fall behind. These gaps are really extraordinary.

I testified before Congress and said, ‘Look, guys, we really need to face this.’ “ Sum advocates providing more public assistance and

tax breaks for low-income families, especially those in which the parents are married and working.

Private family miseries translate into major public burdens, he said. “You can’t raise revenue from families that have such a low income,” Sum said. “And you have to spend so much more to keep them afloat.” He estimates that taxpayers pony up about $7,000 a year to support the typical family of an unwed mother without a high-school diploma.

“Our ability to afford this has come to an end.” Others have weighed in on the issue lately, as well. The Institute for American Values published a study in April that pegged the annual cost to taxpayers of children living with a single parent -

whether because of divorce or an out-of-wedlock birth at more than $112 billion annually.

Fatherless families also earned a mention from Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. He chose Father’s Day to chastise men in the black community in particular for failing to perform any duties of fathering beyond the act of conception.

Sen Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican, was one of the authors of an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal in May. It made the case that although the government largely has abolished the “marriage penalty” in the tax structure, it still in effect penalizes marriage among low-income people by cutting government benefits

should they marry.

Brownback and co-author David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American Values, propose that the government experiment with maintaining benefits for three years for newly married couples to see whether it promotes marriage and family wellbeing.

Princeton’s McLanahan has been trying to gain a better understanding of this burgeoning family form with a 10-year effort known as the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study.

McLanahan and her research team initially interviewed 5,000 couples, three-fourths unwed, upon the births of their children, starting in 1998.

The researchers have

interviewed them periodically since then.

Their lives are complicated in many ways, she said. At the time of an out-ofwedlock birth, she said, about half of the couples live together. But because twothirds of those relationships typically dissolve by the time a child turns 5, “There’s a lot of instability. A lot of these women form relationships with new men, and have children with the new men.

There are people moving in and out. Those are dramatic events in a woman’s and a child’s life.

“The other piece is ... managing a household of so many different contributors of time and money. So you have a woman with three children by three fathers.

Imagine the complexity, just arranging visits and trying to arrange for child-support payments - if they come.”

Cassaundra Samuels doesn’t whitewash such reality. Samuels, who lives with five children in a twobedroom apartment in Kansas City’s urban core, was 18 when she bore her first child. She delivered her sixth three years ago, when she was 35. There are five fathers. None has much contact with Samuels or the children.

Samuels and her children were evicted at one point and homeless for a time. The men have come and gone.

Her saving graces: the childcare center that looks after her five youngest children when they’re not in school and the social service agency that provides low-cost housing and services aimed at nudging her into selfsufficiency. She doesn’t deny who created her situation: she did.

Or who’s responsible for managing it: she is. “It was my choice,” she said.

Samuels said that as a young woman, she intended to have just one child. So how did she end up with six, sired by five men?

“Sometimes it’s carelessness,” she said.

“Sometimes you’re looking for love. A lot of women have the baby to keep the man.”

Right now, she is trying to get herself and her children on track. Four nights a week she works at a drug- and alcohol-recovery program for women.

As for her children, she is a little worried about the second-oldest. He is 14, was suspended a lot in middle school and has issues about his father. Her 13-year-old son is doing pretty well. As for the youngest three, well, it’s too early to say. The brightest spot in Samuels’ life is her oldest child, Tierra: She is 19, in college and childless. — MCT

Page 30

FOOD

Friday, July 16, 2010

Everyday cooking:

By Sawsan Kazak urgers are great and all, but too much of a good thing gets boring. Why not tantalize your taste buds and impress your friends and family with gourmet burgers. It doesn’t take much to turn a regular burger into a gourmet one. With a few

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extra touches, your ordinary barbeque will go from ghetto to ghetto fabulous. Also, why not try making your own condiments. It will give your burgers that extra touch of class.

Happy barbequing.

Please send suggestions to: saw sank@kuw aittimes.net

Homemade ketchup 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in puree 1 medium onion, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt ure tomatoes (with puree from can) in a blender until smooth. Cook onion in oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring

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Homemade mayonnaise 2 egg yolks 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard 1/8 teaspoon sugar Pinch cayenne pepper 4 to 5 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar 1-1/2 cups olive or other salad oil 4 teaspoons hot water eat yolks, salt, mustard, sugar, pepper, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a small bowl until very thick and pale yellow. (Note: If using electric mixer, beat at medium speed.) Add about 1/4 cup oil, drop by drop, beating vigorously all the while. Beat in 1 teaspoon each lemon juice and hot water. Add another 1/4 cup oil, a few drops at a time, beating vigorously all

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the while. Beat in another teaspoon each lemon juice and water. Add 1/2 cup oil in a very fine steady stream, beating constantly, then mix in remaining lemon juice and water; slowly beat in remaining oil. If you like, thin mayonnaise with a little additional hot water. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Do not keep longer than 1 week. Yield: 1-1/2 cups

occasionally, until very thick, about 1 hour (stir more frequently toward end of cooking to prevent scorching). Puree ketchup in 2 batches in blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Chill, covered, at least 2 hours (for flavors to develop).

FOOD

Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 31

1 pound ground lamb 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon lemon 1 tablespoon onion minced 1 clove garlic minced 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary crushed 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 hamburger buns, hard rolls or pitas sliced cucumbers sliced tomatoes ranch salad dressing

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Greek burgers

ix ground lamb, mustard, lemon, onion, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Form into patties. Grill until no longer pink. Serve on buns and top with cucumbers, tomatoes and ranch dressing. Top with feta cheese for a truly Greek experience.

Curry-turkey burgers 2 pounds ground turkey 1 large onion, minced 1/2 cup lite mayonnaise 4 ounces jack cheese 1 egg white 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder 6 hamburger buns ix mayonnaise (you can use the reduced fat kind) with 1 1/2 teaspoons of curry powder. Place in airtight container and refrigerate for 1-2 days. Mix turkey with remaining curry powder, onion, and egg white. Shape into patties and grill. Top with thinly sliced cheese. Serve on buns with mayonnaise mixture.

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Asian inspired burgers Portobella mushroom burger with avocados 4 medium portabella mushrooms, stems removed 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices 3 tbsp olive oil 3/4 tsp salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided 1 avocado, sliced 2 tbsp low-fat yogurt 1/2 tsp minced garlic 4 hamburger buns, lightly toasted 4 roasted red peppers, from a jar rush mushrooms and onion slices with oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Heat large skillet

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or grill pan over medium heat until hot.

Add mushrooms; cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once.

Transfer mushrooms to plate, cavity side up; cover to keep warm. In same skillet, cook onion slices until golden, about 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, combine in small bowl, 1/2 of the avocado, yogurt, garlic and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper; mash until smooth.

Spoon onions and roasted peppers into mushroom cavities, divided equally.

Spread smooth Avocado mixture on bottom of each bun; top each with stuffed mushrooms. Top with remaining sliced avocado. Cover with tops of buns.

1 1/4 pounds ground beef 6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter 3 tablespoons sour cream 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 4 teaspoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 4 hamburger buns 4 lettuce leaves ombine peanut butter, sour cream, 1 tablespoon of lime juice and 2 teaspoons soy sauce. Mix until smooth. In a separate bowl combine ground beef, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, coriander, ginger and red pepper flakes.

Kneed together and form into patties.

Preheat grill. Place patties on grill and cook until done. Remove from grill, place on buns, and top with peanut sauce and lettuce.

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THEY ARE THE 99!

99 Mystical Noor Stones carry all that is left of the wisdom and knowledge of the lost civilization of Baghdad. But the Noor Stones lie scattered across the globe - now little more than a legend. One man has made it his life’s mission to seek out what was lost.

His name is Dr. Ramzi Razem and he has searched fruitlessly for the Noor Stones all his life. Now, his luck is about to change - the first of the stones have been rediscovered and with them a special type of human who can unlock the gem’s mystical power. Ramzi brings these gem - bearers together to form a new force for good in the world. A force known as ... the 99!

THE STORY SO FAR : Dr. Ramzi sends Darr, Batina, and newcomer Raheema to investigate trouble at the International Physical Disability Games in Toronto, Canada -- not realizing that all three 99 members harbor doubts about their place on the team.

The 99 ® and all related characters ® and © 2010, Teshkeel Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

www.the99.org

TRAVEL

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On safari, Wiltshire Within earshot of the roars, hoots and howls emitted from the safari park, Longleat has turned a spare field into a campsite for the summer, for families who fancy a safari-style break in deepest Wiltshire. Its “Octopads” have wooden walls and floors and a canvas roof, and come with a double bed and two singles. There are also bell tents with four camp beds.

Sea-kayaking, Highlands For a real family adventure, Wilderness Scotland offers a four-day small group sea-kayaking trip around the Sound of Arisaig off the west coast of Scotland. Kids must be aged 10 and over, and you’ll be with a few other families in a small group, where you get tuition, a guide, accommodation in family-friendly inns and most meals.

Ping pong, London Whether it’s the fact that, as Boris Johnson put it, “ping pong’s coming home” for the 2012 Olympics, or that the game is having a fashion moment (lots of trendy east London bars doing nights; Damon Albarn plays), but come July, London will be hosting a summer of tabletennis events. Ping! will see 100 tables planted in top tourist spots around the capital between 24 July and 22 August, including Tate Modern, Soho Square, Heathrow airport and even (hallelujah!) the Guardian’s HQ, Kings Place, in King’s Cross. Bats and balls will be supplied (until they walk) and there will be lots of events, including classes.

Ice-cream vans, Coventry Who doesn’t have a Pavlovian reaction to the tinny chimes of Greensleeves? Ever since the 20s, children have begged cash from their parents and dashed into the street to buy a scoop from the ice-cream van (or Hokey Pokey vans as they used to be called). Even earlier, cones came from handcarts and “stop me and buy one”

tricycles. Early examples of all these, plus old photos depicting the history of the industry, go on display in July at Coventry Transport Museum.

Underage driving, Surrey The famous Brooklands motor-racing track and airfield in Woking became a proper holiday destination for petrolheads earlier this year with the opening of the Brooklands Hotel, right beside the famous course. Also on site, the Brooklands Museum is home to a large collection of biplanes, jets, 20s racing cars and motorcycles. Kids can have a go in the Concorde flight simulator in which the supersonic jet’s pilots trained.

Afterwards, they can visit the Mercedes-Benz World attraction, pictured below, which offers off-road driving classes in real cars. The contemporary-feel hotel has simple but stylish rooms and a spa.

Crab-fishing, Cornwall The posh Lugger Hotel in the fishing village of Portloe used to ban children (the meanies). New managers have done away with the rule and are encouraging families to stay. There is plenty for them to do: crabbing from the rocks just outside the hotel (which provides the lines), picnicking on the beaches, and visiting the Eden Project and Lost Gardens of Heligan.

Free open-air films, Manchester Plonking the kids in front of a DVD is a bit of a copout when the Screenfields festival in Manchester, which shows free films in an open-air venue, is launching a Family Friendly Film Festival this summer. Films are shown every Saturday through the school holidays at 11am at the Spinningfields development off Deansgate.

The flicks include Hannah Montana: The Movie on 24 July, Up on 31 July, Madagascar on 14 August, High School Musical on 21 August and Fantastic Mr Fox on 28 August. No need to book.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Family boot camp, Norfolk It may sound like the sort of holiday you’d only get in Texas, for strict parents who want to tame their tearaway teens, but a “boutique boot camp” organiser, which has until now specialised in weight-loss breaks for women, is branching out with a camp for families with teenagers. No 1 Bootcamp lays on fitness training by Royal Marine and Royal Navy instructors, in the form of games, exercises and motivational talks to encourage participants to shape up and learn about healthy eating, in pretty seaside and countryside settings.

Festival Babysitting, nationwide Unless you’re Kate Moss with infinite stamina and money for childcare - children can pretty much spell the end of your party days. But if you just can’t live without that summer weekend at a festival, what do you do with the kids? Step forward Boutique Babysitting, a team of childcare professionals working this year’s big events.

Two tents - for two-to-four-year-olds, and for five-toeight-year-olds - look after children in four-hour slots, occupying them with dressing-up boxes, dance floor areas and a “studio” for jamming sessions.

Harvest at Jimmy’s, Suffolk For a festival that’s more about sausage and mash than mash-ups, that Pied Piper of wholesomeness, Jimmy from the TV show Jimmy’s Farm, celebrates his second Harvest at Jimmy’s festival at his Suffolk farm this September. Soggy noodles are definitely not on the menu; instead there’s a River Cottage Canteen, a pop-up from London restaurant Konstam and demos by top chefs including Mark Hix. Bands include the Futureheads and the Hoosiers, with gardening workshops and den building in the woods adding to the kid-friendly fun.-Guardian

Friday, July 16, 2010

TRAVEL

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1 Eco Retreats, Powys Located on a 1,300-acre organic farm in the Dyfi Forest, at the end of a four-mile track, this venture aims to help campers “reconnect with the rhythms of the environment”. Accommodation is made up of five tipis (each sleeping up to five) and one yurt (sleeping up to six), set among meadows and mature oak woods. All are furnished with sheepskin rugs, double beds, wood-burning stove or chiminea, and have their own outside toilet and spring-water shower. Guests are offered a complimentary healing session, evening meditation session and tickets for the nearby Centre for Alternative Technology.

2 Eco Luxury Yurt Suite, Lanzarote This yurt is part of a collection of nine eco properties located on the family-run Finca de Arrieta estate, 30km from the capital, Arrecife. It sleeps up to five and is beautifully decorated with rich fabrics, wood flooring and antique Mongolian hardwood furniture, such as the super kingsize bed. It also has its own marble-floor bathroom, outdoor kitchen and garden with a Polynesian-style daybed - perfect for a sundowner. Soak up some rays on the small sandy beach just 200m away, walk to the nearby fishing village of Arrieta, then head back to the finca for a dip in the communal solar-heated swimming and plunge pools.

3 Canna Camping Holidays, Inner Hebrides Campers looking for the ultimate away-from-itall retreat can bed down in a bell tent on the Isle of Canna, the furthest of the Small Isles from the Scottish mainland, which has just 19 inhabitants. The tent comes with a wood-burning stove and solar lighting, and sleeps up to four in one double and two single futons (an extra mattress can be provided). There’s a toilet and shower a short walk away (take 50p coins). The island is renowned for its bird life, including sea eagles and puffins, and you can also expect to see dolphins, basking sharks, minke whales, and occasionally orcas.

4 Mongolian Yurts, Vaud, Switzerland These seven yurts bag the title for the best location - 2,045m-high, among edelweissfilled meadows on the summit of the Rochers-de-Naye. Reachable via a scenic cog railway from Montreux, which takes less than an hour, the fully insulated yurts (complete with electric heating for those snowy winter nights) are open year round and decked out in authentic furnishings with beds sleeping up to eight. Watch the sun set over Lake Geneva, then warm your cockles with a Mongolian fondue in the cliff-face restaurant Plein Roc. 5 Eco-Lodge Brejeira, Algarve, Portugal Situated in the heart of the Algarve, near the town of Silves, this retreat is as unique as it is eco-friendly. Choose between a beautifully furnished Mongolian yurt, which has a raised veranda to watch the sunset, an old-fashioned Dutch gypsy caravan, or a converted German fire truck. Each sleeps two and has its own shower and compost toilet (to help feed the vegetable garden); the latter two also have kitchen areas. Or head to the communal straw-bale building, where breakfast and a three-course dinner

are served on request. Spend your days exploring the nearby beaches, or set off on the new Via Algarviana hiking and mountain biking track, which passes right under Brejeira.

6 Teapot Lane Luxury Camp, County Leitrim, Ireland One of Ireland’s first luxury yurt camps has just opened its doors in an unspoilt corner of northwest Ireland. Located in five acres of woodland, the three handcrafted yurts sleeping between two and five - feature king-size beds, rugs and pot-bellied stoves.

Two restored country cottages provide selfcatering and bathroom facilities, and there are also compost toilets, campfire and BBQ areas, plus hammocks and swings in the woodlands. The camp also offers holistic aromatherapy, massage and reflexology treatments. This is a prime spot for surfers - Bundoran is a short drive away.

7 Casa Kren, Cadiz, Spain This is not so much a campsite as a complete tiny rustic village tucked away in a garden of umbrella pines and sand dunes and all just a few minutes’ walk from the nearest beach. It’s made up of 11 cottages and chozas - which are traditional thatched Spanish beach huts made of straw and bamboo. Our favourite is Choza Grande,

which sleeps two and has a kitchen, lounge and dining area downstairs with sofas and rugs, and a bed on a raised wooden platform. Waste is composted and water is drawn from the campsite’s own well.

Massage, yoga and meditation can be arranged, and there is everything from canoeing to dolphin watching nearby.

8 Ecovallee Yurt Camping, Dordogne, France Opening this weekend, this family-run camp is set in 12 acres of land just 300m from the bastide town of Lalinde. It’s perfect for families, with a handcrafted chestnut and canvas yurt sleeping four and a 12ft “play yurt” filled with toys and games. Outside you’ll find a canvas-covered kitchen/dining area, a compost toilet and woodland play area as well as foraging pigs, free-range chickens (wake up to fresh eggs every morning) and Pepito, the owners’ horse.

Stock up on provisions at the weekly market at Beaumont; visit the Chateau des Milandes; or sign up for one of the on-site activities - there’s therapeutic massage and reiki for the parents, and bread-making and face-painting for the kids.

9 Jolly Days, Yorkshire How do you fancy swapping your airbed for a four-poster? Jolly Days, which opened last summer, is the latest UK venture to jump

on the glamping bandwagon. It’s made up of seven bell tents and seven tented lodges, set in 200 acres of private woodland on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds. While the tented lodges, each sleeping up to six, boast four-poster beds, chandeliers, sofas around a woodburner and toilets, the bell tents are more basic, with coir matting and futon sofabeds, each sleeping four. There are communal showers, as well as a communal fire pit, cooking hut and clay oven. Hire bikes to explore the trails in nearby Dalby Forest or head to York, just over 10 miles away.

10 Camping Les Moulins, Noirmoutier Island, France France has its fair share of campsites, but none has quite the same ooh-la-la factor as this one, located off the Vendee coast. Following a revamp last year, it features a range of canvas lodges (sleeping two to eight) and tipis (sleeping four) - think proper beds, kitchens, dining areas, even en suite bathrooms in some - set among five hectares of pine trees and dunes along a beach. Don your walking shoes to explore nearby villages, hop on the Noirmoutier petit train (it stops directly outside the campsite) to the centre of town or just kick back in the heated indoor or outdoor pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and spa. — Guardian

BOOKS

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Friday, July 16, 2010

Compiled by Hussain Al-Qatari is a list of novels from across the Arab world. Stories of love, loss, friendship, family ties and compromise are intertwined. Some novels take an optimistic approach others are bleak and gloomy, but all these novels succeed in painting a poignant picture of life in parts of the Arab world.

Thewhilefollowing Send your suggestions to hussain@kuwaittimes.net

By Habib Selmi

By Ali Bader

his novel from one of Tunisia’s leading writers, the first of his works to be translated into English, narrates a love story in all its stages, in all its glorious and inglorious details. Moment by moment we become acquainted with the morning rituals, the desires of the flesh, the turbulence of the spirit, and even a few unattractive personal habits. It is a journey that takes us inside the nuances of what passes between two lovers, from the first glances of attraction to the final words of anger. It is a journey filled with all the hallmarks of the complex relationship between one man and one woman-the mystery and the ambiguity, the intricacy and the confusion-which, in the end, serve to expose its fragility.

This is an intimate tale that manages to tell not only the story of two individuals, but also that of the collision of two cultures.

T

fter a failed study mission in France, Abd al-Rahman returns home to Iraq to launch an existentialist movement akin to that of his hero.

Convinced that it falls upon him to introduce his country’s intellectuals to Sartre’s thought, he feels especially qualified by his physical resemblance to the philosopher (except for the crossed eyes) and by his marriage to Germaine, who he claims is the great man’s cousin.

Meanwhile, his wealth and family prestige guarantee him an idle life spent in drinking, debauchery, and frequenting a well-known nightclub.

But is his suicide an act of philosophical despair, or a reaction to his friend’s affair with Germaine? A biographer chosen by his presumed friends narrates the story of a somewhat bewildered young man who-like other members of his generation-was searching for a meaning to his life.

This parody of the abuses and extravagances of pseudo-philosophers in the Baghdad of the sixties throws into relief the Iraqi intellectual and cultural life of the time and the reversal of fortune of some of Iraq’s wealthy and powerful families.

A

By Betool Khedairi n this elegant, incisive debut, a young girl comes of age while aching for a sense of belonging.

Daughter of an Iraqi father and an English mother, the unnamed narrator struggles with isolation both in the traditional Iraqi countryside where she’s raised and at the Western school of music and ballet that her mother insists she attend. Though she finds some semblance of solace in dance, her trials increase when her family moves to Baghdad. Then comes the outbreak of war, which compels her to move with her mother to England, where her most pointed heartaches await. Gently poetic but emotionally unflinching, A Sky So Close is a daringly fresh look into the clash between East and West and into the soul of a woman formed by two cultures yet fully accepted by neither.

I

BOOKS

Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 37

By Maha Gargash oming of age in the 1950s, seventeen-yearold Noora is unlike other women of the sunbattered mountains at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula.

Though she shares their poverty and, like them, bears life’s hardships without complaint, she is also fiery and independent.

Following the death of her mother and her father’s descent into dazed madness, Noora flees the threat of an arranged marriage, only to be driven back to her unwanted fate by disappointment and heartbreak. As the third wife to a rich, much older man, Noora struggles to adjust to her new home by the sea, thinking of herself as a sand fish-the desert lizard she observed in the mountains, which, when stuck in the wrong place and desperate to escape, smashed itself again and again into unyielding rocks. But then a light is shone into her miserable darkness, resulting in an unexpected passion, a shocking indiscretion, and a secret that could jeopardize Noora’s life.

C

By Alaa Al-Aswany gyptian and American lives collide on a college campus in post-9/11 Chicago, and crises of identity abound in the extraordinary second novel from the highly acclaimed author of The Yacoubian Building. This is a story of love, sex, friendship, hatred, and ambition, pulsating and alive with a rich and unforgettable cast of American and Arab characters who are achingly human in their desires and needs.

Beautifully rendered, this is an illuminating portrait of America, a complex, often contradictory land in which triumph and failure, opportunity and oppression, small dramas and big dreams coexist.

Chicago is a powerfully engrossing novel of culture and individuality from one of the most original voices in contemporary world literature.

E

By Laila Halaby

By Yasmina Khadra r. Amin Jaafari, an Arab-Israeli citizen, is a surgeon at a hospital in Tel Aviv. Dedicated to his work, respected and admired by his colleagues and community, he represents integration at its most successful. He has learned to live with the violence and chaos that plague his city, and on the night of a deadly bombing in a local restaurant, he works tirelessly to help the shocked and shattered patients brought to the emergency room. But this night of turmoil and death takes a horrifyingly personal turn. His wife’s body is found among the dead, with massive injuries, the police coldly announce, typical of those found on the bodies of fundamentalist suicide bombers. As evidence mounts that his wife, Sihem, was responsible for the catastrophic bombing, Dr. Jaafari is torn between cherished memories of their years together and the inescapable realization that the beautiful, intelligent, thoroughly modern woman he loved had a life far removed from the comfortable, assimilated existence they shared.

From the graphic, beautifully rendered description of the bombing that opens the novel to the searing conclusion, The Attack portrays the reality of terrorism and its incalculable spiritual costs. Intense and humane, devoid of political bias, hatred, and polemics, it probes deep inside the Muslim world and gives readers a profound understanding of what seems impossible to understand.

D

his is a brilliant and revelatory first novel by a woman who is both an Arab and an American, who speaks with both voices and understands both worlds.

Through the narratives of four cousins at the brink of maturity, Laila Halaby immerses her readers in the lives, friendships, and loves of girls struggling with national, ethnic, and sexual identities. Mawal is the stable one, living steeped in the security of Palestinian traditions in the West Bank.

Hala is torn between two worlds-in love in Jordan, drawn back to the world she has come to love in Arizona.

Khadija is terrified by the sexual freedom of her American friends, but scarred, both literally and figuratively, by her father’s abusive behavior. Soraya is lost in trying to forge an acceptable life in a foreign yet familiar land, in love with her own uncle, and unable to navigate the fast culture of California youth.

Interweaving their stories, allowing us to see each cousin from multiple points of view, Halaby creates a compelling and entirely original story, a window into the rich and complicated Arab world.

T

CHILDREN

Page 38

Friday, July 16, 2010

Solution

Sudoku for Kids

Baby Annie A

fter Billy and Bevy were married for a while, they had a cute little baby beaver.

They were very excited.

Her name was Annie. Mama and Papa Beaver were very proud to be grandparents.

Lizzie and Randy were proud to be aunt and uncle.Baby Annie was very active, exploring the river and the river bank around their lodge. One day Bevy and Billy were busy doing repairs inside their lodge. After a while Bevy went out to check on Annie. She rushed back inside and called out "Billy, I can't see Baby Annie anywhere. We better start looking for her." Both went our and began looking everywhere for Annie. The whole neighborhood of beavers joined in the search for Baby Annie.

Lizzie said to the others "why don't we use our imaginations to help us, like Shay always does?" "Good idea," the other beavers replied.

Shay is the girl that is their good friend.

One beaver said "in my imagination I see Baby Annie floating down the river on a log.

She is enjoying herself now but she is getting close to a really big water fall and if she goes over the fall, we will never see her again."

"Let's not exaggerate" said Papa Beaver.

"There is no water fall down river."

Another beaver said "I think she was abducted by green forest creatures that can fly who want her for their own baby because she is so cute.

These green forest creatures are not mean, but they live very far from here in a deep forest. Baby Annie will get lost in the forest and she will never be able to find her way home again from there."

"We never heard of green forest creatures that can fly and live in a deep forest," said Mama Beaver. "I know you are all trying to help, but some of your imaginations might be a bit far fetched. And if you are using your imaginations, why not imagine something nice." Lizzie said "because Baby Annie is so cute, I think a beautiful princess came on a flying carpet and took Baby Annie away to her castle in Beaver Flower Gardens. That is a place with the most beautiful trees and flowers and Baby Annie will be able to play there with all her animal friends. There will

be a big swimming pool for them to play in and they will have all the best toys in the world.

And Baby Annie will be able to visit her parents every day using a magic flying carpet and all the beavers will be very proud of her."

"I like your imagination," said Randy. "And when she grows up she will marry a prince and they will live happily ever after in Beaver Flower Gardens."

Mama Beaver said "I don't think all our imaginations are helping us to find Baby Annie. Maybe we better call on Shay." Shay is the girl who is a good friend of all the beavers. Lizzie went over to Shay and told her about the troubles they were having.

Shay went back with her and talked to all the beavers.

"Have you looked in all the beaver lodges?" Shay asked. "Yes we have", said Papa Beaver. "We have checked out every lodge in our neighborhood." Shay told them to all spread out and have another look. "I want you to look into every hole in the ground and into every hollow at the base of trees. Also look behind all bushes and in tall grass. She may have gotten injured and is unable to walk."

The beavers all spread out and started looking again. Shay's imagination told her that all babies like to play and that all babies are very inquisitive. Just maybe Baby Annie explored homes that are not beaver homes and maybe she is visiting raccoons or muskrat that live in the area. She checked out a raccoon den first and was told they had not seen Baby Annie.

Next she went over to the home of a muskrat family and knocked on the door.

Mama Muskrat came to the door and asked "are you looking for Baby Annie?

She is such a delightful child and she has been visiting with us." "I know you enjoy her visit," said Shay, "but everybody is looking for her and I must take her home now."

Shay took Baby Annie back to her home and Mommy and Daddy were very happy to see their baby again. After hugging and kissing Baby Annie, they hugged and thanked Shay for finding her. After that incident they kept a very close eye on Baby Annie.

Friday, July 16, 2010

CHILDREN

Page 39

OPINION

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Friday, July 16, 2010

India's Naxalite threat

By Fred Burton and Ben West

O

n July 6, the Indian government issued a warning to railroad operators and users after Maoist rebels - known as Naxalites - declared a "bandh," a Hindi word meaning stoppage of work, in eastern India. When a bandh is declared by the Naxalites, it carries with it an implied threat of violence to enforce the work stoppage, in this case against the public transportation system over a twoday period. It is widely understood that trains and buses in eastern India during this time would be subject to Naxalite attack if they do not obey the call for a shutdown.

Naxalites are an array of armed bands that, when combined, comprise the militant arm of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-M). Some of the most violent attacks conducted by the Naxalites have been against freight and police transport trains, killing dozens of people at a time. Civilians have typically not been targeted in such attacks, but they have been collaterally killed and injured in the mayhem. Whether targeted or not, civilians generally believe that Naxalites always follow through on their threats, so strike warnings are enough to dissuade people from going about their daily lives.

The Naxalite "bandh" is a tactic that shows just how powerful the rebels have become in the region, and it demonstrates their ability to affect day-to-day activity merely by threatening to stage an attack.

The Naxalite declaration on July 6 was in retaliation for a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) operation that killed senior Naxalite leader, CPI-M Politburo member and spokesman Cherukuri Rajkumar (alias Azad) on July 2 in Andhra Pradesh. The news of Azad's death was unexpected, since India has had little luck capturing or killing key Naxalite leaders, but his absence is not expected to seriously hamper the movement. The Naxalites are a large, well-organized force that will be able to replace him with little or no visible effect on operational capability. What was not surprising was that Azad's killing elicited a Naxalite response.

It is unclear exactly what precipitated the Andhra Pradesh operation by the CRPF (India's federal police force) that killed Azad, though it did come after a busy spring in Naxalite territory. On April 6, Naxalites mounted a textbook armed ambush that killed 76 CRPF members conducting a patrol in Chhattisgarh state, at the time the deadliest attack the Naxalites had carried out in their 43-year history. Then, on May 17, they detonated an explosive device along a road in Chhattisgarh and destroyed a bus, killing nearly 50 civilians and police officers.

At the time, Azad issued several statements to the press indicating that the group regretted the death of so many civilians but blamed them for riding on the bus with police officers, something they had been warned against numerous times.

Indeed, police in this region are typically not allowed to ride on public transportation due to the threat of Naxalite attacks and the possibility of collateral damage.

On May 28, less than two weeks after the bus attack, an act of sabotage against a railway line in West Bengal state caused a train carrying only civilians to derail. It was subsequently hit by a freight train, resulting in the deaths of nearly 150 people. While Naxalites initially denied that they were involved in the incident, they later admitted that a rogue gang trained by them had sabotaged the railway line without permission from Naxalite central command. (There is also the possibility that the Naxalites were attempting to derail the freight train - a much more common Naxalite target - but mistakenly targeted the wrong track.)

Finally, on June 24, in the wake of these

deadly (if not all intentional) attacks, the Naxalites reiterated their intention to drive multinational corporations (MNCs) out of India and that they would use violence to do so. This most recent threat reflects the primary interest of the Naxalites, and it is backed by a proven tactical ability to strike economic targets, which is a top concern for the Indian government. It is this situation that leads Stratfor to look at one of the world's longest-running insurgencies to see what makes it tick.

Background on a Rebellion The Naxalites get their name from their place of origin, the village of Naxalbari in West Bengal, where in May 1967 a local Communist Party leader promised to redistribute land to the peasants. This was not the first time such a proclamation by a Party member had been made in eastern India, but earlier attempts to foment a peasant rebellion in the region had faltered.

This one, however, triggered a wave of violence in which workers intimidated or killed landowners, in many cases running them off their land and reclaiming it as their own.

The actions were based on sentiment among the peasants (made up largely of tribal members) that they were merely taking back what they had been forced to give up to wealthy prospectors from

in eastern India persisted. The Naxalite movement continued in a somewhat dormant phase throughout the 1970s, '80s and early '90s. Violence resumed again in the late '90s and has been escalating in the years since.

The increasing violence corresponds with India's economic growth, and this is not coincidental. India has experienced a boom in economic growth over the past 20 years that has seen per capita income rise roughly 100 percent. By comparison, it took India 40 years to complete its last doubling of per capita income. Foreign investors have sustained this growth by pumping billions of dollars into India's economy. However, economic growth in India has not trickled down, a political liability that the Naxalites have leveraged both to revive their movement and challenge India's more mainstream political parties.

Geography and Development India as a whole has a disparate geography and some 1.1 billion inhabitants, and the government in New Delhi thus has a tough time extending its writ throughout the land. The Naxalites are not the only militant movement in India; groups in northwest and northeast India also take advantage of the terrain and the distance from New Delhi to challenge the

it difficult for outsiders to gain influence in (and access to) the area.

It also means the area is extremely poor. Although the region has an abundance of raw materials in its hills and forests, the state of India has been hardpressed to get at those resources because it cannot effectively control them. And while Naxalites call for the improvement of the lives of the people they claim to represent, they have resisted any government attempt to develop the area's economy.

Indeed, the low level of trust between the Naxalites and New Delhi creates the conundrum of how the government can possibly provide security without developing sufficient infrastructure and how infrastructure can possibly be developed without sufficient security. An example of this can be seen in the Naxalites' constant sabotaging of area roads by planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) under road surfaces or simply digging roads up. Roads are necessary for development, but Naxalites view roads as a means for the government to send its forces into their territory.

Eager to stimulate growth in the region, the central government promised foreign investors land without communicating, much less negotiating,

The body of journalist Hem Chandra Pandey is displayed during condolence prayers in New Delhi on July 7, 2010. Pandey's wife Babita said her husband travelled to Nagpur on June 30, 2010 on an assignment to meet prominent senior Maoist rebel leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad Azad. Police allegedly arrested him along with Azad and murdered them in Andhra Pradesh state's Adilabad forest. – AFP central India. These newcomers had gained the land from the local tribes, the peasants believed, through schemes in which the land was taken as collateral for the tribes' outstanding debts.

On a grander geopolitical level, the Naxalites can be viewed through the prism of Chinese-Indian rivalry. The Naxalites adopted the ideology of Mao Zedong, the Chinese revolutionary and leader who converted China to communism and who had just begun the Cultural Revolution there in 1966. In the beginning of the Naxalite movement, there was mutual rhetorical support between the Maoist regime in China and the Naxalites in India.

While there was little evidence of material support (and there is no indication of such support today), the advent and growth of the Naxalite movement certainly did serve China's goal of weakening its largest neighbor to the south.

India was able to dampen the Naxalite movement significantly in 1971, but the regional belief that the government in New Delhi had robbed tribal groups of their land

government for control of the territory they inhabit. The Naxalites specifically inhabit an area known as the "Red Corridor", which stretches from West Bengal state southwest to Karnataka state.

The most violent states in this corridor have been Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Orissa. The region is defined by rolling hills covered in dense jungle and has few improved roads, which allows the Naxalites to control access. The dense jungle also protects them from government aircraft.

The region's geographic isolation has created a tribal mentality, and while the government lumps militant groups in the area under the Naxalite umbrella, the militant community is actually quite diffuse, with small units acting with varying levels of autonomy throughout the region. For example, there is little indication that a unit from Chhattisgarh would also be able to conduct operations in West Bengal. Transportation is expensive and dangerous, so people tend to stay close to home and defend it fiercely. This makes

with locals inhabiting the land, which naturally led to disputes between the locals, the foreign companies and the government. A famous example of an ongoing dispute involves the South Korean steel conglomerate POSCO, which is in the process of acquiring some 4,000 acres in Orissa state on which to build a $12 billion steel mill. The project has been delayed by protests and violence by locals opposed to the project, and police have been unable to secure the area to permit construction.

Only now, some five years after the government promised the land to POSCO, is local compensation being negotiated.

India's economic success has meant that foreign investors like POSCO are increasing their presence in India, which means that locals like the Naxalites are faced with both a threat and an opportunity.

Outside business interests (whether investors from South Korea or wealthy prospectors from central India) in partnership with the government pose the greatest threat to the Naxalite movement.

On the other hand, outside investment

could bring jobs and development to an area that is desperately poor. But Naxalites are skeptical of letting the government control anything in their region, and successful economic development would have a calming effect on the region's radicalized militants. Movements like that of the Naxalites have an array of motivations for why they do what they do, but self-preservation is always a very high priority.

The other opportunity is to force the central government or foreign investors to pay the group directly for any land in the region. Naxalites can raise the stakes by organizing more militant force to deny access to certain areas, sabotage transportation and commercial activity and otherwise mobilize the locals. This would essentially be a large-scale protection racket.

The model has been implemented and followed successfully by other militant groups, most notably Nigeria's Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which manages to extract concessions from energy giants operating in Nigeria's oil-rich but dismally poor Niger Delta, and even from the Nigerian government itself. While Maoist leaders in eastern and central India do make statements about how commercial projects in the area need to provide locals with jobs, it is clear that Naxalites are also trying to enhance their capability to pursue the second option.

The Threat Naxalites are honing the capability to construct and deploy IEDs, conduct armed raids and maintain an extensive, agile and responsive intelligence network. As seen in the examples above, Naxalite fighters can be opportunistic in their attacks. The April 6 raid on the soldiers in Dantewada and the May 17 bus attack were both actions that took advantage of opportunities to target and kill police forces. The April 6 raid was the culmination of two or three days of stalking the CRPF unit in the forest and waiting for the right time to strike.

The May 17 bus attack was organized in a matter of hours, with spotters noticing the police on the bus and alerting other cadres who planted the device further down the road. This flexibility and autonomy among its various component parts, along with the group's local support and indigenous knowledge of its turf, make the Naxalites a dangerous adversary against the slower moving, more deliberate and more predictable CRPF. New Delhi insists that, according to the constitution, the Naxalite problem is one of law and order and, thus, a responsibility for the states to address. New Delhi has deployed the CRPF, but it has not gone so far as to deploy the military, something that many Indian politicians have called for as the only solution to the problem. While military advisers have been sent in to train local and federal police forces in the Red Corridor, they have not engaged in any known anti-Naxalite operations.

India has unpleasant memories of past deployments of its military forces to address domestic threats. In the 1980s, use of the army to deal with Sikh militancy was criticized as being too heavy-handed.

Military action at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, codenamed Operation Blue Star, also fanned the flames of Sikh militancy and sparked a series of serious reprisal attacks that included the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who had ordered the operation.

Also, the Indian military insists it is currently focused on fighting Islamist and separatist forces in Jammu and Kashmir in northwest India, along the disputed border with Pakistan, and is dealing with multiple ethno-separatist movements in the northeast region of India surrounded by China and Bangladesh. — Stratfor

ANALYSIS

Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 41

The Caucasus cauldron

By George Friedman

US

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited some interesting spots over the July 4 weekend. Her itinerary included Poland and Ukraine, both intriguing choices in light of the recent ObamaMedvedev talks in Washington. But she also traveled to a region that has not been on the American radar screen much in the last two years - namely, the Caucasus visiting Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The stop in Poland coincided with the signing of a new agreement on ballistic missile defense and was designed to sustain US-Polish relations in the face of the German-Russian discussions we have discussed. The stop in Ukraine was meant simply to show the flag in a country rapidly moving into the Russian orbit. In both cases, the trip was about the Russians.

Regardless of how warm the atmospherics are between the United States and Russia, the fact is that the Russians are continuing to rebuild their regional influence and are taking advantage of European disequilibrium to build new relationships there, too. The United States, still focused on Iraq and Afghanistan, has limited surplus capacity to apply to resisting the Russians. No amount of atmospherics can hide that fact, certainly not from the Poles or the Ukrainians.

Therefore, if not a substantial contribution, the secretary of state's visit was a symbolic one. But when there is little of substance, symbols matter.

That the Poland and Ukraine stops so obviously were about the Russians makes the stops in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia all the more interesting. Clinton's statements during the Caucasian leg of her visit were positive, as one would expect.

She expressed her support for Georgia without committing the United States to any arms shipments for Georgia to resist the Russians, who currently are stationed inside Georgia's northern secessionist regions.

In Azerbaijan and Armenia, she called on both countries to settle the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed region within western Azerbaijan proper.

Armenia took control of the region by force following the Soviet collapse. For Azerbaijan, the return of NagornoKarabakh under a UN resolution is fundamental to its national security and political strategy. For Armenia, retreat is not politically possible.

This means Clinton's call for negotiations and her offer of US help are not particularly significant, especially since the call was for Washington to help under the guise of international, not bilateral, negotiations. This is particularly true after Clinton seemed to indicate that the collapse in Turkish-Armenian talks was Turkey's responsibility and that it was up to Turkey to make the next move. Given that her visit to the region seems on the surface to have achieved little - and indeed, little seems to have been intended - it is worth taking time to understand why she went there in the first place, and the region's strategic significance.

The Strategic Significance of the Caucasus The Caucasus is the point where Russia, Iran and Turkey meet. For most of the 19th century, the three powers dueled for dominance of the region. This dispute froze during the Soviet period but is certainly in motion again. With none of these primary powers directly controlling the region, there are secondary competitions involving Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, both among these secondary powers and between the secondary powers and the major powers.

And given that the region involves the Russians, Iranians and Turks, it is inevitable that the global power would

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on July 4, 2010. — AFP have an interest as well - hence, Hillary Clinton's visit.

Of all the regions of the world, this one is among the most potentially explosive. It is the most likely to draw in major powers and the most likely to involve the United States. It is quiet now - but like the Balkans in 1990, quiet does not necessarily reassure any of the players. Therefore, seven players are involved in a very small space. Think of it as a cauldron framed by Russia, Iran and Turkey, occasionally stirred by Washington, for whom each of the other three major powers poses special challenges of varying degrees.

The Caucasus region dominates a land bridge between the Black and Caspian seas. The bridge connects Turkey and Iran to the south with Russia in the north. The region is divided between two mountain ranges, the Greater Caucasus to the north and the Lesser Caucasus in the south; and two plains divided from one another, one in Western Georgia on the Black Sea and another, larger plain in the east in Azerbaijan along the Kura River. A narrow river valley cuts through Georgia, connecting the two plains.

The Greater Caucasus Mountains serve as the southern frontier of Russia. To the north of these mountains, running east to west, lies the Russian agricultural heartland, flat and without any natural barriers. Thus, ever since the beginning of the 19th century, Russia has fought for a significant portion of the Caucasus to block any ambitions by the Turkish or Persian empires.

The Caucasus mountains are so difficult to traverse by major military forces that as long as Russia maintains a hold somewhere in the Caucasus, its southern frontier is secure. During the latter part of the 19th century and for most of the Soviet period (except a brief time at the beginning of the era), the Soviet position in the Caucasus ran along the frontier with Turkey and Persia (later Iran). Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia were incorporated into the Soviet Union, giving the Soviets a deep penetration of the Caucasus and, along with this, security.

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the three Caucasian republics broke free of Moscow, pushing Russia's frontier north by between about 160 to 320 km. The Russians still maintained a position in the Caucasus, but their position was not

secure. The northern portion of the Caucasus consisted of Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan and others, all of which had significant Islamist insurgencies under way. If the Russians abandoned the northeastern Caucasus, their position was breached. But if they stood, they faced an interminable fight.

Georgia borders most of the Russian frontier. In the chaos of the fall of the Soviet Union, various Georgian regions attempted to secede from Georgia with Russian encouragement. From the Georgian point of view, Russia represented a threat. But from the Russian point of view, Georgia represented a double threat.

First, the Russians suspected the Georgians of supporting Chechen rebels in the 1990s - a charge the Georgians deny.

The more important threat was that the United States selected Georgia as its main ally in the region. The choice made sense if the United States was conducting an encirclement strategy of Russia, which Washington was doing in the 1990s (though it became somewhat distracted from this strategy after 2001). In response to what it saw as US pressure around its periphery, the Russians countered in Georgia in 2008 to demonstrate US impotence in the region.

The Russians also maintained a close relationship with Armenia, where they continue to station more than 3,000 troops.

The Armenians are deeply hostile to the Turks over demands that Turkey admit to massacres of large number of Armenians in 1915-16. The Armenians and Turks were recently involved in negotiations over the normalization of relations, but these talks collapsed - in our view, because of Russian interference. The issue was further complicated when a US congressional committee passed a resolution in March condemning Turkey for committing genocide, infuriating the Turks.

One of the countercharges against Armenia is that it has conducted its own massacres of Azerbaijanis. Around the time of the Soviet breakup, it conducted a war against Azerbaijan, replete with the ethnic cleansing of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis in a region known as Nagorno-Karabakh in western Azerbaijan, leaving Azerbaijan with a massive refugee problem. While the U.N. Security Council condemned the invasion, the conflict has

been frozen, to use the jargon of diplomats.

The Importance of Azerbaijan For its part, Azerbaijan cannot afford to fight a war against Russian troops in Armenia while it also shares a northern border with Russia. Azerbaijan also faces a significant Iranian problem. There are more Azerbaijanis living in Iran than in Azerbaijan; Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a prominent Azerbaijani-Iranian. The Soviets occupied all of Azerbaijan during World War II but were forced to retreat under British and American pressure after the war, leaving most of Azerbaijan inside Iran. The remainder became a Soviet republic and then an independent state.

The Azerbaijanis are deeply concerned about the Iranians. Azerbaijan is profoundly different from Iran. It is Muslim but heavily secular. It maintains close and formal relations with Israel. It has supported the war in Afghanistan and made logistical facilities available to the United States. The Azerbaijanis claim that Iran is sending clerics north to build Shiite schools that threaten the regime.

Obviously, Iran also operates an intelligence network there.

Adding to the complexity, Azerbaijan has long been a major producer of oil and has recently become an exporter of natural gas near the capital of Baku, exporting it to Turkey via a pipeline passing through Georgia. From the Turkish point of view, this provides alternative sources of energy to Russia and Iran, something that obviously pleases the United States. It is also an obvious reason why Russia sees Azerbaijan as undermining its position as the region's dominant energy exporter.

The Russians have an interest, demonstrated in 2008, to move southward into Georgia. Obviously, if they were able to do this - preferably by a change in government and policy in Tbilisi - they would link up with their position in Armenia, becoming a force both on the Turkish border and facing Azerbaijan. The Russians would like to be able to integrate Azerbaijan's exports into its broader energy policy, which would concentrate power in Russian hands and increase Russian influence on Russia's periphery.

This was made clear by Russia's recent offer to buy all of Azerbaijan's natural gas at European-level prices. The Turks would obviously oppose this for the same reason

the Russians would want it. Hence, the Turks must support Georgia.

Iran, which should be viewed as an Azerbaijani country as well as a Persian one, has two reasons to want to dominate Azerbaijan. First, it would give Tehran access to Baku oil, and second, it would give Tehran strategic bargaining power with the Russians, something it does not currently have. In addition, talk of present unrest in Iran notwithstanding, Iran's single most vulnerable point in the long term is the potential for Azerbaijanis living in Iran to want to unite with an independent Azerbaijani state. This is not in the offing, but if any critical vulnerability exists in the Iranian polity, this is it.

Consider this from the American side.

When we look at the map, we notice that Azerbaijan borders both Russia and Iran.

That strategic position alone makes it a major asset to the United States. Add to it oil in Baku and investment by US companies, and Azerbaijan becomes even more attractive. Add to this that its oil exports support Turkey and weaken Russian influence, and its value goes up again. Finally, add to it that Turkey infuriated Azerbaijan by negotiating with Armenia without tying the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh to any TurkishArmenian settlement.

Altogether, the United States has the opportunity to forge a beneficial relationship with Azerbaijan that would put US hands on one of Turkey's sources of oil.

At a time when the Turks recognize a declining dependence on the United States, anything that could increase that dependence helps Washington. Moreover, Azerbaijan is a platform from which Washington could make the Iranians uncomfortable, or from which to conduct negotiations with Iran.

An American strategy should include Georgia, but Georgia is always going to be weaker than Russia, and unless the United States is prepared to commit major forces there, the Russians can act, overtly and covertly, at their discretion. A Georgian strategy requires a strong rear base, which Azerbaijan provides, not only strategically but also as a source of capital for Georgia.

Georgian-Azerbaijani relations are good, and in the long run so is Turkey's relation with these two countries.

For Azerbaijan, the burning issue is Nagorno-Karabakh. This is not a burning issue for the United States, but the creation of a stable platform in the region is. Armenia, by far the weakest country economically, is allied with the Russians, and it has Russian troops on its territory.

Given that the United States has no interest in who governs NagornoKarabakh and there is a UN resolution on the table favoring Azerbaijan that serves as cover, it is difficult to understand why the United States is effectively neutral. If the United States is committed to Georgia, which is official policy, then it follows that satisfying Azerbaijan and bringing it into a close relationship to the United States would be beneficial to Washington's ability to manage relations with Russia, Iran and Turkey. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited Azerbaijan a month ago and Clinton visited recently. As complex as the politics of this region are to outsiders, they are clearly increasing in importance to the United States. We could put it this way: Bosnia and Kosovo were obscure concepts to the world until they blew up. NagornoKarabakh, South Ossetia and Abkhazia are equally obscure now.

They will not remain obscure unless strategic measures are taken. It is not clear to us that Clinton was simply making a courtesy call or had strategy on her mind.

But the logic of the American position is that it should think strategically about the Caucasus, and in doing so, logic and regional dynamics point to a strong relationship with Azerbaijan. —Stratfor

SPOTLIGHT

Page 42

Friday, July 16, 2010

Natascha McElhone: My grief I

t is a strange undertaking to publish a book that you don’t, in some ways, want people to read. Eighteen months after her husband’s death, Natascha McElhone went back over the diaries she had written and addressed to him, and found an account of grief unfolding in real time: repetitive, raw, endlessly circular. “People said, why on earth would you want to share that? And in a perverse way I don’t. What I want is for it to be available for someone to read if they need it.”

She was filming in LA, pregnant with her third child, when her husband’s friend Neil rang. Martin Kelly was 43, in his prime, what even before the eulogising could only be described as a “brilliant plastic surgeon”.

The couple had just had their 10th wedding anniversary and the baby was due in six months.

“Are you alone?” asked Neil.”Well, -ish,” said McElhone.

“Fire away.” “They did everything they could.”

The great template for writing about loss, CS Lewis’s A Grief Observed, minutely charted the fluctuations in mood that make up the formal stages of grief; flashes of joy, followed by guilt, followed by the plunge once more into lethargy. In those months following her husband’s death, lethargy wasn’t an option for McElhone: she had two small boys and a pregnancy to look after, as well as the bureaucratic nightmare of disentangling her late husband’s affairs. The word “authentic” is used almost exclusively these days to imply its opposite, but After You, a short, compelling book, is so unvarnished - “Not some actress, not a presented version” - that anything it loses in style is made up for in immediacy.

McElhone with her husband, Martin Kelly. Photograph: The Picture Library Ltd Two years after Kelly’s death, McElhone is still occasionally ambushed by shock. She and the children divide their time between London and LA, where she is currently filming the US TV show Californication.

She knows the triggers by now.

“Sleeplessness is so dodgy because my thoughts - I have less control over them. They gallop away and pull you along, and you go on these bizarre night journeys that, thank God, when it’s daylight, subside. The other night, I had just put the baby back to sleep and I remember thinking, again - and it’s been two years, but I do remember thinking: this is just ridiculous.”

Kelly was going through the front door of their London home when he died from heart failure.

He was discovered by a friend, another doctor, with whom he’d been going for a drink and who tried, fruitlessly, to revive him. He had no will and a badly sold lifeinsurance policy, so in the months after his death it looked as if the only way McElhone would be able to access the money was to sue her own children. (It was locked in trust until they turned 18, useless, she says, since “they

The actor Natascha McElhone was pregnant with her third child when her husband collapsed and died. She kept a diary of her loss and has now decided to publish it. needed a roof over their heads now”. A solicitor eventually sorted it out.)

She started writing to Kelly almost immediately, as a release and an effort to contain her grief out of sight of her children; Theo, the eldest at eight, had asked her not to cry in front of him. The early entries are full of the derangements of a mind in shock; one of the first things that crossed her mind after hearing the news was a hope that the windows in their London home were shut, so that nothing of Kelly’s spirit could escape. Later, when she returned home, there was, she writes, such a palpable sense of him - the shirt on the door; the lingering smell that “there is a period of time where I think, someone is still buzzing; there is a reverberation of them around you that you clasp, latch on to, in the hope that it will materialise into something more than a vibration. And of course it never does. There’s that hope. It’s very irrational. And you know it is.

But it still gives a sense of comfort or relief.” These are things she could record only in the knowledge that she was “writing to someone who’s not around and you’re not going to get a response”.

McElhone had to fight the urge to go back and rewrite the diaries and to take out what, at close range, seemed to her to be boring details, but that in the event make the book. At the urging of her editor, she kept in verbatim the hurried to-do lists made in the aftermath of Kelly’s death and which feature, along with “get a solicitor” and “call Wilts council”, items such as “write letter to him, put in his coffin w cds, book, boys fav pokemon cards”.

The question of how much her sons would remember of their father was one of the things that most worried her. McElhone didn’t want him to be built into a godlike figure, nor removed from casual reference in daily life. She wondered whether she should radically change her parenting style. At first, she says, she tried to compensate for her husband’s absence by mimicking his role in the family. “With Martin I always played the straight man and he was the clown. I thought, ugh, they can’t just have straight man, that’s so dull. I tried for a while to do clown and straight man, and they got really confused. So I just decided to stick to my role. I decided quite early on that I couldn’t be a mother and a father.

It was quite a relief.”

She wondered, too, at how much of a disadvantage having one parent would put them. “One of the things that tortured me was that children learn humour from witnessing the interplay of adults, and since I’m on my own, I did feel that was going to be a huge loss.” In the end, she hopes, character will make up some of the shortfall. “Theo is incredibly witty. And ironic. Lots of smirks and eyebrows raised, just in the way that Martin used to do.

Somehow it’s in there.”

A more formal memoir would have included background on the couple’s marriage, how they got together in their mid-20s after years of running into each other.

There were the spooky coincidences that, after the fact, they read back as signs of their cosmic compatibility. (McElhone was living in an apartment block Kelly had just vacated; his telephone number was one digit different from hers, etc.) She had been single for a couple of years, had last known Kelly in his party animal phase and was surprised to hear he had knuckled down and become a doctor. For their first date, she made him sit through a performance by Mikhail

Baryshnikov. “I thought, he’s really interesting and he’s calmed down, and he is doing all this amazing stuff. I had just assumed he was wrapped up in some New York top model. Literally two weeks after that I knew I was in deep.”

Looking back, her husband would say, “I can’t believe you didn’t think we were going to spend our lives together that first night.”

The thing she misses most, she says, is having a coconspirator. She watches the children romping on the lawn sometimes and “there’s that feeling of, there’s no one to play with any more”.

Friends offered to be with her for the birth of the baby, but it struck a “false note”, says McElhone, and she decided that if her husband, who had been present for the first two births, could not be there, then she would rather go it alone. In the aftermath of labour, she wanted to be quiet and think of him, rather than make small talk with someone who was very much not him.

The baby, Rex, pulled them all together; McElhone’s eldest son wrote a poem “about Martin’s soul flying out of one window and coming through another into Rex’s”. She has tried to mimic their childish ability to live in the moment. “If there’s anything good [that’s come out of it] I think it’s that I don’t have any expectations.

I had quite a lot, when I was younger. Living with very limited expectations is a much more immediate way of living. You really do just make the best of everything you have. I guess kids have that ability, they wait in joyful anticipation of something rather than that sense of entitlement. In a strange way, grief puts you back there, if you’ve lost everything.

You just open up in a way that you haven’t for years and years, to anything good that comes along; it’s just so precious.”

The gratitude extends to work, which became suddenly easier; after appearing in The Truman Show and Solaris with George Clooney, chasing A-list jobs became less important than securing a reliable income. “The decisions are made easier. The work serves our lifestyle and that’s all it’s about at the moment.”

Otis, her seven-year-old, occasionally lobbies for a new dad.

He has described what he wants: someone large (like his father), and blond, like him and his mother.

He has some specific people in mind, at the top of the list Wayne Rooney and David Attenborough.

His mother gently suggested that, lovely as he is, Attenborough might be out of her age range. Otis relaxed his criteria. “He said, as long as he’s big and strong, I don’t even care about the blond hair and blue eyes any more. It was so tragic. He’d obviously thought to himself, oh well, maybe I was too demanding.” But two seconds later, she says, he was playing outside, “and it had evaporated”. —Guardian

ART

Friday, July 16, 2010

Festive Dream by Olga Chernysheva

Artist of the week

Page 43

Olga Chernysheva, Panorama

Olga Chernysheva

With a magpie eye for detail, this artist uses photographs, video, paintings, and drawings to capture Moscow street scenes - and a nation still mired in post-Soviet contradictions

Rush Hour Bloom by Olga Chernysheva

O

lga Chernysheva has a special term for her approach to making art: vhad an avoska: a shopping bag that you’d permanently carry about just in case something good turned up in the erratically stocked shops.

Wandering through the city today, Chernysheva is always on the lookout - though now her “avoska” is a camera rather than a bag. In addition to videos shot on the spur of the moment, she produces photographs, watercolours and drawings which record everything from parades to buskers, bathers, tramps and security guards. What she captures is not simply life at street level but a post-Soviet state of mind.

Born in 1962, Chernysheva came of age after the Soviet Union’s demise, a time she recalls as extraordinarily intense. Following a decade when conceptual artists largely made work behind closed doors, Chernysheva was invited to study at Amsterdam’s Rijksakademie - the first Russian artist to do so. Moscow was caught up in the beginnings of a capitalist revolution; amid the sweeping change, what Chernysheva has focused on are people apparently cut off from the flow of history.

The recent watercolour series Blue-Yellow (2009) depicts typical Moscow market traders flogging pickles, vegetables and ladies’ clothes from little blue and yellow tents. They look more like medieval travelling players than people at the cutting edge of modern commerce. It’s a sense of isolation reflected in On Duty (2007), which comprises photographic portraits of guards on the Moscow metro. Sealed up alone in glass booths, with their eyes raised as if in religious contemplation, they might as well be invisible to the passengers filing by. Chernysheva’s photographic light-box series, The Cactus Seller (2009), presents another kind of inner withdrawal: a bespectacled man tending plants among the dimly lit displays of a natural history museum.

One to watch: Included in this year’s Artes Mundi prize exhibition, her 2003 video, The Train, follows a man Chernysheva found reciting poetry on the railway system out of Moscow.

Walking back and forth through the carriages, he intones an obscure early work by Pushkin, while the train speeds on. Old and new worlds collide.

Looney tunes: Rather than study art - which in the Soviet era meant painting and sculpture more often than not - Chernysheva initially trained in animation at Moscow’s film academy. Here she discovered the work of the 19th-century Russian realist Pavel Fedotov, whose final painting is the basis for her recent video, Intermissions of the Heart, in which a dog performs a trick over and over, caught in an endless loop.

Where can I see her? A survey of Chernysheva’s work is at Calvert 22, London, until 29 August 2010.—Guardian

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C R O S S W O R D

2 3

Friday, July 16, 2010

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

ACROSS 1. 10 hao equal 1 dong.

4. A large metal or pottery vessel with a handle and spout.

10. A humorous anecdote or remark.

13. The sense organ for hearing and equilibrium.

14. A winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple.

15. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

16. Electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field.

17. The sacred writings of the Christian religion.

19. Of a period of maximal use or demand or activity.

21. Being five more than one hundred fifty.

22. Swift timid long-eared mammal larger than a rabbit having a divided upper lip and long hind legs.

23. Being nine more than ninety.

24. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

26. Large lipoproteins rich in triglycerides.

30. Tropical American trees with palmately compound leaves and showy bell-shaped flowers.

34. (in Gnosticism) A divine power or nature emanating from the Supreme Being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe.

35. One of a pair of planks used to make a track for rolling or sliding objects.

38. A small ball with a hole through the middle.

39. A reproach for some lapse or misdeed.

41. The compass point midway between east and southeast.

43. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

44. Jordan's port.

46. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

48. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

49. Charge falsely or with malicious intent.

51. A constitutional monarchy in southeastern Asia on Borneo and the Malay Peninsula.

55. Station where transport vehicles load or unload passengers or goods.

58. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

59. Any of a group of heavenly spirits under the god Anu. 63. Type genus of the Nepidae.

64. Flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes.

65. A tiny or scarcely detectable amount.

66. A branch of the Tai languages.

67. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

68. Australian shrubs and small trees with evergreen usually spiny leaves and dense clusters of showy flowers.

69. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

DOWN 1. A collection of objects laid on top of each other.

2. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

3. Predatory black-and-white toothed whale with large dorsal fin.

4. A federally chartered savings bank.

5. Concerning those not members of the clergy.

6. A leisurely walk (usually in some public place).

7. Italian physiologist noted for his discovery that frogs' muscles contracted in an electric field (which led to the galvanic cell) (1737-1798).

8. A metal-bearing mineral valuable enough to be mined.

9. A silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group.

10. (Greek mythology) Goddess of the earth and mother of Cronus and the Titans in ancient mythology.

11. Any culture medium that uses agar as the gelling agent.

12. A measuring instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity or for testing conformity with a standard.

18. The cardinal number that is the sum of four and one.

20. A large oven for firing or burning or drying such things as porcelain or bricks.

25. Being ten more than one hundred ninety.

27. An accidental hole that allows something (fluid or light etc.) to enter or escape.

28. Amino acid that is formed in the liver and converted into dopamine in the brain.

29. North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

31. That is to say.

32. A small cake leavened with yeast.

33. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

36. Scottish sea captain who was hired to protect British shipping in the Indian Ocean and then was accused of piracy and hanged (1645-1701).

37. Lacking or deprive of the sense of hearing wholly or in part.

40. Characteristic of a baby.

41. Concerning those not members of the clergy.

42. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae.

45. The cry made by sheep.

47. An official or legal cancellation.

48. Primitive predaceous North American fish covered with hard scales and having long jaws with needle-like teeth.

50. A faint constellation in the polar region of the southern hemisphere and containing part of the Large Magellanic Cloud.

51. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

52. In bed.

53. Set down according to a plan.

54. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

55. A chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints).

56. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

57. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

60. Irritate or vex.

61. A unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity.

62. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

Yesterday’s Solution

Page 45

Friday, July 16, 2010

COUNTRY CODES

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY Aries (March 21-April 19) "Thou shalt not kill" is a crucial rule for you to follow, and not just in the literal sense. According to my reading of the astrological omens, you should also be extra vigilant as you avoid more metaphorical kinds of destruction. Please be careful not to unleash ill-chosen words that would crush someone's spirit (including your own). Don't douse newly kindled fires, don't burn recently built bridges, and don't deprive fresh sprouts of the light they need to keep growing. To put this all in a more positive frame: It's time for you to engage in a reverent and boisterous celebration of life, nurturing and fostering and stimulating everywhere you go.

Ta u r u s ( A p r i l 2 0 - M a y 2 0 ) The baseball game was over. TV announcer Mike Krukow was describing the "ugly victory" that the San Francisco Giants had just achieved. The team's efforts were sloppy and chaotic, he said, and yet the win counted just as much as a more elegant triumph. He ended with a flourish: "No one wants to hear about the labor pains; they just want to see the baby." That's my message to you this week, Taurus. All that matters is that you get the job done. It doesn't matter whether you look good doing it.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Here's the really good news: CIA director Leon Panetta says there are fewer than 100 Al-Qaeda combatants in Afghanistan. Here's the utterly confusing news: The U.S has over 94,000 highly trained human beings in Afghanistan whose express purpose is to destroy Al-Qaeda. I bring this up as a prod to get you to question your own allotment of martial force, Gemini.

You definitely need to make sure you have a lavish reserve of fighting spirit primed to serve your highest goals. Just make sure, please, that it's pointed in the right direction.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) "Give us this day our daily hunger," prayed French philosopher Gaston Bachelard. It was his personal variation on the "Give us this day our daily bread" line from the Lord's Prayer. I suggest you use his formulation as your own in the coming week, Cancerian. It's the high season for your holy desires: a time when your mental and physical health will thrive as you tune in to and express your strongest, most righteous longings.

Leo (July 23-August 22) The Italian word terribilita was originally used by art critics to describe the sculptures and paintings of Michelangelo.

According to various dictionaries, it refers to "a sense of awe-inspiring grandeur," "the sublime mixed with amazement," or "an astonishing creation that provokes reverent humility." In my astrological opinion, terribilita is a prerequisite for the next chapter of your life story. You need to be flabbergasted by stunning beauty. Where can you go to get it? A natural wonder might do the trick, or some exalted architecture, or the biography of a superb human being, or works of art or music that make you sob with cathartic joy. For extra credit, put yourself in the path of all the above.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) I want to see your willpower surge and throb and carry you to a ringing triumph in the next two weeks, Virgo. I hope to be cheering you on as you complete a plucky effort to overcome some long-standing obstacle . . . as you put the finishing touches on an epic struggle to defeat a seemingly intractable foe . . . as you rise up with a herculean flourish and put the stamp of your uniqueness on a success that will last a long time.

Libra (September 23-October 22) The Italian word terribilita was originally used by art critics to describe the sculptures and paintings of Michelangelo. According to various dictionaries, it refers to "a sense of awe-inspiring grandeur," "the sublime mixed with amazement," or "an astonishing creation that provokes reverent

humility." In my astrological opinion, terribilita is a prerequisite for the next chapter of your life story.

You need to be flabbergasted by stunning beauty.

Where can you go to get it? A natural wonder might do the trick, or some exalted architecture, or the biography of a superb human being, or works of art or music that make you sob with cathartic joy. For extra credit, put yourself in the path of all the above.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) In a favorable review of Badger Mountain Riesling wine, Winelibrary.com said, "The sweet succulent aromas of bosc pears are woven with lilacs and just a hint of petrol."

Meanwhile, Allure magazine named Secretions Magnifique as one of the top five sexiest perfumes in the world, even though its fragrance is like "floral bilge." Petrol? Bilge? Both commentaries seem to suggest that greatness may contain a taint -- or even that the very nature of greatness may require it to have a trace of something offensive. I'm guessing that'll be a theme for you in the coming week.

Sagittarius (November 22December 21) During the grace period you're currently enjoying, you have a talent for tuning in to the raw potential of whatever situation is right in front of you; you just naturally know how to establish rapport with circumstances you've never seen before. That's why your spontaneous urges are likely to generate fun learning experiences, not awkward messes. You'll thrive as you improvise adeptly with volatile forces.

It may therefore seem like your progress will be easy, even a bit magical. Some people may regard your breakthroughs as unearned. But you and I will know that you're merely harvesting the benefits that come from a long period of honing your powers.

Capricorn (December 22January 19) A few single friends of mine use the dating site OkCupid to meet potential lovers. One woman got the following notice: "We are pleased to report that you are in the top half of OkCupid's most attractive users. How can we say this with confidence? Because we've tracked click-thrus on your photo and analyzed other people's reactions to you . . . Your new elite status comes with one important privilege: You will now see more attractive people in your match results. Also! You'll be shown to more attractive people in their match results. And, no, we didn't send this email to everyone on OkCupid. Go ask an ugly friend." According to my analysis of the astrological omens, Capricorn, you will soon receive a metaphorically comparable message, not from OkCupid, but from the universe itself.

Aquarius (January 20February 18) The liberation movement kindled in the 1960s wasn't all fun and games. It ushered in expansive new ways of thinking about gender, race, sexuality, spirituality, music, and consciousness itself, but it was fueled by anger as well as by the longing for pleasure and meaning and transcendence. A key focus of the rage was opposition to the Vietnam War. The adrenaline stirred by antiwar protests was an instrumental part of the mix that propelled the entire era's push for freedom.

I'm hoping that the oil hemorrhage in the Gulf of Mexico will become a similar beacon in the next ten years. Can you think of a comparable prod in your personal life, Aquarius? A gnawing injustice that will help awaken and feed your irresistible drive to emancipate yourself?

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Here's a thought from Piscean poet W.H. Auden: "The image of myself which I try to create in my own mind in order that I may love myself is very different from the image which I try to create in the minds of others in order that they may love me." If what Auden describes is true for you, I suggest you try this experiment: Merge the two images; see if you can make them the same. You're entering a phase in your cycle when you will have a tremendous opportunity to unify the inner and outer parts of your life. (And if Auden's description is not true for you, congratulations: You are either an enlightened saint or well on your way to becoming one.)

Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiga Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Cyprus (Northern) Czech Republic Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England (UK) Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Holland (Netherlands) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Ibiza (Spain) Iceland India Indian Ocean Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait

0093 00355 00213 00376 00244 001264 001268 0054 00374 0061 0043 001242 00973 00880 001246 00375 0032 00501 00229 001441 00975 00591 00387 00267 0055 00673 00359 00226 00257 00855 00237 001 00238 001345 00236 00235 0056 0086 0057 00269 00242 00682 00506 00385 0053 00357 0090392 00420 0045 00246 00253 001767 001809 00593 0020 00503 0044 00240 00291 00372 00251 00500 00298 00679 00358 0033 00594 00689 00241 00220 00995 0049 00233 00350 0030 00299 001473 00590 001671 00502 00224 00592 00509 0031 00504 00852 0036 0034 00354 0091 00873 0062 0098 00964 00353 0039 00225 001876 0081 00962 007 00254 00686 00965

Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Liberia Libya Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Majorca Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar (Burma) Namibia Nepal Netherlands (Holland) Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Nigar Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Ireland (UK) North Korea Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts Saint Lucia Saint Pierre Saint Vincent Samoa US Samoa West San Marino Sao Tone Saudi Arabia Scotland (UK) Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tanzania Thailand Toga Tonga Tokelau Trinidad Tunisia Turkey Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay

00996 00856 00371 00961 00231 00218 00370 00352 00853 00389 00261 0034 00265 0060 00960 00223 00356 00692 00596 00222 00230 00269 0052 00691 00373 00377 00976 001664 00212 00258 0095 00264 00977 0031 00599 00687 0064 00505 00227 00234 00683 00672 0044 00850 0047 00968 0092 00680 00507 00675 00595 0051 0063 0048 00351 001787 00974 0040 007 00250 00290 001869 001758 00508 001784 00684 00685 00378 00239 00966 0044 00221 00284 00232 0065 00421 00386 00677 00252 0027 0082 0034 0094 00249 00597 00268 0046 0041 00963 00886 00255 0066 00228 00676 00690 001868 00216 0090 00688 00256 00380 00976 0044 00598

WHAT'S ON

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Centrepoint engages Kuwait’s student community

C

entrepoint, the region’s leading retail conglomerate, opened its doors to students from across various schools in Kuwait. In its efforts to increase its engagement with the student community, Centrepoint extended an invitation to select schools across Kuwait to have a glimpse of its showrooms and learn some of the operational features like merchandising, organizing skills in the store rooms, like Billing, Exchange/Return policies and Loyalty program.

More than 200 children visited the showrooms located at Al-Rai, Salmiya, Hawally, Fahaheel, Kuwait City, Jahra and Fintas and took home some learning and pleasant memories.

The participating schools that were a part of this retail experience included Suhaib Bin Sinan Primary School for Boys, Jameela Bin Aba’ad Girls Primary School, Abdallah Al0Nory Boys School, Al-Fawares Boys School and Khabab Bin Al Art School. Saibal Basu, Chief Operating Officer, Centrepoint Kuwait said “Centrepoint remains deeply committed to its CSR mission; we wanted to give students a real-life experience and have always supported various student initiatives.

It is important to ensure that the students who are planning their future careers get a realistic understanding of the opportunities and challenges ahead”.

The tour included the students getting acquainted with the different concepts located within the showrooms namely Splash, Lifestyle, Juniors and Shoe Mart. A quiz was conducted for the students to gauge their understanding, know-how and functionalities of the showrooms and were awarded prizes for the same. The entire educative program was wrapped up by an entertaining magic show which enthralled the students and the teachers accompanying them.

Refreshments and gift hampers were handed over to the students and teachers at the end of it all. The students were ecstatic upon receiving these gifts thoroughly enjoying the tour and took back home pleasant memories.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Embassy information EMBASSY OF AMERICA The United States Department of State announces the increase in various visa fees to ensure sufficient resources to cover the increasing cost of processing nonimmigrant visas (NIVs). US law requires the Department to recover the cost of processing non-immigrant visas through the collection of the application fees. The increased fees are to take effect June 4, 2010. Under the new rule, applicants for all visas that are not petition-based, including B1/B2 tourist and business visitor visas and all student and exchange-visitor visas, will pay a fee of $140. Applicants for petition-based visas will pay an application fee of $150, as each of the below categories requires a review of extensive documentation and a more in-depth interview of the applicant than other categories, such as tourists.

These categories include: H visa for temporary workers and trainees L visa for intra-company transferees O visa for aliens with extraordinary ability P visa for athletes, artists and entertainers Q visa for international cultural exchange visitors R visa for religious occupations The application fee for K visas for fiance(e)s of US citizens will be $350. The fee for E visas for treaty-traders and treatyinvestors will be $390.

EMBASSY OF INDIA

US Embassy encourages American citizens to register

T

he US Embassy encourages US citizens and uniformed service members and their families living outside of the United States to register as absentee voters. The process is simple: Complete the registration/absentee ballot request form found on the Federal Voting Assistance Program website, wvw.frap.gov, and drop it off at the US Embassy. Ballot request forms are also available at the Embassy. The Embassy will mail the ballot request for you to the United States. When approved, the Election Official will mail the absentee ballot, or in some states, fax or e-mail it to you.

Return the ballot, and your vote is counted.

The Federal Voting Assistance Program website also includes state-specific information, registration deadlines, and voting dates for state primaries. The general election is on November 2, 2010. The website also includes frequently asked questions about voting. For more information on voting eligibility, please visit the website www.canivote.org.

Seminar on Kuwait law

Th

e AWARE Center invites you to its diwaniya next week about, “What you need to know about the Kuwaiti Law,” by Walid Al-Kaaki.

Everyone living and working in Kuwait must observe the laws and try to secure his/her rights by fulfilling his/her duties first. Since the laws are legislated to protect the rights of people and institutions, being aware of them is vital and helpful. It should also be understood that some laws are different from country to country; even if you are a law expert in your own country, you will definitely need some information about the Kuwaiti Laws. In his 25minute-presentation, Walid Al-Kaaki, a lawyer himself, will paint a clear picture about the legal environment in Kuwait and will provide attendees with valuable pieces of advice for them to run their personal and professional life efficiently here in Kuwait. All are welcome at the AWARE Center on July 20th, 2010.” For more information, please call 25335260/80 ext 105 or e-mail: Htaware.hassan@gmail.com.

Al-Rashid Hospital welcomes visiting urologist

A

l-Rashid Hospital is proud to introduce Dr Aref Al-Sweifi, a German professor doctor in Urology. Dr Aref has been practicing in Al-Rashid hospital since 2005. He introduced the first specialized unit in treating benign prostate enlargement using green laser for cardiac, diabetic patients and for those using anticoagulant therapy. Other treatments include relieve from urinary symptoms, erectile function kept normal, minimal complications on rates. For the first time in Kuwait, the first specialized unit for treatment of erectile dysfunction using penile prosthesis for cardiac, diabetic patients, without complications. The first specialized unit in Kuwait for treating premature ejaculation, and for treating penile curvature without affecting the length of the penis or the power of erection under supervision of Dr Adel Michel Riyadh, Master Degree of Urology.

Visit from July 24 till August 1, 2010.

The Embassy of India has further revamped and improved its Legal Advice Clinic at the Indian Workers Welfare Center, and made the free service available to Indian nationals on all five working days, i.e. from Sunday to Thursday every week. Kuwaiti lawyers would be available at the Legal Advice Clinic daily from Monday to Thursday, while Indian lawyers would be available on Sundays. Following are the free welfare services provided at the Indian Workers Welfare Center located at the Embassy of India: [i] 24x7 Helpline for Domestic Workers: Accessible by toll free telephone no. 25674163 from anywhere in Kuwait, it provides information and advice exclusively to Indian domestic sector workers (Visa No. 20) as regards their grievances, immigration and other matters. [ii] Help Desk: It offers guidance to Indian nationals on routine immigration, employment, legal, and other issues (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iii) Labour Complaints Desk: It registers labor complaints and provides grievance redressal service to Indian workers (Embassy premises; 9 AM to 1 PM and 2 PM to 4.30 PM, Sunday to Thursday); (iv) Shelters: For female and male domestic workers in distress; (v) Legal Advice Clinic: Provides free legal advice to Indian nationals (Embassy premises; Kuwaiti lawyers 3 PM to 5 PM, Monday to Thursday; Indian lawyers 2 PM to 4 PM on Sunday); and (vi) Attestation of Work Contracts: Private sector worker (Visa No. 18) contracts are accepted at the Embassy; 9 AM to 1 PM; Sunday to Thursday; Domestic sector worker (Visa No. 20) contracts are accepted at Kuwait Union of Domestic Labor Offices (KUDLO), Hawally, Al-Othman Street, Kurd Roundabout, Al-Abraj Complex, Office No 9, Mezzanine Floor; 9 AM to 9 PM, Saturday to Thursday; 5 PM to 9 PM on Friday.

EMBASSY OF THE KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform the general public that the Embassy will remain closed on Sunday 11th July 2010, on the occasion of Isra Wal Miraj anniversary. Normal office operations will resume on Monday 12th July 2010.

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wishes to invite all Nigerians residing in Kuwait to come and register with the Embassy. The registration is compulsory for all Nigerians residing /visiting Kuwait. Kindly bring the following documents along with you: • A photocopy of the Nigerian passport • One passport photograph • Copy of the civil identification card or visa For additional information please call: 25620278 or visit the Embassy at Block, 4, Malik Bin Anas Street, Avenue 44, House 31, Along Al-Aqsa Road, Rumaithiya. The Consular Section opens Sunday - Thursday from 9 am - 3 pm Your prompt response is highly solicited.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 47

CLASSIFIEDS

Page 48

Friday, July 16, 2010

FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

IN CASE YOU ARE NOT TRAVELLING, YOUR PROPER CANCELLATION OF BOOKINGS WILL HELP OTHER PASSENGERS TO USE SEATS. Arrival Flights on Friday 16/07/2010 Airlines Flt Route Wataniya Airways 188 Bahrain Tunis Air 327 Tunis/Dubai Wataniya Airways 306 Cairo Kuwait 544 Cairo Wataniya Airways 434 Damascus Gulf Air 211 Bahrain Middle East 408 Beirut Jazeera 187 Dubai Turkish 772 Istanbul Pakistan 215 Karachi Air Arabia Egypt 551 Alexandria Egypt Air 614 Cairo Jazeera 267 Beirut DHL 370 Bahrain Emirates 853 Dubai Jazeera 513 Sharm El Sheikh Wataniya Airways 322 Sharm El Sheikh Etihad 305 Abu Dhabi Jazeera 241 Amman Qatari 138 Doha Air France 6770 Paris Ethiopian 622 Addis Ababa/Bahrain Jazeera 503 Luxor Jazeera 527 Alexandria British 157 London Kuwait 416 Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur Kuwait 206 Islamabad Kuwait 302 Mumbai Fly Dubai 053 Dubai Kuwait 676 Dubai Kuwait 286 Chittagong Kuwait 352 Cochin Kuwait 284 Dhaka Kuwait 362 Colombo Emirates 855 Dubai Arabia 121 Sharjah Qatari 132 Doha Etihad 301 Abu Dhabi Iran Air 619 Lar Gulf Air 213 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 182 Bahrain Middle East 404 Beirut Wataniya Airways 102 Dubai Jazeera 165 Dubai Yemenia 825 Sanaa Jazeera 171 Dubai Gulf Air 219 Bahrain Egypt Air 610 Cairo Jazeera 457 Damascus Kuwait 672 Dubai Wataniya Airways 432 Damascus United 982 Washington DC Dulles Jordanian 800 Amman Fly Dubai 057 Dubai Jazeera 257 Beirut Wataniya Airways 422 Amman Kuwait 552 Damascus Kuwait 744 Dammam Jazeera 481 Sabiha Qatari 134 Doha Kuwait 546 Alexandria Mihin 403 Colombo/Dubai Bahrain Air 344 Bahrain Jazeera 427 Bahrain Etihad 303 Abu Dhabi Emirates 857 Dubai Wataniya Airways 402 Beirut Gulf Air 215 Bahrain Saudia 510 Riyadh Jazeera 239 Amman Arabia 125 Sharjah Jazeera 367 Deirezzor SriLankan 227 Colombo/Dubai Wataniya Airways 304 Cairo Kuwait 166 Paris/Rome

Time 00:30 00:35 00:50 00:50 00:55 01:05 00:40 01:10 01:15 01:15 02:00 02:05 02:10 02:15 02:25 02:30 02:35 02:55 03:20 03:25 03:25 03:30 05:50 06:20 06:30 06:35 07:15 07:50 07:55 08:00 08:05 08:05 08:10 08:20 08:25 08:40 09:00 09:25 10:40 10:45 10:45 10:50 11:05 11:15 12:00 12:40 12:50 12:55 13:10 13:15 13:35 13:35 13:35 13:50 14:05 14:10 14:35 14:40 14:40 15:05 15:30 16:40 16:40 16:50 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:15 17:20 17:40 17:40 17:55 18:00 18:35 18:40

Kuwait Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Indian Kuwait Nas Air Fly Dubai Oman Air Middle East Rovos Jet A/L Saudia Wataniya Airways Wataniya Airways Kuwait Wataniya DHL Gulf Air Jazeera Qatari United Emirates Lufthansa Jazeera Jazeera Egypt Air Shaheen Air KLM Egypt Air Bulgaria Air Wataniya Airways

674 Dubai 106 Dubai 502 Beirut 542 Cairo 618 Doha 497 Riyadh 177 Dubai 614 Bahrain 774 Riyadh 102 New Yokr/London 575 Chennai/Goa 562 Amman 745 Jeddah 061 Dubai 647 Muscat 402 Beirut 081 Baghdad 572 Mumbai 506 Jeddah 642 Vienna 404 Beirut 786 Jeddah 632 Rome 372 Bahrain 217 Bahrain 459 Damascus 136 Doha 981 Bahrain 859 Dubai 636 Frankfurt 185 Dubai 429 Bahrain 612 Cairo 441 Lahore/Karachi 0447 Amsterdam/Bahrain 606 Luxor 777 Bourgas 108 Dubai

Departure Flights on Friday 16/07/2010 Egypt Air 607 Luxor Bangladesh 044 Dhaka Middle East 409 Beirut India Express 390 Mangalore/Kozhikode Lufthansa 637 Frankfurt Indian 982 Ahmedabad/Hyderabad/Chennai Pakistan 206 Lahore Tunis Air 328 Tunis Turkish 773 Istanbul Pakistan 216 Karachi Air Arabia Egypt 552 Alexandria Egypt Air 615 Cairo DHL 371 Bahrain Emirates 854 Dubai Etihad 306 Abu Dhabi Ethiopian 622 Addis Ababa Qatari 139 Doha Air France 6770 Dubai/Hong Kong Wataniya Airways 101 Dubai Jazeera 480 Sabiha Jazeera 164 Dubai Jazeera 456 Damascus Gulf Air 212 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 181 Bahrain Jazeera 256 Beirut Wataniya Airways 431 Damascus British 156 London Jazzera 170 Dubai Kuwait 545 Alexandria Fly Dubai 054 Dubai Kuwait 177 Frankfurt/Geneva Kuwait 671 Dubai Kuwait 117 New York Wataniya Airways 421 Amman Kuwait 551 Damascus Arabia 122 Sharjah

18:45 18:45 18:50 18:50 19:00 19:00 19:05 19:20 19:25 19:25 19:30 19:40 20:00 20:05 20:15 20:10 20:30 20:30 20:35 20:45 20:50 20:50 21:00 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:35 21:55 22:00 22:30 22:40 22:45 22:55 23:00 23:10 23:15 23:50 23:55 00:15 00:15 00:25 00:25 00:50 01:05 01:10 01:25 02:15 02:30 02:40 03:05 03:15 03:45 04:00 04:15 05:00 05:15 06:50 07:00 07:05 07:45 07:45 07:50 08:05 08:10 08:25 8:30 08:35 08:40 08:55 09:00 09:05 09:10 09:10 09:20

Wataniya Airways Emirates Wataniya Airways Qatari Etihad Gulf Air Wataniya Airways Iran Air Middle East Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera Kuwait Yemenia Kuwait Gulf Air Jazeera Egypt Air Kuwait Wataniya Airways Jordanian Fly Dubai Kuwait United Jazeera Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera Kuwait Qatari Kuwait Rovos Bahrain Air Etihad Mihin Wataniya Airways Gulf Air Emirates Arabia Jazeera Saudia SriLankan Wataniya Airways Wataniya Airways Jazeera Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Fly Dubai Nas Air Kuwait Kuwait Oman Air Middle East Jet A/W Wataniya Airways Gulf Air Saudia DHL Kuwait Jazeera Qatari Kuwait Kuwait Emirates Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera United Kuwait Egypt Air

631 856 641 133 302 214 401 618 405 303 743 541 238 366 103 825 501 220 426 611 673 105 801 058 561 982 176 403 785 617 496 458 773 135 613 082 345 304 404 305 216 858 126 184 511 228 407 107 428 266 283 361 062 704 343 331 648 403 571 187 218 507 373 675 612 137 203 301 860 526 636 502 981 411 613

Rome Dubai Vienna Doha Abu Dhabi Bahrain Beirut Lar Beirut Cairo Dammam Cairo Amman Deirezzor London Doha/Sanaa Beirut Bahrain Bahrain Cairo Dubai Dubai Amman Dubai Amman Bahrain Dubai Beirut Jeddah Doha Riyadh Damascus Riyadh Doha Bahrain Baghdad Bahrain Abu Dhabi Dubai/Colombo Cairo Bahrain Dubai Sharjah Dubai Riyadh Dubai/Colombo Beirut Dubai Bahrain Beirut Dhaka Colombo Dubai Riyadh Chennai Trivandrum Muscat Beirut Mumbai Bahrain Bahrain Jeddah Bahrain Dubai Lahore Doha Lahore Mumbai Dubai Alexandria Aleppo Luxor Washington DC Dulles Bangkok/Manila Cairo

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

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

CLASSIFIEDS

Friday, July 16, 2010

ACCOMMODATION Fully furnished sharing accommodation available with decent guy in Salmiya near Bestow Super Market.

Please contact: 25620547, 66737466. (C 2469) Sharing accommodation available for a Keralite nonsmoking bachelor in Abbassiya, rent KD 40.

Contact: 66577233.

(C 2470) 15-7-2010 Accommodation available for family, working ladies or non-cooking bachelors in Abbassiya opp German Clinic. Contact: 66455687.

(C 2466) Sharing accommodation available for bachelors Goan/Mangalorean only with

Page 49

Mangalorean family with food near Jabriya bridge 4th Ring Road.

Contact: 22662734 after 2:30 pm. (C 2467) Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya for working ladies, couples or bachelor. Phone: 97501647.

(C 2468) 13-7-2010 An Indian nurse (MOH) wants sharing accommodation in Salmiya area with Indian family. Contact: 66757539, 94914817.

(C 2464) Sharing accommodation available for single decent bachelor, non-smoking to share with family. Opposite to Al Rashid hospital, Shara Amman, Salmiya.

Tel: 5651678, 66232356.

(C 2465) 11-7-2010

IKEA children double bed, 200 x 90, KD 35, exercise machine, DVD player, VHS player, 100 VHS movie tapes original KD 20 DVDs, etc. Contact: 99881982.

(C 2472) 15-7-2010

CHANGE OF NAME

MISCELLANEOUS

No:

SITUATION VACANT

FOR SALE

14791 Required car Nissan Sunny or Mitsubishi Lancer 2005 or 2006 model, must be in very good condition.

Contact: 99881982.

(C 2473) 15-7-2010

I, Mahadeo Ramchandra Purane, holder of Indian Passport No. E 0370252, hereby change my name as Madhav Ramchandra Purane. (C 2471)15-7-2010 15-7-2010

Immediately required an experienced Indian young male cook (transferable visa), able to cook Kuwaiti foods, for a respected Kuwaiti family, will provide food and accommodation.

Contact: 94064401, 97324988. (C 2474) English speaking maid for a family living in Mangaf. If interested, please contact 60055305 or 23741548.

15-7-2010

SITUATION WANTED Immediately available experienced M.Com accountant, well versed in preparing trial balance, profit and loss A/C, balance sheet, L/C, bank dealings, bank reconciliation, secretarial works, with Arabic experience. Salary expected KD 275. Please call 97664236/24315927.

(C 2449) 6-7-2010 Male Secretary is looking for immediate placement, 12 years Kuwait experience, complete secretarial/ documentation works, tendering/ quantity survey works/ office administration & independent correspondence (Transferable residency). Call 66597087/ 24349364. (C 2433)

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists: Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 5622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 5752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 5321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 5739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 5757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 5732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 5732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT): Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz

4555050 Ext 510 5644660 5646478 5311996 5731988 2620166 5651426

General Practitioners: Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi Dr. Yousef Al-Omar Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem Dr. Kathem Maarafi Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae

4555050 Ext 123 4719312 3926920 5730465 5655528 4577781 5333501

Urologists: Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 2641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 2639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 2616660

Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 5313120 Plastic Surgeons: Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari Dr. Abdel Quttainah

2547272 2617700 5625030/60

Family Doctor: Dr Divya Damodar

3729596/3729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

2635047 2613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians: Dr Adrian Harbe Dr. Verginia s.Marin Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly Dr. Salem soso

3729596/3729581 572-6666 ext 8321 2655539 5343406 5739272 2618787

General Surgeons: Dr. Abidallah Behbahani 5717111 Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 2610044 Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 5327148

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra Dr. Mobarak Aldoub Dr Nasser Behbehani

5728004 5355515 4726446 5654300/3

Paediatricians: Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed Dr. Zahra Qabazard Dr. Sohail Qamar Dr. Snaa Maaroof Dr. Pradip Gujare Dr. Zacharias Mathew

5340300 5710444 2621099 5713514 3713100 4334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada) 5655535

2639939 2666300

Endocrinologist: Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 5339330 Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 5658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 5329924 Physiotherapists & VD: Dr. Deyaa Shehab Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

5722291 2666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 5330060 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 5722290

Dentists: Dr Anil Thomas Dr. Shamah Al-Matar Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

3729596/3729581 2641071/2 2562226 2561444 2619557 2525888 5653755 5620111

Internists, Chest & Heart: Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Mousa Khadada

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman 2636464 Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 5322030 Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali 2633135

Neurologists: Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 5633324 Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan 5345875

Internist, Chest & Heart: DR.Mohammes Akkad 4555050 Ext 210 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Tel: 5339667 Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Consultant Cardiologist Tel: 2611555-2622555

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Friday, July 16, 2010

TV Listings Orbit /Showtime Channels

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

My Own Worst Enemy Without a Trace Ghost Whisperer Sons of Anarchy Without a Trace Dawson’s Creek Bones My Own Worst Enemy Defying Gravity Warehouse 13 Ghost Whisperer The Ex-List Bones Burn Notice Ghost Whisperer Without a Trace Defying Gravity Warehouse 13 My Own Worst Enemy Bachelor The Deep End Big Love The Closer Janice Dickinson

00:45 Animal Cops South Africa 01:40 Untamed & Uncut 02:35 Weird Creatures with Nick Baker 03:30 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 04:25 Breed All About It 04:50 Breed All About It 05:20 Wildlife SOS International 05:45 Gorilla School 06:10 RSPCA: Have You Got What it Takes?

06:35 Vet on the Loose 07:00 Animal Crackers 07:25 Meerkat Manor 07:50 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 08:45 Breed All About It 09:10 Breed All About It 09:40 Wildlife SOS International 10:05 The Great Polar Bear Adventure 10:55 Gorilla School 11:20 RSPCA: Have You Got What it Takes?

11:50 Miami Animal Police 12:45 E-Vets: The Interns 13:10 Pet Rescue 13:40 Animal Cops Houston 14:35 Wildlife SOS International 15:00 RSPCA: Have You Got What it Takes?

15:30 The Great Polar Bear Adventure 16:25 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 17:20 Groomer Has It 18:15 Great Ocean Adventures 19:10 The Heart of a Lioness 20:10 Animal Cops South Africa 21:05 Untamed & Uncut 22:00 Whale Wars 22:55 Animal Cops Houston 23:50 The Heart of a Lioness

00:15 00:45 01:15 01:45 02:30 03:00 03:25 03:45 03:55 04:15 04:40 05:00 05:10 05:30 05:55 06:15 06:40 07:00 07:10 07:30 07:55 08:15 08:25 08:45 09:10 09:30 10:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:45 13:15 13:45

The Keith Barret Show Green Green Grass Ideal The Weakest Link Last Of The Summer Wine Teletubbies Me Too Tellytales Tweenies Teletubbies Me Too Tellytales Tweenies Teletubbies Me Too Teletubbies Me Too Tellytales Tweenies Teletubbies Me Too Tellytales Tweenies Teletubbies Me Too Mastermind 2006 Coast Last Of The Summer Wine Last Of The Summer Wine The Weakest Link Eastenders Doctors Mastermind 2006

14:15 15:15 15:45 16:15 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:50 19:40 20:00 20:45 21:15 22:15 22:45 23:35

Coast Last Of The Summer Wine Last Of The Summer Wine The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Sorted Sorted Doctor Who Confidential The Weakest Link Doctors The Whistleblowers Love Soup The Jonathan Ross Show New Tricks

00:00 00:30 00:55 01:20 02:10 02:50 03:40 04:00 04:25 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:30 07:00 07:20 08:10 09:00 09:45 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:20 12:10 12:55 13:45 14:40 15:30 16:15 17:10 17:55 18:50 19:40 20:10 20:35 21:00 21:50 22:40 23:30

Masterchef Goes Large Ainsley’s Gourmet Express Ching’s Kitchen Home For Life Fantasy Homes In The City Come Dine With Me Hidden Potential Cash In The Attic Usa Bargain Hunt Ainsley’s Gourmet Express Ching’s Kitchen Masterchef Goes Large Masterchef Goes Large Cash In The Attic Usa Antiques Roadshow Living In The Sun Bargain Hunt Hidden Potential Cash In The Attic Usa Ainsley’s Gourmet Express Ching’s Kitchen Home For Life Come Dine With Me Fantasy Homes In The City Antiques Roadshow Living In The Sun Bargain Hunt Home For Life Fantasy Homes In The City Antiques Roadshow Come Dine With Me Masterchef Goes Large Trish’s Mediterranean Kitchen Chuck’s Day Off Fantasy Homes In The City Living In The Sun Come Dine With Me Masterchef Goes Large

01:15 03:00 04:45 07:15 09:00 10:45 12:30 15:00 17:00 19:15 21:00 23:30

Trainspotting-R Romulus My Father-PG15 La Graine Et Le Mulet-PG15 Morning Light-PG A Walk In The Clouds-PG15 October Sky-PG15 Jacquou Le Croquant-PG15 Escape To Victory-PG Nicholas Nickleby-PG15 Edward Scissorhands-PG One True Thing-PG Civilization Of Maxwell Bright-

00:00 01:00 02:00 02:55 03:20 03:50 04:45 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:55 08:50 09:45 10:40 11:35 12:00 12:30 12:55 13:50 14:45 15:40 16:35 17:30 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00

Ross Kemp on Gangs Street Customs Berlin Dirty Jobs Destroyed in Seconds Destroyed in Seconds Extreme Explosions Mythbusters How Stuff’s Made Dirty Jobs Extreme Explosions Street Customs 2008 Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Overhaulin’ Border Security How Stuff’s Made How It’s Made Mythbusters Miami Ink Ultimate Survival Dirty Jobs Deadliest Catch Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security The Gadget Show How It’s Made How Stuff’s Made Wheeler Dealers Construction Intervention Ultimate Car Build-Off

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:50 04:45 05:10 05:40 06:10 07:00 08:00 09:00 16:20 16:50 17:45 18:40 19:05 19:30 19:55 20:20 20:45 21:10 22:00 22:25 22:50 23:15 23:40

Perfect Disaster Catch It Keep It I, Videogame Beyond Tomorrow Junkyard Mega-Wars How Stuff’s Made Weird Connections One Step Beyond Perfect Disaster Junkyard Mega-Wars Investigation X Science of the Movies How Stuff’s Made Brainiac Mythbusters The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science How It’s Made How It’s Made The Greatest Ever The Gadget Show The Gadget Show Sci-Fi Science Sci-Fi Science The Greatest Ever

00:15 Suite Life On Deck 00:35 Jonas 01:00 Sonny With A Chance 01:25 Hannah Montana 01:50 Hannah Montana 02:15 Jonas 02:35 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 03:00 The Suite Life of Zack & Cody 03:25 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 03:50 Replacements 04:15 Phineas & Ferb 04:40 Hannah Montana 05:05 KIM POSSIBLE 05:30 A KIND OF MAGIC 05:55 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 06:20 Replacements 06:40 STITCH 07:05 Wizards of Waverly Place 07:25 Hannah Montana 07:50 Sonny With A Chance 08:10 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 08:35 Phineas & Ferb 09:00 TIMMY TIME 09:10 SPECIAL AGENT OSO 09:35 HANDY MANNY 10:00 IMAGINATION MOVERS 10:20 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 10:45 JUNGLE JUNCTION 11:00 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 11:25 Phineas & Ferb 11:50 WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE 12:15 Sonny With A Chance 12:40 Hannah Montana 13:00 Hannah Montana 13:25 Jonas 13:50 Sonny With A Chance 14:15 Wizards of Waverly Place 14:35 SUITE LIFE ON DECK 15:00 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 15:25 Replacements 15:50 Phineas & Ferb 16:15 Hannah Montana 16:40 KIM POSSIBLE 17:05 A KIND OF MAGIC 17:30 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 17:55 Replacements 18:15 STITCH 18:40 Wizards of Waverly Place 19:00 Hannah Montana 19:25 Sonny With A Chance 19:45 FAIRLY ODD PARENTS 20:10 Phineas & Ferb 20:35 Suite Life On Deck 21:00 Wizards of Waverly Place 21:25 Hannah Montana 21:45 Jonas 22:10 Suite Life On Deck 22:35 Sonny With A Chance 23:00 Hannah Montana 23:25 Wizards of Waverly Place 23:50 Wizards of Waverly Place

00:00 Mexico X Games 2008 01:00 Winter Dew Tour 09/10 02:00 Strikeforce 03:00 Breitling Airsports 2008 03:30 Breitling Airsports 2008 04:00 Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 04:30 Nissan UCI Mountain Bike World Cup 05:00 I-Ex

05:30 I-Ex 08:00 Bmx Megatour 09:00 Bmx Megatour 10:00 Winter X Games 14 11:00 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships 20 12:00 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships 20 13:00 Ticket To Ride 2009-2010 Ep 5 13:30 Ticket To Ride 2009-2010 Ep 6 14:00 Winter X Games 14 15:00 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships 20 16:00 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships 20 17:00 Bmx Megatour 18:00 Bmx Megatour 19:00 Winter X Games 14 20:00 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships 20 21:00 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross Championships 20 22:00 Ticket To Ride 2009-2010 Ep 5 22:30 Ticket To Ride 2009-2010 Ep 6 23:00 Strikeforce

00:00 Chopped 01:00 30 Minute Meals 01:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 02:00 Iron Chef America 03:00 Barefoot Contessa 03:30 Everyday Italian 04:00 Chopped 05:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 05:30 Guys Big Bite 06:00 Iron Chef America 07:00 30 Minute Meals 07:25 Tyler’s Ultimate 07:50 Guys Big Bite 08:15 Barefoot Contessa 08:40 Everyday Italian 09:05 30 Minute Meals 09:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 10:00 Guys Big Bite 10:30 Barefoot Contessa 11:00 Everyday Italian 11:30 Food Network Challenge 12:30 30 Minute Meals 13:00 Tyler’s Ultimate 13:30 Guys Big Bite 14:00 Barefoot Contessa 14:30 Everyday Italian 15:00 30 Minute Meals 15:30 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 16:00 Iron Chef America 17:00 Barefoot Contessa 17:30 Everyday Italian 18:00 30 Minute Meals 18:30 Guys Big Bite 19:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 19:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 20:00 Iron Chef America 21:00 Extreme Cuisine with Jeff Corwin 22:00 Chopped 23:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 23:30 Guys Big Bite

00:00 ATP Tour: Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships Final Newport, 02:00 MLB: Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox 05:00 PGA Championship Highlights Padraig Harrington 06:00 Golf Central International Live From the Open Championship 08:00 MLB: Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox 11:00 Nationwide Tour: Chiquita Classic Rd. 1 Maineville, OH 13:00 World of Athletics 13:30 World Sport 2010 14:00 Beach Sports EVP Pro Beach Volleyball & US Grand Prix of Watercross Racine, WI 14:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 15:00 FIM Supermoto Castelletto di Branduzzo Italy 16:00 FIM Motocross Bellpuig, Catalunya 17:00 ARCA Racing Series: Prairie Meadows 200 Newton, IA 19:00 MLB: Texas Rangers at Boston Red Sox 22:00 Nationwide Tour: Chiquita Classic Rd. 2 Maineville, OH

00:30 A Haunting 01:20 FBI Files

The Incredible Hulk on Show Movies 02:10 03:05 04:00 04:55 05:20 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:30 15:20 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:30 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Dr G: Medical Examiner Disappeared Forensic Detectives Crime Scene Psychics Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghosthunters Ghosthunters Forensic Detectives FBI Files CSU Solved Forensic Detectives FBI Files Diagnosis: Unknown Solved Mystery ER Forensic Detectives FBI Files CSU Solved Forensic Detectives FBI Files Diagnosis: Unknown Solved Mystery ER Extreme Forensics Extreme Forensics Dr G: Medical Examiner

01:30 The Program 03:20 State Of Grace 05:30 Moonlight & Valentino 07:10 Something Wild 09:00 Rich Kids 10:35 Hennessy 12:20 The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave 13:50 The Secret Of N.i.m.h.

15:10 The Mechanic 16:50 The Playboys 18:35 Woman of Straw 20:30 Mr. Accident 22:00 Diary Of A Hitman 23:30 Italian Movie

00:30 Banged Up Abroad 01:30 Bondi Rescue 02:00 Bondi Rescue 02:30 The Best Job In The World 03:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 03:30 Bondi Rescue 04:00 Madventures 04:30 Madventures 05:00 Pressure Cook 05:30 Lonely Planet- Roads Less Travelled 06:30 Banged Up Abroad 07:30 Bondi Rescue 08:00 Bondi Rescue 08:30 The Best Job In The World 09:00 Don’t Tell My Mother

09:30 Bondi Rescue 10:00 Madventures 10:30 Madventures 11:00 Exploring The Vine 11:30 Lonely Planet- Roads Less Travelled 12:30 Banged Up Abroad 13:30 Weird And Wonderful Hotels 14:00 Weird And Wonderful Hotels 14:30 Somewhere In China 15:30 Bondi Rescue 16:00 Banged Up Abroad 17:00 Exploring The Vine 17:30 Lonely Planet- Roads Less Travelled 18:30 Banged Up Abroad 19:30 Weird And Wonderful Hotels 20:00 Weird And Wonderful Hotels 20:30 Somewhere In China 21:30 Bondi Rescue 22:00 Banged Up Abroad 23:00 Exploring The Vine 23:30 Lonely Planet- Roads Less Travelled

00:00 Modern Family 00:30 Til Death 01:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 01:30 The Colbert Report 02:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon 03:00 Inbetweeners 03:30 Weeds 04:00 South park 04:30 George Lopez 05:00 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 05:30 Late night with Jimmy Fallon 06:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 07:00 Eight Simple Rules 07:30 The Fresh Prince of Bel Air 08:00 Frasier 08:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 09:00 George Lopez 09:30 The Drew Carey show 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:30 Eight Simple Rules 11:00 Frasier 11:30 New Adventures of old Christine 12:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon 13:00 The Drew Carey show 13:30 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne 14:00 George Lopez 14:30 Til Death 15:00 Modern Family 15:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Ten Things I hate about you 17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:30 Frasier 18:00 The Simpsons 18:30 Gary Unmarried 19:00 Kath & Kim 19:30 Two and a half men 20:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon

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Friday, July 16, 2010 21:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Cougar Town 22:30 Mumbai calling 23:00 South park 23:30 The Simpsons

00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

What’s Good For You 10 Years Younger Look A Like Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The Monique Show The Tonight show with Jay Leno GMA (repeat) GMA Health What’s the Buzz What’s Good For You What’s Good For You What’s Good For You The View The Ellen DeGeneres Show What’s Good For You GMA Live GMA Health What’s the Buzz The Tonight show with Jay Leno Look A Like 10 Years Younger The View The Ellen DeGeneres Show Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The Tonight show with Jay Leno The Monique Show

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

Special Agent OSO Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Imagination Movers Special Agent OSO Jungle Junction Handy Manny Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Little Einsteins Imagination Movers Special Agent OSO Handy Manny Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse My Friends Tigger And Pooh Little Einsteins Imagination Movers Handy Manny Lazytown Special Agent OSO Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Imagination Movers Jo Jo’s Circus Handy Manny Lazytown Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Little Einsteins Imagination Movers Handy Manny Lazytown Special Agent OSO Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Handy Manny

00:30 Stop-Loss-18 02:30 Call Of The North-PG 04:00 Bran Nue Dae-PG15 06:00 Einstein And Eddington-PG15 08:00 Confessions Of A Shopaholic-PG 10:00 A Plumm Summer-PG15 12:00 Bedtime Stories-FAM 14:00 And When Did You Last See Your Father-PG15 16:00 Confessions Of A Shopaholic-PG 18:00 The Incredible Hulk-PG 20:00 Inkheart-PG

01:00 03:00 05:00 06:40 09:00 10:40 13:20 15:00 17:00 19:20 18 21:00 23:00

The Uninvited-PG15 Felon-18 House Of Fallen-PG15 Arn: The Knight Templar-PG15 Spiderwick Chronicles-PG The Patriot-PG15 Polar Storm-PG15 Spiderwick Chronicles-PG Godzilla-PG15 Universal Soldier: The ReturnFinal Destination 3-PG15 The Blob-18

00:00 Tadpole-PG15

02:00 Lonely Street-PG15 04:00 Short Track-PG 06:00 Heavyweights-PG 08:00 Faintheart-PG15 10:00 Corky Romano-PG15 12:00 My Fake Fiance-PG15 14:00 Loins Of Punjab Presents-PG15 16:00 Tadpole-PG15 18:00 The Immaculate Conception Of Little Dizzle-PG15 20:00 Mr. Wonderful-PG15 22:00 The Last Shot-PG15

00:00 Julian and Camilla’s World Odyssey 01:00 Travel Notebook 02:00 Julian and Camilla’s World Odyssey 03:00 Intrepid Journeys 04:00 Globe Trekker 05:00 Planet Food 06:00 Julian and Camilla’s World Odyssey 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Grannies On Safari 08:30 Distant Shores 09:00 Top Travel 09:30 Cutting Edge California 10:00 Planet Food 11:00 Julian and Camilla’s World Odyssey 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Chef Abroad 13:30 The Thirsty Traveler 14:00 Floyd Uncorked 14:30 Panasia 15:00 Top Travel 15:30 Cutting Edge California 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Grannies On Safari 17:30 Chef Abroad 18:00 Planet Food 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Globe Trekker 21:00 Working Holiday 22:00 Budapest to Bamako 2010 22:30 Great Scenic Railways-US & Canada 23:00 Globe Trekker

00:00 Bugs Bunny 1001 Rabbit TalesFAM 02:00 Madagascar 2-PG 04:00 My Favorite Martian-PG 06:00 Robin Hood: The Invincible Knight-FAM 08:00 Mamma Moo And Crow-FAM 10:00 My Favorite Martian-PG 12:00 Barney’s Great Adventure-FAM 14:00 Madagascar 2-PG 16:00 Legend Of The Titanic-FAM 18:00 Scruff And The Legend Of Saint George-FAM 20:00 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-PG 22:30 Barney’s Great Adventure-FAM

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 04:30 05:00 06:00 06:30 Case 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Heroes The Closer Cold Case In Plain Sight Three Sisters Home Improvement Tess of the D’Urbervilles Emmerdale Huey’s Cooking Adventure Cold

00:00 Music For The Masses 01:00 Greatest Hits 02:00 Vh1 Music 05:00 Chill Out 07:00 Vh1 Hits 09:00 Aerobic 10:00 Vh1 Hits 11:00 Vh1 Superchart 12:00 Top 10 Best Of 2010 So Far 13:00 Music For The Masses 14:00 Hot Girl Sounds Weekend Weekend 17:00 Music For The Masses 18:00 Vh1 Superchart 19:00 Music For The Masses 20:00 Final Countdown Best Albums

Three Sisters Home Improvement In Plain Sight Tess of the D’Urbervilles Cold Case Emmerdale Huey’s Cooking Adventure Grey’s Anatomy Grey’s Anatomy Grey’s Anatomy Grey’s Anatomy Grey’s Anatomy Grey’s Anatomy 24 24 Flash Forwards Tess of the D’Urbervilles In Plain Sight

The Strangers on Super Movies 00:00 01:00 01:30 02:00 02:30 03:00 05:00 07:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 14:30 15:00 15:30 18:00 20:00 22:00

AFL Highlights Futbol Mundial Total Rugby Brazil League Highlights World Sport Super League Super League Live AFL Premiership Futbol Mundial ICC Cricket World Total Rugby World Sport NRL Full Time Live NRL Premiership Total Rugby ICC Cricket World AFL Premiership NRL Premiership Live Currie Cup NRL Premiership

00:30 01:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 21:30 22:00

European Tour Weekly The Open Championship Total Rugby NRL Full Time World Sport European Tour Weekly Spirit of the Open Spirit of the Open Spirit of the Open Spirit of the Open Live The Open Championship World Sport Live Super League

00:00 01:00 02:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00

WWE NXT UFC Unleashed UFC 116 WWE NXT UFC Unleashed WWE NXT WWE Vintage Collection

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

Red Bull X-Fighters Highlights V8 Supercars V8 Supercars World Sport Live NRL Premiership Mobil 1 The Grid V8 Supercars V8 Supercars FIM World Cup WWE NXT UFC The Ultimate Fighter V8 Supercars Extra WWE Smackdown WWE Bottom Line WWE NXT

01:00 The Strangers-PG15 02:45 The Children Of Huang ShiPG15 05:00 The Missing Person-PG15 07:00 Rails And Ties-PG15 09:00 Living Out Loud-PG15 11:00 Marley And Me-PG15 13:00 Kung Fu Panda-PG 15:00 The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond-PG15 17:00 Marley And Me-PG15 19:00 Made Of Honor-PG15 21:00 Saw V-R 23:00 The Pleasure Of Being RobbedPG15

01:10 01:35 04:00 05:25 07:00 08:45 10:40 12:30 14:05 16:05

The Screening Room Cimarron Westworld The Hunger Butterflies Are Free Now, Voyager The File Of The Golden Goose Fun With Dick And Jane Never So Few Little Women

18:05 All The Fine Young Cannibals 20:15 After The Fox 22:00 Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid

00:30 01:20 02:10 03:00 03:55 04:50 05:40 06:30 07:20 08:10 09:00 09:55 10:50 11:40 12:30 13:20 14:10 15:00 15:55 16:50 17:40 18:30 19:20 20:10 21:00 21:55 22:50 23:40

Cities of the Underworld Ancient Discoveries Prehistoric Mega Storms Declassified Mega Disasters Engineering Disasters Ax Men 2 Cities of the Underworld Ancient Discoveries Prehistoric Mega Storms Declassified Mega Disasters Engineering Disasters Ax Men 2 Cities of the Underworld Ancient Discoveries Prehistoric Mega Storms Declassified Mega Disasters Engineering Disasters Ax Men 2 Cities of the Underworld Ancient Discoveries Prehistoric Mega Storms Investigating History Seven Deadly Sins Cities of the Underworld UFO Files

00:00 Dr 90210 01:00 Millennium Fashion: The Year In Fashion 02:00 Split Ends 03:00 How Do I Look?

04:00 Millennium Fashion: The Year In Fashion 05:00 Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane

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

Area Dude, Where’s Your Style?

Style Star Style Her Famous My Celebrity Home Style Star Dress My Nest Whose Wedding Is it Anyway?

How Do I Look?

Ruby Giuliana & Bill Clean House Clean House Comes Clean Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane Dr 90210 Whose Wedding Is it Anyway?

Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane The Dish Style Her Famous Jerseylicious Tacky House Clean House Comes Clean How Do I Look?

Dallas Divas & Daughters Dallas Divas & Daughters Giuliana & Bill Giuliana & Bill

01:04 02:00 02:45 08:04 08:45 13:04 13:50 16:04 16:45 18:00 18:45 19:00 20:04 20:45 23:00 23:45

Hit US Urban Hit Playlist French Only Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Africa Playlist Urban Hit Playlist Trace Video Mix New Playlist Club 10 Playlist

00:05 Cow And Chicken-U 00:30 Cramp Twins-U 00:55 George Of The Jungle-U 01:20 Adrenalini Brothers-U 01:45 Eliot Kid-U 02:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy-U 02:35 Class Of 3000-U 03:00 The Powerpuff Girls-U 03:15 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends-U 03:40 The Secret Saturdays-U 04:05 Codename: Kids Next Door-U 04:30 Ben 10-U 04:55 Best Ed-U 05:20 Samurai Jack-U 05:45 Cramp Twins-U 06:10 Eliot Kid-U 06:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack-U 07:00 Codename: Kids Next Door-U 07:25 Chowder-U 07:50 Best Ed-U 08:00 Chop Socky Chooks-U 09:00 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack-U 10:00 Chowder-U 11:00 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends-U 12:00 Ben 10: Alien Force-U 13:00 The Secret Saturdays-U 14:00 Bakugan-U 15:00 Eliot Kid-U 15:35 Casper’s Scare School-U 16:00 Skunk Fu!-U 16:25 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes-U 16:50 Bakugan Battle Brawlers-U 17:15 The Secret Saturdays-U 17:40 Ben 10: Alien Force-U 18:05 Chop Socky Chooks-U 18:30 Squirrel Boy-U 19:00 Star Wars: The Clone Wars-U 19:25 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends-U 19:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey-U 20:05 The Powerpuff Girls-U 20:30 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack-U 20:45 Ben 10: Alien Force-U 21:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy-U 21:35 Robotboy-U 22:00 Camp Lazlo-U 22:25 Samurai Jack-U 22:50 Megas Xlr-U 23:15 Out Of Jimmy’s Head-U

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SPECTRUM

elly Osbourne is “not dealing” with her split from Luke Worrall very well. The TV star is struggling to come to terms with the fact her fiance - who she has dated for two years - cheated on her with another woman and is finding it difficult to stay positive about the situation. In the early hours of yesterday morning , she tweeted: “I am not dealing with this very well :( keeping your head up is not fun! going to bed thank god for tomorrow!(sic)” The 25-year-old starlet’s saddened note follows a series of other online posts, including one where she confirmed the

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ourteney Cox Arquette has marriage therapy with husband David. The 46-year-old star - who has been married to actor David Arquette for 11 years - confesses the pair have attended therapy in the past because they couldn’t accept each other’s problems. She said: “We’ve done couples therapy in the past. We’re not lazy about our marriage. “We have the same arguments we’ve had for years. Some things just never change, and you should realise that the intriguing things you fall in love with will probably become things you don’t like and the very things

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Friday, July 16, 2010

split in an angry twitter post to a journalist who claimed it was ok for Luke to cheat because she was “frightening”. The reality TV star - who is the daughter of Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne - recently admitted her shock at still being with the 20-year-old model. She said: “I still can’t believe we’ve been together for so long. Before meeting him, my longest relationship was about six months. “I never really thought I’d find love or be with someone for long. But since meeting Luke at a party in London two years ago, we’ve never really been apart!”

you’ll be talking about for the rest of your relationship.” The ‘Cougar Town’ actress also admits to using Botox to keep herself looking young, but only has the injections minimally as she once had too much and was unable to move her face. She told InStyle: “Aging gracefully is one thing, but trying to slow it down is another. Sometimes I use Botox. Compared to most, I use it very sparingly. “One time I did too much, though. I feel weird if I can’t move my face, and that one time I overdid it, I felt trapped in my own skin.”

nrique Iglesias will ski naked in front of the city of Miami. The Spanish heartthrob - who is in a long-term relationship with Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova - bet he would “ski naked” if Spain won the soccer World Cup, which they did last Sunday . He told the BBC in June: “If Spain wins, I’m going to ski naked in Biscayne Bay.” Now, his spokesperson has confirmed Enrique will likely undertake the challenge, telling Access Hollywood: “A bet is a bet!” It would not be a first for the 35-year-old singer,

E

who admitted to the BBC: “That is what we used to do when we were kids.” His girlfriend Anna is unlikely to be upset by the jaunt, as Enrique recently revealed she was an “independent” spirit and the pair do not depend on each other like other couples he knows. He said: “I think independence in a woman is a great quality.

Someone who you know doesn’t necessarily depend on you. I know women or men that need someone to lean on. It’s good to be independent and strong.”

SPECTRUM

Friday, July 16, 2010

he 35-year-old actor - who has been nominated for three Oscars in the last 16 years - confesses he is eager to move away from appearing in front of the camera and now wants to work behind it as a director. He said: “Directing is something that will come down the line. It is something I am looking forward to doing - I just have to find the right vehicle. Someday I will get behind something; that would be fun.” Although his best known work has been with filmmaker Martin Scorsese, Leonardo admits he has a great love of Christopher Nolan, who directed him in ‘Inception’. He told HollywoodLife.com: “I

T

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chose this role because Chris Nolan is a visionary. He has been able to pull off some difficult plot structures with ‘Memento’ and his work with ‘The Dark Knight’. This will be his tour de force as far as directing is concerned.” The Hollywood hunk previously confessed he believes his latest movie to be a “high concept” project which needs to be seen to be understood. He said: “This is a high concept film, and it’s a film that’s working on a multitude of levels simultaneously. And it’s kind of a hard film to pitch. It’s more of a film that you really need to experience.

ac Efron thinks the reason his relationship with Vanessa Hudgens works is because they stay out of the limelight. The 22-year-old actor - who began dating the brunette beauty after they met on the set of ‘High School Musical’ in 2005 - revealed the couple “take pride” in keeping their five-year relationship private and try not to let attention bother them too much. He said: “Not much of it is public to be honest. We don’t talk about it other than the fact that it exists. We just try to keep it to ourselves, which is what we take a sense of pride in because we don’t need to share that. “During ‘High School Musical’ I didn’t know how to handle it, but if you just live your life and keep doing what you do and don’t care if they take pictures - they can’t slow you down. “I sensed a pattern - if you do keep your head down and sneak in the back entrances or whatever then they inevitably stop coming because they’re not getting what they want.” However, the Californian hunk - who recently starred alongside Kim Basinger in ‘Charlie St Cloud’ admitted Vanessa, 21, makes fun out of his emotional side. Speaking to radio station Star 94 FM, he explained: “The other night I watched ‘A River Runs Through It’ starring Brad Pitt and I was fighting the tears back but Vanessa was just making fun of me!”

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avid and Victoria Beckham are “always” trying for another baby.

The couple - who have sons Brooklyn, 11, seven-year-old Romeo and Cruz, five - have made no secret of their desire to extend their family further and the soccer star says they would be “lucky” to have another child. He said: “We’re always trying.

If we’re lucky enough to have more, that will be amazing.” The 35-yearold sportsman also revealed he still affectionately uses the nickname his spouse was given when she was in ‘Wannabe’ group Spice Girls. He told UK TV talk show host Jonathan Ross: “She’s down on my phone as Posh.

She’ll always be Posh! She still calls me Golden Balls.” David is famous for his tattoos and admits his children have already asked when they can join in with his obsession with body art. He said: “The youngest, who’s five, the other day turned to me and said, ‘Daddy look at my arms’ and he literally had these tattoos drawn all over his arms. “They have asked when they can have them. Romeo turned round and said, ‘I’m going to have mummy and daddy on my arm’.

I’m not sure mummy would be pleased about that.” While David would love to add to his inkings, he admits there are certain areas of his body which Victoria has forbidden him from having tattoos. He explained in a webchat with Yahoo!: “Victoria doesn’t want me to have tattoos on my chest because she wants to be the only one to touch my chest! “I am a big fan of tattoos and maybe I’ll have more in the future but my mum will kill me I think.”

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heryl Cole is ha ving specially-m ade food brough hospital. The ‘F t to ight battling potential for This Love’ singer - who is ly fa ta l tro pi ca asked her mothe r Joan Callaghan l disease malaria - has to childhood meals because the mea prepare her favourite ls London hospita l were too “fancy served in her private ”. A source told The Sun newsp Britain’s aper: “It’s defin itely helping to “There were th cheer her up. ings like quails eggs on the men foods aren’t Cher u. But fancy yl background and ’s way. “She’s from a real wor king-class the home-made mea from her childho od days.” The 27 ls are a nice reminder been allowed to -year-old beauty be ha which has inclu nd rules by keeping her leftove s also ded r food Northumberland pease pudding, Craster kipper s from smokehouses w ith scrambled eg Joan’s homemad gs and e ha when she gets hu m and lentil soup - the staff fri dge for ng has banned all vi ry. It was revealed yesterday th sitors except Jo an and dancer D at Cheryl who she is rum erek Houghoured to be datin g - from visiting hospital. A sour her in ce said: “Chery l do her as she is.”

Cheryl is though esn’t want people to see t to have contra while holidaying cted malaria with US dancer Derek, 25, in Ta month. — Bang nzania, last Showbiz

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Lifestyle French singer Matthieu Chedid aka M performs on stage during the 26th edition of the Francofolies Music Festival in La Rochelle, western France, on July 14, 2010.—AFP

By Wissam Keyrouz usicologists funded by Abu Dhabi are roaming Islamic countries in search of lullabies and children’s songs, one of the first projects of a centre that aims to preserve the musical heritage of the Muslim world. The Al Ain Centre for Music in the World of Islam seeks to document, digitize and sustain the musical traditions of Muslim countries and Islamic communities anywhere in the world. It also plans to help preserve the music of nonIslamic minorities in Muslim countries. The institution will “research and document the musical practices, traditions, and heritages of the world of Islam,” said Sami al-Masri, the vice-director of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, which launched the centre.

It also aims “to acquire items related to musical heritage, such as studies, documents, publications, and ancient musical instruments” in a bid to “save and sustain” this heritage, he added. By digitizing the endangered musical treasures the centre will protect the musical heritage for generations to come, Masri said.

Though music is often regarded as a forbidden art by many Islamic scholars, especially in neighboring Saudi Arabia, Masri argued that “music is part of the culture of Islamic communities.” The head of projects, Sherif Khaznadar, said that the centre was working to launch a program on traditional Pakistani music, which is on “the verge of disappearing,” and also on Uzbek vocal techniques. The Syrian-born playwright noted that although “there is no such thing as Islamic music,” yet “in all Muslim communities there are music forms, some of which are used in rituals.”

The centre, operating from Abu Dhabi until its premises are completed in 2013 in the oasis city of Al-Ain, is now working on a project that involves “gathering lullabies and children’s songs throughout the world of Islam,” Khaznadar said. He added that it also hopes to preserve musical instruments which are “rapidly disappearing” such as the bouzok, a stringed lute similar to the Greek bouzouki.

Meanwhile, a series of oud (oriental lute) concerts by the Iraqi musician Omar Bashir are being scheduled to revive the traditional “maqam”, or modal system used in classical Arab music. On its list of tasks to revive music created in Muslim lands the centre plans to digitize the recordings of the landmark Arab Music Conference held in Cairo in 1932, making them available to the large public.

The Abu Dhabi-based authority has also made commitments to preserve traditional bedouin music, which is mostly only memorized and therefore risks extinction. In addition, the centre will keep a record of the music of minorities in Muslim countries, in addition to special programs dedicated to the musical heritage of Assyrians, Aramaeans and Arab Christians.

In seeking to preserve Islamic musical heritage the centre is trying to build partnerships with other centers around the world to document and save the Islamic heritage. “It is impossible for one centre to achieve what we are looking forward to,” Masri said.

Over the past few years, the oil-rich emirate has been pushing forward plans to establish itself as a regional cultural centre.

The United Arab Emirates capital will soon become home to branches of some of the world’s most important museums-The Louvre in Paris and New York’s Guggenheim. Last year it launched the Abu Dhabi Classic FM radio, dedicated to classical Western music and the first of its kind in the region. — AFP

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By Eva Dou Nebraska cable TV network ponied up $266,500 for famed singing cowboy Roy Rogers’ stuffed and mounted horse, Trigger, at an auction in New York City yesterday. Trigger was bought by the cable company RFD-TV in Omaha, Nebraska, at a Christie’s auction of items from the now-closed Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Missouri.

Trigger’s sale price outpaced the estimated $100,000 to $200,000 it was expected to fetch, with many other items also selling far above estimate.

RFD-TV’s chief financial officer Steve Campione says Rogers reflects the company’s values. The network airs mainly agricultural, equine and country living programming. Auctioneer Cathy Elkies said it was the “most colorful, emotional and sentimental” sale she had experienced in her 20 years at Christie’s.

Many of the bidders in the packed hall came in Western attire and cowboy boots, and there were more than a few tears. Rogers’ son Roy Jr cried at the beginning of the sale as he spoke of the family’s decision to auction Roy’s belongings. “We hope you get a piece of Roy and Dale and take it home and you’ll get to pass it on to your children,” he said.

There also were strong emotions among Jamie Nudie, Mary Lynn Cabrall and Julie Ann Ream, who flew in from Los Angeles to reclaim a piece of their personal history. Nudie’s grandfather was the “rodeo tailor” who designed Rogers’ colorful Western outfits, as well as Rogers’ silver-dollar encrusted 1964 Bonneville convertible that sold for $254,500 on the auction block.

The three women have carried on Nudie’s Western tailoring business, and they were there to reclaim the Nudie trailer shaped like a covered wagon

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that the tailor had given to Rogers as a gift in the 1960s. Ream broke down in tears when her paddle went up and she got the trailer for $3,000 without a fight. The trailer was expected to fetch between $5,000 and $8,000. “For it to come back into our family-it’s amazing,” she said.

Ream, the niece of another famous singing cowboy, Rex Allen, said her family was close friends

Gil Perez, right, a doorman at Christie’s auction house, wears an outfit and holds a guitar belonging to Roy Rogers as he stands alongside the preserved remains of Rogers’s horse, Trigger, and dog, Bullet, at the New York auction house. — AP

Amy Winehouse promises new album next year

By Chris Talbott inger Taylor Swift will host a live chat to talk with fans about a new album. Swift said she’s always getting questions from fans via the Internet and social networking sites. Next Tuesday she’ll be providing answers about her follow up to “Fearless” and more.

“I’ve gotten so many questions from fans-on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, my website, everywhere really, and it’s so incredible to see how excited everybody is about what’s next,” Swift said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

“I want them to be the first to know about my new music, and I can’t wait to talk to everybody as directly as I can!” Swift will host the chat from Nashville at 5 pm EDT . Fans will be able to submit questions on Swift’s website, social networking platforms and Ustream.tv. — AP

with the Rogers’ family. She said some of Rogers’ children didn’t support the auction, and she didn’t think Rogers and his wife, Dale Evans, would have wanted the collection dispersed either. “They are spinning in their graves right now,” she said. Cabrall, also a family friend, had another take on Rogers’ wishes.

“Roy always said, ‘When I’m dead, skin me and put me up on Trigger,”‘ she said. “It’s a famous quote.

If he got his wish, he’d be up here for sale today.”

Rogers had Trigger preserved with taxidermy and mounted rearing on its hind legs in 1965. The presale estimate for the horse was $100,000 to $200,000. Roy Jr said it was difficult to put the collection up for auction, but he said Rogers had told the family to sell the museum collection if it stopped making money and became a burden.

“You’re smiling out of one side of the face and crying out of the other,” he said. As for Trigger’s new owner, Campione says RFD-TV hopes to start its own Western museum and is looking to buy more Rogers items.

In the meantime, Trigger will be put to pasture at either the network’s office lobby or Gottsch’s house until final plans are made. Other items auctioned Wednesday included Roy’s first guitar, which sold for $8,750, compared to an estimated high of $3,000; his first boots, which sold for $7,500, compared to an estimate of $4,000; and a charm bracelet that sold for $20,000, compared to an estimate of $9,000. All sale prices include the buyer’s premium of 25 percent for most items, or 20 percent for prices in excess of $50,000. The auction was to continue Thursday with more than 1,000 items, including the Rogers’ family dinner table, toy six-shooters, Rogers-themed tin lunchboxes and the Jeep “Nellybelle” from the Roy Rogers TV show. — AP

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rammy award-winning British singer Amy Winehouse said in a newspaper interview yesterday she was confident her long-awaited third album would be ready early next year. “The album will be six months at the most,” the 26-yearold soul diva told free paper Metro.

“It’s going to be very much the same as my second album, where there’s lots of jukebox stuff.”

Winehouse rocketed to fame with the release in 2006 of her second album “Back to Black”, which scooped five Grammy awards, but her creative output dried up while she had a well-documented battle with drugs. She says she has cleaned up her act and found love with a new boyfriend, horror film director Reg Traviss.— AFP

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Lifestyle

By Malin Rising ans of the late crime novelist Stieg Larsson are getting lost in the Swedish countryside, searching for the quaint town of Hedestad featured in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” The problem is, it does not exist. But international readers of Larsson’s best-selling Millennium crime trilogy could be excused for thinking otherwise, because most locations in the books are authentic.

Some of them include the Kaffebar cafe in Stockholm, a favorite haunt of Larsson’s fictional journalist Mikael Blomqvist, and the Kvarnen bar, where Larsson has tattooed computer hacker Lisbeth Salander spending evenings with her friends from the rock band Evil Fingers.

Both places are located on the trendy island of Sodermalm, a former working-class area with narrow streets where old wooden cottages are squeezed between 20th century stone houses.

The hilly Stockholm district, with popular bars, fashion stores and art galleries, is one among many islands that form the city center and the home of Larsson’s characters. Blomqvist and Salander, the trilogy’s main characters, both have apartments there. Salander’s friendly first legal guardian Holger Palmgren also lived there before he was hospitalized.

Eager Millennium fans can take the Stockholm City Museum’s Larsson tour, an increasingly popular pastime for aficionados who visit the Swedish capital. Or they can venture out on their

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own, visiting the scenes of Blomqvist’s and Salander’s exploits with maps provided by the tourist office. Starting with Blomqvist’s small apartment in the brown 19th century building at 1 Bellmansgatan, Millennium fans can relive the books’ plots in the real settings, while listening to the guide’s detailed descriptions. “It is great to identify the addresses and see what the buildings look like,” said Roland Ojeda, a retired banker from San Francisco, California, who took the tour in June with his wife, Linda. “I think it brings it to life.”

Larsson’s books about a darker side of Sweden, where Blomqvist and Salander become involved in murder mysteries, sex trafficking scandals and a secret government department, have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

The tour has attracted visitors from as far away as Japan, Canada and Australia, said Eva Palmqvist, who leads the museum’s tour. “I think a lot of people want to savor the experience, the story and the characters,” Palmqvist said. “I think they want to see this and feel the atmosphere.” During the two-hour walk, Palmqvist guides the group past the scenic Monteliusvagen, a promenade overlooking other islands that are home to some of the more dubious characters in the book. The guide makes the point that Larsson’s good characters live in one area, while the evil ones live elsewhere.

“When Stieg Larsson started to write the story in 2001, he decided that Sodermalm, where he also lived, was to become the land of the good people,” Palmqvist says, smiling.

“Those that are not presented so nicely, they live in other parts of Stockholm, like Ostermalm, for example,” she adds, pointing to the east.

Palmqvist also points out the courthouse where Blomqvist is put on trial in the first book and the home of Salander’s second guardian, the evil Nils Bjurman, located in the northern part of Stockholm

by Odenplan. The group continues past a small Lebanese eatery on 22 Tavastgatan, which is believed to be the inspiration for Samir’s, the restaurant where Blomqvist dines several times.

From there, it is just a short walk to Kaffebar on the wide, bustling street of Hornsgatan. The cafe, renamed Mellqvists Kaffebar in 2008, is frequently visited by coffee-quaffing Blomqvist and also was one of Larsson’s favorite spots, before he died of a heart attack in 2004 at age 50.

“This is where Lisbeth Salander will ask Mikael for a loan so that she can go to Zurich,” Palmqvist chuckled. The picturesque, hilly streets of Sodermalm have also inspired other writers.

Leading 20th century Swedish authors, such as Ivar Lo Johansson and Per Anders Fogelstrom, lived here and described the neighborhood’s workingclass history in classics, including Fogelstrom’s “City of My Dreams.” Playwright August Strindberg’s famous novel, “The Red Room,” also describes Stockholm as seen from a spot in Sodermalm near Salander’s 21-room luxury apartment on Fiskargatan 9, where the tour ends.

The tour does not quite stretch to Salander’s other, gloomy, apartment on Lundagatan at the

western end of Sodermalm, or to the Kvarnen bar on Tjarhovsgatan, which Salander regularly visits and where she once kisses another character, Miriam Wu, in front of Blomqvist. But the places are marked on the map and are worth a visit.

Kvarnen, with its tall ceilings and arched windows, has been in the same spot for more than 100 years. A popular working-class bar and home drinking hole for fans of Hammarby football club, it serves traditional Swedish fare like pickled herring, deer stew and meatballs. Dedicated Larsson fans also may want to visit Sandhamn in the outer Stockholm archipelago, where Blomqvist has a small cottage that acts as a refuge from his hectic city life.

Boats to the popular resort island, with its red fishing huts, bare cliffs and small sand beaches, depart daily from Strandvagen in downtown Stockholm and take roughly two hours. Then there is always Hedestad — often vividly imagined by Larsson’s readers but nowhere to be found along the coast north of Stockholm, as described in the books. Still, there is one way to get to know Hedestad: the sleepy town of Gnesta, 45 miles (70 kilometers) south of Stockholm.

This is the place used to illustrate Hedestad in the Swedish movie of Larsson’s books, with signs about the town showing filming locations. “Last year, some Italian guys came here just because of the books,” says Jonathan Olsson at Gnesta’s tourist office. “We have printed a brochure about the sites.”—AP

hard-hitting Bollywood film about the sensitive issue of life in Indian Kashmir has been banned in a number of Gulf states, its makers said. Five states-the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Omanwill not show “Lamhaa” (The Moment), which claims to tell the true story behind violence in the Muslim-majority region.

“We got the film cleared from the Indian government and there was nothing objectionable,” director Rahul Dholakia told AFP. “But the Gulf film authorities didn’t feel so. I am extremely disappointed.” Dholakia said he was shocked “Lamhaa” had been banned as

he believed his film was about “peace and brotherhood”.

Producer Bunty Walia said the film’s Middle East distributor had confirmed the ban. The film, which was released in India last Friday, stars the veteran actor Sanjay Dutt and female co-star Bipasha Basu. “Ban on an honest film??

What happened to the freedom of expression??”

Basu wrote on the micro-blogging website Twitter late yesterday.

“Lamhaa” had already fallen foul of India’s censors and Kashmiris themselves, as resentment of rule from New Delhi runs high in the volatile Himalayan region. The Indian

censor board took issue with promotional trailers for the thriller and reportedly objected to its description of Kashmir as “the most dangerous place in the world”, forcing Dholakia to make cuts.

Locals were also reported to have forced the film crew to re-shoot a scene, angered at its depiction of the region which has been wracked by fighting and separatist protests for decades. Conflict in Kashmir is a legacy of the partition of the Indian subcontinent after the end of British rule in 1947 and has been the trigger for two of three wars between India and Pakistan. — AFP

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File photo shows actor Tate Donovan attends the gala screening of ‘Men Who Stare At Goats’ during the Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto. — AP

ate Donovan will return to Broadway this coming season in “Good People,” a new play

by David Lindsay-Abaire. Donovan will star alongside Oscar winner Frances McDormand.Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan will direct the play about the hopes and struggles of making it in America. Sullivan and Lindsay-Abaire’s “Rabbit Hole” earned a Tony Award and garnered Lindsay-Abaire the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 2007.

The Manhattan Theater Club production begins previews in February, with opening night set for March 3. Donovan is known for his television performances on “Damages” and “The O.C.” His last Broadway appearance was in 1999, when he starred alongside Judi Dench in “Amy’s View.” —AP

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Palestinians decorate a wall at the port in Gaza City yesterday.

—AFP

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By Adam Plowright and David Noreau Vaseline face-whitening application for Facebook in India has sparked an online controversy and pushed the racially-loaded issue of skin color out into the spotlight.

Anglo-Dutch skincare group Vaseline launched the application “Transform Your Face On Facebook” to promote its range of skin-lightening products for men, advertised by Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor.

It enables users to digitally whiten their profile pictures and remove dark spots-an idea that has evoked a largely negative response in the blogosphere since news broke earlier this week. “Vaseline’s latest marketing campaign, largely targeted at south Asia but accessible globally, will probably make you uncomfortable,” wrote columnist Alexis Madrigal on the website of US magazine The Atlantic.

“Modern humans’ desire to make their skin darker or lighter is a rather icky reminder of the pigment-ocracy that exists in many countries.” The market for skin-lightening cream in India is estimated to be worth about 500 million dollars a year by market research group Nielsen. Sales of products for men grew by 25 percent last year and by 17 percent for women.

The first cream for women was launched 27 Bollywood actor years ago, while the Indian Shahid Kapoor cosmetics group Emami was the first to see potential in the male market in 2005 when it launched “Fair and Handsome” with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. “The adverts play with the minds of men,” Radhakrishnan Nair, the editor of Indian men’s magazine MW told AFP. “The message they send is: ‘If you have fair skin, you will get a good job, a promotion and a beautiful and faithful wife’.”

The matrimonial adverts that appear in Indian newspapers are also a vivid illustration of the cultural preference for paleness. A widely-understood lexicon has been developed to talk about skin tone. Somebody described as having a “wheaten” complexion is lighter in skin tone than somebody who is “dusky”. It is commonplace to comment on someone who is beautiful and “very fair” in the same breath.

In shops for passport photos, the camera operator will frequently offer a “free lightening service” when the pictures are processed and printed. “Indians believe that if you have fair skin you belong to the higher caste, the Brahmins,” he added, explaining that a succession of light-skinned colonisers in India reinforced the association of fairness with power.

“The Aryans, who came from central Asia, in addition to the Portuguese, the French and the British colonizers ruled over the country and probably contributed to this negative perception of dark-skin.” The marketing campaigns for creams by Emami and other foreign brands such as Vaseline, Garnier or L’Oreal clearly reinforce the notion of whiteness and beauty. Market-leader Emami has run into fierce criticism for its not-so-subtle advertising of “Fair & Lovely” for women and “Fair & Teen” for teenagers.

A campaign in 2003 featuring a dark-skinned woman who was unable to get married was branded “highly racist” by Brinda Karat, general secretary of the All India Democratic Women’s Association. The campaign was probably reflecting views held privately by many Indian women, however, particularly in the north of the country.

In 2009, a poll of nearly 12,000 people by online dating site Shaadi.com, revealed that skin tone was considered the most important criteria when choosing a partner in three northern Indian states. Creams range in price from about a dollar to 40 dollars and can be bought in most pharmacies in India. They work by targeting melanine, the skin pigment that absorbs darkening UV light, and are not thought to pose a health risk.

“Face bleach” and frightening sounding “acid peels” are also widely sold across the subcontinent. Ashu Kumar, 24, is one of the latest customers. The student began using the cream a few weeks ago and hopes to see a result in the next month, as promised by the manufacturer. “My skin is too dark,” he told AFP. “If I don’t make it fairer, I’m worried I’ll have trouble finding a woman to marry me.”— AFP

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tella McCartney faces a “million challenges” when designing the Adidas competition wear for the 2012 Olympic Games. The fashion designer - who was announced as the creator of the sportswear firm’s kit for both the British Olympic and Paralympics teams to wear at the London event - admits she is already feeling the pressure of being able to create garments that suit the needs of the athletes, as well as being aesthetically pleasing. She said: “I mean you’re working with athletes. The

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Friday, July 16, 2010

main thing I want do is not in any way get involved with making their performance not its best.

So for me I want to make them the best they can be. “I’m obviously working with incredibly technical fabrics and dealing with silhouettes that I wouldn’t normally perhaps work with.

“So there are challenges - I have a million challenges. I have to make it look good on TV, I have to make it feel good for the athletes, I have to make it work - technically it has to do its job.

But I think they’re all good challenges -

I like a challenge.” Despite her concerns, Stella is delighted to have been given the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity. She added to vogue.com: “It’s incredible, beyond anything I could have ever dreamt of. “To work on the competition wear for the Olympics, is kind of insane. As a fashion designer you don’t think to yourself ‘I’m going to get the opportunity to work with athletes at that level at the Olympic Games’. It really is such an incredible thing to have any kind of contact with as a designer.”— Bang Showbiz

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Fashion

Fashion no-nos for men and women

By Jessica Yadegaran isten up, guys. Laney Lindell of Antioch, Calif, has a few fashion pointers for the clueless among you. Seriously.

You’ll want to hear this. The 25year-old hates it when you wear denim shorts. “It looks like your jeans shrank,” she says. “Ew, I am not a fan.” She also doesn’t like it when you wear socks with Velcro sandals or undershirts-be it tank or V-neck-as your top. “It’s like a bra,” she says. “We wouldn’t go out wearing our bras. Where’s the rest of your outfit?” Lastly, and this one is a deal-breaker, Lindell won’t date men who wear denim made by a certain designer with a penchant for bling. She pretty much dumped a guy over it.

“I just couldn’t get over it,” she says. “I can’t date a guy who wears rhinestones.” Most of us are guilty of fashion no-nos. But certain style choices irk the opposite sex. If you ask enough people, you’ll see that men come up with the same complaints about women. And vice versa. So why do we keep doing it?

Why do we cake on makeup if we know men like the natural look?

Why do men insist on wearing that baseball cap like it’s permanently sewn to their scalp? Just sayin’.

Even though you’d think we dress to impress the opposite sex, it is often not the case, says fashion expert Karen Palmer, the editor of Daily Candy San Francisco, a style guide. “Women tend to dress for other women a lot of times,” Palmer says. “And men tend to veer more toward comfort, or stick to one thing that works, like the

Women don’t like it w hen men w ear:

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Model wears jewelry that men may not like women to wear like these big hoop earrings.

Momsen the new face of Madonna’s fashion line

• Velcro sandals with socks • Pants slung so low they reveal underwear • An undershirt as a regular shirt • Too much product in their hair • Baseball caps for all occasions Men don’t like it w hen w omen w ear: • Baggy clothes, like big jeans and flannels • Too many accessories at once • Patterned hosiery • Hoop earrings • Stilettos, if they’re going to complicate an evening • Makeup so thick it looks caked on — MCT

Model Connie Co wears clothing that men may not like women to wear like big hoop earrings, especially with stilettos.

—MCT photos khakis and button-down they’ve been wearing since college.”

Makes sense. In general, women are the ones poring over fashion magazines or obsessing over which color shined among the red carpet Oscar dresses. “When there’s a certain trend, whether it’s leggings or high-waist shorts, other women are more likely to notice or compliment the style,” Palmer says.

Since men dress for practicality, some of the things women do, like bar-hop in five-inch heels, perplexes them. “I do see where

Taylor Momsen aylor Momsen is the face of Madonna’s new clothing line. The 16-year-old star will front the campaign for the ‘4 Minutes’ singer’s junior fashion range Material Girl, which she has designed with the help of her 13-year-old daughter Lourdes. The line consists of flirty mini-dresses, cute accessories, skinny jeans, and studded leather jackets, and Madonna - who has previously designed a range for high street store H+M believes Taylor is the perfect face and body to front the collection. The range is launched next month and will be sold exclusively at Macy’s department store.

Taylor has become a fashion icon thanks to her laid-back look and the ‘Gossip Girl’ actress recently revealed she puts no effort into her style, claiming the only deciding factor in the outfits she wears is whether the clothes are clean or not. Taylor - who signed to IMG Models when she was 14 - said: “I really just put on what’s clean. The easiest thing to find in the morning because I’m usually running late.

“It’s just turned into style - I just don’t bother, I’m just too lazy.” — Bang Showbiz

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Model wears clothing women don’t like on men, like baseball caps for all occasions, pants slung so low they reveal underwear and velcro sandals with socks.

Model Sherman Turtine wears clothing women don’t like on men, like pants slung so low they reveal underwear. guys might scratch their heads at why we wear stilettos or put on makeup before the gym,” she says.

“Men are justified sometimes.” So are women. “The No. 1 thing (I don’t like on men) is pants that

Model wears clothing that men may not like women to wear like baggy jeans. don’t fit and are too loose or sagging, that’s the worst,” says Violet Hernandez, 55, of Pleasanton, Calif.” It doesn’t show off the man’s physique.”

There is plenty that confuses Joey Combs of Danville, Calif., about what women wear.

Particularly bewildering is when he’s in a bar and notices that the largest woman is showing more skin than all of her thinner friends.

“You’d look more attractive and be more approachable if you’d just wear what’s most comfortable for you,” says Combs, 21. “And if you look like you feel more comfortable in your own skin, you’re going to be more confident.”

He doesn’t like how some girls try too hard, he says. That includes overdoing the jewelry or sporting loud hosiery.

An appealing, feminine look is “a nice dress, matching earrings, and some shoes,” Combs says. “Not too formal. Even a T-shirt and jeans. I don’t like big hoop earrings, especially with stilettos. It reminds me of prostitutes in ‘80s cop movies. Oh, and tons of makeup. I hate that.”

Ready for more, ladies? Just as we complain that guys can take the comfy, baggy look too far, they don’t like it when we go out in ill-fitting sweats, either. Yes, that includes your Juicy velour. “It’s a cross between a track suit and a bathrobe,” he says. “They’ll wear it with Ugg boots, and that’s their outfit for the day. You look like you just got out of bed.”

But Combs is no hypocrite.

When he goes out, the Chico State University senior leaves the sweats and beat-up sneakers at home. He admits he dresses for women. “I know at one point, I’ll run into girls,” he says. “So I want to be prepared.” That means a nice polo or dress shirt, his best Rock and Republic jeans, and the newer pair of his gray Vans. “I have one for class and one for going out.”

Jesse Smith, 32, of Oakland, Calif., dresses for comfort, but he “pulls out all the stops” for his girlfriend, Sevon Canerie. Tailored suit. Cufflinks, if the occasion fits.

Luckily, Smith doesn’t seem to wear anything that bugs Canerie, such as shoes without socks or pants or shirts that are too tight.

“Too feminine,” says Canerie, 30, of Burlingame, Calif. Canerie, a jazz singer, dresses to make herself feel good, she says. On a recent sunny afternoon in Montclair, the slender woman was wearing white shorts and a turquoise tank top that showed off her golden tan.

When asked if there’s anything about women’s style choices that confuse or bewilder Smith, he pointed to his girlfriend’s bangs, a high, stiff pompadour often worn by Rihanna and Gwen Stefani. “That curlicue thing,” he says. “I don’t get that.”

Model wears clothing women don’t like on men, like baseball caps for all occasions.

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Friday, July 16, 2010

JAPAN: In this photo taken Sunday, July 11, 2010, Hiroyoshi Murayama (in black) acting chairman of the Japan Sumo Association, along with top sumo wrestlers’ apologizes to spectators from the ring on the opening day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagoya, central Japan. —AP

Scandals expose venerable sumo’s shady underbelly NAGOYA: Sumo is more than a sport to Japan. It’s like a religion, a bastion of traditional culture and a matter of national pride. Wrestlers aren’t just athletes — they are icons, role models and, often, larger-than-life heroes.

Unless, of course, they are getting busted for smoking marijuana, breaking noses in drunken brawls or hobnobbing with gangsters.

And, these days, that’s pretty much all the time. Causing Japan much consternation, recent police investigations have exposed the colorful sport’s cozy connections to the “yakuza” underworld, outsidethe-ring violence and widespread recreational drug use, dragging sumo’s venerable image through the dirt and prompting many to wonder if it can stand up to modern scrutiny.

Sumo’s unrelenting scandals have gotten so bad that Japan’s public broadcaster, for the first time since 1953, has pulled its ongoing tournament from the air, scrapping three hours of live, daily coverage for a 20-minute program of taped highlights.

Sponsors have bolted and fans are staying away in droves. At the 15-day contest now under way, where the stands are only about half full, police officers are prowling entrances under signs saying “Gangsters Keep Out.” “It’s a very tough situation for the wrestlers,” said Tamako Imoi, a 63-year-old fan. “I love the sport,

that’s why I’m here. But I don’t want them hanging around with criminals. They should live up to their traditions.” Sumo’s latest quagmire involves a criminal investigation into dozens of top wrestlers and coaches who allegedly wagered tens of thousands of dollars on baseball, with gangsters as go-betweens.

The fracas started in the tabloid press, which has long alleged sumo is rife with underworld influences, including bout-fixing — allegations officials have repeatedly denied.

This time, however, the charges have stuck.

before, and we apologize to our fans,” outgoing chairman Musashigawa said. But many sumo watchers say the latest scandal merely underscores a close relationship sumo has had with the yakuza for decades, a relationship they say is likely to continue.

“Sumo is involved in organized crime because they’ve had a symbiotic relationship for years,” said Jake Adelstein, a former crime beat reporter for a Japanese newspaper and author of the bestselling book “Tokyo Vice.” “The wrestlers and the yakuza have a macho admiration for each other.

bolster the spirits of their comrades in prison.

The gangsters were clearly visible on the live TV broadcasts, one of the few shows inmates are allowed to watch in jail. The incident led to punishment for two sumo elders, but no criminal charges.

But by that time sumo was already grappling with the expulsion of several top wrestlers — including two Russians — for marijuana possession and the conviction last December of a coach and his protÈgÈs for hazing a 17year-old wrestler so harshly that he

Wrestlers aren’t just athletes — they are icons, role models Popular wrestler Kotomitsuki, who held the sport’s secondhighest rank, admitted last month he bet on professional baseball.

Police say he was then extorted by a gangster who threatened to go public. Soon after Kotomitsuki’s fall, coach Otake, who is a former wrestler, cried on national TV as he acknowledged running up betting debts of more than $50,000.

The association sidelined both, and punished more than a dozen others - an unprecedented seven top wrestlers are sitting out the tournament. The association’s chief was temporarily replaced by a former public prosecutor.

“The crisis that we face is one unlike any we have experienced

The yakuza by being seen with the sumo wrestlers, acquire ‘status’ and the sumo wrestlers get money, booze, food, and women.” Adelstein said smaller training stables don’t have big corporate sponsors and need the money the yakuza offer.

“The average salary of a sumo wrestler is a pittance and they need the cash,” he said, adding that once a wrestler is beholden to the mob he is vulnerable to demands to throw bouts — which the gangsters bet on — to clear his debts.

Police anger and TV’s decision to pull the plug go back to an incident last year, when 55 gangsters from the notorious Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate took front row seats at a tournament to

died.

And sumo’s woes didn’t stop there.

Earlier this year, Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu quit the sport in disgrace after a drunken brawl outside a nightclub. As the holder of sumo’s highest rank, Asashoryu’s behavior was seen by many as evidence of how low the sport’s moral standards had fallen.

The scrutiny over the scandals has also put the spotlight on the ancient sport’s troubles adjusting to Japan’s modern realities.

Though sumo is still popular, NHK is the only major TV network that still airs the six annual tournaments.

Commercial networks pulled them years ago as

ratings slid and the sumo authorities requested more money for broadcasting rights.

Today, baseball, soccer and golf more often than not precede sumo on TV newscasts. Sumo audiences are usually made up mostly of middle-age or older fans, further evidence the sport is losing its appeal to young Japanese viewers.

Getting youngsters to actually join up is more difficult still.

Because of the rigors of the sumo lifestyle — which often starts in a boy’s early teens with a live-in apprenticeship at Spartan training stables — fewer Japanese are willing to go pro. That vacuum has been filled by wrestlers from abroad, who now make up most of the top echelon.

Only one wrestler with the second-highest rank is Japanese. At 37, he is likely to retire soon. The sport’s reigning grand champion, a Mongolian named Hakuho — who is not implicated in any wrongdoing — slammed the association’s handling of the scandal and particularly its decision to withhold trophies for the winner, which will likely be him.

But fans were more worried about sumo’s future. “I don’t think there is any way to deny that the Japanese don’t support sumo as much as they used to,” said Toru-Ishii, a fan who came at 8 a.m. to watch the younger wrestlers’ matches. “We grew up with sumo, but young people today hardly ever do sumo. We have high standards for sumo wrestlers. This is all very sad.”—AP

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Friday, July 16, 2010

JAPAN: In this photo taken Sunday, July 11, 2010, Hiroyoshi Murayama (in black) acting chairman of the Japan Sumo Association, along with top sumo wrestlers’ apologizes to spectators from the ring on the opening day of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament in Nagoya, central Japan. —AP

Scandals expose venerable sumo’s shady underbelly NAGOYA: Sumo is more than a sport to Japan. It’s like a religion, a bastion of traditional culture and a matter of national pride. Wrestlers aren’t just athletes — they are icons, role models and, often, larger-than-life heroes.

Unless, of course, they are getting busted for smoking marijuana, breaking noses in drunken brawls or hobnobbing with gangsters.

And, these days, that’s pretty much all the time. Causing Japan much consternation, recent police investigations have exposed the colorful sport’s cozy connections to the “yakuza” underworld, outsidethe-ring violence and widespread recreational drug use, dragging sumo’s venerable image through the dirt and prompting many to wonder if it can stand up to modern scrutiny.

Sumo’s unrelenting scandals have gotten so bad that Japan’s public broadcaster, for the first time since 1953, has pulled its ongoing tournament from the air, scrapping three hours of live, daily coverage for a 20-minute program of taped highlights.

Sponsors have bolted and fans are staying away in droves. At the 15-day contest now under way, where the stands are only about half full, police officers are prowling entrances under signs saying “Gangsters Keep Out.” “It’s a very tough situation for the wrestlers,” said Tamako Imoi, a 63-year-old fan. “I love the sport,

that’s why I’m here. But I don’t want them hanging around with criminals. They should live up to their traditions.” Sumo’s latest quagmire involves a criminal investigation into dozens of top wrestlers and coaches who allegedly wagered tens of thousands of dollars on baseball, with gangsters as go-betweens.

The fracas started in the tabloid press, which has long alleged sumo is rife with underworld influences, including bout-fixing — allegations officials have repeatedly denied.

This time, however, the charges have stuck.

before, and we apologize to our fans,” outgoing chairman Musashigawa said. But many sumo watchers say the latest scandal merely underscores a close relationship sumo has had with the yakuza for decades, a relationship they say is likely to continue.

“Sumo is involved in organized crime because they’ve had a symbiotic relationship for years,” said Jake Adelstein, a former crime beat reporter for a Japanese newspaper and author of the bestselling book “Tokyo Vice.” “The wrestlers and the yakuza have a macho admiration for each other.

bolster the spirits of their comrades in prison.

The gangsters were clearly visible on the live TV broadcasts, one of the few shows inmates are allowed to watch in jail. The incident led to punishment for two sumo elders, but no criminal charges.

But by that time sumo was already grappling with the expulsion of several top wrestlers — including two Russians — for marijuana possession and the conviction last December of a coach and his protÈgÈs for hazing a 17year-old wrestler so harshly that he

Wrestlers aren’t just athletes — they are icons, role models Popular wrestler Kotomitsuki, who held the sport’s secondhighest rank, admitted last month he bet on professional baseball.

Police say he was then extorted by a gangster who threatened to go public. Soon after Kotomitsuki’s fall, coach Otake, who is a former wrestler, cried on national TV as he acknowledged running up betting debts of more than $50,000.

The association sidelined both, and punished more than a dozen others - an unprecedented seven top wrestlers are sitting out the tournament. The association’s chief was temporarily replaced by a former public prosecutor.

“The crisis that we face is one unlike any we have experienced

The yakuza by being seen with the sumo wrestlers, acquire ‘status’ and the sumo wrestlers get money, booze, food, and women.” Adelstein said smaller training stables don’t have big corporate sponsors and need the money the yakuza offer.

“The average salary of a sumo wrestler is a pittance and they need the cash,” he said, adding that once a wrestler is beholden to the mob he is vulnerable to demands to throw bouts — which the gangsters bet on — to clear his debts.

Police anger and TV’s decision to pull the plug go back to an incident last year, when 55 gangsters from the notorious Yamaguchi-gumi syndicate took front row seats at a tournament to

died.

And sumo’s woes didn’t stop there.

Earlier this year, Mongolian grand champion Asashoryu quit the sport in disgrace after a drunken brawl outside a nightclub. As the holder of sumo’s highest rank, Asashoryu’s behavior was seen by many as evidence of how low the sport’s moral standards had fallen.

The scrutiny over the scandals has also put the spotlight on the ancient sport’s troubles adjusting to Japan’s modern realities.

Though sumo is still popular, NHK is the only major TV network that still airs the six annual tournaments.

Commercial networks pulled them years ago as

ratings slid and the sumo authorities requested more money for broadcasting rights.

Today, baseball, soccer and golf more often than not precede sumo on TV newscasts. Sumo audiences are usually made up mostly of middle-age or older fans, further evidence the sport is losing its appeal to young Japanese viewers.

Getting youngsters to actually join up is more difficult still.

Because of the rigors of the sumo lifestyle — which often starts in a boy’s early teens with a live-in apprenticeship at Spartan training stables — fewer Japanese are willing to go pro. That vacuum has been filled by wrestlers from abroad, who now make up most of the top echelon.

Only one wrestler with the second-highest rank is Japanese. At 37, he is likely to retire soon. The sport’s reigning grand champion, a Mongolian named Hakuho — who is not implicated in any wrongdoing — slammed the association’s handling of the scandal and particularly its decision to withhold trophies for the winner, which will likely be him.

But fans were more worried about sumo’s future. “I don’t think there is any way to deny that the Japanese don’t support sumo as much as they used to,” said Toru-Ishii, a fan who came at 8 a.m. to watch the younger wrestlers’ matches. “We grew up with sumo, but young people today hardly ever do sumo. We have high standards for sumo wrestlers. This is all very sad.”—AP

SPORTS

Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 59

McLaren looks to profit from Red Bull infighting

SILVERSTONE: McLaren Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton drives at the Silverstone circuit on July 11, 2010, during the Formula One British Grand Prix. —AFP

Springboks to lift intensity after flop WELLINGTON: A slight lift in intensity should help the Springboks get back into the Tri-Nations title hunt when they face a resurgent All Blacks in Wellington tomorrow, South African lock Victor Matfield has said.

The world champions were outmuscled, placed under constant pressure and struggled to match the All Blacks’ high-octane game plan during their 32-12 thrashing in the opening Tri-Nations match last week in Auckland.

Captain John Smit and coach Peter de Villiers both said after the match at Eden Park they would not panic as they felt they could not play much worse and everything was able to be fixed, something echoed by their players this week.

“They did a lot of things right but I must say, we also weren’t there 100 percent,” Matfield told reporters on Thursday.

“We were probably about 97 (percent) and we know in these games if you’re one or two percent off your game, you will get smashed. And that’s what happened.

“Hopefully we can be there 100 percent this week and then hopefully it will be a better test match.” Matfield said the Springboks would not

Victor Matfield alter their tactics in the wake of the Auckland loss and would look to play in the All Blacks territory and accumulate points through pressure.

“We all know how we play, we won’t go away from that,” he added. “We’re a team that likes to put pressure on the other team, to really strangle them.

“Because we weren’t there and we weren’t quick enough off our line (last week), we couldn’t do that. “We gave them space and time and they penalised us for that.”

All Blacks assistant coach Wayne Smith said there was no reason for the side to veer away from

their expansive style, adding that the real test was whether they could produce the same result.

South Africa, who will be without lock Bakkies Botha after he was banned for nine weeks following his headbutt on Jimmy Cowan, made just one other change with CJ van der Linde replacing the injured Jannie du Plessis at tighthead prop.

Botha has been replaced by Danie Rossouw, though he was now questionable after suffering a calf strain at training.

The All Blacks also made two changes with Rene Ranger earning his first start for injured winger Joe Rokocoko, while scrumhalf Piri Weepu has replaced Cowan, who had an abdominal strain, though the team said they had planned the swap anyway. “Our best combination over the years has been to have Jimmy start and Piri finish, but from time to time they need to swap those roles and the injury (to Cowan) probably made us think a bit more deeply about that,” All Blacks coach Graham Henry said.

“Jimmy can’t do a lot over this week. He’s going to be fine for Saturday, but if we pushed him too hard today and tomorrow he may fall over, so it’s logical to do that (swap) as well.” —Reuters

Police to probe Melbourne Storm salary cap scandal SYDNEY: Salary cap breaches by Australia’s Melbourne Storm rugby league club were referred to the police yesterday after an audit revealed the alleged fraud was nearly double the amount first predicted.

Storm owner News Limited said an independent Deloitte probe had concluded that the club breached the cap by 3.17 million dollars (2.80 million US), considerably more than originally estimated by the National Rugby League (NRL).

“Our original suspicion was that there was an elaborate and well orchestrated deception by certain senior managers at the club, and that has been confirmed by the

Deloitte report,” News chief John Hartigan said.

“Is it fraud? That’s something for the police to decide and we are referring the findings to them,” he added. Hartigan said the breaches, committed over a period of five years, were significantly worse than first suspected by the NRL. The club was stripped of the 2007 and 2009 premiership titles, ordered to repay 1.1 million dollars in prize money and fined 500,000 dollars after it was found to have breached the cap. It is also playing for no points this season.

“The investigation has confirmed that while the penalties are extremely tough, they are

warranted,” Hartigan said.

Hartigan said the Storm had maintained a dual contract system under which star players including Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Cameron Smith were guaranteed payments from third parties “well in excess” of their official contract salaries.

Payments took various forms including gifts of cars, flights, boats and rent vouchers, as well as “donations” or “consulting fees” paid to the club.

Hartigan cleared coach Craig Bellamy of knowledge of the breaches and said it was unclear whether the players were aware that third party payments were not

disclosed to the NRL. All players had refused to cooperate with the Deloitte investigation, he added.

Hartigan dropped four of the club’s directors, including chairman Rob Moodie, for persevering with legal action against the NRL “despite the fact the club had engaged in wide-ranging and elaborate cheating”.

“We do not believe the independent directors have shown sufficient willingness to resolve the most pressing issue facing the club, and that is to field a team next season that is under the salary cap,” he said. He said the entire episode would cost News Limited 14 million dollars. —AFP

LONDON: All the intrigue ahead of the British Grand Prix centered on how the rivalry between McLaren teammates Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton would play out in the fiery cauldron of a home race.

If there was any friction behind the British duo’s public bonhomie, it wasn’t evident at Silverstone.

The only divided loyalties were among the 115,000 home fans — and further down the pit lane at Red Bull, where life is far from harmonious for the greatest threat to McLaren’s Formula One supremacy.

The infighting that has been ravaging Red Bull in recent weeks boiled over at the midway point of the season. Forced to hand over a key car part to teammate Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber publicly accused Red Bull bosses of favoritism in the hours before the race, which both drivers both started on the front of the grid.

A first-corner battle Sunday saw pole-sitter Vettel pushed wide by Webber, who went on to win the race while the German was forced off with a puncture sustained in that early fight and ended up finishing seventh. Meanwhile, championship leader Hamilton, who started from third, rose to second and Button made up 10 places from his 14th-place start on the grid to stay second in the drivers’ standings.

Coupled with Red Bull’s feuding, it was the perfect outcome for McLaren on a weekend where planned upgrades failed and were hastily abandoned on Friday night. “A lot of people speculated on the relationship between our two drivers,” McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said.

“I hope there are cracks and divisions in all our competitors and they all fall apart.” When Webber was denied a new version of Red Bull’s front wing for qualifying and the race, he publicly questioned why he ever signed up to the 2011 season amid clear favoritism.

“Not bad for a No. 2 driver,” he quipped over his radio after winning the race to move up to third in the championship, just ahead of Vettel.

“You have to think carefully about decisions,” Whitmarsh observed. “Drivers are immensely competitive people, so if they perceive something is not evenhanded or fair, then you are going to have some trouble.

“There is always a potential tension with two drivers in the same team fighting for a championship.” Just as McLaren discovered in 2007 when Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were feuding teammates. Alonso — the reigning world champion at the time — believed Hamilton was getting preferential treatment from the British team and he left.

Hamilton claims to have learned from that episode and continuously reinforces how harmonious life is alongside the 30-year-old Button, who succeeded Hamilton last year as the F1 champion.

“If there was a rift between us it would divide the sides, and we don’t have that,” the 25-year-old Hamilton said. “It’s a real team.

“We work together. No one is blinding anyone, there’s no holding anything back or hiding anything.”

Not that anyone believes it, Button accepts. “I think everyone’s been taking the mick out of us that we get on well as teammates and as a team, but it’s what works for us,” said Button, who is in his first season alongside Hamilton.

“Lewis and I, if we both qualify well, will be fighting wheel to wheel, and we will fight as hard as anyone, but we still work together well. “Both sides of the garage work for us, and although they obviously want our car to beat the other car, you don’t get this split garage.”

As Red Bull tries to paper over the cracks ahead of the German Grand Prix on July 25, the team has been quick to tell how Webber and Vettel took to the stage with their bosses post-Silverstone to unite with a rendition of the Don McLean karaoke favorite “American Pie.” “Well, I know that you’re in love with him,” they sang.

That might be pushing it too far on the track. “I don’t think there is any driver in this pit lane that doesn’t push for themselves, as well as the team,” Red Bull principal Christian Horner said. “They’re competitive animals, sportsmen, at the end of the day, and that’s what we employ them to be.”

Horner claims it’s the team spirit that enables Red Bull to “punch above our weight and take on the likes of McLaren and Ferrari.” Since first racing in 2005, Red Bull has quickly established itself as a force, coming second in the 2009 constructors’ championship, while Vettel was second to Button in the drivers’ standings.

This year alone they have secured nine out of 10 pole positions, producing five race wins — three for Webber and two for Vettel. —AP

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Friday, July 16, 2010

Ichiro depressed by lost Mariners season SEATTLE: Seattle Mariners star Ichiro Suzuki is dumbfounded, even depressed at the turn of fortunes his team has taken.

Ken Griffey Jr. is gone, having suddenly driven home to retirement in Florida. Cliff Lee is gone, too, traded to division-rival Texas instead of teaming with fellow ace pitcher Felix Hernandez to beat the Rangers and everyone else in the American League West.

Suzuki’s Mariners have gone from a popular pick for the postseason and winners of baseball’s offseason to losers during the real season. Again.

Seattle begins the second half of the season Thursday at the Los Angeles Angels sitting 18 games under .500, and 15 games behind the Rangers. They are last in the division they expected to win. The team built on pitching and defense has failed so miserably on offense that nothing else has mattered much, or will matter much for final months of the season.

“To be honest with you, I can’t even explain in words. It’s very, very tough, hard and depressing,” Suzuki told a group of about 10 reporters Monday in Anaheim, California, ahead of his 10th consecutive All-Star game Tuesday.

Seattle’s 3.39 runs per game and .238 batting average are its second-lowest marks at the break in team history. The Mariners’ 57 home runs in 88 games is their third-fewest at any All-Star break.

Seattle’s last playoff team of 2001 had 102 homers by now.

“The media — everyone — expected a lot from us in spring training, and it didn’t work out that way,” the team’s 36-year-old cornerstone said through his interpreter. “You can’t explain it in words. That’s how tough it is, mentally.”

Suzuki, who this season became the sixth major league player since 1901 to steal 20 bases in each of his first 10 seasons, is not alone wallowing in the grim reality of 35-53.

“We’re all disappointed,” said manager Don Wakamatsu, who has gone from refreshing in the his rookie season to ripped by fans in his second.

“We came in with high expectations.” General manager Jack Zduriencik has admitted those may have been too high.

One of the more telling _ and for Mariners fans, sobering _ things said over the first half of this lost season came in May. Zduriencik was candid while facing questions from an annual gathering of the Associated Press Sports Editors of the Northwest in Tacoma, Wash.

The second-year GM reminded that this franchise lost 101 games just two seasons ago, that the Mariners are still in the early stages of Zduriencik’s complete overhaul of the organization.

It started with the new way Seattle scouts and evaluates players using more statistical analysis and includes an increased emphasis on developing the minor league system to sustain success plus remodeling the big league team to one heavily based on pitching and defense instead of highpriced, free-agent power hitters.

“Maybe we are a little bit ahead of schedule,” Zduriencik said of the heightened expectations.

“And maybe we are paying a price for being a little bit ahead of schedule. You still have to keep in mind (the) long range.” That’s what he did last week when he traded Lee for heralded hitting prospect Justin Smoak and some Double-A players.

“One of the important things for us is to win now, of course, but also build for the future,” Zduriencik said Friday, reiterating what Mariners fans are tired of hearing — they’ve been waiting nine seasons for that future to become the present.

“In this process we are trying to build a World Series championship-caliber club here.” That seems light years away right now. So what’s left in this season?

The 23-year-old Smoak is going to play almost every day at first base. That means Russell Branyan, acquired from Cleveland on June 26 to give Seattle at least one consistent home-run threat, will play more at designated hitter.

That leaves Milton Bradley, his sore knee and his contract that still has another year and about $10 million left on it trying to find playing time in left field with young Michael Saunders. Wakamatsu said he hopes Bradley, who last started on July 3, will get a fresh start this weekend against the Angels following rest.

The rotation has a 3.55 ERA, the best at the AllStar break in team history. But without Lee it has holes that Triple-A callup David Pauley is now helping to fill. —AP

Immigration law spurs talk of All-Star boycott

WASHINGTON: Ichiro Suzuki No. 51 of the Seattle Mariners singles in the third inning against the New York Yankees at Safeco Field in this file photo. —AP

ANAHEIM: The television ratings for baseball’s All-Star game were abysmal but Bud Selig has other worries concerning the annual Midsummer Classic.

Major League Baseball’s longtime commissioner has to deal with a small but growing movement that wants to either boycott or move next year’s AllStar game, in Phoenix, Arizona.

At issue is Arizona’s pending immigration law, allowing police to check the immigration status of people they stop for other reasons, if they are “reasonably suspected” of being in the country illegally.

The law makes the failure to carry formal immigration documents illegal. It will be the first state law of its type in the United States.

Immigration rights groups argue that the new law, scheduled to take effect July 29, is discriminatory. The US Justice Department is suing Arizona to stop its enactment.

Latinos, who comprise 27 percent of MLB’s players, have begun to add their voices to the chorus of opposition. Among them is Kansas City Royals pitcher Joakim Soria, a Mexican, who is in his fourth season in the majors.

“They could stop me and ask to see my papers,” Soria said. “I have to stand with my Latin community on this.” Soria’s manager, Oscar Suarez, who manages seven other Latino players, said their opposition to the law is not political.

“The thing for them is it is more a humanitarian issue than mixing politics with sports,” Suarez said. “They want people to be treated fairly, and pay their taxes and do things the right way in America.” The National Football League reversed a commitment to stage the 1993 Super Bowl in Phoenix after Arizona refused to recognize the birthday of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King as a national holiday. —Reuters

Watson earns unique place on Lord’s honors’ boards LONDON: Shane Watson proved an inspired choice on Wednesday as Australia’s fourth bowler with his first five wicket haul in test cricket leading to a unique spot on the Lord’s honours’ boards.

Watson’s medium pace bowling has been thrust into the shadows with his successful elevation to opening bat in last year’s Ashes series.

But with heavy cloud cover over Lord’s for the second successive day in the first test against Pakistan, Australia captain Ricky Ponting judged correctly that Watson could be the man to use the conditions in much the same way as Mohammad Asif had for Pakistan on Tuesday.

Swinging the ball late from a full length, the powerfully built all-rounder responded with five for 40 from 7.5

overs, including 30 in 10 balls to Shahid Afridi during a frenzied assault which included four boundaries and two sixes.

Watson, whose figures had been suddenly transformed from two for nought to two for 30, held his nerve to dismiss the Pakistan captain caught at mid-off for 31 attempting another mighty drive.

He is now the first bowler to earn a place on a new honours board reserved for players who take part in a test featuring two overseas teams. In the only other such match so far, Charles Kelleway and Warren Bardsley scored centuries for Australia in a 1912 Triangular series test against South Africa.

Like the majority of Australian test cricketers, Watson possesses a keen sense of history and he was well aware

that the greatest Australian all-rounder of them all, the glamorous Keith Miller, figures on both the batting and bowling boards with 109 in 1953 and five for 72 followed by five for 80 three years later.

“In my first test here I have been looking up at both boards, the bowling and the batting, but especially the bowling, and seeing Keith Miller and what he was able to do getting 10 wickets in a test match,” Watson told a news conference.

“He’s someone who really continues to inspire me.” Watson has been an instant success at opener with his power and sound technique, scoring seven half-centuries and a century in his first eight tests at the top of the order.

He said he worked hard on his bowling, conscious that he could still

have a job to do in both disciplines, especially after he made only four in Australia’s first innings.

I know that opening the batting, my important role is to score runs,” he said. “My bowling has probably been a little bit on the back burner.

“But I’ve also to make sure I’m contributing to the team as well and in the first innings I didn’t contribute at all with the bat so I knew I had to contribute in some way.

“It’s nice that today it came together really well. It’s something that I will continue to get my head around and try to adapt because my position in the team has changed quite significantly to what it as a couple of years ago. “I’m still trying to find the perfect balance between my batting and my bowling.” —Reuters

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Friday, July 16, 2010

Page 61

ST ANDREWS: Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy watches his drive during his opening round on the first day of the British Open Golf Championship.—AFP

McIlroy sizzles at British Open ST. ANDREWS: Rory McIlroy fired the lowest first round in British Open history, a nine-under par 63, to seize a three-shot lead yesterday at the fabled Old Course and outshine top-ranked Tiger Woods.

Magical McIlroy equalled the low round in any major, becoming the 22nd man to fire a 63, and only the eighth player in British Open history with a 63, the second at St. Andrews after Englishman Paul Broadhurst in 1990’s third round.

Had the 21-year-old from Northern Ireland not botched a fivefoot birdie putt at the 17th, the famed Road Hole, he would have stood alone in major golf history with another amazing feat in the annals of the sport’s birthplace.

“It sort of went through my mind at the 17th tee that 62 would be the lowest round in a major. Probably why I missed the putt,” McIlroy said. “I don’t think I can come off feeling let down. I’m leading the Open Championship.”

McIlroy took full advantage of ideal wind-less conditions on the defenceless Old Course to stand three ahead of US veteran John Daly, the 1995 Open winner at St. Andrews, and Scotsman Andrew

Coltart. “Going out there with no wind, you are never going to get St. Andrews playing any easier,” McIlroy said. “It gives me a little bit of a buffer out there going into the next three days.”

Woods, who won the 2000 and 2005 Opens here, took a bogey at 17 and missed a birdie putt at 18 for a 67 to share fourth with Americans Lucas Glover, Nick Watney, Sean O’Hair, German Marcel Siem and Swede Fredrik Andersson Hed.

a major since Woods in round two of the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills.

“This course just suits me,” McIlroy said. “It just fits my eye. As long as you put the ball in the fairway, the holes set up really well.”

Ninth-ranked McIlroy, who shared third at last year’s PGA Championship, missed the cut at this year’s Masters and US Open but served notice he can contend.

“It would be the most gratifying victory I could ever have,” Daly said. “I would appreciate it more than any tournament I have won.”

Turning back the clock for a third major title would be a stunning feat by the 44-year-old American, whose struggles with weight, women and alcohol have made him a fan favourite but taken a toll on his game.

“I’ve never run from my mistakes,” Daly said. “I have been

Woods outshined at Old Course “Today felt awkward because there was absolutely no wind whatsoever and you never play a links course with no wind,” Woods said. “You had to take advantage of it. I felt like I did a pretty good job of that.”

More than half the field was still on the course, the lowest among them being South African Louis Oosthuizen at seven-under through 14 holes.

McIlroy shot the first British Open 63 since Nick Faldo and Payne Stewart in the last round at Royal St. George’s in 1993 and the first in

McIlroy eagled the par-4 ninth, began the back nine with three birdies in a row, added a 12-foot birdie at the par-5 14th to move atop the leaderboard. He missed the birdie bid at 17 but sank a fourfooter at 18 to end a historic day.

“The eagle at nine turned things around,” McIlroy said. “I got going from there.”

Daly fired four birdies in a row and set himself up as a people’s choice to hoist the Claret Jug just as Tom Watson did last year and Greg Norman had in 2008, although both bids failed.

the man you are supposed to be when you screw up and I’ve screwed up an awful lot. It’s how you come back that matters.”

Daly, whose other major title came at the 1991 PGA Championship, has not won since 2004 and his status has been reduced to taking US PGA sponsor exemptions. He’s ranked 455th and has only once broken the top 55 on the US tour this year.

After opening and closing the front nine with back-to-back birdies and a birdie at the par-5 fifth, Daly sank a 10-footer for birdie at the

10th and birdied the par-3 11th before lipping out a five-footer at 12.

Several near-misses denied him a better round. He took a bogey at 17 and another lip-out for birdie at 18 but still matched his low round of the year. “I hit some putts on the back side I thought were in,” he said. “They just trickled away for me.”

If anyone was going to have a somewhat redemptive triumph this week, the money literally was on Woods, a betting favorite despite being winless since a five-month hiatus caused by a sex scandal that shattered his pitchman career.

Woods was greeted with polite applause, similar to his receptions at the year’s earlier majors, where he shared fourth each time.

World number one Woods, a 14time major champion chasing the record 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus, seeks a fourth British Open title after having won at St. Andrews in 2000 and 2005 and at Royal Liverpool in 2006.

Woods sank a 25-foot birdie putt at nine to reach three-under, then birdied three holes in a row starting at the par-4 12th before the bogey at 17.—AFP

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Friday, July 16, 2010

Nets’ Prokhorov had hunch James was not coming NEW YORK: Despite making what he felt was an outstanding presentation to LeBron James in free agency, new Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov had a hunch the two-time most valuable player wasn’t coming to New Jersey.

Addressing beat writers in a 45minute sitdown at a posh midtown hotel, Prokhorov says once James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh decided to play together in Miami, the Nets had no problem switching plans and signing young players for a lot less money.

The Russian billionaire asked Nets fans who endured a 12-70 season to remain patient, saying his young team will fight for the

playoffs next season, and that his goal of winning a title in five years is on track.

He added the team has financial flexibility and is still looking to acquire a superstar in a trade over the next two years. The biggest job for Prokhorov now is replacing outgoing president and general manager Rod Thorn, who will be leaving on Friday. He has personally interviewed at least five candidates, noting he needs to feel the chemistry of the relationship.

Prokhorov had some interviews on Tuesday, although he would not say who he met. He also would not say who was in contention for the job. Billy King, Kevin Pritchard and

Danny Ferry have been mentioned as possible replacements, with King and Ferry emerging as the leading candidates.

Prokhorov hopes to make a decision soon. The 45-year-old Prokhorov didn’t even bother to watch James’ much-hyped free agency announcement on Thursday.

He was in Moscow and had gone to bed.

When he woke up, he had his secretary check the internet. He’s not a techie. “I was sure what was his choice before,” Prokhorov said.

Prokhorov insisted that the Nets only went after James, Wade and Bosh, with whom he’d face-to-face on July 1. He noted the team had

four plans for free agency.

While Thorn talked to the agents for power forwards David Lee and Carlos Boozer, Prokhorov said the Nets were not willing to pay them top dollar because they were not good enough to led the team to a championship. “What I like from this free-agency period is we have made no mistake,” Prokhorov said.

“This is very important. We still have the goal of a championship team and we are not in a hurry to make stupid mistakes to just get the player to make us better, but not a championship team. This is different strategy. An absolutely different strategy.

“It’s easy to make a top-five

team: good enough to make playoffs, reach maybe the conference finals,” Prokhorov said. “But you will never win the championship.” Prokhorov, who can spend as much money as he wants to stock his team in Russia, said he likes the NBA salary cap.

“It’s more difficult here and more competitive and I like this more,” he said. “It’s more intellectual, more complicated.” Since taking over ownership of the Nets in May, Prokhorov said he has spent nearly 85 percent of his time concentrating on the team. That includes four trips between New York and Moscow, and another to Las Vegas for the recent meeting of league owners. —AP

PHOENIX: Camille Little No. 20 of the Seattle Storm lays up a shot during the WNBA game against the Phoenix Mercury at US Airways Center. The Storm defeated the Mercury 111-107 in triple overtime. —AFP

Storm down Mercury PHOENIX: Sue Bird’s made a 3pointer with 6.4 seconds left in the third overtime to lift the Seattle Storm to a 111-107 victory over the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA on Wednesday. Penny Taylor missed a potential tying 3-pointer on Phoenix’s ensuing possession.

Lauren Jackson added late free throw in the closing seconds to give the Storm (17-2) their franchise-best eighth straight victory in the fifth triple-overtime game in WNBA history.

Diana Taurasi scored a seasonhigh 44 points for the Mercury (7-

12), finishing three points short of her career high. She missed a 3 with 27 seconds left and the score tied at 107. Jackson led Seattle with 31 points and 18 rebounds, and Tanisha Wright scored 20 points.

points for the Lynx (7-11), who recovered after squandering a 14point first-half lead.

Angel McCoughtry scored 25 points and Iziane Castro Marques had 20 for Atlanta (14-6).

Lynx 83, Dream 81 At Minneapolis, Nicky Anosike had 16 points, a late steal and a picture-perfect assist to Rebekkah Brunson for the go-ahead layup with 7.2 seconds left to lift Minnesota past Atlanta.

Seimone Augustus scored 22 points and Lindsay Whalen added 17

Sun 77, Fever 68 At Indianapolis, Sandrine Gruda scored 21 points to lead Connecticut over Indiana, snapping the Fever’s seven-game home winning streak.

Tina Charles had 14 points and six rebounds, and Tan White scored 10 for the Sun (11-8), who ended a three-game losing streak and moved

within half a game of Indiana for third place in the Eastern Conference.

The Fever (11-7) and Sun finish their regular-season series Aug. 15 at Connecticut.

Tamika Catchings had 22 points, nine rebounds and four steals, and Katie Douglas added 13 points for the Fever. Catchings grabbed her 2,000th rebound in the second quarter to become the 10th player in WNBA history to reach that milestone.

Sky 88, Silver Stars 61 At Rosemont, Iliinois, Sylvia

Fowles led five players in double figures as Chicago beat San Antonio to snap a two-game skid. Fowles, Jia Perkins and Epiphanny Prince scored 14 points each for the Sky (911), who never trailed. Erin Thorn and Tamera Young added 10 points each.

Chicago guard Dominique Canty pulled down a rebound in the third quarter to become one of nine WNBA players with 2,500 points, 900 assists and 900 rebounds.

Sophia Young had 14 points to lead the Silver Stars (6-11), who have lost four of their last five games. —AP

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CHICAGO: Gregory C Case (left) president and CEO of Aon Corporation shakes hands with Manchester United team manager Alex Ferguson after they unveiled the team’s new uniform with Aon’s partnership. Watching from behind from left are players Ryan Giggs, Gabriel Obertan, Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Dimitar Berbatov.—AP

United starts training for tour BRIDGEVIEW: Manchester United, minus many of its stars, has begun training for its North American tour with a 59-minute session at the Chicago Fire’s home ground before about 1,500 fans in 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) heat .

The Red Devils open their fourmatch trip in Toronto on Friday against Scottish Premier League side Celtic. After two matches against

Major League Soccer sides, it concludes in Houston on July 28 with a match against the MLS All-Stars.

“That will probably be our toughest game,” United manager Alex Ferguson said. “It’s probably a bigger game for MLS than it is for us. I think you’ll find they’ll be well motivated because of that. We’re used to the fact teams always want to play well against us.”

It’s Manchester United’s third preseason trip to North America since Ferguson became manager in 1986.

“Each time I see an improvement in American soccer,” Ferguson said.

“The MLS has proven itself now. The performance of the (US) national team helps.

They were very credible in their performance in the World Cup, and I think that helped the younger people

in the States. “We know there are millions of kids playing. The MLS has to structure itself so these kids can eventually get to MLS. It’ll take time to build a pyramid of soccer so they get to the MLS.” Manchester United was without World Cup participants Wayne Rooney, Patrice Evra, Michael Carrick, Nemanja Vidic and Park Jisung at training Wednesday. They get

30 days rest before they’re required to begin their next season. Manchester United’s English Premier League season begins August 16, when it hosts Newcastle.

The training session, the first onfield event of United’s trip, was held in the southwest suburbs of Chicago because the team’s new corporate sponsor, AON, is headquartered downtown.—AP

Celtic and Ajax braced for Champions League draw PARIS: Former European champions Celtic and Ajax are among the clubs bracing themselves for Friday’s draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon for the third qualifying round of the 2010/2011 Champions League.

The two European heavyweights, both runners-up in their domestic leagues, are among 10 clubs in the nonchampions section of the draw.

And with the four-time winners from the Netherlands one of the seeded clubs and the 1967 winners from Scotland unseeded, there is every chance that they could end up being drawn against each other. Ajax’s preparations have been focussed on trying to hang on to their coach and some key players.

Manager Martin Jol has been linked with the vacancy at Fulham, midfielder Christian Eriksen and goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg, both targets for Arsenal, defender Gregory van der Wiel who is wanted by Bayern Munich and Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez who has expressed interest in a move to the Premier League.

Celtic, meanwhile, have been preparing for the new season with a tour of the USA which

coach Neil Lennon claims is the perfect preparation for the Champions League.

“If you look at the opposition, you have different types of teams,” he told Celtic’s official website. “You have Philadelphia.

Then we play Manchester United, one of the best teams in the world. “So the players will get a good look at the quality of players they will be playing in the next few weeks. “It’s

important that we avoid injury, which is why we have brought two squads with us, and also that we give the players enough playing time before we go back to the Champions League at the end of the tour.”

Even if they avoid each other, neither side is likely to be in with an easy passage to the play-off round which precedes the group stage of the competition proper.

The other seeded teams in

this section - all possible opponents for Celtic - are Turkish outfit Fenerbahce, Ukraine’s Dinamo Kiev, Braga of Portugal as well as 2008 UEFA Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg from Russia. The unseeded teams in the pot that might also face Ajax are Ghent from Belgium, Swiss side Young Boys, Romania’s Unirea Urziceni and PAOK Salonika who ousted Champions League regulars

Olympiakos in Greece’s end of season play-offs.

The other section of the draw, which will see 15 ties, is for national champions. With the second qualifying round only at the first leg stage, all 34 teams involved will go into the hat as 17 pairs where they will join Basel, Anderlecht and Copenhagen the champions of Switzerland, Belgium and Denmark respectively.

Argentina to offer Maradona new 4-year deal BUENOS AIRES: The Argentine Football Association says it will offer Maradona a new four-year contract that would keep him in charge of the national team through the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Ernesto Cherquis Bialo, a spokesman for the association, told reporters Wednesday that AFA President Julio Grondona would meet next week with Maradona to discuss the offer. This is the strongest indication that Maradona is likely to continue as the coach.

It comes two weeks after Argentina was knocked out of the World Cup in a humiliating 4-0 quarterfinals loss to Germany. Maradona has said little since then, keeping to himself in his home in

suburban Buenos Aires.

Cherquis Bialo said the association did not have another coach in mind should Maradona turn down the deal. He also suggested Argentina’s performance in the World Cup had been respectable, despite anything less than a third title being seen as a failure by many Argentines.

Argentina won in 1978 and 1986, but has not won a major title since claiming the Copa America in 1993. “Fifth place is below what people here expect,” Cherquis Bialo said. “But it’s not embarrassing to an Argentine team.” His mention of fifth place was a little presumptuous.

There was no playoff among the four

quarterfinalists eliminated. The losing semifinalists — Germany and Uruguay — did have a playoff game to decide third and fourth place. Public opinion is divided about the 49-year-old coach, who is a national icon as a player who led the country to the 1986 title. But he is seen my many as a poor tactician, an unqualified coach whose main asset is cheerleading.

Argentina President Cristina Fernandez has publicly supported him, and an Argentine legislator has proposed building a monument to honor him. Many of his players, including Barcelona star Lionel Messi, have said Maradona should make his own decision about staying on the job. —AP

Czech champions Sparta Prague are on course to join them after beating Latvia’s Liepajas Metalurgs 3-0 in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie. Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb - whose only European triumph came when they won the Inter-City Fairs Cup in 1966-67 - Austria’s Salzburg, Hapoel Tel Aviv of Israel and 20-times Cypriot champions Omonia are also well placed after the first leg of their ties to make it through to the third round.

The winners of the third round ties will progress to the play-off round which will again be divided into a champions and non-champions section.

Auxerre, Sampdoria, Sevilla, Tottenham Hotspur and Werder Bremen will join the nonchampions draw at the play-off stage.

The 10 winners of the play-off matches will join the other 22 in the group stage of the Champions League while the losers will go forward to the group stages of the Europa League. The Champions League final takes place at Wembley Stadium, London on May 28, 2011. —AFP

www.kuwaittimes.net

LOS ANGELES: Lindsey Vonn poses with the award for Best Female Athlete in the press room at the ESPY Awards. — AP

Saints march off with top Espys LOS ANGELES: The NFL’s New Orleans Saints went marching in on Wednesday at the Espy Awards and walked away with the trophy for best sports team while quarterback Drew Brees was named best male athlete by fans of sports TV network ESPN. Brees led the Saints, long considered among the worst teams in U.S. professional football, to a come-frombehind victory in the National Football League’s Super Bowl championship game. The triumphant season boosted the spirits of the city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“What was most unique about this team was, very quickly, we realized we were playing for more than just football.

We were playing for the region and the city,” Saints’ head coach Sean Payton told the crowd at the Espys.

Earlier, Brees collected his trophy onstage and thanked his family, his offensive line and the “Who Dat Nation,” as the team’s die-hard fans have been nicknamed.

The night’s other big winner was Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, who took home awards for best female athlete and best female Olympian for fighting off a leg injury to win the gold medal in the downhill race at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

The Espys have become an important stop for sports stars seeking to build a reputation in the media. ESPN is the most-viewed sports TV network in the United States.

The audience was also treated to a

Lindsey best female athlete, best woman Olympian

LOS ANGELES: Members of the United States Men’s Soccer team (from left) Edson Buddle, Jonathan Bornstein, Benny Feilhaber, Stuart Holden, Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Maurice Edu and Jozy Altidore pose with the award for Best Moment in the press room at the ESPY Awards. —AP

musical performance by Janelle Monae, and host Seth Meyers joked about the year’s biggest stories in sports, including golfer Tiger Woods’ extramarital affairs.

Other major winners included the US men’s soccer team for best sports moment for its late-game victory over Algeria in the recent World Cup. Snowboarder Shaun White was named best male Olympic athlete for his gold medal, as well as best action sports star. Running back Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans was named best breakthrough athlete after rushing for more than 2,500 yards this past season.

An award was given to star quarterback Brett Favre and receiver Greg Lewis for a passing play that resulted in a touchdown. Favre tossed the ball under pressure and Lewis caught it just before going out of bounds.

“There’s been a lot of debate about better pass (or) better catch,” Favre said, who looked at his teammate and added, “That was one heck of a catch.” The 40year-old veteran then thanked his Minnesota Vikings team for making last season fun.

Tennis players John Isner and Nicolas Mahut won best record-breaking performance for their recent Wimbledon match that became the longest tennis game ever.

The trophy for best upset victory went to the men’s basketball team from the University of Northern Iowa for its surprise win over the University of Kansas in the NCAA championship tournament. —Reuters