26 Sep

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

40 PAGES

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2010

SHAWAL 17, 1431 AH

NO: 14861

150 FILS

Rush to save Lebanon’s remaining architectural heritage

Russian spacecraft lands safely after delays

Lohan freed from LA jail after posting bail

Man City halt Chelsea charge with Tevez winner

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Iran nuke agency trying to stop computer worm ‘Attack’ points to rising cyber warfare risk • US doesn’t know source, purpose of ‘Stuxnet’

MANCHESTER: Former British climate change minister Ed Miliband reacts after being elected new leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party yesterday. — AFP

Ed Miliband crowned new leader of Labour MANCHESTER: Former climate change minister Ed Miliband was elected the new leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party yesterday, beating his older brother David in a knife-edge race. After a fivemonth contest, Ed Miliband won by 50.65 percent to 49.35 percent for David, the former foreign minister, who led until the final days. The left-leaning 40-year-old faces a battle to reshape the centre-left party of former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, which suffered a heavy defeat in the general election in May after 13 years in power.

Ed Miliband enjoyed a lastminute surge after a campaign which reached out to Labour’s traditional leftwing supporters. As soon as the result was announced to Labour party delegates gathered in a conference hall in Manchester, northwest England, David Miliband jumped to his feet

and embraced his brother as huge cheers rang out, and the younger sibling offered an emotional tribute. “David, I love you so much as a brother and I have such extraordinary respect for the campaign that you ran,” he said. “You taught us the most important lesson, which is we can be a party which reaches out to the community and we can also be a serious party of government again.” Talking directly to his brother - who appeared to struggle to contain his emotion - the younger man said: “We all know how much you have to offer this country in the future.” “Today, a new generation has taken charge of Labour, a new generation that understands the call of change,” Miliband said following the announcement.

Ed Miliband told party members that a new generation had taken over and was Continued on Page 14

TEHRAN: Iran’s nuclear agency is trying to combat a complex computer worm that has affected industrial sites throughout the country and is capable of taking over power plants, Iranian media reports said. Experts from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran met this week to discuss how to remove the malicious computer code, or worm, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported Friday.

The computer worm, dubbed Stuxnet, can take over systems that control the inner workings of industrial plants.

Experts in Germany discovered the worm in July, and it has since shown up in a number of attacks - primarily in Iran, Indonesia, India and the US. The ISNA report said the malware had spread throughout Iran, but did not name specific sites affected. Foreign media reports have speculated the worm was aimed at disrupting Iran’s first nuclear power plant, which is to go online in October in the southern port city of Bushehr.

Iranian newspapers have reported on the computer worm hitting industries around the country in recent weeks, without giving details.

Friday’s report also did not mention Bushehr.

The Russian-built plant will be internationally supervised, but world powers remain concerned that Iran wants to use its civil nuclear power program as a cover for making weapons. Iran denies such an aim and says its nuclear work is solely for peaceful purposes. While there have been no reports of damage or disruption at any Iranian nuclear facilities, Tuesday’s meeting signaled Continued on Page 14

Japan vending machines sell bananas, read minds

TOKYO: A woman gets a wrapped banana from a vending machine on Aug 25, 2010. — AFP

TOKYO: They sell umbrellas, flowers and cooked meals, cough up cool drinks after earthquakes and even try to read your mind: they are Japan’s five million vending machines. Scattered across the country, the automated stores are about as ubiquitous as traffic lights and offer an everwidening, dizzying palette of goods. Thanks to Japan’s low crime rate, companies have placed them everywhere, from neon-lit city centres to the icy summit of Mount Fuji, with little risk of them being burgled and relieved of their rich coin vaults. “They are so convenient, I wish I had one in my room,” said 18-year-old Tokyo resident Hibiki Miura, who like many Japanese finds it hard to imagine modern civilisation without the handy helpers.

Japan has 2.5 million vending machines that sell just beverages - about one for every 50 people. They generated a staggering $27 billion last year, says the Japan Vending Machine Manufacturers’ Association. Machines that sell other miscellaneous goods from cigarettes to toys, flower bouquets and even printed oracles at Shinto shrines - raise the total to more than five Continued on Page 14

STOCKHOLM: Two anti-terrorist policemen (center) secure one of the passengers under the belly of a Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777 at Arlanda International airport yesterday. —AP

PIA bomb suspect freed after ‘hoax’ call STOCKHOLM: Swedish police evacuated 273 people from a Pakistan International Airlines jet diverted to Stockholm due to a bomb alert yesterday and briefly detained a passenger on suspicion of preparing aircraft sabotage, officials said. However, no explosives were found on the man, who was released after questioning by police, or on the Boeing 777. All passengers -

except the suspect - were allowed back on the plane nine hours later. It took off for Manchester, England, from where the passengers would continue their journey to Karachi, Pakistan, said Jan Lindqvist, a spokesman for airport operator Swedavia.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said it was investigating whether the incident was a “terrorism

Yemen takes town, rebels ambush bus ADEN: Soldiers regained control of a besieged southern town from Al-Qaeda, Yemeni authorities said yesterday, as militants staged a dawn attack on a bus in the capital, wounding 10 intelligence agents.

“Security forces backed by army units succeeded on Friday to clear out the city of Huta where Al-Qaeda terrorist elements were holed up” since Sept 18, an interior ministry spokesman said. Forces were now pursuing “terrorist elements who fled to the mountains surrounding the city,” added the spokesman, whose statement was carried by the official Saba news

agency. The military’s reported advances in the south were followed by a setback in Sanaa, however, when two unidentified gunmen in the northwest of the city ambushed a bus taking intelligence agents to work at dawn yesterday. The attackers fired automatic weapons at the bus before fleeing, security services said, adding that they were probably militants of AlQaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP. The wounded were taken to hospital, where a medical official said two were in a serious condition.

Continued on Page 14

hoax”. The plane was traveling from Toronto to Karachi when the pilot asked to land after Canadian authorities received a tip that a passenger was carrying explosives. A SWAT team detained the suspect as he was evacuated from the aircraft along with the other passengers. An AP reporter at the airport saw the passengers boarding yellow airport buses parked

near the aircraft. Police described the suspect as a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin, aged about 30, but said they had not confirmed his identity. A spokesman for the state-owned Pakistan International Airlines said the suspect was a 25-year-old Canadian national. Stockholm police spokesman Kjell Lindgren told AP that Continued on Page 14

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NATIONAL

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Seminar to discuss reports on political and national security

Kuwaiti MPs support rights of Arab women DAMASCUS: A Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation stressed yesterday the importance of the seminar on Arab women's role in the constitution and legislations, dubbed ‘The role of the Arab Parliament in the development and unification of legislation to empower women’ organized by the Arab Interim Parliament.

MP Ali Al-Deqbasi

MP Mekhled Al-Azmi

Development funding still unresolved KUWAIT: The funding of the planned national development plan projects remains a major concern for MPs and ministers, with a number of different views on the matter being expressed.

The cabinet has regularly restated its commitment to providing parliament with a comprehensive policy program detailing the financing plans for the projects. According to Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad AlSabah, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and State Minister for Development and for Housing, the program has already been finalized, with finance minister Mustafa Al-Shamali indicating last week that a report on the government’s strategy would be finalized within ten days.

It also seems, however, that several members of the government are seeking to revive talks on the possibility of establishing a special fund specifically to fund the development plan projects, a proposal that was previously dropped following pressure.

Several parliamentary sources believe that the funding issue is still in its preliminary stages and that all the proposals on the table are still awaiting final approval from Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad, as well as from Central Bank governor Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah, before the final choice is submitted to the cabinet, which will then send it on to parliament for consideration.

Meanwhile, a member of the parliamentary finance committee has voiced support for a proposal recommending the establishment of a government fund

to provide financial support to the development projects, asserting that this is the best solution to the situation.

Speaking to the press, MP Khalid Al-Sultan said that while local commercial banks are unable to fund and operate the major projects, any government funds should not be put under the jurisdiction of the Central Bank, ‘whose jurisdiction only covers commercial banks.’

On a separate issue, a recent decision by the parliamentary finance committee to place conditions requiring prior assessment and supervision of any oil sector investments is expected to ratchet up political tensions, according to insiders.

The decision could come under fire after the committee failed to take into account the notes submitted by the cabinet on the issue, whilst also ignoring the objections of a number of prominent figures who suggested that such supervision would hinder oil sector investments and ultimately drive potential investors away from oil projects.

On a separate issue, a decision taken recently by the parliament’s financial committee to place a prior supervision on oil investment is expected to cause new tensions at the political scene, say sources close to the situation. The turmoil could take place after the committee failed to take into account the notes forwarded by the cabinet on that regard, in addition to the objections from people who see that such supervision would hinder the oil investments, which ultimately would drive investors away from future oil projects.

In separate interview with KUNA, Kuwaiti MPs stressed the importance of reconsidering the status of women through making some amendments on the international conventions, Arab constitutions and legislations.

They added that they took part and discussed working papers submitted by a number of countries including Sudan, Egypt, Bahrain, Palestine, Morocco, Syria, Somalia, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Jordan, and Libya, which highly contributed to the enhancement of the debate.

They expressed hope such seminar, once concluded later in the day, would reach a number of recommendations that would contribute to strengthening the role of women and enable them to participate with men to build the Arab nation in the political, social, economic, cultural and educational fields.

Kuwaiti MP Ali Al-Deqbasi said the second regular session of the Arab Parliament which will start today is of great significance in light of the abundant issues on its agenda, in addition to the reports of the various committees of the Arab parliament.

He added that the Interim will consider the reports of Foreign Affairs committee on political and national security, including the latest developments in Darfur, Sudan and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, Yemen and Arab-Arab differences as well as the nuclear situation in the Middle East.

For his part, Kuwaiti MP Marzouq Al-Ghanim said the second regular session of the Interim Arab Parliament will consider the reports of Iran's occupation of the UAE islands, latest developments on the Palestinian arena and Iraq, stressing that this issue has significant implications on the situation in Kuwait.

The Arab Parliament will consider the contrast report between legitimate resistance and the fight against terrorism and dangers of Israeli nuclear weapons on the Arab, national and international security, in addition a report on the Turkish-Arab dialogue due to be held in Kuwait later this year and the possibility of convening an Iranian-Arab dialogue in which all Arab Parliamentary caucuses take part.

For his part, Kuwaiti MP Mekhled Al-Azmi said the Kuwaiti delegation would contribute effectively in reviewing reports of the standing committees of the Interim Arab Parliament, including ways to support and promote investment in the Arab world and the organization of Arab forum for protection of the legislative infrastructure projects. — KUNA

MP Marzouq Al Ghanim (left)

Legal turmoil over cleaning tenders?

KUWAIT: A Municipal Council Committee is set to discuss a number of issues concerning street cleaning contracts which were raised after the Central Tenders Committee (CTC) rejected all the bids put forward for the tenders to date due to their being prohibitively expensive, reported Al-Qabas.

Councilors Jenan Bushehri, Mussa Al-Sarraf,

Ashwaq Al-Madhaf, Abdulkarim Salim, Jassar AlJassar and Shaye'a Al-Shaye'a put forward a proposal to cancel the study that decides which companies are selected to bid for the tenders, and to provide a new one that would invite new cleaning firms to bid.

The General Manager of Kuwait Municipality, Ahmad Al-Subaih, rejected the coun-

cilors' proposal, however, suggesting that such changes could cause legal difficulties with the companies with whom cleaning contracts have already been signed.

Al-Subaih clarified that the original study was conducted by the municipality's public sanitation committee and implemented after being reviewed by its legal department.

Asian killed in fatal accident KUWAIT: An Asian driver was killed when his truck overturned on Sixth Ring Road, reported AlRai. Police and paramedics responded to the scene but pronounced the driver dead upon their arrival. An investigation was opened to determine the cause of the accident.

Drug dealer held Mubarak Al-Kabeer authorities arrested a Kuwaiti drug dealer in Sabhan after he was found in possession of illegal drug pills and hashish, reported Al-Watan. The drugs were discovered inside the suspect's car during a search. He was referred to the proper authorities.

Fugitives nabbed Seven fugitives were arrested during a security campaign in the Mubarak Al-Kabeer governorate, reported Al-Watan.

Arrested during the campaign were two individuals wanted for outstanding payments worth thousands of dinars and a person sentenced to two years in prison.

Fight A young citizen sustained a stab wound during a fight in Salmiya, reported Al-Watan.

Paramedics brought the man to a nearby hospital and police launched an investigation in search of the man's assailants.

Illegal relationship An Asian maid in Al-Riqqa confessed to being involved in an illegal relationship when her sponsor spotted a stranger flee his house as he arrived home, reported Al-Watan. The maid admitted to having a boyfriend that she often invites to her room. The citizen informed officials of the discovery and the maid was placed under arrest.

KUWAIT: Two people were killed and four others injured when a bus carrying a number of Bangladeshi workers overturned on Abdaly Road.

The injured were rushed to hospital and the bodies removed for autopsy, while an investigation was opened to determine the cause of the accident. — Photo by Fouad Al-Sheikh Woman assaulted A Nepali woman informed authorities that she was raped by her boyfriend, a Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) citizen, and a group of his friends, reported Al-Watan. She reported that she agreed to accompany her boyfriend to a location in Jahra but discovered that he had invited a group of his friends to the scene as well.

A case was opened and police are searching for her assailants.

Meanwhile, a maid was kidnapped and raped by three youngsters soon after she escaped from her sponsor's home in Waha, reported Al-Rai. The woman agreed to accompany the young men when they offered to take her to a destination of her choosing. Instead, the youths brought her to Rahiyya, assaulted her, and fled the scene.

Maid was helped to the police station by a passerby where she filed a case with authorities and provided officials with a description of her attackers.

Reckless driving Hawally police arrested three young drivers when they prevented police from arresting a group of drivers who were endangering the lives of residents in Salwa, reported Al-Rai. Police responded to a wedding hall in the area where a group of youths were driving hazardously and showing off their vehicles.

After arriving to the scene however, police discovered that the road was blocked off by three cars, allowing the culprits to escape on foot while officials placed the drivers of the illegally parked cars under arrest. In total, 12 cars were apprehended by authorities in the operation.

Home robbed Upon returning to his Jahra home, a citizen discovered that he was robbed of KD5,000 and jewelry worth KD10,000, reported Al-Rai. An investigation was opened and detectives were able to lift fingerprints from the crime scene. Police are still searching for the suspect.

KUWAIT: The graduates of NBK summer internship program in a group photo with NBK Executive Management.

NBK honors graduates of its summer internship program KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the best bank in Kuwait and the highest rated in the Middle East, recently honored students who successfully passed Al Watani Summer Internship program 2010, specifically designed for university and high college students in Kuwait.

NBK's higher management officials, attending the ceremony, presented recognition certificates and encouraging gifts to hundreds of graduates who had successfully passed the internship program.

Al Watani Summer Internship program has been initiated as part of NBK's endeavors to provide

Kuwaiti young adults the opportunity to develop their skills, gain valuable corporate experience and learn firsthand about banking industry work procedures.

In a speech delivered during the ceremony, which was attended by General Manager Corporate Banking Group Mazin Al Nahedh and NBK Human Resources Group Head, Emad A. Al Ablani, NBK Deputy CEO Shaikha Al Bahar said: "Witnessing the year to year increasing number of Kuwaiti students willing to gain banking skills and benefit from the opportunities provided annually by

NBK during summer season is quite a pleasing issue. NBK is fully committed to providing such training and career development programs out of its corporate social responsibility and endeavors to utilize all its potentials and expertise for the promotion of a national workforce capable of shouldering the responsibility of development and future building".

The Summer Internship training was conducted from last June throughout August during which NBK has provided hundreds of training opportunities for Kuwaiti university and high colleges students, including the Business

Administration College at Kuwait University, GUST, American University in Kuwait, College of Commercial Studies, Seems Academy, Loyac summer Internship Program, Kuwait students at the US universities and Qualitas Institute for Consultations and Training.

Many honored students expressed their pleasure for passing NBK's Summer Internship Program successfully and noted with gratitude the skills and knowledge they gained during their training at the various department and branches of NBK.

NATIONAL

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Health Ministry withdraws Avandia drug for diabetic patients KUWAIT: Ministry of Health announced here yesterday the withdrawal, stoppage and prevention of the circulation of the (Avandia) drug for diabetes type II as a precautionary measure based on the recommendations of the European and American Drug Administration bodies.

Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for medicines and medical equipment, Dr Omar Al-Sayyed Omar told (KUNA) that the withdrawal decision was the result of the recommendations that indicate such a drug causes a risk to the heart and arteries.

Omar said that the Ministry would revoke all Avandia drug amounts available at the local agent and would withdraw and prevent circulation of the drug in private and public pharmacies, calling at the same time on drug users to stop using it and consult a doctor for the use of other similar drugs.

He stressed that the role of the Department of Drug and Food Control is to ensure patient access to medication in order to preserve his health and safety, noting that the pharmaceutical and food control in Kuwait keenly follows recommendations and procedures the American and European

Drug Administration bodies.

The medical authorities of the European and US said recently that the Avandia drug increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, as the the Committee of Experts of the European Agency for drugs had conclud-

ed, based on the data available, that the benefits of the drug were not sufficient compared with the risks that may be caused while the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had issued a decision to significantly limit the use of the drug without preventing it for good. — KUNA

Major progress achieved by the department

Al-Afasi praises MSAL’s new computerized system

KUWAIT: Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi meeting with Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) senior officials. —KUNA

Wataniya Telecom announces recipients of the third annual scholarship program KUWAIT: Wataniya Telecom announced the recipients of the third annual scholarship program for the academic year 2010-2011. Under the prestigious program, Wataniya grants seven employees the opportunity to complete their undergraduate or graduate education. Studies may be completed in accredited universities inside or outside of Kuwait.

The employees remain in their existing positions with the luxury of reduced working hours to accommodate their studies and work responsibilities. The selection process is rigorous and all applicants are carefully reviewed and considered by the scholarship committee through interviews, a personal statement and evidence of solid job performance and recommendations from their managers.

Wataniya strongly believes that supporting further education will benefit the organization through its most important asset—its people. The annual scholarship program, a core component of Wataniya Telecom’s employee development strategy is consistently well received and hotly contested. Wataniya supports fur-

ther education by actively promoting clearly defined career paths and internal development opportunities as part of its performance driven culture.

Majdi Ghannam, HR & Admin Group Director defined the company’s support of employees by stating “In addition to our extensive internal training activities, investing in our employees’ qualifications has always been top priority as we consider our team to be the

strongest pillar and the driving force behind our strategic and continuous success. Through the Scholarship Program, we reward and support employees by giving them excellent opportunities to develop and enhance their education and knowledge base without having to take a career break.”

Wataniya Telecom congratulates the following scholarship program recipients and wishes them every success in their studies for the academic

year 2010-2011.

(Names of employees: Fatima Nizar Alawie; Mohamed Khalil Mohamed Faraj, Hazem Abdallah, Abdul Aziz A Kh E Al Jaber, Ahmad S. A. Faras, Khaled Hamad AlSabee and Mohammad Mohsen Noureddin).

Wataniya Telecom continues to set the standard for employee development and community welfare in the telecom industry with new programs, ideas and events.

New political bloc for Kuwait KUWAIT: Kuwait is reportedly set to see the formation of another new political bloc, this time formed by a local NGO and grouping together independent

MPs, which will be known as the ‘Group of 30.’

A parliamentary insider said that the unnamed NGO has stipulated certain conditions for

membership of the new bloc, including that all members must be former ministers or MPs, or prominent social or political figures. It also specified that they must not be members of other groups or factions and must be independent. The NGO has apparently already contacted several prominent local figures

to canvass their opinions on the formation of the new bloc, with the general reaction being favorable, said the insider, adding that the official launch of the ‘Group of 30’ would be announced at a press conference, once all the necessary procedures have been completed.

KUWAIT: Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi yesterday praised the recent qualitative advances in performance following the computerization of the ministry’s system, calling on senior officials there to maintain this rate of success.

Speaking after a meeting with Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) Undersecretary Mohammad Al-Kandari and other senior MSAL officials, the minister stressed the need to establish comprehensive links between the ministry and all the other bodies involved in the state’s computerization system.

The new system aims to serve the interests of businesspeople and workers alike, as well as expediting the performance of the services offered by the MSAL, Dr AlAfasi asserted.

He also praised the achievements of the ministry’s social care section in its preparations for the new school year, citing the provision of transport for pupils, as well as the arrangements put in place by supervisors at the MSAL’s day care center for receiving employees’ children.

Meanwhile, Mansour AlMansour, the Assistant Undersecretary of the ministry’s Labor Affairs department, has submitted a detailed report on the major progress achieved by the department, particularly following the introduction of the new hi-tech system there. In the report, Al-Mansour revealed that next week will see a fuller computerized link between the MSAL and Ministry of Interior (MoI) come into operation. The senior official said that the MSAL’s recent achievements clearly demonstrate the efficiency and success of the automated system.

Another official, Dr Jassem Ashkanani, the Assistant Undersecretary of the MSAL’s Social Care department, recently met with Dr. Al-Afasi to review the department’s plans for improving the services provided to local nursing home residents, including the development of the nutritional, health and social care aspects of its work.

The minister has also called for concerted all-out efforts from all ministry staff to ensure the success of the forthcoming conference of GCC states’ labor and social affairs ministers, which is due to be held in Kuwait in November.

Dr Al-Afasi also stressed that greater attention should be paid to completing refurbishment and construction work in various ministry departments and closely monitoring the achievements attained, as well as urging continuing progress on the remaining projects, which he said will have a positive effect on developing the MSAL’s performance. —KUNA

Armenian ambassador celebrates National Day

KUWAIT: The Armenian Ambassador to Kuwait, Fadey Charchoglyan, recently celebrated his country’s national day in a ceremony held at the Marina Hotel. During the event, he acknowledged the distinguished relations between Armenia and Kuwait, as well as the efforts of the Kuwaiti officials and the Armenian expatriate population in the Gulf nation concerning the establishment of an embassy here.

Ambassador Charchoglyan further noted the agreements signed during the Armenian president’s more recent visit to Kuwait, whilst also explaining his country’s ambitions to strengthen bilateral relations with Kuwait. The celebration event was attended by the head of the Kuwaiti foreign ministry’s legal department Ghanim Al-Ghanim, as well as by several ambassadors of other countries stationed in Kuwait. —Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

kuwait digest

Respect teachers

By Riyadh Al-Sanea

I

will start this article with a well known verse; “stand up for teachers and give them respect, teachers are almost prophets.”

Nowadays this verse is practically forgotten.

Teachers are neglected and school has become a place of fun for students. Each one of us was a student one day and I remember a time when the dialogue between a student and a teacher was constructive and polite.

Today, students mock their teachers and attack them, sometimes even physically.

Where is the family? If a teacher tries to teach a student how to be polite, parents go to the police and file a complaint. This results in the

loss of a teacher’s respect and makes him too afraid to oppose misbehaved children.

I read that a professor was beaten by a student because he objected to the grade he was given by his teacher. He received low marks and attacked his professor immediately. He was hurt so bad in the assault that he had to be taken to the hospital.

Even if the grade the student got was not the right one there are ways to deal with it without having to resort to violence.

Such an act would only make things more complicated. Such an act should be punished because it is not acceptable in our society. If morals are lost then there is no place for education. — Al-Anba

MAIA, KU to conduct studies into wasta KUWAIT: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs’ (MAIA) social instruction office has signed two contracts with Kuwait University to conduct two field studies on the prevalence of bribes and wasta (favoritism) in Kuwaiti society. The contracts for the studies, to be carried out by the university’s excellence office, were signed on Thursday, announced Abdullah AlAwadhi, the head of the social instruction office. “The first study will analyze the reasons for the

spread of bribes in public sector bodies and the causes which have made this phenomenon a recurrent feature on a daily basis during the processes for conducting transactions,” Al-Awadhi told Al-Rai. The second study, meanwhile, will focus on ways to tackle the ubiquity of wasta, the senior MSAL official continued, adding that discussion of this issue has become essential “after this dangerous concept came to dominate the beliefs of the younger generations in Kuwaiti society.”

NATIONAL

Sunday, September 26, 2010

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Asma'a Mohammad, sales and marketing coordinator at the Safir Hotel & Residences, with Adnan Saad.

Kuwait Times marketing director, Adnan Saad, is seen with Sheraton Hotel personnel Caroleen and Amani in addition to Muna from the Advertising Department.

Public Relations Manager from the Safir Hotel, Hala Qaddoumi, and assistant manager of the Safir Marina Hotel Mohammad Ibraheem with Adnan Saad.

Kuwait Times' 49th anniversary KUWAIT: Representatives from various hotels in Kuwait shared the Kuwait Times' joy in their 49th

anniversary celebrations, as they presented cakes and bouquets of flowers to the company's headquarters,

where they were welcomed by the Kuwait Times' marketing director Adnan Saad.

Teacher's Society against lengthened school day Demonstration postponed

By Nisreen Zahreddine KUWAIT: The Teacher's Society decided to postpone their sit-in against the ministerial suggestion to lengthen the school day by 25 to 35 minutes every Tuesday. The demonstration was postponed after the society visited HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlSabah. An official source with the Teacher's Society said that HH the Premier seemed to consider their complaints and promised to bring their con-

cerns to the Minister of Education, Moudhi AlHomoud, during the next Cabinet session on Monday.

The source pointed out that the step is only the suggestion of an official and not based on any study.

The decision does not follow any academic criteria, does not have a clear plan and does not take into consideration the teachers’ perspective on the matter, the source added.

The suggestion was made with the intention of filling

that time with activities to strengthen patriotism amongst students. The source complained that the nature of the activities to take place during the allotted time is not well defined and has left school principals in a state of confusion.

The source pointed out that patriotic activities are already a part of the school's curriculums and that these programs add nothing new. National values, he added, can be done in any class setting and a special class is completely unneces-

sary. The Teachers' Society also fears that if such a move is allowed other ones may be passed with harsher consequences. He explained that many educators fear the ministry will suggest lengthening all the schooldays.

Parents, on the other hand, seem to be less concerned with such a move. Ahmad, a father of two in elementary school, does not mind the thought of picking up his kids 35 minutes later. He said that his work is flexible and that he would be able to pick up his

kids at any time.

Abdullah, the father of a child in elementary school, said that his work as a civil servant prevents him from picking up his son no matter what time it is. His solution to the problem, he explained, is to have a driver pick up his son every day when he gets out of school.

He said that such a change would not disrupt his schedule at all and that he is not opposed to having his son in school for an extra half an hour on Tuesdays.

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NATIONAL

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Some GCC nationals, other Arabs unwelcome: Bahrain

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The Bahraini Ministry of Interior has announced that it intends to take legal action against some GCC nations and other Arabs, amongst others, as they have participated in illegal activities in the country. The interior ministry said that these individuals are considered unwelcome in Bahrain either as residents or visitors, given the illegality of their actions.

The activities which the individuals in question participated in are unlicensed in Bahrain and were organized secretly through the Bahrain Society for Human Rights, said the ministry.

The ministry's announcement follows an in-depth investigation into these individuals' activities, which led to them being declared persona non grata, the ministry explained, stressing that Bahrain welcomes the citizens of all brotherly and friendly countries so long as they abide by the national laws and do not use their visit to commit actions harmful to Bahrain and to their own nations.

in my view

The psychology of the human mind

By Fouad Al-Obaid t comes as a surprise to me that people engage in actions with major consequences without really knowing why. Some consider such acts a leap of faith. It seems they would rather just blindly believe in what they are doing than actually critically think and reflect on the matter.

One such issue that is particularly pertinent to the Gulf region — and to a growing extent the wider Arab-Islamic world — is the wearing of the veil, or ‘niqab’. The notion of the veil, I admit, is a source of fascination. It is interesting to analyze the psychological decision of the woman who considers covering herself completely, from the day she first wears it to the moment she dies!

Personally, I am neither for or against such a tradition and believe in personal freedoms. For the sake of this editorial I will remain neutral while attempting to

I

understand the reasons that go through the mind of a woman considering such a decision. How it affects their lives is definitely an issue worth exploring.

While considering the veil from a neutral perspective, one can regard two schools of thoughts. The first is a local view that stems from a cultural-religious tradition. It is practiced without much thought and is expected from girls or woman of a particular tribe or sect. The other school of thought comes from the other half of society, men, and the wider world! For those who grew up in conservative families it is on the mind of young girls daily.

The veiling of a woman’s hair and face in its varying forms is an indispensable rite of passage into womanhood.

To many, the justification for such an act is that the wearer of the veil is a precious jewel, only to be viewed by her husband and immediate family. To the wearer, such an act increases her confidence in her beauty, which at times is barely present!

Most women admit that they start wearing the veil because someone — a male guardian, father or husband — coerce or requests that they do so! Some consider it a sign of love while others would be

surprised if their significant others didn’t make such a request. To them it is a sign of affection. In some countries, love and affection translates into bringing home flowers and chocolates. To a growing local minority, demonstrating your affection for someone is proportionate to how covered you want your partner to be!

Personally, I find the concept an erotic contrast to all those women who wear mini-skirts on the dance floor. One would think that these two attires differ but both are enforced on women by the prevalent culture and its expectation on how women act. In our culture, the more reserved a woman is the higher her chances are of finding a partner.

The mystery of the veiled ninja woman will continue to spark debate and controversy around the world and in our malls.

What will come out of the debate is the question of freedom and liberty. Can a covered woman enjoy the liberties of a modern society or is it the remnant of a distant past that should no longer be? In Kuwait there was a time when women took off the veil. Their progeny, it seems, are attempting to bring it back. fouad@kuwaittimes.net

‘Self-sacrifice, dedication vital’ AMMAN: Kuwait's Ambassador to Jordan Sheikh Faisal Al-Humoud Al-Malik AlSabah yesterday emphasized the importance of self-sacrifice and dedication in every field in order to prestigiously represent Kuwait at regional and international gatherings.

Speaking to KUNA following a meeting with Kuwait's second national football team

who are currently participating in the sixth West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) championship tournament, Ambassador Sheikh Faisal hailed the Kuwaiti sports movement and the part it plays in presenting a great image of Kuwait overseas.

He called on the team's members and players to exert even greater efforts and to

show their enthusiasm by prestigiously representing their country, particularly as the team is considered one of the most prominent at the continental level due to the remarkable results it has achieved in recent years. The ambassador also called on the players to continue to demonstrate cooperation, generosity and excellence and to attain

higher technical levels in order to bring further honor to the name of Kuwait at international gatherings, expressing his best wishes for the national team to achieve more success and win the championship's title.

Meanwhile, head of the Kuwaiti delegation Yousef AlYatami expressed his profound thanks and appreciation for the interest shown by the Kuwaiti embassy in Jordan to the national football team, hailing the great impression left on all the players and other members of the sports delegation, including administrative and technical staff.

Al-Yatami added that the warm welcome received by the members of the team since their arrival in Jordan from all at the Kuwaiti Embassy there was customary since the embassy is always enthusiastic about following up all matters related to Kuwait in the country.

"We are happy at this meeting which places further responsibility upon us," said the delegation head, voicing hope that the team would live up to the expectations of it and ensure that the Kuwaiti flag is raised high at such continentwide sports gatherings through playing brilliantly at all their matches. —KUNA

MEW to build anti-pollution filters The Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) is to begin constructing filter units to reduce sulphur emissions at local power stations from next February, according to a ministry insider.

The insider explained that the units will extract the polluting elements from the burning of fossil fuels at the stations, which currently disperse airborne pollutants. The ministry has also agreed to construct a natural gas purification facility for the gas turbine being introduced in Al-Zoor, which will not only improve the fuel quality, but reduce pollution and improve the turbine's efficiency overall. The go-ahead for the gas purification facility follows lengthy discussions on the subject with the Environmental Public Authority (EPA), with both bodies agreeing on the need to introduce the facility given its role in improving public health.

Postpone border talks: Iraqi MP The Iraqi National Coalition and the Kurdistan Coalition have called upon the interim Iraqi government to postpone any final decisions on the demarcation of the Kuwait-Iraq border, urging that the issue be referred to the Iraqi parliament to decide.

MP Aziz Al-Okally said that the Iraqi government, whose term in office he insisted had run out, should be forced to wait before taking any decision since its status means that it is unqualified to take such important decisions. It is essential that the Iraqi parliament be allowed to voice its opinions on the matter and to discuss it in detail before coming to any final conclusions, Al-Okally insisted.

Another Iraqi MP, Haider AlMulla, the spokesperson of the Iraqi National List, said that the Iraqi government's agreement to demarcate the borders with Kuwait and maintain the border signs with Kuwait is a personal move from the Prime Minister and does not represent the will of the Iraqi people, who he said will not accept this policy.

The official Iraqi government spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh said last week that Iraq had decided to demarcate the Kuwait-Iraq border and repair the markings and signs as a start to conclusively resolving old problems between the two countries. He added that this would be a way for Iraq to achieve its Chapter 7 obligations and indicate that it is committed to complying with UN resolutions.

EWU slams Kuwaiti ban The Egyptian Writers' Union (EWU) has condemned the ban imposed by Kuwait and Algeria on a number of Egyptian writers, forbidding them from participating in the nations' annual book exhibitions. In a press release issued yesterday, EWU chairman Dr. Saleh Al-Sorouri said that the ban was meant as an affront to Egyptian culture, adding that it would be a "death certificate" to Arab culture generally. Dr. AlSorouri emphasized his and the other EWU members' complete rejection of any type of ban, which he said had led the union to wholly condemn the Kuwaiti and Algerian decisions, which were issued without giving any reasons.

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health recently organized a fire drill at Al-Razi Hospital, demonstrating the hospital’s exhaustive preparations for any emergency situation, primarily its ability to safely evacuate patients and staff. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

MoH conducts emergency drill

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health conducted a mock evacuation and emergency drill last Wednesday at Ward 10 in Al-Razi Hospital. In the emergency scenario, a massive power failure led to the need to evacuate patients, with two dying, four being evacuated entirely from the hospital and nine being transferred to Ward 9.

The exercise was held on the instructions of health minister Dr. Helal Al-Sayer and Ministry of Health (MoH) Undersecretary Dr. Khalid AlSahlawi, as part of the ministry's emergency plan, and took place under the supervision of the director of the MoH's medical emergency administra-

tion, Dr. Faisal Al-Ghanim.

Six ambulances and 12 technicians participated in the drill alongside the doctors and nursing staff.

Under the protocol of the emergency plan, each patient's case was categorized with the medical staff evacuating all to a safe location. Certain staff were also assigned as communications officers, with an operations room at the medical emergency center turned into a wireless communication center which oversaw the operation.

The health ministry is keen to make such drills regular events since they help to develop hospitals' medical teams' skills and ensure that they are fully prepared should such an emergency arise in real life.

Heat on oil minister as MPs demand answers KUWAIT: MP Dr Rola Dashti has announced that she intends to submit a number of parliamentary questions to the oil minister concerning various contracts worth a total of KD 100,000 signed between the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries over the past two years.

Speaking to the press, Dr. Dashti said that the number of oil sector contracts significantly exceeds the number of state sector projects, adding that the Audit Bureau and Central Tenders Committee are incapable of monitoring all the contracts.

The MP added, however, that the new legislation recently approved by the parliamentary finance committee which will see all oil sector contractual bids subjected to close scrutiny and monitoring will not only impede the progress of the oil sector's work, but also see the state's

supervisory and monitoring bodies submerged under a vast amount of work "since the large number of oil sector contracts requires a dedicated tenders body in order to examine them all properly." On a separate issue also concerning the oil minister, MP Dr. Walid Al-Tabtabae has submitted a number of parliamentary questions to Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah concerning the agreement signed with Iraq on the production from oilfields located on the Kuwaiti-Iraqi border.

Al-Tabtabae asked the minister for copies of the agreement, as well as a list detailing the fields concerned, reported Al-Qabas. He also enquired as to why the action was taken without any consultation of parliament, as well as the criteria used for selecting the company managing the production process in the border area.

kuwait digest Why did Al-Baseeri overlook KAC privatization

By Hassan Ali Karam wouldn't write about the Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) - the over 50-year-old carrier that was the first in Kuwait and the whole Gulf - if it weren't for the severe deterioration of its services. I have been writing about KAC's shortcomings for forty years so that its officials would improve its services and take better care of its passengers.

As a force of habit, or perhaps for emotional reasons, many choose to fly KAC despite the existence of much better carriers. As a passenger it doesn't matter to me why KAC provides poor services or why its planes are in bad shape.

This is the problem of KAC's officials.

I believe that KAC's privatization plans, which have been delayed more than once, are not serious enough and that some people are hindering them. I hold the Minister of

I

Communications responsible for this delay and the deterioration of KAC. Minister Mohammand Al-Baseeri said that he would postpone KAC's privatization until the summer was over. Now the season is almost over and we still have yet to hear from him.

When the Iraqi government dissolved its national carrier, the main reason for the move was announced to the public. It was explained that the reason the airline was dissolved was so that it could get out of financial and legal disputes with KAC. As a matter of fact, an Iraqi official once told me that the real reason the airline was dissolved was to get rid of the corruption and poor management that had been killing their national carrier slowly. I believe KAC is in no better situation. So, dear Al-Baseeri, save KAC from death before it is too late or simply confess that you can't do it. — Al-Watan

NATIONAL

Sunday, September 26, 2010

7 Two dead in tragic accident

Syrian smugglers stymied

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Abdaly customs officers apprehended a Syrian truck driver w ho attempted to smuggle one kilogram of hashish from Iraq in the truck he w as driving. In a separate case, Salmi customs officers arrested another Syrian

Tw o dead in tragic accident Two Asian council workers died yesterday after one of them fell into a 1.5-meter deep water-filled manhole and his colleague went in after him to rescue him. While the two men were in the manhole an

KUWAIT: A female Kuwaiti motorist was injured when she lost control of the steering of her SUV while driving over the Sabah Al-Salem bridge at high speed, with the vehicle then crashing into trees at the side of the road. She was taken to Adan Hospital by ambulance. — Photo by Fouad Al-Sheikh

MPs reject Iraqi politicians’ demands

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Kuwaiti MPs have rejected calls from a number of Iraqi parliamentarians, who called on the government in Baghdad not to agree to any final demarcation of the Kuwaiti border or the repair and maintenance of border signs there, and insisted that the government must wait until parliament reconvenes to discuss the matter.

The Kuwaiti MPs said that Kuwait needs no Iraqi decision on the matter as the KuwaitiIraqi border is clearly defined by international agreements and by decisions passed by the UN, insisting that Iraq should abide by these.

Kuwaiti parliamentarian Mubarak Al-Khurainij asserted that the Kuwaiti-Iraqi border has been officially demarcated by international agreement, asking

Dinar forger nabbed in Lebanon KUWAIT: Military intelligence authorities in Lebanon have arrested a Lebanese national for the possession and counterfeiting of Kuwaiti banknotes at a store in the south of the country.

According to the ‘New Lebanon’ website, the man, Ali Hussein Ridha, of Shagra, South, Lebanon, was arrested by Lebanese army intelligence officers after forged Kuwaiti banknotes were discovered in his possession.

Al-Qabas reported that Ridha was taken for questioning over the reportedly substantial amount of banknotes found by the officials.

what role Iraqi or Kuwaiti political parties could play in a situation that has already been finalized at international level. He also asked what the role of Kuwait’s foreign ministry was in what he characterized as a threat against Kuwaiti sovereignty.

Another Kuwaiti MP, Saadoun Al-Otaibi, said that the Iraqi parties’ intention in raising this issue was solely for electoral purposes and to create confusion.

He stressed that the issue had been resolved some time ago, adding that there is a copy of the document agreeing on the final borders with the United Nations, and adding that Kuwait is still waiting for Iraq to prove that it wishes to improve relations with its neighbors and respect international decisions.

MP Mubarak Al-Waalan, meanwhile, said that the Iraqi parliament has no say over border agreements, as these have been ratified by international bodies and cannot be played around with.

electrical wire came into contact with the water, with both men being electrocuted as a result. The bodies were removed for autopsy.

Equal opportunities family feud After two men were taken

man w hilst he w as attempting to smuggle 16 pieces of gold, w eighing 600 grams each, into the country. The man told the officers that he had originally bought the gold in Kuw ait to sell in his homeland but after failing to do so he w as returning to Kuw ait w ith them. Both men w ere taken into custody and investigations are underw ay into their cases.

to Jahra Hospital with stab wounds following a familyrelated fight in the area, female family members who rushed to the hospital got into a brawl, with four of them being injured as a result.

A security official said

that after police broke up the first fight and took the two injured men to hospital, large numbers of female relatives turned up there, with a fight breaking out between them as a result.

The male police officers

present felt wary of stepping in, with female visitors in the hospital unrelated to the families involved eventually intervening to break up the catfight. Six individuals were arrested as a result of the two fights.

Private school union acknowledges MoE KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Union of Owners of Private Schools and Educational Institutions released a statement in which they congratulated students on the start of the new school year. They noted that

Omar Al-Gharair around 200,000 students as well as 30,000 teachers returned to Arabic and English private schools.

Head of the union, Omar AlGharair, acknowledged the role of the private sector on the country’s educational process and added that

it is the Ministry of Education’s ambition to make further developments in this field.

Al-Gharair also indicated that private school owners are making extra efforts to ensure that their schools live up to the expectations bestowed upon them. He added that these institutions need to focus all their efforts on providing suitable and productive learning experiences for students. He noted that recent years have featured an increase in the success rate of private schools as high school graduates there have achieved top marks in recent years.

He pointed out that Kuwaiti students in private schools have increased to 45,000, which reflects the faith citizens have in the message these schools try to convey.

During his speech he also acknowledged the efforts made by the Ministry of Education (MoE), led by Minister Dr Moudhi AlHumoud and the Undersecretary Assistant of Private Education Fahad Al-Ghais, in supporting private schools.

Before concluding his speech, Al-Gharair urged the ministry to name a public school after the late educator Abdulbaqi Alnouri. He said that his efforts to support the development of Kuwait’s education sector, especially the private sector, should be commemorated.

KUWAIT: A Pakistani truck driver managed to scramble free of the wreckage when the tanker he was driving, which was carrying a cargo of jet fuel, overturned on Salmi Road. The rapid response of local firefighters, who rushed to the scene, prevented a potentially explosive situation from worsening, as they managed to contain the spilt fuel and prevent any fire from breaking out. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh

MPW ready for rainy season KUWAIT: The Ministry of Public Works’ (MPW) sewer engineering department has completed its preparations to handle this year’s rainy season.

The plans have been submitted to the emergency committee tasked with following up the procedures implemented by all ministry departments to overcome problems faced in previous years for inspection, reported Al-Rai. The strategies incorporated in the department’s rainy season plan include assigning the ministry’s environmental affairs section to form working teams to conduct regular inspection tours of sewage and rain drainage facilities to ensure that all are free of any blockage or impediment such as illegally built structures. The sewer engineering department

has also instructed the maintenance department to regularly clean the areas around manholes and provide covers for uncovered manholes, while ensuring that garages don’t use them for disposing of work-related liquid waste.

The plan also includes liaising with all the country’s water desalination and purification plants to ensure that they are functioning fully and at full capacity and able to handle any potential excess rainwater, while conducting regular maintenance to make sure that they are capable of doing so.

The department also plans to form working teams to deal with any emergency situations caused by heavy downpours or any mechanical malfunctions at water desalination and purification facilities.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

8

INTERNATIONAL

Iraq election winner rules out working with PM BAGHDAD: The winner of Iraq’s March election has ruled out participating in any new government led by current Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, his bloc said. The decision by ex-premier Iyad Allawi’s Iraqiya faction, which narrowly defeated Maliki’s grouping in the polls, further dampens hopes of any upcoming formation of a new administration.

“Iraqiya believes the current type of government headed by Maliki cannot be repeated, so Iraqiya will not take part in any government headed by him,” the bloc said in a statement released late on Friday.

Iraqiya, a broadly secular coalition which drew most of its support from Sunni areas, won 91 seats out of the 325-member parliament in the March 7

polls, two more than Maliki’s State of Law Alliance, a Shiite grouping. Neither came close to winning an overall majority, and no new government has been formed since, though Allawi insists his grouping should have the first opportunity to form a coalition.

In that time, State of Law has joined forces with the election’s third bloc, the Iraqi National Alliance, a

coalition of Shiite religious groups, though this has not yet been officially recognized.

Iraqiya also said yesterday it regarded the newly formed National Alliance as “a desperate attempt to strengthen political sectarianism”. The deadlock has coincided with Washington’s declaration that combat operations in Iraq have officially

ended, and fed fears the political vacuum could offer an opening to extremists to further destabilize the country. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said during talks in New York on Thursday with her Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari that Iraq needed to form a government and avoid creating a security vacuum. — AFP

Settlers brace for end of building freeze in Israel Palestinians to discontinue negotiations if building resumes J ERUSALEM: Israeli settlers have hauled bulldozers, cement mixers and other construction equipment into a J ew ish settlement deep inside the West Bank, Israeli and Palestinian officials said yesterday, a day before the end of a government-mandated halt to

BOGOTA: This photograph released by the Colombian Defense Ministry shows the body of Jorge Briceno, the legendary leftist guerrilla chief in Colombia known by the alias “Mono Jojoy,” on September 23, 2010. — AFP

Fighting continues near Colombian rebel region BOGOTA: Clashes between Colombian soldiers and leftist guerillas continued Friday in a jungle zone where the insurgency’s top military leader was killed in airstrikes. The body of Jorge Briceno Suarez, the feared commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) known as “Mono Jojoy,” was found Thursday in a jungle camp that Defense Minister Rodrigo Rivera described as “the mother of all bases of the FARC.” Forensic experts positively identified his remains on Friday by matching his fingerprints with information on file. But fighting continued around the camp, located in a rugged part of the Macarena region in central Colombia, with some 20 other rebels killed and 13 soldiers wounded so far. “That shows the intensity of the fighting,” Rivera said. Military operation leader General Miguel Perez said Colombian troops were facing resistance as they advanced.

“I cannot give details, but we are continuing the operations and looking for guerrillas to surrender. We are expecting demobilizations in the next days,” he said, noting that the fighting is taking place in “a rugged area of very difficult access.” Rebels killed in the attack included three senior rebel leaders a member of the FARC directorate, a regional military commander and the head of the group’s urban militias-according to the military.

The Defense Ministry has released pictures of Briceno that appeared to show him wrapped in bloody camouflaged material. The man’s bruised and swollen face lacked his famous mustache.

Forensic experts were struggling to identify at least seven other bodies because they were rapidly decomposing, a senior medical official said.

Fearing that Briceno’s death could unleash a new wave of violence, more than 2,000 police officers have been deployed to protect key areas of Bogota, officials said. Speaking in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, US President Barack Obama praised the “outstanding work” of Colombia’s military, which receives strong US support. Thursday “was a big day for the people of Colombia and those who are seeking peace in the region,” Obama told President Juan Manuel Santos during their first meeting since Santos took office on August 7.

On the heels of its advances on the guerrillas, Santos pointed to a “new era” for Colombia. “Now that the security problem is more or less solved, we can now turn to a more progressive agenda,” he told Obama. “Social development, the prosperity of our people, climate change, the environment-those are the type of issues that we can now include in our agenda.”

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who had an adversarial relationship with Santos’s predecessor Alvaro Uribe, said Colombia should find the road to peace now that Briceno was dead.

“You can’t be happy at anybody’s death,” the firebrand leftist leader said in Caracas. “While I don’t pretend to interfere in Colombia’s internal affairs, I hope it finds the path to a peace agreement” with FARC rebels, he added. Chavez and Uribe had an ugly spat in which the former Colombian president accused Venezuela of harboring hundreds of FARC and other leftist rebels on its territory, a charge Chavez strongly denied. The FARC is Colombia’s oldest and largest leftist group, with an estimated 8,000 combatants. Another leftist guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army, has some 2,500 fighters. — AFP

Pakistan PM cancels trips, speculation on government PPP says political parties conspiring against it ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has cancelled visits starting this month to Europe, the foreign ministry said, a move which could intensify media speculation that pressure is mounting for a change in government. The government’s perceived poor handling of summer floods has raised questions over political stability in Pakistan, a nucleararmed country fighting homegrown Taleban insurgents which the US regards as vital to efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.

“In view of his pre-occupations with the post-flood situation, the Prime Minister has decided not to go ahead with his scheduled visits to Paris and Brussels,” said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman in a statement. “(The) Prime Minister’s official visit to France is being re-scheduled.” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will lead Pakistan’s delegation to the Asia-Europe summit in Brussels next month, said the statement.

Pakistani leaders have said the government has done its best to help flood victims given its limited resources and have appealed for international aid to help with reconstruction. The military has taken the lead in relief and rescue efforts, reinforcing the view that it’s Pakistan’s most decisive and efficient institution in times of crises.

Those dynamics have raised questions in the Pakistani media and elsewhere about the fate of the civilian government. “No one knows if Gilani decided at the spur of the moment to cancel his visit, or he was advised not to travel abroad in the face of the urgency the government is facing because of the floods and the pressure for a change in government,” said an article in Pakistan’s The News yesterday.

The newspaper has been outspoken against

several Pakistani governments over the years.

Gilani’s press secretary, Shabbir Anwar, said he had been scheduled to leave at the end of this month for Paris with a delegation of 40 other officials to meet French President Nicolas Sarkozy and then travel from there on Oct 1 to Brussels.

Instead Gilani decided to stay behind and the size of the delegation was reduced to save on expenses after the floods. “This had nothing to do with politics,” Anwar told Reuters. The military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its history, has held huge sway over security and foreign policy, even while civilian governments have been in power. “Recent rumors of a pending military coup are fueled by politicized private media groups, which hope to undermine the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) led government of President Asif Ali Zardari,” said Eurasia consultancy group.

Even though Pakistan has a history of military coups, analysts say one is unlikely now because the army would inherit the flood disaster, and a takoever could make Western donors hesitant to provide aid for reconstruction after floods. It may, however, try to manipulate Pakistani politics from behind the scenes, Eurasia said.

PPP spokeswoman Fauzia Wahab said it had asked Gilani to meet other political parties to “counter these rumors” about a possible change in government. “It’s a war of nerves.

Whenever our party is in power some factions (parties) gang up together and keep on conspiring against us,” she said, adding that the military was not involved in the “campaign” because it could not afford to shift its focus away from the fight against Taleban insurgents. — Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who imposed the slowdown 10 months ago as a peace gesture, says he will not extend the restrictions. But the Palestinians, who oppose all Israeli construction on territories they claim for a future state, say they will not continue negotiations if building resumes. With the clock ticking, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was racing to broker a compromise before today’s deadline in hopes of averting a breakdown in talks. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and top Israeli officials, including the defense minister and Netanyahu’s chief negotiator, are all in the US working on the issue. But Israeli and Palestinian officials said yesterday a deal was far from certain.

No details have emerged on what the compromise could entail, and officials on both sides of the conflict have refused to discuss the negotiations. Some in Israel have proposed, for example, that limited building will resume but not the relatively unfettered construction that prevailed before the Israeli moratorium.

Netanyahu declared the slowdown, which put a halt to most new housing starts, last November with the hope of coaxing the Palestinians back to the negotiating table. The Palestinians initially rejected the gesture, because it contained loopholes that allowed construction to proceed on thousands of settlement apartments.

With peace talks now under way, the Palestinians say it is essential that Israel leave the restrictions in place. Abbas has repeatedly said he will be forced to walk away from the negotiations if construction resumes. The Palestinians claim all of the West Bank, home to 300,000 Jewish settlers, as part of a future state, and say that by expanding settlements, Israel is imposing facts on the ground that make it increasingly difficult for them to establish a viable country.

At the same time, Netanyahu faces heavy pressure within his pro-settler governing coalition to resume construction.

Hardline elements in the coalition could try to bring down the government if Netanyahu extends the settlement slowdown. Danny Danon, a pro-settler lawmaker in Netanyahu’s Likud Party, said yesterday that settlers have already moved equipment into the Revava settlement in the northern West Bank.

He said activists would lay the cornerstone for a new neighborhood today, the last day of the slowdown, and planned additional construction tomorrow after the restrictions formally end.

“Building will begin there tomorrow afternoon and continue there tomorrow,” Danon said. Nawaf Souf, the Palestinian deputy governor in the area, said settlers have moved construction equipment and 20 to 30 mobile homes into Revava in recent days. “The moment that the freeze is lifted, they will do the work openly,” he said. — AP

settlement building. The lifting of the construction restrictions late today presents the first major crisis in the new round of Mideast peace talks, launched earlier this month at the White House by President Barack Obama.

HAR HOMA: This photo shows buildings of a new housing development mix with old ones. — AP

Sudanese envoys scuffle at Iranian NYC meeting NEW YORK: Sudanese diplomats scuffled with security workers at the hotel where the Iran delegation is staying during the UN General Assembly’s annual meeting, police said Friday. Iran hosted an event Thursday evening at the Hilton Manhattan East Hotel near the United Nations. Members of the Sudanese delegation wanted to speak to Iran officials, and about 30 went to the hotel.

Some balked at going through the metal detector and started pushing and shoving each other, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. It’s not clear who started pushing or whether Iranian officials were involved in the scuffle. They eventually started to pass through the detectors, but the area got too crowded and police got involved to clear people from the area, Kelly said.

Two Sudanese men being ushered out tumbled down some steps with US Secret Service agents and were arrested on charges of obstructing governmental administration.

They were released when it was determined they had diplomatic status, Kelly said. Under international law, diplomats generally have immunity from lawsuits or prosecution when visiting foreign countries. The arrested diplo-

mats’ names were not released. An NYPD detective injured his thumb, but no other injuries or problems were reported. It’s not clear why the Sudanese delegation wanted to meet with the Iranians. Iran is under four sets of UN Security Council sanctions as punishment for its failure to make its nuclear ambitions transparent.

Earlier Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had addressed the assembly, leading the US delegation to walk out after he mentioned speculation that Americans were really behind the Sept 11 attacks and that it was staged in an attempt to assure Israel’s survival.

It’s not clear whether Ahmadinejad was at the event. Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur province. The African Union on Friday asked the Security Council to delay prosecution for a year because it said it would interfere with efforts to end the seven-year conflict in western Darfur. The heads of 192 nations are in New York for the General Assembly’s annual meeting, which has been in progress for two weeks and ends this weekend. — AP

BEIRUT: In this photo, a Lebanese general security soldier (center) stands guard in front of the house of Jamil Al-Sayyed (seen in the picture) who was among four pro-Syrian generals jailed without charge for nearly four years in the killing of former Premier Rafik Hariri, then freed last year for lack of evidence. — AP

Turkey’s prez defends discussions with Iran NEW YORK: Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Friday Turkey’s direct relations with Iran remain the best way to achieve a diplomatic solution for keeping Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Turkey voted against the latest round of UN sanctions aimed at putting pressure on Tehran, which says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.

The United States, a key Turkish ally and fellow member of NATO, suspects Iran seeks to develop atomic weapons and is leading the effort to thwart its nuclear ambitions. Gul, speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations while attending the UN General Assembly meeting, addressed criticism that Turkey was shifting its orientation away from the West by engaging with Iran.

“If you look at all our allies, which leaders among those countries have the ability to be able to have direct discussions with the Iranian leaders, including the supreme religious leader?” Gul asked. “There isn’t anyone,” he said, adding its engagement is for moving the process forward and should not be misunderstood. “As was the case in the past, Turkey is and will remain a strong committed and reliable ally of the United States,” he said.

National interest US and European officials have expressed concern that Turkey, a candidate for European Union membership, has allowed Iranian banks with suspected links to Iran’s nuclear program to do business within its territory, frustrating Western attempts to crack down on Tehran.

Bank Mellat, which Washington and the EU have blacklisted but is not subject to the UN sanctions, has branches in three Turkish cities. It is Iran’s second-biggest bank. Gul said the UN sanctions “were taken as a binding decision and we abide by those sanctions.” “Countries imposing other sanctions beyond the sanctions of the United Nations, that is where we find ourselves in a more difficult position,” he said.

“Our policies must also take into consideration our national interests as well,” he added. Gul once again criticized Israel’s actions in its deadly raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May. The incident has damaged relations between the two nations.

“Having said that, I must also emphasize that Turkey and Israel are friends. There are strong, centuries-old ties of friendship between our peoples.”

On Turkey’s European Union accession talks, Gul said the country remains committed to completing the process despite slow progress that he blamed on Europe. “Europe today lacks a strategic vision, a strategic perspective of what it wants to be 50-60 years down the road,” he said. — Reuters

9

INTERNATIONAL

Sunday, September 26, 2010

2 million displaced in Nigeria flooding Open flood gates destroys huge farmlands KHARTOUM: Sudanese civil society employees shout slogans during a protest outside the United National offices in support of the referendum on southern independence scheduled for next year. — AFP

South Sudanese urge world to honor electoral backing Southerners would be foreign citizens after split vote JUBA: South Sudanese yesterday welcomed support by world leaders for their upcoming vote on potential independence, but warned promises must be followed through on the ground. On Friday, US President Barack Obama and UN chief Ban Ki-moon led international warnings that votes must be held on time and without violence. But people in the southern capital Juba warned practical support must also be offered. “Such statements are welcome but also have been said many times before, and still we find ourselves in a problem situation,” said Lokulenge Lole of the Southern Sudan Civic Education Organization, which is working to raise awareness about the referendum. “What we need from the international community is more than just lip service, but to see practical support here on the ground,” he added.

South Sudan is scheduled to vote on January 9 on whether to become independent or to remain part of a united Sudan, with many believing it will opt to split Africa’s largest nation in two. The referendum was a key provision of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace

Agreement (CPA) between north and south Sudan that ended a decades-long civil war, during which about two million people were killed.

Another referendum will take place simultaneously in the contested oil-rich region of Abyei, where residents will have to decide whether they want to be part of north or south Sudan. The commission to run that vote has not yet been appointed.

“What is really needed is to keep the pressure on to ensure the votes are done on time,” said Bishop Arkanjelo Wani Lemi, a leader of the South Sudan Religious Leaders Referendum Initiative. “Our hopes and prayers are that the international community does not now sit back but instead that they stand by their words,” Lemi added, calling specifically on the guarantors of the peace agreement — including the United States, Britain, Norway and Kenya-to “keep their promises.” Preparations for the referenda are seriously behind schedule. Many diplomats fear south Sudan could declare unilateral independence if there is a delay, sparking a new civil war in the country. —Agencies

DUTSE: Opened dams have displaced some tw o million people in northern Nigeria, adding to flood misery that has already w ashed aw ay entire villages in the region, officials said yesterday. The flooding in J igaw a state follow ing the opening of the dams last month has w iped In Sokoto state in the country’s northwestern corner, local chiefs told workers from aid organizations that around 40 people were killed when a dam burst, but the number could not be confirmed. Heavy seasonal rain has caused the flooding and forced the opening of the gates in the north of Africa’s most populous nation.

“We have estimated that close to two million people have been affected,” said Adamu Babale, head of the Nigerian Red Cross in Jigawa, confirming figures given by the local government in the state which has a population of about 4.3 million people.

The water has subsided to a degree in recent weeks in Jigawa, but a number of villages remained submerged on Friday, with water up to the roofs in certain areas. Some villagers were using canoes.

Many of the villages in the flooded areas consisted of mudand-thatch huts and were popu-

Queen eyes UK poverty fund to heat palace LONDON: Even a monarch needs a little help from time to time - especially when the cost of heating those drafty old palaces spirals past $1.5 million a year. But a request for assistance from a government fund that provides subsidized heating to low-income Britons has caused a spot of bother for Queen Elizabeth II, long one of the world’s wealthiest women. Her Majesty’s application in 2004 was politely turned down by the government - in part because of fear of adverse publicity - and quietly forgotten until The Independent newspaper published the correspondence Friday after obtaining it via a Freedom of Information request. The documents quote an unidentified functionary as gently reminding the royal household that the program was meant for people in need, not the upper crust, and he noted the potential public relations disaster.

“I also feel a bit uneasy about the probable adverse press coverage if the Palace were given a grant at the expense of, say, a hospital,” the official said. “Sorry this doesn’t sound more positive.” Chagrined palace officials confirmed the account on Friday. A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said royal officials explored the

possibility of getting money under the program as a way to reduce the monarchy’s cost to taxpayers by making the palace more energy efficient. She said the royal household did not know at the time that the government money was targeted for low-income Britons. She spoke anonymously in line with royal policy.

The revelation touched a nerve at a time when Britain is facing severe budget cuts in the midst of a prolonged recession.

Graham Smith, spokesman for the anti-monarchy group Republic, said the queen’s attempt to access low-income funds was shameful. “It is clear evidence of the contempt the palace has for ordinary people in this country,” he said.

Some Londoners agreed. Nick Bowring, a 23-year-old fitness instructor, said he didn’t think the queen should get help paying heating bills. “There are people who need it a lot more than she does,” he said.

The queen’s finances have been controversial in the past, with occasional debates about whether Britain’s head of state - whose role is largely ceremonial costs taxpayers too much. The 84-yearold monarch has royal residences across Britain, including Balmoral Castle in

LONDON: In this file photo, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II returns to Buckingham Palace in a carriage after attending the Houses of Parliament for the official State Opening of Parliament. — AP

Scotland and Sandringham House in eastern England. Other residences, such as the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and St. James’s Palace in London, are used as offices or for functions.

She has many other assets, including an extensive art collection and a fleet of the world’s finest automobiles at her beck and call, although the royal yacht has been sold. Buckingham Palace has been in royal hands since King George III bought it in 1761 and has been the official London residence of Britain’s monarchs since 1837.

While it has magnificent gardens and grand state rooms with priceless paintings and furniture, large parts of the sprawling 775-room palace have not been modernized and are cold and drafty. Many of the rooms used by staff are downright dingy.

Insulation is poor and the heating system needs replacement, as do many of the windows, which lack proper glazing.

Thermal imaging testing, used to identify and measure energy waste, showed heat escaping through palace windows, the roof and cracks in the walls. Taxpayers fund the royal household to the tune of $60 million (38.2 million pounds) a year, which the monarch’s official website points out costs Britain’s 62 million people less than a dollar (62 pence) each. It notes that royal spending has been cut substantially over the past two decades, dropping from $138 million (87.3 million pounds) in the 1991-1992 fiscal year to $60 million (38.2 million pounds) this year. That amount doesn’t include the cost of providing security for the queen and her family.

The queen also receives $12.5 million (7.9 million pounds) of public money each year to pay for staff and other costs, an amount that has not risen in 20 years.

The accounts show the government spent more than $23.4 million (15 million pounds) on the upkeep of royal residences including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, and almost $6.2 million (4 million pounds) on royal travel. While some criticized the queen for trying to get still more government help, others defended her. Ian Laming, a 49-year-old carpenter, said the government should have OK’d her request. “She helps a lot,” he said, adding that the monarch was a big boon to the UK economy. “You just have to walk down to Buckingham Palace to see all the tourists.” — AP

lated by fishermen who work the river and farmers growing maize, millet and rice. Babale said it was difficult to ascertain the degree of destruction because the flooding “keeps hammering everyday”.

“It’s an everyday affair. But on estimate, about 350,000 houses or more,” said Babale, calling the situation “catastrophic”. Jigawa is located in the far north of Nigeria along the border with Niger. In Sokoto state, entire villages have been reported washed away after a dam burst earlier this month. Doctors Without Borders has been working to assist the displaced there with

out huge areas of farmland and sent residents seeking shelter in schools, according to the Red Cross and local government. Tw o people w ere killed in the initial stages of the flooding in J igaw a state, a Red Cross official said.

water and shelter. The organization has estimated that around 40,000 people remain displaced in northern Sokoto, but it has been unable to confirm the numbers because access to the area is difficult and boats scarce.

“A large part of the area is still submerged,” said Gautam Chatterjee, an official with a non-governmental organization in Sokoto. The displaced were in need of clean water, he said, adding that food was less of an issue because residents and the government were donating supplies. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, who is running in elections set for early

next year, toured Sokoto’s flooded areas last week and pledged help.

Umar Kyari, spokesman for Jigawa state, said flooding occurred after authorities opened the gates of the Challawa and Tiga dams in nearby Kano state to avoid overflowing following the heavy rains. Local government officials have heavily criticized the agency in charge of managing the dams, saying similar incidents have occurred in the past and they have not changed their approach. They called for the river to be dredged. About 90,000 hectares (222,400 acres) of farmland have been washed

away, the state says.

Over 5,000 villages in 13 of 27 local government areas have been affected over the course of a couple months, according to state and Red Cross officials.

Kyari said that although water is released from the dams almost every year and lowlying plains are flooded, “this year is just very bad”. The floods have occurred despite forecasts of low rainfall in the north for this year’s rainy season from Nigeria’s meteorological agency, which had previously warned that more than 12 million people in the region could face food shortages as a result. — AFP

10

INTERNATIONAL

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Response to ’75 ship crisis focused on US prestige WASHINGTON: When the merchant ship Mayaguez and its American crew were seized by communist forces off the coast of Cambodia in 1975, the Ford administration was determined to craft a muscular response in hope of limiting damage to US prestige soon after the fall of South Vietnam, according to newly declassified documents published by the State Department. US Marines regained control of the ship three days after its seizure, and the 40 civilian members of the crew were safely returned. But three helicopters ferrying Marines to a nearby island defended

by Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge forces were lost to hostile fire, and 18 US servicemen died.

Decades later the US was still recovering their remains. Washington’s initial response illustrated how, just weeks after the fall of Saigon, US leaders were eager to put the Vietnam debacle behind them, erase the US image as a helpless giant, and dissuade

provocative action by other US adversaries. A nonmilitary response, such as freezing Cambodian assets, was raised and quickly rejected as ineffectual.

When Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was informed of the ship’s seizure May 12, he was flabbergasted. “How can that be?” he asked an aide.

“Now, goddamn it: We are not going to sit here and let an American merchant ship be captured at sea and let it go into the harbor without doing a bloody thing about it,” Kissinger said. “We are going to protest.”

Judging by their remarks, Kissinger and other senior administration officials seemed chiefly concerned that the United States, whose prestige had taken a beating in failing to stop a communist takeover of Vietnam, not allow the Cambodia incident to further undermine US standing. “I know you damned well cannot let Cambodia capture a ship a hundred miles at sea and do nothing,” Kissinger said,

according to declassified minutes of a May 12 meeting of his senior staff.

A few hours later, after informing President Gerald R Ford, Kissinger suggested at a National Security Council meeting headed by Ford that the US could seize a Cambodian ship on the high seas to demonstrate US resolve. “Can we find out where Cambodian ships are around the world?” he asked.

Answer: the Pentagon wasn’t sure there were any.

Vice President Nelson Rockefeller joined Kissinger in advocating a strong response to avoid the impression of US weakness.

“I think this will be seen as a test case,” Rockefeller said. “I think a violent response is in order. The world should know that we will act and that we will act quickly.” Later the vice president added: “We have to show that we will not tolerate this kind of thing. It is a pattern. If we do not respond

violently, we will get nibbled to death.” The White House meeting transcripts show that Washington was unsure what motive lay behind the ship’s seizure. William Clements, the deputy secretary of defense, said at the May 12 National Security Council meeting that the incident might not be intended as a challenge to the US but rather a misstep linked to a dispute over oil resources in the region.

“We should not forget that there is a real chance that this is an in-house spat,” Clements said. “That is interesting, but it does not solve our problem,” Ford responded. He called for a US Navy aircraft carrier to head toward the scene and for plans to be drawn up for laying mines in the waters around the seized ship. In the early hours of the crisis, top US officials debated the tone and content of an initial public statement. Donald H Rumsfeld, the White House chief of staff who later that year became

Ford’s secretary of defense, suggested a public statement declaring the ship’s seizure an act of piracy and saying the US expects the crew’s release. He argued against demanding their release - because, he said, that would “activate the Congress” and “seems weaker.”

Robert T Hartmann, counselor to the president, told Ford at a National Security Council meeting on May 13: “This crisis, like the Cuban missile crisis, is the first real test of your leadership. What you decide is not as important as what the public perceives.”

The documents portraying the Ford administration’s response to the Mayaguez seizure are among thousands of pages of documents published in a new State Department volume of “Foreign Relations of the United States,” covering the period January 1973 to July 1975. It focuses on US policy toward Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. — AP

US seeks to dismiss suit filed for radical cleric Charges may compromise state secrets W ASHINGTON: The Oba m a a dm inistra tion yesterda y invoked the state secrets privilege w hich w ould kill a law suit on behalf of US-born cleric Anw ar Al-Aw laki, an alleged terrorist said to be targeted for assassination under a US governm ent progra m . In a court filing, the J ustice Department said that the issues in the case are for the exec-

YEMEN: This file photo by Muhammad ud-Deen shows Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki. — AP

utive branch of government to decide rather than the courts. The department also said the case entails information that is protected by the military and state secrets privilege. The courts have sufficient grounds to throw out the law suit w ithout resorting to use of the state secrets privilege, the J ustice Department said in its filing.

“The idea that courts should have no role whatsoever in determining the criteria by which the executive branch can kill its own citizens is unacceptable in a democracy,” the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights said in a statement. “In matters of life and death, no executive should have a blank check.” Al-Awlaki’s father, through the CCR and the ACLU, filed the case in federal court in Washington. The father has demanded that the government disclose a wide variety of classified information which could harm US national security, Justice Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

“It strains credulity to argue that our laws require the government to disclose to an active, operational terrorist any information about how, when and where we fight terrorism,” said Miller. Believed to be hiding in Yemen, Al-Awlaki has become the most notorious Englishspeaking advocate of terrorism directed at the United States. E-mails link him to the Army psychiatrist accused of the killings at Fort Hood, Texas, last year. AlAwlaki has taken on an increasingly operational role in Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Justice Department filing said, including preparing Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in his attempt to detonate an explosive device aboard a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day 2009.

Regarding the Christmas bomb attempt, Al-Awlaki said in a May 23 interview with the media arm of AQAP that “No one should even ask us about targeting a bunch of Americans who would have

Obama, Ban warn Sudan over breakaway votes UNITED NATIONS: US President Barack Obama and UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday led international warnings to Sudan that votes which could lead to the breakup of Africa’s biggest nation must be on time and without violence. Amid fears of a new conflict blowing up in one of the world’s most unstable regions, Obama told a special UN meeting: “At this moment, the fate of millions of people hangs in the balance.

“What happens in Sudan in the days ahead may decide whether people who have endured too much war, move towards peace or slip backwards to bloodshed.” He added that events between North and South Sudan and in Darfur “matters to all of sub-Saharan Africa and it matters to the world.”

Obama and the UN chief gave the same stern message to the Khartoum government and its rival in southern Sudan that they must accelerate preparations for the January 9 votes in South Sudan and the small region of Abyei. Diplomats say preparations for the referenda are seriously behind schedule. They fear that South Sudan could declare unilateral independence if there is a delay, sparking a new civil war in the country.

The international community has “clear expectations” of the governments in the North and South, Ban Ki-moon told the meeting. “We expect the referenda to be peaceful, carried out in an environment free of intimidation or other infringements of rights. “We expect both parties to accept the results, and to plan for the consequences.”

The UN chief said the “stakes are high for Sudan, for Africa and for the international community.” Two decades of civil war between the North and South up to 2005 left two million dead. The self-determination votes in South Sudan and Abyei, both key oil producers, were part of a peace accord that ended the conflict. With Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir facing an international warrant on war crimes charges, two vice presidents represented the divided country: Ali Osman Taha, who speaks for the Khartoum government, and Salva Kiir, the leader of Southern Sudan.

Taha said, “The outcome of the referendum will be accepted by our government,” after listening to the warnings from Obama and Ban. But he called for an easing of international sanctions against Sudan and condemned the International Criminal Court investigation of Bashir which he called an attempt to destabilize the country. Salva Kiir said that major delays in setting up technical commissions for the vote, partic-

ularly in Abyei had to be urgently settled.

A communique released at the end of the meeting said both sides “committed to overcome the remaining political and technical challenges” to ensure the votes are held on January 9. But widespread doubts remain. In Abyei a referendum commission has not been established yet, no clear borders have been set up between North and South Sudan and no voter registration has started.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi highlighted the fears of neighboring nations about events in Sudan. He said preparations were critically behind and that without an urgent response “we will have a breakdown in peace.” The North-South rivalry has overshadowed Darfur in recent weeks. But renewed hostilities in the stricken region of western Sudanwhere more than 300,000 people have been killed since 2003, according to the UN-were highlighted by the leaders at the meeting. —AFP

UNITED NATIONS: President Barack Obama speaks during a Ministerial Meeting on Sudan, Friday, Sept 24, 2010. — AP

been killed in an airplane,” James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, said in a declaration accompanying the Justice Department papers. “Our unsettled account with America includes, at the very least, one million women and children. I’m not even talking about the men,” Clapper’s declaration quotes AlAwlaki as saying.

The lawsuit filed on the cleric’s behalf seeks to have a court declare that the Constitution and international law bar the government from carrying out targeted killings; seeks to block the targeted killing of Al-Awlaki; and seeks to force the US government to disclose the standards for determining whether US citizens can be targeted for death. What AlAwlaki’s father is seeking would be “unprecedented, improper, and extraordinarily dangerous,” said the Justice Department filing, which neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a targeted killings program. The lawsuit would necessarily and improperly inject the courts into decisions of the president and his advisers about how to protect the American people from the threat of armed attacks, including imminent threats, posed by a foreign organization against which the political branches have authorized the use of necessary and appropriate force, said the Justice Department filing. If Al-Awlaki were to surrender to the proper authorities, legal principles with which the United States has traditionally and uniformly complied would prohibit using lethal force or other violence against him, the department filing added. — AP

FBI serves terrorism warrants in Chicago MINNEAPOLIS: The FBI said it searched eight locations in Minneapolis and Chicago as part of a terrorism investigation Friday. Warrants suggest agents were looking for connections between local anti-war activists and terrorist groups in Colombia and the Middle East. FBI spokesman Steve Warfield told The Associated Press agents served six warrants in Minneapolis and two in Chicago.

“These were search warrants only,” Warfield said.

“We’re not anticipating any arrests at this time.

They’re seeking evidence relating to activities concerning the material support of terrorism.” The homes of longtime Minneapolis anti-war activists Mick Kelly, Jess Sundin and Meredith Aby were among those searched, they said. All three were subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury in Chicago: Aby on Oct 5, Sundin on Oct 12 and Kelly on Oct 19. “The FBI is harassing anti-war organizers and leaders, folks who opposed US intervention in the Middle East and Latin America,” Kelly said before agents confiscated his cell phone.

Sundin said she believes the searches are connected with the Minnesota Anti-War Committee’s opposition to US military aid to Colombia and Israel, as well as its opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “It’s kind of outrageous that citizens of the United States could be targeted like this,” Sundin said. In Chicago, the home of activists Joe Iosbaker and his wife, Stephanie Weiner, was searched by more than a dozen agents who carried out boxes full of their possessions including their mobile phones - and loaded them into a white van, the couple’s attorney said.

Stepping outside his house briefly as FBI agents searched inside, Iosbaker was clearly shaken when he told The Associated Press: “I have done nothing wrong.”

Their attorney, Melinda Power, said the warrant cited possible support, in her words, “for unnamed terrorist organizations.” Iosbaker and Weiner were summoned to testify before a grand jury on Oct 5. As news of the raid spread around the neighborhood, friends and fellow activists gathered outside the house and several sang John Lennon’s, “Give Peace a Chance.” Warfield said he couldn’t comment on whose homes were searched or give details on why because it was an ongoing investigation. “There’s no imminent threat to the community,” he said. The Minneapolis searches were first reported by the Star Tribune. —AP

GRENADA: In this photo, Grenada’s Ronald Michael Phillip, aka Ronald de Ally (second right) is escorted by police officers to the Sauteurs Magistrate Court in St Patrick. — AP

Caribbean crime increase linked to US deportations SAN JUAN: The crime was horrifying enough - a nightclub owner, hacked to death with a machete, was found buried in pieces. But what really outraged people was that the accused killer had been deported from the US to his native Grenada as a convicted felon.

As a foreign-bred criminal, the suspect never should have returned to the close-knit tropical nation, relatives of the victim and others said. Islanders called for more vigilance over deportees by the government, which says it needs help from Washington to handle the return of hardened convicts. “I hope that my brother did not die in vain and something can be done to monitor these criminal deportees,” said Gemma Raeburn-Baynes, a sister of the nightclub owner, Michael Raeburn-Delfish.

The United States has deported thousands of convicted criminals to the Caribbean annually since 1996, when Congress mandated that every non-citizen sentenced to a year or more in prison be kicked out of the country upon release. In all, the US is responsible for about three-quarters of the region’s returning criminal deportees, with the United Kingdom and Canada accounting for most of the other ex-cons arriving in the islands. It’s a phenomenon that also afflicts many parts of Central America, where street gangs that grew out of Los Angeles spread to the region through massive deportations. Brutal and powerful, the “Maras” are blamed for rampant violent crime, extortion and more recently acting as enforcers for drug cartels.

In the Caribbean, governments say deportees are exacerbating crime in nations with high levels of violence such as Jamaica.

On the smaller islands such as Grenada, once considered idyllic havens from gang violence, officials say the returning deportees are partly to blame for increasingly bold and sophisticated crimes and homicide rates soaring to record levels. The United States is attempting to defuse tensions with island governments by exploring programs to help them reintegrate deportees. During a visit to Barbados in June, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the US is no longer ignoring complaints that have topped the Caribbean’s diplomatic agenda for more than a decade. US officials say privately that the deportations cannot be blamed for the increase in violent crime, but declined to discuss the issue on the record, saying the US does not want to hurt relations with Caribbean governments with which it cooperates on other issues.

The man accused in the machete attack in Grenada, Ronald Michael Phillip, 55, was deported from the United States on July 6, 2000, the day after leaving a state prison in Uncasville, Connecticut, where he had spent more than six years.

Island police know only the rough outline of his life abroad: Phillip moved overseas in 1986 and lived in Canada and Brooklyn, New York, before moving to New London, Connecticut. He was arrested in December 1993 on assault and drug charges. But the officer who found Raeburn-Delfish’s severed head and limbs in three shallow pits on Sept 5 said the nature of the murder led him to believe the suspect was a practiced killer.

“He had a level of experience with dealing with dead people or animals,” forensics expert Trevor Modeste said. “We don’t usually have crime like that. We don’t usually have planned and executed murders.” Modeste said his suspicions were confirmed when Phillip, known locally as Ronald de Ally, boasted to police that he killed and buried two people in the United States who were never found.

Grenada police spokesman Troy Garvey said that claim has not been verified. Garvey said investigators’ focus is on solving Raeburn-Delfish’s slaying, but they will pass anything they learn about crimes in the US to the appropriate jurisdiction. RaeburnDelfish was Phillip’s landlord, but no motive has been established in the slaying. Phillip, who is charged with murder, did not have an attorney at his first court appearance. At the heart of the problem is the disparity of wealth between the United States, where migrants often learn their criminal ways, and their poor homelands, where jobs are scarce and police resources are limited.

Moreover, islanders who often left their native lands as children return to countries they barely recognize, with no remaining family.

Jean Nemorin, 47, who returned to Haiti in 2008, more than three decades after he arrived in the United States with his family at age 11, said there is a stigma attached to people like him when locals learn of their criminal past, making it tough to find work or a place to live. “I struggled to feed myself for the first six months,” Nemorin said. He declined to describe his conviction in the United States but said he is crime-free today, operating a moto-taxi in Port-au-Prince that he bought with money from relatives overseas.

The biggest impact has been in heavily populated countries

like Jamaica, where deportees are suspected in several violent crimes each week, according to Leslie Green, an assistant police commissioner. But smaller islands are increasingly leading the calls for help from Washington. A Grenada government spokesman, Richard Simon, said they lack the counseling, monitoring and housing services needed to absorb deportees with serious criminal records.

In Dominica, at least one criminal deportee is suspected in a recent pair of brazen, daylight robberies by masked men, Security Minister Charles Savarin said. In St Lucia, an island of 170,000 people that received 18 criminal deportees from the US last year, Security Minister Guy Mayers said some of the convicts were apparently recruited into local drug rings that exploit their contacts from overseas prisons. “We are not responsible for them becoming monsters,” Mayers said. “We need support to be able to rehabilitate these people.” In 2007, the US launched a pilot program managed by the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration to help reintegrate deportees. The $3 million project provided services including career counseling and housing assistance in Haiti, Guyana and the Bahamas. US officials say they hope that effort will be the starting point for a regional discussion, but no money has been assigned so far to keep the program going.

Island governments say the deportee issue will remain a sticking point with Washington until they see more action. “I raise this with US authorities every chance I get,” Mayers said. - AP

Tropical Storm Matthew drenches Central America TEGUCIGALPA: Tropical Storm Matthew toppled power lines and left thousands without power for hours in Honduras, and forecasters warned that heavy rains threaten to cause flooding and mudslides in disasterprone parts of several Central American nations.

There were no immediate reports of major damage yesterday, but thousands were evacuated. In Olanchito, near the northern coast, a creek overflowed and flooded a house but firefighters were able to rescue its 10 occupants. The storm made landfall Friday on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast and quickly crossed into Honduras where it was pushing westward with winds of 40 mph (65 kph) toward Guatemala and Belize. It was expected to weaken into a tropical depression today.

But the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said Matthew could bring 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) of rain before it weakens, with the possibility of flash floods and mudslides. Some parts of Nicaragua already were coping with flooding due to earlier rains.

Nicaraguan authorities said they ordered the evacuation of 10,000 people. In Honduras, authorities said they had evacuated 300 people from small communities in the Gracias a Dios province, on the border with Nicaragua. Lisandro Rosales, head of the country’s Contingencies Commission said a red alert had been extended from six provinces to the whole country.

“A lot of rivers have high levels because of soil saturation due to frequent rains since May,” said Randolfo Funez, operations director of the Contingencies Commission. In the capital of Tegucigalpa, thousands of residents rushed to gas stations, supermarkets and banks after authorities recommended people stock up on food and other supplies and warned of three days of torrential rains. Authorities said classes would be suspended until further notice and that 15,000 schools had been made available to be used as shelters.

A tropical storm warning also was in effect for the coast of Belize. Forecasters said the storm reach the Guatemala-Belize border last night. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega ordered the preventive measures and “all emergency structures are on alert,” Lt Col Freddy Herrera told The Associated Press by telephone. “We have evacuated people from the region of Cabo Gracias a Dios and the Miskito Cays” in the same region. Flights into the area were suspended due to limited visibility, though the winds were moderate, the military said. —AP

INTERNATIONAL

Sunday, September 26, 2010

11

NATO claims three detained Afghan journalists released Bomb blasts kill 3 troops, 30 militants die KABUL: Three journalists detained for suspected links to Taleban propaganda networks were freed in Afghanistan after angry reactions from media advocates and President Hamid Karzai’s call for their quick release. Mohammad Nadir, a television cameraman for AlJazeera, and Rahmatullah Naikzad, who worked for both AlJazeera and The Associated Press, were released by NATO, the military alliance said Friday.

“After reviewing the initial intelligence and information received during questioning, the two men were not considered a significant security threat and were released,” said Rear Adm Gregory Smith. “During their brief detention, they were treated humanely and in accordance with international law and US policies.” A third journalist, Hojatullah Mujadadi, a radio station manager in Kapisa province north of Kabul, who was held by Afghan intelligence officials also was freed, NATO said. The intelligence service would not say when he was released or disclose information about why Mujadadi was apprehended Sept 18, the same day as the Afghan parliamentary elections.

Bob Dietz, Asia program coordinator for the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, said he thought Karzai’s decision Thursday, instructing the Ministry of Information and Culture to follow up on the detentions and work for the journalists’ freedom, could have sped their release. He said he didn’t think NATO was doing itself any favors by detaining journalists in the middle of the night. “All of these men were recognized as legitimate journalists,” Dietz said.

“They never should have been detained in the first place.” Dietz also said media coverage of the detentions might have been a factor in their quick release. AlJazeera, which has extensive contacts within insurgent groups in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Nadir and Naikzad were both innocent.

Their contacts with the Taleban should not be viewed as a criminal offense, but rather a necessary part of their work as journalists.

Nadir told The Associated Press in an interview that after being arrested at his home 4 a.m.

Wednesday in Kandahar, coalition forces drove him, handcuffed and blindfolded, less than an hour to a place he later learned was Kandahar Air Field. He said he was questioned five different times in a small room.

“I was shocked that they were asking me illogical questions like ‘Why are you constantly contacting the Taleban spokesman?’ I

said ‘It is my duty to have a link with them because I’m a journalist. Every journalist has contacts with the Taleban - not in the form of helping them, but to get the news from them.”‘ During the questioning, Nadir said he was asked to identify five men in photographs. He said he told them he didn’t know any of them.

“I know journalists and you can ask anybody about me,” Nadir said. “I didn’t cross the boundary lines of journalism.” Nadir, who claims he slept only about an hour during his two-day detention, said he was given some tablets that he ingested even though he did not know what kind of pills they were.

When he was released at 6:30 am Friday and escorted to the gate, Nadir said he was given 1,000 Afghani, or about $22, so he could get a taxi to his home in the city. “The Americans didn’t hurt me, or rough me up,” Nadir said.

“I told them ‘Instead of arresting me, you (could have) just given me a call. I can’t run away. I’m a journalist. I’ll be here.”‘ Recounting his capture, Nadir said he was sleeping at his home when his mother told him she heard noise outside. He said when he went out to investigate someone held him at gunpoint. He was handcuffed and his relatives were told not to interfere as they started to search the house. Nadir said the arresting force took leaflets, videocassettes, and gold jewelry worth several thousand dollars from his home during the operation.

In a telephone call from his home, Naikzad said he was arrested in Ghazni in eastern Afghanistan early Monday. The coalition said they suspected Naikzad of working with the Taleban to spread insurgent propaganda and film attacks tied to parliamentary elections held last weekend. Naikzad supplied The Associated Press with photographs of Afghans voting peacefully, but the AP did not use them.

NATO said three grenades, magazines and a “significant number of AK-47 rounds” were found in the compound where he was detained. It is common for Afghans to keep weapons for protection.

Naikzad said he was flown by helicopter to a coalition facility in Gardez, the provincial capital of neighboring Paktia province.

There, two Americans, dressed in civilian clothes, questioned him eight times during his five-day detention, he said. Naikzad had few complaints about his detention. He said he only sampled the “foreign food” he was given and instead ate nuts, which also were provided. However, Naikzad, a Muslim, complained that he was

SRINAGAR: A Kashmiri family looks out from the window of their home after a clash between government soldiers and protesters during curfew yesterday. — AP

India scuttles rebellion with Kashmir lockdown SRINAGAR: It’s a perplexing strategy. Every week anti-India separatists in restive Kashmir release a detailed calendar of their upcoming protests that essentially dares the security forces to stop them. And they almost always do. Last week, when the separatists called for supporters to strike and hold protests throughout the day - and open for business at night - Indian authorities hit back by imposing a round-the-clock curfew and called out the military for crowd control.

Protest leaders say even though telegraphing their intentions gives authorities a chance to quash their plans, it is worth it because it instigates the authorities to hit back with a heavy hand, further delegitimizing Indian rule in the eyes of Kashmiris. At least 107 people, mostly teenage boys and young men in their 20s, have died in the crackdown on the often-violent demonstrations since June, with every death stoking public anger and more protests.

The demonstration schedules are part of a “Quit Kashmir” campaign that started in June aimed at winning independence from Hindu-dominated India or a merger with mostly Muslim Pakistan. “The resistance calendars are our means of expression

to seek India’s clear acknowledgment of what we want, and simultaneously challenge the silence of the international community,” said Syed Ali Shah Geelani, one of the separatist leaders spearheading the ongoing protests.

Since 1989, an armed uprising and the ensuing crackdown by Indian security forces have killed an estimated 68,000 people in the Himalayan region, divided between India and Pakistan but claimed by both in its entirety.

While that rebellion has been largely suppressed, public opposition to Indian rule remains deep and the resistance is now principally through street demonstrations.

Indian officials have repeatedly said the protests are orchestrated by the separatist leaders to disrupt normal life in Kashmir.

“Their sole objective is to make the government defunct and run a parallel system as part of a nefarious design. But our legal system has many provisions to deal with it, and we’ll not let them have their way,” said Taj Mohi-u-Din, an influential Cabinet minister in the state government. The separatists, who say they are only channeling the public mistrust of Indian rule, amended their program Thursday, ending their call for daytime strikes for four days to allow normal life to briefly return to the region. —AFP

not given proper time for prayer.

Naikzad said he was free to move around in his room, but that he was blindfolded and handcuffed when he was taken to a different room for questioning. Meanwhile, three NATO service members were killed in two bomb blasts and more than 30 insurgents died in a clash with coalition troops in eastern Afghanistan, the military alliance said yesterday. NATO also said it captured an insurgent commander linked to attacks on Afghan officials and violence during last weekend’s parliamentary elections, and killed another. In a statement yesterday, NATO said two service members were killed by a bomb blast in the east, but did not provide further details. It said another died in a separate blast in the south. The nationalities of NATO casualties are not generally released until after next of kin

are notified.

This year is already the deadliest of the war, with 531 international forces killed as of Saturday.

Also in the east, more than 30 insurgents were killed during an operation involving a combined force of about 250 Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, and coalition soldiers in Alishing district of Laghman province. No civilians were harmed during the operation, NATO said. Afghan and coalition security forces detained several insurgents in Khost province, along the Pakistan border, on Friday, including a Haqqani commander linked to attacks against Afghan officials, NATO said. It said the commander was also involved in ambushing a vehicle and stealing a ballot box during last week’s elections. The Haqqani network is a Pakistan-based faction of the

Taleban with close ties to AlQaeda.

The arrests led to the seizure of bomb-making material and military equipment, including an automatic weapon, pistol, rocketpropelled grenade launcher, magazines and loose ammunition along with three US combat uniforms similar to those recently used in attacks against a coalition base, NATO said. An airstrike killed a Taleban commander who helped conduct bomb attacks and was directly linked to last week’s election violence, NATO said.

Election day on Sept 18 was marred by rocket attacks and bombings at polling stations in volatile areas.

At least 21 civilians and nine police officers were killed during the voting, according to the election commission and Interior Ministry. — Agencies

KHYBER: A fireman tries to extinguish fire caused after an alleged attack by militants on oil tankers for NATO forces. — AP

INTERNATIONAL

12

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Diverse group protects Singapore’s religious harmony SINGAPORE: Seated near the head of a long table, Roman Catholic nun Theresa Seow led 14 other people in silent prayer before the meeting was called to order.

Clad in a white habit topped by the lightblue veil of the Canossian order, she sat with turbaned Sikhs, a Taoist wearing an embroidered shirt as well as Muslims and Hindus in more conventional business attire. The purpose of the gathering in a run-down office building quickly became clear when their vice-president and Jainism representative Ashvin Desai recited the group’s credo.

“We resolve to strengthen religious harmony through mutual tolerance, confidence, respect and understanding,” says the declaration of the council members of the Inter-Religious Organization (IRO) of

Singapore. Founded in 1949 and priding itself as “one of the oldest if not the oldest inter-faith organization in the world,” the IRO’s objectives include promoting Singapore’s religious harmony and safeguarding it against extremism.

The organization is an embodiment of its goals: religious and community leaders from 11 faiths meet every six weeks to discuss issues of mutual concern at the same table, a sight unthinkable in many parts of the world. The IRO’s 31 council members include leaders from Singapore’s six main religions-Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Catholicism-as well as Jains, Baha’i Faith followers, Zoroastrians and Sikhs.

In a 2000 census, 42.5 percent of Singapore residents over 15 years old

identified themselves as Buddhist, 14.9 percent Muslim, 14.6 percent Christian or Catholic, 8.5 percent Taoist and four percent Hindu. Singapore’s foremost Muslim leader Mufti Syed Isa as well as the presidents of the Singapore Taoist and Buddhist federations sit on the council with Seow, a respected nun who served in the Vatican under Pope John Paul II. “When we come into the IRO, one of the things that we will do is to learn about others, the belief of the other person, and that is important,” she said. And if ideological differences do arise, members take pains to address them rather than let them fester, said the IRO’s Sikh representative Gurmit Singh. “We manage to talk about it, that’s what makes it

great. We don’t sweep it under the carpet, we don’t go away from the table with a grudge,” he stated.

To promote religious camaraderie among the population, the IRO frequently organizes inter-faith dialogues and community events to heighten understanding about the various faiths. It also prints colorful pamphlets and illustrated books detailing the background, beliefs and fables of its religions, which are available at schools, libraries, community centers and bookstores.

The IRO council also works closely with the government, receiving regular briefings from agencies including the Internal Security Department (ISD) whenever cases involving extremism arise. The ISD is a powerful department

under the Ministry of Home Affairs which investigates security concerns including racial and religious extremism, and has the power to detain suspects for an indefinite period without trial. Singapore, surrounded by Muslim-dominated Indonesia and Malaysia, suffered racial riots in the 1960s and now considers itself a prime target for Islamic radicals in the region, partly because of its strong US links.

Fears of homegrown extremism were stoked when a 20-year-old local Muslim man undergoing national military service was detained in April on suspicion of planning to fight with Islamic militants in the Middle East and Afghanistan. The Singaporean youth had been radicalized by online lectures of extremist figures, the home ministry said. “In Singapore,

our authorities are really on the lookout for this and we are very glad that each time it happens, we are properly briefed, and there is always openness and transparency,” said Ameerali Abdeali, the IRO’s treasurer and Muslim representative. Earlier this month, when American pastor Terry Jones threatened to burn copies of Islam’s holy book the Quran in Florida on the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Singapore’s Muslim community reacted calmly until the plan was aborted. “I’m very proud of our Singapore Muslims. I’m very proud,” Seow, the Catholic nun, said to an approving nod from Ameerali, who had brought cookies to the meeting to mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. — AFP

Japan refuses China demand for apology China seeks compensation as skipper returns from Japan BEIJ ING: J apan strongly rejected a Chinese demand yesterday that it apologize for detaining a Chinese fishing boat captain w hose arrest after a collision near disputed islands plunged relations betw een the tw o Asian pow ers to their low est level in years. J apanese authorities released the captain, Zhan Qixiong, early yesterday and he w as flow n home by chartered pla ne to Fuzhou in China ’s southea stern Fujia n province. Sta te

broadcaster China Central Television show ed Zhan, 41, smiling and holding his fingers in a victory sign as he w alked off the plane. He w as greeted by family members bearing flow ers and a small group of government officia ls. But hopes tha t his relea se w ould defuse mounting tensions w ere dashed w hen China promptly demanded an apology and compensation from J apan.

FUZHOU: In this photo, a Chinese fishing boat captain Zhan Qixiong (front right) is accompanied by his wife and son after arriving safely yesterday. — AP

North Korean leader’s son enjoys good life in Macau MACAU: The man who could have inherited the throne in North Korea’s Communist dynasty instead lives a pampered life in the glitzy Asian gambling hub of Macau, all but banished by the country’s ruling elite. The reclusive Stalinist state is preparing for its biggest political meeting in decades on Tuesday, with widespread speculation that leader Kim Jong-Il will tap his youngest son, Jong-Un, for the top job.

That honor might have gone to Kim Jong-Nam, 39, the North Korean leader’s eldest son, until he was exiled following a scandal in 2001 when he was caught entering Japan on a fake Dominican Republic passport-enraging his father. Since then, Jong-Nam has passed his days drinking and eating in the former Portuguese colony’s five-star restaurants, trying his luck at the gambling table and spending some of his 500,000 dollar annual allowance in the territory’s luxury brand stores.

He lives with his wife and two children in an upscale villa complex on Macau’s southern tip, a quiet enclave of pink-tiled houses overlooking the South China Sea-although his exact location proved elusive. “Oh, the big son? Yes, he lives around here but I’m not sure which one,” said a taxi driver pointing at rows of cookie-cutter homes. An employee at the five-star Altira Hotel said the multilingual Kim-who learned English and French at a Swiss boarding school-drops by sometimes.

“I know Mr Kim, but I haven’t seen him today,” he told AFP. Wearing an untucked dress shirt and blue suede loafers, Jong-Nam gave a brief interview to a South Korean reporter in June, denying reports he planned to defect to Europe and saying his reportedly ill father was in good health. He splits his time between Macau and Beijing-where he also owns a home-while taking trips to Vienna, Bangkok and Moscow.

Like his father, Jong-Nam is reportedly fond of the best that money can buy and has a second home in the city where he stays after late nights in one of his favorite karaoke bars or casinos. His three bodyguards live there too, reports said, while his mistress resides in a rented flat nearby. The low-key son of North Korea’s leader, who has been spotted taking taxis or even the bus without an army of security, takes a keen interest in his family, including his 14-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter.

The family has gone on camping trips or jaunts around the city and even outdoor trips with the Lusophone Scouts, the international movement’s Portuguese-speaking affiliate. “His wife is always very well dressed,” Ricardo Pinto, publisher of Macau Closer magazine, told AFP. “The kids had all sorts of iPods and other gadgets. He seems to like hanging around with friends at some of the Korean restaurants in town. And he likes to gamble although he isn’t a high roller.”

Jong-Nam is not invited to government events and is treated like a private citizen, Pinto said. “He keeps a very low profile,”

Pinto added. In the late nineties, the eldest of Kim Jong-Il’s three sons was the heir apparent with his father giving him senior jobs in the country’s shrouded political structure. He even held key posts in its military.

In the mid-nineties, he was made a general and head of foreign counter-intelligence in the secret police. But the failed bid to enter Japan-reportedly to visit Tokyo Disneyland-along with two women and his son derailed those plans after his angry father effectively barred him from ever taking the top job in Pyongyang. Observers said Jong-Nam’s resume makes him a better choice as North Korea’s next leader over his half brother-the pair were born to different mothers.—AFP

MACAU: In this file photo, Kim Jong-Nam, the eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, waves after an interview with South Korean media representatives. —AFP

“It is unlawful and invalid for Japan to detain, investigate or take any form of judicial measures against the Chinese fishermen and trawler,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “The Japanese side must make an apology and compensation for this incident.” Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the demands were groundless and “absolutely cannot be accepted.”

The captain’s detention and investigation were “an appropriate and calm response according to our nation’s laws,” it said in a statement.

The diplomatic back-and-forth yesterday demonstrated that nationalistic sentiments stirred up by the incident show few signs of dissipating. Tensions have already affected business ties between the nations’ intertwined economies - the world’s second- and third-largest. Zhan was arrested on Sept 8 after his boat collided with two Japanese patrol vessels near a chain of islands called Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan. The islands, about 120 miles (190 kilometers) east of Taiwan, are controlled by Japan but are also claimed by Taiwan and China.

Japanese prosecutors detained and questioned the captain while they decided whether to press charges, though his 14-member crew and boat were returned to China. Zhan’s release came after intense pressure from Beijing, which suspended ministerial-level contacts with Tokyo and postponed talks on developing disputed undersea gas fields. This past week, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao sternly threatened further action against Japan if it did not immediately release the captain.

“I firmly support the Chinese government’s stance,” Zhan said yesterday after returning to China. “Diaoyu islands belong to China. It’s legal that I go there to fish but it’s illegal that they detained me. I did not violate the law.” The decision by Japanese prosecutors to let him go has prompted criticism within Japan.

An editorial yesterday in the nationally circulated Yomiuri newspaper blasted the captain’s release as “a political decision that put the mending of relations as a priority.” “Needless to say, the Senkaku islands are part of Japan’s territory. The government must continue to assert this view both domestically and abroad,” it said. The tensions have spilled over into other issues. On Thursday, Beijing said it was investigating four Japanese suspected of entering a military zone without authorization and illegally filming military facilities. The four employees of Fujita Corp, a Japanese construction company, were working to prepare a bid for a project to dispose chemical weapons abandoned in China by the Japanese military during World War II, the company said. Meanwhile, Japanese trading company officials said that starting Tuesday, China had halted exports to Japan of rare earth elements, which are essential for making superconductors, computers, hybrid electric cars and other high-tech products. Japan imports 50 percent of China’s rare earth shipments. —AP

RAKHINE: In this frame grab made off footage of Myanmar Radio and Television (MRTV) made available yesterday, a captured rare white elephant (center) walks on Friday, Sept 24, 2010. — AP

White elephant blessed for elections: Myanmar YANGON: Myanmar’s state-controlled media hailed yesterday the capture of a rare white elephant as a positive omen for upcoming elections, the first balloting in two decades in the military-ruled country. The 7-foot, 1-inch (216-centimeter) tall beast was captured Thursday in Rakhine state in the northwest, and is the fifth white elephant caught in a decade, the New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported on its front page. The pachyderm is estimated to be 18 years old.

The newspaper, a mouthpiece for the ruling junta, hailed the elephant’s capture as a sign the country will be peaceful and free from all dangers, and its people will enjoy greater prosperity and progress. “It is auspicious that a rare white elephant emerged at a time when Myanmar was going through a democratic transition and the elections will be held peacefully and successfully,” it said.

White elephants, actually albinos, have for centuries been revered in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and other Asian nations. They were normally kept and pampered by monarchs and considered a symbol of royal power and prosperity. Myanmar’s military rulers, like many of the country’s citizens, are said to be particularly superstitious. The Nov 7 general elections will be the first in 20 years. The National

League for Democracy party of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won the last polls but was not allowed to take power by the military. It is boycotting this year’s vote, charging that the election rules are unfair and undemocratic. The New Light of Myanmar said the elephant’s capture will ensure that peace, stability and prosperity will continue under the new elected government, explaining that white elephants only emerge in places where the practice of Buddhism flourishes and rulers govern justly. It said that according to ancient treatises, it is hard to find even a single white elephant among a thousand, but five of the rare beasts have emerged from 2001 to 2010, and the latest discovery is a matter of “national pride.” The country’s fourth white elephant, a 38-year-old female captured in the jungles of Rakhine state in June, was given a lavish welcome ceremony when it was taken to the administrative capital of Naypyitaw. It was housed in an enclosure near the Upptasanti pagoda, a replica of the famed Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon, the former capital and biggest city in Myanmar. Three other white elephants caught earlier are kept in a special park in Yangon, where they live in an enclosure with spiraled pavilions, a manmade waterfall, ponds and trees. — AP

in the news Group urges Nobel aw ard for Chinese dissident BEIJING: A group of scholars, writers and lawyers in China is urging that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize be awarded to a Chinese dissident jailed for drafting a major call for political reform.

Liu Xiaobo, one of China’s most prominent political activists, wrote Charter 08, a daring appeal for expanded political freedom, stronger civil rights and an end to Communist Party political dominance. He was convicted last December of inciting to subvert state power, a vaguely worded charge routinely used to jail dissidents in China.

Liu, a former professor, was sentenced to 11 years in prison, the harshest penalty handed down for that charge since it was introduced, human rights groups say. In an open letter posted Friday on Boxun, an overseas Chinese website, the group cited Liu’s “unswerving efforts to initiate China’s transformation” toward democracy and urged the Nobel Committee to send a strong message to Beijing. “By doing this, the Nobel Committee will send a signal to Liu Xiaobo and the Chinese government. Many people in China and in the world are on his side and standing beside his ideals of striving for freedom and human rights for 1.3 billion Chinese people,” said the letter, signed by more than 120 intellectuals in China. Last year, a group of Nobel laureates wrote in support of Liu’s nomination. Liu has reportedly been on the shortlist of finalists in previous years. The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in October.

China one-child policy hits 30 WASHINGTON: Critics of China’s one-child-only law appealed for greater global pressure as the policy turned 30 yesterday, saying that millions of women have suffered indignities in the most intimate part of their lives. Against a backdrop of the US Capitol, lawmakers and activists were joined Friday by a Chinese woman, Ke Cheng Ping, who said she was forced to have an abortion under the policy that forbids most urban women from more than one child. She said tearfully that police forced her to undergo the abortion without anesthesia and without the presence of her family.

“Unless this is marked by at least some of us, it

will be just another day,” said Representative Christopher Smith, a Republican of New Jersey and staunch opponent of abortion. “It’s 30 years of the worst violation of human rights ever,” Smith said. “I work on all human rights issues and I don’t know of any policy that has hurt so many women and so many children and families than the one-child policy.” China implemented the policy to curb what it saw as unsustainable population growth. Critics point to a new set of demographic problems, including millions of young men unable to find brides after families, who traditionally favor boys, aborted girls. Smith called for President Barack Obama-whose meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in New York on Thursday focused mostly on economic issues-to raise the one-child policy. “I have not seen one word about forced abortion in China come out of the president’s mouth. That is numbing in its indifference,” Smith said.

Philippine leader bans ow n face from immigration cards MANILA: Philippine President Benigno Aquino was shocked to see his own face on hundreds of immigration cards at Manila’s airport this week and immediately ordered them withdrawn, an official said. Aquino spotted the cards at Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport as he left Monday for a seven-day trip to the United States, said immigration bureau information officer Freddie Cortez.

“He saw his picture on the cards when he was leaving at the airport. That was when he ordered them removed,” he said. The order came because they violated Aquino’s directive banning officials from publishing their pictures on governmentissued goods, to stop them exploiting such projects to boost their own image. Aquino’s rule came into force in August but the cards were printed in July, Cortez said. The immigration bureau has rushed through a delivery of new, Aquino-free cards, he said-though some of the old cards might still be in the hands of airlines who may issue them to passengers heading to the Philippines, he added.

Philippine politicians previously had their pictures printed on government-issued supplies, such as food, schoolbags and on billboards for infrastructure, in order to take the credit for the projects.

ANALYSIS

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Orban tests limits with markets, EU

By Krisztina Than ungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has one of the strongest political mandates in Europe but he faces two constraints beyond his control: financial markets and the European Union. These two forces will continue to pose serious challenges to Orban, with the first big test after October municipal elections when his centreright government will have to present a credible 2011 budget to reassure investors. Investors and rating agencies will scrutinize this budget to decide whether to give his centre-right government the benefit of the doubt after it broke ties with the International Monetary Fund and baffled markets with confusing messages since April.

If they are convinced the government is committed to deficit reduction and will put high public debt on a declining path, Hungary can escape a downgrade in its sovereign rating - and there is chance for a “virtuous circle” in which investor trust returns and risk premia on Hungarian assets fall.

Even then, risks will remain about the country’s ability to finance its debts from markets in coming years without an IMF satefy net amid still fragile global investor sentiment.

Orban, 47, whose Fidesz party won a historic two-thirds majority in parliament in April, is seen as a

H

Experts urge nimbler global response to crises

By William Maclean nidentified attackers detonate a “dirty” bomb in the Strait of Hormuz, in minutes disrupting global trade and shipping and devastating financial markets. A German trawler collides with a Chinese warship in the newly-opened Arctic. Devastating floods hit a weapons bunker in nucleararmed Pakistan, raising fears for atomic security. Would the world’s Cold War-era security institutions be up to managing any one of these crises, in which systemic problems like climate change worsen traditional security flashpoints?

Not remotely, experts say.

Either too cumbersome or perceived as lacking legitimacy, the UN Security Council, the Group of 20 (G20) rich and developing nations and multilateral humanitarian bodies would struggle to make a rapid impact.

Specialists in disaster response say that nations are almost completely unprepared for the likely emergence of so-called convergent crises with the potential to plunge markets and regions into prolonged turmoil.

In these multi-faceted disasters, strains like a shrinking Arctic ice cap, theft of nuclear materials, oil or water shortages or cyber crime would worsen tensions among nations over traditional issues such as trade, territory and resources. “Old” and “new” tensions would feed off each other, spurring nationalistic stances in world capitals. Losing faith in collective action, nations could blunder towards conflict.

“Diplomatic practice has not kept up with these complex threats,” said Pauline Baker, president of the Fund for Peace, a non-profit group that seeks to prevent conflict.

“We need a new international architecture of crisis prevention and response.”

In a news-driven era where local crises can spread globally in minutes or hours, world leaders are still too parochial in their security planning and must be ready to act much more nimbly and closely to coordinate a response, analysts say. Yet with the exception of progress in tracking pandemics and tsunamis, global crisis management is inadequate “everywhere”, said Greg Austin, Vice President for Programme Development and Rapid Response at the EastWest Institute think tank.

He said the kind of warn-

U

ing and response system used by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for pandemics and by Asian nations for tsunamis was needed in the fields of cyber security, energy, water, climate threats and other natural disasters. Such systems would give nations time to grasp the potential ramifications of emerging crises and act to mitigate them. The need is urgent, said Chung Min Lee, Asian security specialist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “Imagine a period of just a few years in which you have a succession of crises involving some or all of the following: peak oil, water, resource competition, cyber failure, pandemics, nuclear terrorism. Crisis would flow into crisis,” he said. “There could be massive social and economic disruptions and movements of population as crises spread from country to country. This would overwhelm many governments at their present level of preparedness.”

Celina Realuyo, president of CBR Global Advisors, said the problem was exacerbated by the fact that in a globalised world nations were losing some influence to non-state powers including multinational companies, organised crime and terrorists. The example of militants exploding a dirty bomb at Hormuz may not be the worst scenario, say analysts, for disasters of such gravity would eventually forge a unity of response.

But in crises that gain early momentum in remote areas, the attention of world leaders would be harder to engage quickly enough and tensions would be harder to manage, analysts say. Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group risk consultancy, said the global system was less well equipped than it was even two years ago to deal with simultaneous transnational problems. “At the height of the financial crisis, there was an impressive unity of purpose in coordinating a

G20 response,” he said. “As the uneven recovery continues, that unity is gone, and only another crisis of comparable scale can bring it back.”

Recent crises that have raised potential global or regional complications include this year’s heat wave in Russia and floods in Pakistan, last year’s H1N1 swine flu pandemic, and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2002-03. With larger, more complex crises in prospect, hurried Cold War-style “hotline” consultations between a handful big powers will be inadequate, experts say. But few would relish the prospect of handling the cacophony of a G20 conference call.

One solution, according to EastWest’s Austin, is to promote joint exercises in vulnerable sectors. The institute this month proposed that Russia and the United States stage joint cyber war games, to build mutual confidence.

Another idea, reiterated this month by US Deputy

Secretary of State Jim Steinberg at a Geneva meeting of the International Institute of International Relations, is just to continue trying to make existing multilateral bodies more flexible and nimble.

He said no one devising an ideal framework to tackle 21st century problems would

choose the “tangle of overlapping, and sometimes inefficient and often outdated institutions which are still acting on mandates established sometimes 50 years ago”.

But to completely sidestep existing institutions and abandon any effort at reform would only made problems worse. —Reuters

shrewd, pragmatic politician who is planning to stay in power beyond the next general elections, due in 2014. For this, he needs to put the economy firmly back on a growth track and create jobs. “There are only two issues that are now posing barriers to his powers: markets - which he is trying to manipulate in a manner that I have never seen anywhere in Europe - and the other very painful limit for him is the common EU decisions,” said an EU diplomat in Budapest.

Since his April election landslide, the yield on Hungarian 5year bonds has risen 110 basis points to 6.8 percent, and the forint currency has fallen by 5.7 percent against the euro.

However it had fallen as much as 11 percent at the height of the crisis on July 19.

Orban has tightened Fidesz’s grip on key institutions, and delivered on symbolic pledges such as easing cizitenship for ethnic Hungarians in neighbouring states while giving little detail on his fiscal plans.

He tested markets’ patience by seeking budget leeway to boost growth at a time when the EU is trying to rein in public deficits, and by pushing what some observers see as an “economic nationalist” agenda. Orban has favoured domestic firms, taxed banks heavily, lashed out at “speculators” and stood up to the IMF. — Reuters

NEWS

14

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Iran nuke agency trying to stop computer worm Continued from Page 1

BEIRUT: A picture shows the facade of an old house on Sept 19, 2010. — AFP

Rush to save Lebanon architectural heritage BEIRUT: Conservationists are rushing to save what is left of Beirut’s architectural heritage which has fallen victim to greedy promoters and politicians accused of turning the Lebanese capital into a concrete jungle.

“Beirut used to be a city of gorgeous mansions and gardens and now it has become a boring heap of high-rises and construction projects,” said Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, 88, founder of the Association for Protecting Natural Sites and Old Buildings in Lebanon (APSAD). “We are destroying old houses which in other countries no one would dare touch,” Cochrane, whose family owns one of Beirut’s most beautiful Ottoman-era mansions, told AFP. As building cranes crowd the city skyline, Beirut’s typical Lebanese houses, with their triple-arched windows, elaborate balconies, red-tiled roofs and jasmine-scented gardens have all but disappeared in favour of highrises sprouting like mushrooms. Of 1,200 old mansions and buildings inventoried in 1995 by the culture ministry, a mere 400 are left, officials say. The construction boom, which began at the end of the 1975-1990 civil war, is largely fuelled by rich expatriates and Gulf Arab investors who have driven prices up, encouraging Beirut property owners to sell to the highest bidder.

“Beirut is becoming uglier by the day and the Lebanese are getting used to this ugli-

ness,” said Pascale Ingea, a member of Save Beirut Heritage, an initiative launched this year on the social networking Internet site Facebook. “I felt I had to do something when I watched from my balcony a 200-year-old mansion that used to make me dream when I was a child being torn down, stone by stone,” the 33-year-old artist told AFP. “Our social and urban fabric are disappearing,” she added. “Beirut is no longer the city we knew.”

One property developer whose company is building a luxury high-rise in the Sursock neighbourhood of Beirut, which was once lined with elegant mansions and where a flat can now fetch upwards of three million dollars, declined to comment. “I am embarrassed because we tore down a traditional house to build a tower,” he said, requesting anonymity. “What else can I say?”

Although many feel it may be too late to halt the rot, conservationists are pushing ahead with efforts to save the few buildings still standing and a march is planned this weekend in central Beirut to encourage the Lebanese to react. One recent television spot by conservation groups featured tombstones representing demolished buildings against a backdrop of skyscrapers and a message that urged parliament to pass legislation to preserve heritage houses. Any demolition order in Beirut must now carry the

signature of Culture Minister Salim Wardy, who recently set up a hotline for people to report threatened buildings. “This has significantly reduced demolitions,” Wardy told AFP. But what is needed most, conservationists say, is the political will to preserve what is left. “Lebanon considers itself a pioneer in everything, but when it comes to this we are way behind other Arab countries,” Wardy said. Architect Fadlallah Dagher, a member of APSAD, said given that many of Lebanon’s politicians also dabble in property, it should come as no surprise that draft legislation to protect the country’s architectural heritage has been sitting in parliament for eight years.

“It’s no secret in Lebanon that a lot of politicians are in real estate and have no interest to safeguard old homes,” Dagher said, sitting in his family villa in Beirut’s traditional neighborhood of Gemayzeh. “Where there is land, there is money to be made,” he added. “I was once told by real estate developers not to meddle in their affairs and to go elsewhere if I was looking for culture.”

Wardy acknowledged that he had come under intense pressure by politicians and developers to take bribes and turn a blind eye to the destruction. “We’re simply trying to preserve the identity of our city,” he said.

“We’re trying to save what is left.” — AFP

Ahmadinejad says Iran open to new nuke talks NEW YORK: Iran and the United States Friday both said they were open to a new round of nuclear talks, but their fierce enmity was again revealed by a war of words over the Sept 11 attacks. US President Barack Obama and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were both in the spotlight, though they never met, at the UN General Assembly meetings, on a day of dueling rhetoric and diplomatic jockeying for position. Ahmadinejad said an Iranian official may meet European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton next month in a bid to open new international talks on a program which the West says is a quest for nuclear weapons.

He said some of the six powers negotiating on the nuclear dispute - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States - had had contacts with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki at the UN this week. Ahmadinejad inisted it was up to Ashton to initiative moves for what he said was a meeting in October scheduled under a longstanding plan. “If Ms Ashton contacts the Iranian representative she can set a time for talks,” the Iranian leader told a press conference.

Denis McDonough, chief of staff of Obama’s National Security, noted that Ashton reached out to Iran earlier this year, but never heard back. “When she hears back, we will know whether

they are serious or not,” he said.

A day after telling Iran that the door for diplomacy was still open, Obama told the BBC Persian service that a genuine dialogue could see tough new sanctions on Iran removed, along with the fear of armed confrontation. “Our strong preference is to resolve these issues diplomatically. I think that’s in Iran’s interest. I think that is in the interest of the international community,” Obama said. “I think it remains possible, but it is going to require a change in mindset inside the Iranian government.”

Obama targeted Ahmadinejad over his tirade to the UN Security Council on Thursday, in which he suggested the US government staged the Sept 11 attacks in 2001. “It was offensive, it was hateful,” Obama said, slamming Ahmadinejad’s remarks, and bemoaning the fact the outburst occurred in Manhattan, so close to the Ground Zero footprint of the felled World Trade Center twin towers. About 3,000 people died in the attacks by AlQaeda operatives who hijacked passenger jets and flew them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. A fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania.

Ahmadinejad said in his speech that there was a theory that “some segments within the US government orchestrated

hungry for the fight against Prime Minister David Cameron’s ConservativeLiberal Democrat coalition government.

In his victory speech, Miliband said the 2003 Iraq invasion had dented trust in the Labour Party, and pledged to restore the faith of the British public. “Never in my wildest imagination did I ever believe that I would one day lead this party,” he told activists. “Today’s election turns the page because a new generation has stepped forward to serve our party and in time I hope to serve our country.

Today the work of the new generation begins,” Miliband said. He added: “I am proud of the leadership of both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown but we lost the election, and we lost it badly. “And my

critical national systems, burying “logic bombs” and other attack software in the event they are needed - something he compares to the arms race and mechanisation that preceded World War One. “Invisibly, military units from over a score of nations are moving into a new battle space,” he writes. “Because the units are unseen, parliaments and publics have not noticed the movement of these forces...

With attention divided elsewhere, we may be laying the groundwork for cyber war.”

Even if such a doomsday scenario never unfolds, most experts believe hacking is already taking its place alongside air strikes and special forces as tools for limited military activity.

“It may prove to be a useful tool in Syria in the long term, assuming Damascus pushes ahead with its suspected nuclear program and Hezbollah is so well armed - it already owns more rockets than most states - that Israel would think twice before launching air strikes ... as it did in 2007,” said Maplecroft political risk analyst Anthony Skinner. However, there is no guarantee that a state subject to a cyber attack - even if was never able to categorically prove the source - might not retaliate in either a covert or open military way against those it is believed were responsible. It’s not just about attacks. Experts say the main use of cyber capabilities by most countries is for hacking and spying, either for counterterrorism or commercial reasons. Authoritarian emerging states such as China and Russia are both frequently accused of using state spies to help government-linked businesses - and many analysts suspect Western countries have been guilty of the same as well. Few see that changing.

“States will continue to develop more sophisticated asymmetric - and deniable cyber and information attacks,” said Jonathan Wood, global issues analyst at Control Risks. “Some of these may be used for strategic and military aims, others for commercial or diplomatic espionage.”

But so far, experts say cyber attacks have been limited to data theft or deletion.

They have yet to come close to the physical damage of simply blowing something up the old-fashioned way. “To my knowledge, there is no case of a cyber attack leading to physical destruction,” said cyber warfare expert Reveron. “It is certainly possible and drives much thinking about cyber defence. But so far, there aren’t any cyber “super weapons”.”

Unless Stuxnet is, of course. And we may never know. — Agencies

PIA bomb suspect freed after ‘hoax’ call Continued from Page 1 a prosecutor decided to let the man go after questioning. Lindgren declined to give details and said investigators would release more information about the incident later. He said the man would get help with the practical details of how to reach his planned destination.

The tip was “called in by a woman in Canada,” police operation leader Stefan Radman said, adding that Swedish police took the threat seriously. Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman Sgt Marc LaPorte said an anonymous caller called twice Friday saying a man on the flight had explosives. “The first call provided vague information. It did lay out that there was an individual on that specific flight in possession of explosives and

then the second call provided more details with regards to the identity of the person,” LaPorte said. He declined to elaborate on the caller, saying there was potentially a criminal offense involved.

“We take any call of this nature very seriously. Basically we have to ascertain the credibility and reliability of the call and try to determine whether there was a deliberate intent on behalf of the caller to mislead the police or if it falls into the definition of a terrorism hoax.”

In Washington, the FBI was assisting Swedish and Canadian authorities in their investigation, FBI spokesman Paul Bresson said yesterday. Swedish police said the man was not on any international no-fly lists and had cleared a security check in Canada.

He didn’t resist when the SWAT team

took him into custody. In Pakistan, a spokesman for state-run PIA confirmed the incident involved Flight PK782 to Karachi. The passengers waited at the “international holding area” at the airport as they and their luggage were scanned and searched, airline spokesman Sultan Hasan said. Pakistani diplomats were at the airport to coordinate with the security officials.

PIA said there were 255 passengers and 18 crew members on the plane. Of the passengers, 102 were Canadian nationals, 139 Pakistanis, eight US citizens, three Indians and one each from Japan, Malaysia and Bangladesh. The Canadian Embassy in Stockholm was in contact with local authorities to gather additional information, Foreign Affairs spokesman Alain Cacchione said.

Japan vending machines sell bananas, read minds Continued from Page 1

NEW YORK: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reacts during a press conference Friday. — AP the attack”. “The majority of the American people as well as other nations and politicians agree with this view,” he declared to the astonished chamber prompting the US and other Western delegations to leave the assembly hall.

Ahmadinejad showed no desire to quell the controversy on Friday, calling for a UN probe into the “true reason” for the strikes, which he said led to US military actions that killed thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In another development, freed US hiker Sarah Shourd said she met Ahmadinejad in New York to plead for the release of her finance and a friend still jailed in Iran. Shourd, 32, was released last week after being detained in July 2009 in Iran, but had to leave behind her fiance Shane Bauer and friend Josh Fattal. The hikers say they strayed by accident

into Iran in July 2009 while hiking in the mountains in Iraqi Kurdistan. But Iranian authorities have alleged that they were spying.

Despite painstaking diplomacy, Iran has so far refused to accept an EU and US package of engagement and incentives to halt what the West says is a drive for nuclear weapons - a charge Tehran denies. US officials said here that they believe that the tough new range of sanctions imposed on Iran four months ago is beginning to bite, and has exacted a deeper toll on the economy than the government expected. However, Obama admitted in his BBC interview that there were “no guarantees” the sanctions would force Iran to change its behavior, though expressed hopes they would cause deep reflection among Iranian leaders. — AFP

Ed Miliband crowned new leader of Labour Continued from Page 1

a high level of concern about the worm among Iran’s nuclear officials. The destructive Stuxnet worm has surprised experts because it is the first one specifically created to take over industrial control systems, rather than just steal or manipulate data.

The United States is also tracking the worm, and the Department of Homeland Security is building specialized teams that can respond quickly to cyber emergencies at industrial facilities across the country.

But the US does not know who is behind it or its purpose, a top US cybersecurity official said Friday. “One of our hardest jobs is attribution and intent,” Sean McGurk, director of the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC), told reporters. “We’ve conducted analysis on the software itself,” McGurk said during a tour of the Department of Homeland Security facility outside Washington which is responsible for coordinating government cybersecurity operations.

“It’s very difficult to say ‘This is what it was targeted to do,’” he said of Stuxnet.

The worm has been found lurking on Siemens systems in India, Indonesia, Pakistan and elsewhere, but the heaviest infiltration appears to be in Iran, according to software security researchers. McGurk said Stuxnet had been found not only in power facilities but water purification or chemical plants which use the particular Siemens system it targets. “We haven’t seen any impacts or effects of what it does,” he said. “We know that it’s not doing anything specifically malicious right now.”

McGurk said he could not say who is behind the worm. “It would be premature to speculate at this time,” he said. “We’re not looking for where it came from but trying to prevent the spread,” he said, adding that Siemens is “reaching out to their customer base” to deal with the infection.

Stuxnet is able to recognize a specific facility’s control network and then destroy it, according to German computer security researcher Ralph Langner, who has been analyzing Stuxnet since it was discovered in June.

Stuxnet was tailored for Siemens supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems commonly used to manage water supplies, oil rigs, power plants and other industrial facilities. Langner suspected Stuxnet’s target was the Bushehr nuclear facility in Iran. Unspecified problems have been blamed for a delay in getting the facili-

ty fully operational. Whether the Stuxnet computer worm was really a state cyber strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities or not, but hard-to-trace computer attacks look set to be a feature of 21st-century warfare.

Western experts say the worm’s sophistication - and the fact that some 60 percent of computers infected looked to be in Iran pointed to a government-backed attack.

Some speculated Bushehr may have been targeted, perhaps by Israel.

But proving that is another thing altogether. Analysts say most major states particularly China, Russia and the United States - have invested considerably in cyber warfare and defence in recent years, but details are inherently sketchy. “Attribution is extremely difficult in cyber attacks,” said Derek Reveron, a cyber warfare expert at the US Naval War College in Rhode Island.

“Given how data moves around the world, determining the point of origin is difficult.

Then there is the difficulty of determining if it was state-sponsored or not.”

That, of course, is a key part of their appeal. Russia was widely blamed for cyber attacks on Estonia in 2007 after a dispute over a statue of a World War Two Russian soldier as well as Georgia during its 2008 war. But nothing was ever proven, and some pointed to “patriotic hackers” operating independently rather than government agencies themselves. What most experts do agree is that the increased reliance on computer systems for essential national infrastructure means such attacks are increasingly damaging. Lights could be turned off, streets turned to gridlock by targeting traffic light control systems, satellites blinded and warships left dead in the water.

Partly as a result, cyber warfare is seen as a particularly appealing option for countries that remain far outmatched by the conventional military might of the US. North Korea is seen as having particular advantages in any cyber confrontation - its own national computer infrastructure is so outdated that there would be little if anything for South Korea or US cyber warfare experts to counter-attack against. China’s “great firewall”, usually associated with censorship, is also believed to offer some defence against cyber attacks.

In his 2010 book “Cyber War”, former White House cybersecurity expert Richard Clarke sketches out a nightmare scenario in which online attacks bring the US to a standstill - and the experts can’t even tell which country attacked them. He says he believes the United States, China and others are already hacking into each other’s

message to the country is this - I know we lost trust, I know we lost touch, I know we need to change.”

The leadership contest was triggered in May when Brown resigned following the election defeat. David Miliband was until very recently the frontrunner to win the ballot of Labour lawmakers, party members and trade unionists. But after a surprise boost in support, his sibling Ed, formerly part of Brown’s inner circle, suddenly surged to the front. The younger Miliband also beat competition from former education secretary Ed Balls, ex-health secretary Andy Burnham and leftwing outsider Diane Abbott.

Ed Miliband only became a member of parliament in 2005 and held the post of secretary of state for energy and climate

change in the last government, becoming a vocal supporter of moves to curb global warming. One of the biggest challenges facing the new leader is how to respond to drastic spending cuts planned by Cameron’s coalition to rein in Britain’s huge deficit, with details due in a comprehensive spending review on Oct 20.

He also faces a tough choice on tactics over the prospect of coordinated strike action against the cuts.

If Labour fails to support the strikes, it risks annoying union bosses and activists, but if it does, it could alienate members of the public hostile to the action. His first test however is facing the party faithful, as Labour kicks off its five-day conference in Manchester today to thrash out where it stands in the new political landscape. — Agencies

million, according to industry estimates. In the world’s most saturated vending machine market, providers are competing ever more fiercely to be noticed above the machines’ neon-glare and the clatter of change with novel new offerings. Dole Japan, Ltd. turned heads when it set up a banana vending machine at a Tokyo train station in June, selling chilled bananas for 130 yen ($1.5) each or a bunch of about five for 390 yen. “You can buy bananas at convenience stores or supermarkets, but people seem to find it fun to buy them from a vending machine,” said Dole spokeswoman Hiromi Ohtaki. “People think it’s fun to watch, fun to buy and fun to eat.”

Some machines provide added social functions, such as news flashes and baseball scores on electronic display boards.

Coca-Cola (Japan) Co says 5,100 of its 980,000 machines will roll out drinks free in the wake of major earthquakes and other disasters. Most recently, a machine provided 680 bottles of beverages to people who fled their homes in the northern pre-

fecture of Hokkaido when a quake in distant Chile triggered a tsunami alert for Japan in February. At the other end of the Japanese archipelago, in a remote village of subtropical Okinawa island, Coca-Cola says it supports a nature survey with vending machine-mounted microphones that record chirps of rare birds.

The very latest in high-tech vending machines even attempts to make the consumer’s choice for them, using a camera and software that recognises a person’s sex and 10-year age band with about 75 percent accuracy. Using the point-of-sale data, the machine at Tokyo’s Shinagawa train station may look at a person and suggest a sports drink or a chilled can of espresso based on its accumulated marketing wisdom. Trying the machine recently, Hidemi Mio, 48, said that after scrutinising her with its digital brain for a second, it recommended three drinks on its 47-inch touch-screen display, including a flavoured tea. Happily, the machine guessed correctly, picking one of her favourites, she said, adding that she would take on board the machine’s suggestions again in future, especially “when I can’t make a decision”.

Payments can be made with swipe cards and cellphones as well as cash. To protect consumers’ privacy, images are deleted immediately, but data on sex, age and purchasing choice is accumulated, said Toshinari Sasagawa, general manager for sales at JR East Water Business Co, which operates the machine. “We’ve got data on what was sold, where and when. On top of that, we’ll get information on customer attributes, which we hope to use for a better product lineup and development,” he said.

The machine has been a hit since it was set up last month, said Sasagawa. Its sales are triple that of any of the other 50 vending machines in the same station, he said while declining to disclose exact sales volume. JR East Water Business, wholly owned by the giant railway operator, plans to set up 500 units of the “next-generation” machine over the next two years. In future, vending machines may increase their “communications with people”, Sasagawa said. “We want customers to experience and enjoy a purchasing process that is different from simply buying from a vending machine.” — AFP

Yemen takes town, rebels ambush bus Continued from Page 1 Four suspects thought to have been involved in the attack were detained during a wave of arrests in Sanaa later yesterday, a security official told AFP. On Wednesday, Yemeni troops had said they were preparing to launch an offensive against militants entrenched in Huta and nearby mountains. The siege of the Shabwa provincial town had already sparked a mass exodus of civilians, with between 8,000 and 12,000 of its 20,000 residents fleeing by Tuesday, the Yemeni Red Crescent said.

Displaced residents began returning to Huta yesterday. “I’m just outside the city,” said Saleh Aram, who was hoping to return home with his wife and six children. “But we are very afraid,” he added, describing the military deployment in the town as “unprecedented”.

Seven people were killed in the Huta clashes - three suspected Al-Qaeda militants, three soldiers and a tribal leader local officials said.

Twenty-eight Al-Qaeda suspects

were also arrested in the town, Shabwa security chief Ahmed Al-Maqdashi said on Wednesday.

A Yemeni security official had earlier said Al-Qaeda fighters were stopping people from leaving with a view to using them as human shields. “I’m surprised at official statements that the fighters have fled to the mountains and to unknown destinations. How did they flee?” if Huta was under siege, one local tribal chief who asked not to be identified told AFP on Saturday. Huta is one of two Yemeni towns to have been attacked by suspected Al-Qaeda militants in the past month. In late August, government forces and alleged Al-Qaeda members fought a pitched battle in the town of Loder in neighbouring Abyan province that killed at least 33 people, including 19 militants.

Britain warned on Friday of “massive dangers” to world security should Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country and increasingly an Al-Qaeda stronghold, become a failed state. The situation in Yemen was described as “a very

potent cocktail for danger” by Britain’s international development minister Alan Duncan at UN headquarters in New York. He was speaking at the latest meeting of international support group the Friends of Yemen.

Sanaa has intensified its operations against Al-Qaeda since AQAP claimed responsibility for a botched attack on US-bound airliner on Christmas Day last year. Yemen, which is also battling a sporadic Shiite rebellion in the north, is the ancestral homeland of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and has seen repeated attacks by his jihadist network.

The formerly independent south has also witnessed growing discontent with the Sanaa government spearheaded by a coalition of secessionist and autonomist groups dubbed the Southern Movement, which denies any connection with AlQaeda. One of its exiled leaders, Ali Salem Al-Baid, had described the campaign against the militants in Huta as a government attempt to secure funding from foreign donors at the Friends of Yemen meeting. — AFP

Sunday, September 26, 2010

SPORTS

15

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

American League Eastern Division W L PCT GB Tampa Bay 92 61 .601 NY Yankees 92 62 .597 0.5 Boston 85 68 .556 7 Toronto 78 75 .510 14 Baltimore 61 92 .399 31 Central Division Minnesota 92 61 Chicago White Sox 81 72 Detroit 78 75 Kansas City 63 90 Cleveland 63 91

.601 .529 .510 .412 .409

11 14 29 29.5

Texas Oakland LA Angels Seattle

Western Division 85 68 .556 77 76 .503 75 78 .490 58 95 .379

8 10 27

Philadelphia Atlanta Florida NY Mets Washington

National League Eastern Division 93 61 86 68 76 77 74 79 66 88

.604 .558 .497 .484 .429

7 16.5 18.5 27

Cincinnati St. Louis Houston Milwaukee Chicago Cubs Pittsburgh

Central Division 86 68 79 74 74 80 72 81 69 84 53 100

.558 .516 .481 .471 .451 .346

6.5 12 13.5 16.5 32.5

San Francisco San Diego Colorado LA Dodgers Arizona

Western Division 87 67 .565 86 67 .562 82 71 .536 75 79 .487 62 92 .403

0.5 4.5 12 25

DENVER: Seth Smith No. 7 of the Colorado Rockies slides into second base ahead of the tag by second baseman Freddy Sanchez No. 21 of the San Francisco Giants in the sixth inning at Coors Field.—AFP

Lincecum leads Giants to win over Rockies DENVER: Tim Lincecum threw eight stellar innings and Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer as the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 2-1 to retain its slim lead in the National League West.

The Giants entered the day with a halfgame lead over San Diego, which beat Cincinnati 4-3 later Friday. The struggling Rockies dropped their fifth straight game and fell 4 1/2 games behind the Giants with nine games remaining.

Lincecum, the reigning two-time NL CY Young pitching award winner, retired the first 15 batters. He allowed two hits, the first a bloop double to Seth Smith in the sixth that hit just inside the chalk in shallow left. Eric Young Jr. followed with a two-out RBI single for the Rockies’ only run.

Lincecum (15-10) finished with nine strikeouts, moving his total to a league-leading 229.

Padres 4, Reds 3 At San Diego, Miguel Tejada hit a goahead, two-run single with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning as San

Diego took the NL wild-card lead and kept Cincinnati’s magic number for clinching the NL Central at three.

Tejada worked the count full against Nick Masset before singling past diving shortstop Orlando Cabrera to bring in Chase Headley and Will Venable. Tejada had three RBIs for the Padres, who took a half-game lead over Atlanta in the wild-card race and remained a half-game behind San Francisco in the NL West.

Headley started the winning rally with a one-out single against Arthur Rhodes (4-4).

Pinch-hitter Nick Hundley walked and was forced on Venable’s grounder. Masset came on and walked David Eckstein to load the bases and bring up Tejada.

Phillies 3, Mets 2 At Philadelphia, Joe Blanton threw seven strong innings and Carlos Ruiz hit a tiebreaking RBI single as NL East-leading Philadelphia, beat New York for its 11th straight. The Phillies’s magic number for clinching their fourth consecutive division title is two with eight games remaining

since Atlanta lost 8-3 at Washington. The winning streak is Philadelphia’s longest since a 13-game stretch in 1991.

Blanton (8-6) allowed two runs and six hits, striking out six. Shane Victorino homered on knuckleballer R.A. Dickey’s second pitch, and also had an RBI double.

seven hits in 5 2-3 innings.

Hudson walked six, equaling his career high. Dunn led off the second with a long home run, his 36th. He hit a two-run homer in the third for his 30th multihomer game and sixth this season. Dunn added a two-run single in the sixth giving him 101 RBIs.

Nationals 8, Braves 3

Cardinals 7, Cubs 1

At Washington, Adam Dunn hit two home runs and drove in five runs, Willie Harris hit an inside-the-park homer and Jordan Zimmermann won his first game in 15 months as Washington handed Atlanta its fourth straight loss. The Braves began the day one-half game ahead of San Diego in the NL wild card race. Washington, which won its fourth straight _ its longest winning streak of the season — denied retiring manager Bobby Cox his 2,500th win in his 4,500th game as a major league manager.

Dunn, who missed Thursday’s game with elbow and hamstring injuries, hit both home runs off Nationals nemesis Tim Hudson (169), who dropped to 10-2 against the Nationals franchise. He allowed six runs and

At Chicago, Adam Wainwright pitched six innings for his 20th victory and Allen Craig hit a three-run homer as St. Louis trounced Chicago. Wainwright joined CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay as baseball’s third 20-game winner one season after no big league pitchers accomplished the feat.

Wainwright (20-11) coasted after getting staked a 3-0 lead in the first inning. He allowed one run and six hits, striking out seven and walking one. He tied Halladay for the NL lead in strikeouts with 213 and lowered his ERA to 2.42, second behind Marlins starter Josh Johnson in the NL.

Astros 10, Pirates 7 At Pittsburgh, Brett Myers struggled

through six innings for his sixth consecutive win, and Hunter Pence had three hits and three RBIs as Houston sent Pittsburgh to its 100th loss of the season.

Myers (14-7) was tagged for six runs — five earned — and six hits. He walked four and struck out one. But thanks to Pence’s hitting, he tied his career high for victories, established in 2003 with Philadelphia, and kept alive his string of pitching at least six innings in all 32 starts this season.

That is the longest streak since Curt Schilling went at least six innings in all 35 starts for Arizona in 2002. The Pirates are secured of their record 18th straight losing season but this is Pittsburgh’s first 100-loss year since 2001.

Brewers 6, Marlins 2 At Milwaukee, Ryan Braun drove in three runs and former first-round pick Jeremy Jeffress earned his first career win as Milwaukee downed Florida. The loss mathematically eliminated the Marlins from playoff contention.

Jeffress was taken in the first round in

Rays down Mariners as Red Sox defeat Yankees ST. PETERSBURG: Willy Aybar drove in two runs and Rafael Soriano set a team record with his 44th save of the season as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Seattle Mariners 5-3 on Friday to move back into first place in the American League East.

Tampa Bay reduced its magic number to three to clinch the franchise’s second playoff berth and moved a half game ahead of New York, which lost to Boston. Soriano, the fourth Tampa Bay reliever, pitched the ninth to break Roberto Hernandez’s franchise save record set in 1999.

Seattle’s Jason Vargas (9-12) lost his seventh straight start, which is one off the team record held by Randy Johnson (1992) and Rick Honeycutt (1980).

Red Sox 10, Yankees 8 At New York, Andy Pettitte was ineffective in his second start since being activated from the disabled list as Boston held off New York.

Jed Lowrie hit a three-run homer off Pettitte (11-3) and went 4 for 4, setting a career high for hits. Bill Hall added a three-run shot against Jonathan Albaladejo, handing Red Sox starter Josh Beckett (6-5) a 10-1 cushion in the fifth.

Alex Rodriguez rallied the Yankees with a pair of home runs, giving him 610 to pass Sammy Sosa for sixth place on the career list.

Mark Teixeira also connected twice as New York went deep a season-high six times.

Rangers 10, Athletics 3 At Oakland, California, Tommy Hunter pitched effectively into the sixth inning to earn his career-high 13th victory and Vladimir Guerrero was a triple short of the cycle driving in four runs for Texas.

The Rangers reduced their magic number to two. They can clinch the AL West by beating Oakland in either of the final two games of this four-game series. Hunter (13-4) scattered six hits over 5 1-3 innings and didn’t allow a runner past second base until the sixth when the A’s scored their first run.

Blue Jays 6, Orioles 4 At Toronto, Jose Bautista hit two home runs to increase his major league-leading total to 52,

Dodgers 3, D’backs 1 At Phoenix, Clayton Kershaw allowed four hits and a run in eight-plus innings as Los Angeles hung on for the victory over Arizona.

The 22-year-old left-hander struck out nine in his career-high 32nd appearance.

Kershaw (13-10) saw his ERA fall to 2.91.

His career-best ERA is 2.79 last year. Trent Oeltjen’s two-out triple in the third inning gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead.

Andre Ethier tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jay Gibbons in the fourth. Reed Johnson made it 3-0 with a home run in the eighth. The Diamondbacks scored in the ninth on a leadoff single by Chris Young and Tony Abreu’s double. —AP

Kameda stops Sakata to retain WBC flyweight title

and Vernon Wells also went deep as the Blue Jays beat Baltimore for the 12th straight time in Toronto.

Left-hander Brett Cecil (14-7) gave up three runs in 6 1-3 innings for the win, improving to 3-0 in four career starts against the Orioles.

All three homers came off Baltimore righthander Chris Tillman (1-5), who allowed five runs and four hits in six innings.

Tigers 10, Twins 1 At Detroit, Justin Verlander struck out 11 batters in a complete game and Jhonny Peralta drove in four runs as Detroit thrashed Minnesota.

Miguel Cabrera had a two-run homer and scored three runs for the Tigers, who have won six of their last seven. Verlander (18-8) improved to 5-0 in his last seven starts and became the first Tiger to strike out 200 batters in consecutive seasons since Jack Morris in 1987-88. Francisco Liriano (14-9) allowed two runs in three-plus innings before leaving the game with an illness.

Indians 7, Royals 3 At Cleveland, rookie Josh Tomlin pitched a four-hitter for his first career complete game, helping Cleveland avoid a 100-loss season.

Tomlin (5-4) allowed three runs, struck out a season-high six and walked two as the Indians snapped a five-game losing streak.

Jayson Nix homered twice for Cleveland and Choo Shin-soo had three hits off Luke Hochevar (6-6). As bad as they’ve been this season, the Indians (63-91) can’t surpass 99 losses even if they don’t win any of their final eight games.

White Sox 2, Angels 1 At Anaheim, California, Alex Rios hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the ninth inning and Paul Konerko homered to lead Chicago over Los Angeles.

Francisco Rodriguez (1-4) took over in the ninth from starter Joel Pineiro and gave up a one-out walk to Juan Pierre, a single to Omar Vizquel and Rios’ line drive to center field. Matt Thornton (5-4) allowed two hits over two scoreless innings for the victory. —AP

2006 but his career appeared in jeopardy after he was suspended 50 games in 2007 and 100 games in ‘09 for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy.

Marlins rookie Logan Morrison’s 42game streak of reaching base safely was snapped. He went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts.

OAKLAND: Vladimir Guerrero No. 27 of the Texas Rangers hits a three run double in the seventh inning against the Oakland Athletics during a Major League Baseball game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.—AFP

TOKYO: Japan’s Daiki Kameda defeated compatriot and former title-holder Takefumi Sakata by a unanimous decision to retain his World Boxing Association (WBA) flyweight title yesterday.

Three judges scored it 116112, 117-112 and 118-110, all in favor of the defending champion.

“He (Sakata) never shrunk and kept fighting bravely until the end. I’m very happy to defend the title against such an opponent,” said Kameda, 21.

“I’m satisfied with the result, but I couldn’t fight in my style of boxing, because he is really a strong champion. I must train harder,” he added.

It was Kameda’s first defence of the title he wrested from Denkaosen Kaowichit of Thailand in February, stretching his record to 18 wins, including 11 KOs, against two defeats.

The 30-year-old Sakata, ranked fifth in the WBA, failed to reclaim the title he held from December 2006 to December 2008, when he lost its fifth defence.

Sakata saw his record reduced to 36 wins, including 17 KOs, against six defeats and two draws.

Kameda is the second of three notorious boxing brothers, all of whom have bad-boy images in the media.

He was suspended from boxing for a year after his failed title bid against then World Boxing Commission flyweight champion Daisuke Naito in October 2007, for using dirty tactics including wrestling the veteran champion to the canvas.

Kameda’s elder brother, Koki, was reprimanded by the Japan Boxing Commission for urging his brother to fight dirty.

Their father, Shiro Kameda, has been barred by the WBC from

serving as a cornerman in its matches for abusing match officials and has been slapped with a life ban by Japan’s boxing authority.

Meanwhile, the Super Six World Boxing Classic has undergone another twist after weeks of negotiations, and the result is the tournament featuring six of the best super middleweights is right back where it started.

Tournament organizer Showtime announced two of the final group stage matches on Friday. Andre Ward will defend his WBA title against Andre Dirrell on Nov. 27 at a venue in the United States. Germany’s Arthur Abraham will face Britain’s Carl Froch at Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland on the same day.

“Ward and Dirrell will be at a venue to be announced, but everyone is committed to that date,” Showtime spokesman Chris DeBlasio told The Associated Press. “After a lot of behind closed-doors meetings, it really is right back where we started.” There’s been no decision on what to do with American Allan Green, who was left without an opponent when Mikkel Kessler of Denmark dropped out with an injury several weeks ago.

There were discussions for Green to step aside and allow the other four to move straight to semifinals, but that plan was scrapped and Showtime was working to find an opponent for him.

Each of the fighters in the modified round-robin tournament is contractually guaranteed three group stage fights, earning points based on each outcome to result in four semifinalists. “Things have sort of come around full circle,” DeBlasio said. —AP

SPORTS

16

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Wounded Tiger ready to roar at Ryder Cup NEWPORT: Entering the frenzied bear pit of the Ryder Cup ought to be the last thing Tiger Woods feels like doing right now after the traumas of the past 10 months.

Public humiliation, private torment, a lengthy self-imposed exile and a disappointing comeback hardly constitute ideal preparation for one of the most mentally demanding contests in golf.

But Woods has proved time and again that he has a knack of treating convention with contempt, and it would be unwise to bet against him proving influential at Celtic Manor, even if the Ryder Cup has rarely been a happy hunting ground for him during his glittering career.

In five previous appearances he has only featured on a winning American team once, at Brookline in 1999, and in 24 matches he

has a losing record-winning nine, losing 13 and halving two.

The hoopla surrounding the superstar has been cited by some as a reason for the problems the United States had in breaking Europe’s dominance of the event over much of the past decade until they won without him in 2008.

A popular theory is that the absence of Woods at Valhalla two years ago liberated a fresh-faced American team and forced Paul Azinger’s inexperienced line-up to step up to the plate.

“Without him, everyone wanted to be leader of the team,” recalled Sergio Garcia.

“You could see a different energy in the team.”

Others have questioned whether Woods will be a hindrance or a help this year.

Peter Oosterhuis, a veteran of six Ryder Cups, suggested recently that Woods’ presence may prove corrosive.

“Reading about things that have happened with Tiger playing the Ryder Cup before, he hasn’t fitted in with the team very well at all. I have my doubts about how he will this year,” Oosterhuis said.

“I don’t think he’s going to help the team. I think he’s just going to muddy the waters and cause problems that they don’t need.”

The compelling counter-argument is that every golfer on the planet would want Woods in their team if given the choice.

“If you had to make a six-footer on Sunday afternoon to win the Ryder Cup, who would you pick?” asks Greg Norman.

“It would be Tiger Woods. He’s made more

six-footers to win championships than any other player on that team.”

Former Europe captain Sam Torrance is similarly unequivocal. “He’s the best player in the world,” Torrance said. “He didn’t play for six months this year and he still just failed to make the team. It’s Tiger Woods, you have to have him in your team.”

In the event, it came as no surprise when US captain Corey Pavin confirmed Woods as one of his four wild cards in the American line-up.

Unlike previous campaigns, Pavin believes Woods will feel less burdened by expectation after the problems of the past year.

Asked if he felt Woods was under more pressure to perform at this year’s event,

Pavin replied: “I’d argue the opposite actually.

“He’s in a position as a pick and he has not played up to his own standards. But he’s playing some very good golf now, just like everybody on the team.

“He’s one of 12 guys and I’m going to pair him and talk to him just like all the other players I’ve talked to about who they want to play with and who I feel is best for them.”

Pavin also revealed that he would not be afraid to bench Woods if he felt it was in the interests of the team. “Tiger told me he will do whatever is necessary to help the team win and that is going to be my call,” Pavin said.

“I will probably be making that decision a little bit on the fly but I’m not afraid to not

play him every match, that’s for sure.” The Europeans are certainly in no doubt about the challenge presented by Woods.

“If it’s Tiger in front of you, you know you are going to have to play well to beat him as he is the best player in the world,” said Lee Westwood.

Westwood also hopes Woods will be treated with respect by the fiercely partisan home support. “I’d hope the European supporters won’t be disrepectful,” Westwood said. “Besides, I think Tiger’s heard most of it already.

“I played with him at the Bridgestone and during the first two rounds of the US Open and heard some abusive stuff shouted at him, stuff that made me uncomfortable and shouldn’t be said on the golf course.”—AFP

Furyk and Donald tied for lead at East Lake

ATLANTA: Jim Furyk watches his tee shot on the second green during third round play in The Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club.—AP

Cochran ahead at Champions Tour CARY: Russ Cochran shot an 8-under 64, making six birdies in a seven-hole stretch in the middle of the round and eagling No. 17, to take a one-stroke lead over defending champion Tom Pernice Jr. on Friday in the Champions Tour’s SAS Championship.

Cochran, coming off his first victory on the 50and-over tour two weeks ago in South Korea, had the best first-round score in the history of the tournament. “I think that’s probably the reason I played good today because I’ve been on a high from the last three or four weeks,” Cochran said.

“I was certainly a little shaky starting off. I had a lot of par saves, so really a lucky round. But I played some really good golf the last 12 or 13

holes.” Pernice had a hole-in-one on the 188-yard 11th hole. “I hit it right at the hole, and I thought it was going to be short,” Pernice said.

“I turned away to put my club away, and the next thing I know, they’re screaming that it went in the hole. So I didn’t get to see it, but that’s OK. ... The hole-in-one was great, really got me going.

But the save for birdie on 12, since I hit it out there and had a pretty simple shot to reach and missed the green and then got up and down, really, was really the key to the round.” Bob Gilder and David Eger opened with 66s, and Nick Price and Ted Schulz followed at 67. Bernhard Langer, the tour leader with five victories, and Fred Couples had 71s. —AP

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Banks Club recently presented a memorial plaque to the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information, Sheikh Faisal Al-Malik AlSabah, in acknowledgment for the ministry’s active support for the KBC’s league and cup championships. (Above) Sheikh Faisal Al-Sabah receives the present from the KBC’s deputy general manager, Abbas Al-Bloushy. (Below) Sheikh Faisal Al-Sabah presents a memorial plaque to the KBC.

ATLANTA: Jim Furyk played bogey-free on the back nine at East Lake and shot a tournamentbest 65 on Friday for a share of the 36-hole lead with Luke Donald of England, who had another 66.

A two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year, Furyk began the FedEx Cup playoffs at No. 3 in the standings. But in the opening event at The Barclays, he was disqualified for missing the proam when his alarm didn’t go off.

He slipped six spots, and didn’t scare anyone the next two weeks to fall to No. 11.

But with the top players in the standings starting to fade, Furyk only has to win at East Lake to collect the $10 million FedEx Cup prize — the biggest payoff in golf.

“It’s a bunch of money,” Furyk said.

“The only thing I can really control is to go out and play good on the weekend, try to win the golf tournament. And at that point, there’s nothing else I can do about it.” Furyk has a chance to join Tiger Woods as the only FedEx Cup champion to miss the first playoff event, although it wasn’t by choice.

“I’d like to join him with about 16 majors, too,” Furyk said. “But that doesn’t look like it’s in the cards.” Going into the weekend, the deck is stacked in his favor.

Donald did a great job scrambling whenever he struggled off the tee, and pieced together another 66 to join Furyk at 8-under 132.

One shot behind was Geoff Ogilvy, who had seven birdies in his round of 67.

Ogilvy’s biggest concern was the Australian Rules Football grand final in Melbourne with his beloved St. Kilda going for only its second championship. He planned to watch the game and worry about sleep some other night. Saturday’s third round, with tee times moved up because of NBC Sports’ obligation to Notre Dame college football, could determine whether this FedEx Cup finale is a three-man race.

Ogilvy, at 7-under 133, was the only player within four shots of the leaders. K.J. Choi did well to stay close by knocking in a 45foot birdie putt on the par-3 18th, one of only seven birdies on that hole through two rounds. Phil Mickelson’s hopes were fading.

He had a chance to become the first repeat winner of the Tour Championship, and even a runner-up finish would be enough to replace Woods at No. 1 in the world ranking. Mickelson, however, had a 72 and was tied for 13th, nine shots out of the lead.

England’s Paul Casey, getting plenty of attention for his Ryder Cup snub, had a share of the lead at various times during the hot afternoon until a sloppy finish, making bogeys on this last three holes for a 71. That put him in the group at 3-under 137.

Casey is No. 5 in the standings — the highest-seeded player without a victory this year — and he could wind up a FedEx Cup champion with a runner-up finish depending on how top-seeded Matt Kuchar fares.

“If I want to get up there and challenge those guys, I’m going to have to hit it a lot better than I did today,” Casey said.

Furyk was in that spot a year ago — a chance to win the FedEx Cup without winning on tour that year. He was a stronger contender this year with his victories at Innisbrook and Hilton Head.

But then he lost ground with his pro-am blunder.

Furyk headed home to Florida, making no excuses for his battery dying in a cell phone that he used for an alarm. —AP

PARIS: Francois Delamontagne of France prepares his putt at the 9th hole, on the third day of the Vivendi Cup at the Joyenval golf course.—AP

Sandelin, Parry top Vivendi Cup CHAMBOURCY: Sweden’s Jarmo Sandelin shot a 6-under 66 on Golf de Joyenval’s Retz Course on Friday for a share of the second-round lead with England’s John Parry in the Vivendi Cup. Parry had a 67, also on the Retz Course on the western outskirts of Paris, to match Sandelin at 13-under 131.

England’s James Morrison (68), Australia’s Richard Green (66), South Africa’s George Coetzee (66) and France’s Julien Guerrier (69) were threestrokes behind at 10 under. They all played the Marly Course, the site of the final two rounds.

European Ryder Cup player Padraig Harrington, the highest-ranked player in the field, shot a 74 on the Retz Course to make the cut by a stroke at 2 under, which left him 11 shots behind the leaders.

Harrington had a treble bogey and a double bogey, and complained about his form on the greens after three-putting five times in two rounds. “It needs tidying up,” he said.

Sandelin hopes the newest tournament on the European Tour will provide a turning point in a career that has long been in decline. Since making his lone Ryder Cup appearance at Brookline in 1999, Sandelin, now 43, has not won for eight years and has lost his European Tour card three times. He feels, however, that a recent change of diet could hold the key to a comeback.

“I have changed my nutrition completely,” he said. “I don’t try to have any intake of sugar now because if you have too much of it, it keeps you going up and down and you feel tired. I used to intake

lots of sweet soft drinks and eat lots of candies. But not any more.

“Now I am not getting tired out on the golf course and I hope that is the key to me becoming more consistent.” It’s not unusual for Sandelin to change his diet — in the 1990s he consumed volcanic dust.

“I have been on tour 15 years and I have tried a lot of different things,” he said. “And if I can find a recipe where I play like this more often then I will be very happy.” Parry also led last week’s Austrian Open after two rounds but buckled under pressure in the closing two rounds and finished 20th.

“It’s hard to say what I learned from that experience,” Parry said after a finishing his round with four straight birdies.

“But I will probably handle it a little bit better this time.”—AP

Racing scrape past Biarritz Watson, Katich PARIS: Racing Metro eked out a scrappy 17-12 victory over Biarritz yesterday to remain in pole position of the Top 14. Racing outsidehalf Jonathan Wisniewski hit an early penalty but missed the conversion to a 10th minute try from winger Benjamin Fall.

Racing snubbed a penalty opportunity to go for touch, rumbled to the line, and saw the ball spun wide by centre Henry Chavancy to Fall, the wing-cum-fullback signed in the off-season from Bayonne crossing unmolested in the corner.

The Parisian club’s Italian centre Mirco Bergamasco then saved a try, just tipping away a Adrien Ayestaran grubber from Takudzwa Ngwenya’s fingers.

But Biarritz finally got on the scoreboard when Julien Peyrelongue struck a 25th minute penalty after a late Jones Qovu tackle.

Wisniewski hit back with his second and third penalties either side of the break, but Peyrelongue

kept the visitors in the game with a drop-goal of his own.

Dimitri Yachvili, on for Ayestaran, notched up a 65th minute penalty but missed a second effort before nailing another with six minutes to play to ensure Biarritz returned to the Basque country with a bonus defensive point.

European champions Toulouse missed their chance to move above second-placed Toulon, 26-3 winners over bottom club Bourgoin, after they were held 16-16 by Brive.

Stade Francais gave their stuttering start to the season a boost with a much-needed 27-12 win over newly-promoted Agen.

And defending Top 14 champions Clermont racked up a 24-6 victory over Castres to give the table a distinctly middle-heavy look.

Yesterday’s late games see Bayonne host Perpignan and Montpellier entertaining La Rochelle.—AFP

hit centuries CHANDIGARH: Australian openers Shane Watson and Simon Katich geared up for an upcoming Test series against India with impressive centuries in a practice match yesterday.

Watson scored 115 and Katich made 104 as the tourists posted 319-1 in their first innings at stumps on the opening day of a three-day game against an Indian Board President’s XI in Chandigarh.

Michael Clarke was unbeaten on 43 and skipper Ricky Ponting on 42 not out. Watson cracked 16 fours in his 199-ball knock before being bowled by leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, while Katich smashed 15 boundaries in a 178-ball knock before retiring.

Australia will play two Tests, in Mohali (Oct 15) and Bangalore (Oct 9-13), and three one-day internationals in Kochi (Oct 17), Visakhapatnam (Oct 20) and Goa (Oct 24).

Brief scores: Australia 1st innings 319-1 (S. Watson 115, S. Katich 104 retd, M. Clarke 43 not out, R. Ponting 42 not out; P. Chawla 1-120 ) v Indian Board President’s XI.—AFP

SPORTS

Sunday, September 26, 2010

17

NBA will whistle more techs for ‘overt’ gestures NEW YORK: Tired of player rants, the NBA plans to crack down this season on “overt” gestures, such as swinging a fist in the air in anger.

And players can be called for technical fouls even if those actions weren’t directed at a referee. The league wants more respect for the game and its officials, so it’s expanding the list of unsportsmanlike actions that will be punishable.

“Why are we doing this? We just want to have everyone take ownership of how our game looks and the image of our game, and send a message that we want player complaining to be minimized and for everyone to have respect for the game,” executive vice president

of basketball operations Stu Jackson said Friday during a conference call.

Apparently, the calls to cut out the whining go beyond the league office.

“Our fan research shows that people think NBA players complain too much and they do so much more than players in other leagues,” Jackson said.

“But that aside, in reviewing our games, what we have observed is an excessive amount of complaining to referees’ calls or non-calls.”

So for the second time in four years, the NBA is warning players that more technical fouls could be coming if the yelping doesn’t stop. The crackdown during the 2006-07 season ignited a feud with the players, who eventually

filed an unfair labor practice charge against the league with the National Labor Relations Board.

“Didn’t we go through this three years ago?” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “We encourage our players to really contain themselves. It will work itself out as the season goes forward.

I’ve always liked players that can contain that and understand what’s going on on the floor.”

Stu Jackson doesn’t expect this one to be as tense, as he emphasized this is not a “zero-tolerance policy” and players will still be permitted to have discussions with referees.

Players may have a different feeling once they see some of what could earn

them a technical foul and the automatic fine that goes with it — which Jackson said may increase this season.

On Thursday night, executives from the referee operations department showed videos of some plays that would warrant technicals this season to officials and media during the referees’ training camp in Jersey City, New Jersey.

In one play, Carlos Boozer swings his arm in anger after a missed shot, likely believing he was fouled.

However, there was not a referee nearby, leaving open the possibility that Boozer was perhaps angry with himself and not yelling at an official.

In another, LeBron James hurries

across the court with his arms raised to question a call that went against him, but not in a particularly menacing manner. That doesn’t matter. Jackson said actions like those slow down the game and won’t be tolerated.

Besides punching the air, other examples of punishable offenses this season include: ● Waving off an official as a sign of disrespect ● Running up to an official from across the court ● Waving arms in disbelief, or jumping up and down in disbelief ● Clapping sarcastically at an official Coaches were already told of the new enforcement plans, along with

another point of emphasis this season: There will be an “almost zero-tolerance policy” on assistants yelling at referees.

Players will learn the details in a preseason memo, and also during a clinic given to their teams by referee operations officials.

Technical fouls rose early in the 2006-07 season, which angered players in part because of what it costs them. Players are fined $1,000 for each of their first five technicals. The fine increases by $500 for each five after that, capped by a $2,500 penalty for each one starting with the 16th.

A one-game suspension also comes at that point and for every other tech-

nical thereafter. Jackson said the league hadn’t determined how much those fines would be this season. He believes there has been some “slippage” in enforcing the respect for the game guidelines in the last four years, but wants it curbed.

“That’s good and bad,” Minnesota forward Michael Beasley said.

“Sometimes we should just shut up and play basketball. But I think for the fans’ sake and the viewers’ sake, it’s good to see some emotion. You wouldn’t want me out there just playing with the same face and not looking like I’m having fun, right? It’s good and bad.

But I think emotion is always the best.”—AP

Alonso edges Vettel to clinch Singapore pole Yao Ming celebrates in this file photo

Yao is Rockets’ ‘big unknown’ HOUSTON: All-star center Yao Ming said Friday that he’s still not sure what to expect from himself this season after foot surgery in July 2009 sidelined him all of last year.

“After one year away, I keep telling myself, ‘Be patient, be patient,”‘ Yao said, the day before the Houston Rockets open training camp. “This injury cannot be helped by one day. Last night, I was thinking, ‘This season is about to start.’ It’s time to go.”

Yao was cleared by team doctor Tom Clanton to resume basketball activities a month ago. His reconstructed left foot has held up fine in individual workouts and scrimmages, but the true tests will come when the Rockets start playing exhibition games. Houston opens its preseason against Orlando on Oct. 5.

“I haven’t played in a real game yet,” Yao said. “I don’t know how it might react to the intensity.

Hopefully, we can learn as soon as possible.” Coach Rick Adelman and general manager Daryl Morey are as eager as anyone to find out.

Following doctors’ orders, the Rockets will limit Yao to 24 minutes per game, and it’s up to Adelman to decide how those minutes are divided.

In the meantime, Adelmam said it’s up to Yao to build his conditioning to the point where he can even endure 24 minutes.

“Yao is the big unknown,” Adelman said. “I don’t think it’s fair to say he’s going to play 24 minutes. It’s got to be something that he feels comfortable with, and it’s going to benefit our team, in the long run. It’s something we just have to gauge.” Morey says the 24 minutes are a “hard number” for now, but added that the Rockets will confer with doctors throughout the season to see if Yao might be able to play more.

“As he progresses and as the doctors get more info, we may get new guidance on how he may be used,” Morey said. “Right now, it’s something we’ll sort of take day-to-day, what’s best for the team, what’s best for Yao Ming?

“Our constant focus is, we need him to help us win the regular season, more importantly, we need him to help us win in the playoffs if we can get there,” Morey said.

“Also, for his career, we’re obviously taking a cautious approach.” The Rockets went 4240 and missed the playoffs with Yao on the sidelines last season.

Chuck Hayes, at 6-foot-6, played

center, and Houston relied on an up-tempo offensive style to win games. Adelman said the main directive in training camp is to improve defensively, and the players know it’ll help to have their 7foot-6 center back patrolling the lane, even in limited action.

“It’s going to take a while for the big fella to get in shape and get back into the flow of things,” forward Shane Battier said. “But he’ll get there eventually, and when he does, he’s going to really help us.”

Point guard Aaron Brooks, who averaged 19.6 points last season, said Yao’s presence will open opportunities for the perimeter players on the offensive end, as well. “From the time he gets on the floor, he’ll definitely be a focal point,” Brooks said. “We had a couple of games last year, where we went about five minutes without scoring a basket. We need him, he’s going to help us. I’m just looking forward to playing with him again. I’ve played a couple of pickup games, and I’d forgotten how easy it was to play with the guy.” Yao has averaged 19.1 points and 9.3 rebounds in seven seasons since the Rockets drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2002. —AP

Sharapova to defend Pan Pacific Open title TOKYO: Maria Sharapova returns to a happy hunting ground to defend the star-studded Pan Pacific Open women’s tennis tournament starting in Japan today.

Twenty six out of the world’s top 30 players will take part in the two-million-dollar hard court tournament, with only Kim Clijsters, Serena and Venus Williams and Justine Henin missing.

Sharapova won her first WTA singles and doubles titles at the 2003 Japan Open in Tokyo, and earned her first professional title on the ITF Circuit series in Gunma, north of the capital, a year earlier. The Russian has won four of her 22 WTA titles in Tokyo, including the Japan Open twice and the Pan Pacific Open in 2005 and 2009.

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.

The former world number one has slipped to 15th and will start her campaign from the first round against wild card entrant Kimiko Date

Krumm of Japan, the winner in 1995.

The 2009 US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark will lead the upper echelon, which includes fourth seed Samantha Stosur of Australia, sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland and eighth seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

It also includes 2008 champion Dinara Safina of Russia, whose ranking went down to 59th in the world. Wozniacki and other top seven seeds received first-round byes. The top seeded Dane will take on a qualifier in the second round.

The bottom half includes Sharapova, second seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia, third seed Jankovic, Beijing Olympic gold medallist Elena Dementieva of Russia, and French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy.

Dementieva, also the Sydney Olympic silver medallist, won her career biggest title then by winning the 2006 event here.

Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic and Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria, who caused a sensation by reaching the semi-finals at Wimbledon, will make their Japan debuts. —AFP

Nadal set for Thailand Open debut BANGKOK: Rafael Nadal will make his first appearance since completing a career Grand Slam when he headlines next week’s Thailand Open, which also features the return of 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.

Nadal, who became the seventh player to win all four Grand Slam titles with victory at the US Open in September, had to withdraw from the Bangkok event in 2008 and 2009 because of injuries, but is finally ready to make his first appearance.

The world No. 1 arrived in

Thailand on Tuesday and has been relaxing with friends at the beach resort of Hua Hin ahead of the start of the tournament tomorrow.

After a first-round bye, Nadal will play his opening match on Thursday against one of two qualifiers, but before that he will participate in a tree-planting ceremony in Hua Hin on Tuesday as part of the “One Million Trees for the King” anti-global warming project.

The Spaniard will also pay a visit to Prime Minister Abhisit

Vejjajiva at the Government House on Wednesday.

Del Potro, meanwhile, is preparing for his first match since January after recovering from wrist surgery. The Argentine, whose ranking fell from No. 4 to No. 35 during his absence, will play Belgium’s Olivier Rochus in the first round. “I’m happy to be back in Thailand as I came to play here three years ago.

Bangkok is a nice city and Thai people are nice. I will try my best every match here,” said Del Potro. —AP

SINGAPORE: Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso stormed to pole position for the high-stakes Singapore Grand Prix yesterday, edging Sebastian Vettel to give his world championship hopes another timely boost.

It was a crucial drive by the Spaniard, with the front row of the grid likely to be decisive on the Marina Bay street circuit where overtaking is possible, but difficult.

He convincingly outpaced his title rivals under floodlights with a blistering lap of 1:45.390, which was enough to beat Red Bull’s Vettel into second place.

Lewis Hamilton and his McLaren teammate Jenson Button will start on the second row after finishing third and fourth, respectively.

It was Alonso’s second pole in a row and followed his victory in Monza at the last Grand Prix, coming at a crucial stage of the season with just five races to go in a tight championship year.

There are five drivers still in contention for the title, making this race hugely important.

Australian Mark Webber leads on 187 points, five ahead of Britain’s Hamilton, with Alonso third on 166.

Defending world champion Button is still in the hunt with 164 points, while Germany’s Vettel is fifth, a point further adrift.

“I was happy with my lap and got 100 percent out of the car today,” said Alonso, who will be gunning for his 25th victory today.

“It’s going to be a tough race but we are in the best position. At the moment Lewis and Mark are ahead in championship so the target is to finish in front of them, or at least not lose points to them.”

Driving under lights in the sport’s only night race and on a circuit that demands total concentration, Red Bull’s Webber was fifth fastest and will line up on the third row alongside Rubens Barrichello in a Williams. Then came Nico Rosberg in the Mercedes ahead of Renault’s Robert Kubica.

But there was huge disappointment for Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari, which stopped with electrical problems during Q1, meaning he will start last on the grid after failing to post a lap time.

Michael Schumacher, driving in the first night race of his twodecade career, starts ninth. Vettel was disappointed that he failed to snatch pole after an impressive performance in practice on Friday.

“It was a messy qualifying for us after a smooth practice yesterday and earlier today. We never really got into the rhythm in qualifying,” he said.

“We wanted to be on pole so didn’t obtain an optimum, but starting second is not such a bad thing.” In contrast, Hamilton was happy with third. “It’s not such a bad session for me and an improvement from Monza,” said the Briton.

“I can’t really complain. It is my best start for quite some time now and I hope I will continue tomorrow.” In steamy conditions but on a largely dry track following afternoon rain, two-time world champion Alonso delivered in the opening 20-minute Q1 session, coming home first ahead of Vettel with Webber third.

But it was a stop-start affair after the Massa incident on Turn 8 which forced an obligatory sevenminute break while the car was cleared.

Seven cars were eliminated, including Christian Klien, the Austrian who is racing his first Grand Prix since 2006 after replacing the ill Sakon Yamamoto for Hispania. Others missing out included second Hispania pilot Bruno Senna and the two Virgins of Timo Glock and Lucas Di Grassi, along with the Lotuses of Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli. —AFP

SINGAPORE: Ferrari Formula One driver Fernando Alonso of Spain drives through the chicane during the qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix on the Marina Bay City Circuit. —AP

Johnson clocks fastest time DOVER: Jimmie Johnson is back on top, shaking off a poor finish in the Chase opener to take the pole at Dover International Speedway on Friday.

The four-time defending Cup champion turned a lap of 155.736 mph at one of his favorite tracks.

Johnson has five career wins on the 1-mile concrete oval — one shy of his best at Charlotte and Martinsville — and swept the races here last year. He was 16th earlier this year.

“This is certainly a step in the right direction for momentum,” Johnson said. “Last weekend, we ran much better than where we finished. It stinks that we finished where we did, but there is nothing we can really do about it.” Johnson finished 25th on Sunday at New Hampshire. It was the worst showing for any driver in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship and dumped him from second to seventh in points. He’s now sixth

following Clint Bowyer’s penalty.

He rebounded at Dover with his second pole of the season and 25th of his career. Johnson’s not in an ideal spot as he chases his fifth straight title, but it’s far from over. If any driver can rebound, it’s the cool Californian. Johnson was a seasonworst 39th to open the 2006 Chase at New Hampshire. He had one win and four seconds over a five-race span in the Chase that let him bring home the championship. “It’s not what you want, but there are still nine races left and no time to panic,” Johnson said.

“We don’t need to change what we’re doing. We know we’re a great race team. We’ve just got to go race for this thing and I think in this year’s Chase, every guy in the Chase is ready to race. We know that we are.”

Mark Martin, who qualified third, had his time thrown out because the right rear shock exceeded the maximum

allowable gas pressure. He was dropped to 42nd for Sunday’s race.

There were no further penalties.

That makes for two inspection issues in two Chase weekends.

Bowyer, whose championship run was crushed by serious penalties after flunking inspection, starts 24th.

He was docked 150 points after Sunday’s win at New Hampshire and dropped from second to 12th in the standings. He is appealing the ruling.

Non-Chase drivers AJ Allmendinger and Martin Truex Jr. start second and third, respectively.

Points leader Denny Hamlin moved up a spot to fourth.

While Johnson has thrived at Dover, Hamlin is 0 for 9 with only two top-five finishes. His average finish is 22.8 - only Daytona at 23.1 is worse for the Joe Gibbs Racing contender.

“I think our chances of winning this race are probably slim and I

think we know that,” Hamlin said before taking his lap. “This is just a track that really challenges me, but I think we can go out there and we can run third, fourth, fifth, realistically.”

Greg Biffle (sixth) and Kurt Busch (eighth) were the only other Chase drivers to make the top 10.

Carl Edwards was 10th, Kyle Busch 11th, Matt Kenseth 14th, Jeff Gordon 15th, Tony Stewart 25th, Jeff Burton 27th and Kevin Harvick 33rd.

Hamlin would love for a strong finish to put some distance between him and the rest of the Chase field.

He got an unexpected boost toward his first title when Bowyer was stripped of points, and he now leads Harvick by 45.

“My goal before the Chase started was to be within 80 points when I left Dover,” Hamlin said. “My goals have shifted. I hope I’m much closer to the front than that now.”—AP

DOVER: DJ Shaw spins the No. 60 Chevrolet, during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Sunoco 150 at Dover International Speedway. —AFP

SPORTS

18

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Land dispute troubles Munich 2018 Olympic bid GERMANY: Veronika Bartl tends a small herd of cattle outside this Alpine town, a picture of serenity on the tranquil pastures. But behind the bucolic scene lies a vociferous battle pitting Bartl and other Bavarian farmers against the group running nearby Munich’s bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The Olympic organizers want to use the town’s pastures for staging the Alpine competitions, the sharpest dispute in a bid effort that campaign critics have called bloated, oversized and environmentally irresponsible.

“We won’t give them our land,” Bartl said. “I don’t mind the Olympics, the people or the athletes,” she said, but criticized Munich’s plans as oversized and threatening to turn the town’s green areas into a desert.

Munich organizers hailed a “breakthrough” with the farmers last week, following arduous negotiations between the Bavarian state government and local associations. But the deal only granted the Olympic organizers 2.5 acres (1 hectare) — less than the size of three football fields, said Thomas Grasegger, who led the negotiations on behalf of the farmers and others.

That means organizers would need to scale down their plans and relocate some of the venues away

from Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Under the agreement, the Olympic village would be smaller and the media center, planned to accommodate 3,700 journalists, will now have the capacity for less than half of them, Grasegger said.

“We said from the beginning on that the plans were completely oversized, but now we have a good compromise which doesn’t necessitate the use of any untouched land,” Grasegger told the AP. The chief executive of Munich’s bid, Bernhard Schwank, declined to comment on the figures provided by Grasegger or the plans regarding the Olympic village and the media center, but acknowledged that the bid is currently looking into whether journalists can be accommodated in military barracks 30 kilometers away in the town of Murnau.

Grasegger said the Olympic bid still needs additional land for sporting venues and parking. Josef Glatz, who heads a local farmers’ association and was also part of the negotiations, estimated the organizers still need plots from 30 to 40 land owners.

Schwank would not say how much land was still needed to make the bid viable, but conceded that more was needed. “I’m confident that we will get the areas we need for a good bid,” he told the AP.

Key to the dispute is the farmers’ concern that their pastures will be destroyed forever after being used by the Olympics for temporary buildings, sports venues or parking — even though the Bavarian government has promised it will be returned in the same condition that it started.

“But even if they plant new grass, the land’s quality will never be the same again,” said farmer Karl Angermaier, who tends a herd of 70 sheep in the hills around Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

The months-long fight with the farmers has been the biggest hindrance so far to Munich’s bid to become the first city to stage both the Summer and Winter Olympics, but it has also been plagued with other problems.

Earlier this month, bid leader Willy Bogner resigned for health reasons. Germany’s major conservation group pulled its backing from the bid a week later. Already in July, organizers had to move the cross-country skiing and biathlon competitions from more mountainous Oberammergau to a valley north of Garmisch-Partenkirchen on state-owned land after public opposition mounted and land owners balked at ceding their turf.

In the meantime, time is ticking toward the Jan. 11 deadline for submitting formal bid plans to the

International Olympic Committee.

Munich is competing against Annecy, France, and Pyeongchang, South Korea. The IOC will select the host city in a vote in Durban, South Africa, in July 2011. Annecy, bidding for the first time, was criticized by the IOC for its venue plans in June and has revamped its project.

Pyeongchang, bidding for the third consecutive time after narrow defeats to Vancouver and Sochi, Russia, for the 2010 and 2014 Games, is considered the early favorite.

Munich, which hosted the 1972 Summer Olympics, is used to handling sports competitions and other big events — such as the annual Oktoberfest, which draws some six million visitors over a little more than two weeks — and the bid organizers haven’t encountered many problems there.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen’s history is inextricably linked to sporting events, since Germany’s Nazi government forced the two municipalities of Garmisch and Partenkirchen to merge in order to help stage the 1936 Winter Olympics. The town today regularly hosts major winter competitions, including the 2001 Alpine skiing world championships.

But many locals and environmental groups fear that the Olympics have become an event that is simply too big for this town of 26,000 residents, and that traffic and the need for parking space will be unbearable. Schwank declined to say how many additional parking spaces will be needed, saying the bid will announce more details next week.

“If the Olympics come to Garmisch, we will have years of construction work, a few weeks of the games, and then again years of deconstruction work to restore everything to how it is now,” Angermaier said.

The German Nature Conservation Ring, which represents 96 environmental groups, pulled its support earlier this month saying that “staging the games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with its narrow mountain valleys and ecologically significant areas is irresponsible.”

Schwank said, however, that environmental aspects and the overall sustainability were of paramount importance to Munich’s bid. He said one of the bid’s assets is that most of the sporting venues and other necessary infrastructure are already in place in Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and at the Koenigssee lake, where the sliding events are to be held. — AP

C’wealth Games chief says all countries will take part

NEW DELHI: Indian team officials stand in the balcony of a flat at the Commonwealth games village in New Delhi. Commonwealth Games Federation President Mike Fennell said yesterday that a lot of work has been done in recent days to get the facilities ready, but with just over a week left before the international sporting event starts, much work remains. — AP

Aussies aim to repeat success NEW DELHI: Australia again looks likely to set the standard in the Commonwealth Games pool, as the country’s swimmers seek to replicate their success from four years ago.

The perennial pool powerhouse won 53 medals in Melbourne in 2006 (19 gold, 18 silver and 16 bronze), tightening its grip on the competition it has dominated ever since the first British Empire Games were held in 1930.

But a host of world class swimmers from the likes of Canada, England, New Zealand and South Africa will be strong challengers when the competition starts in New Delhi.

Australia’s 52-strong squad for New Delhi blends youth, promise and experience, as it looks towards next year’s World Championships in Shanghai and the Olympic Games in London in 2012.

Triple Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice is a notable absentee as she recuperates from a long-term shoulder injury, but leading the women is Leisel Jones, who has returned to the sport with a vengeance after a one-year break.

The three-time Olympic champion and seven-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist won three silvers and a bronze at the Pan Pacific event in August and will defend her 100m and 200m breaststroke crown in the Indian capital.

In contrast, 14-year-old Yolane Kukla, who only started swimming seriously two years ago, makes her Games debut, becoming the youngest female swimmer to make the Australia team since 13-year-old Jodie Clatworthy in 1986.

The men’s squad includes veteran sprinter Geoff Huegill-a five-times Commonwealth Games gold medallistAshley Callus, who is competing in his fourth Games, and 100m freestyle Olympic record holder Eamon Sullivan.

England-second to Australia in the swimming medals table in Melbourne with eight golds, 11 silvers and four bronzes-contains Great Britain team members who won a best-ever third spot in the European Championships in August.

Spearheading the teams are doubleOlympic 400m and 800m freestyle champion and world record holder Rebecca Adlington and Liam Tancock, the 50m backstroke

Swimming world record holder and 100m backstroke Commonwealth champion.

Adlington will have support from Francesca Halsall, fresh from winning two gold, two silver and one bronze at the Europeans, with fellow medallists Gemma Spofforth and Lizzie Simmonds.

There is a place too for British-born Achieng Ajulu-Bushell, the 16-year-old African 50m breaststroke record holder who swam for Kenya at the 2008 Olympics and World Championships last year.

The men’s team includes Simon Burnett and Ross Davenport, who each won two

gold medals in Melbourne. Canada’s 27member squad is buoyed by an encouraging performance in the Pan Pacifics, which saw them come away from California with an 11medal haul, including gold for Ryan Cochrane in the 800m and 1,500 freestyle.

The resurgent team is hoping to improve on its performance in Melbourne, when it won only one gold in the pool. South Africa and New Zealand are sending smaller teams but include the likes of experienced sprinters Roland Schoeman and Cameron Van der Burgh and Moss Burmester.

Home nation India has seen its slim chances of making the swimming finals evaporate after three athletes, including national champion Richa Mishra, tested positive for the banned substance methylhexaneamine. — AFP

Australian Leisel Jones eyes gold at the Commonwealth Games

NEW DELHI: The Commonwealth Games Federation chief said yesterday there was still work to be done amid concerns about security before India’s showcase event starts next week, but that it would go ahead with all countries taking part.

Several athletes have pulled out of an event plagued by filthy accommodation, shoddy construction and security fears. The Indian government is rushing against time to ensure all is ready before the opening on Oct. 3.

“There is still a lot of work to be done and it’s not over yet,” Michael Fennell, chief of Commonwealth Games Federation, said a day after he visited the Games Village.

“What is of great concern is the safety and security of athletes and officials. There will be full participation in the Games. All 71 countries will be attending.”

Athletes from Scotland will begin travelling to Delhi on Saturday, while Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Northern Ireland and Wales have all confirmed that they are satisfied with preparations to send their teams.

The Games, held every four years for mostly former British colonies, are estimated to have cost $6 billion. Asia’s third-largest economy was awarded them in 2003 but did not begin proper preparations until two years ago.

India had hoped to use the Games to display its growing global economic and political influence, rivalling neighbour China which put on a spectacular 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Instead, they have become a major embarrassment for the world’s largest democracy where infrastructure projects have remained slow paced and a drag on economic growth.

“A lot of damage has been done to India as a country,” Fennell said. Moody’s rating agency said investment in India could be damaged as a result. “The negative publicity could deter foreign investment and give multinational businesses considering expanding in India reason to think twice,” Moody’s Analytics, a unit of the rating agency, said in a research note.

The first batch of athletes arrived in India on Friday, opting to stay at a hotel instead of unfinished accommodation. Desperate officials on Friday asked the Indian Army to build a temporary bridge to replace the $1.1 million footbridge that collapsed on Tuesday.

The bridge, providing access to the main Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, should be finished within five days. The bridge collapse and a suspected militant attack on two foreign visitors had thrown the Games into crisis. An outbreak of dengue has only compounded worries.

Fennell said the work that needed to be done was quite extensive. “These centre around the clean-up of the (Games) village ...

You can see where there has been water in the basement, and this has proven very difficult to remove,” he said.

“There are matters relating to transport, and difficulties there, the security arrangements, the fire safety arrangements, evacuation of the buildings and certification of the buildings, the technological difficulties such as the wifi service.”

While the Indian Organising Committee has been at the receiving end of much of the flak, there is rising criticism of of the Commonwealth Games Federation as well.

Fennell said much of the problem was because of the Organising Committee’s failure to understand the complexities of holding the event in India. “We all must share the blame,” he told the CNN-IBN news channel in an interview.

The Delhi Games may turn out to be the most compromised since a 1986 boycott of the Games in Britain, when 32 nations stayed away because of then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s objections to sanctions against apartheid-riven South Africa.

Cyclist Greg Henderson became the first New Zealand athlete to withdraw over concerns about health and security. Olympic cycling champion Geraint Thomas, two English riders and one Isle of Man rider also opted out of the Games. — Reuters

Indian wrestler Sushil Kumar

Wrestling

Indian wrestler shoulders hosts hopes NEW DELHI: Wrestling makes its return to the Commonwealth Games after being dropped from the 2006 program, mired in a drugs scandal which has sent shockwaves through host India’s training camp. The sport was plunged into controversy after four wrestlers including Indian gold prospect Rajiv Tomar failed dope tests and were suspended earlier this month.

In the battle for wrestling gold, local posterboy Sushil Kumar is one of the home crowd’s best hopes of gold after winning the world under-66 kilogram (145 pound) category in Moscow earlier this month.

“Winning a gold medal at the world championships is a huge achievement for me after the Beijing Olympic Games and before the Commonwealth Games,” Kumar, the first Indian wrestler to win a world title, told India’s rediff.com sports website.

“My next target is to win a gold medal in the Delhi Games.” Australia has selected a 20strong team with all athletes bar veteran Cory O’Brien, 38, set to make their Commonwealth debut. New South Wales’s Shane Parker will become the first Aboriginal wrestler to compete for his country.

At the opposite end of the age-scale, 17year-old Justin Holland (55kg) is the youngest member of the team. “India are currently top of the Commonwealth and taking them headon in a home Games is going to be quite a task for the Australian athletes,” Wrestling Australia president John Saul said.

Wrestling was part of the ancient Olympics and is one of the oldest sports known to man.

It takes many forms, but at the Commonwealths there are just two typesGreco-Roman and freestyle. Matches take place on a mat with the winner being the first to win the best of three periods, which last two minutes each and are separated by 30-second breaks. Delhi 2010 will feature 14 weight categories for men, seven freestyle and seven Greco-Roman ranging from 50kg to 120kg.

Women’s wrestling has been included for the first time and they compete in seven freestyle divisions, with wrestlers tipping the scales between 44kg and 72kg.

The 17-strong Canadians are expected to be among India’s biggest rivals, led by Carol Huynh, 29, the reigning Olympic champion in the women’s 48kg class.

Other medal contenders include Sian Law of New Zealand, and her team mate Sam Belkin, his country’s first wrestler in the ancient Greco-Roman version of the sport.

Andrei Paulet who moved to New Zealand from Romania eight years ago has been ranked the country’s best junior and is in his first year in the senior ranks. Meanwhile, it’s a family affair for Scottish twins Donna and Fiona Robertson who have set their sights on Commonwealth glory in separate weight categories after both qualified at the British Championships in Glasgow in July. — AFP

Boxing

India hopeful of medals, England strong NEW DELHI: Indian boxing talisman Vijender Singh spearheads the home nation’s hopes for Commonwealth Games medals but the country’s fighters face tough opposition.

The 24-year-old middleweight became a national hero when he won bronze in Beijing in 2008, giving India its first boxing Olympic medal and boosting the sport’s popularity across the country.

He is now hoping to go one better than the silver he won in Melbourne four years ago, when India bagged five medals, including gold in the bantamweight division (56kg) for Akhil Kumar, who is also in the squad for New Delhi.

“I will be very happy if we land all the 10 golds on offer at the Commonwealth Games,” Singh told the Times of India newspaper.

That may be wishful thinking, with England seeking to build on its success in 2006, when it topped the medal table with five gold, one silver and two bronze.

England go into the tournament with the best pedigree, having accumulated 106 medals since the Games were first held in 1930, and are eyeing the competition as a key part of preparations for the London Olympics in 2012.

Like the Olympics, the amateurs-only event-decided on points over four, twominute rounds, unless the referee stops the bout before the final bell-is seen as a traditional springboard to the professional game.India’s Singh could face Anthony Ogogo, a promising former youth champion middleweight. England’s 10-man team also includes Khalid Yafai, Iain Weaver and Tom Stalker, who all won silver at the recent European championships.

Flyweight Yafai, 21, is a former Commonwealth Youth Games medallist and fought at the last Olympics with light welterweight Bradley Saunders and both will be looking to make their experience count. Welterweight Callum Smith, 20, will be hoping to emulate his brothers Paul and Stephen, who have each won Commonwealth Games medals in the ring.—AFP

SPORTS

Sunday, September 26, 2010

19

Soccer results/standings

Blackpool 1

English Premier League results Arsenal 2 (Nasri 75, 90); West Brom 3 (Odemwingie 50, Jara 52, Thomas 73); Birmingham 0, Wigan 0, Blackpool 1 (Phillips 85); Blackburn 2, (Adam 20-og, Emerton 90);Fulham 0, Everton 0, Liverpool 2 (Kuyt 5, Gerrard 64); Sunderland 2 (Bent 25-pen, 48); Man City 1 (Tevez 59); Chelsea 0, West Ham 1 (Piquionne 29); Tottenham 0.

Playing Sunday Bolton v Man Utd Newcastle v Stoke Wolves v Aston Villa English Football League results Championship Burnley 0, Bristol City 0, Cardiff 2, Millwall 1, Coventry 1, Preston 2, Derby 5, Crystal Palace 0, Leeds 1, Sheffield Utd 0, Norwich 0, Hull 2, Nottingham Forest 3, Swansea 1, QPR 3, Doncaster 0, Reading 3, Barnsley 0, Scunthorpe 1, Ipswich 1, Watford 3, Middlesbrough 1.

Played Friday Portsmouth 6, Leicester 1.

Division One Bournemouth 2, Carlisle 0, Brighton 2, Oldham 1, Bristol Rovers 2, Notts County 1, Charlton 2, Dagenham and Redbridge 2, Colchester 3, Tranmere 1, Hartlepool 2, Walsall 1, Peterborough 2, Milton Keynes Dons 1, Rochdale 1, Plymouth 1, Sheffield Wednesday 0, Southampton 1, Swindon 1, Huddersfield 0, Yeovil 1, Exeter 3.

Played Friday Leyton Orient 1, Brentford 0.

Division Two Cheltenham 0, Bury 2, Crewe 1, Oxford 1, Gillingham 1, Burton 0, Hereford 1, Southend 3, Lincoln 0, Stevenage 1, Morecambe 2, Barnet 2, Northampton 2, Bradford 0, Port Vale 2, Accrington 0, Rotherham 1, Chesterfield 0, Stockport 2, Aldershot 2, Torquay 1, Macclesfield 3, Wycombe 2, Shrewsbury 2.

Scottish Premier League results Celtic 2 (Brown 5, Loovens 51); Hibernian 1 (Riordan 54); Dundee Utd 1 (Goodwillie 61); St Johnstone 0, Hamilton 2 (F. Paixao 15, Hasselbaink 38); Kilmarnock

2 (Hamill 83-pen, Sammon 89); Hearts 0, Motherwell 2 (Blackman 58, Sutton 70); St Mirren 1 (McGowan 77); Inverness CT 2 (Odhiambo 45, 50).

Playing Sunday Aberdeen v Rangers

6 6 5 6 6 6 6 6 5 6 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6 6

5 3 3 3 3 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

0 2 2 2 1 5 2 2 1 4 4 1 1 3 3 2 2 1 1 3

1 21 1 16 0 14 1 7 2 8 0 7 2 6 2 7 2 8 1 7 1 7 2 6 3 9 1 7 2 6 2 6 3 2 3 5 4 4 3 4

2 7 7 2 11 6 5 7 6 7 8 9 14 8 9 8 13 8 13 7

15 11 11 11 10 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 3

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

7 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 4 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 2 1 1

1 1 3 3 2 1 3 3 0 3 5 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 1 3 0 2 2

0 2 1 1 2 3 2 2 4 2 1 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 4 6 5 5

22 14 18 11 11 10 12 10 11 11 9 14 12 13 7 10 8 4 12 8 7 7 8 7

2 7 9 7 10 10 8 7 10 12 7 13 12 15 9 9 13 10 11 17 13 15 12 18

22 16 15 15 14 13 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 8 7 6 6 5 5

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

5 5 4 4 3 3 3 3 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1

2 1 2 2 5 4 4 4 1 3 3 3 3 1 1 3 3 2 1 1 0 3 3 3

1 2 2 2 0 1 1 1 3 2 2 2 2 4 4 3 3 4 5 5 6 4 4 4

12 20 19 16 11 13 9 14 10 12 10 9 10 11 12 8 8 6 10 9 10 4 7 7

6 13 9 11 7 9 5 13 11 11 9 8 12 7 14 12 12 7 13 17 14 9 14 14

17 16 14 14 14 13 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 10 10 9 9 8 7 7 6 6 6 6

8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8

6 5 5 4 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 3 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 1

1 2 2 3 2 3 5 4 4 4 4 1 4 4 1 6 3 6 2 4 1 1 3 2

1 1 1 1 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 4 2 2 4 1 3 1 4 3 5 5 4 5

14 15 17 14 11 12 7 16 8 11 8 12 8 8 12 7 9 6 8 9 5 4 8 3

4 7 10 6 6 12 3 8 4 9 7 12 10 11 18 6 9 6 14 15 11 12 18 14

19 17 17 15 14 12 11 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 9 8 7 7 7 6 5

6 5 6 6 6 5 6 6 6 6 6 6

6 5 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1

0 0 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 1 1

0 13 0 13 2 8 2 9 2 6 2 7 3 8 3 7 3 6 3 5 4 4 4 5

2 3 5 8 11 5 7 8 10 13 8 11

18 15 10 8 8 7 7 7 5 5 4 4

7 7 7 7 7 7

6 5 4 4 3 2

0 2 0 0 1 3

1 0 3 3 3 2

5 2 7 11 9 5

18 17 12 12 10 9

15 12 10 11 10 5

Rovers sink Blackpool

Scottish Football League results First Division Cowdenbeath 2, Dundee 1, Morton 0, Ross County 0, Partick 0, Dunfermline 2, Raith 2, Falkirk 1, Stirling 0, Queen of the South 0.

Second Division Ayr 2, Stenhousemuir 0, Dumbarton 1, Brechin 3, Forfar 1, Airdrie 2, Livingston 1, East Fife 1, Peterhead 1, Alloa 0.

Third Division Albion 3, Elgin City 1, Annan Athletic 2, Queen’s Park 1, East Stirling 0, Berwick 0, Montrose 8, Clyde 1, Stranraer 4, Arbroath 1.

German league results Saturday Bayern Munich 1 (Svensson 45-og); Mainz 05, 2 (Allagui 15, Szalai 77); Eintracht Frankfurt 2 (Gekas 17, Chris 88); Nuremberg 0, Schalke 04, 2 (Huntelaar 51, Raul 87); M’gladbach 2 (Daems 15-pen, Bradley 43); VfB Stuttgart 1 (Kuzmanovic 52); Bayer Leverkusen 4 (Hyypia 19, Vidal 21, Balitsch 69, Sam 88); St Pauli 1 (Hennings 25); Dortmund 3 (Grosskreutz 17, 60, Kagawa 50); Werder Bremen 3 (Demel 25-og, Almeida 28, 85); Hamburg 2 (van Nistelrooy 59, Pitroipa 63).

Sunday VfL Wolfsburg v Freiburg Kaiserslautern v Hanover Friday Cologne 1 (Podolski 17); Hoffenheim 1 (Ba 54).

Italian league results AC Milan 1 (Ibrahimovic 49); Genoa 0.

Playing later Roma v Inter Milan Sunday Bari v Brescia, Catania v Bologna, Cesena v Napoli, Chievo v Lazio, Fiorentina v Parma, Juventus v Cagliari, Palermo v Lecce, Sampdoria v Udinese.

English Premier League table English Premier League table after Saturday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Chelsea Arsenal Man Utd Man City West Brom Fulham Tottenham Blackburn Newcastle Sunderland Birmingham Aston Villa Blackpool Bolton Liverpool Wolver Wigan Stoke West Ham Everton English Football League tables Championship QPR Cardiff Watford Ipswich Leeds Norwich Reading Burnley Swansea Doncaster Nottingham Forest Millwall Coventry Barnsley Hull Scunthorpe Middlesbrough Sheffield Utd Derby Crystal Palace Bristol City Preston Portsmouth Leicester Division One Brighton Peterborough Bournemouth Huddersfield Colchester Rochdale Carlisle Exeter Milton Keynes Dons Oldham Charlton Swindon Bristol Rovers Sheffield Wednesday Notts County Hartlepool Plymouth Southampton Leyton Orient Yeovil Walsall Brentford Dagenham and Redbridge Tranmere Division Two Port Vale Shrewsbury Rotherham Chesterfield Torquay Bury Accrington Stanley Crewe Oxford Utd Burton Albion Stevenage Southend Northampton Stockport Cheltenham Wycombe Gillingham Aldershot Macclesfield Morecambe Lincoln City Bradford Barnet Hereford Scottish Premier League table Celtic Rangers Motherwell Hearts Dundee Utd Aberdeen Inverness CT Kilmarnock Hibernian Hamilton St Johnstone St Mirren Scottish Football League tables First Division Dunfermline Raith Falkirk Cowdenbeath Queen of the South Ross County

Blackburn 2

Dundee Morton Stirling Partick Second Division Livingston Brechin Alloa Ayr Airdrie Utd Forfar East Fife Stenhousemuir Peterhead Dumbarton Third Division Berwick Stranraer Annan Athletic Albion Arbroath East Stirling Montrose Queens Park Elgin Clyde German league table Mainz 05 Dortmund Hoffenheim Bayer Leverkusen Hanover SC Freiburg Hamburg Bayern Munich St Pauli Kaiserslautern Werder Bremen Eintr. Frankfurt VfL Wolfsburg Nuremberg FC Cologne M’gladbach Schalke 04 VfB Stuttgart Italian league table Inter Milan Chievo Brescia AC Milan Catania Lazio Cesena Cagliari Sampdoria Parma Napoli Bologna Genoa Bari Juventus Palermo Lecce Fiorentina Roma Udinese

7 7 7 7

2 1 1 1

2 2 2 0

3 4 4 6

5 4 5 4

6 7 15 14

8 5 5 3

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7

4 3 3 3 2 3 2 2 1 1

3 3 2 2 4 1 2 1 3 1

0 1 2 2 1 3 3 4 3 5

13 11 12 10 14 11 18 7 7 4

7 7 10 11 12 12 14 8 10 16

15 12 11 11 10 10 8 7 6 4

7 7 7 7 3 7 7 8 7 7

4 4 4 4 1 2 2 2 2 1

3 3 2 2 4 2 1 0 0 2

0 0 1 1 11 3 4 6 5 4

20 16 12 15 17 5 17 6 11 6

8 10 6 10 10 8 12 10 20 18

15 15 14 14

6 6 6 6 5 5 6 6 6 5 6 6 5 6 6 6 6 6

6 5 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1

0 0 2 2 1 0 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 3 2 2 1 0

0 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 2 3 4 3 2 3 3 4 5

14 16 11 13 10 7 10 5 7 8 9 9 9 5 5 10 7 11

5 5 6 10 7 7 10 6 8 10 14 8 9 7 10 19 12 13

18 15 11 11 10 9 8 8 7 7 7 6 6 6 5 5 4 3

4 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0

1 0 0 2 1 1 1 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 0

0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 4

8 8 6 7 6 6 3 5 6 5 6 5 4 3 8 6 2 3 4 2

2 4 5 4 4 5 2 1 5 4 7 6 6 6 7 6 6 5 9 9

10 9 9 8 7 7 7 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 2 2 0

8 7 6 6 5

Matches on TV (Local Timings) English Premier League Bolton v Man United .........................14:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5 W’hampton v Aston Villa....................16:05 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5 Newcastle v Stoke.............................18:10 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Italian League Cesena v Napoli.................................13:30 Aljazeera Sport + 1 As Bari v Brescia...............................16:00 Aljazeera Sport + 9 Palermo v US Lecce...........................16:00 Aljazeera Sport + 7 Fiorentina v Parma ...........................16:00 Aljazeera Sport + 1 Sampdoria v Udinese .........................16:00 Aljazeera Sport + 8 Chievo Verona v SS Lazio ..................16:00 Aljazeera Sport + 10 Catania v Bologna FC........................16:00 Aljazeera Sport + 4 Juventus v Cagliari ...........................21:45 Aljazeera Sport +1 Spanish League Espanyol v Osasuna...........................18:00 Aljazeera Sport + 8 Mallorca v Sociedad..........................18:00 Aljazeera Sport + 5 Aljazeera Sport + 3 Deportivo v Almeria..........................18:00 Aljazeera Sport + 9 Racing v Getafe.................................18:00 Aljazeera Sport + 10 Aljazeera Sport + 2 Atletico v Zaragoza............................22:00 Aljazeera Sport + 2

SPAIN: Levante’s midfielder Juanlu (left) vies for the ball with Real Madrid’s Argentinian midfielder Angel di Maria during their Spanish League football match.—AFP

Real held, Valencia go clear MADRID: Real Madrid was held to 0-0 at Levante in the Spanish League yesterday, allowing Valencia to go clear at the top of the standings.

While Madrid dominated possession, its attack lacked bite and failed to convert several chances against a well-organized Levante, which has conceded more goals than any other Liga team this season. “In defense the team is very committed, we just need the same up front,” said Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa. “The team is not doing badly, but we need a little bit more if we want to win at this kind of club.” Madrid is second in the standings, two points behind Valencia after five rounds. Earlier, Mehmet Topal and Roberto Soldado scored as Valencia beat Sporting Gijon 20 to remain unbeaten at the top of the league.

Madrid coach Jose Mourinho sparked controversy ahead of the weekend’s league action by suggesting some clubs do not deploy their best teams against archrival Barcelona, on the

assumption that they will lose anyway.

Barcelona, trailing Valencia by four points, was visiting Athletic Bilbao late Saturday.

Madrid had several opportunities to score early on. Goalkeeper Manuel Reina rushed out of his area in the 16th to beat Cristiano Ronaldo to Gonzalo Higuain’s through pass. Levante had one of its only chances of the game when Madrid defender Marcelo had to rush to clear a long ball at the other end. Angel Di Maria then drew a stretched save from Reina as he attempted a lob

Spanish League from close range. Ronaldo came close twice shortly before halftime, testing Reina with a powerful header from 15 yards (meters) and stretching to send the ball trickling wide. The game quickly became bad-tempered with a rash of clashes. A late challenge by Ronaldo on Asier del

Horno angered Levante’s players and the referee warned Mourinho to return to his bench when the coach rose to defend his player. A member of the Madrid bench’s medical team was expelled late in the game, apparently for dissent. Sergio Ramos received a yellow card for a sliding tackle on Ignacio Gonzalez.

With Madrid unable to break down the hosts, Pedro Leon and Karim Benzema went on for Di Maria and Mesut Oezil. The changes did not alter the pattern of play, though Benzema had a narrow miss and also tested Reina.

Higuian nearly rounded Reina to score shortly before the final whistle, though the goalkeeper just got a hand to the ball. At Gijon’s El Molinon, Topal put Valencia ahead in the seventh minute, rising to head in Manuel Fernandes’ corner from the left. The second goal also came from the left flank, with Soldado stroking in Juan Manuel Matas’ cross with his right foot in the 10th.—AP

Perfect Mainz send Bayern crashing ERLIN: Leaders Mainz stunned Bayern Munich 2-1 at the German giants’ Allianz Arena home yesterday to preserve their perfect record and condemn the champions to their worst league start in over 30 years.

The result handed Louis van

Gaal’s struggling side a second league defeat and left them in eighth place, 10 points behind Mainz, who lead Borussia Dortmund by two.

“It was a pathetic performance,” fumed Bayern sporting director Christian Nerlinger after a defeat that means the Bavarian giants have made their worst start to a season since 1977-78.

“Mainz were extraordinary today and played very well, but our situation is precarious. The alarm bells are ringing and we need to see how the team reacts.”

Coach Louis van Gaal added: “A lot of our players performed well below their usual level. I believe Mainz can go far this season and why not think about the title?”

Mainz, who now have a perfect six wins from six games, were in front after 15 minutes when 20-year-old Lewis Holtby swept past Daniel Van Buyten to cross for Sami Allagui.

The Tunisian international then beat German international full-back Philipp Lahm before scoring past goalkeeper Jorg Butt with a cheeky backheel.

Bayern, looking a shadow of the team that reached the Champions League final last season, and without the services of Franck Ribery for a month, settled as the half progressed and Miroslav Klose came close with a header in the 43rd minute.

Fulham 0

They drew level on the stroke of half-time when Mainz’s Danish defender Bo Svensson headed past his own goalkeeper.

But Mainz grabbed the winner thanks to another Bayern defensive error in the 77th minute when Adam Szalai drove

German League the ball home.

“We didn’t play well. It was all due to Mainz, we just didn’t create enough chances,” said van Gaal. Mainz coach Thomas Tuchel was delighted by his team’s performance.

“It will take time for this to sink in,” he said. “I always thought we could win here even after we conceded that goal before half-time. I am really proud of this team.”

Mainz are closing in on the Bundesliga record for the best start to a season. Victory over Hoffenheim next week will equal the record of seven straight wins set by Kaiserslautern in 2001-2002 and Bayern Munich in 1995-96.

Dortmund are second in the table with 15 points after defeating St. Pauli 3-1, with Kevin Grosskreutz scoring twice.

Schalke, runners-up last season, had celebrated their first win of this campaign in midweek with a 2-1 win over Freiburg, but they were facing defeat when they trailed 2-1 at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach.

But former Real Madrid star Raul scored his first goal for Schalke when he netted with three minutes left to grab a point in a 2-2 draw.

The draw was enough for Felix Magath’s side to move off the bottom of the table with Stuttgart, defeated 4-1 at home

by Bayer Leverkusen, taking their place.—AFP

Everton 0

Everton slide to the bottom GERMANY: Bayern Munich’s Daniel van Buyten (left) and Mainz’ Felix Borja of Ecuador challenge for the ball during the German First Division Bundesliga soccer match. —AP

Ibrahimovic ends Milan’s lean spell ROME: Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on target again to end AC Milan’s three-match winless run in Serie A with a 1-0 victory over Genoa at the San Siro yesterday.

The Sweden striker settled the match with a delightful chip in the 49th minute, having notched

ing positions early on.

The visitors closed them down well though and the first episode of note was a powerful shot by Genoa’s Rafinha that flew just past the post in the 14th.

Robinho had an angled shot well saved by Eduardo soon after

Italian League his first league goal for Milan since his move from Barcelona in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Lazio.

Victory gives Milan eight points from five games, two points fewer than leaders Inter Milan, who visit struggling Roma later yesterday.

“This win counts for a lot because it’s important to be in good shape psychologically,” Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri told Sky television. “When the results don’t come, you always worry, even if you’re a great team.”

Robinho was in Milan’s starting line-up for the first time since arriving from Manchester City and he and fellow forwards Ibrahimovic and Ronaldinho tried to make things happen by switch-

and the Portugal goalkeeper also denied Gennaro Gattuso from close range as Genoa frustrated Milan by being miserly with space.

The hosts almost went behind in the 39th when keeper Christian Abbiati diverted a Rodrigo Palacio cross onto his own far post before a largely uneventful first half came to an exciting close.

Ghana midfielder KevinPrince Boateng, who was loaned to Milan by Genoa straight after signing from Portsmouth in the close season, pounced on a defensive lapse but Eduardo was on hand again to repel his effort.

Abbiati then produced a stunning save at the other end to keep out a bullet header by Spanish defender Chico. —AFP

Brown inspires Celtic to victory GLASGOW: Celtic moved three points clear at the top of the Scottish Premier League with a narrow 2-1 win over Hibernian here yesterday.

Scott Brown’s fantastic fifth-minute strike was the only bright spot of a first half where Hibs failed to trouble Fraser Forster in goal and the Hoops strikers, who put six past Inverness in mid-week, misfired in front of goal. Things improved after the break and Glenn Loovens doubled Celtic’s advantage with a diving header before former Hoops player Derek Riordan showed sublime skill to lob Forster from outside the box.

John Rankin sent a low drive just wide before Efrain Juarez smacked the crossbar with a header as Celtic held on for a win that moves them clear of Rangers, who play Aberdeen on Sunday.

Neil Lennon said the win, which kept up

BLACKPOOL: A Brett Emerton goal three minutes into injury time snatched a 2-1 victory for Blackburn Rovers in their Lancashire derby with Blackpool yesterday.

Australian international Emerton pounced with the last kick of the game to deny the Tangerines a share of the points after Matt Phillips had netted an 85th-minute equaliser for Ian Holloway’s men.

The defeat was desperately hard on Blackpool, who had undeservedly fallen behind on 20 minutes when defender Charlie Adam steered a header into his own net for a freakish own goal.

However the win was doubly sweet for Rovers boss Sam Allardyce sacked by Blackpool 14 years ago-who before the match had bemoaned his team’s failure to hold on to leads this season.

In four previous matches this term Blackburn have taken the lead only to see their opponents claw back the initiative.

It looked as if Saturday’s encounter with Blackpool was unfolding along similar lines when substitute Phillips picked his way through the Rovers defence to score late on for the Seasiders just moments after coming on.

But just when a draw seemed the likeliest result Blackburn pressed for a winner. Benjani Mwaruwari’s shot was blocked and Emerton was on hand to prod home the winner.—AFP

Celtic’s 100 percent start to the season, was tighter than it should have been.

“At 2-0 up we should be cruising and seeing the game out comfortably,” the Celtic manager said. “We were a bit flat at times and some individuals were probably not at their best.”

Hibs boss John Hughes was encouraged by his side’s performance. “We had to come here

Scottish League and be hard-working and solid,” he said. “I felt we could have got something from the match but not when we are conceding goals early in both halves.” Celtic made four changes to the side that had brushed Inverness aside in the League Cup, with hat-trick hero Georgios Samaras having to make do with a place on the bench. However, the much changed Hoops had

the perfect start when captain Brown opened the scoring with a fabulous effort.

The midfielder started the move on the halfway line and picked out Juarez with a pass.

The Mexican rolled the ball back into the onrushing Brown’s path and the midfielder took a touch before sending a shot into the top corner of the net from 25 yards.

Celtic were appealing for a penalty when Anthony Stokes took a tumble in the box but referee Calum Murray booked the Irishman for diving, much to the derision of the home fans, who felt Liam Miller had made contact with his former Hibs team-mate.

Gary Hooper volleyed a Cha Du-Ri cross wide of the post before Juarez sent a shot from distance sailing over visiting goalkeeper Mark Brown’s bar as a forgettable first half came to an end. —AFP

LONDON: Everton slipped to the bottom of the Premier League after being held to a frustrating 0-0 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage yesterday.

David Moyes’ side have taken just three points from their opening six matches of the season and this result combined with West Ham’s victory over Tottenham to leave them stuck to the foot of the table.

The Toffees were tipped to challenge for the title by Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson in August, but they are still waiting for their first league win and could be facing a fight just to preserve their top-flight status.

Everton had been boosted by the return from injury of Australia midfielder Tim Cahill, who had missed the last two games with a knee injury, and Moyes’ men made a bright start.

South Africa midfielder Steven Pienaar saw his longrange effort saved by Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

Fulham suffered a blow when right-back Stephen Kelly limped off to be replaced by Chris Baird midway through the first half.

But Mark Hughes’ side finally threatened as Zoltan Gera fired wide from outside the penalty area. The Cottagers went much closer when Simon Davies found Carlos Salcido, who crossed to Dickson Etuhu, only for the Nigerian to head straight at Tim Howard.

Fulham pieced together their best move of the match early in the second half as Clint Dempsey forced a fine save from Howard before Damien Duff’s follow-up was deflected to safety.

Moyes responded by taking off Cahill and sending on Leon Osman. The change perked Everton up and Leighton Baines nearly broke the deadlock with an overhead kick.

Everton were starting to press now and Seamus Coleman picked out Ayegbeni Yakubu with a perfect cross, but the Nigeria striker failed to connect under pressure from Schwarzer.

Schwarzer made a superb save from Yakubu’s powerful low effort to show exactly why Hughes battled so hard to prevent the Australian from joining Arsenal last summer. —AFP

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Almunia horror show as Baggies defeat Arsenal Arsenal 2

West Brom 3

LONDON: Liverpool’s Joe Cole (right) vies for the ball against Sunderland’s Nedum Onuoha during their English Premier League soccer match at Anfield. — AP

Gerrard rescues rocky Reds Liverpool 2

Sunderland 2 LIVERPOOL: Steven Gerrard saved Liverpool from another embarrassing defeat as the Reds captain salvaged a 2-2 draw against Sunderland at Anfield yesterday.

Roy Hodgson’s side trailed 2-1 early in the second half as Darren Bent’s double for Sunderland stunned the struggling hosts, who had taken the lead through Dirk Kuyt’s controversial early goal.

The prospect of a third league defeat in six matches this season was looming large for Hodgson, who had been strongly criticised following Liverpool’s dismal League Cup exit on penalties against fourth-tier Northampton in midweek. But Gerrard levelled to leave Liverpool relieved to escape a traumatic week without another loss.

Hodgson freely admitted before the game that the loss to Northampton was entirely his fault because of how weak the team was that he had selected.

For the Northampton game, he replaced every member of the side that lost to Manchester United last Sunday in the belief his squad

was still good enough to cruise past the Cobblers but it backfired badly.

Hodgson went back to his first choice squad for this encounter, while Sunderland defender Titus Bramble, who was arrested during the week on suspicion of rape, kept his place in the visitors’ team.

It took Liverpool just two minutes to show their desire to erase that League Cup misery as Fernando Torres volleyed into the roof of the net, only for his goal to be ruled out for offside. It set an early marker and just three minutes later Liverpool opened the scoring in bizarre fashion.

After referee Stuart Atwell awarded Sunderland a freekick following a Raul Meireles foul on Bramble, Black Cats defender Michael Turner tapped the ball back towards his own goal as if to suggest to goalkeeper Simon Mignolet that he should take it.

However, legally speaking he had kicked the ball back into play, and Torres spotted his mistake, raced past him and gifted the ball on a plate for Kuyt to slide past the completely bewildered Mignolet.

Yet despite opening the scoring, Liverpool reverted into their shells as Sunderland attempted to rally through the hardworking Bent.

Gerrard’s terrible header back towards Pepe Reina almost helped Bent find the

equaliser as he gifted the ball to him but the Liverpool goalkeeper brilliantly tackled Bent to prevent a goal.

Reina was helpless in the 25th minute when Bent equalised from the penalty spot after Christian Poulsen handballed an Ahmed Elmohamady cross.

Liverpool did not possess the wit or vision to break down a Sunderland defence that often had five men in it.

That all changed straight after the re-start as Sunderland took the lead in wonderful fashion as Bent grabbed his second of the game.

Nedum Onouha delivered a brilliantly testing cross from the right and Bent got in front of Glen Johnson to send a diving header past the helpless Reina.The goal gave Sunderland a massive lif t while Liverpool simply became ever more disjointed and dispirited. But after 64 minutes the hitherto anonymous Gerrard popped up to drag Liverpool level as he has done so many times in the past. Torres crossed the ball from the right and after taking a slight deflection off Turner, the ball fell nicely for Gerrard to head past the wrong-footed Mignolet.

Liverpool then began to dominate and Johnson, Daniel Agger and David Ngog all had fine chances in a frantic last five minutes but a winner could not be found. — AFP

Hammers nail Spurs to move off bottom West Ham 1

Tottenham 0 LONDON: West Ham moved off the bottom of the Premier League table after inflicting defeat on former manager Harry Redknapp for the first time with a 1-0 victory over Spurs.

Frederic Piquionne’s firsthalf goal earned West Ham their first victory of the season as their London rivals stumbled badly ahead of next week’s Champions League tie with FC Twente.

The result ended former West Ham manager Redknapp’s proud record of being undefeated against the Hammers since he left the club. West Ham manager Avram Grant made six changes to his starting lineup, despite seeing his side beat Sunderland 2-1 in the League Cup in midweek.

Among the players recalled were goalkeeper Robert Green and midfielder Kieron Dyer, but there was no place for Carlton Cole, named on the bench.

As expected, Tottenham also made wholesale changes from the team that lost to Arsenal in the League Cup. Just Sebastien Bassong started both matches. West Ham started the brighter with Victor Obinna squeezing his

shot wide of the post in the opening minute. Defender Manuel da Costa then headed wide. But Tottenham also had their chances as Rafael Van Der Vaart’s free-kick from the edge of the box was deflected wide. Jermaine Jenas then had a shot from the edge of the area that Green needed to be alert to. Van Der Vaart had another two long-range efforts as Spurs slowly started to take control, yet against the run of play it was West Ham who took the lead.

Dyer’s quick breakaway earned the Hammers a corner that was swung in by Mark Noble and Piquionne headed home in the 29th minute.

Scott Parker almost doubled West Ham’s advantage as

he jinked his way into the box only to be foiled by a last-ditch tackle from Vedran Corluka.

It was then Green’s turn to pull off the heroics as he made two excellent saves in short succession. First, he tipped Luka Modric’s effort onto the bar and then a minute later he denied Van Der Vaart’s bullet header.

It was Spurs who also had the first effort of the secondhalf as Tom Huddlestone shot wide. The midfielder then squandered an excellent oppor tunity to pull Tottenham level in the 55th minute. Huddlestone was played through by Alan Hutton but he ballooned his shot high and wide over Green’s goal. — AFP

LONDON: West Ham United’s Luis Boa Morte (right) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Alan Hutton vie for the ball during their English Premier League soccer match at Upton Park. — AP

LONDON: Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia was guilty of two errors as West Brom shocked Arsene Wenger’s team in their Premier League clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Almunia had saved a firsthalf penalty from Chris Brunt but the visitors went ahead early in the second half when Peter Odemwingie tapped in his third goal of the season from close range.

Gonzalo Jara doubled the lead when Almunia allowed his shot into the near post, then former Arsenal winger Jerome Thomas added another to seal the points to leave the home crowd stunned.

Samir Nasri pulled two back but Wenger’s side could not take advantage of Chelsea dropping points at Manchester City earlier in the day.

Wenger was back on the touchline after serving a onematch ban for his conduct towards the fourth official when Sunderland scored an injury-time equaliser the previous weekend.

Roberto Di Matteo’s men had lost their previous two away games in the league this season — conceding seven goals without reply — but it was not quite so straightforward for Arsenal.

Goalkeeper Scott Carson was expected to have a busy afternoon and was watched

by England coach Ray Clemence after returning to the national squad for the last round of European Championship qualifiers.

However, he did not have much to do in the early stages of the match.

Andrey Arshavin almost opened the scoring in the 14th minute when he got on the end of Emmanuel Eboue’s cross, but he struck the post twice in the same move. The first was due to the pressure of Brunt, then he stabbed the rebound into the upright too.

Nasri drove wide and would also have been sent through if referee Michael Oliver did not call play back to book Jonas Olsson for a trip on Eboue.

The visitors remained a threat on the counter attack and managed to frustrate Arsenal. They almost snatched the lead when Nicky Shorey fed Odemwingie on the right.

Odemwingie cut inside and forced Almunia to palm the ball around his near post.

The West Brom striker then earned the penalty eight minutes before the break, racing onto Brunt’s pass and getting flattened by Almunia.

Brunt took the spot-kick but his weak effort was easily saved by Almunia, who barely had to dive to his right to stop the left-footed shot.

But West Brom were ahead five minutes after the break when Thomas tricked his way into the penalty area, around Bacary Sagna before crossing through Sebastien Squillaci’s legs for Odemwingie to tap in.

Jara then raced onto Brunt’s backheel two minutes later for the second, although his near-post shot was parried into the net by Almunia, offering another example of why Wenger was keen to sign Mark Schwarzer from Fulham before the transfer window closed.

Thomas finished af ter Almunia needlessly raced out to close down Brunt, who crossed for his team-mate.

Nasri jinked into the area for his first goal, then crisply finished a second - but it was too late to earn a point. — AFP

LONDON: Arsenal’s Samir Nasri (front) shields the ball from West Bromwich Albion’s Gonzalo Jara during their English Premier League soccer match at the Emirates stadium. — AP

Chelsea stumble as Tevez strikes Man City 1

Chelsea 0 MANCHESTER: A Carlos Tevez goal handed champions Chelsea their first defeat of the Premier League season here yesterday as Manchester City scored a 1-0 victory at Eastlands.

Just one day af ter City manager Roberto Mancini decreed that Carlo Ancelotti’s team would repeat as champions, he saw his own club halt the progress of the London club, comfortable winners of their opening five games.

Mancini’s pre-match assertion, whether intended as an exercise in “mind games” or not, certainly created a stir with the City manager claiming that the visitors would defend their Premier League title “easily.”

The cautious attitude also extended to Mancini’s team selection, with Tevez as the solitary striker, and it came as no surprise that the few first half chances that were created predominantly fell to the visitors.

Af ter 20 minutes, Yaya Toure lost the ball in midfield and presented Michael Essien with the chance for the game’s first shot which he sent skidding well wide of the City goal.

Only the woodwork, and Joe Hart’s customary excellence in goal, rescued City af ter 27 minutes when Florent Malouda’s cross was headed back across goal by Alex and Branislav Ivanovic saw his own header striker the bar.

The Chelsea full-back responded well and followed up, only to be denied by the England goalkeeper. Chelsea enjoyed a glut of possession thereafter but failed to seriously test Hart again, the best chance falling to Essien just before the interval but, at the end of a promising attack, his shot was woeful and wide.

The second half, however, opened with the promise of more attacking play from both sides and, before the hour was reached, City were in front.

The goal came from a counter-attack and was sprung from a short pass from Yaya Toure which found Tevez on the halfway line.

The Argentinian sped through Chelsea territory-

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole backing away furiously-before beating Peter Cech with a superb 18-yard strike that flew in off the inside of the left-hand post.

Ancelotti was clearly stunned by the Tevez goal coming, as it had, largely against the run of play but if he was expecting a committed response from his champions, there was none forthcoming.

In fact, Yaya Toure might have doubled the lead as he weaved his way into the Chelsea area, just losing his balance before he could get off a close-range shot, and the visitors were limited by dogged defending to longrange shots.

Essien tried his hand with a couple of pitiful efforts from distance while defender Alex rose well to meet a Malouda

corner but his strong header flashed harmlessly across the face of the City goal.

Chelsea substitute Daniel Sturridge, booed by City fans for having left their club for a better contract with the London club, appeared as a substitute and might have slid in to claim a late equaliser but it would have been more than the reigning champions deserved. — AFP

LONDON: Chelsea’s John Terry (top) jumps for the ball over Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez during their English Premier League soccer match at The City of Manchester Stadium. — AP

Wigan grind out dull draw Birmingham 0

Wigan 0 BIRMINGHAM: Birmingham and Wigan ground out a dull 0-0 draw yesterday but some consolation for the hosts was that it equalled a club record of 18 matches unbeaten at home in the top flight.

However, the draw leaves Wigan hovering over the relegation zone while Birmingham - who have just two wins in their last 16

Premier League matches are mid-table but only three points clear of the drop.

Charles N’Zogbia who had been on the point of moving to Birmingham before the deal collapsed last month had the only worthwhile shot on goal in the opening half hour but Ben Foster proved equal to the task.

The hosts, though, had the better of the remaining 15 minutes of the first-half with Swedish inter national Sebastian L arsson going close with two efforts.

The first saw him go wide with a shot from outside the area, then he turned provider as his cross was met by

Roger Johnson, but his header went wide. The Swede’s freekick forced Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi into a save on the stroke of halftime.

Wigan were a bit more adventurous after the break as N’Zogbia forced Foster into another save eight minutes in whilst Honduran Maynor Figueroa went wide twice. Foster was the busiest of the ‘keepers in the secondhalf as the for mer Manchester United guardian was called into action again 14 minutes from time as he saved from former Chelsea player Argentinian Franco di Santo. — AFP

flydubai secures over $750m in financing deals

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NBK rewards three Laki customers

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Mercedes-Benz R-Class, spacious, prestigious

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

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Saudi-Kuwait JV extends bid for Khafji gas work to Oct 11 Seven international firms bid for project KHOBAR: A Saudi-Kuwaiti joint venture has extended to Oct 11 the bidding for the construction of gas and natural gas liquids (NGL) distribution facilities at Khafji oilfield, the company said.

Al-Khafji Joint Operations Co (KJO) said on its website the deadline was extended to Oct.11 from Sept 27.

Khafji, located in the Neutral Zone between OPEC-members Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, has an oil capacity of around 610,000 barrels per day.

The zone produces now between 60 to 70 million cubic feet a day (cfd) of associated gas, Bader al-Khashti, the managing director of Kuwait Gulf Oil Co (KGOC) was quoted as saying by a Kuwaiti daily newspaper earlier this month.

KJO was set by Aramco Gulf Operations, a subsidiary of state oil firm Saudi Aramco, and Kuwait Gulf Oil Co (KGOC). “Time is not enough, I hope they will extend further the bid submission date,” a source said.

The project, estimated to cost at least $50 million would collect the gas which is flared and allocate it to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Bidders are South Korea’s Samsung Engineering, Daelim Industrial Co Ltd, Techint, Italy’s Saipem, Spain’s Intecsa, Japan’s JGC and Consolidated Contractors Co (CCC). — Reuters

Obama takes on Republicans on taxes, economy WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama says Republicans’ plan to slash taxes and cut spending if the Republican party retakes the House of Representatives in the November midterm elections is no more than “an echo of a disastrous decade we can’t afford to relive.” Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address yesterday to skewer House Republicans over the “Pledge to America” they unveiled this week. It also promised to cut down on government regulation, repeal Obama’s health care law and end his stimulus program.

“The Republicans who want to take over Congress offered their own ideas the other day. Many were the very same policies that led to the economic crisis in the first place, which isn’t surprising, since many of their leaders were among the architects of that failed policy,” Obama said.

“It is grounded in same worn-out philosophy: cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires; cut the rules for Wall Street and the special interests; and cut the middle class loose to fend for itself. That’s not a prescription for a better future.” Republicans used their own radio address to defend the plan.

“The new agenda embodies Americans’ rejection of the notion that we can simply tax, borrow and spend our way to prosperity,” said one of its authors, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy. “It offers a new way forward that hasn’t been tried in Washington — an approach focused on cutting spending — which is sadly a new idea for a Congress accustomed to always accelerating it.” The Republican plan was short on specifics but showed a stark contract between the philosophies of the two parties weeks ahead of midterm elections where Republicans are forecast to make big gains and potentially win back the House.

Perhaps the biggest difference was on taxes, where Republicans want to extend all of George W Bush’s income tax cuts permanently — at a cost of some $4 trillion over 10 years. —AP

BEIJING: Women walk past a Louis Vuitton store at a luxury shopping center in downtown Beijing. China, now the world’s second largest economy, still remains a major recipient of foreign aid, a fact that a growing number of taxpayers and lawmakers in donor countries are questioning.—AP

Qatar in deal to invest up to $5bn in Greece ATHENS: Greece and Qatar have signed a framework deal that paves the way for the Gulf emirate to invest up to $5 billion in energy, banking and other areas, giving a boost to the crisis-hit country.

Wooing foreign investment is key for Greece, which battles its worst recession in decades as it clamps down on state spending to slash its budget deficit under an EU/IMF bailout agreement.

Greek officials welcomed the non-binding memorandum of understanding, sealed late on Thursday in New York with Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), as a proof of investor confidence following months of market bashing over the debt crisis.

“The prospect of cooperation with such an important and credible international fund shows the Greek government’s efforts to regain the trust of investors ... are bearing fruit,” Investment Minister Harris Pamboukis said in a statement.

No specific projects were mentioned in the document.

The QIA and Greece will set up within two months a joint committee to identify possible deals, mainly in real estate, tourism, energy, banking, ports and airports, the text said.

The committee will then meet every three months. It

was encouraging that the memorandum, although non-binding, mentioned a specific amount at such an early stage in the process, an official with direct knowledge of the talks told Reuters.

“The Qatar Investment Authority confirms its intention to invest in the Hellenic Republic... with an aggregate investment target budget of up to five billion US dollars,” said the memorandum, published by the Greek Prime Minister’s office. The economy needs to pick up to boost government revenue as Athens seeks to cut its budget deficit to 8.1 percent of GDP this year from 13.6 percent in 2009, trying to convince markets it is tackling a debt crisis which forced it to secure a 110 billion euro ($141 billion) EU/IMF bailout earlier this year.

Greece’s efforts to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI), which has fallen in the past two years as business fled to the Balkans, face concerns about bureaucracy, economic conditions and regular strike action. In response to some of these worries, Athens said earlier this month it would set up a fast-track procedure to cut red tape for big investments.

The main labor union plans no strike anytime soon, also easing some concerns. —Reuters

BUSINESS

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flydubai secures over $750m in deals of aircraft financing KUW AIT: flyduba i, Duba i’s first low cost a irline, ha s a nnounced a ircra ft fina ncing w orth more tha n $750m in dea ls w ith GECAS (Genera l Electric Ca pita l Avia tion Services) a nd BBAM. The fina ncing w ill ta ke ca re of the next nine a ircra ft flyduba i is due to receive a nd secures a ll the a irline’s fina ncing requirements until J une 2011. Gha ith Al-Gha ith,

CEO of flyduba i, sa id: “I a m delighted to be a ble to a nnounce this a ircra ft fina ncing toda y. These dea ls a re very significa nt for flyduba i beca use this committed money secures the next nine a ircra ft w e a re due to receive a nd mea n a ll our fina ncing requirements until J une next yea r a re ta ken ca re of.

2011 Cadillac CTS coupe and CTS-V coupe makes a spectacular entrance KUWAIT: Middle East Regional celebrities, VIPs and members of the media got at a lavish gala event held to celebrate the launch of the all-new2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe and CTS-V Coupe.

Held in Lebanon, the night featured entertainment to reflect Cadillac’s Arts & Science philosophy, and kept in theme with the dramatic design and sophisticated performance of the Cadillac CTS Coupe.

Arriving in Cadillac showrooms in September 2010, the CTS Coupe is a new luxury sports coupe designed to become the centerpiece of the brand’s revised lineup.

“We built on the very successful CTS Sports Sedan, extending its potential in order to develop a compelling new alternative for luxury and performance minded drivers, and resulted in the CTS Coupe and CTS-V

Fitch affirms AUB Kuwait’s rating at A—, Outlook stable

Coupe,” said Don Butler, Vice President of Cadillac Marketing, “The addition of a Coupe provides an entryway for new consumers to experience the Cadillac Arts & Science philosophy of the brand.”

The Coupe is a classic 2+2 layout bolstered with advanced technology, such as a rear-view camera system and a performanceoriented suspension system coupled to rearwheel and all-wheel drive.

The CTS Coupe emerged as a proposal inside Cadillac’s dedicated design studio, where designers develop and evolve the brand’s Art and Science design philosophy.

The overall effect is a distinctive design that is both precise and refined, and includes touchpad door entry, revised gearing, increased cornering capability, and more responsive driving experience.

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe and CTS V-Coupe launch event

At first glance, the shape of CTS Coupe is refreshingly simple, yet amplified with intricately carved details. Distinctive and original Cadillac signature cues combine with handsculpted forms, artfully articulating the capability of the chassis. Unique design features for the CTS-V Coupe include a grille that doubles car’s air intake volume, an important enabler for its high-performance capabilities.

The CTS Coupe is powered by a 3.6L direct injected V-6 rated at 304 horsepower. A six-speed automatic transmission with Driver Shift Control (and available steering wheel mounted shift buttons) is standard. The highperformance CTS-V Coupe receives the same, 556-horsepower 6.2L supercharged V-8 found in the landmark CTS-V Sport Sedan.

The V-Series also reaches elite levels of road-holding performance, but also maintains the poise of a luxury car in “regular” driving conditions due to Cadillac’s landmark Magnetic Ride Control, the world’s fastestreacting suspension technology. This is in addition to sophisticated braking and tire systems, in partnership with two companies renowned for high-performance technology: Brembo and Michelin.

Inside, the CTS Coupe’s interior emphasizes technical precision with elegant including hand-sewn accents covering the door, center storage console and instrument panel trim.

The CTS-V Coupe also includes exclusive new ebony seats with a saffron sueded fabric option for the interior, providing a contrasting color accent carried on the seat inserts, as well as the stitching.

“The CTS Coupe is the new focal point of Cadillac, reinforcing the brand’s leadership role in bold designs with dramatic presence and striking detail,” said Fadi Ghosn, Marketing Director at General Motors Middle East.” The CTS-V Coupe, especially, is a combination of visual and technical attributes designed to create a very compelling choice for luxury sports car consumers.”

“We already have agreements in place with both GECAS and BBAM and it is clear from their willingness to enter into further ties with us that they have been pleased with what flydubai has delivered so far. These are some of the largest aircraft financers in the world and their faith in flydubai is a huge endorsement of us and our success since our launch.

“When we went out to the markets this time to seek financing for our aircraft we were overwhelmed by the response. At the end of the day we received offers for far more aircraft than we needed to finance, which is a very nice position for a young and ambitious airline to be in. I believe this is a reflection not only of our position but also of the confidence the financial community around the world has in Dubai.”

Both deals are eight year term sale and leaseback agreements. The agreement with GECAS is for six aircraft, taking the total number of flydubai aircraft GECAS finances to 10.

BBAM are adding another three aircraft to make their total commitment six.

Norm C. T. Liu, President and CEO of GECAS, said: “During its first 15 months of operations, flydubai has worked to build a solid foundation for future growth. GECAS is pleased to continue our partnership with this rapidly expanding airline, and provide the financial support they need to continue their impressive growth.”

Steve Zissis, President of BBAM, said: “We signed our first financing deal with flydubai at the same time the airline announced its historic aircraft order for more than 50 Boeing 737-800NGs at Farnborough in July 2008. We’re very pleased to be able to strengthen our relationship with flydubai and look forward to many more years of partnership. Our partnership with flydubai is an excellent example of BBAM’s expansive global footprint and ability to provide solutions for airlines in every stage of development.” flydubai began commercial flights on June 1, 2009. Since then the airline has grown to a fleet of nine B737-800NG aircraft operating to 22 destinations within a five hour flight radius of Dubai. Four more aircraft are due to be received before the end of this calendar year. These will be the new Boeing Sky Interior 737-800NG and will be fitted with the revolutionary new type of in-flight entertainment system from Lumexis that the airline announced earlier this year.

KUWAIT: The Ahli United Bank (Kuwait) announced the ratings, affirmed by Fitch, detailing that the A- rating was for Long Term Issuer Default (IDR) while the short term IDR received an F2 rating. The bank’s individual rating stood at C and its support at 1, while the Support Rating Floor remained at A-. These ratings came with a stable outlook for the bank as a result of its affirmed financial stability.

The Chairman of Ahli United Bank (Kuwait), Hamad Abdulmohsen Al-Marzouq, termed the results as a “reflection of the high quality of the bank’s assets and the bank’s stable profitability despite the global crisis and its impact on both the international & regional banks”.

Al-Marzouq added “the affirmation of the rating proves, yet again, The bank succeeded to triumph over the impact of the repercussions of the past period that our bank is moving carefully on the right track of growing its assets while maintaining the highest standards of risk management”. Fitch also stated the improved asset quality indicators in H110 and the bank good cost control, which according to Al-Marzouq is attributed to “the Bank’s conservative policy with the aim to solidify customer confidence in the bank and its operations”.

Furthermore, Fitch stated that the Bank’s Tier 1 and Total capital ratios were adequate at the end of June 2010 at 14.5% and 16.3%

Hamad Al-Marzouq respectively. These figures are effectively higher than the minimum required by the regulatory authorities.

Fitch acknowledges AUBK conversion to full fledged sharia compliant bank; a shift that has been done in April 2010, according to AlMarzouq, to make AUBK an ideal choice for a wider base of customers.

Gulf Bank partners with Costa Cafe to offer 10% discount to customers Bank extends its award winning loyalty program KUWAIT: Gulf Bank announced a new partnership with Costa CafÈ whereby Costa Cafe customers, who pay with a Gulf Bank card, will be able to claim a 10% discount on their purchases.

Gulf Bank currently also has a range of summer promotions for customers which will continue through to the end of September, including a 10% discount for customers at Fantasy World when using their Visa Platinum, Visa Infinite, Nassour or Boom cards and a 2 month free subscription on Orbit - Showtime Network (OSN) using any of the Bank’s Credit Cards.

Gulf Bank has won the ‘Best Loyalty Program’ from the Banker Middle East Magazine for its extensive Program. Gulf Bank’s Rewards Program provides customers

with a broad range of great offers, great discounts and vouchers, now from over 120 merchants at more than 300 outlets across Kuwait. The Program has been designed to provide customers with a range of rewards, depending on the kind of account they hold.

To find out more about Gulf Bank’s latest promotions and about Gulf Rewards, customers can visit http://www.egulfbank.com/eng/personal/gulfRewards/inde x.jsp. Customers can also get details by visiting one of Gulf Bank’s 51 branches or call the Tele-banking service 1805805 for assistance and guidance. They can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s bilingual website, to find all the information about the Bank’s promotions, products and services.

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 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 US Dollar Sterling pounds Swiss Francs Saudi Riyals

.2800000 .4430000 .3790000 .2860000 .2740000 .2700000 .0045000 .0020000 .0774360 .7544320 .4020000 .0750000 .7395880 .0045000 .0500000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2848500 .4457180 .3814340 .2884720 .2766480 .0511990 .0415150 .2721620 .0367140 .2147420 .0033660 .0062530 .0025370 .0033230 .0041130 .0775930 .7559630 .4028610 .0760100 .7406360 .0065180 TRANSFER CHEQUES RATES .2869500 .4488670 .2905160 .0764950

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.402 6.261

.2910000 .4530000 .3870000 .2950000 .2830000 .2770000 .0075000 .0035000 .0782140 .7620140 .4180000 .0790000 .7470210 .0072000 .0580000 .2869500 .4488670 .3841290 .2905160 .2786080 .0515610 .0418090 .2740850 .0369740 .2162640 .0033900 .0062970 .0025550 .0033470 .0041420 .0780880 .7607860 .4057160 .0764950 .7453610 .0065640

Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

3.327 2.541 3.927 216.150 36.903 4.115 6.504 9.340 0.296 0.310 GCC COUNTRIES Saudi Riyal 76.345 Qatari Riyal 78.664 Omani Riyal 743.810 Bahraini Dinar 760.410 UAE Dirham 77.963 ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 52.900 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 50.185 Yemen Riyal 1.349 Tunisian Dinar 199.990 Jordanian Dinar 404.290 Lebanese Lira 192.100 Syrian Lier 6.178 Morocco Dirham 34.900 EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 286.180 Euro 384.770 Sterling Pound 449.590 Canadian dollar 279.470 Turkish lire 193.360 Swiss Franc 291.280 Australian dollar 274.070 US Dollar Buying 285.645 GOLD 20 Gram 252.000 10 Gram 127.000 5 Gram 65.000

Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal 10 Tola Sterling Pound US Dollar

SELL CASH 278.900 760.830 4.300 281.300 584.700 14.100 52.400 167.800 52.720

386.000 37.400 6.270 0.036

404.390 0.193 95.010 3.940 212.000 742.980 3.330 6.500 78.700 76.390 216.930 43.230 2.540 450.000 291.300 6.300 9.520 77.960 286.100

GOLD 1,379.130 TRAVELLERʼS CHEQUE 450.000 286.100

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

387.500 37.550 6.490 0.036 0.283 0.250 3.480 406.270 0.194 95.010 45.800 4.480 213.500 1.950 49.800 743.160 3.490 6.670 79.130 76.390 216.930 43.230 2.724 452.000 42.700 292.800 6.300 9.670 198.263 78.060 286.500 1.370

SELL DRAFT 275.400 760.830 4.121 279.800

216.900 50.205

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 287.500 280.729 449.241 375.734 286.606 704.798 761.106 78.268 78.962 76.649 405.769 50.446 6.214 3.359

Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees

2.552 4.152 6.476 3.368 9.278 6.273 3.881

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) 286.000 3.345 6.275 2.550 4.120 6.540 77.950 76.475 760.300 50.180 453.200 0.00003280 3.950 1.550 406.200 5.750 388.800 283.400

Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar 285.600 Euro 385.000 Pound Sterling 449.800 Canadian Dollar 278.900 Japanese Yen 3.425 Indian Rupee 6.298 Egyptian Pound 50.180 Sri Lankan Rupee 2.540 Bangladesh Taka 4.098 Philippines Peso 6.486 Pakistan Rupee 3.328 Bahraini Dinar 759.000 UAE Dirham 77.850 Saudi Riyal 76.280 *Rates are subject to change

BUSINESS

Sunday, September 26, 2010

23

Dubai $1bn sovereign bond may appeal but rating key CDS spreads expected to stay around 420 bps DUBAI/LONDON: Dubai’s plan to issue up to $1 billion in sovereign bonds could help to revive bond market activity in the emirate, but investors say securing a credit rating remains crucial for wider investor appeal. Expected as early as next

The winner Mahmuod Mustafa receives the prize from NBK Domestic Branches Manager, Consumer Banking Group Khalid Falah Al Ali.

Mustafa wins KD 125,000 NBK’s top Jawhara prize KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the leading bank in Kuwait and the highest rated bank in the Middle East, recently announced the names of the Al-Jawhara Draw prize winners for the month of September 2010 which was conducted at NBK’s head office.

The first prize of KD 125,000 went to Mahmuod Ibrahim Darwish Mustafa, while the second place winner Khaled Habib Mayahi received KD 7,500. The third winner Min Nayef Nasser Shulaiweeh Alotaib was awarded KD 3,000 and the remaining 97 winners were awarded KD 400 each.

The winner, who works as a sales officer at Future Kid Company, received his prize from Khalid Ali, Area Manager at NBK, and expressed his thanks and appreciation for NBK, saying: “I am extremely happy for winning this invaluable and unexpected prize. I have never expected to be so lucky and to win this much-acclaimed prize”.

Mahmuod added that “NBK has always been unique by its rewarding offers and proSr.# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67

Cert. No. 036174890 059091347 062152653 056043260 080018467 009370447 004977386 008242305 000223956 006041736 013210157 060039299 057051747 100530710 025092774 055096204 047404302 061063649 054157749 100077749 053007719 053061748 070001774 054141966 018144489 070005931 037155091 033108439 069042241 059011378 059104899 034082603 060052201 000913987 100675328 076000699 015400506 018288634 018346847 031167985 054165903 002111802 100410898 047372362 033138192 014006790 023170301 037295993 040233456 054044278 018037151 061040088 060079959 023085681 085003212 100250092 008010242 011214732 055058418 039450708 100771882 061058823 011169443 039549305 039070697 043017770 013398210

68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

002242338 063004844 036136905 009289496 038078996 002219018 062031147 008830703 067007392 000013323 008287686 045036403 073032085 080018076 070007373 004850696 038132176 005116651 018120504 005217938 057049084 012258660 018296238 078002648 014156660 080118844 073032026 017105102 071018239 004106059 032892640 073024953 076039900

motions, not to mention the way NBK treats its customers. NBK is really the best bank in the Middle East. Thanks to NBK and best wishes of more success and advancement for NBK management and staff”.

Al-Jawhara account offers numerous benefits to NBK customers. It is not only an interest-free account with regular deposit and withdrawal privileges, but also automatically entitles account holders to enter the monthly AlJawhara draw. Each KD 50 in an Al-Jawhara account entitles the customer to one chance at winning any one of the 100 prizes allocated for each draw. All prizes are automatically credited to the winners’ accounts the day after the draw. The more money held in your AlJawhara account, the greater your chances of winning!

Al-Jawhara accounts are available for both Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis and can be opened at any one of NBK’s branches around Kuwait.

For further information kindly visit www.nbk.com, or call Hala Watani at 1801801.

“AL JAWHARA WINNERS Sept. 2010” Name of Customer MAHMUOD IBRAHIM DARWISH MUSTAFA KHALED HABIB MAYAHI MIN NAYEF NASSER SHULAIWEEH ALOTAIBI HANAA NASER MOUSA ALEBRAHIM SAYED MAKI SAYED ADNAN MUSAWE AMEENA MOUSTAFA HASSAN AL SAYEGH WAFAA MOHAMED SUBATI HESHAM ALMAKAWI MOHD ALI ABDULLA ALI ALI ABDULLA MOHAMED AL ABDULLA FAWZI KHALED ALI ALMAILAM LEQAA BALASEM MOHAMEED DALAL ABDULLAH SALEH BUHAMRA MOHD ADEL MEJBEL ALMETAYRI AQEEL JASSER KHALAF A SHAMMARI ASMAA TARAD MAZEN ALOTAIBI KARIMA BEN SETITI ADEL MOHAMED ALI HASSAN MARIAM AHMAD HAMZA IBRAHIM AMENA ABDUL QODDOUS SHAH SADOUN AHMAD ABDULMEHSEN ALBABTEN RABA’AH HAMED MOHAMAD ALRUWAIH BADER MOHAMMED ABDULLAH ALHARBI MIN LAYLA NASIR AHMAD KHAMEES SOUAD ABDALKAREEM FADEL ELEANOR DIAA JOHN FOREMAN MARYAM ABDULKAREEM JOUHAR ALSHATTI WAZERA KHALIL KHALIL MESHAL IBRAHIM ABDULNABI ABDULATIF ABDULAZIZ SADOON ESSA ALRUOJAIB ABBAS ALI ABBAS MOHAMMED MELBES MOHAMAD ALI ALENEZI KHALED DARAJ SAAD ALAZMI ADEL ABDULLAH IBRAHIM BOTY BOUTAIBAN RASHED MUFAREH DOGHIMAN ALRESHEDI MUSAED MOHD SULTAN NAYEF ASHRAF KAMEL MOHAMMED AHMED ALDEEB BADER ESSA MOHAMMAD AL QATTAN MANSOUR SALMAN AHMAD ALOSTATH MOHAMMED HASAN ALNASER BADER TAHA YASEEN ABDULLA MONIA MOHAMED ESSA HALEM MIN REEM KHALED ALDOSARI SUHAD OMAR MOHAMMED SALEH ABDU IBRAHEEM NEMMA HANA MOUSA MOHD ALFARHAN SALAH KAZEM ASHOUR GHAREB JALIL EID MANHY BREK ALEANZY RIMON MAHYR NAJYB MATHLOUM BOLES GANEEMA FOWZI MOHAMED ALKHARAFI SADIQAH YAQOUB YOUSEF HAIDER NAWAR MOHAMMAD SALOUM ALOTIBI ZAKIYA ABDULHAMEED ABDULRAZAQ ALDALKAN JASSEM MOHAMD SOUD ALANJRI MIN MANAR AWADH SOUD ALRSHEDI JAMAL SULAIMAN A.AZIZ NASSER FRAIH SALEH MAMED ALHABASHI REEM MOHD KAMEL AL AHBASH ALAA KHALED ABDULLAH AL MISHARI OSAMA AHMAD SAADALLAH SOROUR SHAMSALNHAR MONY MOHAMMED KHALG LAILA MADLOUL HUSSEIN ALSHEMMERY MOHD AHMAD MOHD MURAD KHADIGA HASSAN ALI AL SALMAN BOU HASSAN ABDULWAHAB ABDULHAMID SALMAN ALMOUSA SALAH ALDEEN ABDULHAMEED IBRAHEEM ALSHAIKHA REEM BENT ABDULRAHMAN BEN MOHD BEN JBER AL THANI AMER HUSEEIN ALI ABDULLAH BADER NASHMI HAMDAN ALBANAGI JASEM MOHAMMED ALI ALSUWAIDI SUHAIL SALEH ALI ALSHAYA NAIER SAFWAT DESOUKI ELSOKARY YOUSEF MOHMAD AHMAD ALREYAHI ADNAN KHALEL ABDULNBI ALSAFAR NASER HAMAD JAZAA EL ZAFIRI TASHMIM FERDOUS JAMSHED YUSUF AHMAD YUSUF ALNASRALLAH KHALED FALEH SAHAB MESAAD BADAH NASSER M ALAJMI JOAQUIN AGIRRE RIMANDO NADA SABEEH YAQOUB MANSOUR MOHAMMED ADNAN WADIE MOHAMMED NASEEB TALEB MIN ALI JASEM ASHKANANI HUSAIN ALI HUSAIN ASHKANANI SUMAYA MAHMOUD MOHAMMED SHEHAB LILA SOUD ABDUL AZIZ ALSUBYEE ALIA MUBARAK ABDULAZIZ AL HASAWI AHMAD MAHDI GHLOUM ALSAFFAR MANSOUR JASSIM AHMAD ALOSTATH MARYAM SALEH ALI MOHD AL KHENAINY ABBAS SALEH ABDULRASOUL ALSAFAR HUSSIN EBRAHIM ALSAYED AHMED NABIL FOUAD SLEIMAN HAITHAM ABDULKARIM YAQOUB ABU GHAITH MOHAMMED SALEH ALI ALSALLAL NEMREEN NASHAT NAJEEB ABO SHAMA MOHAMAD FALEH SAAD ALFANDI MOHAMMED SAADO MUSTAFA SHAIKH KHALIL AHMED YOUSRI ZAKARIA

Prize 125000 7500 3000 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400 400

“It has to be at a decent price.

But it will find an audience, that’s for sure,” said Haissam Arabi, chief executive of Dubai-based Gulfmena Alternative Investments.

Banking sources told Reuters that the government was planning to issue up to $1 billion in bonds with a tenor of up to seven years.

Dubai’s last sovereign bond sale was launched last October — barely a month before its flagship conglomerate Dubai World shocked investors by calling for a standstill on its debt. The company eventually asked for a standstill on $26 billion of debt.

But since then, Dubai World has secured near-unanimous creditor approval for its debt restructuring plans, while property subsidiary Nakheel is expected to complete its debt workout plan by year-end.

“The hard work has been sorting out Nakheel and Dubai World, and investors are more positive on Dubai because of its strong relationship to the rest of the UAE and as the legacy issues have been or are being addressed,” said Aviva fund manager Jeremy Brewin in London.

“I am keen on owning Dubai debt.”

Although its peers from the seven-member United Arab Emirates (UAE) have continued to access capital markets, the only Dubai name to have launched a bond so far this year has been state-run Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA), which raised $1 billion via a bond in April.

While the DEWA deal showed the market’s readiness to take on more Dubai risk, the absence of a sovereign credit rating remains an obstacle to widening the range of investors beyond those willing to accept emerging market risk.

“You can still get onto benchmark indices without a rating.

But getting a rating is a way of improving your transparency to investors as you have to open your books to the rating agency.

Until Dubai gets a rating, it will have to pay a premium,” said one London-based fund manager.

The manager, who declined to be named, said he made this point to Dubai officials during investor meetings earlier this year. Dubai is believed by the market to be intending to obtain a rating, but government officials have not confirmed whether it is doing so.

A credit rating would go some way to improving clarity over Dubai’s creditworthiness, particularly as its state-owned companies sit on more than $100 billion in debt, including $30 billion due to mature in 2011-2012. Fellow UAE member Abu Dhabi has been rated ‘AA’ by Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Ratings; it is seen by many investors as a stronger credit thanks to its oil revenues.

Investors say pricing on Dubai’s new deal will be determined by whether it obtains a rating and what that rating is.

“There’s appetite, but it has to depend on the pricing and structure...But it’s the right moment in the market,” said Abdulkadir Hussain, chief executive of Mashreq Capital.

Dubai’s five-year sukuk maturing 2014 is trading at a yield of around 6.4 percent. Investors say another comparable credit is DEWA’s 2015 deal, currently trading at 6.755 percent.

Risk perceptions of Dubai have eased since last year and that has been reflected in the falling cost of insuring its sovereign debt. Though Dubai may have to step up asset sales and government borrowing in coming years to cope with the heavy debt repayment schedule for statelinked companies, many investors think its status as a financial centre and support from Abu Dhabi will avert any renewed crisis. Five-year credit default swaps for Dubai have fallen from a 2010-high of 655 basis points in mid-February to around 420 bps.

“CDS spreads...are probably going to stay around there- they won’t come down significantly more from there,” said Mashreq Capital’s Hussain.

A successful bond issue could have an important impact in encouraging secondary market trading of bonds within Dubai, some traders believe. —Reuters

week, the emirate’s first government debt sale since the bursting of its real estate bubble and subsequent debt crisis last year could be a step towards rehabilitating its image in the eyes of international investors.

NBK rewards 3 Laki customers ‘MasterCard Aishti Fashion Experience’ in Beirut KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the leading bank in Kuwait and the highest rated in the Middle East, announced that 3 Laki customers were rewarded to attend the MasterCard Aishti Fashion Experience held in Beirut, along with a partner each. As an appreciation of their Laki Titanium MasterCard credit card usage, NBK in conjunction with MasterCard International rewards Sarah Ameen Ahmad, Athari Mubarak Al-Mutairi and Danah Mufeed Abdal with a trip to Beirut to take part in the fashion events.

The four-day special event features fashion collection showcases by renowned designers, fashion exhibition, workshops, interactive design and invitations from leading fashion houses to their inaugural boutique

openings. Also part of the event is a formal dinner reception with guests and designers from International design houses getting together under one roof to share their love of fashion.

Moreover customers traveling to Beirut in September during the event period can enjoy all the fabulous shopping treats in store at the MasterCard Fashion Experience just by using their Laki Titanium MasterCard credit card at participating stores.

The winner Athari AlMutairi, an employee at the Ministry of Education, said: “I never expected to be one of the winners of these unique prizes.

In fact, when NBK informed me that I have won a trip to Lebanon to attend a fashion event I could not believe it. I’m really quite happy and proud for being an NBK customer. NBK takes care

of women’s financial and social needs and continuously endeavors to meet these needs.

Unquestionably the Laki Titanium MasterCard credit card is one of-its-kind in respect of rewarding promotions, features and exclusive discounts”.

On her part, the winner Danah Abdal expressed her extreme happiness for winning this prize and said that she feels very lucky. “When I received a call from NBK, I thought it was a joke from one of my friends who knows well of my interest to fashion. I am extremely happy for this unforgettable trip. I truly believe that through the Laki Titanium MasterCard credit card NBK offers excellent benefits and features that are specifically designed to meet womens’ needs”, Abdal added.

NBK Laki Account Manager,

Laila Al-Mukhtar said: “Laki customers will be rewarded throughout the year by getting invited to various events locally and regionally. We encourage every lady to apply for the Laki package and the Laki Titanium MasterCard credit card as she will not only benefit from premium exclusive benefits but will also be given the opportunity to be part of exciting events. So for those who are not yet Laki Titanium MasterCard holders, apply for one soon at your nearest NBK branch”.

NBK’s Laki account offers women the first Laki Titanium MasterCard in Kuwait with its unrivaled offers and exclusive privileges such as free valet parking, concierge service, free access to airport lounges and instant discounts at numerous outlets in Kuwait.

Landmark Group unveils Shukran Centrepoint relaunches its loyalty program KUWAIT: Landmark Group, the region’s leading retail and hospitality conglomerate, announced the launch of Shukran, a customer rewards initiative program.

Previously known as the Centrepoint Privilege Club, Shukran will rollout in a phased manner across the GCC. Shukran is the region’s leading loyalty program promoted by a retail business group; its presence spanning 7 countries, over 800 outlets and covering over 1.5 million members. The program will encompass the existing member-base of the Centrepoint Privilege Club, and add new members as it is launched; in the fashion, lifestyle, food, hospitality and leisure space.

Speaking from Dubai, Vipen Sethi, CEO Landmark Group: “Shukran is a program for the region, by the region’s favorite retailer. The name pays tribute to our humble beginnings in the GCC. As the Group has grown and diversified its interests, we have redesigned our program to now offer a much wider array of benefits

Burgan Bank announces $400million bond issue KUWAIT: Burgan Bank, one of the leading and most dynamic banks in the state of Kuwait and the commercial banking arm of Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO), has announced its issuance of a subordinated bond worth $400 million to enhance its capital base. Burgan Bank enjoys a rating of A2 by Moody’s and BBB+ by Standard & Poors while the issue ratings will be A3 by Moody’s and BBB by Standard & Poors.

The bond maturity date will be 29 September 2020, a tenure of 10 years with a fixed coupon rate at 7.875%. Majed Essa Al-Ajeel, the chairman of Burgan Bank commented that: ‘The Bank’s decision to issue the bond comes from our efforts to strengthen the Bank’s capital and support its business growth’ commented. The proceeds from the bond issuance will be utilized to further strengthen the Bank’s business locally as well as supporting its expansion strategy which has primarily targeted high growth markets in the MENA region.

The joint bookrunners for the deal are JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Standard Chartered Bank.

and rewards. Shukran will be the region’s largest and most rewarding customer loyalty program.

Our vision is to take this brand across all regions where our footprint is being established”.

The program is being launched with exciting new brands across retail and hospitality such as Max, Shoexpress, New Look, Kurt Geiger, Casa Havana, Centrepoint CafÈ and Jungle Food Court besides the pre-existing Centrepoint, Juniors, Shoe Mart, Splash, Lifestyle, Home Centre, Paprika & Bossini.

With Shukran, members can earn up to 12.5 points for every 1 Kuwaiti Dinar they spend. The most exciting part of the program for members is that they can earn points even during sales and promotions.

These points can be redeemed through reward certificates sent to members every quarter.

Speaking at the launch of this exciting rewards program, Saibal Basu, Territory Head of Landmark Group in Kuwait:

“Landmark Group has always maintained a proactive approach towards retaining customers and we consider our loyal customers as our most significant shopperbase. On account of being ambassadors who graciously endorse our products and brands, they share a relationship with the Group.

Shukran is ‘Our way of saying thank you to loyal customers’ and with the number of participating outlets in the program, there’s enough reason for them to shop their heart out!”

The first phase of the relaunch includes the program roll-out in Kuwait, Oman and Qatar today, followed by other countries in the coming months. The loyalty program will also be introduced for the first time in Jordan shortly.

Epitomising the program name, the tagline aptly propositions members to ‘Shop, Dine, Play or Simply indulge. And find over a million ways to reward yourself’. Welcome to the exciting world of Shukran.

LG’s new 3D gaming monitor boasts highest picture quality KUWAIT: LG Electronics Business Solutions (LG), a perfect solutions partner for businesses and individuals, today released its new 3D monitor, the W63D. Developed specifically for game play, the W63D boasts superlative picture quality with the greatest depth in 3D images, while causing practically no dizziness.

“Today, entertainment media is booming and 3D is at the center of this trend. With its excellent picture quality and the best 3D images of any monitor yet, the W63D promises to set the standard for all 3D computer entertainment,” said H S Paik, President of LG Gulf FZE. “Through LG’s high technology and innovative development processes, the W63D will provide the most vivid platform for 3D games and movies.”

Full HD 3D, Less Dizziness The W63D, the fruit of LG’s innovative development processes, provides full HD

resolution, a huge contrast ratio of 70,000:1, and 120Hz for a screen refresh rate of 120 per second. Thanks to these features, the W63D delivers images as sharp and clear as those on LCD TVs, with full HD resolution that is twice the resolution of regular HD. In addition, when playing high-speed 3D games on a typical monitor, gamers have been known to experience dizziness, an effect of the “crosstalk,” or blurred edges, that can sometimes appear on 3D images.

The W63D uses a data processing speed of 172Hz per second to greatly reduce ghosting, making it possible to watch vivid, realistic 3D images for long periods with virtually no dizziness.

Altogether, thanks to crystal clear 3D pictures that produce practically no viewer dizziness, the W63D is the perfect platform for watching 3D movies in full HD format.

The Ultimate in 3D Besides its exemplary picture quality, the W63D is optimized for 3D viewing in other ways too. With a picture specially tuned to maximize the depth of 3D images, the W63D automatically displays the optimum brightness for viewing the screen through 3D glasses.

Of course, for other content, users can also adjust brightness to suit their own preference.

To complement the ultimate in 3D pictures, the W63D also packs the best in 3D sound.

Equipped with SRS Tru-surround HD optimized for 3D contents, the W63D’s sound seems to emanate from the images onscreen, rather than the speakers. By optimizing the bass, the W63D also delivers clarity at high frequencies and clear vocal sounds, while different sound settings for earphones and speakers ensure the ultimate listening experience in any mode.

BUSINESS

24

Sunday, September 26, 2010

KSE trading remains lackluster KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended the week with variance in its indices. The market price index ended last week with an increase amounted to 0.02%, while the weighted index decreased by 1.12% compared to the closings of the week before. In addition, last week’s average daily turnover decreased by 20.54%, compared to the preceding week, reaching KD 46.35 million, whereas trading volume average was 286.23 million shares, recording increase of 7.54%.

Moreover, Banks sector kept its role as the main player during last week. The debates and news about the government decision to finance the development plan through the banking system, remained dominating the market atmosphere, as the last week witnessed many reports about the expectation for financing mechanism, of which some of it concluded that the Banks does not have enough capabilities to finance the development plan. As a result, the market witnessed hesitant performance. Speculations and profit taking were the main features for the last week trading, espe-

BAYAN INVESTMENT WEEKLY REPORT cially for the leading stocks, causing the weighted index to record decline. Nevertheless, small stocks supported the price index and made it end the week in the green zone.

By the end of the week, the price index closed at 6,840.1 points, up by 0.02% from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index registered a 1.12% weekly loss after closing at 452.30 points.

Sectorsʼ Indices Four of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the green zone, while the other four recorded declines. Last week’s highest gainer was the Insurance sector, achieving 4.52% growth rate as its index closed at 2,641.1 points. Whereas, in the second place, the

Industry sector’s index closed at 5,633.9 points recording 1.53% increase. The Food sector came in third as its index achieved 0.47% growth, ending the week at 4,684.3 points. On the other hand, the Banks sector headed the losers list as its index declined by 1.86% to end the week’s activity at 10,570.9 points.

The Non Kuwaiti companies sector was second on the losers’ list, which index declined by 1.54%, closing at 6,973.6 points, followed by the Services sector, as its index closed at 14,762.2 points at a loss of 0.35%.

ket trading volume. The Real Estate sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 26.44% of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 378.38 million shares. On the other hand, the Banks sector’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 67.58 million or 29.16% of last week’s total market trading value. The Services sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 58.80 million represented 25.37% of the total market trading value.

Sectorsʼ Activity The Investment sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 432.82 million shares changing hands, representing 30.24% of the total mar-

Market Capitalization KSE total market capitalization declined by 1.09% during last week to reach KD 32.34 billion, as six of KSE’s sectors recorded a decrease in their respective

market capitalization, whereas the other two recorded increases. The Food sector headed the decliners list as its total market capitalization reached KD745.98 million, decreasing by 2.26%. The Non Kuwaiti companies sector was the second in terms of recorded decline with 1.72% decrease after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 2.14 billion. The third place was for the Services sector, which total market capitalization reached KD 8.86 billion by the end of the week, recording a decline of 1.55%. The Real Estate sector was the least declining with 0.29% recorded decrease after its market capitalization amounted to KD 1.72 billion.

On the other hand, the Insurance sector headed the growing sectors as its total market capitalization reached KD 314.93 million, increasing by 4.84%. The Industry sector was the second in terms of recorded growth with 1.43% increase after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 2.89 billion. For further details, please visit our web site: www.bayaninvest.com

BUSINESS

Sunday, September 26, 2010

KPC lags behind its regional peers KUWAIT: Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) feels it lagged behind its counterparts both in the region and in the world. This lag is both undue and unacceptable but it happened. We are trying to feel the impact of that backwardness on drawing its path to the future, which is correct theoretically. Two years ago, some of its leaderships were actively engaged in shaping a new strategy and met a large number of specialists for that purpose and to discuss with them their views on its old-new strategic orientation, which, we assume, is now complete. Leaking information about the strategy is that it is trying to increase production capacity to 4 million barrels per day by 2020 (30% increase over its current capacity).

It is trying to achieve that while preserving its fixed oil reserves at their present level. In other words, it is trying to increase extractable oil reserves at an economic cost equal to the extracted oil cost. We however do not know the increase in the per barrel production cost, which is escalating due to the progress in production phases and the quality of extracted oil. It remains, however, governed by its economic suitability to the prevailing oil prices then.

This will not be our topic. The basis for accepting strategies is the feeling of confidence in the commitment level to any institution. While numerical targets may be accepted as a road map and a measurement tool every now and then as we remain seriously concerned with two matters. The first, which addresses the short term, is troublesome and relates to KPC’s possibility of revoking its established institutional and professional norm in selecting its leaderships. After designating a committee and entrusting an advisor to set out selection principles, it seems that leadership appointments were purely political and quota-based.

The destruction of any sector, as vital as the oil sector, starts by ignoring the professional standards in selecting its leadership.

In fact, it carries an offense to some of the selected leaders as they were used as a cover to let the passing of others. The Council of Ministers should act professionally and audaciously and stop violation of KPC established professionalism and strategy, if any, quite early. The alternative is the acceptance of skeptic and doubtful feeling of whatever comes from the oil sector.

The second, which addresses the long term, is separating the oil sector from politics thus protecting it from the struggle on undeserved positions, at the senior executive level, and the piling of employees at the base level and guaranteeing its rivalry with global petroleum corporations in wages being in proportion to competence and proficiency.

We believe that apart from reservoirs ownership and production amount decision, everything else is subject to KPC and its affiliates.

(If that happens), oil sector turns to profit centers and cost-supporting centers.

AL-SHALL ECONOMIC REPORT Appointment or/and dismissal of employees is commensurate to fulfillment of targets, both at KPC as a whole and at its affiliates. Nothing will happen to the KPC in its present status if it does not reach 4 million barrels per day production by 2020 or even if it loses some of its reservoirs due to the abusive use. Most employees are civil servants with political backing: no big meaning for their success and no consequences for their failure.

The Financial Stability Law We are frequently asked about the purpose of the financial stability law if it is not extensively utilized till now, as long as all offered loans with guarantees did not score KD 100 million, and its clients are few.

Although we previously expressed our point of view regarding it and said that the availability of a rescue ring in a boat or fire extinguisher in a factory does not negate the significance of using it because they exist to be used only when the worse thing happens.

Their value then becomes invaluable.

The financial stability law is an emergency law and came directly after a major global financial crisis whose counterpart in the 1930s led to long periods of depression, recession, and misery and was one of the reasons for the World War II. Therefore, it is a preventive and precautionary law, or fire extinguishing law and not a construction law.

It came at a time when the state was forced to declare the guarantee of the deposits of all its banks, one of which -the Gulf Bank- was affected. And because the world in its latest crisis benefited from the legacy of the 1930s crisis, and as common interests dominates the present global political and economic environment, the world has overcome its crisis more rapidly than expected, and according to the latest American report the American economy has overcame the crisis by 2009 summer. There is no more need for activating that law in Kuwait, which is good news. If it continues to be partially used, it is because there are loans worth less than KD 100 million that were provided under it as mentioned. Besides, it makes up for a shortage in the Kuwaiti law regarding protection from creditors, though partly, and by tough terms.

Although prospects of the global economy entering into a long recession period are slim, the law, as a security network, should remain at least until the State revokes its commitment guaranteeing deposits and until it covers shortages in existing legislation.

While the world is on the verge of fundamental changes in its economic school, which has been in control over 30 years, we believe it is time to prepare a set of legisla-

tion that conforms with the new stringent supervisory approach on the financial sector on the one hand and which bridges the gap in other legislation like protection from creditors on the other. The period when the Financial Stability Law was created, it was fire extinguishing period; the present period is one of construction.

Followers of what the British Coalition Government is doing will understand the meaning of such legislation. The global approach will change substantially which warrants different legislative rules. It is assumed that Kuwait is on the brink of fundamental change of its economic approach with the end of its Development Plan.

Arab Stock Markets Performance The Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) provided in its periodical bulletin the data base of the Arab stock markets for the 1st and 2nd quarters of 2010 which covers 15 Arab stock markets: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, Morocco, Dubai, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Tunis, Palestine, Sudan and Algiers. The compound index reading registered 217.9 points, a drop by 21 points (-8.8%) during the second quarter of 2010 versus a 6.8% rise during the first quarter. The indexes adopted by AMF showed a noticeable drop in the performance of most of these stock markets under the influence of the European sovereign debts crisis during the period. 10 markets registered a drop in their performance during the 2nd quarter, namely, Abu Dhabi (-13.8%), Muscat (-11.5%), Bahrain and Kuwait (10.7% for each), Egypt (-9.9%), Saudi Arabia (-9.1%), Beirut (-8.8%), Jordan (-7.8%), Qatar (-7.3%) and Dubai (-6.1%).

Performance of 5 markets improved compared with the preceding quarter: Khartoum (4.7%), Algiers (4.4%), Palestine (2.7%), Tunis (1.4%) and Morocco (0.6%).

The Fund’s figures indicate that the number of listed companies in Arab stock markets was 1414 companies versus 1417 companies in the end of the first quarter as a resultant of listing new 8 companies (4 companies in the Saudi market, 2 companies in each of Jordan and Kuwait markets). 11 companies were deleted (4 in Egypt, 2 from each of Morocco, Muscat and Qatar markets, and one company from Abu Dhabi market). As a result of the noticeable drop in stocks prices, market value of all listed companies in Arab stock markets scored about $ 869.872 billion, a drop by -10.1% compared to $967.782 billion in the end of the first quarter. The Saudi market came first in terms of the capital value which scored $319.560 billion, which represents 36.7% of the total value of all Arab markets.

25

US Congress moves to punish China on yuan WASHINGTON: The US Congress moved to open the way for retaliation against China over its currency, warning that it has lost patience with quiet efforts to press Beijing to let its yuan appreciate. One day after President Barack Obama pressed Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on currency in a meeting in New York, Obama’s Under longstanding regulations, the Commerce Department can only impose tariffs on foreign goods if the producer country directly subsidizes an export.

The committee sent the bill to the full House, which is now set to vote on the measure next week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said.

“While a multilateral approach to addressing this issue is preferable, we cannot wait any longer to level the playing field for US businesses and protect American manufacturing jobs,” Hoyer said in a statement. “We recognize the efforts China is making toward reform, but they need to act faster to allow their currency to appreciate.”

Critics accused Obama’s Democratic Party of rushing the measure in a lastditch attempt to ensure labor union support ahead of November 2 elections, in which the wobbly US economy is the headline issue.

Representative Kevin Brady, a Republican from Texas, said that increasing US companies’ access to China’s consumer market and defending US intellectual property rights “would benefit thousands more American workers than a focus on Chinese currency alone.”

“I am also suspicious that after four years of controlling Congress, Democrats are now rushing this bill to the House floor in the final weeks ahead of the election. Playing politics with an issue this serious is risky for American workers,” Brady said.

But another Republican, Representative Dave Camp, supported the bill after the Democrats revised it to address concerns it would violate US commitments under the World Trade Organization, leading to repercussions.

The bill would “send a clear signal to China that Congress’ patience is running out, without giving China an

allies in Congress approved a measure that accuses Beijing of killing US manufacturing jobs with its yuan.

The House Ways and Means Committee, which writes tax laws, voted to expand the powers of the Commerce Department to allow it to impose tariffs when another nation is found to be manipulating its currency’s value.

excuse to take it out on US companies and their workers,” said Camp, who represents economically struggling Michigan.

Even if the House approves the measure, it is uncertain if the United States would impose tariffs. The Senate has not moved on legislation, and even if the law passes, retaliation would be at the discretion of the administration.

The Obama administration has sought broader relations with China and has preferred quiet diplomacy, resisting congressional calls to brand Beijing officially as a manipulator of its currency.

China has given no signal it will budge. Wen, in a speech ahead of his meeting with Obama, rejected a drastic appreciation of the yuan, warning that it would cause Chinese companies to go bankrupt and workers to lose their jobs.

The US-China Business Council, which represents US firms that do business in China, feared that Beijing would retaliate and start a trade war, ultimately hurting US companies.

“The Obama administration’s multilateral and bilateral approach should be supported and continued, not undermined,” said the Council’s president, John Frisbie.

Frisbie warned that a higher yuan may only result in other emerging economies such as Vietnam and Mexico taking over as a source of low-cost goods, yielding no benefits for either US workers or consumers. But the United Steelworkers labor union enthusiastically supported the legislation, blaming China’s currency policy in part for the shutdown of some 57,000 US factories and the loss of six million jobs over the past decade.

“For our members and working Americans across the country, the American dream is becoming a thing of the past,” union president Leo Gerard said. — AFP

China lets banks sell loans to each other BEIJING: China has begun allowing banks to sell loans to each other, in a move designed to reduce financial risks and help banks meet stricter capital requirements, the central bank said yesterday.

The interbank loan transfer system launched in Shanghai will also help improve monetary policy transmission and strengthen control in the financial sector, People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan said in a statement.

The system launched amid growing concerns among policymakers about the potential for an explosion of bad debts in the banking sector, after new loans nearly doubled to 9.6 trillion yuan ($1.4 trillion) in 2009.

Beijing has clamped down on bank lending this year, raising the amount of capital that banks must keep in reserveeffectively limiting the money they can lend-and restricting lending to government financing vehicles. State media said in July that 23 percent of the 7.66 trillion yuan extended to local government financing units was in danger of turning sour.

Chinese banks lent huge amounts to provincial financing vehicles for construction projects last year after Beijing called for nationwide efforts to spur the economy. Local governments are barred by law from borrowing directly from banks. — AFP

Spacious, prestigious and exceptionally comfortable KUWAIT: After a world premiere at the New York International Auto Show in March this year and the positive feedback received there, Mercedes-Benz is convinced that it is on the right track with the newgeneration R-Class. A completely redesigned front section in particular enhances the overall look of this model, with styling cues taken from Mercedes-Benz saloon and SUV models. The interior of the new RClass complements this fresh exterior, combining as it does the good use of space found in the latest MPV models with the comfort, high-class appeal and prestige of classic Mercedes-Benz luxury-class saloons.

At the same time this latest generation retains the interior versatility of its predecessor, whilst also benefiting from the robustness and all-wheel drive capability it draws from the Mercedes-Benz SUVs. Geared up: 7G-TRONIC as standard in all models All R-Class models are equipped with the latestgeneration of the innovative 7G-TRONIC automatic transmission. This seven-speed transmission now has new bearings and couplings, operates with different oil pressures and uses a new, low-friction oil.

These measures reduce friction and churning losses, thereby improving efficiency. The new torque converter with slip-reduced lockup clutch likewise improves efficiency and aids fuel economy. In addition, standstill decoupling lowers fuel consumption.

This technical feature reduces transmission input torque in “D” when the car is at rest, for example at traffic lights. This lowers the stress on the engine, making for lower fuel consumption, better vehicle acoustics and smoother idling. The slip-controlled clutch is engaged as soon as the driver releases the operating brake, ensuring no delay when the vehicle moves off.

Simply stunning: The design of the R-Class The latest generation of the R-Class features a new, self-assured appearance. The overall impression

Mercedes-Benz R-Class

is determined by an integrity of design that encapsulates the unique personality of this highly versatile vehicle. The focus of the designers was the completely revised front section which, by emphasising the width and making use of a horizontally structured bonnet, affords the entire vehicle a look which is as harmonious as it is powerfully dynamic. As well as the bonnet, the vehicle’s wings, radiator grille and surround, headlamps and bumpers with chrome underguard have all been completely redesigned. As an optional extra, a chrome insert with integrated LED daytime driving lights in conjunction with bi-xenon headlamps is available to enhance the look of the RClass even further.

The side view features coupe-like lines - a pleasant contrast to conventional MPVs - and is characterised by the modified exterior mirror housings and the wheel design.

Wellness program: A relaxed environment for both longer journeys and everyday use Particularly where seating variations are concerned, the interior of the new R-Class offers a great deal of scope: in its standard version this saloon designed for relaxed, safe touring has five seats, but four, six or seven-seater configurations are also possible. The front seats are partially electrically adjustable as standard, and on request the front occupants can also enjoy actively ventilated, heated multicontour seats with fully electric adjustments and a memory function. The R-Class also reveals another benefit in the form of its large, versatile luggage compartment: in the standard-wheelbase versions the luggage compartment holds up to 1950 litres, while the longwheelbase version boasts 2385 litres. In all five-seat variants there is a separate stowage compartment beneath the load compartment floor, while the option-

al EASY PACK tailgate, which can be operated remotely by means of a switch or key, also makes access to the luggage compartment easier. As such the R-Class is the most variable and spacious vehicle in the entire Mercedes-Benz passenger car product range.

The bright, classic interior - which seems even more spacious when fitted with the optional panoramic glass sunroof - makes use of new materials and colour combinations to enhance the high-class appeal and quality of this luxury tourer. Two-tone interior appointments are a new addition to the range.

Model range: The R-Class with a personal touch All models variants of R Class boast numerous features as standard which help to make travelling both on long journeys as well as on short urban trips even

safer and more relaxed. These features include the unique anticipatory occupant protection system PRESAFE(r), a complete restraint system with eight airbags, crash-active NECK-PRO head restraints, a tyre pressure loss warning system and adaptive brake lights. Safety is also enhanced thanks to high-performance telematic systems such as the Audio 20, Audio 50 APS or COMAND APS with an extremely userfriendly interface.

The THERMATIC automatic climate control system is fitted with a combination filter to further reduce pollutants which may be contained in the outside air entering the vehicle. As an optional extra, a THERMOTRONIC system providing separate rear air conditioning is available to meet all interior air conditioning requirements. The spacious glove compartment now comes with an AUX-IN connection for external audio or entertainment devices. Connection options can also be extended further with an optional Media Interface (UCI).

To complement the extensive standard equipment, the R-Class provides a variety of assistant systems which push ride comfort and safety to the highest level and underpin the vehicle’s leading position in this market segment. These include DISTRONIC proximity control, AIRMATIC air suspension with the Adaptive Damping System (ADS), or Blind Spot Assist, which can make changing lanes significantly safer. The modern LINGUATRONIC voice control system makes using the telematics systems even easier and more convenient, while a reversing camera provides for smooth, easy parking or manoeuvring in blind spots.

As soon as the driver engages “R” gear, the image from the camera is shown on the high-resolution COMAND APS display. Rear passengers, meanwhile, can enjoy their own entertainment programme thanks to the rear seat entertainment system.

The new Generation R Class is available from Albisher & Alkazemi Co., Authorized General Distributors of Mercedes-Benz in Kuwait from September 2010 onwards.

26

BUSINESS

Sunday, September 26, 2010

US stocks eye strong September finish NEW YORK: US stock investors will head into this week wondering if September will end as strongly as it began for the market, with manufacturing and personal income data among the top indicators on tap.

The data will be watched for further clues on whether the economic recovery is still on track and to see if the market's recent rally has support.

Friday's advance left the three major US stock indexes with gains for the fourth week in a row, boosting investors' confidence that the upward move will continue.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index is up 9.5 percent since the end of August. Its move above the 1,130 level on Monday represented a technical breakout that analysts said suggested further gains were likely.

If the rally holds, it would make September the best month for the S&P 500 since at least March 2000, and the best September for stocks since 1939, according to Reuters' data.

"Sentiment has turned sharply higher over the past few weeks after very bearish readings last month," said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at RDM Financial,

WALL STREET WEEKLY OUTLOOK

in Westport, Connecticut.

The data this week includes two manufacturing reports- one from the Institute for Supply Management and another from the ISM-Chicago, better known as the Chicago Purchasing Managers Index. A Commerce Department report on personal income and spending is also on the agenda.

The last ISM manufacturing report "helped propel the markets higher," Sheldon said, so "any disappointment could be a setback" for stocks.

Tepid demand amid a US unemployment rate of 9.6 percent is expected to have caused a slowdown in manufacturing activity in September. The Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing index probably dropped to 54.5 in September from 56.3 in August, according to a Reuters poll of economists. A reading above 50 indicates expansion.

Data this week is also expected show moderate gains in personal income and consumer spending in August, consistent with views of an economy that is on a slow growth path, but not contracting. Both reports are due on Friday.

This week also brings consumer confidence data, on Tuesday, as well as the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final September reading on its consumer sentiment index on Friday.

The final figures on second-quarter gross domestic product will be out on Thursday, with the Reuters poll forecasting growth at an annual rate of 1.6 percentmatching the second, or preliminary, reading on the quarter's GDP. On Friday, September domestic car and truck sales will be reported.

A rise in total vehicle sales to an annual rate of 11.50 million units is seen versus August's 11.43 million.

The S&P 500's move above 1,130 this week let the broad index break out of its recent trading range. Technical analysts are watching 1,173 as the S&P 500's next level of resistance. That level represents the high following the May 6 flash crash.

Another level to watch is 1,220, the S&P 500's high for this year.

"What's so important about moving above a trading range is it signals a willingness to buy at higher prices. That type of

evidence is supportive of further upside,"said Chris Burba, short-term market technician at Standard & Poor's in New York.

But "after such a huge run since late August, the odds of taking a breather here are increasing," he said. For the week, the Dow Jones industrial average ended up 2.4 percent, while the S&P 500 gained 2.1 percent and the Nasdaq climbed 2.8 percent.

This week also marks the end of the third quarter and options analysts expect fund managers to try to pick up some of the quarter's better performers. "A lot of option traders are anticipating window dressing, which is helping the winners of the last quarter, specifically Apple Inc, Netflix, Amazon,com and some material names, such as Freeport McMoRan and Vale," said Steve Claussen, chief investment strategist at online brokerage OptionsHouse LLC in Chicago.

The earnings slate is light, with just a handful of S&P 500 companies expected to report results, including Jabil Circuit, Paychex, Walgreen and Family Dollar Stores. — Reuters

Bernanke: Recovery only at slower pace

Fed boss says plodding economy still needs help WASHINGTON: The economy is recovering from a deep recession more slowly than anticipated and still needs help from the Federal Reserve, Chairman Ben Bernanke said. The Fed's efforts to pump up the economy and lower unemployment have fallen short, Bernanke indicated in remarks at a conference at Princeton University in New Jersey, where he once taught economics.

"Although financial markets are for the most part functioning normally now, a concerted policy effort has so far not produced an economic recovery of sufficient vigor to significantly reduce the high level of unemployment," Bernanke said.

Even though the Fed, the US central bank, has held a crucial interest rate at a record low near zero for nearly two years, economic growth is only plodding ahead and unemployment remains elevated. It is now at 9.6 percent. "We are recovering at a pace slower than we'd like," the Fed chief acknowledged during a question-and-answer session after his speech. "The economy continues to need support," he added.

The Fed signaled this week that it was prepared to take new action if the recovery should weaken further. One likely step would be for the Fed to relaunch a program to buy government debt on a large scale. The move would be aimed at lowering rates on mortgages and other loans to entice Americans to spend more, which would shore up the economy.

Bernanke did not talk Friday about actions the Fed might take to boost the economy. The bulk of his mostly academic remarks were about the lessons learned from the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

On that front, Bernanke said Fed policymakers must better understand speculative buying in financial markets to help prevent another financial crisis.

Frenzied buying fed a housing bubble that burst, plunging the economy into a recession in 2007, the worst downturn since the 1930s. While many lessons were learned from the crisis, Bernanke said in prepared remarks that additional research is needed to explain when and

BERLIN: Front loading washer and dryers on display at the Sears store in Berlin, Vt. The overall demand for durable goods fell 1.3 percent in August, the Commerce Department said. — AP

why bubbles start. That, along with a better understanding of how bursting bubbles affect consumers, businesses and investors, would help Fed policymakers as they seek to prevent another financial crisis from happening, he added. The Fed chief also said a new law overhauling the nation's financial regulatory system should help prevent another financial crisis. For its part, the Fed also has been acting to strengthen oversight of big financial companies. Looking ahead, Bernanke called for not only more study into the formation of speculative bubbles, which can develop in assets like homes, stocks, bonds or commodities, but also for more research in the field of behavioral economics, which studies what makes people tick.

Bernanke spoke of the profound uncertainty during the crisis that prompted panicky selling by investors, sharp cuts in payrolls by employers and big savings buildups by households.

Before the crisis, economists had ideas about how they believed people would act when faced with uncertainty. But that was tested sorely by the crisis, Bernanke said. "During the worst phase of the financial crisis, many economic actors -including investors, employers and consumers -- metaphorically threw up their hands and admitted that, given the extreme, and in some ways, unprecedented nature of the crisis, they did not know what they did not know," Bernanke said.

Economists also need to do a better job of connecting the dots between financial developments and their impact on the economy, Bernanke said.

"The great majority of economists did not foresee the nearcollapse of the financial system," he said. — AP

Business spending offers ray of hope for US economy WASHINGTON: New orders for a wide range of long-lasting US manufactured goods rose in August and business spending plans rebounded strongly, the latest sign a sharp summer slowdown in the economy was abating.

Other data on Friday showing new home sales were flat last month underscored the many obstacles to the recovery. Still, the durable goods report diminished concerns of a double-dip recession and implied a modest pick-up in output.

"For people looking for a double dip, the durable goods report told you the third quarter is going to look pretty good for capital spending. The markets reacted to that," said John Canally, an economist at LPL Financial in Boston.

On Wall Street, stocks snapped a three-day losing streak to end the session up 2 percent and rack up their fourth week of gains as investors welcomed the revival in business investment. The prices of safe-haven US government debt fell, while the dollar dropped against a basket of currencies to its lowest level since February.

The US Dollar Index, which measures the dollar's performance against a basket of currencies, registered its biggest weekly percentage drop since May.

Durable goods orders excluding transportation rose 2.0 percent in August, the largest increase since March, after sliding 2.8 percent in July, the Commerce Department said. The increase exceeded market expectations for a 1.0 percent gain.

But a decline in aircraft and motor vehicle bookings depressed overall orders 1.3 percent, the largest drop in a year, after a 0.7 percent gain in July. A gauge of business spending plans rebounded 4.1 percent in August after July's 5.3 percent drop.

In another report, the department said new single family home sales were flat at an annual rate of 288,000 units in August, unchanged from July's rate and the second-lowest pace on record.

However, the supply of houses on the market tumbled to the lowest in 42 years.

The housing market is showing some signs of stability after a downward spiral following the end of a tax credit for home buyers in April. Data this week showed home building rose in August and sales of previously owned houses crawled off a 13-year low. But a 9.6 percent unemployment rate and still tight access to credit are keeping potential home buyers on the

sidelines. "While the low level of mortgage rates would seem to be an enticement for sales, mortgage lending standards are only beginning to loosen," said Peter Muoio, a senior principal at Maximus Advisors in New York.

"We need to see stronger job growth and reduced uncertainty before house-

holds will be ready and willing to jump back into the housing market."

With housing still struggling for footing, builder KB Home resorted to cost cutting, resulting in a smaller-thanexpected third-quarter loss. The home builder issued a cautious outlook for the near-term. — Reuters

NEW YORK: Trader Gregg Maloney looks at his screens while working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Stocks closed lower as new worries emerged about Europe’s economy and the US job market. — AP

HAVANA: A vendor waits for costumers inside ‘Monte-Indio’ self-employment market in Havana on Friday. Cuba’s government began laying out the details of their drive to create more free enterprise on the island on Friday, mapping out a brave new world of bosses and employees, personal accountants and a dizzying number of small-time businesses. — AP

Citigroup gives pay hikes to top execs in stock NEW YORK: Citigroup, still partly owned by the government after a rescue during the financial meltdown, is giving raises to top executives that could amount to millions of dollars.

CEO Vikram Pandit, who is drawing a salary of $1 for the second year in a row, did not get a raise, but the chairman of the bank hinted it plans a big payout for him next year. The announcement Friday by Citi, which remains weaker than most of the large American banks two years after the meltdown, raised questions among experts on corporate governance.

By paying the raises in company stock, not cash, Citi has decided to follow previously issued guidelines that limited salaries to $500,000 for the top 25 executives at financial institutions still receiving large amounts of federal help. "The question is do they deserve higher salaries, and are they evading rules to avoid losing talent?" asked Charles Elson, director of the Weinberg Center for corporate governance at the University of Delaware. Citi is fighting to keep talented bankers from jumping ship to any of its rivals on Wall Street, all of whom have repaid their federal bailout money and are not under the same kind of compensation restrictions.

Edward Skyler, a spokesman for the bank, said the compensation levels "correspond with similarly situated executives in the industry." Citi was the hardest-hit US bank during the credit crisis of 2008, and received $45 billion in government bailout money under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, part of which was converted to stock last year. The government is gradually selling its stake and still owns about 17 percent of the bank.

Even today, Citi continues to be weighed down by large amounts of bad loans and investments it made in the run-up to the crisis. The bank posted a loss in the third quarter after two straight quarters of profits. Pandit, who pledged last year to take a $1 salary until the bank returned to profitability, elected to keep that figure for this year, but he seems set for a big payday in 2011.

Citi's chairman, Richard Parsons, said in a statement that beginning next year the bank's board "intends to compensate Vikram commensurate with the job of CEO of Citi." Rolfe Kopelan, a managing partner at search firm Capstone Partnership and an expert on corporate compensation, said $1 still seems appropriate for Pandit. "It's not ridicu-

lous when you're living on public funds, and when you're one of the major causes of the recession," Kopelan said.

The biggest raise disclosed in Citi's regulatory filing will go to John Havens, head of the bank's institutional clients group. He will get a cash salary of $500,000 this year, the maximum under the cap, and $9 million of salary paid in stock.

That compares with a salary of $975,000 last year for Havens, also in a blend of cash and stock.

Including other awards of stock and options last year, Havens' total compensation last year came to $11.2 million. Citibank did not disclose how much Havens might be awarded in other stock grants, but he could be eligible for a bonus this year of up to 50 percent of his salary, or $4.75 million.

Manuel Medina-Mora, head of consumer banking for the Americas, will also get a cash salary of $500,000 and $7.45 million of salary in stock, making him eligible for a bonus of up to $4 million. Last year, Medina-Mora's base salary was $972,000, and his total compensation including other awards of stock and options was $9.8 million. Chief Financial Officer John Gerspach's salary will be $500,000 in cash and $4.17 million in stock, making him eligible for a bonus of up to $2.3 million. Last year, his cash and stock salary was $3.3 million, and his total compensation including other stock awards was $5 million. Under an amendment to the bank bailout law of 2008, Citi is still subject to the compensation restrictions as long as the government remains a shareholder.

That means the top 25 executives cannot receive bonuses exceeding 50 percent of their salaries and cannot receive more than $500,000 of their salary in cash. In deciding to give their salary raises in stock, Citi chose to abide by a previous rule that governed the bailout, under which top executives could not receive more than $500,000 of their salary in cash. The Associated Press' calculation for executive pay aims to isolate the value the company's board placed on the CEO's total compensation package. The figure includes salary, bonus, incentives, perks and the estimated value of stock options and awards.

The calculations don't include changes in the present value of pension benefits, and they sometimes differ from the totals companies list with federal regulators. — AP

Kan defends intervention in currency markets NEW YORK: Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan defended as necessary for economic and financial stability his government's intervention in the currency markets to stem the yen's surge.

"At the G7 as well as the G20, I believe there's a common understanding that excessive fluctuation of exchange rates will militate against economic and financial stability," Kan told reporters in New York, speaking through an interpreter. "The

recent currency intervention

by Japan was conducted with this view in mind for the purpose of restraining excessive fluctuation of exchange rates," Kan said while he was attending UN General Assembly meetings.

Japan stepped into the currency markets on September 15 for the first time since 2004 in a bid to stem a strong yen after it hit a fresh 15-year high against the dollar of 82.86.

The move drew criticism

from some politicians in Europe and the United States but the government has repeatedly said it was ready to act again in currency markets if necessary.

In an interview Wednesday with the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, Bank of Japan governor Masaaki Shirakawa said Japan's central bank will continue to supply funds to the markets, warning of a downside risk to the nation's fragile economic recovery. — AFP

TECHNOLOGY

Sunday, September 26, 2010

27

Google chief sees Bing as main threat SAN FRANCISCO: Google chief executive Eric Schmidt on Friday said that Microsoft's Bing search engine was the company's main threat, not Facebook or Apple. "While it's true Web search is not the only game in town, searching information is what it is all about," Schmidt said in Wall Street Journal interview video posted online. He described Apple as a wellrespected competitor and Facebook as a "company of consequence doing an excellent job in social networking," but said

that Microsoft's latest-generation search engine was Google's main competition.

"We consider neither to be a competitive threat," Schmidt said, referring to Facebook and Apple. "Absolutely, our competitor is Bing. Bing is a well-run, highly competitive search engine."

Microsoft's Bing and other Internet search services overtook Yahoo! for the first time to become the number two search engine in the United States in August, according to The Nielsen Co.

Microsoft's Bing, MSN and Windows Live had a 13.9 percent share of US search volume in August, up 0.25 percent from July, while Yahoo! had a 13.1 percent share of US Internet searches, down from 14.6 percent in July, Nielsen said. Google continued to dominate the lucrative search and advertising market with a 65.1 percent of all Internet searches in August, Nielsen said.

Year-over-year, Microsoft sites have increased their search share from 10.7

percent in August 2009 to 13.9 percent in August 2010 while Yahoo! has fallen from 16.0 percent a year ago to its current 13.1 percent, Nielsen said.

Google held steady at 65 percent.

Yahoo! and Microsoft forged a Web search and advertising partnership a year ago that set the stage for a joint offensive against Google.

Under the agreement, Yahoo! will use Microsoft's search engine on its own sites while providing the exclusive global sales

force for premium advertisers. Microsoft last month began handling all Yahoo! online searches in Canada and the United States and will eventually power Internet searches at Yahoo! websites worldwide.

Google both competes and partners with Apple, the maker of iPhones, iPods, iPads, and Macintosh computers, according to Schmidt. Schmidt resigned from the Apple board as Google weighed into the smartphone arena with devices running on its open-source Android mobile soft-

ware. He said in a Charlie Rose interviewed published in Business Week that a deal to have Google as the default search engine on iPhones was renewed and that the Internet firm provides mapping and other services for Apple gadgets. Schmidt said that Apple and Google are "two companies I care a lot about" and will remain close. He also said that Google could be improved by making features more social while providing users tools to manage their privacy. — AFP

Apple launches iPhone 4 in China

CHINA: Customers line up for the Apple iPhone 4 at new Apple Store during the launch of the device yesterday in Shanghai. — AP

US reaches settlement with tech giants over poaching WASHINGTON: Apple, Google, Intel and three other US technology giants agreed Friday to settle charges they had illegally entered into agreements not to poach each other's employees. The Justice Department said the settlement, which has been submitted to a US District Court for approval, would prevent Adobe, Apple, Google, Intel, Intuit and Pixar from forging so-called "no solicitation" agreements for employees.

"The agreements challenged here restrained competition for affected employees without any pro-competitive justification and distorted the competitive process," deputy assistant attorney general Molly Boast said. "The proposed settlement resolves

the department's antitrust concerns with regard to these no solicitation agreements," Boast said in a statement.

According to the department, the firms had entered into agreements not to directly solicit each other's employees, a practice known as "coldcalling."

Their actions "disrupted the normal price-setting mechanisms that apply in the labor setting," it said. The Justice Department said the agreements were between Apple and Google, Apple and Adobe, Apple and Pixar, Google and Intel and Google and Intuit.

In the proposed settlement, the firms do not admit violating the law. But they are prohibited from "entering, maintaining or enforcing any

agreement that in any way prevents any person from soliciting, cold calling, recruiting, or otherwise competing for employees." The settlement, if accepted by the US District Court for the District of Columbia, would be in effect for five years.

According to the complaint, Apple and Google executives agreed in 2006 not to "cold call" each other's employees and Apple reached a similar agreement with software maker Adobe in 2005.

Apple and Pixar, the Disney company behind "Toy Story" and other animated films, reached such an agreement in 2007 while Google and computer chip giant Intel and Google and software maker Intuit did so in 2007, it said. — AFP

Canada hopeful RIM, India can agree on data access OTTAWA: India and Canadian BlackBerry maker Research in Motion should agree on allowing India access to the device's encrypted data, Canadian Trade Minister Peter Van Loan said Friday after a meeting with his Indian counterpart. India has given RIM a two-month deadline to provide its intelligence services access to BlackBerry's encoded data. After a meeting with India's Minister of Commerce and Industry, Anand Sharma, Van Loan told reporters that RIM and New Delhi were currently negotiating a similar accord to one the company has already reached with Canada.

Under this agreement, Canada's police can

intercept telephone calls, emails and text messages sent by BlackBerry devices after obtaining a judicial warrant, Van Loan was quoted as saying by CBC television.

"My understanding is that India is seeking the same thing, and we believe RIM can arrive at a resolution on that basis," the minister said.

He said such an arrangement would protect privacy, "while at the same time allowing legitimate security interests to be represented."

With 1.1 million users in India, RIM is presently threatened with a ban on BlackBerry smartphone services in the United Arab Emirates and is also negotiating an access agreement with Saudi Arabia. — AFP

BEIJING: Apple launched yesterday the latest version of its iPhone in China and boosted its presence in the world's biggest Internet and mobile market by opening another two stores in Beijing and Shanghai.

Dozens of people queued up at the new store in the capital for the first official iPhone 4, some waiting for more than 24 hours, even though the smartphone has been available on the grey market for months.

At the front of the queue was Yu Zhonghui, who began lining up at 5:00 am on Friday. "I thought I was going to be bored standing in line but I'm having a great time," Yu said, according to the Global Times. "It's like a party."

Han Ziwen, a bookstore owner who had queued for 60 hours to get his hands on the iPad, also lined up for an iPhone 4.

"The iPad and iPhone 4 will certainly have a great impact on the publishing industry," Han was quoted by the China Daily as saying. "My bookstore will either be destroyed or have to find a new way forward. I have to witness the process."

The new Apple stores in Beijing and Shanghai bring the company's total to four in China-two in each city. It plans to have 25 shops in the country by the end of next year.

The iPhone 4 -- something of a status symbol in China-is available in Apple stores, as well as at China Unicom retail outlets for buyers who sign a two-year contract with the operator, according to Apple.

The 16-gigabyte version of the smartphone, which will have wireless Internet capability, will cost 4,999 yuan (744 dollars) at Apple stores with the 32-gigabyte selling for 5,999 yuan, the California manufacturer said.

China Unicom, the country's second-largest mobile phone operator, reportedly took nearly 50,000 preorders for the iPhone 4 on September 17, the opening day for such reservations.

With the two-year contract, the 16-gigabyte will sell for 5,880 yuan while the 32gigabyte version will cost 6,999 yuan, the China Daily said.

The iPhone 4 made its debut in China just a week after Apple officially launched the iPad in the country, with some customers queuing up for several days to ensure they got their hands on the tablet computer.

Both products have been available for several months on China's grey market, which has been booming thanks to great demand for Apple goods.

The earlier version of the iPhone only officially went on sale in China last October-more than two years after its US launch.

Consumers have had a shorter wait for the iPhone 4 and iPad-the latest version of the smartphone was released in June in France, Britain, Germany, Japan and the United States.

The iPad made its US debut in April. The price of the iPhone 4 in the grey market has more than halved to 5,500 yuan since Apple announced the official price, the China Daily said, citing vendors in a Beijing electronics market.

China has at least 420 million web users and is also the world's largest mobile market with more than 800 million subscribers as of the end of June, according to official data. — AFP

The earlier version of the iPhone officially went on sale in China only last October

CHINA: A customer celebrates after buying new iPhone 4 models at an Apple store during the product's launch day in Beijing yesterday. — AP

US retail powerhouse Target to sell the iPad SAN FRANCISCO: US retail powerhouse Target announced on Friday that it will begin selling Apple iPad tablet computers in 1,743 of its stores across the nation on October 3. The coveted touch-screen gadgets will be priced the same as they are at Apple stores and Best Buy consumer electronics shops, but buyers shopping with Target credit cards will eventually be able to get five percent discounts.

"Target is very excited to offer the revolutionary iPad to our guests nationwide," said retail chain merchandising vice president Mark Schindele.

"We think iPad will be at the top of our guests' holiday shopping lists." Apple channeling iPads to US retail shops comes as production has begun to catch up with demand that sizzled in the months after the gadgets launched in April. Analyst firm Piper Jaffray said in a note to investors on Thursday that it expected Apple to sell 21 million iPads in 2011, raising its previous estimate of 14.5 million. Jaffray cited increased iPad supply and distribution channels along with the roll-out to more countries and adoption of the device in workplaces.

"We see the iPad as the Mac for the masses," Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said, referring to Apple's historically high-end Macintosh computers. "The iPad represents a meaningful product category for Apple as a secondary computing device for those who already have a primary computer, a primary device for those who could not previously afford a Mac, and the first Apple product that will be a success in the enterprise."

Less than a month ago, Autodesk announced that its AutoCAD software used by professionals to design everything from skyscrapers to pocket knives is reuniting with the Macintosh computer platform. A version of AutoCAD has been tailored for Macintosh computers, and applications for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch devices will let people collaborate on designs using those popular Apple mobile devices.

"You can imagine it on a factory floor, on a tarmac...there are a lot of places," Autodesk chief executive Carl Bass told AFP while discussing iPad making its way into work places. "Macs have already been leaking in, but I think the iPad is going to be the

device that does it for Apple."

Bass told of routinely seeing architects or designers sketch out plans on iPads during meetings to quickly present ideas.

"The Windows tablets are not there yet; they are so far behind," Bass said, referring to Microsoft operating system software that is firmly entrenched in business networks. "It is easy for IT departments to keep the Apple products out when there is a credible Windows alternative, but now there is not." The iPad went on sale in the United States on April 3 and Apple sold more than three million in 80 days.

The iPad allows users to watch video, listen to music, play games, surf the Web or read electronic books. The cheapest iPad costs 499 dollars (US) while the top model is priced at 829 dollars.

AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson said Tuesday that over half a million iPad owners were using the US telecom giant's cellular network and new tablet computers were expected to help drive growth.

AT&T is the exclusive provider of 3G cellular service for Apple's iPad, which went on sale in the United States in April. It also is the exclusive US carrier

for the iPhone. Apple, maker of the Macintosh computer, the iPod, iPhone and iPad, surpassed Chinese oil giant PetroChina during trading on Thursday to become the world's secondlargest company in terms of market value. Apple shares hit a record 292.76 dollars during trading on Wall Street, giving the California gadget-maker a market capitalization of 266 billion dollars, more than PetroChina's 265 billion dollars. Apple shares were trading at 292.32 dollars at the close of the stock market in New York City on Friday and slipped about 25 cents after hours.

ExxonMobile is the largest company in the world with a market capitalization-the number of shares outstanding multiplied by the stock price-of 310 billion dollars. Apple passed Microsoft in market capitalization in May to become the world's top technology company.

Apple stock has risen steadily over the past few years as chief executive Steve Jobs, who returned to Apple in 1997, piloted the release of a string of hit products starting with the iPod in 2001, followed by the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad this year. — AFP

SAN FRANCISCO: Shown are new Apple iPods from left, the Shuffle, Touch and Nano. The picture was taken last Wednesday. — AP

HEALTH & SCIENCE

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Path of dementia less of a mystery CALIFORNIA: Steven Williams, a San Francisco firefighter who lives in Oakland, Calif., had just finished a 24hour shift when he returned home and told his mother’s caretaker she could take the rest of the day off. His 88year-old mother, Katherine Oppenheimer, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and requires constant supervision. Still, Williams thought he could get away with a 15minute nap. He awoke to find that she had wandered out of the home.

“It was one of the scariest experiences I’ve ever had,” he said. “I would rather run into a burning building than go through that again.” This time, Williams’ harrowing moment ended well. He found his mother quickly, a few floors up in the same apartment building where she lives. But like a growing number of families coping with the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease, he fears a repeat episode. In 1980, about 2.8 million Americans had Alzheimer’s disease _ the most common form of dementia.

But with longer life expectancies and advanced treatment for other diseases such as cancer, that figure has nearly doubled in 2010, to 5.3 million, according to Elizabeth Edgerly, a chief program officer with the Alzheimer’s Association, a national advocacy group. In all, 42 percent of people 85 and older will get Alzheimer’s, Edgerly said.

To deal with the increasing numbers, police agencies are training officers how to search for wanderers.

“The ability to recognize dementia has improved over the last 20 years,” said Rick Kovar, emergency services manager for the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. “The science behind

searching for people with Alzheimer’s has become efficient and scientific.”

Yet not all searches end happily. On Jan. 26, 63-year-old Concord, Calif., resident Rosemary Nelson was found dead in a small culvert near Willow Pass Road, three days after being reported missing and three miles from the nursing home where she lived.

Police believe she rode a city bus to the end of the line and began to walk until the cold temperatures made her too weak to go on.

Dementia affects the brain in several ways. People lose short-term memory, the ability to communicate, express emotions and follow a conversation. They have severe mood shifts, and lose the ability to reason, problemsolve, sense danger and judge visual spacing. “Wandering is one of the most common behaviors associated with dementia,” Edgerly said. Sixty percent of people with dementia will wander at least once. Of those, 20 percent wander repeatedly. “Those are the folks police departments and fire departments know of very well,” Edgerly said. The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office trains its search-andrescue team in scientific search strategies, department Emergency Services Manager Rick Kovar said. The team studies “lost person behavior,” which is different for various groups of people who are lost. For example, an elderly person with dementia behaves differently than a missing hiker or child, Kovar said.

A person with dementia may not recognize objects such as bodies of water or bushes, and walk right into them, Kovar said. They go until they become stuck. When they hit a barrier that blocks their way, they keep run-

ning into it until they find a way around, a phenomenon search professionals call “ping-pong.” They tend to travel in as straight a line as possible.

Another well-known characteristic is patients trying to return to a place that may no longer exist.

“A lot of times people with Alzheimer’s or dementia are stuck in an era of their life,” Kovar said. That is why the search-and-rescue team interviews family members to find out where _ and when _ the wanderers think they are. Then they search the area for similar-looking landmarks or former homes of the missing people.

Wanderers typically travel up to 2 miles away from their starting point, Kovar said, which is why the initial search perimeter starts at that distance and expands as needed. Many, like Oppenheimer, never get that far.

Williams said he has had to adjust his life to fit his mother’s schedule. He sleeps when she sleeps, even if it is in the middle of the day. He also followed the advice he received from another advocacy group, Alzheimer’s Services of the East Bay, to hang a curtain over the door at night to disguise it as a window. His mother wears a medical alert bracelet with his phone number in the event she wanders away and someone finds her.

Still, she has walked away from their home three times and he has caught her about to leave another 10. The most recent time was a rainy day about four months ago. After 15 minutes he found his mother inside someone else’s apartment on the top floor of his building. “But it seemed like forever,” he said. “When you’re in that emergency every minute feels like hours.” —MCT

CALIFORNIA: Loretta Wales, left, shaves her husband, Alzheimer’s patient Richard Wales, at the Greengables Villa elderly care home at September 10. —MCT

On-target landing a day after abortive return bid

Russia-US space crew returns safely to Earth

US city bans all tobacco for its workers OHIO: The city of Marion wants healthier employees and lower insurance premiums, so it’s telling employees to snuff out their cigarettes and spit out their chew-at least while City Hall is footing the bill. Some of the city’s 350 employees are unhappy about plans to ban all tobacco use on cityowned property, including parks, putting an end to the smokers’ huddles near building entrances and in outdoor break areas. Employees also will be prohibited from using tobacco during work hours even while off-site if their lunch periods or daily breaks are paid. Officials hope the new policies will help keep the city’s share of employee health-insurance premiums as low as possible. “We are using taxpayer dollars and we are taxed with the responsibility to reduce our costs any way we can,” said City Safety Director Tom Robbins. “The added benefit is that we’ll end up with healthier people.”

As of Aug. 1, the city is not hiring anyone who admits tobacco use. Officials have no plans to test for it yet, but that could come later. The other changes are expected to take effect Jan. 1. Robbins estimates that about 20 percent of the city’s work force uses tobacco.

Marion’s insurance carrier,

UnitedHealthcare, is donating $10,000 for programs to help employees quit. Many hospital systems and school districts made their campuses tobacco-free after Ohio’s indoor-smoking ban took effect in 2007. A flurry of private businesses and corporations soon followed. But it could be trickier for cities, and few appear to have gone to the same lengths Marion has proposed. “I don’t know of any other city like that,” said John Mahoney of the Ohio Municipal League, which represents 251 cities and 700 villages.

Municipalities have a set of circumstances different from the private sector, he said, noting that public entities remain the most unionized labor force in Ohio. “Many cities are struggling with labor-management questions like whether to give pay raises and who to lay off,” Mahoney said. “So from a labor-management standpoint, the question that would be asked in most cities is, ‘Is this the issue we want to raise?’”

The firefighters union in Marion is among those researching whether the proposed changes violate its contract with the city. If these bans take effect, workers in other departments who work eight- or 10-hour shifts can light up at day’s

end, and some get unpaid morning and afternoon breaks that allow them to step to a public sidewalk and catch a smoke, said William Lucius, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 379. But the city’s 60 firefighters work 24-hour shifts. “Most of our people understand that smoking is not the healthiest thing to do,” Lucius said. “We believe our situation is different, and we just want to sit down and talk about it like reasonable people.” Robbins said the two sides have already met, and the city recognizes the issues: “We must treat everybody fairly.”

The city appears to be on solid footing with its changes. Ohio doesn’t ban tobacco-related job discrimination and smokers aren’t a protected class. Firefighters aren’t the only ones complaining, however. About half of the 55 officers who belong to local Fraternal Order of Police question the change, said FOP president David Troutman. The city had already banned smoking in city vehicles, but many officers chew tobacco, he said.

“We don’t believe it will save the city a dime on insurance,” Troutman said. “We believe there are other reasons; we just haven’t figured out what they are.” —MCT

KOROLYOV, Russia: A Soyuz capsule carrying two Russian cosmonauts and a US astronaut from the International Space Station landed safely in Kazakhstan yesterday. “The TMA module has landed,” an announcer at Mission Control outside Moscow said to applause from officials and relatives, relieved after an initial attempt to return from the orbital outpost was foiled by an equipment problem on Friday. Space officials said the capsule landed upright, on time and on target near Arkalyk on the central Kazakh steppe. Swooping down beneath parachutes, it kicked up a cloud of dust as it hit after firing rockets to cushion the landing.

NASA TV showed technicians crouching over the hatch of the gumdrop-shaped capsule, its nose scorched by the heat of re-entry, and helping Soyuz commander Alexander Skvortsov out in his spacesuit. “I feel fantastic. The

landing was soft and smooth,” he said.

NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson was next out, smiling as she was carried to an armchair at the landing site and covered with a blue blanket. As cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko was extracted from the hatch in the top of the cramped capsule, Dyson chatted on a satellite phone.

Skvortsov, Dyson and Korniyenko spent nearly six months aboard the International Space Station, arriving on April 4 in the same Soyuz TMA-18 that brought them back to Earth. They were to have returned on Friday, but the descent was aborted after latches on a docking port holding the spacecraft to the orbital station failed to open, sending puzzled engineers scrambling for answers. NASA later said crewmembers rigged up a solution, attaching jumper cables to bypass a failed hatch sensor that was blocking commands, enabling

the latches on the Russian-made Poisk module to open.

“Space station crewmembers installed a series of jumpers, bypassing a failed component that had prevented commands from being received by the Russian Poisk module’s docking mechanism,” the US space agency said on its website. The Soyuz separated smoothly from the docking port this time and landed in Kazakhstan at 11:23 am (0523GMT). The three crewmates’ stay aboard the station was marred by mishaps including a cooling system failure in August and a faulty radio link that sent a supply craft coasting past after an aborted docking. It docked successfully two days later.

“This crew ... had to deal with some very serious problems in orbit and they met every challenge professionally and fixed all the problems,” Mark Bauman, NASA’s deputy director of manned space

programs, said. “I think we can see the benefit of having humans in space to keep the station healthy and yielding the science return that it will yield,” he said.

US space shuttle missions in November and February are to complete the $100 billion station, a project of 16 nations that has been under construction 355 km above Earth since 1998.

Single-use Russian Soyuz craft will ferry all crews to the station after the NASA retires its shuttle fleet next year.

Earlier this year, Russia announced a halt to trips by millionaire space tourists to free capacity on Soyuz flights as the station has expanded to accommodate a permanent crew of six. Russian Fyodor Yurchikhin and NASA astronauts Doug Wheelock and Shannon Walker remained aboard the station as planned after yesterday’s departure. Three new crewmembers are to join them next month. —Reuters

ARKALYK, Kazakhstan: US NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson (left) and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov, (center) and Mikhail Kornienko are seen just after the landing of Soyuz TMA-18 space capsule in this Kazakh steppe near this town in central Kazakhstan yesterday. —AP

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

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US military suicide prevention efforts fail WASHINGTON: Efforts to prevent suicides among U.S. war veterans are failing, in part because distressed troops do not trust the military to help them, top military officials said on Thursday. Poor training, a lack of coordination and an overstretched military are also factors, but a new 76-point plan lays out ways to improve this, Colonel John Bradley, chief of psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, told a conference.

Bradley said a team of experts spent a year interviewing troops who had attempted suicide, family members and others for the report and plan, presented last month to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is due to report to Congress in 90 days.

Troops do not seek help, commanders not trained on what to do “They tell us again and again that we are failing,” Bradley told a symposium on military medicine sponsored by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. Each branch of the servicesthe Army, Air Force, Navy and Marinesrushed to create a suicide prevention program, but there was no coordination. The report recommends that the defense secretary’s office take over coordination of suicide prevention efforts. On-the-ground prevention training often failed because those running the sessions did not under-

stand their importance, Bradley said.

“They are mocked and they are probably harmful,” he said. According to the report, available at http://www.health.mil/dhb/default.cfm, 1,100 servicemen and women committed suicide in 2005 to 2009 — one suicide every day and a half. The Army’s suicide rate doubled in that time. About 1.9 million U.S. service men and women have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

‘FORKED TONGUES’ “We have done all the right things but

despite all the things we have done, suicide rates have risen, particularly in the Marines and Army,” said Colonel Charles Hoge of Walter Reed. “A large percentage of our servicemen, our veterans, do not come in to get help,” he added. “It is not just the perception that they will be treated differently or somehow that it will affect their career, but it is also distrust in the system and distrust that mental health professionals can help them,” Hoge added.

“They don’t trust us. They believe we speak with forked tongues,” Bradley said.

Most of the suicides are among young,

white males, the experts said. “Marines are young, they are confident, they are aggressive,” said Lieutenant General Richard Zimmer of the U.S. Marine Corps.

“They are the last ones to raise their hand and say they have a problem.” And troops who seek mental health services can lose their security clearances, their weapons and can be taken away from duties vital to their careers, Hoge and Bradley said.

When they return home from war, the skills that kept them alive under fire make them dysfunctional in civilian society, Hoge said.

Exercisers debate stretching before or after workouts TEXAS: The one theory of stretching everyone seems to agree on can be summed up in two words: Don’t bounce. After that, pull the ring tab and step back. Broaching the topic, triathlon coach Tommy Johnson says, is like “opening up a can of worms.” What, you may ask, could possibly be contentious about something that is supposed to keep you injury-free and immune from soreness?

Plenty, it turns out. “There is a bit of a controversy about whether you should stretch at all,” says Dallas trainer Ron Incerta. When USA Track & Field conducted a clinical trial of almost 3,000 runners, the results, published last month, were essentially a wash: Those who stretched had the same injury risk as those who didn’t. A Nebraska Wesleyan University study deflated another theory, the idea that flexibility achieved through stretching makes for a better runner. The results showed that runners with tighter muscles are more economical runners _ that is, they use oxygen more efficiently _ than those who are more flexible.

“If you want to stretch because you’re tight and think you’ll become more flexible, I don’t see that as the case,” says Plano, Texas, physical therapist Jake Spivey. “Stretching isn’t to improve the length of the tissue, but to prepare the tissue for exercise and not create injury during the course of it. If you just take off, you can create overuse issues such as tendonitis or bursitis.” What does work best? It’s a matter, Incerta says, of “dynamic vs. static stretching.”

A quick lesson here. Dynamic stretching is basically a foreshadowing of the workout to come: arms in circles if you’re a swimmer, for instance; walking or skipping if you’re a runner; maybe doing knee lifts for other movements. Static, on the other hand, involves held

poses: leaning over an outstretched leg or bending toward the ground for 30 seconds or so.

Until February, triathlete Brett Skyllingstad began his workouts with traditional static stretches. Then he did some research and learned that muscles aren’t ready for such movement before a workout.

Now for 10 minutes before he begins, he focuses on knee lifts, side steps and leg swings. His post-workout stretches are what his beforehand stretches once were, holding positions for 30 seconds or so.

“I’ve noticed a huge difference,” says Skyllingstad, 26, project manager for a construction company and triathlon coach for Texas Triple Threat. “I don’t start out feeling flat or have that normal 10 minutes of feeling crummy or awkward. It gets your blood moving and flowing, and your heart rate more elevated.” That gradually increased blood flow is necessary for a successful workout, says Dr. Cindy Trowbridge, associate professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas at Arlington. “It’s cardiovascular, getting your heart rate up and your heart warmed up so it’s now going to pump blood to your muscles instead of your organs,” says Trowbridge, clinical education coordinator of UTA’s athletic training education program. “In a resting state, blood is primarily distributed to the organs: the heart, the brain. It’s secluded from the muscles unless you’re using them.”

Warming up with dynamic stretches starts the blood moving from organs to muscles, says physical therapist Spivey, whose practice is SportsCare and Rehabilitation.“You’re getting the blood flowing, which improves the pliability of the tendon and muscle,” says Spivey, who does dyanamic stretching for 10 minutes before a workout and static for 10 after.

“You’re getting your heart rate elevated enough so blood is getting to the tissue, whether you’re skipping, doing a lateral shuffle or high knees.”

Many amateurs, whether running, biking or swimming, just take off and start going, he continues. “They think, ‘I’m healthy now!’ But if you just take off, you can create overuse issues such as tendonitis or bursitis. It takes longer to strengthen muscles and joints than it does to strengthen your cardiovascular system.”

Incerta likens the warming-up process to starting a car in the middle of winter.

“It won’t run as efficiently if it’s been sitting in 30-degree weather,” he says. “The gears aren’t going to shift right. But if you turn it on and warm it up for 10 to 15 minutes, it will be fine. Fluids are going through the pipes. No problems. It’s similar to the central nervous system of the body. If you’re not primed, you’re not ready to actually do physical work. Warming up gets all that fluid going.”

On the other side of the workout is when Trowbridge advocates the stretching we tend to think of when we hear the word. You’re telling your body the workout’s over, she says. You’re allowing it to rest, to start repairing itself from this workout and to start preparing itself for the next one.

“You’ve been dramatically active,” she says. “It’s important to bring the body back down. You don’t put a kid who just had cotton candy to bed right away. You read a story. So after you exercise, you have to quiet down, to cool down. Your muscles are moderately fatigued and more responsive to being elongated or stretched because they’re so warm. It’s like putting cold taffy in the microwave.” — MCT

DNA barcode library to launch in Toronto

TEXAS: Cindy Trowbridge demonstrates a “dynamic” stretch, to be done before a workout, at the University of Texas. —MCT

OTTAWA: An international consortium of geneticists today will activate a DNA barcode library in Toronto representing almost 80,000 species, the International Barcode of Life Project (iBOL) announced. The aim is to eventually build a digital identification system for all life on Earth to reduce the time and cost of species identification.

To mark the world’s largest biodiversity genomics initiative, Toronto’s CN Tower-the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere-is to be illuminated as a giant bar

code, iBOl said. “We are witnessing alarming rates of species extinction,” said iBOL scientific director Paul Hebert.

“But efforts to reverse that trend are hampered by huge gaps in our knowledge about the distribution and diversity of life. DNA barcoding promises a future where everyone will have rapid access to the names and biological attributes of every species on Earth.” DNA barcoding, which identifies species using a short DNA sequence from a standard location on the genome, will also be a vital tool for con-

servation and for monitoring species that have adverse impacts on human health and economic wellbeing, he said. More than 25 countries are involved in the project. Work over the past five years has produced barcode records for almost 80,000 species. By 2015, consortium members are expected to have entered DNA barcode records from five million specimens representing half a million species into the interactive Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) databank, and eventually all of Earth’s animal, plant and fungal species. — AFP

“There are messages that the warrior gets when they back here that they are crazy,” he said. In addition, all the services are overstretched, the report said. “The force is out of balance,” Bradley said. “The force is fatigued. Anyone who doesn’t believe that has their eyes closed.”

Hoge said physical demands can also affect the mind. Troops often operate on just 3 or 4 hours a sleep a night for extended periods. “They often have pain, chronic pain,” he said. “They have gone through all these events, including concussions. It is clear there are physical changes that happen.” Bradley said the report calls for skills-based training for commanders, troops and their families. — Reuters

Doctors banned from smoking in Philippines MANILA: Doctors in the Philippines have been banned from smoking by the country’s medical association to make sure they set a good example to their patients, the group said yesterday.

The order by the Philippine Medical Association will also ensure that other people are not affected by a doctor’s second-hand smoke, association president Oscar Tinio said in a statement. “Physicians must be role models on matters of health, whose lives, decorum and personality are highly respected or emulated by all sectors of society-that is why it is highly inappropriate for physicians to be seen smoking,” he said.

Spokesman Mike Aragon said that the public was encouraged to report smoking medics to the association. Asked what would happen to doctors who violate the order, Aragon said a committee would decide that later. “We will cross the bridge when we reach it,” he told AFP. Tinio was quoted as saying that he personally knew doctors who smoked.

Government statistics show that there are 17.3 million smokers in the Philippines, amounting to about 28 percent of the population aged 15 or older. Philippine President Benigno Aquino admits he is a smoker, saying he needs the habit to deal with the stress of the job. —AFP

Battle of the bulge: Program targets childhood obesity NEW YORK: Health officials have aimed a program at stopping the obesity trend in children.

The Guilford County Department of Public Health WIC program and Guilford Child Health sponsored a Friday health and fitness event at Allen Jay Recreation Center for families enrolled in the Women, Infants and Children program. “Let’s Move” offers various family-oriented physical activities along with healthy snacks and door prizes. “This program is designed to promote and encourage healthy lifestyle choices for our WIC families,” said Merle Green, county health director. “We want to support the nationwide campaign to reduce childhood obesity by providing opportunities for children and adults to get physically active and select healthy foods.” Two-thirds of all adults in North Carolina are overweight or obese, according to state officials. North Carolina ranks fifth worst in the nation for childhood obesity and four of the leading 10 causes of death in the United States are related to obesity. N.C. Prevention Partners, a nonprofit health study group, gave the state “D” grades in its 2008 report card on nutrition and physical activity. — MCT

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

IPC - Islamic courses PC is offering Islamic courses in English (for ladies only). 1. Tilawa Surah Al Imran on Tuesday at 5:30-7 pm on October 5, 2010 2.

Forty Hadith (Part 2) Tuesday from 7-8:30pm on October 5, 2010 Instructor: Sr. Zeinab Hassan Ashry at IPC Women Section AlRawdah - Area 3 - St. 30 House 12. Call 22512257 97290270.

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Toastmasters Club announcement o you want to overcome your fear of speaking in public? Do you want to sharpen your presentation skills? Do you want to develop leadership skills?

Do you wish to attend job interviews with confidence? All of these can be achieved for a nominal fee with unlimited opportunities to practice and develop at the new Toastmasters Club (affiliated to Toastmasters International USA), being chartered in Salmiya. If you want to be part of your own chartered club, join us at Bayan Restaurant, Salmiya (next to Red Tag) at 7:45 pm on Friday, September 3, 2010. For free registration contact Vishwanath at 67735024 visragmal@yahoo.com or Xavier at 99850173 xaviermuthu@hotmail.com

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Idea Star Singer fame Rahul, a class 12 student performs while other visiting artists Vidyashankar and Sreenath in action on stage at Integrated Indian School, Jleeb, as part of the Onam celebrations organized by National Service Society (NSS) on Sept 24.

Workshop held at Integrated Indian School

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ntegrated Indian School run in Collaboration with the Kalka Group of Institutions organized a teachers’ enrichment workshop on attitude on Sep 16th for all the teachers of the school. Mr Anis Ahmad, who is one of the directors, was the resource person. Through a power-point presentation he explained how attitude effects both teaching and learning and that positive attitude and problem solving approach improves productivity. He also added that for better results, there is a need for change. As such teachers should respond to situations instead of reacting. The workshop was made more exciting and enjoyable with various co-operative activities for the teachers. The Principal, Mrs Ritu Mathur, concluded the session by lauding the teachers for their active participation and profusely thanked Mr. Anis Ahmad for an enjoyable and enriching experience. Tea and refreshments were also served.

Arpan cancels Onam fest

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rpan Kuwait cancelled this year’s Onam celebration following the sad demise of its founder president and current executive member C Vijyakumar, according to a press release. The executive committee and the program committee for Onam celebration, at an emergency meeting, unanimously decided to call off all Onam festivities and celebrations scheduled to be held on October 1 as a mark of respect to the departed founder president, the press release added.

Tulu Parba competitions

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n the occasion of Decennial celebration Tulukoota Kuwait invites all Tuluvas to join us for “Tuluparba Competitions” to be held on Friday, October 8, 2010 from 10:00 am5:00 pm at Indian Community School Auditorium (Senior Girls) Salmiya. Join us for an exciting and entertaining day with lots of fun and creativity.

Competitions for various age group planned for the day include: Dance Solo and Group, Fancy Dress Solo and Group; Pick N Speak; Onion Cutting; Ladies Cloth Bag Making; Men -Kenchana Kurlari; Smart Kid Contest; Puzzle and color me contest, “Hiriyerna Udala pathera” for senior citizens. For further details and registrations, please contact Sathyanarayana 66585077; Swarna Shetty: 99006934; Rekha Sachu 65044521 and for more details on the rules and regulations please visit our website tulukootakuwait.org.

Last date for accepting registrations is October 3, 2010.

Sports around the world since 1938. Hash is for a mixture of abilities from walkers to experienced runners. It is social rather than athletic.

Length of course depends on time of year. Contact Gerry Burton on the above number or on 99764028. www.hasher.net

KAYAKING Kuwait Surf-Ski Kayak Club 99706742 Sea kayaking is one of the fastest growing water sports in the world today.

Call if you are interested in purchasing a kayak, getting involved in the sport.

MOTOR SPORTS Kuwait Motor Bike League / The Amateur Car & Motorbike Association Motorbike track (for trail/dirt bikes) and rally car-racing centre located behind the Science Club on the northern side of the 6th Ring Road (between roads 401 and 50). Car and bike races held on Fridays. Use of facilities and participation in competitions limited to members only. office on 3td Ring Road, near Road 50.

NETBALL Kuwait Netball Meet Monday for mixed games 6:30 7:30 and Tuesday for Woman only check the web- site for more info. www.kuwaitnetball.com RUGBY Kuwait Nomads The rugby season in Kuwait runs from September to May. Mens, ladies and minis rugby are played and the teams frequently travel to participate in AGRFU tournaments. Any interested child between the ages of 5-17 can participate in the Minis rugby. Training is held every Friday between 9am-llam on the grassed pitch at the Yarmouk stadium. The men’s and ladies teams have the pleasure of training and playing on the KOC sand pitch in Ahmadi, the home of the Kuwait Nomads. Training nights are Sundays and Tuesdays from 7pm-9pm. Inter-Gulf matches are played on Thursdays or Fridays. www.p8nomads.com

SAILING The Arabian Gulf waters are an ideal environment in which to learn to sail.

Offshore the seas are seldom rough and there is often a moderate breeze.

Many of the sea clubs organise sailing activities.

RUNNING For anyone who likes walking, jogging or cycling in Kuwait there is a very good track around the area of Mishref. The track is 4.9km long and is marked out in distances of 100m. There are also a number of outdoor exercise machines located near the start and the end of the track. Please note, however, that the track is more of a horseshoe shape rather than a complete circuit as there is a gap of at least a mile between the start and finish. Decide how far you want to walk, walk half the distance and then turn back. There are roads to cross so take care if you have young children with you. Despite all of this, it’s still very worthwhile going along and trying it out.

Hash Harriers 23982219 Social jogging on Thursday and Saturday evenings. Hash Harriers has been operating

Catamaran Sailing 6658 7737 Dive Caroline Beach Fafaheel The Kuwait Catamaran Club is a group of enthusiasts who love sailing on fast cats in the Arabian Gulf’s waters around Kuwait. Usually an informal group sail on Friday afternoons. Boats are privately owned but visitors are very welcome and can be taken out as crew. Boats for hire, a Dart 18 and Hobie 16. Contact John Morley johnmorley@hotmail.com Fahaheel Sailing Club (see Dive Caroline) 2371 9289 www.horn3.com KOSA 2398 3365 9974 5383 The Kuwait Offshore Sailing Association (KOSA) meets on the first Tuesday of each month (except July and August) at the Dive Caroline clubhouse, which is located at the Fahaheel Sea Club. Fortnightly racing plus International events in Bahrain and Dubai.

Boats often require crew and will take you if you turn up! Catamaran racing is arranged

after KOSA morning races, followed by a sunset barbecue on the beach. An Annual Regatta, usually during April, is also organised. www.kospg8.com SCUBA DIVING The Arabian Gulf is the perfect place in which to learn to scuba dive. Although dive sites are not as spectacular as those in the Red Sea and Thailand, the local environment is conducive to teaching youngsters who wish to do fairly shallow dives and build up their confidence. A parent/guardian is required to accompany all children between the ages of 10-12. Thereafter the child may be accompanied by a diving instructor. It is a good idea for adults to attend the theory classes with their children.

Dive Caroline 2371 9289 Fahaheel Sea Club, Fahaheel Dive Caroline is a friendly sailing and diving club with pool, beach, sauna, steam room, fitness and social areas. Scuba diving training and equipment sales; skippered sailing yacht charter for up to 8 passengers; fishing charters (up to 6 passengers with a max. of 2 trawling lines); skippered power boat hire for 6, 8 or 14 passengers. Birthday parties are hosted at the DC pool for children 8 years old and over (maximum of 16 children).

Swimming lessons for children as well as private lessons for adults. Banana boat rides, water skiing, kayaking.

Dive Centre 9964 9482 The Palms Hotel, Salwa A full service PADI 5 Star Dive Centre catering for all of your diving requirements. www.thepalmsdivecenter.com KIM Dive Centre 2371 6002 Villa 365, Hilton Kuwait Resort Kuwait International Marine (KIM) Centre is a full service PADI 5 Star Dive Centre catering for

all of your diving requirements. www.kimcenter.selmpb.com SHOOTING Hunting & Equestrian Club 24739199 Shooters can sharpen their skills at the range. Members aren’t charged any fee but have to bear the costs of the cartridges while guns are provided by the club.

Shooting Range Complex 2475 9999 Off the 6th Ring road and drive past the Hunting and Equestrian Club. www.nrckuwait.com SOFTBALL Ahmadi Softball Located at the softball grounds situated behind the Governorate Building in Ahmadi SQUASH Squash courts are available at a few of the 5-star hotels as well as at the Salmiya Club.

There are a number of squash leagues and tournaments are held throughout the year.

Duffers League 9970 1720 The League comprises about 25 players of all standards. Players are placed in groups of 4 which means you play three games per month. The rules of standard squash apply with all matches being best of five. Games are arranged by mutual agreement between the players. Contact Philip Anderson at andersoninkuwait@mac.com Kuwait Squash Federation 2263 4618 Salmiya Club 2575 5052 Salmiya Sheikha Squash www.sheikhasguash.com

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

Sunday, September 26, 2010

31 Embassy information

Announcements 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

EMBASSY OF US

✦✦✦ 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.

Oct 14 Tulukoota Kuwait announces its “Decennial Parba “on October 14th & 15th. 2010 at American International School Hawally. We invite all Tulukoota Kuwait members to join us for fun filled and exciting events planned to celebrate the milestones throughout Tulukoota Kuwait’s 10 years journey. 14th October Rasamanjari - musical show by Star performer Anuradha Bhatt, Prakash Mahadevan Naveen Koppa & others, Vismaya Jadoo by Mega Magic Star Ganesh Kudroli & troupe. Dr. Mohan Alva Cultural Performances & King of Comedy Navin D Padil presents tulu drama “ Paniyerla aath Panande Budiyerla aath” This is a fun tilled evening for entire family! Join us for a great time. For more information call : Swarna C Shetty - 99006934; Pascal Pinto - 9953 1557; Sathya Narayan 66585077: Suresh Salian - 99161228; Chandrahasa Shetty - 55941955.

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. SACAAKuwait 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.

OCT 29 Onathanima tug of war: Thanima is conducting its annual Onam celebrations along with its celebrated tug of war competitions on October 29 at Central School compound, Abbasiya. Cultural procession, concert and other attractive cultural items will add glitter to the evening function in which many prominent personalities are expected to be present. Those teams wishing to participate in the tug of war competition, please contact 99865499 / 97253653 / 66071276 / 99703872.

Nov 17 Trend setter Udupi Restaurant, Kuwait proudly presents “ Gandharva Ganam” a live carnatic classical concert by living legend & maestro Padmabooshan Dr. K.J.Yesudas with his troupe on 17th Nov. 2010 at American International School, Kuwait. Sri. Nagai Murali on violin, Sri. Bakthavalsalam on Mridangam and Sri. Thripunithura Radhakrishnan on Ghatam.

For more details, please contact 66752462 or 66784867.

Konkani drama

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ariano Fernandes presents Soglleank Nomoskar, the Konkani drama which is all set to tour Gulf states and Kuwait on Friday, Oct 1, 2010 at 3:30 pm at Kuwait Medical Association Hall (beside Blood Bank/adjacent to Mubarak Hospital), Jabriya.

For gate passes contact: Limra Cargo, Salhea Tower, Basement, Shop No 9, opposite GPO, Kuwait City or call 99581491 - 97643536 66512602 - 99423781.

Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Officials of the two companies seal the deal.

AI Mulla Exchange closes acquisition in Oman AIMulla International Exchange Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the prestigious AIMulla Group, announced last week that it has closed on its acquisition of the Modern Exchange Company, LLC in Oman. This strategic acquisition marks a new milestone in AI Mulla Exchange’s history, and illustrates its intent to offer pioneering products on a global scale.

Established in 1993, Modern Exchange Company LLC is a highly reputed remittance company located in Oman with branches in Ruwi, Musanna, Ghala, AIKhoud, Falaj AIQabail and Rusyal. Reflecting upon the acquisition, Mr. Minoo F Patel, Chief Financial Officer of AIMulla Group, remarked: “We view the acquisition of Modern Exchange Company as a great opportu-

Happy Birthday

nity to herald the entry of AI Mulla Exchange into Oman. This entry is a nascent first-step in our efforts to become a globally recognized brand in the highly competitive international exchange industry. A global expansion in only our ninth year of existence serves as a testament to the caliber of our employees and the dynamic nature of our organization. We aim to extend

Aware Center announcement

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any happy returns to our loving father. You have helped us grow as individuals and taught us to forgive, love and keep our faith in God. May God bless you with a lot of love, luck and laughter forever. Best wishes and love from Kumari, Avni, Ajith, Kiran, Bonnie and Rashmi.

Study in Australia

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DP Education Australia will be holding a ‘Study in Australia’ Exhibition with 10 of Australiaís most renowned universities and higher education institutions.

The exhibition will be held at the Coral Ball Room at the Sheraton Hotel on 30 September from 5 PM. University representatives will be in attendance to speak to interested students about studying in Australia.

The Basil Arts Kuwait requests all its registered members to attend the General Body / Family get-together, scheduled at 11:30a.m. on Friday, 1st October, 2010 at the Function Hall of Ruchi Restaurant, Abbasiya, opposite to Al-Deera Office. For further information contact General Secretary on 65003040

ware Center in cooperation with the American Embassy to Kuwait Presents Randa Kuziez to speak on the topic of ‘Religious Pluralism’ on September 26, 2010 at 7 pm at the aware Center-Surra, Block 3, Surra St, Villa 84. Randa shares that for some, interfaith and pluralism are scary terms referring to the loss of individual identity, creation of one religion, or acceptance of the theology of others despite disagreements.”

Religious Pluralism describes a community where individuals holding separate beliefs come to respect one another’s distinct religious and philosophical identities, seek mutually enriching relationships and work together for the common good. To learn

more about this topic, we welcome your presence at Aware.

Randa is a Muslim-American professional, and holds her degree in History and International Affairs from Saint Louis University, 2007. She was named SLU’s Woman of the Year and has held various positions including Vice President of the Muslim Students’ Association of the United States and Canada, member of the Muslim Advisory Board for “Malaria No More”, co-founder of Maded, an organization providing resources to those suffering serious physical accidents and recently, Director of Education at Interfaith Partnership/Faith Beyond Walls of St Louis. Call 2-533-5280 for more information.

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he Premier Goal Academy in association with Everton F.C. launches its ëFootball For Allí programme at Shaab Park in October 2010.

Expert guidance from professional English F.A./UEFA coaching team. Coaching courses for 3-14 years are held Fridays 0900-1100 and Saturdays 1500-1700.

Advanced coaching for Centre of Excellence players aged 8 to 18 years also takes place on Fridays and Saturdays plus Mondays (812 years), Tuesdays (12-14 years) and Wednesdays (14-18 years) 1700-1900. Regular fixtures

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Secunderabad. After participating in ETV “Sye”, a singing reality show, prominent Telugu Film music director Koti spotted Sreeram’s talent and made him sing a song “Chirugalithone Adiga” for a movie called Notebook. He got his first break singing title track for the critically acclaimed 2008 telugu comedy film Ashta Chamma before participating in the Indian Idol 5, Sreeram was an upcoming playback singer in Telugu film industry. He worked with some prominent music direc-

ev.Fr.O.Thomas, renowned family counselor,pastoral psychologist and orator, will be in Kuwait from 1st to 7th October. Those who requiring his counseling services may please contact 66946629, 99839738 and 99951236

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Premier Goal Academy against Kuwait Club teams and tournaments in the Gulf, USA and Europe are also available for selected players. The Premier Goal Academy also offers coaching courses in Salwa, Hawally, Mangaf, Sharq (Girls Only) and Freestyle courses (13-18 years) at Shaab Park on Mondays.

For further details of any of the P.G.A. Courses contact; Mike Finn, Director of Football Tel.99981327(English), Baker al Nazer, Director of Administration Tel.66918666(Arabic) or Daniel Christensen 99128010. Email; premier_fa_kuwait@yahoo.com

Sreeram Chandra set to rock in Kuwait reeram Chandra Mynampati, a 24 year old professional singer from Hyderabad and 2010 Indian Idol Winner and awarded by one of the most prominent figures in the history of Indian cinema Amitabh Bachan is set to perform in Kuwait, at the Creative Indians Association’s Hot Stepper event - the Indian Fiesta 2010 to be held on 1st October 2010 at the Entertainment City, Doha.

In spite of a non-musical background, Sreeram Chandra had a passion towards singing and started singing from his school days continuing through college. The first person from South India to win the Indian Idol title, his victory on the show landed him Rs.5 million cash, one-year contract with Sony BMG Music Entertainment, a Tata Winger car, and for the first time, a chance to sing a song in a Yash Raj Films project.

The State Government of Andhra Pradesh had honored him with the Lata Mangeshkar Award along with a cash award of Rs. 1 lakh Shreeram started play back singing at the age of 17and has completed his 5th year of Certificate Course in carnatic vocal at Sri Bhakta Ramadasa Music College, Marredpally,

our market dominance to Oman by pioneering revolutionary new products and setting new standards of customer service excellence. I welcome all employees and customers of Modern Exchange Company to AIMulla Exchange, and am confident that the diligence and aspirations of my team will usher a new era in the history of Oman’s exchange industry.”

tors like, Mani Sharma, Kalyan Mallik and Ramana Gogula. Sreeram performed the hit track “Tum Mile” to which Music director Pritam commented that Sreeram is ready to start playback singing immediately. Sreeram also has recorded a duet with the renowned singer Shreya Ghoshal for a latest Telugu movie and the song was offered to him by one of the judges of Indian Idol 5 and music director Salim Merchant.

Sreeram will be accompa-

nied by the stunning Bhoomi Trivedi who gave him a tough competition at the Indian idol show with her powerful singing and breathtaking performances. Baroda-based Bhoomi Trivedi, who was one among the three finalists on “Indian Idol 5”, has been chosen as the new radio jockey of Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM, as announced at the grand finale of the Indian idol music reality show.

The event will be graced

by H.E the Indian Ambassador to the State of Kuwait Mr. Ajai Malhotra.

Kuwait’s very own DJ Flames will have you grooving at regular intervals with what’s new and happening at the music scene back home. For a minimal entry fee, The park will open from 5 PM till 1 AM for not only to enjoy the exciting rides at the venue but also awaiting you are various other attractions starting 6 PM like group dance competitions, live musical performances, a mouthwatering spread of Indian cuisine from some of Kuwait’s top Indian restaurants, face painting, Tshirt printing, loads of prizes and giveaways. Book your date with Sreeram Chandra and watch this space for more information. Visit and register on our website www.hot-stepper.com for timely updates.

Congratulations!

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appy 5th anniversary wishes to Afsar Ali coming from loved ones Shoukhat Ali, Ashgar Ali, Akbar Ali, and Shakishu Pasha.

Gulf Voice of Mangalore 2010

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outh Recreation Center (Rising Stars), on the completion of 30 glorious years in Kuwait has organized a maiden/mega Singing Competition, the “Gulf Voice of Mangalore 2008” on October 17, 2008 and Kuwait’s very own voice, Vinay Lewis was declared the winner of ‘Gulf Voice of Mangalore 2008. After the super success of this event we are back again with Gulf Voice of Mangalore 2010’. The auditions/preliminary rounds for Kuwait already held on June 11, 2010 under the leadership of Lawrence Pinto and Louis Rodrigues and 12 semi-finalists (six male and females each) were chosen to compete for the semifinals in Kuwait on October 8, 2010 at the American International School - Hawalli. On this day two finalists, one male and one female each will be chosen to enter the grand-finale. Famous personalities in the music field will arrive from Mangalore to judge the semi-finalists. There will be an entertainment program by visiting artists from Mangalore as well as the local artists, Twelve finalists from six Gulf countries will be fighting for the coveted title in the grandfinale to be held in Dubai on October 22, 2010. For further information about this competition, contact Lawrence 99803755, Louis - 66561184.

Wilson - 99719938.

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.

EMBASSY OF CANADA Middle East Education Initiative (MEEI) 2010 October 2 to 4, 2010 organized by the Embassy of Canada.

Representatives of leading Canadian universities, colleges and other institutions of higher education will be available to meet students, parents, teachers and guidance counsellors to present the advantages of studying in Canada. On October 4, 2010 a “Study in Canada” exhibition will be being held at the Safir Marina Hotel, Salmiya for potential students and their parents to attend. The Canadian institutions will also be visiting local schools to speak to interested students about opportunities to study in Canada. Please contact the Canadian Embassy in Kuwait for additional information. The MEEI tour will also be visiting the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco.

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.

EMBASSY OF TURKEY 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 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

TV PROGRAMS

32

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Orbit / Showtime Listings

00:00 Big Love 01:00 Royal Pains 02:00 Smallville 03:00 The Invisible Man 04:00 The Ex-List 05:00 Ghost Whisperer 06:00 Dawson’s Creek 07:00 Big Love 08:00 The Ex-List 09:00 The Closer 10:00 The Invisible Man 11:00 Ghost Whisperer 12:00 Dawson’s Creek 13:00 The Closer 14:00 The Invisible Man 15:00 The Ex-List 16:00 Royal Pains 17:00 Smallville 18:00 Big Love 19:00 Dawson’s Creek 20:00 Damages 21:00 Cold Case 22:00 Kathy Griffin 23:00 Saving Grace

00:45 Untamed & Uncut 01:40 Shark Shrinks 02:35 Untamed & Uncut 03:30 I’m Alive 04:25 Great White Appetite 05:20 Untamed & Uncut 06:10 RSPCA: On the Frontline 06:35 Predator’s Prey 07:00 Animal Crackers 07:25 Meerkat Manor 07:50 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 08:15 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 08:40 Daniel and Our Cats 09:35 Animal Battlegrounds 10:00 Cats 101 10:55 Monkey Life 11:20 Vet on the Loose 11:50 Miami Animal Police 12:45 E-Vets: The Interns 13:10 Pet Rescue 13:40 Animal Cops Miami 14:35 Wildlife SOS 15:00 RSPCA: On the Frontline 15:30 Britain’s Worst Pet 15:55 Britain’s Worst Pet 16:25 Dogs 101 17:20 Cats 101 18:15 Animal Cops Houston 19:10 Venom Hunter with Donald Schultz 20:10 Planet Earth 21:05 Jungle 22:00 Whale Wars 22:55 Your Worst Animal Nightmares 23:50 Ultimate Air Jaws

00:00 Hyperdrive 00:30 Hyperdrive 01:00 Jack Dee 01:45 Manchild 02:15 Strictly Come Dancing 03:40 Only Fools And Horses 04:10 Gigglebiz 04:25 Teletubbies 04:50 Me Too 05:10 Tikkabilla 05:40 Teletubbies 06:05 Me Too 06:25 Tikkabilla 07:00 Gigglebiz 07:15 Teletubbies 07:40 Me Too 08:00 Tikkabilla 08:30 Gigglebiz 08:45 Teletubbies 09:10 Tikkabilla 09:40 Strictly Come Dancing 11:05 Doctors 11:35 Doctors 12:05 Doctors 12:35 Doctors 13:05 Doctors 13:35 Robin Hood 14:15 Only Fools And Horses 14:45 Only Fools And Horses 15:15 Hyperdrive 15:45 Hyperdrive 16:15 Hyperdrive 16:45 Only Fools And Horses 17:15 Robin Hood 18:00 Casualty 18:50 Casualty 19:40 Strictly Come Dancing 21:05 Strictly Come Dancing 21:50 The Only Boy For Me 23:20 New Tricks

00:10 Come Dine With Me 00:35 Come Dine With Me 01:00 House Swap 01:50 House Swap 02:35 House Swap 03:20 House Swap 04:05 House Swap 04:50 Come Dine With Me 05:40 Rhodes Across China 06:30 Saturday Kitchen 07:15 Saturday Kitchen 07:40 Saturday Kitchen 08:05 Cash In The Attic 08:50 Cash In The Attic 09:35 Cash In The Attic 10:20 Cash In The Attic 11:05 Cash In The Attic 11:50 Saturday Kitchen 12:15 Saturday Kitchen 12:40 Living In The Sun 13:35 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 14:20 The Home Show 15:05 Cash In The Attic Usa 15:30 Cash In The Attic 16:15 Cash In The Attic 17:00 Ching’s Kitchen 17:30 Cash In The Attic 18:15 Cash In The Attic 19:00 Cash In The Attic 19:45 Cash In The Attic 20:30 Cash In The Attic 21:15 Come Dine With Me 22:05 Rhodes Across China 22:55 Ching’s Kitchen 23:20 Coastal Kitchen 23:45 Cash In The Attic

01:00 Holly-R 03:00 Yes Man-PG15 05:00 Fool’s Gold-PG15 07:00 Brassed Off-PG15 09:00 Centre Stage 2: Turn It Up-PG15 11:00 Mes Stars Et Moi-PG15 13:00 Call Of The North-PG 15:00 Little Nicholas-PG 17:00 The Babe-PG15 19:00 Genova-PG15 21:00 I Want You-18 23:00 Welcome To Sarajevo-18

00:40 Deadliest Catch 01:35 Time Warp 02:30 Brainiac 03:25 Smash Lab 04:20 How It’s Made 04:50 How Does it Work 05:15 Deadliest Catch 06:05 Mythbusters 07:00 Fifth Gear 07:25 Wheeler Dealers 07:50 Wheeler Dealers 08:15 Battle Machine Bros 09:10 Construction Intervention 10:05 How It’s Made 10:35 Ultimate Survival 11:30 Deadliest Catch 12:25 Wild Swimming Adventure 13:20 Wild Swimming Adventure 14:15 Alone in the Wild 15:10 Alone in the Wild 16:05 Alone in the Wild 17:00 Alone in the Wild 17:55 How It’s Made 18:20 Ultimate Survival 19:15 Deadliest Catch 20:05 Time Warp 21:00 Mythbusters 21:55 Wreckreation Nation 22:50 Worst-Case Scenario 23:20 Worst-Case Scenario 23:45 Police Women of Broward County

00:30 Sci-Fi Science 01:20 NYC: Inside Out 02:10 Nextworld 03:00 Universe 03:50 The Future of...

04:45 What’s That About?

05:40 How Does That Work?

06:10 Mighty Ships 07:00 Junkyard Mega-Wars 08:00 Scrapheap Challenge 09:00 Sci-Fi Saved My Life 09:55 Brainiac 10:50 Da Vinci’s Machines 15:25 Savage Planet

15:55 Eco-Tech 16:50 The Gadget Show 17:15 The Gadget Show 17:45 How Stuff’s Made 18:10 How Stuff’s Made 18:40 Alien Storms 19:30 Perfect Disaster 20:20 Engineered 21:10 NYC: Inside Out 22:00 Alien Storms 22:50 Perfect Disaster 23:40 The Colony

06:00 Iron Man: Armoured Adventures 06:25 Kid Vs Kat 06:50 American Dragon 07:15 American Dragon 07:40 Phineas And Ferb 08:05 Phil Of The Future 08:30 I’m In The Band 09:00 Phineas And Ferb 09:25 The Super Hero Squad Show 09:50 Phineas And Ferb 10:15 Zeke And Luther 10:40 Zeke And Luther 11:05 The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody 11:30 The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody 12:00 Even Stevens 13:30 American Dragon 14:00 The Super Hero Squad Show 14:25 Kick Buttowski 14:50 Phil Of The Future 15:15 Phineas And Ferb 15:45 I’m In The Band 16:15 Zeke And Luther 16:40 Zeke And Luther 17:05 The Super Hero Squad Show 17:30 Pokemon 17:55 Suite Life On Deck 18:20 Suite Life On Deck 18:45 Phineas And Ferb 19:10 Phineas And Ferb 19:35 American Dragon 20:00 Aaron Stone 20:30 Kick Buttowski 21:00 Zeke And Luther 21:25 Zeke And Luther 21:55 Shreducation 22:20 Pokemon 22:30 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

00:40 Bank of Hollywood 01:30 Fatal Beauty 03:15 Extreme Hollywood 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Battle of the Hollywood Hotties 05:30 Streets of Hollywood 06:00 THS 07:45 Bank of Hollywood 08:35 E! News 09:25 THS 10:15 THS 11:05 Giuliana & Bill 11:30 Giuliana & Bill 12:00 E! News 12:50 Keeping Up with the Kardashians 13:15 Keeping Up with the Kardashians 14:05 Keeping Up with the Kardashians 14:30 Keeping Up with the Kardashians 14:55 Keeping Up with the Kardashians 15:50 Keeping Up with the Kardashians 16:15 Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami 16:40 Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami 17:10 Behind the Scenes 17:35 Behind the Scenes 18:00 Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami 18:25 Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami 18:50 Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami 19:15 Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami 19:40 Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami 20:05 Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami 20:30 Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami 20:55 Kourtney & Khloé Take Miami 21:20 Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane 21:45 Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane 22:10 E! News 23:00 Chelsea Lately 23:25 The Soup 23:50 25 Most Stylish

00:00 M1 Challenge 01:00 Drop In Tv 01:30 Drop In Tv 02:00 Drop In Tv 02:30 Drop In Tv 03:00 Winter X Games 13 2009 04:00 Winter X Games 13 2009 05:00 Iex 2009 05:30 Iex 2009 06:00 Iex 2009 06:30 Iex 2009 07:00 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 07:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 08:00 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 08:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 09:00 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008

09:30 Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 10:00 United By Fate 11:30 Pro-files 12:00 Winter X Games 13 2009 14:00 Drop In Tv 16:00 Lg Action Sports World...

17:00 Lucas Oil Ama Motocross...

18:00 Winter X Games 13 2009 20:00 Sports Jobs 21:00 Fight Girls 23:00 M1 Challenge

Travelled 18:30 Bondi Rescue 19:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 19:30 The Best Job In The World 20:00 Graham’s World 20:30 Banged Up Abroad 21:30 Banged Up Abroad 22:30 Word Travels 23:00 Pressure Cook 23:30 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled

00:00 Guy Off the Hook - Special 01:00 30 Minute Meals 01:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 02:00 Food Network Challenge 03:00 Barefoot Contessa 03:30 Unwrapped 04:00 Iron Chef America 05:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 05:30 Guys Big Bite 06:00 Chopped 07:00 Paula’s Best Dishes 07:25 Good Deal with Dave Lieberman 07:50 Guys Big Bite 08:15 Barefoot Contessa 08:40 Everyday Italian 09:05 30 Minute Meals 09:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 10:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 10:30 Barefoot Contessa 11:00 Unwrapped 11:30 Paula’s Party 12:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 13:00 Good Deal with Dave Lieberman 13:30 Guys Big Bite 14:00 Barefoot Contessa 14:30 Everyday Italian 15:00 30 Minute Meals 15:30 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 16:00 Iron Chef America 17:00 Barefoot Contessa 17:30 Unwrapped 18:00 Paula’s Best Dishes 18:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 19:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 19:30 Good Deal with Dave Lieberman 20:00 Guy Off the Hook - Special 21:00 Barefoot Contessa 21:30 Everyday Italian 22:00 Iron Chef America 23:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 23:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

00:00 Two and a half men 00:30 The Simpsons 01:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (repeat) 01:30 The Colbert Report (repeat) 02:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon 03:00 SNL one hour version 04:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 04:30 Entourage 05:00 How to make it in America 05:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 06:00 Frasier 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Ellen 07:30 Three sisters 08:00 The Simpsons 08:30 Just Shoot me!

09:00 Frasier 09:30 The Drew Carey Show 10:00 My Name is Earl 10:30 How I met your mother 11:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:30 Three sisters 12:00 Best Late night with Jimmy Fallon 13:00 The Simpsons 13:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 14:00 Frasier 14:30 How I met your mother 15:00 Two and a half men 15:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (repeat) 16:00 The Colbert Report (repeat) 16:30 The Drew Carey Show 17:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 17:30 Three sisters 18:00 Seinfeld 18:30 Will & Grace 19:00 Better Off Ted 19:30 Community 20:00 Entourage 20:30 Entourage 21:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (repeat) 21:30 The Colbert Report (repeat) 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:30 Better Off Ted

00:30 Crime Scene Psychics 00:55 Crime Scene Psychics 01:20 A Haunting 02:10 A Haunting 03:05 Psychic Witness 04:00 Crime Scene Psychics 04:25 Crime Scene Psychics 04:55 Ghosthunters 05:20 FBI Files 06:10 Real Emergency Calls 06:35 Real Emergency Calls 07:00 Forensic Detectives 07:50 FBI Files 08:40 CSU 09:30 Diagnosis: Unknown 10:20 Forensic Detectives 11:10 Mystery Diagnosis 12:00 Real Emergency Calls 12:25 Real Emergency Calls 12:50 Final Days of an Icon 13:40 Diagnosis: Unknown 14:30 Forensic Detectives 15:20 FBI Files 16:10 CSU 17:00 Diagnosis: Unknown 17:50 Forensic Detectives 18:40 Mystery Diagnosis 19:30 Real Emergency Calls 19:55 Real Emergency Calls 20:20 Final Days of an Icon 21:10 On the Case with Paula Zahn 22:00 Disappeared 22:50 Deadly Women 23:40 I Almost Got Away With It

01:15 The Commitments 03:10 The Program 05:05 The Boost 06:40 Howling II: Your Sister Is A Werewolf 08:10 The Devil’s Brigade 10:20 Curse Of The Pink Panther 12:10 The Secret Of N.I.M.H. 13:35 A Home Of Our Own 15:20 The Knack And How To Get It 16:45 No Such Thing 18:30 The Playboys 20:20 The Mechanic 22:00 That Sinking Feeling 23:30 Liebestraum

00:00 Jersey Shore 2 01:00 Fist Of Zen 01:30 Fist Of Zen 02:00 World Stage 03:00 Music Mix 07:00 Breakfast Club 08:30 Teen Cribs 09:00 My Super Sweet 16 ¬† 09:30 Jessica Simpson’s The Price Of Beauty 10:00 My Life As Liz 10:30 The Hills Final Season 11:00 The City S2 11:30 (P) Hosted Top 20 13:00 (P) Made Daily 13:30 Teen Cribs 14:00 My Super Sweet 16 ¬† 14:30 Jessica Simpson’s The Price Of Beauty 15:00 My Life As Liz 15:30 The Hills Final Season 16:00 The City S2 16:30 Hosted Top 20 18:00 Made 19:00 Cribs 19:30 Exiled 20:00 Made Daily 20:30 Pimp My Ride 21:00 Taking The Stage 22:00 (P) Jersey Shore 2 23:00 (P) Hard Times Of Rj Berger 23:30 (P) Valemont

The Princess And The Frog on Show Movies

00:30 Long Way Down 01:30 Cruise Ship Diaries 02:30 Cruise Ship Diaries 03:30 Cruise Ship Diaries 04:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet 05:00 Exploring The Vine 05:30 Departures 06:30 Long Way Down 07:30 Cruise Ship Diaries 08:30 Cruise Ship Diaries 09:30 Cruise Ship Diaries 10:30 Food Lovers Guide To The Planet 11:00 Pressure Cook 11:30 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 12:30 Bondi Rescue 13:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 13:30 The Best Job In The World 14:00 Graham’s World 14:30 Banged Up Abroad 15:30 Banged Up Abroad 16:30 Word Travels 17:00 Pressure Cook 17:30 Lonely Planet: Roads Less

00:00 The Martha Stewart Show 01:00 Downsize Me 02:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 03:00 The Monique Show 04:00 The Tonight show with Jay Leno 05:00 GMA Weekend (Repeat) 06:00 Parenting 06:30 Job Club 07:00 GMA Health 07:30 What’s the Buzz 08:00 The Martha Stewart Show 09:00 Downsize Me 10:00 Jimmy Kimmel Live!

11:00 The View 12:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 13:00 The Martha Stewart Show 14:00 Parenting 14:30 Popcorn 15:00 GMA Weekend Live 16:00 Ahead of The Curve 16:30 Chef’s table 17:00 The Tonight show with Jay Leno 18:00 Downsize Me 19:00 The View (repeat) 20:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 21:00 The Best of Jimmy Kimmel 22:00 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (Best Of) 23:00 Moms Get Real / Now you know / Amplified

07:00 Lazytown 07:25 Imagination Movers 07:50 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 08:15 Handy Manny 08:30 Special Agent Oso 08:40 Handy Manny 09:05 Jungle Junction 09:25 Special Agent Oso 09:50 Handy Manny 10:15 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 10:40 New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh 11:05 Imagination Movers 11:30 Jungle Junction 11:55 Special Agent Oso 12:45 My Friends Tigger and Pooh 13:10 Handy Manny 14:00 Higglytown Heroes 14:25 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 14:50 Special Agent Oso 15:30 Higglytown Heroes 15:50 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 16:15 Happy Monster Band 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

02:00 This Week in Baseball 02:30 Golf Central International 05:30 Pac-10 Football Oregon at Arizona St. 09:00 Champions Tour SAS Championship Rd. 2 Cary, NC 12:00 ACC Teams TBA at TBA 15:00 European Tour The Vivendi Final Rd. 19:00 FOX NFL Sunday 20:00 NFL TBA at TBA 23:15 NFL TBA at TBA FOX SPORTS HD 02:00 This Week in Baseball 02:30 Golf Central International -HD 05:30 Pac-10 Football Oregon at Arizona St.-HD 09:00 Champions Tour SAS Championship Rd. 2 Cary, NC 12:00 ACC Teams TBA at TBA-HD 15:00 European Tour The Vivendi Final Rd. -HD 19:00 FOX NFL Sunday -HD 20:00 NFL TBA at TBA-HD 23:15 NFL TBA at TBA-HD

00:00 The Informers-18 02:00 The Life Before Her Eyes-PG15 04:00 Ponyo On The Cliff By The SeaFAM 06:00 Ocean’s Thirteen-PG15 08:00 The Incredible Hulk-PG 10:00 Igor-PG 12:00 Hotel For Dogs-FAM

Messengers on Show Movies Action 14:00 All She Wants For Christmas-PG15 16:00 The Incredible Hulk-PG 18:00 The Princess And The Frog-FAM 20:00 2:37-PG 22:00 Live!-18

01:00 Green Street 2: Stand Your Ground18 03:00 Messengers-PG15 05:00 Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life-PG15 07:00 Dragonball: Evolution-PG 09:00 The Dark Knight-PG15 11:30 Kiss The Girls-18 13:30 Ghost Image-PG15 15:05 The Dark Knight-PG15 17:35 Tailor Of Panama-18 19:25 Rec-R 21:00 The General’s Daughter-18 23:00 Feast 3-18

00:00 Baby’s Day Out-PG 02:00 Corky Romano-PG15 04:00 Return To Me-PG15 06:00 Lock And Roll Forever-PG 08:00 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-PG 10:30 Faintheart-PG15 12:00 Kingpin-PG15 14:00 Americanizing Shelly-PG 16:00 Baby’s Day Out-PG 18:00 Futurama: Bender’s Game-PG15 20:00 Who’s Your Caddy-PG15 22:00 Prom Wars-18

00:00 Scruff In Midsummer Night’s Dream-FAM 02:00 First Kid-PG 04:00 Casper Haunted Xmas-FAM 06:00 Rugrats Go Wild-FAM 08:00 Scruff And The Legend Of Saint George-FAM 10:00 Casper Haunted Xmas-FAM 12:00 Papelucho And The Martian-FAM 14:00 First Kid-PG 16:00 Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths-PG 18:00 Blank Check-FAM 20:00 The Prince Of Dinosaurs-PG 22:00 Papelucho And The Martian-FAM

13:00 Scottish Premier League 15:00 Live Scottish Premier League 17:00 Live Aviva Premiership 19:00 Scottish Premier League 21:00 Aviva Premiership 23:00 NRL Premiership

00:30 Aviva Premiership 02:30 Aviva Premiership 04:30 Currie Cup 06:30 World Sport 07:00 AFL Premiership 10:00 ICC Cricket World 10:30 World Sport 11:00 European Tour Weekly 11:30 Countdown to The Ryder Cup 12:00 Live European PGA Tour 18:00 AFL Premiership 21:00 European PGA Tour

00:00 WWE Bottom Line 01:00 WWE Vintage Collection 02:00 WWE NXT 03:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 04:00 Live UFC 119 08:00 WWE Bottom Line 09:00 WWE NXT 10:00 WWE SmackDown 12:00 V8 Supercars Championship Highlights 13:00 FIA GT1 World Championship 14:30 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 15:30 UFC All Access 16:00 WWE SmackDown 18:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 19:00 UFC 119 23:00 FIA GT1 World Championship

01:30 Doubt-PG15 03:15 Fab Five : The Texas Cheerleader Scandal-PG15 05:00 The Missing Person-PG15 07:00 Forever Strong-PG 09:00 Tennessee-PG15 11:00 Sins Of The Mother-PG15 13:00 Imagine That-PG 15:00 For The Love Of Grace-PG 17:00 Tennessee-PG15 19:00 Last Chance Harvey-PG15 21:00 Miracle At St. Anna-18 23:45 44 Inch Chest-PG15

00:00 CSI 01:00 Law & Order 02:00 Private Practice 03:00 ER 04:00 8 Simple rules 04:30 Rita Rocks 05:00 Sons of Anarchy 06:00 Emmerdale 06:30 Coronation Street 07:00 Private Practice 08:00 8 Simple rules 08:30 Rita Rocks 09:00 ER 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 CSI 15:00 Law & Order 16:00 Without a trace 17:00 ER 18:00 Emmerdale 18:30 Coronation Street 19:00 CSI: NY 20:00 Law & Order 21:00 Private Practice 22:00 Sons of Anarchy 23:00 ER

00:30 Dogfights 01:20 Modern Marvels 02:10 Evolve 03:00 Underwater Universe 04:50 Dinosaur Secrets 05:40 Cities Of The Underworld 06:30 Dogfights 07:20 Modern Marvels 08:10 Evolve 09:00 Underwater Universe 10:50 Dinosaur Secrets 11:40 Cities Of The Underworld 12:30 Dogfights 13:20 Modern Marvels 14:10 Evolve 15:00 Underwater Universe 16:50 Dinosaur Secrets 17:40 Cities Of The Underworld 18:30 Dogfights 19:20 Modern Marvels 20:10 Evolve 21:00 How The Earth Was Made 2 21:55 Tales Of The Gun 22:50 Clash Of The Gods 23:40 Ancient Discoveries

00:30 NRL Premiership 02:30 Super League 04:30 Scottish Premier League 06:30 Futbol Mundial 07:00 Scottish Premier League 09:00 Futbol Mundial 09:30 Currie Cup 11:30 ICC Cricket World 12:00 Triatholn

00:00 Dallas Divas & Daughters 00:30 Dallas Divas & Daughters 01:00 My Celebrity Home 02:00 How Do I Look?

03:00 Split Ends 04:00 Dr 90210 05:00 Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane 05:30 Area 06:00 How Do I Look?

07:00 Millennium Fashion: The Year In Fashion 08:00 Clean House 09:00 My Celebrity Home 10:00 Dallas Divas & Daughters 11:00 How Do I Look?

12:00 Jerseylicious 13:00 What I Hate About Me 20:00 What I Hate About Me 21:00 How Do I Look?

22:00 Dress My Nest 23:00 Tacky House

00:15 Top Fashion 00:17 Playlist 01:00 Sound System 10 01:45 Playlist 02:00 Urban Hit 02:45 Playlist 03:15 Top Money 03:17 Playlist 07:15 Monthly Top 07:17 Playlist 08:00 Africa 10 08:45 Playlist 09:15 Top Sexy 09:17 Playlist 13:00 Urban Hit 30 15:00 Playlist 15:15 Top Mobile 15:17 Playlist 16:00 New 16:30 Playlist 17:00 Focus 18:00 Urban Hit 18:45 Playlist 20:00 French Only 20:45 Playlist 22:15 Top Fashion 22:17 Playlist

00:00 Think Green 01:00 Sophie Grigson In The Orient 01:30 The Thirsty Traveler 02:00 Exotic Lives 03:00 Top Travel 03:30 48 Hours In 04:00 Globe Trekker 05:00 Think Green 06:00 Planet Food 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Swiss Railway Journeys 09:00 Rose Parade 10:00 PhotoXplorers 10:30 Essential 11:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 12:00 Globe Trekker Special 13:00 Intrepid Journeys 14:00 Essential 14:30 Hollywood and Vines 15:00 Luxury Getaways 15:30 The Thirsty Traveler 16:00 Globe Trekker Special 17:00 Journey Into Wine-Spain & Portugal 19:00 48 Hours In 19:30 Great Scenic Railways - 175 Years 20:00 Culinary Asia 21:00 Word Travels 21:30 Essential 22:00 Cruising to the Northern Lights 23:00 Globe Trekker

01:00 VH1 Music 05:00 Chill Out 07:00 Smooth Wake Up 09:00 Aerobic 10:00 VH1 Hits 11:00 VH1 Superchart 12:00 Top 10 Everything But The Girl 13:00 Cover Power 14:00 Song’s That Made ¬†Them Famous Weekend 17:00 Music For The Masses 18:00 The Album Chart Show 19:00 Guess The Year 20:00 Song’s That Made ¬†Them Famous Weekend 22:00 Behind The Music Pink 23:00 VH1 Rocks 23:30 Smells Like The 90s

Sunday, September 26, 2010

33 ACCOMMODATION One independent room + separate bathroom available in 2 BR flat C-A/C with kitchen and satellite facility.

New building, family or 2 decent executive bachelors.

Near Shara Amman St. opp.

Apollo Hospital, only 80 KD. Contact 99761807.

(C 2696) 26-9-2010 Sharing accommodation available for a Keralite family or bachelor in a double bedroom flat behind Continental Hotel - Bneid Al-Gar. Call: 66612842. (C 2691) 25-9-2010 Room for rent in two B/R, flat in Khaitan, for bachelors only. Call: 66141908 after 4:00 pm. (C 2684)

Furnished sharing accommodation available for a non-smoking Keralite bachelor in Abbassiya. Rent KD 40. Contact: 66577233.

(C 2689) 23-9-2010 Sharing accommodation, one room available for decent working ladies or small family with Indian small family in Farwaniya.

From 1st Oct. 2010. Call: 97823565. (C 2683) 22-9-2010 Room for rent Indonesian/Filipino only. CA/C, separate bathroom, non-smoker, single or couple, Farwaniya behind Crowne Plaza.

Call: 66604286. (C 2677) Sharing accommodation available for decent Indian

Christian bachelor or couple in Salmiya, behind Mr. Baker, with dish TV facility. Contact: 66486047 / 25711643.

(C 2681) Room available for small family (without kids) or bachelor in Khaitan area.

Call: 99868113. (C 2680) 21-9-2010 Sharing accommodation available for 1 Keralite bachelore in a C-A/C flat opposite to Jas International Shipping close to Abbassiya police station bus stop.

Please call: 66349475.

(C 2674)

FOR SALE Household items for sale.

Contact: 66288718.

(C 2686) Mazda car 323, 2001 model for sale. Contact: 66288718.

(C 2685) 26-9-2010 2008 Toyota Prado, 4-cylinder, full options, mileage: 63,000 kms, color gold, KD 6900, location: Abbassiya.

Only seriously interested parties, please contact: 66753365. (C 2692) For sale percussion pads (SPD-20) flats drum set all new items. Please contact: 55941621. (C 2693) 25-9-2010

LOST

School, Salmiya, Essa AlQatami Street. Finder please contact the advertiser on telephone 97204538 or 97209341. (C 2690) 23-9-2010 I, Mohammed Ameer Ali Chemnad, Civil ID No. 271030305782 hereby notify that I have lost my following documents while traveling from Shuwaikh to Jaleeb Shuyookh. Original B.Com Degree Certificate, Calicut University, Reg. No. 3475, year 1991. Original U.A.E Driving License No. 1006406, Original NOC issued by RTA - Dubai. If anyone found kindly inform me on my cell 97638503.

22-9-2010 SITUATION VACANT

Urgently required expert TRANSCRIBER, part-time, proficient in English, and excellent auditory skills, experienced in handling and transcribing project interviews.

Contact 66660966.

Need part time or full time baby sitter in Hawally, preferably Filipino. Contact: 66662863. (C 2687) Need part time or full time baby sitter in Kuwait City, preferably Filipino. Place at Al Muthanna complex. Call: 66809431. (C 2688) 23-9-2010

status boy.

Contact: atharahmad@hotmail.com (2695) 25-9-2010 Two boys - Sunni Muslim Studied in USA (BTECH Comp.) working in New York, Well settled, Aged 27 5ft 6” & 28 yrs 5 ft 4”, looking for suitable match with degree in Eng./Finance etc. from educated / respected / religious family (NRI) preferably from Trichur / Ernakulam Dist. Please contact email: ebmoideen@gmail.com (C 2682) 22-9-2010

No: 14861

SITUATION WANTED

Policy No.400416466 issued by the State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan Gulf Zone on the Life of Mr. ALTAF HUSSAIN JAFFARI is reported to have been lost. Anyone finding the same or claiming any interest in it should communicate with me on mobile No.97407266, if any person finding it kindly send me on P.O. Box No.26057, Code 13121, Safat Kuwait.

(C 2697) 26-9-2010 A wallet containing Civil ID, driving license and bank cards were lost near Indian

Available from India, Goan Roman Catholic full time live out maid for American and European family only.

Experience in housekeeping, baby sitting and looking after pets.

Contact 94005328. (C 2678) 21-9-2010

MATRIMONIAL Lucknow based SunniSheikh parents invite proposal for their daughter, Namazi, 23 years 5ft2”, B.Tech computers, placed with Sasken Communications, Bangalore from equal

CHANGE OF NAME I, Konda Ravindra Babu, holder of Indian Passport No. E5871034, hereby change my name to KANDARAPU RAVINDRA BABU. (C 2694) 25-9-2010 Change in name spelling only. This it to inform that Saniya Pachisa holder of Indian Passport No. H 1115646 and holder of Kuwaiti civil ID 290090501623 will change the name as SANIA PACHISA. (C 2679) 21-9-2010

FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Arrival Flights on Sunday 26/09/2010 Airlines Flt Route Ariana 405 Kabul/Dubai Wataniya Airways 188 Bahrain Jordanian 802 Amman Kuwait 305 Cairo Kuwait 544 Cairo Wataniya Airways 434 Damascus Gulf Air 211 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 408 Beirut Turkish 772 Istanbul Air Arabia Egypt 551 Alexandria Egypt Air 614 Cairo Jazeera 267 Beirut DHL 370 Bahrain Emirates 853 Dubai Etihad 305 Abu Dhabi Jazeera 269 Beirut Jazeera 513 Sharm El Sheikh Jazeera 241 Amman Qatari 138 Doha Falcon 201 Dubai Jazeera 503 Luxor Kuwait 412 Manila/Bangkok Jazeera 527 Alexandria British 157 London Kuwait 206 Islamabad Kuwait 382 Delhi Iran Air 615 Shahre Kord Kuwait 302 Mumbai Kuwait 332 Trivandrum Fly Dubai 053 Dubai Kuwait 676 Dubai Kuwait 286 Chittagong Kuwait 284 Dhaka Emirates 855 Dubai Arabia 121 Sharjah Qatari 132 Doha Iran Air 603 Shiraz Etihad 301 Abu Dhabi Iran Aseman 6801 Ahwaz Jazeera 425 Bahrain Falcon 203 Dubai Jazeera 497 Riyadh Gulf Air 213 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 182 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 102 Dubai Jazeera 165 Dubai Jazeera 447 Doha Egypt Air 610 Cairo Kuwait 672 Dubai Oman Air 645 Muscat Kuwait 774 Riyadh Wataniya Airways 432 Damascus United 982 Washington DC Dulles Jordanian 800 Amman Fly Dubai 057 Dubai

Time 00:05 00:30 00:30 00:50 00:50 00:55 01:05 01:05 01:15 02:00 02:05 02:10 02:15 02:25 02:55 03:00 03:05 03:20 03:20 05:25 05:50 06:15 06:20 06:30 07:15 07:20 07:35 07:50 07:55 07:55 08:00 08:05 08:10 08:25 08:40 09:00 09:20 09:20 10:15 10:25 10:30 10:40 10:45 10:45 11:05 11:15 11:20 12:55 13:15 13:15 13:20 13:35 13:35 13:35 13:50

Jazeera Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Saudia Qatari Jazeera Etihad Emirates Gulf Air Wataniya Airways Saudia Arabia Wataniya Airways Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera Wataniya Airways Kuwait Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Singapore Kuwait Kuwait SriLankan Fly Dubai Oman Air Middle East Rovos Jet A/W Wataniya Airways Wataniya Airways DHL Gulf Air Emirates Kuwait Qatari United Indian Jazeera Safi Jazeera Lufthansa Jazeera Jazeera Egypt Air KLM India Express Wataniya Airways Pakistan

257 422 562 512 500 134 481 303 857 215 402 510 125 202 239 367 511 304 166 106 502 542 618 786 177 744 674 614 458 102 552 267 061 647 402 081 572 642 404 372 217 859 172 136 981 981 459 215 449 636 185 429 612 0447 389 108 205

Beirut Amman Amman Tehran Jeddah Doha Sabiha Abu Dhabi Dubai Bahrain Beirut Riyadh Sharjah Jeddah Amman Deirezzor Sharm El Sheikh Cairo Paris/Rome Dubai Beirut Cairo Doha Jeddah Dubai Dammam Dubai Bahrain Singapore/Abu Dhabi New York/London Damascus Colombo/Dammam Dubai Muscat Beirut Baghdad Mumbai Vienna Beirut Bahrain Bahrain Dubai Frankfurt Doha Bahrain Chennai/Hyderabad/Ahmedabad Damascus Kabul Doha Frankfurt Dubai Bahrain Cairo Amsterdam/Bahrain Kozhikode/Mangalore Dubai Lahore

14:05 14:10 14:20 14:20 14:30 15:05 16:05 16:50 16:55 17:15 17:15 17:20 17:40 17:35 17:40 17:55 18:15 18:35 18:40 18:45 18:50 18:50 18:55 18:55 19:05 19:15 19:20 19:20 19:25 19:25 19:40 20:00 20:05 20:15 20:20 20:30 20:30 20:45 20:50 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:20 21:35 21:55 22:05 22:20 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 22:55 23:10 23:10 23:55 23:55

Departure Flights on Sunday 26/09/2010 Airlines Flt Route Egypt Air 607 Luxor India Express 394 Cochin/Kozhikode Indian 994 Mumbai/Chennai Lufthansa 637 Frankfurt Ariana 406 Dubai/Kabul Turkish 773 Istanbul Egypt Air 615 Cairo DHL 371 Bahrain Fly Dubai 052 Dubai Emirates 854 Dubai Etihad 306 Abu Dhabi Air Arabia Egypt 554 Alexandria Qatari 139 Doha Wataniya Airways 101 Dubai Jordanian 803 Amman Jazeera 422 Bahrain Jazeera 446 Doha Gulf Air 212 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 181 Bahrain Jazeera 256 Beirut Wataniya Airways 431 Damascus British 156 London Jazeera 480 Sabiha Fly Dubai 054 Dubai Kuwait 171 Frankfurt Kuwait 671 Dubai Wataniya Airways 421 Amman Kuwait 561 Amman Arabia 122 Sharjah Iran Air 614 Shahre Kord Emirates 856 Dubai Wataniya Airways 641 Vienna Kuwait 117 New York Qatari 133 Doha Kuwait 773 Riyadh Kuwait 511 Tehran Etihad 302 Abu Dhabi Iran Air 602 Shiraz Gulf Air 214 Bahrain Wataniya Airways 401 Beirut Falcon 204 Baghdad Middle East 405 Beirut Wataniya Airways 303 Cairo Jazeera 172 Dubai Kuwait 541 Cairo Jazeera 510 Sharm El Sheikh Jazeera 238 Amman Jazeera 366 Deirezzor Iran Aseman 6802 Ahwaz Wataniya Airways 201 Jeddah Kuwait 103 London Kuwait 501 Beirut Kuwait 785 Jeddah Egypt Air 611 Cairo

Time 00:15 00:25 00:50 00:50 01:45 02:15 03:05 03:15 03:20 03:45 04:00 04:20 05:00 06:50 07:00 07:30 07:40 07:45 07:50 08:05 08:10 08:25 08:25 08:40 08:55 09:00 09:10 09:10 09:15 9:35 09:40 09:45 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:10 10:20 11:35 11:35 11:45 11:50 11:50 11:55 12:00 12:05 12:10 12:15 12:20 12:25 12:30 13:00 13:30 13:55

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Oman Air Kuwait Jordanian Wataniya Airways Fly Dubai United Jazeera Kuwait Wataniya Airways Kuwait Saudia Qatari Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Rovos Etihad Wataniya Airways Emirates Gulf Air Arabia Wataniya Airways Jazeera Saudia Jazeera Wataniya Airways Wataniya Airways Jazeera Kuwait Jazeera Kuwait Fly Dubai Singapore Kuwait Kuwait SriLanka Oman Air Middle East Jet A/W Wataniya Airways Gulf Air DHL Kuwait Emirates Falcon Kuwait Qatari Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera United Jazeera Kuwait Kuwait Egypt Air

646 551 801 105 058 982 176 673 403 617 503 135 613 743 458 082 304 306 858 216 126 321 184 511 448 107 407 428 283 266 361 062 457 343 351 267 648 403 571 187 218 373 675 860 102 381 137 203 301 526 636 981 502 411 415 613

Muscat Damascus Amman Dubai Dubai Bahrain Dubai Dubai Beirut Doha Medinah/Jeddah Doha Bahrain Dammam Damascus Baghdad Abu Dhabi Cairo Dubai Bahrain Sharjah Sharm El Sheikh Dubai Riyadh Doha Dubai Beirut Bahrain Dhaka Beirut Colombo Dubai Abu Dhabi/Singapore Chennai Cochin Colombo Muscat Beirut Mumbai Bahrain Bahrain Bahrain Dubai Dubai Bahrain Delhi Doha Lahore Mumbai Alexandria Aleppo Washington DC Dulles Luxor Bangkok/Manila Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta Cairo

14:15 14:20 14:30 14:30 14:35 14:50 14:55 15:10 15:10 15:35 15:45 16:20 16:20 16:25 16:55 17:00 17:35 18:05 18:05 18:05 18:20 18:20 18:30 18:35 18:50 19:40 19:25 19:50 20:00 20:10 20:20 20:50 20:55 21:00 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:20 21:30 21:35 21:55 22:00 22:10 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:20 23:35 23:40 23:40 23:40 23:50 23:55

SPECTRUM

34

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Calvin

CROSSWORD 91

Aries (March 21-April 19) You tend to strengthen

others and give encouragement. You may discover insights into day-to-day problems that will be of great value later. You work hard to complete some particular project today. Determination is the key word for now. If you need some help to complete a task, do not be afraid to ask for help—you will still get the credit for the undertaking. Take a little trip, or get outside this afternoon. You may want to break your routine and try something new or different right now. A hobby or some creative endeavor may bring you much joy. Later tonight you make a big effort to be caught up on a variety of world and local news. Entertaining the neighborís kids or your own tonight is a fun way to expand your creative ideas and be helpful to each other.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You may find that your

personal growth depends upon how you can handle some very sensitive psychological material that may be coming up now. You will benefit from diagnostic insights, and getting to the heart of things. This is not the best time to attempt to get your ideas across to others, but there is success along the lines of opening up some communication barriers— listening is a good talent. You should be able to achieve some real breakthroughs in the form of ideas, communications and the mind in general.

Teaching or learning new computer techniques may suddenly be important and give you the opportunity to push you forward in your career. Insight into your own mental workings, original thoughts and the like are possible now.

Pooch Cafe

ACROSS 1. A fine grained mineral having a soft soapy feel and consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate.

5. Someone (especially a woman) who annoys people by constantly finding fault.

10. A federal agency established to regulate the release of new foods and healthrelated products.

13. The chief solid component of mammalian urine.

14. South African writer (1903-1988).

15. A human limb.

16. Being or occurring in fact or actuality.

17. Any plant of the genus Erica.

18. The sense organ for hearing and equilibrium.

19. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus.

21. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

23. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

25. Flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes.

26. Spoiled through incompetence or clumsiness.

30. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.

34. Any of various primates with short tails or no tail at all.

35. An associate degree in nursing.

38. Expose to fresh air, as of old clothing.

40. (zoology) Lacking a tail or taillike appendage.

42. The act of scanning.

44. A constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma.

45. A Loloish language.

47. Tag the base runner to get him out.

49. Lower in esteem.

53. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

57. The seventh month of the Moslem calendar.

60. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

61. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

62. Wild sheep of semidesert regions in central Asia.

64. A fluorocarbon with chlorine.

65. A room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter.

66. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

67. Large brownish-green New Zealand parrot.

DOWN 1. A native or inhabitant of Turkey.

2. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

3. (archaic or Scottish) Faithful and true.

4. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus.

5. A detailed description of design criteria for a piece of work.

6. 4-wheeled motor vehicle.

7. Of or relating to near the ear.

8. Relating to or applicable to or concerned with the administration of a city or town or district rather than a larger area.

9. A nucleic acid consisting of large molecules shaped like a double helix.

10. Any wingless blood-sucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap.

11. Lacking or deprive of the sense of hearing wholly or in part.

12. A city in northern India.

20. A Buddhist who has attained nirvana.

22. The sound made by a cat (or any sound resembling this).

24. Being one hundred more than three hundred.

27. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

28. A three-tone Chadic language.

29. The compass point midway between northeast and east.

31. An informal term for a father.

32. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.

33. The arch of bone beneath the eye that forms the prominence of the cheek.

36. Having undesirable or negative qualities.

37. God of love and erotic desire.

39. Squash bugs.

41. The basic unit of luminous intensity adopted under the System International d'Unites.

42. A nucleic acid consisting of large molecules shaped like a double helix.

43. (Akkadian) God of wisdom.

46. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

47. An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.

48. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

50. A small cake leavened with yeast.

51. Slightly open.

52. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

53. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

54. The state of needing something that is absent or unavailable.

55. A small restaurant where drinks and snacks are sold.

56. Type genus of the family Arcidae.

58. Gone by.

59. Support resembling the rib of an animal.

63. An intensely radioactive metallic element that occurs in minute amounts in uranium ores.

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Others may find you especially witty and eccentric just now. You may have insights or breakthroughs with regard to your living situation or life circumstances. You are valued for your independence and unique qualities. At heart, you have a deep sense of responsibility and purpose and this seriousness is genuine and felt by others. Law, politics, education, travel and religion are some of the areas in which an emotionally charged drama will be orchestrated today. This could be in the area of community affairs or community politics. You gain a progressive and helpful attitude. Friendships and involvement in group activities play an important part in your life at this time. Attractive social invitations are waiting for your decision.

Non Sequitur

Cancer (June 21-July 22) You seek to find the most positive end result from each dayís activity, whether it is in the workplace or in the home. Most people are encouraged by your attitude. Be aware of those mistaken assumptions where you do not hear both sides of a story today. If you are a teacher, this could mean some careful consideration before any placement of blame. Evidence would be the best tool. Find a common ground of conversation in order to build confidence in those you are interviewing or those you are questioning. Do not let the emotions of one person control your whole day. Health care options fascinate you. News about spiritual healing, miracle vitamins and alternative therapies is a focus tonight.

You might consider going to a Naturopath Doctor.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You are driven when it comes to fulfilling your ambitions and carving out a career. There is no lack of energy or drive here and nothing can stand in your way. Everything is poured into making the right moves and the correct decisions. That is why others will find you in the workplace today, instead of in your home. You are outgoing, enthusiastic and always diplomatic—everybody’s favorite. You have a natural instinct for making the correct move at the right time. Politics or some public career seems inevitable. A career in psychology or areas of the mind and self are vulnerable and sensitive. You not only like change and transforming experiences, you pursue them for their own sake. Consider real flowers for the dinner table tonight.

Zits

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Tearing down and building up and really being involved in the changes around your household at this time will end in some beautiful results.

Yes, you will probably be playing designer today. Fix up your place just the way you like it—you will enjoy entertaining or just hanging out at your place later today. New techniques and new equipment make changes happen within a short amount of time. Psychological values and material possessions become very important for you now and they are in a state of change: what is old and familiar is left behind or changed so thoroughly as to be unrecognizable.

Continue your creative expression this evening by becoming involved in some creative writing or music. Music can be very relaxing or uplifting.

Libra (September 23-October 22) Opportunities appear to give you clear insight into the fastest path or the shortest time involved with some project. The clear choice may go against your better interest so give your choices a little more time. You will benefit from analytical insights and getting to the heart of things. Unusual ideas and novel ways of expressing them play bigger-than-usual part in your life. A neighbor could be involved in this, or perhaps a brother or sister. The ways you get around and stay in touch at the everyday level are changed by technology.

You may find yourself looking for a little romance this evening. You can appreciate feelings and movement. After the evening meal you may decide to go outside and enjoy a walk with your loved one—enjoy the stars.

Mother Goose and Grimm

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Your family can provide you with tremendous incentive to excel in your career and vice versa. You will receive a little boost from just such areas of your life today. Perhaps someone will help you revise your resume, or plot your path to interviews or give you encouragement. You are able to develop the most basic and true in your environment. You encourage good support. You may feel that you are in touch and in harmony with others; the lines of communication are open. The support you need is there. Being successful in life is easy, for you have a built-in sense of how to approach and unravel even the most difficult problems. You have an instinct for justice and the law and you always know how to approach a problem from just the right angle.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Career insights and breakthroughs are possible today. You might discover that unconventional solutions to life’s problems or new directions and paths are in order.

You could find a teacher or guide and even a new approach to your career, etc. You might become a guide for others. You could discover yourself through creativity and self-expression. An increased confidence and a more outgoing manner may be the key that opens many a new door in your career. There are opportunities available—your job is to pick and choose. Having and appreciating things of beauty and value plays a bigger role in your life now. Provided you do not spend it all on the fancy things that catch your eye, this can be a financially favorable period.

Yesterdayʼs Solution

Yester

Yesterdayʼs Solution

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Some sort of temporary obstacle may appear this morning but as you pace yourself and re-think your expectations—the morning smoothes out quite nicely. By the afternoon you will feel back in the swing of things. Your ability to say the right thing at the right time is your saving grace. You enjoy working hard and being organized. You exercise skill and discipline in anything you choose to do this day. Your friends are your main interest this afternoon and you might find a group or team sport the perfect activity to relieve the stress from this past week. You are quite able to manage a very active and strong emotional life. A new love in your life may have an interesting lesson for you this evening.

Consider eating more fish.

INTERNATIONAL CALLS Kuwait Qatar Abu Dhabi Dubai Raas Al Khayma Al-Shareqa Muscat Jordan Bahrain Riyadh Makkah - Jeddah Cairo Alexandria Beirut Damascus Allepo

00965 00974 009712 009714 009717 009716 00968 009626 00973 009661 009662 00202 00203 009611 0096311 0096321

Tunisia Rabat Washington New York Paris London Madrid Zurich Geneva Monaco Rome Bangkok Hong Kong Pakistan Taiwan Bonn

0021610 002127 001212 001718 00331 004471 00341 00411 004122 0033 00396 00662 00852 0092 00886 0049228

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You enjoy working hard and being organized and you exercise skill and discipline in anything that you seek to accomplish. Continue to keep your own personal standards—one of your duties in this life is to teach.

You will have many students—some of which you may not be aware. There is a temptation to spend or give away money today. This is a great time to begin making whatever changes you have had in mind for your home or environment. This could mean you paint a room or you plant some flowers along a public path. You may be very pleased at the offers for help or advice. Enjoy associating or hanging out with friends this evening.

There is much laughter and fun times while visiting. These are good times to deepen relationships.

Word Sleuth Solution

Pisces (February 19-March 20) This is a great time to be with others and to accomplish much. You are lightning fast when it comes to the need to communicate and organize. You seem to have direct insight into what is worthwhile and worthless in a situation. You have new and unconventional ways to cut through the red tape and get at what is important. A lot of energy goes into getting things scheduled and organized.

You have time this afternoon to give the dog a bath or clean the birdcage.

This evening you may be more involved with neighbors than usual. If you are not involved in a love relationship now, you may meet someone new this evening. This is certainly a time for having romantic feelings. Love and admiration are on the upswing.

INFORMATION

Sunday, September 26, 2010

35 FIRE BRIGADE Operation Room 112 Al-Madena 22418714 Al-Shohada始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始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

Paediatricians: Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed 25340300

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi 25330060 Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah 25722290

(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

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Neurologists:

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

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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

Kuwait Airways Wataniya Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

entertaining to perpetuate the glorification of our youth. It’s really sad and disinteresting. I mean, I know people really suffer and I just think, ‘How can they perpetuate that?’ The 42-year-old screen beauty has always been slim, but she doesn’t consider it a “personal triumph”. She explained: “It’s silly to consider it a personal triumph for myself that in almost 24 years in showbusiness - except for being pregnant - I’ve

he ‘Eat Pray Love’ actress - who has three children, five-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, and son Henry, three, with her husband Daniel Moder - has never been bothered about staying slim and believes it is “sad and disinteresting” that people pay so much attention to the weight of others. She said: “I’m too old for that c**p. It’s so silly, so pointless, and it’s motivated by a culture that for some reason finds it

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eri Hatcher’s mother is always trying to set her up on dates. The ‘Desperate Housewives’ star - who is currently single - says her mum is keen for her start a new relationship so is constantly on the lookout for a future son-in-law and recently thought she found the ideal person during a recent holiday. The 45year-old beauty said: “There is still no new man, but it is not for lack of my family and friends trying. “My mother goes a cruise with her girlfriend and she sends me a picture. She’s e-mailing me what a great time she’s having. She sends me a

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picture that says, ‘I’m with our private guide in Dubrovnik’ and the e-mail says, ‘He’s very available and very undemanding.’ “I thought, ‘OK, well wait. First of all, he’s 12 and he lives in Italy.’ But ‘undemanding’? That’s the overriding quality my mom thinks I’m looking for? He’s very undemanding?!”Teri - who has a 12-year-old daughter from her marriage to Marcus Leithold also spoke about her views on sleeping with a man on the first date, saying it depends on the situation. She told US TV show ‘The View’: “I think that the destiny of what two human beings

weighed within about a five to 10lb range. That seems unusual, but I’m lucky I haven’t suffered those things.” Instead of worrying about women’s weight, Julia hopes the world will relax and lose interest in people’s figures. She explained: “I think it’s important for us to start perpetuating the healthy, happy way of looking at it as opposed to supporting the negative ideal of what a girl should ideally look like.”

are together is probably there from the first date or not. Meaning that if you’re with a guy that is more interested if you hold back and keep it from him for six dates or whatever, that’s gonna manifest itself in some ugly way later... And if you’re with a guy that just wants to throw you out because you sleep with him on the first date, he was probably gonna do that by the fifth date anyway. “I think you have to look for the human being in each unique situation - this coming from the person who hasn’t been in a relationship in seven years!”

im Ka rda shia n donned a traditional German outfit as she celebrated Oktoberfest in Munich. The reality TV star - who is currently on a tour of Europe with her mother Kris Jenner - wore a dirndl and braids for the annual beer celebration as she wanted to get into the spirit of things. She tweeted: “Off to Oktoberfest in my new drindle! (sic)” Kris also wore a similar outfit as the pair sipped on steins of beer but Kim admits her mother became a little too fond of her new look. She wrote:

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a nessa Hudgens’ ideal night is staying in at home. The 21-year-old actress says she and boyfriend Zac Efron prefer quiet evenings in with friends than going out to wild parties because it helps them escape the pressures of fame. She told America’s OK! magazine: “I just like hanging out at home. I make sure I have enough things to do at my house. I love it, all you need is good friends. “It is just such an alternate parallel that is just craziness. I don’t think of it as real life, I just think of it

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aroon 5 frontman Adam Levine wants to stop singing about women. The ‘Misery’ singer admits it is “absolutely ridiculous” how many models are featured in the band’s songs, videos and album covers, and is planning for the group to take a new direction. Speaking of the situation, Adam said: “I need to find something else to harp on about, you know? I am aware of that. “I don’t think anyone on planet Earth wants to see me kissing another girl. It is absolutely ridiculous at this point. We’re ready to change that. Definitely. “I don’t know if I can stomach doing that again. But, you know what?

There are some amazing things on the horizon; we have some pretty cool ideas about our next record. “We want to change things up, absolutely, it’s getting a bit tired.” Adam also admits he had to come to terms with turning 30 while making the band’s third album, ‘Hands All Over’. He added: “I have Peter Pan syndrome, I guess, I don’t really want to grow up. I think that when I turned 30, it forced me to mature in some ways and still maintain my childish ways in others.”

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eith Urban helped his two-year-old daughter record her first songs. The country music singer who is married to Nicole Kidman - says he was keen to get little Sunday Rose behind the microphone when he took her to his studio recently and was thrilled when she showcased her vocal talent. He said: “She came down to the studio the other day, and I put little headphones on her, and she came to the mic and she did two songs. She did ‘ABC’ and she did ‘Twinkle Twinkle,’ beginning to end. It was so cute to see the little headphones on her. It was cool.” Although he hasn’t written directly about Sunday and Nicole on his new album, ‘Get Closer’, he says his family are the main inspiration behind the LP. He told People magazine: “I haven’t written literally about Sunday, but there’s a deeper purpose that’s come from my marriage and now from fatherhood. So, I’m drawing inspiration from that sense of purpose and a feeling of love that I’ve never had in my life before, and that has come from both my girls.” While Sunday seems to take after her father when it comes to singing, Keith recently revealed he is glad the tot has inherited the stunning actress’ enviable long pins rather than his. He said: “I think she’s a combination of both of us so far. But she got my wife’s legs, which is very lucky for her.

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ea l has turned down “huge money-making opportunities” to spend time with his family. The ‘Kiss from a Rose’ singer - who raises four children, Leni, six, five-year-old Henry, three-year-old Johan and Lou, 11 months, with his German supermodel wife Heidi Klum always prioritises his home life over his career.

He explained: “It’s successful only because we make it successful. It’s not rocket science, it really isn’t. It’s work but it’s fun. It’s only hard work when you allow it to be so. You’ve just got to prioritise, that’s all. “Both of us have turned down huge money-making opportunities because family is more important. You have to do that as you

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only get one crack at this.” The 47-year-old singer also revealed just because Leni is not his biological daughter - she is Heidi’s child from her relationship with Italian Formula 1 team boss Flavio Briatore - he doesn’t love her any less than his other children. Seal - who formally adopted Leni in December 2009 leading to her sharing his surname Samuel - added: “Adopting Leni doesn’t make her any more or less my daughter as she always has been. It makes a difference to us only in that I don’t want Leni to be Leni Klum and her siblings called Samuel - that’s just not right. I don’t want her to feel different in any way, shape or form.”

“My mom will not take off her drindle she is even doing interviews in it! Embarrassing! (sic)” A dirndl is a type of traditional dress worn Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria and Italian South Tirol, based on the historical costume of Alpine peasants. Oktoberfest runs from late September until the first weekend in October and is the world’s largest fair, attracting six million people each year. When she’s not donning traditional outfits, Kim recently revealed how she’s a huge fan of designers, especially Victoria Beckham.She said: “I love Victoria Beckham. Her new stuff, it’s crazy! I’ve got lots of her stuff.”

as something you kind of deal with. We get to do what we love and we have fans and we are thankful.” When they do venture out, the young couple like to go on dates with their pals. She said: “We go on group dates with our friends, we haven’t gone on a group date with Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus though.” Vanessa also revealed she is getting used to Zac’s new beard as she wasn’t initially keen on his facial hair. She said: “It’s growing on me.”

—Bang Showbiz

Sunday, September 26, 2010

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he Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al Bida’a Kuwait will be staging two special opera performances “Madame Butterfly” to be performed by the European Chamber Opera.

Madame Butterfly is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini based his opera in part on the short story “Madame Butterfly” (1898) by John Luther Long, which was dramatized by David Belasco . Puccini also based it on the novel Madame ChrysanthËme (1887) by Pierre Loti. According to one scholar, the opera was based on events that actually occurred in Nagasaki in the early 1890s.

This heart - breaking drama of Puccini will be held in Al Bida’a Ballroom at the Movenpick Hotel & Resort Al Bida’a on October 13th and 14th, 2010. The event’s tickets are available at the hotel reception for KD20 each including soft drinks and canapes. Looking forward to welcoming all!

For more information and bookings, please call: 22253100

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eter Lindbergh is one of the world’s best known fashion photographers yet glamour and fashion are secondary to people and places in the largest exhibition of his work, opening in Berlin yesterday.

Lindbergh helped forge the supermodel phenomenon in the 1980s with photos of models such as Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell but says he did not set out to be a fashion photographer.

His exhibition “On Street” at photography forum C/O Berlin, on until Jan. 9, conveys the stretch and unconventional naturalism of his work. Gritty photographs of the Berlin underworld vie with startlingly candid portraits of celebrities and street scenes of models wandering through Manhattan. “I am fundamentally interested in how captivating people are and I don’t care if they are thin or fat,” said Lindbergh, who started his career as an apprentice window dresser. “Beauty is not about form but more about ... the aura someone has.”

The exhibition shows 120 photographs and films from the past three decades, including classic Lindbergh images as well as never-before published polaroids. “This show poses the question: where does fashion photography start and where does it end?” said curator Felix Hoffmann. “You always wonder whether these are commissioned works, snapshots of friends or simply documentation.”

Lindbergh’s fashion photos show models in gritty urban settings rather than in theatrical and artificial poses against a glossy backdrop. The 65-year old told reporters at a conference in Berlin he preferred taking photographs in black and white rather than in color as it seemed “more realistic”.

He said he was uninspired by today’s extremely young and skinny models who were “fabricated for fashion shows” and trained to walk the catwalk like robots.

Instead his favorite photograph in the exhibit was an intimate yet powerful portrait of wrinkly 82-year old French actress Jeanne Moreau, her chin jutting out towards the viewer.

The tendency in digital photography to blow up photos during editing and to retouch every single flaw was “tragic”, he said. The ground floor of the exhibition is dedicated to photographs of Berlin-from sobering pictures of the Berlin Wall to provocative portraits of a topless cabaret artist smoking while striking athletic poses-in homage to the city which Lindbergh credits with his artistic education.

“I have a very nebulous image of Berlin which stems from my time living here for a year when I was 19. The wall was still there and there was an incredible atmosphere,” he said. “It was the first big city I ever lived in, so Berlin was where I first got to really know art.” — Reuters

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uperman didn’t fly, Elvis wasn’t king and Princess Diana’s star power faded at an auction in New York where dozens of curios from the world of celebrity and entertainment failed to sell. The auction at Guernsey’s in Manhattan boasted an eclectic collection of memorabilia.

The 104 lots ranged from a milk churn used by Houdini in one of his incredible escapes to the sunglasses of rocker Jim Morrison.

Those with grandiose tastes could bid for the Ten Commandments tablets brandished by Charlton Heston in the epic 1956 movie of the same

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The classic red cape worn by Christopher Reeve in the “Superman” movie in 1978 (estimated 15,000USD), and Jim Morrison’s aviator sunglasses and stage-worn clothes (estimated 20,000USD) were on sale at Guernsey’s Iconic Auction Friday in New York. —AFP

he first time actor/comedian Paul Reiser heard jazz singer Julia Fordham, he became so emotional that he had to pull off the 405 freeway in Los Angeles.

Coincidentally, Fordham-who had just moved to Los Angeles from England-had started watching Reiser’s “Mad About You” TV show on the recommendation of a friend.

After becoming fast friends, Reiser-a classically trained pianist who studied composition at Binghamton

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name, a section of the Eiffel Tower staircase, and even a pair of nostrils from the Statue of Liberty. Yet, unusually for a New York auction, virtually nothing sold. “I am a little beaten up right now,” Arlan Ettinger, president of Guernsey’s auction house, told AFP. The flops included a supposedly irresistible Superman cape, a goldand-diamond bracelet worn by Elvis, and a diamond necklace once belonging to the late Princess Diana, which went to auction with a price estimate of 1.5 to 2.5 million dollars. “We tried to convince the sellers to be realis-

tic in a tough economy,” Ettinger said. “I think the reserve prices were very high.” Reserves are the base price that owners and auction houses agree on, in confidentiality. When no bids meeting that figure are made, the lot is withdrawn-usually a relatively rare event.

The biggest spender of the evening was US billionaire Stewart Rahr who snapped up the statuette from the classic movie “The Maltese Falcon” for 305,000 dollars. Rahr’s friend, the actor Leonardo di Caprio, was at the auction but did not bid from the floor. — AFP

A diamond and South Sea pearl necklace worn by Princess Diana at the opening of the British National Ballet’s gala performance of Swan Lake in June 1997, two months before the Princess of Wales’ tragic death in a car accident in Parisw as on display on Friday in New York.—AFP

(N.Y.) University-and Fordham have since teamed up musically. The track and video for the pair’s first song, “UnSung Hero,” were released digitally Sept. 21 and will be followed by an album, “Unusual Suspects,” Nov. 9 on Muttley Bosco Records.

Inspired by the mother of a soldier in Afghanistan, the duo debuted “Hero” live at a Sept. 11 charity event for the Wounded Warrior Project as the video played in the background. “It’s basically a military montage that

not only honors the people who are serving in Afghanistan but the families who are left behind,” Fordham says.

And despite their sunny dispositions-Reiser and Fordham crack jokes and finish each other’s sentences-they say the album’s tone is a bit melancholic.

“I would hand her a piece of music. She would make it her own and come back with lyrics,” Reiser says with a laugh. “Almost always, it was a complete surprise. I

would hand her a little melody and it would come back a painful, horrible childhood memory. I would be like, ‘All right ...’ “ The duo will play two nights, Dec. 7 and 8, at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood and then try to stage more promotional appearances surrounding the buildup to Reiser’s next TV project, “The Paul Reiser Show.” In production at NBC, the comedy series is expected to air in early 2011. — Reuters

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

Australia’s Wiggles still on song after 20 years hey went from student project to global fame, out-selling Kylie Minogue, but Australian children’s band The Wiggles say they’re amazed by their success as they prepare to celebrate 20 years. “All we wanted was to (make) really great theatre for children, great music for children,” says Blue Wiggle Anthony Field. “But it wasn’t a career, we didn’t want to make money from it, we had no vision to travel.”

The colorful quartet, dressed in their trademark blue, red, yellow and purple high-necked shirts, are so beloved by children they can fill Madison Square Garden and reap tens of millions of US dollars in annual sales. Their success made them Australia’s most profitable entertainers for four years in a row, outstripping Minogue, Keith Urban and rockers AC/DC, and made household names of characters Dorothy the Dinosaur and Wags the Dog. “It’s all been a great surprise for us, how it’s gone and where it’s gone-all over the world now. It’s amazing for us,” Field tells AFP. The simple formula of catchy children’s tunes with sing-along lyrics and entertaining dances was born in 1991, when Field, Murray Cook and Greg Page were studying to

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become pre-school teachers.

Among just a handful of men in their Macquarie University course of about 500 women, the trio bonded over their love of music, and decided to record an album for a class project.

Field was in an established rock band called “The Cockroaches”, and asked bandmate Jeff Fatt if he’d mind helping with the homerecorded album, which cost 4,000 dollars (3,700 US) to make but sold 100,000 copies. “How long will it take?” asked Fatt, who was renovating his house at the time.

Twenty years later, and Fatt is still turning out as the famously sleepy Purple Wiggle, who has excitable young audiences screaming, “Wake up Jeff!” and laughing at his headstands.

The keen surfer and cyclist, now greying at the temples and just past his 57th birthday, says “staying fit and healthy” is the secret to keeping up with the boisterous young audiences. “Just doing the shows is enough, because they’re very physical and very demanding. You do have to watch what you eat,” he says.

Field knew they had stumbled on something special when he lent their first recording to parents at a pre-school and one mother

Australia’s 1999 Bachelor of the Year by Cleo Magazine. He named the band after a Cockroaches song, “Mr Wiggle’s Back in Town” and dedicated their self-titled first

This photo taken on September 5, 2010 shows ‘The Wiggles’ (L to R) Sam Moran, Jeff Fatt (top), Anthony Field and Murray Cook performing after announcing their 20th birthday exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. —AFP

returned it the next day because her son was playing it non-stop.

“We’ve always tried to speak to children in a language that they understand and that they can

relate to, we sing about things that are in their world, not the world of adults,” said Field, 47.

“Children really do think differently to adults and we’ve tried to

accommodate that, we haven’t tried to make them think like us.”

Field, a one-time soldier and army medic, also has a strong following among mothers and was named

album to his niece whose sudden cot-death in 1988 prompted his pre-school studies.

The Wiggles are now a global cultural force with CD, DVD, ticket and merchandise sales to match, and will be the subject of an exhibition at Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum to celebrate their 20th year in 2011. The success is hardearned: The Wiggles spend between seven and eight months a

year on the road. Cook, 50, says the time away from their partners and children is not easy, but the rewards are worth it. “We hear a lot from families with children that have autism that we really make a connection with them, and they communicate much more in some cases after they’ve experienced The Wiggles. It’s really rewarding and wonderful,” he said.

His 13-year-old son doesn’t always appreciate the fame (“mainly because it draws attention to me and by association to him”) but Cook says most young Australians have an affectionate place in their heart for the group. “It’s kind of like nostalgia, they remember when they were little,” he said.

Sam Moran, 32, replaced a chronically ill Page as the Yellow Wiggle in 2006, and he brought a new sound to the troupe, with classical training and a background in musical theatre.

He says simply taking off their signature long-sleeved shirts is the band’s “best disguise”. “I wore a yellow T-shirt accidentally once, not thinking. I never wore it again,” he says, remembering attracting intense attention. And of the next 20 years? “Aching bones!” exclaims Field. “No, we love it.”— AFP

Perez Hilton reveals how he picks the hits elebrity blogger Perez Hilton’s taste may lean toward pop, but he insists he loves “good music, period.” A Perez stamp approval on a music video is a powerful enough coup to earn him the No. 58 spot on Billboard’s list.

If artists can catch his fancy enough to get their music videos included on his site, PerezHilton.com, then they can expect new fans from among the millions of Hilton devotees. In a Q&A with Billboard, Hilton discussed how he picks the music he features.

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Q: How do you decide w hich videos to feature?

A: It’s usually one of two scenarios. One, it’s a new act that I love and want to champion. And sometimes I’ll post videos or songs of big-name artists, even if I don’t like them, because it’s newsworthy and they have an audience that wants to see it.

Q: Can you give an example?

A: Sure. Today I posted the new song from Jennifer Lopez [“Run the World”] that I did not like at all.

Q: Then w hy did you post it?

A: Because it’s Jennifer Lopez and she’s in the news a lot, especially with “American Idol.”

She keeps releasing these songs, testing the water to see if any of them catch on, and she keeps missing the ball over, over and over again.

On the flip side, I posted-actually, I’m surprised at how well this one did-a song from Melody Thornton of the Pussycat Dolls [“Love Gun”], written by Cee Lo. I was like, “This is really good.” And to my surprise, the song has gotten a lot of views on my website.

Q: How did you learn of that song?

A: I get a lot of music e-mailed to me every day. I instantly liked the song and wanted to post it.

Q: How much help do you get keeping track of w hat’s coming in?

A: Well, I’m the one who looks through my inbox, so it’s pretty much just me.

Q: You personally go through your inbox every day?

A: Yeah.

Q: How ca n a n em erging a rtist get on your radar?

A : I usually find out about great music through my readers. They send me suggestions.

Sometimes a label will send me something and I’ll like it, but that’s the minority. I love to get music sent as an MP3 attachment because that way I can preview the song in my e-mail, without even having to download it to my iTunes. I prefer that over having to go to MySpace, Facebook or YouTube.

Q: So you’re saying people should e-mail you an MP3?

A: Yeah. I have a lot of memory in my inbox.

Q: Are there any genres you w on’t pay attention to?

A: Heavy metal is not usually my thing. But I love everything. I love good music, period.

Q: What’s the status of your label venture w ith Warner Bros. Records?

A : Oh, that’s done. I’m no longer with Warner Bros.

Q: What happened?

A: I like to do things more quickly than the traditional record label system allows. It’s not an insult to Warner Bros. It just means I need to figure out how to do things on my own first. I just want to break an act, whether it be the boy band that I’m working on or some of the other projects that I’m working on in secret. I want to try to make it happen for them organically without having to shove myself down people’s throats. —Reuters

Malaysian inmate Jasotha Thureisingam dances in a circus, inspired by Cirque du Soleil, as her fellow inmates look on at the Santa Monica Prison for women in Lima, Peru, Thursday Sept. 23, 2010. Cirque du Soleil is currently performing in Peru. —AP

Bret Michaels rocks from ‘Love’ to ‘Life’ E very year, Billboard polls music industry experts to compile its Maximum Exposure list: the top 100 ways that bands, singers and rappers can get their music seen and heard. Bret Michaels, who has a new cable show ‘Life As I Know It,’ landed at No. 30 on the list.

Michaels is a prime example of how starring in a cable TV reality show is one of the best ways for a musician to attain maximum exposure.

In a Q&A with Billboard, Michaels talked about just how TV has been good to him.

Q: How w ould you say your ca reer w a s going w hen you decided to do your reality datin g sh ow, “Rock of Love” on US cable netw ork VH1?

A: I thought it was going great, actually. Poison has continued to tour throughout our 25 years, give or take a few years off for drug rehab and fistfights. I was starting work on my first real solo album, and I’d finished being a judge on season three of “Nashville Star,” which ended up as their highestrated season.

Q: Were you actively looking to get into TV at that point?

A: No doubt. I don’t bury my head in the sand about anything.

I’m not the new kid on the block anymore. Writers always use the phrase “aging rocker,” and I’m like, “What other option do I have?” You’re either aging or you’re dead. So I’m embracing it.

TV gives you such an opportunity to be exposed. That could be really great for your career or absolutely detrimental, depending on when the real you comes out.

Q: So w hich part of “Rock of L ov e” w a s t h e rea l y ou , a n d

w hich part w asn’t?

A: All of it was the real me. I like to party, I like to have a good time, but everyone who watched knew that I was a down-to-earth guy who tried hard to be respectful of other people. The show never crossed a line.

Q : Were y ou w or r ied t h a t “Rock of Love” could ha rm your music career?

A: I thought that I have three

generations of Poison fans, and this would open me up to a whole new generation.

My fears about the show weren’t about music. I turned it down the first time they approached me, because their first idea was very retro. They wanted the 1986 Bret Michaels. My fans enjoyed the teased hair, the spandex. It was great, it was the time I lived in. Who knew that spandex tucked into cowboy boots would

ever go out of style? But for some strange reason, it did. I’d progressed forward and I didn’t want to go back. I stood up for myself and said, “You need to let me be who I am right now in my life.”

Q : H o w h a s r e a l i t y TV affected your music career?

A: TV has absolutely made my sales go up, made my tour guarantees go up. TV has been a great addition to my career. But the key thing is knowing what to walk away from. I advise anyone-especially musicians-to be very careful not to just grab anything they throw your way.

Q : W h a t ’s t h e p r e m i se o f your new show, VH1’s “Life As I Know It”?

A: The narrative of the show is simple: It’s an all-access backstage pass into my everyday life, about finding balance between my passion for my family, my relationship with (girlfriend) Kristi (Gibson) and being on the road. If you were to live with me for a couple months and go through all my emotions in a given day when I’m hands-on in my career, it is unbelievably mind-blowing.

Q : Were y ou ev er in t a lk s w ith the “American Idol” execs to become a judge next season?

A: Yes. Not only was I in meetings with (“Idol” production company) Fremantle, I made it to what they called the “top four.” We also talked a little about (former “Idol” judge) Simon Cowell’s new show, “X Factor,” and they asked me about being the host of a dating show they’re doing. But if there’s someone else that would give great career advice and be a lot of fun on TV, it’s (Aerosmith frontman and new “Idol” judge) Steven Tyler. —Reuters

Young musicians carrying on the family business he 9-year-old daughter of former rapper Will Smith has a hit on her hands. Just two weeks after the media frenzy over her signing with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and releasing a first single, Willow Smith is charging up Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with “Whip My Hair.”

The Roc Nation/Columbia track, produced by another newcomer, Jukebox, earned Hot Shot Debut honors last week when it bowed on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at No. 60. In its second week on the chart, the song jumped to No. 38. The label declined to reveal further details about Smith’s first album or specify a release date.

Smith isn’t the only progeny following in her parent’s musical footsteps. Daniel “Diggy” Simmons signed with Atlantic earlier this year. He’s the 15-year-old son of Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons of Run-D.M.C. fame. The young rapper released his second mixtape, “Airborne,” Sept. 10 with a track listing that includes “Oh Yeah,” featuring labelmate Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell. Simmons, who appears in AT&T’s “Rethink Possible” ad campaign, is recording his Atlantic debut.

This week also saw the worldwide digital release of “Available Light,” the debut EP by alt-rock singer-songwriter James McCartney-son of Paul McCartney. James, who plays guitar, bass and keyboards, is signed to New York-based Engine Company Records. His father and his longtime collaborator David Kahne (Linkin Park, Stevie Nicks) co-produced the five-song set, which comprises four originals and a cover of Neil Young’s “Old Man.” Fellow singer-songwriter Dillon Campbell-son of country legend Glen Campbell-is previewing his forthcoming sophomore full-length release, “Journal of the Brokenhearted,” with the four-song EP “Save Yourself” (Silver Zipper Records, Aug. 31). Available at major online retailers, “Save Yourself” veers from ragtime to rock. It’s all about, as Dillon says on his website, “bringing out the goose bumps in people.” Dillon, who released debut set, “Light Observations,” in 2008, is rehearsing with a new band and is slated to perform live dates soon in Southern California. —AFP

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Sunday, September 26, 2010

ince he made the leap from successful songwriter to recording artist with his 2003 debut, Matthew West has become one of the Christian genre’s most consistent hitmakers. In addition to penning his own hits-among them “More,” “Only Grace,” “Next Thing You Know” and “The Motions,” which was No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian Songs chart for 14 weeksWest has written songs for Rascal Flatts, Michael W. Smith, Steel Magnolia, Natalie Grant and Mark Schultz. For his fourth album, “The Story of Your Life,” West solicited letters from fans and retreated to a cabin outside Nashville where he sorted through more than 10,000 submissions to write the new album.

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Billboard: What prompted you to take this approach in w riting songs for your new record?

Matthew West: On my last album,

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“Something to Say,” the central theme was encouraging the listener that they’ve got something to say to the world. We really felt like the next natural step was to give people a chance to say it. Another contributing factor is that since I started my career, I would go to radio stations and be on the air doing live interviews and I would just make up a song. A listener would call in something and I’d sing a song about it. Listeners just seemed to love it.

I remember being in Houston on KSBJ and we did an afternoon drive show.

People could call in and submit a line, and then I had 20 minutes to compose a song.

I also did some contests with Christian stations for Valentine’s Day where people submitted a love story and I wrote that couple a song. That’s how the wheels began to turn.

West: It changed every aspect of it because I was pulling from a different source. Typically when I’m writing for one of my records, I’m pulling from within, what I’ve been experiencing in my life and the things going on around me. I usually pick up a guitar and just start singing and playing as if it’s a song I already know.

This time it was more about reading and waiting for that line in the story that really struck me. It was a quieter songwriting session every time. The other main difference was I spent more time by myself than ever before. I’m a huge fan of collaboration. I cut my teeth in the writing rooms on Music Row with some of the best songwriters in Nashville. With this process, people were trusting me with their story, and there was something that kept leading me toward spending this time in solitary.

Billboard: How did this approach change the songwriting process for you?

Billboard: In doing this album, w hat did you learn about your audi-

ence that surprised you?

West: I began to realize that when asked to share about their life, nine out of 10 people are likely to share something difficult as opposed to one of the best days. Sometimes the biggest struggles become the most defining moments of our life. People were honest and vulnerable with me and shared stories of their abusive childhood, marital struggles or the illness that they’ve faced. I’ve been given an open window into the lives of these people that sit in front of me every night.

Now when I step onstage, I feel I have a greater glimpse into what they are really going through.

Billboard: Since many of the letters dealt w ith heavy topics, how did you keep this from becoming a depressing record?

West: The thing that kept coming back to me over and over as I was writing songs was, “I don’t need to speak broken

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to broken people; I need to speak healing to broken people. I don’t need to speak hopeless to hopeless people; I need to speak hope.” With that, I set out writing these songs from a standpoint of telling a real life story, but not leaving the song void of hope. I look back and feel like it’s the most hopeful record I’ve ever made.

Billboard: How are you letting people know that their story inspired a song?

West: We’ve begun telling people in different ways. Michelle from Michigan wrote her story about the pain of middle school and how she has been heartbroken over watching her son. He has a learning disability and the kids are just ruthless.

We had a show in Michigan and we took a two-hour detour and pulled the bus out in front of the family’s house. I knocked on the door and we hung out in their living room for a couple of hours. I played them their song and then I invited

them on the bus. They rode to the show with me, and that night I got to get up onstage and tell 12,000 people at this festival that one of Michigan’s own families inspired us. Twelve thousand people stood up on their feet and gave this kid a standing ovation. It was the neatest moment.

Billboard: It sounds like this concept could become a reality show or a book. Anything in the w orks?

West: I’m going to Los Angeles in a few weeks to meet with a production company.

It’s in the infant stages, but we’ve captured some of these things on film. The doors are opening. We just signed a book deal to compile these stories into a devotional book that is going to come out in the spring. It’s neat that these people’s stories are going to be heard. That was my hope for the whole project-that these people who were brave enough to send their stories in will get to experience how their lives can impact people around them. — Reuters

Toby Keith kicks back with ‘Bullets’ m in a great place right now,” says country star Toby Keith, whose new album, “Bullets in the Gun,” will be out Oct. 5. “I probably wrote 40 or 50 songs in the last year, and the songs are getting more and more happy. I did some movies, too, but now I’m just kicking back.” But Keith’s version of kicking back doesn’t involve hanging out with a good book and a beer. He’s currently on tour and proving he can still rile up his fan base, noting that there were 42 arrests at a recent concert. Keith says he’ll keep touring through the fall, and even though his album hasn’t yet been released, fans are eager to hear new material. “I open the show with ‘Bullets in the Gun’ and always do (first single) ‘Trailerhood’ and ‘Somewhere Else’ (also from the new album),” he says. “I’m getting a great response when I play those tracks.”

The 39-year-old singer-songwriter points out that his conservative reputation isn’t an accurate reflection of his viewpoint. “I’m a registered Independent, and I was a Democrat until a while ago.

There is one conservative moment in my whole show, and that’s when I play ‘Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue,’ “ he says.

“And I don’t really consider that conservative-it’s about supporting our troops, which is not a Democratic or a Republican thing, but something everyone needs to do.”

The new album, which will be out on Keith’s own Show Dog/Universal label, contains a mix of originals about the joys of hanging out, drinking beer and true romance (one track includes the phase “totally flirtable”), and Keith is also including four covers of country classics on some special editions, which were recorded live at a secret show in New York.

“I have a side group called the Incognito Banditos,” Keith says.

“It’s a blues group with me and some great session players, and we decided to do a show in New York at the Fillmore.

I called up the venue and told them not to spend a dime on advertising, just to announce the show, and it sold out in five minutes.”

The quick sellout was driven largely by social media, which will play a big role in the upcoming marketing campaign. “We are doing a lot with his mobile fan club,” says Sloane Cavitt, manager of sales, marketing and new media at Show Dog/Universal. “For instance, people are signing up for wake-up calls from Toby, so the morning of release, they’ll get a prerecorded message reminding them to go buy the album.”

Keith has an iPhone app, which fans can use to buy tickets and sign up for text alerts. He also did an interview with Rhapsody where he answered questions submitted

by Facebook fans.

Cavitt says Keith will play several TV shows and is scheduled to host an episode of World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Raw” on Oct. 25. In addition, the label has produced a series of TV commercials and is working with a sports marketing firm to strike partnerships with different leagues and teams.

The one platform Keith hasn’t embraced is Twitter.

Although he has an account, he uses it to announce tour dates and keeps it mostly business. He says, “It just attracts all the troublemakers-all the people who are just looking for a headline-and I have no interest in that.”—Reuters

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A visitor looks at an installation by US artist Allan McCollum “Perfect vehicles” (1968) at the Lille Metropole’s modern art museum (LAM) on Friday in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, northern France. —AFP

Lauren Conrad heads back to MTV for reality show ormer “Hills” star Lauren Conrad is set to return to the MTV network that made her famous for a new reality project, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed exclusively. Conrad, 24, will be the focus of a documentary-style reality series for MTV following the budding fash-

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ion designer as she creates a line of evening wear and builds a fashion housefrom the ground up. “I’m so excited to take on this new project that really focuses on my true passion,” Conrad tells THR. “I’m happy to be partnering with MTV because I have had such an amazing relationship with

them and love being a part of the network.”

Berman Braun will be producing the new reality series. “We are thrilled to be in business with a terrific young entrepreneur like Lauren,” Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun said in a statement to THR. “It will be a lot of fun to be exploring her new work adven-

ture with her.” “We are so excited to be working with Lauren again,” Tony DiSanto, president of programming at MTV, tells THR. “She is family we are very proud of her. When we shot the test tape for Laguna Beach she was 17 now she’s a mogul.”

With the third installment of her teen

novel series due out next month, the N.Y. Times best-selling author has already established herself in the fashion world with the Lauren Conrad collection that debuted at L.A. Fashion Week in March 2008 and launched a line of casual wear with Kohl’s department stores in 2009. — Reuters

Ex-Floetry singer Ambrosius preps for ʻLateʼ arrival arsha Ambrosius-best known as the Songstress half of Grammy Award-nominated neo-soul duo Floetry-is closing in on her first solo CD after a series of mixtapes, guest spots on various projects and a much-touted debut on Dr Dre’s Aftermath Records that never materialized.

J Records will release the singer/songwriter/producer’s “Late Nights & Early Mornings” on Nov. 9. Ambrosius is courting attention for the album by way of lead single “Hope She Cheats on You (With a Basketball Player).” Her frank yet witty treatise about a bad breakup scored a sixpoint boost to No. 33 on the most recent edition of Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Shooting from the hip with controversial

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Indian artist Harwinder Singh Gill displays a portrait of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh carved onto an egg in Amritsar yesterday on the eve of Manmohan Singh’s 78th birth anniversary. —AFP

Youths wearing giant glasses gesture and dance during the annual Paris Technoparade yesterday in Paris.

Several trucks and DJs were expected to march through the Paris streets on Saturday for the festive and militant event promoting the electronic musical scene. —AP

lines like, “Hope that she Kim Kardashianed her way up/Don’t know the difference between a touchdown and a layup/Got you on Viagra in order for you to stay up,” Ambrosius ratchets up the reflection and honesty that have characterized all her work. (Her compostions include the ballad “Butterflies,” which she co-wrote and Michael Jackson recorded.) Featuring all new music and none of the recordings from the Aftermath sessions, “Late Nights” was produced by Just Blaze, Dre & Vidal, Rich Harrison, Focus and Ambrosius. Both basketball players when they were students in their native England, Ambrosius and spoken-word artist Natalie “the Floacist” Stewart teamed up as a writing/performing duo in 1997. The pair subsequently signed to DreamWorks and bowed in 2002 with

“Floetic.” That album contained the act’s biggest Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs hit: the sensual, No. 8-charting “Say Yes.” Live album “Floacism” followed in 2003, and the duo’s third and final collaboration was the 2005 studio set “Flo’Ology.” In August, Ambrosius was chosen to launch “Centric Selects,” cable network Centric’s on-air and online campaign highlighting the next generation of R&B artists. In an interesting turn of events, former partner Stewart is lining up her own solo debut as the Floacist. “Floetic Soul” (Shanachie Entertainment, Nov 9) pairs the poet/singer with Raheem DeVaughn, MC Lyte and Lalah Hathaway, among others.

Lead single “Forever,” featuring Musiq Soulchild, recently premiered on SingersRoom.com. — Reuters

www.kuwaittimes.net

Designers still suffering from economic nose-dive of several years ago he Italian designers showing their “wears” for the Spring-Summer 2011 are playing it safe. Even if recent figures show the fashion market is doing better, designers are still suffering from the economic nose-dive of several years ago and can’t afford to get hurt again. Even an innovator like Miuccia Prada kept her fashion fantasy under control showing a fun-filled but carefully packaged collection where the basic silhouette was well-cut and uncomplicated.

In this round of preview showings color has been the fashion trump, adding a lighthearted touch to every show. Moreover a 1970’s folksy, ethnic feel has permeated almost every runway. The designers are asking their clients to sit back and enjoy, rather than be challenged by avant-garde fashion concepts. On Friday, midway through the Milan Fashion Week, Etro, Ferre and Donatella Versace interpreted this message in very different ways.

Etro took the folksy tack, showing a relaxed collection based on the silk scarf. The fashion house folded the scarf into origami figures which turned into a handkerchief wraparound skirt, a caftan top or a tunic dress. The preferred pattern was paisley although the season’s favorite _ the floral print _ showed up throughout the collection. Ethnic gold chokers, tribal bracelets printed clutch bags, studded platform heels and funky Holly Hobby hats completed the folksy look.

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Models show creations part of the Blumarine Spring-Summer 2011 fashion collection, during the fashion week in Milan, Italy yesterday. —AP few slits on skirts and dresses. Even the footwear is high but never aggressive. Gone is the signature goddess gown to be replaced by a ladylike gown with delicate fringe detailing.

To underline her new take on fashion, Donatella traded her usual end of show runway outfit- tight black pants and matching glittery T-shirt, for a subdued below-the-knee black cocktail dress. — AP

Lohan freed from LA jail after posting bail indsay Lohan was freed from a suburban Los Angeles jail late Friday night, well short of the nearly monthlong stay a judge had intended for the actress following a failed drug test. Lohan was released at about 11:40 pm after posting $300,000 bail, Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department spokesman Steve Whitmore said early yesterday.

Celebrity website TMZ.com reported her release just before midnight.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elden Fox had ordered Lohan held without bail during a brief hearing Friday morning, But his ruling later was overturned af ter the “Mean Girls” star’s attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, filed a late-afternoon appeal seeking bail.

Judge Patricia Schnegg, who is an assistant supervising judge of LA’s criminal courts, issued a ruling shortly before 6 pm, saying that since the starlet had been convicted of misdemeanors, she was entitled to bail.

The actress is not entirely free.

She will be required to wear an ankle alcohol monitor and stay away from establishments that primarily sell alcohol. She is also due back in court on Oct. 22, when the judge who curtly sent her to jail will decide what her punishment will be for failing a drug test roughly two weeks af ter he released her early from rehab.

At that hearing, Fox will formally determine whether Lohan, 24, violated her probation by failing a courtmandated drug test. The positive result came after the judge released Lohan early from inpatient rehab at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Fox did not say why he had ordered no bail for the actress Friday morning, or state what drug appeared in her system during the recent test. Friday marked the third time Lohan has been sent to jail in a three-year-old drug and drunken driving case. She spent 84 minutes at the jail in 2007 and 14 days of a three-month sentence earlier this summer. After news of her

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Bottega Veneta Spring-Summer 2011 Since the death of Gianfranco Ferre in 2007, that label is designed by a young duo, Tommaso Aquilani and Roberto Rimondi.

Ahead of their Friday afternoon show the two said they were going for “easy, effervescent and absolute femininity.” Examples of this aim came in an intricate macrame jacket over a short skirt, a leather jacket paired with pleated skirt and a series of silk knitwear enriched by embroidered patterns.

For evening, the designers offered up a diaphanous long pleated chiffon skirt, a look which is as safe as it is beautiful. However, when topped with a snakeskin bodice it became the most daring item seen on the Milan runway thus far. On Friday evening, Donatella Versace, presented a show that was almost as proper as it was prim, a real aboutface for the designer known for her sexy styles. In the new summer collection her clothes caress rather than grab the body.

Daytime wear is subdued: simple dresses with plastic geometric detailing, and suits with a cropped jacket and a straight below the knee skirt. The usual tight pants and short shorts are no where to be seen.

The Versace color palette by day and night aside from black and white is made up of beige, turquoise and bright red. The only concession to the sexy old days are the bare backs and a

Bottega Veneta Spring-Summer 2011

Max Mara Spring-Summer 2011 fashion collection

positive drug test broke last week, Lohan seemed to acknowledge an addiction problem on her Twitter feed.

“Substance abuse is a disease, which unfortunately doesn’t go away over night,” Lohan posted on Twitter on Sept. 17. “This is certainly a setback for me but I am taking responsibility for my actions and I’m prepared to face the consequences.”

Fox had laid out a strict 67-day course of counseling, substance abuse meetings, monitoring and drug testing for Lohan in August. He asked probation officials on Friday to report how the actress had progressed on the treatment programs before Lohan’s next court hearing.

The judge has said Lohan would be sent to jail for 30 days for each drug screening she skipped or failed and

appeared to make good on the promise with his no bail order. If he sentences her to jail in October, the amount of time he orders her to serve would be whittled down because of jail overcrowding and various credits.

Despite her release Friday, Lohan’s continued court troubles have cast a pall over her career. She has been slated to star as Linda Lovelace in a biopic about the porn star, but the production schedule already was altered when Lohan was sent to jail in July. In an e-mail sent before L ohan was granted bail, Matthew Wilder, the writer-director of the film titled “Inferno,” said the film’s producers “want her to do well.” He did not address whether Lohan’s role would be recast or the film further delayed. —AP

Lindsay Lohan, arrives for a hearing at the Beverly Hills Courthouse in Beverly Hills, Calif Friday. —AP