Cabinet sworn in with 7 ruling family members

Transcription

1 SUBSCRIPTION Tunisia terror suspect killed, murder 7 plot foiled RAMADAN 27, 1434 AH Pakistan TV preachers battle for 40 Ramadan ratings Franklin first woman to win 20 six golds at one worlds Emsak: 03:32 Fajer: 03:43 Dohr: 11:54 Asr: 15:30 Maghreb: 18:37 Eshaa: 20:02 40 PAGES NO: FILS Cabinet sworn in with 7 ruling family members MPs unimpressed Four challenges filed against election Max 45º Min 32º High Tide 09:14 & 23:52 Low Tide 03:38 & 19:37 Ramadan Kareem Good deeds that will bring you closer to Allah By Hassan T Bwambale Once an old man was talking to his grandson about Paradise and Hell. He said that those who will enter Paradise will be admitted there for free and those who will enter the Hellfire will have paid for it. The grandson was surprised as to how can someone pay money to enter Hell. His grandfather told him, You don t need to pay money to pray or fast or glorify Allah Almighty but you pay money to gamble or fornicate or commit adultery. By so doing, you are buying the Hellfire. There is a variety of simple acts that if anyone performs them sincerely, Allah would reward him abundantly and, depending on the act and the intention, Allah would forgive his sins. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, When a servant of Allah falls ill or travels, Allah continues to reward him for the good deeds that he used to do while at home or when he was healthy. (Bukhari 2,996) Farming is also an act of worship: Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, Any Muslim who plants crops from which people and animals would eat - without his permission - Allah will reward him as though he gave those crops in charity. If anyone steals from his plantation or takes something illegally, Allah will reward the farmer as if he gave it in charity. (Muslim 1,552/7) Whatever you give for the sake of Allah - no matter how small it is - you will eventually reap your rewards abundantly. In case you don t have anything to donate at all, then say good words. Those good words bring worthy abundant rewards from Allah Almighty. A Muslim should always think before uttering any word. If your words are good, inspiring and educational then you will be rewarded accordingly. But if they are bad and offensive towards other humans, then Allah will punish you accordingly. Be keen to say and do whatever is beneficial to you and to others. The month of Ramadan is the best training in guarding your tongue. Question: If you are a farmer and people steal from your farm, you get rewards, even if a. You didn t count the crops b. You didn t allow them to take anything c. You laugh Courtesy TIES Center, a leading non-political NGO promoting relations between Westerners and Muslims through dialogue, friendship and cultural exchange. For more information. AUGUST 5, 2013 Trial date set for leaders of Brotherhood Sisi meets Islamists CAIRO: An Egyptian court yesterday set a trial date for Muslim Brotherhood leaders in a move likely to enrage supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. It came as US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns met the army chief amid intense efforts to try to resolve the political crisis since the army ousted Morsi in a July 3 coup. Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie, who is currently in hiding, and his two deputies - Khairat Al- Shater and Rashad Bayoumi - who are being held in Cairo s Tora prison, are accused of inciting violence against protesters outside the Islamist group s headquarters on June 30. They will face trial on Aug 25 together with three Brotherhood members who are accused of killing protesters. Morsi himself has been formally remanded in custody on suspicion of offences committed when he escaped from prison during the 2011 revolt that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak. Yesterday s announcement comes after army chief Abdel Fattah Al- Sisi met Burns, a military source said, stressing the need for national reconciliation based on an army-drafted Continued on Page 15 Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah - Prime Minister Salem Al-Othaina Housing, Municipality By B Izzak KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah yesterday swore in the new 16-member Cabinet which includes seven members of the ruling family and three newcomers in addition to new ministers of finance, oil, defense and interior. The Amir called on the new Cabinet, the 33rd Kuwaiti government since independence, to establish positive and fruitful cooperation with the new National Assembly in Sheikh Mohd Al-Sabah Cabinet, Health Sheikh Sabah Al-Sabah Dep PM, Foreign Mustafa Al-Shamali Dep PM, Oil Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim Electricity, Public Works Sheikh Mohd Al-Sabah Dep PM, Interior Nayef Al-Hajraf Education Rola Dashti Planning, Assembly order to push economic development, improve services and resolve problems facing citizens. Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, forming his fifth Cabinet since he was appointed to the post in Nov 2011, responded by assuring the Amir that the government will extend hands of cooperation to the newly-elected MPs to open a new page in Kuwait s history. The Cabinet, the 12th since Feb 2006, was formed following the Assembly elections on July 27 following the constitutional court s decision in June to nullify the previous election in Dec 2012 and to dissolve the previous Assembly. It was the second election in eight months and the sixth since June The new Cabinet has six members from the ruling Al-Sabah family in addition to the prime minister. Ruling family members continue to monopolize key posts in the so-called sovereign ministries of defense, interior and foreign affairs. They also occupy the ministries of finance, health and information. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah retained his post as foreign minister while the defense and interior ministers were replaced. Sheikh Mohammad Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, interior minister until 2003, was appointed as interior minister. Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, the army chief of staff, was appointed defense minister, replacing Sheikh Ahmad Al- Khaled Al-Sabah. Continued on Page15 SANAA: Security was tight at US missions around the Arab world yesterday as Washington held urgent talks on an Al- Qaeda threat that prompted it to close two dozen embassies and consulates. Measures were particularly strict in Yemen s capital, where Britain, France and Germany also closed their embassies following a US warning which lawmakers in Washington said involved Al-Qaeda s joint Yemeni and Saudi branch. But the US alert spread across most Arab capitals and extended further afield to Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Israel, with embassies and other diplomatic missions Sheikh Khaled Al-Sabah Dep PM, Defence Anas Al-Saleh Commerce Thekra Al-Rasheedi Labour Sheikh Salem Al-Sabah Dep PM, Finance Shareeda Al-Maousherji Justice, Awqaf Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah Information, Youth Issa Al-Kandari Communications US eyes threat as missions in lockdown Rouhani sworn in, urges West to talk Saudis turn back Bashir TEHRAN: New President Hassan Rouhani, a reputed moderate, told the West after taking the oath of office yesterday the only way to interact with Iran is through dialogue, not sanctions. The 64-year-old cleric took over from hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose provocative policies in two turbulent four-year terms left Iran divided domestically, isolated internationally and struggling economically. The West TEHRAN: Iran s President Hassan Rouhani waves after being sworn in before parliament yesterday. AFP is hoping that Rouhani will take a more constructive approach in long-running talks on Tehran s controversial nuclear drive, which despite Iranian denials is suspected by world powers of having military objectives. The only path to interact with Iran is through negotiations on equal grounds, reciprocal trust-building, mutual respect and reducing hostilities, Rouhani said in a speech after being sworn in before parliament. If you want a proper answer, do not speak with Iran with the language of sanctions but with the language of respect, he said, adding Iran would not surrender to sanctions, nor be threatened with war. He was referring to years of unsuccessful negotiations with the so-called P5+1 group of the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany over Iran s nuclear activities. Washington was quick to respond, saying Iran would find the United States a willing partner if Rouhani was serious. Continued on Page 15 closed yesterday, the first day of the working week in many Islamic countries. In Sanaa, special forces with armoured personnel carriers were stationed outside the US embassy and the missions of Britain, France and Germany, an AFP correspondent reported. Police and army checkpoints were set up on all the Yemeni capital s main thoroughfares. Residents said they heard the sound of a drone flying over, which could only be American as Washington is the sole power to operate the unmanned aircraft in the region. Continued on Page 15 MANAMA: A Bahraini armored personnel vehicle reinforces US Embassy security just outside a gate to the embassy building yesterday. AP

2 LOCAL Mechanic in police net for child labour KUWAIT: A Syrian mechanic was referred to the deportation department for employing underage compatriots aged around 12 or 13 to work in his garage, said security sources, noting that the man took advantage of the kids families need for money and only gave them KD 2 daily. Case papers indicate that immigration detectives were informed about the mechanic s exploitation of the children and the man was arrested and given a choice to choose to which country he would be deported. The sources added that kids parents were also summoned and signed affidavits not to have their children work again to avoid deportation as well. House fires Two fires separately broke out in two of the busiest places in houses during Ramadan, said security sources, noting that the first fire was in a kitchen in a Doha house where firemen managed to control the flames without any casualties. The sources added that the second fire was in another kitchen in Jaber Al-Ali where a gas cylinder caught fire. The fire was controlled by firefighters without any casualties. Meanwhile, a fire broke out in citizen s garden in Jabriya, said security sources, noting that the man and his son managed to put out the flames that engulfed some dry leaves after someone threw a cigarette butt. Bus fire A public transport bus caught fire at the ministries area in South Surra, said security sources. No casualties were reported. Further investigations are in progress to determine the cause of fire. Tenent punches landlord Medical emergencies The medical emergencies department paramedics stationed at the Grand Mosque tended to 122 cases during the night prayers held there on 24th and 25th Ramadan said the department s representative at the mosque Nasser Al-Najjar, noting that most cases were related to diabetes and blood pressure. Car accident Police sergeant major Hassan Nasser Al- Mohammed was killed in the line of duty when his patrol car turned over along the Doha Spur near Qairawan, said security sources, noting that the deceased was on his way home when he lost control of the vehicle. Site accident A 25-year-old construction worker sustained serious injuries and fractures all over his body when he fell from the first floor of an under-construction building in Farwaniya, said security sources, noting that according to his fellow workers, the man slipped while standing on a scaffold erected in front of the building. Airport arrests Passport officers at Kuwait international Airport referred an Arab and an Asian expat to relevant authorities when they were found wanted on arrival at Kuwait, said security sources. Case papers indicate that the Arab was arriving from a GCC state while the Asian had been reported as a deserter by his sponsor. Wallet missing A vet reported that after praying the Asr prayer in a Hawally mosque and leaving, he found that he had forgotten his wallet and mobile phone inside the mosque. On returning, they had vanished. Firdous fight A landlord in Firdous reported that a Kuwaiti tenant in a building he owns punched him in the face and breaking his nose when he told him that he intends to increase the rent, said security sources. On his part, the tenant stressed that the landlord is greedy and had increased the rent twice in two years and threatened to evict him unless he paid up. A case was filed. Liquor trader A Bangladeshi was arrested in Abu Hlaifa with the possession 15 homemade liquor bottles. Woman beaten up A citizen reported that her husband had beaten her over some disputes with his sister, said security sources. Harasser held A GCC national in his twenties was arrested for harassing females shoppers in Salmiya, said security sources, noting that security forces had received many reports and complaints before complainants led to the suspect and he was arrested. Kidnap attempt A 40-year-old citizen reported that her exboyfriend tried to kidnapp her, said security sources. The woman said that she received a call from her ex, with whom she had broken up long ago, asking to meet her to return some of her possessions. On meting him in a parking lot in Fahaheel, he tried pulling her into his vehicle. She added that he was scared off by her screams and sped away. A case was filed. Municipality continues inspection campaigns By Hanan Al-Sadoun KUWAIT: Mubarak Al Kabeer s emergency team carried out several inspection campaigns during the month of Ramadan and during the elections that resulted in the removal of 2,420 ads in violation. Head of the emergency team Abdullah Al-Maei said that inspections were carried during the month of Ramadan and resulted in handing 39 citations to vendors and the closure of three cafes and restaurants and 12 citations to foodstuff dealers and dealt with eight companies after complaints on the hotline from citizens and Ministry of Interior operations. Maei said that the inspections were surprise ones and carried out during the elections and the holy month in cooperatives, showrooms, restaurants and stores that deal in foodstuff. NBK shares joy of Girgian with care houses inmates KUWAIT: On the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) participated in Kuwait Red Crescent Society s annual Girgian event at the Care Houses, to share happy moments of Girgian with the residents and present them felicitations and gifts. Ahmed Al-Mahmeed, NBK Public Relations officer said: Celebrating with the residents of the social care houses on major social and religious occasions comes as part of NBK s extensive social outreach program during the holy month of Ramadan. Al-Mahmeed added that such visits are an integral part of the NBK s culture and practices that reflect its deep commitment to its corporate social responsibility. NBK s participation in this event reflects NBK s efforts to communicate with all segments of the society. The participation in this event comes as a part of NBK s annual social program Doing Good Deeds during the Holy month of Ramadan that features a multitude of philanthropic activities. By doing good deeds all month long, NBK hopes to encourage a greater sense of community and charity during Ramadan. 559 flights okayed for Eid Al-Fitr holiday KUWAIT: Airlines operating in Kuwait International Airport have okayed 559 departing flights during the coming holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, where Dubai and Istanbul have acquired the lion s share of travel destinations by travelers for the period between Aug 6 and 10. Director of operations management at Kuwait International Airport Essam Al-Zamil said yesterday that the total number of departures expected in this period will be about 101,000 passengers. Al-Zamil added that the number of flights coming into Kuwait International Airport during the same period is 505 trips and the total number of arrivals to Kuwait is about 85,000 passengers. KUNA Record-breaking electricity consumption in July KUWAIT: Power generators around Kuwait were put to test last month which broke electricity load records and witnessed water consumption levels exceed production in most days, according to Ministry of Electricity and Water official quoted yesterday by Al-Qabas. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source revealed that electricity load reached 12,060 megawatts on July 17; breaking last year s record of 11,800, while the lowest consumption level the same day reached The source reassured that the MEW s daily production rate reaches 14,000 megawatts, and added that the ministry had planned ahead for the expected consumption surge. Meanwhile, the source revealed that the largest water consumption rate last month was recorded on the 31st at million imperial gallons, whereas the ministry produced million the same day. In such cases, the ministry uses its strategic reserve of desalinated water to compensate the difference. The reserve stood at million imperial gallons on July 31, according to the source. Most electricity generated in Kuwait go to power air conditioning which translates into overload in consumption in parallel with high temperatures that usually break the 50 C degrees point multiple times on July each year. Annual reinforcement and maintenance operations at power plants, transformers and distribution networks helped the MEW cope with the yearly increase in demand, but senior ministry officials have repeatedly indicated that a new power plant is necessary to avoid shortage crises in the future. There are seven power plants in Kuwait that produce electricity and desalinated water for a total population of 3.8 million on a daily basis, with plans to fully operate a new power plant in North Zoor by KRCS steps up efforts to serve worshippers at Grand Mosque KUWAIT: Director of volunteers at the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) Musaed Al- Anzi said that KRCS volunteers were continuing their participation in assisting and providing first aid to the needy worshipers in the Grand Mosque during prayers in the last ten days of Ramadan. Al-Anzi stressed the importance of the role played by the KRCS and its contribution in helping the elderly and people with special needs as well as all worshipers at the Grand Mosque steming from its humanitarian goals to provide first aid, care and comfort for worshipers during the late night prayers. He explained that 60 male and female volunteers are involved in the provision of first aid and help for older women and men in coordination with the Department of the Grand Mosque, the Ministry of Awqaf and the Health Ministry s medical emergencies department and other bodies. KUNA

3 LOCAL KUWAIT: Members of the newly-appointed Kuwaiti Cabinet pose for a group photo with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah after their swearing-in ceremony yesterday. 33rd cabinet in political history of Kuwait KUWAIT: The newly-appointed Kuwaiti cabinet, which has been formed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, constitutes the 33rd formation in the political history of Kuwait since 1962, and the fifth since HH Sheikh Jaber was appointed prime minister in According to article 56 of the Kuwaiti constitution, HH the Amir appoints prime minister after traditional consultations and relieves him of office as he also appoints ministers and relieves them of office upon the recommendation of the prime minister. Ministers are appointed from amongst the members of the National Assembly and from others, and the number of ministers in all shall not exceed one-third of the number of the National Assembly members. HH the late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah was Kuwait s first appointed Prime Minister of the cabinet that was formed in January Since January 1963 and until November 1965, HH the late Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, the 12th Amir of Kuwait, was appointed Prime Minister of the second, third and fourth cabinets. The 13th Amir of Kuwait HH the late Sheikh Jaber Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah headed the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth cabinets, which took place in the period between December 1965 and December HH the father Amir Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah was appointed Prime Minister for 11 cabinets, starting from the 10th cabinet, which was formed in February 1978 and until the 20th one in February In July 2003, HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah headed the 21st cabinet until the death of HH the late Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. HH Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah was appointed Prime Minister for the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th cabinets during the period of February 2006 and until December HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah headed the 29th, 30th, 31st and 32nd cabinets between the period of December 2012 and July 28th this year. The 29th cabinet, which was formed on December 13, 2011 and lasted until February 13, 2012, included 10 ministers only, making it the smallest cabinet in the history of Kuwait, whereas the seventh cabinet, which was formed on February 2nd, 1971 was the second smallest one, in which it had 11 ministers only, and on November 15, two more ministers joined the cabinet. The 14th cabinet, formed on June 20th, 1990, was the largest cabinet, in which it had 22 ministers. During the parliamentary journey of Kuwait, 39 National Assembly MPs were appointed ministers. The seventh legislative chapter of the 16th formation whose elections were held on October 5, 1992, had eight ministers, the largest number of elected members. Six women have been appointed ministers since their political empowerment. KUNA Amir s envoy meets Iran politicians, academicians TEHRAN: Representative of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah discussed bilateral ties and regional matters with Iranian politicians and academicians Saturday evening. The two sides discussed the nature of Kuwait-Iranian relations and ties between the Islamic Republic and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The GCC consists of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The meeting, held at the residence of KUWAIT: The opposition plans to unveil a state project based on the full parliamentary system as the focus of a massive political reform process it seeks as early as next week, according to sources quoted yesterday Al-Rai daily. Meanwhile, leading oppositionist and former MP Musallam Al-Barrak said that the state rebuilding project focuses on three factors that include radical constitutional amendments, comprehensive political vision and an integrated legal system. The essence of the project is based on an elected Cabinet with an elected prime minister, he said at a recent gathering hosted by political activist Abdullah Kabed in Jahra. The opposition is currently putting the final touches on a mega project to be introduced to the public after the Eid Al- Fitr holiday as a roadmap for the future, according to sources with knowledge of the opposition s thinking. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the sources said that the project takes into account addressing laws that became unable to cope with changes in the political, social Kuwait Ambassador to Iran Majdi Al- Dhafeeri, was attended by Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah s office acting director Saleh Al-Loughani. It was also attended by Alaeddin Boroujerdi, Chairman for the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, chairman of Iran-Kuwait parliamentary friendship committee Javad Saadoun, Dr Shihabi of the foreign ministry, diplomats and former Iranian ambassadors to Kuwait. The Kuwaiti foreign minister is to represent His Highness the Amir to the inauguration of President Hassan Rohani, due tomorrow. KUNA Elected cabinet core of opposition reform project and ideological lifestyles. The opposition boycotted parliamentary elections despite the constitutional court s upholding of a controversial emergency decree that amended the electoral law. It was the second time they boycotted polls after last December s elections which were the first to be held under the single-vote system that the amendment brought in place of one under which a voter could vote for up to four candidates. The opposition has already moved on past the single-vote issue and towards the need for a new approach to handle pending issues that include growing corruption and political tampering, the sources said. The sources further indicated that the opposition s project contains major constitutional amendments that put an end to tampering, which is the reason behind crises Kuwait underwent in the past number of years. Whether it is political or constitutional, [the opposition s] reform plan seeks to protect national gains and move Kuwait towards stability, the sources added. Man diagnosed with swine flu at infectious diseases hospital KUWAIT: A man was diagnosed with swine flu in a local hospital nearly two weeks ago before he was discharged on agreement to maintain scheduled visits to the outpatient clinic in order to follow up with the recovery process, a local daily reported yesterday quoting a senior Ministry of Health official. According to the source, a Kuwaiti man in his thirties was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital after being transferred from a public hospital where he complained of fever, weakness, headaches and diarrhea. The man indicated that he started feeling the symptoms shortly after returning from a trip to an East Asian country. After tests came positive for infection with the H1N1 virus, the man was put in quarantine where he stayed for ten days before being discharged, according to the source. The source spoke to Al-Qabas on the condition of anonymity because ministry staff are not authorized to speak about medical conditions without official permission. He further indicated that tests were also conducted on the patient s wife and kids who had accompanied him on the trip, but all results came negative. Al-Kandari stressess keenness to complete pending projects KUWAIT: Newly-appointed Communications Minister Issa Ahmed Al-Kandari said here yesterday he would seek every possible effort to complete the positive role played by former minister Salim Al-Utheina in the ministry and focus on completing the important and vital projects and finish them on time. The minister added in a press statement after taking over from Al-Utheina that the Communications Ministry has seen in the recent period a comprehensive development in all sectors, pointing out that Al- Utheina briefed him on the ministry s mechanism of action and the future development plans at the level of all sectors. KUWAIT: The public prosecution is investigating a case in which a female citizen faces charges for reportedly inflecting burns on her domestic worker over a simple dispute according to the housemaid s account. This is a very terrible case in which a maid sustained first degree burns on her back after her employer poured boiled water on her while she was taking a nap following hard work on a long Ramadan day, said attorney Houra Al-Habeeb, who represents the victim in the case. Habeeb revealed in a statement to the press that she is working to have the accused trialed for attempted murder, adding that the plaintiff was also subjected to physical abuse including an earlier incident in which her employer allegedly attempted to choke her. Even if there was negligence on the housemaid s part, this does not justify abuse - much less torture and to have boiling water poured over her, the lawyer added. She pled with judges to give serious consideration to the case because if the accused is not properly punished, this could lead to prejudice as a result KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday that it has sponsored Saleh Shehab High School s graduation ceremony, which was held in Regency Hotel. The bank s initiative is in line with its extensive outreach program that has been designed specifically as part of its Youth Account. Burgan Bank continues to cater for the youth segment, which represent an integral part of the local community through a wide range of innovative initiatives. The bank supports the country s future leaders across education and excellence, and is proud of what they have achieved and wishes them every success in their future studies and careers. Students were awarded certificates for their outstanding performance for the academic year. Representing the Marketing Department from Burgan Bank, Abdulaziz Al-Sarraf received a token of appreciation from Saleh Shehab High School s representatives during the event. Burgan Bank s Youth Account was launched for young individuals, around the ages of 15 to 25. Furthermore, account holders receive free prepaid card and an ATM card which entitle them to discounts at select merchandisers, in addition to chances to win a trip to attend El Classico Football Match along with airfare and accommodation. To find out more about Burgan Bank s Youth Account as well as the latest promotions, customers are required to visit their nearest Burgan Bank branch or contact the call center on He stressed the importance of joint action and cooperation of everyone to continue the tireless efforts of the former minister to complete the development plans, expressing his hope and confidence in the cooperation of all the ministry staffers to move forward and improve all vital sectors and services that affect all citizens and residents. The minister expressed deep thanks and appreciation to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al- Hamad Al-Sabah on the confidence placed in him to take over the portfolio of the Ministry of Communications. KUNA Employer questioned on maid torture accusations of which our children might become victims. In other news, police are reportedly questioning a person identified as the son of a senior official in the special task forces on charges of assaulting pedestrians using his father s authorities. According to security sources familiar with the case, the suspect has been held at the Salmiya police station since Friday after a couple approached officers earlier that day to report being assaulted by a young Kuwaiti man. Police were able to identify the man using the license plate of his vehicle which the Egyptian couple provided. They found out that he faces similar charges pressed over the past few weeks, and detectives were ordered to arrest him. The man was captured in Mishref and transferred to Salmiya police station, said sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity. In other news, Al-Jarida reported the labor union at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor announced assigning an attorney to take legal action against a police officer on accusations of physically assaulting female residents of social care homes during a shopping trip according to recent reports. Established in 1977, Burgan Bank is the youngest commercial Bank and third largest by assets in Kuwait, with a significant focus on the corporate and financial institutions sectors, as well as having a growing retail and private bank customer base. Burgan Bank has five majority owned subsidiaries, which include Gulf Bank Algeria - AGB (Algeria), Bank of Baghdad - BOB (Iraq & Lebanon), Jordan Kuwait Bank - JKB (Jordan) Tunis International Bank - TIB (Tunisia), and fully owned Burgan Bank - Turkey, (collectively known as the Burgan Bank Group ). The Bank has continuously improved its performance over the years through an expanded revenue structure, diversified KUWAIT: Security men arrested a criminal gang consisting of four persons with 250 gm of ice and 50 gm of marijuana. Information indicated that a citizen and a bedoon were active in drug dealing and they were storing the drugs in an apartment owned by a Kuwaiti woman. The two suspects were caught red-handed after fierce resistance. They confessed in trading in drugs and the woman confessed and agreed with what they said. The suspects were sent to concerned authorities. By Hanan Al-Sadoun Burgan Bank sponsors Saleh Shehab graduation ceremony funding sources, and a strong capital base. The adoption of state-of-the-art services and technology has positioned it as a trendsetter in the domestic market and within the MENA region. Burgan Bank s brand has been created on a foundation of real values - of trust, commitment, excellence and progression, to remind us of the high standards to which we aspire. People come first is the foundation on which its products and services are developed. Earlier this year, Brand Finance - the international brand valuation company- rated Burgan Bank brand as AA with positive outlook. The rating places Burgan Bank Brand at 2nd amongst the most valuable banking brands in Kuwait. Excellence is one of the Bank s four key values and Burgan Bank continually strives to maintain the highest standards in the industry. The Bank was re-certified in 2010 with the ISO 9001:2008 certification in all its banking businesses, making it the first bank in the GCC, and the only bank in Kuwait to receive such accreditation. The Bank also has to its credit the distinction of being the only Bank in Kuwait to have won the JP Morgan Chase Quality Recognition Award for twelve consecutive years. Burgan Bank won the prestigious Banking Web Awards prize in the commercial and corporate Category for Kuwait. In 2010 Burgan Bank was awarded with the Best Internet Banking Service award from Banker Middle East Awards. Burgan Bank was recognized in 2011 as Kuwait s Best Private Bank, by World Finance. The bank also won, in 2011, the coveted International Platinum Star for Quality award from Business Initiative Directions, and The Best Technical Award from Banking Web Awards. In 2012, Global Banking and Finance Review online magazine recognized Burgan Bank as the Best Banking Group in the MENA as well as the Best Corporate Bank in Kuwait. The bank also won the coveted Best Bank Branding award by the Banker Middle East. For the second consecutive year in 2012, Burgan Bank also won World Finance s Best Private Bank award, as well as the Best Private Bank in Kuwait 2012 award from Capital Finance International. The bank recently won the Best Bank in Kuwait award from EMEA Finance.

4 LOCAL Burgan Bank shares the joy of Girgi an celebrations with children and adults KUWAIT: As part of its social responsibility framework and annual activities program during the Holy month of Ramadan, Burgan Bank recently participated across a number of Girgian celebrations with a wide range of organizations around Kuwait. The bank s unique and joyful BuBa Kids Account character welcomed children and their families at the Discovery Center with a range of Girgi an gift bags, an initiative that highlights the importance and true spirit of Ramadan. Burgan Bank also celebrated the joyful mood of Girgian through a fun filled activities with the participation of the Kuwait Handicapped Sports Club, the Kuwaiti Society for Guardians of the Disabled, Abeer 2 Voluntary Team, and the Psychological Health Center Kuwait. The bank s team was also present with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor - Patient Care Services, where the team visited the elderly, special needs as well as orphans, and distributed Girgian gift bags while also sharing special moments of these celebrations, which are considered as one of the most popular Ramadan traditions in Kuwait. The bank s latest social initiative is aligned with its many ongoing social activities that place it in the heart of the Kuwaiti community. It features the spirit of social solidarity and interaction amongst the Kuwaiti society, and provides moral support to various underprivileged segments in the community. 27) The blessed Rawda is in A) Al-Aqsa Mosque B) Ka abah Mosque C) Prophets Mosque

5 LOCAL Chicken Patties Gulf Bank shares Ramadan Spirit by putting a Girgian smile on patients faces 1 lb ground chicken 1 cup bread crumbs 1 onion, grated 1 egg 1/3 cup parsley, chopped 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp paprika 1 tsp curry 1 tsp salt to taste 1/3 cup canola oil for frying Mix all the ingredients but the canola oil in a big bowl. Then continue mixing with your hands for 3-4 minutes to make sure all the ingredients get together. Grab egg size or any size you like pieces, and using your palms round them to make patties. Sizzle canola oil in a frying pan and fry both sides of Chicken Patties over medium heat. Serve Chicken Patties warm. Pasta Salad KUWAIT: Gulf Bank staff recently concluded their annual visits to children s hospital units associated with Kuwait Association for the Care of Children in Hospitals (KAACH). The visits aimed to share the joys of girgai an with the children and their loved ones. Hospital visits included: Farwaniya, Jahra, Ibn Sina, Al Razi, Amiri, NBK, and Zain. These visits created an authentic Ramadan ambience for patients, giving them a chance to relive the joyful moments of Ramadan and offering them colorful filled Girgai an bags, in addition to several activities that included face painting, henna, hair braiding, as well as a handshake from various cartoon characters. Gulf Bank is committed to maintaining its position as part of Kuwait s integral social fabric and the Bank perceives such visits as a moral obligation to delivering great spiritual support to these young patients. A traditional Ramadan Iftar at Al Manshar Rotana Kuwait 1/2 lb elbow pasta 3/4 cup carrot, diced 3/4 cup sweet peas 3/4 cup corn 1/2 cup pickles, diced 1 Tbsp canola oil 3-4 Tbsp mayonnaise 3 Tbsp yogurt Cook the elbow pasta with 1 Tbsp canola oil in salty water as directed in the package. Rinse and drain. Meanwhile boil carrots and sweet peas for about 3-4 minutes. Immediately rinse under cold water and drain. Mix yogurt and mayonnaise in a bowl and stir in carrots, sweet peas, corns and pickles. Mix them all. Combine with drained pasta. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve immediately, otherwise it dries out. KUWAIT: Rotana, the leading hotel management company in the Middle East and Africa hosted a special Iftar buffet event for its clients and media representatives on Wednesday. The event was successful and guests enjoyed the notable evening at Al- Manshar Rotana. Guests enjoyed an extensive selection of Arabic specialties at Al-Kout ballroom. The venue is a great venue for guests who would like to enjoy traditional dishes after a long day of fasting. During the event, the Outbound Sales Office Team took the opportunity to express their appreciation for the extended support to the property by its clients and the media. Commenting on this Effie Desouza, Assistant Director of Sales said; Ramadan is a time to share and enjoy your blessings with your family and friends. We are happy to have all our friends here with us to enjoy our culinary creations and experience our hospitality.

6 LOCAL kuwait digest Confusing ways of Al-Ali By Ahmad Al-Sarraf Maj Gen Abdulfattah Al-Ali, the Interior Ministry s assistant undersecretary for traffic affairs, ordered the immediate deportation of an expatriate over the first serious traffic offense committed, regardless of his/her traffic records, according to recent reports. Not only is this decision disrespectful, but also lacks credibility. He knows very well that such a stipulation can only be enforced against helpless individuals who have already suffered enough from human traffickers. Is he going to deport a bank manager who jumps the red traffic light? Can he even dream of confronting an influential person having the back of a simple employee who breaks the law? The answer is, of course not. Therefore, Maj Gen Al-Ali should have never made decisions offensive to every human being and that have more negative sides than positive ones. Expatriates are not sheep. If the majority of them were not better off than us, then they would not have come here to do works we are unable to do in the first place. The hectic crackdowns that affected violators and innocent civilians alike must be stopped as it is clear that the decision depends on quantity over quality. While no one can argue that there are thousands of people, especially low-wage workers, living illegally in Kuwait and that their presence threatens national security, persecution in the way that is happening today is not going to end the problem or limit chaos. Are simple workers the reason behind chaos in the labor sector? The main factor behind the problem is Kuwaiti human traffickers who use loopholes in the miserable residency law to make fortunes at the expense of vulnerable human beings. Kuwait does not suffer demographic imbalance as much as it suffers educational and moral flaws resulting from traditions anchored through 100 years of systematic education which led to manual labor to become scorned. Is there a Kuwaiti who accepts working as a muezzin (prayer caller) in a country with overcrowded mosques, a baker in a bakery, or a painter in a workshop? I am talking about the same Kuwaitis whose ancestors worked in the ports of Karachi, Mumbai, Malabar and others in Iran and Africa during a time in which manual labor was not a disgraceful thing. We would not need a large percentage of foreigners if there were people among us willing to wake up at 4 am to wash his neighbors cars, work until late hours of night as a paper delivery man, a mechanic on an oil tanker s deck, a crane vehicle driver at a port, a welder at a worship, a truck driver in the desert, a farmer in Abdaly, a sweeper in public streets, a roaming vendor, a construction worker, an electrician, a factory worker, a gravedigger, a forensic worker, a sewer truck driver or other jobs that citizens do not know of - much less want to do. And since a day in which we see citizens accepting manual labor is never going to happen soon, all the intimidations and deportations are eventually not going to come up with any results. Not only because the Interior Ministry s campaigns ignore visa traffickers, but also because the same traffickers are going to bring more workers back from the same gate through which others were deported - and of course making a huge profit in the process - in spite of Maj Gen Al-Ali and anyone else. Al-Qabas kuwait digest Delusional poll victory Congratulations to backwardness, retardation, discrimination, tribalism and sectarianism for their huge success. Congratulations to the ripped-apart parts of the society. Congratulations to fraudulent individuals for all the persons they were able to bribe. Political backwardness, social disintegration and political money (vote buying) were the three main victors in the parliamentary elections. The first congratulations go to the state in which people ignored the public domain and went after the separate factions of society in the form of the family, tribe and sectarian group. The single-vote system helped tribal instincts overcome patriotic ones, as loyalty to the tribe was the main priority for a majority of voters. Disintegration even spread within social groups. For example, the Shiite community was affected by classification based on imams directions which led to hussaniyas being divided and ultimately weakened candidates chances. Elections under the single-vote system brought a serious problem to some social groups who had no other choice but depend on one candidate with hope of having him elected. Some tribes held primaries to narrow their list of candidates to one or two, but faced trouble when other tribesmen refused to abide by the By Dr Mubarak Al-Therwa primaries results. Not only did this scenario hurt these tribes chances, but also caused tensions and conflicts within the tribe itself. The same scenario was found in families and sectarian groups and resulted in libel, slander and other practices. The third and most serious issue is political money and vote buying that this time around was done publicly and without fear of retribution. Reports about lists of voters being bought and police crackdowns against buyers expose a lack of morals and a political direction that forms a part of our political life. Violence is a culture that usually starts with negative practices in society - one of the most serious among which is vote buying in my opinion. Backwardness, opportunism and ignorance emerged victorious at the expense of the principles of advancement, freedom and sophistication. Disintegration reigned supreme over national unity. Political money forces were successful in buying the dignity of some people. Celebrating the successful democratic celebration is a delusion we like to live in, and is only seen in its true form by those who seek the truth. The setback in political life can only be remedied by long-term educational values and patience. Al-Rai kuwait digest The confused, angry leader By Abdullatif Al-Manawi One of the hardest moments for any person is to watch his lifelong dream fall apart without being able to do anything to reverse what is happening. Such a failure may make one angry, sad, depressed and unable to control oneself, which is usually reflected by one s reactions. This was the state of the Turkish PM Recep Tayyep Erdogan, the only leader who seemed angry, confused and gave up caution while commenting on the June 30 revolution in Egypt while other countries were more conservative and skeptical. They preferred waiting until the picture was clearer. No other country has officially described what happened as a coup, and even the media took a neutral attitude. In Turkey, the PM, whose image is dangerously deteriorating, decided, unlike all other leaders, to take a more hostile attitude towards the Egyptians and made hostile statements against the Egyptian army by describing the around forty million people who went out to support it as a minority. He was unfair and prejudiced. He even criticized what he described as the West s double standards because they did not describe what happened in Egypt as a coup and for not defending the principles of democracy and what he views as the ballot boxes legitimacy. Contrarily, he valued the African Union s decision to suspend Egypt s membership. He will most probably change this attitude if the AU changes its decision, as expected after their delegation s recent visit to Egypt. It seems that June 30 has created a personal complex in Erdogan s mind, but the June 30 we mean here was back in 1979, when one year after Necmettin Erbakan, the godfather of political Islam in Turkey took the premiership, he was toppled by the Turkish army in the fourth coup since the reign of Kamal Ataturk, because he had called for stronger relations with Iran and to boycott the infidel West. At that time, Erdogan had just started his political career under Erbakan s patronage. A few months after Erbakan was toppled and in the same year, Erdogan gave a speech to supporters in which he said: Our mosques are our barracks, their domes are our helmets, their minarets are our spears and worshippers are our soldiers. For these specific words and only four months after Erbakan was toppled, Erdogan was imprisoned for four months with charges of creating tumult and promoting hatred. Erdogan then realized that the right way to power and controlling the political arena would not be possible except by following a manner that would not contradict with Turkish beliefs and wish to maintain a secular state, which is politically nonnegotiable for them. Therefore, he decided to take a longer twisted way to achieve his goal and reach power. He found out that the ideal way was by adapting a more moderate Islam, which would enable him hang in in front of an army that would confront any attempt to change Turkey s secular identity. That won him the elections in 2003 and in his very first speech, he declared his intention to support Turkey s request to join the European Union, which required emphasis on citizens rights in order to emphasize that the state is secular, on the surface, while deep within, he targeted reducing the army s authorities. Al-Jarida In my view Egypt s search for heroes By Nabeel Zewail The world has always been in search of heroes: heroes on the battlefield, on the basketball court and, most of all, in our politics, and this desire may be the greatest undoing for Egypt as it navigates this post-revolutionary period. Instead of an obsession with finding the next hero, Egypt must focus on building citizen-led institutions to best meet its current and future challenges. Before the Egyptian revolution, the political conversation in Egypt, whether on talk shows that reach millions of Egyptians, on Twitter, on the radio or in cafes, focused entirely on Hosni Mubarak, his sons, and possible alternatives to them. But regardless of one s position, the discussion was focused entirely on leaders and looking for the next great leader to rescue the people and solve their problems. The Egyptian revolution came as a shock to those who study Egypt and flew in the face of the theory that what Egypt needed was another heroic leader. The revolution was a leaderless one, and The Egyptian revolution came as a shock to those who study Egypt and flew in the face of the theory that what Egypt needed was another heroic leader. The revolution was a leaderless one, and in many ways that is why it captivated the attention and imagination of the globe. It lacked the characteristics of a typical revolution - a charismatic leader or a strong army - but was rather the doing of ordinary people performing heroic acts. in many ways that is why it captivated the attention and imagination of the globe. It lacked the characteristics of a typical revolution - a charismatic leader or a strong army - but was rather the doing of ordinary people performing heroic acts. Yet in the months after the revolution, the impulse to search for a savior returned, as the conversation was fixated on the next president or prime minister who would solve all of Egypt s problems rather than on those who started the revolution in the first place, the people. The Egyptians longing for heroic leaders is rooted in a faulty understanding of history that mythologizes the role of a few and ignores the contributions of many. The history of Egypt is not defined by the greatness of the likes of Muhammad Ali or Saad Zaghloul alone, but rather by the heroic efforts of everyday people. If the Egyptian revolution taught us anything, it is that change is not a top-down concept, but rather a bottom-up one in which ordinary people drive change. Before Egypt, or any other country for that fact, can begin to address current challenges, it needs to understand its past and have a more realistic understanding of it. A search for heroes is a futile one because, frankly, the heroes that people long for do not really exist. Some leaders are better than others, but the notion that someone will come and fix all of a nation s problems is untrue. This desire for heroes is not in any way unique to Egypt, as the United States, too, falls victim to this trap. Americans are always in search of leaders to live up to the standard of Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt. This mythologized narrative that has been constructed about America s past makes it difficult to have reasonable expectations of our current leaders. The American Constitution is treated like a religious text rather than one written by flawed individuals. Granted, the U.S. Constitution is the longest-standing constitution in the world to date and has helped construct one of the world s great democracies, but it is also filled with some serious flaws, such as slavery and the exclusion of women from voting. President Obama has often tried to emphasize the idea that change does not come from government, but rather from the people when they demand it. This conception of citizenship is central to the future of Egypt. Nations are not built by leaders alone, but rather by ordinary people pushing leaders to act. Lyndon Johnson did not pass civil rights legislation without the activists in the South, and Dr Mohamed Morsi did not get elected president without the people in Tahrir Square. An active and engaged citizenry plays a central role in the development of prosperous nations. Don t get me wrong: Leaders play an important role in offering a vision and direction for a country, but the key to the future does not rest only in heroic leaders, but rather in an involved citizenry and strong institutions. Strong institutions are important because they can withstand the fluctuations in leadership that a country is bound to experience, and the best way to build these institutions is not through the wisdom of one or two people, but rather through a collective effort by the country as a whole to develop institutions that are built on meritocracy, accountability and the rule of law, rather than corruption. Just as the Egyptian revolution was a bottom-up revolution started and led by the people, the future of Egypt will rest on the activities of the citizenry at large. From the people in Tahrir Square who are demanding change to those in the small forgotten towns on the Nile Delta who are beginning the process of community-organizing, Egyptians are engaged in this new conception of citizenship that will focus on the building of strong institutions that will prove to be foundational for the future. A change of mindset about the country s history and its future is necessary in Egypt. The history of nations is not defined by heroes in the presidential palace but by the heroes on the street.

7 Police arrest suspect in deadly LA driving attack Page 10 Tunisia says terror suspect killed Police foils new bid to assassinate political figure TUNIS: Tunisia said its forces killed a terror suspect in a dawn raid yesterday and separately foiled a political assassination, like the one that has plunged the country into crisis. The announcements came after rival protests for and against the Islamist-led coalition government, with the opposition demanding the resignation of the cabinet and the dissolution of the National Constituent Assembly. The calls have mounted ever since the murder nearly two weeks ago of opposition MP Mohamad Brahmi, the second anti-government politician gunned down in Tunis since February. Officials have said the same gun was used in both killings and pointed the blame at jihadists but failed to make any arrest in either case. The interior ministry said the dawn raid targeted a house in the southern Tunis suburb of Ouardia where a group of key terror suspects was hiding. One of the members of the group was eliminated in an exchange of fire, and four were arrested, the ministry said in a terse statement that did not spell out why the suspects were wanted. Overnight, the ministry said that police had foiled a new bid to assassinate a political figure and that two very dangerous terrorists had been arrested and guns and grenades seized. The ministry did not identify the target of the plot but said it had taken place in Sousse, 140 kilometres (87 miles) south of Tunis, on Friday. Police traded fire with gunmen after searching a house in the area, and a third suspect fled, it added. The security force operations came as Tunisia s moderate Islamist Ennahda party was battling to defend the position at the head of the governing coalition it won in an October 2011 election. Government critics have accused Ennahda of failing to rein in rampant violence blamed on radical Islamists since the 2011 uprising that ousted veteran president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Late on Saturday, tens of thousands of Ennahda backers turned out for a rally in Tunis called by the party to voice their support for the embattled government. The crowd, gathered in Kasbah Square where the government offices are located, chanted: Legitimacy, The people want Ennahda, and God is greatest. The protest, in which Ennahda said 200,000 people, took part was by far the largest in support of the government since the July 25 murder of opposition MP Brahmi and February s murder of politician Chokri Belaid. Elsewhere in Tunis, several thousand opposition demonstrators gathered outside the parliament building for what has become a nightly protest, witnesses said. A coalition of opposition parties has called for a massive rally tomorrow to demand the departure of the government and the dissolution of the national assembly. The parties chose the date for their planned march to fall exactly six months after Belaid s assassination. But Ennahda has made it clear it will not bow out. Prime Minister Ali Larayedh, who has already proposed a broader coalition and general elections for December, on Saturday reiterated that his government would not step down, and told a news conference Tunisia needs national unity. But dozens of deputies have boycotted the assembly since Brahmi s murder, further delaying the drawing up of a new post-revolution constitution. Meanwhile, the army stepped up an offensive launched in December in Mount Chaambi, near the Algerian border, against Al-Qaeda-linked militants. Larayedh refused on Saturday to give details of the operation but an armed forces spokesman said it involved ground and air units. A huge operation, with ground and air units, was launched at dawn to clean up the mountain area, spokesman Taoufik Rahmouni told Tunisian media on Friday. The army has come under a spate of attack since April and Rahmouni said the operation would continue until Islamist militants are eradicated. The operation comes after last Monday s gruesome discovery in the area of eight soldiers with their throats cut after an ambush by militants. AFP TUNIS: Tunisian supporters of ruling Islamist Ennahdha party chant slogans on Saturday in Tunis in solidarity with the government. Tens of thousands of Islamists gathered in support of Ennahda whose government is weakened by a political crisis following the assassination of opposition figure Mohamed Brahim on July 25. AFP Mali election frontrunner appeals for clear majority BAMAKO: The most popular candidate in Mali s presidential election first round urged voters yesterday to hand him a clear and clean majority in the run-off to ensure victory couldn t be stolen from him. Former premier Ibrahim Boubacar Keita made the appeal in his first public comments since winning a vote marred by accusations of widespread fraud after more than 400,000 ballots from a turnout of 3.5 million were declared spoiled. Keita finished almost 20 percentage points ahead of runner-up Soumaila Cisse on July 28 but failed to get an outright majority in a field of 27 candidates. The two go into a second round on August 11 to determine who will lead Mali out of a political crisis ignited by a military coup last year which toppled the country s democratically-elected president. By giving me about 40 percent of the vote and a wide lead over the other candidates, the Malian people have expressed a clear first choice, Keita said in a speech at his campaign headquarters in the capital Bamako. Today I call on the daughters and sons of Mali to turn out in force. On August 11, I ask you to amplify your vote, I ask you to give me a clear and clean majority, a majority beyond dispute which will give me the power to lead the national recovery to which you aspire. Dressed in an immaculate white robe, Keita praised the courage of candidates eliminated in the first round who had switched their support to him and described the run-off as an appointment with history. But he echoed a demand made by Cisse that attempts at electoral fraud be stamped out in the second round. We must remain vigilant so that we are not deprived of hope. Old habits die hard, we all need to remain mobilised against political manoeuvring and fraud, Keita said. There is no such thing as an easy victory but this time it will not be stolen from us, God willing. The caretaker government called the election following a coup last March which overthrew Amadou Toumani Toure, opening the way for the Tuareg separatist National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA) to occupy Mali s northern desert with the help of allied Islamist groups. The MNLA was then sidelined by the Al Qaeda-linked fighters and sided with France when Mali s former colonial power sent troops in to combat the advancing Islamists early this year. AFP

8 INTERNATIONAL Group: Israel expands subsidies to settlements JERUSALEM: The Israeli Cabinet yesterday expanded its list of West Bank settlements eligible for government subsidies, a decision that came just days after the resumption of long-frozen peace talks and drew quick Palestinian condemnation. The Cabinet approved a range of housing subsidies and loans for more than 600 Israeli communities deemed national priority areas, expanding an earlier list. The list includes poor towns in Israel s outlying areas, but also dozens of settlements. The Palestinians want to establish a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, lands Israel captured in 1967, and the renewed talks are to draw Israel s borders with such a state. Since 1967, Israel has built dozens of settlements on war-won land - deemed illegal by most of the international community - that are home to some 560,000 Israelis. Israel s government hopes to encourage more people to move to the communities on the national priorities list. The last version of the list was approved in The Israeli anti-settlement group Peace Now said the list approved Sunday increased the total number of settlements eligible for subsidies from 85 to 91, virtually all in areas Israel would likely have to evacuate to make way for a Palestinian state. Lior Amihai of Peace Now said three of the settlements added to the list had begun as rogue settlements that were established without formal government consent and then legalized retroactively. Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian negotiating team, said yesterday s vote affirms Palestinian suspicions that Israel seeks the diplomatic shield of negotiations, without being willing to reach an actual partition deal. This is exactly what Israel wants, have a process for its own sake, and at the same time have a free hand to destroy the objective of the process, he said. This will have a destructive impact (on the talks), and it seems to me it s up to the sponsors, the United States and the international community, to make Israel desist immediately. Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said that in the case of settlements, any housing or infrastructure subsidies require additional government approval. Four Israeli ministers abstained from the Cabinet vote, citing the potential harm to negotiations. To include settlements that until recently were illegal, when it s doubtful that they will remain a part of Israel, and to disproportionately invest in them - I think it is not the time, politically speaking and socioeconomically speaking, Environment Minister Amir Peretz told Israel Radio. Peace negotiations began in Washington last week, and will continue in Jerusalem next week. The US wants a deal on the terms of a Palestinian state within nine months. As part of the talks, Israel is to free 26 long-held Palestinian prisoners on Aug. 13, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. It would be the first of four groups of a total of 104 veteran prisoners to be freed over the next few months. The release is part of a US-brokered deal that cleared the way for the resumption of talks. AP TEL AVIV: A man walks past the US Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, yesterday. The threat of a terrorist attack led to the weekend closure of 21 US embassies and consulates in the Muslim world and a global travel warning to Americans, the first such alert since an announcement before the 10th anniversary of the Sept 11 strikes. AP Syria limits foreign currency use, threatens traders with jail BEIRUT: Syrian traders who price goods in foreign currency will face up to 10 years in jail, the government announced yesterday in a move aimed at stemming the increasing dollarisation of an economy crippled by two years of civil war. A decree issued by President Bashar al-assad forbids the use of anything other than the Syrian pound as payment for any type of commercial transaction or cash settlement. Traders who violate the law face up to three years in jail and a fine equivalent to double the value of the payment. If the sum involved is over $5,000, punishment could rise to 10 years with hard labour, according to the decree published by state media. Bankers said Sunday s move reinforced existing prohibitions on pricing goods in dollars - a law which has been increasingly flouted after sharp falls and wild fluctuation in the Syrian pound - and said the penalties had been stiffened. It s to prevent people from fleeing to the dollar, said one Damascus banker, adding the decree would not have an impact on banking operations. It does not in any way affect the banking sector - the country needs foreign currency transfers, he said. The idea is that people don t all think in dollar terms as if there is no local currency. It s more a psychological move with the currency crumbling. Sharp falls and fluctuations in the Syrian pound have led to increasing use of the U.S. dollar in all walks of life, by food sellers and manufacturers, taxi drivers and importers. Before protests against Assad s rule erupted in March 2011 the pound stood at 47 to the dollar. After two years of war and economic collapse, it now changes hands for around 200, and briefly fell as low as 300 last month, exchange dealers say. Devastation to the commercial and industrial cities of Aleppo and Homs, together with the loss of foreign currency earnings as oil exports and tourism dried up, have hit the economy hard. Damage is estimated in the tens of billions of dollars and this year s wheat crop is expected to fall by half. Reuters New Iranian president vows support for Assad Israel PM slams Iran s Rouhani BEIRUT: Iran s new president expressed his country s support to Syria s embattled leader Bashar Assad s regime yesterday, saying no force in the world will be able to shake their decades-old alliance. Hasan Rouhani s comments came as Syrian troops and rebels fought some of the fiercest battles in the mountains of the coastal province of Latakia, an Assad stronghold. Syria s state-run news agency SANA said Rouhani made the comments during a meeting in the Iranian capital of Tehran yesterday with Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-halqi. Syria has been Tehran s strongest ally in the Arab world since Iran s 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran has been one of Assad s strongest backers since Syria s crisis began. Tehran is believed to have supplied Assad s government with billions of dollars since the country s crisis began in March Iransupported Hezbollah also has sent fighters into Syria to bolster an offensive by Assad forces. The Islamic Republic of Iran aims to strengthen its relations with Syria and will stand by it in facing all challenges, SANA quoted Rouhani as saying in a report from Tehran. The deep, strategic and historic relations between the people of Syria and Iran... will not be shaken by any force in the world. Rouhani was elected in June and was endorsed by the country s supreme leader on Saturday, allowing him to begin acting as president. He was sworn in yesterday. Rouhani condemned foreign intervention in Syria, saying that the Arab country is passing through a failed attempt to strike at the axis of resistance and rejection to Zionist- American plans in the region, SANA quoted him as saying. Damascus and Tehran reject the idea that there is an uprising in Syria and say the country is being subjected to an Israeli-American conspiracy because of its support to militant groups such as Lebanon s Hezbollah. SANA quoted Rouhani as saying that Syria will come out of this war victorious. Al-Halqi said the Syrian people will not forget friends who stood by their side during times of difficulties, SANA reported. More than 100,000 people have TEHRAN: Iran s new president Hasan Rouhani (2nd R) sits among local officials and international guests during his swearing-in ceremony before parliament in Tehran yesterday. The Islamic republic s new president revealed a cabinet lineup of experienced technocrats, aiming to deliver on his promise of saving the economy and engaging the world. AFP been killed since the uprising against the Assad family s four-decade rule began in March The revolt later escalated into a civil war, which has uprooted millions of people from their homes. Also yesterday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes in the Jabal al-akrad region in Latakia province began around dawn when rebels attacked government forces posts. It said both sides used tanks, artilleries and mortars in the fighting, while government warplanes took part in the battles. Although much of Latakia has been under the firm control of Assad s forces, some mountainous regions such as Jabal al-akrad and Jabal al- Turkomen have witnessed fighting because they are close to rebel-held areas. The observatory said 12 rebels, including foreign fighters, were killed in the fighting, as well as 19 troops and pro-government gunmen. Dozens were wounded as well, it said. The Local Coordination Committees, another activist group, said at least eight people were killed in the fighting in Latakia province. It added that rebels fired Russian-made Grad rockets at government positions. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out at new Iranian President Hassan Rowhani yesterday, saying that he shared his hardline predecessor s aim of destroying the Jewish state. The president of Iran said the day before yesterday (Friday) that Israel is a wound on the body of Islam, Netanyahu s office quoted him as saying at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. The president of Iran may have been changed but the aims of the regime there have not, Netanyahu said. Iran s intention is to develop a nuclear capability and nuclear weapons, with the aim of destroying the state of Israel. Rowhani formally took office on Saturday at a ceremony in which he received the endorsement of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who retains the final say on all strategic issues, including nuclear talks with the the major powers. Western governments suspect that Iran s nuclear programme is cover for a drive for a weapons capability. Iran insists it is for power generation and medical purposes only. Both the United States and Israelwhich has the Middle East s sole, if undeclared, nuclear arsenal-have refused to rule out a resort to military action to prevent Iran developing a weapons capability. Agencies Iraqi forces hunt militants as attacks kill six BAGHDAD: Iraqi security forces hunted for militants and weapons in the Baghdad area yesterday, while attacks killed six people, including three soldiers and a judge, officials said. Iraqi authorities are struggling to contain the worst violence to hit the country in five years. About one thousand people died in attacks last month. The defence ministry said security forces arrested 32 people wanted under an anti-terrorism law and detained a further 141 suspects over a period of 24 hours, during operation Avenge the Martyrs in areas north and west of Baghdad. They also destroyed three terrorist hideouts and seized a car bomb factory, weapons, ammunition and explosives, a ministry statement said, adding that similar operations were conducted in other areas. But more deadly attacks, which security forces have so far failed to stem, struck yesterday. In the northern province of Nineveh, a roadside bomb exploded near an army patrol, killing three soldiers. The blast, about 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of the provincial capital Mosul, also wounded four soldiers. And another bombing targeted a police patrol further south, wounding three policemen. In Tikrit, north of Baghdad, a car bomb exploded near a judge s house, killing him and severely wounding his wife, while another blast in the Iraqi capital itself killed one person and wounded five. And gunmen killed a man and wounded his son west of the northern city of Kirkuk. The attacks came a day after violence in Iraq killed 24 people, including nine soldiers. Militants opposed to the Iraqi government frequently target security forces and officials with both bombs and gunfire. Violence has increased markedly this year, especially since an April 23 security operation at a Sunni anti-government protest site that sparked clashes in which dozens died. Protests erupted in Sunni-majority areas in late 2012, amid widespread discontent among Sunnis who accuse the Shiite-led government of marginalising and targeting their community. Experts say Sunni anger is the main cause of the spike in violence this year. AFP JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office yesterday. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat says that Israel will free the first batch of a promised 104 long-serving Palestinian and Israeli Arab prisoners on August 13. AFP Libya deputy PM resigns TRIPOLI: Libya s deputy prime minister has resigned citing failed government policies and the deterioration of security following a string of assassinations, according to officials and his Facebook page. The prime minister s office said yesterday it had accepted the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Awad al- Barassi. It had no further comment. Al-Barassi announced the resignation late Saturday on his official Facebook page, saying that a fearful number of assassinations of honorable people stemmed from what he said was government policy failure. The deputy prime minister is a member of a party allied with Libya s Muslim Brotherhood group, while Prime Minister Ali Zidan is considered close to liberals. But al- Barassi s complaints did not appear to reflect ideological differences. Al-Barassi accused the prime minister of monopolizing decision-making, even about trivial issues, hindering government efforts to discharge its responsibilities for deteriorating security, especially in (the eastern city of) Benghazi. AP

9 INTERNATIONAL Alaska city experiences first sunset in months JUNEAU: For the first time since May, the sun has set in what is billed as the northernmost city in the United States. According to the National Weather Service, the first sunset in Barrow, Alaska, since May 10 occurred at 1:57 a.m. Friday. The sun rose again at 3:12 a.m.barrow has continuous daylight for so long because of its location, hundreds of miles north of the Arctic Circle, and the tilt of the earth s axis of rotation. The town of about 4,500 people will gradually lose sunlight each day until November. After that, the sun won t rise again until January - again, because of the rotational tilt. The first sunset in months was a nonevent for some residents like Bob Green, an area resident since 1978 who didn t stay up to watch it the sunset. I ve seen enough of them, he said. I m just glad that it s happening. I ve had enough sun. I much prefer the winter. Green, reached at work at Pepe s North of the Border restaurant, said Barrow seems to run better when it s frozen. There are no bugs or mud to deal with during the winter months, he said. Also, it s easy to make light in the winter but hard to get rid of that big light bulb that is the sun in summer. While some people might find it strange to live somewhere with extended periods of sunlight or darkness, Patuk Glenn, museum curator at the Inupiat Heritage Center, said residents have grown accustomed to the seasons. Most of us, anyway, don t really suffer from that seasonal affective thing, she said, adding: It s just part of life. Things like successful spring and fall subsistence whale hunts are cause for excitement in Barrow, she said. There s no real fuss about the first sunset in months. Like Green, she didn t stay up to see it. You know, I m sleeping at that time, she said, noting she has a job to get to in the morning. AP Mugabe faces growing fallout after disputed election win Australia called for new polls MOSCOW: In this video still image taken Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013 and made available yesterday, by Russia24 TV channel, showing US National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, third right, as he leaves Sheremetyevo airport outside Moscow with his Russian lawyer Anatoly Kucherena, second right, on Thursday. Snowden has been granted asylum in Russia for one year and left the transit zone of Moscow s airport, his lawyer Kucherena said Thursday while revealing that Snowden s whereabouts will be kept secret for security reasons. AP Verdict in Roma killing spree expected in Hungary BUDAPEST: A verdict in the trial of four Hungarians accused of killing six Roma in a wave of cold-blooded attacks is expected Tuesday, as the country continues to struggle with discrimination. Between July 2008 and August 2009, the men allegedly carried out nine assaults against the Roma minority in various northeastern villages, using grenades, guns and Molotov cocktails. In one of the most gruesome attacks, a father and his five-year-old son were gunned down as they tried to flee their house, which the group had set on fire. Another woman was shot in her sleep. In total, six people were killed and five injured in the year-long spree of violence. Three of the accused-brothers Arpad and Istvan Kiss, and Zsolt Peto-face life in prison if convicted. They have denied carrying out the attacks and have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The fourth-istvan Csontos, who served as a driver to his accomplices-has pleaded guilty to charges of collusion but insists he did not take part in the murders. He faces a lesser jail sentence. All four-aged 28 to 42 at the time of the crimes-have been in custody since their arrest in August The case has found special resonance in a country where the Roma minority, plagued by poverty and high unemployment, is subject to regular discrimination. Six Hungarians died just because they were Roma, the opposition party Together 2014 said Friday in a statement. This tragedy should be kept alive in our nation s collective memory, like any other national tragedy, it added. Prosecutors in the trial-which began in March 2011 at a Budapest court say the four accused, all hard-core fans of Debrecen football club in northeastern Coalition tensions rise ahead of pro-berlusconi rally in Rome ROME: Tensions in Italy s squabbling coalition heightened ahead of a rally by supporters of Silvio Berlusconi in Rome yesterday in protest at a tax fraud conviction that threatens his future in politics and the fragile government. Berlusconi s centre-right People of Freedom (PDL) party called the rally outside his palace in central Rome to protest the jail sentence, which has shaken the already fraught coalition with traditional rivals, the centre-left Democratic Party (PD). The strife has further dimmed hopes for reforms to drag the euro zone s third largest economy out of its longest post-war recession, the aim of Prime Minister Enrico Letta when he formed the government three months ago. Defence minister Mario Mauro told online newspaper Il Sussidario there was an awareness within the government that the delicate coalition risked breakdown. The factor that determines whether the coalition can prevail or not is whether the conditions exist to pass reforms, said Mauro, who belongs to the centrist Civic Choice movement, adding that if the coalition were to fall, one option would be early elections. However, there is little expectation of an immediate government crisis as parliament prepares to go into recess and millions of Italians head off for their sacrosanct August summer holidays. Berlusconi also has reason to support the government for now, as he cannot begin to serve his sentence while he remains a member of the Senate and the verdict may exclude him from running as a candidate if an election is called. On Friday he called on his party to push for a reform of the justice system, which he maintains convicted him because of political bias. His allies reacted with fury to the conviction, with one senior party figure saying the verdict risks a sort of civil war. The PDL has been lobbying hard for President Giorgio Napolitano to pardon Berlusconi, an idea the president has rejected in the past and which some legal experts say would be impossible as Berlusconi is still awaiting a verdict in an appeal against a conviction for paying for sex with a minor. But one of Berlusconi s most loyal allies, PDL deputy Daniela Santanche, threatened a mass resignation of centre-right lawmakers unless Napolitano issued a pardon, which she said was Berlusconi s right. Reuters Hungary with neo-nazi tendencies, had had run-ins with Roma in the past. The idea for the attacks emerged after they shared their stories in a pub, the prosecution said. The Roma community, which makes up between five and eight percent of Hungary s 10-million population, has often been on the receiving end of attacks, including verbal ones from the far-right Jobbik party and from close allies of centre-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban. In January, Zsolt Bayer, a prominent journalist close to Orban, equated Roma to animals who shouldn t be tolerated and should not exist. His newspaper was later fined by the country s media regulator. Vigilantes have also tried to intimidate Roma communities on numerous occasions. As politicians and civil groups remembered on Friday the massacre of 3,000 Roma by the Nazis at Auschwitz on August 2, 1944, many also paid homage to the victims of the Kiss brothers and their accomplices. It was on this day in 2009 that the last attack by the four accused took place. Today, the day of commemoration for the (Roma) Holocaust and the anniversary of the last murder, our common duty is to promise to take action against hate, Livia Jaroka, the sole Roma deputy in the European Parliament and a member of Orban s Fidesz party, said in a statement. She has submitted a request that August 2 be named Roma Holocaust commemoration day in the entire European Union. In honour of the more recent murder victims, XKK, an advocacy group, has also produced four short films titled Their crime was the colour of their skin and featuring moving monologues read by some of Hungary s bestknown actors and actresses. The films are to be screened in Budapest cinemas and at cultural festivals. AFP HARARE: International unease mounted yesterday over the re-election of Africa s oldest leader Robert Mugabe in polls denounced by Zimbabwe s opposition as stolen. Mugabe, 89, in power since 1980, trounced his long-standing rival Morgan Tsvangirai in Wednesday s polls with 61 percent of the presidential vote while his party swept to a crushing parliamentary majority. But 61-year-old Tsvangirai, who has unsuccessfully tried to unseat Mugabe three times, condemned the vote as fraudulent and stolen and has vowed to challenge it. Western powers have voiced serious doubts about the polls following concerns over irregularities. Yesterday, Germany said the election casts a big shadow on the political and economic future of Zimbabwe, while Australia called for new polls. Given our doubts about the results, Australia calls for a re-run of the elections based on a verified and agreed voters roll, Foreign Minister Bob Carr said in a statement. US Secretary of State John Kerry had Saturday described the election as deeply flawed and said Washington does not believe that the results...today represent a credible expression of the will of the Zimbabwean people. British Foreign Secretary William Hague added his own grave concerns over the conduct of the vote in the former colony. Observers raised concerns over the availability of the voters roll, the printing of extra ballot papers, and the turning away of voters at polling stations. With gentler assessments from African observers who nonetheless noted the flaws, President Jacob Zuma of powerful neighbour South Africa offered his profound congratulations to Mugabe on Sunday. President Zuma urges all political parties in Zimbabwe to accept the outcome of the elections as election observers reported it to be an expression of the will of the people, a foreign ministry statement said. The reaction in Zimbabwe s Sunday press was starkly divided, with state-controlled newspaper The Herald proclaiming President Mugabe romps to victory, while the independent Daily News headlined, It s a Crisis. The vote marks the end of a tense compromise government between Tsvangirai and Mugabe, forced by bloodstained 2008 polls, that helped steer the isolated nation out of a protracted crisis. In Harare s oldest township Mbare on Sunday, several hundred Mugabe supporters carried a white coffin draped in an MDC flag, with a red knotted scarf placed on top with the inscription RIP Morgan. Some carried shovels chanting that they were going to bury Tvangirai s party, the Movement for Democratic Change. People are elated, said one of the marchers, Tatenda Savanhu, 26, an economist. It s really a moment of joy that the GNU (coalition government) is now gone that we are going into an era of ZANU-PF. Tsvangirai vowed to challenge the result in court and said the MDC would boycott government institutions. We will not join government, he said. We will go to court. The fraudulent and stolen election has plunged Zimbabwe into a constitutional, political and economic crisis. Tsvangirai defended his 2008 decision to enter into an uneasy power-sharing government with Mugabe, who has had him arrested, beaten and charged with treason. Our participation rescued this country, he said, citing the country s stabilisation after years of meltdown. But Mugabe s ZANU-PF party says there is no need for the MDC in the new government. We have received over 60 percent of the vote, we have two-thirds majority, why would we want to bring someone else on board? State Security Minister Sydney Sekeramayi told AFP. The MDC now has until Saturday to present evidence of fraud to the constitutional court, but finding a smoking gun may prove difficult. The inauguration is expected within 48 hours of the court s decision. Tsvangirai said he would submit a dossier of all irregularities and all the illegalities to the influential 15-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) and called for an urgent summit. The European Union, which had been moving toward easing longstanding sanctions, expressed concern about incomplete participation, as well as the identified weaknesses in the electoral process and a lack of transparency. But Emmerson Mnangagwa, defence minister and a key Mugabe lieutenant, hit back at the accusations, arguing instead that the result was a game-changer. The West will now have to climb down, they must find a ladder and climb down... A democratic election has taken place in Zimbabwe, he told AFP. MBARE: Members of Mugabe s party celebrate his winning the election and carry an MDC flagdraped coffin for the supposed funeral for Morgan Tsvangirai leader of Movement for Democratic Change in Mbare yestertday. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe was declared the winner of a controversial presidential election with 2,110,434 votes, giving him 61% of the total and his challenger Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai 34% amid allegations of blatant vote rigging. AFP SADC, which engineered the power-sharing government, said the vote was free and peaceful but top SADC election observer Bernard Membe noted: We did not say it was fair... we didn t want to jump to a conclusion. The poll s credibility was further tarnished by the resignation of one of the nine official electoral commissioners. In a letter seen by AFP, Mkhululi Nyathi quit over the manner in which the polls were proclaimed and conducted. Mugabe s ZANU-PF parliamentary majority is enough to amend a new constitution which introduced term limits and curbed presidential powers. AFP

10 INTERNATIONAL Nurse at botched Ohio transplant sues over firing COLUMBUS: A veteran nurse present during a botched kidney transplant at an Ohio hospital last summer has sued for wrongful termination. The lawsuit filed Friday in Columbus seeks $25,000 for Melanie Lemay, a nurse suspended then fired after a different nurse accidentally threw away a viable kidney as medical waste during the procedure last August. After the error, the hospital apologized and put an administrator and two nurses on paid leave. Lemay alleges her subsequent termination was based on violating policies and procedures that didn t exist on the day of the operation. The 30-year employee of the University of Toledo Medical Center alleges that operating room policies that hospital administrators turned over to investigators from the Department of Health and Human Services had an effective date of Aug six days after the surgery. An investigative report on the incident indicated no policy or procedures other than those dated Aug. 16 were presented to investigators as in place on the day of the failed procedure. The suit states the other nurse failed to log out of the hospital computer system when she went on break, which required Lemay to make entries under that nurse s chart. Lemay said the second nurse did not ask for a status update on the transplant or the patient when she returned from lunch and proceeded to remove the kidney from the room and dispose of it. Lemay says she did not see the items being removed nor know the other nurse had removed them. She was fired for violating policies on communications, logging out, and failing to stop the other nurse from removing items from the operation room before the procedure was concluded, the suit states. University of Toledo spokesman Tobin Klinger declined comment Saturday. It would be inappropriate for us to comment on pending litigation, he said. Besides the personnel actions, the hospital voluntarily suspended its kidney transplant program from August to December. A report by a surgeon hired by the hospital to review its program called it baffling that the nurse would accidentally dispose of the viable kidney. At the same time, he found no problems with the systems that would have indicated the hospital was at risk for such a mistake. The nurse who threw out the organ resigned within weeks. The family of the woman set to receive the kidney that day and her brother, who was her live donor, filed suit against the hospital last week alleging medical negligence and seeking $25,000 for each of eight plaintiffs. AP FLORIDA: In this Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, Florida Gov. Rick Scott talks with a group of teachers at a school in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. as part of his Education Listening tour of the state. Not long after some tea party stars took office, political analysts said, they were forced to adapt to the realities of governing and the changing political landscape, particularly in states President Obama won in last yearís election. AP Tea party plans to abandon GOP stars MIAMI: This wasn t the revolution the tea party had in mind. Four years ago, the movement and its potent mix of anger and populism persuaded thousands of costumed and sign-waving conservatives to protest the ballooning deficit and President Obama s health care law. It swept a crop of no-compromise lawmakers into Congress and governor s offices and transformed political up-and-comers, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, into household names. But as many tea party stars seek re-election next year and Rubio considers a 2016 presidential run, conservative activists are finding themselves at a crossroads. Many of their standard -bearers have embraced more moderate positions on bedrock issues such as immigration and health care, broadening their appeal in swing states but dampening grass-roots passion. They keep sticking their finger in the eyes of the guys who got them elected, said Ralph King, a co-founder of the Cleveland Tea Party Patriots. A lot of people are feeling betrayed. The tea party is a loosely knit web of activists, and some are hoping to rekindle the fire with 2014 primary challenges to wayward Republicans. But many more say they plan to sit out high-profile races in some important swing states next year, a move that GOP leaders fear could imperil the re-election prospects of former tea party luminaries, including the governors of Florida and Ohio. It changes the playing field for us, said Tom Gaitens, former Florida director of FreedomWorks, a political action committee that has spent millions of dollars to help tea party candidates. The most powerful thing we have as a movement is our feet and our vote. In the summer of 2009, tea party supporters stormed congressional town hall meetings, shouting down lawmakers who had voted for the bank bailout and the stimulus package. The movement s voice grew louder after Democrats passed the health care overhaul, and voters took their outrage to the polls in The tea party wave stunned Democrats and many moderate Republicans, sweeping the GOP into control of the House and changing the balance of power in many statehouses. But not long after some tea party stars took office, political analysts said, they were forced to adapt to a changing landscape, particularly in states Obama won in 2012, and to the realities of governing. The tea party also fell out of favor with many people. At its height after the 2010 elections, a CBS News poll found that 31 percent of those surveyed considered themselves tea party supporters. A May survey found just 24 percent identified with the movement. Facing sagging approval ratings, tea party Republicans, some of whom were elected by slim margins, shifted tactics. Fla. Gov. Rick Scott, a former health care company executive who won office by attacking the health law and calling for deep cuts to state spending, has embraced the health law and signed one of the largest budgets in state history, complete with pay raises for teachers. Similarly, Gov. John Kasich, R- Ohio, and Rick Snyder, R-Mich., are battling their GOP-dominated legislatures to expand Medicaid, a big part of the health law. Tea party supporters were most struck by Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants. His personal story and unlikely rise to power made him perhaps the most prominent figure in the movement. As a Senate candidate in 2010, he denounced as amnesty any plan that would offer a path to citizenship for those who were in the country illegally. Yet in recent months, he has emerged as a leader of a bipartisan Senate group that developed a plan that includes such a provision. The plan has been panned by conservatives but ultimately could bolster Rubio s standing with Hispanics, a growing demographic group that has voted overwhelmingly Democratic in recent years. One sweltering July day, a half-dozen tea party protesters gathered under a tree in front of Rubio s Miami office, seeking shade as they denounced his support for an immigration overhaul. But the protest soon turned into more of a support group, with the four men and two women grousing to each other about how Rubio had turned into a back-stabber, a liar and a flip-flopper. Juan Fiol, a real estate broker who organized the protest, kept looking at his phone, waiting for calls from fellow tea party supporters that never came. It was supposed to be a big event, he said as he waved a large Don t Tread on Me flag. The movement s top strategists acknowledge the tea party is quieter today, by design. It has matured, they said, from a protest movement to a political movement. Largescale rallies have given way to strategic letter-writing and phone-banking campaigns to push or oppose legislative agendas in Washington and state capitals. In Michigan and Ohio, for example, leaders have battled the implementation of the president s health law and the adoption of Common Core state school standards. Local activists say they have focused largely on their own communities since Obama s re-election and the ideological drift of some tea party-backed politicians. Many are running for school boards, county commissions and city councils, focusing on issues such as unfunded pension liabilities and sewer system repairs. The positions that people are filling at the local levels are more important for the future of the movement and the future of the country, said Jenny Beth Martin, cofounder of the Tea Party Patriots, a national umbrella organization. It s creating a farm team for the future. The Republican establishment, however, is concerned about Party leaders worry about the GOP s most passionate advocates walking away, particularly those supporters angered by the Senate s immigration bill. In a nod to the tea party, business and conservative groups have launched ad campaigns recasting the bill as a national security measure. The conservative American Action Network spent $750,000 on pro-reform commercials. One ad aimed at Florida voters called the legislation the toughest border security plan ever passed by Congress and urged viewers to thank Rubio for keeping his promise and fighting to secure the border. National tea party leaders hope to reenergize followers by focusing on two of the movement s chief targets: the Internal Revenue Service and the health law. They said the Obama administration had handed them a recruiting tool when it delayed the law s implementation and when the IRS singled out tea party groups and other conservative political organizations for special scrutiny. AP Police arrest suspect in deadly LA driving attack LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles police have arrested a man on suspicion of intentionally driving into crowds at a popular boardwalk, killing an Italian woman and injuring 11 others. Police say 38-year-old Nathan Campbell has been booked for investigation of murder and remains jailed Sunday on $1 million bail. He turned himself about two hours after the attack that occurred at around 6 pm Saturday. Investigators don t yet have a motive. Witnesses reported a horrendous scene of people scattered and bloody at the Venice Beach boardwalk. A coroner s investigator tells City News Service that the dead woman is 32-year-old Alice Gruppioni of Italy. Police say another victim was critically hurt, two were in serious condition and others were treated for less serious injuries. Security video taken from the scene of the Venice Beach boardwalk, showed a man parking his black car, stepping out and surveying the leisurely scene for several minutes before getting back into the vehicle and speeding into the crowd. Hundreds of people were walking or sitting at cafes when the car sent them scrambling wildly before it sped out of sight. Witnesses reported a horrifying aftermath. People were stumbling around, blood dripping down their legs, looking confused not knowing what had happened, people screaming, said Louisa Hodge, 35. She said there were blocks and blocks of people just strewn across the sidewalk. Injured people were taken to the hospital where one died. Authorities said one victim was in critical condition and two others were in serious condition. The others suffered minor injuries. Investigators don t yet have a motive LOS ANGELES: Police and fire officials respond at the scene where a car drove through a packed afternoon crowd along the Venice Beach boardwalk in Los Angeles, Saturday. At least a dozen people were injured, two of them critically, according to police. AP Police began searching for a black Dodge with a driver in his 20s. About an hour later a man walked into a police station in neighboring Santa Monica and told officers he was involved, Los Angeles police Lt. Andy Neiman said Saturday night. Police then found a car nearby that they believe belonged to the man, he said. Detectives questioned the man to determine whether he was the driver. Authorities at the scene, meanwhile, searched for evidence at the cultural hub in a part of Los Angeles known for eccentricities. The 1.5-mile ribbon of asphalt that runs along the sand a few hundred yards from the ocean is home to galleries, restaurants, tattoo shops, skateboard parks and the famous outdoor weight room known as Muscle Beach. It can draw as many as 150,000 people on summer weekends. According to the security video and witness accounts, the driver parked next to the Cadillac Hotel, twice walking out to the boardwalk before getting into the Dodge Avenger and accelerating, swerving around yellow poles meant to prevent cars from getting into the pedestrian-only area and onto the boardwalk. I heard a big boom, boom, like the sound of someone going up and down the curb, it was super loud, said Alex Hagan, 22, who was working the desk at the Cadillac Hotel and watched the scene unfold from the start. The man knocked over two mannequins then started hitting people, swerving from side to side and often running straight into them. The car hit at least three vendors who were sitting at their sales booths, video showed. The vehicle hit two women who appeared to be in their 60s, Hagan said. Many ran after the TEGUCIGALPA: Honduran President Porfirio Lobo ordered the militarization of the country s main prison on Saturday after a gunfight there left at least three gang members dead and 12 people injured, including three guards. The aim of the measure, which involves putting soldiers in charge of the prison s security, is to end the reign of criminals in our prison system, which has done so much damage to our society, Lobo said in a statement. Police spokesman Miguel Martinez said members of the Barrio 18 gang fought with other inmates in Honduras National Penitentiary, which houses 3,351 inmates and is located about 10 miles (15 kilometers) north of the capital, Tegucigalpa. Three gang members were killed and nine injured, director of penitentiaries Jose Simeon Flores said in a press conference, adding that three guards were wounded by gunfire. The gang members used AK-47s, according to them, to defend themselves from other prisoners. They also exploded a fragmentation grenade, Flores said. The army and police are now in control of the prison, he said. Authorities are carrying out a cellby-cell review to find out what happened. Dr. Juan Ayestas, chief of emergency surgery at the Hospital Escuela in Tegucigalpa, said one of the dead inmates had a gunshot wound to the head. A contingent of 70 soldiers and police was sent to guard the Hospital Escuela, where injured inmates were taken, for fear that their gang would try to free them. We have detected cars with armed men inside passing by the hospital and for this reason we are increasing security measures to avoid a tragedy, Martinez said. The riot and militarization of car, screaming and cursing as it sped away, he said. Hodge said she and her friend, Ashley Taylor, 31, had made note of the numbers walking along the seaside. It was a really nice day, there were tons of people out, in fact, we were talking about how packed it was, because we were having a hard time getting through all the people, said Hodge. The two women stepped into a store to buy a couple of hats, in a move that may have saved their lives. They stepped out to see the aftermath, as emergency crews arrived and started putting victims on tarps. Hodge saw one man and woman lying next to each other, wearing head braces, barely able to move. They were just laying next to each other and grasping hands, Hodge said, just a man and a woman holding hands. Agencies Honduras to militarize main prison after clash TEGUCIGALPA: Soldiers stand guard outside the School Hospital in Tegucigalpa, where gang members are receiving medical assistance on Saturday. At least three gang members were killed and 15 wounded in a confrontation of gangs at the national penitentiary, 20 km north of the capital. AFP the prison comes a day after the release of an Inter-American Commission on Human Rights report that said inmates control Honduras 24 prisons because the state has abandoned its role in rehabilitating people convicted of crimes. The commission said that one consequence of the state s abandonment of the prisons is the rise of so-called systems of self-governance that are headed by inmates known as coordinators. The coordinators are picked by the inmates and set rules for the prison, including disciplinary measures. The report said that some prisons are so poorly guarded that the inmates could escape if they wanted to, but don t because they don t want to upset the balance. The commission conducted the report following a fire last year at the Comayagua prison that killed 361 inmates. Honduran prisons operate on a Lord-of-the-Flies system that allows inmates to run businesses behind bars, while officials turn a blind eye in exchange for a cut of the profits they say is spent on prison needs. Authorities say they carry out three searches a month in the country s state prison and find a large quantity of arms, from guns to knives and machetes. Guards are bribed to let them bring the arms into the prison. The government says there are 12,263 people incarcerated in Honduras even though its prisons can only hold 8,120 inmates. AP

11 INTERNATIONAL KARACHI: People get off from a boat after being rescued by soldiers from a flooded area caused by heavy rains on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan, yesterday. AP Death toll in Pakistan floods rise to 44 ISLAMABAD: The heavy monsoon rains across Pakistan has claimed at least 44 lives and wounded many people in different parts of the country including seven in southwestern province Balochistan, twenty in southern province Sindh and seventeen in northern province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the provincial Information Secretary Qamar Masood, at least seven people were killed by rain related incidents in different areas of southwestern Pakistani province Balochistan yesterday. The torrential rains played havoc in Jhal Magsi, Hub, Naseerabad, Jaffarabad, Sibi, Bolan, and other parts of the province, with several houses collapsing under the downpour. The wall of a factory fell in the Hub town of Balochistan killing at least five people including three children while a person lost his life in Jhal Magsi area due to rain related accidents. Two persons died of drowning in a stream in Loralai area of the province raising the number of deaths in the province to seven. Heavy rains causing electricutions and similar incidents claimed twenty lives in southern Pakistani province with eleven life losses in Karachi city alone. According to police and rescue officials, three people died from electricution in Paposh Nagar and Liaquatabad areas, a person lost his life in Model Colony, three children were killed of drowning in storm-water drain in Korangi area and North Nazimabad where a three year old kid died of roof collapse. Three more people were killed in Malir Town, Defence morh area of the electrocution related incidents. The rain also struck different cities in interior Sindh and heavy rainfall claimed at least two lives in Larkana and Qambar- Shahdadkot districts of Sindh. Meanwhile, torrential downpour also paralysed civic life in Hyderabad, inundating several areas and flooding all main roads. Division Commissioner Jamal Mustafa Syed has declared rain emergency in all districts of Hyderabad. Earlier, at least thirteen people including five children lost their lives on Saturday as the flood strikes the northern Pakistani region after heavy rains. According to rescue officials, three kids were drowned in Chighor Nullah area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of northern Pakistan on Friday. Moreover, two young girls were killed in flash floods in Buhni Nullah area where two people were killed in Chitral area of the KPK province. According to local media reports, three people were killed as flash floods washed away a car while crossing a causeway in Bagh district of Pakistan side Kashmir while another man drowned in a nearby village. It was further reported that two young men drowned in floodwater in the village of Hajira near Rawalakot district of Kashmir. The Prime Minister Mohammed Nawaz Sharif expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of lives and property in rain related incidents in the country. He has directed all departments and agencies concerned to remain in touch with the provincial governments and mobilize their services on emergency basis to extend help to those affected. KUNA MUMBAI: This photo taken on July 30, 2013 shows Indian woman Shweta Katti (2nd L) smiling on being praised by a guest as her mother Vandana (3rd L) looks on at a fundraiser in Mumbai to support her education at New York s Bard College. The young Indian woman who grew up in Mumbai s red-light district facing poverty and sexual abuse has overcome the odds to win a scholarship to study in New York. AFP S Lanka steps up security as protest toll rises Armed troops storm church, assault people COLOMBO: Police poured into a village near Sri Lanka s capital ahead of the funeral yesterday of a teenager shot dead by troops during a protest against contaminated water, residents said. Security in Weliweriya village was strengthened as a hospital official said a third person had died after succumbing to injuries sustained during the army s crackdown on the residents protest on Thursday. We have another three people in the intensive care and their condition is serious, spokeswoman for the hospital in Colombo, Pushpa Soysa, told AFP. Police said 17-year-old Akila Dinesh Jayawardena was killed when troops fired at unarmed residents demonstrating against a factory which they accused of discharging chemical waste and polluting ground water. Jayawardena was buried yesterday evening amid tight security by police commandos who were seen near the village cemetery too. Mourners returning from the burial stopped briefly at the village centre to shout slogans denouncing the authorities and pressing their demand for safe drinking water. They dispersed peacefully, witnesses said. Roman Catholic priest Lakpriya Nonis said armed troops stormed his St. Anthony s church shortly after Thursday s protest and assaulted men, women and children who had sought refuge there. They came into the church premises and assaulted people sheltering inside, the priest told reporters after yesterday s burial. Official sources said nearly 50 people were injured with most of them suffering bullet wounds while some had been beaten with sticks and rifle butts. The privately-run Sunday Times said up to six people had MUMBAI: A young Indian woman who grew up in Mumbai s red-light district facing poverty and sexual abuse has overcome the odds to win a scholarship to study in New York. Shweta Katti, 18, left for America on Thursday to study at the liberal arts Bard College, where she hopes to read psychology. Afterwards she wants to return to India and help other young women in her community. It s my childhood dream. I didn t think it would finally happen, she told AFP before leaving Mumbai, where she grew up in a brothel. WELIWERIYA: Sri Lankan students carry the coffin of their colleague, Akila Dinesh Jayawardena who was shot dead during an army crackdown against people protesting tainted ground water in the village of Weliweriya, just outside the capital Colombo yesterday. AFP been killed and that authorities were not revealing the total number of casualties. The burials of the other two victims are yet to be decided, locals said. The second victim died of his injuries overnight on Friday. There are a lot of police at the funeral as well as in the neighbourhood, a resident of Weliweriya village, who requested anonymity, told AFP by telephone. Military spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said the army withdrew from the area late Saturday. Residents may be mistaking police Special Task Force Commandos dressed in camouflaged uniforms as troops, he added. We don t have any presence in the area now. We have Katti s determination won her a place this year in Newsweek s list of 25 Young Women To Watch aged under-25, alongside Pakistani schoolgirl and activist Malala Yousufzai who was shot in the head by the Taleban. It is a long way from Katti s early childhood experiences of abuse and harassment in Mumbai s notorious Kamathipura neighbourhood. You would see everyday someone beating up a woman, the police coming unexpectedly at anytime, and women selling their bodies-they were not happy, Katti said. launched an investigation into the incident, Wanigasooriya said, while declining to say what disciplinary action would be taken. Criticism by the opposition and rights groups of the army s use of force has mounted since the shootings. Private television networks have broadcast footage of troops opening fire at unarmed residents. The shootings come ahead of a visit to the island by the UN rights chief Navi Pillay later this month. The independent Lawyers Collective on Saturday condemned the crackdown, including live firing, against the protest to demand clean drinking water for thousands of residents of Weliweriya, 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of Colombo. Men would ask to sleep with me, it was so embarrassing, but I had to face it. My father abused me, many people abused me, but my mum was with me always saying: You are the best, you can do anything. The teenager, who describes herself as a tough-skinned girl, said she faced discrimination from all sides at school because of her poor background and low caste status. She credits her mother, a factory worker, as her inspiration and says the local charity Krantimeaning revolution in Hindialso played a vital role in helping Dipped Products Ltd, a publicly listed company, said Sunday they were not responsible for the pollution at Weliweriya, but were cooperating with environmental tests under way by authorities. Its factory remains shut because of the protest. Pillay is due in Colombo on August 25 on a five-day visit in connection with allegations that Sri Lankan troops killed up to 40,000 civilians in the final stages of an ethnic war with Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka has denied that its troops were responsible for killing civilians or committing any war crimes, but EU lawmakers last month urged Colombo to ensure accountability in the face of what the UN calls credible allegations. AFP Mumbai teenager leaves red-light zone for US degree her achieve her dreams. The group s aim is to empower girls from Mumbai s red-light areas to become agents of social change, and a small group of them live at Kranti s north Mumbai apartment, where Katti moved two years ago. Here she was able to work on her English language skills and experience therapy, which sparked her interest in psychology. I really think it can change somebody. I started thinking openly and respecting my background and myself, she said. AFP Floods in Afghanistan kill more than 40 KABUL: Flash floods triggered by days of torrential rain have killed more than 40 people in Afghanistan, destroying dozens of houses, a senior disaster official said yesterday. Heavy flooding that began three days ago hit nine eastern and southeastern provinces and some districts of the capital Kabul. Surobi district of Kabul was the hardest hit, Ghulam Farooq, the head of emergency operations for Afghanistan s National Disaster Management Authority, told AFP. The primary report indicates that 35 people have died in Surobi district, eight in Khost and one in Kapisa, he said. Four people were missing in eastern Nangarhar province, he added. The floodwaters also destroyed hundreds of hectares of farmland and displaced hundreds of people in those provinces, he said. At least 237 houses have been destroyed in Surobi alone, he said. He said emergency teams had been sent to the areas to assess the situation. Harsh winters in Afghanistan and heavy snowfalls often cause swollen rivers that trigger flooding in the mountainous country in spring and summer. But this year, Afghanistan witnessed one of the hottest summers in decades with temperatures reaching up to 50 degrees Celsius in some parts. Across the border in Pakistan floods have also killed 45 people with disaster relief officials warning more rain was on its way. Flash floods caused by monsoon downpours have inundated some main roads in the sprawling port city of Karachi and swept away homes in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. AFP

12 INTERNATIONAL S Korea losing patience with North on Kaesong talks SEOUL: South Korea yesterday warned the North it was reaching the limit of its patience over stalled talks to revive a joint industrial complex once seen as a rare symbol of cooperation between the rivals. Six rounds of cross-border meetings aimed at restarting the venture, a key source of hard currency for the North Korea s communist regime, produced little progress as each side squabbled over who would take responsibility for the shutdown. South Korea proposed final talks on the Kaesong industrial zone, which has remained shuttered since early April following military tensions, on July 28. The most recent meeting on July 25 ended in acrimony with no date set for the next talks and Pyongyang officials accusing Seoul counterparts of being arrogant. Seoul s unification ministry, which handles cross-border affairs, issued Sunday another call for the North to show responsible words and actions, instead of silence. The North should bear in mind that South Koreans...are reaching the limit of their patience, the ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-Seok told reporters. If it truly believes that the Kaesong complex is the touchstone of inter-korea relations...it should demonstrate it with responsible words and actions instead of silence, he said. The zone-built just north of border in 2004 had survived previous inter- Korea crises but eventually fell victim to two months of elevated tensions following a nuclear test by the North in February. Pyongyang, taking issue with military tension on the peninsula and Seoul s joint army exercises with the US, withdrew all 53,000 workers who produced textiles and other goods at factories for some 120 South Korean firms. Seoul insists that Pyongyang provides a binding guarantee that it would not close the complex again in the future and partially covers damages for the affected firms, estimated to be nearly one billion dollars in total. Pyongyang has rejected the demand, arguing that ultimate responsibility for Kaesong s closure lay with the South. Kaesong-based businessmen pleaded last week with Seoul to show more flexibility in negotiations with Pyongyang so that they could resume operations as soon as possible. Meanwhile, North Korea has cut short summer military drills to mobilise troops for flood relief efforts after torrential rains left dozens killed and ravaged farmlands nationwide, a South Korean report said yesterday. The North s military ordered troops based in the country s west and southeast regions to hold minimum summer exercises and to instead focus on post-floods reconstruction, Yonhap news agency said. It cited an unnamed Seoul government source. Many military units stopped the exercises and have mobilised troops for floods relief works, said the source quoted by Yonhap. The communist state has staged summer military drills that partially coincided with the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise conducted by its rival South Korea and the United States, that usually takes place in August. But this year s summer drill in the North will be scaled back considerably because it needs to focus on repairing floods damages, the source was quoted as saying. Floods caused by heavy rains that pummelled the North since early July have destroyed some 6,000 houses, displaced more than 23,000 people and washed away a large swathes of farmlands, the North s state media said late last month. The death toll has reached 33 across the nation and some 13,300 hectares of farmlands have been damaged, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said last week, warning of longer-term impact on the country s food security. Decades of deforestation and decrepit infrastructure have left the impoverished North vulnerable to floods, which led to some 170 deaths last summer. AFP Malaysian rescuers recover 3 bodies; 37 missing at sea Boat was not seaworthy KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian rescuers yesterday found three bodies at sea as hopes faded for 37 other Indonesians who went missing days earlier when their boat sank on their way home to celebrate Eid al-fitr. The wooden boat was believed to be carrying 44 people including women and children from Malaysia s southern state of Johor to Indonesia s Batam island. It sank in heavy seas late Thursday, and four men were rescued on Friday. Malaysian authorities found two bodies yesterday, while fishermen discovered another corpse, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said in a statement. It is believed these three bodies-two women and one man-are victims of the boat accident, Amran Daud, an official with the agency, said. Thirty-seven are still missing. Another maritime official told AFP that the bodies were found near a group of islands south of the wellknown resort island of Tioman as strong currents are believed to have swept away the victims. The accident occurred 13 nautical JOHOR: This handout photo taken yesterday and released by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency shows Maritime officials at the Maritime office in Tanjung Sedili in Johor state transporting three victims found at sea after a wooden boat that was believed to be carrying 44 people, including women and children, from Malaysia s southern Johor state to Indonesia s Batam island sank off the coast. AFP miles (24 kilometres) off the coast. The currents are strong. We don t believe anyone else could have survived, he said, adding search efforts would continue today. The passengers are believed to have been illegal migrants working in Malaysia who wanted to return to their country to celebrate Eid al-fitr, the end of the Muslim fasting month next week, without passing border controls. Amran added that based on the survivors accounts the boat was not seaworthy. Survivor Edey Muliadi was quoted by The Star daily as saying that when high waves hit the boat, the passengers panicked and crowded to one side of it, causing it to overturn. When we were thrown into the sea, all I could hear was people and children screaming in the pitch darkness, said the 26-year-old, who worked as an excavator operator near the capital Kuala Lumpur. He said the passengers tried to hold on to the overturned boat in the storm, but the vessel sank. Muliadi said he managed to hold on to a plastic container filled with hot petrol, some of which spilled and scalded his chest, abdomen and hands. I was also bitten by small fish. It was really painful but all I could think of was to stay alive for my family, he was quoted by The Star as saying. Another survivor, a farm helper who was hoping to reach his home island of Lombok via Batam, said he paid some 1,300 ringgit ($400) for what was to be his first trip home in 13 years. Amran said the four men would be handed over to Indonesian consulate officials to be returned to their country. An estimated four million foreigners, mostly from poorer countries in the region such as Indonesia and Myanmar, work in Malaysia-many illegally. They fill low-paying jobs shunned by locals on plantations, construction sites and in factories. In mid-july an Indonesian woman died and seven people went missing after their wooden boat capsized off Johor. Twenty-seven Indonesians, heading to Batam without valid travel documents, were rescued. AFP Australia PM Rudd calls election for September 7 CANBERRA: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd called an election for Sept. 7 and said yesterday that it will be fought over who can be trusted to manage the Australian economy as it transitions from a decade-old mining boom fed by Chinese industrial demand that is now fading. In starting the five-week election campaign, Rudd said the economy can no longer rely on Chinese demand for iron ore and coal that made the country one of the few wealthy nations to avoid a recession during the global economic downturn. Who do the Australian people trust to best lead them through the new economic challenges that lie ahead? Rudd asked at a news conference at Parliament House. Rudd conceded that his center-left Labor Party was the underdog, saying his advisers had told him that if the election had been held this weekend, his government would have lost. But opinion polls also show that more voters prefer Rudd, a 55-yearold Chinese-speaking former Beijing diplomat, as prime minister than opposition leader Tony Abbott, a former Roman Catholic seminarian and journalist who is also 55. Latest economic figures show a sharp decline in the nation s finances, with the Treasury Department last week raising its estimated deficit for the current fiscal year to 30.1 billion Australian dollars ($26.8 billion) due to the mining slowdown. The new forecast for the year ending June 30, 2014, was AU$12 billion worse than the department s last forecast in May. The government also announced a AU$33.3 billion shortfall in the revenue forecast over the next four years CANBERRA: Australia s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd smiles as he addresses the media after calling a general election in Canberra yesterday. Rudd yesterday named September 7 as election day, hoping to complete a stunning political comeback by keeping the centre-left Labor Party in power three years after it ousted him. AFP - a deterioration of about AU$3 billion a week since the May forecast. Economic growth for the fiscal year, forecast at 2.75 percent in May, was downgraded on Friday to 2.5 percent. The unemployment rate forecast in May to rise to 5.75 percent in the current fiscal year was revised up to 6.25 percent. The conservative Liberal Party-led opposition coalition has accused the government of wasting money on stimulus spending after the last conservative government delivered surplus budgets year after year until it lost power in But economists largely applauded Labor s early spending. After the election was announced, Abbott promised to get the budget back under control, and listed scrapping the unpopular carbon tax among his top priorities if elected. The election promises to be an extraordinary contest for Australian politics. Labor leads Australia s first minority government since World War II, and polls suggest the opposition faces an easier task picking up seats than Labor does. Labor holds 71 seats in the 150- seat House of Representatives where parties form governments. The opposition holds 72 seats, with the remainder held by independent lawmakers or sole legislators from minor parties. A recent poll has shown that secrets spiller Julian Assange and his WikiLeaks Party have a realistic chance of winning seats in the 78- seat Senate. Rudd was first elected prime minister in 2007, but was ousted in 2010 by his then-deputy, Julia Gillard, in an internal leadership showdown among Labor lawmakers. He was dubbed Recycled Rudd by the media when he reclaimed the leadership in a similar challenge on June 26 as the government faced the prospect of a loss of historic portions with Gillard at the helm. Since then, Rudd has changed several key policy positions, and opinion polls suggest Labor is closing the opposition s lead. Nick Economou, a Monash University political scientist, said Rudd had been surprisingly successful in portraying himself as a new prime minister instead of the same leader who was once dumped by his colleagues. If Rudd can ram home that advantage, then Labor has got a chance, Economou said. The task for Abbott is to try to remind people that it s Rudd, he s the leader of a party that s been in government for a long time and is really at war with itself, he added. A major policy difference is Abbott s opposition to charging polluters for their carbon gas emissions, despite Australia having some of the world s worst emission rates on a per capita basis. He has vowed to give priority to scrapping both the carbon and mining taxes. Both taxes were introduced by Labor in July The carbon tax on Australia s biggest polluters rose from AU$23 a metric ton of carbon dioxide to AU$24.15 from July 1, The opposition argues this is the world s highest tax rate on carbon dioxide and is making Australian industry uncompetitive. AP BANGKOK: Anti-government protesters take part in a rally calling Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to withdraw the amnesty bill from parliament, outside a park in Bangkok, Thailand yesterday. AP Bangkok braces for political protests BANGKOK: Thailand s capital braced yesterday for possible unrest in the week ahead, with street protests expected over moves in parliament that could eventually lead to a pardon for ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. About 1,000 protesters calling themselves the People s Army Against the Thaksin Regime rallied in a Bangkok park on Sunday. But bigger and more militant protests are expected when parliament on Wednesday begins debating an amnesty bill that would cover people arrested for political activities since the 2006 military coup that ousted Thaksin for alleged corruption and disrespect to the monarchy. Thaksin was later sentenced to two years in jail on a conflict of interest charge, but escaped punishment by living abroad in self-imposed exile. The amnesty bill would not cover Thaksin, but his opponents fear that if it passes, it would set a precedent and pave the way for another measure pardoning him. The current amnesty bill was proposed by a lawmaker from the ruling Pheu Thai Party, which is headed by Thaksin s sister, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The unease caused by the specter of protests reflects Thailand s failure to achieve political reconciliation after the coup, with Thaksin s supporters and opponents battling for power since his ouster. In 2010, about 90 people were killed when Thaksin s supporters occupied part of downtown Bangkok for around two months before being swept away by the army. In 2008, Thaksin s opponents occupied the prime minister s offices for about three months and Bangkok s two airports for a week. Thaksin is a highly polarizing figure who won large majorities in winning office, especially from rural voters who gained from his populist policies. Critics accused him of corruption and abuse of power, charging he was imposing a parliamentary dictatorship and trying to usurp King Bhumibol Adulyadej s constitutional authority. Even though Thaksin s political allies currently lead the government, they have not TOKYO: Three Chinese coastguard ships yesterday remained near disputed waters around a set of islands controlled by Tokyo but claimed by both countries after entering the contested zone a day earlier, Japan s coastguard said. Four Chinese coastguard vessels have stayed in the area in the past several days, with three of them sailing into the territorial waters shortly after 5:00 pm (0800 GMT) on Saturday, the Japanese coastguard said. It was the latest in a series of incursions by Chinese government ships in recent months around the Senkaku islands, which Beijing claims as the Diaoyus. The dispute has been cited as a potential flashpoint that may even lead to armed conflict between the Asian giants. All the ships left the 12-nautical-mile band of waters by 11:00 pm, with three sailing into the contiguous zone on Sunday, the agency said. Contiguous waters are defined as a maritime zone adjacent to a country s territorial sea where a coastal state may exercise controls necessary to prevent and punish infringement of its laws. The Japanese coastguard also said its vessels spotted a small yacht believed to be been able to push through measures allowing for his free return, thanks largely to opposition by royalists and the military. While it is not clear how many protesters the opposition can muster, Yingluck s government is taking few chances. This past week, it invoked the Internal Security Act in three Bangkok districts, citing the possibility of protest violence, and readied more than 30,000 police officers to provide safety at key locations, including the prime minister s office compound and parliament. The act, in effect from Aug. 1-10, authorizes officials to seal off roads, take action against security threats, impose curfews and ban the use of electronic devices in designated areas. Peaceful and unarmed rallies are allowed under the law. We will take care of the protesters and will make sure ordinary people can commute and carry on their daily lives, Yingluck said during her weekly television talk show, aired Saturday morning. I hope under these circumstances, we can get through the situation smoothly. Yesterday s protest, held in a part of Bangkok far from government offices, was low-key. The so-called People s Army is a fringe group, nominally led by former senior military officers with close ties to the country s royalist establishment. It has little of the organizing skill or appeal of the People s Alliance for Democracy, which led large-scale and effective anti-thaksin protests before the coup in 2006, and again in 2008, when another pro- Thaksin government was in power. The alliance has not committed itself to taking part in the current round of protests. One of the People s Army co-leaders, Banawit Kengrian, said yesterday that his protesters would stay overnight and remain as long as needed, adding that he wanted matters to end in seven days. Our goal is to unroot the so-called Thaksin regime from our country, he told reporters. We do not aim to topple the government, but we cannot let them push for the bill by ignoring people s opinions and passing it with the parliamentary dictatorship they have. AP China coastguard remains near disputed waters of British registry raising the Chinese flag some 50 kilometres (31 miles) northwest of one of the islands and later entering territorial waters shortly after 5:00 pm Saturday. Sailers of the yacht then threw a buoy with what the agency described as a red flag into the water and left the area, it said. The incidents followed the first entry by coastguard ships since Beijing combined several agencies under the coastguard flag last month, a development that observers said would involve the arming of more crew. Observers say the presence of a large number of official vessels, some of them armed, increases the likelihood of a confrontation since a minor slip could quickly escalate. Chinese media have reported that the unified coastguard agency integrates marine surveillance, the existing coastguard-which came under the police-fisheries law enforcement and customs antismuggling maritime police. The disputed islands are located in rich fishing grounds and are believed to harbour vast mineral reserves below their seabed. AFP

13

14 14 ANALYSIS THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961 Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : ADVERTISING : /7 FAX : /1 CIRCULATION : Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : COMMERCIAL : P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. E MAIL :info@kuwaittimes.net Website: Issues Militant union s rise reshapes S African platinum industry By Johannes Myburgh A militant South African labour union has wrested majority control at the world s richest platinum mines, shaking up the industry and potentially boding ill for the ruling ANC, analysts say. The dominance by the upstart Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) comes after it gained worldwide notoriety last year in a violent strike that saw police shoot dead 34 miners. Nearly a year later, workers en masse have abandoned the seemingly once-untouchable, ANC-allied National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which shed 41,000 members countrywide in The stakes are high, said mining analyst Peter Major from financial services group Cadiz. This two-union duke-out means power, money, political and economic clout and prestige for the winner, he told AFP. With wage bargaining rights, cars and on-site offices among the victor s perks, the bitter, sometimes deadly rivalry has raised fears of further unrest after paralysing stoppages and bloodshed last year. AMCU now holds sway at the three largest platinum miners who employ a combined 84,000 workers northwest of Johannesburg. The union represents 40 percent at world number one producer Anglo American Platinum, 58 percent at Impala Platinum s Rustenburg operations, and 70 percent of workers at Lonmin. AMCU s meteoric rise flipped the situation from just a year ago, when NUM had 65 percent at Implats and 50 percent at Lonmin. NUM s fall from favour cuts to the heart of its parent federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), which is a key ally of the African National Congress. The last time such radical changes were seen was during the rise of black unionism under apartheid in the early 1980s. This is the biggest upheaval since NUM was allowed in 1981, said Major, pointing to the year that union organisers were granted access to the country s mines. AMCU has shrewdly used its newfound influence to strengthen its base, while capitalising on accusations that the NUM has abandoned workers by cosying up to the political elite. The upstart s gain in the Rustenburg platinum belt is a loss for the ANC, which has relied on its union allies to drum up support for elections. Paul Stewart, mine sociology expert at the University of the Witwatersrand, said election time usually saw NUM shaft stewards transform into election foot soldiers going door-to-door campaigning for the ANC. Arguably one of the most significant social and political bases of the alliance has been eroded and has possible implications for elections, he said. The ANC, which is facing increasing frustration from South Africans ahead of polls next year, has rallied to win back the union s lost ground. Rise and defend the NUM. Go into the informal settlements to recruit for NUM and the ANC, a regional leader told a campaign in Marikana a week ago. But the lost membership s effect on votes is still unclear, according to political analyst Aubrey Matshiqi. It is too early to tell whether the politics of inter-union rivalry between AMCU and NUM will deliver a shift in the political landscape, he said. Also unknown is the long-term impact on the platinum industry which is facing job cuts on the back of heavy 2012 profit falls. Several assassinations have taken place on both sides, and a hit on a prominent AMCU leader led to a wildcat strike at Lonmin in May. After forcing hefty pay hikes by sidestepping historic wage negotiation channels, AMCU is demanding increased concessions from mining companies and the government. At the same time, it is avoiding formal commitments itself. It was the only union to abstain from a pact to stabilise the mining industry which companies signed with labour unions and the government begin July. Union leadership has long been a stepping stone to political power - a key reason for the bitter rivalry. What started as joint opposition to the white-minority regime has become a mutually beneficial relationship, blurring the lines between labour, business and government. ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa is a NUM founder, one of the country s richest people and until January this year Lonmin chairman. Now he is President Jacob Zuma s heir apparent, destined eventually to head Africa s largest economy. But there is a caveat to AMCU s power. It doesn t extend yet far beyond the platinum industry, and holds only 17 percent against NUM s 64 percent in the gold sector. Rustenburg has long been the NUM s weakest region, which helped AMCU to usurp it, but the older union still retains majority status at two smaller miners. With workers living in dire conditions next to some of the world s richest mineral wealth, the tug-of-war may meanwhile force unions to put worker interests first, said Matshiqi. However in the context of violence and instability, that competition may be to the detriment of the sector and the workers themselves, he added. AFP All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers. Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please send submissions via to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary. Riddle won t answer Mideast s wider woes By Crispian Balmer T he Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which once transfixed the Arab world, has lost much of its resonance in a Middle East riven by religious strife, political upheaval and economic woes. News that the two sides had resumed peace talks last week after a threeyear halt was largely overshadowed by turmoil in Egypt and the Syrian civil war, which has set Sunni and Shiite Muslims against one another. US officials still hope that resolving the decades-old confrontation will help to unlock the region s wider problems, but analysts say it no longer lies at the strategic heart of a troubled Middle East. That was probably the case before the Arab uprisings, but a number of other struggles have now joined it, such as the Sunni- Shiite struggle and an intra-sunni conflict, said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center think tank. The issue is a sideshow now, but it might take centre-stage again if there was genuine progress, he said, underscoring deep scepticism in many quarters about the chances of a deal. Much has changed in the Middle East since the last talks broke down in Autocratic leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen have been ousted, Islamist radicalism has spread and sectarian warfare between Sunni and Shi ite Muslims has surged. More than 100,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict and violence has flared again in Iraq, with over 1,000 killed there in July alone, many at the hands of Al-Qaeda. Tensions over Iran s disputed nuclear program have also risen, while a struggle for power between Islamists and the military is playing out on the streets of predominantly Sunni Egypt. Arguably, none of these crises will come any closer to being settled should, by some miracle, Israel and the Palestinians finally agree to divide the land where they live. Few people could deny that a resolution of the conflict is long overdue. However, US Secretary of State John Kerry s devotion of so much energy to the issue, which has been drained of much violence in recent years, has raised some eyebrows given the fires raging elsewhere. To explain American thinking, you only need listen to retired general James Mattis, head of the US military s Central Command until March. Addressing a security forum in Colorado on July 20, he said US interests were being damaged because of the failure to establish an independent Palestine. I paid a military security price every day as the commander of Centcom because the Americans were seen as biased in support of Israel, he said, suggesting that this was holding back moderate Arabs from endorsing US policymaking. Dore Gold, president of the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs, bristles at such a link. Gold, who used to be a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s policy making circle, argues that Arab rhetoric on the issue belies the reality. It is ironic that a Western officer would speak about Israel being a source of political difficulty when, under the table, Arab states are seeking closer ties with Israel because of the shared threat coming from Iran, he said. Despite Iranian denials, Western experts think Shiite Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. This alarms many Sunni Arab leaders as much as the Israelis. A review of thousands of US classified documents posted on the WikiLeaks website suggests that in private, Sunni officials were indeed more interested in discussing Iran and other topics than the fate of the occupied Palestinian Territories. In public, Muslim leaders have traditionally railed against Israel, happy to fan ordinary Arabs sincere anger about the plight of the Palestinians - and perhaps deflect criticism of their own failure to make badly needed reforms. Arab leaders can no longer get away with this. The uprisings of the last 2-1/2 years have shown that domestic problems cannot be swept under the carpet. These include a deep economic malaise that a peace deal would do nothing to heal. According to an International Monetary Fund report from 2012, unemployment in the Middle East and north Africa was the highest in the world. It put the jobless rate amongst youths at about 25 percent, again the worst regional level in the world. The survey criticised rigid labour laws, overbearing central government and a lack of economic competitiveness, factors in the frustrations that drove the Arab uprisings. In a 2011 newspaper interview, President Bashar Al-Assad said Syria was immune to unrest partly because he had united it in common cause against Israel. It was a hollow claim; just weeks later, violence erupted among Syrians that still rages. Assad s Lebanese Shiite ally, the militant group Hezbollah, is now fighting by his side against the Sunni rebels, wrecking the respect it had won in Sunni circles for its uncompromising confrontation with Israel over more than two decades. Aware of its battered reputation and the fact that the Arab world is not focused on Israel, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah wrapped himself in the cloak of Palestinian resistance on Friday, issuing a rallying cry for fellow Muslims. The elimination of Israel is not only a Palestinian interest. It is the interest of the entire Muslim world and the entire Arab world, he said in a rare appearance in Beirut. Such thinking suggests that even if the Palestinian leadership does get its wish to create a state on land seized in the 1967 war, this will not satisfy die-hard militants who reject Israel s very right to exist. A deal would also not end all anti-western sentiment in the region. True, it would empty one important reservoir of poison from the relationship, but suspicions of US and European dealings go much deeper than simply their close ties to Israel. This was laid bare by a 2011 survey conducted in Muslim nations by PewResearch, which showed that a median of 53 percent thought that US and Western policies were one of the top two reasons why Islamic nations were not wealthier. Likewise, the median saying Westerners were selfish, violent, immoral and arrogant exceeded 50 percent, while there was no Muslim nation in which even 30 percent could accept that Arabs conducted the 9/11 attacks on US cities in The notion of conspiracy is deeply entrenched in the Middle East and we are a central piece of it, said Aaron David Miller, a former US State Department adviser on the peace process, now at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. Nothing in the Middle East that happens that is bad goes unattributed, and a lot of it is placed on us. While scoffing at the idea that a peace deal could be a panacea for the region s ills, Miller said it would help to protect Israel s diplomatic ties with Egypt and Jordan, where popular anger at the treatment of the Palestinians is deep. Underlining the importance Washington puts in Jordan s stability, Kerry announced the resumption of the peace talks in its capital, Amman. Egypt, however, has much more to worry about now than the predicament of the Palestinians. Last year crowds in Cairo s Tahrir Square, celebrating the election of the Islamist Mohamed Morsi as president, chanted: in millions we shall march to Jerusalem. Today, the square is filled with supporters of the army which ousted Mursi last month. These Egyptians are preoccupied with their own problems. Of course a peace agreement would be a blessing from Allah to us and all Arabs, but first we must rid ourselves of the dictators and tyrants who steal from us and bend to the West, said Faris Ismael, the owner of a bakery in downtown Cairo. Reuters Can Berlusconi pull off one last escape? By Barry Moody C an Silvio Berlusconi pull off one last escape or is Italy s most controversial man finally finished after being convicted of tax fraud? Perhaps the biggest shock for Berlusconi s intensely loyal supporters when the supreme court on Thursday rejected his appeal against a four-year jail sentence - commuted to one year - was that he had failed to evade his pursuers as usual. The billionaire media mogul has seen off dozens of legal prosecutions and weathered a sea of scandals since he stormed into politics in 1994 to fill a void on the right after a huge corruption investigation wiped out the old political order. But on Thursday the courts finally caught up with one of Italy richest men and its most successful politician, handing down a verdict which shook the uneasy coalition in which his centre-right rules with the centre-left. Berlusconi, 76, looked shaken and pallid when he issued a video message on Thursday night, far from the wisecracking and cheerful rogue figure so popular with his supporters in television appearances and public meetings in the past. He said he had reached almost the end of my working life. The verdict condemns him to either a year of community service or house arrest, bans him from voting or standing in an election and is likely to lead to his peers throwing him out of the Senate - ironically under the terms of a 2012 law passed by his disparaged successor as prime minister, Mario Monti. But although he is doubtlessly severely wounded and these are formidable obstacles, he seems not yet mortally hurt. Berlusconi is not finished, read a banner headline in il Giornale, the newspaper run by his brother. Berlusconi will only leave politics if he is dead. He is too determined to fight injustice, one avid supporter, Giuseppe Luca, a 59-year-old Rome antiques dealer, told Reuters. In his video message Berlusconi painted himself as a martyr, persecuted by the leftist magistrates he has repeatedly accused of hounding him to subvert the democratic will of Italians. He said he was the victim of a judicial persecution that has no equal in the civilised world. Such accusations strike a chord with centre right voters in a country where many have been victims of a byzantine legal system where magistrates are routinely politicised. Asked if Berlusconi was politically dead, one former close ally who asked not to be named replied: No way! Wait for the opinion polls. You will see how Italians see this affair. They always tend to sympathise with a martyr... Berlusconi will rise again. House arrest for one year is not a very long time. He will obviously continue with his contacts. At the end of the year he will still be in the struggle, so it is a period of suspension, Bologna University professor Gianfranco Pasquino told Reuters. Berlusconi vowed to push on with a battle of freedom, continuing a project to refound his original party, Forza Italia (Go Italy), infused with new energy from younger people. This has fuelled speculation that he will ask his oldest daughter Marina, 46 and head of his Fininvest holding company, to lead his existing People of Freedom (PDL) party. He may want to exploit the value-added factor of the Berlusconi name, Pasquino said. Nevertheless the extent of the setback for Berlusconi cannot be underestimated. The PDL depends entirely on his wealth and above all his formidable charisma and powers of communication, which will be mostly suppressed under house arrest. During 2012, after Berlusconi went into a depressed retreat following his unceremonious bundling from power as Italy faced a Greek-style debt crisis, the PDL s ratings dropped to around 15 percent, less than half what they won in a 2008 election landslide. After he stormed back in late 2012, toppling Monti and hitting the hustings, they put on around 10 points and narrowly failed to beat the centre-left favourites in an election last February, although they got six million votes less than in Berlusconi s absence from the frontline will not stop the party exploiting his image, his 20 years of dominance and his unchallenged leadership of the centre-right - the natural constituency for a majority of Italians. He will broadcast a victim s message with all the means at his disposal. As always, he will exploit even unfavourable conditions. He will relaunch his political role, Professor Antonio Gibelli, an expert on the former nightclub crooner, told the Corriere della Sera daily. Perhaps most importantly, Berlusconi will endure because there is no alternative on the centre-right and he has perhaps rashly never groomed a successor. The few politicians on the right and centre who have challenged him, including Monti, have spectacularly failed. The centre right needs him. They cannot manage without him, said Professor James Walston of Rome s American University. However, Walston believes absence from the public eye may in fact accelerate a psychological decline in Berlusconi, a man for whom performing in public and campaigning is his life s blood. He thrives on it. He needs it like some people need heroin or alcohol. Without it, he might go into some kind of decline. Whatever happens, Italy has certainly not seen the end of the great showman yet, in fact Gibelli believes he has become an irremovable part of the fabric of Italy. A man condemned for fraud should leave politics. But Berlusconi is an inescapable protagonist of public life. Reuters

15 14 ANALYSIS THE LEADING INDEPENDENT DAILY IN THE ARABIAN GULF ESTABLISHED 1961 Founder and Publisher YOUSUF S. AL-ALYAN Editor-in-Chief ABD AL-RAHMAN AL-ALYAN EDITORIAL : ADVERTISING : /7 FAX : /1 CIRCULATION : Extn. 163 ACCOUNTS : COMMERCIAL : P.O.Box 1301 Safat,13014 Kuwait. E MAIL :info@kuwaittimes.net Website: Issues Militant union s rise reshapes S African platinum industry By Johannes Myburgh A militant South African labour union has wrested majority control at the world s richest platinum mines, shaking up the industry and potentially boding ill for the ruling ANC, analysts say. The dominance by the upstart Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) comes after it gained worldwide notoriety last year in a violent strike that saw police shoot dead 34 miners. Nearly a year later, workers en masse have abandoned the seemingly once-untouchable, ANC-allied National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which shed 41,000 members countrywide in The stakes are high, said mining analyst Peter Major from financial services group Cadiz. This two-union duke-out means power, money, political and economic clout and prestige for the winner, he told AFP. With wage bargaining rights, cars and on-site offices among the victor s perks, the bitter, sometimes deadly rivalry has raised fears of further unrest after paralysing stoppages and bloodshed last year. AMCU now holds sway at the three largest platinum miners who employ a combined 84,000 workers northwest of Johannesburg. The union represents 40 percent at world number one producer Anglo American Platinum, 58 percent at Impala Platinum s Rustenburg operations, and 70 percent of workers at Lonmin. AMCU s meteoric rise flipped the situation from just a year ago, when NUM had 65 percent at Implats and 50 percent at Lonmin. NUM s fall from favour cuts to the heart of its parent federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), which is a key ally of the African National Congress. The last time such radical changes were seen was during the rise of black unionism under apartheid in the early 1980s. This is the biggest upheaval since NUM was allowed in 1981, said Major, pointing to the year that union organisers were granted access to the country s mines. AMCU has shrewdly used its newfound influence to strengthen its base, while capitalising on accusations that the NUM has abandoned workers by cosying up to the political elite. The upstart s gain in the Rustenburg platinum belt is a loss for the ANC, which has relied on its union allies to drum up support for elections. Paul Stewart, mine sociology expert at the University of the Witwatersrand, said election time usually saw NUM shaft stewards transform into election foot soldiers going door-to-door campaigning for the ANC. Arguably one of the most significant social and political bases of the alliance has been eroded and has possible implications for elections, he said. The ANC, which is facing increasing frustration from South Africans ahead of polls next year, has rallied to win back the union s lost ground. Rise and defend the NUM. Go into the informal settlements to recruit for NUM and the ANC, a regional leader told a campaign in Marikana a week ago. But the lost membership s effect on votes is still unclear, according to political analyst Aubrey Matshiqi. It is too early to tell whether the politics of inter-union rivalry between AMCU and NUM will deliver a shift in the political landscape, he said. Also unknown is the long-term impact on the platinum industry which is facing job cuts on the back of heavy 2012 profit falls. Several assassinations have taken place on both sides, and a hit on a prominent AMCU leader led to a wildcat strike at Lonmin in May. After forcing hefty pay hikes by sidestepping historic wage negotiation channels, AMCU is demanding increased concessions from mining companies and the government. At the same time, it is avoiding formal commitments itself. It was the only union to abstain from a pact to stabilise the mining industry which companies signed with labour unions and the government begin July. Union leadership has long been a stepping stone to political power - a key reason for the bitter rivalry. What started as joint opposition to the white-minority regime has become a mutually beneficial relationship, blurring the lines between labour, business and government. ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa is a NUM founder, one of the country s richest people and until January this year Lonmin chairman. Now he is President Jacob Zuma s heir apparent, destined eventually to head Africa s largest economy. But there is a caveat to AMCU s power. It doesn t extend yet far beyond the platinum industry, and holds only 17 percent against NUM s 64 percent in the gold sector. Rustenburg has long been the NUM s weakest region, which helped AMCU to usurp it, but the older union still retains majority status at two smaller miners. With workers living in dire conditions next to some of the world s richest mineral wealth, the tug-of-war may meanwhile force unions to put worker interests first, said Matshiqi. However in the context of violence and instability, that competition may be to the detriment of the sector and the workers themselves, he added. AFP All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers. Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please send submissions via to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary. Riddle won t answer Mideast s wider woes By Crispian Balmer T he Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which once transfixed the Arab world, has lost much of its resonance in a Middle East riven by religious strife, political upheaval and economic woes. News that the two sides had resumed peace talks last week after a threeyear halt was largely overshadowed by turmoil in Egypt and the Syrian civil war, which has set Sunni and Shiite Muslims against one another. US officials still hope that resolving the decades-old confrontation will help to unlock the region s wider problems, but analysts say it no longer lies at the strategic heart of a troubled Middle East. That was probably the case before the Arab uprisings, but a number of other struggles have now joined it, such as the Sunni- Shiite struggle and an intra-sunni conflict, said Salman Shaikh, director of the Brookings Doha Center think tank. The issue is a sideshow now, but it might take centre-stage again if there was genuine progress, he said, underscoring deep scepticism in many quarters about the chances of a deal. Much has changed in the Middle East since the last talks broke down in Autocratic leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen have been ousted, Islamist radicalism has spread and sectarian warfare between Sunni and Shi ite Muslims has surged. More than 100,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict and violence has flared again in Iraq, with over 1,000 killed there in July alone, many at the hands of Al-Qaeda. Tensions over Iran s disputed nuclear program have also risen, while a struggle for power between Islamists and the military is playing out on the streets of predominantly Sunni Egypt. Arguably, none of these crises will come any closer to being settled should, by some miracle, Israel and the Palestinians finally agree to divide the land where they live. Few people could deny that a resolution of the conflict is long overdue. However, US Secretary of State John Kerry s devotion of so much energy to the issue, which has been drained of much violence in recent years, has raised some eyebrows given the fires raging elsewhere. To explain American thinking, you only need listen to retired general James Mattis, head of the US military s Central Command until March. Addressing a security forum in Colorado on July 20, he said US interests were being damaged because of the failure to establish an independent Palestine. I paid a military security price every day as the commander of Centcom because the Americans were seen as biased in support of Israel, he said, suggesting that this was holding back moderate Arabs from endorsing US policymaking. Dore Gold, president of the Jerusalem Centre for Public Affairs, bristles at such a link. Gold, who used to be a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu s policy making circle, argues that Arab rhetoric on the issue belies the reality. It is ironic that a Western officer would speak about Israel being a source of political difficulty when, under the table, Arab states are seeking closer ties with Israel because of the shared threat coming from Iran, he said. Despite Iranian denials, Western experts think Shiite Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. This alarms many Sunni Arab leaders as much as the Israelis. A review of thousands of US classified documents posted on the WikiLeaks website suggests that in private, Sunni officials were indeed more interested in discussing Iran and other topics than the fate of the occupied Palestinian Territories. In public, Muslim leaders have traditionally railed against Israel, happy to fan ordinary Arabs sincere anger about the plight of the Palestinians - and perhaps deflect criticism of their own failure to make badly needed reforms. Arab leaders can no longer get away with this. The uprisings of the last 2-1/2 years have shown that domestic problems cannot be swept under the carpet. These include a deep economic malaise that a peace deal would do nothing to heal. According to an International Monetary Fund report from 2012, unemployment in the Middle East and north Africa was the highest in the world. It put the jobless rate amongst youths at about 25 percent, again the worst regional level in the world. The survey criticised rigid labour laws, overbearing central government and a lack of economic competitiveness, factors in the frustrations that drove the Arab uprisings. In a 2011 newspaper interview, President Bashar Al-Assad said Syria was immune to unrest partly because he had united it in common cause against Israel. It was a hollow claim; just weeks later, violence erupted among Syrians that still rages. Assad s Lebanese Shiite ally, the militant group Hezbollah, is now fighting by his side against the Sunni rebels, wrecking the respect it had won in Sunni circles for its uncompromising confrontation with Israel over more than two decades. Aware of its battered reputation and the fact that the Arab world is not focused on Israel, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah wrapped himself in the cloak of Palestinian resistance on Friday, issuing a rallying cry for fellow Muslims. The elimination of Israel is not only a Palestinian interest. It is the interest of the entire Muslim world and the entire Arab world, he said in a rare appearance in Beirut. Such thinking suggests that even if the Palestinian leadership does get its wish to create a state on land seized in the 1967 war, this will not satisfy die-hard militants who reject Israel s very right to exist. A deal would also not end all anti-western sentiment in the region. True, it would empty one important reservoir of poison from the relationship, but suspicions of US and European dealings go much deeper than simply their close ties to Israel. This was laid bare by a 2011 survey conducted in Muslim nations by PewResearch, which showed that a median of 53 percent thought that US and Western policies were one of the top two reasons why Islamic nations were not wealthier. Likewise, the median saying Westerners were selfish, violent, immoral and arrogant exceeded 50 percent, while there was no Muslim nation in which even 30 percent could accept that Arabs conducted the 9/11 attacks on US cities in The notion of conspiracy is deeply entrenched in the Middle East and we are a central piece of it, said Aaron David Miller, a former US State Department adviser on the peace process, now at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. Nothing in the Middle East that happens that is bad goes unattributed, and a lot of it is placed on us. While scoffing at the idea that a peace deal could be a panacea for the region s ills, Miller said it would help to protect Israel s diplomatic ties with Egypt and Jordan, where popular anger at the treatment of the Palestinians is deep. Underlining the importance Washington puts in Jordan s stability, Kerry announced the resumption of the peace talks in its capital, Amman. Egypt, however, has much more to worry about now than the predicament of the Palestinians. Last year crowds in Cairo s Tahrir Square, celebrating the election of the Islamist Mohamed Morsi as president, chanted: in millions we shall march to Jerusalem. Today, the square is filled with supporters of the army which ousted Mursi last month. These Egyptians are preoccupied with their own problems. Of course a peace agreement would be a blessing from Allah to us and all Arabs, but first we must rid ourselves of the dictators and tyrants who steal from us and bend to the West, said Faris Ismael, the owner of a bakery in downtown Cairo. Reuters Can Berlusconi pull off one last escape? By Barry Moody C an Silvio Berlusconi pull off one last escape or is Italy s most controversial man finally finished after being convicted of tax fraud? Perhaps the biggest shock for Berlusconi s intensely loyal supporters when the supreme court on Thursday rejected his appeal against a four-year jail sentence - commuted to one year - was that he had failed to evade his pursuers as usual. The billionaire media mogul has seen off dozens of legal prosecutions and weathered a sea of scandals since he stormed into politics in 1994 to fill a void on the right after a huge corruption investigation wiped out the old political order. But on Thursday the courts finally caught up with one of Italy richest men and its most successful politician, handing down a verdict which shook the uneasy coalition in which his centre-right rules with the centre-left. Berlusconi, 76, looked shaken and pallid when he issued a video message on Thursday night, far from the wisecracking and cheerful rogue figure so popular with his supporters in television appearances and public meetings in the past. He said he had reached almost the end of my working life. The verdict condemns him to either a year of community service or house arrest, bans him from voting or standing in an election and is likely to lead to his peers throwing him out of the Senate - ironically under the terms of a 2012 law passed by his disparaged successor as prime minister, Mario Monti. But although he is doubtlessly severely wounded and these are formidable obstacles, he seems not yet mortally hurt. Berlusconi is not finished, read a banner headline in il Giornale, the newspaper run by his brother. Berlusconi will only leave politics if he is dead. He is too determined to fight injustice, one avid supporter, Giuseppe Luca, a 59-year-old Rome antiques dealer, told Reuters. In his video message Berlusconi painted himself as a martyr, persecuted by the leftist magistrates he has repeatedly accused of hounding him to subvert the democratic will of Italians. He said he was the victim of a judicial persecution that has no equal in the civilised world. Such accusations strike a chord with centre right voters in a country where many have been victims of a byzantine legal system where magistrates are routinely politicised. Asked if Berlusconi was politically dead, one former close ally who asked not to be named replied: No way! Wait for the opinion polls. You will see how Italians see this affair. They always tend to sympathise with a martyr... Berlusconi will rise again. House arrest for one year is not a very long time. He will obviously continue with his contacts. At the end of the year he will still be in the struggle, so it is a period of suspension, Bologna University professor Gianfranco Pasquino told Reuters. Berlusconi vowed to push on with a battle of freedom, continuing a project to refound his original party, Forza Italia (Go Italy), infused with new energy from younger people. This has fuelled speculation that he will ask his oldest daughter Marina, 46 and head of his Fininvest holding company, to lead his existing People of Freedom (PDL) party. He may want to exploit the value-added factor of the Berlusconi name, Pasquino said. Nevertheless the extent of the setback for Berlusconi cannot be underestimated. The PDL depends entirely on his wealth and above all his formidable charisma and powers of communication, which will be mostly suppressed under house arrest. During 2012, after Berlusconi went into a depressed retreat following his unceremonious bundling from power as Italy faced a Greek-style debt crisis, the PDL s ratings dropped to around 15 percent, less than half what they won in a 2008 election landslide. After he stormed back in late 2012, toppling Monti and hitting the hustings, they put on around 10 points and narrowly failed to beat the centre-left favourites in an election last February, although they got six million votes less than in Berlusconi s absence from the frontline will not stop the party exploiting his image, his 20 years of dominance and his unchallenged leadership of the centre-right - the natural constituency for a majority of Italians. He will broadcast a victim s message with all the means at his disposal. As always, he will exploit even unfavourable conditions. He will relaunch his political role, Professor Antonio Gibelli, an expert on the former nightclub crooner, told the Corriere della Sera daily. Perhaps most importantly, Berlusconi will endure because there is no alternative on the centre-right and he has perhaps rashly never groomed a successor. The few politicians on the right and centre who have challenged him, including Monti, have spectacularly failed. The centre right needs him. They cannot manage without him, said Professor James Walston of Rome s American University. However, Walston believes absence from the public eye may in fact accelerate a psychological decline in Berlusconi, a man for whom performing in public and campaigning is his life s blood. He thrives on it. He needs it like some people need heroin or alcohol. Without it, he might go into some kind of decline. Whatever happens, Italy has certainly not seen the end of the great showman yet, in fact Gibelli believes he has become an irremovable part of the fabric of Italy. A man condemned for fraud should leave politics. But Berlusconi is an inescapable protagonist of public life. Reuters

16 SPORTS Dempsey unveiled by Sounders LONDON: American international forward Clint Dempsey said he was excited to return to Major League Soccer (MLS) after completing a deal to join Seattle Sounders from Tottenham Hotspur. Coming into the season I thought I was going to start with Tottenham but the MLS and Seattle Sounders have moved mountains to get me here, the 30-year-old Dempsey told the Sounders website ( I m happy to come back in my prime and be able to make a difference and not when I m past it. Premier League Tottenham said on Saturday they had reached an agreement with MLS for Dempsey and he was presented by Sounders before their match against FC Dallas. I m excited about coming up here, added Dempsey, who scored 12 goals in 43 appearances for Tottenham after joining from Fulham. Dempsey, who has played 99 times for the United States and is captain of the national side, played for the New England Revolution for two seasons before joining Fulham in January He leaves Tottenham following the arrival of Spain s Roberto Soldado from Valencia and Brazilian international Paulinho from Corinthians. Reuters Kinnear pleads for patience LONDON: Newcastle director of football Joe Kinnear yesterday insisted he will eventually deliver the signings required to lift the mood at the troubled Premier League club. With the start of the Premier League season less than two weeks away, Newcastle are the only top-flight team yet to bring in at least one senior player since the end of last term. That failure in the transfer market has placed Kinnear under even more scrutiny following the former Wimbledon manager s controversial arrival at St James Park. Kinnear, whose only signing is teenager Olivier Kemen from French side Metz, is at the forefront of player acquisition following his appointment by owner Mike Ashley in June. It has been suggested that Magpies boss Alan Pardew is frustrated with Kinnear s role as it threatens to diminish his own imput into signings, but the club s director of football remains convinced he will secure the new faces demanded by both the manager and impatient fans. I m well aware that everyone is concerned (about the lack of transfers) and rightly so, but I m not dragging my heels in any manner, Kinnear told Sky Sports News. I m being sensible about the budget I have got and am going to spend it as wisely as I can - I keep (manager) Alan (Pardew) well informed and have regular meetings. AFP Romero leads Reno-Tahoe TORONTO: Argentine Andres Romero fired a six-under 66 to take a wafer-thin one point lead over American Gary Woodland after two rounds of the Reno- Tahoe Open on Friday, in the PGA Tour s only event using the Stableford scoring system. Romero, without a PGA Tour win in five years, mixed nine birdies with a single bogey and a double-bogey on Reno s Montreux Golf and Country Club layout for midway total of 22 points. Under the modified Stableford scoring system, points are awarded on each hole for being under-par, with birdies earning a player two points and eagles five. A bogey costs a player one point, double bogeys and worse three points. No points are won or lost with par. Woodland began the day one point back of first round leader Josh Teater and ended the day in the same position returning a two-under 70 good enough for seven points and a two-day total of 21. Sitting three off the pace on 19 points are South Korea s Charlie Wi, and Australians Stuart Appleby and Rod Pampling. Wi returned a seven-under 65 that featured five birdies and an eagle at the par five 13th. Appleby signed off with a 67 while Pampling made the biggest move of the day with an eight-under 64 that included nine birdies and a single bogey and added up to a second round score of 17. Reuters MLB results/standings Kansas City 4, NY Mets 3 (12 innings); Oakland 4, Texas 2; LA Dodgers 3, Chicago Cubs 0; Atlanta 5, Philadelphia 4 (12 innings); Seattle 8, Baltimore 4; Pittsburgh 5, Colorado 2; Detroit 3, Chicago White Sox 0; Tampa Bay 2, San Francisco 1 (10 innings); Boston 5, Arizona 2; Washington 3, Milwaukee 0; Minnesota 6, Houston 4; Cincinnati 8, St. Louis 3; Cleveland 4, Miami 3; NY Yankees 3, San Diego 0; LA Angels 7, Toronto 3. Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT GB Boston Tampa Bay Baltimore NY Yankees Toronto Central Division Detroit Cleveland Kansas City Minnesota C White Sox Western Division Oakland Texas LA Angels Seattle Houston National League Eastern Division Atlanta Washington Philadelphia NY Mets Miami Central Division Pittsburgh St. Louis Cincinnati Chicago Cubs Milwaukee Western Division LA Dodgers Arizona Colorado San Diego San Francisco Dodgers thrash Cubs CHICAGO: Chris Capuano scattered six hits over innings and the Los Angeles Dodgers set a team record with their 13th straight road win, 3-0 over the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. The Dodgers, who haven t lost on the road since July 6 in San Francisco, eclipsed the 1924 mark set by the Brooklyn Robins. Carl Crawford broke open a 1-0 game by driving in two runs with a single in the sixth inning. Jerry Hairston Jr. singled in the first run in the third for NL West-leading Los Angeles, which is 13-2 since the All-Star break and has won 30 of its last 37 overall. Capuano (4-6) came up with his second straight strong start and third in his last four. He struck out five and walked only one before four Dodgers relievers closed it out. Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 16th save in 19 chances. Jeff Samardzija (6-10) allowed three runs over six innings in Chicago s third straight loss. He gave up seven hits, five walks and hit a batter. He also had nine strikeouts. PIRATES 5, ROCKIES 2 In Pittsburgh, Francisco Liriano worked seven strong innings, and Jose Tabata homered and drove in two runs to lead Pittsburgh over Colorado. Liriano (12-4) allowed only two hits to offset his five walks and had six strikeouts. The left-hander improved to 7-1 with a 1.65 ERA in his last eight starts for the NL Central leaders. Tabata hit his first home run since May 11 and also tripled while going 3 for 4. Gaby Sanchez had two hits and two RBIs for Pittsburgh, while Jordy Mercer and Andrew McCutchen added two hits each. Jorge De La Rosa (10-6) pitched four-plus innings and gave up three runs on six hits. REDS 8, CARDINALS 3 In Cincinnati, Devin Mesoraco drove in three runs with a pair of homers, and Cincinnati finally broke out against a St. Louis team that has held the Reds down all season. The Reds won for only the fourth time in 11 games between the NL Central rivals. Cincinnati had scored fewer than four runs in each of their last nine games head-tohead. Left-hander Tony Cingrani (5-1) and four relievers contained an offense that had scored 26 runs in the last two games, allowing only four hits. Jake Westbrook (7-6) gave up five runs - all with two outs - in five innings. Jack Hannahan singled with the bases loaded in the first inning. Mesoraco s homer in the fourth made it 4-1. BRAVES 5, PHILLIES 4 In Philadelphia, Dan Uggla had a tiebreaking RBI grounder in the 12th, the Atlanta bullpen pitched scoreless innings and the Braves beat Philadelphia for their ninth straight win. Luis Avilan (4-0) pitched a scoreless 11th for the victory and Craig Kimbrel got the last three outs for his 33rd save to help the Braves win for the 11th time in 13 games. Jake Diekman (0-2) ran into trouble in the 12th. Justin Upton walked leading off and went to second on Freddie Freeman s groundout. Walks to Evan Gattis and Paul Janish loaded the bases. After Justin De Fratus came on, Uggla hit a potential double-play ball to short, but Uggla was safe when Chase Utley s relay pulled an extended Kevin Frandsen off the bag at first. NATIONALS 3, BREWERS 0 In Milwaukee, Dan Haren pitched seven strong innings, and Adam LaRoche and Wilson Ramos hit home runs to lead Washington to a win over Milwaukee. Heron gave up just four hits, with six strikeouts and two walks. It was the second straight strong outing for Haren (6-11) as he allowed one run and three hits in seven innings of a 4-1 win over the New York Mets on July 27. Tyler Clippard pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Rafael Soriano pitched the ninth to earn his 28th save in 32 chances. Donovan Hand (0-3) gave up three runs on five hits for the Brewers. INTERLEAGUE YANKEES 3, PADRES 0 In San Diego, Curtis Granderson hit a two-run home run, his first since coming off the disabled list, and Ivan Nova dominated through seven impressive innings as New York beat San Diego. Tyson Ross was pitching well for the Padres when it quickly fell apart. Alfonso Soriano singled to center leading off the seventh and Granderson followed with a homer over the wall in right. Nova (5-4) held San Diego to just four hits in seven innings while striking out eight and walking one. He retired 15 straight batters from the second through sixth innings. Ross (2-5) allowed two runs and three hits in six-plus innings, struck out a career-high nine and walked three. ROYALS 4, METS 3 In New York, pinch-hitter Justin Maxwell homered deep into the left-field seats leading off the 12th inning, and Kansas City overcame a late blown lead to beat New York. Kansas City had a nine-game winning streak snapped Friday night with a loss in the 11th. Maxwell, acquired Wednesday in a trade with Houston, hit a 3-2 pitch from David Aardsma for his fifth career pinch-homer and first overall with the Royals. The Mets bullpen had been perfect after starter Jeremy Hefner s six innings, but Aardsma (2-1) couldn t retire the first batter he faced. Kelvin Herrera (4-5) earned the win with three innings of relief and Greg Holland got his 29th save in 31 chances - and 22nd straight. INDIANS 4, MARLINS 3 In Miami, Michael Bourn had three of Cleveland s six stolen bases and scored three times to help the Indians earn their ninth victory in the past 10 games with a win over Miami. Jason Kipnis two-run single broke a 2-all tie in a wild seventh inning, when the Marlins narrowly missed three chances to throw out Indians on the bases. Steals led to all four runs for the Indians, whose stolen-base total was their highest since Cleveland s Zach McAllister took a nohitter into the sixth but failed to make it through that inning. Cody Allen (5-1) threw scoreless innings and Chris Perez got his 16th save. Dan Jennings (1-2) took the loss for the Marlins. AP Tigers blank White Sox DETROIT: Max Scherzer took a shutout into the eighth inning before being pulled, and the Detroit right-hander became baseball s first 16-game winner when the Tigers held on for a 3-0 victory over the punchless Chicago White Sox on Saturday night. The White Sox have lost nine straight. The Tigers have won 11 of 12, despite playing most of that stretch without slugger Miguel Cabrera. Cabrera has been bothered by hip and abdominal problems and sat out Saturday. Scherzer (16-1) allowed three hits in innings. Jose Veras got the third out of the eighth, and Joaquin Benoit finished for his 12th save in 12 chances. John Danks (2-9) allowed six hits in seven innings, including solo homers by Torii Hunter, Jhonny Peralta and Jose Iglesias. Scherzer is the first pitcher to win at least 16 of his first 17 decisions since Roger Clemens started 16-1 in 2001, according to STATS. MARINERS 8, ORIOLES 4 In Baltimore, Michael Saunders homered twice and drove in five runs, Erasmo Ramirez retired 18 of the first 20 batters he faced and Seattle beat Baltimore to end a four-game losing streak. Saunders hit a three-run drive in the fifth and added a clinching two-run shot in the ninth. It was his fifth career two-homer game, the second this season. Justin Smoak homered and went 3 for 3 with two walks for the Mariners. Ramirez (3-0) gave up four runs and four hits in six-plus innings. He struck out six. Making his sixth start with Baltimore since being traded from the Cubs, Scott Feldman (2-3) allowed five runs, seven hits and four walks in innings. CANTON: Forcefully and emotionally, Cris Carter summed up the 50th induction ceremony for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night. The seventh and final inductee from the Class of 2013, Carter honored dozens of people in his life who were going into the Hall of Fame with me tonight, as he followed Jonathan Ogden, Dave Robinson, Larry Allen, Bill Parcells, Curley Culp and Warren Sapp in being inducted. More than 120 hall members, a record, and a crowd of 11,500 was on hand at Fawcett Stadium for the golden anniversary celebration of the shrine. I appreciate the process you have to go through to get to be a Hall of Famer, Carter said. To be able to join these men on this stage in football heaven is the greatest day of my life. Carter needed six tries to make the hall even though he retired as the No. 2 career receiver behind Jerry Rice. He choked back tears as he made his speech after being presented by his son, Duron, and he spoke of his problems with alcohol while playing three years for the DETROIT: Second baseman Ramon Santiago No. 39 of the Detroit Tigers is upended in a failed attempt at tagging out Alejandro De Aza No. 30 of the Chicago White Sox stealing second base in the third inning. AFP ATHLETICS 4, RANGERS 2 In Oakland, Yoenis Cespedes hit a two-run home run to help firstplace Oakland end Texas winning streak at five games and regain some ground in the AL West. Matt Garza (7-2) lost for the first time since June 11 and the Rangers lost ground on the division leader for the first time in nearly a week, falling 3 1/2 games back. Jed Lowrie and Eric Sogard also drove in runs for the A s, who ended a three-game losing streak. Jarrod Parker (7-6) gave up two runs on six hits over six innings. He walked two and struck out six. He ended a streak of six straight no decisions and is 5-0 over his last 12 starts. Garza gave up four runs on eight hits over eight innings. He walked one and struck out five. ANGELS 7, BLUE JAYS 3 In Anaheim, Jered Weaver pitched into the eighth to win his third straight decision and Kole Calhoun hit his second big league homer as Los Angeles Angels beat Toronto. Weaver (6-5) allowed three runs, seven hits and two walks through and struck out five, including the side in the fifth. His streak of consecutive scoreless innings at home was snapped at when Brett Lawrie led off the third with his ninth home run, but the righthander still improved to 8-2 lifetime against the Blue Jays. Esmil Rogers (3-6) gave up seven runs - five earned - and 10 hits over five innings. The right-hander is 0-4 with a 6.60 ERA in his last eight starts. TWINS 6, ASTROS 4 In Minneapolis, Ryan Doumit hit the go-ahead single in the seventh inning and Minnesota s bullpen pitched six scoreless innings as the Twins beat Houston. After starter Kyle Gibson allowed four runs and nine hits in three innings, Anthony Swarzak struck out five in the next three and the AL s second-best bullpen came through. Brian Duensing (4-1) followed with a scoreless seventh and Casey Fien a scoreless eighth to set up Glen Perkins for his 26th save. Eagles before being released. He hooked on immediately with the Vikings and hooked onto nearly everything throw his way: Carter finished his 16-season career with 1,101 catches for 13,899 yards and 130 touchdowns. This game gave me identity, gave me a sense of purpose, he said. Parcells also seemingly spoke for everyone in the Hall of Fame, and all the people gathered Saturday night. There s a kinship created that lasts for the rest of your life, he said about his experience as one of the NFL s most successful coaches. The master of the franchise turnaround as the only coach to take four teams to the playoffs, Parcells won Super Bowls with the New York Giants in the 1986 and 1990 seasons. Every organization I worked for supported me to the fullest, Parcells said. Without that, you ve got no shot. Parcells was Coach of the Year honors in 1986 and He asked to have his bust placed somewhere near Lawrence Taylor in the hall so I can keep an eye on that Minnesota relievers allowed only one hit and struck out 10. Brett Wallace homered for Houston and Erik Bedard allowed three runs in six innings before leaving with a 4-3 lead. Lucas Harrell (5-12) took the loss. INTERLEAGUE RED SOX 5, DIAMONDBACKS 2 In Boston, Jake Peavy allowed four hits in seven-plus innings to beat Arizona and win his first start since coming to Boston at the trade deadline. Peavy (8-5) struck out seven and walked two, giving up Paul Goldschmidt s homer in the fourth and leaving with a 3-1 lead after a leadoff single in the eighth. He walked slowly from the mound as the crowd rose to a standing ovation, tipping his cap to the fans on his way to the dugout. Shane Victorino and Jarrod Saltalamacchia homered and Koji Uehara got his 10th save for Boston. Patrick Corbin (12-3) allowed three runs on eight hits in six-plus innings in his second consecutive loss for the Diamondbacks. RAYS 2, GIANTS 1 In St. Petersburg, Wil Myers had an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning, lifting Tampa Bay to a victory over San Francisco. Desmond Jennings drew a leadoff walk in the 10th off Jean Machi (2-1) and stole second. Ben Zobrist was intentionally walked and Evan Longoria walked to load the bases on four pitches before Myers won it on his liner that went over the left fielder s head. Closer Fernando Rodney (4-2) allowed two hits during a scoreless 10th for the win. The game featured a matchup of Cy Young winners David Price and Tim Lincecum, and both were outstanding. Price allowed one run over nine innings, while Lincecum gave up one run in seven frames. AP Carter s induction into Hall of Fame concludes festivities OHIO: Inductee Bill Parcells (right) poses with his presenter George Martin, and a bust of himself during the induction ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. AP sucker. As relaxed as if he had no one to block, Ogden became the first Baltimore Raven enshrined. The first player drafted by the Ravens after the franchise moved from Cleveland in 1996 and was renamed, Ogden was presented by the man who made that selection, fellow Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome, now Baltimore s general manager. A former college shot putter at UCLA, the 6-foot-9, 345-pound Ogden starred at tackle for a dozen seasons in Baltimore, winning the 2000 NFL championship. He is part of the foundation of this franchise, part of the reason we have two Super Bowl championships, Newsome said. Ogden, who was given a 2013 Super Bowl ring by the team, made the hall in his first year of eligibility. He was a six-time All-Pro, made the Pro Bowl 11 times and was the main blocker when Jamal Lewis rushed for 2,066 yards in Talent isn t enough, Ogden said. A lot of people have talent, they don t always live up to it. For me it is about maximizing, striving for perfection. Allen, who sniffled his way through his speech, was just as dominating a blocker as Ogden. He also was the NFL s strongest man, once bench-pressing 700 pounds, saying I did it naturally. A lead blocker for Dallas as Emmitt Smith became the NFL s career rushing leader, Allen made six All-Pro squads and 11 Pro Bowls in his 14 seasons, the final two with San Francisco. He won the Super Bowl in the 1995 season and was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, I just knew I had to win every play, he said. That s the reason I am here. I knew if I lost a play, I had 45 seconds to get even. Sapp became only the second Tampa Bay Buccaneer enshrined, 18 years after Lee Roy Selmon made it. He was elected in his first year of eligibility following 13 seasons in which he went from instant starter after being selected 12th overall in the 1995 draft to Defensive Player of the Year in That season, he had 12 1/2 sacks as the Bucs won their first division title in 18 years. For his career, Sapp had 96 1/2 sacks, extremely high for a defensive tackle. I sit here with the greatest among the great, Sapp said, breaking into tears. We re here, baby. Presented Saturday night by his 15-year-old daughter, Mercedes, Sapp made the NFL s All-Decade squads for the 1990s and the 2000s. AP

17 SPORTS Woods stays in charge NEWTON: Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series US Cellular 250. AFP Keselowski wins Nationwide race NEWTON: Brad Keselowski took control with 35 laps left to win the NASCAR Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway on Saturday night. The Sprint Cup driver has won in his last three Nationwide starts, also topping the field at Richmond in April and Kentucky in June. Points leader Austin Dillon led a racehigh 116 laps, but gave up a huge lead following a late caution. Keselowski, the only Sprint Cup driver in the field, took control a few laps later for his second Nationwide win at Iowa. Sam Hornish Jr. was second, followed by Brian Vickers, Dillon and Kyle Larson. Keselowski, like every other driver in the field, spent much of the race looking at the back of Dillon s No. 3 car. Dillon led all but 43 laps in the first Iowa race back in June, but he finished second to Trevor Bayne. Dillon again had a dominant car Saturday, taking control a third of the way through the race. This time, a late caution flag changed everything. Dillon led by as many as 7 seconds - or over a quarter of the mile track - before a blown tire by Travis Pastrana drew out the flag and allowed the field to pit with 50 laps left. Dillon took four tires and fell back to fifth as Bayne took the lead on the restart. But Keselowski, who won the inaugural Nationwide race on Iowa s oval in 2009, surged to the front and held off a charging Hornish for his third win of the season. Drew Herring, in the No. 54 car for Joe Gibbs Racing normally driven by Kyle Busch, was the surprise winner of his first career pole. Busch has won eight Nationwide races in 15 starts in But like every Sprint Cup regular except for Keselowski, he stayed in Pocono to prepare for late yesterday s race. Herring, who was joined on the front row by Regan Smith, gave the lead away after just 27 laps. He also spun out on the 55th lap - drawing a caution to end the longest green-flag start of the season. The flag did Keselowski no favors, as he was flagged for a tire violation during a pit stop and sent to the back for the restart. The No. 22 car also suffered through an overheating issue halfway through the race. But Keselowski fought through all of that, posting his first career victory in a race where he was called for a pit row violation. Ryan Gifford was ninth in his first career Nationwide start. Bayne, who gave the No. 6 Roush-Fenway Racing car its fourth victory in five tries at Iowa in June, finished 10th. AP Blaney clinches Truck Series race at Pocono Raceway LONG POND: Sitting in the truck, Ryan Blaney got some fatherly advice right before the green flag dropped. Choose the right line on restarts. With more than 570 NASCAR starts behind him, Dave Blaney sure knew what he was talking about. Ryan Blaney pulled away on the second attempt at a greenwhite-checkered finish to win the Truck Series race Saturday at Pocono Raceway. It was pretty funny that we were talking about restarts before the race and that s what it came down to, Blaney said. Blaney had the truck to beat on both restarts to win his second career Truck race in 20 starts. He dipped low and took the lead off the first restart, then would not be denied a second time. It was just a matter of being able to get close to make the move, Blaney said. Once the final restarts came, I really had to be aggressive. The 19-year-old Blaney drove a Ford into Victory Lane in the Truck Series for the first time in four years. About the only one who missed out on the fun was team owner Brad Keselowski. Keselowski, the reigning Sprint Cup champion, was off to Iowa to drive in the Nationwide Series race. Blaney gave Keselowski a happy landing. Pole-sitter Miguel Paludo finished a career-best second and German Quiroga matched a career best with a third-place finish. Joey Coulter and Ross Chastain rounded out the top five. Series points leader Matt Crafton was eighth and now leads Jeb Burton by 52 points. We had the fastest truck on the racetrack all day long, Paludo said. It s a little frustrating to come second but I ll take it. The field was set by practice speeds after rain washed out qualifying on Saturday. A third-generation driver, Blaney now has more NASCAR wins (2) than his dad. Dave Blaney is winless in 450 career Cup starts, three Truck starts and has one win (2006) in 121 Nationwide starts. I ve been really lucky to have my dad at both of my Truck wins, Blaney said. Not a lot of guys can say that. I ve been fortunate enough to have him here and have him give me advice along the way. Back on asphalt, Blaney made it another fun finish for the Truck Series. The series took a break last week to run at Eldora Speedway for NASCAR s first dirt race in more than 40 years. Austin Dillon won in the muck in front of 20,000 fans in a race that returned NASCAR to its roots. The surface hardly mattered to Blaney for the scheduled 50-lap race. He needed four more before he could celebrate to win. James Buescher and Todd Bodine connected late on four-wide racing to bring out the caution and ensure a G-W-C finish. Ty Dillon and Johnny Sauter crashed to set up the second attempt of NASCAR s version of overtime. On the final green, Blaney broke free for good to top Paludo by.270 seconds. He does a great job when he have adversity, Blaney s crew chief, Doug Randolph, said. He always keeps his composure and makes it pay off in the end. The restarts are always very hairy. Those restarts paid big dividends at the end. Blaney had his seventh top 10 this season and jumped from seventh to third in the standings. He also won a Truck race last season at Iowa. AP LONG POND: Ricky Ehrgott (81) spins out during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series auto race. Ryan Blaney won the race. AP AKRON: Tiger Woods failed to replicate the sizzling form he produced on Friday but remained in imperious command with a seven-shot lead after Saturday s third round at the WGC- Bridgestone Invitational. In pursuit of his fifth PGA Tour victory of the season, Woods grinded out a two-under-par 68 on a warm, breezy day at Firestone Country Club to maintain his overnight lead. The American world number one, winner of a record seven World Golf Championships (WGC) titles here, struggled at times for accuracy off the tee as he mixed five birdies with three bogeys for a 15-under total of 195. Woods had distanced himself from the field with a stunning 61 on Friday and will head into Sunday s final round with an intimidating record, having triumphed 52 of 56 times on the PGA Tour when holding at least a share of the 54-hole lead. I feel pretty good, the 14-times major champion told reporters. Today was a day that I didn t quite have it, but I scored. And that s the name of the game is posting a number, and I did today. I grinded my way around that golf course. It was playing a little blustery. As smooth as yesterday was, as difficult as today was, it s just one of those things where I was just trying to build on my lead somehow. And for most of the day I was doing that. Ended up being a dead push for the day, but that s not too bad, either. Hopefully I can seal the deal tomorrow and get ready for the PGA (Championship) at Oak Hill, he added, referring to the year s final major next week. Woods closest challenger going into the final round is Swede Henrik Stenson, who fired a 67 to leave him at eight under. I m just going to try and play my game, and I m excited to go out and play with him tomorrow (in the final pairing), said Stenson. He s obviously playing great, and it ll be a good test, a good measurement. We might just be there for watching the final victory lap. We ll see tomorrow. But I can only do so much. I can play my game and see where that takes me. Jason Dufner, who birdied his first four holes on the way to a 67, was alone in third at seven ST. ANDREWS: Inbee Park says her bid to become the first golfer to win four straight professional majors in the same season is now almost impossible. Even in good scoring conditions yesterday morning at St. Andrews, Park couldn t get a putt to fall. She wound up with a 2-over 74 in the wind-delayed third round of the Women s British Open and was nine shots behind 54-hole leader Morgan Pressel. I really think it s almost impossible to do, Park said about staging a big rally yesterday. There s not many holes left to play now. This golf course, it is playing tough for me. The greens are getting firmer. It s tough to hit the ball close to the pin. You have to hole long putts here, but it doesn t seem to be WELLINGTON: The Waikato Chiefs will take a couple of days and drink a couple of beers before beginning the hard work of extending their hegemony over southern hemisphere provincial rugby for a third successive year, according to coach Dave Rennie. The cow bells rang out in celebration over Hamilton for the second year in a row on Saturday night as the New Zealanders won back-to-back Super Rugby titles with a gutsy comeback win over the ACT Brumbies. That put them in exalted company with the Auckland Blues, Canterbury Crusaders, South Africa s Bulls and the Brumbies as multiple winners of the competition. Self-effacing Rennie, who along with the rest of his coaching staff typically declined to join their players on the podium during the trophy presentation, is clearly not a great one for highfalutin talk of dynasties, though. Ah, it s such a tough comp, dynasties are the sort of thing you look back on afterwards, Rennie told a news conference. We ve won a couple of titles, next year will be about realising how hard we ve had to work to achieve what we ve done, and trying and replicate that. We ll worry about those sort of things after a couple of beers over the next couple of days. Having unquestionably proved that 2012 was not a fluke, nor just about the contribution of All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams, Rennie was asked whether he thought the team would now get the respect they deserved. I don t even care to be honest, it s more about what happens within our group, he said. We re really satisfied. It s a tough tournament, you ve got to be good and consistent for long periods. Despite their success, in the All Blacks squad named on Sunday morning, the Chiefs had two fewer players than the Crusaders, the same number as the Wellington Hurricanes and only two more than the hapless Otago Highlanders. An indication that Rennie does indeed care about respect, on that level at least, came when he was asked to give some valedictory comments on his captain Craig Clarke, who is leaving for Ireland at the end of the season. I will miss him heaps, it s not just his ability on the field but obviously his leadership and he s a bloody good man, Rennie said of the AKRON: Tiger Woods hits out of a bunker on the ninth hole during the Third Round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. AFP under, a stroke better than fellow American Bill Haas (69) and Englishmen Luke Donald (68) and Chris Wood (70). British Open champion Phil Mickelson, who by his own admission struggled for focus in his opening round, carded a 67 to finish at even-par 210, level with U.S. Open winner Justin Rose (69) and world number three Rory McIlroy (69) among others. Woods made an ideal start, hitting a superb approach to 12 feet above the hole at the parfour first and coolly sinking the birdie putt. He also birdied the par-five second after reaching the green in two and two-putting but his lead slipped back to seven when playing partner Keegan Bradley drained a 40-foot eagle putt. Woods parred the next six holes before bogeying the ninth after hitting his tee shot into a poor lie in a fairway bunker from where he could advance his second shot only 87 yards. After hitting his approach to nine feet, he going in. It didn t get any better in the fourth round when the 25-yearold South Korean opened with a double bogey. Nothing summed up her third round like the 18th hole. The 25- year-old South Korean had a 10- foot birdie putt that looked good all the way until it dipped around the left side of the cup. Park shook her head and, after tapping in for par, continued shaking her head as she walked over to her caddie. On Saturday, Park was 1-under through four holes when the third round was suspended by 65 kph gusts that moved balls on the greens. Sunday morning presented a better chance to score. It was calm when the round resumed. A 43-person maintenance staff used mowers on the green, but the blades were raised so that only the dew was removed. The greens were not cut in case of more high wind. She made bogey on No. 6 and dropped two more shots coming back, while leaving several putts short. Today nothing wanted to drop, Park said. I didn t strike the ball bad at all today. It was good conditions for scoring, and I didn t really take advantage. You get days like that. It s OK. You can t play good every day. And even if she doesn t win the Women s British Open, she still has three majors she can cherish this year - the Kraft Nabisco Championship in April, followed by the LPGA Championship and the US Women s Open. Since the modern version of the Grand Slam began in Bobby Jones won two professional and uncapped lock. It s a pity he s leaving. He s obviously good enough to wear a black jersey and erm, you know..., he added, trailing off as discretion won out. Rennie said claiming a second title had been more nerve-wracking than the win in the final over the Sharks last year and paid tribute to the hard work of all of his squad. Earning the right to play the final at home by topping the regular season standings had been one key factor, he said, and another had been the quality of players coming off the missed the par putt to end a run of 37 consecutive holes without a bogey, reaching the turn in one-under 34 with a seven-stroke lead. However Woods immediately recovered, sinking an eight-footer to birdie the 10th and regain an eight-stroke cushion at 15 under. Another birdie followed in unexpected fashion at the par-four 13th where he chipped in from an uphill lie in thick rough below the green, his ball popping up before tracking toward the cup some 40 feet away. Woods failed to capitalise, though, as he recorded bogeys at the parfour 14th and the par-five 16th after finding fairway bunkers off the tee on both holes. He birdied the par-four 17th, sinking a curling eight-footer to regain a seven-stroke advantage, and salvaged par at the last, despite missing his sixth fairway of the day off the tee. Woods has dominated the elite WGC events since they were introduced in 1999, winning 17 of them in 41 starts. Reuters Park s slam dream fades two amateur majors in Park was the only player to win the first three majors of a season. The only other pro to do that was Babe Zaharias in 1950, when the LPGA Tour only had three majors. Ben Hogan won three majors in 1953, though the British Open at Carnoustie was held one week after the PGA Championship. Hogan couldn t play the PGA Championship, physically because of his battered legs and logistically because Open qualifying was the same week as the PGA. Tiger Woods won the final three majors of 2000 after tying for fifth in the Masters. Woods, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Annika Sorenstam each got halfway to the Grand Slam and couldn t get the third leg. AP Just more hard work ahead for the Chiefs HAMILTON: Chiefs player Aaron Cruden kicks a goal during their Super 15 rugby match between the Chiefs and the Brumbies at Waikato Stadium in this file photo. AFP bench as the Chiefs chased the match in the final quarter. Fullback Robbie Robinson, who scored the 69th minute try that put the Chiefs in front for the first time, centre Bundee Aki, flanker Sam Cane and halfback Augustine Pulu all made significant contributions to the victory. They re a special group, we got fantastic impact off the bench and that s probably the key for us, we ve got a lot of guys who, there s not much difference between them and the starters, Rennie said. They did a great job for us and that was the difference. Reuters

18 SPORTS Djokovic bids for third straight Canadian title MONTREAL: Novak Djokovic returns to tennis for the first time since Wimbledon as the Serb begins his bid for a third straight title when the Montreal Masters begins today. Djokovic has not played since losing the Wimbledon final to Andy Murray, the second seed who will also be testing himself for the first time in a month since making history with his title at the All England Club. Missing from the field will be twotime champion Roger Federer, the world number five, with the Swiss apparently unable to overcome the back spasms which bothered him in recent weeks as he played for the first time in years at clay events in Hamburg and Gstaad. ATP number five Federer gave no precise indication of why he will not make the trip to start his pre-us Open campaign, saying only: I am disappointed not to be playing in Montreal next week. It is a great tournament with amazing fans. I look forward to competing there in the future. Also pulling out was wild card Gael Monfils, who had the misfortune to injure his ankle while training at the tournament site in Canada. American Mardy Fish, never the same since his heart-scare incident nearly 18 months ago, withdrew for personal reasons. Serb Viktor Troicki and Croatian Marin Cilic, both under clouds for alleged violations of the tennis anti-doping policy, are not included in the field for the first major tune-up prior to the US Open which begins August 26. Troicki has been banned for 18 months for failing to provide a blood sample to drug testers, but he says the testing personnel told him he didn t have to and he plans to appeal. Murray and fourth seed Rafael Nadal both got in hits in Montreal with Frenchman Richard Gasquet, with Murray building for the first grand slam title defence of his career in New York where he finally made his breakthrough at a major at the US Open 11 months ago. I think I persevered, that s really been it, the story of my career. I ve had lots of tough losses, but the one thing I would say is I think every year I always improved a little bit, the Scot said of his ever more impressive resume. Murray lifted the Montreal honours in 2009 and 2010 but lost in the third round a year ago to Canadian Milos Raonic. The top eight seed receive byes into the second round, with Djokovic playing the winner of the first-round match between Australian Bernard Tomic and Germany s Florian Mayer. Murray will line up against either Grigor Dimitrov or Marcel Granollers, who reached won the claycourt title in Kitzbuehel, Austria, on Saturday. Spain s David Ferrer is seeded third, with Czech Tomas Berdych fifth behind Nadal. Argentina s Juan Martin del Potro is sixth, with Gasquet seventh and Switzerland s Stanislas Wawrinka eighth. AFP Photo of the day B-boy Iron Monkey, B-boy Kosto and B-boy Menno posing for a portrait before the RedBull BC One Cypher Yalta, Ukraine. Del Potro grinds down Haas WASHINGTON: Top seed Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina took advantage of a long rain delay to defeat Germany s Tommy Haas 7-6(4) 6-3 on Saturday and reach the final of the $1.3 million Citi Open. Del Potro will face American John Isner, who moved closer to his second title in as many weeks by blasting 29 aces to despatch Russia s Dmitry Tursunov 6-7(7) Haas raced to a 4-1 lead in the opening set before rain caused a three-hour 10-minute delay. When play resumed, Del Potro won four straight games to take a 5-4 lead. Third seed Haas recovered briefly, breaking Del Potro to stay in the set, but the Argentine re-asserted his dominance in the tiebreak, seizing the first four points before winning 7-4. Del Potro broke the 35-year-old Haas to take a 5-3 lead in the second set and closed out the match on serve. Isner landed 67 percent of his first serves, had only one double fault, and gave up no break-points in winning his first match against Tursunov in just over two hours. The eighth-seeded Isner, who won in Atlanta last week and is the United States top men s tennis player with a world ranking of 20, broke Tursunov to love in the fifth game of the final set to grab a 3-2 lead. That was all the lanky 28-year-old needed, and he sealed the hardcourt match on an unseasonably cool evening in Washington with an ace on match point. Isner has not beaten Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion, in three career meetings. He obviously serves very well but he returns exceptionally well, Isner said. He actually just crushes the ball from the baseline. There s a reason he s (ranked) seven in the world. He s so good. Isner, however, is riding an eightmatch winning streak. I ve served incredibly well these last two weeks in Atlanta and here and it s carried me. There s no doubt about that, he said. It s always going to be my shot that s going to keep me in most matches. I feel like I m in a pretty good serving rhythm right now. This court helps my serve. I m riding high on a lot of confidence now so it s nice. Reuters CARLSBAD: Victoria Azarenka of Belarus hits a forehand to Ana Ivanovic of Serbia during their semi final match at the Southern California Open. AFP Azarenka edges Ivanovic to meet Stosur in final CARLSBAD: Top seed Victoria Azarenka overcame a lapse of concentration to defeat Ana Ivanovic and reach the final of the Carlsbad Open on Saturday. Playing in her first tournament since suffering knee and hip injuries at Wimbledon, the Belarussian dug herself out of a second-set hole to subdue the 2008 French Open champion, who also ran hot and cold throughout. Australia s Samantha Stosur will face Azarenka in late yesterday s showdown after the fifth seed utilised her big serve and forehand to repel French wild card Virginie Razzano in the second semi-final. It s something that you expect from Ana, she s a very big shot maker and loves to bang the ball, Azarenka told reporters of her hard-hitting Serb opponent. For me the key was to not let her make those shots and be the one who was putting the pressure. I did feel more consistent. World number three Azarenka raced through the first set, breaking the seventh-seeded Ivanovic three times, but was less than thrilled with her play in the second, where she was broken to love and conceded it with three sizzling forehand winners. Azarenka composed herself in the third, breaking Ivanovic with a ripping forehand crosscourt winner and never giving the Serb a look at her serve. Following her win, the double Australian Open champion is guaranteed to pass Russian Maria Sharapova for the number two ranking when they are released on Monday. Serena Williams will remain number one. Azarenka has won 28 straight matches on outdoor hard courts since her 2012 U.S. Open final defeat, despite withdrawing from three tournaments during the period with injuries. The reality is we have most of the tournaments on hard but that s a great statistic, Azarenka said. In the late match, Stosur was able to overcome a 4-0 deficit in the first set by overpowering her ambitious opponent to reach a first WTA final in nine months. After recovering from her slow start, Stosur dictated most of the action and played a far more authoritative tiebreaker, winning it 7-2 with a big serve that Razzano could barely touch. The Australian broke Razzano early in the second set and went on to seal victory when the Frenchwoman, who had needed three-and-a-half hours to upset third seed Petra Kvitova in the quarter-finals, hit a backhand long. I don t feel like I was playing too bad at the start to be 4-0 down but she was hitting a lot of winners and making me move a lot, said Stosur, who ripped 20 winners. So I thought I have to do something to change this and be more aggressive off the front foot a lot earlier in the rallies, dictate earlier, and that made the difference. Azarenka will be a strong favorite going into late yesterday s final with the top seed holding an 8-0 record against Stosur in previous meetings. Reuters Artemis to set sail in Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals SAN FRANCISCO: Artemis Racing s determination to challenge for the America s Cup despite a deadly training accident is set to come to fruition in the best-of-seven Louis Vuitton Cup semi-finals that start tomorrow. The Swedish team suffered a devasting blow in May when British crew member Andrew Simpson was killed on San Francisco Bay, in the crash that destroyed their first AC72 catamaran. As they worked feverishly to get their second boat launched, Emirates Team New Zealand won all five of their round-robin races against Italy s Luna Rossa during a first round in which Artemis s absence made for a bevy of forfeited races. The one-boat races -along with some testy rules disputes-robbed the first stage of the venerable event of some of its lustre, and organizers hope the sight of Artemis and Luna Rossa going head-to-head on the bay in their sophisticated catamarans can spark the excitement they first envisioned in planning their Summer of Racing. Team New Zealand s round-robin domination saw them move directly into the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup, where they will take on Luna Rossa or Artemis for a chance to challenge defenders Oracle Team USA in the America s Cup races in September. Despite forfeiting one race in the round-robin and losing four to Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa will hold a definite advantage going into the semi-finals, having had the chance to fine tune their craft in serious competition. However, they head into the semi-finals dealing with damage to a wing sail suffered in practice. We had a bit of damage on wing two, the most recent wing we have, helmsman Chris Draper said Friday. We managed to de-load the rig quickly so it wasn t an issue. It s getting worked on now. Unfortunately, there s quite a lot of work going on right now so it s going to take a few more days than we thought. We have our other wing on standby and ready to go. We d like to use wing two because it s more refined, but wing one is just as good and we ve spent a lot of time working on it, making it good and reliable. Artemis go into their first series still learning the limits of their boat. Personally, it s been one of my most enjoyable weeks of sailing, Artemis skipper Iain Percy said of their preparations. We ve learned so many things at such a fast rate. But to say that we re ready to go would absolutely not be the case. Our competitors launched their boat nine months ago. We launched our boat nine days ago. Obviously if we had nine more months we would progress a lot more. That s not an excuse. It s our fault we are in this position. But those are the facts. We ve had our foiling 72-foot cat for nine days and the event starts on Tuesday. Artemis helmsman Nathan Outteridge said the team has tried to focus on mastering tougher challenges, such as sailing downwind. And they have tried to learn by watching their rivals. You d be surprised how much analysis we do of other teams, he said. We ve done lots of research watching what the other teams do. Giorgio Provinciali, a Luna Rossa performance analyst, said Artemis appear to have come a long way in a short time. We re really impressed with the reliability level they have achieved, he said. These boats are really difficult with a lot of systems that can fail in some way, but they ve appeared to be very reliable. It s also impressive how stable their foiling is and how in control the boat seems to be downwind. AFP WASHINGTON: Andrea Petkovic of Germany returns to Alize Cornet of France during their semifinal match of the Citi Open at the William HG Fitz Gerald Tennis Center. AFP Fever bring down Sky INDIANAPOLIS: Tamika Catchings had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead to lead the WNBA defending-champion Fever to a win over the short-handed Chicago Sky on Saturday night. Karima Christmas scored 12 points, including two timely 3-pointers in the third quarter for the Fever (9-10). Catchings also had five steals and four blocked shots. I thought we did a really good job as a team of just continuing to push forward no matter what, Catchings said. Offensively we were able to go off of our defense. That s the kind of defense that we need consistently. Courtney Vandersloot had 11 points to lead the Sky (13-6), who were without leading-scorer Elena Delle Donne due to a concussion for the second straight game. Without their star rookie, Chicago struggled to generate enough offense to stay with the Fever. Tough loss for us, Vandersloot said. They outhustled us and outworked us. It really showed in our shots and on the scoreboard and throughout the game. The Sky shot just 33 percent from the field and turned the ball over 14 times. When Indiana opened the second half on a 7-0 run to build a 15-point lead, the Sky couldn t recover. After starting the season 1-7, the Fever have won eight of their last 11 to move into third place in the Eastern Conference. At Newark, New Jersey, Tina Charles scored had 21 points and 13 rebounds, Renee Montgomery scored nine of her 18 points in a decisive third quarter, and the Connecticut Sun cruised to an victory over the New York Liberty. Kelsey Griffin scored 16 points and Allison Hightower added 13 to help the Sun (6-12) get their second straight win after a three-game losing streak. Kara Braxton scored 18 points and Plenette Pierson and Cappie Pondexter each added 17 for New York (8-12). In Phoenix, Diana Taurasi scored 28 points and the Phoenix Mercury held off the Atlanta Dream s fourth-quarter rally AP Tamika Catchings

19 19 sports Dortmund scrape past fourth tier club BERLIN: Champions League runnersup Borussia Dortmund were made to sweat by fourth-tier Wilhelmshaven on Saturday before scoring three goals in the last 19 minutes to win 3-0 and reach the German Cup second round. The 2012 Cup winners dominated the match, as expected, but were up against a populous Wilhelmshaven defence and a superb keeper in Aaron Siegl. Dortmund s Marco Reus as well as Robert Lewandowski, Nuri Sahin and new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all failed to beat Siegl repeatedly before Kevin Grosskreutz finally broke the deadlock in the 71st minute with a low drive. Substitute Marvin Ducksch added another seven minutes from time to settle the visitors nerves and Lewandowski, who vented his anger at Borussia bosses for blocking his transfer to treble winners Bayern Munich in a midweek interview, snatched his first goal of the season in the final minute. Obviously this was no outstanding football match, Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp told reporters. It is clear we have to make much more out of our chances. But we stuck in there, scored three good goals and are through to the next round. Bayer Leverkusen had a much easier time, crushing Lippstadt with two goals apiece from Sidney Sam and Stefan Kiessling. Hoffenheim thrashed Aumund- Vegesack 9-0 while fellow Bundesliga club Mainz 05 needed an 87th-minute goal from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to edge 2-1 past Fortuna Cologne. VfL Wolfsburg eased past second division club Karlsruhe 3-1 but Freiburg needed two goals in extra time against fourth division s TSG Neustrelitz for a 2-0 win after a goalless 90 minutes. Holders Bayern Munich are in action today against fourth division club BSV Rehden. Reuters Kevin Grosskreutz FINLAND: France s Sebastien Ogier competes at the Leustu special stage of the FIA World Rally Championship WRC Neste Oil Rally in Jyvaskyla. AFP Ogier wins in Finland FINLAND: Frenchman Sebastien Ogier claimed a thrilling victory in Finland on Saturday to strengthen his grip on the World Rally Championship with five rounds remaining. Volkswagen driver Ogier reached the finish in Jyvaskyla with a 36.6 seconds advantage over Belgian Thierry Neuville to win his fifth rally of the season and move 90 points clear in the standings as he chases his first world title. In reaching the finish first in his Polo, Ogier became only the fifth non-nordic driver to win the classic test of driving skill around the lakes and forests of Finland. I had a dream about winning here, the Frenchman said. A lot of points for the championship and victory in Finland make it a perfect weekend. Huge crowds packed the stages in central Finland where four drivers led during the opening seven tests and only 11 seconds covered the top four at the mid-point. Ogier built a comfortable lead on Friday and was able to drive within himself on the final day when battle raged for second place between Ford Fiesta drivers Neuville and Norwegian Mads Ostberg - the duo trading places through the final stages. Ostberg span off while avoiding a large rock in the penultimate stage and ended up 21 seconds adrift of Neuville. It s an unbelievable feeling, said the Belgian. We did a great job. Yesterday we lost time with a puncture but otherwise it was a smooth, clean run. Before the rally I couldn t have imagined this result was possible. Reuters Franklin, Ledecky shine among dazzling women BARCELONA: American Missy Franklin matched the record for gold at a single world championships of five and 16- year-old compatriot Katie Ledecky set a world best to capture a treble of freestyle distance titles on Saturday. On the penultimate day of racing at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, the women outshone the men as Franklin and Ledecky wrote their names in the history books and Lithuanian teenager Ruta Meilutyte claimed her second world best of the week in qualifying for the 50 metres breaststroke. Chad le Clos of South Africa won gold in the men s 100 butterfly to add to his 200 triumph earlier in the week, Brazil s Cesar Cielo blasted to a third straight 50 freestyle title before breaking down in tears on the podium and Dane Jeanette Ottesen Gray cruised to gold in the 50 butterfly. But the day belonged to Franklin and Ledecky and their performances in the Catalan capital suggest they have every chance of remaining the dominant pair in women s swimming for many years to come. Franklin s second world 200 backstroke title in a row was her fifth gold of the week and matched a feat previously achieved only by compatriot Tracy Caulkins in 1978 and Australian Libby Trickett in She can claim the record for herself if favourites the United States win Sunday s 4x100 medley relay. Franklin clocked a championship record time of two minutes seconds in the 200 backstroke to add to her golds in the 100 backstroke, 200 freestyle and 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays. She came fourth in Friday s 100 freestyle. you never stop amazing me, coach Todd Schmitz said on his Twitter feed. Five golds and we are not done yet. Franklin set the world record to win 200 backstroke gold at the Olympics last year, one of four titles in London, and also claimed the world title in Shanghai two years ago. She already has 10 career world championship medals and with eight golds has joined Natalie Coughlin, who first competed at the 2001 edition in Fukuoka, with the most by an American woman. This is awesome, I m exhausted, she told reporters. Tomorrow I have the morning off and get prepared for the relay tomorrow night. It s going to be so much fun. Ledecky smashed the 1,500 metres world best to win gold on Tuesday and also won Sunday s 400 metres when she became only the second woman after Italian world record holder Federica Pellegrini to break four minutes. Ledecky left Dane Lotte Friis trailing with about 150 metres to go in the 800 and touched well inside the previous record of 8:14.10 set by Britain s Rebecca Adlington to win gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was Ledecky s fourth title of the week - she also swam in the victorious U.S. 4x200 freestyle relay team - and she is only the second woman to win all three distance freestyle titles at a single world championships. German Hannah Stockbauer won the treble at the 2003 edition, also in Barcelona. After Meilutyte s mark in the 50 breaststroke in the morning session, Ledecky s effort was the sixth world record of the championships, all set by women. Four golds and two world records definitely exceed my expectations, Ledecky said in an interview with Spanish broadcaster TVE. I m just thankful to be here and being part of a great team and I feel extremely blessed right now and really happy, she added. I don t know (how far I can get). We re going to see in the next couple of years. I m just going to get back to work and see what I can do. The capacity crowd reserved the biggest cheer of the night for Brazilian Cielo, who was in floods of tears on the podium as his national anthem boomed out and his nation s flag was raised. He is the first man to win the 50 freestyle three times and claimed a second consecutive 50 butterfly title on Monday. I m ecstatic, I feel like I m dreaming, the 26-year-old told French TV, adding that it was a first step on the road to the Olympic Games in his home pool in Rio de Janeiro in Meilutyte snatched the 50 breaststroke world record in her semi-final about eight hours after Russia s Yuliya Efimova had set a new best in the morning s heats. Reuters Galaxy surprise Juventus 3-1 LOS ANGELES: Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane scored second half goals as the Los Angeles Galaxy surprised Juventus with a 3-1 victory Saturday night in the International Champions Cup tournament. Omar Gonzalez scored in the first half, before Keane s pass set up US national team striker Donovan on the hour mark. Keane added a goal of his own in the 88th minute on a terrible turnover by Andrea Pirlo as the twotime defending Major League Soccer champion Galaxy beat the two-time defending Serie A champions in the second football match ever played at 51-year-old Dodger Stadium. Real Madrid beat Everton 2-1 in the doubleheader s first game to advance to the tournament final. Alessandro Matri scored in the 39th minute for Juventus, which lost to Everton earlier in the week. With Donovan, Keane and Robbie Rogers working in concert, the Galaxy performed splendidly for their hometown fans against Juventus, repeatedly controlling play and possession against their powerful opponents. Both teams had good chances early on, with Rogers constantly causing trouble for Juventus from the wing. Los Angeles took the lead when Gonzalez left his defensive position and charged into the box, taking a pass from Juninho and chipped over Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon to score. Three minutes later, Matri capitalized on a scramble in the Galaxy box, banging a hard shot off Brian Rowe for a goal. Keane and Pirlo, the Italian national team star, entered the game at halftime. DURA: Thousands of Palestinians celebrated the arrival of Barcelona in the West Bank on Saturday where Argentine forward Lionel Messi and his team mates showed off their skills to adoring fans. Some 25,000 spectators, many clad in Barca shirts, packed every corner of a new stadium in the town of Dura in the southern West Bank as the Barca players held an hourlong clinic with some 40 young Palestinian boys and girls. Hundreds of other fans itching to get in were left stranded outside the packed ground as a large security force secured the perimeter. The streets of Bethlehem, where the team visited the traditional birthplace of Jesus, and the city of Hebron near Dura were adorned with Barcelona flags as people lined the route to catch a glimpse of their heroes and the team bus. It s great to see Barcelona, Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Neymar in Palestine. This is my Keane hadn t played since injuring his hip in a match against Portland three weeks ago, but the Irish national team captain immediately got back to top form, putting the Galaxy back ahead with a pass across the box to Donovan for a tap-in goal. Juventus pressed in the second half, but Pirlo doomed his club with a tentative backpass that was pounced upon by Keane, who flicked it past Buffon for the clinching score. It s been a rough trip for the 34-year-old Pirlo, who also missed a penalty kick at the end of Juventus loss to Everton in San Francisco. AP LOS ANGELES: Fernando Llorente No. 14 of Juventus takes a shot on goal as Omar Gonzalez No. 4 of the Los Angeles Galaxy defends during the second half of the 2013 Guinness International Champions Cup. AFP Thousands of Palestinians welcome Barca to West Bank lucky day, said 17-year-old Fadwa from Bethlehem. The Spanish league champions were making a brief stopover in Israel and the Palestinian territories en-route to a pre-season tour of Asia. They will hold a similar meeting with young Israeli players in Tel Aviv late yesterday. Palestinian sports supremo Jibril Rajoub described Barcelona s visit as the most important event in the history of Palestinian sport. The Catalonians and Spanish arch-rivals Real Madrid are the most popular teams among Palestinians. In February, Barca said they wanted to play a friendly match against a side made up equally of Palestinian and Israeli players in Tel Aviv but the Middle Eastern neighbors could not agree on arrangements to facilitate holding the fixture. The Palestinians have complained that Israel s security forces often prevent athletes travelling freely between the Gaza Strip and BARCELONA: Hungary reclaimed its status as the leading power in men s water polo by edging Montenegro 8-7 to claim its third world title on Saturday. Hungary never trailed but needed Marton Szivos goal with less than two minutes to play and a save by goalkeeper Viktor Nagy in the final seconds to ensure the gold medal. This is the best moment of my life, Szivos said. We always win by one little thing. Hungary s previous two gold medals at the world championships came in 1973 and then in 2003 at this same Bernat Picornell pool in Barcelona. Besides its three world titles, Hungary is the most successful nation in men s water polo at the Olympics with nine gold medals, including three straight from 2000, 2004 and This squad, however, was facing its first big international test. There was a lot of pressure because in Hungary water polo is a national sport, coach Tibor Benedek. After the world championship here 10 years ago and winning in the Olympics, it was natural that we would go down. The players that had won so much wanted to play until the London Olympics, and then after London we had to make a new team. I think the secret (to our title) was the spirit of the team. Only one of the eight meetings between Hungary and Montenegro has been decided by more than one goal: Hungary s 11-9 win at the 2008 Olympics. And this final was yet another defensive struggle between the two countries. The silver was Montenegro s first medal in men s water polo competing as an independent nation after gaining independence from Serbia in In 2005, competing as Serbia and Montenegro, it beat Hungary for the gold. This is a huge success, but we are sorry now, said Montenegro coach Vido Lompar. We will celebrate tomorrow. Earlier, Croatia claimed the bronze by defeating Italy Montenegro enjoyed more vocal support from their fans with their thunderous national anthem, flags and songs, but it did little to help its hapless attack in the opening stage. Hungary s Nagy turned back the first five shots to reach him in the first period, which ended with West Bank, where the Palestinians have limited self rule but over which Israel maintains overall security control. Israel cites security concerns but says it has eased travel for athletes between Palestinian territories. Last month FIFA president Sepp Blatter said during a visit to the region that a task force would address Palestinian concerns on the matter. The Palestinians want the West Bank and the Gaza Strip for a future state with Arab East Jerusalem as its capital. Even though they live side by side, Israeli and Palestinian teams do not play each other in competition, as Israel are members of European soccer s governing body UEFA and the Palestine soccer team play in Asia. While in Bethlehem, Barca s players also met Abbas and yesterday they will meet Israeli President Shimon Peres who was involved in organising the visit, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They will also visit Jerusalem s Western Wall. Reuters Hungary wins men s water polo gold SPAIN: Montenegro s Aleksandar Ivovic (right) vies for the ball against Hungary s Norbert Hosnyansky during their Men s water polo final at the FINA Swimming World Championships. AP his team up 2-0 thanks to a nolook shot by center forward Balazs Harai to sweep the ball home. Harai knocked in a lobbed pass to increase the lead to 3-0 before Darko Brguljan scored Montenegro s first goal with 3:07 to go before halftime. On the scoreboard, Montenegro built momentum when goalkeeper Milos Scepanovic blocked a penalty and seconds later Aleksandar Ivovic beat Nagy to close the gap to 3-2 going into the third quarter. After the stingy opening 16 minutes, both teams attacks got rolling following the halftime break. Hungary held a slim one-point advantage heading into the final quarter, but Ivovic scored a game-high third goal to level at 7-7 with 2:04 remaining. The center back finished as the competition s jointleading scorer with 20 goals. Szivos tapped in a pass near the goal to net the title-clinching goal, which Nagy then made good by blocking Montenegro s last-gasp try. This is unbelievable, said Szivos. We have been working hard and this the perfect result for all that work. Nagy was voted the best goalkeeper of the tournament. On Friday, Spain won the women s water polo world title by beating Australia. AP

20 Azarenka edges Ivanovic to meet 18 Stosur in final Ogier wins in Finland 19 Djokovic bids for third straight Canadian title Page 18 SPAIN: Missy Franklin of the United States swims to the gold medal in the Women s 200m backstroke final at the FINA Swimming World Championships. (Inset) Missy Franklin reacts as she holds the gold medal. AP Missy rules the pool in Spain BARCELONA: American teenager Missy Franklin became the first woman to win six gold at a single world championships when she helped the United States to victory in the 4x100 metres medley relay yesterday. The 18-year-old swam the opening, backstroke leg in the hilltop pool in Barcelona and the US triumph followed her titles this week in 100 and 200 backstroke, 200 freestyle and the 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays. She was fourth in Friday s 100 freestyle. Franklin s sixth gold is one more than the previous record of five she jointly held with compatriot Tracy Caulkins and Australia s Libby Trickett. The only other woman to win six gold at a world championships or Olympics is East German Kristin Otto at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul. Camille Lacourt won the men s 50 metres backstroke gold at the swimming world championships yesterday with French teammate Jeremy Stravius and the USA s Matt Grevers tying for second place. MANCHESTER: As England s Stuart Broad (right) hands over the ball Australia s captain Michael Clarke (left) remonstrates with umpires Tony Hill (centre right) and Marais Erasmus after play is stopped for bad light. AP South Africa seal T20 series HAMBANTOTA: South Africa defeated Sri Lanka by 22 runs in the second Twenty20 international in wind-swept Hambantota yesterday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. JP Duminy scored 30 off 23 balls and David Miller hit an aggressive 21-ball 36 as the Proteas reached after electing to take first strike in the day-night match. Fast bowlers Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Morne Morkel then claimed two wickets each as Sri Lanka, the world s top-ranked Twenty20 side, were restricted to by an impressive South African fielding display. Kumar Sangakkara played a lone hand for the hosts with an attractive 39 off 35 balls, but he was only one of three batsmen who crossed 30 in difficult conditions for both teams due to the stiff breeze. The series win helped South Lacourt, who shared the world 100m backstroke title with Stravius in 2011, touched the wall at 24.42sec, just ahead of Stravius and Grevers who were both 0.08 secs back and shared silver. The 28-year-old was delighted to once again share the podium with Stravius, who continued his fine meet after gold in the 4x100m relay and bronze in the 100m backstroke. Well I always said that we would finish one and two, said Lacourt who claimed that the gold made up for the disappointment of finishing fifth in the 100m earlier in the week. It s wonderful, even more special after what has gone before for me and very important for me personally aside from the joy I feel for having led home a one-two for France. Stravius was disappointed to miss out on winning gold. Well, there it is again, one and two, just as it was before, said Stravius, after sharing the 100m gold with Lacourt two years ago in Shanghai. Olympic champion Grevers was also picking Africa salvage pride after an embarrassing 4-1 defeat in the preceding one-day internationals. The tourists, who won the first Twenty20 game by 12 runs in Colombo on Friday, will be looking to secure a series whitewash when the final match is played in Hambantota tomorrow. Left-armer Tsotsobe removed danger man Mahela Jayawardene and captain Dinesh Chandimal in his first three overs with both batsmen falling to catches by wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock. Morkel claimed the vital wicket of Sangakkara, caught superbly in the covers by David Wiese, before having Nuwan Kulasekara caught behind. Thisara Perera remained unbeaten on 22 off 20 balls as the South Africans fielded superbly to keep the runs in check. AFP Six gold medals at one worlds MANCHESTER: Officials were once again at the centre of controversy in this Ashes series when they took the players off the field for bad light on the fourth day of the third Test at Old Trafford. Australia, 2-0 down in the five-match series and needing to win this match to stand any chance of regaining the Ashes, were 172 for seven in their second innings-a lead of 331 runs-when umpires Marais Erasmus and Tony Hill called a halt at 4.26pm (1526GMT) yesterday. Subsequent rain prevented the match resuming and play was officially abandoned at 5.38pm, with officials-much criticised for their implementation of the Decision Review System this series-coming under scrutiny again. Australia captain Michael Clarke, 30 not out, was clearly furious at being told to go off for bad light in a situation where any stoppage increased England s chances of securing the draw that would see them retain the Ashes. Although the floodlights were on, the umpires decided conditions were too dangerous to continue when it looked as if fast-medium bowler Stuart Broad was about to be brought back into the attack. We try and play as long as we can. We were able to stay out a heck of a lot longer under the lights-but when we started losing it (tracking the ball) completely from square leg, we gave the skipper (England captain Alastair Cook) the option to use spin, and he didn t want to do that, said New Zealand s Hill. It used to be the case the umpires would offer the light to the batsmen to see if they wanted to continue or not. But a change to the regulations in October 2010 left the issue solely in the hands of the umpires after concerns had been raised the old system was unfair to the fielding side. The playing conditions changed a few years ago so it s now our decision, said Erasmus, whose joint interview with Hill on Sky television was booed by up his second medal of the meet after winning the 100m backstroke final. There is tough competition between us (Stravius, Lacourt and him), it s great to have that, said the American. Fortunately, I am taller than Jeremy otherwise, he would have beaten me for the silver. Meanwhile, Russia s Yuliya Efimova won the women s 50m breaststroke gold at swimming s world championships with Lithuania s Ruta Meilutyte second and Jessica Hardy of the USA third. The 21-year-old Efimova clocked 29.52secs with Meilutyte, who broke the Russian s world record in the semi-finals, at 0.07sec back and Hardy 0.28 adrift in an American record. China s long-distance star Sun Yang won the men s 1500m freestyle gold at swimming s world championships yesterday with Canada s Ryan Cochrane second and Italy s Gregorio Paltrinieri third. Light row erupts in fourth Ashes Test angry fans when replayed over the giant screens at Old Trafford. For a while there England s fielders were asking about the light and the possibility when they bat. It was fine by then but it kept dropping, dropping, dropping. Eventually we told the captain (Cook) to bowl spin which eventually he decided not to. That pushed our hand because it s a safety issue. Clarke had a prolonged conversation with South African official Erasmus as he and batting partner Ryan Harris stayed in the middle while England walked off. Eventually, the Australians followed their opponents into the dressing-room. With rain forecast for today, questions were asked as to why Clarke hadn t declared, especially as the most any side have made to win in the fourth innings of an Old Trafford Test is England s 294 for four against New Zealand in England complicated Australia s victory bid by avoiding the follow-on earlier Sunday after resuming on 294 for seven following Kevin Pietersen s impressive 113 on Saturday. They needed 34 runs to make Australia bat again and the eighth wicket duo of Matt Prior (30) and Stuart Broad (32) knocked them off with a flurry of boundaries in an eighth-wicket stand of 58. The pair then combined to remove Australia opener Chris Rogers for just 12 when fast-medium bowler Broad took the outside edge and wicketkeeper Prior, diving in front of first slip, held a good catch. Renowned one-day batsman Warner, repeatedly booed by home fans after missing the first two Tests of this series for his bar-room attack on England s Joe Root, was promoted to open alongside Rogers as Australia sought quick runs. The left-hander made 41 off 57 balls before he he was caught in the deep by Root off seamer Tim Bresnan before Usman Khawaja (24) was bowled round his legs by off-spinner Graeme Swann. AFP After victories in the 400m and 800m, Sun, 21, completed the hat-trick of world titles in Barcelona in 14min 41.15sec, with Cochrane at 1.33 back and Paltrinieri 4.22 adrift. Hungary s Katinka Hosszu won the women s 400m individual medley gold at swimming s world championships yesterday with Spain s Mireia Belmonte second and Elizabeth Beisel of the USA third. Having already won 200m IM gold and 200m butterfly bronze, Hosszu, who had been on course to break Ye Shiwen of China s world record, clocked 4min 30.41sec with Belmonte, who received noisy support at the Palau Sant Jordi stadium, at 0.80 back and Beisel at 1.28 adrift. Meanwhile, a year on from claiming his lifelong dream of Olympic gold in London, South Africa s Cameron Van der Burgh has validated his status as one of the swimming s leading lights with gold and silver in the 50m and 100m breaststroke respectively at the world championships in Barcelona. AFP SCOREBOARD MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Scoreboard at stumps on the fourth day of the third Ashes Test between England and Australia at Old Trafford yesterday: Australia 1st Innings dec (M Clarke 187, S Smith 89, C Rogers 84, M Starc 66 no, B Haddin 65 no; G Swann 5-159) England 1st Innings (overnight: 294-7) A. Cook c Haddin b Starc 62 J. Root c Haddin b Siddle 8 T. Bresnan c Haddin b Siddle 1 J. Trott c Clarke b Harris 5 K. Pietersen lbw b Starc 113 I. Bell b Harris 60 J. Bairstow c Watson b Starc 22 M. Prior c Warner b Siddle 30 S. Broad c Haddin b Lyon 32 G. Swann c Haddin b Siddle 11 J. Anderson not out 3 Extras (b3, lb17, nb1) 21 Total (all out, overs, 601 mins) 368 Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Root), 2-49 (Bresnan), 3-64 (Trott), (Cook), (Bell), (Bairstow), (Pietersen), (Broad), (Swann), (Prior) Bowling: Harris ; Starc (1nb); Lyon ; Watson ; Siddle ; Smith Australia 2nd Innings C. Rogers c Prior b Broad 12 D. Warner c Root b Bresnan 41 U. Khawaja b Swann 24 S. Watson c Pietersen b Bresnan 18 M. Clarke not out 30 S. Smith run out (sub/prior/anderson) 19 B. Haddin c Broad b Anderson 8 M. Starc c Swann b Anderson 11 R. Harris not out 0 Extras (b4, lb2, w3) 9 Total (7 wkts, 36 overs, 177 mins) 172 Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Rogers), 2-74 (Warner), 3-99 (Khawaja), (Watson), (Smith), (Haddin), (Starc) To bat: P Siddle, N Lyon Bowling: Anderson (1w); Broad ; Swann ; Bresnan (2w); Match position: Australia lead by 331 runs with three second innings wickets standing.

21 Business VIVA announces winner of 1st Inbound Roaming draw Page 22 Central banks keep ample market liquidity Citibank Kuwait named Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank Page 23 Page 26 Lexus launches the 2nd Lexus Design Award Page 24 TOKYO: A woman with a parasol walks by an electronic stock board of a securities firm as Japan s Nikkei 225 index surged 3.3 percent to 14,466.16, with export shares boosted by a weakening yen. AP Egyptian pound strengthens, encourages buyers DUBAI: Egypt s bourse surged to a fivemonth high yesterday as signs that supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsi might be willing to compromise with the interim government raised hopes for a political resolution after weeks of street violence. A spokesman for a pro-morsi delegation said it wanted a solution that would respect all popular desires, a sign that supporters could be backing away from demands to reinstate Morsi. Also, the weekend passed without major violence. Many investors had been concerned there could be more bloodshed if the army took action against Morsi supporters protesting on the streets; security forces shot dead 80 of them a week ago. There has been a slight fall in the political temperature in the past couple of days - we haven t seen really serious clashes such as those of early July, said Simon Kitchen, strategist at EFG-Hermes in Cairo. The investment outlook on Egypt is improving but remains volatile. Cairo s benchmark index rose 2.9 percent to 5,530 points, its highest close since Feb. 26, making its largest one-day gain in nearly four weeks. Trading volume spiked. The market may get a boost this week from the buyout of Orascom Construction Industries (OCI) ; OCI, previously Cairo s DAGENHAM: Glistening chains on the turnstyles at Ford Motor Co s plant in east London illustrate how, even when companies unveil positive news about their European operations, it may not mean things are picking up in the economy. Ford told investors this week that its European operation was performing better than expected and that its turnaround on this side of the Atlantic was on track. But this recovery is largely premised on cutting costs, with demand for vehicles still falling across the continent and the industry facing overcapacity. The outlook for the business environment in Europe continues to be uncertain, Bob Shanks, the US automaker s chief financial officer, told analysts on Wednesday. A day later work stopped at the 750- strong Dagenham plant, which made bonnets and doors for Transit vans, and workmen lowered white concrete barriers across the entrances to employee car parks - all part of Ford s plan to create a more efficient manufacturing footprint in Europe. Aggressive cost-cutting in Europe contributed to the better-than-expected second-quarter profit General Motors Co reported on Thursday. Other sectors are also cutting back. Kimberly Clark shut a Spanish factory after Kuwait slips but new Cabinet seen positively largest stock by market value, was removed from the main index last week after Dutchlisted OCI NV acquired more than 97 percent of the Egyptian firm in a cash-orshares tender offer. OCI NV said the offer would be settled on Aug. 5; some of the money may go back into the stock market. A surprise cut of the main official overnight interest rate in Egypt by 50 basis points late on Thursday also supported investor sentiment. Egypt s pound continued to strengthen marginally yesterday in the wake of the rate cut, though it was unclear how much the central bank was engineering the appreciation as a confidence-boosting measure. Billions of dollars in Gulf aid promised since the army overthrew the president have begun to trickle into the currency market, easing pressure on the pound. Currency concerns have decreased for the short-term, but you won t see foreigners pile in, Kitchen added. Local investors were net buyers of Egyptian stocks yesterday while foreigners were sellers, bourse data showed. The index appeared to stage a clean break of major technical resistance around the 5,450-point area, which capped it in May and July. The next major resistance is at the January peak of 5,884 points. Saudi climbs In Saudi Arabia, the index rose 0.8 percent to 7,972 points, its highest since September It closed above a major resistance at 7,944 points, the April 2012 peak; that is long-term bullish and leaves no major chart barrier before 8,782 points, the 61.8 percent retracement of the fall from January Trading volumes were healthy despite the approach of Eid holidays later this week. Sectors that benefit from local consumption led gains. The retail sector index and telecommunications rose 1.0 and 2.1 percent respectively; food and agriculture gained 1.5 percent. With limited growth seen in heavyweight Saudi banks and petrochemical firms, investors are chasing mid-cap firms with higher growth outlooks. In Kuwait, the index slipped 0.7 percent, trimming its 2013 gains to 35.4 percent. Investors are booking some profits from the rally, but many see the choice of a new Cabinet yesterday, after last month s parliamentary elections, as positive. Mustapha Al-Shamali was appointed oil minister, after serving as acting minister, and the finance ministry, which Shamali previously led, will now be headed by Sheikh Salem Abdul- Aziz Al-Sabah. People believe this is a parliament that will rejuvenate the economy - it is also more inclusive of individuals with different political inclinations, said Fouad Darwish, head of brokerage services at Global Investment House. Early last year Sheikh Salem resigned as central bank governor after 25 years in the post, complaining about a rapid rise in government spending. This suggests he could be something of a budget hawk in his new job. However, with Kuwait still posting large budget surpluses, he is not expected to cut overall spending back, merely slow its growth moderately. In any case the new parliament, seen as willing to cooperate with the Cabinet, is expected to give increased priority to long-delayed development projects to spur the economy. Elsewhere, underpinned by strong secondquarter earnings, Dubai s measure rose 1.1 percent to a fresh 56-month high, while Abu Dhabi s index gained 0.2 percent. Dubai engineering and maintenance firm Drake and Scull rose 2.6 percent in active trade. The firm was expected to post earnings later yesterday or today; five analysts polled by Reuters forecast a quarterly profit of 49.5 million dirhams, a 90 percent jump from a year earlier. Doha s index climbed 0.6 percent to its highest close since September Reuters As Europe struggles, firms eye cost cuts the company decided to stop selling its Huggy diapers in most European markets and exit other businesses on the continent. US advertising group Interpublic, supermarket chain Carrefour, electrical goods makers Indesit and staffing group Randstad were among the companies which told investors in the past fortnight that weak European demand was forcing them to cut costs and jobs. Whatever earnings growth is coming is base-line activity or cost cutting. Capex (capital expenditure) is where companies are saving money, trying to keep the bottom line healthy, said Chris Weafer, senior partner with consultancy Macro-Advisory. Recent economic data has suggested the euro zone is starting to turn a corner and Britain looks definitively to be back on a growth path. Those improvements in leading indicators have prompted institutional investors to look at Europe with new interest. With stock markets in Japan and the United States posting double-digit gains so far this year, investors may have squeezed as much as they can out of a recovery story there and are looking for the euro zone and Britain to pick up the growth baton. But it will take more than the first tips of green shoots to persuade companies to invest heavily once more. Chicken and egg Investment plummeted after the financial crisis, with the euro zone business investment rate in the last quarter of 2012, the most recent period for which figures are available, at its second-lowest level since The widespread focus among executives on scaling back, and the dearth of plans to spend more, highlighted how Europe was not out of the woods yet, despite some recent positive signs from Eurozone Purchasing Managers surveys last week, said Yiannis Koutelidakis, economist at Fathom Consulting. The absence of spending from companies is contributing to a chicken and egg situation, delaying the recovery that might prompt them to spend more. The lack of investment and the continued government austerity, is definitely a drag on the outlook, said Bert Colijn, economist at the Conference Board, a research organization. If we see a recovery in Europe in the second half of the year, which is something that is becoming more realistic, that recovery will be very slow. Some businesses said predictions of recovery in the second half of 2013 were optimistic. Marco Milani, Chief Executive of Italy s Indesit, said he wasn t confident of recovery in 2014 and consequently was cutting back investment and shifting manufacturing out of Europe. In June, the company published a plan that envisaged cutting its Italian workforce by a third and moving some operations to emerging markets, including Turkey. Economists say these kinds of actions pose long-term risks for Europe, because even when demand recovers, it will increasingly be served from outside the continent. The crisis will leave structural scars on the economy, Koutelidakis said. Corporate belttightening could even be accelerated if the United States starts withdrawing monetary stimulus, as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has indicated it might. Such a move could raise borrowing costs for European businesses, further eating away at profits and discouraging investment. Not all companies are reporting falling sales in Europe. Homeappliance manufacturers Whirlpool Corp and Electrolux AB forecast a rebound in demand from Europe, suggesting consumer confidence may be returning. It would be natural for consumer spending to pick up before capital investment. Reuters Fracking fury hits idyllic British village BALCOMBE: Louisa Delpy had never protested before, but when she heard that shale gas extraction might begin in her leafy part of the English countryside, she was so furious that she took to the streets. The 36-year-old mother went with two friends and a home-made sign to the lonely site where test drilling for oil and gas has begun, close to her upmarket village of Balcombe in West Sussex, a fifty-minute train ride from central London. Three weeks later, the gaggle of demonstrators has mushroomed into a protest camp of hundreds, becoming the focus of a national campaign against the controversial extraction technique known as fracking. Protesters from around Britain have set up dozens of tents, loudspeakers and banners, while crowds surge forward with yells of fury to try to block each truck that drives towards the drilling site. I ve never protested against anything in my life, but look where we are now, Delpy said. Waving signs with slogans such as Frack off! and Balcombe s not for shale, the campers say they will stay as long as it takes for Cuadrilla, the firm that has pioneered fracking in Britain, to reconsider its involvement. A prosperous commuter area in the home territory of Prime Minister David Cameron s Conservative party, Balcombe is an unlikely birthplace for a rowdy protest movement. But many residents say that having objected unsuccessfully through official channels, they feel forced into direct action. All the normal forms of democracy seem to have been ignored, said Stephen White, 59, a filmmaker from a nearby village. It s like the Wild West. Cuadrilla-whose chairman is former BP chief John Browne-has tried to pacify the locals, holding open days and promising not to ruin the countryside. It also says it is merely carrying out test drilling, which could lead to standard oil extraction, fracking, or nothing at all. The plan is to drill a 3,000-foot (915-metre) vertical well in a project lasting up to three months. But Cuadrilla s involvement elsewhere with fracking, or hydraulic fracturing-using huge amounts of pressurised water mixed with chemicals to crack open rock and release natural gas-has fuelled suspicion. We will win Protesters bowed their heads for a minute s silence on Friday when news arrived that drilling had begun. It s a sad day for Balcombe-but we will win! declared 52-yearold Glayzer Frackman from Lancashire in the north, who turned activist and changed his name after his house was damaged by minor earthquakes blamed on test drilling. Like the other protesters, he also worries about potential chemical contamination of the air and water, and possible water shortages. The entertainer and DJ is one of dozens to arrive from Lancashire, a key testing area since the Conservative-led government took a strong stance in favour of fracking, which has led to a shale gas bonanza in the United States. Britain has proposed tax breaks for fracking companies, hoping to boost jobs and tax revenues while increasing energy security, although the technique has been banned in France and halted in Germany. AFP

22 BUSINESS VIVA announces winner of 1st Inbound Roaming draw Yearlong campaign and the chance to win $200,000 KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait s fastest-growing telecom operator, announced yesterday Eyad Mohamed Ahmed Kashkash the first winner of the Inbound Roaming draw campaign, and the winner of the first $50,000 cash prize. This campaign was launched to Kuwait visitors using the VIVA mobile network to make local or international calls. Visitors using the VIVA network in Kuwait for five minutes or more will be automatically entered into a draw to win $50,000 in cash. The draw campaign commenced on April 1, 2013 and will end on March 31, Visitors are eligible to enter the draw at any time, once the line is used. Visitors are simply required to choose the VIVA network when they are in Kuwait, and for every total of five minutes of talk time when roaming, they will earn one chance to enter the quarterly draw for the $50,000 cash prize. Visitors chances to win will accumulate with every additional five minutes of talk. The announcement of the second quarterly draw winner will take place on October 3, VIVA is always looking for new ways to reach out to its customers and reward them for using its network, even those visiting Kuwait from abroad. With this latest promotion, VIVA s aim is to reward inbound visitors roaming on its network and giving them the chance to win one of the four quarterly cash prizes of $50,000. VIVA urges visitors to take advantage of this draw by making their calls using the VIVA network; the more calls they make, the more chances they earn to enter and win the draw. Draw entries will receive a weekly SMS notifying them that they have been entered into the next draw and will receive updates of the accumulated number of chances they have to win. EU newest member Croatia plagued by economic worries ZAGREB: As soon as the fireworks marking Croatia s entry into the EU a month ago died down, the bloc s newest member was faced with the grim reality of a struggle with economic stagnation. Unlike most other recent EU entrants, Croatia has not experienced a boom due to its accession as the bloc is itself in midcrisis. So while Croatia s July 1 EU entry crowned a decade-long effort and marked the closing of a political chapter dominated by the legacy of its 1990s independence war, little has changed economically. Most of Croatia s 4.2 million people are still focused on how to make ends meet amid gloomy prospects for recovery in an economy that has either been contracting or stagnating since Around one in five Croatians is out of work. The youth unemployment rate surpasses 50 percent-more than double EU average of 23 percent-with only Greece and Spain doing worse. For Kristina Basnec, 25, a recently graduated musical instructor, the daily routine is to scan the job advertisements in newspapers and drop in a Zagreb employment office to check for postings. The most important thing now is to get the economy going, to create new jobs, she said, hoping her quest for work would not last long. With recession dogging many of its EU partners, which account for 60 percent of its exports, Croatia has been unable to count on a pick meup from accession. Moreover, many trade benefits had been granted earlier. The main driver of the country s economy is tourism centred on the stunning Adriatic coast, which has recently fared well. But EU accession could paradoxically harm this sector as Croatia is forced to introduce visitors from non-eu countries such as Russia, with officials nervously watching figures. Standard & Poor s last week downgraded the outlook on Croatia s credit rating to negative. It forecast the economic benefits from EU entry will be limited by structural challenges, political constraints to fiscal reforms, leveraged public- and private-sector balance sheets, and an unfavourable external environment. Although qualifying for EU accession, Croatia s government has been widely seen as moving slowly on reforms needed to improve the country s economic performance. International financial institutions repeatedly warn Croatia should improve the overall business climate, increase competitiveness as well as reform its huge and inefficient public sector. Finance Minister Slavko Linic later said the ratings downgrade was a message to the government to speed up reforms, boost process to restructure public firms and turn them towards investments. The centre-left government of Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic hopes to eke out slim growth this year but analysts forecast gross domestic product (GDP) will shrink by 1.0 percent.the country is already 39 percent below the EU average, with only Romania and Bulgaria behind it. Government targets grey economy Croatia s centre-left government has recently moved to privatise its last state-owned bank, the main insurer and loss-making freight rail company to fill a budget gap and slow the rise of a public debt that is nearing EU s threshold of 60 percent. It also plans to lease the oper- ations of more than 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) of Croatia s highways for up to 50 years in order to repay loans taken for their construction. Linic warns the moves are needed if Croatia wants to avoid bankruptcy as the budget deficit reached 3.4 percent of GDP in the first half of With the privatisation income, the government might cover the budget deficit, but it will emerge again next year if structural reforms are not implemented, economic analyst Damir Novotny warned. The government has also chosen to go after the so-called grey economy that some estimate is equal to nearly a third of official GDP. It has stepped up control over transactions to decrease tax evasion, including requiring cash registers at outdoor markets, a move that has not been welcomed. Look at my hands, they are wet all the time, I will have to put on gloves, market fish seller Mara told AFP. The measure is ridiculous, we pay taxes anyway. The measure is also part of a wider crackdown on corruption. To become an EU member, Croatia had to clamp down on corruption and former prime minister Ivo Sanader was last year jailed for 10 years for graft. But a lot remains to be done as anti-graft watchdog Transparency International warned petty corruption within public administration and services is still widespread. AFP Al-Tijari announces the Najma account winners KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait held the Al-Najma Account Daily draw yesterday. The draw was held under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry represented by Sager Al-Manaie. The winners of the Najma Daily Draw who get KD 7,000 are: Ali Ahmed Abdulmohsen Al-Ali, Bader Mohammed Safah Al-Mulla, Muna Essa Ali Al Safar, Qais Waddah Hamed Al-Bashah, and Rajeendra Vasudev Vaynjakar The Commercial Bank of Kuwait announces the biggest daily draw in Kuwait with the launch of the new Najma account. Customers of the bank can now enjoy a KD 7,000 daily prize which is the highest in the country and another 4 mega prizes during the year worth KD 100,000 each on different occasions: The National Day, Eid Al-Fitr, Eid Al-Adha and on the 19th of June which is the date of the bank s establishment. With a minimum balance of KD 500, customers will be eligible for the daily draw provided that the money is in the account one week prior to the daily draw or two months prior to the mega draw. In addition, for each KD 25 a customer can get one chance for winning instead of KD 50. Commercial Bank of Kuwait takes this opportunity to congratulate all lucky winners and also extends appreciation to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for their effective supervision of the draws which were conducted in an orderly and organized manner. China s economic growth has been slowing down over the last few years and now it seems that it is decelerating at alarming rate. This is something the rest of the world is not used to it. But economic growth of over 7 percent is not bad but it is the rate at which it is decelerating that alarms us all. We have to accept the fact that China has entered an era of slower growth and must adjust to the end of three decades of doubledigit annual economic expansion. A significantly slower Chinese economic growth will affect economies across the world and hurt exporters of raw materials, machinery, chemicals, oil and some luxury goods. Some of these industries have been heavily reliant on Chinese demand over the past decades. Commodity producers and exporters like South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Russia and some LatinAmerica will suffer badly from further weakening of the Chinese economy. Some big mining companies have invested heavily on the assumption that the Chinese economy will carry on growing at over 10 percent for decades to come. Chinese government officials are trying very hard to justify this slow down by saying that their economy is going through a rebalancing phase from investment and exports to domestic consumption. I personally do not share this at all. I think they have indeed invested heavily and in a way expanded on the availability of credits and now they find themselves in a very difficult position to sort out. At least the good news for the Chinese officials is that the weaker growth has not been accompanied by rising unemployment at least for now.according to government figures, more than 3m new jobs were created in urban areas in the first quarter of this year. Also, consumer inflation remains relatively subdued, with an increase of 2.4 per cent in the first quarter from a year earlier. Who will suffer the most form much weaker economic growth? If economic growth does weaken and DIMAH INVESTMENT WEEKLY Weak Chinese economic growth and global impact say averages 3 percent to 4 percent for the next few years then for sure one of the biggest losers will be the commodity markets. Here we are talking about most commodity prices falling by at least 50 percent and oil price falling to around $70 per a barrel. Why these big drops because it was China that has been the big buyer on the margin of these commodities over the past decades. The sudden u- turn in the government policies lead by the new premier to rein in a record credit boom, avert a property-price bubble and strengthen environmental protections risk deepening China s slowdown and adding to drags on the global economic recovery. With growth already heading for a 23-year low, a hard landing would batter commodity markets and hurting big multinationals mining companies around the world. There s a distinct possibility that the slowdown could get out of control and the risk of a policy misstep cannot be discounted. A term describing the market-reform policies of China s premier-as possibly inflicting short-term pain on the economy even as it sets growth on a healthier long-term trajectory. China is trying very hard to adjust its economy or rebalance it in a way that it does not harm one sector against another.it is adjusting in the right direction and this can be measured by monitoring the difference between retail sales and industrial production. China s thirst for commodities has made it the world s biggest buyer of industrial metals and the largest energy consumer. In recent years it has become the largest trading partner of many countries such as Brazil, Chile, EU, USA and some other commodity producers. It is those commodity producing countries that will suffer most if the Chinese economy slows down sharply. Also, thosecountries that have exported machinery, chemicals and heavy engineering that helped to fuel the incredible Chinese economic growth over the past 30 years. Hayder Tawfik - Executive Vice President of Asset Management, at Dimah Capital- HT@dimah.com.kw Gulf Bank announces the Danah daily draw winners KUWAIT: Gulf Bank held its Al-Danah daily draws on July 28, 2013, announcing the names of its winners for the week of July 21 to July 25. The Al-Danah daily draws include draws each working day for two prizes of KD 1,000 per winner. The winners were: (Sunday 21/7): Awwad Mubarak Ali Mubarak, John Sequeira, (Monday 22/7): Sultan Mohammed Shaman Al-Enezi, Fadhel Khalifa Duaij Al-Dabous, (Tuesday 23/7): Nedal Mohammad Abdulatif Al-Ramahi, Abdulwahab Yousef Al-Humoud, (Wednesday 24/7): Ali Faisal Abdulhameed Al-Ramzi, Mridu Bahasien Shefy Bahasien, and (Thursday 25/7): Saleh Mejbel Hmoud Al-Azmi, Saleel Yousef Mohammad. Gulf Bank s Al-Danah 2013 draw lineup includes daily draws (two winners per working day each receive KD 1,000), as well as three draw prizes per quarter. Al-Danah s 3rd quarterly draw will be held on - 26 September (KD 500,000, KD 125,000, and KD 25,000) and the final draw will be held on 9 January, 2014 announcing winners of KD 50,000, KD 250,000 and the Al-Danah Millionaire. Gulf Bank s Al-Danah allows customers to win cash prizes and simultaneously encourages them to save money. Chances increase the more money is deposited and the longer it is kept in the account. Al-Danah also offers a number of unique services including the Al-Danah Deposit Only ATM card which helps account holders deposit their money at their convenience; as well as the Al-Danah calculator to help customers calculate their chances of becoming an Al-Danah winner. To be part of the Al- Danah draws, customers can visit one of Gulf Bank s 56 branches, transfer online, or call the Customer Contact Center on for assistance and guidance. Customers can also log on to to find out more about Al-Danah and who the winners are. EXCHANGE RATES Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. ASIAN COUNTRIES Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal Irani Riyal GCC COUNTRIES Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash Egyptian Pound - Transfer Yemen Riyal/for Tunisian Dinar Jordanian Dinar Lebanese Lira/for Syrian Lier Morocco Dirham EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer Euro Sterling Pound Canadian dollar Turkish lira Swiss Franc Australian Dollar US Dollar Buying GOLD 20 Gram Gram Gram UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY SELL DRAFT SELL CASH Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer Selling Rate US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit Bahrain Exchange Company CURRENCY BUY Europe SELL British Pound Czech Korune Danish Krone Euro Norwegian Krone Scottish Pound Swedish Krona Swiss Franc Australasia Australian Dollar New Zealand Dollar Uganda Shilling America Canadian Dollar Colombian Peso US Dollars Asia Bangladesh Taka Cape Vrde Escudo Chinese Yuan Eritrea-Nakfa Guinea Franc Hg Kong Dollar Indian Rupee Indonesian Rupiah Jamaican Dollars Japanese Yen Kenyan Shilling Malaysian Ringgit Nepalese Rupee Pakistan Rupee Philippine Peso Sierra Leone Singapore Dollar Sri Lankan Rupee Thai Baht Arab Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Ethiopeanbirr Ghanaian Cedi Iranian Riyal Iraqi Dinar Jordanian Dinar Kuwaiti Dinar Lebanese Pound Moroccan Dirhams Nigerian Naira Omani Riyal Qatar Riyal Saudi Riyal Sudanese Pounds Syrian Pound Tunisian Dinar UAE Dirhams Yemeni Riyal Al Mulla Exchange Currency Transfer Rate (Per 1000) US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

23 BUSINESS Central banks keep ample market liquidity NBK WEEKLY MONEY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: The week was characterized by an abundance of good news coming all the way from China to the US. The Bank of England and the ECB made no policy changes in their respective meeting, and currency markets traded all week in a narrow dull summer range. Jobless claims in the US were the lowest in over 5 years at 326,000 and ISM figures came explosive to the upside, which helped equity markets reached highest level on record. Mario Draghi from the ECB was predictable and did not add anything new to the market until he suggested that the market had mispriced expectations, however even this statement failed to generate much of a reaction to the euro. The ECB press conference was uneventful, as the council added zero change to assessment of macro outlook, only one being a dovish spin on Europe s PMIs. On the foreign exchange side, currencies closed the week with the narrowest range seen in weeks. After opening the week at 81.65, the dollar index gained almost 1 percent on strong us figures to reach a high of However, on Friday the dollar lost most of its weekly gains as the NonFarm Payroll figures missed their expected 184,000 and came out lower at 162,000 pushing the index to close the week at The euro was resilient even with all the US positive data. After reaching a high of on Wednesday night after the FOMC statement, investors took the opportunity to short back the pair. The euro closed the week at after the disappointing US jobs figure. The sterling pound remains trading in a narrow range with market expect further easing by the Bank of England into the yearend. However, the currency was supported this week after the BoE meeting made no change to the monetary policy, by keeping asset purchases at 375B. The pound remained above the level to close the week at after reaching a high of Japanese data disappointed this week with retail sales, industrial production and housing starts missing expectations. However, the positive mood was reinforced by the strong US data that took the USDJPY back to the highs by the end of the week. The yen closed the week at The continuous volatile situation in the Middle East and the positive data our of the US continue to put upward pressures on oil prices, even with the US crude inventory coming much better than expected. Oil prices reached a high of to end the week at after a weak US Jobs data. Jobless data best in five years Initial jobless claims dropped by 19,000 to 326,000 in the week ended July 27, marking the lowest level in five and a half years. Economists expected claims to total 345,000. Some analysts argued however, that claims can be distorted in July because of periodic shutdowns at auto plants for retooling and temporary layoffs related to the end of the regular school year. The data impressed investors, which caused equity markets to soar with the S&P reaching a high over the 1,700 level and the ten-year yields hitting the high of 2.73 percent. FOMC meeting The FOMC made relatively minor changes to their statement this week, leaving the path open to a tapering of QE in September if economic developments and prospects unfold as they anticipate between now and mid- September. The changes in their description of the data were clearly in a dovish direction and their message makes it abundantly clear that any actions they do take ahead will be data-dependent. The committee also acknowledged that activity in the first half of the year had expanded at a modest pace, somewhat slower than the moderate pace they had perceived previously. They also observed that mortgage rates had risen, potentially posing some restraint on the housing sector. Nevertheless, they still see growth picking up ahead and unemployment continuing to decline. Finally, they introduced the thought that inflation persistently below 2 percent poses risks to economic performance. For now, they continue to see inflation rising over time, but that outlook will be important for the policy decisions ahead. Europe & UK Uneventful European central banks meetings The BoE and ECB decisions this week were uneventful considering BoE kept rates on hold and Mario Draghi was as expected. Even with no change in policy out of the BoE, the market remains cautious of buying the pound as the BoE releases next week their forward guidance I the light of the recent data out of the UK and Europe proving stronger than anticipated. The ECB reiterated its forward guidance that it expects interest rates to remain at present or lower levels for an extended period. Unlike the Fed, the ECB is against introducing a quantitative threshold to measure performance even though Draghi does link the forward guidance with the inflation levels remaining low. Stronger PMI across Europe The euro-zone manufacturing PMI rose to 50.3 in July from June s 48.8, revised slightly higher from a preliminary reading of 50.1 and crossing the 50 threshold for growth for the first time since July Even if consumer spending in Germany, France and Spain disappointed in June, the overall data point to a muted recovery. Analysts argued that the figures represent a convincing move towards manufacturing recovery in the euro area as they represent the smallest dispersion across countries since As Italy moves above 50, Italian manufacturing PMI was the highlight of the reading, registering its first above 50 reading in 2 years. Spain disappointed with the manufacturing PMI falling by 0.2 points to 49.8 against expectations for a 0.9 improvement. Germany s manufacturing PMI was revised up 0.4 points relative to the flash estimate, meaning a 2.1 point improvement on the month to France s July manufacturing PMI, at 49.7, was marginally down on the flash estimate of UK PMI construction impresses The British construction activity jumped in July to hit its highest level in over three years, on the back of an increasing residential building construction starts. The number came at 57 compared to economists expectations of On the other hand, the UK Manufacturing PMI expanded at the fastest pace in over two years in July. The data came at rose to 54.6 in July, the highest level since March 2011 and compares with June s 52.9 and analysts expectations of Investors remain suspicious over the health of the UK economy as the BoE is expected to release their assessment on forward guidance on August 7. Asia Australia s employment better than expected During his speech this week, the Reserve Bank of Australia governor Stevens claimed that the recent inflation data supports the RBA s scope to ease, saying the mining investment boom is now over and considerable back up could be big. He also mentioned that the recent fall in the Australian dollar made sense, and it could fall further. On the economic data front, Building approvals in Australia dropped in June, signaling weak demand for new homes and a drop in economic confidence. Building approvals fell 6.9 percent in June following a decline by 1.1 percent in May that was revised to a 4.3 percent decline, while analysts expected approvals to jump 2.0 percent. On the yearly record, building approval slid 13.0 percent compared with a prior decline by 3.2 percent that was revised to a drop by 2.2 percent, while market forecasts were at 0 percent. In summary, more rate cuts might be needed especially with the slowing performance in China, Australia s main trade partner, especially in the absence of inflationary pressures China s PMI above 50 Official Chinese manufacturing PMI climbed to 50.3 in July. the number came higher than economists expectations for a decline to 49.8, from 50.1 the previous month. Official manufacturing PMI was below the 50 level since September Earlier this month, China had announced that it was withholding industry specific data from the PMI report, on account that there isn t enough time to analyze the data. the data comes as a relief to markets as concerns mount over China s economic slowdown. Last week, the government unveiled initiatives to support growth including cutting taxes for some small and microsized enterprises and measures to stabilize exports and speed up railway investment Commodities Gold dropped over 4 percent this week to reach a low of $1,283, as the impact of better US economic data continues to weight on markets. Tensions in the Middle East continue to be a big topic for oil investors. Add on this the strong US data and the strong equity performance, oil prices remain supported above the $105 level. Kuwait Kuwaiti Dinar at The USDKWD opened at yesterday morning. Economic data supports crude while slowing gold s advance Weekly Commodity Update By Ole Hansen Astrong recovery especially during the early parts of July helped the major commodity indices record their first profitable month since March. Over the past week however a great deal of divergence has emerged between some of the individual sectors, especially between energy and precious metals with crude oil rallying and gold falling. Better than expected economic data from the world s two biggest consumers of oil: China and USA set the tone for energy markets this week. Not least helped by continued worries about supply disruptions with port strikes in Libya removing more than one million barrels per day from the market. WTI crude oil has been the main beneficiary of these events, not least helped by a strong demand from US refineries due to high gasoline consumption during the current US driving season. Stronger than expected manufacturing data in both countries and also in Europe helped send equities, the dollar and bond yields higher. This combination of movements was more than what precious metals could cope with and after a couple of weeks of consolidation renewed downside price pressure emerged with silver, almost as usual, taking the lead in the fall. Negative momentum has been seen across most of the agriculture sector during July as previous years worries about supply shortages fade. Optimal growing conditions across the Northern Hemisphere have raised expectations for a bumper harvest of key crops like corn, soybeans and wheat over the coming months. The prices of both Brent and especially WTI crude staged strong recoveries this week as both resumed the rally which for the American produced WTI light sweet crude variety has been going on since April. The rally which picked up speed in early July when $99 and later $100 per barrel level was broken was driven by a sharp reduction in domestic crude inventories, especially around Cushing, the delivery hub for WTI crude traded in New York. This reduction, some 15 percent, to 42 million barrels, has been the sign the market has been looking for in order for the price to re-connect with global prices primarily determined by that of Brent crude. Improved pipeline and rail infrastructure is now beginning to remove the previous bottleneck that had been built up in the region due to the incredible rise in unconventional production methods, such as shale oil extraction. The sharp recovery this week, following a late July correction, was driven by supporting fundamentals on rising demand expectations following improved economic data from US, China and Europe while at the same time supply issues emerged, especially in Libya, where barrels were being removed from the market. Almost 80 percent, amounting to more than one million barrels per day, of Libya s oil exports risk being stopped due to strike actions at key ports. At the same time other geo-political hot spots in places like Iraq, Sudan and Nigeria risk removing additional barrels from the market which will help keep a floor under the price of oil. US refinery demand will peak within the next couple of months which will be followed by a turn towards producing products other than gasoline. Until such time, news about further reductions at Cushing should help keep the price of WTI crude relatively well supported both absolute but also relative to Brent Crude. The spread between the two crude oils recently reached parity for the first time in three years and while the focus remains on inventory reductions this will remain tight until things eventually settle down at a price which reflects the cost of transporting oil from within the US to coast line refineries. WTI Crude oil is currently stuck between 103 and dollar per barrel. A break below could confirm a double top in the market which would target a correction potentially as low as 97. A new high would signal a move initially to , the 2012 peak followed by the 2011 peak at witnessed during the Libyan war in March Ole Hanse is the Head of Commodity Strategy, Saxo Bank Indonesia s economy runs into some growth troubles Indonesia appears to have lost some of its luster, its envied 6 percent-plus growth rate, as the sorely frail global demand and the nation s recent fiscal and structural reforms begin to heavily weigh down on its economy. Indonesia s gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate slipped below 6 percent in Q2 this year, for the first time in almost three years, to 5.8 percent year-on-year. The slowdown is due to numerous factors: i) the lackluster performance in exports, as global demand remains weak, and as exporters make their gradual shift towards more value added products ahead of the upcoming total ban on raw material exports; ii) the depreciating rupiah, which is driving up import costs, and iii) the slight drop in consumption, after the long awaited fuel subsidy cut in June spurred higher inflation, and lowered the purchasing power of the average consumer. Inflationary pressures are no doubt on the rise: prices have accelerated from 5.9 percent yearon-year in June to a staggering 8.2 percent in July. This has prompted the central bank to raise its reference rate for the second consecutive time this year in July, by a more than expected 50bps. Indonesia s policy rate now stands at 6.50 percent. The rate hike was also endorsed to help revive the rupiah, which has been depreciating sharply of-late. However, the rate hike may also drive down domestic consumption and private investment levels. Consumption has traditionally been Indonesia s largest contributor to growth. If it continues to wane, this may pose some worrying signs for an economy determined to keep growth above the 6 percent mark by year s end. Real GDP is a measure of the economic output or of the size of the economy - adjusted for inflation or deflation. It is the sum of the values of all final goods and services produced by that country or region KCIC WEEKLY ANALYSIS ON ASIA over a given time period. The values depend on the quantities (volume) of the goods produced and their prices. Real GDP is a measure that holds prices constant by using a given year s value (the base date) for all items and services. Then these values are used to calculate GDP for years prior to the base year and subsequent years. GDP can be measured in several ways, and Statistics Indonesia, the government body responsible for national accounts data, publishes GDP by expenditure and sector output. The graph illustrates the expenditure breakdown of GDP, which consists of private consumption, government expenditure, fixed capital investments, exports and imports. Exports are a strong driver of growth in the domestic-oriented nation, but private consumption has traditionally contributed more to GDP growth. Indonesia s exports, a bulk of which are commodities, are expected to continue to fall this year, as global demand remains fragile and structural reforms increasingly hurt the industry. Indonesia imposed export taxes on raw materials such as unprocessed metal ores and is scheduled to impose a total ban on all raw material exports by next year. However, we believe that stronger investment inflows should help at least partially offset the fall in exports. As the upcoming total ban looms, major companies are setting up processing plants in order to benefit from the current lack of competitiveness in the local processing industry. As a result of the subsidy cut, the main risk currently facing the economy is higher inflation, which is being exacerbated by the weakening currency, and which may lead to further rises in the policy rate. Indonesia s local currency, the rupiah, has been on a depreciating trend recently, mostly because of fears that the US Fed will begin tapering its quantitative easing program as soon as September. This has increased the demand for the US dollar instead. On the domestic side, the rising minimum wage may also fuel core inflation. Needless to say, the rising minimum wage should help support consumption, particularly among the growing middle class, and the prospective commodity export ban should boost investment in the medium run. Furthermore, in the absence of the high fuel subsidy costs (which last year accounted for about 16 percent of the state s budget), the government will be able to allocate more funding towards strengthening the economy s infrastructure. Thus, we anticipate a pick-up in government expenditure this year too. Whilst we may see Indonesia s economic growth rate slip just below 6 percent in 2013, we stand by our call that the current painful reforms are likely to bring about greater and more stable sources of economic growth in the years ahead. Dana Gas Q2 net profit slides 45% DUBAI: Dana Gas, the United Arab Emirates energy firm that restructured a $920 million Islamic bond in April, said yesterday that its second-quarter net profit fell sharply due to lower oil prices and sales of liquefied petroleum gas. Dana reported a net profit of 100 million dirhams ($27.2 million), the company said in an ed statement, a drop of 45 percent over the prior-year period. ìthe main reason is the LPG production in Kurdistan as well as oil prices,î Rashid Al-Jarwan, acting CEO of Dana, said on a conference call with reporters yesterday. He added that Danaís LPG loading and dispatch facilities in Kurdistan were disrupted following an accident last year, and that the company took a $12 million loss in LPG revenues in the second quarter. Total revenues for the second quarter were 528 million dirhams, down from 554 million dirhams in the same period in Dana said its average overall production volume was up 5 percent to 61,700 barrels of oil equivalent per day in the second quarter. Instability in Egypt remains a concern; Dana collected 203 million dirhams against its receivables in Egypt during the first half of 2013, compared with 431 million dirhams in the first six months of But the company remained optimistic. ìin Egypt, with changes and commitments from the GCC countries, thereís growing confidence in things improving. They are aware of the slowdown in investments and thereís recognition of the need to step up production overall,î Al-Jarwan said. Reuters

24 BUSINESS Lexus launches the 2nd Lexus Design Award KUWAIT: Following the tremendous success of last year s inaugural edition of the Lexus Design Award which received applications from up-andcoming artists from over 72 countries, Lexus yesterday announced the launch of its second edition. The Lexus Design Award, an international design competition targeting the next generation of innovators from across the world, provides an opportunity for the winners to showcase their works while receiving feedback from worldrenowned design professionals. 12 winners will be announced in early 2014, of which two winners will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work and receive mentoring from two famous designers to create prototypes of their designs and will also receive up to $50,000 to cover prototype production costs. The two prototypes and also panel displays of the other ten winning entries will be exhibited at Lexus Design Amazing 2014 (a Lexus exhibition space) during Milan Design Week Applications for Lexus Design Award 2014, organized in cooperation with designboom and Design Association NPO, will be open from August 1, 2013 until October 15, Applications for the competition can be made through the designboom website: us-design-award-2014 Nobuyuki Negishi, Chief Representative of Middle East & North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation said, After the phenomenal success and interest that we received from participants, we ve decided to launch Lexus Design Award 2014 and hope to continue doing so for years to come. This initiative by Lexus is part of our efforts to support the next generation of creators and encourage creativity in design, something that we as a leading luxury car manufacturer are extremely keen on. In fact, we spend a lot of our time, efforts and resources, both financial and human, towards improving our designs and enhancing their impact on the world. We lay a lot of emphasis and importance on producing cars with designs that constantly exhilarate and excite our customers. Applying curiosity in a creative manner can result in unexpected innovation that change lives. Hence Lexus has chosen Curiosity as the theme for the 2nd Lexus Design Award, with the hope of challenging and inspiring all the entrants. Designers from all fields, such as architecture, product design and fashion can participate in this competition. Entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges including Tokuo Fukuichi, Executive Vice President of Lexus International, and other internationally renowned experts in the field of architecture and design such as Paola Antonelli, Aric Chen, Toyo Ito, Birgit Lohmann, Alice Rawsthorn. Assessments will be based on the participants deep understanding of the design concepts for the competition, their interpretation of those concepts, uniqueness of their perspective and originality of solutions proposed under the competition s theme. In addition, the mentors who will work closely with two of the competition winners will be Arthur Huang, an architecture graduate from Harvard University and Founder and Managing Director of MINIWIZ, an all-in-one design, engineering, manufacturing and product marketing company, and Robin Hunicke, a game designer and Executive Producer of the award-winning downloadable game - Journey, on Sony s Play Station Network. Untangling the UK bid for a Bulgarian pension fund LONDON: British company United Capital, which agreed last month to buy most of Bulgaria s biggest private pension fund Doverie, has no stock market listing, no website and no phone number. Its registered office is a terraced house in the town of Grays in Essex, occupied by Tanja Pazarcik, who works for Insolution Service, an agency that helps people set up companies. It uses the address for a number of its clients. Pazarcik says she forwards United s mail to an address in Austria but otherwise knows little about the firm. United Capital s accounts filed in late October showed the company had 14 pounds in cash and is dormant. The transaction price for Doverie has not been revealed. In a July 15 statement the seller, Vienna Insurance Group AG, said only it had agreed to sell its percent of Pension Insurance Company Doverie to United Capital PLC. Such gaps have raised questions in Bulgaria about United Capital s intentions for Doverie, which with almost 1.8 billion levs ($1.2 billion) under management and more than 1.25 million contributors is an important pension provider in Europe s poorest country. In Britain, transparency campaigners have latched onto the controversy to renew their calls for tougher disclosure rules. A Reuters examination of company documents and interviews in Britain, Austria, Bulgaria, Russia and Hong Kong has traced the ownership of United Capital to a series of corporate entities. Bulgaria s ruling Socialists have appealed to the country s financial regulator to halt the sale. The watchdog says it will seek more information about United Capital s owners, finances and how it proposes to fund the purchase when United Capital files its documents for approval of the transaction. A spokesman for Vienna Insurance Group said it carried out an examination of all the offers it received from several parties and, after an evaluation, put together a shortlist. From there, the final decision was for United Capital, the spokesman said. He did not respond to requests for further comment on what Vienna Insurance knew about United Capital. In an ed statement on July 26, United Capital said it was a UK-based financial services holding entity, which, along with affiliates, manages more than 2 billion euros and which has participation in insurance companies, real estate funds, banks and industrial assets in the EU, US and Russia. There s nothing the slightest bit unusual about this purchase or selection process which was vetted (by an independent entity), said US-based lawyer Deborah Sturman, chairman of United Capital, in a telephone interview. United Capital is a perfectly normal UK-registered financial services holding company. When asked about concerns over the deal in Bulgaria, she said: if people have a problem with it, I don t care. Due diligence According to UK regulatory filings United Capital was incorporated in 2007 by a UK firm called Fletcher Kennedy, which creates offshore companies. Fletcher Kennedy s website says the firm can set up companies in offshore centres such as Belize, the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar and the Seychelles. It also says it can set up companies in the UK in three hours for a fee of 208 pounds. You do not have to be a UK national or resident to be an officer of a UK company, the website states. The company must also have a registered office within the United Kingdom. This is the official address of the company, it does not have to be a trading address, and the company does not have to maintain a presence at the address. We will provide you with an address to use as your registered office. Director Charles Fletcher said the firm was instructed by an individual he declined to name to set up United Capital, and the complex structure that you mention came in long after our short involvement with the company ended. He added: In 2007 there was no requirement for formation agents to carry out due diligence checks. Having said that, we would have obtained identity documents from the instructing client. Companies having a registered office at an address other than their trading address is a matter for the legislators. Once United Capital was founded Fletcher Kennedy resigned as director and secretary soon afterwards, according to regulatory filings. A formation agent acting as the first director and then resigning was standard practice at the time, Charles Fletcher said. United Capital s accounts for the year to May 2012, filed in October, show the firm had almost 2.9 million pounds in cash. Amended accounts filed later that month show it had 14 pounds in cash. Both show the company to be dormant. Bulgarian politicians and contributors to the Doverie pension fund say they want more details about United Capital s owners. In its ed statement on July 26, United Capital said one of its significant investors was Sergei Mastyugin, a Russian banker. United Capital chairman Sturman said in an ed response to Reuters on Aug 2 that Asia Trade Management, based in Hong Kong and whose principal owner is Mastyugin, had a stake of very close to 50 percent. A spokeswoman for Mastyugin was not available to comment. Based on regulatory filings in Hong Kong, the business activities and shareholders of Asia Trade Management are unclear. A representative for Asia Trade Management declined to comment but said a spokeswoman from Investbank - a Russian bank in which Mastyugin has an 18.3 percent stake and where he sits on the supervisory board - would respond. That spokeswoman was not able to comment, however. United Capital s ed statement on July 26 also said LJ Capital, the London-based merchant banking arm of privately held LJ Group, had increased its interest in the firm. Sturman said that LJ Capital had a stake of very close to 50 percent. LJ Capital declined to comment. The relevant people UK regulatory filings show that United Capital has four directors. Three - Slobodan Ristic, Guenter Rohr, and Dr Heinz Russwurm - live in Vienna or nearby. The fourth director is Sturman. Rohr has been a director since Ristic, Russwurm and Sturman were appointed on July 11 of this year, the filings show, four days before Vienna Insurance Group announced it would sell its stake in the Bulgarian fund to United. Rohr, who advertises himself as running an IT and corporate consultancy firm, said he would pass on questions from Reuters to the relevant people. Russwurm, who is listed in directories as a tax accountant, could not be contacted for comment, nor could Ristic. Plamen Dimitrov, the head of Bulgaria s largest trade union CITUB which has a 1 percent stake in Doverie, said his union wanted to know more about United Capital. The company has changed its majority owner several times, but the buyers were always well established companies and now we get this company (United Capital) that no one has heard of, he said. Previous majority owners include the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, Deutsche Bank and the Dutch Kardan Financial Services Group. Deutsche Bank and Kardan declined to comment. The EBRD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Daniela Petkova, head of the Doverie management board, said the uncertainty about its future ownership was damaging the fund: I do not know now what the fair value of the company will be, as many people have already filed declarations to change their pension fund because of the lack of clarity. We are speaking about thousands. Reuters

25 ATHENS: Demonstrators take part at a protest. Civil servants continued a second day of work stoppages and held a protest rally in central Athens. AP Veterans return to US with entrepreneurial ambitions NEW BERN: Dan Spangler s business started to take shape after the injured Marine started hanging around a mutt named Spanky and learned he had a soft spot for dogs. But as you might expect from a veteran, Spangler took a disciplined but steadfast approach to building his business. The nearly seven-year journey to opening A Dog s Dream in New Bern in 2010 included utilizing local small-business resources, going back to school and saving money by working unrelated jobs. We are growing by leaps and bounds, said Spangler, 34. The transition from Marine to employee can be a difficult one, Spangler said, because some private sector opportunities limit veterans with unbending job descriptions and micro-management. That is one of the reasons self-employment is often a better - but not necessarily easier - option for many veterans. Veterans are 45 percent more likely than their civilian counterparts to be small-business owners or entrepreneurs, said Rhett Jeppson, associate administrator for the US Small Business Administration Office of Veterans Business Development. Nearly 1 in 10 small businesses nationwide are veteranowned, he said. Collectively, those 2.4 million veteran-owned businesses employ almost 6 million Americans and generate more than $1 trillion in receipts. We think supporting that small-business veteran owner is huge, Jeppson said. It s not only that we have a moral obligation to support our veterans, but also it makes a lot of economic sense to provide and foster opportunities to our veterans. Military members transitioning from active service participate in mandated transition assistance programs that introduce them to different career tracks, including entrepreneurship. Scott Dorney, the North Carolina Military Business Center s executive director, said while there are a plethora of services available to those veterans who become entrepreneurs, navigating through all those resources can be a real challenge. Jeppson found aid through the SBA s Veteran Business Outreach Center at Fayetteville (NC) State University. The SBA and its resource partners, Jeppson said, can help veterans with everything from building a business plan to connecting them to financing opportunities. Mark Haupt, president of the N.C. Veteran s Business Association, recommends that veterans sorting through resources talk to other business owners who have used the services. He said they should never pay for information that organizations such as the SBA provide for free. When you are a veteran, one of the things you have is will, and you are persistent, and even with no resources or very limited resources, you are going to figure things out, said US Army veteran Alisha Whiteway, who in 2008 opened Tellurvision, a video production firm for small businesses in Raleigh, NC. Whiteway said her military service gave her credibility, but she learned how to identify a target market from other business owners. Whiteway sought help from the Women s Business Center of North Carolina, along with successful women business owners, to help her move her business forward. When Spangler returned to Jacksonville, NC, from Iraq in 2003, he adopted Spanky, a tan and white mutt, from a local shelter. We ended up spending a lot of time together, Spangler said. He went everywhere with me. Spangler enrolled Spanky in classes at PetSmart and became infatuated with the process. He started teaching classes himself when he was given a medical discharge from the Marines in He hurt his hip diving for cover when his unit came under fire. The former microwave and multi-channel radio technician used his GI Bill benefits to get an associate degree at Coastal Carolina Community College. Spangler visited Anne Shaw, director of the Small Business Center there, to discuss his idea to open a dog-related business. Shaw and others encouraged him to build a plan and save money. I learned there were more things I needed to learn, he said. Spangler left PetSmart after three years to work for the government and later for government contractors. He continued to work on his business plan as he sought a master s degree in organizational leadership from an online program. In June 2010, Spangler was spending 90 days in Iraq and 30 days at home doing surveillance electronic work on aircraft for a government contractor. He had saved about $80,000, and the routine was wearing on him. So, I turned around and made a decision, he said. I was going to quit my job, come back to the States and start a company. Spangler found a building in New Bern and executed a marketing plan, which included standing outside on the road in an orange dog suit and turning his Ford Transit Connect into a Doggy Mobile. Since then, the boarding and day care facility has added grooming, a retail area and a training center. The business serves up to 200 dogs - and their owners - a week, Spangler said. In late 2011, he founded Dreamer s Foundation, a nonprofit agency that raises awareness and money for local animal organizations and efforts. Spangler stays in close touch with the Small Business Center and attends almost every small business thing there is. It is for the interaction with other business owners, new people that are looking to start a business, Spangler said. Because ideas come from anywhere, and growing and never stop learning is the most important part of being an entrepreneur. MCT Russian billionaire seeks US govt financing for luxury jets NEW YORK/ATLANTA: Billionaire Russian businessman Gennady Timchenko, a long-time associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, plans to seek US government-backed funding to buy luxury aircraft, Reuters has learned. To smooth the path for financial backing from the US. Export- Import Bank and allay possible US government concerns about him, Timchenko hired lobbyists from powerhouse Washington law firm Patton Boggs, according to s and documents viewed by Reuters. Timchenko plans to ask Ex-Im Bank for a loan guarantee to buy as many as 11 aircraft from Gulfstream Aerospace of Savannah, Georgia, according to one US official who spoke to his lobbyists - though the scope of the potential deal remains unclear. Timchenko is one of Russia s richest oligarchs, the billionaire business barons who emerged following the fall of the Soviet Union, some of whom enjoy close ties to Putin. The plane order would bolster the fleet of Timchenko s Finland-based luxury jet charterer, Airfix Aviation Oy, whose aircraft have reportedly transported Kremlin-linked businessmen and Russian government officials. Patton Boggs acknowledged its work on Timchenko s behalf. It told Reuters it has held preliminary talks with Ex-Im Bank, officials from two Senate offices and a US congressional policy advisor, without naming the officials. The firm said the talks with Ex-Im Bank involved a loan guarantee for a single jet that Airfix has already ordered. These discussions were preliminary, said Patton Boggs partner Joseph Brand in an . The quest for US government-backed funding is perfectly legal, but comes as subsidiaries of Timchenko s flagship firm, global commodities trader Gunvor Group, are under investigation by the US Department of Justice. Gunvor said in May the investigation relates to oil trading activities but has not provided further details. The Department of Justice would not comment. A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Patton Boggs partners told him in May that Airfix would seek Ex-Im Bank backing to buy 11 Gulfstream jets. An order of that size could carry a list value of anywhere between $173 million and $710 million, based on the catalogue prices of Gulfstream planes. The jets range from $15.7 million to $64.5 million apiece. Any future Ex-Im Bank deal for Timchenko or his firms would require him to pass a detailed vetting process the bank carries out on potential customers, which can include sharing information with several U.S. government agencies. We represent one of Gennady Timchenko s companies, Airfix Aviation, Patton Boggs partner Laurence Harris wrote in a May , seen by Reuters, in which he requested a meeting with the US government official. We know you have concerns about Gennady. We d like to talk to you about this. Patton Boggs later met with the US official, and the lobbyists sought to address what they said were unfounded allegations about Timchenko, including that he was part of a cadre of businessmen who potentially benefit from close ties to Putin. Ex-Im Bank spokesman Phil Cogan said the bank hasn t yet received a formal application from Timchenko and can t comment on talks with potential borrowers. Gulfstream, a unit of General Dynamics, declined to comment. Anton Kurevin, a spokesman for Timchenko s Moscow-based holding company Volga Resources, confirmed to Reuters that Timchenko plans to seek a loan guarantee from Ex-Im Bank. Timchenko, who owns 44 percent of Gunvor, has seen his wealth multiply over the past decade after Gunvor captured deals to market crude exports from state-run Russian energy firms. He now has a fortune estimated by Forbes at $14.1 billion. The Russian billionaire declined to be interviewed for this story, but has consistently denied claims that his relationship with Putin has led to any benefits for his businesses. To connect my success to the fact that I know (Putin) is nonsense, Timchenko told Swiss newspaper Neue Zurcher Zeitung in April. Reuters BUSINESS When attorney Charity Kenyon appeared before the California Supreme Court a few years ago, she was fashionably dressed in serious-lawyer attire. Yet from head to toe, her courtroom ensemble - heels, black skirt and a high-end Ralph Lauren jacket - was purchased from secondhand stores. Total cost: no more than $125. Likewise, Alison Merrilees, a longtime California Capitol staffer, works in a world of designer-clad lobbyists and legislators. On a recent summer workday, she sported a stylish striped skirt and a polka-dot silk sweater. Both came from a thrift shop. Total cost: $6. Both women are committed thrifters, a category of shoppers who buy most of their casual and workday wardrobes from gently used clothing stores. Their motivations are partly environmental, partly frugal, partly thrill-of-the-hunt fun. Kenyon, who started shopping secondhand about 15 years ago, said it s a way to be both economical and feel as though I m contributing less to environmental impacts. It s 100 percent recycling. Thrift-store clothing is also a way to sidestep so-called fast fashion, the inexpensive, trendy clothes churned out cheaply in overseas factories. The recent garment factory tragedies in Bangladesh, where more than 1,200 low-paid workers were killed in fires and a building collapse, have raised awareness of the dangers of a buycheap, buy-more clothing culture. I don t like the idea of buying cheap, disposable clothes. Secondhand shopping breaks that cycle, said Merrilees, who got hooked on buying used a decade ago, initially for her kids clothes. Certainly, buying secondhand isn t a new concept. Consignment stores and charity-backed stores have survived for years on donated goods and loyal shoppers. Not to mention mainstays like Goodwill and Salvation Army. And online, ebay has plenty of competitors with trendy names like Tradesy, Rehash and Threadflip. The recent recession had a huge impact on the thrift shop industry, said Michael Gold, founder of TheThriftShopper.com, a Vero Beach, Fla.-based directory of charity-based secondhand stores. He said his listings have jumped past 11,100 in recent years. People are thrifting more than ever, he said. There was a stigma that s been disappearing as thrift shops become more boutique-y. In 2012, the used merchandise industry, which includes sellers of apparel, furniture, books and jewelry, racked up $13 billion in annual revenue, according to First Research, which profiles US industries. Saving money is a big appeal of thrifting. Lots of budget-conscious moms like buying used baby and children s clothes, because they re quickly outgrown. The resale market is blossoming thanks to value-conscious consumers, according to the national Association of Resale Professionals, which projects 7 percent annual growth in the number of consignment and secondhand stores, currently estimated at 25,000. For many veteran thrifters, though, it s just plain fun. It lets me take risks, buying things I would never do if I were paying full price, said Merrilees, like her eye-popping turquoise-and-teal brocade coat that always draws compliments. Does she ever feel self-conscious about where her designer labels come from? At the Capitol, she sometimes has to bite my tongue rather than reveal she paid only $10 for a skirt or is wearing someone else s castoffs. Indeed, 80 percent of consumers surveyed in recent years by America s Research Group said they d never buy someone else s worn clothing. A lot of people don t want to buy something used because of health concerns, said Chairman/CEO Britt Beemer. Yet the troubled economy drives consumers to hunt for used clothing bargains. In a back-to-school shopping survey in July, America s Research Group reported that 18.9 percent of US adults said they had shopped in a secondhand store during the last year. Another avenue for secondhand clothes is refashion, where creative, seamstress-savvy artists buy used apparel that s snipped and resewn into new garments. Olivia Coelho, co-owner of Bows & Arrows resale boutique in Sacramento, Calif., whose wardrobe is mostly recycled clothing, says she hunts for period pieces from the 60s, 70s and 80s at vintage stores, estate sales and flea markets. She looks for geometric and bohemian fabrics that can be recrafted into crop tops, tunics or shirts, often thumbing through plus-size racks because there s more yardage to work with. It s the greenness of it, but I also like the fashion history, said Coelho. It s taking a fabric that s already lived its own life and cutting it up and making it into new shapes and styles. Thrifting also appeals to teens who want to express themselves. Merrilees son Andrew Paiva, 17, and friends from his Sacramento high school Government subsidies fire up London property hotspots Bank of England faces tricky balancing act LONDON: Tony Richmount is thankful he procrastinated. A year ago, the retired engineer from Wimbledon wanted to sell his house and move to a retirement flat but got cold feet. That proved to be a stroke of luck. His three-bedroom house, valued at 600,000 pounds last summer, has just sold for 725,000 pound ($1.1 million). Property appreciation of 20 percent in a year is far from unique in parts of London like the leafy southwest neighbourhood known best for its tennis tournament. Record-low interest rates and generous - some say fiscally dangerous - government incentives to get banks lending have lifted mortgage affordability to its highest in generations. It has prompted talk of housing bubbles and questions about whether billions of pounds in stimulus for the economy is going to the right place. Britons, many of whom who need little encouragement when it comes to borrowing, are making the most of it, leveraging up like they did before the credit crisis and helping drag the economy out of its post-recession doldrums. Property prices are rising at their fastest pace in three years, according to Nationwide, a building society. In London, the best-performing region, prices are already 5 percent above their 2007 peak. Critics accuse the government of pumping up the market to restore a feel-good factor ahead of national elections in A recovery driven by credit, they say, is unsustainable and will build problems for the future when interest rates rise. For aspiring British homeowners, however, the lure is strong. The Bank of England has given a strong hint it might not raise rates before 2016 and the government is adamant its Help to Buy scheme will run for three years, rising prices or not. In the capital, cheap mortgages are changing the drivers of the market. Big price gains used to be for trophy homes snapped up for cash by super-rich foreign buyers. Now the bidding wars are breaking out in the suburbs. Sean Purtill, managing director of Wimbledon estate agent Ellisons, says buyer interest has exploded in the last three months. In South Park Gardens, a desirable pocket of tree-lined roads near a park and good school, prices have risen 24 percent in a year. In the Apostles, a grid of Edwardian family homes, prices are up 23 percent. Just last week we had a meeting of our branch managers and everyone kept saying how incredible this market is, he said. When a house comes on our books we will typically hold an open day on a Saturday, have 15 to 20 people look round it and by Monday we ll have five bids, mostly at the asking price. Sealed bids, not seen since the frothy days of 2007, are making a comeback and homes in popular areas can draw two or three offers above the asking price. To make sure prospective buyers are serious, Ellisons require successful bidders to engage a lawyer within 48 hours and book a property survey within three weeks. Delays, Purtill explains, scupper deals: Sellers see a neighbour s house come on the market at a higher price and wonder if they should re-market their property for more. London leads A scarcity of land for development and a concentration of high earners has turbo-charged price growth in the capital. Fewer than 12,000 homes a year have been built in Greater London in the last decade, a fraction of the 30,000 or more that experts say are needed just to keep pace with demographic shifts. Where London leads, the rest of the country tends to follow, but the gap between the capital and less affluent regions is growing. House price growth nationally has picked up to around 4 percent a year but in parts of northern England prices are flat at best. In Liverpool, an industrial city in the northwest, the council has launched a project to auction derelict properties for as little as a pound. In the seaside town of Blackpool a little further north, two-bedroom properties can still be bought for 50,000 pounds, a 10th of the cost of an average house in the capital. The government touted Help to Buy as a scheme to help people onto the property ladder who would otherwise lack the means to do so, but its biggest impact appears to have been to drive up prices in more affluent areas by making the housing market seem a one-way bet. Indeed, the properties selling fastest are often above the scheme s 600,000 pound price limit. Ben Cameron, a sales negotiator at Andrew Scott Robinson, an estate agent that focuses on South-West London and further out Surrey, reckons the sweet spot is between 600,000 to 1.2 million pounds. A house in this bracket, particularly if near a good school and transport links, will often sell in just one or two weeks. Nationally, the average time a property spends on the market is eight weeks. Buyers are coming out of rented accommodation because they are seeing prices rise. They may have missed out of previous house price rallies and want to jump on this one, he said. Help to Buy is not the only way the government is subsidising the housing industry. The Funding for Lending Scheme launched via the Bank of England a year ago has helped lower mortgage costs and increase the availability of loans. Before the scheme was introduced last summer, the lowest five-year fixed mortgage rates were close to 4 percent. Now rates can be as low as 2.49, below the rate of inflation. Between 2009 and 2012, the recovery was driven by overseas cash buyers looking to shelter their wealth from instability in the euro area and from political change sweeping through North Africa and the Middle East. Most demand now, says estate agent Knight Frank s head of residential research Liam Bailey, is from Britons buying with a mortgage. New bubble? There are signs that the recovery in the housing market is fuelling a recovery in the broader economy. Rising prices typically go hand-inhand with rising consumer spending, and the government s Help to Buy scheme has given property developers the confidence to build again. The construction sector grew last month at its fastest pace in three years, with the residential sector the best performer. Supply, however, is still not keeping pace with rising demand. The International Monetary Fund, former Bank of England policymakers and Britain s official budget watchdog have all warned that state-backed mortgage guarantees, the main plank of Help to Buy, will only push prices higher, putting property further out of the reach of first-time buyers. Concern has even been voiced from within the government s own ranks. I did warn about it, and I am worried about the danger of getting into another housing bubble, business minister Vince Cable said. Mortgage payments as a percentage of average income look sustainable, but this will only hold for as long as interest rates remain at abnormally low levels. Affordability on traditional price/earnings metrics is already looking stretched. The Bank of England faces a dilemma. If it tightens policy prematurely to put a break on property prices it could snuff out the recovery. If it leaves rates at record lows, homeowners will load up on more debt and be in more trouble when rates eventually rise. A Bank of England report in May warned that nearly one in 10 people with a mortgage would have to take significant action - such as working longer hours or cutting back on spending - if rates were to rise by just one percentage point. While policymakers deliberate, those stepping off the property ladder are rubbing their hands. Tony Richmount is looking forward to a more comfortable retirement, and the opportunity to indulge his grandchildren too. My son, who works in finance, told me I was making a mistake when I didn t sell last year, he said. I m glad I didn t listen. Reuters Second-hand shops do well during recession GALT: Charity Kenyon picks out an outfit she bought second-hand at a consignment store at her home in Galt, California. MCT are regular thrift shop hounds, frequenting Thrift Town outlets. It often entails picking through a lot of crappy shirts or those with funny sayings that really aren t that funny, notes Paiva. When he was 13, Paiva thought thrift-shopping was kind of gross, but in high school it caught on among his friends. It s a fun way to express yourself cheaply, said the senior, who said he s bought plenty of $1 T-shirts and $4 pairs of jeans, as well as dress shirts, khakis and shoes. You can find original clothes that you couldn t find anywhere else. It s a surprise every time. Among his favorites: a pair of Vans slip-on shoes with a dark-plaid pattern that no one had ever seen before. Both Merrilees and Kenyon always wash or dry-clean their secondhand buys before wearing. And Kenyon said she never buys used athletic wear, running shoes or underwear. Indeed, some resale stores decline to take lingerie, swimsuits or hats for sanitary reasons. When traveling, Kenyon makes a point to seek out upscale consignment shops in US cities, as well as secondhand stores in foreign countries. One of her favorite finds was an all-felt designer jacket picked up at a Denmark consignment store - for $5. Kenyon, who retired last year from practicing law, says there s another virtue to secondhand shopping. Years ago, at a League of Women Voters conference, she heard activist Gloria Steinem ask the audience to open their checkbooks and see where their financial priorities lay. Her message: If you can afford $100 designer jeans, you can afford a $100 donation. I ve sort of turned that on its head, said Kenyon, who sits on a number of nonprofit boards. I would never spend $300 on any item of clothing, but it s easy to give that same amount to a nonprofit.... And it s far more satisfying. MCT

26 Leading global management consulting firm Booz & Company yesterday announced the results of the 2013 Fit for Growth Index study, which finds sustainable company performance is driven by the extent to which corporations are able to link their strategic and cost and resources agendas. Since the 2008 economic crisis, when many firms had to slash costsand resources in a rush, executives have been increasingly pressured to determine how to best reposition their companies for growth and economic recovery. Many companies are sitting on healthy balance sheets, but few are really clear about how to make the most of their resources, said Vinay Couto, Booz & Company senior partner and co-author of the study. Booz & Company s Fit for Growth approach is a proven way forward for companies that want to more efficiently utilize their resources to grow stronger said Dr Walid Fayad, Booz & Company partner. The Fit for Growth Index measures how well a company connects its cost and resources and growth agendas by assessing companies in three key areas: strategic clarity and coherence with a clear and aligned set of capabilities; aligned resource base and cost structure; and supportive organization. The study analyzed nearly 200 public companies across a wide range of industries. Each company s index score was calculated and compared with its total shareholder return over the past two years. Key findings There is a clear correlation between a company s Fit for Growth Index score and its market performance. Companies that focus on the three key elements of strategic clarity and coherence, resource alignment, and supportive organization generate higher shareholder returns. Although the steps may seem clear and the positive impact is obvious, less than one-fifth of the companies (17 percent) are well positioned to grow. Only a small subset of those(6 percent of the total) perform well along all three dimensions of the Fit for Growth Index. Companies fall BUSINESS Booz & Company announces results of Fit for Growth Index 2013 study Vinay Couto Walid Fayad into five broad archetypes, each with its own characteristics and challenges. The study identifies a specific set of recommendations for companies in each archetype. Companies with the highest Fit for Growth Index score tightly link their strategic and cost and resources agendas while building supportive organizations. They clearly understand which capabilities are truly critical for winning with their strategy, and they funnel the bulk of their resources to those differentiating capabilities. Finally, they strive to build supportive organizations so that the collective actions of their people align more closely to their strategy. Having worked with many leading companies across a variety of industries, we havethe unique opportunity to gain insights into what winning organizations do to return to sustainable high performance, said Booz & Company principal Manish Mahajan. The Fit for Growth Index provides a measurable, quantifiable metric that assesses the benefits of how a company can build competitive muscle while cutting the corporate fat that weighs the companydown. Gulf Extrusions unveils new logo at special suhour event DUBAI: Gulf Extrusions, a leading global manufacturer of extruded aluminum products, has unveiled its new corporate logo depicting its renewed and highly focused motivation to move forward and upwards during a special suhour dinner held recently at The Music Hall at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel in The Palm, Dubai. The new logo retains the green color of the old logo, signifying Gulf Extrusions full support for environmental causes in the Middle East. However, the four arrows extending in multiple directions have been replaced by two arrows pointing upward and forward, reflecting the new corporate thrust. The sleek curves of the arrows also signify the company s dynamism. Overall, the logo represents the company s desire to combine tradition with modernity as it reaches for greater heights. The launching of the logo forms part of an extensive and holistic rebranding campaign - ranging from brand auditing to corporate identity - being undertaken to reenergize the corporate spirit. Particular attention is being given to properly and strongly projecting Gulf Extrusions Value Statements with regards to the Human Aspect, the Environment, Ethics/Credibility, and Technology/Equipment. The new branding is aligned also to the reshaping of Gulf Extrusions vision, mission and business model, highlighting also the important role of the Corporate Social Responsibility. Gulf Extrusions new vision is To globally become the premier aluminium extrusion company. The company wants to meet its vision through the new mission To constantly and persistently exceed the expectations of our business partners in all aspects including quality and delivery through sustained business excellence and industry innovation. Gulf Extrusions has a long tradition of excellence, and excellence means constant improvement, which is why we have decided to infuse a new look and feel to our brand and identity. Over the past few years we have achieved sustained growth and through our wide range of products we have managed to be proactive and flexible in meeting market needs. Through our rebranding initiative we aim to clearly impart these messages, especially to our valued customers and partners, and show how we intend to remain an industry leader, said Majid Al-Ghurair. Aside from being a launch platform, the suhour dinner served as an ideal venue for Gulf Extrusion to share in the Ramadan spirit, express corporate camaraderie, and interact with key customers and media representatives. The event was hosted by Majid Saif Al-Ghurair, Managing Director of Gulf Extrusions. Qatar Airways hosts a fun-filled day at KidZania KUWAIT: Qatar Airways invited children from Kuwait Association for the Care of Children in Hospital and Al- Kharafi Activity Kids Center for disabled children for an exciting day of fun and entertainment at KidZania Kuwait. KidZania Kuwait is an award-winning children s city-concept globally recognised for its unique blend of education and entertainment. Located in Kuwait s largest shopping mall, The Avenue, groups of children gathered at KidZania where they had the chance to role play real life activities of their dream professions. Representatives from Qatar Airways distributed gifts to participating children. Families of Qatar Airways employees in Kuwait also joined the fun on this special day, reinforcing the airlines commitment to supporting local charitable and social activities during the holy month. Citibank Kuwait named Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank KUWAIT: Citibank NA Kuwait has announced that it has won the Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank award. The win came in the first round of Global Finance magazine s awards for the 2013 Best Internet Banks in the Middle East and Africa. This is the second year Citibank NA Kuwait wins the Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank award as it has won the same in Citi s branches in UAE, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco were named winners in the award for Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank in their respective markets while Citibank Bahrain and Citibank Egypt won best Consumer Internet Bank Awards. Winners were chosen among entries evaluated by a world-class panel of judges at Infosys. Global Finance editors were responsible for the final selection of winners in the First Round. According to Global Finance: Winning banks were selected based on the following criteria: strength of strategy for attracting and servicing online customers, success in getting clients to use web offerings, growth of online customers, breadth of product offerings, evidence of tangible benefits gained from Internet initiatives, and web site design and functionality. Ozgur Kutay, General Manager for Citibank NA Kuwait, said: We are pleased to receive this award for the second time from Global Finance. This award is a strong recognition of our capabilities and the service we provide to our clients in Kuwait. Global Finance is an international finance magazine with a circulation in over 163 countries. The magazine covers a wide spectrum of subjects including corporate financing, capital markets, monetary policies, banking operations and risk management. LONDON: Canon, as an Official Partner of the IAAF World Championships Moscow 2013, which takes place in August, will provide support for the event through a range of activities. Canon is an Official Partner of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Athletics Series, sponsoring a total of 15 IAAF World Athletics Series events from 2013 to The IAAF World Championships Moscow 2013, which begins on August 10, is a global competition that will bring together more than 2,500 athletes from some 200 countries and regions. Canon, in addition to displaying the company s logo on signage within the venue and on outdoor advertisements throughout Moscow, will support the Championships through its products, technology and service by carrying out a range of activities, including those listed below. On-site Canon professional service centre At numerous sporting competitions both in Japan and overseas, Canon has provided behind-the-scenes support to members of the press covering these events, including technical support, advice and repair services as well as loans of the latest Canon EOS system camera and lens equipment. To further improve media support at the IAAF World Championships Moscow 2013, expert staff at the on-site Canon Professional Service centre will assist the journalists and sports photographers from various countries and regions across the world. Additionally, all accredited photographers covering the event will wear bibs displaying the Canon logo. Canon Special IAAF World Championships Moscow 2013 website Canon will incorporate within the company s homepage a dedicated IAAF World Championships Moscow 2013 website that provides information related to the Canon Professional Service centre. Additionally, the site will include a link to the Canon Photo of the Day, which, featured on the Canon to support IAAF World Championships Moscow 2013 MENACORP, the UAE s leading investment bank, has announced that it has recruited several highprofile senior professionals to its brokerage division operating in Abu Dhabi and Dubai to increase its total of front-office brokerage professionals to 35. The premier financial services group now has the largest brokerage force in the country and one of the largest in the MENA region. The Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority requires a minimum of two brokers per brokerage firm; most of the UAE s 50 locallybased firms currently employ a maximum of four. MENACORP s brokerage team is thus far above both the industry standard and actual practice and will exceptionally drive its sales capabilities moving forward. Official data published by the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) on August 1, 2013 ranks MENA- CORP first among 50 competitors on the combined UAE markets with a share of 13.2 per cent on the DFM and 10.5 per cent on the ADX. Nabil Al Rantisi, Managing Director of Brokerage, MENACORP, said: Building up the largest brokerage force in the UAE and probably the largest in the MENA region gives MENACORP a strong competitive edge and unparalleled market insights. We would like to note that our new recruits are all high-profile, seasoned senior professionals with solid credentials and excellent reputations in the UAE markets. They bring to the company a wealth of experience that will keep us at the top of the UAE markets. If market conditions allow it, then we aim to further build up our front-office staff to 50 in the near future. This will allow us to cover all the markets of the MENA region as well as forex, commodities, and other international products, he added. The new recruits include Talal Al- Batayneh, former Head of Trading at Al-Ramz Securities who will now be MENACORP s Deputy Managing Director Brokerage, Equity Sales; Raed Salameh, previously Senior Markets Strategist for Al-Ramz Securities who has been appointed Head of Trading, Equity Sales Dubai Office; Yahya Issawi, the former Head of Sales at Mubasher who will now be the Head of Retail Equity Sales; and Firas Al-Zghaibi, MENACORP s new Markets Strategist who previously worked for Mubasher as Senior Investment Advisor. Rounding off the list are Hesham Khairy, the IAAF and Local Organizing Committee official websites during the competition, will present one image per day that has been carefully selected from among the many captured daily during the event. Visitors will be able to enjoy breathtaking images of the athletes in action, captured by top sports photographers who are supported by the outstanding imaging performance of Canon cameras and lenses. Canon area in the IAAF market street fan zone Fans attending the IAAF World Championships in Moscow will be able to have fun with imagery at the event in Canon s area within the IAAF Market Street fan zone. Amongst other entertainment activities, visitors will be able to enjoy Canon s exclusive photo studio. The images from the Canon Studio on Market Street will be shared on the Canon Russia Facebook page. Canon is also providing the IAAF with a range of imaging and printing solutions to help ensure the overall success of the tournament, including printers and multifunction devices which will be used in Moscow in IAAF offices, the media centre, the broadcast TV centre and the accreditation centres. Canon will continue contributing to the advancement of sports through the use of Canon products and technologies. MENACORP builds UAE s largest brokerage team KUWAIT: Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, is engaging with key Kuwaiti NGOs, charities and educational organisations as part of implementing its Corporate Sustainability Strategy to create a better and more sustainable future for Kuwait. Besides sponsoring sustainability initiatives, PIC is keen to introduce corporate funding best practices into the country by partnering with organisations and supporting them structure and deliver concrete projects. To this end, it has engaged KPMG to assist them in this venture and leverage on its international expertise of working with some of the world s leading corporate, governmental and private donors. This creates a unique opportunity for organisations to collaborate with businesses like PIC, and make a significant impact within Kuwaiti society and specifically focusing on environment, education and overall lifestyle. As part of this collaboration, KPMG brought together NGOs and univerisities that meet PIC s criteria, and who have a strong track record within Kuwait, to discuss the opportunity in details, and brainstorm initial Fathi Ben Grira new Head of Trading, Equity Sales Institutional Clients who was formerly VP - Institutional Sales Trader - Foreign Clients of EFG Hermes ; Ashraf Amin, a former Trading Manager at Al-Safwa Islamic Financial Services who will now assume the post of Senior Manager, Equity Sales Islamic Desk; Samer Al-Affouri, who came from Al- Damman Securities as Branch Manager of the ADX Branch and who will now act as Senior Manager, Equity Sales; and Ayman Alsatari, the new Head of Trading International Products, DGCX who was formerly General Manager Forex with Al-Brooge Forex Broker. Attracting the best talents is the cornerstone of our growth strategy. We are excited to work with such qualified and experienced professionals. Our brokerage division has been achieving unprecedented results in the industry since the creation of the DFM and the ADX and I am confident that the newest members of our team coming from some of the most reputed firms in the UAE will help us accelerate the pace of our growth and enable us to deliver better services to our clients, said Fathi Ben Grira, CEO, MENACORP. Abu Dhabi -based MENACORP is an awardwinning investment bank authorized and regulated by the UAE s Securities and Commodities Authority and the Dubai Financial Services Authority. It provides world-class expertise in financial advisory, brokerage, asset management and financial research. Maintaining the best workforce has been vital to the group s sustained industry leadership. PIC engaging with key Kuwaiti NGOs: KPMG ideas of projects that could benefit the country. The workshop that was held in KPMG offices in Al Hamra also focused on providing guidance to the various organisations on how PIC will support selected sustainability projects, which will be managed and implemented by the organizations themselves. Furthermore, KPMG s team of International and Kuwaiti staff recently ran a series of oneto-one meetings with the interested organisations to assis them in aligning with PIC s criteria, and ensure that the most relevant and impactful projects will be implemented. Stephen Blakeley, the Project Director for KPMG, commented PIC s desire to apply global leading practices to its engagement with NGOs and universities is a testament to PIC s commitment to achieving real positive impacts for Kuwait. Working alongside some of Kuwait s top NGOs and Universities is a great opportunity to foster closer collaboration between corporates and NGOs and Universities for the benefit of all Kuwaitis. Organisations will be submitting their proposals over the next few weeks, and PIC is looking to finalise its selection of projects towards the end of 2013.

27 PENNSYLVANIA: Ben Perlman knew how to lock up a bike. Every night, the University of Pennsylvania junior said, he latched a U-lock onto the frame of his $400 Cannondale, laced a cable through the wheels, and secured it all to a fat wooden post on the porch of his off-campus house in West Philadelphia. But the city s bike thieves are a determined lot. One morning 18 months ago, Perlman woke up to find it all gone. Including the wooden post. Which, to me, was impressive, Perlman said. The way I locked it... they would have had to carry the whole thing away. A new study of police data has identified the hottest spots for bike theft in Philadelphia. And Perlman lives in the hottest one of all - University City around the Penn campus. The close second and third winners of this dubious honor are Washington Square East and Rittenhouse Square. This summer, six bicycles were stolen from Perlman s roommates at a house they share on the 4000 block of Walnut Street. And peak bike-stealing season hasn t even kicked into gear. Police data show that, every year in August and September, nearly 600 bicycle owners return to wherever they left their wheels to find hacked metal, amputated frames, or nothing at all. In the last six years, more than 10,700 bicycles, with an aggregate value of $3.9 million, were reported stolen in Philadelphia, said Tyler Dahlberg, a graduate student from Clark University in Worcester, Mass. Dahlberg, 28, is here for the summer on a fellowship sponsored by Azavea, a geospacial-analysis software-development company - they make data and maps to produce information in amazing ways. His project will yield an interactive map that pinpoints where and when bicycle theft occurs. As more people use bicycles to commute and for recreation, thefts have naturally increased, said Susan Dannenberg, policy fellow for the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, which proposed and helped design the project. The coalition will use the new map to warn the public where to exercise extra caution, she said, and perhaps to help retrieve a few purloined bikes. Last year, an average of 160 were stolen each month, up from 135 a month in That s one every 4.5 hours. Working at Azavea s hip, geekish offices decorated with cherry-red chairs and Bart Simpson dolls, Dahlberg projects graphs and maps onto a large computer screen on the wall. The one indicating monthly bike-theft totals looks like a cardiogram, a steady rhythm of highs in the summer and lows in the dead of winter. One of Dahlberg s more unnerving discoveries is this: Once a bike has been stolen, the likelihood of another going missing in the next week from that exact location increases 260 percent. Even 90 days later, the risk is still 41 percent higher. This could be because multiple bicycle owners tend to cluster in the same buildings, he said, or because there are bicycle racks in these locations. Another graph - this one in concentric, multicolored circles - shows which days of the week are the riskiest. Mondays and Tuesdays, Dahlberg said, again noting that it was anyone s guess why. His job, he explained, is to identify the trends - not explain them. The bicycle-riding community is developing other means of waging its counteroffensive against bike theft. In the last two months, at least two bikes technology Using technology to thwart bike thieves have been reunited with their owners with help from a new Facebook group - Philadelphia Stolen Bikes - and plainclothes officers from the Third Police District. It doesn t happen real often that bikes are recovered, said Officer Michael Duffy, who helped in both instances. His district, which covers most of South Philadelphia, has been encouraging residents for the last two years to register their bicycles with the police, filing photographs, serial numbers, frame size, and special identifying characteristics. Without those details, Duffy said, it is difficult to prove ownership. In the course of a few days, bikes can change hands several times, he said. So even if a bike is found, the thief who might have been charged with a felony may now be facing only a misdemeanor, receiving stolen property. With the new Facebook group and other social media, the net for retrieving stolen bikes has widened considerably, said Duffy, who posts updates on Twitter (@ppdmikeduffy). On June 16, Ryan Fiel reported to police that his $1,500 custom road bike with a yellow-and-red frame was missing. He posted the loss on the Facebook stolen-bikes page and quickly learned that it was for sale on Craigslist. The next day, he arranged to meet the seller. Police arrested the man, and Fiel got his bike back. A woman, who asked that her name not be used, reported her $1,200 black-and-green Cannondale stolen in December. According to the police report, on July 8, a member of the Facebook group alerted her to a Craigslist listing in which a bike that looked like hers was for sale for $1,000. She contacted the Third District police, who set up another successful sting operation. In the last few weeks, since news of these incidents spread, several hundred new members have joined the Facebook group, which now has more than 1,500 and dozens of fresh postings of stolen bikes every day. A sampling: My beloved bike was stolen while I was working as a dog walker around front and Master streets, both the U lock and Cable lock were cut off of the bike and it was gone within minutes. It has a brown cup holder, a black basket... Felt cruiser stolen off rack on 10th Street between Walnut and Chestnut on Tuesday, July 17th between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. It has a custom rear rack (white)... Stolen in West Philadelphia: Specialized Crosstrail Black and Silver, 2009 model, serial #: WUD E, has black fenders, a black rear rack, an added water bottle holder and a stupid red basket tied on the rack... No matter how sharp-eyed and well-coordinated the community becomes in its efforts to reunite owners with their bikes, said Dannenberg, the best strategy is to lock up your baby well. Some people are good with spatial relationships. Some are not, she said, so the Bicycle Coalition has posted a video on its website with thorough instructions on how to properly batten down. For someone like Perlman, who has already been burned, no amount of hardware is going to give him confidence. He locks up his new Cannondale (which he won this year in a $10 raffle) in populated areas only for short periods of time. And at night? I m not taking any more chances, he said. I bring it inside. MCT TOKYO: The Japanese cargo-carrying rocket, H-2B, lifts off from the launch pad of the southern island of Tanegashima yesterday. AFP Japanese rocket takes robot to space station TOKYO: Japan launched a cargo-carrying rocket yesterday loaded with supplies for the crew of the International Space Station, along with a small robot meant as a companion for one of the country s astronauts. The H-2B rocket blasted off from the southern island of Tanegashima at 04:48 am local time (1948 GMT Saturday), images broadcast by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) showed. The HTV4 module has separated from the rocket as scheduled and continues its journey to the ISS, a JAXA spokesman said during the broadcast streamed over the Internet. Information on its progress will be given later, as and when, he added of the module which is due to dock at the station on August 9. The unmanned rocket carried a cargo transporter filled with drinking water, food, clothing and work supplies for the six permanent ISS crew. The annual mission, which has previously been completed by countries including the United States and Russia, will also pick up waste from the space centre. The H-2A and H-2B rockets have been successfully launched total 20 times in a row, said Yoichi Kujirai, chief of the aerospace division at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which carried out the project. We would like to sell this technology to Asia and the Middle East, he said, as quoted by Jiji Press. A small talking robot accompanied Sunday s mission. The android is designed to act as a chatting companion for astronaut Koichi Wakata, who is set to arrive at the space station later this year. Standing at just 34 centimetres (13.4 inches) tall and weighing about one kilogram (2.2 pounds), Kirobo is programmed to communicate in Japanese and keep records of its conversations with Wakata, who is the first Japanese astronaut to command the ISS. The robot s creator Tomotaka Takahashi and his team posted photos taken near the launch pad on Twitter. The launch was so beautiful and breath-taking, they said in a tweet. Thank you everyone for watching our project so warmly. The black-and-white humanoid robot, wearing bright red boots, displayed its communication skills in June: This may look a small step, but it will be a big stride as a robot, Kirobo told reporters. Kirobo will remember Mr Wakata s face so it can recognise him when they reunite up in space, Takahashi had told AFP. He will be the first robot to visit the space station. The robot, which has a wide range of physical motion, will also play a role in some missions, relaying messages from the control room to the astronaut. Sending the android to space is part of a study aimed at seeing how a non-human companion can provide emotional support for people isolated over long periods. Back on earth, twin robot Mirata will be on the lookout for any problems encountered by its electronic counterpart, which was inspired by the legendary animation character Astro Boy. In January, Japan launched two satellites from Tanegashima to strengthen its surveillance capabilities, including keeping a close eye on North Korea after it vowed to launch another nuclear test. One of them was a radar-equipped unit to complete a system of surveillance satellites that would allow Tokyo to monitor any place in the world at least once a day. The other was a demonstration satellite to collect data for research and development. AFP Facebook Home at odds with how world uses computers When the iphone was new, Steve Jobs showed one to Alan Kay and asked him if it was good enough to criticize. Kay, a computing pioneer, had been a hero to Apple s founder: in 1972, when much of the world was still using magnetic tape, he had proposed to his colleagues at Xerox s Palo Alto Research Center a small, portable, and, above all, personal computer called the Dynabook. Apple borrowed slavishly from Kay s vision. Over a quarter-century later, Kay told Jobs that the iphone could be worth criticizing-but only if Apple enlarged the screen to the size of a 5-by-8-inch Moleskine notebook. Kay s 1972 proposal specified the properties of screen, processor, and memory, but the model of computing it described was as much moral as technical: a world of software objects that could be directly manipulated by the machine s users, who might be children. This was four years after Douglas Engelbart s demo of NLS (online System), which introduced hypertext, the mouse, and videoconferencing, and two years before Ted Nelson published Computer Lib/Dream Machines, a sprawling manifesto of personal liberation through hypertext. All were part of a Palo Alto tradition that believed the computer should be (in Jobs s words) a bicycle for our minds. The Android operating system is also part of that tradition-mostly because it borrows the iphone s conventions, but also because of its parentage at Google, a company whose mission is to organize the world s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Both Apple and Google sell their users a kind of superhumanism made possible by trillions of processor clock cycles, echoing the Whole Earth Catalog s 1968 dictum: We are as gods and might as well get good at it. MCT Microsoft upgrades GPU speed, graphics drivers NEW YORK: A senior Microsoft executive has revealed that the clock speed of the Xbox One graphics processing unit has been increased. Speaking on the podcast of Xbox mouthpiece Larry Major Nelson Hryb, corporate vice-president Marc Whitten claimed that the speed had been increased from 800 to 853mhz, ostensibly providing a 6% increase in graphics processing performance. Furthermore, Whitten has claimed that the graphics drivers provided to developers have been updated - meaning that studios should be able to better tune their code to the final architecture of the machine. Since E3, we ve dropped in what we internally call our mono driver, he said. It s our graphics driver that really is 100% optimised for the Xbox One hardware. You start with the base DirectX driver, and then you take out all parts that don t look like Xbox One and you add in everything that really optimises that experience. Almost all of our content partners have really picked it up now, and I think it s made a really nice improvement. It is, however, common for console manufacturers to regularly update development kits with new drivers, APIs and libraries before the release of a new machine. Meanwhile, Whitten also spoke briefly about the Xbox One s asynchronous matchmaking system, which is designed to make it easier for gamers to set up multiplayer sessions that aren t full of potty-mouthed teenagers. We re now deeply integrating the live services, said Whitten. Look at an example like smart match - it s our ability to rethink how we do matching, to make sure you get into the matches that you want, and that game developers have the ability to really tailor those around your skill, and also other factors like the type of people you like to play with and the types of matches you like to play in. Essentially, players are able to keep a matchmaking window for a favourite title open, even when they re on the dashboard or playing something else. The app remembers the players friends and preferred opponents, match settings, etc, and pushes a notification at them when there are enough participants available. When your friends are ready to play, you can drop back in, said Whitten. That for us has been Asynchronous matchmaking Xbox One: now slightly more powerful. really key in how we ve thought about building the system. Both Microsoft and Sony are holding press conferences at this month s Gamescom event in Cologne. It is likely that the company s will finalise the exact dates for their hardware launches, and new game announcements are also possible. Games programmer Byron Atkinson-Jones is the founder of indie developer Xiotex, and once worked at Microsoft s Lionhead Studios. He listened to Whitten s comments about the Xbox One graphics drivers. Here s what he had to say. What he s saying is that Microsoft has introduced an interface for XBox One developers to make using the hardware a lot easier - what we call an abstraction layer. This presents the hardware in a more human friendly way, making something that might otherwise be complex to control into something a little easier to harness. Most of the early work in games development is what we call boilerplate stuff - it s what we all have to do in order to get the consoles up and running ready for our games, and it all looks WASHINGTON: US Trade Representative Michael Froman yesterday overruled a June decision by the US International Trade Commission, which had banned imports of the iphone 4 and some variations of the ipad 2. The commission ruled that the Chinesemade Apple devices violated a patent held by Samsung and couldn t be imported. The ban never went into effect, though, because the Obama administration had 60 days to decide if it would uphold the commission. Obama is against import bans on the basis of the type of patent at issue in the Samsung case. The White House has recommended that Congress limit the ITC s ability to impose import bans in these cases. Samsung and Apple are in a global legal battle over smartphones. Apple argues Samsung s Android phones copy vital iphone features. Samsung is fighting back with its own complaints. In an , Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said the company applauded the administration for standing up for innovation. Samsung said in a statement late Saturday night that it was disappointed in Froman s ruling, saying the ITC correctly recognized that Samsung has been negotiating in good faith, and that Apple remains unwilling to take a license. Froman wrote in a letter to the commission that he has concerns about patent holders getting too much leverage over competitors that use their technology under licenses. Companies license patented technology identical. He s saying that the driver is going to be the way to talk to the hardware without going down to the register level. The hardcore will want a lower-level access than that, but for the rest of us it s mostly going to be fine. My first reaction is that this is a strange thing to be talking about. It s going back to the days when we used to announce how many dot products the hardware could do per frame - do consumers care about that kind of thing? Maybe it s okay from a dev point of view - it s all about ease of use. However, it also sounds like yet more, there s a layer of abstraction between the developer and the real machine and in this sense it s seeming more and more like a PC rather than a dedicated games console. This is not necessarily bad. I for one jumped for joy when Sony announced the PS4 was more of a PC architecture. What worries me though is that given it s a driver based architecture, does that mean that Microsoft can turn on and off certain features depending on which developer level you are? I.e. are you an indie developer or an AAA developer? AP Obama administration overrules Apple import ban NEW DELHI: In this May 27, 2011, file photo, a salesperson at a mobile phone shop displays an Apple iphone 4 to a customer in New Delhi. US President Obama s trade representative has vetoed a ban on imports of the iphone 4 and some variations of the ipad 2, reversing a ruling in favor of rival South Korean electronics company Samsung. AP to competitors so the devices can communicate as part of an industry standard for cellphones. Under the standards-essential patent legal theory prevailing in federal courts, holders of such patents are obligated to license them to all comers on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. US courts have ruled that such patents cannot be the basis for import bans. The International Trade Commission follows a different standard than the courts, but the Obama administration wants it to adhere to the same principles. Froman wrote that he shares the Obama administration s concerns that the holders of standards-essential patents could get undue leverage over their competitors. Last year, a federal court ruled that Samsung owed Apple $1 billion in damages for infringing on non-essential Apple patents. But the judge refused to impose an import ban on Samsung phones and later struck $450 million from the verdict, saying the jurors miscalculated. The case is set for a rematch in appeals court. Samsung is the world s largest maker of smartphones. Analysts estimate it outsold Apple nearly 2 to 1 in the first three months of the year. However, Apple s smartphone business is more profitable The iphone 4 was launched in 2010 and is the oldest iphone still sold by Apple. The ITC ruling applied only to the AT&T version of the phone. Apple is likely to retire the model. AP

28 HEALTH & SCIENCE Democratic governors nervous about health plan MILWAUKEE: Democratic governors say they are nervous about getting the new federal health care law implemented but add they will be better positioned in next year s elections than many of their Republican counterparts who have resisted the far-reaching and politically polarizing measure. Several of the 12 Democratic governors shared that sense of nervousnessveiled-by-optimism at the National Governors Association meeting Saturday in Milwaukee. There s some angst, and you can see that from the decision the administration made a couple weeks ago, said Delaware Gov. Jack Markell. There s a lot of work to do. By next Jan. 1, most people will be required to have insurance. States have to set up exchanges by Oct. 1, when uninsured individuals can start buying subsidized private health coverage that would go into effect Jan 1, and businesses with more than 50 employees working 30 or more hours a week were supposed to offer affordable health care to their workers or risk a series of escalating tax penalties. But businesses said they needed more time, and on July 2, President Barack Obama s administration abruptly extended the deadline one year - to Jan. 1, That caused some Democrats in Congress to worry the program would not be ready on time, as states are building online platforms for their residents to use to comply with the law. Although the US Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act in June 2012, the Republican-controlled House has voted 40 times since Obama signed the law in 2010 to repeal, defund or scale it back, most recently Friday. As Congress prepared to head home for a five-week recess, Obama sought to calm jittery Democrats, assuring them that they are on the right side of history BEIJING: This picture taken on July 19, 2013 shows a dog resting in front of a policeman who asked to be identified only via his online nickname, Xiao Hei, at an office in Beijing. A stepped-up crackdown on oversized and unregistered dogs has provoked panic among the capital s expanding ranks of pet owners, and enraged China s emerging animal rights movement. The most subversive response of all has come from one uniformed crusader, the policeman himself, who has defied the rules to rescue dozens of pooches from the clutches of his fellow officers over the years. AFP Beijing cop goes off the leash to rescue dogs BEIJING: Fluffy or short-haired, gentle or fierce, Beijing s dogs are being targeted by cage-wielding police, but one officer is secretly trying to ensure the campaign s bark is worse than its bite. A stepped-up crackdown on oversized and unregistered dogs has provoked panic among the capital s expanding ranks of pet owners, and enraged China s emerging animal rights movement. The most subversive response of all has come from one uniformed crusader, a policeman himself, who has defied the rules to rescue dozens of pooches from the clutches of his fellow officers over the years. My colleagues don t have any feelings towards dogs, said the 50-year old, asking to be identified only by his online nickname, Xiao Hei. In a small guardhouse office where he keeps seven canines, he reluctantly admitted that his actions were against the law, nodding his head when asked. I ask my colleagues [at the police station] first. But if they won t give the dog to me, I ll steal it, he told AFP, a black spotted dog nestling against his blue police shirt. His modus operandi is simple-he returns to his police station late at night, when fewer personnel are on duty, takes a dog out of its cage, and sneaks it past his fellow officers. He tries to find his charges new homes online, where activists have lionised him as Beijing s greatest dog-lover. Xiao Hei said he was spurred to action by the sight of animals packed into cages waiting to die. I felt terrible when I saw them, he said. I have no choice. Beijing banned all canines from its city centre until 1983, but some estimate it is now home to more than a million dogs, as well as hundreds of veterinary clinics, dog hair salons and a luxury pet park with a bone-shaped swimming pool. But the city has maintained a ban on 40 large breeds, from St. Bernards and Great Danes to British bulldogs and dalmatians, according to regulations posted online. Registration of smaller dogs-costing 1,000 yuan ($160) is compulsory, with annual renewals priced at 500 yuan. Some owners don t have the ability to pay, said Xiao Hei, pointing to a small golden creature. This one was taken from an old person living on social security. A police order in June gave owners of large dogs 10 days to remove their pets from central Beijing or face being fined 10,000 yuan ($1,600) and having their animals seized. It s a road to death - Authorities say the campaign is aimed at ridding the city of dangerous breeds liable to target humans. State-run news agency Xinhua reported that 2,400 dog attacks occurred in China last year. Once oversized dogs are confiscated they cannot be retrieved. The animals are put down and sometimes sold to restaurants for their meat, activists say. A video showing a policeman grabbing a small white dog from the arms of its angry owner before placing it in a cage went viral in June, with outraged supporters venting their fury online. Never give your dog to the police-it s a road to death, one user posted on Sina Weibo, a social networking service similar to Twitter. If you want to be a dog, or a person, it s best not to be born in China, wrote another. Police have not announced how many dogs have been seized in this year s campaign. But Liu Xiaoyi, who owns a Beijing dog shelter, said: It s bigger than previous years. Panicked dog owners have placed pooches in temporary kennels outside city limits until the campaign dies down, she said, while others have taken to walking their pets late at night when patrols have finished. AFP TEXAS: In this Jan. 20, 2009, file photo, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas chairman James Mansour, center, announces the release of $60 million in grants for cancer research projects in Texas during a news conference in Austin, Texas. Leaders at the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas say they hope to begin soliciting new applications for research grants by October 2013 after a year of turmoil and an ongoing criminal investigation into questionable grant awards. AP despite problems with the law s launch. Republicans have stated openly they plan to use the slow economic recovery and the health care law to attack Democrats in the 2014 congressional elections. But Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, said GOP governors could get blamed next year, even if they worked to meet its requirements, a situation that could be aggravated by Republicans in the U.S. House who continue to hold votes to attack it. My approach is not to complain about things, but to get it done best we can, said Branstad, who has been a vocal critic of the law. It s our responsibility. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, the governors host and a possible 2016 Republican presidential prospect, said Obama delayed the employer mandate out of fear that voters would blame Democrats in the 2014 elections if the economy suffered as a result of the new WELLINGTON: China has halted imports of all New Zealand milk powder, New Zealand s trade minister said yesterday, after bacteria that can cause botulism found in some dairy products raised food safety concerns that threatened its $9.4 billion annual dairy trade. Global dairy trade giant Fonterra said on Saturday it had sold contaminated New Zealand-made whey protein concentrate to eight customers in Australia, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and Saudi Arabia for use in a range of products, including infant milk powder. Nearly 90 percent of China s $1.9 billion in milk powder imports last year originated in New Zealand, so a prolonged ban could result in a shortage of dairy products in China. Foreign-branded infant formula in particular is a prized commodity in China given consumer distrust of Chinese brands after a series of domestic food safety scandals. New Zealand s neighbour Australia was caught up in the ban after some of the contaminated whey protein concentrate was exported there before being sent on to China and elsewhere. The authorities in China, in my opinion absolutely appropriately, have stopped all imports of New Zealand milk powders from Australia and New Zealand, New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser told Television New Zealand yesterday. It s better to do blanket protection for your people and then wind it back when we, our authorities, are in a position to give them the confidence and advice that they need before doing that, he said. There was no official word of a ban from Chinese authorities early yesterday. On Saturday, Chinese state radio said Fonterra was notifying three Chinese firms affected by the contamination. Some of China s biggest food and beverage companies are said to be customers of Fonterra, using its milk powder as an ingredient in everything from confectionery to cheese on frozen pizza. Fonterra is a major supplier of bulk milk powder products used in formula in China but it had stayed out of branding after Chinese dairy company Sanlu, in which it had held a large stake, was found to have added melamine - often used in plastics - to bulk up formulas in More than six children died in the industry-wide scandal and hundreds were made sick. Other countries also were reportedly halting imports and ordering recalls of New Zealandmade dairy products. Russia has suspended law. A cynic would be right to say the reason they pushed back the employer mandate had little to nothing to do with policy and everything to do with politics, Walker said. Most of the two dozen governors from both parties gathered at the conference expressed confidence that their states would be ready on time, especially Democrats, although they said the work is daunting. Any time you go and make this much change in this short a period of time, it does cause headaches, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said. But with that pain comes progress, Hickenlooper and others argued. And those Republicans who have resisted or delayed taking action will pay the price. Long before election day, the philosophical debate over the bill will have turned into a practical reality for millions of newly insured voters. Choosing ideology over jobs and imports and circulation of Fonterra products, Russia s ITAR-TASS news agency said on Saturday, quoting consumer watchdog Rospotrebnadzor. Media reports late on Saturday said Thailand had ordered a recall of Fonterra products imported since May. New Zealand s Ministry of Primary Industries said five batches of follow-on baby formula marketed by Karicare, a popular brand in China, had been contaminated by the bacteria, although none had entered the retail supply chain. Those products sitting in storage facilities would be held back from the market, it said. Farmer-owned Fonterra is a big supplier of wholesale dairy ingredients to multinational food and beverage companies. It also markets its own consumer brands, including Anchor milk in New Zealand and Anlene and Anmum maternal milk formula, which is available in Southeast Asia and other regions. It said all of its own brands were free of contamination and that there had been no reports of any illness linked to the affected whey protein. It added that Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings affordable health care is a false choice, and it s an example of the differences between Republicans and Democrats, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, said. Among the challenges states are encountering are the technological requirements to allow buyers to search for insurers, rates and benefits on the exchanges. Others are training state employees to administer the program and marketing it to millions of Americans, all during a time of strained state budgets. Marketing employees were often among the first to lose their jobs. Despite the headaches, the alternative to the status quo is far worse, Maryland Gov. Martin O Malley said. Nothing could be more complicated than doing what we were doing before, which was to throw away more and more money on more expensive care for worse results, said O Malley, a Democrat also mulling a 2016 White House run. AP China bans NZ milk powder imports on botulism scare Russia, Thailand instigating bans, product recalls WASHINGTON: Labels declaring foods to be gluten-free will need to meet new standards set by the US Food and Drug Administration. The standards, announced on Friday, are designed to protect patients with celiac disease, an inflammatory condition of the intestine triggered by gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. It affects about 3 million people in the United States. Under the new rules, any food bearing a glutenfree label must have less than.002 percent of gluten. The European Union and Canada have implemented the same gluten-free standards. Food manufacturers have one year to comply with the rule. Labels that boast no gluten, free of gluten and without gluten must also meet the standard. It s enormously important for these people to have as much variety to choose from as possible, Michael Taylor, the FDA s deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine, said in an interview. The FDA believes most foods with a gluten-free label currently meet the standard, Taylor said. Gluten-free labeled foods have not previously been subject to a legal standard, posing a danger for many celiac patients, said Francine Fazio, vice president of the Celiacs Resource Group, a support group for celiac patients. It s so hard to go through the aisles and buy foods that are safe and tasty, Fazio said. Now we can buy food with confidence that s safe to eat, just like the general public. Consuming gluten can cause nutritional deficiencies in celiac patients and lead to osteoporosis, stunted growth, infertility, miscarriages, intestinal cancers and other health problems, according to the FDA. Gluten is naturally present in wheat, rye, barley and hybrids. It is also sometimes present in vitamin and nutrient supplements, lip balms and some medications. was travelling to China to discuss the issue. The incident is the second this year involving New Zealand s largest company. In January, Fonterra said it had found traces of dicyandiamde, a potentially toxic chemical used in fertiliser, in some of its products. The bacteria behind the latest scare, Clostridium Botulinum, is often found in soil. The Fonterra case was caused by a dirty pipe at a processing plant. It can cause botulism, a potentially fatal disease that affects the muscles and can cause respiratory problems. Infant botulism can attack the intestinal system. The contamination issue comes as China has started to tighten dairy import regulations to improve overall food safety. In recent weeks, Beijing has introduced regulations restricting the operations of smaller infant formula brands. New Zealand s dairy industry is a big driver of the country s agriculture-based economy, with its NZ$12 billion in exports last year accounting for around 25 percent of total merchandise exports. Reuters BEIJING: This picture taken yesterday shows a baby playing in the imported baby products section while his parents purchase baby products of a supermarket in Beijing. New Zealand warned international health authorities on August 3 of exported dairy products, including infant formula, containing a bacteria that could lead to botulism a potentially fatal illness. AFP FDA issues new rules for labeling gluten-free foods The FDA began examining potential regulations more than six years ago when Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, requiring the FDA to develop guidelines for gluten-free labels. The agency proposed gluten-free regulations in 2007 but did not finalize them. The delay came from scientific assessments, interaction with the WASHINGTON: US National Security Advisor Susan Rice called for more eureka moments and unorthodox partnerships on Wednesday, as she addressed scientists working on decreasing infant and maternal mortality in poor countries. Researchers, many of whom were finalists for a competitive USAID grant, came up with varied schemes, including using a football to stop women from bleeding to death after birth, using contaminated hospital waste to keep hands cleaner and engineering bacteria to fortify yogurt with vitamin A. A previous grant project-which created a lowcost device to help in obstructed labor-was initially created by an Argentine car mechanic inspired by a YouTube video on how to pull a cork out of a wine bottle with a plastic bag. Rice, in her first public remarks since taking on the job, said these researchers had done a remarkable job advancing the president s vision to elevate development alongside diplomacy and defense as an equal pillar of our national security. But, citing statistics that a woman in labor in sub-saharan Africa was 136 times more likely to die than her counterpart in a developed country, Rice said we need more eureka moments and celiac community and a safety assessment to validate 20 parts per million as a safe cut-off level, Taylor said. More than 95 percent of celiac patients go undiagnosed, according to the National Institutes of Health. Undiagnosed celiac disease can quadruple the risk of death, according to studies from the Mayo Clinic. Reuters USAID hails eureka moments in infant, maternal health more unorthodox partnerships to beat persistent world challenges. USAID director Rajiv Shah, who launched the Saving Lives at Birth development challenge three years ago, said there s been extraordinary progress over the last couple of decades. But there are some areas that have resisted the trend-and maternal and infant mortality was one of them. In 1990, 20 million kids a year died under the age of five. Today that number is just under seven million, Shah told AFP. But if you break down the problem, in the first 48 hours of life, infant mortality in that very narrow window has stayed persistently high and has not fallen at that rate. And maternal mortality, while it is down, it hasn t fallen anywhere near that rate as well. So Shah said the grant program aimed to invite the whole world in to coming up with appropriate solutions that would accelerate progress in that specific area. He said each year hundreds of teams apply for the grants, far more than the 15 or fewer applications for a conventional grant. This definitely reaches well beyond the standard crowd to bring in a whole host of new innovators. AFP

29 HEALTH & SCIENCE National Aquarium overhaul creates coral ecosystem BALTIMORE: The National Aquarium in Baltimore has overhauled what once was a drab, leaky, concrete tank of mostly sting rays, adding 1,000 animals and 3,000 hand-sculpted coral replicas to create a colorful and massive new centerpiece exhibit. The massive central tank had always been popular but became dated, and it is now teeming with new life after the $12.5 million renovation. It now includes 65 different animal species, including a beloved 555-pound, three-legged green sea turtle named Calypso. This week, the aquarium added 20 new blacktip reef sharks from Australia to help complete an ecosystem that replicates endangered Indo-Pacific reefs. Divers carefully placed each shark in the 260,000-gallon exhibit one by one over several hours Monday and Tuesday. Almost immediately, the sharks began swimming together as a school in their new home. Rather than eat all of the exhibit s smaller fish, however, these sharks have been trained over the past year to eat a variety of seafoods from animal keepers on schedules and at certain feeding locations, said senior aquarist Ashleigh Clews. The sharks look small now but will eventually grow to about 6 feet long. Curator Jack Cover said the aquarium set out to take its visitors on a journey to a place like the Great Barrier Reef to showcase the biodiversity that coral reefs support. So they created an exhibit to show what a healthy reef looks like to help inspire conservation of such ecosystems. All these things link together to form this aquatic community. Coral reefs really represent sort of the big cities of the ocean, Cover said. We have a cave area, we have a terraced coral area, we have sand flats. So many species will really go to those different areas. It s almost like a city with different neighborhoods. Along with the smaller fish, the blacktip reef sharks are an essential part of a reef ecosystem in the wild, Clews said, by keeping fish populations in check and by removing sick and injured fish. As they trained for more than a year, Clews developed a bond with the animals after diving with them and interacting with them to prepare them for them exhibit. They re shallow-water sharks, usually hanging out in the reefs, she said. They re beautiful animals. Still, sharks are often misunderstood as ever-hungry, man-eating predators - notions the aquarium would like to change, Cover said. And sharks are hunted for their fins, meat and skins. People really have a completely wrong picture of what they do and that they have a role in the health of a healthy ecosystem like a reef, he said. We wanted to basically show it and then tell (visitors) that if the sharks are removed, the reef is going to suffer. Visitors can get a sense of what it s like to be at sea level, as well as to gaze down on the tank full of fish from a bird s eye view. Concrete walls have been replaced with glass walls to open up the exhibit space. One major addition is a large glass-enclosed underwater viewing area that juts into the coral habitat to replace what had been two small portals. Now visitors can see tiny blue and orange fish that feed and hide in the coral and have an up-close look at sharks and the giant sea turtle. It s like you re entering their world, Cover said. It will look very different. The result is a colorful, lively centerpiece for one of Baltimore s top attractions, which draws about 1.5 million visitors each year with its companion aquarium in Washington. The renovation was funded with a combination of state government funds, donor contributions and operating funds. The aquarium will celebrate the exhibit s grand opening Aug. 8, its 32nd birthday. Soon it will also add fish from the aquarium s Washington location, which is closing because of renovations at its home in the Department of Commerce. AP US energy drink industry on defensive at Senate hearing WASHINGTON: The multi-billion-dollar global energy drink industry joined forces on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to fight off growing claims that their caffeine-rich products are hazardous to young people s health. Senior executives from Monster Beverage, Red Bull and Rockstar told the US Senate s Commerce Committee that they do not pitch their drinks at children, despite their aggressive use of social media and sponsorship of action sports. Monster is, and always has been, committed to ensuring that all of the ingredients in its energy drinks, including caffeine, are safe and in regulatory compliance for their intended use, Monster Beverage chief executive Rodney Sacks said. Energy drinks are a small but growing segment in the non-alcoholic beverage industry in the United States, but health experts have expressed concern that their caffeine content poses risks in youngsters as heart arrhythmia and higher blood pressure. Last month, the American Medical Association called for a ban on the marketing of energy drinks to children and teenagers, said Senator Jay Rockefeller, the commerce committee chairman, at the start of the hearing. He stated that in the first six months of this year, poison control centers in the United States received about 1,500 reports involving energy drinks, more than half of which involved children under the age of 18. Sitting in the hearing room was Wendy Crossland, who in October 2012 sued Monster Beverage after her daughter Anais Fournier died in December 2011 after consuming two 24-ounce cans of Monster energy drink within 24 hours. The cause of death, according to the girls doctors in Maryland, was caffeine toxicity. In his thick South African accent, Monster Beverage s Sacks argued that, at 160 milligrams, a 16-ounce can of Monster Energy - its best-selling product - had just under half the caffeine of a similar-sized cup of Starbucks coffee. The safety of caffeine and other ingredients in Monster energy drinks is well established by an overwhelming body of generally accepted literature published by reputable third parties, he said. He also stated that Monster s primary demographic is young adult males, and that it does not focus its brand initiatives on young teenagers - although a sponsors a so-called Monster Army to support and develop teenaged athletes. Red Bull North America vice president Amy Taylor said Red Bull products, first launched in Europe in 1987 and now sold in more than 165 countries, are sophisticated premium beverages aimed squarely at adults. AFP Baby-shower thrown for first panda born in Taiwan TAIPEI: Taipei zoo held a baby-shower party yesterday to celebrate the one month birthday of the first panda born in Taiwan as the cub continues to be a star attraction even though she has yet to appear in public. Hundreds of children accompanied their parents to attend the party, during which a video featuring the baby panda s growth was screened. Guests were also invited to experience what it is like to feed a panda cub in an incubator using a replica. The yet to be named female cub was delivered on July 7 following a series of artificial insemination sessions after her parents, known as Tuan Tuan and his partner Yuan Yuan, failed to conceive naturally. Yesterday s party copied the Taiwanese tradition where parents hold a celebration around a month after their newborns are delivered. The parents give cakes or oiled rice to friends and relatives in exchange for their blessings. The cub, however, could not attend her own party. She has been kept away from the public s gaze with the zoo saying visitors will need to wait three months to see her. The cub was slightly injured while being bred by her first-time mother a few days after she was born. It is not unusual for inexperienced pandas to accidentally hurt their offspring and the cub has been taken into the care of zoo experts since the incident. The zoo said the cub has grown to 1,140 grams (2.5 pounds), more than six times her original weight when she was delivered. Zookeepers Sunday also kicked off a naming campaign for the cub, with the public voting on what to name her and the final result expected to be announced on October 26. Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan were given to Taiwan by China in December 2008 and have become both star attractions at Taipei Zoo as well as a symbol of the fast improving ties between Taiwan and its former bitter rival China. The island nation will be allowed to keep the cub as the panda couple were a gift from China rather than a loan, Taipei officials have said. Beijing usually only loans its pandas and any progeny must be sent back to China. China s decision to give Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan to Taiwan was a symbolic gesture to show warming ties between the former arch enemies, governed separately since the end of a civil war in China, which still claims sovereignty over the selfruled island of Taiwan, has used so-called panda diplomacy worldwide since the days of the Cold War. Fewer than 1,600 pandas remain in the wild, mainly in Sichuan province, with a further 300 in captivity around the world. AFP TAIPEI: This undated handout photograph released by Taipei City Zoo yestetday shows a recently born panda cub from giant panda Yuan Yuan in an incubator at Taipei City Zoo in Taipei. The public will have to wait three months to catch a glimpse of the first panda born in Taiwan, officials said last month, after she was successfully delivered by parents who were gifted from China. AFP

30 WHAT S ON SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS What s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net Announcements Indian Embassy Announcement On the occasion of the Independence Day of India, a flag hoisting ceremony will take place at the Embassy of India premises on Arabian Gulf Street on Thursday, August 15, 2013, at 0700 hours. The flag hoisting will be followed by the reading of the message of the Hon ble President of India by the ambassador of India and singing of patriotic songs. There will be an Open House Reception after the programme concludes. All Indian nationals are cordially invited to attend the function. Ramadan joy at McDonald s The Chief Happiness Officer, Ronald McDonald s accompanied by the Assistant General Manager Luai Al- Kilani visited and handed out presents to numerous hospitals and centers across Kuwait during the holy month of Ramadan. This activity is part of McDonald s on-going program to visit children throughout the year and spread joy and smiles to children of all ages. Indian Embassy sets up helpline The Indian Embassy in Kuwait has set up helpline in order to assist Indian expatriates in registering any complaint regarding the government s ongoing campaign to stamp out illegal residents from the country. The embassy said in press release yesterday that it amended its previous statement and stated if there is any complaint, the same could be conveyed at the following (as amended): Operations Department, Ministry of Interior, Kuwait. Fax: , Tel: / It said the embassy has been in regular contact with local authorities regarding the ongoing checking of expatriates. The embassy has also conveyed to them the concerns, fears and apprehensions of the community in this regard. The authorities in Kuwait have conveyed that strict instructions have been issued to ensure that there is no harassment or improper treatment of expatriates by those undertaking checking. The embassy would like to request Indian expatriates to ensure that they abide by all local laws, rules and regulations regarding residency, traffic and other matters, the release read. It would be prudent to always carry the Civil ID and other relevant documents such as driving license, etc. In case an Indian expatriate encounters any improper treatment during checking, it may be conveyed immediately with full details and contact particulars to the embassy at the following phone number These contact details are exclusively for the above-mentioned purpose only. Issue of online visa by Indian embassy Foreigners requiring visas for India need to apply it online from 16th June Applicants may log on to the Public portal at ww.indianvisaonline.gov.in. After successful online submission, the hard copy, so generated, has to be signed by the applicant and submitted with supporting documents in accordance with the type of visa along with the applicable fee in cash at any of the two outsource centres at Sharq or Fahaheel. It is essential that applicants fill in their personal details as exactly available in their passports. Mismatch of any of the personal details would lead to non-acceptance of the application. Fees once paid are non-refundable. All children would have to obtain separate visa on their respective passports. 8th Expo Pakistan to commence in September The 8th Expo Pakistan will be held from September 26 to 29 in Karachi. Held annually, Expo Pakistan is the biggest trade fair in the country showcasing the largest collection of Pakistan s export merchandise and services. Foreign Exhibitors also use the event to launch their products. Expo Pakistan 2012 was visited by delegates from 52 countries and generated a business of over $ 518 million. A 16 member delegation from Kuwait including reputable companies like Al-Yasra Foods also took part in the last exhibition. Expo Pakistan 2013 is being held under the auspices of the Trade Development Authority Pakistan. Details about the event can be viewed Further information and details of sponsorship can be obtained from the office of Commercial Secretary, Pakistan Embassy, Jabriya ( ) during office hours. Write to us Send to What s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: / 20 Enjoy the taste of true Espresso at Vergnano Cafe at Olympia Complex The superior quality of the blends comes from the meticulous selection of the best raw materials available, and from an extraordinary production process. Cafe Vergnano is the first to introduce an innovation that brings all the passion and pleasure of the perfect In an effort to add sparkle and joy to the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr in Kuwait, Crowne Plaza Kuwait has taken magnanimous steps to make this Eid a memorable event for its guests. Welcoming residents and guests alike, the hotel has opened its doors to all people visiting Kuwait to avail an exclusive offer on a luxurious double room within the hotel. The lavish rooms with all the modern amenities make Crowne Plaza Kuwait your home away from home this Eid. The guests who take advantage of this special gift also benefit from the other leisure facilities of the hotel, which are designed to take care of every need of our clients. Enjoy a breakfast for two persons at the Al-Ahmadi International Buffet restaurant, where children under four years eat free. The Edge 24 Hour Fitness Centre, which boasts of state-ofthe-art technology in equipments is open 24 hours of the day to help our espresso to everyday life at home. Espresso is now available in Kuwait, through Al-Sanabel Al-Thahabiya Est. Tel: /98. Espresso Vergnano can be ordered through Espresso Vergnano capsules are compatible with other espresso machines. Eid Al-Fitr at Crowne Plaza In lieu of the upcoming Eid Al-Fitr festival, Kuwait Marriott Hotels will celebrate this special occasion by offering valuable tailor-made packages this year. Nestled in the heart of the country, the five star JW Marriott hotel Kuwait City and the refreshing Courtyard by Marriott hotel Kuwait City are offering these exciting packages during the Eid holidays. For those not travelling outside Kuwait this Eid, guests looking for a grand local escape from daily routine can reside at the hotels with exclusive offers per night at the JW Marriott by enjoying daily free international buffet breakfast at the La Brasserie Restaurant with 20 percent off on all other restaurants while those with kids aged 12 years and under will receive 50 percent off on meals. Fun filled deals at the modern, downtown Courtyard by Marriott hotel include a reduced stay price. Hotel guests can enjoy delicious buffets and a la Carte menu at the Courtyard by Marriott s panoramic eight story view Atrium restaurant and the renowned Indian restaurant Soul and Spice, offering the perfect blend of Indian spices in a contemporary presentation. The restaurant offers an extensive a la carte menu featuring authentic Indian dishes. To add to the exclusive benefits, guests are entitled to 50 percent off on spa treatments and massages along with free access to the swimming pool and health club. Free unlimited high speed wired and wireless internet and 50 percent off on laundry services are ensured for complete convenience on every level. During this auspicious time, families unite over good food, entertainment, health and fitness and relax with our our world-class rooms to revive the festive Eid spirit. On behalf of the team, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful and blessed Eid, said George Aoun, General Manager of Kuwait Marriott Hotels. guests stay healthy and fit. Spa Aquatonic offers you relaxing moments helping you rejuvenate and making your stay a memorable one. The guests are special to us and we provide them special amenities in the rooms this Eid as well as offer them special discounts for Eid Buffets at the hotel. Enjoy an appetizing tour around the world with the eight specialty restaurants of Crowne Plaza Kuwait this Eid Al- Fitr. Tantalize your taste buds with flavors from the world around with the exotic dishes that await you at Al-Ahmadi International Buffet, while the treasures of the seas come to your table at the Al- Noukhaza Seafood restaurant and original steaks char - grilled to perfection are available for your selection at the Rib Eye Steak house. Persian cuisine in all its royalty is served you at the Shabestan Iranian restaurant, India brings you its original Indian dishes at Jamawar Indian restaurant and Japan s finest dishes are all yours at the Sakura Japanese restaurant. Savor the feel of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon at the Ayam Zaman Lebanese restaurant or treat yourself to elegant pastries with the delicious Parisian tea at the Fauchon Salon. With all the options available to one and all, Crowne Plaza Kuwait remains the unchallenged and preferred destination this Eid for all its privileged customers. Kuwait Marriott Hotels launches exciting family packages for Eid

31 WHAT S ON Embassy Information IDF holds grand ghabqa The Indian Doctors Forum (IDF) successfully celebrated their GHABQA 2013 on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 at the Andalaus Ballroom of the Crowne Plaza Hotel amidst a galaxy of Kuwaiti and Indian dignitaries. The evening commenced at 10 pm sharp when the Anchor Dr Sameer Humad (Finance Secretary - IDF) requested all to stand in honor of the Kuwaiti and Indian National anthems. This was followed by recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by Dr T P Abdulraoof. The welcome address was delivered by the General Secretary of IDF Dr Jaganath R C, wherein he welcomed the Chief Guest Satish C Mehta and other officials of the Indian Embassy, the Guest of Honor Dr Ali Al-Mukhaimi, President - Kuwait Medical Association and other KMA officials, Kuwaiti doctors from the Ministry of Health, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait Institute of Medical Specialization, eminent Kuwaiti and Indian businessmen and government officials and last but not the least, our IDF members and their families. Following the welcome, was the Presidential address by Dr Amir Ahmed. He expressed his immense gratitude to all the attending Kuwaiti guests for being a part of this auspicious evening. Dr Amir stated that ghabqa, is a local tradition celebrated by certain GCC countries in the month of Ramadan after taraweeh prayers. Ghabqa helps to foster strong ties amongst families and friends. This wonderful tradition of the locals has been adopted by IDF. We too are part of the society and use this opportunity to strengthen the ties between Kuwaitis and Indians and also to express our love and gratitude to the wonderful people of Kuwait. The Ramadan message was then delivered by Dr Syed Faroukh, Senior General Surgeon at Jahra Hospital. He strongly emphasized the importance of fasting during the Holy month of Ramadan and receiving its rewards. Speaking on the occasion, Satish C Mehta, Honorable Ambassador of India appreciated the various community welfare activities rendered by IDF. He expressed his happiness at the presence of large number of Kuwaitis at the event, which reflected the acceptance, love and respect they had for IDF. This was then followed by a message from the Guest of Honor, Dr. Ali Al Mukhaimi, President - Kuwait Medical Association (KMA), where he lauded the efforts taken by IDF in carrying out all its activities. He praised the vast appreciation, IDF has earned in the Kuwaiti community in such a short span of time. Prof Adel Khader Ayed, Prof Ali Hussein Dashti and Prof Fouad Al Ali also spoke on the occasion with kind words of grace and appreciation. Dr Vinod Grover, (Vice President of IDF) then delivered the vote of thanks where he thanked all the Kuwaiti dignitaries for having come in such large numbers. He also thanked all the Kuwaiti and Indian businessmen present for all the support and assistance rendered towards various IDF activities. He acknowledged the sponsors of the event, particularly Al-Mulla Exchange Company. He expressed his gratitude to all technical staff, media personalities and staff of the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Immediately after the vote of thanks, Dr Jasneet Narang(Cultural Secretary), announced the prizes for the Fancy Dress competition conducted for IDF children and judged by Dr Arvind Raina and Dr Kiran Sharma. The event concluded with a sumptuous dinner for one and all. After the dinner on their way out, each and every guest was gifted with lovely girgiyans. EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Embassy of Australia has announced that Kuwait citizens can apply for and receive visit visas in 10 working days through All other processing of visas and Immigration matters are handled by the Australian Visa Application Centre located in Al Banwan Building, 4B, 1st Floor, Al Qibla Area, Ali Al Salem Street, Kuwait City. Visit. for more info. The Embassy of Australia does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visas and immigration matters is conducted by the Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VIS), immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office), Tel: (VFS), Fax: (Visa Office). Notary and passport services are available by appointment. Appointments can be made by calling the Embassy on n n n n n n n EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: or abdbi-imenquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei St, Block 4 in Da aiyah. Please visit our website at The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is open from 07:30 to 12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday. n n n n n n n EMBASSY OF GREECE The Embassy of Greece in Kuwait has the pleasure to announce that visa applications must be submitted to Schengen Visa Application Centre (VFS office) located at 12th floor, Al-Naser Tower, Fahad Al-Salem Street, Al-Qibla area, Kuwait City, (Parking at Souk Watia). For information please call from 08:30 to 17:00 (Sunday to Thursday). Working hours: Submission from 08:30 to 15:30. Passport collection from 16:00 to 17:00. For visa applications please visit the following website n n n n n n n EMBASSY OF INDIA The Embassy of India will remain closed on Thursday, August 15th, 2013 on account of Independence Day. n n n n n n n EMBASSY OF UK As of July 22, the British Embassy s Visa Application Center (VAC) will be extending opening hours to be from 08:00 to 15:00 (previously from 09:30 to 14:30). This will generate more appointments in addition to the ones created from the Iftar opening time from 20:00-22:00. This step comes in response to the increasing number of applicants during summer. n n n n n n n EMBASSY OF US Parents of Kuwaiti citizen children may drop off their sons and daughters visa applications - completely free of an interview or a trip inside the Embassy. The children must be under 14 years of age, and additional requirements do apply, but the service means parents will no longer have to schedule individual appointments for their children, nor come inside the Embassy (unless they are applying for themselves). The service is only available for children holding Kuwaiti passports. To take advantage, parents must drop off the following documents: Child Visa Drop-off cover sheet, available on the Embassy website ( - Child s passport; The Child s previous passport, if it contains a valid US visa; 5x5cm photo of child with eyes open (if uploaded into DS- 160, photos must be a.jpg between 600x600 and 1200x1200 pixels, less than 240kb, and cannot be digitally altered); A completed DS- 160 form; Visa Fee Receipt from Burgan Bank; A copy of the valid visa of at least one parent. If one parent will not travel, provide a visa copy for the traveling parent, and a passport copy from the non-traveling parent with a letter stating no objection to the child s travel. - For children of students (F2): a copy of the child s I-20. Children born in the US (with very few exceptions) are US citizens and would not be eligible for a visa. Parents may drop off the application packet at Window 2 at the Embassy from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, Monday to Wednesday, excluding holidays. More information is available on the U.S. Embassy website: kuwait.usembassy.gov/child_visas.html n n n n n n n EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN On the auspicious occasion of Eid-Al-Fitr, and in accordance with the Eid holidays announced by the Government of Kuwait, the Embassy of Pakistan will remain closed from August 8 to 11, 2013 (Thursday to Sunday) if the first day of Eid is on Thursday, and will reopen with its routine office timings from am to pm on Monday 12th August In case Bid falls on Friday, the Embassy will resume its work from Tuesday 13th August, 2013.

32 TV PROGRAMS 14:35 Border Security 15:05 Auction Hunters 15:30 Auction Kings 16:00 Rattlesnake Republic 16:55 Yukon Men 17:50 Mythbusters 18:45 Sons Of Guns 19:40 Deconstruction 20:05 How It s Made 20:35 Auction Hunters 21:00 Flip Men 21:30 Gold Divers 22:25 Alaska: The Last Frontier 23:20 Ice Cold Gold 00:15 Gold Divers 01:10 Alaska: The Last Frontier 14:20 Gadget Show - World Tour 14:45 How Tech Works 15:10 X-Machines 16:00 Future Weapons 16:55 Kings Of Construction 17:45 Unchained Reaction 18:35 NASA s Greatest Missions 19:30 Brave New World 20:20 Mighty Ships 21:10 Gadget Show - World Tour 21:35 How Tech Works 22:00 Brave New World 22:50 Mighty Ships 23:40 Gadget Show - World Tour 00:05 How Tech Works 00:30 Patent Bending 01:00 Prototype This 01:50 Prototype This 15:00 The Mob Doctor 16:30 Coronation Street 19:00 Parenthood 20:00 Covert Affairs 21:00 Once Upon A Time 22:00 The Newsroom 23:00 Grimm 00:00 The Mob Doctor 01:00 The Newsroom 02:00 Once Upon A Time 03:00 Friends 03:30 The Mindy Project 04:00 Seinfeld 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 06:00 All Of Us 06:30 Arrested Development 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Seinfeld 09:00 Guys With Kids 09:30 The Mindy Project 10:00 2 Broke Girls 10:30 Arrested Development 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 All Of Us 12:30 Seinfeld 13:00 Seinfeld 13:30 Arrested Development 14:00 The Mindy Project 14:30 2 Broke Girls 15:00 The Mindy Project 15:30 The Daily Show 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 All Of Us 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Breaking In 18:30 Breaking In 19:00 Two And A Half Men 20:00 Don t Trust The B In Apartment 23 20:30 30 Rock 21:00 The Daily Show Global Edition 21:30 The Colbert Report Global Edition 22:00 Family Guy 22:30 Cougar Town 23:00 Cougar Town 23:30 Don t Trust The B In Apartment 23 00:00 30 Rock 00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 01:30 Seinfeld 02:00 Seinfeld 02:30 Friends 05:15 A Kind Of Magic 06:00 Austin And Ally 06:25 Suite Life On Deck 06:45 Shake It Up 07:10 A.N.T. Farm 07:35 Jessie 07:55 Good Luck Charlie 08:45 Doc McStuffins 09:00 Minnie s Bow-Toons 09:05 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 09:30 A.N.T Farm 09:55 A.N.T Farm 10:15 Jessie 10:40 Jessie 11:05 Good Luck Charlie 12:15 Shake It Up 12:35 Shake It Up 13:00 Austin And Ally 13:25 Austin And Ally 13:45 A.N.T. Farm 14:10 Jessie 14:35 Shake It Up 15:00 That s So Raven 15:25 Good Luck Charlie 15:50 Jessie 16:10 Shake It Up 16:35 A.N.T Farm 17:00 Austin And Ally 17:20 That s So Raven 17:45 Suite Life On Deck 18:10 Good Luck Charlie 18:30 Dog With A Blog 18:55 Dog With A Blog 19:20 Austin And Ally 19:40 Austin And Ally 20:05 A.N.T. Farm 20:30 Shake It Up 20:50 Suite Life On Deck 21:15 Austin And Ally 21:40 That s So Raven 22:00 Jessie 22:25 A.N.T. Farm 22:50 Good Luck Charlie 23:10 Wizards Of Waverly Place 23:35 Wizards Of Waverly Place 00:00 Hannah Montana 00:45 Brandy & Mr Whiskers 01:30 Emperor s New School 02:15 Replacements 14:30 Style Star 15:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 16:00 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 17:00 Ice Loves Coco 17:30 Ice Loves Coco 18:00 E! News 19:00 THS 20:00 Married To Jonas 20:30 Married To Jonas 21:00 Playing With Fire 22:00 Playing With Fire 23:00 E!es 00:00 Dirty Soap 00:55 Style Star 01:25 THS 03:15 Bargain Hunt 04:00 New Scandinavian Cooking 04:25 New Scandinavian Cooking 04:55 Delicious Iceland 05:25 Antiques Roadshow 06:15 Cash In The Attic 07:00 Cash In The Attic 07:45 Phil Spencer - Secret Agent 08:35 Bargain Hunt 09:20 Antiques Roadshow 10:10 The Hairy Bikers Come Home 11:00 Masterchef: The Professionals 12:00 DIY SOS 12:25 Come Dine With Me 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 Cash In The Attic 14:45 Antiques Roadshow 15:40 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 17:00 Homes Under The Hammer 17:55 Tareq Taylor s Nordic Cookery 18:20 Planet Cake 18:50 Rick Stein s Spain 19:40 Come Dine With Me 20:35 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 21:20 Antiques Roadshow 22:15 Bargain Hunt 23:00 Homes Under The Hammer 23:55 Cash In The Attic 00:40 Come Dine With Me 01:30 The Hairy Bikers Come Home 02:25 Design Star 03:25 Unique Eats 03:50 Food Crafters 04:15 United Tastes Of America 04:40 Chopped 05:30 Iron Chef America 06:10 Unwrapped 06:35 Unwrapped 07:00 Unwrapped 07:25 Unwrapped 07:50 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 08:15 Unique Sweets 08:40 Reza s African Kitchen 09:05 Jonathan Phang s Caribbean Cookbook 09:30 Amazing Wedding Cakes 10:20 Extra Virgin 10:45 Kid In A Candy Store 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Unique Sweets 12:00 The Next Iron Chef 12:50 Have Cake, Will Travel 13:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:05 Tyler s Ultimate 14:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 14:55 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 15:20 Guy s Big Bite 15:45 Chopped 16:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Reza s African Kitchen 17:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:40 Guy s Big Bite 19:05 Jonathan Phang s Caribbean Cookbook 19:30 Amazing Wedding Cakes 20:20 Chopped 21:10 Chopped 22:00 Jonathan Phang s Caribbean Cookbook 22:25 Jonathan Phang s Caribbean Cookbook 22:50 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 23:40 Food Wars 00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:55 Unique Eats 01:20 Unique Eats 01:45 Jonathan Phang s Caribbean Cookbook 00:30 Deadly Affairs 01:20 Dr G: Medical Examiner 02:10 Blood Relatives 03:00 On The Case With Paula Zahn 03:45 Killer Kids 04:30 Deadly Affairs 05:20 Dr G: Medical Examiner 06:10 Disappeared 07:00 Mystery Diagnosis 07:50 Street Patrol 08:15 Street Patrol 08:40 Real Emergency Calls 09:05 Who On Earth Did I Marry? 09:30 On The Case With Paula Zahn 10:20 Solved 11:10 Disappeared 12:00 Mystery Diagnosis 12:50 Street Patrol 13:15 Street Patrol 13:40 Forensic Detectives 14:30 On The Case With Paula Zahn 15:20 Real Emergency Calls 15:45 Who On Earth Did I Marry? 16:10 Disappeared 17:00 Solved 17:50 Forensic Detectives 18:40 True Crime With Aphrodite Jones 19:30 Dr G: Medical Examiner 20:20 Nightmare Next Door 21:10 Couples Who Kill 22:00 I Married A Mobster 22:25 I Married A Mobster 22:50 Blood Relatives 23:40 I Almost Got Away With It 13:00 Agatha Christie s Poirot 15:00 Murdoch Mysteries 16:00 The Jonathan Ross Show 17:00 60 Minute Makeover 18:00 Emmerdale 19:00 Coronation Street 20:00 Coach Trip 20:30 Come Dine With Me Ireland 21:00 Lewis 23:00 Trial & Retribution 00:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 01:00 60 Minute Makeover 02:00 Emmerdale 03:00 The Amazing Spider-Man-PG15 05:30 Flower Girl-PG15 07:00 Madagascar 3: Europe s Most Wanted-PG 09:00 Another Harvest Moon-PG15 10:30 The Amazing Spider-Man-PG15 13:00 Arthur 3: And The War Of Two Worlds-PG 15:00 The Muppets-PG 17:00 Another Harvest Moon-PG15 19:00 The Darkest Hour-PG15 21:00 My Week With Marilyn-PG15 23:00 Wrath Of The Titans-PG15 07:00 A Fall From Grace-PG15 09:00 Love Will Keep Us Together- PG15 11:00 Ring Of Deceit-PG15 13:00 Legendary Assassin-PG15 15:00 Web Of Lies-PG15 17:00 Underground: The Julian Assange Story-PG15 19:00 The Descendants-PG15 21:00 And Soon The Darkness 23:00 Katy Perry The Movie: Part Of Me-PG 01:00 Underground: The Julian Assange Story-PG15 04:00 Paranorman-PG 06:00 Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked-PG 08:00 The Conspirator-PG15 10:15 Treasure Buddies-PG 12:00 The Avengers-PG15 14:30 How To Fall In Love-PG15 16:00 The Conspirator-PG15 18:00 Battleship-PG15 20:15 Dark Shadows-PG15 22:15 Seeking Justice-PG15 00:00 The Conspirator-PG15 02:15 Battleship-PG15 04:00 The Presence-PG15 06:00 Transformers: Dark Of The Moon-PG15 09:00 Killer Mountain-PG15 11:00 Captain America: The First Avenger-PG15 13:30 The Adventures Of Tintin-PG 15:45 Killer Mountain-PG15 17:45 Captain America: The First Avenger-PG15 20:00 Shadow-PG15 22:00 Three Kings-18 00:00 The Thaw-PG15 02:00 Shadow-PG15 08:00 Police Academy 6: City Under Siege-PG15 10:00 The Little Rascals-PG 12:00 Shark Tale-PG 14:00 Police Academy 7: Mission To Moscow-PG15 16:00 The Little Rascals-PG 18:00 Adventures In Babysitting- PG15 20:00 Midnight Run-PG15 22:15 The Angel s Share-PG15 00:00 Under New Management 02:00 Midnight Run-PG15 09:15 Love Takes Wing-PG15 11:00 The Chorus-PG15 13:00 Dolphin Tale-PG 15:00 Love Takes Wing-PG15 17:00 The Prey-PG15 19:00 A Better Life-PG15 21:00 Neds-PG15 23:15 Ironclad-18 01:15 Project Nim-PG15 13:30 ICC Cricket :00 Cricket Friends Life T20 17:00 Trans World Sport 18:00 NRL Premiership 20:00 AFL Premiership Highlights 21:00 PGA Tour Highlights 22:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 23:00 Super Rugby Highlights 01:00 NRL Premiership 03:00 Trans World Sport 04:00 AFL Premiership 06:30 Total Rugby 07:00 Darts World Match Play 09:00 NRL Premiership 11:00 World Match Racing Tour 12:00 Golfing World 13:00 Live Web.Com Tour 15:00 World Cup of Pool 16:00 World Cup of Pool 17:00 Super Rugby 19:00 Trans World Sport 20:00 Darts World Match Play 22:00 NRL Premiership 01:00 UFC 03:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 04:00 UIM Power Boats F1 Champs 05:00 NHL 07:00 WWE Bottom Line 08:00 WWE Experience 09:00 Ping Pong World 10:00 US Bass Fishing 11:00 NHL 13:00 Triahlon UK 14:00 Porsche GT 3 Cup 14:30 Porsche GT 3 Cup 15:00 Motor Sports :30 WWE Smackdown 17:30 WWE Experience 18:30 Adventure Sports 19:00 UFC 00:00 Departures 02:00 Globe Trekker 04:00 Inside Luxury Travel - Varun Sharma 05:00 Bizarre Foods America 06:00 Eden Eats 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Departures 09:00 Off Limits Parents of morose teenagers be warned: the next big trend in films for young adults could make the mood at home even darker. Vampires, werewolves and boy wizards are out; dystopia is in. Having seen the popularity of The Hunger Games, movie studios are rolling out films that explore darker themes. Summit Entertainment s Divergent and Ender s Game and Sony Pictures The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones are all aimed at the lucrative audience of young adults. The films were front and center at the Comic-Con convention that wrapped up in San Diego on Sunday in the largest gathering of fans of science fiction, fantasy and video game genres. Studios spend big money there to give that key demographic a glimpse of upcoming films, hoping to whip up the kind of fan hype that can be a powerful marketing tool for Hollywood. The industry s move to dystopia comes after the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises both ended in The five Twilight films, based on novels by Stephenie Meyer about a human girl entangled in a love triangle with a vampire and a werewolf, grossed more than $3 billion at the worldwide box office and set studios on the hunt for the next young adult franchise to capture the audience. What they found was significantly darker in nature, exploring themes far beyond a teenage love story and wizardry. Last year s Lions Gate film The Hunger Games, the first film based on author Suzanne Collins trilogy, features a post-apocalypse society in which a totalitarian government holds an annual Hunger Games, a televised survival game where 24 children must fight to the death until only one remains. Heroine Katniss, played by Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, who survives by playing her own rules, quickly becomes a threat to the government and a beacon of hope for an underground uprising. The film, which made $691 million worldwide last year, will be followed by sequel Catching Fire in November, which puts Katniss back in the perilous game as society starts to find hope in opposing the regime. That theme resonates with teens who feel powerless, who feel like adults but are still stuck in a restricted environment, said author Veronica Roth. To have a character who is claiming their identity in a world spinning wildly out of control and to use THE DESCENDANTS ON OSN CINEMA Hunger Games ushers in era of dystopian young adult films their means to overcome that world, I think that s a really powerful thing for a teenager to read about, Roth said. Darker and darker Roth is the author of Divergent, the first of three novels, which takes dystopia further in a society divided into five factions which define how a person lives their life. When protagonist Tris, portrayed by Shailene Woodley, is born into the selfless Abnegation tribe but realizes she doesn t fit in, she challenges society s rules and finds a home with the Dauntless, a clan for the brave. The film is due for release in March Harry Potter had this wonderful innocent magic to it and it got darker as it went along... maybe Hunger Games takes that to the next step. We ve taken it even further with Divergent, the film s director Neil Burger said. Ender s Game, due out in November, is based on the sci-fi novels by Orson Scott Card and starring young actors Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin. It explores a futuristic universe where gifted young children are taken to military school early in order to train for warfare against alien invasions on their planet. Actor Harrison Ford, who plays Colonel Graff, a trainer of the youth in the film, said he saw parallels between s Card s story written three decades ago, and today s world where the military lures young soldiers to fight wars. The issues of the manipulation of young people for their values as soldiers for their special skills... is something that was really complex and interesting to me, Ford said at the film s presentation at Comic-Con this week. For all the darkness, young actresses might get some of their best roles in these films. Lawrence s portrayal of Katniss as a strong leader and protagonist has set off a new trend of bolder heroines. Harald Zwart, the director of the upcoming adaptation of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, the first of a six-part book series by Cassandra Clare, said he believed there was a need for stronger female leads in film. It s important for young girls to understand that there are qualities to girls other being just pretty and being told what to do, said Zwart, whose film stars Lily Collins. They can take control of their own lives and they need to find their own destiny, and I just wanted my daughter to see that inspiration, he added. Reuters 01:00 Futbol Mundial 01:30 PGA European Tour 05:00 NRL Premiership 07:00 Cricket 10:00 Darts World Match 12:00 Live NRL Premiership 14:00 Rugby League Challenge Cup :00 Darts World Match 18:00 PGA Tour Highlights 19:00 PGA European Tour Highlights 20:00 Super Rugby Highlights 21:00 Live Cricket THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ON OSN MOVIES HD 00:00 Darts 02:00 NRL Full Time 02:30 ICC Cricket :00 Cricket Friends Life T20 06:00 Trans World Sport 07:00 PGA Tour 12:00 Trans World Sport 13:00 Futbol Mundial

33 Classifieds Looking for a boat show? Head to Lake of the Ozarks on a summer weekend CHANGE OF NAME A boater driving a go-fast cigarette boat idles through a no-waking zone before hitting the main lake. MCT It was a typical summer day at Lake of the Ozarks and the water was churning with boat activity. Giant cruisers sent large waves rippling across the water as they made their way down the main channel. Personal watercraft and go-fast boats zipped across the surface. Fishing boats ducked into the calm of coves. And pontoons and pleasure boats bobbed in the waves. Boats, boats, boats. If you re looking for an unofficial boat show, head for the Lake of the Ozarks on a summer weekend. It is a unique setting, one that has created a lifestyle in central Missouri from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Take a look: _How many boaters and vacationers does the big lake attract? The Water Patrol, a division of the Missouri Highway Patrol, said the lake area is the equivalent of the third-largest city in the state on holiday weekends. _How many boats are on the water on a summer weekend? That s hard to say, lake officials will tell you. But Sgt Paul Reinsch of the Water Patrol says, It s in the thousands. _There are more than 25,000 boat docks on the 54,000- acre lake, more than on any other Missouri reservoir. _It is known as party headquarters during the summer. Its infamous Party Cove, known for its rowdy on-the-water gatherings, attracts more than 1,000 boats on prime summer weekends. _Lake of the Ozarks was named America s Boating Capital by Boating Magazine in an article this year. Ask most boat builders where their top five markets are, and Lake of the Ozarks will be on that list. Ask any boater who has seen the central-missouri giant, and he ll describe it as the most remarkable boating experience of his life, wrote the author, Randy Vance. But the Lake of the Ozarks also has one dubious distinction when it comes to boating. It has one of the highest boating accident rates in the region, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. From 1995 to 2004, it had the third-highest incident rate in the country, according to an investigation by The Star. Officials say accident rates have dropped since then, possibly because of a crackdown on Boating While Intoxicated violations, more no-wake zones and a tighter nighttime speed limit of 30 mph. There have been 36 accidents this year through July 25, including one fatality and 25 that resulted in injuries. That is a drop from last year s totals at this time, when there were 49 accidents, 25 injuries and no fatalities. When you have that many boats on the water, there is a potential for danger, Reinsch said. We think that Lake of the Ozarks is still a safe place to boat. But people have to be aware of their surroundings, just like they would in heavy traffic on the highways. A popular destination So why is Lake of the Ozarks so popular with boaters? It starts with its size. Covering 54,000 acres and 92 miles from end to end, it offers plenty of options for boaters. If you want to boat into the middle of the action, you can stay in the first 40 miles of the lake. But if you want a more peaceful experience, you can find less traffic from mid-lake to the Warsaw area. Another factor is the lake s operation. It is owned by Ameren Missouri, an energy company that allows close-tothe-lake development. That s why you ll find rows and rows of homes and boat docks on the water. That s not the case at federal flood-control reservoirs such as Table Rock, Stockton, Pomme de Terre and many others, where the US. Army Corps of Engineers doesn t allow development in the flood pool. Add plenty of access in the form of public and resort boat ramps, boat-accessible restaurants and bars, and more than 12 boat dealerships in the lake area, and you have the makings of a boating destination. Boating is a lifestyle here at Lake of the Ozarks, said Paul Schifferdecker, a sales consultant at MarineMax, a boat dealership in Lake Ozark, Mo. We ll have people who will live on their boats for several months. They use their boat as a condo. They have all the comforts of home and they ll form a camaraderie with their neighbors. It s boating that binds them together. All the comforts. All condos should look this nice. Walk into the Sea Ray 510 Sundancer sport yacht, and you get an idea of what luxury boating is all about. At 51 feet in length, it is one of the largest boats on the Lake of the Ozarks. And it is filled with class. Plush furnishings, flat-screen televisions, a kitchen, comfortable bedrooms, a full shower, air conditioning, an entertainment center that s living. The pricetag at MarineMax? A little more than $1 million. For some boaters, this could be a summer home, Schifferdecker said. But don t get the idea that this boat is in a class by itself. The Lake of the Ozarks is full of boats that look like they belong in an episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. On a recent weekday, Joe Gibbs took one of the Formula foot Super Sport boats his dealership sells for a test run and quickly attracted attention. MCT I, Hasanali Asgerali Badnawarwala, holder of Indian Passport No: J hereby change my name to HASANALI ASGERALI KALIMI. (C 4476) I, Sahana, holder of Passport No: F , hereby change my name to SHAIKH SAHANA. (C 4457) LOST Lost Civil ID No: by the name Mohammed Shish Abdul Karim Dalal. Finder please contact SITUATION VACANT Driver needed for Kuwaiti family. Age over 35 - full time or part time. Call (C 4474) FOR SALE Toyota Fortuner SUV, white, December 2006, no accident, 2700cc, alternative 4-wheel driving, 115,000 km, Al Sayer maintenance, 4 new tires, covered cabin, KD Tel: (C 4477) THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is No: Prayer timings Fajr: 03:42 Shorook 05:10 Duhr: 11:54 Asr: 15:30 Maghrib: 18:37 Isha: 20:02 Directorate General of Civil Aviation Home Page ( Arrival Flights on Monday 5/8/2013 Airlines Flt Route Time QTR 148 DOHA 0:05 JZR 267 BEIRUT 0:20 THY 764 SABIHA 1:40 ETH 620 ADDIS ABABA 1:45 GFA 211 BAHRAIN 1:55 JZR 539 CAIRO 0:40 AFG 416 JEDDAH 2:15 UAE 853 DUBAI 2:25 ETD 305 ABU DHABI-INTL 2:30 THY 768 ISTANBUL 2:50 FDB 67 DUBAI 3:10 RJA 642 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 3:10 RBG 555 ALEXANDRIA 3:15 MSR 612 CAIRO 3:15 QTR 138 DOHA 3:30 THY 5470 ISTANBUL 3:55 THY 770 ISTANBUL 4:35 DHX 170 BAHRAIN 5:10 FDB 69 DUBAI 5:50 QTR 6130 DOHA 6:05 KAC 412 MANILA 6:15 BAW 157 LONDON 6:30 JZR 555 ALEXANDRIA 6:20 KAC 206 ISLAMABAD 7:25 KAC 302 MUMBAI 7:50 JZR 503 LUXOR 7:40 KAC 284 DHAKA 8:15 UAE 855 DUBAI 8:25 ABY 125 SHARJAH 8:50 QTR 132 DOHA 9:00 ETD 301 ABU DHABI-INTL 9:30 KAC 344 CHENNAI 9:35 FDB 55 DUBAI 9:50 KAC 352 COCHIN 9:55 IRA 3407 MASHAD 10:35 GFA 213 BAHRAIN 10:40 IRC 6521 LAMERD 10:50 MEA 404 BEIRUT 10:55 MSC 403 ASYUT 11:35 JZR 561 SOHAG 12:00 UAE 871 DUBAI 12:45 MSR 610 CAIRO 13:00 THY 766 ISTANBUL 13:10 KNE 480 TAIF 13:20 KAC 672 DUBAI 13:40 KAC 1802 CAIRO 13:40 MPH 93 AMSTERDAM 13:55 KAC 546 ALEXANDRIA 14:15 SVA 500 JEDDAH 14:30 KNE 472 JEDDAH 14:35 OMA 645 MUSCAT 14:40 RJA 640 AMMAN-QUEEN ALIA 15:55 KAC 118 NEW YORK 16:00 QTR 134 DOHA 16:15 ETD 303 ABU DHABI-INTL 16:35 UAE 857 DUBAI 16:55 KAC 804 CAIRO 16:40 ABY 127 SHARJAH 17:10 UAL 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 17:15 GFA 215 BAHRAIN 17:20 SVA 510 RIYADH 17:20 JZR 177 DUBAI 17:30 JZR 777 JEDDAH 17:50 NIA 251 ALEXANDRIA 18:00 KAC 542 CAIRO 18:15 KAC 786 JEDDAH 18:30 KAC 104 LONDON 18:45 GFA 219 BAHRAIN 19:05 KAC 618 DOHA 19:10 MSC 405 SOHAG 19:15 KAC 674 DUBAI 19:25 KAC 774 RIYADH 19:25 KAC 742 DAMMAM 19:30 JAI 572 MUMBAI 19:35 OMA 647 MUSCAT 20:00 FDB 61 DUBAI 20:00 ABY 129 SHARJAH 20:05 MEA 402 BEIRUT 20:15 MSR 618 ALEXANDRIA 20:30 AXB 489 COCHIN 20:35 MSC 401 ALEXANDRIA 21:00 ALK 229 COLOMBO 21:10 UAE 859 DUBAI 21:15 ETD 307 ABU DHABI-INTL 21:30 QTR 136 DOHA 21:35 GFA 217 BAHRAIN 21:45 QTR 146 DOHA 22:00 JAI 576 COCHIN 22:05 FDB 59 DUBAI 22:20 AIC 975 CHENNAI 22:25 UAL 981 BAHRAIN 22:40 RJA 5294 AMMAN 20:40 TAR 327 TUNIS 22:55 DLH 636 FRANKFURT 23:10 PIA 205 LAHORE 23:15 JAI 574 MUMBAI 23:20 MSR 614 CAIRO 23:30 KLM 411 AMSTERDAM 23:40 THY 772 ISTANBUL 23:45 Departure Flights on Monday 5/8/2013 Airlines Flt Route Time AIC 982 AHMEDABAD 0:05 JAI 573 MUMBAI 0:20 UAL 981 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 0:25 DLH 637 FRANKFURT 0:30 MSR 615 CAIRO 0:30 PIA 206 PESHAWAR 0:55 JZR 502 LUXOR 1:30 THY 773 ISTANBUL 2:20 THY 765 ISTANBUL 2:40 ETH 621 ADDIS ABABA 2:45 AFG 416 KABUL 3:15 THY 769 ISTANBUL 3:40 UAE 854 DUBAI 3:45 FDB 68 DUBAI 3:50 RBG 556 ALEXANDRIA 3:55 MSR 613 CAIRO 4:15 ETD 306 ABU DHABI 4:20 QTR 139 DOHA 4:25 QTR 149 DOHA 5:15 JZR 560 SOHAG 5:35 FDB 70 DUBAI 6:30 THY 5471 ISTANBUL 6:30 RJA 643 AMMAN 6:35 GFA 212 BAHRAIN 7:00 KAC 1801 CAIRO 7:00 THY 771 ISTANBUL 7:10 KAC 545 ALEXANDRIA 7:20 QTR 6131 DOHA 7:35 BAW 156 LONDON 8:25 KAC 671 DUBAI 9:25 ABY 126 SHARJAH 9:30 UAE 856 DUBAI 9:50 QTR 133 DOHA 10:00 KAC 803 CAIRO 10:05 ETD 302 ABU DHABI 10:15 FDB 56 DUBAI 10:30 GFA 214 BAHRAIN 11:25 KAC 541 CAIRO 11:30 IRA 3406 MASHHAD 11:35 KAC 165 ROME 11:45 IRC 6522 LAMERD 11:50 MEA 405 BEIRUT 11:55 JZR 776 JEDDAH 12:25 KAC 103 LONDON 12:30 MSC 406 SOHAG 12:35 KAC 785 JEDDAH 13:00 JZR 176 DUBAI 13:20 MSR 611 CAIRO 14:00 DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION THY 767 ISTANBUL 14:10 KNE 481 TAIF 14:10 UAE 872 DUBAI 14:15 KAC 673 DUBAI 15:05 MPH 93 AL MAKTOUM INTERNATIONAL 15:25 KNE 473 JEDDAH 15:30 OMA 646 MUSCAT 15:40 KAC 617 DOHA 15:45 SVA 501 JEDDAH 15:45 KAC 773 RIYADH 16:00 KAC 741 DAMMAM 16:30 RJA 641 AMMAN 16:55 QTR 135 DOHA 17:20 ETD 304 ABU DHABI 17:20 JZR 538 CAIRO 17:40 ABY 128 SHARJAH 17:50 UAE 858 DUBAI 18:15 GFA 216 BAHRAIN 18:20 SVA 511 RIYADH 18:20 UAL 982 BAHRAIN 18:30 JZR 266 BEIRUT 18:40 NIA 252 ALEXANDRIA 19:00 GFA 220 BAHRAIN 19:50 MSC 404 ASYUT 20:15 KAC 283 DHAKA 20:15 JAI 571 MUMBAI 20:35 FDB 62 DUBAI 20:40 ABY 120 SHARJAH 20:45 KAC 331 TRIVANDRUM 20:50 OMA 648 MUSCAT 20:55 KAC 351 KOCHI 21:05 MEA 403 BEIRUT 21:15 RJA 5295 AMMAN 21:25 MSR 619 ALEXANDRIA 21:30 DHX 171 BAHRAIN 21:50 MSC 402 ALEXANDRIA 22:00 ETD 308 ABU DHABI 22:15 ALK 230 COLOMBO 22:20 UAE 860 DUBAI 22:25 QTR 137 DOHA 22:35 KAC 301 MUMBAI 22:40 GFA 218 BAHRAIN 22:45 FDB 60 DUBAI 23:00 KAC 205 ISLAMABAD 23:00 QTR 147 DOHA 23:05 JAI 575 ABU DHABI 23:05 JZR 554 ALEXANDRIA 23:20 KAC 411 BANGKOK 23:40 TAR 328 DUBAI 23:45

34 34 stars CROSSWORD 272 STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) You appreciate tradition and can be quite happy when others do not try to change your surroundings that old chair is perfect where it sits. You are very methodical and practical when it comes to balancing the matters of home, family and career often at the expense of your social life. However, today close relationships take on importance. You and family members may enjoy a meal away from home with lots of time for chatter. Feeling cared for and needed is comfortable and you love to create an atmosphere of camaraderie. When everyone has a home of his or her own, you may want to continue this tradition once every week. There is conversation along this line today. You decide to complete a few things on your to-do list later this afternoon. Libra (September 23-October 22) The world is a sacred place to you and you have an absolute commitment to spiritual ideas. Intuition is a fact of life and you most often display your sensitive, kind and gentle side. You are a romantic, with a tender heart. You always work for a real future, doing what has to be done. You love all that is musical and artistic. You are sensitive to all that is psychic and you enjoy real faith. You may decide to dive in to one of your hobbies and could even decide to do some reading or writing, perhaps a short story. Obtaining and exchanging information is of emotional significance for you. Becoming involved with neighbors or siblings satisfies a deep emotional need. Communicating feelings in a clear manner is important now. Taurus (April 20-May 20) Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You can expect a little extra support from those around you. You may feel that you are in touch and in harmony with others and that the lines of communication are open. The support you need is there for whatever you would like to accomplish, or not accomplish, today. If you promised someone you would teach him or her about fishing or about golf... This is the time. You could find that you are appreciated for your feelings and your ability to share your day. The love and respect is present because of your attitude and concern for others. You hate routines and love the outdoors, travel and sports. This is considered a lucky time for you and you make plans for future get-togethers with your family and friends. A homemade ice cream contest may be planned. Someone that speaks a foreign language may come to your attention this morning. You will be able to help them in some way that others will not. Perhaps your helpfulness will be most appreciated as you help teach the meaning of driving symbols or smooth out a misunderstanding from some slang phrase. You find it easy to work with the emotions and feelings of others and with great imagination. You enjoy working with groups of people as well. You are in a great mood of self-enjoyment. You may see value in or feel love for an older person or someone in authority perhaps some neighbor. This is a great time to be with friends or a loved one. You have a built-in sense of what others want and can come up with just the right image. ACROSS 1. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural). 4. (Old Testament) A son of Jacob and a forebear of one of the tribes of Israel. 12. A bachelor's degree in theology. 15. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code. 16. Small genus of tropical American trees and shrubs with pinnate leaves and flat straight pods. 17. An implement used to propel or steer a boat. 18. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth. 19. Enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering. 20. Genus of sticky herbs with yellow flowers open in morning or evening but closed in bright light. 22. Small shrubby tree of eastern North America similar to the Judas tree having usually pink flowers. 24. A radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons. 26. Type genus of the Amiidae. 28. English explorer who with Sir Richard Burton was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika. 30. The month following August and preceding October. 33. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light. 34. Cause to combine with iodine. 38. The distinctive spirit of a people or an era. 40. A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (trade name Clinoril). 41. Electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds. 43. South African prelate and leader of the antiapartheid struggle (born in 1931). 44. The starting place for each hole on a golf course. 45. An inactive volcano in Sicily. 48. Genus of tall smooth herbs of forested mountains of Europe and Asia minor. 50. A rejection of belief. 52. A dark-skinned member of a race of people living in Australia when Europeans arrived. 53. Annual grass of Europe and North Africa. 54. (archaic) A fitting reward. 55. A living organism characterized by voluntary movement. 57. A metallic element having four allotropic forms. 59. A colorless odorless gaseous element that give a red glow in a vacuum tube. 60. A state in the Rocky Mountains. 63. Japanese mathematical physicist who proposed that nuclear forces are mediated by massive particles called mesons which are analogous to the photon in mediating electromagnetic forces ( ). 68. An internal representation of the world. 71. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism. 74. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa. 75. An advanced law degree. 76. The god who fathered the islands and gods of Japan with his sister Izanami. 78. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike. 79. A period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event. 80. The father of your father or mother. 81. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine. DOWN 1. The sixth month of the civil year. 2. A very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk. 3. Of or relating to or characteristic of the Republic of Chad or its people or language. 4. The part of the small intestine between the jejunum and the cecum. 5. One appointed to represent a city or university or corporation in business transactions. 6. The compass point midway between south and southwest. 7. A river in northern England that flows southeast through West Yorkshire. 8. Study of the literary works of ancient Greece and Rome. 9. The act of hopping (jumping upward or forward (especially on one foot)). 10. Before noon. 11. A cheese dish made with bread and egg crumbs that is baked and served in individual fireproof dishes. 12. Scottish chemist noted for his research into the structure of nucleic acids (born in 1907). 13. Precipitation of ice pellets when there are strong rising air currents. 14. (Scotland) A slope or hillside. 21. African antelopes. 23. A thin tapered rod used by a conductor to direct an orchestra. 25. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling). 27. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine. 29. American musteline mammal typically ejecting an intensely malodorous fluid when startled. 31. A flammable colorless gaseous alkene. 32. The cardinal number that is the sum of four and one. 35. An artificial language intended for international use as an auxiliary language. 36. Old master of the Venetian school ( ). 37. A liquid solution that results from elution. 39. Sew up the eyelids of hawks and falcons. 42. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad. 46. The inner and thicker of the two bones of the human leg between the knee and ankle. 47. A condition requiring relief. 49. Ratio of the hypotenuse to the opposite side. 51. Tropical starchy tuberous root. 56. The upper house of the parliament of the Republic of Ireland. 58. The dialect of Malay used as the national language of the Republic of Indonesia or of Malaysia. 61. An anti-inflammatory drug that does not contain steroids. 62. Type genus of the Percidae. 64. (Norse mythology) One of the Aesir known for his beauty and skill with bow and skis. 65. God of love and erotic desire. 66. Urged social reform in 19th century England. 67. A city in western Germany on the Rhine River. 69. A flat-bottomed volcanic crater that was formed by an explosion. 70. A French abbot. 72. A plant hormone promoting elongation of stems and roots. 73. One of the most common of the five major classes of immunoglobulins. 77. A lustrous gray strong metallic element resembling titanium. Yesterday s Solution Gemini (May 21-June 20) Many lines of communication are opened and you gain more recognition as a result. Your love of simplicity is good for politics too. It brings out the truth and a sense of honesty in a group. You are freedom loving and at times, independent. This is a creative period for you, a time to take a chance, a time to be appreciated and admired. You can really get your ideas across to others. You will be reminded of a resolution about diet and nutrition at this time. Romance and other things that tug at the heartstrings come your way as a new cycle begins. A child or lover may come to mean everything. You are happy in austere settings and enjoy getting back to the basics. Religion, truth and the world of philosophy and ideas are of interest today. Cancer (June 21-July 22) You could be guiding young people in religious matters. You are a very feeling person and can sense the drift of a situation without a lot of analysis. Question and answer sessions are fun and easy this day. There could be challenges to fulfill someone else s expectations. You could be left with a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to matters of education, philosophy and conceptual ability. In a word, you revere this kind of stuff, not because it is natural to you but rather because it does not come easily for you you have to work for it. There may be a tendency on your part to puff up your intellectual powers. There is a chance to understand those around you and to have a special time with someone you love. This is a happy time. Leo (July 23-August 22) Your inner resources and emotions are accented today. You can expect a sense of support and goodwill from those around you for whatever you would like to achieve. You are in a planning mood and are very clearheaded and able to view all the alternative paths. Go ahead and make those decisions. You can see the road ahead and will make the right choices. There is an interest and ability in athletics, exercise, working with the physical body and the out-of-doors, which should be life-long. Another form of this could be in training or coaching others. This is what you may find yourself doing in the afternoon. Romance is your trademark and this evening you may come up with some fascinating ideas in how to add some extra spice to your romancing. Virgo (August 23-September 22) There are talents expressed today to ground and make spiritual ideas a practical matter bringing them down to earth and into everyday life. You have great discipline when it comes to working with spirituality and unity whatever binds or links all of us together. There is smooth progress ahead of you today and all opposition, if any, seems to have melted away. You would be able to teach others through your own experiences. You grasp the principles that bind things together, the essentials of practical religion a down-to-earth mysticism. Provided you do not spend it all on the fancy things that catch your eye, this can be a financially favorable period. This is a great time to reflect and understand your situation just how you feel you are progressing in your life. Word Search Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) A new piece of furniture or something else that needs assembly will have your attention this morning. If you have instructions, you can do anything! You are exacting when it comes to getting down to the basics. This tendency for perfection may continue as you enjoy other people s art expression this afternoon. Your taste in art and appreciation in general are heightened. An art exhibit or presentation, perhaps a collection of some sort, has fascinated you and this is where your interests may be much of this day. Purchasing some item that will be increasing in value is profitable. This evening is a great time to have some deep discussions with a loved one. This private time and interest in each other create a wonderful bonding Capricorn (December 22-January 19) CAPRICORN If necessary, this is the time to make amends. Making peace with the past and meditating on things unseen become important to you now. Someone needs your attention and you may be able to guide others in some caregiving concern. Do not be afraid to speak your mind. You work with understanding in areas of the mind that are the most personal or private: in-depth psychology. You tend to be radical when it comes to selfanalysis, which means healthcare, food and mental health, etc. Serving and caring for yourself and others are primary sources of inner growth and changes for the next few years. Your burning zeal for the ideal world and your need to be included in a group of likeminded souls are major factors in your makeup. Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You create ways to ground yourself and gain a focus this morning. Your sense of direction and guidance are the key to understanding you at any in-depth level. If you and your loved one have been together a long time you will find a new type of communication between you. Perhaps a couple of walkie-talkies while out bird watching would be the newest fun activity. Good exercise and good creative thinking when it comes to comfort while you are waiting for the birds to show. When the weather is too hot to stay outside you and your mate may decide an early movie or a bookstore is the perfect place to be for a timeout from your work weekend. When work becomes drudgery, it is time to remember why you are working and celebrate your good fortune. Pisces (February 19-March 20) Your friends, partners and relationships mean a lot to you. They are a primary source of strength and you always look to them for mutual support and encouragement. You are indeed a social being and will no doubt weave this fact into your lifestyle. You are above all, a natural go-between or mediator between the generations. It may be your turn to check on a senior member of your family. Consider checking on them before you go shopping for them. This way you will be gathering the items they need the most. A family gathering later today will get your attention and you may be called upon to help others see two sides of any question. You have a strong and positive effect on those who come to know you. Early this evening you could plant onions. Yesterday s Solution Daily SuDoku Yesterday s Solution

35 For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 Sabah Hospital Amiri Hospital Maternity Hospital Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital Chest Hospital Farwaniya Hospital Adan Hospital Ibn Sina Hospital Al-Razi Hospital Physiotherapy Hospital /9 Kaizen center Rawda Adaliya Khaldiya Kaifan Shamiya Shuwaikh Abdullah Salem information GOVERNORATE PHARMACY ADDRESS PHONE Ahmadi Sama Safwan Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Danat Al-Sultan Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd Jahra Modern Jahra Jahra-Block 3 Lot Madina Munawara Jahra-Block Capital Ahlam Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop Khaldiya Coop Farwaniya New Shifa Farwaniya Block Ferdous Coop Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan Old Kheitan Block Hawally Tariq Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Hana Salmiya-Amman St Ikhlas Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Hawally & Rawdha Coop Ghadeer Jabriya-Block 1A Kindy Jabriya-Block 3B Ibn Al-Nafis Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop Salwa Coop Al-Madeena Al-Shuhada Al-Shuwaikh Al-Nuzha Sabhan Al-Helaly Al-Faiha Al-Farwaniya Al-Sulaibikhat Al-Fahaheel Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh Ahmadi Al-Mangaf Al-Shuaiba Al-Jahra Al-Salmiya INTERNATIONAL CALLS Nuzha Industrial Shuwaikh Qadsiya Dasmah Bneid Al-Gar Shaab Qibla Ayoun Al-Qibla Mirqab Sharq Salmiya Jabriya Maidan Hawally Bayan Mishref W Hawally Sabah Jahra New Jahra West Jahra South Jahra North Jahra North Jleeb Ardhiya Firdous Omariya N Khaitan Fintas Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea Dr. Masoma Habeeb Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy Dr. Mohsen Abel Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem Dr. Kathem Maarafi Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) Dr. Leons Joseph Psychologists /Psychotherapists PRIVATE CLINICS Soor Center Tel: Fax: Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari Dr. Abdel Quttainah /60 Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar / Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan /0 Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe / Dr. Verginia s.marin ext 8321 Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly Dr. Salem soso General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Mousa Khadada Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra Dr. Mobarak Aldoub Dr Nasser Behbehani /3 info@soorcenter.com Paediatricians Dr. Khaled Hamadi Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed Dr. Zahra Qabazard Dr. Sohail Qamar Dr. Snaa Maaroof Dr. Pradip Gujare Dr. Zacharias Mathew (1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada) Dentists Dr Anil Thomas / Dr. Shamah Al-Matar /2 Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan Dr. Bader Al-Ansari Neurologists Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali Kaizen center Endocrinologist Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad Ext 210 Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: Fax: William Schuilenberg, RPC Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc Afghanistan 0093 Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiga Argentina 0054 Armenia Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium 0032 Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Brazil 0055 Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada 001 Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Chad Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba 0053 Cyprus Cyprus (Northern) Czech Republic Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt 0020 El Salvador England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France 0033 French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany 0049 Ghana Gibraltar Greece 0030 Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras Hong Kong Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland India 0091 Indian Ocean Indonesia 0062 Iran 0098 Iraq Ireland Italy 0039 Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan 0081 Jordan Kazakhstan 007 Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Liberia Libya Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Majorca 0034 Malawi Malaysia 0060 Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico 0052 Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia Nepal Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua Nigar Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea Norway 0047 Oman Pakistan 0092 Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts Saint Lucia Saint Pierre Saint Vincent Samoa US Samoa West San Marino Sao Tone Saudi Arabia Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore 0065 Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands 00677

36 lifestyle G O S S I P Scherzinger to reunite with Hamilton Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton are to get back together. The couple called time on their fiveyear relationship last month but are planning to meet in a bid to find a way to make their union work when they are so busy with their globe-trotting careers. A source said: They are planning to meet and work out how on earth they can maintain a relationship with their lifestyles. They both know this is the final chance to make it work. Even though they spend so much time apart in different countries because of their work commitments, they were constantly on the phone and text messaging. Nicole is currently based in the UK working on The X Factor, and has found the last month away from the Formula One ace incredibly difficult, so is keen to find a way to get their relationship back on track. The source added to The Sun newspaper: She always felt complete with him in her life. That s why she s found the last month virtually impossible. Some days she was so upset it was a real battle for her to even get out of bed and go to work at The X Factor auditions. She s been distraught but is very good at hiding her real feelings in public. After all, this is the man she still hopes to marry one day. This might be Lewis homeland but he s hardly ever here and the reality is that Nicole has felt very alone. She loves his family but she s not close enough to his friends to call them her own. While Nicole s team say the couple are still officially broken up, both are desperate to resolve the situation. Last week, Lewis dedicated his win in the Hungarian Grand Prix last week to the Poison hitmaker, though he could not bring himself to say her name. He said: It feels a little bit odd without that someone here, but I would say now that this is one of those races you want to dedicate to that someone. Cowell to pay out 63 million in child support Mollie King thinks pregnancy is contagious Mollie King worries she might catch the pregnancy bug. The Saturdays singer s band mates Una Healy, Rochelle Humes and Frankie Sanford have all succumbed to it in recent times, and Mollie fears she ll be next in line to have a baby ahead of youngest member Vanessa White. She joked: I keep saying pregnancy is contagious and I m going to catch it next! It s so nice for the girls, as we re like a big family anyway. The girl band spent three months in Los Angeles filming their reality TV show Chasing The Saturdays and Mollie admits she became strangely comfortable having every second of her life captured on camera. She explained: I remember thinking that I would never get used to having the cameras on me 24/7 but we became so close to the director, cameramen and crew. I d watched shows like The Kardashians and wondered how they could be so open on camera, but its easier when you feel like you re around friends. That s what makes for a good show, as you open up and stay true to who you are. However, the bubbly blonde won t be setting up a permanent home in the US, despite now being loved-up with American music producer Jordan Omley. Mollie told Britain s InStyle magazine: My heart is in London. I m proud to be British and will always consider it my home. I miss the skyline and fryups with friends at the weekend when I m away. There s only so much Skype can deliver on. Juno Temple: Radcliffe is a stand up comedian Bosworth believes Polish is her soulmate Kate Bosworth believes Michael Polish is her soulmate. The 30- year-old actress fell head over heels for the filmmaker on the set of 2011 movie Big Sur and admits her fiancè is the ideal partner whom she always fantasized about meeting as a child. She said: I had forgotten my ideal relationship. When I go home to my childhood bedroom I see all the quotes I wrote about meeting a soulmate. Just through growing up and having relationships that didn t work I forgot that side of things and it became about, How do we make this work? When I met Michael all of that magical side of believing in a soulmate returned. I m really grateful because I believe it s rare. I believe that we re two people who have found their way though difficulties in life, unpacked their baggage and realise it s the same baggage. The Blue Crush star is excited about their upcoming wedding and becoming an official stepmother to Michael s 15-yearold daughter, Jasper. Kate gushed: She s 15 and she s wonderful. A lot of people say it must be really difficult, but it s been such an effortless, beautiful, gorgeous relationship for me. We have a blast together, the three of us. I love it. The blonde beauty refused to give anything away about their upcoming nuptials, but hinted the ceremony would celebrate their American heritage. She said: [It] will be a love letter to our country. It s funny because I didn t really think about marriage very much. I was not the girl carrying around bridal-dress designs. Juno Temple says Daniel Radcliffe should be a stand up comedian. The 24-year-old actress worked with the Harry Potter actor on indie movie Horns and revealed Daniel kept her entertained with his jokes after the director asked her to open a scene by laughing. She told E! News: There was one take where there was quite a complicated shot and we had to keep redoing it to get the shot right. We had to open with me laughing and Daniel must have told me 20 to 25 jokes. It was insane. I didn t know somebody had that many jokes. It was genius. He s a stand-up comic. While Juno will play Queen Elizabeth s sister, Princess Margaret, in Girls Night Out, the new movie about the sisters sneaking out of Buckingham Palace as teenagers, she admits she didn t follow coverage of the recent birth of Prince George, the future British king. She said: I m happy for [Prince William and Duchess Catherine], but I m not really good at following tabloid stuff. Anyone having a baby is a magic moment in their lives so it s very exciting but no, I m not a royal fanatic. Mel C loves being single Simon Cowell is reportedly set to pay out 63 million in child support. The 53-year-old music mogul is expecting his first child with Lauren Silverman - the estranged wife of his friend Andrew Silverman - and is said to have pledged to give her 3 million a year until the youngster turns 21 after taking legal and financial advice over the messy situation. A source told the Daily Star Sunday newspaper: He wants to ensure he does the right thing for her and their baby as well as resolving this mess. Simon wanted to know exactly where he stands and to minimize the damage this will do to his bank balance. He has a good relationship with Lauren at the moment but when you re as wealthy as Simon, you can t take any chances. Money changes people. Simon has warned he won t be taken for a ride just because he s rich. He s more than prepared to be fair and generous but he s no mug. Simon has been named in divorce papers filed by Andrew - who has seven-year-old son Adam with Lauren - and it is claimed the X Factor boss has happily agreed to cover his former friend s legal costs if he drops an adultery claim in favour of a no contest divorce. Andrew has been spotted at the lavish New York home he shared with Lauren - who stands to receive between $3 and $4 million in the divorce under the terms of their pre-nuptial agreement - and their son over the last few days, but friends insist there has been minimal communication between the estranged couple. One pal told the New York Post newspaper: Andrew stayed at the house to create some normalcy for their son. There was no talk about the divorce settlement. That is being handled by the lawyers. There was minimal conversation between them. It was done purely for their child. Meanwhile, Simon has jetted off for a month-long break in St. Tropez, France, with a group of friends. The former Spice Girls singer was left distraught last year after she split from Thomas Starr, her partner of ten years- with whom she has fouryear-old daughter Scarlet - but admits she is enjoying the freedom she now has. Speaking to Closer magazine, she said: I m loving being single. This is a new chapter in my life. It s an amazing freedom as well. I ve reconnected with lots of friends who I didn t see as much before, and I ve made lots of new friends too. I ve met so many people just through being single and hanging out in new places. The 38-year-old singer has been romantically linked to best friend, former radio DJ Chris Moyles, in recent months, but she s adamant there s no truth in the rumors and being tied to her Jesus Christ Superstar co-star is frustrating as it has prevented her landing a man. She explained: Chris and I laugh so much about rumors we re a couple. I actually think he quite likes the rumor and would like to keep it going! But I m not happy about it, because people thinking he s my boyfriend stops me finding men to date! Willis unbearable to work with Bruce Willis is unbearable to work with when he s away from his family. The RED 2 actor insists his wife Emma Heming and their 15-month-old daughter, Mabel Ray, join him when he is on location, because he just can t bear to be away from his girls. He told BANG Showbiz: I m fortunate that I get to bring my family with me when I travel. It would be impossibly unbearable for anyone I m working with if I didn t have my family with me. I d just be moaning about that. I have a little baby and I like to hang out with her every day. The doting father and husband - who also has three daughters, Rumer, 24, Scout, 22, and 19-year-old Tallulah, with ex-wife Demi Moore - isn t sure what makes his marriage to Emma works, but feels it s important to pay attention to your spouse. He explained: Attention must be paid to your family and your friends and how you treat them. I don t think there s anything more important than that. The action movie legend - who is known for his hard-man character John McClane in the Die Hard films - also reveals that he no longer does his own stunts for fear of being scolded by his wife. He added: I do let the stuntmen take over. I don t do that many stunts. I would do the stunts if I could but I m not allowed to ever, ever - they hurt. I wouldn t mind being hurt. I mean, I get hurt all the time, but I ll get scolded [if I do them]. Joshua Jackson jealous of Diane Kruger The 37-year-old actress recently took on the leading role of Detective Sonya Cross in new FX series The Bridge and Joshua, 35, who shot to fame as Pacey Witter in Dawson s Creek insists her hours on set are much shorter than the ones he put in on the teen drama. Diane told Us Weekly: He hates me because my experience has been like, I m home for dinner every night, I don t have to work every day, FX wants me to think creatively. He s been on network television and it was very different. It s been super creative for me and he kinda hates me for it! Despite his jealousy, Josh has been offering advice to his girlfriend, with Diane explaining: He definitely alerted me to mistakes that he made and hopefully I can avoid. Diane recently insisted the couple s seven-year romance has lasted so long because of therapy. She said: All relationships are hard. It doesn t matter what job you have, or how famous or miserable or poor you are. It s about commitment. The hard part is the timing. When you meet someone, are you ready to make them your number one priority? I m grateful that I met a person who feels the same not just about me, but also about our relationship. But therapy helps, too.

37 Gisele Bundchen says Tom Brady is the best husband, father and friend. The 33- year-old supermodel couldn t resist posting a gushing message on Instagram on Tom s 36th birthday on Saturday where she spoke about her love for her spouse of four years. She wrote: Happy birthday my love! Thank you for being the best husband, father and friend. Thank you for being you. I love you so much. Gisele and Tom have two children together, threeyear-old son Benjamin and sevenmonth-old daughter Vivian while the New England Patriots player also has a son, John, five, from his previous relationship with actress lifestyle G O S S I P Gisele Bundchen: Brady is the best husband, father John Legend says his fiancee is always right The Ordinary People soul star is set to wed model Chrissie Teigen in September and claims the key to wedded bliss rests with his agreeing with his future spouse s opinion. He said: Even if she s wrong, she s right. That goes for anything. I m getting married soon and to be fair, she listens to me, but she s always right! The 34-year-old star is hard at work planning his wedding but one thing which will definitely happen is he will serenade Chrissie, 27, at the reception. He added to Q magazine: The wedding won t be small but not too large, it s mostly family. I just have a big family. Am I playing? I ll probably do a song or two. Do I take requests? No. I m not into wedding bands. The piano-playing singer feels that he and glamorous Chrissie complement each other because they both have a passion for fashion, and he believes it s important to dress well to attract the ladies. He explained: Dressing well is knowing what looks good on you. A good fit is important. Just don t be douchey. I was in Cannes [France] the other day and was laughing at these guys who had these pop-collar polos with writing on the back of the collar. They looked douchey! You don t want to look like you re trying too hard. Bridget Moynahan. Gisele has previously spoken about her love of being a mother and said she wanted lots of children with Tom. She said: I want to have a big family. My parents have been together for 36 years, and that is what I want. I ve been challenged a lot by it, but it s the most rewarding part. I love kids. Tom has also said he is keen to have lots of children, but balance it with having a successful career. He said: I have to do something [after football]. The only thing I ever wanted to be was a professional football player. It s hard because I want to have four kids and I want to be a really good dad, too. Prince William makes first official public appearance Britain s Prince William has made his first official public appearance since becoming a father. The 31-year-old royal - who became a dad for the first time when his wife Duchess Catherine gave birth to their son Prince George on July 22 - took part in the Audi Polo Challenge at Coworth Park, Berkshire, South East England on Saturday alongside his brother, Prince Harry. The game was held to benefit SkillForce and The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, of which William is patron and president respectively. Meanwhile, it has been revealed William has been singing Coldplay songs in order to get George to get back to sleep as he is up six times a night and is keeping Carole and Michael Middleton, the parents of Catherine - previously known as Kate Middleton - awake. A royal insider said: William had no idea it would be this tough. He s using a bizarre tactic of belting out Coldplay anthems at all hours of the night even though he can barely hold a note. It s even keeping Kate s parents awake. He s been singing Paradise and he also loves doing Yellow. George responds to Coldplay s songs the most and settles back down. William and Catherine are looking after George at her parents home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, but William has been ducking out of morning greetings by heading back to bed to catch up with some much-needed sleep following his nighttime singing sessions. The insider added: Wills is shattered by the morning so he heads to bed for a couple of hours. Stewart and Keough awkward encounter Macpherson married to Soffer The Australian supermodel and the billionaire, who broke up in March 2012 before reconciling in November 2012 and getting engaged in March this year, tied the knot in Fiji surrounded by friends and family, according to Us Weekly. Elle, who was briefly linked to wealthy financier Roger Jenkins last year, reconciled with Jeffrey after she rushed to his side when he was involved in a helicopter crash in the Bahamas, which killed his friend Lance Valdez and saw him undergo surgery for a fractured vertebrae. A source previously said: Jeff is very shaken up and mourning the loss of his friend. Elle is landing in Miami imminently to visit him and offer her support at a very tough time. The helicopter - which was also carrying one of Jeffrey s employees Dan Riordan and his wife Paula - came crashing down at the Baker s Bay Golf and Ocean Club on Great Guana Cay in the Abacos Island chain on Thanksgiving Day. The couple were both previously married. Elle tied the knot with photographer Gilles Bensimon in 1986 but they divorced three years later. The former Fashion Star host also has two sons Arpad, 15, and Aurelius, 10, from a previous relationship with Arpad Busson. Teresa Palmer is engaged The Warm Bodies actress is set to tie the knot with her Goodbye World star boyfriend Mark Webber, who she first started dating in September 2012, after he proposed to her with the ring his character gives hers in their upcoming movie The Ever After. A source close to the couple told Just Jared Jr: He proposed last week using the ring his character gives her character in their upcoming film The Ever After. It was the most romantic thing ever! Reports of the engagement surfaced after Teresa was spotted wearing a diamond ring recently, however her representative says her actual band is being resized. A spokesperson for Teresa, 27, told E! News: She is engaged, however the ring in the photo is not her engagement ring. She is wearing the ring from her film until she gets the real one back from being sized. The couple met on Twitter after Teresa tracked down 33-year-old Mark - who has a five-year-old son from a previous relationship - to compliment him on a movie he made. She said: I looked him up after I saw the film he directed The End Of Love. We tweeted each other and actually fell in love over before finally getting to meet face to face. It was almost like old- fashioned love letters. My family and friends really love him and I think he s changed my perspective on a few things about my life. David Beckham offered movie role Kristen Stewart and Riley Keough had a tense run in at a Hollywood concert. Robert Pattinson s past and reported current girlfriend both attended the Joan Jett gig at the House of Blues in West Hollywood on Thursday and although the Runaways costars chatted briefly, friends admitted it was awkward. A source told HollywoodLife.com: It was weird when they saw each other, because Kristen didn t look very happy when she walked over to give her a hug. They spoke for like two minutes and then Riley and her girlfriend walked away. Kristen watched the show from upstairs and I am pretty sure Riley kept her distance and was watching from downstairs. It was recently claimed Robert is smitten by Riley, who is Elvis Presley s granddaughter and the new couple David Beckham has been approached to play a bad guy in a new movie. The retired soccer star - who announced he was quitting the sport earlier this year - has been asked by Colin Firth to star in The Secret Service and director Matthew Vaughn is so confident he will agree to appear, he has already had a villainous part written for him. A source told The Sun newspaper: Becks was asked by Colin Firth if he d like to be in the movie but he is yet to fully commit. He loves movies and fancies appearing on the big screen-but just as a one-off, not a fulltime career. The film - which is based on a spy graphic novel by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons - stars Colin and Sir Michael Caine as superagents fighting a team of villains headed by Samuel L. Jackson and will also feature cameo appearances from stars including Sir Elton John. David - who has children Brooklyn, 14, Romeo, 10, Cruz, eight, and Harper, two, with wife Victoria - has previously been tipped for movie success by his spouse. She has said: I think he would be really good at acting. He d be a great James Bond. love to spend time at home together, rather than attending Hollywood parties. A source said: Rob and Riley are having a really great time together, event though it s very early. There is an attraction to each other. They just get each other. Rob thinks Riley has a cool level head and is not impressed by stardom at all. Rob just loves that about her. He loves that she ll go into his kitchen for like 10 minutes and come back with a delicious plate of pasta. They just do typical stuff that has pretty much started all his relationships. They get into debates about politics, human rights, things they had read in the papers that morning. She s pretty good on the piano and he ll often pull out his guitar and they ll have a mini jam session, making up silly songs and funny limericks. Mirren wants Elizabeth I artifacts Dame Helen Mirren would love to own a handwritten note by Queen Elizabeth I. The regal actress - who has played both Elizabeth I and reigning British queen, Elizabeth II - feels a great affinity with the monarchs having portrayed them on screen and stage, and thinks it would be incredible to own something that was written by the famous royal. Quizzed what extravagant purchase she would like to make, she said: I think that I m inspired by... I think a hand-written parchment from Elizabeth 1st. I mean, to own a piece of history like that would be so incredible. Maybe one of her letters to her ambassadors, you know, rejecting the hand of the King of Spain or something like that would be great. The 68-year-old star reprises her role as sharpshooting assassin Victoria in action movie, RED 2, and the film even pays homage to her royal roles. In one scene, Helen s character poses as a delusional woman who thinks she s the queen in order to gain access to a psychiatric hospital. Aniston flaunts curvy figure Jennifer Aniston was totally up for stripping in her new movie We re the Millers. The Friends actress plays a saucy dancer in the new comedy - which centres on a drug dealer who hires her character and two teenagers to form a pretend family so he can smuggle illegal substances across the US border without detection - and the 44-yearold beauty had no qualms about performing a striptease for the role. Director Rawson Marshall Thurber said: I just thought it would be a fun moment. It didn t take any persuasion to get her to do it. She really liked the script and wanted to play the part. She Sir Elton John has appendix removed was up for it... It s this bizarre moment of the mum being able to save her family by stripping. We were shooting it in a shack in 120-degree heat and it was a long day for her, but she s a pro. She s in great shape and comfortable in her own body, and she nailed it. People who ve seen it ask if it s all Jen and I m happy to report that it is. And fans may see even more of Jennifer - who is engaged to actor-and-screenwriter Justin Theroux - in her naughty role, as the director hints there may be a sequel in the works. He added to Empire magazine: With good characters I think it s always a good thing to continue a story. Sir Elton John has had his appendix removed. The Rocket Man singer - who cancelled a string of summer concert dates after being stricken with appendicitis - is said to be feeling great after undergoing the 45- minute procedure at Monaco s Princess Grace hospital on Thursday and is now recovering at his home in Nice, France with husband David Furnish and their sons Zachary, two, and seven-month-old Elijah, The 66- year-old star had been taking antibiotics for weeks to reduce an abscess before he could have the operation, and is now looking forward to returning to the stage next month. He told friend: I feel great. A source added: Elton is back in Nice playing with the boys now. He is a lot better and very positive after the operation. He still has to rest up but is determined to get back on the road next month and can t wait to see his fans who have sent thousands of get well soon messages. It was recently revealed the cancelled shows could trigger an insurance payout of up to 10 million to cover ticket refunds. A source said: Artists have insurance for the promoters liability. Elton is insured so they get their money back or they can have another concert. The singer has rescheduled some dates but others were part of festivals so the ticket money must be refunded. The source added: It has all been taken care of and will be rescheduled. No promoter will be out of pocket. Elton even spoke to some of the festival promoters to apologize because he has been working with them for so long.

38 lifestyle M U S I C & M O V I E S British singer Robbie Williams performs on stage at the Koning Boudewijn Stadion (Stade Roi Baudouin) as part of his Take the Crown Stadium Tour 2013 in Brussels. AFP photos Gingerly, film-maker tests limits of freedom in Myanmar Al Pacino Pacino movie films in middle of concert by Chicago A n Al Pacino movie broke out in the middle of a concert by the band Chicago, with thousands of fans serving as extras. Cameras were wheeled onstage during intermission of the group s show at the Greek Theatre on Friday night to film a scene from Pacino s upcoming movie Imagine, in which he plays aging rock star Danny Collins. With coaching from the director, the crowd chanted the name of Pacino s character as the 73 year-old actor walked on stage to sing Hey Baby Doll in a black suit. The movie co-stars Michael Caine, Annette Bening and Jennifer Garner. This is an improvisation, Pacino told the crowd. You just came in and got it. That s not easy. Chicago s band members remained on stage to watch and clap along during the 25-minute filming. After a few takes, the crowd grew restless and there was scattered booing for the real musicians to resume playing. Earlier in Chicago s set, Joe Mantegna of CBS Criminal Minds joined his hometown band to sing If You Leave Me Now. Pacino returned to the stage during Chicago s encore and sang and danced to their hit 25 or 6 to 4. For a shy guy from the South Bronx, this has been great, Pacino said. AP M yanmar movie director Zay Par is doing what would have been unthinkable two years ago - putting the finishing touches to a film that harks back to a 1988 student uprising brutally put down by military rulers. Hunched in front of a computer in a cramped room in Yangon, Zay Par says he is testing the boundaries of newfound artistic freedom that has blossomed since the junta handed power to a hand-picked civilian government in but very carefully. We will show our edit to the censorship board and they will decide whether to allow it or not, the 35-year-old said. The protagonist of the film is an activist jailed during the student uprising. Now a freed political prisoner, he is looked up to by villagers who have sought his help in a dispute with a Chinese mining company. As he shares his experience with them, there are flashbacks to The movie would have been banned just a couple years ago, when the military ran the country, and the producer and director would have been in hot water. Even today a quasi-civilian government s reforms go only so far and film makers remain reluctant to touch on sensitive subjects. After 49 years of military rule, President Thein Sein, a former army general, is spearheading sweeping changes that include lifting restrictions on freedom of speech. There has been an explosion of news media, but movies are still light on politics and heavy on action or comedy. Zay Par s film will be the first to depict scenes of the 1988 uprising, when authorities killed at least 3,000 people and arrested thousands more, holding some for years as political prisoners. But Zay Par isn t showing soldiers gunning down unarmed protesters. In the scene he s editing, students march and chant slogans while the camera pans slowly across, showing only the back of a soldier facing the crowd. Zay Par said it s not just government censors he s worried about: he doesn t think the Zay Par general public is ready yet for graphic scenes of political violence. Myanmar s political transformation has yet to bring stability. Ethnic militias still face off against government troops in the hinterlands while clashes between Buddhists and Muslims have killed more than 200 people over the past year. In the present situation I decided not to use soldiers shooting students, Zay Par said. I will show only what I should show. The good old days It wasn t always this complicated. Myanmar used to have a vibrant film industry, with a movie-mad population and 244 cinemas in the late 1950s, according to the Myanmar Motion Picture Organization. We produced about 80 to 100 pictures every year. That was the golden age, recalled San Shwe Maung, a 78-year-old actor and director who is a member of the organization. The country now makes only 17 to 20 films a year, he said in a colonial-era house that serves as a museum of Myanmar cinema, with movie posters of stars and starlets past hanging on the walls. These days, he said, movies are shot in a couple of weeks or less. In the past it might have taken three years. Because most cinemas have ageing projectors, new movies have to be converted from digital to film before distribution. But people prefer to shell out 1,000 to 5,000 kyat ($1 to $5) to watch Hollywood and Bollywood films. Thai and Korean movies are also popular. The number of cinemas has dwindled to perhaps 100 around the country, with about 20 in Yangon, down from 40 in the 1970s, according to San Shwe Maung. Yangon has two theatres that show mainly Western action films in 3D, but most are older places, paint peeling on the outside. Inside, the seats are dilapidated and there is no air conditioning to provide respite from the tropical heat. The old cinemas are popular with young couples seeking privacy in Myanmar s conservative society, if they can put up with the mosquitoes, or the mice running around their feet. Wrecking ball As if to underscore the decline of a oncethriving industry, two more cinemas are being demolished in central Yangon. But the industry s fall began almost five decades ago when a 1962 coup by military officers turned the country into a police state largely cut off from the outside world. Wary of any criticism that could stir up the masses, the junta imposed strict censorship. Politics and corruption were off-limits and censors would also chop anything approaching a sex scene, said San Shwe Maung. Then, in 1968, the government nationalized the film industry. It became difficult to fund productions or even buy film to shoot on. After that there were no more good pictures, up to nowadays, San Shwe Maung lamented. The veteran movie star did manage to make a movie depicting the conflict between the army and ethnic Karen rebels. He played a Karen fighter who falls in love with a nurse treating government soldiers. His character switches to the government side to be with her and is eventually killed for it by his fellow rebels, a plot twist that satisfied the censors. We could do it, because at the end I was punished, he said with a laugh. San Shwe Maung won the award for best supporting actor for that role in the country s Academy Awards in Winners were chosen by officials at the Ministry of Information until last year, when members of the Motion Picture Organization convinced the ministry to let them choose half the awards themselves. Zay Par s movie about the 1988 student uprising is another sign the government is loosening up. And the censorship rules have eased considerably. But breaking out of the creative confines of the past is still a challenge, according to the film s producer, Phyo Yadana Thwe. I ve lived in a box for 25 years. Now the government gives us freedom, but it s hard because we are afraid, she said. We have no idea of free thinking. Reuters Robin Meade s heart beats for music as well as news W hen Robin Meade was 4 years old, she proudly approached her preacher father and told him that she had learned her first song the hymn Kneel at the Cross. A couple of years later, neighbors would watch with amusement as Meade stood by herself in the yard in her Ohio hometown, singing The StarSpangled Banner to the flagpole. I probably looked like this insane little kid, but I remember always feeling drawn to music, Meade said recently from her cozy office at CNN headquarters in downtown Atlanta. Right, it s that Robin Meade we re talking about. The attractive and efferves- cent host of Morning Express With Robin Meade on HLN who two years ago decided to finally unearth the musical passion she had repressed for years and recorded her debut album, the country-tinged Brand New Day. She gained some notice for her twangy cover of Don Henley s Dirty Laundry a cheeky choice for a news anchor and relished the experience of songwriting and recording. Last month almost exactly two years since her debut Meade unveiled her sophomore outing, Count on Me, a collection of a dozen country-pop-bluegrass songs that includes four covers (Cyndi Lauper and Tom Robin Meade performs at an album release party for her new CD, Count on Me, at The Cutting Room in New York. MCT photos Robin Meade poses with her new CD, Count on Me, in her offices at CNN in downtown Atlanta. Petty among them) and features the handi- that, she added with a smile, and I loved work of artists such as Kristian Bush of their sound. So I read who produced it and Sugarland (with whom she wrote the song it was a lady s name, which is rare. It was Your Glory Days ), Keb Mo (who plays on Victoria. I looked at my husband (Tim) and Slow It Up ) and Kenny Loggins Blue Sky said, I m going to work with her someday. Riders (who assist on the opening track, Their paths fortuitously intertwined shortly afterward when Meade was tapped to host Here for You ). The album, distributed by Canada s the Next GAC Star competition on the Mood Media Entertainment, is currently a Great American Country network. Shaw Target exclusive until it moves to Wal-Mart was one of the judges. I waited until after the broadcast to say, in the next few months (it s also available on itunes). Meade again worked with coun- I m such an admirer of yours, and then the try singer-songwriter Victoria Shaw regard- zinger... Will you teach me to write songs? ed in the industry for penning Garth Brooks I don t know what possessed her, but she The River who produced both albums. said yes, Meade said with her familiar About the time that Lady Antebellum first throaty laugh. Working on Count on Me came out (in 2008), I had their CD and was required Meade to take a little bit of time reading the liner notes because I still do off from her news duties and travel to Nashville, Tenn, to write and record. Her bosses at CNN / HLN have fully supported her moonlighting an album launch party held at the Cutting Room in New York City last month included sightings of Don Lemon, Kate Bolduan and head honcho Jeff Zucker and HLN has used her song Here for You for a promotional campaign on the network. From the time I started here (in 2001), my bosses didn t discount the value of being known as something else as well. I was given the go-ahead, but I was already going back and forth to Nashville to learn to write songs. That s where the music connection was for me, Meade, 44, said. Count on Me was recorded in Nashville in two long weekend sessions (side note, Meade s band members when she performs live are from the group Sixwire, who play some of the real musicians on ABC s Nashville ). Songwriting was done the Nashville way, Meade joked, with scheduled morning and afternoon meetings. She did write one song in Atlanta Your Glory Days with Sugarland s Bush in his Decatur, Ga, studio. The pair met at a T.J. Martell Foundation benefit, and Meade is still slightly incredulous that he agreed to work with her. Bush, meanwhile, has high praise for the burgeoning songwriter. Robin is passionate about telling the stories of the things she sees, Bush said in an . It comes through in the choices she makes, whether those are words or melodies. I work with a lot of singers and a lot of songwriters. She seems like she s on her way. But she s gonna have to change her hours. No self-respecting rock star gets up that early! MCT

39 lifestyle F E A T U R E S Virginia artifacts vie for endangered designation At the William King Museum in the heart of Appalachia, a panel of 16 small paintings depicting water mills along the region s landscape is deteriorating, and along with it, important chronicles of southwest Virginia s rural culture. The series of canvases taped to flimsy wood paneling is flaking, and curators at the Abingdon museum are hoping to conserve it through a program has helped some of those previously involved apply for grants and help with fundraising efforts. The untitled painting by self-taught folk artist Minnie Ma Scyphers from the 1970s is among the nominees for Virginia s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts, a program designed to create awareness of the importance of preserving artifacts throughout the state and at museums and archives in the District of Columbia. The program sponsored by the Virginia Association of Museums is raising attention for some of the region s most unique relics. I m grateful for the attention that it will draw to her story and her perseverance as a woman from southwest Virginia that grew up in poverty and remained in poverty but was also very resourceful and creative, Leila Cartier, curator at the William King Museum, said of Scyphers. The artist created about 600 paintings before her death in 1990 at age 92, This photo provided by William King Museum, an untitled painting by self-taught folk artist Minnie Ma Scyphers is shown in Richmond, Va. AP despite only having started painting in her mid-70s. Minnie Ma s pieces are sort of a record of pastoral life.... These are back-country artisans that are rarely sought after, and rarely even attempt to be discovered. About 190 million objects held by archives, historical societies, libraries, museums and scientific organizations in the U.S. are in need of conservation treatment, according to the Heritage Health Index study. The study was done by Heritage Preservation with funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services. In Virginia, an independent panel of experts will select the region s top artifacts in mid-september through the program, which was created last year and is expected to take place annually. The panel will use input from public online voting that runs through the end of August. Other nominees for this year s designation include: a battalion flag flown on D-Day in 1944; a lead plaque marking French territory in colonial Virginia from 1749; a water works map of Roanoke from 1888; the Rev. Robert Rose monument at St John s Church in Richmond from 1751; illustrations for Edgar Allen Poe s The Raven from 1884; and a traditional Chesapeake Bay fishing boat from 1925 built in Mathews. AP Dark Knight Returns No. 2 cover sells for $478K Twiggy, The Waterskiing Squirrel, from Deltona, Fla, rides behind a remote-controlled boat during a performance Saturday at the Family Fun Zone in St Joseph, Mich. AP Walking in Jefferson s footsteps in Paris The tourist hordes crowding the entrance to Paris Musee d Orsay may be too occupied fighting to keep their place in line to notice, but just steps away is a monument that symbolizes the centuries-long relationship of France with the United States. There, on the Left Bank landing of the Leopold- Sedar-Senghor footbridge, a larger-than-life bronze statue of the third US president Thomas Jefferson keeps watch from the very spot where the real-life Jefferson took in some of Paris architectural wonders more than 200 years ago. It s here that American author and teacher Sheri Segall begins her Founding Fathers tour of Paris - a three-hour walk through the streets where Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine and others took inspiration and forged diplomatic ties that led to the success of the American Revolution. Segall s been at home in Paris for almost 30 years but the accent of her native Philadelphia colors her enthusiastic and cheerful commentary along the way. She s forced to speak loudly to be heard over rushing traffic on the Quai Anatole France, where the tour begins in front of the Jefferson statue, erected in 2006 by a wealthy Franco-American art dealer and a French- American cultural institute. This is the very spot where Jefferson would stand to admire the Hotel de Salm, Segall said, pointing across the street to the 18th century mansion that today houses the headquarters of France s Legion d Honneur honorary society. Today, that compact, elegant structure can be overshadowed by the much larger Musee d Orsay right next door, but during his years as US ambassador to France, , Jefferson was so fascinated by it that he d sketch repeatedly and use those sketches as the basis for remodeling Monticello, Jefferson s home in Virginia, Segall said. With Segall as guide, the Founding Fathers ghosts follow visitors throughout the Tourists walk in front of Legion of Honour building next to Musee d Orsay in Paris, the inspiration for Thomas Jefferson s Monticello home located just outside Charlottesville, Va. AP tour. Strolling along the pedestrianized quais along the Seine river s Left Bank, the elegant Tuileries gardens stretch along the opposite bank, where Benjamin Franklin watched one of the earliest manned balloon flights. Farther down on the Quai Voltaire, with the Musee du Louvre as a backdrop, Segall stops along the stretch of makeshift green wooden boxes known as Les Bouquinistes - used booksellers who ve plied their trade in this same spot since Jefferson s day. Jefferson was a horrible spendthrift as well as an incredibly cultured man, Segall says, describing his frequent shopping sprees here as well as across the Seine in the courtyard of the Palais Royal, then as now the site of many fine boutiques. Jefferson amassed a book collection partly from these riverside kiosks and later donated it to relaunch the Library of Congress after the library was burnt by British troops invading Washington in the War of The tour takes visitors through the warren of narrow winding backstreets of Paris sixth arrondissement. Today the neighborhood is full of expensive galleries and crowded cafes like the Bar du Marche on rue de Seine. But tucked in among them, on an anonymouslooking gray building, hangs a marble plaque marking it as the site of the signing of the Treaty of Paris. It was here, at 56 rue Jacob in what was then the Hotel d York, that Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and John Adams signed the treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War. French author Frederic Beigbeder, in his book about the Sept 11 terrorist attacks, Windows on the World, says American visitors to Paris would do well to stop and reflect on history here, rather than taking photos at the Pont de l Alma bridge where Princess Diana died. After passing through the tourist-clogged rue de Buci, Segall ducks into an almost hidden alley, the Cour du Commerce Saint Andre. Here, across from remains of a 13th century city wall, is Paris oldest cafe, Le Procope. The Procope was already 100 years old when Benjamin Franklin began coming here for coffee and revolutionary conversations, Segall said. Franklin, who lived in Paris for eight years, was one of the biggest celebrities of his time, and when he died in 1790, the French parliament shut down in mourning and the Procope was draped in black. After crossing the busy Boulevard Saint Germain and walking up the rue de l Odeon, Segall points out the one-time home of American revolutionary Thomas Paine and tells the story of how his radical writings on freedom earned him honorary French citizenship and a seat in the National Assembly. Just up the street is the theater where Jefferson took in a performance of The Marriage of Figaro by revolutionary playwright Pierre Beaumarchais - who had years earlier secretly helped arm and finance the American revolution. If it wasn t for him, the Americans might not have won, Segall said. He helped us before the French were on our side. The tour doesn t visit all the locations that come up during Segall s rich and informative recounting of the Founding Fathers lives in Paris. But there s nothing stopping the curious from hunting down the sites where Jefferson lived and grew corn - now the Champs Elysees near rue de Berri - or the Passy neighborhood in the 16th arrondissement where Franklin lived and worked, and where there is now a rue Benjamin Franklin in his memory. Segall ends her tour in front of a barracks of the Republican Guard on the rue de Tournon. The Marquis de Lafayette was the first commander of this elite police force during France s own revolution. But before that, as Segall points out, he was the greatest Americanophile that there was. AP This image provided by Heritage Auctions on July 2, 2013 shows the original art drawn by writer/artist Frank Miller for the cover to The Dark Knight Returns No. 2. AP photos Heritage Auctions says the original pen and ink cover of The Dark Knight Returns No. 2 drawn by artist and writer Frank Miller has sold for $478,000 at auction. A near-mint copy of Batman No. 1 has also sold for $567,625 at the auction. The auction house said Friday that the buyers did not want their names disclosed. Miller s cover was the first to be sold from DC Comics 1986 four-issue Dark Knight miniseries. The copy of Batman No. 1 from 1940 shows Batman and Robin swinging in front of a Gotham City skyline. It was auctioned on behalf of Tadano America Corp. The record price for a comic book remains Action Comics No. 1, selling for $2.16 million in It featured Superman s first appearance. AP This image provided by Heritage Auctions on July 2, 2013 shows a 9.2-graded copy of Batman No. 1 from 1940, depicting Batman and Robin swinging in front of a Gotham city skyline. Tour guide Shari Segall, left, speaks about Thomas Jefferson next to a book stand during a tour around the main spots of the Revolutonary-era American presence on Paris left bank. Tourists gather around the Thomas Jefferson Statue next to Musee d Orsay.

40 Pacino movie films in middle of concert 38 by Chicago Indian Muslim devotees offer prayers (Alvida ki Namaz) at The Jama Mosque in Allahabad. Muslims fasting in the month of Ramadan must abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn until sunset, when they break the fast with the meal known as Iftar. AFP Pakistan TV preachers battle for Ramadan ratings Pakistani television show host Aamir Liaquat Hussain distributes gifts to the audience. Pakistani television show hosts Junaid Jamsheed and Wasim Badami present an Islamic quiz show Shan-e- Ramadan. Pakistani television show host Junaid Jamsheed presents an Islamic quiz show. Pakistani television show host Aamir Liaqat Hussain presents an Islamic quiz show Aman Ramadan in Karachi. AFP photos In the battle for TV ratings, Pakistan s top channels are making money out of Ramadan by broadcasting round-theclock chat shows mixing prizes, charity and prayer. As the top-rated show fends off allegations of poor ethics for giving babies to childless couples live on air, producers tell AFP that there is nothing wrong with blending religion and entertainment. Members of the studio audience queue for hours for ringside seats at Aamir Liaquat Hussain s 12-hour, daily broadcasting extravaganza which combines microwave raffles with child adoption. With a closely cropped beard, spectacles and smile plastered permanently to his face, Hussain is no stranger to controversy. But unable to substantiate his alleged degree in Islamic studies from Spain, he revels in his status. It is not commercialization, it is not showbiz. It is real Islam, he told AFP. I am the religious icon of television. Sumaya, an 18- year-old student queuing up to get a pass onto the show, is a massive fan. According to me he is the most popular because of the gifts and also because they are helping poor people, and people for Iftar and what they are saying about Islam, she told AFP. On his TV set, a wedding hall at a Karachi hotel, adverts for ketchup vie for space with pictures of camels grazing in the shade of artificial palm trees. Hussain croons into the microphone about the virtues of fasting, of inter-faith tolerance and recites the Koran. He plays with children, oversees the cooking of oily chicken masala and invites Sufi singers to perform religious songs, whipping the viewers into a frenzy. The show lulls its guests, getting ever hungrier, towards sun down and the breaking of the fast when plates of dates, battered vegetables and sugary delicacies are handed out to much relief. After dinner, there are quizzes-with mobile phones, a motorbike and even a car as prizes. Last month, two infertile couples, whose request to adopt had just been approved by a charity, were called into the studio to be handed a baby live on television before millions of viewers. It was our dream to have a child, said Tanzeem, new mother to Fatima, barely a month old with blue eyes. Hussain and the charity claim to want to break taboos about adoption, encourage women not to abandon unwanted children and men not to divorce wives who can t have babies. The giveaways were criticized in the Western media, but in Pakistan, a country with millions of desperately deprived children in need of good homes, others defended them as social work. Television channel Geo and the charity insisted both couples were fully vetted prior to the show after already signalling their desire to adopt. Instead there has been as much concern about fears that Islam is being commercialized in a crude TV ratings war with the 30 days of Ramadan raking in even more revenue than cricket. Aamir Liaquat Hussain s show is the biggest success in the history of Pakistani TV, one Geo executive told AFP. It s a race, hit back a producer at rival channel, ARY. Big money is involved, he said. We talk about millions of rupees (tens of thousands of dollars) per month for a star. A salary of even $10,000 is a fortune in a country where teachers can earn just $100 a month. ARY s answer to Hussain is Junaid Jamshed, a rock star from the 1990s who says he turned his back on money and partying to become a preacher after the 9/11 attacks which he felt demonized Islam. ARY cuts a more conservative image. Guests remove their shoes before coming on set, as if in a mosque. During advertisement breaks, Jamshed turns towards Mecca to pray in a corner of the studio. But the set also has cookers, motorbikes and mobile phone ads. Prize draws recite verses from the Koran, calling for public donations to help the sick and disadvantaged. Jamshed compares the rise of TV preachers in Pakistan as a catch-up to Christmas programming in the West and defends the mix of religion and entertainment. This is what Islam is. The essence of every religion is to make people happy and... to help people, he said. Producers say that the segments of shows where gifts are given away have phenomenal ratings. Jamshed s co-host, Waseem Badami, sees nothing wrong in a ratings war but says decency still needs to be upheld. If all the TV channels are doing Ramadan transmissions, yes their prime objective is commercial. Why should we lie about this? We are trying to maintain both that we want to be in the race but at the same time... this is a very sacred platform. AFP Pakistani Muslims attend an Islamic quiz show. Pakistani Muslim man rides on a motorbike which he won on an Islamic quiz show.