24 Aug 2010

RI PT IO N BS C SU THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2010

Traffic violations surge during holy month

The fasting person has two occasions for joy

By Sheikh Riyad Al-Musaymiri

A

bu Hurayrah relates that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah says: ‘Every deed of the child of Adam is for himself, except for fasting. It is for Me and I shall reward it.’ Fasting is a shield, so if it is a day of fasting for any one of you, then he should engage in no obscenity or shouting. If anyone belittles him or fights with him, he should just say ‘I am a person who is fasting’. I swear by Him in whose hand is Muhammad’s soul, the smell of the fasting person’s breath is sweeter to Allah on the Day of Judgment than that of musk. The fasting person has two occasions for joy, one when he breaks his fast because of his breaking it and the other when he meets his Lord because of the reward for his fast.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari (7492) and Sahih Muslim (1151) with the wording being that of Muslim] The Prophet (peace be upon him) says in this hadith: “The fasting person has two occasions for joy...” This does not mean that the fasting person experiences no other joys aside from these two. It is just that these two particular occasions of joy are exclusive to a fasting person and are experienced by no one else.

The fasting person experiences the first occasion of joy when he eats and drinks after a full day of self-restraint, patience, and obedience seeking Allah’s reward.

He experiences the second occasion of joy when he meets his Lord after a full lifetime of fasting and seeking Allah’s reward every time the month of Ramadan called upon him as an honored guest.

The first of these two joys comes every night in Ramadan when the Sun sets and the fasting person stretches out his hand to eat a sweet date or take a sip of cool, refreshing water to relieve his hunger and thirst.

And why should he not feel joy at this moment? He had expended every effort throughout the day only for his Lord’s pleasure and forbade himself his share of food and drink, seeking Allah’s eternal and everlasting reward.

Continued on Page 14

Saudi fatwa seeks to contain clergy RIYADH: A move by Saudi Arabia to allow only clerics approved by King Abdullah to issue religious edicts is a signal that the absolute monarchy wants to rein in a conservative clergy that has sometimes stood in the way of political reforms.

The world’s biggest oil exporting country, a close US ally, is ruled by the Al-Saud family with influence from clerics who follow the austere Wahhabi school of Islam. Political freedom, including women’s rights, is limited.

The move would help Saudi rulers push through education and justice reforms without having to contend with religious edicts, or fatwas, of politically driven conservative clerics opposed to modernization efforts.

Opposition from independent and establishment clerics has already limited the scope of changes aimed at modernizing a system that has historically focused more on religion than job skills.

Reforms are seen as needed urgently if the kingdom is to create jobs for a fast growing population and reduce its reliance on oil. “The decree should give the king bigger room to manoeuvre in pushing reforms,” Saudi political writer Khalid Al-Dakhil said.

King Abdullah issued the decree this month demanding the Grand Mufti, the kingdom’s top cleric, limit fatwas to members of the 20-cleric Senior Scholars Authority, which advises the king on religious issues, and an affiliated committee.

That step came after attempts to modernize Saudi Arabia led to a profusion in fatwas from scholars and mosque imams, spread on the Internet, often in opposition to what they see as the rampant Westernization in a country that is Islam’s birthplace.

Continued on Page 14

Emsak: Fajer: Shoruk: Dohr: Asr: Maghreb: Eshaa:

03:45 03:55 05:19 11:51 15:26 18:23 19:44

NO: 14830

150 FILS

Al-Qaeda frees two Spanish hostages in Mali

Chilean miners found alive stuck for months

Woods and wife Elin divorce after sex scandal

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ramadan kareem

RAMADAN 14, 1431 AH

Panel to discuss ‘entry’ of Israeli journalist

By B Izzak KUWAIT: The National Assembly interior and defense committee is meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) to discuss with Interior Minister Sheikh Jaber AlKhaled Al-Sabah the reported entry of an Israeli journalist into Kuwait despite

a strong denial by the interior ministry, head of the committee MP Askar AlEnezi said.

The issue was reported last week by Al-Rai newspaper which also published what the Israeli reporter wrote in an Israeli daily about what he saw in Kuwait, including a trip to Failaka Island.

The interior ministry however categorically denied that any Israeli has entered Kuwait.

But Islamist MP Faisal Al-Muslim called on Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to intervene in the issue and explain the full truth to the Kuwaiti people and to hold

accountable those who are responsible for what he called a scandal.

Muslim said that the statement of the interior minister in which it denied the incident is totally rejected and unacceptable. The interior ministry statement said that a computer mistake gave the impression as if an Israeli entered

Kuwait. It said that each country has a specific entry code and that an immigration employee printed the country code of Israel to two foreign visitors.

The statement said that an investigation was carried out and the mistake was found. It added that the responsible Continued on Page 14

8 killed in Manila bus siege Gunman shot dead • 15 HK tourists held hostage • Violent final stages beamed on TVs MANILA: Philippine police shot dead a sacked former policeman as they stormed a bus on which he was holding 15 Hong Kong tourists hostage in downtown Manila yesterday, and China said seven hostages were killed.

Two more hostages were seriously wounded and Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang criticized the authorities handling of the siege, the violent final stages of which were beamed live by global news channels.

The gunman, identified as 55-year-old ex-police captain Rolando Mendoza who was armed with an M-16 assault rifle, had stopped the bus, which initially had 25 people on board, on a wide road in Manila’s biggest park in the morning.

“The hostage-taker was killed. He chose to shoot it out with our men,” police Colonel Nelson Yabut told reporters.

“On our first assault, Captain Mendoza was sprawled in the middle of the aisle and shot one of our operatives. On our second assault we killed him.” Yabut said a woman was seen moving at the back of the bus during the first attempt, and on the second assault the 30 commandos had used tear gas and flash bombs. Mendoza moved to the bus door, where snipers shot him, Yabut said.

“We did everything to negotiate and end this peacefully, but he gave us no choice,” he said.

Police could be seen removing a body from the front of the bus before entering the vehicle and minutes later a number of hostages were helped off the bus.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Tsang, citing China’s Foreign Ministry, said seven Hong Kong residents were killed, two severely wounded and the remaining six hospitalized in what he described as a “major tragedy”.

“The way it was handled, particularly the outcome, I find is disappointing,” he told a news conference in the city.

Continued on Page 14

MANILA: Philippine police take positions alongside the exterior of the bus as they start their assault in a bid to free 15 hostages from Hong Kong who remained on the hijacked tourist bus in Manila yesterday. (At right) Rescue units wheel away the body of hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza. — AP

Iran launches assault boats ‘Hottest’ summer Tehran warns against ‘playing with fire’ TEHRAN: Iran began mass-producing two high-speed variants of missile-launching assault boats yesterday, warning its enemies not to “play with fire” as it boosts security along its coastline.

The inauguration of the production lines for the Seraj and Zolfaqar speedboats comes a day af ter President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled Iran’s home-built bomber drone, which he said would deliver “death” to Iran’s enemies.

State news agency IRNA reported that the Seraj (L amp) and Zolfaqar (named after Shiite Imam Ali’s sword) boats would be manufactured at the marine industries complex of the ministry of defence.

Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi opened the assembly lines, saying the vessels would help to strengthen Iran’s defenses, IRNA said.

KUWAIT: The heat wave which swept Kuwait in 2010 will cease soon, marking the end of the country’s hottest summer season in the past 50 years, said weather forecaster Issa Ramadan yesterday. Speaking to KUNA, Ramadan revealed that a new record was set for the highest temperature in residential areas. What was previously set at 51.3 Degrees Celsius was now 52 degrees, a record unprecedented in the last 50 years.

TEHRAN: Iranian Defense Minister Gen Ahmad Vahidi (center) speaks in front of a Zolfaghar assault boat as it is displayed at the Defense Ministry Naval Industries Complex in Tehran yesterday. — AP

Gaza Mall fuels debate over curbs GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: Palestinians in this blockaded territory can now buy $80 bottles of perfume, Turkish-made suits and Israeli yogurt at the new Gaza Mall. But with only two floors of shops connected by a broken elevator and a staircase, Gaza’s first shopping center is a far cry from the sprawling luxury malls famous elsewhere in the Middle East.

Nevertheless, for the war-battered residents of the impoverished coastal strip, it is a symbol of pride and normalcy. But the mall has become more than just a modest attempt at a shopper’s paradise. Since its opening last month, it has become the focus of an argument over how bad things really are in Gaza.

Israel has pointed to photos of the mall’s toy displays, supermarket and

coming to an end

GAZA CITY: A light display is reflected on the head scarves of Palestinian women as they walk inside the newly opened Gaza Mall, in Gaza City. —AP

racks of clothes as proof that Gazan suffering has been exaggerated, amid claims of a humanitarian crisis and a crippling lack of building materials because of an EgyptianIsraeli blockade of the territory.

“This clearly belies all the moaning about the human catastrophe in Gaza,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor. Occupying the first two floors of an existing Gaza office tower, the shopping center features a fried chicken restaurant — now closed during the day for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan — and a supermarket on the ground floor. The upstairs has a toy store, a perfume and accessories shop and clothing stores. If they have the cash, shoppers Continued on Page 14

Meanwhile, the heat was worse in open areas like the desert area of Mrtiba, northwest of Kuwait, with temperatures reaching 54 degrees. The hot weather will subside by the end of September, said Ramadan, and added that seasonal rain is also expected by October, especially if humidity was still present. This will mark the beginning of the winter season in Kuwait which usually lasts for around four to five months, indicated Ramadan. — KUNA

Three blasts kill 36 in Pakistan PARACHINAR, Pakistan: Three bomb attacks in northwest Pakistan — two in tribal regions near the Afghan border and a third near the region’s main city of Peshawar — killed at least 36 people yesterday, officials and a witness said.

The attack on the outskirts of Peshawar killed the leader of an anti-Taleban militia, Israr Khan, and two aides as he passed through a market in the village of Matni, said police official Khurshid Khan. Three more people were injured.

The government supplies a string of militias with arms and money to fight the Taleban militants. The deadliest blast was a suicide attack at a mosque inside a religious school in South Waziristan that killed 26 people and injured 40 more, said an intelligence official in the region. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with the orders set down by his agency.

He said Maulana Noor Mohammad, a former lawmaker who ran the school, was among the dead.

Yar Mohammad, a local tribesman who was present

inside the mosque, also said it was a suicide blast. There was no claim of responsibility, though Islamist militants have often attacked clerics or others who do not support them. It was unclear whether Mohammad fell into that category. Militant and tribal factions also fight among themselves. Earlier, a bomb exploded inside a school during a meeting of elders in Kurram tribal region, killing seven people.

Local official Khalid Umerzai said the elders at the meeting were discussing a disagreement over ownership of the school building. It wasn’t clear if the blast was tied to that dispute or if it had been launched by Islamist militants.

The army has launched offensives in South Waziristan and Kurram over the last 18 months.

There is little or no government presence in either area.

South Waziristan was affected by the floods that have swept Pakistan over the past month, with 18 bridges washed away and about three dozen deaths in the tribal area. — AP

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NATIONAL

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Traffic violation numbers surge during Ramadan Interior calls for more caution

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The already large number of tra ffic violations by drivers in Kuw ait is, as usua l, increa sing during Rama dan, w ith some specific violations seeing a substantia l increase in this period. According to Ministry of Interior (MoI) spokesman Brig Mohamma d Al-Sabr, the most common a nd repea ted tra ffic violation is speeding, especia lly in the period before Iftar (the fa stbrea king meal). “People drive very fast beca use they’re in a hurry to get w here they’re going, maybe because they’re hungry,” he told the Kuw ait Times.

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah holding talks with the Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa at Al-Seif Palace yesterday.

local spotlight

Losing a job at the age of 60

By Muna Al-Fuzai

I

know that it is hard to lose a job at any age, especially if you were good at it. My article today focuses on those who lose their jobs because of old age. One of my readers sent me an email asking me to help him keep his job, which he said he really enjoyed, appreciated and still needs to support his family.

Regardless, the private institution that he served for some years let him go and informed him that his services were no longer required.

In his email, he wrote that he will lose his job in a month and that his contract will not be renewed because he is over 60 years of age.

He added that there are dozens of other people working there who are older than 65 years of age at the company.

This is not the first complaint of this kind that I have received from my readers. I receive lots of emails similar to this one and

with almost the exact same story. It is not a matter that the press can take on, or that a columnist can make calls to officials about.

This matter should have been solved a long time ago when he first signed his contract and accepted to work in Kuwait.

If the contract was to be terminated because of old age and no other reason, then he should not be surprised that his services are no longer needed. I think that whether a person should keep his job or not is up to that person’s boss. I also believe that Asian embassies should give support and advice to their citizens working here. Not only for those working as domestic helpers but also professionals. They should make them aware that no matter how long he or she may wish to stay in Kuwait that their hopes may not come true and that their business contract could be terminated for any reason. Those who feel they were treated unjustly should turn to the courts to get their compensation, which must be stated clearly in their contract.

Letters to Muna Dear Muna, I am a regular reader of your column and appreciate your opinions on the current

economic and social situation of Kuwait.

I am sending you this mail to bring to your attention, as well as to the attention of the authorities, the unethical business practices carried out in Kuwait fish markets. I have been cheated many times by fish vendors who fool me into buying spoiled fish. I think they are coloring fish gills with red dye to make it look fresh. The fact is that many of the fish brought from Iran and Pakistan are not fit for human consumption.

There is no verification by health authorities to confirm the quality of the fish sold by these vendors. It should be noted that eating old fish can affect a person’s general health condition and make them prone to the attacks of bacteria, which may bring illness.I request that the authorities perform surprise inspections of fish markets throughout Kuwait and cancel the licenses of vendors who sell spoiled fish.

Furthermore, please publish the telephone numbers of authorities to whom we can complain about this issue.

Thanks and best regards, Ali muna @kuwaittimes.net

“But due to their dangerous driving, by trying to save a few minutes they may waste hours or days if they cause an accident, and the loss may be even greater if that accident causes deaths or injuries.”

According to the MoI’s official statistics, nine people died on Kuwait’s roads in the period from August 15-20, whether in crashes or by being hit by cars. Of those killed, four were Kuwaiti citizens while five were expatriate residents.

Brig. Al-Sabr explained that the number of other traffic violations also increases during this period.

“Apart from speeding, the most common violations are wrong parking in front of shopping malls and supermarkets, excessive maneuvering to the right and left while driving, not responding to police officers’ orders, ignoring the road markings, and driving through red lights,” he said.

“The above violations occur throughout the year, but they increase during the holy month of Ramadan,” he explained.

Brig Mohammad Al-Sabr “Drivers are more careless and maybe nervous because they’re fasting, therefore the traffic jams are much worse at this time, and roads are already congested, so

if an accident happens the situation may become critical.”

Brig. Al-Sabr offered some advice to help keep motorists and other road-users safe, saying, “We advise drivers to drive safely, slowly and carefully. They should also watch the road carefully. I always say that driving slower is safer and you may regret driving fast.”

One motorist interviewed by the Kuwait Times was certainly unhappy at the wild pre-Iftar driving and the traffic jams.

“I’m really scared when I’m driving before Iftar, since all the drivers are driving fast in a crazy way,” said Daliya, a 29-year-old Kuwaiti citizen.

“They shouldn’t drive this way just because they’re fasting - and they’ll get home anyway. The traffic jams are terrible, especially on the Fahaheel Expressway, which is crowded for hours. It’s really a nightmare. Also, the shopping malls are very crowded at the moment. I think that we won’t be able to leave the house before Eid if this is the situation today.”

kuwait digest

Vulnerable to infiltration

By Wal eed Al -Rujai b

T

he news released by Bahraini authorities indicating that there are armed and trained militants located in Kuwait came as no surprise to me. Likewise, I wasn’t shocked when a report revealed that an Israeli journalist made his way to Kuwait for a news report. I would never be surprised to hear that the intelligence forces of other Western or even Arab countries are located on Kuwaiti soil.

The reason for my lack of surprise is because I understand that Kuwait has been vulnerable to infiltration for a long

time. The 1990 invasion of Iraq is a perfect example of that. It exposed how easy it was for the Iraqi intelligence to utilize the Kuwaiti scene for assassinations, sabotage, assigning spies and reaching vital targets.

But why are we so vulnerable to infiltration? It’s because we’re too busy with suspicious financial gains, allowing certain groups to seize hold of the main share of profits at the expense of people.

Sectarian conflicts damage our patriotic and constitutional principles. In addition, we fail to focus on the development of our country because the constitution is no longer a priority for us. The culture of

tolerance, which has characterized our country since its beginning, has been replaced with a culture of exaggeration and religious fundamentalism.

Realizing this makes it hard for me to be surprised by the fact that the United States often sells us artillery that is bellow standard quality in deals that take place whenever they want to get rid of the stock. It also makes it easier to believe that terrorists or spy cells are working in Kuwait against its people. We will remain vulnerable to infiltration until we realize the true meaning of development and national unity as well as commitment to our constitution. — Al-Rai

NATIONAL

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

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Development projects among top issues

Civil servants' pay set to cause NA tensions KUWAIT: Tensions could rise with the opening of the next parliamentary term, with a number of MPs already preparing to discuss several sensitive issues, led by the financing of the development project and the enforcement of public sector employees' bonuses. In the meantime, the cabinet is reportedly working hard to finalize work on these particular issues prior to the beginning of next term in order to avert confrontation with MPs. Within the parliamentarians' ranks, it is widely felt that it has become essential to address all issues concerning the financial allowances paid to public sector workers.

With the Civil Service Commission compelled to await the go-ahead from the cabinet before it can approve payments for any group or body, MPs are protesting that the cabinet has so far failed to endorse the public sector workers' bonuses and insisting that it should approve these payments immediately in order for them to be paid as soon as possible.

A large number of MPs are also urging the cabinet to address the disparities between the amounts paid to different workers at the same grade, which have reached up to KD 500 per month in some cases.

"We urge the cabinet to finalize the issue of financial allowances, which have been approved and listed in the

CSC's work schedule for some time," said MP Hussein Huraiti, who also called for an increase in public sector retirees' pensions.

Another MP, Jamaan AlHarbish, condemned the cabinet's approach to dealing with the funding of development projects, saying that this reflects the government's vulnerability to pressure and bargaining in running the country.

Speaking at the Islamic Constitutional Movement's (ICM) women's movement's annual Ramadan gathering, Al-Harbish said that the controversy surrounding the funding of the development projects began after members of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) objected to the idea of

Kuwaitis, Iranians among sleeper cells' members KUWAIT: New details have emerged concerning the members of the terrorist sleeper cells reportedly present in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

According to the latest report from Bahraini security services, the cells' members include Kuwaiti and other Gulf nationals, as well as expatriate residents originally from Iran, Yemen and Lebanon. The report also states that these members are receiving financial support from religious clerics and questionable political movements in the region.

Upon receiving the information from their Bahraini counterparts, Kuwaiti security services immediately launched intensive investigations, which have revealed, amongst other things, that a number of Kuwaitis and expatriate residents on limited income have recently rented a number of expensive chalets and hotel suites, as well as taking photographs of sensitive installations,

which could be used to help them infiltrate these sites in the future.

According to Al-Qabas, the security services have also confirmed that the suspects exchanged information concerning their plans and activities during an Umrah pilgrimage.

Although the sleeper cells operate separately from one another, security services say, coordination is established through mediators or the leader of the operation, who has apparently already left Kuwait to meet with the architects of the operation in another regional nation.

The Bahraini security services have detained 250 individuals who admitted to planning various sabotage operations and revealed that similar, fully trained and armed sleeper cells are working in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and are ready to carry out terrorist attacks if necessary.

kuwait digest

The Chinese model

By Nassir Al-Abdaly

P

erhaps no one could ever predict that China, which follows a policy of Communism, would someday possess an economy that has surpassed Japan's and trails only behind the United States. This is a unique development, considering the fact that all other communist countries have collapsed or are on the verge of it, including the former Soviet Union. On the other hand, China has managed to consolidate its strength and eventually overpower all the capitalist countries.

The secret behind China's success to emerge as the world's second largest economic power with a $1.33 trillion economy (US stands first with $1.4 trillion and Japan comes third with 1.28 trillion economies respectively). Their success can be mostly attributed to their strong will, determination, clear vision, and the utilization of all efforts to execute plans by first recognizing that there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

Unlike here in Kuwait, China as well as Japan have achieved economic advancement without possessing a wealth of natural resources or raw materials. Their economies are heavily dependent on the import of raw materials which are processed and then resold at higher prices. These raw materials also include oil. We never learnt from these countries' examples so that we could begin our own successful experience.

A plan has long been in place to transform Kuwait into a financial and commercial hub. However, the executive authority has been riddled with inefficiencies so much so that they have even failed to implement a small part of it, despite the fact that numerous chances were given.

At this point, there is no other solution but to give the Cabinet a final chance to achieve these ambitions by executing the development plan. This is before giving the go-ahead to the next step that is to be enforced as per the second plan in cooperation with international companies that have contributed significantly towards improving the economies of other countries.

The challenge up ahead is large; so are the concerns about the government's failure in overcoming this challenge or our failure to contribute toward rectifying the situation. —Al-Qabas

'Sheep prices stable' KUWAIT: The Minister of Commerce and Industry Ahmad AlHaroun expressed satisfaction at the stable prices of livestock during the month of Ramadan and Eid-Al-Fitr. Two large shipments will arrive in the country to meet local deamnd.

He said that the price of a kilogram of Australian sheep, the most consumed meat in Kuwait, will not exceed KD 1.25.

However, lambs will be priced at KD 23.

Al-Haroun said that the Commerce Ministry is not perturbed about prices as they are stable and affordable, reported Al-Rai. Al-Haroun said that the Commerce Ministry continually monitors all the local markets to ensure that no cases of hoarding or price hike have been detected.

establishing a government fund for this purpose.

The issue has been a subject of heated debate amongst a number of parliamentarians who have held several meetings to discuss the issue, including the members of the Popular Action Bloc, according to one insider, who indicated that the discussions have focused on coming to a mutually acceptable agreement concerning the creation of a special fund to help finance the projects.

Another of those present at the Ramadan gathering, MP Adnan Al-Mutawa'a, urged the cabinet to refrain from extending the tenure of Undersecretaries, Assistant Undersecretaries and other senior officials whose terms in office have ended.

He also expressed hope that the government would have the "courage" to prosecute the officials who were proven to have taken part in corrupt activities.

In a separate development, MP Khalid Al-Adwa has submitted a number of parliamentary questions to Minister of Public Works and Municipality Affairs Dr. Fadhil Safar concerning reports that the Eighth Ring Road project is to be cancelled, reported Al-Watan.

Emphasizing the project's importance to the country and its inclusion in the government's development plan, Al-Adwa said that "it would help to save lives by providing a stable route for military artillery and heavy goods vehicles."

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Fire Services Department is keen on improving the efficiency of its employees in protecting human life, property and reducing losses. Col Mishaad Al-Thafeeri, who has penned two books, presented the first copy to KFSD Director Lt Gen Jassem Al-Mansouri and the second to Deputy Director Brig Yousuf Al-Ansari. The special ceremony was attended by Jahra governorate Fire Department Director Col Mohammad Al-Shatti.— Photo by Hanan Al-Saadoun

Proposal for students with unrecognized degrees KUWAIT: The Ministry of Education proposed a method to help end the problem of Kuwaiti students studying in private universities in India and the Philippines whose degrees are not recognized by the ministry, reported Al-Watan.

The method would place students into three categories, the first of which would include students who have already graduated

from universities in these two countries before the universities were officially refused recognition. These students will be required to pass equivalency tests prepared by the faculty of engineering in Kuwait University before their certificates can be credited.

Students who are graduates of, or are still studying at, unrecognized universities registered with the ministry before the ban was

made will be instructed to transfer to recognized universities. It was noted that the ministry would pay any remaining expense.

Meanwhile, the third category regards students currently studying at the unrecognized universities without being registered with the ministry. They will be forced to switch to universities that are recognized by the ministry at their own expense. — Al-Watan

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NATIONAL

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Greetings do the rounds during month of Ramadan

By Rawan Khalid KUWAIT: During the holy month of Ramadan, people commonly receive and send greetings. However, there are different ways of greeting each other. Some people send greetings using SMS messages, emails or by tagging each other on

the social networking site Facebook.

In addition, there are people who attach a great deal of importance to these greetings. There are others who actually get annoyed when they receive emails and SMS messages that contain Ramadan greetings.

Samar Saad, a 25-year-old, Jordanian

said, “I was born into a family that cares about greeting on all occasions and Ramadan is important for us. I send greetings through SMS messages and emails and have been receiving hundreds of emails and SMS messages. I think this is a very good way of keeping in touch all the time.” Lamia Ahmed, a 29-year-old,

mother of two said, “Actually, I am not the kind of person to send messages or emails. I feel that the best way to greet people is by calling them up on every occasion. Yes, I receive tons of messages and emails.”

Mohammad Saleh, a 33-year-old employer said, “Actually, I send greetings

Annual media ghabqa at Crowne Plaza KUWAIT: The management of the Crowne Plaza Kuwait organized its annual ghabqa event at the Al Afrah Ballroom of the hotel, along with the people of the press, to cele-

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brate the very special month of Ramadan.

Warmly welcomed by the hotel manager, Ahmed Serafi, the event was hosted in a decor that took the attendees

to the days of old. Hany Nabil, the director of marketing, PR and loyalty marketing wished the guests a night of joy and delight, while expressing his heartfelt gratitude to every

14 Where Khaled ben Waleed was buried?

Hims Damascus Jerusalem

member of the banqueting team who took careful efforts towards making the night a success.

For the first time in the hospitality industry, every

customer gets the unique chance to get back up to 100% of the cash that he has paid at the restaurant of his choice after dining. Reinforcing the message of generosity, the Crowne Plaza Kuwait has chosen this step to appreciate the guests during this month of fasting and prayers.

This Ramadan is also special with the boost to the Egyptian tourism that was given by Crowne Plaza Kuwait. Tying in with the Egyptian week, the Soul of Egypt during Ramadan was celebrated during the first week of Ramadan at the hotel, featuring highlights of the culture and tradition of the country with a live Egyptian band and the famous Fishawy coffee from Egypt.

to people through SMS messages. The best part about it is that I can send them to my friends who live outside Kuwait, and I think that SMS messages are cheaper than placing international telephone calls. I do not like it when people send SMS messages or emails five days prior to the onset Ramadan. I think people should send it on

the same day.” Neveen Hussain a 28-yearold employer said, “Before I would greet people by sending SMS messages. Since the past two years, I have been sending greetings through Facebook, posting pictures and been tagging my entire friend list so that I can greet all my friends. I see that its cheaper than anything else.”

NATIONAL

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

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Girgian over the years

Time-honed tradition undergoes changes

By Abdullah Al-Qattan KUWAIT: People from Arabian Gulf countries celebrate the Girgian during the middle of the Holy Month of Ramadan. This tradition which dates back to pre-oil eras continues to be observed even though modernity has considerably altered people's lifestyles.

However some traditions are time-honed and are molded over the years.

Today, Girgian is an occasion where family members and relatives socialize with each other. In the past, Girgian was all about giving candy and sweets to children who go from house to house chanting and singing traditional songs. Children still knock at their neighbors' doors and continue to sing and dance during this occasion before the 15th day of Ramadan. Among the most recent traditions, is a gathering of relatives at the residence of the head of the families.

However, some traditions have remained intact. For example, the chants and songs that were popular before the discovery of oil in Kuwait are still sung. Also, both children and adults still shop for traditional clothing to celebrate this event which brings back the old fervor of the festival and pays respect to its origins.

The elderly remind the younger generation of yesteryear practices that were different during their time. They would narrate stories about what households gifted them with different types of candy and that they would mock others for failing to give them with treats.

Hamad Al-Obaid says that most people still let their children walk from one neighborhood to the other so they would get a taste of how simple life was back then when Play Stations and movies were unheard of.

Hussa Al-Woqayan added that children these days learn the songs by heart before Ramadan arrives so that they can be ready for it when it comes. "Today's children nag more about wanting to go shopping for traditional outfits while they avoid regular shopping trips," Hussa added.

Salem Al-Azmi said that today's Girgian is not celebrated very differently from the past. He adds, "Families still gather today to spend more quality time together and tell children about experimenting with this celebration."

An unfavorable side to the practice of trick or treating exists.

Usually, when a household runs out of treats children are asked to return the next day. This is usually followed by children booing at the adults, and as a result, members of the household start sprinkling water from roof top to scare them away.

A view of the attendees.

The hotel’s management pose for a group photo.

KUWAIT: The Convention Centre and Royal Suites recently hosted a special Ramadan ghabqa, in honor of media professionals who were invited to the event. A draw was held and several prizes were given out during the special gathering.

Susan and Rima

Khalid and Nadeen

KUWAIT: The Palms Beach Hotel and Spa recently invited diplomats and media professionals to a ghabqa that was held on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.

Lana Al-Rasheed

A guest enjoying Arabian coffee

6 Kuwaiti in police net with 20kg of hashish KUWAIT: Mubarak Al-Kabeer detectives have arrested a Kuwaiti former convict in possession of 20 kg of hashish with an estimated street value of KD 32,000.

The arrest followed an operation launched by the Director General of the Criminal Investigation Department, Maj Gen Sheikh Ali Al-Yousef Al-Sabah and his Assistant for Governorate Affairs, Brig Sheikh Mazen Al-Jarrah, after they received a tip-off concerning the activities of a Central Prison inmate who, informants said, was behind a drug-smuggling operation outside the jail.

Although the suspect was initially wary of attempts by undercover detectives posing as would-be customers to buy drugs from him, he eventually agreed to set up a meeting between them and a friend in Bayan released from prison earlier, during which they could buy the 20 kg of hashish.

The ex-con was arrested red-handed following the handover, reported Al-Rai, with the marked notes given him by the undercover officers still in his possession.

Drug OD A 25-year-old Kuwaiti man was rushed to Amiri Hospital on Sunday afternoon after his family found him unconscious following a drug overdose.

Father trouble An enraged father who discovered that his missing daughter was in a local cafĂŠ caused chaos at the eatery when he turned up and began screaming at her to come with him. When the young woman refused, he became even angrier, arguing with other patrons and generally causing a chaotic scene. Police who rushed to the scene took all those involved to the local police station.

Beggars busted Ahmadi police arrested 15 female Arab beggars at a Fahaheel market. Fourteen of the women were discovered to have used visitors' visas to get into the country, while the fifteenth had come to Kuwait on a commercial visa. All have been referred to the relevant authorities and are awaiting deportation.

Wiring fire A fire that broke out in a Kuwaiti family's home in Rabiya has been blamed on faulty electrical wiring in the house. No injuries were reported in the blaze.

Swimmer bitten A 46-year-old female Lebanese expatriate was bitten by a 'Firyallah' fish while swimming off a beach in Salmiya. Paramedics administered first aid to the woman at the scene before rushing her to Mubarak Hospital.

Reckless driver Jahra police arrested a reckless driver, in the Waha area of Jahra after he was spotted performing dangerous driving stunts in his car and endangering the lives of others in the vicinity. Al-Watan reported that his car was impounded.

Steps to improve Kuwait human rights record KUWAIT: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has issued a number of recommendations which it suggests would help solve the persistent problems in Kuwait's human rights record.

In a report sent to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and Ministry of Interior

by OHCHR head Navi Pillay, she commended the steps taken by the ministries to date concerning this issue, but noted delays in the implementation of a number of measures.

Among the recommendations which Pillay suggested would help to put Kuwait among the top countries meeting international human rights principles was appointing suitably qualified female citizens to senior posts in the country's judiciary.

Pillay also offered to provide

OHCHR assistance in helping Kuwait to resolve the outstanding human rights problems faced by the country's Bedoon (stateless) population, which numbers around 120,000.

The OHCHR head also called for domestic workers to be included in the private sector labor legislation and given the same rights as other workers, as well as indicating that the OHCHR is willing to suggest strategies to facilitate the cancellation of the sponsorship system and its replacement with employment legislation to international standards. Pillay further called for the establishment of a national authority for human rights in Kuwait, reported AlQabas. The Kuwait Human Rights Society has endorsed this call, urging the MSAL to organize a training workshop to help in attaining this objective.

NATIONAL

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan, Sheikh Faisal Al-Hmoud Al-Malik Al-Sabah held a ghabqa in honor of former Jordanian Prime Minister Tariq Al-Fayez on Sunday at the Sheraton Hotel. Several political figures were invited to attend the event.

Probe into port copter sighting KUWAIT: The State Security Department is investigating reports that an unidentified, non-military helicopter was spotted hovering over a natural gas tanker in Shuaiba port and around the general port area.

According to Al-Rai, a security official apparently reported the helicopter's presence after becoming suspicious when it lingered over the port area for some time.

The Ministry of Interior's (MoI) operations department has ascertained that neither the interior or defense ministries had any helicopters in the vicinity, while the US military also confirmed that it had no aircraft in that area.

The security official who reported the incident was summoned for questioning to gather more details of the sighting and the investigation is continuing.

Residents among most frequent travelers

Kuwaitis love discovering new destinations: Survey

By Ahmad Saeid KUWAIT: A recent survey found that Kuwaiti residents are some of the most traveled people in the world. The survey, published yesterday, covered the Middle Eastern, Asian Pacific, and African regions. It found that more than a third (36 percent) of those surveyed in the Middle East

revealed they had plans to travel during the next few months. The survey, conducted by MasterCard, reflects a rebound in the tourism industry from the same time last year when just 24 percent of those surveyed expressed having travel plans. Kuwait came in first place with 71 percent of respondents saying they had planned a trip abroad in the next few months.

In second place was Hong Kong with 56 percent followed by the UAE with 52 percent. In last place was Lebanon with only eight percent planning a trip abroad.

Among the most popular destinations in the region were Egypt, the UAE and the Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia. Travel agents said that last year's travel season was noticeably low because of the international financial crisis.

"There are those who believe that among the reasons for the downturn in travel during last year's summer season was the H1N1 flu," said Marcel Krisha, Executive Director of the travel agency My Best Travel. "In fact, those who feared the H1N1 still traveled to coun-

Kuwaitis are always trying to discover new places and to go to new countries.

This is just a thing about Kuwaitis," he said.

Ghassan Saleem, an office manager with the Al-Othman travel agency, said that there is an increase from last year's travel season but not enough to be celebrated.

"I would say that the increase was only around seven percent. That's because the travel season was short this year. It started in mid June and ended in July because of Ramadan," he said.

Saleem expects the travel season to pick up after the Holy Month of Ramadan. "I think in October we will

Abu Ftaira graft suspect accused of using wasta

KUWAIT: As part of their 'We Care' program, the Sultan Center's Jabriya store team visited children in the Al-Razi Orthopedic Hospital. Participants shared gifts with patients and wished them a joyful Girgian as part of the organization's dedication to uphold and promote values of goodwill. The children expressed their appreciation to the Sultan Center employees and their commitment to strengthen their connection with the local community.

KUWAIT: The Minister of Public Works and Municipality Affairs has reportedly begun taking serious steps to address the problems of business owners in the Abu Ftaira area, who have raised objections after being informed that their commercial licenses are no longer valid.

Many local business owners objected after the official who was reportedly responsible for issuing the controversial orders was subjected to minimal penalties and allowed to retain his position.

Dr. Safar was yesterday set to hold an urgent meeting on the issue at his office, which was to be attended by the Director of Kuwait Municipality Ahmad AlSubaih, the Director of the Municipality's Legal Department, Khalid Al-Obaid, the Deputy Managing Director of Hawally and Mubarak and Kabeer Governorate and the Manager of the Mubarak Al-Kabeer Municipality Office, amongst others.

The meeting was set to focus on discussion of the latest developments in this issue, after several MPs submitted questions to the minister on the subject, and to feature analysis of the results of the investigation into the events in question, which featured reports on a number of individuals suspected of involvement.

A decision was also expected to be taken at the conclusion of the meeting into the action to be taken against the principal suspect, especially given his failure to cooperate with the investigation into his activities.

tries in the region. The biggest cause was the international financial crisis."

Krisha added that this year the travel season is much better than last year.

"There is definitely an increase in travel this year and a big part of that is because of the internet booking boom taking place now," he revealed. Krisha explained that the reason why people are making their bookings online now is because travel agencies sometimes overcharge them.

The executive director pointed out that Kuwaitis indeed love to travel and discover new destinations. "Unlike many other GCC nations, where people prefer to go to their favorite place every year,

witness another surge of travelers because many people didn't have enough vacation time during the summer," he explained.

The travel agent added that destinations like Turkey, Lebanon and Egypt are popular year round. He did note that there are some markets that have yet to open. "Take Tunis for example, it's a very beautiful country with good weather and it's an Arab country, but we don't see people coming from Tunis to promote tourism.

"In fact," he added, "in some Arab countries it is not even easy to get a visa and that is making those markets uncharted water for our tourists."

Pressure on govt on development plan KUWAIT: A political insider has warned that any failure to reach an acceptable compromise over the hotly-debated funding of the projects included in the government's development plan will lead to its failure.

The insider told Al-Shahed that a report on the issue is set to be presented to the Council of Ministers at its next meeting,

with the report noting the inability of some ministers and state bodies to realize the development plan's strategies in practical terms.

The Council of Minister is facing pressure and financial demands from a commercial lobby within the country which has strong connections with some influential media figures, the insider claimed, alleging

that this lobby aims to ensure that local family firms and other commercial interests will be the sole beneficiaries of the billions of dinars in profit resulting from the development plan.

The insider also noted that the Council of Ministers has failed to date to take any firm decision on how banks might finance the development plan.

KUWAIT: The Head of the Public Relations Department of the authority, Salem Al-Muhanna, was recently invited to the office of the regional manager of the CBK’s banking management, where he received a check as a contribution. The Commercial Bank of Kuwait (CBK) will now sponsor all athletic activities that are organized by the Industrial Public Authority (IPA), in a step that reaffirms the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility program.

INTERNATIONAL

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

7

Politics, alleged fraud disturb Jerusalem Muslim cemetery JERUSALEM: A political battle over a Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem that began with charges of insensitivity leveled at plans for a museum of religious tolerance at the site has spread into a more curious fight about whether hundreds of nearby tombstones are even real. The Mamilla cemetery had its peace disturbed this month by Israeli bulldozers demolishing gravestones in the middle of the night and by Muslim protests.

The once sleepy plot of Muslim gravestones in Jewish west Jerusalem has become a flash point for rival claims to the holy city at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Since early this year, activists from Israel’s Islamic Movement have been cleaning and restoring graves at the cemetery, where tradition says famous Islamic scholars are buried beside warriors who fought the Crusaders alongside Saladin.

But Israeli authorities say the activists went beyond restoration and manufactured hundreds of graves in a political attempt to cement their hold on the site. In August, municipal crews arrived at night with power shovels and erased around 300 low, coffinshaped tomb markers that Israeli officials and archaeologists say were fake and contained no human remains. The Islamic Movement protested. “The graves are not empty and the graveyard is not fake as they claim,” said Nuha Al-Qutob, 35, who attended a mid-August demonstration. She said her grandfather was buried nearby.

The cemetery first drew attention in 2004 with the beginning of work on the Museum of Tolerance. Undertaken with the stated goal of promoting coexistence, the museum is a project of the US-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Jewish organization

named for a famous Nazi hunter. A century ago, the cemetery was a rural plot sprawling outside the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City.

Today it is hemmed in by luxury hotels, a high-end shopping mall and a cluster of clubs and bars. Some of the unused cemetery’s land was rezoned by Israel in the 1950s and 1960s, with part becoming a park and one corner a municipal parking lot.

In a reflection of how even the best intentions can go awry in the holy city, the tolerance museum turned into a public relations debacle when it became clear that the plot of land slated for its construction - the parking lot - contained human remains. The cemetery has not shrunk since the 1960s and Israel denies that any more land will be rezoned. But Muslim activists fear parts of the plot, which is already a fraction of its original size and includes swaths of land with

no visible graves, will be severed and consumed. When the attempts to block the museum in Israeli courts failed in 2008, the Islamic Movement began concentrating its efforts on the rest of the cemetery, outside the security-camera-mounted aluminum walls of the museum construction site.

The movement began bringing in volunteers and contractors to clean up the land and restore the graves with the city’s permission, investing about $100,000, according to Mahmoud Abu Atta, a foundation spokesman. A few months passed, Israeli officials said, before they noticed a dramatic increase in the number of graves. A pathway that city gardeners regularly used with their pickup truck was suddenly blocked by headstones, and a row of gravestones mysteriously appeared over an underground sewage line and on top of one manhole cover, accord-

ing to Shlomo Chen, an inspector with the Israel Lands Authority in charge of the graveyard.

By August, city crews began arriving at night to demolish the gravestones. Restored graves that the city deemed genuine were left untouched. “It is important to note that this is one of the biggest frauds perpetrated in recent years, and its sole goal was to illegally take over state land,” the Jerusalem municipality said. The new gravestones, typically constructed with old stones set in fresh concrete, also scrambled the physical record at an important historical site, according to the Israel Antiquities Authority, which termed the graves “fictitious”. The Islamic Movement’s Abu Atta said all of the markers were constructed atop genuine graves, though in some cases nearly nothing was left of the original. He also indicated that the pre-

cise location of the graves was beside the point. “If you dig a few meters down anywhere here you’ll find bones,” he said. “We just want to guard the cemetery.”

The irony of a Jewish-sponsored Museum of Tolerance going up partly on a Muslim graveyard has made the project an irresistible target for critics. Legal action by the Islamic Movement and other groups snarled the project for years. The 2008 Supreme Court ruling in the museum’s favor noted that in Israel, where there are more archaeological sites per square mile than in any other country in the world, buildings are often built on graves. And when the British ruled the city before 1948, it emerged, the local Islamic leaders at the time granted a religious dispensation to move graves in the cemetery to clear the way for a business center, hotel and park. —AP

Al-Qaeda group frees two Spanish hostages in Mali Release ends longest kidnapping in Sahara desert

JERUSALEM: In this Aug 11, 2010 Mahmoud Abu Atta, spokesman for The Islamic Movement’s Al-Aqsa Foundation, points at a destroyed Muslim tomb during a visit to the Mamilla Muslim cemetery near the construction site of the Museum of Tolerance. —AP

Israel must choose - peace or settlements: Palestinians RAMALLAH: Israel must choose between “settlements or peace,” Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said yesterday ahead of the September 2 restart of negotiations in Washington. “The choice of the Israeli government is settlement or peace, they cannot have both,” he said at a news conference in Ramallah, the political capital of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. But he also said he believed agreement could be reached within one year. “We think it is doable.”

Both sides agreed to relaunch direct negotiations after a 20-month hiatus, even though the Palestinians had initially insisted they would not hold face-to-face talks unless the Israelis freeze settlement activity in the West Bank, including Jerusalem. But Erakat made it clear yesterday that settlements remain a major issue, and that it

RAMALLAH: Saeb Erakat, chief Palestinian negotiator, speaks at a press conference yesterday. — AFP

now remains to be seen whether Israel will renew a 10-month moratorium on settlement construction it imposed in November last year. “If Mr Netanyahu decides to renew settlement tenders come September 26, he will have decided to stop negotiations,” he said.

Hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has indicated in the past the moratorium would conclude on that date. And Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom reiterated yesterday that the moratorium was unlikely to be renewed. “I don’t think the freeze will be extended,” he told public radio.

“The Palestinians cannot use this as a pretext to suspend negotiations,” he warned. The international community has pressed Israel to halt settlement activity while Netanyahu is under pressure at home to allow construction to resume.

The Palestinians have urged the US administration to demand guarantees from Israel on the issue, which has been a major hurdle in past peace efforts. “We heard from the Americans that if we entered into direct negotiations we will be in a better position to have the moratorium extended, whether you call that an assurance or not,” Erakat said. “We hope Mr Netanyahu will choose reconciliation and not further confrontation and that’s up to him,” he said.

Both sides have traded accusations of holding up the peace process and each has said it is now up to the other to make it work. “We are seeking to surprise the critics and the sceptics, but in order to do this we need a real partner on the Palestinian side. It is possible to succeed with a hand extended in peace, but only if someone on the other side likewise extends one,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.

But Israeli media was sceptical, with some editorialists saying the new peace bid is not the first and won’t be the last. A string of interim agreements have been reached since the 1993 Oslo accords gave the Palestinians limited autonomy pending a “final-status” settlement on an independent state but they have failed to bear fruit. A relaunch of negotiations amid much fanfare at Annapolis in Maryland in November 2007 had produced no visible results by the time the talks collapsed when Israel launched its devastating military 22-day offensive on the Gaza Strip just over a year later. — AFP

3 suspended from Iran judiciary over deaths TEHRAN: Iran has suspended three senior judiciary officials over last year’s torture deaths of three imprisoned anti-government protesters, media reported yesterday - the latest move to account for the case that significantly embarrassed the authorities. The deaths of the prisoners drew some of the fiercest criticism against Iran’s ruling establishment and its treatment of those arrested in the turmoil following the disputed 2009 presidential election. The suspensions pave the way for trial of the three officials, the independent Tehran-e Emrooz and several other newspapers said. The officials’ names were not released and there were no details about their suspected links to the torture deaths.

The reports said Iran’s disciplinary court ordered the officials suspended from their posts and revoked their immunity from trial. Under Iranian law, a judge or a prosecutor can go on trial only after suspension from the job. The three slain prisoners were detained in mass street protests that erupted after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election in June 2009 and died in

Tehran’s Kahrizak prison the following month.

One of the slain was 24-year-old Mohsen Rouhalamini, the son of a prominent conservative figure. His death sparked an outcry even among government supporters. The two other victims were identified as Amir Javadifar and Mohammad Kamrani.

Anger over the abuse first emerged last August, after influential conservative figures in the clerical hierarchy condemned the mistreatment of detainees.

Authorities initially denied the Kahrizak abuse claims, accusing the opposition of running a campaign of lies against the government.

But after the outrage, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, ordered the prison’s closure and authorities eventually took measures against those implicated. In January, a parliament probe found a former Tehran prosecutor, Saeed Mortazavi, responsible for the torture deaths in Kahrizak. However, there has been no word of any action to punish Mortazavi, who has since become the head of an anti-smuggling government body. — AP

BAMAKO, Mali: Two Spanish aid workers kidnapped almost nine months ago by an AlQaeda affiliate have been set free, Spain’s prime minister said yesterday, ending a hostage drama that involved several nations.

Roque Pascual and Albert Vilalta were kidnapped when their convoy of SUVs was attacked in Mauritania on Nov 29 while they were delivering supplies to poor villagers. They were taken to northern Mali, a remote desert area which has become one of the operating bases for Al-Qaeda of the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, and were among the longestheld hostages in the Sahara.

“This has been 268 days of suffering for them and their families,” Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told reporters in Madrid.

The release happened just days after a Malian who was sentenced in Mauritania for the kidnapping was extradited back to his home country.

AQIM had demanded his return as a condition for the release of the two aid workers. The two boarded a helicopter at an undisclosed location and were taking off for Ouagadougou, the capital of neighboring Burkina Faso, said an advisor to Burkina Faso’s President Blaise Compaore who helped negotiate their release and who spoke to AP by telephone over the din of the helicopter blades. The advisor spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press.

They are due to arrive in Ouagadougou by mid-afternoon and were then to continue on to Spain, said a Western diplomat who asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the press. Francesco Osan of the group Barcelona Solidarity Action, the agency the two aid workers belonged to, said they were to arrive back in Spain yesterday night. Not long after they were kidnapped, Mauritanian commandos led a raid in northern Mali where they seized Malian national Omar Ould Sid Ahmed Ould Hama, who goes by the alias Omar Sahraoui. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Mauritanian judge for the kidnappings. The embassy official said AQIM had demanded Sahraoui’s return as a condition of the release of the aid workers. He was extradited to Mali on Aug. 15.

Vilalta is believed to have suffered gunshot wounds to the leg while trying to elude capture on the day of the kidnapping. A third worker, Alicia Gamez, captured with the men was released in March.

Mauritania, on Africa’s western coast, has been rocked by attacks by the radical Islamic group which has spread its tentacles across the vast desert encompassing swaths of Mali, Niger and Algeria. The terror group appears to be financing itself through a ‘kidnap economy’ and in recent years they have abducted Austrian, Swiss, Italian, French and Canadian nationals. — AP

BARCELONA: President of humanitarian group Barcelona Accio Solidaria Josep Carbonell (right), director Francesc Osan (center) and spokesman Josep Ramon Gimenez celebrate yesterday after receiving news that two of the organization’s aid workers who have been held hostage by an Al-Qaeda offshoot for almost nine months have been released in Mali. —AFP

international

8

tuesday, august 24, 2010

A day in the life of a Mogadishu ambulance driver

MOGADISHU: In a city where so much time and energy is spent on killing, few people have saved more lives this year than Hassan Mohamoud Mohamed, a taxiturned-ambulance driver in war-torn Mogadishu. When the muffled blast of a mortar round echoes in the distance or the thunder of artillery fire erupts, Hassan slurps up his tea and stares at his mobile phone. He knows a fateful call is probably minutes away. “The days I would wait for Western tourists at Mogadishu airport are long gone,” said the 51-year-old, propped against his beat-up Toyota minivan.

Three years of fighting between Islamist insurgents and pro-government forces have turned central Mogadishu into a death trap that kills and maims civilians almost daily. “Now I pick up my clients from pools of blood in shattered homes.

Needless to say they don’t pay the fare,” he

said. His pay is three dollars a day, barely enough to feed him and his family. Blood is now what ties Hassan to what is left of his native city, a place once known for its cafes, Italian architecture and pleasant tree-shaded avenues.

Even when on standby he spends much of his time hosing blood from the back of his ambulance or scrubbing it off his rusty stretcher.

“It’s not an ordinary job but I’m like everyone else in this city when I fear for my life every day,” he said with resignation. “But there is nothing else to take in Mogadishu, so I figured this place needs people who help just for the sake of helping.”

Typical was one recent morning in the Hamarweyn district. Hassan’s phone rang; he quickly answered. “Oh, my God! Where and how many victims?” He flapped his

hand at the agitated crowd in the nearby tea shop as he struggled to make out the crackly directions given by the panicked caller.

Within seconds, Hassan and his yellow and white striped ambulance hurtled through Mogadishu’s ruined streets, siren blaring.

“This is how we work, you wait for a phone call. Most of the calls are about a mortar shell smashing into a populated area,” he explained, tugging at the wheel to lift his speeding minibus out of a rut. “Most of the time, I have a really tough time getting to the scene of the incident without getting killed myself,” Hassan said.

Militia manning rogue checkpoints, artillery fire, trenches and cement boulders are just some of the obstacles he has to contend with. “The roads are rough, sometimes they’re blocked, so you need to know all the shortcuts. You have to keep in mind that you are not driving healthy passen-

gers. Their survival depends on how clever you are,” he said. For Hassan, who has no medical training, the hardest part begins when he reaches the wounded and has to pick his way through body parts to identify who has a chance of surviving and needs his services the most.

“This is voluntary ambulance service.

Can you imagine driving this vehicle and having to choose the most urgent cases without any medical assistance?

Sometimes people die in my van on the way to hospital and nobody will know the reason. They get their first treatment only when I reach the hospital,” he explained.

Since Mogadishu sank into chaos following the 1991 ouster of president Mohamed Siad Barre, push-carts and wheel barrows had been the main medical emergency transport. In 2008, Somali volunteers set up a voluntary ambulance service with the

help of Mogadishu-based telecommunications company Nation Link.

There are six other drivers like Hassan in Mogadishu, ready to bring the wounded to the city’s three main hospitals.

Ali Muse Sheikh Mohamoud, the head of Mogadishu ambulance services said his drivers brought more than 700 wounded to Medina in July alone but appealed for more help.

“We want to have medical staff onboard the ambulances in order to give more attention to the victims before they reach hospital,” he said. “But all this is done on a voluntary basis, there is not much more we can do. Yet fighting has become the norm, there are clashes every day,” he said.

There are no reliable overall casualty figures for the fighting in Mogadishu but thousands die each year, caught in the crossfire of the never-ending battle for con-

trol of the capital. Hassan moved his wife and eight children out of their home as the fighting got more intense in northern Mogadishu a few months ago; the last thing he wants is to be called to rush his own family to hospital. The two previous drivers of his ambulance were killed doing their job.

At 51, Hassan has never heard of the Geneva conventions, which set standards in international law to limit the barbarity of war, but he knows he has already exceeded the average life expectancy of a Mogadishu male.

“For months now, this ambulance has been my home. Waiting for bad news is my life. “I’m surprised every time I get a normal call that doesn’t announce there’s been bloodshed somewhere,” he said, throwing his head back against his seat with a wry laugh. —AFP

Chilean miners found alive stuck for months All 33 miners alive 17 days after cave-in COPIAPO, Chile: For 33 men found alive after 17 days trapped deep in a copper and gold mine, the toughest challenge now may be preserving their sanity during the months it may take to carve a tunnel big enough for them to get out. For their families above ground yesterday, euphoria and more anxiety

meant for a sleepless night at the realization that the miners may be stuck until Christmas. “We didn’t sleep. We stayed up all night long hoping for more news. They said that new images would appear, so we were up hoping to see them,” said one, Carolina Godoy.

COPIAPO, Chile: Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera holds up a plastic bag containing a message from miners trapped in a collapsed mine that reads in Spanish “We are OK in the refuge, the 33 miners”, on Sunday. —AP

Passions rise at dueling New York mosque demonstrations NEW YORK: Hundreds of impassioned demonstrators - all waving American flags, but separated into two groups by police - descended on the location of the proposed mosque near the site of the Sept 11 attacks, with opponents chanting, “No mosque, no way!” and supporters shouting, “We say no to racist fear!” The two leaders of the construction project, meanwhile, defended their plans on Sunday, though one suggested that organizers might eventually be willing to discuss an alternative site. The other, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, said during a Middle East trip that the attention generated by the project is actually positive and that he hopes it will bring greater understanding.

The rallies took place around

the corner from the cordoned-off old building that is to become a 13-story Islamic community center and mosque. There were no reports of physical clashes but there were some nose-to-nose confrontations, including a man and a woman screaming at each other across a barricade under a steady rain. Opponents of the $100 million project two blocks from the World Trade Center site appeared to outnumber supporters. Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” blared over loudspeakers as mosque opponents chanted, “No mosque, no way!”

Signs hoisted by dozens of protesters standing behind police barricades read “SHARIA” - using dripping, blood-red letters to describe Islam’s Shariah law,

which governs Muslims’ behavior.

Steve Ayling, a 40-year-old Brooklyn plumber, said the people behind the mosque project are “the same people who took down the twin towers.” Opponents demand that the mosque be moved farther from the site where more than 2,700 people were killed on Sept 11, 2001.

“They should put it in the Middle East,” Ayling said. On a nearby sidewalk, police chased away a group that unfurled a banner with images of beating, stoning and other torture they said was committed by those who followed Islamic law.

A mannequin wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional Arab headdress, was mounted on one of two

NEW YORK: Demonstrators in favor of the proposed Islamic center near ground zero make their feelings about the emotionally charged subject known on Church Avenue in lower Manhattan on Sunday. —AP

mock missiles that were part of an anti-mosque installation. One missile was inscribed with the words: “Again?

Freedom Targeted by Religion”; the other with “Obama: With a middle name Hussein.

We understand.

Bloomberg: What is your excuse?” New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has fiercely defended plans for the proposed mosque, saying that the right “to practice your religion was one of the real reasons America was founded.”

The mosque project is being led by Rauf and his wife, Daisy Khan, who insist the center will promote moderate Islam. The dispute has sparked a national debate on religious freedom and American values and is becoming an issue on the campaign trail ahead of the midterm elections.

Republicans have been critical of President Barack Obama’s stance: He has said the Muslims have the right to build the center at the site but has not commented on whether he thinks they should.

Rauf is in the middle of a Mideast trip funded by the US State Department that is intended to promote religious tolerance.

He told a gathering Sunday at the US ambassador’s residence in the Gulf state of Bahrain that he took heart from the dispute over the mosque, saying “the fact we are getting this kind of attention is a sign of success.” “It is my hope that people will understand more,” Rauf said without elaborating. Democratic New York Gov David Paterson has suggested that state land farther from ground zero be used for the center. — AP

Dawn broke behind a cold fog on the surface of the gold and copper mine in Chile’s Atacama desert, where an intense rescue effort finally reached the miners on Sunday after weeks of missteps, new cave-ins and other false starts.

Now the plan is to carve a wider tunnel, just big enough for the men to be pulled out one by one. That equipment works much more slowly than the bore that drilled the 15-centimeter-wide shaft used to make first contact. That narrower drill broke through 688 m of solid rock to reach the emergency refuge where the miners have gathered.

The trapped men quickly tied two notes to the end of a probe that rescuers pulled to the surface, announcing in big red letters: “All 33 of us are fine in the shelter.” “Today all of Chile is crying with excitement and joy,” President Sebastian Pinera said at the mine. And where many were beginning to give up hope, the scene above ground became a celebration Sunday night, with a barbecue for the miners’ families, roving musicians, lit candles and Chilean flags making the barren landscape seem festive.

The men already have been trapped underground longer than all but a few miners rescued in recent history. Last year, three miners survived 25 days trapped in a flooded mine in southern China, and two miners in northeastern China were rescued after 23 days in 1983.

Few other rescues have taken more than two weeks.

The miners’ survival after 17 days is very unusual, but since they’ve made it this far, they should emerge physically fine, said Davitt McAteer, who was assistant secretary for mine safety and health at the US Labor Department under President Bill Clinton. “The health risks in a copper and gold mine are pretty small if you have air, food and water,” McAteer said. Still, he said the stress of being trapped underground for a long period of time can be significant. “There is a psychological pattern there that we’ve looked at,” McAteer said.

But “they’ve established communication with the guys; there are people who can talk them through that.”

The hole already drilled will be used to send down small capsules containing food, water and oxygen if necessary, and sound and video equipment so the miners can better communicate with loved ones and rescuers.

That two-way communication may be key to keeping them thinking positive. A video camera lowered down the probe shaft Sunday showed some of the miners, stripped to the waist in the underground heat, waving happily. But they weren’t able to establish audio contact, Pinera said. “I saw eight or nine of them. They were waving their hands. They got close to the camera and we could see their eyes, their joy,” the president said. The miners seemed to be aware that their rescue may take a long time, according to one of them, Mario Gomez, perhaps the eldest of the trapped men at 63, who wrote a note to his wife. — AP

MOGADISHU: This picture taken on July 27, 2010 shows Mogadishu ambulance driver Hassan Mohamoud Mohamed (left) helping to evacuate an injured resident following clashes in the war-ravaged capital. —AFP

Sarko’s immigration tough talk backfires PARIS: French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s tough talk on Gypsies and immigrants faced a fierce backlash yesterday, drawing fire from the right, the left and the Catholic Church while failing to boost him in the polls. With two years to go before he seeks reelection and with his popularity at an all-time low, Sarkozy has this month attempted to recapture the political initiative with a populist and racially-tinged law and order message.

Police have begun rounding up and expelling Roma from Eastern Europe and dismantling unauthorised Gypsy campgrounds, while Sarkozy has threatened to strip some foreign-born French criminals of their nationality. Early opinion polls appeared to show that a majority of voters approved of the crackdown, but an initial surge of interest does not seem to have translated into a boost to the president’s personal standing.

A poll by Viavoice for the daily Liberation showed Sarkozy’s approval rating dipping back one point to 34 percent, his lowest score since winning election in 2007 on the back of strong law and order promises.

The same pollsters found that a majority of voters, 55 percent, would like to see one of Sarkozy’s left-wing opponents win the presidency. Political scientist Jean-Luc Parodi said that while Sarkozy had won some support from backers of the far-right National Front, he had “shocked” most centrist and left-wing sympathisers. “The shot was too powerful, and apparently badly aimed,” he said.

Meanwhile, France’s race relations problems have drawn criticism from bodies as august as the Vatican and the United Nations. Scenting weakness, Sarkozy’s rivals on the left and right have stepped up their criticism. “There is today a stain of shame on

our flag,” former prime minister Dominique de Villepin - who will probably challenge Sarkozy in the 2012 presidential race - declared in an editorial in the newspaper Le Monde.

Accusing Sarkozy of violating France’s constitution by treating foreign-born citizens differently from natives, Villepin accused the president of having committed a “moral fault” and exposing France to “national indignity”. In the same edition of Le Monde, onetime justice minister and former close Sarkozy ally Rachida Dati appealed for France to respect immigrants and their descendants as full citizens. Her article alluded to recent statements by Sarkozy in which he blamed immigration for crime and vowed to strip some foreign-born criminals of French nationality. “The turn taken by the debate which followed the proposal by the president of the republic concerning the extension of the stripping of French nationality, is regrettable,” wrote Dati, a Euro-MP of North African parentage. “I regret that certain people have let themselves lump together immigration and crime,” she added. “Let us stop pitting French people against one another.” From the left, former Socialist premier Lionel Jospin accused Sarkozy of talking tough on law and order to disguise the fact that his government has reduced police numbers by more than 9,000 in three years. And, perhaps most worryingly for a president that has used his faith to appeal to traditionally conservative Catholic voters, Sarkozy is taking fire from Pope Benedict XVI and senior French churchmen. Speaking on Sunday after his weekly Angelus prayer at his papal summer residence outside Rome, the pope called on French pilgrims “to educate your children to universal fraternity”. —AFP

Congo’s wealthy copper lands are a world apart LUBUMBASHI, Democratic Republic of Congo: Membership at the governor’s new gym costs $300 a month, the gastronomic menu at the new $350-anight hotel is going down a treat and traffic guided by lemon yellow-uniformed police runs smoothly under sunny skies. While Congo is more often associated with rebel killings, labelled by the United Nations as the world’s rape capital, filled with red tape and river journeys into the depths of jungled gloom, Congo’s copperbelt, in the southern Katanga province, seems a world apart.

Buoyed by mining income for more than a century, Katanga’s provincial capital Lubumbashi shows little sign that nearly 80 percent of Congo’s 67 million people live on less than $2 a day. “We are proud that we are the richest province, that we have jobs and that life is much easier than in (the capital) Kinshasa,” said Kabwita Ipanga, a street vendor who sells chess boards made of polished malachite, a mottled green stone from which the copper that has made the province rich can be derived.

Katanga has rebounded since the global financial crisis saw copper prices plunge and mining operations suspended, putting hundreds of thousands out of work. Congo estimates it will double output by 2012 to 850,000 tonnes of copper and 90,000 tonnes of cobalt. Today expatriate miners can count on swimming pools, game-watching and bowling to amuse themselves, and London-listed Lonrho said it opened its smart hotel to serve those drawn by the $12 billion being invested in Katanga’s resources.

The country’s largest single foreign investment, the $2 billion Tenke Fungurume Mining project, in which Freeport McMoRan has a 57.75 percent share,

is among several mines that pay tens of millions of dollars in taxes alone. The zone also brought the Chinese running with a $6 billion deal that offers infrastructure in return for long-term access to copper and cobalt.

With its art gallery, fake beach by a lake and one of Africa’s most successful football teams, TP Mazembe - personally sponsored by Moise Katumbi, the province’s tennis-playing governor who introduced a fleet of ambulances to the town Lubumbashi screams “new money” with a force that belies a political past so fiery the province once declared itself a separate country.

Today’s riches are far from evenly distributed within the province, while progress has brought some awkward results. Forty-tonne export trucks thunder down tarmac roads laid by Chinese workers so unfamiliar with French that signboards are riddled with errors. Controls and corruption at the nearby Zambian border can add three weeks to export times and add 40 percent on top of Zambian prices, as lines of 80 trucks wait for clearance at the border. “Taxes are exceedingly high so we have to push up prices for the people,” said Lambert Tshisueka, general manager of Hermis transporters, a Greek operation with 250 trucks. Diplomats and analysts say the political elite in Lingala-speaking Kinshasa is drawn from the Swahili-speaking province. “Katangans’ influence is felt in the backrooms of power, where they have unparalleled access to the president and are in control of the most important levers of state control,” said Christopher Melville, Africa specialist with London-based risk consultancy Menas Associates.—Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

10

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Tajik borders on alert after deadly jailbreak DUSHANBE: Twenty-five Islamic militants serving long jail terms escaped from prison in Tajikistan, killing guards and sparking fears they could cross into neighbouring Afghanistan, officials said yesterday. Under cover of night, the inmates escaped from a detention centre of Tajikistan’s State Committee of National Security in the capital Dushanbe late Sunday, attacking guards and seizing their arms, a representative of the committee told AFP. “As a result, one of the guards was killed, 25 armed inmates escaped from jail, changing into fatigues,” the official said, citing a statement.

The organizers of the prison break - two Tajiks and a Russian - killed a 31-year-old guard and seriously wounded another two while releasing 22 fellow inmates, said the committee’s first deputy chairman, Kasym

Gaffarov. The militants also seized arms and munitions from the prison’s armoury and killed four guards at a nearby detention centre of the justice ministry early yesterday before fleeing, a senior interior ministry officer said.

Officials, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, described the group of Russian, Tajik and Afghan inmates as Islamist militants convicted of terrorism and drug trafficking, many of whom were serving sentences ranging from 30 years to life. Military officials, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, expressed concern that the 25 criminals may attempt to illegally cross the border into northern Afghanistan.

Border guards were put on high alert to prevent the escaped militants from leaving the country, a border guard spokesman told

AFP. Posts on the border with Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and China have also been put on high alert, the spokesman said. The interior ministry official said the escapees went to the Rasht Valley in the east of the country, adding that most of them are from that region and know it well. During their flight to the east the militants engaged in a skirmish with police at a checkpoint around 70 km from Dushanbe before disappearing into the mountains, the official said. Authorities have beefed up security across airports, railway stations and roads and were planning to deploy armoured vehicles and special forces in the east to recapture the escapees, officials said.

Tajikistan, where a civil war between Islamist forces and backers of Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon followed the

collapse of the Soviet Union, shares a porous 1,300-km border with Afghanistan.

The escaped militants include nationals of Afghanistan and six Russian citizens, all of them natives of the volatile North Caucasus region, where Russian authorities are battling an Islamist insurgency.

Last Friday Tajikistan’s Supreme Court handed down prison sentences of 19.5 years to each of the five Russians, while the sixth was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The men include members of militant group the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, who had been accused of seeking to topple the government in a riot in the east of the country last summer.

Earlier yesterday, Rakhmon convened an extraordinary meeting with law enforcement and military officials as the country

requested assistance from Russia and Afghanistan in recapturing the escapees.

The United States, which is fighting the Taleban militants in Afghanistan, has been sending non-lethal supplies for its troops there through Tajikistan and is planning to build a $10-million training centre for armed forces in the country to boost its hand in the region.

One of the fugitives was identified as Abdurasul Mirzoyev, the brother of a jailed former head of the presidential guards, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison last month on charges of involvement in a plot to overthrow the government. Among the others who escaped were some of the 46 people sentenced to lengthy prison terms last week for involvement with an illegal armed gang led by Mirzo Ziyoyev, a commander of the

United Tajik Opposition, a rebel group in the civil war.

Most Islamist fighters gave up armed resistance after reaching an uneasy peace settlement with the government. But many returned to a hardline anti-government position over concerns they were being squeezed out of official positions granted to them as part of the peace agreement.

Ziyoyev’s group was largely neutralized after the army and police mounted a largescale operation in a remote mountainous area in eastern Tajikistan last summer.

Authorities said the organization aimed to overthrow the government. Security officials said Ziyoyev himself was killed last summer while assisting authorities during an operation against a former associate in the days after his arrest. —Agencies

Thailand, Cambodia to resume diplomatic ties Move comes after Thaksin quits role PHNOM PENH: Cambodia and Thailand are to reinstate their ambassadors after fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra resigned yesterday from a controversial role as economics adviser to Phnom Penh. Cambodia said Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in self-imposed exile to

avoid a jail term for corruption, had stepped down “because of personal difficulties in fulfilling his role completely”. “The Cambodian government accepts the request by His Excellency Thaksin Shinawatra with thanks to the contributions that he has made to the Cambodian economy,” a statement said.

BANGKOK: Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada bows during a remembrance ceremony yesterday for slain Japanese cameraman Hiroyuki Muramoto at the site where he was killed near Democracy Monument. Okada is on an official visit in Thailand aimed at strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries and discussing the probe into the death of Muramoto during violent clashes between security forces and ‘Red Shirt’ anti-government protesters on April 10, 2010 in Bangkok. —AFP

China cleans up after floods BEIJING: Workers in northeast China yesterday toiled to clean up the mess left by severe flooding that killed four people, forced 250,000 out of their homes and left parts of a city in North Korea under water. Heavy downpours last week swelled the Yalu river, which forms part of the border between China and North Korea, to dangerously high levels, sending water spilling over its banks on both sides, inundating homes, roads and farmland. In North Korea, state media has said leader Kim Jong-Il ordered an emergency military rescue operation in the city of Sinuiju, where 5,000 people have been relocated after areas were “completely inundated”.

Authorities in the Chinese border city of Dandong said it would take several days to clear mud and debris, but new storms forecast for later this week threatened to complicate their efforts. “The flood has receded and the clean-up operation is going on,” an official at the Dandong flood control headquarters told AFP on condition of anonymity. “We can finish the cleaning up in two or three days.” Another city official told AFP that most of the 94,000

evacuated from the city centre were taken to schools and other shelters, or had gone to stay with relatives. A total of 253,000 people were evacuated across Liaoning province.

A couple in their 70s and a mother and son died in Kuandian county, around 100 lm northeast of Dandong, when flash floods swept away their homes, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing a local official. A 60-year-old man was also missing in Kuandian, state media said. A flood control official in Dandong said the water level on the Yalu had “dropped below the warning line” and some people had returned to their homes, adding that the number of casualties was still being calculated.

In North Korea, parts of Sinuiju and rural communities near the border were submerged, the state Korean Central News Agency reported. Traffic in downtown Sinuiju was “paralysed” and flood victims were stranded on rooftops and on hills, it said. The impoverished state has been hit by widespread flooding this summer which has washed away homes, roads, railways and farmland, causing an unspecified number of deaths, according to

North Korean state media reports. After decades of deforestation, North Korea is particularly vulnerable to flooding. In 2007, it reported at least 600 people dead or missing from devastating floods.

China has for months been battling its worst flooding in a decade. So far, nearly 3,900 have been killed or left missing this year in flood-related incidents, according to official figures. In the northwestern province of Gansu, a torrent of mud slammed into homes in the remote town of Zhouqu early this month, leaving at least 1,435 people dead and another 330 missing.

Premier Wen Jiabao visited Zhouqu at the weekend for a second time since the disaster, saying the most pressing task now was to provide food, drinking water, medical care and shelter to survivors, Xinhua said. In southern China, authorities on the island province of Hainan were bracing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Mindulle, which could make landfall early today, packing winds of up to 90 km an hour. Heavy rain was expected to pound the island for three days. — AFP

4 bodies hung from Mexico bridge CUERNAVACA, Mexico: The decapitated bodies of four men were hung from a bridge Sunday in this central Mexican city besieged by fighting between two drug

lords. A gang led by kingpin Hector Beltran Leyva took responsibility for the killings in a message left with the bodies, the attorney general’s office of

Morelos state said in a statement.

The beheaded and mutilated bodies were hung by their feet early Sunday from the bridge in Cuernavaca, a popular weekend

CUERNAVACA, Mexico: The beheaded bodies of two of four men hang by their feet from an underpass Sunday. —AP

getaway for Mexico City residents. Cuernavaca has become a battleground for control of the Beltran Leyva cartel since its leader, Arturo Beltran Leyva, was killed there in a December shootout with marines.

Mexican authorities say the cartel split between a faction led

by Hector Beltran Leyva, brother of Arturo, and another led by Edgar Valdez Villarreal, a USborn kingpin known as “the Barbie”. The message left with the bodies threatened: “This is what will happen to all those who support the traitor Edgar Valdez Villarreal.” Authorities said the four men had been kidnapped days earlier. The family of one of the men reported the abduction to police. In western Mexico, police found the body of a US citizen inside a car along the highway between the Pacific resorts of Acapulco and Zihuatanejo. A report from Guerrero state police said the man was shot to death and had identification indicating he was from Georgia. — AP

Thailand will send its ambassador back to Phnom Penh today in light of the resignation, said Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, secretary to Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

In Phnom Penh, foreign ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said Cambodia was ready to dispatch its ambassador back to Bangkok once Thailand’s envoy returns.

The two countries recalled their ambassadors in November last year after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen riled Thailand by appointing telecoms tycoonturned-premier Thaksin to the advisory role.

Thaksin remains an influential and controversial figure on Thailand’s turbulent political scene, galvanising his “Red Shirt” supporters earlier this year to join mass protests against the current government.

Ties between the two countries have been strained since July 2008 by a series of deadly border clashes over land surrounding an 11th century Cambodian temple after it was granted UN World Heritage status.

The two countries have stepped up a war of words over the territorial spat recently, with Hun Sen warning it could lead to fresh bloodshed. Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said the resignation was not related to the Cambodia-Thai border dispute, explaining that the former premier had resigned because he was “busy with a lot of work”.

“This is not a compromise,” he told AFP. Twice-elected Thaksin fled Thailand in 2008 before he was sentenced in absentia to two years in jail.

Thai courts have issued a series of warrants for the ex-premier for charges including terrorism - an accusation linked to the Red Shirt protests.

The mass demonstrations in Bangkok descended into several bouts of bloodshed in April and May that left 91 people dead - mostly civilians - and some 1,900 injured, in a series of clashes between armed troops and protesters.

The Red Shirts, largely from Thailand’s impoverished north and northeast, love Thaksin for his populist policies, and accuse Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s government of being an unelected elite.

The tycoon’s opponents in the Bangkok-based circles around the palace, military and bureaucracy accuse Thaksin of being corrupt, dictatorial and a threat to Thailand’s widely revered monarchy. — AFP

MELBOURNE: An offical at the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) sorts through voting papers as they recheck votes cast during Australia’s general elections yesterday. — AFP

Australia leaders haggle to form govt after polls

SYDNEY: Australia’s political leaders were yesterday set to begin horse-trading with a tiny number of independent MPs after a cliffhanger election poised to deliver the first hung parliament in 70 years. Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who suffered a fierce voter backlash, and opposition leader Tony Abbott both headed to Canberra along with the three independents who are likely to decide which major party will rule.

The three “kingmakers” - Bob Katter, Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott, who all have past ties with Australia’s conservatives were due to hold talks, after vowing to stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” to produce a stable government. “The three of us... we can make this work,” Windsor told public broadcaster ABC. “If the major parties actually move away from this dog-against-dog attitude that they’ve had through the election campaign and look to the national interest on this... we can come up with something that’s quite successful.”

Saturday’s extraordinary election has triggered unusual political turmoil in Australia, which is known for its stability and has not had a hung parliament since 1940. The vote heightens the surreal nature of recent developments after Gillard’s Labor dumped elected prime minister Kevin Rudd in June, shocking Australia’s 14 million electors and prompting reprisals at the ballot box. The latest ABC tally gave Gillard’s Labor Party 73 seats against 70 for Abbott’s conservative Liberal/National coalition, with both short of

the 76 needed for an outright majority in the 150-member lower house.

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), whose official count lags behind the state broadcaster, producing some volatility in the media tallies, said Labor and Abbott’s coalition both had 71 seats. The environmentfocused Greens party has one seat and the AEC listed four seats as “doubtful”. Officials are counting two million postal and absentee votes, which could take more than a week.

Labor suffered a negative swing of about 5.4 percent, according to the ABC, while the Greens enjoyed their best ever result, after both major parties vacillated on climate change. An expected fall in share prices failed to materialise as dealers hoped Abbott would form a government, which would spell doom for a new tax on the all-important mining industry. The S&P/ASX 200 was flat at 12:30 pm (0230 GMT). But the Australian dollar dropped 0.44 percent in early trade to 88.63/66 US cents. Bank of New Zealand currency strategist Mike Jones said the political situation had dealt the currency a “heavy blow”. Analysts fear a weak coalition government with a small majority could unravel within months or even weeks, forcing Australians back to the polls and roiling financial markets.

“The message from all sides is that Australia can emerge from this hung parliament with a stable government,” wrote Paul Kelly, editor-at-large for The Australian newspaper. “Frankly, that is a heroic call.” —AFP

China may scrap death penalty for some crimes China-law-crime-execution lead BEIJING: China may eliminate capital punishment for some economic crimes as it moves to curb use of the death penalty in a country believed to execute more people than the rest of the world combined. China’s National People’s Congress will this week consider an amendment to the nation’s criminal law that will take 13 offences off the list of 68 crimes now punishable by death, state-run Xinhua news agency said yesterday. According to Amnesty International, China executes more people each year than the rest of the world put together, but the exact number remains a closely guarded state secret.

China has taken measures in recent years to rein in the use of capital punishment, including requiring the country’s supreme court to review all such sentences before they are carried out. Most execu-

tions are carried out for violent crimes such as murder and robbery, the China Daily reported last month, but drug trafficking and some corruption cases also are punishable by death. Xinhua said crimes that may become exempt from capital punishment include tax fraud and “fraudulent activities involving financial bills”.

Other offences including smuggling of cultural relics, precious metals and rare animals may also be wiped off the list.

“Considering China’s current economic and social development reality, appropriately removing the death penalty from some economyrelated non-violent offences will not negatively affect social stability nor public security,” legislator Li Shishi was quoted as saying by Xinhua. The move would “better protect human rights”, the report said. Of the

68 current capital crimes in China, 44 do not involve violent acts. The draft amendment will also aim to forbid the death penalty against convicted criminals aged 75 years or more, the China News Service said.

In a report earlier this year, Amnesty said the number executed in China was “believed to be in the thousands”, compared with 2009’s second-ranked executioner Iran, which the rights group said carried out at least 388 last year. Firing squads have traditionally been used in Chinese executions, however in recent years the state has increasingly adopted lethal injections. The amendment will be read during this week’s session of the parliament’s standing committee, its key law-making body.

Draft laws are typically read several times before being adopted. —AFP

INTERNATIONAL

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

11

Next US target: The birthplace of the Taleban HOWZ-E-MADAD, Afghanistan: As Lt Col Peter N Benchoff prepares for an assault next month into the birthplace of the Taleban, he doesn’t sugarcoat the hurdles his troops face in this crucial swath of southern Afghanistan. “Security sucks.

Development?

Nothing substantial.

Information campaign? Nobody believes us.

Governance? We’ve had one, hour-long visit by a government official in the last 2 1/2 months,” the battalion commander says.

“Taleban is the home team here.” “Here” is 300 sq km of Zhari, a district just west of Kandahar through which the insurgents funnel fighters, drugs, explosives and stage attacks into the city.

It’s also an iconic, psychologically significant spot for the Taleban. Just about three kilometers south of the main US base of Howz-e-Madad, Taleban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar ran an Islamic school, founded the movement in 1994, and nearby hung a warlord from the barrel of a tank after he raped two teenagers. Senior commanders call the fight for Zhari the next step - Phase 3 - of a wider campaign to pacify Kandahar, the country’s second largest city,

and surrounding countryside. They argue success in Kandahar could lead to overall victory, given that the Taleban’s power base is rooted in this region.

Zhari itself remains insurgent territory despite five major NATO operations in recent years. In September 2006, a Canadian-led force launched a major operation in Zhari and nearby Panjwai district, pushing out the Taleban but at a cost of 28 coalition lives. Months later, the Taleban were back. Militarily, Benchoff will have to seize the village of Singesar, site of Mullah Omar’s school now defended by fortified trenches, mortars and mines, and stop Taleban movements and ambushes along Highway 1 and a parallel dirt road dubbed Iron City. Getting the area’s 10,000 inhabitants to sever their links to the Taleban may prove even harder.

With the opening salvo of the push already on the planning boards, perhaps the densest concentration of forces in Afghanistan today has been marshaled: some 1,000 US and 400 Afghan troops, a superb, rarely realized ratio for counterinsurgency operations of one soldier for every

10 civilian residents. “We are now poking the bear, trying to figure out how he will react and then developing ways to set him up to our advantage,” says Benchoff, who commands the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division.

“We are taking our time to do it right. We don’t want to charge in with shock and awe like in Marjah, and then come out scratching our heads and saying, ‘What happened here?’” Marjah, a town in neighboring Helmand province, was captured in a highly heralded operation in February but has yet to see either solid security or effective government presence.

In Zhari, patrols are sent out daily, firefights erupt and Afghan commandos have staged some successful raids into Singesar.

But Benchoff, a West Point graduate with 44 months in Afghanistan behind him, says his biggest priorities now are intensive training of a partner Afghan National Army battalion fresh out of basic training and understanding how to win over the local population via the circle of COIN, acronym for the Army’s counterinsurgency doctrine.

Provide basic security to allow develop-

ment. Tell the locals what you are doing for them and give them good governance, thereby ensuring more security. Spin the wheel fast enough, Benchoff says, and the Taleban won’t be able to hold on. “Will it work? I’m a guarded optimist. This is the last best way I know,” the officer, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, says. “This is an enemy-controlled area and people either support the Taleban actively or passively in order to survive,” he says. “People want security but they are not fed up enough to turn to the government. We have grandfathers, fathers, uncles who are charterfounding members of the Taleban. It is going to take a long-term, dedicated, persistent effort to win.”

Development and governance-wise, the area is starting from virtually zero. The only medical facility is a small pharmacy in the ramshackle bazaar. The one school was closed more than two years ago and may be mined. The people have no connection with even local administration just up the road, where the new district governor, Karim Jan, remains a question mark.

A former police chief inexperienced in

administration, NATO officials in Kandahar say they are still uncertain whether he represents a wide spectrum of the population or just his own tribe or circle of cronies. To start setting things right, the US military has more than half a million dollars to build a new bazaar, farmer’s market, small dams and farm-to-market roads, with locals to be employed on the projects.

To get the message out, a radio station will go on air. Help for the rural population, the plan goes, will follow right behind the frontline troops.

Those in Taleban-controlled areas, it is hoped, will see the benefits reaped by people within the “security bubble” and begin to distance themselves from the insurgents, who already restrict their movements, impose taxes, provide no education and commandeer family compounds for attack positions. “Will we get all this done in a year? Probably not,” says Benchoff. He notes while US troops may begin pulling out of Afghanistan in July, they will remain in Zhari for at least 1 1/2 years with a replacement for his unit already alerted. “But I think we can do enough here to take the

pressure off Kandahar and hope that the ANA can then continue to hold it.”

Repeatedly, Benchoff and his officers point to the Afghan army as the linchpin for success - or failure. “We are deeply embedded with them.

‘Shonna ba shonna,’ shoulder to shoulder,” says the commander who has paired off every US soldier with an Afghan counterpart for both training and combat. There are what Capt David Yu, a company commander, calls “friction points” when two widely different cultures come together, and the US Army’s highly sophisticated systems and procedures try to mesh with troops who are often illiterate. But Yu, from Newport News, Virginia, concedes the Afghan soldiers are “a tremendous asset”.

“They are essential. Before they came, we got nothing out of the locals. People wouldn’t talk to us. Now we’re starting to get tips, information,” he says. “Maybe not a waterfall, but a steady trickle.” “The big test will come when the big push occurs and they start to take casualties,” Benchoff says.

“Will they have the skill and the will to fight?” — AP

Fight to save Pakistan city from floodwaters Efforts also being made to save Hyderabad

KABUL: Afghan children fish in the polluted waters of the Kabul River yesterday. A report by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights claims that over a third of Afghans live in “absolute poverty” and about the same number are only slightly above the poverty line. —AFP

US looks to Iraq for Afghanistan strategy KABUL: With the withdrawal of the final American combat brigade from Iraq, US commanders in Afghanistan are hoping to emulate a strategy used there as they step up the war against insurgents. The number of US and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan is set to peak at 150,000 in coming weeks following orders from US President Barack Obama for an extra 30,000 troops, a “surge” aimed at speeding the end of the war. Critics say his goal to start drawing down the US presence from mid2011 is unrealistic, as Afghanistan’s security forces are not up to the task of taking charge of the war-torn country.

The 2007 US troop surge in Iraq built on moves the year before to co-opt Sunni tribal militias and turn them against their former Al-Qaeda allies. Violence peaked, but the United States was soon able to capitalise on the two-pronged approach and turn around the war, which had raged increasingly out of control since the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Now Washington is hoping the war in Afghanistan - deadlier than ever and already two years older than the Iraq conflict - can benefit from a similar strategy.

The commander of international forces, US General David Petraeus, who took up his post on July 4, was quick to press for what are now called Local Police Forces - armed men paid by the government to defend their villages. The program is already under way in central Wardak and southern Uruzgan provinces, with plans to extend it to the toughest bastions of insurgency in the south, southwest and east, deputy interior minister Mohammad Munir Mangal has said.

Unlike the Iraqi militias, which were drawn largely along tribal lines, Afghanistan’s are localised at village level, officials said. “It will be

up to 10,000 people, in perhaps something like 30 districts all over the country. They will have uniforms, small arms only, radios, but they cannot arrest,” said the spokesman for NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) General Josef Blotz. “It’s like a local neighbourhood watch for defence purposes only. They won’t be used as fighting units. We need temporary solutions. After two to three years, they can be dissolved or integrated into the police.”

Stephen Biddle, an expert on defence policy at Washington think-tank the Council on Foreign Relations, said the village forces plan for Afghanistan had less potential than the Iraqi militias, which were made up of former insurgents.

“In Iraq, the SOI (Sons of Iraq) were mostly insurgents. When these insurgents became SOI, it dramatically reduced the threats,” said Biddle, who advised Petraeus in Iraq. “The village defence force concept in Afghanistan has substantially less potential - it can be useful as a modest contributor in a limited role, but I don’t think it has the potential to transform the security situation. “The question is how broadly we are going to apply the program,” he said. Some observers have said it would be better to reinforce the police - regarded largely as ineffective and corrupt - and the under-funded military, rather than arm the tribes. Karzai initially opposed the village militia plan, telling US media when it was first mooted two years ago: “If we create militias again, we will be ruining this country further.” His fears were apparently based on recent history: the communist government of the 1980s funded tribal forces to make up for its own inadequate security structures, but they later morphed into powerful militias that fought each other in a long civil war. —AFP

Four NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan KABUL: Roadside bombs killed four members of the international security force in Afghanistan yesterday, including one American, NATO reported. The attacks came in the north, south and east of the war-torn country, the military alliance said.

The nationalities of the other troops killed were not known, and no other information was released. The deaths bring the number of foreign forces killed in Afghanistan this month to 46, including 29 Americans, according to a count by AP. They come amid a particularly bloody period for international troops, with 66 Americans killed in July - the deadliest month for the US in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion that overthrew the hardline Islamist Taleban government.

Yesterday’s casualties follow the deaths Sunday of four US troops amid fierce fighting in eastern and southern Afghanistan. Combat has intensified around the country amid an increase in the number of foreign forces battling the stubborn Taleban insurgency to about 120,000, including more than 78,000 Americans. Foreign troops are increasingly skirmishing in the vast south and mountainous east, where insurgents have long held sway. Militants also are attacking coalition forces in parts of the north and west where they were not previously active.Amid the continuing violence, President Hamid Karzai defended his decision to disband private security firms operat-

ing in the country, saying they were undermining Afghanistan’s police and army and contributing to corruption. Karzai last week ordered Afghan and international security companies to cease operating by the end of the year, despite US concerns the short deadline may endanger American development projects that are protected by private guards.

NATO uses security contractors to guard supply convoys bringing food, water, ammunition and other supplies to military bases. Critics of the decision have said Afghanistan’s own security forces are not ready to assume the burden. But Karzai told ABC News’ “This Week with Christiane Amanpour” the companies undermine the effort to recruit more police and soldiers because the government can’t compete with the private firms in salaries. He also repeated allegations that many companies are contributing to corruption by shaking down transport firms for money, some of which goes to warlords and the Taleban for protection.

Karzai’s spokesman, Waheed Omar, reiterated the government’s determination to end such operations, calling it part of efforts to strengthen rule of law. Employees of private security firms would receive assistance finding new jobs, possibly with the Afghan national police or army, Omar said.—AP

KARACHI: Authorities in Pakistan battled yesterday to save a city in the sent in the miserable camps sheltering penniless survivors. Tens of thouflood-devastated southern province of Sindh after a mass evacuation as sands of people have been evacuated from flood-threatened areas in the floodwaters threatened to wreak further havoc. The near month-long south since Saturday, including from Shahdadkot, with most of the city’s floods have killed 1,500 people and affected up to 20 million nationwide in 100,000 residents escorted to safety or making a getaway by any means the country’s worst natural disaster, with the threat of disease ever-pre- possible.

Dozens of villages around Shahdadkot were inundated, district administration official Yasin Shar told AFP, as flood waters threatened the city. “We have issued a final warning to remaining residents to leave Shahdadkot as the danger of flooding was mounting,” Shar said, adding that no casualties had been reported so far.

Nearly 90 percent of people living in the city and surrounding villages had left and the remaining were being rushed out, he said.

On Sunday Sindh provincial irrigation minister Jam Saifullah Dharejo said that urgent efforts were being made to save the city from the “unprecedented flood” by reinforcing an embankment built to protect it.

Similar efforts were being made to save Hyderabad, a city of 2.5 million people on the lower reaches of the Indus river, SHADADKOT, Pakistan: A mosque is submerged in floodwaters near Sukkar yesterday. —AP where at least 36 surrounding villages have been swept away.

The villages “were inundated during last four to five days but there was no loss of lives, as authorities evacuated residents Ships heading for Bangladesh routinely DHAKA: Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has lobbied in April for the right to import ships to safer places”, a spokesman reimposed strict environmental controls on on their own declarations that the vessels contain chemicals such as asbestos, which for Hyderabad district administhe country’s ship-breaking yards, a lawyer are free from toxic materials. “This latest could easily be removed in speciallytration, told AFP. said yesterday, in a verdict likely to trigger court order could bring an end to the ship- equipped yards in Europe and America - but Barkaat Rizvi said the vilindustry in Bangladesh. this raises the cost of breaking the ship, protests from the sector. About a third of all breaking lages had a total population of ships worldwide are dismantled in sprawling Thousands of workers will lose their jobs,” Shaheen said. “There is still plenty of room 50,000, all of whom had been yards on Bangladesh’s southeastern coast- said Anam Chowdhury, an advisor to the for local yards to make profit with these new shifted to different cities and line, where rights organisations say workers Bangladesh Ship Breakers Association. “It’s standards which also protect workers, protowns. Rizvi said Qasimabad are exposed to a host of toxic chemicals and a victory for environmental groups. They tect the coastline - the industry will not die, and Latifabad, two other areas want Bangladesh - a third-world country - to yards just won’t make so much profit,” he other occupational hazards. of Hyderabad, were “vulneraAll ships scrapped must now be certified maintain European standards. Even India, said. ble” but had been protected by He said the Bangladeshi government toxic-free by the selling nation’s environ- our main competitor in the ship-breaking strengthening their embankmental authorities, the court said, reinstat- industry, does not have such standards,” he should also look into setting up facilities so ments. However, he added that that yards can safely process the small ing a January law the government was said.

“Hyderabad is so far safe Dismantling old ships is a key industry in amount of toxic material that will be found in forced to abandon in April after lengthy despite the growing pressure of strikes by shipyards. “It is a victory of the South Asian nation, providing more than any ship during the breaking process. The floodwater”. humanity over raw money and muscle two-thirds of domestic steel. Iron prices country’s 100 breaking yards imported nearElsewhere, at least 20 peopower,” lawyer Rizwana Hasan, who heads shot up 20 percent earlier this year when ly 200 ships last year - about 30 percent of ple were killed when a bus the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers breaking yards shut to protest against the all ships recycled globally, according to overturned in strong currents Clarkson Research.

Association, the group that brought the case law. “This is a good verdict, not a death blow London-based near Khad Buzdar village in the for the industry,” Mohammad Ali Shaheen, Environmental groups say labour safety and to the Supreme Court, told AFP. centre of the country. The bus, The Supreme Court said the industry Bangladesh head of the Global NGO environmental standards are routinely which had 50 people on board, would be allowed to appeal the ruling, but Platform on Shipbreaking, told AFP. “Better ignored in the scrap yards, leading to the was bound for the northwestern not for four months. The verdict is a major environmental standards will not destroy deaths of at least 300 workers in the past city of Peshawar. Pakistan’s blow for Bangladesh’s ship-breaking indus- the industry, but they will eat into the yard decade and massive pollution along the weak civilian government has southeastern coast. — AFP try - the world’s largest - which successfully owners’ profits significantly,” he said. faced an outpouring of fury over sluggish relief efforts, while officials warn the country faces ruinous economic losses of up to $43 billion. Millions of survivors are in desperate need of food, shelter and clean drinking water and require humanitarian assistance to survive, as conSRINAGAR: Suspected rebels shot and killed three people in volatile cerns grow over potential Indian-controlled Kashmir, including a mother and her teenage daughcholera, typhoid and hepatitis ter, police said yesterday as protests continued against Indian rule over outbreaks. region. Masked militants barged into a house in Nandimarg, a remote Disaster management offivillage south of the main city of Srinagar, late Sunday and opened fire, cials say that the scale of the killing the woman and her 15-year old daughter, a police statement said. flooding is much larger than The target of the attack was Sirajuddin Gorsi, who jumped from a winPakistan’s 2005 earthquake, dow and escaped, said a police officer, speaking on condition of anonymiwhich killed 73,000 people and ty as he was not authorized to speak to the media. made 3.3 million homeless.

Gorsi may have been targeted for his alleged links with the Indian Maurizio Giuliano, spokesman army, the officer said. Police said the victims were his sister and niece. for the UN Office for the Separately, suspected militants killed an activist of the state’s ruling Coordination of Humanitarian National Conference party in neighboring Pulwama district late Sunday, Affairs (OCHA) in Islamabad, the officer said. Militants often target people whom they suspect of acttold AFP that 1.5 million people ing as police informers or having links with the army and security forces were being treated for everyin Kashmir. No militant groups fighting against Indian rule in Kashmir thing from respiratory and skin have claimed responsibility for the killings, nor were there any immediinfections to diarrhoea. A ate independent versions of the incidents. Local people have protested spokesman for the International against the killings in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, the police Organization for Migration statement issued in Srinagar said.

(IOM), Saleem Rehmat told a SINGHPORA: Kashmiri Muslim villagers shout Meanwhile, a young man wounded in a firing by paramilitary soldiers news conference in Islamabad slogans during the funeral procession of Bilal in northern Singhpora village last week died in a hospital yesterday takthat the floods in Sindh ing to 63 the death toll in two months of anti-India unrest in Kashmir.

Ahmed on the outskirts of Srinagar yesterday. province had affected 3.9 milAs the body of the man was brought to his village, thousands of resiBilal, who was wounded in a protest last week, lion people, 80 percent of whom dents chanting pro-independence slogans gathered in Singhpora and died in a hospital yesterday. —AP had been displaced.—Reuters participated in the funeral procession of the man. —AP

Bangladesh bans ‘toxic’ ships

Rebels kill mother, daughter in Kashmir

opinion

12

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

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issues

Australia faces days of political deadlock

By Alison Rourke

A

ustralia faces days of uncertainty and political horse-trading after Prime Minister Julia Gillard acknowledged that neither the ruling Labor party nor the opposition conservative coalition had won an outright majority in the weekend's election.

Gillard and the country's opposition leader Tony Abbott both held talks Sunday with independent and Green candidates in negotiations which are likely to bring about the country's first coalition government in 70 years.

Gillard acknowledged that none of the main parties was likely to win the 76 seats needed for an outright majority in the 150seat House of Representatives.

"It is clear that neither party has earned the right to government in its own right," she said.

But she suggested her party had the right to govern because it had won the majority of the two party preferred votes under Australia's preferential voting system. "I think this is a critical fact to weigh in the coming days," she said.

The opposition leader Tony Abbott said the "savage swing" against Labor meant it had "lost its legitimacy to govern".

Voters in the eastern states of Queensland and New South Wales deserted Labor with big swings against the party. In Queensland, voters were angered by Gillard's unceremonious ousting of former prime minister Kevin Rudd, and Labor's plans for a new tax on the mining

industry, which, ironically, was Rudd's idea.

In New South Wales, voters punished Labor because of a deeply unpopular state government. With several seats yet to be declared, postal votes mean the final results will not emerge for days . But the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) election analyst, Antony Green, said only one seat is still really in play.

The result in Hasluck in Western Australia, which takes in many of Perth's suburbs - was last night still too close to call.

Labor won it last time by a margin of just 1.3%. But whoever takes the seat still be short of an outright majority.

Both the major parties are now courting five independent MPs in an attempt to stitch together a government .

Depending on the final vote tally, Labor or the conservative opposition coalition could need between two to four of them to form a government.

Three of the independent MPs are former members of the National party which forms part of the Liberal-led opposition coalition. They are all conservative and based in rural Australia. None has said which party they will side with or whether they will act as a block or separately.

The Green MP has said he will support Labor and it's thought the fifth independent, who was formerly aligned with the Greens will too, though he has given no assurances.

—Guardian

African banks resist heat to hike lending

By Ed Cropley

W

ith elections looming in many African countries, banks are likely to feel increasing political heat to cut sky-high lending costs but are unlikely to unleash growth-boosting cheap credit into their economies. Many countries on the poorest continent enjoyed annual expansion of 5 percent or more in the years up to 2008, and their leaders are keen to get rates back to those levels now that the immediate financial and economic crisis has passed.

Lower central bank and treasury bill rates from Nigeria to Kenya to South Africa in the last two years have caused a drop in the cost of commercial credit, especially for big companies.

But politicians say they have not gone low enough fast enough in response to waning inflation and monetary easing, and argue that Africa's banks are getting fat on the margin between what they pay for capital and what they charge their customers. Lenders such as Nigeria's First Bank posting a 10-fold rise in first-half profits only sharpen the perception of boardroom greed, and increase the chances of governments pushing for cheaper, rather than more stable, banking.

In Ghana, for instance, the central bank has cut rates by 5 percentage points since November to a two-year low of 13.5 percent but the average

rate banks charge customers has held above 25 percent, putting loans out of reach for many companies. "No one can force interest rates down," said Daniel Mensah, Executive Director of the Ghana Association of Bankers, articulating concerns about the West African country's stubbornly high levels of bad debts. "They will come down if there is real stability."

Similar situations exist across sub-Sahara, where many key frontier market states including Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Zambia face national elections in the next two years. Foremost is Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and its biggest oil producer, with a presidential poll in January. Its central bank has kept its key benchmark rate steady at 6.0 percent for a year, despite a "real threat" of inflation last month, because of the competing need to stimulate growth in frontier Africa's most important economy. Finance minister Olusegun Aganga has also made clear his desire to get cheaper loans flowing to small firms, yet private sector credit growth has been virtually zero this year. Nigeria may be anomalous given last year's near melt-down of the banking system, leaving institutions outside a $4 billion state bail-out needing to rebuild balance sheets and lend only to low-risk clients-basically the government and oil majors. —Reuters

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

New Mideast talks unlikely to bear fruit

By Steve Weizman

A

s Israel and the Palestinians prepare to resume direct peace talks after a 20-month hiatus, analysts say the gaps are so wide that prospects for success look decidedly bleak and that eyes are already turned toward the blame game. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas are to meet in Washington on September 2 to re-launch negotiations over ending Israel's 43-year occupation of Palestinian territory and establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Netanyahu has made his views clear in repeated public statements since taking office in March 2009. He says Israel's security needs will take precedence over any other consideration. To that end, he says, a future Palestinian state must be demilitarized, with only a lightly armed internal security and police force, and it must not enter defense pacts with states hostile to Israel. He has also said Israel must retain control of the Jordan Valley as a buffer between the Palestinians and the wider Arab world. The valley, which runs along the border with neighboring Jordan makes up more than 25 percent of the land area of the West Bank.

For their part, the Palestinians, say the talks will implode if Israel continues building settlements in the West Bank and demolishing Arab homes in Israeli-occupied east Jerusalem.

Repeated peace initiatives have sprouted and then withered since Israel and

the Palestinians signed interim agreements in the mid-1990s. Observers see the latest talks as likely to degenerate into a diplomatic pas de deux where each side, seeing failure as inevitable, seeks to cast blame on the other. Ziad Abu Amr, of the Palestinian Council on Foreign Relations, said the 10 weeks of US-brokered indirect talks that preceded Friday's invitation were not encouraging, with Israel failing to respond to Palestinian positions.

Nevertheless, he said, the Palestinians would go to Washington in hopes that the encounter would yield something positive. "If not, then at least nobody can accuse the Palestinians of being the side which obstructed direct negotiations," he said. "It involves a risk of some sort for the Palestinians but also not going to the talks involves a risk." Analyst Jonathan Spyer, of Israel's Interdisciplinary Institute, said there was nothing in the present circumstances to suggest any more favorable an outcome than past negotiations with left and centre Israeli governments.

"To me it's an indication of just how low we are with regard to the IsraeliPalestinian track that it is now regarded as a massive achievement just to get Israelis and Palestinians sitting in the same room and talking to one another," he said. "My own sense is that actually the two sides are perfectly well aware that there is no basis for them to have a successful negotiation, and the game throughout for them has been to make it look as if the other guy is the one who's blocking it." Israeli daily Haaretz

said Netanyahu had scored a diplomatic victory in getting Washington to accept his ground rules for the talks as being without preconditions and sidestepping the Palestinian demand that they be contingent on extending a settlement freeze which expires next month.

But the paper's web site warned that

the victory could be short-lived for Netanyahu, who may find himself caught between US aspirations for a result ahead of mid-term elections and the need to placate his own right-wing Likud party and its hardline coalition partners. "The talks themselves will be Netanyahu's real challenge, when he

will be required to make decisions regarding core issues," it wrote. "Until now, no Likud prime minister has conducted peace talks to reach a final status agreement with the Palestinian Authority and has therefore never been required to deal seriously with these issues." — AFP

Palestinians turn to educational reform

By Hussein Ibish

I

n an important new move, the Palestinian Authority has recently begun highlighting education as one of the main centrepieces in the next phase of the state and institution building program. Under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abbas, the PA understands that an effective and progressive educational system is essential for economic and social development, building a functional state, and laying the groundwork for peace with Israel.

On August 8, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad gave a speech emphasizing the importance of improved education in combating fanaticism, promoting culture, and developing analytical capabilities in Palestinian society. He called educational improvement a "key priority" of the state and institution building program and "one of the most important criteria for measuring its success."

In his speech, Fayyad singled out three essential aspects of education that need special attention. These were bold observations that are striking, not only in the Palestinian context, but in the Arab context at large.

First is the crucial need to respond to the decline of language skills and competency, particularly in Arabic. What this rightly suggests is that while in the early decades after 1948 much of Palestinian society responded to their predicament and the creation of the refugee problem by turning to education, the level of education among Palestinians has been in a kind of freefall in the last couple of decades, espe-

cially in the Occupied Territories. The turning point was probably the outbreak of the first Intifada in which energies began to be channelled away from education in favor of political activism.

Second, the PA believes there is an "urgent need" to promote analytical capabilities and critical thinking among Palestinian youths and students. Palestinian education, as with much of the rest of the Arab world, relies too much on the rote memorization and the simple ingestion of raw data or received wisdom rather than the cultivation of critical thinking and analytical skills. The PA is clearly concerned about the need for the future Palestinian state to focus on its human capital as a key resource for development and prosperity. Without analytical and critical abilities promoted by an effective educational system, human capital is reduced simply to highly structured labor rather than a modern, creative, dynamic society that can thrive without major natural resources or luxurious arable lands for agriculture.

In his third and closely related point, Fayyad spoke about the need to use education to combat the growing prevalence of narrow-minded rigidity, enforcement through spurious appeals to supposed religious or cultural traditions, in both Palestinian thinking and social conduct. As an example he cited the increasingly widespread practice of avoiding handshaking between men and women which he said was not related to any real religious doctrine or traditional mores but nonetheless was becoming "not only accepted but expected". — CG News

Rejectionism and indefensible borders

By Paul Gross

H

arvard law professor and noted Israel advocate Alan Dershowitz has said that the best way to win over the 'undecideds' when he's speaking in universities on 'the case for Israel' is to show that the 'pro-Israel' crowd are also in favor of a two-state solution to the conflict, whereas the 'proPalestinian' supporters are not.

In other words, whereas the Jewish students are willing to see a Palestinian state established alongside Israel, the collection of far-leftist, (allegedly) liberal and Muslim students who support the Palestinian cause cannot reconcile themselves to Israel's existence.

Having been involved in Israel advocacy in universities in Britain (a country where the campus anti-Zionism makes the average US university look like an AIPAC conference), I broadly agree with Dershowitz. There is no question that the best "hasbara" (Hebrew for public relations) tool Israel has is the Arab world's history of rejectionism and its repeated preference for continuing the fight to eliminate the Jewish state, rather than compromising and finally giving the Palestinians a state of their own alongside Israel.

However, what happens if it's Israelis who are the rejectionists? What happens in a debate if the Palestinian speaker

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: Bedouin women participate in a protest against the repeated demolition of structures belonging to the El Araqib village in front of the Interior Ministry in Jerusalem yesterday. — AP says he accepts Israel's right to exist but that the Palestinians should be freed from Israeli occupation, and the speaker on behalf of Israel says that he thinks Israel should remain in control of the entire West Bank?

This scenario is not far-fetched.

Mahmoud Abbas and Salam Fayyad are both on record as supporting a two-state solution.

And even if you don't believe they are genuine, this Israeli government is full of ministers -

not to mention other MKs - who don't even try to hide their opposition to it.

It is relatively straightforward to argue that a military operation against Hamas in Gaza is legitimate - it is a terrorist organization committed to Israel's destruction. The same goes for Hezbullah in Lebanon.

It is also possible - and, I believe, right - to justify refusing to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders. They were never a for-

mal border, just an armistice line, and even the drafters of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions understood that the "green line" is not a defensible border for Israel.

So yes, Israel can say it will keep Ma'aleh Adumim and Gush Etzion, and that it will require some kind of military arrangement in the Jordan Valley, and the Palestinian state must be demilitarized.

All these demands are fully justifiable,

given that the Palestinians' historic hostility to Israel's very existence, and the experience of withdrawal from southern Lebanon and Gaza - both resulted in a huge upsurge in rocket attacks and the abduction of Israeli soldiers.

There are sound security arguments for keeping anything from five to 30% of the West Bank (depending on your school of thought), but the building of dozens of settlements on the hilltops of Judea and Samaria was fuelled by a messianic religious ideology, not a dispassionate assessment of Israel's security requirements.

And it is an ideology that will not wash in the democratic West to which Israel professes to be a part. No Israeli will persuade an American or a European that it is OK to control a territory in which the Jews have full democratic rights and Arabs do not, just because (his version of) Judaism says so, especially as Israel defines itself as a democratic state.

Listen the next time an Israeli leader holds a press conference with an American official. It is guaranteed that he will stress the shared democratic values of the two countries.

Similarly, at an American Jewish Committee conference or any large gathering of American Jews, the visiting Israeli VIP will talk about the love of democracy and liberty that

unites Israel and the United States.

Let us be clear. Israel is a democracy. With free elections, a free, (hyper-) critical press, and frequent public dissent. But there is no getting away from the fact that a democratic state cannot permanently rule over another people who are denied the basic rights of citizenship.

It can't be spun and it can't be brushed under the carpet. Yes, Netanyahu has said he supports two states for two peoples. And he has talked euphemistically about being willing to make "painful concessions," but the freeze on building in settlements ends in September, and the signs are that it will not be continued.

If he renews construction in the settlements beyond the blocs, the very existence of which would make a contiguous Palestinian state impossible, the occupation which threatens the Zionist dream of a Jewish democratic state, will just become further entrenched.

Hasbara is important. Fears about the de-legitimization and demonization of Israel on university campuses, in newspapers and, of course, in Orwellian bodies like the UN Human Rights Council are all too justifiable. But pro-Israel activists and diplomats should not be expected to defend the indefensible. —CG News

analysis

Tuesday, august 24, 2010

13

Ramadan in Morocco, Pakistan and US

By Juliette Schmidt

Holy month around the world

W

orking with an international, multi-faith team at Search for Common Ground (SFCG), a non-profit conflict transformation organization, Ramadan impacts not only colleagues who adhere to a diet and lifestyle that affords greater time for spiritual reflection, but also cross-time zone team meetings that are scheduled around fastbreaking iftar dinners, and greater understanding for those working long days with no food or water.

Certainly Ramadan is about more than just daytime fasts and evening iftars; for many it is a month-long journey toward spiritual enlightenment and a practice in self-discipline and humility, when Muslims try to refrain from gossip, profanity, angry discourse, sexual contact (during the daytime fasting hours) and negative thoughts, all the while continuing their daily routines.

The journey differs not only from person to person, but also from country to country. Some worry about whether they are meeting their own high standards when it comes to fasting and work performance, while others experience a renewed all-around sense of calm and focus. And around the world, spiritual and cultural aspects of Ramadan blend in unique ways.

In Islamabad, Rashad Bukhari, Advisor to our Pakistan program and Urdu editor of the Common Ground News Service, explains: "With the beginning of Ramzan, as it is known in Pakistan, life changes overnight. There's not only a shift in eating habits and people's daily routines, but also a change in atmosphere. People feel more conscious about their

LAHORE: A Pakistani volunteer offers food to people to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan in Lahore.— AP relationship with God and other human beings through prayer, supplication and giving."

For many it is both a spiritual and cultural experience. "My family is awake by 3 a.m.," describes Bukhari. "My wife prepares parathas (a flaky, fried bread), omelette, a bowl of yoghurt and other items for sehri (the pre-dawn breakfast, known in Arabic as suhoor) to provide enough energy to sustain us until iftar, which almost always features delicacies such as pakoras (fried dumplings

made with chickpea flour), samosas, dahi bhalleys (a yoghurt dish with dumplings and onions), and chaat (a spicy mixture of chopped fruits)."

And there is a buzz in the air: "Markets are open before dawn and bustling with people before iftar. Mosques are full during prayer times. However, this year Ramzan came amid the worst flood in Pakistan's history," notes Bukhari. "The usual festivities have been overtaken by the gloom of lives lost and displaced. This Ramzan's spirit

in Pakistan is - and should be that of reaching out to those most in need of urgent food and shelter."

Alae Eddin Serrar, Morocco Program Manager based in Rabat, describes how "Ramadan has fallen during a hot summer this year.

Yet, as always, it has come with the same spirit of peace, mercy and happiness. For a month, Ramadan transports Muslims throughout Morocco to a world of serenity and spirituality."

Serrar adds, "For most Moroccans, this holy month is the annual opportunity to purify themselves through selfrestraint, to strengthen their inner souls by refreshing their relationship with God and to engage in self-reflection in the hope of becoming better human beings."

It's a time for looking outward as well as inward.

"Ramadan is a time when people visit their family and share hearty meals together," Serrar continues. "Special dishes, such

as harira (a tomato herb soup), chebekia (popular fried honey cookies) and sellou (an almond and sesame seed sweet), are popular features of this holy month. Many spend their evenings going out, meeting friends in cafes or watching new shows on television. Children in particular delight in new clothes for Eid ul-Fitr, a celebration which marks the end of Ramadan."

And in the United States, where restaurants keep regular hours and most of the population does not fast, Leena El-Ali, Director of Muslim-Western Relations and Middle East and North Africa Programs, reflects, "It's a funny thing, this idea that many 'back home' have of how hard it must be for me to participate in Ramadan while living in the Diaspora, in Washington and, in years past, London (rather than Lebanon)."

In fact, she feels that "it's during the past 21 years in the West that the deeper meaning of Ramadan has been revealed to me: first, through the example of the Western converts I've met, who almost by definition embrace Islamic rites' underlying purpose more consciously; and then through the relative solitude of not living in a Muslim-majority society, so that a self-sufficient sense of purpose and reflection develop in the absence of a social system that would naturally facilitate things for those within its radius.

"In any non-Muslim country where freedom of religion is assured, there is no need to pity any Muslim: it's an environment that implicitly nudges us toward the greater jihad - the inner struggle - which more than makes up for any undue outer difficulties we may encounter."— CG News

Islam and women: Malaysia moving forward

By Marina Mahathir

I

n early July this year, the Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak announced that two women had been appointed judges in the country's Syariah Courts. One of two court systems in Malaysia, these courts rule on cases that are subject to sharia law, which is based on Islamic principles.

Women's groups, including Sisters in Islam (SIS), the group I belong to, hailed this as a long awaited move given the many problems that women face in the Syariah Courts, especially in matters related to the family. Long an advocate for justice and equality for Muslim women, SIS has been calling for female appointments since at least 1999.

Malaysia's civil laws are under the province of the federal government.

But the federal constitution gives its 13 states jurisdiction over two areas: land and laws governing "persons professing the Islamic faith", which involve family matters such as marriages, divorce, custody and inheritance. Syariah Courts have no jurisdiction over non-Muslims and matters related to Islamic practices are not heard in the civil courts.

The government has talked about reforming the court system for some time, and though the appointment of women to the Syariah Courts was made only last month, the actual decision to appoint female judges was made in 2006. Though these two judges practice in the federal-level Syariah Courts, this is an important move as their appointments set an example for Syariah Courts to follow at the state-level.

Unfortunately, the initial euphoria women's groups felt about these female appointments was much dampened about two weeks after the July announcement: a committee of 20 Syariah Court judges - all men - held a meeting to discuss which cases female judges could preside over.

An Islamic Appeals Court Judge Datuk Md Yusup Che Teh stated that this needed to be straightened out because there were certain cases that women could not preside over, such as divorce and wali hakim cases, that concern the role of male guardians.

The problem is that it is primarily in divorce cases that many Malaysian women face injustice, whether in issues of custody or division of assets.

Furthermore, cases involving male guardians naturally affect only women who, for example, are not allowed to

get married without their consent. In most cases, guardians are their own fathers, but in cases where fathers are absent and no other male relatives are available, courts need to appoint guardians for the bride, which can cause delays.

Women's rights groups were excited about the prospect of having female judges precisely because they could oversee such cases in which women feel they are treated unfairly. The hope is that female judges would rule more fairly when dividing assets in cases of divorce or custody, and would confirm the appointment of guardians more quickly in cases where the biological fathers of brides are missing.

"The appointments were made to enhance justice in cases involving family and women's rights, and to meet current needs," said Razak. And

while this move seems to have alarmed some of the more conservative judges in the Syariah Courts, the concerns of women's groups have turned out to be unfounded: at the end of July, a special panel decided that female judges do indeed have jurisdiction over the same cases as male judges.

It should be noted that the Qur'an enjoins judges to use their wisdom to ensure justice, stating that "...if ye judge between mankind, that ye judge justly" (4:58). The verse emphasizes justice without stating whether judges should be male or female.

There is therefore no barrier for women to be judges in the Syariah Court system, as they have long been in the civil courts. The task now is to ensure that male or female, judges uphold justice. — CG News

Ed Miliband, rival for Labor leadership

By Decca Aitkenhead

P

arty leadership races are generally much less interesting than pundits tend to hope. In the current contest to lead the British Labour party, everyone always knew David Miliband, the former foreign secretary, would run - and everyone knows by now that three of his challengers are very unlikely to beat him. Thus it fell to Ed Miliband to provide the excitement.

The young pretender is certainly a sexier part to play than the dauphin, but when I heard Ed Miliband speak back in late May, he seemed so manifestly awkward about fighting his older brother that it was hard to see how the contest was going to work. Remarkably, the pair's pledge to say nothing bad about one another has been maintained, disappointing Fleet Street's hopes of a family catfight. But the pledge has also created a vacuum - and in the coded world of London politics, this has gradually been filled by a subtle but damning Blairite critique of the younger brother.

"Ed Miliband is a really nice guy," Alastair Campbell has said, "but I think you've got to differentiate between making the party feel OK about losing, and making the party face up to what it needs to do to get into shape again." The former climate change secretary isn't "up to taking difficult decisions".

Just last week, the former financial sector minister, Lord Myners, accused him of tacking too far to the left on economic policy, and the columnist Matthew d'Ancona has declared, "Ed Miliband will never be prime minister. You know it, I know it. So why would Labour choose not to know it? Because,

British Labor leader Ed Miliband in this case, ignorance is so much easier than undertaking the sweaty, mostly thankless task of plotting a route back to power."

When we meet at an aerospace factory in Burnley, I'm curious to see which version will appear - the bold young pretender, or the endearingly meek old Labor loser. It takes less than a minute to find out. I've met Miliband several times before, and can safely say I have never known him to sound hungrier, or angrier, or more radically combative. When I mention the whisper that he's really a Bennite, a follower of the left-

's elder statesman Tony Benn, he goes off like a shotgun.

"That is such nonsense! It's pathetic, genuinely, I think it's pathetic. If we think that the way we should conduct political debate is by caricaturing people we disagree with as Bennites, I think it is an absolutely hopeless way to conduct a political debate. Are we really getting to a stage where if an aspirant leader of the Labour party has policies of the centre left, we then say they're a Bennite? Or we say then where are your rightwing policies? That is the politics of triangulation. And that is not the politics I believe

in." Miliband's politics are quintessentially centre left, and not spectacularly different from those of his brother. "I'm confronting the issue of the kind of capitalism we have in this country, which means people get stuck in low-paid work." He is campaigning for a "living wage" of GBP7.60 an hour and would look at making the 50% top tax rate and the tax on bankers' bonuses permanent, but stresses: "I do not want a return to penal rates of taxation." He proposes a high-pay commission to scrutinize "corporate governance - the cosy cartels which award each other high pay", but

also wants Labor to be the "party of small business and the self-employed" by looking at "the way the banking system works". On the Iraq war, some of his rivals have disputed his claim to have been opposed from the outset, but a friend of his confirms to me categorically that this was his position in 2003.

What he offers seems to be less a dramatic break with the politics of the past 13 years than with its style and sensibility. He promises to revitalize the party by devolving power and inspiring grassroots participation and it's a noble ambition. But what happens, I ask, if the party lurches back to the left, like in the 1980s?

"The New Labor style of leadership was, 'We seize control of this party, 'cos otherwise it's going to carry on losing,' right? That had its merits for its time. But this is a different world. And actually, if we'd listened to our party more on a range of issues - housing, agency workers, tuition fees we'd have been a better government, not a worse government.

We've got to not misunderstand where the centre ground of politics is - because you know, it's not just people in the south who have aspirations, and it's not just people in the north who don't like what happened with bankers' bonuses. And sometimes we were a bit behind the public in terms of where the centre ground of politics is.

"Of course you can't just win with the converted. But the point is that a lot of the converted became unconverted, and we've got to win them back, as well as the people who came to us in 1997."

Touring the aerospace factory last week, his thesis is borne

out by the striking number of working-class, low-income union men who admit they voted Conservative this year.

Miliband also cites a recent psychological study which found that Labor lost three times as many voters categorized as DE the poorest of the population as it did the most affluent ABs. "This is fundamental," he stresses urgently. "If we think the New Labour play book is going to work for us in the 2010s, we are completely wrong, because the electoral challenge is completely different now. But I think some people in the Labour party are stuck in the New Labour comfort zone, and think let's just repeat the formulae of the past and that it's going to win us the election.

Miliband himself, of course, is a middle-class Londoner whose entire life has been spent in politics. An Oxford graduate in politics, philosophy and economics (PPE), with an MSc from the London School of Economics, he worked for Harriet Harman, now acting leader, before becoming an adviser to Gordon Brown, then won a seat in parliament, representing the town of Doncaster, in 2005, and joined the government only a year later. "Well I am the person that I am," he says simply. "But there are people who have worked in a whole range of jobs who aren't very empathetic, and can't understand people's lives. And there are people who have worked in politics for a large part of their lives who can, and that in the end is the test." I get to test Miliband's famous empathy for myself when we visit a vast building site in Salford, where he tours the staff canteen meeting construction workers. — GuardianMost of them seem to

focus

Nigerian leader may run for president

By M J Smith

N

igerian President Goodluck Jonathan's office wanted to make one thing clear about his potential candidacy in upcoming elections-but they may have succeeded in clarifying nothing at all.

"The truth is that the president has not said he will not run," a statement from his office said last week amid intense speculation over the matter in the oil-rich nation, also Africa's most populous country. It continued: "Neither has he said he will."

If all goes as planned, Nigeria is some five months away from presidential elections, and Jonathan, a zoologist who came into office in May after the death of his predecessor, has yet to say if he will take part.

For outsiders, it may seem like a given that he would run.

He's the incumbent from a party that has dominated Nigerian politics since the country returned to civilian rule in 1999.

He has pledged fair elections, which would be a major feat considering the history of ballot fraud and widespread corruption here. But politics in this vast country, divided roughly in half between Christians and Muslims and with some 250 ethnic groups, is never so simple.

Jonathan faces deep disagreement within his own People's Democratic Party over whether he should be their candidate, and observers say that has led him to keep a tight lid on his plans.

"It's not clear at this point," Abubakar Siddique Mohammed, a political science professor in the northern city of Zaria, said of whether the president will run. "He's coming under extreme pressure from both sides." In some ways, Jonathan, a low-key leader rarely seen without his fedora, shouldn't

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan take it personally. The dispute over whether he should represent the PDP is rooted in regional rivalries.

The party has an unwritten policy of rotating its candidates between the north and south every two terms as a way of smoothing over the country's divisions.

President Umaru Yar'Adua, a Muslim from the north, died before he finished his first term.

Jonathan, a Christian from the oil-rich Niger Delta in the south who had been vice president, then took over. Some argue another northerner should be chosen to complete what Yar'Adua started.

The party leadership has walked a careful line, saying Jonathan has the right to run, but declining to offer him its full backing while maintaining that the rotation policy remains in effect.

Analysts say Jonathan's supporters have been working intensely behind the scenes to line up the necessary support.

Meanwhile, two northern politicians, former military ruler Ibrahim Babangida and ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar, have announced they will seek the ruling party's nomination.

"One thing that is not in doubt is that he is going to contest," Bayo Okunade, a political science professor at the University of Ibadan in the country's southwest, said of whether Jonathan will declare.

"He will want the PDP to resolve some of the issues first." — AFP

The human element in Mideast conflict

By Ghassan Rubeiz

D

uring a historical visit to Jerusalem in 1979, late President Anwar Sadat of Egypt proclaimed that the Arab-Israeli conflict is largely psychological.

Inherited notions about history and deeply felt convictions about the injustices are so strong that when an ArabAmerican meets a JewishAmerican socially they tend to avoid politics at all cost.

Discussing differences might spoil a relationship between an Arab and Jew who may share a neighborhood, a business, a classroom or a workplace.

However, though the majority swims with the current, there is a significant minority on each side of the Mideast divide, which challenges extremist views and works hard to promote understanding and a justice-based peace. There are people who endeavor to break through the barriers between the communities and engage in an open-minded exchange.

Examples are easy to find. I have a personal story to tell about our family's meeting with a creative and peace-loving Jewish family. I am an ArabAmerican of Lebanese descent, and my wife, Mary, is an American who has lived a few years in Lebanon.

It started in late May, when Bruce Roter, a Jewish reader expressed appreciation for an article in which I appealed to the Arabs and Jews of America to work together for peace in the Middle East. Responding to my appeal, Bruce Roter said "I hear you". He added, "I am the composer of a symphonic work... 'A Camp David Overture (Prayer for Peace)'" and he shared with me the YouTube link.

Bruce is a professor of music at The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY. The late Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Jihan Sadat (Sadat's wife) praised his 1996 composition.

This work has been performed for the promotion of peace in several US cities over the last 14 years, in the hope, as Bruce puts it "that this music can foster cultural ties among all the people of the region". When it was played in Washington three years ago, official representatives from Israel, Egypt, France

and Canada attended the concert.

After hearing an excerpt of this inspiring work, I arranged a meeting with Bruce and his family, including his wife Monique, and three children.

The Roter family has had ample exposure to life in the Middle East. Monique's parents emigrated from Egypt in the 1950s. Growing up in a Sephardi family, Monique has an inbuilt taste for Middle East food and the Levantine culture.

On a sunny day, in late July, Bruce and his family shared a meal with ours: "lubie blahmeh" over rice, a green bean stew with beef. We talked about all sorts of Mideast dishes with nostalgia: "Bamie", "Mulukhia", "Wara inab". Over lunch, Monique told us that her parents were expelled from Egypt during the Nasser regime. I saw no anger on Monique's face. I did not offer my perspective for the departure of so many talented communities from Egypt during the revolutionary period of Nasser; commentary on history to interpret a sensitive personal story may sound callous.

The meal provided an easygoing setting to share sensitive ideas. The Roters are strong advocates for Israel, but they see this state's future security strengthened through the creation of a viable Palestinian state.

Afterwards, we invited a small group of friends to listen to Bruce introduce and play the CD of his "peace overture". We asked many questions and Bruce was glad to explain his approach to teaching music and creating it.

He also talked about his latest work, a children's peace opera, "The Classroom." The setting of the opera is a classroom composed of two ethnic groups. The debut will take place this fall in an Albany elementary school, where the Roter children are enrolled.

In the premier performance, the two groups will be Palestinian and Israeli children.

The Rubeiz and Roter families have established a new friendship born out of a common appreciation for coexistence of a secure Israeli state and a future Palestinian state. The two families feel strongly that conflict could either divide or bring people together.— CG News

NEWS

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

The fasting person has two occasions for joy Continued from Page 1 It is the joy of having control over the demands of one’s own body and ascendancy over the everyday habits of life. It is, in this way, a spiritual joy, an exuberance that comes with the appearance of every Ramadan and with the exercise of goodly patience.

The happiness of a fasting person when he breaks his fast is not merely because he assuages his hunger and thirst, for even the lowliest of animals share in such pleasures.

Instead, it is the joy of triumph over Satan and over one’s own passions and basest desires.

It is also the joy of having successfully carried out the command of our Lord. When He asked us to abandon our food, we abandoned it. When He called upon us to abstain from quenching our thirsts, we abstained from it. We had hearkened to Allah’s words: “The month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed as a guidance for humanity, clear proofs of guidance, and a criterion. So whoever among you witnesses the month,

let him fast it.” [Surah Al-Baqarah: 185] As for the second occasion of joy, it is an experience like no other, reminiscent of the joy felt when meeting someone who is most beloved. It is the meeting of the fasting person with his Lord who had helped him to carry out his fast and had blessed him with success in doing so, and who had promised him for his fast the best of rewards that He has kept in store for him. This is an experience of joy by which all the pains and sorrows of life are forever forgotten. It is an overwhelming joy. On that day, the person who had fasted during his worldly life will be entitled to rejoice in it. However, this will be the case only as long as he had restrained his hands from sinful deeds and his tongue from evil words and thereby safeguarded his fasts from becoming bereft of blessings. Those who are barred from the blessings of their fasts are indeed doubly deprived. Their fasts deprived them of their food and drink, and then their conduct deprived them of the blessings and rewards. This is because they had violated the sanctity of the month of Ramadan with the ignominy of their words

and the wickedness of their deeds.

Therefore, every fasting person needs to be aware of what the fast really means. He needs to fully appreciate its great and noble purposes. He must prepare himself mentally to safeguard his fast from every evil word and deed, so he can be sure to experience both of the joys that are unique to the fast.

He should, likewise, let all the goodness that Allah has prepared for those who fast with sincerity be a means for him to restrain his eyes from casting their gaze upon that which is unlawful.

If, instead, a person opts not to lower his gaze from the foul images on the television screen and the forbidden sights of the street; if he chooses to indulge his ears in listening to provocative music and indecent songs; if, above all that, he allows his tongue to speak falsely and injuriously, then he should know that the only pleasure he shall experience when he breaks his fast is that felt by the cattle when they are set out to pasture or by the lion when it catches its prey.

Of joy, he will have nothing else. — Islamtoday.net

Iran launches assault boats BAGHDAD: Iraqi journalist Muntadhar Al-Zeidi throws a shoe at President George W Bush during a news conference in Baghdad. —AP

A shoe flies, a leader ducks ... a trend is born?

LONDON: For a few days, he was famous the world over — an Iraqi TV journalist who became an instant hero for millions when he hurled his shoes at President George W Bush’s head and called him a dog.

Little has been heard out of Muntadhar Al-Zeidi since he left Iraq and started a charity in Switzerland last year.

But his odd moment in the spotlight has, to the chagrin of world leaders and their bodyguards, left behind an enduring legacy.

Throwing shoes at the mighty has become a global phenomenon that shows no sign of fading away. Since that infamous Baghdad press conference on Dec. 14, 2008, shoes have flown at the prime ministers of China and Turkey, the chief justice of Israel’s Supreme Court, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, a Ukrainian politician who favored joining NATO, and a string of Indian politicians.

Just this month, shoes flew at Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and the top elected official in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Bits of video and pictures pop up daily by the dozens on the web, spread like lightning and fizzle out in hours. A few leap from the screen and into reality, mostly as drinking games or goofy poses to imitate for the camera and post online.

Rare are the memes — the bits of viral behavior — that truly take root in the real world. Throwing shoes at world leaders has joined the club. But what makes shoe-throwing more lasting than,

say, the Old Spice Guy? Throwing a shoe is pure slapstick — aggression and humor blended, violence in which no one really gets hurt. It’s stronger than a sign, or shouted slogan, but short of actually harming a leader.

It breaks the wall between the audience and those on stage, disrupting reality with an exciting shock (at least for the viewer) — a little like those TV shows that secretly film pranks on unsuspecting people. Al-Zeidi’s shoes weren’t the first to be thrown; the sole, unclean, represents a potent insult in much of the Arab and Muslim world. But al-Zeidi put a unique new stamp on shoe-throwing, a meaning that echoes whenever and wherever a piece of footwear is launched at someone important. First, the flying shoe draws an instant parallel between its target and Bush, who remains deeply reviled in many countries.

Al-Zeidi himself is key, too. If he’d been Swedish he would have looked nutty. The fact that he was an Iraqi turning the tables on a man he blamed for destroying his country made his act political, a bit poetic — and contagious.

“My brother’s act was a spontaneous act,” Al-Zeidi’s brother Durgham told The Associated Press in Baghdad. “He never thought it would be imitated, but he supports it as long as it is directed against tyrants only.” In some cases, the imitation gets a little ridiculous. The first Al-Zeidi copycat was probably Stephen Millies, a New York City man grabbed by police when he tried to pull his shoe off and toss it at the head of the Metropolitan

3 dead, 4 wounded in Virginia shootout LOUISA, Virginia: A man who shot and killed his son and nephew and wounded four other family members had been involved in an ongoing family dispute over a piece of property in a rural central Virginia neighborhood, authorities said yesterday. Sheriff’s deputies had been called to the property nearly two dozen times in recent years — including once earlier in the day on Sunday — before Charles P Steadman Sponaugle, 52, opened fire on his family members, Louisa sheriff’s Maj. Donnie Lowe said.

Sponaugle fired at two deputies and unleashed his pit bull dog at them before deputies responded, fatally shooting both Sponaugle and the dog, said Corinne Geller, a Virginia State Police spokeswoman.

Earlier in the day, deputies were called out to the property around 2 pm Sunday and a dispute was resolved. But they were called again around 4:45 p.m. when Sponaugle opened fire with a .22 semiautomatic target pistol, Geller said.

Sponaugle shot and killed his son, Charles P. Steadman, 29, and nephew Mark A. Cooper Jr., 23. Also shot were his sister, Kitty L Cooper, 41; brother-in-law Mark A. Cooper Sr., 45; and nephews Gerald A. Steadman, 26, and Jason C Steadman, 27.

Jason Steadman was flown to the University of Virginia Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Gerald Steadman was held overnight for observation, and Kitty and Mark Cooper Sr. were treated and released. PT Spencer, a member of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors, said Monday that Sponaugle and two other family members had an ongoing dispute over a 1.5acre (half-hectare) lot after Sponaugle’s mother died without leaving a will. —AP

Transportation Authority. Three days after Al-Zeidi threw his footwear at Bush, Millies was protesting MTA budget cuts and a proposed subway fare hike, from $2 to $2.25. “Because of the courageous act of the Iraqi patriot, I wanted to take advantage of that but also have a link to that,” Millies, 56, told The Associated Press on Sunday. The most recent shoe thrower to grab headlines was Abdul Ahad Jan, an off-duty police officer who hurled the footwear and a black flag at Indian Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a high-security gallery during an Indian independence day ceremony on Aug. 15. The predominantly Muslim region has been rocked by unrest aimed at Indian rule since June, and dozens of deaths from police shootings.

How to prevent shoe-throwing?

Security officials can X-ray shoes to make sure they contain no bombs, but stripping people of their footwear before a rally or press conference still seems hard to imagine. That makes shoes virtually impossible to stop.

Just ask Muntadhar Al-Zeidi himself.

He held a press conference in Paris last year to discuss his experiences, which include being imprisoned for nine months and, he says, abused in retaliation.

As he spoke, Al-Zeidi was targeted with a shoe by a man who appeared to be a fellow Iraqi. Al-Zeidi ducked, and the shoe hit the wall behind him.

“He stole my technique,” Al-Zeidi joked. Al-Zeidi’s brother, Maithan, chased the attacker and, as he left the room, hit him with a shoe. — AP

In porn, a story of Iraq’s politics BAGHDAD: The nude women on the DVD cover in a Baghdad street stall say it all: Change, whether you like it or not, is afoot in Iraq.

Hundreds of porn DVDs are stacked elbow-deep on a wooden table in Jassim Hanoun’s ramshackle stall on a downtown sidewalk. His other tables have Hollywood blockbusters, like “King Kong.” But not surprisingly, it’s the sex that sells best.

“I’ve got everything,” Hanoun says of his sex selection, flashing the kind of impish grin only a 22-year-old in tight jeans and slicked-back hair can pull off with any real conviction. “What do you want? I’ve got foreign films, Arab, Iraqi, Indian, celebrities — whatever you like.” The porn, in an odd way, has told the story of Iraq’s security and political situation since Saddam Hussein’s ouster in 2003. It emerged in the anything-goes atmosphere that erupted in the vacuum immediately following the US invasion — then went back into hiding amid the anarchy when armed militias roamed the capital through 2008, targeting those they saw as immoral.

Its reemergence since then reflects how security has improved but also how the fragile government is busy with more pressing issues than spicy videos. With politicians deadlocked the past five month trying to form a new government, whether Hanoun stays in business depends less on customer demand than on who takes the

reins of power and if security is maintained. The openness with which porn is sold in some of Baghdad’s streets is almost unheard of in the Arab world. In every country in the region except Lebanon, Israel and Turkey, pornography is illegal, in a nod to conservative Muslim sentiment.

That’s not to say it doesn’t exist — international satellite channels and the Internet pipe it straight into people’s homes, though many governments try to block obscene websites. Police, not having to grapple with daily bombings like in Baghdad, have more time to keep it off the streets.

But after the 2003 invasion, it appeared freely on Baghdad’s sidewalks — a sign of how all rules were suddenly sidelined with the toppling of Saddam. Gone were the all-seeing security services that brutally ensured law and order under the former regime. In their place came a degree of jubilation and hope, even if short-lived, about the new Iraq.

For a few months after the invasion, restaurants did brisk business, nightclubs pulsated with the beat of Arabic music.

And with the Western troops and their supporting army of foreign security contractors came the porn — once strictly forbidden under Saddam’s regime. Children touted it in the Green Zone, the fortified Baghdad district where the Iraqi government and the US Embassy are housed.

Vendors sold it outside hotels where international media were based. —AP

Panel to discuss ‘entry’ of Israeli journalist Continued from Page 1 employee was reprimanded and the Israeli code was deleted from the system.

The Islamic Constitutional Movement described in a statement the entry of Israelis into Kuwait as a risk at national security. In another development, head of the assembly’s alien practices committee MP Mohammad Hayef said the panel will meet on Wednesday to discuss “blunders” committed by a number of satellite

channels including the controversial program Bu Qutada and Bu Nabil on AlWatan TV. Hayef held the prime minister, information minister and the whole government responsible for the mistakes because of failure to apply the audio-visual law. The Al-Watan TV program caused strong protests by Morocco because of defamation. The Kuwaiti foreign ministry and the private TV station expressed apologies for the Moroccan people.

Hayef said the government is respon-

sible for applying the media laws to prevent any violations that could undermine the image of Kuwait and its relations with other countries.

In the meantime, the joint panel formed from the national assembly housing and women affairs committees yesterday discussed cases of Kuwaiti women who would benefit from a planned KD 500 million housing fund for Kuwaiti women. Member of the committee MP Adnan Al-Mutawa said that a number of

Continued from Page 1 “Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is relying on a great defense industry and the powerful forces of Sepah (Revolutionary Guards) and the army, with their utmost strength, can provide security to the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman and Strait of Hormuz,” Vahidi said.

He issued a stern warning to Iran’s foes. “The enemy must be careful of its adventurous behavior and not play with fire because the Islamic Republic of Iran’s response would be unpredictable,” IRNA quoted him as saying.

“If enemies attack Iran, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s reaction will not be restricted to one area. The truth of our defense doctrine is that we will not attack any country and that we extend our hand to all legitimate countries.”

Iran’s arch-foes, the United States and Israel, have not ruled out taking military action over Tehran’s controversial nuclear program. Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, choking off some 40 percent of tanker-shipped oil worldwide, in the event of a military attack.IRNA said Zolfaqar was a new gen-

eration missile-launching vessel which can be used for patrolling as well as for attack operations. “It is designed for quick assaults on ships and is equipped with two missile launchers, two machine guns and a computer system to control the missiles,” the report said.

Fars news agency cited Vahidi as saying that Zolfaqar was to be equipped with the Nasr 1 (Victory) marine cruise missile “which has high destructive power.”

Iran has previously said that the Nasr missile can destroy targets weighing up to 3,000 tons.

IRNA said Seraj, designed for a tropical climate, was also a swift assault vessel for use in the Caspian sea, the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, adding that it can fire rockets and also be used in stormy seas.

“Seraj is a fast-moving assault rocket launcher using sophisticated and modern technology,” Vahidi was cited as saying by IRNA. The launch of the production lines comes as Iran marks its annual “government week,” a period when it traditionally shows off its latest technological achievements.

The naval commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, Ali Fadavi, was

quoted by IRNA as saying that the missile-launching boats are the world’s fastest.

“The Iranian-made missile-launching boats rank first in the world when it comes to their velocity,” he said. “The deterrent and devastating power of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces will be very high in case of any aggression by the enemy,” Fadavi warned.

Ahmadinejad on Sunday unveiled a bomber drone with a range of up to 1,000 kilometres (620 miles), which he dubbed the “ambassador of death.”

State media said the drone, Karar (Assailant), can carry four stealth cruise missiles, two bombs of 250 pounds (115 kilos) each or a precision missile of 500 pounds (230 kilos).

Tehran on Friday test-fired a surfaceto-surface missile named Qiam (Rising), and more announcements are expected over the next few days, including test-firing a third-generation Fateh (Conqueror) 110 missile.

Iran also recently took delivery of four domestically built Ghadir mini-submarines, stealth vessels designed to operate in shallow waters such as the Gulf. — AFP

Saudi fatwa seeks to contain clergy Continued from Page 1 “The order is aimed at dealing with the pockets of radical clerics outside the official clergy. But the Senior Scholars Authority itself has some hardline clerics among its members,” said Abdulaziz Al-Qassem, a former Saudi judge. “The difference is it can’t meet or issue any recommendation without the king’s approval,” he added.

The king’s order was specifically aimed at blocking religious decrees that hurt national security or “challenge knowledgeable clerics”. Riyadh, keen to curb Islamist militancy, has wrestled with the idea of diluting the sway of puritanical Wahhabism after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks on US landmarks carried out by mostly Saudi militants, and after an al Qaeda campaign to oust the monarchy emerged in 2003.

But that has proved a tough sell in the kingdom, where Wahhabi clerics wield strong influence, overseeing mosques, the judiciary and education, and running a coercive morals police.

The move was not viewed as likely to herald an imminent political change although the ageing King Abdullah is seen to favor reforms that would water down some Wahhabi tenets such as the ban on women driving and gender mixing.

Saudi Arabia has undergone a rapid modernization brought by oil revenues and this has shaken the foundations of what used to be a deeply tribal and conservative society and caused a backlash among traditionalists.

Before the order, virtually anyone who memorized the Koran could issue fatwas, or religious opinions on matters that can range from how to conduct oneself in private family life to state politics.

Some have embarrassed the Senior Scholars Authority and a monarchy that prides itself for being the custodian of two of Islam’s holiest shrines.

In one fatwa, a prominent scholar issued an edict calling for the execution of anyone who adamantly opposes strict gender segregation. The scholar who issued that fatwa, Sheikh Abdul-Rahman Al-Barrak, is a

pillar of Wahhabism but not a member of the official religious establishment.

That fatwa followed a decision by the king to remove a member of the authority who demanded scholars vet the curriculum at Saudi Arabia’s first mixed-gender university, which bears the name of the king.

“The past three decades have seen a mess in fatwas,” said Lebanese author Redwan Al-Sayyid. Other fatwas that have disturbed the monarchy range from one calling for the execution of owners of Arab entertainment satellite television channels to another that sanctioned adult breastfeeding to get around strict gender segregation rules. Prior to King Abdullah’s order, Saudi authorities have rarely interfered in taming firebrand clerics so long as their edicts did not pose a direct threat to the state’s security. Former judge Qassem said the decree would end what he described as clerical anarchy on Islamic matters.

“It will silence the radical clerics like Barrak since violators will end up in courts,” he said. — Reuters

8 killed in Manila bus siege Continued from Page 1 Philippines Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo said unofficial figures from hospitals where hostages were taken showed seven were dead. A bystander was also hit by a stray bullet.

“I’m with the deputy ambassador of China... we are in the process of validating and verifying the names,” he told ANC television. The end of the day-long drama came more than an hour after police commandos had first moved in to break windows and surround the bus following a series of shots.

The driver of the bus was seen running to safety after the first flurry of gunshots.

Mendoza had threatened to kill the hostages in a live telephone interview with a local radio station.

“I can see there are many SWAT teams arriving, they are all around,” Mendoza, speaking in Tagalog, had said. “I know they will kill me, I’m telling them to leave because anytime I will do the same here.”

For much of the day the gunman had appeared to be negotiating calmly with police, organizing food and fuel for the airconditioning. Nine hostages, six Hong Kongers and three Filipinos, mostly women and children, had been released in stages.

Mendoza’s brother, Gregorio, told a local TV station that his brother was upset by his dismissal from the force. Local media said

he had been sacked for reasons including extortion, and due to his sacking he had lost his retirement benefits.

“His problem was he was unjustly removed from service. There was no due process, no hearing, no complaint,” said Gregorio, who was later taken into custody by police shortly before the situation deteriorated.

Stuck to the bus door was a piece of paper with the handwritten message: “BIG MISTAKE TO CORRECT. A BIG WRONG DECISION”.

The tragedy played out in front of the Quirino Grandstand, where less than two months ago Benigno Aquino III had taken his presidential oath. — Reuters

Gaza Mall fuels debate over curbs Continued from Page 1 can now buy Pringles chips, Israeli yogurt, Turkish-made suits and $80 bottles of perfume. But Gazans maintain that the mall doesn’t change the fact that the coastal strip sufferes from rampant unemployment, poor utilities and the border closures that keep people locked in. “People say there are no problems because Gaza has mayonnaise and ketchup,” said Gaza dentist Samir Ziara, 59, while browsing the mall’s supermarket. “If you lock someone in a room but take care of all of his basic needs, is that enough to make him happy?”

Local media heavily reported the mall’s festive opening last month. Hamas Social Affairs Minister Ahmed al-Kurd cut the ribbon. Other Hamas officials also attended, though Hamas and mall administrators denied any official connection.

Many Israelis, however, took the news as proof that life in Gaza wasn’t as bad as Palestinians, media outlets and the United Nations often claim.

“Images from the new mall make one wonder about the humanitarian crisis all these international ‘aid’ ships are sailing to,” wrote Jacob Shrybman on the Ynet Israeli news website.

Similarly, Israel’s Government Press Office sent a sarcastic e-mail to foreign correspondents in May suggesting that while they cover “alleged humanitarian difficul-

ties” in Gaza they also visit a recently opened Olympic-size swimming pool and the Roots Club, a luxury restaurant. “We have been told the beef stroganoff and cream of spinach soup are highly recommended,” read the e-mail.

Mall manager Saladin Abu Abdu brushed off the criticisms and played down the mall’s importance. “It has no excess or luxury,” he said. “The only thing special here is that we collect everything under one roof. That’s what you can’t find elsewhere.”

The economy in the impoverished territory has been in decline since Hamas militants overran the strip in 2007 and Israel and Egypt responded with a strict blockade. Most of Gaza’s merchandise was then smuggled in through tunnels under the Egyptian border.

Then a deadly Israeli raid on a flotilla seeking to break the blockade in May drew widespread international criticism, and Israel loosened restrictions on consumer goods — many of which can now be bought at the new mall. Mall administrators, however, say about 80 percent of the goods on the shelves are still coming through the smuggling tunnels.

The shopping center has its own generator, exempting it from the frequent power outages in most Gaza homes and is also air conditioned, although a recent visitor found the interior only slightly less stifling than

the sticky, Mediterranean heat outside.

Pushing a cart piled high with glassware, diapers, toilet paper, shampoo, chocolate, a food processor and a dish rack, Osama Saleh, 35, said Gaza now had more goods than he’d seen before.

“They are easing the blockade a bit, but the crisis is more than that,” he said, adding that few Gazans had the cash to shop like him. “The unemployment here is unbelievable.” About one-third of Gaza’s work force is currently jobless, and 80 percent of the population depends on food aid.

While consumer goods enter, Israel still bans exports and many raw materials that could allow Gaza’s factories to reopen.

Israel says those problems are due to the refusal of Hamas — whose charter calls for Israel’s destruction — to engage with the Jewish state. “It’s something new and nice,” said Ziara, the dentist, pushing a cart holding Israeli yogurt, a bucket of laundry detergent, a hunk of cheese and a bottle of corn oil. Ziara said his practice affords him a comfortable life but that being stuck in Gaza is emotionally taxing. He can’t visit his two brothers who live in Saudi Arabia, he said, and hasn’t seen his 22-year-old son since he left to study in France three years ago. “It’s pretty small for a mall,” said Saleh, who was born in Gaza, but having lived for 18 years in Miami. Had seen bigger. “I’m used to the huge ones, but by Gaza standards it’s nice.” — AP

SPORTS

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

15

MLB results/standings Major League Baseball results and standings on Sunday: NY Yankees 10, Seattle 0; Detroit 8, Cleveland 1; Houston 2, Florida 1; Texas 6, Baltimore 4; Boston 5, Toronto 0; Philadelphia 6, Washington 0; Pittsburgh 2, NY Mets 1; Kansas City 3, Chicago White Sox 2 (10 innings); San Diego 7, Milwaukee 3; St. Louis 9, San Francisco 0; Atlanta 16, Chicago Cubs 5; Tampa Bay 3, Oakland 2; Colorado 1, Arizona 0; Cincinnati 5, LA Dodgers 2.

American League Eastern Division W L PCT GB NY Yankees 77 47 .621 Tampa Bay 76 48 .613 1 Boston 71 54 .568 6.5 Toronto 64 59 .520 12.5 Baltimore 44 81 .352 33.5

Minnesota Chi White Sox Detroit Kansas City Cleveland

Central Division 72 52 67 57 61 63 53 71 50 74

.581 .540 .492 .427 .403

5 11 19 22

Texas LA Angels Oakland Seattle

Western Division 69 54 62 63 61 62 49 75

.561 .496 .496 .395

8 8 20.5

Atlanta Philadelphia Florida NY Mets Washington

National League Eastern Division 73 51 70 53 62 61 62 62 53 71

.589 .569 .504 .500 .427

2.5 10.5 11 20

Cincinnati St Louis Milwaukee Houston Chicago Cubs Pittsburgh

Central Division 72 52 67 54 59 65 54 69 51 74 41 83

.581 .554 .476 .439 .408 .331

3.5 13 17.5 21.5 31

San Diego San Francisco Colorado LA Dodgers Arizona

Western Division 74 49 69 56 63 60 63 62 49 76

.602 .552 .512 .504 .392

6 11 12 26

NEW YORK: Seattle Mariners Adam Moore (left) leaps over a diving New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira to reach on Teixeira’s third-inning error during a baseball game. —AP

Yankees rout Mariners as Rays triumph NEW YORK: Robinson Cano hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six run and CC Sabathia extended his home winning streak to 15 decisions as the New York Yankees routed the Seattle Mariners 10-0 on a rain-slicked field Sunday.

Austin Kearns and Jorge Posada also homered for the Yankees, who notched another win minus slugger Alex Rodriguez.

New York is a confounding 12-0 this season without the three-time MVP, placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with a strained left calf.

Cano is a big reason for all that success.

Making his own bid for an most valuable player award, the All-Star second baseman launched his 25th home run in the fifth inning off Luke French (2-4) gave up Cano’s 25th homer. Sabathia (17-5) held Seattle hitless until the fifth and became the

American Lerague’s first 17-game winner.

Rays 3, Athletics 2 At Oakland, California, Matt Garza came out on top in a matchup between pitchers who threw no-hitters this season, outpitching Dallas Braden for his career-high 13th win and leading Tampa Bay over Oakland.

Garza (13-7) scattered four hits over 7 23 innings and overcame a balk that led to Oakland’s only run against him. Braden (89) allowed only four hits but gave up all three Tampa Bay runs and took the loss.

It’s only the second loss in six starts for the A’s lefty, who pitched a perfect game against the Rays on May 9.

Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 0 At Boston, Clay Buchholz allowed five hits over six innings to lower his AL-best

ERA to 2.26 and Bill Hall hit a two-run homer for Boston.

The game began 1 hour, 44 minutes late and was stopped for 59 minutes by more rain with two outs in the top of the third of a scoreless tie. Buchholz (15-5) extended his streak to 23 2-3 innings without allowing an earned run.

Shaun Marcum (11-7) retired Boston’s first 12 batters. He left after seven innings, having given up three runs and four hits. He had six strikeouts and without a walk.

Rangers 6, Orioles 4 At Baltimore, Josh Hamilton and Vladimir Guerrero each hit three-run homers and Tommy Hunter earned his career-high 10th win as Texas beat Baltimore to split the four-game series.

The AL West-leading Rangers had lost

11 of 15 before the victory, which also snapped a 1-7 stretch on the road. Luke Scott hit his 100th career homer and Ty Wigginton also connected for Baltimore, now 12-8 under manager Buck Showalter.

Hunter (10-2) gave up three runs and five hits over eight innings. Hamilton and Guerrero both connected off Kevin Millwood (2-14).

Royals 3, White Sox 2 At Kansas City, Missouri, Jason Kendall hit a game-ending single with two outs in the 10th inning to give Kansas City a victory over Chicago in the teams’ third extrainning game in less than 24 hours.

Gregor Blanco walked with two outs and stole second and third before Kendall delivered the hit to left-center off Scott Linebrink (1-1).

The Royals and White Sox played three games totaling 9 hours, 32 minutes and 31 innings. They split a doubleheader Saturday night, the first game going 11 innings and the second 10, that did not end until 1:11 a.m. Sunday morning.

Tigers 8, Indians 1 At Detroit, Justin Verlander pitched eight strong innings and rookie Will Rhymes had four hits as Detroit completed a three-game sweep of Cleveland.

The Tigers outscored Cleveland 19-3 in the lopsided weekend series, and have had two three-game winning streaks and a three-game losing streak in their last nine games.

Verlander (14-8), who has struggled with high pitch counts early in games this season, didn’t throw his 100th pitch Sunday

Cardinals 9, Giants 0 At St. Louis, Jaime Garcia threw a three-hitter for his first career shutout and fellow rookie Allen Craig hit a two-run homer as St. Louis trounced San Francisco. Jon Jay had three hits and an RBI and Brendan Ryan and Yadier Molina each had two hits with an RBI for the Cardinals.

St. Louis rebounded from a five-game losing streak to take two of three from the Giants.

During the game the Giants were awarded outfielder Cody Ross on a waiver claim from Florida. Garcia (11-6) faced one batter over the minimum and struck out six. Barry Zito (8-8) lasted only 3 2-3 innings, surrendering five runs on seven hits.

Phillies 6, Nationals 0 At Philadelphia, Roy Oswalt struck out eight batters in seven sharp innings to lead Philadelphia over Washington on a rainy day.

Oswalt (9-13) has won three straight starts for the first time this season, helping the Phillies try to make a move on Atlanta for the NL East lead.

Oswalt allowed five hits, and the Phillies backed him with the kind of run support he rarely got in Houston before getting traded in July. He never came out for the eighth after the game was delayed 1 hour, 44 minutes by rain. The right-hander also got two hits and scored a run.

Reds 5, Dodgers 2 At Los Angeles, Bronson Arroyo earned his 100th career victory, and Joey Votto homered and drove in three runs as National League Central-leading Cincinnati beat Los Angeles.

The Reds took two of three in the series and held their 3 1/2-game division edge over St. Louis. Arroyo (14-7) allowed two runs and seven hits in seven innings, striking out six and walking none. The righthander came in 0-3 with a 5.56 ERA lifetime at Dodger Stadium.

Clayton Kershaw (11-8) struck out 11, allowing three runs and five hits over seven innings. He threw a career-high 118 pitches. Votto hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth and added a two-run single in the ninth.

Astros 2, Marlins 1 At Miami, Hunter Pence hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning as Houston averted a series sweep by ending the Florida’s season-high five-game winning streak. Pence also drove in the game’s first run with a sacrifice fly in the third inning.

Pence’s 19th homer, one of only five hits for Houston, came with one out in the eighth off Jose Veras (2-1).

Twins 4, Angels 0 At Minneapolis, Scott Baker pitched seven shutout innings and Michael Cuddyer had a bases-loaded double as Minnesota beat Los Angeles.

Danny Valencia homered for the Twins, who took two of three from Los Angeles.

Minnesota went 7-2 on its nine-game homestand to increase its lead in the AL Central to five games over struggling Chicago.

Valencia homered to open the fifth against Jered Weaver (11-9), and Cuddyer fouled off five straight pitches with two strikes before hitting his double to left-center. —AP

Maguire relieved as Wigan clinch shield

Braves tame Cubs CHICAGO: Lou Piniella bowed out as the Cubs’ manager and ended a career that spanned five decades after the Atlanta Braves routed Chicago 16-5. The 66year-old Piniella announced before the game that he was leaving to be with his ailing mother.

Third base coach Mike Quade was promoted to interim manager. The disappointing Cubs weren’t able to send Piniella out as a winner. Omar Infante and Jason Heyward each hit a pair of home runs, and the Braves scored 11 times in the last three innings to break away.

Piniella was in the dugout when the game was over, and he waved his hat to longtime Braves manager Bobby Cox across the field. Cox plans to retire after the season.

until the eighth inning. He gave up a run in the first and finished with eight strikeouts against seven hits and a walk.

LOS ANGELES: Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning of a baseball game. The Reds won 5-2. —AP Padres 7, Brewers 3

Pirates 2, Mets 1

In Milwaukee, Adrian Gonzalez and Chase Headley each homered for San Diego.

Jon Garland (13-8) had his scoreless-innings streak ended at 21 innings when he gave up Ryan Braun’s 18th home run in the fifth, but he won his third straight start and four of five.

Manny Parra (3-10) gave up seven runs in six innings on eight hits and four walks. He struck out five.

At Pittsburgh, A slumping Zach Duke limited New York to one run over seven innings, and Jose Tabata and Lastings Milledge homered as Pittsburgh salvaged the final game of the three-game series. Duke (6-12), a loser of eight of his previous 11 starts, struck out five and walked two to win for only the third time in 13 starts since May 18.

The Pirates, trying to dodge

their first 100-loss season since 2001, had lost five in a row and 12 of 13 to fall 43 games below .500 at 40-83.

Rockies 1, D’backs 0 At Phoenix, Dexter Fowler hit a run-scoring single in the eighth inning and Jhoulys Chacin pitched 7 2-3 strong innings to lead Colorado over Arizona. Fowler also helped Chacin with a diving catch in center field that took away a hit from Adam LaRoche in the

fourth inning.

Fowler landed hard on his left side but held onto the ball.

He was shaken up for a few moments but remained in the game.

Eric Young singled with one out in the eighth off reliever Aaron Heilman (4-5) and stole second base before Fowler’s hit.

Chacin (6-9) allowed three hits and a walk with nine strikeouts. It was the longest outing of the 22-year-old rookie’s major league career.—AP

LONDON: Michael Maguire guided Wigan to the Super League Leaders Shield with victory over Hull KR - and then blasted his side for shredding his nerves.

Wigan should have wrapped up their first piece of silverware in eight years last weekend but fluffed their lines in the 18-16 defeat to Huddersfield.

The Warriors looked set to be frustrated again after Hull KR fought back from 14-0 down to lead 18-14 before Pat Richards converted Sam Tomkins’ try to put the visitors back in front.

The 28-year-old Australian made sure Wigan grabbed their second chance with both hands by storming over for his second try of the game before converting it and two more late tries to wrap up the 38-18 win.

But after seeing his side surrender their early advantage in a shocking start to the second-half, Wigan coach Maguire admitted he was expecting better.

“The first half was a bit special and we wanted to do the same for the second period but we had that setback,” said former Melbourne Storm assistant Maguire.

“For 20 minutes in the second half we lost our way and could not get the ball back. “We put pressure on ourselves but I thought the side showed great strength in getting back to what was needed.”

Leeds boss Brian McClennan says his side’s warm-up for the Challenge Cup final could not have gone any better with their 52-6 demolition of Catalan Dragons.

Ryan Hall and Danny McGuire both grabbed hat-tricks but it was the latter who was the star of the show that lifted the Rhinos to fourth place to leave ex-New Zealand coach McClennan in buoyant mood ahead of their tip to

Wembley.

He said: “We have come through reasonably okay and were able to rest a couple of guys as the game went on. “It was a long second half but it’s out of the way now and good to be able to solely focus on our preparation for next week.

“Danny was jumping around there with great anticipation and scored a great hat-trick. “He can run and once he gets clear he’s hard to stop. He’s got good speed endurance and it was a good effort, but Danny wasn’t on his own.”

Leeds’ Challenge Cup final opponents Warrington were equally impressive in their 36-18 win over Hull with five players crossing.

But coach Tony Smith is relieved to finally focus on Leeds after two weeks of anticipation.

He said: “The final has been a distraction, there is no doubt about that.

“The chance to play at Wembley is massive, we try to treat it like any other game but it is hard not to think about the what-ifs.”

Elsewhere, former North Queensland man David Faiumu continued his impressive season by grabbing two of Huddersfield’s nine tries in the 52-4 demolition of Salford. And after losing twice in the play-offs last year, Salford head coach Shaun McRae has tipped the Giants to be the dark horses this time round.

“Huddersfield work hard, attack and have X-factor players who can come up with the unexpected,” he said. “If they are fully fit then I think there’s a good chance of them being the team that gets out of the bottom half of the play-offs to reach Old Trafford.” —AP

SPORTS

16

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Atwal’s success fuels India’s major ambitions NEW DELHI: Arjun Atwal’s PGA Tour triumph shone as a beacon on an otherwise dark Sunday for Indian sports, fuelling the world’s second most populous country’s hopes of celebrating a maiden major victory in the not too distant future.

The Florida-based 37-year-old is often world number one Tiger Woods’ practice partner and keeping such company helped him become the first Indian to win a PGA Tour title with his one-stroke victory at the Wyndham Championship on Sunday Atwal’s achievement came on a day

when monsoon rains impeded Delhi’s Commonwealth Games preparations and the cricket-crazy nation slumped into depression after the one-day side were hammered by hosts Sri Lanka in the tri-series at Dambulla.

Celebrating the triumph almost as much as the player himself, Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) director Padamjit Singh Sandhu believes a major win for an Indian was now a distinct possibility.

“I mean, why not?” he told Reuters yesterday. “It is clearly a defining moment for

professional golf in India. This win will act as a strong catalyst to the growth of the sport in the region.

“This win confirms Arjun’s class as a complete professional and had established the growing strength of Indian golf on the world stage.”

Asked how long it might take, Sandhu added: “I would not like to take a guess but the progress we have seen in professional golf in India gives us confidence that we are on the right path. “We are now more confident of strong Indian finishes in global

events over the coming years.”

Sandhu said while veterans Atwal and Jeev Milkha Singh had the best chances of breaking India’s major duck, the promising trio of Shiv Kapur, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Anirban Lahiri were also well positioned to make that breakthrough.

Two-time Asian Tour winner Bhullar said Atwal had set the bar higher for his compatriots. “Every player on the planet dreams of winning on PGA Tour and he has done it leading from round one, which is amazing,’ he said. “I saw it live on television

last night and had an amazing feeling. I expect the victory to change the face of Indian golf. It would inspire the young golfers like me and Anirban to work harder.

“At the top level, your mindset matter more than your swing or technique and Arjun showed we can win at the highest stage. “Maybe India’s time has come and we are close to winning a major in the near future.”

Sharing his optimism, experienced Indian golf journalist V Krishnaswamy, who saw Atwal win his first Asian Tour title in

1999, said it was only a matter of time before an Indian secured a major victory.

“Now that the Indian golfers have won on every tour, winning a major is very much in the realm of possibility,” said Krishnaswamy, who has been following the progress of the Indian golfers for the past two decades.

“Jeev had a top 10 finish in the 2008 PGA Championship and here you have Atwal winning on PGA Tour. The Indian golfers just need to be part of the field in majors and it can happen any week.” — Reuters

Atwal first Indian to excel on PGA Tour

GREENSBORO: Arjun Atwal of India holds the Sam Snead Cup on the 18th green after winning the Wyndham Championship golf tournament. —AP

Miyazato wins Safeway Classic PORTLAND: Ai Miyazato reclaimed the top spot in the world rankings by winning the LPGA Safeway Classic on Sunday for her fifth victory of the year.

The Japanese star closed with an even-par 72 to finish at 11 under, two strokes in front of Cristie Kerr, ranked No. 1 going into the event, and Na Yeon Choi. Kerr shadowed Miayzato throughout the final round until hitting into the water on the par-4 18th on Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club’s Ghost Creek Course.

Kerr shot a 70, and Choi had a 71 in mostly sunny conditions on the rural course about a 20minute drive west of Portland. Rain fell briefly about the time that the leaders teed off.

Miyazato, who led all three rounds, is among five players who have been jockeying for the No. 1 ranking, including Kerr, Jiyai Shin, Suzann Pettersen and Yani Tseng.

The Safeway Classic, in its second year at Pumpkin Ridge, was marred Saturday when veteran Juli Inkster, in strong position to contend in the final round, was disqualified.

The 50-year-old Hall of Famer was used a weighted training aid on her club to stay loose while waiting for 30 minutes to make the turn at the 10th hole. That broke rule 14-3, which meant disqualification.

Miyazato and Kim, playing in the final pairing of the day, battled on the back nine holes after Kim pulled even with Miyazato with a jaw-dropping chip from under a tree to birdie the par-3 11th. But Kim dropped two shots with bogeys on

the 13th and 14th holes. Playing in the group in front of them, Kerr was steady _ but missed a chance to pull even with Miyazato by misjudging a 12-foot birdie putt on No. 17. Her chances slipped away with the shot into the water on the final hole.

“I just said to myself, ‘How could you do that?”‘ she said. Kerr won the Safeway Classic in 2008 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club near Portland International Airport. Pettersen (69) and Song-Hee Kim (72) finished at 8 under.

Tseng, who the Women’s British Open on Aug. 1 for her second major victory of the season and third in three years, finished the event at 2 over. M.J. Hur, the defending champion, was at 4 over and did not make the projected cut.

The Safeway Classic is her first and only title to date. Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Christina Kim were among those who also missed the cut. Inkster had finished in a three-way tie for second at 8 under with Kim and Choi after two rounds. But that was erased when she used the “doughnut” training aid to practice her swing before making the backed-up turn, and the image flashed on television.

LPGA Director of Tournament Competitions Sue Witters said a viewer watching the broadcast brought the violation to the attention of tournament officials via email. By that time, Inkster was almost finished with her round.

“I had a 30-minute wait and I needed to loosen up,” Inkster said in a statement. “It had no effect on my game whatsoever, but it is what it is. I’m very disappointed.”—AP

NORTH PLAINS: Ai Miyazato of Japan poses with the trophy after winning the Safeway Classic golf tournament after the final round of the LPGA tournament at Pumpkin Ridge. —AP

GREENSBORO: Arjun Atwal became the first Indian and just the sixth Asian-born player to win on the PGA Tour when he secured a one-stroke victory at the Wyndham Championship on Sunday.

Atwal joined Japanese trio Isao Aoki, Shigeki Maruyama and Ryuji Imada and South Koreans K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang in an elite but growing club of champions from world’s most populous continent.

The 37-year-old, who now lives in Florida, sank a pressure-packed seven-foot par putt at the final hole to edge American David Toms at Sedgefield.

His final round of 67 left him on 20-under 260, ignited by an opening day 61. Toms closed with a 64. “It was a long-time dream of mine to win out here but until it happens you keep doubting yourself and, believe me, I had my doubts teeing up today, even with a three-shot lead,” Atwal, who took up golf at the age of 14 in Calcutta, told reporters.

“Until you do it, you don’t know. My swing wasn’t feeling all that great today. It was a little tight (but) I just grinded it out and got it done somehow.”

Atwal believes his victory will resonate in his homeland.

“I’m pretty sure it’s going to be huge back home,” he said. “My in-laws called my wife yesterday and said the coverage was just unreal with me leading.

“I know there were a lot of people in India and Dubai that watched me play. I’ve had a lot of messages.” Atwal was part of what at one stage was a sevenway tie for the lead, but he went ahead with a birdie at the 16th and came to the par-four 18th knowing a par would win.

After driving into the rough, he deliberately lashed a utility club up against the skyboxes beyond the green from where he was granted a free drop.

He hit an adequate but not great chip but caught a lucky break when fellow competitor Scott McCarron had to putt first on the same line.

“That was huge,” Atwal said. “I was really nervous over that putt. It was the most nervous I’ve ever been in my entire life. My heart rate was probably 150 at the time.”

Atwal’s friend, Tiger Woods, sent a text message on Saturday night suggesting he try to finish on 21-under. In the end, Atwal came up one shot shy of that. Fast-finishing Toms birdied three of the final four holes for lone second place on 19-under, with Americans Justin Leonard, John Rollins and John Mallinger and Australian Michael Sim in a tie for third on 18-under.

Atwal, who did not even have exempt status on tour, only got into this event via a qualifier for four spots last Monday.

He became the first Monday qualifier to win on tour since 1986 and his rewards include $918,000, a two-year tour exemption and an invitation to next year’s Masters, a tournament he has never played.

“That will be awesome,” he said. “I was supposed to get in when I won the money list in Asia in 2003, because the No. 1 gets in from there, but they somehow gave it to the No. 2 guy, who was from China.

“That was weird. That was some kind of diplomatic relations thing going on that year.”

But Atwal is not exempt for the four-event FedEx Cup play-off series that starts on Thursday.

Not that he is too worried.

Instead, he will probably fly to Thailand to celebrate his fatherin-law’s birthday. — Reuters

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting

Ponting says India series important before Ashes COOLUM: With all the usual hype of the forthcoming Ashes series with England, Australia skipper Ricky Ponting and vice captain Michael Clarke are careful not to diminish the importance of a two-test series in India.

“We have to make sure we don’t get too Ashes-focussed,” Ponting said Monday at a team camp north of Brisbane. Australia plays on the subcontinent in Mohali beginning Oct. 1 and Bangalore from Oct. 9, along with three limited-overs matches later in the month at Kochi, Vishakapatnam and Goa. “It’s important to beat them, a rivalry is a rivalry, and they are the No. 1 team in the world,” Ponting added. “You have to judge yourself by them.”

Clarke also said it was important that his side stay focussed on the India series. “I know it’s the old cliche, but my experience

from test cricket is as soon as you take your eye off the ball, that rusty gate comes back and hits you in the face,” Clarke said.

“I think it’s really crucial ... playing India anywhere in the world is very tough, let alone playing them in their own conditions.”

Ponting admitted there has been animosity between the sides in the past.

“They’ve got a few prickly characters that have sort of got under our skin a little bit, but we have to get over all that stuff,” he said. “When things like that happen, it makes everyone else just want to beat them, there is more motivation. But really, it’s all buried, done and dusted.”

Ponting said any security concerns over playing in India will be handled by Cricket Australia and its staff. “We will rely on what the experts have to say and trust their judgment,” Ponting said, adding that a pre-tour visit will be conducted by security staff to

check out hotels and venues.

The Commonwealth Games will be held in New Delhi from Oct. 3-14. There have been heightened security concerns in India since terror attacks in 2008 left 166 people dead in Mumbai.

Clarke has mostly pleasant recollections of India, particularly Bangalore, where he played his first test for Australia on Oct. 6, 2004.

“Good memories ... scored 151,” Clarke said. “Not bad, I’ll take it.” Clarke went on to play a major part in his team’s 2-1 series victory, Australia’s first in India in over 30 years.

He remembers Bangalore as “one of the loudest places” he has toured. “We had a one-day match there and Ricky (Ponting) was five meters away, screaming at the top of his lungs,” Clarke said. “I couldn’t hear a word he was saying.” —AP

Flintoff eyes Queensland return LONDON: England’s Andrew Flintoff is aiming to return to action with Australian state side Queensland in January in a bid to revive his stalled cricket career.

The all-rounder, who quit Test cricket after England’s Ashes triumph last year because his injury-plagued body could no longer stand the strain, has not played for English county Lancashire this season following his latest bout of knee surgery.

Having written off this English campaign, the 32-yearold fast bowler and hard-hitting batsman hopes to make a comeback playing for Queensland in Australia’s domestic Twenty20 tournament, which coincides with England’s defence of the Ashes ‘Down Under’.

“I’m a bit frustrated,” Flintoff Sky Sports on Monday.

“I was meant to play for Lancashire over the past few weeks but seeing the physio and seeing where I’m at, I can’t run properly so it was decided that I probably shouldn’t start quite yet. “It’s just postponed a little bit so I’m back in the gym with the physio trying to get fit.

“There’s the option of playing in Queensland in January for them in the Twenty20, which I’d like to do. But more important is Lancashire next year.

“I’m not quite sure what is realistic at this moment in time. I’m still getting a few twinges in the knee and can’t move as well as I’d like to.”

At the time of his Test

Andrew Flintoff seen in this file photo retirement, Flintoff made it clear he still felt he had a role to play for England in limited overs international cricket.

But, in his absence, England won the World Twenty20 in the

Caribbean this year and his chances of helping his country to a first World Cup trophy in Asia next year appear to be fading fast.

“I think ability-wise I could

get in there,” Flintoff said of playing for England again. “But I’ll be 33 in December and it will be (a question of) have the side moved on? They can’t wait around for me forever.” — AFP

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

17

SPORTS

SINGAPORE: Gu Yuting of China returns a shot to Isabelle Li of Singapore during the women’s table tennis final at the Youth Olympic Games. Gu won the gold medal. —AP

SINGAPORE: Pauline Ducruet of Monaco competes in the women’s 3-meter springboard rounds at the Youth Olympic Games.—AP

US loses basketball bronze to Greece

SINGAPORE: The United States boys basketball team ended a disappointing run at the Youth Olympics yesterday by losing to Greece 34-24 in the bronze-medal game of a new 3-on-3 format. The Americans lost to Serbia on Sunday in the semifinals.

The Serbs defeated Croatia 22-9 to win the gold medal game. “We should have won,” said Sterling Gibbs, who led the Americans with 15 points. “We just didn’t play hard. I don’t know why.”

The inaugural Youth Olympics in Singapore features the debut of the halfcourt format in an international, multi-sport competition. Teams play two five-minute periods or until a team scores 33 points.

Players must take the ball past the 3-point line after a defensive rebound or made basket.

The International Olympic Committee is debuting several new formats at the Youth Games, including the basketball, a mixed

team triathlon relay and mixed swimming relays. IOC president Jacques Rogge, who watched the basketball competition, has said organizers haven’t decided yet whether the new format will be used at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

About 3,600 athletes aged 14 to 18 from 204 national Olympic committees are competing in 26 sports at the Youth Olympics from Aug 14-26.

United States boys basketball coach Eric

Flannery said the 3-on-3 format requires all players to be skilled dribblers, scorers and defenders.

“Ideally, you would have three guys that were 6-foot-4 to 6-foot-9 that could handle the ball and shoot it, and you have to have guys who can defend everybody,” Flannery said. “It’s a one-on-one type of game, a lot of isolations.”

Brandan Kearney added 10 points for the Americans while Angelo Chol, who was

born in Sudan and lives in San Diego, was held scoreless. Theodoros Tsiloulis led the Greeks with 16 points.

The girls team made sure the United States wasn’t shut out of basketball medals by defeating Canada 34-16 to win the bronze. Briyona Canty scored 15 points and Kiah Stokes had 10.

“It was tough at first because this is a new game that we’re playing competitively,” United States girls coach Kathy Richey-

Walton said. “There was a lot of trial and error.

“I’m excited that we medaled even though it’s not quite what we wanted.”

China defeated Australia 33-29 to win the girls gold medal game.

China leads the Youth Olympics with 28 gold medals and 48 overall. Russia is second with 16 golds and 40 overall. The United States has won only four gold medals and 21 overall.—AP

Rudisha eyes records and gold

LONG BEACH: Melissa Gorman of Australia swims during the women’s 10k open water final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. —AP

Jennings and Peterson give US perfect Pan Pacific finish LONG BEACH: The United States wrapped up a hugely successful Pan Pacific Championships with wins on Sunday by Christine Jennings and Chip Peterson in the 10km open water events at Long Beach Marine Stadium.

Jennings pulled away from fellow American Eva Fabian over the last 400 metres to touch first in the women’s race and Peterson held off compatriot Fran Crippen in a tight finish to claim the men’s title.

“It’s great to have Americans go onetwo,” a smiling Peterson told reporters.

“It’s absolutely amazing for us right now and hopefully will lead to a good showing for the US in Shanghai.”

Next year’s world championships take place in Shanghai. The Jennings-Peterson double gave the US a final tally of 28 gold medals from the five-day meet, well ahead of second-placed Australia who totalled just

six. Japan finished with three golds while Canada and Brazil earned two apiece.

With multiple Olympic gold medallists Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte among several US swimmers watching from the sidelines on Sunday, Jennings powered to victory in bright sunshine.

“To win here really means a lot,” a beaming Jennings said. “I have had so many people behind me and supporting me along the way. I can’t express how thankful I am to all of them.”

Pre-race favourite Chloe Sutton of the US was disqualified after receiving two yellow cards for pulling on turn buoys in the first 2km and again just beyond the midway point. Swimmers are not allowed to touch them.

“If that’s the case, I wasn’t the only one,” Sutton said. “I was never aggressive with anybody the entire race, but it’s not a big deal. I have already got a gold and a silver

medal this week and this race was just for fun.”

In the men’s race, Canada’s Richard Weinberger held the lead with 2km remaining but Peterson and Crippen then forged ahead and duelled for the title over the last 500 metres.

Crippen put on a late charge but Peterson responded to snatch the lead in the last 150 metres and held on for a nailbiting victory.

“I know Fran’s a great closer but it was a good race for me, especially coming down to such a close finish,” Peterson said after breaking into a huge smile and punching his right fist into the air.

“I was thinking if I can get in the lead here and break away a little bit and make some of those guys work that it would benefit me in the end.” The Pan Pacs, held every four years, attracted 336 competitors from 21 countries.—Reuters

LONG BEACH: Second place finisher Francis Crippen (left) poses with winner Chip Peterson (center) and third place finisher Richard Weinberger of Canada after the men’s 10k open water final at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.—AP

BERLIN: David Rudisha has hopes of improving his 800 metres world record before setting his sights on Olympic and world championship gold medals, the Kenyan told Reuters yesterday.

Rudisha broke the men’s 800 world record in Berlin on Sunday with a time of one minute 41.09 seconds, improving the mark held by Dane Wilson Kipketer since 1997 by two hundredths of a second.

“This year I want to maybe improve on my time a little bit more. Next year and the year after is all about winning at the world championships (in Daegu, South Korea) and the (2012 London) Olympics,” the 21-yearold said in a telephone interview.

Rudisha had planned to make an attempt on the record this year but initially wanted to do it at the world challenge meeting in Rieti, Italy, later this month.

“I was running well, training very hard but not expecting to break the world record yet. But then I told myself I must have an option,” the former world junior champion said.

“What if the weather in Rieti is not good, what will I do if it rains. I wanted to try once before Rieti and it worked.” In Berlin, Rudisha told pacemaker Sammy Tangui to run a sub-49 second first lap, before blasting through the final 400 metres.

“It was under 49. That was my plan. I wanted to close with 49 and open my stride in the home straight. I wanted 1 minute 14 in 600 metres,” he said. He indeed ran 600 in 1.14:54, in front of over 47,000 cheering spectators in the Olympic stadium.

Rudisha, born in Kenya’s Rift Valley that has nurtured countless world class runners, said his background, running the 400 metres, had helped push him through a speedy first lap on Sunday.

His father, Daniel Rudisha, was a member of the 4x400 Olympic silver-winning relay team in Mexico City in 1968. It was also fitting that Rudisha broke the world record on Berlin’s iconic deep blue track.

Almost a year ago he suffered the biggest disappointment of his young career there when he failed to make the 800 final at the world athletics championships.

Kenyan-born Kipketer was not surprised to see his record broken. “I was not a bit surprised to hear the news. David has been running well all this year and even last year, and I thought he could do it one day,” Kipketer told reporters in Singapore.

“This is one step for Rudisha to becoming a big man in athletics. Let’s see if he can now win a world championship or an Olympic gold medal,” said threetimes world champion Kipketer, who never won Olympic gold.

Rudisha said he had not yet spoken to Kipketer. “I think I will get in touch. Actually I think he was a little surprised but this is the world of athletics. I know maybe he was expecting this record to stand for a while,” said Rudisha.—Reuters

BERLIN: David Rudisha of Kenya runs to win the Men’s 800 meters during the ISTAF Athletics Meeting in Berlin in this file photo. —AP

Farah and Ohuruogu lead England at C’wealth Games LONDON: European long-distance double champion Mo Farah was chosen yesterday as a member of England’s track and field team for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. The 27year-old Farah, who was born in Somalia but grew up in England, won both the 5,000 and 10,000 meters in Barcelona last month at the European Championships.

“After an amazing season, two gold medals in the European Championships and a new British 5000-meter record, I hope to finish a fantastic summer season with another good performance in India,” Farah said in a statement.

Christine Ohuruogu, who won Olympic gold in the 400 in Beijing, was also chosen for the team.

Ohuruogu, who missed the European Championships after sitting out the trials because of a thigh injury, also won the 400 at the 2007 world championships in Osaka, Japan — just weeks after completing a one-year ban for missing three out-of-competition doping tests between October 2005 and July 2006.

Phillips Idowu, Lisa Dobriskey and Marlon Devonish are also in the England team, which includes 13 European Championships medalists from Barcelona on the 100-person squad.

“We are confident that we have assembled an accomplished athletics team which is well-balanced, extremely competitive and comprises an exciting blend of experience with the talent of youth,” Commonwealth Games England athletics team leader John Brierley said.

England’s top track and field athlete will skip the event in India, which runs from Oct. 3-14, however. World heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis opted out of the Commonwealth Games because it clashed with her training schedule.

“I sat down with my coach and we decided the Commonwealth Games isn’t a good option this year,” Ennis said early this year. “October is a difficult time to peak ... and October is when I begin my winter training.” Sprinter Dwain Chambers, the 60-meter indoor world champion and fifth in the 100 at the Europeans, was also left off the team.

Mark Lewis-Francis is the only Englishman slated to run the 100 in New Delhi. At the last Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006, England won 18 medals in track and field, including six gold. Ennis earned bronze in the heptathlon, while England teammate Kelly Sotherton won gold.

Farah is fast emerging as a star as well. He won the 3,000 at the European Indoor Championships last year in Turin, and took silver at the European Cross-Country Championships in Brussels in 2008 _ two years after winning the event in Italy. Against world competition, however, Farah still has some work to do. He finished seventh in the 5,000 at the 2009 world championships in Berlin, and although he set a British record in the 5,000 last week at the Weltklasse in Zurich, he still finished fifth in 12 minutes, 57.94 seconds.—AP

18

SPORTS

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Federer reels in Fish to end title drought

PARIS: Dan Lin of China plays a shot against Ali Shahhosseini of Iran during the World Badminton Championships.—AP

Favorites Lin and Lee win openers at worlds

PARIS: Defending champion Lin Dan of China and top-seeded Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia won in straight sets yesterday to advance to the second round of the badminton world championships.

Third-seeded Lin beat Ali Shahhosseini of Iran 21-4, 21-10, while Lee cruised past Kevin Cordon of Guatemala 21-7, 21-11.

Lin seemed on his way to an easy victory after the first set but Shahhosseini fought back in the second and held Lin at 7-7 before the three-time world champion won eight straight points.

Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia, Bao Chunlai of China, Misha Zilberman of Israel and Park Sung Hwan of South Korea also moved into the next round.

Former world champion Hidayat defeated Ola Fagbemi of Nigeria 21-10, 21-10, while the 10th-seeded Bao beat Chan Yan Kit of Hong Kong 21-11, 21-17.

The 13th-seeded Park ousted Derek Wong of Singapore 21-9, 21-18, and Zilberman had a walkover as the sixthseeded Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia withdrew because of a back injury.

Lin and Lee are the favorites at the championships. Lin is the only player in badminton history to have won three straight world titles but Lee, chasing his first world title, hopes to end Lin’s dominance.

Lee will next face compatriot Muhammad Hafiz Hashim who beat Tan Yuhan of Belgium 21-13, 21-15. Lee leads 5-2 on head-to-head and has won their last four matches.

Hidayat spent only 24 minutes on court but was not happy about his performance against the 122nd-ranked Fagbemi. “It was not really good,” the fifth-seeded Hidayat said about his match.

“It’s like this guy can win today. I hope I play better in the next game.”

In the women’s singles, Linda Zechiri of Bulgaria had a walkover after ninthseeded Zhou Mi of Hong Kong pulled out because of a right knee injury.

The 12th-seeded Yip Pui Yin of Hong Kong and 13th-seeded Ella Diehl of Russia also reached the second round.

Yip beat Frenchwoman Perrine Lebuhanic 21-18, 21-11, and Diehl defeated Jeanine Cicognini of Switzerland 2115, 21-15.

Neither reigning world champion Lu Lan nor world runner-up Xie Xingfang are representing China at this event.

Meanwhile, Danish veteran Peter Gade is feeling relaxed despite once again carrying the burden of Europe’s title hopes at the badminton world championships. “I know I’m going to be the main player from Europe to do something,” the reigning European champion said Sunday. “And I know that pressure.

It’s been like that for many years. It’s not something new for me.”

No European has won the men’s world title since Peter Rasmussen of Denmark in 1997. But that doesn’t deter Gade. “I still have a gold medal to chase,” Gade said. “I’m here in a very good form. I’ve shown in the past years that on a good day I’m able to beat anybody.” Gade is the only European ranked in the top 10 and the last player to have defeated world champion Lin Dan of China.

The No.2 seed was helped somewhat by the draw as Lin and top-ranked Lee Chong Wei of Malaysia share the top half of the bracket.

“I was hoping Lin Dan for once would be in the other half,” Gade said. “Of course, in the semifinals, I’d rather meet

one of the other players than Lin Dan.” Gade got more good news on Sunday when the event’s organizers announced the withdrawal of Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia because of a sore back.

The sixth-seeded Kuncoro won the bronze medal at last year’s worlds in Hyderabad, India.

“With Kuncoro’s withdrawal, some things have opened up in the bottom half of the draw,” Gade said. “A lot of things can happen at the worlds, you never know. “I see myself in a group of three or four players who, on a good day, can beat Lin Dan or Lee Chong Wei.” Gade will play Daniel Paiola of Brazil in the first round and feels confident in his fitness.

“My preparation has been going on for the past two months. Focusing every day for the past two months has been really hard but also very good for me.

“I’ve been trying to add a few percent here and there because I know if I want to do well in this event, then I have to play at my utmost best and maybe even a bit better.” In the women’s singles, the 20year-old Saina Nehwal of India is in the midst of a breakthrough season, but is feeling more pressure than Gade.

“This is the best year for me so far,” Nehwal said. “Until this month I’ve been performing really well.” Yet her sudden success also brought “a lot of pressure and expectations.” “I just don’t want to feel the pressure right now,” Nehwal said. The second-seeded Nehwal will try to break the dominance of China, which has won the last six world titles.

Nehwal got a bye into the second round where she will face Chen Hsiao-huan of Taiwan. Nehwal has a 2-0 record against Chen. —AP

MASON: Roger Federer ended a seven-month title drought with a 6-7 7-6 6-4 win over American Mardy Fish in the Cincinnati Masters final on Sunday to send a timely reminder of his class just a week before the US Open.

Federer captured his 63rd title in his 90th final and his victory was his fourth at Cincinnati since his first win in the tournament in 2005.

But having failed to win a title since his record 16th grand slam win at the Australian Open in January, a run which included defeat to Andy Murray in the final at Toronto last week, the Swiss needed this boost.

“I’ve been playing well the last couple weeks, and today was just another proof that I’m playing really well,” he told reporters.

“It’s nice knowing that the hard work already in the off season after Wimbledon paid off right away. I know it’s not all (about) work from there but I’ve been committed to this sport for many years. I think when you do that and give yourself chances over and over again, you’ll break through by winning tournaments again.

“I came close a couple times earlier in the season.

Should have won Halle, I felt.

Could have won Madrid, but things didn’t really work my way.

“I was maybe playing a little bit too passive. Now I’m taking it more to the opponents again. I’m happy that that’s the right game plan right now,” he added.

Fish enhanced his growing reputation as a threat on the hard court with a display that bodes well for his chances at Flushing Meadows and his recent run, including wins at Newport and Atlanta, takes him up to 21st in the world.

There was nothing to choose between the pair in a tight opening set which Fish won on a tiebreak but the momentum shifted in the second set when Federer, facing defeat, raised his game a notch to run out a 7-1 winner in another tiebreak.

Fish maintained his focus on continued to serve and return well but Federer produced the first break of the match to go 5-4 up and then kept serve to win.

Andre Agassi, in Miami eight years ago, remains the only American to have beaten Federer in the 15 finals where he has taken on a U.S player.

The latest triumph came after just three hours and 25 minutes of tennis in the tournament before the final, thanks to a first round bye, a retirement by his second round opponent and a third round walkover.

But it was not fitness that proved the difference Sunday for Federer, wearing his pink shirt for the final time. “He’s a true champion, the greatest of all time,” said Fish on court.

While there has been much talk of Federer being in decline, his confidence would indicate he has plenty left to give yet.

“I thought today was just a really close match that went my way. I had huge belief that I was going to win today from the first point until the end.

That sometimes can make a bit of a difference,” said the world number two.

“I was positive all the way through because I felt I was playing well, even though I lost the first set. So I never got down on myself and doubted myself. I think that reflected in the game”.—AP

MASON: Mardy Fish from Tampa (left) and Roger Federer from Switzerland pose with their trophies after Federer defeated Fish 6-7 (5), 7-6 (1), 6-4 in the championship match at the Cincinnati Masters tennis tournament. —AP

Caroline, Zvonareva to play in Rogers Cup final MONTREAL: Caroline Wozniacki and Vera Zvonareva will play in the final of the rain-delayed Rogers Cup. The second-seeded Wozniacki beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-3 yesterday.

The eighth-seeded Zvonareva advanced when her opponent, 10th-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, retired with a blister on her left foot.

Zvonareva led 7-6 (6), 1-0.

Wozniacki and the 11th-seeded Kuznetsova completed a semifinal that began Saturday but was cut short due to relentless rain that wiped out nearly all weekend matches and forced the tournament to be extended an extra day. The Dane began the day with a 2-0, 0-15 lead over her Russian opponent.

Azarenka wasted a set point early in the second semifinal. She called for the trainer after dropping the opening game of the second set. She tried to walk on the foot, but immediately sat back down. She said the injury was not severe enough to keep her out of the US Open.

“It’s just one of those things you can’t do anything about,” said Azarenka, who was in tears as she spoke to reporters after the match. “I tried to deal with it, but I couldn’t continue.” The final is scheduled for 1730 GMT. Meanwhile, defending champion Maria Sharapova will return to Tokyo next month, spearheading the star-studded Pan Pacific Open women’s tennis tournament, organisers said yes-

terday.

Twenty-seven players out of the current world top 30 will take part in the two-million-dollar hard court tournament from September 26 to October 2, with only Kim Clijsters, Venus Williams and Justine Henin missing.

Sharapova captured her first WTA singles and doubles titles at the 2003 Japan Open, and also won her first professional title on the ITF Circuit series in Gunma, north of Tokyo, a year earlier.

The Russian has won four titles in Tokyo out of her 22 WTA titles, including the Japan Open twice and the 2005 Pan Pacific.

Last year, Sharapova put an end to a long layoff caused by a shoulder injury by winning her first title since Amelia Island in April 2008, beating Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the final.

Along side world number one Serena Williams, the singles field includes former Pan Pacific champions Elena Dementieva of Russia, the Beijing Olympic gold medallist who won here in 2006.

Other former champions are Japan’s Kimiko Date Krumm, the winner in 1995, and Dinara Safina of Russia, the winner in 2008. Both picked up a wild card. Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic and Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria, who caused a sensation by reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon, will make their Japan debuts. — Agencies

MONTREAL: Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark kicks a soccer ball to Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia during a break in play in their semifinal match at the Rogers Cup tennis tournament.—AP

Pakistan bans athletes for doping

PARIS: Ali Shahhosseini of Iran plays a shot against Dan Lin of China during the World Badminton Championships.—AP

LAHORE: Pakistan has banned seven top athletes for two years over doping offences just two months ahead of the Commonwealth Games, an official said yesterday. The athletes tested positive for banned steroids at the national championships last month.

They were named as javelin thrower Mohammad Imran, shot putter Mohammad Waseem, high jumper Rozina Shafqat, sprinter Nadia Nazir, distance runner Shagufta Naureen, pole vaulter

Zahra Razzak and 200-metre specialist Asif Javed.

Pakistan Athletics Federation (PAF) secretary Khalid Mahmood said the athletes were entitled to appeal. “All the athletes failed dope tests and it’s disappointing for us,” Mahmood told AFP. “I won’t say they were medal prospects in the Commonwealth Games or in the Asian Games but the case hurts Pakistan’s image,” he said.

Only Imran was due to participate in

the Commonwealth Games, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from October 3-14.

He will now be replaced.

The latest bans come a month after the PAF banned female sprinters Sadaf Siddique and Javeria Hassan for two years on doping offenses.

Local media reports suggested that the Pakistan Olympic Association may not send any athletes to the Commonwealth Games after the new doping cases.—AFP

19

SPORTS

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Late Ciani goal gives Bordeaux first win

SPAIN: Sporting Braga’s players during a training session at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Seville.

Sevilla will play against Sporting Braga in a Champions League play-off round soccer match today. —AP

Spurs, Sampdoria look to overturn first leg deficits LONDON: Tottenham and Sampdoria have first-leg deficits to overturn in the Champions League playoffs as they look to advance to the tournament’s group stages for the first time.

Spurs’ hopes of progression were severely dented when they conceded three goals to Young Boys inside 30 minutes of the opening leg in Switzerland, but Sebastien Bassong and Roman Pavlyuchenko replied for the English side as the match finished 3-2.

Italy’s Sampdoria, which lost the 1992 European Cup final to Barcelona, but hasn’t played in the revamped Champions League, was beaten 3-1 by Werder Bremen in the first leg.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp called his side’s first-leg result a “great defeat” and is grateful to still have a chance of going through at the expense of Young Boys, which eliminated Fenerbahce in the previous round.

“It will be a difficult game at White

Hart Lane but it will be a great atmosphere, a big European night and it is a game we have to win now,” Redknapp said. “We have to be up for it and see if we can get the result.”

Spurs, looking to join fellow English sides Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal in the group stages, have problems in attack with Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Pavlyuchenko all struggling with injury. The London side hasn’t competed in Europe’s premier knockout competition since the 1961-62 European Cup. Four-time European champion Ajax is level at 1-1 with Dynamo Kiev heading into the second leg in Amsterdam on Wednesday but coach Martin Jol is confident his side will progress. “Things have to get a bit crazy for us not to go through.

If we keep a cool head, we have what it takes,” Jol said. “We’re playing in a full ArenA, which we’ll call ‘Amsterdam’s Hell.”‘ In Wednesday’s other second legs, Russia’s Zenit St. Petersburg travels to

French side Auxerre with a 1-0 cushion, Rosenborg of Norway visits FC Copenhagen with a 2-1 lead and Slovakia’s MSK Zilina is heavy favorite after winning 2-0 at Sparta Prague in the first leg.

Stefano Lucchini will be suspended for Sampdoria against Bremen in Genoa on Tuesday after he was sent off in the first leg for picking up two yellow cards.

Spanish side Sevilla, which won backto-back UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007, is behind 1-0 in its two-legged series with Braga of Portugal, while Belgian team Anderlecht and Partizan Belgrade are level at 2-2 after the first match in Croatia, Basle of Switzerland is 1-0 ahead after its home leg against Moldovia’s FC Sheriff Tiraspol and Hapoel Tel-Aviv has a 3-2 advantage from the first match at Red Bull Salzburg.

The 10 teams who qualify from the playoffs earn a minimum §7 million ($9.24 million) in prize money for reaching the group stage. —AP

PARIS: A goal by Michael Ciani deep in added time gave Girondins Bordeaux a 2-1 win at Paris St Germain and their first points in the Ligue 1 season on Sunday.

The 2009 champions, who had lost their first two games, needed a late header from a corner by central defender Ciani to win a lively contest at Parc des Princes.

Bordeaux opened the scoring against the run of play with a headed goal by France midfielder Alou Diarra, also from a corner, on 67 minutes.

PSG, who have struggled in the past few years but started the campaign in convincing fashion, had levelled courtesy of a goal from close range by forward Guillaume Hoarau 14 minutes from time.

New Girondins coach Jean Tigana left Yoann Gourcuff out of his starting lineup, suggesting the France playmaker could soon be leaving the club.

Gourcuff, who has asked for a move according to French media, came on for the last 16 minutes and kicked the corner from which Ciani headed the winner.

Bordeaux suffered at times against PSG but looked much stronger than in their first two outings, partly because goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso, who made a few spectacular saves, and Ciani were back from suspensions.

PSG players felt frustrated as they had looked to be the more dangerous side.

“We offered them presents with defensive errors and also by being clumsy up front,” Hoarau told reporters. “If you do those things, you can’t expect to win. We have plenty to work on.”

Bordeaux, by contrast, breathed a sigh of relief. “We needed that,” Carrasso told reporters.

“Everybody fought for it and that was the key.”

Promoted Caen dropped down a gear after a stunning start when they were held to a goalless draw at Montpellier earlier on Sunday.

The side from Normandy, who had started their campaign in style with wins over Olympique Marseille and Olympique Lyon, showed little initiative in a game played in stifling heat and the best chances went to Montpellier.

Caen stay second but fall two points behind surprise early leaders Toulouse, the only team on maximum points after three games.

PSG drop to seventh, five points off the pace, while Bordeaux move up to 17th in the 20-strong league. — Reuters

FRANCE: Montpellier’s midfielder Marco Estrada controls the ball during the French League football match Montpellier against Caen at the Mosson stadium. —AFP

Pumas defeat Puebla 4-1 MEXICO CITY: Juan Carlos Cacho and Paraguayan Dante Lopez scored two goals each as the UNAM Pumas defeated Puebla 4-1 on Sunday in the fifth round of the Mexican Apertura.

Also Sunday, America won for the first time in three matches with an 1-0 victory over Queretaro and Morelia defeated Necaxa 1-0.

Cacho, who last scored in the third round of last season, found the net in the 70th and 79th minutes. Lopez scored in the 26th and 89th minutes for the

Pumas, who leaped to nine points in Group 3.

“I am very happy with the goals, I never lost my confidence and it was just a matter of time to break the bad streak,” said Cacho, who scored twice in a match for the first time since August 2008. Lopez scored twice last year against Queretaro.

Orlando Rincon got the lone goal for Puebla in the 65th. In Morelia, Rafael Marquez came off the bench to score the winner off a cross from Chilean

midfielder Hugo Droguett.

Marquez, who came into the match in the 70th as a substitute for Luis Noriega, got his goal after just five minutes on the field. In the round’s final match, Argentine midfielder Daniel Montenegro scored in the 46th minute to give America its second win of the season to lead Group 2 in eight points.

In Saturdays matches it was: Jaguares 2, Cruz Azul 3; Pachuca 2, Monterrey 2; Tigres 1, Santos 0; Atlas 0, Toluca 1; Atlante 2, Chivas 1. — AP

MEXICO CITY: Pumas’ Marco Palacios (left) fights for the ball with Puebla’s Mario Ortiz at a Mexican soccer league match. — AP

Fluminense held by Vasco

PORTUGAL: FC Porto’s Fernando Belluschi (right) from Argentina challenges Beira-Mar’s Wilson Eduardo, with FC Porto coach Andre Villas Boas ( left) during a Portuguese League soccer match. —AP

Porto and Nacional go top LISBON: Porto beat newlypromoted Beira Mar 3-0 at home on Sunday to go top of the Portuguese Premier League alongside Nacional, who stunned champions Benfica 2-1 on Saturday.

Colombian striker Radamel Falcao opened the scoring for

Porto with a headed goal on 25 minutes and Argentine midfielder Fernando Belluschi doubled the lead with a free kick just before halftime.

Falcao netted again the in the 81st minute after combining neatly with substitute Ruben Micael. Benfica, who suffered

a home loss to Academica on the opening day of the league, continued their poor run of form with the defeat against Madeira club Nacional.

Luis Augusto headed in on 50 minutes to give Nacional the lead. The midfielder was also involved in the second

goal, his 66th minute header hitting the bar and falling for Orlando Sa to tap in.

Sporting’s Chilean midfielder Matias Fernandez converted a late penalty to give his side a 1-0 home win against Maritimo and notch their first three points. — Reuters

SAO PAULO: League leader Fluminense was held to a 2-2 draw by rival Vasco da Gama in Deco’s return to Brazilian football on Sunday.

The result in front of 80,000 fans at Maracana stadium cut Fluminense’s lead to two points after second-place Corinthians remained unbeaten against Sao Paulo in more than three years with a 3-0 win.

Also Sunday, young striker Neymar scored one goal and set up another in his first match since rejecting a multimillion euro offer from Chelsea, helping Santos beat Vanderlei Luxemburgo’s Atletico Mineiro 2-0, and Chile playmaker Jorge Valdivia made his return to Palmeiras in a 0-0 draw with Guarani.

Defender Gum opened the scoring for Fluminense with a seventh-minute header, but Vasco _ which had won two in a row _ rallied with goals by striker Eder Luis in the 38th and defender Fagner in the 58th.

Left back Julio Cesar took advantage of a sequence of mistakes by Vasco defenders to score from close range in the 60th, extending Fluminense’s unbeaten streak to 12 matches.

Deco came off the bench in the 75th and had a chance to score what could’ve been the winner in the 87th, but his shot from in front of the goal went over the crossbar.

The Brazil-born playmaker left Chelsea to sign a two-year contract with the Rio de Janeiro club to fulfill a longtime dream to return after 13 years in Europe. He had played only two matches with Corinthians before mov-

ing to Benfica and eventually FC Porto in Portugal. He then excelled with Barcelona and ultimately Chelsea.

A member of the Portuguese national team until retiring from the squad after the 2010 World Cup, Deco was Fluminense’s top signing as it tries to win its first Brazilian championship since 1984. Led by three-time Brazilian champion Muricy Ramalho, Fluminense has 33 points from 15 rounds.

Four-time champion Corinthians moved closer with a pair of first-half goals by midfielder Elias at Pacaembu stadium. Brazil midfielder Jucilei added the third in the second half to keep Sao Paulo winless from three matches and near the relegation zone with only 17 points.

Sao Paulo hasn’t beaten Corinthians in 10 matches, since 2007.

At Vila Belmiro stadium, Neymar scored on a penalty kick in the 58th and sent a perfect through ball for Danilo’s goal in the 79th to help Santos beat Atletico Mineiro 2-0 just three days after rejecting a euro 35 million offer from Chelsea and extending his contract with the Brazilian club until 2015.

The 18-year-old striker on Thursday decided to stay with Santos instead of moving to the Premier League even though his agent said Chelsea was willing to cover his buyout clause, which under the new contract was increased in euro 10 million to euro 45 million.

Neymar is one of the most talkedabout players in Brazilian football in recent years. He made his debut in the Brazilian national team earlier this month, scoring a goal in Brazil’s 2-0

win over the United States in a friendly in New Jersey.Luxemburgo’s Atletico Mineiro dropped to the relegation zone with its 10th loss in 15 matches. Chile star Valdivia, in his first match since rejoining Palmeiras after playing nearly two years in the United Arab Emirates, came off the bench at halftime but was not able to help Luiz Felipe Scolari’s team win its third in a row.

The four-time national champion, which played a man down from the 75th after a sending off, is only 12th in the standings, 13 points off the lead.

Four days after winning the Copa Libertadores, Internacional’s secondstringers were held to a 1-1 draw with last-place Atletico Goianiense in Porto Alegre, while defending champion Flamengo fell 1-0 to Atletico Paranaense in Curitiba to drop to 10th on the table.

On Saturday, Botafogo reached third place with 24 points by beating fifthplace Avai 1-0 in front of about 35,000 fans at Engenhao stadium in Rio. It was the fourth consecutive victory for the team led by former South Africa coach Joel Santana.

In Fortaleza, fourth-place Ceara scored a late goal in a 2-1 victory against struggling two-time national champion Gremio, which also is in the relegation zone. The bottom four clubs are demoted.

Prudente, which had three points deducted from its total for illegally using a player without proper documentation, rebounded by beating second-tolast-place Goias 2-1 in Goiania. Goias missed a penalty in the 89th. — AP

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FIFA in England to assess World Cup bid LONDON: FIFA inspectors began a fourday visit to inspect England’s 2018 World Cup bid yesterday, with the campaign boosted by encouraging words from FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

A six-man FIFA inspection team was greeted by Britain’s Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg at Downing Street and was to meet England manager Fabio Capello before taking a tour of Wembley Stadium.

The team will also assess facilities and stadiums in Manchester, Sunderland and Newcastle this week. England face a tough battle in the bid to stage football’s premier tournament for the first time

since 1966, with Russia considered to be the front-runner.

England’s hopes of staging the tournament were boosted when Blatter, who has already praised Russia’s bid, said it would be “easy” to hold the competition in England. He told the insideworldfootball website from Singapore: “The easiest way to organise the World Cup is to go to England. “Everything is there-fans, stadiums, infrastructure-it’s easy.”

At their Downing Street welcome, Clegg told the FIFA team that the new coalition government would “continue to back to the hilt the 2018 bid”.

“I believe this is an exceptionally

strong, unbeatable bid. We in this government believe in it, we hope that you will believe in it,” he said. “We already have the infrastructure and facilities to host the World Cup. “There really are very few nations that can claim the same passion that we have in England for the game of football. Andy Anson, the bid’s chief executive, said England could deliver “the most spectacular and the most successful World Cup ever. “Over the next four days, we will show you that as a nation, in terms of football, this is one of the most passionate and diverse in the world.

“The combination of our passion for

football, our technical excellence, our hosting experience, our established infrastructure and our commercial strength means that FIFA can be confident that we will deliver operational certainty, financial success and a fantastic and memorable tournament.”

The absence of Prime Minister David Cameron from the greeting committee has raised eyebrows-he is on a family holiday. But Cameron has spoken by telephone to Blatter, who urged him to take his holiday, Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said. “I’m not at all concerned because further down the line when they come to make this decision we are going

to have David Cameron there and a series of other people who won’t be meeting to meet the technical team that’s here to look at our facilities,” Robertson told the BBC. Robertson said the fact London had been awarded the 2012 Olympic Games was a huge plus point in favour of England’s bid to stage the World Cup. He added that a report by leading global accountancy firm PWC estimated staging the World Cup would be worth three billion pounds (4.7 billion dollars, 3.7 billion euros) to Britain’s economy.

Last week the six-man FIFA inspection team, headed by Chile’s Harold

Mayne-Nicholls, visited Russia and, concerningly for those in England worried by Cameron’s absence this week, highlighted the importance of their meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

“He gave us clear government guarantees in support of the bid to host the World Cup,” Mayne-Nicholls said.

England is also competing with the United States, and joint bids from Spain and Portugal, and Holland and Belgium to host the 2018 tournament.

The winning bids for the 2018 and the 2022 World Cup will be revealed on December 2. The 2014 tournament will be held in Brazil. —AFP

US down Spain in warm-up thriller

MADRID: United States’ Russell Westbrook (center) vies for the ball with Spain’s Fran Vazquez (right) and Juan Carlos Navarro (left) during a friendly basketball game in Madrid. —AP

Mystics shatter Dream ATLANTA: Monique Currie scored 20 points, and Crystal Langhorne had 18 points and 11 rebounds as the Washington Mystics captured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a 90-81 win over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday.

The victory was the sixth straight for the Mystics (22-12), who will face the fourth-place Dream (19-15) in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Atlanta lost six of its final seven games and was 1-3 against Washington during the regular season.

Angel McCoughtry scored 19 points, Sancho Lyttle had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Coco Miller scored 14 points for the Dream, who trailed 74-51 going into the final quarter before mounting a rally.

Washington went into the final day in a threeway tie with New York Liberty and Indiana Fever for first place in the East. The Mystics were guaranteed the top spot with a victory because they won the season series with the Liberty and owned a tiebreaker over the Fever.

Silver Stars 83, Mercury 82 At San Antonio, Sophia Young completed a three-point play with 0.9 seconds left to give San Antonio a win in a preview of its first-round playoff series against Phoenix.

After Phoenix’s DeWanna Bonner hit two free throws with 2.6 seconds to play, Young made a layup and was fouled by Bonner. Young made the free throw, and Phoenix turned the ball over on its inbound pass to end the game.

WNBA scoring leader Diana Taurasi sat out for the second straight game for Phoenix to rest for the playoffs. Mercury coach Corey Gaines also held out forward Penny Taylor and greatly limited the other regulars’ minutes. Michelle Snow had 22 points for the Silver Stars (14-20). Bonner led the Mercury (15-19) with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Lynx 83, Fever 79 At Indianapolis, Seimone Augustus scored 25 points for Minnesota, which barely missed the playoffs. Charde Houston and Lindsay Whalen added 16 points each for the Lynx.

Tamika Catchings had 17 points and a seasonhigh 14 rebounds and Tammy Sutton-Brown added 16 points for Indiana, which could have earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, but ended up in third place after Washington and New York won earlier in the day.

Indiana will play New York in the first round.

Minnesota overcame a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime after Monica Wright scored on a putback with 18.5 seconds left to tie the game at 74.

Liberty 88, Sun 87 At New York, Cappie Pondexter scored six of her 31 points in overtime to give New York the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Nicole Powell scored 14 points for New York (22-12), which set a franchise record for victories.

Tina Charles had 21 points and 13 rebounds, Sandrine Gruda scored 18 points and Renee Montgomery had 17 for the Sun (17-17).

Kara Lawson added 15 points, and Charles extended her WNBA record for double-doubles to 22. Washington, New York and Indiana began the day in a three-way tie for first place in the East.

The Mystics secured the conference’s No. 1 seed with a 90-81 win at Atlanta. The Fever played later at Minnesota, but is locked in the third spot because New York held the tiebreaker. — AP

Monique Currie of Mystics in action against Dream

MADRID: The United States survived a spirited comeback from world champions Spain to win 86-85 in thrilling a warmup game on Sunday, sending out a warning to their rivals ahead of the world championships.

The Olympic gold medallists have set out for Turkey with a side shorn of big names such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade who starred in Beijing.

But the young replacements showed their mettle in a hostile Madrid against a more experienced side, who narrowly lost out on gold in China.

Guard Kevin Durant led the way with game-high 25 points and eight rebounds, closely supported by Derrick Rose and Lamar Odom who sank 13 and 12 points apiece.

Juan Carlos Navarro topped the scoring for the hosts with 20 points backed by Marc Gasol and Felipe Reyes who notched 17 and 16 each.

“It was a great game and a great crowd. Two excellent teams who played to their max,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewsky told reporters.

“Fortunately we had one more play than them. I feel lucky to have won. We started with a different line up and that was really what we wanted tonight, to take a better look at our players.”

Spain perhaps missed the influence of Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, who was watching from the stands after ruling himself out of the trip to Turkey.

The MVP from the last world championships was sitting just behind the world’s most expensive soccer player, Portugal and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo in the packed arena.

The US labored past Lithuania 77-61 on Saturday, a side Spain swept aside 94-75 the day before, but they were much quicker into their game, aggressively closing down their hosts and preventing them from scoring until almost the five minute mark.

Durant and Rose spearheaded their charge to a 23-16 first period lead as Spain’s passes were as wayward as their shooting, and the visitors extended the lead to 12 at the break. Navarro took Spain to within two points at 55-53 midway through the third as the locals threatened a comeback, but Durant sank a breakaway at the end of the third to restore an 11-point advantage going into the final period.

Once again Spain came back though with Ricky Rubio and Navarro at the helm, the latter drawing them level at 80 apiece with two minutes to go.

But Rose held his nerve amidst a raucous local crowd to take the game from the freethrow line in the final seconds.

“This has been a great experience for us against one of the best teams in the world,” game MVP Durrant told reporters. “I’m pleased with my contribution... and the way the team stuck together.”

The US have one more tune-up game against Greece in Athens on Wednesday before the world championships get underway in Turkey on Aug. 28. —Reuters

SONOMA: IndyCar driver Will Power of Australia leads Scott Dixon of New Zealand in the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma, at Infineon Raceway. — AP

Power speeds to victory

SONOMA: Australia’s Will Power won at the track he had to be airlifted from a year ago, extending his IndyCar Series lead with a dominating run Sunday at Infineon Raceway.

Power never made it to race day in 2009, his weekend and season over with a practice session crash that left him with a broken back.

“Unbelievable. I watched this race from a hospital bed last year,” Power said. “I said it all year, I’m coming back to win this because I thought this track owes me because of what happened.”

The Team Penske driver never showed any sign of fear in his return to Sonoma.

Power set an IndyCar record with his eighth pole of 2010 on Saturday and led 73 of 75 laps over the technicallydemanding 2.3-mile (3.7-kilometer) circuit through the hills of the California wine country.

Power pushed his series lead to 59 points over Scotland’s Dario Franchitti, who finished third behind Scott Dixon of New Zealand.

Ryan Briscoe was fourth.

“It’s a fairly large deficit, but it’s four tracks we’ve run well on,” said Franchitti.

“There’s places we’ve done very well at. I don’t underestimate the challenge.

Will’s going to be very strong.

A lot of people are kind of writing him off because of his lack of experience on the ovals, but I think he’ll be up there. We just have to do a better job.” Power’s previous memories of Sonoma weren’t so good.

Driving in a practice session last year, the Aussie came flying over a hill and didn’t have time to react to Nelson Philippe’s stalled car.

Power hit him straight on and had to be airlifted from the track, his back and teeth broken, the season over.

Team Penske stuck with Power through his long rehabilitation and he’s rewarded the loyalty with an impressive third IndyCar season.

The 29-year-old Power came into Sonoma with the inaugural IndyCar Series road course championship locked up thanks to four non-oval victories and had built a 41point lead over Franchitti, the defending series champion.

Power found speed when he needed it in knockout qualifying, sneaking out of the second round with a fast last lap, then locking up his record-breaking pole with another quick turn around the hard-to-find speed course late

in the final session.

He really wanted a win at Sonoma, in part because of last year’s accident, but also because he’d like to build a little points cushion with the season’s final four races all on ovals.

It’s not that Power can’t drive ovals. He’s been picking up the nuances of turn-leftonly racing, finishing eighth at Indy and fif th at Iowa.

Franchitti, though, is a goingin-circles vet, with two Indianapolis 500 titles under the hood, so the more padding Power can get going into

those final races, the better.

Power got just what he wanted, racing off from the green and building a nearly 6 second lead before Milka Duno caused a caution with a spinout on Lap 32. The lead was back up over 5 seconds after another caution, then Power lost it on Lap 56 when he went into the pits and Dixon didn’t.

Two laps later, Dixon went into the pits and Power was back up front, followed by Franchitti. That was it. Power gradually pushed the lead back up and held off Dixon

after another pack-bunching spinout, coming around the final turn slowly for a local caution to notch his sixth career victory and a comfortable into-the-stretch lead.

“We felt we were in a good position to maybe challenge Will and get close to him and maybe win the race and take some points away from him that way,” Dixon said. “We didn’t have enough; obviously, Will won the race. We probably didn’t help Dario’s chances in that, so that was probably the downside to today.”—AP

SAN FRANCISCO: This October 11, 2009 file photo shows US golfer Tiger Woods with his wife Elin Nordegren during the Presidents Cup golf competition at Harding Park Golf course. —AFP

Woods and wife Elin divorce WASHINGTON: Tiger Woods and his wife Elin Nordegren divorced yesterday, their sixyear marriage succumbing to the massive sex scandal that enveloped the world’s number one golfer, a joint statement said.

“We are sad that our marriage is over and we wish each other the very best for the future,” the statement said. “While we are no longer married, we are the parents of two wonderful children and their happiness has been, and will always be, of paramount importance to both of us.”

“Once we came to the decision that our marriage was at an end, the primary focus of our amicable discussions has been to ensure their future well-being,” it said.

“The weeks and months ahead will not be easy for them as we adjust to a new family situation, which is why our privacy must be a principal concern.”

Nordegren’s lawyer said no information about the terms of their settlement would be released amid reports that Elin, 30 could receive anywhere between 100 million and

500 million dollars in assets.

People Magazine said the couple had agreed to share custody of their two children, Sam Alexis, 3, and Charlie Axel, 1.

A November 27 car crash near Woods’s home touched off a global scandal, leading to his admission of adultery and putting his golf career on hold while he fought his own personal demons.

He took a break from the game for several months and received therapy at a sex clinic before returning in March for the first major of the year, the US Masters at the Augusta National Golf Club in March.

Woods didn’t win but came in fourth as he returned in a comfortable setting where he has captured four titles, his first in 1997 being the first major crown won by a black golfer.

Since then, however, a string of performances ranging from mediocre to poor have seen many question whether the 14-time major winner will ever return to his old, dominating form. — AFP

Potash rejects BHP’s takeover proposal

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Indian carmaker signs deal to buy Ssangyong Motors

25

HSBC in ‘exclusive’ talks on Nedbank stake

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010

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Will govt spending plan boost Kuwait banks?

DUBAI: Kuwaiti banks, which suffered more than most regional peers in the financial crisis, are attracting buyers after reports the government will ask local lenders to finance a 30 billion dinar ($104.2 billion) development plan. But analysts have urged investors to remain cautious on Kuwaiti banks, with doubts over whether the spending spree will happen and while banks are already trading at mid-to-high multiples.

Government approval for the plan, which is set to be backed with state guarantees and includes building new ports and cities as well as investments to raise oil and natural gas production, came six months after parliament backed the scheme. The government will provide half of the funding, with the rest coming from the private sector, in what is seen as a belated attempted to ease the Gulf Arab country’s dependence on oil for state revenues.

Govt to guarantee banks’ financing of plan’s projects

Buy “This plan means (bank) balance sheet growth and the issue of loan growth is being addressed,” said Muhammad Omer Jawaid, senior investment analyst at Kuwait’s Global Investment House.

National Bank of Kuwait the country’s largest listed lender and second-biggest in the region by market capitalisation, ended Sunday at a 10-month high and is up 34 percent yearto-date, outperforming Kuwait’s index, which has fallen 4.6 percent over the same period. The banking index has gained 22 percent in 2010.

“I do think that the investment plan is a positive, and should provide loan growth momentum for the banks which have been flush with liquidity, and channeling that to purchase government securities,” said Murad Ansari, banking analyst at EFG Hermes. “This could be a good buying opportunity for banks.” All banks are likely to benefit, Global’s Jawaid said, especially those trading at cheaper multiples, but also lenders with large balance sheets such as NBK. “The challenge for Kuwaiti banks remains the quality of the loan portfolio which has to be strengthened,” Jawaid added.

Combined bank profits rose 5.3 percent in the first-half of 2010 compared with the year-earlier period.

Sell Lenders’ balance sheets were hammered by the financial crisis and some including NBK, Kuwait Finance House and Boubyan Bank have announced rights issues to boost their share capital. The government spending plan will not solve all of the banks’ problems, analysts say. “I would be cautious before investing in Kuwait banks and would wait to see tangible evidence of this money being channeled into the real economy,” said Rami Sidani, Schroders Middle East head of investment.

“Historically, things have moved very slowly in Kuwait due to a standoff between the government and parliament.

Despite its massive wealth, Kuwait has so far failed to finance a major development plan, while some other Gulf countries have utilized their oil windfall of the past five years into heavy infrastructure and development projects.”

A lack of transparency dogs all Gulf Arab markets, but is particularly acute in Kuwait, where stock moves can seem totally random and company news can come first not by official announcement but in a nod from friends and family. These concerns have scared off many foreign investors, while Kuwait bank valuations are rich, said Sidani.

Kuwait Finance House has a price to earnings ratio of 23, Al Ahli Bank 16.1 and NBK 14.9, according to Reuters data. This compares with a p-e of 17.1 for Al-Rajhi Bank, the region’s largest listed lender, and 11.2 for regional number three, Qatar National Bank. Sidani named NBK as his preferred pick among Kuwait banks. “Any improvement in the Kuwait economic outlook and NBK will be the first to benefit,” he added. — Reuters

LAS VEGAS: The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health is seen in North Las Vegas on August 22, 2010. Las Vegas home prices continue to fall as the city continues to be among the worst performers in the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price report which covers the 20 biggest US property markets. In the past year Las Vegas property prices fell 12 percent against the 20-city market average of a of 2.3 percent increase. — AFP

Kazakhstan pushes Islamic finance post global crisis ALMATY: Seeking to diversify its financial industry after a banking crisis, oil-rich Kazakhstan is drawing on Arab and Malaysian investment in an effort to build an Islamic finance industry among its 13 million Muslims. Its success may depend on the fate of pioneer investors and the commitment of its secular government to clear the way for a long-awaited sovereign issue of sukuk, or Islamic bonds, which could prompt other issuers to follow.

“If we are able, Inshallah (God willing), to create a strong base of corporate clients, it will allow us to devote more attention to medium-sized and small retail business,” said Adlet Aliyev, chief dealer for Al-Hilal Bank in Kazakhstan. Al Hilal, owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, was the first bank to respond when Kazakhstan passed new laws last year to allow an Islamic finance industry. The bank opened its

First Islamic bank opens, second to follow Kazakh offices in March 2010.

Though modern Islamic finance began three decades ago, its major principles, such as a prohibition on paying interest, would have been familiar to Muslim traders on the medieval Silk Road through Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Sixteen million people live in Kazakhstan, about 80 percent of them Muslim. Vast oil and metals reserves have helped its economy, at nearly $110 billion the largest in Central Asia, to expand by an average 9 percent a year in the last decade.

“They have an abundance of assets and they have deep pockets to invest,” said Razi Pahlavi Abdul Aziz, consultant with Amanie Business Solutions, a Kuala Lumpur-based firm which advises on sharia or Islamic law. Al-Hilal employs 45 people in its pristine,

glass-fronted head office on the upper slopes of Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city and financial centre. A handful more work in a branch in the capital, Astana, and a second branch is planned in Shymkent.

The bank aims to invest $250 million in Kazakhstan this year, rising to as much as $1 billion over the next two years. It intends at first to finance the corporate sector, Aliyev said, particularly large businesses. It is engaged in about 20 projects, offering finance via the commodity murabaha structure, which allows clients to buy an asset on deferred payment terms before selling to a third party, a method compliant with the requirement that all financial transactions involve an asset.

Spreading the w ord Muhammad Husain ibn Usman

Alsabekov, Kazakhstan’s deputy chief mufti, believes grass-roots demand for Islamic finance will grow as the population becomes more aware of the sector. When he was appointed 23 years ago, Kazakhstan had 68 mosques.

Today, there are approximately 2,500. Almaty’s blue-domed Central Mosque is big enough to hold only half of the 14,000 worshippers who attend Friday prayers each week, he says. “For a simple Muslim, there is no need for interest. Money should be for the benefit of all.”

Investors, though, are cautious. The financial crisis humbled the once-proud Kazakh banking sector; international creditors were forced to write off billions of dollars of debt in a restructuring process that followed local bank defaults. “Islamic banking is look-

ing for high returns and safety hubs which is not Kazakhstan,” said Yekaterina Trofimova, director of financial institutions at credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s.

“But Kazakhstan needs diversification in all aspects of banking and this adds a little more color and diversity.” Analysts say it is no coincidence that Kazakhstan passed laws to facilitate an Islamic finance industry during a crisis.

As Western credit dried up, new money from Asia ensured that 2008 and 2009 were record years for foreign direct investment.

“On the government level, the idea must have been to look for all available avenues to diversify the country’s funding base,” said Milena Ivanova-Venturini, head of research for central Asia at investment bank Renaissance Capital.

“Kazakhstan, being a majority Muslim country, can play this card and tap into the Islamic pool of funding.” —Reuters

Moody’s downgrades Bahrain ratings DUBAI: International ratings agency Moody’s yesterday downgraded Bahrain’s local and foreign currency government bond ratings to A3 from A2 due to budgetary pressure, but kept a stable outlook. The ratings action was based on a “gradual but significant rise in the breakeven oil price in the Bahraini budget over recent years,” Moody’s Investors Service said in a statement.

The oil price necessary to balance the budget in Bahrain has risen in recent years from levels of approximately 30 dollars per barrel in 2004 to almost 80 dollars a barrel in 2009, the agency said.

“While acknowledging Bahrain’s high level of GDP (gross domestic product) per capita and its good progress toward economic diversification, Moody’s believes that the government’s ability to generate revenues from the non-oil sector is hampered by its narrow tax base.” The smallest state in the oil-rich Gulf region currently produces around 200,000 barrels per day of

crude, of which 150,000 bpd come from an offshore oilfield shared with neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain, an archipelago of 35 islands, was the first Gulf Arab country to produce oil in 1932, but it does not export crude-only refined oil products. Oil makes up 60 to 70 percent of Bahrain’s income. The kingdom plans to raise output to 250,000 bpd in the next six years. But Manama’s increasing reliance on higher oil prices, “together with a relatively modest level of official financial assets, has led to a divergence between the government’s fiscal flexibility and that of rating peers,” Moody’s said. The reduced fiscal flexibility makes it more challenging potentially to meet contingent liabilities arising from Bahrain’s financial sector, it added.

Moody’s expressed “some concerns” about the performance of Bahrain’s financial sector, which is large in relation to the government’s resources. Earlier this month, Moody’s reiterated its negative outlook on

Bahrain’s banking system, reflecting the ongoing weaknesses in the domestic and regional real estate sectors, to which banks maintain significant exposure.

Moody’s has downgraded the ratings of a number of banks in Bahrain over the past two years. It also took a number of other ratings actions on Bahrain yesterday, downgrading its long-term country ceiling for foreign currency bonds to A1 from Aa3 and the long-term country ceiling for foreign currency bank deposits to A3 from A2. The agency highlighted the country’s robust economic strength, positive international investment position and effective regulatory environment, as well as its strong ties with Saudi Arabia and the United States, as factors supporting Bahrain’s ratings. “However, Moody’s notes Bahrain’s domestic political tensions, which could rise in the run-up to parliamentary elections scheduled in October, as well as elevated regional geopolitical risk.” — AFP

Tehran shuts down Swedish cosmetics firm, arrests five STOCKHOLM: Iranian authorities have arrested five employees of Swedish direct-sales cosmetics firm Oriflame and shut its Tehran office amid reported Iranian allegations of a massive pyramid scheme. “The authorities have now closed Oriflame’s operation in Tehran. The Oriflame Tehran branch was on Sunday “abruptly shut down with authorities coming into the office,” the company’s chief financial officer Gabriel Bennet told AFP. “We are working with the embassy to find out why this is, and to try to secure (our employees’) release,” he said, adding that a Swede and another foreigner were among those arrested. Bennet said the company so far had received no explanation from authorities about the closure and arrests, but believed they may be linked to its business model. “Our business model is to sell cosmetics and give 40,000 Iranians, mainly women, a possibility to earn money through direct sales,” he said, adding that the arrests could be seen as a sign that business conditions in Iran were worsening.

Iranian media meanwhile reported yesterday that the closure and arrests were linked to suspected fraud in connection to a massive pyramid scheme. According to hardline Iranian daily Kayhan, the Oriflame headquarters in Tehran had on Sunday morning been “searched and sealed” and “four top managers were arrested on accusations of 250,000 cases of fraud” linked to a 70-million-dollar (55-millioneuro) pyramid scheme.

The conservative Tehran Emrouz newspaper also said tax officials had seized Oriflame documents and had halted all its operations over suspected fraudulent operations.

“The company managers did not have a convincing answer when asked about compulsory sales of products, charging membership fees and recruiting members as consultants,” Hassan Radmard, the head of the Traders’ Centre at the Iranian commerce ministry, told the paper.

Oriflame “has over 200,000 members so it is a pyramid scheme with unlimited members,” he added. Oriflame’s Bennet said he would not comment on these “rumors” further than to say any reference to a pyramid scheme was “ridiculous.” “We work the same way in Iran as in the rest of the world, in over 60 countries ... A pyramid firm could not run an internationally recognized business for more than 40 years,” he said.

Oriflame acknowledged in its statement that business conditions were difficult in Iran, but said it was intent on staying in the country, which is an important part of its growing Asian business. The company’s business in the country represents 20 percent of its sales in Asia, a region which produced fast growing sales totaling 39.2 million euros during the second quarter, according to an earnings report published this month.

Oriflame’s annual sales last year reached 1.32 billion euros worldwide. The company said a definitive closure in Iran may lead to extraordinary costs of approximately 10 million euros this year, although it maintained its overall sales target. —AFP

BUSINESS

22

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Govt stimulus helps GCC banks recover from global crisis I

n line with our continuous efforts to provide the investment community with up-to-date and comprehensive research reports that assess the historical performance of key economic sectors in the GCC region along with predicting the factors that might shape the performance of these sectors in the future, we are pleased to attach the GCC banking sector report that sheds light on the performance of the 58 banks operating in the GCC region in the pre and post crisis time period. As well, the report includes our outlook for the GCC banking sector over the coming two years (2010-2011) along with an analysis of the major influencing factors, financial standing and profitability, sector’s loan portfolio allocation among different economic sectors, asset structure and quality indicators and the developments in loan portfolios and deposit base during the period 2004-2009.

KAMCO MARKET RESEARCH

GCC banking sector

Outlook 2010 - 2011 Based on the GCC banking sector’s historical performance, latest earning announcement by most banks for the full year 2009, and in line with the regional and global economic slowdown resulted from the financial and credit distress, our view of the banking sector’s foreseeable outlook in GCC region is set up to reflect the future expectations for the upcoming short-term 1-year horizon. Despite the economic slowdown and suspicions shadowing the equity markets, tumbling property prices and tight credit market conditions as a consequence of the global financial meltdown, GCC banks are gradually expected to recover from the impact of the crisis on the back of stimulus plans initiated by the official authorities and the Central Bank’s prudent monetary policies, whilst posting lower results compared to the historical periods.

total provisions booked during the last two years.

NPL to gross loans which stood at 4.04 percent in 2009, is forecast to average around 4.5 percent in 2010-2011 while on the other hand, LLP coverage ratio to jump from 82 percent in 2009 to 89.9 percent and 101.4 percent in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

Real GDP in the GCC region is estimated to have grown by a mere 0.7 percent in 2009, then to bounce to 5.2 percent in 2010, compared to the growth of 6.4 percent recorded in 2008, mainly due to steep decline in oil prices, as well as oil production cuts.

Consequent to these trends and their effect on the market performance, our assessment indicates a slower growth and squeezed profitability for the aggregate GCC banks which are estimated to record a total profit before provisions and impairments of $26.1 billion and $26.3 billion in 2010 and 2011 respectively. Therefore, given the lower provisioning - net of recoveries, aggregate net profit is forecast to record a growth of 13.3 percent and 15.8 percent in 2010 and 2011 respectively, to reach $17.2 billion and $19.9 billion during the same period.

Prospected key financial figures The future expectations in the banking sector is conditional to the other sectors’ performances, mainly the real estate and investment sectors, which in turn place a pressure on the banks’ asset quality namely in case of a further default on credit facilities extended to the highly leveraged real estate and investment companies. Consequently provisions and Non-performing loans, which registered $10.9 billion and $26.38 billion in 2009, are estimated to record $8.71 billion and $28.52 billion for FY-2010. The coming years’ estimates are expected to see lower net provisioning as banks may start to recover part of the

Net profit scena rio ana lysis Amid rising concerns over the exposure of the

GCC banks to real estate and investment sectors, government related entities in Dubai as well as family conglomerates; a continuous potential increase in loan default is expected to be seen during the year 2010 and 2011. As a precautionary measure for future contingencies, banks might book further provisions and record additional impairments for investment losses during the projected period which will put further pressure on their profitability. However, an uncertain future outlook regarding the amount of expected provisions and impairments has led us to develop different scenarios as given in the tables below. The outcome from the different scenarios determines the expected net profit based on the latter.

Assets quality Although GCC banking sector has maintained sound asset quality during the historical periods, we believe that the situation may change over the course of the next two years. The asset quality of the banking sector becomes paramount amid the economic downturn environment. Total banking sector loans and credit facilities extended by banks to the various domestic sectors are expected to witness a slower

growth compared to the historical periods on the back of the decline in oil prices and the global credit crunch accompanied by the slump in stock markets mainly the investment and real estate sectors. Accordingly, total loans portfolio is envisaged to stand at $635.9 billion as of Dec-2010, representing a growth of 1.6 percent compared to Dec-09.

The expected slowdown in lending activities does not deter our belief that the Banking Sector will be able to endure this global downturn given the healthy supervisory framework and strong government support. Going forward, we believe this sector will report slower growth than previous years due to higher

funding costs and tighter margins, more risk aversion on the lending front, along with additional provision charges and impairment losses on investments, and difficult recovery in fees and commission revenues given the current market conditions.

Given the size of the GCC banking sector compared to other key sectors, with banking being ranked as the biggest in terms of market cap and total assets, the sector is expected to maintain its share of the market weight and economic value over the forecast period. Sector total assets are expected to grow by 3.1 percent and 5.8 percent in 2010 and 2011 respectively, to stand at $1.04 trillion as of Dec-2011.

Samsung launches cutting-edge dishwashers in Kuwait market Jet Airways has 50,000 you to select the wash cycle easily.

The new Samsung dishwashers also come with three water spray arms (top, middle and bottom) making them almost 1.5 times more effective than hand washing, ensuring no food residue remains on the bottom rims of glasses and mugs, while crockery and cutlery are cleaned effectively and efficiently. The triple filtration and powerful food disposer breaks down food particles and disposes them during the drain cycle, ensuring no food particles remain on plates.

“This line of Samsung dishwashers has been carefully designed to provide the quietest and most advanced cleaning operation; from food disposers and water pumps to flow meters and spray items, every item inside the dishwasher is crafted perfectly for your comfort needs,” said Robin Kadyan, General Manager of home appliances at Samsung Gulf Electronics. “In addition, Samsung’s unique noise prevention system is one of the most advanced in the market today containing six

KUWAIT: Samsung Electronics, a market leader in consumer electronics and world leader in information technology, has recently launched its new line of dishwashers in Kuwait. The new Samsung dishwashers are set apart from the rest by a fan-driven condensation drying system instead of a vent drying system to dry dishes. This system provides not only excellent drying performance that prevents spotting and streaking; it also saves energy and prevents burns by keeping hot steam from coming out of the machine for ultimate safety in the kitchen.

Water leaks can be easily detected with the Digital Leakage Sensor that is located below the dishwasher. This is very useful for kitchens with hardwood floors and multi-unit buildings where Samsung’s digital Leakage Sensor would be perfect for preventing water-related emergencies and damage to building infrastructure. The user friendly, easy to clean display panel also has a child lock out. Samsung’s One Touch Sensor Display allows

layers of isolators that blanket the entire machine for a quieter cycle.” The tilted upper rack can be adjusted vertically two inches, providing more space and freedom to load larger sized items. It even accommodates large 14 inch plates on the lower rack or tall stemware glasses on the upper rack, all with just a simple height adjustment. In addition, the removable plate supports in the lower and upper racks allow you to adjust the angle of the tines up to five different levels according to the size and shape of the dishes. In the lower rack, the plate support can be removed or can be folded to make room for large items such as pots and pans. In the upper rack, the plate support can also be removed.

Furthermore, each knife, spoon, or fork can be placed separately into the spoon stand to prevent chipping and discoloration. “The stylish handle follows the same design as other products of Samsung Total Kitchen Solutions, making your kitchen look better and more inviting,” added Kadyan.

plus fans on Facebook MUMBAI: Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, has become he country’s first, and amongst the top five carriers in Asia, to add over 50,000 fans on Facebook, one of the world’s largest social networking websites.

Launched on January 19, 2010, the Jet Airways Facebook community, at www.facebook.com/jetairways, provides guests with real-time news updates about flight schedules, new customer programs, route additions, services and special offers etc., besides providing guests with an online forum to discuss their experiences.

According to Sudheer Raghavan, CEO, Jet Airways, “Social media networks, such as Facebook, have emerged as a powerful means for organizations to communicate effectively with their guests, while collecting valuable consumer feedback on various

experiences, thus ensuring a higher quality of product and service delivery.

Having emerged as the first carrier in India to add over 50,000 fans on Facebook, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our guests who have helped us reach this unique milestone in such a relatively short period of time.”

In addition to Facebook, as part of its social media initiative, Jet Airways has also created an online community on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jetairways, in a bid to actively engage and interact with its major stakeholders and significantly enhance the overall Jet Airways experience.

For further details on Jet Airways’ social media initiatives, guests can visit the airline’s website at www.jetairways.com or from your mobile visit m.jetairways.com.

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds

.2830000 .4430000 .3660000 .2730000 .2760000 .2560000 .0045000 .0020000 .0779770 .7597100 .4020000 .0750000 .7447630 .0045000 .0500000

US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2872500 .4457040 .3686440 .2753250 .2784210 .0494880 .0390730 .2586680 .0369580 .2117510 .0033660 .0061770 .0025640 .0033790 .0041630 .0782460 .7623220 .4062500 .0766490 .7475450 .0063830

US Dollar Sterling pounds Swiss Francs Saudi Riyals

TRANSFER CHEQUES RATES .2893500 .4488520 .2772750 .0771380

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.404 6.201

.2930000 .4530000 .3740000 .2820000 .2850000 .2630000 .0075000 .0035000 .0787610 .7673450 .4180000 .0790000 .7522490 .0072000 .0580000 .2893500 .4488520 .3712470 .2772750 .2803920 .0498390 .0393500 .2604950 .0372200 .2132500 .0033840 .0062200 .0025830 .0034030 .0041920 .0787450 .7671830 .4091270 .0771380 .7523120 .0064280

Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

3.370 2.569 3.889 213.620 37.181 4.164 6.422 9.184 0.296 0.310

Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

GCC COUNTRIES 77.106 79.447 751.220 767.980 78.740 ARAB COUNTRIES 53.400 50.740 1.236 195.950 408.320 194.000 6.222 33.686

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 289.030 Euro 369.090 Sterling Pound 451.460 Canadian dollar 277.380 Turkish lire 195.950 Swiss Franc 281.020 Australian dollar 257.240 US Dollar Buying 287.745

Sterling Pound US Dollar

SELL CASH 261.600 768.390 4.220 279.500 567.400 14.100 50.600 167.800 52.660 372.000

408.420 0.195 93.850 3.890 206.500 750.380 3.385 6.420 79.480 77.150 214.660 42.010 2.588 452.000 6.300 9.370 78.740 288.900

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 452.000 288.900

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash

37.720 6.195 0.035

GOLD 1,333.430

10 Tola

GOLD 240.000 121.00 63.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

37.870 6.400 0.035 0.271 0.252 3.480 410.300 0.196 93.850 47.200 4.520 208.000 1.969 47.900 750.560 3.510 6.620 79.910 77.150 214.660 42.010 2.738 454.000 40.000 283.100 281.600 6.300 9.440 198.263 78.840 289.300 1.260

SELL DRAFT 260.100 768.390 4.160 278.000

214.700 50.772 370.500

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Cyprus Pound Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees

Selling Rate 288.850 281.996 452.335 372.290 279.022 707.989 764.553 78.622 79.319 76.995 407.606 50.764 6.201 3.377

Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees

2.569 4.171 6.413 3.380 9.088 6.301 3.873

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Nepali rupee Yemeni Riyal Jordanian Dinars Syrian Pounds Euro Candaian Dollars

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 288.900 3.385 6.200 2.580 4.170 6.455 78.740 77.250 768.000 50.765 453.000 0.00003280 3.890 1.550 410.300 5.750 372.900 282.200

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000 US Dollar 288.600 Euro 368.800 Pound Sterling 450.600 Canadian Dollar 277.650 Japanese Yen 3.410 Indian Rupee 6.195 Egyptian Pound 50.725 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.567 Bangladesh Taka 4.157 Philippines Peso 6.405 Pakistan Rupee 3.373 Bahraini Dinar 768.000 UAE Dirham 78.540 Saudi Riyal 76.960 *Rates are subject to change

BUSINESS

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

23

US jobless claims climb to nine-month high H

eightened risk aversion remains the dominant theme in the global financial markets with the dollar continuing to benefit as the safe-haven currency.

The euro reached a five-week low of 1.2660 on Friday from a high of 1.2923 at the beginning of the week, following comments from the European Central Bank to keep monetary policy loose for months to come and to extend unlimited liquidity to banks past the end of 2010. The sterling range traded between a high of 1.5707 and a low of 1.5460 supported by better-than-expected numbers in the UK. The yen continued to trade around a 15-year high against the greenback reaching 84.87 levels and increasing fears of an overall economic slowdown as well a prolonged deflation. The franc also benefited from the risk aversion theme trading between 1.0255 and 1.0465 respectively.

Finally, the Australian dollar reached a low of 0.8840 on Friday after trading at a high of 0.9080 earlier in the week, pressured by increasing risk aversion.

The number of US workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance unexpectedly climbed to a nine-month high last week, another setback to the fragile economic recovery. Initial jobless claims increased 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 500,000, the highest number since midNovember and against an expected drop to 476,000 from last week’s 488,000. Analysts argue that this number must fall below 450,000 to signal sustainable private payroll growth.

Weak housing market The end of the popular homebuyer tax

concerns that a global slowdown will hit Germany’s export-oriented growth.

NBK WEEKLY MONEY MARKET REPORT

United Kingdom The Bank of England minutes showed its Monetary Policy Committee voted 8-1 in favor of keeping interest rates on hold in August. This came against speculation that the minutes could reveal a three-way split.

Additionally, the central bank voted to continue with a pause in its asset purchase program.

Higher retail sales British retail sales rose 1.1 percent in July from the previous month, sharply higher than forecasts for a 0.4 percent gain. With strong sales in June and July, the third quarter is getting off to a very good start.

credit last April has left a void in the housing market, depressing sales and building activity. The US housing starts rose but to a much weaker rate than expected in July, while the housing permits for future home construction fell to their lowest level in more than a year, pointing to a weak housing market recovery.

Housing starts rose to 546,000 in July against an expected rise to 560,000, down 7 percent from July last year. New building permits, which give a sense of future home con-

struction, dropped 3.1 percent to a 565,000unit pace last month, the lowest level since May 2009.

Industrial production and PPI The US industrial production expanded in July at twice the number economists had expected, a sign that at least one sector of the economy is still moving along, despite weakness in housing and jobs. Industrial output jumped 1 percent last month, mainly boosted by automotive production which surged near-

ly 9 percent. US producer prices rose in July for the first time in four month, pulled by higher prices for food and consumer goods.

The Producer Price Index rose 0.2 percent, in line with market expectations.

Eurozone PPI The Eurozone producer prices rose moderately in June, slightly below expectations in June, mainly driven by more expensive energy, but low growth of consumer good prices suggested underlying pressures remain

muted. Prices in the 16-country euro area rose 0.3 percent month-on month and 3.0 percent year, against an expected rise of 0.4 percent and 3.1 percent respectively.

German investor morale drops The German investor morale fell in August to its lowest level since April 2009 on concerns of weaker economic growth this year in Europe’s largest economy. The economic sentiment fell to 14.0 from 21.2 in July, declining for the fourth month in a row on

J apan The Japanese economy slowed sharply in the second quarter of 2010 from the previous two quarters as export growth moderated and a stimulus-driven recovery in consumption ran out of steam. The country’s annualized GDP expanded 0.4 percent annualized from 5.0 percent in the first quarter and well below the forecasted 2.3 percent rise. The weak data raised prospects for the Japanese government taking action to stem an extreme rise of the strengthening Yen due to the negative impact it might have on growth prospects.

Kuwait The KWD opened at 0.28825 on Sunday morning.

Potash rejects BHP’s $38.5bn aggressive takeover proposal Potash Corp expects superior offer or alternative to BHP TORONTO/NEW YORK: Cana da’s Potash Corp has been in conta ct w ith China’s Sinochem and other possible counter-bidders as it fights off an unw anted $39 billion ta keover offer from BHP Billiton. Pota sh, the w orld’s la rgest fertilizer supplier, said it expected an alternative to emerge after BHP formally launched its $130 per share hostile bid last w eek. Potash Chief Executive Bill Doyle, w ho stands to make a ha lf-billion-dollar pa yday from a ny dea l, told Reuters “a ll sorts of different pla yers” ha d approached his company and that BHP’s offer had “no traction whatsoever” with sha reholders.

DUBAI: The LG team pose for a group picture outside the newly-inaugurated learning center.

LG launches $15 million regional learning center KUWAIT: Bucking regional sentiment and the economic downturn, LG Electronics, a global leader and technology innovator in consumer electronics, mobile communications and home appliances, yesterday inaugurated its purpose-built, three-storey, 120,760 square feet training facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai. The $15 million investment is LG Electronics’ sixth learning centre in the world representing a major step forward in the development of industry standards in the Middle East.

The new LG Electronics MEA Learning Centre was inaugurated earlier today by key company officials including K W Kim, CEO LG Electronics Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Peter Stickler, Chief Human Resources Officer at LG Electronics who visited Dubai especially for this milestone event. “The learning centre is the culmination of years of planning and development and I am honored and proud to inaugurate the Centre today,” said Kim. “At LG, we seek to inspire our colleagues and partners to achieve the best of their

potential and with a dedicated learning centre in the Middle East we will help them achieve that more efficiently than before.”

The opening of the new learning centre follows swiftly on from the opening of LG’s new 33,000 square feet regional office in May 2010 reinforcing the company’s continued commitment to the UAE and recognition of the importance LG places on the Middle East market. Kim added: “Since LG Electronics’ first office in the region opened in 1988 we have steadily grown to a company that now employs more than 1900 people in 14 subsidiaries servicing 78 markets in the Middle East and Africa. The LG MEA Learning Centre alone has provided employment opportunities for around 200 people.”

LG’s MEA Learning Centre comprises of a number of tailored training rooms, designated workshop rooms, lounges and offices.

The centre has the capacity to train up to 175 people at full capacity and is projected to train 3,000 to 5,000 people a year. Kim added: “The LG MEA Learning Centre is a

major long term investment into elevating the knowledge and skill sets of LG employees and our partners across the Middle East and Africa.

The region is deeply unique and diverse and LG’s existing learning centers across the world are not able to satisfy the strong emphasis we place on learning and development here.

This new centre will help to bring best practice training and international standards to all our partners and employees enhancing leadership skills and raising the levels of knowledge and customer service across the region.”

According to Kim the region has experienced a tough 12 months, but LG has taken the bold step of investing and expanding ahead of the curve. He added: “We firmly believe this commitment will reap dividends in 2010 and beyond.

The impact of this learning centre will be experienced by our customers and suppliers who will, I am sure, appreciate the efforts LG Electronics is making to improve ever further on the quality of service they receive.”

NBK invites Thahabi customers for a night of luxury shopping KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) the leading bank in Kuwait and highest rated in the Middle East will host its Thahabi clients at the Piaget and Korloff boutiques for a night of luxury shopping at their newly opened boutiques at 360 Mall today. Thahabi clients will receive the opportunity to view the new collections for a night of exclusive shopping. Both boutiques will be closed for the evening to exclusively host NBK’s clients who will have the rare opportunity to make purchases at exclusive discounts Thahabi is the premier affluent package from NBK that has been awarded the Best Premium

Banking Service in the Middle East offers customers personalized and ‘best in class’ products and services, delivered by professional personal banking officers.

Thahabi customers also enjoy many banking related discounts, fee waivers and value-added lifestyle benefits. Qualification for the Thahabi package is subject to meeting the minimum deposit criteria of KD30,000 in any of NBK accounts or investment funds and/or a minimum continuous monthly salary transfer of KD 1,500 for more information on how to apply for Thahabi call 1801801.

“Potash Corp has been approached by, and has initiated contact with, a number of third parties who have expressed an interest in considering alternative transactions,” the company said in a statement yesterday.

“Discussions are being pursued with several of these third parties in order to generate value enhancing alternatives.”

Potash did not name the parties, but a source close to the matter said discussions have been held with Sinochem, China’s top fertilizer firm, biggest chemical trader and No 4 oil firm. “One wants to explore all the options-and you can’t do that by telekinesis,” said the source, who asked not to be named. Separately, a second source confirmed that Potash Corp was considering joint ventures with third parties as an option.

Potash urged its shareholders not to tender their shares to the BHP offer, which has an Oct 19 deadline for what may be the world’s biggest takeover this year. Potash had already branded the bid as “grossly inadequate” and undervaluing the firm but pledged to look at BHP’s official offer documents before making a recommendation to shareholders.

Media reports mentioned Brazil’s Vale and Chinese private equity fund Hopu Investment Management as others that may be interested in a bid. Citing persons with knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg said Vale had made inquiries with the board of Potash late last week and the Wall Street Journal said a consortium led by Hopu was studying the feasibility of a bid. Other consortium members were investors from Canada, the United States and Asia, but Sinochem was not a member, the Journal said. Officials with Hopu and Vale contacted by Reuters decined to comment.

No immediate plans Two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said Hopu did not have any immediate plans to pursue a bid for Potash. Even with a consortium, Hopu would have limited money to add, having raised a $2.5 billion private equity fund in 2008 that it has been actively investing.

China Investment Corp., the $300 billion sovereign wealth fund, is the only Chinese investor with the kind of money and investment record that could counter the BHP bid, they added. A Sinochem official did not have any knowledge of the reported contact with Potash Corp.

“We think it’s credible that Sinochem are interested but view them as a relatively minor threat to BHPB as they won’t

MELBOURNE: This file photo shows the BHP Billiton logo at the company’s headquarters. — AFP be able to go for whole thing,” said analyst Michael Rawlinson at Liberum Capital in London.

Sinofert, a Sinochem susidiary, may struggle to raise the cash to mount a full bid and regulators in Canada may also be unhappy with a Chinese state-owned group buying one of its flagship companies, analysts have said.

Sinochem already has ties to Potash Corp as top Chinese fertilizer company Sinofert is 22 percent owned by Potash Corp.

When asked about the impact about the possible purchase of Potash, Li Qiang, head of the Sinochem’s president’s office,

told Reuters: “It will definitely have impact on China’s potash market, (and) we are closely watching the issue, and will cautiously evaluate the next development.”

China would have a strong interest in Potash Corp’s fate as it is the world’s largest importer of potash, with a its expanding middle class stepping up food consumption.

Demand is expected to rise for potash, a mineral that helps protect crops from disease and boosts quality, making it essential in a world with diminishing arable land and rapidly growing

food needs.

While a Chinese company may be interested in taking a minority stake in Potash Corp, Rawlinson said the Canadian company’s board would be wary of such a scenario. “A minority stake at a premium will require some very big off-take/JV concessions which may impinge long-term value,” he said. Vale already has potash interests, so it may be interested, but analysts have said it does not have the balance sheet to take on BHP in a bidding war. BHP Billiton sees Potash Corp as one of the few takeover targets

that would make a difference to its long-term growth.

Investors in Potash said in a Reuters poll last week they think BHP’s bid could succeed if it sweetens its offer by a quarter to $162 per share. Potash shares in New York closed on Friday at $149.67, up a third since BHP’s bid was unveiled.

BHP’s shares in London gained 1.9 percent to 1855 pence by 1250 GMT, in line with the UK mining index as the sector rose after an inconclusive election in Australia boosted prospects of a proposed new mining tax being scrapped. — Reuters

Etihad Airways offers chance of a lifetime Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has in just over six years established itself as the world’s leading airline. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, is the airline’s hub. Etihad’s fleet of 54 aircrafts operates close to 1,000 flights per week, serving an international network of 64 destinations in 42 countries.

Etihad Airways has received a range of awards that reflects its position as the leading premium airline brand in the world, including ‘World’s leading Airline’ at the World Travel Awards in 2009.

Taking advantage of Etihad Airways extensive network of routes across the world, Etihad Airways promises a travel experience of a lifetime. Etihad Airways team of professionals have created a tailor-made packages this Ramadan to pam-

per its customers, in which they are offering incredible fares to two of the finest Asian destinations, flying from Kuwait to Bangkok at only 124

KD + service charge and flying from Kuwait to Kuala Lumpur at 165 KD + service charge.

This special offer is valid before September 5, 2010. So hurry up

and book your deal now! For bookings or for more information, please visit our website at’ www.etihadairways.com or call us at: 22960090

BUSINESS

24

Bourse ends on mixed note KUWAIT: KSE stocks ended trading on mixed note yesterday as KSE Price Index registered marginal losses while market weighted Global General Index registering gains on the back of the increase witnessed in heavy weight stocks.

At some point, Kuwaiti stocks appeared headed for yet another negative day, before it pulled back up towards the end of the trading session.

GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT

Ma rket indices The benchmark Global General Index (GGI) ended the session rose 0.61 points (0.30 percent) to close at 200.73 points. Kuwait Stock Exchange Price Index down by 10.50 points (0.16 percent), to close at 6,674.7 points. Market capitalization increased by 0.30 percent yesterday to reach KD33.18 billion.

Market brea dth During yesterday’s session, 111 companies were traded.

Market breadth was skewed towards decliners, as 29 equities advanced versus 44 that retreated. A total of 139 stocks remained unchanged during yesterday’s trading session.

Daily trading a ctivity Trading activities ended on a negative note yesterday as volume of shares traded on the exchange decreased by 24.78 percent to reach 147.79 million shares, and value of shares traded decreased by 39.28 percent to stand at KD28.42 million. The real estate sector was the volume leader, accounting for 33.44 percent of total market volume. The banks sector was the value leader, accounting for 40.44 percent of total

market value.

Investors Holding Group Company was the volume leader yesterday, with a total traded volume of 24.88 million shares. National Bank of Kuwait was the value leader, with a total traded value of KD3.54 million.

Top gainers a nd biggest decliners In terms of top gainers, Gulf Cement Co took the top spot, adding 7.14 percent and closed at KD0.120. On the other hand, Kuwait Packaging Material Manufacturing Co. decreased

by 22 percent during yesterday’s session, to be the biggest loser. The scrip closed at KD0.390.

Sectors w ise Regarding Global’s sectoral indices, 5 sectors reported daily gains, while two sector reported daily losses. Global Food index added 3.42 percent to its value reaching 390.35 points.

Kuwait Foodstuff Company (Americana) was sector’s prominent gainer adding 3.95 percent closing at KD1.580.

Also, Livestock Transport & Trading Co, rose by 3.17 per-

cent closing at KD0.325.

Global Non Kuwaiti Index followed, adding 1.50 percent.

From the sector’s components, Ahli United Bank ended yesterday’s session up by 4.95 percent, to close at KD0.212. On the other side, Global Industrial Sector Index was a major loser, shedding 0.79 percent of its value. The retreat is attributed to the 22 percent decline in Kuwait Packaging Material Manufacturing Co. Global Real Estate Sector Index was the second biggest loser, closing down by 0.04 per-

cent. The retreat is attributed to the 1.54 percent decline in Kuwait Real Estate Company.

On the other hand, Global’s special indices closed in mixed note. Global Small Cap Index ended the day down by 0.16 percent. While Global Large Cap (Top 10) Index ended the day up by 0.29 percent Oil news Kuwait will embark on oil projects valued at almost $35 billion as part of its four-year development plan for the industry, Kuwait’s oil minister said in an interview with UAE daily The National. The investments will include a fourth oil refinery in Kuwait and an upgrade at the state’s three existing refineries, which will boost capacity and enable them to produce lighter fuel as part of The Clean Fuels Project for Kuwait, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah said. The project will boost capacity of two of the three existing refineries from 730,000 bpd to 800,000 bpd. Sheikh Ahmed told the National that the two major projects would be implemented in “not less than four to five years. The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at US$71.78 a barrel on Friday, compared with $73.03 the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations Corporate news Kuwait’s central bank will issue 40 million dinars ($138.8 million) in one-year treasury bonds with a coupon of 1.25 percent tomorrow, its data showed. Bids reached 310 million dinars central bank data showed yesterday. The central bank sold a one-year paper worth 100 million dinars on August 18, 2010.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Saudi Electricity okays $3.92bn worth projects RIYADH: State-controlled Saudi Electricity Co (SEC) yesterday said it approved the award of 14.7 billion riyals worth ($3.92 billion) of power projects to meet rising demand.

The award includes expansion of the Rabigh power plant and other power transmission and generation projects, the company said in a statement on the Saudi bourse website. The plant, Rabigh 6 would have a capacity of 2,400 megawatt (MW) to 2,800 MW, about 12-14 percent of the 20,000 MW the SEC plans to add through 2018, at an estimated total cost of $80 billion.

SEC would finance the projects through loans and its own resources, it said in the statement without providing further

details. South Korea’s Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction submitted the lowest bid of 12.7 billion riyals to build the plant in Rabigh on the western coast of Saudi Arabia, industry sources said last week.

Power demand in the world’s largest oil exporter is rising at an annual 8 percent and is expected to triple to 121,000 megawatts from 40,000 MW currently, government officials say.

In April, Saudi Electricity secured a 15 billion riyal ($4 billion) soft loan from the government.

The bulk of the loan will finance the construction of the plant in Rabigh where the giant King Abdullah Economic City is under construction. — Reuters

Bahrain GFH picks Deutsche for $300m capital increase DUBAI: Bahrain’s Gulf Finance House (GFH) plans to raise capital by $300 million through equity-linked convertible murabahas or similar instruments, and has hired Deutsche Bank AG as a structuring agent. A murabaha is an Islamic money market product accounted for on banks’ balance sheets, under which a bank buys an asset from third party and sells it to its customer at cost plus profit, thereby providing financing without charging interest.

“We have taken the hard decisions to clean up our balance sheet, re-schedule our longterm debt and develop a leaner operating model,” said Group Chief Executive Ted Pretty. “We now need to aggressively pursue new business in new markets... 2011 is the year we expect to show real progress.” In 2011 and 2012 the bank will be “far more aggressive in seeking growth again”, Pretty added. GFH, hit hard by a regional property crisis, said Deutsche would assist with structuring its $300 million capital increase.

“GFH... has appointed Deutsche Bank AG (London Branch) as its structuring agent,” the Islamic investment firm said in a statement to the Bahrain bourse yesterday. “The board of GFH has also resolved, subject to relevant regulatory and shareholder approvals, to seek a further re-capitalization of GFH by way of issuing equity linked convertible murabahas or similar instruments to raise up to $300 million,” the bank said.

“Such money will be used solely for acquisitions and growth initiatives. Further details will be made available to the market shortly,” it added. The bank also named its founder and chairman Esam Janahi as its executive chairman. GFH said on Sunday it will increase capital “imminently”, without giving an exact timeline. The company raised $300 million in fresh capital in a rights issue in October last year and placed a $100 million convertible murabaha with Deutsche Bank AG in November. — Reuters

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

business

25

2-year JGB yields pricing in further monetary easing

Japan PM, BOJ chief discuss yen; mum on policy response TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa discussed the yen and agreed to work closely in a phone conversation yesterday, but Kan did not ask the central bank to ease monetary policy further. The government's chief spokesman said the two did not touch on currency intervention either, disappointing markets

SHATURA: A general view shows a burnt field. Ban on Russian grain exports ordered by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin came into force with the government battling to keep down prices of basic foodstuffs amid a record drought. — AFP

Imports hard to avoid as Russian harvest falters MOSCOW: Drought-stricken Russia's grain harvest is way down on a year ago so far in August, pointing toward the need for hefty imports by one of the world's biggest exporters and supporting grain prices on international markets. Russia, last year the world's third largest grain exporter, has harvested 40.3 million tons of grain by Aug 19, or 38 percent less than in 2010, Deputy Agriculture Minister Alexander Petrikov said in St Petersburg.

He confirmed the ministry's 2010 crop forecast of 65-67 million tons by an optimistic scenario and 60 million tons by a pessimistic one, and domestic consumption needs of 77 million tons. The figures appear to put Russia's supply/demand balance on a knife edge, taking into account stocks estimated at between 21.7 million tons and 24 million as of July 1, and winter sowing needs.

Some 3.6 million tons had already been shipped abroad, according to analysts, before Russia's Aug.15 export ban came into force.

Analysts have estimated its imports at 1.5-2 million tons, while a report in Vedomosti daily last week said Russia could import at least 5 million tons. The government has denied Russia, whose ambitions to transform itself into the world's largest grain exporter have been knocked by a severe drought in many producing regions that destroyed large swathes of crops, will need imports. September wheat futures bounced more than 2 percent on Monday to $6.94-3/4 a bushel on extra export demand. "Russia will import wheat, that is what the market is saying as they

are not out of the woods yet," said Peter McGuire, managing director of CWA Global Markets in Sydney.

Buyers look elsewhere Private clients from Russia's largest traditional buyer, Egypt, were heard buying an unusually large volume of French wheat. Buyers said loading of one cargo had been brought forward from Sept 1-15 and the ship was already loading in Bordeaux. Rains have yet to soften the soil for large scale winter grain sowing, though they are expected on Aug 23-26 in European Russia, hard hit by the drought. The heat will move east to Siberia.

With prospects for winter grain unclear analysts are putting together scenarios pointing towards big imports. Estimating a crop of 60 million tons, carryover stocks of 23 million and consumption of 77 million tons, as well as 3.6 million tons already exported, according to IKAR analysts, Russia will be left with carryover stocks of just 2.4 million tons by the end of the current crop year on June 30, 2011.

Taking into account the need to allocate some 11-12 million tons for winter sowing due to start in August, Russia appears unable to do without imports. Analysts have said Kazakhstan and Ukraine may provide some grain to Russia. The Russian province of Tatarstan has already asked to buy up to 0.5 million tons of grain in Belarus.

But Belarus Agriculture Minister Mikhail Rusy told reporters in St Petersburg that Minsk, which harvested less grain than last year, may provide a more modest volume. — Reuters

LONDON: British charity Oxfam's humanitarian director Jane Cocking (right) accompanied by Disaster Emergencies Committee chief executive Brendan Gormley, talks to the media during a news conference regarding the Pakistan floods yesterday.— AP

Pakistan flood-hit economy may witness 0 to 2% growth KARACHI: The worst floods in decades could knock down Pakistan's economic growth for fiscal 2010/11 to between zero and two percent, Pakistani officials said yesterday, fuelling concern about the country's stability. The Asian Development Bank, assessing flood damage and Pakistan's needs along with the World Bank, said last week economic growth could be three percent. The finance ministry said the country would miss this year's 4.5 gross domestic product growth target, but did not give another figure.

Sakib Sherani, a senior adviser to the finance ministry, said there was a whole range of growth estimates which would be revised once the actual impact of the floods became clear. "We think zero percent is the lower bound of these estimates," Sherani told Reuters, adding that this was his own estimate, and not an official figure from the finance ministry. The economy grew 4.1 percent last year. He said the zero growth estimate was based on the economic impact of the damage caused to key crops and livestock, adding an estimated 25 percent of the cotton crop has been affected. The textile industry, which accounts for more than 50 percent of total exports, depends on the cotton crop. Drastically lower economic growth would be a major cause of concern for the Pakistani government and the United States, which wants its ally as stable as possible because it is a frontline state in Washington's war against militancy. Pakistan's president and foreign minister have expressed concern that Islamic militant groups would exploit the widespread suffering to gain recruits. Islamist chari-

ties, some with suspected links to militant groups, have been more effective than the government in providing relief to floods victims.

Inflation could soar The International Monetary Fund will review Pakistan's budget and macroeconomic prospects following catastrophic flooding during talks with senior Pakistani officials in Washington starting yesterday.

The meetings are set to focus on the future of Pakistan's $10.66 billion IMF program agreed upon in 2008. If the IMF agrees to ease the program's targets, or extends the repayment period that would ease the government's financial burdens.

Reconstruction is likely to cost billions of dollars, burdening an economy that was already fragile before the waters raged from the northwest to the south, destroying villages and key infrastructure and making more than 4 million homeless. Sherani said inflation could reach as high as 25 percent, compared with the 2010/11 target of 9.5 percent.

Higher costs and food shortages could enrage people who had lost everything in the floods and who are already angry at their government for its slow response to the disaster. The UN said the floods have left millions of people hungry, raising the prospect of popular unrest unless immediate and reconstruction aid reach the victims swiftly. Sherani said lower commodity prices could prevent prices from spiking up.

"We will have to import essential items and if international commodity prices go down, then inflation at 25 percent will be less probable," he said. — Reuters

Bond yields have fallen and the yen has pared gains in recent sessions on speculation the BOJ may try to pre-empt government pressure for action and further loosen its already ultra-easy policy at an emergency meeting before or shortly after the talks between Shirakawa and Kan. "They exchanged views on the economic and financial situation including foreign exchange," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku told a news conference yesterday. "They agreed that it was important for the government and the BOJ to communicate closely with each other."

Sengoku added that the government wanted to consider whether Kan and Shirakawa should meet in person, although he did not give a timeframe. Kan did not make any request on monetary policy to the central bank chief, a BOJ source said, The dollar edged down to 85.30 yen from around 85.45 yen after Sengoku's comments, partly on disappointment that no firm commitment to monetary easing came out of the talks. Sources had told Reuters that Kan and Shirakawa met yesterday to craft a response to the surging yen which is trading around at its highest level against the dollar since 1995, threatening to dent Japan's export-reliant economy.

But sources say the BOJ is unlikely to act before its next regular policy meeting on Sept.

6-7 unless the yen heads towards its all-time high past 80 to the dollar at a pace of 2 to 3 yen per day. Mizuho's Hayashi said the chat was also part political performance ahead of a Sept. 14 ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) DPJ leadership vote, in which Kan could face a challenge from party powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa, or a proxy candidate.

Govt eyes stimulus Growth in Japan's economy slowed to a crawl in the second quarter and analysts see more weakness ahead as the US recovery sputters. The government is trying to compile a package of measures by early September to support the economy by early September, which may include extending the deadline for subsidies on energy-efficient electronics and homes to encourage more consumer spending. A senior Democratic Party official said the ruling party hopes to compile proposals on the package by Aug 26, which will be reflected in the government's stimulus plan.

While some lawmakers are calling for big spending, the government is likely to use money redirected from other areas to fund the stimulus measures given Japan's dire fiscal straits, making any positive impact on the economy minor. Government bond yields at the short end of the curve eased and the yield curve flattened last week as investors priced in the chance that the BOJ could ease policy in an attempt to help combat yen strength and support the economy.

The two-year bond yield, most sensitive to monetary policy, hit a five-year low of 0.110 percent last week barely above the BOJ's policy rate of 0.1 percent, a sign many investors are already factoring in further monetary easing.

The most likely next step by the BOJ is to expand a fund-supply tool it put in place in December last year, and already expanded once in March, under which it offers up to 20 trillion yen ($233.6 billion) in threemonth loans at 0.1 percent. But market watchers say the options left for the central bank are limited and can do little about the firming yen, which has jumped nearly 9 percent this year as a flood of weak US economic data undermined the dollar. "The exchange between Kan and Shirakawa is not very proactive.

It is likely that there won't be positive moves over preventing the strong yen," said Yoshikiyo Shimamine, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.

"This seems like as much as they could do ... The ball is in the BOJ's hands. The possibility of the BOJ calling an emergency meeting like they did in December cannot be denied, but it feels like we won't be seeing a commitment that will be targeting currencies." — Reuters

which had expected a bolder policy response or even a signal of one after the yen's surge to 15-year highs earlier this month."There is a sense of disappointment and it is in doubt whether anything was decided," said Hideki Hayashi, global economist at Mizuho Securities' fixed income research department.

TOKYO: A man looks at a securities firm's electric board displaying Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average's closing price of 9116.69, hitting a fresh nine-month low yesterday. — AP

India undecided on state bid for Cairn oil assets NEW DELHI: Indian said yesterday it was still undecided on whether to push for a state takeover of oil assets owned by Britain's Cairn Energy, which mining group Vedanta is seeking to buy. Britain-based mining giant Vedanta announced last week an offer worth up to 9.6 billion dollars for 5160 percent of Cairn India, whose most important asset is the oil-rich Mangala field in the western state of Rajasthan.

New Delhi has "not decided yet" on a counter-bid by state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), Oil Minister Murli Deora

told reporters in New Delhi. The government has written to Cairn Energy seeking details of the proposed deal and is awaiting its response. "(An) official reply from Cairn is awaited," Deora said. The deal needs government approval because Cairn India has production-sharing contracts with it for oil and gas exploration.

Vedanta, controlled by billionaire entrepreneur Anil Agarwal, wants to make its first foray into the energy sector. Indian business newspaper Mint reported yesterday that the oil ministry may seek to scup-

per the deal because it wants to give ONGC a chance to buy a stake in Cairn India. "The deal may not go through. They will have to give a choice to ONGC," the newspaper quoted an unnamed senior petroleum ministry official as saying. ONGC has a 30-percent holding in Cairn India's Rajasthan oil block. Vedanta is seeking to buy the Cairn stake to take advantage of India's and the company's rising demand for energy. Cairn Energy Chairman Bill Gammell held talks with Indian officials in New Delhi last week to pitch for approval of the deal.' — AFP

China's ZTE wins European mobile network contract

SEOUL: This handout photo from Ssangyong Motor Park Young-Tae (left) and Lee Yoo-Il (second left), both courtappointed managers of Ssanyong Motor, pose with Pawan Kumar Goenka (second right), president of Mahindra and Mahindra's Automotive and Farm Equipment Sectors, and Anand Mahindra (right), Mahindra vice-chairman and managing director, during a signing ceremony yesterday. — AFP

Indian carmaker signs deal to obtain Ssangyong Motors SEOUL: India's leading sports utility vehicle maker Mahindra and Mahindra signed a preliminary agreement yesterday to take over bankrupt South Korean carmaker Ssangyong Motor, Ssangyong said. Ssangyong announced the signing of the memorandum of understanding in a regulatory filing to the Seoul stock exchange, but no figures for the deal have been disclosed.

"We give the takeover candidate (Mahindra and Mahindra) an exclusive right for negotiation, and won't be involved in any takeover-related activities with a third party," the company said.

Ssangyong's creditors had said on August 12 they had chosen Mahindra and Mahindra as the preferred bidder to take over a controlling stake in the ailing South Korean carmaker.

The creditors have not said how much Mahindra has bid but analysts said the cost of more than 50 percent of Ssangyong would be up to 500 billion won (418 million dollars). Mahindra vicechairman and managing director Anand Mahindra said earlier this month that the tie-up-the largest investment by an Indian company in South Korea-would "create a platform for global expansion" and create an "Asia-focused SUV player".

Ssangyong was granted court protection from creditors in February 2009 after rising oil prices and slowing demand due to

the global recession hit SUV sales and former Chinese parent Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp declined to inject more funds.

It has since struggled to stay afloat, and a violent strike over job cuts disrupted production for almost 80 days last year. Mahindra was chosen over Indian tire maker Ruia Group and Young An Hat, a local headgear company that also owns bus maker Daewoo Bus Co. Three other suitors, including an alliance between France's Renault and Nissan of Japan, had withdrawn earlier apparently because of the high costs.

Mahindra, which is seeking to go global, has been eyeing Ssangyong to gain access to new technologies for sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and expand its overseas presence. Ssangyong, Korea's smallest carmaker, is mainly a manufacturer of low-priced but robust SUVs such as "Rexton," "Kyron" and "Actyon" that are sold globally. It also makes sedans. If the deal goes through, Mahindra would become the second Indian carmaker to enter the South Korean market after Tata Motors, which bought truck maker Daewoo Commercial Vehicle in 2004.

Due diligence for the Ssangyong deal is expected to begin in September. A Mahindra executive said earlier this month that a definitive agreement was expected in November. — AFP

BEIJING: Chinese telecoms equipment maker ZTE said yesterday it had won a multimillion-dollar contract to build a mobile network in Hungary, reflecting the company's growing strength in Europe. It signed a fiveyear deal with Telenor Hungary, a subsidiary of Norway-based telecom services provider Telenor, ZTE said in a statement. Officials at ZTE were not immediately available to confirm the value of the deal, but the Financial Times put the figure at 254 million dollars.

ZTE said it would roll out 6,000 base stations across Hungary and help Telenor achieve a unified second generation, third generation and long-term evolution network, supporting multi-band wireless services. ZTE had made a breakthrough in Europe this year, chief executive Shi Lirong told the Financial Times, as the United States tries to limit market access by Chinese telecom firms on national security grounds.

"Virtually all European operators have shortlisted us now... That has happened over the course of this year," Shi said. ZTE expects several other large contracts from European operators to come through over the next couple of months, the report said. The deal comes after ZTE rolled out a Wimax network for Telefonica in Spain and built and upgraded mobile networks for Dutch operator KPN and other Telenor affiliates, it said.

ZTE and its Chinese rival Huawei have been trying to boost their presence in the United States, despite opposition from US lawmakers concerned about possible threats to national security. Huawei is currently bidding to sell equipment needed for the expansion of Sprint Nextel's wireless broadband network.

If approved, it would mark the first time Huawei has sold equipment to a large US telecommunications operator, though it has made sales to smaller US companies, the newspaper said previously. US lawmakers have reportedly asked the White House to scrutinise the bid due to concerns including the company's possible close ties to the Chinese army and the Revolutionary Guards in Iran. Huawei, founded by a former People's Liberation Army engineer, was forced in 2008 to abandon a joint 2.2-billion-dollar bid for US technology firm 3Com due to security concerns. — AFP

BUSINESS

26

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Oil rises above six-week low as dollar slips LONDON: Oil rebounded to top $74 a barrel yesterday on a weaker dollar, but prices stayed close to last week’s sixweek lows on bulging US inventories and a lack of hurricane activity in the Gulf of Mexico. The market gained support from the weaker US dollar, which makes oil cheaper for holders of other currencies and from a firmer start to trading by European equities.

US crude for delivery in October was

up 31 cents to $74.13 a barrel by 0856 GMT, having earlier risen as high as $74.30. October Brent crude was up 44 cents to $74.70. “We’re still basically trading sideways and close to the bottom of the range, but I don’t think we’re necessarily into a nosedive,” said Christopher Bellew, a broker at Bache Commodities in London.

“Demand from developing countries such as China is supportive, and on the

bearish side there’s fears of weak demand in Western economies.” Oil in New York ended last week at the lowest since early July, after prices touched an intraday low of $73.19. Prices have fallen more than 10 percent from an Aug 4 high of $82.97.

Even though forecasts are for the Atlantic hurricane season to be the most active in five years, there was little imminent threat of hurricane-related disruptions to oil output or refining in the Gulf of

Mexico. Tropical Storm Danielle formed over the mid-Atlantic on Sunday and could become a hurricane by Tuesday night, the US National Hurricane Center said, but it was headed for Bermuda, posing no threat to oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf.

“The upcoming storm in the Atlantic is expected to deviate north and will again be a storm that will not have any impact on oil assets in the U.S. Gulf,” said Olivier Jakob, analyst at Petromatrix, in a report.

Oil this year has traded in a $64.24$87.15 range as recovering demand has been insufficient to drain ample supplies.US petroleum stocks climbed to a record since weekly records began in 1990 in the week ended Aug 13. “We’ve broken some short-term support at around $74.50 and the next short-term support would be around $72,” Bellew said, referring to Brent crude.

Last week’s economic reports included

data showing US jobless claims hit a ninemonth high and US regional manufacturing contracted for the first time in a year, reviving fears of a double-dip recession in the world’s largest economy.

Investors’ interest in oil diminished last week. Money managers cut net long crude oil positions on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Friday. — Reuters

HSBC is in ‘exclusive’ talks on Nedbank stake HSBC eyes $6.8bn majority stake LONDON: HSBC revea led yesterday that it is in “exclusive” talks w ith insurer Old Mutual over the purcha se of a ma jority stake in South Africa’s Nedba nk, as the lender seeks to expand further into emerging ma rkets. The announcement comes amid a recent flurry of merger a nd a cquisitions a ctivity that has helped spur the British stock ma rket higher during the normally quiet month of August.

HONG KONG: Protestors are seen outside the HSBC headquarters yesterday. According to reports in Hong Kong newspaper The Standard, HSBC may face a lawsuit over worthless securities sold to retail investors after a ruling by US District Judge William Pauley on August 10. — AFP

Corporate deals help lift European markets LONDON: European stock markets rose modestly yesterday as the recent pickup in corporate dealmaking helped offset the gloom from disappointing US economic data. Australian shares traded flat despite an uncertain general election result, as mining companies rallied on hopes that a government tax proposal will be ditched. In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 26.05 points, or 0.5 percent, at 5,221.33 while Germany’s DAX rose 19.79 points, or 0.3 percent, at 6,024.95. The CAC-40 in France was 23.18 points, or 0.7 percent, higher at 3,549.74.

Wall Street was poised to post gains at the open later after a late rally on Friday helped limit the losses - Dow futures were up 23 points, or 0.2 percent, at 10,225 while the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 futures rose 3.6 points, or 0.3 percent, to 1,073.90.

Though disappointing economic data over the last couple of weeks has contributed to a retreat in equity markets around the world, a pickup in the volume and value of mergers

and acquisitions has helped limit the losses - the most high-profile bid last week was BHP Billiton’s $38.5 billion hostile bid for Canadian fertilizer producer Potash Corp.

M&A talk is at the heart of the new trading week too, helping to sustain interest in the markets in what is usually a quiet time of year, particularly in Europe and the US. Trading volumes usually don’t pick up from the summer lull until after the Labor Day holiday in the US, which this year falls on September 6.

“With M&A activity continuing to roll along in the background, once again it might not be quite as quiet as would be expected for the time of year,” said Ben Potter, research analyst at IG Markets.

British bank HSBC Holdings PLC said yesterday it is in talks with financial group Old Mutual PLC to buy a controlling stake in South Africa’s fourth largest bank Nedbank Group Ltd in a deal worth as much as $6.8 billion.

And shares in Australia’s Foster’s Group

Ltd ended 6.5 percent higher on news media reports that SABMiller PLC was preparing a 7 billion pound bid for Foster’s business.

Even though investors are on the lookout for continued deals, overall sentiment in the markets remains fragile at best. The scale of the negative reaction to some worse than expected second-tier US economic data last week provides clear evidence of where investors’ main worries lie. “Concerns over the US economy are dominating positive factors like rising M&A volume and good earnings data,” said Neil MacKinnon, global macro strategist at VTB Capital.

One of the main arenas where concerns about the US economy have dominated has been in the foreign exchange markets. Even though the news out of the US has been the broadly disappointing over the last couple of weeks, the dollar does not seem to be suffering at all, particularly against the euro, because the main fear is that the slowdown in the US will bring growth down everywhere else. —AFP

Germany’s multi-billion rail plan faces conflict STUTTGART: With work barely begun, public ire over one of Europe’s biggest construction projects has exposed some hard truths about Germany, the continent’s top economy. Protestors have come out in force against a seven-billion-euro (nine-billiondollar) grand plan to turn Stuttgart and the surrounding region into a 21st-century continental rail hub. The nine-year project aims to make the southwestern city part of one of the continent’s longest high-speed lines, the 1,500-kilometre (930mile) “Magistrale for Europe” linking Paris, Strasbourg, Vienna and Bratislava.

Engineers plan to blast 16 tunnels and cuttings into the many surrounding hills, build 18 new bridges, lay 60 kilometers of new train track and create three new stations. Stuttgart’s terminus will be utterly transformed into an underground throughstation, so that trains no longer have to chug in and back out but can whisk passengers on to other European cities. The project will also give a boost to the 10-million-strong state of BadenWuerttemberg, home to indus-

trial giants like Daimler, Porsche and Bosch as well as legions of family-owned engineering firms that supply factories the world over.

“Around 2.5 million people live in the Stuttgart region and they are stuck in traffic morning, noon and night,” Stuttgart 21’s

spokesman Wolfgang Drexler told AFP. “There have been no major construction projects here for 20 years.” But people in the middle-class and normally sleepy state capital are angry, saying the project is far too expensive and disruptive and will fail to speed up rail traffic. Thousands

have taken part in protests in recent weeks. On Friday about 30,000 demonstrators rallied in the city, protest organizers said.

“It’s a load of nonsense,” one well-heeled 81-year-old woman who declined to give her name told AFP. “People won’t stand for it.” —AFP

STUTTGART: Demonstrators march during a silent protest with a banner reading “Stop Stuttgart21”. With the so-called project Stuttgart21, it is planned to rebuild the current aboveground station to an underground through station. — AFP

“HSBC Holdings plc has entered into exclusive discussions with Old Mutual plc about the possible acquisition of a majority stake in Nedbank Group Limited, South Africa’s fourth largest banking group by total assets,” Europe’s biggest bank said in a brief statement to the London Stock Exchange.

“The discussions are ongoing and if successfully concluded would be conditional on, among other matters, obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals,” added Asia-focused HSBC. Old Mutual revealed in a separate statement that it has received a proposal from HSBC to buy up to 70 percent of Nedbank shares, but did not reveal the price. Old Mutual owns 51.6 percent of Nedbank.

London-listed Old Mutual said that the proposed deal would be a “major step” in its strategy to streamline the group, adding that the proceeds would be reinvested and used to cut debt.

In Johannesburg, Nedbank issued a statement which welcomed HSBC as an “attractive international banking partner” that would enhance its business. “Nedbank Group’s initial assessment of the proposed transaction is that HSBC represents an attractive international banking partner and shareholder of reference and has the potential to provide Nedbank Group with benefits which should enhance Nedbank Group’s ability to strengthen its position in the South African banking sector,” it said.

“Nedbank Group believes that there is a substantial opportunity for it to expand both within the South African and African markets in due course.” However, it added that there was no certainty that a transaction would be made, and advised shareholders to sit tight pending a further announcement.

HSBC is keen to expand in Africa as part of its ongoing strategy to seek growth in emerging markets, according to a source familiar with HSBC’s thinking. “It’s important to remember that this isn’t yet a done deal. HSBC has entered exclusivity-nothing more,” the source told AFP. “HSBC has long talked about the need for a bigger presence in Africa. Securing exclusivity shows its commitment to finding a way of developing its business there.” The source added: “It’s further evidence that HSBC management are repositioning the business and exploring opportunities to invest in faster-growing markets. “HSBC has confidence in the long-term economic and social development of Africa.”

The Financial Times newspaper reported that HSBC had fended off competition for Nedbank from British-based emerging markets lender Standard Chartered.

The daily business newspaper, which cited people familiar with the talks, added that HSBC’s proposed Nedbank deal could lead to a full takeover offer. HSBC shares were up 0.84 percent at 639.50 pence in midday deals on London’s rising FTSE 100 index, while Old Mutual stock leapt 4.38 percent to 126.30 pence. HSBC had agreed last month to buy the Indian commercial and retail banking assets of Britain’s state-controlled Royal Bank of Scotland. — AFP

KIGALI: Rwandan road workers crush rocks at a section of the road under construction. — AFP

Kigali: From boondocks to Africa’s new Singapore KIGALI: Rwanda’s capital is changing from a sleepy backwater where most things closed at 9:00 pm to a future Singapore with gleaming office blocks and all-night shopping. Ten years ago, ordering a coffee got you an imported tin of the worst kind of Nescafe accompanied by a pot of powdered milk. Now you can choose from expresso, macchiato or mocha from home-grown beans and the milk comes frothing out of a steamer.

Rwanda’s ambitious “Vision 2020” plan seeks to transform the central African state into a middle-income country and acknowledges: “This will not be achieved unless we transform from a subsistence agriculture economy to a knowledgebased society”. The country has already successfully promoted top-end eco-tourism around the endangered mountain gorillas that live on the mist-clad slopes of the Virunga volcanoes. It has also positioned its coffee output at the specialty end of the market.

“Kigali is one of the fastest-growing cities in Africa and we are committed to ensuring future growth is based on very good planning,” city Mayor Aisa Kirabo Kacyira told AFP. The Colorado-based OZ Architecture firm has developed a 50-year master plan for Kigali, incorporating a new international airport, and with entire districts of town given over respectively to shopping, offices, technology and medical facilities.

‘Trying to reinvent the w hole country’ “They are trying to make Rwanda the most sustainable, high-tech, wired country in Africa, a little bit like what Singapore became,” to Southeast Asia, OZ senior architect Carl Worthington told Metropolis magazine. “They are trying to re-invent the whole country.” “Before 1994 Kigali wasn’t a planned city,” explained Vivian Kayitesi, who manages the division of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) charged notably with investment promotion.

Kirabo Kacyira wants the future city to be “as beautiful and as sustainable” as the current one, even if its population of one million is poised to double. Giant yellow cranes are busy on the construction of a convention centre that will include 300 top-end hotel rooms and conference facilities for more than 2,000 delegates, with conference tourism something that the RDB is pushing. An additional 200 top-end rooms are under construction at a hotel in town, also Chinese-built.

“The target is to go from 700 to 4,800 rooms by the end of 2010,” Kayitesi said, referring to the small highland country as a whole. To reduce sprawl, the authorities are encouraging investors to go in for 10-plus storey buildings. Patrick Sebatigita, the managing director of Ujenge, an engineering company, started up two years ago in a room in his house “with a PC and a pickup” and has expanded quickly. “We’ve made a lot of

progress,” he said, referring to Rwanda’s economy. “If we keep this trend we might not reach Singapore in the next 10 years but in the subregion definitely we’ll improve,” he told AFP while overseeing work on a residential construction site. “Rwanda is still at a disadvantage in terms of human capacity and education,” and small companies still find it hard to access credit, he said.

The country has registered 7.1 percent average GDP growth since 2004 and was chosen “fastest global reformer of business regulations” by the World Bank Doing Business Survey.

Administrative changes and four major commercial laws in 2009 have made it easier to start a business, employ workers, register property and access credit, the RDB says. Modern housing is in short supply, so the time to obtain a construction permit has been sharply reduced.

‘A city that has a soul, a sense of life’ Skyline aside, Kigali is trying to develop on the high-tech front. For Leon Orsmond, who runs Osmosis, a viral marketing company with offices in Dubai, Lagos and ...Kigali, Rwanda’s recent history, rather than being a handicap, has proved almost a catalyst. “Because of 1994 they’ve had to play fast catch up. They’ve had to leapfrog. They’ve had to accept that from an agrarian economy they’ve got to move to a knowledge-based one,” he said.

Sixteen years ago Kigali was yet to emerge from the trauma of the genocide of the Tutsi, in which an estimated 800,000 people were killed in three months. Among the rare physical reminders today are the memorial museum, and the bulletpocked walls of the parliament building, kept that way on purpose. Kigali is already famous for having banned plastic bags and the environment remains a major redevelopment consideration.

The current industrial zone Gikondo will be returned to wetlands and a new industrial park on the outskirts is scheduled for completion by year end. Officials say those on modest wages will not be forgotten. Kirabo Kacyira said she also wants a city “that has a soul, a sense of life” with sporting and recreational activities for residents to enjoy after work. Gerard Kayumba was expropriated to make way for the Kigali convention centre. “We got good prices. Out of 350 families only three people said they didn’t get enough,” he said. With that money and his savings he is building four apartments next to a piece of land destined to house foreign embassies. He hopes his flats will bring in several thousand dollars worth of rent each month.

Martin Nzabirinda, 33, says he was not so lucky.

He was expropriated from downtown Kigali and compensated, but reckons he only got about half what the house was worth. He has been resettled in affordable housing in Batsinda, 15 kilometers (nine miles) down a dirt track from town. —AFP

tuesday, August 24, 2010

technology

27

How BlackBerry developed mobile phone and networks LONDON: The decision of the United Arab Emirates to ban BlackBerry email, messenger and web browsing services goes to the heart of the way in which the handheld devices operate - itself a consequence of the mobile market in which they were born.

When the first BlackBerry appeared, over a decade ago, mobile phone networks were far more basic than they are today. The most innovative service the majority of users had seen since mobile devices first appeared in the 1980s was the introduction of text messaging.

In the US, many mobile users were still making calls on analogue networks, while in Europe the new digital operators were only just introducing data services. But the sorts of speeds possible over networks such as Orange and Cellnet in the UK were pitiful. Speeds of 9.6Kb per second - less than 1% of the average speed available in the UK today, according to recent research - meant the networks had to resort to offering a pared-down version of the internet using Wap (Wireless application protocol) technology. Using a mobile phone to receive email, let alone access the “real” internet was almost unheard of.

By the mid-1990s, Canada’s Research In Motion (RIM) was already working with partners on a messaging

device that would work on a new wireless data network, which its owners hoped would be rolled out across Europe and the US. It was not much of a success - although the UK network that used this technology eventually became Turbo Dispatch, which now sends mechanics from local garages to help millions of stranded motorists every year.

As a result, RIM switched to working with the existing mobile phone companies, but to squeeze emails across their networks meant using compression technology. RIM also needed to be able to persuade jittery corporate IT departments their emails would be safe, which required encryption technology. To create such a lean and secure service required an end-to-end solution, with both the device, the BlackBerry, and the server hosting the user’s email being able to understand each other.

However, RIM wanted to be able to offer its devices on any mobile phone network.

As a result, it created the Network Operations Centre (Noc), which seems to have created such a headache in the Gulf. Every mobile phone operator that wants to offer BlackBerry devices has to have a connection to a Noc: - there is apparently one based in Canada to cover

the Americas and one covering Europe and Asia. A company that wants to offer BlackBerrys to its employees, meanwhile, has to install software within its own IT systems that can communicate with the Noc. When a user’s inbox receives a new email, that software securely communicates with the Noc, which then connects securely to the BlackBerry over a mobile phone network to deliver the email. It uses compression technology to make sure the email can be squeezed over even the most congested network.

Numerous research reports over the past year have suggested that BlackBerrys are at least five times more efficient at email and attachment viewing than any other platform.

RIM has since opened its network up to consumer email services such as Gmail and Hotmail, which together with the introduction of a range of stylish devices aimed at the consumer market has created a boom in usage of BlackBerry phones among teenagers.

Opening up the RIM network to the web has also allowed internet browsing, which is also apparently faster on a BlackBerry than other devices. They are three times more efficient than other carriers, according to a recent report by Rysavy Research.

But there is another side-effect to the way that RIM’s network architecture is configured and it has been seized upon by cash-strapped teenagers: BlackBerry Messenger. Because RIM knows every BlackBerry device in use, regardless of which network it is on, and they are all directly connected to its Nocs, BlackBerry users who have devices with the right software can communicate with each other without incurring the network interconnection and roaming charges associated with text messages.

Text messages and telephone calls, meanwhile, are routed solely over a mobile phone network, so neither will be affected by the UAE’s decision. That also explains why when there is a problem with RIM’s network - which has happened in the past - BlackBerry users can still make calls.

The first BlackBerry appeared in the late 1990s and was effectively a two-way pager. The first full email device - the 5810 - appeared in 2002.

The name, incidentally, was created by the company’s brand agency, which looked at the trademark small buttons on the device’s keyboard and decided they looked like the pips on a strawberry.

That name, however, sounded too “slow”. Blackberry sounded punchier and it stuck. — Guardian

Nature can improve our computers Next great leap will be programming machines to behave in evolutionary ways LONDON: Robots on Ma rs that ca n fix themselves and computers built from DNA: not science fiction but the w ork of scientists at the forefront of computing. Dennis Sha sha , 55, is a professor of computer science a t New York University’s Coura nt Institute of Mathematical Sciences a nd the a uthor, with

The UAE’s ban on BlackBerry services goes to the heart of the way handheld devices and smartphones work. — Guardian

Get plugged in with Pogoplug Share files from home or office across the web to yourself or a group you nominate LONDON: You’re working in the office, but that vital file that you need to complete the PowerPoint presentation with which you’re going to anaesthetise the board this afternoon is at home! Oh noes! What can you do? If you’ve hooked yourself up with Pogoplug, no problem: simply go to its site and you’ll be able to log in and pull down the file directly from your home network.

Always assuming, that is, that you took the trouble before you left home to hook the USB drive with that vital file to the Pogoplug itself.

So actually the scenario might not work. Still, it shows you the principle of the device, which is a personal file server that works across your home firewall and router to offer password-protected access to files connected to it.

There’s m ore: you can choose to share files with other people - by file, by directory, among individuals, to any email-addressable group.

Hmm, is this one of these cyberlocker things that Lord Vold... Mandelson warned us about? Well, I suppose it could be: depending how fast your broadband upload is, you could share a stack of music with your friends entirely illicitly. That’s not quite the purpose of Pogoplug, which is much more about creating a simple method of accessing your files from anywhere. All you have to do is click an icon and you can send them an email directly from the site to any or all of your friends.

One security w ea k ness: they can then share it with all their friends.

Setting it up is sim plicity itself: power it up, plug it into your router, go to the Pogoplug web page, enter your details such as an email and press a button on the front of the device. You’ll get an email with a link to confirm that it’s your Pogoplug. Which has the advantage that if, as I did, you forget your password, you can click the link to log in again. Essentially, it’s a little web server sitting there behind your firewall, and able to leap across it (via port 4365, rather than the standard web port 80).

The Pogoplug then has two elements: its

website, and the hardware. Note that they’re co-dependent: if you’re not using the right hardware, or if pogoplug.com should die (heavens forfend) then you’re, to use the technical term, stuffed.

Still, it has lots of clever wrinkles: there’s an iPhone app, so you can access files while well away from your computer; you can publish data to social networking sites, or generate RSS feeds of what’s available, or even a public URL of the files you’ve got there. You know, it does sound like one of those cyberlocker things ...

On the design side, the machine is neat: done up in shocking pink (or possibly fuchsia), quiet (as it doesn’t have to do much). It’ll take up to four USB drives plugged into it. And of course, because it doesn’t have any storage of its own, there’s not much to go wrong.

The question then is: do you want to pay £100 for a device that’s basically an alternative to Google Docs? Sure, if you have some very important data, perhaps it’s better left at home rather than entrusted to the cloud - the Pogoplug site offers SSL, though it’s not the default; a VPN into your home might be better, though you’ll need rather more technical expertise to set one up than you need with the Pogoplug.

Pros: quiet; easy setup; pleasing design; flexible sharing.

Cons: useless if Pogoplug flops; VPN would be cheaper. firebox.com Ha rd da ta • Drive connection: USB 2.0 • Drive Formats: NTFS, FAT32, Mac OS Extended Journaled and non-Journaled (HFS+), EXT-2/EXT-3 • Network connection: Gigabit Ethernet • Operating Systems: MS Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Mac OSX 10.5 and above (Intel and PowerPC) 32bit kernel only, Linux • Web browsers: Safari, FireFox 3, IE 7, IE 8, Chrome • iPhone app available. —Guardian

Pogoplug ... an easy way to access your data from anywhere.

What can computers learn from biology?

We should look at the history of the two fields and how surprising it is that they should come together. Computing was really born of physics and of this “clean-room” mentality and a lot of computing is still like that. When one tries to control every bit of accuracy and tries to ensure that nothing could possibly go wrong well, this is very different from the messiness of nature.

But as computers become more mobile and autonomous either they can gain their own power from the environment or they have a long battery or are wireless - their problems become quite different. Instead of problems being algorithmic, which means they can be expressed as a recipe - you do one step and then the next and you finally arrive at an answer - now their problem can be: how do I survive? If the problem is how do I survive, then all of the survival mechanisms that organic nature uses become relevant.

And robots that can repair themselves are an example of this?

In the history of space travel, it’s been easier to build a computer program to guide a spaceship to Mars than it has been to build a robot that can navigate the terrain there with anything like the skill of goat.

A professor of robotics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) called Rodney Brooks saw a problem with what’s known as the “monarch” model: sensors provide data to some kind of higher intelligence, which in turn figures out a model of the world before sending a set of decisions to a set of actuators (wheels, for instance). But it’s very hard to construct a model of the real world. Brooks thought that the real world is its own best model, and that it’s much better to have very low-level intelligences, which can work together. One intelligence may say: “Do not collide with anything” - something fundamental to avoid a bad outcome - whereas another one may say: “Explore as much as possible.” But if that one conflicts with the first one, than the first one wins. And so on.

As a result, in the 80s, Brooks was able to construct very simple robots that didn’t need much computing power but which were able to achieve things that other robots couldn’t. He suggested sending lots of little robots to Mars, which should just be let go, as opposed to highly controlled robots, which would be very expensive, could easily break and would in fact be very hard to control over all that distance.

It proved a very influential idea and other scientists are now thinking about how robots might adopt a random - almost an evolutionary - way of fixing themselves using what are known as genetic algorithms.

When we think of computers, we think of electronic devices such as laptops, but is

Cathy La zere, of Natural Computing: DNA, Quantum Bits and the Future of Sma rt Machines (Norton), a survey of research in fields as dispa rate a s engineering a nd medicine. This New Yorker sees an emerging common theme: tha t the future of computing lies in a synthesis w ith nature.

Rodney Brooks’s Genghis was built at MIT in the 80s to demonstrate the efficacy of sending numerous small robots to Mars. — Guardian there a role for nature here?

A chemist called Ned Seeman, a colleague of mine at New York University, came up with an entirely new way of controlling nature in the early 90s when he realised he could force DNA to self-assemble into what might be thought of as sculptures. DNA is made up of the bases A, C, G and T - and the A likes to bind with the T, and the C likes to bind with the

G. If you can make single strands of DNA in the proper way, you can make them form stars and dodecahedra and all kinds of shapes.

Lately, Ned and others have been building robots out of DNA - tiny robots, but robots in the sense that one can control their movement. There are millions of them, so it is conceivable to have them detect the DNA of some bacteria and

either light up a signal that says: “Here’s these bacteria and you have to apply those antibiotics” or maybe even conceivably fight them, using other enzymes. This is all in the future, but it’s not in the very far future.

What it consists of is thinking in a computational way giving instructions to something. Computer scientists are often on a kind of power trip -

telling the computer to do this and then that. And in this case biologists are thinking computationally - urging DNA to do this, that and then the other thing. It’s a very similar way of thinking.

Fans of this synthesis between biology and computing have been around for some time, but it’s only now that they are coming together in different fields. — Guardian

Smartphones to make up over half of Asian sales by 2015 SINGAPORE: Smartphones will make up over half of Asian mobile phone sales by 2015, with 477 million units likely to be sold, an industry report said yesterday.

Consultancy Frost and Sullivan said smartphones would account for 54 percent of the Asia-Pacific mobile market in five years, up sharply from five percent in 2009.

The sharp take-up rate for smartphones will be a huge revenue boost for telecom operators as it means a surge in demand for data services, the consultancy said.

Smartphones are high-end mobile devices providing faster access to data connections such as e-mail and Internet browsing than socalled feature phones, which have less computing ability.

Subscribers usually pay more for mobile data services, translating into higher average revenue per user (ARPU) for operators keen to make up for flat or declining earnings growth from feature phones.

“Smartphones are critical to every operator’s mobile broadband business case, as a smartphone user’s ARPU typically increased by 25 to 100 percent after adoption depending on the market,” said Marc Einstein, the consultancy’s industry manager.

“The Asia-Pacific market is particularly interesting for smartphones as there has been significant uptake in emerging markets like China, India and Indonesia, even among prepaid users,” he said in the report.

Apple’s phenomenally popular iPhone and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry, a favourite with corporate users, are largely credited with sparking consumer interest in smartphones in the last few years. — AFP

SINGAPORE: A file picture taken on June 16, 2010 shows a marketing promoter for Canadian smarthphone manufacturer Research in Motion displaying one of the new Blackberry models at the CommunicAsia telecom trade fair in Singapore.

Smartphone devices will make up over half of Asian sales by 2015 with 477 million units expected to be sold, an industry report said yesterday. — AFP

28

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Japanese mayor defends dolphin hunts TAIJI: As children in inner tubes bob on the calm waters of this small ocean cove, a 550-pound (250-kilogram) dolphin zips through the crowd in pursuit of raw squid tossed out by a trainer.

Niru, a Risso's dolphin caught locally, seems unbothered by all the people and the squeals of surprise and delight. The cove is packed -- it is a bright summer Sunday, and hundreds of families have come.

But in two weeks, the waters of the cove will turn blood red, as it becomes a holding pen for annual hunts that capture and kill hundreds of dolphins each year. The ancient village of Taiji, portrayed in the Oscar-winning documentary "The Cove," has a long and complex relationship with the dolphin. The film portrays the dolphin hunts as a sinister secret, cruel and dangerous because the animals have high mercury levels. The hunts are no secret in this village, however, where Risso meat sells for $10 a pound at the local supermarket. And the villagers are deeply and stubbornly proud of their centuries-old tradition, whatever Hollywood says. "We will pass down the history of our ancestors to the next generation, preserve it. We have a strong sense of pride about this," Mayor Kazutaka Sangen told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview. "So we are not going to change our plans for the town based on the criticism of foreigners." For Sangen, dolphins are no more special than other animals, and fishermen have the right to start their hunts when the season opens again Sept. 1. He emphasized that he did not speak directly for Taiji's dol-

phin hunters, who number about 60 and hunt with the permission of the national and prefectural governments.

To activists like Ric O'Barry, the "Flipper" trainer-cumactivist who stars in "The Cove," dolphins deserve to be protected because they are different from other animals.

"Dolphins have a brain larger than the human brain. They're selfaware, like people and like the great apes. They're not fish, chickens, cows, pigs or other domesticated animals," he said while in Tokyo to promote the movie in June.

The dolphins caught in the region are not endangered. In 2008, the prefecture caught 1,857 dolphins, far fewer than in other parts of Japan, which allows about 20,000 to be killed each year. Taiji fishermen use a method called "oikomi" to hunt dolphins, banging on metal poles in their boats to create a wall of sound and herd them to shore, where they are harpooned for meat or captured alive as show animals.

Nestled around a small bay, the tiny town of 3,500 is suffused with a fierce independence. It has refused to join surrounding villages as they merge, and ignores criticism as it seeks to become an international whaling and cetacean research center.

This was the birthplace of Japanese whaling in the 1600s, and shrines to the animals dot the streets, with the history celebrated in a series of annual festivals. While dolphins can be playmates, they are primarily seen as big game animals, a perception many foreigners find difficult to stomach.

In this photo taken on Aug. 14, 2010, men on a rowboat chase a nine-meter (30-foot) mechanized whale during the annual whaling festival in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture in western Japan in a re-creation of the old whale hunts, when hundreds of men in dozens of boats would set out with knives and harpoons. The ancient village has a long and complex relationship with the dolphin. In early September, the waters of this same cove will turn blood red, as it becomes a holding pen for the annual dolphin hunts. —AP The Cove's success has thrust the town and its traditions into the international spotlight, with much of the attention negative. Local fishermen decline comment, saying their words have too often been twisted by foreign reporters.

The movie depicts a team of environmentalists with hidden cameras as they capture bloody footage of dolphins being slaughtered. The fishermen who try to block the film crew are presented as rough goons.

Sangen and other officials say that during hunts, the cove is the equivalent of a slaughterhouse, a gory place by nature and usually

closed off from public view anywhere in the world.

"We just hope that this issue can be viewed in a more realistic way," says Katsutoshi Mihara, head of the town council.

Taiji's pride was on display this month at its annual whaling festival, when two sleek rowboats full of men in red loincloths chased a 30-foot (nine-meter) mechanized whale around the main bay, its artificial blowhole shooting up jets of water.

It is a re-creation of the old hunts, when 200 men in dozens of boats would set out with knives and harpoons to kill a whale, young dare-

devils diving into the sea to prove themselves against an angry leviathan 1,000 times their weight.

Crowds line the dock to watch the "hunt," then everyone settles in for a night of fireworks, which include giant sparkly whale and dolphin outlines.

Hayato Sakurai, a history curator at the local whale museum, says the town's past links the issue to its pride and sense of duty, although few are directly involved today.

Taiji residents also carry their history in their last names, which many Japanese adopted in the 1870s, usually based on their occupation.

Twenty-five percent of the townspeople still are named Ryono, which means "sea field" and was often taken by whaleboat rowers.

Descendants of harpooners are named Seiko, after their pursuit boats, and lookouts became Tomi, literally "far seeing." The Japanese debut of "The Cove" a few months ago turned into a battle over free speech, with nationalist groups intimidating cinemas into canceling showings even while intellectuals urged them not to back down. The accuracy of the documentary, and the context under which people agreed to appear in it, have been hotly debated in Japan. Unlike the US version, most faces are blurred out, with disclaimers added that those interviewed are not protesting or supporting dolphin issues. Many in the town say they are unhappy with how they were portrayed.

Councilman Hisato Ryono, who talks about mercury levels in the dolphins, says he was deceived about the film's content beforehand.

Louie Psihoyos, the American director, said that he was open about the subject of the film with those he interviewed, and complaints have only come after its success and the accompanying backlash against the town. "It wasn't a film on dog walking. There is only one reason you go to Taiji — that's to film dolphin hunting. That's what we were doing," he told The Associated Press. The success of the movie has emboldened activists and deepened their pockets. This year, the usual motley assortment of local English teachers, surfers and save-the-dolphin activists are likely to turn out in

bigger numbers than normal to protest the hunts and perhaps scuffle with local fishermen. But a major nationalist organization also says it will go to "stop disturbances by Western white people," while a more liberal group is planning a "Peace Walk" in honor of Taiji. Even the more sympathetic in the town government say protests are unlikely to cause any change. "They're not going to stop the hunts," says Ryono. Several years ago he helped raise the issue of high mercury levels in local dolphins, the meat of which was being fed to school children, an issue later covered in the movie. That practice was stopped and a national lab was called in to conduct continuing mercury tests on Taiji residents. The results showed some abnormally high mercury levels in the villagers, but no ill effects have been found.

Local residents mostly roll their eyes when asked about the film.

Many, such as Sen Morimoto, 61, a former firefighter, are more worried about the future of the town as its younger generations leave for broader pastures; two of his three children have moved away, and the third says business at the local auto company where he works is worsening.

Mayor Sangen says that most people in Taiji are unconcerned about "The Cove" or the protests.

"People here really don't care about this," he said. "They've been living the slow life for 400 years. Even if foreigners suddenly appear, and Japanese, waving flags and saying 'it's terrible, it's terrible,' we've always eaten this way." — AP

'Number of illnesses can be life-threatening'

FDA head says more egg recalls possible WASHINGTON: The Food and Drug Administration commissioner yesterday said there may be more recalls of eggs in the salmonella outbreak and the agency did not yet know how the eggs and chickens were contaminated. "We don't know exactly how the contamination got into the chicken population, into

the egg population, and we're not yet fully sure the extent of the recall that will be necessary to protect consumers," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said on ABC's "Good Morning America." "We are in the midst of probably the largest egg recall that has happened in recent history," she said.

Two Iowa farms that recalled more than a half-billion eggs linked to as many as 1,300 cases of salmonella poisoning share suppliers of chickens and feed as well as ties to an Iowa business routinely cited for violating state and federal law.

The number of illnesses, which can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems, is expected to increase. The most common symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever eight to 72 hours of eating a contaminated product.

The company Quality Egg supplies young chickens and feed to both Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms. The two share other suppliers, said Jewanna Porter, a spokeswoman for the egg industry, but she did not name them.

The egg industry has consolidated over recent years, placing fewer, larger businesses in control over much of the nation's egg supply to consumers. The salmonella outbreak has raised questions about federal inspections of egg farms.

The FDA oversees inspections of shell eggs, while the Agriculture Department is in charge of inspecting other egg products.

William D. Marler, a Seattle attorney for a person who filed suit alleging illness

sive as any sweatshop." Reich's successor, Alexis Herman, called the state of the farms "simply atrocious," citing unguarded machinery, electrical hazards, exposure to harmful bacteria and other unsanitary conditions.

• In 2000, Iowa designated DeCoster a "habitual violator" of environmental regulations for problems that included hog manure runoff into waterways. The label made him subject to increased penalties and prohibited him from building new farms.

• In 2002, the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced a more than $1.5 million settlement of an employment discrimination lawsuit against DeCoster Farms on behalf of Mexican women who reported they were subjected to sexual harassment, including rape, abuse and retaliation by some supervisory workers at DeCoster's Wright County plants.

• In 2007, 51 workers were arrested during an immigration raid at six DeCoster egg farms. His farms had been the subject of at least three previous raids. _In June 2010, Maine Contract Farming, the successor company to DeCoster Egg Farms, agreed in state court to pay $25,000 in penalties and to

from tainted eggs in a salad at a restaurant in Kenosha, Wis., said Sunday his firm has been retained by two dozen families and was representing a woman who was hospitalized in California. "The history of ignoring the law makes the sickening of 1,300 and the forced recall of 550 million eggs shockingly understandable," Marler said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "You have to wonder where the USDA and FDA inspectors were." Businessman Austin "Jack" DeCoster owns Wright County Egg and Quality Egg. Wright County Egg recalled 380 million eggs Aug. 13 after it was linked to more than 1,000 cases of salmonella poisoning. A week later, Hillandale Farms recalled 170 million eggs.

DeCoster is no stranger to controversy in his food and farm operations: • In 1994, the state of Iowa assessed at least four separate penalties against DeCoster Farms for environmental violations, many of them involving hog waste.

• _In 1997, DeCoster Egg Farms agreed to pay $2 million in fines to settle citations brought in 1996 for health and safety violations at DeCoster's farm in Turner, Maine. The nation's labor secretary at the time, Robert Reich, said conditions were "as dangerous and oppres-

make a one-time payment of $100,000 to the Maine Department of Agriculture over animal cruelty allegations that were spurred by a hidden-camera investigation by an animal welfare organization. In a statement issued Sunday, Wright County Egg spokeswoman Hinda Mitchell said: "When issues have been raised about our farms, our management team has addressed them swiftly and effectively, working with recognized outside experts to identify and establish corrective measures for our operations. We are approaching our work with FDA in the same forthright manner." A spokeswoman for DeCoster, Hinda Mitchell, said Sunday that she had no comment on DeCoster's history of violations and that DeCoster himself would not be available for an interview.

Wright County Egg also faces a lawsuit from food distributor Dutch Farms alleging that the company used unauthorized cartons to package and sell eggs under its brand without its knowledge.

The CDC said last week that investigations by 10 states since April have identified 26 cases where more than one person became ill. Preliminary information showed that Wright was the supplier in at least 15 of those cases. — AP

TB genetic signature may help predict active cases LONDON: Scientists have uncovered a molecular fingerprint in the blood of patients with the active form tuberculosis. The finding could help doctors predict which infected patients will become ill, and which will carry the infection without effects. TB, a disease primarily of the lungs, kills up to 1.7 million people a year. Approximately one-third of the world's population has been exposed or infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but only 10% of these people become ill. "The question is why and what is it that determines which people actually get active TB," said Anne O'Garra an immunologist at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research in London, who led the latest study.

The latent form of TB can be diagnosed by either a skin or blood test that looks for a reaction to the bacterium that causes the disease, but are unable to predict which infected people will develop the active disease.

O'Garra's team analysed blood samples from more than 400 people and identified hundreds of molecules that were

X-ray showing pulmonary tuberculosis. — Guardian present in a specific pattern only in the blood of those with the active form of TB. These molecules are the products of certain genes, acting in the presence of the TB bacterium and, as such, provide a genetic signature in the blood for the active form of the disease.

"This signature reflected the severity and extent of the lung disease," said Matthew Berry of Imperial College, co-author of the study published today in Nature. "When we treated the patients successfully, this signature disappears. This really gives the potential that these

approaches could be developed and used to diagnose people with TB and also to monitor them during their treatment and highlight people earlier who are not responding."

The study, which analysed people in London and Cape Town, found that 10% of the peo-

ple with latent TB infections had the genetic fingerprint for the active disease. If further research confirms the results, the findings could be used to predict which people with latent TB are at greatest risk of developing the active version, and therefore receive earlier treatment.

O'Garra's research also provides valuable insights into how TB might cause disease in the body. "The signature that is in active TB and in 10% of latent is dominated by genes turned on by a molecule called type-1 interferon," she said. "This is well-known to have antiviral activity, however it can really aggravate bacterial infections such as TB. Finding these molecules expressed in TB suggest that they may be contributing to make the disease work." The molecules induced by the type-1 interferon were present in cells called neutrophils, which are abundant in the blood but have received little attention from TB researchers until now.

"Our cells are suggesting that type-1 interferon and neutrophils maybe contributing to the extent of damage in TB disease," O'Garra said. — Guardian

MAINZ: The university hospital for children is seen in Mainz, Germany, yesterday. German prosecutors are investigating the deaths of two infants who may have been infected by a tainted infusion at a hospital in the western city of Mainz. A third infant remains in critical condition. — AP

Two infants die in German hospital BERLIN: A premature baby remains in life threatening condition after receiving a tainted infusion at the Mainz University Clinic in western Germany that is linked to the death of two other infants over the weekend, prosecutors said yesterday.

Mainz Prosecutor Klaus-Peter Mieth said investigators were waiting for autopsy results before they could be certain whether the babies in an intensive care ward were killed by the bacteria in the infusion.

Ten infants and a toddler who were in intensive care at the clinic's pediatric ward were given an intravenous infusion late Friday. Doctors became concerned after the condition of several worsened on Saturday, and two subsequently

died. Authorities found traces of the bacteria in one of the dead infants and another premature baby that is still in critical condition, Mieth said.

He noted that because the children are so small, it is difficult to extract enough blood from them for lab workers to carry out the necessary tests.

Prosecutors have launched an investigation into involuntary manslaughter and bodily injury and Mieth said the clinic believes the infusion was contaminated while being mixed at the hospital.

An entirely sterile "clean room" where the infusions were previously mixed was no longer being used, Mieth said, but did not elaborate.

Germany's health system is considered one of the best in the world, but clinics have been hit with cuts amid spiraling costs. — AP

Govt mulls stopping addicts' benefits LONDON: The government said it was considering withdrawing benefits from those with drug or alcohol problems who refused to seek treatment.

It also planned to introduce temporary bans on "legal highs" that could be harmful to users.

As part of a consultation on a new drug strategy, the Home Office has put forward the idea that the benefit system should be used to help addicts overcome their dependency and get back to work.

Those who sought treatment for their addiction would be exempted from seeking work and could still receive welfare benefits. However those who did not seek help could face "some form of financial benefit sanction".

"The government is determined to prevent drug use and strengthen enforcement against supply," a Home Office spokesman said.

"That's why we are asking experts for their views on a range of issues so that users are strongly encouraged to address their dependency." A report by the Social Services Advisory Committee in May said there was little evidence that sanctions would have any impact on the behaviour of addicts.

It also warned that it might drive people from work and lead them to turn to crime and prostitution.

"We seriously question both the fairness and the effectiveness of actually using the stick of compulsion, benefit sanctions, to link a require-

ment to undergo medical treatment with a condition of receipt of benefit," Martin Barnes, chief executive of the charity DrugScope, told BBC radio.

On legal highs, a proposed new law will allow authorities to react quickly as new substances emerge, with 12-month bans while experts assess the drugs.

The move reflects public concern over the effects of legal highs such as the drug mephedrone which was banned in April.

"The drugs market is changing and we need to adapt current laws to allow us to act more quickly," Crime Prevention Minister James Brokenshire said in a statement.

"The temporary ban allows us to act straight away to stop new substances gaining a foothold in the market and help us tackle unscrupulous drug dealers trying to get round the law by peddling dangerous chemicals to young people," he said.

Under the planned legislation, authorities would be able to ban substances temporarily following an initial consideration by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD).

The ACMD would then carry out a comprehensive review of the substance and advise whether it should be permanently banned.

Police would be able to confiscate suspect substances and the UK Border Agency could seize shipments entering the country. — Reuters

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

heAlTh & science

29

Malaysia warns of waterborne disease after 10 die KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has closed parks and warned the public about swimming and dumping trash in rivers after 10 people died from a disease spread by rats. The latest reported death from the bacterial disease leptospirosis was Saturday. The 17-year-old boy in northern Kedah state had swam in a river and had a picnic with friends at a recreational park last month, the New Straits Times and The Star reported.

Several parks throughout the country have been closed since the first deaths were reported last month. The Health Ministry's website warns people not to swim in public rivers when it rains and to avoid taking a dip if they have cuts on their body, which makes an infection more likely.

Health Minister Liow

Tiong Lai was quoted by the Times on Monday as saying his ministry would distribute leaflets and posters to raise awareness of the disease.

Leptospirosis is caused by exposure to water contaminated with urine of infected animals and absorbed through the skin. Rats are the main carriers, and the ministry's campaign urges people not to dump rubbish near water sources that could attract rats, he said. Cases of the disease have been increasing in Malaysia. It killed 62 people last year, up from 20 in 2004.

In the same period, the number of infections rose more than fivefold to more than 1,400 cases, up from 263.

Symptoms are severe muscle pain, fever, vomiting and headache, and leptospirosis is curable if the person is treated within a week. — AP

Researchers monitoring Hepatitis E vaccine effective Hawaii coral for bleaching PEARL HARBOR: Scientists plan to monitor corals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands next month for signs of bleaching that could harm the reefs. Corals become stressed and expel the algae that live inside them when temperatures are warmer than normal. This causes corals to lose their color and appear white. Corals may die if this continues for extended periods, depriving fish of vital food and habitat. Researchers will be observing coral in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument during September -the hottest month of the year in Hawaii, monument deputy superintendent Randall Kosaki said Friday. They're due to leave for the remote atolls aboard the research ship Hiialakai in a week, he said. Kosaki measured surface temperatures of 82 degrees Fahrenheit (27.78 Celsius) to 84 degrees Fahrenheit (28.89 Celsius) during another research trip to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands earlier this month. That was very warm, particularly for waters that far north, he said.

Kosaki also noted there's currently a mass of warm water from Southeast Asia that's pushing into the North Pacific. "It's warm now. If it cools off we might not have a bleaching event. If it stays warm for an extended period we might have a bleaching event," he said. Bleaching would be likely if temperatures stay higher than normal for more than two to four weeks, Kosaki said. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, which are home to 69 percent of the coral under US jurisdiction, had bleaching events in 2002 and 2004.

Warm waters in Southeast Asia have already harmed reefs this year in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

In May, marine biologists working for the Wildlife Conservation Society observed coral bleaching off Indonesia's Aceh province as surface waters in the Andaman Sea peaked at 93 degrees —7 degrees higher than long-term averages.

Subsequent surveys found 80 percent of the bleached corals had died. — AP

HONG KONG: An experimental vaccine appears to be safe and effective in protecting people against hepatitis E infection, a large trial in China has found.

Hepatitis E virus is shed in faeces and spread via tainted water and food. Even though most people recover from it, it can cause severe illness in elderly people and has a mortality rate of 1 to 3 percent.

It can kill between 5 to 25 percent of pregnant women and those who survive can suffer high rates of miscarriage. In a phase 3 trial involving 97,356 healthy participants in China's coastal province of Jiangsu, half of them were given the China-made vaccine and the other half placebo. The vaccinemade by Xiamen Innovax Biotech-was given in three doses; the second being a month after the first, and the third six months after the first.

Within a year after the third dose, 15 of the participants who were given placebo were found infected with hepatitis E, the researchers said in a paper published in The Lancet yesterday.

No one in the vaccine group was infected.

"In our trial, we found the vaccine well tolerated and efficacious for a general adult population.

Further studies are needed to assess the safety and to support the benefits of the vaccine for pregnant

women and for people younger than 15 years or older than 65 years," the researchers wrote in a statement.

"During a hepatitis E outbreak, or for travellers to an endemic area, protection can be quickly obtained by two vaccine doses given within one month." No serious side effects were found to be linked to the vaccine, they said.

The researchers were led by Ning-Shao Xia at the Institute of Diagnostics and Vaccine Development in Infectious Diseases in Xiamen University in southern Fujian province.

Hepatitis E infection puts people with chronic liver illnesses at added risk and the authors recommended that such people be vaccinated against hepatitis E. However, they noted that because the study excluded people with chronic liver disease, more research would be needed to assess the benefits of such a vaccine for these people. In an accompanying comment, Scott Holmberg of the National Center for HIV, Hepatitis, TB and STD Prevention at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said such a vaccine would be crucial in areas where sanitation was inadequate to prevent hepatitis E outbreaks. — Reuters

30

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Drugs protect monkeys from Ebola, US study finds WASHINGTON: US government researchers working to find ways to treat the highly deadly Ebola virus said a new approach from AVI BioPharma Inc saved monkeys after they were infected.

Two experimental treatments protected more than 60 percent of monkeys infected with Ebola and all the monkeys infected with a related virus called Marburg, the team at the US Army

Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Maryland reported.

AVI BioPharma already has a contract worth up to $291 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop Ebola treatments.

Writing in the journal Nature Medicine, Sina Bavari and colleagues said the drugs tested are antisense phosphorodiamidate

morpholino oligomers, or PMOs, called AVI-6002 and AVI-6003.

"Taken together, these studies provide a major advancement in therapeutic development efforts for treatment of filovirus hemorrhagic fever," Bavari's team wrote.

The company has submitted investigational new drug applications for AVI-6002 and AVI-6003 to the US Food and Drug Administration and may now test the

drugs in people.

Ebola causes a very serious hemorrhagic fever that has caused dozens of frightening and deadly outbreaks across Africa and threaten endangered gorilla populations as well as people.

It is considered a possible bioterrorism weapon. There is no treatment and no vaccine against Ebola, which passes via close personal contact and, depending on the

strain, kills up to 90 percent of victims.

But several studies in the past few months have shown that experimental "antisense" therapies can stop the virus.

In May a US government team reported that small interfering RNAs or siRNAs could hold the virus at bay for a week until the immune system could take over.

SiRNAs are little stretches of genetic material that can block the action of a spe-

cific gene, in this case preventing Ebola from replicating.

PMOs are a little different but also interfere with genes. An hour after infection with Ebola, 5 of 8 monkeys survived, while the remaining animal was untreated, Bavari's team found. AVI-6003 worked best, protecting 90 percent or more of monkeys against Ebola, they said, and 100 percent against Marburg. — Reuters

Incorrect tests can cause huge anxiety for patients

Biomarkers: How good a cancer test are they?

TORONTO: Barely a week goes by without headlines blaring some new way of understanding, detecting or treating cancer. It could be a newly identified gene or a protein in the blood, yet finding these biological fingerprints, known as biomarkers, is a valuable and rapidly growing part of medical research, with enormous potential for improving health. But is that potential all it's There have been successes for sure. One of the more famous biomarkers is the protein HER-2, which is the target of the breast-cancer drug Herceptin. HER-2, first discovered in the early 80s, can be found on some breast tissues and an excess of this protein is found in some forms of breast cancer. Herceptin can act against HER-2 and, by looking for this biomarker in a patient, doctors can work out who might benefit from Herceptin treatment. Another example, the Philadelphia chromosome that results from movement of DNA from one site on the human genome to another, is a marker for chronic myeloid leukaemia.

But not every biomarker is as useful. For a while, scientists got excited at the possibility of measuring levels of prostatespecific antigen (PSA) as a way of screening prostate cancer.

But they now know that PSA levels are also raised in noncancerous enlarged prostates, making a reliable diagnosis more difficult. There are several other examples of failed cancer markers, such as lysophosphatidic acid and osteopontin for diagnosing ovarian cancer.

So what's the problem with these biological fingerprints?

cracked up to be? Of the thousands of known biomarkers (and counting), only a handful have actually made it into the clinic. Writing last week in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Eleftherios Diamandis of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada, points out that "no new major cancer biomarker has been approved for clinical use for at least 25 years".

Herceptin targets breast cancer via the biomarker HER-2, which was discovered in the 80s. — Guardian Why are they proving difficult to use? Diamandis highlights several issues. One is that many of the molecules being discovered are not specific to a single cancer. Levels of a protein called alpha-fetoprotein increase in liver cancer, but can also rise in testicular or ovarian cancers.

Another protein, carcinoembryonic antigen, increases in colorectal and pancreatic cancers,

but is also raised by smoking.

The tests used to measure biomarkers may themselves be problematic too. The test may tell a patient that they have cancer when they don't, or miss a cancer. Incorrect tests can cause huge anxiety for patients, who might spend anguished days wrongly thinking they have a serious disease, or be reassured by a falsely negative test

result. It might also be be that the amount of a chemical released by the cancer is too low to be detected by current tools.

It sounds a bit depressing.

But don't give up on the idea of biomarkers just yet.

Adrian Ibrahim, associate director of Cancer Research Technology at Cancer Research UK, says: "As new technologies are developed ... we hope to see

the development of more promising cancer screening markers."

When it comes to using biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of cancers, they can help the process, but they can't always act in isolation. Clinical judgment is important too.

And the presence of a biomarker doesn't necessarily mean that you will develop the cancer. If you have the BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 gene, for example, there is a 55% to 85% chance that you might develop breast cancer in your lifetime - by no means an inevitability.

Other factors include lifestyle. Smoking and diet will interact with genes to increase or decrease your chances of developing a cancer, for example. As will the place you live and a myriad other environmental conditions that can interact with and modify the outcomes from your genes.

So Diamandis urges caution.

"Just because it's in print doesn't mean it is true," he says. Cancer biomarkers have changed the way in which we manage the disease and will continue to do so but are not the whole answer.

Carry on reading those headlines, but do it with lots of pinches of salt. — Guardian

Kidney transplant revolution gives hope to dying patients LONDON: Hundreds of lives a year will be saved if the NHS embraces a transplant revolution involving patients receiving donated kidneys that were previously rejected as inadequate, doctors claim.

Since the 1970s almost all kidney transplants using organs from the deceased have come from "brain dead" donors, who have typically been involved in a car crash, brain haemorrhage or severe head injury in a fall or industrial accident. But the supply of available organs from such people is declining, not least because there are fewer deaths in road accidents. In an attempt to tackle this, and reduce the 700 or so deaths a year caused by the UK's acute shortage of donated kidneys, surgeons at several NHS hospitals have been pioneering the use of kidneys from people who have died from major heart failure following severe brain injury.

The orthodox view has been that DCD - donation after cardiac death - kidneys are far inferior to those from "brain dead" donors. But research published today in the Lancet shows that kidneys from either source are equally good at

prolonging the life of patients whose condition would otherwise kill them.

The surgeons behind the study say their findings should help persuade colleagues, many of whom have been reluctant to use DCD kidneys for fear that they would fail.

Other NHS hospitals are now expected to set aside their traditional lack of faith in that technique.

Patients with chronic kidney failure make up about 7,000 of the 8,000 people on the UK-wide transplant waiting list of those seeking one or more organs, including a new liver, kidneys, heart or even lungs.

The UK has one of Europe's lowest rates for donation of organs, including kidneys, and about 1,000 patients die every year because of the shortage.

"I don't think it's unrealistic to suggest that the widespread use of these [DCD] donors could double the national kidney donation rate," said Dr Dominic Summers, one of the co-authors of the Lancet study and a transplant surgeon at Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge.

Some 2,500 people a year undergo a kidney transplant, of whom 1,600

receive an organ from a dead person and the other 900 from a living donor - a relative, spouse or friend. Extensive use of DCD kidneys by hospitals could see those 1,600 operations soar to as many as 3,200, said Summers. "The widespread use of this technique will save lives. I would say that hundreds of lives could be saved if this trend continues across the NHS." Professor Andrew Bradley, the study leader who also works at Cambridge University and Addenbrooke's hospital, said: "Cardiac-death donors represent an extremely important and overlooked source of high-quality donor kidneys and have the potential to increase markedly the number of kidney transplants performed in the UK." The Lancet study looked at the health outcomes for 9,134 patients who received a kidney in one of 23 transplant centres between January 2000 and December 2007. Of those, 8,289 received a kidney donated after a brain death and the other 845 from a cardiacdeath case. It found that both types of organ were just as good at agreeing with the patient and keeping them alive for at

New lease of life: Doctors perform a kidney transplant in a Birmingham hospital. — Guardian

least five years.

The findings may help to banish the concern among transplant experts that DCD kidneys are inferior those from brain-death cases.

"What we have shown, for the first time, is that cardiac-death donor kidneys last as long and work as well as braindeath donor kidneys, and should be regarded as comparable," said Summers.

The two centres which have made most use of DCD kidneys, in Cambridge and Plymouth, have managed to push their rates of organ donation up to around 25 donors per million people, which is well above the UK average of 14.9 per million. Both use more DCD kidneys than brain death organs.

Professor James Neuberger, associate medical director of organ donation and transplantation at the NHS Blood and Transplant agency, said: "Donation after cardiac death is not a substitute for donation after brain stem death, but another way that organs can be retrieved, particularly kidneys, but also livers and, in a small number of cases, lungs. The process enables even more people to have their wish to donate fulfilled."

The lucky patient Francesca Crozier, 65, a retired fashion designer, suffered from chronic kidney failure for seven years before undergoing a transplant at London's Royal Free hospital two years ago.

"I was diagnosed in 2001 with chronic liver failure. I had high toxicity in my kidneys, which meant that they were failing fast. I went on hemodialysis within three months and, in 2005, went on to the transplant waiting list.

I was lucky. I got a new kidney two and a half years later, from a woman about my age. I was never told how she died. Some people never get one and die.

Life on dialysis was terrible. I had to have three four-hour sessions a week and could only drink half a litre of liquid a day and couldn't go some places on holiday, such as America, as I couldn't get dialysed there. My donated kidney has given me my life back.

I think that using organs from cardiac-death patients is terrific, because it will provide more kidneys and save more lives."—Guardian

A cross section of rocks containing the new - but very old - fossil sponges.

—Guardian

Fossilised sponges point to animal life 100m years WASHINGTON: Scientists have found what might be the oldest physical evidence of the existence of animals on Earth.

The fossils of primitive, sponge-like creatures that once lived in ocean reefs off south Australia push back the time at which scientists think the first animal life evolved on Earth by almost 100m years.

The fossilised remains of the 1cm-long sponges in rocks dated at 640-650m years old were found by Adam Maloof, a geologist at Princeton University.

If correct, his finding, published todayin Nature Geoscience, would mean that animal life probably existed before the Marinoan glaciation, an era when the entire planet was covered in ice.

Sponges are simple filter-feeders that extract their food from water as it flows through specialised body channels. Previously, the oldest sponges were about 520m years old, from the Cambrian period.

Before the discovery by Maloof's team, the oldest known fossils of any hard-bodied animals were two sea-dwelling organisms that lived around 550m years ago, called Namacalathus and Cloudina.

But non-fossil evidence has suggested that sponges might be much older. Scientists have analysed DNA in a wide range of creatures to create "molecular clocks" to work out how long ago they first evolved. According to these, sponges existed millions of years before the Cambrian.

Marc Laflamme of Yale University, said the earliest known sponge fossils were about 555m years old, but that rocks revealed that they should have evolved 90-100m years earlier than that.

"We had chemical and molecular evidence of fossils at this time but we weren't finding any real fossil specimens. What Adam's group was able to find was

first evidence of true fossils of sponges at this time."

That was really important in having three lines of evidence for the early evolution of sponges right before this major snowball Earth event that would have cut off and had some major climate events before the evolution of animals."

Fossils of ancient animals have traditionally been difficult to study because it is so tough to distinguish the remains of an ancient living organism from the encasing rock using normal techniques.

X-rays can only tell the difference between materials of different densities. This makes them useful at imaging bones in the human body but not taking pictures of ancient bones, which are made of calcite, the same substance that makes up the rock in which they are typically embedded.

To get around this problem, Maloof's team joined forces with a US design studio to reconstruct a 3D model digital of the fossil, based on hundreds of photographs.

"We took the fossils home, sliced and diced them up, imaging every 50 microns or so and generating 3D images of these fossils which were otherwise inaccessible to traditional imaging techniques," he said.

"For many years the great Marinoan ice age has formed a hard floor to the fossil record of animals, " said Andrew Knoll, an evolutionary biologist at Harvard University. "Adam and his students are digging deeper and finding that there is much to catch our attention in pre-glacial carbonate rocks ... I'm convinced that the structures Adam's group have found are not simply shards of material, formed and deposited by purely physical processes."

ODOBESTI: In this file photo of May 15, 2003 Romanian patients sit on their beds in the city hospital in Odobesti, northern Romania. No sutures and other basics; a dire shortage of staff; catastrophic hygiene; then this -- a hospital blaze that killed five premature babies. Romania's hospitals were a nightmare under communism which ended in 1989. But more than two decades after communist rule was toppled and almost four years after it joined the EU, Romania remains one of Europe's poorest countries. — AP

Expedition aims to create high-tech map of 'Titanic' MONTREAL: A high-tech expedition sets out from Canada Sunday to create a detailed map of the wreckage of the Titanic, nearly a hundred years after the fabled ship sank in the Atlantic killing 1,500 people.

Organizers said the expedition would use sonar technology and high-resolution optical video and imaging to document the wreck site, in what arguably will be the most technologicallyadvanced scientific expedition to Titanic ever mounted.

Christopher Davino, president of RMS Titanic, said in a statement that the goal is to "create the most detailed portrait of Titanic's wreck site to date."

The team of experts, he said, "will be using some of the most advanced technology available

to create a portrait of the ship unlike any that has been created before-virtually raising Titanic and sealing her current state forever in the minds and hearts of humanity."

The mission was to set out from St John's, Newfoundland, and will provide real-time video and photo updates on Facebook and Twitter during a more than 20-day expedition. Other images and information will be found on the mission's website, www.expeditiontitanic.com.

The Titanic, a luxury passenger ship once thought to be unsinkable, hit an iceberg on April 14, 1912 and sank in the early morning of April 15, 1912, killing 1,500 people. After decades of searching, the wreckage of the Titanic was discovered in 1985 some four kilometers (2.5 miles) from the surface of the sea. — AFP

WHAT’S ON IN KUWAIT

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

31 Embassy information

Announcements Mar Thoma Onam today

EMbASSy OF US

Kuwait Mar Thoma Senior Forum, the veteran organization of the Kuwait Marthoma Parish is conducting the Onavara Sangamam, a celebration of Onam , the biggest harvest festival of Kerala, with cultural and variety entertainment programs followed by traditional Onasadya today, 6.45 p.m. at Hi-Dine Auditorium, Abbassiya. The meeting will be attended by Vicars and Office bearers of the Kuwait Mar Thoma Parish.

Sept 17 Onam Fest 2010: ‘Vanithavedi Kuwait’ a leading women’s association will be celebrating Onam on Friday, Sept 17, 2010, from 9 am - 6 pm at the Indian Community School, Khaitan Branch, the program named as ‘OnamFest 2010’ will have the public meeting followed by various cultural programs.

The traditional Onasadya will be served. For the successful conduct of Onam Fest 2010, a program committee has been formed. Dr Vasanthy Nair (general convenor), Valsamma George, Dr Mary (Joint Convenors), Prasanna Ramabhadran (Arts convenor), Tolly Prakash (Food convenor), Shiny Ajith (Raffle convenor), Sumathy Babu (Souvenir convenor), Valsa Sam (Publicity convenor), Syamala Narayanan, (Reception convenor), Sharlette Albert (Volunteer captain). For more details, contact: 24342807, 66428433, 66596625, 24331598.

Theater & Music All level music classes: ‘Treasure of Talents’ (est in 1992) music education program invites all level music classes on piano, theory of music, vocal, flute. Academic Level teachers help prepare for international exams, children concerts, yearly ‘Treasure of Talents’ Festival and music competitions.

Contact Prof Cezary, Tel. 25320427, 66549009 of Ms Yasmeene - Berlitz Institute Tel: 22542212. 22512533 or email: treasureoftalents@yahoo.com treasureoftalents@hotmail.com

IMWA -Iftar party T

he Indian Muslim Welfare Association of Kuwait, popularly known as IMWA held its Family Iftar and dinner for the member families on Friday, August 20, 2010 at the Gardenia, Kuwait Continental Hotel, Kuwait.

IMWA is an all India platform for the Indian expatriates living in Kuwait to come together for the sake of community, society and nation at large, which has members from all over India.

Ambassador of India to Kuwait Ajai Malhotra attended the evening program as Chief Guest. The diplomat wished Ramadan Kareem to the Indian expatriates through IMWA platform, he also remembered Indian Independence Day

which India has just celebrated.

Ramadan is a month of great importance in which Qur’an is revealed, it teaches brotherhood, caring and sharing, patience and self discipline, said the Ambassador.

While admiring IMWA for promoting brotherhood among Indian communities through various activities he requested to keep up its good work - those who can, should help others, said the Ambassador in his address.

Mir Ibrahim Ali Khan in his presidential address stressed the importance of holy month of Ramadan and said that we should take advantage of last ten days of the holy month in which the Lailat-alQadr occurs. He also conveyed his Eid greetings in advance to the member fam-

ilies of IMWA. Siddiq Valiyakath, a community leader, felicitated IMWA and praised all the good work it has been doing. He also praised the Ambassador of India for taking initiative to improve the consular affairs and other services at the Indian Embassy.

The keynote address was delivered by acclaimed speaker and journalist Sharafuddin B.S. He said Ramadan provides rigorous training of discipline in ones life which is also helpful to every aspect of personality development.

Ramadan also creates a global season of virtues with participation of more than a billion people in charitable and other activities showing compassion towards

humanity. The purpose of fasting is to create God-consciousness, only a Godconscious person can be a good employee, a good employer and a good human being in general, he added.

Shaikh Mohammed Daniel, consultant at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Awqaf said that fasting helps Muslims to come closer with Allah Almighty and abstain from all evil. He also emphasized the importance of being kind to fellow-human being which in turn will invoke the kindness of Allah Almighty.

Israr Ahmed recited the verses from Holy Qur’an and Dr. Mohammed Naeemuddin convened the evening program. The event concluded with the buffet dinner soon after Maghrib prayers.

Kuwait expatriate greater Noakhali Samity hosts Iftar Mahfil

¥¥¥¥ Call to classical music lovers: Are you a lover of music? Would you like to promote the traditional Indian classical music in Kuwait? If your answer is in the affirmative, please write ton more details to music_karnatic@yahoo.co. in (that is, music underscore karnatic) with your contact details or call 7978286.

SEPT 24 NSS Onam: Nair Service Society (NSS), Kuwait will celebrate Onam on Sept 24, at Cambridge School, Mangaf. South Indian film star and acclaimed dancer Lakshmi Gopalaswamy will perform during the function. Ajai Malhotra, Indian Ambassador to Kuwait, will be the chief guest at the Onam celebration on September 24, which will be followed by a full day variety entertainment program depicting the rich heritage and art forms of Kerala. Muraleekrishnan P, President of Nair Service Society, Kuwait (NSS Kuwait) will preside over the function.The Ona-Sadhya (Onam Feast) will be served in the traditional Kerala style on banana leaf on September 24. Nair Service Society (NSS) Kuwait, is one of the largest Socio-Cultural Organization in Kuwait formed in year 2001 and now has more than 3000 Indians as members. For more information, contact Anish Nair, NSS Kuwait 9969-1431.

OCT 21 Rendezvous 2010: The Kuwait Chapter of the St. Aloysius College Alumni Association (SACAA KUWAIT) have announced that “Rendezvous” their hallmark event will be conducted on 21st October at Asia Asia Restaurant, Souk Al Watiya, Kuwait City from 8 pm onwards. This year, SACAA Kuwait celebrates five years of its existence in Kuwait.

SACAA-Kuwait has been synonymous with various fund raising initiatives through which they consistently supported various needs of their Alma Mater and its students back in Mangalore, India. Through Rendezvous-2010, SACAA-Kuwait intends to help generate funds for the Poor Students Fund of St. Aloysius institutions where numerous needy students look forward to assistance to subsidize their costs. SACAA Kuwait calls upon all Aloysians, their families and also like minded people to join this noble cause and help make life a little better for those needy students back home. For entry passes and further information, kindly contact - 66731828, 66746425, 66181041, 94093275, 66699857, 66091962.

NAFO Onam

N

O

n account of Kuwait expatriate greater Noakhali Samitys inauguration a discussion meeting and iftar mahfil was held on 18th August at Sala Minha Al-duaiz in Jleeb Al-Shyoukh.

The program was presided over by its president Alauddin Ala. General Secretary Saiful Islam Mansour supervised and presented the program. Shahid Islam Papul CEO Marafia Kuwaitia was the chief guest. Advisors to the Samity respectively Dr Naser Ahamed, Yakub, Engineer Abdul Hai (Ahsan), Zahurul Kayum Bahar, Shahzamal Khondakar, Abdul Wahab, and Sadek Hosen Sadek President of Awami League, Habibur Rahaman General Secretary of Awami League, Dr Shahjahan, Dr Enamul Haque, Abdul Khalik Chowdhury Ahamed President of Shaymol Sylhet etc were the special guests and many other

leaders of socio-cultural, political and journalist organizations in Kuwait.

Bengali expatriates from every walk of life specially the residents of greater Noakhali district of Bangladesh attended the program along with their families.

The program began with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran recited by Fahad Al Ekram, Prayer and Milad was conducted by Mawlana Ilias. Advisor to the Samity Dr Naser Ahamed introduced the newly elected executives to the audience. On this occasion a colorful souvenir Brihottor Noakhalir dak” was also published and handed over to the audience. The chief guest in his speech urged all expatriate Noakhali residents to get united under the banner of this samity. All leaders and executives of the samity attended the program that concluded with iftar.

ational Forum Kuwait (NAFO Kuwait) will celebrate ONAM 2010 with its full spirit and fervor on Friday, September 24, 2010 at the Indian Community School Auditorium (Sr. Girls) Salmiya from 9.00 AM onwards, according to officials.

Indian Ambassador Ajay Malhotra and his wife Ira Malhotra will be the chief guests on this happy occasion.

Veteran political leader, Ex-Minister of Kerala and Director Board member of N.S.S R. Balakrishna Pillai will be the celebrity guest. A galaxy of eminent personalities in Kuwait will also join the celebration.

Starting from the floral carpet called “Athapookkalam”; NAFO family shall be staging various cultural activities bringing back the nostalgic memories of a bygone era of prosperity, equality and righteousness under the golden reign of Mahabali, In addition, a sumptuous meal the traditional “ONASADVA” will be served to all invitees.

B.S. Pillai, NAFO President inaugurated the Ona-coupon distribution, by

N.S.S R. Balakrishna Pillai giving a coupon to Reception Committee Convener G.K. Nair.

In order to make the mega event a grand success, a program committee and its subcommittees have been formed under the leadership of C.G. Manoj, General Secretary, Gopakumar, Cultural Secretary and Program Convener M.S. Nair. For more details, please contact 99660428/94062853 or contact~nafoglobal.com.

T

he Convention Center & Royal Suites Hotel in cooperate with Kuwait Central Blood Bank held a blood donation campaign Sunday. The campaign will run for 3 days and we expect citizens and expartriates to come & donate especially in Ramadan the Holy month of giving and blessings said PR of Royal Suites Hotel Lina Al-Rushaid..

means irrespective of their cast and creed, cannot become a true Muslim.

Hassan Thaha another scholar who spoke on the occasion asserted that fasting is meant for purification of soul. Self control by sparing even the fundamental and basic rightful needs like food will help one put curb on any evil thoughts, leave alone bad actions. He stressed. The following dignitaries among who attended the function.

Shahed Reza, Ambassador of Bangladesh, Ibrahim Bakarr Kamara, Ambassador of Sierra Leon, Dasho Sherub Tenzin, Ambassador, Bhutan and Naveed Malik Economic Officer - US Embassy, Sayed Nabeel Charge De Affairs, Afghanistan. Mikko Wieru (GM-KTS), Steve Dolan (VP, APL Middle East), Aqeel Munawar (Regional Sales & Marketing Director - APL), Yusuf Al-Bader (CEO, House of Travels) Dr Mohammed Ghareeb Hatem (CCR Manager, EQUATE).

Other prominent personalities from various walks of life including organization

EMbASSy OF INDIA 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.

The Embassy of India will remain closed on August 23 and September 2, 2010 on account of ‘Onam’ and ‘Janmashtami’ respectively.

EMbASSy OF bANGLADESH The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait will follow the following office hours during the holy month of Ramadan. Sunday to Thursday: 09:00 - 3:00 pm. Friday and Saturday: Weekly holidays.

EMbASSy OF TUrkEy

FIMA conducts Iftar U

nder the auspicious of Federation of India Muslim Associations (FIMA, an IFTAR get-together was organized in hotel Crown Plaza. Every year FIMA conducts the program with the noble aim to strengthen the social bond among all and to propagate the true spirit of holy of month of Ramadan. The program was attended many dignitaries including ambassadors of various countries.

Chief Guest Indian Ambassador Ajai Malhotra in his felicitation speech hailed the activities of FIMA and such dignified initiatives. He spoke about the great benefits fasting brings to human beings, praised the importance of such gatherings and touched on other societies’ practice of fasting in one way or another.

Abdulla Al-Farsi, professor at PAAET while delivering a keynote speech spoke about soul of Islam and complete dedication to God Almighty. He emphasized that without total submission, without empathizing to fellow human beings and without attending to the needs of less privileged men by your wealth and other

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 petitionbased 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 treaty-investors will be $390.

The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey announces that Turkish language course will restart at the Embassy’s Tourism, Culture and Information Office 4 October 2010. The lessons will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:00 - 8:00 pm. For further details and registration please contact. * The Embassy at Tel: 22531785 (only from 9 am to 3 pm) * Or fill the application form on http://kuweyt.befscnet.net and send it to the e-mail: Turkish_embassy_Kuwait@hotmail.com

leaders, FIMA member association representatives, patrons, former office bearers of the organization also attended the function.

The event was jointly sponsored by

APL & KTS. The program started with recital of Holy Quran. President Siddeeque Valiyakath presided over the function, Secretary General Mohamed Masood welcomed the audience and Secretary

Basheer Batha rendered vote of thanks.

Salim Desai, Muneer, Dr. Mohamed Naimuddin, Kareem Irfan, Saleh Batha, Muktar Maruf and Dr. Ghazi coordinated the activities.

EMbASSy OF THAILAND All foreigners who apply for Tourist Visa at the Royal Thai Embassies and the Royal Thai Consulate General worldwide, including eligible foreigners who apply for Visa on arrival at designated checkpoints, will be exempted from tourist visa fees until 31 March 2011. Such arrangement is for Tourist Visa only.

TV PROGRAMS

32

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Orbit / Showtime Listings

00:00 Mercy 01:00 White Collar 02:00 Inside the Actors Studio 03:00 Flash Forward 04:00 Dawson’s Creek 05:00 My Own Worst Enemy 06:00 The Closer 07:00 Mercy 08:00 Dawson’s Creek 09:00 Big Love 10:00 Flash Forward 11:00 My Own Worst Enemy 12:00 The Closer 13:00 Big Love 14:00 Flash Forward 15:00 Dawson’s Creek 16:00 White Collar 17:00 Inside the Actors Studio 18:00 The Unit 19:00 The Closer 20:00 House 21:00 Supernatural 22:00 Criminal Minds

00:45 Animal Cops Houston 01:40 Great White Appetite 02:35 After the Attack 03:30 Untamed & Uncut 04:25 Dogs 101 05:20 Animal Battlegrounds 05:45 Monkey Life 06:10 SSPCA: On the Wildside 06:35 Night 07:00 Animal Crackers 07:25 Meerkat Manor 07:50 All New Planet’s Funniest Animals 08:15 All New Planet’s Funniest Animals 08:45 Dogs 101 09:40 Animal Battlegrounds 10:05 Ultimate Air Jaws 10:55 Monkey Life 11:20 Night 11:50 Animal Precinct 12:45 Vet on the Loose 13:10 Pet Rescue 13:40 Animal Cops Philadelphia 14:35 Wildlife SOS 15:00 SSPCA: On the Wildside 15:30 Shark Therapy 16:25 All New Planet’s Funniest Animals 16:50 All New Planet’s Funniest Animals 17:20 Cats 101 18:15 Animal Cops Houston 19:10 King Cobra and I 20:10 Animal Cops Houston 21:05 Deadly Waters 22:00 Animal Cops Houston

00:45 Terry Jones’ Barbarians 01:40 The Weakest Link 02:30 Last Of The Summer Wine 03:00 Gigglebiz 03:15 Tweenies 03:35 Tellytales 03:45 Tikkabilla 04:15 Gigglebiz 04:30 Tweenies 04:50 Tellytales 05:00 Tikkabilla 05:30 Coast 06:30 Mastermind 2006 07:00 Gigglebiz 07:15 Tweenies 07:35 Tellytales 07:45 Tikkabilla 08:15 Gigglebiz 08:30 Tweenies 08:50 Tellytales 09:00 Tikkabilla 09:30 Mastermind 2006 10:00 Coast 11:00 Last Of The Summer Wine 11:30 Last Of The Summer Wine 12:00 The Weakest Link 12:45 Eastenders 13:15 Doctors 13:45 Mastermind 2006 14:15 Coast 15:15 Last Of The Summer Wine 15:45 Last Of The Summer Wine 16:15 The Weakest Link 17:00 Doctors 17:30 Eastenders 18:00 Holby City 19:00 Holby City 20:00 The Weakest Link 20:45 Doctors 21:15 Eastenders 21:45 Hotel Babylon 22:45 Last Rights 23:35 Doctor Who Confidential 23:45 The Jonathan Ross Show

00:15 Saturday Kitchen 00:45 Saturday Kitchen 01:10 Living In The Sun 02:00 Cash In The Attic 02:50 Cash In The Attic 03:40 Come Dine With Me 04:30 The Restaurant UK 05:15 Cash In The Attic USA 05:50 10 Years Younger 07:00 The Restaurant UK 08:00 Living In The Sun 08:55 Bargain Hunt 09:45 Hidden Potential 10:05 Cash In The Attic USA 10:30 Saturday Kitchen 11:00 Saturday Kitchen 11:20 Living In The Sun 12:10 10 Years Younger 13:00 Come Dine With Me 13:50 Cash In The Attic 14:40 Living In The Sun 15:30 Bargain Hunt 16:15 Saturday Kitchen 16:45 Saturday Kitchen 17:00 Living In The Sun 17:50 10 Years Younger 18:55 Come Dine With Me 19:50 Boys’ Weekend 20:15 James Martin’s Champagne 20:40 Coastal Kitchen 21:05 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 21:55 Cash In The Attic 22:40 Come Dine With Me

01:00 Quadrophenia-18 03:00 Home Run-PG 04:45 Barton Fink-PG15 06:45 The Sting-PG15 09:00 Charlotte Gray-PG15 11:00 The Truman Show-PG15 13:00 2012: Startling New Secret-PG 15:00 October Sky-PG15 17:00 Save The Last Dance-PG 19:00 Le Prix A Payer-PG 21:00 One True Thing-PG 23:15 Where’s Marlowe?-18

00:40 Street Customs 01:35 Dirty Jobs 02:30 Ultimate Survival 03:25 Mega Machines 4 04:20 Mythbusters 05:15 How It’s Made 05:40 How Machines Work 06:05 Dirty Jobs 07:00 Mean Machines 07:25 Mega Machines 4 08:15 Street Customs 2008 09:10 Mythbusters 10:05 Ultimate Survival 11:00 Overhaulin’ 11:55 Border Security 12:25 How It’s Made 12:50 How Machines Work 13:20 Mythbusters 14:15 Miami Ink 15:10 Ultimate Survival 16:05 Dirty Jobs 17:00 Deadliest Catch 17:55 Mythbusters 18:50 Cake Boss 19:15 Border Security 19:40 The Gadget Show 20:05 How It’s Made 20:35 How Machines Work 21:00 Miami Ink

00:30 Nextworld 01:20 Da Vinci’s Machines 02:10 Mega World 03:00 Beyond Tomorrow 03:50 Thunder Races 04:45 How Stuff’s Made 05:10 Weird Connections 05:40 Stunt Junkies 06:10 Nextworld 07:00 Thunder Races 08:00 Ten Ways 09:00 Mighty Ships 14:30 World’s Biggest Airliner 15:25 World’s Biggest Airliner 16:20 How Stuff’s Made 16:50 Scrappy Races 17:45 Brainiac 18:40 Ultimate Power Builders 19:30 Discovery Project Earth 20:20 How It’s Made 21:10 Mega Builders 22:00 Ultimate Power Builders 22:50 Discovery Project Earth 23:40 Mega Builders

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 And Cody 03:25 Fairly Odd Parents 03:50 Phineas And Ferb 04:15 Replacements 04:35 Suite Life On Deck 05:00 Hannah Montana 05:01 Kim Possible 05:50 A Kind Of Magic 06:15 Fairly Odd Parents 06:35 Replacements 07:00 Stitch 07:01 Fairly Odd Parents 07:50 Phineas And Ferb 08:15 Replacements 08:35 A Kind Of Magic 09:00 Jungle Junction 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 And 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 Fairly Odd Parents 15:00 Phineas And Ferb 15:25 Replacements 15:50 Suite Life On Deck 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 And 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

00:15 Leave It To Lamas 00:40 Dr 90210 01:30 Wildest Tv Show Moments 01:55 Reality Hell 02:20 Ths 03:15 Extreme Hollywood 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Battle Of The Hollywood Hotties 05:30 Streets Of Hollywood 06:00 Ths 06:55 Ths 07:45 Behind The Scenes 08:10 Behind The Scenes 08:35 E! News 09:00 The Daily 10 09:25 Denise Richards: It’s Complicated 09:50 Leave It To Lamas 10:15 Ths 12:00 Giuliana And Bill 18:00 E! News 18:25 The Daily 10 18:50 Giuliana And Bill 20:30 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 20:55 Chelsea Lately 21:20 Kendra 22:10 E! News 22:35 The Daily 10 23:00 Chelsea Lately

00:00 Fim World Motocross Mx1 = Mx2 01:00 F.I.A European Drag Racing 01:30 F.I.A European Drag Racing 02:00 Bmx Megatour 03:00 Fight Girls Series 2 04:00 Man’s Work 04:30 Man’s Work 05:00 I-Ex 08:00 X Games 14 11:00 Kiteboard Pro World Tour 2008 12:00 Man’s Work 13:00 F.I.A European Drag Racing 14:00 Relentless Wakeboard Tour 14:30 Summer Of Skate, A 15:00 Kiteboard Pro World Tour 2008

15:30 Kiteboard Pro World Tour 2008 16:00 Man’s Work 17:00 X Games 14 20:00 Man’s Work 20:30 Man’s Work 21:00 Kiteboard Pro World Tour 2008 22:00 Fight Girls Series 2 23:00 Bmx Megatour

00:00 Chopped 01:00 30 Minute Meals 01:30 Good Deal with Dave Lieberman 02:00 Guys Big Bite 03:00 Barefoot Contessa 03:30 Everyday Italian 04:00 30 Minute Meals 05:00 Tyler’s Ultimate 05:30 Guys Big Bite 06:00 Barefoot Contessa 07:00 Everyday Italian 07:25 Food Network Challenge 07:50 30 Minute Meals 08:15 Good Deal with Dave Lieberman 08:40 Guys Big Bite 09:05 Barefoot Contessa 09:30 Everyday Italian 10:00 30 Minute Meals 10:30 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 11:00 Paula’s Party 11:30 Barefoot Contessa 12:30 Everyday Italian 13:00 30 Minute Meals 13:30 Guys Big Bite 14:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 14:30 Good Deal with Dave Lieberman 15:00 Iron Chef America 15:30 Barefoot Contessa 16:00 Everyday Italian 17:00 Chopped 17:30 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 18:00 Guys Big Bite 18:30 Food Network Challenge 19:00 30 Minute Meals 19:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 20:00 Iron Chef America 21:00 Barefoot Contessa 21:30 Everyday Italian 22:00 Chopped 23:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 23:30 Guys Big Bite

00:00 FIM Motocross Loket, Czech Republic 01:00 Golf Central International 01:30 The Golf Channel - TBA 04:00 Major League Soccer FC Dallas v Chivas USA 07:00 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series O’ Reilly 200 Bristol, CT 10:00 European Tour Czech Open 2010 Rd. 3 Celadna, Czech Republic 13:00 Golf Central International 13:30 LPGA Tour: Safeway Classic Presented by Coca Cola Rd. 2 16:00 PGA Tour: Wyndham Championship Final Rd. Greensboro, NC 19:00 2010 American Le Mans Series: Road America Elkhart Lake, WI 22:00 Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour Columbus Speedway 23:00 Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour Oklahoma City

00:30 A Haunting 01:20 FBI Files 02:10 FBI Case Files 03:05 Forensic Justice 04:00 Forensic Detectives 04:55 Amsterdam Vice 05:20 Dr G: Medical Examiner 06:10 Real Emergency Calls 06:35 Real Emergency Calls 07:00 Forensic Detectives 07:50 FBI Files 08:40 Disappeared 09:30 Diagnosis: Unknown 10:20 Forensic Detectives 11:10 FBI Files 12:00 Real Emergency Calls 12:25 Real Emergency Calls 12:50 Diagnosis: Unknown 13:40 Final Days of an Icon 14:30 Forensic Detectives 15:20 FBI Files 16:10 Disappeared 17:00 Diagnosis: Unknown 17:50 Forensic Detectives 18:40 FBI Files 19:30 Real Emergency Calls 19:55 Real Emergency Calls 20:20 Diagnosis: Unknown 21:10 Final Days of an Icon

01:50 I Love You, Don’t Touch Me 03:15 Number One Fan 04:50 Romeo Is Bleeding 06:40 Board Heads 08:10 In The Heat Of The Night 10:00 I Could Go On Singing 11:40 The Mechanic 13:20 Curse Of The Pink Panther 15:10 Be Cool 17:10 Kuffs 18:50 Man In The Moon 20:30 Flowers In The Attic 22:00 Ulee’s Gold 23:50 Gaily, Gaily

00:30 Word Travels 01:00 Bondi Rescue 01:30 Departures 02:30 Long Way Down 03:30 Destination Extreme 04:00 Banged Up Abroad 05:00 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet 05:30 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 06:30 Word Travels 07:00 Bondi Rescue 07:30 Departures 08:30 Long Way Down 09:30 Destination Extreme 10:00 Banged Up Abroad 11:00 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 11:30 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 12:30 Word Travels 13:00 Bondi Rescue 13:30 City Chase: Argentina 14:30 Graham’s World 15:00 Finding Genghis 15:30 Destination Extreme 16:00 Banged Up Abroad 17:00 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 17:30 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 18:30 Word Travels 19:00 Bondi Rescue 19:30 City Chase: Argentina 20:30 Graham’s World 21:00 Finding Genghis

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane on Show Movies

00:00 George Lopez 00:30 Will & Grace 01:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Global Edition) 01:30 Colbert Report Global

02:00 Friends 02:30 Friends 03:00 Monday night Stand Up 04:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 04:30 Family Biz 05:00 Just Shoot me!

05:30 Best of 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 Just Shoot me!

09:00 Family Biz 09:30 The Drew Carey show 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:30 Will & Grace 11:00 Frasier 11:30 New Adventures of old Christine 12:00 Best of late night with Jimmy Fallon 13:00 The Drew Carey show 13:30 Just Shoot me!

14:00 Family Biz 14:30 Scrubs 15:00 Brothers 15:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Global Edition) 16:00 Colbert Report Global 16:30 The Drew Carey Show 17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:30 Frasier 18:00 Seinfeld 18:30 Will & Grace 19:00 The Office 19:30 Scrubs 20:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon 21:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Party Down 22:30 That Mitchell and Webb Look 23:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 23:30 New Adventures of old Christine

00:00 The Martha Stewart Show 01:00 10 Years Younger 01:30 10 Years Younger 02:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 03:00 Moms Get Real / Now you know / Amplified 04:00 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (Best Of) 05:00 GMA (repeat) 07:00 Chef’s table 07:30 Nature’s Edge 08:00 The Best of Jimmy Kimmel 09:00 Never Trust a Skinny Cook 09:30 Huey’s cooking adventures 10:00 The Martha Stewart Show 11:00 The View (repeat) 12:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 13:00 The Martha Stewart Show 14:00 GMA Live 16:00 GMA Health 16:30 What’s the Buzz 17:00 Never Trust a Skinny Cook 17:30 Huey’s cooking adventures 18:00 10 Years Younger 18:30 10 Years Younger 19:00 The View 20:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 21:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live!

22:00 The Tonight show with Jay Leno 23:00 The Monique Show

07:00 Lazytown 07:25 Imagination Movers 07:50 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 08:15 Handy Manny 08:40 Jungle Junction 08:50 Special Agent OSO 09:00 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 09:25 Handy Manny 09:50 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 10:15 Little Einsteins 10:40 Special Agent OSO 11:05 Imagination Movers 11:30 Lazytown 11:55 My Friends Tigger And Pooh 12:20 Handy Manny 12:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 13:10 Little Einsteins 13:35 Jo Jo’s Circus 14:00 Higglytown Heroes 14:25 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 14:50 Special Agent OSO 15:05 My Friends Tigger And Pooh 15:30 Imagination Movers 15:55 Little Einsteins 16:20 Handy Manny 16:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 17:10 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 17:35 Special Agent OSO 17:45 Imagination Movers 18:10 Handy Manny 18:35 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 19:00 New Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh 19:25 Handy Manny 19:35 Special Agent OSO 19:50 Jungle Junction

00:00 All The Boys Love Mandy Lane-18 02:00 In The Electric Mist-PG15 04:00 Shine A Light-PG15 06:15 Gracie-PG15 08:00 Temple Grandin-PG15 10:00 The Man From Earth-PG15 12:00 Swing Vote-PG15 14:00 Jonas Brothers Concert-PG 15:30 Temple Grandin-PG15 17:30 Seven Pounds-PG15 19:30 You Don’t Know Jack-PG15 22:00 Che Part One : The Argentine-

01:00 Black Hawk Down-18 03:20 A Knight’s Tale-PG15 05:00 Twins Effect 2-PG15 07:00 Connected-PG15 09:00 Die Hard-PG15 11:10 Planet Of The Apes-PG15 13:10 A Knight’s Tale-PG15 15:00 Die Hard-PG15 17:10 Ghost Image-PG15 19:00 Donnie Brasco-PG15 21:10 Red Canvas-PG15 23:00 Dark Ride-18

00:30 Satellites And Meteorites-PG15 02:00 Death Becomes Her-PG15 04:00 Zoolander-PG15 06:00 My Favorite Martian-PG 08:00 Americanizing Shelly-PG 10:00 The Go-getter-PG15 12:00 My Fake Fiance-PG15 14:00 The Broken Hearts Club-PG 16:00 Satellites And Meteorites-PG15 18:00 The Match-PG15 20:00 The Wedding Singer-PG15 22:00 High Life-18

00:00 Scruff And The Legend Of Saint George-FAM 02:00 Casper Haunted Xmas-FAM 04:00 Atom Nine Adventures-PG 06:00 How To Eat Fried Worms-FAM

Black Hawk Down on Show Movies action 08:00 Cinderella-FAM 10:00 Atom Nine Adventures-PG 12:00 Babar: King Of The Elephants-FAM 14:00 Casper Haunted Xmas-FAM 16:00 Santa Buddies-PG 18:00 First Kid-PG 20:00 Patoruzito-FAM 22:00 Babar: King Of The Elephants-FAM

00:00 Eureka 01:00 Drop Dead Diva 02:00 Private Practice 03:00 Ghost Whisperer 04:00 8 Simple rules 04:30 Rita Rocks 05:00 Without a trace 06:00 Emmerdale 06:30 Coronation Street 07:00 Private Practice 08:00 8 Simple rules 08:30 Rita Rocks 09:00 Ghost Whisperer 10:00 Without a trace 11:00 Private Practice 12:00 Emmerdale 12:30 Coronation Street 13:00 8 Simple rules 13:30 Rita Rocks 14:00 Eureka 15:00 Drop Dead Diva 16:00 Without a trace 17:00 Ghost Whisperer 18:00 Emmerdale 18:30 Coronation Street 19:00 Lost 20:00 Lost 21:00 Private Practice 22:00 Without a trace 23:00 Ghost Whisperer

00:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 01:00 Scottish Premier League 03:00 Triathlon 04:00 Cricket ODI Highlights 06:00 AFL Highlights 07:00 NRL Premiership 09:00 ICC Cricket World 09:30 Super League 11:30 World Pool Masters 12:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 13:00 NRL Premiership 15:00 AFL Premiership 16:00 ICC Cricket World 16:30 NRL Full Time 17:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 17:30 Scottish Premier League 19:30 ICC Cricket World 20:00 NRL Full Time 20:30 Brazil League Highlights 21:00 Futbol Mundial 21:30 AFL Premiership

00:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 01:00 World Pool Masters 02:00 NRL Premiership 04:00 ICC Cricket World 04:30 World Match Racing Tour Highlights 05:30 SPL Highlights 06:00 Futbol Mundial 06:30 World Sport 07:00 World Pool Masters 08:00 SPL Highlights 08:30 AFL Premiership Highlights 09:30 Futbol Mundial 10:00 Tri Nations 12:00 Scottish Premier League 14:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 15:00 NRL Full Time 15:30 Super League 17:30 NRL Premiership 19:30 Ladies European Tour Highlights 20:30 Scottish Premier League 22:30 Brazil League Highlights 23:00 NRL Premiership

00:00 WWE SmackDown 02:00 WWE Vintage Collection 03:00 UFC Jones vs Matyushenko 06:00 UFC Unleashed 07:00 WWE NXT

08:00 WWE SmackDown 09:00 UAE National Race Day 10:30 Planet Power Boats 11:00 Le Mans Series Highlights 12:00 WWE Bottom Line 13:00 FIM World Cup 13:30 Red Bull X-Fighters 15:00 Le Mans Series Highlights 16:00 Le Mans Series Magazine 16:30 FIA GT1 World Championship 18:00 UFC Wired 19:00 UFC Unleashed 20:00 UFC 118 Countdown 21:00 UFC 117 Silva vs. Sonnin

01:15 Endgame-PG15 03:30 The Christmas Clause-PG 05:15 Shadows In The Sun-PG15 07:00 Racing For Time-PG15 09:00 Momma’s Man-PG15 11:00 Flirting Wth Flamenco-PG15 13:00 Sins Of The Mother-PG15 15:00 Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants 2-PG15 17:00 Momma’s Man-PG15 19:00 The Secret Life Of Bees-PG15 21:00 Imagine That-PG 23:00 Hunger-18

00:25 Martin’s Day 02:00 The Yellow Rolls-royce 04:00 The Collector 06:00 The Screening Room 06:30 The Screening Room 07:00 Jailhouse Rock 08:35 American Friends 10:10 The Screening Room 10:40 Eight On The Lam 12:30 The Time Machine 14:10 The Yellow Rolls-royce 16:10 The Screening Room 16:40 Easter Parade 18:20 Butterfield 8 20:05 The Year Of Living Dangerously 22:00 The Executioner 23:50 Liebestraum

00:30 Tunnellers 01:20 Extreme Trains 02:10 Tales of the Gun 03:00 The Universe 03:55 AX Men 04:50 Engineering Disasters 05:40 Ice Road Truckers 2 06:30 Tunnellers 07:20 Extreme Trains 08:10 Tales of the Gun 09:00 The Universe 09:55 AX Men 10:50 Engineering Disasters 11:40 Ice Road Truckers 2 12:30 Tunnellers 13:20 Extreme Trains 14:10 Tales of the Gun 15:00 The Universe 15:55 AX Men 16:50 Engineering Disasters 17:40 Ice Road Truckers 2 18:30 Tunnellers 19:20 Extreme Trains 20:10 Last Voices of World War I 21:00 Dogfights 21:55 Battlefield Detectives 22:50 Battle Stations 23:40 The Crusades

00:00 Dr 90210 01:00 The Designers 01:30 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 02:00 How Do I Look?

03:00 Split Ends 04:00 The Designers 04:30 Style Her Famous 05:00 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 05:30 Area 06:00 How Do I Look?

07:00 Dress My Nest 08:00 My Celebrity Home 09:00 Style Star 09:30 Style Her Famous 10:00 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

11:00 Peter Perfect 12:00 Ruby: The First 100 Pounds 13:00 Clean House 14:00 Clean House Comes Clean 14:30 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane 15:00 Dr 90210 16:00 Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?

17:00 Peter Perfect 18:00 Peter Perfect 19:00 Split Ends 20:00 Clean House 21:00 Tacky House 21:30 Tacky House 22:00 15 Remarkable Celebrity Body Bouncebacks

01:00 Code 01:04 Rnb 10 01:45 Playlist 02:00 Urban Hit 02:45 Playlist 05:00 Code 05:04 Guest Star 05:18 Playlist 08:00 Code 08:04 New 08:45 Playlist 13:00 Code 13:04 Urban Hit 13:50 Playlist 16:00 Code 16:04 Hit Us 17:00 Playlist 18:00 Urban Hit 18:45 Playlist 20:00 Code 20:04 Latina 10 20:45 Playlist 21:00 Focus 22:00 Playlist

00:00 Julian and Camilla’s World Odyssey 01:00 Planet Food 02:00 Hollywood and Vines 02:30 The Thirsty Traveler 03:00 Globe Trekker 04:00 Globe Trekker 05:00 Julian and Camilla’s World Odyssey 06:00 Planet Food 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 $100 Taxi Ride 08:30 Distant Shores 09:00 Culinary Asia 10:00 Planet Food 11:00 PhotoXplorers 11:30 Essential 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 Chef Abroad 13:30 The Thirsty Traveler 14:00 Sophie Grigson In The Orient 14:30 Distant Shores 15:00 Culinary Asia 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 $100 Taxi Ride 17:30 Chef Abroad 18:00 Planet Food 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Essential 20:30 First Class South Africa 21:00 Flavours of South Africa 21:30 Top Travel 22:00 Working Holiday 23:00 Globe Trekker

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 Music For The Masses 12:00 Top 10  On The Beach 13:00 Music For The Masses 14:00 Vh1 Pop Chart 15:00 Vh1 Music 17:00 Music For The Masses 18:00 Vh1 Pop Chart 19:00 Music For The Masses 21:00 The Album Chart Show 22:00 Vh1 Pop Chart 23:00 Cover Power

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

33

Flight Schedule Arrival Flights on Tuesday 24/08/2010 Airlines Flt Route Jordanian 802 Amman Wataniya Airways 188 Bahrain Kuwait 544 Cairo Gulf Air 211 Bahrain Ethiopian 620 Addis Ababa Air Arabia Egypt 551 Alexandria Egypt Air 614 Cairo DHL 370 Bahrain Emirates 853 Dubai Etihad 305 Abu Dhabi Qatari 138 Doha Air France 6782 Paris Jazeera 503 Luxor Kuwait 412 Manila/Bangkok Jazeera 527 Alexandria Kuwait 416 Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur Jazeera 529 Assiut Falcon 201 Bahrain Kuwait 206 Islamabad Kuwait 382 Delhi Kuwait 302 Mumbai Kuwait 332 Trivandrum Fly Dubai 053 Dubai Kuwait 676 Dubai Kuwait 286 Chittagong Kuwait 284 Dhaka Emirates 855 Dubai Qatari 132 Doha Etihad 301 Abu Dhabi Gulf Air 213 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 102 Dubai Jazeera 165 Dubai Egypt Air 610 Cairo Kuwait 672 Dubai United 982 Washington DC Dulles Jordanian 800 Amman Wataniya Airways 432 Damascus Fly Dubai 057 Dubai Jazeera 257 Beirut Wataniya Airways 422 Amman Kuwait 562 Amman Kuwait 512 Tehran Saudia 500 Jeddah Qatari 134 Doha Kuwait 546 Alexandria Kuwait 1752 Jeddah Mihin 403 Colombo/Dubai Etihad 303 Abu Dhabi Emirates 857 Dubai Gulf Air 215 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 402 Beirut Saudia 510 Riyadh Jazeera 457 Damascus Arabia 125 Sharjah Jazeera 493 Jeddah Jazeera 239 Amman Kuwait 774 Riyadh Jazeera 367 Deirezzor SriLankan 227 Colombo/Dubai Wataniya Airways 304 Cairo Kuwait 104 London Kuwait 166 Paris/Rome Rovos 093 Kandahar/Dubai Wataniya Airways 106 Dubai Kuwait 502 Beirut Kuwait 542 Cairo Kuwait 786 Jeddah Kuwait 618 Doha Kuwait 614 Bahrain Kuwait 674 Dubai Kuwait 1754 Jeddah Singapore 458 Singapore/Abu Dhabi Kuwait 552 Damascus Fly Dubai 061 Dubai Indian 993 Chennai/Mumbai Oman Air 647 Muscat Middle East 402 Beirut Jet A/W 572 Mumbai Egypt Air 618 Alexandria KLM 0443 Amsterdam DHL 372 Bahrain Gulf Air 217 Bahrain Emirates 859 Dubai Wataniya 3032 Jeddah Rovos 091 Baghdad Qatari 136 Doha Kuwait 1756 Jeddah United 981 Bahrain Jazeera 313 Bahrain Lufthansa 636 Frankfurt Jazeera 449 Doha Jazeera 185 Dubai Egypt Air 612 Cairo India Express 389 Kozhikode/Mangalore Pakistan 205 Lahore/Peshawer

Departure Flights on Tuesday 24/08/2010 Time 01:50 00:30 00:50 01:05 01:45 02:00 02:05 02:15 02:25 02:55 03:20 03:25 05:50 06:15 06:20 06:35 06:40 07:00 07:15 07:20 07:50 07:55 07:55 08:00 08:05 08:10 08:25 09:00 09:20 10:45 11:05 11:15 12:55 13:15 13:35 13:35 13:35 13:50 14:05 14:10 14:20 14:20 14:30 15:05 15:30 15:35 16:40 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:15 17:20 17:35 17:40 17:40 17:40 17:45 17:55 18:00 18:35 18:35 18:40 18:45 18:45 18:50 18:50 18:55 18:55 19:20 19:20 19:25 19:45 19:40 20:05 20:15 20:15 20:20 20:30 20:35 20:40 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:35 21:50 21:55 22:10 22:30 22:30 22:40 22:55 23:10 23:55

Airlines Jazeera Tunis Air Indian Jordanian Pakistan Lufthansa Ethiopian Air Arabia Egypt Egypt Air DHL Emirates Etihad Qatari Air France Wataniya Airways Jazeera Jazeera Gulf Air Rovos Kuwait Wataniya Airways Fly Dubai Kuwait Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Emirates Kuwait Qatari Kuwait Etihad Wataniya Airways Gulf Air Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Egypt Air Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Wataniya Jordanian Fly Dubai United Kuwait Kuwait SSaudia Qatari Kuwait Etihad Mihin Gulf Air Emirates Rovos Arabia Jazeera Saudia Jazeera Jazeera SriLankan Kuwait Kuwait Fly Dubai Singapore Kuwait Kuwait Oman Air Middle East Jet A/W Wataniya Airways Egypt Air KLM Gulf Air Kuwait DHL Kuwait Emirates Falcon Kuwait Qatari Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera United Kuwait Egypt Air

Flt Route 528 Assiut 328 Dubai/Tunis 576 Goa/Chennai 803 Amman 240 Sialkot 637 Frankfurt 620 Bahrain/Addis Ababa 552 Alexandria 615 Cairo 371 Bahrain 854 Dubai 306 Abu Dhabi 139 Doha 6782 Dubai/Hong Kong 101 Dubai 164 Dubai 446 Doha 212 Bahrain 094 Dubai/Kandahar 545 Alexandria 431 Damascus 054 Dubai 671 Dubai 421 Amman 561 Amman 101 London/New York 856 Dubai 511 Tehran 133 Doha 1751 Jeddah 302 Abu Dhabi 401 Beirut 214 Bahrain 165 Rome/Paris 743 Dammam 541 Cairo 456 Damascus 238 Amman 366 Deirezzor 492 Jeddah 501 Beirut 785 Jeddah 611 Cairo 1753 Jeddah 551 Damascus 773 Riyadh 105 Dubai 801 Amman 058 Dubai 982 Bahrain 673 Dubai 617 Doha 501 Jeddah 135 Doha 1755 Jeddah 304 Abu Dhabi 404 Dubai/Colombo 216 Bahrain 858 Dubai 092 Baghdad 126 Sharjah 184 Dubai 511 Riyadh 448 Doha 312 Bahrain 228 Dubai/Colombo 283 Dhaka 361 Colombo 062 Dubai 457 Abu Dhabi/Singapore 343 Chennai 351 Cochin 648 Muscat 403 Beirut 571 Mumbai 187 Bahrain 619 Alexandria 0443 Bahrain/Amsterdam 218 Bahrain 801 Cairo 373 Bahrain 675 Dubai 860 Dubai 102 Bahrain 381 Delhi 137 Doha 301 Mumbai 526 Alexandria 502 Luxor 981 Washington DC Dulles 411 Bangkok/Manila 613 Cairo

FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

Time 00:05 00:25 00:50 03:00 01:10 01:15 02:30 02:40 03:05 03:15 03:45 04:00 05:00 05:15 06:50 07:05 07:40 07:45 08:00 08:35 08:10 08:40 09:00 09:10 09:15 09:30 09:40 10:00 10:00 10:20 10:05 11:35 11:35 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:05 12:10 12:15 12:15 13:00 13:30 13:55 14:15 14:20 14:30 14:30 14:30 14:35 14:50 15:10 15:35 15:4 16:20 16:40 17:35 17:40 18:05 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:30 18:35 18:50 19:10 19:10 20:00 20:20 20:50 21:15 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:30 21:35 21:35 21:40 21:55 22:00 22:00 22:10 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 23:20 23:40 23:40 23:40 23:55

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available in Abbassiya only for Keralite couples or single ladies, C-A/C flat. Contact: 97134824. (C 2605) Sharing accommodation available for Keralite bachelor with Kerala bachelors in 2-room flat behind U.A.E Exchange Centre in Abbassiya.

Contact 97221409 or 97238732.

Sharing room rent KD 35 only. (C 2606) Room for rent near Jleeb Indian School, family or working lady Indian / Filipino, a/c, fridge, landline, satellite, all facilities available. Please contact: 97267254. (C 2607) Sharing accommodation available for couple or bachelor Filipino only, near Gulfmart, Farwaniya from 25th of August.

Contact 94418396.

24-8-2010 Sharing accommodation available in two bedroom, two bathroom flat for bachelors/family (only Indians) near Garanada Cinema in Khaitan. Call: 66502405.

(C 2598) Sharing accommodation available in Mangaf with Keralite bachelor. Phone: 66513151 after 5 pm.

(C 2596) 23-8-2010 Sharing accommodation available in Salmiya near Anmol Restaurant, for a decent Goan or Manglorian bachelor with a (R.C) family from 1st September onward. Tel: 97967615.

(C 2592) Fully furnished sharing accommodation available for 1 or 2 decent Indian

bachelors near Al-Safir International Hotel, Beneid Al-Gar from 15th September. Call: 66612842 after 6.00 pm. (C 2593) Sharing accommodation available for a small family or bachelor with a Keralite family in Abbassiya in a 2 bedroom / bathroom flat.

Contact: 99560859 / 24342918. (C 2594) 22-8-2010 Sharing accommodation available for small family or bachelors near Hi-Dinc supermarket, Abbassiya from 1st September 2010.

Contact: 24312462 after 12:00 noon. (C 2591) 21-8-2010

FOR SALE Toshiba Laptop Satellite A200-16, Core2Due T7500, 1024MB + 1024 memory, 667MHZ/256 RAM, 300GB Hard disk drive (4200RPM) SATA, 15 WXGA Turbrite TFT screen, HD DVD-ROM Drive, 56 Modem/LAN, WLAN (802.11A/G/N), 1.3 Megapixel web camera, Bluetooth, Microsoft Vista Home Premium 32 bit, Price: KD 150 (non-negotiable) Tel: 66586422 24-8-2010 Mercedes Benz E250 cope model 2010, metallic grey color, tan leather inside panorama sun-roof + ventilation luxury seats + cd.ch + I pot + more other options special order from Al-Wisher. Millage 2,600 km, under warranty original price is KD 20,500 selling price KD 17,500. Tel: 90000162.

(C 2601) Range Rover Sport (super charge), (limited edition), model 2006 special order from Ali Al-Ganim co. Fully specifications + two TV in the back seats + stormer alloy wheels, dark blue color

+ off-white leather inside, millage is only 18,000 km, excellent condition (like new), original price is KD 33,000, selling price is KD 14,700. Tel: 90000162.

(C 2602) Bently GT (speed) year/2008, rose gold color, beige + brown leather inside special order from AlZayyani. Only done 13,300 km (like new), (special car for special persons) last price KD 55,000. Brand new price is KD 87,000. Please serious buyers only call: 99712771. (C 2603) Chrysler Concorde 2004 model, 92,000 km driven, excellent condition, maintenance history, single owner.

Call: 65783990. (C 2599) 23-8-2010 Quality household furniture, sparingly used for one year, almost new condition, going cheap. Contact: 60668842, Salmiya. (C 2589) 2006 Toyota Corolla 1.8, excellent condition, agency paint, wood decoration, remote, milage-73,000, used by lady, beige color, Al-Sayer service, must test, KD 2,700. Tel: 67794389.

(C 2590) Sportek Tread Mill with full functions, IKEA small dining table with two chairs, double cot with bed, small cupboard, small two-seater wooden sofa, diwan, wooden dining table with four

chairs, IKEA kitchen shelf.

Call 60053034.

21-8-2010 Used car for sale. Ph: 66052331. (C 2587) 19-8-2010 j SITUATION WANTED

A postgraduate Indian female, worked as PA/Admin Coordinator and Exec Secretary, more than 30 yrs of experience in Kuwait, interested in oneshift job or part-time job instantly. Also, capable of setting up office and handling projects for fresh businessmen.

Contact 94470318 or ambilivarma@rocketmail.com 24-8-2010 Looking for part-time housemaid job in Mangaf with families only. Phone: 66870113. (C 2595) Available Sri Lankan lady for part-time housemaid job with families in Mangaf.

Phone: 97257833. (C 2597) 23-8-2010

MISCELLANEOUS Wanted used car Mitsubishi - Honda - Toyata Chevrolet GMC. From 2000 - 2009.

Call: 55522942. (C 2600) 23-8-2010

34

SPECTRUM

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Calvin

CROSSWORD 62

Aries (March 21-April 19) People that serve you, such as a dentist, accountant, housekeeper, etc., may be due for a change. Some change in location, physical wellbeing or some other change has occurred to make you re-think your relationship with one or two of the people that serve you. Be observant and take your time, the attention you give to this matter will be most useful to you in the future. You make your home situation more pleasant with plans to revise and update. Perhaps a new maintenance person or the purchase of new and better tools is in order. A sale or purchase of real estate could bring you much gain now. Perhaps this evening is a good time to take notes of pros and cons regarding a concern of yours and ask opinion from those who will benefit from your decision.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You will find this a productive workday. You have a lot of ideas that are important for group discussions. Be careful in how you choose your words--you may be selected to make a presentation of your ideas in front of a board meeting. Your management and directional abilities are in high focus and others sense your carry-through abilities. You could come up with new solutions or inventions and lead other people through the process of production instead of you having to do the work. There are penetrating insights into your own inner workings--what is hidden or going on behind the scenes. This insight is also good for planning and setting goals. Creativity, when it comes to inspiring and encouraging others, is positive and productive.

Pooch Cafe

ACROSS 1. (computer science) A computer that is running software that allows users to leave messages and access information of general interest.

4. A lottery in which the prizes are goods rather than money.

10. United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters.

13. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

14. (Greek mythology) One of the three Graces.

15. A self-funded retirement plan that allows you to contribute a limited yearly sum toward your retirement.

16. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

17. United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (17451829).

18. A selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitor commonly prescribed as an antidepressant (trade name Prozac).

19. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds.

21. A caustic substance (Ca(OH)2) produced by heating limestone.

22. Make amends for.

23. A French abbot.

24. Hormone secreted by the posterior pituitary gland (trade name Pitressin) and also by nerve endings in the hypothalamus.

25. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

28. Belonging to or on behalf of a specified person (especially yourself).

33. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

35. A Bantu language spoken in Cameroon.

37. (used especially of commodities) In the natural unprocessed condition.

38. Pertaining to or near the sun.

39. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.

41. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice.

42. Having been robbed and destroyed by force and violence.

45. A form of entertainment that enacts a story by a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement.

46. A Russian prison camp for political prisoners.

53. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of the Old World.

55. The biblical name for ancient Syria.

56. The inner and longer of the two bones of the human forearm.

59. A user interface in which you type commands instead of choosing them from a menu or selecting an icon.

60. The right to take another's property if an obligation is not discharged.

61. (Old Testament) The second patriarch.

62. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring in the air.

DOWN 1. Divulge information or secrets.

2. A small cake leavened with yeast.

3. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

4. The seventh month of the Moslem calendar.

5. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

6. A blank leaf in the front of back of a book.

7. The syllable naming the fourth (subdominant) note of the diatonic scale in solmization.

8. United States biochemist (born in Germany) noted for his studies of metabolic processes (1899-1986).

9. Worn or shabby from overuse or (of pages) from having corners turned down.

10. An ancient Egyptian city on the west bank of the Nile opposite Cairo.

11. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

12. Made of or resembling lace.

20. A family of Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in southeastern Asia.

26. A notable achievement.

27. (usually followed by `to') Having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something.

29. A state in midwestern United States.

30. (informal) Exceptionally good.

31. Sheet glass cut in shapes for windows or doors.

32. (informal) A bunch.

34. A member of an agricultural people of southern India.

36. Type genus of the Gavidae.

40. The capital and largest city of Bangladesh.

43. South American cavy.

44. (Old Testament) The minister of the Persian emperor who hated the Jews and was hanged for plotting to massacre them.

45. A sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow).

47. Large sweet juicy hybrid between tangerine and grapefruit having a thick wrinkled skin.

48. A narrow way or road.

49. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

50. Type genus of the family Arcidae.

51. Bushy plant of Old World salt marshes and sea beaches having prickly leaves.

52. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia).

54. An associate degree in applied science.

57. An expression of greeting.

58. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) People value you for your ability to make practical decisions. You could be called on often to help with problem-solving concerns. You would be wise to think about how you solve problems and create some outline that you really like. This way you could create some guideline for others to follow that will help them to solve their own problems. It is fun to see the growth in others and you will learn something in the process. A high-caliber friend will meet you for dinner tonight. You may learn something new this evening and decide to join your friend in some activity that you never thought would be of interest to you.

This could include yacht racing, rock climbing or some other activity that is adventuresome. If you don't participate, you may want to be the cook.

Non Sequitur

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You could find that you are valued for your feelings or your ability to act and get things done. This is a time for new accomplishments, during which insights and breakthroughs in organization and determination are in order. There is a need for change in some areas of your life or work. New ideas and methods become clear. You will find yourself ready, willing and able to implement changes.

Outer circumstances and the flow of events make it easy for you to make clear decisions, see the road ahead and move forward. Things seem to fall in place and progress is easy. With your love of life and travel, you would make a great travel guide for others. You treat the entire world as your home and if you wanted, people would pay for your ideas on travel.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Emotional considerations may block or oppose how you proceed with a project or plan.

Listen carefully to what higher-ups are saying. You could have trouble with authorities, due to a tendency to assert your own ambitions against the realities of the situation. Your career is central to everything you do so this would be a good time to weigh all the options before making a quick decision. You may discover new ways of working with traditional materials. You could be most persuasive with others. Your ideas will receive quite a lot of attention and you may need to back up your words. This evening you may decide to help a friend reach beyond that comfort zone of compliance and try something new. You encourage positive outcomes.

Zits

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You shine when it comes to practical matters or those involving work and career. You have an easy way with superiors or those in authority and can always manage to get the most out of any skill or ability you have. You like work and career. There are family income and family security issues on your mind this afternoon. This is a great time to reflect and understand your own situation, just how you feel about yourself and the ways in which you are achieving your goals. The feelings of your loved one may be very clear now. Budget issues can receive progress through the help of your loved one this evening. Positive results are bound to happen! You endear loved ones to you with your soothing words of encouragement.

Libra (September 23-October 22) You can be a real moving force in the lives of others now. You are a natural group leader or trainer. Your vitality and drive are communicated to all that are around you. You may find yourself taking charge, organizing and managing important business transactions. This puts you in a boss type of position and you love being the boss today. Careful--your enthusiasm is so strong that it can sometimes be a little too much, making others uncomfortable. You put a lot of effort into those around you and also into your surroundings and home environment. You may feel like being different this evening. You may never have been to a Tractor Pull, Grand Old Opera, Target Shooting or Boxing Match, but one of these may interest you now.

Mother Goose and Grimm

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Positive self-esteem is a necessity this month. You seem more interested in the emotional communication between business friends and love partners now. It is very important for you to know how you come across to others. Taking a great amount of work home all the time will damage your home life. Pace yourself and say no when you feel you are reaching your limits. This is a rewarding day and you may come to some understanding with a co-worker that was confusing to you in the past. This is a good time to get things done, at work and at home--just do not forget to pace yourself. This evening is a good time to relax and enjoy your loved ones. There is a determination to be open and positive in a difficult relationship.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Creating a work manual may be in order for those that follow you. An orientation guideline or study guide will also come under the same sort of energies that are present at this time. You quickly eliminate the nonessentials and gain the attention of higher-ups in most positive ways. It is always good to be a self-starter; as long as you do not take too many things upon yourself. This afternoon is a good time for surrounding yourself with friends and young people and for having a good time. Big heart, big love, you are seldom petty. Given to grand gestures and dramatic scenes, you love independence and greatness in all forms--smile.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yester

Yesterday’s Solution

To

INTERNATIONAL CALLS Kuwait Qatar Abu Dhabi Dubai Raas Al Khayma Al-Shareqa Muscat Jordan Bahrain Riyadh Makkah - Jeddah Cairo

00965 00974 009712 009714 009717 009716 00968 009626 00973 009661 009662 00202

Alexandria Beirut Damascus Allepo Tunisia Rabat Washington New York Paris London Madrid Zurich

00203 009611 0096311 0096321 0021610 002127 001212 001718 00331 004471 00341 00411

Word Sleuth Solution

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You or your company may be involved in lectures or conventions, etc. Connections with people on a grand scale play a big part in your life at this time and for some time to come. Entertaining, catering, education, law, advertising, travel, philosophy and/or religion may be a part in this process. Understanding a co-worker or someone around you today may occupy too much of your free time--careful. Learning what makes people tick is educational and insightful; you find the experience of understanding people very satisfying. This afternoon you may find yourself with your friends, perhaps a dinner out or a class in some form of art. You may find different approaches to the arts, theater or sports.

Luck is in your corner this evening.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Your energy at this time is toward getting down to work and really getting a lot accomplished. This could mean progress in the workplace as well as progress in accomplishing your personal goals. All of this should go rather smoothly. Your drive in life is expressing your responsibility--the ability to respond. You are able to find yourself in others, in relationships, rather than alone--a mirror or clear pool. You can be peaceful, calm and undisturbed. You are a genius at bringing out others and getting them to perform--you are a born strategist. You may be able to enjoy your own life situation today or feel especially kind towards a friend or loved one. Someone visiting you in your home this evening may compliment you on your tastes or belongings.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Secrets, taboos and mysteries appeal to you. Learning about people is an exciting adventure for you. You wear your heart on your sleeve and your emotional life is an open book for all to read. Others sense an interest in their welfare when they meet you. Your instinctive need at this time is to get down to basics and find the perfect path in which to make your dreams come true. If you put as much energy into your personal relationships as you do your business relationships and adventures, all sorts of communication, education and growth are possible. You may enjoy getting away from routine this evening and doing something completely different. Poetry, art, music or a movie could prove most enjoyable.

INFORMATION

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

35 FIRE BRIGADE Operation Room 112 Al-Madena 22418714 Al-Shohada’a 22545171 Al-Shuwaikh 24810598 Al-Nuzha 22545171 Sabhan 24742838 Al-Helaly 22434853 Al-Fayhaa 22545051 Al-Farwaniya 24711433 Al-Sulaibikhat 24316983 Al-Fahaheel 23927002 Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh 24316983 Ahmadi 23980088 Al-Mangaf 23711183 Al-Shuaiba 23262845 Al-Jahra 25610011 Al-Salmiya 25616368

Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw

For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 HOSPITALS Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

POLICE STATION Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

24874330/9 CLINICS

Roudha

22517733

Adhaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Keifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Khadissiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Al-Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Al-Ardhiya

24884079

Firdous

4892674

Al-Omariya

4719048

N.Kheitan

4710044

Rabiya

4732263

Fintas

3900322

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988 AIRLINES

PHARMACIES ON 24 HRS DUTY GOVERNORATE Ahmadi

PHARMACY Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

ADDRESS Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

PHONE 23915883 23715414 23726558

Jahra

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

24575518 24566622

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Hawally

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554

EMERGENCY 112

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists: Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea Dr. Masoma Habeeb Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy Dr. Mohsen Abel Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly

25622444 25752222 25321171 25739999 25757700 25732223 25732223

Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT): Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners: Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists: Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Plastic Surgeons: Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf 22547272

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari Dr. Abdel Quttainah

22617700 25625030/60

Family Doctor: Dr Divya Damodar 23729596/23729581

Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.

Zahra Qabazard Sohail Qamar Snaa Maaroof Pradip Gujare Zacharias Mathew

25710444 22621099 25713514 23713100 24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari 22635047 Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan 22613623/0 Gynaecologists & Obstetricians: Dr Adrian Harbe 23729596/23729581 Dr. Verginia s.Marin 2572-6666 ext 8321 Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan 22655539 Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami 25343406 Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly 25739272 Dr. Salem soso 22618787 General Surgeons:

Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer 22610044 Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher 25327148

(2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535 Dentists:

Dr Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Neurologists:

Paediatricians: Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290 Internist, Chest & Heart: DR.Mohammes Akkad 24555050 Ext 210 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Tel: 25339667 Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Consultant Cardiologist Tel: 2611555-2622555 Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri 25633324 Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

Internists, Chest & Heart: Dr. Adnan Ebil 22639939 Dr. Mousa Khadada 22666300 Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan 25728004 Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra 25355515 Dr. Mobarak Aldoub 24726446 Dr Nasser Behbehani 25654300/3

Physiotherapists & VD: Dr. Deyaa Shehab 25722291 Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees 22666288

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly 25322030 Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Endocrinologist: Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman 25339330 Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari

25658888

Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr

25329924

Psychologists/Psychotherapists Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688 info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677 William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

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SPECTRUM

36

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

B

ra d Pitt ha s hinted the executives responsible for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill deserve the dea th pena lty. The ‘Inglourious Basterds’ star spea ks out aga inst those behind the oil rig explosion in April - w hich caused the worst environmental disaster in US history with millions of ga llons of oil flooding into the sea - in a new documentary ‘If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise’. Of the people responsible for the disa ster, Brad sa ys: “I w as never for the death penalty before - I a m willing to look at it again.” The oil spill which happened a fter a n explosion on the BP operated Deepwater Horizon rig - resulted in the decima tion of wildlife and habita t of marine and coasta l a nima ls, as w ell as loss of livelihood for ma ny fishermen a nd other people w ho depend of the area for work. As yet the root ca use of the disaster rema ins unconfirmed. Brad’s comments are a t the end of the documentary, filmed by Spike Lee, about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city of New Orleans, Louisia na the closest major US city to the Deepw ater rig - five yea rs after the hurricane deva stated the city, lea ving 80 per cent of it wa terlogged. Brad spea rheaded the ‘Make it Right’ project after the na tura l disaster, w hich built 150 afforda ble and sustaina ble homes in one of the areas of New Orleans that wa s worst hit. The documentary origina lly ended on a positive note, with the New Orleans sa ints NFL team winning the Super Bowl, but after the oil spill in April, Spike extended the programme to include the effects of it. He sa id: “This would ha ve been a much more upbeat documentary for sure.” An estimated 4.9 million ba rrels of oil leaked into the Gulf of Mexico during the 87-da y spill. An opera tion to seal the lea k w ill not be completed until next month.

Pub pop star

K

Kylie Minogue

Daisy Lowe loves 60s fashion

ylie Minogue stunned people when she played a gig in an English pub. The pop superstar turned up at the Ring O’ Bells in Somerset, South West England, to perform a string of chart-topping hits as a favor to her record company Parlophone. The 42-year-old Australian singer walked into the public house at 10.30pm and in a tiny alcove she belted out five songs. She sang an acoustic version of her current hit ‘All the Lovers’ as well as ‘80s classics ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ and ‘Locomotion’. Kylie had turned up at the Ring O’Bells on her tour bus last Thursday for a sound check before the doors opened. Landlady Lauren Goddard, 32, told the Daily

Express newspaper: “It was all quite surreal, to be honest. It’s not the sort of thing you expect to see in a quiet local pub like this. We were sworn to secrecy and didn’t even tell the staff until 30 minutes before the doors opened. “Kylie was very friendly and down-to-earth. She didn’t make any demands and she was very polite.” The surprise acoustic concert was laid on by record bosses as the highlight of an away-day trip in Compton Martin for 120 of its staff. Pub managers Lauren and Rueben Goddard agreed to stage the concert after being approached by Parlophone boss Miles Leonard, who lives in the village. The fun-packed evening also included sets by Parlophone artists Tinie Tempah, Eliza Doolittle and Morning Parade - before Kylie appeared as the headline act. Earlier in the evening, Tinie played his hit ‘Pass Out’ and new track ‘Written In The Stars’. Reuben, 25, told The Sun newspaper: “The locals were shocked but we all had an evening we’ll never forget. It’s a bit out of the ordinary for round here.”

T

he 21-year-old model - who is the face of the iconic brand Biba’s new line at British department store House of Fraser admits she loves the look of the 60s and feels like she is “stuck” in the decade. She explained: “I think I was

just meant to be born at that time anyway. I kind of feel stuck in the late-60s and early 70s.” Discussing the resurrection of the brand, Daisy admits she has some favourite pieces which will

“bring people back”. She said: “I think because there are boutiques, it will really bring people back. There are brilliant pieces - the coats are amazing and there’s this beautiful butterfly ring that goes over two fingers.” The new line - which will launch into 35 House of Fraser stores in September -will have a luxe theme with faux fur coats, marabou jackets and limitededition evening dresses alongside tailored blazers, denim, and jewellery featuring the brand’s logo. Gorgeous Daisy - whose mother is dress designer Pearl Lowe - admitted that as a teenager she hated introducing her friends to her mother - because she “would never be caught dead without stilettos, she was just so hot.” The curvy model also revealed that she was moved to tears by the voluptuous models at the autumn/winter Louis Vuitton show. She told the Independent newspaper: “I started tearing and it was probably the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done. I was thinking, ‘Do not tear at a fashion show Daisy, it’s not a play, you’re just watching clothes’. But there were actually breasts in it, and it was celebrating women.”

Lily Allen’s

Lady Gaga

rules Twitter

baby will learn L how to surf T

he ‘Smile’ singer is expecting her first child with boyfriend Sam Cooper and her brother Alfie is already thinking about what he can teach his niece or nephew.

The actor told the Daily Star newspaper: “I’m really excited about it. I’m going to teach my niece or nephew loads of cool stuff like how to cook and kite surf.” Although Alfie is excited for Lily he insists he is in no rush to become a parent himself. The 23-year-old star - who split from actress Jaime Winstone in April after three years together - said: “I don’t want kids for at least five years.” Alfie is not the only person excited about Lily’s pregnancy. The pop beauty has been inundated with messages from well-wishers delighted for her, including rapper Professor Green and supermodel Kate Moss. A source revealed: “Her friends and family are over the moon. They’ve known it’s what she wants for ages, When Kate Moss, one of Lily’s good friends, found out she squealed with delight and Lily’s had dozens of bunches of flowers from fans.”

a dy Gaga has become the “queen of twitter” - with more followers than anyone else. The ‘Alejandro’ singer has overtaken Britney Spears by 34,000 followers after attracting a staggering 5,735,554 people to her page compared to 5,701,236. Gaga has now posted a video link on her twitter account thanking fans for making her the most popular person on the micro-blogging site. Addressing her fans as her “little monsters”, the pop star who appears in a makeshift crown with a twitter logo on it and waves a magic wand in the video - says: “Hello world, this is Lady Gaga, queen of twitter. I wanted to thank all my beautiful little monsters for following me. Thank you for beginning my reign as twitter queen. I

vow to always tweet and tweet again.” The piece was shot backstage at a concert in Tacoma, Washington. The 24-year-old singer is currently on the North American leg of her ‘Monster Ball Tour’. Gaga currently picks up new followers on twitter at an average of around 171,000 a week, according to website famecount.com which analyzed the data.

Although she is the most followed star on twitter, she is not the fastest growing; that title goes to teen pop sensation Justin Bieber, who is amassing an average 800,000 new followers each month. Other popular tweeters include actor Ashton Kutcher and musician Taylor Swift, who both have over 3 million followers each.

Kruger wants Jackson’s babies D

ia ne Kruger is planning to have babies with Joshua Jackson. The German actress - who has been dating ‘Fringe’ actor Joshua for around four years - wants to have children with the screen hunk and wants them to grow up the French capital Paris, the city she thinks of as “home.” She told You magazine: “I see myself raising my children in Europe, probably in Paris. Josh loves Paris and he is cool with that, but we will see what happens when we get there - or if we get there.” Although Diane - who divorced French actor Guillaume Canet in 2006

after five years of marriage - has been vocal about her “disillusioned” ideas on marriage, she says making time for a committed relationship has made her improve other areas of her life. She said: “Because I was married I know that, no matter what paper you sign, if you want to get out, you get out. But that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in commitment. I think commitment is very important, particularly for me. I am a better person when I let myself have time for romance and for love. I think for too many years I actually let that slide.” —Bang Showbiz

SPECTRUM

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

37

Music & Movies

Indie film makers lead Philippine cinema resurgence

By Jason Gutierrez

A

new breed of Philippine film makers is using the country’s social ills as inspiration, transforming real-life tales of corruption, violence and abuse into award-winning movies internationally. With digital technology and the Internet leveling the playing field, Filipino indie directors have become a staple on the world’s film festival circuits, helping ignite a new golden age in the local industry. For Pepe Diokno, indie films are a vehicle to promote change in a country where corruption is rife and a third of the 92 million population live in crushing poverty.

The 23-year-old exudes a passion for his craft that belies his easy demeanor, and his debut movie tackling alleged state-sponsored ‘death squads’ is something no ordinary university student would take on.

“There is a wealth of stories around us and I think one of the responsibilities of a film maker is to record what is happening around him,” Diokno told AFP. “Tomorrow, or 40 or 50 years from now, somebody will see the film and say: ‘So that was how it was’.” Called “Engkwentro” (Clash), Diokno’s film won the New Horizon’s section of the Venice Film

Festival last year, and critics have dubbed him the new enfant terrible of Philippine cinema.

The movie was based on the real life story of two brothers who were involved with local gangs and on the hit list of a ‘death squad’ that was allegedly backed by a powerful town mayor in a southern city. “What unsettled me was, I didn’t know anything about this at first. But what really angered me is that it is happening and the people are accepting this reality,” he said.

Diokno said showing the public that ‘death squads’ existed became a personal crusade, and an eye opener that movies could be a powerful tool for society. “It was a story that needed to be told,” said Diokno, a prodigy with a self-deprecating manner who made “Engwentro” while he was still at film school. He is also the grandson of the late senator Jose Diokno, a nationalist who fought Ferdinand Marcos at the height of his brutal martial law regime in the 1970s. However Diokno said he wanted to be known on his own terms, and not as the grandson of one of the nation’s most revered human rights activists.

Diokno is now preparing to shoot his second film that explores the world of ‘child warriors’ employed

This file photo taken on September 19, 2009 shows Filipino director Pepe Diokno holding the Lion of the Future award he received for his film “Engkwentro” during a photocall after the awards ceremony of the 66th Venice film festival. —AFP

by the country’s rebel groups.

Meanwhile, Jim Libiran, 42, another director who made headlines overseas recently with a gritty social movie, is also working on a second film. The ex-journalist’s first movie in 2007 about gang life in Manila’s notorious Tondo slum cultivated a cult following and jolted public consciousness about the issue. The movie, called “Tribu” (Tribe), received critical acclaim at the Pusan International Film Festival in 2008, and in the same year won the Le Pari de L’Avenir (Youth Jury Prize) at the Paris Cinema Festival.

His follow up movie, which is also being shot in Tondo, is called “Happyland” and tells a story of priests using football to lure the youth away from the gang culture.

“I only have one genre-truth. I do not want to make films not based on reality,” Libiran told AFP. “The best stories told are the truth, in much the same way that the best time for journalists is when they gather every night and talk about their exploits.” Another member of the Philippines’ batch of power indie film makers is Brillante Mendoza, who last year won best director at Cannes for “Kinatay”, a violent movie about a newly wed policeman forced to take part in the kidnapping

and murder of a woman. A barrage of movies shown in the local Cinemalaya Film Festival last month also tackled sensitive issues-from the country’s decades old Muslim separatist rebellion to human trafficking.

Leading critic and film historian Lito Zulueta said indie films were part of an exciting Philippine cinema renaissance. “The recent vibrancy of Philippine cinema has led film and cultural historians to proclaim a third golden age, after the 1950s and 1970s,” said Zulueta, who is the former chair of Manila’s movie critics’ association. Critics had long lamented the state of the Philippine movie industry, which was known for churning out low-quality films with generally weak plots and little social substance.

A high tax on cinema tickets and rampant movie piracy were other factors that critics said brought the Philippine movie industry close to its death bed. Zulueta said the current crop of indie film makers had helped create a buzz that could not be ignored. “You see the creative outpouring in indie cinema and you realize Philippine cinema can’t really be dying,” he said. “It’s on a transition. It’s on to something new.” —AFP

Cuban singer revives Nat ‘King’ Cole’s Latin numbers

By Judy Cantor-Navas

I

n 1956, Nat “King” Cole emerged from a plane in Havana holding a pair of maracas and began a series of dates at the club Tropicana. For the first of Cole’s three subsequent Spanish-language albums, 1958’s “Cole Espanol,” he was coached by Bebo Valdes, then the pianist with the Tropicana’s Armando Romeu Orchestra, to phonetically sound out the lyrics. The suave but quirky charm of Cole’s notable American accent and the swing of the musicians who joined him on great songs by Latin com-

posers and Spanish translations of popular English numbers made the trilogy of Cole’s “Espanol” albums a hit in Latin America and beyond.

“Cole paid homage to L atin American music and the Spanish language with the effort he put into singing these songs and the feeling with which he sang them,” says Issac Delgado, whose album “L-O-VE” includes 12 songs from Cole’s repertoire and features the celebrated singer’s brother, vocalist Freddy Cole, and a cast of top Latin and jazz players. It will be released Aug 31 on Calle 54/Sony Masterworks. A megastar in Cuba, Delgado is known

for his elegant but streetwise approach to the aggressively percussive Cuban dance music called timba, or Cuban salsa. The departure he takes with the jazzy romantic ballads on this album is something of a return to his roots.

“This is timeless music for me,” says Delgado, who moved to the United States in 2006 and now lives in Miami. “It was the music we listened to every day in my house growing up.” The songs on “L-O-VE,” including a Spanish version of the title track, have a distinctly contemporary vibe, drained of the syrupy flavor characteristic of Cole’s

time. Pulling from the extended Cole songbook, the album also includes a song in Portuguese, and two additional tracks-”Mona Lisa” and “Stardust”-will be available as digital extras.

Sony Masterworks general manager/senior vice president Alex Miller says he first heard “L-O-V-E” after Sony Spain released it last spring and immediately made plans for it to be released stateside. He says the album will be promoted “the old-fashioned way,” around an extensive US tour that Delgado will do with Cole in the fall.

“I didn’t want people to feel they

were listening to an old chestnut. I wanted it to sound as though it had just popped out of the oven,” says producer Nat Chediak, who, by working with Spanish filmmaker/producer Fernando Trueba on the latter’s Calle 54 label, has brought new life to Latin classics on a series of critically acclaimed albums, including the Grammy Award-winning “Bebo y Cigala.” “I wanted the musicians to stretch,” Chediak adds. “We were having fun in the studio,” says Cole, who once accompanied his brother on one of his visits to Havana.

“Everyone was loose and free, and it came off that way.” — Reuters

Hong Kong and Hollywood martial arts film star Jackie Chan records a theme song for an upcoming combat event in Beijing on August 20, 2010.

Chan has called for wushu, better known outside China as kung fu, to be recognized as an official Olympic sport, state media reported. —AFP

Lead singer of British rock band Placebo, Brian Molko, performs on stage during the Lowlands music festival on August 21, 2010. —AFP

Doctor charged in Jackson’s death due in court In this Monday, Feb 8, 2010 file photo, Michael Jackson’s physician, Conrad Murray arrives for his arraignment at the Airport Branch Courthouse in Los Angeles. —AP

Nick Cave & Co open the debate on love, sexism

By Sarah Jaffe

A

ustralian post-punk hero Nick Cave has skipped from project to project during his 37-year career, but he’s always maintained his pasty-faced, blackclad persona. An especially dark and sexual vibe runs through the latest album by his band Grinderman. Cave and drummer Jim Sclavunos spoke to Billboard about “Grinderman 2,” due Sept 14 on Mute.

Billboard: Does the release of the new album help establish Grinderman as more than a side project?

J im Sclavunos: It never was a throwaway (or) a side project it’s been more of an offshoot than a side project.

N i c k Ca v e : We made two albums, (which is) more than some fully fledged bands.

Scla vunos: It was pretty nat-

Nick Cave ural because we had been doing this Nick Cave solo thing, which was basically Nick and Warren (Ellis) going out and doing smaller arrangements of Bad Seeds songs, and from that it started taking on its own momentum. Marty (Casey) and I joined and gave the whole operation a bit of balls. It got to a point where it

started upsetting audiences in Germany. They had come for an intimate evening with Nick Cave and they got their heads ripped off.

These other elements started getting introduced into those songs that hadn’t been there before, and there was kind of an aggressive edge to the whole thing. There were certain ideas that were floating around, especially with Warren, that weren’t finding a place in the Bad Seeds, so it made sense to have an outlet for that. And Grinderman was eventually what that outlet became.

Billboard: Carrie Brownstein, on her NPR blog, wrote that the rise of bearded indie rockers was a harbinger of a lack of danger in rock music. You’re known for epic facial hair and for making some pretty dangerous rock ‘n’ roll. Where do those notions of masculinity

and danger fit for you?

Cave: What we’re trying to do is to make original music that’s based on improvisation, and within that explore themes as men in the autumn or winter of their lives, trying to make music that has a sexuality to it. But within that sexuality it has all the bubbling neuroses and terror and violence that run through the heads of men of our age and distinction.

It’s different than pretty much anybody out there. We’re talking about something else with our music. We’re dealing with issues that are much more complex, much more difficult, much more dangerous and problematic. And some people get that and some people don’t.

Scla vunos: Some people see it in a much simpler way. They look at a surface aspect of it.

Ca ve : For sure, “No Pussy

Blues” isn’t the most subtle concept in the world, but it is actually a very pertinent issue among men. And had a huge positive response, that someone actually wrote a song like that. Because most rock music is about the opposite.

Sclavunos: It’s not like we’re Mr. Sensitive either. It’s full of neurosis and rage and unacceptable social behavior and things thatCa ve: Go bump in the night.

Sclavunos: It’s not like some bearded guy who’s got all of his weakness on his sleeve, it’s not that kind of neurosis.

It’s more like an aggressive statement of it.

Billboa rd: Are some people put off by that?

Sc la v u n os: Is there something really that offensive about it? I don’t think there is.

If you just take it as it’s a human being who’s got, you know, needs.

Ca v e : It doesn’t objectif y women. There is a directness.

We’re adults. We talk about sex openly.

Scla vunos: There’s nothing wrong with sex, is there? Or not getting sex. Or expressing frustration that one’s not getting it.

Billboard: This album seems a little less sexually aggressive than the first Grinderman release, and the women seemed to get, if not revenge, a little more of the spotlight.

Cave: Yeah, but that’s not a turnaround. That’s just a different way of looking at the same subject matter that I’ve always looked at. Because we actually are addressing certain subjects about masculinity, about what it is to be a man in this day and age when men have largely been emasculated. We’re opening the debate.

And no one else is. Or very few other people. —Reuters

T

he doctor charged in Michael Jackson’s death is due back in court for a scheduling hearing that will determine when prosecutors will publicly present some of their evidence. Dr Conrad Murray was required to attend yesterday’s hearing, during which a Los Angeles judge is expected to schedule a preliminary hearing for later this year.

The judge will decide at that hearing whether there is enough evidence for the involuntary manslaughter case against the cardiologist to continue. Murray, who maintains offices in Las Vegas and Houston, was charged in February for administering a lethal dose of anesthetic propofol to Jackson. Murray has pleaded not guilty and his attorneys have said the physician did not give Jackson anything that “should have” killed him. —AP

SPECTRUM

38

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Travel

Sailing the Sea of Cortez on

By Lisa Vorderbrueggen

S

urely, a few of the fishing village residents muttered it. Americanos locos. Crewmates from our five-boat flotilla were setting off fireworks from the beach while the rest of us whooped and sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” into the marine VHF radio. Our inappropriate use of a marine radio channel notwithstanding, it was the perfect celebration of America’s Independence Day while we embraced Mexico’s marine wonders. My husband, Joe, and I were among 40 people on a weeklong trip to the Sea of Cortez in a flotilla on a sailing trip sponsored by the Tradewinds Sailing School and Club of Richmond, Calif.

Our cadre of chartered boats sailed northward from La Paz on July 2 and anchored in a series of picture-perfect teal and aquamarine bays with sparkling white, sandy beaches. The vermilion sea separates the Baja California Sur peninsula from the Mexican mainland and is home to one of the world’s most diverse marine ecosystems. It definitely was not the typical boat-for-hire tropical vacation where a smiling, uniformed crew whips up frosty drinks and cleans the head.

(That’s boatspeak for bathroom.) We were the crew.

Under the direction of an experienced Tradewinds skipper, we hoisted sails, weighed anchor, navigated, cooked, took turns behind the helm and, most definitely, mixed our own drinks and cleaned up after ourselves.

But under blue skies and mild temperatures in the mid80s, we also snorkeled and swam in crystalline warm waters. We hiked beneath spectacular, 10-foot high giant Cardon cactus, motored through watery mangrove forests and past disinterested roosting pelicans. We bought clams as big as softballs and shell jewelry on Isla Coyote, a two-acre rock originally settled in the 1940s by a shark fisherman seeking to

Joe Vorderbrueggen paddles his kayak by Pyramid Rock at Bahia Agua Verde on the Sea of Cortez.

escape the nasty jejenes, or tiny biting insects.

We rambled through Agua Verde, a tiny, remote village where fishing pangas line the shoreline, goats outnumber the people and the palm trees are a vivid green against a rocky, rust-colored skyline.

There, a boy about age 8 cheerfully led us down the dirt street to the tienda, or store, where we bought cold water and rewarded with cookies the young man’s guidance and stellar attempts to understand our limited Spanish. We even unofficially raced our rented, 40-foot sailing catamaran, Caribbean Reef, against a flotilla boat that dared cross our bow. (We won no matter what that other skipper tries to tell you.)

The adventurous vacationers joining us were young, old and every age between. Some had

sailing experience. Others had no interest in boat handling and contributed their considerable-and highly appreciated-culinary skills.

In exchange for doing the work ourselves, we enjoyed a more affordable sailing vacation. Through Tradewinds, where we are members, we paid $2,600 for our two-person cabin, which included our hotel, transportation to the marina and food for the week.

We paid extra for airfare and beverages. As a member of a flotilla, we felt safer than had we rented a boat on our own.

Also, in this sparsely populated part of the world, where radio contact with other English-speaking crews was a comfort. The cozy arrangement was not without its aggravations, though. Joe and I shared the catamaran with seven adults, all but one we

n sets The su nsanada over E at Isla e Grand on the a d Parti Cortez. f Sea o

he rs of t e t a w e a. over th rto Ballandr s e i l f ue an A pelic ortez near P C f Sea o

met for the first time on the dock in La Paz. Fortunately, we got along but it was impossible to escape their companionship unless you swam or paddled away in the kayak.

There were no long, hot showers as a source of peace, either. Boats carry a limited water supply and our remote destinations lacked facilities to replenish the tanks. We washed dishes in saltwater and showers consisted of the ol’ Navy method-a fast squirt, a bit of soap and a speedy rinse. And forget privacy.

Each couple had a private cabin but they were small and hot during the day.

These were minor inconveniences. It was only a week, after all. The trip was an opportunity for like-minded, adventurous travelers to See page 39

ews gher vi u a T y c Nan rock oted, a Los Isl ping near Isla outcrop on the Sea of Partida Mexico. , Cortez photos T C —M

A boat is anchored in Bahia Amortajada, an aquamarine wonder.

SPECTRUM

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

39

Travel

Tour of Central Florida roller coasters has dizzying results

By Marjie Lambert

O

ur roller coaster slowed as it approached the precipice, then stopped, the front hanging over the edge. From my seat at the end of the front row, I could not see the track below, just empty space. We teetered there for excruciating moments, while I contemplated my folly and certain death. Then the car slid smoothly over the brink and we were diving down, down, down, and I was screaming in real terror, before the coaster entered a loop and started back up again. I was on SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, the only coaster in Florida with a 90-degree plunge and the scariest of the 20 coasters I rode that week.

My mission: To size up Central Florida’s coasters, pick the best and survive the rest. In Central Florida, 11 coasters have opened since 1999 — 13 if you count Disney’s two virtual coasters. From Manta’s Superman-like flying position to SheiKra’s 90-degree dive, to Dragon Challenge’s cars that are suspended from the wheel platform rather than built on top of it, they represent some of the innovations of the newest generation of coasters.

everything would be downhill from there.

Disney Thrill rides are not a significant part of Disney’s repertoire of family-oriented attractions designed around sometimes-elaborate stories. With four parks in Orlando, Disney has only five actual coasters, plus two simulators. I started at Magic Kingdom with the oldest, Space Mountain, whose overhaul last year-new games in the queue, darker ambience, updated decor-gave it a more contemporary feel than its age (35) would indicate; it still has plenty of thrills. On Big Thunder Mountain, the “collapsing” mine scenery is more threatening than the ride itself.

Then to Animal Kingdom, for Expedition Everest, with its startling downhill run in reverse, and Primeval Whirl, with its spinning cars. The best of the actual coasters was my last: Rock n Roll Roller Coaster, with a highspeed launch and three inversions, accompanied by Aerosmith. At Epcot and Downtown Disney, I designed my own coasters, then got in simulators to experience them. Once I tried them, I wished I’d drawn in more thrills. I could have redesigned them, but I wanted to spend the time riding real coasters.

Crewmembers and passengers look off the deck of the 40-foot sailing catamaran, Caribbean Reef, on the Sea of Cortez.

From page 38 experience life on the sea outside the suffocating wombin my opinion-of a pricey, staffed tour or a large cruise ship. One trip highlight for my husband was a swim with sea lions at Los Islotes, a hunk of guano-covered rock where the waters teem with marine life. He probably wouldn’t have gone into the water with the giant beasts if one of our boatmates had not encouraged him.

Our skipper, Steve Damm, kindly piloted the inflatable dingy for my daily photography excursions, a duty my husband happily relinquished for the week. Another fellow

traveler demonstrated navigation software in the new iPad and probably deserves a commission when we buy one for ourselves. And we had great fun bartering among ourselves. Some boats, for example, found themselves in possession of extra apples and excess garlic but perilously short on libations. Skipper Matt Kepner, of Tradewinds, made the best deal of the week.

The question my husband and I have been asked most often about the trip was, “Would you do a flotilla trip again?”

Maybe. But with our newfound expe-

rience, we are now far more likely to charter a boat on our own, and invite family or close friends to join us and share in the costs. And, on our next sailing trip, I plan to hog the helm.

—MCT

The Manta roller coast at Seaworld Orlando offers a Superman-like flying position. — MCT

Mushroom Rock rises out of the Sea of Cortez.

Construction on Seattle’s Chinese garden blooming

By Kristi Heim

S

unlight filters through jars of green tea lined up on a concrete ledge-tea is the essential sustenance for a group of artisans from China who arrived in Seattle this month to build a courtyard in the traditional style of Sichuan province.

They’re paving the floor and fitting the red columns of an elaborate gateway that will serve as

million people. It’s designed as a space for local organizations to explore Chinese culture, language, arts and horticulture.

The 4.6-acre garden, at the north end of South Seattle Community College, is still a work in progress, but it’s opening for public tours and throwing a welcome party Sunday for the artisans. To build “Knowing the Spring Courtyard,” the 21 artisans are applying some of

This structure is among the exhibits of design and craftsmanship shown at the Seattle Chinese Garden. — MCT photos

Chinese artisans use an ink well and brush to draw their lines as they work on the Seattle Chinese Garden. the entrance to the Seattle Chinese Garden, believed to be the first Sichuan-style garden in the United States.

The project was started 20 years ago to mark the establishment of sister-city ties between Seattle and Chongqing, now a municipality with more than 30

the same methods and materials they’ve used for centuries. One marks a line with ink and a brush while two others pull a wooden-handled blade back and forth to make a cut.

Feng Dacheng, an architect with the city of Chongqing and the garden’s chief designer, said

the traditional methods have proven their value over time. In the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, “a lot of the traditional buildings held up pretty well,” he said.

“The contemporary ones fell apart.” But to comply with building codes in Seattle, they’ll have extra strength from square metal posts, which will be wrapped with round wood columns to achieve the ancient look. “It’s an American heart in a Chinese body,” said Yangming Chu, the project’s director. “It feels like wood, but the interior is solid and modern,” he said.

“This is like bombproof.”

Making a traditional Chinese garden fit American rules was but one challenge in the gar-

den’s history. Others have been raising funds and maintaining momentum throughout economic ups and downs. The nonprofit Seattle Chinese Garden Society raised close to $8 million from donors. Chongqing donated the labor of the architects and artisans and the materials, including decorative stones from the Yangtze River, handcrafted roof tiles and wood for the trim, while the city of Seattle, King County and Washington state contributed $2 million over the years for infrastructure costs.

The nonprofit has raised 80 percent of the $4.5 million to build the courtyard.

Getting the artisans to Seattle to finish the four-month

project is a huge milestone, Chu said. Unlike the private gardens in eastern Chinese cities such as Suzhou, Sichuan gardens tend to be public places, with more abundant space and a style that is “rustic, free and countrylike,” Feng said.

Rain is one element Seattle shares with its sister city, making the long eaves of the traditional roof good shelter for people strolling under it, he said.

Hand-carved drums of gray stone at the base of each red post are like shoes to add stability and keep water from soaking the wood. Feng, who is here on his third visit to Seattle, is anxious to make progress while the weather is good. —MCT

They were part of a coaster building boom that peaked at the turn of the millennium. In Central Florida-and around the world-the rides are faster and taller than their predecessors, with more loops, inversions and unique elements than ever before.

That boom ran its course. Now, only Busch Gardens has a ride under construction that is rumored to be a coaster. Scuttlebutt on fan websites is that it will be a fast-launch coaster named Cheetaka. The Tampa park isn’t commenting, except to say the attraction “will combine the two things that Busch Gardens does best: up-close animal encounters and thrill rides.” None of Florida’s parks has a record number of coasters-Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, has 17 — but it’s an impressive concentration just the same: six at Busch Gardens, three at SeaWorld, two each at Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and seven at the Disney parks, including two simulators.

Coaster fans credit Central Florida with some top-tier coasters, among them Manta at SeaWorld, SheiKra and Montu at Busch Gardens, Incredible Hulk and Dragon Challenge at Universal’s Islands of Adventure, Revenge of the Mummy at Universal Studios, and for sentimental reasons, Space Mountain at Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Florida’s oldest theme park coaster.

But for the most ardent coaster fans, who travel the country-and even the world-in search of high-speed thrills, Orlando is not considered a coaster hotspot. “The roller coasters in Orlando are not record-breaking rides and some of the coasters are conservative-primarily Disney’s collection,” said Eric Gieszl, founder of UltimateRollerCoaster.com.

“While Orlando doesn’t have a huge collection, they do have some outstanding roller coasters.

“Tampa on the other hand has built some notable coasters over the years and they tend to be much more aggressive. Busch Gardens is well respected amongst coaster fanatics and has some of the best roller coasters found anywhere.”

Busch gardens This is where I kicked off my own tour of theme-park coasters. My parameters: no kiddie coasters, no water rides unless they include mechanical coaster propulsion elements such as the chain lift hill on Journey to Atlantis, no rides that simply drop but don’t go anywhere. Starting with Gwazi, a wooden coaster that rattled my bones and repeatedly lifted me off my seat, I rode five of the park’s six coasters before lunch: Montu, an inverted coaster that turned us upside down seven times; Scorpion, a older coaster that still carries a sting; Cheetah Chase, which makes you feel you’re about to fall off the edge of one of its hairpin turns; and Kumba, loud, fast and dizzying, with three seconds of weightlessness.

I was exhilarated and feeling fearless, but my stomach was unsettled. I blamed Cheetah Chase.

After lunch and some animal encounters that threatened neither my limbs nor my equilibrium, I was ready to face SheiKra. I don’t have much trouble with motion sickness-really, who wouldn’t feel a little queasy after riding five coasters in rapid succession? — and am not bothered by heights or speed, but I don’t like edges. SheiKra has a 195-foot drop, about half of it straight down. At the bottom of that plunge, after I realized I had survived Central Florida’s most daunting thrill ride, I knew

Universal Like Disney, Universal designs its rides around stories, but is more adventurous in its thrill rides at its two Orlando parks. At Islands of Adventure, I rode coasters that were already among my favorites: Incredible Hulk, with a high-speed launch and inventive loops, and Dragon Challenge, whose dueling inverted trains had me whooping with glee, my feet flying free.

Next door, at Universal Studios, both of the coasters lost points with me-neither turns upside down once: Revenge of the Mummy, the only indoor coaster at the two parks, and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, where riders choose their own soundtrack for the experience. “Something by the Rolling Stones would fit here,” I thought. That’s when I learned that coasters are not designed for people over 50.

There was none of our music on the list. I settled for MC Hammer”s “U Can’t Touch This,” and we were off.

Seaw orld SeaWorld Orlando came late to the thrillride party; it didn’t open its first-Journey to Atlantis, half flume ride, half roller coasteruntil 1998. I rode it and got the usual soaking, and then tackled Kraken-fast and floorless, with seven inversions. It was here, on this newcomer’s grounds, that I encountered the best ride of my tour, Manta, opened just over a year ago, which simulates a manta ray gliding smoothly through the water.

We sat upright, held in place by a lap bar, harness, and flaps in front of our ankles. Then the mechanism rotated our heads down, feet back. Thus suspended, we soared out over nothingness, flying on our bellies like Superman. We climbed the inside of a loop and dove down the other side, head first, the scenery a blur of color as we rushed by at this unaccustomed angle. Then we glided up a second loop, this one with the rails twisted around it so the manta spiraled gracefully around the structure, as smooth as a stripe on a peppermint stick.

Breaking records The last coaster building boom saw a string of records made and broken. Coasters reached record heights — 200 feet, then 250 and 300; now there are two coasters taller than 400 feet. At least five coasters reach speeds of more than 100 mph. The traditional enclosed sit-down car has been replaced by stand-up coasters, suspended cars, floorless cars. There are more ways of being turned upside, of feeling weightless, more coasters used in storytelling, more built with water elements or super-fast launches.

“It’s like filmmakers or musicians-whenever you have something that is built within the creative realm, people look at it and say, ‘What can we do to make this bigger, better, more impressive,’” said Robb Alvey of ThemeParkReview.com. Although no Florida coasters approach height or speed records, they do form a diverse group.

In four days, I had ridden 20 coasters and been turned upside down so many times I lost count. I had gone through basic vertical loops, diving loops, Immelmann loops, a pretzel loop and the world’s only non-inverting loop; carousels, batwings, zero-gravity rolls, cobra rolls, simple corkscrews and interlocking corkscrews. My stomach had objected only once. I considered this collection, representing some of engineering’s most creative coaster designs. Then I got in line to ride Manta again. —MCT

www.kuwaittimes.net

Caravaggio comes home to sumptuously restored Genoan villa

By Gildas Le Roux

R

enaissance master Caravaggio is the guest of honour as Italy’s legendary Doria-Pamphilj family puts finishing touches on painstaking renovations to their sprawling villa in northern Genoa. Caravaggio’s “Rest on the Flight into Egypt”-an exquisite painting bought by the family for a pittance in 1650 — has pride of place at the villa in Genoa overlooking the sea. “Bringing this painting here to the villa while we are commemorating the 400th anniversary of the artist’s death has put the spotlight on the villa, which many Genoans don’t even know exists,” said Laura Sciove, an art history graduate who leads tours of the mansion.

Allowed to fall into disrepair until 1997, the old Villa del Principe, begun in 1529 by Admiral Andrea Doria (1466-

1560), has gradually regained its lustre. The villa still needs work, with a roof still pock-marked by wartime bombings and cracks still apparent in the facade. Apartment blocks and roads steadily encroached on the grounds-including a motorway that now runs along the coast-and the garden at the foot of the main staircase was even transformed into an open-air movie theatre.

“The villa was reopened to the public in 1997, and each year we carry out new work to return the building as well as the gardens to their original glory,” Sciove told AFP. Its founder, Andrea Doria, deserves a museum devoted just to him. An admiral to the emperor Charles V who fought for what was then the Republic of Genoa, his prestigious lineage was bolstered further in 1671 with a marriage to Rome’s Pamphilj family, whose descendants still own the villa. A

secretive figure, he was able to use his alliances to manoeuvre between King Francis I of France and Charles V, and he lived to the exceptionally old age of 96.

The summer residence he built has 15 rooms on two storeys with a sumptuous balcony on the upper floor, dubbed the “Heroes’ Loggia” because of its frescoes representing the Doria family’s 12 warriors.

When the Doria-Pamphilj family decided to revive its unique heritage, it had the frescoes meticulously restored, while the cinema gave way to a formal Italian garden, and so on. To celebrate the rebirth, they invited Caravaggio to the party, with the current exhibition titled “Caravaggio and the Flight,” which runs until September 26.

Sciove said historians “assume” Caravaggio was invited to the villa in 1605, about a decade after he completed the painting at age 20.

The painting, which normally

A visitor walks up the stairs in the Villa of Principe on August 12, 2010, in Genoa. —AFP

hangs at the Galleria DoriaPamphilj in Rome, “was acquired in 1650 by the Doria-Pamphilj family along with another painting for the pittance of 90 ecus,” Sciove said with a bemused smile. The experience has something for all tastes: ebony and ivory furniture, enormous fireplaces in white Carrara marble and black Promontorio marble, precious tapestries, paintings by masters including Rubens, Titian, Bronzino, Sebastiano del Piombo and others.

One room in particular deserves special mention: the Hall of Giants, where Andre Doria and Charles V met to cement their alliance after Doria left the service of Francis I. Stunning Flemish tapestries from Tournai dating from 1460 grace the walls. Depicting scenes from the life of Alexander the Great, the profusion of colors and the fineness of the details are a feast for the eyes. —AFP

Taiwan craftsman seeks to save printing heritage

Chang Chieh-kuan, 58, uses a hand press to make prints with Chinese character type sets at his Ri Xing Type Foundry in Taipei.

By Diana Jou

The Underwater Hanbok

Models show off traditional Korean dress Hanbok, a creation by designer Park Sul-nyeo, during the Underwater Hanbok fashion show in Seoul, South Korea, yesterday. The attraction was held as a part of promotional event for a new department stores’ opening and they said was the world’s first underwater Hanbok fashion show. —AP

H

unched over a metal casting machine, Chang Chiehkuan carefully guides a tiny copper mold into a hydraulic press.

Seconds later he extracts a piece of lead type with the Chinese character for “happiness.” That’s one down, thousands more to go in a last-ditch effort by this 58-year-old craftsman to rescue the millennium-old world of Chinese lead type from the advance of the digital age.

Chang’s foundry is one of the last making traditional Chinese characters the old way. It’s time-consuming and labor-intensive, but Chang says it brings out the grandeur of the characters.

“Lead type makes an impression on paper that digital printing cannot,” he said. “It allows people to feel the weight and power of the character.” In an age when Chinese can text and tweet in their native script, and at a time when China has just surpassed Japan to become the world’s second biggest economy, Chang’s labor of love is a reminder of a much older China, one that invented movable type 400 years before it reached Europe.

Chinese script has no alphabet.

Instead it consists of words made up of one or two characters, some of which can consist of up to 25 strokes. To read a newspaper requires memorizing some 2,500 characters, a novel about 4,000.

Handwritten Chinese, using brush and paper, is considered an art form and an indicator of its practitioner’s scholarship and aesthetic sensibility. In communist China, many characters have been replaced by simplified forms to promote literacy, but purists say they lack the heft and balance of the originals.

Taiwan, an island of 23 million people 100 miles (160 kilometers) off the Chinese coast, still uses the

traditional versions, regarding them as the heart and soul of Chinese culture. The older characters are also in use in Hong Kong, though no movable-type foundries exist there. And everywhere, word processing is threatening to make the old skills extinct.

Chang, a bespectacled perfectionist with a salt-and-pepper crewcut and a friendly smile, is out to save the family legacy and its 2 million pieces of lead type crammed in his workshop. To do so, he is fighting fire with fire-digitizing 150,000 characters and enlarging them on a computer screen to help him perfect their lead-type versions and create a museum of printing where visitors can buy character molds as gifts.

When Ri Xing Type Foundry was established in 1969, one of the partners was an uncle in the family who had worked for a newspaper printer for so long that he was able to write almost all the Chinese characters with a calligraphy brush.

He didn’t need a dictionary, Chang said. “In fact, he was the dictionary.” Back then, Taipei had 5,000 printing shops. Forty years later, only 30 old-style establishments remain and Ri Xing is the last print foundry in the capital. It hasn’t turned a profit in 10 years, and to pay the bills, Chang sold the home he inherited from his father.

His determination has attracted a dozen spirited volunteers, many of whom had previously never seen lead type. The copper molds he is making are in a font called Kaishu that dates from the Qing Dynasty, China’s last imperial rulers, who were overthrown in 1911. “If I can’t save this business ... it would be a big loss for Taiwan,” Chang said.

“As for humanity, the Chinese-character movable letterpress is a huge cultural asset and could very well disappear.”—AP

In this photo taken Thursday, July 22, 2010, Chang Chieh-kuan, 58, displays an antique mold for Chinese character types that reads “celebrate” at his Ri Xing Type Foundry in Taipei, Taiwan. —AP