MORSi ROAStS IRAN - Kuwait Times

FREE 

NO: 15554- Friday, August 31, 2012 

www.kuwaittimes.net 

Morsi roasts Iran 

TEHRAN: Leaders of the Non- 

Aligned Movement (NAM) pose for a 

family photo before the start of the 

NAM summit yesterday. (Inset) 

Iranian President Mahmoud 

Ahmadinejad (left) speaks to 

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi 

during the summit. — AFP 

Max 47º 

Min 33º 

See Page 10

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31, 2012 

Just kiddin’, seriously 

Mismanaging managers 

Nobody leaves a bad job but people will leave a bad 

boss. The manager and the employee relationship is 

not always like bread and butter. Sometimes, if not 

most of the time, it’s like a predator and a prey. If you think 

I’m exaggerating then you would be one of those people 

who are lucky and haven’t come across a bad manager or a 

boss. 

There are so many kinds of managers and here are some 

examples: 

Managers who cannot work alone but can with their own 

team: These managers are a fatal threat to new employers. 

It’s like a pack of wolves that stick only with each other and 

reject any outsiders. The new employee will feel like he’s 

entering a lion’s den. This kind of manager will make the new 

employee’s life miserable in every sense until they push them 

to quit. They will intimidate him; weave untrue stories to put 

him in trouble until he leaves. 

Managers who take advantage of employees: These kinds 

of managers will oblige the employee to work their backside 

all day and night and take complete credit for it. 

Managers who perceive a smart employee as a threat: 

Some managers push the employee to the corner when they 

are threatened by a smarter, more knowledgeable and 

KUWAIT: Watermelons 

are piled up in front of 

an ‘electronics’ shop - 

with its signboard only 

in Bengali with a bit of 

English and no Arabic - 

in Hasawi. — Photo by 

Fouad Al-Shaikh 

By Sahar Moussa 

sahar@kuwaittimes.net 

charismatic employee. They feel threatened to the extent of 

using every trick in the book to safeguard their ‘throne’. May 

God have mercy on the employee. 

Managers who don’t appreciate a good employee and 

end up taking him for granted by never giving him a bonus 

or promotion. 

Managers who misuse their power and position and end 

up using it for their own personal advantage by sexually 

harassing them. 

Managers who are not fair and not even close to knowing 

what this word means, by not giving the employee his salary 

or any extra money for any overtime job. 

Managers who are workaholics and don’t have a life and 

assume that their employees don’t have one either. 

Managers who create problems and talk bad about 

employees, following the rule: ‘When you divide, you rule’. 

Managers who use employees to get what they want by 

manipulating them to do their dirty jobs. 

And finally, managers who simply excel at mismanaging. 

To be objective, there are managers who give you inspiration 

and you learn a lot from them, and consider them as 

leaders but I believe that they are only few. I write this column 

because it applies to every country and employee in the 

whole world. This topic deserves attention as Kuwait has a 

large number of expats who come from all over the world 

just to work here. Many silently suffer bad bosses because 

they have no choice. I hope that Human Resources team in 

every firm or company will pay more attention to helpless 

employees and listen to their complaints with compassion 

and understand where they’re coming from. 

To every bad boss you should know that Karma is bad too. 

Local 

Kuwait’s my business 

D: The personality 

we love to hate! 

By John P Hayes 

local@kuwaittimes.net 

At my business seminars, the majority of attendees are 

Dominant personalities, as opposed to Influencers, 

Steadies or Compliants (also known as Competents). In 

business, the D personality rules! And why not? Ds are problem 

solvers, decision makers and goal getters. If you want to sell 

something, or build a business, you need Ds. The Ds are hard 

working and energetic. Ds aren’t troubled by challenges, or 

people who say “No.” The D says, “Tell me what you want done, 

and then get out of my way and I’ll do it!” 

Dominants (sometimes called Drivers) are popular because 

they naturally take charge and get results. They are leaders. 

Board Chairs, CEOs, Vice Presidents, Directors - they are almost 

always high D personalities. They are known for getting things 

done! But it’s the way they get things done that gets them into 

trouble. If you get between a D and his goal, you will be 

ignored, run over, or worse. At a minimum you will be blamed 

for getting in the way or slowing things down! Ds don’t like 

rules and regulations. They invented the saying, “Rules are 

made to be broken.” And they break the rules hourly. 

Ds are “fault finders,” and it’s never their fault. 

Consequently, they’re often seen as rude and selfish. They’re 

rarely good team players, unless they lead the team, and things 

will always be done their way. The D’s saving grace: 

Performance! Ds will make more sales, recruit more people, 

and climb more mountains than anyone else in the company. 

Perhaps it’s easy to see why other personalities clash with Ds. If 

you’re a people person (an Influencer), a loyal person (a 

Steady), or a stickler for details (a Compliant), you get easily irritated 

by brash Ds, both at work and at home. 

You can get the best of the Ds, however. And by the best, I 

mean you can let them do their thing while also appreciating 

them. A good D can’t be stopped, so put them into situations 

where you need results. Give them the authority to make decisions, 

but check on them - every day. Even the Chairman of the 

Board must be accountable to other board members. Most 

importantly, praise the Ds! In spite of their gruff exterior, they 

seek your praises. They want to be congratulated and rewarded. 

They want everyone to know - friends, family, colleagues - 

that they’re important. Shower the D with gifts and awards - 

they prefer cash! - and the D will continue to perform for you. 

NOTE: Dr John P. Hayes is a marketing professor at Gulf 

University for Science & Technology. Contact him at 

questions@hayesworldwide.com or via Twitter @drjohnhayes.


By Ben Garcia 

Kuwait’s public parks, normally 

used for jogging, contemplating, 

playing and other forms of entertainment 

and recreational activities, are 

now slowly being renewed and upgraded. 

Many of them have built sections 

dedicated for children’s playgrounds. 

The usually secluded or fenced-in public 

parks are now open, without fences or 

barriers. Further, improvements are 

ongoing and are estimated to be completed 

within a year. In Salmiya Park, for 

example, there is a new children’s corner, 

albeit with one problem - lighting. 

“It could only be used in the early morning 

hours since there are no lights 

installed for our children to see and play 

safely at night,” an Indian mother told 

Kuwait Times. “You know the weather in 

the afternoon in Kuwait; its unbearable, 

so the best time for children to play is 

the evening. But how can they enjoy the 

play area if they can barely see it?” she 

added. 

Another complaint she had were the 

closed and filthy washrooms. “I don’t 

know why they leave the park without 

toilets - it is a necessity and they have to 

provide it for users. Even the smallest 

establishment anywhere in the world 

has to have washrooms. Why don’t we?” 

she asked. 

Water fountains are also installed in 

some public parks, as well as basketball 

and football courts, walking or jogging 

paths, and even picnic areas. 

Public parks in Kuwait are maintained 

by the municipality, supplying them 

with water and making sure that sur- 

roundings are clean and, if possible, 

green. There are also mini-parks in various 

locations and districts in Kuwait, 

although some of them are mere playgrounds 

for children, attached to known 

establishments. In Soukh Mubarakiya, 

Local 

Parks get kid-friendly 

Kuwait’s public parks undergoing 

facelifts, new children’s playgrounds open 

for example, a newly renovated playground 

is now being used by many children 

from various locations. It is 

equipped with new amenities children 

can enjoy, including slides, swings, seesaws 

and even water fountains. 

— Photos by Ben Garcia


Photos from Instagram account: 

SCWD 

Local 

What’s more fun than clicking a beautiful 

picture? Sharing it with others! This 

summer, let other people see the way 

you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday 

Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through 

Instagram feeds. If you want to share your 

Instagram photos, email us at 

instagram@kuwaittimes.net


By Nawara Fattahova 

Abdullah, 30, currently a government 

employee in a ministry, 

sits at his desk for five 

hours every day, sipping tea and 

reading Tweets. On rare occasions 

he will send out CVs to large, pri- 

vate companies as he seeks 

employment and professional 

growth. “The restricted growth 

opportunities in the public sector 

and the lack of trust in us as Kuwaiti 

employees are forcing me to reconsider 

my options here and move 

back to the UK where I studied,” 

Abdullah said. 

Abdullah’s case is not isolated. In 

a country where two-thirds of the 

labour force is made up of foreigners 

and the government provides a 

cradle-to-grave social system, 

Kuwaitis who want to grow and 

develop are increasingly considering 

greener pastures. In the current 

post-recession mode, the social 

insecurity for private sector 

employees, the political vacuum, 

the continuously skyrocketing cost 

of living and the regional turmoil 

that has taken hold in the Gulf, 

have all conspired to create a new 

migratory wave for Kuwaitis. Fresh 

graduates and other young professionals 

are starting to look at 

opportunities away from home. 

To exacerbate the sense of insecurity, 

the constant spread of 

rumours about possible Gulf turmoil 

with serious repercussions for 

Kuwait have sent shivers down the 

collective Kuwaiti spine. Just in the 

last week, a Whatsapp broadcast 

spread false information that the 

United States embassies in Kuwait 

and Bahrain advised their citizens 

not to register their children in 

schools for this year and to send 

them home before Oct 2012. The 

American Embassy in Bahrain officially 

denied issuing any statement 

warning its citizens to leave the 

country before October. 

Some Kuwaitis seek refuge from 

the domination of big business and 

contemplate moving abroad to settle, 

while people like Salah, a 29year-old 

businessman, laments the 

wasta. He said, “Although I am 

financially comfortable, I feel I am 

lacking many other things. I’m 

doing well in my business, but I’m 

still a small businessman in a place 

where all privileges go to the big 

businessmen from well-known families. 

There is no chance for competition 

in our country, and the situation 

is different elsewhere, places 

where they respect work and performance, 

rather than wasta or 

family position.” 

For Salah, settling abroad is 

being triggered by the dearth of 

equal chances between citizens in 

the community. “The problem of 

inequality exists in many different 

fields, not only in business,” Salah 

said, providing an example from his 

own job application experience. 

“Many times I tried to apply to different 

institutions, and although I 

met the conditions I didn’t succeed 

because I don’t have wasta,” he 

said. To illustrate his point, he said 

he once submitted a proposal for 

executing a project to recycle car 

tyres, but he never received 

approval. “Then I opened my 

Local 

Kuwaitis looking for a 

home away from home 

garage alone, without the government’s 

support,” he said. “All that 

we hear about supporting young 

Kuwaitis in starting small businesses 

is not true. Maybe if I demanded 

doing a project for cookies or cupcakes 

they would agree,” added 

Salah. 

He is now considering moving to 

France. “I have received an offer 

from a person I know to move to 

France and be paid $15,000 a 

month. I am really considering this 

offer,” he said, noting the bitter disappointment 

he feels due to the 

political and social situation in 

Kuwait. “I have lived here for the 

first 29 years of my life, so why not 

try to shift somewhere else to see 

how my life could be there?” he 

asked. 

Mansour, 26, a scriptwriter and a 

“person of art”, as he describes himself, 

was actively participating in 

the rallies, hoping for a change in 

the current stagnation of the country. 

Today, he says he is facing the 

dilemma to either stay in Kuwait, 

receive all the social benefits the 

country offers and “pass time”, or 

move somewhere else where he 

has a chance to become someone. 

“My craft is unique and you cannot 

make it here,” he says. 

Meanwhile, Nawaf, 32, has a relative 

who has lived in France for 

over 20 years. He explained that 

his father’s uncle, at over 60 years 

of age, is now working in a popular 

international institute in France 

representing Kuwait. After he 

retired, he decided to stay there 

with his two children. “Here he 

owns a house which he is renting 

and doesn’t want to come to live 

here. Before moving he was a 

teacher at Kuwait University. His 

uncle married a British woman 

when he was in Kuwait and moved 

with her. The fact that it’s been 

easy for him to adapt to life 

abroad means that it is not so 

hard,” Nawaf said. 

Nawaf, however, finds constantly 

moving has made another of his 

relatives less happy. He tells the 

story of his single 55-year-old 

uncle, who has to change locations 

every four years because of his 

work for the Kuwait Airways 

Corporation in their different 

branches around the world. 

“He moves to different countries, 

mostly in Asia and Europe. For 

more than 20 years he has been living 

in these countries and has never 

come back to Kuwait. Only during 

Ramadan he comes and rents a 

room in a hotel. He is not married 

and I feel sad for him,” he said. 

(Velina Nacheva contributed to this 

report)


By Nawara Fattahova 

The annual pearl diving organized by the 

Kuwait Sea Sports Club (KSSC) and held 

from Aug 23-30, 2012 concluded yesterday 

at the club with the welcoming of the participants’ 

families. This year the trip was shortened 

to one week due to the holy month of 

Ramadan and Eid. The divers returned from 

their expedition with 500 pearls of varying sizes. 

Celebrating its 24th year of preserving Kuwaiti 

tradition, nine traditional dhows were used in 

this year’s diving trip, carrying about 160 young 

men. The annual pearl diving is held under the 

patronage of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- 

Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. 

Not only were the sailors happy about participating 

in this activity, but so were their family 

members. “This is the second time for my 

brother to participate in the pearl diving trip. 

He is 16 years old and he also participated last 

year. Although we missed him a lot around the 

house, especially since he is my only brother, 

I’m happy he participated. I think this traditional 

activity teaches him to depend upon himself 

and be strong in any situation. He loves the sea, 

so he enjoys going along on this trip. We 

encouraged him to participate,” Ghaida, a sister 

of one of the divers told Kuwait times. 

Older people were reminded of their past 

during the gathering. “My 17 year old grandson, 

Abdulrahman, is participating in the pearl diving 

trip for the first time. I think it’s great, as it 

shows the new generation how we lived in the 

past before the oil era. I heard from my father 

about the pearl diving, which was difficult at 

that time and lasted for many months. Today, 

everything is easy and the young people should 

know how their fathers lived. I love the idea of 

this activity and I think all young men should try 

it,” said Um Khalil. 

Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs Jamal 

Shehab, representing the Amir during the ceremony, 

praised the achievements of the participants. 

“This year’s collection of pearls 

was better than in previous 

years. Also, there 

are seasoned divers and 

captains participating 

on this trip to share their 

experiences with the 

young divers,” he pointed 

out. “This activity 

awakens different emotions 

in me, as a Kuwaiti, 

and it reminds me of our 

fathers’ work. We call it an 

activity today, while it was 

a source of living in the 

past. Celebrating this day 

expresses our respect to the 

past and traditions. This 

activity teaches self-confidence and strengthens 

the young people’s love of their country. It 

also teaches them teamwork. The government 

should support the KSSC to help it organize this 

traditional activity every year,” he added. 

Director General of the Public Authority for 

Youth and Sports (PAYS) Faisal Al-Jazzaf said 

that the participants returned safely and 

learned of their Kuwaiti heritage during the diving 

trip. “PAYS always supports the activities of 

our youth, and pearl diving is one of the most 

significant activities. Pearl diving connects the 

past with the present. The sea heritage of old 

Kuwait represents the main pillar or base on 

which the modern economy of Kuwait was 

built. And I would like to thank everybody who 

supported these young men in their trip,” he 

stressed. After the dhows arrived on the beach 

at KSSC, the divers were welcomed by their 

family members. Some of the participants then 

performed a traditional Kuwaiti maritime song 

and dance routine. 

Local 

Young pearl divers return to shore 

— Photos by Joseph Shagra


LONDON: HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- 

Sabah left yesterday for the United States on a private visit. The Amir was 

seen off here by National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi, Kuwait’s 

Ambassador to the UK Khaled Al-Duwaisan and other officials. — KUNA 

AMMAN: Jordan said Kuwait has 

agreed to donate $1.25 billion for 

Jordanian development projects. 

Planning Ministry Secretary 

General Saleh Kharabsheh said the 

money will be spent on water, 

renewable energy and other crucial 

projects. A planning ministry 

statement said the first batch of 

$250 million will be dispersed 

soon through the Kuwaiti Fund for 

Arab Economic Development. It 

said Jordan will receive a similar 

amount every year until 2016. 

The statement said an agreement 

to that effect was signed in 

Amman yesterday. With limited 

resources, Jordan depends on foreign 

donations to keep its sluggish 

economy afloat. Jordan’s 

longtime ally, the United States, is 

the largest aid donor to the Arab 

kingdom, with contributions 

exceeding $10 billion in the last 

decade. — AP 

KUWAIT: Director General of the Directorate General of Civil 

Aviation (DGCA) Fawaz Al-Farah said yesterday that the directorate 

has recently completed the construction of four new 

departure gates at Kuwait International Airport (KIA). Al-Farah 

told KUNA that these gates include lounges for departing 

passengers and directly overlook the aircraft runway. The 

gates are reached by buses that ferry passengers back and 

forth. 

He said that these gates include numbers (9) and (10) in 

the south-eastern terminal and (27) and (28) in the southwestern 

terminal of the building. 

He said that the addition of these new gates will lift the 

terminals’ capacity by 40 percent to keep pace with the continuous 

increase of air traffic and number of passengers at 

KIA. Farah noted that the directorate is currently working on 

the completion of the contractual procedures to schedule 

additional renovations and is awaiting the approval of funds 

in the state budget in order to sign a contract for this project 

with the winning company. — KUNA 

Local 

Kuwait donates 

$1.25bn to Jordan 

Money to be used on crucial projects 

AMMAN: KFAED and Jordanian officials sign an agreement yesterday. 

— KUNA 

4 new departure gates 

open at Kuwait Airport 

Qatar’s Rasgas hit 

by computer virus 

DUBAI: Qatar’s Rasgas has found a virus in its office computer 

network, the world’s second-biggest liquefied natural gas 

(LNG) exporter said yesterday, just two weeks after the 

world’s biggest oil producer in neighbouring Saudi Arabia 

was hacked into. 

“The company’s office computers have been affected by 

an unknown virus ... It was first identified on Monday,” 

Rasgas, one of two Qatari LNG producers, said in a statement. 

“Operational systems both onsite and offshore are secure and 

this does not affect production at the Ras Laffan Industrial 

City plant or scheduled cargoes.” 

It was not clear whether Rasgas has been victim of the 

same malicious software or hacker group that targeted about 

30,000 desktop PCs at Saudi Aramco on Aug 15. Saudi 

Aramco also said oil production and key data were unaffected 

by the intrusion into its office networks by a virus thought 

designed to wipe files from desktop hard drives. But two 

weeks on, the Saudi Aramco website www.aramco.com 

which was taken offline by the company to limit options for 

further attacks, remained down yesterday. — Reuters 

Bahrain police 

charged over 

teenager’s death 

DUBAI: A Bahrain policeman has been 

charged over shooting dead a Shiite 

teenager when a group of protesters 

attacked security forces with petrol 

bombs, an investigator said. The public 

prosecution “accused the policeman who 

opened fire on one of the attackers of 

premeditated murder,” said official, 

Nawaf Hamza, late on Wednesday, 

according to BNA state news agency. He 

said the accused was released but has 

been banned from travel. His name and 

nationality have not been revealed. But 

the public prosecution issued a later 

statement saying the charge against the 

policeman was “preliminary”, pending an 

investigation which so far shows the 

killing was “likely a case of self defence”. 

Sixteen-year-old Shiite Hussam Al- 

Haddad died of his injuries on August 17, 

after police opened fire under attack from 

petrol bombs in Sunni-dominated 

Muharraq, close to the capital, according 

to the interior ministry. The Sunni-ruled 

kingdom, home to the US Fifth Fleet and 

strategically situated across the Gulf from 

Iran, has continued to witness sporadic 

Shiite-led demonstrations mostly outside 

the capital since it crushed a pro-democracy 

uprising in March last year. Hamza 

said the investigation revealed that police 

fired warning shots at 25 to 30 protesters 

attacking their patrol with petrol bombs, 

and that the defendant shot Haddad as 

he was about to hit him from close range 

with a Molotov cocktail. The ministry had 

said at the time that security forces acted 

in self-defence. — AFP


15 

New Orleans 

levees 

17 

hold 

as Isaac floods 

Gulf coast 18 

Twin typhoons 

raise fears in 

disaster-prone 

N Korea 

Romney’s speech 

to Republican 

convention to be 

vital moment 

TEHRAN: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi (centre) delivers his speech as his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (left) and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh look on during 

the Non-Alligned Movement (NAM) summit yesterday. — AFP 

Syria’s ‘oppressive regime’ must go 

Iran summit stumbles on nuclear, Syria criticism 

TEHRAN: A showpiece summit hosted by Iran 

stumbled as soon as it opened yesterday when 

the head of the UN pressed Tehran on its 

nuclear stand, and Egypt’s new leader publicly 

sided with Syria’s opposition. The double challenge, 

before the leaders and delegates of the 

120-member Non-Aligned Movement, upset 

Iran’s plans to portray the two-day summit as a 

diplomatic triumph over Western efforts to isolate 

it. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 

opened the event with a speech blasting the 

United States as a hegemonic meddler and 

Israel as a regime of “Zionist wolves.” 

He also stated that his country “is never 

seeking nuclear weapons” and accused the UN 

Security Council, under US influence, of exerting 

an “overt dictatorship” over the world. UN 

chief Ban Ki-moon, who looked irritated at 

Khamenei’s remarks, shot back that Iran should 

boost global confidence in its nuclear activities 

by “fully complying with the relevant (UN) 

Security Council resolutions and thoroughly 

cooperating with the IAEA,” the UN’s nuclear 

watchdog. He warned about the current state 

of bellicose rhetoric coming from Israel and 

Iran, saying “a war of words can quickly spiral 

into a war of violence.” Egypt’s new President 

Mohamed Morsi-making the first visit to Iran by 

an Egyptian head of state since the 1979 Islamic 

revolution-in turn embarrassed his hosts by 

voicing support for the opposition in Syria, 

which is fighting the Damascus regime unwaveringly 

backed by Iran. 

“The revolution in Egypt is the cornerstone 

for the Arab Spring, which started days after 

Tunisia and then it was followed by Libya and 

Yemen and now the revolution in Syria against 

its oppressive regime,” Morsi said. That contradicted 

the line put out by Damascus and 

Tehran, which assert that the Syrian uprising is 

a “terrorist” plot masterminded by the United 

States and regional countries. 

Morsi’s address prompted a walkout by the 

Syrian government delegation and drew a 

sharp response from Syria’s Foreign Minister 

Walid Muallem, who accused the Egyptian 

leader of inciting further bloodshed in Syria. 

Iran’s state media failed to mention the contentious 

parts of Ban and Morsi’s speeches in 

their coverage of the summit. Morsi reportedly 

had a short one-on-one with Iranian President 

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before leaving Tehran, 

in which they discussed Syria and possibility of 

reviving ties. 

Iran nuclear activity under UN scrutiny 

The summit to-and-fro over Iran’s nuclear 

ambitions had its roots in an unusually frank 

meeting Ban held with Khamenei and 

Ahmadinejad after arriving on Wednesday. Ban 

told them Iran needed to provide “concrete” 

steps to ease the international showdown 

which has raised the spectre of airstrikes on 

nuclear facilities, threatened by both Israel and 

the United States. Tensions have been raised by 

the International Atomic Energy Agency unveiling 

a new Iran “task force” to scrutinise Tehran’s 

nuclear programme and its compliance with 

UN resolutions. Additionally, the latest IAEA 

report on Iran’s nuclear progress was expected 

to be released this week-possibly even during 

the Tehran summit. The report is said to highlight 

expanded enrichment in Iran and suspicions 

concerning an off-limits military base in 

Parchin, outside Tehran, where warhead design 

experiments might have taken place. 

Ban, whose presence at the summit had 

been criticised by the United States and Israel, 

also took Iran’s leaders to task for recent comments 

calling Israel a “cancerous tumour” that 

should be cut out of the Middle East. He urged 

both Iran and Israel to cool the bellicose language. 

“I strongly reject any threat by any (UN) 

member state to destroy another, or outrageous 

comments to deny historical facts such as 

the Holocaust,” Ban said in his summit speech. 

“Claiming another UN member state does 

not have the right to exist or describe it in racist 

terms is not only utterly wrong but undermines 

the very principles we have all pledged to 

uphold,” he said. “I urge all the parties to stop 

provocative and inflammatory threats. A war of 

words can quickly spiral into war of violence. 

Bluster can so easily become bloodshed. Now is 

the time for all the leaders to use their voices to 

lower, not raise, tensions,” he said. A total of 29 

heads of state or government are attending the 

Tehran summit, including those of Afghanistan, 

India, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, the Palestinian 

Authority, Sudan, Qatar and Zimbabwe. North 

Korea was represented by its ceremonial head 

of state, parliamentary president Kim Yong- 

Nam, rather than the country’s leader Kim 

Jong-Un. — AFP


UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security 

Council warned yesterday against 

attempts to threaten the security and 

stability of Lebanon amid outbursts of 

violence and escalating tensions in the 

country fueled by the 17-month conflict 

in neighboring Syria. The warning 

was contained in a resolution unanimously 

passed by the council to renew 

a 11,500-strong UN peacekeeping force 

in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL and based 

in a Hezbollah stronghold in the south 

to monitor a cessation of hostilities 

with Israel. 

The resolution condemned “all 

attempts to threaten the security and 

stability of Lebanon, reaffirming its 

determination to ensure that no such 

acts of intimidation will prevent UNIFIL 

from implementing its mandate.” A 

roadside bomb wounded five French 

peacekeepers in southern Lebanon in 

December, one of several attacks on 

the UN force last year. France blamed 

Syria for the attack, saying it had acted 

through its Lebanese ally, powerful 

Shi’ite Muslim militant group 

Hezbollah. 

Syria, which has had far-reaching 

influence in Lebanon for decades, 

denied any links to the attack. Syrian 

President Bashar al-Assad withdrew 

troops from Lebanon in 2005 after a 29year 

presence and Hezbollah remains a 

strong ally. France, Lebanon’s former 

colonial power, has contributed the 

largest number of troops to the UN 

peacekeeping force and is increasingly 

concerned the Syrian crisis-which 

International 

UN warns against threats to Lebanon 

Fall of Maldives 

president not a 

‘coup’, claims panel 

COLOMBO: A Commonwealth-backed investigation in the 

Maldives yesterday dismissed claims that a coup forced 

Mohamed Nasheed from the presidency in February and 

declared it was a legitimate transfer of power. The panel’s report 

concluded that Nasheed, who alleged he was ousted in a coup, 

had resigned voluntarily-a judgment promptly rejected by his 

party which staged another street protest and clashed with 

police. 

The Commission of National Inquiry (CoNI), consisting of four 

nationals named by political parties and a Singaporean judge 

nominated by the Commonwealth, found the change of president 

was “legal and constitutional”. “The resignation of President 

Nasheed was voluntary and of his own free will,” it said in a 62page 

report which was also signed by a Canadian and New 

Zealander who functioned as observers for the UN and the 

Commonwealth. 

Nasheed’s departure “was not caused by any illegal coercion 

or intimidation,” the report said. Nasheed has previously told his 

supporters that it would be legitimate to challenge the current 

government through “street action” if the report rejected his 

claims that he was overthrown in a military and police coup. 

Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) activists took to the 

streets yesterday night in a repeat of protests that have gripped 

the capital Male for the past six months. 

Police Superintendent Abdulla Nawaz said they arrested at 

least 23 activists. “They have assaulted one of our officers and 

damaged the windows of a police vehicle,” Nawaz said when 

contacted by telephone. MDP activists said about 50 of their supporters 

had been arrested within a two-hour period and accused 

police of clamping down on their nightly street demonstration. 

“We will keep up our campaign to press for early elections,” 

MDP spokesman Hamid Abdul Ghafoor told AFP by telephone. 

He rejected the CoNI report as a “total outrage”. However, both 

the Commonwealth and the United States welcomed the report. 

“We urge all parties to respect those findings, to exercise 

restraint, obey the rule of law, and continue to express themselves 

in a peaceful and non-violent manner,” the US state 

department said in a statement. 

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said that 

“the task ahead for all Maldivians must be to strengthen democracy”. 

“An atmosphere of peace and public order is essential for 

that to happen,” he said. Nasheed’s nominee on the CoNI panel 

resigned late on Wednesday saying that it had ignored vital evidence, 

including photographs and videos. —AP 

MALE: A supporter of former president Mohammed 

Nasheed is detained during a protest after the commission 

of national inquiry released its report yesterday. — AP 

SYDNEY: Rescuers plucked 55 survivors 

from the ocean yesterday, more than a 

day after an asylum-seeker boat heading 

for Australia disappeared off the 

Indonesian coast with 150 people 

aboard. After Indonesia abandoned its 

search, six people were rescued 

overnight by a cargo ship and 49 more 

were pulled from the water by an 

Australian navy crew after being located 

by spotter planes late yesterday. “The 

vessels have recovered 55 survivors. 

Three have serious injuries but are in a 

stable condition,” the Australian 

Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said, 

adding that the search was being scaled 

back. 

“Vessels will remain on scene 

overnight, but have limited search capability 

until daylight Friday.” The head of 

Indonesia’s rescue mission at Merak port 

in western Java said it appeared that 

one of the survivors had been bitten by 

a shark. Indonesia’s National Search and 

Rescue Agency (Basarnas) received an 

alert from AMSA early Wednesday that a 

boat was in distress between Java and 

Sumatra, 220 nautical miles from the 

Australian territory of Christmas Island. 

Basarnas sent two police rescue 

boats and a helicopter but found noth- 

ing and returned to base, only for AMSA 

to task the cargo ship APL Bahrain, 

which responded to an earlier broadcast 

to shipping, to attend a broader search 

area. The captain of the Bahrain said 

screams and whistles alerted his crew as 

it scoured the Sunda Strait in darkness. 

“We were doing scheduled searching. 

At the last moment when I was 

thinking to abort, I heard some noises, 

and we spotted them in the water,” 

Captain Manuel Nistorescu told the 

Sydney Morning Herald’s website. “I 

(sent) a crew to get them and it was not 

easy... It was dark.” He said the rescued 

men appeared to be in good condition, 

adding that they said the pump on their 

boat failed and the vessel began taking 

on water. “They had an engine break 

and the water was coming, and the 

pump for pumping out the water was 

not working and the boat sinks. This is 

what I understand from them,” he said. 

Australian Home Affairs Minister 

Jason Clare said there were serious concerns 

for those still missing, who include 

women and children. “We have grave 

fears for a lot more,” he said. “Don’t 

underestimate how hard it is to find 

people in the middle of the sea.” AMSA 

said the survivors were expected to be 

began as peaceful pro-democracy 

protests-could spread into Lebanon. 

In an annual foreign policy speech 

on Monday, French President Francois 

Hollande said a solution to the Syrian 

crisis had to be found before it spread 

beyond its borders. 

“I realize the difficulty of the task 

and the risks, but what is at stake goes 

far beyond Syria,” he said. “It concerns 

the entire security of the Middle East 

and especially the independence and 

stability of Lebanon.” —Reuters 

SYDNEY: A poster promoting an Australian television documentary “Go back to where you came from” a campaign for 

refugee rights are dispayed on a street board yesterday. — AFP 

55 rescued from missing 

Indonesia asylum boat 

Rush of asylum-seekers before Australian crackdown 

taken to Merak in Indonesia’s Java for 

medical attention. An Indonesian rescue 

boat carrying doctors was steaming to 

the area where the boat sank along with 

a police ship. 

Four merchant vessels were continuing 

the search alongside HMAS Maitland 

and two Australian P3 Orion aircraft. 

Australia is facing a steady influx of asylum-seekers 

arriving by boat, many of 

whom use Indonesia as a transit hub, 

paying people-smugglers for passage 

on leaky wooden vessels after fleeing 

their home countries. 

Canberra this month said 300 boatpeople 

had died en route to the country 

this year, with vessels being intercepted 

by the Australian navy on almost a daily 

basis. Two weeks ago, Canberra 

announced its intention to transfer asylum-seekers 

to Nauru and Papua New 

Guinea in the Pacific as part of a tough 

new policy to deter them from making 

the dangerous sea voyage. But more 

than 1,000 boatpeople have arrived 

since the policy was adopted. “My message 

to them is, don’t get on the boat,” 

said Clare. “What we’ve seen today is 

there is a real risk people will die... that 

people will end up at the bottom of the 

sea.” — AFP


LAGOS: This file photo shows a Nigeria secret service officer 

standing guard during a court hearing. — AP 

Nigeria secret police 

details leaked: Report 

LAGOS: Personnel records of former and current members of 

Nigeria’s top domestic spy agency, including home addresses 

and names of immediate family members, leaked onto the 

Internet in a threatening message that claimed to come from a 

radical Islamist sect that’s killed hundreds of people this year 

alone, The Associated Press has learned. The leak of personal 

data of more than 60 past and current employees of Nigeria’s 

State Security Service remained easily accessible on the Internet 

for days and had details about the agency’s director-general, 

including his mobile phone number, bank account particulars 

and contact information for his son. 

Many of agents listed who could be reached by the AP said 

they received no official warning from the spy agency that their 

information had been posted online nor been otherwise alerted. 

The material has been deleted from the comment section of 

a website, but the security breach astonished spy service veterans 

and calls into question whether Nigeria’s intelligence community, 

whose agents already have released suspected terrorists 

out of religious and ethnic sympathies, are too compromised 

from within to stop the violence now plaguing Africa’s 

most populous nation. 

A senior Nigerian intelligence official said authorities were 

aware that the leak had happened and that many were embarrassed 

by it. He spoke on condition of anonymity as information 

about the leak was not to have been made public. Marilyn 

Ogar, a spokeswoman for the State Security Service, declined to 

answer questions Thursday about the posting of the information. 

The State Security Service, created in 1986 by then-military 

ruler Gen Ibrahim Babangida, monitors domestic dissent in 

Nigeria, an oil-rich nation of more than 160 million people. 

Though geared toward stopping terrorism and destabilizing 

coups, the agency routinely faces criticism for targeting government 

critics. In Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, the agency operates out 

of cars made to look like the many green taxis that roam the 

streets. Plain-clothed agents of the service routinely question 

foreign journalists at airports, border crossings and on city 

streets if they see reporters conducting interviews. Agents carrying 

assault rifles often guard major events in the country. 

Many agents for the typically secretive agency are preoccupied 

with concealing their identities, as most try to blend unnoticed 

into society. The information leak came in two postings 

earlier this month on a website that provides rewritten news on 

Nigeria. The first posting threatened to kill agents of the State 

Security Service on behalf of Boko Haram, a radical Islamist sect 

responsible for more than 660 killings this year alone in Nigeria. 

The second posting simply offered a block of text containing 

biographical and other details about the agents. 

Though the comments have been removed, the AP is not 

identifying the website involved as cached versions of the comments 

remain online and intelligence service agents have been 

killed by Boko Haram members in the past. The list includes former 

and current agents across the country, including Director- 

General Ekpeyong Ita. Those reached by the AP who were willing 

to talk expressed disbelief that sensitive information like 

that could make its way to the Internet. 

“I was shocked to see my details posted on the Internet,” 

said one former agent, who declined to be named out of safety 

concerns. “I’ve not heard anything from anybody. I was surprised 

that such information could be leaked.” Another man on 

the list said he simply once served as a doctor to help the 

agency on an on call basis only. The list appeared to include 

lower-ranking agents, as well as one-time state directors for the 

agency.—AP 

MIAMI: Prosecutors in the 

Guantanamo war crimes tribunals have 

filed new terrorism charges against a 

Saudi prisoner accused of plotting with 

Al-Qaeda to blow up oil tankers off the 

coast of Yemen, the Pentagon said on 

Wednesday. 

Ahmed al Darbi could face life in 

prison if convicted on six charges that 

include conspiracy, aiding and abetting 

the hazarding of a vessel and aiding 

and abetting terrorism. Darbi, 37, is 

accused of working as a weapons 

instructor at an Al-Qaeda camp in 

Afghanistan in the late 1990s and meeting 

al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden 

there. He also is charged with abetting 

a plot to bomb civilian tankers in the 

Strait of Hormuz and off the coast of 

Yemen from 2000 to 2002. 

Specifically, he is accused of using al 

Qaeda money to buy a boat and GPS 

navigational devices and helping 

obtain travel documents for al Qaeda 

operatives. He also is accused of abet- 

ting the plot to bomb a French oil 

tanker, the MV Limburg, off Yemen in 

2002. The blast killed a Bulgarian crewman 

and dumped tens of thousands of 

gallons of oil into the Gulf of Aden. 

“Mr Al-Darbi’s alleged crimes are 

serious violations of the law of war that 

were committed to terrorize and wreak 

havoc on the world economy,” 

Brigadier General Mark Martins, the 

chief prosecutor for the Guantanamo 

tribunals, said in a statement. Darbi’s 

lawyer did not immediately respond to 

a request for comment on Wednesday. 

Darbi, who was captured in 

Azerbaijan in 2002, said previously said 

he used his boat only to carry sheep 

across the Strait of Hormuz. If Darbi 

were to plead guilty and cooperate 

with Guantanamo prosecutors in 

exchange for leniency, he could be a 

useful witness against another prisoner 

facing death penalty charges stemming 

from al Qaeda attacks on vessels. 

That prisoner, alleged al Qaeda 

International 

US charges Saudi at Gitmo with 

plotting to bomb oil tankers 

Prisoner Ahmed Al-Darbi could face life in prison 

Palestinians 

backtrack 

on bid for 

UN upgrade 

RAMALLAH: Palestinian officials yesterday 

appeared to backtrack on a pledge to make a fresh 

bid for upgraded UN membership on September 

27. Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Palestinian 

president Mahmud Abbas, told AFP the date 

would be decided next week when Abbas meets 

the Arab League in Cairo. “The president will have 

Palestinian, Arab and international consultations to 

set a date for the UN bid to present the request for 

non-member state status for Palestine,” he said. 

“After the Tehran summit, the president will go 

to Cairo to attend the Arab League follow-up committee 

meeting on September 5 and 6 which will 

set a date for the Palestinian bid seeking a status 

upgrade to non-member state.” Abbas was yesterday 

at a Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran 

where members are expected to vote on a political 

declaration endorsing Palestinian plans for 

upgrading their status from observer entity to a 

non-member observer state. 

Last September, Abbas made a high-profile 

effort to obtain full member status for Palestine at 

the UN, but the request was never put to a vote in 

the Security Council where the United States had 

pledged to veto it. The outcome of the NAM summit 

would have a “big effect” on Palestinian plans, 

Abu Rudeina said. “The decisions taken at the NAM 

summit will have a big effect on the bid to seek 

non-member UN status for Palestine,” he said, 

without explaining further. 

On August 4, Palestinian foreign minister Riyad 

al-Malki had said Abbas would make the upgrade 

request on September 27 during the UN General 

Assembly. “In the upcoming session of the General 

Assembly next month, President Abbas will speak 

about this on the 27th. Palestine will apply immediately 

to the UN, and the head of the General 

Assembly will be informed that Palestine wants to 

obtain non-member status,” he told reporters. 

“After that, we will begin communicating with all 

components of the General Assembly to talk about 

the appropriate date” for a vote on the issue. Nimr 

Hammad, political adviser to Abbas said the UN 

upgrade request would definitely go ahead, but 

confirmed the date would only be set “in the 

upcoming weeks.” —AFP 

chieftain Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, is 

accused in the plot to attack the 

Limburg, as well as sending suicide 

bombers to ram a boat full of explosives 

into the side of the USS Cole in the 

Port of Aden in 2000. The attack on the 

US warship killed 17 sailors. Charges 

similar to those announced on 

Wednesday were filed against Darbi in 

2007 and referred for trial in 2008 in the 

Guantanamo war crimes tribunals. A 

lawyer familiar with the original charges 

said Darbi was given $50,000 of al 

Qaeda money to further the boats plot 

but spent a lot of it on prostitutes and 

drugs. 

Those charges were dismissed in 

2009 to give the Obama administration 

time to review its Guantanamo policy. 

President Barack Obama tried unsuccessfully 

to shut down the 

Guantanamo detention camp, which 

still holds 168 foreign prisoners, and 

move the prosecutions into US civilian 

courts. — Reuters 

ISTANBUL: Turkish soldiers march during a military parade marking the 90th 

anniversary of Victory Day yesterday. Turkey commemorates the anniversary 

of the day in 1922 that marked the end of Turkey’s independence war with a 

victory over Greek occupation troops in Anatolia. — AFP 

Tunisia media accuses 

govt of clampdown 

TUNIS: Tunisian journalists and media 

figures yesterday accused the government 

of clamping down on freedom of 

expression, as the Islamist-led state is 

criticised for tightening its grip on the 

press. Two state-run newspapers said 

their new director, who they consider 

too close to the ruling Ennahda party, 

censored an article they were to publish 

criticising his appointment by the government. 

And the head of a TV channel 

gave himself up to the authorities yesterday 

under an arrest warrant, claiming 

this was ordered in retaliation for a political 

satire show his station aired. 

International NGOs have recently criticised 

the Tunis government for seeking 

to manipulate the media, including by 

appointing new directors to head public 

media groups without consulting their 

staff. 

“This is harassment,” a journalist and 

unionist said of the alleged censorship 

by state-owned Dar Assabah press group 

director Lotfi Touati of newspapers Le 

Temps and Essabah. The two dailies were 

to run an article criticising Touati’s recent 

appointment to his position by the gov- 

ernment, but he stopped it being printed 

overnight Wednesday and called the 

police to the office, Sana Farhat told AFP. 

“The new heads want to control the 

newspapers’ editorial line,” Farhat 

added, accusing the director of taking 

orders from the government. She said 

the article, which was also to announce a 

September 11 strike, was replaced by 

commercials. Meanwhile Sami Fehri, 

head of Ettounsiya TV, turned himself in 

to the attorney general’s office almost a 

week after his arrest warrant was issued, 

his lawyer told AFP. 

In a video statement released during 

the night, Fehri said he was going to the 

attorney general to allege unlawful prosecution 

and an attack on freedom of 

expression. “Freedom of expression with 

which we live since January 14 (2011, the 

day Ben Ali fled Tunisia) is threatened,” 

said Fehri. He believes his arrest was 

ordered because of his channel’s satirical 

puppet show, which was recently and 

abruptly halted allegedly under pressure 

from the authorities. Fehri last week told 

Express FM radio he would not fight the 

warrant.—AFP


International 

Former rebel bastion now battleground in Angolan vote 

HUAMBO: Once the stronghold of the feared Unita 

rebels, Angola’s second city Huambo has emerged 

as a key battlefield in Friday’s general elections as 

the party struggles in politics to regain its territory. 

“This year the battle is going to be competitive. The 

ruling party is no longer certain of easy victory, and 

its historic rival needs to prove that it can still 

mobilise” its supporters, said Alicerces Mango, a 

local official with the new Casa opposition party. 

Huambo resonates with symbolism from the 27year 

civil war. As the stronghold of the Union for the 

Total Independence of Angola (Unita), the city of 

400,000 people suffered some of the war’s most 

crushing battles. The southern city infamously lived 

under siege for 50 days. After the war, Huambo was 

left devastated. 

It finally fell to President Jose Eduardo dos Santos 

and the ruling MPLA in 2008 elections, when the 

People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola 

won the province’s five seats in parliament. That vic- 

MOMBASA: Local tourists walk at the Kenyatta public beach yesterday. — AFP 

Kenyan prez visits 

riot-hit port city 

MOMBASA: Kenyan President Mwai 

Kibaki arrived in the port city of 

Mombasa yesterday after days of violence 

sparked by the killing of a radical 

Muslim cleric, as authorities insisted 

security has been restored. Hundreds of 

armed security officers have been 

deployed in Mombasa to quash stonethrowing 

rioters who took to the streets 

in their hundreds following the assassination 

of preacher Aboud Rogo 

Mohammed on Monday. 

“We have tightened security, we 

have enough security forces,” said 

regional police chief Aggrey Adoli, 

speaking a day after attackers hurled a 

grenade at a police truck, wounding at 

least four officers. “We have not had 

problems today.” The attack, in which 

the Red Cross said one person was 

killed, was the second such blast since 

riots broke out on Monday, with an earlier 

grenade killing three policemen on 

Tuesday. 

Kibaki flew to Mombasa to open an 

agricultural trade fair, a longstanding 

engagement, but one which is also 

viewed as a government effort to show 

confidence in security in the city, 

Kenya’s main port and a key tourist 

hub. For two days, angry youths fought 

running battles with police, looting 

churches and torching cars. But Muslim 

leaders said yesterday the situation had 

improved, with many businesses closed 

during the rioting now open. “Things 

are much calmer after last night’s house 

to house searches by the police... 

Mombasa is slowly returning to normal,” 

said Khalid Hussein, head of the 

local organisation Muslims for Human 

Rights. “All we can do is pray that police 

do not go out on a revenge mission 

since some of their own have fallen victim 

to the violence. This might provoke 

the rioters again.” 

The murdered cleric-popularly 

known as Rogo-was on US and UN 

sanctions lists for allegedly supporting 

neighbouring Somalia’s Al-Qaedalinked 

Shebab militants. Rogo had 

fiercely opposed Kenya’s invasion of 

southern Somalia last year to attack 

Shebab bases. The United States and 

United Nations had accused him of 

recruiting and fundraising for the 

extremist insurgents. 

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on 

Wednesday visited Mombasa, where he 

called for the nation to come together 

to stop religious violence. “We are not 

going to allow outside forces to incite 

Kenyans to create religious war,” 

Odinga said, after meeting with religious 

leaders from the majority-Muslim 

region, which also has a significant 

Christian population. Foreign 

embassies-including those of Australia, 

Britain, France and the United Stateshave 

issued travel warnings for 

Mombasa, where several large tourist 

resorts are based. —AFP 

tory more than anything exposed the frailty of Unita 

as an opposition party, without its notorious leader 

Jonas Savimbi who was killed by the army in 2002. 

Unita took only 10 percent of the ballots in 2008. 

“Today we are better organised,” said Liberty 

Chiyaka, Unita’s provincial secretary. “We have visited 

all the villages to explain that their vote is secret. 

We will have two party representatives at each 

polling station, and will do our own compilation of 

the results.” “Unlike in 2008, we can monitor the 

vote, and we will do everything to minimise the 

impact of fraud,” he said. 

Unita has used its campaign to underscore worries 

about the election, from the integrity of the voter 

roll to the MPLA’s use of public resources-especially 

the broadcast media-in its campaign. The party 

faces other challenges from within. Top Unita 

leader Abel Chivukuvuku split away in April to form 

the new Casa party with a top MPLA figure and a 

clutch of smaller opposition parties.—AFP 

LONDON: The British government has stripped a 

London university of its right to sponsor visas for overseas 

students, leaving 2,000 of students facing possible 

deportation. London Metropolitan University had 

its Highly Trusted Status-which allowed it to sponsor 

visas for students from outside the European Unionrevoked 

by the UK Border Agency on Wednesday over 

alleged failings in its procedures. 

The move means current overseas students have 

60 days to enrol on a course elsewhere, with more 

than 2,000 students facing deportation if they fail to 

find another university, according to the National 

Union of Students (NUS). The union warned of “catastrophic” 

effects on Britain’s industry for educating 

students from overseas, which was estimated last year 

to be worth £14 billion (17.7 billion euros, $22.2 billion). 

Almost 300,000 non-EU foreign students were 

enrolled in Britain in the 2010-11 academic year. The 

university said on its website: “The implications of the 

revocation are hugely significant and far-reaching... 

Our ABSOLUTE PRIORITY is to our students, both current 

and prospective, and the University will meet all 

its obligations to them.” 

Immigration minister Damian Green told BBC radio 

that after an audit lasting six months, the Border 

Agency found “a serious systemic failure where it 

appears that the university doesn’t have the capacity 

to be a proper sponsor”. He said that a quarter of students 

there lacked permission to stay in the country, 

while there was insufficient evidence that students 

spoke English and no proof that half of those enrolled 

had been attending lectures. 

But he sought to reassure prospective students 

that “this will not be replicated across the university 

sector”. The government had formed a task force to 

assist current students whose visas are set to be 

revoked, he added. The NUS labelled the move political, 

linking it with promised immigration quotas 

brought in by Prime Minister David Cameron’s government. 

It said it had contacted Cameron to “express anger 

at the way decisions have been made in recent weeks 

and to reiterate the potentially catastrophic effects on 

higher education... as an export industry”. A Border 

Agency spokesman said: “The latest audit revealed 

problems with 61 percent of files randomly sampled. 

Allowing London Metropolitan University to continue 

to sponsor and teach international students was not 

an option. 

LUANDA: National Union for the Total Independence of 

Angola (UNITA) supporters react as they listen to a speech 

of their leader Isaias Samakuva (unseen) during the final 

rally campaign. — AFP 

2,000 students at risk 

of deportation from UK 

‘Problems with one university, not whole sector’ 

“These are problems with one university, not the 

whole sector.” London Metropolitan is in the top 20 

British recruiters of international students, with 6,000 

EU and non-EU overseas students in 2010-11, according 

to government figures. It said it was working 

closely with bodies including the Border Agency to try 

to resolve the problems. — AFP 

Killer wants Punk 

Riot freed: Russia 

MOSCOW: The bodies of two slain women were 

found in Russia beneath a scrawled message 

demanding freedom for the jailed members of the 

Punk Riot band, officials said yesterday. While a 

Russian investigator cautioned that the killer was 

possibly trying to mislead police by drawing attention 

to the punk provocateurs, the alleged link 

between a killer and anti-Putin protesters was 

immediately seized upon by Russian media and pro- 

Kremlin publicists. Some publications ran headlines 

claiming that Punk Riot supporters “committed” or 

“inspired” a double homicide. The coverage was full 

of the mostly negative terms used by Kremlinfriendly 

television networks and media in their coverage 

of the protesters’ trial. 

A Moscow court earlier this month sentenced 

three Punk Riot members to two years in jail for performing 

a “punk prayer” against President Vladimir 

Putin at a Moscow cathedral in February. The trial, 

widely seen as Kremlin-orchestrated, caused an 

international furor, with celebrities such as Paul 

McCartney urging Russian authorities to free the 

band. The jailed band members’ attorney said on 

Twitter that “what happened in Kazan is horrible,” 

calling the case “either a horrendous provocation or 

a psychopathic” case. 

“I am sorry that some freaks are using Punk Riot’s 

band name,” Nikolai Polozov was quoted by the 

Interfax news agency as saying. Russia’s 

Investigative Committee said the women, aged 76 

and 38, were killed late last week in their apartment 

in the central city of Kazan with the words “Free 

Punk Riot” written on the wall in English, “presumably” 

with blood.—AP


KUMASI: Ghana’s ruling National Democratic Congress 

met yesterday and was expected to endorse President 

John Dramani Mahama for December elections following 

the death of John Atta Mills last month. Mills had been set 

to run for re-election in the December vote before he died 

on July 24 at age 68. No official cause has been given, but 

there have been unconfirmed reports that he suffered 

from throat cancer. Some 2,000 delegates, including 

Mahama and former president Jerry Rawlings, were 

attending the congress in Kumasi in south-central Ghana, 

traditionally a stronghold of the opposition but where the 

NDC is seeking to make inroads. Mahama, who had been 

vice president before Mills’s death, was sworn in to serve 

out the remainder of the late leader’s term, as dictated by 

International 

Ghana ruling party meets to endorse prez candidate 

SENEGAL: Protesters gather outside the Gambian embassy yesterday to 

demand President Yahya Jammeh halt the mass execution of prisoners, and 

urging the international community to intervene. The banner reads: “Stop 

summary executions. The African Union and ECOWAS must react”. — AFP 

Senegalese protest mass 

execution of prisoners 

DAKAR: Scores of Senegalese protested 

outside Gambia’s embassy yesterday to 

demand that President Yahya Jammeh 

halt the execution of prisoners as another 

38 convicts face the firing squad in coming 

weeks. Demonstrators implored the 

international community to intervene 

after nine prisoners, including two 

Senegalese citizens, were executed for 

their crimes last Sunday in the tiny country 

which is wedged into Senegal. 

The protesters chanted “Yahya assassin! 

Jammeh criminal!” and “Jammeh to 

the ICC (International Criminal Court)” as 

a handful of riot police kept watch. “We 

want to alert the international community 

to say there are 38 people on death 

row and if nothing is done ... these people 

will be executed and thrown into 

mass graves,” said Alioune Tine of the 

Dakar-based African Assembly for the 

Defense of Human Rights. 

“As we speak no remains are in the 

hands of families.” Tine said the 47-yearold 

Gambian leader was a “modern day 

Idi Amin” referring to the former 

Ugandan dictator, and: “We must 

absolutely end the regime of this dictator.” 

The former soldier who seized power 

in a bloodless coup in 1994, has vowed 

to carry out all death sentences by mid- 

September. 

Sheriff Bojang, a Gambian journalist 

exiled in Dakar like many of his colleagues 

who have fled persecution, is the 

first cousin of one of those executed on 

Sunday, Lieutenant Lamin Jarjou - one of 

three soldiers killed. He said his cousin 

was accused of involvement in a bloody 

counter-coup attempt in 1994, and 

another several years later. “That is what 

they said. He was tried, obviously they 

were beaten, coerced into signing things. 

We believed there was never a fair trial,” 

Bojang told AFP. 

Like most prisoners in Gambia, Jarjou 

was convicted by judges known locally 

as “machinery judges”, hired by Jammeh 

from Nigeria. “He has the right to fire and 

hire them anytime so they only do what 

he wants them to do.” In all the time 

Jarjou was in prison, the only person to 

see him was his brother, for 10 minutes, 

during a hospital stay, said Bojang. 

“Everybody was shocked ... nobody 

was aware of it,” he said of the execution. 

His body has also not been returned to 

the family for proper Muslim burial rites. 

Amnesty has said many on death row 

were tried on “politically motivated 

charges and subjected to torture and 

other ill-treatment to force confessions.” 

Last year eight military top brass, 

including the former army and intelligence 

chiefs and the ex-deputy head of 

the police force, were sentenced to death 

for treason. Jammeh, who claims he can 

cure AIDS, is often pilloried for rights 

abuses and the muzzling of journalists. 

He has in the past threatened to cut off 

the heads of homosexuals and heaps 

derision on any criticism from the West. 

Often accused by observers of paranoia, 

seeing coup plots around every corner 

and regularly reshuffling his government 

and top military officials, Jammeh 

rules the tiny nation with an iron fist. “We 

have information that he has become 

completely mad; it is that in fact, there is 

no explanation,” said Diene Ndiaye of 

Amnesty Senegal. 

Mahawa Cham, a former Gambian 

lawmaker (2001-2006) and member of 

Jammeh’s party, has no doubt that the 

president will continue his plans to execute 

the remaining prisoners. “I believe 

he will continue to carry out the executions. 

This is a man who doesn’t have 

sympathy for a human being. He thinks 

he is always right,” Cham said. Senegal 

has another citizen on death row awaiting 

execution and Jammeh’s move to 

execute its citizens has caused a diplomatic 

spat between the nations. On 

Wednesday Gambian Ambassador Mass 

Axi Gey was summoned by Senegal’s 

Prime Minister Abdoul Mbaye to inform 

him of “the unacceptable” nature of the 

executions and urge Jammeh to spare 

the life of the third prisoner. — AFP 

MOSCOW: Moscow yesterday sold off 

for $277 million its landmark Hotel 

Metropol near the Kremlin, an iconic Art 

Nouveau building where Lenin once 

gave speeches and stars like Michael 

Jackson have stayed. Starting at 8.7 billion 

rubles ($270 million), the auction 

rapidly ended after just two bids with 

the winner being a Russian subsidiary 

of the current operator, which is linked 

to the country’s largest hotel chain. No 

international chains were among the 

three participants in the auction. The 

winner, a company called Okhotny 

Ryad Deluxe, is a subsidiary of the current 

operator of the five-star hotel, 

spokeswoman for Moscow’s property 

department Oksana Vaghina told AFP. 

The operating company, also called 

Metropol, is controlled by the chairman 

of the board of Azimut Hotels, Russia’s 

largest hotel chain, Alexander 

Klyanchin, the Interfax news agency 

said. General director of Metropol 

Yevgeny Ustenko told journalists he 

would ensure that the establishment, 

just a short walk from the Red Square, 

was “the best hotel in Moscow”. Asked 

whether the hotel would become part 

of the Azimut chain, which specialises in 

business travellers, he said, “I can’t tell 

you yet, probably not.” 

The high-end auction was part of a 

drive to privatise thousands of publiclyowned 

non-residential properties in 

Moscow, which began in 2004. Experts 

said the city hall sold the hotel for a 

good price, since the starting price was 

high, and that international chains 

would be wary of taking on such a 

major project in Russia at present. “The 

starting price is high, appropriate to the 

market price,” said Olga Kochetova, 

director of valuation services at Knight 

Frank in Russia. 

“Probably international chains didn’t 

take part because they aren’t up to this 

at the moment. Considering the situation 

in Europe, they’re afraid to buy 

such properties in Russia and Eastern 

Europe, seeing such investments as 

quite risky.” “The amount of investment 

is large, and the starting price is high. 

There could not have been many participants. 

This isn’t unusual for such tenders,” 

said Sergei Lyadov, public relations 

chief at City-XXI Vek property 

developers. 

The auction sold off both the building 

measuring almost 40,000 square 

metres (430,000 square feet) and its 

land. It did not include the moveable 

contents, which the hotel’s website lists 

as hundreds of antiques from Meissen 

porcelain to hardwood furniture and 

the west African nation’s constitution. 

Mills’s death upended the presidential race in a country 

that recently became a significant oil producer and is 

praised as a stable democracy in an often turbulent 

region. The transition has so far gone smoothly. Analysts 

say the election is likely to be close. Mills won the 2008 

vote with less than a one percent margin. — AFP 

Moscow sells celebrated 

Metropol hotel for $277m 

Drive to privatise thousands of non-residential properties 

MOSCOW: Cars pass five-star hotel Hotel Metropol in central 

Moscow, yesterday. — AFP 

paintings that still belong to the state. 

One of Moscow’s most ornate buildings, 

the hotel was designed by British 

architect William Walcot and completed 

in 1905 on the commission of one of 

Russia’s richest entrepreneurs and 

patron of the arts, Savva Mamontov. Its 

facade is decorated with a ceramic panel 

by Russian artist Mikhail Vrubel called 

the “Princess of Dreams” and bas-reliefs 

depicting the four seasons. The 

Bolshevik authorities took over the 

hotel, then the largest in Russia, after 

the 1917 revolution and Lenin used to 

declaim to supporters from a balcony in 

one of the restaurants. 

The hotel was managed by the 

Intourist travel agency during the 

Soviet era. It underwent a major refit of 

its 362 rooms in 1991, becoming the 

country’s first five-star hotel. Among 

those who stayed there were singers 

such as Michael Jackson and 

Montserrat Caballe, film stars Marlene 

Dietrich and Arnold Schwarzenegger 

and world leaders including former 

French president Jacques Chirac. 

However the Metropol’s glamour 

has faded lately and stars recently visiting 

Moscow such as singer Madonna 

and actor Johnny Depp have favoured 

another central hotel in the luxury Ritz- 

Carlton chain. The Metropol’s building 

and its interior is listed as a historic 

monument of national significance, 

meaning that the new owner must not 

destroy its period features in any 

restoration work. — AFP 

Hopes high for resolution 

at S African mine standoff 

JOHANNESBURG: World number three platinum producer Lonmin and 

mediators were optimistic about a breakthrough in talks with workers yesterday 

to end a three-week strike after violence left 44 people dead. Talks 

brokered by South African government officials resumed after negotiators 

met for 12 straight hours the day before in the northwestern town of 

Rustenburg. “I think today will be the deciding day in terms of the way forward. 

I think it’s D-Day,” mediator Bishop Jo Seoka from the South African 

Council of Churches told AFP. 

Lonmin spokeswoman Sue Vey said the government mediation was 

“very constructive”. “We hope to find a resolution today,” she told AFP. The 

company wants a “peace accord” sealed before starting negotiations on 

workers’ wage demands. But workers, who say they earn 4,000 rand ($470, 

380 euros) a month and want 12,500 rand, insist they will not go back 

underground until their demands are met. 

Representatives of big player the National Union of Mineworkers 

(NUM) and the smaller Association of Mineworkers and Construction 

Union (AMCU), whose bitter rivalry has been blamed for the unrest at the 

mine, were also at the talks. At the Wednesday meeting there was “a general 

understanding that everybody wants peace, a stable environment 

conducive to work,” said Seoka. But little progress was made on workers’ 

demands.—AFP


SEOUL: A South Korean protester shouts slogans during a 

rally against Japan’s sovereignty claims over disputed 

islets called Dokdo in Korean and Takeshima and 

demanding an apology and compensation for the victims 

during Japanese colonial rule yesterday. — AP 

Japan, N Korea meet 

for second day of talks 

BEIJING: Japan and North Korea were in close contact for a 

second day, officials said yesterday, as the countries seek to 

find enough common ground for possible future discussions at 

a higher level. Diplomats from the two sides held their first 

face-to-face encounter in four years Wednesday in Beijing, in 

relatively low-level talks Japan characterised as “matter-of-fact 

and frank.” 

The countries, which have no formal diplomatic relations, 

have long been at odds over numerous issues including North 

Korea’s abduction of Japanese citizens and the legacy of 

Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean peninsula. Beyond their 

bilateral relationship, however, the meetings in China’s capital 

are being closely watched for any clues as to whether North 

Korea’s foreign policy could change under new leader Kim 

Jong-Un. Kim, believed to be in his late 20s, took over leadership 

of the communist state after his father Kim Jong-Il died in 

December. Diplomats began the second day of meetings 

shortly before midday at North Korea’s embassy after having 

met the previous day at Japan’s diplomatic mission, according 

to a Japanese official, who declined to be named. 

Yesterday’s encounter ended after a little less than two 

hours and the two sides were keeping in touch, though it was 

unclear if they would gather again, said the official with the 

Japanese embassy. In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu 

Fujimura emphasised that the talks were very much alive even 

if yesterday’s physical meeting had ended for the time being. 

“We have continued coordination with each other,” he told 

a news conference. Japanese broadcaster NHK television 

reported North Korean and Japanese diplomats were staying 

in contact by phone while receiving instructions from their 

governments. In another sign the sides were making some 

headway, news agency Jiji press said Japan’s delegation had 

postponed its return to Tokyo until today. 

A key issue for Japan is the fate of its citizens abducted by 

North Korean agents to help train spies, amid suspicions that 

Pyongyang has failed to provide all the information it has 

about them. “The abduction issue is among the most important 

of the various problems between Japan and North Korea,” 

Fujimura said. 

“As a matter of course, there won’t be any change in our 

stance that we want to discuss it.” Secretive North Korea 

admitted in 2002 its agents kidnapped Japanese in the 1970s 

and 1980s to help train spies by teaching them Japanese language 

and culture, and later allowed five of them and their 

families to return home. 

It said a number of others died, though many in Japan hold 

out hope they remain alive. There are also suspicions that 

Pyongyang’s agents abducted more Japanese than they 

admitted. Japan says North Korea agreed to reopen investigations 

into the fate of abducted Japanese when the two sides 

last met in 2008. Impoverished yet highly militarised North 

Korea remains suspicious of Japan, which is a close military ally 

of the United States. Pyongyang also regularly blasts Japan for 

its colonisation of the Korean peninsula in the first half of the 

20th century and treatment of ethnic Koreans in Japan. — AFP 

SEOUL: Twin typhoons are renewing 

fears of a humanitarian crisis in North 

Korea, where poor drainage, widespread 

deforestation and crumbling infrastructure 

can turn even a routine rainstorm 

into a catastrophic flood. Typhoon 

Bolaven struck the North on Tuesday 

and Wednesday, submerging houses 

and roads, ruining thousands of acres of 

crops and triggering landslides that 

buried train tracks - scenes that are all 

too familiar in this disaster-prone nation. 

A second major storm, Typhoon 

Tembin, pounded the Korean Peninsula 

with more rains yesterday. 

The storms come as North Korea is 

still recovering from earlier floods that 

killed more than 170 people and 

destroyed thousands of homes. That in 

turn followed a springtime drought that 

was the worst in a century in some 

areas. Foreign aid groups contacted yesterday 

said they are standing by in 

Pyongyang, but had not received new 

requests for help from the North Korean 

government. They had little information 

on the extent of damage and were relying 

on reports from state media. The 

country’s wariness toward the outside 

world, as well as a primitive rural road 

system, means aid may be slow arriving, 

if it is allowed to come at all. 

“These fresh storms, coming just a few 

weeks after the serious flooding - they do 

raise concerns because we see parts of 

the countryside battered again that have 

already been left in a vulnerable state,” 

said Francis Markus, spokesman for the 

International Federation of Red Cross and 

Red Crescent Societies in East Asia. 

Tembin’s strong winds and hard rain 

were pounding South Korea yesterday, 

as residents of some cities waded 

through streets flooded with murky, 

knee-deep water. The national weather 

BEIJING: Giving up his successful career as the head of a medical 

research firm to spend his days at home reading from children’s 

story books was a tough choice for Chinese father 

Zhang Qiaofeng. But Zhang, one of a small but growing number 

of Chinese parents who are turning their backs on the 

country’s rigidly exam-oriented state-run school system, felt 

he had no choice. “China’s education system has special problems,” 

said Zhang, a wiry-looking graduate of one of the country’s 

top universities. 

“I want my son to receive a style of education which is 

much more participative, not just the teacher talking while 

students listen. Most of my son’s time is set aside for following 

his interests, or playing.” From a small apartment on the outskirts 

of Beijing, Zhang teaches his son Hongwu for four hours 

a day, in contrast to the six hours of compulsory classes the 

seven-year-old used to sit through at primary school. 

In the living room where he holds most of his classes, 

Zhang rattles through a long list of gripes with China’s education 

system, from what he calls its “obsession” with exam 

results to an overly authoritarian teaching style. China has 

made impressive progress in rolling out universal education 

across the country, with urban areas such as Shanghai claiming 

a perfect school enrolment rate. The United Nations says 

China has a youth literacy rate of 99 percent. 

But many parents complain about the focus on rote learning 

and passing exams, which means that children spend long 

hours in class. Chinese children spend an average of 8.6 hours 

a day in school, with some spending 12 hours in the classroom, 

according to a 2007 survey conducted by China’s Youth 

agency in Seoul said the storm would 

move off the peninsula’s east coast and 

that some cities in North Korea would 

see severe weather conditions. There 

were no deaths reported from Tembin; 

20 people were dead or missing in 

South Korea from Bolaven. 

North Korea has yet to release casualty 

details, though heavy rains that might 

be little more than an inconvenience 

elsewhere can be calamitous there. 

Downpours trigger landslides that barrel 

down the country’s deforested mountains. 

For years, rural people have felled 

trees to grow crops and for fuel, leaving 

the landscape barren and heavily eroded. 

Rivers overflow, submerging crops, 

inundating roads and engulfing hamlets. 

Since June, thousands have been 

left without clean water, electricity and 

access to food and other supplies. That 

leads to a risk of water-borne and respiratory 

diseases and malnutrition, aid 

workers say. 

Because the North annually struggles 

to produce enough food from its rocky, 

mountainous landscape to feed its 24 

International 

Twin typhoons raise fears 

in disaster-prone N Korea 

Second typhoon pounds S Korea, kills two 

million people, a poorly timed natural 

disaster can easily tip the country into 

crisis, like the famine in the 1990s that 

followed a similar succession of devastating 

storms. 

A North Korean land management 

official acknowledged in an interview 

with The Associated Press that widespread 

deforestation and a lack of basic 

infrastructure have made the country vulnerable 

to the typhoons and storms that 

batter the peninsula each year. “It’s 

important for the future of our children 

to make our country rich and beautiful,” 

Ri Song Il, director of external affairs for 

the Ministry of Land and Environmental 

Protection, said in June. 

He said a campaign is under way to 

replenish forests, build highways and 

construct proper irrigation at the order 

of North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong 

Un. He held up a green pamphlet on 

land management that was the first official 

document Kim published after taking 

power from his father. But it may be 

too little, too late, for this year’s summer 

rains. — AP 

SEOUL: A man carries his dog to safer place from the cage yesterday. — AP 

Parents reject China’s classrooms 

and Children Research Center. Lao Kaisheng, an education 

policy researcher at Beijing Normal University, said growing 

numbers of Chinese parents were demanding more of a say in 

how their children were educated. 

“There’s been a rapid rise in home schooling, especially in 

the past few years,” he told AFP. “Parents who home school 

tend to have more strict requirements for their children’s education, 

and feel that schools won’t meet their children’s individual 

needs.” No official figures are available for the proportion 

of Chinese parents educating their children at home, but 

Lao estimates it at less than one percent. 

One of the most prominent is Xu Xuejin, who moved from 

the booming eastern Chinese manufacturing hub of Zhejiang 

to the picturesque but sleepy southwestern town of Dali to 

provide a better environment for his two children. “Chinese 

children are taught to compete from a young age,” Xu told 

AFP by phone. “Students who can’t compete are eliminated... 

there’s too much pressure on them.” Xu, a Christian, said he 

wanted to give his children a more “Bible-centred” education 

than they could get in school, a key motivating factor in countries 

such as the United States where home schooling is 

becoming more popular. 

An Internet discussion forum he started in 2010 for Chinese 

home schoolers to swap classroom materials and discuss educational 

theory now has more than 4,000 registered members. 

Worries about the legality of home schooling feature heavily 

on the forum Chinese law states that children must be 

enrolled in school aged seven and receive compulsory education 

for nine years. — AFP


CHAR DARAH: Fahima had just arrived 

home from school when members of 

the Afghan Local Police (ALP), a UStrained 

militia charged with making 

Afghans in Taleban strongholds feel 

more secure, started hammering on 

the front door searching for her father. 

They elbowed it open and, frustrated at 

not finding him, started beating her 

younger brother, prompting 17-yearold 

Fahima to intervene. One of the 

men turned and shot her dead. 

“She was in her first days as an 

eleventh grade student,” said Fahima’s 

father, Khuja, who believes the killing 

was score settling over an old land dispute. 

“Offenders are still serving as 

local policemen and they are free. 

Police say the killer has escaped but 

he’s walking in public with his gun and 

no one is able to catch him.” The ALP 

was set up in 2010 in villages where the 

national force is weak, a flagship project 

of U.S. General David Petraeus, who 

stepped down as commander of foreign 

forces in Afghanistan in 2011. 

The government began recruiting 

everyone from farmers to shopkeepers 

for the militia, hoping to take the edge 

away from the Taleban in their rural 

bastions. American officials have hailed 

the ALP as an effective homegrown 

force which has restricted the ability of 

the Taleban to move in the countryside. 

In northern Kunduz province’s 

Char Darah district, a Taleban stronghold 

until recently, people credit the 

ALP for making it safer to travel and 

send children to school against frequent 

insurgent opposition to education, 

especially for girls. 

“The Taleban here were demanding 

money from local people, beating 

them if they refused. Now we don’t let 

them do it,” said Gul Ahmad, an ALP 

commander in Sarak Bala village. But 

security gains made by the now 

20,000-strong militia are often overshadowed 

by mounting accusations of 

abuses, including rape and murder. 

Human rights groups say ALP members 

sometimes act like warlords, demanding 

bribes, skimming contracts and 

committing the kind of atrocities that 

rattled Afghanistan in a civil war that 

killed 50,000 people before the Taleban 

took over in 1996. Afghans already have 

enough to worry about. Many fear the 

United States and other Western allies 

will abandon Afghanistan after 2014, 

when most NATO combat troops will 

have gone, leaving them at the mercy 

of the Taleban. There is widespread talk 

of another civil war. The ALP was supposed 

to ease public anxiety, not fuel it. 

Uniforms, a salary, 

but little discipline 

Duties range from manning checkpoints 

and running patrols to providing 

security forces with intelligence on 

insurgents. Each member gets a 

monthly salary and food worth about 

$180 and are issued brown uniforms 

and an AK-47 rifle. Some acquire heavier 

weapons like machineguns or rock- 

et-propelled grenades on their own 

and prefer the traditional flowing shirt 

and baggy trousers to mix in with the 

population in farming villages with 

mudbrick homes. Many complain they 

are underpaid and have to borrow or 

steal from the poor locals they are 

meant to protect. 

“My father works as a farmer and I 

have to help him live. If I don’t get 

enough money then I’ll have an eye on 

other local people’s pockets,” said 

Lutfullah, 28. Their pasts often don’t 

inspire confidence either. Rights 

groups say some were former Taleban 

fighters or members of militias that 

wreaked havoc in Afghanistan for 

decades. There are reports of the ALP 

joining the Taleban. 

“Some of them are guilty of repeated 

killings,” said Hussain Ali Moin, coordinator 

for the Afghanistan’s Independent 

Human Rights Commission. More than 

100 ALP members have been jailed for 

crimes including murder, bombings, 

rapes, beatings and robbery, according 

to chief military prosecutor Mohammad 

Rahim Hanifi. 

In one of the most high-profile cases, 

an ALP commander and four of his 

men entered a house in Kunduz 

province, assaulted a family and 

abducted their 18-year-old daughter, 

Lal Bibi, in May. She told her family she 

was chained to a wall and repeatedly 

raped before being brought home a 

week later. 

“She says if she does not get justice 

International 

Abuse allegations mount against Afghan police force 

JAMNAGAR, India: Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel and volunteers pull the wreckage to 

look for survivors after two air force helicopters collided and crashed at a field in Sarmat 

village yesterday. — AP 

9 killed as Indian 

helicopters collide 

NEW DELHI: Nine Indian air force personnel 

were killed yesterday when two Russiandesigned 

military helicopters apparently collided 

in mid-air, the military and police said. 

Air force spokesman Wing Commander 

Gerard Galway said the two Mi-17 helicopters 

were “flying in close formation” over a 

firing range in the western state of Gujarat 

when they crashed. “It is likely it was a midair 

collision,” Galway told AFP, confirming 

that all nine on board the two aircraft had 

died. 

Galway said an inquiry would establish 

exactly how the accident occurred. An air offi- 

cial who did not want to be named said the 

two helicopters were practising firing over the 

range near a military airbase in Jamnagar district 

when the accident happened. Jamnagar 

police chief Harikrishna Patil told AFP by telephone 

from the accident site that the aircraft 

appeared to have collided before they came 

down in cotton fields near a village. 

“One of the helicopters also caught fire 

after hitting a high-tension power cable,” he 

said. India plans to buy up to 400 helicopters, 

worth hundreds of millions of dollars, to 

replace its ageing fleet of Russian- and Britishsupplied 

aircraft. — AFP 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani intelligence officials 

confirmed yesterday that a US drone strike last 

week near the Afghan border killed the son of 

the founder of the powerful Haqqani militant 

network, a major blow to one of the most 

feared groups fighting American troops in 

Afghanistan. Badruddin Haqqani, who has 

been described as the organization’s day-today 

operations commander, was killed on Aug. 

24 in one of three strikes that hit militant hideouts 

in the Shawal Valley in 

Pakistan’s North Waziristan tribal area, said 

two senior intelligence officials, speaking on 

condition of anonymity because they were not 

authorized to talk to the media. The presence of 

the mostly Afghan Haqqani network in North 

Waziristan has been a major source of friction 

between Pakistan and the US. The Obama 

administration has repeatedly demanded 

Pakistan prevent the group from using its territory 

to launch attacks in Afghanistan, but 

Islamabad has refused - a stance many analysts 

believe is driven by the country’s strong historical 

ties to the Haqqani network’s founder, 

Jalaluddin Haqqani. 

The Pakistani intelligence officials didn’t 

specify which strike on Aug. 24 killed 

Badruddin, but said he was leaving a hideout 

when the US missiles hit. The confirmation of 

his death came from their sources within the 

Taleban, which is allied with the Haqqani network, 

and agents on the ground, they said. But 

neither the officials nor their sources have 

actually seen Badruddin’s body. 

Pakistani intelligence officials previously 

said they were 90 percent sure Badruddin was 

killed in a drone strike in a different part of 

North Waziristan on Aug 21. It’s unclear what 

caused the discrepancy. Afghanistan’s intelligence 

agency said several days ago that its 

operatives had confirmed Badruddin’s death, 

she will set herself on fire,” her 56-yearold 

father, Hajji Rustam, told Reuters. 

The trauma was so severe, it made him 

long for the days when rapists were 

publicly stoned to death or flogged 

under Taleban rule. “The Taleban were 

better than the ALP,” he said. “At least 

they respected our honour. They 

opposed only women’s activities in 

public, but these people assault us in 

our homes.” 

Stricter vetting 

The problems may multiply, with 

plans to boost the force to 30,000 and 

make it operational over most of the 

country. Some of the attacks allegedly 

committed by the ALP also seem to be 

motivated by sectarian rivalries, which 

could complicate efforts to tame the 

force. In southern Uruzgan province, an 

ALP commander belonging to the 

Hazara minority ethnic group in late 

July gunned down 15 Pashtun civilians 

in Khas Uruzgan, a day after the 

Pashtun Taleban killed two of his 

friends, officials said. 

“Commander Abdul Hakim Shujahi 

took nine villagers out of their houses 

and took them to the Matakzai area of 

the village and killed them with stones 

and gunshots,” said Mohammad Waris 

Faizi, who heads the Independent 

Human Rights Commission investigation 

office in the province. “Then he 

and his people arrested six villagers 

from the Khak Afghan area and killed 

them too,” Faizi said. — AFP 

Pakistani officials confirm 

death of crucial militant 

but did not provide any details. A senior 

Taleban commander has also confirmed the 

militant’s death. A Taleban spokesman in 

Afghanistan, Zabiullah Mujahid, has however 

rejected reports of Badruddin’s death, calling 

them “propaganda of the enemy.” The US does 

not often comment publicly on the covert CIA 

drone program in Pakistan and has not said 

whether Badruddin was killed. 

The areas where the American drone strikes 

generally occur are extremely remote and dangerous, 

making it difficult for reporters or others 

to verify a particular person’s death. 

Badruddin is considered a vital part of the 

Haqqani structure. He is believed to be the network’s 

day-to-day operations commander, 

according to a report by the Institute for the 

Study of War. — AP 

HYDERABAD: Indian policemen detain 

activists of various student organizations 

during a protest yesterday. The students 

were protesting against the Andhra Pradesh 

state government’s decision to put a cap of 

35,000 rupees ($625)on funds released under 

the fee reimbursement scheme for engineering 

and other professional courses. — AFP


New Orleans levees hold 

as Isaac floods Gulf coast 

Isaac rainfall lifts US farmers’ spirits 

NEW ORLEANS: Severe flooding from 

Tropical Storm Isaac inundated the Gulf 

Coast early yesterday, but the multi-billion-dollar 

defenses built after 

Hurricane Katrina devastated New 

Orleans seven years ago held firm. The 

National Hurricane Center said Isaacwhich 

was downgraded from a hurricane 

to a tropical storm on Wednesdaywould 

continue to weaken as it 

moved north into the US state of 

Arkansas, but it warned of further 

flooding. The Miami-based forecasters 

said at 0900 GMT that Isaac would 

likely be downgraded to a Tropical 

Depression later yesterday, but that 

the slow-moving storm would continue 

to batter the region with heavy 

rain and high winds. 

Officials on Wednesday ordered 

the evacuation of some 3,000 people 

in coastal Plaquemines Parish, the 

area hardest hit by the storm, with top 

winds still gusting at 45 miles (75 kilometers) 

per hour, hindering rescue 

efforts. Louisiana Governor Bobby 

Jindal said at least one person may 

have died as a result of Isaac, which 

made landfall as a hurricane late 

Tuesday. Dozens of people were 

forced to huddle on roofs and in attics 

waiting hours for rescue from their 

homes after a massive storm surge 

spilled over levees in low-lying areas 

outside the stronger defenses built 

around New Orleans. 

Isaac was nowhere near as strong 

as Hurricane Katrina, which struck 

exactly seven years ago, but has 

already caused significant damage to 

about 800 homes in Plaquemines 

Parish alone, Jindal told reporters. 

Residents were urged to stay indoors, 

with officials warning it would be at 

least a day before winds calmed 

enough for crews to repair downed 

power lines. Heavy rains-up to 25 

inches (64 centimeters) in some areaswill 

continue through today, the NHC 

said. 

Isaac may wind up causing as much 

as $2.5 billion in damage in and 

TRES MARIAS: Mexican federal police shot and wounded 

two CIA operatives last week, security sources said, in an 

apparently deliberate attack that could hurt US-Mexico 

cooperation in their war against drug cartels. The two 

experienced officers were just south of the capital on their 

way to a Mexican Marine base on Friday, working with local 

authorities on a training mission, when federal police riddled 

their armored van bearing diplomatic plates with bullets. 

The men, traveling with a Mexican Marine captain, 

were wounded and taken to a hospital for treatment, 

though their injuries were not life-threatening. Their vehicle’s 

tires and rear windshield were shot out. A dozen federal 

police officers detained and questioned over the 

attack have been ordered held in custody for 40 days. In 

initial statements to federal prosecutors, they claimed they 

confused the Americans for criminals. 

However, witnesses who saw the shooting at a bend in 

the road outside the small town of Tres Marias told Reuters 

the gunmen were dressed in plain clothes and pursued the 

around Louisiana and in the offshore 

oil sector in the Gulf of Mexico, 

according to early estimates from natural 

disaster modeler Eqecat. More 

than a half million people were left 

without power in Louisiana, and tens 

of thousands more huddled in darkened 

homes in Alabama, Florida and 

Mississippi after Isaac snapped utility 

poles and downed power lines. In 

New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu 

declared a dusk-to-dawn curfew after 

Isaac made landfall twice as a category 

one hurricane. 

‘Part of my roof is missing’ 

Plaquemines Parish president Billy 

Nungesser said damage from Isaac in 

some areas was worse than that 

wrought by Katrina, citing his own 

home as an example. “Part of my roof 

is missing. The back wall has moved 

and the water is being pushed 

through the bricks into the house,” he 

said Wednesday. Across the state, 

more than 4,000 people were 

crammed into shelters. Dozens of 

nursing home residents, many in 

wheelchairs, were among those taken 

to higher ground by the National 

Guard in high-water trucks. Rescues 

were also under way in suburbs west 

of New Orleans late Wednesday after 

the storm surge swelled Lake 

Pontchartrain on the city’s north side. 

Claude Jones, 61, was trying to nap on 

a cot in the Belle Chasse high school 

gymnasium without much luck. He 

had spent two nights there already 

and with his trailer home likely 

destroyed-could be there for many 

more. “I’m worried about my family,” 

he told AFP. “My cousin’s still down 

there and they say they can’t rescue 

him because the weather’s so bad.” 

Sharon Sylvia said she spent the 

night trapped on her roof in the 

LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN: A sherriff’s vehicle sits in flood waters caused by 

Isaac yesterday. — AP 

pounding rain, calling for help that 

did not arrive until morning. “Water’s 

over the top of the roof,” she told 

WWL television. “We had to break 

through the ceiling and out through 

the attic. It’s very bad down there. 

Very bad.” US President Barack 

Obama, who has been regularly 

briefed on the storm, late Wednesday 

declared a “major disaster” exists in 

Louisiana and Mississippi, paving the 

way for more federal aid to local 

authorities.— AFP 

Mexican police attack CIA officers 

Americans firing from unmarked cars and on foot-a classic 

style of gangland hits in Mexico. “We had no idea at all they 

were police. They looked like criminals,” said one woman 

who witnessed the incident but asked not to be named for 

fear of repercussions. 

A Mexican government official, speaking on condition 

of anonymity, said the evidence suggested gang members 

and corrupt police had carried out the attack before other 

police arrived at the scene and prevented the men being 

killed. “This was not an accident,” the official said. 

Witnesses said the CIA driver made impressive evasive 

maneuvers which likely saved the lives of those inside the 

car, and they believe they heard hundreds of bullets fired, 

estimating the incident lasted around six minutes. 

The Mexican official said the vehicle was chased for 

about 4 km (2.5 miles) before it was halted, and that shell 

casings from AK-47s, which are not used by Mexican police 

and are a weapon of choice for drug cartel members, were 

found at the scene. — Reuters 

International 

Obama still a draw 

on college campuses 

CHARLOTTESVILLE: The crowds may be smaller and 

the candidate grayer, but college towns are still proving 

to be President Barack Obama’s best shot at 

enthusiastic audiences. More than 26,000 people 

combined showed up to hear the president speak 

during his three-state college town tour this week, 

which ended Wednesday with a rally near the 

University of Virginia. The crowds at the outdoor rallies 

have tilted younger, underscoring the Obama 

campaign’s efforts to target college students as they 

return to school and re-energize a constituency that 

was critical in propelling Obama to the White House. 

“Change was possible because you made it possible,” 

Obama told 7,500 people at a pavilion near the 

University of Virginia. “So you can’t get tired now 

because we’ve got more work to do.” The school 

declined the campaign’s request for the president to 

speak on campus, saying it would disrupt classes on 

the second day of the semester. By the standards of 

most presidential campaigns, Obama is speaking to 

impressively large audiences. But Obama is being held 

to the standards he set in 2008, when the youthful 

candidate with the rousing speeches attracted jawdropping 

crowds. 

With thousands of young people crammed into the 

sweltering, standing-room-only open-air pavilion on 

Wednesday, hundreds more stood outside its fenced 

perimeter, in some places shoulder-to-shoulder 40 to 

50 feet deep. But even some of those who went 

through heavy security to see Obama speak said their 

enthusiasm had waned. 

“It no longer has the distinctiveness that it used to 

have,” said William Proffitt, a University of Virginia student. 

“That was amazing, seeing the first African- 

American president elected, but that died off within a 

year.” In 2008, more than 100,000 people showed up 

to hear him speak in Denver. He spoke on the same 

trip at Colorado State University, where upwards of 

50,000 people filled a quad in the center of campus. 

When Obama returned to Colorado State on Tuesday, 

the crowd totaled 13,000. 

Obama’s campaign dismisses the notion that the 

smaller crowds equal less enthusiasm for the president 

this time around. Aides suggest the numbers are 

purposely being kept low, citing the cost of holding 

larger events and the president’s desire to travel to 

smaller cities in battleground states. Security restrictions 

are also tighter around a current president than 

a candidate. 

Obama drew his largest crowd in May, during his 

first re-election rally at Ohio State University. More 

than 14,000 people showed up to hear the president 

and first lady Michelle Obama speak, short of the 

18,000 people the campaign predicted would fill the 

campus basketball arena to capacity. Away from the 

college town circuit, the president has been generated 

even smaller audiences, often 3,000 people or less. 

Campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said the 

president would still have “plenty of time for big rallies 

between now and Election Day.” The campaign is 

banking on big numbers next week when Obama 

accepts the Democratic nomination at an outdoor 

football stadium in Charlotte, NC. The stadium holds 

up to 74,000 people. 

Campaign aides won’t say whether the full stadium 

will be open for seating during next Thursday’s primetime 

speech. Tens of thousands of tickets, called 

“community credentials”, have been distributed, 

according to the campaign. Obama also accepted his 

party’s nomination in 2008 at an outdoor football stadium. 

His campaign had little trouble filling the 84,000 

seats. The president’s aides say crowd size is one issue 

they’re happy to debate with Republicans. Even 

though Obama’s audience numbers are down compared 

to his 2008 campaign, he is still drawing larger 

crowds than GOP rival Mitt Romney. Most of Romney’s 

events are carefully choreographed in made-for television 

settings that provide seating for hundreds of 

people, not thousands. — AP


Romney’s speech to Republican 

convention to be vital moment 

Big speech culminates Tampa convention 

TAMPA: Mitt Romney faces a critical 

test in his White House bid yesterday 

when he addresses the Republican 

National Convention, an opportunity 

to convince millions of Americans 

that he can forge a path to economic 

rebirth and provide better leadership 

than President Barack Obama. It will 

be Romney’s biggest television audience 

to date as much of the nation 

tunes in, giving some voters their first 

extended look at the 65-year-old former 

Massachusetts governor who 

unsuccessfully sought the Republican 

nomination in 2008. 

Romney, who can often come 

across as stiff, faces the challenge of 

making Americans feel more comfortable 

with him. He has a hard act to 

follow after the ringing “you can trust 

Mitt” endorsement delivered by his 

wife, Ann, on Tuesday night, a speech 

that was widely viewed as one of the 

most significant ever given by an 

aspiring first lady. Romney got a 

strong testimonial on Wednesday 

night from his vice presidential running 

mate, Wisconsin Congressman 

Paul Ryan, who generated the most 

enthusiasm so far at the convention 

with his address. 

“After four years of getting the 

run-around, America needs a turnaround, 

and the man for the job is 

Governor Mitt Romney,” said Ryan. As 

portrayed by Democrats, Romney is 

alternately a heartless corporate 

raider, wealthy elitist, tax evader and 

policy flip-flopper who should not be 

trusted with the keys to the White 

House. 

Despite the attacks, Romney is 

running even with Obama in the 

polls in a race that is too close to call. 

A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Wednesday 

showed the two men tied at 43 percent 

each. But Obama has the advantage 

over Romney in likability, an 

important characteristic that may 

mask other problems that the 

Democratic incumbent has in persuading 

voters to give him four more 

years. Arizona Senator John McCain, 

the Republican presidential nominee 

in 2008 who lost to Obama, said 

Romney needs to accomplish two 

tasks: one, convince Americans “that 

they believe in him and trust in him, 

and two, that he has a concrete plan 

BRASILIA: Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff enacted legislation 

Wednesday that reserves half the enrollment at 

federal universities for students from public schools and 

gives priority to black, indigenous and mixed-race students. 

The law was approved earlier this month by the 

Senate after 13 years of debate, and was enacted by the 

president alongside the ministers of education and racial 

equality, Aloizio Mercadante and Luiza Bairros, the presidential 

press service said. “The legislation addresses a double 

challenge: first, democratizing access to universities 

and maintaining high quality of education,” Rousseff said. 

The law requires 50 percent of seats at federal universi- 

to get our economy back on the right 

track.” “We’ve got to reduce the unfavorables, 

and many Americans will 

be looking at him for the first time,” 

McCain told Reuters. 

Long journey 

Romney’s big speech culminates a 

long journey. After failing to win the 

Republican nomination in 2008, he 

plotted a return to the political arena. 

This year he was tested time and 

again by a series of conservative 

alternatives from Newt Gingrich to 

Rick Santorum. He outlasted all of 

them. Romney has some inherent 

advantages in his race against 

Obama. He is topping the Democrat 

in campaign donations, and the 

weakness of the U.S. economy, with a 

staggering 8.3 percent unemployment 

rate, gives him a lethal argument 

for change. 

Even so, Romney is far from closing 

the deal. It is unclear whether his 

economic proposals for tax cuts and 

deregulation of industries would 

rekindle growth and keep taxpayers 

dollars flowing into the Treasury to 

pay for expensive government entitlement 

programs, such as the 

Medicare health insurance program 

for seniors, which he wants to reform. 

Romney’s convention speech offers 

him a chance to break through the 

blizzard of negative television ads 

about him. 

Republican delegates at the 

Tampa convention recommended 

Romney be himself in his speech, talk 

about his background as a businessman 

and Olympic organizer, and offer 

a way forward. New York State 

Senator Mike Nozzolio said Romney 

needs to explain to voters in an 

understandable way that he is “competent, 

directed, focused, and can 

make the message appeal to folks 

TAMPA: US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney along with his 

grandchildren watches the Republican National Convention on television 

in their hotel room. — AP 

around the kitchen table. “He’s going 

to be the guest of millions of 

Americans in their living rooms, and 

this is a wonderful opportunity for 

people to understand what he knows 

and where he wants to take us,” 

Nozzolio said. Donna Gosney, of 

Boone County, West Virginia, wearing 

a plastic coal miner’s helmet festooned 

with political stickers, said 

Romney simply needs to say what he 

would do to reignite substantial job 

growth.“We’ve got 2,000 reasons in 

Boone County to vote for Mitt 

Romney. They’re all miners without 

jobs,” she said. Frank Steed, of Navarro 

County, Texas, said Romney should 

not worry about trying to appear 

warm and fuzzy. “He is who he is,” said 

Steed. “And I think he ought to be 

proud of that. He’s a businessman. 

He’s not a politician.” — Reuters 

Brazil enacts university quota law 

ties to go to students who completed their secondary education 

in public schools. 

In Brazil, many wealthy families send their children to 

private schools, where the standard of education is often 

much higher. The 50 percent quota will include a number 

of seats for ethnic minorities, proportional to the demographics 

in each state of the South American country. Of 

Brazil’s 59 federal universities, 32 already have limited quota 

systems in place. More than half of Brazil’s population of 

191 million is of African origin, but recent findings show 

that only 2.2 percent of Afro-Brazilians currently have 

access to universities. — AFP 

International 

200 US Marines join 

anti-drug efforts 

GUATEMALA CITY: A team of 200 US Marines began 

patrolling Guatemala’s western coast this week in an 

unprecedented operation to beat drug traffickers in 

the Central America region, a US military spokesman 

said Wednesday. “I’d say it’s extremely unique. This is 

the first Marine deployment that directly supports 

countering transnational crime in this area, and it’s certainly 

the largest footprint we’ve had in that area in 

quite some time,” said Marine Staff Sgt. Earnest Barnes 

at the US Southern Command in Doral, Florida. 

It was 50 years ago when the US military last sent 

any significant aid and equipment into Guatemala, 

establishing a base to support counter-insurgency 

efforts during a guerrilla uprising. That movement led 

to 36 years of war that left 200,000 dead, mostly indigent 

Maya farmers. The US pulled out in 1978. 

Guatemalan authorities say they signed a treaty allowing 

the US military to conduct the operations on July 

16. Less than a month later an Air Force C-5 transport 

plane flew into Guatemala City from North Carolina 

loaded with the Marines and four UH-1 “Huey” helicopters. 

After two weeks of setting up camp, establishing 

computer connections and training at the Guatemalan 

air base at Retalhuleu, the Marines ran through rehearsal 

exercises, Barnes said. Last week, their commander 

“gave us the thumbs up” to begin active operations, he 

said. This week the Marines have been patrolling waterways 

and the coastline, looking for fast power boats 

and self-propelled “narco-submarines” used to smuggle 

drugs along Central America’s Pacific Coast. US officials 

say the “drug subs” can carry up to 11 tons of illegal 

cargo up to 5,000 miles. 

Col Erick Escobedo, spokesman for Guatemalan 

Military Forces and Defense Ministry, said that so far 

the Marines have brought about the seizure of one 

small-engine aircraft and a car, but made no arrests. He 

said he expected the Marines to in Guatemala for 

about two months. If the Marines find suspected boats, 

Barnes said, they will contact their Guatemalan counterparts 

in a special operations unit from the 

Guatemalan navy that will move in for the bust. Barnes 

said the Marines will not accompany arrest mission, but 

they do have the right to defend themselves if fired on. 

The Marines are deployed as part of Operation 

Martillo, a broader effort started last Jan. 15 to stop 

drug trafficking along the Central American coast. 

Focused exclusively on drug dealers in airplanes or 

boats, the US-led operation involves troops or law 

enforcement agents from Belize, Britain, Canada, 

Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, 

Honduras, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Panama and 

Spain. Eighty percent of cocaine smoked, snorted and 

swallowed in the US passes through Central America, 

according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Eight out of every 10 tons of that cocaine are loaded on 

vessels known as “go fasts,” which are open hulled 

boats 20 to 50 feet long with as many as four engines, 

according to the Defense Department. 

In a recent congressional briefing in Washington, 

Rear Adm. Charles Michel said the boats, carrying anywhere 

from 300 kilograms to 3.5 metric tons of cocaine, 

typically leave Colombia and follow the western 

Caribbean coastline of Central America to make landfall, 

principally in Honduras. In the Pacific, the same 

type of vessels will leave Colombia or Ecuador and travel 

to Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica or Mexico, Michel 

said. “We fight a highly mobile, disciplined and wellfunded 

adversary that threatens democratic governments, 

terrorizes populations, impedes economic 

development and creates regional instability,” he said, 

noting that authorities are able to stop only one out of 

every four suspected traffickers they spot. This month’s 

Guatemala operation by the Marines comes soon after 

raids under an aggressive enforcement strategy that 

has sharply increased the interception of illegal drug 

flights in Honduras resulted in the death of one person 

in June and four in May. — AP

Business 


Egypt index climbs, UAE falls before Fed signal 

JAL to raise up to 

$8.4bn in share sale 

ATHENS: A woman is reflected in a graffiti-covered mirror as she waits for customers outside her sign-making shop in central Athens yesterday. Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras 

promised his austerity-weary countrymen yesterday that new spending cuts planned for 2013-14 will be the last, but warned that without them the nation would have to leave the 17member 

eurozone. — AP 

US shares follow Europe lower 

Euro gains ahead of Bernanke speech 

NEW YORK: Stocks fell yesterday on uncertainty 

over the prospect for economic stimulus by the 

US Federal Reserve while the euro edged up 

after China voiced some support for the debttroubled 

euro zone. 

A successful Italian bond sale pointed to 

growing confidence among investors that the 

European Central Bank will take measures shortly 

to tackle more effectively the debt crisis that has 

plagued the 17-member currency bloc. 

Investors waited to see if Fed Chairman Ben 

Bernanke delivers firmer hints on more monetary 

easing at a meeting of central bankers in Jackson 

Hole, Wyoming today. 

US and European stocks declined as investors 

closed out positions ahead of Bernanke’s speech, 

which is expected to provide some clues to the 

Fed’s next move. “People are taking money off 

the table ahead of the Fed meeting, but this isn’t 

a panic move as seen by all sectors being impacted 

about the same,” said Jerry Harris, president of 

asset management at Sterne Agee in 

Birmingham, Alabama. 

“I wouldn’t call this a run from risky assets. We 

were overdue for some profit taking.” All 10 S&P 

sectors were lower. The cyclical groups, which 

closely track the pace of economic growth, 

declined. The Dow Jones industrial average was 

down 91.33 points, or 0.70 percent, at 13,016.15. 

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 9.92 

points, or 0.70 percent, at 1,400.57. The Nasdaq 

Composite Index was down 27.43 points, or 0.89 

percent, at 3,053.75. 

In Europe, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top 

European shares was down 0.6 percent at 

1,079.39. MSCI’s all-country world equity index, 

which has edged down over the past seven sessions, 

was 0.8 percent lower at 320.73. 

Any signal from Bernanke that the US central 

bank will embark on another asset buying program 

would weigh broadly on the dollar. The 

euro was up 0.2 percent at $1.2501, while the US 

dollar index was up 0.2 percent at 81.676. 

A rise above $1.2590 would mark the euro’s 

strongest level in eight weeks. Investors and 

economists have become more skeptical over the 

past two weeks that the Fed will announce 

another round of bond buying, or “quantitative 

easing,” at its mid-September meeting, according 

to Reuters polls during the last week. 

“The risk with Jackson Hole is that unless there 

are further strong signals of more easing, the 

market will take it as a disappointment,” said 

Christian Lawrence, currency strategist at 

Rabobank, adding that this would be positive for 

the dollar. 

“The bar is quite high, and if there is any paring 

back of talk of QE, the market is likely to react 

more because it is more or less expecting it.” The 

euro gained some support after Chinese Premier 

Wen Jiabao, who met German Chancellor Angela 

Merkel in Beijing yeterday, said he was confident 

the euro zone could pull out of its debt crisis and 

that China would be willing, after a proper risk 

assessment, to keep buying the region’s government 

debt. 

PAGE 20 

PAGE 21 

US Treasuries gained in price. Discounting the 

likelihood of the Fed’s launching new stimulus 

when it meets next month has been the predominant 

trade in recent weeks despite uncertainty 

over what debt would be purchased in any new 

program. 

The benchmark 10-year US Treasury note was 

up 7/32 in price to yield 1.6276 percent. Growing 

expectations of a beefed-up bond-buying program 

from the ECB encouraged solid demand at 

a sale of 7.3 billion euros ($9.15 billion) of new 

five- and 10-year Italian sovereign bonds on 

Thursday. 

Oil futures slid below $113 a barrel as 

investors looked to forthcoming data to shed 

light on the direction Bernanke might take. The 

Chicago Purchasing Managers Index and factory 

orders are due out on Friday and could shed light 

on the economy of the world’s largest crude buyer. 

Brent crude for October delivery fell 2 cents to 

$112.52 a barrel. US crude fell for a second session, 

down $1.23 to $94.26 a barrel. — Reuters


ABU DHABI: BP losing the chance to 

bid to maintain its major role in the 

United Arab Emirates oil sector may 

signal not just irritation with the British 

flagship company, but a more serious 

rift caused by frustration with UK policies 

and even broadcasts from 

London. 

Perceived BP haughtiness, anger 

over the West’s support for the Arab 

Spring and a growing sense that the 

UAE’s future lies in stronger ties with 

Asia, may have all driven the decision 

to block the oil major from bidding to 

run its biggest onshore oil fields, several 

well-placed sources in the UAE said. 

British business has basked in the 

Gulf sun since a protection deal with 

local rulers in 1820. BP has played a 

role in the development of its oil from 

the start in the early 1930s. But the 

West’s support for revolutions that 

toppled Arab leaders in 2011 and concern 

in Gulf states it is too welcoming 

of the Islamists who replaced them, 

has worn Britain’s centuries-old ties 

particularly thin, sources close to the 

matter say. 

“There was some tension between 

the two governments,” an industry 

source in Abu Dhabi told Reuters, without 

elaborating. “BP is looking for ways 

to mend this relationship,” he said, 

adding that attempts by the company 

to repair the rift with top UAE officials 

had been rebuffed. 

Three other sources close to the 

matter said BP had been frozen out 

from the pre-qualification stage for the 

onshore fields in part due to “tensions” 

between the UAE and London. UAE 

foreign ministry officials were not 

available for comment. A spokesman 

for Britain’s Foreign Office said only 

that he was aware of reports that BP 

has been sidelined. 

The UAE is Britain’s largest export 

market in the Middle East with construction, 

defence and education 

among the key sectors, according to 

UK Trade & Investment. In 2011, civil 

exports came to around 4.7 billion 

British pounds. A further factor cited 

by several sources in the UAE and 

London, is that a BBC Arabic report 

earlier this year on a government 

crackdown on Islamists in the UAE 

angered Abu Dhabi. It contributed to a 

growing feeling among Gulf leaders 

that London and Washington were too 

welcoming of the Muslim Brotherhood 

which swept to power in Egypt. Abu 

Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin 

Zayed al-Nahayan last met British 

Prime Minister David Cameron in 

London in June. It is not clear whether 

the BP role or BBC report was discussed 

or how the meeting went. 

Sources in the region also said that 

BP’s assumption that it would automatically 

be invited to bid irritated 

some in the UAE elite. Others have said 

BP executives may have angered one 

of the key decision makers by questioning 

the UAE’s plan to invite staterun 

Asian companies to take part, or 

the tight terms offered under the concessions. 

In addition, BP may have been sidelined 

because it is no longer a top 

three global oil giant and was left out 

to make room for Asian companies, 

which buy nearly all the UAE’s oil. 

UAE oil industry executives will be 

wary of shutting out all western oil 

company technology, decades of 

experience working on the fields that 

provide most of the country’s wealth, 

or alienating long-time western ally 

governments. 

But they may have judged that they 

can afford to exclude BP without doing 

serious harm to either, with top US oil 

giant Exxon and second placed Anglo- 

Dutch Shell still in the running along 

with France’s Total. “The problem with 

BP is that they are living in the past... 

other companies, Asian ones, are more 

competitive,” onewell-connected 

Business 

BP’s UAE rebuff shows British lustre faded in the Gulf 

BERLIN: A display of oled TVs is seen at the Samsung 

booth during the 52nd edition of the “IFA” (Internationale 

Funkausstellung) trade fair in Berlin yesterday. — AFP 

Barclays picks Antony 

Jenkins as new CEO 

LONDON: British bank Barclays yesterday named retail and 

business banking head Antony Jenkins as its new chief executive, 

replacing Bob Diamond who resigned last month over 

the interbank rate-rigging scandal. 

“Barclays announce that Antony Jenkins has been appointed 

as a director and as group chief executive of Barclays with 

immediate effect,” the group said in a statement. The Briton’s 

appointment comes the day after Barclays revealed that the 

Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched a probe into the 2008 

investment deal between the bank and Qatar’s sovereign 

wealth fund. 

Jenkins declared that his top priority would be to repair the 

bank’s damaged reputation in the wake of the Libor affair. 

“We have made serious mistakes in recent years and clearly 

failed to keep pace with our stakeholders’ expectations,” he 

said in the statement. “We have an obligation to all of those 

stakeholders-customers, clients, shareholders, colleagues and 

broader society-and a unique opportunity to restore Barclays’ 

reputation by making it the ‘go to’ bank in all of our chosen 

markets. 

“That journey will take time, we have much to do, and I 

look forward to getting started immediately.” Jenkins, 51, was 

head of Barclays’ Retail and Business Banking (RBB) business. 

He has been a member of the group executive committee of 

Barclays since 2009. — AFP 

CAIRO/DUBAI: Egypt’s benchmark stock 

index rose yesterday to its highest close 

since March on renewed investor optimism 

towards the country’s political and 

economic stability, traders said. The 

index climbed 0.5 percent to 5,332 points, 

bringing it closer to major technical resistance 

at this year’s intra-day peak of 5,473. 

“The political front is looking somehow 

pretty stable. That’s what’s encouraging 

the retail investors,” said Amr 

Mostafa of Pharos Securities. “The main 

force driving the market is retail 

investors.” Financial stocks were the top 

gainers, with Citadel Capital gaining 5.4 

percent and EFG-Hermes up 5.1 percent. 

The market has been buoyed by signs 

that President Mohamed Mursi is consolidating 

the authority of his new government 

and by Egypt’s request last week for 

a $4.8 billion loan from the International 

Monetary Fund, larger than the $3.2 billion 

originally envisaged. Egyptian officials 

said they hoped the loan would be 

signed by November or early December. 

“After the International Monetary Fund 

visit, the whole market will benefit but 

financials will definitely benefit the most,” 

said Mostafa. “The whole market is looking 

positive and looking to target the 

5,500 level.” Technically, the index’s rise in 

August has triggered a reverse head & 

shoulders formation, a classic sign of the 

start of an uptrend; the measuring objective 

of the formation is about 6,000 

points, which could be hit by the end of 

October if the uptrend line from the June 

low holds.SODIC fell 1.2 percent while 

Orascom Construction lost 1.2 percent. 

United Arab Emirates bourses closed lower 

for the week as investors booked 

recent gains ahead of US Federal Reserve 

Chairman Ben Bernanke’s speech today, 

which may signal further monetary stimulus. 

Other Gulf bourses were generally 

lacklustre. 

Trading activity has generally been 

quiet in the region in the last week of 

August, with investors sitting on the sidelines 

waiting for buying opportunities, 

and some still away on summer and post- 

Eid holidays. Dubai’s index finished 0.5 

percent lower at 1,548 points, continuing 

its retreat from a 16-week closing peak of 

1,587 hit on Aug. 23. Bellwether Emaar 

Properties declined 0.9 percent, Dubai 

Financial Market slipped 2.5 percent and 

Drake and Scull fell 1.3 percent. 

Abu Dhabi’s benchmark shed 0.5 percent, 

losing 1.3 percent for the week. 

“Barring economic disaster, any action 

out of the Fed in the next two-three 

weeks will not be a prudent move,” said 

Rakan Himadeh, equity portfolio manager 

at Al Mal Capital. 

“At best we’re likely to see continued 

hints of potential QE3. In the immediate 

term, risk-reward on stocks is not there for 

the bulls.” Elsewhere, Kuwait’s index 

eased 0.1 percent, down for only the second 

session in the last 11. The market has 

rallied 3.2 percent from an eight-year low 

hit on Aug. 12. Despite the continuing 

political deadlock in Kuwait, investor confidence 

has partially returned because 

companies have posted second-quarter 

earnings by the deadline, removing fears 

they could be suspended for failure to do 

source in Abu Dhabi said. “The British 

media was also one of the reasons. They 

take a small thing and blow it out of 

proportion and take it as an excuse to 

write all the bad things about the country. 

They are very sensitive here about 

such things.” A spokesman for BP 

declined to comment on the tender 

process, saying it was for Abu Dhabi to 

say why it had not been invited. The 

London-based oil company still enjoys 

good relations in its other UAE operations, 

he said. BP also has a stake in an 

offshore concession which expires in 

2018. “(BP’s exclusion) was unexpected, 

especially because of BP’s pioneering 

position in the region and given the 

vast interests and historical relationship,” 

said Kamel al-Harami, an independent 

oil analyst based in Kuwait. 

“This is very strange to us. It’s unhealthy 

bearing in mind the ties and Abu 

Dhabi’s interest in investing in the UK.” 

The concessions system in the UAE 

allows oil and gas producers to acquire 

equity hydrocarbons from the OPEC 

member in return for investing in projects. 

State-run Abu Dhabi National Oil 

Co (ADNOC) currently partners with 

Royal Dutch Shell, Total, ExxonMobil, BP 

and Partex Oil and Gas, in the Abu Dhabi 

Company for Onshore Oil Operations 

(ADCO) concession. — Reuters 

Egypt index climbs, UAE 

falls before Fed signal 

Kuwait market rallies 3.2% from an eight-year low 

so in time. Thousands of Kuwaitis took 

part in a rally late on Monday to protest 

any changes to the electoral law which 

they said could harm the prospects of 

opposition lawmakers in upcoming elections. 

The opposition bloc will meet on 

Sept. 2 to discuss its next steps. “A lot of 

investors don’t like holding positions over 

the weekend due to uncertainties, so 

retails jump out,” said a Kuwait-based 

trader. Shares in Wataniya rose 1.6 percent 

to 2.56 dinars. The telco said Qatar 

Telecom’s offer to buy the remaining 47.5 

percent stake at 2.6 dinars per share is 

“appropriate to shareholders interested in 

accepting the offer and selling their 

Wataniya Telecom shares”. The tender 

offer will start on Sept. 4 and end on Oct. 

4, Wataniya said in a bourse statement. 

Traders believe the second-largest holder 

in Wataniya, Kuwait Investment Authority, 

has approved Qtel’s offer but KIA has not 

responded to queries by Reuters on plans 

for its stake. In Qatar, the index bucked 

the regional trend. It gained 0.5 percent, 

halting a three-day slide from Sunday’s 

15-week high. 

Doha’s market is the second-worst 

performing Gulf market after Oman this 

year, with year-to-date losses at 3.4 percent. 

But some analysts and investors 

argue selling earlier this year was unjustified 

and that Qatari firms have strong fundamentals 

which benefit from clarity on 

government policy and economic 

growth. Heavyweight Industries Qatar 

gained 0.7 percent and Qtel climbed 1.3 

percent. Qatar National Bank rose 0.5 percent. 

— Reuters


BRASILIA: Brazil’s central bank cut its 

benchmark interest rate for the ninth 

straight time to a record low 7.5 percent, 

signaling that a year-long easing 

cycle may be over as the world’s No. 6 

economy starts to recover. 

The rate decision came hours after 

the government unveiled stimulus 

measures to boost consumption and 

investment, a move that shows that 

officials remains worried about the 

pace of recovery. 

The bank’s monetary policy board, 

known as Copom, unanimously decided 

to lower the so-called Selic rate by 

half a percentage point, as expected. 

However, the central bank hinted in 

its post-decision statement that an 

extra rate cut may not be needed, or it 

could be smaller. 

“The Copom considers that, if 

future conditions were to allow for an 

additional adjustment of monetary 

conditions, that movement should be 

conducted with maximum parsimony,” 

the bank said in the statement. It 

is the first time the central bank has 

clearly signaled in a post-decision 

statement that it might end the easing 

cycle that began in August 2011. 

After a year of aggressive rate cuts 

and more than a dozen government 

stimulus packages the Brazilian economy 

is finally showing some signs of 

life. Even with that massive stimulus, 

the Brazilian economy is seen growing 

less than 2 percent this year, much 

slower than the growth pace of its 

major emerging-market peers. 

The prospect of a stronger recovery 

in the second half has stoked fears 

of inflation becoming a problem next 

year after a jump in global food prices 

reversed the downward trend of 12- 

month inflation in July and mid- 

August. Higher annual inflation, which 

at 5.37 percent is slightly above the 

official target midpoint of 4.5 percent, 

could add pressure on the central 

bank to end the rate-cutting cycle. 

“The easing cycle may have ended 

today, but the Copom is not altogether 

closing the door to a potential one 

last iteration in this cycle, which if it 

takes will be within the confines dictated 

by ‘maximum parsimony,’” 

Alberto Ramos, chief Latin American 

economist with Goldman Sachs, said 

in a note. In the past, the central bank 

used the word parsimony to communicate 

to markets it planned to reduce 

the size of future rate cuts. 

The central bank has hinted before 

in meeting minutes it was near the 

end of its easing cycle, only to dismiss 

its own guidelines as the recovery 

Business 

Brazil cuts rate, hints easing cycle may be over 

MANILA: Workers are seen at a construction site in 

Manila yesterday. The Philippines said yesterday the 

economy grew a better-than-forecast 5.9 percent in the 

three months to June, largely due to a strong services 

sector. — AFP 

Philippine economy 

grows 5.9% in Q2 

MANILA: The Philippines economy grew a better-thanexpected 

5.9 percent in the second quarter, boosted by 

increased investment and a drive against corruption, the 

government said yesterday. 

The strong figure for April-June helped the country 

achieve 6.1 percent growth in the first half, with officials 

confident the good times would be sustained for the rest 

of the year. Socio-economic Planning Secretary Arsenio 

Balisacan credited President Benigno Aquino’s anti-corruption 

reforms for part of the growth, saying they had boosted 

the confidence of local and foreign investors. 

“We obviously would not have achieved (this growth) 

without the substantial improvement in the way people 

perceive the government... and the way we do business,” 

Balisacan told reporters. 

The economy grew a better-than-expected 6.3 percent 

in the January-March quarter, the government said, 

revised slightly up from an earlier estimate of 6.4 percent. 

Balisacan expressed confidence the momentum would 

continue, with 2012 growth settling at the “upper end” of 

the government’s target range of 5.0 to 6.0 percent. 

The second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figure 

exceeded the 5.4-5.8 percent forecasts of independent 

analysts. Financial institutions also widely tipped growth 

to range from 4.8 to 5.4 percent. 

Balisacan said the second quarter figure was the third 

highest in the region, exceeding Malaysia, Thailand, 

Vietnam and Singapore. He credited the higher growth to 

stepped up government spending on infrastructure, low 

inflation, improved exports, rising tourist arrivals and the 

earnings sent home by about 10 million Filipino working 

abroad. — AFP 

TOKYO: Japan Airlines said yesterday 

its relisting on Tokyo’s stock market 

could raise as much as $8.4 billion-a 

sum that would make it the secondbiggest 

share sale globally this year 

after Facebook’s IPO. It is nearly double 

the amount of public money spent 

to keep it afloat during a massive 

restructuring and would represent a 

dramatic turnaround for the company 

less than three years after being 

forced into bankruptcy. 

The proceeds would allow JAL to 

pay back the government bailout with 

its sale on track to be the secondbiggest 

globally behind Facebook following 

the social networking giant’s 

$16.0 billion initial public offering in 

May. The new shares in JAL, which 

went bankrupt in January 2010 and 

saw its shares delisted the following 

month with debts totalling 2.32 trillion 

yen, were scheduled to start trading 

on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on 

September 19. Yesterday, the carrier 

said it would sell 175 million shares at 

a price between 3,500 yen and 3,790 

yen. The airline, which continued to 

fly during its time off the stock 

exchange, implemented massive job 

and route cuts as part of its overhaul. 

The airline underwent an aggressive 

cost-cutting plan guided by 

charismatic businessman Kazuo 

Inamori, who was brought in by the 

government to help turn the firm 

around. This month, the airline pointed 

to its improved financial health, 

saying net profit in the April-June 

quarter more than doubled to 26.9 billion 

yen. Cost-cutting and improved 

productivity were credited by the 

company for the result, which was up 

from a 12.7 billion yen net profit a 

year ago. Revenue climbed 12.5 per- 

cent on the back of a pickup in international 

travel demand as a strong 

yen, which hit record highs against 

the dollar late last year, prompted 

more Japanese holidaymakers to venture 

overseas. 

Sales from domestic operations 

also improved as the market recovered 

from slumping demand after last 

year’s quake and tsunami disaster in 

northeast Japan. The carrier kept its 

annual forecast unchanged, expecting 

a net profit of 130 billion yen in the fiscal 

year through March 2013. The 

quarterly results were a major turnaround 

for the carrier, which exited 

bankruptcy proceedings in March last 

year. When the carrier announced its 

latest financial results, JAL president 

Yoshiharu Ueki apologised to credi- 

failed to pick up speed. Most economists 

expect the bank to slash rates 

by 25 basis points in October before 

ending the cycle that has brought 

some of the world’s highest interest 

rates closer to that of other emergingmarket 

giants like India and Russia. 

Economists widely expect the Selic 

rate to remain in single digits for the 

foreseeable future, no small feat in a 

country with a long history of runaway 

inflation and where interest 

rates nearly hit 30 percent less than a 

decade ago. 

Lower rates are a top priority for 

President Dilma Rousseff, who has 

not bowed to pressure by thousands 

of striking public workers to raise 

spending. Higher government costs 

could stoke inflation and force the 

central bank to raise rates in the near 

future. — Reuters 

JAL to raise up to 

$8.4bn in share sale 

Second-biggest share sale globally 

tors and former shareholders who 

took a hit when the airline sought 

bankruptcy protection. 

He also said the airline would be 

able to return the 350 billion in 

bailout money through the share 

offer. Earlier this year, JAL said it had 

ordered 10 new Boeing 787 

Dreamliner aircraft as it looks to build 

on its recovery and fight off the threat 

from an emerging domestic budget 

sector. The announcement, part of a 

five-year plan, was in addition to an 

earlier order for 35 of the planes. Built 

largely with lightweight composite 

materials, Boeing said the Dreamliner 

is about 20 percent more fuel efficient 

than similarly sized aircraft and was 

the first mid-size airplane able to fly 

long-range routes. — AFP 

TOKYO: Japan Airlines jets seen at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on August 3, 

2012. JAL said yesterday, its relisting on Tokyo’s stock market could raise 

as much as $8.4 billion, as it continues a return to strength less than three 

years after being forced into bankruptcy. — AFP


SEOUL: Hyundai Motor Co. and its 

labor union reached a tentative agreement 

yesterday to eliminate night 

shifts and increase wages, moving one 

step closer to end the company’s first 

strike in four years. 

The preliminary agreement means 

that workers will halt limited strikes 

they have been staging since July, 

which have resulted in 1.59 trillion 

won ($1.4 billion) of lost output for 

South Korea’s largest carmaker, the 

company said. Hyundai and union officials 

wrapped up their four-month 

negotiations and agreed to scrap night 

shifts starting March 2013. Hyundai 

will invest 300 billion won, or $264 million, 

in facilities to help it maintain the 

current level of output despite 

reduced working hours. 

The deal will be put to a vote by 

Hyundai’s more than 40,000 unionized 

workers on Sept. 3. Kwon Oh-il, an official 

at Hyundai’s labor union, said it 

was uncertain whether the workers 

would approve the terms. 

“In previous years, there were cases 

when the tentative deal had failed to 

win majority votes,” Kwon said by 

phone. Since July, Hyundai’s labor 

union staged a series of brief walkouts 

to put pressure on management during 

negotiations. Workers at Kia 

Motors Co. and General Motors Co. in 

Korea also have staged limited strikes 

to press demands for an end to night 

shifts and new wage terms. 

Earlier this month, unionized workers 

at GM’s Korea unit rejected a tentative 

deal reached between management 

and the union’s board. The union 

staged a partial strike Wednesday that 

Business 

Hyundai Motor reaches deal with labor union 

HAMI: This picture taken on August 6, 2012 shows workers 

checking on a solar panel at a field in Hami, China’s farwest 

Xinjiang region. German Chancellor Angela Merkel 

said yesterday that a dispute between Chinese and 

European solar panel makers should be solved via talks, 

not trade limits. — AFP 

HK shares slide, China 

lingers at 3-1/2-year low 

HONG KONG: Hong Kong shares closed at their lowest in a 

month yesterday, with bank shares hurting after disappointing 

earnings from China’s Agbank and property stocks slumping 

on media reports about imminent curbs on the sector. 

Turnover stayed weak, in line with low trading interest 

across asset classes this week ahead of today’s annual meeting 

of central bankers in Wyoming. The past two years, 

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke signalled new policy 

easing. Onshore Chinese markets yesterday lingered at their 

lowest levels since early 2009, with the metals and mining sector 

weak as iron ore prices sank to near three-year lows on 

sagging Chinese demand. 

Hong Hao, chief strategist at Bank of Communications 

International Securities, said that A-share underperformance 

is making more people look into whether there are bigger 

structural problems in the Chinese economy. 

He suggested that for now, investors should stay defensive 

and brace for more downward revision of earnings. “If you 

don’t have to do anything, then don’t-unless you have a 

strong view on quantitative easing from the Fed,” Hong said.” 

But even then, I’m not risking my money for a 5 percent gain 

in the short term.” The Hang Seng Index shed 1.2 percent to 

19,552.9, the lowest close since July 27. It opened below its 

200-day moving average, now at 19,763.7, which triggered 

stop-losses in the index futures market at around 19,700. That 

caused losses to accelerate, traders said. 

The CSI300 Index of the top Shanghai and Shenzhen listings 

slipped 0.2 percent to 2,211.4, the lowest close since 

March 2009. The Shanghai Composite Index ended flat as 

bourse volume rose 19 percent from Wednesday, almost in 

line with its 20-day moving average. 

Mining companies were weak, with Citic Pacific down 4 

percent. But there was some respite for beleaguered steel 

companies, which need iron ore. Angang Steel jumped 4 percent 

in Hong Kong. Agricultural Bank of China (AgBank), the 

sector’s third-biggest lender, fell on a bigger-than-expected 

margin decline. Banks’ net interest margins measure loan 

profitability and are expected to shrink in the wake of China’s 

interest rate liberalisation, which has narrowed spreads 

between what banks pay depositors and what they charge 

borrowers. —Reuters 

BEIJING: Expressing alarm at Europe’s 

debt problems, Chinese Premier Wen 

Jiabao called on Greece, Spain and Italy 

to embrace budget cuts and get their 

finances in order after meeting yesterday 

with visiting German Chancellor 

Angela Merkel. 

Wen said Beijing is willing to keep 

buying European bonds but gave no 

sign Beijing will bail out the eurozone. 

Merkel was in Beijing for talks aimed at 

boosting trade and allaying Chinese 

fears about Europe’s heavy government 

debts. China has a stake in a resolution 

because Europe is its biggest export 

market and Beijing holds billions of dollars 

in European bonds. 

“The European debt crisis has continued 

to worsen, giving rise to serious 

concerns in the international community. 

Frankly speaking, I am also worried,” 

Wen told reporters. He cited uncertainty 

over whether Greece leaves the eurozone 

and whether Italy and Spain will 

take “comprehensive rescue measures,” 

a reference to spending cuts and tax 

increases to balance their budgets. 

“Resolving these two problems rests 

with whether Greece, Spain, Italy and 

other countries have the determination 

for reform,” the premier said. “Resolving 

the European debt problem requires fiscal 

tightening and finding balance within 

individual economies.” 

Wen’s comments were unusually 

pointed for China, which says governments 

should not interfere in each other’s 

affairs. But the country’s leaders are 

increasingly worried about the safety of 

their European debt holdings and 

European economies where Chinese 

companies are expanding. 

Wen said Beijing was willing to buy 

European bonds so long as it could evaluate 

the risks and to help the European 

Union, International Monetary Fund and 

European Central Bank - the so-called 

troika - support indebted eurozone 

countries “in overcoming hardships.” 

Wen made a similar pledge of possible 

Chinese aid to European bailout 

funds during Merkel’s last visit to Beijing 

in February but it is unclear what the 

communist government has done. The 

European Financial Stability Fund, set up 

to lend to troubled governments, says 

China and other Asian investors have 

bought 40 percent of its bonds but has 

released no other details. 

Merkel told reporters that while the 

crisis is not over, countries such as Italy 

and Greece were “on an intensive road 

of reforms. I am convinced that this will 

bear fruit.” Greek politicians agreed this 

week on an austerity package demanded 

by creditors but were negotiating 

details. Inspectors from the troika are 

due in Athens next month for a review, 

on which hinges a rescue loan installment 

of euro 31 billion. 

“I want Greece to remain part of the 

eurozone,” Merkel said. “I have at the 

same time indicated that credibility is 

very important in the eurozone. 

Therefore we expect the program to be 

implemented.” 

Ahead of Merkel’s visit, German officials 

told reporters Berlin wanted to 

reassure Beijing that European debt is a 

“safe and good investment.” Later, Wen 

and Merkel presided at a signing ceremony 

for billions of dollars in business 

deals - a regular event during visits by 

European leaders. 

Airbus Industrie, a unit of the French- 

German consortium EADS, committed 

to invest $1.6 billion in the second 

phase of an aircraft final assembly plant 

opened in 2008 in Tianjin, Wen’s hometown. 

A Chinese state company signed 

an agreement to purchase 50 Airbus jetliners 

valued at $3.5 billion. 

Volkswagen AG, Europe’s biggest 

the company said caused a loss in production 

of 15,000 vehicles. The strike is 

expected to make a dent on Hyundai’s 

bottom line for the current quarter. 

However, the company will likely meet 

its sales target this year because it 

exceeded its production target in the 

first six months of the year, which 

could make up for the lost output, analysts 

said. “The strike is unlikely to have 

much impact on its annual earnings, 

though it will affect its quarterly financial 

results,” said Suh Sung-moon at 

Korea Investment & Securities. — AP 

China’s Wen calls for 

action on Europe debt 

European debt crisis continues to worsen 

automaker, signed a deal to invest $219 

million in an “environmentally friendly 

production facility” and vocational training 

initiative, also in Tianjin. Eurocopter, 

another EADS unit, signed an agreement 

to build a $12.5 million production 

facility in China. 

Officials of the two governments also 

signed agreements to collaborate in 

biotechnology, electric vehicles, agriculture, 

education, labor and the environment. 

The next round in a regular series 

of Chinese-German meetings was 

scheduled for next year, but German 

officials say Wen asked Merkel to come 

early before the Communist Party 

begins a once -a-decade handover of 

power to younger leaders in October. 

Merkel met later Thursday with Xi 

Jinping, who is due to become party 

leader and president. The two-day visit 

comes as Beijing is struggling to pull 

China out of its deepest economic 

slump since the 2008 global crisis. The 

government has cut interest rates twice 

and is pumping money into the economy 

with a wave of investments by state 

companies. 

A Cabinet official said Wednesday 

that official measures are starting to 

take effect and growth was “stabilizing 

at a slow pace.” But corporate profits are 

down and a survey of manufacturers 

released last week showed future export 

orders have fallen. — AP 

BEIJING: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, shakes hands with Chinese 

Premier Wen Jiabao after a joint press conference at the Great Hall of the 

People in Beijing, China, yesterday. — AP

THEY ARE THE 99! 

99 Mystical Noor Stones carry all that is left of the wisdom and knowledge of the 

lost civilization of Baghdad. But the Noor Stones lie scattered across the globe 

- now little more than a legend. One man has made it his life’s mission to seek 

out what was lost. His name is Dr. Ramzi Razem and he has searched fruitlessly 

for the Noor Stones all his life. Now, his luck is about to change - the first of the 

stones have been rediscovered and with them a special type of human who can 

unlock the gem’s mystical power. Ramzi brings these gem - bearers together to 

form a new force for good in the world. A force known as ... the 99! 

THE STORY SO FAR : 

Jami the Assembler’s new machine doesn’t work -- which should be impossible! New 

member Hamid the Praiseworthy tries to help Aleem and Mujiba to find out why... 

but then Aleem cries out in alarm... 

www.the99.org 

The 99 ® and all related characters ® and © 2012, Teshkeel Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.


Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan delivers the keynote address during the third day of the 2012 

Republican national Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum Wednesday in Tampa, Florida. — AFP 

Ryan picks up bullhorn 

By Andy Sullivan 

Paul Ryan built his reputation as a 

fearless wonk who wasn’t afraid 

to put specific numbers on his 

small-government ideals. Now that he 

is the Republican Party’s vice presidential 

nominee, the devil lies in the 

details. In a speech that marked his 

ascension onto the national stage, 

Ryan spelled out his conservative 

vision in the broad brush strokes of the 

presidential campaign, rather than the 

pointillistic data sets of the House of 

Representatives Budget Committee. 

But the core message at the 

Republican National Convention was 

the same. Ryan said he and his boss, 

Republican presidential nominee Mitt 

Romney, must place the federal government 

on a crash diet and overhaul 

popular benefit programs in order to 

avoid a European-style debt crisis. 

“The choice is whether to put hard 

limits on economic growth or hard 

limits on the size of government, and 

we choose to limit government,” Ryan 

said. 

The take-no-prisoners stance has 

made Ryan a hero to conservatives, 

but it carries risks with a broader electorate. 

While Americans may back the 

idea of spending cuts in the abstract, 

they tend to balk when presented 

with specifics. Polls show that more 

voters prefer keeping the Medicare 

health insurance plan for the elderly in 

place, rather than overhauling it as 

Ryan proposes. “As rhetoric, it was an 

excellent speech in going over those 

broad principles. Likewise as rhetoric, 

it glossed over the hard realities of 

how you would achieve what he was 

talking about,” said Charles Franklin, a 

professor at Marquette Law School in 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

Perhaps it’s not surprising, then, 

that Ryan used personal stories to 

illustrate complex economic issues: 

the shuttered General Motors plant in 

his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin, 

the small business his mother started 

at age 50, and the importance of 

Medicare to his mother, who smiled 

from the audience. There were sins of 

omission. Ryan slammed Obama for 

ignoring a presidential debt panel, but 

failed to note that he himself served 

on the panel and voted against its 

findings. He also failed to mention that 

the GM plant closed before Obama 

took office. 

Left unsaid were the tradeoffs Ryan 

and Romney would make in order to 

scale back the government to the level 

they envision. “He didn’t say what 

the tough choices are,” said Steven 

Schier, a political science professor at 

Carleton College in Northfield, 

Minnesota. “You get into that in a convention 

speech, you lose the crowd, 

you lose the TV audience.” As a vice 

presidential candidate, Ryan now 

must play second fiddle to a man who 

has often been reluctant to provide 

details of his own economic policies. 

Romney has declined to say which tax 

loopholes he would close in order to 

lower income tax rates by 20 percent, 

and his own proposal for Medicare 

reforms lacks the specifics that would 

allow independent experts to determine 

how much they would cost taxpayers 

and beneficiaries. 

Democrats, of course, are happy to 

fill in the blanks as they argue that 

Romney and Ryan would gut programs 

that benefit the middle class 

and the poor in order to cut taxes for 

the wealthy. 

With Ryan’s long voting record in 

Congress and several years of detailed 

budget proposals, they have plenty of 

material to work with. Though Ryan is 

revered in Washington for his deep 

knowledge of fiscal policy, his skills as 

a salesman may be underappreciated. 

Only eight of his fellow Republicans in 

the House of Representatives backed 

his plan to overhaul the Medicare prescription 

drug program when he 

introduced it in 2008. 

Within three years, nearly all of 

them supported it. He has won reelection 

in his Democratic-leaning district 

by wide margins. And he sounded 

like he was ready for his biggest 

sales job yet. “Ladies and gentlemen, 

our nation needs this debate,” he said. 

“We want this debate. We will win this 

debate.” — Reuters 

By Lawrence Bartlett 

Opinion 

Afghanistan insider 

attacks roil NATO 

The scale of insider attacks by Afghan troops against 

their NATO allies is unprecedented in modern warfare 

and threatens to derail the West’s carefully laid 

withdrawal plans, analysts say. August has been the 

worst month for so-called green-on-blue attacks in 

Afghanistan in more than 10 years of war, with nearly 

one in three international coalition deaths caused by 

Afghan allies. Most of the dead are Americans, but the 

latest to die were three Australian troops killed by a 

member of the Afghan security forces in southern 

Uruzgan province on Wednesday. 

The assaults have spiked this year, with more than 30 

incidents claiming the lives of 45 coalition troops, making 

up about 14 percent of the overall death toll in the 

war for 2012. Analysts and officers agree that no other 

modern war, including those in Vietnam and Iraq, has 

seen so many cases of allies turning their weapons on 

international troops, but wrestle with the reasons for the 

phenomenon. Taleban insurgents claim responsibility 

for many of the attacks, saying their fighters have infiltrated 

the Afghan army and police, but NATO says the 

majority of the incidents are due to cultural differences 

and personal animosities. 

The spike in attacks has alarmed the US-led NATO 

force to the extent that all soldiers have been ordered to 

be armed and ready to fire at any time, even within their 

tightly protected bases. That level of distrust undermines 

NATO’s plans to work increasingly closely with 

Afghan forces as they prepare to hand over responsibility 

for security ahead of the withdrawal of their 130,000 

troops by the end of 2014. “I believe (the scale of the 

insider attacks) is unprecedented in the history of war,” 

Fabrizio Foschini of the Afghanistan Analysts Network 

told AFP. “It is one of the developments that ISAF is most 

concerned about because it represents both a military 

setback on the ground and it conveys a very negative 

perception to home public opinion.” 

Foschini agrees with NATO’s assessment that most 

attacks are due to cultural differences, and points out 

that many Afghans say they got on better with Russian 

soldiers during the Soviet Union’s 10-year occupation in 

the 1980s. The religious divide is also part of the picture, 

Foschini says, and some observers have linked the 

increase in attacks to the burning of Qurans at a US military 

base in February this year. But “the polarisation 

between who is a foreigner and who is an Afghan is 

becoming bigger because of the prolonged war and 

prolonged foreign presence, which is raising some hostility”, 

he says. 

Apart from the Quran burning, the image of US 

troops has taken a battering this year through pictures 

and videos showing soldiers abusing the bodies of the 

dead and a massacre of civilians by a rogue American 

trooper. Nick Mills, an associate professor of journalism 

at Boston University who served as a combat photographer 

for the US Army in Vietnam, also said he believed 

the green-on-blue attacks “have no parallel in recent 

military history”. “The Afghans know that once the 

Western troops leave, they are going to have to choose 

sides - the Kabul government or the Taleban - and the 

Kabul government has little respect or credibility,” he 

told AFP. NATO has tried to play down the importance of 

the attacks, pointing out that they are carried out by a 

tiny proportion of the Afghan forces that work with the 

International Security Assistance Force. But US Defense 

Secretary Leon Panetta has acknowledged that he is 

“very concerned” about the attacks and the impact they 

are having on cooperation with Afghan allies. Afghan 

opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign 

minister and potential presidential candidate in 2014 

elections, also pointed to problems within the government 

as a reason for the attacks. 

Abdullah takes President Hamid Karzai to task for 

what he calls his “vague” message in which he regularly 

calls the Taleban “brothers”, urging them to talk peace, 

and criticises the United States. “Sometimes you don’t 

know who he calls the enemy - the Taleban or the 

Americans,” Abdullah said. — AFP


www.kuwaittimes.net 

A Black Crowned Crane (Balearica 

pavonina) watches the photographer 

in his enclosure in the zoo in 

Dresden, eastern Germany yesterday. 

—AP 

Anniversary 

Years


Tomatoes are summer’s glamour crop, 

round, red and ripe. But though zucchini 

will never get as many magazine 

covers, real cooks know you can’t beat 

it for versatility. If you’ve got a perfectly 

ripened backyard tomato, there are only a 

few things you should do with it (yes, 

admittedly, all of them are delicious). But if 

you’ve got a bag of zucchini, well, the sky 

is the limit. 

Here are some quick ideas. 

1. Bulgur salad with arugula, zucchini and 

pine nuts: Salt zucchini and set aside 

until soft. Rinse, pat dry and combine 

with toasted soaked bulgur and minced 

red onion, dress with olive oil and 

lemon juice and at the last minute add 

torn arugula leaves and toasted pine 

nuts. 

2. Ratatouille: Saute onions in olive oil until 

they’re tender and transfer them to a 

big pot. Saute zucchini until tender and 

add that to the pot. Saute eggplant 

until 

tender and 

add that to the pot. 

Add peeled, seeded, diced 

tomatoes and red wine vinegar and 

cook until they thicken. Add them to 

the pot and heat everything through to 

combine flavors. 

3. Zucchini-basil frittata: Saute sliced onion 

and shredded zucchini in a nonstick 

skillet until the zucchini is no longer 

moist. Stir the mixture into a bowl of 

beaten eggs along with grated 

Parmesan cheese and torn basil leaves. 

Return the mixture to the skillet and 

cook, stirring, until the egg mixture sets 

like soft scrambled eggs. Run the pan 

under a broiler just until it browns on 

top. 

4. Zuni Cafe zucchini pickles: Slice the zucchini 

about 1/16 of an inch thick. 

Combine in a bowl with a sliced onion 

and salt generously. Cover with ice 

water and set aside until the zucchini is 

softened, about 1 hour. Rinse and pat 

dry. Combine vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, 

mustard seeds and turmeric in a 

small saucepan and simmer for 3 minutes. 

Set aside until just warm to the 

touch. Pour the brine mixture over the 

zucchini, transfer to jars, seal tightly 

and refrigerate for at least a day. 

5. Braised zucchini with mint and lemon: 

Braise the zucchini in olive oil with 

chopped onion, garlic, lemon zest and 

mint. When you remove the lid and 

turn the heat up to high, add more 

lemon juice and cook until the liquid is 

reduced to a syrup. Cool to warm room 

temperature and stir in more mint and 

toasted pine nuts. 

6. Zucchini and pine nut salad: This is 

another very simple (and delicious) 

adaptation of a basic technique. Salt 

zucchini as in the bulgur salad and 

combine it with minced red onion and 

pine nuts and dress with olive oil and 

lemon juice. Stir in shredded basil just 

before serving. 

7. Zucchini in agrodolce: Cut the zucchini 

into large pieces. Heat olive oil and a 

whole peeled garlic clove until the garlic 

begins to brown. Add the cut-up 

zucchini and cook until the zucchini 

begins to brown, add white vinegar, 

sugar, toasted pine nuts, softened golden 

raisins and a chopped anchovy fillet 

and cook until the liquid reduces to a 

syrup. Remove from the heat, stir in 

chopped mint and season to taste with 

salt and black pepper. This can be 

served either warm or cold. 

8. Calabacitas con crema: Cut an onion 

into thick slices and cook slowly until 

golden. Add sliced garlic, shredded 

FOOD 

Zucchini 

can create a variety 

of tasty summertime dishes 

Zucchini can create a variety of tasty summertime dishes like Zucchini Tian. — MCT photos 

roasted, peeled, seeded poblano and 

zucchini cut into thick slabs and cook, 

covered, until the zucchini is tender. 

Add Mexican crema, increase the heat 

to medium, and cook until thickened. 

Just before serving, stir in chopped 

cilantro. 

9. Garlic and herb-stuffed zucchini: Make a 

flavorful tomato sauce. Cut zucchini in 

half lengthwise and use a melon baller 

to carefully remove enough of the flesh 

from the center to make a boat. Season 

lightly with salt and steam until tender. 

Grind fresh bread to crumbs in a food 

processor with basil and garlic. Pour 

into a bowl and stir in chopped 

anchovies and toasted pine nuts. Pour 

the tomato sauce into a lightly oiled 

gratin dish and spoon the breadcrumb 

mixture into the zucchini, mounding it 

slightly on top. Drizzle with olive oil and 

bake until the tops of the breadcrumbs 

are browned. Serve hot or at room temperature. 

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS 

Total time: 30 minutes, plus draining time 

for the shredded zucchini 

Servings: Makes 8 fritters 

1 pound zucchini 

Salt 

1 teaspoon cumin seeds 

1 teaspoon coriander seeds 

1 green onion, chopped, green part only 

2 tablespoons flour 

1 egg, beaten 

Olive oil 

Greek-style yogurt 

1. Shred the zucchini and put it in a colander. 

Sprinkle generously with salt, mix 

well and set aside for at least 30 minutes 

to drain. Toast the cumin and 

coriander seeds in a small dry skillet 

over medium heat until they begin to 

pop and smell fragrant. Grind in a spice 

grinder or mortar and pestle. 

2. Rinse the shredded zucchini under cold 

running water. Pick up a small handful, 

squeeze it dry and put it in the center of 

a linen dish towel. When you’ve 

squeezed all the zucchini by hand, 

gather the dish towel around the zucchini 

and twist, wringing out as much 

liquid as you can. The more liquid you 

remove, the lighter the fritter will be. 

3. Put the zucchini in a bowl and add the 

green onion, jalapeno, cumin and 

coriander and stir to mix well. Stir in the 

flour and then the beaten egg. The mixture 

should be sticky, but there shouldn’t 

be any free liquid. If there is, stir in a 

little more flour. 

4. Pour olive oil into a nonstick skillet to a 

depth of about one-fourth inch (it’ll 

take about one-fourth cup) and heat it 

over medium-high heat. When the oil is 

hot enough that a little bit of zucchini


sizzles immediately, drop 4 (2 to 3 

tablespoon) mounds of the batter into 

the pan, flattening them slightly with 

the back of a spoon. 

5. Fry until golden brown on one side, 3 to 

4 minutes, then gently flip and fry until 

golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 

minutes. Remove to a paper towellined 

plate and gently pat away any 

excess oil. 

6. Serve immediately, with a dollop of 

thick Greek yogurt. 

Each fritter: 147 calories; 2 grams protein; 

4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 

14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 23 mg 

cholesterol; 1 gram sugar; 87 mg sodium. 

WOVEN ZUCCHINI WITH 

FRESH GOAT CHEESE 

Total time: 20 minutes, plus draining time 

for the zucchini 

Servings: 4 

3 to 4 (6- to 7-inch) zucchini 

Salt 

Olive oil 

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

10 to 12 cherry tomatoes 

8 ounces fresh goat cheese 

1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably 

Sicilian) 

6 leaves fresh basil 

1. Trim the ends of the zucchini to make 

them a uniform length. Slice them 

lengthwise as thin as you can, about 

one-eighth inch (this is most easily 

done with a mandoline, but if you’re 

careful, a very sharp knife will also 

work). You should have at least 24 thin 

strips of zucchini. 

2. Place the zucchini in a bowl, salt generously 

and toss to coat, then transfer to 

a colander and set aside until the zucchini 

have softened, at least 30 minutes. 

3. While the zucchini are sitting, whisk 

together 3 tablespoons olive oil, the 

minced garlic and lemon juice and season 

with a pinch of salt. Cut the cherry 

tomatoes in half and season lightly 

with salt. 

4. Rinse the zucchini slices under cold running 

water, then pat dry with a paper 

towel. Return to the bowl and season 

with just enough of the olive oil-lemon 

mixture to moisten lightly. 

5. Weaving the zucchini may sound complicated 

(as with weaving a lattice-top 

pie), but it is not difficult at all. You’ll 

need 6 strips of squash for each plate. 

Arrange three strips of zucchini sideby-side 

on the first plate. Lift the middle 

strip and place one strip of zucchini 

perpendicular to the other strips and 

over the two outer strips, making an 

“H.” Unfold the middle strip over the 

perpendicular strip. Fold back the two 

end pieces on one side and lay another 

perpendicular strip, then unfold the 

end pieces. Repeat at the other end, 

then use your fingers to gently push 

the pieces together to make a tightly 

woven mat of zucchini. Repeat for the 

three remaining plates. 

6. Place the fresh goat cheese in a bowl 

and stir in the dried oregano and the 

remainder of the olive oil-lemon mixture 

to make a smooth, creamy mixture. 

If necessary, add a little more 

olive oil. 

7. Divide the goat cheese mixture evenly 

among the four plates, spooning it in 

the center of the zucchini mat. Scatter 

the cherry tomato halves around the 

outside. Drizzle lightly with a little 

more good olive oil and sprinkle with 

coarse salt. Tear the basil leaves into 

small pieces and scatter over top. 

Serve at room temperature. 

Each serving: 336 calories; 15 grams 

protein; 9 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams 

fiber; 28 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 

45 mg cholesterol; 7 grams sugar; 599 mg 

sodium. 

ZUCCHINI TIAN 

Total time: 30 minutes, plus 1 to 1 hour 

baking time 

Servings: 6 

1 large onion 

Olive oil 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

Salt 

2 tablespoons slivered basil leaves 

2 zucchini, cut into \-inch rounds 

16 to 20 cherry tomatoes, quartered 

3 tablespoons slivered, pitted black olives 

Freshly ground black pepper 

4 ounces fresh goat cheese 

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the 

onion in quarters lengthwise and then 

FOOD 

in one-fourth-inch crosswise strips. 

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large 

skillet over medium heat, add the 

onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 

until it is softened and translucent, 6 to 

8 minutes. Add the minced garlic and 

cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. 

2. Generously oil an earthenware, glass or 

enameled cast-iron baking pan 

approximately 10 by 8 inches. Scatter 

the onions across the bottom, season 

lightly with salt and scatter the basil 

leaves over the top. 

3. Arrange the zucchini on top of the 

onions in a single tight-fitting crosswise 

row. Arrange the remaining zucchini 

following the same pattern, overlapping 

each successive row by about 

one-half. Scatter the cherry tomatoes 

and black olives evenly over the top 

and again season lightly with salt 

(remember, the goat cheese will be 

slightly salty) and more generously 

with black pepper. 

4. Crumble the goat cheese evenly over 

the top of the mixture, drizzle with 

olive oil and bake until the zucchini is 

very soft, the goat cheese is lightly 

browned, and most of the liquid from 

the vegetables has disappeared, 1 to 1 

1/2 hours. 

Each of serving: 166 calories; 6 grams 

protein; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams 

fiber; 13 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 

15 mg cholesterol; 4 grams sugar; 137 mg 

sodium. 

A LOOK AT SOME TYPES 

There are hundreds of varieties of summer 

squash sold as zucchini, but they 

break down into two main families. 

Though they can be used interchangeably, 

each has different strengths. 

The familiar deep green cylindrical zucchini 

tends to have the best flavor, and 

the darker the zucchini, the better it is. But 

the flesh can be soft and breaks down 

when cooked. 

The light gray-green slightly bulbous 

zucchini, which is common at Latino and 

Middle Eastern markets, has a milder taste 

but denser, firmer flesh that holds together 

during cooking. 

You may also sometimes see round 

zucchini, such as Ronde de Nice and 

Tondo di Piacenza. These are not technically 

zucchini but summer pumpkins. 

Nevertheless, they have firm flesh and 

mild flavor and are very good for stuffing. 

— MCT


Did you ever go through a gothic phase in high school, when 

you couldn’t stand even a slight fade to your jet black hair color? 

Those days, you probably thought highlights were only 

meant for the carefree blondes or the sun-kissed brunettes of the 

world — tortured soul, much? 

Or maybe you had a head full of highlights — bright blonde strands 

scattered on top of your dark brown hair — and wish you could transport 

your current colorist back to your life circa college. You know, so 

he could talk you out of those fake-looking streaks. 

Whatever your highlight history, it’s time to think about revisiting 

them. Highlights offer the ability to switch up your hair color without 

getting a dramatic overhaul, and they can bring depth and life to an 

otherwise blasÈ brown or dull blonde. 

The key to great, natural-looking highlights, say experts, is knowing 

what shades will work best with your hair color. To get the inside 

scoop, we turned to hair colorist Marco Pelusi, owner of Marco Pelusi 

Hair Studio, Inc. in West Hollywood, Calif. Here are his best tips on how 

to get the right highlight shades for every hair color (even jet black, for 

all of you goth queens out there). 

Choosing the right highlights for you 

Before you find out what your best highlights are, read the following 

tips to avoid a hair coloring disaster: 

• Go to a professional. While there isn’t much risk with doing an 

allover color at home, there’s a lot more room for error with highlights 

— from the thickness of the streaks to the tones and shades. 

Getting highlights should definitely be reserved for the salon. 

• Know if you look better in cool or warm tones. A simple way to figure 

this out is to hold a swatch of silver (cool tone) and a swatch of 

gold (warm tone) against your face. Whichever looks best against 

your skin tone tells what type of color family you should stay in. 

Just make sure you do this test without makeup and with sunlight. 

• Decide if you’re getting highlights, lowlights, or both. Pelusi says 

highlights are shades that are lighter than the allover hair color, 

while lowlights are dark colors applied to lighter hair. Lowlights 

tend to soften a dark color while highlights bring depth. 

If you have platinum blonde hair 

Try lowlights in a deeper blonde shade. 

Gwen Stefani’s hair is as blonde as it gets. If you have similarly borderline-white 

hair, Pelusi recommends getting “lowlights in a deeper 

blonde color woven throughout.” It would require touchups every 

three to four weeks, and over time you can gradually move to a darker 

color if you wish. If you want to go for an edgier look, you can concentrate 

the streaks like Gwen with her lowlights in the center. 

If you have light to medium blonde hair 

Try lowlights in deep blonde. 

Reese Witherspoon is the quintessential blonde and can wear just 

about any hue. This light blonde shade has a sun-kissed look with 

highlights that are a few shades darker. For natural looking highlights, 

Pelusi recommends looking at your natural hair color 

when coloring any part of your hair, then picking a color in the 

same family, but lighter. 

If you have light brown hair 

Try ashy blonde highlights. 

Have gorgeous light brown hair like Jennifer Lopez, but 

looking to change up your look? Pelusi recommends incorporating 

more blonde pieces throughout the hair, specifically in 

the lower half, as J.Lo did. 

If you have dark brown hair 

Try caramel highlights. 

Pelusi recommends incorporating shades of caramel, not much 

lighter than your natural color, into your hair. “Caramel, rather than 

reds or oranges will produce a subtler look,” he says. And, to keep the 

look even more natural, start the highlights a “little off the scalp” so 

that they blend easily. The trick is to use two or three different shades 

to create a more natural and vibrant effect, as Jessica Alba did. 

— www.totalbeauty.com 

BEAUTY


1. How to Win Friends & Influence People 

Dale Carnegie, 1936. Arguably the first self-help book in the 

genre. 

2. Keys to Success 

Napoleon Hill, 1947. Interviews with Carnegie, Ford, and 

Rockefeller led to 17 “keys” to success. 

3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People 

Stephen Covey, 1989. Covey identifies seven qualities that we 

must develop in order to reach our potential. 

4. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living 

Dale Carnegie, 1948. Tired of worrying about everything, 

Carnegie set out to purge worry from his life. 

5. The Prophet 

Kahlil Gibran, 1923. Living a proper life is the aim, but Gibran 

says we can’t do by following others. 

6. The Alchemist 

Paulo Coelho, 2006. A young Andalusian sheepherder sets out 

in seek of money and fame. 

7. Who Moved My Cheese? 

Spencer Johnson, 1998. Two mice and two humans live in a 

maze where their cheese disappears. A parable for life. 

8. The 48 Laws of Power 

Robert Greene, 2000. “The 48 Laws of Power” draws inspiration 

from war (Sun-Tzu) and politics (Machiavelli). 

9. Rich Dad, Poor Dad 

Robert Kiyosaki, 2000. ‘What the Rich Teach Their Kids About 

Money - That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!’ 

10. Awaken the Giant Within 

Anthony Robbins, 1992. How to Take Immediate Control of 

Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny. 

11. The Secret 

Rhonda Byrne, 2006. The things that we think about determine 

our reality. It’s the ‘Law of Attraction.’ 

12. The 4-Hour Workweek 

Timothy Ferriss, 2007. Practice “selective ignorance” to give 

yourself more time to join the new rich. 

13. The Power of Myth 

Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers, 1991. A look at how ancient 

mythology is still relevant thousands of years later 

14. The Power of Now 

Eckhart Tolle, 1997. Tolle teaches move beyond thoughts of the 

past or future, and live, finally, in the present moment. 

15. The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire 

Deepak Chopra, 2003. ‘Coincidences’ offer glimpses of the infinite 

possibilities we could embrace. 

16. The Art of Happiness 

Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, 1998. A readable and enlightening 

look at Buddhism and the Dalai Lama. 

17. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience 

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 1991. Artists, runners, chess playerseveryone 

can attain ‘flow,’ and there’s little else like it. 

18. The Tipping Point 

Malcolm Gladwell, 2002. When ‘memes’ (viral ideas) come in 

contact with the right person, the world changes. 

19. The Four Agreements 

Don Miguel Ruiz, 2001. The four agreements are pacts that he 

believes you must make with yourself in order to be happy. 

20. The Aladdin Factor 

Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, 1995. Five things stand in 

the way of what we want: 1) Ignorance; 2) Limiting beliefs; 3) 

Fear; 4) Low self-esteem; and 5) Pride. 

21. Self-Esteem 

Matthew McKay (Author), Patrick Fanning, 2000. ‘A Proven 

Program of Cognitive Techniques for Assessing, Improving, and 

Maintaining Your Self-Esteem’. 

22. Unlimited Power 

Anthony Robbins, 1986. The sweeping and candid book that 

put Tony Robbins on the map. 

23. Better Than Good 

Zig Ziglar, 2007. Ziglar’s ideas evoke a passion that goes 

beyond financial gain and status. 

24. When Bad Things Happen to Good People 

Harold Kushner, 1981. Why are we here if terrible things can 

happen with no rhyme and no reason? 

25. The One Minute Millionaire 

Mark Victor Hansen, 2002. A fictional tale of a woman trying to 

claw her way out of poverty, and real-world tips for quitting 

your nine-to-five. 

26. Learned Optimism 

Martin Seligman, 1998. Pessimists believe external events are 

their fault while optimists view them as temporary roadblocks. 

27. The PTSD Workbook 

Mary Beth Williams, Soili Poijula, 2002. Simple and effective 

techniques for overcoming traumatic stress symptoms. 

28. The Last Lecture 

Randy Pausch, 2008. What wisdom would you try to impart to 

the world if you knew it was your last chance? 

29. Finding Your Own North Star 

Martha Beck, 2002. The North Star is our driving motivation 

that hovers somewhere near our souls. 

30. I’m OK-You’re OK 

Thomas Harris, 1969. Too often, Harris argues, we fall prey to 

The Contamination of the Adult. 

31. A New Earth 

Eckhart Tolle, 2008. Tolle argues humankind is on the verge of a 

new, non-denominational spiritual awakening. 

32. Outliers: The Story of Success 

Malcolm Gladwell, 2008. Why do some among us succeed 

while so many others fail to reach their potential? 

33. My Stroke of Insight 

Jill Bolte Taylor, 2006. A Harvard-trained brain scientist suffers a 

stroke that eventually leads her to a new state of enlightenment. 

34. Extraordinary Minds 

Howard Gardner, 1998. What traits are shared by Mozart, Freud, 

Woolf, and Gandhi? Gardner seeks out the ties that bind them. 

35. The Intention Experiment 

Lynne McTaggart, 2008. Experiments on the fringe of science 

challenge some of academia’s most hallowed precepts about 

the power of the mind. 

36. I Am a Strange Loop 

Douglas R. Hofstadter, 2007. Our personalities aren’t as 

entrenched as we like to think. Knowing how it works teaches 

us to manipulate it. 

37. Who Are You Really, and What Do You Want? 

Shad Helmstetter, 2003. If you truly want to succeed, you must 

stack the cards in your favor. 

38. What to Say When You Talk to Yourself 

Shad Helmstetter, 1990. Change your inner monologue from 

negative to positive and your life will change in unexpected 

ways. 

39. How to Think Like a CEO 

D A Benton, 1998. D.A. Benton interviewed more than 100 

Books 

CEOs to figure out how their thinking differs from that of everyone 

else. 

40. Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment 

Deepak Chopra, 2008. As we learn about Buddha’s transformation 

we learn the core tenants of religion. 

41. Wherever You Go, There You Are 

Jon Kabat-zinn, 1995. Like a poetic How-To manual, Kabat’s 

book is evidence that everyone can benefit from meditation. 

42. Stumbling on Happiness 

Daniel Gilbert, 2007. The one ability we have above animals is 

to predict the future. Unfortunately, our predictions aren’t 

great. 

43. Change Your Brain, Change Your Life 

Daniel G. Amen, 1999. A breakthrough program for conquering 

anxiety, depression, obsessiveness, anger, and impulsiveness. 

44. Getting Things Done 

David Allen, 2002. Organizing your life too much is worse than 

organizing at all. Clear the clutter and focus on the task at hand. 

45. The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook 

Edmund J. Bourne, 2005. A book that delves deeply into the 

causes of our fears and discomforts, then gives tips to overcome 

them. 

46. Goodbye to Shy 

Leil Lowndes, 2006. A former shy girl herself, Lowndes is now a 

professional speaker, and her book offers 85 ways to become 

more outgoing. 

47. Conversationally Speaking 

Alan Garner, 1997. Tested new ways to increase your personal 

and social effectiveness. 

48. The Magic of Thinking Big 

David Schwartz, 1987. Don’t worry about the size of your brain 

so much as your ability to think outside the box. 

49. How to Talk to Anyone 

Leil Lowndes, 2003. Lowndes details 92 steps that focus largely 

on meeting new people and making them friends. 

50. Talent Is Overrated 

Geoff Colvin, 2008. What really separates world-class performers 

from everybody else. 

— www.selfhelp.fm


Steve Jobs resigned as chief executive of Apple on 

the evening of August 24, 2011, six weeks before 

he lost his long battle against pancreatic cancer. 

But his ideas live on in the iconic technology company 

he co-founded in a garage. 

“I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days 

are ahead of it,” Jobs wrote in his open resignation letter 

as, with a heavy heart, he was forced by ill-health to relinquish 

his leadership of Apple. Debilitated by the long 

fight with cancer, his body was no longer able to cope 

with the daily stress of running a multi-national that had 

just eclipsed oil giant Exxon Mobil as the publicly traded 

company with the world’s biggest market valuation. 

Spurred by the success of the iPhone, Apple has gone 

on to become the most valuable company in the history 

of stock markets. This week, Apple’s surging sales and 

new products on the horizon propelled the company’s 

value to 624 billion dollars, topping Microsoft’s 1999 

record market capitalization at the height of the internet 

bubble. Hollywood could not have scripted Apple’s history 

better. 

The college dropout Jobs builds one of the first 

home computers in a garage with friend Steve Wozniak. 

The company grows quickly, but a rift in management 

leads to Jobs’ ouster from his own company in 1985. In 

1997, with Apple facing oblivion in the face of rival 

Microsoft’s dominant Windows operating system, Jobs 

returns as the saviour, redesigning the once-revolutionary 

Macintosh computer as the iMac and making it cool 

once again. 

The first glimpse of Jobs’ greater goal emerges with 

the success of the iPod digital music players, and Apple’s 

iTimes ushers the company into the business of marketing 

music and later films and books. Apple is now more 

than a simple computer manufacturer. The first iPhone 

was introduced in 2007. Initially laughed at by competitors 

such as Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer, Apple turned 

the entire mobile-phone market upside down with its 

smartphone. 

The iPhone’s touch screen quickly became standard, 

and industry giants such as Nokia and Blackberry-maker 

Technology 

Steve Jobs’ legacy: Best still to come from Apple 

As people migrate to laptops, desktops 

are fading in importance and 

many are wondering what one does 

with an old monitor. There are all kinds of 

options... from a backup display for a laptop 

to a replacement for your TV. 

As an extra display for a laptop, a monitor 

delivers some clear health benefits. One 

no longer has to look down at a laptop 

screen, meaning, in the long run, benefits 

both for the back and eyes. This is especially 

important for people who have to spend 

long hours in front of their laptops. Those 

with original monitors that have small displays, 

or those wanting to upgrade to a flat 

screen monitor, could also benefit. 

“The prices have, on average, sunk to 

about 170 euros (210 dollars),” says Roland 

Stehle of the German Society for 

Entertainment and Communications 

Technology (gfu). Most new models usually 

have high-definition (HD) resolution. full 

HD - 1,920 X 1,080 pixels - is almost standard. 

There is a choice between TN, IPS and 

PVA/MVA models. 

Twisted Nematic (TN) is the oldest technology, 

offering fast reactions and only limited 

blurring during movement. But contrast 

can be a problem, especially with a 

limited viewing angle. In-Plane-Switching 

(IPS) models are more expensive, but offer 

solid contrast and colour. An updated S-IPS 

version provides reaction times that are 

good for gaming, as well as good visibility 

at angles. MVA (multi-domain vertical) 

models offer the best contrast from all 

viewing angles, an aspect that’s even 

improved upon with patterned vertical 

alignment (PVA). However, neither has 

reaction times that match TN models. 

Always consider what you plan to use the 

monitor for before making a purchase. “If 

you just want a monitor for data crunching, 

then you don’t need to worry so much 

about reaction time,” says Stehle. 

But for gamers and those who want to 

watch HD films reaction times of more than 

three or four milliseconds are important. 

These models will come with higher resolutions, 

which, in turn, means they need a 

more powerful graphics card. And bear in 

mind that not every game can manage 

these resolutions. 

Make sure to get a monitor that fits on 

your desk. You should also be able to rotate 

it and set its height. “Anyone who can’t set 

the display optimally is going to be dealing 

with neck pain before long,” according to a 

test in the German computer magazine 

Chip Test & Kauf. HDMI, a standard port for 

televisions, is becoming the way to go with 

monitors, and more common than other 

ports like DVI and DisplayPort. But most 

manufacturers do not deliver an HDMI 

cable along with the monitor. 

Some come with two HDMI ports, while 

others offer a variety to make sure users 

won’t need an adapter to hook up their 

monitor. The differences continue to melt 

away between monitors and televisions. 

Some flat screens already come with a 

Research In Motion began to shudder at the market 

power of Apple. PC manufacturers learned to fear Apple 

in 2010 when the company launched the iPad. Rather 

than trying to claw back long-lost market share in the 

computer industry that he helped pioneer, Jobs innovated 

PCs into obsolescence and positioned Apple to dominate 

the next big thing: mobile computing. 

Apple is still reaping the profits from the ideas and 

decisions of its founder, with the iPhone raking in profits 

while the iPad is the growth engine. Yet new Apple chief 

Tim Cook has managed to step out of the shadow of his 

long-time mentor. While Jobs often ruled like an emperor 

in his kingdom, Cook has made the company more 

transparent. 

Cook heeded criticism of work conditions for employees 

of Apple’s Chinese suppliers, putting in place reforms 

at the company’s manufacturing contractors. He has listened 

to calls from shareholders for the payment of a 

dividend and did a u-turn after coming under fire for 

dropping out of an environmental rating system. By 

comparison, Jobs was famous for letting such pressure 

simply bounce off him. 

Since Cook took the helm at Apple, the company’s 

value has doubled to more than 600 million dollars. 

Investors will speculate over the coming months about 

the new iPhone, a smaller iPad and a broader entry by 

Apple into the television business. “We simply remain 

true to our basic principles and build the best products,” 

Cook said recently. “And because we are doing that, we 

are convinced that good times lie ahead for us.” — dpa 

Your old monitor 

might have some life in it 

tuner for digital television or a built-in 

media player. That lets them pick up video 

from external hard drives without a computer. 

Of course, such features mean more 

energy consumption. — dpa


Young Chinese women in swishy dresses and 

strappy sandals sit in a row clutching forms 

that list their weight and measurements as 

they wait for an interview with the “appearance consultant”. 

Dressed as if for a beauty contest, they are 

among more than 1,000 bidding to make it to the 

next stage of this bizarre competition-the chance to 

join an exclusive group of 50 vying for marriage to a 

multimillionaire. The testing process screens everything 

from looks and education to family background 

and astrological compatibility. The 50 lucky 

qualifiers win the chance to meet 32 men worth at 

least 100 million yuan ($16 million). 

Although it is at the extreme end of the scale, the 

matchmaking event arranged by the China 

Entrepreneur Club for Singles in Beijing reflects the 

growing challenges of finding a spouse in modern 

China. “I don’t need to be so rich. I’m just saying I 

want the ability to have a good lifestyle,” said Zeng 

Xie, 25, wearing thick mascara and a delicate dress as 

she slipped out between interviews to check in with 

her mother. 

Zeng’s mother, who gave only her surname, Niu, 

rated her daughter’s chances of finding love in the 

city as low, and bemoaned her unwillingness to 

return to the family’s home town. “She’s got a lot of 

great qualities, so she has quite high standards,” said 

Niu. “Kids these days are working and they are so 

busy, they don’t have time to make friends.” Experts 

say the material demands of some young Chinese 

have escalated as the country’s wealth has grownwith 

home ownership a common requirement, 

according to Yale sociologist Deborah Davis. 

Davis says that transient urban lifestyles have 

combined with frenetic social change, booming 

wealth and more relaxed sexual mores to complicate 

the process of finding a partner in China. The escalating 

demands of potential spouses have come 

under the spotlight in recent years thanks to popular 

television dating shows featuring materialism so 

outrageous that worried authorities forced them to 

dial them back. One female contestant famously 

rebuffed a potential suitor, saying she would “rather 

cry in a BMW car than laugh on the backseat of a 

bicycle”, while another requested 200,000 yuan 

($31,000) to allow a man to shake her hand. 

Many of China’s flourishing dating websites and 

other matchmaking businesses target the ultra 

wealthy, said Wu Di, a psychology consultant and 

television personality who discusses dating and marriage. 

The China Entrepreneur Club for Singles 

requires men to verify their net worth and pay a 

200,000 yuan ($31,000) fee. Half are divorced and 

half of those have children-factors that might give 

some women pause. 

The criteria for women are pretty exacting. They 

should be 20 to 28 years old, 165 centimeters (five 

feet four inches) or taller, beautiful and gentle with 

at least a junior college education. Contest founder 

Cheng Yongsheng stresses that they also screen 

women for character, putting them through a multiple-round 

two-month process of “in-depth tests” 

and interviews with family. They cannot be too poor 

or they will be gold-diggers, nor can they be too rich 

and not appreciate the value of hard-earned money, 

he said. 

On Sunday women were assessed not only by the 

appearance consultant but also three others asking 

questions such as how did they handle stress, how 

would their parents describe them and what did 

they want in a man? Several insisted they cared 

about more than money. Zeng said she was perfectly 

content to live on her 30,000 yuan monthly salary 

and, as an occasional model, did not lack potential 

boyfriends. She sought a husband who was responsible 

and treated her as an equal. Chen Li, 29, wanted 

a life partner of good character and sighed that 

this might not be the best place to find him. “Rich, 

divorced men just want a young and pretty woman 

who can have babies,” she said, adding that she did 

not think she fitted the bill. “Being successful and 

being good is not the same thing.” — AFP 

Lifestyle 

This picture shows young Chinese women during an interview with the ‘appearance consultant’ arranged by Chinese Entrepreneurs Singles Club in Beijing. — AFP photos 

This picture shows a group of young Chinese women waiting their turn for an interview. 

This picture shows a young 

Chinese woman during an 

interview.


Michael Keaton 

Keaton cast as 

‘RoboCop’ CEO 

in remake 

Michael Keaton is joining the cast of the upcoming 

remake of Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 cultclassic, 

“RoboCop,” for MGM and Columbia Pictures, MGM 

announced Wednesday. Keaton will play the CEO of the corporation 

that builds RoboCop. He joins previously announced 

stars Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman and Samuel L Jackson in the 

film, which is being directed by Jose Padilha. 

The project is due to begin filming next month, and is scheduled 

to be released on August 19, 2013. Recent reports noted 

that British actor Hugh Laurie was in the running to take on the 

role, as was Clive Owen. The film is set in a crime-ridden city in 

which a wounded cop returns to the force as a cyborg haunted 

by his memories. 

“Michael is the final addition to the amazing cast we have 

assembled for this film and it is so great to have the last puzzle 

piece in place,” said Padilha. “We’ve got a great script, a great 

cast, some killer ED-209’s and I can’t wait to get Alex Murphy 

back on the streets.” —Reuters 

Trey Songz’s latest 

‘Chapter’ takes Billboard No. 1 

R&B artist Trey Songz topped the Billboard 200 album chart 

on Wednesday with his latest album “Chapter V,” edging 

out three other new entries on the chart this week. Songz’s 

fifth studio album sold 135,000 copies according to Nielsen 

SoundScan, pushing last week’s chart-topper “Based On A T.R.U. 

Story” from rapper 2 Chainz to No. 2 with 48,000 copies. 

DJ Khaled’s sixth studio album “Kiss The Ring” debuted at No. 4 

with 41,000 copies sold, behind the compilation of various artists 

on the “Now 43” album, which dropped one spot to No. 3 this 

week with sales of 45,000 units. Electronic-indie act Owl City (real 

name Adam Young) debuted at No. 7 with his fourth studio album 

“The Midsummer Station,” selling 30,000 copies in its first week, 

fueled by his hit single “Good Time” featuring Carly Rae Jepsen. 

Christian music band Tenth Avenue North had the fourth 

debut in the top ten of the Billboard 200 chart. Their third studio 

album, “The Struggle,” came in at No. 9 with 26,000 copies sold. 

Justin Bieber’s “Believe” took No. 5 in its 10th week in the chart, 

while Maroon 5’s “Overexposed” notched No. 6, Rick Ross’ “God 

Forgives, I Don’t” dropped from No. 3 to No. 8, and One 

Direction’s “Up All Night” rounded out the top ten. Over on the 

Digital Songs chart, Taylor Swift safely held onto the No. 1 position 

as her latest hit. —Ruters 

Oscar-winning US actor Tommy Lee 

Jones will receive an award in honor 

of his career at the San Sebastian 

film festival in Spain next month, festival 

organizers said yesterday. The 65-year-old 

“Men in Black” star will collect one of the 

festival’s Donostia Awards, “awarded to a 

great film personality in recognition for their 

work and career”, at a ceremony on 

September 28, they said in a statement. 

Festival organizers praised Jones as “one of 

the most acclaimed and accomplished 

actors in Hollywood”, who has had “a brilliant 

career spanning four decades”. 

Jones won the Oscar for Best 

Supporting Actor in 1994 for his portrayal of 

determined US Marshall Sam Gerard in the 

box office hit “The Fugitive”. His latest film 

“Hope Springs”, in which he co-stars opposite 

Meryl Streep, will be screened out of 

competition at the festival. Scottish actor 

Ewan McGregor and US director Oliver 

Stone will also receive a Donastia Award at 

San Sebastian this year. Previous recipients 

of the prize include Julia Roberts, Glenn 

Close, Ian McKellen, Richard Gere and 

Woody Allen. 

The 60th edition of the San Sebastian 

film festival, the oldest and most prestigious 

event of its kind in the Spanish speaking 

world, will take place between September 

21 and 29. — AP 

Lifestyle 

Tommy Lee Jones to get 

award at Spanish film festival 

Beanie Sigel 

Beanie Sigel 

arrested for drug, 

gun possession 

Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel was arrested on 

Wednesday on drug and gun possession charges, 

celebrity website TMZ.com reported, days before he 

was headed to prison for tax evasion. The rapper, whose real 

name is Dwight Grant, was arrested during a traffic stop during 

which police found prescription pills, marijuana, a gun and 

cash in his car, TMZ.com said. 

Sigel, 38, best known for his collaborations with rapper Jay-Z 

and R&B artist R Kelly, was sentenced to prison last month after 

owing more than $728,000 in back taxes to the Internal 

Revenue Service, Philadelphia’s local Fox affiliate said. A judge 

ordered Sigel to pay all taxes, penalties and interest, which officials 

said he failed to do. The rapper was due to report to prison 

on Sept 12. Representatives for Sigel and the Philadelphia 

police could not be reached for comment.—Reuters 

Tommy Lee Jones 

Poster girl for 

women’s boxing is now 

Bollywood muse 

India’s latest Olympic hero is hoping that a Bollywood 

movie on her life isn’t just about the sweat, tears and 

grime. Mary Kom, five-time women’s boxing world champion, 

won a bronze medal at the London Games, and her 

exploits will now be captured on the big screen. “I hope they 

show some romance in the film,” the 29-year-old told 

Reuters in a phone interview. “That’s also important, right?” 

The mother of two is married to Onler Kom, who is also her 

manager, and hopes director Omung Kumar depicts that 

part of her life in the film as well. 

Mary Kom 

“They will show my struggle and how difficult it was, but I 

don’t know who will play me-that is up to them,” she said. 

Bollywood isn’t really known for its sports films, but movies 

such as “Lagaan”-a historical epic revolving around a cricket 

match that was nominated for a foreign-language Oscar in 

2002 — and “Chak De India”, centered around the Indian 

women’s hockey team, have found box-office success. 

This year, film-maker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is working 

on “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”, a biopic on Milkha Singh, one 

of India’s greatest track athletes. Kom was first approached 

by Omung Kumar last year, but the director hadn’t found a 

producer at the time. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, one of 

Bollywood’s best known film-makers, has now been roped in 

to produce the biopic. “At first, I thought he (Kumar) was joking 

but then he did some research around my village and 

spoke to people, so I knew he was serious,” she said. Kom 

met both Kumar and Bhansali in Mumbai this week, but said 

she never considered playing the lead role in the project. “I 

cannot act, I can only box.” —Reuters


Fall brings colder weather across the Northern 

Hemisphere and Hollywood’s major studios will usher 

into theaters cool action thrillers, chilly horror 

movies and some dramatic Oscar hopefuls looking for a 

head start on awards season. From new James Bond flick 

“Skyfall” to another scary “Paranormal” installment and 

the long-awaited Paul Thomas Anderson Scientology drama, 

“The Master,” there is plenty for cinephiles to dissect 

in the season, which begins after this weekend’s US Labor 

Day holiday and runs roughly to Thanksgiving. 

The pace of movies is slower than the US summer 

when the studios bring out blockbusters like “The 

Avengers” and “The Dark Knight Rises” weekly. But don’t 

let the pace fool you; fall 2012 is neither short on quality 

nor quantity, experts say. “Early fall can often be a little bit 

of a lull at the movies, but it can also be a time when real 

quality films can take advantage of a quiet marketplace 

and really stand out,” Entertainment Weekly writer Dave 

Karger said. 

The season kicks into high gear on Sept 21, with Jake 

Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena playing Los Angeles police 

battling a ruthless drug cartel in “End of Watch,” from 

writer/director David Ayer. Ayer, whose previous LA cop 

flick, “Training Day,” earned Denzel Washington a best 

actor Oscar, said the film shows “what it’s like to work the 

streets in a way very few films have ever shown,” pulling 

back the curtain on the cops’ lives, personal and professional. 

“It’s not your typical Hollywood movie. It’s very 

grounded, very real - almost a pseudo documentary. 

You’ll walk out of this movie wanting to hug a cop,” he 

said. Guns continue to blaze on Sept 28 when Bruce Willis 

and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play the same person - only 30years 

apart - in the time-travel flick “Looper” about assassins 

killing targets sent back from the future. 

Liam Neeson is back as the CIA-trained, overly protective 

father in “Taken 2” (Oct 5) when the kidnappers who 

swiped his daughter in the first “Taken” movie return for 

revenge. The best-selling Alex Cross crime novels get a 

reboot with Tyler Perry taking the lead role previously 

inhabited by Morgan Freeman in “Alex Cross” (Oct 19). 

This time, the detective psychologist takes on a hitman 

played by Matthew Fox. 

On Oct 12, crime takes a comedic edge in “Seven 

Psychopaths,” about a screenwriter (Colin Farrell) who 

gets involved in the Los Angeles underworld when his 

dog-snatching friend (Sam Rockwell) makes the mistake 

of kidnapping a Shih Tzu belonging to a crime boss 

(Woody Harrelson). The season ends with a bang as the 

highly anticipated “Skyfall” comes out on Nov 9, amid a 

celebration of 50 years of Bond movies. This time around, 

Daniel Craig takes his third turn as 007 with Oscar-winning 

filmmaker Sam Mendes at the helm of the movie and 

Javier Bardem as the villain, Silva. 

Halloween haunts & oscar bait 

Fall is long on horror as the studios play to fears ahead 

of Halloween. On Sept 21, Jennifer Lawrence finds herself 

haunted in “The House at the End of the Street.” On Oct 5, 

a ghostly entity threatens Ethan Hawke and his family in 

“Sinister.” If that’s not enough haunted house-themed 

flicks, the hugely popular franchise “Paranormal Activity 

4” returns on Oct 19. 

For family frights, animated “Hotel Transylvania” (Sept 

28) stars Adam Sandler as a hotelier to non-humans 

whose world turns upside down when an overexcited 

human shows up. 

And Tim Burton brings his usual ghoulish charm to the 

screen with the stop-motion animated “Frankenweenie” 

(Oct 5) about a young boy who resurrects his late dog, 

Sparky. Arf! Then, there is the Oscar race. In recent years, 

as Academy Award organizers moved their top film honors 

up by a month, to February from late March, the studios 

have been bringing more award hopefuls to theaters 

in September and October. 

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master” is creating Oscar 

buzz prior to its Sept 14 release. Set in the 1950s, the 

movie tells of a damaged alcoholic (Joaquin Phoenix) who 

is taken under wing by a charismatic leader (Philip 

Seymour Hoffman) of a spiritual movement not unlike the 

controversial Church of Scientology. 

Also getting attention is “Argo” (Oct 12), directed by 

and starring Ben Affleck. Based on real events, the movie 

shows a CIA specialist’s mission to free six US diplomats in 

1979 Iran by posing as a filmmaker and putting them 

among his bogus crew. Actor John Hawkes gives a tourde-force 

performance in “The Sessions” (Oct 26) playing a 

38-year-old man who, having spent most of his life in an 

iron lung, decides to hire a therapeutic sex surrogate 

(Helen Hunt) to lose his virginity. 

But Hawkes will see Oscar competition from Daniel 

Day Lewis starring as Abraham Lincoln in Steven 

Spielberg’s biopic, “Lincoln” (Nov 9). Fans of the filmmak- 

Lifestyle 

Thrills, chills, dramatic 

films dominate fall season 

Kim Kardashian has made nice 

with Old Navy, ending a yearlong 

battle with the clothing 

company over ads that allegedly used 

a Kim K look-alike actress to flog its 

togs. The ‘Keeping Up With the 

Kardashians’ star has settled her lawsuit 

with Old Navy, according to her 

attorney, who told TheWrap that the 

suit ‘was resolved to the mutual satisfaction 

of the parties.’ The attorney did 

not disclose the specifics of the settlement. 

Kardashian filed suit against Old 

Navy and its parent company, The Gap, 

last July in US District Court in Central 

California. Kardashian asked for 

unspecified damages and lost profits in 

ing Wachowski siblings (Lana and Andy of “The Matrix” 

movies) will try to wrap their heads around “Cloud Atlas” 

(Oct 26), starring Tom Hanks and Halle Berry in different 

roles throughout six interwoven tales. 

“‘Cloud Atlas’ is the complete wild card,” said 

Entertainment Weekly’s Karger. “A two and a half-plus 

hour movie by the Wachowskis that looks so bizarre. It’s 

probably going to be one of the most polarizing movies 

of the season.” Finally, there is sport-themed documentary 

“The Other Dream Team” ( Sept 28), chronicling 

members of the 1992 Lithuanian Olympic basketball team 

as they go from life behind the Iron Curtain to newfound 

independence - with financial assistance from the Grateful 

Dead. — Reuters 

Kim Kardashian settles 

lawsuit with Old Navy 

the suit, though according to TMZ the 

reality TV sensation estimated that she 

had been damaged in the $15 million 

to $20 million range. 

The suit claimed that the Old Navy 

ads ‘used Plaintiff’s likeness in the form 

of a celebrity “look-alike,’’ which was 

‘likely to cause confusion, and have 

caused actual confusion, in the minds 

of the consuming public as to an association 

of Kim Kardashian with 

Defendant’s products and services.’ 

That’s no small consideration, given 

that Kardashian has given her endorsement 

to myriad products, including 

ShoeDazzle and her own Dash designer 

boutiques. Old Navy confirmed that 

the suit had been settled. — Reuters 

Kim Kardashian


Hundreds of people pushed, prodded and stretched 

their way to a new world record for the biggest 

simultaneous group massage, in the Thai capital 

Bangkok yesterday, organizers said. A total of 1,282 

entrants took part in the event at a convention centre, 

smashing the previous Guinness World Record of 526 

people set in Daylesford, Australia, in March 2010. “I feel 

excited and thrilled. I want Thai massage to be famous all 

around the world,” said 50-year-old masseuse Pinprapar 

Meedej. The event was staged by the Thai government in 

an effort to lure foreigners to a country whose touristfriendly 

image has been tested in recent years by deadly 

floods, political violence and concerns about crime and 

safety. “We had expected about 800 pairs but on the day 

of the rehearsal only this number showed up,” said event 

spokeswoman Supaporn Rungcharoenkiat. “But we’re 

sure that we broke the record.” 

The kingdom wants to shed its reputation for sex 

tourism-including brothels disguised as massage parlours-and 

promote itself as a growing hub for medical 

Lifestyle 

Some 641 Thai masseurs and 

masseuses perform massages as 

they establish a new Guinness 

World Record for Thai massage at 

an indoor sport arena on the 

outskirts of Bangkok 

yesterday. — AFP photos 

Thailand sets world record for mass massage 

Venetian canals transformed through a 

camera obscura, intimate snapshots of a 

prisoner’s life and a hall of whispers are 

among the installations on show at a new exhibition 

at Venice’s Palazzo Grassi. Around 30 

works by 27 international artists, borrowed 

from French billionaire Francois Pinault’s private 

collection, explore how the medium of 

video has been used to capture and challenge 

sensory expression and perception. The hypnotic 

“For Beginners” videotape by contemporary 

American artist Bruce Nauman is among 

the highlights on show at the 18th-century 

Palazzo Grassi museum, which the French collector 

bought and revamped in 2006. 

The 70-year-old artist’s hands are captured 

on screen as they respond to verbal instructions 

on what positions his fingers must adopt. 

The video is just the latest in a series of his 

works which incorporate human body parts. 

“As soon as we saw this work, we were hooked. 

The artist wanted to give it to a Californian 

museum. We fought to have it,” Pinault told 

French Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti ahead 

of the exhibition’s opening. 

After months of wrangling, a deal was 

struck: the businessman was allowed to buy 

the work as long as a copy went to the Los 

Angeles County Museum of Art. Alongside the 

talking hands, American artist Zoe Leonard 

captures the seductive beauty of the 

Serenissima’s waterways through a camera 

obscura. A light streaming in from outside 

pierces a lens and flips the image of the grand 

canal outside the Palazzo Grassi onto its head, 

so that the waters cover the ceiling and boats 

pass upside-down as enchanted viewers loll on 

cushions. 

The sense of peace contrasts sharply with 

Algerian-born artist Mohammed Bourouissa’s 

“Temps mort” installation, which collates 

images and sketches filmed by an inmate of a 

tourism. Supporters of traditional Thai massage say people 

in pain need look no further than their local spa. 

“Thailand is the number one medical hub. You can be 

cured with Thai massage. There’s no need to use medicine 

and it’s 100 percent safe,” said 39-year-old massage 

instructor Duangvarat Insee. Most of the people who took 

part were qualified massage therapists, but others were 

just happy to enjoy a free session of “the lazy man’s yoga”. 

“That was great. My legs feel good and I can walk better,” 

said 72-year-old pensioner Mora Saelim. —AFP 

Voices and images at Venice’s Palazzo Grassi exhibition 

Palazzo Grassi’s director Martin Bethenod poses next to ‘For Beginners’ by Bruce 

Nauman exhibited during the ‘Voice of Images’ exhibition at PalazzoGrassi on August 

29, 2012 in Venice. — AFP 

federal penitentiary in France on a mobile 

phone. Bourouissa, who lives and works in 

Paris, asked the prisoner to film snapshots of 

inside-from chains to inmates gathered behind 

bars-to create a poor-quality video which 

evokes despair and violence in its banality. 

In “The Passion of Joan of Arc”, Venezuelan 

artist Javier Tellez reworks the 1928 movie of 

the same name by getting mental health 

patients to rewrite the script to introduce the 

theme of madness and paranoid schizophrenia. 

Tellez, who often works on questions of 

psychiatric illnesses, then has the patients 

become witnesses to the trials faced in mental 

health institutions. In American artist Bill Viola’s 

1995 project “Hall of Whispers”, the pallid faces 

of ten people who have been gagged are displayed 

on a dark screen, with their eyes closed, 

while their protests and moans are clearly 

heard. Exhibition’s curator Caroline Bourgeois 

said video has stopped being a stand-alone 

medium and has become integrated into other 

art forms. While each of the works speak, they 

do not have a common message. Each visitor 

to the show takes away their own interpretation, 

she said. “Video does not have a cinematic 

type of narration. It’s victory that it is no longer 

billeted in a category but has become sculptural 

in a certain fashion,” Bourgeois said. “Voices 

of images” runs until January 13. — AFP


The scene outside the childhood 

home of Michael Jackson resembled 

a party as fans joined members 

of the pop star’s family for a vigil 

Wednesday, which would have been 

his 54th birthday. Fans danced to 

Jackson’s music prior to the arrival of 

his children and mother at the house 

at 2300 Jackson St, where the King of 

Pop, his siblings and their parents 

lived until 1969. In the days after 

Jackson’s death in 2009, the singer’s 

admirers piled stuffed animals, flowers 

and photos outside the tiny home 

in Gary. 

Among those at the Wednesday 

night vigil was Andrei Tejada, 32, a 

Chicago veterinary technician student 

who said she was pleased that 

Jackson’s relatives were attending the 

event. “They still remember where 

they started, and it shows they appreciate 

where they started. It’s a humbling 

experience to know they are 

here,” said Tejada, who said she visits 

the Jackson childhood home once a 

month. 

Other events planned by the family 

in Gary include a dinner Friday and a 

concert Saturday. Before the vigil, 

Jackson’s children, 14-year-old Paris 

and 15-year-old Prince Michael, were 

given blue “Team Gary” T-shirts by 

Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson as 

they posed for pictures at a casino 

overlooking Lake Michigan. “We just 

want you to know how much he 

meant to us and the city of Gary,” the 

mayor said. Paris and Prince Michael 

didn’t speak during the brief presentation. 

Later, in the moments before 

the vigil was to start, the two, joined 

by Jackson’s other child, Prince 

Michael II, signed autographs outside 

the Jackson home. A large crowd 

formed around them, with fans shov- 

ing books and posters in the teens’ 

faces. 

Jackson’s sister LaToya told the 

crowd the family’s musical fame started 

in the city, east of Chicago, and in 

“this little house.” After saying, “We all 

love you, Michael,” LaToya folded her 

hands and looked to the sky. 

Rainbow/PUSH Coalition leader 

the Rev. Jesse Jackson showed up at 

the tribute, stopping in the crowd 

before the vigil to pose for a photo 

with a Michael Jackson impersonator. 

Jackson later said he thanked God for 

Michael Jackson and led the crowd in 

chanting, “Long live Michael!” 

Michael Jackson spent the first 11 

years of his life in Gary. The family 

moved out of the city known for its 

steel mills after the Jackson 5 struck it 

big in 1969 with the release of their 

first album. 

Aside from two concerts the 

Jackson 5 played at West Side High 

School in 1971, the only time the 

singer returned to his hometown was 

in 2003, when plans for a Michael 

Jackson Performing Arts Center in the 

city’s downtown were announced. It 

was never built. “Gary, you are family, 

you always will be, I love you,” 

Jackson said at the time. Last week, a 

Los Angeles judge appointed the pop 

star’s nephew, TJ Jackson, to share 

guardianship responsibilities for the 

late singer’s three children with family 

matriarch Katherine Jackson. 

TJ Jackson was appointed a temporary 

guardian last month when 

Katherine Jackson was incommunicado 

during a stay at an Arizona spa 

with relatives. Other family members 

have said Katherine Jackson was 

being improperly influenced regarding 

custody arrangements for the 

children, but her attorney disputed 

those claims. — AP 

Lifestyle 

Jackson family 

in Gary to mark pop star’s birthday 

Paris Jackson, daughter of entertainer Michael 

Jackson, poses with a fan. 

Prince, left, and Paris Jackson, son and daughter to the late pop icon Michael Jackson, display 

T-shirts given to them by Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson Wednesday. — AP photos 

Paris Jackson, daughter of entertainer Michael Jackson, receives a poster of her 

family from a fan. 

At Venice: Michael 

Shannon darkens 

‘Iceman’ role 

Michael Shannon is filmdom’s newest 

Mafia hit man, playing a killer-forhire 

who conceals the truth of his 

occupation from his picture-perfect suburban 

family in “The Iceman.” Israeli director 

Ariel Vroman says he fought for years to get 

Shannon into the role, fending off “more 

obvious choices.” 

Vroman said he wanted Shannon because 

“he comes with a darkness,” explaining it was 

more effective to “make that darkness more 

refined” than to “bring someone who is very 

cheesy” and try to add it. 

In the film, based on the real story of 

Richard Kuklinski, Shannon stars alongside 

Winona Ryder as his unsuspecting wife and 

Ray Liotta as the Mafia boss who recognizes 

hit-man potential. The film makes its world 

premiere yesterday in competition at the 

Venice Film Festival. — AP

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Hospitals 

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Prayer timings 

Fajr: 03:58 

Duhr: 11:50 

Asr: 15:25 

Maghrib: 18:19 

Isha: 19:39 

Kuwait Parliament 

www.majlesalommah.net 


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ACCOMMODATION 

Deluxe Villa in Block 5 

Mishref suitable for diplomatic 

mission and organizations 

residence. Safety and security 

fence and ample parking 

space. For information, call: 

99123411. (C 4113) 

29-8-2012 

Three bedroom CAC flat available 

with a South Indian family 

for Indian executive lady or 

bachelor. Contact: 99515956. 

28-8-2012 

SITUATION VACANT 

Sri Lankan lady looking for a 

part time job, European or 

American house. Please call: 

55680045. (C 4114) 

30-8-2012 

FOR SALE 

Jaguar XK8, 1998, good condition, 

KD 1,750/- and Jaguar 

XJ6 Sovereign, 4 door 1995, 

KD 750/-. Contact: 99696299. 

(C 4112) 

30-8-2012 

Mitsubishi Galant 2007 (new 

body) golden color, km 

32000 only, excellent condition, 

KD 1900. Mob: 

Jaguar XK8, 1998, good condition, 

KD 1,750/- and Jaguar 

XJ6 Sovereign, 4 door 1995, 

KD 750/-. Contact: 99696299. 

(C 4112) 

30-8-2012 

Mitsubishi Galant 2007 (new 

body) golden color, km 

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KD 1900. Mob: 

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29-8-2012 

For sale villa furniture like 

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27-8-2012 

CHANGE OF NAME 

I, Arbab Raza Khan, s/o Mr. 

Masood Raza Khan, holder of 

Indian passport No. 

G7270724 hereby change my 

name as Mehboob Raza 

Khan. (C 4089) 

30-8-2012 

I, Loyela Joao Borges, resident 

of Grande Neura post, 

Neura IIhas Goa, have 

changed my name from 

Loyela John Borges to Loyela 

Joao Borges. Herein after in 

all my dealings and documents 

I will be known by the 

name Loyela Joao Borges. 

29-8-2012


Joseph Luciano (right) and his wife Adriana play with their dogs in Clermont, Florida. — MCT 

Niobe and Cha-cha raced to the couch toward 

hospice volunteer Jim Hays during a visit to the 

home of patient Joseph Luciano, in Florida’s 

Four Corners area. The pooches competed to get the 

volunteer’s attention, barking and wildly waging their 

tails. They darted off only after he rubbed behind their 

ears. “They took to me right away,” said Hays, 64. “I just 

visit with them and show them a little attention - and I 

bring treats. It’s just part of the visit.” 

Hospice volunteers are stepping in more and more 

to care for the pets of dying patients - feeding and 

walking dogs, administering flea medication, driving 

pets to the groomer or veterinarian and more. 

“Hospice is supposed to take care of the patient and 

the family,” said Lisa Gray, volunteer department manager 

of Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care. “For a 

lot of them, their family is their pet.” 

Cornerstone, which rolled out the pet-care program 

a few months ago in Lake, Fla, paid to board Luciano’s 

dogs while the 85-year-old Navy veteran, his wife, 

Adriana, and Hays took a weekend trip to Pensacola, 

Fla. Adriana Luciano, 61, said she’s still able to feed and 

walk the dogs - Niobe is a bichon frise and Cha-cha a 

mixed breed - in between caring for her ailing husband. 

However, she said it’s a relief to have 

Cornerstone in case she needs help with the dogs, 

who sleep with them in the bedroom. 

“They’re like children. We can’t leave them alone for 

more than a few hours,” she said. Throughout the 

country, hospices are starting to recognize the therapeutic 

benefits of keeping the animal and owner 

together until the end, said Delana Taylor Mcnac, 

founder and manager of Pet Peace of Mind, a national 

organization that works with other hospices around 

the country. Nationwide, 50 hospices offer the program. 

“It’s catching on now that hospice is beginning 

to see a cultural change on the importance of pets,” 

she said. 

Cornerstone, which serves more than 700 patients 

and already has volunteers bring their pets into assisted-living 

facilities to visit hospice patients, is one of 

two nonprofits in the state to partner with Pet Peace of 

Mind. It received a grant to provide pet care, such as 

buying food for those who can’t afford it. 

Taylor Mcnac, a former hospice chaplain and veterinarian 

from Tulsa, Okla, estimated that 10 to 20 percent 

of hospice patients have pets. But only about half 

of them are receiving pet- care assistance. She said 

some patients have refused to go into hospice centers 

out of fear of giving up their pets. “The pets provide 

them comfort when they’re aging and going through 

the end-of-life journey. It’s important to do whatever 

we can to keep them together,” she said. At least three 

other hospices in Florida have applied to the Pet Peace 

of Mind program, she said. 

Hospice of the Comforter, which serves about 500 

patients a day in Florida’s Orange, Osceola and 

Seminole counties, doesn’t have a formal pet program, 

but its volunteers have been caring for patients and 

their pets as long as the nonprofit has been around, 

volunteer services director Rose van der Berg said. 

“Pets are another member of the family,” she said. 

“We recognize that.” Feeding an animal or dropping it 

off at the vet is considered a “standard” task such as 

doing household chores and running errands. 

Occasionally, hospice volunteers help find the pet a 

new home once the owner dies. “It gives them 

(patients) peace of mind to know that all those they 

Pets 

Taking on a dual role 

More hospices are stepping in to take care of dying patients’ pets 

love, including their pets, will be taken care,” van der 

Berg said. 

That’s the spirit the South Lake Animal League 

brings as it helps Cornerstone Hospice provide a “safe 

haven” for orphaned animals until a home can be 

found to take them in, president Doreen Barker said. 

The league is looking for a permanent home for a cat 

in foster care and housing another cat at its no-kill animal 

shelter in Groveland, she said “We will love and 

care for these pets until we find them a happy new 

home,” Barker said. — MCT 

Kathy Bailey (left) a volunteer 

with the Hospice of Summa 

Pet Peace of Mind, sits with 

hospice patient Dolores 

Starcher and her daughter 

Susan Oblisk and Starcher’s 

dog Catherine in Oblisk’s 

home. — MCT photos


Aries (March 21-April 19) 

Sympathy and understanding take on greater importance 

now. It is wisdom that counts most. This is a good time to be 

patient and tread lightly when it comes to indulgence and overextending 

yourself. Improved solutions, insights and approaches make this 

afternoon productive. Your approach to any problem is original and 

you will create new ways of doing things that make working conditions 

much more pleasant. Present a new proposal on paper to the 

proper person in authority now—satisfaction all around is possible. 

Communications in computers and the electronic revolution is a perfect 

career choice for you—whether you are selling, repairing or operating 

them. There are breakthroughs available in your career now. 

Taurus (April 20-May 20) 

Hurrying through the day may not be a wise choice, 

especially if you plan to make deliveries. Plan your arrivals early and if 

you must arrive late, then do so—do not try to make up for time in a 

vehicle. Tensions are high today so perhaps stopping to rest a few minutes 

would be a good idea. You may find yourself lecturing, entertaining 

or teaching at this time. You have a great love of the written and 

spoken word and ideas in all their flavors are what you like to work 

with best; if you are not teaching you are a good mentor. Your enthusiasm 

for the intellect and the world of ideas makes it easy for you to 

wisely communicate to others. You have no trouble putting your feelings 

into words. You could just as well choose to entertain. 

Gemini (May 21-June 20) 

You may appear very relaxed today. You may find your 

patience with some past difficulty has paid off now. People are listening 

to what you have to say and you can be most persuasive. A huge portion 

of your time is spent in helping others through the path of teaching 

and informing and sometimes translating. You look for ways to 

achieve something self-gratifying in your work as well as financially 

rewarding. You love to see the results of your work. There is much mental 

busywork today. You might decide that it is time to update your 

resume. You could negotiate with higher-ups for more responsible job 

opportunities. Your management and directional abilities are in high 

focus. There are ideas within your grasp for solutions or inventions. 

Cancer (June 21-July 22) 

Your career direction gets some encouragement now 

and life’s problems should find easy solutions. You may benefit from 

an older person or one in authority today. You have an instinctive urge 

to get serious about taking care of yourself at many levels. Some study 

of herbs, health food and nutrition, holistic medicine as well as traditional 

care may be on your mind. Diet and exercise is important to 

you—you want to feel good about yourself and there is a search for 

that energetic feeling. Good health may be the topic of discussion as 

you visit with your co-worker friends today. A visitor in your home this 

evening brings a gift . . . this gift may not necessarily come in a package. 

You enjoy the company of an animal later tonight. 

Leo (July 23-August 22) 

This day moves along quickly as you quickly make important 

decisions. You will find your way around almost any obstacle and 

you are in control and able to guide yourself with ease. You have a natural 

psychological ability, particularly when working with the public. 

You can handle emotional and personal issues—vulnerable areas— 

where angels fear to tread. Perhaps this is not your regular job . . . careful 

. . . you may be asked to do this job again since you do it so well. 

People trust you with sensitive matters, inner worries and questions of 

personal identity. Some of you are very spiritual and you may find the 

slow moving days beneficial in finding your inner self. Actually . . . 

some workdays next month may give you time to meditate. 

Virgo (August 23-September 22) 

This workday moves along quite smoothly. You may be 

working on some legal matters, shuffling papers, etc. Your 

fine verbal skills and a natural sense of justice make legal work fall into 

your expertise. Working with laws, natural or fabricated, amounts to a 

real talent. Any improvements to your working style or organizational 

skills can be worked on now. Your love life is particularly good and passion 

to achieve and excel is high. If you are not married, this may be 

worth your consideration now. Expanding your family is another 

reflection worth your time. Close personal ties are most important to 

you now. Harmony is what you strive to achieve. Love is always good 

medicine for the soul. Take a walk with your sweetheart tonight. 

Libra (September 23-October 22) 

You are charming and you always manage to enchant 

others with your words and manner. You bring a sense of the beyond to 

any conversation. You enjoy working with your mind and your sharp 

perceptions make finding new solutions easy. You always bring an 

unexpected twist or insight to anything you set your mind to accomplish. 

You are able to teach or help others today. Through your teaching, 

others will learn to be more original when it comes to the words or 

thoughts. You may feel like being different or trying something new 

and unusual. This is a perfect time for new ideas, a breakthrough in 

thinking and a novel approach. Perhaps this is a good time to think and 

study. You may find yourself enjoying a special phone call tonight. 

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) 

This is a favorable time for business relating to technology, 

the entertainment industries, scientific experiments 

or intuitive studies. There is a yearning for the stimulation of new experiences 

such as learning to fly a plane or glider, water or snow ski, hang 

glide, etc., you might even say it is time for a vacation. There may be 

opportunities to create a team sports activity for this fall. New friends 

and an involvement in idealistic groups take on a greater importance 

now. You may have trouble understanding those who seem emotional 

or sentimental, yet your own practicality and factuality may attract just 

such types into your life. You need to feel useful and wanted and are 

never happy unless you are active and involved. 

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) 

You are enterprising in your outlook and can anticipate 

beneficial change. You may begin a new stage in your 

education, or use some new information that will increase your sense of 

independence. You value freedom and nonconformity. Your career will 

be anything but ordinary. If you so desired you could find unusual ways 

to support yourself—at least, bring in a little extra money for now. You 

bring a lot of mental skill and understanding to whatever you do and 

you could teach or help others to take a more independent approach to 

their life or career. You may pursue electronics, computers, etc. An 

invention comes into your thoughts and you wonder if you could create 

an invention and make lots of money. Keep notes of your ideas. 

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) 

This is a period of heightened communication with others. 

This could mean a rap session to discuss improvement of 

working conditions. Listen carefully, before making any final decisions 

today—you could be missing an important piece of information. People 

that offer information from their experiences and an intelligent 

exchange of ideas have a special appeal now. Any changes you want to 

see in the workplace, however, may have to wait until the end of the 

month. This is a productive time and it looks as though you will accomplish 

whatever you set out to accomplish. Realizing that your personal 

life has been on hold lately, you may find yourself thinking about weekend 

plans this evening. You may decide to invite someone to your place. 

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) 

You take advantage of any spare time you have this 

morning to get some of your work organized and prepared for presentation 

or for a group or team meeting. You will be needing copies 

and other items that will make your meeting run smoothly. 

Something is not what it seems this morning and you take notes . . . 

later, you will be able to find out the correct step you need to take to 

either correct or ignore what you suspect. Take notes and add dates 

to your notes. This afternoon is a good day for making plans or decisions 

and finding your way through just about any problem you may 

discover. Good advice from a guide or older person may be expected. 

This evening there is a chance to have a little special time with someone 

you love. 

Pisces (February 19-March 20) 

You should find everything running smoothly today. 

Ideas and interaction with authority figures or older 

people may be in the forecast. Working with—rather than against— 

the flow should be easy to do. You may find yourself put to good use 

by your friends later this afternoon—perhaps by helping someone 

move. You may be able to leave work a little earlier than usual and 

help gather a few boxes for this move. Your sense of appreciation for 

your friends is sharpened and you can see how they and their family 

interact with each other and this just makes you more fond of the 

people you call friends. You may learn of a special sale and decide to 

take some time later to look for a piece of furniture that is like something 

you particularly liked today. 

COUNTRY CODES 

Afghanistan 0093 

Albania 00355 

Algeria 00213 

Andorra 00376 

Angola 00244 

Anguilla 001264 

Antiga 001268 

Argentina 0054 

Armenia 00374 

Australia 0061 

Austria 0043 

Bahamas 001242 

Bahrain 00973 

Bangladesh 00880 

Barbados 001246 

Belarus 00375 

Belgium 0032 

Belize 00501 

Benin 00229 

Bermuda 001441 

Bhutan 00975 

Bolivia 00591 

Bosnia 00387 

Botswana 00267 

Brazil 0055 

Brunei 00673 

Bulgaria 00359 

Burkina 00226 

Burundi 00257 

Cambodia 00855 

Cameroon 00237 

Canada 001 

Cape Verde 00238 

Cayman Islands 001345 

Central African Republic 00236 

Chad 00235 

Chile 0056 

China 0086 

Colombia 0057 

Comoros 00269 

Congo 00242 

Cook Islands 00682 

Costa Rica 00506 

Croatia 00385 

Cuba 0053 

Cyprus 00357 

Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 

Czech Republic 00420 

Denmark 0045 

Diego Garcia 00246 

Djibouti 00253 

Dominica 001767 

Dominican Republic 001809 

Ecuador 00593 

Egypt 0020 

El Salvador 00503 

England (UK) 0044 

Equatorial Guinea 00240 

Eritrea 00291 

Estonia 00372 

Ethiopia 00251 

Falkland Islands 00500 

Faroe Islands 00298 

Fiji 00679 

Finland 00358 

France 0033 

French Guiana 00594 

French Polynesia 00689 

Gabon 00241 

Gambia 00220 

Georgia 00995 

Germany 0049 

Ghana 00233 

Gibraltar 00350 

Greece 0030 

Greenland 00299 

Grenada 001473 

Guadeloupe 00590 

Guam 001671 

Guatemala 00502 

Guinea 00224 

Guyana 00592 

Haiti 00509 

Holland (Netherlands)0031 

Honduras 00504 

Hong Kong 00852 

Hungary 0036 

Ibiza (Spain) 0034 

Iceland 00354 

India 0091 

Indian Ocean 00873 

Indonesia 0062 

Iran 0098 

Iraq 00964 

Ireland 00353 

Italy 0039 

Ivory Coast 00225 

Jamaica 001876 

Japan 0081 

Jordan 00962 

Kazakhstan 007 

Kenya 00254 

Kiribati 00686 

Stars 

Kuwait 00965 

Kyrgyzstan 00996 

Laos 00856 

Latvia 00371 

Lebanon 00961 

Liberia 00231 

Libya 00218 

Lithuania 00370 

Luxembourg 00352 

Macau 00853 

Macedonia 00389 

Madagascar 00261 

Majorca 0034 

Malawi 00265 

Malaysia 0060 

Maldives 00960 

Mali 00223 

Malta 00356 

Marshall Islands 00692 

Martinique 00596 

Mauritania 00222 

Mauritius 00230 

Mayotte 00269 

Mexico 0052 

Micronesia 00691 

Moldova 00373 

Monaco 00377 

Mongolia 00976 

Montserrat 001664 

Morocco 00212 

Mozambique 00258 

Myanmar (Burma) 0095 

Namibia 00264 

Nepal 00977 

Netherlands (Holland)0031 

Netherlands Antilles 00599 

New Caledonia 00687 

New Zealand 0064 

Nicaragua 00505 

Nigar 00227 

Nigeria 00234 

Niue 00683 

Norfolk Island 00672 

Northern Ireland (UK)0044 

North Korea 00850 

Norway 0047 

Oman 00968 

Pakistan 0092 

Palau 00680 

Panama 00507 

Papua New Guinea 00675 

Paraguay 00595 

Peru 0051 

Philippines 0063 

Poland 0048 

Portugal 00351 

Puerto Rico 001787 

Qatar 00974 

Romania 0040 

Russian Federation 007 

Rwanda 00250 

Saint Helena 00290 

Saint Kitts 001869 

Saint Lucia 001758 

Saint Pierre 00508 

Saint Vincent 001784 

Samoa US 00684 

Samoa West 00685 

San Marino 00378 

Sao Tone 00239 

Saudi Arabia 00966 

Scotland (UK) 0044 

Senegal 00221 

Seychelles 00284 

Sierra Leone 00232 

Singapore 0065 

Slovakia 00421 

Slovenia 00386 

Solomon Islands 00677 

Somalia 00252 

South Africa 0027 

South Korea 0082 

Spain 0034 

Sri Lanka 0094 

Sudan 00249 

Suriname 00597 

Swaziland 00268 

Sweden 0046 

Switzerland 0041 

Syria 00963 

Taiwan 00886 

Tanzania 00255 

Thailand 0066 

Toga 00228 

Tonga 00676 

Tokelau 00690 

Trinidad 001868 

Tunisia 00216 

Turkey 0090 

Tuvalu 00688 

Uganda 00256 

Ukraine 00380 

United Arab Emirates00976


Word Sleuth 

Solution 

Yesterdayʼs Solution 

C R O S S W O R D 7 8 2 

ACROSS 

1. A zodiacal constellation in northern hemisphere between Cancer and 

Virgo. 

4. Drought-resistant Asiatic treelike shrub bearing pleasantly acid small red 

edible fruits commonly used in sherbets. 

10. Denoting a quantity consisting of six items or units. 

13. Automatic data processing by electronic means without the use of tabulating 

cards or punched tapes. 

14. Chipmunks of eastern North America. 

15. A rotating disk shaped to convert circular into linear motion. 

16. A sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice. 

17. (usually plural) Valuables taken by violence (especially in war). 

19. Having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number. 

21. A genus of tropical American plants have sword-shaped leaves and a 

fleshy compound fruits composed of the fruits of several flowers (such as 

pineapples). 

25. A woman hired to suckle a child of someone else. 

28. Someone who is morally reprehensible. 

29. An island in Indonesia south of Borneo. 

33. West Indian tree having racemes of fragrant white flowers and yielding 

a durable timber and resinous juice. 

35. Any of various strong liquors distilled from the fermented sap of toddy 

palms or from fermented molasses. 

36. A unit of length (in United States and Britain) equal to one twelfth of a 

foot. 

37. A compartment in front of a motor vehicle where driver sits. 

39. A ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic 

metallic element. 

40. A nucleic acid consisting of large molecules shaped like a double helix. 

41. A state in midwestern United States. 

43. (anatomy) A somewhat rounded subdivision of a bodily organ or part. 

48. A republic in central Europe. 

51. Genus of South and Central American heathlike evergreen shrubs. 

54. 100 kopecks equal 1 ruble. 

55. An anti-TNF compound (trade name Arava) that is given orally. 

56. A unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated 

material. 

59. A small cake leavened with yeast. 

60. Exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health. 

63. Tag the base runner to get him out. 

64. A software system that facilitates the creation and maintenance and 

use of an electronic database. 

65. (botany) Relating to or attached to the axis. 

66. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth. 

DOWN 

1. The main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants. 

2. Tropical starchy tuberous root. 

3. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy 

for the sale of petroleum. 

4. An anxiety disorder associated with serious traumatic events and characterized 

by such symptoms as guilt about surviving or reliving the trauma 

in dreams or numbness and lack of involvement with reality or recurrent 

thoughts and images. 

5. An accidental happening. 

6. Naked freshwater or marine or parasitic protozoa that form temporary 

pseudopods for feeding and locomotion. 

7. Being two more than fifty. 

8. Food mixtures either arranged on a plate or tossed and served with a 

moist dressing. 

9. A very poisonous metallic element that has three allotropic forms. 

10. The act of scanning. 

11. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy. 

12. A Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Christ. 

18. A strong-smelling plant from whose dried leaves a number of euphoriant 

and hallucinogenic drugs are prepared. 

Stars 

20. An ancient Hebrew unit of dry measure equal to about a bushel. 

22. A silvery soft waxy metallic element of the alkali metal group. 

23. An early French settler in the Maritimes. 

24. A public promotion of some product or service. 

26. United States educator who introduced reforms that significantly 

altered the system of public education (1796-1859). 

27. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill. 

30. A colorless and odorless inert gas. 

31. British informal term. 

32. A Kwa language spoken by the Yoruba people in southwestern Nigeria. 

34. Minute floating marine tunicate having a transparent body with an 

opening at each end. 

38. A copy of a written work or composition that has been published 

(printed on pages bound together). 

42. A drug (trade names Atarax and Vistaril) used as a tranquilizer to treat 

anxiety and motion sickness. 

43. Being one more than one. 

44. An indistinct shapeless form. 

45. A parliamentary monarchy in southwestern Europe on the Iberian 

Peninsula. 

46. (British) A game resembling handball. 

47. A plant hormone promoting elongation of stems and roots. 

49. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables. 

50. Jordan's port. 

52. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa. 

53. Any of various aromatic resinous substances used for healing and 

soothing. 

57. American prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship 

three times (born in 1942). 

58. A metric unit of volume or capacity equal to 10 liters. 

61. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light. 

62. A colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum 

tube. 

Yesterdayʼs Solution

FRIDAY, AUGUST 31 , 2012 

Blue Jays, White 

Sox triumph 

NEW YORK: Yunel Esccobar hit a two-run homer, three doubles 

and drove in five runs as Toronto beat the New York Yankees 8-5 

Wednesday, ending CC Sabathia’s five years of dominance over 

the Blue Jays. Escobar had a go-ahead RBI double in the third. His 

homer against Sabathia in the sixth gave the Blue Jays the lead 

again and his two-run double off Joba Chamberlain in the ninth 

helped secure Toronto’s first series win since July. JA Happ (3-1) 

overcame a season-high five walks for the win and Casey Janssen 

pitched a perfect ninth for his 17th save. Sabathia (13-4) was undefeated 

over his last nine starts against Toronto - 8-0 with a 2.48 

ERA - since the beginning of his Cy Young Award season of 2007 

with Cleveland. 

White Sox 8, Orioles 1 

In Baltimore, White Sox rookie Dylan Axelrod took a three-hitter 

into the eighth inning and Chicago spoiled the Baltimore 

debut of Joe Saunders, scoring seven runs off the left-hander. 

Gordon Beckham had three hits and three RBIs to help Chicago 

snap a five-game road losing streak. Alexei Ramirez went 3 for 4 

with two RBIs and scored twice for the White Sox, who will seek a 

split of the four-game series on Thursday. Omar Quintanilla drove 

in the lone run for the Orioles, whose four-game winning streak 

ended. Baltimore remained 31/2 games behind the first-place 

New York Yankees in the AL East. 

Rays 8, Rangers 4 

In Arlington, Evan Longoria homered twice, Tampa Bay 

roughed up Matt Harrison and the Rays beat the Rangers to snap 

a four-game losing streak. After dropping the last two against the 

AL-West leading Rangers by one run, the Rays avoided the threegame 

sweep. Harrison (15-8) allowed seven runs and 12 hits in 5 1- 

3 innings. He took a no-hitter into the seventh and permitted two 

hits in eight shutout innings in his last outing Friday night against 

Minnesota. Tampa Bay had scored only 11 runs during their losing 

skid before breaking out for 16 hits against Texas. Josh Hamilton 

hit his 36th home run for Texas. 

Athletics 8, Indians 4 

In Cleveland, Josh Donaldson hit a three-run homer and five 

Athletics pitchers combined to beat the Indians. Oakland took 

over the AL wild-card lead by one game over Baltimore with its 

11th win in 13 games as Travis Blackley (5-3) gave up two runs 

over 5 2-3 innings. Ryan Cook got four outs for his 13th save. 

Donaldson connected off rookie Corey Kluber (0-3) in the fourth 

inning for a 3-2 lead. Shoddy fielding by the Indians, losers of 13 of 

14, helped the Athletics later extend the lead.Jason Donald’s 

homer in the third broke the Indians’ 24-inning scoreless streak, 

but they fell to 5-26 since July 27. 

Royals 1, Tigers 0 

In Kansas City, Bruce Chen allowed four hits over a seasonhigh 

eight innings, and Eric Hosmer’s infield single in the fourth 

drove in the only run in the Royals’ victory over the Tigers. The last 

time Chen (10-10) lasted eight innings was last September, in his 

final two starts of the year. The veteran left-hander hadn’t even 

gone seven in his past 11 outings. Anibal Sanchez (2-4) matched 

him pitch for pitch most of the night, finally looking like the guy 

the Tigers thought they were acquiring in a July trade with Florida. 

Sanchez allowed seven hits in seven innings, but the RBI single off 

the fists by Hosmer proved to be decisive. 

Twins 10, Mariners 0 

In Minneapolis, Samuel Deduno dominated for seven innings, 

Trevor Plouffe homered and had four RBIs, and the Twins beat the 

Mariners. The normally wild Deduno (5-2) struck out a career-high 

nine with no walks to help the win for just the fourth time in their 

last 20 games. After Trayvon Robinson singled with one out in the 

first inning, Deduno retired the next 18 Seattle hitters, all but one 

on groundballs or strikeouts. Plouffe gave the Twins a 5-0 lead in 

the fourth with his 20th home run and first since returning on 

Aug. 13 after missing 21 games with a sore thumb.Jason Vargas 

(13-9) failed to finish five innings for his second straight start. He 

allowed six runs on eight hits over 4 2-3 innings. 

Angels 10, Red Sox 3 

In Anaheim, Kendrys Morales and Chris Iannetta hit early tworun 

homers, C.J. Wilson snapped his 11-start winless skid and the 

Angels jumped all over new Boston starter Zach Stewart. Torii 

Hunter, Alberto Callaspo and Erick Aybar all contributed run-scoring 

doubles during the three innings pitched by Stewart (0-1), 

who yielded 10 hits and fell behind 9-1 in a horrific Red Sox debut. 

Five Angels had multihit games, led by Hunter’s 3-for-4 effort with 

two RBIs.—AP 

PHOENIX: Chris Heisey hit two of 

Cincinnati’s four late homers, including a 

tying shot in the seventh inning, to rally the 

Reds to a 6-2 victory over the Arizona 

Diamondbacks on Wednesday. 

Dioner Navarro’s solo shot two batters 

after Heisey’s two-run drive put Cincinnati 

ahead. Brandon Phillips added a two-run 

homer in the eighth and Heisey capped the 

scoring with a solo homer two outs later. 

The NL Central leaders swept the threegame 

series and sent the reeling 

Diamondbacks to their sixth straight home 

loss. 

Mat Latos (11-4) pitched seven innings, 

allowing two runs and five hits with seven 

strikeouts. He also had two hits in his first 

win since Aug. 3 against Pittsburgh and his 

first at Arizona since August 2010. 

Cincinnati trailed 2-0 until the seventh, 

shut out on two hits by Patrick Corbin (5-6). 

Todd Frazier doubled with one out and 

scored on Heisey’s fifth home run. The 

Diamondbacks lost eight of 10 on their 

homestand. 

Dodgers 10, Rockies 8 

In Denver, Joe Blanton pitched effectively 

into the eighth inning for his first win 

with Los Angeles and A.J. Ellis hit his first 

career grand slam in a victory over 

Colorado. 

Hanley Ramirez, another midseason 

acquisition by the Dodgers, homered in his 

second straight game to help Los Angeles 

overcome Matt Kemp’s absence and withstand 

Colorado’s seven-run eighth. 

Kemp sat out because of a bone bruise 

on his left knee and a sore jaw after he 

crashed into the outfield wall the night 

before. He is day to day. 

Blanton (9-12), who was 0-3 with a 7.71 

ERA in four previous starts since joining the 

Dodgers in an Aug. 3 trade with 

Philadelphia, struck out five in 7 13 innings. 

It was his first win since July 16 when he 

beat the Dodgers for the Phillies. 

Pirates 5, Cardinals 0 

In Pittsburgh, Pedro Alvarez kept up his 

recent tear, hitting his 26th homer and driving 

in three runs as Pittsburgh rolled to a 

victory over St. Louis. 

Alvarez, who homered twice on 

Tuesday, added to his season-long dominance 

of the Cardinals. His three-run shot in 

the third gave him seven home runs and 23 

RBIs in 15 games against St. Louis this year 

as the Pirates moved within one game of 

the NL’s second wild-card spot. 

Wandy Rodriguez (9-13) worked six tidy 

innings to pick up his first victory as a 

starter since being acquired by Pittsburgh 

in a trade last month. He walked three and 

struck out three while helping the Pirates 

shut out the Cardinals for the second 

straight night. Joe Kelly (4-6) battled control 

problems during five rocky innings, giving 

up five runs on eight hits. 

Nationals 8, Marlins 4 

In Miami, Bryce Harper homered twice 

for the first time in his career and first-place 

Washington snapped a five-game losing 

streak by beating Miami. 

Harper hit a two-run homer in the fourth 

inning and a solo shot in the fifth, giving 

the rookie 14 this season. He had a chance 

for a three-homer night but grounded into 

a double play in the ninth, spiked his helmet 

in frustration after crossing the bag 

and was ejected by umpire C.B. Bucknor. 

Before the game, manager Davey 

Johnson called a brief team meeting, which 

he described as upbeat. The pep talk stirred 

the Nationals’ bats, and they had 14 hits. 

Kurt Suzuki hit his first homer with 

Washington and Ross Detwiler (8-6) 

allowed three runs in 5 2-3 innings. Drew 

Storen came on with runners at second and 

third in the eighth and retired three consecutive 

batters to protect a 6-4 lead. Miami 

rookie Jacob Turner (0-2), auditioning for a 

job next year, allowed five runs in five 

innings. 

Padres 8, Braves 2 

In San Diego, with their new owners 

watching, Chase Headley and the Padres 

beat Atlanta for their ninth win in 10 games. 

Headley hit a two-run single and lefthander 

Eric Stults (4-2) won his fourth 

straight decision as the Padres took two of 

three from the Braves, who lead the NL 

wild-card race. 

The third generation of the O’Malley 

family was introduced at a news conference 

earlier Wednesday, promising to run the 

Padres in the same first-class manner that 

Walter and Peter O’Malley once ran the 

Dodgers. The new ownership group 

includes Peter O’Malley’s sons, Kevin and 

Brian, and nephews Peter and Tom Seidler. 

It also includes San Diego businessman 

Ron Fowler, the executive chairman who 

has been designated as the team’s control 

person. The group bought the Padres for 

$800 million from John Moores. Headley’s 

two-run single in the fifth off Tommy 

Hanson (12-7) gave San Diego a 4-1 lead. 

Mets 3, Phillies 2 

In Philadelphia, Lucas Duda hit a two-run 

homer, Matt Harvey had another sharp outing 

and New York beat the Phillies for its 

fourth straight win. 

The Mets have won five straight in 

Philadelphia and seven of eight overall this 

season. Harvey (3-3) allowed two runs and 

six hits, striking out six in 6 1-3 innings. He 

also had an RBI single. The rookie has a 2.76 

ERA in seven starts. 

Tyler Cloyd (0-1) yielded three runs over 

six innings in his major league debut while 

filling in for Cole Hamels, scratched from the 

start because of a gastrointestinal illness. 

Cloyd allowed three runs and seven hits 

in six innings. The 25-year-old righty was 15- 

1 with a 2.26 ERA in the minors this season, 

including 12-1 with a 2.35 ERA at Triple-A 

Sports 

Reds pound D’backs 

Lehigh Valley. 

Josh Edgin, Robert Carson and Jon 

Rauch combined to get five outs before 

Frank Francisco finished for his 22nd save in 

25 tries. 

Brewers 3, Cubs 1 

In Chicago, Mike Fiers tossed 7 1-3 solid 

innings to lead Milwaukee to its eighth 

straight victory over Chicago. Fiers (8-6) 

held the Cubs to four hits and struck out six, 

helping Milwaukee beat its division rival for 

the 13th time in 16 meetings this season. 

The Brewers have won eight of nine overall 

and moved within five games of .500 for the 

first time since July 21. 

Fiers sent down 14 straight batters at 

one point and won his second straight start, 

but Milwaukee’s streak of eight straight 

games with at least 10 strikeouts came to an 

end. It was the longest such streak since 

1900. 

John Axford finished for his 22nd save 

in 30 chances. Jeff Samardzija (8-12) gave 

up seven hits and three runs - two earned 

PHOENIX: Arizona Diamondbacks’ Jacob Elmore (right) connects on a run-scoring 

double as Cincinnati Reds catcher Dioner Navarro watches in the fourth inning of a 

baseball game. — AP 

— in seven innings. He struck out 10. 

Jean Segura stroked a go-ahead single in 

the seventh and scored an insurance run 

when Chicago committed two errors after 

he stole second base. The bumbling Cubs 

have dropped 22 of 28 and fell 31 games 

under .500, their worst mark since Sept. 30, 

2006. 

Giants 6, Astros 4 

In Houston, Hunter Pence hit a threerun 

homer and Joaquin Arias drove in two 

with a triple to help San Francisco beat 

Houston. 

Pence has been an Astros nemesis since 

they traded him in July 2011, hitting four 

homers in seven games against his former 

team with the Phillies and Giants. 

The crowd of 13,207 was the smallest in 

the history of Houston’s 12-year-old ballpark. 

The previous low came a night before. 

George Kontos (1-0) struck out four in 2 

2-3 scoreless innings for the win after Barry 

Zito yielded seven hits and three runs in a 

season-low 2 1-3 innings. Javier Lopez got 

two outs for his fifth save. 

Dallas Keuchel (1-7) retired 14 in a row 

after Pence’s homer. The Astros, who own 

the worst record in the majors, have lost 

four straight and 11 of 12. — AP


PARIS: Toulouse backs coach Jean- 

Baptiste Elissalde says he is not too worried 

by his side’s tepid start to the Top 

14 season ahead of the top-of-the-table 

clash with much-improved Biarritz 

tomorrow. 

The two sides both won their opening 

two games, but reigning champions 

Toulouse failed to impress, with a onepoint 

win over Castres on the opening 

day followed by a 37-22 victory over 

bottom side Mont-de-Marsan last weekend. 

Biarritz defeated Mont-de-Marsan 

and won away at Agen to go top, level 

on nine points with Toulouse, and one 

point ahead of the only other undefeated 

side, Toulon. 

Former international scrum-half 

Elissalde said that it was still too early in 

the season to draw firm conclusions 

about who would be the top teams. 

“After just two games, you simply do 

not know enough,” he said. “After four 

games you start to get a better idea and 

after 10, then you have a really good 

idea of how things are panning out. So 

we will wait until then.” 

Still, Elissalde knows that the talentpacked 

Toulouse side will have to step 

up their game a notch if they want to 

keep their unbeaten record and go solo 

at the top of the league. “We are looking 

to improve week by week,” he said. 

“Against Mont-de-Marsan we made 

a lot of technical mistakes-too many 

mistakes. The new rules have something 

to do with it and if we lose so 

many balls at Biarritz, we are in for a 

tough time of it.” 

There was good news for Toulouse 

with the return to training of star utility 

back Maxime Medard, who needed a 

knee operation in February after tearing 

cruciate ligaments in the Six Nations 

game against Scotland. 

Biarritz backs coach Jack Isaac was in 

complete agreement with Elissalde that 

it was too early to say who would be 

the top teams this season or whether 

his side could continue to bounce back 

from last season’s struggles. 

“Of course it would be stupid to say 

that I am unhappy with our results so 

far, but quite honestly we are only two 

games into the season and now we face 

up to Toulouse and that will be a real 

test for us against a team who have the 

potential to again win the championship. 

We must not get carried away,” 

the Australian said. 

The Basque side have been hit with 

the news that international scrum-half 

Dimitri Yachvili will be out for two to 

three months with a slipped disc in his 

back.Toulon coach Bernard Laporte has 

Sports 

Toulouse set for early showdown 

Offence is the best 

N Z defence, says 

captain Taylor 

MUMBAI: Attacking the Indian spinners is the best possible way to survive 

against them, according to New Zealand captain Ross Taylor. 

The visitors lost by an innings and 115 runs in the first test in Hyderabad 

with the Indian spin duo of off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and left-arm spinner 

Pragyan Ojha sharing 18 of the 20 wickets. 

New Zealand were bundled out for 159 and 164 in their first and second 

innings respectively and need 

to tackle the spinners better if 

they are to avoid a whitewash 

in the two-test series. “It’s never 

easy when you lose a test by 

over an innings,” Taylor told 

reporters on the eve of the 

final test in Bangalore. “We 

need to forget about it as 

quickly as possible, talk 

amongst the group and find 

ways of playing Ashwin and 

Ojha. 

“We have to be brave and 

courageous and attack them 

and hopefully put pressure 

back on them. “And when we 

attack them, there hopefully 

won’t be many men around 

the bat.” 

Ashwin picked up 12 wickets 

while Ojha bagged six as 

the match finished within four 

days in Hyderabad. But Taylor 

ruled out making any hasty 

changes for the second test. 

BANGALORE: New Zealand cricket team 

captain Ross Taylor (rear) yawns as he 

watches teammate Martin Guptill bat in 

the nets during a training session. —AP 

“We gave them faith in the 

first game and we’re going to 

give them a go in the next 

game as well,” Taylor said. “We 

didn’t play as well as we would 

have liked, but this is another 

opportunity to show how good we are as a team.” Taylor’s counterpart 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will just try to stick to the tried and tested formula that 

worked perfectly for them in Hyderabad. “We don’t need to be overconfident... 

and whatever we did right in the first test, we have to repeat everything and try 

to stick to the basics and keep things simple,” Dhoni said. 

This is the first test series for India post the retirements of batting stalwarts 

Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman and the hosts chose Cheteshwar Pujara and 

Suresh Raina to fill the vacant spots in the batting order. While Pujara scored his 

maiden test hundred, Raina, who averages under 29 in the 16 tests he has 

played so far, could score only three. Dhoni threw his weight behind left-handed 

batsman, who is an integral part of India’s one-day side. “He has played just 

one game after Laxman has retired, so we have to give a fair amount of time to 

every individual who becomes the part of the side,” Dhoni said. —Reuters 

NEW YORK: Kim Clijsters’ illustrious singles career drew to 

an emotional close on Wednesday when the former world 

number one was knocked out of the second round of the 

US Open by Britain’s Laura Robson. 

Robson’s compatriot Andy Murray later made light work 

of Croatia’s Ivan Dodig to reach the third round but it was 

the 7-6 7-6 defeat of Belgian Clijsters that grabbed the 

attention as the first significant upset of the tournament. 

Murray’s 6-2 6-1 6-3 second round victory completed the 

third consecutive night of uncompetitive matches on the 

showcase Arthur Ashe Stadium. The big names have won 

six matches in prime time for the loss of only 24 games. 

Eighth seed Janko Tipsarevic earlier survived a major scare 

against Guillaume Rufin to be one of nine men to recover 

from two-set deficits in the opening round.Clijsters, threetimes 

a US Open champion, remains in the doubles and 

mixed doubles but the loss to Robson was her final singles 

match before she quits the tour to concentrate on family 

life. She saved two match points in the 12th game of the 

second set with a searing forehand volley and a huge first 

serve. The tiebreak was tense as Clijsters fought to extend 

her career but Robson, the world number 89 playing with 

fearless aggression and pinpoint accuracy, converted her 

third match point and it was all over for the 29 year old. “I 

have played some of my best tennis here and some of my 

best matches,” Clijsters said. “It is a place that has inspired 

me. This feels like the perfect place to retire - but I just wish 

already intimated that he will hand a 

call-up for the first time to the former 

golden boy of French rugby Frederic 

Michalek for a place on the bench for 

the trip to Mont-de-Marsan. 

The half-back returned to play in 

France in the close season after a stint 

with Super 15 outfit Coastal Sharks in 

South Africa, but was not included in 

the squad for the opening two games. 

Michalak is currently Toulon’s understudy 

at fly-half to England star Jonny 

Wilkinson, but is expected to get a 

place in the starting line-up soon. 

“The number 10 shirt is a difficult 

one to manage-very strategic,” former 

France coach Laporte said. “Fred has 

been with us for just three weeks and 

we do not want to ask too much of him 

too early. He has signed up with us for 

three years so we will give him the time 

to properly adapt.” — AFP 

NEW YORK: Andy Murray, of Britain, tracks the ball on a shot by Ivan Dodig, of Croatia, in the second 

round of play at the US Open tennis tournament. — AP 

Clijsters knocked 

out of US Open 

it wasn’t today. “I fought and gave it my all but just wasn’t 

good enough in the end.”It’s been a great adventure. It’s all 

been worth it but I’m looking forward to the next part of my 

life.” Robson paid tribute to Clijsters in an on-court interview. 

“I was just trying to play as well as I could because if I 

didn’t, I knew Kim would completely dominate,” Robson 

said. “I want to say thanks to Kim for being such a great role 

model for so many years. I have grown up watching you 

play and it has been an honour to finally play against you.” 

Other matches on Wednesday went mostly to script, the 

only mild surprises involving lower seeds. World number 

one Victoria Azarenka overpowered Belgian qualifier Kirsten 

Flipkens 6-2 6-2 in 65 minutes in a blustery Arthur Ashe 

Stadium before defending champion Sam Stosur recorded 

a routine 6-3 6-0 win over Edina Gallovits-Hall. Stosur met 

Redfoo of the music group LMFAO before he watched her 

match and his presence at courtside inspired a victory 

dance by the Australian. 

“I figured, well, there’s only going to be maybe one 

chance you can do that at the U.S. Open with him there,” 

Stosur said. “I’m sure I looked like a goose.” Russia’s third 

seed Maria Sharapova trounced Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6- 

0 6-1 in the first of two night matches. Murray was equally 

untroubled in his win over Dodig and thousand of spectators 

walked out before the match was completed. Scratchy 

in his opening round match against Alex Bogomolov, the 

Scot had all guns blazing against Dodig. —Reuters


Man United rely on 

new signing Van Persie 

in Rooney’s absence 

LONDON: Manchester United will need new signing Robin van 

Persie to shoulder the goal-scoring burden when they travel to 

promoted Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday 

(1500 GMT) without the injured Wayne Rooney. 

Former Arsenal striker Van Persie scored on his first start for 

United in the 3-2 comeback win over Fulham last weekend and 

manager Alex Ferguson was delighted with the way the 

Dutchman linked up with fellow new signing Shinji Kagawa 

who was also on target. 

“I was pleased with both of them. It’s early on and they’ll 

have a better understanding as time goes on,” said Ferguson. 

Substitute Rooney suffered a deep gash to his thigh against 

Fulham and the England striker remained in the headlines this 

week as British media speculated the 26-year-old could be on 

his way out of Old Trafford after being left out of the starting 

lineup. “Read the nonsense in the papers and heard what people 

have to say,” Rooney said on Twitter. “Absolute rubbish. 

Here to stay.” United, who started the season with a defeat at 

Everton, could welcome back Jonny Evans after injury to ease 

their problems in defence. 

Southampton have been thrown in at the deep end in their 

first top-flight season since 2005 having opened the campaign 

against champions Manchester City. They gave City a scare 

before losing 3-2 and have yet to pick up a point from their two 

games. Fifth-placed City host Queens Park Rangers again on 

Saturday (1630) with the Londoners having a different look to 

the team that conceded two stoppage-time goals in May to 

hand their opponents the title after a busy time in the transfer 

market for manager Mark Hughes. 

QPR suffered a 5-0 home drubbing by Swansea City on the 

opening day before drawing 1-1 at Norwich City last week. 

“It’s important to remember there are a lot of new faces in 

this team,” striker Bobby Zamora told the club website 

(www.qpr.co.uk). “We are not all going to click straight away, 

it’s not going to be perfect from the get-go.” City drew at 

Liverpool last time out courtesy of a defensive error from Martin 

Skrtel which allowed Carlos Tevez to score his 100th goal in 

English football but it left manager Roberto Mancini conceding 

there was room for improvement. 

“We lost two goals from free kicks so I think we need to 

improve,” the Italian said. “We are not 100 percent for many 

reasons, for this it is important we didn’t lose this game.” 

Liverpool’s Turkey playmaker Nuri Sahin could make his 

debut in Sunday’s home match against Arsenal (1230). Sahin, 

on loan from Real Madrid, was not registered in time for the 

Europa League playoff against Hearts late yesterday. “We’ll 

assess the player and I’m sure he’ll be involved in the squad at 

the weekend,” manager Brendan Rodgers said. European champions 

Chelsea, top of the table with three wins from as many 

games, are not in action this weekend because they play 

Atletico Madrid in the Super Cup on Friday. — Reuters 

Kuwaiti swimmers 

top Arab tourney 

AMMAN: Kuwaiti national team taking part in a regional Arab 

swimming tournament being hosted here snatched five gold 

medals, four silver and three bronze. Some 85 swimmers of 

both sexes representing nine Arab countries are taking part in 

this Arab sport gathering. 

Head of the Kuwaiti delegation Ahmed Mohamed 

expressed, in a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) 

appreciation for the results achieved by the team and its 

efforts to keep at the forefront of other teams. 

Kuwaiti swimmer Abdullah Thuwaini won three gold 

medals in the 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter freestyle and 50 

backstroke categories, while Abbas Qali snatched the gold 

medal in the 50-meter butterfly while Salman Qali won the 

gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly category. 

The silver medal went to swimmers Salman Qali in the 50meter 

butterfly and Saud Al-Tayyar in the 400-meter medley, 

while Mohammed Madouh competed in the 100 free, while 

Abdullah Al-Thuwaini, Mohammed Madouh, Ahmed Hussein 

Mohammed and Shoaib Al-Thuwainy won the 200 meters 

freestyle relay. 

The bronze medals went to the players Mohamed Madouh 

in the 200-meter freestyle and Jarah Al-Bakhit in the 1500 

meters and 800 meters freestyle. 

The head of the delegation praised the results of the 

Kuwaiti team which has contributed to the raising high of 

KUWAIT: The Minister of Information 

and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs 

Sheikh Mohammad Abdallah Al- 

Mubarak Al-Sabah hailed Kuwaiti 

Olympic double-medalist shooter 

Fehaid Al-Daihani on Wednesday in a 

ceremony organised by the Kuwait 

Shooting Club this evening, held to 

commemorate Al-Daihani for his accomplishment 

in snatching an Olympic 

bronze medal in double trap shooting, 

and his training team. 

“Fehaid Al-Daihani is one of the more 

accomplished Arab shooters, having 

succeeded in winning two medals in 

two Olympics,” said the minister. 

The sharp shooter had taken an earlier 

bronze in the Sydney 2000 Olympics 

in the same shooting discipline. The 

minister went on to commend Kuwaiti 

shooters for their international accomplishments, 

which led to a number of 

them qualifying for London. 

Shooters Talal and his father 

Abdullah Al-Rashidi “are the first 

(Kuwaiti) father and son to have both 

qualified for an Olympics,” he said. 

He also hailed Mariam Erzouqi for 

being “one of the first female shooters 

in the Gulf region to have achieved the 

feat.” Meanwhile, Director General of the 

Public Authority for Youth and Sports 

(PAYS) Faisal Al-Jazzaf expressed joy at 

the accomplishment, which was able to 

happen after His Highness the Amir’s 

gesture in sending a letter to the 

International Olympic Committee (IOC) 

to allow Kuwait to participate with its 

own flag, instead of that of the IOC. 

“This accomplishment bestows upon 

us a huge responsibility in making 

future decisions that serve Kuwaiti 

sports and national teams,” he said. 

On rewarding of athletes by PAYS, 

he said that “the time has come to 

change many rules on this, which do not 

give us room to urge larger financial 

support.” 

Sports 

KUWAIT: (Left to right) Abdullah Al-Rashidi, Fehaid Al-Daihani, Talal Al-Rashidi and Mariam Erzouqi. 

Sheikh Mohammad honors 

Kuwaiti Olympic medalist 

KUWAIT: Information Minister and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh 

Mohammad Al-Abdallah (3rd from right) with other officials during the honoring 

ceremony. 

Kuwait’s flag at this Arab sport gathering. — KUNA KUWAIT: Al-Daihani being Honored on stage by Infomation Minister and other officials. 

For her part, director of the Kuwaiti 

and Gulf Cooperation Council women’s 

sporting bodies Sheikha Naeema Al- 

Ahmad Al-Sabah also hailed the 

achievement. Later, Fehaid Al-Daihani 

told reporters he was gratified for being 

honored. 

On his earlier announced plans to 

quit the sport, he said “I had originally 

planned to quit after this medal, but I 

have now decided, at the behest of HH 

the Amir, to look forward to the upcoming 

Olympics in 2016”. —KUNA


Udinese, homeless 

Cagliari add to 

Italy soccer troubles 

ITALY: Italian football has been given two more reminders 

of the sorry state of its domestic game by Udinese’s failure 

to qualify for the Champions League and the plight of 

homeless Cagliari. 

Udinese’s penalty shootout defeat to Braga, a side made 

up largely of journeymen Brazilian players, on Tuesday 

means Italy will have only two teams in the group stage. 

After falling to Arsenal at the same stage last year, 

Udinese’s latest setback has also raised worries about the 

future of the team who have habitually overachieved in 

recent seasons and been one of the success stories in the 

league. Coach Francesco Guidolin, who led them to a thirdplace 

finish last season, fourth the season before that and 

saw his best players sold off on both occasions, did not 

think he would get another chance to reach the group 

stage with the club. 

“Evidently I am not capable of leading a team into the 

Champions League,” said a dejected Guidolin, who has 

been persuaded to stay on. 

“When you get so close several times and can’t go 

through, you have to learn from that experience and 

accept the truth.” Before the match, he had warned that 

failure could be the end of Udinese’s impressive run. 

“It cannot be taken for granted that this team can carry 

on doing so well as, to do that, we would have to be magicians 

and I cannot perform miracles.” 

Udinese must now try and pick themselves up and face 

titleholders Juventus at home on Sunday (1600 GMT). Their 

defeat has led to soul-searching in the Italian media 

although, rather than looking for solutions at home, some 

are suggesting that it is time for UEFA to merge the 

Champions League and Europa League into one huge 

tournament. Italy had its quota of automatic Champions 

League places cut from three to two this season after Serie 

A dropped below the Bundesliga in the rankings used to 

calculate the number of berths per country. Udinese’s misfortune 

came on top of a miserable summer marked by the 

Calcioscommesse match-fixing scandal, which led to points 

deductions for four Serie A teams, and the failure to attract 

top names to the country. If Italy needed a timely reminder 

of why the top players no longer want to come, then the 

confusion over the venue for Sunday’s Cagliari-Atalanta 

match (1845) has provided it. The Sardinian side has moved 

out of Stade Sant’Elia, its home since 1970, due to disagreements 

with the local authorities and growing safety worries. 

During the second half of last season, these forced 

Cagliari to play home games in Trieste, 1,000 kilometres 

and closer to Belgrade than their own base. 

Cagliari had intended to move to the Is Arenas stadium 

in the commune of Quartu Sant’Elena, around five kilometres 

outside the city. But with workmen rushing to finish 

necessary improvements to the new arena, Cagliari said in 

a statement that permission to play the match had not 

been granted. —Reuters 

PARIS: With a place in the Champions League group 

stage assured, Lille switch their focus to domestic action 

as they take on big spending Paris St Germain in a stern 

test of their Ligue One title credentials on Sunday (1900 

GMT). 

The 2011 French champions needed an extra time 

goal on Wednesday to continue in the lucrative European 

tournament at the expense of FC Copenhagen in a game 

defender Franck Beria had labelled “the match of the 

year”. “It was important to qualify for the club and its 

future,” goalkeeper Mickael Landreau said after the 2-0 

victory over the Danes. 

Lille, who signed France playmaker Marvin Martin and 

Ivory Coast forward Salomon Kalou this summer to make 

up for the departure of Eden Hazard to Chelsea, are widely 

regarded as the main challenger to PSG in this season’s 

title race. But the distraction of the European campaign 

has led to a disappointing league start. Lille could only 

MADRID: Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova 

has work to do on his defence before the 

visit of Valencia this weekend after errors 

from Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano 

handed Real Madrid the Spanish Super 

Cup. 

Jose Mourinho’s men scored twice in 

the first 19 minutes at the Bernabeu on 

Wednesday, capitalising on mistakes from 

both central defenders to score and win 2- 

1 on the night and deal Vilanova his first 

defeat since replacing Pep Guardiola. 

In last week’s first leg, it was goalkeeper 

Victor Valdes who committed a howler 

allowing Angel Di Maria to grab a late goal 

for Real that effectively gifted them the 

first trophy of the season as they won on 

the away goals rule after a 4-4 aggregate 

draw. 

Barca, who host Valencia on Sunday 

(1930 GMT), top La Liga with two wins 

from two but have shown some lapses in 

concentration at the back in their opening 

games. “There are things we need to correct,” 

Vilanova told reporters after the loss, 

preferring to focus on the way his side 

reacted to the goals and Adriano’s 29thminute 

red card to come back into the 

game with Lionel Messi’s freekick. 

Barca and Spain defender Pique told 

reporters: “We should have done better at 

the start of the game, but to play here 

with 10 men as we did deserves respect.” 

Barca captain Carles Puyol sat out 

Wednesday’s game as a precaution after 

fracturing a cheekbone against Osasuna 

last weekend, but could return wearing a 

face mask to tighten up the backline. 

The Catalans also have a slight doubt 

over fullback Dani Alves who was forced 

to drop out of the second leg just before 

kickoff after suffering a muscle twinge in 

the warm up. 

While Vilanova faces up to his first set- 

Sports 

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Lionel Messi from Argentina (right) and goalkeeper Victor Valdes (left) react in this file photo. —AP 

Preview 

Barcelona to work on defence 

Lille take on big spending PSG 

draw 1-1 at home to Nancy ten days ago then relied on 

Landreau’s superb performance to save a point at lowly 

Nice last weekend. 

“Now we will focus on resting and have only the PSG 

game in mind,” said coach Rudi Garcia, who had 

revamped his starting lineup at Nice to prepare for the 

European tie. Sunday’s clash will also be an important 

match for PSG, who lie 11th on three points from three 

games after two goalless draws in disappointing showings 

at Ajaccio and Bordeaux. 

Defender Thiago Silva, one of the biggest signings of 

the summer, could make his debut at Lille after joining 

from AC Milan, while another recruit, Argentina forward 

Ezequiel Lavezzi, is serving the second of his two-match 

ban. While PSG have endured a stuttering start, 

Olympique Marseille are enjoying a bright beginning, but 

the memories of their 10th-place finish last season have 

left them cautious when talking about their French title 

back of the campaign, Mourinho has overcome 

his with flying colors. Real failed to 

register a victory in their first three outings 

of the season, drawing 1-1 at home with 

Valencia, losing the Super Cup first leg 3-2 

in Barcelona and then suffering a shock 2- 

1 league defeat at Getafe. 

Mourinho criticised the attitude of his 

players after the Getafe game and 

appeared to have elicited the response he 

was looking for when they defeated Barca 

at home for the first time in four years. 

“This was the Madrid we all want to 

see,” Real and Spain defender Alvaro 

Arbeloa told reporters. “We are the first to 

acknowledge we didn’t give our best 

against Valencia and Getafe. The coach 

was right. This is the image we need to 

give.” Mourinho did not speak after their 

Super Cup triumph but returns to the 

Bernabeu for the visit of Granada on 

Sunday (1750 GMT). — Reuters 

chances. Marseille top the table on nine points from three 

games without conceding a goal and entertain European 

hopefuls Stade Rennes on Sunday (1500). 

“We have to keep both feet on the ground and appreciate 

this situation because we went through hard times,” 

defender Rod Fanni said this week. 

“After the end of the season, we said to ourselves that 

it should never happen again. We have a new coach, a 

fresh spirit. Last season was an accident,” added in-form 

striker Andre-Pierre Gignac, who has already doubled his 

tally from last season with two goals. 

Second-placed Olympique Lyon, who lie two points 

behind Marseille, face Valenciennes, also on seven points, 

on Saturday (1500) without forward Lisandro Lopez who 

faces three weeks out because of injury. Defending champions 

Montpellier, who are suffering their worst start to a 

season in 15 years with one point, travel to bottom-side 

Sochaux, the only team without a point. — Reuters


MONACO: Fate largely smiled on Manchester United 

and holders Chelsea in yesterday’s Champions League 

draw, but Manchester City found themselves drawn 

into a daunting group with Real Madrid, Ajax and 

Borussia Dortmund. 

Chelsea, who beat Bayern Munich on penalties in 

last season’s final to claim the trophy for the first time, 

were drawn in Group E alongside Italian champions 

Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Danish debutants 

Nordsjaelland. 

Juventus will be appearing in the Champions 

League for the first time since the 2009-10 season and 

are likely to present the strongest challenge to Roberto 

di Matteo’s side. 

United found themselves in similarly benign surroundings 

in Group H, having been pitted against 

Portugal’s SC Braga, Galatasaray of Turkey and 

Romanians CFR-Cluj in the draw in Monaco. 

However, manager Sir Alex Ferguson will not need 

reminding that it was from a similarly straightforward 

group-containing Benfica, FC Basel and Cluj’s domestic 

rivals Otelul Gelati-that the three-time champions 

failed to progress last season. 

United, beaten 3-1 by Barcelona in the 2011 final, 

are appearing in the group phase for a record 18th 

time. As in 2011, this season’s final will also take place 

at London’s Wembley Stadium, to mark the 150th 

anniversary of the English Football Association. 

City’s pool, Group D, unites the reigning champions 

of England, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands, and 

is sure to be dubbed the ‘Group of Death’. 

Roberto Mancini’s side were drawn in a similarly taxing 

group last season and failed to reach the knockout 

phase, with Bayern Munich and Napoli finishing above 

them on their first appearance in the Champions 

League. Along with Spain, England are one of only two 

countries with four teams in the group phase and their 

fourth representatives, Arsenal, will face Schalke, 

Olympiacos and debutants Montpellier, the French 

champions, in Group B. 

Sports 

Chelsea, United spared as Man City get difficult draw 

Iniesta crowned 

European 

player of season 

MONACO: Barcelona’s Spanish midfielder 

Andres Iniesta received the UEFA Best Player 

in Europe award yesterday after pipping 

Cristiano Ronaldo and club-mate Lionel 

Messi in a journalists’ poll. 

It is his second major individual honour of 

the summer, after he was named Player of 

the Tournament for his role in Spain’s triumph 

at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. 

The award was decided by 53 European 

journalists who cast their votes during yesterday’s 

Champions League group-stage draw 

in Monaco. Iniesta, 28, received 19 votes, 

with Ronaldo and Messi-the winner of last 

year’s inaugurual prize-each receiving 17. 

“I am very honoured and I dedicate this 

award to my Barcelona and Spain teammates,” 

said Iniesta, who received the award 

from UEFA president Michel Platini. 

“I am privileged to be here with two such 

great footballers as Leo and Cristiano.” An 

artful attacking midfielder, Iniesta has won 

every major honor in the game with 

Barcelona and Spain over the last four years 

and notably scored the extra-time winner 

against the Netherlands in the 2010 World 

Cup final in South Africa. 

Despite his success at Euro 2012, Iniesta 

saw Barcelona miss out to Ronaldo’s Real 

Madrid in last season’s La Liga title race, 

while the Blaugrana also fell to eventual 

champions Chelsea in the semi-finals of the 

Champions League. — AFP 

MONACO: Spanish player Andre Iniesta poses with the ‘UEFA Best Player in Europe 2012 

Award’ yesterday in Monaco. — AFP 

Real storm back to take Super Cup from Barca 

MADRID: Real Madrid claimed their first Spanish 

Super Cup in four years and a morale-boosting 

success against their arch-rivals when Gonzalo 

Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo struck in a 2-1 

win against 10-man Barcelona on Wednesday. 

The victory over error-prone Barca, who had 

Adriano sent off in the 28th minute, meant the 

tie finished 4-4 on aggregate after the Catalans 

won last week’s first leg 3-2 at the Nou Camp 

and Real took the trophy on the away goals rule. 

It was a much-needed success for Jose 

Mourinho’s side after they failed to win in their 

opening three matches of the season and 

crashed to a shock 2-1 defeat at city rivals 

Getafe in La Liga on Sunday. Mourinho had 

warned his players he wanted a vast improve- 

ment and they responded with two goals inside 

20 minutes thanks to poor Barca defending that 

allowed first Higuain on 11 minutes and 

Ronaldo eight minutes later to burst free and 

score. 

Lionel Messi gave Barca a chance of pulling 

off an unlikely comeback when he curled in a 

spectacular free kick from 30 metres moments 

before the break. Pedro drew a brilliant save 

from Iker Casillas and both sides had chances in 

a frenetic ending but Real held firm to end 

Barca’s three-year grip on the trophy. 

The second-leg victory also broke Barca’s 

seven-match unbeaten streak at the Bernabeu 

and was Real’s first home win in a “Clasico” since 

May 2008. “At the Nou Camp they had a chance 

for a fourth goal and in the next move we 

scored the one that kept us in with a chance,” 

Casillas said in an interview with Spanish television. 

“We dominated the first half and the match 

in general, although we had to suffer a bit at the 

end,” he added. “We were on a poor run and we 

owed this to the fans. We haven’t started the 

season well but some days you have good luck 

and some you don’t.” Real’s opening goal came 

when Javier Mascherano, playing his 100th 

game for Barca, failed to clear a long ball from 

Pepe and Higuain raced clear and fired a shot 

under Victor Valdes. Mascherano’s central 

defensive partner Gerard Pique was then at fault 

for Real’s second.—Reuters 

There was one other newcomer in the draw in the 

shape of Malaga, who qualified by overcoming 

Panathinaikos in the play-off round earlier this week. 

The Spanish side were drawn in Group C with Zenit 

Saint Petersburg, Anderlecht and seven-time champions 

AC Milan, who will have been relieved to avoid a 

more difficult group after a summer in which they lost 

a glut of leading players. Barcelona, finalists in two of 

the last four seasons, landed in Group G, where they 

will have fellow former champions Benfica and Celtic 

for company, as well as Spartak Moscow. 

Big-spending Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, will 

fancy their chances of qualifying from a group that also 

includes FC Porto, Dynamo Kiev and Dinamo Zagreb. 

Last season’s beaten finalists Bayern Munich were 

placed in Group F alongside Valencia, they team they 

beat on penalties in the 2001 final, as well as Lille of 

France and Belarusian outfit BATE Borisov. The opening 

batch of group ties are scheduled for September 

18/19. — AFP 

Draw for the 2012-13 Champions League 

group stage, held in Monaco yesterday: 

Group A 

Porto 

Dynamo Kiev 

Paris St Germain 

Dinamo Zagreb 

Group B 

Arsenal 

Schalke 04 

Olympiakos Piraeus 

Montpellier HSC 

Group C 

AC Milan 

Zenit St Petersburg 

Anderlecht 

Malaga 

Group D 

Real Madrid 

Manchester City 

Ajax Amsterdam 

Borussia Dortmund 

Group E 

Chelsea 

Shakhtar Donetsk 

Juventus 

Nordsjaelland 

Group F 

Bayern Munich 

Valencia 

Lille 

BATE Borisov 

Group G 

Barcelona 

Benfica 

Spartak Moscow 

Celtic 

Group H 

Manchester United 

Braga 

Galatasaray 

CFR Cluj 

Champions League 

First matches to be played Sept. 18 and 

19.—Reuters


Records tumble 

as China takes 

first Games gold 

LONDON: World records tumbled in the 

pool and on the cycling track yesterday, as 

the first day of competition at the London 

Paralympics got under way and China won 

the Games’ first gold medal. 

At the Velodrome, seven-time 

Paralympic champion Sarah Storey-who 

won five swimming titles before taking two 

more when she switched to cycling in 2008 

— clocked a new world best 3min 

32.170sec in the women’s C5 3km individual 

pursuit. 

The 34-year-old British cyclist’s time was 

quicker than the winner of the same event 

for non-disabled athletes at the UCI Track 

Cycling World Cup event held at the same 

venue in February. 

Joanna Rowsell, who was a member of 

the British women’s team that won gold in 

the team pursuit at the Olympics earlier this 

month, won that race in 3:32.364. 

Storey, who was born without a functioning 

left hand, now races against Anna 

Harkowska of Poland in the final and said 

the crowd had spurred her on to the record. 

“I know we heard our colleagues say this 

during the Olympics but it’s so hard to 

explain the energy they give you. I just can’t 

explain it really,” Storey told Channel 4. “On 

the last lap I could hear I was on for the 

record. This is everything. I’ve been working 

on this in training so hard. I’m so chuffed.” 

Meanwhile two other world records were 

set in qualifying for the women’s C1-2-3 

3km individual pursuit: Zeng Sini, a C2 rider 

from China, broke the world best to book a 

place in the gold medal race against 

Australia’s Simone Kennedy. 

Australia’s women then posted a new 

world record in the C4 3km individual pursuit, 

with Susan Powell qualifying quickest 

in 4min 03.306sec to earn the right to meet 

US rider Megan Fisher to win gold. 

Kieran Modra and Scott McPhee will race 

their Australian compatriots Bryce Lindores 

and Sean Finning for glory in the men’s 

blind and visually impaired 4km tandem 

pursuit. At the Aquatics Centre, Britain’s 

Jonathan Fox signalled his intent to 

upgrade his 100m backstroke S7 Paralympic 

silver four years ago, lowering his own previous 

world best by 0:59sec to 1min 9.86sec. 

The 21-year-old is now favourite for the title 

after US swimmer Lantz Lamback, the 

defending champion from Beijing, could 

only finish 10th quickest in his heat and 

failed to qualify. 

New Zealand’s Sophie Pascoe then set a 

new world best of 2min 28.73sec in the 

women’s 200m individual medley, while 

Fox’s team-mate Nyree Kindred lowered the 

Paralympic record in the women’s 100m 

backstroke S6 in 1min 27.96sec. 

The end of a morning of swimming heats 

coincided with the final of the women’s R2 

10m air rifle at the Royal Artillery Barracks, 

which saw China’s Zhang Cuiping win the 

Games’ first gold, scoring 104.9 for an overall 

score of 500.9. 

Manuela Schmermund, of Germany, won 

silver while New Zealand’s Natalie Smith 

picked up bronze. A total of 28 medals were 

up for grabs on Thursday: 15 in the pool, 

five at the Velodrome in track cycling; four 

in judo; two in power lifting; and two in 

shooting. The day’s programme also 

includes heats in archery, equestrian, goal- 

Sports 

ball, table tennis, sitting volleyball and 

wheelchair basketball. 

Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the 

Games at a showpiece ceremony on 

Wednesday involving more than 3,000 volunteer 

and professional performers, many 

of them with a disability, combining music, 

dance and aerial acrobatics. 

British scientist Stephen Hawking, 

described by organisers as “the most 

famous disabled person anywhere on the 

planet”, narrated parts of the ceremony, 

which was aimed at challenging perceptions 

about disability and changing attitudes. 

— AFP 

LONDON: Members of the British team (bottom) watch the ball as they play Russia in a men’s sitting volleyball preliminary round pool A match at the 2012 

Paralympics. — AP

Records tumble 

as China takes 

first Games gold 

Page 47 

LONDON: China’s 

Zeng Sini wins the 

women’s individual 

C1-2-3 pursuit final 

cycling event 

during the London 

2012 Paralympic 

Games at the 

Olympic Park’s 

Velodrome. — AFP

MORSi ROAStS IRAN - Kuwait Times

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