150 F

ils

7Max 50ºMin 33º

SUBSCRIPT

ION

US recognizes Libyan rebels

KD500 salary for dependent visa?

Kuwaitis in private sector to get pay rise

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011 ShAAbAn 15, 1432 Ah No: 15151

CAIRO: Egyptian protesters photograph a banner showing (right to left) ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak,his son Gamal, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and Syrian President BasharAssad, at Tahrir Square in Cairo yesterday. — AP

KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior (MoI) is reportedly con-sidering increasing the monthly minimum wage requiredfor a non-Kuwaiti man to bring his wife and children toKuwait, from KD250 to KD500 within the next month. Themove comes as part of the country’s continuing efforts tointroduce more stringent eligibility criteria for expatriateworkers.

A decision like this could mean that many expatriateworkers in the country would be forced to leave their fami-lies back home, with some warning that this could have apotentially destabilizing effect on the local expatriate com-munity generally. An MoI insider insisted, however, thatthe move would result in greater rather than less stabilityfor families. “Increasing the minimum salary requirementaims to ensure that a resident is economically stable andable to support his family in Kuwait before bringing themhere,” the official asserted.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official wasalso keen to suggest that the introduction of such a regula-tion would help Kuwait to regain control over the labormarket, with the number of ‘excess workers’ greatlyreduced. The insider also indicated that many young expa-triates are entering the workforce in already heavily over-subscribed fields, with their removal giving young Kuwaitisa better chance. “We are working from the standpoint ofseeking to achieve full stability in Kuwait,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, the Management and GovernmentRestructuring Program has announced that it is ready tobegin paying the KD50 salary increase to Kuwaitis workingin the private sector, which was enforced by the govern-ment retroactively. According to MGRP Assistant SecretaryGeneral for Labor Affairs Fawzi Al-Majdali, a budget ofKD17.800 million in total has been allocated for distribu-tion to the bank accounts of 13,133 Kuwaitis by the end ofthis month.

In separate news, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor(MSAL) saw its largest recent reshuffle of senior staff, in astep described by Minister Dr Mohammad Al-Afasi as “aim-ing to improve the ability of senior ministry employers inremaining productive from any post.” The reshuffle sawmany Assistant Undersecretaries trading places in differentdepartments.

Meanwhile, a senior MSAL official has assured con-sumers that prices at local Co-ops would not see anyabrupt increases during the Ramadan period. In a pressrelease issued on Thursday, MSAL UndersecretaryMohammad Al-Kandari said that plans are in place toreduce the prices of the most popular items, as well asholding a number of product promotions at the state-owned outlets.

On another issue, charity collections during the upcom-ing holy month, Al-Kandari reiterated the criteria intro-duced by the ministry this year in coordination with localcharities, which will compel all donors wishing to makecash donations to do so only at the relevant charities’ headoffice, with donation at mosques and other places of wor-ship being strictly prohibited. — Agencies

AMMAN: Syrian security forces shot dead atleast 20 protesters yesterday as hundreds ofthousands of people took to the streetsacross the country in the biggest protests sofar against President Bashar Al-Assad. Assad,facing the greatest challenge to 40 years ofBaath Party rule, has sought to crush demon-strations that broke out in March. Butalthough rights groups say some 1,400 civil-ians have been killed, the protests haveswelled in size.

“These are the biggest demonstrationsso far. It is a clear challenge to the authorities,especially when we see all these numberscoming out from Damascus for the firsttime,” said Rami Abdelrahman, head of theSyrian Observatory for Human Rights. Policefired live ammunition and teargas in the cap-ital Damascus and its suburbs, killing 11 peo-ple, and in southern Syria near the Jordanianborder, where four people were killed, wit-nesses and activists said.

Three protesters were also shot dead in

the northwestern province of Idlib, near theTurkish border, where troops and tanks haveattacked villages, the witnesses and activistssaid. Two people were also killed in the cityof Homs. A witness in the Rukn Al-Din districtof Damascus said hundreds of young menwearing white masks fought security forceswith sticks and stones. “Down, down BasharAl-Assad”, they chanted.

“We are in Midan and they are firing tear-gas at us, people are chanting,” a witnesssaid by telephone from the centre ofDamascus. In the city of Hama, scene of a1982 massacre by the military, live videofootage filmed by residents showed a hugecrowd in the main Orontos Square shouting“the people want the overthrow of theregime”. At least 350,000 people demon-strated in the eastern province of Deir al Zor,the Syrian Observatory for Human Rightssaid. Syrian forces shot dead two pro-democracy protesters there on Thursday,residents said.

Until now, the biggest demonstrationshave taken place in impoverished towns andvillages outside Damascus where one in 10of Syria’s 20 million population lives. Protestsin the capital have rarely mustered morethan a few hundred people. Damascus hasbenefited from substantial foreign invest-ment and its citizens are on average wealthi-er than those in the provinces. Security isalso much tighter.

Activists estimate the number of secretpolice on the streets of Damascus has morethan doubled since protests started but theeconomy has stagnated. Faced with uncer-tainty, foreign investors are pulling out indroves and unemployment is rising. Tocounter that, Syria’s main ally, Iran, is consid-ering offering $5.8 billion in financial help,including a three-month loan worth $1.5 bil-lion to be made available immediately,French business newspaper Les Echos said,citing a report by a Tehran think-tank linkedto Iran’s leadership. — Reuters

20 Syrian protesters shot dead by troops

L O C A LSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

‘Dasha’ begins 23rd pearl-diving expedition

Pearl haul could be smaller this year: Al-QabandiBy Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: With the rigorous training over, thebig day finally arrived yesterday for the youngKuwaiti divers participating in the 23rd PearlDiving Expedition as their voyage formallybegan.

The traditional dasha or farewell ceremo-ny for the 180 young participants in this year’sevent was held at the Kuwait Sea Sports Club(KSSC) headquarters in Salmiya, before theyoung sailors, aged between eight and 22,began their nine-day voyage in search of pre-cious pearls in the waters off Khairan Resort,around 90 km south of Kuwait City. The cere-mony was held in the presence of Ministry ofSocial Affairs and Labor (MSAL)Undersecretary Mohammad Al-Kandari, KSSCVice-Chairman Ahmed Al-Ghanim, and KSSCSecretary General Ali-Al-Qabandi.

Speaking with the Kuwait Times justbefore the voyage began, Al-Qabandirevealed that he isn’t expecting a large har-vest of pearls from this year’s expedition.“Many people are now exploiting the area forthe same purpose, so I think, this year’s har-vest will be even smaller than last year,” heexplained.

“We already reported the matter to thePublic Authority for Agricultural Affairs andFish Resources, but it seems that our informa-tion is falling on deaf ears with some of thepeople concerned who are supposed to pro-tect the area. Because of that, we aren’texpecting many pearls.”

In his short farewell speech to the youngdivers, Al-Kandari expressed gratitude to theKSSC for its untiring empowerment of thecountry’s young people throughreviving Kuwait’s pearl-div-ing heritage.

“We wish our youngsailors a safe journey and

we want them home safely,” he continued.“It’s not about the amount of pearls [theygather], but the knowledge and experiencesthey can obtain from their participation.”

During a press conference held lastMonday, Al-Qabandi read out a personal mes-sage to the participants from His Highness theAmir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, whowished them a safe and successful voyage.HH the Amir is the number one supporter ofthe revival of pearl-diving, the occupation ofKuwaitis’ forefathers, the senior official

added.This year’s voyage features the participa-

tion of 15 dhows, five of which are modern,engine-powered vessels donated by HH theAmir to the Pearl-diving Committee. The oth-er ten vessels were donated by the late Amir,HH Sheikh Jaber. “All [the boats] are ready,including our captains, officials and sailors,”Al-Qabandi went on. “We prepared them forover three months at training camp, teachingthem all about our old but important her-itage; we shared and equipped them with the

necessary knowledge they need tolearn while at sea pearling.”

Muhammad Ahmed Al-Gaith(17), Abdullah Razaq

Ibrahim Al-Husseinan (14), Dherar Talal Al-Tuwaibi (12) and Abdullah Al-Hadi (14) wereall equally excited at participating in thepearl-diving activities for the first time. Theyattended yesterday’s dasha ceremony at theKSSC compound, with their proud familymembers present there to see them off.

“We are looking forward to this ceremony.The final counts has ended today and areexcited to be part of this year’s diving expedi-tion,” said Al-Gaith as they bade an emotionalfarewell to their families. “We are all excitedand we hope to learn more while at sea,” Al-Hadi added.

This year’s expedition also welcomes theparticipation of every single sponsor whocooperated in making this year’s festival pos-sible; Gulf Bank, Kuwait Cooperative Society,Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Kuwait FlourMills, Al-Rawdatain, United Fisheries of Kuwaitand Dar Al-Khaleej Consultant Engineers.

Before setting off yesterday, Yousef Al-Khalid, the head of this year’s Pearl DivingFestival, explained, “We are now heading toKhairan and we are going to face the chal-lenge.” Al-Khalid, a longtime participant in theannual event who rose from diver to captainbefore attaining his current position, this yearreplaced the previous incumbent, Yousef Al-Najjar, as the head of the Pearl DivingHeritage Committee.

The annual festival, which is, as always,being held under the patronage of HisHighness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed AlSabah, is held to keep Kuwait’s national her-itage of pearl-diving alive; the perilous andhighly skilled occupation was once one of thecountry’s main industries prior to the discov-ery of oil in the 1930s.

KUWAIT: Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Undersecretary Mohammad Al-Kandari,KSSC Vice-Chairman Ahmed Al-Ghanim, KSSC Secretary General Ali-Al-Qabandi and oth-er officials at the ceremony. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

L O C A LSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

KUWAIT:

The Kuwaiti

ships on

pearl-diving

voyage

yesterday.

L O C A L

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

KUWAIT: Details of an initiative pro-posed by nonaligned MPs have yet tobe revealed, but the announcement of amovement reflecting the voice of law-makers who stand uneasily betweentheir pro and anti-government col-leagues have already spurred specula-tion on what the move could mean forKuwait’s turbulent political scene.

One complaint raised by manyobservers is that the parliamentaryprocess is deeply flawed, with MPsfocusing more on the monitoring partof their legislative duties than on theirlegislative functions. There is somespeculation that this perceived failingled the nonpartisan MPs to feel that par-liament shares some responsibility withthe cabinet for the current political cri-sis, putting forward the initiative inorder to attempt to reform the relation-ship between the two principal authori-ties.

The main stated goal of the initiative,announced by MPs Aseel Al-Awadhiand Dr. Hassan Jowhar and supportedby a number of fellow parliamentarians,

is to outline the persistent errors andflaws which the cabinet must address sothat ultimately the parliament - particu-larly the initiative’s sponsors - will beabsolved of responsibility if the cabinetfails to resolve any of these problems.

Tensions between the cabinet andparliament have been fueled primarilyby the hostile stance of anti-govern-ment MPs, who have made it clear thattheir principal goal is to oust the cabi-net, particularly the Prime Minister, HisHighness Sheikh Nasser Al-MohammedAl-Sabah. Meanwhile, the pro-govern-ment MPs use their opponents’ con-stant battle against the government tojustify their own support.

Many have questioned what exactlyAl-Awadhi and Jowhar and their parlia-mentary supporters hope to achievewith the new initiative, whether to soft-en the inflexible stance of their fellowMPs or to exploit the ongoing feud in anattempt to boost their own politicalprofile.

Some seasoned political observershave gone so far as to speculate that

the initiative is an attempt to force thecabinet out by holding it responsible forfailing to meet the points listed. Twoleading anti-government MPs, DrsWalid Al-Tabtabaie and Jamaan Al-Harbish, have already expressed theirreservations at the initiative, althoughpro-government lawmakers have beenlargely supportive.

Some have suggested that the initia-tive could provide a useful way formembers of the pro-government fac-tion to join their colleagues among theantis, suggesting that many MPs wouldhave liked to have done so previously ifthey could have been sure that thiswould not create further political ten-sion. One big question is what role theinitiative could play during debate ofthe two grilling motions currentlyawaiting HH the Prime Minister whenparliament reconvenes after the sum-mer recess, as well as other prospectivefuture grilling motions against him.Only time will tell what the true effect ofthe initiative will be on Kuwait’s turbu-lent political scene. —Al-Qabas

Initiative of true reform in Kuwait?

Observers unsure

ISTANBUL: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meetswith Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al-Sabah on the sidelines of the fourth meeting of the Libyacontact group in Istanbul yesterday. Top officials frommajor Western and regional powers meet to discussstrategies to strengthen the Libyan opposition and forceembattled strongman Muammar Gaddafi out. —AFP

KUWAIT: The government has plans in place to begin provid-ing public and private sector jobs for bedoon (stateless) peo-ple by October this year, according to a bedoon activist.

Jaber Al-Fadhli, who chairs a popular committee cam-paigning for bedoon rights, said on Thursday that an agree-ment was reached on the subject during a meeting betweensenior officials of the government body established to resolvethe problems facing the country’s bedoon population, theCentral System for Remedying the Status of Illegal Residents(CSRSIR), and their counterparts from the Civil ServiceCommission, the Manpower and Government RestructuringProgram and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.

Al-Fadhli also revealed that the CSRSIR has formed onesubcommittee to examine the files of stateless residentsaccused of obtaining forged passports and another to studythe security restrictions that could prevent some bedoon peo-ple from being naturalized. — Al-Rai

Govt to providebedoons with jobs

from October: activist

Stop loans toSyrian regime: MPs

KUWAIT: A Kuwaiti MP has demanded that the administra-tors of a state fund which provides loans to other Arabcountries for developmental purposes, take steps to pre-vent any of the monies from being given to the Syrian gov-ernment amidst the current strife there.

“[Kuwaiti MPs] will not allow Kuwait to provide financialcontributions that could reinforce the stranglehold of theSyrian government against its people,” said parliamentarianAli Al-Omair, commenting on unverifiable rumors whichhinted that the Kuwait Fund for Arab EconomicDevelopment (KFAED) is providing Damascus with a KD30million loan.

Al-Omair said that he had spoken with KFAED directorAbdulwahab Al-Badr, who assured him that monies are onlydistributed following a comprehensive study of the currentsituation in the country for which they are intended, inorder to avoid risks as well as to better serve Kuwait’s for-eign policy. MP Dr. Walid Al-Tabtabaei also commented onthe subject, demanding via posts on his Twitter accountthat the Kuwaiti government stop all developmental loansto Syria and Yemen “to ensure that Kuwaiti funds aren’tused to suppress innocent civilians.”

Al-Tabtabaei also commented on recent statements bythe French Ambassador to Kuwait concerning the govern-ment’s purchase for the Rafale warplanes, vowing that thelongstanding controversial deal “won’t go unaddressed.” Onanother issue, MP Musallam Al-Barrak slammed the govern-ment for what he referred to as another form of “governmen-tal malpractice,” referring to nine female students refused re-admission to Kuwait University’s Faculty of Medicine for theirsecond year of studies despite meeting all the relevant crite-ria. In a press release issued on Thursday, Al-Barrak explainedthat despite achieving outstanding results during their firstyear at the university, the nine students weren’t allowed togo on to their chosen specialist studies on the pretext of alack of student capacity.—Al-Qabas

Wataniya Telecom welcomes studentsto Summer Internship Program

KUWAIT: Participating in the develop-ment of youth in Kuwait and seizingopportunities to stay close to theyoung and vibrant students is whatWataniya Telecom has always beeninterested in. Similar to previous years,Wataniya welcomed onboard 12 stu-dents from various universities asrecruits for the summer internship pro-gram, giving them a chance to explorea career in the telecom industry.

Taking place at the WataniyaTelecom head office, the internshipprogram started on June 12 and willextend till the end of July. The studentswill get to experience the work culturein all the different departments of thecompany. This will help them under-stand what is really happening on theinside of one of the fastest growingand developing telecom companies inKuwait. Commenting on WataniyaTelecom’s annual summer internshipprogram, Majdi Yahya Ghannam, ChiefHuman Resources & AdministrationServices Officer said, “It is our corpo-rate social responsibility to focus ondeveloping the skills and talent of thefuture generation. We have to helpthem in preparing for the next stage oftheir lives. Our past record demon-strates our commitment towards theeducation sector. Based on feedbackwe have received from the students,this year’s internship program hasproved to be very successful, insightfuland educational.”

The recruits participating in thesummer program are from variouslocal and international academic insti-

tutions and are currently learning thelatest trends and knowhow of telecomtechnology in various areas such ascustomer care, human resources, tech-nology and sales departments.

Wataniya Telecom was commercial-ly launched in 1999 as the first private-ly owned operator in Kuwait. NationalMobile Telecommunications Company(NMTC) trading under the brand nameWataniya Telecom is l isted in theKuwait Stock Exchange and has opera-tions in 6 countries including Maldives,Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Algeria andPalestine. Qatar Telecom (Qtel) owns52.5% of Wataniya Telecom.

Wataniya is a customer-driven com-

pany that aims to provide product andservice excellence. Over the past 10years Wataniya has risen to be the sec-ond largest operator in one of the mostcompetitive markets, and continuesoffering a wide range of prepaid andpostpaid mobile voice and internetservices to both individual and corpo-rate customers.

Wataniya has built its reputation onoffering innovative services, maintain-ing excellent network quality anddelivering outstanding customer expe-rience. These three pillars remain thebasis of Wataniya’s strategy as it con-tinues to solidify its strong marketposition.

L O C A L

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

KUWAIT: An Indonesian maid is facing charges of attempt-ed murder after allegedly attacking her employer’s twoyoung children with a carving knife. The woman reportedlystormed into the bedroom where the two girls, aged nineand 11, were playing, grabbing the older girl and slashingher throat with the knife before going after the youngerchild who ran out of the room. This allowed the olderdaughter, who was thankfully not seriously injured since theknife had not penetrated deeply, to call her father, who livesapart from her mother, for assistance. He rushed to thehouse, calling police on his way there to report the incident,which took place on Thursday. Police officers were at thehouse a few minutes later, managing to free the childrenand restrain the maid. The younger daughter was trauma-tized but unharmed whilst the older girl was taken to hospi-tal where her condition was described as stable the sameevening. The accused is being held at the local police stationpending legal action.

Mobsters case The Russian Embassy in Kuwait on Thursday sent an offi-

cial letter to the local press, informing them that none of therecently captured members of a gang of international jewel-ry thieves is a Russian citizen. The case has grabbed localmedia attention in the past week, with the thieves gettingaway with millions of dinars worth of jewelry and other valu-ables in a series of audacious and sometimes violent raidson homes and jewelry stores across the Gulf, with initialreports suggesting that they were part of a Russian mafiaoperation. This idea was wholly erroneous, said theembassy, with two of those apprehended being Armenian,whilst a third has Ukrainian citizenship. Meanwhile, an insid-er on the team investigating the case revealed that theCCTV camera used by the homeowner in one of the homesrobbed by the gang had been instrumental in their identifi-cation and capture. Speaking on condition of anonymity,the insider revealed that the homeowner, a Kuwaiti man,had returned from an overseas trip to discover that jewelryworth thousands of dinars had been stolen from his home.He provided police with the footage from the CCTV camerasinstalled in the house, enabling them to identify four of thegang members, two men and two women, who were laterapprehended at Kuwait International Airport, the insiderconcluded.

Death threatsPolice are currently hunting for a man accused of making

death threats against his ex-wife and her boss. Officers atJleeb Al-Shuyoukh police station were approached by thedirector of a media agency who informed them that the ex-husband of one of his female employees had threatened tophysically assault during a phone call. At around the sametime, the woman in question was lodging similar charges atSalhiya police station. The accused man is facing charges ofmaking death threats and two more of misusing communi-cations equipment.

Cruel conmanAn Arab expatriate’s dreams of wealth turned into a

nightmare when his supposed business partner disap-peared with the money that he entrusted to him to start ajoint business project. The victim, who works at a local shop,met the Kuwaiti conman at his workplace, where the fraud-ster was able to gain his victim’s trust before convincing himto enter into a joint business project. Shortly after the victimhanded over KD4,000 to launch the business, however, the‘business partner’ disappeared with the cash, refusing toanswer any phone calls from his victim. Realizing that hehad been conned, the victim immediately went to Sabahiyapolice station, lodging a complaint. A hunt is underway forthe conman.

Crooked customs officersAt least ten customs officials and supervisors have been

referred to the Public Prosecution Service for questioningafter the discovery of a large-scale smuggling operation thattook place at both Shuwaikh Port and Kuwait InternationalAirport (KIA). The decision to refer the officers for prosecu-tion was taken by Customs Department director Ibrahim Al-Ghanim after it was discovered that custom clearance docu-ments had been tampered with.

Suicide thwartedA 21-year-old Asian man was saved in the nick of time

after attempting suicide by drinking pesticide at his employ-er’s Surra home in a bid to end his life.

The man, who was working as a servant, was discoveredin an unconscious state by his employer, who immediatelycalled for an ambulance.

Paramedics were quickly at the scene, rushing the suici-dal man to Amiri Hospital.

Drowsy druggie A dozy drug addict was arrested at a Salmiya shopping

mall after falling into a deep sleep whilst in an intoxicatedstate. The man’s appearance and behavior led security offi-cers at the mall to call police, who were quickly at thescene. The police officers found on checking the man’scriminal record that he was already wanted in connectionwith previous drug-related cases. He has been remandedin custody.

Maid tries to kill employer’s children

L O C A L

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

KUWAIT: Kuwait is keen on having good-neighborly relations with Iraq and coordi-nating stances on issues of common con-cern, Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister andForeign Minister Sheikh Mohammad SabahAl-Salem Al-Sabah underscored yesterday.Upon his departure to Turkey to participatein the fourth meeting of the InternationalContact Group on Libya, scheduled to beheld yesterday, Sheikh Dr Mohammad toldreporters that Kuwait does not pay dueattention to the hostile remarks made byunofficial and irresponsible Iraqi figures.“But to our surprise, an Iraqi official hadrecently made similar hostile remarksagainst Kuwait,” he noted.

A number of Iraqi MPs have recentlyattacked Kuwait over a number of marineprojects on the Kuwait i s ide of theArabian Gulf.

He explained that the Iraqi governmentwas briefed on the projects, which Kuwaitintends to set up on the Arabian Gulf andexpressed “no reservations.”

“Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki has visit-ed Kuwait a few months ago accompaniedby a large delegation and the projects ofAbdullah creek and Mubarak Al-Kabir porton the Arabian Gulf were thoroughlymulled,” Sheikh Mohammad said, adding“Iraqi Prime Minister did not voice any con-cern or reservations about them, especiallyas we told him that these projects will beuseful for Iraq’s rebuilding.”

“Furthermore, the Joint Kuwaiti-IraqiCommittee met and studied the port proj-ect in details and the Iraqi side, whichincluded six ministers, also had no reserva-tions.” The Kuwaiti top diplomat describedthe recent Iraqi statements in this regard as“surprising”, wondering about the real rea-sons behind the sudden attack on Kuwait.

“What happened during the last threemonths? All of a sudden Kuwait wasaccused of violating Iraq’s sovereignty andstealing Iraqi oil! We understand that thereare differences between countries but theycan’t shed doubts on international resolu-tions and principles that govern relationsbetween the countries,” he said.

Sheikh Mohammad regretted the emer-gence of this hostile language, which con-fiscates countries’ right to take their nation-al decisions independently, in post-Saddam Iraq.

“We thought this discourse would van-ish with the toppling of the treacherousSaddam Hussein regime. We were hopingthis language, which confiscated the rightsof peoples and nations to live safely and toexercise their sovereignty on their landwould not emerge again,” he said.

The Kuwait senior official said his coun-try is keen on having good neighborly rela-tions with Iraq despite of these recentundesired remarks.

“Kuwait and Iraq are neighbors and Iraqwill benefit from the port project on thelong run,” Sheikh Mohammad stressed.

He also expressed surprise from the sud-den attack on Kuwait after six months fromrevealing the project.

Asked about Kuwait’s Ambassador wholeft Baghdad recently, Sheikh Mohammadsaid Ambassador Ali Al-Moamen and otherembassy staff are now on vacation in

Kuwait and will return to their jobs afterthat. With regard to the next meeting ofthe Joint Kuwaiti-Iraqi Committee, SheikhMohammad hoped to hold meeting withIraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari soonto determine the time and agenda of thecommittee’s next meeting.

“We are awaiting Iraq’s ratification of theminutes of the committee meeting tomove to the next stage soon,” he said.

On his participation in the fourth meet-ing of the International Contact Group onLibya, Sheikh Mohammad reiterated thatthis participation comes within the frame-work of Kuwait’s support for the LibyanTransitional National Council.

He revealed that Kuwait is offeringhumanitarian aid to the Libyan peoplethrough the interim financial mechanismset by the Group.

Sheikh Mohammad also unveiled thathe will meet on the sidelines of the meet-ing, to be held in Istanbul with the partici-pation of foreign ministers from 15 coun-tries, with US Secretary of State HillaryClinton to discuss a number of important

Kuwaiti-related issues. “Most importantly,the post-US withdrawal from Iraq, thedevelopments in the Middle East and ArabGulf security on the background of the dis-turbing Iranian remarks on Bahrain, whichwere totally renounced by GulfCooperation Council member states,” hesaid. Following Istanbul meeting, SheikhMohammad will head to London to attendthe meeting of the Board of Trustees of theCentre for Islamic Studies at the Universityof Oxford, in which the Kuwaiti minister is amember.

“Kuwait has been supporting this centersince the era of the late Amir Sheikh JaberAl-Ahmad Al-Sabah,” he said.

Commenting on some Kuwaiti MPs’threats to file an interpellation against himfor alleged financial irregularities in someKuwaiti consulates, Sheikh Mohammadsaid he has no problem with this move.

“The foreign minister is no different fromany other member of the government andwhen anybody accepts a public post, he—she accepts the entailed responsibility. Wewelcome any action that helps enforceaccountability and transparency princi-ples.” He admitted that the ministry hasdiscovered financial irregularities in theKuwaiti Consulate in Los Angeles. “But fromthe first moment of discovering that, theministry referred the whole issue to publicprosecution for investigation,” the topdiplomat underscored. — KUNA

BEIRUT: Kuwaiti artists exhibiting theirwork at an exhibition in Beirut on Thursdaystressed the importance of strengtheningthe contemporary art movement in Kuwait,as well as encouraging upcoming genera-tions to participate in local and internation-al exhibitions to demonstrate the richnessof Kuwaiti culture.

Hamad Al-Sultan, one of the Kuwaitiartists who took part in the MENASAARTcontemporary art fair which concludes latertoday said that his participation “aims atputting Kuwait back on the artistic mapagain, whether at the regional or interna-tional level, as well as attracting the world’sattention to the distinctive level of contem-porary art in the country.”

Al-Sultan continued, “There is tremen-dous potential for the rising Kuwaiti artists,but they need support from state institu-tions and the private sector in order tohighlight their works, and consequentlyenrich the cultural and artistic aspects ofKuwaiti society.”

The artist explained that he was takingpart in the exhibition exhibiting a paintingentitled ‘Contact,’ which depicts Kuwait’snational celebrations which was inspiredby a February 1963 edition of ‘ArabObserver’ magazine, highlighting Kuwait’srebirth at the time. Al-Sultan further

revealed that he and fellow artist Ali Saabwill be representing Kuwait at the first Arabculture festival due to take place in theBritish capital, London, next week underthe patronage of London mayor BorisJohnson.

The artist added that the event will offera good chance to introduce Arab artisticculture in general, and Kuwaiti art culturein particular to Britain, and to transform thestereotypical and erroneous Westernimage of the Arabs.

Another of the artists exhibiting work atthe MENASART event, plastic artist ShorouqAmin, told KUNA, “The artistic movement inKuwait has seen major improvements com-pared to the 1980s and 1990s,” expressingher pride and happiness at representingKuwait at the major event.

Amin also urged young people to, “becourageous, and daring because art is partof the state’s culture, and works of artshould reflect the societal conditions, cre-ate a dialogue and interaction, and not justbe colors and images.” The French ambas-sador to Lebanon Denis Pietton, who visit-ed the exhibition, hailed the artworks dis-played by Kuwait’s House of Arts, and FaGallery, commending, “the role of Kuwait inenriching art and culture in the Arab andMuslim worlds.” — KUNA

Kuwait brushes asideIraqis’ hostile remarks Keen on good neighborly ties

Kuwaiti artists stress importanceof supporting modern art scene

KUWAIT: Following threats by MPAhmad Al-Saadoun to submit an interpel-lation motion against the communica-tions minister Sami Al-Nisf if the currentproblems over high charges for internetservices are not resolved, it seems that hecould be in further hot water, with anoth-er MP taking him to task over problems atthe Directorate General of Civil Aviation(DGCA).

Lawmaker Nadji Al-Abdulhadi hasslammed the aviation authority over thediscrepancies found by State AuditBureau (SAB) inspectors in a number ofDGCA tenders and project plans, urgingAl-Nisf and DGCA officials to act toresolve the problems exposed in theSAB’s report or face suspicions of involve-

ment in squandering public funds.According to the latest SAB reports, theDGCA has requested KD373,017,000 forthe projects it plans to carry out duringthe 2011-12 fiscal year.

This includes the construction of aKD20 million hangar to house the Amirifleet and state guests’ private jets, the con-struction of an ‘Aviation Club’ headquar-ters at a cost of KD500,000, a new trafficcontrol tower costing KD12.8 million, anew KD4.3 million radar control buildingand a traffic control project whose initialprojected cost of KD50,000 was drasticallyrevised to KD5.9 million. The SAB is set tolaunch a detailed investigation into theseprojects, along with the others planned bythe DGCA. — Al-Annahar

Minister in hot water over DGCA allegations

Sheikh Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah

Gaddafi vows to keep fightingUnited States recognizes Libya rebels

988

ISTANBUL: Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (left) smiles as US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (right), her counterparts Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayad Al-Nahyan of United Arab Emirates, and Trinidad Jimenez of Spain chat during a meeting of Libya Contact Group yesterday. —AP

ISTANBUL: Rebel leaders won recogni-tion as the legitimate government ofLibya from the United States and otherworld powers yesterday in a majorboost to the rebels’ faltering campaignto oust Muammar Gaddafi. Westernnations said they also planned toincrease the military pressure onGaddafi’s forces to press him to give uppower after 41 years at the head of theNorth African state. Recognition of therebels, announced by Secretary of StateHillary Clinton at a meeting in Turkey ofthe international contact group onLibya, is an important diplomatic stepwhich could unlock billions of dollars infrozen Libyan funds. The decisioncomes as reports are circulating thatGaddafi has sent out emissaries seekinga negotiated end to the conflict,although he himself has remained defi-ant in his public utterances.

The Istanbul conference attendedby more than 30 countries and interna-tional bodies also agreed road mapwhereby Gaddafi should relinquishpower and plans for Libya’s transition to

democracy under the rebel NationalTransitional Council (TNC). “Until aninterim authority is in place, the UnitedStates will recognize the TNC as thelegitimate governing authority forLibya, and we will deal with it on thatbasis,” Clinton said. The decision to rec-ognize the rebels, who have been wag-ing a five-month military campaignagainst Gaddafi, meant the Libyanleader had no option but to standdown, Italian Foreign Minister FrancoFrattini said. The contact group state-ment added: “... the formation of aninterim government should be quicklyfollowed by the convening of a NationalCongress with representatives from allparts of Libya.”

Special envoy The UN Secretary-General’s special

envoy to Libya, Abdul Elah Al-Khatib,will be authorized to present terms forGaddafi to leave power, but the Britishforeign minister said military actionagainst Gaddafi would be stepped upat the same time. The political package

to be offered Gaddafi will include aceasefire to halt fighting in the five-month-old war.

A rebel spokesman said he did notexpect a ceasefire until Gaddafi hadbeen defeated and rejected sugges-tions of a pause in the fighting duringthe Muslim holy month of Ramadan,which begins at the start of August.

Mahmud Shammam, press secretaryfor TNC said: “Prophet Muhammad hadgreat battles during Ramadan in Mecca,so there is nothing religious that willkeep us from fighting for our freedom.”British Foreign Secretary William Haguetold Reuters that at the same time as Al-Khatib pursues a political settlement,“the military pressure on the regime willcontinue to intensify.”

The Libya contact group, estab-lished in London in March, is trying, atits fourth meeting, to find a politicalsolution that would persuade Gaddafito quit. China and Russia, which havetaken a softer line towards Gaddafi,were invited to the contact groupmeeting for the first time, but decided

not to become involved. TurkishForeign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu saidhe hoped a political solution couldemerge by the start of Ramadan.

The rebels urgently need cash andcontact group members should consid-er opening credit lines to the rebelTransitional National Council (TNC) inBenghazi, he said. He also backed arebel proposal for the release of $3 bil-lion of frozen Libyan assets to alleviate a“grave” humanitarian situation duringRamadan in areas of Libya controlled bythe rebels and by Gaddafi. US officialssaid the decision to extend formaldiplomatic recognition marked animportant step toward unblockingmore than $34 billion in Libyan assets inthe United States but cautioned it couldstill take time to get cash flowing.Speaking in The Hague on Thursday,NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussencalled on alliance members to providemore warplanes to bomb increasinglyelusive Libyan military targets.

Britain said it was sending four moreTornado reconnaissance planes to beef

up the NATO mission. Such aircraft havebecome vital as Gaddafi’s forces havehidden their armor and artillery fromNATO warplanes. Britain said its war-planes had on Thursday destroyed aLibyan army armored personnel carriernear Zlitan, west of the rebel strongholdof Misrata. British aircraft had so fardamaged or destroyed more than 500Libyan military targets including com-mand and control sites.

“But as the campaign has pro-gressed, the regime is increasinglyattempting to conceal troops, equip-ment and headquarters, often in pop-ulated areas,” a British militaryspokesman, General Nick Pope, said.On the ground, rebel fighters havebeen unable to make much progressagainst pro-Gaddafi forces of late. Onthe front line near the rebel strong-hold of Misrata in the west, rebelfighters were digging in against mor-tar fire from pro-Gaddafi forces, shel-tering in large concrete water pipesbrought up by bulldozer to serve asmakeshift protection. —Reuters

I N T E R N A T I O N A LSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

BAGHDAD: Iraq will execute two of SaddamHussein’s half-brothers within a monthalong with three other former regime offi-cials, an official said yesterday, after the fivewere handed over by the US military. Thegroup, transferred to Iraqi custody onThursday morning, were among 206 high-value detainees still being held by Americanforces ahead of a US military pullout due bythe end of the year. “We received the final206 Iraqi prisoners being held by US forces,including five senior officials from the for-mer regime,” said justice ministryspokesman Haidar Al-Saadi. “They (the fiveofficials) will be executed within one month.

“They include Watban Ibrahim Hassanand Sabawi Ibrahim Al-Tikriti,” two half-brothers of former dictator Saddam Hussein.Also among the group handed over and

slated to be executed were former defenceminister Sultan Hashem Ahmed and ex-gen-erals Hussein Rashid Al-Tikriti and Aziz SalehNuman. The five had been sentenced todeath in different trials from 2007 to 2011.“Justice Minister Hassan al-Shammari visitedwith the presidency council earlier this weekand they agreed not to delay the ratificationof their condemnation to death,” he said.“We believe that the council will sign thedocuments within days and they will be exe-cuted within one month.”

Under Iraqi law, all death sentences mustbe formally approved by Iraqi President JalalTalabani, or by either of his two vice presi-dents. The 206 prisoners transferred werebeing held by US forces at a detention facili-ty on Baghdad’s outskirts, formerly known asCamp Cropper. Although the site was hand-

ed over to Iraq on July 15, 2010, Americansoldiers were charged with holding thegroup of high-value detainees.

Saadi said that of the larger group, thepaperwork for 10 had not yet been complet-ed. Saddam, who was deposed in a 2003 US-led invasion, himself spent three years inCamp Cropper until his execution onDecember 2006. Watban Ibrahim Hassan, aformer interior minister, was sentenced todeath in March 2009 for his involvement inthe 1992 execution of 42 merchants accusedof food price speculation. He is the only sen-ior Saddam-era official to have publicly apol-ogised for wrongs committed by the dicta-tor’s Baath party.

Sabawi Ibrahim Al-Tikriti, a former chief ofSaddam’s intelligence service, was con-demned to death in the same trial. Former

defense minister Ahmed and ex-generalTikriti were sentenced to death in June 2007in connection with the repression of Iraq’sKurds in the 1987-88 Anfal campaign inwhich 180,000 died.

Numan received his death sentence lastmonth over the violent suppression of anuprising of Shiite Muslims in south Iraq fol-lowing the 1991 Gulf War. “As the Iraqi gov-ernment gains the ability to hold prisonersrequiring higher security standards, they aretaking physical custody,” said Colonel BarryJohnson, a US military spokesman. “Alldetainees are and have been under their(Iraq’s) legal custody. We only retained phys-ical custody.” Around 47,000 US soldiersremain stationed in Iraq, with all set to with-draw by the end of the year under a bilateralsecurity pact. — AFP

CAIRO: Thousands of Egyptianspacked Cairo’s Tahrir Square yester-day, keeping up pressure on the rul-ing generals to implement reformsmore swiftly and to try oustedPresident Hosni Mubarak and hisaides. But the Muslim Brotherhood,Egypt’s most organized group, said itwas not participating and said theauthorities must have time to respondto demands first made at a mass rallylast week. The split partly reflects cau-tion in the Brotherhood, bannedunder ousted President HosniMubarak, about riling the army underwhich it now has unprecedented free-dom.

It also indicates the gap betweenthe Brotherhood’s cautious approachand a new generation of activists, whoare less well established but deter-mined to keep pressure, analysts said.“The youth reject the language ofthreats used by the Supreme Council(for the Armed Forces), and reject thatthis is the way for dialogue,” saidMohamed Adel of the April 6 move-ment, which had called for a bigturnout yesterday. Activists, some ofwhom have camped in the square fora week, were angered by the tone ofan army statement this week that sug-gested protests were threateningpublic order.

At a news conference, generalsdefended the use of military courtssaying they had not been used to sti-fle opinion but only against seriouscrimes. The army also said it woulduse all legal means to end the protestwithout resorting to violence. Butthere has been no sign of any actionto stop the protest in Cairo or in othercities where demonstrators have ral-lied. Thousands defied the scorchingsun as they lined up in Cairo’s TahrirSquare, Alexandria and Suez for noonprayers. Numbers tend to climb afterprayers, when the summer heat coolsin the afternoon and evening.

“Down, down with the rule of themilitary,” one group chanted in Tahrir.

Others demanded swift trials forpolicemen who killed demonstrators.A preacher, Muzhar Shaheen, said thedemonstrators would not leave untilall demands were met. Osama ElGhazali Harb, a founder of theDemocratic Front Party, saidEgyptians wanted to see change onthe ground. “The Egyptian people feelthat the demands that drove them tothe streets have not been achieved,”he said, sitting under a white canopyin the centre of the square.

Firing officials The army has also said it backs the

prime minister, Essam Sharaf, who isworking on a cabinet reshuffle. Otherconcessions include a shakeup of hun-dreds of senior officers in the police, aforce scorned for violent tactics usedunder Mubarak. “Purging all stateinstitutions and particularly the judici-ary,” is one of the demands listed byApril 6. The movement has namedofficials still in place that it wants fired.It has also demanded that militarycourts, long used by Mubarak, should

not be used for civilians. Among thedemonstrators is Muhammed Fawzy,who said he began a hunger strike inTahrir on July 10 and only drinkswater. He wants a dialogue with thearmy about his demands, such as set-ting up an independent committee todraw up a constitution. TheBrotherhood said it would stay away.The group is widely seen to have ben-efited most from the army’s policies,such as the military’s drive for a swiftelection, although voting has beenpushed back to November fromSeptember. “We will not participatetoday. That does not mean that weare against demonstrating or againstcontinuing the revolution strongly.But we ... participated last Friday in bignumbers and with specific demandsand we say we must give a chance ineach period for our demands to bemet,” Mohamed Morsy, head of theBrotherhood’s political Freedom andJustice party, told Reuters. “If they arenot met enough we will return againto the square, and not just there, butto all squares,” he said. —Reuters

AMMAN: At least 10 people, mostly journalists, wereinjured yeterday when police tried to stop clashesbetween pro-reform demonstrators and government sup-porters in central Amman. Police used batons to dispersethe clashes outside city hall, beating and injuring ninejournalists who were wearing orange vests marked “press,”an AFP reporter at the scene witnessed. The woundedincluded an AFP photographer and a female Islamistactivist. “We were beaten by police, although we werewearing special press vests,” said the photographer. “Wethought we would be safe when we stood next to thepolice and away from the clashes.”

A photographer who works for another internationalnews agency said he was ordered by police not to take pic-tures, while New York Times reporter Kareem Fahim wasbeaten by 10 policemen. Around 2,000 people, includingIslamists and youth groups, marched from the nearby Al-Husseini mosque to the city hall before the clashesoccurred with hundreds of government supporters.“Rulers, we want to reform the regime. We want the palaceto hear the voices of Jordanians,” the demonstratorschanted.

They carried banners reading “We need political, eco-nomic and social reforms for future generations,” and“It’s our right to fight corruption.” It was still unclear ifthe young demonstrators will defy government warn-ings and hold an open-ended sit-in. Meanwhile, ralliesfor reform and against “rampant corruption” drew hun-dreds of demonstrators in the southern cities of Tafileh,Man and Karak, as well as Irbid and Jerash in the north.Since January, Jordan has faced a protest movementdemanding political and economic reforms and an endto corruption. — AFP

Saddam’s half-brothers to be executed within a month

Egyptians extend protest, say army not doing enoughNew generation activists seek to keep up pressure

CAIRO: Egyptian protesters wave their national flag and shout slogans asthousands crowd Cairo’s landmark Tahrir Square yesterday to demandpolitical change as anger grows with the military rulers over the slow paceof reform. — AFP

Jordan police thrash nine journalists covering demo

AMMAN: Jordanian police beat a protester during ademonstration demanding reforms and the resigna-tion of the prime minister yesterday as nine people,mostly journalists, were injured when police tried tostop clashes between pro-reform demonstrators andgovernment supporters. — AFP

I N T E R N A T I O N A LSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

SANAA: Five Yemenis have been killedand at least 22 others wounded in vio-lence in Taez, south of Sanaa, securityand tribal sources and witnesses saidyesterday. Security official ColonelAhmed Rezaz and two companionswere killed in an ambush by armedopposit ion tr ibesmen, a securitysource said. Witnesses said four tribes-men and three civilians were woundedin the ambush in the Sharab Al-Ronaarea of Taez.

Meanwhile, tribal sources and wit-nesses said two civilians were killed andat least 22 wounded by shelling innorthern Taez by Yemen’s RepublicanGuards during clashes with oppositiontribesmen.

The fighting broke out on Thursdaynight between the Guards, loyal toPresident Ali Abdullah Saleh, and tribes-men, allied with demonstrators whohave since January been calling for himto quit, the tribal sources said.

The shelling was especially focusedon Al-Rawda and Osaifra neighbor-hoods. Witnesses said there was wide-spread panic in the city.

Anti-regime activists had meanwhileappealed for protests under the slogan“Friday of a Civil State,” after a call frominfluential cleric Sheikh Abdel Majid Al-Zindani for the establishment of anIslamic state.

Tens of thousands of anti-regime

protesters prayed at University Square,the epicenter of protests against Saleh,but did not linger long afterwards, anAFP correspondent reported. Saleh sup-porters had called for demonstrationsof “Thanks and gratitude to theCustodian of the Two Holy Mosques,” in

reference to King Abdullah of SaudiArabia, where Saleh has been hospital-ized for more than a month after beingwounded in a bomb attack on hispalace. Tens of thousands of regimesupporters turned out on Friday, theAFP correspondent said.— AFP

WAJIR: One-year-old Siad Abdikadir was soweak that he could not support his own head,resting it on his mother’s heavily pregnantstomach. He squirmed occasionally, trying toremove the feeding tube from his nose. Butmostly he was quiet, motionless and exhaust-ed. The malnourished children filling north-ern Kenya’s Wajir District Hospital represent afraction of the millions of nomads across theregion struggling to maintain their traditionallifestyles in the face of recurring, severedroughts. “I saw he was deteriorating. Hehad diarrhea, vomiting, fever, mouth ulcersand a cough,” said his mother, 28-year-oldHabiba Ibrahim.

“But I had six other children at home andno one to take care of them.” Siad’s family arewhat are known locally as ‘dropouts’ from thepastoralist ethnic Somali community that livesin Wajir, 600 km (373 miles) from the Kenyancapital, Nairobi. His father is a casual laborer,earning 400 Kenya shillings ($4.50) a daywhen he can find work. “Life became veryhard,” said Ibrahim, swatting a fly away fromher baby’s eye. “Work was reliable before butcasual workers became too many.”

Destitutes beg for food Ten million people across the Horn of

Africa are going hungry as the livestock uponwhich they depend die off because of severedrought, according to the United Nations. Innorthern Kenya, towns have mushroomed asdestitute families camp on the outskirts, hop-ing that well-wishers will give them food andwater. They are mostly women, children andthe elderly. The young men have migrated toSomalia and neighboring districts with their

few surviving animals, although the situationis little better there.

“This is the only meal the family is eatingtoday,” said Fatuma Ahmed, cooking pan-cakes for her seven children as the sun rose.“If I get a meal from well-wishers, I cook forthe children. If I don’t, we sleep hungry,” the38-year-old widow said, crouched inside herdome-shaped stick shelter. Somalis’ cultureand Islamic faith oblige them to share the lit-tle that they have. “When you go home, you

meet people waiting to share your lunch,”said Mohamed Dahiye, a nurse in Wajir hospi-tal. “You don’t even know them, but you haveto respond.”

MPs “blind to the dying” With recurrent droughts and growing pop-

ulations, pastoralism is becoming untenablewithout massive investment to support it.Columns of dust spin over the barren land-scape, littered with carcasses and abandoned

villages. Roads are just sandy tracks snakingbetween grey thorn bushes. There is nomobile phone network outside the majortowns. The region has been neglected sincethe colonial era. “MPs are blind to peopledying,” said Osman Salat, a Nairobi business-man who came to give some money to his rel-atives, referring to the region’s lawmakers.The soil is fertile and irrigation could makefarming viable. But development is expensive.Simply installing a borehole costs 5 millionshillings ($56,000).

Budgets are consumed by the current cri-sis. The charity World Vision has been truckinglife-saving water to 24 communities inHabaswein District since December, at a costof 250,000 shillings a day, according to proj-ect manager Jacob Alemu. Dahiye, the nurse,said people needed to consider the future.“Instead of looking for the root cause, we aremostly being fed with relief food,” she said.“This will not take us forward. We should sitand look for long term solutions.”

Learning the modern world Some pastoralists are starting to send

their children to school, hoping that educa-tion will offer them choices that their parentsnever had. “The time of moving around withanimals is fading,” said 49-year-old DekowFarah, who settled in Fini village nine monthsago. Farah had spent his entire life traversingKenya with his livestock, looking for pastureand water, with the family’s possessionsstrapped to their camels’ backs.

Now, two of his nine children, Zakaria,nine, and Abdi, six, are attending the localgovernment school, a simple hut made ofsticks in the middle of the village. — Reuters

KANO: A bomb planted by suspected Islamistswounded eight policemen yesterday in the violence-hit Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the military said, whilesoldiers were again accused of shooting civilians.

The incidents were the latest violence inMaiduguri, where thousands of residents have fledout of fear of more Islamist attacks and troops’response, with soldiers earlier accused of shootingcivilians and burning homes. “The bomb was plantedand the van drove over it, exploding and injuringeight policemen,” said Colonel Victor Ebhaleme, oper-ations commander for a military-police task force inthe northeastern city.

“The bomb was from all indications planted bymembers of Boko Haram that have been engaged insuch attacks.” An emergency source said there hadbeen reports of shootings by the military, with a num-ber of innocent civilians killed, though he could notyet provide details. “The situation is very scary,” hesaid on condition of anonymity. “It ’s terrible.Everybody is thinking about their lives.”

Ebhaleme denied soldiers targeted civilians, sayingthe area had been cordoned off in case of multipleexplosions, to collect evidence and for the speedyevacuation of any possible casualties.

“It’s not true that soldiers are attacking residentsafter the explosion,” he said. The city has been hit byalmost daily bomb blasts and shootings in recentweeks blamed on the Islamist sect known as BokoHaram, which launched an uprising in 2009 put downby a brutal military assault. Hundreds of troops wererecently deployed to Maiduguri to combat theIslamists. Soldiers were last weekend accused ofshooting civilians and burning their houses over accu-sations that residents cooperated with the Islamists,which the military denies. The military said explosivesset off by the Islamists caused the buildings to burn.The sect claims to be fighting for the establishment ofan Islamic state in Nigeria, a country of some 150 mil-l ion people roughly divided in half betweenChristians and Muslims. — AP

Five Yemenis dead in Taez violence

Witnesses report widespread panic in the city

SANAA: Supporters of Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh attend a rallyyesterday to show support for Saleh, who has been hospitalized in SaudiArabia for more than a month after being wounded in a bomb attack on hispalace. — AFP

Blast in Nigeriawounds police

DADAAB: Marwo Maalin feeds her daughter, one-year-old Habibo Bashir, as part ofher treatment for severe malnutrition, at a Doctors Without Borders hospital inDagahaley Camp in Kenya yesterday. — AP

Emaciated Kenyan children trapped between two worlds

I N T E R N A T I O N A LSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

UNITED NATIONS: The GeneralAssembly admitted South Sudan onThursday as the 193rd member of theUnited Nations, sealing the newAfrican country’s independence afterdecades of conflict. The assemblyvote, by acclamation, followed SouthSudan’s independence proclamationin the capital Juba on Saturday, afterits people voted in a January referen-dum to break away from Sudan-adecision accepted by Khartoum.Applause broke out in the assembly asSouth Sudan became the first countryto join the world body sinceMontenegro in 2006. The SecurityCouncil, which rules on all U.N. mem-bership applications, had recom-mended the admission onWednesday.

“Welcome, South Sudan. Welcometo the community of nations,” UNSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.Assembly President Joseph Deiss saidit was a “historic and joyousmoment.” The South Sudan flag-black, red and green stripes, overlaidwith a blue triangle and gold star-waslater hoisted outside UN headquar-ters in New York. The new countrywill be one of the world’s poorest andinherit a string of disputes withSudan. But representatives of the twocountries pledged on Thursday to putthe past behind them and resolveoutstanding issues peacefully.

South Sudan’s vote for independ-ence was held under the terms of a2005 peace deal ending a 20-year warbetween north and south Sudan inwhich more than 2 million peopledied. Sudan-until now Africa’s largestcountry-became independent in 1956but was long plagued by conflictbetween its mainly Muslim Arabic-speaking north and its black Africansouth, where many are Christian orfollow traditional beliefs. A draft UNreport obtained by Reuters onThursday called on the UN SecurityCouncil to mandate an inquiry intoviolence into the volatile border terri-tory of South Kordofan.

The report said the conduct of thenorth’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)

in Southern Kordofan, the north’smain oil state which borders SouthSudan, has been “especially egre-gious.” Reported acts include aerialbombardment, abductions, arbitraryarrests and attacks on churches, itsaid. Acts were allegedly perpetratedby forces including the SAF, the reportsaid. If proven, they may constitute“war crimes,” according to the report.“This UN report gives us reasons tofear the worst,” said Philippe Bolopionof the group Human Rights Watch. “Itdemands a full, prompt and inde-pendent investigation, and anunequivocal reaction from theSecurity Council.”

Sudanese ‘brothers’Presenting the UN admission reso-

lution to the General Assembly, SouthAfrican Justice Minister Jeff Radebesaid South Sudan was an exception toAfrica’s practice of adhering to colo-nial borders and “in no way creates aprecedent for separatist tendencies.”Continuing a show of graciousness byKhartoum over South Sudan’s seces-sion, Sudan’s Ambassador Daffa-AllaElhag Ali Osman said the people ofboth countries would continue to beall Sudanese and members of one

family. “This is a new page and wehold out our hand to all,” he told theassembly. “We and our brothers inSouth Sudan have left bitterness andthe wounds of war behind us andwe’re looking to the future.” SouthSudanese Vice President Riek Macharpaid tribute to Sudanese PresidentOmar Hassan Al-Bashir for signing the2005 peace deal and for “courageous-ly accepting the outcome” of theJanuary referendum.

“It is our deepest and most sincerewish to resolve all outstanding mat-ters between north and south safelyand peacefully,” he said. “We do notharbor bitterness towards our formercompatriots.” Unresolved disputesbetween Juba and Khartoum includecitizenship and the sharing of oilresources. There is fighting inSouthern Kordofan, and it is still unde-cided which country will own the bor-der region of Abyei, where a 4,200-strong Ethiopian UN peacekeepingforce is shortly to deploy.

In Washington, the tone was lessupbeat than at the United Nationswith a congressional committee dis-cussing the violence in SouthernKordofan. — Reuters

South Sudan admitted to UN as 193rd member

Inquiry sought on violence in volatile South Kordofan

UNITED NATIONS: Riek Machar Teny-Dhurgon (left) Vice President of theRepublic of South Sudan, shakes hands with United Nations SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, July 14,2011. — AP

JOHANNESBURG: In this photo, former South AfricanPresident Nelson Mandela reads an advance copy ofhis latest book titled “Nelson Mandela By Himself” , athis home. — AP

JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela turns 93 on Monday, aday once marked by international concerts and celebra-tions, but now a day when the South African anti-apartheid icon urges the world to perform acts of charity.For the third year, at the request of his charitable founda-tion, July 18 will be observed as Mandela Day, recognizedby the United Nations as a global call to volunteer for goodcauses for 67 minutes-representing each year of Mandela’slife in active politics.

“It is hard to sum up Mandela’s achievements and con-tribution to the country’s struggle for freedom,” saidShadrack Gutto, of the Centre for African RenaissanceStudies at the University of South Africa. “A leader ofMandela’s calibre serves as a symbol of humility and self-lessness,” said Gutto. Mandela himself will spend the dayat his Johannesburg home with family, the way he spendsmost of his days since a health scare in January when hewas hospitalized for an acute respiratory infection.

He was last seen in public just before his last birthday,when he and his third wife Graca Machel made an appear-ance at the football World Cup final. It’s a far cry from thefanfare that once greeted his birthday. For his 90th,Mandela jetted off to London for a charity concert with thelikes of Will Smith and Annie Lennox to raise money for hisAIDS charity; hosted a speech in Johannesburg by LiberianPresident Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf; and threw a party for hun-dreds of children at his home.

This year, 93 children from around the country are invit-ed to his foundation on Monday, but they aren’t expectedto meet the man most South Africans know as Madiba, hisclan name used with affection. All the nation’s 12.4 millionschool children will erupt in song in a special “HappyBirthday” rendition with an African twist, penned by a localcomposer. “It hopes to mobilize the entire society to pro-mote education, unity and social cohesion in honor ofMadiba,” said basic education minister Angie Motshekga.Companies, charities and celebrities have all announcedplans for the day.

A group of bikers left Johannesburg at the beginning ofthe week to traverse the country doing voluntary work inpoor communities. — AFP

Call for donations on Mandela’s 93rd birthday

TALLINN: Seven Estonian tourists returned from Lebanonto their Baltic homeland yesterday, less than 24 hours afterbeing freed following a four-month kidnap ordeal. A spe-cial Estonian Air plane carrying the men landed in rainyTallinn shortly before 4:00 am (0100 GMT) after havingflown to the Lebanese capital Beirut late Thursday to col-lect them. The men were to meet with relatives in privateat the airport, before speaking to reporters. “Our father,sons, husbands and brothers are free! These four monthswere long and exhausting,” the men’s relatives said in ajoint statement after their release was announcedThursday.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet made the roundtrip to Beirut with the plane. “They have been free now fornearly 24 hours. I met the Lebanese prime minister and for-eign minister during my short stay in Beirut. The investiga-

tion is not over, and we will cooperate with Lebaneseauthorities to find all the criminals involved with the kid-napping,” Paet said at Tallinn airport. The men, in their 30sand early 40s, were kidnapped at gunpoint on March 23while on a cycling holiday in Lebanon’s eastern BekaaValley and held by a previously unknown group.

A police official in Lebanon told AFP the group hadbeen released Thursday morning in the town of Sahel Al-Taybi in the lawless Bekaa Valley.

The case had been shrouded in mystery, but nine peo-ple, Lebanese and foreigners, were detained in Lebanon inconnection with the kidnapping. Lebanese and Estonianofficials said the men were in good health despite almostfour months in captivity. Asked if they had been well-treat-ed, Paet responded: “There is nothing human about beingtaken hostage”. — AFP

Estonians home after Lebanon kidnap ordeal

BEIRUT: The seven Estonian tourists abducted nearlyfour months ago while cycling through Lebanon’s east-ern Bekaa Valley, gesture to photographers as theystand at the balcony of the French embassy. — AP

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, jULY 16, 2011

CHIEFLAND: While the temperature hovers in the 90’s,boys enjoy using a swing rope to cool off in the SuwanneeRiver near Florida. —AP

As US wars wind down, drones gain new fame

Obama has made no ‘strategic shift’

The CIA now operates Predator andReaper unmanned aircraft, armed withHellfire missiles, over at least five coun-tries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia,Yemen and Libya. The agency does notpublicly acknowledge the program. TheUS military uses drones, primarily for sur-veillance, in Iraq and elsewhere. Andthere’s every likelihood the use of dronesto attack suspected anti-US militants willspread further, current and former US offi-cials told Reuters.

“The CIA’s role could very well expandover the coming years as the governmentdeals with emerging terrorist threats,” saida US official, speaking on condition ofanonymity. In the latest strikes, at least 48militants were reported killed in droneattacks Monday and Tuesday in Pakistan’stribal regions. That brought to about 260the number of drone strikes in Pakistansince 2004, including nearly 50 this year,according to a tally kept by the NewAmerica Foundation think tank.

By far most of those drone strikes, morethan 225, came after July 2008, when theUnited States decided on a more aggres-sive and unilateral pursuit of militants inPakistan, a US official said. Analysts andformer US intelligence officials generallyapprove of the increasing reliance ondrones, but warn they are not withoutdrawbacks. Those include civilian casual-ties, resentment of America’s warfare-from-a-distance in Pakistan and else-where-and the likelihood the technologywill be turned against the United Statessome day, they said. “We currently have amonopoly, or effective monopoly, onarmed drones,” said John Nagl, a retiredUS Army officer and president of theCenter for a New American Security thinktank. “This technology will spread, and itwill be used against us in years to come.”

Counter-insurgency on the wane?The use of drones-remotely piloted air-

craft-against militants began in the yearsafter the September 11, 2001 attacks, wasramped up in President George W Bush’sfinal year in office and has been embracedenthusiastically by Obama. “When threat-ened, we must respond with force-butwhen that force can be targeted, we neednot deploy large land armies overseas,”Obama declared in a June 22 speechannouncing a faster-than-expected with-drawal of the troops he surged intoAfghanistan last year. Obama’s speechappeared to signal the end of the era oflarge-scale counterinsurgency campaigns,championed by a cadre of officers thatincluded Nagl, involving tens of thousandsof U.S. and allied troops in Iraq andAfghanistan. The troops did more thanfight. They protected civilian populations,built schools and roads, trained armies andpolice forces.

The White House’s new counterterror-ism strategy emphasizes a lighter footprint,as advocated by Vice President Joe Biden.

Combat brigades are being replaced bySpecial Forces strike teams, capture-and-interrogate operations-and drones. A sen-ior US official said Obama has made no“strategic shift” to favor using dronestrikes. “There are probably some timeswhen they are the most appropriate toolgiven the nature of the target you may begoing after, and there are other timeswhen they won’t be,” said the official, whowas not authorized to be quoted by name.

Indeed, Obama rejected an option for adrone strike to kill Al-Qaeda chief Osamabin Laden in early May, sending in a NavySEAL team instead. In April, he authorizedyet another approach, capturing a leader ofthe Somali militant group Al-Shabaab,Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame, at sea andinterrogating him for two months beforetransferring him to a US prison.

Still, the official acknowledged thatdrones are an attractive option outsidedeclared theaters of war, where “you wantto be even more discriminating and morecareful in your application” of deadly force.That, analysts say, is precisely where themilitant threat is moving, as Al-Qaeda’score group declines relative to affiliates likeAl-Shabaab and Yemen-based Al-Qaeda inthe Arabian Peninsula.

As the Iraq war winds down, moredrones equipped for intelligence gatheringand other purposes have been freed up, thesenior official said. The overall US dronearsenal has also increased. “It’s somethingthat in some ways is a natural evolution: asyou have more assets to draw on, you tendto use them more,” he said.

Kill or capturePaul Pillar, a Georgetown University

professor and former top CIA analyst, saiddrones are a “more effective and betterfocused way” of using military force

against militants. “But ... we must bear inmind as we make each individual decisionabout a drone strike that the immediatepositive results always have to be weighedagainst the potentially longer-term conse-quences, given how it’s perceived and pos-sible resentment,” he said.

Former US intelligence officials said onedownside to drone strikes is the loss ofpotential intelligence from interrogating asuspect or finding telltale “pocket litter.”The senior US official called that a falsechoice- capture often isn’t an option-andalso rejected criticism of civilian casualties.Drones, he said, are often more precisethan other counterterrorism weapons.

Innocent bystanders have frequentlybeen killed in drone strikes, but suchdeaths appear to have dropped dramati-cally in recent years. A source familiar withthe program said about 30 noncombatantsand 1,400 militants have been killed inPakistan since Bush expanded drone use inJuly 2008. The New America Foundationanalysis found the “non-militant fatalityrate” dropped from about 20 percent in2004 to 5 percent last year.

Nagl credited former defense secretaryRobert Gates and Gen. Stanley McChrystal,former US commander in Afghanistan, withpushing hard for better links between intel-ligence gathering and drone operators,resulting in more accurate strikes-and few-er civilian casualties. While counterinsur-gency may be out of favor now, Nagl- whoemphasized that he did not back the 2003Iraq invasion- said the United States shouldnot jettison those skills. “We may be donewith counterinsurgency, but insurgencymay not be done with us.” Both thePredator and Reaper drones are producedby the privately held General AtomicsAeronautical Systems Inc, based in SanDiego, California. —Reuters

WASHINGTON: In many ways, it’s the perfect weapon for a war-weary nation that suddenly finds itself ona tight budget. Missile-armed drones are playing a greater role than ever in US counterterrorism opera-tions, as President Barack Obama winds down land wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Washington’sfocus expands to militant havens such as Somalia and Yemen where there are no US troops permanentlyon the ground.

WASHINGTON: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (left) sits with PresidentBarack Obama (right), House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio (second fromright) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, as he meets withRepublican and Democratic leaders regarding the debt ceiling, Thursday, July14, 2011, in the Cabinet Room of the White House. —AP

US reviews requests for News Corp probe

SYDNEY: US attorney-general Eric Holder said yesterday hisoffice was reviewing requests from US lawmakers for a probeinto News Corp following the British phone-hacking scandal.“There have been serious allegations raised in that regard inGreat Britain and there is an ongoing investigation there,” Holdertold reporters in Sydney, where he is attending a meeting of jus-tice officials. “There have been members of Congress in theUnited States who have asked us to investigate the same allega-tions, and we are progressing in that regard using the appropri-ate federal law enforcement agencies in the United States.”

His remarks follow the launch of an FBI probe Thursday intoallegations that British tabloid the News of the World-closedamid the hacking furor-contacte d a US private eye in a bid toaccess phone records of 9/11 victims. The FBI inquiries are pre-liminary in nature and do not constitute a formal investigation,but the development means the scandal engulfing RupertMurdoch’s under-fire media empire has now firmly crossed theAtlantic. Holder confirmed there was an FBI investigation under-way but would not comment on the details. His British counter-part Dominic Grieve said the matter was being taken “very seri-ously” and “the Crown Prosecution Service are actively involvedin providing advice as the investigation proceeds”.

But both Grieve and Australian attorney-general RobertMcClelland ruled out regulating their national media, despite thespreading scandal. “It’s perfectly possible there could be a reviewof the way that the press is regulated, ” Grieve said. “That said, Irather concur with the view that a free press is extremely impor-tant. “We don’t wish to end up, whatever may have happened ...with a press which is incompatible with freedom of expression,”he added. Murdoch’s global News Corp empire was born inAustralia and he is still a dominant media player in his homeland,where there are similar calls for a government inquiry into mediaownership and regulation in the scandal’s wake. —AFP

US planes collideon Boston taxiway

BOSTON: The wing of a Delta jet clipped the tail of anaircraft that provides regional air service for the carrierwhile both planes were on the taxiway and preparing tofly out of Boston on Thursday evening, forcing officials toremove them from service for inspections. Local TVfootage show the crash sheared off the tip of the DeltaBoeing 767 and crumpled part of the smaller plane’s tail.Boston Logan International Airport spokesman PhilOrlandella said one person is complaining of neck painafter the crash.

There were no other injuries. The incident involvedDelta Flight 266 from Boston to Amsterdam which hitthe vertical stabilizer of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight4904, also on departure from Boston to Raleigh-Durham,Delta spokesman Trebor Banstetter said. Investigatorswere talking to crew and passengers of both aircraft, try-ing to figure out the circumstances surrounding thecrash, Orlandella said. The Delta jet returned to the gateand ASA passengers were transported by bus to the ter-minal. Atlanta-based Delta says both aircraft have beenremoved from service for inspections. Passengers arebeing put on other planes. —AP

NEW YORK: A man accused of kid-napping, killing and dismemberingan 8-year-old boy who asked himfor directions was ordered Thursdayto undergo a psychological evalua-tion after his lawyer told a judgethat his client might be mentally ill.“He has indicated to me that hehears voices and has had some hal-lucinations,” said the attorney,Pierre Bazile. Levi Aron, 35, pleadednot guilty to charges of murder andkidnapping as prosecutors said helured Leiby Kletzky to his homeMonday after the little boy got lostwhile walking home from anOrthodox Jewish day camp.

Video cameras captured the fate-ful encounter between the two on aBrooklyn street, while Leiby’s moth-er waited anxiously just a fewblocks away. Detectives later foundthe boy’s severed feet, wrapped inplastic, in the man’s freezer, as wellas a cutting board and three bloodycarving knives. At his arraignment

Thursday afternoon, Aron appeareddisheveled, confused and pale. Hewas held without bail, placed onsuicide watch and protective cus-tody after his lawyers said theyfeared he could do harm to himself.

Police and prosecutors said Aron,a clerk at a hardware supply store,has confessed to suffocating theboy with a bath towel, but they con-tinued to work on verifying his hor-rific and bizarre explanation for theboy’s death. At the Kletzky house-hold, his family also looked foranswers, too. “Why?” asked ShmuelEckstein, a close family friend, as theboy’s parents and five sisters satand prayed. “We don’t have that ...What we know is that throughLeiby’s death, God is sending us ahuge signal - that we’re doingsomething terribly wrong. Andwe’re looking for what it is.” Headded that the family was not look-ing for retribution. “We’re not intorevenge,” he said. —AP

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, jULY 16, 2011

CARACAS: In this photo, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavezraises Venezuela’s flag during a ceremony commemoratingVenezuela’s bicentennial in Bolivar square. —AP

Chile student riots get out of controlThousands of demonstrators injure 32 officers

A police spokesperson separatelytold AFP that 54 protesters had beenarrested. One of the officers, who wasguarding the nearby Brazilian embassy,was seriously burned when an “incendi-

ary artifact” burst on his shield andburning liquid spilled onto his legs,Gajardo said. Officials said that some30,000 people joined the march downLa Alameda, a main downtown thor-oughfare, though organizers said thenumber was closer to 80,000, the same

number that marched in similar demon-strations on June 14 and June 30.

The protesters-students, teachers,parents and children-swarmed severalblocks of the avenue in a noisy, festive

and colorful protest. The clash beganwhen police moved in to stop the crowdfrom turning towards the Palacio de laMoneda, the presidential palace, whereunlike the previous times organizers didnot have a permit to demonstrate. “Theyare playing with fire. That march was not

authorized,” Deputy Interior MinisterRodrigo Ubilla told reporters.

“The students must understand thatthe street is not theirs,” added Ena vonBaer, a spokeswoman for PresidentSebastian Pinera. Students want thenational government to take over thepublic school system, where 90 percentof the country’s 3.5 million students areeducated. The nationwide school sys-tem was broken up during the 1973-1990 military regime and handed overto municipal authorities. Protesters saythe current system results in deepinequalities and is underfunded.

Protests have been mounting sincePinera, the first center-right president togovern Chile since the country returnedto democracy in 1990, earlier in the yearannounced wide-ranging educationspending cuts. Pinera has said the cutsare needed to trim the government’sbloated bureaucracy, even as the coun-try’s economy is experiencing a six per-cent annual growth rate. The govern-ment currently dedicates 4.4 percent ofthe country’s gross national product toeducation, far below the seven percentrecommended by UNESCO.

The demonstration comes 10 daysafter Pinera proposed a “grand accord”that includes a $4 billion fund, but nosystemic reform. In the June 30 protest,13 people were detained and one policeofficer wounded. —AFP

SANTIAGO: At least 32 officers were wounded and 54 demonstrators were arrested here Thursday in amass protest demanding more funds for public education, police said. Riot police used water cannons andfired tear gas to disperse the tens of thousands of demonstrators, who fought back by hurling rocks,sticks, and plastic bottles filled with paint. Santiago Police Chief Sergio Gajardo told reporters that 32 offi-cers were wounded “as a result of the extremely violent actions that took place at the end of the march.”

SANTIAGO: Riot police use water cannons to disperse protesters on Thursday,July 14, 2011. —AP

Venezuela’s Chavez to undergo cancer treatment in Brazil

BRASILIA: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez will travel toBrazil for cancer treatment, a Brazilian government sourcetold Reuters on Thursday, the latest sign that the socialistleader is still battling the illness after undergoing surgeryin Cuba. Chavez will travel to Brazil’s Sirio-Libanes hospitalin Sao Paulo, renowned for its cancer treatment facilities,the source said, adding that no timeline has been set forhis arrival.

There was no official confirmation from Caracas. A high-ranking Venezuelan government official, when asked ifChavez would go to Brazil for treatment, said “I don’tknow.” A prolonged illness requiring Chavez to step asideor preventing him from governing could destabilize the oil-producing nation because he has no evident successor.Going to Brazil for treatment may suggest his cancer is stillserious. He has appeared animated in recent televisionappearances though at times looks pale and appears towalk with discomfort.

Chavez has revealed he may have to receive chemother-apy and said the operation in Cuba removed a “baseball-size” tumor. He has not said exactly where the cancer is,only that he was operated on in the pelvic region. A sourcelinked to Venezuela’s diplomatic community said, based oninformation from the Brazilian government, that Chavez’sfamily was pressuring him to go to Brazil to ensure he getsthe best treatment and returns to Venezuela quickly.

Many in Venezuela had expected Chavez to return toCuba, which would fuel criticism from opponents about hisclose links to the Communist-led island. His nearly month-long stay there in June caused a wave of rumors and con-cerns about tensions among allies. The Sirio-Libanes hospi-tal is renowned for its cancer center that treated BrazilianPresident Dilma Rousseff when she was recovering fromlymphoma before she ran for office. Paraguayan PresidentFernando Lugo has undergone cancer treatment there aswell. Brazil’s government has offered to host Chavez if heseeks medical treatment there. —Reuters

NYC man held in boy’s slaying ‘hears voices’

John Edwards trial slated for October

WASHINGTON: The trial of former US presi-dential hopeful John Edwards-accused ofusing campaign funds to cover up an extra-marital affair-is tentatively set for October, ajudge ruled Thursday. Edwards, 58, sat qui-etly in a North Carolina courtroom as JudgeN Carlton Tilley denied his lawyers’ requestsfor a delay and set an October court datefor the case brought against the former USDemocratic senator last month. Defenselawyers wanted a later trial date so theycould analyze the tens of thousands ofpages of documents that they say the pros-ecution has collected in its effort to convictEdwards on violations of campaign financelaws. Edwards pleaded not guilty in June tocharges of using $900,000 in campaignfunds to cover up an extramarital affair, say-ing: “I did not break the law.” The former tri-al lawyer was charged in a six-count indict-ment “for allegedly participating in ascheme to violate federal campaign financelaws,” the Justice Department said.

The charges concern hundreds of thou-sands of dollars provided by two wealthydonors, which Edwards allegedly used toshelter his mistress, Rielle Hunter, withwhom he fathered a child. —AFP

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

BEIJING: Chinese paramilitary policemen and spectatorswatch Shaolin Kungfu demonstrations at a festival yester-day. — AP

3 US ships in Vietnam to train with former enemy

DANANG: Three US Navy ships were welcomed yesterday byformer foe Vietnam for joint training, despite China’s irritationfollowing weeks of fiery exchanges between the communistneighbors over disputed areas of the South China Sea. US andVietnamese officials have stressed that the seven-day ship vis-it and naval training are part of routine exchanges plannedlong before tensions began flaring between China andVietnam in late May. China has criticized the port call as inap-propriate, saying it should have been rescheduled due to theongoing squabble.

The US visit, however, did send a message that the Navyremains a formidable maritime force in the region and isdetermined to build stronger military ties with smallerSoutheast Asian countries. “We’ve had a presence in theWestern Pacific and the South China Sea for 50 to 60 years,even going back before World War II,” Rear Adm. Tom Carney,who’s leading the naval exchange, told reporters. “We willmaintain a presence in the Western Pacific and the SouthChina Sea as we have for decades, and we have no intentionof departing from that kind of activity.”

He spoke on the pier in central Danang, once home to abustling US military base during the Vietnam War, in front ofthe diving and salvage ship USNS Safeguard. American andVietnamese flags flapped in the steamy air from the ship, andtwo guided missile destroyers - USS Chung-Hoon and USSPreble - were visible off the coast. The two navies will holdexchanges involving navigation and damage control alongwith dive and salvage training. No live-fire drills will be con-ducted.

Vietnam and China last month both announced theirnavies held such maneuvers individually in the South ChinaSea after relations hit a low point when Hanoi twice accusedBeijing of hindering oil exploration within Vietnam’s econom-ic exclusive zone. China responded that Vietnamese boats hadendangered Chinese fishermen in a different area near thecontested resource-rich Spratly islands, claimed all or in partby both nations and several others.

Tempers appeared to be cooling after Chinese andVietnamese officials met last month and announced theywould work to negotiate a peaceful resolution. ButVietnamese state-run media and a border official onWednesday accused armed Chinese soldiers of attacking andchasing a Vietnamese fishing boat near the disputed Paracelislands claimed by both countries. The Philippines has alsorecently sparred with China, alleging similar interference withits energy exploration efforts in the South China Sea. The USlast month conducted similar joint naval exercises that includ-ed live-fire drills with the Philippines, a treaty ally.

On Monday in Beijing, top Chinese Gen. Chen Bingde criti-cized his US counterpart for going forward with the exercisesin Vietnam and the Philippines, calling it bad timing in light ofthe ongoing spats. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the USJoint Chiefs of Staff, defended the decision saying theexchanges were pre-planned. “I don’t know when an appro-priate time would be for these kind of activities, which aredesigned to promote friendship and cooperation,” Carneysaid from the Vietnam pier. “But I don’t think there’s ever abad time to do those kind of activities.” Washington has saidthat the South China Sea, home to major shipping lanes, is inits national interest. China, which has an expanding maritimeinfluence, has designated the area as a core interest - essen-tially something it could go to war over. —AP

KINILOW: A series of eruptions at anIndonesian volcano have thrown rocks,lava and ash hundreds of meters intothe air and forced thousands of peopleto flee, officials said yesterday. MountLokon on Sulawesi island burst into lifeovernight Thursday and continued tospew ash and searing gas into the airwell into the morning, prompting morethan 4,500 residents to head to safety.”There was a big eruption around10:31pm local time (1531 GMTThursday), which saw ash, sand androcks thrown 1,500 meters (4,800 feet)into the air,” government volcanologistKristianto told AFP.

Grass and shrubs within 500 meters(yards) of the crater caught fire but bymid-morning yesterday the flames wereout and the volcano had calmed down,he said. Hundreds of people fled theirhomes in the middle of the night whenthey were woken by a thunderousexplosion and flashes of lightning. “Iwas sitting in a security post with othervillagers when I suddenly heard anextremely loud explosion, it was like bigthunder. I also saw lightning in the sky,”one resident of Kinilow village, aboutthree kilometers (1.8 miles) from the vol-cano, told AFP.

“People who were sleeping werewoken up and rushed to safety.”Villagers jumped on motorcycles andpiled into trucks and buses as policewith loudspeakers urged them to run fortheir lives. Around 28,000 people livewithin the evacuation zone. “There is nomass panic because the community hasalready been warned of the situationand we are continuing to evacuate peo-ple,” said Kristianto, who goes by onename. Search and rescue official

Yohanes Sondang said evacuees werestaying in six schools and would bebarred from returning to their homes aslong as the alert level remain high.

“We’ve deployed about 200 person-nel including policemen and soldiers tostop people who try to return to theirhouses,” he said.

Patrols have also been sent into theevacuation zone to protect property andward off looters, he added. Aviation offi-cials said pilots had been warned toavoid routes over the volcano but all air-ports including the international strip atManado were operating normally. Thevolcano’s status was raised to its highestred alert level on the weekend and a 3.5-kilometre evacuation zone was estab-

lished. North Sulawesi disaster manage-ment head Hoykee Makarawung saidmore than 4,400 people had been evac-uated so far.

“Thank God, the condition has easedoff since last night. The fire around thearea has also vanished,” he said. The1,580-metre Mount Lokon is one of themost active volcanoes in Indonesia. Iterupted in 1991, killing a Swiss tourist.The Indonesian archipelago has dozensof active volcanoes and straddles majortectonic fault lines known as the “Ringof Fire” between the Pacific and Indianoceans. The country’s most active vol-cano, Mount Merapi in central Java,killed more than 350 people in a seriesof violent eruptions last year. — AFP

Indonesian volcano spews rock and lava

Ash, sand, rocks thrown 4,800 feet high

TOMOHON: In this Thursday, July 14, 2011 photo, the glow of lava from MountLokon’s eruption is seen against the night sky as seen in North Sulawesi,Indonesia. — AP

TOKYO: Japan’s nuclear safety agencysaid yesterday it could not estimatehow long will it need to review safetytests of nuclear plants, keeping indus-try and the public guessing about thepotential impact of the tests on powersupplies. Last week, the governmentannounced plans to order “stress tests”for the nation’s nuclear reactors hop-ing to bolster public confidence shak-en by the March 11 earthquake andtsunami, which triggered meltdownsat the Fukushima nuclear plant and setoff a radiation crisis. But the initial con-fusion over how and when the testswould be carried out and how bindingtheir results would be for utilities will-ing to restart reactors fanned fears ofpower outages if idled reactors stayedoff line.

The announcement also outragedsome local governments that hadbeen prepared to approve restartingreactors on the basis of earlier govern-ment safety assurances. Tomoho

Yamada, a director at the Nuclear andIndustrial Safety Agency (NISA), toldreporters that the agency did not wantits review of stress tests to drag on, butwould not give any specific estimates.“We cannot assume how comprehen-sive the reports from the utilities willbe,” Yamada told a news briefing yes-terday after the agency submittedplans to the Nuclear SafetyCommission on how to conduct thestress tests.

“If they are compiled well, it willtake a short time ... It is difficult to sayat this point how long it will take for usto make the assessments .” Right now,35 out of Japan’s 54 reactors remainshut, some due to the March disasterbut about half due to regular mainte-nance and inspections. Power utilitieshave been offering assurances thatthey should be able to supply enoughelectricity that, combined with volun-tary and government-ordered savingsby power users, they should be able to

avoid blackouts during the peak sum-mer season. But there is concernabout the electricity supply over thelonger run amid fears that lengthystress tests-simulations to checknuclear plants’ ability to withstandextreme events- could lead to a totalnuclear shutdown by next spring.

The government has said the testswould be split into two stages: the firstwould focus on reactors that remainoff line for routine maintenance, inorder to bring those that meet safetyrequirements back on line. Utilitieswould use existing simulations anddata to gauge how much tolerancethese reactors have beyond what isrequired by current safety rules. In thesecond stage, which will apply to all ofJapan’s reactors except for the crisis-hit Fukushima facility, utilities will gobeyond existing figures and calculatethe limits at which reactors would startto see serious damage to their fuelcores. —Reuters

No timetable for reactor stress tests, says Japan

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

KABUL: The first American soldiers ofabout 10,000 due to leave Afghanistanthis year have flown home, military offi-cials said yesterday, kicking off a gradualdrawdown due to be completed in 2014.US President Barack Obama in Juneannounced that 33,000 American troopswould leave Afghanistan by the end ofnext summer, leaving behind 65,000 andeffectively ending a military surgeordered into the country late 2009.Around 650 US army troops deployednorthwest of the capital in the provinceof Parwan flew out on Wednesday andwill not be replaced by an incoming unit,the US military confirmed yesterday.

“It’s correct that these soldiers are thefirst to redeploy from Afghanistan with-out being replaced by a new rotation ofsoldiers since the president’s announce-ment,” said US army press officer MajorMichael Wunn. US officers have said thata total of about 800 soldiers in two Armyunits will depart this month. The speed

of the drawdown has been heavily criti-cized in Washington-liberals wantedmore, Republican hawks complained itwas too fast and top Pentagon officialsfelt snubbed for having much of theiradvice overruled. The troops who leftWednesday were from the Iowa NationalGuard’s 1st Squadron, 113rd CavalryRegiment and their duties will be takenon by others already in the country.

Another contingent of military train-ers from 1st Squadron, 134th CavalryRegiment who had been working inKabul will leave later this month andtheir job given to Afghan security forces,the military said. “These units werealways scheduled to return home at thistime. However, it wasn’t until late lastmonth that they found out theywouldn’t be replaced by incoming units,”said Wunn.

US officers have said that with nomajor troop withdrawals until later in theyear, US commanders will have virtually

the entire surge force on the groundthrough the summer fighting season.There are currently around 150,000 US-led foreign troops on the ground inAfghanistan, including about 99,000Americans. A Marine unit fighting insouthern Helmand province, the 3rd bat-talion of the 4th Marine Regiment, willpull out between November andDecember. Underscoring the high levelof violence still affecting the southernprovinces, Helmand provincial govern-ment announced that five civilians hadbeen killed on Thursday in a Talebanmine blast.

And the number of civilian casualtiesfrom the war that began with a US-ledinvasion in late 2001 has risen by 15 per-cent in the first six months of 2011, theUN has said, putting the year on track tobe the deadliest in a decade. Both thetop US commander in Afghanistan,General David Petraeus, and AdmiralMike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint

Chiefs of Staff, have said Obama’s with-drawal plan was more “aggressive” thanthey had recommended. Yet voters athome are tiring of the nearly decade-long war in Afghanistan and the bal-looning costs of the conflict havebecome an increasingly controversial inWestern capitals battling with the falloutof recession.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panettasaid last week that his focus was onhanding over security responsibility toAfghan forces by the end of 2014, visit-ing Afghanistan for the first time sincetaking up his new job. Nevertheless,there is huge skepticism over the abilityof Afghan army and police to takeresponsibility for warding off theTaleban-led insurgency amid wide-spread illiteracy and attrition among theranks. Panetta acknowledged that thereremained “a lot more work to do in termsof being able to transition the responsi-bility to them”. — AFP

US troops leave Afghanistan as first drawdown kickstarts

33,000 soldiers set to go by end of next summer

MUMBAI: Indian detectives scrambledfor a breakthrough yesterday into theMumbai bombings that killed 17 peopleand left baffled police hunting for cluesand suspects in the monsoon rains.There were fears that the torrentialdownpours that have hit the country’sfinancial and entertainment capital sincethe rush-hour blasts on Wednesdayevening may hamper the probe, wash-ing away vital forensic clues. Teams ofdetectives have begun the painstakingprocess of scouring grainy security cam-era footage taken from the three bombsites in south and south central Mumbaito try to put together a complete pictureof what happened.

Home Secretary R K Singh toldreporters in New Delhi yesterday thatinvestigators were sifting through 11CDs’ worth of footage to identify people.“It is a voluminous work,” he said, addingthat police now know the identity of theowner of a scooter in which one of thebombs was hidden. Forensic examina-tion of debris has already indicated thatthe bombs, hidden in the crowdedstreets, used ammonium nitrate, a fertil-izer ingredient commonly used in impro-vised explosive devices. On Thursdayevening, the head of the Maharashtrastate Anti-Terrorism Squad, RakeshMaria, admitted that seasonal rainstormshad hindered the scientists. “Because of(the) rain, it will take a little longer forthem to provide us details about theother aspects of the explosive device,”he said. Devices using ammoniumnitrate have been used in the past by ahome-grown militant outfit, the IndianMujahideen, which has claimed respon-sibility for a number of attacks acrossIndia in recent years.

Two suspected members of the

group were arrested in Mumbai lastweek in connection with attacks in thewestern city of Ahmedabad in 2008 andare now being questioned about the lat-est bombings, India’s interior ministrysaid in a statement. Singh was askedabout possible “cross-border” involve-ment in the attacks - meaning Pakistanimilitants. He said investigators were fol-lowing up on an email “which originatedelsewhere” but did not elaborate.

Maria declined to speculate on whowas responsible and struck a note of cau-tion about reports that a severed headfound at one of the scenes and a bodyembedded with wires suggested a sui-cide attack. “We are not confining our-selves to any one group. At the momentall possibilities are being examined,” hetold reporters. “As the investigation pro-gresses, the angles, the possibilities nar-row down and we will be able to pin-

point the individuals responsible forthis... All angles are being covered. It’stoo early to say human bomb.”

The chief minister of Maharashtra,Prithviraj Chavan, was also cautious butsaid indications that remote-controltimers were discovered “logically” ruledout the possibility of a suicide attack.India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singhhas vowed that those responsible willface swift justice. But Indian newspapersyesterday focused on the lack of animmediate breakthrough, amid wide-spread anger at the return of terror tothe city after the 2008 attacks onMumbai that left 166 people dead andmore than 300 wounded. “Intel: 0 Leads:0” said a frontpage headline on the localDaily News and Analysis, questioningInterior Minister P Chidambaram’s asser-tion on Thursday that there had been nointelligence failure. —AFP

India seeks breakthrough in Mumbai bomb attacks

MUMBAI: An Indian delivery boy walks past wall graffiti made after the 2008terror attacks near the blast site at Opera house yesterday. — AFP

DHAKA: Bangladeshi supporters of Islamic political par-ties shout slogans during a protest yesterday. — AFP

Mullah Omar, headscarves and bizarre Afghan peace dialogue

KABUL: Afghanistan’s complex and often confusing businessof talks with the Taleban took a surprisingly dramatic turn thisweek when a female lawmaker told a news conference shehad recently met the militant group’s leader, Mullah Omar,who agreed to make peace. Despite questions of credibility,the large turnout to Thursday’s unusual event, which includedrepresentatives from Western embassies, highlights the some-what desperate nature of peace talks as foreign powers lookfor an exit from the war. Homa Sultani, a former rights activistand now an MP from Ghazni, a volatile province southwest ofKabul, said she had met the reclusive Omar some 150 km (90miles) from the capital and that they had wept together afterdeliberating the country’s plight.

Omar then sat down on Sultani’s headscarf which she hadplaced on the floor in front of him, she said, before the one-eyed fugitive leader accepted her proposal to act as his lonemediator for peace. ‘It wasn’t that Mullah Omar had fallen inlove with my eyes or my eyebrows, we seriously engaged inpeace talks,’ Sultani told the news conference in Kabul onThursday. Another male MP, Haji Abdul Basir, who was also atthe news conference, had witnessed the meeting, Sultani said.

That Sultani’s story would draw a packed audience fromKabul’s local and international press corps along with low-pro-file Afghan delegates from Western embassies, shows justhow little is really known about peace ‘talks’ with the Taleban.‘Several embassies (inc Brits) sent people to today’s bizarrepresser with Mullah Omar’s improbable mediators. Clutchingat straws?’ one Western journalist said on Twitter after thenews conference. —Reuters

BusinessSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

MANILA: Members of women’s group Gabriela throw rotten tomatoes on a caricature of Philippine President Benigno Aquino as they storm the office of energygiant Shell in the financial district of Manila, protesting the recent local hike in oil prices. The group brought the portrait of Aquino to symbolize the government’sprotection of oil companies in the face of incessant oil price hikes. — AFP

1816 19

20

Bajaj, Renault abandon India low-cost car plan

US consumer prices record largest drop

Europe’s banks brace for clutch of test failures

G20 task force expected to endorse bank surcharges

ROME: Italy rushed to adopt 48 bil-lion euros ($68 billion) in austeritymeasures yesterday and warned ofthe fallout from high borrowingrates as Europe grapples with adeepening sovereign debt crisis.Final approval for the wide-rangingbudget cuts in parliament wasexpected imminently, as theEuropean Union braced for resultsfrom stress tests on 91 banks thatare being closely watched by a waryinvestment community.

Financial markets have beenhighly volatile in recent days as acredibility crisis over heavily-indebt-ed European countries’ ability torepay loans has threatened tospread to Italy-the eurozone’s third-

biggest economy. “Very high publicdebt remains the most vulnerablepoint of the Italian economy partic-ularly in this climate of high uncer-tainty,” the EU’s Economic AffairsCommissioner Olli Rehn told LaRepubblica daily in an interview.

“Intense negotiations are under-way on what measures to take onGreece and how to avoid conta-gion,” Rehn said, as officials pre-pared for a crisis summit in Brusselsin the coming days to discuss a pos-sible second bailout for Greece.Talks between the Greek govern-ment and private creditors ran intoa second day in Rome yesterdayafter the International MonetaryFund urged banks and insurers to

shoulder up to 33 billion euros ofthe costs of a new rescue.

The Italian parliament has racedto adopt its austerity measures inrecord time after a draft was put for-ward by the government just twoweeks ago. In a report out yester-day, the central bank warned that ifbond rates remain at their currentelevated level this could have “con-siderable costs for public accountsand a risk of repercussions on thefinancing costs of the economy.”

“The macroeconomic scenario issubject to heightened uncertainty,”it said. The report added that recenttensions in the eurozone had“increased the urgency of proceed-ing with a consolidation of puublic

finances” in order to “lower risk pre-miums and diminish long-term bor-rowing rates.”

It added however: “In the imme-diate future, the costs of increasedyields on bonds for our country arelimited.” The central bank alsoraised its forecast for gross domes-tic product growth this year to 1.0percent from 0.9 percent but keptits prediction for 2012 at 1.1 p e r -cent. The Italian economy grew by1.3 percent last year.

Italy is the world’s eighth-biggest economy but is laden downby a public debt of about 120 per-cent of annual output, even thoughits budget deficit has remained rela-tively moderate compared to

deficits elsewhere in Europe. Theausterity budget-which will cut fam-ily tax benefits, reduce top-tier pen-sions, slash regional subsidies andlaunch privatisations-aims toreduce the deficit to 0.2 percent ofoutput by 2014 from 4.6 percentlast year.

Analysts have warned that Italy’svirtually stagnant economy andtensions within Prime Minister SilvioBerlusconi’s ruling coalition arepotential risks but have dismissedthe prospect of Italy having toresort to a bailout. The uncertaintyhas hurt Italian stocks in recent daysand long-term borrowing rates-ameasure of risk-flew to record highson Thursday. —AFP

Europe grapples with debtItaly warns on fallout

BEIJING: Foreign direct investment inChina soared 18.4 percent from a yearearlier in the first half, the governmentsaid yesterday, suggesting confidencein the world’s second largest economywas still strong. However, the flood ofmoney into the economy comes asBeijing tries to staunch inflation, whichis running at a three-year high.

Foreign companies invested $60.89

billion in factories and other projects inChina from January to June-higherthan the $51.4 billion spent in the sameperiod last year-commerce ministryspokesman Yao Jian told reporters.

In June alone, China attracted$12.86 billion in foreign direct invest-ment up 2.83 percent year on year andmore than the $9.23 billion invested inMay, the data showed. Analysts say

robust growth in China and expecta-tions for a stronger currency haveattracted a growing number of over-seas investors hoping for a betterreturn on their money as the UnitedStates and Europe remain in the dol-drums.

“In the medium to long term, Chinawill remain the most important hostcountry of foreign direct investment,”Yao said. Yao said Asia has become themain source of foreign direct invest-ment in China-first-half investmentfrom 10 Asian economies includingHong Kong, Japan, Malaysia andSingapore soared 23.9 percent on yearto $52.5 billion.

US investment fell 22.3 percent inthe same period to $1.7 billion whileinvestment from the European Unionincreased 1.2 percent to $3.5 billion,Yao said. He added that this was “nor-mal” because total overseas invest-ment by US and EU companies hadfallen.

“China’s foreign investment envi-ronment did not change much. We arestill confident in China’s appeal to for-eign investment,” he said. But growingconcerns that the credit is helping tofuel inflation have triggered a round ofmonetary tightening as Beijing tries torein in soaring consumer costs.

Inflation hit a three-year high of 6.4percent in June despite the govern-ment hiking interest rates five timessince October and curbing the amountof money banks can lend. —AFP

b u s i n e s sSATURDAY, jULY 16, 2011

NEW DELHI: Flight technicians work inside a Boeing 787Dreamliner that made its debut landing from Tokyo, atNew Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, in NewDelhi. Boeing projected India would require about 1,300commercial planes worth $150 billion in the next twodecades to meet the demands of a growing population ofkeen-to-fly citizens.

MELBOURNE: Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard (2/R) talks to operatorsduring a tour of OneSteel’s mill in the Melbourne suburb of Laverton. —AFP

China’s H1 foreign directinvestment up 18.4%

Bajaj, Renault abandon India low-cost car plan‘Partnership between the two companies remains intact’

Bajaj, India’s second-largest motorcy-cle maker by sales, was to havedesigned and made the car, whileRenault and Nissan would have provid-ed the marketing and sales support. Theidea was to produce a vehicle to chal-lenge the Indian-made Tata Nano, theworld’s cheapest car, but Bajaj conclud-ed that the project was not viable andsays that Renault has agreed.

“We don’t intend to get into the low-margin (passenger car) business,” RajivBajaj, managing director of Bajaj Auto,told reporters in the western city ofPune late on Thursday, according toDow Jones News Wires. “We don’t wantto lose all our money,” said Bajaj, whosecompany reported a 21-percent jump inquarterly net profit to 7.11 billion rupees($159.4 million) from a year earlier,slightly undershooting market forecasts.

Yesterday, a Renault spokesman saidthe company had no immediate com-ment on Bajaj’s announcement. But in

June, Renault India managing directorMarc Nassif told AFP the French groupand Nissan would only move ahead withthe small car project if the quality of theproduct “matches our DNA.”

If not, the group would “do some-thing different,” he added, underliningRenault had made no investment in theproject. The partnership between thetwo companies remains intact, Bajajinsisted. Bajaj will instead unveil a low-cost light commercial vehicle that couldbe used for carrying goods or people atthe New Delhi auto show in January.

“It will be a four-wheeler and we willbe in the commercial space where weare strong,” Bajaj said. “Hopefully, they(Renault) will like what they see. Theyare at liberty to say we like it or turn uptheir nose,” Bajaj said, according to theBusiness Line newspaper.

Bajaj will make the investments inthe development and manufacture ofthe four-wheeler which would debut in

Bangladesh and in Sri Lanka beforebeing sold in other global markets,while Renault-Nissan would undertakethe branding, marketing and sales of thefour-wheeler, media reports said.

Bajaj said it will cost a maximum oftwo billion rupees ($44.5 million) tomake the commercial vehicle-a tenth ofthe development cost for a car. TheFrench manufacturer, seeking to count-er sliding European sales, has designat-ed India, Brazil and Russia as its topthree strategic markets for internationalexpansion.

The company last month launched aluxury sedan in the country called theFluence and aims to sell four more mod-els by the end of 2012. Last year, Renaultabandoned its previous attempt to crackthe Indian market — an unhappy tie-upwith India’s top sports utility vehiclemaker Mahindra and Mahindra thatresulted in the Logan, a dated-lookingcar that never took off. —AFP

NEW DELHI: Indian motorbike maker Bajaj has abandoned plans to develop an ultra-low-cost car withFrance’s Renault and its Japanese partner Nissan, according to a senior executive. The companiesannounced in 2009 that they hoped to bring a $2,500 minicar to market in 2012, but there have been sug-gestions for months that the project was stalling amid differences among the partners.

Gold in favour amid debt risks, dollar steady

HONG KONG: Gold slipped yesterday after rising for the pastnine sessions, though growing risks surrounding US and eurozone debt crises have left investors few safe alternativesexcept perhaps precious metals, the Swiss franc and yen.

The US dollar initially slipped against the euro and Treasuryprices dipped after Standard & Poor’s warned there was atleast a 50 percent chance it will downgrade the US credit rat-ing in the next 90 days, but with stress-test results of Europeanbanks due later, traders were reluctant to make big bets.

With the heightened risk that the world’s most liquid sov-ereign bond market may lose its top rating, together withcontagion in Spain’s and Italy’s bond markets, asset alloca-tion has become very difficult for investors with globalremits. Even emerging markets with their relatively highergrowth rates and big piles of foreign exchange reserves havestruggled recently, making it difficult for investors to pre-serve capital other than putting them in perceived safe-haven assets.

“Since the prospect of a downgrade would directly hit theperceived safety value of US Treasuries, it probably doesmean that global investors would be looking for a differentkind of safe asset if you will,” said Michael Kurtz, head of strat-egy, Asia with Macquarie Securities. “It’s hard not to see Asiabenefiting, not simply because there are sovereigns in Asiathat are beginning to look stronger in relative terms but alsobecause the US dollar would be likely to decline in that sce-nario,” Kurtz told Reuters Television.

The euro hit an intraday high around $1.4200 versus thedollar after the S&P announcement before trimming some ofits gains to settle back at $1.4173. Against the low-yieldingyen , the greenback was trading at 79.13 yen, though someshort-covering demand after this week’s sharp drop andbefore the weekend is expected to lend support to the pair.

Though the recent flurry of warnings by ratings agencies iswidely seen as a move to jolt US authorities to end a loomingdebt deadlock, Todd Elmer, FX strategist at Citigroup, saidS&P’s emphasis on the need for a more sustainable medium-term fiscal path posed a more formidable challenge.

“This presents a much higher hurdle for policymakers and,as such, represents a more serious threat to the US dollar,”Elmer said in a note. Ten-year Treasury note futures edgedslightly higher to 124-14 after spending most of the sessionin the red. Yields on 10-year notes were unchanged on theday at 2.95 percent, though risked climbing higher. AfterMoody’s warned it may cut the US rating, Treasuries sold offin the New York trading session.

The past three months have favoured the Swiss franc, goldand US Treasuries. The Swiss franc ETF is up 9.19 percent overthe past three months while the SPDR Gold ETF has gained6.5 percent. The Bank of America Merrill Treasury Masterindex is up 3.5 percent while the S&P 500 and the MSCIemerging markets stocks index is down 0.82 percent 3.79percent respectively.

A recent spike in Italian and Spanish bond yields hasdemanded a greater urgency in tackling Europe’s debt crisis,and further downgrades of the credit ratings of Portugal andIreland have made clear that the lack of a comprehensivesolution threatened to drag bigger countries into the debtcrisis. —Reuters

b u s i n e s s

HAVANA: A Cuban man walks in the corner of a cafeteriain Havana. Farmers and urban private workers were theones who earned the most in 2010 in Cuba, as their corre-sponding sectors grew due to Cuban President RaulCastro’s reforms, informed an official source. —AFP

SATURDAY, jULY 16, 2011

Oil slips $1 after S&P warning on US rating

Obama gives weekend deadline for deal

Brent crude for September was down$1 to $115.26 a barrel by 0814 GMT,after the expiry of the August contracton Thursday at $118.32. US crude wasdown 37 cents at $95.32, after fallingmore than $2 on Thursday.

S&P joined Moody’s Investors Servicein putting the US on negative watch,warning that there was a one-in-twochance it could cut the prized triple-Arating within the next 90 days if a deal toraise the government’s debt ceiling isnot struck by the White House andRepublicans.

In addition, mid-week comments byFederal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernankehad raised hopes the U.S. central bankwould embark on a third round of eco-nomic stimulus, but on Thursday he saidthe Fed was not yet ready to take actionbecause inflation was higher than in late2010.

“It is overall economic concerns thatare driving the oil price this morning,”said Eugen Weinberg, a senior com-modity analyst at Commerzbank inFrankfurt. “The prospects of quantita-

tive easing III were put on ice for sometime and we also had a warning fromS&P that if the debt ceiling isn’t agreedover the next few days a downgrade ofUS debt is likely.”

Victor Say, an analyst at InformaGlobal Markets in Singapore, said theimpasse over the debt ceiling would notlast long: “Politicians play hard ball untilthe last minute, but there will be a reso-lution.” President Barack Obama has giv-en congressional leaders a weekenddeadline to find a way to raise the USdebt ceiling, but a divide over spendingand taxes remains a huge hurdle to adeficit-cutting deal.

With another busy day ahead for USeconomic data, Weinberg said the mar-ket would be looking for signs of weak-ness that might increase the likelihoodof further quantitative easing. In Europeinvestors awaited the results of thestress test for 90 banks due at 1600GMT, which could force some to seekstate aid. .

Policymakers and bankers are alsoexamining radical proposals to rescue

Greece such as a sharp cut in its debtburden, ways to prop up banks and anew emphasis on boosting Greekgrowth, official and banking sources say.“If Greece really comes down, you willhave a massive slowdown in the globaleconomy,” said Say. “China is also slow-ing down and they will raise interestrates again. Over the course of the nextthree to six months, oil prices will belower.”

Weinberg said Commerzbank wasalso of the view that oil prices wouldslide over the coming weeks, as the mar-ket is well-supplied. Iran’s caretaker oilminister said there is plenty of oil to sat-isfy global demand and no need toincrease production, reiterating theIslamic Republic’s hawkish stance onprice and disapproval of Saudi Arabia’soutput increase.

Britain’s largest oilfield, Buzzard,should return to full output in August,its operator Nexen said on Thursday,boosting supply of the North Sea crudethat helps to set the global Brent oilbenchmark. —Reuters

Sony Ericsson posts$71m loss in Q2

STOCKHOLM: Mobile phone maker Sony Ericssonyesterday reported a euro 50 million ($71 million)loss in the second quarter, saying the impact of theJapanese earthquake and tsunami hurt profitability.The Swedish-Japanese joint venture posted a profitof euro12 million in the same quarter last year.

Net sales were euro1.19 bi l l ion, down fromeuro1.76 billion a year ago Sony Ericsson said theearthquake on March 11 disrupted its supply chain,with mobile phone shipments falling 31 percent to7.6 million units.

“We estimate that the impact of earthquake-relat-ed supply chain constraints on our portfolio wasclose to 1.5 million units, with most of the effect inthe early part of the quarter,” CEO Bert Nordbergsaid. London-based Sony Ericsson is moving awayfrom cheaper phone models and seeking to take onApple Inc.’s iPhone, Research in Motion’s Blackberryand Nokia Corp.’s N9 in the higher-priced smart-phone market. Sony Ericsson last month unveiledtwo new Android phones, the Xperia ray and Xperiaactive, that it plans to launch in the third quarter.Sony Ericsson estimates that it has 11 percent of theAndroid market.

“Our shift to Android-based smart phones contin-ues with smartphone sales accounting for more than70 percent of our total sales during the quarter,”Nordberg said. “We have shipped more than 16 mil-lion Xperia smart phones to date. We have intro-duced eight new Xperia smart phones this year andwe continue to see strong consumer and operatordemand across the Xperia smartphone portfolio.”

The average selling price of a Sony Ericsson phonedipped 3 percent a year earlier, but was up 11 per-cent from the first quarter. The company maintainedits projection for modest industry growth in the glob-al handset market for 2011. —AP

JOHANNESBURG: Motorists inJohannesburg formed long queuesfor petrol yesterday as some stationsran dry amid a five-day strike by oilindustry workers that is set to last atleast through the weekend.

Some 70,000 workers at oil refiner-ies and related industries went onstrike Monday demanding a minimumsalary of 6,000 rand ($870, 615 euros)a month. The Fuel Retailers’Association said the stayaway hadcaused at least 200 service stations torun dry nationwide — 150 in Gauteng

province, where Johannesburg andPretoria are located, and 50 in the eastcoast province of KwaZulu-Natal.

The Department of Energy and theSouth African Petroleum IndustryAssociation accused striking workersof intimidating fuel depot employeeswho tried to keep deliveries running.“SAPIA and the Department of Energywould like to reassure the public thatSAPIA members are doing everythingpossible to ensure continuity of sup-ply, but it is under pressure as intimi-dation remains an issue,” they said in

a statement.“This impacts on the ability of the

member companies to move trucks inand out of depots, which in turnmakes it difficult to get product to theservice stations.” Police were called into escort tanker trucks at somedepots, but at least three depotsaround Johannesburg had beenblocked by strikers, local mediareported.

Motorists resorted to social net-working site Twitter to find out wherethey could still buy fuel. The prospect

of a weekend of petrol shortages wasmaking some drivers anxious. “Wherecan I get petrol in Joburg??? Pleasehelp,” Bongolethu Bacela said onTwitter.

The Chemical, Energy, Paper,Printing, Wood and Allied WorkersUnion said its leaders planned tomeet Monday with employers. Theunion’s wage demand amounts to araise of 11 to 13 percent, whileemployers are offering four to sevenpercent. Inflation stood at 4.6 percentin May. —AFP

LONDON: Oil prices fell $1 yesterday after ratings agency Standard & Poor’s warned it may cut the creditrating of top energy consumer the United States, capping a volatile week marked by concern about thecountry’s deficit and the euro zone’s debt.

Fuel shortages bite as S Africa strike drags on

SYDNEY: Grounded Tiger AirwaysAustralia yesterday agreed to refundall tickets for August, but aviation reg-ulators said the move did not meanthe airline was facing further delays inreturning to the air. The carrier hasbeen grounded until at least August 1by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority(CASA) over “serious and imminent”risks linked to pilot proficiency andtraining, fatigue management andother issues.

It had agreed to refund all July tick-ets while it awaited permission to flyagain, and consumer watchdog chiefGraeme Samuel said Tiger AirwaysAustral ia had now extended therefund offer for all of August. “Wehave managed to secure from them an

undertaking that for August flights,where there’s still some uncertainty asto whether they will be able to fly,they’ve agreed to provide some flexi-bi l i ty ,” sa id Samuel , head of theAustralian Competition and ConsumerCommission.

“So they’re saying to customersnow ‘if you’ve booked an August flightyou can elect to cancel that flight,” hetold AFP. Samuel said customers couldcancel their flights up to seven daysafter Tiger resumed flying.

“Undoubtedly a part of that is to tryand restore and retain goodwill withcustomers,” he said. CASA said it was acommercial decision and not drivenby any developments in the ongoingsafety investigation. “From our point

of view we’re still working our waythrough all the issues that we’ve iden-tified previously and we will continueto do that,” said CASA spokesmanPeter Gibson.

“We’ve told Tiger we want themgrounded until August 1 to completethe invest igat ions and that ’s thetimetable we’re working to.” Tiger wasgrounded for a month after two flightscame into airports too low in June. Ithad already been on notice toimprove its safety performance.

An Austral ian offshoot ofSingapore’s Tiger Airways, the low-cost carrier has vowed to do every-thing necessary to resume flying andsaid it had the absolute backing of itsAsian parent firm. —AFP

Grounded Tiger offers refunds

B U S I N E S SSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

SYDNEY: Anglo-Australian mining giant BHPBilliton yesterday unveiled a $12.1-billiontakeover of US firm Petrohawk Energy Corp.that will allow it to tap into the lucrative USshale gas market. BHP will pay $38.75 a share,but the total value of the acquisition will be$15.1 billion including Petrohawk’s debt, in adeal that will give BHP access to huge shaleassets in Texas and Louisiana, the two compa-nies said. “The proposed acquisition ofPetrohawk is consistent with our... strategyand provides us with even greater exposureto the world’s largest energy market, whilealso broadening our geographic and cus-tomer spread,” BHP chief executive MariusKloppers said.

The agreed sale price represents a 65 per-cent premium on Petrohawk’s closing shareprice on Thursday, offering an indication ofBHP’s keenness to be a major player in the

fast-growing US natural gas market. But theSydney- and London-listed resources giant’sshare price fell sharply on news of the acquisi-tion, closing 1.63 percent lower at Aus$42.89after hitting a two-week low in early trading.

BHP said it would now be on track to deliv-er compound annual production growth ofmore than 10 percent for the rest of thedecade as it develops its shale gas and deep-water resources.

The move marks a major new step in thebid by BHP, one of the world’s biggest miners,to diversify from minerals and mining into oiland gas.It follows BHP’s purchase earlier thisyear of US-based Chesapeake Energy Corp’sshale gas holdings in the state of Arkansas,along with some pipeline assets, for about$4.75 billion in cash.

Petrohawk’s Eagle Ford and Haynesvilleshales and its Permian Basin resources cover

400,000 hectares (one million acres).The fieldsboasted proved reserves of 3.4 trillion cubicfeet of natural gas equivalent in 2010 andwere expected to produce about 950 millioncubic feet (27 million cubic metres) of naturalgas equivalent in 2011. The Houston-basedfirm expects to produce the equivalent of158,000 barrels of oil a day in 2011, hasaround $8.2 billion in gross assets and posteda $390 million pre-tax profit for the year toDecember 2010.

Oil and gas companies have been homingin on shale gas acquisitions as they bank onincreasing demand spurred by the long-termprospects for the United States to cut itsdependence on overseas natural resourceimports. Analysts said that BHP’s merger withPetrohawk would likely be a good one for it inthe longer term, despite the premium it hasagreed to pay. “The biggest story is that natu-

ral gas is going to be a huge part of America’stotal energy demand and Petrohawk is wellpositioned to take advantage of that,” said IGMarkets institutional dealer Chris Weston.

The Petrohawk board has unanimouslyrecommended that the firm’s shareholdersaccept the offer, the firms said.”We believethese premium oil and natural gas assetswould benefit significantly by residing withina larger entity that can employ more capitalintensity to accelerate their realised value,”said Petrohawk chief Floyd Wilson.

“We are excited to see this transactioncompleted and to be part of the BHP Billitonorganisation,” he said of the deal underwhich BHP will retain Petrohawk’s staff. Theacquisition is expected to close within thenext three months and BHP’s Kloppers saidhe did not see any major regulatory hurdlesto the deal. — AFP

BHP unveils $12.1b merger with Petrohawk Energy

LONDON: A health check ofEuropean banks is expected to showthat as many as 15 lenders needmore capital to withstand a pro-longed recession, with criticismgrowing that the tests do notencompass the impact of a Greekdefault.

Europe’s bank “stress test”, to bepublished at 1600 GMT, will make 90lenders reveal for the first time theirprofit forecasts, a breakdown of theirsovereign bond holdings and fund-ing costs, and will force the weakestto recapitalise.

The International MonetaryFund has warned Europe it is tak-ing too long to rebuild its bankingsystem and has lagged repair workdone in the United States since thefinancial crisis, while the threat ofthe Greek debt crisis spreading tobigger countries such as Spain andItaly has ratt led investors anddragged European bank shares to atwo-year low.

“Markets are likely to be dominat-ed by views on the sustainability ofsovereign debt. As long as there isno definitive answer to this, there isnot much space for a stable recoveryin the bank space,” said CarloMareels at RBC Capital Markets, whoexpects a total capital shortfall of 30-35 billion euros, a fraction of the 110billion expected to be needed for asecond bailout of Greece.

Euro zone sources told Reuterstwo weeks ago that 10 to 15 banksare likely to fail the test, with casual-ties expected in Spain, Greece,Germany and Portugal although nolarge bank is expected to fail.

Critics say the health check failsto reflect market expectations thatGreece will default on its debt insome form, which would pile uplosses for German and French banksthat hold large amounts of the coun-try’s debt.

The EBA is not forcing banks toexplicitly haircut sovereign bonds

held in their long-term bankingbook, but has told banks to includethe estimated hit of potential lossesfrom holdings based on a theoreticalfour notch credit rating downgrade,which would mean a low rate coun-try like Greece had defaulted.

Under the test, banks would takea 15 percent “haircut” on Greekbond holdings, while most marketexperts expect to see up to half thevalue of those bonds wiped out atsome point.

Fears the Greek crisis will spreadto Spain and Italy have caused ajump in borrowing costs for thosecountries and their banks, prompt-ing concern lenders are not resilientenough to cope with potential loss-es if the crisis deepens.

“The regulators and the banksalready know who the weaker play-ers are. The stress tests can confirmthat, but they will have no teethunless followed up by restructuringand consolidation of the financiallandscape,” said Nils Melngailis,managing director of Alvarez &Marsal, a restructuring advisory firm.

Some banks moved to bolstercapital ahead of the results, thoughit is too late to affect them. Austria’sVolksbanken, which has failedaccording to two sources withknowledge of the test, late onThursday sold its eastern Europeanarm VBI to Russia’s Sberbank.

Greece’s EFG Eurobank said it wasin talks to sell a majority stake in itsTurkish unit Eurobank Tekfen, andGreek peer Piraeus said it was intalks to sell its Egyptian business toStandard Chartered.

Volksbanken did not say howmuch it would raise from the sale,but banking sources have said itcould be around 590 million euros($835 million). It helps Volksbankenshow it can shore up its balancesheet, while Greek banks are underpressure to strengthen their capitalto cope with the economic crisis at

home. Spain’s overhaul of its bank-ing system has made it able to with-stand the most stressful of economicsituations, government spokesmanJose Blanco said.

A poll last month by GoldmanSachs of 113 investors, includinglong-only investors and hedgefunds, expected nine banks to failthe 5 percent core capital pass markin the face of a theoretical slide instock, bond and property prices dur-ing a two-year recession.

Banks that fail must produce firmplans by September on how theywill plug capital shortfalls by theyear-end, with their home govern-ment ready to step in with taxpay-ers’ money if needed.

Lenders that scrape through thetest will also be expected to shoreup their capital buffers.

This is the third, toughest andmost comprehensive test of lendersin the European Union since theglobal financial crisis, which beganfour years ago-last year’s gave Irishbanks a clean bill of health shortlybefore they collapsed into statecontrol.

Investors and analysts will be giv-en 3,000 data points on each bank,ranging from profit forecasts toquality of capital buffers, comparedwith just 100 pieces of informationlast year.

Banks have already warned thatinvestors could be unnerved by somuch data but the EBA says moretransparency is better, allowing ana-lysts to run their own tests so theyfeel they have a complete picture,removing much of the uncertainty.

But there have been problems asthe release date neared.

Germany’s Helaba ruled itself outof the stress test, saying the regula-tor’s capital rules were too strict, andtwo Spanish banks that will failblamed the regulator for being toostrict on the use of capital that canbe included. — Reuters

STOCKHOLM: Sweden’s SKF, the world’s biggest maker ofindustrial bearings, said yesterday its second-quarter net prof-it rose from the figure for the same period in 2010, largelyhelped by an improving automobile market.

The company posted a profit of 1.71 billion Swedish kroner(185 million euros, $262 million) for the April-June quarter.For the same period in 2010, it made a net profit of 1.41 billionkroner. The results were slightly below analyst expectations,which SKF blamed on unfavourable foreign exchange and ris-ing costs.

“We will continue to invest in our business and take thenecessary steps to offset the high raw material costs and cur-rency headwinds,” chief executive Tom Johnstone said. Theannouncement sent shares in the Gothenburg-based compa-ny down by 4.9 percent to 174.10 kroner on a StockholmStock Exchange which was showing a fall of 1.0 percent.

SKF said it expected demand to increase in the third quar-ter, especially in Asia and South America. SKF, which alsomakes sealants, is an important supplier to many parts of theindustrial processing chain and is therefore regarded as aleading indicator of activity in manufacturing and machinetooling. — AFP

MUNICH: In this July 28, 2010 file picture planes ofGerman Lufthansa are parked at Munich’s airport.Germany’s biggest airline, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says ithas begun trial flights using biofuels in a bid to reducecarbon dioxide emissions. —AP

SKF reports profit jump as sales rise

Europe’s banks brace for clutch of test failures

Austrian, Greek banks move to bolster capital

b u s i n e s s

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, jUlY 16, 2011

LONDON: British outdoor goods firmBlacks Leisure became the latest retail-er to bemoan weak consumer spend-ing yesterday, saying recent sales hadmissed forecasts, driving up debts andforcing it to look at raising capital.

The group, which struck a rescuedeal with creditors in 2009 that saw itclose over 100 stores, said it hadagreed a temporary extension of itsexisting bank loan arrangements and,

given their maturity in November2012, would start to look at refinancingthem. “The board is also consideringthe group’s overall capital require-ments with a view to strengthening itscapital structure,” it added, withoutelaborating.

Many British retailers are struggling,and some including Focus DIY,Oddbins and Habitat UK have recentlyfallen into administration, as shoppers

cut back amid rising prices, subduedwages growth and austerity measures.Blacks Leisure, which runs the BlacksOutdoor and Millets chains, said salesat stores open over a year dropped 9.7percent net of VAT sales tax in the 19weeks to July 9, though they were up3.2 percent in the last six weeks of theperiod.

“Since the year end the group’sindebtedness has increased significant-

ly due to both normal seasonal factorsand the challenging market condi-tions,” it said, without giving a figure.Despite weaker-than-expected sales,gross profit margins were flat, thegroup said. Blacks Leisure shares haveunderperformed the UK general retailsector by 60 percent this year. Theyclosed on Thursday at 16.25 pence,valuing the business at about 13 mil-lion pounds ($21 million). — Reuters

Blacks Leisure eyes capital raise amid weak sales

G20 task force expected to endorse bank surcharges

Bondholders eye bank resolution proposals

Citigroup posts sixth quarterly profit in Q2

NEW YORK: Citigroup Inc. turned a profit for the sixthstraight quarter as losses from failed loans declined. TheNew York bank says losses from bad loans fell 35 percentduring the quarter to $5.4 billion. That allowed the bank torelease $2 billion from its loan loss reserves and count it asincome.

Net income rose 24 percent to $3.3 billion, or $1.09cents per share, on revenue of $20.6 billion. That comparesto net income of $2.7 billion, or 90 cents per share, duringthe same quarter last year. The earnings per share wasadjusted to account for a reverse split, where 10 Citi shareswere exchanged for one this May.

Analysts surveyed by FactSet had predicted Citigroupwould earn 96 cents per share. More of the bank’s creditcard and mortgage loan customers also paid on time -con-sumer loans that were delinquent by 90 days or moretotaled $9.9 billion, down 46 percent compared with the

same period last year. The bank also experiencedgrowth in its lending business. Consumer loans increased11 percent to $244 billion. Corporate loans grew 22 per-cent to $197 billion compared to last year. Much of thegrowth came from emerging markets, the bank said.

“We produced growth in both loans and deposits inCiticorp,” said CEO Vikram Pandit. Its investment bankingincome fell 29 percent to $1.2 billion as did revenue by 8percent to $5.5 billion. Much of the decline came from an18 percent drop from fixed income trading. Citigroup wasone of the hardest-hit banks during the financial crisis of2008. The bank received $45 billion in government aid, $25billion of which was converted to stock. Pandit has beentrying to grow profits ever since the company emergedfrom government ownership last December.

However, to do that Citigroup has relied more heavilythan other banks on money being released from reserves.Shares of Citi are up over 2 percent at $39.90 in premarkettrading. —AP

WASHINGTON: Senior Advisor and Assistant to thePresident Valerie Jarrett makes opening remarks ata Women in Finance Symposium focusing on institu-tional investment at the Treasury Department inWashington. —AFP

The measures are part of a widereffort by the FSB, the G20’s regulationtask force, to tackle “too big to fail”banks and learn lessons from a financialcrisis that forced governments to shoreup lenders on both sides of the Atlantic.Regulators want to stop big banks bene-fiting from cheaper borrowing costsbecause markets assume governmentswon’t allow them to fail and wreak thehavoc as seen after the col lapse ofLehman Brothers in 2008.

The proposal for a capital surchargeon the world’s biggest banks by 2019 —referred to as systemically importantbanks or SIBs-was drafted andannounced by the global BaselCommittee on Banking Supervision inJune. “I don’t expect any major tweaks atthis stage - and I expect many of theauthorites involved will have other thingson their minds right now,” said SimonHil ls, a director at the British Bankers’Association, alluding to the deepeningeuro zone debt crisis.

Around 30 big banks like GoldmanSachs , Morgan Stanley , HSBC andDeutsche Bank will have to hold an extra 1-2.5 percent of capital on top of a new,tougher minimum level of 7 percent for allbanks, known as Basel III being phased in

between 2013 and end 2018. The sur-charge proposal was due last Novemberbut was caught up in haggling among G20countries. What has emerged is a carefulbalancing act between a narrower sur-charge than expected to please countrieslike Germany and France, but in the form ofpure equity to satisfy hardliners like Britainand the United States. FSB Chairman MarioDraghi will hold a news conference at 1600GMT on Monday in Paris.

The FSB is expected to indicate thenumber of banks falling under the scopeof the new surcharge but give no names,sources familiar with the discussion said.The level of surcharge is based on howbanks rate according to five criteria-size,interconnectedness, global activity, com-plexity and how difficult it is to substi-tute operations. “It will be interesting tosee if they give the percentage weight tothe five criteria and whether they alsoincl ude the penalties for going below thesurcharge buffer,” a banking analyst said.The Basel draft surprised the industry byruling out the use of hybrid debt knownas contingent convertible capital orCoCos which convert to equity in timesof stress.

There are still hopes among banksthat the FSB or G20 leaders will row back

on this to allow some use of CoCos. Thesecond proposal sets out requirementsfor G20 countries for resolving big bankswhich typically have operations acrossmany countries.

It is expected to be similar to a draftEuropean Union bank crisis resolutiondraft law due in September which setsout a “toolkit” national regulators musthave to deal with a failing banks. Onecontroversial idea that will be discussedis to force bondholders to take a “haircut”and contribute to a bank rescue.

There is some consensus that juniorbondholders should take a hit but somehardline countries say hithertoringfenced senior debt holders shouldalso be ultimately in the firing line. Theother parts of the “too big to fail” initia-tive include tougher supervision on bigbanks, improved financial markets infra-structure-in particular central clearingand trade reporting of derivatives whichis already underway-and a more seriousapproach to “peer reviews” of how FSBmeasures are being implemented.

Once the new system starts beingimplemented for banks , regulatorswant to turn their attention to includ-ing other b ig f inancia l inst i tut ionssuch as insurers.—Reuters

LONDON: Global regulators are expected to give the green light on Monday to two measures they hope willshield taxpayers from having to rescue failed banks again. The Financial Stability Board (FSB) meets in Paris toendorse the capital surcharge and bank resolution proposals that will be put out to public consultation aheadof final approval by leaders of the world’s top 20 economies (G20) in November.

Z U R I C H : Swiss banking giantCredit Suisse said yesterday that itis being invest igated by the USDepartment of Justice over privatebanking services provided to UStaxpayers. “On July 14, 2011, CreditSuisse received a letter notifying itthat it is a target of the Departmentof Justice investigation,” said thebank in a statement.

“It has been reported that the USauthorities are conducting a broaderindustry inquiry,” it said, adding thatthe probe “concerns historical pri-vate banking services provided on across-border basis to US persons.”

“Subject to our Swiss legal obliga-tions, we will continue to cooperatewith the US authorities in an effortto resolve these matters,” said thebank.

The United States indicted fourCredit Suisse bankers in February oncharges of helping US taxpayers hidemoney in secr et Swiss accounts toavoid US taxes. At the time of thatindictment, the bank said it wasitself not part of the investigation.The four bankers and unnamed co-conspirators were accused of offer-ing US customers the chance toopen accounts in Switzerland with

the understanding that the moneywould be hidden from US taxauthorities.

As of 2008, the bank hosted thou-sands of such accounts holding upto $3 billion in assets, the UnitedStates claimed. The US probe againstCredit Suisse comes after anotherdamaging case against rival Swissbank UBS. Not only was UBS made topay a $780 million fine, but the Swissgovernment was also forced to easethe country’s banking secrecy rulesto allow the bank to hand over 4,000case files on US clients suspected oftax evasion. —AFP

US justice opens probe against Credit Suisse

b u s i n e s s

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, jULY 16, 2011

NEW YORK: The CEO of a big banksays a US default could be catastroph-ic for the economy. The head of theFederal Reserve warns of chaos. And acredit rating agency threatens to takeaway the country’s coveted triple-Astatus. The response on Wall Street: Sowhat?

In Washington, the fight overwhether to raise the federal debt limithas grown uglier by the day. TheWhite House says the limit must beraised by Aug. 2 or the governmentwon’t be able to pay its bills, possiblyincluding US bonds held around theworld.

But as the deadline nears, stocksand bonds have barely flinched. TheDow Jones industrial average fell just54 points Thursday and stands aboutwhere it did at the start of the month.The yield on the 10-year Treasurybond, which usually r ises wheninvestors see it as a riskier bet, is con-siderably lower than earlier this year.

It may seem an odd, even reckless,reaction by investors. But it isn’t com-pletely crazy.

Take the ho-hum reaction fromthe bond market. In theory, investorsin US Treasury bonds should demandhigher interest payments whenthere’s a greater risk they won’t gettheir money back - in this case, in theevent of a default next month.Instead, the yield on the 10-yearTreasury note rose only sl ightlyThursday, to 2.95 percent. InFebruary, when the US economicrecovery seemed stronger and thedebt limit was a distant threat, it was3.74 percent.

But in this market, as in the school-yard, size wins. The US has $14 trillionin outstanding Treasury bonds. Thatdwarfs government bonds of any oth-er nation. US debt is held more widelyand traded more often than any othergovernment’s IOU. Th at mattersbecause pensions, private investment

funds and central banks the worldover want to know that they can buyand sell these holdings fast - whatinvestors call liquidity. During thecredit crisis of 2008, investors boughtU.S. Treasurys because they were per-ceived as not only safe but liquid.

“It’s very nice that Switzerland is asafe place,” says Avi Tiomkin, a hedgefund consultant who holds Treasurys.“But if you’re the Russian or Chinesecentral bank, it’s just too small.” SteveRicchiuto, chief economist at MizuhoSecurities, points to another reasonthe markets are calm: The US mayseem a more dangerous place to parkyour money given its rising debt, butmuch of the rest of the world isn’t far-ing well, either.

He notes that Europe is trying tocontain a debt crisis. Yields on bondsof various countries there have goneup recently. “The U.S. is the best in abad world,” he says, so people haveno choice but to invest here. As for

stocks, there’s plenty of news - somevery good - to distract investors fromWashington’s problems. US compa-nies are issuing their financial resultsfor the latest quarter, and they’reexpected to post big profits - up 15percent, according to a survey by dataprovider FactSet.

JPMorgan Chase reported profitsup 13 percent Thursday, higher thananalysts had expected. The stock rosesharply on the news. Earlier in the day,it was that bank’s CEO, James Dimon,who warned that a failure byCongress to agree to raise the debtceiling could mean “catastrophe.”

On Wednesday, Moody’s InvestorsServices warned it might take awaythe United States’ top-notch creditrating if it missed even one interestpayment on its bonds. In testimonybefore Congress on Thursday, FederalReserve Chairman Ben Bernanke saida US default could throw the financialsystem into “chaos.” —Reuters

Why Wall Street not worried about default

US consumer prices record largest drop

Core CPI rises 0.3%, apparel prices surge

Obama pauses US debt talks

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama suspended US budgetnegotiations for the day yesterday to give congressional leaders achance to come up with a “plan of action” on how to unblock talksmeant to cut deficits and avert a debt default.

Obama, who had vowed to meet top lawmakers every day until adeal is reached to raise the US debt limit, gave top Democrats andRepublicans until today morning to reconsider their positions in thehigh-stakes negotiations. He will hold a news conference yesterday at11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) while awaiting feedback from meetingson Capitol Hill due to take place in the morning.

The debt negotiations may resume over the weekend. “It’s deci-sion time. We need concrete plans to move this forward,” Obama saidon the fifth straight day of debt negotiations Thursday, according to aDemocratic official. Financial markets are starting to worry thatRepublicans and Democrats are too far apart to reach a major budgetagreement by Aug. 2, when the United States would run out of mon-ey unless the cap on government borrowing is raised. Obama, who isrunning for re-election in November 2012, has rejected the idea of astopgap or short-term agreement that would require the debt ceilingto be raised again next year. “A short-term solution is not something Iwill sign,” he said Thursday.

Republicans are pressing for at least $1 in spending cuts forevery $1 that the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling is lifted, and say theWhite House needs to get serious about reducing spending toproperly address the debt problem. Democrats are open to certaincuts but want some tax increases and other revenue-builders to beincluded in any deal so that the burdens of the austerity are shared.Obama thinks a deal worth $2 trillion could be feasible if both sidesbend a bit, officials familiar with the talks said. Compromisesrequired for such a deal could be awkward for both Democrats andRepublicans as the 2012 campaign heats up. But a failure to raisethe debt ceiling stands to hurt the fragile US economy and rever-berate worldwide, driving up interest rates and shaking currency,equity and bond markets.

China, the United States’ biggest foreign creditor with more than$1 trillion in Treasury debt as of March, fears even a small US default.The Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday it hopes Washingtonadopts responsible policies to protect investor interests. SouthKorea, which has more than $300 billion in foreign exchangereserves, was more upbeat. Finance Minister Bahk Jae-wan said hewas optimistic that the United States will resolve the debt crisis andavoid default.

“We are not at a stage at which we need to consider steps suchas (reviving) a currency swap,” Bahk told Reuters in an interview,referring to currency arrangements set up with the U.S. FederalReserve during the global financial crisis. “I am optimistic the USCongress and government will find a good solution before the Aug.2 deadline.” —Reuters

But stripping out food and energy, coreCPI rose 0.3 percent after a similar gain inMay and above economists’ expectations fora 0.2 percent increase. “We are getting avery, very sharp rebound in core inflationand much more than the Fed had bargained

for. We will be at price stability and possiblythrough it before the end of this year,” saidEric Green, chief economist at TD Securitiesin New York.

A sep arate report showed a gauge ofmanufacturing in New York State fell againin July. The New York Federal Reserve said its

“Empire State” general business conditionsindex was at minus 3.76 from minus 7.79 inJune. High inflation, driven by strong ener-gy and food prices, undermined economicactivity in first quarter, with growth slowingsharply to a 1.9 percent annual rate after a

brisk 3.1 percent expansion in the final threemonths of 2010.

The economy is believed to have grownby between 1.5 percent and 2 percent in thesecond quarter. Hopes of a stronger pick-upin growth during the July-September periodhave been dented somewhat by a weak

labor market and retail sales in June.But abating commodity inflation pres-

sures as energy prices decline, should putmore money in the pockets of consumerswho have been stretching to cover risingcosts for gasoline and food. Federal ReserveChairman Ben Bernanke said this week theUS central bank was prepared to act ifgrowth falters further, but made it clear thatFed is not at that point yet.

Bernanke noted that inflation was higherthan in late 2010, when the Fed got readyfor its $600 billion government bond-buy-ing program, which ended in June. Gasolineprices dropped 6.8 percent, the largestdecline since December 2008, after falling2.0 percent in May. Food prices rose a mod-erate 0.2 percent after increasing 0.4 per-cent in May.

But rising costs for housing, new vehicles,used trucks and apparel pushed up coreinflation last month. Shelter costs rose 0.2percent for a second straight month, whileapparel prices jumped 1.4 percent, thelargest increase since March 1990. Prices fornew vehicles increased 0.6 percent lastmonth, slowing from May’s 1.1 percentsurge, likely reflecting an easing of autoshortages related to supply chain disrup-tions from Japan. Used cars and trucksjumped 1.6 percent, the largest increasesince December 2009.

In the 12 months to April, core CPI rose1.6 percent after increasing 1.5 percent inMay. Fed officials, however, would like to seethat closer to 2 percent. Overall consumerprices were up 3.6 percent from a year earli-er, after rising 3.6 percent in May. —Reuters

WASHINGTON: US consumer prices fell slightly more than expected in June to post their biggest drop in ayear on weak gasoline costs, but underlying inflation pressures remain elevated. The Consumer PriceIndex fell 0.2 percent, the Labor Department said on Friday, the largest drop since June 2010, after rising0.2 percent in May. Economists had expected prices to fall 0.1 percent.

SAN FRANCISCO: A job seeker meets with a recruiter during theSan Francisco Hirevent job fair at the Hotel Whitmore in SanFrancisco, California. —AFP

Sa

tu

rD

aY,

Ju

LY

16,

2011

This undated photo courtesy ofSergio Kurhajec shows Rachel

Roosevelt in an image which appearsin the August 2011 issue of The

Oprah Magazine. Roosevelt is wearing a Michael Kors skirt, an LK

Bennett jacket, Noir Jewelry ear-rings, Kenneth Cole belt and Aldo

shoes. Roosevelt, a former memberof the US Ski Team, now wears most-

ly skirtsuits to her job as a macroeconomic researcher but

nothing too short considering herconservative

career environment. — AP

For Emmys, networks have the right sense of humor

Potter mania as last installment released

Pages 28 & 29

Anniversary

Years

Page 27

The fashion designer - who gavebirth to Harper Seven at LosAngeles’ Cedars-Sinai hospital -

wants to stay in the US with husbandDavid and sons Brooklyn, 12, Romeo,eight, and six-year-old Cruz ratherthan return to their native England soher “perfect family” can have a “greatlifestyle” growing up in the sun. Thesource said: “Victoria has told Davidshe has never felt happier and thatthey now have the perfect family. “Shewants Harper to grow up in a placewhere she can have the amazingchildhood the boys have had. “Wherethey live now, they can play on thebeach at the weekend, swim outdoorsevery day and have a great lifestylegrowing up in the sunshine.” The cou-ple moved to Los Angles in 2007 whenDavid signed for US soccer team LAGalaxy, but his contract at the club isset to run out at the end of next yearand the 36-year-old hunk “hasn’t ruledout” playing abroad. The sourceadded to The Sun newspaper: “Davidhasn’t ruled out playing for aEuropean or English team. “He seeswhere Victoria is coming from though,with the boys so happy and doing wellat school he knows it will be hard forthem to move.” Meanwhile, the 37-year-old mother-of-four has reported-ly splashed out £30,000 on a classic carfor her husband to say thank you forbeing a perfect husband throughouther pregnancy. A source told the DailyStar newspaper: “Victoria bought itfrom elite car dealer Chequered Flagin Los Angeles. She was very particularabout exactly what car she wantedand what year. She asked for it specifi-cally to be from 1966 as that was theyear England won the World Cup. “Sheeven ordered a number plate withDavid’s lucky number seven.”

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

Vic

tor

ia B

eck

ham

wan

ts t

o r

aise

dau

gh

ter

in

Am

eric

a

The Victoria’s Secret model tied the knotwith the Kings of Leon rocker at SanYsidro Ranch in Montecito, California in

May and says she is loving every minute of mar-ried life. She said: “Married life is the best. I’m soproud to be a wife.” The 25-year-old beauty -who walked down the aisle in a custom-madeVera Wang gown - also admitted her weddingwas perfect and says she wouldn’t havechanged anything about the sunset ceremony.She added to smagazine.com: “It was really anamazing day. It was more beautiful than Icould’ve imagined.” This is not the first time Lilyhas spoken of her love for Caleb. Speaking afterher wedding ceremony, Lily gushed about hernew husband: “Caleb is the man of my dreams.And you can quote me on that.” Guests at theirsmall wedding ceremony included Caleb’sbandmates, his cousin Matthew Followill - whorecently became a father for the first time - andbrothers Nathan and Jared Followill. WhileCaleb and Lily had a small wedding, Nathan andJared recently promised to throw their brothera big party afterwards. Jared said: “It’s going tobe a very small wedding and then a big party. Ithink there are only like maybe 25 people or sogoing to the wedding, but a lot of people willbe at the party.” Nathan added: “I’m the bestman and they’re having lemon custard for theirwedding cake.”

Lily Aldridgeis ‘proud’ to be Caleb Followill’s wife

The 85-year-old Playboyboss - who was jilted bythe 25-year-old model

less than a week before theirplanned wedding in June -doesn’t think the blonde beau-ty was “faking” her feelings forhim, as he never saw the cou-ple’s split coming. He said: “Ididn’t see it coming. I truly did-n’t see it coming. “I think anargument could be made thatshe took me for a ride.”However, the magazine moguladmits their marriage may nothave even worked out, as hewasn’t able to commit to for-mer girlfriend Holly Madison.Speaking on CNN’s ‘PiersMorgan Tonight’, he added:“Where was my head? I madethe commitment, quite frankly,because in a previous relationship with Holly, I had not been there in the way she wanted meto be and I just wanted to do whatever would make the relationship work with Crystal.”However, High - who has been married twice - concedes he “screwed up” during his romancewith Holly. In an episode of ‘Runaway Bride’, a reality show intended to cover the wedding ofHugh and Crystal, he tells Holly: “If you’re looking for an explanation about Crystal, I don’t havea clue. I don’t really feel bitterness. I never thought I’d get married again. I wasn’t planning it. “Ithink I screwed up with us.”

Hugh Hefner thinks Crystal Harris took him for a ride

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

The ‘Fight Club’ star was so impressive in his trainingfor upcoming film ‘Moneyball’ - in which he plays abaseball manager - he could forge a career in the

sport if his acting career goes downhill, says his co-star,former San Francisco Giants professional Casey Bond.Casey said: “He’s got some skill. He might have missedhis calling in baseball I guess. If acting didn’t work outhe’s pretty good... I think that he’s got that in his backpocket if anything.”He was out there a couple days andhe took batting practice with us and stuff, threw thebaseball around. He was very much involved with allaspects of the baseball side of the movie as well.”WhileBrad could be a baseball star, Casey also praised the 47-year-old actor - who raises six children with partnerAngelina Jolie - as a “master” of his craft who gave greatadvice to his less-experienced sporting co-stars. He toldE! Online: “He had a lot of great advice ... When we wereshooting scenes, in between takes he’d walk me throughdifferent techniques he used so everything comes acrossright on film...obviously he’s a master at that.” The film -which also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright,Jonah Hill, Chris Pratt - is based on the true story ofOakland A manager Billy Beane , who attempts to lead acompetitive team to success despite the club’s poorfinancial situation.

Brad Pittcould be

a baseball player

Muse singer Matt - who welcomed baby BinghamHawn into the world on Saturday (09.07.11) -revealed both Bing and Bingham had a personal con-

nection to him and his fiancee, with her stepfather KurtRussell’s father being named Bing. He wrote on twitter: “Forthose wondering, Bingham is my mum’s maiden name andBing Russell was Kurt’s dad. Family connections all round!”Tweeting, Matt confirmed the ‘Bride Wars’ actress was doingwell, and added the labour was a relatively short four and ahalf hours. He said: “Mum and baby are strong and healthy.Mum was a warrior, Bing popped out after 4.5 hours ofintense pushing!” The couple have asked for celebration treesto be planted for their son, the same thing they asked for atKate’s baby shower. Matt and Kate - who has a seven-year-oldson, Ryder, with ex-husband Chris Robinson - plan to spendthe next few weeks at the rocker’s London home while Muserecord a new album.

Hudsonand

Bellamyexplain son’s name

The reality TV star is expected to wed fiance Kris Humphrieson August 20 in a televised spectacle and 55-year-old Kriswent under the knife to ensure she looks picture perfect

for the big day. Kris’ daughter Khloe explained: “She looks amaz-ing. They say you are supposed to have a lot of swelling for aweek or so after, but I didn’t notice.” Khloe added her motherhas been “out and about” since going under the knife “about amonth ago.” The facelift will be featured on an upcomingepisode of ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’, with a recentsneak peek revealing Kris had to be reassured by Kim before hersurgery. Kris complained: “I’ve never had such a stressful morn-ing, honestly, in my life.” Kim said: “Don’t cry. If you’re scared,you don’t have to do it. I’m sure people are scared all the time.”However, Kim and Kris have reportedly clashed over the cost ofthe wedding with Kim wanting a lavish event and her motherhoping to make a profit from the nuptials. A source said: “Kris isvery business-minded. The wedding is becoming such a lavishextravaganza that she is worried that all the money that’s goingto be made from the wedding [via the sale of photo rights andsponsorships] will have to go right back into it. “Kim really doeswant it to be America’s version of the royal wedding.”

Kris

Jenn

erha

s fac

elift

for d

augh

ter’s

wed

ding

The ‘Edge of Glory’ hitmaker -who is estimated to be worth$112.8 mill ion - explained

being wealthy and gaining world-wide recognition was never some-thing she aspired to, and she wouldbe happy to give it all up. Speakingin Sydney as part of her ‘Monster’sBall’ tour, she said: “Money andrecognition were never a drivingfactor for me. I was driven by recog-nition by showbiz. “What does comealong with showbiz is recognition,but the money goes right back intothe show. If I had to give it all away,every dollar that I ’ve earned, Iwould.” However, the 25-year-oldsinger might not have so much cashto splash in the future, as sherecently claimed her tour had“bankrupted” her. She said: “I puteverything in the show, and I actual-ly went bankrupt after the firstextension of the ‘Monster Ball’. Andit was funny because I didn’t know!“And I remember I called everybodyand said, ‘Why is everyone saying Ihave no money? This is ridiculous, Ihave five number one singles’ - andthey said, ‘Well, you’re $3 million indebt.’ “ — BangShowbiz

Lady Gaga would

give away‘every dollar’

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

Kyle Chandler as football coach Eric Taylor in “Friday Night Lights.”—AP

‘Friday Night Lights’ cast exits with full heartsYesterday, the small-town Texas drama

“Friday Night Lights” ended its five-seasonrun as one of the finest, most humanistic

shows on television. Though never a ratings suc-cess, the show gradually found a fervent follow-ing. Shot on location around Austin, Texas, andin a collaborative and improvisational style,“FNL” will be particularly remembered for itsnaturalism. Instead of elaborate sets and rigidblocking, scenes were typically captured bythree cameras following the action of the manycharacters of Dillon, a football-obsessed townanchored by the moral centers of coach EricTaylor (Kyle Chandler) and guidance counselorTami Taylor (Connie Britton).

On a show largely about community, themaking of “FNL,” too, was a kind of community.Though much of the cast came and went

throughout the show’s run as characters gradu-ated from high school and moved on, “FNL” wasits own family. The final season already aired ondirectv, so the NBC finale yesterday comes near-ly a year after “FNL” wrapped. To mark the end,the cast and creators of “Friday Night Lights”talk about their experience with the show:Britton; Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins); Michael B.Jordan (Vince Howard); Zach Gilford (MattSaracen); Jason Katims, executive producer; andPeter Berg, creator and executive producer. Withclear eyes and full hearts, they reflect on “FridayNight Lights.”

Katims: One of the early episodes, we wereshooting in a Baptist church. ... Everybody in theplace was effectively part of the community: thecongregation, an organ player, singers, a minis-ter. I was up there in the church talking to theminister when we were getting set up to shoot.... And then suddenly, without anyone ever call-ing action, the musicians started playing and thecongregation started getting into it. It very natu-rally was happening. The (assistant director)screamed out, “Hey Jason, you’re in the shot!”They just started shooting. And that’s very typi-cal of the way “Friday Night Lights” worked.Nobody called “action,” nobody told the back-ground what they should be doing.

Kitsch: I based a lot of Riggins’ look off ofGary Oldman in “State of Grace.” His long hair,his grease. On the pilot and once we got pickedup, I’m sitting in the make-up and hair (depart-ment) and I’m like, “Nope, more. Nope, more.”They were like, “Really? Are you serious?” And Iwas like, “Yes. This cat, this is who he is.” Itbecame this whole over-exposed deal about hishair. Jordan: One of the first people I met downthere was Brad Leland (Buddy Garrity). I walkedinto a Mexican restaurant and I went over andintroduced myself to him. I said, “You might notknow who I am, but I’m playing x, y, z on theshow.” He said, “Michael. Michael, listen to me,Michael. This is something that you’ll never,ever, ever forget. You’re part of something spe-

cial. And you just wait until you go to set onMonday and you’ll find out for yourself, becauseI can’t tell it with any justice.” That as the firstwelcoming I got and he didn’t speak one falseword. Everything he said was true.

Britton: I have this one memory, it was in sea-son one and we were shooting the last episodeswhere Tami finds out she’s pregnant and we’rein the championship game.

There’s a whole story about how we’re goingto go about dealing with the pregnancy. Wewere shooting in a hotel room and Jeff Reinerwas directing. I just remember us all lollingaround on the beds in the hotel room, talkingabout how these scenes should play out andwhat would make the most sense for these char-acters in the moment. ... I always think back onthat because there was such a sense of comfortabout it. ... We could sit around and talk aboutwhat was happening in these people’s lives forhours.

Berg: My memories of “FNL” will forever bejoyful: West Texas sunsets; (football drills) Bull inthe Ring, Two-A-Days in 115 degrees; (real lifeinspirations for the show) David Edwards andthe Austin Westlake Chaparrals; Mack Brown(University of Texas head coach), Vince Young(former Texas quarterback), Boobie Miles (prima-ry subject of Buzz Bissinger’s book “Friday NightLights: A Town, A Team, and a Dream”) are for-ever a part of my heart - which is full, as my eyesare clear.

Kitsch: I don’t think i’ll ever forget playing(Riggins). For me, I loved reconnecting, comingback. It was just this really safe zone where wecould come in and take silly risks and just getafter it. I had so much fun doing that. ... I missthe process. ... And just the freedom. Literally, I’dgo to set and they’d be like, “Let’s see what theactors brought to it and then position it.” That’sthe beauty we had. It makes you better whenyou give someone freedom or an opportunity.

Katims: There was one day where we wereshooting some practice scenes on the football

field. But we weren’t shooting yet, we were justsetting up and waiting for people to come. AndTaylor Kitsch was walking up in his uniform juststarting his day. Jeff (Reiner) the director got oneof the camera operators to start filming him andtold one of the assistant coaches to run up toKitsch and just start screaming at him for beinglate. Taylor Kitsch wasn’t working yet, he was lit-erally just walking to the set and suddenly he’sbeing bombarded by this coach. Gilford: I willnever forget a scene in episode eight of seasonone when Herc (Kevin Rankin) and Street (ScottPorter) race through the halls of the rehab facili-ty in their wheel chairs and eventually knockeach other onto the floor. —AP

Actress Connie Britton was nominated foran Emmy award for best actress in a dramaseries for her role in “Friday Night Lights”on Thursday, July 14, 2011. —AP

In this file photo, Jason Katims, executive pro-ducer of “ Friday Night Lights” speaks at theNBC Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. —AP

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

It would’ve been embarrassingto overlook Melissa Leo whenhanding out the Emmy nomina-

tions this year. After all, just fivemonths ago, she won herself anOscar. So on Thursday, she got awell-deserved nod for the HBOminiseries “Mildred Pierce.” Thatgot Emmy voters off the hook. Inthe process, it spared them the bur-den of examining Leo’s work in“Treme,” the HBO drama series ofwhich she is one of many Emmy-worthy cast members.

Leo was probably the best shot“Treme” had at recognition. But,instead of landing even one nomi-nation - for acting, writing or any-thing else - the series got the backof Emmy’s hand. What a shame.“Treme” is easily among the bestdrama series on the air, and takes abackseat to no show for thebreadth and excellence of its cast.One more thing that makes“Treme” praiseworthy: its unique-ness. For viewers (and, apparently,

a crop of Emmy voters) who don’tknow, “Treme” is set in post-KatrinaNew Orleans and follows a broadsample of its residents coping withthe disaster’s aftermath and other-wise living their lives.

If “Seinfeld” was famously ashow about nothing, “Treme” is ashow about everything. Everythinghuman. Which it manages to pulloff without feeling overstuffed,overwrought or artificial. “Treme” isnot dense or dark or difficult, whichwere words that seemed to attachthemselves to a previous extraordi-nary series created by David Simon.Instead, “Treme” is hopeful and,befitting its setting, filled withmusic and stout-heartedness.

Moments big and little cominglein its narrative, the way they do inreal life. In the exotic, challengedworld that is New Orleans after thestorm, “Treme” identities the com-mon themes that unite its charac-ters with its audience.

The actors make the wholething look easy. They are a diverse

crowd, diverse without a sense ofsatisfying any quota. Howeverbeautiful or ordinary-looking, eachof them seems part of a relatablecommunity - not members of aheightened actors’ class.

Consider, just for starters:Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters(both memorable from “The Wire”);Kim Dickens (“Deadwood”); KhandiAlexander (“CSI: Miami,” HBO’s “TheCorner”); Steve Zahn (“Riding inCars With Boys”); and Melissa Leo.All of them belong on Emmy’s lists

of nominees. But “Treme” has noexaggerated violence, villainy orglamour. It just feels natural. And natu-ral can be a tough sell in TV drama. Soon Thursday, just as last year at thistime, “Treme” lost out.

Of course, “Treme” wasn’t aloneamong the sadly snubbed. But itstands tall as the saddest. And asthis year’s towering example of theMariska Hargitay Syndrome.Nothing against Mariska Hargitay,who, for the record, won an Emmyin 2006. — AP

Walter White has lived a hectic life sincelearning he has terminal lung cancer,then deciding to apply his skills as a

high school chemistry teacher to cook and sellmethamphetamine so that, after he’s gone, hisfamily will be provided for. During the firstthree seasons of the AMC drama “BreakingBad,” Walt (played by series star BryanCranston) has grappled not only with cancer,but also with a Mexican drug cartel, his tor-mented wife, a brother-in-law who is a DEAagent, and his unstable partner in crime, JessePinkman (co-star Aaron Paul), a past washoutfrom Walter’s chemistry class who had becomea drug-abusing dealer.

Bleak, suspenseful, shocking and, at times,bitterly funny, “Breaking Bad” has charted thetransformation of Walt from a middle-classAlbuquerque, New Mexico, milquetoast to adark virtuoso of the crystal-meth game. Hiscancer seems less of a threat these days, but heregularly faces other perils. Meanwhile, thanksto the genius of this series, viewers root for Waltto escape each close call, despite his growingvillainy. “Breaking Bad” begins its fourth season

Sunday and, further upping the ante, futureepisodes pit Walt, mano a mano, against hismost formidable opponent yet: big-time drugboss Gustavo “Gus” Fring.

Gus has been a presence since Season 2,when, played by Giancarlo Esposito, heemerged as an instantly fascinating character -a man of professional mien, soft-spoken, even-tempered, precise.”I decided that I wanted toplay him really graceful, calm, even modest,”says Esposito. “I decided to trust that I could dovery, very little, and get my point across.” Hegets his point across all right, chillingly, whilekeeping Gus unexceptional to the naked eye. “Iwanted him to be someone who hides in plainsight,” says Esposito. Gus keeps his criminalactivities under wraps beneath his identity as alegitimate businessman. He owns several out-lets of a fast-food chain, Los Pollos Hermanos(“the Chicken Brothers”), as well as an industriallaundry processing center.

Walt and Gus have had their past differ-ences. Can Walt now forge an agreement withGus to get back to running the lab with Jesse?Well, not before the unforgiving Gus teaches

them a lesson on the order of:Even if it doesn’t make goodbusiness sense to kill you, I’llmake you wish you were dead.The mysterious Gus is appar-ently from South America. The53-year-old Esposito was bornin Copenhagen to a blackopera singer from the U.S. anda white Italian stage technicianat a Naples opera house. Hismother returned to New Yorkwith Esposito and his brotherwhen he was still a child.

There, understandablystage-struck, he landed anagent, auditioned for a musicalabout an Irish woman protect-ing orphaned children of run-away slaves, and made his

Broadway debut as one of those orphans in“Maggie Flynn,” starring Shirley Jones in thetitle role. “I went into show business to help mymother pay the bills, and to have some fun,” heexplains. “And I absolutely fell in love with it.”He worked as what he calls a song-and-danceman throughout his youth in numerous musi-cal shows. But then, in adulthood, he decidedto develop what he saw as a different craft: act-ing. “I wanted to be able to create characters -complicated people who you couldn’t just takeat face value, where there was always some-thing else going on,” he says. His long list ofcredits includes dozens of TV guest star roles, aswell as several series, notably “Homicide: Life onthe Street” and a groundbreaking 1990s come-dy, “Bakersfield P.D.” His numerous filmsinclude “Do the Right Thing,” “Bob Roberts,”“The Usual Suspects,” “Ali” and “Malcolm X.” In2008, he directed his first film, “Gospel Hill,” inwhich he starred with Angela Bassett andDanny Glover. Esposito says he was originallysigned for a single episode of “Breaking Bad.”The story called for Walt to be dispatched by ago-between to a fast-food restaurant to meet abuyer for the methamphetamine he and Jessehad cooked in their motor-home lab. On arriv-ing, Walt almost missed Gus, hidden in plainsight in his restaurant manager’s uniform. “In

that first scene in Los Pollos Hermanos when hedidn’t know who I was, for me to play that littlegame got us both very interested in each oth-er,” Esposito recalls, speaking as much abouthimself and Bryan Cranston as about Gus andWalt. “We listened to each other,” he says,explaining the secret to their acting chemistry,“and real listening is listening with every part ofyour being. From the beginning, that’s the wayI felt working with Bryan. I love working withthe guy. “And what always surprises me aboutBryan is, he’s really funny,” Esposito adds.“Masterfully funny.” In a separate interview,Cranston draws an equally admiring contrastbetween Esposito and the role he plays.“Giancarlo is a warm, spiritually embracing kindof man,” Cranston says. “And then, when heturns on Gus Fring, he goes dead. Like there’s ascreen that comes across his eyes, where youcannot go any further. He won’t let you inthere! It makes it easier for someone workingwith him, because he’s so real and honest.” Bywhich, Cranston means, Esposito in perform-ance is honestly intimidating. “The whole sea-son is like a chess match with him and me,” saysCranston. And not just between Walt and Gus,but between two fine actors connecting onscreen. “This,” says Esposito, “is the acting I’vealways wanted to do.” — AP

Giancarlo Esposito, right, and Bryan Cranston are shown in a scene from “BreakingBad.” — AP

‘Treme’ suffers Emmy neglect

Wendell Pierce is shown in a scene from the HBO series, “Treme.”. — AP

Melissa Leo is shown in a scenefrom ‘Treme’. — AP

From left, Aaron Paul, Jonathan Banks, Bryan Cranstonand Giancarlo Esposito are shown in a scene from the pre-miere episode of Season 4 of “Breaking Bad,”. — AP

Esposito breaks new groundas a ‘Breaking Bad’ foe

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

Before there was Band Aid orLive Aid, a We Are the Worldor Hands Across America,

there was singer-songwriter HarryChapin - lobbying for change inCongress, pestering an already con-vinced President Jimmy Carter toestablish a commission on worldhunger, and passing the hat fordonations at concerts large andsmall. Chapin has been gone nownearly as long as he l ived. Heachieved artistic and commercialsuccess with a string of hits in the1970s, songs l ike “Cats in theCradle,” “Taxi” and “Circle” thataging Baby Boomers - and theirbabies’ babies - still cherish.

His work as an advocate for thehungry is a legacy that resonates 30years after his death at age 38 whena tractor-trailer demolished his caron the Long Island Expressway.

Chapin died only hours before hewas to perform a free concert beforean expected crowd of 25,000 at theisland’s Eisenhower Park. Nowanother benefit concert is plannedby members of the Chapin family,including daughter Jen and hisbrothers Tom and Steve - also

recording artists - at a town park inChapin’s hometown of Huntington,on Long Island. Admission to theSaturday event is free, but fans areasked to bring donations of foodand money to benefit the LongIsland Cares food bank, anothercharity founded by Chapin.”Just tocall him an inspiration would mini-mize his real impact. Harry Chapin,his life and his efforts, did an awfullot not only to stimulate the successof We Are the World, but its longevi-ty,” said entertainer Harry Belafonte,a driving force behind the 1985 ben-

efit that raised millions to fight star-vation in Africa.

“It’s hard to overestimate theamount of good he did,” added Sen.Patrick Leahy, a close friend ofChapin’s who confessed he brokedown in tears after he was sum-moned from the Senate floor on July16, 1981, and told of the fatal crash.Speaking at Chapin’s memorial serv-ice, Leahy said, was one of the mostdiff icult things he’s ever done.“There are a huge number of people

who probably have no idea who heis,” Leahy told The Associated Pressin a telephone interview. “All theyknow is they got fed because of himand they wouldn’t have otherwise,both in this country and abroad.”

The Vermont Democrat recalls ameeting with Carter in the WhiteHouse, when Carter agreed to forma commission focusing on worldhunger.

Chapin’s tenacious spirit almostkyboshed the deal,Leahy said.”Wesat around the Cabinet room and hestarts tell ing the president we

should do this. And the president’strying to say ‘ I agree with you,Harry. ’ And he’s just getting allwound up and excited. I finally said,‘Harry, Harry, don’t talk him out ofit . ’ Everybody laughed, but hepushed for it and pushed so hard.”Continuing his work three decadeson is clearly a labor of love for theChapin family, says Jen Chapin, asinger-songwriter who often per-forms with her father’s guitar. Sheand other relatives have served onthe board of directors ofWhyHunger, a charity her father co-founded as “World Hunger Year” inthe 1970s. “It’s part of the fabric ofour everyday lives,” said Chapin,

who was 10 when her father died. Whenever she appears in con-

cert, fans tell her of their affectionfor her father. “A lot of peopleremember him and make connec-tions, share stories,” she said. Shedoesn’ t doubt that her father mayhave drifted toward a career in poli-tics had he not been killed, recallingtalk that he was considering a bidfor a US Senate seat in New Yorkbefore he died. If he were alivetoday? “He would have been all overthe social media. He was a very fast-paced person living in a much slow-er world.” Since her father’s passing,entertainers including BruceSpringsteen, Kenny Rogers and oth-ers have become forceful advocateson the hunger issue.

Springsteen has for many yearsallowed local food banks to collectdonations at his concerts. “The factof the matter is Harry was the great-est advocate for the homeless andmalnourished in the entertainmentbusiness,” says Ken Kragen, Chapin’smanager for the last three years ofhis life. Kragen is credited with help-ing organize the We Are The Worldrecording, and later was a founderof Hands Across America, anotherendeavor to f ight hunger andhomelessness. “I think that he reallyinspired the events of the mid- andlater 80s,” Kragen said. “I wouldhope he would be very pleased athow much he has inspired.”

Belafonte told The AP that heand Chapin were not intimatefriends, but had met several times.“We shared the platform on a num-ber of occasions and I alwaysresponded favorably whenever heasked me to do anything, whether itwas to write a letter or make a call,”the 84-year-old singer said in a tele-phone interview. “In that context, Igrew to really admire him, not onlyfor his commitment to the cause ofhunger, but also the fact that he didit with such passion, such real com-mitment.—AP

Harry Chapin recalled as a

(Above) In this Nov. 1976, photoprovided by WhyHunger, HarryChapin urges radio listeners toget involved in the fight againsthunger at a New York radio sta-tion during WhyHunger’s secondannual Hungerthon. (Left) In this file photo of Aug.13, 1980 at a political fundrais-er, from left, Ralph Nader, MarkGreen, Gilda Radner and HarryChapin, pose for a photo in theEmpire State Bui lding NewYork. — AP photos

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

With “Mad Men,” “BoardwalkEmpire” and other prestigeseries, cable ruled the Emmy

nominations for drama. But broadcastnetworks got the last laugh with theirsitcoms. Of the six nominees for bestdrama series only one, CBS’ “The GoodWife,” is a network program. Of the half-dozen comedy series contenders, all airon networks.Members of the Academy of

Television Arts & Sciences clearlyfavored sitcom tradition in Thursday’snominations. “Modern Family,” ‘’TheOffice” and other broadcast shows havea more purely comic bent and err on thegood-natured side of satire. Cablecomedies are increasingly, in a word,mordant: Think Showtime’s “The Big C,”about a cancer-stricken woman. “Therewas a heyday of comedies on cable like‘Sex and the City,’ but now it’s broad-cast” that dominates the genre forEmmy voters, said Tom O’Neil, editor ofthe award websites goldderby.com andtheenvelope.com.The lack of cable comedy bids may

represent “a bit of a backlash” againstthe hybrid comedy-drama, O’Neil said. Italso underscores the sitcom’s resur-gence on broadcast TV, which seemedto lose its comic touch as hits such as“Friends” and “Seinfeld” faded intomemory and weren’t replaced.A winning new crop is now emerg-

ing, including ABC’s “Modern Family”and its clever take on what family hascome to mean. Crowned best comedyseries after its freshman season, itreceived 17 nominations this timearound. Nods also went to NBC’s “Parksand Recreation,” ‘’The Office” and “30Rock,” CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory” andFox’s “Glee.”They’ve yet to break into lofty ratings

territory - only one comedy, CBS’ formerCharlie Sheen vehicle “Two and a HalfMen,” cracks the Nielsen top 20 - butthey’re generating buzz and gainingmomentum. “OK, keep it together,” asurprised nominations co-announcerMelissa McCarthy said Thursday whenshe realized she was a nominee herselffor “Mike & Molly.” While cable comedies were over-

looked, their stars weren’t. Edie Falco,who was named best actress in a come-

dy last year for Showtime’s “NurseJackie,” was nominated again. LauraLinney scored a bid for “The Big C” andLouis C.K. earned a best comedy actorbid for his FX Networks show “Louie.”Given broadcasters fixation on fran-

chise crime dramas such as “CSI” and“NCIS,” it’s unsurprising that cable’s dar-ing, unique (and often awash in nudityand violence) series dominate theEmmys. Besides handing AMC’s “MadMen” 19 nominations and a shot at afourth consecutive best drama seriestrophy, the academy gave fistfuls of bidsto HBO’s wild Prohibition-era series“Boardwalk Empire” (18) and fantasysaga “Game of Thrones” (13). Other bestdrama cable nominees are DirecTV’s“Friday Night Lights” and Showtime’s“Dexter.”“The Good Wife” had to be really

good to wrestle a spot. It received eightother nominations, including one forstar Julianna Margulies. The periodmelodrama “Mildred Pierce,” starringKate Winslet and based on the 1941James M. Cain novel, grabbed a top 21bids, including best miniseries or movieThere was room for fresh faces,

including best drama actress nomineeMireille Enos of AMC’s “The Killing” andbest drama actor Timothy Olyphant of

FX Networks’ “Justified.” And there werelongtime favorites as well, most notablyBetty White. The 89-year-old wondernabbed a best supporting actress bid forthe sitcom “Hot in Cleveland.” If shewins, it would be her eighth Emmy. “Iam so thrilled. How lucky can an oldbroad be?” White said by phone a fewminutes after her agent woke her. “Iwasn’t even thinking about the nomina-tions because I didn’t even think therewas a chance.”Jon Hamm of “Mad Men” received his

fourth nomination and another chanceto convert one to a win. Although three-time winner Bryan Cranston is out of therunning because “Breaking Bad” took abreather, Steve Buscemi, a Golden Globewinner for “Boardwalk Empire” is amongthe formidable competitors. Emmy vot-

ers have a chance to flaunt their risk-tak-ing side with “Game of Thrones,” giventhe usual resistance to rewarding genreshows such as fantasy or science fiction.The series based on the George R.R.Martin novels scored a best drama nodbut only a single acting bid, for PeterDinklage in a supporting role. —AP

For Emmys, networks have the right sense of humor

Michael C. Hallarrives for the62nd PrimetimeEmmy Awards inLos Angeles. Hallwas nominatedfor an Emmyaward for bestactor in a dramaseries for his rolein “Dexter”.

Jon Hamm portrays Don Draper in the AMC series, “MadMen.” The series was nominated for an Emmy for bestdrama series, and Jon Hamm was nominated for bestactor in a drama series.

Actors Melissa McCarthy, left, and Joshua Jackson announce nominees for Lead Actor in aDrama Series during nominations for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards at the Academy ofTelevision Arts & Sciences in Los Angeles. — AP photos

Actress and producer Tina Feyattends the NBC Network Upfrontin New York. Fey was nominatedfor an Emmy award for best actressin a comedy series for her role in“30 Rock”.

Actor Hugh Laurie arrives at theFOX 2011 Winter Press Tour partyin Pasadena, Calif. Laurie was nom-inated for an Emmy award for bestactor in a drama series for his rolein “House”.

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

If last year’s “Harry Potter and theDeathly Hallows: Part 1” marked thebeginning of the end with a gripping

feeling of doom and gloom, “HarryPotter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”wraps things up once and for all on anote of melancholy.Oh, it’s dramatic, to be sure: gor-

geous, somber and startling as theyoung wizard faces his destiny and fightsthe evil Lord Voldemort. But the end ofthis staggeringly successful movie fran-chise, an epic fantasy saga spanningeight films over the past decade, pro-vides a necessary emotional catharsis forHarry and for us. Even those who aren’tardent Potterphiles - who aren’t waitingin a line around the theater with theirhomemade wands and hand-drawnlightning scars - might find themselvesgetting unexpectedly choked up a cou-ple of times.

That’s always been the real magic ofthe series, based on J K Rowling’s novels:that mixture of the exotic and the every-day, the otherworldly and the utterlyrelatable. No longer the innocent chil-dren they were when they enteredHogwarts, Harry, Ron and Hermione aregrowing up and moving on, and so mustwe. That the future of the wizard worldhangs in the balance in this final install-ment is only part of the tale.Still, director David Yates has accom-

plished the difficult task of bringing it allto a close in satisfying fashion. Havingdirected the last four of the eight films,Yates has provided a momentum andcohesion to the “Harry Potter” canon,which has gotten progressively darkerand more mature. And Steve Kloves,who’s written all but one of the screen-plays in the series, has once again risento the challenge of trying to please

purists and casual viewers alike in adapt-ing Rowling’s revered writing.It’s hard to imagine how complicated

this must have been, given the density ofthe mythology, even though the finalbook was divided into two films.(Although the epilogue, which featuressome of the main characters decked outin grown-up makeup, does seem a bitcheesy and hasty and it might inspire afew giggles.)At the same time, because it took two

films to depict the action in the lastinstallment, this second half doesn’t feeloverstuffed or overlong. It moves withgreat urgency toward the final show-down between Harry (Daniel Radcliffe)and Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes, deeplydisturbing as usual); danger infusesevery moment, and it never overstays itswelcome. Much of that has to do withthe look of the film, both in its attentionto inventive detail and to the sweeping,elaborate set pieces. The cinematogra-phy from Eduardo Serra, who also shot“Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” is once againrichly ominous and beautifully bleak.Here, Hogwarts isn’t a warm, bustlingplace full of possibilities but rather afearsome fortress swarming with DeathEaters, where Professor Severus Snape(the deliciously icy Alan Rickman) rulesas if leading his own fascist regime.Yes, “Deathly Hallows: Part 2” is in 3-D

- it’s the only installment in the series tobe presented that way - and as usual,that was unnecessary. The technical ele-ments all looked flawless and immersivein the previous film. (Warner Bros. wiselychose not to rush the conversion from 2-D on “Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” andinstead took more time for the processhere.) But the addition of a third dimen-sion does allow some details to pop, and

it’s never a distraction. Although the“Potter” films have always been aboutthe escape of the spectacle, the kids andtheir struggle to navigate both good andevil provides some much-needed root-ing in reality. Radcliffe has never beenbetter, and brief flashbacks to the earli-est images of him in the role only serveas a reminder of how far he’s come. Thecharacter has long since been cementedinto his identity, but more is required ofhim physically and emotionally thanever before, and he’s more than up for itall.“Deathly Hallows: Part 2” drops us

into a menacing version of this worldwe’ve come to know, immediately andwithout explanation; it’s a bit disorient-ing at first, even if you’ve seen all that’scome before it. Then again, if you’rebothering to check out the finale, in the-ory you should know what’s going on.Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint) and

Hermione (Emma Watson) are still hunt-ing Horcruxes - scattered containers thathold pieces of Voldemort’s soul, whichare crucial to Harry’s survival - in order todestroy them. One of them is beingstored in Bellatrix Lestrange’s bank vault,which allows Helena Bonham Carter tohave a bit of fun with her wicked charac-ter. Hogwarts is no longer a place ofrefuge as Voldemort draws ever closer;his attack on the stately school isthrilling, but it also provides moments ofheroism for some characters you mightnot expect.Still, this is the place where all the nar-

rative and emotional threads must con-verge and tie up at last. While “DeathlyHallows: Part 2” offers long-promisedanswers, it also dares to pose some eter-nal questions, and it’ll stay with you afterthe final chapter has closed. —AP

M A N I A

In this film publicity image released by Warner Bros Pictures, Daniel Radcliffe portrays Harry Potterin a scene from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.” — AP

Final ‘Potter’ film is

sad and satisfying

ORLANDO: In this image provided by UniversalOrlando Resort surprised guests who attendedthe midnight film screening of ‘Harry Potter andthe Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ at AMC UniversalCineplex yesterday enter the The Wizarding Worldof Harry Potter theme park. — AP photos

Ralph Fiennes portrays Lord Voldemort. — AP

In some fantasy world, Daniel Radcliffemight be a low-level gofer on moviesets. Emma Watson might be a nobody

auditioning for stage plays. Tom Feltonmight be noodling around as a musician.And Rupert Grint might be selling icecream on the street.With the finale “HarryPotter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”arriving this week, the young stars of oneof Hollywood’s biggest film franchises pon-dered what they might be doing if the act-ing thing hadn’t worked out.

Radcliffe:An 11-year-old when picked for the title

role of the “Harry Potter” franchise,Radcliffe figures that since his parentsworked in the arts - his mother as a castingdirector, his father as a literary agent - hewould have ended up in show business.But not as an actor, probably as an assis-tant director. “What probably would havehappened, when I got to about 17, 18, andit became apparent, as it would have done,to my parents that I wasn’t going to begoing to university, I’m sure they probablywould have tried to get me, like, an intern-ship on a film as a runner. And then I’d justtry to work my way up the A.D. ladder fromthere,” said Radcliffe, whose pre-”HarryPotter” acting work included the title rolein a British television production of “DavidCopperfield.”

“To this day, I still fancy myself as a bit ofan A.D. Anyone who works with me will tellyou if they give me a radio, I constantlykind of try to run messages between peo-ple, that I always like to know exactlywhat’s going on around the set. So if some-body’s saying, ‘Where’s so and so? We needthem now,’ I can go, ‘They’re there. Thatperson’s coming back. They’ve just gone tothe toilet.’ I really like to know exactlywhat’s going on at all times on set, becauseI like to feel that’s another way in which Ican make myself useful.”

Watson:Just 10 when she was cast as bookish

Hermione Granger, Watson had no previ-ous professional acting experience. Yetshe’s convinced that no matter how shewould have gone on to make a living, act-ing still would have been part of her life. “Iwould have found some way to end up act-ing, performing. I mean, obviously, not onthis scale, but I would have been doing it,I’m sure,” Watson said. “I would have beendoing plays. I’m almost a hundred percentsure I would be doing plays, I would be act-ing. I mean, that would be a sideline thingfor me. I would be focusing toward somekind of career that I’m not really sure ofnow, but I definitely would have been per-forming, some way or another.”

Grint:Also a screen newcomer when chosen

at 11 to play jittery but stalwart sidekickRon Weasley, Grint finds it daunting toimagine a life in which he never landedamong the “Harry Potter” clan. “I don’tknow. It’s quite a scary thought. I sawrecently, they put on one of the DVDs,footage from our screen tests when wewere first kind of auditioning. In one ofthem, there was a test with Emma and Danwith a different Ron, another kid who wasauditioning at the same time. That wasvery weird to see that, because he wasgood. I probably would have picked him.“It was weird to think what I’d be doingnow. ... I’d have probably gone down theart route.

I wanted to design hats for a while whenI was really young. And being an ice creamman was another dream, but I’ve kind of letgo of that now.

I bought an ice cream van and broughtit up, actually, on the last day and servedice cream to the crew. I don’t really drive ittoo much now, because you get peoplequeuing up on the street.” —AP

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

M A N I A

Rupert Grint portrays Ron Weasley, left, and Helena Bonham Carter portraysBellatrix Lestrange in a scene from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:Part 2.” — AP

The world of “Harry Potter” hasalways centered on the boy wiz-ard and his pals as they navigate

danger, outsmart villains and hurtletoward their inevitable destiny. But theeight-film series has also featured awho’s-who of outstanding British actorsplaying the adults in this magical world.Since it all ends this week with therelease of “Harry Potter and the DeathlyHallows: Part 2,” here’s a look at fivefavorite grown-ups from the franchise:

Alan Rickman as Severus Snape:Probably the most fascinating figure inthe Potter world because of his shiftingalliances and an emotional depth that’sunexpected given his icy demeanor.Rickman is captivating in the role, withhis droll, deadpan delivery that oozescondescending menace. A half-bloodwizard, Snape has been a minion of theevil Lord Voldemort as well as an ally ofHogwarts headmaster AlbusDumbledore. He’s served as the intimi-dating Defense Against the Dark Artsprofessor and eventually headmasterhimself but he’s also been a protectorof Harry. Snape bullies his students buthe also reveals his bravery, and in thisfinal film, a flashback that explains hishistory with the young wizard providesone of its most poignant scenes. RalphFiennes as Voldemort: Fiennes is justchilling as the dark lord, the lifelongnemesis Harry is destined to fight, andthat’s only partly because of his freak-ish, noseless appearance. His soft, hiss-ing delivery is more disarming in a waythan if he’d issued his threats andorders with a bellowing boom. Theartist formerly known as Tom Riddlewas once the most brilliant studentHogwarts had ever seen.

But he used those strengths to trans-form himself into the most powerfuldark wizard ever, and boy, does hehave it in for Harry Potter. He seriously

needs to find a hobby. MichaelGambon as Dumbledore: Gambon tookover the role after the death of RichardHarris, who played the headmaster atthe Hogwarts School of Witchcraft andWizardry in the first two films in thefranchise, “Sorcerer’s Stone” and“Chamber of Secrets.” And he took adifferent approach to the part: While heremained a bastion of all that is goodand true in the world, a steady andauthoritative voice of reason, Gambonplayed him with a bit more fire andrange than Harris. Perhaps that’s alsobecause more of the character isrevealed to us over time. With his long,silver hair and beard, Dumbledore isrevered, but he’s also got some secrets.Helena Bonham Carter as BellatrixLestrange: A great opportunity for thisversatile actress to show off her wildside. With her dark, untamed locks andsevere, black wardrobe, Bellatrix isfiercely loyal to Voldemort as a memberof his army of Death Eaters. BonhamCarter plays the role with wicked glee,reveling in the over-the-top nature ofbeing an evil flunky, even though thecharacter herself comes from an elitewizarding family. —AP

5 favorite ‘Harry Potter’ grown-ups

LONDON:HelenaBonhamCarterarrives inTrafalgarSquare.

In this film publicity image released by Warner Bros. Pictures, from left,Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are shown in a scenefrom “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. — AP

Stars mull options if ‘Potter’

hadn’t come calling

Daniel Radcliffe is shown in a scene from “Harry Potter and theDeathly Hallows: Part 2.” — AP

T E C H N O L O G Y

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

BANGKOK: She tells us when she has asore throat, craves a milkshake or isstuck in a traffic jam. The US ambassadorto Thailand is everywhere on Twitter-and far from traditional diplomatic prac-tice. “Probably other people have a sorethroat too,” Kristie Kenney told AFP, asshe explained her unconventionalapproach to the job. For Kenney, thedays of starchy emissaries living in ivorytowers are over. Diplomacy, said the 56-year-old, is about relationships. Betweentwo governments, of course, but alsobetween two peoples.

Facebook, Twitter and other socialnetworking sites have created connec-tions that never used to exist, andKenney-who arrived in Thailand inJanuary-has opened up to them in a dis-armingly friendly way. Nearly 20,000people “follow” her daily Thai travels viaTwitter. “For me it’s a connection and it’sa way to connect people,” sheexplained. “And it allows people to feelthat they can reach out to the ambassa-dor, who is not just a figure hidden in abig building.” The “connection” wovenby her predecessor was of a somewhatdifferent order. In late 2010, theWikileaks website published cables bythe former ambassador Eric John whichquoted unflattering comments aboutthe future of the monarchy-a majortaboo in Thailand.

The cables caused a stir, especiallysince the US has been an ally of Bangkoksince the beginning of the Cold War. IsKenney, then, on a mission to improvethe image of the United States inThailand? “I’ve never sort of thought ofit as a grand strategic plan,” she said,adding that her Twitter feed is personaland has nothing to do with the StateDepartment. But she admits some inWashington might have found herrelaxed style suitable for the job. “It doesmake sense,” said the diplomat, wholikes to be “someone transparent” in hermethods. “People have a sense of what Iam doing, where I am now.”

Kenney has gone beyond theInternet in her high-profile efforts toembrace Thai culture. Earlier this month,she was one of two foreigners honouredby the Ministry of Culture for outstand-ing proficiency in the Thai language.‘Good morning tweethearts!’- And inone of her most memorable stunts, shewas pictured in several Thai newspapers

parachuting above rice fields, wearing acrisp white tracksuit, helmet, gogglesand a huge smile. “People mention it tome all the time,” she said. “Regularlypeople say, ‘Oh my gosh I saw you, howwas that?’ And I say it was a terrifying...not-to-be-repeated adventure.” Her atti-tude has raised eyebrows and evenexasperated some of the more tradition-al embassy staff in the Thai capital.

“It’s Alice in Wonderland,” said oneforeign diplomat. “Frankly, after theparachute, one had to wonder what shewould find next.”

But Kenney is not alone in embracingthe “soft power” of cultural diplomacyand social networking. In one recenttweet, she said the coffee was brewingahead of breakfast with her friend AsifAhmad, the British ambassador toThailand. “I can almost sense the aromadown the road!” he tweeted in response.US President Barack Obama, who pio-neered the use of social media duringhis 2008 election campaign, fired off hisfirst tweet from the White House in earlyJuly.

The American embassies are “leadingthe pack in Southeast Asia” in terms ofsocial media, said Jon Russell, a bloggerfrom the Asian Correspondent website,and Kenney’s popularity is down to herpersonal and responsive manner. “Thispersonal approach feeds into many

Thais’ interest in reading snippets fromfamous people’s lives, as well as thechance to reach out and contact them,”Russell added. Kenney denied her infor-mal style-”Good morning tweethearts!”is a typical daily message-detracts frommore serious diplomatic matters, suchas keeping secrets, delivering speechesand providing feedback fromWashington.

“I am completely comfortable withmy ability to be clear and direct. And Idon’t think the people I meet with don’tunderstand what I mean,” she said.While it’s impossible to gauge what theThai authorities think, Kenney hasbecome a huge hit with the generalpublic and the media since she beganwork in Bangkok in January-more sothan any of her diplomatic peers in thecity. “Not that other diplomats aren’tfriendly, though. It’s just that the new USambassador to Thailand is un-diplomati-cally pleasant and gracious,” wroteTulsathit Taptim in the English-languageNation newspaper.

Three days after the election, theubiquitous ambassador was pictured onthe front of The Nation with Thailand’sincoming premier Yingluck Shinawatra,while on the back she was snapped withoutgoing leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva.“Talked to Khun Yingluck yesterday tocongratulate on Thai elections. —AFP

US ambassador connects with Thai ‘Tweethearts’Diplomacy is about relationships: Kenney

BANGKOK: US ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney (left) with YingluckShinawatra (right). —AFP

Spotify is now available in the US

STOCKHOLM: Swedish music streaming service Spotifylaunched Thursday in the United States, its first foray out-side Europe, after reaching agreements with the musicindustry there, the company announced. “Spotify, thelargest and fastest growing music service of its kind, isavailable from today in the US,” the company said in astatement. Spotify said it now has some 10 million users-including more than 1.6 million paying ones-acrossSweden, Norway, France, Finland, Britain, Spain and theNetherlands.

“Stay tuned, the US wont be the last country,”Spotify’s head in North America Ken Parks told AFPThursday, without any further details. Spotify, a web-based legal streaming service, lets users access a libraryof some 15 million tracks and listen to them on a com-puter or mobile phone. The free version is financed byadvertising and comes with some restrictions, whichusers can avoid by purchasing a five or ten euro (or fiveor ten dollar) plan. Listeners can also buy individualsongs. Founded in 2006 by Swedes Daniel Ek, then in histwenties, and Martin Lorentzon, the service first launchedin 2008 in Sweden and says it has since become theworld’s largest streaming service.

It has some 300 employees and is seen as a chance forthe music industry to regain the market share lostthrough illegal downloading. “Spotify was founded as abetter, simpler alternative to piracy. So making sure thatthe people who create the music prosper is hugelyimportant to us,” Parks said. The US launch was the sub-ject of rumors for many months but Parks said the com-pany took its time to make sure to have the same successin “the largest music market in the world” as it did inEurope. “Our objective is to get this product between thehands of the maximal number of users and let them fol-low what’s been done in Europe,” he said. “We’re verykeen to replicate the same European model, so everyonewanted to be deliberative. But rather than looking back ...we want to look forward for a launch of all of the majorlabels and a huge number of indies,” he said.

He added Facebook, the world’s largest social net-work, would be used to promote Spotify in the US marketbut did not comment on a May report on a closer tie-upbetween the two services. —AFP

BERLIN: This file photo shows headphones displayed atan electronics fair in Berlin. Swedish music streamingservice Spotify launched in the US on Thursday. — AFP

Everyone is looking for the next“Angry Birds.” Since the avianmenaces invaded Apple’s iPhone

in December 2009, the game and itsspinoffs have been downloaded morethan 250 million times. Since the iPaddebuted last April, “Angry Birds HD”has been at or near the top of its TopPaid Apps chart. The characters havemoved on to T-shirts, plush toys andboard games, and there’s even beentalk of a movie or TV show. There’s noway to duplicate such success,although there are enough critter-fling-

ing rip-offs in the App Store to popu-late a good-sized zoo. But if any compa-ny has a shot, it would be Chillingo, theUK-based publisher that picked up“Angry Birds” from Finnish developerRovio Mobile.

“Feed Me Oil” ($1.99 for iPad, 99cents for iPhone) is Chillingo’s latestbrain-bender. Like “Angry Birds,” it’s a“physics puzzler” - to solve each level,you have to work around the some-what unrealistic physics of the game’suniverse. In this case, you have a mon-ster that is thirsty for the oil spewing

from an inconveniently placed spout.You’re given a limited assortment ofsimple tools, like rotating platforms,fans and magnets, to direct the oil flowinto the monster’s mouth. Your scoredepends on how many tools you haveto use, and since there’s never just onecorrect solution, you’ll be tempted toretry levels to find more elegant solu-tions. Easy to grasp yet increasinglydevious, “Feed Me Oil” is slick stuff.Three stars out of four.

“Tiny Tower” (NimbleBit, free for iPadand iPhone) is closer in spirit to another

phenomenon, the Facebook-basedtime-killer “FarmVille.” Instead of grow-ing crops and breeding livestock,though, you’re building an urban sky-scraper. As the clock ticks, you earncoins to invest in your tower, addingresidential and business floors; youneed some of each, since the “bitizens”who work in your stores need apart-ments to live in. You can also earn“Towerbux” by completing simple tasks,like finding a particular bitizen, and youcan use Towerbux to speed up con-struction or inventory restocking. —AP

No shortage of addictive new iPad games

t e c h n o l o g ySATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

LONDON: Britain’s celebrities mightno longer have to worry about theNews of the World hacking phonesor rifling their bins, but the mannerof the paper’s demise shows con-trolling information is getting muchmore difficult. Rupert Murdoch’sNews Corp may have hoped thatcosy relationships with Britain’spolice and political parties would beenough to avoid too close an inves-tigation of persistent allegationsthat the paper’s journalists had bro-ken the law.

In the past, that might haveworked. But once the old-schoolinvestigative reporters of Britain’sGuardian newspaper revealed hack-ing victims included teenage mur-der victim Milly Dowler, bombingvictims and the families of Britain’swar dead, social media and theInternet took over. The initial storymight have come from mainstreamprint media, but the online wave ofoutrage-which swiftly turned tomass lobbying of advertisers, whodeserted the paper in droves to savepublic face-was something newer,the latest example of social mediaacting as an accelerant in a politicalcrisis. The rise of the Internet andparticularly social media are revolu-tionizing the structures of who con-trols information- and therefore to acertain extent the resulting struc-tures of power. Keeping secrets isgetting harder, stealing them in vastquantities and disseminating theinformation to the world easier — asseen last year with WikiLeaks. It mayall be bad news for media mogulssuch as Murdoch.

“What you’re seeing in all thesecases is what you might term ademocratization, a decline in thepower of the traditional ‘gatekeep-ers’ such as governments and news-paper editors,” said Jonathan Wood,

Control Risks global issues analyst.“Information can be taken in hugequantities and sent immediatelyaround the world-and it’s muchharder to stop it.”

That would make the kind of“gentleman’s agreement” betweenmedia chiefs and others-for exam-ple, to ensure privacy for politicians’families or the secret deployment ofPrince Harry in Afghanistan-muchharder in years to come, he said.Ten years ago, a well-connectedpolitician or company trying to kill astory would have picked up thephone to national newspaper edi-tors and perhaps the heads of keyTV channels. Now, they are morelikely to be worried about what is onTwitter, Facebook and Google-which can be much more difficult toinfluence.

Secrecy gets harder“For me, the key lesson of this

story is the same one we’ve seenelsewhere, that secrecy is gettingmuch harder,” said Kevin Craig,managing director of British consul-tancy Political Lobbying and MediaRelations (PLMR).

“The bottom line is that everyonehas to get more used to greatertransparency.” Already, companieskeen to protect their public imageoften spend as much on online rep-utation management as they spendon conventional media relations.Meanwhile, governments are find-ing that controlling or influencingthe mainstream press is no longerenough to shape the news agenda.

Both the “Arab Spring” andWikileaks saga both showed themstruggling to control informationthrough censorship or Internetblocks whilst individuals found iteasier to disseminate opinion andcoordinate protest or political

action. Twitter in particular allowsthousands of popular dissentingvoices to coalesce and lobby thosein authority, organise flash mobsand even cyber attacks and spreadotherwise controlled stories-such asthose covered by UK privacy “super-injunctions” banning mainstreammedia from covering them.

The viral way in which campaignscan spread means a firm’s reputa-tion can come under sustainedattack in hours-in this case produc-ing the advertising boycott thatkilled Britain’s largest circulationweekly newspaper. Product boy-cotts have been organised before,but on the Internet they spreadmuch faster.

The online anger also helpedforce Britain’s political leaders-whohad wooed Murdoch for decades-toturn on the press baron, forcing himto abandon immediate hopes for atakeover of satellite broadcasterBSkyB. “It’s ironic, because the Newsof the World was always particularlygood at creating the kind of mobfrenzy we’ve seen here,” said TimHardy, founder of UK-based blogBeyond Clicktivism. “But in the socialmedia era, things have changed. Insome ways, the way in which con-sumers can band together to- forexample-boycott a brand is akin towhat you might see with a tradeunion coordinating to withholdlabour. As we’ve seen, it can be veryeffective.”

The sheer level of potential priva-cy invasion by tabloid journalists hasshocked many. All the resources ofthe British government, it appears,may have been unable to protectGordon Brown, a former chancellorand prime minister, from having hispersonal bank and family medicaldata stolen. — Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO: Sony Computer EntertainmentAmerica on Wednesday revealed a plan to invest $20million in unique games tailored exclusively forPlayStation Network (PSN). The money will be distrib-uted during the coming three years to Sony affiliatedstudios as well as to independent game makers cho-sen for backing by a “Pub Fund” the Japanese enter-tainment colossus established in 2009. The move ispart of a strategy by Sony to win more fans to itsonline PSN for PlayStation 3 videogame console usersby providing enticing games unavailable at rivals suchas Xbox Live.

“We think it is important for everyone with a PS3 tobe engaged in the network,” PSN marketing directorBrandon Stander told AFP. “It needs to stand out fromthe crowd to make sure it is top of mind,” he said.“Consumers have lots of entertainment options andwe want to be the place in the gaming category forstuff that can’t be found anywhere else.” Upcomingtitles for the PSN portfolio include “Eufloria” in whichplayers explore space and nurture semi-organic crea-tures. A “PAYDAY” game for PSN will let people play ascareer criminals pulling off major heists.

A vibrant “Papo & Yo” game that challenges playersto solve puzzles with the help of a monster sidekickwith a dangerous addiction to poison frogs is due outon PSN next year. An early version of the game proveda hit at the major Electronic Entertainment Expovideogame extravaganza last month in Los Angeles.“Certainly tried-and-true things have a place in ourhearts, but this investment seeks to push the bound-aries of what is out there,” Stander said. “We hope tobring artistry and originality to interactive entertain-ment.” — AFP

Press barons, editors lose theirinformation ‘gatekeeper’ role

Social media, Internet change political, media dynamics

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama responds to a ‘slightly skewed question’ from House Speaker JohnBoehner during what was billed as the first Twitter town hall at the White House. — AFP

SAN FRANCISCO: The Sony Playstation 3. Sony hassaid that it’s investing $20 million into new gamesfor the PlayStation Network. — AFP

Sony backs unique gamesfor PlayStation Network

The Smurfs’ Village game, shown on an iPad. — AP

T V l i s t i n g sSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

00:45 Dogs/Cats/Pets 10101:40 Untamed & Uncut02:35 Last Chance Highway03:30 Whale Wars04:25 After the Attack05:20 Animal Cops Houston06:10 Must Love Cats07:00 Lemur Street07:25 Michaela’s Animal Road Trip08:15 The Really Wild Show08:40 Jeff Corwin Unleashed09:10 New Breed Vets with SteveIrwin10:05 Dogs 10111:00 Cats 10111:55 Crocodile Hunter12:50 Trophy Cats13:45 Animal Cops Houston14:40 Mutant Planet20:10 Cats 10121:05 Ultimate Air Jaws22:00 Shark Bait Beach22:55 I’m Alive

00:00 Lead Balloon00:30 The Weakest Link01:15 Survivors02:05 How The Beatles Rocked TheKremlin02:55 The Cup03:25 Doctors03:55 Dinnerladies04:30 Fimbles04:50 Balamory05:10 Tikkabilla05:40 Charlie And Lola05:50 Fimbles06:10 Balamory06:30 Tikkabilla07:00 Fimbles07:20 Balamory07:40 Tikkabilla08:10 Charlie And Lola08:20 Fimbles08:40 Balamory09:00 Tikkabilla09:30 Charlie And Lola09:40 Dinnerladies10:50 Elbow With The BBC ConcertOrchestra11:50 The Weakest Link12:35 Eastenders14:35 Strictly Come Dancing16:20 One Foot In The Grave16:50 Elbow With The BBC ConcertOrchestra17:50 The Weakest Link18:35 Holby City20:15 Robin Hood21:00 BBC Electric Proms 200721:50 How The Beatles Rocked TheKremlin22:40 One Foot In The Grave23:10 Red Cap

HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE ON OSN ACTION HD

00:05 Unwrapped00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives00:55 Lidia’s Italy01:45 Chopped02:35 Good Eats - Special03:25 Food Network Challenge04:15 Good Eats - Special04:40 Unwrapped05:05 Ten Dollar Dinners05:30 Paula’s Best Dishes05:50 Paula’s Party06:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics07:00 Chopped07:50 Guy’s Big Bite08:15 Everyday Italian08:40 Good Deal With DaveLieberman09:05 Ten Dollar Dinners09:30 Paula’s Best Dishes09:55 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics10:20 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives10:45 Lidia’s Italy11:10 Unwrapped11:35 Paula’s Party12:25 Everyday Italian12:50 Paula’s Best Dishes13:15 Good Deal With DaveLieberman13:40 Ultimate Recipe Showdown14:30 Lidia’s Italy14:55 Unwrapped15:20 Boy Meets Grill15:45 Chopped16:35 Guy’s Big Bite17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back ToBasics17:25 Lidia’s Italy17:50 Everyday Italian18:15 Paula’s Party19:05 Good Eats - Special19:30 Food Network Challenge20:20 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives20:45 Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives21:10 Food Network Challenge22:00 Chopped22:50 Ultimate Recipe Showdown23:40 Good Eats - Special

01:45 The Front-PG1503:30 Charlie And Boots-PG1505:15 Delgo-FAM07:15 Rugrats Go Wild-FAM09:00 Delgo-FAM11:00 MacHEADS-PG1512:45 A Christmas Carol-PG

00:00 Child’s Play 3-1802:00 Blood And Bone-1804:00 Child’s Play 3-1806:00 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider-PG1508:00 Speed-PG1510:00 Arlington Road-1812:00 Hollywood Homicide-PG1514:00 Speed-PG1516:00 The Italian Job (2003)-PG1518:00 Hollywood Homicide-PG1520:00 Bad Boys II-PG1522:30 What Lies Beneath-PG15

00:00 Kim Possible00:25 Fairly Odd Parents01:15 Stitch02:00 Replacements02:50 Emperors New School03:35 Stitch04:25 Replacements05:15 Fairly Odd Parents06:00 Jungle Junction06:25 Handy Manny06:45 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse07:10 Jake & The Neverland Pirates07:30 Fish Hooks08:00 Suite Life On Deck08:25 Good Luck Charlie10:30 Lemonade Mouth (Extended)(Cema)12:25 Shake It Up12:50 Suite Life On Deck13:40 Wizards Of Waverly Place14:25 Hannah Montana15:15 Fish Hooks15:25 Good Luck Charlie16:10 Wizards Of Waverly Place17:00 Hannah Montana17:25 Shake It Up17:50 Fish Hooks18:20 Shake It Up19:10 Princess ProtectionProgramme20:55 Wizards Of Waverly Place21:25 Fish Hooks

00:40 Dirty Jobs01:35 Miami Ink02:30 Ultimate Survival03:25 Heartland Thunder04:20 Mythbusters05:15 How It’s Made05:40 How Stuff Works06:05 Dirty Jobs07:00 Street Customs 200807:50 Heartland Thunder08:45 Ultimate Car Build-Off09:40 Science Of The Movies10:30 The Future Of...11:25 Mythbusters

00:05 Science Of The Movies00:55 Mega Builders01:45 The Tech Show02:35 Bad Universe03:25 Catch It Keep It04:15 How Stuff’s Made04:45 Mega Builders05:40 One Step Beyond06:10 Weird Connections07:00 Sci-Fi Saved My Life07:55 Head Rush07:58 Sci-Fi Science08:25 Weird Connections08:55 Brainiac09:45 Prototype This10:35 Cosmic Collisions13:05 Powering The Future14:45 Head Rush14:48 Sci-Fi Science15:15 Weird Connections15:45 Bang Goes The Theory16:10 The Gadget Show17:00 Prototype This17:50 The Future Of...18:40 Nasa’s Greatest Missions

00:25 Kendra00:55 Behind The Scenes01:25 15 Unforgettable HollywoodTragedies03:15 25 Most Stylish04:10 Sexiest05:05 Extreme Hollywood06:00 THS07:50 Behind The Scenes08:20 E! News09:15 Kourtney And Kim Take NewYork10:15 Khloe And Lamar11:10 The Dance Scene12:05 E! News13:05 Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane14:05 E!es15:00 Holly’s World15:55 Keeping Up With TheKardashians16:55 Extreme Close-Up17:55 E! News18:55 Khloe And Lamar19:55 E!es21:25 The Dance Scene22:25 E! News23:25 Khloe And Lamar

00:00 Hooked01:00 World’s Weirdest01:55 Dangerous Encounters WithBrady Barr02:50 Bonecrusher Queens03:45 Predator CSI04:40 Warzone Gone Wild05:35 Wild Russia06:30 Megafish07:25 Fish Warrior08:20 Snakezilla09:15 The Pack10:10 Animal Autopsy11:05 I, Predator12:00 Project Manta13:00 Fish Warrior14:00 Snakezilla15:00 Shark Men16:00 Dangerous Encounters WithBrady Barr17:00 Deadly Summer18:00 Predator CSI19:00 Snakezilla20:00 Shark Men21:00 Dangerous Encounters WithBrady Barr22:00 Deadly Summer23:00 Predator CSI

00:00 Hooked01:00 World’s Weirdest01:55 Dangerous Encounters WithBrady Barr02:50 Bonecrusher Queens03:45 Predator CSI04:40 Warzone Gone Wild05:35 Wild Russia06:30 Megafish07:25 Fish Warrior08:20 Snakezilla09:15 The Pack10:10 Animal Autopsy11:05 I, Predator12:00 Project Manta13:00 Fish Warrior14:00 Snakezilla15:00 Shark Men16:00 Dangerous Encounters WithBrady Barr17:00 Deadly Summer18:00 Predator CSI19:00 Snakezilla20:00 Shark Men21:00 Dangerous Encounters WithBrady Barr22:00 Deadly Summer23:00 Predator CSI

00:30 Masterchef: The Professionals02:00 Come Dine With Me02:50 New Scandinavian CookingWith Andreas Viestad03:15 New Scandinavian CookingWith Andreas Viestad03:40 Fantasy Homes By The Sea04:30 Daily Cooks Challenge07:30 Saturday Kitchen11:15 Masterchef: The Professionals14:15 Cash In The Attic USA15:20 Antiques Roadshow20:30 Cash In The Attic USA21:30 Antiques Roadshow

00:40 X Games 15 200901:30 World Combat League02:20 Carpocalypse03:10 M1 Selection 201004:00 FIM World MotocrossMX1/MX2...05:40 World Combat League06:30 FIA European Drag Racing

200807:00 FIA European Drag Racing200808:00 Cape Epic09:40 Tread BMX11:20 Lucas Oil Ama MotocrossChampionships...13:00 BMX Megatour13:50 Glutton For Punishment14:40 Sports Jobs16:20 Lucas Oil Ama MotocrossChampionships...17:10 Carpocalypse18:00 Glutton For Punishment18:50 Lucas Oil Ama MotocrossChampionships...20:30 BMX Megatour21:20 Carpocalypse22:10 Glutton For Punishment23:00 FIM World Motocross MX3Championships...23:50 Kick Ass Miracles

00:00 Backstory00:30 World Sport01:00 The Situation Room02:00 World Report03:00 World Business Today03:45 CNN Marketplace Africa04:00 Piers Morgan Tonight05:00 Anderson Cooper 36006:00 World Sport06:30 Inside Africa07:00 World Report07:30 Backstory08:00 World Report08:15 CNN Marketplace Africa08:30 Edit Room08:45 Future Cities09:00 World Report09:15 CNN Marketplace Middle East09:30 Open Court10:00 World Sport10:30 Cnngo11:00 Talk Asia11:30 African Voices12:00 Inside Africa12:30 Edit Room12:45 Future Cities13:00 World Report13:30 World Sport14:00 Piers Morgan Tonight15:00 World Report15:30 Cnngo16:00 Going Green17:00 International Desk17:30 African Voices18:00 Open Court18:30 World Sport19:00 Talk Asia19:30 Inside Africa20:00 International Desk20:30 Edit Room20:45 Future Cities21:00 World Report21:30 Cnngo22:00 Piers Morgan Tonight

19:30 Space Pioneer20:20 The Gadget Show21:10 Sci-Fi Science21:35 The Tech Show22:00 Da Vinci’s Machines22:50 Catch It Keep It23:40 Bang Goes The Theory

12:20 Auction Hunters13:40 Auction Kings14:35 Extreme Engineering15:30 Huge Moves16:25 Mighty Ships17:20 Mythbusters18:15 River Monsters19:10 Man, Woman, Wild20:05 Ultimate Survival: Bear’sEssentials21:00 Taking On Tyson21:55 Flying Wild Alaska22:50 Man vs Fish With Matt Watson23:45 Human Prey

T V l i s t i n g sSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

12 ROUNDS ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

00:30 The Haunted01:20 A Haunting02:10 Serial Killers03:00 True Crime With AphroditeJones03:50 Dr G: Medical Examiner04:45 Ghosthunters05:15 The Haunted06:10 Mystery Diagnosis07:00 Forensic Detectives07:50 Murder Shift08:40 Mystery ER09:30 Real Emergency Calls09:55 Street Patrol10:20 Disappeared11:10 FBI Files12:00 On The Case With Paula Zahn12:50 The Will: Family SecretsRevealed13:40 Mystery ER14:30 Real Emergency Calls14:55 Street Patrol15:20 Disappeared16:10 Forensic Detectives17:00 Murder Shift17:50 FBI Files18:40 Mystery ER19:30 Street Patrol19:55 Real Emergency Calls20:20 On The Case With Paula Zahn21:10 The Will: Family SecretsRevealed22:00 Ghost Lab22:50 The Haunted23:40 A Haunting

00:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart01:00 The Colbert Report01:30 Funny Or Die Presents02:00 Family Guy02:30 Eastbound And Down03:00 10 Things I Hate About You03:30 The Office04:00 The New Adventures Of OldChristine04:30 The Tonight Show With JayLeno05:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne06:00 According To Jim06:30 Coach07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon08:00 The New Adventures Of OldChristine08:30 10 Things I Hate About You09:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne09:30 Modern Family10:00 Outsourced10:30 According To Jim11:00 Coach11:30 The Tonight Show With JayLeno12:30 Yes Dear13:00 The Office13:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne14:00 According To Jim14:30 Modern Family15:00 Outsourced15:30 The Daily Show With JonStewart16:00 The Colbert Report16:30 Coach17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon18:00 10 Things I Hate About You18:30 Hot In Cleveland19:00 Hot In Cleveland19:30 How I Met Your Mother20:00 The Tonight Show With JayLeno21:00 The Daily Show With JonStewart21:30 The Colbert Report22:00 Saturday Night Live23:00 The Ricky Gervais Show23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

20:00 C.S.I. New York21:00 Justified22:00 Breaking Bad23:00 The Glades

00:00 Off The Map01:00 Big Love02:00 The Good Guys03:00 Drop Dead Diva04:00 Strong Medicine05:00 Good Morning America07:00 Psych08:00 One Tree Hill09:00 The Good Guys10:00 Century City11:00 The View12:00 Off The Map13:00 Drop Dead Diva14:00 Century City15:00 Live Good Morning America16:00 Strong Medicine17:00 The Ellen DeGeneres Show18:00 Emmerdale18:30 Coronation Street19:00 C.S.I.20:00 C.S.I. New York21:00 Justified22:00 Private Practice23:00 Psych

00:00 Sky News At Ten01:00 Sky News At 11 With AnnaBotting

00:00 Deep Sea Detectives01:00 Dinosaur Secrets02:00 How The Earth Was Made03:00 Deep Sea Detectives07:00 Dinosaur Secrets08:00 How The Earth Was Made09:00 Deep Sea Detectives13:00 Dinosaur Secrets14:00 How The Earth Was Made15:00 Deep Sea Detectives19:00 Dinosaur Secrets20:00 How The Earth Was Made21:00 Holy Grail In America23:00 Ancient Discoveries

00:00 Alias01:00 The Good Guys02:00 Drop Dead Diva03:00 Big Love04:00 Off The Map05:00 Surface06:00 Alias07:00 Sons Of Tucson07:30 Look-A-Like08:00 Covert Affairs09:00 The Good Guys10:00 Off The Map11:00 Drop Dead Diva12:00 Sons Of Tucson12:30 Look-A-Like14:00 Covert Affairs15:00 Alias16:00 8 Simple Rules ...18:00 Covert Affairs19:00 C.S.I.

01:00 The Haunting Of Molly Hartley-PG1503:00 Orphan-1805:00 Child’s Play 3-1807:00 The One-PG1509:00 Shinjuku Incident-PG1511:00 Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince-PG1513:30 12 Rounds-PG1515:30 Shinjuku Incident-PG1517:45 Pearl Harbor-PG1521:00 What Lies Beneath-PG1523:00 Clive Barker’s Book Of Blood-18

00:00 School Of Rock-PG1502:00 Under The Tuscan Sun-PG1504:00 The Lizzie McGuire Movie-PG06:00 For Love Or Money-PG08:00 Mad About Mambo-PG1510:00 500 Days Of Summer-PG1512:00 The Hudsucker Proxy-PG1514:00 Saved!-PG1516:00 School Of Rock-PG1518:00 Fools Rush In-PG1520:00 The Shape Of Things-PG1522:00 Palo Alto-18

01:00 Forrest Gump-PG1503:30 9-PG05:00 The Last Song-PG1507:00 Last Chance Harvey-PG1509:00 Ice Age 3: Dawn Of TheDinosaurs-FAM

00:00 My Fair Madeline-FAM02:00 Ulysses-PG04:00 The Trumpet Of The Swan-FAM06:00 Nanny Mcphee And The BigBang-PG08:00 Sabrina The Teenage Witch:Friends Forever-PG10:00 Alvin And The Chipmunks: TheSqueakquel-FAM12:00 Cloudy With A Chance OfMeatballs-PG14:00 The Three Musketeers-FAM16:00 Monsters vs. Aliens-PG18:00 Cloudy With A Chance OfMeatballs-PG20:00 Daddy Day Care-PG22:00 The Three Musketeers-FAM

00:00 Golfing World01:00 The Open Championship07:00 Euro Tour Weekly07:30 The Open ChampionshipHighlights08:00 Trans World Sport12:30 Live NRL Premiership14:30 Futbol Mundial15:00 Mobil 1 The Grid15:30 Total Rugby16:00 Live Rugby Union Currie Cup20:00 Trans World Sport21:00 Live Darts World Matchplay

00:05 Cow And Chicken00:30 Cramp Twins00:55 The Grim Adventures Of BillyAnd Mandy01:20 Courage The Cowardly Dog01:45 Eliot Kid02:10 Ed, Edd n Eddy02:35 Ben 10: Alien Force03:00 The Powerpuff Girls03:15 Chowder03:40 The Secret Saturdays04:05 Samurai Jack04:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien04:55 Best Ed05:20 Skunk Fu!05:45 Cramp Twins06:10 Eliot Kid06:35 The Marvelous MisadventuresOf Flapjack07:00 Codename: Kids Next Door07:25 Chowder08:15 Hero 10809:05 Angelo Rules10:00 Samurai Jack10:55 Fantastic Four: World’sGreatest Heroes11:45 Robotboy12:35 The Secret Saturdays13:25 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien14:15 Bakugan: New Vestroia15:05 Star Wars: The Clone Wars15:50 The Powerpuff Girls16:35 Adventure Time17:15 Ed, Edd n Eddy17:40 Chowder18:05 Foster’s Home For ImaginaryFriends18:30 Eliot Kid18:55 Chop Socky Chooks19:20 My Gym Partner’s A Monkey19:45 Camp Lazlo20:10 Squirrel Boy20:35 Cow And Chicken21:00 Courage The Cowardly Dog21:25 The Grim Adventures Of BillyAnd Mandy21:50 Robotboy22:00 Adventure Time22:25 Hero 10822:50 Ben 1023:15 Bakugan Battle Brawlers23:40 Chowder

00:30 AFL Premiership03:00 Super League05:00 The Open ChampionshipHighlights05:30 Golfing World06:30 Total Rugby07:00 Live Rugby UnionInternational 09:00 The Open ChampionshipHighlights09:30 Rugby Union International11:30 The Open ChampionshipHighlights

00:00 WWE SmackDown02:00 WWE Bottom Line03:00 WWE NXT04:00 WWE Vintage Collection05:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter06:00 UFC Unleashed07:00 Live AFL Premiership10:00 NRL Full Time10:30 Live NRL Premiership14:30 V8 Supercars Extra15:00 WWE SmackDown17:00 Speedway18:00 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup19:00 WWE NXT20:00 WWE Bottom Line21:00 Live Masters Football

00:00 Trabant Trek00:30 Word Travels01:00 Globe Trekker Special02:00 Temples In The Clouds03:00 Indian Times04:00 Globe Trekker05:00 Trabant Trek05:30 Word Travels06:00 Inside Luxury Travel-VarunSharma07:00 Globe Trekker08:00 Planet Food09:00 Journey Into Wine-South Africa09:30 Hollywood And Vines10:00 Planet Food11:00 Indian Times12:00 Globe Trekker13:00 Think Green14:00 World’s Greatest MotorcycleRides15:00 Rivers Of The World16:00 Globe Trekker17:00 First Class South Africa17:30 Journey Into Wine-South Africa18:00 Hollywood And Vines18:30 Travel Today19:00 Globe Trekker20:00 Indian Times21:00 Cruising To The NorthernLights22:00 Julian And Camilla’s WorldOdyssey23:00 Globe Trekker

12:00 Live The Open Championship21:30 Live Super League

00:20 Until September-PG01:55 Cop03:45 Love At Large05:25 Bring Me The Head Of AlfredoGarcia07:20 The Boost08:55 Mosquito Squadron-PG10:30 Flight From Ashiya-PG12:15 Chance Of A Lifetime-PG13:55 Taras Bulba-PG16:05 Avanti-PG18:25 Dominick And Eugene-PG20:15 Mgm’s Big Screen-FAM20:30 Killing Mr. Griffin-PG

02:00 2011 American Le Mans Series05:00 The Big Ten’s Greatest Games07:00 Big Break Indian Wells08:00 Top 1008:30 Golf Now09:00 Golf Central International09:30 Pipe Dream10:00 PGA Tour13:00 Golf Central International

15:00 Cairo Time-PG1517:00 The Sunset Limited-PG1518:45 It’s Complicated-PG1521:00 Paranormal Activity-PG1523:00 The Losers-PG15

11:00 Drumline-PG1513:00 The Invention Of Lying-PG1515:00 A Lot Like Love-PG1517:00 Ice Age 3: Dawn Of TheDinosaurs-FAM19:00 Lower Learning-PG1521:00 Frankie And Alice-PG1523:00 Two Lovers-18

01:30 Press Preview02:00 Sky Midnight News02:30 CBS News03:00 News On The Hour03:30 News, Sport, Weather04:00 News On The Hour04:30 News, Sport, Weather05:00 News On The Hour05:30 News, Sport, Weather06:00 News On The Hour06:30 News, Sport, Weather07:00 News On The Hour07:30 CBS News08:00 Sunrise12:00 Sky News With Colin Brazier12:30 SN13:00 Sky News With Colin Brazier13:30 Saturday Sport14:00 Sky News With Lorna Dunkley14:30 SN15:00 Sky News With Lorna Dunkley15:30 SN16:00 News, Sport, Weather19:00 Sky News At 5 With AndrewWilson19:30 SN20:00 Sky News At 6 With AndrewWilson20:30 SN21:00 Sky News At Seven With SteveDixon21:30 Sportsline22:00 News, Sport, Weather22:30 News, Sport, Weather

w h a t ’ s o nSATURDAY, jULY 16, 2011

Information

Embassy

EMBAssy of AusTRAlIAThe Embassy encourages all Australians toregister their presence in Kuwait throughSmartraveller Online (see link below).Australians who are registered are asked to updatetheir details. The information provided will assist us incontacting you in an emergency. www.smartrav-eller.gov.au Kuwait citizens can apply for and receivevisit visas to Australia online at www.immi.gov.au.This usually takes two working days. All others visaapplications are handled by the Australian VisaApplication Centre Tel. 22971110. Witnessing andcertifying documents are by appointment only,please contact the Embassy on 2232 2422. TheAustralian Embassy is open from 8.00am to 4.00pm,Sunday to Thursday.

EMBAssy of BRITAInThe Visa Application Centre (VAC) will be closedon the same dates above. The opening hours ofthe Visa Application Centre are 0930 - 1630Application forms remain available online fromthe UKBAs’ website: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk orfrom the Visa Application Centre’s website: www.vfs-uk-kw.com. And also, from the UK Visa Application Centrelocated at: 4B, First Floor, Al Banwan Building (BurganBank Branch Office Building), Al Qibla area, oppositeCentral Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City. For any furtherinquiries, please contact the Visa Application Centre:Website: www.vfs-uk-kw.comE-mail:info@vfs-uk-kw.com Telephone:22971170. TheConsular Section will also be closed on the same dates.For information on the British Embassy services, visit theBritish Embassy website: www.ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk

� � � � � � �

� � � � � � �

� � � � � � �

EMBAssy of ARGEnTInAIn order to inform that 23rd of October 2011,will be Argentine national election where allArgentinean citizen residents permanently inKuwait can vote only if they are registered atthe Electoral Register of the Argentine Embassy. Theprocedure of inscription ended on 25 of April 2011. Toregister it is necessary that Argentinean citizens shouldcome personally at the Argentinean Embassy (Block 6,street 42, villa 57, Mishref) and present the DNI andfour personal photos (size 4x4, face should be front onwhite background). For further information, contact uson 25379211.

EMBAssy of CAnAdA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24,Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah.Please visit our website atwww.Kuwait.gc.ca.Canada offers a registration service for allCanadians travelling or living abroad. This serviceis provided so that Consular Officials can contactand assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreigncountry, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, orinform Canadians of a family emergency at home.The Embassy of Canada encourages all CanadianCitizens to register online through theGovernment of Canada Travel Website atwww.voyage.gc.ca. The Canadian Embassy in AbuDhabi provides visa and immigration services toresidents of Kuwait. Individuals who are interestedin visiting, working or immigrating to Canada areinvited to visit the website of the CanadianEmbassy to the UAE at www.UAE.gc.ca.Effective January 15, 2011, the only TemporaryResident Visa (TRV) application form that will beaccepted by CIC is the Application for TemporaryResident Visa Made Outside of Canada [IMM 5257]form.

Al-Jinan Club hosts annual exhibition

‘Baraem Al-Elman’ magazine participated in the annual exhibition for Al-Jinan Club, in Bait Al-Quranat Kaifan. Management of the magazine which is published by Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic affairswas keen to be with the children and young readers. A number of recent issues of the magazine

were distributed to the young girls.

The AWARE Center cordiallyinvites you to its diwaniyapresentation on Tuesday (July

19, 2011) entitled “DevelopingGlobal and Ethical Leaders throughQuality Learning” by Khalid Al-Dowsary at 7:00 pm. This presenta-tion looks at cross-cultural commu-nication skills with a focus on devel-

opment of dialogue with respect tothe culture of others. It touches onimprovement of presentation skills,leadership skills, and problem solv-ing skills, creativity, critical thinkingand teamwork spirit. Khalid isemployed with Saudi Aramcoemployee as Superintendent of theProfessional Learning Division with-

in the Professional DevelopmentDepartment. Currently, he is also astudent working towards a PhD inBusiness Administration with a con-centration on Human ResourceDevelopment, Malaysia University.He holds his M Ed in HumanResource Development fromUniversity of Minnesota, USA - 2007.

AWARE diwaniya

w h a t ’ s o nSATURDAY, jULY 16, 2011

Anniversary

Years

Ahmad Al-Bisher Al-Roomi High Schoolholds graduation ceremony

In the presence of MP Hassan Johar and the principal and teachers of Ahmad Al-Bisher Al-Roomi HighSchool, a graduation ceremony was held for the honor students for the academic year 2010-11. Diplomasand shields were distributed in the presence of students, parents and other guests.

h e a l t h & s c i e n c e

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

SYDNEY: Australian racing officials orderedan inspection of more than 100 racetracksyesterday after a Hendra virus health scareat Sydney’s Randwick Racecourse. RacingNew South Wales chief Peter V’Landys saidparts of the prestigious course had alreadybeen sealed off due to their proximity tolarge fruit bat colonies and similar meas-ures could be taken at the state’s othertracks.

“What we’re doing is a risk assessment tosee if there are bats at race courses and

training facilities,” said V’Landys. “If thereare, we’ll put in place biosecurity measuresto make sure there’s no exposure ... we’redoing a complete audit to make sure.”

No weekend races would be cancelled,he stressed. The audit follows a Hendrascare at the Randwick stables, where an illthoroughbred was thought to have con-tracted the deadly virus. Tests cleared it ofHendra infection, but V’Landys said theincident underscored the need for vigi-lance. Highly fatal to humans, Hendra is car-

ried by fruit bats (flying foxes) and spreadto horses through half-chewed fruit orwater and food contaminated by theirurine and droppings.

Nine horses have died since early June inthe biggest ever outbreak of Hendra sinceit was discovered in 1994, including onecase just 500 kilometres (300 miles) fromSydney, the furthest south the virus hasbeen seen. At least 48 people have beenexposed but no human cases have beenrecorded in this outbreak. Four of the seven

people to ever contract Hendra have died.“Considerable” numbers of fruit bats visitedRandwick Racecourse daily to feed on its figtrees and V’Landys said horses trained andstabled there could be at risk.

Any other racecourse in populous NewSouth Wales state found to be vulnerableto Hendra would be ordered to take similarprecautions to those in place at Randwick,including covering food and water and rop-ing off fruit trees so horses can’t feedbeneath them. — AFP

Hendra virus fears hit Australian racing

PARIS: The biggest medical forumon AIDS kicks off tomorrow to abuzz of excitement about potentialstrategies for curbing a pandemicthat has now claimed 30 millionlives in its three-decade history. Afour-day conference in Rome willmull dramatic evidence that drugsdesigned to treat patients with HIVcan be used to shield uninfectedpeople from the AIDS virus.

This could be the best news in 15years, when antiretroviral drugsstarted to transform the humanimmunodeficiency virus (HIV) froma death sentence to a manageabledisease. It opens up dazzlingoptions for rolling back a pandemicfor which there is still no cure orvaccine, say some experts.

“Over the past 18 months, therehas a been a string of good resultsfrom trials, and this has generated afair bit of optimism,” Jean-FrancoisDelfraissy, director of the FrenchAgency for AIDS Research (ANRS),told AFP. “Until recently, no one hadfound a medical way to preventHIV-all there was, essentially, wasthe condom and the message ofsafe sex.”

The conference will gather thou-sands of specialists, ranging fromvirologists to pharmacologists anddisease trackers. It is staged onceevery two years by the InternationalAIDS Society (IAS), which alsoorganises the International AIDSConference, a bigger event thattouches on the pandemic’s manysocial dimensions.

Here are the main causes for allthe excitement: A trial conductedamong “sero-discordant” hetero-sexual couples in Africa, meaningcouples in which one partner hadbeen tested positive HIV while theother was uninfected. The risk ofHIV infection fell by a whopping 96percent when the infected partnerstarted early use of daily antiretro-virals.

A trial conducted among sero-discordant heterosexual couples inKenya and Uganda which took aquite different tack. It asked theuninfected partner to take the dailyanti-HIV pill. The risk of infection fell

Medical breakthroughs set to buoy AIDS council of war

Biggest medical forum on AIDSGENEVA: Five million people are at risk of cholera indrought-hit Ethiopia, where acute watery diarrhoeahas broken out in crowded, unsanitary conditions, theWorld Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday.Cholera, an acute intestinal infection, causes waterydiarrhoea that can quickly lead to severe dehydrationand death if treatment is not promptly given, accord-ing to the United Nations agency.

“Overall, 8.8 million people are at risk of malariaand 5 mill ion of cholera (in Ethiopia),” WHOspokesman Tarik Jasarevic said in a note sent to jour-nalists. Ethiopian health officials have confirmed cas-es of acute watery diarrhoea in the Somali, Afar andOromiya regions of Ethiopia, he told Reuters. “It is notconfined to the refugees.”

WHO is delivering emergency health kits toEthiopia and helping train health workers in treatingmalnutrition and in detecting disease outbreaks, hesaid. Drought across the Horn of Africa, now affectingmore than 11 million people in Ethiopia, Djibouti,Kenya and Somalia, has increased the risk of thespread of infectious diseases, especially polio, choleraand measles, the WHO says.

“So far WHO has not received any report of poliocases, it really important to help countries to keeptheir polio-free status,” Jasarevic said. Somalis fleeingsevere drought and intensified fighting have beenarriving at the rate of more than 1,700 a day inEthiopia, where 4.5 million people now need assis-tance, nearly a 50 percent rise since April, he said.

Two million children in Ethiopia are at risk of catch-ing measles, a disease that can be deadly in children,he said. Ethiopian officials reported 17,584 measlescases and 114 deaths during the first half of the year,UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado said. Themajority of cases were in children.

Measles has also broken out in the sprawlingKenyan Dadaab camps, with 462 cases confirmedincluding 11 deaths, Jasarevic said. Dadaab, an over-crowded complex of three camps, now holds some440,000 refugees, the UN refugee agency said yester-day. UNHCR plans to begin a massive airlift this week-end to bring tents and other aid supplies to theremote border region, spokesman Adrian Edwardstold a news briefing. A Boeing 747 flight carrying 100tonnes of tents is expected to land in Nairobi tomor-row, he said. Six further flights were planned over thenext two weeks.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees AntonioGuterres welcomed an announcement by PrimeMinister Raila Odinga on Thursday that Kenya is toopen an extension to the camps to ease congestion atDadaab, where 1,300 Somali refugees arrive daily.

“It will prevent congestion increasing further in theshort term. Obviously larger needs relate to the needto undertake humanitarian efforts inside Somaliaitself,” Edwards said. The United Nations carried outits first airlift of emergency supplies in two years tosouthern Somalia-an area controlled by al Shabaabrebels-on Wednesday, UNICEF said. “Ten health kits,each sufficient to treat 10,000 people over 3 monthsare also en route via road,” Mercado said. — Reuters

VALENCIA: Dr Pedro Cavadas, the Spanish surgeon who successfully car-ried out a double-leg transplant on a man who had lost his limbs in an acci-dent, leaves after a press conference at La Fe Hospital in Valencia. The firstin the world of its kind. Cavadas is a specialist in limb transplants and con-ducted a double-arm transplant in 2008 and Spain’s first face transplant in2009. — AFP

62 to 73 percent compared withcouples where the uninfected part-ner took a placebo.

“This is a major scientific break-through which reconfirms theessential role that antiretroviralmedicine has to play in the AIDSresponse,” Michel Sidibe, executivedirector of UNAIDS, said onWednesday.

“These studies could help us toreach the tipping point in the HIVepidemic.” Some campaigners say“treatment as prevention”-treatinginfected people swiftly so that theydo not infect others-should nowspearhead the war on AIDS. In 2009,more than 33 million people wereliving with HIV and 2.6 million peo-ple became newly infected, accord-ing to UNAIDS.

“If you start early treatment forpeople infected with HIV, you get a96.3-percent decrease in transmis-sion,” Julio Montaner, director of theBC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDSin British Columbia, Canada, said in aphone interview.

“Nothing else has been shownthat is as efficacious. And the costbenefit is triple, because it decreasesmorbidity, it decreases mortalityand it decreases transmissions. I callit a hat-trick, you can’t have it any

better.” Now, though, comes thedevil of detail, which will fully occu-py the Rome conference.

Will the results from a trial-wherevolunteers are enthusiastic andencouraged by their partner to fol-low their pill regimen-be equallyvalid when extended to the messi-ness of real life?

And what about the risk that peo-ple become over-confident and for-go use of a condom? Giving HIV pillsto uninfected, as opposed to infect-ed, people raises even more issues.Antiretrovirals can cause toxic sideeffects and carry a potentially heftycost if they have to be taken dailyfor prevention. The price has fallento as little as 25 US cents per tablet,but this is still a big discouragementfor people who are living on a cou-ple of dollars a day or less.

IAS chief Bertrand Audoin saidthe prevention trials, combined withproof that male circumcision helpsprotect men from HIV, showed “weare in the middle of huge scientificbreakthroughs that could changethe course of the epidemic in com-ing years.” He cautioned, though:“One of the challenges we have tomeet is to align the scientific evi-dence with policies implemented onthe ground.” — AFP

Millions at risk of cholera in Ethiopia

To advertise on this page please contact us:

Offering the following Diagnosis and treatment of major neurological disorders:

- Procedures:

Al Seef Hospital is proud to announce the opening of Neurology Dept. under the supervision of Dr. Raed Alroughani / Consultant in Neurolog & Multiple Sclerosis Canadian Board Certified in Neurology / Canadian & American Fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis

For Reservation and Further inquires:25764145 - 60012078

Al-Seef HospitalNeurology Dept.

A Word of Solutions

Orthopedic X-ray & Ultrasonography General Physician Dental Laboratory Pharmacy

Dermatology & Cosmetology General Medicine Internal Medicine Ent Ophthalmology Peadiatric Ob & Gynecology

Non Surgical Facelift, Anti Ageing WrinkleFrown Lines / Pigmentation Double Chin

Correction Skin Rejuvenation Botox / Fillers Painless Laser Hair Removal Dermaroller,

Skin Whitening & Brighting Vail Treatment

FARWANIYA - OPP. POLICE STATIONBehind Magadheer Commercial Complex

TEL: 24734000 - 65561619shifakuwait@gmail.com www.shifakuwait.com

Working Hours: 8.00 am to 12:00am

We Accept All Major Insuramce Cards

Cosmetology Clinic.

ads@kuwaittimes.net

2 4 8 3 3 1 99

Al S f H i l

N A

C DA

Of

Neurology Dept.Al-Seef Hospital

anadian Board Certified in Neurology / Canadian & American Fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis. Raed Alroughani / Consultant in Neurolog & Multiple Sclerosis r

l Seef Hospital is proud to announce the opening of Neurology Dept. under the super

ffering the following Diagnosis and treatment of major neurological disorders:

y / Canadian & American Fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis eurolog & Multiple Sclerosis the opening of Neurology Dept. under the super

tment of major neurological disorders:

in Multiple Sclerosis

vision of er the super

-

Procedures:

25764145 - 60012078vation and Further inquires:For Reser

4145 - 60012078tion and Further inquires:

To adv

vertise on this

2 4 8 3

page please co

3 3 1 99

ontact us:

ologyosmetology & Ct Derma General Medicine

ernal Medicine Int Ent

y y

thopedic r Oy y g py & Ultrasonograph-ra X

sician y General Ph Dental

ads@kuw

waittimes.net

ena

Entphthalmology O

triceadia Pynecology

ejuvwn Lines / Pigmenta

in R g

jk

i Rtion S

kecorrC

ti S

gicorF

, Anti Atacelifal Fg Li

uron SN

y Ob & G

glootmeosC

illers

y

Dentalyortabora L

y Pharmac

x / Fotion Bothin tion Double C

geing a

rinkleWg g D b

nti A

.linicy C

Brighting V

ing Hours: 8.00 am t

& ening in WhitkSemaser Hair Rainless LP

j H i R

TEL: 24734000 - 65561619ait@g

kg

i orWom w.cmail

kuwshifak

omagadheer Cehind MB. PO - OPP P. POLICE STAANIYYAARWFFARW

r Ijojap ajl M Malt Apeepcce AWWe A

o 12:00am

tmentearail Ting V Vail T,ollerr,al Dermarvmo

65561619 am t

om.caituw.shifakww w

xomplecial CmmerTIONAATION OLICE ST TA

sdrrdae Ccmarrausn I In

CLA S S I F I EDSSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

ACCOMMODATION

Sharing accommodation avail-able for families/working ladiesfrom August 1st onwards, in anew building flat with tworooms and two toilets, behindUnited Indian School, Abbassiya.Contact:66772421/66552412/65857668.

(C 3523)

Room available for decent cou-ple or small Muslim family toshare in two bedroom flat inAbbassiya behind Tel Exchangebuilding. Contact: 66895049.

(C 3525)16-7-2011

Sharing accommodation avail-able for family or decent IndianHindu or Catholic bachelorswith Mangalorean Catholic fam-ily in a window A/C, two bed-room off Rashid Hospital, SharaAmman, Salmiya. Contact:55995437/ 99200186.

(C 3520)

Sharing accommodation, C-A/C, available in Jabriya area 10,near Jabriya Indian School fordecent couple or working ladies.Please contact: 99300513.

(C 3521)13-7-2011

FOR SA L E

MATRIMONIAL

‘Pilate Power Gym’ for allover body strength and aer-obic training + ‘ABS KING’ forabdomen. Please do Googlesearch for detail info. Bothare KD 60. Owner’s manualand CD are available.Contact: 99430379. (C 3526)

16-7-2011

I need Japanese car less thanKD 700/-. Contact: 67607334.

(C 3518)13-7-2011

Corolla XLi 2002, silver color,KD 1,350/-. Contact:55323839.

(C 3514)12-7-2011

Marthomiteparents invitemarriage proposals, for theirdaughter, fair 28/164 B.Com,MBA, working in MNC, fromparents of professionally quali-fied boys (Engineers, CA,Doctor etc) preferably fromMarthoma, CSI, Evangelical,with good family background.Contact: Email:advnaithu@yahoo.com

(C 3516)

Proposal invited for Orthodoxboy 29/188cm, BSc (N) work-ing in M.O.H. Prefer nursesworking in Kuwait. Contact:6670 4615.

(C 3517)

South Indian Muslim parentsseeking suitable match fortheir divorced daughter 26yrs.Groom must be educated.Contact: Email: mohamedshoaib62@yahoo.com

(C 3519)13-7-2011

SITUATION WANTED

Instrumentation and controlEngineer with 1 year experi-ence, Indian on commercialvisiting visa, transferable, canjoin immediately. Contact:96679478, Email:sanju_3n3@yahoo.com

(C 3522)

Iranian educated man, 7years experience as Importand Export Manager, residen-cy transferable. Contact:66346118. (C 3524)

16-7-2011

Accountant - B.ComGraduate passed in First Classknowing Peachtree and Tallyaccounting having 2 yearexperience in India and cur-rently working in Kuwait.Seeking suitable job asACCOUNTANT. Contact:65179245.

(C 3509)12-7-2011

Ever since it’s startedto warm up, we’ve beenregularly stopping atRita’s for some deliciousItalian ice, and we foreseemany more visits as theweather heats up. Thestores make their Italianice on-site, which com-bines ice with real freshfruit, and they are willingto let you sample all ofthem until you find oneyou like. Some of the bestare banana, chocolate,

green apple, mango, rasp-berry lemonade, SwedishFish, and their new flavor,juicy pear. That beats the

four over-sugary flavorsof frozen slush from amachine at the cornerconvenience store!

At Rita’s, you also canget sugar-free options,and a combination of theItalian ice with vanillacustard — yummy con-coctions they call theMisto and Gelati.

Check the website atwww.ritasice.com for astore near you.

— Merrie Leininger, MCT

BY VERONICA LOUISE MENDOZA

TimeForKids

rowing up in Hawaii and In-donesia, Maya Soetoro-Ngand her big brother, Barack

Obama, were taught by their motherto be kind, to explore and to dreambig. While their mom, Ann Dunham,is no longer with them, Soetoro-Ngis sharing what she learned as a littlegirl with her own daughters.

Soetoro-Ng’s new children’sbook, “Ladder to the Moon,” givesher kids the chance to “meet” theirgrandmother. The picture book fol-lows a young girl and her grand-mother as they go on a magicaljourney to the moon and across theglobe. Along the way, they meet and

give help to lost soulswho have sufferedthrough distasters. Thebook is a tribute to hermother’s compassion.

TimeForKids reporterVeronica Louise Men-

doza, left, had the honor of chat-ting with Soetoro-Ng, recently.

TFK: What inspired you towrite a book about connecting agrandchild to her grandmother?

MAYA: I was inspired by the ideathat the people that came before ushad a lot to impart, and they mightbe able to teach us things to help usface our future with greater courageand skill. My mom was a verylovely communicator. She was com-passionate and she empathized withpeople far and wide. I wanted herenergy and her spirit to be conveyedto my daughters, nieces and otherchildren. So I thought that perhaps Icould bring her back to life throughthis children’s book.

TFK: Were you close to yourgrandmother?

MAYA: I was. ... (MadelyneDunham) was a very different per-son than my mother. She was verysensible, practical and grounded. ...Whereas my mom was more of anadventurer. ... They were both verystrong women who did a good jobof supporting us and making usfeel strong.

TFK: How did you come tomake the moon your mother’shome in the book?

MAYA: My mom used to wakeme up when I was about 13 to golook at the moon at 3 or 4 o’clock inthe morning. As you might imagine,I wasn’t always interested in check-ing it out. ... Ultimately, after shepassed, I realized how preciousthose moments were.

TFK: What message do youwant kids to get from the book?

MAYA: That children are reallystrong for a couple of reasons. One,because they are going to be building

our future; young people’s brains,abilities and skill-sets are advancing,... different from previous genera-tions. (Children) are in command ofwhat is necessary to make the worldmore peaceful. ... Young people havea voice that should be heard. Theother message is that our world reallyis interconnected. Let’s work on con-nection and not division. ...

TFK: What was PresidentObama like as a kid?

MAYA: ... he was a regular kid.He was really interested in basket-ball and all kinds of sports. He wasinterested in friendships and lovedto learn. He was a good reader and agood thinker. He was very smart,but he wasn’t always studious. Hedidn’t always apply himself. He def-initely made mistakes, but ... (not)big mistakes. ... He made enoughmistakes to learn from them.

TFK: In the book you writeabout natural disasters. Whatwould you say to comfort thevictims of the recent earth-quake and tsunami in Japan?

MAYA: I send enormous amountsof love. ... we are thinking of them,that we will not forget ... We admirethe strength the victims have, and weare reminded of our vulnerabilityand humanity and heroism in thesetimes. I think what they need most isfor young people to reach out andsend words of support and love.

May is Asian American and Pa-cific Islander Heritage Month. Dur-ing this time, communities acrossthe nation celebrate the culture, tra-ditions and history of Asians Ameri-cans and Pacific Islanders in theUnited States. To learn more, visitasianpacificheritage.gov.

“I meant what I said and I said what I meant

— An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent!”

Cool treatCriss Angel is a “mindfreak,”

which means he can docrazy tricks nobody canfigure out. His tricks areinsane. He walks onwater and even levitates.

I saw his magic kit —Criss Angel MindfreakPlatinum Magic Kit —on a TV commercial and de-cided to get it. This kit even contains in-structions on how to do levitation. Othertricks are putting spikes through a coin,making a vision box, being able to pene-trate glass and many more.

At first, the kit lookedplastic and cheap, butafter I read the book ofsecrets and tips, I found itwas very cool. The tricksfooled my friends andeverybody in my family.

This kit is fun to play with. Idon’t want to say too much because I

don’t want to give away the secrets. But Iwill tell you it’s worth buying. This kit isfor ages 8 to 108. It’s available at crissan-gel.com and some toy stores.

You can get it at www.crissangel.com for $29.95. — Kyle Bianco, Newsday

Magic kit will freak your friends

Why don’t elephants go skinny dipping?

Because they can’t get their trunks off!

What do youget when you crossan elephant with a

kangaroo?Great big holes all

over Australia— WWW.WEKNOWCLEANJOKES.COM

MAYA SOETORO-NG FAMILY PHOTOS

President Obama hugs his sis-ter, Maya Soetoro-Ng, at her2003 wedding. Their maternalgrandmother Madelyne Dun-ham is seated in front.

Maya as a baby with dad, (LoloSoetoro), mom (Ann Dunham)and brother, Barack. Maya wasborn in Jakarta, Indonesia.

TFK

Maya Soetoro-Ng

The author chats abouther mom, grandmother

and half-brother, Barack Obama

BOOK ILLUSTRATION BY YUYI MORALES

© 2011 Time Inc. All Rights Reserved. TIME FOR KIDS and Timeforkids.com are registered trademarks of Time Inc.

Don’t forget towater the plants!

Help your garden grow with this elephantwatering can.

YOU WILL NEED� 2 gallon-size plastic jugs with cap� Pushpin, bamboo skewer (for poking holes)� Hot-glue gun � Craft foam � Googly eyes

1. Cut the handle from the first jug, leaving acollar around each end (A). With a pushpin anda bamboo skewer, punch eight holes 1/4-inchapart in the bend of the handle.Trim the oppositeend into a 11/2-inch circle, then cut it into tabs.

2. Cut a 3/4-inch hole in the middle of a jugcap. With an adult, use hot glue to attach thecap to the tabbed handle, pressing firmly untilthe glue sets. Place the cap on the second jug.

3. Cut a filling hole under the jug’s handle,then add craft-foam ears and eye spots, andgoogly eyes, with hot glue (B). — Disney

FamilyFunmagazine

collarcap

holestabs

A

B

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DISNEY FAMILYFUN MAGAZINE

Peculiar pachyderms� Chicago’s Lincoln ParkZoo acquired Judy fromBrookfield Zoo in 1943.But the 35-year-old ele-phant refused to ride in aflatbed truck, so shewalked the 18 miles toher new home. Es-corted by zoo staff and motorcycle cops.� Walt Disney bought the rights to “Dumbo,the Flying Elephant” for $1,000 from HelenAberson and Harold Pearl. Their original waspublished as a rare roll-a-book, a picture bookon a scroll. The movie was released in 1941.� African and Asian elephants are differentspecies. The African elephant is taller and heav-ier, has bigger ears, a concave back and itstrunk ends with two lips versus the Asian ele-phant’s one. The Asian has one fewer pair ofribs but more toenails and are hairier — they’remore closely related to the extinct woolly mam-moth than to their contemporaries in Africa.— Mark Jacob and Stephan Benzkofer, Chicago Tribune

MCT

— From “Horton Hatches the Egg” by Dr. Suess

Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page (www.kuwait-airport.com.kw)

Arrival Flights on Saturday 16/7/2011Airlines Flt Route TimeRJA 642 AMMAN 0:05PIA 215 KARACHI 0:25THY 772 ISTANBUL 1:15ETH 620 ADDIS ABABA 1:45PIA 239 SIALKOT 2:15UAE 853 DUBAI 2:25DHX 370 BAHRAIN 2:55ETD 305 ABU DHABI 2:55MSR 614 CAIRO 3:05FDB 67 DUBAI 3:10GFA 211 BAHRAIN 3:15QTR 138 DOHA 3:20JZR 529 ASSIUT 3:35THY 770 ISTANBUL 4:10JZR 241 AMMAN 4:55JZR 503 LUXOR 5:15JZR 555 ALEXANDRIA 6:10KAC 412 MANILA / BANGKOK 6:15BAW 157 LONDON 6:30KAC 416 JAKARTA / KUALA LUMPUR 6:35FCX 201 BAHRAIN 7:00JZR 1541 CAIRO 7:10KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 7:15KAC 382 DELHI 7:20KAC 302 MUMBAI 7:50FDB 53 DUBAI 7:55KAC 352 COCHIN 8:05KAC 284 DHAKA 8:10KAC 344 CHENNAI 8:20KAC 362 COLOMBO 8:20UAE 855 DUBAI 8:25QTR 132 DOHA 9:00ABY 125 SHARJAH 9:10ETD 301 ABU DHABI 9:30GFA 213 BAHRAIN 9:35IRA 3407 MASHAD 10:20QTR 6130 DOHA 10:25JZR 165 DUBAI 11:10MHK 711 BAGHDAD / NAJAF 11:20IRC 6807 SHIRAZ 11:35MSR 623 SOHAG 12:10JZR 201 DAMASCUS 12:45IRM 5066 MASHAD 12:50KAC 672 DUBAI 13:15MSR 610 CAIRO 13:20KNE 703 MEDINAH 13:25UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 13:30RJA 640 AMMAN 13:35MSR 621 ASSIUT 13:40FDB 57 DUBAI 13:50KAC 786 JEDDAH 14:00JZR 357 MASHAD 14:10QTR 140 DOHA 14:15KAC 562 AMMAN 14:20SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30KAC 552 DAMASCUS 14:35KNE 745 JEDDAH 14:45JZR 257 BEIRUT 15:10CLX 792 LUXEMBOURG 15:15QTR 134 DOHA 15:15JZR 535 CAIRO 15:50IRC 6791 MASHAD 16:00AFR 6706 PARIS 16:15KAC 118 NEW YORK 16:15ETD 303 ABU DHABI 16:50UAE 857 DUBAI 16:55SYR 341 DAMASCUS 17:00KAC 154 ISTANBUL 17:00KAC 178 GENEVA / FRANKFURT 17:15GFA 215 BAHRAIN 17:15SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:25JZR 239 AMMAN 17:35ABY 127 SHARJAH 17:40

KAC 550 SOHAG / SHARM EL SHEIKH 17:50FDB 63 DUBAI 17:55ALK 227 COLOMBO / DUBAI 18:00JZR 177 DUBAI 18:00KAC 104 LONDON 18:35KAC 502 BEIRUT 18:45KAC 542 CAIRO 18:50KAC 618 DOHA 18:55IRA 607 MASHAD 19:05KAC 774 RIYADH 19:25KAC 674 DUBAI 19:25JAI 572 MUMBAI 19:35SIA 458 SINGAPORE / ABU DHABI 19:35AIC 975 CHENNAI / GOA 19:55KAC 790 MEDINAH 19:55VOS 93 KANDAHAR / DUBAI 20:00FDB 61 DUBAI 20:00KNE 789 JEDDAH 20:00OMA 647 MUSCAT 20:10MEA 402 BEIRUT 20:15KAC 787 JEDDAH 20:25MSR 618 ALEXANDRIA 20:55DHX 372 BAHRAIN 21:00KLM 445 AMSTERDAM 21:05UAE 859 DUBAI 21:15GFA 217 BAHRAIN 21:25QTR 136 DOHA 21:35UAL 981 BAHRAIN 22:00KAC 614 BAHRAIN 22:00JZR 135 BAHRAIN 22:10MSR 606 LUXOR 22:15JZR 513 SHARM EL SHEIKH 22:20JZR 185 DUBAI 22:35MSR 612 CAIRO 22:50DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:00AXB 393 KOZHIKODE / COCHIN 23:15JZR 539 CAIRO 23:30BBC 45 DHAKA / BAHRAIN 23:45JZR 480 SABIHA 23:50

Departure Flights on Saturday 16/7/2011Airlines Flt Route TimeJZR 1540 CAIRO 0:20DLH 637 FRANKFURT 0:40AIC 576 GOA / CHENNAI 0:50KLM 447 AMSTERDAM 0:55PIA 216 KARACHI 1:25THY 773 ISTANBUL 2:15ETH 620 BAHRAIN / ADDIS ABABA 2:30PIA 240 SIALKOT / ISLAMABAD 3:30UAE 854 DUBAI 3:45FDB 68 DUBAI 3:50DHX 371 BAHRAIN 3:55ETD 306 ABU DHABI 4:05MSR 615 CAIRO 4:05QTR 139 DOHA 5:00THY 771 ISTANBUL 5:10JZR 164 DUBAI 6:55RJA 643 AMMAN 7:00GFA 212 BAHRAIN 7:10JZR 200 DAMASCUS 7:15KAC 785 JEDDAH 8:15JZR 356 MASHAD 8:20BAW 156 LONDON 8:25FDB 54 DUBAI 8:40JZR 534 CAIRO 8:50KAC 153 ISTANBUL 8:55KAC 671 DUBAI 9:00KAC 551 DAMASCUS 9:10JZR 256 BEIRUT 9:10KAC 561 AMMAN 9:15UAE 856 DUBAI 9:40ABY 126 SHARJAH 9:50KAC 101 LONDON / NEW YORK 9:55KAC 549 SOHAG / SHARM EL SHEIKH 9:55QTR 133 DOHA 10:00

KAC 107 GENEVA / LONDON 10:10ETD 302 ABU DHABI 10:15GFA 214 BAHRAIN 10:20IRA 3406 MASHAD 11:20KAC 165 ROME / PARIS 11:45QTR 6131 DOHA 11:55KAC 541 CAIRO 12:00JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:00JZR 238 AMMAN 12:10MHK 712 NAJAF / BAGHDAD 12:20IRC 6808 SHIRAZ 12:35KAC 501 BEIRUT 13:00MSR 624 SOHAG 13:10JZR 176 DUBAI 13:40KNE 702 RIYADH 14:10IRM 5065 MASHAD 14:15MSR 611 CAIRO 14:20RJA 641 AMMAN 14:30FDB 58 DUBAI 14:35MSR 622 ASSIUT 14:40UAL 982 BAHRAIN 14:45KAC 787 JEDDAH 15:05KAC 673 DUBAI 15:10KAC 789 MEDINAH 15:30KNE 746 JEDDAH 15:30KAC 617 DOHA 15:35SVA 505 JEDDAH 16:00KAC 773 RIYADH 16:05JZR 481 SABIHA 16:10JZR 512 SHARM EL SHEIKH 16:10QTR 141 DOHA 16:15JZR 538 CAIRO 16:40CLX 792 HONG KONG 16:45IRC 6792 MASHAD 17:00VOS 82 BAGHDAD 17:00ETD 304 ABU DHABI 17:35QTR 135 DOHA 17:45AFR 6706 DUBAI / HONG KONG 18:00SYR 342 DAMASCUS 18:00UAE 858 DUBAI 18:05GFA 216 BAHRAIN 18:15ABY 128 SHARJAH 18:20JZR 184 DUBAI 18:25JZR 266 BEIRUT 18:30SVA 511 RIYADH 18:35FDB 64 DUBAI 18:40KAC 613 BAHRAIN 19:00ALK 228 DUBAI / COLOMBO 19:10JZR 134 BAHRAIN 19:10KAC 283 DHAKA 19:30IRA 604 ISFAHAN 20:05JAI 571 MUMBAI 20:35FDB 62 DUBAI 20:40KNE 790 JEDDAH 20:45KAC 331 TRIVANDRUM 21:00KAC 351 COCHIN 21:05OMA 648 MUSCAT 21:10MEA 403 BEIRUT 21:15SIA 457 ABU DHABI / SINGAPORE 21:20MSR 619 ALEXANDRIA 21:55KAC 543 CAIRO 21:55DHX 373 BAHRAIN 22:00KLM 445 BAHRAIN / AMSTERDAM 22:05KAC 677 DUBAI / MUSCAT 22:10UAE 860 DUBAI 22:25GFA 218 BAHRAIN 22:30KAC 381 DELHI 22:30FCX 102 BAHRAIN 22:30QTR 137 DOHA 22:35KAC 301 MUMBAI 22:45KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 22:55JZR 554 ALEXANDRIA 23:10MSR 607 LUXOR 23:15UAL 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 23:40KAC 411 BANGKOK / MANILA 23:40MSR 613 CAIRO 23:50

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellationof bookings will help other passengers to use seats

i n format ionSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

ACROSS1. An audiotape recording of sound.4. A Hindu goddess who releases from sin or disease.9. The Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the Dali region of Yunnan.13. An inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others.14. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantummechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron(1902-1984).15. (prefix) Within.16. Any of several tropical American palms bearing corozo nuts.18. United States biochemist who discovered cortisone (1886-1972).20. A person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow.21. Brought together into a group or crowd.22. A member of an extinct North American Indian people who lived inthe Pit river valley in northern California.23. Loss of the ability to swallow.25. An unnaturally frenzied or distraught woman.28. A word for chaos or fiasco borrowed from modern Hebrew (where it isa loan word from Russian).32. Very dark black.34. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.35. The highest level or degree attainable.39. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).40. Hormone secreted by the posterior pituitary gland (trade namePitressin) and also by nerve endings in the hypothalamus.41. The lower house of the parliament of the Republic of Ireland.42. An associate degree in applied science.44. Of heavy boots.45. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.48. A cut of meat taken from the side and back of an animal between theribs and the rump.51. The capital and largest city of Equatorial Guinea on the island of Biokoin the Gulf of Guinea.53. One million periods per second.54. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of ablood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass theblocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply tothe heart.56. The sixth month of the civil year.57. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with veg-etables.60. Not in good physical or mental health.61. Any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident orfracture etc..62. Jordan's port.63. The basic unit of money in Romania.64. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

DOWN1. The process of gradually becoming inferior.2. 100 agorot equal 1 shekel.3. A light carried in the hand.4. An edge tool used to cut and shape wood.5. A picture (or series of pictures) representing a continuous scene.6. A heavy brittle metallic element of the platinum group.7. Flightless New Zealand birds similar to gallinules.8. Someone who cuts and delivers ice.9. Space by the side of a bed (especially the bed of a sick or dying person).10. Squash bugs.

Word SleuthSolution

Yesterday’s Solution

CR

OS

SW

OR

D

38

0

Yesterday’s Solution

11. Not in action or at work.12. Used of physical coldness.17. A resident of Ohio.19. Kamarupan languages spoken in northeastern India and westernBurma.24. An analgesic for mild pain.26. A one-piece cloak worn by men in ancient Rome.27. Type genus of the Anatidae.29. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learningdisorders.30. The syllable naming the sixth (submediant) note of a major or minorscale in solmization.31. A rare silvery (usually trivalent) metallic element.33. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped byancient Semitic peoples.36. Alternatively, a member of the family Nymphaeaceae.37. (British) A minicar used as a taxicab.38. A feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause).43. Excessive but superficial compliments given with affected charm.46. An informal term for a father.47. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.49. (usually followed by `to') Having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something.50. An Eskimo hut.52. A Turkish unit of weight equal to about 2.75 pounds.55. Aromatic bulb used as seasoning.58. The atomic weight of an element that has the same combining capac-ity as a given weight of another element.59. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.60. A Mid-Atlantic state.

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

S P O R T SSATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

CHAMBON SUR LIGNON: France’s rugby union national team captain Thierry Dusautoir (right) vies with No.8 LouisPicamoles during a training session yesterday in Chambon sur Lignon, as part of the preparation for the upcomingWorld Cup 2011. — AFP

RAROTONGA: All Blacks legend JonahLomu has named Ireland as the darkhorse at this year’s Rugby World Cup inNew Zealand and warned any title con-tenders will underestimate Pacific teamsat their peril.

While making it clear that hebelieves New Zealand are the favoritesfor the September 9-October 23 tourna-ment, Lomu said Ireland’s ageing squadwas not being given the respect itdeserved.

“If there’s a team that you have to bewary about, and not many people aretalking about them, it’s Ireland,” Lomutold reporters in the Cook Islands duringa trip to promote the World Cup. “Purelybecause I ’ve watched a lot of theirteams. I’ve watched Leinster play in theHeineken Cup and they were veryimpressive, especially up front.

“A lot of those players are coming tothe end of their career and they’ll puteverything on the line.” Ireland arefourth in the International Rugby Board

(IRB) world rankings, the highest-placednorthern hemisphere team, and showedtheir capability with a comprehensive24-8 win over England in the Six Nationstournament. Lomu, who has scored arecord 15 tries at World Cups, said con-ditions in New Zealand would also suitthe Irish, while veterans such as BrianO’Driscoll and Ronan O’Gara would bedesperate to finish their last World Cupon a high. The 36-year-old said Ireland’slow profile could work to their advan-tage with the spotlight on “the usualsuspects” such as South Africa, NewZealand and more recently Australia,after the Queensland Reds won theSuper 15 title. “They’re going to slide inunder the radar because I think every-body’s talking about how the(Queensland) Reds have beaten theCrusaders for Australia and France com-ing without (Sebastien) Chabal,” he said.“They’re just going to do their job anddo what they need to do.” Lomu, a dev-astating winger who made his interna-

tional debut aged 19 but was forcedinto early retirement after a long battlewith a rare kidney disease, said Pacificnations could play a crucial role in thetournament.

He said the hard-tackling islanderscould destroy the chances of any sidethat did not take them seriously. “Thewild cards will be the Polynesians. If youtake any of those Polynesian teams toolightly-Fiji, Tonga, Samoa-you could getpunished physically, and that could takea toll on you later in the tournament,” hesaid. “To win the tournament, you’ve gotto get through fresh but also withoutany injuries, cross your fingers that youdon’t have injuries to key players and beready for the final.” Lomu, who was bornin New Zealand but spend much of hischildhood in Tonga, said he believed theAll Blacks could win on home soil. “I’m athrough and through All Blacks support-er and they’ll be my team but I knowthere’s so many teams to watch out for,”he said.—AFP

Lomu tips Ireland asWCup surprise package

Tighten eligibilityrules, Englandex-captain says

SINGAPORE: Rules that allowed England rugbymanager Martin Johnson to fill almost a third of hisWorld Cup training squad with foreign players arewrong, former captain Martin Corry said yesterday.Johnson has been criticized in the media for select-ing 13 overseas-born players in his 45-man pre-World Cup training squad, while one English playerhas vented his frustration at being overlooked.

“Look they’re the rules and you’ve got to abide bythe rules,” Corry told Reuters in Singapore where heis promoting the Singapore Cricket Club’s rugby sev-ens tournament later in the year. “I think the rulesare wrong but in terms of where do you apportionblame, that’s not Jonno (Johnson) and his coaches,they’ve got to pick the best possible side.” The inclu-sion of New Zealand-born Thomas Waldrom prompt-ed back-rower Luke Narraway to issue a message onhis Twitter page (@lukenarraway) that appeared totake issue with Waldrom’s eligibility through hisEnglish grandmother. “Good luck to Thomas theTank and his English nan #notbittermuch” wroteNarraway.

A non-English born player can qualify for thenational side if a parent or grandparent was born inEngland, or if they complete 36 consecutive monthsof residency. Corry called for the eligibility rules tobe toughened. “If it is someone through residency orgrandparents, unfortunately that’s the situationbecause all the other sides are doing it,” he added.“What I would like to see is a stricter rule on it, but itis a minefield.” Corry, a member of England’s 2003World Cup-winning squad, said Johnson’s outfit arebetter prepared than their 2007 counterparts, wholost 15-6 to South Africa in the final.

“They’ll be looking at the semi-finals and when itcomes to the semi-finals then you’re two gamesaway from winning. “Against Australia last year inthe autumn they showed they can beat the bestteams in the world, also against South Africa theyshowed they can come very much second best,” headded. “The mental toughness which England havedeveloped will stand them in good stead,” saidCorry, who won 64 caps. England’s World Cup prepa-rations have been overshadowed by the departureof chief executive John Steele from the RugbyFootball Union amid a reshuffle, and 37-year-oldCorry said the players could be distracted.

“Of course it will be a distraction because if you’reasking me these questions then all the media will beasking the players these questions, so instead of justfocusing on the World Cup there will be some ques-tions around it (the subject),” he said. “There’salways been politics in the game but it’s disappoint-ing now that it’s front page news, the way the gameis run in my view should always be in the back-ground. “But there’s a lot of voices now that want tobe heard behind the scenes which is disappointingbecause it’s only damaging the great game,” headded.— Reuters

De Villiers upbeat despite Tri-Nations reservationsJOHANNESBURG: South Africa coach Peterde Villiers does not believe the Tri-Nationsshould be held in a World Cup year but he stillhas high expectations of his second-stringsquad for the opening two matches of thetournament.

“If we have an extended Super 15 com-petition, then it would be sensible to notalso have the Tri-Nations in a World Cupyear. But it’s there on our schedule and wewill use the opportunity,” De Villiers told

reporters yesterday. “The excitement for the tour has really tak-

en off this week and our expectations are veryhigh because we are still representing ourcountry. We want to win all our games and weare really confident. (captain) John Smit firedup the boys like only he can and we now haveone week to fine-tune.”

The Springboks fly out yesterday forgames against Australia in Sydney on July 23and New Zealand in Wellington on July 30,

with 21 leading players out of action due tominor injuries after an expanded Super Rugbycompetition. Smit, one of only a handful ofplayers going on tour who will be confidentof playing in the September and OctoberWorld Cup, said he would still be leading afine squad into battle.

“If this is a ‘B’ team, then the ‘B’ stands forBoks. We’re going there to play rugby, not tomake up the numbers and that’s what we didthe last time we took a so-called ‘second-

string’ team over there,” Smit said. TheSpringboks were criticized in 2007 for touringAustralia and New Zealand without most oftheir frontline players, including Smit, andalthough they lost two tight games the movepaid dividends as they won the World Cupthree months later. De Villiers confirmed thatflanker Heinrich Brussow, prop CJ Van derLinde and lock Johann Muller had beenpassed fit and would be flying out with thesquad. — Reuters

s port sSATURDAY, jULY 16, 2011

CHEMNITZ: Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo from Spain waits as his technicians work on hismotorcycle during the MotoGP second free practice at the Sachsenring circuit in the villageof Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany yesterday. The Grand Prix of Germany is tomorrow. —AP

MADRID: Spanish track star MartaDominguez, cleared of doping allega-tions, said yesterday she plans to putthe “suffering” of the case behind herand get in shape for the 2012 LondonOlympics. “I cannot say I have not suf-fered,” she told a news conference. “Itwas a very complicated, difficult situa-tion. I am a strong person, but whenyou have nothing to hide, the sportgives you some values and strengththat made me go on... I have not done

anything, I’ve never done anything.”A Spanish judge on Monday threw

out a case against Dominguez forallegedly administering medicationto a friend without a license. Thedecision follows a previous verdictdelivered in April to clear the 35-year-old of trafficking in performance-enhancing drugs. Dominguez, whowon the 3,000m steeplechase gold inBerlin in 2009 after taking silver in the5,000m in 2003 and 2001, was one of

14 people detained for questioning inDecember as part of a probe intodoping in Spanish athletics.

Six of the 14 suspects werecharged with public health offensesand trafficking in illegal substances,including Dominguez’ coach CezarPerez. Dominguez, who is expectingher first child, said yesterday she isnow focusing on getting back intoshape and “preparing for theOlympics.” “That ’s my idea. I

wouldn’t wish anyone to l ivethrough what I lived through...”I’mstronger, not physically but mental-ly... and I will fight to keep working,enjoying my family, my son, my peo-ple, recovering my form to return totop competition and prepare for theGames.” She had already announcedthat she would not defend her worldtitle in the 2011 event in the SouthKorean city of Daegu because of herpregnancy. —AFP

Absolved Spanish track star set for Olympics

SACHSENRING: In-form Jorge Lorenzo and BenSpies, who have won the last two rounds of theworld championship, hope to make it three in a rowfor Yamaha in tomorrow’s German Grand Prix. Spieswon in the Netherlands before world championLorenzo won at Mugello two weeks ago to take theItalian Grand Prix and close the gap on series leaderCasey Stoner to just 19 points. Sachsenring remainsone of the few tracks where Spanish rider Lorenzohas yet to win, taking second place in 2009 andagain in 2010.

Lorenzo looked set to prevail in last year’s raceuntil a red flag caused a 30-minute stoppage follow-ing a three-bike pile-up, which allowed Dani Pedrosato sneak victory in the forests of eastern Germany. “Ifeel very good after our victory in Mugello; an amaz-ing victory that we needed for our confidence,” saidLorenzo. “We’ll take more power from it for futureraces, especially for the next two in a row. Now it’stime for Germany. Sachsenring is a unique track,

which I’ve ridden since 2002 and still not won. “Iwould like to do it, it’s an interesting challenge. Theteam and I are ready to again try to reduce the gapto Casey. “Our aim is the podium, but we will try topush for the win.”

Austral ian star Stoner , who won at theSachsenring in 2008, was third last year. The Hondarider won three in a row earlier this season at LeMans, Catalunya and Si lverstone, but withSachsenring marking the halfway stage of the sea-son, Stoner knows that Lorenzo is running into form.“I’m looking forward to Sachsenring, it’s a circuitwhere we’ve enjoyed good results in the past fewyears,” said Stoner.

“The track is very t ight and technical so i tdemands a different style of riding and we also needto set the bike up in a different way. “It’s prettytough on tyres as the majority of corners are longleft-handers so the wear on the left-hand side of thetyre is quite significant.” —AFP

LONDON: Fernando Alonso maybe relying on the old cliche of tak-ing one race at a time, but if RedBull’s rising consternation is to bebelieved, Ferrari could yet mount adecent bid to win this year’s title.Defending champion SebastianVettel’s call for more dedicatedwork from the Red Bull team, alongwith team chief Christian Horner’sclaim that Alonso was not only thewinner but also the fastest man onthe track in last Sunday’s BritishGrand Prix, suggests they see theItalians as their major threat.

McLaren, apparently confusedin recent weeks, seem to be slip-ping away in the title race just asFerrari are preparing to mounttheir almost traditional mid-yearrevival on the great high-speed cir-cuits of the European season.Alonso, however, like the wily andseasoned campaigner that he is,knows that nothing but speed, per-formance and consistent resultswill count as he begins the enor-mous task of cutting into runawayleader Vettel ’s 92-point lead.Taking his cue from Ferrari presi-dent Luca di Montezemolo thisweek, Alonso said it was too earlyto talk of anything other thanremaining grounded and thinkingonly of the next race.

Ferrari’s crushing of Red Bull atSilverstone is, to him, already in thepast. “That win won’t change ourapproach and we just have toremain entirely realistic now,” saidthe two-time world champion. “Weare 92 points behind in the classifi-cation and that is a very big gap!“We will tackle the races one at atime, trying to win as many as pos-sible and I know now that this willalso involve taking a few more risksand maybe it will happen that wepay a high price for that, but thereis no alternative. “We are definitelynot giving up, but we must notthink about the championship-asour president has said already atMaranello, we are keeping our feeton the ground.”

The 29-year-old Spaniardbelieves also that recent changesto the off-throttle blown diffuserregulations have had nothing to do

with Ferrari’s improved perform-ances or the win at Silverstone. Forhim, as for Red Bull, the story isthat the scarlet scuderia havemade real progress in recent weeksand can now produce front-run-ning pace. “I haven’t spent toomuch time thinking about thetechnical reasons behind the win inthe British Grand Prix,” he added, incomments made on the Ferrariwebsite. “Each race has its own sto-ry and we know only too well howmuch things can change when yougo from one track to another.

“There were definitely somemajor improvements on the car,which means it feels much easierto drive now and you can feel itmuch more stuck to the groundthan before, especially in the fastcorners.” Ferrari team boss StefanoDomenicali, acknowledging theimportance of the team’s first winof the year, said: “ I am l ikeFernando... I want to be cautious,but, also, ‘You must never say nev-er!’ The Ferrari revival has followeda revamping of the team’s techni-cal staff earlier this year, whentechnical director Aldo Costastepped down. That move followeda terrible afternoon at the SpanishGrand Prix, where Alonso led butwas eventually lapped by both theRed Bulls and McLarens.

Steady progress since has seenAlonso reap two podium finishes inthree races before Silverstone,where he won convincingly. “Wetook quite a big aerodynamicupdate there and everythingworked-Felipe (Massa) and I arefeeling happier with the car now,understandably” said Alonso. “It isno secret that we lost a bit ofground in the first couple of racesbecause we put new parts on thecar that weren’t quick. “But itseems that in the last three or fourraces every new part we put on thecar is working fine. I am very proudof the recovery we have made.” ForFerrari and Alonso, the next testcomes in next weekend’s GermanGrand Prix at the Nurburgring, acircuit where Red Bull will be des-perate to bounce back and dowell.—AFP

F1: Alonso confident as Ferrari begin fightback

High-flying Yamaha eye third consecutive win

s port s

Sachin Tendulkar

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, jULY 16, 2011

TOKYO: International OlympicCommittee president Jacques Roggehas promised to strengthen the fightagainst doping cheats, calling it theIOC’s top priority. “Doping is most cer-tainly the biggest threat to sportbecause it undermines the health ofthe athletes and it undermines thecredibility of the athletes,” Rogge tolda meeting to mark the 100th anniver-

sary of the Japanese OlympicCommittee yesterday. “We’ve madethe fight against doping our priorityon the International OlympicCommittee. We have doubled thenumber of tests between the SydneyOlympics (in 2000) and London(2012).” Rogge admitted that keepingsport totally free of the scourge ofdoping was a near impossible task but

the IOC would continue to adopt azero-tolerance policy.

“While we will never be able tohave zero doping, I can say with greatpleasure that we are making biggerprogress. “Today it is far more difficultto (get away with) doping than it usedto be a couple of years ago.” Roggealso called for countries to clampdown on crowd violence before the

Olympics in Britain, which has seen itsshare of soccer hooliganism in thepast. “The second major danger forsport is violence, in and out of the ven-ues,” he said. “This is a major problem,mostly in team sports, where we needa good association between the publicand the sports authorities. “Sportalone cannot solve it, but we have tolead by example.” —Reuters

Rogge pledges to step up IOC fight against doping

TOKYO: Once-bitten Tokyo shyly tiptoedinto the bidding race for the 2020 Olympics,with Japanese officials yesterday saying theyhad an obligation to apply. “We have aresponsibility and an obligation to meet theexpectations placed upon us,” JapaneseOlympic Committee (JOC) chief TsunekazuTakeda told a symposium to mark the 100thanniversary of the JOC. “We must bring the

Olympics back to Japan.” Takeda stoppedshort of formally announcing Tokyo’s latestbid, after losing out to Rio de Janeiro in therace to host the 2016 Games. However, he isexpected to inform International OlympicCommittee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge ofTokyo’s ambitions at a press conferencetoday.

Tokyo hosted Asia’s first Olympics in

1964. “Unfortunately we were unsuccessfulin our 2016 bid but since then we have beendoing everyt hing we can to prepare for2020,” said Takeda. “I am not able to formallydeclare our bid at this moment, but webelieve the Olympics will help boost therecovery and reconstruction of Japan.”Tokyo’s 2020 ambitions were dealt a severeblow by the deadly earthquake and tsunami

in March which also triggered a nuclearmeltdown at a power plant 150 miles northof the city. Takeda is expected to makeTokyo’s plans official following a centennialevent today attended by both the JapaneseEmperor and Prime Minister Naoto Kan.Rome was the first to officially register its2020 bid with several other cities now gradu-ally showing interest. —Reuters

LONDON: England Test captain Andrew Strausshas saluted India icon Sachin Tendulkar as thelegendary batsman prepares to chase his 100thinternational hundred in the forthcoming seriesbetween the sides. Tendulkar has notched 51Test and 48 one-day centuries and Straussbelieves there are few signs of the 38-year-oldIndian’s powers diminishing. Strauss will get alook at Tendulkar’s current form over the nextfew days as the Middlesex batsman is on a loanspell with Somerset-in a bid to end his run oflow scores-and will play in their match againstthe tourists at Taunton.

“It goes without saying that it is a phenome-nal achievement, not just the fact he scoredthose runs, but his desire and motivation to playthat long and keep chasing down thoserecords,” Strauss said. “He seems to be playingas well as ever at the moment. It is a greatexample for us all that if you are still hungry,there is no reason why your powers shoulddecline as you get older. “He has been one ofthe great players over the last 20 years and I’msure he will want to have a big series.“Technically he is fantastic, his mental strengthto bat under that amount of pressure for all thattime is fantastic. “He is a very dignified andhumble man as well. If there are good examplesout there, he is probably the best of them.”

However, Strauss is hoping England pace-man Chris Tremlett can make life uncomfort-able for Tendulkar and his team-mates in thefirst Test at Lord’s next week. “Are India suscep-tible to short deliveries? I think all the sub-conti-nent sides have got better at that in recentyears,” Strauss said. “It comes as a result of tour-ing here quite often. Certainly their senior play-ers are no strangers to these shores. “We are notexpecting any dramatic weaknesses there butwe know someone like Chris Tremlett per-formed very well against them last time aroundhere. “He was a lot younger and probably lessdeveloped as a bowler then. “I think we sawagainst Australia and Sri Lanka, that type ofbowling, if done consistently and accurately,will trouble most people.” —AFP

Strauss salutes India maestro Tendulkar

Cheruiyot wins women’s 10,000m at Kenyan trials

NAIROBI: Vivian Cheruiyot held off new-comer Sally Kipyego to win the women’s10,000 metres on the second day of theKenyan trials for the world athletics cham-pionships yesterday. Cheruiyot, the worlddefending 5,000m champion, who optedfor the longer race instead of her specialityat the three-day trials, said she would seekto attempt a 5,000m/10,000m double inDaegu, South Korea. She becomes the sec-ond Kenyan athlete to announce her dou-ble ambition after fellow world 10,000mchampion L inet Masai , who sa id onThursday she would bid for the 5,000mtitle if she is selected for the race today.

“This is my second 10,000m race aftermy winning debut in Spain in April. Since Ihave already qualified for both the 5,000mand the 10,000m at the world champi-onships, I want to enter both races inDaegu,” sa id Cheruiyot , who won in31:55.8 seconds. Kipyego, the nine-timeAmerican National Col legiate AthleticAssociation (NCAA) champion finished sec-ond in 31:57.8, to make the Kenya team forthe first time in six attempts. “I feel veryprivileged to get the chance to representmy country at the world championships,”said Kipyego, who was advised by hercoach to run the 10,000m instead of the5,000m because she had a better chance ofbeing selected for the wor ld champi-onships.

“I have been training for the 10,000mfrom September last year. My strength lastsmore in the 10k, and even though I can runquicker in the 5k, I think I am better in the10k,” she added. “I know this is a tough,tough team to make and just to be able to bepart of that group that includes VivianCheruiyot and Linet Masai is absolutely ablessing,” Kipyego said. The Kenya team forthe August 27 to September 4 world champi-onships will be named today at the end ofthe three-day national championship. —AFP

Tokyo tiptoes into 2020 Olympics race

S P O R T S

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

JOHANNESBURG: The 2011 AfricanChampions League group phasebegins this weekend with Egyptianclub Al-Ahly back in the familiar role oftitle favorites. Record six-time champi-ons Ahly host 1992 winners WydadCasablanca of Morocco in a Group Bfixture to be staged behind closeddoors at the Military Academy Stadiumas punishment for unruly crowdbehavior in the final qualifying round.Former title holders Mouloudia Algerof Algeria and Esperance of Tunisia-theother contenders for two semi-finalsslots from an all-North Africa pool-clash in Algiers.

Morocco are the only country withtwo challengers for the $1.5 millionfirst prize and three-time championsRaja Casablanca have home advantageover 2008 runners-up Cotonsport

Garoua of Cameroon in Group A.Enyimba, the only Nigerian club to liftthe trophy that symbolizes Africanclub supremacy and one of just threesides to successfully defend the title,host twice runners-up Al-Hilal ofSudan in the same mini-league. Thelatest edition of the premier Pan-African club competition began lastJanuary with defending championsTout Puissant Mazembe from theDemocratic Republic of Congo favoredto complete a title hat-trick.

But the 2010 FIFA Club World Cuprunners-up were disqualified afterreaching the group phase for using anineligible player and the status ofteam-to-beat switched to Ahly despiteunimpressive progress through thequalifiers. An Egyptian team rusty fromlack of competitive practice owing to

the popular uprising that toppledauthoritarian ruler Hosni Mubaraksqueezed past SuperSport United ofSouth Africa and ZESCO United ofZambia.

Although boasting an attack includ-ing leading 2010 Africa Cup of Nationsscorer Mohamed ‘Geddo’ Nagy, Ahlymanaged just three goals in four out-ings and had to rely on a stingydefense marshaled by veteran WaelGomaa to survive. Several factors,including a return to form thatbrought a seventh national league titlein a row and the influence ofPortuguese coach Manuel Jose in histhird spell at the ‘Red Devils’, have ele-vated them to potential champions.Wydad were eliminated by Mazembeonly to get a reprieve when their con-querors were kicked out, and they

scored three late goals to sink Simba ofTanzania in a Cairo play-off to decidewho replaced the Congolese in thegroup draw.

Esperance travel west to Algiersbuoyant after clinching the nationaltitle, while Mouloudia were lucky tododge relegation, finishing one pointabove the drop zone thanks to a last-round draw at fellow strugglers JSKabylie. While Ahly and Esperance lookstrongest in Group B, the other pool isharder to call with little seemingly sep-arating the four teams in their questfor semi-finals places. Playing beforetheir supporters should bring Raja andEnyimba maximum points althoughboth the Moroccans and Nigeriansneed to up their game after someunconvincing qualifying performancesin Casablanca and Aba.— AFP

Ahly launch group campaign behind closed doors

CORDOBA: Trying to mark Argentina’sLionel Messi is a waste of time soUruguay will concentrate on theirvirtues of grit and self-belief to win theirCopa America quarter-final, coach OscarTabarez said on Thursday. The greatrivals, who hold a joint record of 14 titlesin South America’s elite tournament,clash in another “Clasico del Rio de laPlata” in Santa Fe today (2215 GMT) withboth looking to improve on their per-formances to date.

Argentina came good in their lastGroup A match when they beat CostaRica 3-0. Messi was close to his creativebest but is still without a goal for hiscountry in 15 competitive matches. “Ifyou have a problem and you don’t havethe solution, why worry? Messi can giveus a lot of problems which won’t goaway whatever we do to try to avoidthem,” Tabarez told reporters in BuenosAires.

“But there are a lot of things we cando that neither Messi nor anyone elsecan prevent, those things that are partof the identity of this squad, of beingstubborn, of believing we can (do it),” hesaid. Diego Forlan, voted player of the2010 World Cup where Uruguay weresurprise semi-finalists, has also yet tofind the net and his partnership withLuis Suarez has suffered without thepresence of injured Edinson Cavani, thethird man in the side’s attacking triumvi-rate.

FORLAN THREAT This does not make Messi, who will

play a remarkable 66th match this sea-son, any less wary of the potentialUruguay have to spoil Argentine ambi-tions of ending an 18-year wait for amajor title on home soil. “Forlan is agreat player and we all know we can’tgive him any room (because) he kickswell with both feet (and) links well withSuarez,” Messi told reporters atArgentina’s base camp outside BuenosAires. “Playing against South Americannational teams is very difficult, they playwith two lines of four ... We have to finda way round that,” he added, havingstruggled with the marking in

Argentina’s draws against Bolivia andColombia.

Dark horses Colombia and Peru playin the second quarter-final today.Neither team has enjoyed much successin recent years. Peru last reached theWorld Cup finals in 1982 and finishedbottom of South America’s 2010 quali-fiers. Colombia have fared a little betterand were the last team to deny Brazilthe Copa America trophy in their onlytitle as hosts in 2001. They now appearto have the potential to rival their great1990s generation, however.

“This (team’s) football is quicker thanin those days, because of the players’characteristics but they too have goodtechnique and tactical discipline,” saidcoach Hernan Dario Gomez, the linkwith the sides that went to three WorldCups between 1990 and 1998. A win forColombia today would bring a re-matchwith Argentina following their stirring 0-0 draw in the group phase. ChampionsBrazil face Paraguay in La Plata onSunday before Chile and Venezuelaclash in the last of the quarter-finals inSan Juan.— Reuters

Uruguay to focus on own game, not Messi

BUENOS AIRES: Uruguayan Maximiliano Pereira tries a scissors kick among theMexicans in this file photo during a 2011 Copa America Group C first roundfootball match held at the Ciudad de La Plata stadium in La Plata, 59 Km southof Buenos Aires, on July 12, 2011.—AFP

Peru out to halt the Colombians

CORDOBA: Peru, dreaming of a first triumph in 36years, will try to halt a resurgent Colombia today intheir Copa America quarter-final meeting. “Now wehave Colombia. A tall order but but we have to havefaith we can get past them. Go Peru,” said Peruvianstriker Paolo Guerrero, who plays his club football withHamburg, on his Twitter account as Sergio Markarian’sBlanquirroja target a shock. Recent meetings betweenthe two have been tight affairs - they parted 1-1 in aBogota friendly last November and World Cup quali-fiers ended 1-0 to the Colombians on their home patchand 1-1 in Peru.

If the Peruvians, two-times champions, are to beatthe 2001 champs, they will have to keep in check in-form striker Radamel Falcao, who Thursday revealed hehad signed a two-year extension through to 2015 withPorto. The forward, who broke the European goalscor-ing record for a single campaign when he netted 17times en route to Europa League glory, also had hisbuyout clause raised to 45 million euros from 30 million- though the likes of Chelsea remain admirers. “It does-n’t matter who scores as long as we go through,”Falcao insisted on learning of the draw after his sidewon Group A to finish above hosts Argentina whilePeru were one of the two best third-placed finishers.

With the Colombians yet to concede a goal and withFalco on fire after two goals against Bolivia, HernanDario ‘Boli l lo’ Gomez’s side would appear sl ightfavorites. “The most important thing is that the teamfunctions effectively - we came here with a goal and wehave achieved it (in getting past the group stage),” saidWigan striker Hugo Rodallega. Peru were Thursdaykeeping Juan Vargas in cotton wool as the Fiorentinawideman is carrying a leg muscle injury he sufferedgoing into the tournament, although he expects tostart. “We are hugely up for this one,” Peru defenderAntonio Rodriguez told journalists after Markarian putthem through their paces.

Markarian says he thinks his men can make it“through to the semis,” he told Cable Magico Deportesbroadcaster. “But I’d like to come back on July 25,” hejoked, that being the day after the final. Peru finishedbottom of the last World Cup qualifying session andcame to the Copa minus injured forwards JeffersonFarfan and Claudio Pizarro, but Markarian has managedto instill some self belief. “Peru are good players - wejust have to believe in ourselves,” said Vargas. The win-ner of the encounter will take on either Argentina orUruguay on July 19 at La Plata. Tomorrow, Brazil faceParaguay and Chile take on Venezuela in the otherquarters.—AFP

S P O R T S

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

FRANKFURT: Japan’s players, striker Karina Maruyama (left), Kyoko Yano, midfielder Kozue Ando (2nd right) andJapan’s midfielder Homare Sawa (right) play during a training session in Frankfurt. — AFP

MIAMI: The United States face Japantomorrow in search of their thirdwomen’s World Cup title and whiletechnique and tactics have played a rolein their march to the final, it is a sense offreedom and spirit that the team creditsfor their success in Germany.

The US, winners in 1991 and 1999,have had their setbacks in the past year,including a defeat to Mexico that meantthey were in danger of not making thetournament for the first time, and need-ed a playoff win over Italy to avoid thatfate. In Germany, the US lost to Swedenduring the group stage, were momentsaway from elimination in the quarter-final against Brazil before equalizing inthe final seconds of extra-time andgoing on to victory in a penalty shoot-out. Every time the dream of repeatingthe success of the hugely popular 1999team looks set to be dashed, theAmericans find a way to turn thingsaround. That spirit, according to theAmerican’s Swedish head coach PiaSundhage, comes from the difficult dayswhen participation in the tournamentwas on the line. “Because we had such abumpy road, we had to play those play-

off games against Italy, we came outstronger and we have learnt the lessonthat we cannot take anything for grant-ed,” Sundhage said during a conferencecall on Thursday. “So we have tried toenjoy every day and be grateful forevery day we have a game or training.“This team has great heart and spirit andwe are humble enough to recognizewhen we need to change some things.”

In the past two games, the US wereable to beat two teams, France andBrazil, that many observers believedwere more technically gifted thenSundhage’s team. “That tells you aboutthe heart,” said Sundhage. “If you are inthe locker room at halftime, players say-ing ‘come on, we can do this,’ you canfeel the positive atmosphere. I think wegained some real positive energy fromthe last two games.” While the US lockerroom is a place where the players canrely on support, it is also a loud andproud place. “You put a bunch ofwomen in a locker room and it is goingto get crazy sometimes,” Solo toldreporters. “You have people that sing,people that dance, people that havecrazy music going. It’s fun, there are so

many different personalities.”

‘DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHY’It is not just the freedom to stand up

and shout in the locker room that makesthe team special though, says Solo, butrather the freedom they are given by the51-year-old Swede to express them-selves on the field. That, says the goal-keeper, is something that is not alwaysencouraged by American coaches.“From the moment Pia stepped in, shechanged the entire dynamic of thisteam. A completely different philoso-phy, she is one of the more laid-backcoaches I’ve ever had,” said Solo.

“A lot of American coaches want tobe involved in every pass, in every play.She likes to sit back, she says, ‘you guysare creative, you are soccer players’,she wants us to think and read thegame for ourselves.” “Of course weneed her expertise, her input and sheshows that when she brings a changeof tactics but every player likes to havea bit of freedom on the field. It bringsthe joy back to us, back to the timewhen we were l itt le kids and justplayed for the hell of it.”—Reuters

US, Japan face off Women’s World Cup title

PARIS: Portuguese giants Benficaface an intr iguing ChampionsLeague third qualifying round tieafter being drawn yesterdayagainst the Turkish s ideTrabzonspor. Tranzonspor, who fin-ished runners-up in Turkey last sea-son, have been implicated in a mas-sive match-fixing scandal that hasalso taken in champions Besiktasand another of the country’sbiggest clubs, Fenerbahce.

Sadri Sener, the president of

Tr abzonspor, has been arrested inconnection with the scandal, butwas released on Tuesday on thecondit ion that he remains inTurkey. UEFA released a statementearlier this week insisting that itwas down to the Turkish federationto deal with the issue.But if theinvestigation provides evidence ofcollusion in the match-fixing scan-dal , then Trabzonspor (andBesiktas) could face exclusion fromthe competition. One of the more

intr iguing encounters seesUkrainian outfit Dynamo Kiev takeon the Russian side Rubin Kazan.The two sides last met in the 2009-10 group stage of the tournament,when Kiev won 3-0 at home beforea goalless draw in Russia.

Danish champions FCCopenhagen, who reached thequarter-finals last year before los-ing to eventual championsBarcelona, will face either Ireland’sShamrock Rovers or th e Estonian

team Flora. Scottish championsRangers are likely to face Swedishchampions Malmo, who leadTorshavn (Faroe Islands) 2-0 afterthe first leg of their second-roundtie, while Greek side Panathinaikosface an awkward t ie againstDenmark’s Odense. The winners ofthe third-round ties will qualify forthe play-off round, where they willbe joined by teams includingArsenal , Bayern Munich andLyon.—AFP

Beaten France,Sweden set to

battle for bronzeSINSHEIM: Having lost in the women’s World Cupsemi-finals, Sweden take on France today in the third-place play-off with both sides insisting they are goingfor bronze. Sweden went down 3-1 to Japan inFrankfurt on Wednesday, the same night France werehumbled at the hands of two-time winners the USA inMoenchengladbach by an identical margin. WhileJapan and the Stars and Stripes march on to Sunday’sfinal, the French and Swedes will clash having bothalready secured the two available places at theLondon 2012 Olympic Games by reaching the semi-finals.

After his side were dominated by Japan, Swedencoach Thomas Dennerby explained why he pulled hissquad together on the pitch in Frankfurt to demandthey focus on finishing their campaign with anothervictory. “This third-place play-off is very important forus, it is the reason why we got back together on thepitch,” said Dennerby. “I told the players we win andlose together, I said they have to enjoy the nextmatch as we will be fighting for a medal in a few days.We need to recover and not be depressed.” AlthoughSweden striker Josefine Oqvist opened the scoringwith the opening goal after 10 minutes, Japan hitback as striker Nahomi Kawasumi netted goals eitherside of half-time while captain Homare Sawa poacheda header. France suffered a similar fate.

After US star Lauren Cheney put the US ahead inMoenchengladbach, Sonia Bompastor equalised forthe French before American forwards Abby Wambachand Alex Morgan put the result beyond doubt. Butthe French are also determined to finish their cam-paign on a high with forward Gaetane Thiney insist-ing: “I think it’s important to show that we are thethird best team in the world.” France coach Bruno Binisaid his side have done exceptionally well to reachthe play-off. “I’m proud of my players. Life’s still beau-tiful because we have earned the right to fight forthird place, which is amazing when you considernobody was talking about us two months ago.”

France had only previously played in one WorldCup in 2003 where they failed to get out of the groupstages.For Sweden, the prize is bronze and the chanceto perform their dance routine-inspired by Frenchrapper Moussier Tombola’s hit Logobitombo-onemore time for their fans in Germany.

“Thomas said that we could be disappointed, butwanted us to be proud of what we have achievedhere and stressed that we have to come together forthe game against France,” said Sweden defenderCharlotte Rohlin. “We want to be dancing again atthe final whistle, knowing that we are the third-bestteam in the world. “I want to win that game and everysingle member of the team wants to win. We aregoing to fight until the end.”—AFP

Benfica face intriguing Champions League opener

S P O R T S

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

Grieving Daleydives into the

unknownLONDON: Tom Daley is used to pressure but the Britishteenager will defend his world championships diving titlewithout his most ardent supporter following the recentdeath of his father. Robert Daley died aged 40 in May aftersuffering with brain cancer for several years. It was Daleysenior who was his son’s ever-present companion on theinternational diving circuit, including at the world champi-onships in Rome two years ago where Tom, then aged just15, won the 10-metre platform title.

His success confirmed the now 17-year-old Daley asone of Britain’s brightest prospects for a gold medal at the2012 London Olympics. Dreams of Olympic glory thoughappeared to be the last thing on Tom Daley’s mind when,shortly after his father’s passing, he wrote on his Twitterpage: “I love you so much Dad. “If I could be half the dadthat my dad was to me then that would be my bestachievement! I love you! Xx.” Daley’s diving career startedwhen he was aged a mere seven. “When he was young weall used to come to the pool together,” his mother Debbietold the London Evening Standard in an interview lastmonth. “One day there was a diving lesson going on andTom said he’d love to try it.”

Not that it was always a smooth upward curve fromthen on. Andy Birks, Daley’s current coach, first saw hispupil as an eight-year and was far from impressed. “I’dbeen told this kid was special. But when I came to watchhim he had a glitch. He stood at the back of the board andcried for 20 minutes. I thought, ‘this is never going to hap-pen’.” But Banks was cajoled into watching Daley again,saw a much better display, and brought him under hiswing. Daley made rapid progress and by the age of 10 waswinning national under-18 events, and in 2008 he com-peted at the Beijing Olympics.

The sight of the slight boy from Plymouth, south-westEngland, leaping off the 10 meter platform made him aninstant television hit with watching mothers and school-girls of his own age back in Britain. However, the decisionto pair him with the 26-year-old Blake Aldridge in the syn-chronized competition led to a very public breakdown inrelations between the pair, with the older man seeminglyunable to cope with the publicity coming Daley’s way.That led Daley to team-up with the 30-year-old PeterWaterfield for the synchronized events.

Daley comes across as a composed young man com-pleting his A-levels (English education’s pre-universitypublic exam) in maths, Spanish and photography.Nevertheless, he had to switch schools because of bully-ing, a reminder that a gold medal is no defense againstone of the enduring problems of childhood. But Daley hasdeveloped a method of dealing with all the conflictingdemands on his time. “You’ve got to have different com-partments in your brain,” he told the Standard. “I have thediving world, the social world, the media world and theschool world. “As long as you don’t mix the worlds up,they don’t become stressful.” He added: “Obviously thedream is to win an Olympic gold. Who wouldn’t wantthat? But there are so many divers up for it. You neverknow what’ll happen until the day comes around.”—AFP

SHANGHAI: Members of France’s synchronized swimming team take part in a training session at the Shanghai OrientalSports Center, the venue of the forthcoming FINA World Championships, in Shanghai. Shanghai has poured billions ofyuan into hosting this month’s world swimming championships, including its new two billion yuan ($309 million)Oriental Sports Centre, as part of efforts to promote the sport. — AFP

Celebrations as Kazan awarded 2015 worlds

Guadalajara awarded 2017 eventSHANGHAI: The Russian city of Kazanwas awarded the 2015 world swimmingchampionships yesterday, sparking a rau-cous celebration from their large bid del-egation in Shanghai’s Oriental SportsCentre. It is the first time the city, which isknown as Russia’s sports city, will hostthe event and caps a remarkable run forthe country having also been awardedthe 2014 Winter Olympics and 2018 soc-cer World Cup.

Mexico’s Guadalajara was also award-ed the 2017 championships by worldgoverning body FINA yesterday. HongKong was the unsuccessful bid city. TheRussian delegation, whose late entry tothe main press venue at the centre onShanghai’s Huangpu River had delayedthe announcement by FINA presidentJulio Maglione, celebrated wildly, lettingoff party poppers and swigging fromchampagne bottles after Maglioneopened the envelope.

The much smaller Mexican delegationwas more reserved, accepting theapplause from the gathered FINA digni-taries and the Russian delegation. “It is agreat step forward for the Russian federa-tion,” Maria Kisseleva, a triple Olympicchampion in synchronized swimmingwho spoke at the final bid presentationyesterday said through an interpreter.“Kazan also has the 2013 Universiade andthere is now the FINA and the World Cupand the (Winter) Olympic Games. “It wasespecially important for me because mywhole life I dedicated to synchronizedswimming,” she added. “(And) the cham-pionships is something that is close tome.”

YOUTHFUL DEMOGRAPHICKisseleva said the city’s vibrancy had

helped the bid team and that its youthfuldemographic would ensure a full house.“For the last few years I have been work-ing in Kazan and it is fantastic and amaz-

ing the way the city is growing. “The(sports) venues are growing like mush-rooms in the rain and people living inKazan are sports mad.”

The 14th world swimming champi-onships open in Shanghai on Saturdaywith the 15th edition to be held inBarcelona in 2013. Kazan an ancient citynear the Volga River some 800 km east ofMoscow, has also been selected to stageSeptember’s tennis Davis Cup WorldGroup playoff against Brazil. Russia’s ten-nis chief Shamil Tarpishchev said the con-test will be staged at a newly-built indoortennis arena. “We’ll put up a fast courtthat should give us an advantage againstthe Brazilians who are more used to play-ing on clay,” Tarpishchev was quoted assaying by local media. “It is the firsttime Kazan will host an international ten-nis match so I have no doubt we’ll have afull arena every day and the fans wouldgive us a great reception.” — Reuters

Phelps eyes new China gold rushLOS ANGELES: Michael Phelps returns to China,scene of his astonishing Beijing Olympic swim-ming triumphs, seeking to kick-start anotherOlympic campaign at the 2011 world champi-onships in Shanghai. With the 2012 LondonGames looming, Phelps and his American team-mates will get a chance to test themselvesagainst the world’s best, aiming to stay top ofthe medals table in this pre-Olympic year. For allhis achievements, Phelps heads to Shanghaiwith questions swirling.

If not exactly floundering, the 14-time

Olympic gold medalist has appeared at least tobe drifting after a series of rare defeats.Invincible in the 200m butterfly for nine years,he lost three times in the 200m butterfly in thisyear’s USA Swimming Grand Prix Series-twice toChina’s Wu Peng and once to Aussie NickD’Arcy.

However, after falling to D’Arcy in Santa Clarain June, Phelps was talking less about the defi-ciencies in his training and more about his confi-dence following high altitude workouts inColorado, saying he was “in a lot better place

mentally” than he had been earlier in the sea-son. Phelps’s latest tune-up saw him notch twovictories at the Canada Cup earlier this month,including a 100m butterfly victory that put himtop of the world rankings in that event. Phelpscould swim up to seven events in Shanghai, andhis performance there will help him and coachBob Bowman plot his London program.

He could be lured to the 200m freestyle bythe chance to regain the world title he lost toGermany’s Paul Biedermann in Rome two yearsago, while in the 200m individual medley Phelps

is the top performer to date in 2011. Overall,America’s men do not figure prominently in thisyear’s world rankings, but that could be mislead-ing because of the lack of a world champi-onships selection meeting.

The US team, including 25 Olympians, wasselected based on performances at the 2010national championships and Pan PacificSwimming Championships, leaving swimmersfree to pursue their training schedules with aneye to peaking in Shanghai without worryingabout trials. — AFP

S P O R T S

Anniversary

Years

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2011

LOURDES: RadioShack’s Tour deFrance hopes suffered a hugeblow on the second day in thehigh mountains when AndreasKloden pulled out during yester-day’s 13th stage.

RadioShack, the last profes-sional team of Lance Armstrong,were left reeling after a dramaticfirst week when Janez Brajkovicand Chris Horner both left the

race due to injuries.Kloden, who finished runner-

up to Armstrong in 2004, sus-tained a lower back injury in acrash on the ninth stage onSunday.

Having dropped further out ofcontention during the climb toLuz Ardiden on Thursday, he last-ed barely an hour on the 13thstage before throwing in the tow-

el. He is the team’s fourth aban-don. Ukrainian YaroslavPopovych pulled out sufferingfrom a fever on Tuesday. Half anhour after Kloden’s withdrawal,Dutchman Lars Boom stepped offhis bike and into his Rabobankmanager’s car.

His retirement is a further blowto the orange and blue Dutchoutfit, whose main yellow jersey

hope Robert Gesink has beenunderperforming since sufferinga back injury last week. RussianVladimir Isaichev, who rides forKatusha, also pulled out duringthe stage.

Katusha were dealt a blow onMonday when it was revealedAlexandr Kolobnev had testedpositive for a banned diuretic andhe quit the race in disgrace. After

losing young sprinter DenisGalimzyanov on Thursday, afterhe finished outside the stage1 2 t i m e l i m i t , a n d R u s s i a nchampion Pavel Brutt on stagenine, Katusha have now lostf o u r o f t h e i r n i n e s t a r t e r s .Y e s t e r d a y ’ s s t a g e w a s a1 5 2 . 5 k m r i d e f r o m P a u t oLourdes and includes the climbof the Col d’Aubisque.— AFP

Kloden and Boom among Tour de France abandons

LAVAUR: Spain’s three-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador (center) rides in the pack with Saxo Bank team-mates and Liquigas riders during the 167,5 km and eleventh stage of the 2011 Tour de France cycling race run betweenBlaye-les-Mines and Lavaur, southern France. — AFP

LOURDES: World champion ThorHushovd claimed the 13th stage of theTour de France after defeating twoFrenchmen in a nail-biting finale yester-day. The Norwegian rider from theGarmin-Cervelo team powered away with2.5 kilometers left to beat France’s DavidMoncoutie by 10 seconds, according toprovisional results. Another Frenchman,Jeremy Roy, was on the attack all day buthad to settle for third some 26 seconds offthe pace, snatching the polka dot jerseyfor the best climber in the process.Thomas Voeckler of France retained theoverall leader’s yellow jersey as the bigguns enjoyed a quiet day in the 152.5-kmstage from Pau.

Roy, who had already spent almost 200km in a breakaway in Thursday’s gruelingmountain trek, attacked in the descentfrom the Col de Cuqueron around 105 kmfrom the finish. He was joined by eight rid-ers, including former race leader Hushovd,but he was on his own before the top ofthe out-of-category Col de l’Aubisque.Cheered on by his team manager MarcMadiot, a two-times Paris-Roubaix cham-pion, Roy launched a solo time trial withhis face a mask of pain and his mouthwide open as he gasped for air.

Hushovd and Moncoutie joined forcesin the descent before the Frenchmanrefused to take turns with eight km left.Hushovd then attacked three km from theline and caught Roy 500 meters further on

with the FDJ rider was unable to catch theNorwegian’s wheel, cracking in the finale.“It is a huge disappointment. It’s hard toswallow,” Roy told reporters. German vet-eran Andreas Kloeden, twice a Tour deFrance runner-up, pulled out after lessthan 40 kilometers after failing to recoverfrom a crash on Thursday. Today’s 14thstage is a 168.5-km trek ending with anintimidating climb to the Plateau de Beille.

Contador slips againFor the past two weeks Cadel Evans’

yellow jersey rivals have been warning theAustralian was back to his best and wouldbe a real Tour de France threat this year.On Thursday BMC’s team leader confirmedthose predictions when he answeredevery offensive from the Schleck brothersAndy and Frank as they tried to shake offAlberto Contador on the first day in thehigh mountains.

Still, he admitted the 12th stage-whichcrossed La Houquette d’Ancizan andTourmalet mountain passes before tack-ling the 13.3 km climb to Luz Ardiden was-n’t a walk in the park. “You’re never partic-ularly comfortable in the Tour at anymoment, right now included,” Evans saidafter finishing 20secs behind FrankSchleck but 13secs ahead of Contador.“We just have to stay calm for now and seehow things go in the coming days.” AsEvans later explained, the first mountain-top finish can be a strange affair.

Often, as happened Thursday when

Samuel Sanchez took the win for hisEuskaltel team in front of thousands oftheir home fans, late escapes go on to tri-umph as the yellow jersey men battle itout behind. But even Evans probably nev-er imagined the extent of the damage toseveral other podium hopefuls on the firstbig rendez-vous of the race. Germany’sAndreas Kloden, a former podium finisher,and pre-race contender Robert Gesink ofHolland are both racing with the pain ofinjury and were left fighting for survival.But despite the retirements of contenderBradley Wiggins and Jurgen van denBroeck due to injury, the yellow jersey fieldis still strong after the first of six majormountain stages.

While Evans is third overall at 2:06behind yellow jersey holder ThomasVoeckler, the Frenchman is expected tolose the lead before the third and lastPyreneean stage Saturday. Frank Schleck,who finished third just 10secs behind but20 ahead of Evans’s group, is second over-all at 1:49, while his younger brotherAndy-the runner-up in 2009 and 2010 - isfourth at 2:17. Coming into the reckoningafter an underwhelming first week is two-time Giro d’Italia champion Ivan Basso,whose Liquigas teammate SylvesterSzmyd did much of the pacing work forthe Italian in the final kilometres of theclimb. Basso is fifth overall at 3:16, withcompatriot Damiano Cunego of Lampre insixth at 3:22. — Agencies

Hushovd claims Tour 13th stage

SANDWICH: Tom Watson stole the show as the second roundof the British Open got under way yesterday, sinking a hole-in-one at the 169-yard, par-three sixth. The 61-year-old Americanlegend, who came within one putt of winning the year’s thirdMajor at Turnberry two years ago, stood on the sixth tee ateven for the round after five straight pars. His four-iron shothit the centre of the green and with one hop disappeared intothe cup to roars of approval from the gallery. That left him ateven par for the tournament after his 72 on Thursday.

It was the second hole-in-one of the tournament followingthat of American Dustin Johnson at the 16th in Thursday’sopening round and the seventh in the last decade. Watson,however, is not the oldest player to record a hole-in-one inthe Open as Gene Sarazen was 71 when he aced the famousPostage Stamp at Troon in 1973. More was to come from theever-popular Watson as he stood over a 20-foot putt for aneagle three at the next hole, but missed it left of the hole for abirdie to get to under par for the tournament. That put him inwith a good chance of once again making the cut for theweekend.

Watson is playing in his 34th Open having first competedat Carnoustie in 1975, and he has won the tournament fivetimes. But this is the first time in 115 rounds of Open golf thathe has fired a hole-in one. Watson’s Open wins came back inthe 1970s and 1980s, but after a hip replacement operation hehas found a new lease of life in recent years and provided oneof the sports stories of the year at the Turnberry Open twoyears ago. On that occasion he had a putt to win the tourna-ment for a sixth time at the 72nd hole, but came up short andthen lost a four-hole playoff to fellow American Stewart Cink.He missed the cut last year at St Andrews.—AFP

Hole-in-one for Watson at Open

SANDWICH: US golfer Tom Watson stretches on the 14th fair-way, on the second day of the 140th British Open Golf cham-pionship at Royal St George’s in Sandwich yesterday. — AFP

Contador slips again; Evans reinforces bid

47SportsSportsAn

niversary

Years

SA

TU

RD

AY

, J

ULY

16

, 2

011

Hushovd thwarts Frenchmen to claim Tour 13th stage

SANDWICH: Germany’s MartinKaymer hits a shot out of a

bunker onto the 18th green dur-ing the second day of the British

Open Golf Championship atRoyal St George’s golf course in

Sandwich yesterday. (Inset)England’s Lee Westwood plays a

shot off the 3rd tee. — AP

Lewis stumbles in British Open SANDWICH: Ryder Cup stars Lee Westwood and Graeme McDowellboth saw their British hopes blown apart yesterday as they failed toprofit from the ideal morning playing conditions at Royal StGeorge’s. Westwood, the world No 2, who was left still seeking hisfirst win in a Major despite a succession of near misses, started atone over and he got off to the best of possible starts by sinking afive-footer for birdie at the first.

But it quickly started to go wrong for him with a bogey at thenext, and a double bogey at the eighth saw him reach the turn inthree over 38. He needed a strong back nine to have a chance ofmaking the cut for the weekend, but instead he went on a run offive straight pars. He did bag a birdie at the 15th but a bogey at thepar-three 16th effectively sealed his fate. He came in with a 73,which left him at four over for the tournament and facing a week-end at home.

McDowell, whose Major breakthrough came at last year’s USOpen when he won at Pebble Beach, was baffled as to why he didnot perform better on a course he was convinced he could do wellon. Following on from a handy 68 on Thursday, he struggled to findhis game throughout a second round that handed him every oppor-tunity of staking a claim to a second Major title. Instead he camehome with a tournament-wrecking 77 that included five bogeys andone double bogey.

The problem, he believes may be more psychological than tech-nique related. “I’m just not in the right frame of mind right now,” hesaid. “My technique is all there, everything is all there. There’s justsomething going on. Maybe my expectation level is putting a little

too much pressure on myself. “I need an attitude readjustment. Ineed to care a bit less about the game. “I mean, I love this game andI’m working my ass off and I’m working hard and continue to workhard, but I’m just not putting it into play right now. It’s disappoint-ing.” Another member of the European hierarchy, Martin Kaymerenjoyed better fortunes. He carded a 69 to go with his opening 68and at three under for the tournament was well placed for the week-end. “I think the first two rounds, they were fairly good, and I’m hap-py with that,” the German world No 3 commented on his play. “Butif the weather comes in, if the rain comes in and the wind, then it’s abattle. “Then you need to fight, and then it becomes very difficult tokeep that position. “But I’m ready for it. I had a week off last week, soI’m prepared for some mental strength out there. I think I should befine”. Meanwhile, overnight leader Tom Lewis dropped off the paceas the second round of the British Open got under way yesterdaywith benign weather conditions inviting a day of low scoring atRoyal St George’s. English amateur Lewis electrified the field onThursday when he carded a five-under-par 65 to grab a share of thelead alongside Danish veteran Thomas Bjorn, the lowest total by anamateur in Open history. But the 20-year-old was in trouble early inhis second round, when two bogeys on the front nine saw him fallaway to leave Bjorn, who was playing later yesterday, in sole posses-sion of the lead.

After an opening round when powerful winds exacerbated thechallenges of St George’s rugged links layout, Yesterday saw theopportunity for movement with brilliant sunshine and only the gen-tlest of breezes blowing across the course. Lucas Glover, Ricky

Barnes and Miguel Angel Jimenez were all one stroke off the lead onfour under. The most impressive mover was reigning US Masterschampion Charl Schwartzel of South Africa. The 26-year-old fromJohannesburg had started the day at one over par, but conjured upfive birdies after 11 holes to reach three under.

Schwartzel was tied for fifth with Northern Ireland’s DarrenClarke, American Chad Campbell, Jeff Overton and overnight joint-leader Lewis. Clarke had at one stage surged into a share of the lead,due in part to a monstrous 90-foot eagle putt on the par-five eighth.But bogeys on the 14th and 16th holes halted his charge. Overnightleader Bjorn, who only earned a late place in the field following theinjury withdrawal of Vijay Singh, got his round under way at 12:26(1126 GMT). Bjorn’s five-under-par 65 provided the opening day’smost heartwarming storyline as he made a successful return to thescene of his 2003 collapse, when he blew a three-shot lead with fourto play to gift victory to Ben Curtis. Tournament favorite RoryMcIlroy, the newly-crowned US Open champion, is six adrift of theleaders after an opening one-over-par 71 but knows better thananyone how quickly a Major championship leaderboard canchange. McIlroy is joined on one-over by English world number oneLuke Donald, while top American hope Phil Mickelson, at 41, wasjust ahead of them at level par. But English hope Lee Westwood wason course to miss the cut after a wayward second round.Westwood, who had started the day at one over, dropped five shotsover the front nine to leave himself three over for the day, and fourover for the tournament.—Agencies

Open Heartbreak forWestwood, McDowell