2nd Jun 2012

IPT IO N SC R SU B

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

RAJAB 12, 1433 AH

26

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Action film takes on Israel, Hezbollah war

Tehran-P5+1 talks could ‘end in tears’

No: 15467

48

Federer cruises into French Open last 16

150 Fils

Emiratis fear Iranian expansionism in Gulf Rising sectarian tension poisons old feud

Max 43º Min 29º

in the

news

Student eats roommate WASHINGTON: A US college student has told police he killed his roommate, cut up the body and ate part of the victim’s brain and his whole heart, US media reports said yesterday. Alexander Kinyua of Baltimore, Maryland, was arrested on Tuesday after police searched his house following the discovery by his brother of the victim’s head and hands, the Baltimore Sun reported. Kinyua, a 21-yearold student at Morgan State University, confessed on Thursday to murdering and dismembering his roommate, Kujoe Bonsafo Agyei-Kodie, and then eating parts of his brain followed by his entire heart, the Sun said.

UK Navy sailor missing LONDON: A British sailor has gone missing in Dubai, forcing his ship to leave the emirate without him, the Royal Navy said yesterday as his family issued a plea for information on his whereabouts. British diplomats and local authorities in Dubai have launched a hunt for leading seaman Timothy Andrew MacColl, 27, after his disappearance earlier this week, a spokesman for the Navy said. “We can confirm that a member of HMS Westminster’s crew is currently missing in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. “This has been reported to the local authorities, who are currently treating the incident as a missing person event.

Everything is being done to ensure that he is located safely.” The missing man’s family said he was last seen by a shipmate getting into a taxi alone in the early hours of Sunday after leaving a bar at a hotel in the Deira area, a 15minute drive from where his ship was docked.

Al- Qaeda frees 27 ADEN: Al-Qaeda announced yesterday that it had freed 27 soldiers captured in southern Yemen last month after they had “repented” and promised not to return to the army.

The Partisans of Sharia (Islamic Law), linked to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, said the soldiers had been captured in Al-Kud in Abyan province, where they have seized control of many localities in the past year. They were freed on Thursday in Azzan, in the neighboring province of Shabwa, where they had been taken after their capture, the statement added. At the end of April, Al-Qaeda freed 73 soldiers taken prisoner when militants attacked an army post in the south and killed 185 others. Since May 12, the army has been pressing a campaign in Abyan to retake the provincial capital, Zinjibar, and other localities now held by Al-Qaeda.

CORRECTION: Due to a printing error, the story ‘It’s a doggone life for Kuwait’s strays’ which appeared in Friday Times dated May 31, 2012, was misprinted. The story has been reprinted in today’s edition.

DUBAI: An aerial view shows the Sheikh Zayed road which roughly runs parallel to the United Arab Emirate’s coastline along the Arabian Gulf. It is the longest road in the UAE stretching from Al-Silah in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and ending in the Ras Al-Khaimah emirate at the Oman border. — AFP ABU DHABI: A visit by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander to three tiny islands near the Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane revives a bitter territorial dispute between Gulf antagonists - and trade partners - Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi has yet to comment on Thursday’s trip by Mohammad Ali Jafari, but like other Gulf Arab capitals it reacted angrily when Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad toured one of the islands in April, and recalled its envoy from Tehran in protest.

Tension between Shiite and Sunni Muslims in a Middle East shaken by 18 months of political revolt has envenomed the 41-year-old row, complicating an ambivalent relationship in which national pride has long vied uneasily with economic pragmatism. The UAE weathered last year’s Arab uprisings unscathed, but has cracked down on Islamists in recent months, wary lest the successes of their peers after upheavals in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt embolden them to challenge the government.

The danger of a confrontation between Shiite Iran and the United States, the military protector of the Sunni-ruled Gulf states, over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program has also fuelled a voracious appetite for weapons in the region. Iran has threatened to target US interests in the Gulf and to block the Strait of Hormuz if attacked. The UAE is a top US arms buyer, agreeing deals worth over $10 billion between 2007 and 2010, according to the Congressional Research Service (CRS). “We shake the friendly and brotherly hands in Islamic countries, especially those south of the Gulf, and ask them to help get rid of the arrogant powers who are now in the region,” Iranian state television quoted Jafari as saying during his visit to military forces deployed on the islands. The US-backed shah of Iran put troops on Abu Musa, Greater and Lesser Tunb in 1971, just before the seven Gulf emirates won independence from Britain and formed the UAE. The emirates of Sharjah and Ras Al-Khaimah had previously

ruled the islands.

The Islamic Republic says it wants good ties with the UAE, but, like the shah, insists it owns the islands and has ignored Abu Dhabi’s calls for arbitration or a diplomatic solution. After Ahmadinejad’s visit to Abu Musa in April, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahayan said his “provocative rhetoric exposed Iran’s false allegations regarding its keenness to establish good neighborly relations and friendship with the UAE and countries of the region”.

Persistent protests led by a Shiite majority demanding reform in Sunni-ruled Bahrain have aggravated regional tension, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE accusing Iran of fomenting trouble in the island state and elsewhere - charges Tehran denies. But fear of Iranian meddling has spread among Emiratis, threatening to poison once-thriving and often unofficial trade relations between two of the world’s leading oil exporters. In free-wheeling, cosmopolitan Dubai, the creek remains full of dhows ferrying goods to Iran across the Gulf, but many people in nearby Abu Dhabi take a darker view of Iranian intentions. “What they are doing in Bahrain they might do in other countries around here,” murmured a 40-year-old Emirati businessman in Abu Dhabi, who asked not to be named. Such fears seem farfetched given the demographic contrast between Bahrain and the UAE, with its small Shiite minority, estimated at 10 to 16 percent of an overall population of 8.3 million, of which 90 percent are expatriates.

The roots of this anxiety stretch ever further back than the rift between Sunnis and Shiites some 13 centuries ago. Some Emiratis believe Iran shares the same “imperialist” designs as the Sassanid Empire which dominated the region before Islam. “They still see themselves as the Persian empire and they want to rule over the region,” said an Emirati customs employee, who also asked not to be named. “I am not scared of Shiites, I am scared of strife. Emirati society is scared of strife.” — Reuters

LOCAL SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Cabinet set to reject laws Al-Zoor Power Plant approved KUWAIT: The Cabinet reportedly plans to take decisions on four key subjects against the point of view of the parliament’s majority, which could put the two authorities on course for new political woes in the upcoming weeks.

According to senior Cabinet insiders, the Cabinet is expected to announce rejecting three draft laws passed by the Parliament to establish the Jaber University of Applied Education, set capital punishment for offenders convicted of offending Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him), and regulating small and medium businesses.

In addition, the Cabinet plans to go ahead with procedures to establish the Al-Zoor Power Plant against Speaker Ahmad AlSaadoun’s recommendations.

The Cabinet has widely been expected to reject the death penalty for offenders of religious beliefs following recent statements by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, in which he rejected proposals by Islamist MPs to amend Article 79 of the constitution in order to make state laws more Islamicoriented. “The Cabinet takes into account opinions of legal experts who insist that the death penalty is not concurred by all Madhaheb (Muslim schools of law - doctrines)”, said one of the sources who spoke to

a local daily on the condition of anonymity.

Kuwait University and Public Authority of Applied Education and Training professors have managed to convince the Cabinet that using the latter’s faculties to establish the Jaber University as the parliamentary draft law requires, won’t help solve the problem of students’ overcapacity in public higher education facilities.

Regarding the small and medium businesses project, sources explained that the Cabinet prefers the Parliament to address technical errors the original draft law includes, before an updated version is passed.

The Cabinet meanwhile plans to go ahead on schedule with building the Al-Zoor Power Plant which Minister of Electricity and Water Abdul-Aziz Al-Ibrahim recently deemed necessary to avoid a major shortage crisis in 2014.

The sources add that the Cabinet looks to avoid a problem similar to the K-Dow’s case in which Kuwait is required by an international court order to pay a $2.16 billion fine for the government’s decision to cancel a deal between the state-owned Petroleum Industries Company and Dow Chemical following parliamentary pressure.

A supreme committee that

gives opinion on projects constructed at state property insisted that the Partnership Technical Bureau and the MEW are required to carry out procedures leading to establish a shareholding company that builds Al-Zoor Power Plant “as soon as possible”.

“The project is necessary to provide improved production capacity rate that is essential to meet expected demand and thus prevent subsequent shortage that can result in power outages”, read a report released by the supreme committee.

The Popular Action Bloc (PAB) is speculated to question Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber AlMubarak Al-Sabah following statements of its leader Ahmad Al-Saadoun who mentioned a grilling motion if the government went ahead with the project. The PAB alleges that the auction on the shareholding company’s shares and the process by which companies were qualified to enter the action took place before the project’s draft law was enforced.

The PTB has reportedly rejected these allegations.

About 40 percent of the shareholding company’s share is being auctioned, while 50 percent will be given in an initial public offering, while the government will own the remaining 10 percent. —Al-Jarida

School year’s start delayed by a week

500 bedoons to be naturalized soon

KUWAIT: The new school year will start one week late this September. This will allow the spring break to be merged with the national holidays in February and is an attempt by the Ministry of Education to counter students’ absence problems.

According to a recent statement by Undersecretary Assistant for Public Education Mohammed Al-Kandari, the ministry’s council of undersecretaries agreed late last week on a decision to confirm the start of the 2012-13 school year, which came approximately one week late compared to the 2011-12 school year.

As per the new regulations, kindergarten and first grade stages will start on September 16 and 17 respectively, followed a day later by third, fourth and fifth grade students. Meanwhile, intermediate and secondary stages kick off on September 23, 2012.

Meanwhile, the spring break for the 2012-13 school year is scheduled to start on February 16, 2013, and end by the end of the month coinciding with Kuwait’s celebrations of the National and Liberation Days on February 25 and 26 respectively.

Schools around Kuwait recorded major absence rate of students last February following the beginning of the second semester, only a week before the national holidays, prompting calls to ‘merge’ the two holidays. — Al-Qabas

KUWAIT: Hundreds of bedoons are set to be naturalized sometime in the middle of the month after the Cabinet received the first list filed by the Central Agency of Illegal Residents for stateless residents qualified for naturalization.

According to an insider, the list includes 350 stateless residents with high academic qualifications as well as first degree relatives of Kuwaiti citizens. The list also includes 150 bedoons who are children of Kuwaiti women, said the source who spoke to a local daily on the condition of anonymity.

The candidates for naturalization reportedly passed all conditions required by the central agency, including clear criminal records. The source further indicates that soon-to-be naturalized bedoons provided documents that prove that they or their decedents lived in Kuwait since 1965 or before.

Meanwhile, the same source revealed that the central agency plans to issue new security identifications for stateless residencies next month.

The new IDs, which will function as official identification card for stateless residents, will carry colours referring to categories based on which the agency categorizes bedoons as qualified or not qualified for naturalization.

For example, a card bearing a red tag indicates that its holder is required to legalize their status based on evidence that they deliberately disposed their original passports to demand Kuwaiti citizenship. — Al-Jarida

No malpractice in transfers’ case, says Audit report KUWAIT: An official investigative report into the multimillion dinar transfers’ case found evidence of mismanagement in operations, but no proof of violations or malpractice.

This may provide enough information to fend off allegations that former Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah transferred millions of dinars from public funds to private accounts overseas.

The 160-page report was prepared by the State Audit Bureau on the Cabinet’s request last February, and was handed on Thursday to the Parliament. According to parliamentary insiders who viewed the report, SAB was not able to ensure whether all funds were returned, or they were spent on their specified purposes as per the authority of the former premier.

The SAB has also complained that “many parties failed to cooperate” during the investigations, while some of them failed to provide documents containing answers to “serious inquiries” which they promised to present before the report was released, according to sources.

The Court of Ministers made a ruling last month to shelve a case filed by attorney Nawaf Al-Fuzai’e over the same case, on the basis that no charges could be pressed against the former prime minister from the documents provided by the plaintiff. The Parliament is carrying out its own investigation into the case through a committee which is set to study SAB’s report at their next meeting.

In other news, the coordinating committee for the Parliament’s majority coalition meets at MP Jamaan Al-Harbash’s diwaniya, to discuss subjects that include “draft laws on Parliament sessions’ agendas and follow up with parliamentary committees’ work”, said MP Musallam Al-Barrak to a local daily.

Meanwhile, sources close to the Majority Bloc said that the meeting will feature debate of a grilling motion filed by MP Saifi Al-Saifi to Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Ahmad Al-Rujaib against the groups’ collective agreement. Sources further indicated that the option of filing a request to form a parliamentary investigations committee to probe irregularities in the K-Dow

case will be discussed during the meeting.

Regarding Al-Rujaib’s grilling, the same sources revealed that Al-Saifi met with MPs Al-Barrak and Shukhkayyer yesterday, and with Marzouq Al-Ghanim and Obaid AlWasmi to explain their arguments and reveal documents to prove the allegations to be discussed during the debate. MP Al-Ghanim reportedly expressed his support of the interpellation and offered to provide AlSaifi records of the youth and sports committee’s meetings in the previous parliaments that discussed sports reform regulations.

The sources indicate that the disagreements within the Majority Bloc on the grilling stem from the stances of the Development and Reform Bloc and the Islamist Salafist Alliance who oppose the grilling.

Al-Ghanim, a strong supporter to regulations passed by the Parliament to “reform” the sports sector which the Cabinet is yet to enforce, called citizens during a recent open debate to “attend [AlRujaib’s] grilling debate in order to witness the documents I plan to reveal”.

In the meantime, a local daily reported yesterday that MP AlWasmi finished preparing the draft for three grilling motions to be filed against Prime Minister HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Minister of Defence Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, and Acting Minister of Finance Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf, quoting sources close to the oppositionist lawmaker.

Speaking to a local daily, the sources indicated that Al-Wasmi is weighing the political developments before filing his interpellations. AlWasmi reportedly plans to grill AlHajraf, or any new finance minister that could be appointed, in case he fails to address the subjects that was mentioned in the grilling of former minister Mustafa Al-Shamal, said the sources who provided no information about the other two motions.

MP Shukhkayyer in the meantime said that he plans soon to discuss with the Majority Bloc’s coordinating committee the grilling motion he has in store for Defence Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Khalid. —Al-Qabas, Al-Rai

LOCAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

KUWAIT: Visitors are pictured at India Property Exhibition 2012 at the Ramada Kuwait Hotel in Riggae.

India Property Exhibition 2012 inaugurated at Ramada Hotel KUWAIT: The highly anticipated two-day India Property Exhibition 2012 was inaugurated yesterday, at the Ramada Kuwait Hotel in Riggae.

The inauguration was held in the presence of prominent business personalities, exhibition organizers, participants and a large crowd of eager exhibition visitors.

More than 100 real-estate projects, from cities across the Indian real-estate landscape, are on display at the show. Representing a broad cross-section of India’s flourishing $12 billion real-estate industry the India Property Exhibition 2012 showcases premium and luxury villas, apartments, farm houses, beach-front and hillside real-estate, independent houses, freehold plots and commercial properties.

Properties ranging from Rs 140,000 to Rs 100 million, 2BHK flats in Bangalore from Rs 1.2 million, and townships with world-class facilities are among highlights of the exhibition. Properties in cities across India, including Delhi, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Vijayawada, Hyderabad, Nellore, Pondicherry, Srisailam, Chennai, Kodaikanal, Coimbatore, Ooty, Hosur, Bangalore, Goa, Calicut, Kochi and Trivandrum, are represented at the show.

Among the participants are Nahar with their more than 5 million square feet of high-end residential and industrial properties in Pune, Mumbai and other cities in India. Adding a million square feet of space annually, the group is one of the leading and respected names in realty industry across the country. Nirmal Lifestyle, a front ranking property development company in Mumbai has been instrumental in promoting the suburb of Mulund as a preferred destination for both residential and commercial spaces. The group has become an acknowledged and reputed name in the country’s property market. Also at the show is HDFC, which has been encouraging home ownership by providing long-term finance to households since 1977.

Another prominent participant at the show is

Mantri Developers, one of India’s leading real estate developers with world-class residential properties, IT Parks, shopping complexes, commercial buildings and educational institutions in their portfolio. In less than 12 years the company has delivered over 6,000 homes, built 20 projects and has to its credit over 10 million square feet of constructed area and more than 30,000 satisfied customers. Besides the three main sponsors of the show - Nahar, Nirmal Lifestyle and Mantri other leading and reputed builders and developers making their mark at the show include, Ashwani, Coral, Marutham, MCB, My Assetz, NRI City, Olive, PRS, Purvankar, Rishi and Shwas.

The India Property Exhibition 2012, which is open from 10.30 am to 8.30 pm on both days, provides people looking to invest in Indian properties with first-hand information on upcoming and current real estate projects across India.

Investments in the real estate market in India are on a steady growth curve, driven by more locations, wider choices, better infrastructure and high quality construction. Furthermore, the volatile rupee-dollar rate, liberalized investment norms, easy credit facilities, year-round realty management services and high returns on investment, in the form of steady rentals and growing real estate value appreciation, have all combined to make real estate a favorable investment medium for many NRIs. According to a report published by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, international business consultancy group, the real estate industry, which is currently the second largest employer in India, is projected to grow at an average rate of 20 percent per annum. And, investment opportunities in this sector could exceed $50 billion in the next five years.

The India Property Exhibition 2011 is organized by Indus Fairs & Events (India) Pvt. Ltd in association with Response Events, Kuwait. Indus Group, established in the year 1995, is the organizer of several professional trade shows and exhibitions in India and abroad.

Govt eyes Boubyan Island development KUWAIT: Ministerial sources said the government is seriously studying the establishment of public shareholding company to develop Boubyan Island. The sources said the proposed capital for the said company will be KD 1.2 billion.

Meanwhile, Farwaniya Committee at the Municipal council approved the public works ministry’s request to allocate the commercial areas. On the other hand, Chairperson of the Facts Finding Committee in Ruhaya area Ashwaq Al-Mudhaf announced the adoption of the Environment Public Authority (EPA)’s idea regarding a proposal to sell tires for re-export. Al-Mudhaf said a supervisor at the EPA told members of this suggestion, and it was sent to all government entities and the private sector to discuss the challenges and the best way to overcome them, Al-Anbaa reported.

LOCAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Workers accidentally demolish house with Indian man inside Maid commits suicide in Qurtuba KUWAIT: A man was killed in Hawally after a bulldozer demolished an abandoned house he was staying in. Workers only found out about the mishap after finding the Indian man’s body in the debris. Criminal investigators resorted to the conclusion that the victim was homeless and used the house as a place to spend his nights. Workers reportedly failed to make sure that the house was empty before the bulldozer’s driver was given the green light to demolish it. The body was taken to the forensic department after investigations were carried out at the scene.

Two drunks held for attempted kidnap Two men were arrested recently shortly after attempting to kidnap a female driver in Mubarak Al-Kabeer while being heavily intoxicated. Police rushed to a location in the area after a man reported witnessing two people trying to drag a woman out of her car’s smashed window.

The female broke down inside her car and explained to officers that two male suspects forced her to stop at the scene and used a fire extinguisher to smash her car’s window before attempting to pull her out. The suspects escaped when the woman’s screams caught people’s attention. Police were able to locate the suspect’s car using its

license plate number provided by an eyewitness. They were able to arrest its two occupants following strong resistance during which one of them reportedly attempted to stab an officer with a broken liquor bottle. The two were locked inside the area’s police station where they explained after sobering up that their actions were induced by their state of intoxication.

Fugitives busted with drugs Two teenagers were arrested in Salmiya with possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, before investigations revealed that they were wanted for an SUV’s theft. The two Kuwaiti men became nervous when patrol officers stopped them at the Amman Street.

They were placed under arrest after a search uncovered heroin and hashish drugs in their custody, in addition to five syringes and rolling papers. Verification of the suspects’ identities revealed that their names are connected with multiple reported crimes including a theft for an American-made black SUV. Addicts found sleeping inside car A Kuwaiti couple was arrested in AlFaiha where they were found sleeping inside their car as a result of drug abuse.

Security officers found the two in their drug-induced sleep at a street in the area as described in an emergency call.

The male suspect explained after waking up that he and his wife lost consciousness after he used drugs. White powder police found inside the car was sent for testing, while the suspects were taken to the Drug Control General Department to face legal action.

Boy used for home robberies Police are looking for a male suspect believed to have used a little boy to carry out home robberies. The 10-year-old Iranian child was reportedly found inside a Salmiya house he was able to sneak inside due to his relatively small size. Police arrived at the scene following an emergency call from the homeowners. The boy told officers that he planned to steal valuable items from inside and hand them to a man who offered to buy him toys and candy in return. The child was taken into custody.

Maid commits suicide A housemaid committed suicide inside a Qurtuba home recently according to investigations. The woman was found hanging dead from a rope tied to her room’s ceiling by her female employer who immediately made an emergency call. The body was sent to the forensic department following investigations. Investigations are currently ongoing to reveal the motives behind the suicide.

KUWAIT: Mango Mania festival 2012 is inaugurated by Indian Ambassador Satish C. Mehta on Wednesday, May 30 at Lulu Hypermarket.

KUWAIT: A man is pictured being finger-printed during a security inspection campaign in Amghara. — Photos by Hanan Al-Saadoun

338 expats arrested in raid at Amghara, Wafra

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: In continuation of security inspection campaigns on illegal residents and violators of residency laws, a special inspection campaign was launched at dawn yesterday at Amghara scrap market. The campaign resulted in the arrest of 338 expatriates, including illegal residents in violation of residency laws, absconding domestic labourers and 12 people wanted for alcohol and drug trading. All suspects were referred to the relevant authorities. The raiding force included Major General Jamal Al-Sayegh, Central Operations Manager, Brigadier Ali Madhi, Special Forces Commander, Brigadier Zuhair Al-Nasrallah, Police Patrols Manager, Major General Ibrahim AlTarrah, Jahra Security Director, and Brigadier Fahad AlShuwayye, Central Operations Assistant Director.

Sudden police campaigns against law and Iqama violators yesterday resulted in Wafra area and the campaign was led by General of Ahmadi Security Brigadier Abdellatif Al-Wuhaib.

KUWAIT: Visitors and officials are pictured at the event.

Mango Mania festival at Lulu Hypermarket KUWAIT: Lulu Hypermarket, the region’s largest retail group, is marking the onset of summer with their annual Mango Mania festival at the Al-Rai outlet of the hypermarket. The highly anticipated Mango Mania 2012 was inaugurated at 11 am on Wednesday, May 30,

by Satish C. Mehta, the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait, along with ambassadors and other dignitaries from a host of countries, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Brunei, Georgia, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Romania and Sri Lanka, in the presence of top management of Lulu Hypermarket in Kuwait and a large gathering of shoppers and well-wishers.

Speaking on the occasion, the Indian ambassador stated, “The mango festival is a wonderful initiative on the part of Lulu

Hypermarket, as it not only exhibits the amazing variety of mangoes available and the incredibly innovative ways in which it can be prepared, but it also allows people from other countries and cultures to come together through sharing culinary experiences and ideas, that often extend to improving and increasing commerce and trade between countries. I am extremely pleased that the management of Lulu Hypermarket has chosen to hold this festival in Kuwait and I wish them the very best.”

The 10-day festival, which will he held until Friday, June 8, 2012, is a wonderful opportunity for mango lovers in Kuwait to taste delicious and exotic mangoes from around the world. Over 100 varieties of man-

goes from various countries, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Kenya, Yemen, Vietnam, Brazil, South Africa and United States to name a few, are on display at the festival. Lulu Hypermarket is running their highly successful annual Mango Mania festival for the fifth consecutive year, by ringing in the hot summer with cold, mouth-watering mangoes and mango delicacies. Innovative forms of mango derived and mango flavored dishes are also available at special prices as part of the promotion. Other attractive offers have also been lined up during the promotion period, including special sales with up to 70 percent discount on garments, and exclusive ‘Bon Voyage’ offers on luggage and travel accessories. In addition,

while the ‘Back to Home’ promotion allows expatriates to pick up popular goods to carry back to their home country, the Beauty Goods sale, offers cosmetics and related products at very special prices. Mango Mania 2012 also touts the health benefits of mangoes. Mango’s rich content, full of essential vitamins, dietary minerals and antioxidants, qualify it as a model “super-fruit”. Mango Mania will continue for 10 days and is expected to draw a huge and enthusiastic response from shoppers who eagerly look forward to this exceptional annual food event at Lulu Hypermarket. “This is yet another initiative where we bring the best of the world for the benefit of our loyal shoppers,” said a representative of Lulu Hypermarket management.

LOCAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Decent beachwear required on public beaches Private clubs blacklist visitors who demonstrate improper behavior

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Beach clothes fashion has guidelines and newcomers unfamiliar with the local laws and regulations can get in trouble if they wear indecent bikini when sunbathing on a public beach and another beach-goer complains.

There is a difference between the public beaches and private clubs when it comes to beach outfit. “Wearing a bikini is not acceptable in our community on public beaches.

This doesn’t mean we will arrest a lady swimming in a bikini without doing an immoral act, unless we receive a complaint from someone. Visitors should respect the traditions and wear decent outfits,” said Colonel Adel Al-Hashash, Director of Public Relations and the Moral Awareness Department, and Acting Director of the Security Information Department at the Ministry of Interior.

Policemen are in charge of public places but not private places. “Hotels, clubs and houses are considered to be private places and we can’t enter or take an action unless we have prior permission, or unless it is based on a complaint. On public beaches we can arrest any person committing immoral acts,” he told Kuwait Times yesterday.

Regarding taking photographs of people without their permission, Al-Hashash also said the police cannot interfere in such things unless based on a complaint. “We only arrest those who are taking photos in forbidden locations,” he said.

Attorney Mishari Al-Ayada explained that swimming in a bikini on a public beach may be considered to be an indecent act by some people. “We are living in a conservative society and people, especially foreigners, should respect this fact. So it’s not proper to be in a bikini on a public beach, which is usually visited by men and rarely women,

News

in brief

No work permits for Syrians KUWAIT: Migration officials in Kuwait are required not to issue new residencies to Syrian residents in Kuwait. The officials are required not to issue requests for Syrians with work permits, a senior official in the Migration General Department told Al-Rai daily. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the insider indicated that there are “dozens of Syrian nationals” who meet the conditions for obtaining residencies, but their transactions are pending due to a decision to cancel the ban imposed on residency issuing for citizens from Syria. The Ministry of Health even stopped procedures to carry out medical tests for Syrian citizens as a required procedure for obtaining residency, the source said elaborating that this process requires approval from the migration department. The Syrian nationality is one of six nationalities that local authorities in Kuwait refuse to issue new work permits due to security reasons. The source further indicated that the only solution for Syrian nationals who meet the conditions for residency is if the Minister of Interior Sheikh Ahmad AlHmoud Al-Sabah has given the green light to their transactions, Al-Rai reported.

Dust to last till Sunday Meteorologist Essa Ramadhan had warned against a dust wave yesterday, with wind speeds reaching 65 km/h. He said dusty weather will continue until Sunday, with a significant drop in visibility. He warned individuals who suffer from asthma to be careful. He said Minor Al-Bareh (North-Westerly desert winds that are known for carrying dust) begin in the start of June. In his words Minor AlBareh are to last for more than 40 days.

Kuwaiti achievements in GCC media festival “historical”: Minister Kuwaiti achievements at the 12th GCC radio, television festival, which was held in Bahrain, are “historical, bringing a sense of pride to our country”, said Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah AlSabah here late Thursday. The minister said in a ceremony honoring the Kuwaiti winners of the awards that Kuwaiti media had always showcased its creativity amongst its GCC counterparts, affirming that Kuwaiti media would continue its efforts to develop itself in the future. Kuwaiti media personnel who took part in the festival, thanked the minister for his support affirming that they would spare no effort in developing Kuwaiti media output.— KUNA

who are wearing decent outfits. The situation is different in private clubs. In these beaches, clubs, hotels, its fine to wear swimsuits and bikinis,” he explained.

Also there are further behaviors that are as unacceptable as the outfits. “There are many acts that may be considered as indecent acts in public places. For instance some words, ways of talking, and even laughing could be punished as an indecent act.

Decent outfits should be respected in other places and not just at the beaches, such as malls, ministries and others,” he stated.

“The law is sometimes applied in moody measures. At some islands, westerners are swimming in bikinis and it seems normal, while on the seafront for instance such behavior is punished. Usually such acts are penalized by paying fines and I never witnessed the violator being imprisoned,” stressed Al-Ayada.

On the photography issue, he noted that

it depends on the act of the person who took the photo. “If somebody used photos he took of somebody else for extortion, defamation, provocation or debauchery and immorality, or something else then these acts are illegal. If this act leads to rape it will be a crime,” Al-Ayada concluded.

Ahmad, from Shaab Sea Club, said the Club follows certain rules that are even printed on a board so that visitors can read them. For instance, it’s not allowed to walk inside the club wearing a swimsuit. Visitors can only stay at the beach area in a swimsuit. They should wear complete dress when walking in the club. He said, “If we notice such behavior we will warn the visitor, and we may put him on a blacklist so that he won’t enter again. If the violator is a member, we may cancel his membership. Also there are certain immoral behaviors banned at the club and we may even call the police in serious cases,” he pointed out.

LOCAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

By Priyanka Saligram There’s a story behind these bleeding eyes.

PAWS (Protecting Animal Welfare Society) got a call on January 1 this year from a frantic Indian lady who saw young Kuwaiti teenagers torturing two friendly stray dogs by the beach at Fahaheel Sea Club. The boys were trying to gouge their eyes out and even managed to cut a tail off from one of the dogs. PAWS managed to save both dogs who, despite the brutality, didn’t give up their trust in humans and actually allowed themselves to be lifted into the rescue car without any growling. Now the pair, Texas and Georgia, are at the shelter recovering from their trauma.

They lucked out, but most other animals in Kuwait aren’t as lucky.

PAWS, along with other animal rights organizations in Kuwait, receive at least one case of an abused animal every day, which averages at 7-10 cases per week. “These are just the cases which are reported to us; but obviously the statistics are higher as most go unreported,” revealed a member of the organization. Awareness about these animal rights’ groups has helped to generate more active participation from the public over the past few years, but the violence has been consistent.

In a majority of the cases, the dogs are left tied to a tree or fence for days together without any water or food in the desert heat - or on building roof tops with the assumption that they will guard the place. In more obvious cases of abuse, flesh or bones can be seen as a result of beatings or deliberate injuries. Death would seem a better option for those who have been set on fire on the beach, had their legs, tails or ears cut off, dumped in the desert to starve or had their eyes gouged out.

Cats haven’t had it easy

KUWAIT: The dog which had its eye gouged out by teenagers by the beach at Fahaheel Sea Club.

either, with some being bundled into fishing nets or thrown into the rubbish bin to die.

Season to abandon Karen, one of the co-founders of PAWS and K’S PATH in Kuwait revealed the story of Maddy, a small Poodle mix, a few years ago. Maddy’s owners tied her neck to a fence with a metal wire and left her out in the sun to die.

Teenagers would beat her on the way to school every day until she was found by a couple who untied her and got her immediate medical attention. The vet discovered that her skin had grown over the metal wire and she required around 75 stitches after the wire was removed from her flesh. The couple adopted Maddy and moved to Dubai, where she leads a peaceful life after her ordeal here. While Maddy lived to have a name and someone to love, a tabby cat, which had its back legs tied with a metal wire and couldn’t move or jump into any bin to scavenge for food, died nameless because of starvation.

Karen, a passionate animal lover and hardcore activist, has had 17 years of experience rescuing animals in Kuwait. She says that even though there has been a drop in cases since she’s lived here, the summer season always witnesses a rise in animal cruelty. “People travel in summer and abandon their pets on the streets or in the deserts. Why? Because it’s the easiest way to get rid of them. Someone had even dumped a horse in the desert with a bucket of water, thinking ‘Hey, he won’t be able to make it back home from here!’

This is easier than having to take the trouble of leaving it at a shelter,” she says.

Two weeks ago, a cheetah was reportedly drugged and dragged around by its tail in Abu Hassania area by “amused” teens in broad daylight. The half-conscious animal apparently tried to hide under the shade of nearby cars but to no avail. Karen says, “There’s a link between animal abuse and psychopathology; youngsters who abuse animals grow up to become serial killers.”

Karen also recently found an eagle dumped near a bin. It was clearly in a state of shock and when she realized that it was still breathing, she rushed it to the Royal Animal Hospital. It was

treated for severe starvation before being handed over to K’S PATH, who made sure it was healthy before releasing it back into the wild. Rumour had it that it was dragged around near the Friday Market a day earlier. This is just one of the many stories Karen can recount in Kuwait and has seen enough abused animals to author her own book.

Mahatma Gandhi said that the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way it treats its animals - what does this say about us?

‘Education, education, education’ So where exactly is the problem? Is it a lack of conscience? Or a lack of rules? Karen says that it’s a bit of both: “The problem is the lack of animal rights’ laws and their enforcement.”

But there’s one thing that’s completely within reach, “Education, education, education! If children are taught empathy right from a young age and made to understand that animals feel pain, just like humans, a lot could be achieved,” she says. She added that if there were constructive things for the youngsters to do here apart from just go to the malls and shop, like if they had Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to channel their energy into something useful, the beaches and the environment can be saved.

“Nobody knows that something as mindless as throwing cigarette butts into the ocean can kill tortoises when they consume it,” Karen says.

Apart from lack of awareness, sterilization is a big problem faced by the shelters, who struggle with unsterilized strays which multiply during breeding season. “A lack of funds can be added to the list,” said an unnamed source who revealed that shelters run mostly on funds collected through charities, Open House events, and donations - which aren’t a steady flow or sustainable income. “From the minute an injured animal (or bird) is taken in, the shelter pays for its medical expenses, rehabilitation, sterilization, vaccination and food apart from other needs until it’s adopted again - which amounts to a lot per case,” he said.

An ‘evil’ called the Friday Market The Friday Market in Kuwait might as well be rechristened ‘The Dead End’ as far as birds and animals are concerned. This place is notorious for almost having as many animals as the Kuwait Zoo: Kangaroos, monkeys, baboons, snakes, endangered tortoises and reptiles, bears, exotic spiders, parrots, macaws, coloured chicks, monitor lizards apart from many others can be seen some with the DHL stickers still attached to their cages.

The animals are housed in abominable settings and sub-

LOCAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

jected to severe weather conditions with very little to eat or drink. Large dogs are stuffed into small cages to save space, and gain sympathy from visitors who might end up buying them to save them. On the other hand, tiny chicks are dyed toxic neon colours like pink, green, red, radiant yellow or blue to attract potential buyers. Many chicks die during the colouring process as they can’t withstand the wetness or the cold. The ones who survive end up with damaged internal organs because of the toxins in the dye.

Karen recalls saving a group of baby rabbits, which were trying to hide under the shade of a car to stay cool: “Unsold animals are thrown outside like garbage,” she said. Most exotic animals, like monkeys, are smuggled into Kuwait from Asian countries like Indonesia and Thailand, or even Hungary, “They are drugged and smuggled in suitcases, and many die even before reaching Kuwait because of the lack of ventilation,” she said.

In fact, the Friday Market has been such a bone of contention with animal lovers that a website called change.org, which encourages people to fight for issues they care about deeply, has more than 200 people signing a petition for its closure. A page entitled ‘Kuwait: Close down the Animal Friday Market’ reads: “Animals are kept in terrible life threatening conditions in Kuwait’s harsh climate with no AC. Puppies, wet and dirty, and most infected with parvovirus, along with cats, are all put in small bird cages with hardly any space to move. Animals there are suffering horribly before dying every day!”

much?” hoping to buy it from her - and perhaps sell it again to someone else.

An Alaskan Malamute is, as the name suggests, a breed meant for the cold climates of Alaska - not a harsh desert ambiance like Kuwait. She says that she encounters difficulty walking him outside as his paws - which definitely aren’t suitable for the Middle Eastern climate - burn in the heat. “I’m also worried about what he might eat because of the poison left out in the streets to kill strays”.

Vandana pointed that some residential buildings change their policies on pets overnight and ask the tenants to either get rid of their pets or vacate within 15 days’ time. “This is very little time and forces them to abandon their pets, which they might not have chosen to do otherwise”.

Change in policy or not, nothing can possibly justify her neighbours’ act of throwing a rabbit from the roof “just to see what would happen to it”.

Hadiths

A

bu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him) as saying: There was a dog moving around a well whom thirst would have killed. Suddenly a prostitute from the prostitutes of Bani Isra’il happened to see it and she drew water in her shoe and made it drink, and she was pardoned because of this. (Book #026, Hadith #5579) Narrated Ibn ‘Umar: The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said, ‘A woman entered (hell) fire because of a cat which she had tied, neither giving it food nor setting it free to eat from the vermin of the earth.’ (Book #54, Hadith #535)

Some pet owners hesitated to provide pictures of their pets out of fear that the previous owners who abandoned them would track them down and want to take their pets back - now that they have received medical attention and appear in good health. priyankasaligram@kuwaittimes.net

Price to be paid The violence is senseless. And sometimes there’s a quick buck to be made.

Vandana, an Indian expatriate, found an Alaskan Malamute with a belt tied around his neck, being dragged around in Mangaf. When she asked them to stop ill-treating it, they said they would - if she bought it. She paid KD 12 and brought the injured dog home to save it from them but when she walks him, she has people asking her “How much? How

KUWAIT: This tabby cat died of starvation after its hind legs were tied together with a metal wire.

Your pet should be certified

I

f you’re buying an animal from the Friday Market, it’s important to ask for a CITES certificate. Animals that are brought legally into the country should have a CITES certification. CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

According to cites.org, the trade in wild animals crosses borders between countries, and the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation. If the animal that you’re buying doesn’t have a CITES certificate, there’s a high likelihood that it has been smuggled into the country - and what you’re doing is illegal.

KUWAIT: Kittens are seen in unhygienic conditions at the Friday Market.

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Washington steps up cyberattacks

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Syria activists warn of ‘volcano of rage’

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Protesters bring Thai parliament to a halt

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Iran/P5+1 talks could ‘end in tears’ luster, propaganda, media leaks on the rise

NEW DELHI: The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi (left) chats with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a meeting in New Delhi. The Iranian foreign minister is on a two day visit to India.—AFP TEHRAN: Faltering nuclear talks between Iran and world powers could hit a makeor-break point in their next round in Moscow, with both sides digging in and maneuvering for elusive advantage, analysts and diplomats say. Bluster, propaganda, media leaks and official declarations have all noticeably sharpened in the past week by both sides. The rhetorical duel has become so serious that some fear the showdown has the potential to tip from diplomacy to military action.

“As both sides escalate for leverage, the reality is that neither side has gained an upper hand,” an Iran specialist at the National Iranian American Council, Reza Marashi, wrote in a piece published by a website, The National Interest. “Both sides are nearing a critical point at which delaying the inevitable choice between military action and compromise is no longer tenable,” Marashi wrote. One Western diplomat in the P5+1 group of world powers engaging Iran confessed to AFP, on condition of anonymity: “I increasingly struggle to see a way where this doesn’t end in tears.”

Both the United States and its ally Israel-Iran’s arch-foe, and the Middle East’s

sole, if undeclared, nuclear weapons statehave warned they are keeping the option of air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

The June 18-19 talks due to be held in Moscow, then, are seen as crucial. “We don’t intend on continuing talks for talks’ sake. The window (for diplomacy) is closing,” the US ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, told a Tel Aviv security conference on Wednesday. The last negotiations, held in Baghdad on May 23-24, exposed a gulf between the two sides’ positions that looked almost unbridgeable, and nearly caused the talks to collapse.

“Significant differences remain,” EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said after that round, though she claimed to see “some common ground” that could be developed in Moscow. Ashton represents the P5+1, which comprises UN Security Council permanent members the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia, plus non-permanent member Germany.

The priority issue for the P5+1 going into the Moscow round is convincing Iran to give up enriching uranium to 20 percent purity and hand over its 20-percent stock in a fuel-swap deal.

Uranium enriched to 20 percent is just

a few technical steps short of bomb-grade 90 percent uranium. Iran has so far produced 145.6 kilograms of 20 percent uranium, a third of which has been processed into fuel for its Tehran research reactor to make medical isotopes. Iran’s only other reactor, its Bushehr nuclear energy plant due to come fully online later this year after many months of delays, uses uranium enriched to a much lower 3.5 percent as fuel. The Moscow talks “will need to deliver something decent on 20 percent, otherwise the process will just fall over,” a P5+1 diplomat said on condition of anonymity in order to speak more freely.

“But I fear the gap is too wide.”

In Baghdad, the P5+1 called on Iran to give up its 20 percent uranium activity and stockpile in return for a few minor concessions that fell far short of the relief from Western sanctions Tehran had been hoping for. Iran is particularly keen to stop an EU embargo on its oil that is to fully come into force on July 1. The embargo is part of a raft of Western economic sanctions aimed at strangling Iran’s oil and financial sectors, imposed on top of four sets of UN sanctions pressuring the Islamic republic to halt all uranium enrichment.

IRAN AND THE IAEA Tehran has repeatedly denied its nuclear program is anything but peaceful and stresses that it scrupulously adheres to the terms of the nuclear NonProliferation Treaty supervised by the IAEA. The IAEA, though, wants Iran to agree to inspections that go beyond that treaty, as per agreements that Tehran previously applied but later dropped. In particular, the UN agency wants to visit an Iranian military facility, Parchin, where evidence of what could have been nuclear warhead design experiments in a special metal chamber was detected.

Iran has refused the IAEA’s repeated requests this year for access to the site, emphasizing that Parchin is not a declared nuclear activities site and therefore not subject to inspection without exceptional agreement. David Albright, a former IAEA inspector now at the USbased Institute for Science and International Security, said in a report published on Wednesday that satellite images showed a clean-up operation believed to be underway at Parchin for months has expanded, with two small buildings demolished and earth dis-

placed. “These activities raise further concerns of Iranian efforts to destroy evidence of alleged past nuclear weaponisation activities,” his ISIS report said.

SHADOW STRUGGLE In the past week, both Iran and Western powers have injected allusions and accusations into the dispute, hardening their positions ahead of the Moscow talks and trying to weaken the other side.

Iran has said it sees “no reason” to halt enrichment to 20 percent, and has announced it will soon launch another satellite into space (using the same technology as that in its sanctions-hit ballistic missile program). It has also repeated that the Western sanctions are having no effect whatsoever. Western media reports have, in return, highlighted the IAEA finding traces of uranium enriched to 27 percent (though analysts posited that it could be the result of an innocent technical glitch). Those reports also claimed there was evidence that Iran or its Lebanese proxy militia Hezbollah was involved in assassination plots against Israelis and Americans in several countries. —AFP

international

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Obama steps up cyberattacks on Iran WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama accelerated cyberattacks on Iran’s nuclear program and expanded the assault even after the Stuxnet virus accidentally escaped in 2010, the New York Times reported yesterday.

The operation, begun under President George W Bush and codenamed “Olympic Games,” is the first known sustained US cyberattack ever launched on another country, and used malicious code developed with Israel, the Times said. The Times said the article was based on 18 months of interviews with current and for-

mer US, European and Israeli officials, and was adapted from the book “Confront and Conceal: Obama’s Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power,” by David Sanger, set to be published next week.

The cyberattack, aimed at preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and keeping Israel from launching a preventive military strike, sowed widespread confusion in Iran’s Natanz nuclear plant, the Times said.

However, top administration officials considered suspending it after Stuxnet-a complex

Egypt-US ties will be cooler whoever wins WASHINGTON: US-Egyptian ties will be cooler than they were under ex-president Hosni Mubarak, who was the linchpin to US diplomacy in the Middle East, no matter who wins Egypt’s presidential election, analysts say. US President Barack Obama’s administration has been careful to avoid any sign it backs either Ahmed Shafiq, the ousted Mubarak’s last prime minister, or Mohammed Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate. The pair face off June 16-17 after leading the field in the first round.

Nathan Brown, a Middle East expert at The George Washington University said he did not believe Obama administration officials necessarily backed the secular Shafiq. “Shafiq’s policies might be ones that they would be more comfortable with but one of the feared outcomes of the United States would be political chaos and a Shafiq victory might be more likely to provoke that,” Brown said.

Seen by some voters as a man who would restore pre-revolutionary order, Shafiq is also perceived as illegitimate by many of the people who took part in the revolution that ousted Mubarak in February last year, he said.

In a sign of the feared instability Brown mentioned, protesters set fire Monday to Shafiq’s headquarters after the election committee said he had made it into a run-off vote with Mursi. And if he wins, he added, Shafiq will not “be quite as cooperative with the United States as Mubarak was because domestically he would be far, far weaker.” Shafiq may also be a reluctant partner because he might feel Washington had betrayed the Mubarak regime. In Washington, both Mursi and Shafiq “set off almost mirror-image anxieties, one about the result for Egypt and the other about the fate of American-Egyptian relations,” Brown said.

Though his own ties with US ally Israel were often tense, Mubarak at times cooperated with Israel on security matters and aided US-brokered negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Mubarak also sent troops in support of the US-led coalition that drove Iraqi troops from Kuwait in 1991, worked closely with the United States on counter-terrorism and strongly opposed Iran’s regional ambitions.

In contrast, the Brotherhood and Washington have long disagreed on Iran, regional security cooperation, “the American military presence in the region and most of all on Israel,” Brown said. If Mursi wins, “there is little doubt that close Israeli-Egyptian security cooperation... would be absolutely out of the question,” the professor said. Marina Ottaway, an analyst with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, added: “What has been a cold peace between Egypt and Israel is going to become even colder if the Brotherhood wins.

Nonetheless, analysts said, both candidates will seek to preserve the peace treaty with Israel for their own reasons. Mursi will accept that the US-backed military and security apparatus will still have a voice in foreign affairs, including on Israel, and will put a priority on tackling domestic issues like the troubled Egyptian economy. Shafiq will try to continue Mubarak’s foreign policy, but will face more pressure from anti-Israeli public opinion, Ottaway said. “And I think the relationship with the United States is going to be much more difficult no matter who wins,” she said.

If Washington is seen as backing Shafiq, it would look like it “is still backing the old regime and that would undermine the credibility of the US not only in Egypt but throughout the Arab world,” Ottaway said. The Council on Foreign Relations’ Steven Cook said it would be “politically unpragmatic” for the Brotherhood to embrace the United States, but it might work with Washington in “the short run” to help tackle its economic crisis. Things will not be necessarily easier if Shafiq wins, he agreed. “I don’t think that Washington has any preference, and if it does, it is certainly not broadcasting it to the world. The United States hopes to be able to work with whoever is the next president, but it is going to be hard.” —AFP

virus developed jointly with Israel-”escaped” the facility and began appearing in computer systems in several countries, the Times said. Obama eventually ordered the attacks to continue, and within a week of Stuxnet’s escape a newer version of the bug temporarily brought down 1,000 of Iran’s 5,000 nuclear centrifuges spinning at the time, the Times said.

Experts have long suspected that Stuxnet, which targeted computer control systems made by German industrial giant Siemens,

was of US and Israeli origin, but neither country has admitted to having a hand in it. The United States and Israel have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons in the guise of a civilian program, charges denied by Tehran, which insists its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes. The Times article comes days after experts at Russia’s Kaspersky Lab, a top anti-virus software firm, discovered “Flame,” a sophisticated virus several times larger than Stuxnet that also seems to have been aimed at Iran. —AFP

UK bunting, flags fly for four days of royal pomp Queen marks diamond jubilee on wave of popularity LONDON: Britain embarks on four days of pomp, pageantry and patriotism today to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 60th year on the throne, with the monarchy’s popularity surging and celebrations bringing cheer to a nation struggling in harsh economic times.

“Union Jack” flags fluttered from buildings, shops and train stations across the country, thousands of street parties have been planned and huge crowds are expected to flock to Diamond Jubilee festivities in a country emblazoned red, white and blue.

To royalists, the occasion is a chance to express their thanks and appreciation to the 86-year-old Elizabeth, head of state for 16 countries from Australia and Canada to tiny Tuvalu in the Pacific Ocean, for her years of public service. For others, the chance of some extra days off work and to enjoy the sort of extravaganza and public ceremony for which Britain is renowned has made it a welcome break from austere times, pay freezes and deep public spending cuts. Republicans hope the occasion marks the last hurrah of a dying anachronism, while some 2 million people are leaving Britain altogether to go on holiday.

“Original jubilees were invented in the 19th century by the popular press as modes of national celebration for which the monarchy and monarch was almost incidental,” said royal biographer Robert Lacey. He said the jubilee was as much about society celebrating itself as it was about the head of state and the now largely symbolic institution of the monarchy. “They tend to work best in times of economic hardship. It provides a tonic for the country,” Lacey said. Having acceded to the throne in February 1952 on the death of her father George VI when Winston Churchill was prime minister, Elizabeth is now the longestlived British monarch. Only her great-greatgrandmother Victoria spent longer on the British throne and she looks on course to overhaul her as longest-serving monarch in 2015. During her reign there have been 12 British prime ministers, 12 US presidents, six popes and she has visited 116 countries.

one on Downing Street outside Prime Minister David Cameron’s office, as part of a “Big Jubilee Lunch”.

The queen’s London residence Buckingham Palace will play host to a pop concert featuring the likes of Paul McCartney and Elton John, before a network of 4,200 beacons will also be lit across Britain with more set alight in the Commonwealth of mostly former British colonies of which Elizabeth is the head. The celebrations culminate on Tuesday with a memorial service at St Paul’s Cathedral, a carriage procession through central London and flypast by present and former royal air force aircraft. Huge crowds are expected for the events with estimates that about a million people will travel to London on Sunday alone, and police have warned the capital’s public transport system and roads will be stretched.

THAMES FLOTILLA The four days of celebrations begin on a fairly low-key note today when the queen indulges her love of horse racing by attending the Epsom Derby. The following day will witness what organizers hope will be a spectacular flotilla travelling 25 miles along the River Thames featuring 1,000 boats assembled from around the globe with the queen and her 90-year-old husband Prince Philip on a royal barge, the largest such pageant for 350 years. Thousands of street parties are also planned across Britain on Sunday, including

THOUSANDS OF STREET PARTIES There are some 9,500 street parties planned in England Wales and ABTA, the British travel association, said almost 2.5 million Britons were expected to take part.

London’s Heathrow airport said some 780,000 people were due to arrive in the next few days although ABTA said an estimated 2 million Britons were planning to head overseas to take advantage of the two extra public holidays. Patriotic products featuring the Union Jack flag have been flying off the shelves, and Britons are expected to spend 823 million

pounds ($1.28 billion), nearly double what they paid out on last year’s royal wedding of the queen’s grandson Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Supermarket Tesco, the world’s number three retailer, expected to sell 2.86 million flags by the end of the weekend, while rival Sainsbury’s said it had sold 252 miles of bunting, enough to decorate the entire length of the Thames. But rather than a boon, the Bank of England and economists warn the extra public holidays will hit growth in the second quarter, bad news for an economy that has slipped back into recession and where growth remains elusive. “It is likely that there will be a significant hit to GDP in the second quarter, which will be partly recouped in the third quarter,” said Howard Archer, economist at IHS Global Insight. Last year’s royal wedding and the extra public holiday

EPSON: Racegoers cheer on an open-top bus during Investec Ladies’ Day of the Investec Derby Festival at Epsom Racecourse in Epson, southern England yesterday. —AP that attracted was cited as one of the special factors that knocked up to 0.5 percent off GDP growth in the second quarter of 2011.

Police said the weekend would include the largest royal security operation ever conducted. Some 13,000 officials including about 6,000 police officers will be on duty for the Thames pageant, which poses challenges never before encountered. “We’re treating it as a unique event, to have that many dignitaries on that many boats moving along the Thames,” London police’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stephen Kavanagh told Reuters. —Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Israeli soldier, militant killed near Gaza border GAZA: An Israeli soldier and a Palestinian militant were killed during an exchange of fire near the Gaza border yesterday, sources on both sides said. “An Israeli soldier ... was killed earlier this morning,” an army statement said. “A terrorist who was identified infiltrating Israel from the southern Gaza Strip opened fire at Israeli soldiers, who responded with fire. During the exchange of fire, the terrorist was killed,” it said. Sources in the radical Islamic Jihad group identified the Palestinian killed as member Ahmed Nasser, 20.

But while the movement’s military wing Al-Quds Brigades “congratulated the heroic operation,” it said the movement had “no connection to

the action.” The father of Ahmed Nasser, bearing the same name, told AFP his son was a member of the radical Islamist group. “I’m very proud of Ahmed’s heroic operation,” said the farmer, also a supporter of Islamic Jihad. “Ahmed had hoped to carry out such an operation, or kidnap Israeli soldiers. He spoke about it several times.”“I’m sad to have lost a son, but happy he’s a martyr,” he added. The Israeli soldier was named as Nitnel Moshiashvili, 21, of the southern city Ashkelon.

Following the incident, Israeli aircraft and tanks fired warning shots into Gaza. Palestinian sources said the shelling, east of Khan Yunis, resulted in the burning of a three-

hectare wheat field. Yesterday morning, Palestinians fired two rockets from Gaza into Israel, a military spokeswoman said.

There were no reports of casualties or damage. And yesterday afternoon, three Palestinians were wounded in an Israeli air raid. “Israeli aircraft targeted a terrorist squad that fired a rocket at Israeli soldiers. A hit was confirmed,” a statement said.

Medical sources in Gaza said the attack targeted Palestinians on a motorcycle east of Khan Yunis, seriously wounding three members of the Popular Resistance Committees.

Witnesses said that following the exchange of fire, Israeli soldiers backed by tanks entered Palestinian

territory east of Khan Yunis and captured one person, and then retreated. The Israeli army could not confirm the report.

The tense security situation in Gaza caused Ismail Haniya, head of the Hamas government in Gaza, to cancel the public delivery of the weekly sermon following Friday prayers, his office said. The Israeli military maintains an exclusion zone just inside the Gaza border that it has declared off-limits to Palestinians, and troops frequently carry out military activity in the area. Last week, an army officer and a soldier were wounded in an exchange of fire with Palestinian militants across the border. — AFP

As violence rises, US and allies pulled into Yemen Military advisers, drones show rising involvement LONDON: US policymakers might talk down “boots on the ground” in Yemen but with an estimated several hundred military advisers already deployed, Washington and its allies are already being drawn ever deeper into the country. Western security and intelligence officials have long seen Yemen as central to their fight against Islamist militancy, viewing local franchise Al-Qaeda on the Arabic Peninsula (AQAP) as the most dangerous single foreign group plotting attacks against the West. US officials say the group was behind a thwarted airline attack plot last month, the latest of several such schemes.

But with a new Yemeni government seen providing the best chance in years to stabilize the chaotic country, there are growing signs of a wider strategy. US and foreign involvement is increasing sharply, moving well beyond the long-running but now also intensifying campaign of drone strikes.

Growing numbers of special forces advisers are now training Yemen’s military, while financial and humanitarian aid from Western and Gulf states has increased sharply. At last week’s “Friends of Yemen” meeting in Riyadh, foreign powers pledged some $4 billion to the country. Britain said the country was at a “critical moment”.

“The United States will continue to intensify its focus on the threats coming from Yemen, while enabling its allies in the region to fight Al-Qaeda on the ground,” said Juan Zarate, a former deputy national security adviser for countering terrorism under George W Bush and now senior adviser at the Washington DC-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies. “Yemen represents the soft underbelly of the Arabian Gulf, with Al-Qaeda rooted in a country with deep economic and resource constraints and ongoing political, demographic, and social upheaval.”

The aim, foreign powers say, is to help the Yemeni government stand on its own feet and avoid the country becoming a Somalia-style failed state. That means not just ousting AQAP from territory it seized last year in southern Yemen but also tackling a separate northern Shiite tribal revolt.

There is also an urgent need to address other longer-term problems including widespread corruption and growing food and water shortages.

Earlier this month, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters there was “no prospect” of “boots on the ground” in Yemen. Certainly, with a presidential election a mere five months away and public fatigue with long-running wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, there is little enthusiasm for a

major conventional military campaign. Instead, Yemen looks set to be the scene of the kind of largely clandestine, barely publicly discussed US intervention that many believe will be the model for conflicts in the years to come. “After Iraq and Afghanistan, there is a realization that large, troopheavy interventions are not the way forward,” says Christopher Steinitz, an analyst specializing in Yemen at the Centre for Naval Analysis, part of US government funded think tank CNA. “What you’re seeing here is a very different strategy using drones, advisers and local Yemeni forces.”

Signs of success are mixed at best. While Yemeni security forces backed by foreign air strikes have advanced against AQAP strongholds, a brutal suicide attack against security forces in the capital Sanaa last month killed more than 100. “The attack in the capital last week was certainly not a good sign,” says Gabriel Koehler-Derrick, an expert on AlQaeda and Yemen at the Combating Terrorism Centre at the US Military Academy at West Point.

“It’s about creating a perception that the government cannot protect its own.”

LONG SHOT STRATEGY The departure of embattled Presdent Ali Abdullah Saleh late last year and his replacement with former deputy Abd-Rabbu Hadi Mansour, western states hope, will improve the government’s legitimacy both at home and abroad. It also opened the door to the kind of support that would have been unthinkable while Saleh faced down a popular “Arab Spring”-inspired uprising and was accused of heavy-handed tactics and abuses.

During last year’s uprising, Saleh’s government also pulled much of Yemen’s elite military - including key counterterrorism units - out of remote provincial areas to reinforce the capital. With the protests largely over, such units can now return to the battle bolstered by US training and weapons for use against AQAP or the ethnic Shiite rebels along the border with Saudi Arabia fighting the predominantly Sunni government.

But much still depends on the Yemeni authorities themselves. Not everyone believes that they can prove equal to the task. “US resources are limited these days,” says Hayat Alvi, lecturer in Middle Eastern studies at the US Naval War College. “As long as the Yemeni military remains cooperative with the US, it might be able to prevent it from descending into failed state status, but that’s still a long shot.” —Reuters

ZVECAN: German army soldiers serving in the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo guard a bridge near the town of Zvecan yesterday. — AP

Kosovo Serbs, NATO troops clash in the troubled north ZVECAN: At least three Kosovo Serbs and a NATO soldier were wounded in a gunfight yesterday, as peacekeepers tried to dismantle Serb roadblocks blocking traffic, a Reuters witness said. NATO troops in the Kosovo Force (KFOR) fired tear gas and small arms and some protesters fired back with handguns. The troops, in armored personnel carriers, were confronted by hundreds of Serbs who pelted them with stones near barricades in the villages of Rudare and Dudin Krs outside the town of Zvecan in a Serbdominated northern area of Kosovo.

The roadblocks are among the last on major roads yet to be dismantled

by KFOR. They were erected as part of a long-running Serb campaign to prevent the government of Albanian-majority independent Kosovo from imposing its rule in the area. “One KFOR soldier has been wounded, has been evacuated and he is stable,” said NATO spokesperson in Kosovo Uwe Nowitzki. “KFOR will not allow the situation to escalate and will use a proportional level of force necessary to maintain a safe and secure environment,” he said, adding that the operation to remove the roadblocks was continuing. Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008, is 90 percent ethnic Albanian. But Serbs opposed to independence dominate in a small swathe of the north bordering Serbia which continues to function as part of the Serbian state, resisting efforts by the Kosovo government to extend its authority.

A Reuters witness said KFOR troops from Germany and the United States received reinforcements after initial clashes and were deployed on hills overlooking Rudare. Several NATO helicopters were also flying over the area. Dragisa Milovic, the mayor of Zvecan which is about 60 km from the capital Pristina, said KFOR had refused to allow Serb medical personnel to help wounded Serbs. “A (KFOR) commander told me they have the authority to use deadly force on anyone who throws a stone or uses a weapon,” he told Reuters.

Milovic said he had asked Serbs to withdraw to restore calm. Health authorities in the Serb-controlled north of the city of Mitrovica said three Serbs were hospitalized while others were released after treatment for slight injuries. — Reuters

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Goa policemen suspected of planting drugs on foreigners PANAJI: Indian investigators have said they believe six policemen accused of planting drugs on an Israeli man in Goa were part of a larger racket framing foreigners in the popular holiday state. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) detained the six officers this week and charged them with conspiracy for allegedly planting drugs on Israeli David Driham, who was on a business visa in Goa in 2010.

“We are conducting an investiga-

tion as to why they were forced to do such (an) illegal act of planting drugs,” CBI Deputy Inspector General Pravinkumar Salunke said late Thursday. “There is a larger racket which we are exploring now. We need to investigate how they were planting drugs on people, especially foreigners.” Salunke said the accused police, who were part of an anti-narcotics cell, had fabricated the case against Driham, whom they claimed was a drug-dealer when he was held

with a cocktail of drugs worth 381,000 rupees (6,800 dollars). The Israeli denied involvement in the narcotics trade and remains on bail.

The CBI began probing suspected links between Goa police and two alleged drug dealers, including Driham, in June last year.

In the other case, a Swedish model who dated alleged dealer Yaniv Benaim, also Israeli, secretly filmed him boasting that he was supplied with confiscated narcotics by mem-

Protesters bring Thai parliament to a halt Controversial political amnesty debate postponed BANGKOK: Anti-government protesters brought Thailand’s parliament to a halt yesterday, surrounding the complex and forcing the speaker to postpone debate on a bill that could clear the way for the return of a prime minister ousted in a coup six years ago.

About 2,500 yellow-shirted protesters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a royalist middle-class movement instrumental in bringing down two governments, blocked cars from entering the compound and forced some members to climb through side entrances to attend the session. The protesters say the reconciliation bill amounts to an amnesty for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who in September 2006 was ousted in a military coup and later fled the country. He is now in self-imposed exile, avoiding prison on a corruption conviction he says was politically motivated.

His sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, leads the government. “I have ordered the meeting to be postponed indefinitely to preserve the atmosphere and peace in the country,” parliamentary speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont told reporters, as hundreds of riot police secured the area. “We’ll have to analyze the situation before determining when the meeting will be held again.”

The scene called to mind protests in 2008 by anti-Thaksin yellow shirts who barricaded the prime minister’s office for three months and shut down Bangkok’s airports for a weeksteps that preceded the collapse of two pro-Thaksin governments.

The number of protesters this time was far smaller than the roughly 100,000 who assembled to oppose and help depose - past pro-Thaksin governments.

But yesterday’s unrest and dramatic scenes inside parliament earlier in the week in which opposition politicians clashed with the speaker of the house before police intervened suggest Thailand could be in for a new phase of political volatility. Debate over the bill, which proposes an amnesty for anyone guilty of crimes related to the six-year political crisis,

could resume on June 6, Somsak’s office said. The protesters plan to disperse for the weekend and return on Tuesday, and then stay until the legislation is either defeated or dropped.

“If I say I’m not concerned, I would be wrong,” said Yingluck, whose government won elections last year by a landslide with support from the rival

is now “narrower but still deep”, said Chulalongkorn University political analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak. “If the bill’s rammed through parliament, we can expect more tension and potential clashes,” he said. “Then it will depend on the reaction of the army and the establishment.”

At the heart of the crisis is Thaksin,

BANGKOK: Members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) march during a rally on a street outside parliament house yesterday. — AP red-shirt protest movement, drawn mostly from the rural and urban poor.

“I am concerned but we need to be calm,” she told Reuters after the parliamentary debate was scrapped. “This situation I think is different from situations in the past because people have learned that all the fighting and the coup are not good and they have suffered for six years, so they won’t do this again.”

EXPERTS AT OUSTING It is unclear how much public support the yellow-shirt movement has, so soon after the violence of April-May 2010, when the previous militarybacked government of Abhisit Vejjajiva clashed with thousands of pro-Thaksin red-shirt protesters.

Ninety-one people were killed, mostly protesters, and many more were wounded. The yellow-shirt movement

a twice-elected populist leader revered by the poor and reviled by the royalist elite.

From his villa in Dubai, the billionaire exerts enormous influence over his sister’s government, often conferring with groups of ministers or supporters by web-cam. The protesters want him to serve time in jail. “If they don’t listen to us, the PAD are experts at getting rid of prime ministers,” Chamlong Srimuang, a yellow shirt leader, said from a makeshift stage, as protest leaders took turns denouncing the government’s national unity proposals.

Financial markets appear concerned about the potential for unrest, which Bank of Thailand Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul said this week could deal a new blow to the convalescing economy following devastating floods last year. — Reuters

bers of the police. Some 400,000 foreigners annually visit to Goa, a former Portuguese colony, where the availability of illegal drugs and aggressive dealing in and around its popular beaches has long caused concern to authorities. The mother of a British teenager who was found dead on a north Goa beach in 2008 said that police were reluctant to investigate her daughter’s death because of their links with local drugs gangs. — AFP

Syria gunmen kill 11 state workers BEIRUT: Gunmen killed 11 workers at a state-owned fertilizer factory in a volatile central Syrian province, activists said yesterday, the second execution-style shooting reported in Syria in less than a week. The shooting near the town of Qusair in Homs province occurred Thursday as the workers were on their way to their jobs in a bus that came under fire, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

A pro-government Facebook page, the Homs News Network, posted photos of 11 men on the floor of what appeared to be a classroom. It blamed the rebel Free Syrian Army, saying the workers were killed for being state employees. The opposition blamed the government. Syria has grown increasingly chaotic in recent months, possibly spiraling toward civil war, making it difficult to determine responsibility for much of the bloodshed. The government restricts journalists from moving freely, making it nearly impossible to independently verify accounts from either side.

On Thursday, 13 bound corpses, many apparently shot execution-style, were found in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour near the Iraqi border. The men were believed to be workers for an oil company. It was unclear who killed them. The uprising against President Bashar Assad’s regime began in March last year with largely peaceful protests calling for reform. A fierce government crackdown prompted many in the opposition take up arms, transforming the conflict into an insurgency.

‘VOLCANO OF RAGE’ Meanwhile, Syrian activists threatened a “volcano of rage” yesterday over the killing of civilians by government forces as a deadline set by rebel fighters passed for Damascus to honor a UN-backed ceasefire. State media called for nationwide prayers in memory of the more than 100 dead, many of them children, near the central city of Houla last week, after an official inquiry pinned the blame on the rebels.

But with international outrage mounting after UN military observers on the ground held the government responsible, the United States sharply upped up the pressure on longtime Syrian ally Russia to end its support for its President Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

On the first Friday since the killings in Houla, opposition activists called on Syrians to rise up across the country in honor of the 49 children who were among the 108 dead counted by the UN mission. “A new volcano of rage is exploding thanks to them,” protest organizers said on their Syrian Revolution 2011 Facebook page, which has been a major engine of the 15-month uprising against Assad’s rule.

“For those pure souls who sacrificed themselves at the altar of our freedom and sacrificed their blood... , we will rise up in such a resounding way, and we promise them, there will be no second Houla,” they said. The main weekly Muslim prayers at noon were set to coincide with a deadline set by commanders on the ground of the rebel Free Syrian Army for the Assad’s government to respect a UNbacked peace blueprint or face a sharp escalation of the 15-month uprising. —Agencies

INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Romney qualified to run, but Obama’s better: Clinton Clinton says rivals should be judged on their records, proposals WASHINGTON: Former President Bill Clinton believes a candidate with Republican Mitt Romney’s business success and political background is qualified for the White House, but he said Democratic President Barack Obama would be a better choice for the country. “There is no question that in terms of getting up and going to the office and basically performing the essential functions of the office, a man who has been governor and had a sterling business career crosses the qualification threshold,” Clinton said of Romney in an interview with CNN on Thursday.

“But they have dramatically different proposals, and it’s my opinion, anyway, that the Obama proposals and

the Obama record is far better for the American economy and most Americans than those that Governor Romney has laid out,” Clinton said of his fellow Democrat. “That’s what the election ought to be about.” Romney clinched the Republican nomination this week with a primary win in Texas although the race has been over for weeks as his remaining party rivals had suspended their campaigns.

Clinton also said broadly demonizing private equity politically as Democrats have done to Romney was wrong if restructuring underperforming businesses was necessary to save them and make them more productive.

“When you try, like anything else you try, you don’t always succeed,” Clinton said. “I don’t think that we

ought to get into the position where we say this is bad work. This is good work.” The real issues, the former two-term president said, are Romney’s proposals and Obama’s record and his plans for a second term.

“How do these things stack up against each other.

That’s the most relevant,” he said. Clinton has refused to follow an Obama campaign strategy of using Romney’s former company, Bain Capital, as a weapon in the campaign. Democrats have attempted to portray Romney as a corporate raider who is out of touch with ordinary Americans. Job creation is a central theme of what is expected to be a close general election in November. — Reuters

Observers: Edwards case was doomed from the start GREENSBORO: A jury’s refusal to convict John Edwards was less a redemption of the former US presidential candidate than a rejection of the Justice Department’s boldest attempt to make an example of someone in enforcing campaign finance laws. Thursday’s verdict of not guilty on one count and a mistrial on five others bore out criticism that prosecutors went after Edwards without evidence that justified the charges that he masterminded a scheme to use almost $1 million in campaign donations to hide his pregnant mistress from the public, and his terminally ill wife, while running for the White House in 2008.

“As noted by nearly every campaign finance lawyer who considered the matter, this was a lousy case,” said Melanie Sloan, executive director for the campaign finance watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

“All the salacious details prosecutors offered up to prove that Edwards is, indeed, despicable, were not enough to persuade the jury to convict him.” Several jurors said there wasn’t enough evidence. On network talk shows yesterday, even jurors who thought Edwards was guilty on at least some counts said the prosecution wasn’t able to prove it. “We tried to put our feelings aside and what we were doing was just looking at the facts to come up with a verdict,” juror Cindy Aquaro said on NBC’s “Today” show.

Edwards faced six felony charges involving nearly $1 million provided by two political donors that was used to help hide the Democrat’s mistress, Rielle Hunter. He faced a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison if convicted on all counts. To convict Edwards, prosecutors needed to show not only that the candidate knew about the secret payments, which he denied, but that he knew he was violating federal law by accepting them. But the government was unable to produce any witness who said Edwards knowingly violated the law. Even former Edwards aide Andrew Young testified that Edwards told him he had consulted campaign finance lawyers who assured him the money was legal.

A former trial lawyer, Edwards was so unimpressed with the testimony against him that when the government rested, he turned to a member of his defense team and asked dismissively, “That’s their case?” Edwards chose not to take the stand in his own defense. “This is a case that should define the difference between a wrong and a crime ... between a sin and a felony,” Edwards’ lead attorney Abbe Lowell told the jury during closing arguments. “John Edwards has confessed his sins.

He will serve a life sentence for those.” Prosecutors are unlikely to retry the case, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the decision will undergo review in the coming days.

Steve Friedland, a former federal prosecutor who watched the case from inside the courtroom, predicted that Edwards won’t fare as well in the court of public opinion. “Regardless of the decision, he still is Exhibit A for how we do not want our leaders to behave,” said Friedland, now a professor at Elon University School of Law. “This is a huge victory for him, and big burden off his shoulders, but a hollow one given his astounding fall from grace.” The final decision to prosecute Edwards was made by the Obama administration and the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section. —AP

MEXICO CITY: In this combo of three file photographs, presidential candidates, from left, Enrique Pena Nieto, Manuel Lopez Obrador and Josefina Vazquez Mota attend different events in Mexico City in 2012. The three candidates are running for president in Mexico’s July 1 elections. — AP

Leftist gains ground in Mexican presidential polls 32% of voters still undecided MEXICO CITY: Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador appears to be gaining ground going into the final month of Mexico’s presidential race, polls indicated Thursday, and analysts said student protests might be eroding frontrunner Enrique Pena Nieto’s aura of invincibility. The protests have dogged Pena Nieto’s campaign over the past two weeks, with demonstrators claiming that a win by his Institutional Revolution Party, which held the presidency for 71 years, would mark a return to Mexico’s authoritarian past. “Pena Nieto is deflating,” said Lopez Obrador, who had long run third in the polls behind Pena Nieto and the current governing party’s candidate, Josefina Vazquez Mota. At one point, Pena Nieto led the two by 15 to 20 percentage points and the race had been considered all but over.

But a poll released Thursday by the newspaper Reforma said Pena Nieto led with only 29 percent support, with Lopez Obrador close at 26 percent while Vazquez Mota fell to 18 percent. The poll was conducted in late May and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points. A month earlier, Pena Nieto had led the leftist 32 percent to 21 percent. A separate poll by the GEA/ISA firm gave Pena Nieto a stronger advantage, 33 percent to 21 percent for Lopez Obrador and 20 percent for Vazquez Mota. The result was a 3-point drop by the PRI candidate from the last poll and a 2-point rise

by Lopez Obrador. The poll had a 3 percentage point margin for error.

Reforma’s poll said about 32 percent of voters were still undecided or without a preference, compared with 22 percent in the GEA/ISA poll. The results are a big boost for Lopez Obrador, who many have written off as unelectable because of the angry, disruptive street protests that he led following his narrow loss in the 2006 race to President Felipe Calderon. Lopez Obrador has sought this time to soften his image, appeal to the middle class and businessmen, and apologize to those who were affected by his weekslong blockade of downtown Mexico City in 2006.

The leftist has been helped by campaign missteps by Vazquez Mota and by the protests that have sought to emphasize the PRI’s past as the unquestioned power for seven decades as well as alleged rights violations committed when Pena Nieto served as governor of Mexico State. The protests appear to be having an effect, breaking the “aura of inevitability” that had hung over the Pena Nieto campaign, said political analyst John Ackerman of Mexico’s National Autonomous University.

“The election was somehow being portrayed as boring,” Ackerman said. “All of a sudden it’s not boring.”

Pena Nieto’s campaign said it had no comment on the most recent polls. Aside from hurting the front-runner, the student movement is helping Lopez Obrador, who is supported by many of its members. The student movement “hasn’t come out publicly in favor of Lopez Obrador, but it doesn’t have to,” said

political analyst Jose Antonio Crespo. “It is having an effect against Pena Nieto and for Lopez Obrador.” Accusations are already emerging that the Pena Nieto campaign, stung by the demonstrations against its candidate, has orchestrated the appearance of small groups of protesters at the events of its rivals.

After a heckler got up on stage with Vazquez Mota at an event this week, she suggested Pena Nieto was behind the incident. “If they are ahead in the polls as they claim, why do they send us provocateurs?” Vasquez Mota said after the man was shooed off the stage. A spokesman for the Pena Nieto campaign declined to comment on those accusations.

Lopez Obrador himself was stung this week when local media released a tape purportedly recorded during a meeting at which businessmen were allegedly asked to donate $6 million to his campaign. A donation of that size, or any donation from a corporation, would violate Mexican electoral law, which requires that campaigns be financed mainly by public funds.

Lopez Obrador denied any involvement in illegal acts. He said the man heard making the fundraising pitch, identified as Luis Costa Bonino, does not work for his campaign. Costa Bonino is a friend of one of Lopez Obrador’s media consultants. “Thanks to all the people who trust us,” Lopez Obrador said at his daily press briefing Thursday. “They can be sure I am not going to betray the people. We are going to govern for all Mexicans.” —AP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Canada police: Body parts victim a Chinese student MONTREAL: The man killed in a videotaped attack that was discovered after body parts were mailed to Canada’s top political parties was a Chinese student, police said yesterday, as authorities in France searched for the suspect, a Canadian actor. Montreal Police Cmdr. Ian Lafreniere identified the victim as Jun Lin, 33. Police have said he dated Luka Rocco Magnotta, who is now on Interpol’s equivalent of its mostwanted list. A senior French police official said he is sure Magnotta is in France and that Magnotta has been there in the past. Another French police official said Magnotta apparently flew to Paris from Montreal last weekend, before the case emerged.

Lafreniere said Jun Lin doesn’t have family in Montreal, but a family member reported him missing on

Tuesday. He had last been seen May 24. Lafreniere said the murder occurred the night of May 24-25, and the suspect left for Europe on May 26. According to a missing person’s notice on the website of the Chinese consulate in Montreal, the victim was from the city of Wuhan and arrived in Montreal in July 2011. “He is a Chinese citizen who studied at a university here in Montreal and was here for a certain time,” Lafreniere said. “Thanks to the Chinese embassy, we have been able to reach the family with the sad news of what happened.”

A spokesman for Concordia University said Lin was registered as an undergraduate in the faculty of engineering and computer science.

The case began Tuesday, when a package containing a severed foot

was opened at the ruling Conservative Party headquarters. A hand was discovered at a postal facility, addressed to the Liberal party of Canada. A torso was found in a suitcase on a garbage dump in Montreal, outside Magnotta’s apartment building. Montreal police have said they believe Magnotta, 29, fled for France based on evidence they found at his apartment and a blog he once wrote about how to disappear. “What will hinder him the most is what he used to glorify himself, the web, with all the photos we have of him,” Lafreniere said. But he warned that Magnotta is “someone who can disguise himself, he can change into a woman, wear a wig.”

France’s fugitive search unit has been ordered to hunt for Magnotta, the French officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because

they were not authorized to speak about such searches publicly. They gave no details about his suspected whereabouts. Lafreniere said Magnotta could be anywhere in Europe, and “there’s even been talk he might have returned to Canada under another identity.” Police suspect Magnotta filmed the murder. The video, posted online, shows a man stabbing another man with an ice pick while the victim lies tied up. The first man later reveals he has slashed the other man’s throat. He also dismembers the corpse. “We have quite convincing proof of the crime he committed,” Lafreniere said yesterday, referring to the video.

Other body parts remain missing.

Police said Magnotta is also known by the names Eric Clinton Newman and Vladimir Romanov, and they

described him as white and 5 feet 8 inches tall (1.78 meters) with blue eyes and black hair. A police official said he was an actor. Derek MacKinnon, a former resident of the building where Magnotta lived, said he was the only person Magnotta would speak to in the building. MacKinnon identified himself as an actor who played a serial killer in the 1980 horror film “Terror Train.” “I was a killer who killed 11 people in this film, so he was rather interested in my career versus his,” MacKinnon said. “It was like a quick conversation, not like anything big.”

He said Magnotta “was always well groomed” until the last time MacKinnon saw him, on May 25. He said Magnotta was having “a bad hair day.” “It was red, and he normally is dark,” MacKinnon said. “It looked like a really bad wig.” — AP

INTERNATIONAL

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

‘Slum tourism’ treads between aid and exploitation JAKARTA: “I decided to experience the real Jakarta,” said a tourist, stepping gingerly between puddles of putrid water and a scurrying rat in a scene that would never make a postcard. Rohaizad Abu Bakar, 28, a bank employee from Singapore, said he could not believe his eyes as he wandered around the slum in the Indonesian capital, a jumble of hundreds of shacks, some less than a metre from a railway line. Nearby, a small girl picked up a discarded juice bottle in search of a sip while a man wearing tattered shorts lay slumped on a dirty old mattress. Only a blue plastic tarpaulin offered shelter from tropical downpours. Organizers say it raises awareness and brings aid to the destitute of the city, but accusations of exploitation are never far away and critics say poverty should not be a tourist attraction. A few hundred families cram into the slum in the Tanah Abang neighborhood, minutes from gleaming shopping malls where the likes of Gucci and Louis Vuitton compete to lure the newly-minted beneficiaries of Indonesia’s eco-

nomic miracle. Abu Bakar opted against the picturesque landscapes of other parts of the country to instead join a “Jakarta Hidden Tours” trip, which aims to show visitors the squalid conditions of the nation’s poor.

“Tourists stay in their ghetto. We show what is really Jakarta,” said Ronny Poluan, 59, an Indonesian documentary maker who created the non-profit organization in 2008.

Recent years have seen “poverty tourism” mushroom globally, from the favelas of Brazil to the slums of Dharavi in Mumbai, popularized by the film “Slumdog Millionaire”. “We have about 10 tours per month, with two to four tourists each time.

More and more people are coming, some now even come just for my tour,” Poluan said. “I’ve had tourists from as far away as Washington. They’re not only backpackers, but also businessmen, bankers,” he added before being cut short by shouting reverberating around the slum.

“Kereta! Kereta!” (“A train, a train”) cried mothers rushing to grab children playing on

the track as a roaring locomotive approached, whipping up clouds of dust and garbage as it surged towards the flimsylooking shacks. The train recently claimed the life of one little girl who died as she ran after her cat.

Poverty as a tourist attraction The slum dwellers, like half of Indonesia, live on less than two dollars per day. Each tourist pays 500,000 rupiah ($54) to visit, with half of that going to the tour company, and the rest funding doctor visits, microfinance projects or community projects such as school building. “I don’t give cash. I pay the doctors directly for example,” said Poluan. But that does not reassure some critics. “I’m against slums being turned into tourist spots,” Wardah Hafidz, an activist with the Urban Poor Consortium, told AFP. “It’s not about shame. People should not be exhibited like monkeys in the zoo. “What residents get from these tours, in cash or whatever form, only strips them of their dig-

nity and self respect, turning them into mere beggars. “They not only become dependent on handouts, but come to expect them. It doesn’t help them to believe they are capable of standing on their own two feet or getting them out of the spiral of poverty,” she added. Nonetheless, residents say they look forward to the daily influx of foreigners witnessing their lifestyles. “I like that foreigners want to know about us. It’s good they want to know about us,” said Djoko, a father in his fifties, as he removed labels from a pile of glass and plastic bottles before selling them for recycling. Tourists deny voyeurism, instead saying that what they witness inspires them to action.

“If I had not seen it, I would not have done anything about it,” said Caroline Bourget. A teacher at Jakarta’s French school, she is now discussing setting up a mobile school in the slum to give disadvantaged children a better chance in life.

“Here we are at the heart of reality,” she said. —AFP

Taliban insurgents attack NATO base in Afghanistan No foreign or Afghan troops killed

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani child, whose family fled their village due to fighting between security forces and militants in Pakistan’s tribal area of Bajur, lies in a bed outside her home in a slum on the outskirts of Islamabad yesterday. —AP

Pakistan ‘CIA doctor’ appeals conviction PESHAWAR: Lawyers representing the Pakistani doctor jailed after helping the CIA find Osama bin Laden appealed against his conviction yesterday. Shakeel Afridi was on May 23 sentenced to 33 years in jail under Pakistan’s archaic system of tribal justice, worsening Pakistan’s already precarious relationship with the United States. He was arrested after US troops killed bin Laden in May 2011 in the town of Abbottabad where he set up a fake vaccination program in the hope of obtaining DNA samples to identify the Al-Qaeda leader.

But he was convicted for treason over alleged ties to militant group Lashkar-e-Islam and not for working for the CIA, for which the court said it did not have jurisdiction. The appeal, filed by his brother Jamil Afridi through lawyers, said the allegations were “false, concocted and without foundation”. It said Afridi had “no association” with Lashkar-e-Islam and said the conviction should be dismissed because he had no opportunity of defence or fair trial, said a copy obtained by AFP. Lashkar-e-Islam, led by warlord Mangal Bagh, is widely feared for kidnappings and extortion in the tribal district of Khyber, where Afridi worked for years. The appeal said Afridi was kidnapped by Lashkar-e-Islam in 2008 and ordered to pay one million rupees ($10,660).

The court said Afridi paid two million rupees to the faction and helped to provide medical assistance to militant commanders in Khyber. The militants have denied any links to Afridi, saying they fined him for over-charging patients, and have threatened to kill him. The Peace Movement, a civil society group that has taken up Afridi’s case, said the appeal was filed to the commissioner of the northwestern city of Peshawar who hears appeals against judgements meted out under Pakistan’s tribal justice system. —AFP

KABUL: Taliban insurgents detonated a truck bomb, then tried to storm a NATO base yesterday in eastern Afghanistan, but coalition forces repelled the attack, killing 14 militants, officials said. No foreign or Afghan troops were killed, according to NATO, but the attack showed the fundamentalist Islamic movement remains a resilient force even as Afghan President Hamid Karzai insists they do not have the means to retake the nation after foreign forces leave.

In the past two years, the US-led coalition has sent tens of thousands of troops into Taliban strongholds in the south and has largely succeeded in boosting security there.

The Taliban have responded by opening up new fronts in the north and west and stepping up attacks in the east, where much of the heaviest fighting is presently concentrated. NATO plans to pull combat troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and turn security over to local forces. If security allows, Karzai said foreign forces could pull out earlier. “We will not ask them to leave early,”

Karzai told Time magazine on May 13. “If everything is done in time and they want to leave early, we will welcome it.”

His office released a transcript of the wide-ranging interview yesterday. Karzai said that while the US had helped Afghanistan build roads, schools, clinics and welcomed the country into the world community, US and NATO troops had not been able to provide security to the Afghan people. “It did not bring the defeat of terrorism as we thought it would,” he said. “It did not fight the war on terrorism in a manner that we felt was right. ... But the American presence did bring an overall stability to Afghanistan, which is very important.” Karzai also was adamant that the Taliban no longer have the means to overthrow the Afghan government.

“There is a lot in the Western press about the Taliban coming back and all that,” Karzai said. “If you asked me three years ago, I would have not answered you in the positive. I would have said ‘I don’t know’ or ‘you

BAGHLAN PROVINCE: Afghan security forces conduct a poppy eradication operation in Baghlan province Afghanistan yesterday. —AP

are probably right’ or somewhere inbetween. But now, I can tell you with confidence that the Taliban as a force to threaten the government of Afghanistan or the way of life we have chosen is no longer there. The withdrawal of the international forces from Afghanistan will not lead to the Taliban coming back.” Provincial police chief Gen. Sardar Mohammad Zazai said the blast occurred at a coalition base about five kilometers (three miles) outside Khost. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. “It was a very strong blast. Khost city shook and we heard firing,” Zazai said.

Gula Jan, an Afghan police official who was at the scene, said the attack occurred at Camp Salerno. Jan said six civilians - three women and three children - were slightly wounded when a wall collapsed from the force of the explosion. NATO said it had no reports of any civilians being hurt during the attack. “The blast was inside the compound and then we heard firing,” Jan said. “There is a helicopter flying over the base.” US Army Maj. Paul Haverstick, a spokesman for the coalition in eastern Afghanistan, said no Afghan or foreign troops were killed and only a few coalition forces suffered minor injuries.

Haverstick said insurgents detonated a truck loaded with explosives at the entrance to the camp. The explosion allowed other insurgents to enter the compound. Two militants wearing explosive vests blew themselves up prematurely and caused no damage. Afghan and coalition forces fired at the group of insurgents. A total of 14 militants died in the attack, he said. Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, claimed that a suicide bomber targeted the base in an explosives-filled vehicle that slipped onto the compound near where coalition troops dine. He said in a statement that after the blast, other insurgents entered the compound on foot and opened fire.

“They had suicide vests, rocket-propelled grenades, heavy machine guns and hand grenades,” Mujahid said.—AP

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Ireland backs EU fiscal pact with clear majority

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SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

NEW YORK: Trader Gregory Rowe works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange yesterday. Stocks fell sharply yesterday after the release of a dismal report on job creation in the United States. The eurozone debt crisis also hit workers hard yesterday as gloomy data showed unemployment jumping to a record 11 percent. — AP

Eurozone crisis hits hard, unemployment at record 11% 3.36 million under-25s looking for work in May BRUSSELS: The eurozone debt crisis hit workers hard yesterday as gloomy data showed unemployment jumping to a record 11 percent, piling pressure on European leaders to revive sickly economies. The rate in March and April was the highest since the eurozone was created in 1999 and analysts warned it would likely rise further in the coming months. More than 17.4 million people were jobless in the 17-nation single currency area in April, as 110,000 more men and women joined unemployment queues, according to Eurostat data agency.

Youth unemployment worsened with nearly 3.36 million people under 25 looking for work in May, an increase of 214,000 from the previous month. A key survey meanwhile showed manufacturing activity sinking to its lowest level in three years as employers shed jobs and crisis-struck Spain hit bottom.

“These data paint a dismal picture of a deepening recession throughout the region,” said Jennifer McKeown, senior European econo-

mist at Capital Economics. “The economic downturn is broadening and gathering pace,” she said. “This clearly further reduces policymakers’ chances of stemming the debt crisis.”

European Union leaders are scrambling to jumpstart economies but are divided over how, with powerhouse Germany pressing for continued austerity while France pushes progrowth policies.

The bloc’s 27 leaders failed to bridge differences at an informal dinner last month but will take another shot at a summit on June 28-29 in Brussels. “All in all, today’s grim unemployment figures provide a sober reminder that the eurozone economy is in desperate need of a more expansionary policy stance,” said ING Bank analyst Martin van Vliet. Unemployment in the eurozone has remained above 10 percent for 12 months in a row as the bloc struggles to contain a debt crisis that has spread to Spain, whose banking woes may force it to seek a bailout.

The data showed growing disparities between so-called “periphery” countries in the south and wealthier northern nations.

Spain recorded again the worst unemployment rate at 24.3 percent, with more than one in two people under 25 without work.

Greece was at 21.7 percent in February and Portugal at 15.2 percent in May. Austria had the lowest rate at 3.9 percent, Luxembourg and the Netherlands at 5.2 percent and Germany at 5.4 percent. In the wider EU, unemployment rose to 10.3 in April compared to 10.2 percent in March with some 24.67 million men and women jobless.

Some analysts expect unemployment in the eurozone to rise to 11.5 percent by the end of the year, though the economy is forecast to slowly recover by then.

“Unfortunately, the downturn in the eurozone labour market is not over yet,” van Vliet said, adding: “The downturn may well prove more protracted as the bleak manufacturing PMI figures released earlier today remind us.”

The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), a survey of 3,000 manufacturers compiled by Markit research firm, fell to 45.1 points in May from 45.9 in April. A score below 50 indicates contraction. The survey brought more bad news to Spain as the country replaced eurozone weakling Greece at the bottom of the list with a reading of 42 points.

Manufacturers continued to cut costs in May and employment fell for the fourth month in a row, with the rate of job cuts accelerating in Germany, France, Spain and the Netherlands. The steepest cuts were in Greece. “Eurozone manufacturers reported a deepening downturn in May, indicating that the damage to the real economy caused by the region’s financial and political crises continues to spread across the region,” said Markit chief economist Chris Williamson. “The rate of decline is nowhere near as severe as that seen at the height of the 2008-09 crisis, but the situation is nevertheless deteriorating at an alarming rate,” he said. — AFP

business

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Ireland backs EU fiscal pact with clear majority Result ‘powerful signal to the world’, says PM DUBLIN: Irish voters have backed the EU fiscal pact by a large majority, final referendum results showed yesterday, in what Prime Minister Enda Kenny hailed as a “powerful signal to the world”. Sixty percent of voters were in favor of Ireland ratifying the pact, which is designed to shore up the turmoil-hit eurozone by penalizing countries that fail to keep their deficits in check. “The Irish people

Europe against austerity measures. EU president Herman Van Rompuy hailed the vote as a key step towards Europe’s economic recovery. “This result is an important step towards recovery and stability,” he said in a statement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed Ireland’s backing of the fiscal pact as “good news for Ireland and Europe”.

DUBLIN: Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, speaks to the media at government buildings, Dublin yesterday. —AP have sent a powerful signal around the world that this is a country that is serious about overcoming its economic challenges,” Kenny said after the final ballots were counted. “The clear and decisive verdict of the Irish people will help to create the stability and certainty that investors in Ireland need.”

The result comes as a huge relief to Kenny’s debt-laden government as only countries that ratify the pact will have guaranteed access to the EU’s new permanent bailout fund. It will also spare the EU a headache, as a “no” vote could have fuelled a growing backlash in

Ireland was forced to accept an 85billion-euro ($105 billion) bailout by the EU and IMF in 2010, and the “no” camp sought to harness public anger against the spending cuts and tax rises brought in as part of the deal. Opponents labeled the fiscal pact an “austerity treaty” as it empowers the EU to fine countries that overspend. “Some of the measures the government has had to take have been painful for our people,” Kenny admitted in his speech in Dublin. “I acknowledge the sacrifies that the Irish people are making, and have made, to contribute to the process of economic recovery.”

Kenny said he had spoken to Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy yesterday about “a number of issues” arising from the Irish “yes” vote.

Although pre-referendum opinion polls had predicted a clear victory for the “yes” campaign, only half the 3.1 million-strong electorate turned out to vote, raising fears that the low turnout could help the “no” camp. But most voters appeared to accept the government’s warning that if Ireland did not ratify the pact, it would not be able to access the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), the permanent rescue fund that comes into force in July.

Ministers have warned that they may need to access the ESM when Ireland’s current bailout package-which it required after its property bubble burst and the economy came close to collapse-expires in 2013.

Sonia Pangusion, analyst for Ireland at IHS Global Insight consultancy firm, said the “yes” vote was “good news for the future of the country”. “It sends a positive message to the markets-a message that Ireland is determined to be part of the euro, assuming all the painful consequences of such decision.” But she added: “Ireland’s citizens have become progressively unhappier with the way the austerity measures are undermining their incomes, and apathy about the euro project has clearly risen, judging by the low turnout.” Ireland is the only country to hold a national referendum on the fiscal pact, which all 27 EU members have signed with the exception of Britain and the Czech Republic.

Although a “no” vote would have fuelled the growing campaign for Europe to focus on growth rather than belt-tightening, it would not have plunged the EU into crisis, as Ireland did in voting against two previous European treaties. The fiscal pact could still have gone ahead without Ireland, as it needs to be ratified by just 12 countries to come into force. Denmark on Thursday became the fifth country to ratify the pact after Romania, Portugal, Greece and Slovenia. Kenny said that the Irish government would now begin the process of ratifying the pact through its parliament next week. —AFP

MADRID: A miner throws a firecracker at the Industry Ministry during a demonstration to protest against cuts in Madrid, Thursday, May 31, 2012. Spain is moving closer to the financial tipping-point that could force it to ask for a bailout as the country’s borrowing costs neared unsustainable levels. —AP

Spain tries to calm investors amid market pressure MADRID: Spain’s finance minister claimed the country was fiscally stable now that its autonomous regions were meeting deficit reduction targets, but investors remained wary and pushed the government’s bond yields higher yesterday. The 17 semi-autonomous regions - whose high debts have helped fuel fears about the broader country’s financial future - will meet a target to get their collective deficits below 1.5 percent this year, Cristobal Montoro told a news conference. They ran a deficit of 0.45 percent of GDP in the first quarter, and with euro 5 billion in money from the central government ran a balanced budget. “This means that since the beginning of the year the government’s plan is working,” said Montoro.

Most of Spain’s excessive deficits in 2011 - which at 8.9 percent were almost three times the EU limit of 3 percent - came from the regions’ overspending. Eight of the regions, including powerful Catalonia in the northeast, saw their credit ratings downgraded this week by the Fitch agency. The ones that issues debt are paying high rates. Montoro said the government is close to completing a mechanism that will allow the regions to issue debt through the central government at lower rates.

Worries about Spain’s deficits as well as its banking sector - where expensive bailouts risk overwhelming public finances - have pushed the central government’s borrowing rates toward unsustainable levels. In midafternoon trading the interest rate on 10-year Spanish bonds stood was up 0.11 percentage points to 6.56. The rate was more than 5.4 percentage points higher than the equivalent German one, which is considered a safe haven for investors. Despite the rise in cost, Montoro insisted Spain can meet its debt obligations. “Spain has the ability to make good on that debt in its entirety.” Concern about Spain and the wider 17country eurozone has shaken financial markets in recent weeks, pushing the euro to a 2-year low yesterday. Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos this week that Spain and Europe were at a crossroads as speculation mounts over whether the country will need a bailout. The danger is that Spain’s euro 1 trillion ($1.24 trillion) economy is far bigger than those of already bailed-out Greece, Ireland and Portugal combined.

Spain’s banking sector is laden with soured investments on real estate and the government needs euro 19 billion to rescue just one lender, Bankia SA, at a time of recession and crushing unemployment of 24.4 percent. “I don’t know if we are on the edge of a cliff, but we are in a very, very difficult position,” de Guindos said Thursday evening in a speech to business leaders in Sitges, a resort town near Barcelona. —AP

Saudi unlikely to cut supply despite oil under $100 Riyadh seen unlikely to rush to cut back record output LONDON: Oil’s fall below $100 a barrel is unlikely to trigger a swift supply cut from OPEC power Saudi Arabia, which is pumping at its highest rate in decades, because its budget can comfortably withstand a much lower price. Others in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, including Iran and Iraq, need a higher price than Saudi Arabia to balance budgets and they may call on Riyadh to throttle back when producers meet on June 14 to set output policy.

Having campaigned aggressively to bring down oil prices that were damaging global economic growth, Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi may be reluctant to turn down the taps just yet. “If prices come down very severely before the meet-

ing, there could be discussion of a cut,” said a Gulf OPEC delegate, who declined to be identified.

Brent crude would have to drop below $90 a barrel to convince Riyadh and its Gulf Arab allies Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates of the need to consider curbing supplies, the delegate said.

Naimi began talking oil prices down in March as Brent crude moved toward a peak of $128 a barrel, lifting output to back his words. Brent traded down around $3.00 to below $99 a barrel yesterday. With the United States, the UK and France threatening to release emergency stocks, Riyadh pushed output beyond 10 million barrels a day for the first time in 30 years. Talk of an emergency reserve release by consumer countries has since

gone quiet and Riyadh is unlikely to want to provoke it again ahead of US presidential elections in November. Gasoline costs, a leading issue for the election campaign, have dropped down the agenda with the fall in prices.

HUGE RESERVES Saudi Arabia has huge foreign currency reserves and will be shielded by surpluses built up from high prices for the year to date. Brent so far in 2012 is averaging $117 a barrel, up from 2011’s $110, which was a record high. For Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, $100 is more than adequate to support budget requirements. Saudi’s breakeven price is around $70-$80, according to bankers and

analysts, and Kuwait’s is among the lowest in OPEC at $45-$55. “$100 is a very comfortable price for our budget,” Saudi Finance Minister Ibrahim Alassaf said last week.

Riyadh shows no sign yet of reducing output despite surplus supplies. Global output is now outpacing demand by about 1.5 million barrels daily on the 90 million bpd world market, Naimi said recently. Oil at $100 is “great”, he said in Australia in mid-May. But it’s not so great for those in OPEC whose budgets are strained by oil below $100.

Iran, Iraq, Algeria and Libya are among the most exposed, according to the International Monetary Fund and they need oil prices in triple digits to stay in the black. —Reuters

business

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

BP considers selling its stake in TNK 50% share could fetch $15 billion

MOSCOW: People walk past an exchange booth in downtown Moscow yesterday. Russia’s currency, the ruble, dropped yesterday for the eighth straight day to reach its lowest level since April 2009 as it tracked the falling price of crude oil, a key source of revenue for the country. —AP

Russian ruble hits lowest in over 3 years MOSCOW: Russia’s currency, the ruble, yesterday dropped for the eighth straight day to reach its lowest level since April 2009 as it tracked the falling price of crude oil - a key source of revenue for the country. The ruble fell 1.4 percent to 33.9 rubles against the US dollar in early trading on the MICEX exchange. It lost 2.2 percent on Thursday and over 6 percent this week. The currency’s fate is closely linked to the price of a crude oil contract called the Urals blend, a benchmark for the oil Russia exports. The price of Urals blend has fallen than 5 percent this week and was down another 0.4 percent at $99.4 yesterday.

Moscow’s financial markets also tend to suffer when global investor sentiment drops, as traders pull their money out of riskier, developing markets like Russia to safer havens like US Treasury notes or German bonds. Yesterday, global stock markets were down heavily as investors worried that the pace of global economic growth was slowing sharply. Central Bank Deputy Chairman Sergei Shvetsov reiterated that the bank is not worried about the ruble’s drop. The Central Bank has placed a limit on the value of the ruble of 38.1 rubles against a basket of currencies including dollars and euros. If it moves beyond that level the central bank will buy rubles on foreign exchange markets.

The value stood at 37.3 rubles in early afternoon trading yesterday. “The ruble’s volatility within that trading limit is not serious,” Shvetsov told Russian news agencies. “We’re fine with it.” Over the past three days the Central Bank has bought rubles worth just $100 million on foreign exchange markets. Chris Weafer, chief strategist at the Troika Dialog investment bank, said in a morning note that “the Central Bank seems content to allow the lower oil - weaker ruble balance to remain untouched.” Moscow-based investment bank Renaissance Capital last week warned of the upcoming depreciation of the ruble, but noted that the Russian currency so far looked better than many other currencies from emerging economies, which were also battered by an uncertain outlook for the eurozone and weaker global growth.

Hungary’s forint slumped by 2 percent against the US dollar yesterday while the Polish zloty dropped nearly 1 percent. Renaissance Capital sounded confident that a weaker ruble would not speed up inflation. “Russians no longer respond to the weakening of the ruble by rushing to convert their savings into forex,” the bank said in a statement. Russia’s MICEX benchmark dropped 1 percent yesterday afternoon. —AP

MOSCOW: British oil giant BP said yesterday it could sell its 50 percent stake in its Russian joint venture TNK-BP, which could fetch at least $15 billion.

TNK-BP, Russia’s third-largest oil producer, is a joint venture between BP and AAR, a consortium of Russian billionaire shareholders. The company has been mired in a corporate dispute after AAR blocked a BP’s deal with Russian oil company Rosneft. BP said in a statement yesterday that it has received “unsolicited indications of interest” for its share in TNK-BP and is looking to pursue a potential sale which is “consistent with BP’s commitment to maximizing shareholder value.”

TNK-BP represents 27 of BP’s reserves and 29 percent of its production, according to the British company’s latest annual report. BP’s spokesman in Russia, Vladimir Buyanov, told The Associated Press that the information about the potential buyer is confidential. He declined to specify whether the offer might have come from the Russian shareholders. Buyanov said the shareholders’ agreement between BP and AAR requires both parties to notify the other of offers to acquire their holdings. BP’s 50 percent stake in the Russian oil producer could fetch more than $15 billion as TNK-BP’s market capitalization, based on its share prices at the Russian MICEX stock exchange, hovered around $31.5 billion yesterday afternoon. But in Moscow TNKBP’s shares at the MICEX slumped by 6 percent in afternoon trading.

BP, however, stressed that “there can be no guarantee that any transaction will take place.” BP’s announcement was welcomed by investors in London, who bid up the shares by 1.7 percent to 401.4 pence in morning trading. AAR has previously indicated that it could be interested in raising its stake in TNK-BP. AAR’s spokesman in Moscow declined to comment any aspect of BP’s announcement. TNK-BP’s CEO Mikhail Fridman, one of the members of AAR, unexpectedly stepped down on Monday. In an interview with the Russian daily Kommersant he cited tensions between the shareholders as a reason for his departure and said the parity ownership of TNK-BP no longer works.

Fridman said in the interview that

AAR could be interested in increasing its stake, but it would also consider selling some of its stake in exchange for BP shares. Although one of Russia’s most lucrative oil assets, TNK-BP has been mired in boardroom dispute for much of its time since it was founded in 2003.

At the height of the previous shareholder conflict in 2008, TNK-BP’s CEO Robert Dudley was virtually forced out from Russia. Dudley, a BP nominee, complained of what he described as a cam-

and also asked for a 10 percent stake in BP and Rosneft, as well as cash,” he said.

“As for potential buyers, clearly Rosneft stands out, although Gazprom, Russia’s largest gas producer, may also have an interest.”

The venture has provided lofty dividends for both parties. Over the past years, TNK-BP’s output has accounted for more than a quarter of BP’s total global production. The British oil company drew some $3.7 billion in divi-

MOSCOW: A guard stands at a sign reading “TNK BP reception” at the office of the TNK-BP, Russia’s third-largest oil producer in Moscow yesterday. British oil giant BP said yesterday it is considering selling its 50 percent stake in its Russian joint venture TNK-BP, in a deal that could fetch at least $15 billion. —AP paign of “harassment.” Fridman’s appointment as interim CEO in 2009 and a new shareholder agreement helped reconcile the two rival groups of shareholders.

But tensions resurfaced last year when a potentially huge deal that BP was hoping to sign with Russian stateowned oil company Rosneft broke down after AAR blocked it. Russian shareholders claimed that such a deal should be pursued through TNK-BP. Jonathan Jackson, head of equities at London-based Killik & Co., said it was difficult to put a price on BP’s stake. “At the time of the Rosneft/Arctic deal, BP is believed to have made a cash and joint offer (with Rosneft) of $27 billion for its 50 percent stake. However, AAR appears to have demanded $35 billion,

dends from the venture last year alone, receiving a total of $19 billion since the company’s formation in 2003.In the company’s annual report filed in March, BP chairman Carl -Henric Svanberg was bullish about Russian and the TNK-BP partnership.

“Russia is particularly important for BP,” Svanberg wrote in the report. “This region still has excellent potential for BP and we remain committed to it.” When a shareholder questioned the Russian investment at BP’s annual general meeting in April, BP CEO Bob Dudley said that the thwarted Rosneft deal had created “a lot of noise.” But he contended that the Russian links were good business and urged shareholders to “look through the noise and look at the numbers. —AP

Greek leftists vow to scrap ‘deadly medicine’ bailout ATHENS: Greece’s radical leftist party Syriza laid out yesterday a manifesto likely to leave the country’s eurozone future hanging by a thread if it wins elections later this month. A bailout deal with the EU and IMF in return for painful austerity cuts “is an automatic pilot to utter disaster,” Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras said, vowing if elected to scrap the accord and to freeze repayments on Greece’s debt mountain.

“We ask for the vote of the Greek people in order to annul it” so that it can be renegotiated, the 37-year-old told a packed auditorium in a rundown Athens neighborhood. Supporters interrupted him, chanting: “The time of the Left has come.”

Syriza surprised Europe on May 6 by placing sec-

ond in an inconclusive election that saw voters fed up with salary and pension cuts shift their loyalties to radical parties. A series of opinion polls published yesterday showed that neither Syriza nor its top rival, the conservative New Democracy party, would win an outright majority in new elections called for June 17 after the deadlock.

The vote will determine whether Greece will meet the terms of a deal under which the European Union and International Monetary Fund agreed to lend it hundreds of billions of euros (dollars) in return for economic reforms. Tsipras promised to boost the minimum wage, hike taxes on the rich and freeze a major privatization drive designed to raise 19.5 billion euros ($24.2 billion), a

key condition of its bailout deal. He also pledged to “nationalize and socialize” Greek banks that draw on European support funds to recapitalize themselves after a landmark state debt cut brokered by the previous government in March.

This would evidently include Greece’s top four lenders, which received 18 billion euros from the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF) this week.

Tsipras’s stance has raised speculation that Athens could be forced to leave the eurozone if the reforms falter, raising fears for the future of the single currency. “Today we heard how Syriza will lead the country out of Europe and the euro,” scoffed a spokesman for New Democracy. The leader of the Socialist Pasok party Evangelos Venizelos, a possi-

ble New Democracy ally for a pro-bailout coalition, added that Syriza’s proposals would “isolate” Greece in Europe.

Tsipras insists Greece can still stay in the eurozone and draw on European support funds, while arguing yesterday that the bailout deal itself “is tantamount to returning to the drachma” because of its effects on the economy. He likened the loan agreement to a “deadly medicine” which has caused a “tragedy” in Greece, where more than a million people are jobless and suicides are mounting in an economy now in its fifth year of recession.

“You don’t save a patient’s life by changing the dosage of a deadly medicine. You need to change the medicine itself,” Tsipras said. —AFP

business

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

China and Japan begin direct currency trading US dollar no longer used as intermediary currency SHANGHAI: China and Japan started direct currency trading yesterday as Beijing marked another stage on its journey to foster the yuan’s use internationally in line with its growing economic clout. Market participants can now swap Japanese yen for Chinese yuan without having to use the US dollar as an intermediary currency, making foreign trade settlement more convenient and cutting transaction costs.

The move comes as China, the world’s

China can carry out future reforms,” Zhang Zhiwei, chief China economist of Nomura Securities, told AFP. “The move may be another step toward free convertibility of the currency, but from a long-term perspective, China has a long way to go,” he said.

On China’s national foreign exchange market, the yuan weakened against the yen on the first day of trading under the new practice, due to the Japanese currency’s overnight

TOKYO: Traders talk over the phones at the dealing room of TokyoMitusbishi UFJ Bank in Tokyo yesterday. China and Japan started direct currency trading yesterday as Beijing marked another stage on its journey to internationalise the yuan. —AFP second-largest economy just ahead of Japan, gradually moves to make the yuan freely convertible with an eye towards rivaling the mighty dollar, analysts said.

China maintains a tight grip on its currency, which is not convertible on the capital account, over fears that speculative flows could hurt its economy. That policy has long fostered trade tensions with the United States. “Yuanyen direct trading is just a small step toward making the yuan a reserve currency, but what’s foremost is whether

gains against the dollar, dealers said.

“Trading has been active this morning and demand for yen is mostly from China-based Japanese companies,” a dealer at a foreign bank in Shanghai told Dow Jones Newswires. The yuan ended at 8.1298 to 100 yen, weakening from Thursday’s close of 8.0737, a cco rd i n g to th e Shanghai - b ased China Foreign Exchange Trade System, the market operator. British banking giant HSBC, one of the newly appointed market makers in China, said the launch of direct trading will

help build a benchmark for non-dollar transactions.

“It is also a significant step forward in the internationalization of China’s currency, supporting the growing demand for yuan payment and settlement globally,” David Liao, managing director of global markets for HSBC China, said in a statement. The Chinese currency will be allowed to fluctuate within a 3.0 percent band above or below a daily mid-point, according to media reports. China has not publicly announced the trading band. Earlier yesterday, China set that central parity rate at 8.0686 yuan to 100 yen, weakening from 8.0293 on Thursday. But for the first time, China determined the rate based on an average directly from market makers, instead of using the US dollar as a base, the market operator said in a statement before trading began.

Just last month, China made another move towards liberalization, allowing the yuan to trade against the dollar in a wider 1.0 percent band on both sides of the mid-point, double the previous 0.5 percent. China’s tightly controlled forex regime is a long-running source of friction with the United States, which accuses Beijing of artificially undervaluing the yuan to boost exports, and which wants more flexibility. The yuan trades freely offshore, so China’s trading-band restriction will not apply in dealings on Tokyo’s foreign exchange market. Rates in the Chinese and Japanese markets could be different at the outset but are likely to converge very quickly, traders in Tokyo said. China overtook Japan to become the world’s second-largest economy in 2010, and the neighbours are forging closer business ties despite frequent diplomatic spats over territorial claims and lingering historical animosities.

China is Japan’s largest trading partner, but about 60 percent of their mutual trade is denominated in US dollars. The forex launch will save about $3 billion in annual costs tied to using the dollar in trade transactions, Chinese state media have reported. —AFP

Nesma poses with her new Nissan Juke.

Star Academy Winners Get Brand New Jukes From Nissan Nissan Middle East has delivered two brand new Juke crossover SUVs to winners from last year’s hit pan-Arab reality TV show, Star Academy. The first was delivered to Nesma Mahgoub of Egypt, winner of the overall Star Academy contest, while the second went to Gilbert Simon of Lebanon for winning the ‘Jukeband’ competition to create a soundtrack for the first Juke TV commercial. The Juke, a compact SUV with sports car styling, combines attitude, modish style and energy with a mischievous sense of fun. Both Gilbert and Nesma have now received their brand new Jukes from Nissan, with Nesma handed the first Juke to arrive in Egypt following the vehicle’s launch in the country.

“Participating in the Star Academy experience was fantastic for us here at Nissan,” said Abdulilah Wazni, Senior Marketing Manager for SUV & Crossover segment, Nissan Middle East. “The Jukeband competition was intense, and very fitting of the Juke itself, which continues Nissan’s ambition to create vehicles that inspire and reward owners and onlookers alike. The Juke sits comfortably in many classes of vehicle SUV, hatchback and sports car - without compromising practicality, performance or character.”

Nesma Mahgoub said: “Winning Star Academy was one of the most exciting and important moments of my life, and now, along with all the other great things it’s brought me, I get to enjoy driving this awesome new Juke. I can’t wait to take it for a spin!” The Juke is the world’s first small Crossover, and follows in the tracks of Murano - the world’s first ever Crossover - and the ultra successful Qashqai. Together, they cement Nissan’s place as King of the Crossovers.

Like its bigger brothers, the Juke is a distinctive combination of SUV toughness and sporting style. Conceived to inject some masculinity and dynamism into the small car market, Juke combines a number of seeming contradictions into its highly individual lines. From a design standpoint, the lower portion of Juke is pure SUV. It combines chunky wheels, wide tyres, extended ground clearance and a robust stance with a top portion that is unadulterated sports car, with a high waistline, slim visor-like side glass graphics and a coupÈ-style falling roofline. The coupÈ effect is further underlined by the rear doors which have their handles hidden in the frame of the door.

Air Arabia ranked first for punctuality at Moscow airport Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, announced yesterday that it has been ranked first for the punctuality of its outbound flights from Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow.

Figures released by the airport show that 100 per cent of Air Arabia flights in April 2012 departed on-time, earning it the accolade of “Most Punctual Airline” at Domodedovo International Airport. The competition included all international airlines.

Air Arabia launched services to Moscow in October 2011 and currently operates three weekly

non-stop flights from its Sharjah hub. “We thank Domodedovo

Airport for recognizing Air Arabia’s solid on-time perform-

ance record. Punctuality has been a core focus since Air

Arabia started its operations and it only highlights the airline’s operational excellence” said Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia. “We will continue to implement measures that ensure our impressive ontime performance remains the industry benchmark.”

Air Arabia has an impressive track record of on-time performance. In 2011, 93 per cent of its out-bound flights from Sharjah International Airport took off ontime. The low-cost carrier attributes the record punctuality to a range of measures, which have enabled the airline to efficiently maintain its punctuality figures.

BUSINESS

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Small biz lending shrinks as owners grow cautious NEW YORK: Lending to small businesses is shrinking as company owners grow more pessimistic about the economy. A study released yesterday

by PayNet, a research firm that tracks loans to small business, shows that lending fell 2 percent in April after a 3 percent drop in March. The Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index fell to 94.1 in April from the previous month’s 98.5.

It was at 110.5 in December.

The report comes a day after payroll company ADP said the pace of hiring by the smallest businesses,

those with fewer than 50 employees, slowed in May. Both reports show that company owners are increasingly reluctant to hire or expand in an uncertain economy. Other reports, including the monthly survey of small business owners by the National Federation of Independent Business, have also shown that companies aren’t confident enough to take on debt or new employees.

PayNet bases its report on new commercial loans and leases granted to small businesses in its database. It says the strong reading in its index at

the end of 2011 likely was due to companies that were buying and leasing equipment to take advantage of tax deductions that expired Dec. 31.

Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., a credit reporting service for businesses, has also reported a slowdown in lending to small businesses.

The company and Pepperdine University surveyed nearly 6,000 companies during the first quarter.

Among businesses with revenue under $5 million, 64 percent said difficulty in getting financing has limit-

ed their ability to grow. Fifty-five percent said that was restricting their hiring plans.

Dun & Bradstreet Credibility has reported that banks are becoming more stringent in their lending requirements for small businesses.

The PayNet report did have some good news: Loan delinquencies fell during April. The number of loans that were less than 90 days past due fell to 1.3 percent from 1.4 percent.

The number of loans more than 90 days past due fell to 0.35 percent from 0.36 percent. —AP

US economy added 69,000 jobs in May, fewest in a year unemployment harming Obama’s re-election chances WASHINGTON: US employers created only 69,000 jobs in May, the fewest in a year, and the unemployment rate ticked up, boding ill for President Barack Obama’s re-election chances. The dismal jobs data will fan fears that the economy is sputtering. And it could lead the Federal Reserve to take further steps to help the economy. Republicans seeking the White House have accused Obama of failing to steer the economy out of a deep recession, setting up the health of the nation’s economy as a pivotal issue in the 2012 election. The Labor Department also said yesterday that the economy created far fewer jobs in the previous two months than first thought.

It revised those figures down to show 49,000 fewer jobs created.

The unemployment rate rose to 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent in April, the first increase in 11 months. Dow Jones industrial average futures, which were already down 100 points before the report, fell an additional 100 points within minutes of its release. The index was down 180 points in the first half hour of trading, erasing what was left of its gain for the year. The yield on the benchmark on the 10-year Treasury note plunged to 1.46 percent, the lowest on record. It suggested that investors are flocking to the safety of US government bonds. The price of gold, which was trading at about $1,550 an ounce before the report, shot up $30. Investors have seen gold as a safe place to put their money during turbulent economic times.

Josh Feinman, global chief economist with DB Advisors, said yesterday’s report raises the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will do more - perhaps start another round of bond purchases to further lower long-term interest rates. Still, he noted that the rate on 10-year Treasury notes is already at a record low 1.46 percent. “How much lower can long-term rates go?” Feinman said. The economy is averaging just 73,000 jobs a month over the past two months roughly a third of 226,000 jobs created per month in the January-March quarter. Slower growth in the United States comes at a perilous time for the global economy. Europe’s financial crisis is flaring again. And nearly half the 17 countries in the eurozone are in recession.

China, the world’s second-largest econ-

omy, is also showing signs of weakness.

Its manufacturing sector is decelerating, a reflection of lackluster demand for its products from Europe, the US and the rest of the world. But while China is acting to increase growth and European countries are weighing similar steps, US leaders have been focused more on reducing government debt. Mitt Romney, Obama’s Republican challenger, has made the economy the central theme of his campaign. No president since the Great Depression has sought re-election with unemployment as high as 8.2 percent, and past incumbents have lost when the unemployment rate was on the rise. Republicans wasted little time seizing on the bleak report.

“Today’s extremely troubling jobs report proves yet again that President Obama’s policies simply are not working and that he has failed to live up to the promise of his presidency,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus. “It is important not to read too much into any one monthly report,” Alan Krueger, chairman of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, said in a statement. But Krueger acknowledged: “There is much more work that remains to be done to repair the damage caused by the finan-

cial crisis and deep recession that began at the end of 2007.” There are signs business confidence is waning. Companies have cut their spending on computers and machinery for two straight months, goods that signal investment plans. And some regional surveys suggest the factory activity is expanding at a slower pace.

Consumers are also more downbeat about the economy, according to a May survey from the Conference Board. That could lead more Americans to cut back on spending, which drives 70 percent of economic growth. Construction firms cut 28,000 jobs, the steepest drop in two years. Professional services, government, hotels, restaurants and other leisure industries also lost jobs. Not all industries cut jobs. Manufacturers added 12,000 jobs. Transportation and warehousing created nearly 36,000.

Education and health care added 46,000. Many Americans picked a bad time to jump back into the labor force.

The US work force - those working and looking for work - expanded by 642,000 in May. It was the biggest increase since November 2007.

Yet job opportunities were scarce.

The number of unemployed Americans rose by 220,000, the sharpest rise since November 2010. — AP

QUEENS: People seeking jobs wait to speak to employers at an employment fair in this May 3, 2012 file photo in the Queens borough of New York. The US economy only added a meager 69,000 jobs in May, pushing the unemployment rate up to 8.2 percent, the Labor Department reported yesterday. — AFP

LAHORE: A Pakistani woman buys groceries at a market in Lahore yesterday. Pakistan’s economy grew by 3.7 percent in the current fiscal year with tax collection up an “unprecedented” 25 percent, finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said. — AFP

Slaps and scuffles overshadow Pakistan budget ISLAMABAD: Opposition lawmakers hijacked the Pakistani government’s unveiling of the new budget yesterday, trading punches during angry scuffles in parliament against power cuts and corruption. Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh was surrounded by 25 to 30 opposition parliamentarians who filled the space between his podium and the speaker’s dais, heckling and shouting through his speech, an AFP reporter said. “End load shedding,” they cried. “This government is stealing electricity,” “the corrupt rulers should quit,” “let the poor live,” “respect the constitution” and “people want electricity, water and gas,” they shouted.

Parliamentarians traded blows and slaps, as they pushed and shoved each other on the parliament floor, grabbing each other’s clothing. Pakistan suffers from a massive energy crisis that cripples industry and leaves millions of people suffering during the hot summers and chilly winters. The government is under mounting pressure to call early elections since Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was in April convicted of contempt of court for refusing to ask Switzerland to reopen corruption cases against the president.

On Thursday, the finance minister was forced to announce that the economy had missed its target growth rate of 4.2 percent to grow by only 3.7 percent in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. On the same day, the rupee sank to its lowest level to 93.8350 against the dollar as Pakistan’s central bank was forced to deny it would have to return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for assistance.

The currency slid 0.9 percent after The Wall Street Journal quoted the central bank governor as saying that failure to control the deficit could make it hard to meet the more than $4 billion in IMF loans due in the coming fiscal year. External forecasts predict the deficit will nudge seven percent of GDP for the fiscal year and analysts warn the government is running out of ways to fund it. — AFP

business

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Stocks fall sharply after weak jobs report China growth significantly slowing NEW YORK: Stocks fell sharply yesterday after the release of a dismal report on job creation in the United States. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 180 points, erasing what was left of its gain

employers added just 69,000 jobs in May, the fewest in a year, and the unemployment rate ticked up to 8.2 percent from 8.1 percent. Economists had forecast a gain of 158,000 jobs.

NEW YORK: In this May 30, 2012 photo, Richard Cohen, right, works with fellow traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. US futures augured a lower opening on Wall Street yesterday. —AP for the year. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index and Nasdaq composite index both fell more than 1 percent in the opening minutes of trading. American

About 20 minutes into trading, the Dow was down 182 points at 12,212, leaving it with a slender loss for the year. The S&P was off 21 points at 1,288, and the

Nasdaq was down 50 at 2,777.

The weak jobs report sent traders stampeding into US government bonds as a safe investment. Bond prices rose sharply, and the yield on the benchmark 10-year US Treasury note fell to 1.46 percent, the lowest on record. The price of gold also shot higher. It rose $37 an ounce to $1,601. For much of the past three years, investors have bought gold for safety during a turbulent time for the world economy. Stocks fell broadly.

Energy companies and financial stocks led the market lower. The price of a barrel of oil fell more than $2 to almost $84, extending a month long slide.

Caterpillar, which depends heavily on world economic demand, fell $2.63, or 3 percent, to $85.03. It was the worst performer of the 30 stocks that make up the Dow. The job picture also darkened elsewhere in the world. Unemployment in the 17 countries that use the euro currency remained at a record-high 11 percent in April, and unemployment rose spiked to almost 25 percent in Spain.

There were also signs that growth in China, which was a bulwark during the global recession, is slowing significantly.

China’s manufacturing weakened in May, according to surveys released yesterday. Stocks were down considerably in Europe. The benchmark stock index fell more than 3 percent in Germany and Greece and more than 2 percent in France. British stocks were down but fared slightly better. —AP

Verizon to buy Hughes Telematics for $612M NEW YORK: Verizon Communications Inc. is paying $612 million for a company that provides wireless connectivity to cars and trucks. The New York company said that it is buying Hughes Telematics Inc., which provides hardware and services for Mercedes and Volkswagen cares in the US Verizon Wireless already provides wireless connectivity to General Motors Co.’s OnStar service. Verizon owns 55 percent of Verizon Wireless.

Verizon is paying $12 per share for Hughes, more than double the Atlanta company’s closing price Thursday in the thinly traded over-the-counter market. Hughes stock popped $7.50 to $11.85 yesterday morning. Verizon shares dipped 18 cents to $41.46.

Most of Hughes’ revenue comes from fleet management equipment and services for customers like trucking companies.

But Verizon said the company’s technology has the potential to go beyond the auto and transportation markets, with opportunities to grow into healthcare and products for the home. Hughes was founded in 2006 and lost $81.2 million last year on $71.3 million in revenue. It had 374 employees at the end of 2011. Private equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC is a major investor in Hughes. —AP

US consumer spending up 0.3 percent in April WASHINGTON: Consumer spending edged up modestly in April but personal income growth was the slowest in five months, raising concerns about the ability of Americans to keep spending in the future. Consumer spending increased 0.3 percent in April following a revised 0.2 percent gain in March, the Commerce Department said yesterday. Americansí income grew 0.2 percent in April, the poorest showing since incomes fell 0.1 percent in November. The April gain was just half the 0.4 percent March rise.

Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity. Economists hope consumers will keep spending to support further economic growth. But the concern is that incomes have been lagging in this sub-par recovery, meaning households have less to spend. The small April income gain will add to those worries. For the January-March quarter, consumer spending rose at an annual rate of 2.7 percent, the strongest performance since the last quarter of 2010. —AP

Global growth concerns hit world markets LONDON: Concerns over a slowdown in the world’s biggest economies hit world markets yesterday, with weak indicators out of China and Europe’s financial turmoil unsettling investors ahead of a crucial US jobs report. A survey of China’s manufacturing activity, the purchasing managers’ index, fell to 50.4 points in May, suggesting the sector - which has driven growth in the world’s second-largest economy for years - is stagnant. Any figure above 50 means the sector is expanding and below that, it is contracting. “The (Chinese) data is so bad, and so clearly points to slowdown of growth momentum, that it will likely help convince policy makers that the economy needs more stimulus,” Dariusz Kowalczyk, senior economist at Credit Agricole CIB in Hong Kong, said in an email.

A similar survey on Europe’s manufacturing sector was even more downbeat, falling to 45.1 points, with the measure for Germany - which had grown steadily throughout the past two years’ debt crisis - hitting a 35month low of 45.2. Analysts said the figures suggested the region would experience an even deeper economic downturn than previously forecast. The rising impact on strong economies like Germany might also make them more reluctant to provide bailouts for weaker countries. Germany’s DAX fell 2.5 per-

cent to 6,110.13, while France’s CAC-40 lost 1.6 percent to 2,968.13 and Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.8 percent to 5,277.56.

Asian indexes closed lower, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 index down 1.2 percent, and Wall Street was expected to slide on the open. Dow Jones industrial futures fell 0.8 percent to 12,279 and S&P 500 futures lost 1.4 percent at 1,291.50. The gloomy data further darkened the mood among investors, who have been increasingly spooked by the possibility that the 17-country eurozone might break up. The head of the European Central Bank drove home those concerns on Thursday, when he told European Union leaders that the euro currency union is unsustainable in its current form. The euro has fallen nearly 7 percent in May and was down another 0.3 percent yesterday to hit a new two-year low of $1.2322.

The likelihood of Greece leaving the euro grew in early May when parties opposed to the terms of the country’s financial rescue won at the polls. New elections are planned for next month.

This week, Spain became the new focus of the crisis after its borrowing rates soared to nearly 7 percent, a level that is considered unsustainable for a country to continue funding itself by selling bonds to investors. Greece, Portugal and Ireland were forced to ask for financial aid after their rates went over 7 per-

cent. The economic outlook is more likely to worsen than improve.

According to the latest official figures, unemployment in the eurozone remained at a record high of 11 percent in April, though it worsened in strug-

gling countries like Spain, Portugal and Greece. Youth unemployment in Spain hit 51.5 percent.

Against that backdrop, investors will hope that US economic data can show signs of progress. The monthly employ-

TOKYO: A Tokyo money brokerage employee sits in front of an electronic update board, flashing the current Japanese yen rate against a Euro at a money brokerage yesterday.

The euro has fallen nearly 7 percent in May as Europe’s debt crisis intensified. —AP

ment report, one of the most important indicators of the health of the world’s largest economy, is due later in the day.

Economists expect it to say that employers added 158,000 jobs. That would be better than in the past two months but far below the winter’s pace of 252,000 jobs per month. They also expect no change in the unemployment rate, which was 8.1 percent in April.

“Unemployment and nonfarm payroll will be key,” said Jackson Wong, vice president of Tanrich Securities in Hong Kong. Earlier in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed 1.2 percent lower at 8,440.25 and South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.5 percent to 1,835.51.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 index lost 0.3 percent to 4,063.90. Benchmarks in Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, India and New Zealand were also lower.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng ended 0.4 percent lower at 18,558.34 after briefly posting gains amid hopes for stimulus measures by the Chinese government.

Mainland Chinese shares were flat.

Benchmark oil for July delivery was down $1.71 to $84.82 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.29 to settle at $86.53 in New York on Thursday. The dollar fell to 78.12 yen from 78.33 yen late Thursday in New York. —AP

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Madonna calls for Middle East conflict to stop

5 great movies set on the water Page 23

A Bangladeshi acrobat performs in Dhaka yesterday.

Street circus, a major part of Bangladeshi culture, is very popular in the countryside. — AFP

Page 24

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

apper Nicki Minaj has denied claims her dancers were involved in the death of a young Irish fan whose body was found in a hotel room after attending a Tokyo concert. In a posting on her Twitter account, Minaj, who has worked alongside Rihanna and Black Eyed Peas front man will.i.am, expressed her condolences over the death of the 21-year-old student.

“Saddened to learn one of my precious fans; found tragically murdered in Japan. My love & prayers are with the family of Nicola Furlong,” the US star tweeted on Thursday.

Tokyo police last week arrested two American men, 23-year-old dancer James Blackston and a musician, 19, as part of an investigation into Furlong’s death, a police spokesman said yesterday. Police have not revealed the name of the musician, who is a minor under Japanese law. One of the men was with Furlong when she was found dead early on the morning of May 24 in a Tokyo hotel room, an earlier report said. An autopsy reportedly showed she may have been strangled.

The men were detained on suspicion of giving alcoholic drinks to Furlong’s friend, also a 21-yearold Irish woman, and then groping her inside a taxi, police and reports said. US-based celebrity gossip blog perezhilton.com identified Blackston

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Nicki Minaj performs at the Staples Center during the 54th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, on February 12, 2012. — AFP

aomi Judd’s new limited-run SiriusXM radio talk show has no safety net and even the country star says with a laugh she isn’t sure that’s a great idea. “If you’ve been at a press conference, you know I’ve said things I haven’t thought of - whoa,” Judd said. “That’s why they asked me. And there’s no 5-second delay. I’m wandering the woods without a map.” Judd hopes “Think Twice,” which starts its six-week run of hour-long Friday morning episodes June 8, will be a place the satellite radio network’s 22 million subscribers can turn to for a free-form discussion of ideas and topics, from current events and politics to hot-button issues like abortion and evolution.

“I want people to think twice,” Judd said in a phone interview. “That’s why I came up with the title, because in today’s culture, in this ADHD culture, people don’t understand the real important stuff. I want people to be talking about this stuff at the water cooler, around the kitchen table. I may have a total brainiac on who’s one of the most important people in the world, but I want to translate it for standardissue folks because that’s where my heart is. I want to tell them how this is affecting their everyday life.”

First up, though, the 66-year-old Grammy winner will examine her own life and her relationship with daughter Ashley Judd. Mother and daughter will sit down together in front of a studio audience next Tuesday to tape the debut episode. Judd’s voice filled with emotion when she described her feelings about the interview. She said that though the two have spent time together since Ashley Judd published a memoir last year that placed stress on their relationship, they have not spoken about the book or the revelations that Ashley was sexually abused as a child, including by a family member.

When “All That is Bitter & Sweet” was pub-

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lished last year, Ashley Judd said she’d never told her mother of the abuse. Both Naomi Judd and her other daughter, duo partner Wynonna Judd, say they also suffered sexual abuse. “I admit I’m a little nervous about doing it because this is the first time that Ashley and I have ever done anything together,” Judd said.

“And I’m going to ask her about what happened in our relationship - whoa, I have to take a deep breath before that one.” Judd said she would also ask her daughter about her feelings over the recent cancellation of her television series “Missing” and her emotions watching her husband, three-time Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti race in the aftermath of the death of his close friend Dan Wheldon.

“I know she’ll want to talk about her severe depression and share some ways that have gotten her to such a happy, stable place,” Judd said. “But I think really it’s probably going to be about our relationship because there’s some ...

Oh, boy.” Judd says she has now read “Bitter & Sweet.” In the end, she said she felt it was her duty as a parent to read the book. Now she thinks the things she learned during the process can be instructive for parents who are dealing with similarly difficult issues. “I had to take a deep breath before I opened the book and I read it by myself when I was in a good mood and had space and time,” Judd said. “I knew I would probably be hollering out loud at certain things - ‘It didn’t happen that way! I was there!’ - but (I was) acknowledging that anyone in a relationship has a completely different reality, and I wanted to know what my daughter’s personal experiences and journeys were.”—AP

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as a “backup dancer” for Minaj. But the rapper, whose Pink yesterday album enjoyed huge commercial success, denied the arrested men were anything to do with her. “We do NOT know the men in custody,” she tweeted. “My dancers had nothing to do w/this tragedy. No one in my entourage was questioned or arrested. They all flew home from Japan,” she tweeted.

Earlier reports said after Furlong and her friend left the Tokyo concert they had gone to a hotel in the city with the two men. Furlong went into the room of the 19-year-old American, while the other woman went with the other man, Kyodo News said. In the early hours of May 24, a hotel guest complained about a loud noise from one of the rooms. A hotel employee went to the room and found Furlong on the floor lying near the bed and the US teen standing nearby, Kyodo said. Furlong was studying in Takasaki city about 95 kilometres (60 miles) northwest of Tokyo, reports said. — AFP

Nashville judge has appointed a lawyer to investigate what’s going on with actress Reese Witherspoon’s father who is accused of bigamy and possibly has dementia, according to documents released in a sealed court case. Earlier this month, Witherspoon’s mother, Betty Witherspoon, said her husband of 42 years married another woman even though he remained wed to her. A hearing in that case, which was scheduled for Thursday, has been indefinitely postponed. In the meantime, documents released from another Nashville court indicate that John Witherspoon was placed in a conservatorship at the request of the Academy Award-winning actress and her brother.

The actress appeared in a Nashville courtroom on May 11 with her father, a Nashville otolaryngologist, but a judge barred the media from covering the hearing. The parents have been separated since 1996 but remain married and still attend family functions together, including t h e i r daughter’s March 2011

wedding. Betty Witherspoon said in court documents that she discovered that her husband married the other woman after reading a newspaper wedding announcement. She signed an affidavit saying that when she confronted her 70-year-old husband, he didn’t know who the woman was or remember marrying her.

Betty Witherspoon has accused John Witherspoon’s new wife, Tricianne “Patricia” Taylor, of taking out loans as Mrs John Witherspoon and changing his will. “She vehemently denies those allegations,” said Joe Brandon Jr, an attorney who represents Taylor. “She’s devastated, and we don’t have any further comment.” Betty Witherspoon, a 63-year-old nurse at Vanderbilt University hospital and a retired Tennessee State professor, says in the court documents that she still loves her husband and fears for his safety. She has accused him of taking out large loans for money.

“My husband’s spending practices have accelerated,” her affidavit says. “I now understand that he may have borrowed $400,000 at Bank of America and either forged my name or had his girlfriend posing as his wife sign.” The documents say she no longer lives with her husband because of his “alcoholism, infidelity, overspending and hoarding.” Betty Witherspoon has asked a family court judge to annul the wedding between her husband and Taylor and to order her to leave all residences belonging to the family, return all possession she has acquired and pay all court costs.—AP

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

he sequel “Piranha 3DD” comes out this week but it wasn’t shown to critics before opening day - which is a bummer, because the original “Piranha 3D” from 2010 was just a shamelessly gimmicky blast. But as you know, we like to be glass-half-full around here. And speaking of liquids, we’re using the opportunity to focus on five great films set on the water - an ocean, lake, river, whatever. “Jaws” definitely would have made the cut if I hadn’t used it for last week’s list about ultimate summer movies.

And the subject is so huge, you’ll notice I didn’t even get to any Busby Berkeley productions or anything with the word “Gidget” in the title. Still, you’ve got to dive in somewhere...

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ficult shoots, this one was so legendary for nearly destroying Francis Ford Coppola that there’s an entirely separate documentary (“Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse”) detailing the troubles. Still, the results are legendary in their own right. It’s hard to think of the phrase “going upriver” without thinking of Martin Sheen’s long,

In this undated image released by Paramount Home Entertainment, actors Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are shown in a scene from, ‘Titanic.’

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In this undated file photo released by United Artists, from left, Robert Duvall as Lt. Col. Kilgore, Albert Hall as Chief and Martin Sheen as Capt. Willard, are shown in the film “Apocalypse Now,” a United Artists release.

This undated promotional file photo released

by Turner Classic Movies, shows actors Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart in a scene from the 1951 film ‘The African Queen.’—AP photos •

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harrowing trek to track down and “terminate with extreme prejudice” Marlon Brando’s rebellious and revered Col. Kurtz in the Cambodian jungle. Here, the water leads Sheen’s Willard and his crew toward a territory so frightening, it must be hell itself. But as Robert Duvall’s surfing Lt. Col. Kilgore finds, water can also provide an escape.

“The African Queen” (1952): Humphrey Bogart won his one and only Oscar, if you can believe that, for his indelible portrayal of Charlie Allnut, the drunk, coarse captain of a rickety steamer who’s stuck on a river with Katharine Hepburn’s prim, rigid missionary, Rose Sayer, during World War I. They’re both playing types but they play them with great timing and zest. Snappy banter and - eventually, improbably - love ensue. The filming of John Huston’s comic adventure, which took place on location in Africa, was famously difficult but the results are lush and vivid. You can feel the heat and the grime and the muck while you’re watching it.

“Apocalypse Now” (1979): Speaking of dif-

A scene from Dead Calm (1989).

stronauts aboard the International Space Station will soon get a special screening of “The Avengers,” the blockbuster movie about superheroes defending Earth from aliens. Disney-owned Marvel Studios said Thursday that a copy of the film will be given to NASA’s Mission Control, which will uplink it to the space station, currently orbiting 220 miles (350 kilometers) above Earth. Dan Cook, psychological support coordinator at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, said

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“Dead Calm” (1989): One of the earliest films Nicole Kidman starred in, this thriller allowed her to showcase both her steely, cold strength as well as her fiery, formidable presence. Kidman and Sam Neill star as a married couple who take a trip on their yacht to heal after the death of their son.

Billy Zane is creepy and unhinged as the stranded passenger from a nearby vessel who climbs aboard and, naturally, turns out to be a homicidal maniac. The combination of claustrophobia in such a contained space and isolation on the high seas makes Phillip Noyce’s film intensely suspenseful.

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“Titanic” (1997): Although I’ll go so far as to say that the 3-D re-do James Cameron released this year is actually preferable. I don’t really have to explain why this one’s on the list, do I? Big boat, supposedly unsinkable, hits an iceberg and slowly slooooowly - fills up with water. Until then, it was all fun and games for Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, who’d fallen in love despite the socioeconomic chasm that divides them. Now they’re swimming and splashing and dashing across chaotic decks and increasingly cramped spaces in hopes of surviving. It’s very easy to make fun of “Titanic.” But it’s still a pretty spectacular spectacle to behold.

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“Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” (2003): Director Peter Weir tells a huge, sweeping story that’s also intimate and human. Russell Crowe again proves he can fill any role with authority and emotional resonance as a British captain pushing his ship and his crew beyond their limits in pursuit of a bigger, faster French vessel during the Napoleonic Wars, and he has great

that the movie would be good for morale.

“These are the types of things that help to keep the crew connected to home, which is a huge morale boost while being away for long periods of time,” he said. “The studio is privileged” to share the movie “with those up in space exploring the universe,” said Louis D’Esposito, Marvel Studios’ co-president and the film’s executive producer. “A special thanks goes to NASA for utilizing their incredible technology to make this spe-

A scene from ‘Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World’ (2003).

chemistry with Paul Bettany as the ship’s doctor. Flawlessly staged and beautifully shot, it’s just a good, old-fashioned epic.

Nominated for 10 Oscars including best picture, it won two: for cinematography and sound editing. Every creak and groan makes you feel as if you’re on board, too. — AP

cial screening miles above us in space happen. It is a screening that would make Tony Stark envious.” Stark is the billionaire playboy in the movie who dons his armor and becomes Iron Man. The movie also features comic book heroes Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, the Black Widow and Hawkeye. — AFP

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

op superstar Madonna kicked off a new world tour on Thursday wishing peace in the Middle East even as she showcased grim dance routines depicting violence and bloody gunmen among her more colorful numbers. Madonna, 53, mixed hit songs over three decades in music with tunes from her recent album, “MDNA,” before a packed audience, and she took a sly dig at younger diva, Lady Gaga.

“She’s not me!” Madonna sang at the end of “Express Yourself,” which she had reworked to include a sampling of Lady Gaga’s recent “Born This Way.” That song from Lady Gaga, who emerged on the pop music scene about four years ago and has enjoyed a huge following in recent years, has been cited by many music fans and critics as being very similar to Madonna’s late 1980s dance club smash.

Since Lady Gaga, 26, released “Born This Way,” fans and music lovers have speculated that a generational challenge was in the works between the two women and comedians have poked fun at any imagined rivalry between the two. Despite occasional lighthearted touches such as a baton-twirling routine in cheerleader formation and a psychedelic homage to Indian philosophy, the dominant mood at Thursday’s concert in Tel Aviv seemed more grim with a stage shrouded in black and red and costumes that often appeared ominous.

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Virgin sacrifice “Like a Virgin,” a dance tune that helped propel Madonna to stardom as risquÈ pop ingÈnue in the 1980s, was performed as a mournful cabaret with violin accompaniment. At one point, the singer was trussed up and hoisted into the air by four male dancers, then lowered onto a platform as though into a volcano - a virgin sacrifice.

For “Gang Bang,” Madonna wrestled with armed intruders whom she then dispatched with a pistol - their “blood” spattering across an enormous video backdrop.

In a routine for “Revolver”, she wielded a Kalashnikov rifle, used by many modern-day insurgents, while one of her dancers favored an Israeli Uzi. The exertions never sapped her confident singing, though she did become somewhat breathless during remarks to the audience at Ramat Gan stadium on Tel Aviv’s outskirts.

“I chose to start my world tour in Israel for a very specific and important reason. As you know, the Middle

East and all the conflicts that have been occurring here for thousands of years - they have to stop,” she said to cheers. A devotee of Jewish mysticism, Madonna had dubbed the first leg of her 28-country “MDNA” tour the “Peace Concert” and distributed free tickets to some of the Palestinians who attended from the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.

Among them was a woman named Yasmine, who declined to give her last name in light of Palestinian calls to boycott the Madonna concert and other cultural events in Israel. She offered a mixed assessment of the show. “I wasn’t a fan of the intro. It was too aggressive and massacre-like,” Yasmine said. “Her (Madonna’s)

A handout picture from the Palestinian-Israeli Peace NGO Forum shows US pop icon Madonna posing for a picture with Arab and Israeli founders of the Peace NGO Forum in the coastal city of Tel Aviv on May 30, 2012 on the eve of launching her MDNA world tour. — AFP

speech about peace and the mention of Palestine was heartfelt, though.” Avihay Asseraf, an Israeli who dedicated a Facebook page to Madonna’s visit, was more sanguine about the darker displays. “That’s how she chose to express herself this time,” he said. “Ultimately this is a show, a spectacle, and it’s all for fun.”— Reuters

US pop icon Madonna performs on stage during her first MDNA world tour concert in the Ramat Gan Stadium.

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

ndy Garcia can’t understand why an episode of Mexican history as bloody as the Cristero War is barely known outside Mexico or even within the country. That curiosity was part of the reason why he accepted the role of General Enrique Gorostieta in “For Greater Glory,” a film the Cuban actor compares to epics like “How the West Was Won,” “Doctor Zhivago” or “Lawrence of Arabia.” “About 90,000 people died in three years (1926-1929). There was torture, priests being hung from telegraph poles. It was a very ugly moment in Mexican history,” Garcia says of the conflict set off by the government’s persecution of Roman Catholics. “The curious thing was I didn’t know anything about it ... And when I started to ask some Mexican friends ... they didn’t know anything about it.”

In the film, which opens Friday in the US after its debut in Mexico, Garcia plays an atheist and retired decorated general who accepts an offer to lead the National League for the Defense of Religious Liberty in the war. He doesn’t share their religious fervor, but he does believe in the basic right of freedom. Garcia says he was intrigued by “For Greater Glory” from the

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In this undated image released by courtesy ARC Entertainment, center, Andy Garcia, and, right, Mauricio Kuri with flag, are seen in the film ‘For Greater Glory. — AP photos

or Greater Glory” wears both its heart and its cross on its sleeve. The movie glorifies the Catholic fighters and cause behind Mexico’s Christeros War (1926-29), a conflict that pitted the government against defenders of the Church.

The war started after Mexico’s democratically elected president, Plutarco Elias Calles, began enforcing provisions in the 1917 Constitution intended to separate church and state. His overzealous enforcement led to government troops persecuting Catholics, killing priests and missionaries, and destroying churches.

What began as an anti-government economic boycott by Catholics eventually turned into an armed rebellion in the name of religious freedom. (The film was partially financed by the U.S. branch of the Knights of Columbus, an international Catholic fraternal organization; it was active in raising funds for humanitarian relief during the war and lobbied President Calvin Coolidge to influence the Mexican government, a scene depicted in the film.)

Director Dean Wright, a veteran visual effects specialist (from a couple of “Lord of the Rings” and “Chronicles of Narnia” films), makes his directing debut with this would-be epic. Although he piles on thundering, action-heavy battle scenes, the movie is a long slog. Part of the problem is that the “Greater Glory” is so heavyhanded in its pro-Catholic point of view - bloody martyrdom, even by a young boy who is tortured at length and killed for refusing to renounce his faith and is presented as admirable - that it seems

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This May 1, 2012 photo shows actor Andy Garcia posing for a portrait in New York. moment director Dean Wright and producer Pablo Jose Barroso gave him the script and the book “La Cristiada,” by French historian and columnist Jean Meyer, who lives in Mexico.

With a stellar cast that includes Eva Longoria as Gorostieta’s wife and Ruben Blades as President Plutarco Elias Calles, “For Greater Glory” also stars Peter O’Toole - “Lawrence of Arabia” himself- as Father Christopher. The Associated Press: So, from being fascinated by the story to actually filming the movie there was only one step?

Garcia: It was easy to commit to do this movie because, aside from the curious fact that people don’t know the story, or maybe that they don’t want people to talk about this, the script, the concept of the film, was extremely classical ... and I knew it was going to be a beautiful adventure.—AP

ifty years after their sun-soaked paeans to surfing first took a nation’s juke boxes by storm, the Beach Boys are back with a new album, “That’s Why God Made the Radio”, a wistful wink at 1962. The album, which comes out Monday, marks the first time in 20 years that Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks and Bruce Johnston have played together, after being rent apart by bitter legal disputes, personal and artistic feuds, and lead songwriter Wilson’s descent into mental illness.

Now in their 60s and 70s, the Beach Boys released their first album, “Surfin’ Safari”, in July 1962. It spent 37 weeks on the US charts and introduced the world to a nascent surfing culture as seen through the harmonies of the Hawthorne, California band. Across the Atlantic Ocean, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were also taking their first steps. It was the birth of a new musical era.—AFP

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more like a Sunday school lesson than a period action-adventure film aimed at a broader audience.

The movie’s dozen major characters include historical figures (several of whom have since been beatified by the Catholic Church as martyrs) as well as fictional ones who represent conflated versions of actual people. It’s an overloaded canvas; few of the characters make much of an impression and the brushstrokes used to tell their stories are far too broad.

The exception is Gen. Enrique Gorostieta Velarde (Andy Garcia), a real-life figure. A brilliant military strategist and a hero of the Mexican Revolution, Velarde is recruited to lead the anti-government fighters though he himself is a nonbeliever. (His beloved wife, played by a nearly unrecognizable Eva Longoria, is a fervent Catholic.) He accepts the job more for its lucrative pay and the challenges offered - he is bored with his post-military life as a prosperous soap manufacturer - but eventually he too becomes a true believer. Garcia, striding about in a holster and boots, gives a strong, passionate performance, creating a character both complicated and compelling and grabbing the viewer every time he’s on screen. — Reuters

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

An explosion is seen hitting a mosque on a film set.

he villain in Lebanon’s new hit war movie: a cigar-smoking Israeli army colonel who sports a cowboy hat and a handlebar mustache and repeatedly orders troops to shell Lebanese villages. The heroes: residents of one such village who band together to fight Israeli troops. The film, “33 Days,” tells the story of the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in one front-line village and glorifies “the resistance” - shorthand among many Lebanese for Hezbollah and other groups that fight Israel.

The movie is unlikely to screen in Israel or the West. But in Lebanon, still officially at war with the Jewish state, it has drawn large crowds since opening on April 19. Audiences often cheer when Hezbollah rockets smash into Israeli tanks, indicating the hatred still aimed across the border six years after a war that began with a cross-border Hezbollah raid and killed 160 people in Israel and about 1,200 in Lebanon, reducing parts of south Beirut and many southern villages to rubble.

The film also reflects Iranian influence in Lebanon that goes beyond the increasingly sophisticated weapons it gives to Hezbollah, which has parlayed that support into a position as the most powerful political and military force in Lebanon, dictating the makeup of the country’s current government. The film’s director and much of its funding and crew came from Iran.

Although Hezbollah played no official role in producing it, the film serves as a feature-length advertisement for the anti-Israel struggle. Ali Bouzeid, chairman of the film’s Lebanese production company, denied that the film is political,

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Lebanese actors playing Israeli soldiers prepare for filming a scene for the movie 33 Days at a film location in Ansariyeh village, southern Lebanon.

comparing it to footage of workers in a bank fighting off armed robbers.

“If I get the footage of that and show it, is that a political film?” he asked. “It’s a reality that happened.” Others see it differently. “These films strengthen the culture of resistance among people, encourage them and make them sympathize with the resistance in all of Lebanon,” actor Bassem Mughniyeh said in a promotional video released online. Iran’s quasi-governmental Farabi production company provided more than half of the film’s $4 million budget, Bouzeid said. A Farsilanguage version opened late last year in Iran, and the original Arabic is now showing in theaters across Lebanon. Bouzeid said he is negotiating distribution elsewhere in the Arab world and Turkey.

The film was shot in a 5,000-square-yard (meter) set built to represent the south Lebanon village of Aita al-Shaab. Most of the set was destroyed in the film’s production, just like the real village during the war. The actors are Lebanese, Bouzeid said, but most of the crew were Iranian. With a focus on battle scenes, the filmmakers used more than 2,000 extras, 30 Lebanese army vehicles and dozens of explosions - one of which wounded seven people.

The movie opens with blurry footage of Israeli troops panicking - apparently after Hezbollah crossed the border, killed three soldiers and captured two others, the event that sparked the war.

Cut to an Israeli military base: Col. Avi, the villain, lights a hotdog-sized cigar and orders troops to shell Aita al-Shaab, where the raid originated.

Then to the village itself, which is preparing for a

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

In this picture taken August 19, 2010, a Lebanese actor playing an Israeli soldier stands at a checkpoint during filming scenes of 33 Days at a film location in Burj Rahal village, southern Lebanon. — AP photos wedding when word comes of the raid. The villagers mobilize for the Israeli response that soon arrives in a shower of shells. Some residents flee; the heroes remain.

One scene shows Um Abbas, a veiled Muslim woman, handing an armful of rifles to surprised young fighters. A series of flashbacks soon reveal her history with Avi: He killed her son and husband years earlier, and she repaid him with a slash on his cheek, now a deep scar. As Avi orders up more shelling, the casualties mount. A drone strike kills a man carrying medicine. After visiting his pregnant wife in an underground bunker, a leading fighter is surrounded by Israeli soldiers but detonates a hand grenade to kill himself and the Israelis instead of being taken prisoner.

Then the tide turns: Avi is addressing Israeli soldiers as a number of the nearly 4,000 rockets that Hezbollah fired during the war fly overhead.

In Beirut’s Abraj theater during a recent screening, most of the 150 spectators burst into applause. In the next scenes, roadside bombs and shoulder-fired missiles destroy Israeli tanks; village fighters rout an Israeli advance, sending terrified soldiers fleeing; and Umm Abbas emerges from a building with a sniper rifle as Avi falls dead in the street - all to huge applause.

The cheering continues when a baby is heard crying in the bunker - until the camera reveals its dead mother. But the village celebrates anyway, and the credits roll as families return to their homes. Not all Lebanese like the film. Some reviewers criticized the script as too simple.

A mock Israeli tank is seen in the background of a film location, during filming of the movie 33 Days.

A Lebanese actor playing an Israeli soldier jumps from a tank during filming of a scene for 33 Days.

Bassem Alhakim lauded its special effects, but faulted it for reducing the Israeli colonel’s war aims to a personal vendetta. “In the film, he did not come to carry out an Israeli plan to destroy Hezbollah and disband the resistance,” he wrote in the Al-Akhbar newspaper.

The audience at Abraj, however, was pleased.

Abu Asim Bazzeh, who brought his wife and three sons, aged 5, 12 and 14, praised the film’s message. “What really impressed me was the determination of the resistance to hang on to their land and be victorious, because that is what happened,” he said. When asked about his favorite part, his son Mahdi, 12, said, “the missiles.” The theater’s manager, Raymond Chaanine, said the film had outsold everything else since it opened and that most who see it are Hezbollah supporters. He had not seen it, adding that not everyone wants to remember the war.

“It’s all about taste,” he said. “There are some Lebanese who don’t want to see anything that has to do with war. Others love it.”—AP

A Lebanese actor playing a Hezbollah fighter fires during filming of the movie 33 Days.

A Lebanese actor playing a Hezbollah fighter jumps from a destroyed house during filming for the movie 33 Days, at a film location in Ansariyeh village.

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

This 18-year-old builds a birch-bark canoe in rare fashion

Talon Stammen paddles his birch-bark canoe at the Northwest Angle on Lake of the Woods near the Minnesota-Ontario border.

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hen a tribal elder on Lake of the Woods saw the birchbark canoe Talon Stammen was building, the native was quick with a quip. “You know they make those in Fiberglas now,” the elder joked. The point wasn’t lost on Stammen, 18, of Grand Forks, but building a canoe using materials he’d harvested with traditional tools was as much about the journey as the destination. He now has one of the few birch-bark canoes to grace Lake of the Woods in the past century. “It’s kind of a craft of love,” said Stammen, whose family has an island cabin on this northernmost point of the Lower 48 on the Minnesota-Ontario border. “I spend the summers up here-and any free time that I have-in the forest and on the lake, and this is a way to connect with nature at a deeper level. It’s pretty amazing to be able to travel in a craft of your own creation, to catch fish in a birch-bark canoe that you built yourself.”

Stammen obtained permission from the Anishinaabe tribal members to harvest birch bark for the hull on reservation lands. He also gathered black ash for the thwarts that extend across the width of the canoe and black spruce roots for lacing to lash the materials together.

The cedar, which he carved and formed to make the canoe’s 50 ribs, the gunnels and the sheathing that lines the interior, came from a huge tree that fell near the cabin. All of the materials, he said, were harvested with respect for the earth, including the offering of tobacco to give something back to the land, in keeping with native tradition. “It’s also important to recognize the spirit of the tree and that it’s providing you with a vital material,” Stammen said.

Enjoying the process Stammen built his canoe with traditional tools-a Hudson Bay ax, a crooked knife-to carve the thwarts and ribs and a deer shank awl to punch the holes in the bark to stitch the sheets of birch together and lash them to the gunnels. Power tools and other modern conveniences were never an option, Stammen said. “Maybe I’m more of a purist than I should be, but that destroys the spirit of it,” he said. “Traditional tools have been refined over such a long period of time, there’s almost no better way to do it.” Stammen said the 14-foot canoe, which he completed last September, took him about two months to make.

“I didn’t build the canoe from 9 to 5 — I just worked on it when I felt like it,” he said. His dad, Larry Stammen, said Talon, whose first name comes from a character in a Louis L’Amour novel named Jean Talon, poured his heart and soul into the project, often rising at dawn and working until sunset. Jean Talon traveled west with dreams of building steamboats on the Missouri River, Larry said, but he and wife, Mary, didn’t pick Talon’s name knowing he would be a canoe builder.

“The juxtaposition of names was intentional; the dreams of building boats was not,” Larry said. “It is an interesting parallel, though.” Talon did most of the work alone, Larry said, and neither heat nor rain got in the way. “He couldn’t even be bothered to swat the mosquitoes and flies that bit him,” he said.

Despite that persistence, Talon said the project wasn’t a race. “Building a canoe for me wasn’t really about the end product,” he said. “It was about the journey, it was about learning how to find materials that are suitable for building a canoe.

It’s important to enjoy the process, and for me, the finished product is just an added benefit.”

Natural step The road to that finished product started long before he

decided to build the canoe, in the Grand Forks workshop of Stammen’s grandfather, Art Grabowski, 98. It’s there Stammen learned to work with wood, carving bowls, making furniture and snowshoes, and where grandfather and grandson still spend much of their time. “He was my mentor and got me started doing things like this,” Stammen said.

Combine a love of woodworking with a passion for the outdoors, and it probably was inevitable that Stammen would build a birch-bark canoe. Last summer, he took a class in birch-

hull and then lashed to the gunnels that give the top of the canoe its shape.

The frame, which consists of the thwarts, the ribs and cedar sheathing, then is built inside the canoe, and the ribs dictate the shape. Pitch from spruce trees is heated, mixed with charcoal and bear grease for added durability and spread over the seams to seal the hull. “There’s a lot of lore behind the canoe,” Stammen said. “You just don’t lay out a sheet of bark and build a canoe.”

The birch-bark canoe Talon Stammen built at the Northwest Angle on Lake of the Woods is a hunting-style canoe designed to carry heavy loads. bark canoe making at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minn. The school specializes in teaching traditional crafts. He also read “Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America” by Edwin Tappan Adney, a book he said is the only source of true historical information on traditional canoes. “I really studied it,” Stammen said.

The effort paid off at North House Folk School. Erik Simula of Grand Marais, a master canoe builder who taught the birchbark canoe course, said he was especially impressed by Stammen’s interest in the traditional ways, both in terms of tools and native culture. “I know it kind of bucks the societal trend for that age group today,” Simula, 47, said. “It’s really hard to study birch-bark canoe building without a cultural context. “He asked very important questions and he didn’t talk too much. He really concentrated and when it came time to learn something new, he would study, he would focus and he would try it. I really enjoyed working with him.”

Finding ‘The Tree’ Stammen said finding a birch tree with canoe-quality bark was the biggest challenge he encountered. There’s a significant difference between the “paper birch” that easily separates into layers and “canoe birch” with sturdier bark that doesn’t come apart. The Anishinaabe, he said, have several words in their native language to differentiate the types of bark, even though all come from the same white birch used in canoes.

“There are very few canoe-quality birch right on the road,” Stammen said. “You need to go deep into the woods. As soon as you see ‘The Tree,’ you just know it.” Stammen also built his canoe outdoors. Unlike the more modern wood-and-canvas canoes, in which the hull is shaped around the frame, the material in a birch-bark canoe is stitched together to form the

Talon Stammen read extensively and took a course at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minn, before building his birch-bark canoe last summer at the family cabin on the Northwest Angle. — MCT

Stammen said he did more bailing than paddling the first time he tried the canoe last fall, but adding more pitch to the seams fixed the leaks. The canoe is patterned after an Algonquin style in Tappan Adney’s book that was made for carrying hunters and game. The hull is flared with a narrow waterline, Stammen said, so it’s efficient and easy to paddle. It weighs less than 50 pounds.

“A birch-bark canoe is hard to describe-it becomes part of you,” Stammen said. “It’s a joy to paddle, even more so than any other canoe I’ve paddled. It’s pretty satisfying to spend all that effort and time creating something like this and then getting in and being able to paddle to a distant shore.

“This summer, I plan to paddle everywhere I go.” Stammen, who recently graduated from Red River High School, plans to attend the University of North Dakota in the fall and eventually study medicine. He also plans to build more birch-bark canoes.

“It was an incredible experience,” he said. “I would love nothing more than to at least have people appreciate it, if not build one themselves.”— MCT

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

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or a fashion designer it is a unique task: dressing a woman who must be immediately recognizable from Antigua to Zimbabwe, visible from a distance, bright, dignified and immune to wardrobe malfunctions. But the series of dressers who have worked with Queen Elizabeth II have helped her evolve a personal style that wins praise from unlikely quarters, including from a young French designer who worked for a decade with Jean Paul Gaultier. “She has her own style and it works extremely well for her,” Alexandre Vauthier told AFP. “It’s really her DNA. “She is the only person to dress this way, which makes her instantly recognizable.” The 86-year-old monarch’s diamond jubilee this weekend marks 60 years of travelling, handshaking, and meeting global leaders as Britain’s head of state. On the biggest ceremonial occasions she appears in state dresses, jewels and even a crown, but humbler public engagements are no less challenging on the wardrobe front. Her stylists, always British, must ensure that no garment is transparent, too tight or too short, and consider possible weather conditions-including weighting her skirt hemlines to avoid embarrassment in a gust of wind.

For most of the hundreds of public engagements she carries out every year, the queen appears in a brightly-colored outfit with a matching hat, neat handbag and sensible, yet elegant shoes.

Before any state or Commonwealth visit, her designers study meanings attached to colors, sleeve lengths and symbols in the country, both to avoid accidental offence and to be gracious to her hosts. For her historic visit to Ireland in May 2011, the queen

wore emerald green, the country’s emblematic color, and for a reception at Dublin Castle she sported a dress embroidered with no fewer than 2,000 tiny shamrocks. On the first visit by a British monarch since the republic gained independence, her dress was a signal as powerful as the few words of Irish with which she began her keynote speech.

But those who have grown up seeing the queen as a distinguished older lady may be unaware of the glamour of her youth.

“Elizabeth in her youth was fun, vibrant, exciting and spontaneous,” royal historian Kate Williams told AFP. “And now we see a very different queen: she often is quite unsmiling; she’s very fond of duty; she is very dignified.” In a photograph from 1954, the year after her coronation, the queen appears in a seductive tight-fitting white lace dress by Hardy Amies, her designer for some 40 years.

During the 1950s she wore a series of romantic evening gowns with ample silk and satin skirts, many of them by Norman Hartnell, who also created dresses for her wedding in 1947 and coronation in 1953. In the 1960s, her dresses became closer-fitting and bolder; in 1969, meeting US president Richard Nixon, she wore hot-pink silk. “The task of making clothes for the queen is not an easy one... not that the queen has been anything other than co-operative and professional in every respect,” Amies, who died in 2003, said in a rare interview.

Amies “understood, as have other designers working for Her Majesty, that the wardrobe can make political statements,” observed Country Life magazine, the bible of affluent rural

Models display creations by one of the Armenian designers, participants of the Yerevan Fashion Week in Armenia’s capital Yerevan. — AFP

Britons, in a special issue to mark the jubilee. The queen’s wardrobe is now the responsibility of designer Angela Kelly, the daughter of a humble dock-worker from the northwestern city of Liverpool, who joined her team of dressers in 1993 and became her personal stylist in 2002.

Kelly was behind the immaculate primrose-yellow ensemble the queen wore to Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton last year. She also created the white silk, satin and lace state dress with silver sequins the sovereign wears in her official diamond jubilee photographs. Queenly fashion has inspired a raft of clothes and accessories issued for the jubilee, with corgis and tiaras in abundance as well as more subtle references to the queen’s favorite colors. Fashion iconoclast Vivienne Westwood has created a limited edition jubilee collection of dresses blending Britain’s Union Jack flag with elements from the queen’s own wardrobe. The queen’s grandson Prince Harry, along with many other commentators, called her outfits “impeccable”. Vauthier said: “She has her own look, and it wins her respect. “She shouldn’t change a thing.”— AFP

TECHNOLOGY

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Google adds feature to help China searchers BEIJING: Google has fired a new salvo in a censorship battle with Beijing by adding a feature that warns users in China who enter search keywords that might produce blocked results and suggests they try other terms. Google’s announcement Thursday described the change as a technical improvement and made no mention of Beijing’s extensive Internet controls.

But it comes after filters were tightened so severely in recent weeks that searches fail for some restaurants, universities or tourist information. Authorities were trying to stamp out talk about an embarrassing scandal over the fall of a rising Communist Party star.

Google Inc. closed its China-based search engine in 2010 to avoid cooperating with government censorship.

Mainland users can see its Chinese-language site in Hong Kong but the connection breaks if they search for sensitive terms. The new feature will alert users if they enter a search term that “may temporarily break your connection to Google,” said a blog post by a Google senior vice president, Alan Eustace. He said it will suggest they “try other search terms.”

“By prompting people to revise their queries, we hope to reduce these disruptions and improve our user experience from mainland China,” Eustace wrote.

Google cited as an example the Chinese character “jiang,” or river, without mentioning it is the name of former President Jiang Zemin, the possible reason results are blocked. It says the site will recommend removing the character.

Google could anger Beijing by pointing out individual terms that might produce blocked results. Chinese regulators do not disclose which terms are banned. They try to hide censorship by returning the same error message as for a technical failure, possibly to avoid drawing attention to unwanted topics.

nist government tries to punish the company. Google, based in Mountain View, California, had 16.6 percent of China’s search market in the first quarter based on use of its global and Hong Kong sites, according to Analysys International, a Beijing research firm. It was in second place behind local rival Baidu Inc., which

CHINA: In this March 23, 2010 file photo, flowers are placed on the Google logo outside Google China headquarters .—AP A Google spokesman declined to comment on whether the company was concerned about Chinese government retaliation. Google was allowed to keep a network of advertising sales offices in China that might be vulnerable if the commu-

78.5 percent, but ahead of other Chinese competitors.

Google is also promoting its Android mobile phone operating system for use

by Chinese manufacturers. Beijing approved Google’s $12.5 billion acquisi-

tion of Motorola Mobility, a wireless device maker, last month on condition Android remains available to Chinese companies and others at no cost for five years. Tensions over censorship highlight Beijing’s complicated relations with global technology companies. The communist government wants to boost incomes by promoting high-tech industry but insists on controlling access to information.

Beijing promotes Internet use for education and business and has the world’s biggest population of Internet users, with 513 million people online as of December, but tries to block politically sensitive material. The latest tightening of controls was prompted by a flurry of rumors online about the downfall of Bo Xilai, a prominent politician who was party secretary of the major city of Chongqing in the southwest.

In addition to Bo’s name, blocked terms include Chongqing and Yangtze River, which flows past the city. That means searches for universities, hotels, restaurants or other businesses that use those names also fail. China’s two most popular microblog services stopped allowing new postings for three days in early April to erase what they said were illegal or harmful postings. Google’s engineers reviewed the 350,000 most popular search queries in China in an effort to find “disruptive queries,” the company said.

Google gave no indication when development of the latest feature started but said it received reports of unreliable searches “over the past couple of years.” — AP

Oracle gets another setback in Google dispute NEW YORK: Oracle Corp. received another setback Thursday as a federal judge in San Francisco undermined a central part of the company’s multimillion dollar case against Google Inc. over its Android software for mobile devices. Oracle had accused Google of copyright infringement in using “application programming interfaces,” or APIs, that help Oracle’s Java software work effectively. A jury found Google infringed on those APIs on May 7, but it couldn’t agree on whether Google was covered under “fair use” protections in US law. Without a fair-use determination, Oracle wasn’t able to extract huge sums from Google. Now, US District Judge William Alsup said Google’s use of the APIs wasn’t covered by copyright law in the first place.

The effect of Thursday’s ruling is limited because a jury had earlier reached an impasse on the issue of fair use. But the ruling could be important in any appeals. Oracle said it will appeal the ruling. Android now powers more than 300 million smartphones and tablet computers. Those devices are the chief competitors to Apple’s iPhones and iPads. Google has driven the adoption of Android by giving the software away to manufacturers of phones and tablets. That would have been more difficult for Google to keep doing if the court had found that Google needed to pay Oracle millions of dollars to license Java technology.

The jury in the case had been asked to rule on the infringement and fair use questions on the assumption that the APIs were copyrightable. Alsup deferred a ruling on the

broader copyright question until after the trial, which ended May 23. Alsup ruled Thursday that Google didn’t use Oracle’s exact programming code in Android, but rather wrote its own code to produce the same functions.

Although Google used some of the same phrases in the code, Alsup said it had to do so to maintain interoperability. Names, titles and short phrases aren’t covered by copyright, and Google’s use of those phrases amounted to that, he said.

“In sum, Google and the public were and remain free to write their own implementations to carry out exactly the same functions of all methods in question, using exactly the same method specifications and names,” Alsup said. In a statement, Google said “the court’s decision upholds the principle that open and interoperable computer languages form an essential basis for software development. It’s a good day for collaboration and innovation.”

Oracle countered that Alsup’s ruling would “make it far more difficult to defend intellectual property rights against companies anywhere in the world that simply takes them as their own.” Alsup’s ruling does not affect the jury’s determination that Android infringed on nine lines of Java coding, but the penalty for that violation is confined to statutory damages no higher than $150,000.

Oracle had been seeking hundreds of millions of dollars from Google on the API questions. The jury has also cleared Google of infringing two Oracle patents. — AP

Sharp shows thinner, clearer mobile displays TOKYO: Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. says it is upgrading its current displays to make them slimmer and clearer. Sharp also said yesterday its innovation is based on technology that reduces power consumption.

For liquid crystal displays, the technology called IGZO requires little adjustment to production lines or investment. The upgrade kicks in this fiscal year. The technology can also be applied to OLED screens, which can be paper-thin. Hurdles remain for mass production because of costs. Rivals including Samsung Electronics Co. and Sony Corp. are all working on thinner displays. — AP

TECHNOLOGY

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

This screenshot provided by Google demonstrates the new Google Drive service using an Android device.

This screenshot provided by MapQuest shows driving directions from Denver to Estes Park, Colo.

A mapping contender emerges in MapQuest xORO VALLEY: The summer travel season has arrived, and with gas prices going down, it’s time to plan a road trip. For a Memorial Day weekend trip to Arizona, I checked four free services that provide driving directions - Google, Yahoo, AOL’s MapQuest and Microsoft’s Bing. I made it from Phoenix’s airport to a friend’s wedding outside Tucson without getting lost, and I made several sightseeing stops along the way with only a handful of wrong turns. I also used the services in New York to find mass-transit directions to LaGuardia Airport.

Google emerged as the clear winner, but I found a surprise contender in MapQuest.

Years ago, I turned to MapQuest whenever I visited friends in an unfamiliar city. I found it amazing that I could leave my road atlases and fold-out paper maps at home. Google then came along in 2005 and blew past MapQuest and other competitors. Google changed online mapping by making it easier to move around a map. Other services forced you to click a button to shift a map slightly left, right, up or down. The entire map would reload each time. Google made it possible to simply click and drag a map to get beyond the edge of what’s displayed instantly, with no delays from reloading.

The competitors have long adopted Google’s approach, but Google still excels at helping you find where you’re going. On Google, I was able to look up my destination by typing just part of a street address or the name of a business.

Google offered several suggestions as I typed and narrowed the options as I entered more attributes, such as the city. I simply chose the right one once it came up. Bing and MapQuest make suggestions only after you finish typing and they are often wrong. When I typed “Four Peaks,” Bing tried to send me from Phoenix’s airport to some mountain in Canada, while MapQuest had me going to 4 Peaks Drive in Osterville, Mass. Yahoo offered suggestions as I typed, but none were for the Tempe, Ariz., brewery I was looking for. After hitting “Get Directions,” Yahoo tried to send me to a Four Peaks Road in New Zealand.

Only Google had Four Peaks Brewery as one of the suggestions. Time and time again, Google found what the others couldn’t. With the others,

I often had to type in the street address - not part of one or the name of the business. Where MapQuest does better is in giving you more routing options. All four let you plot routes that avoid tolls or highways. On MapQuest, you can also avoid ferries, seasonal roads or streets that prohibit turns during rush hour. You can choose between shortest time and shortest distance.

And if you have several stops in mind, you can let MapQuest figure out the most efficient order.

Once I found my routes, I printed out directions for my trip, switching off between the four as I moved from one place to another.

Bing and MapQuest were best in offering you cues on where to turn. They both offer warnings that if you’ve reached a certain intersection, you’ve gone too far. Both also tell you to look for

landmarks such as an Exxon or a Denny’s at the corner. In some cases, MapQuest goes further, telling you what intersection to look for BEFORE you should make your turn. Like Google, MapQuest offers a free phone app with turn-byturn directions spoken aloud. It’s a great feature when you’re driving alone. Using the GPS system, the app tells you when to make your turn. If you miss it, it’ll automatically find you another way to get there. They also both offer real-time traffic conditions so you can route around congestion.

I tried both during my trip on an older Android phone. MapQuest has one for the iPhone, too, and a new iPhone version due out next week promises nearby gas prices (Android already has it). Bing’s voice feature works only

This screenshot shows driving directions from Phoenix’s airport to a business in Tempe with traffic information on Google’s website. The green sections represent areas without delays. — AP photos

on Microsoft’s Windows phones, which I didn’t test. MapQuest’s version is still clunky. While driving to Tucson’s airport, it told me to continue three miles along Interstate 10 only to tell me to stay on the highway and continue another three miles from there. It doesn’t take a genius to know that three plus three is six. MapQuest’s app also kept announcing every time it was rerouting directions following a missed turn.

These were annoyances I had with Google’s Maps Navigation app when it first came out in 2009, but it has improved since then.

MapQuest’s app also failed to find a destination when I mistakenly pluralized a name. Google figured it out. As with the website, Google makes it easy to search on its app. It has walking directions for some indoor locations such as airports and shopping malls, too. Not that Google was flawless: After I asked for directions to an Indian restaurant in the Tucson suburb of Oro Valley, Google’s voice navigator sent me back to my rented condo, as if to tell me I had eaten enough. Google also lacks MapQuest’s night mode, which darkens the screen for nighttime driving.

Back to using the website versions of the mapping services, Google excelled at finding transit directions from my apartment in Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport. Bing and MapQuest also offered transit directions, but only Google knew about a bus that stopped just a block from my apartment. MapQuest wanted me to take three subway lines and walk 40 minutes with heavy luggage. Those three also offer walking directions; Yahoo says transit and walking options will come this year. Of the four services I tested, Google is the only to offer bicycle directions. It’s different from walking directions in that cyclists must respect one-way signs. Bike routes also favor bike lanes and shun steep hills when possible.

Google is the best overall so far, but I’m glad there’s competition. I hope MapQuest can catch up on finding destinations so that I can take advantage of its exclusive features. In addition, MapQuest is a good choice for the iPhone, as Google’s voice-guidance feature is available only on devices running on its Android system.

In fact, that feature has been one big reason I haven’t switched to an iPhone. —AP

TV listings SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

00:45 01:40 02:35 03:30 04:25 05:20 05:45 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:25 08:15 09:10 09:35 10:05 10:30 11:00 11:25 11:55 12:50 13:45 14:10 14:40 15:35 16:30 17:25 18:20 19:15 20:10 21:05 21:30 22:00 22:25 22:55 23:20 23:50

Untamed & Uncut Human Prey The Beauty Of Snakes I Was Bitten Wildest Africa Wildlife SOS International Escape To Chimp Eden Vet On The Loose E-Vets: The Interns Escape To Chimp Eden Crocodile Hunter The Planet’s Funniest Animals Jeff Corwin Unleashed Jeff Corwin Unleashed Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Wild Animal Orphans Project Puppy Dogs 101 Wildlife SOS Safari Vet School Safari Vet School Must Love Cats Wildest Africa Wildest Africa Wildest Africa Wildest Africa Wildest Africa Great Ocean Adventures Karina: Wild On Safari Karina: Wild On Safari Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer Ned Bruha: Skunk Whisperer Great Animal Escapes Great Animal Escapes Animal Cops South Africa

00:05 Come Dine With Me 00:55 Indian Food Made Easy 01:20 Saturday Kitchen 2008/09 01:45 Saturday Kitchen 2007/08 02:15 Saturday Kitchen 2007/08 02:40 MasterChef 03:35 Living In The Sun 04:20 A Taste Of Greenland 05:10 New Scandinavian Cooking With Andreas Viestad 05:35 Rick Stein’s French Odyssey 06:00 James Martin’s Brittany 06:25 Indian Food Made Easy 06:50 Saturday Kitchen 2008/09 07:25 Saturday Kitchen 2007/08 07:50 Come Dine With Me 11:55 Come Dine With Me 12:45 Celebrity MasterChef 13:40 Celebrity MasterChef 14:30 Cash In The Attic USA 14:50 Cash In The Attic USA 15:10 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 16:00 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 16:50 Antiques Roadshow 20:10 Antiques Roadshow 21:00 Cash In The Attic 21:30 Cash In The Attic 22:00 Bargain Hunt 22:45 Bargain Hunt 23:30 Cash In The Attic USA 23:55 Cash In The Attic USA

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:15 04:40 05:00 05:25 05:50 06:00 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:25 07:50 08:15 08:40 08:55 09:15 09:40 10:05 10:30 10:55 11:20 11:30

Duck Dodgers The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop Tom & Jerry Kids A Pup Named Scooby-Doo The Jetsons Puppy In My Pocket Popeye Tom & Jerry Looney Tunes Scooby Doo Where Are You! Droopy: Master Detective Wacky Races The Flintstones A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Popeye Classics Wacky Races Pink Panther And Pals Dexter’s Laboratory Bananas In Pyjamas Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Gerald McBoing Boing Ha Ha Hairies The Garfield Show The Looney Tunes Show What’s New Scooby-Doo? Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Yogi’s Treasure Hunt Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch Wacky Races The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop

00:15 01:10 01:35 Junior 02:30 03:25 04:20 05:15 05:40 06:05 07:00 07:25 08:15 09:10 10:05 10:55 11:50 12:45 13:40 14:35 15:30 16:25 17:20 18:15 19:10 20:05 21:00 21:55 World 22:50 23:45

00:30 Bakugan: New Vestroia 00:55 Bakugan: New Vestroia 01:20 Powerpuff Girls 02:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 03:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 03:25 Ben 10 03:50 Adventure Time 04:15 Powerpuff Girls 04:40 Generator Rex 05:05 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:55 Angelo Rules 06:00 Casper’s Scare School 06:25 Casper’s Scare School 07:00 The Powerpuff Girls

07:40 The Amazing World Of Gumball 08:05 Adventure Time 08:30 Regular Show 08:55 Eliot Kid 09:20 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 09:45 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 10:05 Total Drama: Revenge Of The Island 10:35 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 11:00 Redakai: Conquer The Kairu 11:25 Grim Adventures Of...

12:15 Courage The Cowardly Dog 13:05 Generator Rex 13:30 Powerpuff Girls 14:20 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 14:45 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 15:10 Best Ed 16:00 Fantastic Four...

16:25 Ben 10 16:50 The Amazing World Of Gumball 17:15 Adventure Time 17:40 Regular Show 18:05 Powerpuff Girls 18:55 Ben 10: Alien Force 19:20 Ben 10: Alien Force 19:45 Ed, Edd n Eddy 20:35 Grim Adventures Of...

21:00 Star Wars: The Clone Wars 21:25 Redakai: Conquer The Kairu 21:50 Cow And Chicken 22:00 Codename: Kids Next Door 22:50 Ben 10 23:15 Ben 10 23:40 Chowder

00:00 Amanpour 00:30 World Sport

01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 05:45 06:00 07:00 07:30 08:00 08:15 08:30 09:00 09:15 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:30 18:00 18:15 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 23:00 23:30

Desert Car Kings X-Machines Surviving The Cut How It’s Made How It’s Made Gold Rush How It’s Made Built From Disaster Mega Builders Extreme Engineering X-Machines Man, Woman, Wild Dual Survival Ultimate Survival Ultimate Survival World’s Toughest Jobs Coal Gold Divers Gold Rush Storm Chasers River Monsters Gold Rush Bear Grylls’ Wild Weekend Inventions That Shook The Weed Wars River Monsters

00:35 Sport Science 01:25 The Tech Show 01:50 Mighty Ships 02:40 Mighty Ships 03:35 Mighty Ships 04:25 Mighty Ships 05:20 Mighty Ships 06:10 Mighty Ships 07:00 Brave New World 07:50 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 13:55 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 14:50 Sport Science 15:40 Junk Men 16:05 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 16:35 Brave New World 17:25 Prophets Of Science Fiction 18:15 Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger 18:40 Sport Science 19:30 Brave New World 20:20 Mega World 21:10 Weird Or What?

22:00 Dark Matters 22:50 Brave New World 23:40 Stuck With Hackett

INSIDE OUT ON OSN ACTION HD 11:50 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 12:10 The Garfield Show 12:35 The Flintstones 13:00 Dastardly And Muttley 13:50 Looney Tunes 14:40 Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo 15:05 Tom & Jerry 15:55 Top Cat 16:20 Top Cat 16:45 Pink Panther & Pals 17:15 The Garfield Show 18:05 The Looney Tunes Show 18:30 Johnny Bravo Goes To Bollywood 20:00 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 20:30 What’s New Scooby-Doo? 20:55 The Garfield Show 21:25 The Flintstones 21:50 Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch 22:15 Popeye 22:35 Scooby-Doo And Scrappy-Doo 23:00 Wacky Races 23:20 Dastardly And Muttley 23:45 New Yogi Bear Show

Surviving The Cut Destroyed In Seconds American Chopper: Senior vs

Piers Morgan Tonight World Report Anderson Cooper 360 Piers Morgan Tonight Quest Means Business CNN Marketplace Africa The Situation Room World Sport News Special World Report CNN Marketplace Africa Backstory World Report CNN Marketplace Middle East News Special World Sport News Special The Best Of The Situation Room World Report Backstory The Brief Inside Africa World Report News Special Talk Asia News Special The Royals Backstory International Desk African Voices CNN Marketplace Europe CNN Marketplace Africa The Brief World Sport News Special International Desk Inside Africa International Desk News Special The Best Of The Situation Room World Report The Royals

00:10 00:35 01:00 01:25 01:50 02:15 02:40 03:05 03:30 03:55 04:20 04:45 05:10 05:35 06:00 06:25 06:40 Cody 07:05 07:30 07:55 08:20 08:45 09:10 09:35 10:00 10:25 11:45 12:05 12:30 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 14:35 15:00 15:25 15:50 16:15 16:40

Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Suite Life Of Zack And So Random Phineas And Ferb Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Jessie Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Aladdin & The King Of Thieves So Random Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie A.N.T. Farm Austin & Ally Jessie Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place

17:00 18:30 18:45 19:10 19:35 20:00 20:25 20:50 22:05 22:30 22:55 Cody 23:20 Cody 23:45

Johnny Tsunami Phineas And Ferb Austin & Ally Shake It Up Wizards Of Waverly Place Suite Life On Deck Suite Life On Deck Aladdin & The King Of Thieves So Random Fish Hooks The Suite Life Of Zack And The Suite Life Of Zack And Sonny With A Chance

00:55 Style Star 01:25 E!es 02:20 E!es 03:15 Behind The Scenes 03:40 Extreme Close-Up 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Extreme Hollywood 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Bridalplasty 10:15 Giuliana & Bill 11:10 Giuliana & Bill 12:05 E! News 13:05 Scouted 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 14:35 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 15:00 Khloe And Lamar 15:30 Khloe And Lamar 15:55 Khloe And Lamar 16:25 Khloe And Lamar 16:55 Ice Loves Coco 17:25 Ice Loves Coco 17:55 E! News 18:55 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 19:55 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 20:25 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 20:55 Style Star 21:25 Fashion Police 22:25 E! News 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians

00:30 01:20 02:05 02:55 03:45 04:30 05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 Jones 11:10 12:00 12:50 13:40 14:30 14:55 15:20 Jones 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:05 19:55 20:20 Jones 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Ghost Lab A Haunting True CSI On The Case With Paula Zahn Dr G: Medical Examiner Ghost Lab A Haunting Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

True Crime With Aphrodite

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 04:30 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00

Departures Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy Adventure Wanted Meet The Amish Keeping Up With The Joneses Keeping Up With The Joneses Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy Adventure Wanted Meet The Natives Danger Men Deadliest Journeys

Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Who On Earth Did I Marry?

True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared Ghost Lab The Haunted A Haunting

TV listings SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012 09:30 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall 10:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 11:00 Destination Extreme 11:30 Destination Extreme 12:00 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 12:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 13:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 14:00 Adventure Wanted 15:00 Meet The Natives 16:00 Keeping Up With The Joneses 16:30 Keeping Up With The Joneses 17:00 Treks In A Wild World 18:00 Departures 19:00 Pressure Cook 19:30 Pressure Cook 20:00 Which Way To 21:00 Bluelist Australia 21:30 Bluelist Australia 22:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 23:00 A World Apart

00:00 Departures 01:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 02:00 Adventure Wanted 03:00 Meet The Amish 04:00 Keeping Up With The Joneses 04:30 Keeping Up With The Joneses 05:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 06:00 Adventure Wanted 07:00 Meet The Natives 08:00 Danger Men 09:00 Deadliest Journeys 09:30 Cycling Home From Siberia With Rob Lilwall 10:00 Don’t Tell My Mother 11:00 Destination Extreme 11:30 Destination Extreme 12:00 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 12:30 Weird & Wonderful Hotels 13:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 14:00 Adventure Wanted 15:00 Meet The Natives 16:00 Keeping Up With The Joneses 16:30 Keeping Up With The Joneses 17:00 Treks In A Wild World 18:00 Departures 19:00 Pressure Cook 19:30 Pressure Cook 20:00 Which Way To 21:00 Bluelist Australia 21:30 Bluelist Australia 22:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 23:00 A World Apart

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

14:30 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

World Wild Wed 2 Expedition Wild Wildlife Rescue Africa Hunter Hunted Sea Strikers Expedition Wild Wildlife Rescue Africa Hunter Hunted Sea Strikers Built For The Kill

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

The Final-18 Tupac: Resurrection-18 The Siege-18 Inside Out-PG15 Rocky-PG15 You Got Served-PG15 Dangerous Flowers-PG15 Rocky-PG15 Camp Hope-PG15 Dangerous Flowers-PG15 8 Mile-PG15 Shanghai Noon-PG15

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Sounds Like Teen Spirit-PG15 The Company Men-PG15 Bright Star-PG15 Bangkok Adrenaline-PG15 Sounds Like Teen Spirit-PG15 Yogi Bear-FAM Stonehenge Apocalypse-PG15 Miles From Nowhere-PG15 The Tender Hook-PG15 It’s Kind Of A Funny Story-PG15 Hanna-PG15 Middle Men-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Weeds

02:00 Weeds 02:30 The Big C 03:00 New Girl 03:30 Happy Endings 04:00 Weird Science 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Seinfeld 06:00 Dharma And Greg 06:30 10 Items Or Less 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Weird Science 08:30 New Girl 09:00 Seinfeld 09:30 30 Rock 10:00 Modern Family 10:30 10 Items Or Less 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Dharma And Greg 13:00 Seinfeld 13:30 10 Items Or Less 14:00 Happy Endings 14:30 Modern Family 15:00 30 Rock 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Seinfeld 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Parks And Recreation 18:30 Bent 19:00 The Office 19:30 Breaking In 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 23:00 The Big C 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00

Jane By Design Smash The Bachelor Fairly Legal

Pillars Of The Earth Good Morning America The Practice Castle The Martha Stewart Show The View Jane By Design Fairly Legal Castle Live Good Morning America The Practice Emmerdale Coronation Street C.S.I. Criminal Minds Sons Of Anarchy Top Gear (UK) Pillars Of The Earth

00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 12:30 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Pan Am The Bachelor Love Bites Jane By Design Smash Fairly Legal Pan Am The Bachelor Castle The Chicago Code Jane By Design Fairly Legal Emmerdale Coronation Street Castle Psych Emmerdale Coronation Street Charlie’s Angels C.S.I. Criminal Minds Sons Of Anarchy Top Gear (UK) True Blood

01:00 Kiss Of Death-18 03:00 Maximum Risk-18 05:00 The Final-18 07:00 In The Line Of Fire-PG15 09:15 Odysseus: Voyage To The Underworld-PG15 11:00 Flight Of The Phoenix-PG15 13:00 Stonehenge Apocalypse-PG15 15:00 Odysseus: Voyage To The Underworld-PG15 17:00 Iron Man 2-PG15 19:15 Bats-18 21:00 Shanghai Noon-PG15 23:00 Army Of Darkness-18

00:00 02:15 04:00 06:00 PG15 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

Rag Tale-18 Leap Year-PG15 Sleepover-PG15 Nothing Like The Holidays-

01:30 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 PG 23:30

Apres Nous Le Deluge-18 Romeo Is Bleeding-18 Moonlight And Valentino-PG15 Alabama Moon-PG15 Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale-PG15 Grace Of My Heart-PG15 Family Gathering-PG15 Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale-PG15 Too Big To Fail-PG15 Exodus-PG15 Bobby Jones: Stroke Of Genius-

The Chaperone-PG15 Vice Versa-PG Sgt. Bilko-PG Rat-PG15 Vice Versa-PG The Joneses-PG15 Can’t Hardly Wait-PG15 Hot Tub Time Machine-18

00:15 Machete-18 02:00 Real Steel-PG15 04:15 Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps-PG15 06:30 Lego: The Adventures Of Clutch Powers-FAM 08:00 That’s What I Am-PG15 10:00 Game Change-PG15 12:00 Real Steel-PG15 14:15 Little Fockers-PG15 16:15 That’s What I Am-PG15 18:00 The Dilemma-PG15 20:00 Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story-PG 22:00 Kick-Ass-18

HANNA ON OSN CINEMA

07:30 08:30 10:30 12:30 14:30 15:00 19:00 20:00 23:00

Trans World Sport Trans World Sport Live NRL Premiership Live NRL Premiership PGA European Tour Weekly Live PGA European Tour WWE Bottom Line UFC The Ultimate Fighter PGA European Tour

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:30 07:00 10:00 12:30 14:30 16:30 17:00 19:00 21:30 23:30

Super League Top 14 AFL Premiership Futbol Mundial Live AFL Premiership Live Stockholm Marathon Super League Super Rugby Total Rugby Live Top 14 AFL Premiership NRL Premiership NRL Premiership

00:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 01:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 02:00 Live UFC The Ultimate Fighter Prelims 04:00 Live UFC The Ultimate Fighter Finale 07:00 WWE NXT 08:00 WWE SmackDown 10:00 WWE Bottom Line 11:00 WWE Vintage Collection 12:00 NRL Full Time 12:30 Live Aussie Rules 15:30 V8 Supercars Extra 16:00 WWE SmackDown 18:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter Prelims 20:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter Finale 23:00 WWE SmackDown

Fear-18

01:00 Senna-PG15 03:00 Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son-PG15 05:00 Rango-FAM 07:00 Love N’ Dancing-PG15 09:00 Oceans - Into The Deep-PG 10:30 Leap Year-PG15 12:30 My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend-PG15 14:15 Glorious 39-PG15 16:30 Oceans - Into The Deep-PG 18:00 Thor-PG15 20:00 Taken From Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story-PG 22:00 The Adjustment Bureau-PG15

Aftermath Taboo Megastructures Caught In The Act Hunter Hunted Nat Geo Amazing!

Which Way To Somewhere In China Aftermath Taboo Megastructures Caught In The Act Hunter Hunted The Known Universe Cruise Ship Diaries Somewhere In China Aftermath Taboo Megastructures World’s Deadliest Animals Shark Men Banged Up Abroad Adventure Wanted Departures

00:00 Triumph of Life 01:00 Ultimate Predator 01:55 Bears Of Fear Island 02:50 Animal Fugitives 03:45 Fairy Penguins: The Secret of Sydney Harbour 04:40 Expedition Wild 05:35 Cameramen Who Dare 06:30 Monster Fish 07:25 Swamp Men 08:20 Dolphin Army 09:15 The Living Edens 10:10 The Real Serengeti 11:05 Built For The Kill 12:00 Built For The Kill 13:00 Wild Chronicles 13:30 Wild Chronicles 14:00 World Wild Wed 2

04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

00:00 02:00 04:00 07:00 08:00 10:00 10:30 12:30 14:30 15:30 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00

WWE SmackDown Live UFC The Ultimate Fighter Live UFC The Ultimate Fighter WWE Bottom Line WWE SmackDown Futbol Mundial Live Super Rugby Live Super Rugby WWE Bottom Line Futbol Mundial Live International Rugby Union Live Super Rugby Live Super Rugby International Rugby Union

01:00 02:00 06:30 07:00

Golfing World PGA European Tour Total Rugby PGA European Tour Weekly

00:00 00:30 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00

Pawn Stars Pawn Stars Ax Men Egypt’s Lost Rival Queen And Country Ancient Aliens The Sinking Of The Royal Oak Ax Men Tales Of The Gun Tales Of The Gun Tales Of The Gun Battle Of Britain Battle Of Britain Battle Of Britain Tales Of The Gun Egypt’s Lost Rival Queen And Country UFO Files Mud Men Pawn Stars Storage Wars American Pickers IRT: Deadliest Roads Deep Wreck Mysteries

00:00 Essential 00:30 Distant Shores 01:00 Intrepid Journeys 02:00 World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides 03:00 Short History Of Convict Australia 04:00 Globe Trekker 05:00 Planet Food 06:00 Flavours Of Scotland 06:30 Glutton For Punishment 07:00 Globe Trekker 08:00 Floyd Uncorked 09:00 Flavours Of Mexico 10:00 The Ethical Hedonist 11:00 Essential 11:30 The Skinny Dip 12:00 Globe Trekker 13:00 The Blue Continent 14:00 Planet Food 16:00 Globe Trekker 17:00 Distant Shores 18:00 Intrepid Journeys 19:00 Globe Trekker 20:00 Floyd Uncorked 21:00 Planet Food 22:00 Inside Luxury Travel-Varun Sharma 23:00 Globe Trekker

what’s on

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Inter School Talawat-e-Quran debate competition ISCP again at the top

A

n Inter School Competition of the Pakistani Schools was held under “Hala Pakistan”. The competition was one for Talawat-e-Quran and second Debates on Philosophy of Khudi by Allama Iqbal (a

Pakistani Poet). The International School of Pakistan - Khaitan, bagged the two top positions in each event. Syed Hassan Faraz was first in the debate and Hussain Ijaz was first in Talawat-e-Quran.

The students of ISCP also got one Umra Ticket and two Internet connections in the draw. It was a day, Alhamdulillah! The ISCP and all the audience appreciated the efforts of the school. The track record of achievements

ABK sponsors phenomenal artist Sunidhi

speaks of the quality education being implemented in the school. That is why ISCP is the name of excellence in education in the region.

Adopt a pet

A

l-Ahli Bank of Kuwait supported the sensational artist Sunidhi Chauhan’s first live performance in Kuwait.

Sunidhi, the versatile singing sensation ruling India’s music scene wooed Kuwait audiences in a scintillating performance, the 25th of May at the Mishref Fairgrounds.

Stewart Lockie, General Manager of Retail Banking said “ABK has in the past supported local and international youth, talent and culture, sponsoring Sunidhi Chauhan’s live performance was in line with similar initiatives.”

Sunidhi Chauhan’s strength lies not only in her powerful rendition of songs of almost every genre, but also in being a consummate stage performer, quickly winning the audience on her side, before taking them for a mesmerizing musical ride. The concert, plugged as the ‘Biggest Asian Show of the Year’ was organized by Creative Indians Association and Raja Company WLL.

Announcements ‘Leniency of Islam’ An unprecedented initiative of KTV2 (English channel) is the new program by the name ‘Leniency of Islam’ presented

by Shaikh Musaad Alsane and directed by Hamid Al Turkait. The program is mainly meant to address the expatriates living in Kuwait. Religious questions are received through the program email qislam@tv.gov.kw and sms can be sent to- 97822021 and answered by the lecturer and Imam in Awqaf Ministry Shaikh Musaad Alsane - a Master Degree holder in Sharia and fiqih from Kuwait University. So don’t forget to watch the program every Friday at 1:00 pm.

Free Arabic course IPC is opening an Intensive Basic Arabic Course for ladies commencing from June

3 to July 8, 2012. The class will be from 57 pm for three days a week. Registration is on! For information, call 22512257.

Open House for Indian Citizens The Ambassador of India will be holding an Open House for Indian citizens to address their problems/grievances on Wednesdays of the second and the fourth week of every month between 1500 hrs and 1600 hrs at 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. It may be men-

tioned that Embassy of India’s Consular Wing is providing daily service of Open House to Indian citizen on all workings days from 1000 hrs to 1100 hrs and from 1430 hrs to 1530 hrs by the consular officer in the Meeting Room of the Consular Hall. For any unaddressed issues, Second Secretary (Consular) could be contacted.

Furthermore, the head of the Consular Wing is also available to redress grievances. Similarly, a labor wing Help Desk functions from 0830 hrs to 1300 hrs and 1400 hrs to 1630 hrs in the Labor Hall to address the labor related issue. There is also a 24X7 Help Line (Tel No. 25674163) to assist labors in distress. For any unaddressed issues, the concerned Attaches in the labor section and the head of the labor wing could be contacted.

Cuba the mix breed pup Cuba is a friendly, playful and curious fivemonth-old male pup. He likes to tag along and patiently sits nearby observing his surroundings. Cuba will be a great companion to a family which can make him a part of their daily lives and with children aged eight years and above. To adopt Cuba, visit www.kspath.org or call (+965) 6700 1622.

Fifi the Persian cat Fifi is a two-year-old gentle and lively female Persian cat. She likes to perch and play with her favourite toys. Fifi will be a great addition to a family with children aged 10 years and above. To adopt Fifi, visit www.kspath.org or call (+965) 6700 1622.

what’s on

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Embassy Information

KES gathers for a concert

P

roud parents of the four-year-old KG children, young students attending Kuwait English School (KES), gathered in the new department hall for nine colorful concerts by each of the classes celebrating the end of the academic year 2012. “It’s lovely to see you here this morning,” said Helen Searle, Preparatory Department Head Teacher. Naela, KES Vice-Chairman, Rula, KES Financial Director, and Rhoda Elizabeth Muhmood, KES Director, attended the event.

“Word perfect” said Muhmood, praising the children for their infectious enthusiasm and the wonderful atmosphere their singing created. “Please reserve quality time with your children during the summer. Don’t put out that fire,” she advised, encouraging the parents to continue to speak English at home and on vacation.

The program began with the National Anthem. The tiny tots, all wearing T-shirts adorned with their own photographs, delivered the cutest welcoming speeches. “Good morning to all the parents,” Nawaf chirped, winning the hearts of the audience. “Welcome to our concert,” added Maya and Ahmed.

‘Hello Everybody’, and ‘I jump out of bed in the morning’, both lively songs

with actions started the concert. The children swayed from side to side in tune with ‘I’d like to teach the world to sing’, and launched into some interesting aerobic exercises with claves, tapping the sticks rhythmically to the ‘Music, music, music’.

The children rang morning bells keenly in ‘Frere Jaques’, but Abdulrahman had to remind parents to turn off their ringing phones.

Mohammed was clearly a football enthusiast. We could hear his voice as he sang ‘Waving flag’. Saoud and Fahad K. beat the African ‘tublah’ drums with all their might, as multi-coloured flags waved by the children floated across the stage (decorated by Kismet, KG Head Teacher).

Nara, Preparatory Department Music Teacher, accompanied the small students on the piano in a rendition of ‘Mr. Sun’ and ‘Doe a Deer’. We chuckled as an infant in the audience joined in!

‘Animal Boogie’ was next. Fayez was the cuddly bear, Abdulrahman was the swinging monkey, Mohammed the stomping elephant, Mazan the flying bird, Fatma the leaping leopard and Juwana was the slithering snake. ‘We are the World’ ended the mini event.

Thank you for coming to our con-

cert,” said Lily and Omar. “We hope you enjoyed our performance,” said Manal.

“We’re so proud you came,” said Asha and Mohammed. “We are KGSL. Thank you for coming to our concert,” the whole class said together. They sweetly sang the ‘Goodbye’ song from the Sound of Music as a final farewell.

“Well done all of you. That was beautiful singing. You all knew all of your words and you all knew all of the actions. I was smiling all the way through,” Searle said. She then presented each child with a certificate, decorated with a self portrait of every student in the class.

Searle thanked Nara, Music Teacher, Lubna, KGSL Teacher, and Lulwa, KGSL Assistant, for all of their hard work with the children.

“It has been my pleasure and privilege to watch their personality unfold day by day and marvel at this splendid miracle of development,” Lubna said.

“We have lived, laughed, played, studied, learned and enriched our lives together this year.” And the lovely concert showed just that.

“Have a really wonderful holiday,” Muhmood wished everyone, “and we look forward to receiving you in September.”

EMBASSY OF BRAZIL The Embassy of Brazil requests all Brazilian citizens in Kuwait to proceed to the website www.brazil.org.kw (Contact Us Form / Fale Conosco) in order to register or update contact information. The Embassy encourages all citizens to do so, including the ones who have already registered in person at the Embassy. The registration process helps the Brazilian Government to contact and assist Brazilians living abroad in case of any emergency.

■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah.

Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed from 12:30 to 01:00 pm for lunch break. Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait. Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.uae.gc.ca.

■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF CYPRUS The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus would like to inform the public that from 3rd June 2012, the Consulate section located at the premises of the Embassy will start issuing Visas. Address: Salwa-Block 3, AlMutanabbi Street Building No. 35, Tel : (965)25620350, Fax: (965)25620470, Email : info@cyprus-embassy.org.kw Working hours 9:00am till 12:00pm everyday except Friday & Saturday Hence, The Honorary Consulate of Cyprus in Kuwait city will stop issuing Visas from the same date.

■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF FRANCE For the first round of voting for the French parliamentary elections, the French Embassy in Kuwait will be closed on Sunday, June 3, 2012.

■■■■■■■

IKEA listed in top 100 most valuable global brands in brand value appreciation Brand value stands at a whopping $ 9.206 million

I

KEA has been ranked at no. 89 in the BrandZ(tm) Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands by a report released

by WPP’s BrandZ and appeared in the top risers ranking for the second consecutive year. The brand value of IKEA for 2011 rose to 26 percent and so, currently stands at an impressive $ 9.206 million, the rise in brand value reflecting both the strengthening of the housing market and operational improvements implemented during the recession.

The BrandZ report focuses on market-facing brands that generate rev-

enue and profits through the sale of goods and services directly to consumers or business customers, establishing the value of the brand.

IKEA entered the BrandZ(tm) Top 100 as the housing market strength-

ened somewhat and consumers in struggling economies responded to IKEA’s value for-money, ready-toassemble furniture proposition. The brand also enjoyed strong sales in China. Brand loyalty and power did make a difference in some parts like the USA where in strong brands such as IKEA enabled companies to endure continued economic weakness and thrive in the transition to recovery.

With brand value increase of 26 percent, IKEA was among the Top Risers based in part on the steady housing recovery.

EMBASSY OF KOREA The Embassy of the Republic of Korea wishes to inform that it has moved to Mishref. New Address: Embassy of the Republic of Korea Mishref, Block 7A, Diplomatic Area 2, Plot 6 The Embassy also wishes to inform that it will be opened to the public on the following office hours: Saturday to Thursday Morning: 8:00 am to 12:30 pm Lunch Break: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm Afternoon: 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm ■■■■■■■

EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to request all Kenyans resident in or training through Kuwait to register with the Embassy. We are updating our database.

This information is necessary in order to facilitate quick assistance and advise in times of emergency. Kindly visit in person or register through our website www.kenyaembkuwait.com. The Embassy is located in: Surra Area - Block 6 - Street 9 - Villa 3 Tel: 25353362 - 25353314; Fax: 25353316.

Health

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

SpaceX Dragon returns to Earth CAPE CANAVERAL: Triumphant from start to finish, the SpaceX Dragon capsule parachuted into the Pacific on Thursday to conclude the first private delivery to the International Space Station and inaugurate NASA’s new approach to exploration. “Welcome home, baby,” said SpaceX’s elated chief, Elon Musk. The old-fashioned splashdown was “like seeing your kid come home,” he said. He said he was a bit surprised to hit such a grand slam. “You can see so many ways that it could fail and it works and you’re like, ‘Wow, OK, it didn’t fail,’” Musk said, laughing, from his company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif. “I think anyone who’s been involved in the design of a really complicated

machine can sympathize with what I’m saying.”

The goal for SpaceX will be to repeat the success on future flights, he told reporters. The unmanned supply ship scored a bull’s-eye with its arrival, splashing down into the ocean about 500 miles off Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. A fleet of recovery ships quickly moved in to pull the capsule aboard a barge for towing to Los Angeles.

It was the first time since the shuttles stopped flying last summer that NASA got back a big load from the space station, in this case more than half a ton of experiments and equipment. Thursday’s dramatic arrival of the world’s first commercial cargo carrier capped a

This photo shows the Dragon spacecraft on a boat in the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, May 31, 2012. —AP

nine-day test flight that was virtually flawless, beginning with the May 22 launch aboard the SpaceX company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral and continuing through the space station docking three days later and the departure a scant six hours before hitting the water.

The returning bell-shaped Dragon resembled NASA’s Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft of the 1960s and 1970s as its three red-andwhite striped parachutes opened. Yet it represents the future for American space travel now that the shuttles are gone. “This successful splashdown and the many other achievements of this mission herald a new era in US commercial spaceflight,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a statement. Alan Lindenmoyer, manager of NASA’s commercial crew and cargo program, was emotional as he turned to Musk and assured him that NASA was now his customer and that resupply services were about to unfold on a regular basis.

“You have turned those hopes into a reality,” Lindenmoyer said. Noted Musk: “It really shows that commercial spaceflight can be successful. I mean, this mission worked first time right out the gate.” Musk, the billionaire behind PayPal and Tesla Motors, aims to launch the next supply mission in September under a steady contract with NASA, and insists astronauts can be riding Dragons to and from the space station in as little as three or four years.

The next version of the Dragon, for crews, will land on terra firma with “helicopter precision” from propulsive thrusters, he noted. Initial testing is planned for later this year. President Barack Obama is leading this charge to commercial spaceflight. He wants routine orbital flights turned over to private business so the space agency can work on getting astronauts to asteroids and Mars. Toward that effort, NASA has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in seed money to vying companies. —AP

Global cancer cases to surge 75% by 2030 LONDON: The number of people with cancer is set to surge by more than 75 percent across the world by 2030, with particularly sharp rises in poor countries as they adopt unhealthy “Westernised” lifestyles, a study said yesterday. Many developing countries were expected to see a rise in living standards in coming decades, said the paper from the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France.

But those advances could come at a cost an increase in cases of cancers linked to poor diet, lack of exercise and other bad habits associated with affluence and linked to diseases like breast, prostate and colorectal cancers, it added. “Cancer is already the leading cause of death in many high-income countries and is set to become a major cause of morbidity (sickness) and mortality in the next decades in every region of the world,” said Freddie Bray from IARC’s cancer information section.

The study was the first to look at how present and future rates of cancer might vary between richer and poorer countries, as

measured by the development rankings defined in the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI). Researchers found poorly developed countries - mostly those in sub-Saharan Africa - had high numbers of cancers linked to infections - particularly cervical cancer, but also liver cancer, stomach cancer and Kaposi’s sarcoma.

By contrast, richer countries like Britain, Australia, Russia and Brazil had more cancers associated with smoking - such as lung cancer, and with obesity and diet. The researchers said that rising living standards in less developed countries would probably lead to a decrease in the number of infectionrelated cancers. But it was also likely there would also be an increase in types of the disease usually seen in richer countries. They predicted that middle-income countries such as China, India and Africa could see an increase of 78 percent in the number of cancer cases by 2030.

Cases in less developed regions were expected to see a 93 percent rise over the same period, said the paper published in the

journal Lancet Oncology. Those rises would more than offset signs of a decline in cervical, stomach and other kinds of cancer in wealthier nations, said the researchers. Christopher Wild, IARC’s director said the study showed “the dynamic nature of cancer patterns” across the world over time. “Countries must take account of the specific challenges they will face and prioritise targeted interventions,” he said, emphasising the need for prevention measures, early detection systems and effective treatment programmes.

The study used data from GLOBOCAN, an IARC-compiled database of estimates of cancer incidence and death rates in 2008 in 184 countries worldwide. The researchers found how patterns of the most common types of cancer varied according to four levels of human development, and then used these findings to project how the cancer burden is likely to change by 2030. The seven most common types of cancer worldwide are lung cancer, female breast cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer and cervical cancer. —Reuters

HOVE: The planet Venus, black spot, crossing the sun is photographed through a telescope at Planetarium Urania in Hove, Belgium. —AP

Venus takes centre stage in upcoming rare sky show LOS ANGELES: It’s a spectacle that won’t repeat for another century the sight of Venus slowly inching across the face of the sun. So unless scientists discover the fountain of youth, none of us alive today will likely ever witness this celestial phenomenon again, dubbed a “transit of Venus.” It’s so unique that museums and schools around the globe are hosting Venus viewing festivities - all for a chance to see our star sport a fleeting beauty mark. Even astronauts aboard the International Space Station plan to observe the event. The drama unfolds Tuesday afternoon from the Western Hemisphere (Wednesday morning from the Eastern Hemisphere.)

Venus will appear as a small black dot gliding across the disk of the sun. As in a solar eclipse, do not stare directly at the sun; wear special protective glasses. The entire transit, lasting 6 hours and 40 minutes, will be visible from the western Pacific, eastern Asia and eastern Australia.

Skywatchers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, and the northern part of South America will see the beginning of the show before the sun sets. Europe, western and central Asia, eastern Africa and western Australia will catch the tail end after sunrise. Those who don’t want to leave their homes can follow live webcasts by NASA and various observatories. “Anything silhouetted on the sun looks interesting.

Seeing Venus is extremely rare,” said astronomer Anthony Cook of the Griffith Observatory. Perched on the south slope of Mount Hollywood in Los Angeles, the observatory is girding for heavy traffic Tuesday afternoon as throngs were expected to peer through telescopes with special filters set up on the lawn. Skygazers who want the full experience are flocking to Hawaii, considered one of the prime viewing spots since the whole transit will be visible. From the world-famous Waikiki Beach on Oahu to the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island, eclipse glasses will be passed out so that people can safely see Venus crossing without damaging their eyes.

Just remember to have patience. “There’s no one big climactic moment. It takes longer to happen” than a solar or lunar eclipse, said Larry O’Hanlon, who does outreach at the W.M. Keck Observatory on the Big Island. The second planet from the sun between Mercury and Earth, Venus is about the same size as Earth. It appears as one of the brightest objects in the night sky because its thick clouds reflect much of the sunlight back into space.

There will be no obvious change to the brightness of the sky during the event; Venus only blocks out a tiny fraction of the sun. “You have to know it’s happening,” said David DeVorkin, a senior curator at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Venus is the third celestial show to grace the sky in less than a month.

Just a day earlier, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible from western North America, South America, Australia and eastern Asia. And there was the much-hyped “ring of fire” solar eclipse on May 20. Unlike eclipses, Venus transits are truly rare. They come in pairs, separated by more than 100 years. The last one occurred in 2004 and next pair in 2117 and 2125.

Since the German astronomer Johannes Kepler first predicted it in the 17th century, only six have been observed. The upcoming one will be the seventh. Only two people were said to have seen the transit of 1639.

The 1882 transit was a bigger deal - people jammed the sidewalks of New York City and paid 10 cents to peek through a telescope. John Philip Sousa even composed a score called “Transit of Venus March.”

The one in 2004 was viewed by millions - in person and online.

University of Alabama astronomer William Keel was determined not to miss the 2004 transit, the first one in 122 years. But he only caught 45 minutes of the action before clouds rolled in. This time, he plans to set up telescopes on the roof and hopes for clear skies. The early Venus viewings were a big deal to scientists who used the alignment to measure the size of our solar system. The technique is still used today to search for alien worlds outside our solar system. —AP

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Health

CLASSIFIEDS SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

ACCOMMODATION

Al-Madena

22418714

Al-Shohada’a

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Hospitals Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Clinics Rabiya

24732263

Rawdha

22517733

Adailiya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Khaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Al-Qadisiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Sharing accommodation available for single family from 1st July 2012 near United Indian School, Abbassiya. Semi furnished room and kitchen, non smokers may contract: 99760741.

(C 4030) 31-5-2012 Sharing accommodation available for decent Kerela bachelor in Abbasiya near German Clinic, from 1st June onwards. Contact: 66941892.

(C 4029) 29-5-2012

SITUATION WANTED Auditing, Accounting, Financial Management, Business Development services/ advice by an experienced Indian man available for part-time assignment.

Contact: 65802853. (C 4028) 28-52012 Accountant, MBA-Finance, B.com-Accounts & CA-Inter, having 5 years experience looking for part time job; can

prepare your all business accounting reports and financial statements independently. Call Now: 55829223 or Email: acconline@ymail.com (C 4010) 26-5-2012

Prayer timings Fajr: Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

03:15 11:46 15:21 18:44 20:15

CHANGE OF NAME I, Vinoth Kannan Kesavan son of Kesavan bearing an Indian passport No. E3242791, born on 3, June 1984, residing at No.1/8 West Street, Keezhupadi, Sathaputhur post, Sankarapuram T.K, Villupuram - 606 205, has converted to Islam with the name of Abdul Rahman .K on 6th May 2009. (C 4026) 26-5-2012 MATRIMONIAL Marthoma parents of 30 year old son, born again, baptized CFA / CAIA / MBA employed in Kuwait, invite proposal from born again professionally qualified girls.

Contact - Email: rajugracy7@hotmail.com (C 4031) 2-6-2012

THE PUBLIC AUTHORITY FOR CIVIL INFORMATION Automated enquiry about the Civil ID card is 1889988

112 Ministry of Interior website: www.moi.gov.kw For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128

Al-Madena Police Station Al-Murqab Police Station Al-Daiya Police Station Al-Fayha’a Police Station Al-Qadissiya Police Station Al-Nugra Police Station Al-Salmiya Police Station Al-Dasma Police Station

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

INTERNATIONAL CALLS Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antiga Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Cyprus (Northern) Czech Republic Denmark Diego Garcia Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador England (UK) Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France

0093 00355 00213 00376 00244 001264 001268 0054 00374 0061 0043 001242 00973 00880 001246 00375 0032 00501 00229 001441 00975 00591 00387 00267 0055 00673 00359 00226 00257 00855 00237 001 00238 001345 00236 00235 0056 0086 0057 00269 00242 00682 00506 00385 0053 00357 0090392 00420 0045 00246 00253 001767 001809 00593 0020 00503 0044 00240 00291 00372 00251 00500 00298 00679 00358 0033

French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guyana Haiti Holland (Netherlands) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Ibiza (Spain) Iceland India Indian Ocean Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Liberia Libya Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Majorca Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montserrat

00594 00689 00241 00220 00995 0049 00233 00350 0030 00299 001473 00590 001671 00502 00224 00592 00509 0031 00504 00852 0036 0034 00354 0091 00873 0062 0098 00964 00353 0039 00225 001876 0081 00962 007 00254 00686 00965 00996 00856 00371 00961 00231 00218 00370 00352 00853 00389 00261 0034 00265 0060 00960 00223 00356 00692 00596 00222 00230 00269 0052 00691 00373 00377 00976 001664

information SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION In case you are not travelling, your proper cancellation of bookings will help other passengers to use seats Airlines JZR QTR JZR SAI ETH PIA RJA GFA UAE ETD OMA DHX THY FDB MSR QTR JZR THY DHX FCX JZR KAC BAW KAC JZR KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB ETD BAB GFA JZR MSR IRM JZR MSR GFA KAC FDB KNE QTR SVA KAC JZR RJA KNE KAC JZR QTR KAC IZG IRC KAC JZR JZR ETD UAE SVA GFA UAL JZR JZR ABY KAC KAC QTR KAC

Arrival Flights on Saturday 2/6/2012 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 148 DOHA 539 CAIRO 441 LAHORE 620 ADDIS ABABA 239 SIALKOT 642 AMMAN 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 643 MUSCAT 370 BAHRAIN 2964 ESENBOGA 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 503 LUXOR 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 201 DUBAI 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA 157 LONDON 416 JAKARTA 529 ASSIUT 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 344 CHENNAI 362 COLOMBO 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 301 ABU DHABI 436 BAHRAIN 213 BAHRAIN 165 DUBAI 618 ALEXANDRIA 5066 MASHAD 201 DAMASCUS 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 672 DUBAI 57 DUBAI 472 JEDDAH 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 562 AMMAN 325 NAJAF 640 AMMAN 476 JEDDAH 788 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 134 DOHA 538 SHARM EL SHEIKH 4161 MASHAD 6791 MASHAD 118 NEW YORK 535 CAIRO 357 MASHAD 303 ABU DHABI 857 DUBAI 510 RIYADH 215 BAHRAIN 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 177 DUBAI 777 JEDDAH 127 SHARJAH 176 GENEVA 502 BEIRUT 144 DOHA 542 CAIRO

Time 0:15 0:20 0:30 1:30 1:45 2:05 2:10 2:20 2:25 2:30 2:50 2:55 3:10 3:10 3:20 3:25 3:55 4:35 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:15 6:30 6:35 6:40 7:15 7:30 7:45 7:50 8:05 8:15 8:20 8:20 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:20 9:30 9:35 10:00 11:05 11:25 11:55 12:30 13:30 13:40 13:40 13:45 14:15 14:25 14:30 14:30 14:35 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:00 15:15 15:30 15:45 15:55 16:00 16:00 16:20 16:35 16:55 17:20 17:20 17:25 17:30 17:40 17:45 17:45 18:00 18:05 18:15

JZR BAB KAC FDB KAC QTR MSR KAC KAC JAI KAC IRA AXB OMA MEA QTR KNE KAC GFA KNE ALK SYR KLM UAE JZR BBC ABY QTR DHX KAC JZR FDB AIC GFA UAL JZR DLH FDB MSR THY

125 438 786 63 104 6130 620 618 674 572 774 607 393 647 402 146 460 790 221 474 229 341 415 859 135 43 129 136 372 614 513 61 975 217 981 239 636 51 614 772

BAHRAIN BAHRAIN JEDDAH DUBAI LONDON DOHA ASSIUT DOHA DUBAI MUMBAI RIYADH MASHAD KOZHIKODE MUSCAT BEIRUT DOHA MEDINAH MEDINAH BAHRAIN JEDDAH COLOMBO DAMASCUS AMSTERDAM DUBAI BAHRAIN DHAKA SHARJAH DOHA BAHRAIN BAHRAIN SHARM EL SHEIKH DUBAI CHENNAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN AMMAN FRANKFURT DUBAI CAIRO ISTANBUL

Airlines UAL DLH MSR KLM THY SAI ETH PIA UAE FDB OMA DHX ETD THY MSR QTR QTR RJA JZR JZR GFA THY BAW FDB JZR ABY JZR KAC KAC KAC UAE QTR KAC KAC FDB

Departure Flights on Saturday 2/6/2012 Flt Route 981 WASHINGTON DC 637 FRANKFURT 615 CAIRO 413 AMSTERDAM 773 ISTANBUL 442 LAHORE 621 ADDIS ABABA 240 SIALKOT 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 644 MUSCAT 371 BAHRAIN 306 ABU DHABI 2965 ESENBOGA 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 643 AMMAN 164 DUBAI 200 DAMASCUS 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 256 BEIRUT 126 SHARJAH 534 CAIRO 561 AMMAN 671 DUBAI 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 133 DOHA 101 LONDON 537 SHARM EL SHEIKH 56 DUBAI

18:30 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:45 19:00 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:35 19:40 19:50 19:55 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:25 20:25 20:35 20:45 20:55 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:15 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:00 22:00 22:05 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:55 23:10 23:30 23:35 23:40 Time 0:25 0:30 0:35 0:55 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:20 3:45 3:50 3:55 3:55 4:05 4:10 4:40 4:50 5:40 6:50 6:55 7:00 7:05 7:10 8:25 8:25 9:00 9:05 9:10 9:15 9:20 9:35 9:40 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:05

ETD BAB JZR GFA JZR KAC KAC KAC JZR MSR KAC JZR IRM GFA FDB MSR KAC KNE JZR KAC RJA KNE JZR KAC SVA QTR KAC IZG IRC ETD JZR JZR QTR UAE GFA JZR ABY SVA UAL JZR KAC QTR FDB BAB KAC JZR MSR QTR KAC JAI IRA KAC KAC OMA MEA KNE KAC GFA KNE DHX ALK SYR KLM ABY KAC UAE FCX QTR KAC KAC JZR DHX FDB BBC QTR AXB GFA KAC

302 437 356 214 324 541 165 501 776 619 785 176 5065 220 58 611 673 473 124 617 641 461 512 789 505 135 773 4162 6792 304 238 538 141 858 216 134 128 511 982 266 613 145 64 439 283 184 621 6131 153 571 604 331 351 648 403 477 543 222 475 171 230 342 415 120 381 860 102 137 301 205 554 373 62 44 147 394 218 411

ABU DHABI BAHRAIN MASHHAD BAHRAIN AL NAJAF CAIRO ROME BEIRUT JEDDAH ASSIUT JEDDAH DUBAI MASHHAD BAHRAIN DUBAI CAIRO DUBAI JEDDAH BAHRAIN DOHA AMMAN JEDDAH SHARM EL SHEIKH MADINAH JEDDAH DOHA RIYADH MASHHAD MASHHAD ABU DHABI AMMAN CAIRO DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN BAHRAIN SHARJAH RIYADH BAHRAIN BEIRUT BAHRAIN DOHA DUBAI BAHRAIN DHAKA DUBAI ALEXANDRIA DOHA ISTANBUL MUMBAI ISFAHAN TRIVANDRUM KOCHI MUSCAT BEIRUT JEDDAH CAIRO BAHRAIN JEDDAH BAHRAIN COLOMBO DAMASCUS DAMMAM SHARJAH DELHI DUBAI BAHRAIN DOHA MUMBAI ISLAMABAD ALEXANDRIA BAHRAIN DUBAI CHITTAGONG DOHA KOCHI BAHRAIN BANGKOK

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

10:15 10:25 10:30 10:45 11:00 11:30 11:45 12:00 12:15 12:25 13:10 13:20 13:25 14:25 14:25 14:30 15:05 15:15 15:30 15:45 15:50 15:50 15:55 16:00 16:00 16:15 16:25 16:45 16:55 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:05 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:35 18:40 18:50 19:00 19:05 19:25 19:30 19:30 20:05 20:10 20:30 20:30 20:35 20:50 20:50 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:15 21:30 21:35 21:35 21:50 21:55 22:00 22:05 22:10 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:00 23:05 23:10 23:10 23:30 23:40

C R O S S W O R D

6 9 3

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Word Sleuth Solution

Yesterday始s Solution

ACROSS

1. The part of the nervous system of vertebrates that controls involuntary actions of the smooth muscles and heart and glands.

4. The fourth month of the Hindu calendar.

9. Very dark black.

13. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

14. Arboreal snake of central and southern Africa whose bite is often fatal.

15. An island in Indonesia east of Java.

16. A vinyl polymer used especially in paints or adhesives.

17. Put out or expel from a place.

18. Of or relating to near the ear.

19. A port town on the Atlantic coast of Portugal southeast of Lisbon.

22. Any of various cycads of the genus Zamia.

24. Punished by the imposition of a penalty.

25. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

28. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

29. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

30. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

31. A steerable self-propelled airship.

35. One who works hard at boring tasks.

37. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

38. Thickening of tissue in the motor tracts of the lateral columns and anterior horns of the spinal cord.

42. An associate degree in applied science.

44. A state in the United States in the central Pacific on the Hawaiian Islands.

47. A workplace for the conduct of scientific research.

51. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

52. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

55. An officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer.

57. Building that contains a surface for ice skating or roller skating.

58. The sixth month of the civil year.

59. (Babylonian) God of storms and wind.

60. An informal term for a father.

61. Mild yellow Dutch cheese made in balls.

62. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

DOWN 1. A large mountain system in south-central Europe.

2. The central area of a church.

3. Singing jazz.

4. Naked freshwater or marine or parasitic protozoa that form temporary pseudopods for feeding and locomotion.

5. A mountain peak in the Andes in Bolivia (21,391 feet high).

6. Congenital absence of an arm or leg.

7. A mature blood cell that contains hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the bodily tissues.

8. Headdress that protects the head from bad weather.

9. A nonstandard form of American English spoken by some American Black people.

10. A thin tapered rod used by a conductor to direct an orchestra.

11. Of a yellow-green color similar to that of an unripe olive n 1.

12. A rechargeable battery with a nickel cathode and a cadmium anode.

20. A member of a Turkic people of Uzbekistan and neighboring areas.

21. (old-fashioned) At or from or to a great distance.

23. A river that rises in northern Colombia and flows generally eastward to the Orinoco in central Venezuela.

26. Heal or recover.

27. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

32. A pilgrimage to Mecca.

33. One of the five major classes of immunoglobulins.

34. (in golf) The standard number of strokes set for each hole on a golf course, or for the entire course.

36. Gull family.

39. The Tibeto-Burman language spoken in the Dali region of Yunnan.

40. North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

41. A coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds.

43. Fear resulting from the awareness of danger.

45. An elaborate song for solo voice.

46. A baton used by a magician or water diviner.

48. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

49. (Old Testament) In Judeo-Christian mythology.

50. English monk and scholar (672-735).

53. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

54. The cry made by sheep.

56. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

Yesterday始s Solution

SPORTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Crusaders put Highlanders to the sword CHRISTCHURCH: The Canterbury Crusaders demolished New Zealand rivals the Otago Highlanders 51-18 Friday to sound an ominous warning that the seven-time champions are back to their best.

The Crusaders ran in seven tries to two as they subjected the Highlanders to wave after wave of relentless attack and give their Super 15 play-off hopes a massive boost in front of a sell-out Christchurch crowd. Winger Zac Guildford bagged a brace, while skipper Richie McCaw was also among the try-scorers in a bonuspoint win that narrows the gap on competition leaders the Waikato Chiefs to two points.

Star pivot Dan Carter, back in his favored position at number 10, was also on song with the boot, kicking five conversions and two penalties. “This was a very important game for us against the Highlanders, who were just behind us on the table, so it was a just win and I’m really proud of the boys tonight,” he said. The loss leaves the Highlanders seven points adrift of the Crusaders and third in the New Zealand conference, with the Wellington Hurricanes a chance to overtake them if they manage a bonus point win over the NSW Waratahs today.

Highlanders captain Jamie Mackintosh said last year’s losing finalists appeared to be hitting form at the right time. “They know how to turn it on at the right part of the season and tonight they were bloody classy, they were just too good,” he said.

The Crusaders came out firing from the outset, flanker George Whitelock scoring a try after less than three minutes as the home team’s forwards established early dominance. Dan Carter nailed the conversion and scored a penalty five minutes later to make it 10-0.

The Highlanders kept in touch with two penalties to Chris Noakes, the second of which resulted in Whitelock being sinbinned for playing the ball on the ground.

Outside centre Tamati Ellison made the most of the numerical advantage, breaking the Crusaders’ line and eluding two defenders to score the Highlanders’ first five pointer. But Guildford made the Highlanders pay when James Haskell was sinbinned, bursting through the line and sprinting 55 meters for his first try then regathering a Carter chip kick chip for his second minutes later. The Crusaders scored another try which originated deep within their own half, Robbie Fruen brushing off a tackler and passing to Andy Ellis, who kept the ball alive in the tackle for Ryan Crotty to score between the posts.

With a bonus point secured before half time, the onslaught continued after the break as the Crusaders continued to run the ball and a diving McCaw just managed to force down an Ellis chip into the corner. Coach Jamie Joseph made a host of changes from the bench in an effort to keep the Highlanders’ season on track but his team could not find a way back into the game. Prop Wyatt Crockett barged over for the Crusaders sixth before Hosea Gear provided some consolation for the Highlanders with a 70 meter intercept.

But the home side were not done and flanker Matt Todd crossed for their seventh on the back of a rolling maul to complete the rout. — AFP

Brumbies win to consolidate lead in Australian conference CHRISTCHURCH: The ACT Brumbies consolidated their lead at the top of the Australian Super Rugby conference with an efficient 27-19 victory over the Melbourne Rebels yesterday. The Brumbies moved to 49 points on the table with the victory, nine ahead of the Queensland Reds (40), who have a bye and will be awarded four points at the end of the round. The Canberrabased side were in turmoil last season but have thrived under 2007 World Cup winning coach Jake White and short of a major collapse in their final three games should make the playoffs for the first time since 2004 - when they last won the competition.

“I’ll take that every day of the week, that’s four points in this competition and that’s extremely hard to do,” Brumbies captain Ben Mowen said in

a pitchside interview. “It’s a tough competition and a long competition and you have to be making sure you are ticking those wins over and I’m extremely glad we did that.” The Brumbies took a 9-0 lead courtesy of two long-range penalties from winger Jesse Mogg and one from closer to the posts by flyhalf Zack Holmes.

Centre Andrew Smith also crashed over after Rebels prop Jono Owen had been sin-binned by referee Keith Brown following a warning to the home team for repeated infringements. The Brumbies, however, went off the boil in the final 15 minutes of the half and Rebels fullback Julian Huxley added three further penalties to the one he had slotted earlier to ensure his side were still in the game at the break. The visitors extended their lead to 12 points after the break when

Holmes added his second penalty then converted fullback Robbie Coleman’s try, but the Rebels refused to allow them to kick away.

Rebels winger Cooper Vuna scored straight from the kickoff following Coleman’s try when the Brumbies failed to re-gather the restart and the home side were again back within five points when Huxley converted from the sideline.

Holmes, however, added his third penalty with less than 10 minutes remaining as the Brumbies did just enough to win the game. “It was a game we were in for the full 80 (minutes)... and we’re disappointed not to get anything from the game,” said Melbourne’s Gareth Delve. “I think it was a bit of indiscipline in the first 10 minutes that allowed the Brumbies to push out that lead.”— Reuters

SAIX: Castres players participate in a training session yesterday in Saix, southwestern France, on the eve of the Top 14 semi-final rugby match in Toulouse opposing Toulouse and Castres. — AFP

Toulouse face Castres hurdle, target 19th title PARIS: Eighteen-time French league champions Toulouse face a tough home semi-final against Castres in their bid to reach the Top 14 finals against the winners of Clermont v Toulon.

Toulouse host the Chris Masoe-led Castres on home soil, with the former All Black enforcer stating: “We can make history.” It has been 11 years since Castres lost 32-21 to Toulouse in their last semi-final showing, and it was way back in 1995 that the club made the final, losing 31-16 to no less than Toulouse. “Toulouse have dominated rugby for 20 years. They’ve won the European Cup four times,” said No 8 and captain Masoe, who will sign a three-year deal with Toulon should Castres lose.

“However, Castres have not pinched someone’s spot. Outsiders, yes. Unlikely invitees, no.

“We’re no longer the surprise invitee as we’ve heard before.” Luckily for Castres, Masoe will be

joined in the pack by Samoan Joe Tekori, who escaped with a 10-day suspended suspension for foul play in the 31-15 play-off victory over Montpellier. Tomorrow, big spenders Clermont play Toulon and the latter’s president, Mourad Boudjellal, was left in no doubt over his club’s chances.

“We have no chance of winning it,” the comic magazine magnate said. “A victory would more than an exploit. “Toulon is far from being favorite while Clermont have shone all season. We have nothing to lose. “No matter what you say, Clermont are in a different economic league than us.” Australian centre Matt Giteau, who plays at first centre outside World Cup-winning England outside-half Jonny Wilkinson, added: “The thought of a title will push us.” Clermont fly-half David Skrela is fit to play after recovering from a

thigh injury while Australian-born Scotland lock Nathan Hines (ribs) and France winger Julien Malzieu (calf) are both in line to make the matchday squad, although flanker Julien Bonnaire (knee) seems unlikely.

And scrum-half Morgan Parra warned that Toulon would be a hardy opponent. “We fear this Toulon side, they’re an opponent which is really tough to beat,” said the France international and goal-kicker supreme. “We already played them in 2010 at this stage of the competition - it brings back some memories, even if the context is different today. “But Toulon are an aggressive team in contact, very strong on the deck and up front.

They also rely a lot on their stand-out players like Giteau, Wilkinson and Bakkies Botha. “Players like that are masters of playing in finals. They’ll be ready for this type of game.” —AFP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Wiggins set for yellow jersey test at Dauphine PARIS: Triple Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins will face his last major test before launching a renewed assault on the Tour de France yellow jersey when he defends his Dauphine Libere crown next week. Beginning with a prologue and continuing with seven stages from Monday through to Sunday (June 3-10), the Dauphine’s rugged route means it usually offers clues on who will be the men to beat in July’s three-week epic.

This year’s race, however, arguably has even more incentive for Tour contenders. Like the Tour de France, it opens with a short prologue (5.7 km for the Dauphine, 6.4 km for the Tour), features a long time trial mid-race (53.5 km) and will see

the peloton tackle the challenging ascent to the summit of the Col du Grand Colombier. The last time the Grand Colombier featured on the Dauphine was in 1988. This year, the 17 km uphill hike makes its Tour de France debut on stage 10 from Macon to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine.

Although the same company-ASO (Amaury Sports Organization) organizes both races that will matter little as the field hit the Alps of southeastern France for 1052 km of intense racing. Whoever emerges among the top five, will be looking towards the June 30 start of the Tour in earnest.

Cadel Evans last year created history for Australia by winning the Tour de France-only a month after racking up an impressive fourth runner-up place

at the Dauphine. Evans, who rides for BMC, will be joined by fellow Tour contenders Andy Schleck (RadioShack), Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) and Jurgen van den Broeck (Lotto) in taking a shot at Wiggins’ crown.

While Nibali stands out from that crowd in terms of enjoying a respectable level of success this season, Wiggins is arguably stage racing’s man of the moment. Having soaked up most of his previous world and Olympic glory in track pursuit events, the Londoner now has more than one string to his bow.Despite suffering injury when crashing out of the Tour de France on stage seven, Wiggins went on to secure a podium spot on the Tour of Spain two

Who will light the Olympic flame?

Queen Elizabeth, UFOs or Bolt?

LONDON: Would you bet on Queen Elizabeth lighting the Olympic flame?

Or a UFO appearing above the opening ceremony? Or maybe on Usain Bolt winning the men’s 100 meter race? With the London Olympics fast approaching, Britons are happily combining two of their favorite pastimes: sports and betting - no matter how ludicrous some of the bets. “It is deep in the British psyche to have a bit of a flutter when it comes to sports. Sports and betting almost go hand-in-hand in this country,” said Joe Crilly, a spokesman from bookmaker William Hill.

Less than two months away from kickoff, bookmakers are starting to close their books on the most popular bet so far - who will light the flame, the symbol of the Olympic Games, at the opening ceremony on July 27. The identity of the person who runs the final stretch with the Olympic torch after a 70-day relay is always a highlight at the opening extravaganza.

China’s former champion gymnast Li Ning was awarded that honor in Beijing in 2008; at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, legendary boxer Muhammad Ali lit the cauldron in an emotional show as he struggled with Parkinson’s disease.

Bookmakers William Hill, Ladbrokes, Stan James and Coral all agreed the favorite for that coveted task in London, with odds of 1-3, is former rower Steve Redgrave, 50, Britain’s most successful Olympian who won five gold medals from 1984 to 2000. Bets were also running on the 83-year-old Roger Bannister, who made history as the first man to run the four-minute mile in 1954; Kelly Holmes, the retired British runner who won two gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics; and football star David Beckham. “We also took some bets on Tom Daley at 16-1, Prince William at 66-1 and, incredibly, the queen at 500-1,” said Stan James spokesman Rory Jiwani.

BORIS HAIR ON FIRE? William Hill has taken some bets on whether London Mayor Boris Johnson would have a mishap when he runs with the Olympic torch, setting his notoriously wild hair on fire, and has odds of 5-2 on it raining on the night

medal table when the Olympics close on August 12. Coral spokesman David Stevens said the Olympics were not usually a major betting event but interest was likely to be higher at the London Games due to Britons’ love of gambling. The most recent independ-

LONDON: Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt poses on a podium during the official presentation of the Jamaican clothing for the 2012 Olympic games in London yesterday. — AFP of the opening ceremony. But spokesman Crilly said the weirdest bet yet was a 15 pound ($23) wager that a UFO would appear above the Olympic Stadium on the night of the opening ceremony. The odds? A massive payout at 1000-1. “It is mainly Brits really getting into the spirit of things as the Olympics draw closer and having fun,” said Crilly.

“Once the torch arrived on these shores, we have seen people getting involved in the Olympics and betting not just on novelty bets.” Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter and world record holder, is currently the favorite with odds of 4-7 to win the Olympics showpiece event, the men’s 100 meter race, while fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake is second favorite with odds of 3-1. Most bookmakers were also running bets on which country would top the gold

ent report by the Britain’s government-sponsored Gambling Commission on gambling participation showed that nearly three quarters of British adults, or 73 percent, had gambled in 2010 compared to 68 percent in 2007.

The Association of British Bookmakers estimates that bookmakers contribute 3 billion pounds ($4.62 billion) annually to the UK economy, which is about 0.5 percent of gross domestic product. “It will be the biggest Olympics in betting terms but this is starting from a very low base,” said Stevens. “The Olympics are being held in a nation where betting is a part of everyday life. The real activity will kick off in the fortnight leading up to Games and then during the Games but we’re a bit in the dark over how much interest we will see.” — Reuters

months later. He subsequently won individual time trial silver at the world championships, where he helped Mark Cavendish to road race gold, and has since triumphed at Paris-Nice (2012) and, most recently, the Tour of Romandie. It is all a far cry from only five years ago, when Wiggins, then with Cofidis, lined up at the Tour de France hoping to win just the prologue. But, a month out from the Tour, Wiggins is not about to put his feet up as he bids to defend the title that proved a breakthrough moment in his career. “I guess the biggest thing for me last year was never dwelling too much on the successes I had and instead be always looking forward to the next target,” he told teamsky.com. — AFP

F1 joins other firms in hitting IPO brakes LONDON: Motor sport racing company Formula One has delayed its Singapore initial public offer worth up to $3 billion, the fifth big Asian IPO to be postponed or pulled in a week, as weak markets bring the global market for new listings to a shuddering halt. Worldwide, money raised from stock market flotations has slumped 46 percent so far this year compared with the same period of 2011, with investors wary of the euro zone crisis, China’s economic slowdown and last month’s botched Facebook IPO. Formula One, which planned to list in Singapore, has become the latest issuer to hit the brakes, dropping plans to lodge its IPO prospectus with Singapore regulators early next week, sources familiar with the company’s decision said yesterday. But Bernie Ecclestone, the sport’s boss and a part-owner of the company, said in an interview with Reuters that Formula One was biding its time, not scrapping the IPO altogether, and that its bankers would continue to meet prospective investors. “We are getting prepared so all these things are done and then whenever we want to go, we can go,” the 81-year-old billionaire said.

On Thursday, London luxury jeweller Graff Diamonds ditched its $1 billion IPO in Hong Kong, Asia’s IPO capital, which along with the United States has seen a slump in initial offers. Deal volumes in Hong Kong have dived 85 percent so far in 2012. In the United States, 12 IPOs were pulled or delayed in May. Facebook has contributed to the chill in the American IPO market. In just 10 trading sessions, shares in the social networking phenomenon have tumbled from an initial price of $38 each to $29.60, offering a stark warning to any company on the fence about entering the public markets.

Excluding Facebook, 72 US-listed companies have filed so far this year, raising proceeds of $13.1 billon, a 53 percent decrease from a year ago, according to Thomson Reuters data. “This has created a crisis of confidence,” said Scott Sweet, managing partner at IPO Boutique, based in Florida. “The companies still in the pipeline will stay in the pipeline. There is no reason to rush out when the granddaddy of them all has come and gone and left an indelible negative impression.”

CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE This month, both Georgia’s state railways monopoly and Russian real estate investor O1 Properties pulled planned London listings, blaming volatile markets as uncertainty over the future of Greece deterred investors from taking the risk of putting money into IPOs and emerging markets. In the immediate aftermath of Facebook, Corsair Components and Tria Beauty both postponed US offerings. Research firm Renaissance Securities said this month that American IPO filings and pricing were both down sharply this quarter. “Anything that is out there is going to be subject to a valuation haircut. And the deals that are being postponed (are) at companies that are unwilling to undergo those valuation reductions,” said David Menlow, president of IPOFinancial. — Reuters

SPORTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Camelot set to revive O’Brien fortunes LONDON: Potential Triple Crown champion Camelot can restore Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien’s Epsom Derby fortunes today by following up his 2,000 Guineas triumph with another classic success. Despite heavy firepower over the years, O’Brien has not won the Derby since 2002 when High Chaparral followed up the victory of stable mate Galileo 12 months earlier but Camelot has the class and the form to change his fortunes. Bookmakers are taking no chances and, with the trainer’s 19-year-old jockey son Joseph growing all the time in experience, they rate the colt a heavy odds-on favorite at 8-15.

He is also quoted to at 3-1 to become the first horse since Nijinsky in 1970 to land the Triple Crown of the

Guineas, Derby and St Leger, raced at Doncaster in September. O’Brien told a recent media gathering: “He is one of those very special horses. He is very relaxed, very straightforward and very calm but has a lot of nervous energy.”

However, he added: “We are under no illusions with the Derby. We had two very special horses in High Chaparral and Galileo and have not won it since.

“The race is a very difficult test of a horse. There can not be any chink in their armor and everything has to go right on the day. We are delighted to get there with horses with chances.”

O’Brien also races 8-1 third favorite Astrology, an impressive winner last month of Chester’s Dee Stakes, a useful Derby trial. Ex-champion jockey Ryan Moore takes the mount.

English trainer Andrew Balding heads the home challenge with 9-2 second favorite Bonfire, who ran an excellent trial when winning the Dante Stakes at York. Main Sequence (9-1) is a first runner in the classic for trainer David Lanigan. Unbeaten in his four races to date, the horse faces a much bigger task today but jockey Ted Durcan, confident the colt will last the Derby distance, said: “He’ll stay a mile and a half standing on his head and he’s on the way up.”

Hayley Turner has the ride in the nine-strong field on 66-1 outsider Cavaleiro to become only the second woman to take part in the race after Alex Greaves, last on Portuguese Lil in 1996. At least Turner will be at Epsom, as opposed to Frankie Dettori whose

With Mickelson gone, Tiger, Rory climb back at Masters DUBLIN: It was a strange day of rises, falls and departures at the Memorial Tournament. Phil Mickelson played 18 holes, said he was tired and withdrew, while his playing partners blamed fans with cellphone cameras. Four-time winner Tiger Woods was in his accustomed spot near the top of the leaderboard despite a double-bogey, while Rory McIlroy weathered an embarrassing quadruple-bogey.

And the best rounds of the day at the star-studded tournament - featuring seven of the top 10 players in the world were put up by Scott Stallings, Erik Compton and Spencer Levin, who have a grand total of one PGA Tour win. The biggest news was that Mickelson shot a 79 and then told playing partners Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson that he was going home because he was mentally drained after a hectic past few weeks that included taking his wife, Amy, to Italy and France for her 40th birthday.

“I’ve got to be more big picture-oriented and think about the US Open (in two weeks at Olympic) and what’s best to get my best golf out there, and I need the next few days to rest up a bit,” Mickelson said, offering regrets he wasn’t living up to his “responsibility” to finish the tournament. The 79 was his worst round ever at the Memorial. He declined to say whether he was bothered by distractions on the course.

But Watson and Fowler laid the blame for his withdrawal on fans who continually distracted Mickelson by snapping photos with cellphone cameras.

“Phil’s a great player and a great champion and it just took him out of his game. It’s sad. It’s sad that cellphones can make or break a championship,” said Watson, who shot a 75. Watson said the tour rule on cellphone cameras isn’t working. Fans are allowed to have them on the course if they are put on vibrate and used only in specific areas. “It makes it very difficult,” he said. “Ever since they made that rule that cell phones are allowed, it’s just not fun playing.”

Fowler, the third member of the marquee threesome that was followed by a huge gallery, said the clicks and snaps of the phone cameras affected Mickelson in particular. “There were a few phones out there,” he said with a grin. “There were a few times when we had to back off and reset. You could see Phil was a little fatigued and was having trouble blocking it out a bit.” Stallings shot a 6-under 66 for a one-stroke edge on Compton and Levin. Seven players were at 69, with Woods and Ernie Els among the crowd at 70.

World No 1 Luke Donald, McIlroy and Fowler were in the group at 71. Defending champ Steve Stricker bogeyed his last three holes for a 73. Stallings, who missed six weeks earlier this year with torn rib cartilage, sounded as surprised as anyone that he sat atop the leaderboard. “It’s been a very - ‘lackluster’ would be an understatement - season,” said the Massachusetts native, who won the Greenbrier Classic last July during his rookie season on tour. “I stayed positive all throughout being injured. I kept telling myself that it was only a matter of time before a round like this was coming around.”

The 27-year-old needed just 25 putts, chipping in for eagle at the par-5 seventh hole. Compton is best known for persevering through heart transplants in 1992 and 2008. He has fin-

ished in the top 25 of just one of his 44 career events, but has brought untold publicity to heart disease and transplants. “My wife flew in. Maybe she’s good luck,” said Compton, whose current heart came from a donor in the Columbus area. Levin also had an incredible putting day, saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever putted that good.” He rolled in birdie putts of 25, 32 and 33 feet, not to mention two 10-footers and a 12-footer.

“Maybe for Tiger or some of the best players of all time like

DUBLIN: Tiger Woods hits his second shot on the par 3 12th hole during the first round of the Memorial Tournament on May 31, 2012 in Dublin, Ohio. — AFP (Memorial founder Jack Nicklaus), they play well all the time,” Levin said. “But for at least nine out of 10 guys have ups and downs throughout the year and I guess it’s been a little lull (for me).” Woods has lulls, too. He had one on the ninth hole.

Woods, who has finished tied for 40th twice and missed a cut in his last three disappointing starts, was 2 under and near the lead when he had a double bogey midway through his round.

He rebounded with two birdies and no major mistakes the rest of the way in a 70 that left him tied for 11th, four shots back. “I was just consistent all day - I didn’t do anything great and I didn’t do anything poorly,” he said. “Over the next three days, hopefully I can play as well as I did today.” — AP

Godolphin stable does not have a runner this year. That means the charismatic pilot will be riding at Haydock Park 350 kms to the north and out of the limelight. Intriguingly, Godolphin do have a runner in Epsom Oaks, the classic for fillies, but the mount has gone to one of their younger generation of pilots, Mickael Barzalona, winner of the 2011 Derby on Pour Moi. Godolphin have explained the big race rides are being be shared around and Dettori, 41, bouncy as ever, has said: “Let’s get to Royal Ascot (later in June) and see what happens.” Betting: 8-15 Camelot, 9-2 Bonfire, 8-1 Astrology, 101 Main Sequence, 16-1 Thought Worthy, 25-1 Mickdaam, 50-1 Rugged Cross, 66-1 Cavaleiro, 66-1 Minimise Risk (Race starts 1500 GMT). — Reuters

Casey out to cement Catalunya love affair BARCELONA: Casey Stoner may be retiring at the end of the season but the Australian’s appetite to lift a third world title is if anything greater than it has ever been.

Stoner goes into tomorrow’s latest leg of the season, the Catalunya Grand Prix, bidding to repeat his wins at the Montmelo circuit in 2007 and 2011 - coincidentally, the years he went on to be crowned motorcycling world champion. “Catalunya is one of my favorite races and it was the first major grand prix circuit I tested on,” explained Stoner.

“Ever since that moment I fell in love with the track, the big fast sweeping corners; there’s a lot of control in the middle of the turn trying to get grip for the exit. “We know the Honda works well here and we had a good race here last year. I just hope this weekend will be dry.” He goes into this fifth race of the season placed second in the rider’s standings on 82 points, eight behind Jorge Lorenzo, who lines up on the back of his win at Le Mans last time out, where Stoner took third behind runner-up Valentino Rossi. “I am going to continue to give 100 percent of my capabilities and even more in the remaining races,” Stoner said.

Aside from Lorenzo, one of Stoner’s main rivals tomorrow will be his Honda team-mate and local hope Dani Pedrosa, who missed last year’s race due to injury.

“Montmelo is a difficult circuit for the bikes and the tyres but it’s always a great race,” Pedrosa told a press conference here on Thursday.

A winner here in all three categories, Pedrosa is currently third in the overall standings, 25 points below Lorenzo. Lorenzo, like Pedrosa, feels at home in Barcelona, having set up base in the Catalan city. “It’s my home race. I’m from Mallorca, but have lived in Barcelona for a long time,” he said. “It’s also a track where I’ve had great results in the past. I think for the 1000cc Yamaha it could be a good track. I hope we have a weekend with good conditions, but if it rains, we’ll be OK as well.”

The 2010 title-holder predicts a tight contest tomorrow. “It’s (the season) been very tough with a lot of competition, especially in the front group with Casey (Stoner) and Dani. “The races have a very high pace and are physically demanding.

To be at the front you can’t stop concentrating, you have to be at the limit all the time, and of course not crash. “To do this is always difficult, but I’m a little bit older and more experienced than the previous years, so this can make it a bit easier.”

Rossi, the nine-time world champion, burst back to something like his old form in France, where he posted his best finish since joining Ducati, and was displaying plenty of zip in testing at Mugello last week, too. Rossi rates Montmelo “one of my three favorite circuits” although he refused to get too excited about his Mugello times, saying: “We know that in the rain we’re fast, but our target is to be faster in the dry.

“It’s (Catalunya) one of my three favorite tracks of the season. I love to race here and I love the atmosphere with the fans.” — AFP

sports

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Thunder rolls over Spurs to reignite series San Antonio’s 20-game win streak halted OKLAHOMA: The Oklahoma City Thunder reignited the Western Conference finals with a 102-82 home victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, reducing their deficit in the best-of-seven series to 2-1 and ending the visitors’ 20-game winning streak. San Antonio, who won the first two games on home court, were unable to contain a fired-up Oklahoma City side as they suffered their first loss in 50 days.

The defeat leaves the Spurs one short of the Lakers’ record of 11 straight post-season wins but more importantly it raises the prospect of a series that could go down to the wire. For the first two games it looked as if San Antonio, built around experience and three championship wins in the 2000’s, were in firm control.

Thursday’s response from the Thunder was a reminder that the talented young team, who lost out to Dallas at this stage last year, are a formidable force on home court. “I think they played smarter than we did and harder than we did,” said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

Kevin Durant top scored for the Thunder with 22 points but it was a team effort, particularly on defense, that paved the way to victory as the Spurs’ offensive threat of Tony Parker (16 points) and Tim Duncan (11 points) were neutralized. Durant was one of five Thunders players to make double figures, including Russell Westbrook whose ten points were accompanied by some intelligent controlling play throughout. The Thunder’s Swiss forward Thabo Sefolosha had an outstanding game guarding Parker and finished with 19 points to go with his six steals, including a tonesetting four steals in the opening three minutes. “He’s been a great defender for us all season and he was a huge help tonight,” said Westbrook.

Oklahoma City forced 21 turnovers while giving up just eight and they imposed themselves on the game from the outset taking an 8-0 lead in the first three minutes, roared on by a noisy and passionate home crowd. The Thunder had established a 54-41 lead by halftime with Durant making 16 points while the Spurs offense was restricted to 40 percent shooting in the opening two quarters. The Thunder took an 18 point lead into the fourth quarter and Popovich opted to keep Parker and Duncan on the sidelines for the final 15 minutes, his thoughts already moving to Game Four.

Parker had shot just 6-12 as Sefolosha smothered him and the Thunder took advantage of their turnovers with 18 fast break points. “I thought that we played great defense from the start, defensively that was as well as you can play against the best team in basketball,” said Thunder head coach Scott Brooks. Parker said the Spurs would now have to study video of the game to try and work out how to overcome the Thunder in Saturday’s Game Four.

“They played with a lot of energy, more passion than us tonight and deserved the win - they played better, we will have to do a lot better if we are going to win here”. —Reuters

OKLAHOMA: Kawhi Leonard No 2 of the San Antonio Spurs goes up for a layup against Nick Collison No 4 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals at Chesapeake Energy Arena on May 31, 2012. —AFP

Hurdles hoopla and sprint stars in Prefontaine Classic EUGENE: A star-studded men’s 110meter hurdles lineup and US sprint stars Justin Gatlin and Allyson Felix top a deep talent pool set to compete at the 38th Prefontaine Classic track today. The Diamond League gathering will be staged at the site where the US Olympic Track and Field Trials are set to begin on June 22, with a host of top global stars coming to test the best of the Americans at Hayward Field.

Athens 2004 Olympic champion Liu Xiang of China sparks a 110 hurdles showdown with reigning world outdoor champion Jason Richardson, reigning world indoor champion Aries Merritt and American record holder David Oliver. World record-holder and reigning Olympic champion Dayron Robles of Cuba was to have competed but the Cuban track federation said that he would not compete “after a

recent analysis of preparations for the Olympic Games.”

Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic 100m champion who served a four-year doping ban and began a comeback in 2010, captured the world indoor 60m crown last March and won the Diamond League 100m opener at Doha in 9.87 seconds. It was the 30-year-old American’s fastest outdoor opener since he began pro sprinting at age 19.

Gatlin will be tested in the 100 by Walter Dix, the world outdoor 100 and 200 runner-up, and Jamaicans Nesta Carter and Nick Ashmeade. Dix and fellow American Wallace Spearmon, who owns the second fastest time in the world this year, will be favored in the 200. Reigning Diamond League 100m and 200m champion Carmelita Jeter will join three-time world outdoor champion Felix in the women’s 200.

Reigning Olympic champion and season leader LaShawn Merritt and 2004 Olympic champion Jeremy Wariner will be joined in a 400-meter battle by reigning world champion Kirani James, an 18-year-old from Grenada. Two-time Olympic 400m hurdles champion Angelo Taylor and Oscar Pistorius, the “Blade Runner” from South Africa trying to secure a berth at the London Olympics, will also be in the 400. World 400m indoor champion Sanya Richards-Ross will face reigning world outdoor champion Amantle Montsho of Botswana and 2012 world-leader Novlene WilliamsMills of Jamaica in the women’s 400.

Reigning world champion Christian Taylor and reigning world indoor champion Will Claye will be tested by Britain’s Phillip Idowu in the triple jump. —AFP

Hooker upbeat as Olympics loom SYDNEY: Australia’s Olympic champion Steve Hooker said he was encouraged by finishing sixth in his latest pole vault competition at the Rome Diamond League meet, reports said yesterday. In his second international competition since returning from a bout of the runway “yips” that forced him out of the Australian domestic season, Hooker Thursday cleared 5.42 meters, 58 centimeters short of his personal outdoor best.

Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie demonstrated how far Hooker needs to progress before next month’s London Olympics, clearing 5.82m. “I’ve come here and I’ve done some good training. The body is feeling good and I’m working with the physio over here,” Hooker told the Athletics Australia website. “I had a really good warm-up. Everything went according to plan up until 5.60m where I had that stop on the first attempt, which probably cost me.” Hooker said he would be working on further improvement for his next competition in Munich on June 5. Hooker won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing in 2008, the 2009 world title, the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medals and the 2010 world indoor championships. —AFP

sports

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Neville reveals Fergie link to England job LONDON: Sir Alex Ferguson has never been England’s biggest fan but the Manchester United manager played his part in persuading Gary Neville to become part of Roy Hodgson’s coaching staff for Euro 2012. Neville is still having to pinch himself that he has been asked by the Football Association to accept such a senior role in the camp, despite his much publicized run-ins with the organization during his playing days.

The former Manchester United captain has rarely been afraid to voice his views and many feel Hodgson has made one his shrewdest decisions as the new England manager bringing Neville into his set-up. Having impressed as a television analyst last season, Neville was as shocked as anyone when the FA got in touch with him to ask if he would consider working alongside Hodgson for the next four-years. Despite his commitment to England, having made 85 caps for his country, the 37-year-old needed to make sure this decision was the right move at this stage of his career.

Neville turned to his former club manager, who much to his surprise already knew about the position, having held lengthy talks with Hodgson 10 days earlier. “The role that Roy was speaking about he (Ferguson) thought it would be very good for me, he was positive,” Neville revealed. “I knew before I went to the meeting that it was something I wanted to do. I wanted him to be one of the first people to know about it. “I was panicking as you do walking into his office, but he knew about it 10 days before me as per usual. Roy had spoken to him. That is just typical.

“I got a text on my phone (from Adrian Bevington at the FA) saying I want to speak to you about something confidential. I thought: ‘what have I done wrong?’ “Or: ‘Something might be happening here.’ It felt like a special moment in my life, an important moment is how I’ve described it. “My frustration with England was that we never won a trophy and hopefully over the next four years I can be part of a team that does get to a successful position. Neville is no stranger to controversy with the England team over recent years. Few could forget when he called for strike action by the England players after Rio Ferdinand was banned for missing a routine drugs test in 2003.

He has also hit out at the FA over their handling of Wayne Rooney’s suspension for swearing into a television camera last year and John Terry losing the England captaincy back in February. But the FA appear to have put all that behind them and feel Neville can play a major role in helping to pass on his experience to the England players. “All the time I’ve talked about the FA (critically) it’s always been about one incident,” Neville said. “It’s not a widespread: ‘The organization is this and that’. It’s been about particular incidents. “At times I can look back and think I may have handled myself differently but we are where we are and I have said continuously over the last ten to 12 years that there are an awful lot of good people at the FA.” Despite the injuries and suspensions that have hit England going into a major tournament, Neville sees no reason why they cannot reach the latter stages of the competition at Euro 2012. “I have been explaining to some of the lads, I went to five tournaments and four of them we went out on penalties,” he said. “We have got a great keeper and that’s not being disrespectful to the ones I played with but that could make a difference. If we get to a quarter-final and our great goalkeeper saves two or three we are in the semi-final. “We have strong characters ... you are talking about European champions, Premier League winners. You have to have character (to win those trophies). These are prominent players within those teams.” —AFP

Rodgers replaces Dalglish as Liverpool new manager Liverpool trust Rodgers to bring back glory days LONDON: Brendan Rodgers was appointed Liverpool manager yesterday with the Premier League club’s American owners hailing him as the man with the vision and flair to bring back the glory days to Anfield. The former Swansea City boss, who had initially turned down one of the hottest jobs in English soccer, replaces Kenny Dalglish after the Scot was sacked in the wake of a disappointing eighth place finish last season. Rodgers, only the 18th manager in the club’s 120-year history, said he would dedicate his life to fight for Liverpool and defend its principles on and off the field.

“We might not be ready for the title now but the process begins today and it’s a new cycle,” he told a news conference at Anfield. Liverpool chairman Tom Werner said the 39-year-old was “our first choice and the right choice”. “A forward thinking coach at the forefront of a new generation of managers, he will bring to Liverpool a style of attacking, relentless football,” he declared. “Our common goal is to see Liverpool play among the best teams in Europe and be the best team in England. We believe this appointment today will put us on the path to achieving the goals we all want at Liverpool.” Liverpool’s main owner John Henry added in a statement that nobody was expecting an overnight miracle. “But we firmly believe that the direction the club is heading in will lead to Premier League championships,” he added.

LONG-TERM PROJECT Swansea had announced on Wednesday that Rodgers had been offered the Liverpool job subject to compensation being agreed with the Welsh club. That was settled on Thursday. “I’m blessed to be given this opportunity,” said Rodgers, who has a 20-year career in coaching behind him including a stint with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea despite his relative youth. “This is a long-term (project). That was important to me, to come in to a project that is going to be over a number of years,” he added. “For me first and foremost it is to defend the principles of this great club which is about offensive and cre-

ative football but with tactical discipline.” Rodgers, who turned down an offer to talk to Liverpool earlier this month when the club’s owners then held discussions with Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez, made clear he could not have accepted a director of football over him. “That was something I made clear I couldn’t work with,” he told reporters. “What you need is an outstanding team. We will form a technical board that will have four or five people that will decide the way forward.”

Dutchman Louis van Gaal had been linked in the media with replacing departed sporting director Damien

Watford and Reading. Liverpool have been searching for a replacement for Dalglish, whose second spell in charge at Anfield ended after their worst league finish for almost 20 years. Dalglish did steer Liverpool to a League Cup triumph and an FA Cup final appearance last season but the club are desperate to get back into the top four and mount a title challenge.

“Brendan Rodgers’s appointment today as manager of Liverpool Football Club is one of the most important steps we will take in building the kind of club on and off the pitch supporters can be excited about.” Henry said. “Brendan’s

ANFIELD: Liverpool’s new manager Brendan Rodgers holds up a Liverpool scarf during a press conference at Anfield, Liverpool yesterday. —AP Comolli but Liverpool now look set to move forward without one. Northern Irishman Rodgers said his initial rejection of Liverpool, five times champions of Europe, had been out of respect for his previous employers.

Rodgers guided Swansea to a respectable 11th place finish in the Premier League last season, their first campaign at the highest level since 1983. He led the club to promotion from the Championship (second division) via the playoffs after moving to Swansea in 2010 following spells in charge of

comprehensive football philosophy is perfectly aligned with those at the club and those soon to join the club. He was the first choice unanimously among them and he had no hesitation at all in embracing exactly what we want to try to build at Liverpool.” Once the dominant force in English football, Liverpool have not won the championship since 1990. They finished the 2011-12 campaign 37 points behind champions Manchester City and recorded their fewest wins (14) in a top flight season since 1953-54. —Reuters

Kagawa’s Japan eye next WCup SINGAPORE: Manchester United target Shinji Kagawa can seize another chance to impress Alex Ferguson by helping Asian champions Japan take a big step towards the next World Cup, starting this weekend.

The fourth round of Asia’s 2014 World Cup qualifiers will get underway on Sunday with Alberto Zaccheroni’s side facing three matches in nine days as they look to book their spot in Brazil. Japan host Oman in their opening Group B match at the Saitama Stadium and face Jordan at the same venue next Friday, before travelling to Brisbane for a June 12 re-match of last year’s Asian Cup final with Australia.

While it is a daunting start for his team, Zaccheroni has a strong squad at his dis-

posal that includes Borussia Dortmund winger Kagawa and CSKA Moscow attacking midfielder Keisuke Honda. Kagawa has been making the headlines with his impending move to Manchester United, but it is the return from injury of the influential Honda that has bolstered Japanese hopes. The star of Japan’s run to the last 16 at the 2010 World Cup, and the most valuable player in their 2011 Asian Cup victory, Honda missed the entire third round of World Cup qualifiers after he injured his right knee last August. However, he returned for the Blue Samurai in an international friendly against Azerbaijan last week and set up goals for Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki in a 2-0 victory.

“I think once I get used to linking up with the rest of the team I can be a lot more dangerous for our opponents,” said the 25year-old after the Azerbaijan match. “I think we will have more chances in the World Cup qualifiers if I have more intensity. Our opponents are also bound to make mistakes.” Japan, who have contested the last four World Cups, are one of the 10 Asian teams left who are battling for four-andhalf spots at the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

The teams have been divided into two groups of five with the top two in each section qualifying for Brazil. The two thirdplaced sides go into a two-legged play-off for the right to face a South American team for a ticket to Brazil.

With Australia enjoying a bye this weekend, Sunday’s other Group B game is in Amman where Jordan entertain 2007 Asian Cup champions Iraq. It will be the third meeting between the Middle Eastern neighbours in the past 10 months after they were also grouped together in the third round. The Jordanians won 2-0 in Arbil last September but the Iraqis, coached

by Brazilian legend Zico, avenged that loss with a 3-1 victory in Amman in November as both teams reached the fourth round at the expense of China. In Group A, central Asian giants Uzbekistan will resume their quest for a first ever appearance at the World Cup when they entertain three-time finalists Iran in Tashkent. —AFP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

England desperate for a morale-boosting display LONDON: England face their final dress rehearsal for Euro 2012 against Belgium today with Roy Hodgson’s men desperate for a morale-boosting display after a week dominated by dispiriting injury bulletins. The sense of pessimism already surrounding England’s chaotic build-up to the tournament has grown more palpable after the double blow of losing Gareth Barry (abdomen) and Frank Lampard (thigh) in the wake of the 1-0 win over Norway.

The cruel loss of the two veteran midfielders leaves a thin squad looking alarmingly short of experience in key areas, with the role of Captain Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker assuming even greater importance. With England’s opening Group D match against France on June 11 hoving rapidly into view, Hodgson could be forgiven for wanting to protect both Gerrard and Parker until that daunting assignment in the Donbass Arena.

But Hodgson will want to see his starting XI for the France game get at least 45 minutes together, which means Parker and Gerrard are likely to start at Wembley just as they did in Oslo last weekend. Liverpool striker

England and Holland set for Euro dress rehearsals PARIS: England, the Netherlands and Portugal have one last chance to make adjustments ahead of Euro 2012 as they gear up for their final pre-tournament warm-up matches today.

England open their Euro campaign against France in Donetsk on June 11 and they have selected similar opposition for their last friendly match before the tournament, with Belgium the visitors to Wembley this weekend. Belgium’s Eden Hazard is likely to be the centre of attention after revealing that he will join Chelsea from Lille this summer, but it is also England’s final opportunity to perfect their tactics before the squad fly out to Poland next week.

The Three Lions prevailed 1-0 against Norway in Oslo last Saturday, in what was manager Roy Hodgson’s first game in charge. Manchester United winger Ashley Young scored the game’s only goal and he said he was looking forward to renewing his partnership with striker Andy Carroll, who will start England’s first two games due to Wayne Rooney’s suspension.

“We have got to keep the performances up,” said Young. “I think (the partnership with Carroll) went well. We’ve been working together in training and it worked with the goal. There is a good combination between us.” Despite early signs of promise in the Carroll-Young tandem, Hodgson faces serious problems in midfield, having lost both Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard to injury in the past week.

Striker Danny Welbeck is short of fitness, having injured his ankle while playing for Manchester United in April, while Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson is struggling with an infected toe. England’s last Wembley appearance saw them beaten 3-2 by Holland in February, but the Dutch have endured mixed fortunes since, losing in successive friendlies to Bayern Munich and Bulgaria before bouncing back to defeat Slovakia 2-0 on Wednesday. Bert van Marwijk’s beaten World Cup finalists face Northern Ireland at Ajax’s Amsterdam ArenA today, seven days before they take on 1992 champions Denmark in their opening Euro 2012 Group B assignment in Kharkiv.

Wesley Sneijder hobbled off with an ankle injury against Slovakia and although it was only a precaution, it could give Tottenham Hotspur’s Rafael van der Vaart an opportunity to start against Northern Ireland. “Every minute I see as an opportunity,” said van der Vaart, who claimed Holland’s second goal against the Slovaks in Rotterdam with a rare right-footed effort.

“The coach has always chosen Wesley in my position, so I have not played there a lot lately. When you start on the bench, you always hope to be given enough time to be able to prove yourself.” Beaten 3-1 by Brazil last weekend, Denmark tackle Australia in Copenhagen today, while fellow Group B adversaries Portugal meet Turkey in Lisbon. After successive 0-0 draws against Poland and latterly Macedonia, Cristiano Ronaldo and co are bidding to score their first goals since the 6-2 thrashing of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the second leg of their play-off victory in November. —AFP

Andy Carroll is expected to be given another opportunity to cement his place as the tip of the England spear in attack, with Manchester United’s Ashley Young operating just behind him. It remains to be seen who Hodgson will favour in the wide areas. Stewart Downing and James Milner started against Norway but England improved with the introduction of the pacier Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

The return of the Chelsea contingent is likely to mean wholesale changes in the back four, where Ashley Cole, John Terry and Gary Cahill are expected to start with either Phil Jones or Glen Johnson occupying the right back berth. England’s dearth of options throughout the squad means Hodgson’s tactical set-up will become even more crucial. Although the England manager repeatedly emphasizes he has been “parachuted” into his post following the departure in February of Fabio Capello, he has impressed his players so far in the short time they have been together.

“I think he can impose his ideas, the tactical knowledge and how he wants the team to shape up and how

he wants us to play,” was the verdict of defender Phil Jagielka this week, brought in to replace Barry. “We’ve all been playing for a number of years. It’s not like it is a new game for us but he can put his thoughts across on the training ground. “He and Ray Lewington will be out on the training ground getting us to play the way they want us to play.

“Hopefully they can find the missing ingredient to put us through to the latter stages of the tournament.”

Assistant coach Gary Neville struck a defiant tone, praising Hodgson’s decision to give England’s players 10 days off at the end of the season.”One of the brave things Roy Hodgson has done is given the players ten days off which no manager has ever given,” said Neville, who has also emphasized that anything could be possible for England should they advance past the first round. “I have been explaining to some of the lads, I went to five tournaments and four of them we went out on penalties,” Neville said. “We have got a great keeper and that’s not being disrespectful to the ones I played with but that could make a difference. —AFP

Euro helps ‘Schweini’ forget Munich misery

TOURRETTES: German’s midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger takes part in a training session at the EURO 2012 training camp in Tourrettes, southeastern France. — AFP

BERLIN: Bastian Schweinsteiger has vowed to put the bitter disappointment of losing the Champions League final behind him to help Germany in their bid to lift a fourth European crown at Euro 2012. Having last won the European Championships in 1996, Germany face a tough challenge in Group B alongside Holland, Portugal and Denmark. Schweinsteiger is central to the plans of Germany coach Joachim Loew at the Euro but the 27-year-old is still nursing the after-effects of his crucial miss in the Champions League penalty shoot-out.

The Bayern Munich star could only watch in horror when his spot-kick hit the post in the final a fortnight ago and Chelsea went on to claim a 4-3 win on penalties at Munich’s Allianz Arena. It shattered Bayern’s dreams of becoming the first team to win the Champions League at home and images of a distraught Schweinsteiger pulling his shirt over his head in dismay perfectly portrayed the team’s deep disappointment. Schweinsteiger is still carrying a calf strain from that night and he admits the match has also taken a mental toll as he looks forward to Germany’s Euro 2012 opener against Portugal on June 9.

“You try and get it out of your head but you still think back to that game,” he told German daily Bild. “It’s not easy but when you have a new task to focus on that makes it easy. The European Championships are a new beginning.” In the moments directly after the defeat, a stunned Schweinsteiger missed the out-stretched hand of Germany’s new president Joachim Gauck, who was offering a commiserating handshake. Horrified at the idea of their star snubbing the president, Bayern put out a hasty statement in which Schweinsteiger apologized but there were few in football-mad Germany who failed to fathom the depth of “Schweini’s” despair.

“I could not at that moment, after this massive disappointment, see what was going on around me,” admitted Schweinsteiger. “I was desperately disappointed, it was like I was paralyzed.”

Schweinsteiger is coming off the back of a tough season after breaking his collarbone in November, then tearing ankle ligaments in February. The linchpin in Germany’s midfield, he works hard to track back in defence but is often the starting point for the Germans attack. He was absent when Germany were beaten 2-1 by France in Bremen in February and also last Saturday when they suffered a shock 5-3 defeat to Switzerland in Basel. Despite his misery in Munich, Schweinsteiger is amongst a core group of first-choice players key to Germany’s chances of bringing home the Euro 2012 title from Kiev in the final on July 1. With 23 goals in 90 appearances for Germany, he was a key member of the teams that finished third at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, as well as second at Euro 2008. Loew said he has no doubts the events of Munich will be quickly forgotten by Bayern’s stars once the Germans begin their assault on the European crown. “A new target has been fixed in their minds and superimposed all the negative thoughts,” said Germany coach Loew. “I’m sure they will do anything for the title. “I know Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm now the last few years and I know how professional and successful they are. They can flip the switch again. All Bayern players can do that.”— AFP

SPORTS

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Germany beat Israel in final Euro warm-up LEIPZIG: Germany worked hard for a 2-0 win over Israel in a Euro 2012 warm-up match on Thursday with Mario Gomez and Andre Schuerrle on target in their final test before next month’s tournament. The three-time European champions, among the title favorites, dominated with a performance that was a marked improvement on their 5-3 defeat by Switzerland.

However, they wasted close to a dozen clear chances on a rainy evening in Leipzig as they prepare for the finals being co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine.

Germany face Portugal on June 9 in their first match in Group B which also includes Netherlands and Denmark.

“We can say this was a decent final test

of our preparation and will give us a bit of a boost,” said coach Joachim Loew, who is leading Germany for a third major tournament. “Obviously not everything worked well yet. It is clear we could have scored more goals but to go with a win into next week is good for us,” he told reporters. “We will improve, the tempo at the tournament will be higher, in the second half we squandered six or seven chances... so there is still a bit to work on.” With Bastian Schweinsteiger ruled out with a nagging thigh injury, Toni Kroos partnered Sami Khedira in a holding midfield role.

POURING RAIN Captain Philipp Lahm switched

from his usual right back position to left back with central defender Jerome Boateng playing on the right where he is less comfortable.

The Germans, as expected, took the initiative in constant pouring rain but had to wait 20 minutes for their first clear chance when Boateng rattled the post with a curled left-foot shot as Israel defended in numbers. Gomez broke the deadlock five minutes before halftime, picking up a Thomas Mueller pass in the box and firing high into the net for his 22nd international goal in 52 appearances.

Germany keeper Manuel Neuer was called into action twice soon after the break to rescue the hosts before they upped the tempo again, missing sever-

al chances with Lukas Podolski and Mueller among the culprits.

Substitute Schuerrle grabbed their deserved second goal eight minutes from time, rifling home from 20 meters as Germany won their first match this year after two defeats. “We had some good combinations, allowed nothing to happen at the back,” said Lahm. “We (Bayern players) had not played for 12 days, we had only three days of training with the team so not everything can work instantly.

That’s normal.” “We’ll be fully fit when the tournament starts,” added Lahm who along with his club team mates had been given some rest after losing to Chelsea in the Champions League final. — Reuters

Shevchenko dreams of home Euro glory

REIMS: France’s forward Olivier Giroud jumps over Serbian’s Ivan Radovanovic as they challenge for the ball, during their friendly international soccer match in Reims, eastern France. — AP

France blank Serbia REIMS: France beat Serbia 2-0 in a Euro 2012 warm-up game to stretch their unbeaten run to 20 matches but it came at a price with midfielder Yann Mvila suffering an ankle injury that forced him off the pitch after five minutes on Thursday. Mvila broke down in tears when he was replaced after twisting his right ankle, leaving the stadium on crutches before returning to the bench without them in the second half.

However, France coach Laurent Blanc said he was confident the holding midfielder would be ready to face England in their opening Group D match in Donetsk, Ukraine on June 11. France prevailed on Thursday with early goals from Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda as they played eye-catching, free-flow-

ing football in the first half. “In the first half we did a lot of nice things offensively, that was positive,” coach Laurent Blanc told French TV channel TF1. “The players were in better shape than against Iceland (in a 3-2 win on Sunday).

We were better physically but we are not ready yet, we suffered in the last 15 minutes.”

ANKLE SPRAIN Blanc was disappointed that Mvila, who is poised to start at the tournament, only managed to play for a few minutes but was optimistic that he would recover in time for the England match. “We can think that he will be fit for the first game. His participation in the tournament is not in question,” he

said. France doctor Fabrice Bryand said Mvila had suffered an ankle sprain and would undergo a further examination.

“The ankle is not broken. It’s reassuring. We, however, need 48 hours more to say if he will recover in time for the Euro,” he said. France went ahead against Serbia in the 11th minute when Ribery volleyed home after goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic parried a Gael Clichy effort into the path of the Bayern Munich winger. Four minutes later, Malouda struck a fierce drive from 30 metres to make it 2-0.

France continued to push hard for more goals but failed to breach the Israel defence again and gradually ran out of steam. Les Bleus face Estonia in a friendly in Le Mans on Tuesday. — Reuters

KIEV: Ukraine’s legendary striker Andriy Shevchenko is dreaming of leading his nation to home glory in Euro 2012 as he heads into the swansong of a glorious career which took him to Europe’s finest leagues.

The life of Shevchenko, who first emerged in the 1990s at Dynamo Kiev under the late great coach Valeriy Lobanovskiy, has now turned full circle as he plays out the twilight of his career for Dynamo Kiev and in Euro 2012 at home. Shevchenko’s career saw him collect the European footballer of the year award in 2004 during a glorious seven-year spell with AC Milan, an unsuccessful stint at Chelsea followed by his return to Kiev in 2009.

“When I was a child I dreamed a lot,” Shevchenko told reporters as he watched the Euro trophy start its journey through Ukraine. “I dreamed sincerely and with all my heart. So, I ask all Ukrainians to believe with all their hearts that the dreams of Euro 2012 can become reality.

“And this also concerns the dream of the Ukrainian national team in the final,” he added. “We need to dream about victory with all our hearts.”

Even during his many years abroad, Shevchenko remained a proud patriot and captained Ukraine to the quarter finals in the 2006 World Cup. Shevchenko has been the standard bearer of his nation’s football hopes for over 15 years and nothing would cap his career better than glory in the Euro which Ukraine is co-hosting with Poland.

Few Ukrainians have forgotten his hat-trick in Dynamo’s famous 4-0 drubbing of Barcelona at the Camp Nou in 1997, where the young and ferociously dynamic Kiev side were guided by his mentor Lobanovskiy. When AC Milan won the Champions League in 2003, Shevchenko poignantly took the trophy to the monument in Kiev to Lobanovskiy, who had died of a stroke in 2002.

Ukraine’s hopes in Euro 2012 have been dented by being drawn in a group of death with heavyweights France and England as well as the traditionally tough Sweden. They are also burdened by injury woes and a goalkeeping crisis.

But the hopes of Shevchenko, now 35, are undimmed. “We have a young team with great potential. Much will depend on how the guys cope with the psychological pressure. If they can cope with that we have a good chance of making the knockout stage,” he said. “The best part of our game is quickly turning defense into attack, we have a number of quick players and our game will be built around counter attacks with the use of the wings.”

Shevchenko had admitted that with the years going by, he is not in top form and is still 30 percent short of the full physical fitness required for the Euro. “If I do not feel good, if I do not feel I can play at the highest level then I won’t play at Euro 2012. But with every match my condition is improving.” Shevchenko knows his playing years are numbered and also endured the bitter disappointment this season of seeing his beloved Dynamo narrowly beaten in the race for the Ukrainian title by arch rivals Shakhtar Donetsk. “After the end of the Euro I will sort out the future of my career. I will see to what extent health allows me to do this.” — AFP

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2012

Sports

France blank Serbia

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PARIS: Spectators (inset) cheer as Roger Federer of Switzerland plays his third round match against Nicolas Mahut of France at the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium yesterday. — AP

Federer outclass Mahut Serena suffers another French Open defeat

PARIS: Roger Federer survived another awkward French Open assignment yesterday to book a last 16 match-up with Belgium’s David Goffin, the first lucky loser in 17 years to make a Grand Slam fourth round. Federer, the champion in Paris in 2009, overcame battling French world number 89 Nicolas Mahut 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, being pushed to four sets for the second match in succession.

Goffin is the first lucky loser from qualifying to make the last 16 of a major since compatriot Dick Norman at Wimbledon in 1995 and the first at Roland Garros since 1978.

The 21-year-old achieved the feat by beating Poland’s Lukasz Kubot 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 6-1, having originally lost in the final qualifying round last week. He was then handed a lifeline when French star Gael Monfils pulled out on the eve of the event. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga did his part to keep alive home hopes of a first men’s champion since 1983 when he swept past colourful Italian Fabio Fognini to reach the last 16. Fifth seed Tsonga won 7-5, 6-4, 6-4 against the 45th-ranked Fognini and will face Stanislas Wawrinka, the 18thseeded Swiss, who defeated French 11th seed Gilles Simon 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-2.

It was Tsonga’s second win in two meetings with Fognini, who reached the quarter-finals last year only for a thigh injury to force

him to withdraw and hand Novak Djokovic a walkover into the semi-finals. “I have had some difficult moments here, now I am happy to be having some good ones,” said Tsonga, who has now matched his best performances of fourth round runs in 2010 and 2011. Andreas Seppi kept Italian interest alive by reaching the last 16 of a Grand Slam at the 29th time of asking.

The 22nd seed stunned Spain’s 14th seed Fernando Verdasco 75, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 and could face Djokovic for a place in the quarter-finals if the world number one and top seed sees off France’s world 286 Nicolas Devilder. Seppi, who won the claycourt title in Belgrade in the run-up to Roland Garros, had lost all six of his previous meetings with Verdasco. Seventh-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych ended Kevin Anderson’s hopes of becoming the first South African man to reach the last 16 of a Grand Slam for nine years in a third round slugfest.

The 31st seed from Johannesburg was attempting to match compatriot Wayne Ferreira who made the fourth round at the Australian Open in 2003. But after taking a two sets to one lead, he ran out of steam in the final set, when he needed treatment on his left thigh at every changeover, and lost 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 6-4, eight minutes short of four hours. Berdych, a semi-finalist in Paris in

2010, will next take on ninth seed Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, the 2009 US Open champion, who put out Marin Cilic, the Croatian 21st seed 6-3, 7-6 (9/7), 6-1.

“When I played him (Anderson) in the first round in Madrid, he was the toughest player I faced until the semi-finals,” said Berdych, who went on to be runner-up to Roger Federer in the Spanish capital. “So I was expecting a tough one today. He is a player who is coming up and playing really well.” World number 98 Malek Jaziri wasted a great opportunity to become the first Tunisian man into a Grand Slam third round when he squandered three match points against Spanish 20th seed Marcel Granollers. In a match held over from Tuesday, Granollers edged past Jaziri 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 75 and will face France’s Paul-Henri Mathieu for a place in the last 16.

In another development, Serena Williams suffered another French Open defeat yesterday when she and Bob Bryan, who she plans to play with at the Olympics, lost in the first round of the mixed doubles. The American pair were defeated 7-5, 3-6, 10-6 by Argentina’s Gisela Dulko and Eduardo Schwank. Serena slumped to a first ever first round Grand Slam singles defeat on Tuesday when she squandered a set and 5-1 lead in the second set tiebreaker to lose to France’s Virginie Razzano. — Agencies