5 Oct

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

40 PAGES

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2010

Iraq boasts third-largest oil reserves, overtakes Iran PAGE 21

SHAWAL 26, 1431 AH

BlackBerry users eye alternatives as UAE ban looms

NO: 14870

Global marine life census charts vast world beneath the seas

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150 FILS

Europe triumph in thrilling Ryder Cup finale PAGE 18

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Kuwait warns on Europe travel Continent on alert • US drone strike kills 8 Germans in Pakistan • Tourists calm conspiracy theories

Travelers on alert

By Badrya Darwish

U

nprecedented at least in the recent history of Kuwait. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns travelers from Kuwait bound to Europe to be on alert. Yesterday, a bulletin was circulated warning citizens to be “vigilant and stay away from public areas”.

Usually, we hear such warnings coming from Western authorities, mainly the Americans and the British, who are always warning their citizens not to travel to one part of the world or another and to be extra careful every time an accident takes place even on the other side of the continent.

For the Middle East or the Arab world - they are the least bothered with such stories. So what is the sudden worry of our Foreign Affairs Ministry? Kuwait is the first country to take the initiative and issue a warning for its citizens. Hooray!

It is a good sign of improvement, a key indicator of advancement and democracy.

On a serious note, how can I be vigilant?

I am travelling to London in a couple of days and now I am worried. I am the kind of person who uses the Underground (Tube) a lot for 101 reasons. It is cheaper, faster, efficient and it is a way of exercising to go up and down the long escalators and then walk from the station to your destination. In all honesty, the monetary issue is primary. Parking your car in the capital London needs a budget by itself.

Especially now, should you want to drive your car downtown, the price tag goes up because a congestion tax is added to the expensive parking.

Now going back to the alert. If I am not using the Underground, I opt for the buses. Which means that I will be boarding a red double-decker with thoughts of 7/7. Please, do not remind me of 7/7.

Though it is my son’s birthday, it is no longer a celebratory day for us.

Before you even start your journey when you board the plane you start imagining a hijacker armed with an anthrax bag or any other means of hijacking. In my opinion, if we start thinking in this way, nobody will leave their home. And I will be forced to drop my travel plans and unpack my suitcase. Thank you Ministry of Foreign Affairs! You are taking good care of our affairs.

KUWAIT: The Kuwait National Football team arrives at Kuwait International Airport yesterday after beating Iran 2-1 in the West Asia Football Federation (WAFF) Championship held in Amman. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

IVF pioneer wins medicine Nobel STOCKHOLM: British physiologist Robert Edwards, whose work led to the first “test-tube baby”, won the 2010 Nobel prize for medicine or physiology, the prize-awarding institute said yesterday. Sweden’s Karolinska Institute lauded Edwards, 85, for bringing joy and hope to the more than 10 percent of couples worldwide who suffer from infertility. Known as the father of invitro fertilisation (IVF), Edwards picked up the prize of 10 million Swedish crowns ($1.5 million) for what the institute called a “milestone in the development of modern medicine”.

As many as 4 million babies have been born since the first IVF baby in 1978 as a result of the techniques Edwards developed, together with a now-deceased colleague, Patrick Steptoe, the institute said in a statement. “Bob Edwards changed the

Robert Edwards way we think about having babies,” said Dr Alan Thornhill, scientific director of the London Bridge Fertility, Gynaecology and Genetics Centre. The Roman Catholic Church strongly opposes IVF as an affront to human dignity that destroys more human life than it creates because scientists discard or store unused fertilised embryos. “In vitro fertili-

sation has led directly to the deliberate destruction of millions of human embryos,” said Professor David Albert Jones, director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre, a Catholic research institute in Oxford, England.

Nevertheless, Edwards and Steptoe, a gynaecologist, pursued their work despite opposition from churches, governments, many in the media and scepticism from scientific colleagues. They struggled to raise funds and had to rely on private donations but in 1968 they developed methods to fertilise human eggs outside the body. Working at Cambridge University, they began replacing embryos into infertile mothers in 1972. But several pregnancies spontaneously aborted due to what they later discovered were flawed hormone treatments.

Continued on Page 13

In a sitcom, Egypt women gain voice

BEIT FAJAR: An elderly Palestinian man shows a burnt copy of the Holy Quran at a mosque in this West Bank village which was burnt by Jewish settlers yesterday. — AFP

Israel settlers torch mosque BEIT FAJJAR, West Bank: Jewish settlers opposed to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians were accused of setting fire to a mosque in the West Bank yesterday, burning the Holy Quran and scrawling “Revenge” and other threats in Hebrew on its walls.

“Mosques, we burn,” said a warning scribbled at the door of the smoke-smudged mosque of Beit Fajjar south of Bethlehem on the day

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appealed for cool heads to avert the collapse of US-brokered peace talks.

The green-carpeted floor of the mosque was burnt to a black crust in a dozen places where it was doused with kerosene and set alight at around three in the morning. A dozen copies of the Holy Quran were scorched by the fire.

Continued on Page 13

CAIRO: It’s rare in Egypt’s pop culture to get a direct and frank look inside the minds of Egyptian women and what they really think of marriage and love. So a TV comedy became a startling voice in this conservative society’s debate over the changing role of women. The show, “I Want to Get Married”, makes a simple point, but one that resounded strongly: Women want to be an active part of the process of finding a life partner, not passive objects whose fate is to be decided by their mothers, fathers or suitors.

The message made it a hit among Egyptians - that and the humor it mined from the quirks of Egyptian middleclass matchmaking, where suitors file through the family salons of potential brides to check them out, confident with the expectation that every woman - particularly those above 30 - will be eager to snap them up. “How is it that someone comes to meet you in the salon, and then by

the third visit you have to be ready to talk about the dowry, wedding jewelry and date for a wedding,” said Ghada AbdelAal, the author who inspired the sitcom with a blog and book by the same name, based largely on her own experiences. “And you as the girl are just expected to accept that this is your fate without even knowing who the person really is.”

Continued on Page 13

Tunisian actress Hend Sabry is seen during a TV sitcom “I Want to Get Married”. — AP

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry issued a warning yesterday to citizens heading to Europe to be vigilant and stay away from public areas amid reports of terror threats targeting a number of European countries. “Due to various warnings of possible terrorist acts, the ministry urges citizens to stay cautious during their travel, particularly in public areas, airports, train stations, underground tunnels and tourist attraction sites,” the ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Japan and Sweden yesterday became the latest countries to issue travel alerts for their citizens amid growing fears of a major Al-Qaeda attack on landmark sites in Europe. Tokyo and Stockholm joined Washington and London in issuing an alert warning of a “possible terrorist attack” by Al-Qaeda and affiliated groups against their citizens travelling in Europe.

The US State Department said in its alert on Sunday that attackers may use “a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests” in Europe.

Britain immediately backed the US alert and warned its own citizens of a “high threat of terrorism” in France and Germany.

Meanwhile, Pakistani intelligence officials said a suspected US drone strike killed eight militants of German nationality in northwest Pakistan yesterday.

They died when two missiles from a suspected CIA pilotless aircraft struck a mosque in Mirali in North Waziristan, the officials added. The militants were members of a group called Jihad Islami, the Pakistani intelligence officials said without elaborating.

There was no independent verification and militants often dismiss official reports.

Sweden’s foreign ministry called on Swedish travellers Continued on Page 13

Kuwait commits $1bn to AIA IPO Valuation lowered to woo KIA HONG KONG: American International Group Inc received a $1 billion commitment from Kuwait Investment Authority for the IPO of its Asian life insurance unit, according to a source, the first major investment inked before the roughly $15 billion share sale launches. AIA Group Ltd is aiming for an overall value of around $30.5 billion after listing, according to

another source, on a par with what UK insurer Prudential Plc had last offered for AIA in its failed takeover bid earlier this year.

The Hong Kong-based company plans to raise between $13.9 billion and $14.9 billion by selling 5.86 billion shares at HK$18.38 to HK$19.68 each, a document obtained later by Continued on Page 13

Dutch anti-Islam MP goes on trial AMSTERDAM: Anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders, set to become a shadow partner of the next Dutch government, defended the right to free speech yesterday as his trial for inciting hatred against Muslims made a halting start.

“I am on trial, but on trial with me is the freedom of expression of many Dutch citizens,” Wilders, 47, told the Amsterdam district court before seeking his three judges’ recusal for bias, thereby causing the suspension of the hearing.

The controversial politician with his signature shock of dyed-blonde hair risks up to a year in jail or a 7,600-euro fine for calling Islam “fascist” and likening the Holy Quran to Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”. He is charged with five counts of giving religious offence to Muslims and inciting hatred and discrimination against

Muslims and people of nonWestern immigrant origin, particularly Moroccans, in comments made between Oct 2006 and March 2008 in Dutch newspapers and on Internet forums. Among the exhibits is Wilders’ 17-minute film, “Fitna”, alleged to depict Continued on Page 13

Geert Wilders

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NATIONAL

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

‘Government should declare environmental emergency’

Kuwait has the most polluted waters in the world: Study ronmental emergency.’ The announcement was made during a press conference held at the group’s headquarters in Salmiya yesterday morning. Khalid KUWAIT: Environmental activism group Green Line has issued a new report Al-Hajeri, Green Line’s chairman, said that the findings are based on a study showing that Kuwait now occupies first place worldwide in marine pollution, carried out in May by a group of scientists from various world-renowned uniwith the group’s leader calling on the government to declare a ‘state of envi- versities.

“The environment in Kuwait is facing great danger,” said Al-Hajeri, adding that Kuwait’s offshore environment is no longer simply polluted, it is actually poisoned.

“The sea is poisoned, the fish are poisoned, and this is causing a lot of harm to innocent consumers,” he added.

Al-Hajeri urged the government to listen to the voices of wisdom and consider the numerous studies and documents that prove these facts, including government correspondence.

“The study was carried out by reputable universities such as Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Singapore, and the Environment Study Center in Southern Australia,” he said. “The results of the study show that Kuwait has the worst case of pollution in seawater, groundwater and surface water.”

Al-Hajeri also revealed that the study shows that Kuwait occupies fourth place globally in terms of general pollution, with Singapore coming first in this unenviable ranking system. He also pointed out that “Kuwait comes right before Japan, the country that our government asked to provide us with help in reducing pollution.”

Al-Hajeri also talked about seven previous studies carried out since 2000, all of which have shown different aspects of environmental damage in Kuwait.

The first study, carried out

by Nahed Al-Majed and Martin Briston in 2000, showed that the mercury levels in locally caught fish exceeded those allowed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The second study, conducted by the same researchers in the same year, showed that the level of mercury detected in the systems of fishermen in Kuwait was twice the maximum safe level worldwide.

Meanwhile, the third KUWAIT: Al-Hajeri shows the environmental studies indicating that Kuwait now occupies first place globally study, carried out in 2001 by A. Buelayan and B. Thomas, in terms of marine pollution. —Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat showed an increase in the concentrations of heavy metals in Kuwait’s offshore waters. Al-Hajeri warned that this increase could lead to neurological problems, cancers, and other diseases.

The fourth study, carried KUWAIT: Kuwait University which he said had been misout by the same researchers KUWAIT: The man killed him with the extremist. rector Dr. Abdullah Al- interpreted to imply that he in the years 2003 and 2004, The local paper which first during a NATO airstrike in a Fuhaid has strongly rejected was expressing negative showed that Al-Zoor power mountainous area of reported the story, Al-Watan, news reports suggesting that views about the minister. station in the south of Kuwait, Afghanistan, who was initial- received a phone call on Dr. Al-Fuhaid said that he had asked some MPs to was causing massive damage ly reported to be a Kuwaiti, Sunday from the dead man’s launch a campaign against the excellent relations and to the marine environment. was actually a Bedoon (state- brother, who confirmed his mutual respect the education minster Dr. great The study revealed that the less) resident of Kuwait, who sibling’s death, adding that Moudhi Al-Humoud. Dr. Al- between him and the minisstation was dumping huge went to fight in Afghanistan his brother had left Kuwait to Fuhaid stressed the long and ter had enabled Kuwait quantities of chlorine into the after coming under the influ- fight in Afghanistan two distinguished relations he University to make great Gulf, negatively affecting the ence of extremists in Kuwait. years ago without informing and the minister had achievements, reported Almarine environment. It also According to new informa- his family where he was enjoyed, which he said were Qabas. revealed that the high tempertion, the man, named as ‘Abu going.

Dr. Al-Humoud has come based on lengthy experience ature of the water discarded The devastated brother Atta Al-Kuwaiti,’ has been of mutual respect and coop- under pressure on various by the station was estimated identified as Abdullah Al- said that his sibling had come issues from MPs recently, with eration. as being likely to kill 15-20 Enezi, a Bedoon from under the influence of reliSeveral MPs have report- one recurring problem being percent of coral reefs in the Sulaibiya, who joined the gious fanatics who radicalized edly asked Dr. Al-Fuhaid the controversy over Dr. Alarea.

‘Arab Mujahideen’ two years his outlook and attitudes, about recent comments to Fuhaid’s expired contract, par“This is a clear indication ago, reaching Afghanistan making him almost unrecogthe press in a response to ticularly since KU is the counnizable to the successful and through Iran. that the Ministry of Electricity the minister last week, try’s only state university.

Although initial reports well-balanced person his famand Water is responsible for stated that the dead man was ily previously knew. The this environmental damage,” a Kuwaiti citizen, members family also revealed that the Al-Hajeri noted. of a Kuwaiti family whose son man had graduated from The fifth study, also carried has the same name indicated Kuwait University’s Sharia out by Nahed Al-Majed and that the report had confused faculty. —Agencies Martin Briston, this time in 2004, showed alarmingly high concentrations of mercury in Kuwait Bay, particularly around the rainwater drainage outlets.

The sixth study, carried out in 2005 by A. Buelayan and B. Thomas, revealed worryingly high levels of trace metals, including copper, zinc, iron, lead and nickel, in Kuwait Bay. The seventh study, carried out in 2009 by the same researchers, along with another researcher Hanna Al-Nablusi, showed that the levels of mercury in the seabed exceeded those in the water, as well as demonstrating that the heavy levels of industrial activity are damaging marine life in the bay.

Al-Hajeri concluded by urging the government to declare a ‘state of environmental emergency’ in the country, and to assign specialists to rescue the environment from the damage it continues to be subjected to.

By Ahmad Saeid

KU rector denies Dead extremist is edu minister rumors Bedoon, not Kuwaiti

KUWAIT: The German Ambassador to Kuwait, Frank Mann, held a reception on the occasion of his country’s National Day at his residence in Mishref on Sunday. The reception was attended by a large number of diplomats and dignitaries. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Providing suitable housing for citizens ‘govt priority’ KUWAIT: The government is keen on providing suitable and high standards housing to meet citizens’ need and this is a top priority for the government, affirmed Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister of State for Development, and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah yesterday.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad said in a speech celebrating the Arab Housing Day that the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) had made it its mission to tackle problems facing housing affairs via “finding realistic solutions.”

“It is important to set government plans on motion to allow projects to be finished in time,” said the official, noting

that teams were assigned to carry on the execution of such plans making sure they finish within the given time and meet high quality standards.

Finding practical and scientific solutions to solve the housing problem were key factors that required much hard work and determination, noted Sheikh Ahmad, adding that allowing the private sector to provide technical and financial expertise within the framework of the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) would allow projects to finish.

Involving the private and public sectors resulted in the declaration of law 50/2010 which basically provided a kickstart to the Khairan, Met’la, Harir cities and other projects, with the private sector compa-

nies able to bid for 40 percent of shares in a public auction while citizens have 50 percent.

All of the state’s housing development projects are aimed at providing citizens with housing within a short wait period, stated the official, revealing that around KD eight billion were invested in housing projects.

In regards to PAHW’s efforts to grant housing services to widowed, unmarried, and special case women, Sheikh Ahmad affirmed that such sector of society were not forgotten, pointing out that there were procedures to issue a law that would establish a KD 250,000 portfolio to grant women more financial facilities or buy real-estate for the purpose of creating housing for this category. —KUNA

kuwait digest

Bedoons need to be educated

By Dr Tariq Al-Alawi

T

he Kuwaiti government has created a new generation of stateless citizens in our society, with no solutions reached to resolve their issues, either by improving their current situation or repatriating them to their countries of origin.

An official from the Education Ministry recently reported that the charity fund that grants financial allowances to poor students, now suffers from budget shortages.

This has prompted the ministry to exclude those without civil identification cards or with expired cards from receiving aid.

A top American education expert says that while it only requires common sense to realize the importance of education to cope with technological advancement, many people do not realize the serious psychological impact on students that are forced to discontinue their education. Furthermore, this setback will definitely reduce their chances of seeking newer prospects that subsequently affect their capabilities and self con-

fidence.

Depriving children the right to learn eventually results in stunted thinking patterns. This will ultimately make them feel less intelligent, and cultivate feelings of shame. This, of course, creates social discrimination. And as they grow up, they usually fall victims to drug abuse or crimes.

They lose hope about emerging from poverty and humiliation.

A survey carried out in the United States indicate that the damage that illiteracy leaves on society is more harmful than that caused by child abuse and physical disabilities. Furthermore, statistics point out that the costs involved in fighting drugs, crimes and terrorism are marginal when compared to the magnitude of psychological damage caused to children who are robbed of their right to education.

Therefore, the MPs should consider saving more funds for the state’s budget, before millions of dinars are wasted in tryig to repair the harm caused by inadequate education. —Al-Qabas

NATIONAL

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Amir praises ATO’s role in serving Arab cities KUWAIT: At Seif Palace yesterday, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received the Secretary General of the Arab Towns Organization (ATO), Abdulaziz AlAdsani, along with a number of other participants in the organization’s 15th

annual conference, which is currently taking place here. Also present during the meeting was HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad AlSabah.

During the meeting, His Highness praised the role undertaken by the

organization in serving Arab towns, expressing his best wishes to all the delegates participating in the conference. For his part, Al-Adsani thanked HH the Amir for sponsoring the conference, hailing the monarch’s active role in supporting the organization’s

activities. The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Minister for Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, and the Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Dr. Fadhel Safar Ali Safar. — KUNA

Public awareness campaign needed to educate domestics about their rights

Corrupt embassies, local culture culpable in domestic worker abuse

By Hussain Al-Qatari KUWAIT: A non-governmental organization said on Sunday that corrupt embassies play a major role in the problems surrounding the abuse of domestic w orkers w hich Kuw ait faces. Speakers at a seminar held on Sunday evening at the Kuw ait Center for Expatriate Rights in Shuhada Focusing attention on the humanitarian aspects of the issue, Mohammad Al-Awadhi stressed the importance of reintroducing a tolerant humane culture to Kuwait, admitting that part of the blame falls on the racist behavior of a certain percentage of locals and expatriates who hire domestic workers.

“I always tell my friends and family, each time they drive on a hot summer day in their fancy air-conditioned cars and pass an ice cream man pushing his cart in the heat, to remember that this man, probably your fathers’ age, has left his home and family to come and work here in order to support them. He, like you and I, wants to provide for his family,” he said.

“I always ask people to put themselves in the domestic worker’s shoes, or in the

position of their family.

Imagine that you have gone bankrupt, and your country lost all its money, and you have to send your daughter or your sister or your wife to a country overseas in order to work as a housemaid and wire your money every month. These are humans, like us, and we could be in their situation one day,” he noted.

In Kuwait’s oldest souk in Mubarakiya, Al-Awadhi noted, lies a mosque that was built many years ago, prior to the oil era, with money donated by the wealthy merchants of India to the poor people of Kuwait: “I advise you to go one day to see the mosque, and to remember where we were and where we are today,” he added.

Noting the bilateral relations between Kuwait and

pointed the finger of bla me a t corrupt emba ssy officia ls representing some Asia n countries from w hich domestic w orkers a re recruited, a s w ell as at local recruitment agencies. The event’s main speakers w ere Kuw ait University Sharia faculty member and popular cleric Mohammad Al-Aw adhi, and law yer and Kuw ait University faculty member Professor Rashid Al-Enizi.

India, which date back more than a century, Al-Awadhi praised the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, lauding its efforts in preserving Indian citizens rights and its creation of a flawless recruitment system.

“The Indian community is one of the oldest communities in Kuwait, and it has witnessed the transformation Kuwait went through. It is the largest population of expatriates, with over 600,000 Indians living in Kuwait.

Yet we almost never hear any complaints against or from the Indian community in Kuwait,” said the cleric. The secret to this, he asserted, lies in the efficient recruitment system that the embassy has created.

Meanwhile, other embassies are accused of exploiting the situation and

keeping hundreds of dismissed domestic staff on their premises, suing their employers in order to make money. Lawyer Rashid AlEnizi said, “Kuwaiti law is very fair towards domestic staff. The problem lies in the fact that laws are abused and never respected in Kuwait.”

Sexual abuse perpetrated on any domestic worker by an employer is punishable by life imprisonment, noted AlEnizi, yet despite the numerous reports of rape against employers, we almost never hear of employers who are imprisoned for abusing domestic staff. “This is not exactly because Kuwaitis have wasta — it is because most of the time, the embassies’ lawyers ask for compensation, a large sum of money, and then they drop the case. This has happened

numerous times with me during my practice,” he stated.

Al-Enizi also noted, however, that the employers themselves are not exactly innocent: “There are a lot of people who overwork their domestic staff, and public awareness is much needed. A law, however, will not help. A law that is not respected and not applied is not going to help at all.

A public awareness campaign to educate domestic staff about their rights and to combat the negative behavior of employers is much more essential than a law, and would be much more fruitful,” he said.

He also called for recruitment agencies to be punished, adding that the recruitment processes used by them in hiring domestic staff must be monitored.

Otaibi slams Awadhi’s remarks as paper clarifies misinterpretation

Art connoisseurs seen Sunday at the grand opening of the Gallery Tilal in Shuwaikh. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Gallery Tilal holds ‘The Grand Opening’

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Art connoisseurs gathered on Sunday at the grand opening of the Gallery Tilal in Shuwaikh. The Gallery launched its first art exhibition titled ‘The Grand Opening,’ which will last till October 14, 2010.

At least fourteen artists participated in this exhibition and presented 47 different works. Each of the participating artists expressed his or her style and the schools they belong to.

Oil paintings, canvas, photography, and sculpture using different materials and techniques were displayed. Most of the art work were modern in style and blended in the human element. Some paintings were inscribed with verses from poetry.

The Kuwait artists show-

cased were: Abdulrasoul Salman, Mahmoud Ashkanani, Thuraya Al-Baqsami, Laila AlMusalam, Ibraheem Habib, Bader Al-Mansour, Bader Qabazard, Muneera AlQadeeri, Hamad Al-Saab, and Ali Sultan. Also, artists from Syria participated in this exhibition with their artwork.

They are: Safa Al-Sit, Reema Salman, Yasir Homoud,

Ghazwan Allaf.

The Gallery Tilal is a spacious place where art work was on display. Gallery Tilal will also organize cultural lectures and poetic evenings.

The Gallery is located in the mezzanine floor at Al-Tilal Complex, Al-Jahra Road in Shuwaikh, next to the Kuwait Finance House and Hyundai showroom.

KUWAIT: MP Saadoun AlOtaibi has condemned remarks about him attributed to fellow parliamentarian Dr. Aseel Al-Awadhi, calling her comments in an inter view published in Sunday’s Al-Rai “negative” and “ambiguous,” and suggesting that they “conflict with basic freedoms, as well as with citizens’ rights to run for election in any constituency they deem most suitable to represent the public.”

Following the publication of the interview, in which she was quoted as suggesting that Al-Otaibi would be “unwelcome” in the third constituency where she is among the incumbent MPs and that his plan to move constituencies “represents a negative approach,” Al Otaibi hit back, suggesting that her statements indicate a lack of vision and awareness of the factors involved in democracy, as well as freedom of opinion, which he emphasized are both protected by the Kuwaiti constitution. AlOtaibi, who was elected in the fifth constituency, also stressed his commitment to following his own political strategy, which he insisted is supported by many other Kuwaitis.

The MP also used the oppor tunity to launch a counter-attack on Dr. AlAwadhi’s own political record, saying that while his own actions had “clearly been made to benefit Kuwaiti citizens,” hers had

not been, citing her stance on the bill to write off citizens’ loans, the privatization legislation and the proposal to grant stay-at-home mothers monthly maternity pay as examples of bills which he had supported and she had opposed.

Meanwhile, Al-Rai yesterday published an article clarifying the quotes from the previous day’s interview with Dr. Al-Awadhi The paper said that whilst Dr. Al-Awadhi did suggest that Al- Otaibi might take a “negative approach,” she was specifically referring to his representing a different constituency to the one he was elected in, which she and others already represent.

The article stated that Dr. Al-Awadhi’s comment about Al-Otaibi’s being unwelcome in the third constituency was specifically a reference to his policies, not to him as a person being unwelcome there.

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KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received a number of participants at the organization’s 15th annual conference. — KUNA photos

‘Kafeel’ system to be canceled in 4-6 months KUWAIT: Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr. Mohammad Al-Afasi on Sunday reiterated his previous announcement that moves to officially end Kuwait’s current sponsorship or ‘kafeel’ system will get underway within the next four to six months. He added that the introduction in January 2011 of a public authority for manpower will be an important step in achieving this.

Speaking in Cairo, where he is currently taking part in the fifty-sixth convention of Arab social affairs ministers, Dr. Al-Afasi asserted that the new body would be a far superior alternative to the current system.

He explained that the new manpower authority would contract workers directly, organizing all manpower-related issues between employers and employees, reported

Al-Rai. “This comes as part of Kuwait’s international commitment to ensure justice in the relationship between workers and their employers,” said the minister. He also confirmed that the sponsorship system is not being canceled as part of any agreement with the other Gulf Cooperation Council member states.

Meanwhile, MSAL Undersecretary Hadi AlEnezi announced that the ministry has completed work on three accommodation centres for expatriates which will not only provide refuge for up to 2,100 workers fleeing abusive sponsors while their legal status is sorted out, but where employers seeking low-skilled or unskilled staff will be able to select them from among residents there rather than bringing new workers into the country.

KUWAIT: Director of the Public Customs Department, Ibrahim AlGhanim announced that the 39th GCC Customs Directors meeting would be launched today. Speaking at a press conference held at the Sheraton Hotel, Al-Ghanim said that the meeting would focus on unifying custom procedures amongst GCC states and setting special codes per item to be fed into a computer system linking all GCC countries.

‘Kuwaitization’ ongoing: CSC KUWAIT: At least 13,485 job opportunities have been created in the public sector for citizens during the past few years, announced Bader AlHamad, Manager of Employment and Budget Department at the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

According to the national labor recruitment policy, Kuwaiti manpower should be hired in place of expatriates whose contracts will expire or are terminated for other reasons. This process, often dubbed as the ‘Kuwaitization’ has been adopted to help eliminate unemployment. It is stringently being followed by the country’s legislative and executive authorities, said Al-Hamad.

The CSC official made these statements in an interview published by Al-Qabas.

He noted that there is a great disparity in the salaries paid to citizens employed with the public sector and

those paid to citizens employed in the private firm, based on the same ratio, reported Al-Qabas.

In addition, Al-Hamad asserted the country’s does

not suffer from a serious unemployment problem, and that the issue only pertains to a surplus in the number of candidates seeking ordinary jobs.

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NATIONAL

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

‘We are extending a hand of cooperation’

Government declares readiness to discuss ‘all files’ with parliament KUWAIT: The Government is ready to discuss “all files” w ith the National Assembly at the upcoming legislative term due to begin on October 26, the official spokesman of the Government announced yesterday. The Government is eyeing the upcoming legislative term w ith optimism and is ready to extend a hand of cooperation w ith the members of the Parliament, stated Dr Mohammad Al-Busairi, the Minister of Communications and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs.

Deputy chief of National Security receives UK envoy KUWAIT: Deputy Chief of National Security Apparatus Sheikh Thamer Ali Al-Sabah received in his office yesterday UK ambassador Frank Baker. The meeting discussed the diplomatic relations between both countries and the latest international and regional developments of mutual interest. The meeting was also attended by the Foreign Ministry’s Director of Coordination and Follow-up Ambassador Khaled Al Mgamis. — KUNA

H e u rg e d t h e M Ps t o respect Article 50 of the National Constitution that stipulates separation of jurisdictions and cooperation among the authorities.

E m e rg i n g f ro m t h e weekly meeting with the Ac t i n g S p e a ke r o f t h e National A s s e m b l y, Abdullah Al-Roumi, Dr AlBusairi said the discussions dealt with “developments on the parliamentary arena” and the agenda of the forthcoming termwhich is full of bills.

A s ke d w h e t h e r s o m e files, namely the issue of the law of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, would constitute a snag in the relations between the legislative and executive authorities, Dr Al-Busairi said, “There cannot be 100 percent cooperation, for nature of the parlamentary work warrants diverse opinions, and thank God, i n Ku w a i t e v e r y b o d y accepts the view of the majority in the end.”

Undoubtedly, opinions of the Government and the Pa r l i a m e n t i n t e r s e c t o n many proposals and bills, and the Government is looking forward toward the coming term with hopes.

“We are extending a hand of cooperation and we will accept contradictory opinions and accept various views and we will handle the files in a spor ty and transparent manner, and in the end, we will accept what the assembly decides, and we hope that t h e M Ps f o l l o w s s u i t i n this respect,” Al-Busairi added.

Responding to a call by “the development and re f o r m ” s o c i e t y o n t h e government to resign, AlBusairi said “The Constitution is our reference, and as everybody knows the government has gotten the confidence of His Highness the Amir and His Highness the Crown P r i n c e a c c o rd i n g t o t h e Constitution Provisions 54 and 55.”

The Constitution provision 50 states the separation of the authorities and cooperation among them, and the MPs have the right to supervise, legislate and i n t e r p e l l a t e “ h o w e v e r, t h e re s h o u l d b e l i m i t s regarding their demands and there should not be encrouchement by the legislative authority against the jurisdictions of the executive authority.

“Settlements are governed by the Constitution and the laws and at the Abdullah Al-Salem Hall.”

As to the appointment of leaders, the government believes that this question should be addressed on the basis of the relevant laws, “and we will express our opinion when the issue is presented for debate,” he said.

As to the Government stance regarding drop of the level of dialogue, Dr. Al-Busairi urged for adherence to the genuine “ Ku w a i t i s p i r i t , ” r a t h e r than some laws and legislations, for the “national traditions and customs assert respect for individuals, ministers, employees and ordinary citizens.”

He expressed regret at existence of “an unprecedented rigid political culture” among some people, u rg i n g f o r re c a l l i n g t h e first decades of the national democratic experience.

Regarding the government priorities at the upcoming legislative term, Al-Busairi this topic was discussed with the Acting Speaker, adding that this issue was delayed till formation of the commission for cross-examining prior topics.

The government has a long list of priorities, to be presented to the assembly once the committee has been formed, he added.

— KUNA

RIYADH: KUNA’s chief touring Saudi Al-Riyadh, Al-Jazeera newspapers. — KUNA photos

KUNA’s chief tours Saudi Al-Riyadh, Al-Jazeera newspapers, Nat’l Museum RIYADH: KUNA Board Chairman and Director General Sheikh Mubarak Duaij Al-Sabah and his accompanying delegation visited yesterday Saudi Al-Riyadh and Al-Jazeera newspapers.

Upon arrival, Sheikh Mubarak was received by editors of the newspapers, and toured various departments and a short brief on the two organizations’ day-to-day work.

At the conclusion of his visit, Sheikh Mubarak expressed, in a statement to KUNA, his gratitude and appreciation for the newspapers’ work, stressing on the need to exchange ideas and expertise in the media field. “I was briefed about work in Al-Riyadh and Al-Jazeera

newspapers which are exceptional newspapers in the Gulf region and the Arab world,” Sheikh Mubarak noted.

KUNA’s chief asserted on the importance of cooperation through utilizing all mechanisms and capabilities available to improve and serve Arab and Islamic citizens wherever they are.

Later, Sheikh Mubarak and his accompanying delegation visited King Abdulaziz National Museum. After the visit, Sheikh Mubarak expressed, in a press statement his utmost pleasure for such visit which bolsters ties among the joint cultural and Islamic heritage of Arab countries. — KUNA

Teenage burglar busted KUWAIT: A 13-year-old Kuwaiti housebreaker responsible for a string of burglaries in the Thahar area was caught in a police sting operation.

The boy burglar was captured af ter police launched an investigation following a series of complaints from householders in the area, reporting that their homes had been broken into with valuable items stolen. The juvenile criminal admitted to being behind the crime wave and has been taken into custody, reported Al-Rai. Imam accused of assault A Bangladeshi man who was recently hospitalized with various injuries, including a broken leg, told police that the wounds were inflicted by the Kuwaiti Imam at the mosque where he worked as a cleaner. The victim told police that the cleric had beaten him savagely with a steel rod after falsely accusing him of stealing a TV set which had gone missing from a room inside the mosque complex.

The victim has chosen not to file charges against the Imam, however, reported AlAnba, with some suggesting that he has been pressurized into not doing so. In addition, since being discharged from hospital police have been unable to trace the injured man, who has not reported back to the workplace where he sustained the injuries.

Syrian fugitives caught Officers from the Kuwaiti branch of Interpol have detained ten Syrian fugitives wanted in connection with a murder case in their homeland. The arrests took place within 24 hours of the officers being notified of the fugitives’ suspected presence in Kuwait, where they fled following the crime. A number of the fugitives were discovered in hiding at an address in Khaitan, with the others being apprehended shortly af terwards, reported AlWatan. All those detained were handed over to the Kuwaiti Interpol officials’ Syrian counterparts following the arrests.

Online blackmailer caught Detectives have arrested a male Arab expatriate who allegedly blackmailed a Kuwaiti man over naked photos which the conman obtained fraudulently online

by posing as a woman. The victim told Criminal Investigation Department officials that he had met the ‘woman’ online, adding that ‘she’ had tricked him into providing pictures of himself naked before revealing that ‘she’ was actually a man and using the photos to blackmail him. He added that he had initially given the blackmailer KD 1,000 in the hope that this would make him go away.

When he received another demand, this time for KD 3,000, however, the victim decided to go to the police, reported Al-Rai. After tracking the blackmailer down through his email and IP addresses, detectives obtained an arrest warrant and quickly took him into custody. The department’s IT experts quickly found the footage on the hard drive of the fraudster’s computer and he is currently in custody awaiting trial.

Farw aniya fights Two Kuwaiti men were taken to Farwaniya Hospital with stab wounds following a fight between family members in the area that started as a disagreement over candidacy for positions on the management board of a local Coop. Police had to intervene to break up the fight before the two brawlers were taken to hospital, reported Al-Watan.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, also in Farwaniya, a 26-year-old Kuwaiti man was taken to the same hospital af ter being stabbed in the back in a fight with another citizen.

Drag racer hits police car A police officer was slightly injured when his patrol vehicle was hit by a car driven directly at it by a joyriding young driver when the officer attempted to break up an illegal drag-racing event in Sabhan. The officer had approached the drivers on growing suspicious when he spotted a group of youths gathering there, finding that they were present to watch a race between a motorcycle and a sports car driven by friends. He immediately began attempting to obtain the personal details of the two drivers in order to identify and prosecute them, reported AlWatan. The car driver refused to give his details, however, and deliberately rammed his car into the police vehicle,

damaging it and slightly injuring the officer, before fleeing the scene. Other police officers rushed to the location, managing to seize seven of the vehicles used for illegal racing that were there, and arresting a relative of the driver who rammed his car into the police vehicle. A hunt is underway for the fugitive joyrider.

Snappers seized Three Chinese men were held for questioning af ter police found them taking photographs of a sensitive security facility in Hawally. Security guards at the building had called the police on spotting the three men taking a great interest in the building, and officers were quickly at the scene. Initially, detectives were unable to discover the men’s reasons for wishing to photograph the facility since none of the three spoke any Arabic, reported Al-Watan.

The trio have been referred to the State Security Department and an investigation is underway into their activities.

Burglary An Egyptian man filed a case at Abdullah Port police station, reporting the theft of eleven employees’ passports and KD 2,000 in cash from a safe at the office where he works. The man accused an Indian expatriate of the crime, with police finding that the accused man has since disappeared, reported Al-Watan.

An investigation into the case is continuing, and police are hunting for the suspect.

Phony cops caught Two male Arab expatriates have been arrested on charges of armed robbery and impersonating security officials. An investigation was launched after another Arab expatriate filed a report at Maidan Hawally police station, saying that two unidentified men had burst into his apartment and attacked him, stealing his cell phone and some cash at gunpoint while claiming to be working for the Kuwaiti intelligence service.

The culprits were quickly traced to a cafe in Hawally based on a tip-off from the victim. Police also discovered that the gun used by the imposters was a fake, reported Al-Qabas. Both have been refer red to the relevant authorities.

NATIONAL

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

5

Disaster risk reduction

Serious heat wave, flooding could hit Kuwait: UN rep

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Just like every other country in the world, Kuwait is susceptible to heat waves, flooding and other disasters that might endanger the lives, properties and safety of its residents, said a UN disaster expert yesterday.

KUWAIT: Margareta Wahlstrom, special rep of the Sec Gen for Disaster Risk Reduction

Speaking at a forum entitled ‘Disaster Risk Reduction,’ held at the Regency Palace Hotel, Margareta Wahlstrom, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative, said that there is a need for governments around the world to take serious efforts to make their nations’ cities resilient to any form of natural or man-made disaster.

KUWAIT: Some of the Arab towns/cities representative attending the conference.

—Photos by Yasser Zayyat

Stolen cars ‘hidden’ in KIA parking lot?

KUWAIT: Kuwait International Airport’s (KIA) parking lot has had a longstanding problem with vehicles either left there for long periods or simply abandoned by people leaving the country permanently.

The issue has also raised security concerns that the area may be used as a location to ‘hide’ stolen vehicles or that

some of the cars may be used in illegal activities.

One official from the United Aviation Service Projects Company, which manages the parking services there, told AlRai that more than 61 vehicles have been left there for months and even years, adding that attempts to contact the regis-

tered owners have been unsuccessful.

Company director Ali Mataqi noted that several of the cars belong to local vehicle rental firms and have been abandoned there by the individuals who hired them during visits to the country, leaving the rental firms themselves liable to pay the parking fines.

KUWAIT: MEW and other government officials attending the launch of the training program.

—Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Advanced projects contribute to creation of jobs for Kuwaitis KUWAIT: Under the patronage of the Ministry of Electricity & Water, a plan to launch a training program was finally developed and catered for 125 Kuwaiti engineers and technicians at the Ministry in the area of energy auditing and management and technology infrastructure for intelligent buildings.

The program came as a result of the output of strategic projects under the guidelines of the National Offset Company’s (NOC) Offset Program in the State of Kuwait.

The Implementation of the project

and knowledge transfer are supported by the German company Asea Brown Boveri - ABB and the Indian company Kalpataru.

EFMS was established under the guildlines of the National Offset Company in the State of Kuwait, as an Offset Business Venture (O.B.V.) under the cooperation of ISSNAD group, a private holding company in Kuwait and international companies, ABB and Kalpataru. Since then, EFMS has worked closely with ABB and Kalpataru to design and launch a series of planned long-

term projects that are well supported by offset program that will help transfer the technology and knowledge to various government agencies in the State of Kuwait.

MEW and other government agencies are benefiting from the support provided by international and local companies who can deliver training programs, technical and financial support for their engineers, technicians and other disciplines. These programs support the achievement of goals identified in the Kuwait Development Plan which

requires increased capacity of all government agencies in all areas.

This program aims to strengthen the capacities of engineers and technicians from the Kuwaiti cadres in the following areas: ● Energy Auditing for existing buildings and facilities. ● Analysis and management of energy demand. ● Practical applications on energy-efficient systems and technologies. ● Applications of clean energy and green buildings.

On the sidelines of the forum, which was also attended by representatives of Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Libya, Wahlstrom suggested that there are three main issues Kuwait needs to be addressed in order to find a longterm solution to major contemporary problems.

She first suggested that because of climate change “there could be more heatwaves hitting the country in coming years.”

She asked, “Are you ready? Are you prepared for the impending catastrophe?”

In terms of flooding, she asked whether or not Kuwait’s drainage system is capable of sustaining high water levels and up to what amount and level? She also stressed the importance of ensuring a sound building infrastructure. “Are buildings built according to international code and safety standards?” she asked, adding that these three points need to be reviewed. “I think it needs government attention and private sector partnership,” she said.

The United Nations campaign to make cities resilient to any form of disaster was also separately highlighted during the annual conference of Arab Towns Organization (ATO), which is taking place in Kuwait from October 4 to 10.

“The campaign is organized globally with the help of city mayors, local government officials because they are working closely with the population on daily basis,” she said. The objective is to save lives and livelihood through proper planning and preparedness, to work towards sustainable urbanization, and to help protect natural resources, urban heritage and economic activities.

According to Wahlstrom, the campaign focused on ten point agenda although noted they could create more ways and method to make cities resilient.

Here’s the ten points recommendation by the International Strategy for Risk Reduction: The organization advises putting in place organization and coordination to understand and reduce disaster risk, based on participation of citizen groups and civil society. Other recommendations include assigning a budget for disaster risk reduction and provide incentives for homeowners, low-income families, communities, businesses and public sector to invest in reducing the risks they face. In addition, they prescribe maintaining up-to-date data on hazards and vulnerabilities, prepare risk assessments and use these as the basis for urban development plans and decisions. To ensure that this information and the plans for your city’s resilience are readily available to the public and fully discussed with them.

Investment and maintaining infrastructure that reduces risk such as flood drainage, were needed to cope with climate change. They also advised an assessment of the safety of all schools and health facilities, and necessary upgrade.

Abracadabra: Sorcerers to get ‘3 years’ imprisonment KUWAIT: A parliamentary committee has approved a motion to classify sorcery as a felony in Kuwait, recommending that any individual found guilty of practicing black magic or possessing sorcery equipment should be sentenced to a jail term of three years. The subject was discussed by the parliamentary legislative and legal committee during its most recent meeting, which also approved a motion to classify public begging as a crime, according to which those found guilty should face suitable penalties.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, committee rapporteur Dr. Walid Al-Tabtabae noted that the two motions had also been approved by representatives from the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs (MAIA), who were also present at the meeting.

KUWAIT: (From left) Adnan Seif and Sheikha Nawal Al-Sabah

Rihab Al-Kafri (right) with other officials of the campaign.

—Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

Tawazon campaign to address obesity concerns

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Extensive studies and researches done in the region have shown that obesity is on the rise in Kuwait. With the aim of spreading awareness on the disease, Eijaz International for Exhibitions and Conferences is organizing the ‘Tawazon-Prevention and Treatment’ campaign. It is being held under the patronage of Sheikha Nawal Al-Homoud Al-Sabah, Head of the ‘Special Child Festival,’ and was launched during the press conference held yesterday at the Gulf University for Sciences and Technology (GUST).

The campaign will be held between October 27 and 30, 2010 at the Salwa Al-Sabah Ballroom. “The activities will begin on October 27, with the first conference and exhibition displayed on fighting obesity.

Well-known experts and specialists will participate in the

symposiums to provide solutions for obesity and its diseases. Also, large-scale companies will participate in this event,” stated Rihab Al-Kafri, Chief Executive Officer, Eijaz during the conference.

Various activities are being held as part of the event, “Visitors will meet the latest technologies in this field. Also, special activities have been prepared for all of the adults and children at the exhibition.

A walkathon will be held on Friday, October 29. The starting point will be from the Scientific Center in Salmiya and ending at the Salwa Ballroom,” added Al-Kafri.

A competition will also be held, “People will be able to register in the ‘Lose Weight’ competition that will last for a period of three months. This competition will be sponsored by the Flex Real Estate and Resorts. Those interested are welcomed to register their

names for a nominal fee.

Participants will have to undergo vigorous sports training and a diet plan, that will be monitored by health experts.

The winners of this competition will receive valuable prizes that will be given away during the awards ceremony to be held in February 2011,” she added.

“The most important goal and priority is to organize conferences and exhibitions that addresses social problems and issues, and spread cultural, social and health awareness in different ways. Also, Obesity poses significant health risks that makes it an important problem. We hope to cater to the needs of all age groups annually,” Al-Kafri concluded.

Eijaz will also organize a ‘Youth Exhibition and Conference’ towards the end of April 2011.

This event will be sponsored by GUST. For more information visit : www.tawazon.com.kw

YALA: Thailand’s Yala Islamic University (YIU) awarded yesterday Kuwait’s Deputy Premier for Legal Affairs, Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Rashed Al-Hammad, an honorary doctorate degree in the field of Islamic Sharia law. —KUNA

Thailand’s YIU awards honorary doctorate to Awqaf minister YALA: Thailand’s Yala Islamic University (YIU) awarded yesterday Kuwait’s Deputy Premier for Legal Affairs, Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, Rashed Al-Hammad, an honorary doctorate degree in the field of Islamic Sharia law at a cer-

emony held in his honor at the university.

During the ceremony, AlHammad said in a speech that this honor “is an honor for Kuwait and it’s a way to bolster bilateral relations between Kuwait and Thailand, based on serving the

peoples of both countries.”

The minister expressed his utmost appreciation for such honoring, particularly from YIU’s secretariats Council.

Al-Hammad praised YIU’s role in serving Islam, including its much appreciated role for Islamic causes, called on the academic and education administrations in the university to continue helping with development of humanity.

For his part, YIU’s President of the secretariats council Wan Mohammad Noor said “Kuwait has strong ties with Thailand and its people; Kuwait has been a pioneer in assisting Thailand’s social reforms ..”

Minister Al-Hammad has “strong relations with Islamic cadets and he has played a vital role in developing Islamic education in the country,” he added. —KUNA

6

NATIONAL

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

KU gets new registration system

By Abdullah Al-Qattan KUWAIT: The registration faculty in Kuwait University yesterday announced the launch of its new Student Registration System, which can accommodate over 5,000 students at the same time, replacing the less efficient previous system which suffered from a number of problems. The initiative for the new system came from KU teaching assistant Mariam Al-Otaibi, who belongs to the women’s faculty, with the project being led by the Assistant

Dean of Registration Dr Sabeih AlMkhaizem.

On his behalf, Dr Anwar Al-Yatama said that the new system which will be available for students from October 10 or 11, is a whole new direction for the university, rather than having to fix the major problems that hampered the old system.

Dr Anwar also added that this system was built on recommendations and advice from each faculty over the past couple of years, ensure that it will be a huge improvement in the field of student regis-

tration.

Dr Anwar explained that among the major improvements introduced as part of the new system is the ability to let 5,000 students access the server simultaneously without the system freezing or experiencing major delays.

Another new feature is the ability to add subjects directly from the graduation major sheet which will also be provided in the new system’s interface of the system, in order to add a new way of advising students.

Dr Al-Mkhaizem, who is also the chairman of the committee for re-designing the electronic Student Information System said that the new system features many improvements and new services, including a new GPA calculator and the ability to add subjects based on the curricular recommendations, and much more.

Dr. Al-Mkhaizem also revealed that the committee will be printing and distributing leaflets for students to ensure that they are aware of how the new system works. He explained that these will

include a “How to” menu for those students who prefer this. Finally, Dr AlMkhaizem said that students will be able to use the full system by the 10th of December due to the fact that they are already done with this course’s registration.

Students who attended the seminar said that they’ve been looking forward to the introduction of a system like this for years now and they are more than hopeful that this system won’t disappoint.

Jassem Al-Faras, a student in the

College of Engineering, said that the old system used to waste a great deal of students’ time through numerous errors which didn’t allow them to register. “A new system in this case might mean more problems than actually fixing the old ones, but we are hoping for the best” he added.

Zahra Al-Eisa, a student in the College of Arts, said that having an online advisory system, along with the graduation major sheet, might ease the problems that they used to have in the past.

‘Authorities are monitoring prices’

Price crisis: Tomatoes hoarded to raise demand KUWAIT: A recent discovery of the foul play behind local vegetable suppliers’ could have triggered the sudden increase in prices of several food items. This situation gave rise to limited supply and an increase in demand. During an unscheduled tour carried out by inspectors from the Ministry of Commerce at w arehouses w here vegetables imports are usually stored in Shuw aikh. More than 1,000 cartons filled w ith tomatoes w ere found stored, at a time, w hen local vegetable markets suffer from severe shortage that has caused prices to soar to as much as KD 4.5 per carton.

KUWAIT: Director General of the General Department of Drugs Control (GDDC) Major General Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah yesterday received several senior officials. — Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

GDDC head thanks officials

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Director General of the General Department of Drugs Control (GDDC) Major General Sheikh Ahmad AlAbdullah Al-Sabah yesterday received several of the senior officials and academics responsible for delivering lectures to anti-narcotics officers from across the GCC during a recent seminar. He thanked all the officials and academics for their efforts, expressing appreciation for their hard work.

Companies warned on illegal structures A number of companies in the Mina Abdullah Industrial Zone have been issued with citations warning them that illegally built structures or extensions will be removed. Duaij Al-Sinafi, the Deputy Coordinator of the team responsible for removing structures illegally built on state land, said that various firms, including car repair workshops, warehouses and offices

KUWAIT: Illegally built structures. had been served with notices instructing them to remove the illegal structures by October 10 or face having them dismantled by the team.

Co-op assault A member of the management board at a local Co-op told police that he was beaten by

a Kuwaiti woman and four of her family members at his workplace. The victim told Ahmadi police that the woman, who owns a company whose goods are stocked by the Co-op, launched the assault because she felt that her firm’s goods were not being displayed prominently enough at the store. An investigation is underway.

The minister Ahmad Al-Haroun asserted that ‘surprise’ inspection campaigns would continue round the clock until prices stabilize. This move will be undertaken to ensure that all suppliers do not manipulate prices.

In a statement made to the press, AlHaroun asserted that legal actions have already been taken against violating companies that deliberately hoarded supplies of tomatoes, adding that they were forced to release the shipment before facing charges.

Meanwhile, Al-Haroun stated unused spaces at the Shuwaikh vegetable market (shabarah) will be utilized, in order to increase the supply and meet the demand, reported Al-Qabas.

In addition to the aforementioned violation, campaigns also uncovered several other violations including altering places of origin, and the sale of local produce.

The concerned authorities are playing an active role to ensure that goods, especially vegetables are being sold in a transparent manner, said Minister of Commerce Ahmad Al-Haroun. He said that such measures will help control the prices of vegetables and prevent consumers from being exploited. Abdullah Al-Enazie, Chief of the Technical Committee at the Municipal Council said that it will play a larger role in controlling the prices of food items, reported Al-Shahed. He denied that the Kuwaiti Union for Importing Vegetables and Fruits has not caused the situation.

This past week, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor (MSAL) Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi passed a decision to strengthen the supervisory and monitoring activities to detect financial and administrative errors. In the meantime, officials indicate that the supervision efforts have been affected by the spread of ‘employment based on favoritism.’

The number of inspectors has increased sharply, not to mention that it causes sectarian and tribal conflicts to emerge, reported Al-Qabas. The Ministry of Commerce is being blamed for hiked prices.

With the prices of vegetables on the rise, more light is now being shed on the role played by co-operative societies.

Authorities’ incompetence has compounded the existing problem.

KUWAIT: An accident took place in Salmiya when a driver suddenly stopped his car causing two more to collide into his. No casualties were reported. — Photo by Fouad Al-Shaikh

Two candidates compete for NDA secretary post KUWAIT: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) held its first meeting yesterday since the resignation of former secretary Khalid Al-Fadhalah, according to a news report. A new secretary was appointed at the meeting’s agenda.

The report further quoted sources from within the NDA,

who stated that the post be either given to members Salah Al-Madhaf or Khalid Al-Khalid, while pointing out that former MP and former minister Abdulmuhsin Al-Med’ej was also expected to return to the alliance’s executive office, in addition to the former head of the Kuwait Graduates’ Society,

Adel Al-Fawzan, reported AlQabas. Other topics that were scheduled to be discussed during the meeting included the report referred by the executive office on works and recommendations made last year, as well as a ratification of the previous year’s financial and budget committee’s report.

Kuwait ‘pioneer’ in health care: Official CAIRO: Kuwait is a “pioneering” country in the field of health care and infection control by using scientific methods, a Kuwaiti health official said here yesterday.

“The State of Kuwait is pioneering in controlling infectious diseases, mainly swine flu, AIDS and others,” Assistant Undersecretary of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health for Public Health Yusif Al-Nesf told KUNA on the sidelines of a World Health Organization (WHO) medical conference on diseases in the Middle East region.

Kuwait attaches much attention to boosting the health level of its citizens and promoting health awareness by means of taking several

moves in this respect, including the medical checking of incoming laborers, he said.

Kuwait awards an annual prize for efforts to control cancer, heart diseases and non-infectious diseases, the Kuwaiti official pointed out.

Al-Nesf stressed the significance of the ongoing WHO meeting in the fight against several diseases spreading in the Middle East region.

The three-day medical conference will discuss key reports on several initiatives on smoking hazards, psychological health of mothers, children and teens, nutrition and others, he said. Some 22 Arab ministers of health are partaking in the regional conference. — KUNA

Cabinet rejects bloc’s resignation call

By A. Saleh The government has disregard the Reform and Development Bloc’s calls on the cabinet to resign, with one senior official saying “this call encroaches on [the government’s] authorities and it’s not the RDB’s business to impose such a thing.”

Cabinet spokesman, Minister of Communications and State Minister for National Assembly Affairs Dr. Mohammad Al-Busairi said, “We have the support of the constitution and Abdullah AlSalem Hall, as well as Article 50 [of the constitution], which does not allow one authority to

encroach on the other.”

Meanwhile, in separate news, the Cassation Court rejected an appeal from MP Faisal Al-Mislem against the fine imposed on him over the ‘MPs’ cheques’ case, in which he was accused of insulting His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah. The court also ruled against an appeal by the Public Prosecution Service against the exoneration of Mohammad AlJassem in the same case.

Al-Mislem’s lawyer, who did not attend the hearing, had submitted a request that the ruling be postponed, but this was also dismissed.

Retirement Sources said that 23 Undersecretaries asked the civil service commission to retire them as they reached the age limit, and their services exceeded 30 years, and they meet the conditions of the cabinet’s decision, regarding their retirement.

The sources said the decision is that of the cabinet whether to have them continue their services or retirement.

Indicators are that the cabinet will leave it to the ministers to evaluate their need for such person, and if he is needed he will continue.

kuwait digest

The anti-corruption authority

By Rashid Al-Rad’an would like to see the government establish a special authority to fight corruption, vice and immorality. This body would be authorized to arrest those using various beaches to practice their indecent actions and should also be equipped with all the necessary equipment to carry out its duties, including vehicles, cameras, weapons and binoculars so that it could monitor crimes being committed in public places from a distance. In this way, it would be able to surveil what a couple was doing on the beach while driving past. Using a couple of helicopters would be even better to find out what’s taking place on roofs. Such an authority would surely help the interior ministry and spare officers and policemen from arresting couples practicing indecency in public places and being punished for doing their jobs.

I know that the government will like this suggestion and would even recommend adding further duties for the proposed authority, such as banning MPs, candidates or citizens from holding national unity-threatening seminars or rallies even those talking about expatriate labor and the new labor act. Yet, I

I

also know that the government cannot take my suggestion seriously due to legal and parliamentary considerations, which have led the government to demand the establishment of a public anti-corruption authority. Which leads one to ask - what kind of corruption? Would this body be tackling the financial and administrative corruption practiced against public funds? Would it be responsible for protecting all governmental bodies from being financially or managerially manipulated?

Rumor has it, however, that this authority will be a total failure and a waste of time, and that the government is not in the position to objectively monitor a governmental body or organization. This anti-corruption body will surely be subjected to the government’s power and might and opaque rather than transparent. In addition, establishing such an authority indicates that corruption had already spread throughout the country, to the extent that the government is considering establishing a special authority to ‘nurture’ it.

Getting rid of corruption is up to the government itself; if it were serious about eradicating corruption, it would do so with the help of decent citizens and officials who are extremely keen on protecting public funds.

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INTERNATIONAL

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Iraq’s Sunni-backed bloc united against Al-Maliki BAGHDAD : A Sunni-backed bloc that came first in elections seven months ago is united against the bid

by Shiite Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki to remain in office, a party spokesman said yesterday, in another clear sign of deep divisions over efforts to end Iraq’s political impasse.

The pledge of solidarity against Al-Maliki vividly shows the rifts since the March elections but means little to effectively block his bid to retain power. AlMaliki is close to putting together a parliamentary majority after getting backing from hard-line Shiite factions and others. Support from Kurdish parties would give him a commanding coalition and the ability to begin forming a government.

The defiant stance of the Sunni-backed group

threatens to shatter the fragile rapprochement between majority Sunnis and Shiites just three years since the country stepped back from the brink of sectarian civil war. It also is a direct blow to US calls for a new government to represent all Iraqi rival groups and move ahead with reconciliation and desperately needed reconstruction projects. Hayder alMulla, a spokesman for the Sunni-backed Iraqiya group, demanded that Al-Maliki and his allies “give up the post” of prime minister to acknowledge the narrow election victory of Ayad Allawi, Iraqiya’s leader. Allawi served as prime minister after the USled invasion in 2003. “The prime minister’s post is for all Iraqis and not for one sect or one party,” he said in a direct reference to the dominance of Shiites

political affairs and security forces since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-led regime. Allawi’s coalition won the most seats in the March parliamentary elections but could not pull in enough partners to gain a majority in the 325-seat chamber. The comments by the party spokesman also sought to counter reports of defections to Al-Maliki’s side.

“Iraqiya says clearly it won’t participate in any government headed by Al-Maliki. Our reservations over Al-Maliki come out of the bitter experiences the past four years,” al-Mulla told reporters at a parliament press conference. The house has only had one informal session that lasted 20 minutes since March, in which lawmakers protested the postelection deadlock. Al-Mulla also warned that Iraq, under

Al-Maliki, would be mired in political feuds that could hamper efforts at luring foreign investment and complicate internal security cooperation as US military force leave. On Sunday, a key Sunni political leader in the northern city of Mosul told The Associated Press that a return of Al-Maliki as government leader would destroy the country’s “last chance for democracy.” “If Iraqis can’t get together to form a government that is in keeping with the election results, there will be no longer any kind of support for democracy. And in the future there will be no desire to join the democratic process,” said Atheel al-Nujaifi, governor of the northern Ninevah province.

The political maneuvering comes amid a wave of

attacks targeting security personnel and government workers. The bombings and shootings, blamed on Sunni insurgents, is seen as an attempt to discredit Al-Maliki’s leadership and tap into public frustration over the political bind. In Baghdad, a roadside bombing targeted the convoy of a deputy minister in Iraq’s government, Fouad al-Moussawi, killing a bodyguard and wounding at least seven people, police officials said. Al-Moussawi was unharmed. In a separate attack in the capital, an employee at Iraq’s public works ministry was severely wounded after a bomb attached to his car exploded, police said. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to the media. — AP

UN tribunal set to indict members of Hezbollah

Syria orders arrests of 33 over Hariri probe BEIRUT: Syria has ordered the arrest of 33 people over false testimony given in the UNbacked probe into the assassination of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, a general held over the killing and his law yers said. J amil Sayyed, the former head of Lebanon’s security services,

JERUSALEM: Irish Nobel laureate Mairead Maguire arrives at the Jerusalem Suprem Court yesterday where she appealed to cancel a deportation order barring her from Israel for 10 years. — AFP

Irish Nobel laureate faces top Israeli court to appeal ban JERUSALEM: Irish Nobel laureate and peace activist Mairead Maguire yesterday appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court to cancel a deportation order barring her from Israel for 10 years, her lawyers said.

Maguire appeared before three Supreme Court justices in a bid to overturn a lower court decision handed down on Friday which ordered her deportation within 48 hours. She was in fighting spirit when she arrived at the Jerusalem courtroom.

“There will be peace in this country, I believe, but only when Israel ends apartheid and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people,” she told reporters. “This is the last stage-if she loses this appeal, she will be deported,” said Salah Mohsen, spokesman for the Adalah legal rights group which is representing her. Judges retired to consider their verdict at around 2:00 pm (1200 GMT). Four hours later they had not delivered their ruling. The 66-year-old activist arrived in Israel today but was denied entry at Ben Gurion airport because she had been deported in June for trying to reach the Gaza Strip by boat in defiance of an Israeli naval blockade.

Israeli prosecutors said she was advised in June that she would be banned from returning to Israel for 10 years. Maguire denies being given any such advice. “I asked them when I was leaving whether I would be able to come back and I was assured that I would,” Adalah staffer Nadia Ben-Youssef, who was with Maguire in court yesterday, quoted her as saying. “That was her argument, that she didn’t know, she just didn’t know,” Ben-Youssef told AFP.

Adalah lawyers won a temporary injunction against her deportation and took the case to the district court in Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv on Friday, but the court rejected the appeal. Later that night, Maguire, who has been held in detention at the airport since Tuesday, was taken to hospital for tests after falling ill, Mohsen said.

“She was suffering from dizziness and dehydration so she was taken to hospital for tests,” he said. She returned to the detention centre later that night. “She is still very tired but in good spirits,” he said.

Maguire was one of 19 activists on board the Irish-owned “Rachel Corrie,”which tried and failed to reach Gaza in early June a week after Israeli forces botched a raid on a six-ship flotilla heading for the coastal enclave, killing nine Turkish activists. She had planned to lead a delegation of women on a week-long tour of Israel and the Palestinian territories to highlight the work of women peace activists.

Ben-Youssef said that in her address to the Supreme Court yesterday Maguire told of her efforts for peace in Northern Ireland and her belief that non-violent campaigning could also help heal the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but when she sought to make political points she was asked to sit down.

“The court cut her off and said that this is not a political platform,” Ben-Youssef said. Maguire arrived last week as the Israeli navy intercepted another boat carrying US, European and Israeli activists which was trying to reach the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip which has been under naval blockade since 2006. — AFP

Iraq’s Sunni-backed bloc united against Al-Maliki BAGHDAD : A Sunni-backed bloc that came first in elections seven months ago is united against the bid by Shiite Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki to remain in office, a party spokesman said yesterday, in another clear sign of deep divisions over efforts to end Iraq’s political impasse.

The pledge of solidarity against Al-Maliki vividly shows the rifts since the March elections but means little to effectively block his bid to retain power. Al-Maliki is close to putting together a parliamentary majority after getting backing from hard-line Shiite factions and others. Support from Kurdish parties would give him a commanding coalition and the ability to begin forming a government.

The defiant stance of the Sunni-backed group threatens to shatter the fragile rapprochement between majority Sunnis and Shiites just three years since the country stepped back from the brink of sectarian civil war. It also is a direct blow to US calls for a new government to represent all Iraqi rival groups and move ahead with reconciliation and desperately needed reconstruction projects. Hayder al-Mulla, a spokesman for the Sunnibacked Iraqiya group, demanded that Al-Maliki and his allies “give up the post” of prime minister to acknowledge the narrow election victory of Ayad Allawi, Iraqiya’s leader. Allawi served as prime minister after the US-led invasion in 2003. —AP

Among those named in the warrants is Detlev Mehlis, the German prosecutor who led the early stages of the UN investigation into Hariri’s 2005 assassination in a massive bombing, Sayyed said in a weekend statement. The Lebanese defendants include the head of Lebanon’s police, Ashraf Rifi, deputy Marwan Hamadeh, top prosecutor Saeed Mirza and former Justice Minister Charles Rizk.

Fassih Achi, one of Sayyed’s attorneys in Damascus, confirmed yesterday that arrest warrants had been issued, adding the case was being handled in a “secret fashion”. The warrants are sure to strike a blow to relations between Damascus and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri-son of the slain leader-who has sought in the past year to mend fences with Syria, observers said.

They also come with tensions high in Lebanon over unconfirmed reports the UN tribunal is set to indict members of the militant group Hezbollah, which is backed

by Syria and Iran, in connection with Hariri’s murder. “This is a shocking development in terms of relations between the prime minister and the Syrian leadership,” Oqab Sakr, a deputy in Hariri’s pro-Western parliamentary majority, said yesterday.

Several observers said the warrants were clearly politically motivated and carried no legal weight in Lebanon as the crime in question took place on Lebanese soil and the complainant as well as most of the defendants are Lebanese.

“By doing this, the Syrians are trying to pressure the government to change its position on the STL,” said Samir al-Jisr, another deputy in Hariri’s coalition, referring to the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon. “But we cannot back down on the tribunal, even if we wanted to,” Jisr added. Sayyed in his complaint alleged the UN probe was based on fabricated testimony aimed at implicating Syria and its supporters in Lebanon in Hariri’s killing.

Damascus has consistently denied any involvement in the assassination and last month, in a stunning about-turn, Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he had been wrong to point the finger at Syria. Sayyed was one of four security generals who served four years in prison on suspicion of involvement with the murder. All four were released last year for lack of evidence.

He filed his complaint in Damascus last October on grounds that five of the defendants are Syrians and because Lebanese officials refused to consider the case, referring it to the UN-backed court. Lebanese newspapers yesterday carried gloomy headlines saying the arrest warrants were a clear message from Damascus to Hariri and amounted, according to the French-language daily L’Orient-Le-Jour, to a “declaration of war”. “The prime target of these warrants is the tenant at the Grand Serail,” said the Arabic-language daily Al-Akhbar, referring to the government’s offices in Beirut.

The daily As-Safir, close to Hezbollah, said the warrants were a stern warning to Hariri to do away with the STL. “The warrants indicate that Syria has lost patience with Hariri and this time it will not be difficult for him to understand the message which is to stop delaying the decisions expected of him,” the newspaper said.— AFP

said the top investigating judge in Damascus had issued arrest w arrants “against judges, security officers, politicians, journalists and other Lebanese, Arab and foreign officials and individuals.”

A combo of file pictures shows (from L-R), Detlev Mehlis, the German prosecutor who led the early stages of the UN investigation into Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri’s 2005 assassination in a massive bombing, Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) Commander in Chief, Brigadier General Ashraf Rifi, former Lebanese Minister of Communication and current deputy Marwan Hamadeh and former Lebanese general prosecutor Said Mirza. — AFP

Six killed in Iraq violence BAGHDAD: Six people were killed in violence in Baghdad and central Iraq yesterday, including a journalist for a US-funded television station, medical and security officials said.

Tahrir Kadhim Jawad, a cameraman for the Al-Hurra satellite channel, was killed when a magnetic “sticky bomb” attached to his car detonated in the town of Garma, 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the capital, police in nearby Fallujah said. International press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned Jawad’s killing, calling for “urgent protection to be provided for the country’s journalists and... (for) authorities to speed up the conclusions of the investigation.”

RSF said last month that the Iraq conflict has been the deadliest for the media since World War II, and in October 2009 ranked Iraq a lowly 145th place for media freedom out of 175 countries. According to the “Impunity Index” released in April by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, Iraq has the worst record of any country for solving the murders of reporters. Also yesterday, a convoy transporting Fuad al-

Mussawi, a deputy minister of science and technology, struck a bomb along a road in the upscale neighbourhood of Jadriyah, in the centre of the capital.

The minister was unharmed, but the early morning blast killed one of his guards and wounded four other people, said an interior ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Also in central Baghdad, an employee of a telephone exchange was killed and another wounded by a bomb which detonated near Al-Alwiyah communications centre in Karrada.

And in Diyala province, north of the capital, a bombing killed three people in the ethnically mixed town of Jalawlah, in a tract of disputed land claimed both by the autonomous Kurdistan region and Iraq’s central government. An initial “sticky bomb” attached to a car, which appeared to be targeting Kurdish peshmerga security forces, detonated but did not cause any casualties, Diyala operations command said. When police arrived at the scene, a second bomb detonated, killing two policemen and a civilian, and wounding 18 others, including 11 police officers.— AFP

in the news Egypt’s journalists decry media crackdown CAIRO: Egypt’s Journalists’ Union has accused the government of cracking down on the press after the closing of two popular talk shows ahead of parliamentary elections. The statement received by The Associated Press yesterday said the two talk shows had been shut down for political reasons because of the sensitive legislative elections set for the end of November.

Mohammed Abdel Qudous, the head of the union’s freedoms committee, said other shows had been told to tone down as well.

Egyptian authorities, however, maintain the closures were for financial not political reasons. Egypt’s media scene has seen an explosion of privately owned TV networks and programs in the past five years that have increasingly pushed government boundaries discussing politics.

Yemen boosts security because of Al-Qaeda threat SANAA: Yemeni officials say authorities have boosted security around embassies and government buildings in the capital because of intelligence indicating Al-Qaeda is planning a new attack. Security officials say more checkpoints have been placed in the main streets of Sanaa, one of the few areas under the control of Yemen’s weak government. Beyond the capital, Al-Qaeda and other Islamic militants roam relatively freely, particularly in the remote and mountainous south. The country’s AlQaeda offshoot has hammered Yemen’s security forces. Last week, two Al-Qaeda gunmen ambushed a bus of Yemeni security personnel in Sanaa, killing one person and injuring 10. The security officials spoke yesterday on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to media.

BAGHDAD: Iraqi policeman inspects a damaged car at a bombing site in Baghdad, Iraq yesterday. Police officials say a roadside bombing has targeted the convoy of a deputy minister in Iraq’s government, killing a bodyguard and injuring several people. — AP

UAE charges journalists with running ‘false news’ DUBAI: The Emirates’ official news agency says two journalists have been charged with publishing an incorrect report. The charges announced late Sunday by state news agency WAM follow last year’s adoption of a media law that includes stiff fines for journalists in this Gulf country. WAM says the Abu Dhabi attorney general’s office charged two newspaper reporters with “publishing false information” that defendants in a fraud case involving the Central Bank had been exonerated. The case is ongoing. WAM says the attorney general is considering a subpoena for the chief editors of the papers the journalists work for. It didn’t name the papers or the journalists involved.

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UK cuts child benefit payments in austerity drive LONDON: Britain will cap payments to jobless families and scrap child benefits for high earners in a sweeping overhaul of the country’s welfare system, Treasury chief George Osborne said yesterday. Osborne, who is seeking to save about 86 billion pounds ($135 billion) in government spending over the next five years, said the cost of welfare payments was out of control, and rewarding some people for staying out of work. At an annual rally of his Conservative Party, Osborne said Britain’s coalition government would introduce a new welfare cap to make sure families in which both parents are unemployed do not receive more in benefits than an average family earn in wages.

Osborne also announced parents who earn more than 44,000 pounds ($70,000) per year will lose child benefit payments from 2013. Currently, all families are paid 20 pounds ($32) a week for their eldest child and about 13 pounds ($20) for other children. The benefits continue until the children are 19, if they stay in full-time education.

There would be welfare payments “to families who need it , but not more money than families who go out to work,” Osborne told activists at the rally in Birmingham, central England. “That is what the British people mean by fair , and we will be the first Government in history to bring it about,” he said.

Since the coalition took

office in May, Osborne has already announced a multibillion pound package of spending reductions and tax hikes, including a two-year pay freeze for most public sector workers, a new levy on banks and a rise in a tax on goods and services. He will set out detailed plans for spending cuts over the next five years in an address to Parliament on Oct 20, aiming to all but clear Britain’s deficit by 2015. Osborne said the government’s austerity measures would bring prosperity in the future. He dismissed plans from the main opposition Labour Party to cut the deficit at a slower rate, saying that would only prolong the period of budget restraint.

“The hard economic choices

we make are but a means to an end, and that end is prosperity for all,” he said. On Sunday, about 7,000 labor union members , including teachers and health service workers , staged a march outside the Conservative convention, to protest at planned spending cuts. Labor unions plan further protests to coincide with Osborne’s announcement to Parliament. “Everyone can agree that we need a fairer economy built on higher, better balanced growth. But the spending and benefit cuts will do the opposite , pushing many people into poverty, hitting middle income Britain hard and threatening growth,” said Brendan Barber, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress. Yvette

Cooper, a Labour lawmaker and the party’s spokeswoman on work and pensions, said the government should increase its levy on banks, rather than cut child benefit payments.

Osborne said the Conservative-led government would prioritize spending on education and improvements to Britain’s infrastructure , including a new high-speed railway network. “Britain has no divine right to be one of the richest countries in the world. As economic power is shifting to the east, there is nothing automatic about our prosperity,” he told the rally. “If our skill base continues to decline, there will be no growth. If our infrastructure remains poor, there will be no growth.”— AP

US helps town in Sudan move past hungriest place Youth in this town were viewed as a catalyst for conflict AKOBO: International officials once visited this straw-hut town to examine skeletal children and make plans to combat a brewing famine. Now six Youth in this muddy town near the Ethiopia border were until recently viewed as a catalyst for conflict in an area of Southern Sudan known for violence. But the youth are now taking part in US-funded construction projects that have seen a community center built and a fence erected around the unpaved airstrip _ to prevent cows from wandering into the path of aircraft.

UN and US officials championed the approach to resolving local conflict and building peace in this historically tense, heavily armed outpost during a weekend visit. “It is not only a sign of sta-

bility, but a sign of hope for many youth who used their energy to mold blocks rather than engaging in cattle rustling,” said County Commissioner Goi Jooyul Yol, the top official in this sprawling county.

The Akobo projects present just a small sliver of good news in a region beset by poverty.

More than 4 million people in Southern Sudan need food aid, and the UN estimates that more than 90 percent of the region’s 8 million to 13 million people live on less than a $1 day. The literacy rate is 15 percent. Life expectancy is 42 years. Still, the UN and US say the Akobo model

months later, fears of mass hunger are gone, and US officials are instead hailing a program they say builds peace.

is worth replicating across Southern Sudan, where intertribal violence is a widespread threat to this Texas-sized region likely to become the world’s newest country next year.

Southern Sudan holds an independence referendum Jan. 9, and keeping the peace across the new country will be a key challenge.

“You should have seen Akobo a year ago,” said Marv Koop, the chief of AECOM in Sudan, the company the US government hired to carry out its aid programs here. “Scorched huts in the outlying villages, people squatting under trees. There’s a

big difference between the situation then and now.” An Associated Press reporter visited Akobo in April and saw skeletal infants and sickly looking elders. Lise Grande, head of the UN’s humanitarian efforts in Southern Sudan, called the village back then “the hungriest place on earth.” Since then the rains have come, and Akobo’s dusty earth is now a sticky, muddy black that is almost impossible to drive through.

Today Grande says “the people of Akobo have turned their community around.” Over the last several months, youth have been making the cement blocks

Somali forces advance into insurgent positions MOGADISHU: Somali government forces and their African Union allies seized control yesterday of positions occupied by Islamist insurgents in fighting that left at least 15 dead, witnesses and an official said. “We have advanced into several positions that the insurgents controlled, and our forces are now in full control after defeating the enemy,” Colonel Mohamed Adan, a Somali government security officer, said. At least two witnesses confirmed the capture of the Tarbunka intersection and the nearby former national army hospital, positions previously controlled by Islamists.

“The Burundian forces and some Somali government soldiers have taken control of the former national army hospital and this morning they moved towards Tarbunka junction and took that,” witness Mohamed Adan Rage said. Another witness, Ali Hassan, confirmed his account. Ali Muse, head of the Mogadishu ambulance service, said around eight civilians died in the latest clashes and 36 others were injured.

Witnesses confirmed seeing the bodies of four Somali government soldiers and three Islamist fighters who were killed in the fighting.

A spokesman for Hezb al-Islam, an Islamist insurgent group, however, denied the government claims, telling reporters his forces gained ground and killed many Somali and African Union troops. “We have killed 31 soldiers, eleven of them African Union troops and we also destroyed three armored vehicles including a tank,” he claimed. Civilians have borne the brunt of the relentless clashes between the AU forces and the Islamist rebels bent on toppling the government.

The AU troops, numbering some 7,200 soldiers, remain the only obstacle between the Shebab and a total take-over of Mogadishu, where the Western-backed government has been confined to just a few blocks by the near-daily clashes. The progovernment advances come as reports are circulating over widening divisions in the

ranks of the Shebab. “These gains come amidst reports that al-Shabab’s second-incommand (Mukhtar Robow) has withdrawn his forces from the city as rifts within the extremist group deepen in the wake of the failed Ramadan offensive,” the government statement said. At the end of August, coinciding with part of the Ramadan fasting period, the Islamists launched a massive offensive in the capital that lasted two weeks.

“Clan divisions and disputes over command, policies and the role of foreign fighters within al-Shabab have been exacerbated by heavy losses suffered in the August/September offensive,” the government said. “Robow’s forces, mostly from the Rahawein clan, bore the brunt of these casualties,” and the withdrawal of his fighters is “a massive body blow” to the Shebab, the government went on. The reports on a widening split between hardliners and “moderates” in the ranks of the Shebab have not been independently confirmed. — AFP

to build a new county headquarters complete with wireless Internet and solar panels paid for

by USAID, the US government aid arm. Workers also constructed a courtroom used for weekly sessions convened by traditional chiefs.

The approach pioneered by the UN and USAID in Akobo addresses what are viewed as the two key triggers for conflict in the area: disempowered youth who lack educational opportunities but have ready access to weapons, and a fledgling government ill-equipped to deliver services and security across its sprawling terrain. USAID has spent more than $2 million in Akobo County in the past year, making it the focal point of its efforts to improve community security in the run-up to the January referendum.

Goi, the commissioner, said many community members pitched in last month to help build the fence around the unpaved airstrip. The project, also funded by USAID, was completed within a week. The top US diplomat in Southern Sudan, Barrie Walkley, said Akobo should be proud of the results.

All of these projects, the officials say, provide incentive for townspeople to improve their lives through paid labor and small business instead of cattle raiding and the armed resolution of disputes.

In 2009, more than 900 people were killed in Akobo County alone, mostly due to armed violence related to cattle raids by idle youth using AK-47s leftover from Sudan’s 21-year northsouth civil war.

This year, Akobo has seen only 15 deaths related to conflict, and some of the same rival youth who were stealing each other’s cattle are now being supported to form a for-profit group for development projects.—AP

BIRMINGHAM: Boris Johnson, Mayor of London makes a speech at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham, England yesterday. —AP

Search for missing US balloonists in Italy ends ROME: The Italian coast guard said yesterday that it had called off the search for a pair of American balloonists who went missing last week in the Adriatic Sea. The search was called off at 3:30 pm after a final attempt to locate Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis had failed, said coast guard spokesman Lt. Massimo Maccheroni. Maccheroni said that a robotic vehicle scanned the seabed of the Adriatic for any remains.

“We found nothing that could be traced to the balloonists,” he told The Associated Press.

The veteran pilots were flying in the 54th Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race when contact was lost Wednesday. Race organizers said the two plunged toward the Adriatic Sea at 50 mph (80 kph) and likely didn’t survive. Since then, search and rescue teams with the Italian coast guard, the US Navy and Croatian coastal aircraft crews have been scouring the Adriatic Sea.

Over the weekend, divers had joined in the search.

The robotic vehicle plunged to depths of 200 meters (656 feet) yesterday to photograph the seabed off Vieste, in Puglia, where the balloon was believed to have crashed. Abruzzo, 47, and Davis, 65, won the 2004 edition of the Gordon Bennett race and the 2003 America’s Challenge gas race - one of Abruzzo’s five victories in that race. Abruzzo worked as part of a prominent family business in Albuquerque that is involved in real estate and operations of the Sandia Peak tramway, Sandia Ski Area and Ski Santa Fe. Richard Abruzzo’s involvement focused on ski area management.

Davis was a radiologist who specialized in reading breast mammograms. The decision to call off the search was made by Rear Adm. Salvatore Giuffre, who had been coordinating the search efforts in southern Italy.—AP

Vote highlights Bosnia’s tangled ethnic enmities SARAJEVO: The results of Sunday’s Bosnian election show the Balkan country’s electorate remains trapped in an ethnic divide that has made the country virtually dysfunctional and alienated investors. Like other emerging Balkan countries, Bosnia aspires to join the European Union but lags almost all others in the region. It cannot apply until the international protectorate oversight, introduced in 1996 in the wake of Europe’s most serious conflict since World War Two, is removed.

More than 15 years after fighting came to an end, Bosnia’s ethnic rivalry endures in the absence of a single dominant group. On Sunday, voters in Bosnia’s Serb Republic gave the biggest support to a nationalist party that threatens secession. By contrast, parties seeking a strong federal government appeared to be the biggest winner in the MuslimCroat half. Political analysts and diplomats say a greater role by the EU or the United States may overcome these deep-rooted divisions, which threaten regional stability and could slow progress by the emerging Balkans as a whole towards EU entry.

“If this country continues on the same trajectory as over the last four years, there will be a meltdown,” said one Western ambassador. “The situation is unsustainable.” “Can we live with a failed state? I don’t think we can,” the official continued. “It will be a generator of problems for Europe. At least it will be a generator of organised crime, it could be a generator of terrorism.”

Zlatko Lagumdzija, head of Bosnia’s multi-ethnic SDP party, said that although some said Serbia was the key to the region, “the door is in Bosnia, because the region cannot be sorted out without Bosnia being

sorted out”. Although the EU and Washington have played an important role in Bosnia’s postwar reconstruction, a growing number of voices complain that their intervention has failed to foster stability.

Christian Schwarz-Schilling, a former international high representative for Bosnia with protectorate powers, said it was unfair to blame the Bosnians for the stalemate. “We will have a disaster in the future as long as Europe and the United States are not connecting on Bosnia,” he added. Other states that emerged after the break-up of Yugoslavia are more ethnically homogenous. Most of Bosnia’s population is descended from the same stock of South Slavs, but hundreds of years under Ottoman domination led many to convert to Islam.

In the region, even the non-religious are categorized by their religious heritage, whatever their beliefs. Sarajevo, once a model for ethnic tolerance where Muslims, Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians and Jews lived side by side, became a symbol of ethnic hatred in the 1990s. Many Bosnians still feel safer voting exclusively for their own ethnic parties.

Muslims, the largest of the three groups, want a strong central state. Bosnian Serbs, the second largest group which sought to carve out a separate state in the 1992-95 war, want more autonomy from Sarajevo and their leader Milorad Dodik has said he may break away from Bosnia in the coming years.

Many Muslims say they would not allow such a move and war would follow. The internationally negotiated peace deal in 1995 ended the fighting, in which 100,000 people were killed, but left the wartime Serb half of Bosnia intact. —Reuters

South Africa prosecution: Nigeria ex-militant guilty

MOGADISHU: An Islamist fighter take position during clashes with Somali government soldier and African union peacekeepers in southern Mogadishu’s Hodon neighborhood, Somalia yesterday.—AP

JOHANNESBURG: A South Africa-based Nigerian ex-militant leader was directly involved in deadly bombings that struck his homeland’s capital during independence celebrations, according to South African prosecutors who charged him with terrorism yesterday.

At a court hearing in Johannesburg, prosecutor Shaun Abrahams said Henry Okah was a senior member of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, which claimed responsibility for a dual car bombing that killed at least 12 people in Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Friday. Lawyers for Okah, who has been living in Johannesburg since 2009, say he has denied any involvement and that they would argue his arrest was unlawful Okah made no comment at yesterday’s hearings. His lawyers said he feared for his life in a central Johannesburg jail, worried another prisoner might try to gain notoriety by attacking him. The judge said yesterday arrangements had been made to hold Okah in a private cell yesterday night, and that he would rule today on whether to move the suspect to a jail Okah considered more secure.

Abrahams presented a charge sheet accusing Okah of breaking South African counterterrorism laws by participating in the bombings. “We will be interacting and have been interacting with Nigerian

authorities,” Abrahams told the court. Chris Iroala, who identified himself as an official at the Nigerian consulate in Johannesburg, was in court yesterday, often standing at the prosecutor’s side. Iroala refused to comment on the case.

In Nigeria yesterday, a security agency spokeswoman said nine people linked to Okah had been arrested there. The spokeswoman, Marilyn Ogar, would not name the suspects. Sunday, Nigeria’s federal police force named two men , Ben Jessy and Chima Orlu , as the attacks’ “masterminds.” Federal police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu offered no further details about the two Nigerian men, other than warning the public it would be a crime to harbor them.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, also known by the acronym MEND, has destroyed oil pipelines, kidnapped petroleum company workers and fought government troops since 2006.

It accuses Nigeria’s government for doing nothing to end poverty in the delta even as the nation receives billions of dollars from oil revenue. Okah has not recently been seen as a key figure in MEND. In 2008, he was arrested in Angola and extradited to Nigeria, where he was accused of treason and terrorism and linked to a gunrunning scandal involving high-ranking military officials. During his trial, word he was suffering from a kidney ailment emerged. —AP

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Trial of ex-Guantanamo prisoner tests Obama policies NEW YORK: A US civilian judge will tomorrow, for the first time, hear the trial of a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay, setting the stage for a high-stakes test of President Barack Obama’s anti-terrorism policies.

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian accused of a key role in the killing of 224 people during the bombings against two US embassies in Africa in 1998, will be the guinea pig in a politicized battle over Guantanamo when opening arguments begin in the New York federal courtroom.

Arrested in Pakistan in 2004, Ghailani is to date the sole inmate of the notorious Guantanamo facility in Cuba to have been transferred into the civilian US system.

That means all eyes will be on the boyish-looking defendant, believed to be in his mid-30s, as debate rages over Obama’s wish to close Guantanamo and also to bring five alleged plotters of the September 11, 2001 attacks to trial in New York. “Ghailani is one of the lucky ones who will be given a real trial in front of a real judge,” said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington

University.

“The administration seems to be suggesting that they are willing to give this a try and if successful, they might allow it for trial of other people.” Ghailani might not be connected to 9/11, but he resembles the profile of the suspects and therefore might seem a good test case. He is accused of having bought the truck and the explosives that were used against the Dar es Salaam embassy in the 1998 attacks-the other bombing was in Nairobiand serving as an aide to Al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden. He faces life in prison if convicted.

Overshadowing the trial in New Yorkas would be the case in trials of others from Guantanamo-is the fact that the defendant has spent years incarcerated without legal protections. Ghailani was also subjected to what the government calls “enhanced interrogation” at CIA secret prisons, or what his own lawyers call torture- hardly the kind of treatment that would usually make an easy government case in most court trials.

“The key question is going to be what

evidence will ultimately be admitted,” Turley said. “Part of the problem would be the passage of time. He’s charged with a crime that occurred 12 years ago. That’s a very long time to go without a trial.

Witnesses become scarce, evidence become stale, and memories fade.” From a legal standpoint, Ghailani’s twisting path to the courtroom may not turn out to be a huge obstacle.

The judge, Lewis Kaplan, has already rejected defense complaints that their client’s rights were violated by his lengthy incarceration and mistreatment. Although he did delay the trial from yesterday to tomorrow so that he could rule on whether a key but controversial prosecution witness would be allowed to testify.

Ghailani’s lawyers opposed using Hussein Abebe as a witness because the government learned about him during what they say was coercive interrogation and torture of their client while in CIA custody.

Federal attorneys said Abebe would testify that he sold TNT to Ghailani that was later used to bomb the US embassy in

the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam.

While that particular witness was still in question, some analysts saw Washington as confident that the court would allow controversial evidence.

“I don’t believe the government would have moved forward with this case if they could not present evidence that would be admissible in federal court,” Benjamin Wittes, at the Brookings Institution think tank, said. The political side of the process is more risky, he added. Even if the trial ends with a conviction and heavy sentence, thereby satisfying the public’s demand for toughness against terrorism suspects, this would not necessarily help Obama promote New York as the place to try others, such as 9/11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

“The potential benefit of the trial that goes smoothly is actually not that great,” Wittes said. “The potential of negative consequences if it goes badly are enormous. It will just prove that everything that people are worried about is right and it would make it very, very difficult to ever do it again.”—AFP

Brazil goes to runoff after Rousseff falls short Ruling-party candidate to go up against experienced, centrist rival SAO PAULO: Ruling-party candidate Dilma Rousseff, who is trying to become Brazil’s first female leader, fell short of getting a majority of votes in presidential elections and now faces a runoff in four weeks against an experienced, centrist rival. Rousseff , popular President Luiz Inacio Lula da

Silva’s hand-chosen successor , outpaced rival Jose Serra 46.9 percent to 32.6 percent in Sunday’s vote, but didn’t get the 50 percent she needed to win outright. Analysts were split on whether there was enough campaign time left for the underdog opposition candidate to close the gap.

BRASILIA: Brazil’s Workers Party presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff gestures during a press conference in Brasilia, Brazil on Sunday. —AP

Lima to have first female mayor ever LIMA: A moderate leftist looked Sunday night to be headed by a narrow margin to becoming Lima’s first elected female mayor. A victory by Susana Villaran would give the left control of Peru’s coastal capital , with 7 million people home to one in three of the Andean nation’s inhabitants , for the first time in nearly three decades.

Villaran, a 61-year-old human rights advocate and former minister of social development and women’s affairs, was leading pro-business candidate Lourdes Flores 38.9 percent to 37.2 percent, according to official results with 13 percent of the vote counted. An unofficial quick count gave Villaran (Veeh-yah-RAHN) a slightly better than onepoint victory over Flores, 50, as Peruvians chose mayors and governors across the country.

Flores has twice lost presidential races while Villaran was a fringe candidate in the 2006 election in which Flores finished third.

The Lima mayor’s race was being watched closely as a barometer of presidential elections due in April.

Villaran is not allied with the

main leftist contender in that race, populist former military officer Ollanta Humala, though he endorsed her.

President Alan Garcia, who is constitutionally barred from running for re-election, defeated Humala in 2006 in a runoff.

An unorthodox candidate from the middle class who says she smoked marijuana in her youth, Villaran catapulted in popularity in the last few months of the campaign with a pro-environment message, promising to clean up a city with some of

the world’s most contaminated air. She rejects what she has called “the authoritarian militarism” of Venezuela’s president, Hugo Chavez, saying she identifies more with the more moderate leftist leaders of Uruguay and El Salvador.—AP

LIMA: Lourdes Flores, candidate for Mayor of Lima of the Popular Democratic Party, PPC, greets supporters as she waits for the official results of municipal and regional elections in Lima, Peru on Sunday. —AP

Much depends on the other female candidate, the Green Party’s Marina Silva, who won a surprising 19.4 percent of the vote. She said her party’s leadership would decide whether to throw their support behind Rousseff or Serra, though she emphasized it was up to individual voters to make their own choices.

Rousseff, a former Marxist militant who was imprisoned for three years and tortured under Brazil’s military dictatorship, long ago left behind her rebel background and has made a career as a pragmatic bureaucrat, most recently serving as President Silva’s chief of staff. Much of Brazil’s electorate barely knew who Rousseff was just a few months ago, but her popularity skyrocketed after it became clear she was Silva’s candidate when campaigning began in July. The president enjoys approval ratings that hover near 80 percent and he has transferred much of that popularity to Rousseff.

Silva, who is legally barred from seeking a third term, was also forced into second-round votes in his 2002 and 2006 presidential victories, a fact Rousseff alluded to following Sunday’s election.

“We are used to challenges.

Traditionally, we have fared well in the second round,” Rousseff told supporters in Brasilia. “I’m confident that the second round will provide an important process of elucidation, of dialogue with the representatives of society.”

Serra exuberantly met supporters in the early morning hours yesterday, saying that his Brazilian Social Democracy Party was “going to march to victory” in the Oct 31 runoff vote and retake the presidency for the first time since Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s 1994-2002 administrations.

“A second round is a whole new ball game. Everything starts from zero,” said Alexandre Barros, with the Early Warning political risk group in Brasilia. “I would say Dilma has a strong chance of winning a second round. But it will all depend on what new facts emerge during the campaign.” Serra, 68, is a former mayor and governor of Sao Paulo who was badly defeated by Silva in the 2002 election. He, too, has promised to continue the policies of Silva. Fred Vani, a 25-year-old businessman in Sao Paulo, said after casting his ballot that he and other voters want to see some differences.

“With Dilma winning, I don’t see a lot changing in the country, it will be more of the same, and that’s not good enough,” he said.

“We need the next president working hard on structural reforms, especially the tax reform. We need something different from what we have now.”

But 32-year-old mechanic Marcelo Gusmao said Silva had done much for the poor , and that Rousseff was the candidate to continue that work.

“I voted for Dilma because I feel she will give continuity to what Lula has done in eight years , reducing poverty and improving the economy,” he said after voting in the industrial city of Sao Bernardo do Campo, Silva’s hometown. —AP

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama walks alongside daughters Sasha (R) and Malia (C) after disembarking from Marine One upon arrival on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Sunday. —AFP

Chavez: Civilian militia should be armed full-time CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that members of the country’s civilian militia should be issued weapons to be armed and ready at all times. The Bolivarian Militia is a force of volunteers ranging from students to retirees formed in recent years by Chavez, who says it is a crucial component of the nation’s defenses.

Until now, members of the militia have regularly trained at weekend boot camps, but their guns have usually been locked away in military depots when not in use.

“Who has seen a militia without weapons?”

Chavez said during his Sunday television and radio program. He said he was surprised when he met some militiamen standing guard recently and learned they had no guns.

“The militias are the people with weapons in hand,” Chavez told an audience including military officers and high-ranking officials in rural Guarico state. “We need to break old paradigms because we’re still seeing the militias as if they were a complementary force, some battalions that get together once a month over there, or go and march somewhere,” Chavez said. “No,

buddy. The militia is a permanent territorial unit and it should be armed, equipped and trained, campesinos, workers.” Chavez also suggested that the country should accelerate the formation of militia units.

The militia is named after Simon Bolivar, the independence hero who is an inspiration for Chavez, and its members range from housewives to engineers to public employees. Men and women in the militia regularly attend weekend training sessions where they learn to fire cannons, mortars and machine guns. Diosdado Cabello, one of Chavez’s longtime confidants, has said the militia comprises about 120,000 fighters and is growing.

Chavez, who survived a failed coup in 2002, says the militia should be prepared to defend the country against any threat, foreign or domestic.

He has said he believes the United States poses a threat to his oil-exporting country, though US officials strongly deny it. Opponents of the leftist president say the militia is essentially a personal army for Chavez aimed at intimidating his adversaries, maintaining control and keeping him in power.—AP

US Supreme Court term opens with Kagan aboard WASHINGTON: The U.S. Supreme Court opened its new term with new Justice Elena Kagan getting her first taste of arguments from behind the bench. The high court turned down hundreds of appeals, including not allowing a sexual harassment trial to go forward against a former United Nations official.

The court yesterday refused to hear an appeal from Cynthia Brzak, an American who alleged that ex-refugee chief Ruud Lubbers, a former Dutch prime

minister, grabbed her in a sexual manner after a December 2003 business meeting in his Geneva office. Federal courts have said that the UN is absolutely immune from such a lawsuit, and its former employees also have immunity.

Lubbers later resigned his post.

Kagan joined two other women on the nine-justice court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor, and later asked her first public question in a case. Less than 20 minutes into the court’s new term,

Kagan participated directly in an argument before the justices.

The court was trying to figure out whether someone in bankruptcy who owned a car outright could still shield some income from creditors by claiming an allowance for a car payment.

Like many seemingly easy issues that come to the court, this one has divided federal appeals courts. Kagan wanted to know if the debtor could instead claim the gas and maintenance expenses that go along with having a car.—AP

More Cuban prisoners to go free: Rights leader HAVANA: A Cuban human rights leader yesterday revealed the names of nine inmates apparently offered early release by the government in exchange for accepting exile, including some convicted of violent crimes such as hijacking, assault and piracy. During formal jailhouse interviews in recent days, the nine men were told to compile a list of no more than eight family members who could go with them into exile, said Elizardo Sanchez, head of the Cuban Commission on Human Rights and National Reconciliation.

“This massive release is good news,” Sanchez said in a written statement. The communist government has not commented.

Word of the expected releases , which first came out over the weekend , is the latest sign that Cuba’s surprise decision to empty its jail of many political prisoners will not be limited to the 52 “prisoners of conscience” whose release had already been promised.

Those prisoners , jailed in a 2003 sweep, were all locked up for nonviolent activism and other opposition activities and are considered political prisoners by London-based Amnesty International. But the government is holding about 100 other people who are not on Amnesty’s list, many because they have been convicted of murder, hijacking and other violent crimes. Some human rights organizations believe the convictions and lengthy sentences were politically motivated.

The list released by Sanchez yesterday

includes three men, Leudis Arce Romero, Lazaro Avila Sierra and Francisco Reyes Rodriguez , serving life sentences for hijacking a plane from Cuba’s Isla de la Juventud in 2003 and demanding it be taken to the United States.

Others on the list were convicted of violent crimes including piracy, assault and “terrorism,” and were serving sentences ranging from six to 15 years. The only prisoner on the list not convicted of a violent crime was Pavel Hernandez, who was sentenced to six years in jail for trying to leave Cuba illegally.

The release of the first wave of 52 prisoners came as part of a landmark July deal between Cuba and the island’s Roman Catholic Church that was brokered by Spain’s government. So far, 39 former inmates from those jailed in the 2003 crackdown have been sent with their families into exile in Spain, with one of them then settling in Chile.

Sanchez did not say where any prisoner freed as part of a second group of releases could end up. In Madrid yesterday, the Spanish Foreign Ministry said it has no immediate plans to take in any freed Cuban prisoners outside of the 52 whose release was negotiated by the Catholic Church. The ministry said it was not aware of any of the nine on Sanchez’s list having asked to go to Spain, or of Spain having been contacted with regard to taking them. — AP

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

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20 trucks go up in flames

Taleban attacks NATO supply trucks in Pakistan COLOMBO: Wife of Sri Lanka’s jailed ex-military chief Sarath Fonseka, Anoma Fonseka (2R), dashes a coconut on the ground during a protest with opposition lawyers calling for her husband’s release outside the court in Colombo yesterday. —AFP

Lanka ex-army chief vows to fight from jail COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s jailed ex-military chief and opposition leader Sarath Fonseka vowed to fight for democracy as he was escorted out of prison yesterday to attend another court case against him. Fonseka, 59, told supporters outside the Colombo High Court that he was prepared to sacrifice his life and will not give up his struggle “for democracy”.

“I am ready to sacrifice my life,” he said outside a packed court house. “I will not give up this struggle.” It was his first outing since he began his 30-month jail term Thursday after a court martial conviction. The former four-star general began his prison time on Thursday night after President Mahinda Rajapakse confirmed the court martial conviction handed down on September 17 for making improper military procurements.

Fonseka fell out with Rajapakse soon after crushing Tamil Tiger rebels in May last year and ending the island’s drawn out Tamil separatist war. Fonseka unsuccessfully tried to unseat Rajapakse at a presidential electionin January, but managed to win a parliamentary seat which is in doubt since his jailing on Thursday.

Fonseka leads the opposition Democratic National Alliance, which accuses the government of a political vendetta against the former army

chief. The only four-star general to have been in active service in Sri Lanka’s army is sleeping on the cement floor of a cell at the maximum security Welikada prison and eats off a metal plate after lining up for food, his wife said.

Fonseka was hailed as a hero after soldiers under his command crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) last year. Tamil separatist leaders were killed in a no-holdsbarred offensive led by Fonseka. The Tigers’ defeat ended nearly 40 years of separatist conflict in Sri Lanka, but rights groups led by Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch say thousands of civilians were also killed in the final onslaught.

Fonseka’s lawyers said he faces a charge of “inciting people to violence” by commenting to a newspaper that surrendering rebel leaders were executed during the final days of the separatist war. If convicted, Fonseka could face up to another 20 years in jail. Fonseka maintained that the published comments-which suggested defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the younger brother of the president, had ordered the executions were in fact misquotes. Rajapakse has vehemently denied the allegation and is listed as a key prosecution witness in the case. —AFP

Indian court rejects US teen’s bail plea JAIPUR: A juvenile court yesterday refused to grant bail to an American teenager charged with murder after his mother was found dead at a resort in western India, a prosecutor said. The court sided with police who argued 16-year-old Joncarlo Patton should not be set free given the seriousness of the alleged offense, said prosecutor N K Sankhala.

Patton was arrested at an airport on Aug. 13, a day after his mother, Cindy Iannarelli from Cecil, Pennsylvania, was found with her throat slit at a resort in the town of Osian in Rajasthan state.

Police have formally

charged the teenager with murder and destruction of evidence. Patton denies the charges.

Patton’s father, University of Pittsburgh business associate professor G. Richard Patton, who arrived in India over the weekend, attended yesterday’s court proceedings in Jodhpur, a tourist hub in Rajasthan. The judge granted Patton’s request to meet his son in the juvenile home. Sankhala said pretrial proceedings against Patton would be held Oct11.

Patton is accused of attacking his mother with a knife on Aug 12 and then dumping her body on a sand dune near the

resort, said Manish Vyas, Patton’s attorney. Police say Patton washed his bloodstained clothes and changed into fresh clothes before leaving for the airport in a taxi. Patton’s clothes were later discovered by police, but no knife has been found. Police superintendent Girdhari Lal Sharma, who questioned Patton soon after his mother’s death, said the teenager attacked his mother because he was traumatized by his parents’ divorce and wanted them to reconcile. It was unclear how long the case would take to move through India’s notoriously slow judicial system. —AP

UN says 2005 Afghan rights Singapore report’s contents were public plane lands GENEVA: The UN human placing justice high on the in India after rights office yesterday played country’s political agenda. Le down claims that it “sup- Temps quoted one of the bomb scare pressed” a report on 2005 Afghan report’s three Afghanistan five years ago, insisting that the events the report referred to were already public. A Swiss newspaper, Le Temps, said on Saturday that the United Nations had “deliberately suppressed” a report that accused Soviets, Islamists and US forces of “atrocities” between April 1978 and December 2001 for “political reasons.”

“The release of the report was not such an issue because the elements contained in it were already in the public domain,” Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights told AFP. “The High Commissioner at the time, Louise Arbour, went to Kabul and formelly handed the report to the president Karzai in the front of the media and the Afghan Commission for Human Rights,” he explained.

Arbour’s handover of a report on January 29, 2005, was reported on by international media at the time.

Colville added that Afghan President Mohamed Karzai “by accepting it showed his support” to the principle of

authors, American Barnett Rubin, as saying that the UN must have decided not to publish it “at the request of Karzai because it mentioned people still in the Afghan government.”

However, in an email to AFP on Saturday, Rubin said that the report contained previously published material and denied that any “secrets” were being hidden from the public. “The report was a compilation of previously published reports. It contained no revelations based on new research. Every statement in the report is already part of the public record,” Rubin wrote.

Reporting from Kabul in January 2005, the New York Times quoted diplomats as saying that publication of the UN report was repeatedly delayed, apparently for fear of destabilizing Afghanistan’s fragile political process. The article in Le Temps emerged a day after the UN published a hotly contested human rights report on crimes committed by armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic Congo at the end of the 1990s. —AFP

KOLKATA: A Singapore Airlines plane flying from Moscow to Singapore made an emergency landing on Sunday in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata after a bomb scare, the airline and airport officials told AFP. The plane, carrying 265 people, was denied permission to land in the Indian capital New Delhi because of heightened security for the opening of the Commonwealth Games.

“The pilot changed course of the plane after a bomb alert from Moscow police,” Kolkata airport director R. Srinivasan said. “The pilot immediately informed New Delhi airport about the alert, but was denied permission to land because of high security and restrictions for the opening of the Commonwealth Games in the capital.”

The plane was granted permission to land at Kolkata airport, where it touched down shortly before midnight. The passengers have been offloaded and security forces searched the aircraft and baggage, Srinivasan said. In a statement issued yesterday, Singapore Airlines confirmed that flight SQ61 was diverted to Kolkata as a result of a “security issue.” —AFP

ISLAMABAD : The Pakistani Taleban claimed responsibility yesterday for a at a truck stop on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad with automatic gunpre-dawn attack on tankers carrying fuel to Afghanistan for US and other fire. Some 20 trucks went up in flames and four people were killed and seven NATO forces, left vulnerable on the side of the road after Pakistan shut down injured, authorities said. Hours later, gunmen attacked and burned two other a key border crossing. About a dozen militants peppered the vehicles parked trucks carrying NATO supplies in southwest Pakistan, killing one driver.

There have been four such attacks since Pakistan last Thursday shuttered its main border crossing into Afghanistan to NATO supply convoys in apparent reaction to a series of alleged NATO incursions, including a helicopter attack that killed three Pakistani soldiers. Traffic has since been backing up at various points along the route from the southern port city of Karachi to the crossing at Torkham _ where scores of trucks remain stranded and vulnerable to attack in the volatile Khyber Pass. In Brussels, NATO’s SecretaryGeneral Anders Fogh Rasmussen apologized to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi for the firing incident, saying it was “unintended” and that he hoped the border crossing would be opened again soon.

“There is a joint investigation under way,” Fogh Rasmussen said. “We will determine what happened, and draw the right lessons.” Although Pakistan says the Torkham blockade will soon be lifted, the latest attacks and the Taleban threat to launch more assaults seemed certain to raise the stakes in the closure, ISLAMABAD: Pakistani truck owners examine the wreckage of a burnt out NATO supply oil tanker the mornwhich has exacerbated tensions ing after an attack on the outskirts of Islamabad yesterday. —AFP between Washington and Islamabad. Convoys crossing from Pakistan bring fuel, military vehicles, spare parts, clothing and other non-lethal supplies for foreign troops. “We are trying our best to protect the places where are vehicles have accumulated, and we are not dispatching any more trucks from Karachi for now,” said Shakir Khan Afridi, president of the ISLAMABAD: Islamist extremists are into the limelight last May when New unclear where. The local population, Khyber Transport Association, a believed to be plotting attacks on York bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad told largely Mehsud and Wazir tribesmen major umbrella organization repEurope from Pakistan’s tribal Waziristan US interrogators he received bomb mak- known for their warrior culture who resenting some 7,000 truckers. region-a militant-riddled remote border ing training there. It is the headquarters famously resisted the British in the 19th The Pakistani Taleban zone that is frequently pummelled by US of the Tehreek-e-Taleban Pakistan century, is around one million — claimed responsibility for the drones. The hostile region known for its (TTP), whose leader Hakimullah 600,000 in South Waziristan and 355,000 Islamabad attack in a telephone battle-hardened fighters, bomb-making Mehsud appeared in two videos made in the North. Before the army offensive, call to an Associated Press factories and suicide attackers has been earlier this year threatening to attack the TTP was believed to have 10,000 to reporter. Spokesman Azam 12,000 followers in South Waziristan dubbed by Washington the most danger- US cities.

Tariq said a new wing of the including Uzbek and Arab fighters.

The group also made a widely disputous place on Earth and a global headgroup had been created to strike The number of militants in North ed claim for the New York bomb plot. quarters of Al-Qaeda. the convoys and that the attacks Waziristan is not clear, but the region is Pakistan launched a sweeping offensive Western intelligence agencies have “would continue until the supuncovered an Al-Qaeda plot by extrem- into South Waziristan last October in a a headquarters for the Haqqani network, plies are completely stopped.” ists based there to launch attacks in bid to wipe out the nerve centre of the locked in fighting with the Americans in Trucks moving supplies from Britain, France and Germany, security country’s main Taleban faction, blamed Afghanistan. The network is led by forKarachi through Pakistan into sources and media reports have said. for a campaign of suicide attacks and mer mujahedin commander Jalaluddin Afghanistan make frequent stops The plot is thought to have been bombings killing thousands. Much of the Haqqani’s son Sirajuddin Haqqani who along the way for their drivers to inspired by Al-Qaeda’s fugitive leader- TTP leadership is believed to have fled, claims to command 2,000 fighters. rest along the several-day jourship in the deeply conservative and but the military has so far stopped short Taleban-linked Afghan warlord Hafiz ney, and Islamabad police chief fiercely independent region, although of ordering a similar offensive into North Gul Bahadur is also reputed to control Kalim Imam said it was impossiPakistan has rejected the notion of a plot Waziristan, which has been seen as the up to 2,000 fighters in the region. ble for police or local authorities North Waziristan in particular has ultimate fortress of foreign and on its soil. to protect them all the time. been at the forefront of the US drone The terrain, split into North and Pakistani militants.

“This entire thing is very vulThe region’s pull for diaspora war, in which TTP founder Baitullah South Waziristan, is part of the nerable for such attacks,” he Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistani youth living in the West who Mehsud was killed last year. Pakistani said. About 150 vehicles are which comprise seven administrative have fallen into the clutches of radical officials have reported that more than 20 backed up at the Torkham borunits located along the Afghan border. Islam is well documented. Five US drone strikes since early September der crossing itself, with hunWaziristan is bigger than Lebanon and Americans were sentenced to 10 years have killed 133 people. More than 1,150 dreds more in nearby areas. its mountains are dissected by goat in jail by a Pakistani anti-terror court in people have been killed in 139 drone Torkham lies some 120 miles tracks, caves and thick forest which pro- June for plotting militant attacks. strikes in the tribal areas since August (200 kilometers) west of vide perfect sanctuary to militants. Pakistani investigators said they had 2008. The bombing raids fuel antiIslamabad.

North Waziristan has also been named planned to travel to South Waziristan American sentiment in Muslim Pakistan Trucker Kalam Khan, who as a likely hiding place of Al-Qaeda chief but were instead arrested last and draw public condemnation from the has been waiting for five days on government. But officials in Washington December.

Osama bin Laden. his flatbed truck with a container The mastermind of the July 7, 2005 say drone strikes have killed several A potent vortex of Afghan, Pakistani, of supplies for the US Bagram Uzbek and Arab militants, Waziristan is bombings in London, Muktar Said high-value targets and help protect Air Field in Afghanistan, said described by Pakistani intelligence offi- Ibrahim, also travelled to a militant troops in Afghanistan from attacks plotdrivers are in constant fear. cials as a black hole. It was thrown back training camp in Pakistan, but it was ted across the border. —AFP “If vehicles for Afghanistan are not safe in Islamabad, we could be attacked any time,” he said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for yesterday’s second attack on the two trucks heading to the Chaman border crossing in the southwest, which has remained open.

Mohammad Hashim, a government official in the southwest district of Kalat where the attack took place - about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of the region’s main city of Quetta _ said two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on the trucks, then torched the vehicles, killing one driver.

The unidentified gunmen fled.

One of the trucks was carrying water while it was not yet clear what the other truck’s cargo was, he said. While NATO and the United States have alternative supply routes into landlocked Afghanistan, the Pakistani ones are the cheapest and most convenient. Most of the coalition’s non-lethal supplies are transported over Pakistani soil after being unloaded at docks in Karachi.

There are some 140,000 international forces currently in Afghanistan. In addition to the Torkham and Chaman crossings from Pakistan, NATO also HYDERABAD: Pakistani flood-affected people wait in queue to receive cards to get relief money and food receives supplies via the Central in Hyderabad, Pakistan yesterday. About 8 million remain homeless following the country’s worst flooding Asian states north of in living memory, many staying in hundreds of relief camps that have sprung up to house them. —AP Afghanistan. —AP

Terror-hit Waziristan at centre of new plot claim

INTERNATIONAL

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

US committed to ‘eliminating’ Abu Sayyaf in Philippines MANILA: The United States yesterday said it will keep sending forces to the Philippines until the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf was wiped out as part of its security engagement with Manila. Washington believes the Abu Sayyaf and its regional terror ally, the Jemaah Islamiyah, remain serious threats more than eight years after US forces deployed to the country’s trou-

bled south, US envoy to Manila Harry Thomas said. “We constantly and consistently assess with the government of the Philippines what we need todo,” Thomas told reporters.

“But reducing the size is not the key, it’s eliminating the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah, because even one person can perpetuate a terrorist threat, a terrorist

act.” He said Washington was committed to sending ‘military advisers’ to help their Filipino counterparts for as long as Manila welcomed them. “We are at a critical threshold. They (US troops) are helping the Armed Forces of the Philippines develop a strategy, to coordinate and eliminate the terrorists,” Thomas said.

The Abu Sayyaf is a gang of self-styled

Islamic militants founded in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s network.

It is on the US government’s list of foreign terrorist organisations and is blamed for the country’s worst terrorist attacks, including high profile kidnappings and murders.

In 2001 it kidnapped three American

tourists, two of whom died at their hands.

The United States will also continue sending military aid to the ill-equipped Filipino forces, Thomas said. It has already donated at least 25,000 helmets to Filipino troops and provided fast-deploying rubber boats to patrol the country’s porous coast line.

US troops began deploying in the south in 2002, shortly after the September 11

attacks, in what has become the Southeast Asian theatre of the global war on terror.

While US assistance has helped to capture and kill Abu Sayyaf leaders, the group remains capable of carrying out surprise attacks. It is also believed to be training with foreign militants from the Jemaah Islamiyah, dozens of whom allegedly are hiding in southern jungles.— AFP

Viktor Bout extradition stalled by Thai ruling Court needs to consider other charges BANGKOK: Reputed Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout’s long-awaited extradition to the US hit another delay yesterday when a Thai court ruled that it needs to consider other charges filed against him by Washington. The ruling by the Bangkok Criminal Court is another blow to the US, which had expected Bout’s rapid extradition after a Thai appeals court gave its approval on Aug 20. He faces trial in the US on four terrorism-related charges and Bout, a 43-year-old former Soviet air force officer, is reputed to be one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers. He has been jailed in Bangkok since March 2008 when a US-led sting operation ended years of searching for the elusive Russian who has been referred to as “The Merchant of Death.”

Dressed in an orange prison uniform and shackled at the ankles, Bout said the latest ruling would give him more time to battle the US extradition request. “There is enough time now to prove that the charges in my first case were biased and unfounded,” Bout told Russia’s ITAR-Tass.

His wife Alla Bout said “now it is absolutely clear to everyone that the case is absolutely political,” ITAR-Tass reported.

The case has plunged Thailand into a diplomatic dilemma, with Washington demanding Bout’s extradition to face terrorism charges and Moscow demanding his release, saying Bout is an innocent businessman. Experts say Bout has knowledge of Russia’s military and intelligence operations and Moscow does not want him to go on trial in the United States.

The Appeals Court that ordered Bout’s extradition on Aug 20 reversed a lower court’s decision from a year earlier.

Rescinding the second set of charges that had been filed by the US initially appeared to be a technicality. Washington submitted its request in late August to the Thai Foreign Ministry to drop the charges. However, under Thai law a defendant has the right to object to charges against him being dropped , a stance that Bout’s lawyer openly said he would take as a way to stall the extradition. The court

could face life in prison. The delay stems from a second set of charges filed against Bout by Washington as a precautionary measure to secure his extradition, a move that is now ironically stalling the process and could even scuttle it if there are long legal delays. The criminal court said it would rule today on whether Bout should face extradition on the new charges of money laundering and wire fraud, noting the decision can be appealed.

BANGKOK: Under heavy security and wearing a bulletproof vest Viktor Bout, second from left, an alleged Russian arms smuggler, arrives yesterday at a Bangkok criminal court . —AP said in its yesterday ruling “the legal procedure will resume” because Bout objected to the charges being dropped.

Long legal delays could scut-

tle the extradition entirely.

When the Appeals Court cleared the way for Bout’s extradition in August it said the extradition must take place within three

months, or roughly by Nov 20.

Bout arrived at court yesterday with a dozen armed commandoes, apparently reflecting new concerns for his safety. He wore

a flak jacket to court for the first time, in addition to his standard ankle shackles. The Russian was also driven to court in his own security van, rather than riding with other prisoners.

Bout’s high-profile arrest at a Bangkok luxury hotel in March 2008 was part of an elaborate sting in which US agents posed as arms buyers for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which Washington classifies as a terrorist organization.

The head of a lucrative air transport empire, Bout long evaded UN and US sanctions aimed at blocking his financial activities and restricting his travel. He has denied any involvement in illicit activities and said he ran a legitimate business. The 2005 movie “Lord of War” starring Nicolas Cage is loosely based on Bout’s life. He allegedly supplied weapons that fueled civil wars in South America, the Middle East and Africa, with clients including Liberia’s Charles Taylor, Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and both sides of the civil war in Angola.

Bout asserted his claims of innocence in a letter to the Thai Parliament, distributed to reporters yesterday by his wife.

“I have never sold weapons to anybody,” Bout said in the letter, which called for a parliamentary investigation to review his case. “It has become apparent to me that the Appeals Court decision to extradite me was taken under political pressure.” Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said last week he would have the final say in the politically sensitive case, once it works its way through the courts.—AP

N Korea plans mass parade to mark rise of Kim’s son: Seoul SEOUL: North Korea is planning a major military parade and war games to mark an upcoming ruling party anniversary and the emergence of leader Kim JongIl’s son as heir apparent, South Korea’s defence minister said yesterday. Kim Tae-Young, in the first such comment by a Seoul official, said Kim Jong-Un was virtually anointed as eventual successor to his ailing father at last week’s ruling party conference in Pyongyang.

The son is now expected to begin public activities as a successor-in-waiting, the minister said in a report to parliament. He said the North appears to be using the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party this coming Sunday to celebrate “the formation of a succession platform” for Jong-Un. Jong-Un, believed to be aged about 27, was made a fourstar general and given key party posts last week. His official photo was published for the first time ever.

Minister Kim said about 15,000 soldiers have been deployed at the Mirim air base near Pyongyang for a parade to celebrate the October 10 anniversary. Preparations are also under way for a major military exercise involving artillery, jet fighters and warships off the eastern port of Wonsan, the minister said. The exercise, to be watched by Kim Jong-Il, may take place before Sunday, he said.

The North, with 1.2 million troops, has often celebrated major political anniversaries with mas-

sive displays of troops, missiles and other weapons. Leader Kim suffered a stroke in August 2008 and has reportedly been speeding up succession planning since then. The South’s Yonhap news agency said Jong-Un accompanied his father on two visits to China this year in preparation for an eventual power transfer.

The son behaved like a bodyguard to his father during the trips in May and August and travelled under an assumed name, it quoted sources as saying.Global ratings agency Standard and Poor’s cautioned that uncertainty over the North’s future leadership is a constraint on South Korea’s creditworthiness due to the possibility of war or massive reunification costs.

In a statement it said the South’s current ratings reflect “the potential for fiscal indicators to deteriorate severely if either the scenario of a war or sudden reunification materializes”.

Cross-border relations soured dramatically after the South accused the North of torpedoing one of its warships and killing 46 sailors in March.

The North has made apparent conciliatory gestures to the South in recent weeks, in what some analysts see as an attempt to ease tensions and restart economic assistance during the succession process.

But it continues to deny involvement in the sinking.

A South Korean legislator claimed yesterday the navy was aware of movements by North

Korean submarines on the day the Cheonan ship was attacked, but commanders failed to take appropriate countermeasures. “On the morning of the Cheonan attack, warnings were sent to warships that a Yeono (salmon)-class North Korean submarine and its support ship started operations,” said Shin Hak-yong, citing what

he said were radio communications records between the warships and the 2nd Fleet Command.

“Despite the warnings, the 2nd Fleet Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t raise the level of alert or combat readiness,” Yonhap news agency quoted him as telling parliament.

Minister Kim told legislators the North is thought to have been responsible for the intermittent failure of Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers on naval and civilian craft along the west coast from August 23-25. “We believe North Korea is able to jam” (GPS) for a distance of up to 100 km (60 miles), he said.—AFP

SEOUL: A South Korean policeman breaks stone plates with his head during a demonstration for a successful G20 Seoul Summit at a police training center in Seoul, South Korea yesterday. —AP

TOKYO: This file photo taken on January 23, 2010 shows Japan’s ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) secretary general Ichiro Ozawa wiping his face with a towel during a press conference in Tokyo. —AFP

Japan ruling party figure Ozawa to be indicted TOKYO: Veteran Japanese lawmaker Ichiro Ozawa will be indicted over a political funding scandal, a court official said yesterday, a fresh blow for the savvy powerbroker who lost a party leadership vote to the premier just last month.

A judicial panel of ordinary citizens has decided Ozawa, 68, should be indicted, the Tokyo District Court said. The decision means the Tokyo court must appoint lawyers to prosecute him, court official Yasuhiro Urayama said. Ozawa challenged Prime Minister Naoto Kan for the ruling party’s top leadership post in September. While Ozawa played a key role in the party’s historic rise to power in 2009, defeating the long-ruling conservatives, he is unpopular with voters and is widely seen as an old-style, backroom wheeler-dealer.

His leadership challenge was dogged by the finance scandal, though he has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. Had he won the Democratic Party’s leadership vote, he almost certainly would have become prime minister, replacing Kan. Ozawa, who was pressured to resign from top posts in the Democratic Party because of the scandal, said he was confident of proving his innocence in court, Kyodo News agency reported.

The case goes back to a 2004 land deal in Tokyo. Prosecutors have charged three of Ozawa’s former aides with violating political funding control laws by falsifying records for the purchase of this plot for about 400 million yen ($4.7 million), a transaction prosecutors allege they

failed to report to cover up dubious income and land transaction as donations.

They previously questioned Ozawa, 68, about the deal but decided not to indict him. Citizen groups objected and asked the citizen’s panel to investigate. Under recent legal reforms, a panel of citizens can appeal prosecutors’ decisions. If the panel decides that prosecutors should indict a person for a second time, court-appointed lawyers will be assigned to prosecute him. In April, the panel had previously said Ozawa deserved to be indicted. Urayama, the court official, said yesterday that a date for Ozawa to be indicted was unknown.

Katsuya Okada, the No. 2 person in the ruling Democratic Party, declined to comment on the panel’s decision yesterday. An enigmatic figure, Ozawa has championed reforms, such as deregulation, giving more authority to regional governments and reining in Japan’s powerful bureaucrats. His 1993 book, “Blueprint for a New Japan,” Ozawa argued that Japan needed to reform its political system and take a more active role in international affairs , garnering significant attention in Washington. But he’s widely viewed as a back-room powerbroker representing an older style of politics that many are fed up with. A bit of a loose cannon, Ozawa recently called Americans “simple-minded,” and late last year said Christianity is an “exclusive” religion that is weighing down Western society. — AP

Indonesia’s terror fight criticized JAKARTA: An Indonesian minister yesterday urged security forces to capture terror suspects alive unless they are armed or resist arrest, an apparent attempt to answer critics who say an unnecessarily high number of suspects are killed by anti-terror police.

The comments by Human Rights Minister Patrialis Akbar came after six suspected Islamic militants were gunned down and seven arrested during joint police and army operations over the weekend on Sumatra island.

The men were accused of involvement in a series of armed robberies intended to finance terrorist acts.

Indonesia was thrust into the front lines of the war on terror in 2002, when Al-Qaeda-linked nightclub bombings on the resort island of Bali killed 202

people, many of them tourists.

There have been several attacks since then, but all have been far less deadly, and the most recent was a year ago _ in part because of a highly praised campaign that has seen hundreds of suspects arrested and convicted.

But in recent months security forces have been criticized for a startling kill-to-capture ratio _ one death for every four suspects arrested. In some cases, activists have alleged, security forces don’t even know the names of the people they are killing.

The deaths not only raise human rights concerns, but risk fueling Islamist propaganda and tarnishing what has been a highly praised campaign that has seen hundreds of suspects arrested and convicted.

“I urged the security forces to capture suspected terrorists

alive,” Akbar, who heads the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, told local television MetroTV. “Do not kill them as long as they are unarmed or do not resist arrest.” Police said the men killed in separate weekend gunbattles were believed to be part of a terror network that has carried out a series of armed robberies of banks and moneychangers that have netted more than $127,000 since April.

More recently, they were also accused of attacks on police stations that left three officers dead. Akbar said it was too early to say if security forces acted improperly. “Let’s wait and see...I don’t want to go too far,” he said after meeting with Indonesia’s president.

“Let’s leave it to police to investigate.”— AP

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

NEWS

UAE ‘BB’ users eye alternatives DUBAI: With a week to go before a United Arab Emirates ban on key BlackBerry services is due come into effect, many users of the smartphone here are eyeing alternatives but still hoping for a reprieve. The UAE said in August that from Oct 11 it will block BlackBerry messenger, web browsing and email services because they “allow individuals to commit violations” that cannot be monitored. BlackBerry has faced similar snags in Saudi Arabia and India, where the authorities fear heavy encryption makes BlackBerry convenient for terrorists to use without being detected.

“If they block the messenger service I’ll buy an iPhone. I bought my BlackBerry for this service in the first place. If stopped it’ll be no longer of any use to me,” 19-year-old Mahmud Ibrahim told AFP. “If they ban BlackBerry services, I’ll sell mine to someone in my country and buy an iPhone instead,” said salesman Kim Betza, a Filipino. An official of the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) stressed that the “decision to suspend certain BlackBerry services from October 11th is final”. However, “we remain open to discussions in order that an acceptable, regulatory-compliant solution might be developed and applied,” the official told AFP, declining to be named or to give further details.

Since the TRA announced the impending ban in late August, the market for BlackBerry handsets has come to a standstill in the oil-rich Gulf emirate, where there are some 500,000 savvy users. BlackBerry sales have fallen by around 40 percent, said a supervisor in an electronics shop, Kishore Kumar. “Those still buying the device are basically tourists,” he added. Suppliers have also stopped providing the controversial smartphones, according to retailers. “Since they released the news about banning BlackBerry services, we stopped receiving stocks from the supplier,” said Alma Victorio, supervisor in the mobile phone section of a leading department store. “We still have the (latest) Torch version but it hasn’t been moving at all.”

BlackBerry’s encrypted emails and data are stored on servers in Canada, the headquarters of its maker, Research in Motion (RIM). That means that third parties, such as government security agencies, cannot monitor communications sent and received on the handset. The UAE’s two main telecom companies, Etisalat and Du, in August announced options in the event of a ban for clients who subscribed before the first of that month,

In one episode from the show, the heroine Ola is introduced to what seems to be the perfect suitor. Handsome, cultured, well-mannered, he has a good job and lives in Italy. Giddy that her long search may be ending, she then discovers the catch: He’s already married to an Italian woman. His mother, he explains, wants him to take a second, Egyptian wife - he’s allowed four wives under Egypt’s Islamic-based laws - to force him to spend more time back home in Egypt.

As a furious Ola and her parents throw him out of their home, his mother snorts, “We don’t need you. There’s a lot of families and even more available girls.”

The show, which ran during the Islamic holy of month of Ramadan, is a sort of counter-voice in what Egyptian media have blared as the country’s “marriage crisis”. Traditionally, grooms in Egypt must pay heavy expenses, including buying an apartment and providing money up front to the bride. But with the economy ailing and poverty widespread, men are having a harder time affording the costs and are taking longer to get married. At the same time, there are fears that the number of unmarried women in their 30s is growing, apparently since men, when they do finally wed, choose younger brides.

In the country’s debate over the marriage crisis, women often bear the brunt of the blame, with men complaining they make too many financial demands or are too choosy about their groom’s personality. The expectation has become that if they don’t want to become a spinster - a word often thrown about in Egypt for any unmarried woman over 30 - women should just settle.

“I Want to Get Married” - both the TV show and Abdel-Aal’s 2008 book - is a defiant defense of a woman’s right to be

In 1977, they tried a new procedure which did not involve hormone treatments and relied instead on precise timing. On July 25 of the next year, Louise Brown, the first IVF baby, was born. “We hold Bob in great affection and are delighted to send our personal congratulations to him and his family at this time,” she said in a statement released with her mother. The 32-year-old, who has stayed in touch with Edwards all her life, is married and has one son who was conceived naturally.

Her birth caused a media sensation as it raised questions about medical ethics, drew religious concerns and piqued basic human curiosity. Many wondered in the early stages of treatment whether an IVF baby would grow up normally. “Long-term follow-up studies have shown that IVF children are as healthy as other children,” Karolinska said.

Continued from Page 1 Islam as a force bent on destroying the West and whose screening in the Netherlands in 2008 prompted protests in much of the Muslim world.

He told the court that apart from his opening statement he would rely on his right to remain silent and would not answer any questions. “I have said everything I wanted to say and will not take back a single word,” the politician said. Wilders later claimed that presiding judge Jan Moors had reacted to his vow of silence in a way that suggested partiality. Moors had observed that Wilders is often accused of making wild statements and then avoiding the discussions they evoke, adding “it seems as if you’re doing it again”.

“Inappropriate, even scandalous”, the politician reacted, adding: “A fair trial is no longer possible” as he asked for Moors and two assistant judges to be recused.

Interrupting the trial, a panel of three other judges was hastily convened to consider this

Continued from Page 1

DUBAI: A woman walks past a BlackBerry smartphone advertisement on Sept 30, 2010. — AFP including signing a new one-year contract and receiving a non-BlackBerry smartphone.

“We are obliged to follow the country’s rules and regulations... and have launched alternative packages which would ensure the continuity of services with similar quality,” Du’s chief commercial officer Farid Faraidouni told AFP. Du has “no role in negotiations between TRA and Research In Motion”, Faraidouni said. The ban will have “a very minor effect” on the telecom company’s profits, he added. Meanwhile, an Etisalat spokesman said his company had “received instructions from TRA not to comment on this issue”.

Outside the Arab world, the Canadian firm is making progress in talks with India over New Delhi’s demands to be able to intercept encrypted messages carried by the smartphone, according to latest reports.

New Delhi had initially threatened to ban BlackBerry’s corporate email service if the firm failed to come up with ways to monitor it by the end of August. Now it has said it will review the situation near the end of October.

Saudi Arabia in August postponed indefinitely a BlackBerry ban after reporting progress in efforts to find a solution that

would allow authorities to monitor encrypted messages on the popular smartphone.

Users in the UAE are now hoping for a lastminute reprieve. For 14-year-old Sabrina Khisaf in the Dubai, “it’s just not right” to suspend BlackBerry services. “The BlackBerry ban is not justified, but if they ban it, then there’s nothing I can do about it,” Khisaf added, her “BB” cuddled in its white pouch. “They must offer alternatives with similar features if they’re going to ban it,” the teenager said.

But the iPhone, to which desperate BlackBerry users in the UAE are turning, seems to be suffering similar setbacks in the Gulf business hub. Buyers of Apple’s latest iPhone 4 were surprised to learn that the handset’s “FaceTime” application was not installed, The National daily reported.

FaceTime, considered one of the handset’s most attractive features, enables video chat in a feature similar to Skype, which is already banned in the UAE. “Apple omitted FaceTime in the UAE to avoid any complications that might halt sales of the devices, particularly if BlackBerry services are suspended as expected,” the English-language daily quoted “a senior executive with one of the UAE’s telecoms operators, as saying. — AFP

application. Judgment will be handed down at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT) today.

Yesterday’s proceedings, attended by a dozen of Wilders’ Party for Freedom’s 24 MPs in the public gallery, were broadcast live on public television. Outside the court building, a small group of protesters gathered with a large placard blaming Wilders for “division and polarisation”, as a strong contingent of police, some in riot gear, kept watch. “The different colours of our society are what makes us rich, but that is being threatened by Mr Wilders,” Mustafa Ayranci, one of the group’s organisers and head of the Turkish labour association, told AFP. Mohamed Rabbae, chairman of the moderate National Moroccan Council, said outside the court that he hoped judges would force Wilders to issue an apology for his past remarks. “We are not for getting Mr Wilders in prison. We are for correcting him,” Rabbae said.

The target of death threats, Wilders has 24-hour state-sponsored protection while

pursuing his mission to “stop the Islamisation of the Netherlands”. He campaigns for a stop to Muslim immigration, a ban on the construction of new mosques, and a tax on headscarves. Wilders was temporarily banned from Britain last year on race hate grounds. In Berlin on Saturday, more than 100 people demonstrated against his presence to give a speech at the invitation of a rightwing German politician.

In June 2008, the Dutch prosecution service dismissed dozens of complaints against Wilders from around the country, citing his right to freedom of speech. But appeals judges ordered in Jan 2009 that he stand trial as his utterances amounted to “sowing hatred” and exceeded the boundaries of political debate. Judgment is expected on Nov 4. Under a coalition deal being finalised, Wilders’ PVV will provide a minority cabinet of the Christian Democrats and liberals with the votes they need to pass decisions through parliament in return for a voice in policy formation. — AFP

picky. It argues that women, particularly since they are becoming more educated and gaining positions in the working world, have the right to hold out for a husband who sees them as a real partner.

“If Ola’s goal was just to get married she would have accepted the first man to enter her life,” the 30-year-old (and unmarried) Abdel-Aal said of her main character. “But when she realizes that he is not suitable, either due to his mentality or education level or character, she refuses him and moves on. She is looking for someone who will help to complete her life. Many women come up to me after I wrote the book to say they saw themselves in the main character,” Abdel-Aal said.

Reham Mohsen is an example of a woman who is under pressure to settle.

The 32-year-old Mohsen, who was the first and only person in her extended, middle-class family to earn a master’s degree - says her parents came from a generation that placed great importance on the education of their daughters and on encouraging them to work. But, she says, those same parents - and the sons they were raising - didn’t seem to realize what this progressive decision meant in terms of developing their daughters’ character.

“My parents don’t see the problem with me accepting to marry someone with a vocational diploma and who earns $9 a month,” Mohsen said.

Mohsen said a male friend once told her that he wasn’t interested in a woman who talked back. “He told me, ‘If I wanted someone with an opinion, I’d go to the cafe where my male friends hang out’,” Mohsen said. All the pressure lies on the female in the marriage process, she told AP. “We have to be educated, virginal, able to cook, clean, speak several languages, be prepared to serve his family, raise his kids well, and on top of that have a good job to financially contribute in the

In 1980, Edwards and Steptoe founded the Bourn Hall Clinic at Cambridge, the world’s first IVF clinic, where gynaecologists and cell biologists around the world have trained. Tom Mathews, the clinic’s medical director was first introduced to Edwards in 1983 and was immediately impressed with his passion for IVF. “As a person he always found time to talk to the patients about what was happening in the laboratory and rejoiced when each IVF baby was born,” he said.

Today, as many as 1-2 percent of babies in the western world are conceived through IVF methods, said committee member Christer Hoog, a professor of cell biology, told a news conference. But access to IVF varies around the world. Many European healthcare systems fund it, but the American Society for Reproductive Medicine says treatment in the United States can cost patients up to $12,400.

Edwards, who has five daughters and 11

Reuters said. Including an overallotment option, the IPO could raise up to $17.1 billion. The document also revealed a list of cornerstone investors in the offering, including a $1 billion commitment from KIA and firms controlled by Hong Kong tycoon Cheng Yu-tung.

Citigroup Inc, Deutsche Bank AG, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Morgan Stanley are joint global coordinators for the IPO. Though the total amount has yet to be determined, the standard Hong Kong IPO fee would have the banks involved splitting roughly $500 million in fees. In addition to a boon to the banks involved, it would also allow AIG to pay back the US government for its rescue in the late 2008.

KIA, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, is among the major global institutions that have signed up as cornerstone investors ahead of AIA’s IPO. The sources had direct knowledge of the matter but were not authorised to speak publicly as the deal has yet to launch. AIA’s IPO is set to start today, with shares expected to start trading on Oct 29.

The issue is likely to be among the world’s largest ever IPOs, and follows the record breaking July deal from the Agricultural Bank of China Ltd, which raised $21.9 billion in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

AIG had to drop its initial plan to sell shares in AIA at a level that would value the company at $35-37 billion to secure the backing of KIA, the Financial Times said.

The fund signed up to the IPO based on AIA being valued at between $30 billion and $32 billion, said the FT, citing people familiar with the matter. AIA was forced to lower the valuation to secure a one-billion-dollar commitment from the Kuwait fund and other cornerstone investors, said the paper.

AIA’s planned listing comes after a takeover attempt by Prudential collapsed in May over price disagreements. Prudential later dropped the offer to $30.4 billion just before the bid failed, a target sources later cited as the likely top end of the IPO valuation range. “Considering that some of the Chinese insurers are trading more than 2 times embedded value, I think AIA can get overall value north of $30 billion,” said Sally Yim, vice president at Moody’s Investors Service in Hong Kong and senior analyst who covers Asia-Pacific’s insurance industry.

Prudential’s initial $35.5 billion bid for AIA was pitched at 1.67 price to embedded value. Embedded value is a measure commonly used to gauge the value of insurance companies that includes the present value of future profits from long-term insurance contracts. Ultimately, the IPO price and its valuation is determined by the company and its underwriters, who gauge the specific embedded value figure that mutual fund investors are comfortable with, hoping to find a number that encourages the best demand. “AIA is operating in some of the more mature markets like Singapore and Hong Kong. They have a little bit of a ‘China story’, but not as much as the Chinese pure

plays,” Yim said. An AIA spokeswoman declined to comment and KIA could not be reached for comment.

Cornerstone investors, including Middle East wealth funds KIA and Qatar Investment Authority, played a key role in the success of AgBank’s IPO, accounting for more than half of the Hong Kong offer. But such investors are only likely to buy about 15-20 percent stake in AIA offer, bankers have previously told Reuters. AIG has yet to decide the exact stake it will sell in AIA, but bankers have said the US insurer is expected to offer around half of the company to the public market. AIG, nearly 80 percent owned by the US government, is disposing of assets to repay taxpayers who committed $182.3 billion to prop up the insurer during the financial crisis.

Global equity markets rallied in September, historically the weakest month for stocks, driven by a robust Chinese economy and expectations of further monetary easing by developed economies’ central banks to support a shaky recovery. “The recent upside momentum in the stock market will be favourable for AIA’s IPO,” Moody’s Yim added. Cornerstone investors agree to buy into an IPO before it prices.

They are barred from selling their shares for six-month lock-up period, helping build confidence in the offer before it goes to institutional investors. AIG will hold at least a 30 percent stake in its AIA for a year after AIA listing in October, the IPO term sheet showed earlier. —

Kuwait warns on Europe travel Continued from Page 1 household,” she said.

Dana Sabah, an Egyptian academic whose thesis studied unmarried women in Jordan, said Abdel-Aal’s book “gave a voice to the girls who were suffering a real, yet intangible pressure - something that was there and felt, but couldn’t really be spoken of.” While women’s ages at marriage in many places around the world may be rising because of economic and social changes, “in the Arab world, society speaks about it in terms of something being wrong with the girl herself and a negative phenomenon that’s taking over the society”, she said. Unmarried and 40 herself, she said that society continues to view unmarried women either as the caretaker at home or available at work at any time “because the only valid norm is to be a wife and mother, and so there is a perception you have no life otherwise”.

Hanan Kholoussy, a historian at the American University in Cairo who studies marriage in Egypt, casts doubt on whether a marriage crisis even exists studies on the subject are sketchy.

Instead, she says such debates about marriage routinely pop up in Egypt, particularly in times of crisis. “This is a way to critique Egyptian society and the growing materialism - especially Egyptian women and their families for their financial demands in marriage,” she said.

Abdel-Aal, who says she’s still hoping to marry, said the show brought her criticism for being “crass” for showing women - expected to be modest and let their families handle the process of their engagement - making demands for their spouse. “In the Arab world, only men are allowed to talk or write about marriage, and when he speaks of it he is always complaining and unhappy,” she said. “If a woman complains she is being shameful and if she desires marriage then she is shameful.” — AP

IVF pioneer wins medicine Nobel Continued from Page 1

Dutch anti-Islam MP goes on trial

Kuwait commits $1bn to AIA IPO

In a sitcom, Egypt women gain voice Continued from Page 1

13

grandchildren, was motivated by a desire to help families. “The most important thing in life is having a child,” Edwards has been quoted by his clinic as saying: “Nothing is more special than a child.”

Steptoe died in 1988. Edwards, who is ill, was not available to speak to the media. But his wife Ruth said in a statement that the family was thrilled and delighted about the prize. “His dedication and single-minded determination despite opposition from many quarters has led to successful application of his pioneering research,” she said. Medicine, which has in the past highlighted important discoveries such as penicillin, genetic engineering and blood-typing, is traditionally the first of the Nobel prizes awarded each year. Prizes for achievements in science, literature and peace were first awarded in 1901 accordance with the will of dynamite inventor and businessman Alfred Nobel. — Reuters

to the rest of Europe to be on alert “in public places, in and around public buildings, at tourist attractions, on public transport and in other places with large crowds.”

Japan urged citizens to exercise caution at government and police facilities, public transport systems and tourist spots.

US channel Fox News, citing unnamed intelligence officials, said militants had a list of targets in France and Germany, including Paris’s Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral, Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, the city’s central railway station and the Alexanderplatz TV tower. Fox cited a senior western intelligence official as saying that the information about the target list was provided by “a German-Pakistani national interrogated at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan”.

The Eiffel Tower, France’s most-visited tourist attraction, was twice evacuated last month because of telephoned bomb warnings, but French officials said there was no reason to raise the current threat level from red to scarlet, which would mean it considered an attack imminent. A small number of soldiers patrolled as usual at the foot of the Eiffel Tower early Monday as long lines of visitors waited to climb the tower, a magnet for many of the 74.2 million visitors to

France last year. Though there were no visible signs of heightened security, some tourists said they felt more vigilant than usual. “We decided not to go up the Eiffel Tower because of the possibility of what could happen” after hearing of the travel advisory on CNN, said Eileen Carbrello, 60, a tourist from Virginia.

Germany’s interior minister warned against “alarmism” about the threat, saying there were “no indications of imminent attacks in Germany.” Thomas de Maiziere told reporters in Berlin there was a “high abstract threat” and that all leads were being investigated with “high intensity”. “I ask for understanding when I say that I cannot and will not describe the individual measures of our authorities.”

US tourists in Berlin were undeterred yesterday as they visited a surviving piece of the Berlin Wall at Potsdamer Platz. “We are not going to allow terrorists to change our plans or our lifestyle. That’s one way they win if they change your lifestyle or the way you do things,” said Mark Yblood, 61, a sales executive from Texas. “I think we’ll be okay. You just have to be smart and aware of your surroundings, be aware of what’s going on around you.” Tim Souza, 51, a mechanical engineer from California, said: “Yeah, we’re worried about it but they’re not going to leave us scared. We are

just being more cautious, keeping our eyes open for things that are suspicious ...

Germany is a very secure country.” Of the 10.6 million Americans who visited Europe last year, 1.5 million visited Germany, 250,000 of them going to Berlin.

Italy’s Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said yesterday the threat level there remained “high” but that no specific targets had been identified as being under particular threat. “US citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling,” said the US alert. It said attackers may use “a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests,” and that particular targets could include railways, subways and locations frequented by tourists.

The alert - which the State Department issues regarding specific events, and is one step down from a travel warning - follows intelligence reports that suggested an AlQaeda attack could be imminent. The reports said well-armed teams of jihadists planned to seize and murder Western hostages in a manner similar to the attacks two years ago in the Indian city of Mumbai on two hotels and its main railway station, in which 10 gunmen killed 166 people and injured more than 300. — Agencies

Israel settlers torch mosque Continued from Page 1 Palestinians said settlers were behind the attack. “The settlers’ message is: terrorise the Palestinian people,” said Mohammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, who came to inspect the damage and talk to the locals. “Crimes like these do not terrorise the Palestinian people. On the contrary, such attacks will only embolden the Palestinian people and increase our determination to achieve all of our rights,” he told Reuters after delivering a brief sermon.

Netanyahu denounced the attack and told Israel’s security forces to bring the perpetrators to justice. Violence could complicate US-led efforts to prevent the collapse of Middle East peace talks launched just a month ago. They were plunged into crisis last week when a 10month Israeli moratorium on building new houses in West Bank Jewish settlements expired.

Beit Fajjar is a dusty, jumbled village of stone-cutting mills on a dead-end road outside the sprawling Jewish settlement of Gush Etzion, which is closed to Palestinians. A Star of David symbol and the words “Price Tag” were found scrawled over the mosque’s doorway.

Militant settlers coined the slogan to warn of the cost of any threat to their presence.

Some of the group were wearing Jewish skullcaps and at least one wore a mask, witnesses said, adding that the men appeared to be settlers.

Dozens of grim-faced residents milled around as blue-clad Israeli police and kha-

ki-uniformed soldiers tried to maintain order. “Only somebody who doesn’t fear God would do this,” said resident Ayman Taqatqa. “We won’t allow people to offend our religion. We’ll defend it with our lives.” Taqatqa said he saw a car pull up to the mosque before dawn. Two men then rushed inside, while another two stood guard outside and two men stayed in the car, he said. He then said he saw a small blaze and began yelling for his neighbors to come. He said they waited for the men to leave before putting out the blaze, fearing they were armed Jewish settlers.

Residents later prayed in the sooty mosque and an elderly man chanted verses from one of the charred Qurans. The village is ringed by Jewish settlements, and both Palestinian residents and a settler leader acknowledged that relations are tense. But village councilman Kamel Hamish said there had not been any physical altercations between Jews and Palestinians in the past.

The Islamist Hamas movement ruling Gaza, meanwhile, condemned what it called “the Zionist desecration of houses of God” and blamed the attack on increased security coordination between Israel and its rivals in the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. It was the fourth such attack since December and “a very serious incident which we view with utmost gravity”, said Israeli military spokeswoman Lt Colonel Avital Liebowitz.

Investigators from the Israeli police and the army, which has controlled the occupied West Bank since 1967, collected forensic evidence at the scene including

footprints and a slice of the burnt carpet, and took statements from witnesses.

Nobody has been charged with any of the arson attacks, said Dana Zimmerman of Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group which monitors attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. The group noted that only 10 percent of attacks on Palestinians result in prosecutions. UN spokesman Richard Miron said Israel must take action. “It’s a clear act of desecration and comes in the wake of other attacks upon mosques,” Miron said. “We are reminding the Israeli government that the extremists responsible for these attacks must be brought to justice.”

On Saturday, the Palestinian leadership said the peace talks relaunched on Sept 2 but now in suspension could not resume until Israel halted settlement construction completely. Netanyahu said on Monday there were “sensitive diplomatic contacts” with the United States to try to save the talks. “I advise everybody to be patient, responsible, cool-headed and, above all, quiet,” he said in remarks aimed at ministers in his rightwing coalition which is dominated by pro-settler parties, including his own Likud.

Young Palestinians smoking on the wide porch of the house of Abou Mohammad opposite the mosque scoffed at the idea of a peace deal creating a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. “The peace talks are doomed from the start. There is no point in talking with the Jews, they are determined to build settlements,” said Abou Mohammad. -— Agencies

OPINION

14

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

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Young Arab American finds common ground

By Natasha Nassar am a 16-year-old Arab American. One of my parents is from Lebanon and the other from Palestine. Both live in the Middle East while I attend boarding school in the United States. Even though I always knew my own identity, I found it ironic that in the Middle East I am considered an American, while in the United States I am considered an Arab. Somewhere along the line, I feel I had become lost to both lands, although in my heart and soul I feel I still belong to both. Fortunately, this combination of American and Arab cultures and traditions has created an opportunity for me to be an ambassador to both places.

Drawing from this “ambassador” energy, this summer I spent a week in Jordan with Habitat for Humanity, an organisation dedicated to building simple, decent, affordable housing in partnership with people in need. I helped build a home for a Jordanian family of four whose existing house consisted of only one room which, shockingly, was smaller than the size of my dorm room at school.

This one room was their living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom - all in one.

As I worked in the scorching heat in northern Jordan, building walls and installing windows, I learned numerous things about myself, about others and about the simplicity of finding common ground between people from different cultures.

I spent my breaks talking to this Jordanian family, their friends and their children about why I chose to work with Habitat for Humanity.

These conversations grew into ones in which we discussed the similarities between our paths, cultures and lands. It was a breath of fresh air to hear about what Arab and American cultures have in common rather than to hear about all of their differences.

Everyone I came across was extremely hospitable and generous. They invited me into their homes and cooked for me. They talked about the same ordinary things that families around the world talk about: children, schools, rising inflation, unemployment, peace and, most of all, hope for the future.

I met Huda, a young 19year-old who was visiting her family over the summer. She, like me and many of our peers, had left

I

home in northern Jordan to pursue a challenging education. We shared our experiences living away from home and the responsibilities that come with it.

Huda is the only member of her family living outside her hometown. Due to her heavy academic load she is unable to visit her family very often.

To cope with the lack of family and the distance between them, she surrounds herself with a network of close friends and mentors who act as her support group.

My coping skills are no different. I rely heavily on my teachers and friends at school to be my daily support groups. To me, Huda represents my “Jordanian counterpart”.

Just as I take pride in my identity, each person I met was so proud to be a Jordanian.

King Abdullah’s picture hung in many village locations and the locals beamed when telling me all about Queen Rania. They asked many questions about the first family in the White House, who have much in common with the young royal family in Jordan.

The most valuable lesson I learned was that finding common ground between our different cultures did not require first acquiring a series of college degrees, or a myriad of other prerequisites.

What was most essential was having a heart that was willing to be open toward others.

An open heart can come as a result of enjoying some of the simplest things: family, food, music, art and children.

I returned to the United States with a renewed interest in encouraging others to get involved in bridging gaps with other cultures. I have joined the diversity club at my school to encourage this very thing.

I plan to visit Nablus in Palestine next summer looking for how I can further establish common ground with the people there.

While I am of course partial to the Middle East and would like to see more interaction between Arabs and Americans, I encourage all young people to spend more time giving back to any community at home or abroad.

A young mind can go a long way toward making a difference, especially one focused on the simplest things.

NOTE: Natasha Nassar is currently a junior in high school in Groton, Massachusetts —CGNews

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

Terrorism alerts reflect evolving militant threat

By William Maclean and British alerts about possible attacks in Europe highlight concern that growing numbers of militants are going from the West to remote war zones for training in answer to Al-Qaeda’s online call for violence. The immediate trigger for Sunday’s travel alerts was intelligence about a plot against European targets reportedly originating with a group of individuals in mountainous northern Pakistan, some of them believed to be European citizens.

Few details of the conspiracy are known. But the plot appears to be of the kind that Western officials believe poses the most significant danger today - the use of so-called self-radicalised militants with no previous record of extremism. AlQaeda’s leadership, increasingly restrained by missile strikes from US drones in northwest Pakistan, prizes such “home-grown” recruits as they have Western passports and can travel overseas easily, experts say.

Hard numbers are not available, but some experts suspect the flows to countries like Pakistan and Yemen of would-be militants have risen

US

especially in the past two years, despite stepped-up efforts by some Western governments to counter Islamist radicalisation among Muslim minority communities.

“It’s a serious phenomenon in Europe, especially in Britain and Germany,” said Edwin Bakker, a security and conflict expert at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations. “The motivation is not always simply Islamist extremism, sometimes individuals also go to find a sense of purpose for themselves, or for excitement.”

The US State Department on Sunday issued an alert warning American citizens to exercise caution while travelling in Europe. Britain raised the terrorism threat level to “high” from “general” for its citizens travelling to Germany and France.

The plot that triggered the alerts involved Al-Qaeda and allied militants, possibly including European citizens or residents, intelligence sources said last week. They said the militants were plotting coordinated attacks on European cities.

The use in attack plots of Western-based militants radicalised in online chat-rooms or through email contacts with hardline preachers has

grown sharply in the last two years.

Among the most dramatic of the mostly failed attacks and plots in the West was the failed bombing of New York’s Times Square by Pakistaniborn US citizen Faisal Shahzad on May 1. Joerg Ziercke, head of Germany’s BKA Federal Crime Office, said last month more than 400 Islamist radicals were living in Germany, some of whom had trained in camps overseas, including a hard core with combat experience in Afghanistan. Police had seen a rise in German residents moving to and from the camps.

European Union counter-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove told Reuters on Friday the plot showed the continent had to do more to impede extremists going overseas to train.

“There’s a number, a not insignificant number, of seriously dangerous people going around,” he said. “For some time there has been serious concern about people born or resident in Europe travelling to jihadi conflict zones - Afghanistan-Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen.”

In a report to EU member governments in June, Kerchove said AlQaeda remained the EU’s biggest

threat and urged better control on the movements of potential terrorists in the EU. In Britain, Jonathan Evans, head of the MI5 security service, said last month there was a serious risk of a lethal attack and militants in Yemen and Somalia were growing threats.

Many of the militants who travel out to Pakistan, often Europeans of south Asian, Arab or Turkish ancestry, intend to go over the border to Afghanistan and fight Western forces there. But Al-Qaeda has frequently sought to persuade them to go back home and attack Western targets there, experts say. These efforts have had some success.

Paul Cruickshank, an alumni fellew at the Center on Law and Security at New York University’s School of Law, said in a report that in the majority of 21 serious militant plots against the West since 2004, plotters either received direction from or trained with al Qaeda or its allies in Pakistan. Between 100 and 150 Westerners were suspected of going to the region for armed training in the last year, his Feb. 2010 study reported Western counterterrorism officials as saying.

Some of those who travel are struggling novices, who view the

trips as rites of passage, said an Oct 1 joint report by the Homeland Security Policy Institute at America’s George Washington University and the Swedish National Defence College.

Others are diehard militants seeking mortal combat and martyrdom against non-Muslim militaries, it said.

While hard numbers on the flow of foreign fighters to conflict zones were kept secret by Western spy agencies, it was evident that “the threat from foreign fighters is now quickly growing in size and prominence”, the report said.

A Sept 10 report by US terrorism experts Bruce Hoffman and Peter Bergen for the Bipartisan Policy Center said the threat from Al-Qaeda had grown more complex, and US citizens and residents were playing an increasing role in the leadership of Al-Qaeda planning and operations.

The group’s ability to carry out a major attack like that of Sept. 11 was “far less formidable” than it was in 2001. But the group might be able to bomb symbolic American targets such as the subways of Manhattan in attacks that would kill dozens. “This level of threat is likely to persist for years to come,” it said. — Reuters

‘Other woman’ in race could decide Brazil poll

By Anella Reta reen Party candidate Marina Silva could hold the keys to Brazil’s top elected office after scoring a surprisingly strong third place in Sunday’s presidential election, analysts say. Silva, a female former environment minister who resigned from the center-left government of outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to run for office, won 19 percent of the vote in the poll - far higher than the 14 percent surveys had predicted for her. Votes for Silva likely denied a firstround victory for Dilma Rousseff, Lula’s anointed successor.

Although Silva will not participate in the Oct 31 runoff between Rousseff and second-ranked challenger Jose Serra, her supporters are up for grabs and could decide the race. “The phenomenon, the really new fact in these elections, is the swing to Marina,” Andre Pereira Cesar, a political analyst at the CAC consulting firm, told AFP. “From being a background figure during the whole campaign, she is now the one who could determine the presidential election in the second round,” he said.

Silva, 52, late Sunday told supporters and reporters in a hoarse voice that she had waged a good fight. “We came out of this victorious. We defended a victorious idea and Brazil heard our cry,” she said. Silva was raised as a rubber tapper with few prospects in Brazil’s impoverished Amazon region, but pursued an education and enter politics. She was elected to the senate, and from there was chosen to be Lula’s

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Green Party presidential candidate Marina Silva gestures at a voting center in Rio Branco, Brazil on Sunday. — AFP environment minister in 2003.

However she quit that portfolio in 2008 to protest what she saw as the government’s policy of prioritizing economic development in the Amazon rainforest at the expense of conservation.

In many ways, her humble begin-

nings echoed those of the popular Lula, a shoeshine boy who rose to became a trade union leader and was then president on his fourth try in 2002. That parallel and Silva’s earnest discourse made a sharp contract with Rousseff, the daughter of a well-off family who had to

soften her image with botox and a makeover before claiming she alone was representing Brazil’s female voters. Silva apparently also benefited from a tactic by Serra, who stalled Rousseff’s rise just before Sunday’s elections by tying Lula’s candidate to

scandals in the ruling Workers Party.

Carlos Alberto de Melo, a political analyst at the Insper Institute in Sao Paulo, told AFP the shift to Silva “was a protest vote by part of the electorate who weren’t convinced by Dilma or Serra, and who finally voted for Marina to play for time and force a second round.” Silva “got many more votes than the surveys said she would, and this is going to exploited a lot in the days to come,” De Melo said. “The question now is what will happen to those votes in the second round?”

Silva’s votes represent “pure gold” to both Serra and Rousseff, Pereira Cesar said. Silva, he said, “holds all the cards over the next three weeks of campaigning”.

He added that Silva could force the insertion of a “new agenda into Brazilian politics,” possibly in line with her environmentalist platform. Silva has not said who she would back in the runoff vote, though she made it clear that support would depend on adopting some of her policies. Observers however believe that many of Silva’s 20 million supporters are disillusioned with Lula’s government and could vote for Serra, even if Silva overcomes her animosity towards Rousseff and endorses her former rival.

“I think Dilma has more to offer Marina than Serra. Both were ministers, they’ve spoken before, and of course Lula is there to mediate.

Everybody knows Marina and appreciates Lula. That would be a dramatic, tense and complicated conversation,” Pereira Cesar said. —AFP

ANALYSIS

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

15

Sarkozy gambles on China in G20 forex drive

By Paul Taylor

F

rench President Nicolas Sarkozy is gambling on drawing China into a multilateral dialogue on currency stability as the centrepiece of his forthcoming presidency of the G20 economic leadership forum.

Whether Beijing will agree is unclear. Western officials will be parsing the statements of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao on a European tour this week for clues. Sarkozy has put reforming the international monetary system at the top of his agenda at a time when all the world’s major economies are tempted to let their currencies depreciate in an attempt to rekindle export-led economic growth.

The United States accuses China of keeping its currency, the yuan, artificially low, hurting US jobs and competitiveness. If Sarkozy can persuade Beijing to engage in foreign exchange policy coordination in a G20 setting, he would pocket a political success that could boost his expected 2012 re-election bid and upstage his most dangerous potential challenger, IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

“Sarkozy always wants a big headline. With France taking over the G20, he wants something big on the agenda,” said Joost Beaumont, European economist at ABN Amro. “This also has a bit to do with smoothing Sarkozy’s domestic political problems. His handling of the EU presidency at the peak of the (financial) crisis earned him a lot of credit at home, and now he hopes he can pull off the same trick on the glob-

al currency issues.” French diplomats say Paris has been holding preparatory talks with major partners, including China, for months on its G20 agenda. Sarkozy suggested in August holding a conference of experts in China on a new international monetary order.

Some G20 diplomats say the fact that the president went public with the idea suggests he already has an indication of Chinese acceptance, which might be announced when President Hu Jintao visits Paris in November.

Officials in Sarkozy’s office deny any secret agreement.

“Intuitively, I would be very surprised if the Chinese would have done a deal with the French,” said analyst Carsten Brzeski at ING Financial markets. “Sure, France will have done consultations ahead of the G20 but earlier experience - just think of the climate conference has shown that China only considers the United States a partner at its own eye level, but the same is not yet the case for the Europeans,” he said. “A deal is very unlikely but it is obvious that pressure on China is increasing.”

France has reassured suspicious Western partners that it is not seeking fixed exchange rates of the type established by the 1944 Bretton Woods conference which created the International Monetary Fund at the end of World War Two. Nor is it proposing to replace the dollar as the main international reserve currency, although a G20 monetary forum could discuss longerterm Chinese ideas for making more use of the IMF’s

Special Drawing Right as a virtual global currency.

Diplomats involved in the preparations say the French aim is more modestly to establish a G20 forum for regular dialogue about currency developments which could give guidance to markets on the major powers’ thinking.

Finance ministers and central bankers of the Group of Seven major industrialised economies - the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada - have played this role

since the 1970s, meeting regularly to discuss foreign exchange issues and issuing joint statements.

French officials contend that the G7 - which meets later this week - is no longer the right place since it does not include China, India, Brazil, Russia or Saudi Arabia. A G20 currency forum could fulfil that function. “If he can get agreement to a contact group on exchange rates, that would be an achievement. He can say that no one wanted to touch

this issue before,” one G20 diplomat said.

The United States may well be supportive since Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner seems keen to find a more effective and less vitriolic approach to coaxing China to allow the yuan to appreciate than their current bilateral megaphone dialogue.

A high-level US team led by Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Robert Hormats was in Paris yesterday to discover more about French thinking on the G20 agenda. The US Congress, in the build-up to mid-term elections, is applying ever more shrill pressure on the Obama administration to brand Beijing a currency manipulator and take retaliatory trade restrictions if it does not let the yuan rise.

Geithner said in Senate testimony on Sept 16 he expected “a significant focus of attention ... on China’s exchange rate policy” at the next G20 summit in Seoul in November. The Europeans are less outspoken, partly because their terms of trade with Beijing improved as the euro fell from $1.60 in mid2008 to below $1.20 in July, while the yuan remained pegged to the dollar, although that trend has since reversed, with the euro back up around $1.37.

Fragmented Europeans are also less practised at wielding economic power by linking trade to foreign exchange policy. On the first leg of his European tour in Athens, Wen said on Sunday that Beijing supported a stable euro and will not reduce its holdings of European bonds. He also promised to

support debt-stricken Greece’s economy but made no comment on the yuan. His emollient speech to the Greek parliament appeared aimed at deflecting criticism of China’s currency policy in talks with euro zone officials in Brussels yesterday night and today.

A euro zone policymaker said Beijing was skilled at making gestures just ahead of major deadlines such as the announcement of a more flexible yuan exchange rate just before the June G20 summit in Toronto, only to revert to its old ways afterwards.

“They play us for fools,” the official said. “That may work once or twice, but if there is no reciprocity, we will have to start drawing a line.” Some Western G20 diplomats are sceptical of Chinese willingness to be drawn into a G20 dialogue on currencies given the ruling Communist Party’s insistence on monetary sovereignty. Any such talks could be seen as the thin end of a wedge.

They recall that Beijing refused to allow the G20 to praise its decision to make the yuan exchange rate more flexible in June to avoid creating a precedent of the issue being a legitimate subject for multilateral discussion.

“What’s in it for China?” one European monetary diplomat asked. “A way of deflecting the US Congress? But would that work? Enhanced status?

But doesn’t China already have that by making the world come to its door to beg for currency relief? “A bigger say in global monetary affairs? But won’t China get that anyway as its economy expands?” -—Reuters

Europe battles to befriend rising world powers

By Luke Baker f there is one thing the European Union is clear about, it is the need for stronger ties with powerful emerging economies such as India, China and Brazil. Its problem is working out how to get there. At gatherings of EU foreign ministers and heads of state in recent weeks, “strengthening strategic partnerships” has been at the top of the agenda, but the meetings have largely failed to put flesh on the bones of the policy idea. Almost a year after the passage of the Lisbon treaty, which was supposed to improve EU decision-making and give the Union more influence in the world, little progress is being made despite all the talk.

Foreign policy experts and some EU foreign ministers have begun calling for an overhaul of how the EU conducts diplomacy, saying it risks irrelevance if it does not rapidly improve how it shapes and pursues its goals.

The issue is all the more pressing as the EU prepares for a a summit with Asian states and separate sum-

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mits with China and South Korea next week. “The economies of China, India and others are racing ahead at 10 percent a year.

Economic weight is translating into political clout and self-confidence,” Catherine Ashton, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said shortly after she took office last December.

“If we pull together, we can safeguard our interests. If not, others will make the decisions for us. It’s that simple.”

While the aims as Ashton presents them are clear, pursuing them is being hampered by a lack of coordination among the EU’s 27 member states and a tendency among leaders to let immediate or pressing issues cloud out the bigger picture.

At a foreign ministers’ meeting this month, Ashton spoke at length about a recent trip she made to China and how the relationship needed to be developed, but the ministers sitting around the table added little, sources at the meeting said.

“Everyone agreed that the EU needs to come up with a new strate-

gy, but no one had very much to say about how we do that,” said one source who attended the meeting.

The issue was no more successfully handled at an EU leaders’ summit on Sept 16, when a row between France and the European Commission over Paris’s expulsion of Roma migrants overshadowed the event, cutting debate short on strategic partnerships.

As a result, the summit’s closing statement was short on specifics even though the issue is central to how the EU, home to 500 million people, transforms its economic weight into geopolitical influ ence. “The European Union and its member states will act more strategically so as to bring Europe’s true weight to bear internationally,” the statement said.

“This requires a clear identification of its strategic interests and objectives at a given moment and a focused reflection on the means to pursue them more assertively.”

Discussion of “strategic partnerships” can seem wishy-washy from the outside, particularly when it involves 27 countries that in many

cases - such as Britain and France have their own long-established foreign policies that they manage closely and would rather not subsume under the EU banner. But when it comes to trade it is critical for the EU, the world’s largest trading bloc, to have a unified strategy for building ties with new powers, especially if it wants to retain influence at a time of slow growth and shifting power balances.

The risks surrounding a lack of unity were clear this month when the EU was in the final stage of clinching a free-trade deal with South Korea, the world’s 12th largest economy and an important EU partner in the G20. At the last minute, worried about the impact the deal could have on its car industry, Italy refused to back the accord, threatening the agreement because EU trade deals must be unanimous.

That could have allowed the United States to jump in and sign its own free-trade agreement with South Korea first.

Rome was finally cajoled into signing after Brussels and Seoul agreed to delay the start of the pact

by six months, saving an accord that is pivotal for European manufacturers. Next time, the EU may not be so lucky, particularly if more than one member state gets cold feet over an agreement. Yesterday and today, Brussels hosts a Europe-Asia summit, an opportunity to strengthen ties with the likes of Malaysia, India, South Korea and China.

Russia is also invited.

Trade and finance will be central to the discussions, with the EU and Malaysia expected to set a date for the start of talks on a free-trade pact, the EU-South Korea deal to be formally signed, and the EU and China to discuss exchange rates and monetary policy in the context of the global recovery. “(The meeting) is a pivotal test for the future of the EU’s uninspiring and often haphazard relationship with Asia,” the European Policy Centre, a Brussels think tank, wrote this week. “EU leaders can either use the meeting to inject new dynamism into Asia-Europe relations or reinforce an impression in Asia ... of Europe’s decline into global ‘irrelevance’.” — Reuters

Socialist election fuels ‘post-Zapatero’ talk

By Sinikka Tarvainen

S

panish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was seen yesterday as politically weakened, after a setback within his own Socialist Party (PSOE) undermined his already faltering popularity. “Go away, Mr Zapatero,” Dolores de Cospedal from the opposition conservative People’s Party (PP) urged, after the Madrid branch of the PSOE on Sunday rejected Zapatero’s favoured candidate for next year’s regional elections.

Alternative candidate Tomas Gomez, 42, beat Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez, 48, who had the support of Zapatero and several of his ministers. Gomez was elected by a small majority to challenge Madrid’s conservative regional Prime Minister Esperanza Aguirre in the May 2011 poll. Zapatero has divided not only Spain, but even his own party, de Cospedal charged, calling on

the 50-year-old premier to stage early elections.

PSOE representatives downplayed the importance of Zapatero’s defeat in the “battle for Madrid”, but the press was almost unanimous in stressing the humiliation for the prime minister, whose popularity had already been eroded by Spain’s economic crisis.

Several newspapers predicted that Sunday’s election would open the “postZapatero” era, launching a debate about who will succeed the premier, who has led the PSOE since 2000.

The Madrid region - covering 6.4 million residents in the capital and its surroundings - has been governed for 15 years by the PP, whose regional leader Aguirre handily won the last two elections. Zapatero thought the best candidate to defeat Aguirre would be Jimenez, one of the most popular ministers in his cabinet. But Gomez - Madrid’s regional Socialist leader - refused to step aside, presenting him-

self as the candidate of grassroot party members against Jimenez, whom he portrayed as the candidate of party leaders.

Gomez, whom few Spaniards outside Madrid had heard of, rose to national fame as “the man who said no to Zapatero”. To make things worse, Gomez did not even mention Zapatero in his victory speech on Sunday, though he did express his loyalty to the premier yesterday.

The result left the PSOE divided and weakened Zapatero, who had already come under heavy criticism for his handling of Spain’s economic problems, analysts said.

Spain finally emerged from recession in the first quarter, but its 20.5 per cent unemployment rate remains the highest in the European Union, and the gaping budget deficit has forced the government to implement unpopular austerity measures. The PSOE is lagging ever further behind the PP

in polls. It would get only 28.5 per cent of the vote if elections were held now, against 43 per cent for the PP, according to a poll published by the daily El Pais on Sunday.

Zapatero ousted the PP from power in 2004, and also won the next general election in 2008.

He emerged unscathed from a general strike last week, and is also expected to muster enough parliamentary support to pass the 2011 budget.

“Zapatero always overcomes obstacles, but each of them leaves him more tattered,” one commentator wrote yesterday.

“The future of zapaterism cannot depend on just 500 votes” - the margin by which Gomez won in Madrid PSOE representative Elena Valenciano said. Sunday’s election result nevertheless increased uncertainty over whether Zapatero would still head the PSOE on the eve of the next general elections in 2012, observers said. —dpa

focus

Are panic rooms, private navies answer to piracy?

By Peter Apps

M

ore Somali pirates than ever before may be taking to the water in the coming months, and proposed strategies against them range from installing “panic rooms” to hiring mercenary escort warships. But it’s by no means clear that these methods would mark a turning point in the fight against pirates and there are fears they could even make things worse.

Several dozen international warships mount antipiracy patrols, but mandates end at the water’s edge and commanders say they are far too few to cover the vast Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile, up to several hundred Somalis earn many times the average salary at home by heading out in small skiffs with ladders and AK-47s, boarding ships and sailing them to pirate anchorages. Some 19 ships and 350 crew are being held.

A host of companies have sprung up offering advice, protection and specialist equipment. A handful propose operating military-style corvettes with private crews. “Our aim is to offer close protection for money for ships passing through the danger area,” said Greg Stenstrom, founder of US-based firm Marque Star - which has put down deposits on two ships and has ambitions for more than a dozen more.

“We’re trying to steer clear of the phrase ‘private navy’, although it does lend itself to that. We’d rather describe ourselves as a private maritime security company.”

The ships will be armed with deck mounted machine guns, more formidable than anything currently used by the pirates.

They may also have unmanned drones and a small airship for surveillance.

Former US naval officer Stenstrom says he faced widespread scepticism when he first mooted the idea two years ago. But as piracy worsened, it gained momentum. The company is fundraising but hopes to offer escorts by 2011 or earlier.

Shipping sources say several other firms have similar plans. The idea has been mooted periodically since pirates began to their operations from Somalia in the middle of the decade and has long disturbed some naval officers.

Private military firms have been increasingly used in Iraq and Afghanistan, but their use has proved controversial.

At worst, some fear contractors could become part of the problem. Many navies including those from emerging powers India, China, Russia, South Korea, Malaysia and others patrol the area, loosely coordinated largely through a secure Internet chat room.

“This is a very cluttered piece of ocean,” said Major General Buster Howes, commander of the EU antipiracy force EUNAVFOR. “If you add a cohort of private contractors operating ships, it could add value but it could also be complicating... You also have to come back to what it would mean for the souls who are being held by the pirates.”

Marque Star’s Stenstrom said the ships would have strict rules of engagement would only fire in self-defence and would expect most pirates

to flee without a fight.

The ships - registered with one of two regional African countries that have agreed to the idea in principle - would share intelligence with international navies and would never fire on a sovereign warship even if fired upon, Stenstrom said. “We are not John Wayne,” he said.

“We take this seriously.”

Putting private security guards aboard vessels is another option - one already taken by some shipping companies - but is seen as posing similar difficulties.

Arming ordinary merchant seaman is seen impractical and potentially dangerous. “It’s a difficult job to be armed to be protecting a ship at sea,” said EU force commander Howes. “It would change the status of civilian merchant ships and you also have the risk of provoking an arms race with the pirates.”

Several nations including the United States and Russia periodically put teams of marines on their own commercial ships for protection - but other nations lack the resources to do likewise.

Another protection strategy increasingly used by merchant ships is the use of a “panic room” or “citadel” into which the crew can retreat if the ship is taken over, allowing military forces to storm the ship without risk to the crew. Several ships have been recaptured after crews used them. This month, pirates abandoned a Greek-operated ship shortly after seizing it is after the crew locked themselves in the engine room.

Some say the pirates may have feared an assault.

Experts say the rooms can be effective - although they need to be bulletproof, contain food stocks, communications equipment and ideally a system to immobilise the ship.

So far, pirates have not tended to fight back when boarded. But that could change, and few military officers are enthusiastic about battling through a multilevel cargo ship.

“Ship takedown is a difficult thing to do,” said EUNAVFOR’s Howes.

“We’re going to think very carefully before we risk the lives of Royal Marines or other marines for a ship that had not followed best management practices.”

Western militaries and shipping associations have drawn up a list of recommendations for shipping passing through the region, and say no ship that followed them all has been pirated.

Most crucial is keeping good lookout - some ships only noticed the pirates when they stormed the bridge. They also include using water sprays, placing barbed wire on ladders, transiting danger areas at night, sticking to designated transit routes and informing military forces of their presence.

Almost everyone agrees the only long-term solution lies in stabilising shoreside Somalia, but few see that any time soon.

Most believe the international naval presence, once seen temporary, will become semi-permanent. Once a ship has been taken, owners say they will ultimately have little choice but to pay the ransom.

“Then it becomes a cyclical repeatable problem,” said Peter Hinchcliffe, secretary general of the International Shipping Federation. —Reuters

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

MLB results/standings Results and standings from the MLB games on Sunday.

Florida 5, Pittsburgh 2; Washington 2, NY Mets 1 (14 innings); Cincinnati 3, Milwaukee 2; Detroit 4, Baltimore 2; Boston 8, NY Yankees 4; Atlanta 8, Philadelphia 7; Chicago White Sox 6, Cleveland 5; Houston 4, Chicago Cubs 0; Tampa Bay 3, Kansas City 2 (12 innings); Toronto 2, Minnesota 1; St. Louis 6, Colorado 1; LA Angels 6, Texas 2; San Francisco 3, San Diego 0; Oakland 4, Seattle 3; LA Dodgers 3, Arizona 1.

American League Eastern Division W L PCT GB Tampa Bay 96 66 .593 NY Yankees 95 67 .586 1 Boston 89 73 .549 7 Toronto 85 77 .525 11 Baltimore 66 96 .407 30 Central Division Minnesota 94 68 Chicago White Sox 88 74 Detroit 81 81 Cleveland 69 93 Kansas City 67 95

.580 .543 .500 .426 .414

6 13 25 27

Texas Oakland LA Angels Seattle

Western Division 90 72 81 81 80 82 61 101

.556 .500 .494 .377

9 10 29

Philadelphia Atlanta Florida NY Mets Washington

National League Eastern Division 97 65 91 71 80 82 79 83 69 93

.599 .562 .494 .488 .426

6 17 18 28

Cincinnati St. Louis Milwaukee Houston Chicago Cubs Pittsburgh

Central Division 91 71 86 76 77 85 76 86 75 87 57 105

.562 .531 .475 .469 .463 .352

5 14 15 16 34

San Francisco San Diego Colorado LA Dodgers Arizona

Western Division 92 70 90 72 83 79 80 82 65 97

.568 .556 .512 .494 .401

2 9 12 27

ARLINGTON: Los Angeles Angels second baseman Howard Kendrick (47) makes the throw to first for the double play after forcing Texas Rangers’ Josh Hamilton at second in the fourth inning.—AP

Rays outlast Royals to head into playoffs KANSAS CITY: With the American League East championship already in hand, the Tampa Bay Rays outlasted the Kansas City Royals 3-2 in 12 innings Sunday to head into the playoffs on a winning note.

Manager Joe Maddon’s team learned it had clinched the division title and homefield advantage throughout the AL playoffs in the ninth inning when New York lost at Boston, and the Rays briefly exchanged high-fives in the dugout.

The Yankees and Tampa Bay began the day tied at 95-66, with both teams already assured of postseason spots. To win the division, New York needed to finish ahead of the Rays, who held the tiebreaker after winning the season series 10-8.

Tampa Bay will start the playoffs at home Wednesday against AL West champion Texas. The Yankees are the wild card and open Wednesday at AL Central champion Minnesota.Carlos Pena hit a tying, two-run double in the ninth for the Rays off All-Star closer Joakim Soria, his first blown save

since May 6 and the first runs he had allowed in 24 innings.

Red Sox 8, Yankees 4 At Boston, New York fell short of a second straight AL East title and completed a rare late-season fade with a loss to Boston.

The Yankees were 66-37 at the start of play on Aug. 1 but went just 29-30 the rest of the way. It was only the third time the Yankees led through games of Labor Day and failed to finish first, according to STATS LLC. The others were in 1906 and 1944.

The Yankees are going to the postseason for the 49th time _ the fourth as a wild-card team. It’s their 15th playoff appearance in 16 years. Jed Lowrie homered twice, J.D. Drew also connected and Boston had two double steals in the sixth inning. John Lackey (1411) struck out 10 in 7 2-3 innings for the Red Sox, who will miss the playoffs for the second time in eight years. They dropped from second place at 95-67 last season to third place at 89-73.

Blue Jays 2, Twins 1 At Minneapolis, Edwin Encarnacion and Adam Lind added two more home runs to Toronto’s major league-leading total, lifting the Blue Jays over playoff-bound Minnesota in manager Cito Gaston’s last game.

Toronto went deep 257 times this season, matching the 1996 Baltimore Orioles for the third-most in history. The 1997 Seattle Mariners have the record, with 264 homers. Gaston finished 211-201 in his second stint with the Blue Jays, who had eight wins in their last 10 games to reach 85-77.

Encarnacion hit 21 homers this season, seven against the Twins and five in this four-game series. The Blue Jays went deep 10 times this weekend at Target Field, so far one of the hardest ballparks to hit one out of.

Angels 6, Rangers 2 At Arlington, Texas, Peter Bourjos hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and Los Angeles beat Texas in

their regular-season finale.

The Angels (80-82) still had their first losing record since 2003 after winning the division five of the previous six seasons. The Rangers (90-72) are in the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

Texas slugger Josh Hamilton went 1 for 4 and finished with a .359 batting average, the highest in the majors. Dan Haren (5-4) allowed two runs over six innings for the Angels and finished 4-0 with a 1.70 ERA his last eight starts.

Hideki Matsui had a two-run homer.

Dustin Nippert (4-5) took the loss.

Tigers 4, Orioles 2 At Baltimore, Brandon Inge homered and Johnny Damon singled home the tiebreaking run in the sixth inning as Detroit beat Baltimore to end a six-game skid and avoid a losing season.

The Tigers finished 81-81, the second time in five seasons under manager Jim Leyland that they failed to have a

winning record.

Nick Markakis had three hits and an RBI for the Orioles, who for the seventh time this season failed to build upon a four-game winning streak.

Daniel Schlereth (2-0) pitched 3 1-3 shutout innings and Jose Valverde worked the ninth for his 26th save. Brad Bergesen (8-12) allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings.

White Sox 6, Indians 5 At Chicago, Paul Konerko had two hits in what could be his final game with the White Sox, and manager Ozzie Guillen got his 600th win as Chicago closed out the season by beating Cleveland.

Alexei Ramirez homered in the first inning off Justin Germano (0-3) and capped a three-run second with an RBI double. Juan Pierre had three hits and drove in three runs, and Edwin Jackson (4-2) got his first win in more than a month.

Chris Sale worked two innings for his

Braves 8, Phillies 7 At Atlanta, Tim Hudson and the Braves took a six-run lead, then held on before Atlanta watched on TV as San Francisco beat San Diego, giving the Braves the NL wild card. The Braves won 14 straight division titles with Cox but had missed the playoffs since 2005.

Cox’s final regular-season record was 2,504-2,001. He

ranks fourth in wins, trailing only Connie Mack (3,776), John McGraw (2,840) and Tony La Russa (2,638). This is Cox’s 15th season with 90 or more wins, second to only McGraw.

Reds 3, Brewers 2 At Cincinnati, Milwaukee manager Ken Macha was told by team management he won’t be back next season. Jay Bruce hit his fourth homer of Cincinnati’s title-clinching week, a solo drive off Randy Wolf (13-12) that broke a 2-all tie in the fourth.

As the Reds eased into the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, starter Aaron Harang left in the third because of a blister on his right index finger. Matt Maloney (2-2) won with three innings in relief.

Dodgers 3, D’backs 1 At Los Angeles, Joe Torre ended his managerial career the way it began 29 years ago _ with a victory. Matt Kemp homered in his fifth consecutive game, a 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Torre finished with a 2,3261,997 regular-season record, going 259-227 in three years with the Dodgers. He turns things over to hitting coach Don Mattingly, who has been promoted to manager for next season. Ted Lilly (10-12) allowed one run and four hits, struck out nine and walked two to reach 10 victories for the eighth consecutive season. Rodrigo Lopez (716) was the loser.

Athletics 4, Mariners 3 At Seattle, Kurt Suzuki and Kevin Kouzmanoff hit long solo home runs, and Chris Carter added the go-ahead RBI single as Oakland beat Seattle to complete a season-ending four-game sweep.

The Athletics finished 81-81 for their first non-losing season since winning the AL West with 93 wins in 2006. Dallas Braden (11-14) allowed two runs and five hits in five innings.

The Mariners pulled even in the fifth on Ichiro Suzuki’s two-run double, but Carter came through in the sixth with a bases-loaded single off Anthony Varvaro (0-1). —AP

FIBA plans to lower rims for women’s basketball

Giants beat Padres 3-0 to win NL West SAN FRANCISCO: Jonathan Sanchez pitched the San Francisco Giants back into the playoffs after a six-year absence and also provided a vital hit, beating the San Diego Padres 30 Sunday to win the National League West title.

Buster Posey homered and the Giants beat the Padres after losing the first two games of the weekend series. San Francisco (92-70), which overcame a 7 1/2game deficit on July 4, host the wild card-winning Atlanta Braves starting Thursday, with ace Tim Lincecum well rested to go in Game 1.

The Braves (91-71) beat the Phillies 8-7, extending manager Bobby Cox’s farewell season.

Atlanta. San Diego (90-72) missed a chance to force a Monday tiebreaker for the NL West. The loser of that would have flown to Atlanta to determine the wild card.

The Padres led the division by 61/2 games before a 10-game losing streak from Aug. 26 to Sept. 5. Sanchez (13-9) pitched into the sixth and gave up three hits while walking five. He tripled off Mat Latos (14-10) in the third and scored the first run.

fourth save, despite giving up a two-run homer to Drew Sutton. The White Sox ended the season on a 9-2 run and wound up with 88 wins while finishing second in the AL Central. Konerko concluded one of his best seasons with 39 homers, 111 RBIs and a .312 batting average.

ATLANTA: Braves closer Billy Wagner works in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies. Atlanta won 8-7. —AP pitch before walking three batters in a row in the 14th inning.

The Mets finished their second straight losing campaign (79-83) with what likely was Jerry Manuel’s final game as manager. Joel Peralta (1-0) pitched two innings for the win and Miguel Batista got three outs for his second save as Washington ended a string of 18 straight losses in one-run games on the road.

Nationals 2, Mets 1

Marlins 5, Pirates 2

At New York, Oliver Perez (0-5) hit Adam Kennedy with a

At Miami, Dan Uggla homered and drove in three runs to

send Pittsburgh to its 105th defeat.

The Pirates finished their record-extending 18th consecutive losing season at 57-105, worst in the majors.

The only time the Pirates had more defeats in baseball’s modern era was in 1952, when they went 42-112. Pittsburgh finished 17-64 away from home, matching the 1963 New York Mets for the worst road record in a 162-game season. Anibal Sanchez (13-12) allowed one earned run in six innings. Brian Burres (4-5) was the loser.

Astros 4, Cubs 0 At Houston, Carlos Lee homered and Tommy Manzella drove in two runs. Houston went 59-52 following a 17-34 start. Nelson Figueroa (7-4) allowed six hits in six inning and struck out a season-high eight.

Brandon Lyon worked a perfect ninth to complete the shutout after Fernando Abad and Wilton Lopez combined for two hitless innings.

Ryan Dempster (15-12) allowed three runs and nine hits in six innings.

Chicago won eight of 12 series after interim manager Mike

Quade took over.

Cardinals 6, Rockies 1 At St. Louis, Jeff Suppan (38) allowed five hits in six scoreless innings and Matt Pagnozzi drove in two runs. St. Louis won its final five games. After an early September surge brought them within one game of the NL West lead, the Rockies lost eight in a row and 13 of 14.

Dexter Fowler broke ended a 30 1-3 inning scoreless streak with an eighth-inning home run.

Esmail Rogers (2-3) was the loser.—AP

KARLOVY VARY: Lower baskets, new uniforms and a new start date for the world championship were just a few ideas discussed at the first women’s basketball summit.

More than 50 countries attended the conference, ranging from basketball powerhouses Australia and the United States to newer federations like Iran.

“There were a lot of topics covered,” said USA Basketball past president Val Ackerman, who helped spearhead the conference. “There was talk about lowering the rims. The notion is that no one in women’s basketball has experimented in a serious way. It’s something that might enhance the game, leading to dunking, fewer missed shots.”

While lowering the baskets a few inches would be considered a radical idea, it’s something that the members were willing to discuss. Such a monumental change in the game is still many years away from potentially being implemented.

“One of the conclusions was that we need to change the rules if we want to make the game a bit more attractive,” said FIBA Secretary General and IOC member Patrick Baumann. “We have the smaller ball and now it’s time to lower the rim. It will be tested.” If that were to happen, the change won’t take place immediately.

“It’s going to take a while,” Baumann said. “If you want to see how it impacts the game, you have to figure it out over a period of time _ you have to figure out the size (height), then try it in individual games, and then you have to try it over a prolonged period.

Then we need to find a national federation that would be willing to test it.” Another major issue that was discussed was trying to find a better time for worlds.

Baumann said it was shortchanging the women’s game to have their championship take place so soon after the men. The thought was to potentially move it to January or May, or even to a different year.

“Everyone agreed that harmonizing the calendar would be a good thing,” said WNBA commissioner Donna Orender, who also attended the conference. “I don’t think there’s any consensus yet. At this date it’s not best for our USA basketball program or the WNBA so any consideration of moving it to another time that would help elevate this we’d be in favor of.” The next women’s basketball conference is tentatively planned for 2012.

Meanwhile, New York Knicks center Ronny Turiaf, who went through open heart surgery to fulfil his NBA dream, believes a playoff berth is possible this season for the successstarved team.

The Frenchman, born in Martinique, is among a host of new faces at Madison Square Garden charged with pulling the Knicks out of a malaise which has seen the famous team lose at least 50 games in each of the last three seasons. Having undergone the surgery in 2005 to correct an enlarged aortic root before being allowed to join the Los Angeles Lakers, the 27year-old later moved onto the Golden State Warriors before arriving in New York with lofty expectations. —AP

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

17

Franchitti reveling in third IndyCar title HOMESTEAD: Dario Franchitti still gets a little bit awestruck whenever he talks to AJ Foyt. Same goes for when he’s around Mario Andretti. Ditto Rick Mears. “These guys are legends of the sport,” Franchitti said.”These guys are special.”

Yet when pressed about whether he’s inching closer to joining his idols in the pantheon of open-wheel greats, especially after collecting his third IndyCar series championship on Saturday night at Homestead, the 37-year-old Scotsman ran his fingers through his hair and shrugged.

“That’s not the sort of thing you’d say about yourself,” he said. “As I said before, I’m really proud of the results. I just want to keep going.” Don’t expect him to slow down anytime soon. Franchitti’s third IndyCar title in the last four years lacked the audaciousness of his fuel-sipping gamble at Homestead a year ago, when he leapfrogged

Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon and Ryan Briscoe for the title.

Instead, there was something coolly efficient about the way Franchitti whittled away at Will Power’s points lead over the season’s final weeks.

When Power’s advantage swelled to nearly 60 after winning in Sonoma in August, Franchitti didn’t “freak out.” He did the math.

There was plenty of time left to make up ground. He turned the final four stops into de facto match races. If he finished ahead of Power each time, he’d be fine.

Franchitti went 4-0, finally catching the rising Team Penske star during the circuit’s final visit to the 1.5-mile oval with the palm trees lining the backstretch. He took the pole, led the most laps and then backed off after Power’s No. 12 Honda ran into trouble trying desperately to keep up. He cruised

home in eighth to edge Power by five points.

It only seemed like 500.

Franchitti’s flawless driving on Saturday night played in stark contrast to Power’s uncharacteristic wobbling. He scraped the wall trying to play catchup and ended up watching the end of the race from behind the wall while finishing 25th.

Power’s only hope over the final miles was for Franchitti to meet with disaster. He nearly got his wish when Milka Duno spun out right in front of Franchitti with 26 laps remaining.

Franchitti muttered an expletive as Duno’s car careened into the wall. And he just kept right on driving. “Dario is pretty good at dodging those,” Power said. And while Franchitti chalks some of his success to luck, he also allows he’s never been better behind the wheel. He called his secondplace finish at Motegi in the season’s penul-

timate race one of the best performances of his career.

“Japan was possibly one of the most aggressive and trouble-free races, mistakefree races I’ve ever driven,” he said. “(It’s) probably in the top five races I’ve ever driven in my life.” It’s a heady statement from a driver with two Indy 500s, three series championships and 26 open-wheel victories.

It’s also a message that he doesn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.

His 2009 title served as validation that he was back where he belonged following an illfated foray into NASCAR in 2008. The experience in stock cars left him humbled and focused.

The hunger to win returned. So did the results. And while there are tiny flecks of gray in his stubble, he’s too busy enjoying his career revival to think about moving on.

That’s not exactly great news for the rest of

the series. “I think he’s definitely come on,” Dixon said.

“They say that kind of about triathletes, your mid-30s are kind of your peak. He’s getting close to 40, so he’s stretching the window.” And the view is pretty sweet. Not one for introspection, Franchitti brushed aside talk about his place in history.

He simply wants to live in the moment.

He’s been around long enough to know nothing is guaranteed. His pit stop in NASCAR taught him that. “I think I’m just going to let it sink in, enjoy it,” he said.

He celebrated his title with a burnout, a kiss from wife Ashley Judd and a couple of backslaps with Ganassi. This is where he’s supposed to be, leading the charge for the series’ top team.

While Ganassi was gracious in victory, praising Power and Penske for a remarkable season, his team is now the one to beat. His

drivers have won three straight championships and two of the last three 500s.

Ganassi, whose NASCAR operation has won the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 this year, is quick to praise his sponsors, his crew and his drivers. “To have consistency and to build consistency and to build history together, you get rewarded with events like (a championship),” Ganassi said.

Asked how much longer Franchitti can keep it up, Ganassi joked “at least one more year.” Franchitti’s current deal with Ganassi runs through the end of next season. It’s a partnership both sides would like to continue. As long as it does, expect Franchitti to continue to inch closer to his heroes, whether he wants to talk about it or not.

“You can still see the fire, and you can see he’s an extremely competitive person,” Dixon said. “Right now you’d have to say that he’s at his peak.”—AP

Australia rock India

Juan Martin del Potro in action in this file photo

Del Potro falls at first hurdle at Japan Open TOKYO: Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro’s inauspicious return from a long injury-lay-off continued yesterday after he was bounced out of the Japan Open in the first round for the second year running.

The towering Argentine fell to sixth seed Feliciano Lopez of Spain in a 6-3 6-0 thrashing six days after crashing out of the Thailand Open at the first hurdle.

Del Potro, who won last year’s US Open but had been sidelined since January with a wrist injury, made his comeback in Bangkok last week and looked no less rusty in Tokyo.

A red-hot favorite for the Japan Open title last year, del Potro was humiliated by a qualifier in the first round. World number one Rafa Nadal heads this year’s field at the $1.1 million Japan Open along with American Andy Roddick and 2009 Tokyo winner Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Seventh seed Ernests Gulbis of Latvia suffered an 6-3 6-4 upset at the hands of

Russian Dmitry Tursunov in the first round yesterday. Spain’s Daniel Gimeno-Traver beat Argentine Eduardo Schwank of Argentina 6-4 6-4.

Meanwhile, world number one Rafa Nadal has promised Colombian Santiago Giraldo a baptism of fire when the Spaniard opens his Japan Open title bid today.

Nadal was stunned 2-6 7-6 6-3 by countryman Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the Thailand Open semi-finals at the weekend and insisted he will not be so charitable in Tokyo.

“Tomorrow will be a difficult match,” Nadal told reporters yesterday. “It will be a very fast surface and Giraldo is a very dangerous player.

“There is not much you can do in a matter of days. If you look at the way I lost in Thailand you would say I have to make some changes. I need to be more aggressive.”

World number 63 Santiago is not expected to pose a serious threat to Nadal, who

has won three of this year’s four grand slam tournaments, including his first US Open last month.

“This was an incredible season for me,” he said. “I’ve been playing well all year. I had a bit of a problem with my knee in Australia but when I won in Monte Carlo everything changed.

“I started to play really well and get some confidence. The US Open was very important for my career but I’m going to keep trying to improve everyday. That is always my goal.”

Nadal is making his first appearance in Japan this week. “I’m excited to be here,” said the nine-times grand slam winner.

“Japan is one of the places you definitely want to know and hopefully I will be able to come back.”

Defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is also among a strong field at the $1.1 million hardcourt tournament, along with former US Open winner Andy Roddick.—Reuters

Jung retains lead at Equestrian Games LEXINGTON: Michael Jung of Germany continued his incredible run at the World Equestrian Games as he rode a clear round during stadium jumping Sunday to secure the individual gold medal in eventing.

Eventing consists of dressage, cross country, and stadium jumping and takes place over four days. Jung and his horse, La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, led after every portion.

Riders try to complete all three legs of eventing with the fewest number of faults, and Jung had just 33, all of which came in dressage.

Britain’s William Fox- Pitt finished second with 42, and Andrew Nicholson of New Zealand took the bronze with 43.5.

“My horse trusts me, and we work together well,” Jung said. “The last few years we have grown together so much, and I really hope we can do this in London (at the 2012 Olympics).”

Eventing is also a team competition, and FoxPitt’s performance helped lead Britain to the gold medal. Canada received the silver, while New Zealand took the bronze. The United States came into the day in second, but wound up finishing fourth.

“I think it is very hard to pinpoint one thing to mark a success,” Fox-Pitt said. “We all get on very well, and we have a lot of fun at the same time. We are also riding fantastic horses, and we had luck on our side.”

American Becky Holder was in third place going into stadium jumping with 42.5 faults, but she withdrew her horse, Courageous Comet, from the competition. The thoroughbred, who was a racehorse earlier in his career, lost a front shoe during cross-country and apparently overcompensated in the opposite leg. He is expected to be fine. The World Equestrian Games continue through Oct. 10.—AP

LEXINGTON: William Fox-Pitt of Great Britian rides Cool Mountain during the stadium jumping portion of the eventing competition at the World Equestrian Games.—AP

MOHALI: Fast bowler Ben Hilfenhaus grabbed three key wickets in the final session to boost Australia’s hopes of winning the opening Test against India yesterday.

India, needing 216 to win in their second innings, were wobbling at 55-4 at stumps on the penultimate day, with Hilfenhaus finishing with 3-22 off seven sharp overs.

With middle-order batsman Venkatsai Laxman suffering from a stiff back, India’s hopes largely rest with Sachin Tendulkar, who finished the day unbeaten on 10.

Nightwatchman Zaheer Khan was batting on five.

Opener Gautam Gambhir was unlucky to be given out legbefore in Hilfenhaus’s opening over as television replays suggested he had inside-edged the delivery onto his pads.

Rahul Dravid (13) was caught behind off paceman Doug Bollinger, while Virender Sehwag (17) and Suresh Raina (0) fell to short rising deliveries from Hilfenhaus.

Sehwag was caught by Michael Hussey at gully, while Raina was caught by Marcus North in the slips. “If we manage to get Sachin out early tomorrow morning, it will make things easy for us,” said Hilfenhaus.

“We have to come out in the morning and target each of the remaining batsmen with a specific plan. We are definitely going out for a win.

“It was a disappointing day with the bat. We have to give credit to their bowlers for the manner in which they executed their plans. But towards the end, having them four down meant it was a good day for us.”

Indian paceman Ishant Sharma earlier grabbed three key wickets in two overs as Australia were bowled out for 192 in their second innings.

He removed Shane Watson (56), skipper Ricky Ponting (four) and Michael Clarke (four) in the opening two overs of his second spell in the morning.

“I think I am getting more consistent and bowling at the same pace with more control. I just bowled a good line and length,” said Sharma.

“We will try our best to chase the target. We are in a good frame of mind and I think Sachin can do the job for the team.”

There was no hint of a collapse when Australia reached 87 without loss following an attractive half-century from Watson, but Sharma jolted the tourists with three wickets for just eight runs.

Spinners Harbhajan Singh (240) and Pragyan Ojha (2-59) kept the pressure on the middle order on a wearing track, before leftarm paceman Zaheer (3-43) ended the innings with the last three wickets.

Off-spinner Harbhajan trapped Hussey (28) leg-before and then had North (10) caught by close-in substitute fielder Cheteshwar Pujara.

Left-arm spinner Ojha had Simon Katich caught behind after the opener had batted patiently for his 37 runs. Both Katich and Hussey completed 4,000 Test runs during their knocks.

Australia’s batting problems began when Watson dragged a Sharma delivery onto his stumps after hitting one six and seven fours in his 59-ball knock. Three balls later, Sharma removed Ponting, who pulled straight to Raina at backward square-leg.

The Indian paceman nearly got a third wicket in his opening over of the second spell when he had Clarke caught by Sehwag at short mid-wicket. But it was declared a no-ball after on-field umpire Billy Bowden of New Zealand consulted TV umpire Sanjay Hazare. Sharma did not have to wait long for his next success as he had Clarke caught behind for four runs in his next over. India were all out for 405 in their first innings on Sunday in reply to Australia’s 428.—AFP

MOHALI: Australia’s Ben Hilfenhaus bowls during the fourth day of their first cricket Test match against India. —AP

Scoreboard Scoreboard at the close of the fourth day of the first test between India and Australia in Mohali yesterday.

Australia first innings 428 (Shane Watson 126, Ricky Ponting 71, Tim Paine 92; Zaheer Khan 5-94) India first innings 405 (Sachin Tendulkar 98, Suresh Raina 86, Rahul Dravid 77; Mitchell Johnson 5-64) Australia second innings: Shane Watson b Sharma 56 Simon Katich c Dhoni b Ojha 37 Ricky Ponting c Raina b Sharma 4 Michael Clarke c Dhoni b Sharma 4 Mike Hussey lbw b Singh 28 Marcus North c sub b Singh 10 Tim Paine c sub b Ojha 9 Mitchell Johnson c Dhoni b Khan 3 Nathan Hauritz b Khan 9 Ben Hilfenhaus b Khan 6 Doug Bollinger not out 5 Extras (b-12, lb-4, nb-5) 21 Total (all out; 60.5 overs) 192

Fall of wickets: 1-87 2-91 3-96 4-138 5-154 6-165 7165 8-170 9-183 10-192.

Bowling: Khan 11.5-1-43-3, Sharma 9-2-34-3, Singh 23-7-40-2, Ojha 17-1-59-2.

India second innings: Gautam Gambhir lbw b Hilfenhaus 0 Virender Sehwag c Hussey b Hilfenhaus 17 Rahul Dravid c Paine b Bollinger 13 Sachin Tendulkar not out 10 Suresh Raina c North b Hilfenhaus 0 Zaheer Khan not out 5 Extras: (b-4, w-6) 10 Total (four wickets; 17 overs) 55 To bat: V.V.S.Laxman, M.S.Dhoni, H.Singh, I.Sharma, P.Ojha.

Fall of wickets: 1-0 2-31 3-48 4-48.

Bowling: Hilfenhaus 7-2-22-3, Bollinger 4-0-17-1, Johnson 5-1-11-0, Hauritz 1-0-1-0.

Football chairman caught up in Pakistan scandal found dead LONDON: The chairman of a non-league English football club embroiled in the Pakistan cricket team ‘fixing’ scandal is believed to have killed himself, it emerged yesterday.

Croydon Athletic chairman David Le Cluse, 44, was found dead on Saturday with gunshot wounds in a garage near his home in Sutton, south of London.

The owner of the club, Mazhar Majeed, was arrested in August following allegations members of the Pakistan cricket team were involved in ‘spot-fixing’ during their recent tour of England.

Le Cluse, married with two children, was said by the team’s former manager to have been deeply distressed when the side were linked to the accusations. A statement posted on the side’s website said: “Croydon Athletic are deeply shocked and saddened by the sudden tragic death of their chairman, David Le Cluse, on Saturday October 2.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with David’s wife and children, and we would ask everyone to respect their privacy at this devastating time for them.”

Croydon Athletic’s former manager Tim O’Shea told The Times: “He was very upset at the allegations and the club getting involved. “It probably hit him harder than most because of his personal friendship with Majeed.

“He wanted nothing more than for the club to succeed and he was probably upset and affected by it more than anybody else.” Majeed was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud bookmakers and released on bail following allegations first published in Britain’s News of the World Sunday tabloid he’d been involved in a plot that led to Pakistan bowlers deliberately bowling no-balls during a Test match against England at Lord’s as part of a betting scam.—AFP

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18

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Redskins shoot down Eagles PHILADELPHIA: Donovan McNabb threw for 125 yards and one touchdown, leading the Washington Redskins to a 17-12 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in his first game against his former team.

Michael Vick was forced out in the first quarter with chest and rib injuries in his first start in front of the hometown crowd. Kevin Kolb, who was supposed to be McNabb’s successor all along, replaced Vick after losing his starting job because he got hurt in Week 1. So, the McNabb-Vick showdown turned into the McNabb-Kolb matchup everyone originally anticipated. But this one didn’t live up to the hype.

Washington had 169 yards rushing, including 55

by Clinton Portis before he left with a groin injury.

Ryan Torain had 70 yards rushing and one TD. McNabb threw just 19 passes, completing eight and getting intercepted once.

Jaguars 31, Colts 28 At Jacksonville, Florida, Josh Scobee’s 59-yard field goal on the final play gave Jacksonville a surprise win. Scobee watched his kick clear the crossbar, then ripped off his helmet and started running toward the opposite end zone.

His teammates finally caught up with him on the sideline, setting off a raucous celebration for a team desperate for a victory against its biggest rival. It was the longest field goal in franchise history.

Ravens 17, Steelers 14 At Pittsburgh, Joe Flacco withstood Pittsburgh’s goal-line stand and go-ahead touchdown in the closing minutes to throw an 18-yard scoring pass to TJ Houshmandzadeh with 32 seconds remaining to make certain the Steelers wouldn’t go unbeaten without Ben Roethlisberger.

The Steelers (3-1) took a 14-10 lead on Rashard Mendenhall’s 7-yard run midway through the fourth quarter, and appeared ready to win after turning away Baltimore on third- and fourth-down plays from the 2 with over two minutes remaining.

GREEN BAY: Packers cornerback Tramon Williams (38) trips up Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best (44) during the second half of an NFL football game. —AP

NFL results/standings Results and standings from the NFL games on Sunday: Atlanta 16, San Francisco 14; NY Jets 38, Buffalo 14; Cleveland 23, Cincinnati 20; Green Bay 28, Detroit 26; Denver 26, Tennessee 20; St. Louis 20, Seattle 3; New Orleans 16, Carolina 14; Baltimore 17, Pittsburgh 14; Houston 31, Oakland 24; Jacksonville 31, Indianapolis 28; San Diego 41, Arizona 10; Washington 17, Philadelphia 12.

NFC Standings AFC Standings East Division East Division W L T Pct. PF PA Washington 2 2 0 .500 73 79 NY Jets 3 1 0 .750 106 61 NY Giants 2 2 0 .500 72 88 New England 2 1 0 .667 90 82 Philadelphia 2 2 0 .500 95 79 Miami 2 1 0 .667 52 51 Dallas 1 2 0 .333 54 53 Buffalo 0 4 0 .000 61 125 North Division North Division Chicago 3 1 0 .750 69 68 Baltimore 3 1 0 .750 61 55 Green Bay 3 1 0 .750 106 73 Pittsburgh 3 1 0 .750 86 50 Minnesota 1 2 0 .333 43 38 Cincinnati 2 2 0 .500 79 78 Detroit 0 4 0 .000 82 106 Cleveland 1 3 0 .250 68 77 South Division South Division Atlanta 3 1 0 .750 93 60 Houston 3 1 0 .750 108 102 New Orleans 3 1 0 .750 79 72 Jacksonville 2 2 0 .500 71 111 Tampa Bay 2 1 0 .667 50 59 Indianapolis 2 2 0 .500 117 92 Carolina 0 4 0 .000 46 87 Tennessee 2 2 0 .500 98 68 West Division West Division St. Louis 2 2 0 .500 77 52 Kansas City 3 0 0 1.000 68 38 Arizona 2 2 0 .500 58 118 Denver 2 2 0 .500 87 85 Seattle 2 2 0 .500 75 77 San Diego 2 2 0 .500 113 71 Oakland 1 3 0 .250 76 107 San Francisco 0 4 0 .000 52 103

Rams 20, Seahawks 3 At St. Louis, Sam Bradford threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns, and Steven Jackson became the Rams’ second leading rusher as St. Louis won for the second week in a row — its first two-game winning streak in two years.

The rookie quarterback completed 23 of 41 passes with one interception as the Rams (2-2) ended a 10-game losing streak against Seattle (2-2) and topped their win total from last year.

Giants 17, Bears 3 At East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Giants knocked out Jay Cutler with a nine-sack first half, sent his replacement to the sideline late in the fourth quarter and limited the previously unbeaten Chicago to 110 total yards.

Ahmad Bradshaw rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown against a defense that had allowed 119 yards on the ground in its first three games and Lawrence Tynes kicked a 22-yard field goal as the Giants (2-2) snapped a two-game losing streak and beat the Bears (3-1), who had come into the game as the NFC’s last unbeaten team.

Texans 31, Raiders 24 At Oakland, California, Arian Foster returned from an early game benching to score on a 74-yard run and a 10-yard catch in the second half to lead Houston. Foster, a former practice squad player, has emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the NFL so far this season.

Despite entering the game as the league’s leading rusher, Foster was held out until midway through the second quarter in what the Texans (3-1) said was a “coach’s decision.”

NEWPORT: Europe team members hold the trophy after winning the 2010 Ryder Cup golf tournament at the Celtic Manor Resort. (From left) Edoardo Molinari, Rory McIlroy (bottom) Martin Kaymer (top) team captain Colin Montgomerie, Graeme McDowell, Ian Poulter, and assistant captain Paul McGinley. —AP

Europe win Ryder Cup NEWPORT: Europe defeated the United States to win the Ryder Cup here yesterday, prevailing in a thrilling contest to finally overcome a gutsy American fightback.

US Open champion Graeme McDowell was the hero for the Europeans, holding his nerve to close out a three and one victory over world number 16 Hunter Mahan amid joyous scenes at Celtic Manor.

The victory avenged Europe’s defeat to the Americans at Valhalla two years ago and was witnessed by an estimated 35,000 fans, who turned out in droves to see the first Monday finish in the history of the competition.

“I’m very proud. It’s a very proud moment for us all here in Europe,” said Europe captain Colin Montgomerie. “They all played, to a man magnificently, they all gave 110 percent and that’s all you can ask.

“All credit to the American team. You played magnificently today. The three-point deficit was the reason why we won.” US captain Corey Pavin was philosophical in defeat.

“I was very proud of how hard they fought all week,” he said. “We would win as a team and lose as a team. That’s the way it was and the way it is. I’m proud of every single one of them and their caddies and everybody that’s part of Team USA.” The Europeans had started the day with a commanding three-point lead ahead of the 12 singles, a huge advantage that left them needing only five points to regain the famous gold trophy.

But the US team revived memories of their famous come-from-behind victory at Brookline in 1999 with a string of victories in the singles matches to put the Europeans under ferocious pressure.

On an afternoon of nerve-shredding drama, the contest came down to a shoot-out between McDowell and Mahan. McDowell went two up with two to play after holing a sensational birdie putt on the par-four 16th that left him firmly in the driving seat.

And when Mahan fluffed his chip onto the green at 17 and could only bogey, the American conceded and the Ryder Cup was back in European hands.

The win was a triumph for the tactics of Montgomerie, who had deliberately chosen McDowell to anchor the host team’s singles in order to have an experienced man on the course if it went to the wire.

“There was a reason Graeme McDowell was at 12 because he is the US Open champion and full of confi-

dence,” Montgomerie said. “That putt on the 16th was unbelievable.”

An emotional McDowell paid tribute to Montgomerie’s captaincy after the win. “He was amazing. For the last two years he’s been up for this. To be able to do that for him today was special,” McDowell said.

American had hauled themselves back into contention after a breathtaking fightback by youngster Rickie Fowler, the 21-year-old wildcard rookie, who earned an unlikely half point against Edoardo Molinari.

Molinari appeared to be cruising to victory and a full point after leading by three holes with three to play. But Fowler conjured up three consecutive birdies to level the match, crowning his comeback with a difficult long birdie putt on the 18th green.

Ultimately though, Fowler’s half point was not enough to get the Americans over the finishing line in their quest to reach the magic total of 14 points that would have allowed them to retain the trophy.

Fowler’s heroics had come after the Americans had won six of the earlier singles matches, with Pavin’s big guns finally delivering when it mattered.

World number one Tiger Woods produced a scintillating round to beat Francesco Molinari by four and three, rattling in seven birdies and an eagle.

US Masters champion Phil Mickelson also weighed in with a win after a disappointing performance in the foursomes and fourballs, defeating Peter Hanson four and two. The Americans had also signalled their intent early on when Steve Stricker came from behind to beat Europe’s talisman Lee Westwood in the lead match.

But Europe were able to keep the Americans at bay with important wins from Luke Donald, beating Jim Furyk by one up, and Ian Poulter, who trounced world number 11 Matt Kuchar five and four.

Ulsterman Rory McIlroy also contributed what ultimately proved to be a vital half point, managing to finish all square in a thrilling battle with Stewart Cink in the second match after trailing by one up to the 15th hole.

With Westwood and Europe’s Martin Kaymer both suffering defeats, victories lower down the order suddenly became crucial for the hosts.

Spanish veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez delivered a vital win in the seventh match, defeating rookie Bubba Watson four and three to maintain Europe’s momentum.—AFP

Chargers 41, Cardinals 10 At San Diego, Antonio Gates became the seventh tight end in NFL history with 500 catches, including touchdown receptions of 33 and 26 yards from Philip Rivers, to lead San Diego over the outmanned Arizona. It was a big day all around for San Diego (22).

Rookie running back Ryan Mathews scored his first NFL touchdown on a 15-yard run late in the third quarter. Fullback Mike Tolbert ran 16 times for 100 yards — his first 100-yard game in three seasons — and one score. Gates had seven catches for 144 yards.

Browns 23, Bengals 20 At Cleveland, Peyton Hillis rumbled for 102 yards and a touchdown, and Phil Dawson kicked three field goals as Cleveland finally held a fourthquarter lead, surviving a big day by Terrell Owens for their first win. The Browns (1-3) had lost their first three games by a total of 12 points, failing to finish down the stretch.

Saints 16, Panthers 14 At New Orleans, John Carney hit three field goals to help New Orleans keep Carolina winless, just days after rejoining the Saints at age 46.

New Orleans (3-1) signed Carney last Tuesday, two days after Garrett Hartley had missed a 29-yard field goal in overtime in a 27-24 loss to Atlanta.

EAST RUTHERFORD: New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora, hits Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (right) to break up a pass attempt during the first quarter of an NFL football game. —AP

Biffle wins in Kansas to keep title hopes alive KANSAS: NASCAR’s championship race tightened considerably Sunday at Kansas Speedway, where Greg Biffle won to keep his title hopes alive and Jimmie Johnson returned to the top of the Sprint Cup leaderboard.

Johnson, the four-time defending series champion, took a mediocre car and drove it to a second-place finish behind Biffle. It pushed him past Denny Hamlin in the standings, and he’s got an eight-point cushion after the third of 10 Chase for the Sprint Cup championship races.

Only once since the Chase began in 2004 has the eventual champion left Kansas ranked lower than second in the standings. But this is suddenly the closest battle in Chase history, as the top seven finishers Sunday were title contenders.

The field now heads next week to

California with the top nine drivers separated by 101 points. That includes Biffle, who opened the day ranked ninth in the standings, 140 points behind the leader. His second win of the season cut the mark nearly in half: He moved up one spot to eighth and is just 85 points behind the leader.

“Everybody asked me if we were out of it, and I said we’re going to do the best we can,” the Roush-Fenway Racing driver said. “If we win them all, we win them all.” Kyle Busch had the worst race of all Chase drivers because of a long-running feud with non-title contender David Reutimann.

Contact between the two early in the race caused Reutimann to spin, and he came back and appeared to intentionally wreck Busch with 112 laps remaining.

Busch was running seventh at the time of the accident, and he dropped back to

22nd before finishing 21st.

Busch was furious over his radio, demanding NASCAR take action against Reutimann. Crew chief Dave Rogers then heightened the drama by telling Busch that Reutimann’s team had demanded he retaliate against Busch.

Busch took time after the race to change out of his firesuit before speaking to reporters, and he was much calmer about the incident.

“Whatever. It’s just really unfortunate,” Busch said. “The guy was loose, said it on the radio, he slid up off the bottom and I got into him unintentionally and just spun him out. My fault, 100 percent. But then the retaliation? For a guy that’s in the Chase, that’s racing for something ... he’ll be here next year. He could have wrecked me in any of the first 26 races next year. That would have been fine. —AP

Packers 28, Lions 26 At Green Bay, Wisconsin, Charles Woodson returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown as Green Bay narrowly held off a comeback by Detroit.

The Packers (3-1) led 28-14 after Woodson scored early in the third quarter, but the Lions rallied for four straight Jason Hanson field goals to cut the lead to two points in the fourth quarter. A final drive by the Packers ran out the clock.

Falcons 16, 49ers 14 At Atlanta, Matt Bryant kicked a 42-yard field goal with 2 seconds left to lift Atlanta over winless San Francisco. The Falcons (3-1) got a big break to set up the winning points when receiver Roddy White forced the 49ers’ Nate Clements to fumble away an interception and keep Atlanta’s drive alive.

Broncos 26, Titans 20 At Nashville, Tennessee, Kyle Orton threw a 6yard touchdown pass to Correll Buckhalter with 1:33 left as Denver rallied for the win.

The Broncos (2-2) clinched the game when they recovered a fumble by rookie Marc Mariani on the an ensuing short kickoff, and Matt Prater kicked his fourth field goal of the game to pad the lead.

Jets 38, Bills 14 At Orchard Park, New York, LaDainian Tomlinson had his best game in nearly two years, rushing for 133 yards and two touchdowns to lead New York over winless Buffalo. Tomlinson had the 47th 100-yard game of his 10-year career — and first since he had 105 on Oct. 26, 2008, when he was with San Diego. With 12,831 yards rushing, Tomlinson also passed Tony Dorsett to move into seventh place on the NFL’s career list. —AP

Kuwait Scorpions’ Curtain Raiser, 55-8 KUWAIT: Kuwait Scorpions opened their season with a cracking win over Muscat Rugby Football Club in a game packed with excitement.

‘Rocky’ Rockini on the wings scored the first try of the match, never letting the visitors, Muscat settle down.

Dunlop, after missing the first conversion, found his form and converted the second try, adding a total of ten points to Kuwait’s scoreline.

Karl Rasmussen captained MRFU, but despite heroic efforts, could not dent the determination of Kuwait who were quick to exploit any weakness in Muscat’s defense.

A tragic ‘knock-on’ close to the Kuwait line prevented Kruger or Rasmussen from an early try. From then on, apart from a Muscat penalty, converted by de Lange during a period when the Muscat forwards seemed to hold the hosts in their half, Kuwait made better use of their wingers to bring the halftime score to 24-3. Sinclair scoring his second try of the match after Radclyffe’s.

The second half saw a confident Kuwait take to the field and despite Muscat

making a substitution; Jared Jones, replacing the Omani winger, Said Al Marjabi, the tactical change did not alter the Scorpions onslaught with two tries from Campbell, a try by Faisal Al Amer and two more by Joe Yaco, the last three tries being converted very comfortably by Dunlop.

Though the Muscat side was tiring and sustained a few minor injuries they did their best to contain the hosts and for a time anchored themselves inside the Scorpion’s 22, the forwards doing great work in the line

out and preventing an almost certain try by Kuwait.

The visitors came away with a try in the close of the match with a burst of speed

by Omani winger, Saleh Al Busaidi but hardly dented Kuwait’s impregnable and commanding lead.

Kuwait’s team were well supported by families and friends who came to cheer them and the visitors.

Friday, 8th October sees the second match of the 2010/2011 season at the Sand Pit, Ahmadi with the Kuwait Scorpions playing host to Doha Rugby Football Club.

19

SPORTS

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Chelsea outmuscle profligate Arsenal once again LONDON: Arsenal’s failure to take their chances and Chelsea’s power and clinical finishing proved decisive as the champions continued to dominate their London rivals in the Premier League on Sunday.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger maintained that his side only had themselves to blame for their 2-0 defeat, and although he thought they dominated the game he conceded that teams that do not take their chances do not win matches-let alone titles.

“Despite great energy we have to be more clinical to win championships-you cannot lose a game like that,” he told reporters.

“Their strikers were more clinical than ours and that’s what made the difference. I think Chelsea suffered a lot today and they were on the ropes for long periods.

“I feel sorry for my team because they had a fantastic attitude. I feel sorry for the fact that they were not rewarded.

“We dominated this game surprisingly easily but we go home with zero points-and despite our quality that’s not good enough.” Where Arsenal fluffed their lines, Didier Drogba made sure he delivered his wellrehearsed cameo against his favourite opponents.

The powerful forward took his tally to 13 goals in 13

games with Arsenal with a fine strike late in the first half.

Defender Alex sealed victory with a blistering free kick as Chelsea pulled four points clear of the field at the top of the table and Arsenal endured a third successive Premier League match without a win.

The Chelsea fans goaded the visitors with jeers of “five years and you’ve won nothing” and unless Arsenal start to put goals away that run could well be extended.

They trail Chelsea by seven points and their chances of a first title since 2004 are receding.

Arsenal could have scored twice in the opening two minutes through Marouane Chamakh and Laurent

Koscielny, while Andrei Arshavin forced a superb save from Petr Cech before Chelsea went ahead.

The visitors flattered to deceive with some attractive passing and movement from the likes of Jack Wilshere and Sami Nasri but Alex showed them how it should be done-blasting in his free kick with the force of a bulldozer demolishing the side of a house.

Then there was Drogba who exposed defensive frailty in the Arsenal backline before scoring with a brilliant flick on the turn that went in off a post.

Chelsea beat Arsenal home and away last season without conceding a goal but assistant coach Ray Wilkins

said the latest win was not one of their prettier performances.

“We battled, we worked hard for the points and got them,” he said. “But there will always be Manchester United, and Arsenal who will be there or thereabouts and you have to beat them.

“I think Arsenal are a super side. They are one of the teams that scare me in that they can take the ball off us and not give it back. I was having a slight internal panic at one stage, and a little bit worried but you only have to look at what we have got on our team and you get over that worry.”— Reuters

Juventus hold Inter

MADRID: Real Madrid’s Marcelo from Brazil (left) celebrate with Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria, Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo during their Spanish League match against Deportivo. — AP

Real hit Deportivo for six MADRID: Real Madrid took full advantage of a slip-up by Barcelona with a sparkling 6-1 victory over Deportivo Coruna to climb above their arch-rivals into third place in the La Liga standings on Sunday.

Real coach Jose Mourinho had warned that an opponent would soon pay for his side’s recent goal drought and Depor were the whipping boys on a rain-sodden night at the Bernabeu.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain put Real 4-0 ahead by the 53rd minute and Depor defender Ze Castro stroked the ball into his own net.

Juan Rodriguez scored a consolation for the visitors and Ronaldo raced on to Xabi Alonso’s pass to complete the rout.

Barca had earlier failed to capitalise on a clinical Lionel Messi strike at home to Real Mallorca and the champions conceded a soft goal just before halftime to draw 1-1 at the Nou Camp.

Real have 14 points from six matches, two behind leaders Valencia, who secured their place at the top for another week when Aritz Aduriz and Vicente netted in a 2-1 home win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.

Villarreal are second on 15 after they recorded a fifth successive victory by beating Racing Santander 2-0 thanks to goals from Nilmar and

Giuseppe Rossi.

Barca have 13 in fourth, one ahead of Sevilla. Alvaro Negredo scored one and created another to inspire the Andalusians to a 3-1 home win over Atletico Madrid on new coach Gregorio Manzano’s home debut.

With the Real faithful sporting plastic transparent plastic raincoats against the driving rain, Mourinho’s Portuguese compatriot Ronaldo set Real on their way against Depor in the fourth minute.

The former World Player of the Year, who has had a difficult start to the season, headed powerfully past goalkeeper Manu from a corner.

New fan favorite Ozil weaved into a scoring position and drilled home in the 24th and Di Maria finished off a swift break with a spectacular header 10 minutes later.

He turned provider for Higuain eight minutes into the second period, lifting a cross over Manu for his Argentina team mate to volley into the empty net.

Barca were stunned 2-0 at home by promoted Hercules last month and Mallorca, coached by former Barca player Michael Laudrup, became the latest side to check the Catalans’ title defence.

The early stages followed the usual script with the home team dominating possession despite the

absence of injured playmaker Xavi and suspended striker David Villa.

Messi celebrated picking up his European Golden Shoe trophy by scoring the opening goal in the 21st minute, curling a shot into the corner of the net from just outside the penalty area.

After Messi went close to doubling Barca’s lead, Mallorca midfielder Gonzalo Castro forced a fine save from Victor Valdes on a rare foray by the visitors into the Barca half and they were level from the resulting corner.

Gerard Pique and Gabriel Milito failed to clear and Emilio Nsue powered a header into the net. The goal unsettled the champions and Pierro Webo and Nsue had chances to give the Balearic Islanders a shock lead.

The home side regrouped and poured forward in search of a winner but were guilty of over-elaboration.

Barca coach Pep Guardiola, who played in the same side as Laudrup in the early 1990s, conceded the champions were unlikely to match last season’s record points tally of 99.

“We should have closed off the match and we have squandered two points,” he told a news conference.

“The points total we achieved last season is very tough to do and I don’t think we’ll reach it again this time,” he added. — Reuters

MILAN: While treble winners Inter Milan scaled the heights last term, Juventus were plumbing the depths of despair but Sunday’s balanced 0-0 draw suggested a renewed parity between the old rivals is not so far away.

A European Cup, Italian Cup and fifth successive scudetto for Inter in May compared markedly with Juve’s slump down the table and exposed how wide the gap had become between the two most successful teams in Serie A history.

However, there was little to choose between the teams at the San Siro and both had good chances until tiredness won the day.

“The balance is good. We are concentrating more, we are helping each other more,” new Juventus coach Luigi Del Neri told Sky after Inter dropped to second in Serie A after six games as Juve edged up to seventh.

“We contained Manchester’s City’s attack (1-1 in Thursday’s Europa League game) and tonight we contained Inter’s. It’s a good omen for the future.”

Juve, who were seventh last term and had a bad start this season despite big spending and a return to 4-4-2, are still suffering from their 2006 match-fixing demotion which destroyed the aura of near-invincibility they used to carry on to the pitch.

They also had their 2005 and 2006 titles stripped in the scandal, with the latter scudetto handed to Inter, a move which riles Juve fans given they think new evidence shows their rivals were implicated in the affair too and should lose the honour.

Inter vehemently deny wrongdoing but the Italian soccer federation has opened a new probe and animosity between the two sets of fans has risen from already tense levels. Inter coach Rafael Benitez called for calm from supporters before kickoff and he largely got his wish, although his analysis of the match may annoy Juventus fans who thought they were worthy of a draw.

“We have been a bit unlucky,” said the Spaniard, linked with the Juve job last term while still at Liverpool. “I can be satisfied with the team, we could have won. We have three of four injured and when Goran Pandev, Javier Zanetti and Thiago Motta return, the situation will improve.”— Reuters

ITALY: Juventus forward Alessandro Del Piero (right) challenges for the ball with Inter Milan Brazilian defender Lucio during an Italian League soccer match. — AP

FIFA suspends Nigeria GENEVA: FIFA suspended Nigeria from international football yesterday because of “government interference” in the running of Nigerian football.

World football’s governing body said the decision followed a bid by the Minister of Sports to restart the league without relegations, pressure to oust the Nigerian Football Federation’s acting general secretary and court action barring elected members of the federation’s executive com-

mittee. “The FIFA Emergency Committee decided today, October 4, 2010, to suspend the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) with immediate effect on account of government interference,” FIFA said in a statement.

“During the period of suspension, the NFF will not be able to be represented in any regional, continental or international competitions, including at club level, and also not in friendly matches,” it added. — AFP

Estudiantes win at San Lorenzo BUENOS AIRES: A first-half goal from Gaston Fernandez gave Estudiantes a 1-0 win at San Lorenzo on Sunday to go five points clear at the top of the standings in the Argentine Apertura championship.

Meanwhile, a stoppage-time penalty from Agustin Pelletieri moved Lanus into the top half of the table with a 2-1 home win over Boca Juniors, whose inconsistent season continues.

Later Sunday, a late Adalberto Roman goal gave River Plate a 2-2 draw at Banfield as both teams lost ground with the leading pack.

Fernandez scored from an Enzo Perez pass in the 26th minute against San Lorenzo to move Estudiantes to 22 points from nine games, ahead of

Velez Sarsfield and Arsenal. “(The lead) is important, but there’s still a long way to go and we can’t ease off,” Fernandez said. “We know we’ve still got to improve.” The defeat dented San Lorenzo’s title hopes, with the club left on 15 points.

Earlier Sunday, Colon won 3-2 at Olimpo in a match between two teams in the bottom half of the standings. Fernandez’ strike against San Lorenzo was a worthy winner after Perez floated a ball into the box for the striker to control in a tight space.

Fernandez dragged the ball back with the sole of his foot to send the goalkeeper the wrong way and slotted into the empty net. San Lorenzo pushed forward more in the second half, but rarely troubled

BUENOS AIRES: Boca Juniors’ Martin Palermo (right) battles for the ball with Lanus’ Hernan Grana during an Argentina’s League soccer match. — AP

the Estudiantes defense and slumped to a second straight defeat after starting the season unbeaten.

Estudiantes won without injured captain Juan Sebastian Veron and will go into the second half of the Apertura tournament as the championship favorite. At Boca’s Bombonera stadium, Sebastian Blanco gave Lanus the lead after taking a short corner and advancing unopposed to the edge of the box before striking past Cristian Lucchetti in the eighth minute.

Juan Insaurralde equalized with a close-range header following a corner in the 34th, but Clemente Rodriguez fouled Eduardo Ledesma in the box to earn himself a red card and gift a penalty to Lanus.

Pelletieri smashed the spot kick down the center of the goal to win the match for Lanus with almost the final action of the game.

The defeat meant Boca has lost five games out of nine matches this season, with the club stuck in 14th position. The three points moved Lanus into the top half. Elsewhere, Ruben Ramirez scored with a header to give Lanus a fourth-minute lead against River, before Ariel Ortega’s penalty leveled the scores in the 63rd following Victor Lopez’ shove on Mariano Pavone at a corner.

Lopez redeemed himself with a headed goal from a corner five minutes later, but Roman launched himself at a right wing cross to give River a share of the points. After a result that helped neither side’s title prospects, River has 15 points and Banfield has 14.

Earlier Sunday, Federico Higuain scored two first-half goals either side of an Ivan Moreno strike to put Colon three goals in front at halftime at Olimpo. Olimpo came back in the second half with a Juan Tejera goal in the 64th, but Colon held on despite Diego Galvan pulling the score back to 3-2 just before the final whistle.

In results from Friday and Saturday, it was: Quilmes 0, Arsenal 1; Newell’s Old Boys 2, Velez Sarsfield 0; All Boys 3, Tigre 3; Godoy Cruz 4, Independiente 1; Gimnasia 2, Argentinos Juniors 4; Racing Club 3, Huracan 0. — AP

MEXICO: America’s Daniel Montenegro (left) of Argentina fights for the ball with Cruz Azul’s Fausto Pinto during a Mexican soccer league match. — AP

Cruz Azul defeat America MEXICO CITY: Argentine midfielder Christian Gimemez scored a second half goal to give Cruz Azul a 1-0 win over America on Sunday for their first victory over the Eagles since 2003.

In other matches from the 10th round of the Mexican Apertura: Pumas got a 1-0 victory over Morelia; Chivas rallied for a 2-2 draw with Atlas; and Puebla downed Queretaro 2-0.

Gimenez scored with a powerful shot from 25 meters in the 52nd minute as the Blue Machine broke a 16 match winless streak against archrival America.

Cruz Azul now has 24 points to lead the Mexican tournament after 10 rounds, followed by Monterrey with 22 and Santos with 21. America lost for the second time in three

weeks and stayed on 15 in third place in Group 2.

In Guadalajara, Nestor Vidrio conceded an own goal in the 90th as the Chivas drew for the second week in a row.

Flavio Santos scored in the 24th and Gerardo Flores in the 73rd for Atlas, while Mario de Luna added a strike for Guadalajara in the 31st.

Chivas, with just one win in the last six rounds, has 11 points, for fourth place in Group 1. Earlier in Mexico City, Paraguayan Dante Lopez beat Morelia goalkeeper Federico Vilar in the 63rd as the Pumas broke a four match winless streak. Morelia lost for the fourth time in a row.

Also on Sunday, Uruguayan Andres Olivera scored in the 12th minute and Rodrigo Salinas in the 70th for Puebla, which was coming of three straight losses. — AP

www.kuwaittimes.net

NEW DELHI: Australian swimmer Alicia Coutts competes during her victory in the final of the women’s 200-metre individual medley of the Commonwealth Games at The SP Mukherjee Stadium. —AFP

Sparse crowds as Australia dominate C’wealth Games Medalists NEW DELHI: Medalists yesterday after the first day of competition at the 19th Commonwealth Games: ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS Men Team Event GOLD — Australia (Samuel Offord, Joshua Jefferies, Thomas Pichler, Luke Wiwatowski, Prashanch Sellathurai).

SILVER — England (Max Whitlock, Reiss Beckford, Luke Folwell, Steve Jehu, Danny Lawrence).

BRONZE — Canada (Jason Scott, Robert Watson, Tariq Dowers, Anderson Loran, Ian Galvan).

SWIMMING Men 400 Freestyle GOLD — Ryan Cochrane, Canada.

SILVER — Ryan Napolean, Australia.

BRONZE — David Carry, Scotland.

200 Butterfly GOLD — Chad Le Clos, South Africa.

SILVER — Michael Rock, England.

BRONZE — Stefan Hirniak, Canada.

400 Freestyle Relay GOLD — Australia (Kyle Richardson, Eamon Sullivan, Tommaso D’Orsogna, James Magnussen).

SILVER — England (Simon Burnett, Liam Tancock, Grant Turner, Adam Brown).

BRONZE — South Africa (Graeme Moore, Gideon Louw, Roland Schoeman, Darian Townsned).

Women 200 Freestyle GOLD — Kylie Palmer, Australia.

SILVER — Jazmin Carlin, Wales.

BRONZE — Rebecca Adlington, England.

200 Individual Medley GOLD — Alicia Coutts, Australia.

SILVER — Emily Seebohm, Australia.

BRONZE — Julia Wilkinson, Canada.

WEIGHTLIFTING Men 56 Kilograms GOLD — Amirul Hamizan Ibrahim, Malaysia.

SILVER — Sukhen Dey, India.

BRONZE — V.S. Rao, India.

Women 48 Kilograms GOLD — Augustina Nwaokolo, Nigeria.

SILVER — Sonia Chanu, India.

BRONZE — Sandhya Rani Devi Atom, India.—AP

NEW DELHI: Australia dominated the first day of Commonwealth Games action yesterday, but sparse crowds caused another headache for under-pressure organisers.

As the focus switched to sport after a nightmarish run-up damaged India’s reputation, the Aussies clinched four gold medals, including the men’s team gymnastics title ahead of England and Canada.

In the pool, they added three more with Kylie Palmer powering her way to victory in the 200m freestyle, Alicia Coutts taking the 200m individual medley crown and their men edging England in the 4x100m freestyle relay.

Canada’s Ryan Cochrane grabbed gold in the men’s 400m freestyle and South Africa’s Chad Le Clos won the men’s 200m butterfly.

But the first gold of the Games belonged to Nigeria’s Augustina Nwaokolo, who stunned India’s Soniya Chanu to win the women’s weightlifting 48kg title.

Nwaokolo,17, set a new Commonwealth record of 175kg after a snatch lift of 77kg and clean and jerk attempt of 98kg, with Chanu taking silver ahead of compatriot Sandhya Rani. “I’m the happiest person in the world, I’m very proud,” said the teenager. “My next step is the Olympics, to win gold.”

Malaysia’s Amirul Hamizan Ibrahim, meanwhile, won the men’s 56kg weightlifting crown, beating Sukhen Dey and fellow Indian Srinivasa Rao. While sport took a front seat after a shambolic build-up, the Games’ problems refused to go away with glaringly empty stadiums at the swimming heats, netball, tennis and hockey.

About two million tickets were made available for the multi-sport Games, but rumors have long circulated in the capital that the response has been lacklustre amid delays in finalising the sales network.

There was also farcical scenes at the official boxing weigh-in, which was abandoned after faulty scales showed most of the fighters were too heavy.

Irate coaches demanded the scales be checked after some boxers tried to sweat off weight by using saunas or going for runs only to return and weigh more than before.

Competition manager Lenni Gama initially tried to brush the issue under the carpet, saying: “The scales are perfect”. But Gama eventually

Medals Table Nation Australia Canada S Africa Nigeria England India Wales Scotland

G 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 0

S 2 0 0 0 3 1 1 0

B 0 3 1 0 1 1 0 1

Total 6 4 2 1 4 2 1 1

relented with the weigh-in now set for today, just ahead of the opening bouts.

It was the latest crisis at the troubled 11-day Games, which have been dogged by worries over threats of terror attacks, corruption, construction delays, and dengue fever.

The host nation finally found something to cheer about with an epic opening ceremony on Sunday evening, which celebrated the country’s long history as well as its emergence as a powerful global player. Importantly, it went off without any major glitches.

“Finally, Delhi Dazzles,” screamed the broadsheet Times of India on its front page, while the tabloid Mail Today simply said “Indiaaah!”

But not everyone was happy, with spectators complaining about long queues to get inside the main Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and a lack of food and water available once there.

At the Dr. S.P. Mukherjee Aquatics Complex, Palmer upstaged Wales’ Jaz Carlin and England’s Rebecca Adlington to claim the 200m freestyle title in 1:57.50.

“I am speechless,” she said. “I really have nothing to say. It is an awesome feeling. You can’t get any better than winning a gold medal.”

Her teammate Coutts came home in the 200m individual medley ahead of fellow Australian Emily Seebohm and Canada’s Julia Wilkinson to win in 2:09.70. Canada’s Cochrane grabbed gold in the men’s 400m freestyle, but was pushed all the way in his 3:48.48 win by Australia’s Ryan Napoleon, who picked up silver, and defending champion Dave Carry from Scotland, in bronze.

Le Clos, meanwhile, got South Africa’s first Delhi gold in the men’s 200m butterfly in a time of 1:56.48, holding off England’s Michael Rock and Canada’s Stefan Hirniak.—AFP

Malaysia, S Africa open Games with victories NEW DELHI: India was held to a disappointing 1-1 draw with Scotland and Malaysia hung on to edge Canada 3-2 yesterday as the Commonwealth Games women’s field hockey competition got under way.

Pietie Coetzee scored four goals in South Africa’s 12-0 win over inexperienced Trinidad and Tobago, while New Zealand had a 5-1 win over Wales in the tournament’s opening match.

The chants of “India, India” from around 1,500 supporters barely made an impression in the 19,118-seat MDC Stadium, and wasn’t enough to push their team to find the match winner despite its forwards making a number of attacks in the last few minutes.

“We couldn’t finish it off and missed some easy scoring opportunities that cost us two crucial points,” Indian forward Rani Rampal said.

“Now we have to win the next match which is against tough Australia.”

Holly Cram tapped the ball home in only the 4th minute after Vikki Bunce had brilliantly dodged past three Indian defenders to set her up for an easy goal. India equalized in the 46th minute through Jasjeet Kaur’s reverse strike from the top of the circle that went between the pads of goalkeeper Abigail Walker.

It was a surprisingly small crowd in a sport which ranks only behind cricket for popularity in India, but reflected the general attendance rates on the opening day of the New Delhi 2010 competition schedule.

Earlier, Norbaini Hashim scored two stunning field goals — on either side of the halftime — to give Malaysia a comfortable 3-0 advantage before Canada hit back with two goals in the space of four minutes.

Hashim put her team ahead in the 15th minute when she timed her dive to perfection and connected with a cross from the right flank as Malaysia led 1-0 at halftime.

Norfaraha Hashim made it 2-0 with a rasping drive off a short corner before Norbaini Hashim made it 3-0 with another smart reverse flick from the top of the circle that flew into the left corner.

Canada pressed hard in the last 15 minutes with Diana Roemer converting a penalty stroke and Anna Kozniuk leaving the goalkeeper guessing with an angular shot in the 59th minute.

“We were lucky today because our goalkeeper had a good match,” Malaysian coach Yahya Atan said. “I’m pleased with the second half performance but the last 20 minutes were tough.” There were about 100 spectators in

NEW DELHI: Kate Gillis from Canada (center) fights for the ball with captain Nadia Rahman Abdul of Malaysia (left) during their match at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium during the XIX Commonwealth Games. —AFP the day’s first two matches at the venue which also hosted the men’s World Cup this year. Coetzee, who returned to international hockey this year after a five-year break, completed her hat trick inside 26 minutes to give South Africa a 3-0 lead at the half.

She added another field goal in the second half against a hapless Trinidad to raise her international goal tally to 198.

“Everything went according to the plan and it’s a privilege to score a hat trick,” said the 32-year-old Coetzee, who was feeling refreshed following a break from competition. “I played for 11 years

and was exhausted, so I took a break.” Trinidad had no answer to the slick stick work of the South Africans in the striking circle. Coetzee scored twice off short corners but was equally splendid in her two field attempts at the goal.

In the second half, Dirkie Chamberlain scored three goals, Jennifer Wilson found the target twice and Lesleann George, Kathleen Taylor and Farah Fredericks completed the goal tally.

New Zealand, the bronze medalist in Kuala Lumpur in 1998, added four goals in the second half after the score

was locked 1-1 at halftime in the opening match of the competition.

The Kiwis’ short corner goals came through Anna Thorpe, who twice found the target in the second half, Clarissa Ehuis and Kattie Glynn. Gemma Flynn scored off a brilliant field attempt to complete the tally.

Wales’ consolation goal came from Abigail Welsford when she equalized late in the first half. “We were a little nervous and apprehensive in our passing,” Thorpe said, “but in the second half we got sharper and we had more urgency.”—AP

NEW DELHI: Nigeria’s Augustina Nwaokolo lifts a weight to win in the women’s 48kg weightlifting class event during the Commonwealth Games.—AP

Pakistan PM orders probe into Games ceremony farce KARACHI: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani yesterday ordered an inquiry into a Commonwealth Games opening ceremony scuffle in which a top official snatched his country’s flag from a national sports hero.

Angry Pakistan weightlifters threatened to walk out on the Games after chef de mission Mohammad Ali Shah insisted on carrying the flag to lead the team parade instead of celebrated former gold medal weightlifter Shuja-udDin Malik.

“Gilani has taken serious notice of the unpleasant incident among the contingent at the opening ceremony,” his office said.

“He has asked the Federal Minister for Sports to inquire into the incident and submit a report to him urgently,” it added, making clear that action would be taken against those found responsible.

Pakistan weightlifting manager Rashid Mehmood said the team had considered a boycott in protest at the humiliation suffered by Malik, a gold medalist at last Games in Melbourne four years ago.

“It was a shameful act because holding the flag was Malik’s right and it was decided before the Games that Malik would carry the flag in the opening ceremony,” said Mehmood of an incident witnessed by 60,000 people inside the stadium and a worldwide television audience of millions.

“It was an embarrassment for Pakistanis all around the world as television showed the name of Malik on the telecast under a picture of Shah carrying the flag and we considered a boycott but decided against it.”

Aqil Shah, vice-president of the Pakistan Olympic Association, added: “I was shocked to see the chef de mission holding the flag.

“Holding the national flag is always the prerogative of an athlete and that’s decided before the ceremony. “I was the chef de mission of the Pakistan delegation on various occasions and never tried to hold the flag in the opening ceremony, because it is the right of the athlete.

This controversy should have been avoided.”

Reports here said Pakistan Olympic Association president Arif Hasan had intervened to avoid a boycott by the weightlifting team.—AFP

NEW DELHI: New Zealand’s Martin Knight (left) returns a ball to Kenya’s Hardeep Reel during the menís single squash match in the XIX Commonwealth Games. —AP

David speeds through NEW DELHI: Nicol David took less than 20 minutes to make a successful start to her bid to win the only major title to elude her as she overcame Damindhi Udangawe of Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Games first round.

World champion David, who has been world number one for 55 successive months, won 11-2, 11-4, 11-2 against a 19-year-old who has yet to play on the world tour.

“It gives you a little bit of extra push,” she said of the atmosphere generated by being part of a squad of players which is utterly different from playing month in month out just for herself.

“Of course you want to keep the squash mindset, but it’s an added extra when you are in the Games, and in the Games village with different athletes.

“In the middle of all that stuff you feel pretty special,” added the player who is already so special that she has

the title of Datuk - equivalent to a British dame or knight and her country’s Order of Merit for special services to arts, sciences, humanities, or sports.

Four years ago in Melbourne David was sensationally beaten in the semifinals by Natalie Grinham, and privately it will be difficult for her not to feel the next ten days as an attempt at atonement.

But she preferred not to place that pressure on herself publicly. “I’ve learnt a lot from the last few years and from the last few games,” she countered, when this motivation was suggested. “I just want to bring forward whatever I’ve done in the last few months and take that energy forward.” Earlier David Palmer, one of only a handful of players making his fourth appearance in the Commonwealth Games, began by beating Malawi’s Julius Taulo 11-1, 11-2, 11-3.—AFP

Ford unveils driver connect technology at GITEX 2010

LG Wink first touchphone series for generation Z

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London tube strike disrupts British capital

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www.kuwaittimes.net

Lenders ‘cautious’ on Gulf property projects DUBAI: Lenders in the Gulf Arab region will be more cautious and selective in their financing of real estate projects in six months time, and will better analyze their viability, bankers and executives said yesterday.

Real estate projects in the region have been affected by the global slowdown with Dubai’s oncebooming property sector hit particularly hard, with house prices slumping some 60 percent from their peaks and lending all but drying up.

“For banks they will continue to look and focus on what they consider to be their best clients and fundamentally understand the project and what are the key demand drivers of the project,” Tim Luckhurst, head of real estate advisory Middle East at RBS said at property conference Cityscape Global in Dubai.

Luckhurst said there were good opportunities for investment in the underdeveloped mid-income sector and affordable projects for “normal people which will represent the majority of the people in the region.”

Developers in the Gulf Arab region have been rethinking and redesigning their projects as a result of the economic downturn, scaling down from building high end properties to focus more on the mid-income sector.

Graham Hallett, general manager at Abu Dhabi National Property Company, a subsidiary of National Bank of Abu Dhabi, said he saw opportunities in the United Arab Emirates to invest in infrastructure, healthcare, and telecommunications. “I think we shouldn’t analyze real estate as a goal to get out of the economy. It will need to rely on the economy of the region to attract new business.”

Haseeb Haroom, director, Alpen Capital, said funding was available for viable projects.

“Our view is that there were pockets of liquidity always available,” he said adding that financing packages in the future would likely be “fairly structured and clearly controlled.”

“Gone are those days of writing blank cheques.

Banks have gone back to basics. What, why, when these questions are asked.” “Banks over the last six months have been backing their best clients. Do we see a change to that? No we don’t,” said Fergal Harris, head of commercial real estate Middle East at Standard Chartered. — Reuters

Developers redesign projects, focus on mid-income segment

DUBAI: Visitors gather near the stand of the real estate giant Nakheel, the developer behind Dubai’s iconic palm-shaped manmade islands, at the Cityscape exhibition in Dubai. — AFP

Iraq boasts 3rd largest oil reserves, overtakes Iran BAGHDAD: Iraq reported yesterday a sharp rise in proven oil reserves that saw it leapfrog Iran into third place worldwide, as the war-battered country seeks to rebuild its crude-dependent economy.

The new figure of 143.1 billion barrels of oil represents a 24-percent increase over the old level of 115 billion barrels, but still leaves Iraq ranking behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela in terms of known reserves, according to OPEC data.

“Iraq’s oil reserves which are extractable are 143.1 billion barrels,” Oil Minister Hussein AlShahristani said at a news conference in Baghdad, noting this excluded any reserves in the autonomous region of Kurdistan.

A further 33.486 billion barrels was nonextractable, said Shahristani. Iraq, he added, now had 66 oilfields, including seven supergiant fields, with 71 percent of all reserves concentrated in the south, 20 percent in the north and nine percent in the centre.

Shahristani said known reserves at the West Qurna supergiant oilfield now totaled 43 billion barrels, making it the second biggest oilfield in the world.

The minister noted most of the increase in reserves came from West Qurna and nearby Zubair.

He said details of the new figures were to be passed on to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries later yesterday, but some analysts raised concerns over the newly reported levels.

“In the longer term, bigger reserves mean a bigger production quota since reserves are one of the factors used to calculate the (OPEC) members’ relative production quotas,” Ruba Husari, the founder and editor of iraqoilforum.com, told AFP. “But the announcement is bound to raise questions within OPEC as to the methodology used to confirm the new reserves.” Husari said the announcement “came as a surprise because there

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein Al-Shahristani speaks during a press conference in Baghdad yesterday where he reported a sharp rise in proven oil reserves that saw Iraq leapfrog Iran into third place worldwide. — AFP

has been little activity to justify it and whatever is currently being carried out at some of the fields in southern Iraq, such as 3-D seismic surveys, is still in the early stages.”

Energy analysts previously said they expected the figure of 115 billion barrels to rise, as little to no exploration was conducted during the rule of nowexecuted dictator Saddam Hussein.

Iraq depends on crude oil exports for 95 percent of government revenue, and is trying to upgrade outdated infrastructure and spur economic growth after being crippled by decades of conflict and sanctions.

It currently produces about 2.4 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), but last year awarded contracts with foreign energy firms to exploit 10 oilfields in the hopes of upping its production as much as five-fold.

As part of its plan to ramp up output, it is seeking to build up its infrastructure for energy exports, though analysts have said its target of upwards of 10 million bpd in the coming years is too high. Last month, Iraq signed a deal with Turkey to extend its use of the Ceyhan pipeline for a further 15 years, and also reached an agreement with Syria to build two pipelines connecting it to Mediterranean sea ports.

Iraq is also looking to increase its production of gas, with a public auction slated for October 20 where international companies can bid for the rights to exploit three gasfields. As with the country’s two oilfield auctions last year, successful companies are paid fixed prices, not a share of the profits. The country’s parliament has yet to pass a key hydrocarbons law, however, discussion of which has been repeatedly delayed.

Adoption of the law, which would regulate the sector and divide responsibility between Baghdad and Iraq’s provinces, has been held up for three years due to disagreements between MPs from the country’s various communities. — AFP

ADNIC plans takaful, JVs to boost growth: CEO ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company plans to enter the Islamic insurance market and develop joint ventures with foreign partners to diversify away from investments and focus on core business to boost growth, its chief executive said.

ADNIC, owned 25 percent by the Abu Dhabi government, booked 307 million dirhams in impairments on investments last year, which sent net profit tumbling to 52 million dirhams in 2009 from 210 million dirhams a year earlier.

“We are not a bank or investment house although historically insurance companies here invested in equities,” Walid Sidani told Reuters in an interview.

“As part of a new five-year, strategic plan 2009-2014, we will focus on core competencies to improve our top and bottom lines,” he said. The new government-backed Islamic insurance, or takaful, firm will be launched in early 2011 in partnership with National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company and Aldar Properties.

It is currently under approval by the regulator, the Emirates Securities & Commodities Authority (ESCA), he said, declining to provide the new firm’s capital or name. The minimum capital for a takaful firm is 100 million dirhams, he said.

“Insurance penetration in the UAE is very low, people want sharia-compliant insurance and we see a huge growth potential

here,” he said.

Although insurance penetration of between three to seven percent in the UAE is the highest in the Middle East, it compares poorly with countries such as Japan, UK and Europe where penetration levels are over 90 percent, he said. The UAE with a population of around 8 million has 59 insurance companies and seven takaful providers.

Takaful works like mutual insurance, but there is a clear segregation of the assets owned by members and those owned by the insurer. Islamic insurers keep away from investments in risky assets and prefer fixed income products for parking their funds.

ADNIC is also exploring partnerships with foreign firms to broaden its products and services offering, especially in Dubai where a new medical health law in 2011 makes it mandatory for employers to provide medical insurance, he said.

Over the last year, it set up a joint venture in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) with Talbot Ltd to offer reinsurance services and another with Belgium’s Vanbreda International for co-branded medical insurance.

“We are open to dialogue for more strategic partners,” he said, declining to elaborate.

ADNIC currently has 10 branches in the UAE and plans to open the next in Dubai in November, its second in that emirate. — Reuters

Super-rich investors buy gold by ton GENEVA: The world’s wealthiest people have responded to economic worries by buying bars of gold, sometimes by the ton, and moving assets out of the financial system, bankers catering to the very rich said yesterday.

Fears of a double-dip downturn had boosted the appetite for physical bullion as well as mining company shares and exchange-traded funds, UBS executive Josef Stadler told the Reuters Global Private Banking Summit.

“They don’t only buy ETFs or futures, they buy physical gold,” said Stadler, who runs the Swiss bank’s services for clients with assets of at least $50 million to invest.

UBS is recommending top-tier clients hold 710 percent of their assets in precious metals like gold, which is on course for its tenth consecutive yearly gain and traded at around $1,317 an ounce yesterday, near the record level reached last week.

In a sign of the uncertain times, some clients go further. “We had a clear example of a couple buying over a ton of gold ... and carrying it to another place,” Stadler said. At today’s prices, that shipment would be worth about $42 million.

Julius Baer’s chief investment officer for Asia is also recommending that wealthy investors park some of their assets in gold as a defensive stance following a string of lacklustre US data and amid concerns about currency weakness.

“I see gold as an insurance,” Van AnanthaNageswaran said. “I recommend 10 percent as minimum in portfolios and anything more than that to be used for trading purposes, to respond to short-term over-bought or over-sold signals.”

Billionaire financier George Soros, echoing comments from investment guru Warren Buffett, last month described gold as the “ultimate bubble” because it is costly to dig up and has no real value except its market price.

But a rising price for the precious metal has in itself generated more and more demand from investors looking for a way to hedge themselves against a fresh recession. Gold bears no yield and is uncompetitive in an environment of rising interest rates.

The uneasy outlook for inflation, hard currencies and global growth has triggered a five-fold increase in a physical gold fund launched by Pictet one year ago, the Swiss private bank said.

UBS’s Stadler said the precious metal had become a staple of investors’ portfolios, despite questions about whether it makes for a smart long-term investment.

“If you talk to ultra-high net worth individuals that level of uncertainty has never been higher in the last two, three, four years,” he said. “If they ask me ‘is inflation going up or are we entering a deflationary cycle?’, I don’t know. But obviously nobody knows.”

Samir Raslan, Citigroup’s regional head for central, eastern and northern Europe, Africa and Turkey, said clients were not going overboard on gold.

“I wouldn’t say that clients are over-investing.

It’s part of an asset allocation but it’s not something that they are deciding all of a sudden,” he said.

And not all bankers are recommending exposure to gold. Andreas Wolfer, head of private banking at UniCredit Group, attributed the run-up in the price of gold to frayed investor nerves after the 2008 financial crisis as well as concerns about sovereign debt in the euro zone.

“We have seen it but we have not overweighted it in our asset allocation,” Wolfer told the Reuters Summit in Geneva, which has emerged as a major trading hub for precious metals as well as other physical commodities.

“We strongly believe in an asset allocation having a clear and diversified portfolio, which sounds a bit boring but in the end it brings the best returns,” Wolfer said. — Reuters

Europe woos Asia to boost global role BRUSSELS: Europe sought a heightened global role with Asia’s emerging giants yesterday at talks ranging from trade to climate change between nations representing more than half the world’s population.

The two-day Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) of 46 nations, followed by separate EU summits with China and South Korea tomorrow, opens amid renewed tension between Beijing and Tokyo over disputed islands in the East China Sea. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, indisputably star guest of the talks, could hold a face-to-face meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan to ease the dispute, diplomats said.

For the European Union, the get-together of dozens of heads of state and government in the gilded Goya-hung halls of the Belgian royal palace opens a window of opportunity to strengthen ties with the Asia region at a time of fast global change.

“I am convinced that a strong Europe is irreplaceable,” Wen told the Greek parliament on the eve of his arrival in Brussels. “China wants to promote and strengthen strategic links with the European

Union.” During his visit to debt-crippled EU member Greece, the Chinese leader held out proof of willingness to work with the the 27-nation unionpledging to support the euro and maintain European bonds that are part of Chinese foreign exchange reserves, the world’s biggest.

Economic issues are expected to dominate the meeting of ASEM nations, which represent 60 percent of the world’s population and global trade.

But the informal talks, accompanied by a slew of bilaterals, parallel visits to NATO headquarters and contacts between business leaders, will also touch on piracy at sea, terrorism, nuclear weapons, human rights and climate change.

ASEM leaders will urge Myanmar’s military rulers to release political prisoners and ensure November elections, denounced as a sham by rights groups, are free and fair, according to a draft final statement obtained by AFP. British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who was attending the summit, urged ASEM leaders to “speak with one voice against the gross mistreatment of the Burmese people.”

“Burma’s military regime should know that, until it satisfies international demands, it will meet the same disapproval whether it looks East or West,” he wrote in the International Herald Tribune.

The summit is also expected to urge Israelis and Palestinians to keep peace talks alive despite the end of a moratorium on Israeli settlement construction. ASEM, which meets every two years, groups the EU, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Japan, South Korea, India, Pakistan and Mongolia, and new members Australia, New Zealand and Russia.

On the economic front, reform of the IMF will feature high on the agenda after the EU last week signalled its willingness to cede some power at the international lender to emerging nations, which say Europe is over-represented.

Europe has been under pressure to offer a deal ahead of the November 11 start of the G-20 meeting of economic powers in Seoul and is ready to discuss giving up two of its nine seats while rotating others on the 24-member board. — AFP

BRUSSELS: (1st row L-R): Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, King Albert II of Belgium, Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme, South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso pose for a family photo yesterday at the Royal Palace in Brussels prior to the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). — AFP

BUSINESS

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Power consumption grows at 12% this year

Saudi subsidies incur huge costs, threaten oil exports J EDDAH, Saudi Arabia: Rising demand and deep subsidies on fuel, electricity and w ater are burning huge holes in the Saudi budget and threaten to eat into its capacity to export oil, officials and experts w arn. Oil for electricity generation is sold to pow er plants at about five percent of the w orld market price, w ith those savings passed on to consumers.

Commercial Bank announces names of Najma draw winners KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al-Najma Account (Triple) draw on October 3, 2010. The draw was held under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry represented by Jassim Al-Hajrii.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait was represented at the draws by staff members of Retail Banking Division, Technical Support Division, IT Security, and Advertising & Public Relations Department in addition to a large crowd of customers.

The w inners of the Al Najma draw are:

No 1.

2.

3.

Names Ghulam Murtadha Mohamad Naseer Filomena P Rebelo and Shaun Dylan Edward R Mohammad Ijaz Mohammed Niaz

Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportunity to congratulate all lucky winners and also extends appreciation to the Ministry

KD 100000 100000 100000

of Commerce and Industry for their effective supervision of the draws which were conducted in an orderly and organized manner.

Samsung unveils new generation of TV at GITEX: Smart TV DUBAI: Samsung Gulf Electronics, a leading brand in consumer electronics and information technology, will be showcasing its recently launched C6900 Smart LED TV at GITEX, taking place from October 17 to 21. Through dedication and commitment to innovation that appeal to the most discerning of users, the Smart TV is definitely a leap to the future of television.

The C6900 is an ultra-slim LED TV that skillfully combines the benefits of the latest LED technology with artistic craftsmanship. On the outside, the C6900 LED boasts its Touch of

Nature design which is visually stunning. With its ultra slim body, the crystal design delivers an aesthetic aura with matching designs suiting all tastes.

On the inside, Samsung C6900 LED TV Series features smart technologies that take the whole TV experience to the next level, with Internet@TV. Samsung’s Application Engine provides a totally new experience of Internet through TV with a simple, easy and exciting user interface.

The Samsung App store brings a large variety of applications that suit almost everyone’s taste.

And water-both from the ground and from oil-fired desalinization plants-is sold at 1/100th of the cost. And with petrol for cars and trucks dispensed as low as 12 US cents a litre, domestic energy consumption is skyrocketing with no incentives for anyone to conserve, experts said.

The government subsidizes power consumption to the tune of 50 billion riyals ($13.3. billion) a year-the equivalent of nine percent of government expenditures in 2009 — said Abdullah Al-Shehri, governor of the Electricity and Co-generation Regulatory Authority.

Meanwhile electricity consumption is growing at a rate of 12 percent this year, almost all of it produced by oil-fired plants. “If the (power) prices remain low, the subsidies are going to be huge on the government budget,” said Shehri, speaking at the Saudi Water and Power Forum in Jeddah on Sunday. “If we continue our current consumption, we will be using 50 percent of our (oil) production inside the country in the future,” said Adil Bushnak, a water expert whose research firm Al-Aghar is completing a broad study on the subsidy problem.

Bushnak said the country lacks the political will to move against the subsidies. “The challenge is how to get this message across to established politicians, who are always afraid to touch the water tariff,” he said. “It is ridiculous because it is only helping the rich.” With the world’s largest oil reserves, Saudi Arabia has long been able to afford to supply oil domestically at nearly give-away prices.

The kingdom burns about 2.5 million barrels a day internally, out of its total production of 8-9 million barrels a day.

Nearly half of that goes to fuel power plants, which pay a fraction of the global oil price of around $80 a barrel.

With a surplus production capacity of about four million barrels a day, this has not yet impacted its crucial oil export earnings. But domestic oil use is growing at 5.9 percent a year, much faster than the economy itself, according to the central bank.

Over the long term, Shehri said, “the government support may not be sustainable.”

Meanwhile groundwater, as scarce in the desert kingdom as oil is bounteous, is being sucked up at a rate of four times natural replenishment. — AFP

Edge MyFordTouch 6333-MR

Ford unveils driver connect technology at GITEX 2010 GCC show to feature debut of new 2011 Ford Edge KUWAIT: Ford returns to GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK this October, as official automotive partner for the third year straight, featuring yet another industry-first technology, MyFord Touch. The latest driver connect technology from Ford debuts on the new 2011 Edge, the GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK Official Car, which makes its Middle Eastern debut at the show which runs 17-21 October 2010 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Powered by SYNC, MyFord Touch redefines how drivers interact with their vehicles, replacing many of the traditional vehicle buttons, knobs and gauges with clear, colorful LCD screens and 5-way buttons. The screens can be personalized to display information relevant to each individual driver using a simple button click, voice command or touch screen tap.

“Once again we are presenting a new innovation from Ford, that promises a smarter, safer and simpler way to connect drivers with in-car technologies and their digital lives, and GITEX is the perfect platform to debut the latest MyFord Touch technology,” said Theo Benson, Ford Middle East’s

Regional Marketing and Product Director.

“MyFord Touch will pioneer the next-generation vehicle experience for customers around the region as it addresses the infotainment explosion, launching vehicle interiors into the realm of popular personal electronics, such as laptop computers, mobile phones, digital cameras and MP3 players. We are really excited to show everyone this exciting new feature which debuts on the new 2011 Edge crossover,” added Benson.

Trixee Loh, Senior Vice President, Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK, Ford Motor Company once again joins us as a partner, pushing the boundaries of transport innovation. As the largest ICT event in the Middle East and Africa, GITEX is the foremost partnership platform for Ford to showcase their cutting edge creations to tech-enthusiasts from around the world. The technology in the 2011 Ford Edge illustrates perfectly GITEX’s pioneering approach to innovation and the commitment to superior quality that we have advocated in the past three

decades.”The 2011 Ford Edge, this year’s GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK Official Car, makes its Middle Eastern debut at the Ford stand in the Consumer & Electronics section, inside Sheikh Saeed Hall.

Ford’s popular crossover utility vehicle that just recently hit the 400,000 milestone worldwide, has experienced a dramatic freshening which includes extensive exterior redesign, improved materials and craftsmanship on the interior, class-exclusive technologies - including MyFord Touch - new powertrains and a segment leading performance.

MyFord Touch blends the strengths of the most proven interfaces in consumer electronics - including MP3 players and mobile phones - with a new generation of Ford’s award-winning SYNC system.

“MyFord Touch simply redesigns the in-car interface, mirroring how consumers interact with most devices in their lives using touch-sensitive buttons, touch screens, thumbwheel controls and voice recognition,” concluded Benson. “We are excited to offer it in the region and are confident that this new system will prove as popular as SYNC.”

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

.2790000 .4450000 .3830000 .2870000 .2750000 .2720000 .0045000 .0020000 .0768260 .7484930 .4020000 .0750000 .7337650 .0045000 .0500000

US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .283000 .4474270 .3894590 .2893860 .2776870 .0522550 .0420780 .2743160 .0364620 .2156500 .0033860 .0064310 .0025380 .0033000 .0040430 .0770900 .7510620 .4002500 .0755170 .7358340 .0065050

US Dollar Sterling pounds Swiss Francs Saudi Riyals

TRANSFER CHEQUES RATES .2851000 .4505830 .2914380 .0759990

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.425 6.412

.2890000 .4550000 .3870000 .2970000 .2840000 .2780000 .0075000 .0035000 .0775980 .7560160 .4180000 .0790000 .7411400 .0072000 .0580000 .2851000 .4505890 .3922120 .2914380 .2796550 .0526260 .0423770 .2762550 .0367200 .2171790 .0034100 .0064770 .0025560 .0033230 .0040710 .0775820 .7558560 .4030870 .0759990 .7405300 .0065510

Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - Transfer Irani Riyal - Cash

3.292 2.539 4.006 216.880 36.650 4.067 6.499 9.434 0.296 0.310

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

GCC COUNTRIES 75.852 78.156 739.000 755.490 77.459

Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham

ARAB COUNTRIES 52.400 49.948 1.334 202.230 401.680 190.800 6.181 35.541

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 284.330 Euro 392.660 Sterling Pound 450.950 Canadian dollar 280.180 Turkish lire 197.450 Swiss Franc 292.310 Australian dollar 275.540 US Dollar Buying 282.995

SELL CASH 279.300 755.920 4.280 282.200 558.200 14.100 52.400 167.800 52.240 395.000

10 Tola

GOLD 1,402.100

37.160 6.410 0.033

401.770 0.191 94.490 4.030 213.400

SELL DRAFT 7.800 755.920 4.070 280.700

216.200 49.967 393.500

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

293.900 6.300 9.460 77.460 284.200

TRAVELLER?S CHEQUE 451.500 284.200

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

738.170 3.310 6.500 78.190 75.890 216.180 43.320 2.535 451.500

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Bahrain Exchange Company COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash

37.310 6.570 0.033 0.281 0.248 3.500 403.650 0.192 94.490 46.900 4.450 214.900 1.937 49.500 737.350 3.470 6.680 78.620 75.890 216.180 43.320 2.707 453.500 43.200 295.400 6.300 9.620 198.263 77.560 284.600 1.370

Sterling Pound US Dollar

GOLD 255.000 129.000 66.000

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

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

Rate per 10

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

285.000 3.330 6.355 2.555 4.090 6.535 77.685 76.195 757.600 50.065 457.300 0.00003280 3.950 1.550 404.800 5.750 393.000 282.800

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer rate 283.900 391.000 449.800 279.000 3.430 6.410 49.945 2.539 4.030 6.515 3.300 755.000 77.260 75.700

BUSINESS

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

23

Al-Rajhi sees growth in Saudi asset management sector More liquid products needed to attract investors MANAMA: The introduction of more liquid products and development of the insurance sector will help drive growth of asset management industry in Saudi Arabia, an executive at investment firm Al-Rajhi Capital said yesterday.

Gaurav Shah, head of asset management and CEO-designate at AlRajhi Capital said the asset management space in the kingdom has been hit hard in the last couple of years after growing at a rate of 25 percent

to 30 percent between 2005 to 2008.

Al-Rajhi Capital is the investment banking arm of Al-Rajhi Bank, the kingdom’s biggest lender by market value. The industry has also been crippled by high concentration within capital markets and a lack of viable alternative investment options, said Shah whose firm manages about 13 billion Saudi riyals ($3.5 billion) in the region.

“You have the top ten companies accounting for 60 to 65 percent of the

market capitalization,” Shah said. “As a result a lot of investors prefer to invest directly in these companies instead of going through a managed investment platform supported by fundamental research from the asset management industry.”

Investors are also limited by the range of alternatives available to play the market. Only options available currently are equity investments, direct real estate and low-yielding money market instruments.

This means investors in the region have fewer options than in more developed and even some emerging markets with flourishing fixed-income markets. “Investment options for the retail market are still relatively limited,” Shah said.

Yet, Saudi Arabia is the largest market in the region and global banks and fund mangers have set up shop in the kingdom looking at ways to tap opportunities on the Gulf’s largest and best performing market in 2009.

The world’s top oil exporter has been trying to encourage more foreign money to its bourse, having allowed indirect foreign ownership via so-called swap agreements in 2008 as part of gradual efforts to open up the region. The bourse has so far returned about 3 percent to investors this year.

“The asset management industry in Saudi Arabia is relatively young,” Shah said.

The sector will benefit from the

development of an insurance sector in the region, Shah said, adding that globally insurance firms act as the backbone of the asset management industry helping create demand for their products and services.

“If you see over the past 12 to 18 months, the insurance sector has begun investing through the asset management industry,” Shah said.

Investors are also demanding more diverse product classes such as multi-asset class products, total

return products, liquid and transparent products like exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the region, Shah said.

Saudi Arabia launched ETFs earlier this year, accessible to foreign investors as part of efforts by the kingdom to open up the biggest Arab bourse. Al-Rajhi recently launched a Luxembourg-domiciled fund to invest in Saudi equities aiming to tap demand for off-shore funds, Shah said. —Reuters

Gulf asset managers face new distribution dilemma Partnerships, global regulations seen as solution

MADRID: Secretary general of the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) Angel Gurria smiles as he delivers a speech yesterday in Madrid during a conference about Spanish economic crisis. —AFP

Oman sees $1bn surplus in budget 2010: Official MUSCAT: Oman’s government is expected to post a budget surplus of around $1 billion this year due to higher-than-expected oil prices, a senior economy ministry official said yesterday.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected a larger fiscal surplus this year, while the Gulf Arab sultanate had budgeted for a deficit. Most states in the world’s top oil exporting region are expected to run budget surpluses this year despite increased spending as oil prices remain well above assumptions. “We expect to achieve an average oil price of between $70 and $75 per barrel this year, and that’s enough to wipe out the deficit and even make a surplus of around 400 million rials,” the economy ministry official, who did not want to be identified, told Reuters.

This would put Oman’s budget surplus at around 2.3 percent of gross domestic product this year, according to Reuters calculations. Analysts polled by Reuters forecast a fiscal surplus of 4.0 percent of GDP in 2010.

The non-OPEC oil producer set its 2010 budget with a deficit of 800 million rials and expendi-

ture of 7.18 billion, 12 percent higher than planned a year earlier. The calculation was based on a $50 per barrel oil price while the Gulf state sold its crude at an average of $77.57 a barrel in the first half of the year.

Benchmark US crude prices held steady yesterday after touching a two-month high near $82 a barrel. Oman’s budget surplus widened to 702.8 million rials at the end of June. Crude oil sales accounted for 67 percent of Oman’s income last year.

A finance ministry official told Reuters last month Oman planned to stick to its spending plan this year, and had used nearly 63 percent of its 2010 budget in the first eight months.

Oman largely overshot its expenditure plans in the past two years to help the economy through the global downturn, but inflationary pressures are on the rise this year. The sultanate is spending heavily on its infrastructure, building three new airports. It also plans to upgrade its main airports in Muscat and Salalah, its second largest city. —Reuters

Dock strike ends at Marseille, Vimpelcom oil terminals remain shut expected to MARSEILLE, France: Workers at the French port of Marseille-Fos yesterday ended a strike they called Friday to protest pension reform plans, unions and port officials said.

But the nearby Mediterranean oil terminals at Lavera and Fos-sur-Mer remained blocked by a separate strike action against government plans to privatize ports, unions said.

The closure has forced rationing of diesel in some French Mediterranean ports.

The strike action over pension reform had closed France’s main commercial ports since Friday and most petrol stations on Corsica have run out of diesel. Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau told RTL radio yesterday that he was “not worried” about the strike action, noting that movement of freight had resumed at the Marseille ports.

“There remains a problem to be resolved at the refineries.

Negotiations will soon begin,” he said. The union is demand-

ing commitments to protect jobs and has added its voice to a broader protest against the government’s proposed pensions reform.

“This strike action and these demands are totally legitimate,” said CGT ports spokesman Tony Hautbois. “If they are not heard, the movement may get stronger. We are still waiting for a meeting to hold negotiations.”

CGT leaders at oil producers operating near Marseille warned of high-profile efforts to raise pressure against the reforms in the coming days and did not rule out stoppages.

They oppose to the retirement reforms and cuts in the refining industry. “The wind of discontent is rising,” said a regional CGT spokesman for the chemicals industry, JeanMarie Michelucci, at a press conference with counterparts from the terminals and workers from oil companies Total, Esso, LyondellBasel, Ineos and Arkema. —AFP

buy Orascom stake, Wind MOSCOW/LONDON: Vimpelcom is set to unveil a $6.5 billion deal to buy control of Egypt’s Orascom Telecom and Italy’s Wind, sources said yesterday, a move that could create the world’s fifth-largest mobile operator.

Sources close to the deal said an announcement could be made as early as Monday, but analysts said the plan may yet crumble due to uncertainty over whether Orascom’s Algerian unit Djezzy, its biggest single source of revenue, would be included.

Algiers, which had rejected Orascom’s plans to sell Djezzy to South Africa’s MTN, is trying to nationalize the unit and is expected to make an offer in the coming months. “We continue to see the complexity of the deal as an obstacle to its completion. It is not clear to us why Algeria would halt the process of buying out Orascom Telecom Algeria,” Credit Suisse analyst Richard Barker wrote in a note. —Reuters

MANAMA: Asset managers in the Gulf Arab region are looking to partner with regional players and thirdparty providers to break the bottleneck of distributing their offerings solely through banks, executives said yesterday.

The industry, still at its nascent stage, is heavily dependent on banks, but as the funds grow in size and get international focus, better distribution methods are in demand.

The challenge is even bigger for small regional players who do not have the ability to market their products effectively to international players or comply with global regulations like Ucits III, a European Union (EU) framework for funds that can be sold across borders.

“In this public funds business, distribution matters and size matters significantly. Particularly in the Middle East, I think the banks have a competitive advantage in platforms. Why? Because they have the clients,” said Trevor Regan, head of asset management at Al-Mal Capital in a conference in Manama.

The asset management industry in the Middle East saw a raft of fund launches during the boom years, but many funds struggled to attract any sizable inflows as investors became increasingly risk-averse since the burst of the asset bubble in 2008.

Since the beginning of this year, asset managers based in the Middle East North Africa region have been launching EU-regulated Ucits III funds while global managers have dusted off MENA launches that have been on the backburner since the financial crisis.

As international investors look at the region, increasingly touted as the next big emerging market play, demand is rising for effective distribution and compliance with global norms.

“The next step is to go to a wider audience and making sure that our funds are in the platform of international and global audience,” said Shahzad Waraich, vice president, global wealth management at HSBC Amanah.

For smaller players, the operational cost of complying with global regulations like Ucits III are too high, forcing them to set up partnerships with others in the region. “The way forward is probably doing partnerships with managers in different regions who are in a similar situation to what we find ourselves in MENA,” Al Mal Capital’s Regan said.

Local fund managers are also looking to set up funds domiciled in off-shore locations to attract global clients.

Saudi-based Al-Rajhi Capital recently launched a Luxembourg-domiciled fund to invest in Saudi equities aiming to tap demand for offshore funds, the head of its asset management division said.

HSBC Amanah is in the process of bringing around 15 of its funds in the region to a local platform, according to Waraich. “The way you domicile your fund and which distribution you use is a key point,” he said. —Reuters

Musaed Al-Mazyed, acting area manager at Gulf Bank congratulates Rajendra Kumar Tyagi, an Al-Danah weekly winner.

Gulf Bank announces 10 lucky Al-Danah winners of this week KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its thirty-fifth Al-Danah draw on October 3, 2010, announcing a total number of 10 Al-Danah weekly prize draw winners, each awarded with prizes of KD 1,000. The winners were: Huda Masoud Khamees AlMaghrebi, Mohammed Abdelkhaleq Atyah Awad, Metaib Mohammed Zaid Al-Otaibi, Nada Jalal Haji Agha Ibrahim, Emad Aldeen Alfarwa Mohammed Ahmed, Hala Michael Hanna Zaghloul, Rajendra Kumar Tyagi, Hasan Ali Mohammed Ali, Ibtihal Mohammed Sariaa Al-Sariaa and Mejbel Megbas Faleh.

A minimum deposit of just KD 200 is needed to open an Al-Danah account. Not only does Gulf Bank’s Al-Danah account allow customers to win, but it is also encourages customers to save money. The more money deposited and the longer it is kept in the account, the more chances there are to win.

Al-Danah also offers a number of unique services including the Al-Danah Deposit Only ATM card which helps account holders deposit their money at their convenience; as well as the Al-Danah calculator which is now in operation to

help customers calculate their chances of becoming an Al-Danah winner.

To be part of the Al-Danah draw customers can visit one of Gulf Bank’s 51 branches, transfer on line, or call the Telebanking service 1805805 for assistance and guidance. Customers can also log on to www.e-gulfbank.com, Gulf Bank’s bilingual website, to find all the information regarding Al Danah or any of the Bank’s products and services or log on www.e-gulfbank.com/aldanah, to find out more about Al Danah and who the winners are.

LG Wink first touchphone series for generation Z Stylish phones designed for young mobile generation to stay connected KUWAIT: LG Electronics (LG) announced the release of the LG Wink Series, a collection of vibrant colored full-touch phones designed to match the unique lifestyles of young “Generation Z” mobile consumers looking for great style and great connectivity.

The LG Wink Series consists of three full-touch handsets: Wink (T300), Wink Style (T310i) and Wink 3G (T325i), all suitable for younger users or first-time touch phone users.

Tailored for the distinctive needs of today’s youth market, the LG Wink Series provides more versatile texting functionality, enhanced music options, wider social networking support, and a customizable, userfriendly interface and design.

Just as a wink is an affectionate means of communication between close friends, LG Wink Series was designed primarily for young mobile users who enjoy expressing themselves in unique and stylish ways whether by phone or one of today’s most popular social networking tools.

All the Wink phones offer an intuitive and easy-to-use virtual QWERTY keypad allows for easy texting without the bulk of a physical keyboard. The key-

pad can be switched from portrait to landscape mode, providing young users with a much more convenient texting method.

The LG Wink Series makes social networking much more enjoyable thanks to its dedicated user interface optimized for just this type of activity. Users can also keep in touch with their friends through instant messaging and email that support threaded viewing for easier conversations.

The LG Wink Series also includes a 3.5-inch headphone

jack, FM radio and microSD slot for enjoying and easy sharing of music and movies. Add to this a stylish two-tone design and the fun cartoon-styled user interface and the LG Wink Series easily stands out in the full-touch handset market.

LG Wink (T300) Designed to fit perfectly in the palm of a hand, LG Wink is the most compact phone in the line-up. LG Wink is proof that touch phones don’t all look alike. LG Wink’s compact form factor slips easily into a pocket or purse but still manages to

include a generous 2.4-inch display.

LG Wink Style (T310i) LG Wink Style is the stylish phone in the series with a 2.8inch LCD display, Wi-Fi and boldest design. Wink Style is available in a variety of color options with accents on the front button panel, making it one of the most fashionable fulltouch phones on the market.

The phone’s colorful mix-andmatch design will appeal to the young mobile generation’s desire for self-expression.

LG Wink 3G (T325i) LG Wink 3G with Wi-Fi allows for faster connectivity and data transmission, always keeping users connected to friends and family. Its advanced e-mail feature utilizes the latest in push delivery technology, instantly alerting users when messages are sent to any of their email addresses. LG Wink 3G is a perfect choice not only for Generation Z but also for digitally active people who cannot compromise on network connectivity and design. The LG Wink Series currently available in Europe and the Middle East followed by Latin America, CIS and select Asian countries, including China, in the third quarter.

BUSINESS

24

Wall Street bails out European markets

Global stocks down at start of big week LONDON: A solid opening on Wall Street helped European stock markets recover some losses yesterday at the start of a busy w eek of economic new s that may shape investors’ view s about the w orld economy going into the last quarter of the year. Germany’s DAX w as dow n 45.69 points, or 0.7 percent, at 6,165.65 w hile the CAC-40 in France fell 23.59 points, or 0.6 percent, to 3,668.50. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares w as 9.12 points, or 0.6 percent, low er at 5,583.78.

DUBAI: Visitors gather near an old model of falcon city at the Cityscape exhibition, the Gulf’s major annual real estate show, in Dubai yesterday after it opened as a scaled-down version of past years, and still reflecting the sharp deterioration in the emirate’s property sector. — AFP

KSE edges lower KUWAIT: The price index of Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) edged lower yesterday and ended the trading session at 6,947.1 points, down 39.4 points, while the weighted index came to 466.38 points, a drop of 1.3 points.

Trades came to 5,143 transactions, bringing value to KD 72.8 million, and vol-

ume to 271.6 million shares. As for sector performance, the board was mostly in red, with seven indices dropping, except the banking sector in green with a gain of 61.9 points, while mutual funds sector remained unchanged. Gainer share of the day was that of Al-Enma’a Real Estate Company, while biggest loser was the stock of Amar

for Finance and Leasing Company. The shares of Kuwait International Bank, AlSafat Investment Company, Al-Mal Investment Company, Investors Holding Group Company, International Financial Advisors made 37.1 percent of the total traded shares, with a total of 101 million shares. — KUNA

In the US, the Dow Jones industrial average was up just over 1 point at 10,830.78 soon af ter the open while the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 0.1 percent, to 1,144.73.

Europe’s stock markets had been trading lower in anticipation of modest losses on Wall Street. The better than expected open in the US helped European markets recoup a chunk of their earlier losses. The data out of the US yesterday came in largely as anticipated with factory orders down in August but the number of people signing contracts to buy homes up for the second straight month.

Even though stocks enjoyed one of their best Septembers in years — the S&P 500 index added nearly 9 percent during the month alone, its best September performance since 1939 — sentiment remains fragile ahead of key economic data and a raft of central bank policy statements. The key release this week comes on Friday with the monthly US nonfarm payrolls report for September.

The jobs data often set the market tone for a week or two af ter their release and investors will be closely monitoring the September data to see if the pace of job creation in the private sector is picking up, as some recent indicators have suggested. — AFP

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Dubai’s Aramex soars on foreign takeover hopes DUBAI: Shares in Dubai’s express courier Aramex have surged this year on hopes that changes in foreign ownership laws in United Arab Emirates companies could tempt a takeover bid by larger rivals such as Fedex Corp.

Aramex’s shares were at 2.23 dirhams yesterday, just under a 27-month high. It has gained more than 50 percent this year while Dubai’s index has fallen 6.6 percent over the same period.

The UAE’s Federal National Council, an government advisory body, is expected to debate the law decide to raise foreign ownership limits of some companies from the current 49 percent.

“Oil and gas companies and banks are likely to stick with the current foreign ownership restrictions, but transport, healthcare, education, construction, real estate and all other sectors in which the government would welcome foreign investment are likely to have their limits raised,” said Zahed Chowdhury of Al-Mal Capital.

New caps will be set on a sector-by-sector basis, the Securities and Commodities Authority said in a statement.

Aramex offers international and domestic express

delivery, freight forwarding, logistics and warehousing, documents managements and online shopping services.

Companies can also set their own foreign ownership limits up to the maximum percentage for their sector. Ahead of the likely changes, some investors have bet on foreign firms taking control of select listed UAE firms, with Aramex seen as a prime target for global rivals such as TNT Fedex or United Parcel Service Inc. Consolidation within the express courier sector has been long expected, with Dutch TNT seen as a potential target for its US rivals. “There are rumors referring to some old media reports that TNT may be interested in acquiring Aramex,” said Julian Bruce, director of institutional equity sales at EFMHermes. “The stock is solely driven by local investors who are speculating on this possibility.”

Aramex traded on the NASDAQ from 1997 to 2002 and began trade on the Dubai bourse in 2005.

“Aramex is a solid company, with good fundamentals and a blend between value and growth,” said Haissam Arabi, chief executive and fund manager at Gulfmena Alternative

Investments.

“It’s one of the stocks well liked by foreign investors and that is what is holding it a premium relative to other UAE companies, but I believe it is trading around its fair value.

“Aramex would be of interest to global players, but valuation is everything and I don’t think the stock offers much upside.”

Kareem Murad, an analyst at SHUAA Capital, played down chances of a hostile takeover of Aramex, despite a 90 percent free float.

“A hostile takeover would not be easy and seems pretty far-fetched because I doubt we would see a sell-off from the management itself - the CEO has built up a very successful brand over many years,” said Murad.

Aramex is at its foreign ownership limit. UAE investors own 42.3 percent of Aramex, with 9 percent held by investors from other Gulf countries, 14.1 percent by other Arabs and 34.5 percent by foreigners, according to Dubai bourse data.

Murad estimates around three-quarters of Aramex’s revenues come from its Middle East operations, while its Ireland-based unit accounts for around a quarter. — Reuters

Kuwait CenBank to sell KD80m in 1-year bonds KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Central Bank will issue KD80 million ($282.4 million) in one-year treasury bonds with a coupon of 1.25 percent, its data showed.

Bids reached KD546 million, central bank data showed yesterday. The central bank sold a one-year paper worth KD75 million on Sept 15. — Reuters

BUSINESS

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

25

London tube strike disrupts British capital LONDON: London commuters struggled to get to work yesterday as workers on the British capital’s underground rail network held their second strike in a month in a dispute over planned job cuts.

Most underground lines were suspended or partly suspended because of a walkout by up to 10,000 tube staff that began late on Sunday, after a strike ballot critics say was not valid due to low participation.

The 140-year-old network carries more than one billion passengers a year.

It was the second of four planned 24-hour walkouts in protest at job losses at ticket offices. The rail network says many ticket offices are barely used since more passengers were buying tickets via the Internet or at self-service machines.

“There’s no need for ticket offices. A

lot of people are losing their jobs these days ... We used to have bus conductors years ago. How is this any different?” said university administrator Roger Law, 54, as he waited for a bus in the rain.

Britain could face an increase in industrial unrest as deep spending cuts planned by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition to curb a record peacetime budget deficit bite.

Speaking at the Conservatives’ annual conference in Birmingham, London Mayor Boris Johnson called the underground stoppage “blatantly political”, and said 3,000 people should not be able “to hold a city to ransom”. He was referring to the number of Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members who voted in the strike ballot. Some 1,200 members of the white collar TSSA union

also voted on whether to walk out.

Johnson urged the government to consider a law requiring a minimum 50 percent participation in a strike ballot.

The Confederation of British Industry business lobby group also called for Britain’s industrial relations laws to be updated, saying unions should give more notice of strikes and workers should be able to hear both sides of the argument.

The RMT said about 40 to 45 percent of their members voted, a turnout the union said was more than that required of local council and parliamentary votes.

“Boris Johnson is trying to bend and distort democracy in order to load the dice against working people,” said RMT General Secretary Bob Crow, urging managers to hold “proper talks” with the unions.

No progress was made in talks between management and unions last month and the unions have refused to resume negotiations as long as a proposal to cut 800 jobs remains on the table.

“We will not withdraw our proposals, but we will listen to any specific safety concerns,” said Mike Brown, London Underground managing director.

Transport for London (TfL), the capital’s main transport authority, said all of London’s key stations were operating, and a “good” service was operating on some lines. Many commuters took buses and taxis instead, clogging central London roads.

The unions plan two more 24-hour walkouts, on Nov 2 and Nov 28, if the dispute is not resolved and a ban on overtime remains in place. — Reuters

Athens sets lower deficit goal in 2011 vs EU draft budget LONDON: Commuters queue for buses at Victoria Station in central London yesterday. London commuters scrambled to get to work amid a one-day strike by the city’s subway workers. — AP

Oil hangs on above $81 as European markets fall NEW YORK: Oil prices were down slightly but remained above $81 a barrel yesterday as weak European stock markets dampened sentiment and investors cashed in on recent gains. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark oil for November delivery was down 16 cents to $81.42 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $1.61 to settle at $81.58 on Friday, the first time it topped $80 a barrel since early August. Oil held most of Friday’s gains in Asian trading but weakened as European stock markets slid. Oil traders often look to stock markets as an indicator of investor optimism about the economy.

A decline in first-time claims for US jobless benefits and an improvement in Chicago region manufacturing activity spurred oil’s rally on Friday. The US government has also raised its estimate of second quarter gross domestic product growth to 1.7 percent from 1.6 percent. At the same time, a surprise drop in commercial crude inventories of 500,000 barrels last week also boosted investor optimism.

“We have expectations of demand growth returning to the market. The current momen-

tum built into oil futures may support pricing at this $80 plus level for a while but it remains a question whether it can be sustained over the longer-term,” said Victor Shum, an energy analyst at consultancy Purvin & Gertz in Singapore.

Crude prices have zigzagged in the $70s for most of the last year, with short-lived peaks above $80 undermined by an uneven economic recovery in developed countries. Some analysts expect strong crude demand in emerging economies, such as China, will help push prices higher.

“We have our doubts, however, that prices will be able to maintain these advances going into October, as the sector’s fundamentals still do not look that inspiring, while the end of the hurricane season has yet to be fully discounted,” said a report from MF Global in New York.

“Inventory levels also remain quite high, while US energy demand, apart from distillate offtake, remains sluggish.” In other Nymex trading in November contracts, heating oil was up 3.03 cents at $2.2981 a gallon and gasoline gained 0.33 cent to $2.0894 a gallon. Natural gas fell 4.4 cents to $3.753 per 1,000 cubic feet. — AP

British FM rejects new bank bailout scenario LONDON: Finance minister George Osborne yesterday dismissed a think-tank report that British banks may need another state bailout next year and their borrowing requirements could hit 25 billion pounds ($39.5 billion) a month.

The independent New Economics Foundation (NEF) thinktank said it had examined Bank of England data and concluded that many UK banks appeared to face a funding cliff, as it published a report on Britain’s banks entitled “Where Did Our Money Go?” Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds had to be part-nationalized as they ran up huge losses during the credit crisis, and others, such as Barclays and HSBC, have benefited from cheap credit provided by the central bank.

UK banks have a January 2012 deadline to repay 185 billion pounds they borrowed from the Bank of England against 287 billion pounds of illiquid assets, mostly residential mortgage backed securities, under the BOE’s Special Liquidity Scheme.

They also face further pressure from new Basel III banking

industry rules, due to be phased in by January 2019, which will require banks to hold more capital, and on Monday Switzerland laid out tough new requirements for Credit Suisse and UBS. Asked about the NEF report yesterday, Osborne said he was not expecting any British bank to need any further government support. “I am certainly not expecting and I have no indication at all that any British bank needs any further support,” Osborne told Sky News.

“Those decisions were taken and the banking system in Britain is much more stable than for example the banking system in Ireland,” he added, referring to Ireland’s possible 50 billion euro bill to shore up the Irish banks.

Shares in the top British banks recovered after falling during the morning trading session. Royal Bank of Scotland rose 0.7 percent, Lloyds edged up 0.1 percent, while Barclays and HSBC gained by around 1 percent. In July, RBS said it had a 4.3 billion pound exposure to Ireland, the biggest out of Britain’s banks. Lloyds said in August it was closing its Irish

banking operation but Lloyds still has outstanding Irish loans to deal with.

Jane Coffey, head of UK equities at Royal London Asset Management, said there were liquidity issues concerning the UK banks but added she did not think the situation was as dramatic as portrayed by the NEF. “It’s liquidity they lack rather than capital but I am not unduly concerned about the UK banks,” said Coffey.

In response to the NEF report, the British Bankers Association (BBA) said the country’s banks were well placed to deal with any financial problems that may arise in the future.

“UK banks have already put in the work to rebuild their businesses and exceed the international standards for capital and liquidity,” the BBA said.

“Not all banks in the UK received support from the government. Those that did are paying commercial rates for it - it wasn’t a hand-out, a grant or a gift. And the government still holds that investment that will eventually be sold off profitably,” added the BBA. —Reuters

BIRMINGHAM: British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, addresses delegates on the second day of the Conservative party conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, central England yesterday. — AFP

Greece’s austere 2011 budget to aim 7% gap ATHENS: Greece w as due to unveil a 2011 draft budget aimed at cutting its deficit below a 7.6 percent-of-GDP target agreed in a bailout deal w ith the International Monetary Fund and its euro-zone peers. More austerity is “We are on a path of aggressive fiscal adjustment. In just one year we did the biggest deficit reduction ever managed by a euro zone country,” Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou told Sunday’s To Vima newspaper in an interview.

One year after the socialist government won elections pledging to help the poor and tax the rich, it is set to present another austerity budget sure to test social peace, while its hands are tied by international lenders. Carrying one of the heaviest debt burdens in the euro zone, seen at 133 percent of GDP this year, Greece is keen to convince investors it is making solid progress in cutting deficits and pushing reforms as it aims for a return to capital markets for funding sometime in 2011.

The premium investors demand to hold 10-year Greek government paper over Bunds stood at 789 basis points on Monday, 15 bps down from Friday’s settlement after China pledged to buy Greek government bonds when Athens eventually resumes longer-term debt issuance.

Greece’s borrowing costs hit more than 900 bps last month, but have eased somewhat, partly in response to investor acknowledgement that the Athens authorities look serious about sticking to fiscal discipline.

On Friday, a senior government official told Reuters the socialist government would target a deficit of 7.0-7.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) next year.

The draft budget will project a gap of 7.8 percent of GDP for this year, below an initial 8.1 percent target, with the economy slumping less than a projected 4 percent and nominal GDP getting an inflationary boost. Next year, international lenders project a milder downturn, expecting GDP to shrink 2.6 percent.

“Higher inflation dynamics this year will help lift nominal GDP and contribute to a lower deficit-to-GDP ratio. I am a bit skeptical on GDP contracting less than the -2.6 percent forecast next year,” said Tullia Bucco, an economist at Unicredit, Bucco said.

The cabinet was set to discuss next year’s fiscal plan, approve it and then submit it to parliament at an unspecified time later yesterday.

Under the terms of a 110 billion euro bailout agreed with the IMF and EU in May, Greece was to cut its budget gap by 50 basis points to 7.6 percent of GDP in 2011, a lighter task compared to this year’s 5.5 percentage point fiscal correction, meant to shrink the deficit to 8.1 percent of GDP. Austerity policies, including cuts in public sector pay, pensions reductions and tax hikes helped bring about this year’s fiscal adjustment and brought tens of thousands of protesters onto the streets but performance on the revenue side has been weak. “Part of the disappointment on revenue growth this year is linked to the recession and is cyclical. —Reuters

expected as the heavily-indebted country continues to dig out of its debt crisis in hopes of eventually normalizing its borrow ing costs w hich became prohibitive after last year’s fiscal derailment and hurt the euro.

DUBAI: An old property model is displayed at the Cityscape exhibition, the Gulf’s major annual real estate show, in Dubai yesterday after it opened as a scaled-down version of past years, and still reflecting the sharp deterioration in the emirate’s property sector. — AFP

World steel use set for rebound this year PARIS: Demand for world steel is likely to rebound this year, growing by 13.1 percent after a contraction in 2009, and should hit a record high in 2011, the World Steel Association said yesterdaty.

Citing better than expected forecasts in Europe, the United States and former members of the Soviet Union, the WSA said it looked for “a steady and stable steel recovery.” It added in a statement that “our current forecast does not foresee a double dip recession as feared by some.”

After a 6.6 percent contraction last year, global steel use should rise 13.1 percent to 1.272 billion metric tons in 2010, exceeding the 2007 preeconomic crisis total of 1.222 billion tons.

The association said that in 2011 demand should grow by 5.3 percent to a record 1.340 billion tons.

But Daniel Novegill, head of the association’s economics committee, cautioned that steel demand in developed countries in 2011 would still be well below pre-crisis levels. “The recovery so far has been mainly driven by inventory cycle and government stimulus packages whose effects are now fading.

“But whether consumer and corporate spending will now pick up and continue the recovery momentum is yet to be seen,” he said. The WSA report said that demand in China, the world’s leading producer and consumer of steel, will rise by 6.7 percent in 2010 after a 24.8 percent surge last year.

But the report warned that steel use is expected to slow “considerably in the remain-

ing part of the year due to the Chinese government’s efforts to cool down the real estate sector and ongoing production control.”

China will account for around 45 percent of world steel use 2011, according to the WSA. The association said that its figures reflect “appar-

ent” steel use, deliveries of steel to the market from domestic producers and importers. “Real” steel use would take into account steel delivered to or drawn from inventories.

Apparent steel use in 2010 is forecast to expand 8.2 percent in India, 32.9 percent in

the United States, 18.9 percent in the European Union, 19.1 percent in Japan and 26.5 percent in former Communist states.

The WSA represents approximately 180 producers and industry associations producing about 85 percent of the world’s steel. — AFP

In break with past, Syria seeks WB financing LATAKIA, Syria: Syria is seeking World Bank financing for infrastructure, a senior economic official said, in a major departure from decades of Soviet-style economic policies that excluded international institutions.

“Negotiations have started with the aim of identifying strategic projects that need financing from different parties and the World Bank could be one,” Amer Lutfi, head of the State Planning Commission, told Reuters in an interview on Sunday. “We have to focus on infrastructure if we’re to lessen the development disparities among the Syrian regions,” Lutfi said. The move reflects an acknowledgement of the enormity of the challenges facing Syria, which officially needs $85 billion of investment in the next five years alone to overhaul dilapidated infrastructure and curb underdevelopment.

Droughts since 2006 in three main provinces in the east of the country of 20 million people have resulted in the internal displacement of hundreds of thousands.

Illegal digging of ground wells to plant subsidised crops in the region, such as wheat, have also drained the water table. Lutfi said a fiveyear plan the government will start in 2011 puts infrastructure, education, health and a social safety net as priorities while trying to revive agriculture and expand industrial production as “real sectors” of the economy.

Syria has been ruled by the Baath Party since it took power in 1963, banning opposition and imposing an emergency law still in force.

Bans on trade and private enterprise have been

lessened since President Bashar al-Assad succeeded his late father, Hafez al-Assad, in 2000.

But independent economists have argued that the economic liberalisation did not improve the lot of the poor, partly because it was not accompanied by government investment.

They point to Syria coming at the bottom of the heap in international tables measuring the quality of basic services, such as education and infrastructure.

Lutfi said the government will be putting in its own cash into projects it hopes to finance internationally, and that Syria can comfortably raise its foreign borrowing ratio, currently at less than 10 percent of the gross domestic product.

The World Bank has been making more contact with Syria since US President Barack Obama began a rapprochement with Damascus soon after he took power last year. Its international division, the International Finance Cooperation, is advising the government on tendering for a power generation concession, but there has been no project financed directly by the World Bank, Lutfi said.

Lutfi was speaking at the sidelines of a Syrian-Turkish political forum in the port city of Latakia on the Mediterranean that discussed ways Turkey could help Syria deal with international institutions and publish more accurate national and economic data.

The Planning Commission itself is preparing a guide to potential international donors, Lutfi said. — Reuters

26

BUSINESS

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Asian stocks rise as yen slips on policy easing hopes HONG KONG: Asian stocks rose yesterday as traders followed last week’s advances in New York while the dollar edged up against the yen on expectations Japan will announce measures to pump more money into the economy.

And the European single currency held onto recent gains against the yen and dollar after China’s premier at the weekend gave his backing for the euro-zone.

Hong Kong rose 1.36 percent, Tokyo added 0.87 percent and Sydney was up 1.35 percent, while

Seoul was 0.54 percent higher.

Chinese markets were closed for a public holiday.

On Wall Street the Dow ended Friday 0.39 percent higher on data showing consumer spending, which is key to driving the US economy, rose 0.4 percent in August on month, better than the forecast 0.3 percent.

That was combined with news of a lift in construction spending.

Japanese exporters were boosted by a weaker yen as the Bank of Japan holds a policy meeting in

which it is expected to reveal further monetary easing measures.

The meeting ends on Tuesday.

The dollar rose to 83.72 yen in Tokyo morning trade from 83.25 yen in New York late Friday while the euro climbed to 115.00 yen from 114.78, hitting the highest level since May. The yen is also being sold on expectations the BOJ might step back into the currency markets again, two weeks after its first intervention since 2004. The euro Friday moved to around 1.38 dol-

lars at one point in New York, its highest level in more than six months, on speculation the US Federal Reserve will also step up stimulus spending to sustain recovery in the US economy.

But it eased back slightly to 1.3754 dollars in Tokyo morning trade from 1.3787 as profit-takers moved in. Its recent strength “put the euro at an attractive level for profit-taking, which should put the brakes on further gains for the rest of today,” a dealer told Dow Jones Newswires.

However, the euro has been kept buoyant by comments from China’s premier Wen Jiabao that Beijing would support debt-laden Greece and other struggling eurozone nations.

Speaking in Athens on Saturday he said: “China will make a big effort to support the euro-zone economy and Greece... China will participate in the purchase of new Greek bond issues.”

And on Sunday he added China would “support the stability of the euro” and would “not reduce the

amount of European bonds that are part of the Chinese foreign exchange reserves”.

Yuzo Sakai, manager of FX business promotion at Tokyo Forex and Ueda Harlow, said: “With all the attention that’s on Chinese policy, remarks like this can’t help but give the euro some support.”

On oil markets New York’s main contract, light sweet crude for November delivery, slipped six cents to $81.52 a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for delivery in

November eased a cent to $83.74.

Gold opened at 1,316.501,317.50 US dollars an ounce in Hong Kong yesterday, up from Thursday’s closing price of 1,311.50-1,312.50 dollars.

Financial markets were closed in Hong Kong Friday.

The precious metal jumped to a record 1,320.70 dollars in London on Friday as dealers made the most of the weaker dollar while also looking for a safe haven during times of financial uncertainty. —AFP

Jordan’s budget deficit shrinks as revenue rises Budget gap drops to 427.9m dinars in Jan-Aug AMMAN: Jordan’s budget deficit narrowed by 43.5 percent in the first eight months of 2010 from a year earlier, due to higher grants, improved state revenues and big capital spending cuts, the finance minister said yesterday.

Finance Minister Mohammad Abu Hammour told Reuters the budget deficit for January-August narrowed to 427.9 million dinars ($603.5 million), from 757.5 million dinars for the same period in 2009.

He attributed the contraction to a 54 million dinar increase in local revenues and an extra 146 million dinars in foreign grants. Abu Hammour told Reuters recently that Jordan was making better-thanexpected progress towards its fiscal goal of cutting its budget gap to 6.3 percent of gross domestic product in 2010 by undertaking some of its toughest spending cuts in years.

Jordan posted a record deficit of 1.45 billion dinars ($2 billion) or 9 percent of GDP last year, which was blamed on years of big spending by previous governments during a boom period that saw high aid levels and an investment and real estate bubble.

Abu Hammour said the brighter fiscal outlook would help Jordan’s first Eurobond issue, a $500 million offering expected as soon as this month.

“This will have positive implications on the credit rating of Jordan along with boosting investor confidence in the Jordanian economy as we restore fiscal prudence,” he said.

The government has asked BRUSSELS: Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (left) and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso address the media, during a meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels yesterday. Nguyen Tan Dung Moody’s Investors Service and Standard & Poor’s for credit is in Brussels to attend a two-day ASEM 8 summit. —AP ratings ahead of the issue.

Moody’s last rated Jordan in 2008, rating its long-term foreign currency debt at Ba2 with a stable outlook. The government has vowed to make $1 billion in savings in an austerity budget this year, largely via spending cuts including a freeze on government hiring and cuts in non-essential capital spending.

BRUSSELS: The European Union and nalists after a meeting with Jose Manuel state, which will address global financial govBoosting the fiscal outlook Vietnam will start negotiations on a free Barroso, President of the EU’s executive ernance issues, IMF voting rights, security for 2010, total state revenues, issues, climate change and international trade pact soon, EU and Vietnamese leaders Commission. including revenues from a genLike China, Vietnam has long pushed the trade. said yesterday, fuelling Vietnamese hopes of eral sales tax, income tax and Since talks for a global trade accord being recognized by the EU as a free market EU to recognize it as a free market econoforeign grants, rose 6.8 percent my, a move which would boost Vietnamese stalled at the World Trade Organization in economy. to 3.142 billion dinars in Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan business with the 27-member bloc. But 2006, the European Union has pursued bilatJanuary-August compared with Dung said free trade talks should also lead to trade talks may take years to complete, mak- eral trade accords, notably with Asian tradthe same period last year. an end to contentious EU import duties on ing a rapid change in economy status unlike- ing powers. The bloc will this week sign its The government has first bilateral free trade pact-with South Vietnamese-made shoes and greater access ly. imposed hefty tax hikes twice China graduates to market economy sta- Korea-and hopes to seal a deal with India for Vietnam to the EU’s consumer markets since January, including on under the EU’s Generalised System of tus automatically in 2016, ending years of this year. gasoline, to offset lower revWith efforts frustrated for a regional refusal by the EU. Preferences for developing states. enues due to the double impact The EU and Vietnam will launch free trade accord with the ten-state Association “With the result obtained today, the of the global downturn and perrecognition by the European Union of trade talks “as soon as possible”, Barroso of Southeast Asian Nations, the EU is consonal tax breaks aimed at keepVietnam as a market economy ... will be said. The two leaders met on the first day of sidering individual pacts with Vietnam, ing lower paid workers out of agreed soon,” the Prime Minister told jour- a two-day summit of EU and Asian heads of Singapore and Malaysia. —Reuters the tax net.

Total state expenditure, mainly for civil service pay, pensions and debt servicing, fell 3.5 percent to 3.569 billion dinars in January-August comLISBON: Portugal must quickly find a political finance itself at the highest relative borrowing strategy,” Costa, who also sits on the governpared with the same period last ing council of the European Central Bank, told consensus to support public sector cutbacks, costs since it joined the euro. year.

But the main opposition party refused to a conference. central bank governor Carlos Costa said yesAbu Hammour said spend“But it is not enough. It is absolutely cruterday as the government battles to win oppo- give its support to the draft in talks convened ing on capital projects was cut

by Portugal’s president last week. “The cial to find a credible political consensus for sition support for next year’s budget. by 34 percent to 530 million A tough budget unveiled last week aims to extensive budget measures announced last the 2011 budget.” Costa, who was appointed dinars as the government save 5.1 billion euros next year in a bid to ease week are an important step in turning the con- head of the Bank of Portugal earlier this year changed priorities on major investors’ nerves over Portugal’s ability to solidation announced in May into a credible when his predecessor Vitor Constancio was infrastructure projects, leaving made vice-president of the ECB, also said it most to be completed in partwas not enough to focus just on budget connership with private investors. solidation in 2010 and 2011.

He said there was much less “The underlying problem persists-it is room to reduce the governmennecessary to guarantee the solidity of public t’s operational expenses, much finances in order to give the state the capacity of which went on social serto react and handle macroeconomic risks and vices, pensions and salaries. A uncertainties created by external instability,” recent surge in global wheat he said. The minority Socialist government prices has raised the cost of announced a hike in value-added tax and a 5 bread subsidies while higher oil percent cut in civil servant wages last week to prices have increased a subsidy be included in the 2011 budget. The governon cylinder gas, widely used for ment needs the support of the opposition to domestic cooking to help cushpass the budget in parliament. ion the country’s low income Costa said Portuguese banks, and thereby groups. the Portuguese economy, need “access to Although Jordan liberalized alternative sources of financing to be able to energy prices several years reduce their dependency on liquidity operaago, it retained subsidies on tions by the Eurosystem.” certain items to help the poor.

“This implies that the way the external A more than doubling in foreign perception of Portuguese sovereign risk PARIS: The Sanofi Avantis logo is seen during the presentation of the 2009 develops will depend in a crucial way on the aid in January-August to 248.7 dinars against 102.7 full year results in Paris. France’s Sanofi-Aventis yesterday launched a impact of the normalization of monetary policy million million dinars in the same periin the Eurosystem,” he said. hostile $18.5 billion takeover offer for Genzyme Corp, stepping up its od last year also helped shrink In August Portuguese banks borrowed a effort to capture the US biotech company’s promising drugs for high cho- record 49 billion euros from the European the budget gap, the minister said. —Reuters lesterol and lucrative treatments for rare genetic disorders. —AP Central Bank. —Reuters

EU, Vietnam to start talks on free-trade pact soon

Portugal CB head urges consensus on budget

HONG KONG: A man walks past the electronic stock board of a local bank in Hong Kong yesterday in Hong Kong. Hang Seng index jumped 1.2 percent to 22,618.66, with particular strength seen in the property sector. —AP

Ireland to flatline in 2010; tough budgets ahead: CB DUBLIN: Ireland’s economy will flatline this year, defying government expectations for modest growth, the central bank said yesterday underlining the challenge facing Prime Minister Brian Cowen in salvaging the country’s fortunes.

Cowen, the most unpopular Irish leader in modern history, will unveil a four-year plan next month for tackling the worst budget deficit in the EU and there doesn’t appear to be any sign a recovering domestic economy will help narrow the gap.

The central bank cut its growth forecast for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year to just 0.2 percent from a previous estimate of 0.8 percent and despite the bleaker outlook warned the government could not shy away from savage cuts given international fears about Ireland’s finances.

“Against the background of sharply increased concerns about fiscal sustainability, the main priority in the short-term is to ensure that the 2011 budget credibly demonstrates the first step of a reprogrammed tighter fiscal plan,” the central bank said in its latest quarterly bulletin.

Cowen shocked Ireland’s recession-weary taxpayers last week when he revealed they may end up with a bill of up to 50 billion euros ($68.5 billion) for cleaning up years of reckless bank lending during the go-go years of the “Celtic Tiger” economy.

The bank bill will quadruple Ireland’s debt levels from 25 percent of GDP before the crisis to an estimated 99 percent and means Cowen will have to make fiscal adjustments above an initial target of 3 billion euros in his 2011 spending plan. The government still has a GDP growth forecast of 1 percent this year but is set to publish new forecasts this month.

On a Gross National Product basis, viewed as a better gauge of the domestic economy because it strips out profits of multinationals operating in Ireland and interest payments on

foreign debt, the economy will shrink by 1.7 percent this year, the third straight year of decline, the central bank said.

The GNP forecast highlights how Ireland’s economic growth prospects are almost entirely driven by exports and at the mercy of global demand. Reflecting the threat of further slowing international growth, the central bank warned that a downgraded GDP growth forecast for next year of 2.4 percent was at risk of being cut further.

It had forecast 2011 GDP growth of 2.8 percent in its previous quarterly bulletin and 2.2 percent for GNP. The central bank said the negative contribution from domestic demand should begin to moderate significantly over the next year as consumer expenditure picks up modestly and the contraction in investment expenditure bottoms out.

In an interview with Reuters, the chief executive of Danske Bank said it would be 2012 before recovery takes hold in Ireland particularly given the austerity measures ahead.

Ireland’s deficit is expected to blow-out to an eye-watering 32 percent of GDP this year because EU accounting rules mean it has to add all of the banking bill to its shortfall figure. The blow-out is a one-off and Cowen has said the costs of the bank cleanup will be spread out over at least a decade.

Even on an underlying basis, the central bank said it expected Ireland’s deficit to be around 11.6 percent this year, nearly four times the EU limit. Cowen has vowed to get the deficit to under 3 percent of GDP by 2014.

Exchequer data for September will be released at 1530 GMT yesterday. In the first eight months of the year, Ireland’s underlying deficit figures have come in line with targets but Brussels wants Dublin to outline in greater detail next month how it will get its finances in line by 2014. —Reuters

S Korean currency reserves hit record SEOUL: South Korea’s foreign currency reserves rose to their second record high in three months amid strength in the euro and British pound, the central bank said yesterday.

The reserves totaled $289.78 billion at the end of September, up $4.42 billion from $285.35 billion the previous month, the Bank of Korea said in a statement.

The previous high was $285.96 billion in July. South Korea’s reserves have climbed since falling to $200.51 billion in November of 2008 as monetary authorities dipped into the pool of cash to battle the effects of the global credit crisis. The recovery in the reserves has enlarged the country’s buffer against economic turmoil.

September’s figure was the largest ever, said Moon Hangeun, a senior economist in the Bank of Korea’s interna-

tional department.

The result was also the fifth record high for South Korea’s reserves of major currencies since November of last year, according to central bank data. The reserves are largely invested in securities and deposits, according to the central bank. A small component is a notional currency called Special Drawing Rights which are overseen by the International Monetary Fund.

Gold accounts for the smallest portion.

September’s increase came because of higher operating profits on the reserves and gains in the euro and British pound against the dollar, which led to what the central bank described as a “sharp rise” in the dollar value of the reserves denominated in those currencies.

Foreign currency reserves are a key weapon for a coun-

try facing economic turmoil because they can be used to defend its currency, provide liquidity and generally shore up the financial system. The South Korean government touts its reserves as a key defense against potential crisis. As of the end of August South Korea’s reserves were the world’s fifth largest behind those of China, Japan, Russia and Taiwan, the central bank said. The statement did not provide a global ranking for September. South Korea had edged out India for the number five spot in July, according to the bank. Han said that was the first time for South Korea to hold that ranking since September of 2007.

The South Korean won traded at 1,125.30 to the dollar yesterday, up 0.5 percent from Friday and was at its highest level since May 11. —AP

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

TECHNOLOGY

27

Toshiba launches world’s first glasses-free 3-D TV Technology similar to Nintendo’s 3DS

High-tech gadgets change teaching PHILADELPHIA: Freshman Sarah Speicher stared down at her syllabus in the bookstore at Temple University, considering her next purchase. “Clicker?” she asked out loud. “What’s a clicker?” A clicker, she soon discovered, is a “personal response device,” a small electronic gadget the size of a slim calculator that she and her 399 classmates in Law and American Society would be toting to class.

The trendy, high-tech learning tool, used to take attendance, poll student opinion, and administer quizzes, is taking hold on campuses across the country, with an estimated 2 million college students now using them, transforming teaching - and learning. “I think they are the greatest educational innovation since chalk,” said Neil Sheflin, an associate professor of economics at Rutgers University.

The use of clickers, which can cost $35 to $45 apiece, is shifting education away from the age-old practice of putting a professor at the front of a room to lecture to a passive audience.

Instead, it forces participation from all students and encourages peer learning. It is, as one pair of professors titled a journal article, like “waking the dead.”

Michelle Benton, a junior at GwyneddMercy College, said the format has let her know if she understood the material. “And you get to see where you stand in comparison to your classmates.” On a recent Tuesday morning, the first day Speicher would use her clicker, she filed into a large lecture hall at Temple and found a desk in the amphitheater. A “Seinfeld” rerun played on the cinema-size screen as students settled in.

At 8:10, “Seinfeld” faded out, and law professor Samuel D Hodge Jr popped the first question onto the big screen: “What year in school are you in?” There were five multiplechoice options. The students started clicking, while a small counter at the top of the screen scrolled the number of responses and a stopwatch measured the time. Within seconds, the transmitter in Hodge’s computer - which collected the signals by radio frequency - spit out the results. They flashed on the screen: 66 percent were freshmen.

Students had registered their clickers online, so each click could be traced back to them. The clickers would count for about 7 percent of the final grade - reflecting participation in class polls and grades on clicker quizzes. Then Hodge launched into the difference between common law, determined by judges, and statutory law, made by a government body.

A cartoon version of Eagles coach Andy Reid appeared on the screen, talking about whether fans who lost their season tickets should be given new ones, or have to pay for them. If there was no law on the books; it would be up to the judge. Hodge told the students about a real case involving a Jets fan who sued after he lost his tickets and the team refused to replace them for free. A clicker question popped up. Was the law on the fan’s side? “Who should win?” asked Hodge. “The fan or the team?”

The students started clicking. The counter scrolled the number of responses, and then a bar chart displayed the results: 75 percent of the students voted for the Jets. “That shocked me,” Hodge said later. “Usually, the students are consumer-oriented, but they did it on a business basis. They looked at the law. It was great.” Hodge started using clickers more than five years ago in hopes of captivating the elusive attention of the college student.

“They’re used to getting visual stimulation,” said Hodge. “Not only do they want to be educated, they want to be entertained.” With a mix of video clips, amusing advertisements, animated figures, and clicker questions, he tries to continually assault their senses. The clickers allow both Hodge and his students to

gauge comprehension and gather opinions.

Throughout class, Hodge marches up and down the aisles, calling on students and repeating their comments into his mike. “It’s like a game show,” he said.

Sheflin, at Rutgers, says that by forcing participation from a sometimes somnambulant audience, clickers offer “proof of life.”

“Clickers allow me to teach in pseudo-Socratic dialogue,” he said. “I ask them something, and they are pushed to respond.” About 90 percent of his students like using the clickers, he said.

“The majority find that it’s a lot more fun and a lot more interesting and a lot less sleep-inducing.”

Without clickers, particularly in large survey courses of more than 100 students, professors looking upon a sea of faces have no idea if students are listening, let alone learning. “If I ask a question, and half the class gets it wrong, I can work on that right away, instead of waiting for a test,” said Felicia Corsaro-Barbieri, a chemistry professor at Gwynedd-Mercy College. “The misconceptions are being cleared up immediately rather than later.”

It also gives the usually silent majority a voice. “It can be very intimidating in front of 400 people to raise your hand and answer the question,” said Nicholas Staich, a Temple senior who is a teaching assistant for Hodge.

“There is a security in anonymity. That ability to contribute without having to worry about people laughing at you is something that most students have never seen before.”

At Ursinus College, all students taking this year’s general chemistry class are using clickers for the first time, after the physics faculty persuaded the chemistry professors to try them out, said Eric Williamsen, an associate professor of chemistry. One key to using the technology is to encourage student discussion.

After a clicked answer produces mixed results, students are told to work out the problem with their neighbors for a few minutes, and then are asked the question again. So far, research shows that the sequence works. Students do better the second time around.

Douglas Duncan, an astronomy professor at the University of Colorado in Boulder and author of Clickers in the Classroom, predicts clickers on campus will eventually be as common as cell phones. “Clickers will be here forever,” he said, because they eliminate embarrassment, provoke interaction, and ultimately improve learning. “There is a big cadre of students who say, ‘Do I like them? No, but I know they’re good for me.’ Sort of like broccoli,” Duncan said.

In earlier incarnations, clickers were hard to love: Entire classes and quiz scores would collapse due to technological problems. And on many campuses, students had to purchase different brands of clicker for different classes, though colleges are now standardizing so one clicker can be used for all four or five years of college. Finally, the existence of a clicker means classes cannot be skipped without penalty, unless students can get a classmate to take a clicker to class for them. Professors are on to that.

“I will usually send them an e-mail reminding them that that is an academic-integrity violation. And that fixes it,” said Daniel King, an assistant chemistry professor at Drexel University. At Colorado, clickers have been credited with helping to increase learning gains in the physics department over a 10-year period, Duncan said. “We don’t just say clickers are better because they look cool,” he said.

The combination of clickers and peer instruction changes behavior and puts more responsibility for learning onto the student. “They can’t just sit back, flip open their laptop, and look at Facebook while the professor is talking,” Duncan said. “Because the professor isn’t talking. “They are talking.” —MCT

TOKYO: Toshiba Corp believes it has a solution for television viewers who like 3-D but hate the glasses.

The Tokyo-based company yesterday unveiled the world’s first high definition liquid crystal display 3-D television that does not require special glasses - one of the biggest consumer complaints about the technology. Toshiba describes the TVs as being for “personal use.” Whether consumers embrace the new TVs remains to be seen.

Many might be put off by the fact they’ll have to be very close to the screen for the 3D effect to really work not to mention the steep price tag.

Electronics and entertainment companies around the world are banking on 3-D to fuel a new boom in TV, movies and games. Most 3-D TVs on the market today rely on glasses to rapidly deliver separate images to each eye, which creates a sense of three-dimensional depth. In its new TVs, Toshiba uses a “perpendicular lenticular sheet,” which consists of an array of small lenses that directs light from the display to nine points in front of the TV. If a viewer is sitting within the optimal viewing zone, the brain integrates these points into a single 3-D image.

“The result is precise rendering of high quality 3-D images whatever the viewing angle within the viewing zone,” Toshiba said in its release. The system is similar to what’s used in Nintendo’s 3DS, the company’s highly anticipated handheld device that features glasses-free 3-D gaming.

Toshiba will offer two sizes 12 inches and 20 inches designed for personal use.

The technology isn’t advanced enough yet to integrate into larger screens.

Suggested viewing distance for the 20-inch model is 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) and 65 centimeters (25.6 inches) for the 12-inch size.

The TVs will go on sale in Japan in late December, Toshiba said. They smaller version will cost about 120,000 yen ($1,400), and the larger one will be double the price. The company did not release details on overseas availability. —AP

CHIBA: Japanese electronics company Toshiba unveils the world’s first 3-D television that does not require viewers to wear special glasses, called the “Regza GL1 Series”, at a preview at Ceatec, Asia’s largest electronics trade show yesterday. —AFP

Digital Natives and the future of travel

By Antoine Medawar

W

ith the emergence of Web 2.0, digital natives have become extremely influential customers for the tourism and travel industry. Trend forecasting agency PeclersParis analysed for Amadeus the impact of the arrival of this new generation of consumers also called Digital Natives and future opportunities for travel professionals.

“Digital Natives” - also known as “Millenials” or “Naturals” - are the generation born in the digital era of computers, Internet, video games, mobile phones and MP3 players. These manifold technological changes and the resulting habits are at the root of new trends and attitudes set to have an increasingly important affect on the way we consume.

Digital Natives were born in the globalised world and know how to decrypt the rules of marketing, advertising and brands.

Furthermore, their attention is immediately drawn to images or videos when they seek information and they explore its content afterward; they prefer to have random access to hyperlinked information. Digital Natives also prefer the consensus generated by their network of friends and family to the supposed reliability of the traditional media.

This is why they represent a real challenge for marketing teams, who base their strategies on the requests of “Digital Immigrants” that are generally at odds with this approach.

The objective of this survey was to analyse the major social, political, economic, cultural and technological trends that will drive change in consumer attitudes and behaviour and its impact on the travel industry in the next 10 to 15 years. Some of the key trends that this report identifies for future of travel include: Managing identities Individualistic yet also community-minded, Digital Natives seek both distinction and personalisation, which they find in online communities through the use of pseudonyms and avatars. Different sites meet these needs, such as www.16apps.com or www.LikeCube.com, which enable users to personalise services in accordance with their Internet usage. For travel agencies and travel service providers this is a unique opportunity to market themselves as unique “travel partners” fully able to filter content and generate personalised offers.

Making life easier Digital Natives consider the use of the digitally-enabled virtual world to be a real tool for accessing and sharing information.

They want constant access to the web and 24/7 assistance. In addition, the ability to access and save information is becoming an essential condition for services, given that communication exchanges are growing exponentially.

The travel industry can position themselves as online advisors available around the clock and offer a personal space for customers so that they can save all the informa-

tion relating to their trip.

Finding the best price When looking for sales, top tips and promotions, Digital Natives turn to the Internet and, in particular, comparison sites to find the best offers and the lowest prices. Other equally popular practices for finding valuefor-money services include booking well in advance or at the last minute, travelling out of season, and buying low cost tickets. Here the one can offer competitive deals in real time, which the customer can easily compare.

Widening networks Digital Natives are very attached to their community and want to share with others, while at the same time learning about and discovering issues that interest them. Social media sites offer exactly this opportunity and they have a very powerful influence. They are fundamentally altering the media, service, communication and advertising arena.

Travel agencies and travel service providers can use this opportunity to create links with social networks and enable Internet users to create content on agencies’ sites in order to prolong the online experience.

The future trends analysed in this report is an eye opener and is positioned to make a resounding impact on the Middle East market because of the growing Arab youth population. The study presents a new window of opportunity for the travel industry in the region and it is in the best interest of the travel sector professionals to use it to their advantage.

Telemedicine unites doctors and patients SAN JOSE: Working at the health center on Cisco Systems’ sprawling San Jose campus, Dr Seema Sangwan examines dozens of Cisco employees a week - sometimes as they sit in a room nearly 3,000 miles away. The busy internist sees patients at Cisco’s North Carolina campus without leaving California, using a highend videoconferencing system that Cisco developed for health care use. Standing next to the patient, a nurse uses a high-resolution camera, electronic stethoscope and other devices to send the doctor close-up images and data, including heart rate and temperature, in real time.

“It’s amazing,” she said recently. “It really does feel almost like I’m sitting in the same room with them.” Cisco didn’t just develop the technology for internal use. After conducting trials in San Jose, Scotland and France, the company recently announced that its HealthPresence video system and related technology are being used in new “telemedicine” programs offered by medical groups in Southern California and the Southwest.

Those programs are part of Cisco’s push to compete with other major tech companies, including Intel, IBM and General Electric, in the growing market for health care products and services. They’re also part of Cisco’s broader strategy to promote and participate in wider use of digital video across numerous segments of daily life - which can only

increase demand for Cisco’s core business of selling the networking equipment that carries those digital signals around the globe.

Cisco CEO John Chambers recently described telemedicine

as a “vehicle for transforming health care on a global scale.”

While the idea isn’t new, industry experts say the concept of offering medical services to patients in remote areas, by using the

SAN JOSE: Images from a medical exam in North Carolina are shown onscreen in Dr Seema Sangwan’s office at Cisco.—MCT

Internet and other telecommunications networks, is gaining wider adoption as major health care providers and insurers increasingly seek ways to serve more people at lower costs. “Telemedicine is going to be everywhere. The only question is when,” said Dr. Jim Woodburn, an executive with UnitedHealthcare, the insurance company that is working with local health care providers to deploy Cisco’s technology in rural Colorado and New Mexico.

Several other companies, including Hewlett-Packard, Polycom and Teliris, sell highresolution, commercial-quality videoconferencing systems, including some designed specifically for health care. But analysts say Cisco in particular is using its size and clout to accelerate adoption by medical providers and insurance companies. “Cisco has the sales and marketing engine to really drive this forward,” said Ira Weinstein, who studies videoconferencing and related technology for Wainhouse Research.

Industry officials say that video systems can help fill a growing shortfall in the number of medical students choosing to become primary care doctors. One study by the Frost & Sullivan research firm estimated the market for telemedicine products and services in North America would grow from $900 million in 2007 to $6.1 billion in 2012.

One obvious use for video technology is delivering medical services to remote or rural areas,

where patients would otherwise have to drive hours to see a specialist or even a primary care doctor. But experts say it can also be useful in big cities where, for example, a major hospital may have several satellite clinics but isn’t able to staff them with every medical specialty. In Southern California, the Molina Healthcare group is one of three medical groups serving lower-income families that are starting to use HealthPresence systems in a program partly sponsored by Cisco and the state of California.

Initially, Molina plans to let health educators at its Long Beach headquarters use the equipment to teach patients at outlying clinics about living with diabetes and other conditions.

Molina’s Dr. Michael Siegel said the next phase will involve dermatologists, but he believes the system ultimately will be useful for other specialties, including psychiatry.

Cisco’s HealthPresence was developed by its Internet Business Solutions Group, a unit that focuses on creating technology for specific industries such as health care, energy or financial services. The system uses some elements of the high-resolution TelePresence videoconferencing systems that Cisco sells to corporations and hotel chains, along with specialized software and hardware - such as a digital probe that a nurse can use to transmit images from inside a patient’s ears, nose or throat. —MCT

HEALTH & SCIENCE

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

New method could make IVF more effective, claims study Method helps doctors choose most promising embryo Nature Biotechnology, also provide some new insights into the development of days-old embryos, such as how babies inherit some genes from the mother and some from the father. They said the new test could help fertility clinics pick the best embryo to implant in the womb.

This would save mothers from having several treatments and help improve on the current method of implanting multiple embryos to try to get one pregnancy and risk multiple births in the process. “Our results shed light on human embryo development,” wrote Renee Reijo Pera of Stanford University in California and colleagues. “Our methods and algorithms may provide an approach for early diagnosis of embryo potential in assisted reproduction.”

So called test-tube babies are conceived by uniting egg and sperm in a lab dish and transferring the embryo into a woman’s uterus to develop. Most do not develop properly and labs have been looking for ways to improve their success rate.

Although it is not recommended, some IVF clinics will implant more than one embryo into the mother’s womb-leading to the birth of triplets, quadruplets and even more. Such babies almost always are born too early and face lifelong health problems.

All pregnancies are tenuous, even those achieved the old fashioned way. The March of Dimes, a charity founded to batAn undated handout photo showing a newly discovered crab found south of Easter Island by Census vent tle birth defects, estimates that explorers that was so unusual it warranted a whole new family designation, Kiwidae. —AFP as many as 50 percent of all pregnancies end in miscarriagemost often before a woman knows she is pregnant. For the new test the researchers watched embryos divide and develop from the time sperm met egg in a lab dish. As the embryos split and grew, they also tested gene expressionlooking at which genes activated, and when.

To their surprise, they found that almost from the very beginning some of the handful of cells WASHINGTON: The world’s oceans had different sets of active may be vast and deep, but a decade-long genes. An embryo’s fatecount of marine animals finds sea life so whether it would develop norinterconnected that it seems to shrink mally or not-seemed deterthe watery world. An international effort mined in many cases from the to create a Census of Marine Life was moment of conception and completed yesterday with maps and relied heavily on the mother’s three books, increasing the number of egg cell, they found. Embryos counted and validated species to most likely to form a ball of cells 201,206. A decade ago the question of called a blastocyst developed at how many species are out there couldn’t a certain, measurable rate, they be answered. It also could have led to a found. lot of arguments among scientists. Some Auxogyn, Inc, a privately species were counted several or even held medical technology compadozens of times, said Jesse Ausubel of ny, said in a statement it had the Alfred Sloan Foundation, the coacquired an exclusive license founder of the effort that involved 2,700 from Stanford University to scientists. develop products related to the The $650 million project got money findings. “Blastocyst formation and help from more than 600 groups, is a critical time point in human including various governments, private embryo development and profoundations, corporations, non-profits, A handout photo showing a magnified crustacean, a tiny copepod colvides more objective criteria for universities, and even five high schools. selecting which embryo(s) to lected from the Atlantic abyss during the DIVA 2 cruise. —AFP The Sloan foundation is the founding transfer,” Lissa Goldenstein, sponsor, contributing $75 million. But president and CEO of Auxogyn, what scientists learned was more than a what the census found. said in a statement.

Still, that’s nothing compared to the number or a count. It was a sense of how “For years, researchers have “We didn’t know so much about the sea bird that Ian Poiner of Australia closely life connects from one place to deep sea...,” Arbizu said. “We believe studies. He studied puffins that make a searched for ways to predict the another and one species to another, now that the deep sea is more connected, nearly 40,000-mile (64,000-kilometer) embryos most likely to reach the blastocyst stage in order to Ausubel said. Take the bizarre and also the different oceans, than we previ- circle every year from New Zealand to enable earlier transfer and ultiminuscule shrimp-like creature called ously thought.” The census also Japan, Russia, Alaska, Chile and back in mately improve live birth rates Ceratonotus steiningeri. It has several describes a species of strange large squid what the census calls the “longest-ever for in vitro fertilization procespikes and claws and looks intimidating - that was only recently found in waters electronically recorded migration.” dures.” The company estimates if it weren’t a mere two-hundredths of an more than 3,000 feet (900 meters) deep. Other species, such as plankton and that there are 500 clinics in the inch long. Five years ago this critter had The 23-foot-long (7-meter-long) squid even seals, travel great lengths, but United States providing in vitro never been seen before. No one knew of has large fins with arms and tentacles stay in the same part of the ocean. They fertilization or IVF services, its existence. Then, off the Atlantic that have elbow-like bends. Scientists travel thousands of feet between the with combined annual revenues coast of Africa as part of the census, it had seen it in larvae form before, but not surface into the depths of the oceans. of nearly $2 billion. —Reuters was found at a depth of more than three in its full-blown glory until it was filmed The scientists measured elephant seals miles (five kilometers) below the sur- at depth. The census also highlighted that dived about 1.5 miles (2.5 kilomeface. It was one of 800 species found in marine life that makes commutes that ters), Ausubel said. that research trip, said discoverer Pedro put a suburban worker’s daily grind to The census found another more basic Martinez Arbizu, a department head at shame. connection in the genetic blueprint of the German Centre for Marine Before the census started, the migra- life. Just as chimps and humans share Biodiversity Research. tion of the Pacific bluefin tuna had not more than 95 percent of their DNA, the He was astonished to find that the been monitored much. But by tagging a species of the oceans have most of their tiny creature also was within the cata- 33-pound (15-kilogram) tuna, scientists DNA in common, too. Among fish in CHICAGO: People who work with loging he’d made earlier 8,000 miles found that it crossed the Pacific three general, the snippets of genetic code a laptop computer sitting on their (13,000 kilometers) away in the central times in just 600 days, according to that scientists have analyzed suggest lap might want to rethink that Pacific. There was that critter again. Stanford University’s Barbara Block. A only about a 2 to 15 percent difference, habit. Doing it a lot can lead to Same shrimpy creature, different ocean. different species of tuna, the Atlantic said Dirk Steinke, lead scientist for “toasted skin syndrome,” an “We were really very, very surprised bluefin, migrates about 3,700 miles marine barcoding at the University of unusual-looking mottled skin condition caused by long-term heat about that,” Arbizu said in an interview. (6,000 kilometers ) between North Guelph in Canada. “Although these are exposure, according to medical “We think this species has a very broad America and Europe.

Humpback really old species of fish, there’s not reports. In one recent case, a 12distribution area.” In that way, whales do a nearly 5,000 mile (8,000 much that separates them,” Steinke year-old boy developed a spongeCeratonotus steiningeri exemplifies kilometer) north-south migration. said. —AP WASHINGTON: Researchers using a microscope and time-lapse photography believe they have developed a method for predicting which testtube embryos are the most likely to develop properly, and are licensing development of a commercial test. Their findings, published in the journal

Map shows world’s marine life’s unity

Laptops on laps can cause skin damage

700,000 sign HIV funding petition NEW YORK: About 700,000 people signed a petition for more funds to fight HIV which will be handed to UN chief Ban Ki-moon yesterday ahead of a meeting of donors, the Born HIV Free campaign said.

The petition calls for the international community to provide the necessary funds to eliminate the transmission of HIV from mothers to children by 2015, Born HIV Free,

which is supported by French First Lady Carla BruniSarkozy, said in a statement.

In 2009, 53 percent of women with HIV were treated with antiretroviral drugs to reduce the risk of transmission during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding, according to the campaign.

The Born HIV Free campaign had increased public awareness and action in this

important part of the fight against AIDS, said Michel Kazatchkine, director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

About 20 million people have watched Born HIV Free’s videos on its website and video-sharing site YouTube, the statement said. BruniSarkozy, who appeared in several of the videos, said in the statement that the success of

the campaign represented “a promise to eliminate the transmission of HIV from mothers to babies”. Today, the UN chief will chair a meeting in New York where donor countries will commit funds for the next three years. The Global Fund hopes to raise 20 billion dollars to accelerate its programs, but previous commitments suggest it is highly unlikely to reach that target. —AFP

patterned skin discoloration on his left thigh after playing computer games a few hours every day for several months.

“He recognized that the laptop got hot on the left side; however, regardless of that, he did not change its position,” Swiss researchers reported in an article published yesterday in the journal Pediatrics. Another case involved a Virginia law student who sought treatment for the mottled discoloration on her leg. Dr Kimberley Salkey, who treated the young woman, was stumped until she learned the student spent about six hours a day working with her computer propped on her lap. The temperature underneath registered 125 degrees (52 degrees Celsius). —AP

MEDELLIN: A man rides his bike with his dog during celebrations for the World Animal Day on October 3, 2010. —AFP

Singapore churns out new lot of Chinese physicians SINGAPORE: When she was growing up, Chua Huiling always wondered why her grandmother’s doctor used no stethoscope but just a pair of chopsticks commonly found in any Chinese Singaporean household. Huiling had no idea what kind of treatment he administered but it was obviously effective because her grandmother always recovered from her ailments after seeing the physician. The 24-year-old finally has her answers after completing a five-year double degree program in biomedical sciences and Chinese medicine, including two years of intensive training in Beijing.

“In the past, I was wondering why he poked her here and there,” Chua told AFP in an interview at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), which offers the unique bilingual program. “Now I understand,” said Chua, part of the pioneer batch of 59 students who recently completed the course, which is conducted in English and Mandarin. “He was actually pressing her acupoints,” she added, referring to key parts of the body believed to control various functions such as heartbeats.

The NTU describes the program as an innovative “East Meets West” scheme through which students get to learn 21st century biomedical sciences and the ancient healing techniques of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). At the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, the students spend the final two years of the program undergoing clinical training, learning advanced TCM principles and serving out hospital internships. They discover the secrets of medicinal herbs along with acupuncture and tui-na, a form of massage therapy.

They are also trained to diagnose a patient’s ailments through pulse reading and are taught how to prescribe the correct dosage of herbal medication. The double-degree program is the brainchild of James Tam, a Hong Kong-born US national who sees the course as one way of bring-

ing the best out of Western science and TCM to treat modern ailments.

Good solution for chronic illnesses “There is really no (other) formal program at the university level and we believe this is the first one that is bilingual,” Tam, the founding dean of NTU’s school of biological sciences, told AFP in an interview. “The history of modern medicine is pretty short but traditional Chinese medicine has been in use for more than a couple thousand years.” Eu Yan Sang International, a major TCM retail chain in the region, started giving out up to three scholarships to selected students in 2008.

Each scholarship is worth 42,100 Singapore dollars (31,505 US), which is used to support the student’s final two years of study in Beijing. The Singapore-based company, which has over 150 stores across Asia selling Chinese medicine and herbs, sees the scholarships as a way of producing the next generation of TCM physicians. “They are the next generation and they will also be able to relate to the next generation of patients,” said Caryn Peh, vice president for care delivery with Eu Yan Sang International. Upon graduation, the scholars are required to spend three years with the company, where they will get first-hand experience working at clinics with guidance from experienced TCM physicians.

In parts of Asia with a large ethnic Chinese community, the popularity of TCM has remained strong despite the easy availability of Western medicine and Western-trained doctors. Ong Yi Ting, also a student from the pioneer batch, confessed she was a skeptic about TCM but she now shuns painkillers to ease her migraines, applying acupuncture on herself instead. “In TCM, the concept of balance is very important,” she said.

“That’s why TCM is mythical to most people, it’s very hard for people to understand its concepts,” she said. “I believe TCM can be applied more widely and it can be a good solution for a lot of chronic illnesses we face today.” —AFP

Home gyms as perfect as professional ones NEW YORK: For many fleeing noisy gyms and pricey membership fees, when it comes to working out, there’s no place like home. If your fitness is housebound, experts say your gym can be anything from a basement brimming with exercise machines to a towel spread on the living room floor. “People need a workout space,” said fitness expert and personal trainer Melanie Douglass. “It can be a treadmill, a weight machine and a stability ball, or it can be a five-dollar set of hand weights.”

Douglass, who is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, said do what fits your space and your budget. “A resistance tube can train your whole body,” she said. Despite the sluggish economy, home fitness equipment sales hit $5.3 billion in 2009, according to the National Sporting Goods Association, even as US gym memberships remained flat. “People are economizing and gym membership is a casualty,” said Colleen Logan of ICON fitness, which manufactures workout equipment. “A piece of home exercise equipment is

a one-time expense for more than one person in the household.”

That expense is usually in a treadmill. Despite a hefty average ticket price of around $670, treadmills account for 56 percent of home fitness sales, Logan said. Douglass said treadmills are great if you have the budget. If not, there are many frugal ways to cardio fitness. “I’ve had clients who’ve really enjoyed jumproping,” she said, “or stepping on a step deck. You can get a great cardio-vascular workout for $20.” Fitness is not achieved by cardio alone.

Experts agree that a wellrounded workout involves three components: cardio, strength and flexibility/balance.

“If someone puts a treadmill in their house and that’s all they do for five days a week, they’re more likely to cause some injury,” said Dr. Angela Smith, an expert with the American College of Sports Medicine. Much safer is mixing it up, said Smith, “something like 15 minutes on a bike, 15 minutes on a treadmill and 15 minutes in a

Pilates class” Smith, an orthopedic surgeon based in Philadelphia urges home exercisers to build their routine gradually, rather than plunge into an advanced exercise DVD or even a strenuous bike ride they haven’t prepared for.

“Most people don’t realize how truly astonishing the human body is, how it can adapt to demands placed on it,” she said, “but that adaptation doesn’t happen overnight.” For her own workout, Smith, who is also a competitive skater, is strictly no frills. “Frankly at home I use liter water bottles as light weights for upper body,” said Smith, who does 45 minutes of dance and Pilates before work.

“I use a towel on a rug. I don’t even own a mat.” She said it doesn’t take a lot of expensive equipment. “My husband has a treadmill, a recumbent bicycle and sit-up equipment in the basement, but all those are gathering dust.” “What gets used is my towel and my rug and my water bottles,” she said.

Smith says rather than pine for a treadmill, to go outside and walk. And if you want to walk on an incline, find a hill or walk up the stairs. —Reuters

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

HEALTH & SCIENCE

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Great white sharks are no cold-blooded ‘Jaws’ 300 species of shark inhabit Australia’s 370,000-kilometre coastline NEPTUNE ISLANDS: “I hope the cage is as strong as a it looks,” says diver James Hay, before jumping into an aluminum frame to swim with the ocean’s most feared predator, the great white shark. Coming face-to-face with a powerful great white, which can measure up to six meters (20 feet) in length and has a reputation as a bloodthirsty man-eater, may be the stuff of nightmares for swimmers and surfers. But for Andrew Fox, who guides

Rwanda works to curb population explosion MUSHA: “I had my son in February. I don’t want another baby until he is five. Health workers told me about family planning,” said Placide Dusabe, 24, visiting a health centre for contraception. Here in Rwanda, where couples getting married are traditionally wished “God (happiness), milk (material well-being) and children” the massive taking up of family planning is relatively recent. Now that child mortality is on the decline, health workers at the centre in Musha say that most Rwandans accept that their children will be healthier and better educated if they have fewer of them.

“Twenty years ago, people had 10, eight, maybe even 15 children.

Now the average here in Musha is five,” said Vestine Mukamunana, the nurse in charge of family planning at the health centre. The government’s aim is to get that down to three. Rwanda is already

the most densely populated country in mainland sub-Saharan Africa. The population has risen fourfold over the past fifty years from an estimated 2.6 million in 1960 to more than 10 million.

“We would like all Rwandan couples to produce not more than three children,” said Agnes Binagwaho, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health. “We have very good signs that there is a decrease. We have multiplied by three our uptake of family planning” over the past four years, she said, noting that the country used to have a fertility rate of 5.3 percent. “Rwanda’s demographic growth is terrifying,” said Francois Byabarumwanzi, deputy vice president of the Liberal Party (PL), a partner in the ruling coalition. “When we build schools or health centers or hospitals, capacity is very quickly outstripped,” he told AFP in a recent interview.

In the years that followed the

1994 genocide, birth control was a taboo subject in Rwanda. It is only some four years ago since the government made a serious attempt to tackle galloping population growth. Some specialists say that at this juncture measures more draconian than simply asking families to confine themselves to three children are required.

And the structure of the population pyramid, with its massive youth bulge 44 percent of the population is currently 14 or undermeans that the latest reforms will not impact on statistics straight away.

“Because of the inertia of demographic phenomena and whatever the scenario followed, the problem remains,” said Christian Thibon, a professor at Pau University in France specialized in Rwanda. “Any change from new behavior trends-if these are amplified ... will only be felt in the medium term,” he said. —AFP

“I think it’s important that people see that these are magnificent animals.” About 300 species of shark inhabit Australia’s 370,000-kilometre (229,400-mile) coastline, but only a handful are harmful to humans and attacks are very rare, says expert John West who has spent three decades studying the animals. “We only have an average of one fatality a year and, putting that into perspective, we have about 80 drownings a year at our beaches,” says West, who curates Australia’s Shark Attack File.

But the public perception of great whites as killers is strong, leaving the animals as the sea’s “least respected citizen”, says writer Tim Winton, who has publicly campaigned for the preservation of the species. “I think Australians in particular have a peculiar, pathological feeling about sharks. It’s like mother’s milk, the fear and loathing of sharks,” he told national broadcaster ABC earlier this year.

“In the last few generations we’ve come a long way in terms of finding empathy for animals and an appreciation for nature, but the shark is still the last excuse for our barbarism.” Experts say shark populations are at risk of overfishing and this could have a major impact on delicate marine ecosystems, because removing the apex predators upsets the balance of undersea life. The Australian Marine Conservation Society says an explosion in shark fishing means some 100 million are killed around the world each year, slashing numbers by some 90 percent.

‘Not scary but awesome’ “They can be caught on the high seas still so they will certainly be subject to fishing pressure out there, and the fins and the jaws in particular are very very valuable,” says society campaigner Ben Birt.

In particular, an immense demand for shark fins, considered a delicacy in parts of Asia where they are used to make soup, is not only dramatically cutting numbers but condemning sharks to a cruel death.

The fins are often removed while the animal is still alive, before the shark is tossed

shark expeditions off South Australia, it’s a chance to explain why the awesome creatures don’t deserve their “Jaws” reputation and are in fact under threat from overfishing. “I think it’s important to show these people that these sharks aren’t the crazy man-killers that are often portrayed in a lot of the media,” says Fox, who has been going out to observe the animals since he was seven.

LAUSANNE: Elephants from the Circus Knie bathe in Lake Geneva yesterday. —AFP back into the ocean, unable to swim.”Can you imagine cutting the hind legs off a kangaroo and leaving it alive?” asks Winton. Shark-finning is illegal in Australia, where great whites are a protected species, but the fish is as mysterious as it is feared. Plus little is known about the populations of other lesser known shark species. Part of the work done by the Fox family, which runs Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions, is research.

Andrew and his team use satellite tagging to track the sharks’ movements.

Tagging recently revealed

the epic journey of one shark from South Africa to Australia and back again-a round trip of more than 20,000 kilometers.

While some sharks are longdistance swimmers, others are so familiar to the Neptune Islands, some 70 kilometers off South Australia where they feed on a seal colony, staff have given them names such as Sylvia, Punk and Pip. “The power of the great white shark is so great that once you see them first hand-they are so awesome-everyone goes away appreciating and admiring the sharks rather than being scared of them,” says Andrew Fox.

Sharks are attracted to the cube-shaped aluminum diving cages, which measure about two meters across and can accommodate up to four divers, by big chunks of tuna thrown overboard on a line from the boat. “It’s quite a humbling and amazing feeling; I think any residual fear you might have had of sharks might just dissipate a little bit and you see them as this beautiful, big, graceful animal,” says recent diver Catherine Leach. “You don’t necessarily see them as something that’s going to tear you limb from limb.”

Fellow diver Phil Donovan

also described the four-day expedition as a learning experience. “I didn’t realize they had warmer blood than other fish, I didn’t realize their eyes were blue and not a dead black that you see in documentaries; I didn’t realize they travelled so far,” he explains.

Businessman James Hay comes up for air, wanting more time with the sharks.

“Not scary but awesome I would say,” he says, describing his first dive some 18 meters below the surface to view the animals. “And I’d love to do it again-as long as I’m in a cage!” —AFP

Superbug detected in Taiwan TAIPEI: Taiwan said yesterday a multi-drug resistant superbug that surfaced in South Asia had been found for the first time on the island in a cameraman shot and wounded while working in India. The bacterium carrying the NDM-1 gene was found in an intestine sample taken from the Taiwanese cameraman, who was shot outside a mosque in New Delhi last

month, health authorities said. “This is the first time the virus is found in Taiwan,” said Shih Wen-yi, deputy director general of the Centres for Disease Control.

Shih told reporters that the cameraman had been infected with the bacteria while undergoing surgery in India, but urged the public not to panic over the discovery. “It’s not easy for

the people to be infected by the cameraman,” he said, explaining the cameramen had shown no symptoms of infection. The cameraman flew back to Taiwan on September 27 to receive further treatment and has since been discharged. The World Health Organization has called on global health authorities to monitor the superbug. —AFP

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

30

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

KTAA monthly presentation

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he Kuwait Textile Arts Association (KTAA) under the auspices of Sadu House cordially invites you to the monthly presentation “Islamic Motifs in The alSabah Collection of Art from the Islamic World” given by Susan Day and Katherine Baker on Tuesday 12 October at 7pm in Sadu House, Arabian Gulf Street, on the corner of the National Museum, Kuwait City. More information available from wovenpieces@yahoo.com

IPC - Islamic courses PC is offering Islamic courses in English (for ladies only). 1. Tilawa Surah Al Imran at 5:30-7 pm today. 2. Forty Hadith (Part 2) from 7-8:30pm today. Instructor: Sr. Zeinab Hassan Ashry at IPC - Women Section AlRawdah - Area 3 - St. 30 - House 12. Call 22512257 - 97290270.

I

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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Tulu Parba competitions

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IWS holds monthly brunch

By Nisreen Zahreddine KUWAIT: The International Women’s Society held its monthly brunch as part of its regular activities. Ira Malholtra, spouse

of the Indian Ambassador and the society’s president delivered the inaugural speech and thanked Radisson Blu hotel for hosting the society’s events providing much-needed support and assistance. She

also thanked ‘Cancer Awareness Nation’ campaign which participated in the event to raise awareness on Breast Cancer.

Ribbons that symbolized solidarity with the campaign were distributed. As part of

the event, included a lecture on hair care and the ways to protect hair. Maurice Deeb, Assistant Manager and a tutor at Al-Jothan Academy explained about the ways in which hair should be cared for, in

addition to mentioning that each hair type is different, and therefore requires different types of treatment. He gave a small presentation on the hair products that are provided by Al-Jothan.

Father Bobby Jose Kattikadu to visit

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Health outreach program A health outreach program by Al-Jahra Hospital nurses was conducted recently at Phillipine Embassy led by Virginia Evangelista, Henelyn Collis and Evelyn Dacoco Fortich Ruedas as part of their regular mission to help out and share their blessings with their countrymen in need.

ather Bobby Jose Kattikadu, a well known philosopher and writer, belonging to the Capuchian Community from India, will arrive in Kuwait today to conduct a ‘Family Renewal Convention’.

The convention is organized by St Thomas Marthoma Church, Kuwait from today till Oct 8.

His books “Nilathezhuthu” and “Keli” were awarded by Kendra Sahithya Academy, the prime cultural organization of the India government. The inaugural meeting will start at 7:30 pm at NECK Church and Parish hall today, chaired by the Vicar Rev Thomas Koshy Panachamoottil. The church choir will lead the singing section. The Family Renewal Week will be concluded with a holy communion service on Friday, Oct 8, celebrated by Rev Thomas Varghese Vicar, Kuwait Marthoma Parish.

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 am-5:00 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 was October 3, 2010.

Football For All

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he Premier Goal Academy in association with Everton F.C. launches its ‘Football For All’ 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 09001100 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 (8-12 years), Tuesdays (12-14 years) and Wednesdays (14-18 years) 1700-1900.

Regular fixtures 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

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 semi-finals 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 grand-finale to be held in Dubai on October 22, 2010. For further information about this competition, contact Lawrence 99803755, Louis - 66561184. Wilson - 99719938.

Filipino Badminton Committee

Family Conference and Retreat 2010

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ev Father Dr O Thomas, Prof Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam Director, Prathyasha Counseling Centre, Parumala, arrived at Kuwait to lead Family Conference and Retreat 2010. Those who like to avail his

free counseling service, please contact (965)99951236 till October 7, 2010. IOMF (A spiritual and Charitable Organization of St Gregorios Indian Orthodox Maha Edavaka, Kuwait), family members were received respected Rev Father at Kuwait airport.

Birthday Greetings Happy first birthday to Lyreck! Best wishes come from loving parents Mike and Cheryl of Mubarak hospital X-ray department. Wishing you many more years of health and prosperity.

FILIPINO BADMINTON TOURNAMENT: The Filipino Badminton Committee is inviting all badminton enthusiast to join its 20th Badminton Tournament for-A cause that will start on November 5 until December 10 at the Kuwait Disabled Club , Hawally every Friday from 8:00 AM until 5 PM. The tournament will be a Team event compose of 5 players. Each team must have Level 1 & 2 (Men’s), Level 1& 2 (Ladies’) and Level 3 (Ladies’). Deadline for submission of line up will be on Octobr 15. Special prie will be given for Best Uniform, Best Team . For more information, call 97197268.

WHATʼS ON IN KUWAIT

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

31 Embassy information EMBASSY OF US

AUK President Winfred Thompson leads the processional to start the convocation ceremony.

The convocation is attended by some of AUK’s Board of Trustees members and AUK Interim President Dr Tim Sullivan.

The United States Department of State announces the increase in various visa fees to ensure sufficient resources to cover the increasing cost of processing nonimmigrant visas (NIVs).

US law requires the Department to recover the cost of processing non-immigrant visas through the collection of the application fees. The increased fees are to take effect June 4, 2010. Under the new rule, applicants for all visas that are not petition-based, including B1/B2 tourist and business visitor visas and all student and exchange-visitor visas, will pay a fee of $140. Applicants for petition-based visas will pay an application fee of $150, as each of the below categories requires a review of extensive documentation and a more in-depth interview of the applicant than other categories, such as tourists.

These categories include: H visa for temporary workers and trainees L visa for intra-company transferees O visa for aliens with extraordinary ability P visa for athletes, artists and entertainers Q visa for international cultural exchange visitors R visa for religious occupations The application fee for K visas for fiance(e)s of US citizens will be $350. The fee for E visas for treaty-traders and treaty-investors will be $390.

EMBASSY OF INDIA

AUK President Dr Winfred Thompson gives a short welcome on behalf of the University.

Members of the Dean’s Council and Faculty took part in the ceremony.

Welcome Back Barbeque was one of the events that were held during the orientation week.

New AUK students attend the convocation.

AUK holds annual convocation ceremony

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he Office of Student Life at the American University of Kuwait (AUK) held a convocation ceremony for the Class of 2014 on Wednesday, September 29, as part of AUK’s Annual Orientation and Welcome Week festivities to greet new and returning students to campus.

Convocation was held at the Radisson Blu Hotel where an esti-

mated 250 students and guests attended. As the counterpart to graduation, it serves as a rite of passage, entering into the AUK community.

The ceremony hosted a number of keynote addresses regarding AUK’s Motto Learn... Think...

Become... These keynote addresses were given by AUK President Winfred Thompson, Dean of the

College of Arts and Sciences Dr Nizar Hamzeh, and Dean of Student Affairs, Dr Carol Ross. In addition, members of the Dean’s Council and Faculty and a student leader were part of the ceremony and each represented and described key components and symbols representative of AUK including, the AUK Seal, Logo, Mascot, and Colors. The AUK Seal, as the sig-

nificant symbol of the University, was described in even more detail reviewing all four major components of the Circle of Life including a Book, the Dhow, a Falcon, and the Torch. The ceremony concluded with the representation of the Torch, which stands for freedom and the passing of the light of knowledge and wisdom from one generation to the next, and a candle

lighting ceremony was held with AUK’s First Year students participating.

The convocation ceremony served as the pinnacle event for the annual orientation and Welcome Week Festivities mainly catering to First Year students. During this week, many events were put on to welcome all students to campus including a Welcome Back

Barbeque and a Get Involved Fair.

In addition, specific events were held to help First Year students get familiar with their surroundings including convocation, “Meet Your Professor” reception, class photo, and an off-campus event. This program promotes the unity of the AUK community and helps students in their transition into university life at AUK.

Student leader Fatima Haji gives a speech welcoming the new students.

EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait has taken up an initiative to update the database of Bangladesh nationals residing in the State of Kuwait. For inclusion in the database all the Bangladesh nationals are requested to collect the Registration Form from the Labour Wing of the Embassy. The forms can also be collected sending request to bdoot@kems.net e-mail address. The filled-in forms can also be submitted by hand, by email or by fax (number 2491-3204).

EMBASSY OF THAILAND All foreigners who apply for Tourist Visa at the Royal Thai Embassies and the Royal Thai Consulate General worldwide, including eligible foreigners who apply for Visa on arrival at designated checkpoints, will be exempted from tourist visa fees until 31 March 2011. Such arrangement is for Tourist Visa only.

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr Nizar Hamzeh.

Damian Medina, Director of Student Life at AUK, welcomes the new students to the convocation ceremony.

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.

Dr Mohsen Bagnied lights a big candle that represents the torch in the AUK seal.

EMBASSY OF TURKEY The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey announces that Turkish language course restarted at the Embassy’s Tourism, Culture and Information Office yesterday (Monday Oct 4). 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

TV PROGRAMS

32

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Orbit / Showtime Listings

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00

Sons of Anarchy The Invisible Man Inside the Actors Studio GMA Live RPT White Collar The Philanthropist The Ellen de Generes Show Inside the Actors Studio The Invisible Man Sons of Anarchy Good Morning America Live White Collar The Philanthropist The Ellen de Generes Show Defying Gravity House Supernatural Sons of Anarchy Nip/Tuck The Ellen de Generes Show GMA Live RPT

00:30 Animal Cops Houston 01:25 Lions And Giants 02:20 Untamed And Uncut 03:10 Wildlife SOS 03:35 Sspca: On The Wildside 04:00 Austin Stevens Adventures 04:50 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 05:40 Dogs 101 06:35 In Too Deep 07:00 Into The Pride 07:55 Monkey Life 08:20 Sspca: On The Wildside 08:50 Animal Precinct 09:45 E-Vets: The Interns 10:10 Pet Rescue 10:40 Animal Cops Phoenix 11:35 Wildlife SOS 12:00 Sspca: On The Wildside 12:30 Dogs 101 13:25 Cats 101 14:20 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 15:15 Venom Hunter With Donald Schultz 16:10 Ultimate Air Jaws 17:10 Dogs 101 18:05 Venom Hunter With Donald Schultz 19:00 Escape To Chimp Eden 19:55 Animal Cops Phoenix 20:50 Ultimate Air Jaws 21:45 Untamed And Uncut 22:40 Venom Hunter With Donald Schultz 23:35 Escape To Chimp Eden

00:15 00:45 01:25 01:50 02:10 02:40 03:00 03:20 03:50 04:10 04:35 04:55 05:25 05:45 06:10 06:40 07:40 08:25 09:10 09:40 10:10 11:10 12:40 13:25 14:10 14:40 15:10 16:10 17:00 17:45 18:15 18:45 19:45 20:35 21:25 22:10 23:10 23:40

Doctors Only Fools And Horses Teletubbies Me Too Tikkabilla Tweenies Me Too Tikkabilla Tweenies Teletubbies Me Too Tikkabilla Tweenies Teletubbies Tikkabilla Only Fools And Horses The Weakest Link Doctor Who Doctors Eastenders Holby City Only Fools And Horses Doctor Who The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Doctor Who The Weakest Link Doctors Eastenders Holby City Mutual Friends The Jonathan Ross Show The Weakest Link Holby City Eastenders The Jonathan Ross Show

00:20 Come Dine With Me 01:10 Daily Cooks Challenge 02:05 10 Years Younger

03:05 House Swap 04:10 Antiques Roadshow 05:00 House Swap 05:40 Bargain Hunt 06:25 Hidden Potential 06:50 Cash In The Attic USA 07:10 Glamour Puds 07:55 House Swap 08:40 Cash In The Attic 09:25 Come Dine With Me 10:10 10 Years Younger 11:00 House Swap 11:45 Glamour Puds 12:30 Cash In The Attic USA 13:10 Antiques Roadshow 14:00 Ching’s Kitchen 14:50 Daily Cooks Challenge 15:50 Come Dine With Me 16:40 MasterChef: The Professionals 17:10 Dolce Vito: Dream Restaurant Revisited 18:00 House Swap 18:45 Cash In The Attic 19:30 Come Dine With Me 20:20 What Not To Wear 22:00 Dolce Vito: Dream Restaurant Revisited 22:50 House Swap 23:35 Cash In The Attic

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:05 03:30 04:00 04:25 04:55 05:20 05:45 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:25 08:50 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:20 11:45 12:10 12:35 13:00 13:20 13:45 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:20 16:45 17:10 17:35 18:00 18:25 18:50 19:15 19:40 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:05 22:30 22:55 23:20 23:45

The Jetsons Top Cat Tom And Jerry Popeye Classics Scooby Doo Where Are You! Tom And Jerry Kids A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Yogi’s Treasure Hunt Droopy And Dripple Tom And Jerry Looney Tunes The Flintstones The Jetsons Tom And Jerry Kids The Garfield Show Duck Dodgers The Scooby Doo Show Wacky Races Dastardly And Muttley King Arthur’s Disasters Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Popeye Scooby Doo Where Are You! Top Cat Hong Kong Phooey Duck Dodgers The Jetsons The Flintstones Looney Tunes Tom And Jerry Top Cat Wacky Races Dastardly And Muttley The Scooby Doo Show Johnny Bravo Dexter’s Laboratory Looney Tunes Duck Dodgers The Garfield Show The Flintstones The Jetsons Looney Tunes Tom And Jerry The Scooby Doo Show Hong Kong Phooey Top Cat The Garfield Show The Scooby Doo Show Wacky Races Dastardly And Muttley Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch Popeye The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo Looney Tunes The Flintstones

00:00 The Powerpuff Girls 00:15 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 00:40 The Secret Saturdays 01:05 Codename: Kids Next Door 01:30 Ben 10 01:55 Best ED 02:20 Samurai Jack 02:45 Cramp Twins 03:10 Eliot Kid 03:35 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 04:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 04:25 Chowder 04:50 Best ED 05:15 Chop Socky Chooks 05:40 Ben 10: Alien Force 06:05 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 06:30 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes

06:55 Eliot Kid 07:20 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 07:30 Squirrel Boy 07:55 Robotboy 08:20 Camp Lazlo 08:45 The Powerpuff Girls 09:10 Class Of 3000 09:35 Ed, Edd N Eddy 10:00 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 10:25 Codename: Kids Next Door 10:50 Ben 10 11:15 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 11:40 Squirrel Boy 12:05 Eliot Kid 12:35 Casper’s Scare School 13:00 Skunk Fu! 13:25 Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes 13:50 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 14:15 Ben 10: Alien Force 15:05 Hero 108 15:30 Chop Socky Chooks 16:00 Best ED 16:25 Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends 16:50 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey 17:05 The Powerpuff Girls 17:30 The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack 17:45 Ben 10: Alien Force 18:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy 18:35 Robotboy 19:00 Camp Lazlo 19:25 Samurai Jack 19:50 Megas Xlr 20:15 Out Of Jimmy’s Head 20:40 Chowder 21:05 Cow And Chicken 21:30 Cramp Twins 21:55 George Of The Jungle 22:20 Adrenalini Brothers 22:45 Eliot Kid 23:10 Ed, Edd N Eddy 23:35 Ben 10: Alien Force

00:00 01:30 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Ce Soir Je Dors Chez Toi-18 The Fisher King-18 Morning Light-PG The Sun Also Rises-PG15 Of Mice And Men-PG15 Frame Of Mind-PG15 Martian Child-PG The Memsahib-PG15 L’affaire Farewell-PG15 Cass-18 Lean On Me-PG15 Inventing The Abbotts-18

00:25 01:20 02:15 02:40 03:05 04:00 04:25 05:15 06:10 07:05 08:00 08:55 09:25 09:50 10:20 11:15 12:10 13:05 14:00 14:55 15:50 16:15 16:40 17:05 17:35 18:00 18:55 19:50 20:45 21:40 22:35 23:30

Mega Builders Mythbusters How Stuff’s Made How Does It Work Dirty Jobs Fifth Gear Mega Builders Chop Shop: London Garage Mythbusters Ultimate Survival Overhaulin’ Border Security How Stuff’s Made How Does It Work Mythbusters Miami Ink Ultimate Survival Dirty Jobs Overhaulin’ Mythbusters Cake Boss Border Security The Gadget Show How Stuff Works How Stuff’s Made Miami Ink La Ink Police Women Of Broward County Deadly Women Chop Shop: London Garage Dirty Jobs Miami Ink

00:25 How Stuff’s Made 00:50 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 01:45 Robocar 02:40 Weird Connections 03:10 Nextworld 04:00 Junkyard Wars 05:00 Ten Ways 06:00 Mega World 06:55 Stunt Junkies 07:20 The Gadget Show 07:50 Nextworld 08:45 How Stuff’s Made 09:15 Da Vinci’s Machines 10:10 Weird Connections

Smart People on Show Movies

10:35 Mega World 11:30 Mighty Ships 12:25 The Gadget Show 12:55 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 13:50 Kings Of Construction 14:45 Brainiac 15:40 Green Wheels 16:30 Ecopolis 17:20 How It’s Made 17:45 The Gadget Show 18:10 Nasa’s Greatest Missions 19:00 Green Wheels 19:50 Ecopolis 20:40 Nasa’s Greatest Missions 21:30 The Gadget Show 21:55 Building The Biggest 22:45 Green Wheels 23:35 Ecopolis

03:00 03:25 03:50 04:15 05:05 05:30 06:00 06:50 07:15 07:40 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 11:50 12:15 12:45 13:15 13:40 14:05 14:55 15:45 16:10 16:35 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:25 18:55 19:20 20:00

K9 Adventures American Dragon Kid Vs Kat Phineas And Ferb Kick Buttowski Pokemon Zeke And Luther I’m In The Band The Super Hero Squad Show Suite Life On Deck Aaron Stone Phineas And Ferb Kid Vs Kat The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody Zeke And Luther The Super Hero Squad Show Kick Buttowski I’m In The Band Suite Life On Deck Zeke And Luther Phineas And Ferb Kick Buttowski Pokemon American Dragon Aaron Stone Kid Vs Kat Phineas And Ferb I’m In The Band The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody Shreducation Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

00:15 01:10 02:05 02:30 03:00 Tales 04:45 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:50 07:15 09:00 09:25 09:50 10:15 10:40 11:05 11:30 12:25 13:15 14:10 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:15 16:40 17:30 17:55 18:20 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:30 22:55 23:20

25 Most Stylish Sexiest Battle of the Hollywood Hotties Streets of Hollywood 25 Hottest Hollywood Cougar Behind the Scenes E! News The Daily 10 Denise Richards: It’s Complicated Kourtney & Khlo√© Take Miami 30 Best & Worst Beach Bodies E! News The Daily 10 Behind the Scenes Pretty Wild Keeping Up with the Kardashians Kendra E!ES THS Behind the Scenes Kourtney & Khlo√© Take Miami E! News The Daily 10 Keeping Up with the Kardashians Pretty Wild THS Kendra Chelsea Lately Holly’s World E! News The Daily 10 Chelsea Lately Kendra Kourtney & Khlo√© Take Miami Pretty Wild Dr 90210 Wildest TV Show Moments Reality Hell E!ES

00:20 Mantracker 01:10 Fantasy Factory 02:00 Fim World Motorcross 02:50 Tread Bmx 03:40 Untracked 04:30 I-Ex 06:00 Bmx Megatour 08:30 Rebel Events 2009: Extreme Playgrounds 08:55 Crossing Borders 09:45 Fantasy Factory 10:35 Mantracker 11:25 Tread Bmx 12:15 Untracked 13:05 Crossing Borders 13:55 Fantasy Factory 14:45 Bmx Megatour 17:15 Rebel Events 2009: Extreme Playgrounds 17:40 Mantracker 18:30 Fantasy Factory 19:20 Crossing Borders 20:10 Untracked 21:00 Mantracker 21:50 Crossing Borders 22:40 Tread Bmx 23:30 Untracked

00:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 00:30 Unwrapped 01:00 Iron Chef America 02:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 02:30 Guy’s Big Bite 03:00 Chopped 04:00 Paula’s Best Dishes 04:25 Good Deal With Dave Lieberman 04:50 Guy’s Big Bite 05:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 05:40 Everyday Italian 06:05 30 Minute Meals 06:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 07:00 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 07:30 Barefoot Contessa 08:00 Unwrapped 08:30 Paula’s Party 09:30 Guy’s Big Bite 10:00 Good Deal With Dave Lieberman 10:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 11:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 11:30 Everyday Italian 12:00 30 Minute Meals 12:30 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 13:00 Iron Chef America 14:00 Barefoot Contessa 14:30 Unwrapped 15:00 Paula’s Best Dishes 15:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 16:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 16:30 Good Deal With Dave Lieberman 17:00 Iron Chef America 18:00 Barefoot Contessa 18:30 Everyday Italian 19:00 Chopped 20:00 Throwdown With Bobby Flay 20:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives 21:00 Food Network Challenge 22:00 30 Minute Meals 22:30 Tyler’s Ultimate 23:00 Iron Chef America

01:00 ACC: TBA at TBA 04:00 Big Ten Football TBA 07:00 NFL TBA at TBA 10:00 2010 American Le Mans Series: Petit Le Mans Braselton, GA 20:30 Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour 21:30 FEI Equestrian World 22:00 Golf Central International 22:30 Golf Channel - TBA

00:05 01:00 01:55 02:20 03:10 04:00 04:50 05:40 06:30 07:20 08:10 09:00 09:50 10:40 11:30 12:20 13:10 14:00 14:50 15:40 16:30 17:20 18:10 19:00 19:50 20:40 21:30 22:20 23:10

Forensic Justice Forensic Detectives Amsterdam Vice Dr G: Medical Examiner Real Emergency Calls Forensic Detectives FBI Files Disappeared Solved Forensic Detectives Life or Death: Medical Mysteries Real Emergency Calls Diagnosis: Unknown Final Days of an Icon Forensic Detectives FBI Files Disappeared Solved Forensic Detectives Life or Death: Medical Mysteries Real Emergency Calls Diagnosis: Unknown Final Days of an Icon True Crime Scene Solved Dr G: Medical Examiner A Haunting FBI Files True Crime Scene

03:00 03:25 03:45 04:10 04:15 04:40 05:05 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:05 06:30 06:55 07:20 07:45 08:10 08:30 08:55 09:20 09:45 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 11:50 12:15 12:40 13:05 13:10 13:15 13:40 14:05 14:30 14:50 15:15 15:20 15:35 16:00 16:20 16:45 17:10 17:30 18:00 18:25 18:50 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 21:15 21:40 22:00

Dennis The Menace Beverly Hills Teen Club Pelswick Boo and Me Fat Dog Mendoza The Fairly OddParents The Beach Crew Cyberchase Birdz The Beach Crew Heathcliff Ned’s Newt New Adventures of Madeline Rupert Babar Max and Ruby Corduroy Rupert New Adventures of Madeline Ned’s Newt Corduroy Max and Ruby Babar Rupert Ned’s Newt Beverly Hills Teen Club Sabrina The Animated Series The Beach Crew Boo and Me New Adventures of Ocean Girl Dino Squad The Future is Wild Rescue Heroes Even Stevens The Beach Crew Boo and Me Fat Dog Mendoza Sonic Underground Dino Squad The Future is Wild Rescue Heroes Ace Lightning Even Stevens Sabrina The Animated Series Tales from the Cryptkeeper Rescue Heroes Ace Lightning New Adventures of Ocean Girl Sabrina The Animated Series Sonic Underground Fat Dog Mendoza Tales from the Cryptkeeper Inspector Gadget Marathon

00:35 02:05 04:00 05:50 07:20 08:55 10:25 12:10 13:50 15:25 17:20 19:00 20:30 22:05

Staying Together Scandal Youngblood Sleepover Italian Movie Far North Gaily, Gaily A Shot In The Dark Maxie The Pink Panther Impasse The Whales Of August A Star For Two The Program

00:00 Monday night Stand Up 01:00 Life & times of Tim 01:30 Cougar Town 02:00 Cougar Town 02:30 Yes Dear 03:00 Frasier 03:30 The Drew Carey Show 04:00 Best of Late night with Jimmy Fallon 05:00 Two and half men 05:30 Yes Dear 06:00 Frasier 06:30 The Drew Carey Show 07:00 Will & Grace 07:30 Better off Ted 08:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:30 Frasier 09:00 Best of Tonight Show with Jay Leno 10:00 Two and half men 10:30 Yes Dear 11:00 Frasier 11:30 Community 12:00 Better Off Ted 12:30 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Global Edition) 13:00 Colbert Report Global 13:30 The Drew Carey Show 14:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon 15:00 Two and half men 15:30 Will & Grace 16:00 The Office 16:30 Community 17:00 Tonight Show with Jay Leno 18:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 18:30 The Colbert Report 19:00 Boondocks 19:30 Free Radio 20:00 Life & times of Tim 20:30 The Office 21:00 Community 21:30 Two and half men 22:00 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart 22:30 The Colbert Report 23:00 Late night with Jimmy Fallon

04:00 04:25 04:50 05:15

Lazytown Imagination Movers Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny

Aliens In The Attic on Super Movies 05:40 05:50 06:00 06:25 06:50 Pooh 07:15 07:40 08:05 08:30 08:55 09:20 09:45 10:10 10:35 11:00 11:25 11:45 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 Pooh 14:35 14:45 15:10 15:35 16:00 Pooh 16:25 16:40 16:50

Jungle Junction Special Agent Oso Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny New Adventures of Winnie the Little Einsteins Special Agent Oso Imagination Movers Lazytown My Friends Tigger and Pooh Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Little Einsteins JO JO’S CIRCUS Higglytown Heroes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Special Agent Oso My Friends Tigger and Pooh Imagination Movers Little Einsteins Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse New Adventures of Winnie the Special Agent Oso Imagination Movers Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse New Adventures of Winnie the Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Jungle Junction

01:00 Beneath The Blue-PG15 03:00 The Secret Lives Of Second Wives-PG15 05:00 Einstein And Eddington-PG15 07:00 Ponyo -FAM 09:00 Swing Vote-PG15 11:00 Stevie-PG15 13:00 Einstein And Eddington-PG15 15:00 Smart People-PG15 17:00 Ocean’s Thirteen-PG15 19:00 Land Of The Lost-PG15 21:00 Sex And Lies In Sin City-18 23:00 Barbarossa-PG15

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Panic Room-18 Twins Effect 2-PG15 The Least Of These-PG15 Star Trek 10 : Nemesis-PG15 Lost Junction-PG15 Midnight Bayou-PG15 Star Trek 10 : Nemesis-PG15 Mutant Chronicles-PG15 Hardwired-PG15 Xxx-PG15 Quarantine-18 Hardwired-PG15

The Scout-PG15 A Simple Wish-FAM Lock And Roll Forever-PG Pretty In Pink-PG15 Legally Blondes-PG Dirty Work-PG15 Tortilla Soup-PG15 Callback-PG15 Reality Bites-PG15 Magicians-18 Tadpole-PG15 Callback-PG15

01:00 Santa Buddies-PG 03:00 Pocahontas II: Winter Of The Rocky Mount-FAM 05:00 Gladiator Academy: The MovieFAM 07:00 Santa Buddies-PG 09:00 Patoruzito-FAM 11:00 Clockstoppers-FAM 13:00 The Missing Lynx-PG 15:00 Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins-FAM 17:00 Atom Nine Adventures-PG 19:00 Patoruzito-FAM 21:00 Gladiator Academy: The MovieFAM 23:00 Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins-FAM

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 03:30 04:00 05:00 05:30 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 15:30 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:30

Mercy The View What’s Good For you Emmerdale Coronation Street Mercy “8” Simple rules Yes Dear What’s Good For you Mercy The View Emmerdale Coronation Street “8” Simple rules Yes Dear Lost Special Drop Dead Diva What’s Good For you The View Emmerdale Coronation Street Ugly Betty Ugly Betty Mercy The View What’s Good For you Ugly Betty Ugly Betty “8” Simple rules Yes Dear

00:00 Aviva Premiership 02:00 Super League 04:00 Goals On Monday 05:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 05:30 Futbol Mundial 06:00 ICC Cricket World 06:30 Super League 08:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 09:00 Goals On Monday 10:00 NRL Premiership 12:00 AFL Highlights 13:00 Goals On Monday 14:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 14:30 Scottish Premier League 16:30 Goals On Monday 17:30 Brazil League Highlights 18:00 Futbol Mundial 18:30 AFL Premiership 21:30 World Sport 22:00 NRL Full Time 22:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 23:00 Aviva Premiership

01:00 Goals On Monday 02:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 02:30 Futbol Mundial 03:00 ICC Cricket World 03:30 World Sport 04:00 World Pool Masters 05:00 World Hockey 05:30 Premier League Snooker 10:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 11:00 AFL Premiership 12:00 NRL Full Time 12:30 The Ryder Cup 19:00 FEI Equestrain World 19:30 Super League 21:30 The Ryder Cup

00:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 07:30 09:00 10:00 10:30 12:00 13:00 13:30 15:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

UFC 119 UFC Unleashed WWE NXT WWE Smackdown V8 Supercars Extra FIA GT1 World Championship WWE Bottom Line Planet Power Boats Red Bull X-Fighters UAE National Race Day Le Mans Series Magazine FIA GT1 World Championship Prizefighter UFC Wired UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Unleashed Le Mans Series Highlights UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Unleashed

00:00 Franklyn-PG15 02:00 The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond-PG15 04:00 A Dance For Bethany-PG15 06:00 Aliens In The Attic-FAM 08:00 April Showers-PG15 10:00 Capitalism : A Love Story-PG15 12:15 Captain Drake-PG 14:00 Aliens In The Attic-FAM 16:00 Meet Dave-PG 18:00 The Boat That Rocked-PG15 20:15 Ye Olde Times-PG 22:15 Synecdoche, New York-18

00:00 00:55 01:50 02:40 03:30 04:20 05:10 06:00 06:55 07:50 08:40 09:30 10:20 11:10 12:00 12:55 13:50 14:40 15:30 16:20 17:10 18:00 18:55 19:50 20:40 21:30 22:20 23:10

Tales Of The Gun The Universe Ax Men Engineering Disasters Ice Road Truckers 2 Dogfights Ancient Discoveries Tales Of The Gun The Universe Ax Men Engineering Disasters Ice Road Truckers 2 Dogfights Ancient Discoveries Tales Of The Gun The Universe Ax Men Engineering Disasters Ice Road Truckers 2 Dogfights Ancient Discoveries Battle Of Britain Battle 360 World War II: Lost Films Conspiracy?

Man Moment Machine Evolve Ice Road Truckers, 3

01:00 04:00 05:50 07:35 09:10 10:50 12:35 14:45 15:10 17:15 19:00 21:15 22:55

Mutiny On The Bounty Somebody Up There Likes Me Two Weeks In Another Town American Friends Casablanca 40 Carats The Prize The Screening Room Lust For Life Desert Bloom North By Northwest No Small Affair The Unsinkable Molly Brown

00:00 Hollywood and Vines 00:30 Travel Today 01:00 Working Holiday 02:00 Globe Trekker 03:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 04:00 Journey Into Wine- Australia 04:30 Feast India 05:00 Globe Trekker Special 06:00 Travel Oz 06:30 Grannies On Safari 07:00 Exotic Lives 08:00 Feast India 08:30 Opening Soon 09:00 Great Drives 09:30 Skier’s World 10:00 Globe Trekker 11:00 Journey Into Wine- Australia 11:30 The Thirsty Traveler 12:00 Entrada 12:30 Grannies On Safari 13:00 Exotic Lives 14:00 Globe Trekker 15:00 Travel Oz 15:30 Journey Into Wine- Australia 16:00 Feast India 16:30 Opening Soon 17:00 Globe Trekker 18:00 Essential 18:30 48 Hours In 19:00 Great Scenic Railways - 175 Years 19:30 Top Travel 20:00 Word Travels 20:30 Culture Shock 21:00 Globe Trekker 22:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

33

School college, Khaitan. Tel: 24747294 / 94956342.

3-10-2010

FOR SALE

ACCOMMODATION One furnished independent room with separate bathroom is available for a non smoking executive bachelor to share with another bachelor at a spacious 2 bedroom C-A/C apartment in Farwaniya (facing 6th Ring Road - Opp to Sears) Contact: 66629551.

(C 2722) 5-10-2010 Sharing accommodation available for two decent bachelor or a small family near Amiri Hospital, Sharq.

Pls Contact: 97929183 / 99387111.

One independent room with separate bathroom available for 1 or 2 decent executive bachelors. W+E free sat + Kitchen facility C-A/C new building, from 1st October, near Shara Aman Street, Opp Appolo hospital, Salmiya - Call: 99761807.

(C 2714) 4-10-2010 Sharing accommodation available for couple/small family, 2 bedroom flat in Hawally near Jabriya bridge, front side of AlBahar Center. Contact: 97672748 / 99593486.

(C 2717) Two rooms two bathrooms, hall and telephone, near Pakistan International

2006 Model Subaru (date of purchase June 2007), excellent condition, 48000 km, light use. Price KD 2650 (non-negotiable). Tel: 99669220. (C 2718) 3-10-2010 Chevrolet Caprice 1991 Model, Navy blue color in good condition. Registered up to May 2011. Price negotiable, interested candidates please contact mobile no.

99502389.

Honda Accord 2007 automatic gear 4 doors 97,000 km, parking sensors, agency maintained, extra clean, dark gray color. Call: 97271526. (C 2712) 2006 Toyota Corolla 1.8 XLI, color white, done 66000 km, excellent condition. Cash price KD 2,400 only. Contact: 99934965.

(C 2711) 1-10-2010

SITUATION WANTED

Accountant with good experience in Kuwait with good knowledge of all Accounts / Finance functions and business planning and support, looks for suitable job. Tel: 66126258.

(C 2723) I need full / Part time job as Accountant. 4 years experience in Kuwait, B.Com + MBA, Kuwaiti driving license, good oracle report-

ing and software skills, can handle field work like bank and payment collection etc.

Please call: 55355954.

(C 2724) 5-10-2010 Indian male, Accountant having six years experience in Kuwait looking for suitable opening. Can handle accounts up to finalization and good working experience in Accounting Modules. Interested please contact: Mob. 65067919.

SITUATION VACANT

Looking for housemaid for family capable of cooking and experience in applying continental recipes. Tel: 99366629.

Email: jobcv10@hotmail.com (C 2721) 4-10-2010

MATRIMONIAL Seeking alliance for Muslim girl 27/149, MBA (Mkt. & Finc.) C.F.A level-1 candidate, working in Kuwait p r o f q u a l i f i e d ( M . Te c h / MBA) grooms settled abroad are invited. Email: abdulksahib@hotmail.com (2726) 5-10-2010 Invite proposal from staff nurses (MoH), for Christian Orthodox boy 29/170 cm,

w o r k i n g i n s t a ff n u r s e (MoH), Ambulance Dept., from Pathanamthittia (Dist.). Contact: E-mail: shajicgnr@yahoo.com (C 2719) Jacobite boy, upper middle class, Masters from USA, 28/5-10, well placed in USA, prefer god fearing, professionally qualified, girl of Marthomite/C.S.I/Jacobite.

Contact: 24331735 after 5 pm. (C 2720) 3-10-2010

Small family looking for alive in cook. Tel: 94934985.

(C 2715) 1-10-2010 English speaking housemaid wanted in Salwa. Fulltime, live-in with Friday holiday from 9am-8pm. Must like cats and dogs and be clean, honest and reliable with experience in European cooking and cleaning.

Salary is negotiable. Ph: 97611015 / 99301909.

FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION 161

FLIGHT SCHEDULE

In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines Jordanian Wataniya Airways Kuwait Wataniya Airways Wataniya Airways Gulf Air Turkish Ethiopian Egypt Air DHL Emirates Etihad Qatari Air France Jazeera Kuwait Jazeera British Kuwait Jazeera Falcon Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Fly Dubai Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait Emirates Arabia Iran Air Qatari Etihad Iran Air Jazeera Gulf Air AlNaser Egypt Air Kuwait United Jordanian Fly Dubai Kuwait Saudia Kuwait Syrian Air Jazeera Qatari

Arrival Flights on Tueday 05/10/2010 Flt Route 802 188 544 306 434 211 772 620 614 370 853 305 138 6782 503 412 527 157 416 529 201 206 382 302 332 053 676 286 284 855 121 605 132 301 619 497 213 711 610 672 982 800 057 562 500 744 341 525 134

Amman Bahrain Cairo Cairo Damascus Bahrain Istanbul Addis Ababa Cairo Bahrain Dubai Abu Dhabi Doha Paris Luxor Manila/Bangkok Alexandria London Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur Assiut Bahrain Islamabad Delhi Mumbai Trivandrum Dubai Dubai Chittagong Dhaka Dubai Sharjah Isfahan Doha Abu Dhabi Lar Riyadh Bahrain Baghdad/Najaf Cairo Dubai Washington DC Dulles Amman Dubai Amman Jeddah Dammam Damascus Alexandria Doha

Time 00:05 00:30 00:50 00:50 00:55 01:05 01:15 01:45 02:05 02:15 02:25 02:55 03:25 03:25 05:50 06:15 06:20 06:30 06:35 06:40 07:00 07:15 07:20 07:50 07:55 07:55 08:00 08:05 08:10 08:25 08:40 08:55 09:00 09:25 10:40 10:40 10:45 11:15 12:55 13:15 13:35 13:35 13:50 14:20 14:30 14:40 14:45 15:00 15:05

Kuwait Wataniya Airways

546 104

Alexandria Dubai

15:30 16:30

Mihin

403

Colombo/Dubai

16:40

Etihad

303

Abu Dhabi

16:50

Emirates

857

Dubai

16:55

Gulf Air

215

Bahrain

17:15

Saudia

510

Riyadh

17:20

Arabia

125

Sharjah

17:40

Jazeera

493

Jeddah

17:40

Jazeera

239

Amman

17:40

Jazeera

367

Deirezzor

17:55

SriLankan

227

Colombo/Dubai

18:00

Wataniya Airways

304

Cairo

18:35

Kuwait

104

London

18:35

Kuwait

166

Paris/Rome

18:40

Rovos

093

Kandahar/Dubai

18:45

Wataniya Airways

106

Dubai

18:45

Kuwait

502

Beirut

18:50

Kuwait

542

Cairo

18:50

Kuwait

786

Jeddah

18:55

Kuwait

618

Doha

19:00

Air Arabia Egypt

555

Alexandria

19:15

Kuwait

614

Bahrain

19:20

Kuwait

674

Dubai

19:20

Kuwait

774

Riyadh

19:25

Singapore

458

Singapore/Abu Dhabi

19:25

Kuwait

552

Damascus

19:40

Kuwait

512

Tehran

19:45

Fly Dubai

061

Dubai

20:05

Indian

993

Chennai/Mumbai

20:15

Oman Air

647

Muscat

20:15

Middle East

402

Beirut

20:20

Jet A/W

572

Mumbai

20:30

Egypt Air

618

Alexandria

20:35

KLM

0443 Amsterdam

20:40

Wataniya Airways

404

Beirut

20:50

DHL

372

Bahrain

21:00

Gulf Air

217

Bahrain

21:05

Jazeera

459

Damascus

21:15

Emirates Rovos Qatari United Lufthansa Jazeera Jazeera Jazeera India Express Pakistan Wataniya Airways

859 Dubai 091 Baghdad 136 Doha 981 Bahrain 636 Frankfurt 449 Doha 185 Dubai 429 Bahrain 389 Kozhikode/Mangalore 205 Lahore/Peshawar 108 Dubai

21:15 21:30 21:35 21:55 22:30 22:30 22:40 22:45 23:10 23:55 23:55

Departure Flights on Tuesday 05/10/2010

Airlines

Flt

Route

Time

Jazeera Tunis Air Indian Pakistan Lufthansa Turkish Ethiopian Egypt Air DHL Emirates Etihad Qatari Air France Jordanian Jazeera Gulf Air Jazeera Rovos British Kuwait Fly Dubai Kuwait Kuwait Arabia Kuwait Emirates Iran Air Qatari Etihad Gulf Air Iran Air Kuwait Wataniya Airways Kuwait Kuwait Jazeera Wataniya Airways Jazeera Jazeera AlNaser Kuwait Kuwait Egypt Air Kuwait Jordanian Wataniya Airways Fly Dubai United Wataniya Airways

528 328 576 240 637 773 620 615 371 854 306 139 6782 803 496 212 524 094 156 545 054 671 561 122 101 856 604 133 302 214 618 165 303 743 541 238 103 366 492 712 501 785 611 551 801 105 058 982 403

Assiut Dubai/Tunis Goa/Chennai Sialkot Frankfurt Istanbul Bahrain/Addis Ababa Cairo Bahrain Dubai Abu Dhabi Doha Dubai/Hong Kong Amman Riyadh Bahrain Alexandria Dubai/Kandahar London Alexandria Dubai Dubai Amman Sharjah London/New York Dubai Isfahan Doha Abu Dhabi Bahrain Lar Rome/Paris Cairo Dammam Cairo Amman Dubai Deirezzor Jeddah Najaf/Baghdad Beirut Jeddah Cairo Damascus Amman Dubai Dubai Bahrain Beirut

00:05 00:25 00:50 01:10 01:15 02:15 02:30 03:05 03:15 03:45 04:00 05:00 05:15 07:00 07:15 07:45 08:00 08:00 08:25 08:35 08:40 09:00 09:15 09:20 09:30 09:40 09:55 10:00 10:05 11:35 11:40 11:45 11:50 11:55 12:00 12:10 12:15 12:15 12:15 12:30 13:00 13:30 13:55 14:20 14:30 14:30 14:35 14:50 15:10

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Kuwait Kuwait Saudia Kuwait Syrian Air Jazeera

673 617 501 511 342 458

Dubai Doha Jeddah Tehran Damascus Damascus

15:10 15:35 15:45 15:40 15:45 15:50

Kuwait

773

Riyadh

16:05

Qatari

135

Doha

16:20

Kuwait

613

Bahrain/Doha

16:20

Wataniya Airways

185

Bahrain

17:20

Etihad

304

Abu Dhabi

17:35

Mihin

404

Dubai/Colombo

17:40

Wataniya Airways

305

Cairo

18:05

Gulf Air

216

Bahrain

18:05

Emirates

858

Dubai

18:05

Rovos

092

Baghdad

18:15

Arabia

126

Sharjah

18:20

Jazeera

184

Dubai

18:30

Saudi

511

Riyadh

18:35

Jazeera

448

Doha

18:50

SriLankan

228

Dubai/Colombo

19:10

Wataniya Airways

433

Damascus

19:30

Wataniya Airways

107

Dubai

19:40

Jazeera

428

Bahrain

19:50

Air Arabia Egypt

556

Alexandria

19:55

Kuwait

283

Dhaka

20:00

Jazeera

266

Beirut

20:10

Kuwait

361

Colombo

20:20

Fly Dubai

062

Dubai

20:50

Singapore

457

Abu Dhabi/Singapore

20:55

Kuwait

343

Chennai

21:00

Kuwait

351

Cochin

21:05

Oman Air

648

Muscat

21:15

Middle East

403

Beirut

21:20

Jet A/W

571

Mumbai

21:30

Wataniya Airways

187

Bahrain

21:35

Alexandria

Egypt Air

619

KLM

0443 Bahrain/Amsterdam

21:40

21:35

Gulf Air

218

Bahrain

21:55

DHL

373

Bahrain

22:00

Kuwait

675

Dubai

22:10

Emirates Falcon Kuwait Qatari Kuwait Jazeera Jazeera United Kuwait

860 102 381 137 301 526 502 981 411

Dubai Bahrain Delhi Doha Mumbai Alexandria Luxor Washington DC Dulles Bangkok/Manila

22:25 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:45 23:20 23:40 23:40 23:40

SPECTRUM

34 CROSSWORD 100

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Calvin Aries (March 21-April 19) Requesting a loan or obtaining any other type of acquisition is a positive.

You have good practical job-related thoughts and ideas. Use that ability you have to communicate with superiors or describe what you see. You will find that you can really use your mind to think things through and make clear choices. The future of business in your country depends upon the children that we are now educating. Ask yourself if you can volunteer to help with Junior Achievement or some other junior business organization in order to help educate and instruct in the art of whatever professional expertise is yours; take a co-worker friend. Don’t be afraid to project your image—make those dreams real. Ideas of group cooperation could further your career.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Although you shy away from challenges, you cannot escape facing a few of them.

Challenges provide you with choices to either move in a new direction or work to overcome the challenge.

Discover the root of a matter and then deal with that information. Approaching a situation from different angles or different viewpoints may be helpful. You may also want to bide your time for now. In your reading material today, consider the source. The group, family or partner with whom you live has a lot to offer you. Take a nibble on your bottom lip and do not comment; listen very closely for key words that help you see from their eyes. Positive results happen when you do not push to reverse someone’s thinking.

Pooch Cafe

ACROSS 1. (Australian and New Zealand) A disparaging term for English immigrants to Australia or New Zealand.

4. Formerly included in genus Cedrela.

9. A golf shot that curves to the right for a right-handed golfer.

13. (Roman mythology) Goddess of abundance and fertility.

14. Urgently needed.

15. The biblical name for ancient Syria.

16. Being precisely fitting and right.

18. Being three more than fifty.

19. A small restaurant where drinks and snacks are sold.

20. English scholastic philosopher and assumed author of Occam's Razor (1285-1349).

22. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

24. A sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow).

26. A public promotion of some product or service.

27. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

28. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

32. (informal) `johnny' was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War. 34. Port city on southern Honshu on Osaka Bay. 35. Being one more than one hundred.

36. A hospital unit staffed and equipped to provide intensive care.

39. Informal terms for the mouth.

40. Panel forming the lower part of an interior wall when it is finished differently from the rest.

42. State in northeastern India.

44. A historical region on northwestern India and northern Pakistan.

47. A slight rounded elevation where the malleus attaches to the eardrum.

49. Someone who is morally reprehensible.

50. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

53. A gradual decline (in size or strength or power or number).

55. Evergreen trees and shrubs having oily one-seeded fruits.

59. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

60. Not capable of being swayed or diverted from a course.

63. Exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health.

66. A Turkish unit of weight equal to about 2.75 pounds.

67. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

68. A pale rose-colored variety of the ruby spinel.

69. Term of address for a man.

DOWN 1. A member of an Indian people of northern California living along the Russian River valley and adjacent Pacific coast.

2. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

3. One thousandth of a second.

4. Broadcasting visual images of stationary or moving objects.

5. A slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water.

6. Of or relating to near the ear.

7. Submerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers.

8. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942).

9. The face or front of a building.

10. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

11. Little known Kamarupan languages.

12. An independent ruler or chieftain (especially in Africa or Arabia).

17. A landlocked mountainous republic in southeast central Asia north of Afghanistan.

21. Covered with paving material.

23. Type genus of the Cariamidae comprising only the crested cariama.

25. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

29. (Old Testament) The eldest son of Isaac who would have inherited the Covenant that God made with Abraham and that Abraham passed on to Isaac.

30. The first light of day.

31. A piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep.

33. A dry cold north wind in SE France.

37. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits.

38. A benevolent aspect of Devi.

41. A French abbot.

43. Any location known for vice and corruption.

45. The southern part of the ancient Palestine succeeding the kingdom of Judah.

46. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

48. A Russian river.

51. Dearly loved.

52. (usually followed by `to') Having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something.

54. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

56. A mountainous landlocked communist state in southeastern Asia.

57. (Sumerian) Water god and god of wisdom.

58. Essential oil or perfume obtained from flowers.

61. A nucleic acid consisting of large molecules shaped like a double helix.

62. An associate degree in applied science.

63. A Mid-Atlantic state.

64. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

65. An official prosecutor for a judicial district.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) You often take the most interesting path to experience your life, skirting the crowd and the commonplace, heading for parts unknown.

Your approach to any problem is often original and you could invent things or discover new places or develop new ways of doing things. This is the best time you will have to make progress, push forward and rise to fame. It will be hard for you to do wrong, for all the cycles are working in your favor. This is also a time when you may marry or take on a new role in the community or with other people. You will be in demand and recognition will be forthcoming. Your desires are strong and you will want to enjoy yourself. Romance is possible. There is a basic drive to appreciate and taste life—stop worrying.

Non Sequitur

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Circumstances may appear to bring very sensitive issues to your attention.

Changes you want to make or that someone else wants to make, may be challenged; you hold the solution. This is a good time to plan a change and you could rest easy with whatever results two people can achieve. Learn techniques that will relieve stress.

Responsibilities and outside pressures are just a part of life, but knowing when to move forward with a worthwhile project requires patience and a positive attitude. There is the possibility of new visions or sudden insights into your self-image or into your dreams. There are breakthroughs in compassion and communication. The people you know are learning to communicate more openly and you are pleased.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You will gain some good information about your professional future this Tuesday.

You have plenty of energy to plot your path to success, especially if there is any competition. There are also breakthroughs regarding relationships and the social life in general. There are possibly unconventional approaches to partnerships and lovers. You may find yourself pursuing very eccentric or different methods of communicating and responding to others. Real power is always hidden— finding the key to your own life control may mean letting go of previous difficulties. You may benefit from an older person’s advice or input. You can really gain a focus as to how you want to adjust your ideas so that you can accomplish your goals successfully.

Zits

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You are at your most practical when it comes to dealing and working with others.

You know just what to do and can act without haste and emotion. You could find that you are appreciated or valued for your ability to act and get things done. You are called on to make use of your natural abilities and common sense. Your need to be respected can certainly be met at this time. Work, achievement and ambition mean a lot to you. There is an urge to join your friends in some social affair this evening. However, you may walk a fine line today between good company and disapproval, so be aware. You could find yourself working against the values of another—going against the flow. This evening may be best spent in relaxation with a loved one.

Libra (September 23-October 22) Don’t abandon the ship now. Although your mood is with your family members, a workday has begun and you would do well to climb on board, so to speak. No matter how much you think you may not be helping, you are actually able make a difference in the professional realm. One day at a time, you can do anything. Pay attention to the shuffle of activity when employees change position within the company for which you work. You will be able to move up the corporate ladder as well.

Today you help a person, project or activity move along in a fast and accurate manner. Completion of some difficult task or understanding will be met soon. Don’t be afraid to project your positive image; network. A most positive day follows you home. Smile!

Mother Goose and Grimm

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You are driven and passionate in your pursuit of change and inner growth. Your attitude in the workplace is usually an appreciative one, which is unusual. People like you and enjoy being around you because of your attitude. This job may be the only job you have been around where people actually work and achieve and the atmosphere lends itself to productive, creative, enthusiastic people. You may find, however, that with a strong inner push to be productive you are exhausted upon arriving home. The transition between work and home is important for your mood this evening. Be creative for yourself and find enjoyable ways to reach the home front. A massage once a week, music, a book or short story or old time radio might be fun for listening.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You have a natural sense for communicating with others, particularly those younger than yourself. Clear thoughts about the past may also be flowing in today. You will perhaps, find yourself teaching and setting the pace for these young people. Financial savvy and a practical turn of mind are qualities that take on greater importance this afternoon. The right sales technique, completing a project or presenting an idea are all possibilities for your busy day. You have a good voice. This could be in speaking or in singing. If you are not performing, think about attending a performance of a stand-up comedian or going to a Karaoke club and trying out your voice sometime this week.

Your friends will encourage you, just say the word.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) This is the day you will have new thoughts and sudden insights. You may get an unexpected boost in the way you think, speak or write. Communications are strong today—connections of all kinds, news and so on, are furthered—perhaps at the expense of tradition and established order. If you are a newspaper reporter, hold your head up high above the others as there is something in the air, something you will be able to have a first scoop. Tear it down and build it up again, reach in and pluck out the offending element: that’s what the new cycle you have entered is like. Power becomes a compelling idea, perhaps even an aphrodisiac—and you have a stronger than usual supply of it now. Use it, do not abuse it—or you might find that it is a two-edged sword!

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Career decisions

Yesterday’s Solution

that point to real success may be just where you are searching.

Although you are happy with your position, there are openings all around you. Look at your friends or a relative that has no job and consider informing them of some new opportunities, especially if you are not interested for yourself. You are able to show your worth, strength and stamina to any professional position. You may benefit from an older person or one in authority today.

Take time to see the long-term results of their comments and transfer your attention to new possibilities. Shopping this afternoon may be fun for a change. Do keep a list handy so you will keep a focus. This is an ideal time to strengthen your home life.

Word Sleuth Solution

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Paying attention to the little things today when it comes to satisfying a client, patient or customer will be an important part of your day. If you are working for a company that has a production line, pay close attention to what a customer tells you about the working or not working, product. Take nothing for granted. Do not jump to conclusions.

This is a real time to pay particular attention and know that what you do and how you take care of the little details defines you and your company to the customer as well as the competitor. Your organizational abilities and sense of responsibility will be what guide you and prove successful. Good luck and positive actions are in the forecast today. This is one of your best overall days. This is also a good day for love.

INFORMATION

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

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36

SPECTRUM

ate Moss is planning to open a Bed and Breakfast hotel in Cornwall. The supermodel is reportedly making plans to move to the South West English coast with rocker boyfriend Jamie Hince and seven-year-old daughter Lila Grace whose father is publisher Jefferson Hack - and is hoping to buy a £1.2 million five-bedroom property and convert it into a luxury guest house. A source told the Daily Star newspaper: “She is desperate for a healthier lifestyle away from all the celeb parties for the sake of her health and for her daughter. “Jamie is over the moon as he has been keen to get Kate to quit the capital for a while.” Although she has not been to view the property -

K

aul Weller has married for the second time in a romantic, intimate ceremony in Italy. The ‘Wake Up The Nation’ hitmaker wed backing singer Hannah Andrews in the idyllic island of Capri last week, after the pair decided to elope with just a few of their closest family members and friends to pledge their love for one another. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Paul didn’t want a public wedding. He and Hannah agreed to just invite a select few family and friends. “They didn’t want to make a big deal about it.” The 52-year-old singer and Hannah - who is almost 30 years younger than Paul - have been dating since late 2008, and got engaged back in April this year. The pair met when Hannah provided vocals for his 2008 LP ‘22 Dreams’, and then toured with him and his band. Their romance started shortly after Paul

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

named Bodriggan and located in the village of Golant - Kate has reportedly shown pictures of it to all her friends. The property has a mock-Tudor styled fronting, and its own vineyard.

Another friend said: “She’s yearned for a seaside retreat for some time. Jamie’s quite a bookworm so he turned her on to the Cornish writer Daphne du Maurier, who lived in Fowey, and since then Kate has been researching the area. They are planning to convert it into a luxury Bed and Breakfast for their friends.” Although the couple want to convert the property to a guesthouse, it is not thought Kate will be offering rooms to the general public, instead reserving the spare rooms for her pals.

The source added: “It will be more a place for her friends to stay - I can’t see her renting rooms to total strangers.” Kate and Jamie have previously bid to buy a property in Bigbury on Sea, Devon, in a different part of the South West coast, but their £5 million offer was turned down. They have also reportedly been spotted house-hunting on the island of Stromboli, off Italy, where they are said to have tried to buy a plot of land to build a coastal home. The house will be the 36-year-old beauty’s third UK property, after her base in London and a country retreat in the Cotswolds in Oxfordshire.

P

ichael Douglas wants to spend a year travelling the world if he successfully battles cancer. The ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’ actor - who is currently undergoing treatment after doctors found a tumour in his throat - says contracting the disease made him even more appreciative of his family and he wants to spend as much quality time with wife Catherine Zeta-Jones and their children Dylan, 10, and seven-year-old Carys as possible. He said: “Once we’re through this, Catherine and I are talking about taking the kids out of school for a year and travelling around the world - Phuket and Vietnam; we’d love to take the family down to New Zealand and spend some time in South Africa. We’re still trying to figure out what age you can get away with taking the kids away from their friends and not have them hate you for it.

“From now on I’m going to spend all my efforts on the people I’m closest to. When you’re younger you are so self-involved, self-obsessed. As you get older, all of a sudden, you begin to appreciate relationships, be understand-

M

usan Sarandon didn’t think she would “ever” split from Tim Robbins. The 63-year-old actress split from the actor - with who she has sons Jack, 21, and Miles, 18 - last December after 23 years together and admits she is amazed by how much their separation shocked people. Susan - who also has 25-year-old daughter Eva Amurri from a previous relationship - said: “People were coming up to me in the street and saying, ‘I cried and I cried when I heard.’

Well, I was sadder. I didn’t think it would ever happen either.” Susan married fellow student Chris Sarandon in 1967, divorcing 12 years later, and decided never to tie the knot again as she thought her relationships would be stronger

ing about the foibles of life, more forgiving - and you’ve got more time for the kids. It makes for a much happier marriage and family environment.” The 66-year-old star also has 31-year-old son Cameron - who is currently serving a five-year jail sentence for dealing drugs - with ex-wife Diandra Luker and the actor admits his experiences of parenthood at two stages in his life has taught him a lot. He explained to the Guardian newspaper: “During my first marriage, my career was the most important thing in my life. I clearly know I made mistakes. There were absences.

“My eldest son, Cameron, is in the middle of a very, very difficult and tragic time. Cameron has made a couple of big mistakes in his life. He’s paid the price.

On the other side of it, he’s sober. The kids really miss him, and he misses them. I’ve taken them to visit. “Now that my own priorities are entirely different, I’m always encouraging people to wait to have a family - get yourself sorted career-wise first as much as you can.”

didn’t get married you wouldn’t take each other for granted as easily. “I don’t know if after twenty something years that was still true.” Despite her sadness, the ‘Lovely Bones’ actress believes her relationship with Tim had run its course. She added to Stella magazine: “You bring people into your life at certain times. Maybe you have a relationship to have children and you realise that it’s fulfilled after that point.”

S split from his partner of 13 years Samantha Stock, who he has daughter Jesamine and son Stevie Mac with. Although he is happy with Hannah, Paul has previously revealed how difficult it was for him to leave Samantha. He said: “Splitting up was hard as well. But at the end of the day, I’ve fallen in love with someone else. “You can’t live a lie. You have to follow your heart.” Hannah is not the only backing singer Paul has been married to. His first wife Dee C. Lee - who he has two children with - sang with his former group The Style Council. They married in 1988 and divorced in 1994. Paul also has another daughter, Dylan, from a previous relationship.

ilary Duff’s husband is being sued for not making the repayments on a $165,000 Mercedes-Benz car. Ice hockey player Mike Comrie - who married the singer-and-actress in August after dating her for three years purchased the luxury vehicle in 2008 but is alleged to have failed to repay any of the money. Legal documents filed at Los Angeles County Superior Court and obtained by gossip website TMZ.com, state the finance company has tried to repossess the car but the 30-year-old sportsman has “refused to allow Plaintiff possession”. The finance company is now demanding Mike pay off the $103,398.57 owed on the contract as well as extra costs incurred.

H

he Scottish singing sensation is scheduled to appear on the live show today according to gossip website TMZ.com. According to reports she will sing a rendition of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ - which has famously been covered by a host of artists including Jeff Buckley, k.d. Lang and Alexandra Burke - on the ballroom dancing competition.

Susan’s appearance on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ comes in the wake of her cancelled performance on ‘America’s Got Talent’. The 49-year-old star - who shot to fame on UK talent show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ - was due to sing a version of Lou Reed’s track ‘Perfect Day’ with a 100-piece

T

children’s choir on September 9 but the performance was axed at the last minute because the rights to the song weren’t cleared in time for US audiences. Susan was left with just two hours to rehearse a new song but decided it wasn’t enough time and told organizers she wouldn’t be taking to the stage. A source said at the time: “Susan was really upset.

She was in tears and was forced to pull out of the show, and decided to return to the UK.” Susan’s scheduled appearance on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ will be her second performance on the series.

Last year, she sang her signature track ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, from the musical ‘Les Miserables’.

without an official union - something she is now uncertain of. She explained: “I thought that if you

Pittsburgh Penguins player Mike is yet to comment on the lawsuit.

Meanwhile, Hilary is selling her Beverly Hills mansion for double the price she paid for it. The 22year-old star’s six-bedroom property on Toluca Lake is on the market for $7 million. The secure property which cost her $3.5 million in March 2004 - covers 9,800 ft and features a wet bar, a cognac room, a wine cellar, a gym and gift-wrapping room.

In addition, the property also comes with a free eight-seater electric boat. Currently Hilary is living in Los Angeles for work, while Mike is based in Pittsburgh for his ice hockey career and the pair are commuting to see each other every week.

However, Hilary has no plans to relocate to Pittsburgh permanently. When recently asked if she would be moving to the US east coast city, she said: “I’m not, no, I’m not moving to Pittsburgh but I’m sure I’m going to be there a lot. “I have such a busy life in Los Angeles and four dogs and my family’s there and my work. I’ll be doing a lot of commuting I’m sure.”

possible” finds it “im and. re oo M e n ulian husb tes with her actress to go on da n’ ve ea H m The ‘Far Fro es who are able to go upl dm “a ires” co quality time together d en se sp d out an rector spou e and her di e married in sh se u ca be sh dlich - who d Bart Freun children Caleb, 12, an o to as s h ay w al e ar 2003 and iv with L ts. ld -o en ar m it ye m eightking com or w r ei h th it busy with te nights w of e enjoys da Asked if sh she said: “That’s kind d, her husban admire people who man I e . w le ib en ss h impo out w e try to get ’s age that. W e any other couple. It k li re e’ W can.

J

the er, despite ult.” Howev gether, the ic ff di s ay w to al spend time y struggles to auty insists her famil be d to ol d rde ea -y ad 49 he n priority. S d of are her mai ine: “I think at the en ly al az re ag g m in e th pl t eo an P t import os m sly u e io th ev y, the da e has pr ily.” Juliann is your fam her difficulty to spend t spoken abou ith her husband since w a quality time , but insists it is not en is dr th il r ie ch rl g id ea havin them. She sa ing problem for lationship is never go e re year: “Your as at the start - and th git w stru e w at th to be what g is somethin fact it’s not Bang Showbiz — gle with.”

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

SPECTRUM

37

By Darryl Morden public suggestion to Carrie Underwood: Fireworks at the end of a Hollywood Bowl show are pretty much a tradition, but next time, try it after you’re done singing so they don’t drown you out, OK? That move was one of several awkward missteps Saturday from country music’s hottest female artist, alongside Taylor Swift. That’s not to say the 90-minute-plus performance didn’t have winning moments from the earnest singer.

It’s been five years since Underwood was crowned an “American Idol” winner, and she’s more than fulfilled the promise in terms of success: She’s outsold another top “Idol” winner, Kelly Clarkson, 11.9 million to 10.6 million with one less album, and Underwood’s current release, “Play On,” has topped 1.7 million so far. But despite numerous country chart-toppers and perhaps premature recognition as “Entertainer of the Year,” Underwood’s transition to superstar status is another story.

She got off to a commanding start Saturday, dressed in evening black and wielding the microphone stand like a dueling staff for the sassy “Cowboy Casanova,” followed by “Quitter,” with cartoon images on the screen of relationships as the rolls of a slot machine. She strapped on an electric guitar for the soaring “Some Hearts” and later pulled out the chipper piece of apple pie and small-town (or even suburban) snapshots found in “All-American Girl.”

Although she acknowledged the Hollywood Bowl as an “honor,” she didn’t note the Bowl Orchestra until the end of the show. She also underused the opportunity to deviate from a typical hit-based set list to perhaps sing a pop standard. The orchestra’s strings were evocative for several numbers, like turning the ballad “I Know You Won’t” into a weary torch song of resignation. But at times, Underwood somewhat fought the arrangements, pushing too hard and faltering in phrasing. Also, her voice, while appealing and with range, isn’t all that distinctive yet.

She changed her ensembles several times, too, including one ballooning pink number that looked like a prom dress. The closet rummaging was unnecessary because she’s an artist whose fans are all about her singing and songs. When a technical gaffe for her guitarist caused a slight slowdown, she handled it well; in fact, the spontaneous banter was better than some of her obvious rehearsed between-song patter. She also recalled moving out to Los Angeles in February 2005 for “Idol,” noting that a single decision “can change your life forever.”

Before the hopeful “Change,” Underwood gently mentioned that 36 cents of each ticket sold on her tour goes to the Save the Children organization, a commendable move. The night’s opener, brother trio Sons of Sylvia, are longtime friends of Underwood and joined her onstage for “What Can I Say” to re-create their team-up from her “Play On” album. The sold-out audience-leaning heavily female so much so that it looked like a girls’ night out-frequently sang along to ballads and upbeat tunes, from the misty “Just a Dream” to the crunchy, what-did-I-do-last night bar tale of “Last Name” with another guest, guitarist Orianthi.

Although fans went wild for the emoting, surrender-to-faith desperation of “Jesus Take the Wheel,” the real show highlight was the arrival of country music icon Randy Travis, joining Underwood for their hit duet-and far more subtle — “I Told You So.” Rather than make a fake exit and then encore, Underwood wrapped with the cautionary empowerment anthem “Before He Cheats” and warmhearted “Songs Like This,” the latter lost to the volume of those fireworks explosions. Back when she was a contender on “Idol,” weeks before she won, judge Simon Cowell said in an interview he already saw in Underwood a singer who could compete in the “real world” with platinum hitmakers, and sure enough, curmudgeon Cowell was right. But as a live performer and artist, thrust perhaps too early by career momentum into arenas and such, she still has a ways to go. The show also featured secondbilled Billy Currington, who turned in a fairly generic set of country-boy party-time Southern rock, beer a big theme for him.—Reuters

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By Ray Henry acing fallout from a recent arrest, TI raised money on Sunday for his family’s new Alzheimer’s disease charity and explained how the idea for it took shape during a previous period of legal trouble. The rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr, and his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, held a luncheon for the foundation called “For The Love Of Our Fathers,” which honors their fathers’ battles with Alzheimer’s disease. The Grammy winner would not talk about his arrest last month on suspicion of drug offenses, but said the inspiration for the foundation came in the aftermath of his 2007 arrest on weapons charges.

“It’s very, very personally close to our family,” said TI, who served seven months in prison for the firearms offenses. “And while I was, you know, while I was going through my ... period of hiatus, Tameka had the idea of ... starting this foundation.

And I thought it was an outstanding idea.”

Cottle’s father, Charles Pope, has Alzheimer’s, an irreversible neurological disorder that causes its victims to lose

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Musician Jean Michel Jarre performs at the Braehead Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, Sunday, Oct 3, 2010.

(Inset) Musician Jean Michel Jarre performs .

— AP

By David Bauder new project aims to introduce Bob Dylan’s music to young people by having buzz-worthy indie artists cover one of his best-known albums in a digital-only format. “Subterranean Homesick Blues: A Tribute to Bob Dylan’s ‘Bringing It All Back Home”‘ goes on sale at iTunes on Tuesday and features artists such as J. Tillman of Fleet Foxes; the Morning Blenders; Peter Moren of Peter, Bjorn and John; and Mirah tackling songs from Dylan’s 1965 “going electric” album.

Its producer is Jim Sampas, who has done similar tributes to Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” album and the Beatles’ “Rubber Soul.” Dylan’s album, a mixture of acoustic and electric tunes, included songs such as “Maggie’s Farm,” “Mr Tambourine Man,” “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)” and “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” “My desire was to show the brilliance of his

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their memory, become disoriented and suffer personality changes. No cure is known.

TI said his father and grandmother also had the disease when they died.

The couple said the charity will raise funds for disease research and possibly offer relief to caregivers. Nicknamed the “King of the South,” TI has sold millions of albums and created the hits “Whatever You Like” and “U Don’t Know Me.” He recently stared in “Takers,” a movie about an armored car robbery gone wrong, and is working on a new album.

But his career has been threatened by legal trouble. In 2007, he was caught trying to buy semiautomatic weapons on his way to a BET Awards show. Still on supervised release for that offense, TI was arrested last month in Los Angeles and accused of drug offenses. A federal probation officer in Atlanta alleges that TI violated the terms of his supervised release by possessing codeine, marijuana and Ecstasy, testing positive for opiates and associating with a convicted felon. The rap star would not discuss the arrest Sunday. “We’re not going to talk much except for Alzheimer’s,” he said. — AP

songwriting and bring it to a younger audience that might not be aware of his work,” Sampas said.

“A lot of younger musicians embrace Dylan’s work, but the overall population doesn’t have as much knowledge.” The project has a mix of fairly faithful covers and some interesting interpretations. The Castanets cast “Maggie’s Farm” in some modern percussion and synthesizer sounds. Tillman strips the sarcasm from “If You’ve Gotta Go, Go Now” for a sweet acoustic sound that makes the narrator sound vulnerable.

The Morning Blenders sweetened “Outlaw Blues,” although member Christopher Chu said he wanted to make it sound creepy. “He arranges his songs so perfectly that it’s hard not to just want to do a 100 percent faithful rendition,” Chu said. “But at the same time, that’s not what I wanted to do with a cover. I wanted to pick a song where I could change it up a bit.” Chu, 25, knows Dylan’s music well. Dylan is one of the first

ailed singer George Michael has denied newspaper reports that he is receiving special treatment while in prison for driving under the influence of drugs. In a statement, the 47year-old former Wham! frontman said he felt compelled to address what he called “the usual rubbish” reported in the press.

Michael was sentenced to eight weeks in jail last month following a car accident in London in July.

He was also banned from driving for five years and fined.

The singer was told he would serve four weeks behind bars and spend the rest of his sentence on license. “Much as I would prefer to rise above the usual rubbish that I’m reading day after day about my time here

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artists he began to obsess over as a young fan, along with the Beach Boys and Neil Young. He’s convinced that he missed out on a golden era of music.

His favorite Dylan album is “Highway 61 Revisited.”

“His influence is so wide that no matter what age you are, you eventually run into Dylan,” Chu said. William Fitzsimmons, who covered one of the album’s outtakes, “Farewell Angelina,” said the specter of Dylan was an intimidating factor when he started writing songs. He’s 32 years old.

“I didn’t write songs until later in life because I wondered, ‘What was the point?”‘ he said. “You put on a record like “Blood on the Tracks’ when you want to write about heartbreak. You realize somebody already did it and it’s hard to imagine you can add anything. It’s very intimidating.” He doesn’t know how Dylan keeps it up. “You’re not supposed to write that many amazing songs in your lifetime,” he said. — AP

in prison, I think it’s only fair to my fans, family and friends to respond in some way even though I will be home soon,” he said. “So please believe me when I tell you that in the last three weeks, there have been no tears, no anxiety, no bullying-in fact, not so much as a sleepless night for me.

“On the contrary, I’ve been treated with kindness by fellow inmates and prison staff alike and, as far as I can tell, have received no special treatment of any kind whatsoever, unless, of course, some of the guys here are letting me win at the pool table. The star behind hits including “Careless Whisper” and “Faith” also hinted he would return to the recording studio

after years without releasing new material.

“Most of my days have been spent reading thousands of letters and postcards of incredible support from people around the world. I promise to repay their kindness with new music as soon as I possibly can,” he said.

Michael has a history of drug and driving offences. He was banned from driving for two years in 2007 and sentenced to 100 hours of community service after admitting driving when unfit due to drugs. In 2008 he apologized to fans after being arrested and cautioned by police for possession of drugs. The Grammy award winner has sold an estimated 100 million albums as a solo artist. — Reuters

(From Left) Grammy award winning artist Clifford “TI” Harris speaks with media with his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris. — AP

ew Zealand Prime Minister John Key has offered to take a starring role in resolving a dispute between actors and producers of the long-awaited movie “The Hobbit” to ensure filming stays in the country. After years of delays, Hollywood looked like it was finally close to producing a movie based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” as a two-part prequel to the blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” trilogy made by New Zealander Peter Jackson. The Los Angeles Times reported sources on Saturday saying Time Warner Inc’s Warner Bros, its subsidiary New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn Mayer hoped to start production in January and to release the first Hobbit film in 2012 and the second in 2013.

But industrial action by actors’ unions threatens to derail the project in New Zealand with The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) calling for a boycott of the film. The MEAA says the producers will not allow the union to negotiate a minimum wage and working conditions for its members. The New Zealand Actors’ Equity is allied with the Australia-based MEAA. Jackson has accused the MEAA of being an “Australian bully boy” and says its agenda is “based on money and power.”

Key, however, on Monday offered to step in as a mediator for the sake of the New Zealand film industry, which boomed after Jackson filmed the Lord of the Rings trilogy there. “I would be very, very concerned if it moved offshore,” he told Television New Zealand. “This is a NZ$3 billion ($2.2 billion) industry. It employs a lot of people. It’s great for New Zealand. It’s a great way for marketing New Zealand.” The Hobbit co-producer and co-writer Phillippa Boyens told Radio New Zealand that film industry players from Australia, Canada, Scotland and Ireland were all pushing to take the project. Jackson has suggested Eastern Europe was also a potential location.

Boyens said the dispute had damaged New Zealand’s film reputation and “thrown doubt on how stable our industry is in terms of industrial relations.” Recent studio films made in New Zealand include “Avatar” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions President Helen Kelly met Jackson last week but has declined to comment on reports that the dispute is nearing a resolution.—Reuters

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By Jenny Barchfield fter redefining the way women dress, Phoebe Philo-Celine designer and purveyor of the new minimalism that has taken catwalks and Main Street by storm-is aiming to redefine the values of the luxury industry.

Many of the supple silks and cotton fabrics that made up her clean-lined spring-summer 2011 ready-to-wear collection Sunday were sourced from small mills in Japan and elsewhere that craft material by hand the old way. She acknowledged that working with such small providers can prove more complicated than going through the large-scale European mills that luxury labels like Celine would normally use, but said “if you want it, anything is possible.” “It’s slower because of the distance, but I just thought it was really important we stepped out of the European industrialized universe ... (to get) back to basics,” Philo told The Associated Press in a backstage interview. Her third collection for Celine since returning to fashion after a yearslong hiatus continued in the minimalist vein that has become her trademark, but softened it with some ethnic touches.

And as if Celine didn’t have enough to offer the working women of the world, Akris gave professional ladies even more to choose from with a collection of boardroom-ready looks that were just chic enough. Givenchy delved into the dark side with a dramatic, S&Msoaked collection, while John Galliano continued to churn out the magpie looks that are unmistakably his.

Galliano’s show was staged in a gilded Paris theater, and being in the audience there was like watching a lush and elaborate pantomime with the world’ biggest costume budget.

Emerging young French talent Alexis Mabille sent out a collection of pretty tan and gray sundresses with full skirted shapes that seemed to be surfing on the “Mad Men” craze. Mabille’s signature touch, pretty bows, lent the dresses and extra dose of polished sixties-era femininity. Still, perhaps because it stuck so close to the white and neutral palette favored by Paris designers this season, the collection blended with dozens of others that fashion insiders have sat through over the past five days. A solid, if perhaps a tad unremarkable, effort from Mabille.

After long day’s worth of shows, much of the fashion crowd hit Italian label Fendi’s party, where legedary eighties band Duran Duran was scheduled to play a set. On Monday, the City of Light’s nine-day-long ready-to-wear marathon moves into day seven with one of the week’s big question marks, British designer Giles Deacon’s debut collection storied-but-floundering house Emanuel Ungaro. Deacon is the latest in a long series of designers to try to reverse Ungaro’s fortunes, and his arrival came on the heels of the house’s disastrous collaboration with Lindsay Lohan-all of which has, of couse, piqued the fashion world’s interest.

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CELINE Celine designer Philo won a cult following during her time at the label’s crosstown rival, Chloe, and her return to fashion touched off the new minimalist movement that’s swept catwalks worldwide and spawned countless imitations. With Sunday’s collection, the British-born designer continued to refine her pared-down aesthetic, sending out square-shaped blouses in leather and low-slung, wide-legged trousers. A kaftan that appeared to have been made from a starched white menswear shirt and a nubby, pointyhooded robe-dress had a rugged Berber

Models present creati

feel, while a quilted vest seemed to look to the Mongolian highlands for inspiration. Philo said the collection was her way of stepping back from the industrialized, urban fray. “There was an idea of travel, nothing specific about a country or a place, but a feeling of getting away from urban and getting back to a kind of artisan’s way of working,” she told The Associated Press in a backstage interview, adding that many of the fabrics were sourced from small producers in Japan and elsewhere.

While white-the shade of choice across Paris’ catwalks-and other neutrals dominated Philo’s palette, there were also touches of bold color, like a sapphire blouse paired with a leather wrap skirt in rich Bordeaux or shirts in fluttering silk that Philo said drew its inspiration from scarves. It was another strong collection from a designer who has established herself as a fashion force to be reckoned with. No doubt we’ll be seeing more variations on the theme on other catwalks and on the high street.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

British designer John Galliano acknowledges the public after the Spring/Summer 2011 ready-to-wear collection show on October 3, 2010 in Paris. — AFP

JOHN GALLIANO The inspiration behind the collection might have been a complicated oneaccording to the notes, it was something about a real-life con artist from the 1920s who scammed scores of legendary painters-but the clothes looked more or less the same as usual. Which, when your name is John Galliano, is not a bad thing. The British designer sent out fetching variations on his hallmark baroque, layered silhouette: Cropped trench coats cinched tight at the waist were worn over billowy harem pants in Japanese prints or multitiered chiffon skirts. The models were all styled differently-in an apparent nod to the chameleonic appearance of the show’s inspiration, con artist Maria Lani, who, again according to the collection notes, “convinced over 50 leading artists of the day (including Matisse, Chagall and de Chirico) to paint her portrait” before fleeing Europe with the paintings.

Some wore bird’s nest wigs in what looked like cotton candy, while others had tight pigtails or slick gold-glitter dusted up ‘dos. Held in Paris’ gilded Opera Comique, the show had even more theatrical flair than usual, with models striking exaggerated poses as they slowly meandered the mirrored catwalk. Like other Paris shows that have cast novelty models to walk with the with the usual pack of size zero teens, Galliano had one older woman, a blond with a beautiful, finely lined face.

AKRIS Reliable as a fine Swiss watch, the St Gallen, Switzerland-based house can always be counted on to deliver the kind of workaday staples professional women crave, and Sunday’s clean-lined collection was no exception. Between the no-frills shirtdresses in starched white poplin and the sharp pantsuits that were just fashion forward enough, there was plenty for the corporate woman to choose from. The A-line dresses and billowing skirts with jagged, asymmetrical hemlines in a greenhouse of saturated flower prints added a touch of drama to the otherwise serene collection. The only flaw was the shoes, towering wedges with a footbed that curved downward, like a black diamond ski slope. Both bizarre and torturous-looking, they stand little chance of making it into the corporate boardrooms that are the natural habitat of the rest of the collection. — AP

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Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Models present creations

by British fashion designer Phoebe Philo for Celine as part of her ready to wear springsummer 2011 fashion collection, presented in Paris.—AP

Models present creations by Swiss designer Albert Kriemler for Akris during the Spring/Summer 2011 ready-towear collection show on October 3, 2010 in Paris.

—AFP

By Gersende Rambourg lack capes over leopard-skin, zippers and belts slung around the thighs, Givenchy struck a dark, sensuous note in Paris Sunday with a summer look that seemed plucked from Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut.” Stepping out into a courtyard, the first model wore a cropped white jacket with a long tail falling down the back, over a black skirt and transparent petticoat that stretched down to thick, dizzying heels.

Singers Lily Allen and Courtney Love, Justin Timberlake and Liv Tyler were among the famous faces who watched as designer Riccardo Tisci sent out organza tops secured at the back with leather straps that hinted at bondage gear. Faces were powdered white with darkened lips, the hair stern and short, or gathered on each side of the face amd tipped with small plates.

Golden zippers ran all over a sleeveless black jacket, above sleek pants with a copper belt hooked at the top of the thighs. A few pieces in the palest pink provided a brief distraction, but the show returned swiftly to a darker register, with a whole series in leopard-skin. Short skirts were layered over pants-then covered over by long petticoats in see-thru fabric or fish-net.

A tight, starched blouse like a fencer’s suit had a transparent back, while a thick, breastplate-like piece flowed into a cape sweeping down the back. For his men’s collection in June, Tisci also built around black, his trademark color, and

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leopard-skin, dressing models in Mexican-wrestler style leather masks with grids for the eyes and mouth. But the designer broke with the gothic tone of his spring/summer line for 2011, unveiled mid-way through Paris’ marathon ready-to-wear shows, stepping out to salute the crowd in a bright bluechecked shirt.

A world apart, John Galliano chose a 1920s artist’s muse as inspiration for his luxuriant new summer look. Janet Jackson took a front-row seat to watch the models step out in a riot of hats, gypsy scarves and fur collars, each outfit intended to be as singular as a portrait said the British designer. Models in overthe-top make-up twirled in light, flounced dresses cut from fragile, transparent fabrics.

A skirt was hemmed with ostrich feathers or Spanish shawl fringes, while ultra-wide pants were layered with black tulle, and trenches were cut from translucent grey organza that left the structure and seams on full display.

Galliano took his inspiration from Maria Lani, muse to some of the greatest artists of her day including Amedeo Modigliani, whose portrait adorned the invite to the show.

There were pink and orange-everywhere this season-but also butterfly motifs on a frou-frou bustier dress or see-thru jacket. At sundown, Galliano’s woman stepped out in crystal- and goldencrusted gowns, mostly white, displaying an artisan’s touch unusual for a ready-to-wear collection, however luxu-

rious.

Galliano says he was inspired for evening wear by Constantin Brancusi’s metal sculptures. The kinship was far from obvious, but the result was delicate, feminine, with laser-sharp tailoring, and terribly desirable. Earlier, Celine set Paris abuzz with a summer look that was all butter-soft leather, fluid cuts and sober sophistication. Cheers of delight rang out as flavor-of-the-moment designer Phoebe Philo unveiled her third collection for the label.

Caramel leather, desert-hooded weaves and elegant, flowing pants in ivory silk, with navy and sharp green bands lining the waist and side like a tuxedo: at each new piece, the room held its breath in admiration. The magic was in the details, like a simple white jacket in starched cotton that left the back bare and fastened with a plain leather strap, or a white cotton blouse with a deep pink leather collar.

High-waisted leather skirts just covered the knee, curling around the hips to end in a gentle diagonal panel in the small of the back. A sleeveless top in buttersoft maroon leather was paired with roomy trousers in vivid blue, while a long cotton damask tunic like a sleeveless kimono was split on either side of the body. A Moroccan flavor came from a green silk top with geometric motifs, hemmed with a band of orange, while a fluid, bare-armed navy dress robe plunged to a deep V shape at front an back-while its modest, sister piece offered long sleeves and demure neckline. — AFP

Models present creations by Italian designer Ricardo Tisci for Givenchy during the Spring/Summer 2011 ready-to-wear collection show. — AFP

www.kuwaittimes.net

By Martha Irvine

A polar bear by Mok Yat-San entitled ‘Monument: Reproduction of Vitalization’ is displayed at the Fine Art Asia 2010 show in Hong Kong yesterday.

Fine Art Asia 2010, which is now recognized as one of Asia’s premier annual showcases of art and antiques, is presenting over 5,000 works of art from 60 leading Asian and European galleries with an estimated total value of around 64 million USD from October 3 to 6.

—AFP

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artime leader Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister ever to enter the pop charts when an album featuring some of his most famous speeches set to music debuted in fourth place Sunday. The album “Reach for the Skies” was recorded by the Central Band of the Royal Air Force (RAF) to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, a crucial air campaign fought between British and German forces in 1940.

“It is great that to a long list of Official Chart stars including Elvis, Madonna, Cliff (Richard) and The Beatles, we can

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now add Winston Churchill,” said Martin Talbot, managing director of the Official Charts Company. “It is also a tribute to the amazing sacrifices of our Servicemen that the British public have bought this RAF album in such large numbers.”

Other new entrants in the album chart included KT Tunstall’s “Tiger Suit” at No 5, the Official Charts Company said, while Eric Clapton secured his 25th top 10 hit with “Clapton,” which was in seventh place. In the singles chart, 21-year-old Londoner Tinie Tempah took the top spot with his second No 1 single, “Written in the Stars,” which sold more

(From Right) In this Oct 2, 2000 file photo, Anna Nicole Smith smiles as she walks to the courthouse with her attorney Howard K Stern in Houston.

—AP

By Dean Goodman oungsters in Los Angeles will soon have Ray Charles on their mind now that a museum has opened in the music legend’s inner-city office building. The Ray Charles Memorial Library, officially launched on the 80th anniversary of his birth on Sept 23, is initially open to school groups by appointment only. The general public is expected to be admitted next year. The museum is run by a nonprofit foundation that Charles established in 1986 to focus on needy and underprivileged children, especially those with hearing difficulties. Charles, who was blind, considered deafness a greater

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ose Alaniz spent about a week sorting and packing each comic book-carefully, lovingly. There were 12 boxes of them, comics he’d collected since his mother bought him his first one at age 6. He took time to look through them all. The Defenders. The Incredible Hulk.

The Mighty Thor. Spider-Man. Each of them, even the bad ones, meant something to him. And now here he was, preparing to let them go to the special collections at the University of Washington libraries.

Alaniz knows some would consider it silly that a 42-year-old man should be so attached to bits of paper and ink, books never really meant to last that long. A professor at the university, he sounds a bit apologetic for what he can only describe as his own sappiness (not an easy thing for a serious, somewhat nerdy academic to embrace).

Still, though he would soften the blow by keeping 10 of his most prized comic books, it would not be easy to let go.

Those he kept were “mostly stuff from deep in my childhood, which, in ways that still surprise me, remain part of my DNA and probably always will,” he wrote in a post on his blog. “Uh, can I get buried with some of these?” He knows that he is not alone. There are others out there-collectors, pack rats, fellow closet sentimentalists-who will understand.

One of the 10 comic books Alaniz is holding on to is the one that started his obsession in rural south Texas in 1974: “Marvel Twoin-One Presents The Thing and The Guardians of the Galaxy.” He’s not really sure why his mom bought it for him. Maybe it was because his older brother had comic books.

“For him, they were kind of a diversion,” Alaniz says. “For me, they became much more than that.”

Many nights, he would lay in his bedroom, alone, devouring each issue his mother bought for him.

She only spoke Spanish, couldn’t read them herself. But they kept her younger son out of trouble, he says, and she liked that. Even if she didn’t realize it, she also was introducing him to a whole new world, one that would teach him English and how to read. The comic books even helped instill an understanding of right and wrong, he says, a “moral code” he carries with him to this day.

They also helped him make sense of his brother, whom he looked up to but whose bursts of anger and run-ins with the law confused him. Was it any wonder, Alaniz now says, that the Hulk, who exhibited both reason and rage, was the character who most fascinated him? “I realized there was something very special going on here,” says Alaniz. “This was not something to just read and throw away.”

Sal Buscema, a longtime artist for Marvel Comics who worked on the Hulk series, always knew there were kids out there who were devouring his work and that of other comic artists and writers.

Those kids wrote fan letters, some that were published in the comics. But Buscema could not have predicted that some of them would help propel his work into

than 115,000 copies in its first week-a figure topped by only two other singles this year.

Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love” jumped to fourth place from last week’s No 102, seeing a resurgence in popularity after featuring on British TV talent show “X Factor” last weekend. Labrinth’s “Let the Sunshine” was another new entry to the top 10, going straight in at No 3, while Enrique Iglesias and The Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger’s duet “Heartbeat” climbed to eighth place from last week’s No 13. — Reuters

awyers are taking center stage at the Anna Nicole Smith drug conspiracy trial, presenting final arguments designed to sway the jury in reaching their verdicts. The prosecutor is scheduled to speak first Monday, urging convictions of two doctors and Smith’s lawyer-boyfriend. They are charged with giving her excessive drugs while knowing she was an addict.

The issue of addiction has been hotly debated.

Defense lawyers claim she was a a woman in pain seeking relief, not an addict. Dr Sandeep Kapoor, Dr Khristine Eroshevich and Smith’s lawyer-boyfriend have pleaded not guilty to an array of charges. With two prosecutors and three defense attorneys set to deliver arguments, the case could go to the jury today or tomorrow. — AP

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handicap.

Seeking to fill a void left by the decline of arts and music programs in public schools, the museum’s curators hope the exhibits will open up a world of possibilities to youngsters after they see how the soul icon transcended socioeconomic, musical and racial boundaries during a career spanning more than 50 years.

The museum contains seven galleries on the ground floor of a two-story building that Charles had built in 1964. Located in the historic Harvard Heights neighborhood, it not only houses his offices and archive of master tapes and memorabilia, but also a recording studio. The first album he made there was his 1965 disc “Country & Western Meets

Rhythm and Blues.” Alongside educational interactive displays and plenty of film and audio footage, the museum contains mementos such as costumes, gold records, a selection of Charles’ dark glasses and one of the customized chess boards on which he regularly slaughtered his sighted opponents.

Charles started what is now known as the Ray Charles Foundation with a $50 million grant, and its assets currently are valued at close to $100 million, foundation president Valerie Ervin said in an interview. His entire estate was turned over to the foundation after he died of cancer in 2004, aged 73.

Ervin’s main roles are to increase the value of the foundation’s investments-a task she

A visitor to The Ray Charles Memorial Library looks at a display during the library’s official opening Sept 23 in Los Angeles. — AP

faced by ensuring that it was not affected by the 2008 share market crash-and to give away on average about $5 million annually.

The foundation’s reach has broadened to education in general, including grants totaling $5 million to Morehouse College, a university for black men, in Atlanta. Ervin demands quarterly reports from beneficiaries, and makes surprise visits to see how the funds are being spent. A board of directors provides an extra level of oversight. The foundation’s overhead is low with five employees.

The foundation has a licensing arm, the Ray Charles Marketing Group, which handles Charles’ post-1960 recordings. Through its joint venture with Concord Records, it will release an album of rarities, “Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters,” on Oct 26.

Among the tracks is a duet with Johnny Cash on Kris Kristofferson’s “Why Me, Lord?”

“We own everything,” said Ervin, who ran Charles’ business operations during the last decade of his life. “It’s not like we have to go out and ask for (licenses). Mr Charles was very adamant that he own everything that was related to him.”

(Atlantic Records owns Charles’ 1950s recordings, but the foundation controls their usage.) None of Charles’ 12 adult children are involved with the foundation. A few years before he died, Charles advised that he would bequeath $500,000 to each of them, and warned them not to challenge his wishes.

One of the children did sue the foundation in 2008 to wrest control of Charles’ intellectual property rights, but was rebuffed in court.

The marketing group, which is based in Cleveland, Ohio, is evaluating various merchandising possibilities, but Ervin seems to favor a conservative approach guided by the notion “What would Mr. Charles do?” “As long as we are sustaining the foundation, and we are in good standing it’s not that we have to go out and make this big deal or make that big deal,” she said. “Our focus is getting about doing our business, which is making donations and fitting into the community and helping children every which way that we can. That’s what Ray wanted.” — Reuters

special collections, as Alaniz and others have done. That still amazes the 74-year-old artist, who lives outside Washington, DC, and still works for Marvel. In the early days, “If you were a serious artist, you certainly didn’t go into comic books,” Buscema says. “That changed over the years to a point now where we are extremely respected, something I never dreamed would happen when I got into the industry in 1968.” He’s never met Alaniz, a professor of Slavic languages and literature at the University of Washington who’s among a growing corps of scholars who are teaching university-level courses on comic books. But Buscema has met many like him.

“I’m so glad there are people like him out there because they kept me in business,” Buscema says, laughing. “I’m joking-I really do appreciate what he has done.”

Alaniz had been thinking about donating his comic book collection for a long time. Then, in 2009, he posted a query on a comic scholar listserv, looking for others who’d done it. Anne Davis, an anthropology librarian at the University of Washington who has an interest in graphic novels and comic books, spotted the posting and eventually asked him to meet with her and the special collections staff. “I knew it was going to be hard for him, so I wasn’t pushing him,” Davis says.

She left it up to him: “When you’re ready,” she told him, “We’re here.” It took more than a year. But an upcoming move (and the idea of having to shift his collection yet another time) and an offer of tenure at the university (meaning he could stay near his collection) told him it was time. He also knew that that the library staff could protect and preserve his collection in a way that he couldn’t. And he liked the idea that other scholars and comic fans could have access to the collection, to which he’ll add a few boxes of comic books he still has in Texas.

So, one day in August, a truck rolled up and a guy packed the boxes away. “It was scary how easy and quick it was. It was all over in five minutes,” Alaniz says.

In one sense, it was an “emotional relief,” because now he doesn’t have to worry nearly as much about his collection getting damaged or destroyed. Still, he says, “I will confess to a bittersweet feeling of emptiness.” So he sat down at the computer and started writing about it in that blog post: “Confessions of a middle-aged Marvel Zombie.” He also plans to write a book that will detail the emotional journey he has taken with the 10 books he’s keeping.

As the special collections staff prepares his comic books for public consumption-placing each one in a special protective plastic cover and placing them in dark, climate-controlled rooms-he also takes heart as he thinks about the card that will be included with some of them. It indicates that the comics are “A Gift from Jose Alaniz.” “I think it’s important that people know that this came from someone who collected these things and who saw some value in them,” he says. And, he adds, it’s nice to know that “there’ll be a little piece of me with them.”—AP

Jose Alaniz, an associate professor of Slavic Languages and Literature at the University of Washington in Seattle, poses for a photo, with one of his comic books. — AP