13th May 2012

CR IP TI ON BS SU

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

Kuwait top meat consumer in Middle East

www.kuwaittimes.net

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13 20 2‘Smart7patrols’ deployed to keep Kuwait roads safe Traffic police cars bristling with latest tech on the prowl

Juwaihel: Check all Kuwaitis for alcohol traces

By A Saleh KUWAIT: Controversial MP Mohammed Al-Juwaihel issued a statement yesterday expressing amazement over what he described as a “fuss” about an incident in the National Assembly on Thursday where he spat at MP Hamad Al-Matar. “Why all this fuss about Juwaihel alone? Why is everybody mobilized because of spitting in Matar’s face? Why did the whole parliament accuse me of attending a session while drunk? Much worse words have been used by MPs exchanging accusations and calling each other foul names,” Juwaihel claimed.

“Why do some MPs want me out of parliament? If I have always attended sessions while drunk, what kept them silent all this time?” he asked in his statement, threatening to demand analyzing all MPs’ blood specimens and that of all Kuwaitis too if investigations are conducted to determine whether his blood had alcohol traces in it. “The whole story has been twisted from the spitting to going to the Assembly while drunk in a bid to expel me because they are all terrified of me exposing them all,” he added.

Islamist MP Faisal Al-Mislem had severely criticized Juwaihel and called for imposing the strictest disciplinary measures against him. Commenting in a press release in which he described Juwaihel as a ‘jahel’ (‘ignorant’ in classical Arabic and a ‘kid’ in the Kuwaiti dialect), Mislem called for ignoring him and going after whom he described as “patrons of such puppets” who have been financing TV channels and newspapers and preventing the government from subjecting the likes of Juwaihel to the law.

KUWAIT: MP Mohammad Al-Juwaihel smokes outside the parliament hall after he was barred from the National Assembly on May 10, 2012. —Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

GCC leaders to discuss Saudi, Bahrain union DUBAI: Gulf leaders will discuss a proposal for a closer political union among them that could begin with Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the Bahraini information minister said yesterday. “The idea of a Gulf union will be on the agenda of the summit in Riyadh” tomorrow, said Samira Rajab. “This union could start with two or three” members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, she told AFP, adding that the proposal for a Gulf union put forward by Saudi King Abdullah was “backed by Bahrain”.

Unlike most other Gulf countries ruled by Sunni dynasties, Bahrain was hit last year by a wave of protests inspired by the Arab Spring and led by its Shiite majority. The tiny neighbour of the Gulf heavyweight continues to see frequent confrontations between police and protesters despite a brutal crackdown on mass protests in mid-March last year, a day after Saudi forces rolled into Bahrain to help quell the uprising. On Friday, a top Gulf official who requested not to be named also said Gulf leaders will “discuss the idea of a union between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain”. The GCC, which was formed in 1981, also includes Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE. Rajab declined to elaborate on the nature of the proposed union, saying only that it could follow the “European Union model”. “In Bahrain, we support setting up a Gulf union to protect us from the threats facing the region on the political, economic, security and military fronts,” she said. King Abdullah told his fellow Gulf leaders in December that the GCC should move from the “phase of cooperation to a phase of union within a single entity”. A joint committee comprising three representatives of each member state is tasked with thinking the proposal through and should present its findings to tomorrow’s summit. — AFP

KUWAIT: An officer places into position a radar camera atop a traffic police ‘smart car’. (Inset) An officer watches traffic conditions on giant screens at a Ministry of Interior operations room. — KUNA

Max 40º Min 29º High Tide 03:25 & 14:04 Low Tide 08:08 & 21:09

KUWAIT: National police have a taken a major step forward in efforts to monitor, track down and apprehend offenders and law-breaking motorists with the deployment of “smart patrols” on the country’s roads. Efforts to employ latest electronic devices to enforce the law began in 2009 as a result of cooperation among the information technology sector of the Ministry of Interior, the police and traffic commands. “Smart patrols” were then launched following a series of tests of state-of-the-art technology, said Maj Mohammad Al-Mansouri, the head of operations of the traffic general directorate and a supervisor of the project.

A “smart patrol” is equipped with sensors, radar systems and cameras for monitoring all activities and movements around the police vehicle on the roads. The system automatically detects and registers number plates of cars and scans the car record to determine whether its status is legal or whether the driver’s record is clean or not.

The radar - which also monitors the speed of passing cars - can observe up to 40 vehicles per minute. Images of the activities on the roads are automatically transmitted to the operations room of the ministry or any other affiliated facility. Moreover, data in the system attached to the patrol car can be updated automatically every half an hour. And each car is equipped with a voice system that alerts the officer about the status of a passing car.

Currently, there are 20 of these “smart cars” deployed in areas notorious for recurring problems and law-breaking actions. Mansouri added that the “smart patrols” of the traffic police registered up to 2,055 cases of insurance expiry and 92 “wanted vehicles” in 2011-2012. — KUNA

US resumes arms sales to Bahrain

WASHINGTON: The United States said Friday it was partially resuming sales of military supplies to Gulf Arab ally Bahrain after having frozen most shipments last year amid a bloody crackdown on protests. But in a nod to concerns over ongoing pro-democracy demonstrations, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said “the items that we are releasing are not used for crowd control”. Tear gas and stun grenades were excluded from the sales, according to US officials. A senior US administration official told reporters on condition of anonymity that a frigate and harbor security boats as well as upgraded F-16 engines would be transferred to Bahrain as well as other items he declined to disclose.

The equipment and services were released “for the purpose of helping Bahrain maintain its external defense capabilities,” Nuland said in a statement

that did not describe the items. She urged Bahrain to tackle “serious unresolved human rights issues” and warned the “country is becoming increasingly polarized”. “We are concerned about excessive use of force and tear gas by police,” Nuland said. “At the same time, we are concerned by the almost daily use of violence by some protesters. We urge all sides to work together to end the violence.”

Witnesses said Friday that Bahraini police fired tear gas and birdshot during overnight clashes with protesters demanding the release of jailed opposition activists, wounding several demonstrators. Amnesty International says 60 people have been killed in Bahrain since the uprising began in mid-Feb 2011.

Nuland said Washington “will continue to maintain the holds on the TOW missiles and Humvees that were notified to Continued on Page 13

WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta escorts Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa into the Pentagon on Friday. — AP

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SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

LOCAL

300 abandoned vehicles removed from Amghara

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Following the recent cases of successive fire incidents taking place in Amghara scrapyard, Jahra Municipality held a large-scale inspection campaign to remove all scrap and abandoned vehicles. The first day resulted in nearly 300 abandoned vehicles being removed.

Commenting on the campaign, Kuwait

Municipality Director Ahmed Al-Subaih, said that municipality teams in all six governorates will carry on with such campaigns to remove abandoned vehicles and those displayed for sale along various streets. ”The campaigns will be on sale on a 24/7 basis,” he stressed, noting that the aim of the campaign was to eliminate the phenomenon of displaying vehicles for sale on streets. “Those interested in selling vehicles should advertise them

through legal channels instead of parking them in a way that jeopardizes others’ lives,” he added.

Furthermore, Al-Subaih explained that municipal by-laws state that the owners of abandoned vehicles should be warned by plastering stickers on each vehicle and allow a grace period of 48 hours, adding that if they fail to do so, vehicles will be confiscated and sold in public auction if owners do not pay fines and retrieve them.

The Municipality’s Public Services Manager, Ahmed Al-Sherieda said that the Minister of Electricity and Water, Abdul Aziz Al-Ibrahim arranged an immediate meeting at the site of Amgharah fire with Jahra security director, Major General Ibrahim Al-Tarrah and KFSD Director Major General Jassim Al-Mansouri so that a task force can be formed to remove all violations including abandoned vehicles that block fire engines.

Kuwait ‘top meat consumer’ in Mideast Chicken meat most popular

By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: In collaboration with Ibn Sina hospital director, Dr Tareq Al-Jassar and the manager of Al-Babtain Center for Burns and Plastic Surgery, Dr Hisham Abu Rizq, a KFSD delegation headed by PR and Media manager, Lt Col Khalil Al-Amir, visiting a number of in-patients yesterday.

KUWAIT: Kuwait ranks the first among Arab countries where the most amount of meat is consumed, according to recently published statistics by the Economist Magazine based on a study conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It also occupies the 12th position worldwide in terms of meat consumption. The study showed that a person consumes an average of 97 kilograms of meat, and total consumption stands at 240,000 tons annually.

The study also mentions that chicken is mostconsumed meat in Kuwait.

Past studies indicate that frequent red meat consumption causes health complications.

“Many people suffer from high cholesterol due to increased meat intake. It is also harmful for patients suffering from heart diseases and diabetes. Not only is it the main source of cholesterol, it is even more harmful when cooked with added fat. Chicken, a lean meat, is less harmful than red meat that contains the highest concentration of fats,” explained Faten Gharzeddine, Head Dietitian at the Diet Center told Kuwait Times.

“I advise people to limit the intake of meat to one to two times a week and increase seafood consumption instead. People should choose the lean white meat from fish and chicken. They should remove chicken skin, and trim the fat on meat. The cooking method also matters. Chicken that is fried (skinless), will still contain a very high percentage of fat, thereby elevating cholesterol levels,” she added.

Dana, a 28-year-old expat believes that meat consumption in her family is above average.

“We eat meat every day. Actually, Arabic dishes are based on meat broth - both white and red meat. When compared to Canada where I spent

a few years studying, I notice that meat is not consumed there as much. This might not be concerned to health, but more related to expenses, as meat prices are much higher there. In fact, I would prefer to eat less meat.

But I have to share food with family when joining them for lunch or dinner,” she pointed out.

Consumption of meat has increased worldwide, and Kuwait is no exception as well. “The consumption of meat is increasing every year. This is due to increasing population. Chicken is the most demanded meat. Its price has only increased once during this year,” noted Abu Abdulrahman from Farwaniya Co-operative Society.

Abu Mohammed from Nuzha Co-operative Society agreed that the chicken meat is most

preferred in their area. “Also, fast moving variety are minced meats. Local meat, or the imported and slaughtered locally are the most in demand. The prices are the same in all co-operative societies, and it has not increased recently. The Arabic lamb is not sold here as it is very expensive. It is only sold in the meat market,” he said.

Some people feel meat consumption is related to standard of living. “As Kuwait is a rich country and most people enjoy a high standard of living, so they can afford to buy meat, which is expensive. I do not eat meat everyday because I am wary of the spoiled meat scare. I prefer to eat seafood. I eat more salads and vegetables, rather than eating meat,” stressed Ibtisam, a 35-year- old citizen.

Renewable energy plant ‘almost done’ KUWAIT: The Ministry of Electricity and Water is “almost done” with a project carried out jointly with the Kuwait Institution for Scientific Research to establish a power plant that uses renewable energy to produce at least 60 megawatts every day, minister Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim announced in a recent statement.

“The project comes as part of the MEW’s plans to find safer ways to produce energy aside from depending solely on fossil fuel... and that to provide enough power to meet the rising demand as a result of the state’s development projects”, Al-Ibrahim said in

recent statements to Al-Jarida.

The new project is being built in AlShaqaya (near Abdali north of the country), and could be duplicated at other locations “if the experiment is proven successful”, according to Al-Ibrahim who is also the state minister of municipality affairs.

Meanwhile, Al-Ibrahim assured of the MEW ’s plans to meet the increasing demand on electricity this summer which is expected to reach a maximum average of 12,400 megawatts a day, while power plants produce at least 13,000 megawatts a day in collective average.

KUWAIT: The Commercial Bank of Kuwait officials with the winners of the “How Beautiful is our Heritages” Photography, Painting, Video and Music campaign. The winners are Adel Al-Meslem, Abdul Aziz Al-Afeya, Dhari Al-Jutaily, Ahmad Akbar, Nada Maarafi, Mubarak Bader, Lolwa Al-Sharrah and Sameera Al-Mirshed.

GCC leaders to meet in Riyadh RIYADH: The leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are scheduled to gather here tomorrow for the 14th consultative meeting under the chairmanship of Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz — the current chairperson of the GCC Supreme Council.

The meeting will focus on the latest developments on the regional and international arenas, the GCC Secretary-General Abdullatif Al-Zayyani told reporters yesterday.

“The leaders will be briefed on the progress made in the GCC metamorphosis from cooperation to union in all domains of cooperation since the 32nd GCC summit, with emphasis being placed on King Abdullah’s initiative in this regard,” Dr Al-Zayyani pointed out.

“They will review the recommendations of the GCC ministerial council relating to a range of regional and international issues,” he said.

The GCC foreign ministers will convene a preevent meeting today evening at the GCC headquarters here to prepare for the consultative meeting, he added. — KUNA

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SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

LOCAL

Cross section of Latin culture on display in Kuwait OLEK celebrates 20th anniversary

News

in brief

Ministers urge approval of budget KUWAIT: The Council of Ministers referred a letter to National Assembly Council seeking the urgent approval of 2012-2013 budget. Sources said that it being reviewed by the end of the legislative term.

However, the government will allow ministries and other government organizations to pay financial increments that were approved earlier. The budget increments approved for Kuwaitis and expats working in government sector amounts to KD 660 million and KD 90 million for those employed in the private sector.

KUWAIT: Cuban Ambassador to Kuwait, Manuel Pardinas Ajeno, center, cutting the cake to celebrate OLEK’s 20th anniversary during their annual Folklore Festival on Friday night.

By Sawsan Kazak KUWAIT: The ‘Organizacion de Latinas en Kuwait’ (Organization of Latinos in Kuwait) OLEK held their annual ‘Folklore Festival’ in which they commemorated their 20th anniversary on Friday night at the Crowne Plaza. Starting at 8:30pm, the festival featured special per formances of native dances from Argentina, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, Spain and Venezuela. Dancers in traditional, colorful costumes from their respective countries took to the stage to share a part of their culture through choreography.

Attending the Festival was the Cuban Ambassador to Kuwait, Manuel Pardinas Ajeno.

The Latin community came out in force to celebrate and commemorate the special night. ”Although we are a Latin organization, we welcome women from

all countries to participate and become members of our great association,” said Yolanda Hajali, OLEK member and organizer in her opening speech. ”This festival is a testament to how we appreciate and honor both Kuwait and our native countries,” Hajali explained. Dancers from various Latin countries showcased their talents and pride during the event. Also available on hand were booths selling accessories and jewelry from the Latin community.

The organization that began two decades ago is a venue that allows the Latin community in Kuwait keep in touch with their roots, and with each other. “OLEK allows us to pass on our heritage to the future generations and give them a chance to experience their culture,” said Hajali. She went on to explain that one of the many goals of OLEK is to preserve and

KUWAIT: Participating dancers in the OLEK festival receive certificates of appreciation.

share interests in the Latin culture, and share this rich culture with Kuwait.

It also aims to raise awareness of Latin traditions and customs as well as serve as a guide and mentor to new Latin expatriates in Kuwait; easing the transition.

OLEK holds monthly meetings that consist of discussions on latest events, news or issues that concern the community. The meetings allow younger members of the group to experience an atmosphere similar to their native homes. Non-members sometimes attend monthly meetings to learn and practice their Spanish.

The organization also gets involved in the local community, as well as try to help internationally. “OLEK has been part the International Day at American International School (AIS) and Kuwait American School (KAS). It

KUWAIT: Dancers performing Danza del Garabato from Colombia. also raised money to help a er non-profit organizations Bolivian orphanage, children throughout the world,” explained affected by tsunami in Indonesia, OLEK member and organizer, Operation Hope, and several oth- Hajali.

Kuwait-Sri Lanka MOU KUWAIT: Minister of Social Affair and Labor General Ahmad Al-Rujaib said that the Memorandum of Understanding signed with Sri Lanka Republic covers all Sri Lankan labors in the private sector, adding that the agreement stresses on protecting labors’ rights as well as employers’ rights as it decides on the duties of each party. He added that the agreement puts the broad line on salaries as subjected to labors laws, which gives the minister the right to specify wages which is currently minimum KD60.

Hezbollah praises Kuwait BEIRUT: Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah yesterday commended Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) for its contributions to rebuilding southern Beirut in the wake of the Israeli 2006 war. Nasrallah was speaking through a giant screen to mark the conclusion of the “Wa’d,” or promise, project to rebuild southern Beirut. He said KFAED “made a donation to contribute to the reconstruction of southern Beirut, and the rest of countries paid for the (Lebanese) government.” KFAED funded the rebuilding of apartment buildings, infrastructure, education and cultural facilities. KFAED is managing Kuwait’s donations and financial aid to Lebanon, including a USD 300 million grant extended after the July 2006 Israeli war.

Second panel may visit Central Bank

MUSCAT: Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, envoy of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Deputy Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs, arrived here yesterday to extend condolences over the passing of Hilal Bin Saud Bin Hareb Al-Bou-Saidi. On hand to greet the envoy were Najeeb Bin Hilal Bin Saud Bin Hareb Al-Bou-Saidi and Kuwaiti ambassador to Oman Salem Al-Zamanan.

Legislation, private sector main factors for reviving economy KUWAIT: Introduction of new stock market legislations and bolstering private sector’s contribution to the state development plan is important to help revive Kuwait economy and overcome repercussions of the global financial crisis, CEO Kuwait Asset Management Company (KAMCO) Saadoun Ali suggested yesterday.

“Speeding up legislation introduction and application as well as increasing private sector’s participation in conducting studies and implementing projects of the state development plan would help Kuwait investment companies overcome the crisis,” Ali, also KAMCO managing director, said in an exclusive interview with KUNA in which he outlined a seven-point roadmap for investment companies to get out the grave impact of the global financial crisis.

The roadmap also included the restructuring of the balance sheet of investment companies to focus on main activities and encourage local companies to emerge.

Ali also highlighted the need for state measures to stimulate the economy and implement the development plan.

“Moreover, there is a need to increase spending on infrastructure projects, diversify the economy and support the productive economic sectors,” he said.

Ali highlighted the effects of the state development plan on national economy.

“The development plan could positively impact on the national economy in general and investment companies in particular, as they can participate in conducting studies on the projects and provide funds as well as investing in public companies which will be founded for this purpose,” he pointed out.

“The development plan is the first step in the right and the positive direction for an aspired economic recovery.”

Ali disclosed that investment sector in Kuwait has incurred huge losses since the start of the global financial crisis in 2008.

“The accumulated losses of the sector during the past four years amounted to two billion Kuwaiti dinars,” he said, adding that a large number of these investment companies have failed to fulfill their financial commitments during that period.

As for (KAMCO), Ali said the company plans to cut balance sheet and sell investment portfolio to help produce liquidity needed to financial commitments.

“KAMCO will also focus on asset management and consulting activities,” he added.

Established in 1998, KAMCO has been listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange since 2003 and is a member of the Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) Group (KIPCO) - one of the leading holding companies in the Middle East and Nor th Africa.

Headquartered in Kuwait, KAMCO has established strong partnerships and affiliations with international financial institutions and experts which help to position it at the forefront of investment solutions in the region.

KAMCO offers its clients comprehensive access to local and international capital markets as well as a wide-ranging selection of financial produc ts and ser vices. K AMCO ’s strategic focus is on Asset Management and Financial Services.

The Asset M anagement ser vices include brokerage services, tailored portfolio management, forward trading and local and international fund management. As for the Financial services, they comprise the full range of corporate finance advisory services, including mergers & acquisitions, IPOs, private placements, debt issuance, investment evaluation as well as private equity. —KUNA

KUWAIT: A parliamentary committee probing the multi-million dinar deposits case plans to send at least one member to collect data from the Central Bank(CB) and some local banks, according to sources.

Sources who spoke to Al-Qabas on condition of anonymity confirm that this step follows reports in which MP Dr Faisal Al-Mislem, chairman of another committee investigating alleged illegal transfers carried out by the former prime minister, was stopped by the Central Bank Thursday to collect data.

The committee which looks into allegations that large deposits in former lawmakers’ bank accounts could be political bribes, is set to meet with representatives from the CB and some local banks. “Based on results of these talks, the committee will make a decision on whether to send representatives to collect data or not,” one source said.

Rapporteur of the committee Mohammad Al-Dallal confirmed that top officials from local banks were invited to today’s meeting “in order to obtain some information that other departments failed to provide.”

Meanwhile, the investigation committee in the cash transfer case plans to take measures “should the government fail to cooperate fully with investigations,” which include assigning members from the Parliament’s majority to adopt a draft law that eliminates the ‘private expenses’ article from the government’s budget, according to sources.

In other news, the legislative committee

plans to assign its consultants to “provide a report detailing their opinion regarding parliamentary proposal pertinent with proper penalty to be taken against MP Mohammad AlJuwaihel,” according to the committee’s head MP Dr Waleed Al-Tabtabaei, reported Al-Qabas.

The Parliament unanimously agreed on Thursday to activate provisions of Article 89 of the internal charter to suspend Al-Juwaihel for two weeks following an altercation during which he spat on fellow MP Dr Hamad AlMuttar. But according to recent reports, lawmakers appear to be willing to go that extra mile by calling for the cancelation of the controversial MP’s membership, given his history of misconduct.

Rapporteur of the legislative committee MP Al-Dallal told Al-Rai that “all court orders made against Al-Juwaihel” will be on the table when the panel discusses proposals to make the probable penalty. Al-Dallal specifically referred to a Constitutional Court order “which points out to Al-Juwaihel’s misbehavior.” Meanwhile, MP Adel Al-Damkhi pointed out in a statement to Al-Rai that Thursday’s incident “isn’t the first offense Al-Juwaihel committed in the Parliament,” referring to verbal offenses made to fellow lawmakers “and putting signs containing direct insults to MPs.” The Parliament can vote on a request to cancel Al-Juwaihel’s membership based on a report from the legislative committee. If passed, the MP can challenge the vote at the Constitutional Court, reported Al-Rai.

In the meantime, MP Ammar Al-Ajmi urged third constituency voters to “file lawsuits to demand the cancelation of Al-Juwaihel’s membership,” saying that this would make up for ‘the mistake’ of voting him to the Parliament. AlAjmi further revealed that a seminar is in the works for their constituenc y voters “to announce their rejection to the behavior of the ignorant ” - referring to Al-Juwaihel. MP Mohammad Hayef said in the meantime that “remorse alone is not enough” for third constituency voters to “justify their election of AlJuwaihel as their representative,” urging them to organize a seminar “to announce their opposition to his behavior.”

Cabinet insiders told Al-Watan that it (cabinet) plans to urge the Parliament into forming a ‘values committee’ whose job is to maintain order by holding lawmakers accountable for misbehavior committed in the Parliament, reported Al-Watan.

Separately, several MPs held the government accountable for “failing to prevent recurrent fires” like Al-Jahra tire fire incident; most recently this past Friday at Amghara scrap. “The continuous incidents taking place in Amghara and Rahiya indicates neglect which the government is to blame for,” said rapporteur of the environmental committee Abdurrahman AlAnjari. Meanwhile, MP Riyadh Al-Adasani urged the government in a similar statement to take punitive measures against ministers responsible for the sectors under which responsibility of the locations fall.

Arab journalists discuss Syria issue

KUWAIT: Amiri Diwan Minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah receiving T.K.A. Nair, the visiting advisor of the Indian prime minister, at his home yesterday.

CAIRO: Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil Al-Arabi met Arab journalists at the League’s headquarters here yesterday on the current conditions in Syria and the region.

Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Chairman of the Arab Journalists Union Ibrahim Nafea’ said the meeting, which was attended by 18 members of the union, had discussed the thorny situation in the Arab region, primarily Syria.

He said the “complicated” situation of Syria would not be in the interest of Syria, Arab world or international community.

But, he called on Syrian opposition

groups to get united as a single body to start immediately dialogue with the Syrian government on how to find a way out of the current crisis.

For his part, Secretary General of the Arab Journalists Union Makram Mohammad Ahmad voiced pessimism over the deteriorating situation in Syria.

He blasted the recent parliamentary election as having failed to change the situation on the ground in the troubled country.

“Should the Syrian government fail to change its policy, the situation will get worse,” he cautioned. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Carrying out a campaign entitled ‘Their parking place is for them,’ the Ministry of Interior continued to enforce traffic laws on parking spaces reserved for people with special needs. The campaign is being supervised by Public Relations Director Col Adel Al-Hashash and Maj Abdul Elah Al-Abdul Salam. Several brochures were distributed at the parking lot at Kuwait International Airport. Drivers responded positively to this campaign and emphasized their support for security men with respect to preserving rights of special needs individuals.

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

LOCAL

Filipina fakes rape to protect her boyfriend Asian man commits suicide KUWAIT: A woman faces charges after investigations revealed that a rape case she reported was a cover up for an illegal relationship. The Filipino woman was taken to Amiri Hospital following an emergency call in which she reported that she suffered some cuts as a result of sexual assault committed by an unidentified kidnapper. She told the officers that she was walking with a friend in Salhiya when the alleged suspect kidnapped and drugged her. Investigators grew suspicious after the friend was summoned and she provided a contradicting story. When interrogated again, the complainant admitted that she fabricated the story to protect her Arab boyfriend with whom she had an illegal relationship through which she suffered the cuts. A warrant was issued for the boyfriend’s arrest.

Fatal accident A teenage driver and an unidentified man were killed in a deadly car accident on Friday night along Nuzha-Faiha road. Police and paramedics rushed to the crash site where the vic tims’ car was

wrapped around a light post due to the force of the accident. The driver, a 19-year-old Kuwaiti man, was pronounced dead, while his companion also succumbed to his injuries inside an ambulance, minutes before reaching the hospital.

Pedestrian killed A pedestrian was killed at Ta’awon Street on Friday when he was hit by a female driver. The paramedics who were present at the scene shortly after the accident, pronounced the Indian man dead at the scene. Investigations revealed that the victim was trying to cross the street in the middle of a traffic jam when a Kuwaiti woman hit him.

The driver has been arrested.

Nepalese dies A man was killed in Kabad after falling under CGI sheets that collapsed due to strong winds recently. Paramedics and police rushed to the scene following a report about a trapped keeper of a camel breeding farm. The Nepalese man was pronounced dead as a result of a fatal head injury. The body was taken for an autopsy.

Asian found dead An Asian man was found dead inside a Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh apartment following an apparent suicide. Security officers headed to an apartment where roommates of the victim reported that he committed suicide. Criminal investigators recovered the body that was hanging from a cord tied to the ceiling. The forensic department was called in for further investigation.

Two in custody Two men were arrested for providing shelter to female expatriates reported missing by their employers. The two were nabbed following the arrest of an Asian woman in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh for residency violation. She explained that she lives in an apartment in the area which she shares with several other women for which they pays a KD30 (each) to two Asian men who sublet the apartment. Police were able to apprehend the suspects in an ambush set up in the area. The suspects are currently held pending legal action.

NBK welcomes students KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) hosted a group of students from Hawaa Bent Yazeed Al-Ansari High School for girls. The students toured the bank’s head office to learn firsthand about the banking industry and the day-to-day work environment at the bank various departments.

NBK Public Relations officer, Yaqoub Al-Baqer, received the visiting group of students and treated them to a familiarization tour of the various departments, including the main banking hall.

Al-Baqer said, “The guests showed great interest with the broad-spectrum of NBK financial and banking products and services and were particularly inquisitive about the multi-

NBK Public Relations team in a group picture with students. benefit Al-Azraq and Al-Shabab Al- sincere thanks for NBK and the Watani accounts, exclusively opportunity they have been given to designed for high schools, col- gain a better understanding of the leagues and university students.” banking job and get a personal Commenting on the conclusion of insight about NBK and the career the visit, the students expressed their field in general.

Lulu Hypermarket launches British Food Festival KUWAIT: Lulu Hypermarket, the largest retailer in the region, launched British Food Festival 2012, a celebration of the best of British food on Wednesday at the hypermarket’s Al-Qurain branch.

The week-long festival was inaugurated in the evening by Paul Gaskell, chargé d’affaires at the British Embassy, in front of a large gathering of customers, well-wishers and senior officials of the hypermarket.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the festival, Gaskell thanked the management of Lulu Hypermarket “for their wonderful initiative in bringing really good, high quality British food to shoppers in Kuwait.” He added, “This is a wonderful year for Britain; this year we are celebrating Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and we also have the Olympics coming up soon. I believe that holding this British Food Festival now is at a very timely initiative on the part of Lulu Hypermarket.

I hope as many people as possible get to visit the festival to acquaint themselves with the high-quality and large variety of delectable food products that are on display from all four regions of the United Kingdom. Moreover, it is heartening to hear from the hypermarket’s management that the indubitably high-quality of British products is appreciated not just by British expatriates, but by a growing number of Kuwaitis and other expats in the country.”

Elaborating on the products on display at the festival, a source at the hypermarket said, “With fresh dairy and bakery products being brought in by air consignment, frozen goods arriving by sea, and by constantly adding to the range of British grocery products on our shelves, Lulu Hypermarkets, with its 100 current outlets, account for a large chunk of British retail food exports to the region. In the immediate future, we also plan on opening an office in the United Kingdom to directly source quality products and make it available to our customers at the best possible prices. We need to emphasize here that the quality of British products

are second to none, for instance, British beef, lamb and chicken products are produced to some of the most stringent health and welfare regulations in the world. And British chicken is considered among the safest chicken meat in Europe as it has been bred to the highest standards along every stage of the food chain, from rearing to processing and delivery.”

To eat heartily, healthily and variedly, visit the British Food

Festival at Lulu Hypermarket and explore the delicious and diverse range of British foods on offer.

During the week-long festival, customers can expect drastic reduction in prices on many British products.

Also, during the event, the Fresh Food Department will be showcasing many regional British food specialties, giving shoppers an opportunity to taste the best of British foods right here in Kuwait.

Al-Wasmi denies rift with Al-Barrak KUWAIT: When MP Dr Obaid Al-Wasmi presented a grilling motion against Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali last week minutes before Musallam Al-Barrak’s much anticipated one, it fueled speculation on the ongoing rift within the parliament’s majority. There was much conjecture when Al-Barrak confirmed in a press conference the same day that Al-Wasmi filed his motion without referring to the original grilling presenters. But Al-Wasmi insisted in a recent interview that his move did not come out of the Majority Bloc’s general support.

“As long as there is an agreement, the names of MPs presenting the grilling or numbers of motions presented become irrelevant”, MP Al-Wasmi said in an interview with Al-Rai TV. According to the first-time lawmaker, the Majority Bloc members never agreed to submit a single grilling motion during their discussions prior to the submission.

“An agreement was reached on the topics to be addressed and the timing... I explained [during a meeting for the Majority Bloc] at [MP Mubarak] Al-Wa’lan’s diwaniya that the articles of my grilling are ready and I will be submitting them on that”, Al-Wasmi said.

While Al-Wasmi’s grilling includes three articles which focus on mismanagement of the state’s investment and bank loans policy as well as financial violations, the motion filed by Al-Barrak along with Khalid Al-Tahous and Abdurrahman Al-Anjari tackles eight subjects which expand to include alleged violations in the customs department, inability to prevent release of Kuwaitis from the private sector as well as violations by the state’s top investment and social security bodies.

“The confusion stems from the fact that both motions were presented by members of the Majority Bloc”, Al-Wasmi explained, “whereas in reality the bloc members already agreed on topics addressed by both grillings”.

Al-Wasmi strongly denied speculations that the recent incident could indicate an ongoing feud between himself and Al-Barrak.

Meanwhile, Al-Wasmi confirmed a rumor which indicates that he is currently coordinating with MP Abdullah Al-Turaiji to file a joint grilling against the Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah.

“During our ongoing meetings, we discovered some serious information which we need to discuss with the Majority Bloc members before a grilling is filed”, Al-Wasmi said.

He further explained that the grilling currently stands at six articles addressing topics that include ‘major flaws’ in the work of the Central Agency for Illegal Residents, as well as ‘illegal practices’ of senior ministry officials and alleged violations in naturalization procedures. — Al-Rai

Medicine prices on the rise KUWAIT: Many patients are reeling under the high price of medicines being sold in the country. They said that prices are on the rise and that officials fail to counter the phenomenon.

Citizen Talal Al-Mubarak who was at a medical store said, “I came to buy some medicines, which I used to get from the hospital earlier.” He confirmed that prices are high and cannot be compared with GCC countries.

Another citizen Ali Al-Tabbakh said that medicine price in Kuwait is the highest in the Gulf region. While citizen Ahmad AlOwais called for coordinating with neighboring countries to unify medicine prices and curb price hike.

Dr Ali Ashkanani said that medicines are expensive and prices are determined by the country of origin and the quality of the medicine, and that prices vary from one company to another.

KUWAIT: The Kuwait Society for Human Rights organized a special campaign at the 360 Mall yesterday called ‘Try the Wheelchair!’ A number of ministers, MPs and celebrities took part in the campaign aimed at highlighting the sufferings of the handicapped.

local

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

Kuwait pays tribute to late Father Amir Fourth death anniversary KUWAIT: The fourth anniversary of the demise of the late Father Amir Sheikh Saad AlAbdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah falls tomorrow—a distressing occasion that marks end of life of a profound leader who has left his marks on Kuwait’s history. On this occasion, Kuwait pays tribute to a leader of unique traits and long record of accomplishments for the homeland, defending rights and independence of the countr y against external expansionist schemes.

Sheikh Saad, who served during the last years of his life as Crown Prince and Father Amir took part in drafting the National Constitution, participating in marathon sessions that included legal experts for laying down a corner stone for the modern State of Kuwait. The late Amir, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, named Sheikh Saad as the Crown Prince on Jan 31, 1978, after he served as the Minister of Defense, Security and Interior. He was the first figure to serve as Minister of Interior and the second to occupy the top post of the defense.

Sheikh Saad, the fourth Amir of the Constitutional State, headed 11 cabinets

between 1978 and 2003. During his long service in this senior and sensitive post, Sheikh Saad manifested shrewdness in coping with internal and external developments that posted a threat to the country’s security and independence.

Keenly, the late Father Amir had sought to bolster Kuwait’s security and defense potentials and resources, seeking in particular, to enhance skills of the national manpower and material capacities. His contributions were so extensive. He played a role in enacting legislations and laws for regulating social security, the sectors of housing naturalization and employment.

More so, Sheikh Saad backed scientific research authorities and established the fund for the next generation, in addition to his mastermind of efforts for modernizing public utilities to meet needs of the population, as well as his care for the media and cultural fields. Aware that true patriotism is foundation for advancement and might of Kuwait, Sheikh Saad used to remind Kuwaitis, repeatedly, that national solidarity and cooperation between the public and private sectors were

KIB celebrates 39 years of success KUWAIT: Kuwait International Bank (KIB) is glad to announce that the year 2012 marks the 39th year anniversary since the bank has officially launched operation in the Kuwaiti market in 1973. KIB was originally operating as Kuwait Real Estate Bank up until mid 2007 when it commenced its operations as a fully fledged Islamic bank and started offering Shariah Compliant Services therefore broadening its presence and diversifying its services in the local market.

Commenting on the bank’s 39th anniversary, Loay Maqamas Acting CEO said: “It makes me proud to be celebrating the bank’s anniversary along with a team who is professional, competent and well-diversified which have all supported the bank in its mission to become a leading institution in the Kuwaiti market.

Throughout the years the bank has served a large base of clients and has offered high quality of services to satisfy the needs of the local market.”

Maqamis also added: “I would describe our journey as a successful and rich one where we have been exposed to many developments and challenges that have helped the bank in strengthening its bases and positioning in it as a leading Islamic Bank in the banking industry.

We promise our customers to continue in providing our services and products on the same superior level while seizing any opportunity we come across for the benefit of our customers.”

The success of the bank has been attributed to every person who extend-

ed their support throughout the 39 years journey, from the Board of Directors to Senior Management to staff, whether by their involvement in day-to-day operations or on a strategic level, the accomplishments of the bank have been built on a great team effort.

necessary for serving higher interests of the country. Although he was an ardent advocate of Arab nationalism, he adopted a peaceful approach at this level. Practically, he turned Kuwait into ‘a political hub’ - holding regular meetings with top leaders of Arab and friendly nations. At the local level, his sincere care for the Kuwaitis was seen in his regular faceto-face meetings with ordinary citizens. He used to hold such direct conversations with citizens every Monday. During the 1990-1991 Iraqi occupation, Sheikh Saad showed greater care for the citizens, checking conditions of those who had to stay abroad.

On the third day of the Iraqi aggression, he addressed the people stressing on the necessity of maintaining national solidarity and faithfulness to the legitimate leadership of the country. In his relentless efforts to liberate the homeland, Sheikh Saad held talks with the late Saudi King Fahad Bin Abdul Aziz and visited a series of countries drumming up support for the national cause. After the liberation, Sheikh Saad was among the leaders who joined hands in removing scars of the aggression and rebuilding the country. — KUNA

Leaders of Bahrain, Kuwait praised for warm ties MANAMA: Leaders of Bahrain and Kuwait are keen on bolstering bilateral relations between the two countries at all levels and this approach has resulted in securing closer relations between the Kuwaiti and Bahraini people.

This assertion was made by the Advisor of the Bahraini King for Media Affairs Nabil Al-Homor, during a meeting with the Kuwaiti ambassador to the Kingdom, Sheikh Azzam Mubarak Al-Sabah.

Al-Homor lauded the efforts, exerted by the Kuwaiti and Bahraini leaders to elevate further the level of these relations.

For his part, Sheikh Azzam said the tangible improvement of these relations were “fruits of seeds sown by the ancestors who were quite keen on strengthening these relations.”

Kuwait and Bahrain enjoy mutual cordial and warm relations. The two regional countries, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, closely coordinate in various sectors.

The GCC was founded in the 80s in the shadow of a regional war and atrocities between Iran and Iraq. It comprises Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. — KUNA

Kuwaitis attend military course RIYADH: Kuwait’s Mubarak Al-Abdullah Joint Command and Staff College (MAJCSC) delegation concluded a weeklong visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia yesterday after participating in special militar y course.

“Participants in the course got the MSA degree in military sciences,” Kuwaiti Military Attaché in Saudi Arabia Col Musaad Nasser Al-Mutairi said yesterday. — KUNA

Netherlands hosts Islamic conference BRUSSELS: A Kuwaiti delegation participated in an international Islamic conference held earlier this week in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Kuwaiti MP Mohammed Al-Tabtabaie, who was part of the delegation attended this conference as he met with the Kuwaiti ambassador in the Netherlands, Hafeeth Al-Ajmi, according to a statement released here yesterday by the Kuwaiti embassy.

Al-Tabtabaie informed the Kuwaiti ambassador of the most important issues that were addressed at the 2-day conference.

A number of leading scholars and researchers from Kuwait and other Arab and European countries attended the conference, which was titled “Cultural values and ethics and their impact on the individual and society.”

The conference also addressed the most important aspects of the Muslim community in the Netherlands and the role of Kuwait in the service of Muslims around the world.

Al-Tabtabaie thanked the staff of the Kuwait embassy, in particular ambassador Al-Ajmi and Ali Al-Zaidi and Diplomatic Attache Othman AlOthman and praised their efforts and contribution to the success of the conference. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Hundreds of Egyptian expatriates in Kuwait flocked to their embassy yesterday to cast their votes in a historic Egyptian presidential election. The voting process will be open till Thursday while the second round will be held from June 3 to 9. — Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

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SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

LOCAL Satire Wire

Local Spotlight

Kuwait obesity a huge problem

Time ripe to down shutters on KAC

Sawsan Kazak

Muna Al-Fuzai

sawsank@kuwaittimes.net t was recently reported that the obesity level of people living in Kuwait has reached 42 percent.

Apparently, 65 percent of people in Kuwait do not practice or engage in any form of physical activity and 53 percent of young people send over three hours in front of the television. It seems like the numbers are getting worst every year, but the reaction stays the same.

The only people that seem to be worried about the ever growing waistlines in this country are healthcare professionals. We keep getting informed of the many diseases that accompany obesity such as diabetes, heart disease and strokes, but no one seems afraid. The cause of obesity is also not being addressed. Yes, we know that

muna@kuwaittimes.net

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The only people that seem to be worried about the ever growing waistlines in this country are healthcare professionals. We keep getting informed of the many diseases that accompany obesity such as diabetes, heart disease and strokes, but no one seems afraid.

The cause of obesity is also not being addressed. Yes, we know that not enough exercise is one of the main causes of being overweight, but what about all the fast food options on the streets of Kuwait. not enough exercise is one of the main causes of being overweight, but what about all the fast food options on the streets of Kuwait.

I think too many people are making money off the bad eating habits of the people in Kuwait, especially the youth, that they would rather keep people in the dark when it comes to the actual harm being caused by these foods. At every corner you can pick up a burger and fries, a slice of pizza or shawarma sandwich. There are no efforts to educate the people about smarter options or even any attempts made to make those options available.

It’s great to teach people about the importance of physical activity, but you can be skinny and unhealthy at the same time. Fatty foods, hydrogenated fats and dishes that have no nutritional value are in abundance here and no one cares who gets their hands on them.

The education about eating smart should already be part of the curriculum at school and should start at a young age. Also, there should be more education and information given to the whole family; especially mothers. Exercise alone will not stop the obesity problem, eating well needs to be a big part of the solution.

o you think it is about time the Kuwait Airways ground to a complete halt until a new management takes over? I think so. There is repeated engine failure , spare parts problems and delay. All this points toward a much-needed shut down until further notice. This long list of problems are embarrassing for the national carrier, especially when compared to other carriers that began operating a few years ago.

If I were to describe the situation we are facing in Kuwait, it is nothing short of chaos and disrespect! Kuwait Airways is a scary airlines and unpredictable. You will never know if you can catch your plane on time and can reach your destination without engine failure, tire problems or other issues. You would feel very lucky if you reach your destination on time without any hassles.

Public satisfaction is an indicator of a carrier’s performance. It failed to achieve its goal, with all the losses in budget. I really wonder why it is not being privatized? This ailing, old man named Kuwait Airways can only be resuscitated by the private sector. A new company should take over, set a new strategy for marketing prepared by experts, and set a budget to buy new planes ! Try to speak with any Kuwaiti or expatriate here about level of service, they would say, ‘not even close!’

Delays are crippling if you have a transit flight at another destination. Kuwait Airways flight number 166 from Paris via Rome was due to arrive at 6:45 pm, but it was postponed without further notice due to some technical glitch. All passengers were asked to leave. They were asked to catch the next flight on Sunday. They always have the choice to buy new tickets for another carrier. But only the rich can afford to do that. What about those that cannot afford to buy new tickets? Simple, wait at the French airport until they fix the problems and remain at the mercy of Kuwait Airways!

Another example of disrespect shown to passengers’ time is in the form of delays without notice. I was travelling with my family to Dubai. It was nothing but a short flight. I had booked business class, and we were supposed to leave at noon. After waiting for the announcement for an hour, we were informed that there are some delay, and we left Kuwait in the evening after a three-hour delay. I told myself that I would never take this carrier again!

The step to privatize Kuwait Airways is not new, it was made years ago but was never realized.

This year, the Cabinet minister finally agreed to privatize, but this process appears to be taking a lot of time. It should be done, even if that means paying compensation to staff members. It is far better than wreaking havoc with people’s time, lives and reputation .

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kuwait digest

Amending Article 79

By Mustafa Al-Sarraf rticle 79 of Constitution is a stipulation that falls ology or interpretation of Sharia provisions.

Ironically, Islamist lawmakers are doing Sharia more under Chapter III which pertains with legislative authority. It explains Article 51 which is listed harm than good when they propose legislations limited under Chapter I, pertaining with powers, and indicates to a single interpretation. This reflects either shallow that “the legislative power is vested in the Amir and the understanding of Sharia provisions or a deliberate practice to shape legislaNational Assembly in tions solely as per the accordance with the point of view of a cerConstitution.”

All legislations in Kuwait are in line with tain group of voters. In Article 79 states that both cases, the Islamic “no law may be promulthe Islamic Sharia which adapts to Sharia is the victim gated unless it has been changes of time and place. The contradicbecause both practices passed by the National tions often happen when religious scholcontradict with its base Assembly and sancideology of tolerance. tioned by the Amir.” The ars make interpretations to the Sharia If we take usury for Parliament’s majority provisions, as each interpretation reflects example, we find that seeks to propose an the subject has been a amendment to add the the understanding and sentiment of the topic of much debate term “...and as long as person making them.

It is, therefore, among Muslim schol[the law] is in line with inappropriate to limit the freedom of legars regarding its the Islamic Sharia” of the branches. Scholars of article. islation as per a single ideology or interdifferent Islamic docFirst of all, it is constipretation of Sharia provisions. trines express different tutionally incorrect to opinions on whether carry out this amendall types of usury ment because this notion is already embedded in Article 2 which confirms should be prohibited. The same thing happened in that Sharia law is the main source of legislation. Christianity which also prohibits usury. Nowadays, Therefore, adding the aforementioned statement indi- Islamic scholars allowed Islamic Banks which utilize cate that lawmakers proposing the amendment lack money as a component to achieve production similar to proper understanding of the basic principle of legisla- labor forces. Unlike times when money was collected and stored, scholars realized that ‘stored’ money can be tion.

All legislations in Kuwait are in line with the Islamic utilized to make profit, therefore fatwas were issued to Sharia which adapts to changes of time and place. The legalize practices that help utilize funds without falling contradictions often happen when religious scholars into the usury category. Instead of proposing an amendmake interpretations to the Sharia provisions, as each ment to Article 79 of the Constitution, lawmakers ought interpretation reflects the understanding and sentiment to pass legislations that address persisting issues in the of the person making them. It is, therefore, inappropri- local scene. I am sure these legislations do not contraate to limit the freedom of legislation as per a single ide- dict with Islamic Sharia. — Al-Qabas

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Letters to Sahar

Help raise awareness sahar@kuwaittimes.net

kuwait digest

in my view

Dear Sahar,

Improving Kuwait’s democratic system

Need for united protest company

By Thaar Al-Rashidi eaceful protests have become a style and political trade these days, not only in Kuwait but all over the world. In Kuwait for example we have peaceful protests every week, one against an embassy and another demanding salary increases and a third to convey a message to the concerned about certain issues, and one more protesting the arrest of gay men.

Some of those protests, but not all of them of course, might cause traffic jams and parts of the streets might be semi-closed, and security men will be alerted. This is costly financial wise. Police vehicles are not running on rain water, and security men deserve overtime allowance to face those protests.

Also, road closures cause traffic jams which in turn are against the interests of the public and ultimately means financial losses, as time is money.

The issue is not material, as we by the grace of God have a KD 14 billion excess in our budget “and we don’t know what to do with our money”. But the issue is logic, and the government must deal with protests in realty.

For the government, protests are an evil and therefore I suggest founding a shareholding company for peaceful protests. They should provide and allocate an open space for it in each of the six governorates on government property. Each party or political bloc that wants to protest has to book in advance for the nominated yard allocated for protests in his governorate at a nominal charge - say 100 fils for each person.

Everyone has the right to enter the protest yard and say what he wants and shout and give speeches and demonstrate. He can even curse if he so likes, but limited to within the law. There is no objection to sleeping in the yard for one night or two along with those who support him. Thereafter he goes back home, without disturbing people or closing the roads or causing security alerts for no reason. I am not mocking protests, especially as the demonstrations last year shook the state, and was overdue. It caused Government to leave, and dissolve the National Assembly and led us back to more elections. But if anyone who has a case wants to demonstrate and protest - they will close roads. And they have become too many lately, as the number of protests has reached a number which has made them illogical. Therefore I have suggested my unreasonable suggestion to found a “united protest company” because what is happening has exceeded all reason. — Al-Anbaa

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By Faisal Al-Ghais efore discussing the democratic system in Kuwait, it is important to first acknowledge the fact that this system is considered the best of its kind in the Arab World, and one of the best among the developing countries. On the other hand, we must also admit that the system also has some flaws. One of these flaws lies in the process by which the voters elect their representatives in the parliament - which is dominated mainly by personal choice based on tribal, sectarian and other social basis, rather than ideologies that seek to build a modern state.

These criteria in the voting process indicate that there are two types of voters in Kuwait: Those who decide instantly to vote for candidates of the same social category, and voters who looks for competency and quality. In the latter’s case, voters have access to four main methods by which they can form their idea about the candidates- these include the opinions and recommendations they grabbed during their discussions, the background of the political movement that a candidate belongs to, meetings held by candidates in diwaniyas or at their election campaigns in addition to TV interviews.

While these four methods can help voters form good idea about the candidates, they remain imperfect when it comes to preciseness. First of all, voters’ opinions are shaped by views and sentiments of other people’s opinion - which means that they could differ from that of the candidate. Meanwhile, diwaniya gatherings have certain flaws. The speeches there are often dominated by complimentary language and also it limit candidates to meeting with a limited audience given the fact that not all members of the Kuwaiti society are regular diwaniya visitors - especially women.

In the meantime, many candidates ended up using their TV interviews to attack their opponents instead of talking about their policies and agendas. So what is the best way to improve the election process in Kuwait?

Advanced democracies have managed to overcome these problems. Many of these countries have statesponsored centers which document the positions of all political parties on the main issues. Each center sends a

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set of questions to the parties of which they are required to provide clear answers on whether they support or reject a certain subject.

The results are then posted on the center’s website for voters to access easily and view where each party stands on the main topics of interests. Furthermore, the websites give the candidates an opportunity to answer some critical questions. The centers also allow voters to keep track of how much the candidates they voted for have kept their promises after the elections. Kuwait doesn’t have political parties, so this method can be applied to candidates or political groups in order to help voters form better ideas about candidates’ ideologies, as well as to be able to keep track of their performance after elections. I would like to mention some few ideas our lawmakers can legislate on in order to improve Kuwait’s 50-year-old democratic process.

These ideas are: 1. A university degree as a minimum educational qualification to run for elections.

2. A maximum two terms in parliaments.

3. Each candidate must provide a program during election campaigns that clearly explain his or her stance on the issues at hand.

4. Finding a mechanism to stop the process by which lawmakers hire employees - which is often misused as it benefits relatives or supporters.

5. Each candidate declaring his or her financial assets before and after his or her tenure of office.

6. Enforcing automatic cancelation of membership of any MP if he or she has been convicted in cases of honesty and integrity.

7. Placing a Code of Honor in the parliament.

8. Placing a mechanism that prevents ‘dictatorship of parliament’s majority’, or stops the majority from marginalizing the minority.

These are some of the challenges that I hope the current parliament would handle in order to improve Kuwait’s democratic system. Some might argue that these ideas are ‘utopian’, but I believe they can still be adopted in Kuwait if there is a will to improve the country’s democratic system.

read your article about citizenship. Disclaimer first: I’m also a Lebanese and do not seek Kuwaiti citizenship. I was born and raised in this country. Both my parents came to this country during the 50s seeking a better life. I ended up going to the States for a better life and came back a US citizen. I instantly felt the difference in attitudes displayed towards me versus how I was treated as a Lebanese. Also, Kuwait is losing a great deal of potential that the expat community can contribute to Kuwait.

I, for example, along with many Kuwait- born expats have a great deal of work ethic and business ideas to create companies and jobs for all. However, a person would be hesitant to take any initiative considering the current setup of the country. Why would I give 51 percent to a Kuwaiti when it is my idea and when I was born and raised here? Why cannot Kuwait grant us expats permanent residencies? We do not want to vote? We do not want anything from the sovereign wealth fund. But issuing a ‘green card’ like the United States would allow us to employ, sponsor, create business that benefit Kuwait and all of its citizens, and residents.

It breaks my heart to see the current stagnant situation in Kuwait. The economy is completely dependent on government contracts and oil. This is not sustainable. Meanwhile, more than half the population is sitting and watching a country they love lag behind.

Regards, Ihab Rajeh

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Hello, I read your article on Kuwaiti citizenship. I really respect your thoughts on this subject which is the talk of the town but was never addressed. Thank you for that. I would request you to research on the permissions issue faced by artists (Arab/and other nationals) seeking to come to Kuwait for concerts and performances. Nancy Ajram was denied a visa. I run an event management company and am facing hurdles.

Thank you, Regards, Aziz Fozi Dear Sahar, I read your article on expatriates. I would like to raise another issue. My mother is Kuwaiti but we are not granted citizenship. We have lived in Kuwait all of our lives. We feel left out of society. We are humans.

We want to be part of Kuwait’s growing success. I would like to request you to help raise awareness on this to grant us our rights and justice. Keep up the good work !

Best Regards, Taimur S Rana

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

Kidnapped girls didn’t eat for days

Progress in talks on Palestinian prisoners Page 8

Page 10

NIZAREER: Members of the Free Syrian Army’s “Freedom for the River Assi Brigade” fire in the air to celebrate their return to Qusayr after an attack on Syrian regime forces in the village of Nizareer, near the Lebanese border in Homs province, yesterday. Violence in Syria cost at least eight lives yesterday, even as a UN force to oversee a truce neared half its planned strength, monitors said, while an Islamist group claimed deadly blasts in Damascus. — AFP

Clashes rage in Syria Opposition meets abroad to unify

BEIRUT: Rebels fought the army in northern Syria yesterday, activists said, and Syrian dissidents abroad gathered to try to unify and project themselves as a credible alternative to President Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported fighting in Idlib province, on Syria’s northern border with Turkey and a hotspot of the 14-month-old revolt against Assad’s rule.

“Violent clashes are raging between Syrian regime forces and armed military defectors ... The sounds of strong explosions were heard followed by security forces using heavy and medium machinegun fire,” the British-based Observatory said.

Violence has rumbled on despite a ceasefire declared a month ago by international envoy Kofi Annan and the presence of a UN monitoring mission now with about 150 observers on the ground.

Opposition leaders abroad flew to Rome to try to strengthen their fractured Syrian National Council (SNC), which is seeking international help in the struggle against Assad. Political jockeying within the SNC has prevented it from gaining full international endorsement. Executive members told Reuters they may choose a new president or restructure the council in a bid to garner broader support. In Damascus, crowds gathered for prayers to commemorate 55 people killed in twin suicide bombings in the capital on Wednesday, the deadliest there since the uprising began.

The carnage in Syria, once confined to provincial cities and the countryside, has crept closer to central Damascus and the northern commercial hub of Aleppo, which had seen few challenges to Assad’s power until bomb explosions in recent weeks. The latest Damascus attacks were claimed by the little known al-Nusra Front on Saturday in a YouTube video state-

ment. But the video offered no decisive evidence to prove the group’s role. Al-Nusra did not show footage of the bombings or of the estimated one tonne of explosives used in each.

Assad’s government has pointed to the rising number of explosions in city centres as proof that it is facing foreignbacked militant groups and not a home-grown uprising. Local activists and the rebel Free Syrian Army, which has frequently attacked army convoys and military targets, deny they were behind the bombings. The opposition accuses the government of orchestrating the blasts to tarnish its foes’ reputation.

Syria’s uprising began as a peaceful protest movement but has become increasingly militarised as rebels began to fight back against a violent crackdown by Assad’s forces. More than 9,000 people have been killed by security forces, who the government says have lost 2,600 dead at rebel hands.According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, about 900 people have been killed since the April 12 “ceasefire”.

Opposition activists reported shelling by security forces in Idlib and central Homs province, which have seen some of the fiercest fighting during of the anti-Assad uprising.

The Observatory said at least two Idlib residents were killed as security forces raided villages close to the clashes or fired mortar bombs from military checkpoints. Elsewhere in Idlib, four soldiers were killed and least seven were wounded when rebels attacked a convoy of armoured personnel carriers, the Observatory said.

A rebel speaking to Reuters on Skype said the FSA was not violating the ceasefire but responding to attack. UN monitors have said both sides are breaching the truce deal. “We’re not just hearing the shelling, we can see the machinegun fire,” said the fighter, who said he was hiding out near the army assault in Idlib. “Two of our men are wounded.” The Syrian state news agency SANA named 22 security force members it said had been buried on Saturday after being killed in various parts of Syria, including Idlib, Homs and Damascus. “These martyrs sacrificed their blood and souls for the nation,” SANA said.

“They refused to allow armed terrorists and those who support them to encroach and destroy Syria.” —Reuters

Ex-French PM in Tehran TEHRAN: Former French socialist prime minister Michel Rocard arrived in Tehran early yesterday on an unofficial three-day visit to meet with several ranking Iranian officials, diplomats said. Rocard, whose trip was not coordinated by the French foreign ministry, may meet Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, French daily Le Figaro reported quoting his entourage. The visit, first planned for April but postponed after the 81-year-old Rocard was hospitalised in Stockholm in late March, comes days after the May 6 election of socialist Francois Hollande as France’s president.

According to Le Figaro, the visit aims at “boosting relations” between Paris and Tehran, which were seriously strained under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy. “We hope his visit will facilitate fresh contacts between the next French government and Iran,” Michel Dubois, an aide who is accompanying Rocard during his visit, told Le Figaro.

The paper said it was not clear whether Rocard is carrying a message from Hollande for Iranian officials. Rocard’s visit comes as Iran is preparing for a new round of talks with world powers in Baghdad on May 23 that will focus on its disputed nuclear programme.

France under Sarkozy was the strong voice in the European Union to advocate harsh US-backed economic sanctions against Iran over Western suspicions it seeks a weapons capability masked by its civilian nuclear programme. France also became one of the most vocal critics of human rights violations in Iran, including the regime’s crackdown on opposition supporters, activists and journalists in the aftermath of a disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009. —AP

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

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

Algeria Islamists reel from election fiasco ALGIERS: Algeria’s Islamists were reeling yesterday from a stinging setback in legislative polls which saw the ruling party come out on top, resisting the Arab Spring’s tide of democratic change. The regime argued that the results showed Algerians’ desire for stability, at a time when regime change was bringing chaos to other countries, and outright rejection of Islamism, whose rise 20 years ago led to civil war.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s National Liberation Front (FLN) won 220 out of 462 seats up for grabs in Thursday’s legislative elections, improving on its share in the outgoing national assembly.

The seven Islamist parties contesting the polls could only manage a combined 59 seats, a major setback after their predictions of victory during the campaign.

The National Rally for Democracy (RND) of Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia, a nationalist party close to the military and loyal to Bouteflika, came second

with 68 seats, compared to 62 in the outgoing house.

While the results largely maintain the status quo, one notable change was the number of elected women, which rose to 145 from seven in the outgoing assembly following the introduction of quotas.

Algeria’s outgoing governing coalition included the FLN, the RND and the largest of the legal Islamist parties, the Movement of Society for Peace. Friday’s provisional results, which have yet to be confirmed by the constitutional council, mean the FLN and the RND could form a majority without the Islamists.

“We’d already experienced Islamism, nobody has forgotten this in Algeria... Voters were looking for security, stability,” political analyst Nourredine Hakiki said. Green Algeria, a three-party Islamist alliance, garnered a paltry 48 seats and charged widespread fraud. “There has been large-scale manipulation of the real results announced in the regions, an irra-

tional exaggeration of these results to favour the administration parties,” it said in a statement. It warned it would take measures in protest.

In the wake of the popular revolts that became known as the Arab Spring, moderate Islamist parties recorded electoral victories in Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco. Ouyahia argued that the Arab Spring was hardly an attractive scenario, calling it a “plague” that had resulted in “the colonisation of Iraq, the destruction of Libya, the partition of Sudan and the weakening of Egypt.”

Turnout had been expected to be low after a campaign that produced no new faces and failed to draw crowds. But Interior Minister Daho Ould Kablia announced a “remarkable” rate of 42.36 percent which he said confirmed Algeria’s democratic credentials. Many Algerians and observers had predicted that ever deeper mistrust, especially among the country’s majority of young people, could lead to an

even worse turnout than the historical low of 35 percent recorded in 2007.

The opposition Rally for Culture and Democracy, which chose to boycott this election, claimed the announced turnout was fraudulent and that the real figure “did not exceed 18 percent.” The Socialist Forces Front, Algeria’s oldest opposition party, garnered only 21 seats and also cried foul, charged the regime has used the election “only to consolidate its power”.

Some 500 foreign observers brought in by Bouteflika to monitor the vote reported only minor hiccups but they were denied access to the national electoral roll, which grew by four million voters since 2007.

Dozens of complaints were filed to the electoral commission however and observers were expected to release more detailed assessments on Saturday and Sunday. — AFP

Progress in talks on Palestinian prisoners WHO calls on Israel to ensure health care for strikers

BILAD AL-QADEEM, Bahrain: An anti-government demonstrator throws a tear gas canister back toward riot police yesterday on the outskirts of the capital Manama. — AP

Bahrain protesters clash with police MANAMA: Pro-democracy protesters burned tyres and clashed with police in Bahrain yesterday to demand the release of opposition leaders and rights activists, one of whom has been on a three-month hunger strike, residents said. Hundreds of youths gathered in mainly Shiite villages outside the Gulf state’s capital Manama, some masked and throwing petrol bombs towards rows of riot police, they said. Many chanted “The people want the fall of the regime!” and “Down, down Hamad!”, referring to the ruler, King Hamad. Police fired teargas Bahrain, which is ruled by a Sunni Muslim monarchy and hosts the US Fifth Fleet, has been in turmoil since activists mainly from the majority Shiite community began protests in Feb 2011, inspired by successful uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. The authorities tried to crush the movement with martial law and by bringing in Saudi troops, accusing activists of cooperating with Shiite Iran to change the system of government. The opposition and Iran reject the accusation. More than a year later, unrest persists with weekly mass rallies by opposition parties and clashes between

youth activists and riot police.

Yesterday, a police bomb squad removed an object that looked like a homemade explosive device in an area west of Manama, but police later told reporters it was fake. Last Saturday, an improvised bomb wounded four policemen as police clashed again with protesters demanding the release of Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, a jailed rights activist on hunger strike, and other jailed opposition figures. Last week, police also arrested Nabeel Rajab, head of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights when he returned from Beirut.

Prosecutors questioned him about his messages on the social media platform Twitter. He also faces previous charges of organising a protest in Manama in March.

Rajab shot to prominence last year when he became a trenchant campaigner against the crackdown. With more than 140,000 followers on Twitter, he is one of the leading online activists in the Arab world. A tweet on his account yesterday read: “Remember that your goal is not in dealing with riot police on the streets, it’s the regime. Focus on the real target, stay peaceful.” — Reuters

Kurds fire back in dispute with Iran over Mossad ARBIL: The government of Iraq’s Kurdish region fired back yesterday over allegations by Iranian diplomats and officials that Kurdistan was playing host to Israeli intelligence. Kurdish authorities described the claims, made in previous weeks, as “untrue”, after Iran’s consul in regional capital Arbil said Israeli spies were using Kurdistan as a base to work against neighbouring Iran.

“This is not the first time that Iranian officials are saying this without presenting evidence or reasons,” the Kurdish regional government said in a statement. “The government is not able to be quiet faced with these accusations anymore, so we confirm to the public there are no centres or offices of Israel in Kurdistan, and we deny this accusation.” The statement continued: “It is untrue.” “This is an attempt to draw Kurdistan into the fight between Israel and Iran, and we do not want to be part of this,” it said. On May 5, Tehran’s consul in Arbil, Azim Hosseini, said Iran’s security agencies had found evidence that “Israelis are in Kurdistan, and they are working against Iran.”

“Israelis are working under different passports and names and banners,” he told Safil, a Kurdish weekly published in Arbil. And on April 21, Iranian MP Esmaeel Kosari told Al-Alam, an Iranbased Arabic-language news channel, that Kurdistan and Azerbaijan “should know that the presence of the Zionist regime on their soil will be harmful to them.”

“The neighbouring nations should not allow this regime to have any activities against Iran.” Iraq has no relations with Israel, and the country was an implacable foe of the Jewish state under the regime of former dictator Saddam Hussein, who was overthrown by the US-led invasion in 2003.

Kurdistan does have a warmer history with Israel, however. Many of the current crop of Kurdish leaders have visited the Jewish state in past decades. Jews lived in Kurdistan for centuries, working as traders, farmers and artisans. But the creation of Israel and the rise of Arab nationalism in the mid-20th century dramatically altered the situation, spurring most of Kurdistan’s Jews to leave. — AFP

GAZA CITY: Israeli and Egyptian officials are making progress in attempts to end a mass hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners, some of them close to death, Gaza’s Hamas prime minister said yesterday. “There was progress in talks between Egypt and Israel,” Ismail Haniya said in a statement. “This is an important development concerning the demands of the prisoners.”

Egypt helped broker a deal in which Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was freed in October after more than five years of being held by Gaza militants in exchange for the release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.

Haniya has asked for its intervention in the current hunger strike.

Israel Prisons Service spokeswoman Sivan Weizman said yesterday that 1,550 Palestinian prisoners are currently refusing food in protest against solitary confinement, detention without charge and restrictions on family visits, education and various privileges.

She told AFP that it had been decided to move two prisoners from solitary confinement but could not say on Saturday if the decision had been implemented yet. The World Health Organisation on Friday urged Israel to give quick and suitable health care to Palestinian hunger strikers, including their transfer to civilian hospitals. The UN agency said it was “extremely concerned” about their health, noting one suffered from the genetic blood disorder thalassaemia and has “refused his regular life-saving blood transfusions in addition to food.” “ WHO calls on the Israeli authorities to ensure immediate and adequate access to appropriate ongoing health care for the hunger-strikers,” it said in a statement from its Jerusalem office.

“WHO also requests Israel to ensure that... release to hospital be facilitated for prisoners requiring medical treatment.” The hunger strikes

NABLUS: Palestinians wear hoods with printed faces of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails during a support rally in Nablus, West Bank, to demand better conditions in Israeli jails, yesterday. — AP have drawn international attention, with the European Union and United Nations expressing concern. Two of those protesting, Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahla, marked their 74th day without food yesterday. The hunger strikes have widespread support among Palestinians who have staged regular demonstrations in solidarity with the prisoners. On Friday, a 20-year-old Palestinian was seriously wounded in the eye by

Israeli fire during a solidarity protest in the West Bank village of Abud, near Ramallah, Palestinian medical sources said.

Thousands of Palestinians took part in ralliesin the Gaza Strip and across the occupied West Bank, including Israeli-annexed Arab east Jerusalem. Later yesterday, a joint Arab-Jewish rally was scheduled for Tel Aviv’s mixed Jaffa neighbourhood. — AFP

Iran, IAEA talks under scrutiny ahead of Baghdad VIENNA: World powers will tomorrow be closely following Iran’s first talks with the UN nuclear agency in three months, for clues on whether Tehran means business at an upcoming crunch meeting in Baghdad.

The last time that Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, and chief inspector Hermann Nackaerts met officially was in early February on the second of two fruitless IAEA visits to Tehran.

Soltanieh said the resumption of the talks “proves Iran’s determination to cooperate with the agency, confirms that claims against Iran are baseless, and shows that all of the Islamic republic’s nuclear activities are peaceful.” The two days of discussions behind closed doors in Vienna “will be a good test of Iran’s intentions in the whole (nuclear) issue,” Bruno Tertrais, senior research fellow at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, told AFP. “The world powers will be watching closely to see if there are any signs of Iran shifting its position and becoming more accommodating,” agreed Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London. He cautioned however that any signs that Iran was using cooperation with the IAEA as a “bargaining chip” ahead would “get the Baghdad discussions off to a bad start”.

The IAEA said after the latest visit-branded a “failure” by Washington that “major differences”

existed with Tehran on how to ease suspicions that Iran’s nuclear programme is not, as it claims, purely peaceful. In particular, the agency said that Iran had refused Nackaerts access to the Parchin military site near Tehran where a major IAEA report in November alleged Iran had conducted suspicious explosives tests in a large metal container.

That extensive report focused on a number of areas where the IAEA believes Iran carried out activities the agency said could only conceivably be aimed at developing nuclear weapons, at least until 2003 and possibly since.

During the visits, Iranian officials stuck doggedly to their assertion that the report, which has prompted Western countries to ramp up sanctions and raised speculation of Israeli plans for air strikes, was based on forgeries. But since February, hopes have emerged that with new US and EU sanctions due to bite from mid-2012, Iran’s approach has changed. Iran and the P5+1 world powers-Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany-held their first talks in 15 months in Istanbul in April. They were hailed by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton as “constructive and useful”. Agreeing to meet again in May, the White House applauded what it called the Iranians’ “positive attitude”, while Iran’s envoy Saeed Jalili praised the “desire of the other side for dialogue and cooperation”.

Monday and Tuesday’s talks in Vienna could give early clues on whether these good vibrations will continue in Baghdad on May 23, when the P5+1 want to get down to the nuts and bolts of the almost decade-old dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme. In particular, they want Iran to suspend the enrichment of uranium to purities of 20 percent, most notably at the Fordo site inside a mountain near the holy city of Qom. Uranium enriched to 90 percent can be used in a nuclear bomb.

They also want Iran to submit to more intrusive IAEA inspections by implementing the “additional protocol” that as a signatory of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) Tehran briefly adhered to but dropped in 2006. Tehran’s aims are international acceptance of its right to peaceful nuclear activities, for sanctions to be lifted and for the threat of Israeli military action to disappear. It also wants to be reassured, after decades of mutual mistrust, that the West is not seeking regime change.

But vital in building confidence will be Iran addressing at least some of the IAEA’s evidence of weaponisation, David Albright from the Institute for Science and International Security and former IAEA inspector Olli Heinonen said in a joint report. “If Iran does not start providing clarifications about the military dimension of its efforts, it risks poisoning the negotiations with the P5+1 and makes military strikes that much more likely,” they warned. — AFP

Iran wins release of Turkish journalists ANKARA: Two Turkish journalists who went missing while reporting on the uprising in Syria two months ago were released yesterday with Iran’s help, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said. The release of the pair demonstrated Iran’s influence with its ally Syria, which lost Turkey’s friendship when it cracked down on prodemocracy protests that erupted last year. Iran and Syria, both isolated by the West, have stuck by each other.

The two journalists were flown to Tehran, where they told Turkey’s Anatolian news agency they were in good health and looking forward to being reunited with their families. In remarks on his Twitter account, Davutoglu said the Turkish government was sending a plane to bring them home. His Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi had told him earlier that the journalists had been freed, he added.

“I have good news: our longstanding efforts have finally paid off. I just spoke to Iran’s Foreign Minister Mr. Salehi.—Reuters

HEBRON: Palestinian protesters and foreign activists hold slogans during a demonstration ahead of “Nakba Day” in Beit Omar village, north of the West Bank town of Hebron, yesterday where Israeli soldiers tried to evacuate demonstrators by force and arrested some near the entrance of the Jewish settlement of Karmi Tsour. Palestinians mark the “Nakba”, or “Catastrophe” on May 15, which commemorates the expulsion and fleeing of Palestinians from British-mandate Palestine as a result of the 1948 war that led to the creation of the Jewish state. — AFP

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

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

Ranger, two soldiers killed in Congo gorilla park KINSHASA: A ranger and two soldiers were killed in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga national park as they protected a road used by civilians fleeing rebels, the WWF nature conservancy body said yesterday.

The men came under machine-gun fire by a group of 100 unidentified militia members while attempting to secure an important transit route, said Natasha Kofoworola Quist, a WWF regional representative.

“We owe them and their families a debt of gratitude for their courage and sacrifice,” she added. Ranger Paris Paluku, married with two children, “was always at the head of any patrol, which put him at risk and ultimately cost him his life,” chief warden

Emmanuel de Merode was quoted as saying.

Virunga National Park, located on the border with Rwanda and Uganda and known for its volcanos and mountain gorilla population, has been infiltrated by four distinct militia groups in recent weeks, according to de Merode.

Local residents are said to be fleeing the area to avoid violence in “a large-scale population displacement,” he said. The park is currently closed to tourists because of the instability.

More than 150 park rangers have been killed since the east of the country became a theatre of armed conflict between various groups in 1990, according to the WWF. Its animals have also suffered, with

at least 23 of the rare gorillas being killed. More than 10,000 people have fled from DR Congo to neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda following clashes between the Congolese army and mutinous soldiers, officials said Friday.

The fighting in the jungle region has pitted mutinous ex-army troops loyal to rebel leader General Bosco Ntaganda-known as the “Terminator” and wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes-against government forces.

Some soldiers from his group, the National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP), said they had broken away and formed a new militia, the March 23 Movement (M23). Fierce fighting continued yesterday in the

province of Nord Kivu, military sources said, with a colonel saying that that the rebels appeared to have outflanked government troops.

“Yesterday the mutineers retreated from their positions near Bunagana but they have now advanced on Jomba, and we don’t understand how they appeared from that side,” the colonel said. The two towns are a few kilometres (miles) apart near the border with Uganda.

Mutineers questioned by AFP said they belonged to M23, led by Colonel Sultani Makenga, who deserted on May 4 with several dozen men and holed up in the Rutshuru territory near the border.

The mutineers said they wanted the

full implementation of a peace pact signed in 2009, when they were incorporated into the national army. On Thursday night heavy fighting took place at Runyiony, near Bunagana, and on the edge of the Virunga National Park, where Ntaganda is believed to be located. Ntaganda is wanted by the ICC on a war crimes charge of enlisting child soldiers but Kinshasa had refused to hand him over, saying he was needed to keep the peace pact.

But he is also now wanted by the government, which holds him responsible for the mutiny. A military spokesman said Thursday hundreds of mutineers had come back to the army, as a deadline loomed for them to fall back into rank. — AFP

Greece lurches towards new vote, hard left leads President to meet leaders of 3 biggest parties

KHARKIV: A handout picture taken yesterday, shows Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaite (L) visiting imprisoned former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in a hospital in Kharkiv. Grybauskaite on Friday became the first foreign leader to visit Ukraine’s jailed ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko since her transfer to a civilian hospital.—AP

Ukraine warned of isolation over ex-PM

KIEV: Lithuania’s president has warned Ukraine it could become isolated by the West over the imprisonment and deteriorating health of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Dalia Grybauskaite spoke late Friday after visiting Tymoshenko in a hospital in the eastern city of Kharkiv, where the opposition leader was moved this week to be treated for a severe spinal condition.

After ward, Gr ybauskaite met with Ukrainian counterpart President Viktor Yanukovych and relayed to him the European Union’s concerns over Tymoshenko’s condition.

Tymoshenko, 51, is recovering from a nearly three-week long hunger strike in protest at an alleged beating by prison officials. In a photograph released by Grybauskaite’s office, the Lithuanian president is seen holding Tymoshenko’s hand as she lay in a hospital bed, looking weak, emaciated and pale.

Grybauskaite said during the meeting with Yanukovych she had praised the Ukrainian authorities’ decision to allow Tymoshenko to be treated under the supervision of a German doctor, but added that it was “only the first step on the path towards European values.”

She said she had told Yanukovych that “if a solution on the treatment and legal guarantees is not found for all the imprisoned opposition members and all other people, not just the opposition, there will be a critical attitude towards this country and, of course, one or anoth-

er level of isolation is guaranteed,” Grybauskaite told reporters.

Ukraine has come under intense Western pressure over the jailing and loss of health of Tymoshenko, who is serving a seven year sentence on charges of abuse of office. Washington and Brussels have condemned the verdict as politically motivated and pressed for her release. Tymoshenko has charged that Yanukovych, her longtime foe who narrowly defeated her in the 2010 presidential vote, threw her in jail to bar her from October parliamentary elections.

A number of top EU officials and governments have vowed to boycott European football championship matches hosted by Ukraine in June in protest over the Tymoshenko case. Yanukovych this week had to cancel a summit for Eastern European leaders after most refused to attend.

But Yanukovych has so far refused to bow to Western demands to free Tymoshenko, saying he was not involved in her prosecution and that his government was only fighting corruption. On Friday, he said that that the current “pause” in Ukraine-EU ties may actually benefit the two sides by giving each more time to ponder their relationship.

From her prison cell, Tymoshenko has urged Ukraine’s fragmented pro-Western opposition unite and join forces in the October election. Opposition parties were holding a forum in Kiev yesterday to discuss such plans. — AP

Putin’s first week sees wave of challenges MOSCOW: Vladimir Putin appeared to shed tears of joy the night he won back the presidency in March. After less than a week in office, he may be tempted to shed some in frustration. Since his inauguration on Monday, the man whose 2000-2008 presidency was characterized by steely control and a cowed opposition has faced a wave of confrontations and misfortunes.

Opposition activists, energized by this winter’s unprecedented wave of massive protest rallies and angered by Putin’s March 4 re-election, which they claim was riddled with vote fraud, are showing new willingness to risk arrest and police beatings.

A corps of the most determined has occupied a Moscow square since Wednesday. Although small in number, the defiance is significant in a country where unauthorized rallies are routinely dispersed with force.

Putin has also taken hits on other fronts.

An airliner that is the pride of Russia’s campaign to regain a foothold in the civilian aviation industry crashed Wednesday under mysterious circumstances in Indonesia. The next day, a project of even greater national significance - the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, appeared vulnerable: Authorities said they had uncovered an elaborate and heavily armed plot to attack the games in the Black Sea resort.

Putin meanwhile baffled the world by announcing that he would not attend next week’s Group of Eight summit in Camp David - a startling absence for a man who appears to relish the world spotlight. Nor did the days leading up to the inauguration augur smooth sailing for at least the early part of Putin’s new, six-year term. Tensions

with the United States got a very public viewing when the military chief of staff threatened pre -emptive strikes if Washington moves ahead with a European missile-defense program. An inauguration eve protest attracted tens of thousands, well more than expected, and vivid scenes of police beating and dragging demonstrators played worldwide. Two car bombs in Dagestan killed 13 and wounded scores.

Putin’s decision not to go to the G-8 summit - instead sending his predecessor and now prime minister Dmitry Medvedev - was explained as necessary for Putin to form his Cabinet. That raised eyebrow since Putin’s return to the presidency had been all but certain since he announced his intention to run last September. Some observers suggested it gave Putin a convenient excuse to avoid a highly visible international forum where his tough line against dissent could come under criticism.

The harsh measures against protesters on the day before the inauguration and subsequent arrests at smaller protests in the following days were a harsh contrast to Russia’s winter of discontent, during which demonstrators fastidiously stayed within the limits sanctioned by authorities and police in turn kept close watch but did not interfere. But the opposition now is raising the stakes, even setting up a small roundthe-clock demonstration in a Moscow square.

That puts Putin in a bind. Either he invites international opprobrium with tough police action or risks allowing the opposition to expand its actions to something resembling the 2004 Orange Revolution tent-camp in Kiev. —AP

ATHENS: Greece’s president summoned party leaders yesterday for one final attempt to avert new elections, but the effort looked doomed to fail after politicians deeply divided over austerity plans said they would stick to their guns.

Greece’s political landscape is in disarray a week after an election left parliament almost equally divided between parties backing and opposing an EU/IMF bailout that keeps Athens afloat in return for pledges of deep spending cuts and tax hikes.

If President Karolos Papoulias fails in a final attempt to persuade leaders to form a coalition, he will have to call a new vote in June.

Opinion polls predict the balance of power would tip decisively towards the bailout’s radical leftist opponents, potentially jeopardising Greece’s membership in the euro zone.

Papoulias called the leaders of the three biggest parties for coalition talks on Sunday at 0900 GMT, after Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos became the third and last of them to acknowledge he had failed to assemble a coalition.

Without a government to negotiate a new aid tranche from the EU and IMF, Greece risks bankruptcy in weeks and - as European leaders now openly acknowledge - potential ejection from the common currency. A week of effor ts to put together a government failed because of disagreement over the bailout. Par ty officials said on Saturday they would not change their stances. “There is no change (to our position),” said Panos Skourletis, a spokesman for the anti-bailout Left Coalition SYRIZA party, which placed second on Sunday and has since seen its popularity increase as anti-bailout voters rally around its charismatic 37year-old leader, Alexis Tsipras.

“It is obvious that there is an effort to bring about a government that will implement the bailout. We are not participating in such a government,” Skourletis told Reuters.

Tsipras has the most to gain from a new vote. If, as polls predict, SYRIZA overtakes the conservatives to place first, it would be awarded an extra 50 seats in the 300-seat house, making the former student activist - little known outside Greece just weeks ago - into the country’s pre-eminent politician.

A senior official at the smaller and more moderate Democratic Left party, which has enough seats to give the pro-bailout parties a majority, reiterated that it would not participate in a government

ATHENS: Greece’s President Karolos Papoulias (right) welcomes Socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos at his office yesterday. Papoulias’ office announced yesterday that the president would meet initially with the heads of the three parties that won the most votes in today’s inconclusive elections; the conservative New Democracy, radical left-wing Syriza and socialist PASOK. He will then meet individually with the leaders of the other four parties that won enough votes for parliamentary seats. — AP unless SYRIZA also agreed to join.

Last Sunday’s election saw voters punish the two parties that dominated the country for generations - Venizelos’s PASOK and the conservative New Democracy party of Antonis Samaras - which jointly negotiated the bailout package.

The two, which usually account for around 80 percent of votes, saw their combined tally collapse to just 32 percent. The rest of the votes were cast for small parties that oppose the bailout, ranging from the Communists to the far right. In televised remarks during his meeting with Papoulias, Venizelos urged the president to lean on Tsipras to join an “ecumenical government”. “I put this forth to Mr Tsipras. I haven’t received a positive response,” Venizelos said. “I believe that is where your efforts should be focused during the consultations.”

The president replied: “There are signs of optimism in what you are telling me and I hope I can contribute to the formation of a government - because things are rather difficult.” The lurch towards a new election has caused havoc in financial markets, both in Greece and across Europe.

On Friday, as politicians acknowledged their failure to agree a coalition, the euro fell to its lowest point since January near $1.29, and the Athens stock exchange lost 4.5 percent, sinking to its lowest level in two decades.

The prospect of Greece leaving the euro was once seen as potentially devastating for the continent’s financial system, but is now seen as more manageable as banks wrote off much of their Greek debt this year.

Irish central bank chief and European Central Bank policymaker Patrick Honohan said yesterday a Greek exit would damage confidence in the euro zone but need not be fatal. “Technically, it can be managed. It would be a knock to the confidence for the euro area as a whole. So it would add to the complexity of the operation until things settle down again. It is not necessarily fatal, but it is not attractive,” he told a conference in Estonia.

If a new election is declared, Venizelos and Samaras will be hoping Greek voters are frightened enough by the prospect of losing the euro that they return to the traditional parties. But the consolidation of the anti-bailout vote around Tsipras means that even if PASOK and New Democracy pick up votes, they could lose a large number of parliamentary seats.

Tsipras says the bailout deal must be torn up, though like most Greeks he also says he wants to keep the euro, a position seen in Brussels as untenable without the bailout. In a country where more than half of young people are now unemployed and most blame the middle aged political class for pur-

suing narrow interests, he has tapped into generational rage.

The momentum is clearly behind him. A cartoon on the front page of the Ta Nea newspaper showed the boyish Tsipras riding off with the ballot box on a toy horse. Good looks and a self confident manner have also helped.

One of the slogans of his supporters on the internet rhymes: “Come on Alexi - for a Greece that’s sexy!”

The European Union/International Monetary Fund bailout requires Greece to cut wages, raise taxes, fire state employees, sell off state assets and reform labour laws. EU leaders say it is needed if Athens is ever to become solvent.

But opponents say the harsh medicine is self-defeating, making it impossible for Greece to emerge from the euro zone’s worst recession which has ground on relentlessly for five years. Germany opened the door on Saturday to additional measures to promote growth in Greece, but said any such steps would still depend on Greece carr ying out its agreed reforms.

“There is not a better solution.

Greece must now show if it has the power to get the necessary m a j o r i t i e s fo r t h i s. I c a n o n l y hope that those responsible in Greece will quickly see reason,” German Fi n a n ce M i n i s te r Wolfgang Schaeuble said in an i n te r v i e w w i t h t h e We l t a m Sonntag weekly. —Reuters

Thousands at Bosnia burial of Muslim war victims SARAJEVO: Thousands of mourners attended the burial yesterday of the remains of 34 Muslims killed by Serb forces during the 19921995 Bosnia war but only identified last year.The ceremony for the victims-who were found in mass graves in the region took place in the town of Bratunac in what is today the Bosnian Serb entity the Republika Srpska. One of the mourners, Mehmed Begic, watched as the remains of his son Merim, 18 years old at the time of his death, were buried.

“I have already buried three of my children at this cemetery,” said Begic, who lost another son and two daughters early in the conflict. “ Today, I will bur y the fourth one... I am relieved knowing that he is buried at last. I was afraid we would never find his remains, and now, this is over,” he said, speaking on national radio.

More than 600 Muslims were killed in this northern Bosnian region at the start of the war, most of them in 1992, according to estimates by associations grouping war victims and relatives. The remains of the 34 victims buried at the cemetery in Veljaci on Saturday were found in mass graves in the region and identified last year. A total of 252 victims have been buried at the cemetery.

Before the funeral, about a dozen graves were damaged by unknown perpetrators who

pulled out commemoration signs, the radio report said. At the start of the conflict, Bosnian Serb forces took control of almost two-thirds of Bosnian territory, killing thousands of civilians and expelling almost all non-Serbs in a campaign later dubbed “ethic cleansing”.

In 2004, the UN war crimes tribunal sen-

tenced the former Bosnian Serb political leader in the region, Miroslav Deronjih, to 10 years in prison. He he had pleaded guilty to ordering an attack against the town of Glogova in the Bratunac region in May 1992 that killed 60 Bosnian Muslims. Deronjic died in 2007 while serving a prison term in Sweden. — AFP

SARAJEVO: A Bosnian Muslim girl is seen beside the coffin of a relative during a funeral for 34 Bosnian Muslims killed at the beginning of the 1992-95 Bosnian war, in Bratunac, 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Sarajevo, Bosnia, yesterday. All victims were exhumed from mass graves and identified by DNA method. — AP

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

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

Kansas lawmakers pass anti-Islamic law measure TOPEKA: A bill designed to prevent Kansas courts or government agencies from making decisions based on Islamic or other foreign legal codes has cleared the state Legislature after a contentious debate about whether the measure upholds American values or appeals to prejudice against Muslims.

The Senate approved the bill Friday on a 33-3 vote. The House had approved it, 120-0, earlier in the week.

The measure goes next to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, who hasn’t said whether he’ll sign or veto the measure.

The measure doesn’t specifically mention Shariah law, which broadly refers to codes within the Islamic legal system. Instead, it says that courts, administrative agencies or state tribunals can’t base rulings on any foreign law or legal system that would not grant the parties the same rights guaranteed by state and US constitutions.

But several supporters specifically cited the potential use of Shariah law in Kansas as their concern. Though

there are no known cases in which a Kansas judge has based a ruling on Islamic law, supporters of the bill cited a pending case in Sedgwick County in which a man seeking to divorce his wife has asked for property to be divided under a marriage contract in line with Shariah law.

The bill’s supporters said it simply ensures that legal decisions will protect long-cherished liberties, such as freedom of speech and religion and the right to equal treatment under the law. Sen. Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican, said a vote for the legislation is a vote to protect women.

“In this great country of ours and in the state of Kansas, women have equal rights,” Wagle said during the Senate’s debate. “They stone women to death in countries that have Shariah law.”

The bill passed both chambers by wide margins because even some legislators who were skeptical of it believed it was broad and bland enough that it didn’t represent a specific political attack on Muslims.

“We don’t have any intolerance in this bill. Nobody’s stripped of their freedom of religion,” said Sen. Ty Masterson, an Andover Republican. “ This is talking about the law American law, American courts.”

But several senators noted that supporters of the bill have singled out Shariah law in talking about it. “This bill will put Kansas in a light that says we are intolerant of any other faith,” said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Tim Owens, an Overland Park Republican who voted against the bill. “I would not be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning if I didn’t stand up and say I don’t want to be that kind of person and I don’t want to be in a community or a state that is that way.”

Both the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations and the National Conference of State Legislatures say anti-Shariah proposals have been considered in 20 states, including Kansas.

Oklahoma voters approved a ballot initiative in 2010 that specifically men-

tioned Shariah law, but both a federal judge and a federal appeals court blocked it.

“It is an effort to demonize Islam,” said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Washington-based council. “As Muslims are seen participating in a positive way in society, that really irritates some people.” In Kansas, 45 House members, led by Rep. Peggy Mast, an Emporia Republican sponsored a bill aimed at Shariah law last year. The House approved it overwhelmingly, but it stalled in the Senate; this year, the House pushed another version, and pressure built on senators.

Mast had a news conference Thursday to highlight the Sedgwick County case, in which Hussein Hamdeh, a Wichita State University physics professor, filed for a divorce in November 2010 from his wife, Hala.

Their Islamic marriage contract, made in Lebanon, promised her a $5,000 payment should they split. He argued that the contract settled prop-

erty issues, while Islamic law limited spousal maintenance payments to her to three months. Her attorney said in a court document that following Islamic law would leave her “destitute.”

Hussein Hamdeh’s attorney declined to comment because the case is pending. Hala Hamdeh’s attorney did not return a telephone message seeking comment. Sen. Garrett Love, a Montezuma Republican, said even if no Kansas court has yet based a decision on foreign legal codes, “That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still protect Kansans from those foreign laws being used in the future - a future that really may not be that far away.”

But several senators questioned whether the legislation is necessary, arguing Kansas judges and officials already must adhere to the US and state constitutions. Hooper derided it as “an anti-unicorn” bill. “All it does is increase hostility toward Islam and suspicion of Muslims,” Hooper said. The anti-Sharia law measure is House Sub for SB 79. — AP

Tennessee governor inks controversial ‘sex ed’ bill Critics fear limitations will hamper safe sex education

CHANTILLY: In this Wednesday, May 2, 2012 photo, supporters take pictures as they listen to Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at a campaign stop in Chantilly, Va. Everybody, it seems, is talking about women in this campaign - what they should do, how they should act, who they should be in society. But do women see themselves reflected in the dialogue - or is the mirror of political rhetoric distorting their concerns? — AP

Women ponder how they became a campaign issue DENVER: Wanda Ramey stood on the University of Colorado campus, cane in one hand, “Close The Pay Gap” sign in the other. The rally for equal pay among women in the workplace was the 65year-old spitfire’s second stop in a day of meetings and protests.

A registered independent, Ramey’s top priorities this election year aren’t necessarily directly related to the “war on women” that Democrats have accused Republicans of waging. She worries about the future of her grandchildren, their education and whether they’ll find jobs one day.

But when she read about a proposal in Virginia to mandate a vaginally invasive form of an ultrasound before an abortion, she emailed friends to sound the alarm. And when she learned of the equal pay protest, she decided, broken pelvic bone and all, to stand shoulder-toshoulder with dozens of other women, sign held high in the air.

“Men are talking about my uterus? I have a voice. I can talk,” she said. “And I think that’s what they’re finding out.”

Everybody, it seems, is talking about women in this campaign - what they should do, how they should act, who they should be in society. But do women see themselves reflected in the dialogue - or is the mirror of political rhetoric distorting their concerns? How, exactly, is all this talk about women playing among women?

You could hear these issues play out on a recent day in this key presidential swing state - first, at the equal pay protest, but later at a hotel near Broncos stadium, where five conservative women led a panel discussion to strategize about reframing the rhetoric and working to woo more women voters to their camp this year. There was passion, but there was also irritation. Some women said talk about contraception was a distracting sideshow; others said the preoccupation of some politicians with abortion showed they were out of touch. “ They really must not know what exactly is going on,” said a university student with friends who’ve had both babies and abortions. “They” are the male politicians who still outnumber women at all levels of elective office, but also the two men running for president who keep trying to one-up each other in reaching out to this vital, but hardly monolithic, voting bloc.

The upshot: Whether seen as real or manufactured, something about the socalled “war ” is resonating among American women who could well make the difference on Election Day. Many are acting out and speaking up. Many are, in fact, girding for battle, in one way or another.

As Ramey put it: “They’ve woken a sleeping giant.” Glimpse a few Facebook pages these days, and you’ll find an abundance of exasperation. There is the “Angr y Conser vative Women” page, which insists: “The only war on women (and on freedom) is being waged BY THE

LEFT!” Then there’s “One Million Pissed Off Women,” which warns: “We have HAD IT. ... We are no longer willing to be compromised or thrown under the bus.” It all follows four months of headline-making salvos that, to some women at least, have begun to feel like a bombardment of sorts. Think: Susan G. Komen ending cancer-screening grants to Planned Parenthood (quickly reversed). And disputes over laws designed to protect women against wage discrimination ( Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker last month signed a repeal of his state’s equal pay law, while a US Senate candidate in Michigan called a federal equal pay law a “nuisance.”)

And there’s the ongoing fight over abortion. After Republicans made historic gains during the tea party-driven “red tide” of 2010, abortion was back on legislative agendas with a vengeance. In 2011, 24 states enacted a record 92 provisions restricting access to abortion services in some way, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights organization that tracks such proposals.

This year dozens more provisions were introduced in state legislatures nationwide. A measure in South Carolina, for example, would eliminate a woman’s ability to get an abortion through the state health plan if she’s a victim of rape or incest. Georgia and Arizona have banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy; Utah increased to 72 hours the waiting period required before an abortion; Mississippi now requires doctors performing abortions at a clinic to be a certified OB-GYN with admitting privileges at a local hospital.

Not all of these actions have received as much attention - or inspired as much controversy and derision - as the Virginia proposal to mandate a transvaginal ultrasound before an abortion. Hundreds of women converged on the state Capitol in Richmond; Jon Stewart said the bill required a “TSA pat-down inside their vagina.” The governor eventually signed a pared-down law requiring abdominal ultrasounds instead.

There was also the battle over whether religious-affiliated employers should have to cover birth control in insurance plans. When law student Sandra Fluke, prevented from testifying before Congress on the issue, spoke instead to a Democratic panel to advocate payments for contraceptives, Rush Limbaugh set off a firestorm by calling her a “slut.”

Karen Teegarden saw the congressional hearing from which Fluke was excluded, and saw the all-male witness table. And within days this 56-year-old wife, mother and marketing specialist from Birmingham, Mich., had launched UniteWomen.org. Its mission statement: “Help defend women’s rights and pursuit of equality.”Using social media and the Internet, Teegarden’s group organized protests in cities all across the country on April 28. — AP

NASHVILLE: Tennessee teachers can no longer condone so-called “gateway sexual activity” such as touching certain gateway body parts under a new law that critics say is too vague and could hamper discussion about safe sexual behavior. Governor Bill Haslam’s office Friday confirmed that he had signed the bill, which stirred up controversy nationwide and even was lampooned by comedian Stephen Colbert. “Kissing and hugging are the last stop before reaching Groin Central Station, so it’s important to ban all the things that lead to the things that lead to sex,” he said on the “Colbert Report” television show.

But proponents say the new law helps define the existing abstinence-only sex-education policy. Under the law, Tennessee teachers could be disciplined and speakers from outside groups like Planned Parenthood could face fines of up to $500 for promoting or condoning “gateway sexual activities.”

David Fowler, president of the Family Action Council of Tennessee, which pushed the bill, said it does not ban kissing or holding hands from discussion in sex ed classes. But he said it addresses the touching of certain “gateway body parts,” including buttocks, breasts

and the inner thigh.

It is unclear from the bill’s wording whether Tennessee teachers could promote .... The bill sailed through the legislative session, passing the Senate 28-1 and the House 68-23.

Opponents, which include Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee and the state teachers’ union, say that before they can begin fighting the new law, they have to be able to figure it out. They worry that discussion of sexual behavior could be interpreted as condoning it.

“The very ambiguous language in this bill certainly puts teachers in a very difficult situation” when it comes to knowing what to teach, said Jerry Winters, spokesman for the Tennessee Education Association.

Fowler said the new law was authored in part because of incidents in which teachers were instructing about alternate sexual practices as ways to have gratification without risking pregnancy, according to Fowler.

He said one such incident involved a Nashville high school teacher who was encouraging girls to give boys ... in order to get a condom on them. Fowler also pointed to a Planned Parenthood-organized program at a

school in Knoxville, where students were directed to a web site “that actually lists as possible methods of birth control things like sex play that I think most Tennesseans would find inappropriate.”

Lyndsey Godwin, manager of education and training for Planned Parenthood, said the idea that her group was encouraging such behavior was “utterly false.” She said that while Planned Parenthood educators may answer a student’s question by agreeing that anal and oral sex don’t lead to pregnancy, they also emphasize the disease risks.

Godwin said Planned Parenthood supports the state’s abstinence-centered policy, but the reality is not everyone can be abstinent. She said that being able to address issues of condom use, contraception and answer questions about sexual behaviors to educate students are essential to her group’s role.

Winters of the Tennessee Education Association said that already existing sex education policy was “quite adequate.” “It does focus on abstinence, but in this modern world to say that ‘just say no’ is the answer to teenage pregnancy is putting your head in the sand,” Winters said. — Reuters

North Carolina a political headache for Democrats

MISSISSIPPI: This combo of file photos provided by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety shows Alexandria Bain, 12, left, and Kyliyah Bain, 8. Adam Mayes, wanted by the FBI for killing Jo Ann Bain, 31, and her daughter, Adrienne Bain, 14, and kidnapping sisters Alexandria Bain, 12, and Kyliyah Bain, 8, shot himself to death as officers closed in Thursday evening, in Guntown, Miss. The two children were rescued without injuries and released from a hospital Friday. — AP

Kidnapped girls didn’t eat for days GUNTOWN: Hope was fading that two young sisters abducted from their Tennessee home would be found alive two weeks after they vanished: Their kidnapper had already killed their mother and sister, and he was armed with a pistol as officers closed in.

Yet 12-year-old Alexandria and 8-year-old Kyliyah Bain went home to their father Friday alive, with no apparent injuries other than being tired, scared and itchy from poison ivy.

They told the officers who found them that they had not had food or water for three days, said Mississippi Highway Patrol Master Sgt. Steve Crawford. Beverly Goodman, the aunt of the slain mother, Jo Ann Bain, said she was relieved the girls were home but still saddened by the killings of Bain and Bain’s 14-year-old daughter Adrienne.

“He’s been missing for so long. How do you hide out from 350 million people?” Goodman said. “I thought they were going to find them dead - the girls and him so I am very, very relieved that those girls are home and they’re not dead, like I figured they were gonna be.”

At one point, Mayes claimed to be the girls’ father.

That may be why he spared them, one criminologist said. It also may be that while he wanted to escape prosecution, he didn’t believe the girls were better off dead. And he was close to the family, described as an uncle-like figure who smiled cheek-to-cheek with the girls in Facebook photos.

“He probably developed an attachment to them, and even the most vicious of killers can separate the world into people they care about, people they detest and people they don’t care about,” said James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University.

Authorities said Mayes, 35, killed Jo Ann Bain and 14year-old Adrienne on April 27 in Whiteville, Tenn. Mayes’ wife, Teresa Mayes, is charged with murder in the killings. She told investigators she saw her husband kill the mother and oldest girl, then drove him, the younger children and the bodies to Mississippi, according to court documents. — AP

CHARLOTTE: Once a bright spot for President Barack Obama, North Carolina is now more like a political migraine less than four months before Democrats open the party’s national convention in Charlotte.

The causes are plenty. Labor unions, a core Democratic constituency, are up in arms. Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue isn’t running for re-election; Democrats say she was likely to lose. The state Democratic Party is in disarray over an explosive sexual harassment scandal.

Voters recently approved amending the state constitution to ban gay marriage, a position that runs counter to Obama’s.

And unemployment in the state remains persistently high.

“Nobody can sugarcoat the fact that we got problems here,” said Gary Pearce, a former Democratic consultant who was an adviser to former Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt. Pearce was referring specifically to state party woes but could have been talking about any of the troubles here for Democrats.

But, he added: “I think the greatest strength that the party has is President Obama. And he’s the thing that people will rally around.” It wasn’t supposed to be like this - at least that was the hope when Democrats chose Charlotte to host the national convention, where Obama will formally accept his party’s presidential nomination for a second time, Sept. 4-6.

When Democrats announced the choice in February 2011, they said selecting the Southern city signaled Obama’s intent to fight hard for the conservative-leaning

state like he did in 2008. They also highlighted the economic transformation in the state and in Charlotte - from tobacco, textiles and furniture-making to research, energy and banking. Party leaders noted the state’s strong political leadership and expressed hope that a Perdue re-election bid would get a boost from the attention that would be lavished on the convention.

Now traditional Democratic Party groups are threatening huge protests in part because they’re deeply uncomfortable that the convention is being held in one of the least union-friendly states. And thousands of Democrats across the country are calling for the convention to be relocated because of the gay-marriage vote.

Democrats say that won’t happen.

“Charlotte is going to host a great convention,” insisted Mayor Anthony Foxx, who pushed to bring the event to North Carolina’s largest city. Said Democratic National Convention in Charlotte spokeswoman Joanne Peters: “The convention is staying in Charlotte.”

Republicans point out the obvious.

“North Carolina is a mess for the Democratic Party and for President Obama,” said Republican National Committee spokesman Matt Connelly.

Four years ago, Obama became the first Democrat to carry North Carolina since Jimmy Carter in 1976. He did it by exploiting voter anger at President George W. Bush and assembling a diverse coalition of supporters, including huge numbers of minorities who had never been politically organized and young voters. — AP

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden (L) and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano (R), honors the 2012 National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) TOP COPS award winners at a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, DC yesterday. — AFP

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

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

Myanmar villagers want share of energy bonanza SHWERI CHAI: For decades the islanders of Shweri Chai, a speck of land in the Bay of Bengal, have extracted oil using makeshift pulleys to draw the reddish liquid from the ground. But with foreign investors salivating over the energy potential of their resource-rich but desperately poor nation, the locals fear the windfall they have relied upon for so long may soon disappear.

“Before, there were a lot of traditional drillers in the region but because of foreign companies, there are a lot fewer,” said islander San Kyaw, 60. Myanmar is rich in oil and gas and currently France’s Total, in partnership with US energy giant Chevron, and Malaysia’s Petronas are among the overseas firms enjoying the fruits of a tie-up with Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise.

Meanwhile only 13 percent of the population has access to electricity, according to 2009 figures from the World Bank. Critics say the rewards of the nation’s energy bounty are being shared among foreign investors and the regime, rather than its impoverished

people. There is hope that the new government “will be much more accountable and much more transparent with what it does with oil and gas revenues, but it is still to be seen,” said Sean Turnell, a Myanmar expert at Macquarie University in Sydney.

Locals fear the new government led by former general President Thein Sein, which replaced the junta in March 2011, will do little to share the spoils. “We are victims of a kind of colonialism,” said Khaing Kuang San, an activist against the Shwe Gas project, showing a T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Our Gas, Our Future.”

On the tropical island of Shweri Chai, a six hour boat journey from Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state, San Kyaw’s small oil well extracts about 35 litres (nine US gallons) a day. Several men sleep in turn in a shack, which houses the pulley used to heave the precious liquid from about 200 metres (650 feet) below the surface.

“I prefer to drill it myself, rather than leaving it to foreigners,” he said, pulling

at the cable while smoking a cigar.

“We’ve been doing this for 300 years.”

That may be an exaggeration, but Myanmar is indeed one of the world’s oldest oil producers, exporting its first barrel in the 1850s. More than a century and a half later Shweri Chai is proud that it can power its generators from oil produced by its seven wells, providing energy for the small fishing village in a country where power cuts are otherwise routine. But not all the inhabitants of the region, which borders Bangladesh, are as well off, explained Khaing Pyi Soe, par ty secretar y for the Rakhine Nationalities Development Par ty (RNDP), the dominant power in the regional parliament.

“We want some benefits of the Shwe Gas” in order to provide power for the wider state, he said, referring to a set of controversial projects to exploit gas reserves off the coast of Rakhine.

These include building an 800 kilometre (500 mile) pipeline to transport Myanmar gas to China, and a parallel line for oil shipped in from Africa and

the Middle East. The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPN) is the major partner in the two pipelines, which will be able to carry 10-13 million cubic metres (350-450 million cubic feet) of gas and 22 million tonnes of oil a year from 2013, according to its website.

But opponents of the scheme are not convinced by a CNPN pledge to ensure Myanmar can use the pipeline through its territory “to meet local needs for natural gas”. Shwe Gas will generate $29 billion over 30 years, according to a recent report by the Arakan Oil Watch (AOW) a local campaign group.

Oil and gas “generated huge revenues, but a lack of transparency and mismanagement have left Myanmar with one of the worst development indicators in the world, creating a resource curse,” it said.

According to experts, oil and-more significantly-gas will be the main focus of foreign investment over coming years, even though the extent of reserves is unknown in a country where exploration has barely begun.

According to Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) figures, Myanmar could have 50 million barrels of oil and 283.2 million cubic metres of natural gasmuch of it offshore.

The government has gradually assigned chunks of this untapped wealth to overseas firms including from South Korea, India, China and Thailand who, according to AOW, “refuse to publish what they paid the military regime”.

Far from these considerations, in Rakhine state many simply hope to avoid a similar fate to the farmers who have been evicted to make way for pipelines and oil and gas terminals on the island of Kyaukpiu.

“About 10,000 people were evicted just in Rakhine state,” said activist Khaing Kaung San. As for the oil drillers of Shweri Chai, they are keen to play down the significance of the potential bonanza beneath their feet. “In the past we drilled more than 100 gallons a day in the village,” recalled San Kyaw. “But we closed wells so foreign companies would not come and drill.” —AFP

America-Philippine alliance deepens amid China tensions US seeks to build stronger presence in SE Asia

WEST JAVA: Relatives of a victim of the Sukhoi plane that crashed into a mountain in West Java, weep as they wait for the identification process at a main police hospital in Jakarta, Indonesia, yesterday. Clearer weather finally allowed Indonesian helicopters to land yesterday and retrieve some remains of the 45 people aboard a Russian-made plane that crashed into a volcano during a demonstration flight. — AP

Indonesia jet crash bodies sent for identification

CIJERUK: Body bags containing the victims of a Russian jet crash arrived in the Indonesian capital yesterday as Russian investigators flew in to probe how the new aircraft smashed into the side of a dormant volcano.

Rescuers said the bodies of those who perished when Sukhoi’s new Superjet 100 hit Mount Salak in western Java on Wednesday, killing all on board, were badly dismembered and had been placed in 16 body bags.

“Today we did the evacuation by land and air, and we brought all 16 body bags to Jakarta. Tomorrow, we will continue the search,” rescue chief Dar yatmo said Saturday evening. “We are moving around to different places to find more bodies because they were scattered over many spots,” rescue chief Daryatmo said, adding that rescuers will attempt to go into a deep ravine today where they believe more remains lie.

Family members waiting at the the Kramat Jati Police Hospital wailed as the body bags arrived by ambulance from the airport and were handed over to forensics.

The bodies will be reconstructed “as much as possible”, national police forensics expert Anton Castilani said at the hospital.

The Sukhoi jet disappeared off radars on Wednesday afternoon during what was supposed to be a 40-minute demonstration flight to tout Russia’s first post-Soviet civilian aircraft. O fficials confirmed Thursday that there were no survivors on the plane carrying at least 45 people,

mostly Indonesian airline representatives and eight Russians.

As the bodies arrived at Jakarta’s Halim Perdanakusuma militar y airpor t, two Russian jets also landed carrying medics, helicopters and experts who will work with Indonesian authorities in the investigation. “Forty people from Russia will go to the site to familiarise themselves with the area tomorrow,” Dar yatmo said, adding they hoped to find an intact part of the plane body to collect.

Questions now swirl over why the plane crashed with an experienced pilot as its captain. The aircraft’s black boxes still have not been found at the site, just 80 kilometres (50 miles) south of Jakarta.

A Russian fact-finding committee said Thursday there were indications that safety standards were violated. Key to the mystery is why the pilot requested permission from air traffic control to descend from 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) to 6,000 feet before the plane disappeared from radar screens and slammed into Mount Salak, which rises to 7,200 feet.

The transport ministry confirmed a control tower in Jakarta gave the pilot permission to descend as the plane approached a military base, where mountains reach around 3,000 feet. “Based on a report from the control tower, we know the pilot made the request to descend to 6,000 feet, and yes, the control tower gave him permission to do so,” the ministry’s director general for aviation Herry Bakti told AFP.—AFP

Budget fails to give Australian PM poll lift

SYDNEY: A promise to return Australia’s budget to surplus within 12 months and cash handouts for voters failed to improve the ruling Labor party’s ailing popularity, the latest polls showed yesterday.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard had hoped Tuesday’s budget would boost Labor’s standing following a series of scandals which have rocked her fragile minority government, but both she and her party continued to slip in the opinion polls.

A Nielsen survey of 1,200 voters published in the Sydney Morning Herald put centre-left Labor’s vote at 42 percent to the conservatives’ 58 percent, a onepoint drop from the previous poll conducted in late February.

Were an election held today, Liberal/National leader Tony Abbott would storm to power, with voters preferring him as prime minister by 50 percent to Gillard’s 42 percent, compared with 48 to 45 percent in February. Gillard also continued to lag her predecessor Kevin Rudd as preferred Labor leader 30 percent to his 62 percent.

Rudd was deposed as leader ahead of the 2010 election in a shock partyroom ouster and lost a challenge to Gillard’s leadership earlier this year, but he remains popular with voters.

Some 50 percent of those polled this week said Labor should change leaders,

while 45 percent called for the party to stay with Gillard, who is struggling to sell unpopular policies and battling dual scandals.

She ordered Labor MP Craig Thomson to quit the party in April over damaging allegations that he used a former employer’s credit card to pay for prostitutes before he came to parliament. Parliamentar y Speaker Peter Slipper-a Gillard appointment-was also sidelined after a staffer accused him of sexual harassment and of misusing government travel benefits.

The controversies overshadowed Labor’s promise to return the budget to surplus this year by cutting $33.6 (US$33.7) billion in government spending but softening the blow to low and middle-income earners with a raft of handouts.

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said it was important “not to be spooked by every opinion poll that comes out every five minutes” and stood by the party’s decision to remove Rudd as leader.

“Ultimately how (the budget) affects people’s voting patterns in the future will be something that only time will tell,” she said.

Elections are not due until 2013 but Gillard is under constant pressure from the Abbott opposition to call an early poll as the scandals test her shaky oneseat majority. — AFP

WASHINGTON: China’s assertive behavior is breathing life into America’s historically tumultuous relationship with the Philippines.

With Washington turning its attention more to the Asia-Pacific region, the US and the Philippines last week held the first joint meeting of their top diplomats and defense chiefs. The US increased military aid and resolved to help its ally on maritime security.

The steps came with the Philippines locked in a standoff with China over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea that has stoked passions on both sides. The US is a walking a delicate diplomatic line. It doesn’t want the dispute to escalate, but it is showing where its strategic interests lie.

The relationship between the US and its former colony thrived during the Cold War but ebbed after nationalist political forces prompted the closure of American military bases in 1992. As the US seeks to build a stronger presence in Southeast Asia, a region it neglected during the past decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the alliance is assuming growing importance.

For its part, the Philippines is looking to Washington and its allies to help equip and train the nation’s bedraggled military, to put up a show of resistance to Chinese vessels that frequently sail into waters Manila considers to lie within its exclusive economic zone.

Ernest Bower, director of the Southeast Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it is very important for the US to solidify its ties with its traditional allies in the region. “ The relationship with the Philippines went south when the US lost Subic Bay (naval base) and Clark (Air Base). The hangover is wearing off and interests are aligning again.” But for both sides, managing the new chapter in their alliance is something of a balancing act and carries its own risks.

Nationalist sentiments still make an increased American military presence in the Philippines a sensitive issue, and its law forbids a foreign base on its soil. Like other Southeast Asian nations, the Philippines does not want to alienate the region’s economic power-

BEIJING: Chinese police detain protesters from a group who unfurled a protest banner outside the Philippines embassy in Beijing yesterday. China told its citizens they were not safe in the Philippines and its state media warned of war, as a month-long row over rival claims in the South China Sea threatened to spill out of control. —AFP house, with which it aims to have $60 billion in two-way trade by 2016.

And the US also still needs to get along with China to prevent their strategic rivalry from spiraling into confrontation. The 60-year-old mutual defense treaty between the US and the Philippines has the potential to put Washington in hot water in standoffs like the one playing out at the Scarborough Shoal, where Philippine and Chinese vessels have been facing off since April 10. Manila appears adamant that the US would be duty-bound to come to the Philippines’ assistance should a conflict break out, but the US has hedged on the issue.

The broader trend is that for the past two years the US has declared its “national interest” in freedom of navigation and peaceful settlement of disputes in the busy South China Sea. It has expanded its military cooperation with the Philippines into maritime security after a decade of focusing on fighting alQaida-linked militants in the countr y ’s south. And the U.S. has increased its foreign military financing to the Philippines, which was slashed last year, to $30 million this year, double what was initially budgeted.

That, however, is little above its 2010 level, and scarcely enough to retool the decrepit Philippine fleet.

To help in that effort, the US last year supplied a 45-year-old Coast Guard cutter to the Philippines, now a flag ship in its navy, which headed briefly to the Scarborough Shoal at the start of the standoff.

The US plans to send a second cutter to its ally this fall and is also helping the Philippines develop its “Coast Watch” system - a network of about 20 radar stations tied to a central database in Luzon that is meant to help the island nation monitor its whole coastline.

Whether the intensified US interest will help the Philippines build the “minimum credible defense” it aspires to have is another matter. President Benigno Aquino has increased the defense budget, but it remains meager compared with most of its Southeast Asian neighbors - let alone China’s spending, which is outstripped only by America’s. The Philippines says it is looking to the US to provide more patrol boats and aircraft, and according to US officials, is also seeking help from other allies such as South Korea, Japan and Australia.

Peter Chalk, a senior political

analyst with Rand Corp. think tank, said the US gifting of old hardware is a mixed blessing for the Philippines, as it is responsible for the upkeep and getting spare parts is difficult. It also risks undermining the larger goal of modernizing the Philippine military, which wants more up-to-date equipment and training - although there are doubts about the Philippines’ ability to pay for it and maintain it.

“It’s nice to get stuff you don’t pay for, but that’s not helping defense reform and modernization which the government wants,” Chalk said. In a sign of the possible pitfalls, the 76mm main gun on the first cutter, the Gregorio del Pilar, suffered a glitch that the Philippines has to repair.

More details of the deepened US-Philippine security cooperation are likely to emerge when Aquino visits the White House this summer.

Last year, the US announced deployments of forces in northern Australia and plans to dock Navy vessels in Singapore, as it rolls out its strategic pivot toward the AsiaPacific. There are expectations that a planned relocation of troops from Japan could involve more troop rotations through the Philippines as well. — AP

US looks to broaden reforms in Myanmar WASHINGTON: As Myanmar takes steps toward democracy, the United States is hoping that a broader section of the population will feel the fruits of reform, including potential foreign investment. In the back of policymakers’ minds is the lesson from China.

Some experts believe Myanmar launched reforms out of concern of being too dependent on China and worry that the United States could similarly fall out of favor. The United States has been at the forefront of a three -year diplomatic drive to bring Myanmar out of its isolation. But unlike the European Union, Japan and Canada, the United States has retained most sanctions on the nation formerly known as Burma.

In a scene unthinkable until recently, opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi has entered parliament and Myanmar. But rights groups say that decades-long ethnic wars have festered in border areas, with troops carrying out abuses and at times defying ceasefires supported by reformist President Thein Sein. “We are hearing from our friends in border areas that perhaps the reforms are a bit uneven and not reaching all parts of the country,” said W. Patrick Murphy, the US deputy policy coordinator on Myanmar.

“It’s important that distribution be evenand not only in the reforms, but in the foreign assistance and commercial activity if and when that renews,” he said at the

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a think-tank. Murphy said that international humanitarian workers’ access to remote, violence-torn regions has improved but added: “We would like to see this regularized and become the norm, not the exception.”Hoping to provide incentives to Myanmar, the United States said last month that it would restore full diplomatic relations.

Murphy said he expected an announcement of a US ambassador “in the coming weeks.”

The Treasury Department has already ended a ban on financial transactions by US non-governmental organizations in Myanmar. But US policymakers are taking time to fine-tune the most far-reaching of the steps announced on April 4 — the easing of US restrictions on investment into Myanmar. US business interests, including the US Chamber of Commerce, have pressed for a full lifting of investment sanctions, saying that US companies would lose out to European and Asian competitors already allowed to enter Myanmar. But human rights groups have called on President Barack Obama’s administration to hold off on any sweeping end to investment restrictions without verifiable progress on areas such as ending ethnic violence.

Tom Malinowski, the Washington director for Human Rights Watch, said that the United States needed to ensure that its com-

panies adhered to high standards. Many in Myanmar believed that Chinese investors damaged the environment and ignored local concerns through dams and other projects.

“We have a chance here to do it differently,” Malinowski said.

“But the danger is that there will be this gold rush into Burma before we have the kind of institutional reform (needed) and the resentment we saw generated by Chinese investment is going to be felt about all foreign investment.”US officials and lawmakers have been adamant about maintaining sanctions on key exports from Myanmar, such as gems and timber, which are seen as cash cows for the military.

Georgetown University professor David Steinberg, an expert on Myanmar, said that a fur ther risk was that investment would benefit a middle class that is largely of Chinese origin. Myanmar was the scene of ethnic riots in the 20th century against both its Chinese and Indian communities.

The Burman-dominated militar y seized control of Asia’s longtime rice bowl in 1962 in part to nationalize industries perceived as foreign-run. “If the economy is once again seen to be in Chinese hands, there could be ethnic riots... and a return of some sort of state capitalism that will try and get the economy back under Burman control,” Steinberg said. — AFP

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

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

NATO summit must protect Afghan women: UN KABUL: The United Nations mission in Afghanistan sounded warnings yesterday over the future of women’s rights and schooling for girls ahead of a NATO summit focused on the withdrawal of troops from the war-torn nation. There is widespread concern that gains women have made in the 10 years since the overthrow of the notorious Taleban regime could be lost in attempts to broker peace with the hardline Islamists as NATO troops pull out in 2014. The Taleban, in power from 1996 until a USled invasion in 2001, banned girls from going to school, whipped women in the street if they wore anything other than the all-enveloping burqa and stoned to death those accused of adultery.

The NATO summit in Chicago on May 20-21 must ensure that special measures are taken to protect the rights of Afghan women as coalition forces prepare to leave, UN organisations said. “Now is the time to deal with the longer-term security and protection needs of Afghan women who have long borne the brunt of the war in Afghanistan,” said Jan

Kubis, special representative for the UN secretary general in Afghanistan. “Women’s specific protection needs should be central to plans being made as the Afghan national army and police prepare to take an increasing lead in security operations.”

Kubis’s remarks came in a joint statement by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund. A separate UNAMA statement condemned a wave of insurgent attacks on schools, calling for more protection of the right to an education-especially for girls.

In the past week a girls’ secondary school was set on fire in eastern Nangahar province and an attack on education officials travelling in neighbouring Paktika province left five dead and seven wounded. “Over the last year UNAMA has monitored unacceptable levels of violence by anti-government elements directed against schools, education institutions, their staff and/or students,” the UN mission said.

It urged the Afghan government and international military forces to “ensure that effective security measures are in place to protect schools, students and teachers”. In Chicago, heads of state and government will consider funding for the Afghan security forces after the transition and how that can be linked to support for the protection of human rights, UNAMA said.

One way of doing this would be for the paramilitary police to be trained and equipped for a greater civilian policing role and “sensitised to address effectively cases of violence against women and girls”. While girls are back in school and women have won much greater protection under the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai, rights activists see ominous signs on the horizon. Leading Afghan women’s rights champion, lawmaker and presidential hopeful, Fawzia Koofi, says her biggest fear is that these gains will be the first to be sacrificed in efforts to broker peace with the Taleban.

“Compromise is happening already.

Talebanisation is a process, people within government are already promoting Taleban ideology and Taleban thinking,” she told AFP in a recent interview.

“There is great uncertainty and confusion about the future, and worry and concern among women.”

In March, Karzai indicated support for an edict by the Ulema Council, the nation’s highest Islamic authority, saying “men are fundamental and women are secondary”. The edict went on to list a series of prohibitions against women, including working in the same offices as men and travelling without a male companion, and suggested that in some circumstances wife-beating was appropriate.

Karzai “openly supported this, he said this is what the people of Afghanistan want”, said Koofi, who chairs parliament’s women and human rights committee. “I don’t think this is what they want. It is true we are all Muslims, but our understanding of Islam is different from the understanding of the Taleban.” — AFP

8 NATO troops, police killed in Afghanistan NATO in talks with Pakistan army chief

PESHAWAR: A Pakistani woman who was injured in a roadside bomb, is taken by hospital staff out of the emergency room, in Peshawar, Pakistan, yesterday.

Pakistani security officials say a roadside bomb targeting a vehicle carrying police has killed one of them in the country’s northwest. — AP

Bomb, mortar attacks kill two in Pakistan PESHAWAR: Bomb and mortar attacks killed at least two people and wounded 21 others in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, a gateway to the tribal badlands, police said yesterday. “A remote-controlled bomb exploded as a police van carrying four prisoners passed by an abandoned tin of vegetable oil in Peshawar city on Saturday, killing one policeman and wounding 17 others,” local police official Mohammed Asif said.

A woman and four policemen were among those wounded. Another local police official, Javed Iqbal, also confirmed the incident and casualties. Nobody claimed responsibility for the blast but Islamist militants have carried out several attacks in the city.

A taxi driver was killed when a mortar bomb hit his cab in the upmarket Hayatabad area of Peshawar on Friday night, police official Tahir Ayub said. Ayub said the headquarters of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary in the area was apparently the target of the mortar bombs fired from the neighbouring Khyber tribal region.

“However, three mortars landed in open

spaces while three others hit a house, a taxi cab and a shop,” he said, adding that at least four people were wounded in the attack. Peshawar, with a population of 2.5 million people, has long been on the frontline of violence blamed on an insurgency led by Taliban militants opposed to Islamabad’s alliance with the United States.

Pakistan has battled the homegrown insurgency for years, with more than 3,000 soldiers killed in the battle against militancy. According to an AFP tally, around 5,000 people have been killed in militant attacks across the country since July 2007, when government troops raided an extremist mosque in the capital Islamabad, sparking a bloody insurgency.

There were about 120 bomb attacks in Pakistan in 2011, up on the 96 bomb blasts in 2010, but far lower than violence in 2009 when there were 203 bombings across the country, according to an AFP tally Northwest Pakistan suffers from chronic insecurity, largely connected to the semiautonomous tribal belt near Afghanistan, which Washington calls the most dangerous place on Earth and a global headquarters of Al-Qaeda. — AFP

KABUL: Insurgent attacks killed three NATO troops in Afghanistan yesterday while a fourth died of non-battle related injuries, the international coalition said. A roadside bomb in the northwest killed four Afghan policemen.

All four members of the US-led military coalition died in southern Afghanistan, where much of the fighting in the more than 10-year conflict has been concentrated, the alliance said in a statement. NATO provided no other details about the deaths, including the nationalities of the troops. The coalition normally waits for member nations to disclose those details. So far this month, 18 NATO service members have been killed in Afghanistan. In the northwestern province of Badghis, a roadside bomb struck a police vehicle traveling through Qadis district, killing four officers, said the provincial governor’s spokesman, Sharafudin Majedi.

The top commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan held talks with Pakistan’s army chief in Islamabad yesterday on how to improve security in volatile areas bordering the two countries.

US General John Allen met General Ashfaq Kayani in the Pakistani capital ahead of a highlevel meeting of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), officials said. The ISAF delegation arrived for the most significant talks that Pakistan has hosted with the international military alliance and the Afghan military for a year, in a sign that tensions between Pakistan and the US are easing.

The Pakistani military said in a statement that preliminary meetings between General Allen and Kayani focused on “operations in border areas and coordination mechanisms to avoid untoward incidents.” “The tripartite commission is expected to meet after the arrival of Afghan army chief, General Sher Muhammad Karimi on Sunday”, a senior security official told AFP. He said the date and time of the commission’s meeting will be disclosed later. The commission will focus on enhancing measures along the PakAfghan border and to improve co-operation at operational and tactical levels, the military said.

Pakistani leaders are also scheduled to meet next week to discuss ending a nearly six-month blockade on NATO supplies into Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will convene the meetings which will also debate how to

US teen’s conviction overturned in India JODHPUR: An Indian appeals court on Friday overturned the conviction of a US teenager who had been accused of killing his mother while on vacation in western India. The Rajasthan High Court ordered Joncarlo Patton’s immediate release from a juvenile detention facility, according to Press Trust of India news agency. It was not immediately clear on what grounds the court overturned his conviction.

Patton was sentenced last year to three years in an Indian juvenile detention facility after he was found

guilty of slitting his mother’s throat at a desert resort in the western state of Rajasthan in August 2010. Prosecutors accused Patton of killing Cynthia Iannarelli, of Cecil, Pennsylvania, because he was traumatized over his parents’ divorce. Police said Patton left the wrapped body on a sand dune near the Osian resort and was arrested at the airport as he tried to fly home. Patton, who was 16 when he was arrested, has said he is innocent and has accused police of forcing him to confess.

The teenager’s father, Richard

JODHPUR: In this photograph taken on August 14, 2012, twenty-two year old US citizen George Cault (2R) is escorted by an Indian policeman towards a court appearance in Jodhpur. An Indian court has overturned the conviction of a US teenager accused of murdering his mother while on holiday in the northern state of Rajasthan two years ago, officials said yesterday. — AFP

Patton, said the family was overjoyed at his acquittal. “While this does not in any way lessen the tragic death of Dr. Iannarelli, both the Patton and Iannarelli families are relieved and joyful with Joncarlo’s acquittal, an outcome we have believed in and expected from the very beginning,” Richard Patton said in a written statement. The teenager’s lawyer, Rahul Mehra, said Patton had been turned over to US Embassy officials for repatriation.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said US officials “are aware of the case and are providing appropriate consular assistance.” He declined to comment further citing privacy concerns. Richard Patton, a professor of business administration at the University of Pittsburgh, said the staff at the juvenile facility had treated his son “with kindness, dignity and respect under very trying conditions.” He also expressed his gratitude to his son’s legal team for working “tirelessly on Joncarlo’s behalf as well as providing him friendship and support.” “As Joncarlo returns to Pittsburgh, his focus will be on getting back to his studies and activities and continued accomplishments that will make his mother and all of us proud,” Richard Patton added. “At some future point, he may choose to discuss his experiences but for now he will focus on returning to a normal life.” He declined to comment beyond the written statement. — AP

repair relations with the United States in time to attend a key NATO summit later this month.

Diplomats on both sides have been keen to resolve the impasse between Islamabad and Washington before the NATO summit on Afghanistan in Chicago on May 21-22.

Meanwhile, the United Nations mission in Afghanistan yesterday condemned a wave of insurgent attacks on schools, calling for more protection of the right to an education-especially for girls. In the past week a girls’ secondary school was set on fire in eastern Nangahar province and an attack on education officials travelling in neighbouring Paktika province left five dead and seven wounded, the UN said.

“Over the last year UNAMA has monitored unacceptable levels of violence by anti-government elements directed against schools, education institutions, their staff and/or students,” the UN mission said in a statement.

The hardline Islamist Taleban, who were oust-

ed by a US-led invasion in 2001, banned girls from attending school and have regularly targeted pupils and their schools in an increasingly bloody insurgency. Dozens of schools were recently closed in the central province of Ghazni after Taleban threats, but reopened last week after tribal elders interceded. “These attacks and acts of intimidation demonstrate a disregard for the protection of civilians, especially children, and of civilian institutions,” UNAMA said.

“They are a serious violation of international humanitarian law and of the right to education including for girls.” UNAMA called on the Afghan government and international military forces to “ensure that effective security measures are in place to protect schools, students and teachers”, condemning the “heinous” attacks by insurgents.

There are widespread fears that gains made by women and girls over the past 10 years will be eroded when US-led NATO forces pull out of Afghanistan in 2014. — Agencies

OHIO: A Marine Corps carry team places the transfer case containing the remains of Marine Sgt. John Huling, 25, of West Chester, Ohio, into a transfer vehicle at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Huling died May 6, 2012 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. — AP

Lawmakers want US to declare Haqqani a terror network WASHINGTON: US lawmakers from both parties Friday urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to declare the Pakistan-linked Haqqani network a foreign terrorist organization for its “indiscriminate attacks” on US interests.

Democrat Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and other lawmakers traveled to Afghanistan last week and met with President Hamid Karzai, US envoy Ryan Crocker and US military officials.

The trip “reaffirmed concerns substantiated by intelligence and our oversight work,” Democratic and Republican lawmakers said in their letter to Clinton. “It was clear that the Haqqani network continues to launch sensational and indiscriminate attacks against US interests in Afghanistan and the group poses a continuing threat to innocent men, women, and children in the region.”

They also said in the letter that with Taleban peace talks stalled for months, there was little incentive to hold back on the terror designation.

“We understand there may have been reluctance within the administration to designate the Haqqani network while Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman attempted to negotiate a reconcil-

iation agreement with the Taleban-a deal that may have included or affected the Haqqani network,” the lawmakers wrote.

“However, Ambassador Crocker told us last week that there have been no such talks since late last year, and that President Karzai has opposed their continuation.

“It is clear that there is now no reason not to designate the Haqqani network as a foreign terrorist organization, and urge such action immediately.”

The lawmakers said Clinton’s State Department acknowledged in November that it was engaged in the “final formal review” on the potential terror designation.

“Six months have now passed, and the Haqqanis have continued to attack US troops and the US embassy in Kabul during that period,” they said. The United States blames the Haqqanis, who are closely affiliated with the Taleban, for fueling the 10-year insurgency in Afghanistan, attacking US-led NATO troops and working to destabilize Karzai’s Westernbacked government.

Crocker blamed last month’s brazen 18-hour assault on Kabulthe biggest to hit the Afghan capital in a decade-on the Haqqani network, saying the group’s leaders planned the attack from North Waziristan, in Pakistan’s lawless tribal belt.—AFP

Quake sends panicked people into the streets GUWAHATI: Northeast India was shaken by a shallow 5.4-magnitude earthquake late Friday that sent people fleeing into the streets in panic, damaged buildings and left two injured.

One house collapsed and cracks appeared in some buildings in the quake, which had its epicentre in Guwahati, the main commercial city of the mineral- and tea-rich state of Assam.

In Guwahati and other populated centres, buildings shook for a few seconds and people ran out into the streets in alarm. “We have information that one house has collapsed and two people are injured in Kampur village,” which lies some 40 kilometres (24 miles) from Guwahati, a government official told AFP. There were no immediate reports of further damage or casualties. The tremor measured 5.4 on the Richter scale, an official at the Indian Meteorological Department told AFP in New Delhi. The US Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude of the quake at 5.3 and said that it struck at 6:31 pm (1241 GMT).

The quake was shallow, at a depth of 11 kilometres (six miles), the USGS said. In September last year, a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck the border of India’s northeastern state of Sikkim and Nepal, killing over 100 people. The quake wrought destruction in towns and villages on both sides of the Indian and Nepal border as well as in southern Tibet and the tiny kingdom of Bhutan. India’s seven northeastern states, joined to the rest of the country by a narrow sliver of land, are located in an area of frequent seismic activity.

In 1950, dozens of villages were swallowed in a string of disasters generated by a powerful earthquake whose epicentre was in Tibet but which caused the greatest destruction to India’s Assam state. More than 1,500 people died in the quake, which had a magnitude of 7.6, and its disastrous aftermath of landslides and floods. — AFP

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

NEWS

An Indian girl reacts as she runs from a sudden thundershower at the India Gate monument in New Delhi yesterday. —AP

Chavez shows strength after cancer treatment CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez strode, sang and gave a rousing speech on Friday in a careful show of vigor after his latest cancer treatment in Cuba fanned rumors he was dying five months before an election. The socialist Chavez, who had only been seen live in public once in the previous month, addressed the nation after flying back from Havana where he has completed six rounds of radiation therapy. With Venezuelans watching on live TV for any sign of his condition, Chavez walked with relative ease from his plane, hugged ministers, inspected a military guard and improvised a song at the end of a 20-minute speech.

“I can tell you that in the last few days we successfully completed the radiation cycle, as planned by the medical team,” Chavez said in a strong voice. “I come with great optimism that this treatment will have the effects we

hope for, always asking God to help us and give us the miracle of life to keep serving.” The official line in recent weeks has been that Chavez was out of the public limelight due to the effects of radiation treatment, but is on the road to recovery and will soon begin his re-election campaign ahead of the Oct 7 vote.

But there is speculation, stoked by leaks from pro-opposition journalists citing sources in Chavez’s medical team, that his condition may have turned grave. The implications of that would be enormous for the South American OPEC member nation that Chavez has dominated for the last 13 years without grooming a successor.

Rumors have been flying of a nascent succession struggle among his closest allies. Meanwhile, opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles is struggling to win public attention amid the national obsession over

CARACAS: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez speaks upon arrival late Friday after a week in Havana. — AFP

Chavez’s condition.

Without giving any clues as to the details of his cancer, Chavez said he must continue “rigorously” following medical instructions in coming days.

“But as the hours and days pass, I’m sure that with God’s favor, medical science and this soldier’s body, I will get back to where I must be, in the front line of the battle, alongside the Venezuelan people, promoting the socialist revolution.” Such stirring language has helped underpin Chavez’s strong connection with Venezuela’s poor majority, though critics see it as evidence of his demagogy masking a dictatorial rule.

Opposition politicians say Chavez, who has spent about 100 days of the last year in Cuba since being diagnosed with cancer, has left Venezuela in paralysis. “He is a president who never delegates anything. Even the most mundane, daily decision in a ministry, people don’t dare take decisions if they think they don’t have the president’s blessing,” Capriles ally Maria Corina Machado told Reuters. “This is a country that is practically paralyzed.”

Chavez’s condition remains a state secret, with few details divulged beyond the fact he has had three operations in a year to remove two malignant tumors in his pelvic region.

The Venezuelan president declared himself “completely cured” at the end of 2011, only to acknowledge a recurrence of cancer early this year. That has fed skepticism and speculation among Venezuelans over Chavez’s future. The wider region is also watching the saga closely. Communist-run Cuba depends on subsidized Venezuelan oil to keep its ailing economy afloat, while the United States has long viewed Chavez as its principal foe in the region. — Reuters

US resumes arms sales to Bahrain Continued from Page 1 Congress last October”, amid concerns they could be used against protesters. She was referring to the Tubelaunched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided missile, as well as the all-terrain Humvees that have replaced the traditional jeep.

“Given the unrest in Bahrain over the past year and pending further progress on reform, the United States has maintained a pause on most arms sales and licenses to the government of Bahrain,” a senior US official said.

But the United States has at the same time been “continuing to supply some items on a case-by-case basis that directly affected our own national security interests,” he said. Bahrain serves as the headquarters for the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, which patrols the Gulf amid perceived threats to Arab allies in the region from neighboring Iran.

The announcement on military cooperation came amid a visit to the United States by Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, who met with Vice President Joe Biden here on Friday and with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday. Biden “expressed concern about the recent escalation of street violence, including attacks against security forces”, his office said in a statement. “The vice president also underscored the importance of ensuring fundamental rights for all Bahrainis and the need for greater progress by the government on accountability for past abuses, police reform and integration, and inclusive political

dialogue.”

Clinton said “much work remains to fully address ongoing human rights issues,” according to Nuland, after the pair discussed Bahrain’s efforts to implement recommendations from an independent probe into the crackdown on pro-democracy protests. The chief US diplomat urged the Bahraini government to take action that “leads to meaningful institutional and political reforms,” Nuland said. King Hamad promised reforms after the independent commission probing Bahrain’s March 2011 crackdown on Shiite -led democracy protests reported in November that police had used “excessive force” and tortured detainees. Bahrain’s crown prince was met Defense Secretary Leon Panetta later Friday.

The decision was criticized by Senator Patrick Leahy, who wrote a provision Congress passed last year requiring the administration to consult lawmakers before allowing sales of teargas and other crowd-control items to governments of countries undergoing democratic transition in the Middle East. “While I am pleased that the administration is continuing to withhold tear gas, small arms and other crowd-control items from the Bahraini security forces, this arms sale sends the wrong message,” Leahy, a Democrat, said in a statement. “The government of Bahrain has yet to respect the Bahraini people’s legitimate demands, or to hold accountable its own police and military officers for arresting, torturing and killing Bahraini protesters,” Leahy said. —Agencies

BATTIR: In this photo taken May 6, 2012, Palestinian farmer Elayan Shami, 62, plants eggplants in a maze to direct the water downhill from one terrace to another in his field in this West Bank village. — AP m

In West Bank, barrier threatens Roman terraces BATTIR, West Bank: One of the last Palestinian farming villages that still uses irrigation systems from Roman times says its ancient way of life is in danger as Israel prepares to lay down its West Bank separation barrier. With construction possibly beginning in the coming weeks, the people of Battir hope a legal battle, backed by recent UN recognition of the village’s agricultural practices, will help change Israel’s mind. Battir’s 6,000 inhabitants live in limestone-faced houses built into a hillside southwest of Jerusalem. On the lands around the homes, stone retaining walls have transformed scrubby hills into orderly terraces of olive trees and vegetable gardens.

Terraces are a common Palestinian farming technique in the hilly West Bank terrain. But in Battir, they are unique for their extent - stretching uninterrupted over nearly 2,000 hectares - and for the centuries-old network of irrigation canals that direct spring water over the stepped hills. This combination prompted the UN’s cultural agency, UNESCO, to award the village last year with a $15,000 prize for “Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes”.

The canal network has been in place for 2,000 years, with residents continually keeping up the system, said Giovanni Fontana-Antonelli, a local UNESCO official. Because the area is largely untouched by construction, it is still possible to see “the form and the shape of the past generations’ work”, he said.

“In other places you have terraces, but you also have urban sprawl, roads and settlements. The wall as projected so far will interfere with this ancient irrigation system by cutting part of the irrigation network,” he said of the planned path for Israel’s barrier. The integrity of the terraces will be totally dismantled.”

Israel began building the barrier in 2002 in response to a wave of deadly suicide bombings carried out by Palestinians who had entered from the West Bank. Set to stretch 815 kilometers (500 miles), it is about two-thirds

complete, according to Shaul Arieli, a retired military officer who now advises the Supreme Court on the barrier.

Israelis say the structure is a main reason for the halt in suicide bombings in recent years. But Palestinians argue it is a pretext for Israel to steal their land.

Nearly 10 percent of the West Bank, which the Palestinians claim for a future state, will lie on the “Israeli” side of the barrier when it is complete. For this reason, construction on several stretches of the barrier have been delayed due to legal appeals.

Battir presents a particular challenge because the village’s homes are in the West Bank while the fields are partially in Israel. This anomaly was enshrined in the 1949 ceasefire that ended Israel’s war of independence. According to current plans, the barrier will run close to the 1949 boundary and leave about 64 hectares of village lands on the Israeli side, according to the Israeli Defense Ministry. Village council head Akram Bader estimates more than twice that amount of land will end up on the Israeli side. Bader, an architect, used Google Earth and land confiscation orders to calculate the higher figure. He said the Defense Ministry estimate fails to account for the West Bank land that will be gobbled up.

In 2007, Battir sued the state and Defense Ministry, demanding it change the route of the fence to protect the unique farming area. In the legal documents, Israel claimed Battir is a tempting area for Palestinian attackers to penetrate Israel. The state also insisted on keeping control of a nearby rail line running from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, built before Israel’s independence. A Defense Ministry official said the barrier’s planners have met with Battir’s residents and tried to take their concerns into account. He said the barrier will not disrupt farming because an access gate will be open to Battir’s farmers three times a day. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of ongoing legal proceedings.

Early this year, Battir suspended a

challenge in Israel’s Supreme Court so a separate advisory commission, under the Finance Ministry, could consider their request to cancel the expropriation of their farmland and reroute the barrier onto Israeli lands. The committee has not ruled. In the meantime, defense officials say they plan to begin construction in the coming weeks. Battir’s lawyer, Ghiath Nasser, said the village will seek a court order to block construction until the legal process is exhausted.

Palestinians have had mixed results in past court challenges. Bilin, a village west of Ramallah, initially lost half its land to the barrier. But in 2007, the high court ordered the Israeli government to move Bilin’s barrier westward toward Israel. It took three years before the government did so. Many other villages have failed to change the barrier’s path, such as Battir’s neighbor Walajeh, where Israel is currently surrounding the village with a wall and fence on all sides. In Battir, council head Bader said the planned fence will rise a few steps from the walls of the boys’ school and slice across the soccer pitch. Besides that, the fence will likely devastate the ancient terracing and irrigation system, Bader said. He said he loses sleep at night with worry.

In early May, Battir inhabitants enjoyed the bounty of a wet winter as water rushed through the irrigation canals. A man in a white traditional headdress washed his face in a gushing fountain at the village edge. Boys jumped into a hillside reservoir. Older men and women worked in the fields with antiquated tools. Retired teacher Elayan Shami, 62, knelt in the soil planting the famous local eggplant, a mottled pink and white variety that ripens in July. Shami tended a small patch on a terrace where a maze of furrows directed the spring water. “The fence will be a disaster for the water and the plants,” Shami said. “It will cut the lands from the people and make us dependent on Israeli and outside markets. This is something no farmer can accept.” — AP

14

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

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Washington Watch

Bibi creates big govt to survive

By Dr James J Zogby enjamin Netanyahu, ever the master maneuverer, has done it again. Just moments before the Israeli Parliament was to ratify the call for new elections, the Kadima Party announced that it had completed negotiations with the Prime Minister and would join the government producing Israel’s largest governing coalition in history (including 94 of 120 members of the Knesset). The announcement sent shockwaves throughout the region and here in the US. Speculation was rife about what this sudden move might mean.

In the days that followed, it was fascinating to read the views of Arab, Israeli, and American commentators as they attempted to understand this Israeli development. Many Arab commentators predictably and definitively saw this new Israeli “unity” as a danger, a harbinger of a new regional war. And they didn’t mince words. Seeing a precedent in the Israeli coalition government that was formed in the lead-up to the ‘67 War, one Arab analyst wrote “this is a war coalition” claiming that the target would be Iran or Lebanon.

The US press, equally delusional when it comes to all things Israel, largely saw this broader Israeli government as a positive development, with liberals moralizing that with this expanded mandate Netanyahu should now be in a position to move confidently to a peace settlement with the Palestinians, saying that “under Netanyahu, Israel is stronger than ever”. This echoed the somewhat subtle chiding of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton who reportedly suggested that the Israel prime minister could no longer claim that he would lose his governing coalition should he make peace. He was now in a political position which gave him the space to at least help strengthen the Palestinian Authority.

American neo-conservatives, on the other hand, shared the Arab take on the Netanyahu move, but with a twist. While Arab writers dreaded the war they feared might result from this expanded governing coalition, US hawks appear to eagerly anticipate it. Most interesting and sanguine were the Israeli commentators who saw in the maneuvering of both Netanyahu and his new “partner”, Shaul Mofaz, signs of weakness, not strength. This led many Israeli writers to conclude that far from setting the stage for decisive action, this new government was doomed to paralysis. Netanyahu is facing two immediate internal challenges that were threatening his rightist coalition. Within a few weeks the government must act on two separate court decisions, one which found unconstitutional the law that exempted the ultra-Orthodox from military service, and the other which gave the government until the beginning July to evacuate an illegal settlement built on Palestinian-owned land north of Ramallah.

Implementing either one or both would cause a political rupture, causing some members of Netanyahu’s coalition to bolt. Meanwhile, the third largest grouping in his government, the Russian immigrant-based nationalist party headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has threatened to leave should the government fail implement the change in the law on military service. All of which put Netanyahu in a bind. By broadening the base of his coalition, Netanyahu has now removed the leverage of these groups to withdraw their support - since they no longer have the ability to collapse the government.

His motivation, it appears, was more survival than action, or as one writer termed it “nothing more than an attempt to prolong his own political life.” He is, said another, “a coward who is afraid of elections, afraid of the settlers, and afraid of the ultra-Orthodox.” So rather than lead by taking decisive action, he accepted the lifeline offered

by Mofaz and can now continue to govern by playing one group against another.

The leader of the Kadima group similarly appeared to be motivated by crass political survival. Since winning the contest to lead the party founded less than a decade ago by the personal aspirations and “charisma” of Ariel Sharon, Mofaz has seen his fortunes dramatically fade. Most recent polls show that in new elections Kadima would win a mere 10 seats in the next Knesset, down from the party’s current 28. Entering into a coalition with the man he recently called a “liar,” appeared a safer bet than facing humiliation at the polls. One analyst termed the move “a cynical attempt to extend the life of a spineless party”.

Secretary Clinton is right. The game is up. Netanyahu can no longer use the lame excuse he has relied on for years.

He has, if he wishes, the numbers within and still outside of his coalition to make peace.

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NOTE: Dr James J Zogby is the President of the Arab American Institute.

All articles appearing on these pages are the personal opinion of the writers. Kuwait Times takes no responsibility for views expressed therein. Kuwait Times invites readers to voice their opinions. Please send submissions via email to: opinion@kuwaittimes.net or via snail mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.

Israel frets on sideline as Assad fall delayed

By Douglas Hamilton een for a little bit of certainty in a turbulent Arab world, Israeli leaders persuaded themselves last year that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad - the devil they knew next door - was finished, and something possibly better might be on the way. But it was not to be. With the Syrian uprising now into its 14th month and Assad still firmly in power, Israel has few options other than to sit the crisis out, unable to influence the outcome of an upheaval that is sure to affect it. Israeli officials and analysts believe Assad will hang on for a while, battling a popular revolt that Israel, Arab and Western powers worry could yet be hijacked by Islamist radicals, after four decades of calm along Israel’s border with Syria.

“A nuanced evaluation of the situation in Syria suggests that while Assad has lost his legitimacy amongst the masses, he still maintains the vital support of much of the army,” Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said in Jerusalem last week. “So the tragic massacre of innocents continues while the future of Syria is shrouded in uncertainty,” he told foreign correspondents. “Whatever follows Assad’s bloodstained regime will be greeted with Israel’s extended hand of peace ... Our other hand will remain firmly grasped to our weapon.”

As with the revolt that toppled their longtime Egyptian ally Hosni Mubarak 15 months ago, Israeli leaders had tried to keep their lips buttoned about Syria at first and let the storm unfold, hoping for the best. Then as the death toll quickly mounted in Assad’s ruthless crackdown on the popular challenge to his rule, top officials including Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Assad regime was clearly on its way out.

But that was last year. Assad is still in power. In the long term, Israel would like nothing better than to see the collapse of the Shiite-dominated Syria-Iran-Hezbollah axis, a hostile northern arch in which Assad’s government headed by his Alawite

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sect forms the keystone. Syria’s fractious Sunni Muslim-led opposition says it would turn a post-Assad Syria away from Israel’s main enemy, Iran, towards moderate Sunni powers in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.

The prospect of peace with Syria is enticing for Israel. But Syria’s opposition is deeply divided, and Israel has little if any leverage to promote the emergence of a moderate government next door in Damascus - three hours’ drive from Tel Aviv. “Israel is entirely powerless to affect the outcome in Syria,” says Jonathan Spyer, senior fellow at the Global Research in International Affairs centre in Herzliya.

“Israel’s role in the current events in Syria is that of spectator. What Israel of course can do and is doing is to strengthen its defensive posture on its northern border in the event of any attempt by elements in Syria to try to re-focus attention on Israel. For my part, I consider this unlikely...” Spyer said.

Israeli and foreign analysts agree that the grand coalition forged by Netanyahu last week could strengthen his hand in dealing with what Western officials suspect are Iran’s nuclear arms development plans and in reviving hopes of a Middle East peace with the Palestinians. But Netanyahu’s now unassailable Knesset majority makes no obvious or immediate difference in the case of Syria. Two car bombers killed nearly 60 people on Thursday in the deadliest strike in Damascus since the uprising began. The attack appeared to drive a stake through the heart of a dying ceasefire declared by international mediator Kofi Annan on April 12, which he acknowledges has failed to halt the bloodshed.

“The hapless attempt to implement the Kofi Annan plan is ending in absurdity and humiliation,” said Spyer. He believed Assad stood a good chance of surviving, “unless an international coalition comes into being which supports the opposition at least as firmly as the international coalition behind Assad supports him”. Active support of the opposition would mean the creation of a

buffer zone in the north, and assistance to the armed element in the Syrian uprising, this analyst said.

Technically, Israel remains at war with Syria and its involvement in such a risky gamble seems highly improbable. Despite Israel’s annexation of the Golan Heights after the 1973 Middle East conflict, the United Nations-patrolled disengagement line with Syria has been Israel’s quietest border for 40 years - under the late Hafez Al-Assad and now his son. Barak predicted one year ago that Assad would soon be toppled, saying Israel should not be alarmed. The process taking place in the Middle East holds great promise, he said last May. Today Barak says Israel must be ready in case “as Syria descends into chaos, advanced weapons, or part of their stock of chemical and biological weapons could spill over into both terrorist and criminal hands”. Syria is widely believed to possess chemical warheads which can be fired with Soviet-era Scud missiles. Israel fears that Hezbollah, or radical Islamists, or AlQaeda fighters, could grab some of them in an uncontrolled meltdown of the regime.

“Assad is going to last,” said Syria analyst Moshe Maoz of Hebrew University.

“The balance of power is in his favour.

There have been no mass defections.” The officer corps of the army are members of Assad’s minority Alawite sect, who know they would be slaughtered if Sunni-led rebels took control of Syria, and so will fight on for their lives, Maoz said. Punitive embargoes could take years to bring down Assad, he said. Sympathetic neighbours Iraq and Lebanon would ensure that Damascus never faces “a fully-fledged siege” of sanctions.

In the meantime, Maoz said, Israel’s best long-term strategy would be to close ranks with Sunni Arab leaders in the region, by moving finally and decisively to settle the Middle East conflict, with a peace treaty and a Palestinian state. “This is the crux issue for everybody,” the analyst

said. Not all Israelis agree there is real linkage between the occupation of the West Bank and Arab or Iranian hostility. But Israel is in “a stormy sea in which the waves of radicalism are growing in strength”, said Barak, and “any intimation of democracy, any hint of peace should be grabbed with both hands.”

A senior official said Israel had no solution for Syria up its sleeve. It is anxious to see more assertive policies by Western and Arab capitals, including imposition of humanitarian corridors to areas of conflict from which the United Nations estimates one million Syrians have been displaced.

Such corridors would need military protection, which Western powers so far firmly rule out. Syria’s northern neighbour Turkey could force a rethink, however, if it were to declare to its NATO allies that its own security was threatened.

Still, it would be mistaken to corner Assad, the Israeli official said. It would be wiser to seek a way to convince his ally Russia that its investment in Syria would not be lost if Assad could be convinced to step aside, as Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh did late last year under Saudi and American pressure. Russian cooperation, said Spyer, is crucial if the Western-Arab coalition backing Annan’s plan decides Assad is not complying and goes back to the Security Council seeking “fur ther measures” to enforce a ceasefire and political settlement.

“It is Russian weaponry which is keeping Assad in place. Russia has invested deeply in Syria, both in terms of arms exports and broader infrastructural projects and the search for oil and gas. Of course, the importance of the naval base at Tartous should also not be underestimated,” he said. But Spyer thinks Moscow and other allies of Assad “apparently believe that the regime stands a good chance of coming through this and now has the upper hand. So why should they do their US regional rivals a favour and make themselves look weak by abandoning a client?” — Reuters

Vote confirms Algeria as Arab Spring exception

By Jean-Marc Mojon he Arab Spring’s wind of change fell dead on an Algerian regime that derives its strength from two brutal conflicts and prior experience of Islamism, analysts said yesterday. The results of Algeria’s first polls since the wave of uprisings born in neighbouring Tunisia started sweeping the Arab world bucked the regional trend and preserved the status quo. “What stands out in this election is this Algerian exception that doesn’t fit in with the perceptions and speculations fed by the revolutions that have affected the Arab world,” the private opposition paper Liberte wrote Saturday.

While moderate Islamists in Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt recorded major electoral gains on the back of the Arab Spring, Algeria’s legal Islamist parties lost ground in Thursday’s legislative polls. “In fact the Arab Spring did have an impact on the election... but maybe not in the way the world was expecting,” political analyst Nourredine Hakiki told AFP. “In Egypt, in Libya, there was change but then there was regression and disorder... In Algeria, voters were looking for security, stability,” he said.

After multipartyism was introduced in 1989, the radical Islamic Salvation Front swept to victory in the first round of legislative elections two years later. But the army stepped in to halt the vote and launched a crackdown, sparking a civil war with extremist Islamist groups - Al-Qaeda’s North African branch is the emanation of one of them - that lasted 10 years and left 200,000 dead. “Algeria has had Islamism, nobody here can forget that period... It’s a

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chapter that this generation does not want to reopen,” Hakiki said. Protests broke out in Jan 2011 when the Tunisian revolution was still young but President Abdelaziz Bouteflika responded by promising change, initiating a reform program and dishing out pay rises. Algeria’s Islamist parties for their part were already in power in a governing coalition led by Bouteflika’s former single party which gave them some of the most lucrative portfolios. The main

Islamist party, the Movement of Society for Peace (MSP), is the Algerian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which swept to electoral triumphs in Egypt and Tunisia.

An eleventh-hour move to quit the parliamentary coalition and form a new electoral platform failed to restore its legitimacy as an alternative. “Islamists here have made a big mistake. Because it has been part of every recent government, people in Algeria don’t trust the MSP,” said Zouheir

Leader of the Islamist Movement of Society for Peace Party Abou Djara Soltani (center) expresses dissatisfaction on Friday with the results announced by the government of Algeria’s legislative elections while flanked by fellow Islamist leaders of the Green Alliance, Faleh Rebai (left) and Hamlaoui Akouchi (right). — AP

Hamedi, a political analyst based in Qatar.

“The Muslim Brothers in Egypt obtained a good score because they experienced prison for more than 30 years. Here the Islamists don’t embody change,” he said.

Several observers predicted yesterday that the MSP would remain part of the governing coalition, offering further evidence that the Islamist bloc has definitively been co-opted by the regime.

Bouteflika’s National Liberation Front for its part continues to draw legitimacy from the more than seven years of bloody struggle against the French colonial power. It has been ruling Algeria since independence and is seen by many Algerians, including some of its fiercest critics, as a guarantee of stability.

Antoine Basbous, head of the Parisbased Observatory of Arab countries, argued that the international community also appeared keen to preserve the stability of Algeria, which provides a fifth of Europe’s gas. “There are justified concerns over countries where the Arab Spring took place... I feel there is a willingness to protect this regime,” he said. “There was a need for one hub of stability.” Basbous cited overwhelmingly positive comments by the 500 foreign observers Bouteflika invited to monitor the polls and swift endorsements of the electoral process by foreign capitals despite widespread suspicion of fraud. “Algeria is a key piece of the puzzle in the Sahel crisis,” he said, in reference to the division of Mali and the rise of armed groups with links to Al-Qaeda in the wake of the Libyan regime’s collapse. “Algeria was not going to be destabilised at a time when it is expected to play a role in its own zone of influence.” — AFP

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

sp orts Karthikeyan lets off steam

Hernandez picked for qualifiers

End-of-season awards

BARCELONA: Narain Karthikeyan let off steam on Friday after a car failure meant he was unable to complete any timed laps in practice for the Spanish Grand Prix. The Indian driver already had to sit out first practice as Spanish reserve Dani Clos was given a runout in the HRT, which suffered an electrical problem towards the end of the morning.

When it came to his turn in the afternoon, Karthikeyan had to wait in the garage until the final half hour when he got out on to the track only for the car to fail again.

“It wasn’t a good day for whatever reason and for no fault of my own. It’s just a shame,” Karthikeyan told Reuters at the Circuit de Catalunya. “If I say I am not frustrated, it’s a lie. Of course you are frustrated as a driver.

“At this end of the grid you need to be close to or beat your team mate.

You are gauged against that and it just becomes so much harder for tomorrow. It’s not impossible but it’s very hard. —Reuters

MEXICO CITY: Mexico striker Javier Hernandez is among eight foreign-based players called up on Friday for next month’s CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers against Guyana and El Salvador.

Hernandez’s inclusion comes two days after Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson refused permission for ‘Chicharito’ to play at the London Olympics which starts in July.

Ferguson said Hernandez needed a rest before starting preseason training for the 2012/13 Premier League campaign having not had a proper holiday for three years.

Mexico host Guyana on June 8 and visit El Salvador four days later in the third phase of the Concacaf qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil. Costa Rica make up Group B. Mexico will play warm-up friendlies against Wales on May 27, Bosnia on May 31 and Brazil on June 3. The other exiles called up are goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa (Ajaccio), defenders Rafael Marquez (New York Red Bulls), Hector Moreno (Espanyol) and Francisco Rodriguez (VfB Stuttgart), midfielders Andres Guardado (Depor tivo Coruna) and Pablo Barrera (Real Zaragoza) and for ward Giovani Dos Santos ( Tottenham Hotspur). —Reuters

LONDON: Newcastle United’s Alan Pardew was named Premier League manager of the season on Friday to cap an impressive campaign in which he turned his unfancied side into contenders for Champions League qualification. Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany was named player of the season. Newcastle are fifth in the table with one game to play at Everton today and could qualify for the Champions League if other results go their way. Former Charlton Athletic and West Ham United manager Pardew has won plaudits for rebuilding his side with some astute moves in the transfer market.

In place of Andy Carroll, who joined Liverpool for 35 million pounds ($56.34 million) in January 2011, Pardew brought in strikers Demba Ba in June and Papiss Cisse in January this year. The Senegalese duo have scored 29 league goals between them and Pardew also did well to sign France midfielder Yohan Cabaye in the close season.

Belgian international Kompany has led league leaders City to the brink of their first top-flight crown since 1968. —Reuters

MLB results/standings Baltimore 4, Tampa Bay 3; NY Yankees 6, Seattle 2; Philadelphia 7, San Diego 3; Houston 1, Pittsburgh 0; Boston 7, Cleveland 5; Miami 6, NY Mets 5; Washington 7, Cincinnati 3; Texas 10, LA Angels 3; Chicago White Sox 5, Kansas City 0; Minnesota 7, Toronto 6; Milwaukee 8, Chicago Cubs 7 (13 innings); Atlanta 9, St Louis 7 (12 innings); Arizona 5, San Francisco 1; Oakland 11, Detroit 4; LA Dodgers 7, Colorado 3.

American League National League Eastern Division Eastern Division Washington 20 12 .625 W L PCT GB Atlanta 20 13 .606 .5 Baltimore 21 12 .636 NY Mets 18 14 .563 2 Tampa Bay 20 13 .606 1 Miami 17 15 .531 3 NY Yankees 18 14 .563 2.5 Philadelphia 15 18 .455 5.5 Toronto 18 15 .545 3 Central Division Boston 13 19 .406 7.5 St Louis 20 12 .625 Central Division Cincinnati 16 15 .516 3.5 Cleveland 18 14 .563 Houston 15 17 .469 5 Detroit 16 16 .500 2 Milwaukee 14 18 .438 6 C’ White Sox 16 17 .485 2.5 Pittsburgh 14 18 .438 6 Kansas City 11 20 .355 6.5 Chicago Cubs 13 19 .406 7 Minnesota 9 23 .281 9 Western Division Western Division LA Dodgers 21 11 .656 Texas 22 11 .667 San Francisco 15 17 .469 6 Oakland 17 16 .515 5 Arizona 15 18 .455 6.5 Seattle 15 19 .441 7.5 Colorado 13 18 .419 7.5 LA Angels 14 19 .424 8 San Diego 11 22 .333 10.5

Orioles edge Rays, top division BALTIMORE: Baltimore’s Nick Johnson hit his first homer in two years as the Orioles edged Tampa Bay 4-3 on Friday to stay top in the American League East division, one game ahead of the Rays.

Johnson’s two-run drive off Joel Peralta (0-2) put Baltimore in front 4-3, and the bullpen made the margin stand up. After spending last season in the minors, Johnson received an invite to spring training, made the team and was batting .143 before his gamechanging home run.

Adam Jones and Nick Markakis also connected for the Orioles, who lead the majors with 53 homers. Baltimore starter Darren O’Day (3-0) pitched the seventh for the win and Jim Johnson got three straight outs for the save. Tampa Bay, hitless after the fifth inning, has lost five of six.

Rangers 10, Angels 3 In Arlington, Texas, Josh Hamilton hit two more home runs as Texas trounced Los Angeles in a rain-interrupted game.

Both of Hamilton’s solo shots came after a two-hour rain delay in the first inning when the Rangers went ahead to stay against Angels star ter C.J. Wilson (4-3), their No. 1 starter last season who decamped to Los Angeles in the offseason.

Hamilton has eight homers in his past five games. He leads the majors with a .407 batting average, 17 homers and 40 RBIs. Rangers starter Yu Darvish (5-1) struck out seven as he worked into the sixth inning, staying on even after the long rain delay. His last pitch came four hours after his first one.

Yankees 6, Mariners 2 In New York, Raul Ibanez hit a goahead, three-run homer against his former team to give New York victory over Seattle.

Ibanez’s shot came off former teammate Felix Hernandez (3-2), who lost for the first time at new Yankee Stadium, where he previously had allowed only one earned run in 24 innings. Robinson Cano had four hits for the Yankees, while starter Hiroki Kuroda (3-4) went seven innings.

Athletics 11, Tigers 4 In Oakland, Brandon Inge hit a three-run homer against his old team and drove in four runs for the fourth time in five games, powering Oakland past Detroit.

Inge hit his fourth homer since joining the A’s on April 30 after the Tigers cut him. It was his second long ball in two nights after he hit a grand slam on Thursday. He also hit a game-ending grand slam Tuesday against Toronto.

Inge’s big bat backed A’s starter Tommy Milone (5-2), who struck out six in seven innings and retired his last 10 batters.

Josh Reddick homered twice and

had a career-high five RBIs for Oakland, which set a season high for runs.

Detroit starter Rick Porcello (3-3) was tagged for four runs in five innings.

Red Sox 7, Indians 5 In Boston, Dustin Pedroia had three hits and three RBIs in Boston’s win over Cleveland. Will Middlebrooks hit a tworun double off Ubaldo Jimenez (3-3) and Daniel Nava, called up from the minors Thursday, made a pair of outstanding defensive plays in left field to help the last-place Red Sox win for only the second time this month. Boston starter Clay Buchholz (4-1) allowed three earned runs over 6 1-3 innings.

White Sox 5, Royals 0 In Chicago, Adam Dunn hit his 11th homer to match his total from last season, leading Chicago over Kansas City.

Dunn’s long homer off Felipe Paulino (1-1) gave Chicago the lead in the first.

That was enough run suppor t for starter Gavin Floyd (3-3), who struck out five in 7 2-3 scoreless innings.

Twins 7, Blue Jays 6 In Minneapolis, Darin Mastroianni got his first major league hit and drove in three runs to help Minnesota edge Toronto.

Ryan Doumit added two RBIs and Denard Span scored twice in a game that lasted 3 hours, 17 minutes, after rain delayed the first pitch for 1 hour, 51 minutes. Twins star ter Nick Blackburn (1-4) snapped a 13-start winless streak.

Toronto’s Jose Bautista hit two solo homers, raising his total at spacious Target Field to nine in nine career games. However with a runner on third, Bautista popped up to end the game, giving Matt Capps his sixth save in as many chances. Blue Jays starter Kyle Drabek (2-4) was removed after 4 1-3 innings. He’s lost four consecutive starts. —AP

BALTIMORE: Orioles’ Nick Johnson watches his two-run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays to take the lead during the seventh inning of a baseball game. —AP

Braves roll over Cardinals ST. LOUIS: Atlanta’s Jason Heyward hit a two-run homer in the 12th inning to lift the Braves to a 9-7 win over St. Louis on Friday, putting damper on the Cardinals’ celebration honoring former manager Tony La Russa.

A sellout crowd was on hand to watch the Cardinals retire La Russa’s No. 10 in a pregame ceremony. But seven Atlanta relievers combined for 7 1-3 innings of one-run ball.

The Braves ended a sevengame losing streak in St. Louis that included a three -game sweep last September that propelled the Cardinals past Atlanta for the National League wild card on the way to their second World Series championship in five years.

Atlanta’s Livan Hernandez (1-0) got the win while Kyle McClellan (0-1) was charged with the loss.

Nationals 7, Reds 3 In Cincinnati, Roger Bernadina and Danny Espinosa each hit two-run homers in one of Washington’s biggest scoring splurges of the season, beating Cincinnati.

Washington matched its season high for runs against Cincinnati starter Mike Leake (05), who lasted only three innings and remained winless in six starts.

He gave up six runs, including the homers by Bernadina and Espinosa. It’s the second time Leake has failed to last four innings this season.

Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez (4-1) struck out a season-high nine batters - including six in a row - but lasted only five innings because of a high pitch count.

Marlins 6, Mets 5 In Miami, Greg Dobbs’ single with two outs in the ninth inning drove in the winning run as Miami rallied late to end New York’s five-game winning streak.

The Mets overcame an early 30 deficit and entered the ninth

leading 5-4 before Giancarlo Stanton led off with a double off Frank Francisco (1-2). He took third on a flyout and scored on a single by Emilio Bonifacio.

Bonifacio stole second to improve to 17 for 17 this season the best start in franchise history.

Juan Uribe all homered for the Dodgers. Rockies starter Jamie Moyer (1-3) gave up five runs over five innings. Moyer, who turns 50 later this year, is winless in his past four starts since breaking the record as the oldest pitcher to win a game in the majors.

ST LOUIS: Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa (right) is presented with a Key to the City by St. Louis mayor Francis Slay during a ceremony to retire La Russa’s number before a baseball game between the Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves. —AP After a strikeout, Dobbs lined the first pitch from Francisco for a single, and Bonifacio scored without a play at the plate.

Three-time All-Star Heath Bell (1-3), who lost his job as Miami’s closer after blowing four saves, pitched a perfect ninth to take the win and give the Marlins nine victories from 10 games.

Dodgers 7, Rockies 3 In Los Angeles, Chris Capuano won his fourth straight outing, steering Los Angeles to victory over Colorado. Capuano (5-0) equaled the best start of his eight-year career, allowing one run through seven innings. He retired 17 of 18 batters during one stretch a solo homer in the seventh ended his scoreless streak at 24 2-3 innings.

Andre Ethier, Mark Ellis and

D’backs 5, Giants 1 In Phoenix, Paul Goldschmidt hit his first home run since his initial at-bat of the season, helping Arizona beat San Francisco.

A.J. Pollock added his first major league homer, with both long balls coming off Madison Bumgarner (5-2), who had won five in a row.

Diamondbacks rookie starter Patrick Corbin (2-1) allowed only three hits and did not issue a walk in seven innings. The Giants have lost nine straight to the Diamondbacks dating to last season.

Astros 1, Pirates 0 In Pittsburgh, Bud Norris pitched six scoreless innings, leading Houston to the win over Pittsburgh. Brian Bogusevic sin-

Trio share Players lead PONTE VEDRA BEACH: World number one Rory McIlroy missed the cut at the Players Championship after shooting a four-over-par 76 in Friday’s second round which ended with a trio of Americans sharing the lead.

Zach Johnson, Kevin Na and Matt Kuchar were knotted at eight-under 136, a shot clear of compatriot Harris English. But with five players sitting a further stroke adrift and the course likely to get tougher over the weekend, the event widely known as golf ’s unofficial fifth major remains wide open.

One player who will not be able to make a move late yesterday is McIlroy, who has had a miserable record at the TPC Sawgrass course where he also missed the cut in his previous two appearances at the venue before skipping the event last year. The Northern Irishman, who had not missed a cut since last year’s Wells Fargo Championship, carded five bogeys and one birdie on Friday for a two-day total of 148.

“There is something about this place I just can’t get to grips with,” McIlroy told reporters. “I just need to try and get the hang of this golf course somehow, it’s just - I find it pretty difficult but it’s just one of those weeks.”

Woods had to fight to avoid missing successive cuts for the first time in his professional career after shooting a 74 in his opening round.

The former world number one, who failed to make the weekend at Quail Hollow last week, rose to the challenge by posting a 68 that included a string of four birdies around the turn that put him clear of trouble.

“I probably could have gotten one or two more out of it but I really played well today. I was just very consistent and nothing spectacular, just real solid golf,” said the 14-times major champion. It was a fair description of a round which leaves Woods six shots off the lead in a tournament he won in 2001.

Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, got off to a great start with three birdies in the opening four holes but he will be disappointed to have ended with a bogey on the 18th for a six-under 66 that tied for the lowest round of the day. “I never really gave the golf course much - in oth-

PONTE VEDRA BEACH: Ian Poulter, of England, hits from the sixth tee during the second round of the Players Championship golf tournament. —AP er words, I kept it where you need to keep it. My misses were proper. I was aggressive when I could be aggressive, and I caught a couple nice saves in there, too,” said the 36-year-old.

“But when you shoot that kind of score around this golf course any day in the year, or any week, you’re putting well. Clearly that’s what I’ve been doing the best.”

Martin Laird, who shared the overnight lead with fellow Briton Ian Poulter, slipped two shots off the pace after carding a 73, his solid effort undone by a double-bogey at the ‘island green’ 17th, where he found water, and then a bogey on the 18th. Poulter opened his second round on the back nine with a double-bogey on his first hole, the 10th, followed by another double at the par-three 13th.

However the fashion conscious Englishman recovered to card a four-over 76 that left him five strokes off the lead. Defending champion KJ Choi of South Korea missed the cut after a 76 on Friday left him with a two-day total of 151. Also heading home early were British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, who was beaten in a playoff by Bubba Watson at this year’s Masters, American world number five Hunter Mahan and threetimes major winner Padraig Harrington of Ireland.

American Steve Stricker ended his run of 49 tournaments without missing the cut. —Reuters

gled and scored in the second inning for the only run of the game.

Norris (3-1) struck out eight without walking a batter. He worked out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the sixth and Houston’s improved bullpen made it stand up. Brett Myers pitched the ninth for his ninth save.

Pittsburgh starter James McDonald (2-2) took the loss despite giving up one run in eight innings and struck out eight.

Brewers 8, Cubs 7 In Milwaukee, Corey Hart hit an RBI single in the 13th inning to lift Milwaukee over Chicago. With the bases loaded and no outs, Hart sent Lendy Castillo’s first pitch back up the middle to end the game after five hours, four minutes. Castillo (0-1) had hit two batters and given up a single to bring Hart to the plate.

Hart also hit a two-run homer in the ninth to tie it 7-7.

Milwaukee’s Vinnie Chulk (1-0) pitched the final two innings for his first victory since 2007.

Brewers reliever John Axford had his run of 49 consecutive saves ended. It was the fourthlongest streak in major league history. There were 14 walks by Cubs pitching, none of them intentional.

Phillies 7, Padres 3 In Philadelphia, Carlos Ruiz went 3 for 3 with a homer and three RBIs to power Philadelphia past San Diego. John Mayberry Jr. also homered and drove in three runs for the Phillies, who won their first game in four as they seek to turn around a disappointing starter to the season.

Philadelphia starter Vance Worley (3-2) struck out nine in six innings. Padres starter Clayton Richard (1-5) gave up five runs in 5 1-3 innings. —AP

Russia pound Sweden STOCKHOLM: A hat-trick by Yevgeni Malkin helped Russia hammer Sweden 7-3 to knock them off top spot in Group S in the ice hockey world championship preliminary round in Stockholm on Friday.

Co-hosts Finland were also beaten, losing 5-3 to Canada in Helsinki.

Goaltender Cam Ward was the hero for the Canadians, saving 35 of 38 shots as they leapfrogged the Finns at the top of Group H. Finland led 3-1 midway through the game but Canada then clicked into gear. Jeff Skinner made one and scored one before Evander Kane put Canada in the lead for the first time six minutes into the final period.

Jordan Eberle fired the puck into an empty net in the dying seconds to secure victory.

Canada have 13 points, one more than Finland. Sweden suffered a humiliating third-period collapse, letting in four goals against Russia having earlier gone into a 3-1 lead.

Indiscipline late in the second period led to two powerplay goals for the Russians, Malkin netting his first and Alexei Yemelin scoring two minutes later to make it 3-3.

Fifteen seconds into the third session Alexander Perezhogin added a fourth goal. Malkin then struck twice more as Sweden failed to capitalise despite being a man up for five minutes when Dmitri Kalinin was penalised for cross-checking Johan Franzen in the face. Russia now have five wins from five games.

Elsewhere, Czech Republic destroyed Italy 6-0 in Group S and United States squeezed past Kazakhstan 3-2 in Group H. —Reuters

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

sp orts

Logano wins Nationwide race

LOUISVILLE: Kentucky Derby hopeful Liaison (left) under jockey Martin Garcia, draws alongside stable mate Mile High Magic ridden by George Alvarez (right) as they workout at Churchill Downs in this file photo. — AP

Derby win a tough balancing act NEW YORK: Winning the Kentucky Derby isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. It might be the shortest championship celebration in all of sports. The winning trainer, jockey and horse can’t go to Disneyland, at least not right away.

All three have to reunite in Baltimore two weeks later to validate the title, and if all goes well, in New York three weeks after that to validate it again. As if that schedule wasn’t daunting enough, they’re also supposed to be drumming up business for the sport when it matters most, during Triple Crown season.

Doug O’Neill, who trained I’ll Have Another to one improbable win, just found out what a tough balancing act that can be.

“I swear on my kids’ eyes I never milkshaked a horse,” O’Neill said Thursday at Pimlico Race Course, where he addressed reports about his possible suspension in California on charges he gave his horses performance-enhancing cocktails of bicarbonate of soda, sugar and electrolytes.

Instead, O’Neill blamed the failed tests on “some people in charge of California racing I think didn’t like a few of us that were doing well. Anyway, it’s all being heard by the courts and I’m very confident everything will be fine.”

Let’s assume so, since the he-said, theysaid dispute won’t be resolved either way until after the Belmont closes out the Triple Crown season on the second Saturday in June. What matters at the moment, though, is how O’Neill responds to the spotlight - a place few people can appreciate more than Bob Baffert.

Baffert has three Derby wins and five Preakness victories, but has failed in all three of his Triple Crown tries at the Belmont, most memorably in 1998, when Real Quiet was beaten by a nose.

He lost the Derby again last Saturday when I’ll Have Another ran down his colt, Bodemeister, in the stretch. Baffert hasn’t decided whether to renew that fight by bringing Bodemeister to Baltimore, but the news has been more encouraging every day. “After that duel, all I thought I’d have left was hair and lactic acid. But Bodemeister looked good when we got him and he’s looked better most every day since. So all credit to the winner. He’s a good horse,” Baffert said. “And that kid, he rode an A-plus

race.”

That would be 25-year-old jockey Mario Gutierrez, who was riding in his first Derby barely a decade after racing quarterhorses in his native Mexico. But he’s handled the attention like a veteran, charming the racing public and press with stories about his modest beginnings, then looking very polished throwing out the first pitch Wednesday night at the Dodgers’ game.

O’Neill’s week, on the other hand, was mostly uneventful until stories of his run-ins with racing officials on the milkshaking charges - his third in California and fourth in a career that has spanned 25 years - began making the rounds.

O’Neill isn’t the first trainer in the Triple Crown chase to have to answer questions about possible per formance enhancing - both Rick Dutrow, who won the 2008 Derby and Preakness and Jeff Mullins, who trained the 2009 morningline favorite, got asked plenty of those and he won’t be the last. He understands scrutiny is part of the bargain.

Asked whether winning the Derby was validation for his career, which began taking off in 2005 yet remained confined largely to the West Coast, O’Neill answered evenly: “I’ve never thought of it that way.” “All those guys the Bafferts, the (Nick) Zitos and (D. Wayne) Lukas - they’ve all battled their negative press days. You win the big one and people kind of want to go after you,” he said. “It has validated, to our team, that if we get a top 2-year-old we can turn him into a Derby winner. Hopefully it’s the first of a few.”

Baffert didn’t doubt that. Then again, he knows how easy it is to get ahead of yourself in the sport, especially when you’re supposed to be leading the charge.

“Doug knows what to do and he’s plenty capable,” Baffert said. “Besides, he’s already won the big one. So I’d just say relax and enjoy it, even if you really can’t. ...

“And since I can’t change the Derby either, I can say this: I’m glad he’s the one dealing with it. Everybody wants a piece of you and plenty of your time. There’s so much going on around the barn, it’s easy to get sloppy,” Baffert added. “It’s like you’re running for office. You’ve got be ready,” he paused, “for just about anything.” — AP

DARLINGTON: Joey Logano wrecked leader Elliott Sadler five laps from the end, then broke free during a greenwhite-checkered finish at Darlington Raceway for his second straight Nationwide Series victory Friday night.

Logano was in third place after the fifth caution period tightened up the race at the end. Logano bumped Sadler at the restart, turning the lead car into the wall. Logano then shot past Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin during NASCAR’s version of overtime and held on for his third series victory of the season.

Logano said he’d used bumpdrafting tactic with Sadler earlier in the race and was trying to again help get the Nationwide regular out front.

When Sadler’s car turned right into the wall, “my heart dropped,” Logano said.

“You don’t want to be the guy that does something like that,” Logano continued. “But at no point in my mind did I think, ‘Man, I’m going to wreck him to win the race.’”

Once it happened and Logano was through without damage, his thoughts turned to victory. “You’ve got to find a way to put it behind you and do your job and win the race,” he said. Logano left Sadler a voice mail and said he was off to seek him out after post-race interviews.

Sadler was visibly angry when he left the car, pacing and grimacing while his team inspected the damage. Sadler said he understood what Logano was doing, but he needed to show awareness of how treacherous Darlington can be.

“You just don’t bump draft every place you go, especially not at a place like Darlington,” Sadler said. Logano apologized to Sadler on the radio moments after the incident. “Tell Elliott that I didn’t mean to do that,” he said. “I was trying to push him out ahead like the last restart. He started spinning his tires”

Hamlin finished second, giving him five top-two placings in his seven Nationwide races here. Brad Keselowski was third followed by Sam Hornish Jr. and Austin Dillon.

Two high-profile first-timers at Darlington finished on the lead lap: Danica Patrick was 12th while extreme sports star Travis Pastrana was 17th in his second-ever series race.

For much of the night, this race looked like Hamlin’s. He moved in front early are led for 102 of the 147 laps. Hamlin was ahead by nearly seven seconds with 20 laps to go when Kurt Busch hit the wall to bring out the fourth caution flag.

Sadler took two tires as the leaders pitted and beat the field out to move in front. He held the spot only 12 laps until Brendan Gaughan’s wreck set up the decisive restart.

Logano bumped Sadler as the cars came to the line, eventually sending the Nationwide Series regular right into the outside wall and leaving his car badly wrecked. “It’s just a shame, man,” said Sadler, who ended 24th.

Logano quickly took control of the green-while-checkered finish as he shot past Hamlin to open up a lead of several car lengths. Logano’s win was the sixth in the past seven Nationwide events at Darlington for Joe Gibbs Racing drivers.

Logano’s success on restarts was crucial to the win, his crew chief Adam Stevens said. “We weren’t quite as good as (Hamlin), but Joey was exceptional on the restarts and we used that to our advantage,” Stevens said. Hamlin said engine problems robbed his team of power to compete with Logano at the end. “We just can’t keep dominating these races and not win them,” Hamlin said.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who started from the poll, finished sixth and took a 23-point lead over Sadler in the series standings. Brian Scott was seventh, followed by Busch in eighth,

DARLINGTON: Joey Logano holds the trophy after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series auto race at Darlington Raceway. —AP James Buescher in ninth and Cole Whitt in 10th.

For Patrick, it was her third top-15 finish in her past four Nationwide races in her first season in NASCAR. It also ended a harried day of practice and qualifying in Sprint Cup and Nationwide in her first-ever tour of “The Lady in Black.”

Pastrana also made it through on

a circuit he said at first had him as “scared” as he’d ever been driving in NASCAR. “With rally, there’s certain times that there’s a 100-foot cliffs or trees or snow or fog or whatever and that’s scary,” Pastrana said. “But this, you know what’s coming up and the fact that it is still scary is still overwhelming.” — AP

Britain to deploy ‘sonic gun’ at Olympics LONDON: Britain’s military will be armed with a sonic device that can be used as a high-volume loudspeaker or a non-lethal weapon to disperse crowds at this summer’s Olympic Games in London, the defence ministry said on Friday.

The equipment, which can project a piercing sound over hundreds of metres causing physical pain, has been used during protests at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh in 2009 and against pirates operating off the Somali coast.

The Ministry of Defence said it expected to use it primarily in loudspeaker mode to communicate with boats it wants to stop on the River Thames.

Defence chiefs have already caused controversy by announcing plans to put surface-to-air missiles on the top of residential buildings near the Olympics site in east London.

Fighter jets roared over the capital and helicopters were seen hovering over the Houses of Parliament this month during a nine-day military exercise to prepare for Britain’s biggest peacetime security operation.

The LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device), made by US company LRAD Corporation, can be mounted on the side of a ship or on the top of a vehicle. Some versions are roughly the same size and shape as a dustbin lid.

It can generate noises up to around 150 decibels, similar to a gunshot, and has a maximum range of 3 km or 1.8 miles.

The device can also emit a warning alarm that sounds like a police siren and “potentially prevents the use of harmful or deadly force”, LRAD says on its website.

Police and military planners say they are preparing for a range of security threats at the Olympics including protesters trying to disrupt events and attacks using hijacked airliners. Around 13,500 soldiers will help the police during the Games, which run from July 27 to Aug. 12. — Reuters

Phelps beats Lochte in Charlotte CHARLOTTE: Michael Phelps easily beat Ryan Lochte in their last race Friday before the US Olympic trials, yet that was still not good enough to win. Ricky Berens beat them both in the 200meter freestyle at the Charlotte Grand Prix, touching in a relatively slow time of 1 minute, 47.32 seconds. Phelps finished second in 1:48.01, while Lochte was back in sixth place at 1:49.70.

“We’re all doing different training,” Phelps said.

“That’s how (Lochte) has always done it. I’m sure that’s what he’s going to do this year. He’s somebody who’s a very tough racer and, at the right time, he’ll be there when it counts.”

Lochte, in fact, put himself at a disadvantage before the race even started by going with a brief instead of a jammer suit like the one worn

by Phelps. Also, he is swimming a much more extensive program in Charlotte than his top rival, who has only one more event, the 200 butterfly.

Later in the evening, Lochte finished seventh in the grueling 400 individual medley. He’s got several more events in Charlotte, then he will return home for training ahead of the Olympic trials in Omaha, which begin in late June.

“None of this is going to matter,” said Gregg Troy, Lochte’s coach. “No one is going to care what happened in Charlotte in another month and a half or two months. So, we’re pretty comfortable.”

Phelps is planning to swim at only one more meet before the Olympic trials. He’ll be spending most of his time in the mountains of Colorado, fine-tuning his conditioning at altitude.

Berens certainly knows that both Phelps and Lochte will be going much faster when they get to Omaha. At last year’s world championships, Lochte won the gold with a showing of 1:44.44, edging Phelps by 35-hundredths of a second.

Berens hasn’t come close to those sort of times without benefit of the rubberized suits that have since been banned by FINA, the world governing body. The best he can hope for, it

would seem, is to go fast enough at trials to earn a spot on the 4x200 freestyle relay.

“I have one of the hardest events in the country,” he conceded. “I’ve got Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps, who are the two fastest guys in the world and the toughest competition. As long as I’m on the relay with those two guys, I’ll be glad to be on their on their team. As long as I’m part of that relay and winning gold for the U.S., I’m happy.”

Phelps hoped to get a powerful finishing kick off his last turn, but he had trouble judging the

wall because of a bulkhead that hangs over the end of the pool. He mistimed his flip, didn’t get the push he wanted and couldn’t quite catch up to the leader.

“I wanted to nail that third wall. I knew that was going to be the difference in the race,” Phelps said. “He probably got me by a couple of tenths on that wall. With 15 or 20 meters to go, I kind of felt like I was reeling him in a little bit. I just kind of ran out of room. I didn’t set myself up to run him down at the right spot. Hopefully, next time.” — AP

CHARLOTTE: Ryan Lochte comes through the water during the 50-meter backstroke swimming event at the 2012 Charlotte UltraSwim Grand Prix. — AP

Steve Hooker

Hooker to defend pole vault gold in London PERTH: Steve Hooker will defend his gold medal in the pole vault at the London Olympics after clearing the qualifying height of 5.72 meters on Friday on his second attempt at a specially sanctioned meet in Perth. The 29-year-old Hooker, making his first competitive outing in three months due to a knee injury and a lack of confidence, will compete at his third straight Olympics for Australia.

The West Australian high-fived many in the crowd of about 150 spectators and hugged his coach Alex Parnov after completing the jump at his purpose-built training facility in suburban Perth.

“Parnov, you’re a genius. I’ll never doubt you again,” Hooker said.

In February, Hooker’s chances of of competing in London looked in jeopardy, as he said “the confidence I require to stand at the end of the runway and then charge down, land my pole and soar almost six meters into the air has left me for the time being” and said he would not compete for months.

Those self-doubts had disappeared by Friday. “I really felt aggressive on the runway for the first time in a couple of years,” he said. “A height of 5.72 isn’t going to get you anywhere near (a gold medal), but that’s a really great start. Momentum’s an amazing thing and I feel like I’ve got a lot of it at the moment.” Hooker, who has a personal best of 6.06 meters, will compete in the Diamond League meet in Shanghai later this month before possibly competing at events in Rome, Munich, Oslo, Norway; and Lille, France.

The Perth meet was specially sanctioned by Athletics WA, meaning any height Hooker cleared would count toward Olympic qualification. — AP

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

sp orts

Grizzlies maul Clippers 90-88 to force 7th game

ISTANBUL: Olympiakos’ Richard Dorsey dunks the ball during a Final Four Euroleague semifinal basketball match against Barcelona at the Sinan Erdem Arena.—AP

Olympiakos, CSKA advance Euroleague final ISTANBUL: Olympiakos Piraeus and CSKA Moscow reached the final of Europe’s premier basketball club competition on Friday after dramatic wins over more heralded rivals in a packed Sinan Erdem Arena.

An effervescent performance by playmaker Vassilis Spanoulis steered Olympiakos to a 68-64 victory versus 2010 champions Barcelona while Andrei Kirilenko overcame early jitters to help CSKA Moscow beat holders Panathinaikos Athens 66-64.

Taunted and vastly outnumbered by noisy Panathinaikos fans throughout both semifinals, their bitter city foes donning the red and white colours of Olympiakos had the last laugh as Spanoulis led the charge for their team against Barcelona.

With the clock ticking in a nail-biting finish, he buried a three-pointer and then dished a no-look pass to Richard Dorsey for an easy lay-up as Olympiakos got sweet revenge for an 86-68 defeat by Barcelona in the 2010 final.

“Vassilis is a real team leader and one of a kind, he will always take responsibility at crunch time and attack the basket to take the pressure of his team mates,” Olympiakos’s Macedonia centre Pero Antic told Reuters.

“We now have a great chance to prove wrong everyone who wrote off this team before the season started and win our first major trophy since 1997.

“It would be no more than our (Serbian) coach Dusan Ivkovic deserved after once again showing immense experience and tactical prowess second to none,” said Antic.

Since they won the elusive double of the Euroleague and the Greek league 15 years ago, Olympiakos have played second fiddle to Panathinaikos in both competitions and arrived at the Final Four in Istanbul as the least fancied team.

Spanoulis, who joined Olympiakos from their arch rivals in 2010 after winning the Euroleague with Panathinaikos the season before, outplayed Barcelona’s much heralded shooting guard Juan Carlos Navarro and finished with a game-high 21 points.

His inspired display was matched in the day’s opening semi-final by Kirilenko, who endured a torrid opening before he demonstrated the skills of a former NBA stalwart to propel CSKA into Sunday’s final with 17 points and nine rebounds.

Panathinaikos looked the more likely winners after storming to a 29-15 lead at the end fo the first period but paid the price for setting Euroleague’s worst record for points in a quarter in the Final Four, scoring five in the second period.

The Greek outfit’s advantage was reduced to 34-32 by halftime and they couldn’t stop a rejuvenated Kirilenko nailing one crucial shot after another in CSKA’s patient second-half comeback.

“We had problems in defending their pickand-roll offence early on and were not focused enough in the first quarter but all the pieces came together when we applied our trademark half-court pressure,” CSKA centre Nenad Krstic told Reuters.

“Today’s final will be the biggest game of my career and we now have to recover both emotionally and physically from this roller coaster which could have gone the other way and deservedly so had Panathinaikos scored on their last possession. “The luckier team won but you have to earn your luck and we earned ours because we never gave up although we were in disarray and looked lost in the opening period,” he said. Barcelona will play Panathinaikos in the third-place match on Sunday before CSKA and Olympiakos lock horns in the final.—Reuters

LOS ANGELES: The Memphis-Los Angeles NBA first-round playoff series will go down to a decisive Game 7 after the Grizzlies beat the Clippers 90-88 on Friday.

Marc Gasol scored 23 points and Zach Randolph had 18 points and 16 rebounds for Memphis. Rudy Gay and Mike Conley added 13 points each to help the Grizzlies win for the first time in the Western Conference series at Staples Center. Los Angeles’ Blake Griffin scored 17 points despite a sprained left knee that limited his jumping ability, and Eric Bledsoe added 14 off the bench for the Clippers, who blew an eight-point lead in the fourth quarter and a second chance to close out the series.

Chris Paul scored 11 points for Los Angeles playing with a strained right hip flexor and a jammed right middle finger. The Clippers are now outsiders to win just the third playoff series in franchise history, as Game 7 will be Sunday in Memphis.

The Grizzlies are trying to become only the eighth team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a seven-game series. Top-seeded San Antonio awaits the winner in the conference semifinals. Tied 66-66 starting the fourth, the Clippers scored 10 straight to take their first lead since the game’s opening minutes. Bledsoe scored six points.

But the Grizzlies responded with a 17-4 run, including 10 straight points, to take an 85-80 lead. Gay scored five in a row as the Clippers missed and Randolph came up with a big block. Conley hit a 3-pointer and Randolph tipped in the ball to close out the spurt. Griffin made two free throws to narrow the gap before Randolph scored for an 87-82 Grizzlies lead. Conley fouled Paul, who missed the first free throw and made the second to leave Los Angeles trailing 87-83 with 56 seconds left.

The Clippers were forced to keep fouling, and the Grizzlies made 3 of 8 to stay alive. Los Angeles’ Caron Butler missed a 3-pointer with 14 seconds to go as home fans headed for the exits before Randy Foye hit a 3 with 3 seconds left.—AP

LOS ANGELES: Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (top) grabs the headband of Los Angeles Clippers forward Reggie Evans as he goes up for a shot during the first half of Game 6 in their first-round NBA basketball playoff series.—AP

Rebels upset Crusaders 28-19 SYDNEY: The Melbourne Rebels scored two second half tries in four minutes to stun the Canterbury Crusaders and secure a rousing 2819 home victory in their Super rugby match yesterday.

Fired by a brace of tries from scrumhalf Nick Phipps and incisive kicking from veteran back Mark Gerrard, the Rebels kept the Crusaders scoreless for an entire half to register only their third win of the season in front of an ecstatic crowd of 18,000.

The Crusaders’ shock loss weakened their position in the southern hemisphere provincial tournament’s top six and was compounded by injury to number eight enforcer Kieran Read, who limped off the turf gingerly at the start of the last quarter after a heavy fall in a lineout.

“We said that we’d set a bit of standard how we wanted to play the game,” the Rebels’ Welsh captain Gareth Delve said in a pitchside interview, referring to his team’s gallant loss to the powerful Pretoria-based Bulls in their previous match. “ To hold a fantastic team like the Crusaders scoreless in the second half is amaz-

ing and shows that we’re making some progress.

“The confidence is building in this team and it makes such a massive difference.” The Crusaders held a 19-10 lead at halftime, but Phipps’ 66th-minute try and Stirling Mortlock’s five-pointer shortly after broke the game open, and the Rebels marched to their finest victory since joining the 15-team tournament last year.

The hosts started brightly with Phipps snatching the ball out of a ruck near the posts and breaching the Crusaders defence with a low dive over the line in the 12th minute.

Flyhalf Tom Taylor, who kicked the Crusaders to a tight win over reigning champions Queensland last week, slotted two penalty goals to steady the visitors.

The Crusaders struck 10 minutes before the break, spreading the ball wide to fullback Tom Marshall who made a dart for the left corner but was pulled down in a tackle two metres shy of the line. Lock Sam Whitelock thundered in to scoop up the ball, however, and cantered over unopposed to put the Crusaders in front, with Tom Taylor adding the conversion and another

two penalty goals to extend the lead to 19-10 at halftime.

The Rebels re-doubled their efforts after the break, gleaning two penalty goals to Beale who kicked the home side to within three points in the 55th minute.

With tension rising to fever pitch, veteran back Mark Gerrard charged through a pack of players and shipped the ball inside to Phipps, who streamed over next to the right post to put the Rebels in front with 14 minutes left.

Former Wallabies captain Mortlock, a late substitute, intercepted an ill-directed pass from Owen Franks and fed winger Cooper Vuna, who was held up just before the line.

Vuna’s offload found Mortlock, who cantered over for the sealing try to spark thunderous cheers from the terraces.

The Rebels’ defence, traditionally their Achilles heel, stayed resolute for the final 10 minutes and flanker Richie McCaw fumbled the ball after the siren to conclude the match and cap a disappointing night for the Crusaders’ captain in his first start of the season.—Reuters

Japan thrash S Korea SEOUL: Winger Hirotoki Onozawa scored a hat-trick as Japan overwhelmed South Korea 52-8 yesterday, with the defending champions handing their arch-rivals a first defeat in this year’s Asian Five Nations. After getting off to a slow but steady start, perennial Asian rugby champions Japan surged in the second half to dominate the hapless South Koreans, finishing the match with a total of eight tries.

Veteran Onozawa opened the scoring in the 21st minute and then touched down twice in the second half to complete his hattrick, his second of this year’s Asian Five Nations.

The hat-trick gave the 34-year-old 49 tries from 70 tests to equal Doug Howlett as the fifth most prolific try scorer in international rugby. “I told him before the game he had to score three tries. He’s very obedient,” Japan coach Eddie Jones joked after the match.

Jones said the slow start was because the players trained hard before the game and were tired going into the match, adding that he was “really pleased with the way they came back in the second half.” The first 20 minutes at the Seongnam Stadium in Seoul remained scoreless, with both sides threatening but neither managing to get through their opponents’ solid defence.

Onozawa broke the deadlock, making the most of a good break by Ayumu Goromaru to go over in the corner, the fullback twisting the knife by adding the conversion from out wide. Goromaru was on target again soon after when Shinya Makabe finished off a flowing move. The attack was initiated by Yuta Mochizuki, whose strong run left the South Korean defence helpless.

The first half closed with Japan leading 140. The South Koreans finally got on the board in the 44th minute with a penalty from reserve fly-half Park Hong-Sik but Mochizuki hit back soon after, going over for a try, which Goromaru converted to make it 21-3.

Between the two tries was a five-pointer from South Korea’s debutant Jang Sung-Minwho scored a try with his first touch of the ball in his first ever international.

Toshiaki Hirose crossed for Japan’s sixth try in the 71st minute, with their tired opponents a man down after Kim Young-Nam was sent to the sin bin, and Takamichi Sasaki finished the game with two well-taken tries.

On Friday, the United Arab Emirates won their match against Kazakhstan 46-31 in Dubai, but faced down a scare as their opponents came back from 0-29 down to score 31 in the second half.—AFP

OYONNAX: French sprinter Christophe Lemaitre smiles as he is about to cut the ribbon during the inauguration of a track and field stadium bearing his name in the French eastern city of Oyonnax. —AFP

DURBAN: Coastal Sharks’ Paul Jordaan (left) tackles Western Force’s David Harvey (center) as Western Force’s David Pocock looks on during the Super 15 Rugby Union match. Coastal Sharks defeated Western Force 53-11. —AFP

Hurricanes break Highlander hearts DUNEDIN: Julian Savea stunned the Highlanders on their home turf with a try six minutes from time to secure a rousing 26-20 victory for the Hurricanes in their Super Rugby match in Dunedin on Friday and keep the Wellington side’s playoff hopes alive.

The jet-heeled winger fended off prop Chris King then burned away from a clutch of defenders to plant the ball at the right corner and silence a boisterous crowd under the transparent roof of Forsyth Barr Stadium.

The win kept the Hurricanes within striking distance of the top six and left the shocked Highlanders vulnerable to tumbling out of it, should the Sharks beat the Perth-based Western

Force at home in Durban. “The boys just stuck at it. We gave them more chances than we should have but we’ve got a lot of character,” Hurricanes captain Conrad Smith said in a pitchside interview.

“That was some of the best footy we’ve played... that ’s a great step up. “We’ve struggled against the Highlanders, I think that ’s three losses (before tonight) and it’s nice to turn one around.”

The Highlanders held a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter after a brace of tries but were pegged back repeatedly by Hurricanes flyhalf Beauden Barrett. The impressive youngster slotted four penalties and two conversion kicks from varying

angles to compile a 16-point haul. The Highlanders had the lion’s share of possession after Barrett had slotted an early penalty and flyhalf Chris Noakes streamed through a gaping hole in the Hurricanes line to plant their first try on the right in the 14th minute. Flanker Adam Thomson ploughed over from two metres out and just left of the posts less than seven minutes later, but two straight penalty goals from Barrett left the visitors trailing only 14-9 at halftime.

The match officials conspired to deny the Highlanders a try seven minutes after the break when inside centre Phil Burleigh broke through the line and touched the ball down next to the flag.

After a lengthy video review,

the try was disallowed to the disdain of local fans and while Noakes knocked over a penalty kick, the disappointed Highlanders lost their focus for long enough to allow Savea to set up flanker Faifili Levave for a try near the left corner two minutes later.

Barrett slotted a penalty to put the Hurricanes ahead in the 67th minute, but replacement back Mike Delany replied with one for the home side four minutes later to snatch back the lead.

Savea’s late try and Barrett’s subsequent conversion took the wind out of the Highlanders’ sails, however, and the Hurricanes defended grimly to protect the lead for the last few minutes.—Reuters

18

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

S P ORT S

Hamilton stripped of Spanish GP pole BARCELONA: Lewis Hamilton was yesterday stripped of his pole position for today ’s Spanish Grand Prix, following a stewards meeting that decided he had stopped on track after qualifying in order to save fuel. The stewards said Hamilton had insufficient fuel in his McLaren car and, as a result, he will start today’s

slowing down lap and was assisted back to the parc ferme where a fuel sample was taken from his car. The stewards ruled that this was irregular and relegated him to the back of the grid.

Maldonado, 27, has never previously started a race in better than the seventh position on the grid he occupied for the 2011

that McLaren would likely be penalised if it was felt they were taking advantage of an opportunity to save fuel.

That suggested that Hamilton may have been running so low on fuel that the team feared he could have failed to make it to parc ferme and have sufficient fuel remaining to supply a sample

SPAIN: Lewis Hamilton from Britain drives his McLaren Mercedes F1 race car during the third practice session at the Catalunya racetrack. —AP race from the back of the grid.

Hamilton, the 2008 world champion, had claimed pole position with a dazzling lap in the final part of the top-10 shootout Q3, outpacing nearest rival Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado of Williams by half a second.

But he stopped on track on his

British Grand Prix.

Moments before the decision was revealed, McLaren team chief Martin Whitmarsh conceded that Hamilton was likely to lose his pole position.

Whitmarsh declined to explain precisely why the team asked Hamilton to stop, but accepted

to the stewards. “ There was enough fuel to take a fuel sample, but we stopped the car. There was 1.3 litres of fuel taken out of the car,” said Whitmarsh.

Under the rules laid down by the sport’s ruling body the International Motoring Federation (FIA), drivers must

return to parc ferme under their own power with a minimum of one-litre of fuel on board.

It is not acceptable for them to stop to save petrol for the sample as that would give them a competitive advantage, permitting them to run with less fuel, and hence less weight, in qualifying.

Hamilton and McLaren were given a reprimand and a $10,000 fine at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix in similar circumstances.

Whitmarsh said yesterday’s drama was due to a problem in the McLaren garage. “It is a technical problem that happened in the garage that didn’t impede the performance of the car in any way and we stopped when it had 1.3 litres of fuel in the car,” he added.

He was adamant that Hamilton had enough fuel to complete his lap back to the pit lane and also to supply a one litre sample.

Hamilton, 27, had a best lap of 1min 21.707sec to finish half a second clear of Maldonado.

Fernando Alonso was next fastest ahead of Romain Grosjean and his Lotus team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.

They were followed by Sergio Perez of Sauber, Nico Rosberg of Mercedes and, unexpectedly, defending champion Sebastian Vettel in his Red Bull.

For Williams, Maldonado’s promotion to pole was a great present for team founder Sir Frank Williams, who was celebrating his 70th birthday in the team garage.

“We have worked so hard to understand these tyres and develop our car around them and this is a great step forward for the team. We have such a good spirit and the car feels fantastic,” said Maldonado. —AFP

I’m back, Gatlin warns after victory in Doha

CHENNAI: The bails fly off the wickets to dismiss Delhi Daredevils’ captain Virender Sehwag during the Indian Premier League cricket match against Chennai Super Kings. —AP

Sharma shines for Mumbai in IPL, Chennai also wins KOLKATA: Rohit Sharma scored 109 as Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs while Chennai Super Kings scored an easy nine-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League yesterday.

Sharma’s century off 60 balls was part of an unbroken 167-run stand with Herschelle Gibbs (66) for Mumbai to reach an impressive 182-1 after electing to bat at Eden Gardens. Kolkata managed 155-4 in reply. Sharma, who came in to bat after Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal in the third over, was in the groove straight away by pulling speedster Brett Lee for a six over the squareleg boundary.

He exhibited several fine shots square of the wicket on either side, smashing seamer Rajat Bhatia for 19 in an over. He totaled five sixes and 12 fours in his maiden IPL century and dominated the partnership with Gibbs, who hit two sixes and seven fours in his first IPL appearance this season. “ There was no game plan, I just wanted to go out there and spend some time, which is what usually helps,” Sharma said. “I wanted to bat 20 overs as we were batting first and wanted to get a decent target. We knew the pitch was quite slow.”

Kolk ata’s reply featured Jacques Kallis (79) and Yusuf Pathan (40 not out) keeping the home side in the hunt.

Pace bowler Munaf Patel bowled captain Gautam Gambhir with a slower deliver y for a duck . Af ter opener Manvinder Bisla fell for 1 to left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha to make it 3-2 in the second over, Kolkata always faced a

stiff challenge.

Kallis added 57 for the third wicket with Manoj Tiwary (27), but some tight bowling by the Mumbai bowlers denied them the chance to have a good shot at the target.

Kallis struck three sixes and seven boundaries in 60 balls, while Pathan cracked a six and two fours in 31.

Mumbai climbed to third place in the standings with eight wins and five losses. Kolkata was second with eight wins, four losses and one no-result.

At Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Australia pace bowler Ben Hilfenhaus accounted for the top three batsmen - David Warner, captain Virender Sehwag and Naman Ojha - as Delhi was restricted to a low 114-5 on a slow pitch.

Two -time defending champion Chennai got to the target with ease as openers Murali Vijay (48 not out) and Mike Hussey (38) made 75 together.

Chennai is fourth with seven wins, six losses and a no -result from 14 games, while Delhi remains on top with nine wins and fours losses from 13.

Scores: Mumbai Indians 182-1 (Rohit Sharma 109 not out, Herschelle Gibbs 66 not out) def. Kolkata Knight Riders 155-4 (Jacques Kallis 79, Yusuf Pathan 40 not out, Manoj Tiwary 27).

Chennai Super Kings 115-1 in 15.2 overs (Murali Vijay 48 not out, Mike Hussey 38, Suresh Raina 28 not out) def.

Delhi Daredevils 114-5 (Yogesh Nagar 43 not out, Venugopal Rao 27; Ben Hilfenhaus 3-27). —AP

DOHA: Justin Gatlin, dead and buried after a fouryear doping ban that saw him, in desperation, mull a potential career in American football?

Not likely, the American insisted after scorching to a blistering 9.87 seconds to win the 100m at the opening leg of the 14-meet Diamond League here.

Gatlin’s time, his fastest outdoor season opener since he started professional sprinting at the age of 19, places him firmly in the same bracket as absent Jamaican arch-rivals Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake.

Bolt and Blake skipped this meet, preferring to open their seasons on home soil and clocking 9.82 and 9.84sec respectively.

Fellow Jamaican Asafa Powell finished just onehundredth behind Gatlin in Doha, setting up the prospect of a battle royale between the US and the Caribbean island’s finest sprinters come this summer’s London Olympic Games.

“I want everyone to know Justin Gatlin is back and I want the Olympic title,” insisted Gatlin. It would be an unlikely tale for the athlete who claimed 100m gold at the Olympics in Athens in 2004, but then fell foul of drugs and served a fouryear ban, coming back in late 2010.

His path back to form, and acceptance by meet directors and fans, saw him win a second world indoor 60m title in Istanbul in March, after a first success way back in 2003.

“You’ve got to take track and field as a soap opera with spikes on,” Gatlin said of the global athletics circuit. Wherever he goes, there is always a question on doping lurking, something he never shies away from. “I feel that whatever time we’ve served, innocent or guilty, we’ve served that time.

Taking that privilege (of competing) away from us, after being tested again and again, is unjust,” is how Gatlin’s measured reply goes.

He even went to pains to stress that he had only happy memories of competing in Doha, where he ran 9.77sec in 2006 to match Powell’s then world record, only for it to be rescinded after the doping violation came to light.

On Friday, Powell got away to his usual blistering start, only to seize up at the vital moment in the run-in to the line, Gatlin producing his trademark final surge to win by a head. “I was feeling a little sluggish, but that felt great,” said Gatlin.

“Everybody wants to see great competition.

They’ve watched the Usain Bolt show for a couple of years, they want to see someone else in the mix and I’m happy to step up and be in the mix as well.

“The Jamaicans have got their team together well, so we have to do that as well. But the US has always had good racers, we have Tyson Gay, Walter Dix and me. I’m back!”

Remarkably for the 30-year-old Gatlin, who looks in incredibly lithe shape with a lot less muscle mass around the shoulders and pectorals than in previous seasons, his 9.87sec was the “fastest I’ve ever opened up my whole career”.

“It shows I have a lot of grit and a lot of competition still left in these old legs. I just want to come back and run with the best of them,” he said.

Jamaican sprinters, he said, “you have been warned. I’m back!” —AFP

ITALY: Italy’s Paolo Tiralongo celebrates after crossing the finish line to win the seventh stage of the Giro d’Italia, over 202 km from Recanati to Rocca di Cambio. —AFP

Tiralongo wins seventh stage Giro d’Italia ROME: Paolo Tiralongo out-sprinted one of the overall favorites in Michele Scarponi to win the seventh stage of the Giro d’Italia over 202km from Recanati to Rocca di Cambio yesterday.

Canadian Ryder Hesjedal took fifth on the stage, five seconds back, to take over the pink jersey from I talian Andriano Malori. The stage finished with a 19km climb up to Rocca di Cambio that really ramped up in the final 1.5km.

Escapees Stefano Pirazzi and Jose Herrada were caught in that final steep part after which Scarponi made a break for home from 400-metres out.

Tiralongo gritted his teeth and stuck with his Italian countryman before nipping past in the final 50 metres.

Luxembourg’s Frank Schleck took third on the stage, three seconds back, with Joaquim Rodriguez in fourth with the same time. It was the first stage in which the overall favourites started to show their class with the likes of twice former winner Ivan Basso taking eighth on the stage, nine seconds down, to move up to that same position overall.

Czech Roman Kreuziger also stuck with the leading group and is now seventh overall. Tiralongo’s 20-second time

bonus for winning the stage helped him up to second overall, 15 seconds down on Hesjedal, with Spaniard Rodriguez now third just another two seconds back.

American Garmin pair Christian Vande Velde and Peter Stetina round out the top five. The stage began with an immediate four-man break comprising Matteo Rabottini, Mirko Selvaggi, Japan’s Fumiyuku Beppu and Reto Hollenstein.

It lasted until just over 20km left when Rabottini decided to go solo with the peloton quickly closing in. The other escapees were soon caught while first Pirazzi and then Herrada attacked off the front of the group.

They briefly made a three-man group with Rabottini but the Italian could not keep going with it and soon dropped off.

Herrada made a sole break when Pirazzi lost time by almost going the wrong way at a junction.

The Spaniard held on until 600metres from the line when the group caught and passed him, leaving Scarponi and Tiralongo to fight for victory. —AFP

QINHUANGDAO: In this photo released by China’s Xinhua news agency, Argentina’s Benavidez Pamela (right) sends a left to El Zahraoui Zohra of Morocco during their 51kg division boxing match at the World Women’s Championships. —AP

Women’s boxing championships QINHUA NGDAO: Two -t i m e wor l d champion Sofya Ochigava of Russia and Olympic test event winner Natasha Jonas of England won their first bouts in the 132-pound class at the world women’s boxing championships yesterday.

Ochigava scored a 19-7 win over Kiria Tapia of Puerto Rico, while Jonas beat Rebecca Price of Wales 18-8 in their first steps towards qualifying for the London Olympics.

The championships are held in 10 divisions but the focus is on three: 112pound flyweight, 132-pound light-

weight and 165-pound middleweight.

They are the only three classes in the Olympic debut of women’s boxing this summer.

In the lightweight division, Quanita Lee Underwood of the United States defeated Dayana Sanchez of Argentina, 24-13. In the welter weight, Raquel M iller of the US defeated Daena Stephenson of New Zealand, 20-12.

I n the middleweight, American Claressa Maria Shields defeated Pooja Rani of India, 27-10. Eight places are up for grabs in each of the three categories. —AP

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SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

SPORTS

City title triumph will benefit league—Mancini

Alex Ferguson

Ferguson brushes off City power shift talk MANCHESTER: Sir Alex Ferguson has brushed off talk of a new order in English football as bitter rivals Manchester City prepare to snatch his team’s Premier League crown. Manchester United travel to Sunderland today knowing that a City victory over Queens Park Rangers at Eastlands will effectively clinch the title for Roberto Mancini’s side.

City’s unprecedented financial might has prompted talk of a power shift in English football after decades of domination by Ferguson’s United.

However, the United manager is adamant that now is not the time for major analysis about the wider meaning of his team’s failure to scoop a record 20th title after being in pole position a few weeks ago. “I think we can think about that after the events and analyse it properly,” said Ferguson. “There’s no point doing it now as nothing’s been decided and it’s the last game of the season, which is fantastic for the neutral and the media but agony for both clubs.”

However, Ferguson denied that missing out on the title would spell the end of an era, with United having won the league four times in the previous five seasons.

“We’re not looking as though it’s the end of an era for us,” added Ferguson. “In many ways, it’s the start of one for us.

“The challenge will be really obvious to them (the players) now. If they lose the league, as we did with Chelsea a couple of years ago, we did something about it.

Hopefully, we can do so again.”

United captain Patrice Evra has admitted the loss of defender Chris Smalling has left him with mixed emotions ahead of today’s game. Phil Jones is likely to line up alongside Rio Ferdinand at the Stadium of Light after Smalling suffered a groin injury that has also ruled him out of England’s European Championship campaign.

“It’s a huge blow,” said United’s France left-back Evra, who could have lined up against Smalling in a Group D game in Donetsk on June 11. “Chris is one of the strongest defenders we have at United. I’m really sad for him but, to be fair, I’m happy he won’t play against me and France in the Euros. “I have to be honest. When he told me he was injured and would miss the game against Sunderland, I said ‘No, Chris, we need you.’ “And then he told me he’d also miss the Euros and I just said, ‘Thanks!

Well done!’ You always have to find a silver lining.” Meanwhile, Phil Bardsley insists there will be no divided loyalties among Sunderland’s significant number of exManchester United players as they bid to end their former club’s title hopes.

The Scotland international is among a five-strong ex-United contingent at the Stadium of Light, along with John O’Shea, Wes Brown, Kieran Richardson and Fraizer Campbell.

A first Sunderland league victory over Ferguson’s side for 15 years will hand the trophy to City, but Salford-born United fan Bardsley insists that will not be at the forefront of his mind as the hosts look to end an eight-game winless run in their bid to secure back-to-back top-10 finishes.

The 26-year-old said: “My head will be the same as it is in any game I’ve ever played in, and I have no loyalties other than to Sunderland. We’re here to compete against the big teams and try to beat them.

“If it’s not to be and United don’t win the league, then it’s their own fault.

They’ve thrown it away.”

Brown has returned to training after a three-month absence due to a knee injury, but the former England defender does not come into consideration against his old club. Denmark forward Nicklas Bendtner is likely to come in up front for South Korea international Ji Dong-Won. —AFP

Arsenal chase Euro berth BIRMINGHAM: Arsene Wenger will be looking for a repeat of six years ago when his Arsenal team look to pip Tottenham to a Champions League place this weekend.

There are many similarities to the 2006 season finale when the two north London rivals were competing to reach Europe’s top club competition on the last day of the campaign.

On that occasion Spurs were favourites but lost at West Ham after a mystery virus hit the squad - blamed on a lasagne players ate at their hotel — allowing Wenger’s team to overtake. During that season there were also doubts whether fourth place would be enough for Spurs as Arsenal were also in the Champions League final - and this time Chelsea could claim the final place if they beat Bayern Munich.

“Frankly, I didn’t know what happened,” said Wenger, who takes his team to West Brom knowing victory will secure third. “I didn’t cook that day. If I had cooked more would have been ill. “It’s a massive game in front of us, but I feel that we are focused, switched on and that I’m confident we will do well. “For us, it’s just the right mixture: to be focused, combative and relaxed.

We want to be faithful to play our football like we want. In the end, it will be down to playing well no matter what is at stake.” An added twist is that Martin Jol, who was Spurs’ manager in 2006, will take his Fulham team to White Hart Lane.

Regardless of where they finish, Wenger is proud of his team’s recovery after staring at relegation trouble earlier in the campaign. “Three months ago, everybody would be happy to go into the final game with this,” he said. “The Premier League is difficult. We came from a deep position in the league but, if you look at the way we’ve made to be where we are today, it’s remarkable.”

Wenger, who has Theo Walcott returning from injury, also has no problems about the UEFA rules that will deny fourth place Champions League qualification if Chelsea win at the Allianz Arena. “The rules are the rules. You accept them. You know them before the start of the season,” he said.

“We want to finish third. We have the potential and opportunity to do that, so let’s do it. We can deal with the consequences after the game. We want to look at it as an opportunity we want to take.”

Wenger also insisted he would remain at the club next season even if they are in the Europa League, adding: “I always said that.” Keith Downing, meanwhile, has urged West Brom to give head coach Roy Hodgson a fitting send off in what is his final game before taking over his England duties on a permanent basis.

Even a point for Albion would see them

beat last season’s best points finish in the Premier League of 47. The 10th-placed Baggies are also on course to finish in the top half of the Premier League for the first time, having finished 11th last term.

“We hope to give Roy a really good send-off,” assistant manager Downing said.

“From our point of view, we can’t move up but we want to finish above 47 points and finish strongly to make sure we have momentum for the new man in charge.

“So there is still something for us to play for and targets, as there were last week.

“We know the importance of Arsenal’s situation, but there are still contracts to play for and the Euros coming up.”—AFP

Matches on TV (Local Timings) English Premier League Tottenham v Fulham 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD West Bromwich v Arsenal 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Wigan v Wolves 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Chelsea v Blackburn 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Everton v Newcastle 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Man City v QPR 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Norwich v Aston Villa 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Stoke v Bolton 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Sunderland v ManUnited 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Swansea v Liverpool 17:00 Abu Dhabi Sports HD Spanish League Real Madrid v Mallorca 21:00 Aljazeera Sport +2 Malaga v Gijon 21:00 Aljazeera Sport +8 Villarreal v Atletico 21:00 Aljazeera Sport +10 Italian League ACMilan v Novara Aljazeera Sport +2 Juventus v Atalanta Aljazeera Sport +1 Fiorentina v Cagliari Aljazeera Sport +9 Parma v Bologna Aljazeera Sport +8 Cesena v Roma Aljazeera Sport +1 Lazio v Internazionale Aljazeera Sport +1

16:00 16:00 16:00 19:00 19:00 21:45

MANCHESTER: Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes it will be good for the Premier League if his side secure the title today.

City go into what promises to be a thrilling final day of the season level on 86 points with neighbours Manchester United.

But City’s vastly superior goal difference means Mancini’s side will secure a first top-flight crown in 44 years if they defeat relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers at Eastlands.

United, who are away at midtable Sunderland, have won the title five times since Arsenal triumphed in the 2001-02 season.

In the same period, Chelsea have been crowned champions three times, while London rivals Arsenal also finished top in the 2003-04 campaign.

And Mancini believes it will be healthy for the Premier League if City secure their first top-tier success in 44 years. “Sometimes if there are other teams, and not the usual ones like the last 10 years, it is good for the championship,” said Mancini, when asked if it would be good if City won the title.

“My players know that they have everything there. They work hard and fight every game for one year in a championship that is very hard. Now they have a big chance. “We showed that we are

a strong team with a good mentality and I think we should do the same today.”

City trailed United by eight points after losing 1-0 at Arsenal on April 8. But while Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have won just two of the last five league games, rampant City have secured a maximum 15 points from the

were eight points behind.”

Mancini, meanwhile, said he understood what winning the title would mean for City’s longsuffering supporters.

“We haven’t won the title for almost 50 years and we are in a city where our cousins win every year. That is very difficult for our supporters. I hope I can change

Roberto Mancini

same number of matches to turn the title race upside down.

Mancini believes that defeat against Arsenal was a key moment in the title race. “In that moment it was good for us because all the pressure lifted,” added City’s Italian manager. “We always believed, even when we

this,” he said.

“Do I enounter the supporters?

Yes, I do. They are very happy at this moment. They tell me I am a fantastic manager, the best manager! “They want us to win one more game.”

Queens Park Rangers, managed by former City coach Mark

Hughes, will be relegated if they lose and fellow strugglers Bolton Wanderers win at Stoke City.

Hughes, sacked by City in December 2009, was keen to play down inevitable talk of revenge ahead of his return to Eastlands.

“I wouldn’t take any satisfaction from that,” said the former Manchester United centre-forward. “If we get a result, I would be more pleased for everybody connected with Queens Park Rangers. I would be pleased for my players as it would be a huge achievement.”

Hughes, who succeeded the sacked Neil Warnock in January at Loftus Road, is confident a traumatic campaign will finally end on a high note.

“It has not been easy this season,” he added. “I came in halfway through a very difficult season and it has been arguably the most difficult job I’ve had to date. “We have turned things around to get to where we need to be and we will see where it takes us. But we just want to make sure we are in the Premier League.”

Hughes has a selection problem in midfield as Samba Diakite, Shaun Derry and Akos Buzsaky are all doubts. Former City players Joey Barton, Nedum Onuoha and Shaun Wright-Phillips are set to feature against their old club.—AFP

Chelsea thoughts trained on Champions League LONDON: Roberto Di Matteo could be making his Stamford Bridge farewell when Chelsea wrap up their Premier League season against Blackburn Rovers at Stamford Bridge today.

But the thoughts of the interim first-team coach will be trained firmly on the looming Champions League final and he will be as interested by the injury count as the scoreline in a match that means little to either team.

Chelsea’s defeat at Liverpool this week ended their hopes of finishing in the top four, while Blackburn’s dreams of avoiding relegation disappeared when they lost at home to Wigan Athletic 24 hours earlier.

For Di Matteo and his squad, however, this game marks the final run-out before they face Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena on May 19.

And while Di Matteo will not include any of his likely starters in Munich in his XI to face Blackburn,

the raft of injuries and suspensions that have narrowed his options for that clash mean he can ill-afford to lose more personnel.

John Terry, Raul Meireles, Ramies and Branislav Ivanovic are suspended for the final so will all play. But Chelsea’s main concern centres on the fitness of Gary Cahill and David Luiz, who are both carrying hamstring injuries and have been ruled out of making even a substitute appearance against Blackburn. “David Luiz and Gary Cahill both won’t be available today,” Di Matteo said.

“Now we’re trying our hardest working towards next Saturday in the hope they’ll be in the group training next week.” Whether Di Matteo is given the opportunity to work with his players after the final remains uncertain.

Installed on a temporary basis following the dismissal of Andre Villas-Boas, Di Matteo has enjoyed unexpected success. Last weekend’s victory over Liverpool at

Wembley delivered the FA Cup to the London club and Di Matteo could follow that with the Champions League trophy.

The Chelsea hierarchy remain adamant no decision on the next permanent manager will be taken until after the end of the season.

“I’m not important here,” Di Matteo said. “This is totally about the club, the players and the team: their focus and being able to finish the season with a bit of success.

“I’ll always have a good relationship with the fans. I’m an ex-player here. I’ve got a legacy and no-one would take that away. That’ll always be there.

“There’s no reason for me to have spoken to anyone yet. I’m very relaxed and focused on doing my job until the last game. That’s all.”

Blackburn manager Steve Kean admits he will struggle to keep his squad together in the coming months. Rovers’ relegation was confirmed with their 1-0 defeat by

Wigan on Monday, bringing to an end a turbulent campaign that has seen Kean and owners Venky’s face constant protests from supporters.

As he gets ready for life in the Championship, Kean is sure to lose Junior Hoilett, whose contract expires this summer, while Paul Robinson, Ayegbeni Yakubu and Steven Nzonzi are also sure to attract interest from other clubs.

Kean is hoping that he can keep the core of his squad together and said: “We are attempting to keep the majority together and build a squad that can bounce back.

“We know we have to bounce ba ck qu ickly, like clu bs hav e done. If you can keep the majority of the squad, you can probably only do that for one or two seasons.” Defender Bradley Orr will be abs ent after u nderg oing Achilles surgery and Robinson and David Dunn are doubtful with respective ankle and hamstring problems.—AFP

Pardew: Pressure off us NEWCASTLE: Alan Pardew insists the pressure is off in Newcastle United’s unlikely bid to qualify for the Champions League. Pardew’s side round off a successful Premier League campaign at Everton knowing that a final day victory could secure a top four-finish to seal a memorable campaign. If fifth-placed Newcastle record only their second win in nine visits to Goodison Park, either defeat for Arsenal at West Brom or Tottenham failing to beat Fulham will be enough to clinch fourth or even third should all three results occur.

Fourth place will only be good enough to qualify for a place at European football’s top table should Chelsea fail to beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final on May 19. The London club’s midweek defeat at Liverpool means Newcastle, who are guaranteed at least a Europa League place, can finish no lower than fifth, a notable achievement for a side tipped by many at the start of the season to struggle.

Whatever the result against Everton, Pardew insists his players can reflect on a season of progress, regardless of which European competition they find themselves in next season. “The Champions League is the pinnacle of the game, and to be competing for it in the final match is a great achievement in itself,” the Newcastle manager said.

“This is where we want to be, and to simply be competing to be there is more than we imagined.

“To come fifth would be a marvellous achievement by this group. I can look every one of my players in the face and say to them that they’ve performed this season.”

Pardew is set to name an unchanged starting line-up after reporting no fresh injuries as Newcastle look to end an astonishing record of never having won away from home on the final day of the Premier League season-an unwanted run stretching for 17 games.

Just three years ago they lost on the final day at Aston Villa to suffer relegation from the top flight, but since then the club has been on a steeply upward trajectory, one which Pardew has helped to continue since his appointment in December, 2010.

“Hopefully we can go out now on a high at Everton. To be in with a chance of third spot going into the final game is just a phenomenal effort. I’m so proud of all the players.”

Newcastle face an Everton side with plenty to play for in their final match as the Merseyside club look to finish above neighbours Liverpool in the Premier League table for the first time since the 2004-05 season. —AFP

ISTANBUL: Fenerbahce’s supporters clash with police officers after the Turkish Super League playoff final football match Fenerbahce vs Galatasaray at the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium. —AFP

Redknapp dismisses Spurs’ exodus fears LONDON: Harry Redknapp has denied Tottenham risk losing their biggest players if the club fails to secure a place in the Champions League today.

Spurs will clinch a place in the top four if they beat Fulham at White Hart Lane in their final Premier League fixture. And they could overtake north London rivals Arsenal in third place if Arsene Wenger’s side fail to beat West Bromwich Albion.

However, should they fall short of qualifying for European football’s premier competition — and a Chelsea victory in the Champions League final on May 19 will mean the team that finishes fourth misses out — fresh focus will be thrown on the future of a number of star names. Gareth Bale and Luke Modric are the two Tottenham players most frequently linked with a move away.

Modric was a target for Chelsea and Manchester United last summer while Bale has been linked with a move to Barcelona after admitting he would have to consider his future if Spurs missed out on the Champions League. Redknapp, though, believes Tottenham will still have enough pulling power no matter where they finish. “Luka

Modric didn’t come here because they were in the Champions League, he came here because they were a good club, he was on decent money and had a chance to play in the Premier League,” Redknapp said.

“Are you telling me people aren’t going to sign for Chelsea next year if they don’t win the Champions League? “Of course they will.

If they are paid the right money and get the right contract, they are going to a fantastic club in London. “They will still go to Chelsea, they will still go to Liverpool because it is a great club and they will still come to Tottenham because it’s a great club.

“If we can finish third it would be great.

But if we finish fourth it would still be a great achievement. We would have taken that at the beginning of the season. “We haven’t finished above Chelsea too many times since the Premier League started.

“We will finish above Liverpool and we will have done that for the past couple of years now. Today will be a big day. We just have to concentrate on ourselves and get the three points.” Martin Jol knows what it is like to miss out on the top four on the final day with Tottenham.—AFP

Hamilton stripped of Spanish GP pole

Grizzlies maul Clippers 90-88 to force 7th game

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

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Ferguson brushes off City power shift talk

Page 19

BERLIN: Dortmund’s players celebrate with the trophy after winning the German Cup ‘DFB Pokal’ final football match against Bayern Munich. —AFP

Dortmund claim first domestic double Bayern thrashed in German Cup BERLIN: Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund blasted Champions League finalists Bayern Munich 5-2 in yesterday’s German Cup final to claim the first domestic double in their 103year history.

Poland striker Robert Lewandowski netted a hat-trick in the rout which will dent Bayern’s confidence ahead of next Saturday’s Champions League final against Chelsea at Munich’s Allianz Arena.

“We cannot complain. Our entire defensive play was a catastrophe,” admitted Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes.

“We have to take the blame and we did

not deserve to win. We still have a major goal in mind and I think we will have all recovered from the shock by the Champions League final. That will be a completely different game.”

After winning the German league title by eight points from Bayern, Dortmund continued their domination with their fifth consecutive win against Munich in the sold-out final at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium.

Unbeaten in their last 23 games in all competitions since last December, Dortmund have yet to lose in 2012.

“That was a cup final which no one from Dortmund could have better imagined,”

beamed Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp after his first cup win.

“We were ice cool in our finishing and scored great goals. It’s hard to put into words what has happened to us.”

Goals by Japan star Shinji Kagawa, a penalty from Germany defender Mats Hummels and Lewandowski’s treble cancelled out Arjen Robben’s first-half penalty for Bayern and a second-half strike from France’s Franck Ribery.

Dortmund drew first blood after only three minutes in the wake of a mistake

by Bayern defender Luiz Gustavo which allowed Poland midfielder Jakub ‘Kuba’ Blaszczykowski to square for Kagawa to

fire home.

Bayern looked nervous in defence and Ribery was well chaperoned down the left flank with a posse of Dortmund defenders waiting to snuff out any threat whenever the ball arrived at his feet.

But Munich drew level after Mario Gomez was tripped by Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller as they both sprinted for the ball and Robben sent the Borussia captain the wrong way to fire home on 25 minutes.

It was redemption for Robben who missed a penalty in last month’s German league showdown which Dortmund

Azarenka to play Serena for Madrid Masters title MADRID: Victoria Azarenka booked her place in a second straight final at the Madrid Masters after stretching her 2012 winning streak over Agnieszka Radwanska to six matches this season with a 6-2, 6-4 victory yesterday.

The world number one will play for her fifth title of the season when she takes on number nine seed Serena Williams, a 7-6 (7/5), 6-0 winner over Czech qualifier Lucie Hradecka.

Azarenka has tasted victory in just one of seven matches with Williams, who won their last meeting at the 2011 US Open.

Azarenka has lost just one set of 14 played this season against Radwanska and now leads 11-3 overall in their head-to-head series.

The Belarusian top seed advanced in 79 minutes with 29 winners and six breaks of serve, sealing the win on her second match point with a drop-shot that Radwanska could not reach.

“I’m very happy to reach another final. That is always the goal,” said the winner. “I’ve had a lot of good matches this week. “I’m glad to be back in the final. I’m looking forward to it.”

Azarenka will be out to prove herself after losing the 2011 final here to Petra Kvitova, two months before the Czech made her major breakthrough by winning Wimbledon.

She has four trophies this season, but will be aiming for her first of the year on clay, having last triumphed on hardcourt at Indian Wells in March.

The Belarusian, who began the season with 26 consecutive wins, stands 34-2 for the season, with her only defeats coming against Marion Bartoli in Miami and against Maria Sharapova in the Stuttgart clay final last month.

Radwanska was playing with her new world ranking of third as she competed in her sixth semi-final of 2012. Williams advanced to the final without facing a break point against Hradecka, sweeping the last set to end with 19 winners.

“I’m feeling good,” said Williams. “We both served really well.

“She did everything well in the first set, but I was able to come through in the tie-breaker. I relaxed and made less errors and more shots.

“I’m ready going into this final. Victoria has played consistently all year; nearly perfect. I’m just going in with nothing to lose. She’s the top-ranked player and the favorite.”—AFP

won 1-0. Weidenfeller came off injured on 32 minutes after his clash with Gomez to allow Australian goalkeeper Mitchell Langerak to take over for only his fifth game of the season.

Borussia regained the lead with 41 minutes gone when when Kuba was brought down by Bayern defender Jerome Boateng and Hummels fired home the resulting penalty.

Dortmund added to their tally in added time when Kagawa played in a beautiful pass to the feet of Robert Lewandowski which allowed the Poland striker to make it 3-1 at the break.

Dortmund drove the nail further in

Bayern’s coffin when a pass from Grosskreutz found Lewandowski unmarked in the area and he fired home on 58 minutes.

Things went from bad to worse for Bayern as Gomez rattled the crossbar with a header with 20 minutes left, before Ribery reduced the deficit with a well-taken strike on 75 minutes.

Germany’s number one goalkeeper Manuel Neuer capped a poor night in Bayern’s goal when he lost possession to allow Lewandowski to head his third goal nine minutes from time and claim his 30th goal of the season in all competitions.-AFP

Federer breezes into final

MADRID: US Serena Williams celebrates winning a point against Czech Lucie Hradecka during their semi-final match of the Madrid Masters at the Magic Box (Caja Magica) sports complex. —AFP

MADRID: Roger Federer put on a blue clay master class to move to within one win of a return to the world number two ranking as he hammered Janko Tipsarevic 6-2, 6-3 for a place in the Madrid Masters final. The Swiss, who owns a record 16 Grand Slam titles, will replace Rafael Nadal on Monday in the standings if he beats Tomas Berdych for the title.

Czech sixth seed Berdych, who toppled Argentine Juan Martin del Potro 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (8/6), trails Federer 6-10 in their career series, but has won three of their last five meetings dating to 2010.

Federer was flawless on the same slick blue clay surface which had angered world number one Novak Djokovic and number two Nadal, both men vowing never to return if the surface does not change. “I’m focused on what I’m doing this week,” said Federer. “I’m trying to play well and get as far as I can.

“I’ve been able to get on a roll. I’ve played better as the week went on under tough conditions, especially with some wind tonight. I’ve had a lot on the line before, it’s no different now.”

The Swiss improved his record over Tipsarevic, who put out Djokovic in the quarterfinals, to 5-0. Another title today would pull Federer level on the all-time mark of 20 Masters trophies alongside Nadal. The record-setting Federer is into his 104th ATP final as he aims for a 74th trophy. It will be his 32nd Masters final (19-12).

“Berdych can be a big threat in a final like this. I expect quick points and big shots from both sides. I hope to play a clean match on serve and take it from there,” said the third seed.

Federer, whose graceful game has allowed him to practically glide along the clay which has tripped up many of his rivals, turned in a typically picture-perfect performance yesterday.

He swept the opening set, concluding with a

break of Tipsarevic and quickly ran out to a 4-1 lead in the second. Federer put the one-way contest away on his second match point, ending with 25 winners and 13 unforced errors in just 67 minutes.

Berdych fired down 15 aces in a contest lasting just over two and a quarter hours at the Caja Magica. “He was my toughest match of the week,” said the winner. “I had that feeling from the start. But I was confident going in. I had my belief.

“I’m definitely happy with my the game that I’ve played here all week.” The Czech won only his second match out of five against Del Potro, who captured the Estoril title last weekend, as he began his campaign for the French Open later than most of his rivals after resting at home.

Coming to the court, Berdych had won 26 service games this week and got one more before finally being broken in the third game of the opening set. But he took it back in the 10th game for 5-5 as Del Potro was broken while serving for the set.

The distraught Argentine rallied from 1-5 down in the tiebreaker but still lost it after 68 minutes. Berdych began the second with a break, was broken back for 3-3, but again showed his nerve with a winning tiebreak effort to advance into the title match on a second match point after Del Potro saved the first with an ace.

Del Potro dropped to 10-1 on clay this season and 22-2 on sets after defeating Berdych in their last three meetings without losing a set.

“I lost because Berdych played better, and that’s the only reason,” said Del Potro, who disputed several line calls and did not shake hands with the chair umpire at the end of the match.

Berdych will be playing in his 14th ATP World Tour final and third Masters final, having won in Paris seven years ago before losing in Miami in 2010.—AFP

Business

‘Occupy Frankfurt’ protesters vow to keep up their vigil Page 22 Kuwait equities enter the red zone Page 24

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

Al-Sayer Group inaugurates ‘Y Gen Expo’

Page 25

Bundesbank boss tells Hollande to leave EU fiscal pact alone Page 23

Commercial Bank’s operating profit before provisions KD 22.4m for Q1 Bank continues prudent policy to consolidate balance-sheet China plans to cut bank reserves as GDP falters SHANGHAI: China said yesterday it would cut reserve requirements for banks, after disappointing economic data raised fears of a sharp slowdown in the world’s second largest economy.

The People’s Bank of China, the central bank, said it would cut banks’ reserve requirements by 0.50 percentage points effective from May 18, according to a statement posted on its website.

The move was widely expected after China on Friday reported industrial production growth slumped to a three-year low in April and other figures also disappointed, adding pressure on Beijing to ease monetary policy. Beijing has already cut bank reserve requirements twice since December as it seeks to boost lending to spur growth, but economists have called for more policy support as economic figures continue to disappoint.

China’s economy grew an annual 8.1 percent in the first quarter of 2012, its slowest pace in nearly three years. The government is targeting economic growth of just 7.5 percent for the whole year, down from actual growth of 9.2 percent last year and 10.4 percent in 2010.

After the latest move takes effect, China’s reserve requirement for most large banks will fall to 20 percent, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Smaller banks will be required to maintain reserves of 16.5 percent. Analysts said the cut should help pump an additional 400 billion yuan ($63 billion) of liquidity into the economy. “This is the correct policy action from the central bank’s point of view.

Basically, this is just to respond to the weak April data,” Zhou Hao, China economist for ANZ Global Markets, told AFP. Some analysts were predicting a move as early as this month, especially after easing inflation gave the government room to loosen monetary policy by cutting reserve requirements.

“Over the short term, especially in the first half of this year, it looks like inflation is under control. So this is good time for them to use monetary policy,” Zhou said.

China also said Friday that the consumer price index, the main gauge of inflation, rose 3.4 percent year on year in April, easing from 3.6 percent in March. But other economic figures dashed expectations that China’s economy was heading for a rebound, analysts said. “Whether foreign trade, investment, tax revenue or credit growth, they all showed the phenomenon of slowing down,” said Lian Ping, chief economist at the Bank of Communications. “The central bank lowering the reserve requirement ratio at this time will strengthen economic vitality,” he told state media.

China announced anaemic trade figures on Thursday, which showed a rise of just 0.3 percent in imports for April while exports were up just 4.9 percent. That highlighted the government’s tough task of trying to shift to a more domestic-driven economy as it looks beyond exports, which have been hammered by Europe’s debt crisis and stuttering recovery in the United States. — AFP

KUWAIT: Commercial Bank of Kuwait announced an operating profit before provisions for the period of KD 22.403 million (2011: KD 24.689 million). This was allocated as specific and judgmental provisions against the loan and investment portfolios resulting in a net profit attributable to shareholders of the parent bank for the three months to 31st March 2012 of KD 0.329 million (1Q2011: KD 1.332 million).

The bank continues a prudent policy towards building up a strong provision base and consolidating its balance sheet.

Further progress is noted on the bank’s review of processes for efficiencies and preparation to benefit from any growth opportunities in the future and to ensure superior customer services. The bank has set a balanced strategy aiming to add further improvements to its operating activities along with reducing non-performing loans within the bank’s short and long term business plans that will focus on studying available growth opportunities according to the current economic situations with a particular emphasis on core business activities that help the bank return back to high profitability levels.

The bank continues to demonstrate its cost leadership with operational efficiency a competitive advantage for the bank which continues to maintain one of

the lowest cost/income ratios in Kuwait with 24.65% for 1Q2012.

Asset quality indicators showed improvement with non-performing loans falling during the period ended 31 March 2012 to 6.4% (1Q2011: 14.8%) with provision coverage of 100% (1Q2011: 52%).

Commercial Bank’s total assets at the end of March 2012 reached KD 3.8 billion (12/2011: KD 3.7 billion) with shareholders equity of KD 518.9 million (12/2011: KD 530.5 million). The capital adequacy ratio at March 2012 is 18.67% (12/2011: 18.58%) which exceeds the minimum 12% required by the Central Bank of Kuwait. The bank continues to have a strong capital base with more than twice the international ratio required by Basel II. Commercial Bank of Kuwait took the opportunity to thank the bank’s valued customers for their trust and confidence, the Executive Management team and staff for their hard work and loyalty and shareholders for their continued support and faith.

Commercial Bank of Kuwait provides its corporate and retail customers with wide spectrum of banking products and services through one of the largest full service branch networks in Kuwait. For information on Commercial Bank of Kuwait products or services please contact 1-888-CBK or visit www.cbk.com.

Comercial Bank headquarters

Obama urges Congress to act on economy, jobs WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama called on members of Congress yesterday to pass several initiatives designed to stimulate the US economy and create much-needed jobs.

“There are things we can do - right now - to help create jobs and restore some of the financial security that so many families have lost,” Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. The president insisted that Congress stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas and help millions of Americans refinance their mortgages at lower rates, which will allow every homeowner to save at least $3,000 a year.

Obama also called for tax breaks and credits for small business owners and clean energy companies as well as for helping veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan by creating a Veterans Job Corps.

“So that’s Congress’s ‘to-do’ list,” said the president.

“Let’s push Congress to do the right thing. Let’s keep moving this country forward together.” The comments came after the US unemployment rate fell to 8.1 percent in April, a welcome development for Obama who has officially started his reelection campaign. But economists said the decrease was largely due to 342,000 people dropping out of the labor force. — AFP

Air India fires more pilots, cancels flights MUMBAI: A union said yesterday it was ready for unconditional talks to end a five-day walkout by pilots of national carrier Air India, as the airline fired 25 more strikers and cancelled more flights.

Some 200 pilots from the debtladen airline, which is facing mounting problems due to rising fuel prices, competition from low-cost rivals and a record of labor disputes,

have been on strike since late Monday. The pilots are protesting against former Indian Airlines pilots, who moved to Air India when the two state-run companies merged in 2007, being trained for new Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplanes. They say the plan threatens their career advancement prospects.

Indian Pilots Guild union spokesman Tauseef Mukadam told

AHMEDABAD: An Air India domestic flight takes off from Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport in Ahmedabad yesterday. National carrier Air India fired 25 more striking pilots and cancelled 16 domestic flights, as a pilot walkout entered its fifth day. — AFP

reporters in financial hub Mumbai that the union was “willing to talk to them (management) without any pre-conditions.” But Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said the pilots needed to resume flying before any discussions were held. “Ask for forgiveness from the passengers. Start the flights,” Singh told reporters in the capital New Delhi. “We can talk on anything after that.”

But the pilots’ union said that it was impossible for striking pilots who had been sacked-now totalling 71 after yesterday’s dismissal-to return to work. “Some of our workers are not being allowed inside the office premises. How do we work?

Either all of us go back to work or none can work,” Mukadam said.

Another 16 flights were cancelled yesterday, including international flights and domestic legs of international flights. The strike has forced the airline to stop taking new international bookings until at least next Tuesday. The government last month cleared a $5.75-billion bailout package to help the carrier which has an $8.3 billion debt. — AFP

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

BUSINESS Bayt.com weekly report

7 reasons you weren’t hired

S

o you have submitted your professional CV, did all the necessary groundwork before the interview and you thought the interview went extremely smoothly. Now you are left wondering why you haven’t heard back from the employer. Did you do something wrong? Maybe; according to career experts at the Middle East’s #1 job site Bayt.com, you might have unknowingly faltered on one or more of these seven factors.

1. Your CV missed the mark Many jobseekers make the mistake of using the same generic unfocused CV to apply for very different positions in different industries. Your CV should, to the extent possible, be tailored to the specific job you are targeting and should show in a very direct manner skills, qualifications and experiences that directly come to bear on the given job. If you are targeting a number of different jobs, have different CVs for each job type so that your CV can be customized to the unique requirements of each industry.

Find out what skills and qualifications to showcase in each CV by looking at the job description, researching the position and industry and talking to insiders, then highlight the skills and exper tise that make you a per fect match. Employers want to hire people who are focused and specifically interested in their industry and company, so having a generic unfocused CV with a very vague objective statement and skills inventory will fail to capture the employer’s attention.

2. You omitted a cover letter Customize your cover letter to communicate in a precise, specific manner your objectives and the specific skill-set you will bring to the job. The cover letter should be short about 250 words long and should leave the employer in no doubt as to your interest in the company and industry and your unique qualifications for the job you are targeting. Cover letters, like the CV, should be customized to the company and industry. A CV sent without a cover letter will lack the ‘personal touch’ and will likely be lost in the pile.

3. Poor follow-up Timely follow-up will help you stand out among the scores of candidates who would have applied to the job or who attended the interview along with you. When following-up after sending your CV you can prepare a very short ‘soft sell’ pitch for the phone conversation with the employer.

After an interview many candidates make the mistake of assuming the ball is outside their court, thus losing what was a viable job opportunity. You must follow up! Oftentimes the interviewer has had to travel after an interview, is bogged down with a heavy workload and tight deadlines or is simply waiting for you to follow-up to determine your proactivity, energy level and interest in the job. Immediately after an interview, send a thank-you letter to the employ-

er. If you would like to make up for any important facts that you missed mentioning during the interview process or if you feel there are specific strengths you want to highlight following what your learned during the interview, this is your opportunity to do so.

4. Lack of preparation for the interview Many candidates make it to the interview stage and disappoint the employer with their obvious lack of preparation for the meeting. Poor preparation includes not researching the company, not being up-to-date on industry news, not understanding what the job requirements are and not having answers to common inter view questions. You must enter the interview armed with the maximum amount of knowledge about the company, industry and job so you can then tailor your answers, clearly mentioning your relevant skills and past experiences.

5. Unprofessional behavior during interview The interviewer is screening you during the course of the interview for suitability to the job at hand and is assessing you in terms of your ability to conform in a professional way to the requirements of the job and the company culture; any unprofessional conduct will reflect negatively on you and is likely to immediately take you out of the running. This includes arriving late or unprepared, aggressive or unprofessional body language, being unfamiliar with your CV, treating the interviewer in a condescending or overly familiar manner, talking at length about your personal life and problems and/or obvious exaggerations or outright lies about your work history.

6. Unclear about value-added to company If you are unconvinced about your value-added to the company, it is less than likely that you will be able to convince the employer. Make sure as you sit in the interview seat that you are intimately aware of the requirements of the position and can directly relate your past work history, aptitudes, qualifications and skills to the requirements of the position. Imagine yourself already on the job and communicate to the employer how you will contribute significantly and in record time to the company’s bottom line and how you will excel in performance and exceed targets and expectations.

7. Poor reference checks Before giving a prospective employer names of references make sure you are very familiar with their professional opinion of you and there will be no unpleasant surprises so make sure you have informed your referees that you will be giving their details as a reference. Wherever possible, get the references in writing so that you are intimately aware of the feedback your reference source has on you and there is no margin for error.

‘Occupy Frankfurt’ protesters vow to keep up their vigil ‘Indignants’ camps face dismantling before May 16 FRANKFURT: Visitors to Germany’s financial capital cannot fail to notice the tented village of the ‘Occupy Frankfurt’ movement at the European Central Bank, Europe’s longest continuous ‘indignants’ protest. Over seven months, demonstrators have braved the often glacial conditions in their 50 or so brightly colored tents placed next to a gigantic euro symbol the logo of the ECB, guardians of the under-fire single currency.

“In Europe, we’re the only major camp in place for so long,” said Thomas, one of the representatives of the movement who, like many of their number, declined to give their full name.

While major camps in London, Madrid and New York have long since been dismantled, the Frankfurt “indignants” have vowed to continue their crusade against corporate greed with a global day of protest expected later.

But the camp’s days could be numbered. The city of Frankfurt has ruled that it must be cleared from May 16. This prompted another spokesman from the movement, Martin Behrsing, to compare the city authorities with Russia “where every democratic protest that is not politically suitable is suppressed.”

Despite their relatively small number, they are well organised. The tents are set up around a kitchen and “living room” space furnished with sofas and there is even an “IT tent” with Internet access.

No alcohol may be drunk on site and electricity and water costs are covered by donations.

Authorities regularly check in on the camp to make sure everything is in order. Slater admitted that living conditions there were “not perfect” and said: “It’s not so easy to keep everything clean.” Nonetheless, he said he was not afraid to muck in. “I’ve started working at the kitchen. I wanted to do something useful for the community.”

Not everyone however is driven by the indignants’ campaign against income disparities, corporate excesses and greed. A member of the community since December, a 23-year-old Portuguese man known as “The Spirit”, said he was there because “I don’t have an apartment.”

“I am here for more peace, more harmony and more unity,” he said, apologizing sheepishly because he could not, in his words, offer “clearer arguments” like his more militant and vocal fellow campers. —AFP

Despite this, the protest has been violencefree for the seven months it has been in existence outside the ECB. Thomas Drillich, a computer technician on long-term medical leave, said the reason the camp had lasted so long was that “we are peaceful and we cooperate with the authorities.”

Another protester, who has been there since day one, pointed to a siege mentality within the camp that has spurred them on, even when the mercury dipped below minus 15 Celsius in the depths of winter. “It’s like living in an apartment.

Your neighbors can drive you crazy,” quipped Canadian Luke Slater, at 21, one of the youngest in the group.

“I’m happy here,” he said, adding: “It shows that people can live in a community, people can work together and be together.” However, the few dozen protesters now on the site are a far cry from the 5,000 that once thronged the square outside the ECB at the height of the indignants’ protest on October 15. The brutally cold German winter drove away most of the protesters, leaving only a hard core group of a few dozen, whose numbers are swelled by around 50 homeless people seeking refuge there.

Japan Inc to see 24% rise in pre-tax profit: Survey

PYONGYANG: People order food at the country’s first fast food restaurant, the Samthaeseong, in Pyongyang. North Korea’s first fast-food restaurant has become quickly popular among the locals and foreigners in Pyongyang and plans to have branches in the future, a restaurant manager said. —AP

Can Singapore serve as economic model for North Korea?

SEOUL: Less than two weeks after being punished with new UN sanctions, North Korea has sent its ceremonial head of state and two top economic officials to Singapore and Indonesia on a trip that appears aimed at drumming up outside investment.

Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of North Korea’s parliament, arrived in Singapore on Friday for his first reported trip overseas since late leader Kim Jong Il’s December death. He is to head today to Indonesia with two senior economic officials, according to North Korean state media. Kim, no relation to Kim Jong Il and current leader Kim Jong Un, often represents North Korea abroad.

The weeklong journey comes on the heels of new UN sanctions imposed on North Korea for launching a long-range rocket last month in defiance of Security Council resolutions banning it from nuclear or ballistic missile activity. North Korea insists the launch was an attempt to send a satellite into space.

Washington suspended an agreement to provide North Korea with food aid, and the North could face more punishment if it follows the launch with an

atomic test as it did in 2006 and 2009. Even as it has risked punishment by developing missiles, North Korea also has focused since 2009 on improving its economy by developing light industry, drawing foreign investment and expanding trade.

With ties remaining tense with South Korea, North Korea is looking elsewhere to build economic partnerships. Singaporean entrepreneurs already are supplying the well-to - do in Pyongyang with everything from Heineken beer to Hello Kitty, and have introduced some locals to hamburgers, fried chicken and Belgian waffles.

Nor th Korea is looking to diversify its trade, import natural resources and export consumer goods with Southeast Asia’s help.

Singapore offers an attractive model for attracting direct foreign investment, while resource-rich Indonesia could give pointers on how to make money from minerals, said Cho Bong-hyun, a research fellow at the IBK Economic Research Institute in Seoul. Kim Yong Nam visited a food factory and an electronics manufacturer in Singapore yesterday, the official Korean Central News Agency said. — AP

TOKYO: Publicly traded firms in Japan expect their combined pre-tax profit to rise 24 percent in the current fiscal year, leaving behind a year hit by natural disasters, a survey said yesterday.

Overall sales are seen to rise six percent for the year to March 2013, the sharpest gain since the global financial crisis of 2008 after the spectacular failure of US investment bank Lehman Brothers, said the Nikkei newspaper. Automakers will lead the gains, as they expect a rebound in production on growing demand in emerging economies and the key United States market, the leading business daily said.

The seven major automakers project a combined pretax profit of 2.74 trillion yen ($34.27 billion), up about 1.3 trillion yen from the previous year, it said. In stark contrast, electronics makers, such as Sony, Panasonic and Sharp, posted a combined pretax loss of nearly one trillion yen last fiscal year to March 2012, due largely to a slump in television operations, the Nikkei said.

With little restructuring expenses on the horizon, the electronics firms are expected to turn a combined pre-tax profit of 330 billion yen, the newspaper said. In the past fiscal year, the pre-tax profit of listed companies fell 13 percent from a year earlier, hurt by a strong yen and the major earthquake and tsunami of March 2011, the Nikkei said. Japanese manufacturers were also hit by severe flooding in Thailand late last year, which damaged factories and disrupted global supplies chains.

For this fiscal year, the strong yen will remain a major cause for concern among Japan Inc., the Nikkei said. The top business daily tallied earnings forecasts for 1,064 companies that disclosed forecasts for the ongoing fiscal year by Friday. They account for 68 percent of all listed firms, and 88 percent of total market value, the Nikkei said. — AFP

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

.2730000 .4460000 .3580000 .2980000 .2760000 .2790000 .0040000 .0020000 .0754170 .7347690 .3830000 .0710000 .7203090 .0040000 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2778000 GB Pound/KD .4484660 Euro .3598760 Swiss francs .2995960 Canadian dollars .2775090 Danish Kroner .0484070 Swedish Kroner .0404160 Australian dlr .2807310 Hong Kong dlr .0357870 Singapore dlr .2223290 Japanese yen .0034860 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0756640 Bahraini dinars .7371630 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0741000 Omani riyals .7218400 Philippine Peso .0000000

.2810000 .4550000 .3660000 .3090000 .2860000 .2890000 .0070000 .0035000 .0761750 .7421540 .4000000 .0760000 .7275480 .0072000 .0500000 .2799000 .4518570 .3625960 .3018600 .2796060 .0487730 .0407220 .2828530 .0360580 .2240100 .0035130 .0052900 .0022020 .0030950 .0034340 .0762360 .7427360 .3958980 .0746600 .7272960 .0066410

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

US Dollar Pak Rupees Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah

278.900 3.068 5.230 2.180 3.409 6.620 76.040 74.530 741.500 46.220 455.600 3.090

Yemeni Riyal Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

1.550 367.600 284.000 3.350

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

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

Transfer Rate (Per 1000)

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

278.650 362.700 451.400 279.700 3.545 5.200 46.195 2.182 3.400 6.565 3.070 742.000 75.850 74.350

SELL DRAFT SELL CASH

Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

284.00 283.62 304.91 363.77 278.60 451.36 3.57 3.408 5.197 2.182 3.269 3.071 75.92 742.13 46.18 396.93 725.10 76.93 74.50

292.00 286.00 311.00 367.00 279.40 453.50 3.65 3.550 5.525 2.550 4.000 3.250 76.30 741.50 47.65 394.50 726.00 77.75 74.60

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd Rate for Transfer

Selling Rate

US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar

278.300 284.250 451.815 367.140 304.905 736.970

COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka 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

SELL CASH 283.100 742.130 3.670 282.600 548.100 45.500 49.500 167.800 47.820 364.800 36.660 5.470 0.032 0.159 0.229 3.590 395.460 0.189 93.010 45.000 4.290 222.000 1.808 48.800 724.840 3.160 6.840 77.190 74.510 224.210 38.250 2.659 452.700 41.100 303.600 4.300

Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

9.350 198.263 76.080 279.400 1.340

10 Tola

GOLD 1,673.820

Sterling Pound US Dollar

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 450.700 279.000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co.

Bahrain Exchange Company

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY

75.745 76.390 74.175 391.745 46.013 2.168 5.235 3.089 3.403 6.598 682.655 4.465 9.105 5.860 3.405 92.090

SELL DRAFT 281.600 742.130 3.408 281.100

Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka Philippine Peso Thai Baht Malaysian Ringgit

3.540 5.201 3.071 2.178 3.267 225.340 35.970 3.408 6.570 8.957 91.093 GCC COUNTRIES 74.483 76.745 725.480 741.860 76.056

224.200 46.244 363.300 36.510 5.210 0.031

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

395.420 0.188 93.010

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 48.000 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 46.198 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.303 Tunisian Dinar 179.2 Jordanian Dinar 394.430 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.874 Syrian Lier 4.873 Morocco Dirham 33.159

3.280 220.500 724.660 3.079 6.585 76.760 74.510 224.210 38.250 2.179 450.700 302.100 4.300

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 279.200 Euro 364.64 Sterling Pound 452.860 Canadian dollar 282.59 Turkish lire 156.590 Swiss Franc 304.94 US Dollar Buying 278.000 20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

GOLD 285.000 143.000 71.000

9.150 75.980 279.000

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

BUSINESS

Indonesia’s growth engine sputters KCIC weekly analysis on Asia

By Dana Al-Fakir KUWAIT: Indonesia’s GDP eased to 6.3% YoY in the first quarter of 2012, its slowest growth rate in six quarters, as dwindling export growth continues to act as a drag the context of falling global demand.

However, it is still home to the highest growth rate when compared to its regional peers, because unlike its peers, Indonesia instead relies more on its domestic sector to keep its growth robust as opposed to its export sector. Private consumption is still the dominant component, with about a 55% share of GDP and continues to drive growth. As illustrated in the graph, solid and steady consumption is helping to keep GDP levels buoyant, which itself is being lifted by the increasingly affluent middle class. Investment is also sustaining GDP growth on the back of strong FDI inflows, after Indonesia was awarded its second credit upgrade at the start of this year, just a month after the first upgrade. Fitch, one of the three leading rating agencies, upgraded Indonesia’s sovereign debt to “investment grade” (relatively low risk of default) in December last year. Moody’s rating followed suit just a month later. The recent upgrades have helped lower the cost of borrowing for the local government and firms, and have made the country more attractive in the eyes of the investors, giving capital inflows a lift.

Real GDP is a measure of the economic output or of the size of the economy - adjusted for inflation or deflation. It is the sum of the values of all final goods and services produced by that country or region over a given time period. The values depend on the quantities (volume) of the goods produced and their prices. Real GDP is a measure that holds prices constant by using a given year’s value (the

base date) for all items and services. Then these values are used to calculate GDP for years prior to the base year and subsequent years. GDP can be measured in several ways, and Statistics Indonesia, the government body responsible for national accounts data, publishes GDP by expenditure and sector output. The graph illustrates the expenditure breakdown of GDP, which consists of private consumption, government expenditure, fixed capital

investments, exports and imports. Private consumption is a strong driver of growth in the domestic-oriented Indonesia, but traditionally exports have contributed more to GDP growth, as shown by the graph. If consumption continues to offset weakening export growth, GDP should stay above 6% until the end of the year. Export growth is expected to continue to slow, due to the fragile economic recovery in the US and growing debt

problems in the euro-zone. Alas, consumption and FDI are not immune to risks. The rupiah has been emerging Asia’s worst performer so far this year, depreciating by just over 1.8% since the beginning of the year and its weakness might have an impact on consumption levels. Consumption may also get hit once the minimum down payments for auto loans comes into effect on June 15th, which will be aimed at preventing potential price bubbles and excessive lending growth. Under the new minimum down payment conditions, future auto buyers are expected to make a minimum down payment of 25% of the value of a car and 20% of the value of a motorbike. If inflation expectations remain elevated, due to lingering uncertainty over the government’s fuel-subsidy policy, investors may be tempted to sell off their Indonesian assets, creating a dent in investment. Last month, the Indonesian parliament scrapped the government’s proposal to raise fuel prices by 33%, by reducing subsidies, from the start of April. The main objective of the fuel-subsidy cut is to help keep the government’s deficit in check, especially after the surge in global oil prices inflated the fuel-subsidy bill.

These subsidies accounted for 20% of the fiscal budget last year and if they are not cut, the budget deficit could go from 2.5% of GDP to 3.1%. Thus, the proposed fuel-subsidy policy remains on the government’s agenda. In spite of the spike in the inflation rate from 3.97% YoY in March, to a sevenmonth high of 4.50% in April and inflation expectations hovering at high levels, it is unlikely that Bank Indonesia will endorse a change in its record low 5.75% reference rate just yet. Without a clear position on the inflation versus growth dilemma, the Bank is likely to continue to adopt a wait-and-see approach during its next meeting.

Bundesbank boss tells Hollande to leave EU fiscal pact alone Hands off ECB: Weidmann

NEW YORK: A US Airways jet takes off as an American Airlines Jet is prepped for takeoff at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. American Airlines says it is agreeing with creditors to consider potential mergers. — AP

American Airlines to seek merger options NEW YORK: AMR Corp, parent of American Airlines, bowed to pressure on Friday from its unsecured creditors, including its largest labor unions, and said it would explore merger options while it is still in bankruptcy. AMR, which has been in Chapter 11 since November, had long said it intended to reorganize as a standalone carrier, shrugging off interest expressed by rival US Airways Group Inc. The carrier, however, has faced mounting pressure from vocal members of its creditors committee who believe a better future for AMR can be secured by merging with US Airways.

In reversing its stance, AMR said it wanted to assure stakeholders that it would pursue the best possible outcome for the airline. “To be clear, American has committed to work in collaboration with the (creditors) committee to develop only potential consolidation scenarios and this agreement does not in any way suggest that a transaction of any kind or with any particular party will be pursued,” Beverly Goulet, AMR’s chief restructuring officer, said in a statement. US Airways has been courting AMR creditors, especially disgruntled labor unions that say an AMR/US Airways tie-up would create a stronger carrier and save more jobs than AMR’s stand-alone plan. “We look forward to engaging in the AMR process to demonstrate the significant advantages of our plan to maximize value for all constituents,” US Airways said in a statement.

US Airways said in April that a merger with AMR would generate at least $1.2 billion a year in new value beyond the benefit that could be passed to employees of the combined carrier. AMR has said its stand-alone plan would generate $3 billion in new revenue and savings by 2017.

AMR’s chief executive, Tom Horton, had said the airline was focused solely on its bankruptcy, calling those who would attempt to acquire the company in bankruptcy “opportunists.” But he never ruled out taking a merger partner after bankruptcy. Other potential suitors also have considered a deal with AMR, including Delta Air Lines and private equity firm TPG Capital, sources have told Reuters.

Robert Mann, an airline consultant and former AMR executive, said AMR’s new openness to mergers could flush out more potential partners.

“I think it was already headed there anyway,” he said. “It’s a recognition of the inevitable that there would be some sort of transaction.” American’s three labor unions, which are part of AMR’s ninemember creditor committee, have said a merger with US Airways would create a

stronger airline and save more jobs than AMR’s stand-alone plan. US Airways has not made a bid for AMR, which has a court-granted right to reorganize without intrusion by outsiders. That right extends to September. “The important point is that both the debtors and the committee are in alignment that it is incumbent on them to explore strategic alternatives on a collaborative basis as part of this chapter 11 case,” Jack Butler, creditors committee counsel, said in a statement. Unions representing pilots and flight attendants at American Airlines on Friday again denounced the company’s stand-alone business plan, calling on the managers to explore merger options with rival US Airways.

The workers staged rallies in New York and For t Wor th, Texas, where AMR is based, to declare “no confidence” in the company’s ability to produce a viable business plan.

The protests came as the two sides prepared to spar in court on Monday over AMR’s request to void the labor contracts it has with the unions. The airline and its unions are on a two-week hiatus from their court battle over that request.

“US Airways management’s plans for merging the two carriers call for preserving and enhancing the American Airlines brand, retaining our Fort Worth home and saving thousands of jobs that will be eliminated under AMR management’s standalone plan,” David Bates, president of the Allied Pilots Association (APA), said in a statement.

The airline, which has about 74,000 full-time and part-time workers, has said it must cut 13,000 union jobs. The carrier won steep concessions from labor in 2003 as it dodged bankruptcy at the time. AMR had been locked in fruitless labor talks with unions for years before filing for bankruptcy.

The APA, which has been negotiating with management this week, has yet to reach a deal. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants also said it has had talks with management.

Meanwhile, the Transpor t Workers Union, which represents 26,000 ground workers, dispatchers and other groups, is voting on AMR contract proposals for its seven work groups.

The deals do not have the endorsement of union leaders, but if they are ratified, they would cut the number of TWU-represented jobs targeted for elimination to 6,400. That compares with 9,000 jobs AMR said it would cut if it voids the worker ’s current deal and imposes new terms. — Reuters

BERLIN: Bundesbank president Jens Weidmann warned French president-elect Francois Hollande yesterday against tampering with the European Central Bank or the EU fiscal pact. He also reminded Greece that it would have to respect its commitments or risk having its bailout aid suspended, in an interview with the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

“Any modification in the statutes (of the European Central Bank) would be dangerous,” Weidman said when asked about Hollande’s proposal during his electoral campaign to allow the ECB to take measures to support the economy or lend directly to states. “Jobs and economic growth are the result of trade. The central bank is best placed to contribute to the stability of the (European) currency,” he said. With regard to Hollande’s campaign pledge to renegotiate the European fiscal pact, he said “it is clear that must be refused.”

“There is a European custom that you keep to accords you have signed,” he said. The conservative Weidmann’s comments come ahead of Hollande’s visit to Berlin on Tuesday, just hours after he is sworn in, for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel. Hollande said in his campaign that he would advocate measures to kickstart Europe’s sluggish economies.

Weidmann said: “I know the new buzzword is ‘growth’... all experience has shown that too much debt is a handicap to growth. To combat debt with more debt just will not work.” On inflation, he stood firm. “It is a dangerous path, we must not repeat the errors of the 1970s. Inflation is socially unfair and will not get us out of the crisis.” It was the second day in a row Weidmann had quashed any idea, recently backed by Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, that Germany could live with a little more inflation in return for more domestic demand.

“If, on the advice of the ECB, we keep watch to make sure that average inflation doesn’t rise above two percent, then inflation will not cross that threshold in Germany,” Weidmann told Friday’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung. “Our citizens can have confidence in the vigilance of the Bundesbank,” he added.

With regard to Greece, he said yesterday there was “no German economic diktat. But if Athens doesn’t keep its word, it will be a democratic choice. The consequence will be that the basis for fresh aid will disappear.” And he shrugged his shoulders at the prospect of Greece reverting to the drachma, saying, “The consequences would be much worse (for Athens) than for the rest of the euro-zone.” — AFP

One year on, Spain’s ‘indignants’ take to streets MADRID: Spain’s “indignants” took to the streets in 80 cities and towns yesterday to decry economic injustice in a show of strength one year after the birth of their movement shook the political establishment. But the authorities have vowed to stop them camping in Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol, the cradle of their popular movement against spending cuts, inequality, bankers and sky-high unemployment.

The marches yesterday launched a four-day protest that will end on May 15, the anniversary of the movement’s birth-a date that led them to being dubbed 15-M. The movement, which relies heavily on online social networks to campaign and organize, has inspired similar protests from London to the United States’ Occupy Wall Street.

This time, Spaniards have even more to protest: a recession, unemployment at 24.4 percent, and 52 percent for the young, and more than 30 billion euros ($39 billion) worth of austerity cuts so far this year. In Madrid, several columns of protesters will march separately on the city centre from all directions and then converge on Puerta del Sol from 7:00 pm (1700 GMT). The first column of hundreds of chanting protesters departed Leganes, a suburb in the south of Madrid, while in Spain’s second city Barcelona dozens of indignants began gathering at the Plaza de Catalunya. The conservative government, in power since December, has issued a permit for the “indignants” to use Puerta del Sol for a five-hour assembly yesterday and for 10 hours on each of the following three days.

The permit says they must wrap up their activities in the square yesterday by 10:00 pm (2000 GMT). But the activists’ plans published online call for a minute of silence at midnight and for a “permanent assembly” to be held in Puerta del Sol during the four-day protest.

Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said the government would ensure that the hours are respected.

“To stay in the square beyond those hours would be a violation of the law and of the rights of other citizens, and this government will ensure the law is respected,” she told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting.

Authorities insist they will not allow a repeat of last year’s month-long sprawling encampment in Puerta del Sol that included everything from a canteen to a kindergarten and a library. There will be enough police to enforce the law, the government’s delegate in Madrid, Cristinia Cifuentes, said yesterday. “They will ensure there are no encampments because those are illegal activities. You cannot camp in the centre of the city, and I am going to ensure the law is carried out,” she told Europa Press news agency. The “indignants” have staged overwhelmingly peaceful protests and neighbourhood assemblies since their camp at Puerta del Sol was dismantled on June 12 last year, but interest has tapered off. “The movement has mutated, it is still there. What has happened is that it is not on the streets, it is online and in social networks,” said Noelia Moreno, a former spokeswoman for the movement in Madrid. —AFP

Jens Weidmann, President of the German Bundesbank in Frankfurt/Main, central Germany. — AFP

JPMorgan faces fresh scrutiny after $2bn loss NEW YORK: One of the pillars of Wall Streetbank JPMorgan Chase-faced new scrutiny yesterday after it reported a shocking $2 billion derivatives loss that even its pugnacious chief executive called “egregious.”“It ought to be a concern to the SEC. They are the ones who ought to have a concern about that,” said Senator Carl Levin, referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the government’s top financial regulator.

“The SEC should surely take a look at it.”

added the Democratic lawmaker, who heads the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. According to The New York Times, the SEC was already on the case. The inquiry, which is being run out of New York, will probably examine the bank’s past regulatory filings about the internal unit that placed the trades, as well as recent statements from the firm’s top executives, the paper said, citing unnamed people “briefed on the matter.” —AFP

24

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

business

Kuwait equities enter the red zone

KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) ended last week in the red zone. The price index ended last week with a decrease amounted to 0.50%, while the weighted index declined by 0.65% compared to the closings of the week before. Furthermore, last week’s average daily turnover decreased by 12.12%, compared to the preceding week, reaching KD 38.07 million, whereas trading volume average was 588.06 million shares, recording decrease of 14.47%.

After four weeks of positive performance, KSE lost its momentum during last week as a result of profit taking operations, which dominated the market. The profit taking included both of leading and small stocks as well, especially Banking sector. On the other hand, selective buying operations were present during last week, but weren’t strong enough to switch KSE indices direction to the green zone.

In addition, more companies announced its first quarter financial results during last week, the number of declared companies reached 28% so far. The total number of declared companies reached 58 out of 204 listed companies, realizing approximately KD 347.40 million, with a decline of 41.53% compared to same companies’ results for 2011.

By the end of the week, the price index closed at 6,446.80 points, down by 0.50% from the week before closing, whereas the weighted index registered a 0.65% weekly loss after closing at 419.23 points.

Sectors’ indices Six of KSE’s sectors ended last week in the red zone, while the other two recorded increases. The Real Estate sector headed the losers list as its index declined by 2.32% to end the week’s activity at 2,499.8 points. The Investment sector was second on the losers’ list, which

BAYAN WEEKLY MARKET REPORT index declined by 1.45%, closing at 4,084.4 points, followed by the Banks sector, as its index closed at 11,584.8 points at a loss of 0.94%. The Non Kuwaiti Companies sector was the least declining as its index closed at 5,878.7 points with a 0.27% decrease. On the

other hand, last week’s highest gainer was the services sector, achieving 0.85% growth rate as its index closed at 14,757.1 points. Whereas, in the second place, the Insurance sector’s index closed at 2,688.1 points recording 0.64% increase.

Sectors’ activity The Real estate sector dominated total trade volume during last week with 1.05 billion shares changing hands, representing 35.79% of the total market trading volume. The Services sector was second in terms trading volume as the sector’s traded shares were 28.52% of last week’s total trading volume, with a total of 838.55 million shares. On the other hand, the Real estate sector’s stocks where the highest traded in terms of value; with a turnover of KD 46.88 million or 24.63% of last week’s total market trading value. The Services sector took the second place as the sector’s last week turnover of KD 43.40 million represented 22.80% of the total market trading value.

Market capitalization KSE total market capitalization declined by 0.65% during last week to reach KD 28.53 billion, as all of KSE’s sectors recorded a decrease in their respective market capitalization except for one sector. The Investment sector headed the decliners list as its total market capitalization reached KD 2.14 billion, decreasing by 1.22%.

The Non Kuwaiti Companies sector was the second in terms of recorded decline with 1.04% decrease after the total value of its listed companies reached KD 1.77 billion. The third place was for the Real estate sector, which total market capitalization reached KD 2.03 billion by the end of the week, recording a decline of 0.90%. The Industry sector was the least declining with 0.10% recorded decrease after its market capitalization amounted to KD 2.17 billion. On the other hand, the Insurance sector was last week’s only gainer as its total market capitalization increased by 0.68% to reach, by the end of the week, KD 307.72 million.

— Prepared by the Studies & Research Department Bayan Investment Co.

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

BUSINESS

KUWAIT: Ministry of Information Undersecretary Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah cuts the ribbon to inaugurate the exhibition. Nasser Al-Sayer and other executives look on. — Photos by Yasser Al- Zayyat

Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah, Nasser Al-Sayer and Japanese Ambassador to Kuwait Yasuyoshi Komizo (right) with the members of the Young Generation.

Al-Sayer Group inaugurates ‘Y Gen Expo’

Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah receives a present from Mubarak Al-Sayer.

KUWAIT: With the aim of disseminating young citizens’ ideas to the public and privates sector, Al-Sayer Group inaugurated the ‘Y Generation Exhibition’ recently.’ The event was held under the patronage of Ministry of Information Undersecretary Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah at the Movenpick Hotel in the Free Trade Zone. It was attended by top executives from Al-Sayer Group and sponsors, as well as by Yasuyoshi Komizo, Japanese Ambassador to Kuwait.

The event began with a speech delivered by Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah, acknowledging the importance of supporting young citizens’ initiatives “to contribute to the development of the State before the expo’s inauguration.”

Through the event, four Kuwaiti young women seek to change perception that young Kuwaiti citizens are mere consumers with little productive capabilities. Choosing their exhibition’s name in reference to the Generation Y, Haya Al-Sabah, Hessa Al-Subai’ei, Sheikha Al-Sayer and Lulua Al-Ayadhi decided to channelize their common interests by creating a project that helps their peers achieve their dreams.

“We want to create a Kuwaiti brand name that meets the ambitions of clients, whose projects Y Gen Expo will adopt,” the four friends said while explaining their idea.

“We are a team that belongs to the young world and believes that dreams are the main motivation towards success no matter how long they take to be achieved,” explained four friends who carried out the idea as they entered the Kuwait University.

A group photo of all the participants. ing to help achieve goals. “Despite the fact that members of the Generation Y have access to fast-advancing means of information and telecommunication technology, there is still a need to create a method by which institutions in the public and private sector can directly interact with ideas brought forth by young citizens and are showcased under one initiative,” the exhibition’s organizers explained during an interview held as part of the inauguration. “We hope that the Y Gen Expo can remove barriers that prevent young citizens from pushing their ideas into the local market, as well as eliminate concerns that employers might have to adopt initiatives by people with extremely high expectations.”

Kuwait Times Marketing Director Adnan Saad receives a trophy from Sheikh Salman.

Crediting their families and sponsors who offered to nurture their ambitions, the four young women explained how their idea materialized into a project that acts as a bridge that connects between young people between the age group of 15 and 25 years with similar ambitions, will-

Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah receives a memento.

Sheikh Salman Al-Sabah and top Al-Sayer management team during the inaugural ceremony.

Sheikh Salman AlSabah, Nasser AlSayer and Japanese Ambassador Yasuyoshi Komizo tour the exhibition.

A cultural performance.

26

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

BUSINESS

Alghanim Industries recognizes 2011-2012 LDP graduates KUWAIT: Alghanim Industries recently marked the successful conclusion of its 2011-2012 Leadership Development Program, at a graduation ceremony on Wednesday, April 25, 2012. During the event, held at the company’s

head office in Shuwaikh, 34 employees were recognized by the executive and senior management team for their successful completion of a rigorous, seven-month development program.

During the ceremony, teams of program graduates presented the results of their action learning projects, which are sponsored by senior business leaders within the Alghanim group of companies.

This year’s projects came from Gulf

Trading and Refrigerating Company (GTRC), Kuwait Insulating Material Manufacturing Co, (KIMMCO) and the Xerox Division. The projects involved defining a new competitive strate-

gy for a mature business, conducting a feasibility study for an online business, and proposing a diversification strategy for a specific territory. The action learning module was among the highest rated elements of the overall program by

the participants.

Alghanim Industries’ multi-level Leadership Development Program provides the company’s emerging, mid-level and senior leaders with world-class leadership develop-

ment. Employees must be nominated into this program. The development curriculum offers a unique, integrated learning experience, based on international best practice that strengthens employees’ leadership capabilities and helps them realize their leadership potential. The program, developed and delivered by the Talent Development Company (an Alghanim Industries company), includes classroom-based workshops, action learning projects, business simulations, an international speaker series, e-learning, and one-to-one executive coaching.

Commenting on the graduation, Jim Batchler, Alghanim Industries’ Chief Human Resources Officer, stated, “We are extremely proud of these employees. They invested a great deal of their time and energy in this program, in addition to carrying out their fulltime responsibilities within the company. We believe that by providing an integrated learning experience that really stretches them, we have built a platform that will enable them to become even more effective and valued leaders within our businesses.

Alghanim Industries will continue to provide leadership development programs for its employees, with the next program scheduled to launch in June 2012.

NBK’s grand prize, astonishing New McLaren draws crowd at the Avenues KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) showcased the astonishing 2012 McLaren MP4-12C, its summer campaign grand prize, at the Avenues this week. The Avenues shoppers and visitors rushed to view and inspect the fine details of this fascinating super car.

NBK offers its Cardholders the chance to win the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C as well as up to KD 180,000 in cash prizes in its annual summer campaign. This exciting promotion is valid until 15 September 2012.

NBK Cardholders can earn unlimited chances throughout the summer to enter the three draws and stand the chance to win up to KD 180,000 in cash prizes in addition to the grand prize draw for the 2012 McLaren MP4-12C. For every KD 20 spent in Kuwait with NBK Credit or Prepaid Cards, Cardholders

will earn one chance to enter the draws.

Cardholders can triple their chances by using their NBK Credit, Prepaid and Debit Card abroad or by shopping on international sites. 18 winners will have their spending on their NBK Cards reimbursed up to a value of KD 10,000.

NBK Cards are accepted worldwide and are the safest, most convenient and rewarding way to pay. For more information log onto nbk.com, contact Hala Watani on 1801801 or visit your nearest branch.

The new McLaren MP4-12C is one of the world’s most critically acclaimed luxurious supercars with its astonishing design that combines elegance and exquisiteness. Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive is the sole dealer of McLaren Automotive Ltd and the exclusive importer of BMW Group vehicles in Kuwait.

Warba covers over 50% of establishment expenses

A celebration of business excellence in Middle East THE BIZZ 2012 KUWAIT: One of the world’s most important business awards, THE BIZZ 2012, will be handed out this September 16 in a gala ceremony at the Sharq Village Hotel & Spa in the city of Doha, Qatar.

This ceremony is the latest in a series held since 2005, in cities such as New York, Panama City, Rome, Houston, Dubai, Mexico City, Dakar, Mumbai, Punta Cana, Frankfurt, Lima, and others. THE BIZZ distinguishes and acknowledges business excellence in companies from around the world.

Companies with an outstanding track record in managerial leadership, management systems, quality in goods and services, creativity and innovation, CSR, and certifications & recognitions are invited to apply for this international award.

In previous years, this award has been given out to companies such as Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Rajhi

& Son Holding Co, Saudi Telecom Company, National Paints Factories Co. MLL., Kuwait Resources House, Emirates National Oil Company Limited (ENOC) LLC, Rakisa Holding Mawarid Finance, Al Sulaimi Group Holding, Bahwan It LLC, Bindawood Group of Companies and Zed Communications.

The company behind the ceremony, World Confederation of Businesses (Worldcob), is an organization comprised over 3,000 companies representing 70 countries.

WORLDCOB’s goal is to motivate and stimulate companies with THE BIZZ, promote business networking among its members and other interested companies from these 70 different companies, as well as creating a socially responsible business culture. This CSR culture is fostered through its WORLDCOBCSR:2011.1 standard.

Citadel Capital appointed to Board of African Venture Capital Assn KUWAIT: Citadel Capital, (CCAP.CA on the Egyptian Exchange), the leading private equity firm in Africa and the Middle East with $9.5 billion in investments under control, has been appointed to the Board of the African Venture Capital Association (AVCA).

The African Venture Capital Association hosted its ninth annual conference in Accra, Ghana, from 22-24 April 2012.

The event convenes the most senior limited partners, private equity firms and institutional investors shaping Africa’s investment landscape and provides a platform to explore how Africa is rising in a world increasingly wracked by crisis.

AVCA is restructuring its Board and creating an Advisory Council to support its drive to play a more visible and active role as a champion for the African PE industry, shining a

light on the groundbreak ing deals now being done on the continent.

A statement released by AVCA Chief Executive Michelle Kathryn Essome announced that Citadel Capital Managing Director Karim Sadek had joined the Board, pointing out that his appointment would contribute significantly to the success of AVCA’s re-launch.

“We are absolutely delighted that Karim Sadek will be joining the Board of AVCA. For us to successfully promote and protect the long-term interests of the entire pan-African industry, it is vital that our advisors are comprised of not just proven African investors like Citadel Capital, but investors who have compelling track records in specific regions.

Citadel Capital’s investments in North and East Africa make it an invaluable voice for private equity investors in those regions,”

Essome noted. She added, “Karim’s deep experience investing across Africa will be invaluable as AVCA aims to deliver on the needs of a growing and diverse pan-Africa venture capital and private equity industry.”

Citadel Capital raised more than half a billion dollars in equity and debt in 2011, the majority of it from international institutional investors and the lion’s share of that sum coming from development finance institutions. Following its investment in Rift Valley Railways, Citadel Capital has been named the leading infrastructure investor in 2011 according to a recent report

by Deloitte and Africa Assets.

Commenting on his appointment, Sadek remarked, “Citadel Capital is honored to be playing a hands-on role in supporting the re-launch of AVCA. Africa is long on opportunity, but short on capital and management

expertise - two things that private equity is uniquely positioned to bring to the table. As the largest PE firm in Africa, we see it as our responsibility to take an active role in helping shape the development of our industry across the continent. In the earliest days of what we believe is clearly Africa’s century, private equity investors have a vital role to play in structuring investment opportunities that offer not just outstanding longterm returns to LPs and GPs alike, but which will also meet the aspirations of more than 1 billion Africans working for a better tomorrow.”

AVCA is a not-for-profit association, founded to promote, develop and stimulate private equity and venture capital industry in Africa through research, advocacy, training, networking, and the dissemination of industry best practices.

KUWAIT: Warba Bank held its General Assembly Meeting for the financial period ended 31 December 2011, during the meeting held in the Ministries Complex The Chairman & Managing Director Jassar AlJassar noted that the Bank’s management adopts a clear strategy prepared by one of largest specialized international firms who worked for five months to set up the bases and standards through which the targeted segments, markets, as well as geographical presence have been identified with a view to cater for the bank’s customers from different sectors and to enable Warba Bank to be distinguished among other competitor Sharia-compliant banks in Kuwait. Thus, Warba Bank’s incorporation process adheres to the standards of best international and professional practice that were accurately implemented to ensure the bank’s growth on the one side and reaching the level of international and regional banks in the future on the other side, so that the bank would be a source of economic pride for the State of Kuwait.

Indeed, the honorable principles of the Islamic Sharia contributed to the formation of the charter of values and principles that are followed by all divisions and departments throughout Warba Bank, which preserve our fair and transparent identity. To this end, Warba Bank’s Sharia Supervisory Board (SSB) has reviewed and studied each and every form used in addition to examining the contracts between the bank and the external entities.

Warba Bank has recruited an elite group of high-caliber banking cadres who possess extensive experience in different banking sectors and areas. On the basis of our complete convictions of the importance of the human element and our belief that no achievement or success can be realized without real participation of all workers of the bank, we have focused largely on the investment of the human element and the enhancement and development of their abilities and expertise in order to make them more dynamic and flexible on creativity and innovation.

In the context of our total commitment towards supporting national labor, the Kuwaitization reached 62% as at 31 December 2011. While ensuring to continue to adopt the approach of raising this percentage by means of providing tangible contributions to the continuous development of distinctive professional cadres in Kuwait so as to improve the Kuwaiti society and provide opportunities for productive work. Given the importance of having a professional organizational environment, a specialized international company has recently finished a study to set a system of policies and procedures for the Human Resources Group, and design a scheme for appraising the technical and administrative efficiency in order to develop the staff on advanced model basis, and to prepare a comparison between banks, locally and regionally.

On the other hand, Information Technology Group’s team exerted meritorious and concrete efforts, in cooperation with all departments and divisions, in order to implement the Core Banking System which has been selected by a specialized team after considering the most renowned international banking systems. Data Center Network Infrastructure has been built to provide communication channels between the bank and the various relevant external entities in addition to a number of international applications programs to enhance the electronic banking services as well as the completion of Warba bank’s website design. With the beginning of 2012, and in

line with the Retail Banking Group’s strategy which aims at reaching the largest segment of customers throughout different areas within Kuwait, our teams efforts culminated in the opening of four branches; Hawally, Qibla, Salmiya and Sharq. In addition, each branch has a section for ladies as part of our commitment to serve this important segment of the Kuwaiti society.

Other positive indicators included achieving total returns of KD 3 million for the first fiscal period ending 31 December 2011, which covers 50% of the incorporation and pre-operation expenses. This achievement gives the bank a momentum before starting full operation, launching of branches, and receiving customers; and speeds up the process to cover the full expenses of incorporation and pre-operation expenses very soon. Upon reaching the breakeven point, Warba Bank will start gaining profits, and increasing the share’s book and market values.

Such achievement would not have been made without Allah’s support, then Warba Bank’s keenness on investing the capital in safe and diversified assets with limited risks during the incorporation stage. In addition, Warba Bank has prepared the bank’s essential infrastructure, setting the future strategy and action plan; furnishing the bank’s headquarters and branches; employing the human resources required for launching the bank; choosing and implementing the latest systems which serve the bank’s objectives relevant to providing customers with special and innovative products. It should be noted that such stage requires very high expenses and costs in the newly established entities, especially when it comes to banks.

Warba Bank’s total assets stood at KD 121 million; depositors and banks’ funds in Warba Bank amounted to KD 22 million as at 31 December 2011. These signs indicate that the bank is on the right track as per the bank’s approved strategy and action plan. The developments made during the incorporation stage have started achieving the expected results thanks to the efforts exerted by all staff members at all levels.

Conclusion I would like to emphasize that we are optimistically and enthusiastically continuing our endeavors as per the approved strategy, aiming at keeping up the fruitful success we started to achieve. In line with the framework of the strategy that has been developed, Warba Bank aims with god’s grace at craving its niche among the most prominent banks and financial institutions inside and outside the State of Kuwait during the coming few years, and to be one of the most successful Islamic banks offering services and products to diverse sectors and segments of the society.

It gives me a great pleasure to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to all concerned official authorities for their help and support of Warba Bank. Also, I would like to thank board members and committee members for their support, In addition we would like to thank Sharia Supervisory Board members for their blessed efforts, and the board of directors also extends their sincere appreciation to all bank staff who spared no effort to achieve the bank’s objectives since the beginning of incorporation. I supplicate Allah, the Almighty, to perpetuate the blessing of safety and security on our beloved Kuwait and protect it from all harm under the leadership of HH Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah; and his honest Crown Prince, HH Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may Allah protect and bless both of them.

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

TECHNOLOGY

Mobile grocery shop targets bored commuters Grocery shopping doesn’t happen the way it used CHICAGO: You wouldn’t think picking up milk at the “L” station would be a good idea. But online grocer Peapod has turned a busy Chicago train station into a virtual supermarket aisle, enabling commuters to use their smartphones to scan and buy any of 70 items on the fly. Appearing overnight on once-barren walls, seven-foot tall virtual shelves line both sides of a 60-foot tunnel, filled with everything from paper towels and diapers to fresh produce. Android and iPhone users can download a free Peapod mobile app to load up their electronic grocery carts for delivery the next day.

Chicago, Peapod’s home base and its largest market, is the second US city to roll out the interactive supermarket shelves, which first appeared at Philadelphia train stations last month. Other Chicago locations may be added, and other cities down the line, depending on what happens during a 12week run at the station, which averages 17,640 commuters-and potential shoppers-

products and it generates revenue,” Etherington said. Founded in Evanston in 1989, Peapod pioneered the concept of online grocery shopping, long before many people even knew what the internet was. Perhaps ahead of its time, the publicly-traded company struggled during the dotcom bust, and was acquired by Netherlands-based Royal Ahold in 2001.

Peapod serves 24 US markets and has delivered 21 million grocery orders in just over two decades. With Internet shopping now fully integrated into the retail landscape, the company introduced its first mobile app about a year ago, trying to get out in front of the next wave in marketing. Used primarily by existing customers to re-order items-called “trash scanning”-the mobile app has new utility with the virtual supermarket billboards, both as a lure for new customers and a way for customers to fill out shopping lists on an ongoing basis.

“Grocery shopping doesn’t necessarily hap-

CHICAGO : Chicago, Peapod’s largest market, is the second US city to roll out interactive supermarket shelves. Commuters at the CTA tunnel at State and Lake streets will be able to use their smartphones to scan and buy any of 70 items. — MCT photos

each weekday.

“It kind of changes the game for the out-ofhome advertising medium, almost as a kind of service rather than branding,” said Dave Etherington, senior vice president of marketing and mobile for Titan, a New York-based media firm specializing in out-of-home advertising, which created the campaign for Peapod. A combination of advertising and retailing, the first virtual supermarket was rolled out last summer by British-based chain Tesco, which set up shop at subway stations in Seoul, South Korea.

Skokie, Ill.-based Peapod took the idea as a promotional launching pad for its recent expansion into the Philadelphia market. In April, the interactive billboards were placed at 15 train station platforms across the city. The displays were winnowed down to nine locations, which will be running through early June.

Response to the ads has been strong, according to Etherington, both in terms of introducing the service, and selling the items on-site to virtual shoppers waiting to catch a train. “It does a fantastic job of branding, but in a very transparent, measurable way, it ships

pen the way it used to,” said Mike Brennan, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Peapod. “It’s becoming more of a task that happens in multiple steps throughout the week.”

The shelves were fully stocked at State Street “L” last week as the first wave of commuters perused the virtual supermarket aisle on their way through the station.

Some swiveled, others stay focused on the light at the end of the tunnel and a few stopped to shop. tossing their dog-eared shopping lists away for good. Many commuters took notice of the ver y realistic depiction of typical grocery store shelves.

I tems included Huggies Diapers, Coke, Lysol, Swiffer Wet Jet, Bounty paper towels, Barilla ready-to-heat pasta and fresh produce such as apples and bananas. Like a real supermarket, shoppers may need to kneel down slightly to select items from the lower shelves, but most won’t need a stock boy to reach the top shelf with their smart phone scanner.

Getting started is pretty easy, even for the technophobe, with instructions spelled out on the wall itself. Making a purchase requires a

1923 Leica camera fetches 2.16 million euros at auction AUSTRIA: A Leica camera prototype made in 1923 fetched 2.16 million euros ($2.79 million) at auction yesterday, setting a new world record for a camera.

The camera, an exemplar of the pre-production Leica 0-Series, had been expected to go for between 600,000 and 800,000 euros and bidding started at 300,000 euros at the Galerie Westlicht in Vienna.

The hammer fell at 1.8 million euros, and the final price with tax was 2.16 million euros. The buyer chose to remain

anonymous. Only 25 pre-production OSeries were made to test the market for 35mm cameras before full production began in 1925, and just 12 are known still to exist. The prices such cameras fetch are a barometer of the growing interest for early photographic materials.

The previous record set last year, also for an O-Series, was 1.32 million euros, more than 800,000 euros below the new record, while in 2007 the first such camera to be auctioned fetched just 336,000 euros.—AFP

smartphone and bar code scanner app. First, the shopper downloads a free Peapod app on the wall. To buy requires pointing at the item and scanning its barcode, which shows the price, then checking out. Items will show up at the customer’s door within a day.

Push the buy button and its loaded into a virtual shopping cart. Checkout with another click and the items will show up at your door within a day. Virginia Marino, 28, an attorney, was headed to her office at noon after working from her Chicago home during the morning. She glanced from side to side with interest as she made her way down the tunnel, but questioned whether she would be able to shop during her normal commute.

“I typically take the ‘L’ during rush hour so

I don’t know that I would take the time to really walk by with my phone and shop, because I’m trying to get home or I’m trying to go to the office,” Marino said. “And there’s no way you’re stopping because of the crowd-it ’s just not going to happen.”

Brandon Precin, 23, of Evanston, Ill., who usually goes shopping only after he has run out of food, was impressed with the impulsive nature of virtual foraging.

“I think it’s really cool, being able to walk by, scan something and shop,” Precin said.

“That’s a great concept. You get to look for what you want, scan with your phone and that’s it.” Hurrying to class at Harold Washington College, Evelyn Ramirez, 20, of Chicago, slowed down enough to take in the

new ambiance at the formerly pedestrian tunnel. It was, if nothing else, an artistic success.

“It’s kind of interesting,” Ramirez said. “I feel like I’m actually in a store right now.” Peapod, which has relied mostly on direct marketing to draw customers, doesn’t expect its new campaign to become a primary retail channel for the company. It’s more about introducing its servive and its mobile app to new customers.

While more locations may be in the offing, the logistics of a full virtual supermarket may be prohibitive, according to Brennan. “There’s still only a limited number of products, no matter how many you put up on the billboard,” Brennan said. “Peapod has 12,000-plus products, and that would be a pretty long billboard to be walking down.” — AP

28

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

health & science

FDA reviews first rapid, take-home test for HIV

One-fifth of 1.2m HIV carriers in US not aware they are infected

Schools key to fighting US obesity: Study WASHINGTON: Fighting obesity will require changes everywhere Americans live, work, play and learn, says a major new report that outlines dozens of options - from building more walkable neighborhoods to zoning limits on fastfood restaurants to selling healthier snacks in sports arenas.

But schools should be a national focus because that’s where children spend most of their day, eat a lot of their daily calories - and should be better taught how to eat healthy and stay fit, the influential Institute of Medicine said. Among the most controversial of the recommendations: Communities could consider a tax on sugary sodas and offering price breaks for healthier beverage choices.

That prompted outrage from the American Beverage Association.

“Advocating discriminatory policies that uniquely focus on sugar-sweetened beverages is the wrong approach,” said an association statement that added those drinks account for just 7 percent of calories in the average person’s diet.

Most of us know we should eat less and move more. But the institute makes clear this isn’t just an individual but a societal problem: For a host of reasons, sedentary lives have become the norm and we’re surrounded by cheap, highcalorie foods. The new report offers a roadmap of the most promising strategies to change that - and argues that the solutions can’t be implemented piecemeal.

“Each of us has this role. We can’t sit back and let the schools do it, or let a mayor do it or think somehow the federal government’s going to solve it,” said report co-author William Purcell III, former mayor of Nashville, Tenn. “These recommendations require concerted effort among all.” A health advocacy group urged governments, industry and schools to adopt the recommendations.

“The country has begun to address obesity but we are still doing far too little given the tremendous burden it places on our health and health care costs,” said Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Two-thirds of US adults and almost a third of children are either overweight or obese, and progress to stop this epidemic has been too slow, the Institute of Medicine concluded. For schools, it recommended that students get at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day - a combination of physical education, recess and other activities. Many schools have slashed PE and cut into recess in recent years in an effort to increase learning time amid tighter budgets. The report also says schools should serve healthier foods, backing national school nutrition standards, and teach nutrition.

Other recommendations include: Restaurants should ensure that at least half of kids’ meals comply with federal dietary guidelines, without charging more for the healthier options.

Healthier foods should be routinely available everywhere, from shopping malls to sports arenas. More food companies should improve how they market to children - and if they don’t, the government should step in and mandate changes. To make physical activity routine, communities should be designed with safe places to walk and exercise.

Public and private insurers should ensure better access to obesity screening, preventive services and treatments. l Employers should expand workplace wellness programs. The president should appoint a task force to evaluate the impact of US agriculture policies on obesity.

The Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, is an independent organization that advises the government. —AP

A laborer lifts a sack of rotting wheat grain trying to salvage any that was still edible, at an open storage area in Khamanon village, some 215 kilometers (133 miles) from Amritsar, India. Millions of tons of wheat were rotting in the open after India ran out of warehouse space to store its growing grain stockpiles. — AP

Fish tied to lower colon cancer risk: Study NEW JERSEY: People who eat plenty of fish may have a lower risk of colon cancer and, even more, rectal cancer, according to an analysis of 41 studies from around the world. The analysis, which appeared in the American Journal of Medicine, is the latest report that ties fish consumption to a number of possible health benefits.

Jie Liang of Xijing Hospital of Digestive Diseases in Xi’an, China, and colleagues combined the results from 41 studies published between 1990 and 2011 that measured fish consumption and tracked cancer diagnoses. This included research from the United States, Norway, Japan, Finland and elsewhere. “Our findings from this metaanalysis suggest that fish consumption is inversely associated with colorectal cancer,” Liang and his colleagues wrote.

Overall, regularly eating fish was tied to a 12 percent lower risk of developing or dying of colon or rectal cancer, the researchers found. That was after taking into account study participants’ age, alcohol and red meat intake, family history of cancer and other risk factors.

“People who rarely eat fish may experience health benefits in a variety of

areas - heart disease, reproductive and now colon cancer - by increasing their fish consumption somewhat,” said Michael Gochfeld, a professor of environmental and occupational medicine at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

The protective effect tied to fish consumption was stronger for rectal cancer than colon cancer.

People who ate the highest amounts of fish had a 21 percent lower risk of getting rectal cancer than those who ate the least. That compared to just a four percent lower risk of colon cancer so small that it could have been due to chance. The new study focused specifically on fresh fish, and the authors noted that they were unable to pinpoint what types of fish people ate or the manner in which fish was prepared in the prior studies. “Cooking temperatures might affect the risk of colorectal cancer,” Liang said in an email to Reuters Health, citing recent evidence that suggests eating lots of meat and fish barbecued or grilled over high heat may actually be tied to an increased cancer risk. —Reuters

WASHINGTON: The Food and Drug Administration is considering approval of the first over-thecounter HIV test that would allow consumers to quickly test themselves for the virus at home, without medical supervision. FDA reviewers said Friday the OraQuick In-Home HIV test could play a significant role in slowing the spread of HIV, according to briefing documents posted online. But they also raised concerns about the accuracy of the test, a mouth swab that returns results in about 20 minutes.

The review comes one day after an FDA advisory panel endorsed the HIV pill Truvada for preventive use. If FDA follows the group’s advice, the daily medication would become the first drug approved to prevent healthy people from becoming infected with the virus that causes AIDS. Public health experts estimate one-fifth, or about 240,000 people, of the 1.2 million HIV carriers in the US are not aware they are infected.

Testing is one of the chief means of slowing new infections, which have held steady at about 50,000 per year for two decades.

In a trial conducted by the company OraSure Technologies Inc, the test correctly detected HIV in those carrying the virus 93 percent of the time. That rate is below the FDA-recommended 95 percent threshold for accuracy. The FDA estimates the test would miss about 3,800 HIV-positive people per year, if approved for US consumers.

The test was more accurate at correctly clearing patients who do not have the disease. In company studies, OraQuick correctly identified HIV-negative users 99 percent of the time.In their briefing documents, FDA scientists noted both

the benefits and risks of expanding HIV testing with the takehome diagnostic kit.

“There is considerable personal and public health value in inform-

ing infected, but otherwise untested, persons of their true positive HIV status,” the reviewers state. “However, this benefit is offset in some measure by HIV-posi-

Dr. Lisa Sterman holds up a Truvada pill at her office in San Francisco. Sterman prescribes the drug off-label for about a dozen patients at high risk of developing AIDS. — AP

This photograph taken by AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Evelyn Rivera from AIDS Healthcare Foundation, AHF, and an informal new coalition known as ‘Mothers Against Discrimination’ (M.A.D.) speaks at a Mother’s Day press conference to speak out against AIDS discrimination by the Hershey School on Friday in Washington. — AP

Time cover masks problem: Too few kids breast-fed WASHINGTON: The real issue with breast-feeding is this: Too few infants who could really benefit from it are getting mom’s milk. Sure, Time magazine’s cover photo of a woman breast-feeding her 3-year-old is generating debate about how old is too old. But examples like that are pretty rare.

About 44 percent of US moms do at least some breast-feeding for six months. But only 15 percent follow advice from the American Academy of Pediatrics that babies receive breast milk alone for that time span. And fewer still stick with breastfeeding for a year, also recommended by the academy. About three-quarters of mothers say they breast-feed during their baby’s first days and weeks of life. Then it drops off fast. By their first birthday, fewer than a quarter of children are getting breast milk, according to the government’s latest national report card on breast-feeding.

That’s a public health issue, because breastfeeding brings so many benefits to babies. By 2020, the nation’s health goals call for more than a quarter of babies to be exclusively breast-fed through their first six months of life, and for more than a third to still be nursing when they turn 1 year old.

To help reach those goals, the surgeon general last year issued a call to ease the obstacles that make it harder for women to breast-feed - from the hassles of pumping milk at work to a general lack of understanding about how super-healthy it is during that critical first year.

“We have a lot more work to do,” says Academy of Pediatrics’ spokeswoman Dr. Tanya Altmann, a pediatrician near Los Angeles. “It would be much more beneficial to focus on breast-feeding infants and young toddlers,” she said, than on the rare older examples like Time found for its cover.

Not every mother can or chooses to breast-feed.

And the surgeon general’s report said they shouldn’t be made to feel guilty. But the academy’s latest update, published in March in the journal Pediatrics, lists the benefits of breast-feeding for at least several months and up to a year: Breast-fed infants have a lower risk of sudden infant death syndrome. They suffer fewer illnesses such as diarrhea, earaches and pneumonia, because breast milk contains antibodies that help fend off infections until their own immune systems become robust. They’re also less likely to develop asthma, or even to become fat later in childhood. Moms can benefit, too, decreasing their risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer.

How old is too old for the child? The pediatricians’ guidelines say breast-feeding should continue along with solid foods to age 1 - “or as long as mutually desired by mother and infant.”The World Health Organization recommends continuing “along with appropriate complementary foods up to 2 years of age or beyond.” Toddlers sometimes make clear that they prefer a cup, but Altmann says if both mom and child are comfortable, there’s no harm in going longer than average.

Still, the clear nutritional benefit wanes as youngsters start getting most of their nutrition from solid food, and Altmann says parents need to teach their tots to soothe themselves.

“At some point it’s less about nutrition and more about comfort,” says Altmann, who breast-fed her own two sons until they were 1. — AP

tive individuals who receive an incorrect message that they are not infected.”

The lukewarm endorsement apparently spooked investors.

OraSure’s stock tumbled $1.32, or 11.8 percent, to close at $9.85 in trading Friday.

On Tuesday, the FDA will ask a panel of outside experts whether the test should be approved for over-the-counter sales in US. The agency is not required to follow the group’s advice, though it usually does.

Based in Bethlehem, Pa., OraSure has marketed a version of OraQuick to doctors, nurses and other health care practitioners since 2004. The test sells for $17.50, though OraSure declined to discuss how it would price the consumer version. When used by professionals, the test is shown to accurately identify both carriers and non-carriers 99 percent of the time.

While it’s not clear why the test was less accurate in consumer trials, CEO Doug Michels said company researchers anticipated that its “performance in the hands of a consumer would be different from that observed in hands of a professional.”

OraSure tried the new version of the test in a study of 5,800 people of various sexual orientation, race and income levels. The trial identified about 100 HIV carriers who were previously undiagnosed.

The FDA has already approved HIV test kits that people take home. However, those kits, which require a blood sample, must be sent to a laboratory for development. But OraSure argues that a test that can be done at home will appeal to a much broader group of people. — AP

Nepal winning battle against rhino poachers KATHMANDU: In a nation where a civil war and years of political deadlock have stunted prosperity and development, the burgeoning rhino population is one of Nepal’s rare success stories.

The Himalayan country’s endangered one-horned rhinoceros has increased its numbers significantly over recent years thanks to tightened security against poachers and community conservation programs. Wildlife experts spent a month last year conducting an exhaustive survey and counted 534 rhinos in Nepal’s southern forests — 99 more than when the last such census was carried out in 2008.

“Despite all the hardship during the unrest in the country, we continued our support to the fullest extent to control poaching of rhinos and we are glad that our efforts have yielded positive results,” said Diwakar Chapagain of WWF Nepal’s wildlife trade control program.

The wildlife organisation, which has been involved in anti-poaching and antitrafficking programs as well as habitat research for more than 30 years, expects numbers to keep improving. The picture was not always so positive.

Thousands of greater one-horned rhinos, also known as the Indian rhinoceros, once roamed Nepal and northern India but their numbers plunged over the last century due to poaching and human encroachment on their habitat. The animals are killed for their horns, which are prized for their reputed medicinal qualities in China and southeast Asia.

A single horn can sell for tens of thousands of dollars on the international black market, and impoverished Nepal’s porous borders, weak law enforcement and proximity to China have made the country a hub for the illegal trade.

The population decline was particularly dramatic during Nepal’s 1996-2006

civil war, when soldiers on anti-poaching details were re -deployed to fight a Maoist guerrilla insurgency.

“Because the security forces had to engage in other national security issues, priority to park security and wildlife protection was weakened,” said Chapagain.

“Similarly, park guard posts were decreased to a few posts in a single location, which left a security vacuum in the habitats of the rhino and other wildlife.

“Poachers could go to parks without any fear of arrest.”

When the conflict ended, the government made a priority of rebuilding its wildlife protection apparatus, said Maheshwar Dhakal, an ecologist with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation. “But it took some time for the results to appear because the poachers had changed their strategies. They waited for the rains or night time so that the guards wouldn’t be there,” Dhakal told AFP. “They entered the conservation areas from the bushes and during festivals when the security was at a minimum.”

A key turning point in the fight to save the rhino occurred in 2009, when the government decided to enlist community groups to protect the animals, Dhakal said.

“We started to exchange information and create awareness campaigns in the local areas. We enlisted a group of local volunteers who would go on patrol in the jungle,” he said.

“It boosted the morale of the local people. We also developed a network of committees under our office to make our efforts more coordinated.”

This new approach yielded remarkable results last year, the first since records began in which no deaths of rhinos at the hands of poachers were recorded in Nepal. — AFP

An Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) takes its calf to water in the Maghauli Chitwan forest, some 200kms southwest of Kathmandu. — AFP

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

H E A LT H

Navy study: Sonar, blasts might hurt more sea life

A fisherman rows a boat as another holds a fishing net, with dark clouds hovering over them in Gauhati yesterday. The Brahmaputra originates in Tibet, where it is known as the Yarlung Zangbo, and fishery is a means of livelihood for hundreds of thousands who live along the banks of the river. —AP

Maya lunar calendar notes discovered in Guatemala WASHINGTON: On the wall of a tiny structure buried under forest debris in Guatemala, archaeologists have discovered a scribe’s notes about the Maya lunar calendar, which they say could be the first known records by an official chronicler of this ancient civilization. These notes pertain to the same Maya calendar that is sometimes erroneously thought to predict the world’s end on or about Dec. 22, 2012. The researchers who helped uncover and decipher the wall’s inscriptions said the Maya calendar foresaw a vast progression of time, with the December 2012 date the beginning of a new calendar cycle called a baktun. “They were looking at the way these cycles were turning,” said William Saturno of Boston University, an author of an article on the find in the journal Science. “The Maya calendar is going to keep going and keep going for billions, trillions, octillions of years into the future, a huge number that we can’t even wrap our heads around.”

The faint numerical inscriptions on the wall in Guatemala measure out time in approximate six-month increments, based on six lunar cycles, with small stylized pictures of Maya gods to indicate which deity was the patron of a specific slice of time, the researchers said Thursday in an online briefing.

“It seems pretty clear that what we have

here is a lunar calendar,” said David Stuart of the University of Texas at Austin, another author of the Science article. The findings will also be published in the June issue of National Geographic, which funded some of the research.

The numbers on the wall were likely written by a scribe or calendar priest, who would have been an important figure in the Maya court, where monarchs were keenly interested in astronomy and sought to harmonize sacred rituals with events in the sky.

The wall was used the way a modern scientist might use a whiteboard, to write down frequently consulted formulas instead of having to look them up in a book, he said.

The fact that these calendar details were inscribed on the wall preserved them better than any book would have, since no books remain from the period when the inscriptions were made, probably around 800 AD, the researchers said.

In addition to the inscribed numbers, there were pictures on other walls of the structure, including an image of a king in a feather headdress, seated on a throne, with a white-garbed person peeking out from behind him. A painting of a scribe holding a stylus was on another wall.—Reuters

Super weeds no easy fix for US agriculture: Experts WASHINGTON: A fast-spreading plague of “super weeds” taking over US farmland will not be stopped easily, and farmers and government officials need to change existing practices if food production is to be protected, industry experts said. “This is a complex problem,” said weed scientist David Shaw in remarks to a national “summit” of weed experts in Washington to come up with a plan to battle weeds that have developed resistance to herbicides.

Weed resistance has spread to more than 12 million US acres and primarily afflicts key agricultural areas in the US Southeast and the corn and soybean growing areas of the Midwest.

Many of the worst weeds, some of which grow more than six feet and can sharply reduce crop yields, have become resistant to the popular glyphosate-based weed-killer Roundup, as well as other common herbicides.

Monsanto Co’s Roundup worked well for many years. It became prevalent with the commercialization of “Roundup Ready” crops Monsanto developed to tolerate the weed-

killer, making it easy for farmers to treat their fields. But now super weeds have developed a resistance to Roundup, and farmers are scrambling to figure out how to combat their weeds.

“We don’t have that next technology. We have to get back to the fundamentals,” said Shaw, who chairs a task force that is working with the US Department of Agriculture on how to tackle weed resistance problems. Several farmers spoke out about their struggles at the summit, as did experts from the USDA and crop consultants. “This is our number one issue,” said Arkansas crop consultant Chuck Farr. “It is a challenge every day, every field.”

Harold Coble, an agromist and weed scientist with the USDA, called the problem of weed resistance a “game changer” and said farmers must become more versatile. Too many have simply been relying on the chemicals for too long, he said.

A joint report from the USDA and the Weed Science Society of America said “a significant proportion of growers are not practicing adequate proactive herbicide resistance management.” — Reuters

HONOLULU: The US Navy says its training and testing using sonar and explosives could potentially hurt more dolphins and whales in Hawaii and California waters than previously thought. The new research and more thorough analysis are part of a draft environmental impact statement covering Navy training and testing planned for 2014-2018. A notice about the study is due to appear in the Federal Register on Friday. In the study, the Navy estimates its use of explosives and sonar may unintentionally cause more than 1,600 instances of hearing loss or other injury to marine mammals in one year. The service calculates that its use of explosives may inadvertently cause more than 200 marine mammal deaths a year.

The old Navy analysis - covering 2009-2013 - estimated the service might unintentionally cause injury or death to about 100 marine mammals in Hawaii and California, although no deaths have been reported.

The Navy isn’t saying it will injure whales and dolphins as it trains sailors and tests equipment. It’s telling the public and environmental regulators that its actions have the

potential to harm or otherwise prompt a reaction in the animals. The Navy takes a variety of measures to prevent harm to the animals, including turning off sonar when marine mammals are spotted nearby. It says the actual numbers of injured animals would be lower as a result. The Navy must provide the information to the National Marine Fisheries Service to earn a permit for its activities. If it didn’t do so and was later found to have harmed marine mammals, it would be found in violation of federal environmental law and have to stop its training and testing. Some reasons the Navy is predicting a greater impact is its use of new research on marine mammal behavior and updated computer models that predict how sonar affects animals. The Navy also expanded the scope of its study to include things like in-port sonar testing - something sailors have long done but wasn’t analyzed in the Navy’s last environmental impact statement. The analysis covers training and testing in waters between Hawaii and California for the first time as well.

“Each time around, each time we swing through this process, we get better, we take a

harder look, we become more inclusive,” said John Van Name, senior environmental planner at the US Pacific Fleet.

Zak Smith, staff attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said he’s encouraged the Navy reduced the threshold for the level of sonar it found to affect beaked whales - a species that appears to be particularly sensitive to the noise. The Navy said it changed the threshold because research has shown beaked whales move away and otherwise react when exposed to a lower level of sound than earlier studies indicated. “My first glance shows there’s positive steps,” Smith said after he took a quick look at the 1,800-page document. But he said he would have to look at the details before giving his full assessment. The Navy uses sonar to track enemy submarines, torpedoes, mines and other potential threats underwater. Sonar operators send pulses of sound through the ocean and then listen for echoes from objects hit by the sound waves.

Scientists say the sound may disrupt the feeding patterns of marine mammals. The sound may also startle some species of whales, causing them to surface rapidly. — AP

Giant asteroid got one-two crater-carving punch LOS ANGELES: The giant asteroid Vesta got clobbered not once but twice, and it has the scars to prove it. Ever since the Hubble Space Telescope spied a huge depression in the asteroid’s south pole, scientists surmised it was carved by a collision with a celestial object, most likely a smaller asteroid.

But a recent closer inspection revealed a surprise: There are actually two massive overlapping craters.

“Vesta got whacked twice with large impacts,” said Christopher Russell of the University of California, Los Angeles, who heads a team of scientists exploring the asteroid. The double strikes occurred relatively recently - 1 to 2 billion years ago - and came to light only after researchers pored over high-resolution images snapped by the NASA Dawn spacecraft, which slipped into orbit around Vesta last year. The finding is reported in Friday’s issue of Science, which published a series of papers on the $466 million mission. Vesta’s surface is pockmarked with pits caused by crashes. Scientists zeroed in on the southern hemisphere, which is dominated by a 310-mile-wide crater. Soon after arriving at Vesta, Dawn spotted a nearby feature that looked like a rim.

“It looked kind of weird. We thought, ‘What the heck is that?’” recalled Paul Schenk of the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston who is part of the mission.

Scientists determined the rim belonged to a smaller, older crater gouged by an impact 2 billion years ago. It had been obscured by the larger crater, created by an impact a billion years later. The back-to-back pounding likely would have shattered any other asteroid, but Vesta somehow survived. Even so, the blows scooped out loads of material from Vesta’s surface - enough to fill 400 Grand Canyons, estimated team member David O’Brien of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Ariz.

Some of the debris was hurled into space and fell to Earth as meteorites. About 1 out of every 20 meteorites found on our planet came from

Vesta. Located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, Vesta is not a garden-variety asteroid but instead shares many qualities with rocky planets. Many of the space rocks in the zone resemble potatoes, but Vesta is shaped more like an avocado with its iron core and differentiated layers. Measuring 330 miles across, it’s the second largest object in the asteroid belt. Scientists

are intrigued by asteroids because they’re leftovers from the solar system’s birth some 4.5 billion years ago and studying them can offer clues about how Earth and other planets emerged.

Dawn will depart Vesta in late summer, firing its ion propulsion engines to cruise on to a bigger target - an asteroid named Ceres where it will arrive in 2015.— AP

This undated image provided by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft showing a close-up view of a huge crater in the southern hemisphere of the Vesta asteroid. A recent analysis of images taken by the Dawn spacecraft reveals there are two overlapping craters in Vesta’s south pole created by separate impact events. —AP

30

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

WHAT’S ON

Jahra’s young authors ‘unleash’ their stories

tate Attorney Najla Al-Naqqi attended a ceremony held recently in Hawally to reward students of the Arab Academy School, in which she delivered a motivational speech before taking part in the students’ rewarding event.

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‘Leniency of Islam’ n unprecedented initiative of KTV2 (English channel) is the new program by the name ‘Leniency of Islam’ presented by Shaikh Musaad Alsane and directed by Hamid Al Turkait .The program is mainly meant to address the expatriates living in Kuwait Religious questions are received through the program email qislam@tv.gov.kw and sms can be sent to- 97822021 and answered by the lecturer and Imam in Awqaf Ministry Shaikh Musaad Alsane - a Master Degree holder in Sharia and fiqih from Kuwait University. So don’t forget to watch the program every Friday at 1:00 pm.

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Announcements Free Arabic course IPC is opening an Intensive Basic Arabic Course for ladies commencing from June 3 to July 8, 2012. The class will be from 5-7 pm for three days a week. Registration is on! For information, call 22512257.

Korea Week Join us at the opening of the “Korea Week” from 7 pm to 9 pm in the Embassy of the Republic of Korea. Also to the other programs during May 811, 2012 at Mishref, Diplomatic Zone 2, Block 7B, Plot 164. Day of Buy Korea. Korean traditional wedding ceremony, kids hanbok fashion show, Korean product market & charity bazaar, cultural activities & traditional games May 10, 6 pm - 9 pm. Day of Enjoy Korea K-POP contest, Korean product market & vharity bazaar, cultural activities & traditional games. May 11, 7 pm. Day of Feel Korea. Classical music concert performed by Korean students living in Kuwait at Abdulaziz Theater, Mishref.

Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main ICS gears to a new cultural entertainment in “Zara Sa Jhoom Loon Main” with renowned playback singer from Bollywood Abhijeet & world fame theater cum comedy king Umar Sharif from Pakistan on 18th May Friday, at 7 pm sharp. The Chief Guest for the event will be Ambassador of India, Kuwait. Also guest of honor will be prominent personalities from Kuwait & respected embassies from different countries. So join @ Dr Kamil Al Rayes Auditorium, AIS opposite Police Station Maidan Hawally Kuwait.

Yoga with the Golden Era Club The Golden Era Club presents ‘The Eight Fold Path to Yoga’ on Fridays, 11th and 25th May; 5 to 7 pm. Yoga here! Yoga there! Yoga everywhere!

Yet, few comprehend Yoga’s true nature! Join Yoga Guru - Aacharya Shashikala Pushkarna - on this unique journey to the true ‘union’ between the mind, body and spirit. All seniors (60+) are cordially invited. Venue- House #34, next to AbuTammam Intermediate School for Boys, Sate Alhusari St., Block 2, Rumaithiya.

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

In case Wednesday is an Embassy holiday, the meeting will be held on the next working day. To ensure timely action/follow-up by the Embassy, it is requested that, wherever possible, Indian citizens should exhaust the existing channels of interaction/grievance redressal and bring their problems/issues in writing with supporting documents. It may be 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.

Kuwait Bilingual School organizes ‘Writing Month’

By Sunil Cherian hirty years ago a woman was divorced from a rich man’ - begins a story ‘Lost Lima’, penned by Turki Abdullah, a 7th grader. In the 20page story (set in Mexico) Lima the 15year old daughter of the divorced woman who grew up in an orphanage home, ran away and was rescued by a kind old woman. Events unfold through strange and odd episodes until we find Lima living happily with her parents and the old woman. From happiness, cooperation to environmental care and animal husbandry, emotions rule the stories written by the students ranging from grade 1 to 9 as part of the writing month conducted at Kuwait Bilingual School.

‘What is better than kissing your child when he is crying’, goes a line in a story.

The school organized an exhibition of kids’ books for the public where many parents came and read to their surprises, their children’s and other kids’ stories.

Poverty, violence, drugs and other forms of evil also find their place in some stories. ‘Protecting Program’, a gory story, authored by 9th grader Abdulrahman Assad tells about a storekeeper who married the daughter of a poor widower. He then sells his child, much to the anger of his wife, (and to the agony of his English teacher). He was brutally killed at the end by his wife who leaves no proof for the police to arrest her. When asked why their stories sound so unfamiliar, both Turky and Abdulrahman said they wanted imagination take over their day to day reality.

“I had many delightful moments going through 500 plus stories”, agrees Susan Jenkins, the English coordinator at the school. This is more than I expected, she

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said. Their imagination is soaring; voice is varying and perspective changing. To look from a different point of view is not easy with today’s kids, she added.

Stories of high morals were the most found genre in the two-day young author exhibition. Tamara Mubarak’s character, Abdullah throws soda cans and plastic wrappers from their car on the way to the beach. The environment unfriendly Abdulah also smashes a bottle on the beach before he goes for swimming.

When he comes back from the water, ‘Agrhrr!!’ writes Tamara, ‘the glass piece went into Abdullah’s feet.’ The story ends when Abdullah later learns his lessons at the hospital.

In another moral story, one of the fighting boys ends up in jail ‘when they continued to fight even in front of the police’. Other environment themed works were plays collectively written by Grade 5 girls. “They brainstormed the idea, formed and named characters, including narrators”, said their teacher

Meghan Bigwood. One play talks about a competition on taking care of the environment. “A dry topic like environment would be ignored. So we put some element of competition in it”, said one of the young authors.

Kid characters who are happy when they are sick because they don’t have to go to school; a kid who poisons her math teacher and makes the teacher dance; A bug traveling through London, Madrid and other places through the days of the week; A poor worm that was accidentally stamped by a child; The pirate who kills people by his sneeze, and realist fiction like community helpers also found their way to the imagination of the kids.

Earlier, the school had month-long activities on writing. Anagrams, puzzlejokes (Why did the chicken cross the road? To get away from the burger shop!) both in English and Arabic were put up on the bulletin boards where students had to find crazy solutions. The classroom doors were decorated with details of an author

as part of the ‘Author of the Week’ activity. Classes were given topics in English and Arabic before the students went bang with a flood of stories.

KG children also took part with their single character - one-page picture story about samak (fish), asad (lion), pat (duck), arnap (rabbit) and a girl who is eating salad. The nursery teachers stood by the wall mounted stories of the little authors to explain ‘This is a tree, this is a bear’, inviting and invoking the Alice in Wonderland in us.

And for more serious readers, here is a story on recession - ‘A Spanish citizen goes to the US, learns English and goes back to his country equipped with a skill’ is the theme in a story written by 8th grader Abdulaziz Mamdouh. The title he gave to his story is open to more conclusions: ‘Untitled’.

IPS witnesses student council election

fter a period of five years, IPS witnessed student council election on Tuesday 25th April 2012. Candidates were nominated by the teachers on the basis of the educational merits, life skills and behavior. Followed by which there was three days of rigorous campaigning by 40 candidates for various key posts in the council and their fate was decided by the voters from class IV to XII. A Record number of 1700 students exercised their voting rights and this was made possible by changing each class room into a polling booth. Even though counting and processing the result was a laborious task, the dedicated staff could manage well in time along with their routine work. The election result was declared by the Principal in a special assembly organized on 26th April after noon. After an introductory speech, congratulating the elected members, the election committee and the staff, the principal introduced the newly elected senate members to the school. These students will be officially invested with their color in the Investiture Ceremony to be held shortly.

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SCHOOL SENATE MEMBERS 2012-13 Head Boy - Ritesh Gurudas (XII-B) Head Girl - Athira Thomson(XII-B) Sports Captain - Adil Mohammed (XI - A) Sports Vice Captain - Niki Jehehnijad (X - A) CCA Captain - Sohail Alam (XI - A) CCA Vice Captain - Safa Aijas (X - B) Emerald Captain - Nevil Sam (XI - A) Ruby Captain - Nawaal Iqbal (XI - A) Sapphire Captain - Kinoshya Joy (XI - A) Topaz Captain - Dagmer Julian (XI - A) Emerald Vice Captain - Manmit Singh (X - A) Ruby Vice Captain - Yumna Kamran (X - A) Sapphire Vice Captain - Andrea Christabel (X - C) Topaz Vice Captain - Salman Khan (X - B)

31

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

WHAT’S ON

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.

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

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

Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at ■■■■■■■

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).

Annual ABS Talent Show ho needs American Idol, when ABS students and staff can provide amazing live performances? The American Baccalaureate School’s 6th Annual Talent show certainly reached for the stars as students took over the stage with their unbelievable talent! This year we had honorable judges, and if you think Simon Cowell had it going on, you haven’t seen anything yet... Sigrid, Helen, Andy and of course Mr. Lee, with his Midas touch, thrilled the audience.

The students were the stars of the show and wowed the

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audience with their beautiful voices and dance moves. We also had a pianist, a rapper, and break dancers, not to mention the stars with the hula hoops!!! There was a great commotion during the intermission when our auditorium lights shut down. There seemed to be technical problems, and the music stopped! But no, it was all just part of the show when our ABS teachers put on a flash mob! The whole audience was moved when teachers and students took over the auditorium, dancing to “Let’s move!” by Beyonce.

All in all it was an event to remember. Our very talented

“Idols” this year were: Elementary Department 1st place- Sura Al-Sane 2nd place- Abdullatif Al-Najada 3rd place - Najeeba Al-Rashed & Ghena Seweish MS/HS Department 1st place- Khalid Zanki & Mudhaf Al-Mudhaf 2nd Place- Fay Al-Rashed 3rd Place- Khalid Hamada & Ahmed Najeem

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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: Saturday to Thursday Morning: 8:00 am to 12:30 pm Lunch Break: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm Afternoon: 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm ■■■■■■■

ESF Middle School Concert he annual Middle School Concert at The English School Fahaheel took place last week at the Lloyd Webber Theatre. The concert included an impressive line up of songs by Years 3 to 6, Recorder Groups and outstanding Trumpet and piano performances. A big thank you to Middle School’s Ms Ledgard for her outstanding efforts in putting together such an entertaining concert.

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British Ladies Society’s Bingo Night

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, Al-Salaam 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 ■■■■■■■

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 15th April, 2012. Till the new telephone connections are installed, the Embassy may be contacted by email: info@nepembku.org ■■■■■■■

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 ■■■■■■■

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 closed 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.

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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.

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he British Ladies Society (BLS) hosted a ladies dinner and fun Bingo games on Wednesday 9th May at the Movenpick Al Bida’a. A full buffet was enjoyed by the ladies and their guests, interspersed with games of Bingo called out by Lorraine Al-Farhan. Bingo is a typically British past time which started back in the 1700s. Today we use marker pens for the cards called “dabbers” and add fun and confusion for some by using rhyming calls and nicknames for numbers such as “two little ducks, 22” or “clickety click, 66”.

Thanks to Crown Relocation for the Kuwait Pocket Guide prizes. The evening was rounded off with the traditional fundraising raffle in aid of the BLS chosen charities for this year, RuqayahAbdulwahabAlQatami Cancer Foundation and Help for Heroes. Prizes were kindly donated by Al Fozan Dental Centre, Toni & Guy Al Shaab, Lakeland Kitchenware, The Entertainer Kuwait and Trendz Salon.

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EMBASSY OF UKRAINE We’d like to inform you that in response to the increasing number of our citizens who work in the state and the need for 24-hour operational telephone in case of emergency the Embassy of Ukraine in the State of Kuwait has opened “hotline telephone number” (+ 965) 972-79-206.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

Classifieds SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR QTR JZR JZR ETH RJA GFA UAE ETD DHX FDB MSR QTR THY KAC CLX DHX FCX JZR KAC BAW KAC KAC IRA KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB IRA ETD GFA IRC FCX MEA JZR MSR JZR AFR SYR KAC MSR KAC GFA KAC FDB KNE KAC QTR SVA RJA KAC JZR QTR JZR JZR NCR ETD UAE SVA GFA UAL JZR JZR ABY KAC KAC KAC KAC FDB MSR JZR KAC KAC KAC JAI KAC AXB FDB OMA MEA QTR GFA KAC ALK JZR KLM UAE JZR ETD KAC ABY QTR DHX KAC AIC RBG GFA UAL JZR DLH THY PIA

Arrival Flights on Sunday 13/5/2012 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 770 ISTANBUL 154 ISTANBUL 792 LUXEMBOURG 170 BAHRAIN 201 DUBAI 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA 157 LONDON 206 ISLAMABAD 382 DELHI 615 SHAHRE KORD 284 DHAKA 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 352 COCHIN 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 561 SOHAG 6708 PARIS 341 DAMASCUS 742 DAMMAM 610 CAIRO 672 DUBAI 219 BAHRAIN 774 RIYADH 57 DUBAI 472 JEDDAH 538 SOHAG 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 640 AMMAN 788 JEDDAH 257 BEIRUT 134 DOHA 213 DEIREZZOR 535 CAIRO 950 AQABA 303 ABU DHABI 857 DUBAI 510 RIYADH 215 BAHRAIN 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 177 DUBAI 777 JEDDAH 127 SHARJAH 502 BEIRUT 542 CAIRO 786 JEDDAH 166 PARIS 63 DUBAI 624 SOHAG 787 RIYADH 618 DOHA 674 DUBAI 101 NEW YORK 572 MUMBAI 562 AMMAN 389 KOZHIKODE 61 DUBAI 647 MUSCAT 402 BEIRUT 146 DOHA 221 BAHRAIN 514 TEHRAN 229 COLOMBO 481 SABIHA 417 AMSTERDAM 859 DUBAI 135 BAHRAIN 307 ABU DHABI 172 FRANKFURT 129 SHARJAH 136 DOHA 372 BAHRAIN 678 MUSCAT 981 CHENNAI 3553 ALEXANDRIA 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 4:35 4:55 4:55 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:15 6:30 7:15 7:30 7:35 7:45 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:20 9:25 9:30 10:00 10:15 10:30 10:55 11:05 11:25 12:25 12:35 12:35 13:25 13:30 13:40 13:40 13:45 13:45 14:15 14:20 14:25 14:30 14:55 15:00 15:00 15:15 15:30 16:00 16:30 16:35 16:55 17:20 17:20 17:25 17:30 17:40 17:45 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 20:55 21:05 21:15 21:15 21:20 21:25 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:05 22:25 22:30 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 RJA JZR GFA THY KAC CLX BAW FDB IRA KAC JZR KAC ABY JZR KAC KAC UAE JZR QTR FDB ETD IRA KAC KAC GFA IRC KAC FCX MEA KAC JZR MSR KAC KAC JZR JZR SYR AFR GFA FDB MSR KAC KAC KNE KAC KAC SVA RJA JZR QTR KAC ETD JZR JZR QTR UAE GFA JZR ABY SVA UAL FDB MSR JZR KAC JAI FDB KAC KAC OMA MEA GFA JZR DHX ALK KLM ABY ETD UAE FCX KAC QTR KAC KAC JZR DHX QTR AXB RBG GFA KAC KAC JZR

Departure Flights on Sunday 13/5/2012 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 643 AMMAN 164 DUBAI 212 BAHRAIN 771 ISTANBUL 537 SOHAG 792 GIALAM 156 LONDON 54 DUBAI 614 SHAHRE 171 FRANKFURT 256 BEIRUT 117 NEW YORK 126 SHARJAH 534 CAIRO 671 DUBAI 787 JEDDAH 856 DUBAI 212 DEIREZZOR 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 785 JEDDAH 480 ISTANBUL 176 DUBAI 342 ALEPPO 6708 DUBAI 220 BAHRAIN 58 DUBAI 611 CAIRO 561 AMMAN 673 DUBAI 473 JEDDAH 677 MUSCAT 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 134 BAHRAIN 128 SHARJAH 511 RIYADH 982 BAHRAIN 64 DUBAI 621 ALEXANDRIA 184 DUBAI 361 COLOMBO 571 MUMBAI 62 DUBAI 283 DHAKA 351 KOCHI 648 MUSCAT 403 BEIRUT 222 BAHRAIN 502 LUXOR 171 BAHRAIN 230 COLOMBO 417 DAMMAM 120 SHARJAH 308 ABU DHABI 860 DUBAI 102 BAHRAIN 343 CHENNAI 137 DOHA 301 MUMBAI 205 ISLAMABAD 554 ALEXANDRIA 373 BAHRAIN 147 DOHA 390 MANGALORE 3554 ALEXANDRIA 218 BAHRAIN 411 BANGKOK 415 KUALA LUMPUR 528 ASSIUT

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 6:50 6:55 7:05 7:10 8:05 8:15 8:25 8:25 8:35 8:55 9:00 9:05 9:05 9:10 9:20 9:35 9:40 9:45 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 13:10 13:15 13:20 13:35 14:20 14:25 14:25 14:30 14:40 15:05 15:15 15:25 15:45 15:45 15:50 15:50 16:15 16:25 17:20 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:05 18:20 18:20 18:25 18:35 18:40 19:25 19:55 20:05 20:20 20:35 20:40 20:45 21:05 21:10 21:15 21:35 21:45 21:50 21:55 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 23:15 23:30 23:40 23:50 23:50

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

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

Fajr: Duhr: Asr: Maghrib: Isha:

03:28 11:44 15:20 18:33 19:59

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

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for decent Keralite bachelor in Abbasiya near German Clinic. Contact: 99651292/ 66471315.

(C 4000) 12-5-2012 One bedroom available for Keralite couples or a working lady in Abbassiya near Maliackal Jewellery with a Christian family from June.

Contact 99494671. (C 3993) Sharing accommodation for a new couple available at Mangaf near petrol station, looking for Indian or Philippines. Contact between 7 to 9 am and 4 to 6 pm. Tel: 23719415. (C 3995) 8-5-2012 SITUATION VACANT Required a live-in house maid Sri Lankan or Filipino for an Indian family in Farwaniya, salary KD 120/(for one month). Contact: 66473343. (C 4001) 12-5-2012 CHANGE OF NAME I, Subramaniyan Saravanan, s/o Subramaniyan, holder of Indian passport No. G9950267 converted to Islam do hereby change my name to S. Sameer

Mohamed. (C 4002) 13-5-2012 I, Bhasha Venkatesh holder of Indian passport No. E5976797 hereby change my name to Bhasha Chalapathy.

10-5-2012 I, Aniquinna Mariana Pereira has changed my name from Mariquinna Lucas R/O Cortalim, Goa, India, hereafter all dealings in my new name. (3997) 9-5-2012

SITUATION WANTED Experienced Roman Catholic Christian Sri Lankan lady need to work in American, European, British family, living maid or nanny babysitting, cooking, house work. Contact: 55493669. (C 3994) 9-5-2012 Accountant, MBA Finance

has 5 years experience looking for part-time job, can prepare all your business accounting reports and financial statements independently.

Call 55829223. (C 3980) 8-5-2012 MATRIMONIAL 32 year, Orthodox boy (5’9”) working as sales manager in a MNC logistic company invites proposals from God fearing and well educated girls.

Email: maibu007@gmail.com (C 3993) 10-5-2012 FOR SALE 2002 Camry, 4 cylinder for sale, excellent condition, Al Sayer maintained, 190,000 km, KD 1950. Contact: 55700857. (C 3996) 9-5-2012

2009 Mitsubishi Lancer, golden color, 81,000 km. KD 1,800. Mob: 66729295.

(C 3992) 2011 Daihatsu Grand Max bus, automatic transmission, sliding side doors, air condition, mileage 7,500 km. Price KD 2,400. Tel: 50699345. (C 3991) 8-5-2012 TUITION An experienced M.Sc lady teacher is organizing home private tuition only for class 10 students in Abbassiya.

Contact: 99396335.

(C 3978) Teacher available to teach Mathematics B.Maths, Algebra, Calculus, Geography, Science and Statistics for British, American and bilingual school and university students. Contact: 97170935.

(C 3954)

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

FIRE BRIGADE

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25340300 25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists Dr Anil Thomas

3729596/3729581

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

Dr. Salem soso

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil

22639939

Dr. Mousa Khadada

22666300

Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

Neurologists Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa, Ph.D. 2290-1677 Susannah-Joy Schuilenberg, M.A. 2290-1677

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

22655539

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Al-Madena

22418714

Al-Shohada’a

22545171

Al-Shuwaikh

24810598

Al-Nuzha

22545171

Sabhan

24742838

Al-Helaly

22434853

Al-Fayhaa

22545051

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

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

22434064 22435865 22544200 22547133 22515277 22616662 25714406 22530801

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

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

Untamed & Uncut Amba The Russian Tiger Baboons With Bill Bailey Baboons With Bill Bailey Great Animal Escapes Great Animal Escapes Karina: Wild On Safari Karina: Wild On Safari Great Ocean Adventures Cats 101 Escape To Chimp Eden Crocodile Hunter The Planet’s Funniest Animals Baby Planet Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Dick ‘n’ Dom Go Wild Wild Animal Orphans Project Puppy Dogs 101 Wildest Africa Africa’s Outsiders Wildlife SOS Safari Vet School Safari Vet School Must Love Cats Wild Africa Rescue Wild Africa Rescue Wild Britain With Ray Mears Wild Britain With Ray Mears Austin Stevens Adventures Great Ocean Adventures Baboons With Bill Bailey Baboons With Bill Bailey Wildest Arctic I Was Bitten Animal Cops Philadelphia

00:00 BBC World News 00:10 World Features 00:30 BBC World News 01:00 BBC World News 01:30 Dateline London 02:00 BBC World News 02:10 BBC World News 03:00 BBC World News 03:30 Click 04:00 BBC World News 04:30 Newsnight 05:00 BBC World News 05:30 The Record Europe 06:00 BBC World News 06:30 Fast Track 07:00 BBC World News 07:10 World Features 07:30 BBC World News 08:00 BBC World News 08:10 World Features 08:30 Dateline London 09:00 BBC World News 09:10 Imagine 10:00 BBC World News 10:10 Riots And Revolutions: My Arab Journey 11:00 BBC World News 11:30 Newsnight 12:00 BBC World News 12:10 World Features 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 BBC World News 13:15 Sport Today 13:30 Click 14:00 BBC World News 14:30 Horizons 15:00 BBC World News 15:10 BBC World News 16:00 BBC World News 16:30 India Business Report 17:00 BBC World News 17:30 Final Score 18:00 Sports World Have Your Say 18:30 Sports World Have Your Say 19:00 BBC World News 19:30 BBC World News 20:00 BBC World News 20:10 World Features 20:30 Horizons 21:00 BBC World News 21:10 Imagine 22:00 BBC World News 22:30 Asia Business Report 22:45 Sport Today 23:00 BBC World News 23:10 World Features 23:30 Riots And Revolutions: My Arab Journey

00:10 Duck Dodgers 00:35 The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop 01:00 Tom & Jerry Kids 01:25 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 01:50 The Jetsons 02:15 Puppy In My Pocket 02:40 Popeye 03:00 Tom & Jerry 03:25 Looney Tunes 03:50 Scooby Doo Where Are You! 04:15 Droopy: Master Detective 04:40 Wacky Races 05:00 The Flintstones 05:25 A Pup Named Scooby-Doo 05:50 Popeye Classics 06:00 Wacky Races 06:10 Pink Panther And Pals 06:35 Dexter’s Laboratory 07:00 Bananas In Pyjamas 07:25 Jelly Jamm 07:50 Baby Looney Tunes 08:15 Gerald McBoing Boing 08:40 Ha Ha Hairies 08:55 The Garfield Show 09:15 The Looney Tunes Show 09:40 Tom & Jerry Tales 10:05 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 10:30 Yogi’s Treasure Hunt 10:55 Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch 11:20 Wacky Races 11:30 Scooby Doo And The Ghoul School 13:00 Dastardly And Muttley 13:50 Looney Tunes 14:40 Scooby-Doo And ScrappyDoo 15:05 Tom & Jerry 15:55 Top Cat 16:20 Top Cat 16:45 Pink Panther & Pals 17:15 The Garfield Show 18:05 The Looney Tunes Show 18:30 Scooby Doo Where Are You! 18:55 The Scooby Doo Show 19:20 Pink Panther And Pals 19:45 The Jetsons 20:05 Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries 20:30 Tom & Jerry Tales 20:55 The Garfield Show 21:25 The Flintstones 21:50 Help! It’s The Hair Bear Bunch 22:15 Popeye 22:35 Scooby-Doo And ScrappyDoo 23:00 Wacky Races 23:20 Dastardly And Muttley 23:45 New Yogi Bear Show

00:30 Bakugan: New Vestroia 00:55 Bakugan: New Vestroia 01:20 Powerpuff Girls 02:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 03:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 03:25 Ben 10 03:50 Adventure Time 04:15 Powerpuff Girls 04:40 Generator Rex 05:05 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:30 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 05:55 Angelo Rules 06:00 Casper’s Scare School 06:25 Casper’s Scare School 06:50 The Powerpuff Girls 07:40 The Amazing World Of Gumball 08:05 Adventure Time 08:30 Regular Show 09:20 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 09:45 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated 10:05 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 10:35 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 11:00 Redakai: Conquer The Kairu 11:25 Grim Adventures Of...

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

16:25 Ben 10

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

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

00:40 First Week In 01:35 Kidnap And Rescue 02:30 How It’s Made 03:00 Factory Line 03:25 How It’s Made 03:55 Factory Line 04:20 How It’s Made 04:50 Factory Line 05:15 How It’s Made 05:40 Factory Line 06:05 How It’s Made 06:35 Factory Line 07:00 Factory Line 07:25 How It’s Made 07:50 American Chopper: Senior vs Junior 08:45 Desert Car Kings 09:40 X-Machines 10:30 River Monsters 11:25 Extreme Fishing 12:20 Factory Line 12:45 Factory Line 13:15 Factory Line 13:40 Factory Line 14:10 Factory Line 14:35 Auction Hunters 15:05 Auction Hunters 15:30 Auction Hunters 16:00 Auction Hunters 16:25 Auction Hunters 16:55 Border Security 17:20 Border Security 17:50 Border Security 18:15 Border Security 18:45 Border Security 19:10 Soul Food Family 20:05 Unchained Reaction 21:00 James May’s Man Lab 21:55 Curiosity 22:50 Scrappers 23:20 Scrappers 23:45 Scrappers

00:35 Punkin Chunkin 2010 01:25 The Tech Show 01:50 What’s That About?

02:40 What’s That About?

03:35 What’s That About?

04:25 What’s That About?

05:20 What’s That About?

06:10 Future Weapons 07:00 Head Rush 07:03 Sci-Fi Science 07:30 Weird Connections 08:00 Future Weapons 08:55 Scrapheap Challenge 09:45 Catch It Keep It 10:35 What’s That About?

11:25 What’s That About?

12:15 What’s That About?

13:05 What’s That About?

13:55 What’s That About?

14:45 Head Rush 14:48 Sci-Fi Science 15:15 Weird Connections 15:45 The Tech Show 16:10 Future Weapons 17:00 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 17:50 Sci-Trek 18:40 Punkin Chunkin 2011 19:05 Punkin Chunkin 2011 19:30 Punkin Chunkin 2010 20:20 Mega Builders 21:10 Nextworld 22:00 Punkin Chunkin 2011 22:25 Punkin Chunkin 2011 22:50 Punkin Chunkin 2010 23:40 Weird Or What?

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

Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic A Kind Of Magic Stitch Stitch Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents A Kind Of Magic A Kind Of Magic Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates The Suite Life Of Zack And So Random Phineas And Ferb Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Jessie Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jake & The Neverland Pirates Aladdin & The King Of Thieves Good Luck Charlie Suite Life On Deck A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm Jessie Wizards Of Waverly Place Jake & The Neverland Pirates Jake & The Neverland Pirates Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Twitches Too Jessie Austin & Ally A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm A.N.T. Farm Aladdin & The King Of Thieves Good Luck Charlie Fish Hooks The Suite Life Of Zack And The Suite Life Of Zack And Sonny With A Chance

06:00 Kid vs Kat 06:21 American Dragon 06:45 Rekkit Rabbit 07:10 Pokemon: Black And White 07:35 Phineas And Ferb 07:45 Phineas And Ferb 08:00 Phineas And Ferb 08:15 Phineas And Ferb 08:40 Scaredy Squirrel Splits 09:00 Mr. Young 09:30 Pair Of Kings 10:00 Kickin It 10:30 Scaredy Squirrel 10:55 Zeke & Luther 11:20 I’m In The Band 11:45 Phineas And Ferb 12:10 Fort Boyard - Ultimate Challenge 12:35 Pair Of Kings 13:00 Life Is Ruff 14:20 Phineas And Ferb 14:35 Kickin It 15:00 Phineas And Ferb 15:10 Phineas And Ferb 15:25 Timon And Pumbaa 15:50 Pair Of Kings 16:15 Phineas And Ferb 16:30 Phineas And Ferb 16:45 Phineas And Ferb 17:00 Phineas And Ferb 17:30 I’m In The Band 17:55 Rated A For Awesome 18:20 Kickin It 18:45 Phineas And Ferb 19:10 Scaredy Squirrel 19:35 Pokemon: Black And White 20:00 Phineas And Ferb 20:15 Phineas And Ferb 20:30 Phineas And Ferb 20:45 Phineas And Ferb 21:15 Pair Of Kings 21:40 Kick Buttowski 22:05 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 22:30 Kid vs Kat 23:00 Programmes Start At 6:00am KSA

00:25 Kendra 00:55 Style Star 01:25 E!es 02:20 E! Investigates 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Then And Now 05:30 Then And Now 06:00 THS 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Extreme Close-Up 09:45 Extreme Close-Up 10:15 THS 11:10 Ice Loves Coco 11:35 Ice Loves Coco 12:05 E! News 13:05 Style Star 13:35 Style Star 14:05 Keeping Up With Kardashians 15:00 Kourtney & Kim Take York 15:55 Kourtney & Kim Take York 16:55 Behind The Scenes 17:25 Behind The Scenes 17:55 E! News 18:55 Kendra 19:25 Giuliana & Bill 20:25 Ice Loves Coco 20:55 Khloe And Lamar 21:25 Khloe And Lamar 21:55 Ice Loves Coco 22:25 Fashion Police 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Keeping Up With Kardashians

ROBOCOP ON OSN ACTION HD

00:30 01:20 02:05 02:55 03:45 04:30

The New New

05:20 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 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

Mystery ER Disappeared FBI Files Murder Shift Mystery ER Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared FBI Files Murder Shift Mystery ER Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Forensic Detectives Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery ER Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Behind Mansion Walls LA: City Of Demons Scorned: Crimes Of Passion

01:00 02:20 03:50 05:30 07:05 08:40 10:20 12:00 14:05 16:10 16:25 18:05 20:25 22:00 23:40

The Trip-18 The Ranch Last Rites-18 Laws Of Gravity-18 Mission Of The Shark Salt And Pepper-PG The Scalphunters-FAM Asteroid-U Man Of LA Mancha-PG Mgm’s Big Screen-FAM High Tide-PG Irma LA Douce-PG Love, Cheat & Steal-18 Ned Kelly-PG Gothic

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

Geo Sessions Geo Sessions David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 Food School Food School Somewhere In China Perilous Journeys David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 Food School Food School Somewhere In China Perilous Journeys Pressure Cook Pressure Cook Which Way To First Ascent First Ascent Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 David Rocco’s Dolce Vita 1 Food School Food School Somewhere In China Perilous Journeys A World Apart Geo Sessions Geo Sessions Around The World For Free Departures Banged Up Abroad Adventure Wanted Nomads

00:00 Master of Disaster 01:00 Taboo 02:00 Megastructures 03:00 World’s Deadliest Animals 04:00 Shark Men 05:00 Lockdown 06:00 Adventure Wanted 07:00 Departures 08:00 Master of Disaster 09:00 Taboo 10:00 Megastructures 11:00 World’s Deadliest Animals 12:00 Shark Men 13:00 Lockdown 14:00 Adventure Wanted 15:00 Departures 16:00 Air Crash Investigation 17:00 Taboo 18:00 Megastructures 19:00 Megastructures 20:00 Nat Geo’s Most Amazing Photos 21:00 Lion Army 22:00 Breakout 23:00 Inside

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

Wild India (aka Secrets of Wild Night Stalkers Cameramen Who Dare Croc Ganglands Expedition Wild Extinction Sucks Extinction Sucks Wild Detectives Wild Detectives Tiger Man Tiger Man Eye of The Leopard Caught On Safari Wild India (aka Secrets of Wild World’s Deadliest Snakes Born Wild Tiger Man Mother Croc In The Womb Humpbacks: Cracking The Mother Croc Wild Amazon America’s Deadly Obsession Humpbacks: Cracking The World’s Deadliest Snakes

The

A Haunting Ghost Lab The Haunted A Haunting A Haunting On The Case With Paula Zahn

00:00 India) 01:00 01:55 02:50 03:45 04:40 05:05 05:35 06:00

Wild India (aka Secrets of Wild Night Stalkers Cameramen Who Dare Croc Ganglands Expedition Wild Extinction Sucks Extinction Sucks Wild Detectives Wild Detectives

THE COMPANY MEN ON OSN CINEMA 06:30 07:25 08:20 10:10 11:05 India) 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 18:00 Code 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 Code 23:00

Tiger Man Tiger Man Eye of The Leopard Caught On Safari Wild India (aka Secrets of Wild World’s Deadliest Snakes Born Wild Tiger Man Mother Croc In The Womb Humpbacks: Cracking The Mother Croc Wild Amazon America’s Deadly Obsession Humpbacks: Cracking The World’s Deadliest Snakes

00:00 Sniper: Reloaded-18 02:00 Devil-PG15 04:00 Get Rich Or Die Tryin’-18 06:00 Legendary-PG15 08:00 Last Breath-PG15 10:00 Star Trek: First Contact-PG 12:00 The Warlords-PG15 14:00 Last Breath-PG15 15:45 Coach Carter-PG15 18:00 The Warlords-PG15 20:00 Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans-18 22:00 RoboCop-PG15

01:00 Tyrannosaur-18 03:00 The LXD: Secrets Of The RaPG15 05:00 The Art Of Getting By-PG15 07:00 Coyote County Loser-PG15 09:00 The LXD: Secrets Of The RaPG15 11:00 Jumping The Broom-PG15 13:00 St. Trinian’s 2: The Legend Of Fritton’s Gold-PG15 15:00 Gasland-PG15 17:00 16 To Life-PG15 19:00 The A-Team-PG15 21:00 A Little Help-18 23:00 The Company Men-PG15

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Saturday Night Live 02:30 American Dad 03:00 Parks And Recreation 03:30 2 Broke Girls 04:00 Weird Science 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Seinfeld 06:00 Mr. Sunshine 06:30 Dharma And Greg 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Weird Science 08:30 Parks And Recreation 09:00 Seinfeld 09:30 The Office 10:00 Man Up! 10:30 Dharma And Greg 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Mr. Sunshine 12:30 Weird Science 13:00 Seinfeld 13:30 Melissa And Joey 14:00 2 Broke Girls 14:30 Man Up! 15:00 The Office 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Mr. Sunshine 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 The Simpsons 18:30 Last Man Standing 19:00 Two And A Half Men 20:00 Whitney 20:30 King Of The Hill 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Saturday Night Live 23:00 Curb Your Enthusiasm 23:30 Whitney

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

Criminal Minds Sons Of Anarchy Top Gear (UK) Warehouse 13

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 22:00 23:00

Strike Back The View Good Morning America The Invisible Man Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Martha Stewart Show The View Criminal Minds Warehouse 13 Top Gear (UK) Good Morning America The Invisible Man The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Covert Affairs Unforgettable Missing Top Gear (US) Strike Back

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 21:00 22:00 23:00

Falling Skies Top Gear (UK) Criminal Minds Sons Of Anarchy Warehouse 13 Friday Night Lights Falling Skies Emmerdale Coronation Street Royal Pains Top Gear (UK) Criminal Minds Warehouse 13 Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Royal Pains Falling Skies Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Royal Pains Covert Affairs Unforgettable Missing Top Gear (US) The Tudors

01:00 The Kingdom-18 03:00 Get Rich Or Die Tryin’-18 05:00 Medium Raw-PG15 07:00 The Devil’s Teardrop-PG15 09:00 Planet Of The Apes-PG15 11:00 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within-PG 13:00 Smoke Screen-PG15 15:00 Planet Of The Apes-PG15 17:00 Dad Savage-PG15 19:00 Repo Men-18 21:00 Icarus-18 23:00 Circle Of Eight-18

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

Tank Girl-PG15 Cats & Dogs-PG Sgt. Bilko-PG Big Fat Liar-PG 102 Dalmatians-PG Born Yesterday-PG15 Coming & Going-PG15 Molly-PG15 Born Yesterday-PG15 The Extra Man-PG15 Stan Helsing-18 Serial Mom-18

01:15 The Thirteenth Floor-18 03:00 Nowhere Boy-PG15 05:00 Shout-PG15 07:00 Le Crime Est Notre AffairePG15 09:00 Desperate Hours: An Amber Alert-PG15 10:45 Forrest Gump-PG15 13:15 On Broadway-PG15 15:00 Desperate Hours: An Amber Alert-PG15 17:00 Eight Below-PG 19:00 Exodus-PG15 21:00 Jude-18 23:15 One Hour Photo-18

00:00 MSNBC Documystery 01:00 ABC World News Now With David Muir

01:30 Live NBC Nightly News (SatSun) 02:00 ABC World News Now With David Muir 02:30 Live NBC Nightly News (SatSun) 03:00 Live NBC Saturday Today Show 05:00 Live ABC 20/20 06:00 ABC World News Now With David Muir 06:30 Live NBC Nightly News (SatSun) 07:00 ABC World News Now With David Muir 07:30 Live NBC Nightly News (SatSun) 08:00 MSNBC Documystery 09:00 ABC World News Now With David Muir 09:30 Live NBC Nightly News (SatSun) 10:00 MSNBC The Dylan Ratigan Show 11:00 MSNBC Hardball W/ Chris Matthews 12:00 MSNBC The Ed Show 13:00 Live ABC 20/20 14:00 MSNBC Hardball Weekend 14:30 MSNBC Your Business 15:00 Live NBC Sunday Today Show 16:00 Live NBC Meet The Press 17:00 ABC This Week With G Stephanopoulos 18:00 Live MSNBC Melissa HarrisPerry 19:00 Live NBC Meet The Press 20:00 ABC This Week With G Stephanopoulos 21:00 MSNBC Hardball W/ Chris Matthews 22:00 MSNBC The Ed Show

01:00 04:30 05:00 07:00 08:00 10:00 13:30 15:30 16:30 17:00 19:00 21:00 22:00 23:00

Premier League Darts This Week in WWE WWE SmackDown Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Live Super Rugby Premier League Darts Super Rugby Volvo Ocean Race Highlights This Week in WWE WWE SmackDown Super Rugby Trans World Sport Volvo Ocean Race Highlights Super Rugby

01:15 03:15 05:15 07:00 09:00 09:30 11:30 13:30 14:00 16:00 17:00 19:00 21:30 23:30

Pro 12 Top 14 NRL Premiership Live NRL Premiership Futbol Mundial Scottish Premier League Super Rugby European Tour Weekly NRL Premiership Trans World Sport Live Scottish Premier League AFL Premiership Pro 12 NRL Premiership

01:30 03:30 05:30 06:00 07:00 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:30 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Super Rugby Scottish Premier League European Tour Weekly World Cup Of Pool Trans World Sport Live NRL Premiership NRL Premiership Rugby League Challenge Cup AFL Premiership Total Rugby Live Pro 12 NRL Premiership Scottish Premier League Top 14

01:00 02:00 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 12:00 14:00 15:00 17:00 20:00 22:00

WWE Bottom Line PrizeFighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC Unleashed WWE Bottom Line WWE Experience PrizeFighter V8 Supercars Highlights WWE Experience WWE SmackDown V8 Supercars UFC UFC Unleashed

35

stars CROSSWORD 673

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) You may enjoy the company of eccentric or unconventional friends. Groups with some kind of humanitarian flavor will appeal to you as well. There is a love of communication and connections of all kinds—letters, wires, telephones, voice, thoughts, writing and mental processes in general. You are the communicator today—be very careful, however, to stay clear of gossip. Searching conversations, scientific inquiry and research may be involved as well. Your passion is independent and inquisitive. This evening your mind tends to settle on issues of security. There is an interest in history—the past and nostalgia may be the topic of conversation at the dinner table tonight.

Picture albums may be a source of enjoyment.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Perhaps some yard work is in order this morning. There is an opportunity to make some changes around the house as well— perhaps some repairs. This is not a good time to put off tomorrow what you can do today. Unexpected communications may occur—you could receive a letter from someone in your past this afternoon. You enjoy good relations with family members.

You may also find that financial problems ease because of your association with a family member. If there are problems between you and a loved one, now is the time to find a positive ending. Hidden matters and bottled feelings are not healthy—be open-minded and diplomatic. Both of you can plan to take some time off early this summer for rest and relaxation.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. (computer science) A computer that is running software that allows users to leave messages and access information of general interest.

4. Lacking motor coordination.

10. The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).

13. The syllable naming the sixth (submediant) note of a major or minor scale in solmization.

14. The second great battle of the American Civil War (1862).

15. A column of light (as from a beacon).

16. Goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment.

17. A town in central Kansas.

18. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

19. (Judaism) A chant of praise (Psalms 113 through 118) used at Passover and Shabuoth and Sukkoth and Hanukkah and Rosh Hodesh.

21. Attach a yoke or harness to, as of a draft animal.

23. A ruling on a point of Islamic law that is given by a recognized authority.

25. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

26. A public promotion of some product or service.

28. The compass point that is one point north of due east.

29. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

32. A motley assortment of things.

37. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

38. Small genus of hairy herbs with yellow flowers.

39. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

40. (Norse mythology) One of the Aesir and avenger of Balder.

42. Become imbued.

43. (chemistry) Relating to or containing the azido group N3.

47. The Hebrew patriarch who saved himself and his family and the animals by building an ark in which they survived 40 days and 40 nights of rain.

48. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

52. Not out.

55. Open-heart surgery in which the rib cage is opened and a section of a blood vessel is grafted from the aorta to the coronary artery to bypass the blocked section of the coronary artery and improve the blood supply to the heart.

56. (British) A waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric.

60. (Irish) The sea personified.

61. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

62. Of or relating to a creed.

63. An agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank.

DOWN 1. Pompous or pretentious talk or writing.

2. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

3. A support that consists of a horizontal surface for holding objects.

4. A useful or valuable quality.

5. The middle of the chief navigable channel of a waterway that forms the boundary line between states.

6. Aromatic bulb used as seasoning.

7. Being one more than forty.

8. Region of western Asia Minor colonized by Ancient Greeks.

9. The longest river of Asia.

10. A member of a North American Plains people (now living in Oklahoma and Wyoming).

11. A small cake leavened with yeast.

12. A bluish shade of green.

20. Young sheep.

22. (Assyrian and Babylonian) The chief sun god.

24. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

27. 10 grams.

30. (botany) Of or relating to the axil.

31. An aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect.

33. Type genus of the Gavidae.

34. (prefix) Indicating difference or variation.

35. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

36. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

41. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

44. Relating to or of the nature of a zone.

45. A river that rises in central Germany and flows north to join the Elbe River.

46. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfections of the skin.

49. An island in Indonesia east of Java.

50. In bed.

51. A city in northern India.

53. A room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter.

54. A nucleic acid consisting of large molecules shaped like a double helix.

57. A white metallic element that burns with a brilliant light.

58. 1,000,000,000 periods per second.

59. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) As a master of self-deception, you may have difficulty in knowing just what you want from life these days. Take some time to do some writing about the things that make you happy. Consider ways in which you can reach the goal of happiness more often. Whatever path you take at this time, make sure that you create opportunities to express your creative abilities. Your family and friends support you and give you positive feedback. Make plans to enjoy friends or family members this evening. Phone calls, letters and visiting neighbors are all an important part of building your circle of relationships this spring. You and a couple of neighbors may decide to go to a farmers’ market to purchase flowers or plants to place along the street in your area.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) Remembering days long ago and childhood games brings about several unusual but fun conversations today. You may have lived in an area of town that did not demand a locked door and kids left their bicycles out. Now you may have more of a feeling that security is important to you and your family. Checking to see what your friends have and what the police department might suggest will help you make some decisions. Family, home, relatives and real estate play a bigger part in your life. Now is the time to make up for any neglect you feel has been happening due to career activities. A picnic or a trip to the zoo or an art show might be enjoyed today. There is time for a shopping trip this afternoon.

NON SEQUITUR

Leo (July 23-August 22) You may find a shift in your routine today. You should be extremely careful if this shift requires travel during this time. You should make every effort to take all unexpected events in stride. There could be flareups between you and a friend now because of differing wants—consider bartering.

Your ability to effectively communicate with a loved one or close family member has gotten much better lately. It is important to try and keep the peace today in order to eliminate any confusing conversations. This is an agreeable time. You will enjoy an opportunity to relax with your friends. You may glean some spiritual insight or self-discovery today. Reach out with your feelings and help others. Together you could change the world. This is a growing day.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) The relationships between you and your friends mean a lot to you. Your friends are a great source of strength and you look to them for daily support and encouragement. You enjoy social gatherings and you may find yourself eventually involved with some political responsibility. You seem to assert your independence in relationships so it would be wise to date your betrothed for at least a year so that adjustments and the need for flexibility can be exhibited. Your imagination is at its best when you are being social or relating to others. There is a pleasant environment at home now and you look forward to being with your loved ones. Your sense of appreciation is sharp and in high focus. This is a good day to show your appreciation to those you love.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

You are likely to reach out to a loved one, or one whom you would like to love, and may attract a new love interest at this time. This would be a most unexpected encounter. There is an opportunity to shop this morning, but it would be wise to avoid being extravagant or indulgent.

This is a very busy day—one that demands a bit of patience and considerate treatment of others. In the process of living life, we often lose sight of what is important—count your blessings. Depending on the weather, you may be elected to organize a few young people this afternoon. This could mean a trip to the park or a discovery walk to identify plants, trees, etc. You have a natural sense for communicating with others, especially the young.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) There may be a need for flexibility today. A period of transition may occur. You can easily adapt yourself to this adjustment if you accept the change and use it to create some fun new experiences. The more positive you set your mind to become, the easier it will be to adapt to changes. Some changes now may involve a change of residence or a new member of the family. This is a cycle of nostalgia and domesticity emphasizing a need for security and a sense of roots.

Family, home, relatives and real estate may play a big part in your life now. Take caution in domestic projects such as major home repairs or redecorating. You are cheerful and friendly to all. Your personal happiness deepens today as others remind you of their love.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) A drive to probe and penetrate may find you examining and working through some strong internal changes. Push too hard and you could be too dominating and even oppressive to yourself and others. It may not be as important to stay on schedule, as it is to have a schedule. Social and group affairs should be placed on hold for a while. Situations could develop that do not pertain to the reason for the gathering. You find yourself appreciating what is quite normal or ordinary today, such as little baby ducks, etc. This evening, everyone in your family could be going in different directions. Somewhat unconventional activities call for fun experiences this evening. This may mean that instead of taking a walk after the evening meal you go dancing or skating.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) You could very well be elected leader or even helper of some community group today. There is a more intense focus on mental and communicative activity than you may have experienced before. This is a time of more involvement with other people, a time for gathering information and a time when you are apt to be active and creative. There is likely to be an emphasis on reading, writing, studying and all forms of exchanging information with others in the years ahead. This will all serve as a path for self-discovery and personal development. Words of encouragement come from a close tie. There is a continued accent on happiness in love. Your bond with a romantic interest will deepen now. You will find wonderful ways to show your gratitude.

To

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You may feel like being a bit philosophical today. This may have been spurred by a recent self-help lecture by a well-known psychiatrist or similar type of lecturer. Your life takes on a kind of mystical quality at the emotional and intuitive levels now. Dreams and illusions, forgiveness and understanding human frailties arouse deep feelings—barriers between people dissolve. There is an intense focus on mental and communicative activity and a time of involvement with others. There is likely to be an emphasis on reading, writing, studying and all forms of informative exchange in the years ahead. This will all serve as a path for self-discovery and personal development. There is a feeling that anything is possible if you set your sights high enough.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

Living in the past may be tempting today, but it is unproductive. Come on now—let’s get moving onward and upward. Love, spontaneously socializing and young people’s problems keep you aware and focused.

You can demonstrate great understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others just now and are in a good position to lend a helping hand-emotionally or otherwise. You can really communicate and convey yourself to others. You have a lot of passion and motivation and once you gain a focus, you come across as assertive and strong. Your powers of creativity are strong and you may enjoy activities that will show off your talents. You may find yourself leading children in a fun activity—perhaps music. A new relationship may begin tonight.

36

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Witherspoon’s parents in emergency hearing eese Witherspoon’s family has gathered in a Nashville, Tennessee, courtroom for an emergency conservatorship hearing. Witherspoon’s mother, Betty, petitioned a judge earlier this week to have her estranged husband John’s recent - and possibly illegal - marriage annulled. A video on The Tennessean website shows the visibly pregnant Witherspoon holding her father’s arm as they walked into a courtroom Friday afternoon. A judge sealed all records in the case and barred media from the hearing, The Tennessean reports. A court clerk said Friday there was no record of the hearing as the courthouse closed. John and Betty Witherspoon are still married, but have been separated for more than 15 years. She says her husband married Tricianne Taylor on Jan. 12 and may be in a weakened mental state.

R

Betty White reveals her presidential preference etty White says she usually keeps her political views private but in this presidential election strongly favours one candidate. As the 90-year-old actress prepares to visit the Smithsonian Institution and National Zoo this week, White told The Associated Press she “very, very much favours” President Barack Obama in the election. The “Golden Girls” star said Friday she is very bi-partisan and has stayed away from politics her whole life. She usually never says who she is for or against because she doesn’t want to turn off any of her fans. White says in this year’s election, she likes what Obama has done and “how he represents us.” Her comments come after Hollywood turned out at George Clooney’s home to raise $15 million for Obama’s re-election, a record for a single fundraiser.

B

Simpson sells first pictures of daughter for $800,000 essica Simpson has reportedly sold the first pictures of her newborn daughter for $800,000. The singer-and-actress - who gave birth to Maxwell Drew on May 1 - and fiance Eric Johnson are said to have agreed a deal with People magazine to show off their little girl to the world. People magazine are famed for paying huge amounts of money to celebrities to pose with their new babies and in February 2008, the publication reportedly splashed out $6 million on snaps of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony’s twins, Max and Emme. And just a few months later, they are said to have paid Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie $11 million for an exclusive peek at their twins, Knox and Vivienne, although the proceeds were given to charity.

Since becoming a mother, Jessica says her life has changed for the better and she is smitten with her adorable daughter. She tweeted: “I am so in love with baby Maxwell. I want to cry every time I look at her. Motherhood is by far the best thing I’ve ever experienced.” In a statement on her official website following the arrival of 9lbs 13oz Maxwell, Jessica wrote: “We are so grateful for all of the love, support and prayers we have received. This has been the greatest experience of our lives!!”

J

2 charged with trying to extort Wonder wo people remain jailed after being charged with attempting to extort Stevie Wonder in Los Angeles. Alpha Lorenzo Walker and his girlfriend Tamara Eileen Diaz are each charged with one count of extortion in connection with a plot to try to obtain money from the Grammy-winning musician. The pair were arrested May 2 by detectives. District attorney’s spokeswoman Jane Robison says the pair pleaded not guilty on May 4. Robison says Walker contacted Wonder’s representatives claiming to have embarrassing information about the musician. An email message sent to Wonder’s studio was not immediately returned. Walker identifies himself as Wonder’s nephew and remains jailed without bail because of another court case. Diaz is being held on $95,000 bail. The case was first reported Friday by celebrity website TMZ.

T

Green finds relationships ‘hard work’ he 31-year-old actress enjoys the early days of her romances but thinks she gives too much of herself when she falls in love. She said: “I don’t like flirting and when I love someone I always give everything, maybe too much. And then you have to work at it all the time. I mean, the first months are always great but afterwards it becomes hard work. It’s not as passionate and crazy.” The ‘Dark Shadows’ beauty - who has previously dated actors Yann Claassen and Marton Csokas - now can’t imagine sharing her space with other people and thinks it is important not to give all of herself over to another person. She said: “I think I wouldn’t be able to live with somebody now. I’ve decided I think it’s nice to be independent and have your own space. “The routine is kind of scary for me. It’s nice to remain - not mysterious - but not to share everything. I think that’s dangerous.”

T

‘Gossip Girl,’ other series renewed by CW ossip Girl” will give people something to buzz about yet again, and “Nikita” will be back toseek vengeance for another year.

The CW network renewed its hit, scandal-prone series “Gossip Girl” for a sixth season. In March, an individual close to the production told TheWrap that the series would likely be back for a final sixth season that would be shortened, much like the final season of the network’s “One Tree Hill.”

However, it has not yet been determined whether the upcoming season will be the end of “Gossip Girl” last, or how many episodes it will consist of. So far this season, the series has averaged a .8 rating in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic. The CW has also renewed “Nikita” for a third season, adding to a roster that will include new entries such as “Arrow” and “The Carrie Diaries,” as well as returning series such as “Supernatural” and “90210.”

“G

“Nikita,” which debuted in 2010, stars Maggie Q as the title character, a woman who escaped from the secret government organization called Division, and sets out to take Division down after a threeyear hiding period. “Nikita” has averaged a .6 in the 18-49 demo season-to-date. The network has also renewed the Rachel Bilson drama “Hartof Dixie,” which is preparing to wrap up its maiden season, which has averaged a .7 in the demo On the downside, the freshman series “Ringer” and “Secret Circle” will not be returning for second seasons.

“Ringer,” which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar in dual roles, averaged a .8 in the demo, while “Secret Circle,” which followed a group of teenagers with supernatural powers, averaged a .9.

Paradis loved playing

Franco guided back to

an ‘ugly’ woman

a film set by a horse

anessa Paradis loved playing an “ugly” person in her new movie. The beautiful French actress stars as obsessive mother Jacqueline in ‘Cafe De Flore’ and Vanessa was delighted to play a character who doesn’t rely on her looks. She said: “This woman is rough but everything she does is out of pure love. There’s no seduction, no femininity in the character. The hair, the shoes, the outfits all played a big part in it, they’re quite ugly.” Vanessa - who has two children, Lily-Rose, 12 and Jack, 10, with partner Johnny Depp also found it interesting to play a character who has nothing. She told Stylist magazine: “For the first time I got to play someone who is so far away from myself. I haven’t done many movies and this was so exciting because Jacqueline has nothing in life - no husband, no money, no friends, no family - so the love she has for her little boy is everything. She doesn’t want to give up on him as society wants her to. She’s very brave but is also a monster of love and fear.” —Agencies

ames Franco had to be guided back to a film set by a horse. The actor borrowed one of the creatures for a ride during a break in filming new movie ‘Child of God’ and left the crew panic-stricken when he failed to return after three hours. However, James eventually returned to the West Virginia base just as search parties were setting out, and revealed he had had to get the horse to guide him back. According to National Enquirer magazine, he told crew: “I’ve been wandering around for hours. If it wasn’t for this horse I’d still be lost.” James isn’t the only star to have been aided by a horse recently. Johnny Depp claims he owes his life to one after he fell while filming ‘The Lone Ranger’. He said: “I’m lucky to be here. I’ve done a number of films on horseback and I’ve taken a couple of spills but this was a violent one. “I had a good relationship with the horse, which was named Scout, and when I look at the tape I can see that Scout saved my life. “I went down badly and I was dragged for 25 yards and in the end the horse just jumped over me and clipped me with his back legs.”

V

J

37

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

LIFESTYLE F e a t u r e s

HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad

‘Man of the Moment’

By Abdallah Abbas Buwair was sad to learn about the resignation of ISheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad, Al-Sabah’s

Cabinet and his resignation from premiership. Despite the crisis and still existent threats, the goal is clear to many people whoever assumes this position will be targeted.

Your Highness Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al-Sabah, the word ‘Thank you’ does not suffice to pay gratitude to you. You navigated the ship amid wild waves to the shores of safety. So, we give you our love, appreciation and respect. Kuwait will not forget you, rather your achievements will remain engraved in the heart of every Kuwaiti in this land. Truly, you were the right man in the right place, and you rank among the most important Kuwaiti statesmen from contemporary times.

Because of these reasons, I attempted to collect data and information about him for my new book; a man of high caliber with rich experience that allowed him to lead with skill and competence.

We will not forget that Sheikh Nasser was a real knight when he took charge of the ‘grilling’ motion podium, and refuted the charges leveled against him accurately and in the spirit of democracy, using language that restored civility to Kuwait’s Parliamentary life.

Sheikh Nasser wanted to ensure transparency while answering every point. History was created after he became the first Arab premier who agreed to be interpellated.

Sheikh Nasser is blessed with strong memory, and clearly remembers names of people within his social circle, bringing him closer to the people as an official in government. It is clear that the position he occupied as a prime minister was not given to him overnight.

Without a doubt, HH the Amir had confidence in him, and his abilities.

Author pens biography on former premier Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah book entitled ‘HH Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad AlSabah, The Man of The Moment’ was published recently, penned by Abdallah Abbas Buwair. This is the author’s fifth publication, after the works ‘HH The Amir Sabah Al-Khair’ was released in 2011, and ‘HH Sheikh

A

Salem Al-Ali, an Oasis of Giving’ was released in early 2012.

This book covers 10 chapters, the first details the upbringing and life of Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al-Sabah. The second chapter is on the practical experience and missions undertaken by Sheikh Nasser. The third narrates Sheikh Nasser’s rich

political experience. The fourth chapter presents Sheikh Nasser as the man of the moment and the fifth is titled ‘Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad pays the price for Kuwait and his family’s stability.’ A wide range of topics are covered, in addition to an album showcasing HH Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad’s photographs.

The Information Ministry made giant strides when he was at the helm of the government body in the early 80s. He was an accomplished diplomat, and forayed into politics after being made minister of the Amiri Diwan owing to his competence, elevating him to the stature of an outstanding personality whom Kuwaitis are proud of.

HH was keen on cooperating with the National Assembly when he was Prime Minister, with several members of Parliament lauding his cooperation and describing him as a reformist.

Yet, the first obstacle he faced was the attempt to interpellate him over arguments and political divisions over proposals to distribute electoral constituencies, prompting HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad to dissolve Parliament in May 2006, calling for early elections. Sheikh Nasser began consulting with political and social blocs, setting a precedent in Kuwait’s political history, launching a new stage in the democratic practice in Kuwait, and its requirements of positive and effective interaction.

Consultations in the past were held before naming the premier in accordance with Article 56 of the Constitution which states that “HH the Amir appoints the prime minister after holding traditional discussions.”

The author believes that Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad works selflessly for Kuwait and its people, unlike some civil servants who work for the benefit of their followers. Several times in the past, he has refused premiership, but agreed to accept the position despite being insulted.

Sheikh Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Sheikh Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (1909-1975) is the second son of Kuwait’s 10th Amir Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-

Sabah with his wife Hussa Ibrahim Al-Ghanim. He was born in Kuwait and served as the first defense minister in the Kuwait’s first Cabinet from 1962 until 1964. He died in London in 1975.

His family life He married Nassema Talib AlNaqeeb on August 10, 1933 and had two children Sheikh Bader and Sheikh Nasser.

Birth and upbringing Sheikh Nasser Mohammad AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah was born in Kuwait in 1940. He became Prime Minister on February 7, 2006. He is the second son of Sheikh Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the First Defense Minister of Kuwait.

His mother belongs to the AlNaqeeb family. He lives in Shuwaikh with sons Sabah and Ahmad. His nephews, the children of his late brother Bader live with him too, serving as a father figure to them.

Education Sheikh Nasser received his elementary and intermediate education in Kuwait and completed his higher education abroad. He has several degrees including: ● General Education Certificate 1955 - 1959 ● Higher Diploma in French language 1959 - 1960 ● B.Sc in Politics and Economy from Geneva University in Switzerland 1964. ● He speaks English, French besides Arabic.

His family life He married Sheikha Shahrazad Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

They have two children:

ers submitted an interpellation motion against him because he sought to redistribute electoral constituencies. He is the first Kuwaiti premier to face this motion, but the debate did not progress as the Assembly was dissolved.

He was reappointed as prime minister on June 2, 2006 after elections. His Cabinet submitted its resignation on March 4, 2007 and was asked to form the

asked to form the new Cabinet which was formed on January 12, 2009. This Cabinet was shortlived because three interpellation motions were submitted simultaneously, against him, prompting HH the Amir to dissolve the National Assembly, called for fresh elections. Following the elections, Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah reappointed him as prime minister on May 20, 2009 to form his sixth Cabinet.

Cabinet again on March 6, 2007.

Differences with the National Assembly led to it being dissolved, and new elections were held. He once again was asked to form a Cabinet on May 20, 2008, after facing many problems. He faced an interpellation motion in 2008 after an Iranian clergy man entered Kuwait despite a ban being placed on him. This interpellation motion led to the government’s resignation on December 14, 2008. On December 17, 2008, he was

On November 15, 2009, MP Faisal Al-Mislem submitted a grilling motion against him due to financial violations and wastage of public funds during elections campaigns of 2008. The grilling motion was discussed on December 8, 2009 during a closed session, making him the first premier to be interpellated in Kuwait.

● Sheikh Sabah Nasser AlMohammad Al-Sabah in 1970, who serves as the Amiri Diwan Secretary for Ruling Family Affairs. ● Ambassador Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohamad AlSabah born in 1971. He serves as the Director of Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister’s Office. He has a Ph.D. in Political Science.

Practical experience He gained most of his experience as a diplomat. He was appointed on August 15, 1964 as third secretary in the foreign ministry, then on October 2, 1964 he joined Kuwait’s delegation in the United Nations. He was recalled to the Foreign Ministry’s General Diwan on June 1, 1965. On December 16, 1965 he became Kuwait’s first permanent representative in the European office and UN office in Geneva. In 1966, he became the first General Consul in Switzerland before becoming Kuwait’s Ambassador to Iran in 1968. He served as the Dean of the Diplomatic Core in Iran between 1975 and 1979. On May 22, 1979 he was reappointed to the General Diwan.

In 1979, he served as Information Ministry undersecretary, later on until becoming minister in 1985 until 1988. He was then appointed as Social Affairs and Labor Minister until June 1990. He was appointed State Minister for Foreign Affairs from June 1990 until April 1991, the toughest period in Kuwait’s history, when the country was invaded

by Iraq. On September 10, 1991 he served as Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs until February 7, 2006, when he was chosen as prime minister.

On May 2006, three lawmak-

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

lifestyle T R A V E L

Santa Barbara can be done

cheaply with some advance planning

By Gary A. Warner

I

f you believe the glossy travel magazines, Santa Barbara drips money, and any visitor had better be ready to have their wallet leak all over the place, too. Touted as “the American Riviera,” it’s up there with Palm Beach, the Hamptons and Martha’s Vineyard as playgrounds for that top 1 percent that the Occupy Wall Street protesters are talking about. True to form, some of the wealthiest ZIP codes in the country are filled with $400-and-upper-night bed & breakfast spots and wine-snob restaurants with $25 appetizers.

I’ve indulged over the years, from self-financed splurge weekends at El Encanto and the Four Seasons Biltmore to a bust-the-budget stay on the company dime at San Ysidro Ranch (owned by Ty Warner, the Beanie Baby magnate). My dog’s name was etched into a shingle hung outside my San Ysidro Ranch unit as part of the welcome to the hideaway where JFK and Jackie had their honeymoon.

But I know another Santa Barbara, from my poor-boy days as a college student and twenty something newspaper reporter. Motels that take dogs (no etched shingle included), fantastic cheap taco stands and all that sand free for the strolling. I’ve also moved midmarket on some trips with hotels around $150 to $200 a night-still reasonable, by

to pick up intriguing gifts like a rainbow-colored South African safety pin bracelet or Chinese brush-painting kit.

There are a number of hotels near the beach. Castillo Inn and Franciscan Inn are small motels, but they occasionally have reasonable rates, especially if you plan well ahead.

Finally, there is the orange-hued Motel 6, which was the first of the bottom-rung budget chain built in the United States. You’ll pay more for less by the beach, but for most people, it’s the Santa Barbara they came to experience.

Those looking to save money, or who try to book at the

La Super-Richa Taqueriaís trademark tortillas are made fresh from scratch at the time of order. The restaurant located at 622 North Milpas Street in Santa Barbara is a popular restaurant serving traditional Mexican fare.

If you go Visitors can ride the Santa Barbara Courthouse’s elevator to the top of the 85-foot ‘El Mirador’ clock tower for spectacular views of the Santa Barbara and the surrounding coastline and mountains.

The Holiday Inn Express in Santa Barbara is on the National Register of Historic Places. A tiled fountain centrepieces the lobby’s relaxed South-western ambience.

Santa Barbara standards.

I returned to that Santa Barbara recently to try to navigate a less-expensive path through town. With our stilllurching economy, it was a good time to check out old budget haunts and find new places easy on the budget.

My frugality began with getting there. I left my car at home and paid $35 each way to take the Pacific Surfliner up and back. I had the unfair advantage of a friend who would drive me around, but 90 percent of the places I visited were within walking distance of downtown, and the rest were served by regular shuttle service that runs up and down State Street.

If you book at most Holiday Inn Express hotels around the country, you end up in a rectangular box suitable for a quick night’s sleep before heading somewhere else. In Santa Barbara, the Holiday Inn Express is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s the resuscitated Hotel Virginia, built in 1917, featuring small but cozy rooms with exposed brick walls. The lobby has a tiled fountain, and the sidewalk out front is painted a rusty orange to match the Southwestern earth tones that now decorate the landmark.

Unfortunately, the hotel gained some buzz (a cool Holiday Inn Express!) and prices are up.

The Holiday Inn Express is part of an attempt to revitalize lower State Street that has gotten some traction, though the recession has left shuttered storefronts scattered around the area (a phenomenon not unknown to the rest of more upscale Santa Barbara).

While in the area, check out Antique Alley, one of the most eclectic secondhand stores in the state. It has everything from East German Exa cameras to Royal Deluxe typewriters to 1934 California license plates. I bought a 1950s, bright yellow Civil Defense radiation meter for $25. The nearby Santa Barbara Museum of Art shop is a good place

Getting there: The Pacific Surfliner train runs directly between Orange County and Santa Barbara four times a day in each direction. Station stops include San Juan Capistrano, Irvine, Santa Ana, Anaheim and Fullerton.

One train a day stops in San Clemente. One train a day goes to San Luis Obispo. There are other options, including connecting trains, train-bus and using Metrolink to Los Angeles and then transferring to Amtrak. Fares run about $35 one-way from Orange County to Santa Barbara. Business-class seats cost an additional $15. Check for discounts for seniors, children, AAA members, military and others. The Santa Barbara station is at 209 State St. For more information, call 800-872-7245 or go toamtrak.com. — MCT

last minute, often end up at the far end of State Street. The area has more of a strip-mall character but cheaper accommodations than downtown or at the beach. I’ve stayed at all of the “three trees”-the Best Western Pepper Tree, The Orange Tree and The Lemon Tree. The Pepper Tree is the nicest and priciest, the Lemon Tree has had some intriguing modernist touches, while the Orange Tree is an older motel for those not looking to spend a lot of time in their room.

Wherever you stay, you will likely be disappointed by what you get for what you pay. But that is the price of Santa Barbara. It’s easy to spend more than $100 per person at dinner in Santa Barbara, but finding enjoyable inexpensive spots isn’t hard. Just think tacos. Santa Barbara has great, inexpensive Mexican food, though the best spots are over on Milpas Street, away from the tourist areas.

Start with La Super Rica, the much-heralded Mexican restaurant that was a favorite of Julia Child, who lived nearby, and has been hailed in The New York Times and British newspapers. It’s famous for its small tacos filled with fresh meat and melted cheese-asada and carnitas are here, but chorizo is the real star. Sit out on the covered patio (if you can find a seat). If the lines are too long or you want something more conventional, try Los Agaves, a Mexican place nearby.

If it’s hard to get out of downtown, then my trifecta of Mexican spots ends with Lily’s Tacos, a decidedly downmarket joint just north of the 101 and a short walk from lower State Street. It has great, cheap street tacos. With all the money you save, consider a splurge visit to Brophy Bros. for seafood. I’m partial to fried calamari with a beer.

It’s always jammed, so bring your patience.

Coffee is the most important part of my breakfast, so I keep things cheap by eating at coffeehouses like the Coffee Cat or bakeries like Renaud’s or Jeannine’s. All serve a great espresso-the most basic coffee drink, but also one whose quality cannot be masked by milk, sweetener or foam.

My favorite Santa Barbara stroll is the self-guided Red Tile Walking Tour, which covers a 12-block area encompassed by Victoria, Chapala, Ortega and Santa Barbara streets. The best stop is the over-the-top design of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, with its wrought iron, its tile floors that echo every footstep, a spiral staircase, painted scenes of Old California and courthouse designations spelled out in calligraphy on the walls. Finished in 1929, just as the stock market was about to crash, it’s an exuberant symbol of city pride. In the summer, it’s always cool inside. The walking tour also passes historic adobe homes and the El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park, which includes the original military outpost built by the Spanish in 1782.

For more than two centuries, the center of Santa Barbara’s identity has been the Old Mission, the 10th built in California. It was founded on the Feast of Santa Barbara, Dec 4, 1786. Unlike some of the other sites along the El Camino Real taken by Franciscan friars, the “Queen of the Missions,” is well-preserved. The gorgeous setting, with the brown-gray Santa Ynez Mountains behind it and the Pacific Ocean in the distance, is popular with wedding photographers.

You can finish your Spanish-themed architectural wanderings with a few evening hours at the Arlington Theatre, a genuine picture palace whose walls are lined with Mission scenes backlit to give a wonderful golden glow, as if in perpetual sunset. It holds more than 2,000 people and is often used for concerts, ballet, comedy and other live events in addition to films. —MCT

This is the very first Motel Six which opened its doors in 1962 one block from the beach in Santa Barbara. The national chain has been a classic budget brand since its inception. At that time it offered rooms for $6 a night.

SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

lifestyle M U S I C

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M O V I E S

Hudson’s brother-in-law guilty in family killings

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Dolly Parton gears up the parade crowd as she prepares to ride her eagle float in the 27th Annual Dolly’s Homecoming Parade in Pigeon Forge Tenn. —AP

Travolta’s career can overcome

sex scandal

scar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson wiped away silent tears as a jury read the verdict she had long awaited: her brother-inlaw was guilty of killing her mother, brother and young nephew. William Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson’s sister Julia, was accused of killing his in-laws in October 2008 and then hiding his stepson’s body to try to cover his crimes. It was three days before the boy ’s desperate mother and aunt learned that he was also dead and not just held captive.

“This was a vicious, cold-blooded, inhumane execution of three people, including a seven-year-old boy who just happened to be home from school,” State Attorney Anita Alvarez told reporters Friday. “We are very, very happy with the verdict.” In a statement issued after the verdict was announced, Jennifer and Julia Hudson said the entire family was relieved and grateful. “We have felt the love and support from people all over the world and we’re very grateful,” the sisters said. “We want to extend a prayer from the Hudson family to the Balfour family... It is our prayer that the Lord will forgive Mr. Balfour of these heinous acts and bring his heart into repentance someday.”

Prosecutors said Balfour acted out of an obsessive jealousy when he shot his way into Hudson’s childhood home and killed everyone inside after getting into yet another argument with his estranged wife. Julia Hudson was at work at the time of the shooting and came home to find her mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, dead on the floor in her nightgown.

She was so distressed that she ran outside to call police and did not realize immediately that her brother, Jason Hudson, 29, was dead in his bed or that her son was gone without a trace. Julian King was eventually found hidden under a shower curtain on the floor of his uncle’s stolen sport utility vehicle, which had been

parked across town. Crime scene photos shown at trial showed his lifeless little arm stretched out across the back seat.

The murders in Chicago’s South Side upended Hudson’s life less than two years after the one -time “American Idol” contestant collected a best supporting actress Oscar for her role in “Dreamgirls.” The two-week trial opened a window onto the troubled Englewood neighbourhood where Hudson was raised and which her family never left. Many of the witnesses had criminal records or drug problems and several testified about how Hudson’s brother was a smalltime drug dealer. Hudson, choking back tears, testified in April that no one in her family wanted her sister to marry Balfour. “We didn’t like the way he treated her, and I didn’t like the way he treated my nephew,” the 30year-old singer and actress told the Chicago court.

Public defender Amy Thompsonwho insisted at the trial that police rushed to judgment and failed to look into Jason Hudson’s drug con-

Michelle Davis-Balfour, centre, mother of William Balfour hides her face in Chicago after Balfour was convicted of murdering the mother, brother and nephew of singer and actress Jennifer Hudson. — AP

In this Jan. 10, 2012 file photo, singer and actress Jennifer Hudson attends a book signing in New York. —AP

nections-said she planned to appeal the verdict. “William Balfour is innocent of these murders and we’re hopeful that the appeals court will look at this with a very careful eye,” Thompson told reporters. “My client

is a very stoic young man,” she added.

“He doesn’t emote much. He’s hopeful in the appeal. This was a very hard blow for him.” Balfour faces a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison. Hudson, who released her

Reality show featuring

H

Teflon john?

Travolta, who shot to fame in the 1970s on TV show “Welcome Back Kotter” and with starring roles in movies “Saturday Night Fever” and “Grease,” suffered a career lull in the late 1980s. But he bounced back with gritty roles in films such as 1994’s “Pulp Fiction” and later, action adventure, “Face/Off.” Bragman noted he has faced adversity before and returned a winner, and Ian Drew, senior editor at celebrity magazine Us Weekly, said there has even been speculation about Travolta’s sex life but it doesn’t stick to the A-list movie star. “(Travolta) has been through this so many times before ... he’s been photographed kissing other men and for some reason, people just don’t care,” said Drew.

Travolta, who has been married to actress Kelly Preston since 1991, is most often portrayed as a loving family man and father of three. His oldest son, Jett, tragically died in 2009 at age 16 from a seizure, and the couple had a new baby in 2010.

Other high-profile stars have faced sex scandals and, although they hit rocky patches for various lengths of time, put their careers back on track.

Golfing champion Woods saw his marriage torn apart by a torrid sex scandal in 2009, which initially saw him lose up to $35 million in sponsorship revenue. He went to sex rehab and while his game is not in pre-scandal form, he remains among the United States’ top pros and draws big crowds wherever he plays. Grant, Lowe and Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman) all saw their names splashed across headlines in various sex scandals and were able to return to the limelight. Then there’s Kim Kardashian - little known until her sex tape surfaced. Now, she’s a star.

Where Travolta is concerned, said Drew, “this is just one of those stories that the media is fascinated in but the general public doesn’t really care.”—Reuters

Houston relatives planned Review

ollywood actor John Travolta may be the subject of a $2 million assault and sexual battery lawsuit, but there is little likelihood the allegations will ruin his career, celebrity image experts said last Friday.

Travolta, 58, has battled negative headlines all week after the filing of a lawsuit by two unidentified male masseurs who claim the actor sexually assaulted them in two separate incidents during private massages.

A third man, cruise ship worker Fabian Zanzi, claimed on a Chilean TV show “Primer Plano” that the Hollywood star offered him $12,000 to have sex while on a cruise in 2009. Travolta’s lawyer has vehemently denied the claims from all three men as absurd and ridiculous, saying they were all trying to get their “15 minutes of fame.”

On Friday, celebrity website Radaronline.com reported that the first accuser, known only as John Doe No. 1, now claims to have been wrong about the date, January 16, 2012, of his alleged unwanted encounter with Travolta. The lawyer for John Doe No. 1 said he no longer represents the man, although he is staying with the second accuser, John Doe No. 2. The unproven claims have recalled memories of celebrity sex scandals from Tiger Woods’ to Hugh Grant, Rob Lowe, Kim Kardashian and others, and as was the case with them, Travolta’s career should survive, the experts said.

“People tend to bond and create a certain affinity with certain actors, and who they like and what they like is rarely related to the actor’s tabloid images, it’s related to their body of work and how cool their fans think they are,” said Howard Bragman, a veteran celebrity publicist and vice president of Reputation.com. Bragman, who represented Chaz Bono when the transgender son of Cher and the late Sonny Bono was competing on TV’s “Dancing With the Stars,” said Travolta and his representatives have done a good job of disproving and deflecting the claims. “None of us were there and none of us know what happened, but I’ve seen a lot of phony lawsuits against celebrities ... so I look at these with a very cynical eye,” Bragman said.

second studio album “I Remember Me” in March 2011, and sang “I Will Always Love You” in memory of the late Whitney Houston at this year’s Grammy awards, attended the entire trial.

She was accompanied by her longtime partner, professional wrestler David Otunga, her sister, other relatives and security guards.

Mindful of her wish for privacy and the massive media presence, the court allowed Hudson and her family to use a private entrance to the building so they could escape the everpresent cameras. Jurors said her star power had no influence on their verdict. “ This wasn’t a case about Jennifer Hudson for us,” said juror Jacinta Gholston. “This was a case about William Balfour. For us her celebrity really did not have anything to do about it.” — AFP

In this film image released by Paramount Pictures, Sacha Baron Cohen, portrays Admiral General Aladeen in a scene from ‘The Dictator.’ —AP

Baron Cohen’s

‘Dictator’

least-focused yet

I

n analyzing Sacha Baron Cohen and the array of offbeat characters he’s created, it’s clear that it’s become a matter of diminishing returns. In 2006’s “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” the observations of his bumbling, thoroughly inappropriate foreign TV journalist provided sharp, satirical insight into our prejudices and foibles. Three years later, “Bruno” felt like a one-note gimmick, with his flamboyantly gay Austrian fashion correspondent merely trying to shock everyone with his flamboyant gayness.

Now, Baron Cohen is back with “The Dictator,” his least-focused film yet, despite the fact that it has an actual script compared to the guerrilla-style mockumentaries that preceded it. Baron Cohen stars as Admiral General Aladeen, who has ruled the oil-rich, fictitious north African nation of Wadiya cruelly and cluelessly since he was 7 years old. Aladeen oppresses his people from the comfort of his sprawling, opulent palace, sleeps with movie stars (including Megan Fox in a cameo) and orders the execution of his underlings for the silliest of perceived offenses. But when he travels to New York to make a speech before the United Nations, he finds he’s been doublecrossed by his right-hand man (Ben Kingsley) and forced to survive as a commoner. Stripped of his trademark thick beard, Aladeen is rendered unrecognizable and ends up working at an organic grocery store in Brooklyn run by the androgynous, ultra-politically correct Zoey (Anna Faris, who’s nearly unrecognizable herself with short, dark hair).

For a long time, it’s hard to tell what Baron Cohen’s point is in spoofing this type of despot: that torture and rape are bad?

Could it really be that simple? A climactic

speech Aladeen gives toward the end highlighting the benefits of a dictatorship hits close to home, but it’s a long slog through hit-or-miss gross-out gags to get there.

Baron Cohen is once again working with Larry Charles, who directed “Borat” and “Bruno,” but the results are more scattershot than ever. An early bit works in which Aladeen plays a personalized Wii game that allows him to kill Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics (anti-Semitism has long been a main target of Baron Cohen, who’s an observant Jew). A helicopter ride over Manhattan that Aladeen takes with his former nuclear weapons expert (Jason Mantzoukas) creates some cultural misunderstandings that freak out the pasty tourists sitting across from them - that’s good for some uncomfortable laughs.

But more often, “The Dictator” relies on crass sexual jokes and easy fish-out-of-water hijinks. At times, it even plays like Eddie Murphy’s “Coming to America,” which was amiable enough but didn’t exactly represent cutting-edge comedy. About two-thirds of the way in, Kathryn Hahn shows up out of nowhere, with no introduction, for the film’s most graphic sight gag. Surely, there must have been more from this reliable comic actress, and her brief inclusion feels like the product of an awkward edit. As always, Baron Cohen fully commits to this character and even manages to find some glimmers of tenderness beneath the cold exterior. Like Kim Jong Il (to whom “The Dictator” is dedicated), who was at the center of the brilliant puppet musical “ Team America: World Police,” Aladeen is just plain lonely. But playing this type of out-there satirical figure has really run its course. Clearly, Baron Cohen is a smart, gifted and versatile actor; it’s time for him to stretch his abilities and dictate to himself a new kind of challenge. — AP

File photo shows singer Whitney Houston, left, and her daughter Bobbi Kristina at the Pre-Grammy Gala & Salute to Industry Icons with Clive Davis honouring David Geffen in Beverly Hills, Calif. —AP

A

reality show featuring Whitney Houston’s relatives, including daughter Bobbi Kristina and mother Cissy, is in the works. Houston representative Kristen Foster confirmed the Lifetime show, “ The Houston Family Chronicles,” on Friday. It will focus on Pat Houston, sister-in-law and manager of the late singer. Pat Houston is also helping care for Whitney Houston’s only child, 19-year-old Bobby Kristina. The show promises to feature Bobbi Kristina and Cissy, as well as Houston’s cousin Dionne Warwick, gospel singer CeCe Winans and other members of the Houston family.

“The tragic loss of Whitney Houston left a void in the hearts of people all over the world, but certainly none more so than her beloved family,” said Rob Sharenow, executive vice president of programming at Lifetime, in a statement. “In this series, the multi-generations of the Houston family will bravely reveal their lives as they bond together to heal, love, and grow.”

Lifetime said “The Houston Family Chronicles” will air this year but released no firm date. Whitney Houston drowned in a bathtub in Beverly Hills, California, in February at age 48. Authorities said her death was complicated by cocaine use and heart disease. Pat Houston, Whitney Houston’s brother Gary and Bobbi

Kristina spoke about Houston’s death in an interview with Oprah Winfrey on Winfrey’s OWN network in March. Cissy Houston, also a singer, put out her first new music in over a decade on iTunes this week. Cissy, Gary and Bobbi Kristina are expected to appear Saturday in Newark, New Jersey, at a gospel tribute to the late superstar as part of the annual McDonald’s Gospelfest concert.

Bobbi Kristina was part of “Being Bobby Brown,” the Bravo TV show that featured her parents in an unfavourable light as their antics were on full display for one season. Whitney Houston later expressed misgivings about doing the show, and Brown recently told Matt Lauer of NBC’s “Today” show that “Being Bobby Brown” had served as a wake-up call about how serious the couple’s drug use had become. In a phone interview Friday, Brown said he was unaware of the Houston family show and his daughter’s involvement. “I haven’t heard about that and I definitely question it,” he said. “But I know my daughter will make the right decisions in her life. She was brought up right.” Brown also said he was planning his own reality show that would reflect his drug-free lifestyle and his new life (he is engaged). “I’m much smarter, much more of a man I can say than the other show,” he said. “I have a different life. —AP

Hudson’s brother-in-law guilty in family killings

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SUNDAY, MAY 13, 2012

File photo shows the painted figure of a man through the doorway of an ancient dwelling in the Maya city Zultun.

Ancient Mayan

workshop for astronomers discovered

In this undated photo made available by National Geographic, conservator Angelyn Bass cleans and stabilizes the surface of a wall of a Maya house that dates to the 9th century AD in the Maya city Zultun in north-eastern Guatemala. — AP photos

A

rchaeologists have found a small room in Mayan ruins where royal scribes apparently used walls like a blackboard to keep track of astronomical records and the society’s intricate calendar some 1,200 years ago. The walls reveal the oldest known astronomical tables from the Maya. Scientists already knew they must have been keeping such records at that time, but until now the oldest known examples dated from about 600 years later. Astronomical records were key to the Mayan calendar, which has gotten some attention recently because of doomsday warnings that it predicts the end of the world this December. Experts say it makes no such prediction. The new finding provides a bit of backup:

Artwork, the first to be found on walls of a Maya house, adorn a dwelling in the ruined city of Xultun.

The calculations include a time span longer than 6,000 years that could extend well beyond 2012.

“Why would they go into those numbers if the world is going to come to an end this year?” observed Anthony Aveni of Colgate University in Hamilton, NY, an expert on Mayan astronomy.

“You could say a number that big at least suggests that time marches on.” Aveni, along with William Saturno of Boston University and others, report the discovery in Friday’s issue of the journal Science. The room, a bit bigger than 6-feet square, is part of a large complex of Mayan ruins in the rain forest at Xultun in northeastern Guatemala. The walls also contain portraits of a seated king and some other figures, but it’s clear

those have no connection to the astronomical writings, the scientists said.

One wall contains a calendar based on phases of the moon, covering about 13 years. The researchers said they think it might have been used to keep track of which deity was overseeing the moon at particular times. Aveni said it would allow scribes to predict the appearance of a full moon years in advance, for example. Such recordkeeping was key to Mayan astrology and rituals, and maybe would be used to advise the king on when to go to war or how good this year’s crops would be, he said. “‘What you have here is astronomy driven by religion,” he said. On an adjacent wall are numbers indicating four time spans from

‘Bogota

Fashion Circle’

Models wear designs from Colombia’s designer Bertha Henriquez from her collection inspired by Wayuu Indian culture during the event “Circulo de la Moda de Bogota” or “Bogota Fashion Circle” in Bogota, Colombia, Friday. — AP

Four long numbers on the north wall of a ruined house related to the Maya calendar and computations about the moon, sun and possibly Venus and Mars are shown. The dates stretch some 7,000 years into the future.

roughly 935 to 6,700 years. It’s not clear what they represent, but maybe the scribes were doing calculations that combined observations from important astronomical events like the movements of Mars, Venus and the moon, the researchers said.

Why bother to do that? Maybe the scribes were “geeks ... who just got carried away with doing these kinds of computations and calculations, and probably did them far beyond the needs of ordinary society,” Aveni suggested.

Experts unconnected with the discovery said it was a significant advance. “It’s really a wonderful surprise,” said Simon Martin, co-curator of an exhibit about the Mayan calendar at the

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. While the results of the scribes’ work were known from carvings on monuments, “we’ve never really been able to identify a working space, or how they actually went about things,” Martin said. The new work gives insight into that, he said, and the fact the room had a stone roof rather than thatching supports previous indications that the scribes enjoyed a high social standing.

“It’s a very important discovery. We’re only getting a glimpse of it” in the published paper, said John B. Carlson, director of the Centre for Archaeoastronomy in College Park, Md. “This is an intriguing start for this discovery.” — AP