May 5, 2012

SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012 Issue No. 1425

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New fire blazes in Jahra scrap yard

150 Fils with IHT

Majority bloc to submit finance minister interpellation within two weeks

Firefighters battle to control an outbreak of fire near the Amghara scrap yard in Jahra, approximately five kilometers away from the Rahya tire dump, on Friday, May 4, 2012. (Al Watan) Staff writers

KUWAIT: Firefighters fought to contain a blaze at a site where used tires, reclaimed timber, used air conditioners and volatile liquids were stored on land estimated at a total area of 6,000 square meters, near Amghara scrap yard on Friday. The latest fire outbreak comes barely three weeks following a similar incident which took place at the Rahya tire dump on April 17, where an estimated number of more than 5 million tires was set ablaze, creating a significant environmental disaster.

However, armed with experience gleaned from dealing with the recent fire at the Rahya tire dump, fire fighters were quick to respond to and extinguish the Amghara fire, by separating the

brunt tires from the rest of the stockpile as well as dousing part of the flames with sand. They were able to extinguish the fires within hours, unlike Rahya’s blaze, which lasted 3 days.

MP Osama Al-Shaheen commented on the incident saying that the government had not benefitted from previous mistakes, because it had not endorsed any preventative procedures to avoid such issues, and as a result a second fire erupted shortly after the first incident of its kind.

A member of the Municipal Council,Abdullah Fahad, also commented on the fire saying that the second incident proved that such problems are not being addressed. He also questioned the government’s future role in dealing with such incidents.

The second fire broke out while the Minister of Electricity and Water and the Minister of State for

Clashes as thousands protest Egypt’s military

Saudi king orders reopening of embassy, consulates

Egyptian demonstrators confront riot police during protests outside the defense ministry in Cairo’s Abbassiya district on May 4, 2012. (AFP)

CAIRO: Egyptian armed forces and protesters have clashed in Cairo, as troops used water cannon and rocks to disperse demonstrators trying to reach the Defense Ministry. Hundreds of troops guarding the ministry surged forward on Friday when protesters began cutting through barbed wire used to seal off the ministry building in Cairo’s central Abbasiya neighborhood.

“We understand that just a few minutes ago, the protesters tried to remove the barrier with barbed wire between themselves and the defense ministry,” said Al Jazeera’s Steve Chao, reporting from Cairo. “Security forces responded with water canons. Protesters responded with rocks.” He also said that the military forces say their actions are in “self defense”. Friday’s mass protests came amid heightened tension after 11 people were killed in clashes that broke out on Wednesday when unidentified assailants fired at protesters staging a sit-in outside the ministry of defense in Cairo. Protesters plastered Cairo’s Tahrir More on 2 square with banners reading, “Down with military rule”.

France drops sex harassment law, angers feminists

PARIS: France repealed a sexual harassment law on Friday on the grounds that the definition of the crime was too vague, sparking renewed debate of an issue put into the spotlight by the arrest of one-time presidential hopeful Dominique Strauss-Kahn last year.

Some women’s groups said the decision, by France’s highest constitutional body, would leave victims without legal protection until a new law is penned, while others argued an improved law could lead to more convictions.

Friday’s repeal of the law should eventually lead to clearer guidelines for judges. But the fact the measure goes into effect immediately means that all

ongoing sexual harassment cases not yet ruled on in court will be thrown out. It could be months - if not longer - before new legislation is adopted given that a new National Assembly, which would write the new law, will only be elected in June, following Sunday’s presidential election runoff.

“Article 222-33 of the penal code calls for the misdemeanor of sexual harassment to be punishable but the component elements of the infraction are not sufficiently defined,” the Constitutional Council wrote in its ruling. A collective of more than a dozen feminist groups said victims had been “abandoned by the justice system”. -Reuters

Municipality Affairs, Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim, was visiting the site where used tires are stored in the Mina Abdullah area, around which the minister recommended the establishing of a fence.

In a separate development, the parliamentary committee that was formed to open an investigation into overseas money transfers will hold a meeting today to discuss the case. The meeting will be attended by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak.

In a similar vein, the Majority bloc will hold a meeting today to discuss priories which are expected to be deliberated over and approved during the current month.

The government’s stance on the interpellation motion submitted against the minister of interior remains unclear, but a source within the Majority

bloc affirmed that the bloc will support the minister. The bloc is also preparing an interpellation motion against the Minister of Finance, Mustafa Al-Shamali.

Al-Mattar pointed out that the Majority bloc has discussed its motion against the minister of finance and it has agreed to submit the motion within two weeks. MP Abdulateef Al-Omairi unveiled that the bloc is not obligated to endorse interpellation motions which are not openly disclosed. Al-Omairi may have been referring to the interpellation motion submitted against the minister of interior by MP Mohammad Al-Juwaihel.

On his part, MP Hamad Al-Mattar said that several important laws should be approved in the coming weeks, such as the law of reforming the judicial system, the law of disclosure of officials’

Iran urges West to help end nuclear dispute

TEHRAN: The West must take concrete confidence-building steps in its nuclear negotiations with Iran, a senior Islamic republic official preparing the next round of talks said Friday, after returning from discussions with China and Russia.

Ali Baqeri, the deputy to Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, called on “the West to take concrete steps to build trust with the Iranian people,” Iranian news agencies reported.

That appeared to echo more explicit demands from Tehran in recent days that the West ease its economic sanctions hitting Iran’s oil and finance sectors.

Baqeri said he held “serious discussions” in Beijing and Moscow about the talks between Iran and the P5+1 group

comprising the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany.

The two sides last month renewed dialogue in Istanbul that had been in limbo for the previous 15 months. Another round of talks is scheduled for May 23 in Baghdad.

Baqeri stressed the “importance of the P5+1 countries’ commitments concerning Iran’s nuclear rights in the framework of the NPT (the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) in line with both sides’ agreement in the Istanbul talks.” He also noted that both sides aim to move forward on “the basis of a step-by-step approach and reciprocity,” and said the outline of that process “will be determined before the Baghdad meeting.” -AFP

Vogue bans too-skinny models from its pages

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Malawi tells Sudan’s Al-Bashir to stay away from summit

LILONGWE: Malawi President Joyce Banda said on Friday she had asked the African Union to prevent Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on genocide charges - from attending a summit in her country.

Banda is trying to restore a flow of overseas aid cut under her predecessor’s rule, leaving a gaping hole in a budget that relies on overseas assistance for about 40 percent of its funds. Banda, who became president last month, said she had asked the African Union not to invite Al-Bashir to the African heads of state summit to be hosted by the impoverished southern Af-

rican nation in July. “I have written them because of the economic implications this may have on Malawi,” she told a news conference. “Let the AU decide on his position. He (Al-Bashir) should forgive us this time as we are struggling to fix the economy.”

The International Criminal Court, the world’s first permanent war crimes court, has no police force of its own and is reliant upon state co-operation to have suspects arrested. Al-Bashir has been indicted by the court over allegations he is responsible for the deaths of up to 300,000 people in Darfur since 2003. He has denied the charges. -Reuters

property before and after holding political positions, the election integrity law and the environment protection law.

MP Mohammad Sulaiman Al-Hatlani informed Al-Watan that the legislative and the executive authorities have to exert further efforts in re-considering the issues regarding loans and the writing off of interest, adding that the case will be amongst the priorities to be addressed in coming sessions. Furthermore, the committee formed by the minister of interior to probe the case of Nawaf Al-Azmi - the citizen whose corpse was stored at a morgue for two months without his family’s knowledge - began its investigation yesterday. The preliminary steps included checking the calls the deceased had made and received on his mobile phone before he died.

Chinese activist ‘can apply to study abroad’

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Syrian forces kill at least five in Friday protests

BEIRUT: Syrian forces opened fire on thousands of protesters in Aleppo Friday, killing a teenager. An Aleppo-based activist said the protests were the largest the city has seen since the start of the uprising against President Bashar Al-Assad in March 2011. “The people are incensed by what happened at the university,” said the activist, Mohammed Saeed. “Everyone wants to express solidarity with those students.”

Saeed said security forces were out in full force, firing live ammunition to disperse protesters and arresting people randomly.

“With our blood, we sacrifice for you students!” people shouted.

“This is what prompted this extremely brutal attack by the government ... this is proof that the regime has started to worry about Aleppo rising up,” said Omar Idilbi, a member of the Syrian National Council opposition group.

During Friday’s protests, security forces killed a 16-year-old youth in the Salaheddine district of Aleppo and wounded around 30, Saeed said. Scores of others were arrested, he said.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which relies on a network of activists on the ground in Syria, confirmed that a teenager was gunned down. Amateur videos showed a large number of people shouting “Allahu Akbar,” or God is great, as a protester climbed an electricity pole in Salaheddine to hang a flag that the opposition has adopted as its own - the national flag that dates to before the ruling Baath party took over.

Other videos showed protesters shouting: “Death rather than humiliation!”

Thousands protested Friday also in the central provinces of Hama and Homs, in the southern province of Deraa and in suburbs of the capital Damascus.

The Observatory said one person was killed in the Damascus suburb of AlSee also 2 Mleiha as security forces opened fire to disperse protesters.

Eye implants restore ‘useful sight’ to two blind patients LONDON: The first blind patients to be fitted with electronic eye implants in a UK clinical trial have regained “useful vision” only weeks after surgery according to The Guardian. Chris James was able to see outlines of objects for the first time in 20 years after surgeons fitted him with the device during an eighthour operation. The 51-year-old from Wiltshire, who lost his sight to the disease retinitis pigmentosa (RP), is one of two patients taking part in the first UK trial of the technology that began in April. Doctors said that both patients showed improvements in their eyesight that “exceeded expectations”.

James, who works for Swindon borough council, was diagnosed with RP in his mid-20s. His sight gradually deteriorated until he was blind in the left eye More on 9 and could tell only light from dark in the right.

Protesters shout anti-Pakistan slogans during a protest in Kabul May 4, 2012. The protesters placed blame on Pakistan for the recent killing of Shi’ite Muslims in Pakistan. (Reuters)

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ALWATAN DAILY

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SaturDAY, MAY 5, 2012

Clashes as thousands protest Egypt’s military Thousands protest against recent killing of demonstrators and demand that Egypt’s military leaders step down

CAIRO: Egyptian armed forces and protesters have clashed in Cairo, as troops used water cannon and rocks to disperse demonstrators trying to reach the Defense Ministry. Hundreds of troops guarding the ministry surged forward on Friday when protesters began cutting through barbed wire used to seal off the ministry building in Cairo’s central Abbasiya neighborhood.

“We understand that just a few minutes ago, the protesters tried to remove the barrier with barbed wire between themselves and the defense ministry,” said Al Jazeera’s Steve Chao, reporting from Cairo.

“Security forces responded with water canons. Protesters responded with rocks.” He also said that the military forces say their actions are in “self defense”.

Friday’s mass protests came amid heightened tension after 11 people were killed in clashes that broke out on Wednesday when unidentified assailants fired at protesters staging a sit-in outside the ministry of defense in Cairo.

Protesters plastered Cairo’s Tahrir square with banners reading, “Down with military rule”.

“I’m telling the military council... enough bloodshed, enough fabricated crisis, enough unleashing of thugs on the public, enough destruction... we want them to transfer power to an independent transitional authority tomorrow,” Akrami Darwish, a protester, said on Friday.

The protests, to “protect the revolution and halt the bloodshed”, are expected to draw people from all major political formations in Egypt, namely the Muslim Brotherhood, a section of the Salafist movement and the liberal activist movements.

Several pro-democracy movements, including April 6, as

Protesters tried to reach the defense ministry building in central Cairo as part of May 4 rally [Reuters]

well as the powerful Muslim Brotherhood said they would be joining the protests in Cairo and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

The ultra-conservative Salafi movement, which has become increasingly popular recently, is also participating in the rallies. Its candidate, Hazem Abu Ismail, was disqualified because his mother had dual Egyptian-US nationality.

Protests planned in Syria after university raid

Picture taken during a UN observer-organized tour, the head of the advance team of UN observers, Maj. Gen. Robert Mood, center left, shakes hands with a Syrian security officer during their visit to Hama city, central Syria, May 3. (AP)

Annan plan for Syria ‘on track’, spokesman says BEIRUT: Syrian opposition groups planned mass protests Friday, a day after a raid by security forces on dormitories at Aleppo University killed four students and forced the closure of the state-run school.

The dormitory raid was an unusually violent incident for the northwestern city of Aleppo, a major economic hub that has remained largely loyal to President Bashar Assad over the course of the country’s 14month uprising.

The attack on a university campus, considered something of a safe space even within Syria’s upheaval, sparked outrage among many residents there, and activists said large protests were expected following Muslim Friday prayers.

Friday is the day of weekly anti-government protests in Syria, when thousands of demonstrators take to the street calling for Assad’s ouster.

The university announced it was closing until final exams on May 13 following the siege that began late Wednesday when around 1,500 students held a protest against Assad’s regime. Pro-regime students attacked the crowd with knives before security forces swept in, firing tear gas and then live ammunition in attacks that lasted several hours, activists said.

The Syrian National Council opposition group called for a nationwide university strike in solidarity with Aleppo University, but no classes were scheduled anyway on Friday, the start of the weekend in Syria.

The group also called on UN observers in Syria to reveal what happened in Aleppo and said the international community through its silence was encouraging the Assad regime to continue with its brutal crackdown on dissent.

“International observers must move to reveal what went on in Aleppo, and the UN Security Council must issue firm decisions to force the Syrian regime to stop

tampering with the security and stability of Syria and the region,” an SNC statement issued late Thursday said.

The university incident further highlighted concerns that a peace plan brokered by international envoy Kofi Annan nearly a month ago has done little to stem the bloodshed.

White House spokesman Jay Carney Wednesday admitted the plan might be doomed.

“If the regime’s intransigence continues, the international community is going to have to admit defeat,” he said, adding that new measures might have to be taken, including a return to the UN Security Council.

He gave no further details.

It was the clearest statement yet that the Obama administration sees little chance for the cease-fire largely ignored by Syrian forces loyal to Assad. Syrian rebels have also kept up their attacks against government forces.

“It is clear and we will not deny that the plan has not been succeeding thus far,” Carney said.

In Geneva, a peace plan for Syria brokered by international mediator Kofi Annan is on track despite reports of violations of the ceasefire, Annan’s spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said on Friday.

Annan will brief the United Nations Security Council on the Syria situation next Tuesday by video link from Geneva, he said.

“I would say that the Annan plan is on track and a crisis that has been going on for over a year is not going to be resolved in a day or a week,” Fawzi said.

“I agree with you that there are no big signs of compliance on the ground. There are small signs of compliance.”

Annan’s six-point plan includes a ceasefire, deployment of observers and free access for journalists and humanitarian aid.

About 50 observers and civilian staff have been deployed in Syria, but violence has continued since an April 12 truce. -Agencies

In Cairo they plan to demonstrate in Tahrir Square - the epicenter of protests that toppled president Hosni Mubarak last year - but some have said they plan to gather outside the defence ministry, prompting the army to issue a warning.

“If anyone approaches its (installations), they should hold themselves responsible,” General Mokhtar Al-Mulla, a member of the ruling military council, said on Thursday.

Al Jazeera’s Rawya Rageh, reporting from Cairo, said: “It has really boiled down to an issue of trust. Whatever the ruling military council promises, people simple don’t trust them, at least the protesters.”

“It is definitely turning into a battle of the wills between the two sides,” she said. Army troops were accused of standing idly by near the clashes on Wednesday and not intervening until after the deaths of some of the protesters.

However, the army denied that it was responsible for the bloodshed.

“Our hands are clean of Egyptian blood,” Major General Mohammed Al-Assar, a senior official in the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), told a news conference on Thursday.

The ruling military council has tried to counter accusations that it might use the violence as a pretext to ignore its own deadline to relinquish control of the country.

“We say it frankly and clearly. The armed forces and their supreme council are committed to the handover of power on June 30,” Al-Assar said.

“We don’t desire power. The Supreme Council (of the Armed Forces) is not a substitute for legitimacy in Egypt,” he said.

He said the military will ensure the integrity and fairness of the presidential election.

“We are committed to fair elections [...] We don’t have any [favored] candidates. All the candidates are respectable Egyptians.”

The presidential election is scheduled for May 23 and 24 and a run off for June 16 and 17 if there is no outright winner in the first round.

The military has said it would hand over power to civilian rule before the end of June, or by May if there is a clear winner in the first round of elections.

It has been accused of bungling the transition to democratic rule over the past year, with the death of more than 100 people in political violence.

The ruling SCAF cracked down on pro-democracy protests and hauled more than 10,000 civilians to trial before military tribunals. -AFP

Iranians vote in parliamentary runoff elections TEHRAN: Iranians lined up at polling stations Friday for a second round of parliamentary elections seen by the country’s leaders as endorsement of their controversial nuclear development program, state media reported.

Conservative opponents of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad already won an outright majority of seats of the new parliament in the first round of elections held in March. Only 65 seats in the 290-member legislature are still in contention.

Ahmadinejad and his wife, Aazam Farahi, cast their ballots in the afternoon without making any remarks to waiting reporters, an unusually glum appearance for the normally talkative president.

Ahmadinejad, voted in for the second time in 2009 in a hotly disputed election with the backing of the clerical establishment, has seen his political fortunes decline sharply after he was perceived to have defied Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s authority in April 2011 and tried to expand the authority of the presidency.

The new parliament will begin its session in late May. It has no direct control over major policy matters like Iran’s nuclear program, but it can influence the selection of Ahmadinejad’s successor and other top officials and give backing to the policies of Khamenei.

Iranian leaders are showcasing the

voter turnout - officially, 64 percent in the first round - as a sign of trust in the clerical-led system and rejection of Western pressure over the nuclear issue.

The West suspects Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons and is demanding that Iran stop uranium enrichment. Iran has refused, saying its program is aimed at power generation and cancer treatment.

“My advice is that people take the runoff as seriously as the first round,” Khamenei said in comments carried live by state television after he cast his vote.

“I voted only because our leaders need our support to go for (nuclear) talks,” said Ali Attar, 23, an electrical engineer.

Iran and world powers held a round of talks in April in Istanbul, the first in a year. Little progress was made beyond agreement to resume the discussions in Baghdad later this month. Iran has said it will ask the West to end or ease its sanctions, but Western nations have already rejected that.

Parliament speaker Ali Larijani told state TV that a high voter turnout Friday would soften Western attitudes. When the West and some regional countries find out that Iranian government has the strong support of its people, he said, “Global enemies will be pushed back and peace will return to the region.”

Fatemeh Nourmohammadi, a teacher, said she voted to back the government.

“Our country needs our votes. It is in the middle of many difficulties both inside and outside,” she said. “We have to support it.”

Of the 130 candidates, two for each of the 65 seats, 69 are conservative opponents of Ahmadinejad, about 26 favor the president and the rest are centrists.

Although Ahmadinejad is likely to serve until the end of his term in August 2013, his allies have been pushed out of key posts and his political clout has been weakened.

State TV said major polling stations were packed with people voting for 25 of the capital’s 30 seats in the parliament.

The other five were decided in the first round.

Some said they were voting over economic issues. Several rounds of U.N. sanctions over the nuclear issue have hit Iran hard, contributing to double-digit inflation and unemployment.

“I have to finish my job,” said Reza Behjatpour, 20, a university student. “In the first round I voted for those who resisted the inflation-creating policy of Ahmadinejad’s administration.”

“I voted for the group that will help more jobs to be created,” said Morteza Riahei, 30, a worker. “Ahmadinejad could not bring more jobs. We need some people in the parliament to push him in a right direction.” -AP

South Sudan accuses Khartoum of bombing in blow to talks KHARTOUM: South Sudan accused Khartoum on Friday of attacking its military positions in an oil region, imperiling the chances of a promised ceasefire between the neighbors, but Khartoum denied the charge. The 1,800 km-long (1,200 mile) border between the two countries had been largely quiet for the past 48 hours, raising hopes that they could begin talks to end a series of clashes over oil exports, border demarcation and citizenship that have pushed them closer towards a full-blown war.

South Sudan’s army (SPLA) spokesman Philip Aguer said Khartoum was again on the offensive on Friday: “Today they hit our positions with ground artillery in Teshween, Lalop and Panakuach.”

Aguer said Sudanese warplanes had also bombed Lalop in South Sudan’s Unity state on Thursday and an SPLA position had been shelled in Teshween.

Sudan’s army spokesman denied the charge. “None of this is true. On the ground there are other enemies, like opposition (groups) to the South Sudanese,” Sudanese army spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid said. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Sudan on Friday to stop all cross-border attacks, “particularly its provocative aerial bombardments.”

Reports of the attacks came after Sudan said it was ready to accede to international demands for a halt to hostilities, albeit with a significant caveat.

“The ministry points out, in light of the repeated attacks and aggressions that South Sudan’s army is carrying out, ... the Sudanese armed forces will find itself forced to use the right to self defense,” the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Limited access to the remote border areas makes it difficult to verify often contradictory statements from both sides.

The UN Security Council on Wednesday passed a resolution threatening Sudan and South Sudan with sanctions unless they stopped fighting and resumed talks within two weeks, endorsing an African Union deadline of May 8 for negotiations to begin. Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has shrugged off the threat, saying such US-backed resolutions “aim to punish Sudan and reward the aggressor,” the state SUNA news agency said on Friday.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan AlBashir, in power since 1989, had at first ruled out negotiations with his southern “enemy.” Sudan later said it was willing to talk about “security issues,” as both neighbors accuse each other of backing rebel militias. Both deny the charges.

“This is not someone who wants to negotiate. The security problems with north and south have to be addressed first. How could you go for negotiations when someone’s armed forces is still in our territory,” Mahdi Ibrahim, a leading official from Sudan’s NCP, told reporters in Nairobi.

“Let the issues of security be addressed before we hold negotiations on oil and other issues,” Ibrahim added.

The African Union has drawn up a seven-point road map for peace that demands both countries withdraw their troops from contested areas and resume talks. Sudan, which was Africa’s largest country before the South gained independence in July, sits atop some of the continent’s most significant oil resources.

But it lost three-quarters of the oil after Juba’s seceded under a 2005 settlement that ended two decades of civil war between north and south. The pipelines to export the oil run through the north, however, and a dispute about how the oil wealth should be divided has stoked fears of war.

The conflict has brought nearly all oil production to a standstill, damaging both countries’ struggling economies. New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused Sudan’s forces of conducting “indiscriminate bombings and abuses” against civilians in South Kordofan, a Sudanese region that borders the South Sudan.

The campaign group has said the violence may amount to crimes against humanity. Sudan dismissed the charges.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the SPLM-N, a rebel group, in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, another Sudanese border region, since last year.

“The government does not attack civilians. The ones who are (attacking) are the SPLM-N and this is their creed. The government is committed to protecting its civilians from these rebel movements that indiscriminately loot and kill,” Rabie Abdelatie, an advisor at Sudan’s information ministry said. South Sudan’s breakaway left tens of thousands of South Sudanese stranded as foreigners in Sudan.

The International Organization for Migration said on Friday the Sudanese government had agreed to help organize an airlift of about 12,000 South Sudanese who had been stranded in Sudan’s White Nile state. They will be brought to Khartoum by bus and then airlifted to Juba, IOM said. -Reuters

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saturdAY, may 5, 2012

Pakistan suicide attack kills nearly 20 ISLAMABAD: A suicide attack targeting police killed nearly at least 20 people, including five policemen, in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal belt along the Afghan border on Friday, officials said.

The target of the attack was tribal police in Khar, the main town of Bajaur tribal district, where Taliban linked to Al-Qaeda are active, officials told AFP. “The death toll has risen to 16. Five of them were tribal policemen,” Abdul Haseeb, an administration official in Khar, told AFP. Tariq Khan, a senior government official in Khar, said the bomber was on foot and detonated his explosive vest when he reached a police checkpoint.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. The attack came two days after Pakistan went on a high state of alert for the first anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s killing by American troops, fearing a wave of revenge attacks.

Tribal police, who are recruited to help the government fight Taliban militants in the tribal belt, are frequently attacked.

Two bomb attacks killed at least five people - pro-government tribal elders and security personnel - in same district on Thursday. Bajaur has been one of the hardest-hit zones in Pakistan’s battle to contain a local Taliban insurgency in the northwest.

The military conducted major anti-Taliban offensives in Bajaur in August 2008 and February 2009, and has repeatedly declared the district secure.

But militants have still proved able to strike.

Pakistan has battled homegrown insurgents in the tribal belt for years. More than 3,000 soldiers have died but Pakistan has resisted US pressure to do more to eliminate havens used by insurgents fighting the Americans in Afghanistan.

The United States conducts a secretive drone war against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants based on Pakistani soil, despite increasingly vocal public denunciations from the government that initially gave its tacit approval to the strikes.

Relations between Pakistan and the United States have lapsed into stalemate since the covert American raid that killed bin Laden last May and US air strikes that inadvertently killed

NEWS IN BRIEF Nepal PM to set up unity government after cabinet quits KATHMANDU: Nepal’s prime minister worked on Friday to form a coalition government that will include the main opposition parties after his cabinet quit as part of a negotiated effort to quell political tumult in the desperately poor Himalayan state. Nepal, wedged between its giant neighbors China and India, has been plagued by instability for years even though a Maoist insurgency ended in 2006 and the monarchy was abolished, as the rebels had demanded, two years later. The cabinet resigned at midnight after Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, a former rebel leader, struck a deal with opposition parties to end the political turbulence that has hurt the economy and delayed the introduction of a constitution. -AP

Three journalists slain in Mexico’s Veracruz

Pakistani security personnel visit the site of a suicide bombing in the Pakistani tribal region of Khar in Bajur, May 4. (AP)

24 Pakistani soldiers last November. Pakistan has shut down NATO supply lines into Afghanistan and last month parliament approved new guidelines on relations with the United States, which included a call for an end to drone strikes in Pakistani territory.

They also include a ban on transporting weapons through

Pakistan to Afghanistan and a call for an unconditional apology for the November air strikes.

It remains unclear whether the impasse with the Americans which Islamabad blames on Washington’s reluctance to apologize - can be solved before this month’s NATO summit on Afghanistan in Chicago, to which Islamabad has been invited. -AFP

US willing to work with North Chinese activist Korea if it reforms, says Clinton ‘can apply to study abroad’ BEIJING: China has said blind activist Chen Guangcheng can apply to study abroad, suggesting an end may be near to a diplomatic crisis that has caused a strain in relations between Beijing and Washington.

“If he wants to study abroad, he can apply through normal channels to the relevant departments in accordance with the law, just like any other Chinese citizen,” Liu Weimin, foreign ministry spokesman, said in a brief statement on Friday. Even as the foreign ministry statement announced the slight concession, Chen remained in a guarded Beijing hospital ward, unable to see US officials. “I can only tell you one thing. My situation right now is very dangerous,” Chen was quoted by Associated Press as saying.

“For two days, American officials who have wanted to come and see me have not been allowed in.”

The announcement by the Chinese foreign ministry follows a public appeal by Chen, who spoke by phone to a US congressional hearing on his case, ask-

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (left) gestures as she speaks next to China’s Vice Premier Wang Qishan at the joint statement reading for the closing of the USChina Strategic and Economic Dialogue at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, May 4. (Reuters)

BEIJING: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that the United States was willing to work with North Korea if it changed its ways, and also said more pressure should be brought to bear on Sudan and Syria.

Speaking in Beijing at the end of twodays of high-level meetings overshadowed by a crisis over a Chinese dissident who had sought refuge at the US embassy, Clinton sought to underscore that Washington and Beijing could still work together on key international issues.

“We see two nations that are now thoroughly and inescapably interdependent,” Clinton said in prepared remarks in the closed door meeting.

On North Korea, where the United States wants China to put more pressure on the isolated nation’s leadership to reign in its nuclear ambitions, Clinton said Washington was still willing to work with Pyongyang if it changes its ways.

“The new leadership in Pyongyang still has the opportunity to change course and put their people first. If they focus on honoring their commitments and rejoining the international community, and on feeding and educating their citizens, the United States will welcome them and work with them,” she said.

Clinton also underscored that the United States and China - both permanent members of the UN Security Council - could work together to put similar pressure on Iran over its nuclear program and take strong action against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s ongoing crackdown against anti-government protests.

US officials say China has been more than willing to consider steps against Iran, which is preparing for a new round of talks with major powers on the nuclear issue, but claim Beijing has not yet played a sufficient role in the international response to Syria’s crisis.

“If we ease off the pressure or waiver in our resolve, Iran will have less incentive to negotiate in good faith or to take the necessary steps to address the international community’s concerns,” Clinton said.

She also urged China to join the United States and other countries in considering additional sanctions against Syria’s Assad, who Washington and its allies accuse of failing to comply with a peace

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plan drawn up by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

“Now it’s critical that the international community - including China and the United States - hold the regime accountable for its commitments,” Clinton said.

“The credibility of the (Security) Council is at stake.”

Clinton applauded Beijing for supporting a UN Security Council resolution backing an African Union peace plan for Sudan and South Sudan, and called on China to send a strong message to Khartoum that it must unconditionally halt all cross-border attacks, particularly its “provocative aerial bombardments” against its southern neighbor.

US officials say Beijing’s considerable economic leverage in both Khartoum and Juba could be an important factor in calming hostilities between the two countries, which have lurched perilously close to war following the South’s peaceful secession last July.

This week’s US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing, the fourth such annual meeting between the two countries, was meant to highlight growing cooperation between the world’s two largest economies, often portrayed as potential future adversaries.

But the meetings were overshadowed by a diplomatic crisis that erupted over blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who had sought refuge in the US embassy last week.

Chen agreed to leave on Wednesday, but has subsequently said he wants to travel to the United States, spurring frantic negotiations between US diplomats and Chinese officials in an attempt to find a face-saving solution before Clinton departs Beijing on Saturday. While human rights has been on the official program of this week’s talks, Clinton has made little mention of it in public comments as US officials sought to avoid further complicating the situation.

On Friday, Clinton repeated cautious but pointed comments that she made earlier this week, saying all governments had the responsibility to protect the “fundamental freedoms” of their citizens.

“These are not Western values - they are universal rights that apply to all people in all places,” Clinton said in her prepared remarks. -Reuters

VERACRUZ: Three men who worked as photojournalists have been found slain and dumped in plastic bags by a canal in the eastern Mexico state of Veracruz, less than a week after the killing in the same state of a reporter for a newsmagazine, officials said. Press advocates called for immediate government action to halt a wave of attacks that has killed at least seven current and former reporters and photographers in Veracruz over the last 18 months, most of them among the few journalists still working on crime-related stories in the state. The deaths have spawned an atmosphere of terror and self-censorship among journalists. -AFP

Sept 11 case returns to Guantanamo tribunal

ing to be allowed to spend some time in the US. “I want to come to the US to rest. I have not had a rest in 10 years,” Chen said, his comments made on a mobile telephone that was held up to a microphone at the hearing. “I’m concerned most right now with the safety of my mother and brothers. I really want to know what’s going on with them.” News agencies citing the Daily Beast website said Chen wanted to leave China on the plane of Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, who is in Beijing for talks with Chinese leaders.

Chen says agreement for safety has not been honored “My fervent hope is that it would be possible for me and my family to leave for the US on Hillary Clinton’s plane,” Chen said. The controversy has overshadowed Clinton’s Beijing trip. The secretary of state assured Hu Jintao, the Chinese president, that relations between the two countries are the strongest they had ever been. -AFP

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE: Five men accused of orchestrating the Sept. 11 attacks, including the self-proclaimed mastermind, are headed back to a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay on Saturday, more than three years after President Barack Obama put the case on hold in a failed effort to move the proceedings to a civilian court and close the prison at the US base in Cuba. This time the defendants may put up a fight. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who told military authorities that he was responsible for the planning of the terror assault “from A to Z,” previously mocked the tribunal and said he would welcome the death penalty. His co-defendant, Ramzi Binalshibh, told the court that he was proud of the attacks.

But Jim Harrington, the civilian lawyer for Binalshibh, said the defendants are expected to fight the charges against them, which include murder and terrorism and carry a potential death penalty. -AP

UK demands Argentina apologize for Falklands ad LONDON: Britain demanded an apology from Argentina on Friday, accusing it of exploiting the upcoming Olympic Games for political purposes by broadcasting a “tasteless and insulting” TV advert that reasserted its claim to the disputed Falkland Islands.

The offending advert shows an Argentine hockey player training in the Falklands - the contested archipelago in the South Atlantic which the two countries fought over in 1982 - and exercising on the steps of a war memorial to British soldiers.

The 90-second ad was made to coincide with the run up to the Olympic Games in London this summer and ends with the voice-over: “to compete on English soil, we are training on Argentine soil.” British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond called for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to examine the advert, strongly condemning its broadcast. “It’s tasteless, it’s provocative and very insulting to the many British soldiers, sailors and airmen who gave their lives protecting the Falklands,” Hammond told Sky TV. “I think it’s a breach of one of the fundamental principles of the Olympics - that politics are set aside, that nobody should exploit the Olympic logo, the Olympic message for political purposes and I hope the IOC will be looking at that.”

He stopped short of calling for Argentina to be banned from the Games but added: “I think at the very least the Argentines should withdraw that video and apologize for it.”

The advert is the latest in a series of diplomatic spats between London and Buenos Aires over the past year. A move by British companies to look for oil off the Falklands has reignited old tensions, 30 years after the two countries fought a brief war for control of the islands which Argentina refers to as

Argentine Olympics hockey player Fernando Zylberberg is seen as he exercises in front of the Globe Tavern and then runs in Port Stanley, in this combination picture made of still images taken from video shot in April 2012, and aired on Argentine government television on May 2. (Reuters)

Las Malvinas. The broadcast aired the day after the 30th anniversary of the sinking of the Argentine cruiser Belgrano by a British submarine, which led to the loss of over 300 lives, and comes as the British and Argentine women’s hockey teams prepare to meet on Saturday in London for a pre-Olympic warm-up match.

The advert shows Argentine hockey captain Fernando Zylberberg going through early-morning training exercises on the Falklands.

He is seen running past several symbolic Brit-

ish landmarks like the Globe Tavern in the capital Port Stanley, the offices of the local paper “Penguin News,” and a red telephone box.

Most controversially, he uses a memorial to World War One British soldiers to perform a series of step-ups. According to Argentine newspaper Clarin, it was filmed when the player was in the islands in March to compete in a marathon. Foreign Secretary William Hague branded the advert a “stunt” and accused Argentine President Cristina Fernandez of misusing the Games. -Reuters

IAEA says would ‘not be surprised’ by North Korea nuke test

Yukiya Amano, Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency, speaks during the second day of the St. Gallen Symposium, Switzerland, May 4. (AP)

ST GALLEN, Switzerland: The United Nations nuclear chief said on Friday he would not be surprised if North Korea were to carry out a new nuclear test, amid speculation the secretive Asian state is preparing to conduct the third such explosion since 2006.

“We don’t have inspectors on the ground.

We are following the situation carefully.

We do not have particular knowledge or information but if a nuclear test takes place I would not be surprised,” Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said at a conference in the Swiss town of St Gallen.

The five permanent members of the

UN Security Council urged North Korea on Thursday to refrain from any new nuclear tests.

North Korea, which tested plutonium devices in 2006 and 2009, has almost completed preparations for a third nuclear test, a senior source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters last month.

The isolated state sacrificed the chance of closer ties with the United States after it tried to test-launch a longrange rocket on April 13 and was censured by the UN Security Council.

Pyongyang has long argued that in the face of a hostile United States, which has military bases in South Korea and Japan, it needs a nuclear arsenal to defend itself. -Reuters

news in pics

ALWATAN DAILY SaturDAY, MAY 5, 2012

4

Pakistani Abla Zahir, 6, sits on the ground holding her brother Yaseen, 1, while waiting to receive a ration of rice during a donated food distribution at the Beri Iman, a shrine of famous Sufi Saint Beri Imam, in Islamabad, Pakistan, Friday, May 4, 2012. (AP)

An Indian woman farmer collects beans from a vegetable field on the outskirts of Jammu, India, Friday, May 4, 2012. (AP)

Italian sculptor Leonardo Ugolini walks near his sand copy of Moscow’s landmark St. Basil Cathedral at the exhibition of sand sculpture ‘The Great History of Russia’ in Kolomenskoye open-air museum in Moscow, on May 4, 2012. (AFP)

Members of the Singaporean Navy Commando Naval Diving Unit (foreground) look on during the demolition of a mock terrorist base during a joint exercise with Indonesian Navy personnel in Surabaya in East Java province on May 4, 2012. (AFP)

A handout picture released by Greenpeace on May 4, 2012 shows Greenpeace activists intercepting and protesting against the Finnish icebreaker “Nordica” in the Baltic Sea close to Ruegen in order to prevent the ship from heading to Shell’s Arctic oil drilling project in the north of Alaska. (AFP)

Malian refugees walk at Mbere refugee camp, near Bassiknou, southern Mauritania, 60 km from the border with Mali on May 4, 2012. (AFP)

A man transports lanterns for decorations on his motorbike ahead of Vesak Day celebrations in Colombo May 4, 2012. The festival commemorates the birth and enlightenment of Buddha and his attainment of Nirvana and will be celebrated on May 5. (Reuters)

Well-wishers welcome with flares the team members of PlanetSolar who achieve the first around-the-world tour with only solar energy, on May 4, 2012 in Monaco. The biggest solar boat ever built progressed through Atlantic Sea, Panama canal, Pacific Ocean and is back to Mediterranean Sea through Suez Canal. (AFP)

saturdAY, may 5, 2012

BUSINESS

Gold edges into positive territory

LONDON: Gold prices edged back into positive territory on Friday after a report showed the US economy added fewer jobs than expected last month, fuelling speculation the Federal Reserve may turn to further monetary easing to boost growth. The data, which is seen as a key gauge of the economic recovery, showed only 115,000 more jobs were created last month, against expectations for 170,000. The dollar, a key driver of gold prices, hit session lows after the numbers. Spot gold was up 0.1 percent at 1,637.71 US dollar an ounce at 1314 GMT, off an earlier low of $1,626.50. US gold futures for June delivery were up $3.10 an ounce at $1,637.90. A fresh round of quantitative easing would undermine the dollar and keep real interest rates at rock-bottom levels. Speculation that such measures could be on the cards has been a major driver of higher gold prices this year. -Reuters

Kuwaiti crude drops $1.30, settles at $114.59 per barrel Oil plunges 3%, biggest 3-day rout since August

CAPITALS: The price of Kuwaiti crude oil dropped 1.30 UD dollars to $114.59 per barrel in transactions on Thursday, compared with $115.89 pb on Wednesday, reported Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) on Friday.

Meanwhile, oil plunged more than three percent o n Friday to three-month lows, sending Brent crude on track for the biggest three-day loss since August while US oil prices dropped below $100 a barrel for the first time since February. Crude crashed through key support levels, after US payroll data missed expectations and added to worries about the economy of the world’s largest oil consumer.

Markets have been balancing a string of supply disrup-

tions and the potential loss of large volumes of Iranian exports due to Western sanctions against the impact of economic problems on demand this year.

Prices for international benchmark Brent have tumbled $15 from their 2012 high of $128.40 a barrel, struck on March 1. “The report disappointed the market as employment increased by only 115,000 jobs,” Addison Armstrong, a senior director at Tradition Energy, said in a research note.

“Oil markets were already under severe downward pressure overnight as global equities swooned (except Japan) on fears that macro conditions are beginning to deteriorate at a faster pace.”

Brent crude oil futures tumbled $4.02 to $112.06 a barrel by 10:57 a.m. (1457 GMT), sending the contract through the 200-day moving average to lows not seen since early February. Prices have lost more than 6 percent over the past three sessions. US crude dropped more than four percent,

off $4.43 at $98.11 a barrel, breaking below $100 for the first time since February.

OPEC, stocks, Iran

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is working hard to bring down prices that jumped towards $130 a barrel earlier this year, its secretary general said on Thursday, and is pumping much more than its official target even as exports from member country Iran dwindle.

US crude inventories rose for a sixth straight week last week to the highest level since 1990 as stocks at the Cushing, Oklahoma hub shot up to a fresh record, according to weekly data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Wednesday. Defiant statements from Iran on Friday failed to provide support for prices, even though an envoy said the country would never suspend its uranium enrichment program and saw no reason to close the For-

dow underground site. Brent has gained 6 percent this year, touching a high of over $128 in March, on concerns that the tensions with over Iran’s disputed nuclear program would disrupt supplies from the Middle East.

“When you have a safe place, secure place under IAEA control, then why do you tell me that I should close it?”

Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, told Reuters. “Fordow is a safe place. We have spent a lot of money and time to have a safe place,” Soltanieh added. Iran and major powers resumed talks in mid-April in Istanbul after a gap of more than a year.

Investors viewed the resumption as a chance to ease escalating tension and help to avert the threat of a new Middle East war. They are to meet again on May 23 in Baghdad.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council said they expected talks with Tehran to lead to concrete steps toward a negotiated solution. -Agencies

S&P raises Gulf Insurance Company ratings to ‘A-’, outlook stable CAPITALS: Kuwait-based non-life insurer Gulf Insurance Group (GIC) has taken significant steps to strengthen its investment risk controls and risk appetite, which has materially reduced its still-high equity holdings, improving capitalization to strong and reducing the potential volatility of its capital, according to a statement released by Standard and Poor’s on Friday.

“In our view, the group’s operating performance has improved to a strong level, largely based on its strong underwriting performance. Accordingly, we are raising to ‘A-’ our long-term ratings on Gulf Insurance,” it said.

The stable outlook reflects expectations that the group will maintain its strong financial and business

profiles, supported by strong risk-based capital.

On May 4, 2012, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services raised to ‘A-’ from ‘BBB+’ its long-term counterparty credit and insurer financial strength ratings on Kuwaitbased non-life insurer Gulf Insurance Co. K.S.C. (Gulf Insurance), a core operating entity of Kuwait-domiciled non-life insurer Gulf Insurance Group (or the group).

The outlook is stable. The upgrade reflects our view that Gulf Insurance Group has taken significant steps to strengthen its investment risk controls and risk appetite. This has, in turn, led to significant reductions in its equity holdings, although these are still high. The group’s risk-based capital has subsequently improved to a strong level. -Agencies

China shippers profit from sanctions on Iran petchem trade

SINGAPORE: Chinese shipping firms are making huge profits transporting Iranian petrochemicals after EU sanctions against the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) second largest oil producer decimated the competition, ship brokers said on Friday.

EU sanctions prohibiting European insurers and reinsurers from covering tankers carrying Iranian petrochemicals came into effect on May 1, forcing out most of the ships operating in this niche market.

China’s insurance firms do not have to abide by the sanctions, and they have the capacity to cover the vessels bringing supplies to the world’s second biggest oil consumer and its second largest economy.

China is Iran’s biggest petrochemicals customer, buying 22 percent of its total exports, which Tehran media said were worth 14 billion US dollars in the year ending March 20.

“China seems to be the only one willing and able to do this since they can get Chinese insurers to cover them,” said a Singapore-based ship broker who, like others in the industry, declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Half of Iran’s petrochemical exports go to Asia, and the impact of the EU sanctions offers a glimpse into how Iran’s much larger crude and oil products trade could be affected once similar European measures are imposed in July.

Around 90 percent of the world’s tanker insurance is based in the West, so the sanctions threaten crude shipments to Iran’s top Asian buyers China, India, Japan and South Korea.

Several ship brokers said Chinese firms Sinochem Corp and Nanjing Tankers were the most active in the Iranian petrochemical trade, charging twice as much than usual for shipments.

A spokesman for Nanjing Tankers declined to comment, while Sinochem officials were not immedi-

ately available. “It is mostly Chinese vessels from Sinochem and Nanjing Tankers that are taking a chance. The money is good and they have the tonnage,” one of the brokers said.

Oil trader Sinochem typically imports between 20,000 and 30,000 tons of Iranian petrochemicals a month. An industry official said the sanctions had affected about half of Sinochem’s petrochemical business with Iran.

The EU sanctions have created a two-tier petrochemical market, with large premiums available to ship owners able to find replacement insurance to transport Iranian products such as methanol, xylene and caustic soda.

Ship owners in the petrochemical trade between Iran and China are asking as much as $100 a ton for use of a 10,000-tonne tanker, double the rate from a month ago, traders said. Similar increases in freight rates were reported between Iran and India, its second biggest oil and petrochemicals buyer.

“A lot of ships are owned by Western companies, and that will restrict the movement of some vessels but not all,” said Mazlan Razak of consulting firm Nexant Inc. Petrochemicals are typically transported on the smallest tankers with a deadweight tonnage of between 10,000 and 20,000, and require much less shipping insurance than the 300,000-ton supertankers that dominate the Iran-China crude oil trade.

A typical chemical tanker would require less than five million dollars in liability insurance to operate, while a very large crude carrier (VLCC) needs at least $150 million, according to industry sources and Reuters calculations.

The difficulty ship owners face in obtaining sufficient insurance to cover VLCCs due to the sanctions has prompted Beijing to consider offering tankers sovereign guarantees. -Reuters

Tourists visiting the Vat Xieng Thong (Temple of the Golden City) in Luang Prabang on May 4, 2012. The Lao government had targeted a gross domestic product (GDP) value of 70,200 billion kip ($8.775 billion) this fiscal year, an 8.3 percent increased compared to previous year, local media reported. (AFP)

BNP Paribas reports 10% increase in Q1 2012 net profit

PARIS: French banking giant BNP Paribas announced Friday that its net profit in the first three months of 2012 rose almost 10 percent to over 3.8 billion US dollars, principally due to sales of assets during the period. The bank, which is present in Kuwait and four other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, said that an exceptional asset sale had netted unexpected income and before the sale its net profit would have been $2.7 billion, a drop of 22 percent. BNP Paribas has been in Kuwait since 2005 and was the first foreign bank to receive a banking license from the Kuwaiti authorities.

The bank specializes in corporate banking, wealth management and asset management in the Gulf country and is also present in Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with coverage also of Oman. The major bank said that it was following its policy of curtailing holdings of government debt, particularly in European countries which are facing debt management problems, but also noted it was cutting back on the level of French government bonds held at the bank. However, the bank said it had still provisioned $188 billion because of exposure to this kind of government debt. -KUNA

Global investments in alternative energy hit $260 billion in 2011 KUWAIT: The skyrocketing oil prices have prompted huge expansion in global investments in renewable and alternative energy to reach a record breaking level in 2011, a specialized economic report showed Friday.

The report, by the Kuwait-based Diplomatic Center for Strategic Studies, said the global investments in alternative energy jumped to 260 billion US dollars in 2011, up five percent compared with 2010.

It pointed out that high oil prices have pushed world countries to search for cheaper, safer and cleaner energy sources. Investments in solar energy have increased by more than a third in spite of shrinking profit margins, the report revealed.

It stated that the investments in solar energy have increased by 36 percent to $136.6 billion, while investments in wind farms retreated by about 17 percent to $74.9 billion in 2011.

The investments in clean energy increased in Europe by three percent to hit $100 billion; in India by 52 percent to $10.3 billion; and in Brazil by 15 percent to $8.2 billion.

The report disclosed that the United States topped the list of investors in alternative energy in 2011, to precede China for the first time since 2008.

It noted that the Arab Gulf and North Africa nations’ investments in alternative energy were modest in 2011 despite having great advantages in this domain. -KUNA

RBS net loss triples to $2.46 billion on debt charge

FILE - A flag flies over the former headquarters and registered office of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in Edinburgh, Scotland March 29, 2012.

State-rescued Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) on Friday, May 4, 2012, announced a first quarter (Q1) net loss of 1.52 billion Sterling pounds, almost three times the amount posted a year earlier. (Reuters)

CAPITALS: State-rescued Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) on Friday announced a first quarter (Q1) net loss of 1.52 billion Sterling pounds (1.87 billion euros, 2.46 billion US dollars), almost three times the amount posted a year earlier.

RBS, 82-percent owned by the British government after a massive bailout in the global the financial crisis, posted a 2011 first quarter net loss of 528 million pounds. The lender said losses soared owing to an increase in the value of its outstanding debt to 2.46 billion pounds. “As RBS’s credit spreads tightened during the quarter, a charge of 2,456 million pounds was booked for (our) own credit adjustments,” RBS said in a statement.

But the bank’s underlying performance was brighter, with RBS posting a first quarter operating profit of 1.18 billion pounds.

RBS also confirmed that it would repay the last of emergency state loans totaling 163 billion pounds but the British government will still own almost all of the bank after a 45.5 billion pounds bailout following the 2008 financial crisis.

The Edinburgh-based bank said it would also begin to pay dividends to holders of preference shares at a cost of 350 million pounds after an EU ban on

such payments in the wake of the bank’s financial rescue expired. “The start of 2012 has shown pleasing progress at RBS within the context of a flat economic environment,” chief executive Stephen Hester said in the statement.

“Excellent progress continues in removing ‘mistakes’ of the past. Non-core assets have fallen, again.

Liquidity is stronger, again. Next week the bank will repay the last of the UK government-backed funding support we received during the crisis.”

RBS shares jumped 1.65 percent to 24.95 pence in early deals, topping London’s benchmark FTSE 100 index which was down 0.23 percent at 5,753.18 points. RBS is trading at half the 50 pence a share paid by the British government in the bailout. “The bank continues to inch its way out of intensive care,” said Keith Bowman, an equities analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers in London. “A move back into profitability has been made by its investment bank division, whilst its retail and commercial businesses are now firmly back in the black, he said.

“The lifting of EU punishment restrictions is allowing it to recommence a preference share dividend, while the government’s emergency loan is finally being repaid. “On the downside, Ireland remains a

headache, with Ulster Bank still loss-making ... In all, life support is being removed, with the bank’s near failure now being consigned to another chapter in its history,” Bowman added.

RBS also revealed on Friday that it had set aside a further 125 million pounds to compensate clients who were mis-sold insurance, bringing the total expected outlay on this count to 1.2 billion pounds.

Last year, Britain’s banks lost a high court appeal against tighter regulation of PPI, which provides insurance for consumers if they fail to meet repayments on a credit product such as loans, mortgages or credit cards. PPI became controversial after it was revealed that many consumers had been sold the insurance without understanding that the cost was being added to their loan repayments.

At the height of the global financial crisis, the British taxpayer stumped up 111 billion pounds to provide emergency liquidity assistance to RBS, while the US Federal Reserve loaned around 52 billion pounds. Amid public anger over a raft of poor results however, Hester waived his latest annual bonus of shares worth 963,000 pounds, which had been due on top of his 1.2 million pounds salary for his work in 2011. -AFP

saturdAY, MAY 5, 2012

SPORTS

Sports Editors Highlight LONDON: West Ham United took another step towards returning to the Premier League at the first attempt when Jack Collison scored twice in a 2-0 win at Cardiff City in their Championship (second division) playoff semi-final first leg on Thursday. Collison headed in after his first effort was saved on nine minutes and his deflected effort from outside the box made it 2-0 four minutes before the break. West Ham missed out to Reading and Southampton on automatic promotion but will be confident of making the May 19 final at Wembley when they welcome Cardiff to London for the second leg on Monday. Cardiff, who started Thursday’s game brightly before fading and then enjoying a late period of pressure, have a poor record in the playoffs. -Reuters

FOOTBALL

Di Matteo agonizing over Chelsea’s FA Cup final lineup LONDON: Chelsea’s interim manager Roberto Di Matteo is agonizing over his team selection for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Liverpool and has not ruled out playing Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres together in attack.

The Champions League finalists are bidding to win the FA Cup for the fourth time in six years and have all their players available for the trip to Wembley apart from injured central defenders David Luiz and Gary Cahill, who have hamstring problems.

“It is always a difficult decision when I have to leave players out, not just the two strikers, especially as we have so much competition for places at this club,” Di Matteo told reporters on Friday. “I think we all have to be happy we have two strikers who are both in good form at the moment and I will make a final decision tonight.”

Chelsea have been playing a 4-2-3-1 formation since Di Matteo took over from the sacked Andre Villas-Boas in March and the Italian said he had not ruled out a change in the system for the game at Wembley.

“I will think about it this afternoon,” he said. “If I feel it would be best for the team to change formation then I’ll do it.”

One thing for sure is that John Terry, who led Chelsea to FA Cup glory in 2007, 2009 and 2010, will again skipper the side against Liverpool.

If the Londoners triumph, the central defender will become the first captain to win the FA Cup four times with one club. Arthur Kinnaird lifted the trophy four times in the early days of the competition, twice with the Wanderers in the 1870s and for the Old Etonians in 1879 and 1882.

Di Matteo said Brazilian international David Luiz and England international Cahill were gradually getting better and is hoping they will be fit to train again next week.

Chelsea are desperate for the pair to recover quickly, with Terry and fellow defender Branislav Ivanovic suspended for the Champions League final against Bayern Munich at the German club’s stadium on May 19. -AFP

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo, watches his squad during a training session at the Chelsea training ground, Cobham, England, May 4, 2012. (AP)

City look to end Redknapp campaign in hopeful Newcastle back to business with Spurs LONDON: Now that Harry Redknapp doesn’t have any summer plans with the England national team, perhaps Tottenham Hotspur can finally go about the business of trying to claim a Champions League spot undistracted.

Spurs seek a third consecutive win and a strengthening of their top-four position in the Premier League on Sunday at Aston Villa, who are desperate for points to ensure avoiding the drop.

The seemingly endless and protracted coaching search for Fabio Capello’s successor for the national team ended Tuesday with Redknapp - at one point an unrivalled frontrunner for the position losing out to Roy Hodgson as the latter signed a four-year deal to lead England to the European Championship this summer and perhaps the 2014 World Cup. When Hodgson emerged as the leading candidate, Redknapp offered nothing but support for the former Liverpool

FILE - Newcastle United’s Fabricio Cloccini (center) challenges Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli during their English Premier League soccer match in Manchester, Nov. 19, 2011.

(Reuters)

manager Monday, saying, “I don’t hold grudges, I don’t feel like that. There’s no problem. If Roy takes the job I wish him all the best. He’s a great guy. I’m sure he’ll be a big success. I still think England’s got some great players, I really do.”

Perhaps being bypassed for the job often dubbed “a poisoned chalice” finally took the weight of the world off his players, who put together a splendid final 45 minutes in rolling 4-1 past Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday. Rafael van der Vaart and Emmanuel Adebayor combined for three goals in a nine-minute span of the second half for Spurs (19-8-9), who are ahead of Newcastle United on goal differential for the fourth and final Champions League spot and one point behind Arsenal in the table for third - which carries direct entry into the prestigious European club tournament.

Adebayor, who has a team-best 15 goals in league play, had a brace in the re-

verse fixture in Spurs’ 2-0 home win Nov. 21, and has five goals and four assists in seven lifetime matches against Villa with Tottenham.

As Spurs hunt European play for next season, Villa (7-16-13) are simply scraping to make sure they stay in the top flight. With 37 points, they are only three points clear of the drop despite having the best goal differential among the relegation candidates and had their winless spell extended to eight matches (0-4-4) following a scoreless draw at West Brom on Saturday.

Manager Alex McLeish’s side are winless in their last four at Villa Park (0-2-2) and have one victory in their last 14 league matches (1-7-6). Additionally, the Villains have only one goal from their last four matches overall and goalkeeper Shay Given knows there’s a lot on the line in this match for the side and his manager.

-AP

Spain pinning hopes on Villa recovery LONDON: A massive fixture is set for Sunday when English Premier League leaders Manchester City travel to face Champions League hopefuls Newcastle United in the penultimate weekend of the campaign.

Manchester City drew level on 88 points with Manchester United after beating their rivals 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Monday night on Vincent Kompany’s goal in first-half stoppage time. The Citizens, who trailed by eight points after April 8, are on top with a plus-eight goal difference on the Red Devils.

Newcastle United, meanwhile, are buoyed by Pappis Cisse’s two wonder strikes in Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Cisse continued his astounding form with 13 goals in 12 matches for the Magpies.

The Magpies are level on 65 points with Tottenham Hotspur, who have a plus-14 goal edge for fourth place and England’s final Champions League place - provided Chelsea do not win the final against Bayern Munich later this month.

Both Newcastle and Tottenham will be keen on catching Arsenal, who have 66 points entering their Saturday fixture against Norwich City. The Gunners are in third place for an automatic entry into the Champions League group phase.

City have gone 10 straight meetings against Newcastle without a defeat, winning 3-1 at the Etihad on Nov. 19 by converting two penalties. The Magpies are unbeaten at home in 2012 in the Premier League with seven wins and two draws beginning with a 3-0 victory over Manchester United on Jan. 4.

“Newcastle will be our hardest game, harder than United,” City manager Roberto Mancini said. “It is strange but it is like this. They have had a fantastic season and are playing to get into the Champions League.”

Silva is playing with an injured ankle, but the Spaniard says that will not hold back in City’s quest for their first domestic league title since 1968.

“I’m having a lot of treatment to get movement in my ankle,” Silva told Manchester City’s official website. “It is feeling slightly better, but it helps that the team are playing better. All I’m thinking about is the next match on Sunday, we have to go to Newcastle and win.”

“United are favorites,” Mancini said. “They have easier games. Not because Swansea and Sunderland are bad teams but because we have Newcastle who are fighting for Champions League and QPR who are trying to avoid relegation.” -AP

Van Persie relaxed over contract talks

LONDON: Arsenal striker Robin van Persie insisted he had no concerns about his Gunners’ future as he collected the Football Writers’ Player of the Year award on Thursday. The Dutch striker insisted he would “always be a Gunner” after topping a journalists’ poll, having already received the corresponding award from his peers in the Professional Footballers’ Association.

Van Persie has scored an impressive 35 goals in all competitions so far this season and has helped propel Arsenal into third place in the Premier League -- a position which, if they retain it over the final two games of the season will ensure qualification for next season’s Champions League proper. There has been speculation as to whether Arsenal, set for a seventh successive year without a trophy, can hang onto the talented 28-year-old who has been attracting envious glances from Europe’s leading clubs.

But van Persie was adamant he would be entering contract negotiations with Arsenal as planned once this season was finished.

“That is still the plan,” he said. “We haven’t set a date but I will have a meeting with the boss like we did before now. We will be having a meeting about my future, and lots of other things. Arse-

nal is an unbelievable club. The player I am today is because of Arsenal. When I actually signed the deal to join Arsenal, it was a dream come true. If you ask the likes of Robert Pires how he feels, what he feels like he will say ‘I feel like a Gunner’ and whatever happens with me I will always be a Gunner.”

The FootballWriters’ Association (FWA) award has been running since 1948 and van Persie said he felt honored to see his name alongside those of the greats of English football.

It makes me very proud to be here. I have seen the list (of previous winners), and for me, I never really thought I would be sitting here winning this trophy,” van Persie said.

“But even this season I was not really thinking about winning a trophy for myself. I was just playing because I love it and for Arsenal to finish as high as possible in the league.”

FWA chairman Steve Bates, chief football writer at The Sunday People, paid tribute to van Persie by saying: “Robin van Persie has had a quite magnificent season, excelling with consistent flashes of individual brilliance which have lit up the Barclays Premier League as well as bolstering Arsenal’s season.” -AFP

SPAIN: Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said Friday he will wait to the last moment for David Villa to join the Euro 2012 squad as Barcelona reported his broken leg is healing “very well”.

Villa, dubbed King David for his 51 goals in 82 internationals, fractured his left tibia in Barcelona’s Club World Cup semi-final win over Al Sadd in Japan on December 15.

Del Bosque said he had spoken to Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola on Thursday for an update on 30-year-old Villa’s recovery.

“I last spoke to his current coach yesterday. He told me how he is,” the Spain coach told a news conference in Madrid, without giving details of the conversation. “We have an obligation and also a conviction that we should wait until the last moment in David’s case because he has been our most reputable goal scorer, the surest player and we should wait, of course.”

Spain will publish a provisional list on May 15 including those going to the Euro and the London Olympics, Del Bosque said.

Later, he said, the team will decide on possible players from Chelsea who face Bayern Munich on May 19, and then those from Barcelona or Athletic Bilbao who clash in the domestic King’s Cup final May 25.

A definitive list will be drawn up May 27, Del Bosque said, but Spain could still wait to bring in Villa right up until May 29, the deadline for handing over the documentation to UEFA. Del Bosque refused to say whether he would bring on Chelsea striker Fernando Torres, whose last-gasp equalizer against Barcelona on April 24 shattered the Catalans’ hopes of reaching the Champions League final.

“We look at every day’s play but we don’t make a definitive decision based on one day,” he said. “We have to study the history of the players,” the coach added.

“At the moment obviously I am not going to say whether Tom, Dick or Harry is coming to the team but we don’t make a decision based on one single game.”

Del Bosque said he respected Guar-

diola’s difficult decision to end his fouryear-reign as coach of Barcelona and take a rest, saying no one could have achieved so much in so short a period.

The Spain coach, who praised the level of Spanish club football as being among the best in Europe, repeated earlier statements that he was convinced that there was no doping in the game. -AFP

FILE - Spain’s David Villa (left) shoots past England’s Jack Rodwell during the international friendly soccer match between England and Spain at Wembley Stadium in London, Nov. 12, 2011. (AP)

Arsenal ready for globe-trotting summer

LONDON: Arsenal are planning to visit Africa for the first time in 19 years by travelling to troubled Nigeria for a pre-season friendly.

The opposition for the August 5 match is not yet known but is likely to be a leading African national team, the London club said on their website (www.arsenalfc.com) on Friday. The friendly will be played at the 60,000-capacity Abuja National Stadium.

Arsenal, who are also planning pre-season games in China, Malaysia and Hong Kong, last visited Africa for a tour of South Africa in 1993.

The Islamist group Boko Haram has been fighting a low-

level insurgency in Nigeria for more than two years.

Although its attacks are mostly in the north of Africa’s most populous nation it has bombed several targets in the capital Abuja, located in the centre of the country.

The office of local newspaper This Day was hit on April 26 by a car bomb and last year United Nations headquarters and the office of the chief of police were struck by suicide bombers.

The sect, which wants to impose an Islamic state on Nigeria’s evenly mixed population of Muslims and Christians, has been blamed for hundreds of killings since its uprising against the government in 2009. -Reuters

ALWATAN DAILY

SPORTS

SaturDAY, MAY 5, 2012

Formula one

7

Tennis

Olympic gold Alonso sees a faster Ferrari in Barcelona the pinnacle of the sport: Nadal

Fernando Alonso of Spain and Ferrari on track during Formula One Testing at the Mugello Circuit, May 3, 2012. (AFP)

MUGELLO: Ferrari hope to be much closer to their Formula One rivals at next week’s Spanish Grand Prix after making progress in testing at the Mugello track in Italy, Fernando Alonso said on Thursday.

The Italian team have struggled with their new car in the first four races of the season, despite Alonso’s victory against the odds in a wet Malaysia in March, but tried a new aerodynamic package this week.

“I cannot say if today at Mugello we can claim to have made up some ground, but in Barcelona, we will have more important updates and we hope that there, we can begin to close down the gap that separates us from the teams currently at the top,” the Spaniard said.

“Barcelona will be a key moment in the season, but not a decisive one,” added the double champion, looking ahead to his home race and the first of the European season.

“We must start by no longer struggling to get through to Q3 (the third and final phase of qualifying) and get closer to the top six, then continue with development in the following races, making a step forward in Monaco, Canada and Valencia also.”

Alonso completed 98 laps on the final day of testing at the Ferrari-owned circuit with the third best time behind Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and Lotus’s Frenchman Romain Grosjean, who was fastest for the second day running.

The Spaniard will be at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track

on Tuesday for an event marking the 30th anniversary of the death of Canadian Ferrari great Gilles Villeneuve before heading to Barcelona. Canadian Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 world champion, will drive his father’s 1979 car at Fiorano.

Ferrari are fourth overall in the constructors’ standings while Alonso is fifth the drivers’ championship, 10 points adrift of world champion and current leader Vettel. Alonso went off track in mid-morning, damaging the car’s nose and losing two and a half hours of track time as the team fixed it, but he was happy nonetheless.

“The feeling I have after the test is a positive one,” he said. “We have introduced a few small aerodynamic updates that have produced the response we were expecting and that is the most positive news.

“I am confident for the future, in the short and the long term,” added Alonso. The Spaniard also gave his full support to the return of at least one in-season test after years of having none.

“I prefer this calendar to last year’s because after the first races, one understands a lot more about the car and so one can make modifications that have a sense to them,” he said. “I would do more tests during the season...one lap here is worth 100 at other places, without considering that one day here is worth a year’s work on the simulator, at least as far as I’m concerned.”

-Reuters

MADRID: Winning a gold medal for your country at the Olympic Games is the greatest achievement in tennis, world number two Rafa Nadal said on Friday, while also leaving the door open to a possible return to Spain’s Davis Cup team in September. After his triumph in Beijing four years ago, Nadal will be chasing a second Olympic singles gold in London, when the event in July and August will be staged on the grass courts of Wimbledon’s All England Club.

In an interview with Reuters, the 25-year-old said that for him personally the Olympics ranked above the four grand slams in prestige.

“The Olympic Games is very special for many reasons and in my opinion the biggest one because you are representing your country,” Nadal said as he prepares for the Madrid Masters event starting next week.

“You have the feeling that you are with all the Spanish sportsmen representing our country,” added the Mallorcan, who beat Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez to win the gold in 2008.

Nadal’s pride in representing the Iberian nation was evident as he helped them to a fifth Davis Cup triumph in last year’s final against Argentina but he said afterwards he would not play in the competition in 2012 due to the congested calendar.

However, he is now not ruling out returning to the team for September’s World Group semi-final at home to United States, when the holders will continue their bid for a fourth title in five years.

“There remain a lot of months, a lot of important events, so I cannot think about it when I am here in Madrid preparing for an important tournament like this one,” Nadal said. “So let’s see how the season goes and I will wait until that date before deciding.”

Nadal’s season was disrupted in March when he was forced to pull out of his Sony Ericsson Open semi-final against Andy Murray in Miami due to a recurrent knee problem.

He returned to fitness in time to claim a record eighth straight Monte Carlo Masters on his favored clay last month and went on to become the first player to win two events seven times at last week’s Barcelona Open.

“I am okay,” he said when quizzed about the injury. “I’ve played two weeks back to back in Monte Carlo and Barcelona with no problems,” he added.”That’s very important for me, a

FILE - Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball to Roberto Farah of Colombia during their match on day 4 of the ATP 500 World Tour Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell 2012 tennis tournament, April 26, 2012. (AFP)

lot of confidence for my mind. And the answer: the knee is now perfect.”

Nadal, a 10-times grand slam singles champion, is due to begin the defense of his French Open title in Paris at the end of this month. -Reuters

Basketball

James, Heat pull away to 3-0 lead over Knicks

Track and Field

Bolt may face surprise challenge in 100 meters KINGSTON: Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt could have an unexpected challenger when the Jamaican world record holder runs his first 100 meters on Saturday.

Asafa Powell, who held the world record before Bolt became athletics’ biggest name, is considering switching from the 200 to the 100 at the Jamaica International Invitational because of a minor groin injury.

Meeting official Donald Quarrie said no decision had been made, but the sprinter’s agent said they were evaluating all options. Powell originally had been scheduled to run the 200 against 100 meters world champion Yohan Blake, but the groin injury has the world’s third-fastest man contemplating a move to the shorter, less stressful distance.

“If I don’t run the 200 and get in the 100, that would be fine with me because this is what I’m training for and I have to be ready at anytime,” Powell told Reuters. “I feel good so we’ll see.”

With the London Olympics less than 85 days away, Bolt is hoping to make the race a test of his preparations with or without Powell. His only race of the sea-

son has been a 4x100 meters relay.

“I continue to work towards the Olympics with one aim in sight: defending my titles,” the world 100 and 200 meters world record holder said. “I am just working at keeping injury free and putting all the hard work together at the right time.”

Saturday could be an early look at that work, especially if Powell joins a field that already includes 2008 Olympic silver medalist Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago, talented Jamaicans Nesta Carter and Michael Frater and Antigua Olympian Daniel Bailey.

The women’s 100 also is expected to be a fast one with American world champion Carmelita Jeter expected to face world bronze medalist Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and Tobago and Olympic silver medalists Kerron Stewart and Sherone Simpson of Jamaica.

There are also strong line-ups in the women’s 400 where Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu of Britain faces 2009 world champion Sanya Richards-Ross, and in the men’s 400 hurdles where American Bershawn Jackson will oppose Jamaican Danny McFarlane. -Reuters

Football

Hodgson faces uphill struggle: Capello LONDON: Fabio Capello has warned his successor Roy Hodgson that he will struggle to create a “winning mentality” in the short window before he leads England into Euro 2012.

West Bromwich Albion manager Hodgson was confirmed as the successor to Capello on Tuesday, with England’s opening game of the European Championships against France on June 11 just under six weeks away.

Although Hodgson has experience of international management having already taken Switzerland to the 1994 World Cup, Capello believes that the 64-year-old will find his new assignment with England difficult.

“As a club manager, you are a manager. As a national team manager, you are a selector,” Capello told The Times newspaper.

“You cannot work with and get the best out of the players all of the time because some are injured, some are not in a top moment, some are unhappy with their club’s position, some have a problem with their manager. It’s not a normal job. It’s difficult to create something. You can’t do something in a short space of time. The idea is to create the team spirit and winning mentality in a really short time. This is very difficult. It will be hard. And the other thing is that you don’t play a lot of games. In nearly every game, you are either in or out.”

Capello meanwhile believes a good England showing in Poland and Ukraine will vindicate his regime.

“I’m happy with the job I did for England. I hope that England will be one of the best teams at the Euros and they can show my job was really good. If things go

well as I hope, people will recognise that I did a good job,” he said. Capello also revealed he would be keen to manage a club in England before winding down his career. “At the end of my career, it would be interesting to find a team with big motivation to arrive at the top,” he added.

“England would be very interesting for me because I know very well the teams and the players, and everything would be less difficult. It would be easier for me in England.” -AFP

The new England soccer team manager Roy Hodgson (centre) with Sir David Bernstein, Chairman of the English FA (left) and Sir Trevor Brooking, Director of Football Development at a press conference at the Wembley Stadium in London, May 1, 2012.

(AP)

LeBron James (6) of the Miami Heat attempts a shot in the second half against Jared Jeffries (9) of the New York Knicks in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, May 3, 2012.

(AFP)

NEW YORK: James scored 32 points, including eight straight to start the fourth quarter and break open the game, and the Heat took a 3-0 series lead, sending the New York Knicks to an NBA postseasonrecord 13th straight loss, 87-70 on Thursday night. James had 17 points in the final period for the Heat, who held the shorthanded Knicks to eight field goals in the second half and will go for the sweep Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Wade added 20 points for the Heat and Mario Chalmers had 19, hitting consecutive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter when the Heat finally brought some beauty to what had been an ugly game.

Wade was forced to go the whole third quarter while James was limited to just 4 1/2 minutes by fouls. Wade had 12 points in the period, knowing the two-time MVP would be coming back with fresh legs.

Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points but shot 7 of 23 for the Knicks, who are playing without Amare Stoudemire, Jer-

emy Lin and Iman Shumpert and needed a super effort from Anthony that he didn’t come close to providing.

The Knicks broke the record set by Memphis from 2004-06. They haven’t won a playoff game since April 29, 2001, Game 3 of a best-of-five series against Toronto.

Chris Bosh had nine points and 10 rebounds hours after the birth of the couple’s first child. He flew to New York with the Heat on Wednesday, then quickly hopped on a flight back to Miami after learning his wife was in labor. He returned Thursday afternoon following the birth of his son, arriving at the arena about 30 minutes before the game. The Heat put it away midway through the period, when Wade made a jumper before Chalmers hit twice in a row from behind the arc to make it 77-62 with 5:40 to play.

The Knicks shot 32 percent, getting a 5-for-18 night from JR Smith. New York shot 4 of 20 from 3-point range, with

Smith missing all five of his attempts.

James came in averaging 29.9 points at the current Madison Square Garden, trailing only Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant among opponents who played here at least 10 games. Wade was just behind in fourth with 27.3 per game.

Yet the superstars both started 1 of 6 from the field, James seeming particularly frustrated with the officials and even teammates. Once a fan favorite at the Garden - Knicks fans hoped he would sign here as a free agent in 2010 - he was booed, mocked and cursed by the crowd Thursday. He eventually would get on the roll he is accustomed to here.

The Heat won the opener by 33 points and took Game 2 104-94 on Monday, when the Knicks’ biggest problems came after the game. Stoudemire punched a fire extinguisher case in the arena and badly cut his left hand, needing surgery Tuesday to repair a muscle. He sat on bench with his arm in a sling. -AP

Thunder lead series 3-0 after 95-79 win in Dallas DALLAS: When Kevin Durant finally found his postseason shooting touch for Oklahoma City, the young Thunder were off and running.And now they are already only one victory from knocking the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks out of the playoffs.

Unlike the first two games in Oklahoma City, Game 3 wasn’t even close. Durant got the Thunder off to a quick start and they never trailed on way to a 95-79 victory Thursday night for a commanding 3-0 series lead. Even though Durant missed the first shot of the game, Serge Ibaka turned that into a putback basket.

Durant then scored nine points in an early 3-minute span, including two 3-pointers and a 17-foot fadeaway, as Oklahoma City took a 14-7 lead.

Durant finished with 31 points on 11of-15 shooting. The three-time NBA scor-

ing champion was a combined 15 of 44 in the first two games of the series, though he had a game-winning jumper with 1.5 seconds in the opener.

The Mavericks have a nearly impossible climb to avoid being the first defending champion knocked out in the first round of the playoffs since Miami five years ago. After beating Dallas in the 2006 NBA finals, the Heat were swept in four games by Chicago in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs the next season.

Oklahoma City had a 16-7 lead less than 5 minutes into the game after Durant’s alley-oop pass to Ibaka for a layup.

The Thunder pushed ahead with 16-5 runs in both the second and third quarters, the later spurt clinching the game.

When Kendrick Perkins had a tip-in of Harden’s miss with 4 minutes left in the

first quarter, Carlisle was so irate that the field goal wasn’t disallowed for basket interference that he had to be restrained by one of his assistant coaches.

Carlisle went ballistic, charging onto the court screaming and pointing at official Marc Davis. Replays showed Carlisle might have had a good argument, but he got called for a technical foul and Westbrook’s free throw put the Thunder up 2111, their first double-digit lead.

Dallas did cut the deficit to 32-26 by the end of the first quarter after Vince Carter made two free throws, had a driving one-handed dunk and ended the quarter with a 3-pointer in the final 1:34 for Dallas. Delonte West started the second quarter with two free throws. But the Thunder were again up by 15 after consecutive 3-pointers by Fisher and Westbrook. -AP

8

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RESTAURANT • Café Library Lounge Al-Manshar Rotana Hotel Tel: 23931000 Hang.Out Lounge Galleria 2000 Tel: 25755588 Song Bird Café Hilton Kuwait Resort Tel: 23725500 Chit Chat Café Restaurant Safir Hotel & Residences -Fintas Tel: 25455555 Lounge Café Safir Hotel & Residences -Fintas Tel: 25455555 The English Tea Room Sheraton Hotel Tel: 1835555 Waterlemon Al-Raya Tel: 22244797 Marina Mall Tel: 22997666 Le Pain Quotidien Palms Beach Hotel Tel: 25633684 Marina Crescent Tel: 22244942 Avenues Tel: 24954632 • Casual Dining Applebee’s Bneid Al-Gar Tel: 22407536 Fintas Tel: 23714559 Burgerhub Gulf road Tel: 22464818 Chili’s Bneid Al-Gar Tel: 22452200 Chili’s Al-Bida’a Tel: 22253120/1 Hard Rock Café Salmiya Tel: 25710004 Ruby Tuesdays Bneid Al-Gar Tel: 22444454 T.G.I. Fridays Bneid Al-Gar Tel: 22544300

• Chinese China Hut Tel: 25656226 China Express Jabriya Tel: 25342399 Salwa Tel: 25653230 China House Salmiya Tel: 25713339 / 60 China Lake Al-Blajat St. Tel: 25713072 / 3 China Town Salmiya Tel: 25652541 Greens Al-Wafra Complex Tel: 22516031

Tel: 1815050 • French Le Notre Gulf Road Tel: 25758888 • Indian Dawat Restaurant Bneid Al Gar Tel: 22411728 Abu Halifa Tel: 23724251 Al Alamia Mall, Jahra Tel: 24554642 Taal Restaurant Salmiya Beda’ Tel: 22253142 Winner’s Salmiya Tel: 25739954 Abu Halifa Tel: 23711374 / 5 Riggae Tel: 24895501 / 2 Jahra Tel: 24560088/8800

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L I S T I N G S

Beit 7 Kuwait City Tel: 22450871 Café Rio Al-Fanar Tel: 25732226 Dunes Ritz Hotel Tel: 22499911 Failaka Al-Manshar Rotana Hotel Tel: 23931000 La Brasserie JW Marriott Tel: 22455550 Ritz Shamiya Tel: 24820184 Shuwaikh Tel: 24844350 Square International Tel: 22437681 Test n’ Taste Villa Moda Tel: 24827010 Teatro Hilton Kuwait Resort Tel: 23725500

Kuwait City Tel: 22400737

Nino Gulf Road Tel: 22541900 Pizza Express Abdullah Al-Salem Tel: 22560273 Al-Bida’a Tel: 22253166 Airport Tel: 24342681 Tel: 23725500 Ricardo Sheraton Hotel Tel: 22422055 • Japanese Edo Shaab Tel: 22659590 Kei JW Marriott Hotel Tel: 22422650 Korea & Japan Restaurant New Park Hotel Tel: 25634200

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Il Forno Restaurant Courtyard Marriot Hotel Tel: 22997000 Johnny Carino’s Salmiya Tel: 22667050 La Piazza Kuwait City Tel: 24246639 Lorenzo

Manousha Salmiya Tel: 25722607 / 8

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Fakhr Al-Din Restaurant Kuwait City Tel: 22423180

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Garden New Park Hotel Tel: 25634200

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Mais Al-Ghanim Kuwait City Tel: 22402590

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Palm Palace Salmiya Tel: 25756331 Saj Express Kuwait City Tel: 22497822 Sarai Al-Bida’a Tel: 22253180/1 Shisha &

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• Steak House Relais De L’Entrecote Al-Fanar Complex Tel: 25729600 Terrace Grill JW Marriott Hotel Tel: 22455550

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The Gaucho Grill The Palms Hotel Tel: 25667370 -

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LIFE

Managing a hammertoe

A hammertoe occurs when the toe muscle bends the toe at the first joint, making the side view of the toe resemble an upside down “v”. The American Podiatric Medical Association suggests how to relieve the pain and discomfort of a hammertoe: •Apply a non-medicated hammertoe pad on the bony area.

•Wear loose-fitting shoes with plenty of room in the toes.

•Place an ice pack several times a day on the toe.

•Don’t wear heels that are taller than 2 inches.

•Visit a podiatrist if your hammertoe still causes pain.

SATURdAY, MAY 5, 2012

Eye implants restore ‘useful sight’ to two blind patients Doctors, led by Kings College and Oxford surgeons, restore rudimentary monochrome vision to trial patients

LONDON: The first blind patients to be fitted with electronic eye implants in a UK clinical trial have regained “useful vision” only weeks after surgery according to The Guardian.

Chris James was able to see outlines of objects for the first time in 20 years after surgeons fitted him with the device during an eight-hour operation. The 51-year-old from Wiltshire, who lost his sight to the disease retinitis pigmentosa (RP), is one of two patients taking part in the first UK trial of the technology that began in April.

Doctors said that both patients showed improvements in their eyesight that “exceeded expectations”.

Chris James. Photograph: David Hedges/SWNS.com James, who works for Swindon borough council, was diagnosed with RP in his mid-20s. His sight gradually deteriorated until he was blind in the left eye and could tell only light from dark in the right. He has never seen his wife of seven years, Janet.

“Initially, I did wonder why this was happening to me and I struggled a bit as the diagnosis sunk in. For a while, we

FILE - Robin Millar, 60, the second person in the UK medical trial to have the chip fitted, says he can now detect light and outlines of objects. (Agencies)

weren’t sure how badly my vision would progress so I just had to be prepared for the worst,” James said.

He added: “This is not a cure, but it may put the world into some perspective. It’ll give me some imagery rather than just a black world. Janet is quite excited because I have never seen her.”

Robin Millar, a 60-year-old music producer from London, was the other patient in the trial.

“Since switching on the device I am able to detect light

New clues to the evolution of the human brain CONNECTICUT: New research suggests that a partial duplication of a gene played a significant role in a major advance in human brain evolution that occurred a few million years ago according to HealthDay News.

The SRGAP2 gene has been duplicated at least twice during human evolution, first about 3.5 million years ago and again about 2.5 million years ago. The second duplication produced only a partial copy of the gene, the study authors said.

This partial copy acts at exactly the same time and place as the original gene, allowing the partial copy to interact with and block the original gene’s function, according to the findings published online May 3 in the journal Cell.

The partial copy of the SRGAP2 gene seems to have appeared at the same time that the fossil records show a transition from our extinct Australopithecus ancestors to the genus Homo, which led to and includes modern humans.

This point in human evolution is also when our ancestors’ brains began to expand and major advances in intelligence likely occurred, according to Franck Polleux, an expert in brain development at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and Evan Eichler, a genome scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle.

The researchers said that SRGAP2 and other human-specific gene duplicates may explain why humans are much more intelligent than other primates, despite few apparent differences in their genome sequences.

“We may have been looking at the wrong types of mutations to explain human and great ape differences,” Eichler said in a journal news release. “These episodic and large duplication events could have allowed for radical -- potentially earth-shattering -- changes in brain development and brain function.”

The findings also may provide clues to neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia, the researchers said.

Icy energy source could slash natural gas prices by 2025 NEW YORK: Icy prisons of natural gas known as methane hydrates may hold more energy than all of the world’s coal, oil and other natural gas sources combined according to LiveScience. The United States is planning production tests in Alaska and the Gulf Coast to unlock the methane from these crystalline structures using newly tested extraction technology - an effort that the US Department of Energy says could slash natural gas prices 30 percent by 2025.

The untapped methane hydrates consist of natural gas locked inside molecule-size ice structures. They exist in huge quantities under the Arctic permafrost and in deep ocean sediments along almost every continental shelf. Recent field tests successfully injected a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen into Alaskan methane hydrate deposits to produce natural gas.

“The Energy Department’s long-term investments in shale gas research during the ‘70s and ‘80s helped pave the way for today’s boom in domestic natural gas production that is projected to cut the cost of natural gas by 30 percent by 2025 while creating thousands of American jobs,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said while discussing the initiative. Hydrate solids were discovered in the 1800s but remained just a lab curiosity until the 1930s, when people found them clogging up

natural gas lines. Countries including the US, Soviet Union, Japan and India eventually began investigating possible supplies of methane hydrates in the Arctic and beneath the world’s deepest oceans.

The Department of Energy teamed up with ConocoPhillips and the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation for proof-of-concept extraction tests that ran from Feb. 15 to April 10. Those efforts represented the first field trials for exchanging carbon dioxide with the methane locked inside methane hydrates - also raising the possibility of storing carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas most associated with climate change.

(Methane is another greenhouse gas.)

The DOE announced it would set aside $6.5 million to continue funding technologies for locating and safely extracting natural gas from methane hydrates. It has requested an additional $5 million in President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal 2013 to fund year-round extraction tests in the Alaska North Slope.

Such tests won’t immediately yield a new supply of natural gas or a steep drop in natural gas prices. But the DOE pointed out that the research efforts are similar to those in the 1970s and 1980s that eventually led to the current boom in shale gas from fracking, the fracturing of rock through liquid injections.

and distinguish the outlines of certain objects, which is an encouraging sign,” he said. “I have even dreamt in very vivid color for the first time in 25 years, so a part of my brain which had gone to sleep has woken up.”

The device is a chip similar to the camera in a mobile phone and contains 1,500 light-sensitive elements that replace the damaged cells in the patient’s eye.

The operation begins with a power supply being implanted under the skin behind the ear. Surgeons then implant the 3mm-by-3mm chip through a small flap in the delicate retina at the back of the eye. Ten more British patients are due to have the same operation in the trial, which is led by Tim Jackson, a consultant retinal surgeon at King’s College hospital, and Robert MacLaren, a consultant retinal surgeon at the Oxford Eye hospital.

“We are all delighted with these initial results. The vision is different to normal ... and it requires a different type of brain processing. We hope, however, that the electronic chips will provide independence for many people who are blind from retinitis pigmentosa,” MacLaren said.

The implants could restore rudimentary vision to patients with a range of conditions that affect the eye’s rods and cones, the cells that detect light and convert it into electrical pulses that are sent along the optic nerve to the brain.

RP, choroideraemia and age-related macular degeneration, all affect these cells but leave the rest of the eye undamaged.

The chip is positioned so that light passing into the eye forms an image on its surface. This picture is converted into electrical pulses that stimulate healthy retina cells which then pass signals on to the brain, where the image is reconstructed.

Made by the German company Retina Implant AG, the chips have been in trials for more than six years. Developers are expected to seek approval for the device if the latest trials are a success.

One of the first patients to be fitted with the implant was Miikka Terho, from Finland, who was blinded by RP as a teenager. In 2010, he impressed doctors by naming plates, mugs and cutlery and reading large letters. Though patients can only see in black and white with the implant, Terho could distinguish different colors by their brightness.

David Head, of the charity RP Fighting Blindness, said: “The completion of the first two implants in the UK is very significant and brings hope to people who have lost their sight as a result of RP.” A congenital disease, RP gets worse over time and affects one in every 3,000 to 4,000 people in Europe.

Nick Astbury, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon and chair of Vision 2020 UK, an umbrella organization for vision impairment groups, said: “This trial will bring hope to two million blind and partially sighted people living in the UK. It is the first step on a long journey to help people with sight loss to see again and live independently.”

Greenland glaciers may melt slower than thought: Study PARIS: A decade-long study of Greenland’s glaciers suggests they may not be melting as quickly as thought, leading to a slower sea-level rise than worst-case predictions, said a study on Thursday.

How fast glaciers melt depends in large part on how fast they move, and the research in the journal Science shows the glaciers may lead to a sea level rise of 0.8 meters (2.6 feet) by 2100, not two meters (6.5 feet) as some have estimated previously.

Scientists pored over satellite data from Canada, Germany and Japan spanning from 2000 to 2011, and found that Greenland’s largest glaciers, which end on land, move rather slowly, between 30 and 325 feet (nine to 100 meters) per year.

Glaciers that end in ice shelves move more quickly, from 1,000 feet (305 meters) to a mile (1.6 kilometers) per year.

“So far, on average we’re seeing about a 30 percent speedup in 10 years,” said lead author Twila Moon, a University of Washington doctoral student in earth and space sciences.

Fast-moving glaciers release more ice and meltwater into the ocean than slowmoving ones.

Since previous estimates of Greenland’s glacier melt speed varied widely -- from adding four to 19 inches (10 to 48 centimeters) to the rising sea level by 2100 -- Moon said she embarked on the research get a better grasp on what was actually happening.

“We don’t have a really good handle on it and we need to have that if we’re going to understand the effects of climate change,” she said.

However, while the study gave researchers a clearer picture of how gla-

ciers currently move and melt at varying speeds, many questions still remain about how that may impact sea-level rise in the decades to come.

“There’s the caveat that this 10-year time series is too short to really understand long-term behavior,” said co-author Ian Howat, an assistant professor of earth sciences at Ohio State University.

“So there still may be future events -- tipping points -- that could cause large increases in glacier speed to continue,” he added.

“Or perhaps some of the big glaciers in the north of Greenland that haven’t yet exhibited any changes may begin to speed up, which would greatly increase the rate of sea level rise.”

The research was funded by the US space agency NASA and the National Science Foundation. -AFP

Scientists use airship to look for meteorites

SACRAMENTO, Calif.: A group of scientists took to the skies in a slow-moving airship Thursday in search of meteorites that rained over California’s gold country last month. It’s the latest hunt for extraterrestrial fragments from the April 22 explosion that was witnessed over a swath of Northern California and Nevada.

Treasure hunters have swarmed the Sierra Nevada foothills over the past two weeks, snatching up pieces of meteorites. Most of the recovered space rocks have been tiny, with the largest weighing in at 19 grams, or the weight of one AA battery.

Researchers from NASA and the nonprofit SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., were on the lookout for larger fragments. After a brief weather delay, they took off from a Sacramento airfield aboard an airship outfitted with sensors and cameras.

From the air, scientists scoured the terrain for places where sizable meteorites might have scattered. The survey took them over the area where James W. Marshall first

discovered gold in California in 1848. Once they pinpoint possible impact sites, they plan to follow up with a search party.

“Only small pieces have been found. There has to be big pieces out there,” SETI Institute meteor astronomer Peter Jenniskens said before the trip. “We’re just hoping to collect more meteorites for research.”

Days after the approximately 154,300-pound meteor plunged through Earth’s atmosphere with a loud sonic boom that was heard from Sacramento to Las Vegas, Jenniskens organized a team and found a 4-gram meteorite in the parking lot of a park. NASA estimated the minivan-sized meteor released energy equal to one-third the explosive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. An event this size occurs once a year usually over unpopulated areas.

Initial inspection of rock fragments indicates this type of meteorite is among the oldest, dating to the solar system’s birth 4 billion to 5 billion years ago. -AP

The origin of mysterious, dark-skinned blonds discovered NEW YORK: Residents of the Solomon Islands in the Pacific have some of the darkest skin seen outside of Africa.

They also have the highest occurrence of blond hair seen in any population outside of Europe. Now, researchers have found the single gene that explains these fair tresses according to LiveScience.

A single mutation is responsible for almost half of the variation in Solomon Islanders’ hair color, the scientists reported Thursday in the journal Science. Most strikingly, this gene mutation seems to have arisen in the Pacific, not been brought in by fair-haired Europeans intermarrying with islanders. “[T]he human characteristic of blond hair arose independently in equatorial Oceania,” study researcher Eimear Kenny, a postodoctoral scholar at the Stanford University School of Medicine, said in a statement. “That’s quite unexpected and fascinating.”

Kenny’s colleagues Sean Myles and Nicholas Timpson traveled to the remote Solomon islands, where Myles, now a professor at Nova Scotia Agricultural College, had previously noted a surprising number of blonds.

“They have this very dark skin and bright blond hair.

It was mind-blowing,” Myles said in a statement. “As a geneticist on the beach watching the kids playing, you count up the frequency of kids with blond hair, and say, ‘Wow, it’s 5 to 10 percent.’” [Photos of Beautiful Beaches] That’s not very far off from the proportion of blond-haired people in Europe, Kenny said. The researchers gathered saliva from 43

blond and 42 dark-haired Solomon Islanders to analyze for clues to the genes behind their hair color.

A genome-wide analysis turned up a shockingly clear result, rare in the world of genetics where a single trait can be influenced by dozens or more genes. A gene called TYRP1, which resides on the ninth chromosome of human’s 23 pairs of chromosomes, explained 46.4 percent of the variation in the islanders’ hair color. (Chromosomes are coiled packets of DNA.) A mutation in this gene affects an enzyme known to be involved in human pigmentation, the researchers found.

This mutation doesn’t appear in European genomes, an analysis of genomes from 52 human populations around the world revealed. Rather, it seems to have arisen independently and persisted in the Melanesian population.

That makes the gene different from the one responsible for blue eyes, which arose from a single common ancestor between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago. Before then, there were no blue eyes, they said.

The find solves a nifty genetic mystery, but it also highlights the dangers of assuming that genome findings from one population will translate to another, said study author Carlos Bustamante, a professor of genetics at Stanford.

“If we’re going to be designing the next generation of medical treatments using genetic information and we don’t have a really broad spectrum of populations included, you could disproportionately benefit some populations and harm others,” Bustamante said.

FILE - A blondhaired Solomon Island child gives the camera two thumbs up. Research published in the journal Science has uncovered the gene responsible for these fair tresses.

(Agencies)

10

ALWATAN DAILY

CULTURE

saturDAY, may 5, 2012

Golden Gate Bridge dresses up for 75th anniversary SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco’s landmark Golden Gate Bridge is having a facelift for its 75th anniversary.

For the first time since it opened in 1937, the entire 2,332-metre lengths of the two main wire strand cables each nearly a meter thick - are getting a fresh coat of orange vermilion paint, officially known as International Orange.

The job, which began last summer, will not be finished in time for the May 27 festivities, though. It will take a few more years.

“It’s strenuous work, but we’re all very proud to be taking care of a world-famous icon,” said paint superintendent Dennis “Rocky” Dellarocca.

The 58-year-old Californian has been doing the job for 28 years, first wielding a paint roller and spray equipment himself and now heading a 40-man team that relentlessly fights rust and wear with fresh paint - in wind and fog - from the roadway to the tops of the two 227-metre-high steel towers, and on suspended scaffolds all the way down to the bottom of the towers, one of which is held in place in water open to the ocean by a huge concrete-filled coffer-dam.

“I dream in International Orange,” Rocky grinned.

The structure’s distinctive, bright color - contrasting with the Pacific whitecaps and the steel-blue California sky - is not the only thing that makes the bridge spanning the Golden Gate Strait between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay one of the most beautiful and most photographed in the world.

There is also its elegant art-deco styling. Each year, the Golden Gate Bridge attracts some 10 million visitors from all over the world.

Two of them this year were Simone Denzer and Jan Soelbrandt, twenty-somethings from the German city of Wiesbaden. Upon arrival in San Francisco on their first trip to California, they headed straight to the bridge.

“You’ve simply got to walk across it,” they said with one voice. “How long does it take?”

At an unhurried pace, it takes about 45 minutes to cover the 2,737 meters from the San Francisco end to the green hills of Marin County in the north. Pedestrians share the three-meter-wide sidewalk on the east side of the bridge with joggers, roller skaters and cyclists.

With all the strolling and picture-taking going on, the bridge can get crowded at peak times. People not prone

The Golden Gate Bridge, painted “International Orange,” has been a San Francisco landmark for 75 years. (dpa)

to vertigo would do well to walk along the railing, which reaches to most people’s chests and guards against a 70metre drop to the water.

Those wishing to cross the bridge on a bicycle rented in San Francisco need beware: Strong gusts of wind can make the ride a wobbly and arduous affair.

After four years of construction at a cost of 35 million dollars, the Golden Gate Bridge officially opened with a Pedestrian Day on May 27, 1937. Chief Engineer Joseph B. Strauss presented the marveling public with an architectural and aesthetic wonder.

Measuring 1,280 meters between its two towers, it was the world’s longest suspension bridge until 1964, when New

Fearful of Putin, rich flee Russian art market

MOSCOW: Russian billionaires are famous for being big buyers of contemporary art, bolstering sales in capitals across the West, but at home it’s a different story. Dejected by Vladimir Putin’s return to power, many of Russia’s glitterati have left, turning their backs on a fledgling modern art market that may now have to seek help from the state - the people who scared off its potential patrons.

“These collectors who left en masse, they are people who saw that not only is there a suffocating situation but that it will continue for a minimum of six years,” gallery owner Marat Gelman said, referring to Putin’s return to the Kremlin for a third term. “They are not seeing their future in Russia.”

Gelman was at the forefront of a movement to pioneer Moscow’s first contemporary galleries in the 1990s, setting up his Gelman gallery alongside the Aidan and XL galleries to cater to the rich and famous seeking trophies of their wealth.

But those trailblazers now say their regulars have largely left Russia, leaving their luxury market in the hands of rich bureaucrats, who neither want to draw attention to their wealth or spend on art that is often critical of the Kremlin. “When the richest people are bureaucrats - deputy ministers, the children of governors, the wives of mayors - then these people are ashamed of their wealth,” Gelman said. “They would rather buy some expensive yacht far from everyone.”

Each of the three trendsetting galleries is changing in its own way to respond to plummeting sales but they joined forces last month to communicate their message: To survive, modern art in Russia needs state support.

“We cannot stay silent. Russian art needs help,” said Yelena Selina, whose XL Gallery is a stalwart of the Frieze, Art Basel, Fiac and Miami Basel international art fairs. “Huge amounts of (state) money are being spent on creating a positive image of Russia. Modern art is a great calling card.” But her decision and that of Gelman gallery to move to a non-commercial format met with skepticism from other artists who said the state would do little more than sap the oxygen from a milieu that strives to be provocative.

“Beat them on the head”

President Dmitry Medvedev’s decision to step aside for Putin after just one term crushed the hopes of many entrepreneurs and art collectors who had invested in his promise to modernize the economy, fight corruption and allow the opposition more say. For many who left, it drew back the curtain on his image as a Western-leaning reformer to show Putin pulling the string.

Viktor Bondarenko, one of the country’s top collectors of contemporary and other Russian art, said that while he had not joined the stampede out of Russia, he had lost faith in reforms and sent his three children abroad.

“Modern art is the hope of the country in modernization and innovation,” he said. “When hunters go after cats they beat them on the head with cudgels - that is about what the state and the church have done to contemporary art and hope here.”

Roughly 1.25 million Russians have left the country in recent years, according to data released last year by the state Audit Chamber, which tracks migration via tax revenues. Ekho Moskvy radio cited the head of the state body Sergei Stepashin comparing the wave of emigration to that after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. At Aidan Gallery’s farewell party, artists stood smoking and gloomily discussing the impending changes at Vinzavod - a Soviet-era wine factory converted into a hip gallery complex.

“It is a signal that there is a roll back of democratic freedoms and values,” said Russian artist Aristarkh Chernyshev, who is represented by XL Gallery. “The galleries spoke about the art market, but if it is shrinking then this is a medical fact.”

York City’s Verrazano Narrows Bridge took the title.

Since 1998, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan, with a main span of 1,991 meters, has been the longest.

An estimated 200,000 people turned out for the opening and consumed some 50,000 hot dogs, according to the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.

The bridge was opened to vehicular traffic the following day; more than 30,000 vehicles were counted. San Franciscans celebrated for an entire week and the bridge has not had a quiet minute since.

Its biggest test came on its 50th anniversary, when an estimated 300,000 people, far more than expected, surged onto the roadway from both ends beginning at 6 am. The

weight of the throng was so great that the bridge’s arch flattened out. Quite a few people got nervous, but the sturdy structure held.

“We’re doing things differently this time,” said bridge spokeswoman Mary Currie. “On its 75th anniversary, the bridge won’t be the stage but the backdrop.” On Sunday, May 27, the bridge will be closed to pedestrians while vehicular traffic proceeds normally.

The celebration will be held throughout the weekend along the waterfront, from historic Fort Point at the foot of the bridge to Pier 39 at San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf, six kilometers away.

Exhibitions, a historic watercraft parade, and a music and dance festival highlighting the 1930s are among the activities planned. The festivities will begin with yoga on the bridge at sunrise on the day before the anniversary and conclude with a spectacular fireworks display on Sunday evening.

And the bridge’s 75th anniversary will leave a lasting legacy: Construction of a visitors pavilion – billed as “the first on-site centre dedicated to telling the stories of the Golden Gate Bridge” – is nearing completion on the plaza at the south-east end of the landmark.

Also new are night tours of the bridge and a “green screen” photo booth where visitors can be pictured as though climbing the cables, on top of a tower or with a crystal-clear image of the bridge behind them.

“That’s practical particularly when it’s foggy because you often can’t see any of the real bridge then,” Currie said.

Hundreds of thousands are people are expected to take part in the jubilee, which falls on the long Memorial Day weekend (commemorating the men and women who died while serving in the US armed forces). Those who cannot make it in time for the big party can celebrate afterwards.

Many of the exhibitions will continue, and a film on the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge will be shown at Fort Point until year’s end.

Paint superintendent Dellarocca had a piece of advice in passing: “You’ve got to feel the bridge, how it lives and vibrates. Grab a jacket a walk across it,” he said. But the heavily trodden bridge gets a well-deserved break on its birthday. -dpa

A new type of tourism: Come see the corruption PRAGUE: Tourists have long flocked to the Czech capital to see the Charles Bridge, the Golden Lane and Prague Castle.

Czech playwright and director Petr Sourek now aims to entertain them not so much with the glories of the past, but with the problems of the present, namely the stench of corruption. The grand apartment blocks of the professional lobbyists and corrupt politicians, as well as inflated tunnel projects are on the route of “Corrupt Tour,” the Prague-born director’s new company. The aim is to reveal the dark side of post-communist society. “We have invented corruption tourism,” Sourek says.

A small group of curious tourists has gathered outside the Interior Ministry, perhaps the most closely guarded building in the picturesque capital.

Tour guide Philip presents himself in eye-catching apparel including brightly coloured ribbons and a wide-brimmed hat, promising views ranging from “valuable monuments to concrete to non-existent company addresses.”

One elderly gentleman has made the trip specially from Austria, four hours away by car, to see what the Czechs are up to. “This could be a global tourism niche that has not yet been exploited and could be the next hit,” he says. Philip leads his group to what he refers to as “the largest goldmine” in the Czech Republic. The tourists find themselves looking down on a huge building site, where the Blanka Tunnel will finally exit. The tunnel, at 6.4 kilometers, is the longest tunnel within a European city.

He notes caustically that where alchemists at the court of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II searched passionately and in vain for the secret to turn base metal to gold, the companies behind massive engineering projects have now succeeded.

“Anyone taking this much trouble deserves a reward,” Philip says, adding that the crumbs fall widely. The tunnel and whether it makes any sense at all have long been a theme in the Czech media, although it remains unclear precisely who has profited most from the cost overruns thus far.

Near Prague Castle, a must-see for the more conventional tour groups, Philip makes a halt in front of a two-storey townhouse, informing his charges

FILE - Czech playwriter and director Petr Sourek in Prague with a poster for Corrupt Tour, the city walk showing tourists the myriad ways that lobbyists interact with Czech politicians. (dpa)

in a stage whisper that a well-known lobbyist lives there. One of the participants finds it amusing that this prime residential area is very close to a number of government ministries. “These homes are really well situated strategically,” he says.

Then the lobbyist himself, well known from newspaper and television reports, appears in a nearby park taking his dog for a walk.

Sourek, who came up with the idea, is certain he has hit upon a goldmine of his own. “The number of monuments to corruption is large,” he says.

He is, however, covering his own back, targeting only those cases of corruption that have already received wide media coverage to ensure he does not become the target of legal action. Those included on

Billionaire Koch gives $35 million to dinosaur museum KANSAS CITY, Kansas: American industrialist David Koch, a major supporter of conservative causes, said on Thursday his lifelong fascination with dinosaurs drove his $35 million donation to renovate the National Museum of Natural History’s

dinosaur hall. The gift was the largest single donation in the Washington-based museum and research institution’s 112-year history, the Smithsonian Institution said. “I’ve had a love affair with dinosaurs since I was a boy,” Koch, who turned 72 on Thurs-

Lost Sales

It comes as a shock to Moscow’s globetrotting elite that Moscow’s oncethriving galleries are losing money while in the West, stuck in an economic downturn, sales are healthy. Aidan Salakhova of Aidan Gallery says she made about half as much last year compared to sales in 2003, when the launch of the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art put the city on the cultural map and galleries mushroomed - many launched as vanity projects by the girlfriends and wives of Russian oligarchs.

Salakhova said her total profit last year after expenses was $60,000 - a paltry sum in the billion-dollar sector. A successful artist in her own right, she has been financing the gallery out of her earnings.

“If the gallery had been making money over the last two, three years, I wouldn’t close,” said Salakhova, who like her contemporaries is keeping her Vinzavod gallery space but converting it into an artists studio. “I cannot keep the gallery afloat. I’m not an oligarch or an oligarch’s wife.”

Gallery owners say wealthy Russians are increasingly snubbing homegrown artists for more established Western names, both as a surer investment and a status symbol abroad.

“It’s no secret, all the collectors have left. Their children, the next generation of potential collectors, are at school in London ... to socialize they are buying famous Western artists,” Selina said. “The market here is frozen because of the unclear political situation.” -Reuters

his tour have thus far taken it all with a smile, he says. A Czech participant says there is general anger in the country with the political class. “People are extremely disappointed with politicians in general,” she says.

The country has a less than sparkling reputation internationally, sharing 57th place with Saudi Arabia and Namibia on the Corruption Perceptions Index compiled by Berlin-based Transparency International.

However, some of the foreigners on the tour are convinced their countries could score even higher.

“In Vienna, a tour of two-and-a-half hours would not be nearly long enough. We’ve got more,” an Austrian remarks sourly at the end of the trip. -dpa

FILE - A fifteen-percent larger skull, created through computer scanning and prototyping, graces the new mount of the Smithsonian Institution’s Triceratops exhibit in this undated photograph. (Reuters)

day, told Reuters in a telephone interview from New York, where he lives.

“I realized that the exhibit at the Smithsonian was very out of date. Some of it goes back 100 years, and we were in desperate need of renovation,” said Koch, who is on the museum’s board of directors.

The current display on dinosaurs and paleontology has gone mostly unchanged for 30 years, and the Koch donation will cover most of the planned $45 million renovation, said Randall Kremer, a spokesman for the museum.

“This would not happen if not for the gift from Mr. Koch,” Kremer said. “This is just a great day for the museum and the country.” The new hall will showcase part of the museum’s 46 million-piece fossil collection and feature new displays on how dinosaurs and other creatures lived. The Smithsonian Board of Regents agreed to name the updated 25,000-square-foot exhibition space after Koch. The museum already has the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins, which opened in 2010.

Koch has donated to the Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2006, he gave $20 million to the American Museum of Natural History in New York to support its dinosaur exhibit. David and his brother Charles Koch are also among the largest contributors to Republican causes and candidates.

Koch said on Thursday he has given “by far” more money to philanthropic, charitable and other non-profit groups than he has to political concerns.

“I have a strong moral code and I have an opportunity to give,” he said. -Reuters

ALWATAN DAILY

entertainment Song Of The Day

Fahad AlSabah Staff Writer

Song: Fight To Win Artist: Goodie Mob Album: Fight To Win - Single Genre: Hip-Hop/Alternative In short: Leave it to Cee-Lo Green to mix traditional soulfulness with a wisp of guitars and synths to come up with something truly unique. Goodie Mob has formed in 1991, but suffered after Green’s departure in 2000. 12 years of their break, Goodie Mob is back with a new single and and album to soon follow, titled Age Against The Machine.

To listen to the song visit www.alwatandaily.com E-mail your feedback to falsabah@alwatandaily.com

The Buzz Another finalist takes a bow on American Idol It was an unfortunate night for Skylar Laine on “American Idol.” The 18-year-old country rocker from Brandon, Miss., who imbued Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” and Dusty Springfield’s “Say You Love Me” with her twangy sensibilities on Wednesday’s show was revealed to have received the fewest viewer votes Thursday on the Fox singing contest. Laine was joined at the bottom by Hollie Cavanagh, the 18-year-old balladeer from McKinney, Texas, who opened Wednesday’s installment with a pop-infused take on Ike and Tina Turner’s “River Deep Mountain High,” and later dialed it down with the Leona Lewis hit “Bleeding Love.” “They both sang their faces off last night,” said “Idol” judge Randy Jackson. The other singers remaining in the competition are booming 20-year-old gospel singer Joshua Ledet of Westlake, La.; bluesy 21-year-old pawn shop worker Phillip Phillips of Leesburg, Ga.; and budding 16-year-old pop diva Jessica Sanchez of San Diego. The four remaining finalists will return to the stage next week. -AP

Bachelor host Harrison, wife ending marriage “The Bachelor” host Chris Harrison is going be a bachelor again. A spokeswoman for the 40-year-old TV personality said Thursday that Harrison and his wife are ending their 18year marriage. Harrison has hosted the ABC dating series and its various spin-offs since “The Bachelor” debuted in 2002.

“Though we have made this incredibly difficult decision to separate, our love and mutual respect remain, and we look forward to sharing in the lives of our wonderful children,” the couple said in a joint statement. They have two children together. The eighth season of “The Bachelorette” is set to premiere May 14. -AP

Actor Gary Sinise supporting veterans in Ill. Hollywood actor Gary Sinise (suh-NEES’) is helping promote a summer concert in suburban Chicago that will benefit veterans. The “Forrest Gump” star helped kickoff ticket sales for “Rockin’ for the Troops” on Thursday at the Navistar headquarters in Lisle. The concert is planned for July 21 in nearby Wheaton. Sinise is slated to perform with his Lt. Dan Band, which is named for his character in the Oscar-winning movie. The Daily Herald reports (http://bit.ly/IN38n4 ) that proceeds will benefit Operation Support Our Troops America. The Naperville-based charity has raised $2 million for projects benefiting veterans, including research on post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury .-AP

Mick Jagger gets first hosting gig at SNL finale Mick Jagger will test his comic chops later this month as host of the “Saturday Night Live” season finale. The Rolling Stones frontman has been a musical guest twice before on the long-running NBC show, and the network said Thursday he will perform musically on the May 19 finale. But he has never been host before, a job that usually requires participation in several comic skits.The Rolling Stones mark their 50th anniversary as a band this year, but have yet to announce any activities to commemorate the occasion. Jagger last year put out a disc as part of a group called SuperHeavy, which also included reggae singer Damian Marley and former Eurythmics founder Dave Stewart. -AP

Cee Lo Green says he’s sticking with The Voice Cee Lo Green says he’ll stick with “The Voice” singing competition show “as long as it’s fresh.” The rapper turned singer joined the show last year as coach and judge alongside Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine. “I would like to think that we were irreplaceable, you know what I’m saying?” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “But the truth of the matter is, we’re still working-class artists and artists can be very fickle. .... I would like to be here as long as it’s fresh and new and exciting and fun for me.” Green, 37, said considers the gig a “day job” and expects that NBC has plans in place should any of the judges decide to leave. But for now he’s happy to continue “building the brand of Cee Lo Green” on the popular TV series, which ends its second season next week. Aguilera’s appearance on Maroon 5’s hit from last year “Moves Like Jagger” has led to further musical collaboration among the show’s stars. Green said he’d recently recorded a tune with Aguilera and has been in discussions with Levine. Green was in a recording studio this week in Los Angeles finalizing a remix of the Meow Mix cat food jingle featuring the Persian cat Purrfect, which he often holds on “The Voice.” -AP

saturDAY, may 5, 2012

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Vogue bans too-skinny models from its pages NEW YORK: Vogue magazine, perhaps the world’s top arbiter of style, is making a statement about its own models: Too young and too thin is no longer in.

The 19 editors of Vogue magazines around the world made a pact to project the image of healthy models, according to a Conde Nast International announcement Thursday.

They agreed to “not knowingly work with models under the age of 16 or who appear to have an eating disorder,” and said they will ask casting directors to check IDs at photo shoots and fashion shows and for ad campaigns.

The move is an important one for the fashion world, said former model Sara Ziff, who was discovered at 14 and has since founded The Model Alliance, dedicated to improving the working conditions of models and persuading the industry to take better care of its young.

“Most editions of Vogue regularly hire models who are minors, so for Vogue to commit to no longer using models under the age of 16 marks an evolution in the industry,” she said.

“We hope other magazines and fashion brands will follow Vogue’s impressive lead.”

American, French, Chinese and British editions of the fashion glossies are among those that will start following the new guidelines with their June issues; the Japanese edition will begin with its July book.

“Vogue believes that good health is beautiful. Vogue Editors around the world want the magazines to reflect their commitment to the health of the models who appear on the pages and the well-being of their readers,” said Conde Nast International Chairman Jonathan Newhouse in a statement.

Models’ health - and especially their weight - has been a lightning rod the past few years, especially after the death of two models from apparent complications from eating disorders in 2006-07, but the focus, until now, has been on runway fashion shows.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America adopted a voluntary initiative in 2007, which emphasizes age minimums and healthy working environments during New York Fashion Week, and London Fashion Week designers sign a contract with the British Fashion Council to use models who are at least 16.

The primary fashion organizations in Italy and Spain banned catwalk models who fall below a certain Body Mass Index level, and earlier this year, Israel’s government passed an anti-skinny-model law.

Still, there is persistent criticism that the fashion world creates a largely unattainable and unhealthy standard that particularly affects impressionable young girls.

“We know that there is an impact for young girls - and boys, by the way - of what is put in front of them in terms of media,” said Elissa J. Brown, professor of psychology at St. John University and founder of The Partners Program, a specialized therapy program for children and adolescents.

A change in what they see on the pages of prestigious fash-

FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2012, file photo, models have their make-up finalized under runway light before the J. Mendel Fall 2012 collection is modeled during Fashion Week, in New York. (AP)

ion magazines could change the image of what they would strive for, she said. It wouldn’t hurt for parents to take a look at healthier looking models, too, she added. “I’m a mother and I hear other mothers talk about the parts of their bodies they don’t like in front of their daughters instead of talking about health. If the message becomes about health, it could have a tremendous impact.”

The Vogue guidelines are largely similar to the CFDA’s - no surprise since US editor-in-chief Anna Wintour was instrumental in crafting them.

“CFDA is pleased to see all the Vogue magazines unite in support of model health,” CFDA CEO Steven Kolb said.

“This increased level of support makes the message of ‘Health is Beauty’ even stronger.”

Conde Nast, in its announcement, recognized that fashion models serve as role models for “many women,” and the publisher wants to ensure that the models in its pages “are well cared for and educated in ways that will encourage and help them to take care of themselves, addressing as many of the

Samuel L. Jackson slams film critic over Avengers LOS ANGELES: Samuel L. Jackson is sick of all these critics trashing his movie. Jackson, who plays S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury in the upcoming superhero epic “The Avengers,” virtually eviscerated New York Times critic A. O. Scott on Twitter on Thursday, after Scott wrote a less-than-glowing review of “The Avengers.” In his Twit-fit, Jackson suggested that Scott should find a new profession, writing, “#Avengers fans, NY Times critic AO Scott needs a new job! Let’s help him find one! One he can ACTUALLY do!”

While Scott didn’t outright pan the film in his review, which was published Thursday, he did throw a few jabs at the men-in-tights extravaganza, calling it “a snappy little dialogue comedy dressed up as something else, that something else being a giant A.T.M. for Marvel and its new studio overlords, the Walt Disney Company.” Oh, and he added that the film suffers from a “grinding, hectic emptiness” and “bloated cynicism.”

Jackson’s reaction, as seems to happen so often in the Twitterverse, prompted a reaction of its own. Movie website The Film Nest tweeted, “Disappointed to hear @SamuelLJackson respond irrationally to negative review of #Avengers. People aren’t entitled to their own opinion?”

Naturally, the actor couldn’t let that stand and fired back, “That is My Opinion! @TheFilmNest & what’s irrational about it? They aren’t going to fire his jaundiced

ass & You & I Know It!” Jackson’s attack on Scott sparked a flood of support for the scribe from his journalistic colleagues, who circled the wagons in his defense. “@AOScott His call for you to lose your job only supports your point about ‘glowering authoritarianism’ in pop culture,” New Yorker music critic Alex Ross wrote, referencing a line from the review. “Well said!”

New York magazine TV columnist Matthew Seitz chimed in, “The latent fascism of fanboy culture manifests itself through Samuel L. Jackson. “A few negative reviews in hundreds? Get ‘em, boys!” Meanwhile, Mike Ryan, senior writer for HuffPo Entertainment, cracked, “I’m just going to guess that Jackson has never read your positive ‘Revenge of the Sith’ review.”

In a bit of interesting timing, Jackson was the subject of a lengthy, glowing profile in NYT Magazine over the weekend. During the profile, Jackson sought to distance himself from other celebrities who’ve become too pampered to endure everyday experiences.

“I walk the streets, take the train, it’s real simple,” Jackson professed. “Some actors create their own mythology – ‘Oh, I’m so famous I can’t go places, because I created this mythology that I’m so famous I can’t go places.’” Enduring the opinions of film critics, apparently, is another matter. Maybe Jackson should just sic The Hulk on Scott? -Reuters

pressing issues relating to ill-health in the industry as can realistically be tackled.” Ziff said the age restriction is important for other reasons, too.

“The use of underaged models is linked to financial exploitation, eating disorders, interrupted schooling, and contributes to models’ overall lack of empowerment in the workplace,” she said. “We simply believe that 14 is too young to be working in this very grown-up industry, and we’re glad that Condé Nast International is making this commitment.

In addition to agreeing not to knowingly work with models under 16 or with eating disorders, the Vogue pact says the magazines will help “structure mentoring programs” for younger models and raise awareness of the problem of model health. The magazines said they would encourage healthy working conditions backstage and encourage designers “to consider the consequences of unrealistically small sample sizes of their clothing, which limits the range of women who can be photographed in their clothes, and encourages the use of extremely thin models.” -AP

Demi Moore changes her Twitter name, finally

LOS ANGELES: Demi Moore is finally ready to move on from her failed marriage to Ashton Kutcher. At least in the Twitterverse.

The “G.I. Jane” actress ended months of speculation Thursday, finally answering the question: “When is she going to change her Twitter handle?”

Moore had been going by @MrsKutcher, a handle that grew more awkward with each passing day since November, when she announced plans to divorce “Two and a Half Men” star Kutcher.

Moore now goes by @JustDemi. According to her account, the actress chose the new moniker because it’s “playful.” “So hard finding a name that was fun somewhat playful and available,” Moore wrote. “So for now it will be @justdemi It could grow on me!” In December, Moore dismissed notions that she needed to change her Twitter name ASAP in order to distance herself from her ex. “Changing my twitter name isn’t a top priority right now,” she tweeted. “Sorry it bothers so many of u. Should I not tweet until I do?

Does it really matter?” -Reuters

Perez Hilton sued over Angelina Jolie ring claim

Modern Family honored by Catholic group LOS ANGELES: “Modern Family” might not be the most obvious choice to be showered with accolades by a religious organization, but the ABC comedy was honored by the Catholics in Media Associates over the weekend anyway. “Modern Family” - the show known for the gay marriage of Cameron Tucker and Mitchell Pritchett and, more recently, the foul-mouth tirade of child character Lily - received the Television Award at the 2012 CIMA Awards, held at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Sunday.

“This remains far and away the best prime-time sitcom: crisp and farcical, but very kind,” CIMA notes on its web site. “This fast-paced mockumentary perfectly captures the experience of parenthood.”

Other honorees at the ceremony included Martin Scorsese’s 3D film “Hugo,” the Emilio Estevez/Martin Sheen movie “The Way” and the Tom Shadyac docu-

mentary “I Am.” According to the Catholics in Media Associates web site, the group “was formed by working professionals in the entertainment industry whose initial purpose was to share personal concerns of faith and spirituality as it is experienced in the workplace.” The purpose of the CIMA Awards is to recognize “those projects and people in the entertainment industry who, by their work, have made clearer the Word of God.” Past CIMA Television Award recipients include the CBS police drama “Blue Bloods,” Fox’s musical “Glee” and the ABC comedy “Ugly Betty.”

In addition to the CIMA Award, “Modern Family” has also received a Golden Globe, several Emmys, a few Television Critics Association Awards, a number of Peabody Awards and a GLAAD Media Award, among others. -Reuters

The cast of “Modern Family” at the 18th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California Jan. 29, 2012. (Reuters)

FILE - Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton arrives at “The Advocate 45th” celebrating the magazine’s 45 years of publication in Beverly Hills, California March 29, 2012. (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES: Angelina Jolie’s engagement ring reportedly set Brad Pitt back a cool $500,000, and it could end up costing Perez Hilton the same.

Gossip blogger Hilton (real name: Mario Armando Lavandeira) has been slapped with a lawsuit after reporting that the man who designed Jolie’s ring had previously been found guilty of fraud. Hilton’s report, published April 17 on his Coco Perez offshoot site, claimed that jeweler Robert Procop, who designed the ring with Pitt, had previously been successfully sued for fraud by a customer named Roy Allenstein. Allenstein supposedly discovered that the necklace he purchased from Procop contained only 17.62 carats of diamonds instead of 25.5 carats after having it appraised. The report goes on to claim that the court awarded Allenstein $89,000 in the suit. But Procop says that’s a lie, and now Hilton has found himself in a real-life court drama.

“The statements that Plaintiff was ‘guilty’ of fraud in connection with his jewelry business and that a court had awarded a judgment against him for that fraud is libelous on its face,” the suit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles, reads. “Those statements expose Plaintiff to hatred, contempt, ridicule and obloquy and they naturally have a tendency to injure Plaintiff in his occupation as a jeweler and jewelry designer.”

Hilton has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment. Procop’s attorney told TheWrap that, not only wasn’t there a judgment rendered against his client, but there was never a trial alleging that he’d defrauded a customer.The CocoPerez report was apparently derived from a RadarOnline report, to which it links. That story has been taken down, at the request of Procop’s attorney, but according to the attorney it also claimed that a judgment had been awarded against Procop. (RadarOnline, which is not named in the lawsuit, has not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.)

According to the suit, Hilton “refused to retract the defamatory statements and take down the article from his web site even after he was informed of their falsity.” Procop is seeking more than $500,000 in general damages, plus special and punitive damages” in a sum sufficient to punish and deter Defendant from engaging in such conduct in the future.” -Reuters

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ALWATAN DAILY

AROUND TOWN / TIME OUT

SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012

If you have an event you wish to include, please email: aroundtown@alwatandaily.com

Feature o f

graffiti

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VIVA hails successful sponsorship of ‘Hope Carnival’ for the disabled

KUWAIT: VIVA, Kuwait’s newest and most advanced mobile telecommunications service provider, hailed the successful sponsorship of ‘Hope Carnival’ for children with special needs and disabilities.

VIVA’s main goal of being the Platinum Sponsor of ‘Hope Carnival’ is to provide motivation and support to the people with disabilities as well as to shed the light on the importance of their involvement in the society.

During the event, families and friends attended to enjoy a fun filled day with a variety of activities specially tailored for the disabled.

VIVA’s sponsorship of the Hope Carnival was a very good one and the company is proud to have been part of it. VIVA is committed to the wellbeing of the society and to help the less advantaged people acquire a role in Kuwait. Hope Carnival is an event that affirms the right of the disadvantaged people to participate in all aspects and activities of the society, and to take prominent roles that highlight their capabilities of doing almost anything and every-

Month a t

Sudoku

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thing to serve best the entire community.

During the event, VIVA was awarded for its significant participation and leading role in supporting this particular segment of the society. VIVA has always been committed to take part in all types of activities organized for the less

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advantaged people as they are vital to our community and its development.

VIVA will continue to looking for unique opportunities to contribute to the welfare of the society and help serve the people best and shed the light on its ongoing corporate social commitment.

General A n n o u n c e m e n t s

a glance

Bread baking course April 19- May 10/ 6 p.m.-8 p.m. /TIES Center: TIES Ladies Club invites all ladies the unique course of preparing the ancient traditional food “The Bread Baking”. Baking of different kinds of breads will be demonstrated including Old English Toast, Italian Bread Stick, Strawberry Sweet Heart and many more.

For more information please contact us on 97228860/2523015/6 or emailinfo@tiescenter.net.

Aim high Golden era club May 11 and 25/ 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. / Rumaithiya: Golden Era Club presents ‘The Eight Fold Path to Yoga’. Yoga here! Yoga there! Yoga everywhere! Yet, few comprehend Yoga’s true nature! Join Yoga Guru - Aacharya Shashikala Pushkarna - on this unique journey to the true ‘union’ between the mind, body and spirit. All seniors (60+) are cordially invited. Venue- House #34, next to Abu-Tammam Intermediate School for Boys, Sate Alhusari St., Block 2, Rumaithiya. For registration call 97172788/ 66208183 or drop a line to goldenera60@yahoo.com

Annual speech contest May 5/ 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. /AIS: The Annual Inter-Gavel Club Contest showcases the communication skills of young children through speech contest. This speech contest will be amongst the members of 14 Gavel Clubs mentored by the members of internationally recognized toastmasters in Kuwait. This year’s contest will be held at American International School, Maiden Hawalli. Entry to this event is absolutely free but a prior registration is required.

Annual lecture May 9/ 7 p.m. / AWARE Center: As the 22nd anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait approaches, the AWARE Center cordially invites all interested western expatriates to its annual lecture entitled, “Kuwait before and after: a photographic document,” presented by Gustavo Ferrari - Journalist and photographer. For more information, call 25335260/80.

May 10/ 7 p.m. - 9 p.m./ Jabriya: Toastmasters Club would like to take this opportunity to invite you to a showcase meeting which is a part of a membership campaign drive to be held on Thursday at the Jabriya Public Library. The goals of the membership drive are; to promote Aim High meetings, to attract new members and to encourage members to invite guests to the club. This is a great opportunity for members and guests to meet and network with a cross section of individuals in Kuwait with common interest of improving their communications and leadership skills.

For information please call: Khaled Al-Hashem - President at 65588824 or Rhea Usman - VP Membership at 90024115.

K’S PATH invites applicants for the adoption of pets Sepp is a Domestic Long Haired (DLH) male cat. He will be 2-years-old April 2012. This friendly, laid-back boy loves a good cuddle and likes a high vantage point in a cat tree or ledge to look out from. He would do best in a home with children over 12 years of age.

To adopt, contact +965 67006122 or visit the website www.kspath.org

Mario is a gentle and affectionate 6-years-young Spitz male. This friendly boy does great with people and dogs of all ages.

Fayre trade May 12/ 10 a.m. -4 p.m. / Sadu House: Welcome to the fayre! A great day out for all the family. Do your summer souvenir shopping in the wonderful surroundings of Sadu house. Games for the kids, raffle, free admission. Relax after shopping with a scone and a nice cup of tea in the Diwaniya coffee shop.

Art and photography, handicrafts and gifts, jewelry rugs and carpets, sadu weaving, frankincense and myrrh, books, fashion. Supporting 5 charities. For more info: Fayretradeq8@yahoo.com Facebook: Fayre Trade Kuwait.

The Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Kuwait would like to inform the public that on the occasion of the Liberation Day, the Embassy will be closed on Tuesday, May 8, 2012.

Holiday Notice The Embassy of India will remain closed on May 6, 2012 on account of “Buddha Purnima”.

International bazaar May 26/ 10 a.m.-3 p.m. / TIES Center: Stop by and have the opportunity to see and even own some international antiques on display and taste the delicious foods on display. Also have your name inscribed in Arabic calligraphy at no cost and have a taste of our Arabic ice cream. Various items will be available for sale, such as pashmina shawls, accessories, jewelry, Mexican food, Indian food, cosmetics, cookies, handbags, traditional Kuwaiti - style dresses and many more. For more information please contact 2523105/6 or 97228860

Dilbert

Embassy of the Slovak Republic

Open House for Indian Citizens Ambassador of India would be holding an Open House for Indian citizens to address their problems\grievances on Wednesdays of the second and the fourth weeks of every month between 1500 hrs and 1600 hrs in the Embassy. In case Wednesday is an Embassy holiday, the meeting will be held on the next working day. To ensure timely action/follow-up by the Embassy, it is requested that, wherever possible, Indian citizens should exhaust the existing channels of interaction/grievance redressal and bring their problems/issues in writing with supporting documents.

Nancy

Horoscopes Aries: March 21 - April 19

This is a day of fresh beginnings for you, Aries. Accomplishments in the past foster a new sense of self-confidence, along with optimism and enthusiasm for the future. Travel lies ahead, possibly advancing your education. Romance also looks promising. Make your appearance match with what you feel inside.

Taurus: April 20 - May 20

If you’ve never tried your hand at the arts, Taurus, this is the day to do it. Your imagination and ingenuity are flying high, and your aesthetic sense is so very acute right now. Look online or in the paper and see what kind of classes or workshops are offered in your area. Get a friend to go with you. You’ll have a great time!

Gemini: May 21- June 21

You could encounter a potential romantic partner today, Gemini. You’ll most probably meet this person at a group event and hit it off immediately. This person is likely to be bright, physically attractive, kindhearted, and sensitive. Don’t pass up this opportunity. Take advantage. Who knows where this might lead?

Cancer: June 22 - July 22

A lot of changes could be taking place in your life now, Cancer. Even though most of them are positive, the upheaval can be unsettling right now.

Don’t give in to panic. Nothing needs to be done that you can’t handle. As you vault each hurdle, the road ahead seems that much smoother. You’ll arrive. Keep going!

Leo: July 23 - August 22

New beginnings and promising new opportunities may appear from a distant state or foreign country, Leo. Your adventurous side is enthusiastic and excited but the side of you that wants to stay settled and calm could put up some resistance. Don’t feel you have to jump into anything. Think seriously about it.

Virgo: August 23 - September 22

A financial windfall might open new doors for you, Virgo, and you could really consider making some major changes in your life. You might soon think about moving to a nicer home. Romance is definitely on your mind. Change can be frightening, but these changes are good. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of the situation!

Libra: September 23 - October 22

Expect some positive changes in a current partnership, Libra. If this is a business partnership, a new agreement between you shows promise of success and good fortune. If this is a romance, you might simply be perfectly compatible. Any new partnership begun today should be promising. Enjoy!

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21

Have you been working out, following a new dietary program, Scorpio? If so, today you could look in the mirror and for the first time see some tangible and positive results. You’re probably looking and feeling great. Don’t abandon your efforts. In fact, treat yourself to a small indulgence since you fully deserve it.

Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21

Have you been thinking about relocating, Sagittarius? The siren song of distant states or exotic lands may play constantly in your ears. Foreign cultures could inspire you artistically, spiritually, and personally. This is actually a time when things are out of reach. Decide once you have all the facts.

Capricorn: December 22 - January 19

Expect something new to take place regarding your home today, Capricorn. Someone could come for a visit or even move in. You could be redecorating, landscaping, or buying new furniture. There is always the possibility that you could be moving. Whatever the changes, you’ve got a lot to look forward to!

Aquarius: January 20 - February 18

Some wonderful news could come to you, Aquarius, possibly from a sibling or neighbor. It might involve money or a new opportunity that’s surely opening up somewhere nearby. You might feel you have a lot of phone calls to make and plans to think about. The future looks bright. Enjoy yourself one day at a time!

Pisces: February 19 - March 20

An opportunity to bring in extra income might arrive today, Pisces, possibly through a female friend.

Another Pisces might be involved. A love partner might want to participate, too. Think about it before committing yourself. Talk to people who have done this before. It’s worth a try. Go right ahead!