08 Apr 2012

CR IP TI ON BS SU

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

Avalanche buries 124 Pak soldiers, 11 civilians

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JAMADI ALAWAAL 17, 1433 AH

Filipino performer experiences own Mideast crisis

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40 years of happy families for Bangladesh matchmaker

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www.kuwaittimes.net

Shock and oar as swimmer wrecks Britain boat race

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More than 100 killed in Syria ahead of deadline Army batters opposition areas • Violence dims truce hopes

Two-hour KAC flight turns into 12-hour ordeal

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Passengers onboard a Kuwait Airways flight to Beirut were left fuming after their plane was diverted twice before returning back to Kuwait early yesterday. Bad weather conditions in Lebanon on Friday evening didn’t allow Kuwait Airways’ flight 501 to land at Beirut airport, and it was diverted to Cyprus instead. Passengers were not allowed to disembark at Larnaca airport and had to stay in the plane for two hours. The plane then reattempted to fly to Beirut, but was again turned back to Larnaca because of heavy fog. After sitting in the plane for a long time, the passengers were allowed to deplane after they protested, but faced a harrowing ordeal at the airport.

Passengers complained they were frisked at the airport “as if they were terrorists” because they were Arabs, and no food vouchers or other services were provided to them. Those with small children also ran out of diapers, but no Kuwait Airways’ staff or ground crew made any provisions for the stranded passengers, allegedly because Kuwait Airways does not fly to Cyprus and has no staff stationed there.

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DAMASCUS: Syrians burn an Israeli flag as they wave Syrian Baath party flags during a rally to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Baath party and in support of President Bashar Al-Assad (seen in portrait) yesterday. — AFP

Max 33º Min 18º High Tide 00:43 & 11:30 Low Tide 06:16 & 19:02

DAMASCUS: More than 100 people were reported killed across Syria yesterday, 74 of them civilians, as regime forces pressed a protest crackdown three days ahead of a deadline to cease fire and pull back.

Monitors reported the escalation in violence despite UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s latest rebuke to Damascus for stepping up its assault on dissent hubs ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. At least 40 civilians died “in bombardment and shooting on the town of Latamna,” in Hama province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based monitoring group said civilians were killed as well in Tibet al-Imam, also in Hama, and another 16 in the neighbouring province of Homs, where Rastan town was bombed, in Idlib to the northwest, and Aleppo in north Syria. In escalating clashes, 16 rebels and 17 members of the security forces were also killed nationwide, it said, adding 13 men were found killed in cold blood in the Deir Balaa district of Homs and 10 extracted from rubble in Hreitan, Aleppo province. Amateur activist video showed scenes of carnage said to be the aftermath of the military shelling in Deir Baalba. Mangled limbs and body parts in blankets were being loaded on a pick-up truck. A second video showed the 13 men who appeared to have been tied up and executed.

The Obser vator y said the deaths came after President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces launched an overnight assault on Latamna and clashed with members of the rebel Free Syrian Army. In an activist video from Latamna, mourners held aloft the limp corpse of a child. A row of bodies lay on the ground. UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has warned of “alarming” Continued on Page 13

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

LOCAL

‘Agreements signed with Syria cannot be canceled’ Al-Saadoun participation ‘a mistake’

By A Saleh KUWAIT: The legislative committee bloc will approve a proposal put forward by the Popular Action Bloc to cancel agreements signed with Syria. The government, however, remarked this as being ‘strange’ and described the participation of Speaker Ahmad AlSaadoun a ‘mistake.’ Sources said that these agreements are signed with countries, not governments, and their cancellation violates international rules, and cannot take place in view of the Syrian political situation. It argued that these agreements cannot be cancelled by one party without commitments.

In other news, member of the Islamic Constitutional Movement (HADAS) MP Jamaan Al-Harbash asked Nayef Al-Hajraf, Minister of Education and Higher Education to eliminate incompetent officials employed at the Ministry of Higher Education, in addition to ‘trouble-making’ female officials at the

Education Ministry.

This indicates that confrontation between HADAS and the minister is likely to happen soon, to guarantee key posts to the bloc’s leaders in both ministries.

Sources say that Al-Harbash is considering a demand placed by Kuwait Teacher ’s Association, (controlled by HADAS) seeking the ouster of several assistant undersecretaries, especially since the tenure of Undersecretary Tamadher Al-Saidrami will finish soon.

Also, lawmaker Ali Al-Rashid will submit a complaint to the Public Prosecution Office against Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun, demanding the cancellation amendments made to the incident where the National Assembly was breached. Al-Rashid accused Saadoun of tampering with facts.

Meanwhile, ambassadors of countries who sponsored the GCC initiative voiced support yesterday for Yemeni president Abdo Rabbu

Mansour Hadi’s decisions to reshuffle top commanders of armed forces.

Official news agency (Saba) quoted a statement by the Ambassadors of the six GCC countries and five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) as well as chief of the EU mission in Yemen, as affirming that reshuffling carried out by Hadi would help decrease tension. The reshuffling is in line with the initiative of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), they said.

The Ambassadors adopted this decision after Yemeni Air Force Commander Major General Mohammad Saleh Al-Ahmar, half brother of the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, rejected Hadi’s decision to sack him.

Maj. Gen. Al-Ahmar argued that other military officials should also be dismissed, and retaliated by ordering closure of Sanaa International Airport and deployment of a large number of military vehicles at the facility.

Street fight in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: A street fight broke out in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh. Three Egyptians who were injured were administered treatment on site. Five ambulances reached the area and the Central Emergency room was placed on alert.

Location officers Farouq Al-Shatti and Nasser Al-Subaie were present at the scene.

Police arrest duo Jahra police arrested an 18-year-old citizen and a 25-year-old bedoon after the duo fired gunshots at a bedoon’s car in Taima. Police responded to the victim’s call. He was driving along the area where the perpetrators live. When police knocked at the door (of their residence), a Kuwaiti and a bedoon opened the door and were found to be in a confused state of mind). They denied firing their weapons, and denied police permission to enter the premises. The culprits were eventually overpowered and arrested,

and the citizen was found to have been convicted in a previous case, ordered to ser ve a four-year jail sentence.

Investigations into the case are underway.

Car accidents A 27-year-old female citizen fractured her left leg, after being run over by a car at Souq Sharq parking lot. She was admitted to the Amiri Hospital.

A 47-year-old citizen fractured his left thigh bone, while a 30-year-old suffered multiple bruises in a car accident that took place near the Psychiatric Hospital.

They were admitted to Sabah Hospital.

A 21-year-old citizen suffered multiple bruises and grazes in a motor cycle accident that took place in Salwa. He was admitted to Mubarak Hospital.

Burn injuries A 29-year-old Indian suffered burn injuries to his chest after being involved in a fight that took place in Abu Halifa.

He was admitted to Adan Hospital.

‘Kuwait should form emergency disaster management team’ KUWAIT: An emergency team specialized in disaster management should be formed in the country immediately, remarked Dr Abdullah Al-Enazie who specializes in seismology at Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR). He added that technological equipment to detect an earthquake early are available at the Institute, but specialists in the field are urgently needed.

He said that Al-Manqeash earthquake which affected Kuwait in 1994 was the strongest, as was registered at four points on the Richter Scale, adding that no scientific indicators to predict earthquakes occurrence are available.

He revealed that Iran is threatened by

a huge earthquake at eight points on the scale, and Kuwait might be affected. He demanded that Kuwait government take precautionary steps to avoid the catastrophe.

The scientist explained that aftershocks originate from the epicenter.

According to the studies conducted at KISR, an earthquake that may hit Iran will be registered at 7.5 points on the Richter Scale. The tremors from this quake will not have much of an impact on Kuwait.

However, if the quake’s epicenter lies closer to the Iranian coast, its effects will be strongly felt by Kuwait, owing to Kuwait’s geographical proximity to the Iranian coast.

Al-Shihab affirms resolve to boost human rights

KUWAIT: A ceremony was held to celebrate the graduation of cadets who took part in a leadership and personality analysis course at the Ministry of Interior. The event was held under the patronage of Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Sabah, Assistant Undersecretary for Training General in the presence of Lt General Mohammad Rafie Al-Deehani, Director General of the National Security College and Colonel Nasser Ibrahim Al-Houti and Major Awwad Al-Azemy.

News

in brief

PAAET faculty members to stage protest KUWAIT: Some members from different faculties at Kuwait University and Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) have decided to stage strikes in protest against salaries paid to them. They claim that the salaries are ‘disgraceful’ to their social position as they are PhD holders. However, fresh graduates receive higher salaries, they claimed. Many expressed displeasure at their current positions, adding that the government has erred by raising allowances paid to other employees without conducting proper studies, resulting in an unequal salary scale structure.

No stipends for expat doctors KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health has reportedly stopped paying stipends to non-Kuwaiti doctors employed with it on temporar y basis, sources said. The reason has been attributed to the lack of a standardized payment method. At the same time, it plans to list the names of all expatriate doctors who receive stipends for participating in training courses.

Kuwait Exhibition for Data Security KUWAIT: Central Bureau for Information Technology has announced support and sponsorship for Kuwait exhibition for information security organized by Promedia International for the 4th consecutive year on 9th May under the patronage of minister of communication Eng. Salem Al-Othaina Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Central Bureau for Information Technology.

Fish farm subsidy KUWAIT: Salem Al-Hai, head of the Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources, said the number of farms getting subsidy from the authority are 34. There are several conditions required for getting the subsidy, he pointed out. The farm should cover about 10% of the land. The fishing farm should not be less than 500 square meter on several pools that have all technical specifications approved by the authority. Al-Hai added that the authority intends to increase capacity of the current hitching pool to increase the number of fishing farms, in preparation of farming new kinds of fish in larger amounts, reported Al-Shahed.

KUWAIT: Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Jamal AlShihab has affirmed Kuwait’s commitment to approving justice and boosting human rights based on national legislations and international conventions.

Minister Al-Shihab, commenting on his decision in late last March to reshuffle the high commission for human rights at the Ministry of Justice, said that this decision stems from the country’s national legislations and principals of the constitution.

“These principles affirm Kuwait’s faith and keenness in protecting and respecting all aspects of human rights in keep-

ing with the demands of the international community,” he stressed. He added that issuance of the decision came along the patch of series of long episodes of procedures and decisions that were taken by the Kuwaiti government to protect and save the rights of its citizens and those who live within Kuwait’s soil, noting that the decision also came to strengthen the march of Arab, regional, and international covenants and agreements that Kuwait has signed with many parties, including the United Nations (UN) in the forefront. The minister pointed out that the number of agreements have surpassed 25 agreements.— KUNA

Tunisian official hails ties with Kuwait VIENNA: Visiting Tunisia’s Minister of State for External Investment Alliyah Baltaib has praised the bilateral relations bounding his country with Kuwait, describing the ties as distinctive and strain-free.

In remarks following a seminar on post-revolution enterprises in Tunisia, hosted by the Austrian Chamber of Economy, Baltaib noted that Kuwait was among the pioneering nations, with businesses in his countr y, singling out the formation of the Kuwaiti-Tunisian Investment Group, which also founded the chain of Abu Nawas Hotels in the country.

Following the revolution, the group contacted the new government, expressing desire to re-launch businesses in the country on a wide scale, namely in the sectors of tourism, investments industries and banking.

Comeback of the Kuwaiti businesses to the Tunisian market would boost the national economy, said Baltaib, indicating that sectors such as tourism and energy would mainly lure the Kuwait investors Assuring reluctant Kuwaiti entrepreneurs, concerned at some prospected hurdles, the minister indicated that the government, following the revolu-

tion, established departments and ministries to overcome such barriers — namely the ministries for justice, human rights, combating corruption, bribery and nepotism-phenomena that were rampant during era of the ousted regime.

Affirming that the Tunisian economy has posted some growth in the post-revolution time, the official said foreign investments grew five percent, compared to 2010, portfolio investments 10 percent, exports 16-18 percent.

Moreover, number of tourists, over the past two months, noticeably increased. — KUNA

Bosnia stresses importance of ties with Kuwait SARAJEVO: Bosnia and Herzegovina President Bakir Izetbegovic stressed yesterday the importance of bilateral relations of friendship and cooperation his country enjoys with the state of Kuwait.

The Bosnian president said, during a meeting with the Kuwaiti Ambassador in his presidential headquarters in Sarajevo, that his country is looking forward to raise the level of political and economic cooperation with the Gulf state. This could be achieved by increasing the number of visits between the two countries, he added.

The upcoming visit of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Foreign Minister to Kuwait comes as a natural progression to the aforementioned political cooperation. He wished this collaboration would further prosper and advance to serve the best interest of both countries.

On his part, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Sarajevo Mohammad Fadhel Khalaf lauded the level of relations that ties the two countries together and reiterated Kuwait’s support in funding projects that might uplift this Southeastern European country. — KUNA

The voluntary Mabarrah organized an awareness day for school students to develop the environmental awareness spirit and promote voluntary work.

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

local

News

Kuwait devotes special attention to students

in brief

Two injured in KOC fire KUWAIT: Two workers were injured yesterday in a fire that broke out in a portable high-pressure air device, reported Kuwait Oil Company. The company said in a statement that the fire occurred at 11:20 in the morning local time which resulted in the wounding of two workers. They were rushed immediately to Ahmadi hospital and then to Al-Babtain Center for Burns and Plastic Surgey for treatment. The company said in a statement that the fire broke out while the crew was carrying out a periodical maintenance of a portable high-pressure air device. The company said it will form a team to investigate the cause of the accident.

Family names of some bedoons deleted KUWAIT: Sources at Central Authority To Resolve Illegal Residents Issues has announced that it has deleted the names of some tribes and families registered with it, based on records verified with Public Authority for Civil Information. It added that this step has listed the names of only those who deserve to be naturalized.

Commenting on complaints received from some bedoons, who after receiving identification cards were surprised to see that it does not contain their family names, sources said that the Authority has discovered that there are thousands of bedoons who use Kuwaiti family names without any right to do so. A thorough check of official records was performed by the Authority.

Law to grant housewives salary KUWAIT: Parliamentary sources said quoting a member of Women and Family Committee who said that the committee has asked the minister of social affairs and labor Ahmad Al-Rujaib to attend a meeting to be held during this week to discuss a proposed law of granting Kuwaiti women who are not working a monthly allowance amounting to KD 250, reported Al-Anbaa.

MANAMA: Sheikh Azzam Mubarak Al-Sabah pictured with the Kuwaiti students studying at the Bahraini universities.

MANAMA: The Kuwaiti government, which bases its development schemes on human resources, devotes special concern to its students abroad and follows up closely on their conditions, the Kuwaiti ambassador to Bahrain said.

Sheikh Azzam Mubarak Al-Sabah, in a statement he made during a meeting with Kuwaiti students studying at the Bahraini universities, said the government continuously follows up on conditions of the students abroad and considers them as ambassadors of the State.

The Kuwaiti youth in general, and the students in particular, constitute the real investment and the basis for realizing the aspired development, Sheikh Azzam said. Political leadership of Kuwait supports and encourages the students to help them specialize in the fields, needed in the country.

He urged the students studying at the Bahraini universities and colleges to persevere, and thanked the Bahraini government that offers various facilities for them. —KUNA

Ambassadors not to disclose recipients of transactions Oath to protect national interests

KUWAIT: Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Dr Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah met with teachers Ruqaiya Al-Azmi and Shereen Al-Saleh from Al-Taawon Kindergarten, who presented a collection of paintings by kindergarten teachers in AlAhmadi Educational Directorate.

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s ambassadors are set to testify tomorrow in front of a parliamentary committee assigned to probe suspicious multimillion-dinar foreign transactions made during the former prime minister’s tenure. But according to diplomatic sources, the envoys are not expected to provide data about the beneficiaries of the transac tions.

Speaking to a local newspaper on condition of anonymity, the sources said that ambassadors Khalid Al-Duwaisan from the embassy in London, Abdullah Murad from the embassy in Washington as well as Dherar Rzouqi and Sadiq Ma’arafi from the embassy in Geneva “are going to assure that all transactions went by the usual diplomatic methods through the Foreign Ministry.”

“The ambassadors’ oath to protect national interests and secrets prevents

them from disclosing end users of the transactions”, one source said, adding that only the senders have the authority to reveal the parties which obtained the deposits.

The opposition accuses former premier Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlSabah of sending public funds suspiciously to foreign banks via the Foreign Ministry. Meanwhile, sources close to the bloc representing the opposition in the parliament said that MPs are “racing to file grilling motions” due to a “surprise” decision of MP Musallam AlBarrak to grill Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali before the end of the month.

Oppositionists reportedly agreed soon af ter elec tions to coordinate before any member files an interpellation. However, the sources who spoke anonymously to Al-Qabas indicate that

Wataniya Telecom to open GiveKuwait Exhibition KUWAIT: Since the launch of GiveKuwait program last January, Wataniya Telecom, with the efforts of all its employees, is striving to support young Kuwaiti entrepreneurs to achieve their aspirations in their projects and achieve their dreams turning them into reality. Today, Wataniya Telecom is calling all its customers and the public to closely see the very talented and gifted Kuwaiti youth by visiting GiveKuwait exhibition which will be inaugurated this Thursday at the International Fair Grounds - Hall 4B. The Exhibition will take place under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

More than 200 ambitious young Kuwaiti entrepreneurs will showcase their innovations and businesses during the exhibition. Their creations will cover lots of areas such as fashion, accessories, photography, architecture, interior design, fine art, architecture, graphic

design, gifts, perfumes, food & beverages, entertainment, car care services and much more.

The exhibition will also include booths for both the Amiri Diwan and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The staff of the Ministry of Commerce will receive visitors as well as participants to answer their questions on how to obtain business licenses through entrepreneurial and legal channels through which they can grow and headway in the Kuwaiti market.

The exhibition will also include daily lectures by number of young entrepreneurs to highlight their successful experiences and their full journey until they made a distinguished mark in the Kuwaiti market and are now owners of their own businesses.

Senior Director of Communications, Brand & Customer Experience Riham AlAyyar invited all customers and the public to visit the exhibition. She further

emphasized that the goal behind organizing this unique exhibition is to signify the role of Kuwaiti entrepreneurs who were able to establish small projects.

Moreover, the exhibition enhanced the concepts of entrepreneurship and supported Kuwaiti youth who will inevitably play a very important role in the prosperity of our country.

Al-Ayyar also revealed a very distinguished step undertaken by Wataniya Telecom during the exhibition whereby human resources staff will receive job applications from Kuwaiti youth.

“Through this step, we aim at supporting Kuwaiti manpower to engage them to work in the private sector and open the way for them to get the job they aspire and further support them in their career path”, Al-Ayyar said.

The exhibition will run for 5 days from 12 to 16 April and will be receiving visitors from 10 am to 2 pm and from 5pm to 10 pm.

KUWAIT: A team from the Commercial Bank of Kuwait - Salwa branch organized a seminar at the Khalida bint Al-Aswad High School for girls, discussing the benefits of saving cash, as well as introducing students to a variety of CBK services including the @Tijari account for customers aged between 14 and 21 years. The students were also made aware of the CBK’s ongoing cultural campaign.

‘Ministry to combat unjustified price increase’ KUWAIT: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry will not allow unjustified price rise in local markets under any conditions, and will continue to take measures to avoid inflation in light of pay raises accorded to citizens by the government. This was stated by Minister Anas Al-Saleh in recent

statements to Al-Rai daily.

He noted that fifty reports were filed in a single week concerning artificial price hikes detected during recent raids. “The ministry follows certain mechanisms as per regulations to counter price increases,” Al-Saleh said, noting that these measures do not cover

items whose prices increase globally due to fluctuations taking place in the product’s country of origin or transport costs.

Moreover, Al-Saleh explained that the government has voted in favor of an anti-monopoly draft law that was discussed recently in the Parliament .

Al-Barrak announced his grilling plans without coordinating with bloc members who were under the impression that a grilling against Al-Shamali would be filed by MP Abdurrahman Al-Anjari during the next parliamentary term.

The parliament ’s majority aims through prior coordination to make sure that legislating is not hur t by grilling debates that usually take at least one session to be finished. On that regard, the sources hinted that the bloc could come up during a meeting today with a “mechanism for filing grilling” that all members should abide by. The mechanism could move all motions to the next parliamentar y sessions in order to focus on legislation before the current term ends in June, the sources added. The majority’s bloc is set today to discuss grilling motions that Islamist MPs Mohammad Hayef and Waleed Al-

Tabtabaei plan to file against Minister of Justice, Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Jamal Al-Shehab, and First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah respec tively. While Al-Tabtabaei showed a more cooperative approach when he promised to coordinate with other lawmakers before filing his grilling, Hayef seems adamant to going ahead with his plans even in the case of the bloc’s disapproval, reported AlQabas.

I n other news, M inister of Information Sheikh Mohammad AlAbdullah Al-Sabah told the parliament’s secretariat that he plans to go ahead with the debate for a grilling filed by MP Hussain Al-Qallaf, scheduled to be on Tuesday, instead of requesting a delay. This was stated by MP Ahmad Lari, reported Al-Jarida on Friday.

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SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

LOCAL

kuwait digest

Local Spotlight

Faraway dreams

Egyptian elections

By Abdullateef Al-Mulhim

I

Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net feel that Egyptian elections are really worth following. In fact, I feel it is a lesson worth learning because the Arab World is witnessing a new era of radical changes , challenges and power struggle. The outcome of upcoming elections will decide Egypt’s future for the immediate future, its position among Arab countries and its relation with the western world and neighbor Israel.

While Khairat Al-Shater, former Deputy Supreme Guide of Muslim Brotherhood submitted his candidacy for presidential elections, he was seen as a hero by many of his supporters , similar to Salafi candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail. Such scenes of jubilation should be viewed with caution. This could serve as an indicator as to which party may come to power in the country next.

What questions should be asked now? I guess we need

I

A county like Egypt is certainly expected to lead the Arabs and help the world to achieve balance and remain in harmony. However, that does not mean that the West cannot survive without it! That part of the world has its own vested interests to promote. Can the Muslim Brotherhood or Salafis lead Egypt?

What do they want? They definitely want power! That is not surprising at all! They have been waiting for this long dream forever. to seriously examine the history of these parties that experienced newfound freedom after several years in oppression, thanks to the revolution.

A new Nelson Mandela will not lead the country. I do not think it is a possibility in Egypt. Egypt is experiencing a critical stage in its history. I don’t think that country needs to experience another explosion in terms of extremism in tone and attitude.

A county like Egypt is certainly expected to lead the Arabs and help the world to achieve balance and remain in harmony . However, that does not mean that the West cannot survive without it! That part of the world has its own vested interests to promote. Can the Muslim Brotherhood or Salafis lead Egypt? What do they want? They definitely want power! That is not surprising at all! They have been waiting for this long dream forever. For decades , the Brotherhood in Egypt was suppressed and created an underground mechanism to maintain safety. These were kept alive! The followers obey orders without making a decision to run for elections . This has already led to the resignation of many youth from the council community, showing how the unit can be fragile and risky. I agree that Al-Shater’s nomination will split Islamists’ vote. The role and power of Christian Egyptians will also have to be considered. They are citizens who have rights to exercise. Will they be accorded the same respect they received during the former regime? Can Brotherhood do the same?

I doubt if Al-Shater will win elections, although some take the power of Muslim Brotherhood seriously. In fact , I think Egypt still needs military power to settle situations and then hand it over to the Brotherhood. Time will show that the military is still in the game and will not quit soon.

kuwait digest

Why can’t we enforce laws?

By Iqbal Al-Ahmad n my way back home the other day, I listened tal violations.

I don’t think it is so difficult to come up with a legto a radio show in which a Kuwait Municipality official was the guest and answered callers’ islation where a camper pays a refundable KD 500 as questions and complaints. Many people called to deposit before setting up a camp, from which the complain about waste left by campers at the end of Municipality can deduct fines for littering. Ignoring the camping season. The Municipality official spoke the issue will do nothing but increase the level of about the struggles cleaning workers face every year dependency and carelessness among campers conwhen they have to clean after campers who leave cerning their obligations towards the environment.

This situation is only an example of a major probbehind sites looking like ruins affected by a hurricane. I empathized with cleaning workers, even felt lem in which disrespect to the law has been increasing in Kuwaiti society, sorry about Kuwait thereby damaging the and about the I don’t think it is so difficult to come country’s status as well. heights of irresponup with a legislation where a camper The General Consul at sibility. the Kuwaiti Consulate in Can you find pays a refundable KD 500 as deposit Dubai, Tariq Al-Hamad, another country in before setting up a camp, from which issued a notice to the world where the Municipality can deduct fines for litKuwaitis in the United people don’t even Arab Emirates about bother to pick up tering. Ignoring the issue will do nothing Sharjah emirate’s decitheir own waste but increase the level of dependency sion to impound cars before leaving the and carelessness among campers conwhose engines make camp? I’m actually noise. I’m pretty sure not surprised to see cerning their obligations towards the that Kuwaiti drivers will that since people environment. abide by this law when here are used to authorities in the UAE domestic helpers cleaning up after them. Why would someone bother insist that any impounded vehicle will not be clean his camp when the government not only fails released under any condition. Why can’t we pass similar resolutions here in Kuwait? This also reminds to penalize them, but also provides teams to clean?

According to the Municipality official, Kuwait lacks me of a trip I made to a Southeast Asian country regulations to penalize people who increase pollu- where motorcyclists almost never drive without tion by leaving waste. So in addition to providing wearing safety helmets due to the heavy fines teams to clean after campers, the government does- imposed by the government. Such regulations can n’t even penalize people for committing environmen- help enforce laws in Kuwait.— Al-Qabas.

O

kuwait digest

Too early to answer now

By Dr Bader Al-Daihani

kuwait digest

The Islamists’ empty promises

By Dr Hassan Abbas he Islamists won majority seats in the Parliament after placing pressure for months that led to the Cabinet’s resignation and a parliamentary dissolution. The leader of the Opposition became the Speaker, while the deputy speaker’s post also went to a leading member from the bloc.

What is stopping them from proceeding with initiating reform that they have been calling for? I believe we all remember a grilling motion that the opposition filed a few months ago against the former prime minister regarding Umm Al-Haiman’s pollution crisis. Why aren’t we seeing them to jump to Umm Al-Haiman residents’ rescue. They have been suffering for years from air pollution. Similarly, why are oppositionist MPs silent about AlAhmadi’s gas crisis. Previously, they had gone as far as to demand that the government provide alternative homes to citizens residing in the area.

I really hope that all the efforts exerted and tears shed regarding Al-Maimouni’s torture and death case will not be forgotten. I thought MPs had vowed to “expose files of corruption in the Ministry of Interior” in the aftermath of that case. Whatever happened to that?

Remember the time when they blasted former MP Saadoun Hammad Al-Otaibi when he once addressed the media about details of a meeting held? I wonder what changed now and made oppositionists talk openly about investigations updates today.

What about all the excitement to save public funds from squander in the form of ‘suspicious’ governmental deals. I also find it ironic that all promises to tackle the spoiled food crisis are not to be seen or heard. I believe it’s no longer difficult for people of Kuwait to tell apart liars and hypocrites among us.— Al-Rai

T

f the Arab leaders held a summit conference annually after the establishment of the Arab League in 1945, then, the Baghdad Arab summit which was held on March 29, 2012, would have been number 67. But, the Baghdad summit, which was held last week is only the 23rd. The question is, what did the Arabs gain from these summits?

The first official Arab summit was held in Cairo on Jan. 13, 1964. Only politics were discussed at the summit. The discussions ranged from the diversion of the water flow of the Jordanian river, the establishment of the PLO, the set-up of unified military command headed by Egypt and many other issues. There were no discussions in the first Arab summit about education, health care, trade agreements or highway systems connecting different Arab countries. There was nothing for the simple Arab citizen.

After the 1964 summit, it was decided to have annual summit meetings to be attended by all Arab leaders. But, every single Arab summit was only held after an obstacle or a crisis facing the Arab world. The most notable summits were held in Khartoum in 1967, Baghdad in 1978 and again in Baghdad in 1990. The Khartoum summit was held after the 1967 war. And the 1978 Baghdad summit held after President Anwar Al-Sadat of Egypt went ahead with the peace agreement with Israel. As for the 1990 Baghdad summit, it took place just before the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. All the other summits were management by crisis conferences. But, do the Arab masses take the Arab summits seriously and did these conferences accomplish any unity among the Arab countries?

The Baghdad summit was held in the most difficult times for the Arab countries and their people. The summit was held at a time when the Arab Spring is still in full swing. It was attended by a few Arab heads of state. The most notable attendee among Arab leaders was Kuwaiti

e wondered soon after the election about pletely, but there are some negative and worrisome the extent of ability of the so called ‘majori- indicators which show that the majority bloc is still ty’ bloc to meet basic popular demands. Our suffering from a distorted vision. If not contained previous knowledge of the bloc is that it is suffering quickly, it will threaten the bloc’s cohesion, and this from a lack of political and intellectual harmony, and will affect the possibility of it fulfilling the people’s hopes. even its name is something of an allegory.

What is regretable here is the lack of achieveDespite our knowledge that this bloc’s many opponents are headed by the ‘minority bloc’, they ments by the majority bloc during the current parliahave only one interest and one role - which is to mentary term for any reason, whether due to lack of blame in a way that lacks objectivity and justice coordination or due to the clash of interests among towards the bloc. They also attempt to fail any devel- its members, will definitely influence the confidence opmental action that can be taken for reasons that given to it by the people, and will be in the interest of the corrupted and those who oppose the are no longer hidden from the fair follower.

Constitution who The basic question attack the majority was and still is: will the bloc day and night parliamentary majority The basic question was and still is: will with and without work towards achieving the parliamentar y majority work reason, who whenwhat it was calling for or ever feel cornered to be more accurate, towards achieving what it was calling create marginal what the Kuwaiti peofor or to be more accurate, what the conflicts to have ple were demanding, Kuwaiti people were demanding, which people busy with which is the full impleside issues, such as mentation of the is the full implementation of the sectarian and Constitution?! Then Constitution?! Then start the execution groups disputes. start the execution of an of an integrated political and democratFor this, the integrated political and majority bloc must democratic reform proic reform program, halt corruption and coordinate with gram, halt corruption try its organizers who have squandered political and youth and try its organizers the state’s revenues and manipulated powers and figures who have squandered to formulate a the state’s revenues and the social fabric for their own special national consensus manipulated the social interests! on a proposed fabric for their own spenational political cial interests! and democratic Or, will the majority bloc get preoccupied, taking along the people with reform program, where work on implementing its it, in marginal differences and secondary issues that first steps in a short period. Otherwise the people’s patience will run out, especially that they see the will bring us back to square one.

This will anger people, especially youths who extreme sectarian parties leading the country to a went out in great numbers to public squares to destructive sectarian strife that will burn everything. demand deep rooted political reform and fight cor- It will be impossible then, to speak about any politiruption?! It is too early to answer this question com- cal or democratic reforms. — Al-Jarida

W

The Arab League and all the conferences that were held didn’t achieve anything for the Arab masses. The simple Arab man, woman and child want the summits to tackle issues, which would make their lives easier. We see and hear that the Arab world has the worst form of education, but not one single summit was dedicated to improve the education system in the Arab world.

Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. He was the only GCC head of state to attend. Saudi Arabia, which is the center of power in the Arab world, was represented by Ahmad Qatan, the Saudi ambassador to the Arab League. Saudi leadership’s presence always adds charisma and power to any Arab summit.

The summit had the lowest number of Arab leaders and it was the shortest summit. It was only a one-day event. Security was an issue. The summit was held in a very tight security with about 100 thousands security personal protecting the conference surroundings.

Baghdad needed the summit to show the world its stability. But, most of the Arab countries are lacking stability and many of the Arab leaders have their hands full of internal conflicts and uprising. About five Arab countries have no leadership in the first place. There is power vacuum in Egypt, Somalia, Yemen, Libya and Syria. The 23rd Arab summit was held in Iraq, a country divided by deep mistrust among its own people, weak government and violence. So, the question is, why do the Arab summits fail to accomplish its goals?

The Arab world was never united. No matter how many beautiful words were used after each summit. For decades, the Arab masses see the closed borders between neighboring Arab countries. There are borders between some Arab countries that have never been open. The Moroccan and Algerian borders are an example. And some Arab countries are divided from within.

Yemen never had a central government and each province is ruled by a tribe. So, what do the Arab masses want from their leaders?

The Arab League and all the conferences that were held didn’t achieve anything for the Arab masses. The simple Arab man, woman and child want the summits to tackle issues, which would make their lives easier. We see and hear that the Arab world has the worst form of education, but not one single summit was dedicated to improve the education system in the Arab world. The Arab world has the highest form of pollutions, but the Arab masses never heard any discussion regarding giving the Arab masses clean air and unpolluted water.

The Arab world has the highest unemployment rate in the world, but the Arab summits never studied ways to improve the job markets. The summits never seriously discussed the tariff, passport control, justice systems or the importance of the research centers. We saw many Arab brains leave the Arab world in search of better education and more freedom.

The average Arab citizen has no interest about the relation between the leaders. A simple Arab citizen wants to know about the investment rules between the Arab countries. He or she wants to know his or her right when going from one Arab country to another. The Arab masses, nowadays can’t accept the inflammatory speeches of the 1960s. They want better education and brighter futures for their children.

The Arab masses are sometimes confused by the lack of accomplishments in many Arab countries. Libyans and Iraqi people should have the highest standard of living.

Both countries have tremendous wealth. But, most of the people in these two countries don’t even have the basic needs. And what is worse, is seeing the amount of violence in these two countries among its people. Libya’s Qaddafi is gone, but the tribal clashes continue beyond any one’s imagination.

The Arab leaders should stop all conflicts among themselves. And the Arab masses should learn how to live in harmony with each other and with the outside world. We, in the Arab world have wasted the energy, money and blood and forgot about building the human being. As for the Arab summits, the Arab leaders never asked their people about their needs...........This is why the Arab summits never fulfilled the Arab people’s dreams.

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

local

Reshuffling at housing, communication ministries KUWAIT: Under the slogan ‘Honesty and Transparency,’ Shuaib Al-Muaizri, Minister of Housing Affairs and Salem Al-Othaina Minister of Communications have instructed that a reshuffling of posts be done at both ministries.

Al-Muaizri has stated that a new director general for housing care will be employed, in addition to changing a number of leaders in the organization and ministry. He emphasized that change is one of the facts of life. He expressed respect to every leader who completed his duties faithfully. The minister pointed out that the coming period will see the implementation of suitable solutions for the housing problem with the cooperation of concerned authorities in the state. He pledged his support to everyone that is faithful to duties. Sources revealed that restriction shall include all parts of the organization which will be approved by the end of April.

Sources at the Ministry of Communication said that Minister Salem Al-Othaina will implement a similar reshuffling on a large scale basis. — Al-Anba

KUWAIT: The opening of ‘A holistic view into future’ conference.

Unique opportunity to update knowledge in pediatrics field ‘A holistic view into future’

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Kuwait Pediatric League (KPL) held the first pediatric conference titled ‘A Holistic view into future’ from April 5 to 7, at the Palms Hotel under the auspices of the Kuwait Medical Association (KMA). This conference was an essential event for those individuals interested in learning about a wide variety of topics within pediatrics. “The featured speakers are coming from around the region and abroad meeting to contribute their insights and valuable research,” said Dr Eman AlEnizi, Head of Pediatric Department at Al-Sabah Hospital and the President of the Conference, during the opening ceremony on Thursday.

“The aim of this conference is to present the field of pediatrics in a detailed, and comprehensive manner as the pediatric field is quite diverse. It is important to highlight the latest advances in this field and hot topics. We tried to address most of the pediatric subspecialties. The conference offers a truly unique opportunity to update their knowledge in the field of

234 lives saved with Gulf Bank’s ‘Give Life’ blood donation KUWAIT: Gulf Bank yesterday announced that its ‘Give Life’ blood donation has been a great success, following the launch of its road-show. Statistics collected by the bank and confirmed by the Central Blood Bank have shown that since the bank’s movement commenced on March 21, 2012, it has managed to save 234 lives to date.

So far, the bank’s ‘Give Life’ road-show has taken place at the Mubarak Al Kabeer, Nuzha, Adailiya and Daiya branches and has received brilliant feedback from all its customers and employees who donated blood on the first scheduled visits. The bank’s ‘Give Life’ initiative aims at building awareness amongst the public that they can help save lives in a very simple and easy way.

The bank’s second round of visits will take place in the Shaab branch on April 11, Jabriya branch on April 18, Hawally branch April 25, and will continue through the year in many other venues as well as Gulf Bank branches to involve the wider community on this humanitarian cause.

Fawzy Al-Thunayan, general manager of board affairs at Gulf Bank said: “Our mission is to increase the awareness of the importance of blood donation and how it can significantly save lives. At Gulf Bank, we strive to contribute to our community and its people through many initiatives such as our ‘Give Life’ blood donation drive. We are very pleased with the first successes of this initiative, saving 234 lives and sparing families and loved ones from grief.”

“We urge as many people as possible to participate and encourage others to donate time and blood to save lives and benefit the future of our community through our ‘Give Life’ movement.

Interested donors can easily donate blood by visiting one of the Bank’s branches on the scheduled dates.”

Khalid Al-Ghanim

Hassan Jumah

TEC chess tourney KUWAIT: More than one hundred contestants will take part in the first annual TEC Chess Championship which begins today (Sunday) at the Yachts Club under the patronage of Khalid AlGhanim, TEC Vice President

Tahir Al-Khateeb

and Managing Director, and Hassan Jumah, President of the Kuwait Mental Games Club.

The National Chess Team members, as well as the Kuwait’s juniors chess team will participate in tournament organized by the Touristic Enterprises Company and the Kuwait Mental Games Club, “ The national players are part of 80 club members taking part in the tournament,” said Tahir Al-Khateeb, Vice President of the Kuwait Mental Games Club.

Nine rounds will be held three days a week (Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday) until April 29, 2012. Three thousand dollars have been allocated as prizes for the top five finalists.

KUWAIT: The Sebamed stall. — Photos by Joseph Shagra

pediatrics,” she added. Different diseases related to pediatric will be discussed during this conference, such as metabolic disorders, pediatric nephrology, pediatric pulmonary and dermatology, pediatric hematology and oncology, pediatric gastroenterology, pediatric neurology and development, pediatric endocrinology, pediatric infection and others.

The Kuwait Pediatric League (KPL) was founded in the 1960s under the umbrella of the KMA to train doctors and to improve the health of children in Kuwait. KPL held many activities during the past few years.

The history of pediatrics filed in Kuwait start in 1934.

“The first hospital was established in Kuwait by American mission after the First World War. In 1934, smallpox hit the country and caused the death of 4,000 children and the blinded many others. This increased the need to vaccinate children and for specialized doctors in the pediatric field.

Since then special prevention programs, mobile units, establishing pediatric units in hospitals, dental care for children, school clinics and others,” said Dr. Maha Bourisly,

President of KPL and Consultant Pediatrician at NBK Hospital.

“Nevertheless, the developments in building hospitals after the 1990 invasion was slow, yet some specialized pediatric units were established such as the NBK pediatric hospital, and many other units for different diseases in children. We hope that in the future we will have specialized pediatric hospitals that include all fields in one place, as the currently available sections in the public hospitals are not enough. Also the pediatric sections are split in different hospitals in different areas.

Also we are looking forward to establish a medical survey program for children for early checking of pediatric diseases from born up to school age, similar to the pre-marital check-up,” Bourusly said.

Bourisly also hoped that new laws will be issued to protect children against harm or negligence, in addition to issuing a traffic law to oblige adults to make children sit in the back and fasten their seatbelts. She also demanded issuing a law that will increase the legal age of marriage to over 18, and another law enforcing education for those who are aged under 15.

6

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

LOCAL

Man beats up son’s molester in Salmiya Dead body found in Mishref yard

KUWAIT: A Salmiya resident brawled with his neighbor recently after the former’s kid was reportedly molested by the latter’s son. After his 8-year-old boy told him that his Asian neighbor assaulted him sexually, the Jordanian man went furious and went outside his apartment looking for his son’s molester. He soon found him and started beating him up, before the molester’s father showed up to defend his son. Police were called to break up the fight between the two neighbors before taking them both in custody for investigations.

A grave date A woman was recently hospitalized following a suicide attempt after witnessing her boyfriend in a date with another woman. The Lebanese national was reportedly rushed to the hospital by her family who found her bleeding from a self-inflected wrist cut.

Investigations revealed that the woman became heartbroken after she accidently ran into her boyfriend while sitting at a coffee shop in the Blajat Street with another woman.

Homicide investigation Police launched a homicide investigation in an unidentified man’s death after evidence of foul play was found at the crime scene in Mishref. Police and paramedics headed to a building in the area Friday morning after an Arab man reported finding a dead body at the building’s yard. The victim was pro-

nounced dead on the scene, while preliminary investigations revealed that he fell off a height from the building. The victim could not be identified due to the severe head trauma he suffered from, in addition to the fact that the victim was not carrying any identification card. Investigators suspect criminal action could be involved in the case especially that investigations indicate that the crime took place at dawn. The body was taken for an autopsy as investigations are still ongoing.

Citizen run over A middle -aged man was pronounced dead in Al-Gous street Friday night after he was ran over by a speeding car. According to the police report, the impact of the crash left the body of the 51-year-old Kuwaiti citizen torn apar t. The repor t does not specify whether the driver was arrested or ran away following the accident.

Scrap thieves held Jahra police arrested four people in the Amghara scrap yard when they were stealing automobile body parts and tires during the late hours. Officers were in a patrol mission when they spotted four young men loading car body parts inside their own vehicle, and stopped them before they could escape.

Investigations revealed that the suspects live in Andalus and are responsible for many thefts repor ted in the scrap yard. They remain in custody pending legal procedures.

Unlicensed weapons Five Kuwaiti men were arrested in Salmi after each were busted with possession of an unlicensed weapon. Patrol officers approached a vehicle carrying five people at an open location in Salmi during a security mission. The men explained that they were hunting, but none of them produced a license for the hunting rifles and ammunitions in their possession.

They were taken in custody to face charges.

Neighbors’ row A Yarmouk resident was arrested Friday after his neighbor charged him with murder threat.

In his statement to local police station officers, the Kuwaiti complainant said that his Iraqi neighbor threatened him with an AK47 while arguing over previous disputes. Police were soon able to arrest the suspect who reportedly was also charged with possession of an unlicensed weapon.

Blood on drunk’s car Fahaheel police investigators are trying to unearth the mystery behind blood found on the front bumper of a drunk driver arrested recently in the area. The driver, who is reportedly a captain in the police force, was pulled over for reckless driving before patrol officers found out he was intoxicated. When police inquired about the blood traces, the suspect claimed that he accidently hit a cat while driving. The man is reportedly held at the area’s police station pending the ongoing investigations —Al-Qabas, Al-Anbaa, Al-Rai, Al-Watan

Kuwait to host media courses

EQUATE names Husain as CEO KUWAIT: EQUATE Petrochemical Company has named Mohammad Husain as its President and CEO, succeeding Hamad Al-Terkait who served in that role from 2001.

With over 30 years of extensive professional service, Husain held various leading posts, administrative and technical, at Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC) and finally at Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) as Deputy Chairman and Deputy Managing Director for Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery.

Having served at several leadership positions and board memberships, Husain’s overall competencies and areas of expertise include exploration, development and production of oil and gas, petrochemical and downstream activities, as well as corporate planning and strategy development.

On this occasion, Husain expressed utmost appreciation to Al-Terkait for his pioneering leadership of EQUATE, noting “EQUATE will continue being a true embodiment of ‘Partners in Success’ at all levels within and outside Kuwait through its world-class human resources and business excellence.”

Established in 1995, EQUATE is an international joint venture between Petrochemical Industries Company (PIC), The Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Boubyan Petrochemical Company (BPC) and Qurain Petrochemical Industries Company (QPIC). Commencing production in 1997, EQUATE is the single operator of a fully integrated world-scale manufacturing facility producing over 5 million tons annually of high-quality petrochemical products which are marketed throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe.

KUWAIT: Scheduled international media courses are due to start today under sponsorship of Information Undersecretary Sheikh Salman Sabah AlSalem Al-Homoud Al-Sabah, with participation of state ministries and satellite television channels, the Ministry of Information said yesterday.

The courses will be held in coordination with the International Center for Neurolinguistic Programming for information dialogue. The programs to be presented during the workshop were

approved by the American Board for Certification and other American scientific authorities. Sheikh Salman had stated that the ministry, upon guidelines of Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah AlMubarak Al-Sabah, was seeking to upgrade skills of the young personnel.

The ministry has granted two seats to each Kuwaiti satellite television station seeking to apply in the activities, in addition to two seats to each information sector, the ministries of defense, interior and the National Guard. —KUNA

Kuwaiti governor to visit Guangzhou to spur business GUANGZHOU, China: The upcoming visit of Kuwait City Governor Sheikh Ali Al-Jaber AlAhmad Al-Sabah to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou will become a solid base to establish relations of friendship and development between the two cities, Kuwaiti Consul General in Guangzhou Abdulwahab Al-Sager said yesterday.

Al-Sager said the capital governor’s fourday visit, from April 24, comes at the invitation of Mayor of Guangzhou Chen Jianhua and Guangzhou Party Secretary Wan Qingliang. “As Sheikh Jaber Al-Ali will be the first senior official from the Kuwaiti government to the Guangdong provincial government, his visit will establish friendly and fraternal relations between Kuwait City and the provincial capital of Guangzhou,” Al-Sager said, stressing significance of the visit.

He explained that the two cities will sign a

DOHA: Reem Al-Wagayan and other officials at the Doha Public Relations Forum.

Public Relations ‘vital’ vocation for success of all institutions DOHA: Public relations is one of the vital vocations to ensure the success of every government and private institute, Head of Kuwaiti Public Relations Association Reem Al-Wagayan said yesterday.

Public Relations have the ability to project political, economic and social issues of common interest to the people.

In order to accentuate the importance of such profession, Kuwait Public Relations Association will endeavor to apply public relations as a high school subject, Al-Wagayan said on the fringes of the Doha Public Relations Forum that kicked off yesterday in Qatar.

She also noted that she will be meeting soon with chief of the Civil Service Commission to seek administrative and financial support for those who work in Public Relations.

On regards to Kuwait’s participation in the Doha Forum, she asserted the impor-

tance of exchanging expertise in this realm with other regional and international institutions. She lauded the forum’s activities and how it focused on Qatar’s public relations 2030 vision and its implementation.

She further said that Kuwait is planning to host the 2014 Public Relations Conference with the collaboration of the International Public Relations Association - Gulf Chapter/Qatar.

On his part, Vice President of Kuwait Public Relations Association Mishaal AlJareed said that there has to be a medium that connects all of the Gulf countries’ public relations bodies together to make holding conventions and major events within the Gulf region a much easier task.

He clarified that Twitter, Facebook and websites serve as a perfect medium for public relations institutions. —KUNA

friendship and brotherhood treaty on April 25, which is expected to become a framework to advance the prosperity, development and joint investment in accordance with the principles of equality and mutual benefit.

“The agreement will encourage bilateral cooperation and multi-shaped areas of economic, trade and industry, health, education, tourism, environmental protection and investment,” Al-Sager said, noting that Kuwaiti Capital Governor will be accompanied by senior officials from Kuwait’s oil and trade sectors and Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

According to the diplomat, the trade volume between the State of Kuwait and the entire Guangdong Province hit USD 12.1 billion in 2011, up 63 percent, while the value of trade between Kuwait and Guangzhou city alone during the January-February period this year reached over $121 million. —KUNA

Wataniya Telecom sponsors marathon KUWAIT: In its attempts to increase its tireless efforts and provide appropriate support for all activities related to health and sports; in this framework, Wataniya Telecom announced its sponsorship of the National Annual Marathon organized by the Public Authority for Youth and Sports last month; March 30.The event was organized under the patronage of Maj Gen Faisal Al-Jazzaf Chairman and Director-General of the Commission.

The marathon took place under the slogan of “Sport for All” on the Gulf Street for a dis-

tance of 4 km, where more than 2000 contestants competed in 8 categories: 4 age specified groups of men where they started from the Scientific Center till Souq Sharq. Three categories were listed for both women and people with special needs, where the race was held from Green Island till Souq Sharq.

Commenting on the sponsorship of this distinctive event, Director of Public Relations at Wataniya Telecom Abdulaziz Al-Balool stated that Wataniya has always been “keen to take part in national sports and support all local activities aimed at promoting a healthy

lifestyle of all members of society.”

Al-Balool added saying “ Wataniya is pleased to sponsor this annual marathon, which is organized by the Public Authority for Youth and Spor ts. Valuable prizes were proudly handed over to the winners in all categories. The company has supported the activities of different sports held by the Authority and will continue its effor ts towards this path, and will look forward to sponsor events related to health and sport in Kuwait based on its social responsibility towards the society. “

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait organized an Open Day for staff and their family members at Shaab Park. More than 3,000 employees and their family members spent a full day of fun and excitement enjoying fun activities and interactive games for adults and children.

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

Ex-Mubarak spy chief shakes up Egypt vote

Page 8

Yemeni Air force officers shut down Sanaa airport

Page 8

KASHMIR: Pakistani Army soldiers with the 20th Lancers Armored Regiment, carry supplies up the 2,400 meter mountain near their outpost, Kalpani Base, in Pakistan’s Dir district. An avalanche smashed into a Pakistani army base on a Himalayan glacier close to India yesterday burying around 130 soldiers. — AP

Avalanche buries Pakistani soldiers More than 100 troops buried

ISLAMABAD: An avalanche engulfed a Pakistani military camp near the Indian border yesterday, burying more than 100 soldiers, with no sign of survivors 15 hours later, the army said.

The snow left by the avalanche was up to 80 feet deep over an area a kilometer wide, state television quoted army spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas as saying. The soldiers were trapped in one of the most unforgiving environments on earth, at an altitude of 15,000 feet near the Siachen Glacier in the Karakoram mountain range. The area is also one of the world’s most militarily tense frontiers, where the Indian and Pakistani armies have confronted each other over disputed territory for decades.

Radio Pakistan said on its Twitter feed that a “massive” rescue operation was under way to rescue those trapped.

Abbas said earlier 117 personnel had been stationed in the area. A helicopter rescue team was searching for survivors and sniffer dogs were deployed. “This happened at six

o’clock. These avalanches usually happen at night. It took them by surprise,” said Abbas. Siachen is in the northern part of the Himalayan region of Kashmir. The no-man’sland of Siachen is 20,000 feet above sea level. Military experts say the inhospitable climate and avalanche-prone terrain have claimed more lives than gunfire.

Muslim-majority Kashmir is at the heart of hostility between India and Pakistan and was the cause of two of their three full-scale wars. Siachen has been described as the world’s highest battlefield. Indian and Pakistani troops have fought at altitudes of over 20,000 feet in temperatures of minus 60 degrees Celsius. Between 10,000 and 20,000 Indian and Pakistani troops are stationed in the mountains above the glacier.

A tentative peace process is under way, with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari scheduled to meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today, the first visit to India by a Pakistani head of state since 2005. — Reuters

5 killed in Iraq bombings BAGHDAD: A roadside bomb killed three policemen in Diyala province of central Iraq while a bomb inside a minibus in Baghdad left at least two people dead yesterday, security and medical sources said. The roadside bomb exploded as a police patrol passed by in Khan Bani Saad, a town south of Baquba, the capital of Diyala, a police major said. Dr Ahmed Ibrahim of Baquba general hospital confirmed the toll, saying the hospital had received the bodies of three policemen. A medical source at Ibn AlNafis hospital said it had received two bodies and eight wounded people, including two women and a child, after a bomb blast on a minibus in the Karrada area of central Baghdad. An interior ministry official put the toll at three dead and two wounded. Violence is down from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but attacks remain common, killing 112 Iraqis in March.

In another development, the head of Arrai TV, famed as the mouthpiece of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi before his death, will appear in an Iraqi court on May 13 on charges of ‘stealing state property,” his lawyer said yesterday. Former Iraqi member of parliament Mishan Al-Juburi, 54, is accused along with his son Yazen, whose company allegedly failed to fulfill a contract to provide food for Iraqi forces guarding oil installations.

Juburi, a Sunni, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in absentia for embezzlement in the case in 2007, but under Iraqi law is entitled to a new trial if he appears in court. He has meanwhile been cleared of terror charges stemming from a video aired on his channel showing how to make bombs, ‘because the investigating judge did not find any evidence to indicate that he is supporting or funding terrorism,” his lawyer Tareq AlMaamuri said.

The video was aired by a Syrian employee who was promptly dismissed, Maamuri said. But Juburi still faces the embezzlement charge and had to pay 100 million Iraqi dinars ($84,000) in bail when he was in Iraq last month. Juburi, who is currently in Syria said by telephone that he will return to Iraq next week, and that he plans to move his TV channel there. ‘I will be present for my trial, and my son will come later,” Juburi said. His channel, currently housed in a 250-square-metre hangar in his compound in Damascus, broadcast messages from Gaddafi while the Libyan leader was on the run last year before he was caught and killed.

With his tribal relations, Juburi negotiated the entry of US and Kurdish non-combat forces into the north Iraq city of Mosul in 2003, and became governor of Nineveh province, in which it is located, for a few months. In March 2005, his candidacy for speaker of parliament was rejected by Shiite MPs, and a month later, Juburi, who said he wanted to “represent the insurgency in parliament,” escaped a suicide bombing targeting his convoy. Juburi fled Iraq in 2007, four years after the US-led invasion, saying that American forces were after him. —Agencies

Saudi opens trial of 50 Qaeda suspects RIYADH: The trial opened in Saudi Arabia yesterday of 50 Al-Qaeda suspects accused of carrying out and plotting attacks in the kingdom, including US and British interests, state news agency SPA reported. It said 47 Saudis, a Syrian and a Yemeni national went on trial in the specialized criminal court in Riyadh. They are accused of “joining a terror cell in the country belonging to Al-Qaeda terrorist network, plotting ... to blow up” residential compounds and a public building, and killing an American citizen.

They also face charges of plotting to “blow up the US and British embassies in Riyadh, planning to assassinate a top Saudi state official and top security officers, as well as opening fire on security forces,” SPA reported. The defendants, five of whom appeared in court yesterday, allegedly possessed weapons and smuggled heavy arms from Iraq into the kingdom “to serve the terrorist network,” it added. In June last year, 85 suspects facing similar charges also went on trial in a special Saudi security court.

In April 2011, a judicial source said 5,080 terror suspects either faced trial or had already been tried before the special court which has come in for criticism from lawyers. Saudi Arabia was the target of a wave of deadly attacks by Al-Qaeda between 2003 and 2006, prompting authorities to launch a crackdown on the local branch of the jihadist network.

Al-Qaeda remains active in neighboring Yemen, where the Saudi and Yemeni franchises of Al-Qaeda has joined forces under the banner of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. It is classified by the United States as the most active branch of the global terror network. — AFP

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

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

Ex-Mubarak spy chief shakes up Egypt vote CAIRO: Hosni Mubarak’s former intelligence chief formally applied to enter the presidential race yesterday, shaking up Egyptian politics as liberals and Islamists tried to decipher the motives of a man long viewed as the power behind his ousted boss. Omar Suleiman, 74, said overwhelming popular demand prompted his decision to become a candidate in Egypt’s first free presidential vote just before nominations close on Sunday.

Like Mubarak, whose three-decade rule ended in February 2011 in a popular uprising, Suleiman has kept far from the public gaze during the past year of turbulent military rule. Mubarak appointed Suleiman as his vice president in the dying days of his administration, one of several failed concessions to stem the revolt against poverty, corruption and draconian security control. To many of those who led the uprising, Suleiman’s reappearance is proof that a powerful security establishment is determined to reverse a transition to democratic rule before the army hands power to a civilian president at the end of June.

Suleiman’s shadowy persona and his call during the revolt for protesters to go home make him anathema to the young revolutionaries pressing for a new era of accountability and transparency. “The youth will not let Omar Suleiman become president.

The revolution is still alive and we will march to Tahrir Square again if necessary,” said Mohamed Fahmy, a revolutionary socialist who played a role in galvanizing last year’s protests. “The very idea that he is running is presumptuous. He should be in prison,” said democracy activist and commentator Nawara Negm. Activists have poked fun at Suleiman’s candidacy, saying his campaign had adopted the slogan “You are all Khaled Said”, a mock reference to the Facebook group whose page “We are all Khaled Said” helped kindle the uprising that ousted Mubarak. The 28-year-old Said was alleged to have been beaten to death by police in Alexandria in 2010 for having posted an Internet video purportedly showing two policemen sharing

the spoils of a drug bust. A Twitter hashtag message chain about Suleiman was called “Silly Man”. Other activists said Egypt’s revolutionary chant “Bread, Freedom and Social justice” would switch to “Bread, Blanket and Prison Food” under Suleiman.

THRONG OF SUPPORTERS In a statement circulated by his campaign aides, Suleiman said public demand had convinced him to run if he could obtain the necessary registration of 30,000 supporters. The statement to “citizens of Egypt” said: “I have been shaken by your strong posi-

tion. The call you have directed is an order and I am a soldier who has never disobeyed an order.”

Suleiman’s supporters thronged the election committee’s offices in Cairo yesterday amid tight security as he arrived to begin the paperwork, state news agency MENA reported.

The return of the man seen by many Egyptians as the mastermind of Mubarak’s autocratic rule comes as discontent grows over the insecurity that has endured since his removal. The economy is still reeling from the turmoil of the uprising and a large Coptic Christian minority and secularists are

CAIRO: A supporter of former Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman holds his poster reading “Run, run, don’t leave us to the Muslim Brotherhood” in Cairo’s Abbassiya Square during a rally calling for his candidacy in the upcoming presidential election. — AFP

alarmed at the growing political dominance of Islamists, who were repressed by Mubarak.

Hundreds of Suleiman supporters staged a rally in Cairo on Friday carrying banners reading “Suleiman, save Egypt” and “We don’t want the Islamists”.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which swept Egypt’s first free parliamentar y election in decades, announced a week ago that it was fielding a candidate for the presidency, reversing an earlier pledge not to. Its candidate, deputy Brotherhood leader Khairat Al-Shater, declared last week that introducing sharia law would be his “first and final” goal if he wins the vote in May and June. On Friday, thousands of supporters of Hazem Salah Abu Ismail who has emerged as one of the frontrunners for the race - demonstrated against what they called an official plot to stop the ultraconservative sheikh from contesting the election.

OLD REGIME A senior member of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) said the army and Mubarakera remnants had been bussing thousands of company employees to Cairo to provide many of the 30,000 signatures Suleiman needs to be a registered candidate. “He is the old regime and would only run the country from a security perspective,” said the FJP official, Medhat Hadad. “What kind of a revolutionary vision do you expect someone like him to have?”

Hadad said he believed the army was openly supporting Suleiman’s candidacy to cast its real preferred candidate, liberal nationalist and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, in a better light. In a poll in March, before Shater and Suleiman emerged as candidates, Moussa was frontrunner with hard-line Salafi Islamist candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail in second place and Mubarak’s last Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq in third. Shafiq welcomed Suleiman’s candidacy in a statement saying it “represents an expression of the richness of the current civilian trend that desires to protect the state’s Egyptian identity”. — Reuters

Yemeni Air force officers shut down Sanaa airport Troops protest against air force boss’ sacking

JERUSALEM: Catholic clergy walks holding candles as part of the Easter celebration inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, traditionally believed to be the burial site of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem’s Old City. — AP

Turkish imam raps Saudi view on Arabia churches PARIS: Turkey ’s top Muslim cleric has stepped into an international row over Christianity on the Arabian Peninsula, rejecting comments attributed to the Saudi grand mufti that all churches there should be destroyed. Mehmet Gormez, head of the Religious Affairs Directorate in Ankara, told a Turkish newspaper that Islam respected the rights of other faiths and calls for the destruction of churches went against centuries of tolerance.

Reports that Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Shaikh had issued a fatwa, or religious order, against churches last month prompted protests from Christian bishops in Austria, Germany and Russia and provoked a storm on Christian websites around the world. Gormez, in an interview published by Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman on Friday, said: “The mentioned opinion is evidently against the aims of Islam (and) against the Muslim tradition’s established practice of respecting nonMuslims’ rights as well.”

“We strongly believe that this declaration has left dark shadows upon the concept of rights and freedoms in Islam that have always been observed,” he added.

Saudi Arabia does not allow churches on its territory, citing a saying of the Prophet Mohammad that there can not be two religions on the Arabian Peninsula. But neighboring Gulf states have long had churches and some allow new ones to be built.

PERSONAL OPINION OR OFFICIAL STATEMENT? The row started when Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al-Anba on March 11 quoted

the grand mufti as saying churches were not allowed on the Arabian Peninsula and existing ones should be demolished.

“Kuwait is part of the Arabian Peninsula, and [the countries in] the Arabian Peninsula must demolish any churches that exist [within their borders], because... the Prophet instructed us that there is no place for two religions in [the Peninsula],” Shaikh said according to a copy of the Al-Anba interview published by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

The interview went unnoticed in local media but was picked up in Arabic and English translation by websites outside Kuwait, some of which described the statement as a fatwa. The reports of Shaikh’s comment provoked rare and sharp criticism from leading bishops in the Russian Orthodox Church and Catholic churches in Germany and Austria. German Archbishop Robert Zollitsch said it “shows no respect for the religious freedom and free co-existence of religions”, especially concerning foreign workers. At least 3.5 million Christians live in the Gulf Arab region, mostly Catholic workers from India and the Philippines. It was not clear how the reported statement came to be described as a fatwa, which would make it an official ruling reflecting the view of Saudi Islam, rather than Shaikh’s personal opinion. A Saudi official, who asked not to be named, noted that fatwas were officially issued by the Dar al Iftaa, the office responsible for such religious rulings, and said no such document could be found in its records. He declined to say more on the issue and Shaikh was not available for a comment. — Reuters

SANAA: Yemeni air force officers shut down the capital’s airport yesterday, stopping all flights in protest at the sacking of their commander, a half brother of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, an aviation official said. A source on the militar y committee overseeing the armed forces’ restructuring told Reuters the air force head, General Mohammed Saleh Al-Ahmar, had refused to leave his post unless General Ali Mohsen Al-Ahmar, an opponent of Saleh, was also fired.

The airport closure was a direct challenge to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who replaced Saleh earlier this year and is trying to push through a restructuring of the armed forces to remove Saleh allies from key posts. The armed forces split during the lengthy uprising against Saleh’s rule, with some units openly siding with protesters. Military vehicles full of soldiers encircled Sanaa airport at dawn yesterday, turning passengers away and preventing flights from taking off or landing, witnesses said.

Demonstrators demanding Saleh Al-Ahmar’s resignation brought several Yemeni airports to a standstill earlier this year. Hadi dismissed him on Friday and gave him the post of assistant to the defense minister. The airport closure highlights the challenges facing Hadi, whose reshuffle is upsetting the entrenched interests of Saleh’s associates and those of General Ali Mohsen, some of whose allies were also sacked on Friday. Mohsen turned against Saleh early last year along with part of the armed forces, sparking sporadic open combat on the streets of Sanaa with loyalist troops and tribal militiamen that threatened to push the country into civil war. Transport Minister Waed Abdullah Bathib told Qatar’s state news agency incoming flights had been diverted to the southern port city of Aden.

PERFECT HARMONY The reshuffle, which left Saleh’s son and nephew in place as heads of key military units, was welcomed by United Nations and Gulf diplomats who helped hammer out the deal under which the former leader left office after months of anti-government demonstrations that paralyzed the impoverished state. The diplomats said Hadi’s move was in “perfect harmony” with the letter and spirit of the power transfer plan, according to a statement cited by state news agency Saba.

A committee responsible for demilitarizing Sanaa was dismantling checkpoints set up by the warring factions in the west of the city to enforce the withdrawal of armed tribesmen and troops from the streets by the end of the week. Previous efforts to do this have failed. Hadi faces a sectarian rebellion in north Yemen and an emboldened wing of Al-Qaeda concentrated in the south, which is also home to a separatist movement try-

SANAA: Yemeni forces patrol with an armored vehicle in the capital Sanaa yesterday. — AFP ing to revive a socialist state that Saleh united websites. If we do not see the southern flag waving above Yemeni sites we will eventually destroy with the north in 1990.

Yemen’s state news agency was hacked yes- them,” read a statement posted on the site. Some terday, apparently by southern secessionist sym- southerners accuse northerners of usurping their pathizers. Instead of the usual news feed, there resources and discriminating against them. They were pictures of southern leaders and the former want no part in the united Yemen envisaged by state’s flag. “Your turn has come, all major Yemeni the Gulf initiative. — Reuters

Hamas executes 3 including ‘traitor’ GAZA: Islamist group Hamas executed three men yesterday, hanging two convicted murderers and a Gazan found guilty of collaborating with Israel, the Hamas-run ministry of interior said. It did not name the men and gave few details of the allegations against them, but said one of trio was convicted of kidnapping a boy, raping him and then killing him. It denounced the man who helped Israel as a “traitor”.

The ministry said in a statement the families of the murder victims had refused to offer an amnesty to the killers. The executions were carried out “in accordance with our religion, rulings of the Palestinian law and in preserving the rights of citizens and achieving the security of the community”, the statement said. Since Hamas took con-

trol of the Gaza Strip in 2007, at least 11 prisoners have been executed and more than 30 death sentences have been handed down by the courts, including to numerous people charged with helping the Israeli security forces. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel and its charter calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. Under local law, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is meant to have the final say on whether executions should be carried out, but Hamas refuses any such consultations. Human rights groups have repeatedly condemned the use of the death penalty in Gaza, but Hamas rejects such criticism. “The rulings were carried out ... after the defendants had been given their full right to defend themselves,” the interior ministry said. — Reuters

Iran navy rescues crew from hijacked freighter BEIJING: The Iranian navy has freed 28 Chinese crew members less than a day after their cargo ship was hijacked by Somali pirates off the Islamic republic’s south coast, Chinese state media said yesterday. The pirates attacked the ship early Friday in the Gulf of Oman near the Iranian port of Chabahar, clambering onto the vessel with ladders and opening fire, said the official Xinhua news agency, citing China’s embassy in Tehran. It was the latest episode of Chinese getting into trouble as the country’s firms do more business abroad-Chinese workers were kidnapped in Sudan and Egypt earlier this year, and Chinese sailors have been held captive before.

Following the hijacking Friday, China’s ambassador in Tehran, Yu Hongyang, demanded swift

action from Iran, which dispatched its navy to rescue the crew. Two warships caught up late Friday with the ship, the Panama-registered Xianghuamen which belongs to a company in eastern China, and the pirates “threw their weapons into the sea and surrendered to the Iranian navy,” Xinhua said. The ambassador had earlier urged Tehran to make the safety of the crew its “first priority”, adding that the Chinese government and foreign ministry had expressed concern about the incident.

The freighter, which had set off from Singapore and was heading to a port in southwestern Iran, had its engine damaged in the attack and was being repaired, Xinhua said. It will continue to an Iranian port after repairs. The waters of the Arabian Sea, at the northern tip of the Indian Ocean, have

seen hundreds of pirate attacks in recent years, with Chinese shipping vessels routinely targeted. China has also been heavily involved in anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden, off the coast of Somalia, and in international waters near the Gulf of Oman.

About 85 percent of China’s oil imports are routed via the Gulf of Aden and through the Indian Ocean, making the region extremely important for Chinese trade. Since 2008, China has sent 10 escort missions and more than 8,000 military personnel to the Gulf of Aden, escorting more than 4,300 vessels in the process, state-run China Daily said last year.

In June last year, a Chinese shipping vessel and a crew of 29 were released by pirates after being held captive for 207 days. China has also formed military links in Africa and in the Indian Ocean in order to

protect its growing economic interests in the region, including its ocean-going transport ships.

In December last year, Beijing not only committed to support Ugandan forces operating in Somalia but also pledged to help the Seychelles fight piracy.

The surge in Chinese going abroad for work has also brought increased danger, with cases of abductions on the rise. In late January, 29 Chinese workers were kidnapped by rebels in Sudan’s South Kordofan state but were freed in good health after 11 days in captivity. Not long afterwards, 25 Chinese workers were kidnapped in Egypt by Bedouins demanding the release of relatives imprisoned by the fallen regime of Hosni Mubarak.

They were soon freed. — AFP

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

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

French firebrand Melenchon milks leftist nostalgia ‘Sound and fury’ shakes up election campaign PARIS: He won’t win or even reach the decisive run-off, but hard left contender Jean-Luc Melenchon has ridden a wave of nostalgia for the barricades to become the star turn of France’s presidential election campaign. Branding himself “the sound and the fury” after the William Faulkner novel of the same name, the Communist-backed former Trotskyist is shaking up the campaign with his fiery oratory and revolutionary call to arms.

Latest opinion polls show him storming into third place in voting intentions for the April 22 first round, still well behind conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist Francois Hollande, but overtaking farright candidate Marine Le Pen, his bitter rival for working class votes.

Opinion polls now credit Melenchon, 60, with up to 15 percent of the vote, more than twice what he commanded in January. He has vacuumed up most of the protest vote previously split among Trotskyist, Communist, leftist nationalist and Green candidates. He staged another show of force in the southern city of Toulouse on Thursday, drawing tens of thousands to an open-air rally in the

central Place du Capitole at which he called for France to reassert its sovereignty and withdraw from the NATO defense alliance. “When there is no more liberty, civil insurrection becomes a sacred duty of the Republic,” Melenchon declared to cheers from supporters waving red flags.

In March, he drew an even bigger crowd for a march to the Place de la Bastille in Paris, symbolically re-enacting the capture of the ancient regime fortress that was a high point of the 1789 French Revolution. His platform promises to raise the minimum wage to 1,700 euros ($2,200) a month, cap incomes at 360,000 euros a year, confiscating anything above that limit, reinstate retirement at 60 for all and ban profitable companies from laying off workers.

So far, analysts reckon he has done Hollande a favor by mobilizing industrial workers, students and the unemployed, who might have stayed home or voted for Le Pen. Polls show 70-90 percent of his supporters intend to vote for Hollande in the run-off. But if he gets too big a score, it could scare middle-class and centrist voters into backing Sarkozy in the decisive ballot. The president

has begun to warn voters that Hollande would be a “hostage to Melenchon”.

Melenchon’s campaign spokeswoman, Clementine Autain, made clear on Friday his party would seek both policy concessions and cabinet seats, saying: “We would like to see the political conditions emerge for us to take part in a government.” Melenchon, a former senator and European Parliament member, served as minister for vocational training under Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin from 2000 to 2002 but relishes being an outsider.

CHILD OF 1968 A child of the 1968 studentworker uprising, he makes no apologies for his straight talk and independent spirit, which in the past have seen him get expelled from the Internationalist Communist Organization, quit the Socialists, and eventually form his own more radical movement, the Left Party. He plays on fears of unbridled globalization undercutting French workers’ living standards, and on hostility to the European Union’s free-market policies.

He was one of the leaders of the “No” campaign in a 2005

French referendum that rejected a European Union constitution and is now demanding a plebiscite on the treaty on

“Melenchon, the Plebeian”, says he married in the 1970s, divorced in the mid-1990s and has one daughter, born in 1974,

TOULOUSE: The leader of France’s far-left party Front de Gauche and candidate for the presidential elections Jean-Luc Melenchon reacts during an electoral meeting in Toulouse, southwestern France. — AP budget discipline signed by EU leaders in March. “I’ve got a strong temperament. What do you expect? You wouldn’t want a damp squib to face up to this kind of challenge,” he said in recent television interview. Of his private life, he is famously taciturn, shunning what he calls the personality cult that surrounds modern-day politicians.

An unauthorized biography,

but his campaign team has refused to confirm any details unrelated to his political career.

ORATOR Much of his attraction lies in his mastery of public oratory complete with emphatic fingerjabbing - honed during his time with the Communists, tempered with a judicious smattering of literary and historical ref-

erence and capped with a razorsharp wit. He derided Hollande early in the campaign as a “pedal-boat captain”, suggesting he couldn’t be relied on to steer a firm course in a storm. He peppers his speeches with quotations from leftist heroes such as Jean Jaures, one of the founding fathers of French socialism, and references to the tradition of the French Revolution.

“Once again, you will have to be the crater from which the new flame of revolution erupts, lighting the fire of contagion that will become the common cause of the peoples of Europe,” Melenchon declared in his Toulouse speech. French employers’ leader Laurence Parisot said Melenchon was a reminder of the bloodiest days of the revolution, known as the Terror, when thousands of people were executed after summary trials and severed heads were paraded on pikestaffs.

“Melenchon is much more the heir to a form of terror than the heir to the finest values of the revolution,” she said. He was accused of demagogy and populism after publishing a book in 2010 calling for a citizens’ revolution entitled “Qu’ils s’en aillent tous” (“Get rid of the lot of them”). — Reuters

Malawi’s VP takes over after Mutharika death Army, police chiefs back constitutional transition

KATI: Coup leader Capt Amadou Haya Sanogo (right) meets Burkina Faso Foreign Minister Djibrill Bassole, after signing an accord agreeing to return the country to constitutional rule, in Sanogo’s office at junta headquarters in Kati, outside Bamako. — AP

ECOWAS, Mali junta seal handover deal BAMAKO: Mali’s coup leader said yesterday the junta would hand power to an interim government within days in a deal with neighboring nations in return for an end to sanctions and help in tackling Malian rebels who have seized much of the north. The March 22 coup by soldiers angry at ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure’s handling of a twomonth-old rebellion backfired, emboldening Tuareg nomads to seize the northern half of Mali and to declare an independent state there.

Mali’s neighbors, which fiercely criticized the coup, said the military government must step down before they can act against the rebels. Late on Friday the junta announced it had agreed to begin a power handover in return for the lifting of tough trade and other sanctions. “It is the will of the committee (junta) to quickly move towards the transition,” coup leader Captain Amadou Sanogo said at the military barracks outside the capital Bamako which has been the headquarters of his two-week-old rule. “In the next few days you will see a prime minister and a government in place,” Sanogo, sitting in an armchair in the middle of his cramped office, said in an interview with Reuters, France’s i-tele and the Spanish-language channel Telesur.

A five-page accord agreed by Sanogo, a hitherto unknown US-trained officer, and the 15-state West African bloc ECOWAS for a return to constitutional order did not specify when the handover would start.

The agreement calls for Toure, who is still in hiding, to formally resign. Sanogo’s junta must then make way for a unity government with Mali’s parliament speaker Diouncounda Traore as interim president.

Elections would follow as soon as allowed by the widespread lack of security in the north, now mostly overrun by Tuaregs accompanied by groups of Islamists with links to al Qaeda.

RELIEF ON STREETS OF BAMAKO Sanogo, dressed in battle fatigues and showing signs of tiredness after three days of intense negotiations, called on ECOWAS countries to help the Malian army with transport and logistics rather than send ground troops as they are discussing. “The Malian army still needs help precisely on logistics and air support but

not ground troops to help us solve the security problem in northern Mali,” he said. “We have to sit and talk. If they want to help us it should be according to our needs,” added Sanogo, surrounded by aides and sitting beneath a large portrait of himself on the wall. The African Union, ECOWAS and foreign capitals from Paris to Washington all dismissed Friday’s declaration by the Tuareg-led MNLA rebels of the independent state of “Azawad”, a desert region bigger than France in Mali’s north.

Neighbours fear secession would encourage such movements in their own countries, while the presence of Islamists among the rebels has raised fears of the emergence of a rogue state with echoes of Taleban-era Afghanistan which sheltered Al-Qaeda. Residents in northern cities such as the ancient trading post of Timbuktu, Kidal and Gao have said the local Islamist Ansar Dine group has banned Western dress and music. There have been sightings of senior members of the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), the group’s North African branch.

ECOWAS nations such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast have asked military planners to prepare for an intervention force of up to 3,000 troops with a mandate to secure Mali’s return to constitutional order and halt any further rebel advances. The French Foreign Ministry yesterday welcomed the accord to hand power back to civilians in Bamako and repeated its offer to provide transport and other logistics for the force. The ex-colonial power said there can be no purely military solution to the rebellion and says some of the yearold grievances of the fair-skinned Tuaregs against the darker-skinned elite that has dominated Bamako politics are justified.

It is not yet clear whether Tuaregs could come away with an autonomy deal falling short of full independence or whether Mali’s neighbors and future leaders will first insist on fully restoring the status quo before the rebel gains. There was relief on the streets of Bamako, where Malians hoped the power handover deal would bring a return to stability. “We are optimistic it is going to be handled well because the leaders of all of the political parties will be involved,” Bamako local Fomba Yefing said at a small rally of women and children wielding banners such as “All we want is peace”. — Reuters

LILONGWE: Malawian Vice President Joyce Banda took over the running of the southern African nation yesterday after the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika, and fears of a succession struggle receded as state institutions backed the constitutional handover. The government only officially confirmed 78-year-old Mutharika’s death earlier yesterday, two days after he had died following a heart attack.

His body had been flown to a military hospital in South Africa.

The delay in the announcement had raised worries about a political crisis because Banda had been expelled from Mutharika’s ruling DPP party in 2010 after an argument about the succession, though she retained her state position. Banda, 61, who will be southern Africa’s first female head of state, appeared at a news conference in the capital Lilongwe to declare 10 days of official mourning for Mutharika, who had ruled for eight years.

She ordered national flags to be flown at half-mast and the state broadcaster to play somber music. “I call upon all Malawians to remain calm and to keep the peace during this time of bereavement,” Banda said, flanked by members of the cabinet, the attorney general and the heads of the army and the police. Asked by a repor ter whether she was assuming the presidency, Banda, a women’s rights activist, replied: “As you can see, the constitution prevails”. The constitution stipulates that the vice -president takes over if the president dies, but Mutharik a appeared to have been grooming his brother Peter,

the foreign minister, as his de facto successor. Banda is expected to run the countr y until scheduled elections take place in 2014.

The presidency and cabinet issued a statement assuring citizens and the international community “that the constitution of the Republic of Malawi will be strictly adhered to in managing the transition.” Both Britain and the United States, which had been major donors to Malawi until they froze millions of dollars in aid over rows with Mutharika over his policies and actions, urged a smooth transi-

tion respecting the constitution.

“We trust that the vice president (Banda) who is next in line will be sworn in shortly,” the US State Department said. British Foreign Minister William Hague said in a statement yesterday: “I urge all sides to remain calm and (hope) that a peaceful handover takes place as provided for under Malawi’s constitution.”

LITTLE SIGN OF SORROW The streets of the capital Lilongwe and the main commercial city Blantyre were calm yesterday, though police guarded strategic locations. There

LILONGWE: Malawi’s Vice President Joyce Banda holds a press conference in Lilongwe. — AFP

US woman takes nursing talent to South Sudan GREENFIELD: Retiring in 2010 from Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Liza Ramlow decided to take her 30 years of experience as a nurse and midwife where her help was most needed.

Ramlow, a Gill resident, applied and was accepted to Medecins Sans Frontieres, better known in the Anglophone world as Doctors Without Borders, and has since volunteered more than a year in Africa, most recently serving refugees in South Sudan. Ramlow described her two months in the newly autonomous countr y by phone from Wisconsin, where she is spending time with her elderly parents.

Ramlow was dispatched to Maban, South Sudan, as part of a MSF emergenc y response to the worsening refugee situation. When she first heard of the Doro refugee camp in December, Ramlow said, the UN counted 8,000 refugees, a number that had jumped to 20,000 by the time she arrived a few days later. The concentration of people in a barren section of country, where the dry season had wells nearly dry and

goats trying to climb the trees for green vegetation by the time she left, required medical attention that was not available.

“In South Sudan there is an extreme shortage of medical personnel, after 25 years of civil war the population of trained people has pretty much fled, and they aren’t doing any training right now, so our services were needed there, in some cases to provide medical care and in other cases to train others to provide care, and that’s what I did,” she said.

She and another MSF midwife, Carolina Methenge of Kenya, worked training the midwifes within the displaced communities, filling in where modern medicine was needed to supplement generations of experience. “These women, traditional birth attendants, have been taking care of the women of their community for hundreds of years, and most babies are able to be born with little or no medical assistance,” Ramlow said.

An important part of the training was in preventing and treating life-threatening delivery complications. — AP

appeared to be little public sorrow at Mutharika’s death. Many of Malawi’s 13 million people had viewed him as an autocrat personally responsible for an economic crisis that stemmed ultimately from a diplomatic row with former colonial power Britain a year ago.

Britain and others froze aid worth some 40 percent of government spending, fuel supplies dried up and food prices soared, leading to popular unrest and attacks on Mutharika’s economic policies by bodies as diverse as the Catholic Church and the International Monetary Fund. “It’s sad that he is leaving behind so many unsolved problems, which will be difficult to tackle even by the vice president or whoever takes charge,” said Stella Mataka, a waiter at a lodge near Blantyre’s Chileka International airport.

As reports of the death of the self-styled “Economist in chief ” swept the capital, there were bursts of drunken jubilation among those who accused Mutharika of turning back the clock on 18 years of democracy in the “Warm Heart of Africa”.

Medical sources said Mutharika’s body was flown to South Africa because Malawi’s energy crisis was so severe the Lilongwe state hospital would have been unable to conduct a proper autopsy or even keep his body refrigerated.

“We as government will be in consultation with the bereaved family, advise the date when our president’s body will arrive from South Africa and other funeral arrangements,” Banda said. “I also want to ask all Malawians to join me in wishing that the soul of our president rests in peace,” she added. — Reuters

Russia seeks Clinton’s help in US arms case NEW YORK: Russian authorities say they’ll pressure the US government, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, to send home an ex-Soviet officer known as the Merchant of Death after he was sentenced to 25 years in prison on terrorism charges. The subject of 45-year-old Viktor Bout will be raised in talks with Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was quoted by the Russian news agency ITAR-Tass as saying Friday in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

“We are not being guided by a desire to take revenge but by the desire to ensure the observance and respect of the rights of our countryman,” Lavrov was quoted as saying. “We will actively support the appeal that Bout’s lawyers plan and in any case will secure his return to his homeland. We have legal instruments for this in relations with the United States.” Separately, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “The Russian Foreign Ministry is taking all necessary measures for the return of Viktor Bout to his homeland, using existing international legal mechanisms. This matter, without a doubt, will remain among our priorities in the RussianAmerican agenda.”

Bout, the inspiration for an arms dealer character played by Nicolas Cage in the 2005 film “Lord of War,” was arrested four years ago in Thailand after he met US Drug Enforcement Administration operatives posing as agents of a Colombian terrorism group. — AP

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

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

After half century, Cubans again celebrate Good Friday HAVANA: Bells rang from Roman Catholic churches throughout Havana on Friday to remember the death of Jesus Christ as Cubans celebrated a holiday on Good Friday for the first time in more than half a century. The day off, granted at the request of Pope Benedict on his recent visit to the communist island, translated into quieter streets than usual, but only sparse attendance at a Mass in the city’s main cathedral presided over by Cardinal Jaime Ortega.

About 100 people, a number of them tourists, showed up for the event, but many Cubans may have watched it on national television in a broadcast as rare for the Church and country as the holiday itself. The Cuban government ended religious holidays after the 1959 revolution that put Fidel Castro in power.

He reinstated Christmas as a holiday in 1998 at the request of visiting Pope John Paul, and his successor and younger brother, President Raul Castro, declared Friday a free day following Benedict’s trip to Cuba last week. It was still to be decided if Good Friday will become a permanent holiday, the government said. Ortega, who is Archbishop of Havana and the

leader of Cuba’s Catholic Church, spoke about the crucifixion of Christ in a homily that was heavy on the importance of religion and devoid of obvious politics.

Humanity had been pardoned by Christ for its many failings, but it still had not achieved “a kingdom of justice, peace, freedom and love among all human beings,” he said in the ornate, colonial-era cathedral in Old Havana. Christians, Ortega said, are still persecuted in many places around the world, including Latin America “for having fought for justice.” When bells began to toll, he said gravely, “It is three o’clock and they are ringing the bells of all our churches in Havana, the sign of mourning because it is the hour of the death of Jesus.”

Relations between the Church and Cuban government have warmed under Raul Castro, who since succeeding his brother in 2008 has undertaken economic reforms that could bring increased unemployment and attendant social problems as he tries to remake the island’s struggling Sovietstyle system. Benedict, who was in Cuba March 26-28, asked that the Church be able to expand its education and social programs, which he

Obama seeks to define Romney for US voters WASHINGTON: When President Barack Obama criticized Mitt Romney by name this week for embracing a controversial Republican budget proposal, he worded his attack carefully and with bite. “(Romney) said that he’s ‘very supportive’ of this new budget, and he even called it ‘marvelous’-which is a word you don’t often hear when it comes to describing a budget,” Obama said during a speech on Tuesday, before adding: “It’s a word you don’t often hear generally.”

The desired effect was clear: tie Romney directly to mostly unpopular plans for budget cuts and emphasize that the former executive is out of touch by lampooning his use of a seemingly out of date adjective. After watching quietly while Republican candidates fought each other, Obama is now trying to define his likely opponent in November as an out-of-touch multi-millionaire who would cut social programs for the elderly and the middle class while promoting policies to help the rich. Obama’s riff on Romney’s use of the word “marvelous” to describe Representative Paul Ryan’s budget plans carried a subtle message.

“It’s a word you kind of associate with the upper class, and I think that the intention was to tweak Romney for being wealthy and, you know, sort of brought up in the kinds of circles where they would say ‘marvelous,’” said Kenneth Sherrill, a political science expert at New York’s Hunter College. “That’s trying to get under his skin a little bit.” The attack which Obama repeated at a fundraiser on Thursday night - is a sign of things to come. Obama’s campaign has worked steadily to construct an image of an insensitive and patrician Romney even before he wins the Republican nomination, hoping to create a caricature that sticks with voters once the election officially becomes a two-man race.

Romney has made similar efforts to define Obama, portraying him as unprepared and unable to handle the country’s economic challenges. And he began the process earlier, deliberately focusing his critiques on the president rather than the other Republican challengers. The back and forth is a foreshadowing of what is likely to be a very nasty campaign. Hunter College’s Sherrill said both candidates were likely to get very negative. “This will be a spectacularly aggressive and negative campaign in the gen-

eral election,” he said. “I think that the principals - the candidates themselves are going to go after one another pretty strongly.”

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama waves after speaking at the White House Forum on Women and the Economy in the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex. —AP NASTY CAMPAIGN AHEAD Yet former constitutional law lecturer Obama can only go so far with charges that Romney is an elitist. “It looks to me like what Obama’s trying to do is two things: one is run on class warfare ... and (two) just demonize his opponent,” said Charlie Black, a former adviser to 2008 Republican nominee John McCain who is now advising Romney.

“A president who’s also wealthy and went to Harvard is not going to win on class warfare.” Obama’s campaign is already drawing contrasts in areas where it perceives Republicans to be weak.

Obama regularly brings up his support for immigration reform at political fundraisers, a dig at Romney’s hard line against illegal immigration.

Hispanics, who could provide the swing votes needed to win battleground states such as Colorado and Nevada, largely back Obama in polls. His campaign is also targeting women, another critical voting bloc that Democrats want in their column. —Reuters

Indonesian man living in church fears deportation HIGHLAND PARK: Inside the New Jersey church where he now lives, Saul Timisela recounted yesterday how as a Christian youth leader, he fled his native Indonesia after finding the desecrated corpse of his brother-in-law following an attack by anti-Christian extremists that destroyed their city. Timisela, who has been ordered deported from the United States, has been given sanctuary by The Reformed Church of Highland Park, hoping that federal legislation sponsored by New York and New Jersey lawmakers will give him the chance to reapply for asylum.

“We’re here (to) have a good life. We came to the US to have a better life,” Timisela told a group gathered at the church for an event marking Good Friday. “This is not making up a story. This is the truth,” he said, speaking through tears. “We’re lucky we (didn’t) get killed at that time,” he added, referring to the burning of churches and other attacks on Christians on his native Ambon Island following the fall of longtime dictator Suharto in 1998. “God blessed us.” The 45year-old Timisela and his wife have been sleeping in quarters he jokingly calls “5star accommodations,” in a small room within the church, with access to the

church’s cafeteria for meals.

They don’t travel outside church grounds, however, as another parishioner was picked up recently by immigration officials following a Sunday service.

Two other Indonesian Christians facing deportation have since joined Timisela in the church, granted sanctuary by the Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale. Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said all three men have gotten final deportation orders. He said Timisela was first given the order in 2006 and offered voluntary departure but failed to leave. He was again ordered to surrender on March 1 of this year, but failed to do so, Feinstein said. Now Timisela is considered an immigration fugitive.

“Immigration fugitives - individuals who ignore the direction of an immigration judge to depart the country - are an enforcement priority for ICE,” Feinstein said. ICE generally does not conduct enforcement actions at sensitive locations, including places of worship, without prior approval from the agency headquarters or unless the action involves national security or an imminent risk of violence or physical harm, Feinstein said. — AP

said could help Cuba through its time of change. The Church also wants more access to mass media, which is controlled by the state, and got it, at least on Friday, with the televised

in the country, which for 15 years starting in 1976 the government declared officially atheist. The Church says about 60 percent of Cubans are baptized Catholics, but only 5 percent

HAVANA: Altar boys participate in a Holy Week procession on Good Friday in Havana. — AP Mass. For years, the Church was shut out from television, radio and newspapers. People attending Ortega’s Mass said a renewal of religion is occurring

regularly go to Mass. “I think that, thanks to the visit of the pope, many things are coming out in Cuba,” Ruben Perez, 26. “The religiosity of the people

can be felt, a people that need it very much.” Santeria priest Mario Gonzalez agreed. Dressed in the white clothing of the Afro-Cuban religion and surrounded by figures of its saints, many of which are shared with the Catholic Church, he intently watched the Mass on television in his home in Old Havana, the capital’s historic quarter. It was a happy moment for Cuba after years of religious suppression, he said.

“I think all religious people are celebrating these moments,” said Gonzalez. “I view with much approval the decision of the Cuban government on the request of the pope.”

But elsewhere in Havana, people walked along the Malecon, Cuba’s seaside boulevard, worked on cars, swept off sidewalks and played baseball in the parks. Most said they appreciated the holiday, which are few in Cuba, but either were not religious or never went to church. A housewife, Alma Cabrera, said that while she knew the significance of Good Friday, it was mostly the older people in her central Havana neighborhood who were actively religious. “A lot of them said they were going to watch it on television, but I didn’t. I had clothes to wash and a house to clean,” she said. — Reuters

US firefighters comb debris after jet crash F/A-18 crashes soon after take-off

WASHINGTON: Firefighters combed through the debris of a partially destroyed Virginia apartment complex yesterday after a US Navy F-18 fighter jet crashed into it, triggering a massive inferno but injuring nine people.

Virginia Beach Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Riley stressed that some residents had still not been accounted for, though none had officially been reported missing so far.

Part of the jet’s wreckage lay on the grass behind some buildings after emergency teams doused the area with foam to tamp down the blaze.

Authorities were still scouring through the charred wreckage of about 40 apartment units after the massive blaze ignited by the crash blew off the roofs of buildings, charring and burning top floors. The two crew members ejected safely from the jet which hit a populated area in the eastern coastal tourist resort of Virginia Beach, officials said. US Navy Captain Mark Weisgerber blamed a “catastrophic mechanical malfunction” for the crash. Governor Bob McDonnell told CNN officials were hoping to confirm a “Good Friday miracle,” with no loss of life.

The specifics of the mishap were still unknown, Weisgerber said, but added that it resulted in the “forced ejection” of the crew-a local student pilot in the front seat and an experienced instructor in the back. The city’s mayor William Sessoms told CNN that nine people had been injured including the pilots.

Sentara Healthcare said all but one of the seven people taken to hospital with non lifethreatening injuries had been released. Only one of the pilots remained at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. “The crew is doing well. They suffered some minor injuries and the latest report is that they’re up and about and both coherent and doing well,” Weisgerber told reporters.

McDonnell hailed the pilots, saying their last-minute ejection and the quick response from emergency workers on the ground had

likely “saved a lot of lives.”

Witnesses said the plane came down suddenly and that the spilling of jet fuel may have exacerbated the flames. “The buildings were starting to collapse,” Zack Zapatero told CNN. “I did not see anyone running out and I was told that there’s a bunch of senior citizens that live in those buildings which worries me a lot. “It was just unbelievable. Law enforcement was really quick to get on the scene. But the amount of jet fuel that you could just smell on the ground, it didn’t seem right,” he said.

Another witness, Jon Swain, described how the plane smashed into the apartment block.

“There were flames coming out of its engine at the back, which I just thought was afterburn or whatever... but the plane got lower and lower. I saw one pilot eject,” he told MSNBC. “It hit it dead center. And yeah, it’s pretty traumatic. There were a few people

running from the building.” Another witness, Joanna Highet, also said the plane was very low and had disappeared out of her line of sight behind some trees. “Initially we heard nothing, and then when the smoke started after about 15, 20, 30 seconds we heard an explosion,” she told CNN. “We drove back and saw lots of black smoke and the apartment complex on fire from both ends.”

The F-18 jet was assigned to Naval Air Station Oceana. The crash took place in an area known as Hampton Roads that is home to many US military facilities, including the world’s largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk. Oceana, which is a vast complex with more than seven miles of runways, is manned by 14,600 military personnel and home to 19 fighter squadrons. The Navy said in a statement that it was “continuing to coordinate with local authorities, and the cause of the accident is under investigation.” — AFP

VIRGINIA: Firefighters douse an apartment complex when a US Navy F-18 jet fighter crashed after take-off in the tourist resort of Virginia Beach, Virginia. — AFP

2 deadliest gangs join forces Latin America GUATEMALA CITY: Hardened in the streets and prisons of California and deported in the 1990s to the Central American countries where they were born, the members of the Mara Salvatrucha street gang swiftly grew into a force of heavily tattooed young men carrying out kidnappings, murder and extortion. Now, Guatemalan authorities say, they have begun to see new and disturbing evidence of an alliance between the Maras and another of the most feared criminal organizations in Latin America - a deal with the potential to further undermine that US-backed effort to fight violent crime and narcotics trafficking in the region.

Secret jailhouse recordings and a turncoat kidnapper have described a pact between leaders of the Maras and the Zetas, the brutal Mexican paramilitary drug cartel that has seized control of large parts of rural northern Guatemala in its campaign for mastery of drug-trafficking routes from South America to the United States. In recent months, authorities say, they have begun to see the first signs that the Zetas are providing paramilitary training and equipment to the Maras in exchange for intelligence and crimes meant to divert lawenforcement resources and attention.

The Zetas, formed more than a

decade ago by defectors from Mexico’s army special forces, have already joined forces with local drug kingpins in the Guatemalan countryside, and recruited turncoat members of Guatemala’s military special forces for operations in Mexico and Guatemala, officials in the two neighboring countries have said. There is some evidence that other Mexican cartels have paid Central American street gangs to sell drugs for them. And Salvadoran authorities said they are aware of informal links between the Zetas and local cliques of the Mara Salvatrucha paid to sell individual shipments of drugs, but officials have seen no proof of any formal deal between the gangs.

But a formal, durable alliance with the Maras could bring the Zetas thousands of new foot soldiers, extending the cartel’s reach into the cities of Guatemala, and, potentially, other countries in Central America where the Maras maintain a grip on urban slums.

Guatemalan authorities told The Associated Press that they believe the Zetas have trained a small group of Maras in at least one camp inside Mexico. Zeta members have spoken of recruiting 5,000 more, although the extent to which they have succeeded remains unclear, officials said.

Surreptitious recordings of jailhouse conversations between

Zeta and Mara leaders contain mentions of a deal between the two groups, according to a highranking investigator who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive and dangerous nature of the information.

Eduardo Velasco, head of an Interior Ministry task force on organized crime, told the AP that authorities believed the Maras’ training by the Zetas had manifested itself in the increasing brutality, planning, organization and firepower of Maras’ operations in Guatemala.

Previously armed mainly with handguns, Maras, recognizable by intimidating, dark tattoos that cover swaths of their bodies and often their faces, have begun carrying AR-15, M-16 and AK-47 assault rifles and military fragmentation grenades. In the city of Villanueva in January, a group of Maras armed with assault rifles burst into a suburban disco and opened fire on a meeting of rivals, killing five people. Maras have also begun chopping off the fingers of kidnapping victims to pressure their families into sending ransoms, a technique previously seen in Mexico, Velasco said.

“As a result of this union with the Zetas, the Mara Salvatrucha have more ability to organize, strategize and maneuver,” Velasco said. “The Mara Salvatrucha want to build up their inventory of

long-range weapons, grenades and drugs for their own use and for sale ... they know the economic benefit is great for them and that the Zetas, as an outside group, need the Maras’ network in order to grow inside Guatemala.”

The Zetas have not tried to recruit the Salvatruchas’ rival MS-18 gang, also a group whose name and organization originate in the slums of Los Angeles, because it is not as powerful or sophisticated, Velasco said.

The Zetas’ ultimate goal, according to analysts, Guatemalan authorities and international officials, is to integrate the Maras into their network and become the most powerful group in Guatemala criminal or legitimate. “The Zetas are a paramilitary organization that wants to control all the legitimate, illegitimate and criminal activities in Guatemala,” said Antonio Mazzitelli, regional head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Organized Crime. Miguel Angel Galvez, a judge who hears narcotics and organized crime cases, said the Mara-Zeta alliance was increasingly evident in the cases he hears, and had been documented in notebooks found on arrested Zetas that detailed payments to Mara members. “The Zetas come to a group like the Maras and grab total control,” he said. — AP

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Disputed Siachen glacier - the world’s highest combat zone Atrocious weather claims more lives than actual fighting

SIACHEN GLACIER: An army helicopter flies over the Siachen Glacier on PakistanIndia border. An avalanche smashed into a Pakistani army base on the Himalayan glacier close to India yesterday, burying around 130 soldiers. — AP

French woman murdered in New Delhi guesthouse NEW DELHI: A French woman has been found murdered in a New Delhi guesthouse located in a rundown district popular with backpackers in the heart of the capital, police said yesterday. “She is a French national. A case of murder has been registered,” New Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said. “We’re looking for the suspects,” he added. He said he could not immediately release the woman’s identity or comment on media reports that the victim had been strangled. The woman was aged between 25 and 30, the media reports said. The victim’s body was found in “a highly decomposed state” in the guest house in Paharganj, Bhagat said.

The congested Paharganj area which

lies near New Delhi’s main train station, is a favorite haunt of budget travelers and is packed with guesthouses, small shops and restaurants. The woman’s body was found in a room that had been booked by a handicraft trader who has since disappeared, the police spokesman said. “We are looking for him. We hope to have a breakthrough soon.” The woman had checked into another hotel in the same district on March 30 and her visa was due to expire on April 10, The Hindu newspaper said, quoting police. New Delhi is widely perceived as an unsafe city for women with official data showing that among the 35 biggest cities in the country, it has the largest numbers of crime cases against women. —AFP

Sri Lanka govt probes Gandhi statue attack COLOMBO: Sri Lanka ordered a probe yesterday into the attacks on the statues of Indian independence icon Mahatma Gandhi and Britain’s founder of the Scout movement Robert Baden-Powell, the foreign ministry said. There had been no claim of responsibility for Friday ’s destruction, which occurred amid antiWestern protests after the UN human rights council adopted a US-led resolution urging Sri Lanka to probe alleged war crimes by its troops. “The Inspector General of Police has been instructed to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation into these incidents to identify motives and culprits behind these acts of vandalism,” the ministry said.

Attackers beheaded the statues of Gandhi and Baden-Powell in the town of Batticaloa, 300 kilometers (187 miles) east of Colombo and damaged two other statues of a poet and a religious leader.

Baden-Powell had visited Sri Lanka twice

after Scouting was introduced in this former British colony in 1912. Anti-Western graffiti appeared in many parts of the country after the UNHRC adopted a USled resolution urging Sri Lanka to probe alleged war crimes committed by its troops while crushing Tamil rebels in 2009.

Demonstrations denouncing the United States and its allies, backed by senior figures in the cabinet, were also held across the country. Neighboring India, which had previously supported Sri Lanka, sided with the West in voting for the resolution. Several local media have criticized India after the UNHRC vote. Human rights groups say that up to 40,000 civilians were killed in the final months of Sri Lanka’s ethnic war, which ended in May 2009, but the government has insisted that none was killed by its troops. The UN estimates that up to 100,000 people were killed in the conflict between 1972 and 2009. — AFP

ISLAMABAD: The disputed Siachen glacier, where an avalanche hit early yesterday, is billed as the world’s highest combat zone, but atrocious weather conditions have claimed more lives than actual fighting. The 77-kilometre-long glacier traverses the Line of Control, the de facto border separating Indian- and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, at a height of over 6,300 meters.

Combat between the nuclear-armed foes has claimed few lives but frostbite, avalanches and driving blizzards, which can sweep men into crevasses, are deadly for the thousands of soldiers deployed there.

Winter temperatures plummet to minus 70 degrees Celsius, with blizzards gusting at speeds of 160 kilometers per hour. India in 1984 occupied the key areas on the glacier, including the heights, and Pakistan immediately responded by deploying its own forces. They fought a fierce battle in 1987, raising fears of all-out con-

flict. New Delhi says it cannot withdraw its troops from the glacier until Islamabad recognizes its troop positions, fearing Pakistan will move its soldiers forward in the event of an Indian pull-out.

Experts have said there are some Indian 5,000 troops on the glacier while Pakistan has less than half that number, but there are no recent estimates. Islamabad says the presence of Indians on the glacier threatens a strategic Sino-Pakistani highway located 180 kilometers away. Early yesterday, an avalanche smashed into a remote Pakistan army camp on the glacier, burying alive at least 100 soldiers. Troops were frantically trying to find signs of life in the deep snow.

Most of the time on Siachen, the bad weather prevents any troop movement and despite the heavy deployment, clashes are generally low-level skirmishes involving a few dozen

India rebels warn of ‘extreme steps’ BHUBANESWAR: Maoist rebels holding an Italian tour guide hostage in India have threatened “extreme steps” unless their demand for the release of their jailed comrades is met by Tuesday. The rebels in the eastern state of Orissa did not specify in a tape recording sent to media late on Friday what they might do, but in the past Maoists have mutilated and killed their captives. It is however the first time that the rebels have targeted foreigners. “We want a clear-cut written commitment from the government concerning our demands. We won’t release the Italian national until then,” rebel leader Sabyasachi Panda said in the audio message received by AFP. Otherwise, he said, they may take “extreme steps”.

The Orissa state government has said it will free 27 prisoners in exchange for tour guide Paolo Bosusco and a local lawmaker who is being held in another part of the state by a separate branch of the rebels. But the Maoists have rejected the list of prisoners the government has offered to free, saying the names do not include those insurgents the group wants released. They put a 96-hour deadline on their demands in the Friday message. Bosusco, who runs a tour company in Orissa, was captured by the rebels on March 14 along with another Italian man, Claudio Colangelo, who was released 11 days later. The pair were kidnapped while trekking in the remote district of Kandhamal.

The state’s chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, has called for Bosusco and the lawmaker to be released “immediately, unharmed and in good health.” The Maoists have been fighting a deadly low-intensity war against authorities for decades for what they say is the rights of tribal people and landless farmers. India’s government describes the guerrillas as the most serious internal security threat. “Earlier, we released one Italian as a goodwill gesture with the hope of getting a fair deal from the government. But we did not get any,” Panda said in the latest message.

The rebels’ demands also include a ban on tourists visiting tribal areas and an end to the government’s security operations targeting the Maoists. Italian diplomats have been in Orissa during the negotiations with the rebels.

Orissa state assembly member Jhina Hikaka was kidnapped by another group of Maoists in a separate incident on March 24. The insurgency feeds off land disputes, police brutality and corruption, and is strongest in the poorest and most deprived areas of India, many of which are rich in natural resources. In their latest major attack, they killed 11 policemen in a landmine blast in Maharashtra state late last month.— AFP

troops. Since both sides deployed troops on Siachen, casualties from sporadic clashes have not exceeded 150 on either side. Maintaining a military presence on remote Siachen exerts a heavy financial toll. India reportedly spends more than 40 million rupees ($800,000) daily on its Siachen deployment-a figure that does not include additional wages and bonuses.

All Indian soldiers who complete a tour of duty on the glacier are awarded the “Siachen Pin” as a mark of for titude. The K ashmir region-of which Siachen is a part-is divided between Pakistan and India and is claimed by both in full. It has triggered two of the three wars between the neighbors since independence in 1947 from Britain. Siachen is close to four of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 metres-K2, Broad Peak, Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II-all of which are on the Pakistani side of the frontline. — AFP

Malaysia arrests 83 over China and Taiwan scam KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia arrested 83 people mostly from China and Taiwan over a huge scam that netted billions of dollars, a day after authorities busted a major betting and fraud ring, police said yesterday. The suspects -75 Taiwanese, six Chinese and two Malaysians-were held during raids on four bungalows in Serdang on the outskirts of capital Kuala Lumpur Friday, said federal commercial crime director Syed Ismail Syed Azizan. They are under investigation for running a fraud scheme, cheating people in China and Taiwan out of billions of dollars by calling them to settle phony credit card or other bank charges. “We believe there is local involvement in this case,” Syed Ismail said, adding all the suspects were under detention and the foreigners, who came to Malaysia in early March, faced deportation.

Last year the syndicate is believed to have netted $3 billion in China alone with the scam, said Syed Ismail, who said he had been informed of the amount by Chinese police.

The group originated in Macau but is

believed to operate from other Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, Syed Ismail said.

The arrests followed a separate bust on Thursday in Kajang, near Kuala Lumpur, of a football betting and fraud ring that police say could have raked in up to $1.3 billion.

Police held about 150 people, almost all from China and Taiwan, following the Thursday raid. The arrests are the latest indication of rampant illegal sports betting in Asia. Syed Ismail said the Serdang syndicate targeted Friday was not involved in football betting but that police had to move quickly after the Kajang raid. He said Malaysian police had worked with their Taiwanese counterparts to monitor the group. When police arrived, the suspects were already getting ready to vacate three of the four houses. Dozens of other people were arrested in another raid earlier this year in northern Penang state and two raids last year in relation to the group that originated in Macau, Syed Ismail said. — AFP

China shuts pro-Maoist websites amid scandal BEIJING: Chinese authorities have ordered a leading pro-Maoist website shut down for one month because of critical essays posted on it, the site’s founder said, amid the country’s worst high-level political crisis in years. The move comes after the firing of a once high-flying official who promoted Mao Zedong-era songs and stories. Han Deqiang, founder of the leftist website Utopia, said police ordered that it be shut down because of content that criticized the Communist Party, its leaders and an upcoming party congress. The shutdown took effect Friday. “I expected this to happen. If they want to shut us down, it is their right. We exercise our right to express ourselves, they exercise their right,” Han said in a telephone interview.

Han is a vocal supporter of recently ousted Chongqing city Communist Party chief Bo Xilai, who strongly pushed a “Red Culture” campaign.

The removal of Bo, considered a contender for a top job only months ago, was widely seen as a sign of divisive infighting. Another prominent pro-Maoist website, Maoflag.net, also appeared to be shut down. The move appears to be part of wider censorship aimed at stifling discussion of Bo’s downfall, the highest-level political sacking in years.

Bo’s dismissal is yet to be fully explained and came after a top aide fled temporarily to a US consulate, apparently to seek asylum and in violation of party rules. It also came as the senior leadership is gearing up for a handover of power to a younger generation of leaders in the fall, always a period of intense political bargaining.

Websites such as Utopia oppose privatization of the economy and other Western-style reforms, and have sometimes been critical of China’s current leadership. —AP

Murky Pakistan war sparks refugee exodus JALOZAI: Banmaroo stands in the dust, tears rolling down her cheeks as she recalls how her husband was killed in Pakistan’s latest battle zone on the Afghan border. “He was just a laborer. Firing started. I don’t know who killed him, but I was handed his body in the afternoon. It was in such a rough condition, just pieces,” she said, wiping her face with her green veil. Too frightened to cope alone and worried that her children would also become caught up in fighting between the army and local warlord Mangal Bagh, she fled.

“We felt danger everywhere. If the situation becomes good and our area gets freedom, we’ll go back. We need peace,” she said. Travelling from her home in Khyber, Banmaroo and her six children arrived at Jalozai, Pakistan’s largest refugee camp, three weeks ago. She is among more than 250,000 people, mostly women and children, Save the Children says have fled the violence since January.

Khyber lies just outside Peshawar in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt, on the Afghan border, still considered the world’s premier Al-Qaeda hub despite the killing of Osama bin Laden and the impact of US drone strikes.

But the war in Bara, where Banmaroo and her children remember a once-idyllic life, is far murkier than a simple fight between the state and Islamist militants who want to impose sharia law and purge communities of infidels. Troops have struggled since 2009 to defeat Bagh, a former bus conductor who founded Lashkar-e-Islam, a militia better known for kidnapping and extortion than religion.

Now soldiers are stepping up the fight, keen to quell Bara to protect nearby Peshawar, the sprawling city where an increase in bomb and rocket attacks has been linked to the fighting in Khyber.

As a result, thousands of refugees stream into Jalozai every day. Young men queue up to register in droves, standing or squatting under the burning sun. Security guards armed with sticks swipe queue-jumpers. “Five thousand people are expected to register today. Three days back it was 2,900,” UNHCR field officer Changaiz Mataul Hussain said.

It’s a scene that Jalozai knows only too well. For 26 years, it was home to Afghans fleeing Soviet occupation, civil war and Taleban rule. Then in 2007, six years after the US-led invasion toppled the Taleban

JALOZAI: Pakistani internally displaced persons queue for registration in Pakistan’s largest refugee camp, Jalozai, about 35 kms outside Peshawar.

(Right) A Pakistani internally displaced elderly woman waits for relief goods in Pakistan’s largest refugee camp, Jalozai. — AFP

and when life in Afghanistan appeared to be improving, Pakistan closed the camp. Afghans were either voluntarily repatriated or told to find new homes.

But when the Pakistani Taleban rose up against the government in late 2007, Pakistan’s own creeping conflict forced Jalozai to re-open. With a capacity of 140,000, according to Hussain, nowhere else offered temporary shelter to so many Pakistanis displaced by conflict. In 2008, the refugees came from the tribal district of Bajaur, then from neighboring Mohmand and in 2009 there was a huge influx from the Swat valley, where the army managed to put down a Taleban insurgency. Today, the majority of the 109,515 in the camp are from Bara.

They speak of their horror at gun battles, air strikes and mortar rounds destroying houses, but few go into details, fearful of spies.

Life in Jalozai is hard. Residents say there is no

electricity, particularly galling at night. Children complain of eating rice day after day. The newest arrivals are ensconced some distance from the ordered blocks of tents protected by fences of plastic sheeting, on a stretch of desolate land where children scramble across the stone-strewn landscape. It is only in the relative privacy of a tent that Khayalzar, a wild-haired man squatting on his haunches, is prepared to be more candid. “If you’re against Mangal Bagh, you’ll be slaughtered, so everyone is afraid. One of my neighbors was selling hashish. Mangal Bagh people threatened him many times, but he kept on doing it,” he said.

“Then one day, they came, put him inside a vehicle and drove off. On the second day, a headless body was dumped outside the village. Five or six days later, we found the head.” But it is not just the army fighting Lashkar-e-Islam. The militia is also embroiled in deadly turf wars with rivals, including

the Pakistani Taleban. Two suicide attacks outside Lashkar mosques killed 27 people last month in the Tirah valley, a hashish-growing area well outside government control, where Bagh’s turf war with the Taleban is concentrated. “It’s very complex,” said Rahimullah Yusufzai, a tribal affairs expert. “There is no real goal. The main factor now is to be in control.”

But the outcome of the army offensive is also unclear. It is not a sweeping operation as in Swat and despite numerous claims to have cleared other parts of the tribal belt, fighting continues and violence remains a problem. “Mangal Bagh and the government are two faces of the same coin. We’ve suffered from both sides,” snaps Salma, sitting on the side of a dusty track, a crumpled burqa obscuring her face and body. “Mangal Bagh targets us on the ground and government jets target us from the air,” she says. “Only God can bring peace.” — AFP

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N Korea’s Bethlehem is birthplace of Kim religion MOUNT PAEKTU: As the snow drifts through the towering evergreen trees, silence enshrouds this remote pilgrimage site, a place some here consider the Bethlehem of North Korea. It was in a rustic log cabin at the foot of Mt Paektu where Kim Il Sung, the founder of modern North Korea, led the fight for his country’s independence from Japanese imperialism more than 70 years ago, according to state-sanctioned accounts. Nearby is the lodge where his son and eventual heir Kim Jong Il was born, the accounts claim.

The story of Kim’s exploits at Mount Paektu is seen as the genesis of the official history of North Korea, a legend that borrows heavily from the methods and symbols of religion in a largely atheistic country. As North Korea celebrates the centenary of Kim Il Sung’s birth, his past, like the misty peaks of Mount Paektu, remains veiled in myth. Some foreign historians dispute parts of Kim’s eight-volume memoirs as well as the official biography published by North Korea in 2001, and many details are impossible to verify.

However, the prodigiously detailed memoirs do suggest that he drew from a wide range of early influences, including Christianity, Confucianism, communism and a native movement called Chondoism, to craft the mythology used to justify and enshrine his family’s rule. “Kim turned his whole family into a divine entity,” said historian Song Bongsun at Korea University in South Korea. “He knew theocracies last longer than any type of regime.”

Though Kim’s ancestral roots were in the southern city of Jeonju, he was born outside Pyongyang in 1912 to a poor but devout Christian family of tenant farmers. He was named Kim Song Ju, or “pillar of the country.”

Years before his birth, American missionaries had arrived in Pyongyang, the nation’s capital, with books, medicine and bibles. They were so successful in converting locals that by 1907 the city became known as the “Jerusalem of the East,” according to missionary accounts. Kim writes in his memoirs that he often accompanied his mother to Church although he later downplays her devotion by saying she mainly considered church a place of rest and respite. Kim also insists that his father, born to a church elder and schooled by missionaries, urged him to “believe in your own country and in your own people rather than in Jesus Christ.”

Despite his later efforts as president to restrict religion, Kim readily acknowledges the presence of Christians and Christianity in his early life. Its influence is clear: The 10 Principles of Kim’s ideological philosophy hint at the 10 Commandments of Christianity, and all three Kim rulers are referred to as “heaven sent.” At the time of Kim Il Sung’s birth, Korea was two years into colonial rule by Japan, a period Kim describes in his memoirs as a “living hell” for Koreans. Koreans were ordered to take Japanese names and speak only Japanese, in a bid to obliterate their language and culture.

The fight for Korea’s independence is a dominant theme in Kim’s memoirs, called “With the Century,” apparently written in 1992 at age 80. Kim places himself in a long line of patriots, claiming that his greatgrandfather played a key role in a famous attack on a US ship, the General Sherman, as it sailed up the Taedong River in 1866. When Kim was 6, the Japanese threw his father into prison, and he recalls the shock of seeing his father covered with scars and wounds. Kim writes that when his father died at age 31, he left his son at his deathbed with two pistols and a mission to win back their country.

Kim’s tales are also meant to burnish his own credentials as an independence fighter. Even as a child, he says, he used a knife to scratch out the words “Mother-tongue” on a Japanese-language textbook, and spiked the tires of Japanese policemen with nails. Apart from two years in Korea during middle school, he spent most of his teenage years in China,

a refuge and base for independence fighters like his parents. It was there, Kim recalls, that he began his self-study of communism, including Lenin’s biography, at age 13. At 14, he joined a military academy in Jilin, where he began to get involved in the antiJapanese movement.

In his memoirs, he recalls what he describes as a momentous gathering in a bare room in Oct 17, 1926, when he and his friends created the Downwith-Imperialism Union, and elected him president.

Kim says he considers that organization the root of the current ruling Workers’ Party of Korea. Even then, Kim knew the power of cloaking a political message in a good story. He recounts setting up a secret library and luring in classmates with love stories before slipping them books about communism.

By 1927, he writes, activists had decided to make Mount Paektu their base. In 1929, at age 17, Kim was thrown into jail. He says in his memoirs that he used the time to plot an armed Korean revolution. When he was released the following May, he began recruiting members to join a new, communist political party, according to his official biography. North Korea

“The process in which people start to see God and Jesus as absolute entities is very similar to the way Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il are revered,” observed Lee Su-won, a North Korea researcher at Dongguk University in Seoul. Biblical shades come through clearly in the legend of Kim Jong Il’s birth at Paektu in 1942. Some accounts suggest Kim Jong Il was born in Siberia in 1941. But according to North Korea, his mother, Kim Jong Suk, gave birth to the future leader in a simple log cabin at the height of winter in 1942, swaddling the infant with military blankets until fellow guerrilla fighters came to her with a quilt stitched together with salvaged scraps of cloth.

Guerrilla fighters spread the news of the baby’s arrival in messages painted in ink on the bark of trees across the Paektu region, the official history says. Kim’s memoirs make other religious and cultural references. For instance, he recounts visiting an ethnic Korean community living on the Chinese side of Mount Paektu where most followed a religion called Chonbulgyo. He cites their belief that 99 fairies descend daily from the heavens to bathe in Lake Chon on Mount Paektu, and that the people

MOUNT PAEKTU: A North Korean soldier, working as a guide, walks near a cabin that is said to have been the home of the late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung and the birthplace of his son and late leader Kim Jong Il. (Right)A man clears snow from the base of a monument at the Samjiyon Grand Monument area in Samjiyon, North Korea at the base of Mount Paektu. — AP

now considers his founding of the Anti-Japanese People’s Guerrilla Army on April 25, 1932, as the start of the modern-day Korean People’s Army. Kim also started going by the nom de guerre “Kim Il Sung,” meaning “Kim, the sun.” Kim wasn’t the first warrior to pick that name - there were 16 well-known “Kim Il Sungs” in the previous decade with a reputation as fierce fighters, historian Song said.

The name marks the beginning of his bid to build for himself an aura of primacy. In later years, he became known as the “Sun,” borrowing the potent symbol of power common to many religions and traditions. His April 15 birthday is called “Day of the Sun.” Kim’s biography says he set up his guerrilla base in Manchuria in the early 1930s, and sought to push across the border by establishing headquarters at Mount Paektu by 1936. However, some experts say it is not clear whether he ever lived at Mount Paektu, and Song notes that Kim more likely served with communist Chinese forces rather than leading an independent guerrilla army.

Densely forested Paektu, straddling the KoreanChinese border, was both a strategic defensive choice and a savvy symbolic one. Mount Paektu is Korea’s highest peak and its most volatile, with an active volcano that still threatens to erupt. It’s where Korea’s first founder, the mythical Tangun, is said to

Tiananmen-era Chinese dissident Fang dies in US BEIJING: One of China’s most famous dissidents at the time of Beijing’s June 4, 1989, crackdown on pro-democracy activists has died in the United States, exiled dissidents said yesterday. Fang Lizhi, 76, lived in Tucson where he was a physics professor at the University of Arizona. He died of natural causes, according to the Twitter feed of Wu Renhua, a dissident living in exile in the United States. Exiled dissident Wang Dan, who topped a list of 21 most-wanted student leaders in 1989, confirmed the news on his Twitter feed after speaking to Fang’s wife, Li Shuxian. “At this moment, no words can express my grief,” Wang wrote. “Fang Lizhi has inspired the ‘89 generation and has awakened the people’s yearning for human rights and democracy.”

Fang and his wife sought refuge in the US Embassy in Beijing for over a year after the Chinese army crushed prodemocracy demonstrations centered on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. China then accused them of counter-revolutionary crimes, tantamount to treason. Fang had no public role in the protests, but decided to seek shelter after pro-government supporters burned effigies of him. In June 1990, in a concession to Washington, Beijing allowed Fang to leave China to seek medical treatment abroad. China said the couple had shown “signs of repentance”. Fang never returned.

Fang campaigned vigorously in the West for countries to maintain pressure on the Chinese government to respect human rights and permit dissent. In 1986, he emerged as an eloquent advocate of radical political change in China, declaring science should not be determined by Marxist theory. Fang was quoted as saying in 1987 that the Chinese Communist Party could not boast of a single success in nearly 40 years of rule.

have descended 5,000 years ago. In the early 1940s, Kim was back in Manchuria and made forays back to the secret camp at Mount Paektu, according to his official biography. A month after Japan’s defeat in August 1945, he sailed back to Korea with the Soviet army, clad in a Soviet military uniform, according to most accounts. He was 33.

As the Soviets and Americans divided trusteeship of newly liberated Korea along the 38th parallel, Soviet-backed Kim stepped into the void left by the end of Japanese colonial rule. When Seoul held its own separate elections in 1948, a new nation sprang up in the north that September: the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with Kim as head of state.

During his career, Kim created and served in every top title in North Korea: premier, chairman of the Central Military Commission, supreme commander of the army, general secretar y of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party and finally, president. Schooling, medical care and housing were all free. But in return he demanded filial, near-religious loyalty and an adherence to the militaristic rules that govern life in North Korea.

Defectors say those who oppose the party and state face imprisonment. Amnesty International estimates as many as 200,000 people are being held in North Korean labor camps today, based on satellite imagery and defector accounts. North Korea denies the existence of such gulags. Kim also turned isolation into part of North Korea’s creed through a “Juche” philosophy, which calls on his people to summon self-reliance even during hard times, such as the famine of the mid-1990s that killed hundreds of thousands of people.”The Juche spirituality is the force that unites North Koreans in the most dire situations,” said Shin Eun-hee, a Korean-Canadian theology professor at Seoul’s Kyunghee University who has lectured at Kim Il Sung University in the past.

Kim threw the same mantle of reverence over his family, calling his son Kim Jong Il a “great man of the Mount Paektu type” who shared his ideas and his personality. That status now has been extended to grandson Kim Jong Un, who took over as leader following Kim Jong Il’s December death. The extent of reverence for the Kims can take foreigners by surprise - every sentence is prefaced with thanks to leaders, and they are given credit for every achievement, small and large. Such aphorisms can seem practiced or obligatory; indeed, it is practically state law to pay thanks to the Kims.

built a 99 room temple to house them.

Kim also describes being intrigued by the Chondo religion, a native Korean movement characterized by the idea that all men are equal and bear the spirit of the heaven in themselves, said Jeong Jeong-sook, a chief educator for the sect in Seoul. As with Juche, Chondoists consider people to be the masters of their own fates, Jeong said. Freedom of religion is enshrined in North Korea’s constitution, and there are still several sanctioned churches and Buddhist temples across the country. However, Kim frowned upon the practice of religion, and the official number of followers dropped drastically after he took power.

By contrast, Mount Paektu has been recreated as an altar of sorts to Kim, his wife and his son, who routinely are referred to as the “three commanders of Mount Paektu.”

By the 1980s, very little was left of the simple log cabins built in the 1930s apart from some decaying timber and a few charcoal briquettes. But Kim Il Sung retraced his steps in 1986, and researchers unear thed a few cooking utensils that once belonged to his wife in the spot where the cabin once stood, guide Kim Kum Ran told The Associated Press. He ordered the encampments rebuilt the way they looked in 1937, down to the roebuck deer hooves used as door handles, she said. — AP

Islamic laws dominating polls in Indonesia’s Aceh Islamists push for Islamic government nationwide

Fang Lizhi

“Marxism...is like a worn dress that must be put aside,” he said.

His constant challenge to the Party apparently incurred the wrath of China’s former paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping. In a secret speech to central committee members in 1987, Deng singled him out by name for expulsion from the Party. Fang, along with several intellectuals identified with China’s dissident movement, was invited to a banquet with former US President George Bush during a visit in February 1989, but police barred him from attending. — Reuters

BANDA ACEH: Indonesia’s only province ruled by hardline sharia laws elects its powerful governor tomorrow, in polls watched by militant Muslims pushing for an Islamic government nationwide. The elections in Aceh are the second since the province suffered 170,000 fatalities in the Asian tsunami of 2004, and since a 30-year war against Indonesian rule ended in 2005, having claimed 15,000 lives. The restive region, on the western edge of the scattered Indonesian archipelago, now enjoys autonomy and it remains an anomaly in a country where most of the 240 million people practice a moderate form of Islam.

Alcohol is freely sold in the rest of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, but it is banned in Aceh. In some of the province’s regions, women are forbidden to wear tight trousers. Gamblers and imbibers are publicly caned. Debate still churns in Aceh over whether adulterers should continue to be publicly flogged, or stoned to death. Irwandi Yusuf, who was elected governor in December 2006 and is seeking a second five-year term, backs sharia but has remained a bulwark against stricter enforcement, such as the harshest punishment for adultery. No law can pass unless the provincial parliament-dominated by Yusuf ’s opponents-and the governor are both in agreement.

The 51-year-old’s main challenger is Teungku Ahmad Tajuddin, an Islamic schoolteacher who is confident of victory. The 49-year-old cleric will not say outright whether he backs the stoning laws, but condemns Yusuf for rejecting the stiffer sharia by-laws. “I don’t reject criminal by-laws, because clerics have agreed to them,” he said. “I want Aceh as a model of Islamic sharia for Indonesia and Southeast Asia,” Tajuddin added.

Sporadic violence-including arson attacks and at least six fatal shootings-have been reported in the run-up to the polls, which have been repeatedly delayed since October.

But the province has been getting back on its feet after the civil war and the tsunami. In the capital Banda Aceh, new concrete homes, hotels, schools and mosques cover the flood devasta-

BANDA ACEH: Acehnese boat makers rest while working in Banda Aceh, two days ahead of province’s second election. — AFP tion, and new roads have been built wider to allow a quicker exit should another disaster strike. A boat that landed on top of a house-an image that became a worldwide emblem of the tsunami-has been turned into a tourist attraction.

Across the capital Yusuf ’s orange campaign posters promise “continued peace and development”, while Tajuddin’s green banners proclaim his vow of “making Islamic sharia part of Aceh”.

Acehnese agree that life is getting better.

Almost no one speaks against sharia. “Foreigners often think that people in Aceh live in the dark ages and are murderers,” said Nurmi, a textiles salesman who goes by one name.

“For me, caning is fine but stoning is not acceptable or appropriate in this day and age,” she said. For Indonesia’s Islamic militants who insist on sharia rule nationwide, Aceh shines as an example, and it has been a magnet for militants. “Strict enforcement of sharia laws is not

perfect in Aceh, but it’s a good start and all other provinces must follow,” said Farihin Ibnu Ahmad, an Islamist who has done two jail stints on terrorism convictions.

Islamic militancy in Indonesia has been weakened by an official crackdown launched after the 2002 attacks on packed nightclubs in Bali, which were blamed on the regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). The group’s alleged founder Abu Bakar Bashir is doing a 15-year prison term on charges that include funding a terrorist training camp in Aceh. Umar Patek, the accused bomb-maker in the Bali attacks who is on trial in Jakarta, is also charged with terrorist activities in Aceh. But despite executions and arrests-and police shootings of five alleged terrorists as recently as last month in Bali-Muslim militants still remain active. “Sharia is not negotiable and it is everyone’s duty to fight for it,” said Ahmad, who says he knew Patek. — AFP

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

NEWS

Belarusian special task soldiers demonstrate their skills in a military unit outside Minsk yesterday during a show as the unit celebrates its anniversary. — AFP

Performer experiences own Middle East crisis MANILA: The last thing Filipino performer Carlos Celdran expected at the largest art fair in the Middle East was to be picked up by security officials, questioned, and ordered to remove political and religious references from his show.

“It never occurred to me this would be sensitive,” Celdran said of his act about former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos, which was performed in Dubai to a backdrop of paintings and sculptures. Celdran’s story takes place in the 1970s, when Imelda’s husband, Ferdinand, declared martial law and her developing nation became an unlikely player on the global stage - thanks to its relationship with the US, which considered it an important ally in the Cold War. Imelda Marcos, who lived lavishly while others lived in squalor and in fear of her husband’s iron-fisted rule, used state-sponsored arts and culture to create an image that society was progressing. Celdran said human rights and freedom of expression can often be compromised to push the agenda along when nations do that - whether by hosting an Olympics, a Miss Universe pageant, or an international arts fair. “If there are any parallels to what’s going on in the Middle East, that’s up to you to find, not me,” Celdran said in a recent interview.

His was not the only case of censorship at the Art Dubai 2012 fair, which was held last month and attracted unprecedented interest in its sixth year largely because of the Arab Spring uprisings. At least four paintings were taken down ahead of a visit by the emirate’s ruling family, including one depicting the beating by soldiers and police of an Egyptian woman, her blue bra exposed, in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Another was of a woman holding underwear with “leave” written across the front, the word often chanted by Arab Spring protesters during their demonstra-

MANILA: In this Oct 1, 2010 file photo, Filipino artist Carlos Celdran holds onto prison bars inside a detention cell. — AP Gaddafi, “Islam is all about peace, tions.

Antonia Carver, director of Art and if you are funding a war in my Dubai, downplayed the signifi- country you are also pitting Muslim cance. “It is common worldwide for against Muslim.”

Celdran decided to cancel rather the authorities to check exhibitions for particularly sensitive content than revise his show. But before when expecting royal visits,” she leaving, he held a brief, impromptu said in an email. “We had over 500 performance, sitting on the floor of artists on show and we were asked the exhibition hall with tape coverthat a gallery take down and store ing his mouth. While he says he a minimal number of works.” As for knows Dubai remains politically Celdran’s act, she said that security conservative and steeped in reliofficials just wanted to talk to him, gion, he wishes that would have and that it was his decision, ulti- been part of a broader discussion. mately, to cancel. She said she was “Everyone was ignoring the big not in the room during Celdran’s elephant hanging over the room,” hourlong interrogation, and did he said. “If you’re going to take away the Arab Spring, theocracy, not elaborate.

But Celdran said references to intimidation, freedom of speech religion and politics raised the and other issues that are really releloudest alarm bells. Imelda Marcos vant today, it becomes just a decowas famous for hobnobbing with rative fair.”

Celdran, known for stirring Hollywood starlets and charming world leaders. It was when Celdran debate on public issues at home, ventured into the friendship was briefly jailed in 2010 for disMarcos had with Libyan strongman rupting a Roman Catholic Mass in Muammar Gaddafi - whom she Manila to protest the clergy’s oppoasked to stop supporting Muslim sition to contraception. But after rebels in the southern Philippines some reflection about what he and help broker a peace deal - that now calls his “own Mideast crisis”, he was whisked away by a tall, he’s able to laugh. “I was just collatrobed man. Just before Celdran eral damage of the Arab Spring,” he was taken away, he had Marcos tell said. — AP

Two-hour KAC flight turns into 12-hour...

Continued from Page 1 When they finally prepared to depart from Cyprus, the exhausted passengers were surprised that they were returning to Kuwait and not heading to Beirut.

Many refused to board the plane, but were forced to do so against their will. After reaching Kuwait at 4 am yesterday, the passengers were booked for another flight that left for Beirut at 4 in the evening. Kuwait Times tried to contact Kuwait Airways officials, but they were either unreachable due to the weekend holiday, didn’t have exact information or refused to give any state-

ments.

A source from Kuwait airport who asked to remain anonymous also told Kuwait Times that weather conditions at Beirut airport were bad due to heavy fog. He said passengers were initially not allowed to leave the aircraft because “I assume the pilot was waiting to receive information that the weather situation in Beirut had improved, and if the passengers had left, it would’ve taken them another two hours to get back on board”. He claimed when the plane left Cyprus, it again tried to land in Beirut, but the weather didn’t permit, so it returned to Kuwait.

Lawmaker claims Iran can produce nuclear weapons TEHRAN: Iran has the knowledge and scientific capability to produce nuclear weapons but will never do so, a prominent lawmaker has said.

Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam is a parliamentarian and not a government official, and his views do not represent the Iranian government’s policy. It however is the first time that such a prominent Iranian politician has publicly stated that Iran has the technological capability to produce a nuclear weapon. His assertion published on parliament’s website late Friday suggests that Iran is trying to show unity in its political establishment around its often repeated claims that it seeks worldclass technological advances including nuclear expertise, but does not want to develop atomic arms as the US and its allies claim.

The statement comes before planned talks beginning next week with the US and other world powers over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.

Moghadam said Iran can easily produce the highly enriched uranium that is used to build atomic bombs, but that it is not Tehran’s policy to go that route. “Iran has the scientific and technological capability to produce (a) nuclear weapon, but will never choose this path,” he said in remarks carried by the parliamentary website

icana.ir.

The US and its allies accuse Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran denies the charges, saying its program is peaceful and geared toward generating electricity and producing medical radioisotopes to treat cancer patients. The White House did not comment on Moghadam’s comments. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly insisted that his country is not seeking nuclear weapons, saying that holding such arms is a sin as well as “useless, harmful and dangerous”.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has also asserted that if Iran one day decides to build nuclear weapons, it will do so openly and won’t fear anybody. However, he has also emphasized that Iran has no intention to weaponize what he describes as a peaceful nuclear program. Director of US National Intelligence James Clapper asserted in a January report to the Senate Intelligence Committee that Iran has the means to build a nuclear weapon but has not yet decided to follow through.

US intelligence officials say they generally stand by a 2007 intelligence assessment that asserts Iran

stopped comprehensive secret work on developing nuclear arms in 2003.

But Britain, France, Germany, Israel and other US allies think such activities have continued past that date, a suspicion shared by the IAEA, which says in recent reports that some isolated and sporadic activities may be ongoing. However, the IAEA says there is no evidence to prove that Iran’s nuclear materials have been diverted towards weapons.

Iran says it is enriching uranium to about 3.5 percent to produce nuclear fuel for its future reactors and also to around 20 percent to fuel a research reactor that produces medical isotopes to treat cancer patients. Uranium has to be enriched to more than 90 percent to be used for a nuclear weapon. The U.N. nuclear agency has also confirmed that centrifuges at the Fordo site near Iran’s holy city of Qom are churning out uranium enriched to 20 percent, and says uranium enriched to that level can more quickly be turned into weapons-grade material.

Moghadam, the lawmaker, said that Iran has the means to produce 90plus percent enrichment. “There is a possibility for Iran to easily achieve more than 90 percent enrichment,” icana.ir quoted Moghadam as saying. — AP

More than 100 killed in Syria ahead of...

Continued from Page 1 casualties as the Syrian government’s year-long crackdown on dissent - which the United Nations says has killed more than 9,000 people - showed no signs of abating. Monitors put the number of dead at more than 10,000. At least 77 people were killed nationwide on Thursday and 35 on Friday, mostly civilians, according to Observatory figures.

Yesterday, rebels attacked a military intelligence headquarters in the second city of Aleppo, the Observatory said, and army deserters also pressed a dawn assault on Ming air base in the same province.

Fighting was also reported between troops and deserters in districts of Hama city. “Regular forces launched an assault early yesterday on the Al-Qussur district, where they burned down the house of an activist,” said an activist on the ground, Abu Ghazi Al-Hamwi. The Local Coordination Committees group, which organises protests at a local level, yesterday posted online videos of tanks and armoured cars deploying in Douma, just north of the capital.

Thousands of people demonstrated in Damascus yesterday in support of the ruling Baath party on the 65th anniversary of its creation, an AFP journalist said.

The official SANA news agency reported similar demonstrations in other cities that “expressed the Syrian people, army and leadership’s steadfastness in the face of the conspiracy hatched against Syria”.

Ban said on Friday that the increased attacks by Assad’s forces on cities “violate” a UN Security Council statement demanding an end to hostilities by Tuesday’s truce deadline. He indicated that he believes Assad’s government is using the deadline to pull troops and heavy weapons away from cities as “an excuse” to step up the killing. Ban “deplores the assault by the Syrian authorities against innocent civilians, including women and children, despite the commitments by the govern-

ment of Syria to cease all use of heavy weapons in population centres,” said his spokesman Martin Nesirky. “The April 10 timeline to fulfill the government’s implementation of its commitments, as endorsed by the Security Council, is not an excuse for continued killing,” Ban added.

The Security Council passed one statement backing Annan’s peace plan and on Thursday agreed a second “presidential statement” formally endorsing the April 10 limit for Syrian troops and big guns to be withdrawn from cities. Russia and China, which vetoed two Security Council resolutions on Syria, have signed up to the new demands. But Syria said on Friday that the number of what it calls “terrorist acts” has risen since the deal was reached with Annan. “The terrorist acts committed by the armed terrorist groups in Syria have increased during the last few days, particularly after reaching an understanding on Kofi Annan’s plan,” it said in a letter to Ban. At the same time, Damascus lashed out at the UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, accusing her of turning a blind eye to “terrorism” funded from abroad. Damascus has also demanded a written commitment that the opposition will not seek to exploit the troop withdrawal to make territorial gains. Meanwhile, Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem is scheduled to travel to Moscow tomorrow for talks. In a statement announcing the trip, Muallem’s office said Russia had an “objective balanced position” on the crisis that had won “recognition and deep respect” from the Damascus regime.

Elsewhere, Turkey said yesterday nearly 700 Syrian refugees poured across the border in 24 hours, bringing to more than 24,000 the total number of Syrians seeking haven there. And the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation said at least one million people inside Syria affected by violence need urgent humanitarian aid worth $70 million, following a joint OIC-UN visit to assess the country’s needs. — Agencies

14

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

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Issues

Will Latinos decide America’s elections?

By Bernd Debusmann very day, around 1,600 US citizens of Latin American extraction are reaching 18 years of age - voting age and adding to the fastest-growing segment of the American electorate. Almost 22 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in November’s elections and how many of them turn out may well decide who will be the next US president. A series of recent polls show that Latinos favor President Obama over any of the Republican presidential hopefuls, with a comfortable 70 percent to 14 percent over Mitt Romney, the man most likely to win the Republican nomination at the end of a primary campaign marked by often shrill anti-immigrant rhetoric.

Obama is so confident that the primary debates have driven Latinos away from the Republican party that he told the Spanish-language television network Univision last November there was no need for his campaign to run negative ads on the Republican presidential hopefuls.

Instead, “we may just run clips of the Republican debates verbatim. We won’t even comment on them...and people can make up their own minds.”

Among debate highlights that stick in the collective memory was the electrified Mexican-US border fence suggested by Herman Cain, who soon after dropped out of the race, and Mitt Romney’s idea that illegal immigrants would chose “self-deportation...because they can’t find work here, because they don’t have legal documentation to allow them to work here.” Newt Gingrich, who is still in the primary contest but whose star is fading, described self-deportation as a fantasy.

The president’s confidence of winning Latino support again - he took 67 percent of their vote in 2008 - is partly based on history: Republicans have lost the Latino vote in every presidential election since 1972. But it would be a mistake for Obama to take that support for granted, not least because he broke an election campaign promise to produce a bill on immigration reform in his first year in office. This prompted Jorge Ramos, the influential Univision anchor to whom he made the promise in 2008, to write in an essay in Time magazine last month saying that Latinos faced the difficult choice on Nov 6 “of voting for either a president who broke a major promise or a Republican candidate who doesn’t respect us”.

If enough Latinos find that choice so difficult that they will sit out the vote, Obama’s confidence may prove mistaken. To hear electoral number crunchers tell it, an Obama victory could hinge on Latin turnout and support in swing states where no candidate can be certain of getting the most votes. These states include Florida, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico.

Ruy Texeira, an election expert and demographer at the liberal Center For American Progress Action Fund, points out that while the Latino support tracked by opinion polls points to Obama winning the popular vote, that doesn’t always translate into electoral victory. The presidential elections of 2000, decided after a bitter controversy over Florida’s 25 Electoral College votes, are a case in point.

While immigration, for decades a hot-button issue in the United States, has dominated the debate, it does not top the list of Latino concerns. Surveys show that like other Americans, Latinos care most about jobs, the economy, education and health care. Immigration ranks fifth.Latino voters don’t have direct immigration problems - they are citizens.

But, as Jorge Ramos says in his essay, “the issues concerning undocumented immigrants are very, very personal. If you attack them, you attack all of us. They are our neighbors and co-workers; their kids go to school with our kids; they serve in battle next to our sons; they take the jobs no one else wants; they pay taxes and overwhelmingly make America a better country.”

Those who attack illegal immigrants are not restricted to Republican presidential hopefuls. Since Obama took office, his administration has deported more undocumented immigrants than any other president in history an average of around 400,000 a year. The deportations have resulted in the separation of thousands of parents from children who were born in the US and thus are citizens. In a campaign twist that carries a whiff of desperation, Romney has begun to try and turn Obama’s record on immigration against him. “He campaigned saying he was going to reform immigration laws and simplify and protect the border,” the Republican front-runner said early in April, “and then he had two years with a Democrat House and a Democrat Senate and a super majority in each house, and he did nothing”. — Reuters

E

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Syria unrest widens Sunni-Shiite divide

By Mohamad Ali Harissi he conflict in Syria, pitting majority Sunnis against rulers from an offshoot of Shiite Islam, is increasing sectarian tension that is closely linked to political discord in the region, experts say. Thousands of people have died in a crackdown by the regime of President Bashar Al-Assad, a member of the Alawite sect, on a mainly Sunni uprising against his rule that erupted in March 2011. Protests began peacefully but the movement gradually took on a militant face and has evolved into an armed revolt, though demonstrations are still held.

How to respond to the violence in Syria has split the Arab world. Influential Sunni-ruled Gulf states Saudi Arabia and Qatar want to arm the Syrian rebels and Shiite-majority Iraq opposes the move. The Middle East is seeing “tension and regional escalation” - part of it between Iran and Gulf Arab states - “and another part sectarian, and they are intertwined with each other,” said Paul Salem, the director of the Carnegie Middle East Center. “The situation in Syria is fuelling the Arab division,” Salem said.

Iraqi analyst Ibrahim Al-Sumaidai also warned of a “major division” between states led by Saudi Arabia and the socalled Shiite crescent led by Iran, that is underpinned by sectarian differences. “The tension between them is especially centred on ... states like Saudi Arabia and Qatar that are trying to end Bashar Al-Assad’s regime because of a sectarian mindset,” he said. At last month’s Arab summit in Baghdad, all the Gulf states except Kuwait sent low-level delegations to the meeting, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani said that was a “message to the government of Iraq”.

Without elaborating, he went on to accuse Iraq of “neglecting” some parts of its population, including minority Sunnis, in the formation of its government. “Iraq is a very important state in the Arab world, but we do not agree with some of the policies against a specific component,” an apparent reference to Sunnis. On Sunday, Iraqi premier Maliki criticised the Qatari and Saudi stance on Syria, saying: “We reject any arming (of Syrian rebels) and the process to overthrow the (Assad) regime, because this will leave a greater crisis in the region.”

“We are against the interference of some countries in Syria’s internal affairs,” the Iraqi leader said. Fugitive Iraqi Vice President Tareq Al-Hashemi, who took refuge in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region in December to avoid charges of running a death squad, left for Qatar on Sunday and then moved on to Saudi Arabia. Baghdad slammed Doha for receiving him and called on Qatar to hand him over, but it declined to do so.

Saudi and Qatari newspapers lashed out at Maliki on

T

Tuesday, calling for a boycott of him and his government, with one accusing him of bias against Sunnis and asking whether he was “a voice for Iran or the ruler of Iraq.” Qatar University professor Mahjub Al-Zuwairi said the region “entered into a type of sectarian dispute since 2003”, when a US-led coalition overthrew Saddam Hussein. That ended decades of rule by Iraq’s minority Sunnis and brought the Shiite majority to power. The Jordanian academic referred to

the whole region”. “These countries take a sectarian direction in their efforts, and consider the Syrian regime as Shiite, and this is a big mistake,” he said. Uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt over the past 16 months have brought Islamists to power, replacing Arab nationalist regimes. And Sumaidai said that those Islamic movements and parties are ready “to send fighters to other states such as Syria ... because there are those on the other side of the same sect.”

Pro-Syrian government demonstrators hold a rally at the Sabe Bahrat Square to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the ruling Baath Arab Socialist Party in Damascus, yesterday. A large picture of President Bashar Al-Assad is seen on the building at left.—AP a “unified Gulf stance” regarding Iraq, a country he said is seen as “supporting Iran in its stance on Syrian events”. “Iraq is afraid that there will be a Salafi (fundamentalist Sunni) system after Bashar Al-Assad,” Sumaidai said.

Iraq is well aware of the dangers of Sunni fighters entering from Syria, having accused Damascus in the past of letting Sunni insurgents and arms transit the country for attacks inside Iraq. Former Iraqi national security adviser Muwaffaq Al-Rubaie, a Shiite, said “the (Sunni-ruled) countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council are playing with fire that will burn

While the Sunni-Shiite divide is a major factor in the Syrian crisis, it has also surfaced violently in Bahrain and even in Saudi Arabia itself. Last year, Bahrain’s Sunni ruling family crushed Shiite-led protests calling for reform, with backing from forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that entered the tiny Gulf kingdom. Maliki warned at the time that the intervention in Shiite-majority Bahrain by its Sunni neighbours risked a sectarian war in the region. And protests in Saudi Arabia’s eastern oil-rich region, which has a significant Shiite population, have been violently put down. — AFP

Bossi fall sets up political overhaul

By Francoise Kadri he fall of Northern League party leader Umberto Bossi after a 20-year tenure in the wake of a corruption scandal has set the stage for an overhaul of Italy ’s widely-hated political system, experts said. A former key ally of Silvio Berlusconi, Bossi resigned on Thursday as secretary general of the pro-northern Italy party he founded in 1991. He was immediately appointed the party’s “federal president” but the post is an honorary one and it is clear that he has stepped back from real power.

Bossi was caught up in an investigation that accused members of his family and key allies of pocketing public funds destined for the party and spending them on holidays and luxury cars. Even though the investigation is still in its early stages and there are no criminal charges, the accusations alone are particularly damning for a politician who presents himself as a champion of the fight against corruption.

“Earthquake” and “The End of the Bossi Era” read the headlines in Italy’s main newspapers on Friday, evoking the life and times of a colourful character who used to call for northern Italy’s independence and now advocates wide autonomy. There were also ironic references to his frequent denunciations of “Thieving Rome” - a popular slogan against corruption in Italy’s political capital.

Many reports described the tears of party militants and the sincere emotion of Bossi, who promised “never to abandon the battle for freedom of the North.”

T

Political analysts drew parallels with Berlusconi, whose political career like Bossi’s was launched in the early 1990s following the collapse of Italy’s post-war political system amid a series of anti-corruption investigations. Berlusconi was forced to

unelected but popular government of technocrat Prime Minister Mario Monti.

The Northern League regularly polls at around eight percent - a figure that rises to more than 20 percent in its regional heartland. “The League now has to wage a battle

In this file photo taken on March 29, 2010, Umberto Bossi, the populist Northern League leader, arrives for a press conference in Milan. — AFP step down as prime minister in November last year. Commentators underlined the impact that Bossi’s demise would have on Italy’s centre-right forces and on the political party system in general under the

for survival that affects everyone,” said Ezio Mauro, editor of the centre-left Repubblica daily. Bossi’s fall, he said, left “an enormous problem” of how the interests of northern Italy, the country’s powerhouse, will be rep-

resented politically. Experts said Bossi was forced to make many compromises while in a governing coalition with Berlusconi but they also recognised his merits in introducing “the Northern question” into Italy’s political dialogue.

Apart from his “confused pseudo-Celtic mythology bordering on racism”, Bossi also promised “to return to the more productive North a part of the economic resources that it has to give to the South,” said Stefano Folli, a columnist for business daily Il Sole 24 Ore. According to Massimo Franco from the Corriere della Sera daily, the first challenge will be to avoid “an internal civil war for control of the movement” between supporters of former minister Roberto Maroni and the Bossi faithful.

Maroni, who is reputed to have leadership ambitions, is part of a “triumvirate” of leaders appointed temporarily to replace Bossi.

There will be “a hunt for the League’s votes” between now and the general election scheduled for 2013, said Franco. He predicted the main beneficiaries would be Berlusconi’s centre -right People of Freedom party and the centre-left Italy of Values party. What is happening with the League is a symptom of the “decomposition of the political system” in Italy, Franco said, adding that there was a risk of increased abstentions come the next elections. In the short term, Franco added, the main advantage will go to Monti, who is strongly opposed by the Northern League.

Bossi had accused the former European commissioner of “helping the banks instead of helping the poor.” — AFP

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

sp orts Lorenzo fastest in practice QATAR: Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo upstaged Honda’s world champion Casey Stoner on Friday by setting the pace under floodlights in final practice for MotoGP’s Qatar season-opener. Australian Stoner was fastest on Thursday and again in Friday’s penultimate session but 2010 champion Lorenzo then found precious extra fractions to nudge him off the top of the timing screens. The Spaniard ended the final session with a lap of one minute 55.302, 0.154 seconds ahead of British Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow with Stoner third quickest but blaming traffic for holding him up.

“The bike seems much better than last year for us,” said Lorenzo, overall runner-up in 2011. “I think we have even more potential for improvement tomorrow. We still have a few issues to solve, especially corner entry, but we manage to keep a good pace. I’m going to try my hardest for qualifying tomorrow and see what we can do.” Honda’s Dani Pedrosa fell in the day’s opening session but was unhurt and ended up fifth fastest. Stoner has won four times in the last five years in Qatar, as well as taking four poles, and is clear favorite for today’s race. — Reuters

Dodgers get past Padres SAN DIEGO: Los Angeles pitcher Chad Billingsley came within two outs of a complete game, striking out 11 to lead the Dodgers to a 6-0 win over the San Diego Padres in the National League on Friday. Billingsley (1-0) left the game after giving up a single with one out in the ninth. The decision by manager Don Mattingly to pull him was met by boos from Dodgers fans. Billingsley walked only one and reached double digits in strikeouts for the ninth time in his career.

He struck out the side in the first inning and again in the third.

Andre Ethier drove in four runs with a double and triple. The Padres committed two more errors, giving them five in the first two games. They’ve struck out 18 times in 18 innings. The Padres were shut out 19 times last year, the most in the majors. San Diego starter Cory Luebke (0-1) was removed when he gave up a triple to Ethier in the fifth that made it 6-0.

Cardinals 11, Brewers 5 In Milwaukee, David Freese hit a two-run drive for one of four St. Louis homers off Yovani Gallardo as the visitors spoiled Milwaukee’s opener.

Yadier Molina, Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday also connected for the Cardinals, who are in Milwaukee for a three-game series after opening with a victory over the Marlins in Miami. Gallardo (0-1) struggled with his control from the start and lasted only 3 2-3 innings, giving up six runs with five walks. Jaime Garcia (1-0) pitched six solid innings for St. Louis, yielding two runs.

Ryan Braun was 0 for 5 but received a rousing reception from Brewers fans. It was a show of support for the National League MVP, whose potential 50-game suspension for a positive drug test was overturned by an arbitrator before the season.

D’backs 5, Giants 4 In Phoenix, Chris Young and Paul Goldschmidt hit first-inning home runs off Tim Lincecum as Arizona opened the defense of its NL West title with a win over San Francisco. Ryan Roberts’ two-run double broke a sixth-inning tie as Arizona defeated Giants ace Lincecum (0-1) for the fourth time in a row. Diamondbacks starter Ian Kennedy (1-0) allowed three runs in 6 2-3 innings. Pablo Sandoval’s RBI double with two outs in the ninth pulled the Giants within a run, but closer JJ Putz got Buster Posey on a grounder to secure the win and earn the save.

Rockies 5, Astros 3 In Houston, pinch runner Eric Young scored the go-ahead run on an error in the eighth inning and Colorado held on to beat Houston.

The game was tied 3-3 when Ramon Hernandez singled in the eighth before being replaced by Young. Young stole second and scored on an error.

Troy Tulowitzki hit a solo shot to push the buffer out to two runs. Colorado starter Jeremy Guthrie (1-0) allowed four hits in seven innings. Astros reliever Fernando Rodriguez (0-1) yielded one unearned run in 1 2-3 innings. — AP

SAN DIEGO: Padres second baseman Orlando Hudson jumps aside for Los Angeles Dodgers’ Jerry Hairston Jr. after relaying to first to complete a double play in the eighth inning. — AP

Puma narrowly wins stage

Stormers beat Highlanders DUNEDIN: Fullback Joe Pietersen scored a brilliant individual try to help the table-topping Stormers maintain the only perfect record in Super Rugby with a 21-6 victory at the Otago Highlanders yesterday.

Pietersen’s try and another from winger Gio Aplon in the first half at the new Otago Stadium in Dunedin proved enough to give the Stormers a sixth win in six matches on their first foray outside South Africa this year.

The Highlanders, who had lost just one match this season to stand second in the standings behind the Stormers, showed plenty of endeavour but were unable to breach the Stormers’ blanket defence and scored only through two Chris Noakes

MLB results/standings Texas 3, Chicago White Sox 2; Baltimore 4, Minnesota 2; Tampa Bay 7, NY Yankees 6; St. Louis 1, 1 Milwaukee 5; Colorado 5, Houston 3; Arizona 5, San Francisco 4; LA Angels 5, Kansas City 0; Seattle 7, Oakland 3; LA Dodgers 6, San Diego 0.

American League Eastern Division W L PCT Tampa Bay 1 0 1.000 1 0 1.000 Toronto Baltimore 1 0 1.000 NY Yankees 0 1 0 Boston 0 1 0

GB 1 1

Central Division Detroit 1 0 1.000 0 1 0 Cleveland Chicago White Sox 0 1 0 Kansas City 0 1 0 Minnesota 0 1 0

1 1 1 1

Western Division 1 0 1.000 1 0 1.000 2 1 .667 1 2 .333

1

Texas LA Angels Seattle Oakland

National League Eastern Division Philadelphia 1 0 1.000 1 0 1.000 Washington NY Mets 1 0 1.000 Atlanta 0 1 0 Miami 0 2 0

1 1.5

Central Division St. Louis 2 0 1.000 1 0 1.000 Cincinnati Milwaukee 0 1 0 Pittsburgh 0 1 0 Chicago Cubs 0 1 0 Houston 0 1 0

0.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5

Western Division LA Dodgers 2 0 1.000 1 0 1.000 Arizona Colorado 1 0 1.000 San Francisco 0 1 0 San Diego 0 2 0

0.5 0.5 1.5 2

penalties.

“It definitely wasn’t easy,” Stormers skipper Jean de Villiers said in a pitchside interview. “It was against a quality side and we were probably a bit lucky with some tries in the first half but we’ll definitely take the win.”

With two of the meanest defences in the competition on display, points should have been at a premium and the Highlanders will have been disappointed with the soft try they conceded in the 13th minute.

Centre De Villiers twice hacked at a loose ball after a turnover and Aplon won a footrace with the Highlanders cover defence to touch down. —Reuters

BRAZIL: After 20 days of sailing through some of the toughest conditions imaginable, Puma won the Volvo Ocean Race’s fifth stage by just 12 minutes on Friday. Puma collected 30 vital points, holding off overall race leader Telefonica, which chased all the way up the South American coast to the Brazilian port of Itajai despite earlier having to stop for 17 hours to fix a damaged hull.

An epic leg that left the fleet battered and broken was decided by the icecool nerve of 50-year-old American skipper Ken Read.

With the dramatic “match race” being watched by thousands of fans on shore, Read repeatedly blocked the route of Telefonica, which had caught up with the leaders after trailing by more than 400 nautical miles following the pit-stop in Cape Horn.

“I’ve never done such a tough offshore leg in my life,” Read said. “We ran out of food a day and a half ago so we haven’t eaten for a day and a half. It’s been pretty intense.—AP

Angels’ Weaver dominates Royals ANAHEIM: Los Angeles pitcher Jered Weaver struck out 10 in eight dominant innings to lead the Angels to a 5-0 win over the Kansas City Royals in the American League on Friday.

In his fourth opening-day start for the Angels, Weaver (1-0) retired 13 straight after allowing back-toback singles in the third inning, finished with doubledigit strikeouts for the 12th time in his career, and didn’t walk a batter.

Peter Bourjos’ bases-loaded infield single broke open a scoreless game in the eighth inning, and that was followed by Erick Aybar’s bases-loaded triple.

Los Angeles’ $240-million signing Albert Pujols went 0 for 3 with an eighth-inning intentional walk in his after getting several raucous pregame ovations from the crowd. Royals reliever Aaron Crow (0-1) took the loss.

Rays 7, Yankees 6 In St. Petersburg, Florida, Carlos Pena hit a grand slam in the first then completed a ninth-inning comeback that lifted Tampa Bay to a season-opening victory over New York.

Yankees closer Mariano Rivera (0-1) had been 60 of 61 in save chances against the Rays. But after Desmond Jennings opened the ninth with a single against baseball’s career saves leader, Ben Zobrist tripled home the tying run.

The 42-year-old Rivera intentionally walked the next two batters to load the bases and struck out one. Pena, who came in 0 for 11 in his career against Rivera, won it by driving a 1-2 pitch off the base of the wall in left-center field for his fifth RBI of the game. Fernando Rodney (1-0) struck out one in a perfect ninth in his debut for Tampa Bay. Rangers 3, White Sox 2 In Arlington, Texas, Colby Lewis struck out nine in his first opening-day start as Texas spoiled the debut of new Chicago manager Robin Ventura.

Ian Kinsler had a leadoff double in the first and scored on a sacrifice fly by Josh Hamilton. Kinsler added a solo homer in the third. Lewis (1-0) walked only one over six innings, throwing 70 of 100 pitches for strikes, and Joe Nathan worked a perfect ninth for the save.

John Danks (0-1) gave up three runs over six innings for the White Sox. Orioles 4, Twins 2 In Baltimore, Jake Arrieta pitched seven scoreless innings to lead Baltimore to victory over Minnesota to mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of Camden

ANAHEIM: Los Angeles Angels’ Kendrys Morales runs to first after connecting for a base hit during the eighth inning of their baseball game against the Kansas City Royals. — AP

Yards. Arrieta (1-0) struck out four in a 97-pitch performance. Nick Markakis hit a two-run homer in the first inning and added an RBI triple in the sixth. He also walked and scored twice. Carl Pavano (0-1) allowed four runs over seven innings for the Twins in his third career opening day start.

Mariners 7, Athletics 3 In Oakland, Chone Figgins had three hits and two RBIs as Seattle beat Oakland as the two teams restored hostilities stateside after their series in Japan.

Kyle Seager’s two-run single highlighted a four-run third inning that broke the game open for the Mariners.

Seattle starter Jason Vargas (1-0) allowed five hits in 5 13 innings. Athletics starter Brandon McCarthy (0-1) gave up five runs in five innings. — AP

Coyotes see off Blues NHL standings Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L OTL GF GA PTS NY Rangers 51 23 7 225 183 109 50 25 6 278 219 106 Pittsburgh Philadelphia 47 25 9 262 228 103 New Jersey 47 28 6 224 207 100 NY Islanders 34 36 11 200 248 79 Northeast Division Boston 48 29 4 265 199 100 41 30 10 247 236 92 Ottawa Buffalo 39 32 10 215 226 88 Toronto 35 36 10 230 260 80 Montreal 30 35 16 208 225 76 Southeast Division Florida 37 26 18 199 226 92 41 32 8 218 229 90 Washington Winnipeg 37 35 9 222 242 83 Tampa Bay 37 36 8 231 278 82 Carolina 33 32 16 212 239 82 Western Conference Central Division St. Louis 48 22 11 207 163 107 47 26 8 231 209 102 Nashville Detroit 48 28 5 246 200 101 Chicago 44 26 11 245 236 99 Columbus 28 46 7 195 259 63 Northwest Division Vancouver 50 22 9 246 198 109 41 34 6 207 214 88 Colorado Calgary 36 29 16 197 224 88 Minnesota 35 35 11 176 222 81 Edmonton 32 39 10 212 236 74 Pacific Division Phoenix 41 27 13 212 203 95 42 29 10 225 208 94 San Jose Los Angeles 40 27 14 192 176 94 Dallas 42 34 5 209 219 89 Anaheim 34 35 12 202 226 80 Note: Overtime losses (OTL) are worth one point in the standings and are not included in the loss column (L)

MINNESOTA: The surging Phoenix Coyotes are one win away from clinching their first division title after a 4-1 victory over St Louis put them on top of the Pacific on Friday.

The Coyotes, winners of four in a row, can claim the division with a win at Minnesota in their regular season finale on Saturday.

Playoff-bound Phoenix lead the division on 95 points, with Los Angeles and San Jose on 94. The Kings play at the Sharks late yesterday.

“It’s an honour and a privilege to be in the playoffs but our goal is to win the division,” Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle told reporters. “It’s something that we have to embrace and get those two points. Phoenix netminder Mike Smith made 31 saves but saw his shutout streak end at 234 minutes, 25 seconds with Patrik Berglund’s equalizing goal in the first period.

“He’s been so big for us,” Coyotes’ Shane Doan said of Smith. “We haven’t played so well in the last three games.

We wanted to give him a little break. It was nice to give him more than one goal to work with.”

Yandle put the Coyotes ahead early in the first, and after the Blues’ Berglund made it 1-1, Radim Vrbata and Doan scored 2:10 apart in the second to put Phoenix in command.

Mikkel Boedker wrapped up the scoring midway through the third. Winning the division title would have other implications for the Coyotes, said coach Dave Tippett. “It’s home ice in the playoffs,” Tippett said. “We’ve been talking about this for a long time, that we want to build to be a playoff team. We put ourselves in a position to do that.”

The defeat ended the Blues’ hopes of winning the Presidents’ Trophy as the National Hockey League’s top regular season team. They now need to win at Dallas late yesterday and hope Vancouver lose to Edmonton to finish top of the Western Conference.

“There’s still a chance, there’s still something to play for,” Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. “We’ve got a lot of fighters on this team and we’re going to keep doing what we do.” Vancouver lead the West on 109 points and St Louis has 107. — Reuters

ABK announces the winners of Football Penalties Competition KUWAIT: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait announced the winners at the end of the “ABK Football Penalties” competition that was organized within the framework of an ongoing campaign “Our Society, Our Responsibility”. This is the slogan under which ABK conducts its corporate social responsibility initiatives, whether related to humanitarian, environmental, cultural or sport subjects.

The tournament “ABK Football Penalties” comprised 64 teams competing to win a trip to Barcelona to attend one of Spanish League’s biggest games (Barcelona vs. Malaga).

Each team consisted of 2 players, and the competition was over two days. It ended with an awards ceremony, held on Wednesday, April 4, at the GOAL Playground in Discovery Mall. It was attended by two of Kuwait’s National Team and Al Arabi Club football stars Ali Maqseed and Khaled Al Resheedy along with media representatives and guests. The winners announced were

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Waleed Saeed Mohammed Hamza Khadada Mohammed Al Ameer Faisal Al Baghli Abdulaziz Buftain Yaser Al Ameer Abdulaziz Sabah Aleed Abdulla Al Matar

ABK’s public relations team congratulated the winners, lauding their spor ts spirit, and thanked those who helped in making the event a huge success. They also extended gratitude to GOAL and My Barcode companies on their effort and cooperation extended to ABK.

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

sp orts

Pacers power past Thunder INDIANAPOLIS: Indiana’s Danny Granger scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to power the Pacers to a 103-98 win over Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA on Friday.

Roy Hibbert had 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers, who won despite Kevin Durant scoring 44 points for the Thunder - the most anyone had scored against Indiana this season.

The Thunder have scored fewer than 100 in four straight and lost the past three.

CHARLESTON: Samantha Stosur of Australia returns a shot to Venus Williams during their quarterfinals match at the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament.— AP

No all-Williams matchup after Stosur beats Venus CHARLESTON: Reigning US Open champion Sam Stosur prevented another matchup in the Williams sisters’ sibling rivalry by beating Venus Williams in three sets on Friday at the Family Circle Cup. The second-seeded Stosur won five of the last six games of the match for a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 victory in the quarterfinals on a chilly, windy Friday at the season’s first clay-court event. Stosur now has a chance of knocking out both Williams sisters on consecutive days when she meets Serena in Saturday’s semifinals.

While Stosur had never beaten Venus Williams before, she has had success against Serena. Stosur beat her to win the US Open title last September and won their only match on clay at the 2010 French Open quarters.

“For sure, clay’s not my favorite surface,” said Stosur, the 2010 Family Circle champion. “It’s always tough playing Serena no matter where.”

Serena Williams advanced when opponent Sabine Lisicki twisted her left ankle early in the opening set and had to withdraw after five games. The other semifinal will be between Lucie Safarova and Polona Hercog.

The ninth-seeded Czech Safarova beat No.4 Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-3, 6-3, while No. 14 Hercog of Slovenia breezed past 13th-ranked Russian Nadia Petrova 61, 6-2. The buzz for a Williams’ sisters showdown had grown all week as the two Americans moved through the draw. Both came into Friday without losing a set and appeared ready to settle some family business at the Family Circle Tennis Center.

This was Venus Williams’ first clay-court tournament since 2010 and her second

event since a bout of autoimmune disease Sjogren’s Syndrome kept her out of the game since last summer’s U.S. Open.

Williams won four times last week at the Sony Ericsson Open and had carried that success forward into the Family Circle quarterfinals.

She could not get past Stosur, though, and won’t play again until next month in Madrid. “I have come so far, so far from the US Open,” she said. Stosur shook off some tired legs from an earlier match - the Australian was forced to come back Friday morning and finish her rain-delayed match from the night before - and some wayward serves midway through to move past Williams. Stosur is seeking her second Family Circle Cup title in three years.

Early on, it looked as if Serena Williams might have a fight on her hands as Lisicki stood toe-to-toe with the 13-time grand slam winner. However, as Lisicki moved to her left after a shot, she apparently hurt her left ankle and fell to the court. She immediately got up and called for the trainer, who re-taped her ankle so the 22year-old German could continue.

It was obvious Lisicki couldn’t move as she had. She played three more games before retiring in tears. Serena Williams came over to console Lisicki, hugging her near the net and applauding along with the crowd as she left stadium court.

Lisicki was having an MRI. “We’ll see what the doctors say and we’ll go from there,” she said. Williams has had her share of injuries that forced her to miss major tournaments. She told the young German that she had time to heal and would be back. “I said, ‘It’s OK. It’s not the French Open. You’ve got time to get better.’” — AP

Grizzlies 97, Heat 82 In Miami, the hosts’ 17-game home winning streak was ended by Memphis. Rudy Gay scored 17 points and Zach Randolph had 14 points and 14 rebounds off the bench for the Grizzlies, who had seven players in double figures.

LeBron James finished with 21 points, six assists and six rebounds for the Heat, who never led and failed in a bid to match the franchise’s longest home win streak, set in the 2004-05 season. Miami’s previous home loss came on Jan. 22.

T Blazers 99, Mavericks 97 In Dallas, LaMarcus Aldridge’s buzzer-beating 17-foot jumper lifted Portland past Dallas in overtime. Aldridge, a former Dallas-area high school star who finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, made the fallaway jumper over the Mavericks’ Brendan Haywood at the overtime buzzer for the victory and was mobbed by teammates at center court.

Raymond Felton scored 16 of his season-high 30 points during Portland’s 30-10 surge in the third quarter. Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points and 14 rebounds to lead Dallas.

Nuggets 105, Suns 99 In Denver, the hosts scored the final nine points of the game to overrun Phoenix. Arron Afflalo had 30 points and Andre Miller scored 13 of his 15 in the fourth quarter for the Nuggets, who took sole possession of seventh in the Western Conference, a game ahead of idle Houston and 1-1/2 in front of Utah.

Shannon Brown scored 18 points for the Suns, who had their three-game win streak snapped and dropped to tenth, half a game behind the Jazz.

Hawks 101, Pistons 96 In Atlanta, Jeff Teague tied a career high with 24 points and had a season-high 11 assists to help Atlanta hold off Detroit.

Josh Smith added 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawks, who hold the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference. Rodney Stuckey finished with 27 points for the Pistons, whose threegame winning streak ended.

Spurs 128, Hornets 103 In San Antonio, the hosts extended their winning streak to ten and went to the top of the Western Conference by beating New Orleans.

Tim Duncan scored 19 points while Manu Ginobili and Patty Mills scored 14 points each for the Spurs, who swept the four-game season series against the Hornets. Eric Gordon, playing in only his second game in three months, scored 31 points to lead the Hornets.

Jazz 104, Warriors 98 In Salt Lake City, Al Jefferson scored 30 points

Kuwait Rally gears up for fierce competition KUWAIT: The 2012 Kuwait International Rally is set to feature fierce competition between 27 contestants who will be driving a total of 709 kilometers over twelve periods divided into six periods a day.

These statistics were provided by president of the tournament’s supreme organizing committee Sheikh Athbi AlNayef Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who expressed confidence in Kuwaiti contestants to record good results in the race that forms the second round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship.

“Kuwait has the largest number of contestants in the tournament with 12, followed by Qatar with five racers including the 2011 Dakar Rally champion Nasser Al-Attiya”, Sheikh Athbi said adding that three racers from Jordan, two from Turkey and one from each of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and the United Kingdom are set to partake in the event.

The event kicks off at 4:00 pm on Thursday, April 12, 2012, in front of the

Sheikh Athbi Al-Nayef Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Safir Hotel in Al-Fintas. It is organized jointly by the Kuwait Quarter Mile Motor Sports Club and the Kuwait International Motor Sports Club (KT) at the Jlai’ah and Bnaidar areas south of the country.

The Gulf Bank team

Gulf Bank leads KBC Football League KUWAIT: The Gulf Bank extended its lead for the KBC Football League following an 11-0 victory against the International Bank in week eleven competition.

The win increased the Gulf Bank’s points to 29, which puts them ten points ahead of second place Boubyan Bank. The Kuwait Finance House stayed in third place with 18 points following a 1-1 draw with National Bank of Kuwait; who remained in fourth place with 14 points.

In fifth place comes Al-Ahli Bank of

Kuwait who extended their points to 11 after defeating Al-Ahli United Bank 3-0, while the Industrial Bank remains in sixth place with seven points followed by the AUB. The Gulf Bank looks to maintain its strong performance when they go against the NBK in week twelve competitions which start next Saturday, while Boubyan Bank take on Al-Ahli Bank. The tournament is organized by the Kuwait Banks Club at the Ministry of Information Stadium.

LOS ANGELES: Lakers center Andrew Bynum (left) tries to box out Houston Rockets guard Courtney Lee (5) in the first half of an NBA basketball game. —AP Bucks 95, Bobcats 90 as Utah downed Golden State. Devin Harris In Milwaukee, Monta Ellis had 25 points and added a season-high 28 for the Jazz, who are ninth in the Western Conference but only three nine assists to lead Milwaukee over Charlotte. games out of the No. 5 spot. David Lee led the Byron Mullens scored a career-high 31 points and Warriors with 26 points. Golden State committed tied his career high with 14 rebounds, becoming the first Bobcats player to score at least 30 points 17 turnovers. this season.

Cavaliers 84, Raptors 80 Nets 110, Wizards 98 In Toronto, Antawn Jamison scored 16 of his In Newark, Deron Williams had 19 points and 25 points in the fourth quarter to lift Cleveland to victory over Toronto, ending a nine-game los- 13 assists in fighting off the lingering effects of the ing skid. Lester Hudson had a career-high 23 flu, leading New Jersey past fading Washington. points for the Cavaliers, who outscored the Gerald Wallace added 19 points as the Nets kept Raptors 33-17 in the fourth. Toronto shot 5 for 19 their microscopic playoff hopes alive with nine in the fourth. Cavaliers coach Byron Scott was games left in the season. John Wall had 18 points, ejected with 53 seconds left in the first half after six rebounds and four assists for the Wizards, who have dropped five straight. — AP a fiery argument with the referee.

NBA results/standings Indiana 103, Oklahoma City 98; Atlanta 101, Detroit 96; New Jersey 110, Washington 98; Cleveland 84, Toronto 80; Memphis 97, Miami 82; Portland 99, Dallas 97 (OT); San Antonio 128, New Orleans 103; Milwaukee 95, Charlotte 90; Utah 104, Golden State 98; Denver 105, Phoenix 99; Houston 112, LA Lakers 107.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT Boston 30 24 .556 Philadelphia 29 25 .537 NY Knicks 28 27 .509 Toronto 20 36 .357 New Jersey 20 37 .351 Central Division Chicago 43 13 .768 Indiana 34 21 .618 Milwaukee 27 28 .491 Detroit 21 34 .382 Cleveland 18 35 .340 Southeast Division Miami 39 15 .722 Atlanta 33 23 .589 Orlando 32 23 .582 Washington 12 44 .214 Charlotte 7 46 .132

GB 1 2.5 11 11.5 8.5 15.5 21.5 23.5 7 7.5 28 31.5

Western Conference Northwest Division Oklahoma City 40 15 .727 30 25 .545 Denver Utah 29 27 .518 Portland 27 29 .482 Minnesota 25 31 .446 Pacific Division LA Lakers 35 21 .625 33 22 .600 LA Clippers Phoenix 28 27 .509 Golden State 21 33 .389 Sacramento 19 36 .345 Southwest Division San Antonio 39 14 .736 31 23 .574 Memphis Dallas 31 25 .554 Houston 30 25 .545 New Orleans 14 41 .255

10 11.5 13.5 15.5 1.5 6.5 13 15.5 8.5 9.5 10 26

Hepburn wins pursuit, Bauge bags men’s sprint MELBOURNE: Michael Hepburn outpaced fellow Australian and world record-holder Jack Bobridge to claim the individual pursuit title as the hosts dominated the world track cycling championships on Saturday.

Australia claimed three gold medals on the fourth day at Melbourne’s Hisense Arena and leads the championships tally with five gold and a total of 12 medals. Britain is second with five gold and eight medals overall, ahead of Germany with two gold and a bronze.

Hepburn, who qualified fastest earlier in the day, beat Bobridge by more than half a second.

New Zealand’s Westley Gough spoiled the home riders’ hopes of an all-Australian podium by beating Rohan Dennis for the bronze.

“We were all really keen to go 1-2-3 today, but unfortunately we didn’t do it,” Hepburn said. “But (Dennis) still had a great ride, he did two great times and I think he should be happy with himself.”

Frenchman Gregory Bauge won the men’s sprint in contentious circumstances after Britain’s Jason Kenny had his finals-leveling win overturned in the second heat.

After Bauge took a highly tactical first heat, Kenny made an early break in the second and held on to force a decider, but after several minutes of deliberation officials ruled Kenny crossed the sprint line and reversed the outcome.

Chris Hoy won the bronze when he beat Australia’s Shane Perkins in consecutive rides.

Kenny earlier improved his chances of claiming the sprint berth on the British Olympic squad after beating Hoy to reach the finals.

The world championships is the last Olympic qualifier before the London, and changes to the qualification process dictate that each nation can only have one representative in the sprint events at the games.

Anna Meares of Australia won a hard-fought sprint in the final meters to defend her women’s keirin title. Meares reeled in the early breakaways to surge to the front of the pack in the final meters. Ekaterina Gnidenko of Russia was second with Germany’s Kristina Vogel third.

Earlier, Victoria Pendleton was eliminated from the keirin a day after claiming the sprint title. Pendleton scraped through early qualifying and advanced via the repechage, only to finish sixth and last in her second-round heat.

The Olympic champion beat defending world champion Meares in the sprint semifinals Friday night after crashing in one heat and profiting from an official intervention in another.

“It doesn’t make up for last night, it makes today special,” Meares said. “I’m really proud of the way I was able to pick myself up after the

MELBOURNE: Australia’s (front to back) Glenn O’Shea, Rohan Dennis, Jack Bobridge, and Michael Hepburn race in the final of the men’s team pursuit at the Track Cycling World Championships. — AP Trott - a member of Britain’s title-winning disappointment of last night,” she said. “There’s no better way to make you feel better than a team pursuit squad on Thursday - held off win.” Cameron Meyer gave Australia its third Annette Edmonson to win the omnium individgold of the night when he took a lap with one ual time trial and seal the six-discipline event by lap remaining and held off Britain’s Ben Swift in three points ahead of the Australian. Sarah Hammer of the United States took the bronze. the final sprint to win the men’s point race.

“I didn’t expect to win and I thought maybe I Swift took second place ahead of Kenny De Ketele of Belgium in third. Laura Trott of Britain could pick up a medal,” Trott said. “But to win, I claimed her second winner’s rainbow jersey at mean, what more can I ask for?” The omnium Melbourne’s Hisense Arena when she won the makes its debut as an Olympic medal event at the London Games. —AP final event of the multidiscipline omnium.

17

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

SPORTS

10-wicket Swann fires England to big victory COLOMBO: Offspinner Graeme Swann completed a career-best 10-wicket match haul and Kevin Pietersen hit an aggressive 42 not out to propel England to an eight-wicket win that leveled the series 1-1 on the final day of the second cricket test against Sri Lanka yesterday. The win ensured that the tourists also retained

the board. Rangana Herath trapped Jonathan Trott lbw with the total on 31. However, Alastair Cook and Pietersen steered their team to victory without further loss.

Pietersen continued his aggressive batting from his 151 in the first innings to score 41 runs from 28 balls to hasten the victo-

match haul of 10-181; his best test bowling figures.

The victory ended England’s disappointing run of four straight test defeats and extended its stay as the top- ranked test nation.

England has struggled on Asian pitches that help spin bowling and lost three tests against Pakistan and the first test of this

COLOMBO: England’s bowler Graeme Swann celebrates the dismissal of Sri Lankan batsman Prasanna Jayawardene during the final day of the second Test cricket match. —AP their No. 1 test ranking.

Set 94 runs to win over two sessions, England started its innings poorly but reached the target in the middle session with the loss of two wickets at P. Sara Oval.

Sri Lanka opted to bowl spinners with the new ball and Tillakaratne Dilshan bowled out England captain Andrew Strauss in the first over with no runs on

ry. His second spell included four boundaries and two sixes and he was awarded player of the match.

Cook hit six boundaries for his 49 runs that came off 69 balls.

Swann took six wickets to end Sri Lanka’s second innings on 278.

Sri Lanka made 275 in its first innings and England replied with 460.

Swann finished the second innings with figures of 6-106 for a

series in Galle. A loss or even a draw would have promoted South Africa to top spot.

“We were all under a bit of pressure going into the game to make sure that we show that we learned some lessons over the four test matches,” England captain Andrew Strauss said. “I am really delighted by the way we played.

“James Anderson was not

Scoreboard COLOMBO: Scoreboard at end of second test between Sri Lanka and England on the fifth and final day yesterday: Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat.

Sri Lanka first innings 275 (M Jayawardene 112) England first innings 460 (K Pietersen 151, R Herath 6-133) Sri Lanka second innings (overnight 218-6) D Prasad c Bresnan b Finn L Thirimanne c Strauss b Anderson T Dilshan c Anderson b Swann K Sangakkara c Prior b Swann M Jayawardene c Cook b Swann T Samaraweera b Swann S Randiv b Swann A Mathews c Strauss b Finn P Jayawardene b Swann R Herath c Anderson b Patel S Lakmal not out

34 11 35 21 64 47 0 46 2 2 4

Extras (b-4, lb-6, w-2) 12 Total (all out, 118.5 overs) 278 Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-64, 3-104, 4-125, 5-215, 6-215, 7-238, 8242, 9-251, 10-278.

Bowling: Anderson 20-6-36-1, Finn 15.5-1-30-2 (w-1), Swann 40-1-106-6, Bresnan 14-5-24-0 (w-1), Patel 25-7-54-1, Pietersen 4-0-18-0.

England second innings A Strauss b Dilshan 0 A Cook not out 49 J Trott lbw b Herath 5 K Pietersen not out 42 Extras (lb-1) 1 Total (two wickets, 19.4 overs) 97 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-31.

Bowling: Dilshan 7.4-1-43-1, Herath 9-0-37-1, Randiv 3-0-16-0.

Result: England won by eight wickets Series drawn 1-1

rewarded for his bowling, I thought he bowled outstandingly well. Graeme Swann showed his real value to the side once again, creating problems all the way through. Kevin (Pietersen) in particular took the game away from the opposition in the way that only he can,” said Strauss.

Playing down the importance of the No. 1 ranking the England captain added that after losing four straight matches he was more keen on winning this test.

“No. 1 is something that has never been in the forefront of my mind. If you do focus on that too much you take your eyes off the ball,” he said. “It’s nice to be heading to the English summer with a little bit of confidence. I am sure we are going to play well in England this summer.”

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said that his team’s poor start cost it the match. “Prematch I said that the first innings is very important especially playing in the subcontinent. We needed to take that advantage, get a good start and put the opposition under pressure. We didn’t do that.

“We were playing a strong team, even when they were in trouble KP came and changed the game. We were outplayed in those first two days and that was the difference.”

Resuming at 218-6, Sri Lanka batted until just before lunch, surviving some close chances as the batsmen struggled to handle sharp turn and sometimes steep bounce.

Overnight batsman Anjelo Mathews was dropped twice at forward short-leg by Cook but the fielder was successful in his third attempt, dismissing Jayawardene for 64.

Jayawardene faced 191 balls in his patient innings and hit four boundaries. His 90-run stand for the fifth wicket with Thilan Samaraweera promised to take Sri Lanka to safety but Swann’s two wickets in three balls in the penultimate over of the fourth day turned the tide toward England. Samaraweera made 47.

Mathews was the last batsman to fall when on 46 having stretched the lead to 93. The home side then briefly entertained a slim victory hope given England’s poor reputation in handling spin bowling and its recent debacle in the United Arab Emirates when it chased 145 for victory in the fourth innings but was bowled out for 72 on a turning wicket. —AP

McIlroy advances, Tiger fumes as Couples shines AUGUSTA: Rory McIlroy moved in for the kill and Tiger Woods was left kicking his club in frustration during a Masters second round that ended with Americans Jason Dufner and Fred Couples sharing the lead.

A log-jammed leaderboard, featuring five players one stroke off the pace, sets up a fascinating weekend for the first major of the year with 52year-old Couples, winner here 20 years ago, cast in the role of nostalgist’s underdog.

McIlroy, the world number two

hurled his club to the floor before kicking it away in a flash of anger and frustration.

There was no shortage of grimacing and muttering from a tired and unhappy looking Woods as he battled through the final holes, struggling but avoiding a total meltdown that would have left him missing the cut.

After opening with birdies on two of his first three holes, Woods had five bogeys the rest of the way and posted a three-over 75 that left him eight shots back of the leaders

on his first seven holes, including a 35-foot birdie putt on the par-three fourth. He briefly had a share of the lead, after a birdie on the 15th, but slipped back after he bogeyed the 17th hole.

Spain’s Sergio Garcia looked set to join the American duo atop the leaderboard but bogeyed the parfour 18th to finish at four-under 68, a shot off the pace along with Lee Westwood (72), Louis Oosthuizen (72), McIlroy and Bubba Watson (71).

Couples mixed seven birdies with

AUGUSTA: Tiger Woods tees off on the fourth hole during the third round of the Masters golf tournament. —AP and US Open champion, shot a composed two-under-par 69 to move within a stroke of the lead but the man he was presumed to be duelling with at Augusta — four-times Masters winner Woods — came close to imploding.

Woods pushed his tee shot right into the bunker on the 16th and

and three shots from missing the cut. But the raw data does not capture the disappointing display from a player who, fresh off his first PGA Tour win in 30 months, was made bookmaker’s favorite this week.

McIlroy started the day four shots off the pace but the Northern Irishman made a solid start with three birdies

two bogeys for a five-under-par 67, matching the second round score he shot at Augusta National in 1992 when he won the Masters.

“I feel like I know every inch of the course. I’ve played 28 years here and today was really a magical day,” said Couples. “I’m going to be right there with everybody Saturday and

today, well, Saturday for sure.”

Overnight leader Westwood had parred his first 10 holes and produced two birdies on the back nine but undid a lot of his work on the final hole where he three-putted for a double bogey.

South Africa’s Oosthuizen, who began the day tied for second, had a rough start to his round with a double-bogey seven on the second hole before a strong finish that included three birdies on his final five holes.

But the surprise face among the leaders was Couples, who plays mainly on the senior Champions Tour but showed has vast understanding of the course where he won his only major.

The veteran, who started the day in a share of 29th place, had two bogeys and five birdies on the front nine and was flawless the rest of the way, making birdies at the 15th and 16th to move to five-under.

Dufner has recently made a habit of getting into the lead in the first half of tournaments only to fade at weekends but he will be looking to go one better than at last year’s PGA Championship where he lost in a playoff to Keegan Bradley.

South African Charl Schwartzel, who won last year’s Masters title by two shots when he became the first champion to birdie the last four holes, was eight shots back after a three-over 75.

Among those missing the cut were nine former Masters champions and reigning British Open champion Darren Clarke. Australian Jason Day, joint runner-up last year, withdrew from the event with an ankle injury after seven holes of his second round. —Reuters

BANGALORE: Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori (left) reacts after he missed to run-out Delhi Daredevils batsman Irfan Pathan (right) during their Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match. —AP

Royal Challengers beat Daredevils BANGALORE: AB de Villiers hit an unbeaten 64 off 42 balls to help Royal Challengers Bangalore beat his former side Delhi Daredevils by 20 runs in the Indian Premier League yesterday.

The South African batsman smashed six fours and two sixes to lift the score to 157-8 in 20 overs after Australian opener Andrew McDonald had produced a brisk knock of 30 off 19 deliveries.

Veteran Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan then grabbed 3-25 in his maiden match for Bangalore as the Delhi batsmen wasted good starts and could only manage 137-7 in reply.

The Bangalore innings was revived by De Villiers after a lull that followed the dismissal of McDonald, who smashed four fours and two sixes.

The home side, without star West Indian batsman Chris Gayle because of a lingering groin injury, was struggling at 59-4 in the ninth over. But De Villiers batted himself in with singles and twos before the onslaught.

He hit seam bowler Irfan Pathan for a six and a four off successive balls in the 19th over of the innings with superbly executed reverse sweeps off full tosses.

For Delhi, pace bowlers Morne Morkel

of South Africa and Doug Bracewell of New Zealand shared five wickets that had put the pressure on Bangalore before De Villiers changed the course of the innings.

The Delhi team got off to a flying start as Australian batsman Aaron Finch produced three consecutive fours through the offside off pace bowler Zaheer Khan but captain Virender Sehwag was out for a first-ball duck in the same over.

Finch (25) and Naman Ojha (33) added 42 runs for the second wicket before both were dismissed by Muralitharan and Delhi faced an uphill task by the time Pathan (24) came in at number seven.

This was Bangalore’s first game of the season, while Delhi had beaten Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in its first outing.

Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 157-8 in 20 overs (A.B. de Villiers 64 not out, Andrew McDonald 30; Doug Bracewall 332, Morne Morkel 2-30) def. Delhi Daredevils 137-7 in 20 overs (Naman Ojha 33, Aaron Finch 25, Irfan Pathan 24; Muttiah Muralitharan 3-25). —AP

PRETORIA: South Africa’s Bulls Akona Ndungane (center) runs with the ball during their Super Rugby match against New Zealand’s Crusaders.—AP

F1 monitoring events in Bahrain LONDON: Formula One’s governing body kept a close eye on the situation in Bahrain on Friday as calls for this month’s grand prix to be postponed gathered pace due to continuing violence.

On a day when protestors clashed with police while more than 5,000 people demonstrated in the north of the capital Manama to demand the release of a jailed activist on hunger strike, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) made clear that it was aware of the latest events.

“The FIA is constantly monitoring and evaluating the situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” said a spokesman for the Paris-based body.

“We are in daily touch with the highest authorities, the main European embassies and of course the local promoters at BIC (Bahrain International Circuit) as well as the international promoter.

“The FIA is the guarantor of the safety at the race event and relies, as it does in every other country, on the local authorities to guarantee security,” added the FIA. “In this respect we have been repeatedly assured by the highest authorities in Bahrain that all security matters are under control.”

The April 22 race at Sakhir follows the Chinese Grand Prix on April 15, with teams getting ready to fly to Shanghai after the Easter weekend.

Last year’s race in Bahrain was postponed, reinstated and then cancelled due to a February uprising and bloody crackdown.

The kingdom has been in turmoil for more than a year with regular opposition party marches and rallies and clashes between riot police and youths in Shi’ite districts involving tear gas and petrol

bombs. Bahrain circuit authorities say the Formula One race, the country’s only global sporting event, contributes some $220 million directly to the local economy and $400-500 million indirectly and are adamant it should go ahead as a force for unification.

F1 commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone gathered leading Britishbased team bosses in a show of support in London last month with Bahrain officials and the country’s ambassador.

However former world champion Damon Hill, who is now a pundit for Sky Sports television, called this week for a re-think on the race going ahead and a British parliamentarian echoed his words.

“In a context where genuine and sustainable reform is taking place, holding a Grand Prix could be a unifying event for the people of Bahrain as well as a positive showcase on the world stage. But things are not at that stage,” wrote opposition Labour MP Richard Burden in a blog.

“Since February last year 45 people have died on Bahrain’s streets. The latest victim was killed by live ammunition only last week.

“F1 teams do race in other countries with unenviable human rights records.

But that does not mean it is right for F1 to collude in presenting to the outside world a cocooned picture of normality at the Bahrain International Circuit, when what is likely to be going on just few miles outside the circuit could be very different indeed.” Bahrain, the first Middle Eastern country to host a Formula One race, has a strong presence in the sport. Sheikh Abdulla bin Isa al-Khalifa sits on the FIA’s decision-making motor sport council while Bahrain also owns 50 percent of McLaren. —Reuters

18

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

SPORTS Soccer results/standings English Premier League results Bolton 0, Fulham 3 (Dempsey 30, 45, Diarra 80); Chelsea 2 (Ivanovic 62, Mata 90) Wigan 1 (Diame 82); Liverpool 1 (Suarez 82) Aston Villa 1 (Herd 10); Norwich 2 (Howson 39, Holt 76) Everton 2 (Jelavic 22, 61); Stoke 2 (Huth 37, Crouch 61) Wolves 1 (Kightly 26); Sunderland 0, Tottenham 0; West Brom 3 (Olsson 7-og, Fortune 69, Ridgewell 85) Blackburn 0.

Played Friday Swansea 0, Newcastle 2 (Cisse 5, 69) English Football League results Championship Birmingham 3, Crystal Palace 1; Coventry 2, Peterborough 2; Derby 0, Ipswich 0; Leicester 4, Doncaster 0; Middlesbrough 0, Cardiff 2; Millwall 2, Hull 0; Nottingham Forest 0, Bristol City 1; Southampton 2, Portsmouth 2.

Played Friday Barnsley 0, West Ham 4; Burnley 1, Brighton 0; Reading 2, Leeds 0; Watford 0, Blackpool 2.

Division One Brentford 3, Bury 0; Huddersfield 0, Sheffield Wednesday 2; Oldham 0, Charlton 1; Preston 1, Milton Keynes Dons 1; Sheffield Utd 2, Bournemouth 1; Walsall 3, Chesterfield 2; Yeovil 3, Rochdale 1.

Played Friday Colchester 1, Hartlepool 1; Leyton Orient 0, Notts County 3; Scunthorpe 1, Exeter 0; Tranmere 3, Stevenage 0; Wycombe 1, Carlisle 1.

Scottish Premier League results Aberdeen 3 (Mackie 12, Clark 68, Jack 78) Dundee Utd 1 (Daly 29); Dunfermline 1 (Zaliukas 85-og) Hearts 2 (Glen 49, Barr 53); Kilmarnock 0, Celtic 6 (Mulgrew 8, 35, Loovens 17, Hooper 45, 90, Ledley 88); Rangers 3 (McCulloch 1, Little 40, Lafferty 60-pen) St Mirren 1 (McGowan 49); St Johnstone 0, Inverness CT 0.

Scottish Football League results First Division Ayr 1, Partick 3; Dundee 3, Falkirk 1; Livingston 1, Ross County 3; Morton 2, Queen of the South 2; Raith 2, Hamilton 1.

Albion push Blackburn closer to drop zone LONDON: West Bromwich

Second Division Albion 1, Dumbarton 1; Brechin 1, Stirling 2; Cowdenbeath 2, Arbroath 3; Forfar 1, East Fife 4; Stenhousemuir 0, Airdrie 3.

Third Division Alloa 8, Elgin City 1; Annan Athletic 1, Berwick 1; Clyde 2, Stranraer 1; Peterhead 2, Montrose 1; Queen’s Park 5, East Stirling 1.

German league results Bayern Munich 2 (Gomez 1, 60) FC Augsburg 1 (Koo Ja-cheol 23); VfB Stuttgart 4 (Hajnal 7, Ibisevic 49, 85, Kuzmanovic 65-pen) Mainz 05 1 (Ivanschitz 3-pen); FC Cologne 1 (Jemal 39) Werder Bremen 1 (Rosenberg 24); Kaiserslautern 1 (Bugera 86) Hoffenheim 2 (Salihovic 26-pen, Vukcevic 71); SC Freiburg 2 (Caligiuri 53-pen, Makiadi 79) Nuremberg 2 (Didavi 8, Pekhart 45+2); VfL Wolfsburg 1 (Mandzukic 61) Dortmund 3 (Lewandowski 22, 90, Gundogan 49); Borussia Moenchengladbach 0, Hertha Berlin 0.

Italian Serie A results Atalanta 1 (Schelotto 9) Siena 2 (Larrondo 13pen, Destro 90); Cagliari 2 (Astori 5, Pinilla 61) Inter Milan 2 (Milito 6, Cambiasso 64); Cesena 0, Bologna 0; Chievo 3 (Bradley 6, Pellissier 20-pen, Paloschi 50) Catania 2 (Andreolli 32-og, Almiron 85); Palermo 0, Juventus 2 (Bonucci 56, Quagliarella 69); Lecce 4 (Muriel 22, 49, Di Michele 44, 56-pen) Roma 2 (Bojan 88, Lamela 90); AC Milan 1 (Ibrahimovic 31-pen) Fiorentina 2 (Jovetic 47, Amauri 89); Novara 1 (Mascara 68) Genoa 1 (Palacio 7); Udinese 3 (Asamoah 45, 90, Di Natale 56) Parma 1 (Lucarelli 84). Lazio 3 (Candreva 9, Mauri 68, Ledesma 81-pen) Napoli 1 (Pandev 34)

English Premier League table English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Man Utd Man City Tottenham Arsenal Chelsea Newcastle Everton Liverpool Sunderland Fulham Stoke Norwich West Brom Swansea Aston Villa Bolton QPR Blackburn Wigan Wolves

31 31 32 31 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 31 31 31 32 32 32

24 22 17 18 16 16 12 11 11 11 11 10 11 10 7 9 7 7 6 5

4 5 8 4 8 8 8 10 9 9 8 10 6 9 13 2 7 7 10 7

3 4 7 9 8 8 12 11 12 12 13 12 15 13 11 20 17 18 16 20

76 75 56 62 55 48 34 37 42 42 31 44 39 35 34 36 35 43 30 34

27 25 36 41 37 42 34 34 37 42 44 51 43 41 43 63 54 67 57 70

76 71 59 58 56 56 44 43 42 42 41 40 39 39 34 29 28 28 28 22

English Football League tables Championship Southampton 41 23 10 8 74 40 79 Reading 41 24 7 10 62 36 79 West Ham 41 21 12 8 67 42 75 Birmingham 41 19 12 10 69 44 69 Blackpool 41 18 12 11 71 56 66 Cardiff 41 16 16 9 59 50 64 Brighton 41 17 12 12 49 42 63 M’brough 41 16 15 10 47 46 63 Leicester 41 16 11 14 60 49 59 Hull 41 16 10 15 38 38 58 Leeds 41 16 9 16 59 61 57 Derby 41 16 9 16 45 53 57 Watford 41 15 12 14 48 57 57 Burnley 41 16 8 17 57 51 56 Ipswich 41 16 8 17 63 68 56 Crystal Palace 41 13 15 13 41 42 54 Peterborough 41 13 9 19 62 66 48 Barnsley 41 13 7 21 47 67 46 Millwall 41 11 11 19 46 54 44 Nott Forest 41 12 7 22 44 60 43 Bristol City 41 10 10 21 35 63 40 Coventry 41 9 12 20 39 54 39 Portsmouth 41 11 11 19 43 50 34 Doncaster 41 7 11 23 35 71 32 Note: Portsmouth deducted 10 points for entering administration Division One Charlton Sheffield Utd Sheffield Wed Huddersfield Milton Dons Carlisle Notts County Brentford Stevenage Colchester Tranmere Hartlepool Bournemouth Yeovil Scunthorpe Preston Oldham Walsall Bury Leyton Orient Wycombe Rochdale Exeter Chesterfield

41 41 41 41 41 40 41 41 40 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41 41

26 25 24 19 18 17 18 17 14 12 13 13 13 13 10 12 13 9 12 12 11 7 8 7

10 7 8 17 14 14 9 11 17 18 12 12 11 11 19 12 9 19 10 10 9 14 11 12

5 9 9 5 9 9 14 13 9 11 16 16 17 17 12 17 19 13 19 19 21 20 22 22

73 80 71 75 75 59 62 58 54 53 44 44 43 53 53 49 45 47 51 42 59 39 34 44

31 43 45 43 45 59 54 46 40 54 44 48 49 65 53 63 59 50 73 64 74 68 64 73

Scottish Premier League table Celtic 33 26 3 4 72 20 Rangers 33 23 4 6 65 25 Motherwell 32 16 6 10 42 37 St Johnstone 33 14 8 11 42 36 Dundee Utd 33 13 10 10 55 43 Hearts 33 14 6 13 41 32 Kilmarnock 33 8 13 12 36 54 Aberdeen 33 8 12 13 32 38 St Mirren 33 7 14 12 32 46 Inverness CT 33 8 8 17 36 54 Hibernian 32 6 8 18 33 61 Dunfermline 33 4 8 21 32 72 Note: Rangers deducted 10 points for into administration Scottish Football League tables First Division Ross County 31 18 12 1 55 26 Dundee 31 14 9 8 49 33 Falkirk 31 11 11 9 44 42 Hamilton 31 12 6 13 45 41 Partick 31 11 8 12 43 34 Livingston 31 11 8 12 49 52 Morton 31 9 10 12 34 47 Raith 31 8 10 13 36 41 Ayr 31 7 11 13 35 56 Queen South 31 7 9 15 33 51

88 82 80 74 68 65 63 62 59 54 51 51 50 50 49 48 48 46 46 46 42 35 35 33

Second Division Cowdenbeath 32 Arbroath 32 Dumbarton 32 Airdrie Utd 32 East Fife 32 Stenhousemuir 32 Brechin 32 Forfar 32 Albion 32 Stirling 32

18 9 5 62 27 63 16 11 5 72 46 59 14 7 11 53 55 49 12 9 11 61 57 45 13 6 13 52 50 45 12 6 14 47 46 42 10 10 12 41 50 40 8 9 15 52 69 33 9 6 17 39 58 33 8 7 17 43 64 31

Third Division Alloa Stranraer Queens Park Elgin Annan Athletic Berwick Peterhead Clyde Montrose East Stirling

22 6 4 65 31 72 17 7 8 74 47 58 17 6 9 63 40 57 14 8 10 59 53 50 12 9 11 50 46 45 10 11 11 51 53 41 12 5 15 42 52 41 7 9 16 32 43 30 8 5 19 46 71 29 5 6 21 35 81 21

32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32 32

German league table Dortmund 29 20 6 3 66 Bayern Munich 29 20 3 6 69 Schalke 04 28 17 3 8 61 M’gladbach 29 15 7 7 41 VfB Stuttgart 29 12 7 10 52 Werder Bremen 29 11 8 10 42 Hanover 28 10 11 7 37 Leverkusen 28 11 7 10 39 VfL Wolfsburg 29 12 4 13 41 Hoffenheim 29 9 10 10 34 Mainz 05 29 8 9 12 43 Nuremberg 29 9 5 15 27 SC Freiburg 29 8 8 13 39 FC Augsburg 29 6 12 11 31 Hamburg 28 7 9 12 32 FC Cologne 29 8 5 16 36 Hertha Berlin 29 6 9 14 30 Kaiserslautern 29 3 11 15 18 Italian Serie A table Juventus 31 17 14 0 51 AC Milan 31 19 7 5 61 Udinese 31 14 9 8 43 Lazio 31 16 6 9 47 Napoli 31 12 12 7 55 Roma 31 14 5 12 49 Inter Milan 31 13 6 12 45 Catania 31 10 13 8 41 Chievo 31 11 9 11 30 Siena 31 10 9 12 36 Palermo 31 11 6 14 44 Cagliari 31 9 11 11 33 Atalanta 31 10 13 8 34 Bologna 31 9 10 12 32 Fiorentina 31 9 9 13 32 Parma 31 8 11 12 39 Genoa 31 9 8 14 42 Lecce 31 7 10 14 35 Novara 31 5 10 16 27 Cesena 31 4 8 19 18 Note: Atalanta deducted six points season for match-fixing

22 19 35 20 39 44 39 38 52 40 48 41 55 44 50 59 52 41

66 63 54 52 43 41 41 40 40 37 33 32 32 30 30 29 27 20

17 65 26 64 29 51 38 54 35 48 41 47 44 45 41 43 39 42 32 39 49 39 38 38 33 37 38 37 38 36 50 35 57 35 47 31 52 25 47 20 at start of

Matches on TV (Local Timings) English Premier League

81 63 54 50 49 48 37 36 35 32 26 20 going

66 51 44 42 41 41 37 34 32 30

Man United v QPR ................... 15:30 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5 Arsenal v Man City ..................18:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 3 Abu Dhabi Sports HD 5

Spanish League Levante v Atletico Madrid ...... 13:00 Aljazeera Sport +2 Aljazeera Sport 2 HD Mallorca v Granada ................. 17:00 Aljazeera Sport +2 Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Bilbao v Sevilla ................... ..... 19:00 Aljazeera Sport +2 Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Real Madrid v Valencia ............. 22:30 Aljazeera Sport +2 Aljazeera Sport 2 HD

LONDON: West Bromwich Albion’s Marc-Antoine Fortune (right) and Blackburn Rovers’ Bradley Orr battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match.—AP

Albion all but assured West Brom 3 themseves of Premier League survival with a 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers that pushed the Blackburn 0 visitors nearer relegation yesterday.

Martin Olsson’ seventh minute own-goal gave the Baggies, managed by former Blackburn boss Roy Hodgson, the lead before second-half efforts from Marc-Antoine Fortune and Liam Ridgewell sealed victory at the Hawthorns.

The result left West Brom 11 points above the relegation zone with six games left but kept Blackburn in the bottom three on goal difference.

Rovers substitute Anthony Modeste was sent off for violent conduct in injury time after clashing with Albion defender Billy Jones.

West Brom were on their way to a first win in five league games when defender Gareth McAuley headed Chris Brunt’s ball into the box back across goal and Rovers defender Olsson sliced past keeper Paul Robinson.

Rovers were able to press forward with a Scott Dann header straight at former Birmingham team-mate and Baggies goalkeeper Ben Foster. Junior Hoilett curled an effort wide from 20 yards out and Foster held David Dunn’s low shot.

Former England keeper Foster made a fine double save in the second half to preserve West Brom’s lead, denying Aiyegbeni Yakubu and then getting up quicky to block Bradley Orr’s follow-up.

But Rovers’ pressure counted for little when Albion extended their lead against the run of play in the 69th minute. Brunt dispossessed Yakubu and his cross found Fortune, who drove his shot past Robinson.

And with five minutes left Albion added a third as defender Ridgewell scored his first goal for the club when he headed home an inswinging free-kick from Graham Dorrans. Modeste’s red card then compounded a bad day for Blackburn.—AFP

Crouch piles on misery for Wolves Stoke 2

Wolves 1

LONDON: Peter Crouch piled on the misery for struggling Wolves as the Stoke striker’s towering header secured a 2-1 win yesterday. Terry Connor’s Wolves side desperately needed a victory at the Britannia Stadium to boost their chances of avoiding relegation and they made the perfect start as Michael Kightly opened the scoring in the first half.

But Stoke’s Robert Huth pun-

ished slack defending from the visitors to level before the break and former Tottenham and Liverpool forward Crouch rose highest to head the winner in the second half.

Wolves remain bottom of the Premier League and sit six points from safety with six games to play after their sixth successive defeat.

Their struggles under interim boss Connor, who has yet to oversee a victory in his seven matches in charge, suggest Wolves owner Steve Morgan may be starting to regret sacking Mick McCarthy with no successor lined up when the club still had a realistic chance of survival in February.

Stoke striker Jon Walters was guilty of a woeful miss in the early

stages as he headed wide right in front of goal from Crouch’s knockdown. And Wolves took advantage of that blunder to to take the lead in the 26th minute.

Kightly chipped the ball into the box and although Dave Edwards failed to make contact at full stretch, he seemingly succeeded in putting off Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who allowed the ball to go past him into the net.

Tony Pulis’s side responded impressively however and Wolves midfielder Karl Henry had to clear a Huth header off the line.

Stoke’s pressure paid off eight minutes before half-time. Wolves failed to deal with a free-kick and the ball came out to Ryan Shawcross, who teed up Germany

defender Huth to drive his shot under Hennessey’s legs.

Wolves went close to regaining the lead soon after the interval when Kightly’s cross was headed narrowly wide by on-loan Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong. But Stoke’s quality at setpieces proved too much for the visitors in the 61st minute.

Jermaine Pennant whipped over a teasing free-kick to the far post and Crouch climbed to produce a looping header that dropped over Wayne Hennessey into the top corner.

Connor sent on Kevin Doyle for the final minutes and the Republic of Ireland striker quickly tested Begovic, but Wolves were unable to snatch a late equaliser.—AFP

Holt leveller frustrates Everton NORWICH: Norwich striker Grant Holt bagged a second-half equaliser Norwich 2 as Everton were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw at Carrow Road yesterday.

Everton 2 Everton led twice through goals from Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic but Jonny Howson got Norwich’s first equaliser before the break and Holt struck with 14 minutes to play to ensure the spoils were shared.

Holt’s 13th Premier League goal of the season was just reward for a dynamic display from the forward, who remains the second-highest English goalscorer in the Premier League behind only Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney.

The draw means that Norwich have now reached 40 points, while Everton remain in seventh place ahead of Liverpool going into next week’s FA Cup semi-final showdown with their Merseyside rivals at Wembley.

It was a frustrating result for Everton, who dominated the early stages and went ahead in the 22nd minute.

Leighton Baines surged down the left and found Phil Jagielka, who crossed for Jelavic to flick home from close range.

Everton almost went 2-0 up moments later when Tony Hibbert’s cross struck the woodwork but Tim Cahill failed to poke home the rebound.

Norwich have shown tremendous spirit throughout their first season back in the top-flight, however, and they levelled through Howson in the 39th minute.

Adam Drury released Wes Hoolahan down the left flank and he cut inside and squared to the midfielder Howson, who calmly slotted home from six yards.

Norwich threatened early in the second half when Tim Howard spilled Howson’s fierce strike but Everton scrambled the ball clear before Holt could convert the rebound.

But the Canaries went behind again in controversial circumstances in the 61st minute. When Steven Pienaar went down under a challenge and held the ball between his legs, Norwich stopped to appeal for obstruction.

But Andre Marriner waved play on and Marouane Fellaini passed to Baines, who laid off to Pienaar and his cross was converted by Jelavic from close range.

The Canaries players were incensed Marriner had not given a foul against Pienaar. Norwich poured forward in search of the equaliser that would east their sense of injustice and it arrived in the 76th minute.

Howard spilled Aaron Wilbraham’s shot straight back into his path and the striker held off four Everton players to square to Holt, who calmly swept home.—AFP

LONDON: Fulham’s Clint Dempsey (center) and Bolton Wanderers’ David Wheater battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match.—AP

Dempsey brace sinks Bolton against Fulham Bolton 0

Fulham 3

BOLTON: A first-half brace from Clint Dempsey sealed three points for Fulham as they beat Bolton Wanderers 3-0 yesterday, giving the London side a morale-boosting away win but keeping the Trotters close to the drop zone.

Fulham, in 10th spot going into the match at Bolton’s Reebok stadium and having won only twice away from Craven Cottage this season, broke the deadlock on the half-hour.

Dempsey fired in a long-range free-kick past Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan, taking the US forward past Louis Saha’s club record of 13 goals in a Premier League season.

Bolton rallied briefly, with Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer called on twice in quick succession to save a 25-yard strike from

David Ngog and a shot from Nigel ReoCoker. Martin Petrov also saw his effort from the edge of the area blocked by Brede Hangeland. But it was Fulham who found the back of the net, when on the stroke of half-time Dempsey headed in from closerange after a cross from Damien Duff, making his 350th career league start.

In the second-half Owen Coyle’s Bolton came out fighting but despite repeated attacks on the Fulham goal could not find a way through, as Fulham absorbed the home side’s pressure well and launched a string of counter-attacks.

Former Real Madrid midfielder Mohamadou Diarra put the result beyond doubt for the visitors in the 79th minute, sliding in from close range for his first goal for Fulham after John Arne Riise broke away down the left.

The defeat ended Bolton’s winning run of three successive league wins and a dearth of goals for Fulham that has seen them fail to score in their last three league outings. Bolton stay in 16th spot on 29 points, above QPR on 28 points, who take on league leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford today.—AFP

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SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

sp orts

Messi first since Mueller to net 60 goals in season

LONDON: The Boat Race is halted as a swimmer interrupts the 158th Boat Race on the river Thames. Cambridge won a dramatic Boat Race against Oxford yesterday following a 31-minute mid-race postponement after a man jumped into the River Thames and swam between the crews. —AP

Shock and oar as swimmer wrecks Britain’s Boat Race LONDON: Britain’s historic Boat Race was dramatically disrupted yesterday when a wetsuit-clad protester swam across the River Thames, before Cambridge claimed a controversial victory over rivals Oxford.

The activist caused a half-hour hiatus in the race between England’s two oldest universities, which is in now its 158th year, in a stunt that will raise security questions ahead of the Olympics and the queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

After the race was restarted there was fresh chaos when the two crews clashed and one of Oxford’s oars snapped off.

The team’s desperate, abortive efforts to recover caused one of their rowers to collapse as they crossed the finish line, although Oxford boat race president Karl Hudspith later said he “is conscious and will hopefully be OK”.

Hudspith condemned the protester who he blamed for Oxford’s defeat, saying in a Twitter message: “My team went through seven months of hell, this was the culmination of our careers and you took it from us.”

As he was pulled out of the water by a lifeboat crew, the swimmer appeared to have a broad smile on his face, before police arrested him on suspicion of a public order offence and took him into custody. But the protest will raise questions about security ahead of an eventful summer in the British capital.

While rowing events for the 2012 London Olympics starting in July will be held at a closed course in Windsor, west of the city, a flotilla marking the queen’s 60 years on the throne is set to proceed down the Thames in June.

British media identified the swimmer as an activist named Trenton Oldfield and published a statement he had purportedly posted on the Internet titled: “Elitism leads to tyranny.”

“I am swimming into the boats in the hope I can stop them from completing the race and proposing the return of surprise tactics,” he apparently wrote.

The two boats were about eight minutes into the race, with Oxford about a third of a length ahead, when the man wearing a black wetsuit swam in front of the two boats, and was nearly hit by the oars of the Oxford crew.

Spectator Mike Emerson said he had seen the man in his early 20s come through the trees on the south bank of

the river and then get into the water long before the boats came past.

“He started swimming, he knew what he was doing,” Emerson, who is 60 and from Cambridge, told AFP. “He drifted down the river and then he waited near a pontoon until the boats came, and then he deliberately swam out toward the boats.”

Umpire John Garrett halted the race after reserve umpire and former British Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent spotted something in the water.

“He (Pinsent) thought it was some debris and then we realised that it was actually a swimmer,” Garrett said. “We weren’t sure what was going to happen, whether he was going to get out of the way in time and then it was quite clear he was just waiting for the boats to come across him, so I had to stop the race and restart.”

It restarted around half an hour later but seconds after that the crews clashed and one of the Oxford oars snapped off, leaving them trailing far behind by the end of the race.

There was further drama after the finish when Oxford crew member Alex Woods, 27, collapsed in the boat and had to receive medical attention.

Coach Sean Bowden said: “I guess you can only imagine the desperation that Alex must have been in with only six crew-mates left and that’s probably how he ended up pushing himself beyond his limits.”

The traditional post-race presentation ceremony was abandoned. “I think it’s hard to imagine a Boat Race that contained so much to talk about,” Pinsent told the BBC. Umpire Garrett stood by his decision to award the win to Cambridge, saying the rules stated that crews “have to abide by their accidents”.

“In the immediate run-up to the clash I was warning Oxford. Cambridge were in the right position so I was content to let the race continue and the result stand,” he said. The last time the Boat Race was restarted was in 2001 when the crews clashed and one of them lost an oar.

Once just an event for undergraduates at Oxford and Cambridge, the Boat Race has become an increasingly international event, with a succession of top-class rowers from around the world eager to take part. —AFP

Bayern stay in title hunt but Dortmund still clear BERLIN: Bayern Munich thanked a Mario Gomez brace as they stayed in the Bundesliga title hunt with a 2-1 win over Augsburg yesterday, but the Bavarians still trail Dortmund by three points after the table-toppers won 3-1 at Wolfsburg. The victories spiced matters up with the top two set to clash on Wednesday in Dortmund.

Bayern, who served up their ninth straight win, are the record title winners with 22 crowns but reigning champions Dortmund are in pole position for an eighth title with 66 points from 29 games with just five rounds of action remaining.

Dortmund took the lead in the 22nd minute with a right-footed effort from Robert Lewandowski set up by Ivan Perisic, and, four minutes after the restart, Ilkay Gundogan made it 2-0.

But Wolfsburg, in midtable and looking a pale shadow of the side who shocked the nation by lifting the championship in 2009, gave themselves hope with a goal on the hour mark from a Mario Mandzukic header.

However, the hosts were dealt a blow

when Alexander Madlung was sent off late for a second booking and there was still time for Lewandoswki to bag his second goal of the game and make the points safe.

Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp was a happy man afterwards. “If you win 3-1 in Wolfsburg you should be satisfied and we are,” he said.

The win preserves the cushion Dortmund, held to a 4-4 draw last week by Stuttgart, needed ahead of Wednesday’s summit meeting with Bayern, who got off to a flier with Gomez on target after just 24 seconds, firing in at the second attempt after Franck Ribery’s cross had found him lurking.

Relegation-threatened Augsburg recovered from that early shock, however, and Koo Ja-cheol deservedly levelled in the 23rd minute after Axel Bellinghausen beat Philipp Lahm for speed down the left flank and crossed into the box for the South Korean to finish. Gomez ended dogged Augsburg resistence on the hour when Lahm made up for his earlier error by feeding Arjen Robben. — AFP

GERMANY: Bayern’s David Alaba of Austria (background) and Augsburg’s Nando Rafael challenge for the ball during the German First Division Bundesliga soccer match. —AP

MADRID: Lionel Messi became the first player to score 60 goals in a season in European topflight soccer in almost 40 years when he struck twice in Barcelona’s 4-1 win at Real Zaragoza yesterday and move within three points of leaders Real Madrid.

The Argentine World Player of the Year put Barca 2-1 ahead with a powerful strike into the roof of the net shortly before halftime and netted from the penalty spot late on for his 38th La Liga goal of the campaign and his 60th in all competitions.

Gerd Mueller was the last player to achieve the feat when he scored 67 goals for Bayern Munich in the 1972-73 season.

Barca are on a nine-match winning streak which has put the pressure on Real who have a tough April and face third-placed Valencia today.

After that comes the Madrid derby against Atletico and the El Clasico showdown with Barca also to feature. Relegation-haunted Zaragoza took advantage of a slow start from Barca with Carlos Aranda heading them in front in the 30th minute after earlier missing a penalty.

Carlos Puyol brought Barca back on level terms six minutes later and then Messi hit a double towards the end of either half to continue his prolific run which has seen him go one ahead of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo in the league with 38.

In injury time Messi set up Pedro Rodriguez for the fourth. Zaragoza’s hopes of a comeback had been hit a minute before half time with the dismissal of Abraham Minero.

It was a new-look Barca side to that which beat AC Milan to qualify for the Champions League semi-finals in midweek with Gerard Pique missing through injury while Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets were rested.

That meant Alexis Sanchez and Pedro Rodriguez got a chance in attack. Zaragoza, on a high after three straight wins saw them move off the bottom of the table, took the game to the champions.

Puyol and Javier Mascherano were struggling against the imposing Aranda who had his first chance after five minutes when he just failed to connect with a cross from Ruben Micael. Again Aranda was heavily involved as Zaragoza won a penalty after 23 minutes. He latched onto a cross from Ivan Obradovic with his effort coming back off the post, and then keeper Victor Valdes failed to get to the ball before Angel Lafita brought him down. Valdes

redeemed himself though by parrying a weak spot-kick from Aranda.

Barca were slowly getting into the game when Zaragoza took the lead through Aranda after a through ball by Pablo Alvarez.

Valdes stood firm to deny Aranda’s initial strike but the rebound fell to the Zaragoza striker who headed in from close range.

That was the spur that Barca needed and at the other end Alexis had a shot from close range blocked by keeper Roberto Jimenez.

From the resulting corner, the visitors equalised after a howler from the shot stopper. Roberto dropped the cross at the feet of

on-one with the keeper, but gradually the Catalan side took control again as the Zaragoza players tired.

Sanchez won a penalty five minutes from the end after a foul by Javier Peredes and Messi made no mistake from 12 yards.

In stoppage time Pedro finished off a pass from Messi to give them an emphatic scoreline they perhaps didn’t deserve.

Earlier Miguel Perez ‘Michu’ scored a hattrick as Rayo Vallecano took a step closer to safety with a 6-0 thrashing of Osasuna. Diego Costa, Emiliano Armenteros and Roberto Triguero ‘Tito’ were also on target and the visi-

SPAIN: Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (right) vies with Zaragoza’s Portuguese midfielder Ruben Micael (left) during the Spanish League football match. —AP Puyol who slotted home gratefully.

Minutes later, Messi turned the game on its head making easy work of going round defender Paulo Da Silva before firing into the roof of the net. Before half-time Zaragoza were reduced to 10 men following the expulsion of Abraham for a second yellow card offence on Alexis but the home side came out fighting after the break.

They pressed Barca back and Obradovic missed an excellent chance to equalise one-

tors have now conceded eleven goals in two matches following their 5-1 defeat by Real Madrid last weekend.

Getafe added to bottom side Sporting Gijon’s problems with a 2-0 win thanks to goals for Nicolas Miku and Diego Castro while Espanyol came from two goals down to draw 2-2 against Real Sociedad. Espanyol struck back following a brace from Carlos Vela through an own goal by Vadim Demidov and then Vladimir Weiss. —AFP

Celtic rout Killie to clinch Scottish title GLASGOW: Celtic won the Scottish Premier League title for the first time in four years with a 6-0 thrashing of Kilmarnock at Rugby Park yesterday.

Neil Lennon’s side needed one point from the match to end their long wait to be crowned Scottish champions and they did it in style, as Gary Hooper and Charlie Mulgrew both netted twice, with Glenn Loovens and Joe Ledley also on the scoresheet.

It is the first title of Lennon’s two-year reign at Parkhead, although some will always remember it as the season their arch rivals Rangers were deducted 10 points for going into administration-a punishment that effectively handed the crown to Celtic weeks before they actually sealed it.

Lennon was delighted to clinch his first championship as manager and the club’s 43rd in their history. “It’s the greatest moment of my professional life. It doesn’t get much better than this really,” said the jubilant Celtic boss.

“You could just tell from the kick-off they were up for it and the early goal settled us. I’m so proud and happy for the players. They have been fantastic and they did it with style today-that really thrills me.” Kenny Shiels was disappointed at the size of their defeat. “We gave them full credit and they are worthy winners of the championship,” the Kilmarnock manager said.

“We didn’t have the strength of character to deal with a team that were playing here to win the league.” It took Celtic just seven minutes to take the lead and start the party amongst the visiting fans.

Ki Sung-Yeung swung in a corner from the left and Mulgrew raced through a group of players to leap highest and nod the ball past the helpless Cammy Bell.

Celtic doubled their advantage in the 17th minute through Loovens. Scott Brown played the ball out wide to Mulgrew who picked out the unmarked Dutchman at the back post who stooped to send an angled header past Bell for his first goal of the season. Moments later Loovens was again allowed space in the box but this time Bell gathered his glancing header from a Commons corner.

Bell did well to punch a curling 25-yard free-kick from Ki over the bar as Celtic looked to clinch the championship in style.

And the Celtic fans’ party celebrations were in full swing in the 35th minute when Mulgrew got his second of the game.

The full-back cut in from the left wing and curled the ball into the bottom right-hand corner of the net past Bell from just inside the box.

The one-way traffic continued as Commons set up Georgios Samaras in the box but Bell somehow managed to stop the Greek striker’s shot with his feet. Hooper added a fourth in the 45th minute to compound Killie’s misery. Mulgrew swung the ball over from the left wing to the back post where Hooper volleyed a rising shot past the despairing Bell and into the roof of the net.

It was a case of damage limitation for Killie in the second half but in a rare flurry forward, Liam Kelly sent his shot over the bar after Jamie Fowler’s effort was blocked. Celtic captain Scott Brown made way for Filip Twardzik in the 48th minute and Dean Shiels quickly picked up a booking for a foul on the Czech youngster. — AFP

ITALY: Lazio’s Stefano Mauri (bottom left) scores with an acrobatic kick during a Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Napoli. —AP

Juve go top as Milan fall to Fiorentina 2-1 ROME: Juventus took a crucial step towards a first Serie A title since 2003 with a 2-0 win at Palermo to go top of the table yesterday after AC Milan fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at home to struggling Fiorentina.

Two games ago champions Milan led the table by four points but following a draw at Catania and now this defeat Antonio Conte’s Juve are a point clear.

Centre-back Leonardo Bonucci scored for the second game in a row and Fabio Quagliarella added the other in Sicily. “I prefer to be in front because now we’re not reliant on anyone or anything,” said Conte. “We did well to exploit Milan’s two hiccups, but there are still seven games to go and our run-in is tougher than Milan’s. “But something has changed in the hierarchy.”

But they were most indebted to former forward Amauri, who scored a dramatic late winnner at the San Siro. The Brazilian-born Italy international’s goal ruined Antonio Cassano’s return to Milan first team action following heart surgery.

Amauri was frozen out by Juventus earlier this season and forced out of the club in January but the 31-year-old’s first goal for his new employers may have just handed his ex-employers the title initiative. Not that AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri sees it that way. “We need to accept the result in the knowledge that there are still a lot of matches left (seven) and everything is still wide open,” he said. “It’s been a bad week with the defeat to Barcelona (which saw Milan eliminated from the Champions League) and this one but we have to regroup because there’s still everything to play for. “We have to stay calm, we didn’t expect to stumble here but we have to be even more fired up because of what we’ve wasted.” The hosts had been gifted

the opener when Matija Nastasic was harshly adjudged to have fouled Maxi Lopez in the box.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic stroked home the spot-kick and Maxi Lopez later hit the post as Milan threatened to run away with the match. But Fiorentina stuck doggedly to their task and equalised when Lorenzo Di Silvestri played Stevan Jovetic in behind the backline and the Montenegro playmaker beat goalkeeper Christian Abbiati. Amauri then struck a minute from time following a Philippe Mexes mistake, playing a one-two with Jovetic before clipping the ball home.

Fiorentina boosted their own survival hopes, moving up two places to 15th and maintaining a five-point gap to the drop zone. In Sicily, Juve dominated throughout and Quagliarella was wasteful in the first half when put clean through, only to shoot wide. But Bonucci rose highest in the box to meet an Andrea Pirlo corner on 56 minutes with a flicked header that crept inside the far post. And Quagliarella sealed the win when teed up by Alessandro Matri 21 minutes from the end. Lazio took a decisive step forwards in the Champions League qualification battle by beating Napoli 3-1 at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

Andrea Candeva, a spectacular Stefano Mauri overhead strike and Cristian Ledesma, from the spot, scored the goals for the Romans with Goran Pandev replying for Napoli against his former club.

It means Lazio now lead Udinese, 3-1 winners over Parma, by three points with Napoli another three points back from that. Ghana midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah scored a brace either side of captain Antonio Di Natale’s half-volley for Udinese with Alessandro Lucarelli scoring for the visitors. — AFP

Albion push Blackburn closer to drop zone

10-wicket Swann fires England to big victory

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

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McIlroy advances, Tiger fumes as Couples shines

Page 17

LONDON: Chelsea’s Fernando Torres (right) is tackled by Wigan Athletic’s Maynor Figueroa during their English Premier League soccer match at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium. —AP

Mata keeps Chelsea in race for CL Chelsea 2

Wigan 1 LONDON: Juan Mata’s last-gasp winner moved Chelsea to within two points of the top four after Branislav Ivanovic’s controversial opener set them on course for a 2-1 win over Wigan yesterday.

Mata found himself in the right place at the right time to turn home from close range after Fernando Torres had fired a volley against the post in the third minute of stoppage-time at Stamford Bridge. But it was Chelsea’s first goal

that sparked a furious reaction from Wigan, who were convinced the Serb was well offside when his turned home a Raul Meireles cross.

Referee Mike Jones ignored the protests of the visitors and awarded the goal after consulting with his assistant, although replays supported Wigan’s claims that they had been hard done by.

Wigan’s misery didn’t end there and they left empty-handed after believing they had secured a deserved point after Mohamed Diame’s 82nd minute effort had cancelled out Ivanovic’s 62nd minute strike.

Chelsea are now up to fifth, above Newcastle on goal difference, and within two points of fourth placed Arsenal, who host Manchester City today.

The midweek Champions League quarterfinal win over Benfica had kept the Blues’

recent impressive run going and set up the tantalising prospect of a semi-final meeting with Barcelona.

But interim manager Roberto Di Matteo had attempted to re-focus his players’ minds in the league ahead of this game by insisting a fourth place finish was still Chelsea’s main target. With a trip to local rivals Fulham looming tomorrow, Di Matteo took the opportunity to rotate his squad, making seven changes from the side that started against Benfica.

Captain John Terry was an enforced absentee after revealing he has been playing recently with two cracked ribs while Frank Lampard and Ashely Cole were also injured.

But the wholesale changes did little to freshen up a side that looked as though it was still affected by the midweek efforts.

Wigan had already served notice they have

no intention of slipping out of the Premier League without a fight and came into this clash on the back of successive wins over Liverpool and Stoke.

It took Chelsea 22 minutes before they managed to threaten Ali Al Habsi’s goal with Gary Cahill forcing a good save from the Wigan keeper with a long-range effort.

But Cahill was involved in a scare inside his own area when Wigan claimed Shaun Maloney’s cross had been blocked by the centre back’s arm in the 28th minute.

Three minutes later, Chelsea lodged their own claim for a spot-kick when Didier Drogba was held by Gary Caldwell.

Drogba should have scored in the 35th minute when his header was cleared off the line by Maynor Figueroa after Al Habsi had blocked Mata’s close range shot.

Suarez equalizer helps Liverpool stop the rot Liverpool 1

Aston Villa 1 LIVERPOOL: Luis Suarez’s late effort cancelled out Chris Herd’s goal as Liverpool fought back to earn a 1-1 draw against Premier League strugglers Aston Villa at Anfield here yesterday.

Kenny Dalglish, in his second spell as Liverpool manager, ended the club’s six-year wait for a trophy when he guided the Merseysiders to a League Cup final win in February and they have an FA Cup semi-final against local rivals Everton to look for ward to at Wembley next weekend.

But their Premier League form remains a concern, despite this result ending a run of six defeats in seven matches. Liverpool have managed just five wins from their 16 home matches in the league and Villa looked to be the latest to leave with a win when they took an early lead through Herd.

Liverpool found it hard to create openings but finally secured an equaliser through Suarez eight minutes from time.

Looking to bring their miserable recent form to an end, Liverpool almost got off to a perfect start when Stewart Downing found

space down the left and his cross picked out Dirk Kuyt at the far post.

But the Dutchman’s shot was turned onto the post by goalkeeper Shay Given and hacked away to safety. Villa took the lead in the 10th minute.

Former Reds defender Stephen Warnock sent over a cross from the left, with goalkeeper Alexander Doni, making his Liverpool debut as cover for the suspended Pepe Reina, failing to make the punch.

Barry Bannan pulled back and Herd swept a shot into the top corner from the edge of the area.

The visitors could have doubled their lead when former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey broke from halfway and had an effort blocked wide by Martin Skrtel.

James Collins then rose above Skrtel only to head wide from a Bannan free-kick. Liverpool were struggling to create opportunities despite falling behind and a Steven Gerrard volley, which flew well over from the edge of the box, hinted at their concern.

Skrtel headed wide at the far post from a Gerrard corner and Jordan Henderson curled well over the bar from a cut-back from Downing.

Suarez, who had earlier gone down under a Herd challenge in the area, looked to have been caught by Alan Hutton as he raced on to a Kuyt pass but referee Mike Oliver dismissed the penalty appeals. Kuyt then turned a shot

Then on the stroke of half time he connected with a far post header that drew another fine save from Al Habsi. Di Matteo’s side took the lead thanks to a major slice of luck in the 62nd minute when referee Mike Jones decided Ivanovic was onside when he side-footed home from Meireles’s cross.

Wigan were convinced the Serb was offside and television replays appeared to support their case. But the goal stood and 60 seconds later Ivanovic made another telling contribution, this time at the other end when he cleared Franco Di Santo’s effort off the line.

Wigan found a way back into the game through substitute Diame who created space for himself on the edge of the area before lashing home a left foot drive, but Mata had the last word with his close-range winner following Torres’s volley. —AFP

Spurs go third after Sunderland draw Sunderland 0

Tottenham 0

LONDON: Liverpool’s Luis Suarez (right) celebrates scoring against Aston Villa during the English Premier League soccer match. —AP over from just a couple of yards as he attempted to divert a Gerrard effort into the net and Suarez was also denied by Given just before the break. Liverpool’s pressure continued after the restart and from a fine cross from the right from Gerrard, Suarez’s header came back off the post before Given clawed the ball to safety.

Kuyt also sliced wide from the edge of the area after a Gerrard back-heel.

Villa were attempting to sit on their advantage but they almost got the chance to add a second when Doni attempted to dribble around Gabriel Agbonlahor five yards from goal before Jose Enrique gave the ball away to Bannan. — AFP

SUNDERLAND: Tottenham Hotspur regained third place in the English Premier League as they were forced to settle for a point in a goalless draw away to Sunderland here yesterday.

Harry Redknapp’s side lead Arsenal by a single point in the race for the final automatic Champions League qualifying spot, though their North London rivals can leapfrog the White Hart Lane club by avoiding defeat against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium today.

Tottenham, who at one stage enjoyed a 10-point advantage over the Gunners, look to have the easier run-in on paper in their remaining six games, starting with the visit of Norwich City on April 9. But there are certain to be plenty more twists and turns in the final few weeks of the campaign.

The issue could be further complicated if Chelsea-who face Champions League holders Barcelona in a two-legged semifinal later this month-win the competition in May, meaning only the top three in the Premier League will qualify for next season’s competition.

A point at a venue where Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have been beaten this season isn’t a bad return for Tottenham but it leaves them with just one victory in seven league games.

It might have been different but for a late goal-line clearance from Michael Turner to deny Rafael van der Vaart, after the Dutchman latched on to a pass from substitute Aaron Lennon.

Replays showed the Sunderland defender used a hand to help keep the ball out, in a let-off for the hosts. Redknapp-who remains unbeaten in league battles with Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill for 15 years-threw on forwards Louis Saha and Jermain Defoe in search of a first away league win since December, but the visitors couldn’t find a way past the dogged hosts.

Sunderland did an unwanted favour for local rivals Newcastle, who are now just three points behind Tottenham and still in the hunt for a top four finish.

Chances were at a premium before the break as the contest failed to spark into life, Tottenham carving out the best of what few opportunities there were from two unchanged line-ups.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto fired narrowly wide from long-distance after being set-up by Scott Parker, and a shot on turn from Luka Modric 18 yards out saw a comfortable save from Simon Mignolet.

Both sides had half-hearted handball penalty claims turned down: Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley inadvertently halted an Emmanuel Adebayor header with his left arm; at the other end, Tottenham skipper Scott Parker went similarly unpunished for an unwitting use of the hand as he tussled with Craig Gardner for possession.

It was the same pattern of play after the break with the visitors in control but unable to make their territorial advantage pay. — AFP

Business

Political uncertainty plagues Egypt stocks Page 22

Kuwait bourse witnesses broad retreat Page 24

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

GCC economies continue to grow: Report

Page 25

Risk expert to deliver global economy outlook for 2012 Page 23

JAKARTA: Cigarette products are displayed by a street vendor in Jakarta street yesterday. The World Trade Organization on April 4 threw out Washington’s appeal against Jakarta’s claim that US rules banning the sale of Indonesian clove cigarettes infringed international trade rules. — AFP

Oil explorations 100% successful in 2011: KOC Kuwait targets 4m bpd oil output by 2020: Al-Rasheed KUWAIT: Chairman and Managing Director of Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) Sami Al-Rasheed said yesterday the success rate of the company’s explorations for oil reserves in 2011 topped 100 percent. “KOC’s operations led to the discovery of large quantities of light crude and associated gas,” Al-Rasheed told reporters on the occasion of the Gulf Petroleum Conference and Exhibition (GPCE-2012), due to be held here on April 9-10 under the patronage, and in the presence, of Kuwaiti Minister of Oil Hani Abdulaziz Hussein.

“This success is the fruit of the strategy of the company which prioritizes the human resources and manipulates the latest hi-tech achievements in collaboration with global companies,” he noted. Kuwait plans to expand its oil output capacity to four million barrels a day by 2020 and maintain this level through 2030.

“The country also plans to increase the free gas output capacity to 2.5 billion cubic feet per day, the heavy oil to 270,000 barrels daily which means adding to its daily production 750,000 barrels of oil, 1.5 billion cubic feet of free gas by 2030,” Al-Rasheed explained.

Dealing with KOC efforts to protect environment, he said the company managed last year to reduce the burning of associated gas to just 1.3 percent compared to 17 percent five years ago “which constitutes an all-time record low.” The GPCE-2012 is an opportunity to interact with key player in the hydrocarbon industry in Kuwait and the GCC countries, as well as prominent decision and policy-makers in this vital sector.

The two-day gathering will be organized by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) in collaboration with regional and global energy organizations such as OPEC, OAPEC and the IEA. — KUNA

Iran non-oil exports up 29% despite sanctions

KOC Chairman and Managing Director Sami Al-Rasheed

A tale of 2 US employment surveys

India’s jewelers call off strike

NEW YORK: The economy added 120,000 jobs in March, half of February’s gain of 240,000 and the fewest in five months. Yet the unemployment rate fell for the first time since January. How did the rate fall despite such a small job gain? Because the government does one survey to learn how many jobs were created and another survey to determine the unemployment rate. Those surveys can produce results that sometimes seem to conflict.

One is called the payroll survey. It asks mostly large companies and government agencies how many people they employed during the month. This survey produces the number of jobs gained or lost. In March, the payroll survey showed that companies added 121,000 jobs, and federal, state and local governments cut 1,000.

The other is the household survey. Government workers ask whether the adults in a household have a job. Those who don’t are asked whether they’re looking for one. If they are, they’re considered unemployed. If they aren’t, they’re not considered in the work force and aren’t counted as unemployed. The household survey produces each month’s unemployment rate.

In March, the household survey showed that the number of people who say they have a job fell by 31,000, but the number of people looking for a job fell by even more - 164,000. That lowered the unemployment rate slightly, from 8.3 percent to 8.2 percent. Unlike the payroll survey, the household survey captures farm workers, the self-employed and people who work for new companies.

It also does a better job capturing hiring by small businesses. But the household survey is more volatile from month to month. — AP

NEW DELHI: Jewelers in India called off their three-week-old strike yesterday, an industry official said, on assurances from Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee that the government would consider scrapping a budget proposal to levy excise duty on unbranded jewelry. “The strike has been called off today onwards. We will be starting our shops from tomorrow,” said Kumar Jain, vice chairman of the Mumbai Jewelers Association.

The wedding season is at its peak in India, with Akshaya Tritiya, one of the biggest gold buying festivals later in the month, making the period crucial for jewelers.

Jain said the strike would resume on May 11 if the tax rollback does not materialize.

The strike was staged to protest against an excise levy on unbranded jewelry of 0.3 percent, and a tax collected at source on transactions worth more than 200,000 rupees ($3,900).

The annual budget also doubled import duty on gold to 4 percent. The moves were game-changers for the $200 billion a year jewelry industry and experts had predicted they could cut gold imports by a third to 655 tons in 2012, allowing China to overtake India as the biggest gold importer. The strike by jewelers resulted in a loss of 200 billion rupees ($3.92 billion), according to industry officials. — Reuters

TEHRAN: Iran’s non-oil exports surged 29 percent to nearly $44 billion in the year to mid-March despite tough Western sanctions to rein in Tehran’s disputed nuclear drive, according to officials and data. Overall exports excluding crude oil hit $48 billion, Kiumars Fathollah Kermanshahi, a deputy head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization, told the official IRNA news agency.

Iran raked in $43.8 billion for exporting products other than oil, and a further $4.2 billion for exporting technological services, Kermanshahi said.

Exports of non-oil products during same period a year before were worth $34 billion, excluding technological services. But more than half of what the exports generated were raised by a large growth in the amount of petrochemical products and gas condensates exported, figures released by Iran’s customs showed. The boost was realized due to an increase in Iran’s production of the two products in the past year, and their rising value in the global markets because of soaring oil prices. The export of petrochemicals saw a 55-percent boost, amounting to $15 billion, and that of gas condensates was raised by 36 percent, bringing in $10 billion, according to the figures.

China, the United Arab Emirates-which acts as the hub for the re-export of goods to Iran-as well as Iraq and India have emerged as the main destinations for the country’s non-oil goods. For its oil exports, Iran, the OPEC oil cartel’s second largest producer, is

estimated by Iranian media to have generated $100 billion during the same period. Iran earned about $78 billion by exporting oil during the year before that. It exports most of its crude oil to China, India, Japan and South Korea. Official figures for the past year have yet to be released.

The sharp increase in Iranian exports came against the backdrop of a tough trade and financial sanctions regime put in place since 2010 by Western powers who fear Tehran’s nuclear program masks a military dimension.

But Iran insists it is only seeking to master an atomic energy cycle. Officials have in recent months regularly used the rising exports to portray as ineffective the sanctions, which will be further tightened in July when Iran’s crucial oil sector is targeted.

Western economic experts in Tehran say the rise of Iranian exports is mainly due to soaring global oil prices. Iran’s oil production, now about 3.5 million barrels per day according to OPEC, has declined steadily since 2008, while sanctions have significantly slowed the Islamic state’s efforts to develop its energy sector and produce and export its gas, they told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Iran holds the second largest gas reserves worldwide.

The experts also point out that Iran is finding it increasingly difficult to repatriate foreign currency for its oil exports, and has thus resorted to accept various forms of direct or indirect barter with many customers. The obstacle has also greatly reduced Iran’s investment capacity, they said. — AFP

Contracts expire tonight for 40,000 AT&T workers NEW YORK: Union contracts for 40,000 AT&T workers expire at midnight, leaving them free to call a strike to pressure the company at the negotiating table.

The workers are on the shrinking local-phone and long-haul data side of the business, and located mainly in the Midwest and California.

Four separate contracts covering different regions are being negotiated, and the workers have authorized the Communications Workers of

American to start strikes. When the last big batch of contracts was negotiated three years ago, the parties kept talking past the contract expiration, and reached agreements without a strike. Dallasbased AT&T I nc. is the countr y ’s largest employer of unionized workers. About 140,000 of its 256,000 employees are union members. At issue in the negotiations are job protection clauses and healthcare premiums and co-payments. —AP

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

BUSINESS

Political uncertainty plagues Egypt stocks

Bayt.com report

What are A-players looking for?

Doubts on political institutions grow CAIRO/DUBAI: Political uncertainty is sapping demand for Egyptian equities and is likely to take the momentum out of any rebound in the coming week, analysts say.

Trading volumes have been weak since the Muslim Brotherhood announced at the weekend that it would back its deputy leader to contest a presidential election, raising suspicions that it is rowing back on a pledge not to monopolize political institutions in the new Egypt.

A rally that made Egypt the world’s best-performing stock market early this year-the benchmark index rose as much as 51 percent-was built partly on optimism that the Brotherhood was working with the country’s army rulers to avoid a showdown before the voting in May and June.

This optimism has now been dented, while uncertainty over whether Egypt’s political forces will rally around difficult economic reforms to cut the state budget deficit has also contributed to a 10 percent drop in the index since early March.

The government had hoped to seal a $3.2 billion emergency financing package from the International Monetary Fund last month, but now says it expects a deal in June.

Economists see the loan agreement as vital for helping replenish foreign reserves and the confidence of investors; the country has spent more than $20 billion in foreign reserves since last year’s uprising to prop up its currency. In the last few months the decline in reserves has slowed they dropped $600 million to $15.12 billion in March, compared to a slide of roughly $2 billion every month late last

year - and this may mean the country can cope with the delay to the IMF deal. Nevertheless, the deal is seen as crucial to unlock a range of foreign aid for Egypt, so any delay is negative for investors.

Mohamed Seddiek, head of research at Prime brokerage, said the rally early this year had left Egyptian equities at levels where the market was more sensitive to risk. “I actually think the market was looking expensive prior to the news that the Muslim Brotherhood was going to nominate a candidate for the presidency,” he said, forecasting a choppy market characterized by low trading volume and small daily gains or declines in coming weeks.

“I think foreign buyers might come back when a new president is in place,” he added. “We can’t have a mechanism to price equities as long as we don’t have a president.”

In the Gulf, investors are looking ahead to first-quarter earnings announcements to justify the confidence which has driven the Saudi stock market up more than 23 percent this year to a 3-1/2-year high. Banks are expected to start reporting next week and to post very strong profits for the quarter.

Commercial banks made a combined net profit of 10.24 billion riyals ($2.73 billion) in the first two months of this year, up from 7.44 billion riyals a year earlier, according to data from the central bank. Bank lending to the private sector rose 12.1 percent from a year earlier in February, its fastest growth in 35 months. “Banks have been posting strong numbers this quarter because provisions decreased

by about 30 percent and the fees from bank operations brokerage and asset management - are expected to be high,” said Hesham Abo-Jamee, chief executive officer at Bakheet Investment Group.

Some of this performance is already reflected in share prices; the bank stocks index has risen 22 percent year-todate. But Abo-Jamee added, “Banks are still looking attractive at current PE (price-to-earnings) multiples and have good potential to increase further.”

Al Rajhi Bank, one of Saudi Arabia’s largest, is projected to report a quarterly net profit of 2.1 billion riyals, according to Bakheet Investment Group and NCB Capital, up 23.5 percent year-on-year. It is trading at 14.4 times this year’s estimated profit, according to Thomson Reuters data, compared to an historical range of 10-43 times in past years and a banking index multiple of 12.3 times.

“Banking will be the strongest performer in Q1 - most are expecting a 20 to 25 percent increase in net income,” said Farouk Miah, acting head of research at NCB Capital.

Growth could slow in the future as low interest rates and increasing competition limit banks’ scope to raise fees for bank services, according to Jadwa Investment. But the undertone remains bullish for this year, it said. “Banks have room to increase their earnings in 2012...The sound domestic economic environment means demand for new bank lending should rise further and with banks very liquid, total lending growth will pick up,” Jadwa said in a report. — Reuters

Ghana cedi to remain under pressure NAIROBI: The Ghanaian cedi is set to remain steady next week, after falling to new lows versus the dollar, but may weaken without robust central bank intervention. In Uganda, increased dollar demand from importers is seen pressuring the shilling. Ghana’s cedi, at fresh lows versus the dollar, is seen holding at the same levels next week on greenback inflows from the central bank and other sellers, traders said.

The dollar-cedi rate was relatively stable on Thursday at 1.7850 at 1300 GMT from the previous day’s close of 1.7865.

Kobla Nyaletey, chief trader at Barclays Bank Ghana, said trade was set to remain thin next week due to the Easter break. “But there is still some demand pressure (for the dollar) out there and this could put some pressure on the market, unless the central bank intervenes robustly as it has done in the past,” Nyaletey said. “In this context, we could see the (dollar-cedi) rate in the 1.780-1.79 bandwidth,” he said, adding that the pair could hit the 1.79 barrier in the absence of inflows from the central bank and other sellers.

Overall the cedi fell 7.16 percent in Q1 2012.

The central bank’s monetary policy committee is due to meet next week to review the economy and announce a rates decision. Nyaletey said he expected the committee to maintain the policy rate at 13.5 percent despite the cedi’s recent decline. Access Bank Ghana trader Biggles Amponsah said the dollar-cedi rate could ease to 1.7750 next week on dollar sales by mining and some construction firms.

KENYA Kenya’s shilling is likely to get support from high interest rates after the central bank kept its benchmark rate at 18 percent on Wednesday, saying inflation and private sector credit growth were still above target, while a wide current account deficit and global oil prices remained a threat to currency stability. Commercial banks posted the shilling, which has firmed 2.1 percent against the dollar this year on the back of the central bank’s tightening stance, at 83.05/25 per dollar at 0906 GMT, barely changed from last Thursday’s close of 83.00/15. During Thursday’s session, the central bank mopped up 9.6 billion shillings at a weighted average rate of 15.8 percent through repurchase agreements after the government unleashed a flood of liquidity, pushing the interbank rate down to 12.7 percent on Wednesday, from 18.8 percent on Tuesday. Traders said they saw the shilling trading within the 82.50-83.50 range in the days ahead.

High yields on government securities would support the currency as real returns on the papers remained positive after inflation edged down to 15.6 percent in March from 16.7 percent in February, traders said. The shilling fell to an all-time low of 107 shillings per dollar last October, but it managed to pull up from those depths, aided by the tight monetary

stance adopted by the central bank in the fourth quarter of 2011. Traders said the decision by the central bank to hold its rate at 18 percent showed it was keen on maintaining yields in positive territory.

UGANDA Uganda’s shilling may be pressured next week by increased dollar demand by importers after the Easter break.

Traders said the shilling, which has strengthened 1.4 percent this week on the back of reduced demand and banks selling dollars after the Bank of Uganda held its benchmark rate at 21 percent, could suffer from pent-up demand for dollars after Easter. At 1144 GMT, commercial banks posted the shilling at 2,480/2,490 per dollar, stronger than last Thursday’s close of 2,510/2,520.. “The shilling has shown signs of strength this week, but we expect demand to pile up after Easter as importers come back in the market,” said David Bagambe, a trader at Diamond Trust Bank. Traders expected the shilling, which hit a 2012 low of 2,620 on March 6 after the central bank’s second rate cut, to weaken towards the 2,500 level next week. They said the central bank could maintain a tightening stance going forward as inflation in east Africa’s third largest economy was still high at 21.2 percent in March.

TANZANIA Tanzania’s shilling is seen firming against the dollar next

week, helped by tighter liquidity and dollar inflows from firms selling foreign currency to pay taxes. Commercial banks quoted the shilling at 1,578/1,583 to the dollar on Thursday, stronger than 1,591/1,596 a week ago. “The short-term outlook is for a stable shilling. Most of our corporate customers have been offloading dollars to pay shilling-denominated withholding tax,” said Barton Hamisi, a trader at National Bank of Commerce. “We expect the shilling to be even more stable next week as we head towards mid month.” Traders said the local currency could trade in the 1,570-1,580 range in the days ahead. The Bank of Tanzania said on its website it traded $48.45 million on the interbank forex market in the last week.

NIGERIA The naira is expected to hold steady or slightly against the US dollar next week as the market anticipates dollar sales by the state-owned energy firm NNPC and local units of multinational oil companies. The local currency was flat at 157.65 to the dollar at 1048 GMT on Thursday, due mainly to thin trading. “We are still expecting the dollar sale by the NNPC, but they have not said when it will come, so the market is trading within a range,” one dealer said. The naira has been trading within the 157.50-157.90 range in the last two weeks.

Dealers said more than $200 million was sold by some energy firms this week alone, which had helped stabilize the naira. — Reuters

W

e often stumble upon magazine features, TV shows, radio interviews and blogs about ‘What employers want in new hires.’ But very rarely do we read about what top talents look for in a prospective employer. What could an A-player be looking for in a job or a company today? The career experts at Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, share some thoughts below: A company with a vision: Gone are the days of corporate visions revolving around enormous unachievable dreams - it’s all about attainable and focused visions today. Companies involving their community and staff in their plans will definitely be put ahead of other employers on the shortlist of an A-player.

A company with a healthy & positive corporate culture: Employees spend most of their time in the office. No prospective employee would want to spend the day suffering from the negative effects of office policies or an unreasonable corporate hierarchical structure or colleagues he/she does not relate to in any possible manner.

A company that provides Job and Financial Security: It’s not only about the money although money does play a fundamental role when comparing offers from potential employers.

Most importantly A-players seek some degree of medium to long-term job security, especially in times of recent economic insecurity. The company also has to offer fair and competitive compensation to attract and retain talent, including performance-based bonuses, personal (and family) health insurance, retirement schemes and children’s education support.

A company that conducts Performance Reviews: A-players are not keen on companies that don’t value timely employee job performance appraisals. Regular employee job performance appraisals offer the opportunity to voice any issues or concerns they are faced with, or suggest any additional job tasks they would like to undertake. A-players look for an employer who listens and does not shy away from providing regular constructive feedback, as well as the necessary support.

A company that offers opportunities for career development: Does your company foster regular in-house trainings? Does it fund external training programs for current employees? Does your company have internal job rotation programs? A-players today are looking for an employer who is willing to invest in their human resource and support them to advance both personally and professionally. In fact 45.8% of professionals surveyed in Bayt.com ‘Good Working Conditions’ poll have agreed that proper training and professional development schemes are most important to creating good working conditions.

A company that does not shun from recognizing exceptional employees: A company that acknowledges a job well done is a keeper. Aplayers are often overachieving, innovating, succeeding, exceeding their company’s expectations and maximizing its ROI, and with such a work ethos “over-worked, under-valued” is not a sustainable long-term proposition. A-players instead are drawn to companies that have clear reward and recognition schemes and that would provide their employees with a clear public and private boost for their efforts and instill in them a further sense of job loyalty and satisfaction.

A company that can show flexibility where needed: A recent Bayt.com survey shows that 91% of working professionals in the Middle East consider work-life balance a very vital factor which directly impacts their motivation levels at the workplace. A-players look for companies that demonstrate a genuine concern for the wellbeing of their staff and show flexibility where and when needed.

CHICAGO: A gas station attendant raises gas prices on a display at Mobil gas station in Chicago on Friday. — AP

A company that believes in mentor/apprentice relationships: A-players look for a company that invests the extra effort in turning its managers into mentors and urging them to pass on the essence of their mentorship to their apprentices (or subordinates). A-players are knowledge seekers and thus they function best in a company that fosters knowledge-sharing and mentorship.

EXCHANGE RATES Commercial Bank of Kuwait US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian Dollar Australian DLR Indian rupees Sri Lanka Rupee UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi riyals Omani riyals Philippine peso Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

.2730000 .4390000 .3640000 .3020000 .2780000 .2830000 .0040000 .0020000 .0753770 .7343730 .3830000 .0710000 .7199210 .0040000 .0430000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2776500 .4410610 .3662340 .3041740 .2798890 .0492220 .0416450 .2852440 .0357550 .2207430 .0033580 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0756230 .7367650 .0000000 .0740600 .7214500 .0000000

.2810000 .4480000 .3720000 .3120000 .2860000 .2950000 .0070000 .0035000 .0761340 .7471540 .4000000 .0760000 .7271560 .0072000 .0500000 .2797500 .4443970 .3690040 .3064750 .2820060 .0495940 .0419600 .2874010 .0360250 .2224120 .0033840 .0055130 .0022340 .0031070 .0034340 .0761950 .7423380 .3956860 .0746200 .7269070 .0065820

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency US Dollar Pak Rupees

Rate per 1000 (Tran) 278.900 3.089

Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Yemeni Riyal Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

5.475 2.230 3.409 6.550 76.040 74.530 741.500 46.150 449.100 3.190 1.550 372.700 285.700 3.510

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 278.550 366.700 444.200 282.600 3.395 5.460 46.155 2.210 3.403 6.508 3.080 741.900 75.900 74.400

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka

SELL DRAFT 292.06 285.37 308.13 367.68 445.38 3.46 3.406

5.700 2.600 4.000 3.250 76.50 740.00 47.20 394.50 725.00 77.25 74.95

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

5.461 2.216 3.417 3.086 75.90 741.99 46.16 396.85 724.97 76.92 74.48

SELL CASH 294.00 284.50 309.00 371.50 446.75 3.70 3.650

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Selling Rate 278.900 281.160 444.435 367.515 305.395 738.565 75.910 76.555 74.335 392.590 46.189 2.224 5.460 3.095 3.411 6.521 684.130 4.385 9.070 5.875 3.505 92.285

Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

Bahrain Exchange Company

GOLD 10 Tola

COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka

SELL CASH 291.100 742.260 3.630

SELL DRAFT 289.600 742.280 3.408

283.700 548.200 45.500 50.100 167.800 47.410 369.700 36.660 5.770 0.032 0.159 0.238 3.520 395.530 0.189 93.180 45.400 4.290 232.300 1.808 49.500 724.970 3.180 6.850 77.210 74.520 222.830 39.150 2.659 446.900 42.400 308.300 4.200 9.390 198.263 76.100 279.500 1.340

Sterling Pound US Dollar

1,715.860 TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 444.900 279.100

282.200

222.800 46.233 366.200 36.510 5.462 0.031

395.490 0.188 93.180 3.430 230.800

724.790 3.093 6.537 76.780 74.520 223.830 39.150 2.216 444.900 306.800 4.200 9.210 76.000 279.100

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

BUSINESS

Risk expert delivers global economy outlook for 2012 KCIC hosts quarterly economic Diwaniya with Risk’s Jan Randolph KUWAIT: KCIC, an investment firm specializing in investments in Asia, recently hosted a closed discussion with IHS Global Insight’s Director of Sovereign Risk, Jan Randolph, who delivered an outlook on global economies for the year 2012 to an audience of local analysts, bankers, fund managers and investors.

Randolph’s outlook focused on the main global driving economies: the US, the eurozone, Japan and Emerging Asian Markets.

Randolph is a seasoned international economist and financial markets commentator on television and radio including Bloomberg, CNBC and Reuters TV, and has written extensively in the press, including the Financial Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, Observer and Business Week.

He is also the Director of Sovereign Risk with IHS Global Insight, based in London, where he has successfully adapted the risk management and internal rating modelling techniques for cross-country bank exposures to provide clients with a unique sovereign risk rating system for over 200 economies worldwide. He has both policy and hands-on experience in international risk management, especially in Emerging Markets.

He said, “The global economy faces three key risks in 2012, first an oil price shock from supply disruptions in the Middle East, second the euro-zone sovereign debt problems and lastly, China’s real estate market downturn. These are interesting economic times as the impact of the 2008 financial crisis is still present and generating aftershocks such as the sovereign debt crises.

However recent data suggests that global growth will pick up. Inflation worldwide has moderated, enabling more central banks to ease monetary policies.”

Global GDP growth expected for 2012 and years to come show that Asia-Pacific will achieve the fastest real GDP growth at levels ranging between 6% and 7% annually between 2012 and 2020. Western Europe is expected to grow at the lowest global levels ranging between a negative growth in 2012 and less than 2% till 2020. Overall

global economies are expected to grow between 2% and less than 6%.

Brent crude oil prices on the other hand are expected to sustain above $110 levels between 2012 and 2017. Prices are driven by sustained growth in EM, concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions over the country, security challenges in Iraq and Nigeria, limited growth in non-OPEC supplies between 2012 and 2013, and the moderate influence of increased production from US tight oil fields and Canadian oil sands.

Randolph shared the following outlook on global economies: ● The US expansion will continue at a modest pace, restrained by inevitable fiscal tightening. The private sector will continue its deleveraging, and strengthening job growth will support consumer income and spending ● The euro-zone is in a mild recession and growth is expected to resume by mid2012. The risks of a disruptive sovereign debt crisis have diminished ● Japan is suffering a loss of export competitiveness, and the reconstruction post the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami is proceeding slowly ● Asia will lead global growth, and Emerging Markets (EM) will continue to offer the best prospects, but not without risks. EM will also enjoy robust growth despite an export deceleration. As for China, its economy will achieve a soft landing, provided that the housing market downturn does not turn into a crash ● Latin America and Africa will do relatively well by historical standards.

On the US, Randolph said, “The corporate sector is rich in liquidity but lacks opportunities to invest, therefore guiding investors to place their money in safehavens where risk aversion is very high. The US economy recovery continues to be pressured by the unresolved real estate.”

The US growth will exceed growth in the euro-zone and Japan, reaching an expected 2% in 2012, and increasing year on year

until 2016. Recent employment figures show encouragement - consumers and businesses are cautiously increasing their spending, the outlook on exports is favorable after 2012, and the US Dollar real exchange value will depreciate against EM’s

ease credit conditions and reduce government bonds yields. To survive, the eurozone will move towards closer fiscal integration, and Germany is key in achieving this step. The Euro is expected to depreciate to a low US 1.25 in the autumn of 2013.”

currencies. A rebound in the housing markets remains key to a more robust economic growth. The threat of the euro-zone sovereign debt problems has eased. Fiscal policies will tighten, however timing and scope are uncertain. Oil prices risks have risen.

The probability of a return to recession is today at 20%.

In Europe, the current mild recession is expected to end starting the third quarter.

The euro-zone fiscal deficits are decreasing, the fiscal balance is expected to register a negative 3% of the GDP in 2012, and continue to ease to a negative 2% approximately of the GDP on 2013.

Randolph said, “The European Central Bank’s massive lending to banks has helped

He added, “Italy and Spain are making progress on structural reforms under their respective new leadership, and the contagion risks from Greece have diminished.

Greece however remains in a dire situation and the probability of it exiting the eurozone in the next three years is 40%, and that could trigger a financial crisis and deep recession, dragging down the US. Contagion will be contained if Greece remains in the euro-zone and the European Central Bank supplies ample liquidity.”

“EM have led the global growth since 2009, and even though we might not see double digit growth rates in China anymore, the growth rate of 6% or 7% is still very high. And it is interesting to see that

Middle East banks weathering crisis

Sao Paulo demo urges help for Brazil industry SAO PAULO: Tens of thousands of people marched in Sao Paulo to demand help for Brazil’s struggling industrial sector, pressing the government to fight back in the global “currenc y war ” waged by foreign competitors. The demonstration, which according to organizers drew 90,000 people from key labor and employers federations, was held outside the state’s legislative assembly a day after the federal government unveiled new measures to boost economic growth and aid key industries.

The demonstrators called for lower interest rates, lower taxes, action to bring down the value of the currency, the real, and to combat unfair foreign competition.

Similar protest demonstrations were held in the southern cities of Porto Alegre and Florianopolis last month.

“There is a global trade war and in war you have to take emergency measures,” said Luiz Aubert Neto, president of the Brazilian Association of the Machinery and Equipment Industry, specifically calling for trade barriers.

“It’s a demonstration in defense of Brazil’s competitiveness,” said Paulo Skaf, the president of the powerful Federation of Industries of Sao Paulo State (FIESP. After it was announced last month that the economy last year grew a mere 2.7 percent and industry by only 1.6 percent, President Dilma Rousseff’s government pledged new steps to boost growth.

Tuesday, Finance Minister Guido Mantega announced some fresh measures to help exporters, which complement a package of industry incentives launched by the government last August.

But Sk af said the relief measures announced by Mantega Tuesday were good but insufficient.

“It’s a bit more of the same. They don’t deal with the cause, just tackle the effects of the disease,” he added, stressing the need for action to stop the appreciation of the real against the dollar, which is hurting the competitiveness of Brazilian products.

“If the more modern industries from Japan, China, South Korea or any other country were to move to Brazil, they too would suffer from the lack of conditions to be more competitive,” Skaf noted.

Brazilian employers and workers are increasingly concerned at the poor per formance of industry and its reduced contribution to the country’s GDP. Brazil, Latin America’s dominant power and the world’s sixth largest economy, has been blaming the real’s appreciation on a “currency war” waged by advanced countries, which are flooding the market with dollars through cheap credit.

The foreign currency influx into countries such as Brazil, which offers high interest rates, lead to a stronger real and increased imports, and makes Brazil’s exports more expensive. Mantega Tuesday did not rule out new measures to curb the appreciation of the real against the dollar as well as steps to combat unfair foreign competition.

Clearly feeling the domestic pressure, Mantega on Wednesday underscored that bringing down the value of the real was a top priority for the government.

“We are not satisfied with the (current exchange) levels,” he told Globo television.

Some analysts however warned that a lower real, currently trading at around 1.8271 to the dollar, would generate more inflation and might lead to unpopular salary cuts.

Among other steps announced Tuesday were government plans to buy national products up to 25 percent more expensive than imported ones in sectors such as construction machinery and medicines.

Mantega also detailed plans to bolster the information technology and communications sectors by purchasing computers for schools and extending broadband service across the country.

The auto industry will also receive fresh help while there will be an increase in government financing for industry and exporters. — AFP

China and Germany are slowing down together. China’s performance is parallel to Europe”, said Randolph.

EM will lead the global expansion. China and India will lead growth in EM with the highest real GDP growth between 2012 and 2016. And by 2021, Asia will be the world’s top producer, grabbing 34.6% of world GDP. China alone will grab 19.6%, in comparison to a low of 6.1% for the Middle East and Africa.

Randolph said, “We have a positive outlook for China despite the present slowdown. Inflationary pressures are easing, enabling monetary policies to become selectively accommodative. Industrial production and retail sales continue to post solid gains, and the 2012 political transition brings a new generation of leaders.

“China is also facing challenges, its export-oriented growth model has reached its limits and to sustain growth, it will need to cultivate domestic demand and start adding more value through training and educating its workforce, to move up the value chain.

Its growth is not decoupled from the world economy: housing prices have fallen once during the 2008 crisis, and now again with the Eurozone concerns.”

KCIC was founded in 2005 with a capital of KD80 million by an Emiree Decree with a mandate to develop investment opportunities in Asia towards building an Asia focused asset management company. The public company employs a team of specialists in Asian markets and currently manages assets in excess of USD600 million. Key shareholders include the Kuwait I nvestment Authority, the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Kuwait, National Investment Company, one of the leading investment banks in the Middle East, and Al Ghanim Industries, one of the largest conglomerates in the M iddle East.Randolph is the Director of Sovereign Risk at IHS Global Insight and a frequent contributor to the Financial Times, Washington Post, Newsweek, Observer and Business Week.

By Islam Al_sharaa

TOKYO: Chinese Finance Minister Xie Xuren (second left bottom) and his Japanese counterpart Jun Azumi (second right bottom) shake hands after a photo session prior to their meeting at the finance ministry in Tokyo yesterday. Japan and China held a fourth round of bilateral “financial dialogue” in Tokyo. —AFP

Japan, China agree to cooperate over IMF TOKYO: Japanese and Chinese finance ministers yesterday agreed to cooperate over contributions to the International Monetary Fund amid efforts to help subdue Europe’s sovereign debt crisis. Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi and his Chinese counterpart Xie Xuren met in Tokyo as part of their regular dialogue, Jiji Press and Kyodo News reported. Azumi told reporters that the two countries would discuss further funding to strengthen the IMF’s financial bases so that the Washington-based multilateral lender can play a more active role in preventing Europe’s debt crisis from dragging down global economic

growth. Azumi said that Japan and China have yet to decide on further financial contributions to the IMF. “Although a critical moment of the European issue has gone, we can never be optimistic,” Azumi told reporters, according to Jiji. After providing loans to help debt-wracked countries such as Greece, IMF chief Christine Lagarde has asked members to give the fund $500 billion extra for possible future bailouts. The issue is expected to be top of the agenda at a meeting of finance ministers from the Group of 20 on April 20. — AFP

US backs Argentine stance on defaulted debt ruling BUENOS AIRES: The US government has backed Argentina in the latest legal battle over a 2002 default, arguing the nation should not have to pay “holdout” creditors when servicing debt held by investors who accepted a harsh restructuring, court documents show.

Argentina declared a world-record sovereign default during an economic meltdown a decade ago. It faces numerous lawsuits in US courts by creditors who spurned past government swap offers and have sued to recover the full value of the defaulted bonds.

About 92 percent of Argentina’s defaulted debt has been restructured through swaps carried out in 2005 and 2010. The country has steered clear of global credit markets since the default, partly because of the pending litigation.

On Feb. 23, US District Judge Thomas Griesa in Manhattan ordered that Argentina pay holdouts, including NML Capital Ltd and Aurelius affiliates, each time it services the debt issued in the swaps. This followed two related rulings from

December. Argentina quickly moved to appeal the decision. On Wednesday, US government lawyers filed an “amicus curiae” or friend-of-thecourt brief, asking that the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals reverse Griesa’s rulings, according to documents obtained by Reuters and reported in the Argentine media on Friday.

The judge’s orders “could enable a single creditor to thwart the implementation of an internationally supported restructuring plan, and thereby undermine the decades of effort the United States has expended to encourage a system of cooperative resolution of sovereign debt crises,” US lawyers wrote. Griesa accepted an interpretation of the “pari passu” clause included in many bonds that NML’s parent company, Elliott Associates, used to disrupt a Peruvian debt exchange in 2000. At that time, Elliott convinced a Belgian court that under that clause, all creditors should be treated equally and that Elliott should get paid along with the creditors who entered Peru’s swap. — Reuters

KUWAIT: In an interview with Kuwait Times, Dr Reinhold Leichtfuss, Senior Partner and Managing Director in BCGís Dubai office, and the head of BCGís Financial Institutions Practice in the Middle East and the European Retail Banking Practice, spoke about the GCC banking sector, looking at prospects of recovery and inherent Dr Reinhold Leichtfuss challenges in the postrecession scenario.

Kuwait Times: Has the banking sector in the Gulf recovered in the post-crisis economy?

Reinhold Leichtfuss: The revenue and profit developments suggest that most GCC banks have, by and large, left the crisis of 2008-2009 behind them. Profits were affected in 2008 and 2009, the years when loan loss provisions soared. But in 2011 new highs for revenues and profits were reached. Looking to the future, we anticipate that the relatively higher growth in the Middle Eastern economies, especially when compared to the Western markets, will allow the banks to continue to grow at decent single digit revenue growth rates.

KT: Which fields in the banking sector still face challenges? Would it be retail, corporate banking, credits or something else?

RL: Indeed, the positive development in 2011 should not prevent banks to see the challenges clearly. These challenges exist in all business areas because in a lower, single digit growth environment, banks have to become more competitive. In other words, growth at high rates and above the market average will require taking market share away from others. This in turn requires strong value propositions to convince customers to change banks, more systematic cross-selling, improved processes and information technology to provide better and faster customer service, and last but not least a strong performance management system.

KT: What is the latest in retail banking in the Middle East vis-a-vis the rest of the world?

RL: The usage of direct channels, ie online as well as mobile banking is growing consistently. However, this is not yet challenging the importance of the branch or the human relationships, which are particularly important in the Middle East. In many countries, banks are facing tighter regulations after the years of financial crisis and they have to adapt their offerings and business models accordingly.

Providing a new and better customer experience by becoming truly customer centric has become an even more important objective for retail banks.

KT: Are mergers and acquisitions the new trend in retail for the region? Would ìthe bigger, the betterî principle apply to the players in Kuwait?

RL: Mergers and acquisitions will continue to develop slowly in the region given the multiple interests of banks and owners. Some banking systems and individual banks would benefit from bigger size and scale efficiencies; that is, they could become more profitable. However, bigger is not always better - this of course depends on how effectively a merger is being managed and how well corporate cultures are fitting together.

KT: How would you assess Islamic banking picking up compared to conventional banking, both with regards to services provided in the retail field?

RL: Islamic banking did win market shares in a few GCC markets in recent years. We observe, however, that for many customers the product features as well as the overall service quality play a big role in their selection of banks.

Thus, Islamic banks also have to make sure that they are providing a better customer experience if they want to outgrow the market.

24

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

BUSINESS

Kuwait bourse witnesses broad retreat BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week in the red zone. The price index ended last week with a decrease amounted to 0.32%, while the weighted index retreated by 2.48% compared to the closings of the week before.

Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover decreased by 3.22%, compared to the preceding week, reaching KD 33.34 million, whereas trading volume average was 315.70 million shares, recording decrease of 5.92%.

The market performance marked with a limited hesitation during last week, along with selling trend, particularly for those companies who announced negative 2011 financial results, and especially in the Investment sector, which recorded

the highest losses among KSE listed companies. The market was also affected by some selling deals on some leading and operational stocks, which caused the weighted index to suffer more losses than the price index.

Moreover, the legal announcement period has ended, the number of declared companies reached 82% so far. The total number of declared companies reached 169 out of 205 listed companies, realizing approximately KD 1.34 billion, with a decline of 24.75% compared to same companies’ results for 2010.

By the end of the week, the price index closed at 6,145.5 points, down by 0.32% from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index reg-

istered a 2.48% weekly loss after closing at 409.77 points.

Sectors’ indices Six of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the red zone, while the other two recorded increases. The Non Kuwaiti Companies sector headed the losers list as its index declined by 2.39% to end the week’s activity at 5,849.3 points. The Banks sector was second on the losers’ list, which index declined by 1.74%, closing at 11,348.8 points, followed by the Insurance sector, as its index closed at 2,670.9 points at a loss of 1.09%.

The Services sector was the least declining as its index closed at 14,009.8 points with a 0.10% decrease.

On the other hand, last week’s highest gainer was the Investment sector, achieving 1.28% growth rate as its index closed at 3,994.0 points.

Whereas, in the second place, the Real estate sector’s index closed at 2,208.6 points recording 0.37% increase.

Sectors’ activity The Real estate sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 489.16 million shares changing hands, representing 30.99% of the total market trading volume. The Services sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 25.48% of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 402.26 million shares. On the other

hand, the Services sector’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 46.73 million or 28.04% of last week’s total market trading value. The Banks sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 35.90 million represented 21.54% of the total market trading value.

Market capitalization KSE total market capitalization declined by 2.56% during last week to reach KD 28.08 billion, as all of KSE’s sectors recorded a decrease in their respective market capitalization except for one sector. The Services sector headed the decliners list as its total market capitalization reached KD 6.56 billion, decreasing by 5.98%.

The Non Kuwaiti Companies sector was the second in terms of recorded decline with 3.49% decrease after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 1.70 billion. The third place was for the Food sector, which total market capitalization reached K.D. 683.76 million by the end of the week, recording a decline of 2.13%.

The Industry sector was the least declining with 0.34% recorded decrease after its market capitalization amounted to KD 2.18 billion. On the other hand, the Investment sector was last week’s only gainer as its total market capitalization increased by 0.49% to reach, by the end of the week, KD 2.16 billion. — Prepared by the Studies & Research Department Bayan Investment Co

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

BUSINESS

GCC economies to continue growth: Report GIC REGIONAL ECONOMIC REPORT KUWAIT: There is a growing consensus that the state of the global economy is improving, helped by the increased health of the US economy and the reduced uncertainties over the future of the euro-zone. In addition, Global imbalances seem to be gradually bridging with reduced trade surpluses of key Emerging markets, notably China. However, recent dynamics including the potentially inflationary impact of the massive liquidity injections by the US Fed and the ECB, along with the rise in oil prices, largely due to geopolitical forces, are seen by some as a growth-retarding force.

In the GCC region, enhanced exports of oil along with firm oil prices are important growth anchors, but the scaling up of fiscal policy in order to satisfy populist demands is a potentially adverse development that has repercussions to future economic growth and fiscal and trade balances. While future global growth seems strictly brighter than a few weeks ago, the risks still remain as evident from the statement by the IMF chief that “the global economy is not yet out of the danger zone: financial systems are still fragile; public and private debt is still too high; and unemployment is still a major problem”.

The US economy grew by 3.0% (q-o-q) in Q4 2011, compared to 1.8% during Q3. However, consumption has stagnated for the third consecutive month in Jan 2012, with Employment and Production moderating while export orders were noticeably strong. Consensus forecast expects US unemployment to hover around 8.2% in 2012 and the overall picture is one of a modest, rather than expansive growth .

The European Central Bank’s (ECB) Balance Sheet has shot up by nearly 60% in the space of nine months. The impact of the ECB’s quantitative easing on financial markets should be akin to what occurred after the Fed conducted its QE2 that ended last summer, i.e. boosting share prices and weakening the currency. Obviously, the European economy is still moribund and stuck in a debtdeflation trap. However, with systemic risk now diminished, the ECB has “liberalized” the global financial system.

Finally, although the Chinese economy continues to soften, the weakness has much to do with the impact of previous monetary tightening. With the Chinese Central Bank cutting reserve requirements and dropping interest rates on repo agreements, a decline has been seen in interest rates on money market funds.

GCC macro During the 1Q 2012, the GCC economies are expected to grow comfortably because of rising exports, continued expansive fiscal policy, economic reform, diversification and firm oil prices. Exports values have been rising partly because of firm oil prices but also due to the increase in oil production for exports. While productivity-based wage increases and cost of living wage adjustments are understandably meritorious, politically-motivated wage adjustments are economically hazardous for four economic reasons. First, they sever the relationship between efforts and rewards and cause further deterioration in labor productivity. Secondly, they encourage “national” labor exodus from the private sector to the public sector of the economy, to the detriment of the declared policy of nationalization. Thirdly, such increases lead to higher wage bills that add to the expenditure burdens of the government and take away from fiscal allocations to other, more productive spending including the spending for investment and developmental purposes. Finally, the increase puts pres-

Million youth jobs less in three years: Italy ROME: The number of young Italians with jobs fell by more than a million between 2008 and 2011 because of the economic crisis, Italy’s national statistics bureau said yesterday.

The figure for workers aged between 15 and 24 who were in jobs tumbled from 7.11 million to 6.05 million, the Istat bureau said. In the year from 2010 it fell by 233,000 personnel.

Worst hit were Italians aged between 15 and 24, Istat said, though a separate study by the Bank of Italy showed that many without work benefited from care within the typically close Italian family.

Prime Minister Mario Monti unveiled on Wednesday what he called a “historic” labor reform bill, saying it would encourage foreign investors, boost productivity and give jobs to young people.

The package, which has proved to be Monti’s most challenging reform plan so far-with unions fighting him tooth and claw over workers’ rights-aims to modernize the market and is a key to his Grow Italy project to boost growth.

The measures include tackling the problem of precarious jobs by raising payroll taxes on temporar y contracts, sharply reducing red tape for employers looking to hire someone for a permanent job, and creating apprenticeships. — AFP

sure on prices making the mission of the Central bank of maintaining price stability a bit more complex to realize.

GCC equity markets The GCC equity markets continued to rally during the month of March as the S&P GCC Index was up by +6.44%, stretching its YTD performance to +16.47%, making it among the best performing indices globally. GCC equity performance was largely driven by Saudi Arabia which was the best performing market, while Dubai was the worst performer during the month shedding some gains made the previous month. Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul index rose by +7.75% during the month of March as the heavy weight Petrochemicals and Banking sectors rallied. Real estate was the best performing sector and returned +21.53% for the month followed by the Transport sector with +19.96%. However, on a YTD basis, the Transport sector is the best performing with a gain of +52.86%.

Kuwait’s KWSE Weighted Index edged up by +2.64% for the month; YTD the Weighted index was up by +3.6% greatly underperforming the S&P GCC. Services and Banking Sectors were the only contributors to the positive performance as all the other sectors closed down for the month. In Qatar, the Banking sector continued to weigh down the market, as losses of -0.52% during March and -4.24% YTD, weighed heavy on the overall index.

Qatar’s QE index remained flat for the month with a gain of +0.50%, while it lagged the region during the year as the market rose by only +0.13% YTD. Following last month’s outstanding performance, Dubai’s DFM index shed previous gains during the period dropping by -4.71% for the month. YTD gains of +21.83% on the DFM is second only to Saudi Arabia whose Tadawul index has added +22.09% this year. Abu Dhabi’s ADSM index fell by -2.23% as most of the major sectors declined, with Telecom closing as the worst performing sector with losses of -6.22%. Gains of +25.62% in the Consumer Sector could not help lift the market.

In Oman, the MSM 30 Index lost -2.53% mainly due to Services sector that dropped by -3.07%. The Financial

sector helped support the market as it was up by +2.12%.

In Bahrain, the BSE index remained flat, both on a m-o-m and YTD basis returning +0.33% and +0.77% respectively.

Weakness in the Banking Sector overshadowed positive performance from the Services sector which was up by +7.52%. Global and regional equity markets have witnessed a strong rally during Q1 2012. Investors would be looking forward to the results season hoping for healthy earnings growth to confirm their conviction and give direction to the overall market, which at current levels seem to have priced in much of the optimism.

Oil prices remain resilient amid geopolitical tensions in the region and changing demand supply dynamics in the world. Tentative economic data emerging from the EU and US is encouraging, which bodes well for the GCC economies as they accrue higher revenues on oil production and trade.

In the regional equity space, much of the recovery was

led by Saudi Arabia and Dubai, and given the positive global macro outlook, UAE and Saudi will continue to perform. However, the earnings season could provide triggers for other markets to catch up, specifically, Qatar and Kuwait that have lagged the region.

In Saudi, the pickup in loan volumes for Banks is continuing amid improved macroeconomic cues from higher oil prices, and Balance Sheet strength is expected to continue to attract investors to the sector. Furthermore, sustained strength in oil prices will reflect positively on the petrochemical sector, which has lagged the general market YTD. Positive surprise in Q1 earnings could help invigorate investor appetite for the sector.

In Qatar, the Banking sector has had a disappointing 1Q, as focus shifted towards Saudi Arabia. However, as the potential for upside diminishes in the Kingdom, Qatar banks will look increasingly attractive at current valuations, given that the immediate and long term fundamentals are intact.

GCC Credit Markets The statement made by the US Fed Chairman that it

was too soon to declare victory in the US recovery clearly lays down the current situation. Bernanke made it clear that growth needs to pick up pace for the unemployment to fall further and declined to rule out further action to spur stronger growth. His view was amply supported by the weaker than expected 2.2% rise in durable goods order data for Feb 2012, signaling lackluster economic growth during the first quarter of 2012.

In Europe, Spain is turning out to be the next hotspot.

With a high unemployment rate of around 23%, increasing yield and various austerity measure undertaken by the government to combat high fiscal deficit, the possibility of a protracted downturn has risen sharply. The contagion effect might also impact other peripheral economies, and the EU government has reacted by planning to extend the ceiling on the rescue aid of $1.3 trillion till mid 2013. Meanwhile, the CDS market witnessed an overall tightening of spreads with the exception of Bahrain. Dubai was the best performer with Bid Spreads tightening by 47bps i.e. 12.5%. In the High-Grade space, Abu Dhabi, Saudi and Qatar tightened by around 12bps with all trading close to 115bps.

Lack of activity on the loans and syndication market has helped the GCC bond market, as companies pursue record bond sales. MENA lending fell to the lowest level in eight years as European banks continue to retreat from the region due to the lingering sovereign-debt crisis. The borrowing costs rose to an average 210bps over benchmark rates. The appetite in the primary market seems good for quality credit with all the new issuances receiving strong subscription. The spreads for the new issuances were tighter than the initial guidance due to good demand. The participation by local investors continues to remain strong, as the markets witnessed issuance from Emirates-NBD, Doha Bank and National Bank of Abu Dhabi during Mar 2012. Saudi British Bank also tapped the market with a maiden SAR 1.5bn Sukuk issue.

The month rounded off with a mega issuance by Saudi Electric Co (SEC), in two tranches; a $500mn 5Y priced at MS+140bps and a $1,250mn 10Y priced at MS+195bps. The issue attracted subscriptions totaling around $14bn. This was the first issue in hard currency from a Saudi issuer in more than two years and gave an opportunity to investors to take Saudi Sovereign risk. Post launch, the spreads tightened significantly to MS+115bps for the 5Y tranche and MS+175bps for the 10Y tranche.

The spreads were very close to Saudi 5Y CDS and was trading even inside of Qatar Sovereign bonds for 5Y and 10Y respectively. The pipeline continues to remain strong with probable issuances from CBQ and Saudi Kingdom Holding. The market direction will be dictated by geopolitical risk within the region, oil price and macro data from Europe and the US, while the imminent quarterly earnings season, will also be a key driver. The primary market will remain receptive to good quality issuances. In the short-term, the market will continue to prefer High-Grade over High-Yield, till the global uncertainty recedes.

We prefer the more defensive credits, primarily out of Qatar and Abu Dhabi, and see better value in the quasisovereigns given the attractive spread pick-up over the sovereigns. We suggest extending the duration with some value emerging in 10Y part of curve of Abu Dhabi and Qatar. 5Y/10Y curve appears to be steep. The outperformer in the GCC has been Dubai space, where we prefer good quality credit with strategic importance to the government.

US borrowings rise but use of credit cards falls WASHINGTON: Americans took out more loans to buy cars and attend school in February but used their credit cards less frequently for the second straight month. The Federal Reserve said Friday that consumers increased borrowing by $8.7 billion, the sixth straight monthly increase.

The jump in borrowing was driven by $11 billion increase in the category that mostly measures demand for auto and student loans.

Borrowing on credit cards fell by $2 billion after a $3 billion decline in January. Total consumer borrowing rose to seasonally adjusted $2.52 trillion. That’s nearly at pre-recession levels and up from a post-recession low point of $2.39 trillion reached in September 2010.

Borrowing had tumbled for more than two years during and immediately after the recession. Consumer borrowing rose by $18.6 billion in January, following similar gains in December and November. The gains for those three months were the largest in a decade.

A rise in borrowing could suggest that consumers are feeling more confident about the economy. However, few are comfortable enough to step up credit card use.

Consumers carried $799 billion in credit card debt in February - 15 percent less than they held in December 2007, the first month of the Great Recession. And student loan debt surpassed the $1 trillion mark for the first time at the end of last year.

Steven Wood, chief economist at Insight

LINCOLNTON: Dean Hoyle wipes down the top of a nightstand before packaging it for delivery at the Lincolnton Furniture Company in Lincolnton, NC. Five generations of Cochranes had been furniture makers, but by the mid-1990s the trade was moving to China, land of cheap labor. But earlier this year, Bruce Cochrane reopened with a work force of about 55, part of a small but growing trend called “reshoring.” — AP Economics, said February’s borrowing increase was strong. But he noted that it was the smallest increase since October.

“Consumers still appear to be reluctant to use their credit cards,” Wood said in a note to clients. Other analysts said Americans might

be opting to use cash instead of credit cards as a way to continue paying down their debt.

Consumer spending rose in February by the most in seven months. Most consumers spent more of what they earned. The saving rate dropped to 3.7 percent of after-tax income in

February. That was the lowest level since August 2009 and a full percentage point lower than all of last year.

And they paid more for gas. The average price per gallon nationally has risen sharply from the start of this year. On Friday, it was $3.94 per gallon. Consumers are also taking on more debt at a time when their wages have not kept pace with inflation.

The outlook for the economy looked a little less rosy on Friday after the government said hiring slowed sharply in March.

Employers added just 120,000 jobs last month - half the December-February pace.

The unemployment rate fell from 8.3 percent to 8.2 percent, the lowest since January 2009.

Many economists blamed seasonal factors for much of Friday’s disappointing jobs report from the Labor Department. Even with the March pullback, the economy has added an average of 212,000 jobs per month from January through March.

Households began borrowing less and saving more when the recession began and unemployment surged. While the expectation is that consumers are ready to resume borrowing, they are not expected to load up on debt the way they did during the housing boom of the last decade. The Federal Reserve’s borrowing report covers auto loans, student loans and credit cards. It excludes mortgages, home equity loans and other loans tied to real estate. — AP

26

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

business

Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive offers on MINI ownership 5 years warranty, 4 years free servicing and free registration on all MINI models KUWAIT: Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive continues to look for ways to provide its customers with flexible ownership solutions to suit individual financial budgets. The exclusive importer of BMW Group vehicles in Kuwait has launched its latest special promotion that is available for all MINI models.

The promotional offer includes free warranty for up to five years or 150,000 km (whichever comes first) and a four-year free servicing package, valid up to 84,000km. In addition, all registration costs will be organised and covered by Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive, giving customers a convenient and hasslefree start to their MINI ownership. The BMW Group importer has also combined this offer with a flexible monthly premium financing program, designed to suit the individual needs of customer budgets; starting from KD66 for a MINI Hatch, KD80 for a MINI Countryman, KD89 for a MINI Coupe, and, KD97 for a MINI Cabrio.

This promotion further reiterates Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive’s commitment to providing additional value to its MINI customers by helping to reduce the ownership costs by considering all the small details such as vehicle registration and service packages. It also puts customers’ minds at ease so they can enjoy ‘no worry’ ownership of their MINI vehicles from the moment they decide to purchase it, covering the major

servicing for the first four years.

Yousef Al-Qatami, General Manager of Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive said: “The MINI brand has taken the Kuwaiti market by storm as it appeals to a whole new audience who appreciate an edgy, more colorful lifestyle.” “Through this campaign we hope to spread the MINI lifestyle even further by ensuring that our cus-

tomers’ ownership experience is a very special and joyful one. We find this innovative ownership offer to be in line with the uniqueness of the MINI brand whilst demonstrating our commitment to our customers whose loyalty has played a major role in our continued success.”

This campaign covers all MINI vehicles, including

the latest additions to the MINI family, the MINI Countryman and MINI Coupe. The MINI Hatch, MINI Cabrio, MINI Clubman, MINI Countryman and MINI Coupe, will soon be joined by the new MINI Roadster the sixth MINI family member, they are all available at Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive showrooms across Kuwait.

NBK wins prestigious euro excellence award Exceptional quality in processing euro-denominated payments

Memac Ogilvy & Mather collects 30 awards, including two Grand Prix 2012 Dubai Lynx Awards KUWAIT: Memac Ogilvy & Mather picked up a total of 30 awards across their Dubai and Tunisia offices at the 2012 Dubai Lynx Awards. The night’s final earnings included two Grand Prix, 17 Gold, 4 Silver and 7 Bronze trophies.

Dubai’s ‘Sprite Cricket Stars’ campaign for Coca-Cola won two Grand Prix in the categories of Outdoor and Promo/Activation. The agencies created a cricket tournament modelled on the Cricket World Cup, turning humble construction workers into cricket stars. The series of trials, practices, group stages and playoffs ran over 6 months ending in finals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. ‘Sprite Cricket Stars’ represented a total of 153,300 laborers from the UAE with over 42,000 entrants to the tournament and 6,000 fans who attended the finals.

“The return of Dictator Ben Ali” was an engagement campaign created by Memac Ogilvy Label Tunisia to re-activate people’s political engagement with a strong and effective reminder that their vote counted. The campaign won Gold in Direct, Gold in Media, Gold in

Outdoor and Gold in Film, accompanied by one Bronze trophy in Media.

Edmond Moutran, Chairman and CEO of Memac Ogilvy & Mather Holding voiced his pride towards the teams who achieved great results: “This is an outstanding accomplishment for the entire network who will continue to shine as it grows bigger by winning the awards in almost all categories and channels. I can’t describe my joy in receiving 30 trophies in the same night.”

“2012 Dubai Lynx Awards proved to be one of the best ceremonies with top agencies competing for best campaigns.

Great creative work was presented for small and big brands. The competition this year was at its highest levels which makes us even more proud to be winners in an industry that has presented top creativity ” expressed Osama El Kaoukji, Chief Creative Officer of Memac Ogilvy & Mather Holding.

Memac Ogilvy & Mather was also a close runner up for the title of “Agency of the Year” claiming second and third spots, and “Network of the Year” coming in at second place.

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has been awarded the prestigious Euro STP Excellence Award 2011 by Deutsche Bank. The award is in recognition of NBK’s exceptional quality in processing euro-denominated payments, as well as a high rate of STP transactions overall.

A delegation from Deutsche Bank presented the award to NBK recently. At the award ceremony held at NBK’s headquarters, Deutsche Bank representatives congratulated NBK. This distinction is a success for NBK, since it demonstrates the world class standard of performance of the bank’s staff and their dedication to serving clients. The award recognizes NBK’s exceptional quality of payment messages and accuracy of SWIFT payment messages routed through Deutsche Bank during the year 2011.

NBK maintained consistency throughout the high volume of remittances during the year whilst observing international standards of payments quality. This achievement puts NBK in the top tier of institutions Deutsche Bank works with globally.

Deutsche Bank is NBK’s correspondent for euro payments emanating from commercial and customer remittance payments. The

Fadi Chehayed, NBK Group Chief Information Officer and Andre Loots, General Manager, Operations Group receive the award.

Straight Through Processing (STP) award is region by international rating agencies: given to a select few international banks each Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings. year to highlight their achievements in pro- It has the largest overseas network including more than 176 branches, representative cessing outgoing payments.

NBK enjoys the highest credit ratings in the offices and subsidiaries worldwide.

Fasttelco download rates rank first among ISPs in Kuwait KUWAIT: Fasttelco, the leading Telecom Service Provider in Kuwait specialized in providing turnkey Internet, local and international data communication solutions, announced that it has achieved the top rank among all other Internet Service Providers in Kuwait in terms of download rates, due to Netindex.com and Speedtest.net findings and ratings.

As reported by updates received from Netindex.com and Speedtest.net. Fasttelco led the list for the month of March among local internet ser vice providers in the Download Index and ratings. The Download Index, in which Fasttelco ranked first, compares and ranks consumer download speeds around the globe, in general, and Kuwait on a specific note.

With more than 10 years of operating history, Fasttelco reassures its market superiority through this achievement, adding that with such accomplishments, the company succeeds in reaching one of its main objectives, that is ensuring customer satisfaction and building a strong customer base.

Starting in 2001, the hard-working team at Fasttelco has been committed to providing the highest quality solutions that meet the customers’ unique demands and requirements in one hand, and positioning the company ahead of the national and regional competition.

Fasttelco is witnessing its highest growth level, which grants the company the confidence, and ability to continue serving its valued costumers and consider further expansion beyond local borders.

Zain launches Sony Xperia S ain announced new offers on the Sony Xperia S, the latest cell phone installment offer from Sony. The offers comes as part of its commitment to provide customers with the latest technologies in telecommunications and smart phones market.

Sony Xperia S sports a high resolution touchscreen and runs the Android Gingerbread V2.3 OS with compatibility to upgrade to Android Icecream Sandwich 4.0. It is operated by a Dual Core 1.5 Ghz processor and contains 32GB of internal memory. Moreover, the

Z

latest Sony phone has a 12MP camera capable of taking HD photos and video footage. “The Sony Xperia S is available for special prices via the Wiyana Mix subscription and other special monthly subscriptions”, a statement released by Zain said yesterday.

“Zain’s commitment to building a relationship of mutual trust with costumers drives us to provide cutting edge technologies in telecommunication and internet services as well as the latest products in the smart phones market”, the statement adds.

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

TECHNOLOGY

Australians click with the online marketplace SYDNEY: What has happened to the noticeboards in supermarkets that offered unwanted kittens to good homes, lifts to work in the city centre for those willing to help pay for petrol and sewing machines that needed a bit of work?

They have mostly migrated to internet auction sites like eBay. But more and more of the informal buy/sell business is also finding its way online through niche websites that both make money for internet entrepreneurs and meet an altruistic urge that in marketing jargon is called collaborative consumption.

“It’s the idea that, as consumers, we waste a lot of the things we consume,” said Will Emmett, 23, the business development manager of a Melbourne start-up courier site called MeeMeep.

“You have a three-bedroom apartment but only use two rooms, or you might have a book that sits on your bookshelf that you might have read once and continues to sit there for 10 or 20 years when the useful life of that book is still going,” Emmett said, urging Australians to list those wasted assets.

MeeMeep matches people going places with courier jobs they could do at the same time. The MeeMeep website engine does the matching,

News

in brief

Malicious software BERLIN: People surfing only well-known websites still need sufficient virus protection. The reason is that viruses, Trojans and other harmful bugs are not just lurking in the darkest corners of the internet.

“That can also happen on serious websites, for example through the ad banners,” warned Tim Griese of the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). The real problem is that even just visiting a page could be enough to be hit by malicious software. “You don’t even need to click on anything,” said Griese.The BSI spokesman said a well-protected computer should definitely include a firewall and an up-to-date virus scanner. And all software on the computer should be kept at the most-current status as well. “Most people think about the operating systems because the updates are automatically installed,” said Griese. But, just as important is keeping browsers and popular plug-ins such as Flash Player or Adobe Reader current as well. Due to their widespread use, such programs can be used as a gateway for viruses.

Browser button Whether it’s a news site, a forum or a Facebook profile, many websites are so long that scrolling back to the top is a real pain. Help is on the way with the extension Scroll To Top, which creates a jump button in Chrome and Firefox, allowing users to jump back to the top of a page with just one simple click.

Do not react to email At work, it is not effective to react to every new email immediately. “You should always complete the task you’re working on now before you check your emails,” according to Caroline Luedemann, a careers coach in Germany. “Otherwise you have to work your way back into the task and that takes so much time.”

Workers are recommended to go through their inbox either after finishing a task or on a regular rhythm such as every three or four hours. “You should try to stay away from emails as much as possible in the mornings because that’s the time when we are most productive,” says Luedemann. The mailbox should also be broken down into separate, clearly marked folders, for example for different clients.

“Emails from colleagues, bosses and contractors should not be mixed up with each another,” said Luedemann. Time can also be saved by using electronic signatures that automatically appear at the end of an email. - dpa

Yahoo CEO reassures workers after layoffs SAN FRANCISCO: Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson plans to tell the struggling Internet company’s employees more about his turnaround strategy next week.

Thompson also sought to boost sagging employee morale in a staff memo Thursday. It came a day after Yahoo Inc. began laying off 2,000 workers in the biggest purge in the company’s 17-year history.

The 14 percent cut in Yahoo’s workforce marks Thompson’s most dramatic move since he was hired three months ago. Yahoo Inc., which is based in Sunnyvale, Calif., lured him away from eBay’s PayPal payment service.

“I have seen big turnarounds before, and this company has the foundation, the spirit, the backbone and the creativity to get it done,” Thompson wrote.

Although he didn’t provide specifics, Thompson hinted that he plans to streamline Yahoo’s management team to enable the company to keep pace with Internet search leader Google Inc. and social networking leader Facebook Inc. in the race to sell online advertising.

“There’s a lot to do, and that’s why I can’t stress enough that we all need to focus on getting stuff done,” Thompson wrote. “Getting stuff done is short hand for eliminating bureaucracy and barriers so we can all innovate as fast as our customers and the industry require.”

After meeting next week with employees, Thompson has promised to share more details about his plans with Wall Street on April 17, when the company is scheduled to release its first-quarter earnings report.

As has been the case through most of the past four years, the results are expected to show a decline in Yahoo’s revenue even as advertising continues shifting to the Internet. One of Yahoo’s largest shareholders, activist investor Daniel Loeb, criticized Thompson for handing out layoff notices before spelling out his vision for the company.

In Thursday’s memo, Thompson said he wanted to be “fair and respectful” to the laid-off employees before discussing the future. — AP

and Emmett and his chums take a cut of the price agreed between the provider and the person served.

“We had someone in a surfing competition in Lorne who left their wetsuit in Melbourne. They needed their wetsuit in about four hours, and it got there,” Emmett said when identifying a typical example of the website’s 400 jobs undertaken so far. “If you think that someone’s going that way anyway, it’s a waste not to act on it,” he said.

As with other sites, there is a green sheen to MeeMeep. Getting someone already in transit to take something along keeps further vehicles off the road, saves petrol, helps the environment and, importantly, gives a nice feeling of righteousness to both parties.

When Rebecca Mckechnie had her bicycle stolen while in training for a triathlon, she turned to a site called Openshed to appeal for the loan of a machine so she could compete in the Perth race. That is not something you could do on eBay. Chris from Sydney’s Bondi Beach, who also uses the Openshed website, is offering to hire out his 2.2-metre surfboard for 15 Australian dollars (16 US dollars) a day. For another 15

Australian dollars, you can borrow his bass guitar for the day too.

What the more successful collaborative consumption websites have in common is secure payment systems and the Wi-Fi wizardr y of smartphone and tablet applications. Take the example of Divvy, a Sydney business matching motorists with homeowners who have parking spaces to rent. It is run by former banker Nick Austin and has around 1,000 customers and four staff.

“People like convenience,” Austin said. “They like to do things on the go, so you need a product that fits into that dynamic.” He reckoned that Divvy can help house owners shave 7 per cent off their annual mortgage payments and help Sydney drivers cut their parking costs by half.

The big daddy of collaborative consumption websites is US-based Airbnb.com, a four-yearold company that last year was used to book 5 million nights of non-hotel accommodation in 192 countries around the world.

Sites have in common a smartphone application and a close link age with social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter. Austin said Facebook set the stage for a commercial com-

munity marketplace like Divvy because it accustomed people to sharing information and abiding by the rules of membership.

“I think Facebook has been a pioneer on that front to get people to connect online, and I think now it’s encouraging people to connect offline,” he said. “Not only does the technology make the service more efficient, but it helps people to move into this type of area because they feel they can trust the others on the platform.”

The trend is for collaborative consumption sites to get ever more specific. For example, Sydney hosts the world’s first surfboard-swapping site. FindAUniform, run by Sydney woman Bern Alexander, ticks all the boxes by providing an auction site for uniforms that would otherwise spend eternity in drawers.

It saves people money, delivers a service to schools and clubs, and gives new life to outgrown tracksuits, toggles, ballet shoes, cycling shor ts and shir ts with badges. Cleverly, Alexander has the money nexus with the club or school, which pays an annual fee and then gives members or parents a code to use the auction service for free. — dpa

Key helpers for internet surfing Browser add-ons BERLIN: While many people think that they don’t know what an internet add-on is, almost everyone has used a browser to block ads, download videos or seamlessly change webpages. So, they’ve all used one of these practical functions to expand the power of a browser.

Firefox was the first expandable browser and continues to have a prime selection of addons, though it faces competition from Google’s Chrome. Opera, Safari and Internet Explorer allow extra programs, even if their selection isn’t as wide.

“The focus on add-ons is good for everyone, not just professional users,” says Tobias Arns of Bitkom, a German technology industry association. Downloading an add-on is essentially free. Managing them is usually done with a menu built into the browser.

gives Firefox users greater ability to control action on their screen. For example, holding down the right mouse button while pushing upwards automatically opens a new tab. A swipe to the left opens the last viewed page in a browser. Gestures for Chrome provides a similar service.

Save pages for later: The Read Later Fast

add-on for Chrome adds the menu option Read Later. One click on that sends a site to an archive, from where it can be called up at any time. A similar function for Firefox is called Read it Later.

Surf safely: Web of Trust, for both Chrome and Firefox, relies on rankings by other web users to determine how trustwor-

Some useful add-ons for Chrome and Firefox: Ad blockers: Firefox and Chrome users have turned to Adblock Plus, which automatically filters out the most distracting ads, including ones with Flash animation. For more static ads, the function allows users to remove them with a right-click. There’s also a switch that allows the function to be turned off, for example if a page won’t work properly without ads.

Download videos: DownloadHelper allows users not just to view videos, but to save them and convert them into the right format. But it doesn’t work everywhere: It’s blocked by some TV channel websites. And there’s no version for Chrome. An alternative is YouTube Downloader, though that only works on the YouTube website.

Mouse movements: All-in-One Gestures

Virtual crumple zones and airbags: The key to computer security BERLIN: To go online is to live dangerously.

Aside from the risk of viruses, there are also worms and Trojan horses - all trying to find an unsecured computer upon which to work their mischief. Given those risks, it makes sense to install some kind of virus scanner. Freeware programmes provide basic protection. If you want more security, you’ll have to pay a little money for an allaround, worry-free package.

Your needs will depend on your individual circumstances, says Andreas Marx of the AV Test Institute in Germany. “After all, you pick your car based on whether you drive a lot or a little.” In other words, if you’re only online a little bit, basic protection might be more than enough.

What’s key is that you install some kind of virus protection, says Norbert Pohlmann, who heads the Institute for Internet Security at the Gelsenkirchen University of Applied Sciences in Germany. “Before you do anything, bear in mind that a free version is better than nothing.”

Of course, commercial versions offer more security, says Marx. He compares free safety programmes to a car’s safety belt. “It

can save my life in an accident.” But modern car safety requires an airbag and crumple zones too. If you want the equivalent in computer safety, you’re going to have to pay a little money.

Of course, freeware isn’t necessarily inferior to commercial ware. German consumer goods tester Stiftung Warentest proved that with a test in 2011, in which the best free programme, Avira Free Antivirus, got the same grade as the best commercial programme, Bitdefender Internet Security 2011. Furthermore, while all the freeware programmes got at least a “satisfactory” grade, several of the commercial versions were only graded “adequate.”

One even got a mark of “poor.”

“You can buy something like that, but it’s not absolutely necessary,” says Matthias Gaertner, spokesman for the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), referring to commercial computer protection. Officially, the agency recommends three freeware programmes for computer security: Avira Free Antivirus, Microsoft Security Essentials and Avast

Free Antivirus A recent test by the AV Test Institute showed the free AVG Free Anti Virus programme ranked only slightly behind the fee-based AVG Internet Security.

A lot of the extra functions that people expect from commercial software can usually be found in no-cost extensions to the freeware. Tools to protect against phishing and malware have already been integrated into Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. A child protection filter is offered for free from OpenDNS FamilyShield.

All anti-virus programmes recognize attacks by comparing the suspected intruders with known troublemakers. Good databases will have all the problem candidates listed and will be upgraded regularly.

“It’s harder with unknown programmes,” says Marx. Unlike most free programmes, the commercial counterparts can recognize problems based on the way they behave. This function kicks in when a programme begins behaving strangely.

Thus, Marx and the BSI recommend expanding any free antivirus software with the behaviour recognition software ThreatFire, which is also free. The BSI also notes that the free Avast virus programme includes such functions.

Be careful when trying to pick out your anti-virus software, because there is now malware that pretends to be antivirus software. “It’s best to depend upon a wellknown name,” says Marx. Only download the programme from reputable sources, like the manufacturer’s website or the download database of a computer magazine. Regardless of whether you build up your anti-virus security out of individual components or buy a ready-to-go pack, bear in mind that there is no such thing as 100-per-cent protection.

It’s still important to regularly update the Windows operating system and the anti-virus programmes to keep out malware. But also avoid opening links or attachments in emails from unknown sources, says Pohlmann. “Even if you have the best suite installed, you still can’t turn your brain off.”—dpa

thy other sites are, providing a scale next to sites when they are called up in search engines. If a user visits a site with a bad reputation, a warning comes up before the page is opened. NoScript, for Firefox, is another useful add-on that protects users from malware by disabling JavaScript. Users can build in exceptions. A similar item for Chrome is called ScriptNo. Easier downloads: Download Master for Chrome makes it possible to download all of a website’s content in one go. DownThemAll for Firefox offers the same service and expands the browser with its own download manager, which allows downloads to be interrupted and resumed. Other features allow the ability to change the target destination after the download has begun.

Organize tabs: Chrome allows a lot of mini-expansions to give users an overview of all their open tabs. Tab Expose shows all open pages in miniature format at once. Tab Switch Plus creates a list that can be stowed away. Firefox versions go by Showcase or Tab Scope. The last can allow the display of a preview page. Tab Mix Plus for Firefox provides even more control, allowing tabs to be duplicated and created more easily. The Reload All Tabs options updates all tabs simultaneously. But don’t overload your computer with add-ons, warns Arns: “You increase the amount of memory being used, especially with a lot of tabs open at once.”

A lot of add-ons means a lot of new buttons in the toolbar, making it easier to lose track of everything. And some of the addons install toolbars, which don’t just slow down the computer, but also collect data about the user, sometimes focusing on web searches. — dpa

Opel invents dazzle free headlamp BERLIN: Engineers at German carmaker Opel have invented a new car headlamp with a high beam which does not blind oncoming motorists at night.

The so-called matrix headlight uses light emitting diodes (LEDs). The headlamp is made up of four segments each containing four LEDs which can be dimmed individually. A vehicle-mounted camera recognises vehicles which are ahead or passing and adjusts the light output accordingly.

In most countries motorists are required by law to “dip” their lights or switch to low beam in traffic in order to avoid dazzling drivers coming toward them.

Ingolf Schneider, who heads the project at the General Motors subsidiary, said the new technology makes driving at night and in adverse weather conditions much safer. According to the expert, around two-thirds of road accidents occur at night or when visibility is poor.

Main beam lights which have to be dipped manually are used on average for only five per cent of driving. Some cars are fitted with state-of-the-art headlamp assistants which activate high beam lights for around 20 per cent of a given journey. Outside builtup areas the new matrix lights shine ahead with full intensity the whole time. Opel says the new matrix headlamps could be fitted to cars as an option within two to three years. — dpa

Matrix headlight

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Alabama protects wild turtles from voracious Asian markets SELMA: A nationwide effort to ban harvesting of freshwater American turtles to satisfy hungry Asian markets is gaining momentum, with Alabama this weekend prohibiting collection of wild turtles and their eggs.

Asia has depleted its own turtle species and has been turning to the United States for its supply, said Jeff M iller, Conser vation Advocate, Center for Biological Diversity. The demand for turtle meat for food and medicine is voraciously consuming more than 2 million wild- caught freshwater turtles a year, Miller said.

Turtle hunters have been moving

from state to state as regulations are passed to cur tail tur tle hunting.

Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Texas, South Carolina and Oklahoma have stepped up regulations to protect turtle species, while Kentucky has started monitoring its populations, he said. With surrounding states closing the door, Alabama has seen a surge in turtle harvesting, said Mark Sasser, Non- game Wildlife Coordinator, Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.

In response, Alabama has passed one of the toughest commercial harvesting bans on wild turtles and their eggs on both public and private

Diabetes kills more people than AIDS

By Dr Kashif Rizvi KUWAIT: Every 17 seconds a person in the world is diagnosed with diabetes, it kills more people than HIV/AIDS and breast cancer combined, and an estimated 183 million people are unaware that they have diabetes.

Diabetes is rife in Kuwait. The true incidence is not accurately known but what is certain is the fact that it is one of the highest in the world. It transcends race, gender, age and social status. Most of the sufferers are unaware of its presence or unable to deal with it due to scarcity of symptoms, their commitments at work linguistic and cultural inhibitions and an apparent aversion of the health care system.

Diabetes is a serious life time condition which creates enormous burden on the patients and the health

care system and is a leading cause of loss of days from work disability, and death. One of the most alarming elements is the increasing incidence amongst adolescents and young children This collaborative effort with Kuwait Times is designed to create a ‘community of awareness’ for all residents irrespective of being citizens or expatriates. One of the key duties of an enlightened media is to play its far reaching role in engaging the community it serves and with this column is designed to achieve this, of course with the feedback and active participation of our community. We shall endeavor to highlight all medical issues related to chronic diseases like polycystic ovaries, osteoporosis, vitamin D deficiency and diabetes, especially in pregnancy, adolescents and different populations within Kuwait.

NEW YORK: In this March 23, 2012 photo, Dr. Francesco Rubino, a surgeon at Weill Cornell Medical Center, joins his patient Tamikka McCray, 39, for an interview in New York. McCray no longer needed to take diabetes medication and insulin after her weigh-loss surgery. Research by Dr. Francesco Rubino, McCray’s surgeon at Weill Cornell, and other doctors gives clear proof that weight-loss surgery can reverse and possibly cure diabetes. — AP

Diabetes cases spike in China SHANGHAI: The more common type of diabetes, type 2 diabetes, is rising sharply in China, growing by 30 percent in just seven years, according to a survey of thousands of Shanghai residents.

The study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, shows that the curse of affluence appears to be affecting China as it has many other developing countries - and it has come on quite rapidly, researchers said.

“Unlike the gradual transition in most Western countries, these changes in China have occurred over a very short time,” wrote lead researcher Rui Li, at the Shanghai Municipal center for Disease Control and Prevention.

People with type 2 diabetes have trouble processing sugar in their blood, but do not generally require insulin to manage the condition. As countries become more wealthy, lifestyle factors associated with type 2 diabetes - such as weight gain, less healthy diets and less physical activity - tend to become more common.

The research team interviewed more than 12,000 people in 2002 and 2003, asking whether they’d been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. They also screened people for diabetes who had not been diagnosed before.

At that time, they found that 9.7 percent of people had diabetes. In 2009, they surveyed about 7,400 people again and found that 12.6 percent had the disease. The spike was even more dramatic among the rural residents in the study, going from 6.1 percent to 9.8 percent, a

60 percent increase.

“That’s a remarkable increase in seven years,” said Jeffrey Koplan, the vice president for global health at Emor y University, who did not take part in the study. The overall prevalence of diabetes was higher among men and in urban residents in both sur veys, but the increase was more noted among rural residents and appeared more rapid in “younger birth cohorts,” the authors wrote.

The study did not pinpoint the causes of the rise in diabetes, and Koplan said he could only speculate on what’s to blame, though it has been well documented that people are getting wealthier and heavier in China. In addition, diets are including more unsaturated fat.

He added that people are also becoming more dependent on cars and less inclined to walk or ride a bike. “All these factors would help contributed to having an increased prevalence in type 2 diabetes,” Koplan said.

The authors wrote in their study that an aging population in China likely explains some of their findings. Older people are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, and the researchers noted that 20 percent of Shanghai residents are over 60, with that proportion increasing.

Koplan said that many countries have programs to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent type 2 diabetes, but as of yet there’s “not a proven, documented intervention that can reverse this epidemic of obesity and epidemic of type 2 diabetes.” —Reuters

lands, which goes into effec t on Sunday, Sasser said. All turtle harvesting permits were canceled in the state. “Turtles are important to our ecosystem and we want to protect them,” Sasser said.

Slow to reproduce, wild turtles cannot sustain commercial harvesting, according to Thane Wibbels, a biology professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The average female lays 20 eggs a season, and that number will generally only produce one or two adults, according to Wibbels. There are many predators and a hatchling takes as long as five years to reach sexual maturity.

“It is very easy to deplete a turtle population,” said Wibbels, who studies the diamondback terrapin, once a popular dish in the eastern U.S., even appearing on President R ichard Nixon’s dinner table at the White House.

Sasser said Alabama has one of the most diverse turtle populations, with 25 species, two of which are federally protected and seven of which are state-protected. The ban does not extend to turtle farmers, who either raise hatchlings for the pet market or for food.

Private landowners can control their turtle populations but they can-

not sell them. “No one can claim to be selling turtles off of granddaddy’s farm,” said Sasser.

Turtles fetch hefty prices on the commercial market, either as food or exotic pets. Food turtles can bring $65 apiece and exotic black knob sawback tur tles could sell for as much as $150 for pet collectors.

“It can’t wag its tail at you, but people want turtles for pets,” said Sasser. Poachers caught selling turtles in Alabama face a maximum $500 fine and a year in jail.

With thousands in profits at stake, Sasser believes many will take the risk. — Reuters

Moderate exercise linked to quicker conception: Study ‘Fat is metabolically active - it makes estrogens’ BOSTON: Moderate exercise is tied to greater success among women trying to get pregnant, but those who work out vigorously take longer to conceive, an international study has found. “ This study is the first to find that the effect of physical activity on fertility varied by body mass index,” said lead author Lauren Wise, a reproductive epidemiologist at Boston University. Body mass index (BMI) is a ratio of height to weight.

Researchers in the United States and Denmark followed more than 3,500 Danish women aged 18 to 40 who were trying to conceive over the course of a year for the study, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

All reported being in a stable relationship with a male partner and were not receiving any fertility treatments. Participants estimated the number of hours per week they had spent exercising in the past year, as well as the intensity of their workouts.

Over the course of the study, nearly 70 percent of all women became pregnant.

The researchers found that moderate exercise, such as walking, cycling or gardening, was associated with getting pregnant more quick ly for all women, regardless of weight.

Women who spent more than five hours per week doing moderate exercise were 18 percent more likely to become pregnant during any given menstrual c ycle than women who performed moderate exercise for less than an hour each week.

However, normal-weight and very lean women who reported high levels of vigorous exercise, such as running or aerobics, took longer to get pregnant.

Those who exercised vigorously for more than five hours each

week had a 32 percent lower chance of becoming pregnant during a given c ycle than women who did not exercise vigorously at all.

There was no association between vigorous exercise and the time it took overweight or obese women - those with a BMI of 25 or greater - to become pregnant. While the study was large and well designed, there were some weak nesses, said Bonnie Dattel, an obstetrician at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia, in an email.

Because the amount and intensity of exercise was self-reported, par ticipants could have underestimated or overestimated their activity levels, she said.

The results also don’t mean

exercise was responsible.

Women who took longer to conceive could also have modified their exercise patterns, the researchers noted, making the relationship the opposite of what it appeared. In general, overweight and obese women have higher rates of fer tility issues and a variety of pregnancy complications, said Richard Grazi, a reproductive specialist at Genesis Fertility in Brooklyn, New York, who was not part of the study.

“Fat is metabolically active - it makes estrogens,” he said. That extra estrogen can suppress other hormones responsible for ovulation, which can lead to irregular menstrual cycles or even a lack of menstruation.

On the other hand, it’s not clear why lean women who exercise vigorously may take longer to become pregnant.

Having too little body fat may be a factor for some women, and it’s known that competitive female athletes and very underweight women sometimes experience menstrual irregularities.

Exercise may also affect the fertilized egg’s ability to implant in the uterus. One previous study of women undergoing in vitro fertilization found a higher risk of implantation failure among women who did a lot of running or cycling. “I recommend exercise to all my patients, and a moderate level is always best for conception and pregnancy,” said Wise. — Reuters

BEIJING: Chinese walk in front of an iPhone poster at a phone shop in Beijing yesterday.

Authorities indicted five people in central China for involvement in illegal organ trading after a teenager sold one of his kidneys to buy an iPhone and an iPad. — AP

Antibody clues to AIDS vaccine success WASHINGTON: The success of an AIDS vaccine trial that in 2009 was shown to protect 31 percent of people studied may have been due to varying levels of antibody responses in the patients, researchers said.

Different types of antibody responses were associated with who became infected and who did not, according to an analysis of the results published in the April 5 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

For instance, a type of antibody produced by the body to ward off infection, known as IgG, could attach itself to the surface of the HIV protein and appeared to help prevent infection in some people.

People received the vaccine and whose IgG antibodies were able to bind to this region, called V1V2, showed lower infection rates than the placebo group.

On the other hand, patients whose blood tests showed the highest levels of a different antibody, IgA, appeared to have less protection against HIV than people with lower levels, leading scientists to think it may have actually interfered with the vaccine and made it less effective.

“This analysis has produced some intriguing hints about what types of human immune responses a preventive HIV vaccine may need to induce,” said National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Anthony Fauci. “With further exploration, this new knowledge may bring us a step closer to developing a broadly protective HIV vaccine,” said Fauci, whose NIAID co-funded the research along with the US Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The latest analysis could help inform future vaccine trials by creating more effective vaccines and possibly figuring out how to make variations that work best in different patients. “Different HIV vaccines may protect against HIV in different ways,” said co-author Nelson Michael, Military HIV Research Program director at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.

“More research is needed to fully understand these results, and to determine if they can be generalized to other types of HIV vaccines or similar vaccines tested against other regional types of HIV or via different routes of exposure.” The trial data, based on results from 16,395 HIV-negative volunteers in Thailand and first published in 2009, was viewed as a pioneering achievement even though it provided only a partial shield against HIV. A vaccine would have to offer 50 percent protection in order to be offered to the public. AIDS has claimed more than 25 million lives since 1981 and left more than 30 million people infected. —AFP

NEW JERSEY: A full moon rises behind the Empire State Building in New York in this view from Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange, N.J., on Friday. — AP

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

H E A LT H

Young Americans less likely to drive LA PAZ: Doctors attend to a patient in the General Hospital emergency area, in La Paz, Bolivia. Public health system doctors began an indefinite national strike to protest a decree by President Evo Morales extending professional working hours from 6 to 8 hours per day, said the president of the Medical College of Bolivia. — AP

Hand-held ‘flashlight’ zaps dangerous germs PARIS: A hand-held torch-like device can swiftly kill dangerous bacteria, offering a potential boon for emergency workers battling infection risks in wars or disaster zones, scientists reported.

The “plasma flashlight” delivers a charged, or ionised, jet of gas to zap germs, a team of researchers in China, Australia and Hong Kong said in a specialised journal. Hot plasma sterilisers are already used to disinfect surgical instruments, but they are expensive, refrigerator-sized devices that operate at high temperatures.

Sterilisers that operate at cooler temperatures require external power such as a wall electrical supply or a generator, as well as a gas feed, in order to keep working. But the new device is driven by a 12-volt battery and does not need a gas feed, according to the study, which appears in a British publication, the Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics.

Its inventors said they tested it on a thick mat of Enterococcus faecalis, a germ that is resistant to heat treatment and antibiotics, sometimes causing infections in dental surgery. “In this study, we chose an extreme

example to demonstrate that the plasma flashlight can be very effective even at room temperature,” said Ken Ostrikov, from the Plasma Nanoscience Centre in Australia.

“For individual bacteria, the inactivation time could be just tens of seconds.” The goal is a simple gadget that can kill surface bacteria in settings where clean water and medications are scarce. With technical modifications and economies of scale, the device could be made for less than $100, Ostrikov said.

The plasma in the experiments was measured at between 20 and 23 degrees Celsius (68-73 degrees Fahrenheit), which means it is close to room temperature and does not burn the skin. Why the jet has an anti-bacterial effect is unclear, Britain’s Institute of Physics, which publishes the journal, said in a press release. It could be that there is a reaction between the plasma and the surrounding area which creates types of oxygen molecules to which E. faecalis germs are especially vulnerable. The invention is one of several prototypes aimed at placing easy-to-use cold-plasma sterilisers in the hands of medical workers and even consumers.— AFP

WASHINGTON: Driving is becoming so last century.

Since the end of World War II, getting a driver’s license has been a rite of passage for teens, but that’s less and less the case. The share of people in their teens, 20s and 30s with driver’s licenses has dropped significantly over the past three decades, not only the United States, but also in some other wealthy nations with a high proportion of Internet users, transportation researchers have found.

One possible explanation: Virtual contact through the Internet and other electronic means is reducing the need for face-to-face visits among young people, researchers say. From 1983 to 2008, the share of 16to 39-year-olds with driver’s licenses declined markedly, with the greatest decreases among drivers in their late teens and early 20s, according to a study at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor. About 69 percent of 17-year-olds had a driver’s license in 1983. By 2008, that had dropped to 50 percent. Among Americans ages 20 to 24 in 1983, nearly 92 percent had driver’s licenses. Twenty-five years later, it was 82 percent.

The older the age group, the less dramatic the declines, the Michigan study found. But even among 35- to 39-year-olds, there was a 3.2 percent decline in the share of licensed drivers. More recent data from the Federal Highway Administration indicates the trend has continued, according to a report released Thursday by the Frontier Group, an environmental organization, and the consumer-oriented U.S. PIRG Education Fund. The share of 20- to 34-year-olds without a driver’s license decreased from 89.6 percent in 2000 to 84.3 percent in 2010, the report said.

Michael Sivak, co-author of the Michigan studies, also confirmed the continuing decline. There are likely several factors behind the trend: a difficult economy for young workers, the high cost of buying and maintaining a car and a migration of young adults toward large cities, where there are more alternatives to driving, Sivak said. There also is evidence that social networking may be reducing the need to for face-to-face contacts, he said.

In countries where “more people use the Internet, there is a lower proportion of drivers,” Sivak said. A recent study in 14 countries found seven of them had experienced a similar decrease in the share of young people with driver’s licenses: Sweden,

Norway, Great Britain, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Germany.

Compared to the other countries that didn’t experience a decline, the study found four characteristics common to the countries where young people are driving less: They are wealthier, a high share of the population is older, a high share of the population lives in very large cities and a high share of the population uses the Internet.

There isn’t enough information to say for certain that teens and younger adults are replacing trips with social networking and other Internet usage, but “there is strong data supporting this hypothesis,” Sivak said. The institute’s research is paid for with federal, state and auto industry contributions.

Carmakers have been aware of the trend for about five years, said Gloria Bergquist, vice president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. It’s one

reason the industry is looking toward markets in Asia for growth, rather than in the U.S. and Europe, she said. “For generations, the automobile has typified freedom,” Bergquist said. “At 16, many people wanted to get their driver’s license because that was the way people connected with their friends.” Now, she said, “We’re seeing people connect through their iPhones.

That’s their primary motivation - they want to be in touch with their friends, so they are less focused on buying a vehicle.”

Not surprisingly, the number of miles young Americans drive every year has also been declining as measured by the Transportation Department’s National Household Travel Survey. From 2001 to 2009, the annual number of vehicle miles traveled by drivers 16 to 34 years old decreased from 10,300 miles to 7,900 miles per capita - a drop of 23 percent, Thursday’s report said. — AP

Radioactive fluid leaks at French nuclear reactor RENNES: Radioactive cooling fluid leaked at a French nuclear reactor following two small fires, but the spillage was safely collected in special tanks, officials said.

A reactor at the power plant in Penly on the English Channel near the port of Dieppe shut down automatically after two small fires broke out Thursday, the plant’s operator EDF said.

Firefighters easily extinguished the blazes but a cooling pump was damaged, in turn causing a joint to leak radioactive water into collection tanks located inside the reactor building, EDF said. The reactor continued to be cooled properly and teams were working to lower the water pressure, the company said. EDF said the installation was secure, no one was injured, and there were “no consequences for the environment”.

It was not clear what caused the fires but the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) said firefighters had found small pools of burning oil but quickly extinguished the flames. “These were pools of a few dozen square centimetres,” said

agency spokeswoman Evangelia Petit, adding the authority would make an inspection of the site Friday.

The ASN said in a statement that it had provisionally put the event at level 1 on the international INES scale, which classifies nuclear accidents at between 1 (“irregularity”) and 7 (“major incident”).

The agency said it was lifting the crisis situation that had been put in place on Thursday evening. France generates 75 percent of its electricity from nuclear power and the future of the industry has become an issue in campaigns for the presidential election to be held in April and May. France, the world’s most nuclear-dependent country, operates 58 reactors and has been a leading international proponent of atomic energy. But the country’s reliance on nuclear power has been called into question since the Fukushima disaster in Japan, which prompted Germany to announce plans to shut all of its reactors by the end of 2022. — AFP

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W H AT ’ S O N

The Sultan Center announces winners of Mother’s Day draw

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he Sultan Center mother’s day celebration this year was inlaid with pearls and diamonds along with many other valuable gifts. A draw was held on pearls and diamonds sets presented by Zoughaib jewelry, one of the finest jewelry brands in the market.

The draw was held on March 28th 2012 at TSC Sultan Center head office in the presence of representatives from Ministry of Commerce. The winners were then announced and received their valuable pearls and diamonds sets amid joy and cheer. Monther Abdulrahman Bin Ali won the first prize which was a diamond set and Ms Ameena Mohamad Abdullah won the second prize which was a pearl set, while the third winner was Ms Lina Said Sbaita and won a diamond watch.

TSC Rewards program manager mentioned that this celebration is the truest expression of gratitude and love that The Sultan Center wishes to share with all its esteemed customers in this special occasion.

This promotion was exclusive to the TSC Rewards card holders. TSC customers who are not already members of the Rewards Program can sign up for free and receive their card immediately at any TSC Sultan Center.

For more information, please visit www.sultan-center.com

Announcements 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/followup 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 mentioned 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.

Al-Sultan elected KBC board chairman

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hmad Al-Sultan was elected as chairman of the board of directors of the Kuwait Banks Club by default, and that during a recent meeting

for the board of directors held at the KBC building in Jabriya. The event also saw electing Mahmoud Bastaki as vice chairman of the board by default, while Ali Al-

Thuwaini was elected as secretary general, Mohammad Al-Sayegh was elected as treasurer by default and Mohammad AlMeel was elected as assistant treasurer by

default as well. Khalil Al-Bloushi and Reem Al-Wuqaiyan were elected as heads of the sports and social committees respectively by default.

Varshini wins KES Fashion Show

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uwait English School (KES) held its annual fashion show on 8 March 2012 in aid of the Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and Their Habitat (K’S PATH) and in celebration of Earth week. The event showcased a number of young designers’ dresses and every one of them was created using environmentally friendly materials.

Varshini Srinivas, aka Varshi, was a participant in the annual fashion show and won the competition for the 3rd consecutive year.

Speaking of her winning 2012 entry (called “We are Golden” after the song by the English musician Mika) Varshi said: “The dress is made out of used garment bags and decorated with PET bottle bases, candy wrappers, gift wrappers, and accompanied by a neck-

lace made of Scotch Brite. As a young child, I went with my mother to a handloom house in India where I saw people carefully weave fine silk with strands of gold. Though the designs were beautiful, it bothered me that the silk was obtained from caterpillars against their will. That’s why I made this dress to show that we can be sustainable and ethical, eco-friendly yet grand.”

Varshi, recalling her winning entry for 2011 called ‘I Just tied the knot in Vegas!’, said: “It was a mystery what Kate Middleton would wear on her wedding day. So I decided to design a bridal dress that would have taken her breath away. I added a fun and personal touch with the bright metallic roses...what better occasion to promote environmental awareness than make a

recycled wedding dress for the royal bride? What’s more, the dress cost absolutely nothing to make! I used shopping bags, mesh bags that lemons come in, recycled printer paper and a wee bit of gift wrappers to create one of my best pieces.”

Her winning entry for 2010 was inspired by Varshi’s trip to the Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam: colorful and vivacious yet stately.

Varshi Srinivas is committed to raising awareness on preserving the environment by designing dresses using recyclable material. The one person Varshi would want to dress is the Harry Potter actress Emma Watson, and her dream is to have her designs showcased at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala.

Holiday Inn Kuwait - Salmiya participates in Earth Hour

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ith global warming on the rise, and awareness on environmental preservation increasing, Holiday Inn Kuwait maintained its commitment and social responsibility towards the community and the planet in the Earth Hour day.

Operating at minimum lights and turning off the exterior lighting for one hour throughout 8:30 - 9:30 pm, the hotel management & staff turned off all non essential lightings inside their offices. A letters were sent to all the guests staying in the hotel inviting them to participate by reducing the electricity usage only during this one hour as symbol of hope for a cause that grows more urgent with every passing minute.

Taking part in the world’s largest global climate change initiative, people from all walks of life came together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing they have in common - Planet Earth. Switching off the lights voiced the thoughts of the people and the management of the Holiday Inn Kuwait as they stood together in the soft glow of the candlelight towards working better for the creation of a brighter future for our planet.

PGA Freestyle Football

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GA Freestyle Football takes place at Shaab Park every Wednesday under the expert guidance of Freestyle Maestro Karam. Creativity, technique, skill and flair combine to perform amazing freestyle routines. These young footballing artistes will be performing at the P.G.A. Festival of Football and participating in the Freestyle Competition which culminates in the Final at Marina Crescent on 20th April - next practice session is on Wednesday 11th April at Shaab Park and all are welcome.

Film Festival Back to calendar April 9, 2012 @ 7:00 pm - April 10, 2012 @ 10 pm At Cinescape Laila Gallery (Salem AlMubarak Street). First French Short Film Festival to be organized in Kuwait in partnership with Cinescape and Festival du court-mÈtrage de Clermont Ferrand.

During two nights, we will screen short movies from around the world selected and awarded by the international short film Festival of Clermont Ferrand (France). Animated gems, documentaries, brilliant comedies, down-to-earth fictions, genre films or graduation shorts from some of the finest film schools out there will undoubtedly take you on a unique journey into young film creation. The film schedule is Earth Day with Golden Era April 13, 2012 @ 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Where: Rumaithiya, Block 2, Sate Alhusari Street, House 34, Next to Abu-Tammam Intermediate School for Boys Contact: Golden Era Club goldenera60@yahoo.com Amma Kuwait, PART to hold workshop Amma Kuwait and Progressive Art Realization Troop of Kuwait (PART) announce their maiden joint venture PRAKRUTI. The purpose of the workshop is to motivate children to explore art in nature by inspiring them to observe nature consciously. Prakruti is a 5 hour workshop from 9am to 3pm on 20 April 2012 on landscape painting for budding student artists in the age group ten to seventeen. This workshop which will take place in the Al Jawhara Al Ahlea School, Rigaae will be conducted by the professional artists of PART who will interact with the children and guide them on special effects and professional painting techniques. The medium of painting will be Acrylic/Water. Each participant will receive a certificate of participation at the end of the workshop.

Participants will get to showcase their paintings of the day and one previous work at the Exhibition that follows this workshop! Last date for registration is 10 April 2012. So hurry and visit the website www.ammakuwaitprakruti2012.com to register yourself.

Farookians revive nostalgic memories

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arookians in Kuwait got a chance to rekindle the nostalgic memories of their college days on Friday, August 30, at Chevron Recreation Hall. The full day colorful event was sponsored by Al Ahli United Bank and Al Sayer group, Kuwait.

The Alumnus from 1960’s to 2010 batches were present at the event all of them enjoyed the event.

The program started with versus from Quran by Rafiya Basheer batha followed by a welcome speech by the General Secretary Mohammed Rafi. He also gave a brief description of the activities organized by Kuwait unit. The notables ones were the initiative by the unit to build and handover the outdoor

sports Pavilion for the college with the help of a Kuwaiti sponsor.

The unit also provides monthly scholarships and educational support to the 20 deserving students of the college besides sponsoring scholarships to various post graduate students.

The unit also actively participated in the inaugural ceremony of the outdoor pavilion and also Fostalgia meets organized by the central committee, and Internal meet organized by Qatar and Dubai Unit during the past five years.

A panel for the new committee was presented by the president Haneef Mohammed after his presidential address which was approved in the General

Body meeting. Advocate Razak Payyoli, secretary organizing proposed vote of thanks. Riyaz Ahmed, Program Convener organized many games, Quiz programs and entertainments for the participants. Gifts to the winners were distributed by Haneef Mohammed, Mohammed Rafi, Raoof Mashhoor and Abdulla Kollarath. The event ended by 4.30. The organizers had arranged transportation from Salmiya, Farwaniya, and Fahaheel besides arranging Breakfast, Lunch and refreshments. The event was ably coordinated by Riyaz Ahmed, TV Mohammed, C.E.V Imthiaz, M.M. Zubair, Hijaz Kalthingal, Moideen Kunhi, KV Gafoor and Ramees.

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Embassy Information 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. nnnnnnn

NBK hosts Tulitalah High School students ‘Tour part of NBK’s corporate social responsibility efforts’

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ational Bank of Kuwait (NBK) recently hosted students from Tulitalah High School for girls, who toured the bank’s head office to learn about the banking industry and the day-to-day work of the bank’s various departments.

“NBK supports fresh graduates and Kuwait’s youth. We listen to their interests and issues and offer a range of products and services to satisfy their needs,” NBK Public Relations officer

Yacoub Al Baqer said.

Al Baqer accompanied the students on their tour of the bank’s various departments and gave them a brief presentation about NBK in general and the role of marketing and public relations within the bank.

The students had the chance to learn about the broad range of NBK financial and banking products and services and were particularly interested in the multi‹benefit Al-Azraq and Al-

Shabab accounts, exclusively designed for high school, college and university students.

The tour is part of NBK’s ongoing commitment to its corporate social responsibility program and to promoting the education and development of the country’s youth. Other initiatives include providing summer training programs for students, hiring fresh graduates and offering professional development programs for new hires.

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 A.M until 12:00 P.M on Sunday through Wednesday.

Canada offers a registration service for all Canadians travelling or living abroad. This service is provided so that Consular Officials can contact and assist Canadians in an emergency in a foreign country, such as a natural disaster or civil unrest, or inform Canadians of a family emergency at home. The Embassy of Canada encourages all Canadian Citizens to register online through the Government of Canada Travel Website at www.voyage.gc.ca. 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. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF CYPRUS The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus requests Cypriot citizens living in Kuwait to register with the Embassy has moved. This registration service is provided so that the Embassy can update its contact list and assist Cypriot citizens in cases of emergencies. Registration information can be emailed to cyprusembassykwt@gmail.com or faxed to 22253227 or given by phone to 65906048 (Mrs Christine). nnnnnnn

‘Impressions and Expressions,’ A dazzling array of paintings

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By Sajeev K Peter

EMBASSY OF MYANMAR Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar would like to inform the general public that the Embassy has moved its office to new location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, AlSalaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location.

Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, email:myankuwait11@gmai1.com

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week-long exhibition of paintings by eminent Indian artist S Kondal Raj entitled ‘Impressions and Expressions’, opened at Dar El Cid Art Gallery, Jabriya on Friday morning. Indian Ambassador Satish C Mehta and Malaysian Ambassador Dato’ Adnan Haji Othman jointly cut a ribbon to officially inaugurate the exhibition in the presence of many dignitaries.

In addition to a dazzling array of paintings by Kondal Raj, the exhibition also displays many works by 20 eminent artists from India. Well-known Arab artist Abdulaziz Mohamed Hussain, Kuwait University professor Dr Yousuf Salman and prominent Indian industrialist R C Suresh were among the guests who attended the opening ceremony.

In his opening remarks, the Indian ambassador praised the artistic genius displayed by

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Kondal Raj who has assiduously followed his guru S S Manian’s style in his artistic voyage. “Even while Kondal Raj follows his guru’s style, the artist has succeeded in demonstrating a spark of originality in his works,” he said. While commending the exemplary artistic talent being shown by artist Kondal Raj in portraying nature, the Malaysian Ambassador said, “His paintings mirror the life around us in its

totality”.

A dedicated disciple of Manian, Kondal Raj is versatile in many mediums, forms and expressions of art and paint such as oil on canvas, acrylic, charcoal drawing, collage work, etching portraits, landscape, seascape etc. While his landscapes mirror the nature in its resplendence, his portraits brim with life and vitality.

Kondal Raj has held several

exhibitions including exhibitions in Indian Fine Arts Academy, Lalit Kala Academy, Vinyasa Art Gallery in Chennai and Victoria Technical Institute in Chennai, etc. He held a solo painting exhibition at Dar Al Cid gallery in 2009. The artists who display their works include Jayaraj, Maniam Selvan, Ramani, Trotsky Marudu, N Jamal, Nalini Mohan, Arasu, S S Karthik, Muthuappa and L Vadivelan. K Sethu of

Valaikudi Vanambadi Poets Association, Muthukrishnan, Muthukumaran, Arasu, Naga, Jayakanthan and Ilamaran were among the others who attended the opening ceremony.

Jayakanth Raju proposed a vote of thanks while Deshashri Jayakanthan anchored the event.

The exhibition will last until April 13, 2012. The exhibition timing: 9am to 1pm and 4pm to 9pm.

Royale Hayat Hospital switches off lights for Earth Hour

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oyale Hayat Hospital participated in “Earth Hour” in cooperation with the Kuwaiti Team of Global Warming’s Voluntary Work Center, which took place last Saturday 31st of March 2012 from 8:30pm to 9:30pm by switching off the exterior lighting.

This participation to Earth Hour’s event aimed to raise the awareness among the community about climate change and its impact on life on the planet now and in the future.

“Earth Hour” is a global environmental event where individuals and organizations participate through switching off unnecessary lighting for one hour of a specific day, not for the purpose of restricting electricity consumption but to strengthen the level of awareness among individuals.

EMBASSY OF NEPAL The Embassy of Nepal will be moving from its current location to a new place in Jabriya, Block 8, St. 13, House No. 514, effective from Sunday, 15th April, 2012. Till the new telephone connections are installed, the Embassy may be contacted by email: info@nepembku.org nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk nnnnnnn

SOUTH AFRICAN EMBASSY On the occasion of Easter Sunday, the South African Embassy will be closed from today and tomorrow The Embassy will resume its normal working hours on Tuesday, 10 April 2012, from Sunday to Thursday. Please note that the working hours will be from 8h00 to 16h00 & the Consular Section operation hours will from 8h30 to 12h30. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF ROMANIA The Embassy of Romania to the State of Kuwait would like to inform that the Consular Section of the Embassy will be close for construction works beginning with 18 April 2012, till 10 May 2012. During this period of time the Consular Section will not issue any type of visas for Romania and will not issue any Romanian passports or travel documents. The Consular Section will only be able to assist with notary deeds. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience. nnnnnnn

“Earth Hour” was first launched in Sydney, Australia in 2007, where 2.2 million people participated in switching unnecessary lights for an hour. These

efforts led to the reduction of energy consumption in a percentage of 10.2% during that hour. In addition, the reduction of carbon diox-

ide emissions was shown to be equivalent to the elimination of using 42,000 cars for one hour.

Sheraton Kuwait and Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait partipate in NBK’s annual walkathon

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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: Saturdays 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

heraton Kuwait and Four Points by Sheraton Kuwait recently participated in NBK’s 18th Walkathon that was held in Kuwait on March 24th.

The annual Walkathon organized by NBK, primarily promotes and encourages the adoption of healthy environment and lifestyle for the general well being under the slogan healthy life every step”.

This popular event has become a hallmark event for many people of different age groups. Amongst the participants at the event, was a group of enthusiastic associates from the Sheraton Kuwait and Four points by Sheraton who joined thousands of other participants in

this initiative that was designed and lead by the National Bank of Kuwait.

On this occasion, Fahed Abushaar, Area Director and General Manager of the Sheraton Kuwait said “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate NBK on their continuous success in all their community involvements and particularly on the success of its Walkathon that we proudly took part in this year.

The hotel’s participation in this great initiative highlights the hotels’ utmost commitment to the community which has always been a primary objective of the Sheraton Kuwait throughout the years”.

EMBASSY OF THAILAND The Royal Thai Embassy in Kuwait, wishes to invite the Kuwaiti companies that deal business with Thai companies or those agencies of Thai commercial companies to visit the Embassy’s Commercial Office to register their relevant information to be part of the embassy’s business and trade database. The Royal Thai Embassy is located in Jabriya, Block 6, Street 8, Villa No. 1, Telephone No. 25317530 -25317531, Ext: 14.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Classifieds SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR QTR JZR JZR ETH RJA GFA UAE ETD DHX FDB MSR QTR KAC THY CLX KAC DHX FAH JZR KAC BAW RBG KAC KAC IRA FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB IRA ETD GFA IRC FCX MEA JZR MSR RKM AWS JZR AFR SYR KAC MSR GFA KAC FDB KAC KNE KAC QTR SVA AWS RJA KAC JZR QTR JZR JZR ETD UAE GFA SVA UAL JZR RBG JZR ABY ALK KAC KAC KAC KAC FDB MSR JZR KAC KAC JAI KAC KAC AXB FDB OMA MEA QTR GFA KAC JZR KLM UAE JZR ETD KAC ABY QTR DHX KAC AIC GFA UAL JZR DLH THY PIA

Arrival Flights on Sunday 8/4/2012 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 148 DOHA 539 CAIRO 267 BEIRUT 620 ADDIS ABABA 642 AMMAN 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 370 BAHRAIN 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 544 CAIRO 770 ISTANBUL 792 LUXEMBOURG 154 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 201 DUBAI 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA 157 LONDON 3553 ALEXANDRIA 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 615 SHAHRE KORD 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 676 DUBAI 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 603 SHIRAZ 301 ABU DHABI 213 BAHRAIN 6801 AHWAZ 203 DUBAI 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 618 ALEXANDRIA 310 RAS ALKHAIMAH 802 BAGHDAD 561 SOHAG 6708 PARIS 341 DAMASCUS 742 DAMMAM 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 672 DUBAI 57 DUBAI 774 RIYADH 472 JEDDAH 538 SOHAG 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 804 BAGHDAD 640 AMMAN 788 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 134 DOHA 213 DEIREZZOR 535 CAIRO 303 ABU DHABI 857 DUBAI 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 177 DUBAI 3965 LUXOR 777 JEDDAH 127 SHARJAH 227 COLOMBO 502 BEIRUT 542 CAIRO 786 JEDDAH 166 PARIS 63 DUBAI 624 SOHAG 787 RIYADH 618 DOHA 674 DUBAI 572 MUMBAI 102 NEW YORK 562 AMMAN 389 KOZHIKODE 61 DUBAI 647 MUSCAT 402 BEIRUT 146 DOHA 221 BAHRAIN 514 TEHRAN 481 SABIHA 417 AMSTERDAM 859 DUBAI 135 BAHRAIN 307 ABU DHABI 172 FRANKFURT 129 SHARJAH 136 DOHA 372 BAHRAIN 678 MUSCAT 981 CHENNAI 217 BAHRAIN 981 BAHRAIN 239 AMMAN 636 FRANKFURT 772 ISTANBUL 205 LAHORE

Time 0:15 0:20 0:30 0:50 1:45 2:10 2:20 2:25 2:30 2:55 3:10 3:20 3:25 4:10 4:35 4:55 4:55 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:15 6:30 6:45 7:15 7:30 7:35 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:05 8:15 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:20 9:25 9:30 10:00 10:15 10:30 10:55 11:05 11:25 11:55 12:00 12:25 12:35 12:35 13:25 13:30 13:35 13:40 13:45 13:45 14:15 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:50 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:15 15:30 16:00 16:35 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:25 17:30 17:40 17:40 17:45 18:00 18:00 18:15 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:55 19:10 19:20 19:25 19:35 19:35 19:50 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:35 20:55 20:55 21:05 21:15 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:05 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:55 23:10 23:40 23:55

Airlines AIC UAL DLH THY ETH UAE FDB DHX ETD MSR QTR QTR JZR JZR RJA JZR JZR GFA THY RBG KAC CLX FDB BAW AWS IRA KAC JZR ABY JZR KAC KAC UAE JZR KAC QTR FDB ETD IRA KAC KAC GFA IRC KAC FCX MEA KAC JZR MSR KAC AWS RKM KAC JZR JZR SYR AFR GFA FDB MSR KAC KAC KNE KAC AWS KAC SVA RJA JZR QTR KAC ETD JZR JZR QTR UAE GFA RBG JZR ABY SVA UAL JZR ALK FDB MSR JZR KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC OMA MEA KAC GFA JZR DHX KLM ABY ETD UAE FAH KAC QTR KAC KAC JZR DHX QTR AXB GFA KAC KAC

Departure Flights on Sunday 8/4/2012 Flt Route 976 GOA 981 WASHINGTON DC 637 FRANKFURT 773 ISTANBUL 621 ADDIS ABABA 854 DUBAI 68 DUBAI 371 BAHRAIN 306 ABU DHABI 613 CAIRO 139 DOHA 149 DOHA 560 SOHAG 560 SOHAG 643 AMMAN 164 DUBAI 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 3966 LUXOR 537 SOHAG 792 GIALAM 54 DUBAI 156 LONDON 801 BAGHDAD 614 SHAHRE-KORD 171 FRANKFURT 256 BEIRUT 126 SHARJAH 534 CAIRO 671 DUBAI 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 212 DEIREZZOR 117 NEW YORK 133 DOHA 56 DUBAI 302 ABU DHABI 602 SHIRAZ 741 DAMMAM 773 RIYADH 214 BAHRAIN 6802 AHWAZ 541 CAIRO 204 DUBAI 405 BEIRUT 501 BEIRUT 776 JEDDAH 623 SOHAG 103 LONDON 803 BAGHDAD 311 RAS ALKHAIMAH 785 JEDDAH 480 ISTANBUL 176 DUBAI 342 ALEPPO 6708 DUBAI 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 561 AMMAN 673 DUBAI 473 JEDDAH 677 MUSCAT 805 AMMAN 617 DOHA 503 MADINAH 641 AMMAN 786 RIYADH 135 DOHA 513 IMAM KHOMEINI 304 ABU DHABI 238 AMMAN 538 CAIRO 141 DOHA 858 DUBAI 216 BAHRAIN 3554 ALEXANDRIA 134 BAHRAIN 128 SHARJAH 511 RIYADH 982 BAHRAIN 266 BEIRUT 228 DUBAI 64 DUBAI 621 ALEXANDRIA 184 DUBAI 361 COLOMBO 571 MUMBAI 62 DUBAI 283 DHAKA 351 KOCHI 648 MUSCAT 403 BEIRUT 543 CAIRO 222 BAHRAIN 502 LUXOR 171 BAHRAIN 417 DAMMAM 120 SHARJAH 308 ABU DHABI 860 DUBAI 102 DUBAI 343 CHENNAI 137 DOHA 301 MUMBAI 205 ISLAMABAD 554 ALEXANDRIA 373 BAHRAIN 147 DOHA 390 MANGALORE 218 BAHRAIN 411 BANGKOK 415 KUALA LUMPUR

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

Time 0:05 0:25 0:30 2:15 2:45 3:45 3:50 3:55 4:05 4:20 4:50 5:40 6:00 6:00 6:50 6:55 6:55 7:05 7:10 7:25 8:05 8:15 8:25 8:25 8:30 8:35 8:55 9:00 9:05 9:10 9:20 9:35 9:40 9:45 10:00 10:00 10:05 10:15 10:25 10:25 10:25 10:45 11:15 11:30 11:45 11:55 12:00 12:15 12:25 12:30 12:30 12:55 13:10 13:15 13:20 13:35 14:20 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:40 15:05 15:15 15:25 15:30 15:45 15:45 15:50 15:50 16:15 16:25 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:05 18:15 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:35 18:40 18:50 19:10 19:25 19:55 20:05 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:45 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:30 21:35 21:45 21:50 22:05 22:10 22:20 22:25 22:30 22:30 22:35 22:40 22:45 23:00 23:00 23:10 23:10 23:30 23:40 23:50

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for one bachelor in Abbassiya, double bedroom flat, available on 1st May, Rent KD 40/- only.

Contact: 99162583.

(C 3938) 8-4-2012 Room available in Salmiya near City Center for decent bachelor. Rent KD 75/-.

Contact: 99959140.

(C 3934) 5-4-2012 MATRIMONIAL Kuwait Orthodox parents invite proposals for their son 29/172cm, M.Com PGDBA, B & B in Kuwait and employed in a reputed MNC in Kuwait since 2008 from parents of Orthodox/Jacobite/Martho ma/CSI girls B.Tech/MCA/MBA/M.Com or suitably qualified and employed in Kuwait.

Contact with details. Email: thekalloors@gmail.com (C 3931) 7-4-2012 RCSC parents of ancient family in Pala Dioceses invite proposal for their daughter 27 years, 157cm, BSc Nurse (Staff Nurse,

MOH, Kuwait). Well placed boys with similar family background working in Kuwait. Preference to BTech, MBA, Mcom, BSc Nurse. Email: mathaimathai.1984@gmail.com (C 3929) I am an American male looking for a wife, any nationality, but I prefer a Kuwaiti woman, age 22-34, divorced no problem.

Email: aliabdulmalik73@yahoo.com (C 3935) 5-4-2012 Matrimonial correspondence invited for an Orthodox Christian boy, B.Tech + MBA, 5’7”, 30 years, fair, employed as an Associate Manager in a reputed company near Ernakulam, from parents of qualified girls preferably in Kerala. Please contact with telephone number to: nithya_thomas@yahoo.com 4-4-2012 Kuwait Orthodox parents invite proposals for their son 29/172 cm, M.Com PGDBA, B & B in Kuwait and employed in a reputed MNC in Kuwait since 2008 from parents of Orthodox/ Jacobite/ Marthoma/ CSI girls B.Tech/ MCA/ MBA/ M.Com or suitably qualified and employed in Kuwait.

Contact with details. E-mail: thekalloors@gmail.com (C 3930)

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

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

SITUATION WANTED With my determination of hard work & an experience of more than 10 years in the Fashion Warehouse, I am looking for a job as Warehouse Manager/ Assistant Warehouse Manager. Contact: 99796229 (C 3940) 8-4-2012

SITUATION VACANT ICDL / ECDL trainer needed for home tuition. Must speak English. Contact: 97862486 (C 3941) 8-4-2012

CHANGE OF NAME Suresh Kumar Ramachandran holder of Indian passport No. G4510525 has converted to Islam with name of MOHAMMED SUREKH; and shall be known here forth.

(C 3939) 8-4-2012 I, Thiru Vinoth Kannan K., holder of Indian passport No. E3242761 has converted to Islam with name of Abdul Rahman K. on 6th May 2009.

(C 3933) 4-4-2012

TUITION Math teacher for secondary stage, language schools, bilingual schools and intermediate stage: Algebra, Gmath, Geometry, Statistics for arts and science branches. Tel: 66974020.

English language teacher specialized in starting elementary and intermediate, 10th and 11th experienced in starting functions, grammar, set book, vocabulary, notes and model exams available. Tel: 65791555.

Arabic language teacher, masters in methods of teaching for secondary and intermediate students. Tel: 50644685.

Senior Arabic language teacher, elementary and intermediate, long experience in Kuwait curricula, explaining grammar rules and starting those weak in reading and writing. Tel: 99262948.

Senior chemistr y and physics teacher. Long experience for 10th, 11th and 12th stages. Intermediate science and applied institutions. Highly competent.

Tel: 99542922.

AIRLINES Kuwait Airways Jazeera Airways Jet Airways FlyDubai Qatar Airways KLM Air Slovakia Olympic Airways Royal Jordanian Reservation British Airways Air France Emirates Air India Sri Lanka Airlines Egypt Air Swiss Air Saudia Middle East Airlines Lufthansa PIA Alitalia Balkan Airlines Bangladesh Airlines Czech Airlines Indian Airlines Oman Air Turkish Airlines

171 177 22924455 22414400 22423888 22425747 22434940 22420002/9 22418064/5/6 22433388 22425635 22430224 22921555 22438184 22424444 22421578 22421516 22426306 22423073 22422493 22421044 22414427 22416474 22452977/8 22417901 22456700 22958787 22453820/1

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

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

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

In tough times, British artists hit the streets LONDON: Christiaan Nagel scrambles up an aluminum ladder, carrying a big blue mushroom. In seconds, the 29-year-old sculptor is on the roof of a once-handsome, now neglected Victorian building in London. Under a crescent moon, he works quickly; within minutes the polyurethane fungus stands tall over the street below - an impromptu landmark to be enjoyed and photographed by passers-by.

Nagel is a street artist, one of a growing band of painters, stencilers and sculptors bringing vibrancy to the recession-tattered streets of Britain. His work pops up unannounced, and in that it captures the spirit of the times.

Unauthorized art in public places is booming in austerity Britain. As public funding dries up, businesses struggle and economic uncertainty hits collectors’ pocketbooks, London’s streets have been colonized by artists. Empty stores become pop-up art shops, empty walls pop-up galleries - and every street artist dreams of becoming the next Banksy, the anonymous graffiti-sprayer whose work sells for six-figure sums.

Nagel, like other street artists, insists he is not motivated by money but by a combination of ego, excitement, and the desire to have his work seen by as many people as possible. His mush-

rooms cost just a few pounds (dollars) to make, but generally earn him nothing. He pays the rent by trading second-hand guitars, and by occasional paid art commissions.

He makes mushrooms because they are both a pleasing shape and a flexible metaphor. “They’re pop-up art, they could be mushroom clouds, they could be psychedelic drugs,” he said. “I suppose they tie in with the subculture of street art, which is guerrilla art, which is illegal.”

Illegal, maybe, but increasingly accepted.

Nagel says he has been stopped by police only once, handcuffed by officers while installing a mushroom in the middle of a busy traffic circle.

“They were like, ‘What are you doing?’ and I said: ‘I’m an artist and I’ve just installed my mushroom.’” said Nagel, an outgoing South African with russet hair and a taste for brightly colored shirts. “They gave me a look for about 10 minutes and they let me go.”

The global financial crisis, and the British government’s budget-slashing, have hit the arts hard.

More than 200 British arts organizations have lost government funding, and dozens say they may have to shut down. But a do-it-yourself, streetlevel arts culture is flourishing. Some of London’s hipper, scruffier quarters have become so art-

encrusted that they are now tourist attractions in themselves, with a burgeoning street-art economy.

Around the east London districts of Shoreditch and Hackney, where canal-side lofts, media businesses and trendy bars mix with derelict factories and run-down housing projects, walls sprout giant birds and furry rodents, brightly colored hands and fantastical landscapes. One recent morning about 20 well-dressed young tourists were on a walking tour of brick walls and vacant buildings adorned with colorful drawings and murals by artists with names like Stik, Sweet Toof and Phlegm.

The works are the product of young artists attracted to London by its vibrant art scene, and to the streets by a blend of a freedom-loving philosophy and the opportunity provided by so many neglected walls. “ The streets are the biggest galler y, the least pretentious,” said Richard Howard-Griffin, who organizes the walking tours and has developed a website guide and an iPhone app to London’s booming urban art scene. “They are able to reach people who don’t go to galleries.”

The downside of street art is its impermanence. What’s here today may be gone tomorrow.

Nagel says he has installed more than 100 mushrooms, but only a handful are still standing. The longest-surviving has overlooked a busy road for more than a year. But that’s also part of its appeal.

Spotting a new Banksy before it is covered up or spirited away - building owners have been known to remove whole walls to preserve a stencil - is a bit of a sport. Street art also brings its practitioners a wide audience, the thrill of covert action and a sense of community. “ There’s a great energy here,” Nagel said. “ There are some great street artists from all around the world who come together here.” Many street artists are reluctant to speak publicly. They are, by nature, anti-authoritarian, and their work thrives on secrecy and the mystique of a pseudonym.

Nagel says he finds such silence difficult. “I get too excited about my work. I want to tell everybody.” His mushrooms are the product of serendipity. He grew up surfing the Indian Ocean off Durban, and began experimenting with the kind of foam used in surf boards. One mold produced a mushroom-top shape, and he was smitten. Now he makes the sculptures on a resin-stained rooftop outside his apartment and leaves them dotting rooftops, bridges and even trees. — AP

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 Untamed & Uncut 01:40 Killer Crocs 02:35 Deep Into The Wild With Nick Baker 03:30 Animal Planet’s Most Outrageous 04:25 Wild France 05:20 Escape To Chimp Eden 05:45 In Too Deep 06:10 Animal Cops Philadelphia 07:00 Gorilla School 07:25 Crocodile Hunter 08:15 The Jeff Corwin Experience 09:10 Baby Planet 10:05 The Really Wild Show 10:30 The Really Wild Show 11:00 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife 11:25 Bondi Vet 11:55 Dogs 101 12:50 Wild France 14:40 Wildlife SOS 15:35 Must Love Cats 16:30 Wild Animal Orphans 16:55 Wild Animal Orphans 17:25 Big Five Challenge 18:20 Venom Hunter With Donald Schultz 19:15 Untamed China With Nigel Marven 20:10 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 21:05 Austin Stevens Adventures 22:00 Planet Earth 22:55 Bite Of The Living Dead 23:50 Animal Cops Philadelphia

00:10 00:35 01:25 03:10 03:55 06:55 13:30 14:25 16:00 16:50 18:30 19:20 20:55 21:45 22:35 23:25

Diy SOS Holmes On Homes What Not To Wear Coleen’s Real Women Bargain Hunt MasterChef Australia 10 Years Younger Gok’s Fashion Fix Diy SOS Holmes On Homes What Not To Wear Gok’s Fashion Fix Holmes On Homes Holmes On Homes 10 Years Younger Gok’s Fashion Fix

00:00 BBC World News 00:10 Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy 01:00 BBC World News 01:30 Middle East Business Report 02:00 BBC World News 02:10 World Features 02:30 Our World 03:00 BBC World News 03:10 World Features 03:30 Spirit Of Golf 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Dateline London 05:00 BBC World News 05:10 Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Click 07:00 BBC World News 07:30 Newsnight 08:00 BBC World News 08:30 India Business Report 09:00 BBC World News 09:30 Fast Track 10:00 BBC World News 10:10 World Features 10:30 Spirit Of Golf 11:00 BBC World News 11:10 World Features 11:30 Dateline London 12:00 BBC World News 12:10 World Features 12:30 World Challenge Special 13:00 BBC World News 13:10 World Features 13:30 BBC World News 14:30 Newsnight

15:00 BBC World News 15:10 World Features 15:30 World Olympic Dreams 16:00 BBC World News 16:15 Sport Today 16:30 Click 17:00 BBC World News 17:30 Horizons 18:00 BBC World News 18:10 Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy 19:00 BBC World News 19:30 India Business Report 20:00 BBC World News 20:30 World Olympic Dreams 21:00 Sports World Have Your Say 22:00 BBC World News 22:30 Spirit Of Golf 23:00 BBC World News 23:10 World Features 23:30 Horizons

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

Living Golf World Sport World Report Talk Asia World Report World Report This Week CNN Marketplace Europe CNN Marketplace Africa The Brief CNN Presents CNN Newsroom Eco Solutions Inside Africa World Sport Cnngo World Report CNN Marketplace Middle East Talk Asia World Report CNN Marketplace Europe Business Traveller World Sport Mainsail African Voices The Brief World Report News Special CNN Presents World Report Inside The Middle East Fareed Zakaria Gps State Of The Union International Desk Inside Africa Global Exchange CNN Marketplace Africa Global Exchange CNN Marketplace Middle East World Sport Living Golf International Desk African Voices International Desk Cnngo Fareed Zakaria Gps World Report News Special

00:15 01:05 01:55 02:45 03:35 04:25 05:15 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 11:40 12:55 13:20 13:45 14:10 15:25

Replacements Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic Stitch Replacements Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Suite Life Of Zack And So Random Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Suite Life On Deck Jessie Shake It Up A.N.T. Farm The Return Of Jafar Disney Princess Good Luck Charlie A.N.T. Farm Recess Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas And Ferb

15:50 16:15 17:30 18:55 19:10 20:25 20:50 21:15 22:45 22:55 23:20 Cody 23:45

Shake It Up So Random Wendy Wu Phineas And Ferb Disney Princess Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Aladdin & The King Of Thieves Have A Laugh Fish Hooks The Suite Life Of Zack And Sonny With A Chance

06:00 Kid vs Kat 06:20 American Dragon 06:45 Rekkit Rabbit 07:10 Phineas And Ferb 07:35 Phineas And Ferb 08:00 Kick Buttowski 08:30 Pair Of Kings 09:00 Kickin It 09:30 Pair Of Kings 10:00 Kickin It 10:30 Quad Cup 10:55 Pair Of Kings 11:20 Kickin It 11:45 Pair Of Kings 12:10 Kickin It 12:35 Pair Of Kings 13:00 Johnny Kapahala 14:35 Kickin It 15:00 Phineas And Ferb 15:25 Phineas And Ferb 15:50 Phineas And Ferb 16:00 Phineas And Ferb 16:15 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 16:40 Zeke & Luther 17:05 Mr. Young 17:30 I’m In The Band 17:55 Rated A For Awesome 18:20 Phineas And Ferb 18:45 Phineas And Ferb 18:55 Phineas And Ferb 19:10 Scaredy Squirrel 19:35 Pokemon: Black And White 20:00 Rekkit Rabbit 20:25 Zeke & Luther 20:50 I’m In The Band 21:15 Phineas And Ferb 21:40 Phineas And Ferb 22:05 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 22:30 Kid vs Kat 23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

00:15 03:00 05:45 07:00 09:40 10:30 14:10 19:40 21:30 22:50 23:45

Dinosaur Planet Clash Of The Dinosaurs Last Days Of The Dinosaur Animal Armageddon Mega Predators Dinosaur Planet Mega Beasts What Killed The Mega Beasts?

Last Days Of The Dinosaur Tyrannosaurus Sex Valley Of The T-Rex

00:35 Bad Universe 01:25 The Tech Show 01:50 Bang Goes The Theory 06:10 Eco-Tech 07:00 Head Rush 07:03 Sci-Fi Science 07:30 Weird Connections 08:00 Mean Green Machines 08:25 Mean Green Machines 08:55 Smash Lab 09:45 Catch It Keep It 10:35 Bang Goes The Theory 14:45 Head Rush 14:48 Sci-Fi Science 15:15 Weird Connections 15:45 The Tech Show 16:10 Mean Green Machines 16:35 Mean Green Machines 17:00 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 17:50 Sci-Fi Saved My Life 18:40 Robocar 19:30 Speed Junkie

WINDTALKERS ON OSN MOVIES ACTION

20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

Mega World Futurecar Robocar Killer Outbreaks Weird Or What?

00:25 Kendra 00:55 Style Star 01:25 Cheating Death 03:15 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Then And Now 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Extreme Close-Up 10:15 THS 12:05 E! News 13:05 Style Star 14:05 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 15:00 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 16:55 Behind The Scenes 17:55 E! News 18:55 Scouted 19:55 Kendra 20:25 Ice Loves Coco 20:55 Khloe And Lamar 21:55 Ice Loves Coco 22:25 Fashion Police

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

Wrestling With Reality M1 Selection 2010 Sports Jobs Carpocalypse Summer Dew Tour 2011 Ride Guide Snow 2008 Kenny Belaey’s Big Time Ticket To Ride 2010/11 Winter Dew Tour 09/10 Summer Dew Tour 2011 Mantracker Dragrace High Featured Man’s Work Man’s Work Dragrace High Dragrace High Summer Dew Tour 2011 Summer Dew Tour 2011 Mantracker Ed’s Up Ed’s Up Dragrace High Dragrace High Man’s Work Man’s Work Wrestling With Reality

00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Kid In A Candy Store 00:55 Meat & Potatoes 01:45 Food Network Challenge 02:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 03:25 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 04:15 Dessert First With Anne Thornton 04:40 Good Eats 05:05 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 05:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 05:50 Food Network Challenge 06:35 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 07:00 Food Network Challenge 07:50 World Cafe Asia 08:15 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 08:40 Good Eats 09:05 Dessert First With Anne Thornton 09:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 09:55 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 10:20 Lidia’s Italy 10:45 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 12:00 Food Network Challenge 12:50 Aarti Party 13:15 Cooking For Real 13:40 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 14:05 Dessert First With Anne Thornton 14:30 Kid In A Candy Store 14:55 Paula’s Best Dishes 15:20 Meat & Potatoes 15:45 Food Network Challenge 16:35 Cooking For Real 17:00 Barefoot Contessa - Back To Basics 17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 17:50 Aarti Party 18:15 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 18:40 Dessert First With Anne Thornton 19:05 Kid In A Candy Store 19:30 Food Network Challenge 20:20 Food Network Challenge 21:10 Easter Sweets With Jacques Torres 22:00 Unwrapped 22:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 23:15 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

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 16:10 17:00 17:50 18:40 19:05 19:55 20:20 21:10 22:00 22:50 23:40

A Haunting The Haunted Ghost Lab A Haunting A Haunting On The Case With Paula Zahn Mystery Diagnosis Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Mall Cops – Mall Of America True Crime With Aphrodite Disappeared FBI Files Murder Shift Mystery Diagnosis Real Emergency Calls Mall Cops – Mall Of America On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared FBI Files Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Mall Cops – Mall Of America On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Behind Mansion Walls Kidnap And Rescue Scorned: Crimes Of Passion

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

Departures The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia Madventures Departures Nomads City Chase: Argentina Don’t Tell My Mother Departures The Ride: Alaska To Patagonia Madventures Departures Nomads City Chase: Argentina Don’t Tell My Mother Departures Meet The Natives: USA Food School One Man & His Campervan Bondi Rescue Extreme Tourist Afghanistan Danger Men Naked Lentil

By Any Means Meet The Natives: USA Food School One Man & His Campervan

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

Street Kings 2: Motor City-18 The Perfect Host-PG15 True Justice: Urban Warfare Ip Man-PG15 Rocky-PG15 Cross-18 The Craigslist Killer-PG15 Rocky-PG15 Dick Tracy-PG15 The Craigslist Killer-PG15 Sanctum-18 D.E.B.S-18

01:00 A Perfect Getaway-18 03:00 Battle: Los Angeles-PG15 05:15 The 19th Wife-PG15 07:00 Love N’ Dancing-PG15 09:00 Africa United-PG15 11:00 The 19th Wife-PG15 13:00 Battle: Los Angeles-PG15 15:15 Love N’ Dancing-PG15 17:00 Africa United-PG15 18:45 Just Wright-PG15 20:30 Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides-PG15 23:00 African Cats: Kingdom Of Courage-PG

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Saturday Night Live 02:30 Family Guy 03:00 Parks And Recreation 03:30 2 Broke Girls 04:00 The Simpsons 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 06:00 Weird Science 06:30 How I Met Your Mother 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 The Simpsons 08:30 Parks And Recreation 09:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 09:30 The Office 10:00 Man Up! 10:30 How I Met Your Mother 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Weird Science 12:30 The Simpsons 13:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 13:30 How I Met Your Mother 14:00 2 Broke Girls 14:30 Man Up! 15:00 The Office 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:30 Weird Science 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Friends With Benefits 18:30 Friends With Benefits 19:00 Raising Hope 19:30 Modern Family 20:00 Whitney 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live Syndicated

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

Criminal Minds Sons Of Anarchy Top Gear (UK) Warehouse 13 Combat Hospital The View Live Good Morning America C.S.I. Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View Criminal Minds Warehouse 13 Top Gear (UK) Live Good Morning America C.S.I. The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Body Of Proof Unforgettable Missing

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

Bones Top Gear (UK) Criminal Minds Sons Of Anarchy Warehouse 13 Burn Notice Bones Emmerdale Coronation Street Terriers Top Gear (UK) Criminal Minds Warehouse 13 Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Terriers Bones Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Franklin & Bash Body Of Proof Unforgettable

JUST WRIGHT ON OSN CINEMA

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35

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

stars CROSSWORD 641

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) Feeling good about yourself does wonders for your attitude.

People that have showed little or no support for you in the past will now give you help. Your support system—family, home, those who give you nourishment—is more secure. You are able to dispense with some of the unessential and develop what is most basic in your environment. You encourage better support from others now. Do not look for a hidden meaning in another person’s compliments— admiration is well deserved. Be courteous and helpful during the day—you may have your concentration in so many other places that you could seem unappreciative.

Healing efforts have a way of multiplying as you continue a treatment. Spring fever hits this evening; love blossoms.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Many distractions today cause any number of frustrations.

Keep your sense of humor and ask the next person that interrupts you to take a number—you are the new catalog department. You may be looking for advice regarding a family matter today; however, you have all the answers you need inside your own thinking. This afternoon is a good time to spend with loved ones and family. You could be on a bicycle trip later today. You may even decide that one little trip a week would be a habit you might like to continue. Any unusual but fun way to exercise may be part and parcel of what makes up your day today. You may find a relaxing evening at home is in order tonight. You and a young person may care for an animal this evening—bath time?

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. Wearing footgear.

5. A small island.

9. Pompous or pretentious talk or writing.

13. A member of the South American Indian people living in Brazil and Paraguay.

14. Type genus of the Aceraceae.

15. Other than what is under consideration or implied.

16. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.

17. Earn on some commercial or business transaction.

18. Precipitation of ice pellets when there are strong rising air currents.

19. (Arthurian legend) The most virtuous knight of the Round Table.

22. A heavy odorless colorless gas formed during respiration and by the decomposition of organic substances.

25. Standard time in the 6th time zone west of Greenwich, reckoned at the 90th meridian.

31. Of or relating to the atmospheric phenomenon auroras.

34. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

35. A submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the water.

36. (Scotland) A small loaf or roll of soft bread.

39. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

40. Manufactured in standard sizes to be shipped and assembled elsewhere.

44. (informal) Of the highest quality.

45. An artistic form of nonverbal communication.

47. Any of numerous local fertility and nature deities worshipped by ancient Semitic peoples.

50. Completely lacking nobility in character or quality or purpose.

53. A white linen liturgical vestment with sleeves.

57. In bed.

58. How long something has existed.

59. Hot or warm and humid.

61. (Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology.

62. The seventh and last day of the week.

63. African tree having an exceedingly thick trunk and fruit that resembles a gourd and has an edible pulp called monkey bread.

64. A loud harsh or strident noise.

DOWN 1. Male red deer.

2. A Polynesian rain dance performed by a woman.

3. A translucent mineral consisting of hydrated silica of variable color.

4. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

5. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy.

6. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae.

7. (Irish) The sea personified.

8. Bulky grayish-brown eagle with a short wedge-shaped white tail.

9. Cut the head of.

10. An extensive grassy and nearly treeless plain (especially in Latin America).

11. The seventh month of the Hindu calendar.

12. Goddess of the dead and queen of the underworld.

20. A blind god.

21. Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike.

23. A ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element.

24. A public promotion of some product or service.

26. A man who courts a woman.

27. A tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown.

28. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

29. A small cake leavened with yeast.

30. The act of scanning.

32. Viscera and trimmings of a butchered animal often considered inedible by humans.

33. A French abbot.

37. A tricycle (usually propelled by pedalling).

38. Made from baking chocolate or cocoa powder and milk and sugar.

41. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

42. A hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers.

43. (of the feet of some animals) Having the digits connected by a thin fold of skin.

44. Estrangement from god.

46. Small terrestrial lizard of warm regions of the Old World.

48. Primitive chlorophyll-containing mainly aquatic eukaryotic organisms lacking true stems and roots and leaves.

49. Assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing.

50. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

51. (New Testament) Disciple of Jesus.

52. Any place of complete bliss and delight and peace.

54. A state-chartered savings bank owned by its depositors and managed by a board of trustees.

55. The 7th letter of the Greek alphabet.

56. The corporate executive responsible for the operations of the firm.

60. A soft silvery metallic element.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) Obtaining and exchanging information takes on emotional significance. Being more involved with neighbors or sibling(s) satisfies a deep emotional need. Communicating feelings becomes important. You work mentally and physically to become more refined emotionally. Getting your message across and learning how and when to say no successfully are important issues. You know that your mind and ego are at risk if you cannot foster discrimination and clearness.

Your willpower and intuition are enhanced little by little this month and this is the perfect time to work on communication skills. Personal growth is encouraged as you gain enthusiasm to further your education. Ease up on yourself and enjoy the company of a special friend this evening.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

A greater appreciation for things of value is in order now. This could be a period of material gain; it is certainly a time when material things have a great deal of importance for you. You may want to investigate your options before spending frivolously. Make long-term plans to build your income and financial holdings through careful, conservative methods and investments. It has been a while since you have seen a financial increase and you may be a little shy about spending any current funds but spending part of what you make is what makes the world go ‘round, so to speak. Plan to exchange ideas between you and your loved one concerning future goals and expectations. Frank and heartfelt discussions between loved ones are good for the relationship.

Leo (July 23-August 22) You can demonstrate a great deal of understanding and compassion to those who are in need and may consider joining or starting a volunteer organization. You do not even have to belong to a particular group; just look around and find the place where you feel you can make a positive difference.

There are elderly people on your street that do not make trips to the store very often.

What a wonderful way to help others; you will think of more. Trust in your own abilities and you will be extremely pleased at the end. Your effort to bond with new people in your family is commendable and you set the example for others to follow. There is an opportunity to network this evening; you find any number of answers or ideas. This might also mean finding a better job.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) Your intuition will prove invaluable on this day as you focus on inner concerns and private interests. Growth means a lot to you now and as you visit with family members today you may also be thinking of ways in which you have changed over the years. Your personal development does not go unnoticed as others compliment you on your progress. Someone will be calling long-distance this afternoon. Because of your encouraging words you will be spreading hope to someone that has been shunned or criticized recently. A relationship seems steady and secure—feed it anyway. Your vitality increases during the day and your mind could create some wonderful ideas for an intriguing romantic date this evening.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Communicating so that others really understand what you mean may be a determined effort today. Sometimes you take it for granted that others know what you mean but for now you are making a wonderful effort to listen and become more precise; you might wish others would do the same. Your timing should be perfect and those around you should find you most spontaneous and alive. It is important that you play a big part in family decisions—patience. You will be involved in some sort of family activity that will help you to introduce your ideas or give your help. Be patient—you will have an opportunity to express yourself. Perhaps some competitive sports will be enjoyed later in the afternoon with your friends.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Mischievous behavior could outweigh the practical if you have no plans. Start early to plan your day. Perhaps a friend can help you focus on some new ideas. This can be a creative time for you now—a time you will look back on with pride and fondness. However your plans develop, make sure you schedule plenty of rest. If you had not planned a social affair for this evening, you may find yourself involved in interplay of conversations with family members this afternoon. This is a wonderful time to artistically express yourself. To satisfy your need to be the center of attention, you will find much praise for any creative expression with which you decide to involve yourself. There is a lot of pride in what you do and you exhibit much showmanship.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Personal popularity is easy to come by today. This is a good time for surrounding yourself with friends and young people. You may volunteer to observe children at play so that parents can attend a meeting, go to a movie or shop. You appreciate your particular situation and enjoy support from those around you. This is a powerful time of recognizing and using your intuition and insights. Ownership matters can be under pressure—do everything you can now to ensure your own security. If you are planning to invest in property, do so this month.

Perhaps you find this an ultra-mundane day, lacking in imagination. Get out and walk this evening. Perhaps a good conversation with a loved one will help to balance your energies tonight.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

You have greater confidence in approaching and communicating with others. Your personal magnetism is high. Winning the hearts of others can be a challenge you are eager to accept—and the thrill of the chase might be most of the fun. Is it the pursuit of happiness—or the happiness of pursuit?

Marriage and other close relationships give rise to great expectations. This is a time to appreciate your ties to others, to promote harmony in the interaction between people. Emotional security, a sense of belonging and nurturing are issues felt instinctively now. If your neighborhood has protected areas where you can walk at night, do so.

Listen to the sounds of nature and communicate with that very wonderful part of you that is in tune with the universe.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) Consciously work on seeing the positive in your work situations.

Your highly critical eye is one of your strengths but it could carry over into an emotional issue with others. You may spend so much time caring for others, you neglect your own needs—take a look. If you suffer from migraines, avoid caffeine, alcohol, chocolate and salty foods. There are great opportunities today for educational classes, lectures or conferences that will widen your scope of knowledge. You will need to be more flexible to keep up with the challenges of today. Avoid burnout by allowing yourself time for breaks. Say no when necessary or at least allocate jobs to others, when possible. Weather permitting, get outside with a friend and just walk.

Feed the birds.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

You are buoyed with confidence now to succeed at any project you attempt. Make sure that both your expectations and abilities are realistic before diving into something you may not be able to get out of without harm or embarrassment. There is a collision of powerful energies that spill into your life in unpredictable ways. The decisions and actions of today will have long-lasting effects. You can be most persuasive with others and you seem to bounce your positive attitude back to others all day. Although some of your energy needs direction, you seem confident and optimistic. Feeling good about yourself does wonders for your overall attitude. Budgeting, caution and discrimination with money are wise choices now.

36

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

LIFESTYLE F e a t u r e s

40 years of happy families for Bangladesh matchmaker K azi Ashraf Hossain’s work colleagues always told him he had a talent for getting couples together, so when he was forced to quit his job as a crane operator, he set

In a photograph taken on February 8, 2012, Kazi Ashraf Hossain, known as ‘Pakhi Bhai’, works in his office in Dhaka. —AFP

up as a matchmaker. Nearly 40 years later, Hossain-known by his nickname “Pakhi Bhai” (Bird Brother) — is celebrated as Bangladesh’s national “cupid” who has put together about 10,000 couples. “They said I had this natural ability to persuade a stubborn

groom. I had to stop operating cranes after an ulcer operation, so I thought why not give matchmaking a go?” he told AFP at his smart offices in the capital Dhaka.

“With an armful of photos, I set myself up in business. My father vehemently opposed it. For him it was the worst job.” In the early years, Pakhi Bhai used to go about his trade like a street hawker, visiting families door to door with photographs of potential brides and grooms. “The number of clients was negligible in the early days,” said Pakhi Bhai, who started out in 1973. “The reward was meagre, not enough to feed my family properly.” “I used to travel between clients so fast that they wondered whether I flew in like a bird. Hence the name: Bird Brother.”

His break came in the late 1970s, when he invested money and started to buy newspaper advertisements. “It shocked a lot of people. The hotel where I lived threatened to evict me,” he said. But now he is a well-known celebrity, a regular feature on annual Valentine Day television specials and widely admired for his wealth, influence and contacts. The job has changed from the days of walking the streets, and Pakhi Bhai now works out

of his headquarters in a swish city mall with three mobile phones on the go, a computer database and five female assistants.

He charges between $1,200 and $4,000 when a marriage takes place, and also runs a membership scheme that gives access to thousands of online resumes and photographs.

Even such resources cannot help everyone, and his latest clients-two sets of families-emerge disappointed from the “match-making room” in Pakhi Bhai’s office. Ahmed, who works in Portsmouth, Britain, for an aerospace subsidiary, has returned to Bangladesh on extended leave to find a wife, but his search has not yet been successful.

‘Girls are now very choosy’ “The batteries didn’t spark,” Pakhi Bhai said. “The boy is highly qualified.

It’s natural the family will look for a beautiful girl. They want someone who must be beautiful, educated, slim and at least 5 foot 2 inches (157 centimeters).” For Pakhi Bhai, all marriages should be “arranged” by family members in the traditional manner instead of being “love” marriages between two individuals. “I have seen thousands of love marriages break up

after the wedding. These divorcees then come to us for an arranged marriage,” he said.

“An arranged marriage is rock solid because it is the union of two families and their extended kin. The two families own the couple and they try their best not to allow it to split,” he said.

But migration to cities has dispersed communities and broken the traditional ties through which wedding were set up-so a professional matchmaker is increasingly necessary, particularly as aspirations are rising fast.

“Girls are now very choosy. These days they would rather wait into their late 30s than marry someone not fit for them. Two decades ago if a girl was not married off before 25, she must have something terribly wrong,” he said. “Old-fashioned qualities like honesty, humility or good character are being forgotten,” he said ruefully.

“Every girl wants a groom who must be rich and smart. He must own a car or a flat in the city.” Pakhi Bhai is a good advertisement for his own business. He has six children with his first wife and then-with her consent-took a second wife as allowed under Muslim law.

“I live in the capital and my first wife lives in my village home in

(southern) Barisal district. I needed someone to look after me here in Dhaka,” he said. In recent years, matchmakers have been criticized for inflating the job status and wealth estimates of their clients to tap into the sought-after market of grooms who work abroad. “Upstart agencies have grown like mushrooms,” Pakhi Bhai said. “It’s hard for a matchmaker to know if a girl lied about her age or a boy about his wealth. “For us, it’s goodwill that matters most. One big mistake and people would turn against you.”

Pakhi Bhai has become rich and successful but he still feels a stigma is attached to his job. “People don’t want to show that their marriage was aided by a matchmaker. They think any recognition of our role will bring shame or spoil their party. “I’ve found matches for so many people including some whose parents had all but given up hope. But I almost never get asked to their weddings,” he said. —AFP

Big lottery winners often prize anonymity he tiny Illinois farm town of Red Bud is the kind of place with few strangers and few secrets. Yet the community of 3,700 has a lingering mystery on its hands: Who bought the winning Mega Millions lottery ticket, and why hasn’t the winner of the world-record $646 million jackpot come forward?

Though secrecy surrounds the ticket sold at the MotoMart convenience store, lottery officials note it’s not unusual for winners to lay low - and those who advise them say it’s just plain smart. It’s exactly what the Kansas winner of the March 30 Mega Millions drawing decided to do.

Kansas Lottery Director Dennis Wilson said the person came to the agency’s Topeka headquarters Friday morning with an attorney and some financial advisers.

T

exactly what they should do,” said Susan Bradley, a Florida certified financial planner and founder of the Sudden Money Institute, a resource center for new money recipients such as lottery winners. “Some people are really afraid - scared of blowing it, losing who they are and being taken advantage of. Hopefully they’re getting their ducks in a row and starting to settle into the magnitude of the experience. “If you understood how unbelievably complicated this is, you might not play,” she added. “That’s not to say that winning is a bad thing. (But with a jackpot), all your old problems are over and all your new ones are just starting.” Some states, such as Kansas, don’t require winners to reveal their identities. Even in those that do, winners can find ways to stay out of the pub-

File photo provided by the Maryland State Lottery Agency, a man dressed as a Powerball stands by a couple who did not want to be identified as they hold a large prop check showing their winnings at the lottery’s headquarters in Baltimore. —AP Wilson said the person does not want to be identified, even by gender - something Kansas law allows.

A third winning ticket was sold in Maryland, and questions fester about a woman claiming to have it. For all of its promise, instant riches come with a price, starting with the immediate barrage of calls from relatives and distant friends eager for a handout. Never mind the need to hire specialists to address tax implications and craft a disciplined investment strategy that could avoid the fate of past lottery winners who’ve spectacularly burned through vast fortunes or found that they were better off before they struck it rich.

“I’m so happy I’m seeing this. This is

lic eye.

In Rhode Island, Kathleen Last took nearly a month before claiming a $60 million Powerball prize on Tuesday, then had her attorney, Edmund Alves, pose alongside the oversized lottery check during the official announcement. While her name and hometown where required to be revealed, Last was under no obligation to speak publicly about the lump-sum payout she chose - $25.6 million after taxes, with some of that windfall intended to help a disabled niece requiring expensive care. “It’s a natural human wish to maintain privacy when you have a lightning bolt strike you and you have a life-changing event,” Alves told The Associated Press on Friday. “There are a lot of people

‘Painter of Light’

approaching you from all sides for donations, gifts and whatever, and you want to just stay under the radar. She’s been trying to maintain some normalcy and stay out of the limelight as much as possible.”

In Maryland, the spotlight has been on Mirlande Wilson, a McDonald’s worker who has claimed to have one of the winning Mega Millions tickets, only to tell NBC News on Thursday that she misplaced it. Her attorney, Edward Smith Jr., said the attention caused Wilson’s blood pressure to spike and has kept her seven children from playing outside. “She still wants to go back to her life and be anonymous,” Smith told reporters. “Let’s be human about this. It’s just money, people.”

In Illinois, big jackpot winners are compelled to make themselves public to prove the lottery is paying out its prizes something what wasn’t done decades ago when such games of chance were scams, Illinois Lottery Superintendent Michael Jones said. Though the lottery could insist winners do a news conference, Jones said officials offer some wiggle room to those who want privacy. “We will work with whoever the prize-winner is,” he said. “But we would publicize as much as we can about the winner as is needed,” and “ultimately an enterprising reporter can find out who that person is.”

Maryland Lottery spokeswoman Carole Everett said of eight Mega Millions winners there since 2002, only a man named Ellwood “Bunky” Bartlett made his identity public. One couple and a woman who won initially came out but later asked that officials remove their names from publicity materials, Everett said. Bartlett and about a half dozen other recent US lottery winners did not return telephone messages left by The Associated Press seeking comment for this story. “It’s so hard for a lottery winner not to go out and shout it to the world,” said Bradley, the Florida financial planner. Some winners, for whatever reason, don’t ever claim their prize. For example, a winning Powerball ticket worth $77 million sold last summer in Georgia ended up expiring in December after no one came forward within the required 180 days, making it the state’s largest unclaimed ticket since the lottery began in 1993. The unclaimed money was returned to each of the nearly three dozen participating Powerball states. —AP

er pictures of ch Women take AFP — April 6, 2012.

versid ees along a ri ry blossom tr

in Tokyo on

JAPAN gets back its CHERRY BLOSSOM illions across Japan this weekend are flocking to the best spots for viewing cherry blossoms, in a tradition that last year was overshadowed by the natural disasters that struck the nation. The national weather service announced Friday that blooming had officially started in Tokyo on March 31, using the city’s central Yasukuni Shrine as a barometer-an explosion of colors that will last only about a week. Marking the coming of spring, the blooming of cherry trees is a beloved natural spectacle in Japan, where it sparks a nationwide string of parties and celebrations to take in the flowers’ short-lived beauty.

But just weeks ahead of the annual ritual last year, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami devastated the country’s northeastern coast, leaving some 19,000 people dead and sparking a nuclear crisis. Many cherry blossom parties were cancelled in the wake of the disaster, with one of the biggest celebrations shelved for the first time since the end of World War II. “We weren’t in the mood for partying under the flowers last year,” Tokyo city official Tatsuko Suzuki told AFP at a tourism office in the traditional Asakusa district on Friday.

“Police officers from this neighborhood were also dispatched to the disaster-hit areas, and lanterns were unlit due to the power shortage,” she added, referring to red and white lanterns strung up across the nation. Takao Yoshiya, 78, and his wife had secured a prime spot in an Asakusa park where the couple could take in a long stretch of the white and pink petals.

M

dies at age 54

have, I’m trying to bring light to penetrate the darkness rtist Thomas Kinkade, whose brushwork paintings many people feel.” Before Kinkade’s Media Arts Group of idyllic landscapes, cottages and churches have went private in the middle of the past decade, the combeen big sellers for dealers across the United States, died Friday, a family spokesman said. Kinkade, 54, pany took in $32 million per quarter from 4,500 dealers across the country, according to the Mercury News. The died at his home in Los Gatos in the San Francisco Bay cost of his paintings range from hundreds of dollars to Area of what appeared to be natural causes, David more than $10,000.

Satterfield said. Kinkade called himAccording to his website, Kinkade’s self the “Painter of Light,” and his paintings have been reproduced in sentimental paintings, with their hand-signed lithographs, canvas scenes of country gardens and prints, books, posters, calendars, churches in dewy morning light, magazine covers, cards, collector were beloved by middlebrow plates and figurines. A biography on America but reviled by the art estabthe website said Kinkade rejected lishment. He claimed to be the “the intellectual isolation of the nation’s most collected living artist, artist” and instead, made “each of his and his paintings and spin-off prodworks an intimate statement that resucts were said to fetch some $100 onates in the personal lives of his million a year in sales, and to be in viewers.” “I share something in com10 million homes in the United Thomas Kinkade mon with Norman Rockwell and, for States. that matter, with Walt Disney, in that I His paintings generally depict really like to make people happy,” he said. Kinkade was tranquil scenes with lush landscaping and streams runborn and raised in the Placerville, Calif. He studied at the ning nearby. Many contain images from Bible passages.

University of California at Berkeley and the Art Center “I’m a warrior for light,” Kinkade, a self-described devout College of Design in Pasadena. “Thom provided a wonChristian, told the San Jose Mercury News in 2002, a reference to the medieval practice of using light to symbol- derful life for his family,” his wife, Nanette, said in a statement. “We are shocked and saddened by his death.” —AP ize the divine. “With whatever talent and resources I

e promenade

A

un Park. ictures in Guc Visitors take p

fever

“We feel we can thoroughly enjoy the cherry blossoms this year, since we couldn’t last year,” he told AFP during a break on a flower-viewing bus tour. “The tour takes us to eight sites in Tokyo that are famous for cherry blossoms...I can also enjoy drinking today, which I couldn’t do if I had to drive.” But the full bloom had been delayed by about a week due to unusually cold March weather, while a violent storm that pounded Japan earlier this week had some wondering if the delicate buds would get blown off the trees.

“It’s been so cold that we had to wait for the blooming for a long time,” said 82-year-old Masako Endo, as she posed for photos with her husband and daughter. “We were very much looking forward to this season to come.” For Kenji Niikura, a 49-year-old houseboat operator, the blooming of cherry trees, or “Sakura” in Japanese, is the most lucrative time of the year. Cruising along Tokyo’s Sumida river is one of the most popular ways to view the blooms, while enjoying a feast of sushi, tempura and lots of rice wine sake with a karaoke machine at the ready for red-cheeked crooners.

But this year, geopolitical tremors rather than an earthquake are affecting Niikura’s business. Western sanctions against Iran over its nuclear aspirations have helped push oil prices higher, eating away at his bottom line. “We get about 2,000 customers a week during the hanami (viewing) season.

The more frequently we operate the boats, the more fuel we use,” said the seventh-generation houseboat operator. —AFP

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LIFESTYLE F e a t u r e s

Easter treats can make lasting memories t Easter, memories are as much a part of the meal as the ham and deviled eggs. When my daughters were young, their aunt Margaret Wiseman always brought decorated petits fours to Easter dinner. All the children in our extended family-Melissa, Adam, Sarah, Jenny, Emily, Josh and Nancy-were delighted with the colorful cakes that were just the right size for them. Margaret also made bunny cakes that were covered with coconut icing.

Many years later, the sweet goodies remain cherished family memories. Making holiday memories like these is easy, whether you make an Easter treat yourself or buy it at a bakery. And many of them are just so cute. Here are some ideas for homemade treats that will delight everyone at your house, no matter how young or old.

Elena Maydanovich, owner of European Delights Gourmet Bakery in Nicholasville, Ky, bakes an Easter egg cake that’s made with chocolate cake and filled with a raspberry ganache. She also makes a white cake filled with white chocolate mousse and raspberry preserves, and covered with white chocolate ganache.

Elena’s chocolate egg cakes Chocolate cake: 4 ounces sugar 2 ounces shortening 2 ounces milk 4 ounces eggs 2 ounces cake flour 1 ounce cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking powder teaspoon salt teaspoon soda 1 teaspoon vanilla Raspberry ganache: 2 cups heavy cream 2 ounces butter 24 ounces chocolate chips 2 tablespoons raspberry preserves To make cake: Using a professional mixer, mix all cake ingredients for 1 minute on low speed and then 5 minutes on high speed. Pour into egg-shaped cake pan molds. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

To make ganache: Combine cream and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add chocolate chips and mix well. Add raspberry preserves. Cool for 2 to 4 hours.

To assemble: Cut the eggs in half and fill with raspberry ganache. Put halves together and spread ganache on top.

Makes 8 eggs.

Crisped rice Easter egg treats Non-stick cooking spray 6 cups (10.5-ounce package) miniature marshmallows \ cup (stick) butter 8 cups toasted rice cereal 2 cups (12-ounce package) premier white morsels, divided 2 teaspoons vegetable shortening Pink and yellow mixed mini morsel toppers, assorted sprinkles and/or sugars Spray a large mixing bowl with non-stick cooking spray.

Heat marshmallows and butter in large, heavy-duty saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 5 to 10 minutes, until smooth. Remove from heat. Working quickly, stir in cereal and 2/3 cup morsels. Carefully transfer mixture into prepared mixing bowl. Cool for 5 minutes.

Spray hands with non-stick spray. Press marshmallow mixture into a 1/3 cup measure, then form mixture into an egg shape with hands. Repeat with remaining mixture to make a total of 24 eggs.

Microwave remaining 1 \ cups morsels and vegetable shortening in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on medium-high (70 percent) power for 45 seconds; stir. Morsels might retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted.

Dip top of each egg into melted morsels; shake off or scrape excess against side of bowl. Place each upright in muffin pan. Immediately sprinkle dipped end of each egg with mini morsel toppers, sprinkles or sugars. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until set. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Happy bunny cake Non-stick cooking spray 1 (18.25 ounces) package yellow cake mix 1/3 cup pure vegetable oil 1 cup water 3 large eggs 2 cans (16 ounces each) classic white frosting Pillsbury Easy Frost vanilla no-fuss frosting 2 cups flaked coconut Red licorice strips Jelly beans Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. Prepare cake according to package directions using oil, water and eggs. Pour into prepared pans. Bake as directed.

Cool 10 to 15 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely.

Turn one cooled cake layer upside down. Mark center of cake with toothpick. Measure about 2 inches in from two sides of cake, marking points with toothpicks. With the tip of a sharp knife, lightly draw two 6-inch long, football-shaped ovals, 2 inches at their widest point, to make the ears. Cut with a serrated knife. The middle part of that layer will be the “bow tie” for the bunny.

Place the second cake layer in center of large tray. Place ears and bow tie, rounded side up, to make bunny. Frost entire surface and sides of cake, connecting the pieces with frosting. Outline bunny face and bow tie with Easy Frost stars and outline the ears with stripes of Easy Frost frosting, or as desired. Sprinkle with coconut. Cut licorice pieces for mouth and whiskers. Cut jelly beans in half for eyes, nose and bow tie.

Note: To make green “grass” around bunny, toss an additional cup coconut with a few drops of green food coloring to get desired color. Place around base of bunny. —MCT

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lifestyle M U S I C

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M O V I E S

Police probe Tyler Perry racial profiling charge A

US police force is investigating two of its officers after Tyler Perry accused them of racial profiling for stopping him in his car and questioning him in a “hostile” manner, a spokesman said. The AfricanAmerican writer-director made the allegations regarding an incident in Atlanta, Georgia, in which he performed an illegal turn as a precaution to evade someone possibly tailing him. In a statement alluding to a high-profile case in Florida fueling debate over racism nationwide, Perry described how he was pulled over by two white officers after turning left from the right lane, while driving home from work. “Most times when I leave the studio I have an unmarked escort. Other times I constantly check in my rearview mirror to be sure that I’m not being followed. It’s a safety precaution that my security team taught me,” he wrote.

After he stopped, an officer told him he had made an illegal turn. He told the officer he did it because he had to be sure he was not being followed. The policeman asked him why he

his car while one came back, very apologetic,” he said, “Now I know that there are many great officers, patrolmen and security guys out there... But although we have made significant strides... the world needs to know that we are still being racially profiled. “And until this situation has improved greatly, I’m not sure how a murder in Florida can be protected by a ‘stand your ground law’,” he said, referring to Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teen shot by a neighborhood watchman.

The Atlanta Police Department said it was looking into the alleged incident. “Mr Perry’s concerns... will be the basis for referral of the matter to the department’s Office of Professional Standards,” a spokesman said by email. “OPS has opened an investigation to determine if Mr Perry’s claims can be substantiated, and whether any departmental policies or procedures were violated during the stop,” he added. — AFP

thought someone would follow him. “Before I could answer him, I heard a hard banging coming from the passenger window,” he said. He wound down the window, which was tinted, and another officer asked him “What is wrong with you?” he said.

A “tense” moment then ensued when Perry went reached to get a key from a cupholder, only to realize they might think he was reaching for something else at which he recalled his mother’s advice when stopped by a white policeman. “My mother would always say to me, ‘If you get stopped by the police, especially if they are white policemen, you say ‘Yes sir” and “No sir,’ and if they want to take you in, you go with them. Don’t resist, you hear me?’” He decided to step out of the car, at which point another car, with a black officer, pulled up. “He took one look at me and had that ‘Oh No’ look on his face. He immediately took both officers to the back of my car and spoke to them in a hushed tone.

“After that, one of the officers stayed near

Tyler Perry

Grown-up boys back for more

American Pie T

hirteen years after “American Pie,” the adolescents from the worldwide hit movie are back for a fourth helping, still tempted by the juicy bits despite having grown up, somewhat, in the meantime. Released in 1999, the original was the latest to tap into US moviegoers’ huge appetite for adult-rated comedies, harking back to 1978’s “Animal House” and more recently demonstrated, arguably, by the “Hangover” films. Famous for a scene in which Jason Biggs pleasured himself with an apple pie, the movie and its two sequels went on to make more than $700 million at the box office around the world.

Universal, makers of the franchise, then made a series of direct-to-video follow-ups, but have decided to come back to regular theater distribution with “American Reunion,” released Friday in the United States. And while the actors remain mostly the same, the studio chose new filmmakers in co-directors Jon Hurvitz and Hayden Schlossberg, whose previous credits include the “Harold and Kumar” comedies. The pair insist that taking over an already-huge franchise wasn’t a problem.

“We were just enormous fans of the first American Pie. We were in college when it came out, we watched it over and over and over again, we knew the characters, we knew the franchise very well,” said Hurvitz. The original movie’s characters were adolescents, and the decision to bring them back together for a high

(From left) Richard Danielson, Rick Barrio Dill, Ty Taylor and Nalle Colt of Vintage Trouble pose for exclusive photo shoot after their performance at 3rd and Lindsley in Nashville, Tennessee. —AFP

‘Keyhole’ merges fantasy and reality

school reunion seemed the obvious storyline.

“The reunion concept was just so perfect for us to take everybody in this large ensemble and give each person a storyline and moments to shine,” said Hurvitz, presenting the movie recently in Beverly Hills, before its release.

Each of the characters has grown up, personally professionally, but the reunion throws them up against their adolescent emotions, and lots of the laughs come from that confrontation. “For the actors too it was a nostalgic film,” said Dania Ramirez, who plays Selena. Since the last movie in 2003 “they’ve followed their own paths, careers, they’ve become adults, some of them have married and had children. “They got back together for the film after several years of not seeing each other, for some of them.”

The Dominican Republic-born actress is the only new character in the movie, bringing a Hispanic touch to the franchise which wasn’t there before. “That says something about what Latinos represent in this country. It’s become very important for Hollywood to include more Hispanic characters in films,” since Latinos are the most avid movie-goers in America, she said.

This type of movie, which was perhaps relatively rare when the original “American Pie” was ser ved up, is increasingly common”Bridesmaids,” and the “Hangover” films are recent examples.

The makers of “American Reunion” say they hope their movie doesn’t go too far into the excesses of the genre, even if it has its fair share of dirty jokes, full-frontal nudity and scatological references. “It’s a fun challenge to figure out what the new shit joke is going to be. Or how you’re going to have nudity in a way that’s going to make people uncomfortable,” said Schlossberg. “Every single comedy director faces that question of ‘Are you going to push it?’

But I think that bad movies are trying to push it.

You feel that they just try to find something outrageous, “But for us, the most important is to have great characters,” he said. — AFP

Review

D

ecades before “The Artist,” Canadian director Guy Maddin was mining the look, feel and sound of silent cinema and early talkies for his stylish and provocative films. When “Grindhouse” directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino were deliberately putting scratches and missing frames into their film to make it look like an old print from the 1970s, they were picking up tricks that Maddin was doing back in the ‘90s with early films like “Careful” and “Archangel.”

Maddin’s new film “Keyhole” reminds us that his aesthetic owes as much to David Lynch as it does to F.W. Murnau, and not just because Lynch’s onetime muse Isabella Rossellini co-stars (Rossellini previously starred in Maddin’s “The Saddest Music in the World,” as a beer heiress who wore two glass legs filled with the foamy brew. Yeah, it’s like that.). This new film keeps the audience guessing as to whether what we’re seeing is really happening, or a delusion, or the dream of a madman.

Narrator Calypso (Louis Negin) is a ghost - or maybe he’s a crazy old man chained up in the attic of the house where mobster Ulysses Pick (Jason Patric) comes in from the rain with the bedraggled Denny (Brooke Palsson), who may or may not be able to read Ulysses’ thoughts. Despite the fact that the police are surrounding the place, and his henchmen are holding a hostage

(who may or may not be the gangster’s son), Ulysses has returned to rescue his wife Hyacinth (Rossellini), who’s up in the attic with her father, Calypso.

Is Hyacinth still alive? Is Ulysses? Is everyone in the movie a ghost? Do they merely exist in Ulysses’ imagination? Or Calypso’s? And why does Calypso keep

repeating the phrase “Remember your disease”? As is generally the case with Maddin’s extravagant phantasmagoria, plot and story take a backseat to the extraordinary images on display. Memories literally fade into nothing, faces are projected onto billowing curtains, and the hallways of the creepy house lead to one unusual sight after another.

“Keyhole” is the kind of dreamlike movie to which you just have to surrender, allowing it to take you on its own journey to the subconscious. Imagine someone cross-breeding “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” with a lowbudget ‘30s noir thriller, and you begin to picture what Maddin is doing here.

It’s the kind of film where people have to deliver lines like, “The forget-me-nots are growing into her skull, and I should water them with my tears” with absolute seriousness, and Patric and Rossellini get the vibe of “Keyhole” just right. Whether or not their characters are mad, or even just manifestations of someone else’s imagination, the performers understand their place in the director’s overall vision.

Filmed in glorious black and white, with a storm constantly raging, “Keyhole” is a deliciously disturbing dreamscape for audiences who want to follow one of today’s most fascinating film artists on another wild ride. — Reuters

Audacity pays as Belgium’s little opera defies austerity D

efying hard times in Europe, the Brussels opera house is filling seats by offering bold and innovative shows despite a tight budget, shrinking subsidies and a smaller workforce. “In a period of crisis, audacity pays off,” Peter de Caluwe, the 48year-old head of La Monnaie opera house (The Mint in English), told AFP. “Austerity is not a word that scares us,” de Caluwe said. “It forces us to be daring and show imagination.”

Opera lovers are flocking to La Monnaie to hear classics by Verdi and Mozart but also more obscure works such as Romanian composer George Enescu’s “Oedipus” or “The Huguenots” by Germany ’s Giacomo Meyerbeer. “The public is passionate, curious and loyal,” de Caluwe said. The risks taken by La Monnaie have been applauded as well by international critics, who named it “Opera House of the Year” in 2011 — a rare feat for a theatre outside the German-speaking world.

The German opera magazine Opernwelt, which created the award, praised La Monnaie’s “formula for success”, saying it has a done a good job of blending “opulent good taste and French-like sensitivity with German intellectual work”. De Caluwe and his team strive to make La Monnaie “a symbol of European unity” in Brussels, “the most southern of northern Europe’s cities”.La Monnaie, an old-looking theatre with eight columns at

the heart of Europe’s capital, lacks the means enjoyed by more famous and grandiose theatres in Munich, Milan, Paris or London.

The opera house only seats 1,140 people and its stage is too small while its budget of 45 million euros ($59 million), including 32 million just to keep the place running, gives the theatre little room to manoeuvre. Despite its relatively small size, it has attracted some big names of opera: it was once headed by Gerard Mortier, who went on to lead the Paris and Madrid houses, while the late Swiss choreographer Maurice Bejart oversaw ballets there. “Even though we are relatively well protected, the (government) endowment is not rising while our expenses are growing,” said de Caluwe, whose opera house receives roughly 32 million euros in federal subsidies.

“We are forced to watch every cent we spend,” he said, adding that opera managers have become “business executives.” “The situation has really changed in a just a few years.

We have abandoned a certain luxury, although this image remains in the public opinion or in political circles.” The opera has a staff of 420 compared to 500 in 2005, while the choir is down from 50 voices to 40. The artistic budget depends on ticket sales, around 6.5 million euros, and revenue from sponsors totaling 2.6 million euros per year.

“We have sought to limit ticket price increas-

es as much as possible while maintaining our open policy towards schools or prisons,” he said. “In 2011, 48,000 young people benefited from our programs.”

The Flemish director is part of a new generation of opera house bosses who promote co-productions with other theatres in order to share costs. For instance, La Monnaie

shared the 500,000-euro bill with theatres in Barcelona, London, Buenos Aires and Oslo to produce the complex 1970s opera “Le Grand Macabre” by Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti. “Contrary to what politicians say, culture is not too expensive,” de Caluwe said, calling for an end to “this taboo which prospers in times of crisis.” — AFP

A picture taken on February 3, 2012 shows Belgian Chief Executive Officer of the Brussels opera house, Peter de Caluwe, answering questions during an interview in Brussels. — AFP

SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

lifestyle M U S I C

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M O V I E S

Indian Bollywood film actors Asin, Akshay Kumar, Zarine Khan and Shazan Padamsee, cast members of Hindi film ‘Housefull 2’, pose during a special charity screening for Cancer Aid Foundation in Mumbai on April 6, 2012. — AFP

Small London theatre feels pain of British austerity

L

ondon’s West End theatre district is booming with new shows opening every month yet small state-funded venues in the capital are being squeezed from all sides. Theatres which showcase edgy and political work that would never find a mainstream audience are struggling to deal with cuts of up to a third of their funding as local authorities are forced to tighten their belts. At the Tricycle Theatre in the deprived north London district of Kilburn, Nicolas Kent has spent 28 years shaping an eclectic output. In the last 12 months his team have produced work examining the riots which tore through London last summer and a twopart play about the history of the nuclear bomb.

But now Kent has had enough. “I’ve resigned. I quit in protest because I thought these cuts were much too big,” the 67-year-old told AFP in one of the Tricycle’s rehearsal rooms. Speaking during a brief moment of quiet in the building, which also hosts a cinema, a cafe and an exhibition space, he said: “I understand the need for austerity, and for the theatre and culture to take its share. “But what seems to be happening is that the smaller and medium-sized culture bodies seem to be taking the biggest cuts while the very large institutions are getting fairly negligible cuts.”

The Tricycle will have £350,000 ($550,000, 420,000 euros) less to spend next year compared to this year, out of a budget from grants that was about £1.2 million. With a capacity of just 250 — the biggest theatres in the West End are nearly 10 times that size-ticket receipts only recoup a quarter of the £175,000 cost of putting on a play. The Tricycle employs a staff of 40, with up to 400 people helping out on a voluntary basis, and Kent says there is simply no fat to trim. “The cuts didn’t affect the large institutions half as much as they affected the smaller ones because the larger ones don’t get much

local authority funding while the smaller ones do, because they are working within their community.

‘I have deep fears’ “The larger theatres found it much easier to attract philanthropic giving. That is what the government wants us all to do, get money through philanthropy. “But it’s very, very difficult, especially if you’re working in a deprived inner-city borough as we are, and especially if you are doing new work, and doing political work.” Until the end of March, the Tricycle staged “The Bomb”, a two-part history of the nuclear bomb and its proliferation-a far cry from the current West End smash based on Roald Dahl’s children’s book “Matilda”. Kent also fears the cuts will force the Tricycle to scale back its educational programs.

It currently gives 40,000 children a year a taste of theatre, including recent arrivals from Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan. “We help to improve their English and social skills so they can go into mainstream schooling,” Kent said. “It’s enormously important.” In the room next door, an excited class of youngsters are hanging on every word as an actor takes them through a drama workshop. Watching the happy scene, a look of deep sadness comes over Kent’s face. “In this country we have less government funding for the arts and theatre than in France and Germany,” he said.

“I have deep fears. The next four years are going to be terribly, terribly difficult. “I think these cuts may reduce our performances down to a rump and it is going to be very difficult to re-establish them.

“It’s going to be a lot harder for my successor.” One of the public bodies that funds the Tricycle is the Arts Council, whose spokesman Nick Adams says small theatres are facing a two-pronged reduction in funding. “The Arts Council has had a 30 percent cut from 2011 to 2015. —AFP

The Easiest Way of Suicide

Supermodel Klum divorces British singer Seal G

erman supermodel Heidi Klum filed for divorced Friday from her British singer husband Seal, two and a half months after the pair announced their separation, spokesmen for the pair said. Klum cited “irreconcilable differences” in her divorce petition filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, which shows that the pair signed a post-nuptial agreement, according to the TMZ celebrity news website. The couple vowed to be “civil” for the sake of the children when they announced their split in January, with Seal saying it was “difficult” but made easier because of their continued feelings for each other.

Spokeswomen for both Klum and Seal confirmed to AFP that Klum had filed for divorce, but made no further comment. In divorce papers published by TMZ, Klum asks for joint legal custody of their four childrentwo boys and two girls, aged 7, 6, 5 and 2 — but she wants primary physical custody, with Seal getting visitation rights. The legal papers were made in Klum’s married name Heidi Samuel-Seal is listed by his name Henry Samuel-and the German model is asking to restore her maiden name, Klum, which she has always used professionally in any case. The couple married in 2005 and have three children together. Seal, best known for hits such as “Kiss from a Rose” and “Crazy,” also adopted Klum’s daughter from a previous relationship with ex

Formula One boss Flavio Briatore.

They announced their split in a statement issued via Klum’s German publicist, saying: “While we have enjoyed seven very loving, loyal and happy years of marriage, after much soul-searching we have decided to separate.” Seal echoed that in a television interview. Asked about a risk that their separation could turn nasty, he said: “We’re just not those kind of people, we never really

have been. “Of course it’s a difficult situation that we have to handle right now, and it’s never easy, but you know, in terms of our love and respect for each other, that hasn’t changed at all. Klum, 38, and Seal, 49, were famous for renewing their vows every year on their wedding anniversary. But the model raised eyebrows when she attended the Golden Globes awards ceremony in January without her husband. —AFP

Hidden Fences

Yemeni filmmakers present the plight of marginalized communities Y

emen’s contemporary society finds its echoes in the films that are being screened at the fifth Gulf Film Festival being held from April 10 to 16, 2012, at Dubai Festival City’s Grand Cinemas, with free admission for the public. Three films have been short-listed for the festival’s Official Gulf Shorts and Gulf Student Shorts competitions of which two are making their world premiere in Dubai.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture &

Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the festival has traditionally served as the first platform for cinema from Yemen, especially by the country’s emerging filmmakers.

This year, director Samer Alnamri makes the world premiere of Hidden Fences, a short documentary that competes in the Official Gulf Shorts programme. The film explores the lives of marginalised people, who face societal discrimination and are also victims of violence. Their plight, often unknown to the world and seldom discussed in any developmental forums, is presented from the per-

spective of a Yemeni writer, who portrays their lives in his novel.

Competing in the Gulf Student Shorts competition is Abdulla Hedeajan’s Asleep Dad, also a world premiere. The short fiction is a disturbing tale of a youngster, who on his first day at school is asked about the profession of his father. What follows is a disruptive debate between the boy and the teacher, and the boy must now seek true answers from his father.

Another story that examines individual life versus societal pressure is The Easiest Way

of Suicide, directed by Ezah Saleh Ganab, which makes its GCC premiere at GFF 2012.

As the title suggests, the film is about a group of people who, unknown and unprompted, discover a way to end their lives.

GFF 2012 presents a rich showcase of films from across the Arabian peninsula as well as international shorts in its in-competition segments. The festival also has a diverse programme on children’s films as well as trend-setting international shorts and compelling feature films presented in the

Intersections and Lights segments.

GFF 2012 will be held at the InterContinental Hotel, Crowne Plaza and Grand Festival Cinemas at Dubai Festival City; and from April 12 to 14 at the Abu Dhabi Theatre. The Investment Corporation of Dubai is the presenting sponsor of the Gulf Film Festival; Emirates airline is its official carrier. GFF is supported by Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and held in association with Dubai Studio City. More details and updates on the festival are available online at www.gulffilmfest.com or at www.facebook.com/gulffilmfestival or @gulffilmfest on Twitter.

Klum divorces Seal

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SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2012

Bring out the best in your When making bright and marbled Easter eggs, be sure to add enough water to make the liquid deep enough to cover the egg.

R

oll up your sleeves, lay out the newspaper and let the Easter egg decorating fun begin with these how-to instructions on making marbled, speckled, sparkly and naturally dyed eggs:

Bright and marbled Easter eggs: 1- Spread the newspaper over your work surface.

2- Now prepare the dye for coloring your Easter eggs.

3- You will need a separate cup or container for each color. In each container combine one tablespoon of each of the following: oil, vinegar, and your choice of food coloring. Add enough water to make the liquid deep enough to cover an egg. Swirl the liquid with a spoon, and quickly lower and raise an egg into it.

4- Pat dry with a paper towel, and repeat with a second color. Swirl into a third color, if desired. Some white areas can be left on the egg. Gently pat dry the completed egg, leaving a bit of the oil to give the egg a varnished look.

5- Place the finished eggs in a container, such as an empty egg carton to dry. Once you’re finished with all of your eggs, store them in the refrigerator.

Speckled Easter eggs: 1- Spread the newspaper over your work surface.

2- Now prepare the dye for coloring your Easter eggs. You will need a separate cup or container for each color. Place one teaspoon of vinegar in each container. Add about 1{ cups of hot water (hot tap water is fine) to the vinegar.

3- Once you have the vinegar and hot water in the containers for your Easter eggs, add a few drops of food coloring to each container.

4- Now dip each egg in the dye.

Let the egg sit in the dye for several minutes to allow the color to adhere.

5- Use a spoon to remove the egg from the dye and wipe the water off with a paper towel.

6- To get soft pastel colors the eggs only need to bathe for a few minutes, then dry.

To get the speckles: 1- Mix 10 drops of red and 5 drops of green food coloring in a small glass, a few drops of water and you have brown dye.

2- To get the speckles use an old toothbrush, dip it in the brown, shake off excess.

3- Point the toothbrush 6 - 10 inches from the egg.

4- Run your finger across the bristles from front to back to get the splatter effect. (You might want to

To get the speckles in a speckled Easter egg, use an old toothbrush, dip it in the brown dye and shake off excess. Point the toothbrush 610 inches from the egg, and turn your finger across the bristles from front to back to get the splatter effect. —MCT photos

If you want to make designs on your naturally-dyed eggs, you can draw on the eggs with crayons. The crayon wax will not come off when you dye the eggs. wear rubber gloves)!!

5- Place the eggs in a container, such as an empty egg carton to dry.

Once you’re finished with all of your eggs, store them in the refrigerator.

Sparkly Easter eggs: 1- Spread the newspaper over your work surface.

2- Fill clear sandwich baggies with glitter, approximately \ cup of glitter in each bag. You will need a separate bag for each color.

3- Now prepare the dye for coloring your Easter eggs. You will need a separate cup or container for each color. Place one teaspoon of vinegar in each container. Add about 1 cups of hot water (hot tap water is fine) to the vinegar.

4- Once you have the vinegar and hot water in the containers for your Easter eggs, add a few drops of food coloring to each container.

5- Now dip each egg in the dye.

Let the egg sit in the dye for several minutes to allow the color to adhere.

6- Use a spoon to remove the egg from the dye and remove any excess water with a paper towel.

7- Transfer the egg to a sandwich baggie filled with glitter. Gently shake to cover the egg with the glitter. Place the eggs in a container, such as an empty egg carton to dry.

Once you’re finished with all of your eggs, store them in the refrigerator.

DIY: Easter centerpieces with peeps P Easter craft:

Magazine mini basket

eeps-the colorful marshmallow candies that are a perennial Easter favorite — are sweet for another reason besides their sugar coating. This season, we’re loving the little treats as decorative pieces. Here, we show you how to use them in vases, egg cartons and even a springtime wreath to create decorative Easter centerpieces.

Create a ‘Peep Show’ by placing peeps and Easter candy on shredded grass made from book pages.

Use three to four boxes of peeps and faux sunflowers to create a ‘Sunflower Peeps’ Easter centerpiece. — MCT photos

Naturally dyed Easter eggs: 1- Spread the newspaper over your work surface.

2- If you want to make designs on your eggs, you can draw on the eggs with crayons. The wax will not come off when you dye the eggs.

3- Combine spices, vegetables, water and vinegar in assorted pots on every burner on the stove. (Example: Turmeric would yield a lovely gold.

Chili powder would yield a beautiful rusted orange. Beets turned some eggs a pale pink).

4- Now dip each egg in the dye.

Let the egg sit in the dye for several minutes to allow the color to adhere.

5- Use a spoon to remove the egg from the dye. Wipe the water off with a paper towel, and place the eggs in a container, such as an empty egg carton to dry. Once you’re finished with all of your eggs, store them in the refrigerator. — MCT

Fill clear sandwich baggies with glitter to create sparkly Easter eggs.

A

tisket, a tasket: this colorful basket is created from strips of recycled magazines. Fill your container with shredded scrap paper for a greener take on Easter grass.

You will need: • Magazine covers • Ruler • Scissors and craft knife • Clear tape 1. To make the base, cut a 9-inch square from a magazine cover. Use the ruler to draw a tic-tac-toe grid across the square, then cut it as shown below, leaving four tabs (these will be the basket’s sides).

2. With the craft knife, cut four slits in each tab (an adult’s job). Fold the four tabs up.

3. Cut more magazine covers into {-inch-wide strips. Starting at the bottom, weave the strips in and out of the slits. When one strip ends, tape it in place, then begin weaving the next strip until all the sides are covered.

4. Tape on a strip to serve as a handle.

Tip: You might find it easier to make the base from card stock, which is a bit sturdier. —MCT

Sunflower peeps • Glass vase (rectangular, 5- to 6-inches high) • Three to four boxes of Bunny Peeps • Two to three bunches of faux sunflowers • Wire cutters 1. Place a row of Peeps around the bottom of the vase.

2. Stack another row of Peeps on top.

3. Cut the stems of the sunflowers to fit the vase. Remove most of the green leaves, but keep a few for color.

Note: You can also insert a thin bamboo skewer into the Peeps and place into the centerpiece for extra styling.

Peep show Designed by Jenny Baca, creative art director at Jipsi, a vintage-inspired home store in St. Louis.

• 3 to 4 egg cartons • 20 thin bamboo skewers • 2 to 3 boxes of Bunny Peeps

• 12 coffee filters • 10 book pages • Easter candy (such as chocolate malted balls, jelly beans, etc) 1. Stack the egg cartons.

2. Insert thin bamboo skewers into 12 Peeps and stick into egg cartons.

3. Fold coffee filters in half, crumple lightly (to create small paper flowers) and insert a thin skewer down the center of each filter. Stick skewers into egg carton.

4. Fold book pages in half (to create paper blossoms), crumple lightly and insert a thin skewer into the center of the book page. Stick the skewers into the egg cartons.

5. Shred book pages to make a grassy-like filler.

6. Place Peeps and your favorite Easter candy on the shredded grass.

Wreath peeps • Springtime wreath • 1 to 2 boxes of Chick Peeps • One large chocolate Easter bunny 1. Set a wreath on top of a plastic placemat.

Place wreath in the center of your table.

2. Stand a chocolate bunny in the center of the wreath.

3. Place Chick Peeps around the bunny.

— MCT

Make a ‘Wreath Peeps,’ with a chocolate bunny in the center surrounded by peeps.