17 Apr 2012

CR IP TI ON BS SU

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

Sameer Saeid death a great loss for Kuwait

Delhi helmet law takes deadly toll on women

NO: 15421

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JAMADI ALAWAAL 26, 1433 AH

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Russia’s Lada retires ‘classic’ Soviet car

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www.kuwaittimes.net

Lakers down Mavericks in OT

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Mislem questions Blair deal with government Finance minister lashes back at Barrak’s statement

Max 34º Min 19º High Tide 09:29 & 19:03 Low Tide 02:29 & 15:26

By B Izzak conspiracy theories

Don’t you dare swim in Kubbar

By Badrya Darwish

badrya_d@kuwaittimes.net

A

s summer is approaching, what else can people do to spend the long hot summery days except go to the seaside. Especially on long weekends. At least in the winter, people break the routine and have some fun in camps in the desert riding buggies and flying kites, etc. Summer is a totally different story. As the sea in Kuwait is mostly polluted and smelly from the sewage thrown in it especially after the Mishref affair which is not over yet - you can just take a stroll on the seaside and you will understand what I mean - many people opt to take their boats and go deeper out in the sea especially to the islands to avoid the polluted water. But the seaside is the only entertainment for people in Kuwait despite the sewage thrown in it, and there are areas that are less smelly than others.

Right before the start of the summer, the honorable gentleman Al-Bathali issued a threat on Twitter warning girls not to approach Kubbar Island. He claims that he has enough people with him to execute a threat should any girl dare set her foot on the island. Thank God, many MPs and activists responded to this Twitter statement. They told him he has no authority to criticize, approach or threaten anybody for using the islands. He is not allowed to do so.

How does he know what people are doing and who are the girls on the island? Maybe it is a family with daughters, sisters and nieces. I could be with my sisters or sons on the island. We could be a group of friends enjoying the summer breeze there. It is none of his business who decides to do a tour of the island. Or is he coming to the island to conduct interviews with people to verify the relationship between all the visitors.

May I ask the honorable gentleman how does he intend to do this survey? He has no authority on other people’s behavior. How is he going to execute his threats? May I ask why the Ministry of Interior did not question Al-Bathali on his threats? This is an important issue too. The ministry has a history of questioning people on many other issues which took place on Twitter. Why not on this one? Is threatening people not a serious enough issue or is the ministry waiting until Al-Bathali and his gang hit somebody on the island and a clash takes place?

Korean-American Kim chosen next World Bank prez WASHINGTON: The World Bank chose KoreanAmerican physician Jim Yong Kim as its next chief yesterday in a decision that surprised few despite the firstever challenge to the US lock on the Bank’s presidency.

The Bank’s directors chose Kim, a 52-year-old US health expert and educator, over Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who had argued that the huge development lender needs reorientation under someone from the developing world. Kim, currently president of the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, will succeed outgoing president Robert Zoellick, a former US diplomat who is departing in June at the end of his five-year term.

The Bank’s directors expressed “deep appreciation” to Kim, Okonjo-Iweala and a third candidate, Colombian economist Jose Jim Yong Kim Antonio Ocampo, who pulled out of the race Friday. “Their candidacies enriched the discussion of the role of the president and of the World Bank Group’s future direction,” the Bank said in a statement. “The final nominees received support from different member countries, which reflected the high caliber of the candidates.”

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KUWAIT: Omani Sultan Qaboos bin Said is welcomed by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah after he arrived in Kuwait yesterday on a four-day visit. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Opposition MP Faisal Al-Mislem yesterday targeted a contract awarded by the previous government to a consultancy firm headed by former British prime minister Tony Blair. In a series of questions to Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, the lawmaker demanded to know the government agency that signed the contract with Blair. He asked if the contract was awarded to Blair on a personal basis or as head of a consultancy firm and if legal procedures were followed in the process.

Mislem inquired about the exact task given to Blair, the contract’s cost, names of the team selected to work with him and on what basis they were selected. The lawmaker asked if Blair completed his mission and if it achieved its results and inquired about its failures if any.

He also asked if Blair’s studies had been incorporated in Kuwait’s development plan. Mislem also asked if Blair is still working on other studies. The said contract was awarded to Blair’s consultant firm several years ago at a cost exceeding KD 1 million according to local media reports. Parts of his studies were published in the local press last year.

Finance Minister Mustafa Al-Shamali meanwhile lashed back at MP Musallam Al-Barrak’s statements on Sunday about the head of Kuwait Investment Company Bader Al-Subaie and called on him to stop making statements that harm national interests. Barrak had said that the National Assembly’s public funds committee, which he heads, will recommend to the Assembly to ask the government to suspend Subaie until an investigation on allegations of corruption have been completed.

Shamali insisted in a statement that neither Barrak nor Continued on Page 15

Protesters scale Bahrain embassy in UK Think tank warns Bahrain Grand Prix a ‘time bomb’ LONDON: Two protesters climbed onto the roof of the Bahraini Embassy in London yesterday, unfurling a banner in a protest aimed at the Gulf state’s ruling family. An AP photographer saw two men waving a flag on the building’s roof. On Twitter, a user identifying himself as Moosa Abd Ali said the activists had occupied what he called the “Al-Khalifa den”, a reference to Bahrain’s ruling family. A banner draped over the building carried pictures of hunger striking human rights activist Abdulhadi AlKhawaja and senior Shiite opposition leader Hassan Mushaima, both of whom were sentenced to life in prison in Bahrain after last year’s pro-democracy protests there.

“Over 60 days on hunger strike,” the banner read, in reference to Khawaja. Khawaja, who holds both Danish and Bahraini citizenship, is the focus of an international campaign aimed at securing his release. Daily rallies by his supporters in Bahrain have frequently drawn a violent response from security forces, while Denmark’s prime minister has described the activist’s condition as “very critical”. Bahrain denies that Khawaja’s health is failing.

The country is in the grips of a 14-month uprising aimed at weakening the powers of the kingdom’s Sunni monarchy, and the Gulf state has recently seen a spike in violence.

The growing unrest, which has included vigilantestyle attacks in some Shiite areas, could complicate efforts by Formula One to carry out the April 22 Bahrain Grand Prix. The race was called off last year amid security fears, and Bahrain’s leaders are pushing hard to bring back Continued on Page 15

UAE says island spat threatens global security Iran summons Saudi envoy

LONDON: A man waves a flag during a protest from the roof of the Bahrain embassy yesterday. The banner draped over the top of the embassy carried pictures of imprisoned hunger striker Abdulhadi AlKhawaja and senior Shiite opposition leader Hassan Mushaima. — AP

Norway killer defiant as massacre trial opens OSLO: Prosecutors confronted a defiant Anders Behring Breivik with harrowing recordings of his slaughter of 77 people in Norway last July as he went on trial yesterday for the world’s deadliest solo shooting spree.

The trial in Oslo was told that Breivik was responsible for the bloodiest chapter in modern-day Norway as prosecutors detailed how he killed each of his victims. They also showed footage of his bombing of government buildings in downtown Oslo, and played an emergency call from a young woman dodging bullets on an island near the capital. But while Breivik showed no emotion at the evidence of his killings, his eyes welled up as the court viewed a 12minute anti-Islam film summarising his manifesto which he posted online the day of the carnage.

Just moments earlier, wearing a suit and loosely knotted tie, Breivik entered the Oslo court in handcuffs. He smirked several times OSLO: Rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik makes a far- as the cuffs were removed, put his right fist right salute as he enters the court yesterday. — AFP Continued on Page 15

ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates warned yesterday that a Gulf islands dispute with Iran threatens “international security”. The UAE has summoned Iran’s ambassador to Abu Dhabi to denounce a visit last week by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to one of the three disputed islands, the official state news agency said yesterday. UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahayan warned that, if left unresolved the issue “could jeopardise international security and peace”. “I request our Iranian brothers to ease the tension and return to the negotiating table with... a clear agenda,” he told a news conference in Abu Dhabi.

“We cannot have this matter going on forever,” Sheikh Abdullah added. “We have to have a clear agenda, a deadline for negotiations and if there is no outcome ... then we can either go to the International Court of Justice or to international arbitration.” The UAE’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Qarqash, “summoned the Iranian ambassador... and handed him a letter of protest, denouncing” Ahmadinejad’s visit last Wednesday to Abu Musa, WAM reported. Qarqash called the visit a “violation of UAE sovereignty”.

Tehran responded yesterday by warning Arab states in the Gulf that things could become “very complicated” if they do not act cautiously over the simmering islands dispute. “We hope the other sides will act with wisdom and patience towards occasional misunderstandings, otherwise matters may become too complicated for a solution,” Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said, quoted by the student news agency ISNA. “We want to have the best possible relations with the UAE, as our trade and economic relations are significant.

Misunderstandings occur at times that can be resolved through bilateral talks,” Salehi said.

The visit also drew criticism from regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia, whose cabinet said yesterday Ahmadinejad’s trip had violated UAE sovereignty and was a “transgression of efforts towards a peaceful solution of the issue of the UAE islands”, the Saudi Press Agency reported. For its part, Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador yesterday to inquire about the detention of an unspecified number of Iranians in the eastern Saudi city of Dammam, the state news agency IRNA said. A Saudi Foreign Ministry spokesman said he could not immediately comment.

Continued on Page 15

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

LOCAL

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah pictured with Kuwait University officials during the graduation ceremony.

Amir sponsors annual KU graduation ceremony KUWAIT: Under the auspices of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the annual graduation ceremony of Kuwait University (KU) for the academic year 2010\2011 was held yesterday at Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Theater at KU’s Shuwaikh Campus. His Highness the Amir was greeted upon arrival by the Minister of Education and of Higher Education , Dr Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf, KU Rector, Dr Abdellatif Ahmad Al-Bader and KU faculty members.

The ceremony was attended by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Ahmad Al-Saadoun, former speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi, senior Sheikhs, the Deputy Chief of National Guard, Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness Sheikh Nasser AlMohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, top state officials and the graduates’ families.

After the customary recitation of the Holy Quran, Minister Al-Hajraf addressed the attendees and noted the centennial of regular education in the State of Kuwait. He recalled the establishment of the university and stressed that it is an institution of international caliber where there are constant efforts made to introduce the latest specialties and prepare for the nation’s future. The most pressing threat such an institution faces is if its social role is abandoned and its contributions to the development of the nation, especially at a time of increasing challenge, stop. Today’s educational institutions must inspire tolerance, acceptance of diversity, and dialogue in order to realize their objectives and the expectations of the

community, the minister said. Al-Hajraf remarked that while the institution continues to do its part, the high-achieving students have also pledged to serve their

homeland and put its interests at the top of their priorities in order to sustain the level of prosperity and advancement our nation has achieved through its care for education.

The minister expressed his appreciation for His Highness the Amir for his unfaltering care for students, educators and the institutions that serve them. He said that the university strives to uphold its responsibility amid challenges, including the great increase in numbers of students and the constant need to fine-tune the curricula and specialties offered. Addressing the students, he urged them to do their best in repaying their homeland as they enter into the next stage of their lives.

In his address, Dr Abdellatif Ahmad AlBader said that educational institutions are in charge of the nation’s most important

News

in brief

Complaint against Al-Munawer KUWAIT: Lawyer Ahmad Al-Nashmi said he filed a complaint with the public prosecution department against MP Osama Al-Munawer, for what Al-Nashmi considered to be verbal abuse against Hala AlDossari. Al-Dossari recently participated in the “AlNahdha” conference, held in Kuwait under the slogan “The Civil Society”. Al-Nashmi said the media reported ‘obscene and insulting’ phrases and sentences by Al-Munawer against Al-Dossari. “We consider that he described her with words that I cannot repeat in the media.” Al-Nashmi said those words have hurt the feelings of his client. He said AlDossari resorted to the path drawn by the law and did not answer Al-Munawer through the media. He reminded that the press law prohibits publishing whatever might insult a person, or their honor, or their religious belief, or urges hatred, or belittles any segment of society.

No resignation threat KUWAIT: Both MPs Ahmad Lari and Adnan Abdul Samad denied that they have threatened to resign if the Government doubles penalties for those who abuse “God and the Prophet Mohammad”, as published in one of the local daily newspapers. Sources close to Lari said that he did not make any declaration to the media and did not threaten to resign.

The law has still not passed the second reading, in order to be approved by Government.

Calculating lunar months KUWAIT: Kuwait Science Club (KSC) Astronomy Department organized a lecture yesterday titled “Calculating lunar months and crescent sightings.”

The lecture was delivered by given by Dr. Mohammad Ahmad Sulaiman, member of the scientific miracles of the Holy Quran in the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in the Egyptian Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs. Dr. Sulaiman specialized in solar physics at The University of Moscow and is a member of the International Astronomical Union. KSC said he lectured on the holy sayings of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) on crescent sightings, like the one instructing the use of calculations in the case of an inability to see the crescent with the naked eye due to poor weather conditions.

investment; human resources and development. The more Kuwait puts into this area by educating the upcoming generations, the more the country has to gain in the future, “Today’s graduates are the university’s gift to the country,” he said. The rector pointed out that KU also focuses on Higher Study Programs, currently offering 58 programs. There is also the intention to launch MA programs in faculties that currently do not provide the opportunity.

In terms of scientific research, KU published an overall 579 projects and welcomes world specialists to conduct their research in cooperation with its faculties and its research department. As for social contributions, Al-Bader said that KU offers a diverse calendar of training programs for all members of the public to help care for talent and improve the capabilities of workers across the sectors.

Among the most recent developments is the decree to found a faculty for computer sciences and engineering, and another to found a faculty of architectural design and engineering. The executive councils will plan on how to meet the requirements of launch of study. Also among KU’s important developments are the agreements signed with leading institutions in Europe, Asia, and the US. The rector addressed the graduates and urged them to be best possible representatives and a reflection of the values of their homeland, and called on them to embrace the world with all it has to offer while preserving and cherishing their genuine cultural, social, and ethical identity.

On behalf of the graduates, Hessa Salah Al-Deihan said that the students would always remember His Highness the Amir gracing the ceremony and reiterating his

care for education and encouraging new generations to do their best and serve their country. She said the high level of achievement was partly due to the devoted care the students received and partly to their own drive and desire to build a brighter future.

The graduate added that the students

have the greatest appreciation for the faculty members, professors, and other staff at KU who all helped them along. Following the speeches, His Highness the Amir presented the graduation certificates to the students, and later received a token of appreciation from KU in commemoration of the ceremony. — KUNA

Medica conference opens

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: The Third Kuwait Medica Conference and Exhibition is being held in Al-Rayya Ballroom from 16 to 18 April, 2012. This one specific event is dedicated to the on-going development of the healthcare sector in Kuwait, the GCC and the Middle East. The conference is committed to provide a platform for healthcare organizations to showcase, exhibit and market the latest trends, innovations and technological advancements in healthcare.

The primary objective of Kuwait Medica Exhibition is to provide stakeholders in healthcare an opportunity to interact on a variety of business platforms and to encourage health contractors beyond international borders to participate in developing healthcare in Kuwait.

This will bridge the gap between the ever-growing demand and the provision of quality healthcare services.Medica is being attended by top Ministry officials, healthcare professionals involved in different aspects of hospital planning, design, building, management and operations. It was launched yesterday by Minister of Public Works and State Minister for Development and Planning, Fadel Safar.

“The Ministry of Public Works started to execute the steps in realizing five new hospitals that cost KD 900 million. The Government is keen to let the private sector participate in mega projects that are realized by the Ministry of Health, and this exhibition and conference is a great chance to meet and view its services,” he stressed.

The Ministry of Health signed a contract between Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and the NBK Children’s Hospital. Specialists from GOSH will visit the NBK Hospital to provide clinical and training lectures and workshops. They are also reviewing patients in the

Outpatient Department. “Doctors from GOSH are visiting NBK once a month to give lectures. The majority of the patients are staying at the hospital for long-term treatment. Some patients are also going to the United Kingdom for complex treatment and diagnosis,” said Dr. Ali Mulla, Chairman of the Department of Hematology/Oncology Department at NBK Children’s Hospital, in the Al-Sabah Specialized Medical District.

Dr. Ali has overall responsibility for running the Department and it’s many services, he told the Kuwait Times.

He explained the systematic need for blood, which is a global problem. “We always need blood, especially for pediatric cancer patients. We are getting blood from the Blood Bank, and we get a quick response, but there is always a need for blood,” he said.

Dr. Phil Ancliff is a consultant hematologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), where he has worked since 2003. He also holds a post as honorary senior lecturer at the University College London Institute of Child Health (ICH). He said the need for blood increases for traffic accident cases and for heart surgeries.

“The need for blood is continuous and rules are strict. There are different campaigns encouraging people to donate blood. We encourage them and these campaigns should continue,” he said.

Dr. Ancliff agreed that marriage between cousins may increase the risk of having children with genetic diseases. “If one of the parents is suffering from a genetic disease the children will most probably get this disease. They usually suffer from a shortage of hemoglobin. The percentage is about 25 percent that a child will be affected,” he noted.

Dr. Ali Mulla also said they encourage people to do the pre-marriage screening test, which has been compulsory in Kuwait for a few years.

MOI not responsible for residency validity limit KUWAIT: The Ministry of Interior does not have regulations preventing expatriate residents from obtaining a residency visa valid for five years in the private sector, similar to the one provided for those working in the public sector.

This was revealed by ministry insiders commenting on the fact that expatriates can obtain visas which stay valid for between one to three

years. This comes under article 18 of the state’s labor regulations, which pertains to work in the private sector.

“The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor is responsible for selecting the validity period given for an expatriate’s residency as per articles 18 and 19,” one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Al-Rai. The sources explained that ministries, on the other hand, can speci-

fy in requests to the Ministry of Interior the number of years of validity given to residencies as per article 17, which pertains to work in the public sector. The sources added that the maximum 5-year validity is also given by the Ministry of Interior to residencies under article 20 (domestic helpers), article 22 (dependent’s visa) and article 24 (self-sponsorship).

Nabila Al-Anjeri

Sheikha Aida Al-Sabah

Leaders Group to hold GCC Economic Forum KUWAIT: The Leaders Group Consultancy and Development Company recently announced its intention to organize the second GCC Economic Forum for Women next September, under auspices of Sheikha Aida Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah.

“This year’s forum will be held under the title of ‘Women and Investment Opportunities in GCC States’ and will act as the largest economic convention for women of its kind in Kuwait”, said the head of the forum’s supreme organizing committee.

Nabila Al-Anjeri, also Chairperson of the Leaders Group, said businesswomen from the six GCC states will participate in the event.

Al-Anjeri said that the forum is a golden opportunity for GCC business women and leaders to meet and exchange expertise, assess economic situations and their impact on women, enhance the role of women and learn the necessary skills to invest, initiate, successfully lead and boost economic relations among GCC businesswomen.

“The generous sponsorship of Sheikha Aida Salem Al-Ali, Chairlady of Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah’s prize for Information board of trustees, will surely add to the potential success of the event”, stressed Al-Anjeri.

Al-Anjeri said GCC females form 35 percent of the national manpower in all GCC states, and they have become a main source of promising national resources and leaders. She said reports show an annual increase in the wealth of GCC women, totaling $ 385 billion compared to $ 246 billion in 2007 and 346 billion by the end of 2008.

The first GCC Economic forum for women was launched by Leaders Group in 2010 under the title of ‘Kuwait and Saudi Women: Exchanged Pioneer Experiences’.

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

local

Majority tensions: Doves and hawks KUWAIT: Parliament sources revealed that differences are starting to surface among Majority MPs, as the supervisory side is overweighing the legislative side in reporting priorities to the bloc.

Sources said that majority bloc MPs are divided between Doves and Hawks.

The Popular Bloc MPs and the Growth Block are trying to lead the Majority into an early show down with the Government through several political grillings.

Despite the short period for ministers in their posts, which has not yet exceeded three months, the remaining MPs are calling to give the Government a full year

in office before holding them responsible. Attempts to solve the differences between the Doves and the Hawks reached nowhere, which made some MPs complain that the Popular Bloc along with Growth and Reform bloc are deciding alone on behalf of the others.

Sources explain that some Parliament blocs in the Majority groups are still working in the current council, as if they are a minority in spite their ability to pass laws and cooperate with the Government for the required reform. Yet, they are trying to attract the public through media escalation and exaggerate political interpellations.

KUWAIT: The Jaber Al-Ahmad Armed Forces Hospital celebrated the World Health Day in an event yesterday held under the patronage of the Army Chief-of-Staff and attended by head of the medical services authority Dr Waleed AlNisf. The event was also attended by Military Inspection Commander, Maj Gen Mohammad Al-Najjar.

Power, water bill precondition for renewal of residency?

Drastic measures to cut MEW debt

By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Abdelal Al-Qenai met with President of the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, Barjas Al-Barjas, to discuss preparations for the official inauguration of the KRCS Hospital in Tripoli soon. Donated by the KRCS, the hospital has a 40 bed capacity and contains emergency rooms, operation rooms, an intensive care unit and is fully equipped with advanced medical equipment.

KRCS role in Lebanon hailed KUWAIT: Kuwaiti Ambassador in Lebanon Abdelal Al-Qenai underlined here yesterday the significant role of the Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) in Lebanon.

Speaking to reporters following a meeting with visiting KRCS Chairman Barjas al-Barjas, the Kuwaiti ambassador said the KRCS is helping Lebanon in several medical and health projects.

In this context, he pointed to a KRCSfunded hospital to be opened soon in north Lebanon, something which he

considered a sign of solidarity and cooperation between both sisterly Arab nations.

The 40-bed hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and includes outpatient clinics, emergency and surgery sections and intensive care unit, he added. For his part, the KRCS chief said his society would spare no effort to boost its programs and activities in Lebanon. He also pointed to the KRCS’s humanitarian and relief activities inside and outside Kuwait.— KUNA

Kuwait development plan based on HR development: Al-Hajraf KUWAIT: Objectives of the State of Kuwait’s development plan are primarily based on human resource development, Minister of Education, Nayef Al-Hajraf, said Sunday.

Al-Hajraf, who is also Minister of Higher Education, said Kuwait must host conferences regarding human resource development. Speaking after the inauguration of the annual conference of the International Federation of Training and Development Organizations (IFTDO), AlHajraf said that the ministry was working on developing the skills of its employees.

The development of teachers, he said, is a priority as they are “...the backbone of

the educational system.”

IFTDO Board President, Dr Jamal AlDuaij, said the IFTDO, which was established in 1973, is liaising with international organizations and institutions active in training and development. He said that 130 training and development organizations are members in IFTDO. Al-Duaij said IFTDO was a “distinguished resource” in training and development. Dr Fahad Al-Fadhala, Secretary General of the Arabian Gulf Career Development Forum (CADEF), who organized the conference, said that the conference will discuss 50 papers regarding development and training. —KUNA

13 ‘fungoides mycosis’ cases in Kuwait per year KUWAIT: Mycosis fungoides infects 12-13 residents of Kuwait per year and exists in the world at a rate of 2-5 percent of the global population annually, according to the skin specialist Dr Mahammed Al-Otaibi.

Dr Al-Otaibi, a skin specialist at Al-Sabah Hospital, said in a statement that mycosis fungoides is a relatively common lymphatic disease.

Describing the development of the disease, he said that lymphatic cells relocate to the skin layer where they transform into cancerous tissues before moving inward, turning into lymphatic cancer and spreading to various organs of the body.

Any organ of the human body may be contaminated with fungoides mycosis, however in most cases it affects the lower part of the back, the chest and limbs such as the hands and feet, said Dr Al-Otaibi. The disease mostly affects men aged between 50-60, he said, noting that most cases are

found in those aged above 60. The disease starts appearing in the form of small dark spots that grow slowly, coupled with severe itching. In some cases, it spreads rapidly in the form of cancerous tumors, affecting various parts of the body.

Dr Al-Otaibi indicated that each patient receives different treatment depending on how much the disease has spread and its severity. If it is restricted to the skin, doctors apply chemical creams.

The selection of treatments typically depends on the patient’s preference and access to therapies, as well as recommendations by physicians, the stage of the disease, established resistance to prior therapies and allergies of the patient.

The origins and causes of mycosis fungoides are unknown, but it is not believed to be hereditary or genetic in the vast majority of cases. It is not contagious. — KUNA

Camp removal efforts continue

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: The Municipality ’s Assistant Director for Far waniya and Ahmadi’s municipal affairs, Fasial Sadeq Al-Jum’a, said that a camp removal campaign was completed in Farwaniya and Ahmadi. He added that work is still in progress in Jahra due to the size of the area. Speaking at a press conference held at the municipality’s

headquarters, Al-Jum’a said that great efforts had been exerted to remove abandoned camp sites where trucks, loaders and various other machineries were used to clean the sites and remove tons of wastes left over by campers. He added that the campaign removed 523 tents and 6300 meters of roofing material, in addition to various brick and porcelain constructions.

KUWAIT: Water and electricity are two main important necessities in life. Every country in the world has encountered, if not experienced or is currently experiencing, water and electricity problems. Every summer in Kuwait, at least in some areas, there have been issues of water and electricity shortages.

The Kuwaiti Government has been addressing the shortfall by increasing, or building, water and electricity plants. Water or electricity shortages are commonly blamed on the scarcity of rainfall, the shortage of desalination plant facilities or even power generating plants.

In Kuwait, the rampant disregard and the avoidance of payment of water and electricity bills is also blamed. In fact, to address this issue, Kuwait will soon implement a regulation that is detrimental to both Kuwaitis and expatriates alike.

According to Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) insiders, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the Ministry of Interior are currently coordinating with it to establish a precondition by which an expatriate resident must obtain a clearance from the MEW Consumers Affairs Department

before they can renew a work permit.

The MEW is reportedly also coordinating with the Ministry of Municipality Affairs to set a precondition by which Kuwaiti citizens must pay their electricity and water bills before they can obtain a commercial license. “The MEW seeks cooperation from other ministries through decisions that will help reduce the KD300 million total debt owed by consumers to the MEW”, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Government employees are not authorized to disclose internal plans before they are officially announced.

And while assuring that the MEW is “doing its best” to recoup the debt, their efforts still need support from other state departments. But many expressed dissatisfaction over the plan.

“Why do we have to link water and electricity bill issues to residency permits? Is that the only way to oblige consumers to pay their bills? There are many ways. Why do they have to resort to this drastic move?” one expatriate told the Kuwait Times. Electricity and water bills are paid yearly in Kuwait and normally these bills are inclusive in the monthly rent of an apartment.

“Maybe it’s about time to change the system,” another expatriate said. “The current method being used seems to be outdated. Why not implement an individual meter for each household. The reason why many expatriates here do not seem to care about saving water or electricity is the fact that they are not even aware of how much they consume each month. If they implement a system of one meter per household, perhaps they will care and avoid consuming water and electricity unnecessarily,” he pointed out. “I am not in favor of blocking residencies or not renewing residencies if people fail to pay water and electricity bills,” he added.

A Kuwaiti woman working in a private company sees other reasons why the Government is failing to collect water and electricity bills.

“I believe the burden lies in the hands of every consumer, but the Government should help them to provide the best and accessible facilities to consumers. Maybe they could install water and electricity bill machines at every supermarket. In that way, they can help us to easily pay our bills in our own comfort zone,” she added.

Several attempts to call the MEW from the Kuwait Times went unanswered.

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

LOCAL kuwait digest

Local Spotlight

Major role for private sector

Antibiotics, too much or careless

By Abdul-Aziz Al-Anjari

I

was never too optimistic about the formation of the current Cabinet, and that is because despite the changes in members, they remain too hesitant to take actual efforts to improve their work for the best.

I don’t know how you can be optimistic, when ministers still have limited authority to force reform in their ministries.

I would like to send a few messages to His Highness the Prime Minister addressing the need to save the Kuwaiti economy, which has reached a vulnerable and weak state. The main reason why this happened is because of the limitations imposed on the ability of the private sector to regain its pioneering developmental role.

These limitations result from state control over economic activities in the country, which in turn distract Government attention away from creating the proper legislative environment and suitable infrastructure for the private sector to grow.

Effor ts are needed to meet the growing demands of the development process, which basically go in line with addressing needs of business owners in the field. The government is required to focus on the active participation of all local business parties for the good of Kuwait’s development.

In order for development to be achieved, the Government should strive to create an environment attractive to investors, and facilitate the establishment of new and productive business sectors. For that, the government needs to benefit from the experience of successful private firms who are more capable of providing good advice than advisors found in each ministry.

They brought more troubles to ministers than good.

Achievements are necessary in the upcoming phase in Kuwaiti history, which requires creating job opportunities for thousands of job seekers projected to enter the market in the coming years. According to official estimations, unemployment rates in Kuwait could double within three years if new jobs are not created within that period of time. I hope the Government realizes the risk that this problem holds, which could explode to affect us all.

Your Highness the Prime Minister, you must realize that the private sector needs to be properly utilized as soon as possible to create positive effects on the state’s economy. Tackling the upcoming challenges requires the largest number of short and middle term achievements possible. I am positive that there are many successful business owners in the private sector who are willing to help you achieve these goals.

In short, we can say that playing time is over, and the Government must adopt a course of management that runs through a systematic strategy of work. We have to hope that the Cabinet realizes this as soon as possible. — Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

Weightless ‘grilling’

By Dr Sajed Al-Abdeli

I

have previously stressed that I am not against grilling any minister at any time, as long as the interpellator believes he has enough material and elements to form one, especially since grilling motions do not necessarily need to end up with a no-confidence vote against this or that minister.

According to the Constitution, which describes interpellations as ‘more serious inquiries’, the ultimate goal of a grilling motion is to direct the attention of the Government, lawmakers and the public opinion towards a certain issue that the interpellator believes is worth focusing on at a particular time!

That is why I was against the grilling motion filed by MP Saleh Ashour against the HH the Prime Minister not long ago. I knew his motion was weightless and would end up as nothing, which actually happened. I knew he filed the motion based on his own calculations, rather than public ones.

I was not in favor of MP Al-Qallaf grilling the Information Minister either. Studying the whole thing I knew that, just like Ashour’s motion, this one would be born dead and lead to nothing also. It was actually based on nothing but a wish for a political duel to create some fuss.

Nevertheless, I never contested the right of both MPs’ to have their motions discussed, as both the Constitution and Parliament charters entitle MPs such a right, no matter how silly, premeditated or driven by wishes to create political hindrance and annoyance the motions might be seen by others.

Still, there is a great difference between the right of MPs to file grilling motions and how they use such a right. To be more precise, let us point out the way MP Hussein Al-Qallaf ’s motion against the Information Minister was administered. It looked more or less like a bad, absurd comedy play.

The silliness we all watched on video clips that were spread around in all social networks is not the fault of the interpellator or the minister alone.

It is the mistake of everybody who took part in it or attended the silly tragedy without objecting. I believe the Speaker should have stopped such clowning about by using his authority. Or, rather, the government should have withdrawn from the session in protest at the silliness of the motion. In addition, all respectful MPs should have withdrawn as well. What happened cannot be accepted or let go unquestioned! —Al-Jarida

By Muna Al-Fuzai

muna@kuwaittimes.net

A

flu in summer? When someone calls to cancel a meeting or a function because they are sick with flu, you certainly want to stay away from them to avoid infection. That is very much the norm and because of that no one wants to be isolated for many days in bed! Most people rush for a quick recov-

kuwait digest

Death penalty for blasphemy

By Mohammad Al-Sabti

L

ast week, Parliament approved two draft laws in their first readings; one that sets the death penalty as the sentence for people convicted of blaspheming or slandering God or the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), and the other reduces the maximum period by which a suspect can be remanded in custody to four months and seven days.

In my opinion, while these draft laws were submitted with the pretext of defending public freedoms, I believe that they come as a setback to the commitment to basics of a civil state, in addition to being more of a reaction to individual incidents without assessing their consequences to maintain public security.

I do not argue with the need to penalize offenders of Muslim figures, and laws that protect people from authorities’ abuse of demanding decisions, yet I believe the draft laws made in that regard by MPs are distorted and risk dangerous long term consequences.

No one accepts an offense to the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), but enforcing capital punishment for this penalty as per Islamic jurisprudence would signal the beginning of adopting Islamic penalties for all other offenses in Kuwait.

Kuwait is a civil country where Islam is the main religion. The country’s system does not force people to convert to Islam, and it does not prosecute atheism. The state’s law already penalizes actions such as offenses to God, the Prophet (PBUH) and other religious figures with deterrent penalties.

Implementing capital punishment against this penalty could soon be followed with similar procedures, such as the death penalty for Muslims who leave Islam.

Moreover, lawmakers could go as far as using religious-oriented legislation to put more restrictions on the freedom of religious practices of other faiths.

It is highly dangerous to make use of Muslims’ emotions in defending their Prophet, (PBUH) to legislate a law that makes anyone who doesn’t agree with it seem like they are reluctant to stand up for the Prophet (PBUH). It is also very dangerous to use religious intimidation in a clear attempt to damage the foundations of the civil state.

Regarding the law to reduce the maximum time for detention, I believe that it is one of the most risky laws to be legislated in recent years. Allowing suspects to be set free after four months and seven

days in custody pending the ongoing investigation could mean that murder suspects could be given a free pass to remain at large until a court ruling is made.

Imagine if this ruling was adopted during the time the case of citizen Mohammad Al-Maimouni took place. (Al-Maimouni was found dead in his cell in January 2011 after allegedly being tortured to death by police). It would have meant that his

Kuwait is a civil country where Islam is the main religion. The country’s system does not force people to convert to Islam, and it does not prosecute atheism. The state’s law already penalizes actions such as offenses to God, the Prophet (PBUH) and other religious figures with deterrent penalties. Implementing capital punishment against this penalty could soon be followed with similar procedures, such as the death penalty for Muslims who leave Islam.

killers were set free before investigations into the case concluded.

There are many serious crimes such as murder, spying and major robberies; the investigation process for which can probably never be finalized within a period of four months and seven days. This law basically means that someone could see his brother’s killer walking free in front of him before he is sentenced.

These two laws are a form of legal chaos that can only lead to dire consequences. —Al-Rai

kuwait digest

Royal ‘verbal instruction’

By Khalid Al-Awadhi

I

am not interested in discussing details about events concerning the cash deposits and transfer cases, which fueled the public campaign that led to the previous Cabinet’s resignation. There’s no need for me to mention the work undertaken by investigation committees probing these two cases, when reports are leaked in detail to the press every day.

What I do feel should be addressed though is the term ‘verbal instruction,’ as stated by Khalid Al-Bannai, an undersecretar y at the prime minister ’s dewan as per news reports. He repor tedly declared during investigations that the transfers were made as per ‘verbal instructions’ he received directly from former premier Sheikh Nasser Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

As far as I’m concerned, Kuwait officially become a sovereign state when the Constitution was drafted and enforced on Nov 11, 1962. This date should’ve put an end to state of affairs in existence prior to it, setting in motion, the journey towards building an institution

that Kuwaitis agreed upon.

But, according to Al-Bannai’s proclamations, we haven’t really moved anywhere close to understanding the modern concept of the state. I can’t help but reach this conclusion while attempting to understand the reason behind Sheikh Nasser’s decision to - in Al-Bannai’s words - issue ‘verbal instruction’ to his dewan’s undersecretary to transfer large amounts of money from state funds to the former premier’s personal accounts; allegations confirmed by confessions of former Cabinet speaker and current lawmaker Ali AlRashid.

Furthermore, how else can you explain Al-Bannai’s actions when he voluntarily accepted to follow the prime minister ’s orders and carry out the transactions without following official protocol?

In state departments, a manager for example cannot follow an order from his boss unless he receives a written order for the subject he is required to carry out. If that is the procedure followed in all type of decisions

taken in the public sector, how come millions of dinars were taken from public funds and were transferred to foreign accounts as per verbal orders made by the prime minister and implemented by the undersecretary of his Diwan?

The core problem that Kuwait suffers from stems from the reality that citizens aren’t fully convinced at the notion that 11/11/1962 was a crucial date in Kuwait’s history that regained balance between both parts of the Kuwaiti equation. The problem also stems from the fact that citizens aren’t fully accepting the concept of the ‘civil state’ which has become an inevitable reality.

They are too hesitant to realize the fact that taking features from the pre-modern state era has become constitutionally unacceptable.

We can fully agree with how the Constitution has authorized our practice for the best general interest, or remain hesitant to follow them, thereby dragging Kuwait into struggles of that may not have unfathomable consequences. — Al-Qabas

Antibiotics have enabled physicians to treat many of the scourges of humanity and deadly diseases. But in fact we use antibiotics too casually, too much and sometimes because we felt that it is the absolute choice for a quick recovery. ery by using magical tablets called antibiotics.

Actually, the doctors may not be doing you any favors. Most doctors in government clinics and hospitals in Kuwait are generous when it comes to giving antibiotics to people with flu!? I think it should not be done. The first thing many would do is to take some common cold medicine, chicken soup and rest unless the thing gets worse and especially if a fever is around then, you will certainly go to the hospital seeking medical help and a quick fix because no one like to have a bad cold for even a week! For many years people believed in and trusted the use of antibiotics for a quick recovery and for seasonal illnesses like flu.

I believe this matter has fallen into a misunderstanding and lack of awareness for many years here in Kuwait. So parents always want to get antibiotics for their children because they don’t want to see them in bed for long!!

I have spoken to some people on how much they know about the effects of antibiotics on their bodies, brains and immunity system. It was clear that they don’t know much except that it pleases them to recover very fast. Antibiotics have enabled physicians to treat many of the scourges of humanity and deadly diseases. But in fact we use antibiotics too casually, too much and sometimes because we felt that it is the absolute choice for a quick recovery. But, viruses and bacteria are different. Antibiotics have no effect on the common cold or flu, which usually resolve without treatment in a matter of days or a week.

Should we have a new rule for general hospital doctors to avoid giving antibiotics to people with minor sicknesses like colds and to prohibit them from being given to babies and infants due to its threat on their immunity system !?

I think we should and I think a social campaign led by the Ministry of Health with some NGOs would do well to raise the level of public awareness, especially among young mothers, and the need to learn that antibiotics can be dangerous and maybe not giving it to your baby is the right choice and not the opposite.

kuwait digest

Self-help books not needed

By Thaar Al-Rashidi

B

ooks like “How to become a Millionaire?” and “How to gain Wealth?” are the most popular books selling in libraries. Usually such books come in paperback and in limited prints which soon will be sold out. I don’t think that whoever buys them can make any wealth because they contain complicated advice that cannot be implemented in reality.

The one who makes any profit is the author or the publisher. While readers who buy it lose couple of dollars from their budget, and throw the book away after reading 4-5 pages. Such books usually do not exceed 40 pages at the most.

Some 14 years ago, I wrote an article about a book which was published in 1998. It was called “Secrets of making wealth - what Kuwaitis can teach you to become wealthy?” The book is by William Beaver, an American writer who lived in Kuwait. The price of the book does not exceed 10 dollars, and still for sale at Amazon website. It presents a simple review of Kuwaiti wealth as a state and notes certain individuals.

The book has no historical value, nor even a scientific one, but it comes under the list of books on “How to become a Millionaire”? i.e. it is a commercial book.

On the third page of the book, the writer says “the typical picture circulated about Kuwaitis is that they are lucky, pampered and wealthy”. Then he says the truth is that Kuwaitis started building wealth in their country before oil was discovered.

Thereafter, the writer starts giving general commercial advice like “don’t buy a new car”, “invest in real estate” “don’t pay the whole required amount”....etc.

Advice which is usually given in such books.

For me, and the way I see it, if you want to become rich in Kuwait very fast and in less than four months, then you only need to become a member of the National Assembly.

Note: If I am to write a book similar to “How to become a Millionaire”? I will make it only one page long, and it will only contain one sentence which is “become a member of the National Assembly...and you and the grandsons of your grandsons will be alright”. — Al-Anbaa

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

local

Crafty conmen set up police officers in Jleeb Man attacked by relatives

KUWAIT: First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Ahmad AlHomoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received yesterday at his office, at the Ministry of Interior, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ambassador to Kuwait Senahid Bristric. The meeting tackled issues of common interest.

GCC police sports bodies plan annual events calendar RIYADH: Head of the International Police Sports Union (USIP) and Kuwait Police Sports Federation, Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, said yesterday that he approved of the recommendations for the first meeting of the heads of GCC police sports unions and expressed gratitude for the hospitality and good organization of host state, Saudi Arabia.

He expressed hope following the “positive results” of the sessions which, ideally, will “boost GCC police sports activities.”

The key recommendation of the meeting was to hold an annual police sports competition. The members are to plan a four-year calendar detailing specific events and host states for each, in

coordination with Arab and international police sports bodies.

The heads of the GCC delegations taking part in the meeting met Assistant Interior Minister for Security Affairs, Prince Mohammad bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz.

The recommendations of the two-day meeting also included the exchange of technical and administrative expertise and the creation of physical fitness studies, which are to pave way for programs of training courses, seminars, and workshops. There is also to be an annual meeting for the GCC unions, in April, which will include field visits. The next meeting will be held in the United Arab Emirates. —KUNA

Shiite MPs grieve cemetery verdict KUWAIT: Shiite MPs attacked the State Minister for Municipal Affairs over the decision taken by the Director of Funeral Affairs to remove flags and banners from Shiite cemeteries.

“I don’t know the reason behind this is. Is it to fuel sectarian tension? Have mercy on Kuwait and don’t burn it with foolishness,” said MP Al-Qallaf. MP AlMutawaa also commented, saying “I call upon the Prime Minister to put an end to

the organized sedition, the last of which was the removal of the flags from Shiite cemeteries. Shiites are an essential part of Kuwaiti society, they are not second degree citizens.”

MP Ashoor expressed astonishment at the municipality’s decision and asked if the government had achieved its plans for growth and development, given its time for concentrating on cemeteries.

KUWAIT: Two thieves managed to set up a couple of police officers in a trap in which they used the officers to clear a shop so that they could burgle it. According to a news report, Far waniya security officers were approached by two people, a bedoon (stateless) resident and Saudi national, who claimed they could help the officers arrest female workers who had been reported as missing by their sponsors. They provided the officers with information about a store in Jleeb AlShuyoukh which, they said, was employing the women illegally. The policemen successfully arrested the fugitives but, after the shop was vacated, the two alleged ‘informants’ reportedly sneaked inside and stole KD 1350 in cash. After discovering the theft, the shop owner pressed charges against the police officers for failing to secure his shop following their raid. The officers were eventually set free after detectives successfully caught the fake informants.

Jahra attack A Kuwaiti man pressed charges against his three brothers-in-law who reportedly attacked him following a dispute he had with their sister, his wife. The man arrived to Jahra police station on Sunday morning to press battery charges against the men, who are also his cousins, and provided a medical report showing the bruises sustained in the attack.

He explained to officers that his wife had

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Kuwait’s criminal court fined Al-Shahed newspaper yesterday along with former MP Saadoun Hammad Al-Otaibi, KD 10,000 each in a case filed against them by the Qatari PM in which he refuted their claims that he had paid a ‘Musallam’ the sum of KD 200 million.

40 trucks caught Highway traffic police recently withdrew the license plates of 15 trucks in Jleeb, restrained 25 vehicles in Khaitan and Farwaniya and ticketed 40 trucks caught driving during a truck-driving ban.

Al-Babtain takes part in poetry reading in Michigan founder of Abdulaziz Saud AlBabtain’s Prize for Poetic Creativity, took part in an academic panel, and a dramatic play was also performed.

The program of Al-Babtain’s visit, which came in response to an invitation from the Near Eastern Studies Department in the University of Michigan, included reading a speech chronicling his personal journey through the world of poet-

ry, cultural events, and development projects over the past 20 years.

His program also included a lecture at the Arabic Studies program, a cultural evening, an honoring event, meetings with academics and students, trips to cultural centers, museums, and Arabic language and Islamic studies departments. — KUNA

Women status in Gulf pleasing but requires greater efforts RIYADH: Sheikha Dr Suad Al-Sabah, eminent Kuwaiti poet and writer, praised Kuwaiti women for their success in breaking social and traditional chains and achieving status as public servants among fellow male nationals. However she cautioned the need to struggle more for greater achievements and liberties.

In an interview during her current visit to the Saudi capital to participate in the “First female poetic charitable soire,” Sheikha Suad said the Kuwaiti woman “has broken the chain, opened up springs (of creativity) and realized herself.”

“She needs to do a lot more, although in every single house in Kuwait she is the hanging mist,” Sheikha Suad said in metaphoric terms, alluding to females’ basic role of caring for their families and the responsibility for the upbringing of juveniles.

Noting that Kuwaiti women have largely succeeded in contributing to the development process in the country since many years ago, when Kuwaiti society was very much conservative, Sheikha Suad boasted that many of her fellow female citizens occupied senior posts, acquired higher education, served as teachers

and employees in various government departments and worked in the press as editors and chief editors.

Well known in Kuwait, the Gulf and the Arab world, Sheikha Suad expressed her outlook on the future of the cultural and intellectual relationship between Kuwaiti and Saudi women. She re-asserted that females of her country “are ahead of Saudi women regarding some issues and the path ahead of them remains a long one.”

“Saudi women have solid potential that renders them capable to pursue the struggle at an intellectual level to realize themselves. They have to carry on with the battle against those who seek to put them, solely, in the houses of obedience.”

“Hearts (of the Kuwaiti and Saudi women) are united, however putting hands together has remained on the waiting list,” she said, affirming in her distinguished poetic language that little has been done to coordinate between the females of the two neighboring Gulf countries.

On the role of female intellectuals for cementing ties among GCC countries, Sheikha Suad said, “Culture is our real passport to have access to each others. It is the beautiful bird of

Car crash kills one A male driver was killed in a road accident recently on a highway leading towards the ‘chalets zone’. Criminal investigators were called after paramedics pronounced a Kuwaiti man dead on the scene, however the condition of the other driver involved in the crash was not disclosed. The body was taken to the coroner and an investigation was opened.

Violent brawl Four people were hospitalized following a vicious fight between armed youngsters recently in Al-Na’eem. Police and paramedics were present at the scene shortly after the fight was reported, but the brawlers, who reportedly used sharp and hard objects in the scuffle, were able to escape. Four people were left injured and were rushed by ambulances to Al-Jahra Hospital where they were admitted to the intensive care unit. Investigations in the case are ongoing.

Drug suspects Three suspects were arrested on Sabhan Road recently when they were found to be in possession of 49 narcotic pills. Patrol officers initially ordered the car to pull over, but when the driver failed to comply, police pursued the vehicle and forced it to stop. The suspects,

two Saudis and one Bedoon (stateless) resident, were placed under arrest after the narcotics were found hidden inside the car. They were referred to the authorities to face charges.

Unlicensed doctor Police investigators arrested an unlicensed doctor who had been using her Hawally apartment as a clinic to carry out cosmetic procedures and sell banned medications.

Police received information about an Arab woman who had turned her apartment into a cosmetic clinic without a license and proceeded to launch an investigation. Further investigations revealed that the woman is on a dependent’s visa. After confirming that the suspect had in fact been running an illegal practice, police sent in an undercover agent pretending to be a customer. The suspect was arrested after the informant signaled to police officers, who were waiting outside the apartment, that the suspect had started preparing for a cosmetic procedure. Investigations revealed that the suspect had been offering various types of cosmetic procedures , with costs ranging from KD 100 to KD 300 per procedure. She had also been charging KD20 for each diagnoses. Samples from the medications found were sent to Ministry of Health’s labs. Tests later confirmed that some of the medications carried severe side effects.

— Al-Rai, Al-Anbaa, Al-Jarida

MP, newspaper fined KD 10,000

WASHINGTON: University of Michigan officials honoring Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain.

WASHINGTON: Kuwait’s prominent poet Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain took part Friday evening in the University of Michigan’s Near Eastern Studies’ poetry readings, along with several local and international poets.

During the event, which was entitled “Arab Poetry Spring; Dialogue of Civilizations and Cultures,” Al-Babtain, who is the

called her brothers after he reprimanded her when dinner wasn’t served on time.

freedom known by all trees in the Gulf. “The educated Gulf women are rays of light that feed the hearts with love, compassion and solidarity.” On a recent decision by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz, to grant Saudi women franchise rights, the renowned and veteran Kuwaiti poet praised the King for leading the nation in line with the “spirit of modern times and with the deep sense of responsibility of a leader who knows that life can only exist with the presence of women.”

Regarding her winning the Korean “Manahi” award, Sheikha Suad indicated that this honor was actually devoted to all Arab women who have chosen to struggle with words.

Asked on her work plans, she hinted that memories of her late husband, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Mubarak, were gripping her mind and that such experiences would lead to new poetic and prose works.

As to the present lack of fenale representatives in Kuwait’s Parliament, Sheikha Suad indicated that results of the recent polls should be accepted as an aspect of democracy. — KUNA

Killer in police net A Syrian driver working for a cargo transport company in Ahmadi was arrested in Jahra for committing a massacre in his home town, Der’a. It was revealed that he had shot his father, his two brothers and his mother. His mother was the only one to survive, despite sustaining a serious injury to her head.

According to security sources, the suspect’s brother told the Syrian News Agency that the murderer’s motive stemmed from a disagreement in the family over inheritance.

The sources added that Jahara detectives were tipped by the suspect’s roommate, who reported the

murderer’s confession. The man claimed, however, that he had committed the murders for reasons relating to honor on April 3, one day before he fled to Kuwait on April 4. A case was filed and the suspect was referred to relevant authorities.

Arab teacher arrested An Arab teacher was recently arrested for shoplifting, say security sources. The suspect claimed to have forgotten to pay, and that while wandering around the mall, she suddenly found herself walking through the exit. A case was filed and further investiga-

tions are in progress.

Suicide attempt An Asian expatriate working for the Ministry of Defense was rushed to Jahra hospital after attempting to commit suicide, said security sources, noting that detectives are waiting for the man to recover before continuing the investigation.

Robbery suspects Two GCC nationals were arrested in Saad Al-Abdullah for robbing a citizen’s house, said a security source, noting that the citizen caught one of the burglars who later led the police to his partner.

LOCAL

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

Sameer Saeid death a

— Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Sameer Saeid, the popular goalkeeper of the Kuwait national team and Arabi Sports Club, passed away at the Adan Hospital. Saeid was accidently hit by a car last week and sustained a serious injury as a result of the accident. A car hit him by mistake in Nuwaisib area as he was jogging at night along an unlit street.

The people of Kuwait loved him for his achievements in the name of the country, which he represented on the soccer field for many years, and the whole nation mourns him.

Different campaigns for blood donations for him were announced during the few days he was in hospital. Many people went to donate blood for Saeid, including MPs and officials.

Hundreds of people came to visit him in the hospital and even stayed there. He was not an ordinary person, and this was clear from the reaction of people.

People expressed their sadness at this tragic event. ‘It is a great loss for Kuwait. Sameer Said was not just a soccer player with a great career. He was with the national team during its golden era. He was also involved with works of charity, I heard from his friends. They told me that he was giving donations and taking care of orphans.

Everybody I know only had good things to say about him. It is a pity he passed away,’ 37-year-old Mahmoud told the Kuwait Times.

The news about his death was one of the main topics discussed in different social media. His fans posted different information about him, including photographs and video clips of some matches he played in.

Amal posted on Twitter that Sameer Saeid does not have any sisters or brothers. ‘The irony is that today the whole nation is mourning and crying as if he was their brother,’ she wrote on Twitter.

Another person, who stated he was present at the hospital on Sunday evening when Saeid passed away, posted: ‘I saw Saeid opening his eyes for a moment, as if he wanted to give a last look at the present and say goodbye. I swear this is what happened, and I am glad I was there at this moment,’ wrote Nasser on Twitter.

People provided further information about the late player.

‘Sameer Saeid was not just a goalkeeper. He was a clever businessman and he invented different recipes for the restaurants as well,’ wrote Bu Rashid on Twitter.

Eisa Burisli wrote on Twitter that not only was Sameer Saeid a good man with good manners, but his family are also good people.

‘His family forgave the car driver (a 56-year-old retired Kuwait Army soldier) who hit Saeid. The same person called the police and took him to the hospital’.

LOCAL

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

great loss for Kuwait

An illustrious career cut short KUWAIT: Born in 1963, Sameer Saied Haji Hassan Saied joined Al-Arabi Sports Club in 1979 at the age of 16. In 1984, he was selected as the goalkeeper for Kuwait’s national team. He was just 21 years old. He led the national squad to third place honors in the 1984 Asian Cup. He remained the first choice for the position until his retirement from international competitions in 1992.

He last participated in the national team during the 1992 Gulf Cup of Nations (Khaliji 11) held in Qatar. He was selected as the man of the match in the Kuwaiti team during matches against the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

A fan favorite, Saied led Kuwait to its seventh Gulf Cup title in the 10th tournament in 1990. He was selected as the best goalkeeper in the competition that was hosted in Kuwait.

Saied is considered one of the most popular players in Al-Arabi Club history, leading the ‘green team’ to multiple title victories. His performance in local competitions stands out the most during the 1992 Amir Cup, in which he managed to reject a total of six penalty kicks in matches against Al-Jahra and AlQadsiya in route of Al-Arabi’s title victory. Sameer Saied holds the best record among goalkeepers in Al-Arabi Club history against the team’s archrival AlQadsia, as he lost only twice; in 1992 and 1995. His outstanding career with one of the most popular clubs in Kuwait’s history contains a notable achievement recorded in 1987, when Al-Arabi’s net received no goals during matches he participated in. He also holds Al-Arabi’s record for the most consecutive matches without a goal entering his net, during 14 matches recorded between the 1988 and 1989 seasons.

Troubles with recurrent back injuries forced Saied to retire in 1997, although his retirement was never made official. His illustrious career with the ‘Green Castle’ includes winning the Kuwait Football League four times, the Amiri Cup twice, the Crown Prince Cup twice, and the Sport United Cup once.

After retirement, he rose to Al-Arabi Club management, serving as Vice President for a period of time. In August 2009, Saied was selected as the best goalkeeper in the history of Asian football after being the only goalkeeper from Asia to be mentioned in the world’s 472 top division goalkeepers of all time for the longest time without conceding a goal.

He is ranked ninth in the list of International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) with 1,283 minutes.

A Kuwait University graduate, Saied also took time retiring to start a number of business projects including a restaurant chain. Saied is survived by his wife, who is the sister of Jamaal Al-Kazmi, Al-Arabi Club’s President, and their four children (three daughters and one son).

(Information gathered from Al-Watan, Al-Rai and Al-Anbaa.)

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

Troops end Taleban onslaught; 51 killed

Candidate cull dents Egypt’s election credibility Page 9

Page 12

Tunisia still wants sun lovers ‘We will respect visitors’ lifestyles’: Islamist PM

TUNIS: A tourist tries on a scarf in the souks of the medina of Tunis yesterday.— AFP TUNIS: Sun worshippers are welcome on Tunisia’s beaches even though an Islamist government now runs the Mediterranean country which relies heavily on tourism to fill its coffers, its prime minister said yesterday. “We will respect the traditions of our visitors in their food, and clothing and lifestyle,” Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali said at a conference to promote tourism held on the island of Djerba, known for its white sandy beaches and luxury spas.

As if to reinforce his message, a wide selection of alcoholic beverages was on offer at the opening ceremony of the tourism conference on Sunday night.

Jebali’s moderate Islamist Ennahda party took power at the head of a coalition in an election after last year’s revolution, which ousted veteran leader Zine AlAbidine Ben Ali and sparked the Arab Spring. Tunisia, which relies on tourism for almost 7 percent of its gross domestic product, saw visitor numbers and tourist revenues drop by more than a third after the revolution.

“Unfortunately, some want to paint Tunisia as a jungle and sow fear of the Ennahda government but this does not

reflect reality and the proof is that these critics speak freely,” Jebali told journalists on the sidelines of the conference.

About 5 million tourists visited the country last year, down from 7 million in 2010 as fears over security caused tourists to flee or to cancel bookings.

Tunisia has since made a relatively smooth transition to democracy and tourists are returning to its coastal resorts. But occasional protests and lingering fears that Ennahda will slowly seek to Islamize society have held back the recovery, as has the economic crisis in Europe.

Jebali said bookings had improved for 2012 and Tunisia hoped to regain its 7 million tourists and top that by encouraging visits to historical, cultural sites and the southern desert. In an effort to allay fears that Tunisia would impose sharia, or Islamic law, as some conservative Islamists have demanded, Jebali said a constitution is being drafted that would protect the “civil” nature of the state. “We want to reassure everyone and even our own people that there is nothing to fear from freedom and democracy,” he said.

MEDITERRANEAN SUMMIT Mediterranean states opened a conference yesterday on the future of tourism in the region, in a bid to claw back market share lost because of the Arab Spring uprisings and the European debt crisis. “Besides the economic crisis in the origin countries, the ongoing political changes in North African and Middle East destinations have negative repercussions on the sector,” said the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the Tunisian government, which organized the two-day meeting. “The aim is to preserve the position of the Mediterranean zone as the top global destination in terms of international arrivals,” Frederic Pierret, executive director of the UNWTO, told the meeting attended by 400 people from 40 countries, including Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Turkey. Host country Tunisia, where a popular uprising led to the ousting of strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011, saw its tourism receipts plunge by a third in 2011.

JOBLESS TUNISIANS PROTEST Jobless protesters in an industrial

suburb of Tunis threw petrol bombs and stones at police trying to break up their sit-in at a cargo handling company, the interior ministry said yesterday. The protest was sparked by the publication at the weekend of successful applicants for job openings at a stevedoring company near the port of Rades, 15 kilometers south of Tunis, the ministry said.

Ministry spokesman Kaled Tarouche said the protesters blocked traffic and threw petrol bombs and rocks at police when officers tried to remove them.

Tarouche said a number of protesters were arrested, but that he did not know how many. The Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights (LTDH) said at least 16 had been arrested and condemned what it called “savage aggression” by the police. LTDH’s local branch called for authorities to “immediately free those arrested, stop terrorizing residents and take their demands for employment seriously.” Unemployment was a key driver of Tunisia’s January 2011 revolution, which sparked a string of uprisings in the region dubbed the Arab Spring.

Joblessness currently stands at about 19 percent.—Agencies

Iran hints on concessions Tehran wants sanctions eased TEHRAN: Iran yesterday called on the West to look to lifting its sanctions if it wants to quickly resolve the showdown over Tehran’s disputed nuclear activities, and hinted it could make concessions on uranium enrichment in return.

Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi outlined that message in an interview with the news agency ISNA following milestone talks at the weekend in Istanbul between Iran and world powers. Those talks, described by both sides as an encouraging revival of a process that had been moribund for 15 months, are now due to be developed in another, more substantive round on May 23 in Baghdad. “If the West wants to build trust, it should begin with sanctions, because it can help speed up the talks reaching a solution,” Salehi was quoted as saying.

“If goodwill (from the West) is present... we are ready to rapidly and easily, and even in the Baghdad meeting, resolve all issues” regarding Iran’s nuclear program, he said. The foreign minister appeared to suggest that the level of enrichment could be up for discussion. While Iran’s negotiators will take the position in Baghdad that producing 20 percent enriched uranium “is our right,” Salehi said, if the world powers “guarantee they will provide us with fuel of various purities, it will change the perspective.” Under those conditions, Salehi added, “we can engage in the talks and negotiate on how to obtain uranium with different purity.”

In a separate interview with state satellite channel Jam-e Jam, Salehi noted that “enrich-

ment covers a wide range, from natural uranium to 100 percent enrichment, so one can talk within this spectrum.” Iran currently enriches uranium to 3.5 percent and to 20 percent. The former it says is to power its Bushehr nuclear electricity plant and the latter it says is to generate medical isotopes in its Tehran research reactor. Uranium has to be enriched to 90 percent or above for use in an atomic bomb. Salehi’s comments could add impetus to the Baghdad round of talks, especially as the West has so far made no mention of previous demands that Iran halt all uranium enrichment-a demand also stated in UN Security Council resolutions.

However, the question of the West reducing its sanctions on Iran seemed remote at this point of the discussions. The sanctions, sharply ramped up this year, target Iran’s all-important oil export sector and are seen by many Western capitals as a key reason why Tehran was willing to resume its negotiations with the so-called P5+1 group comprising the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany. By the beginning of July, the United States and the European Union are due to fully implement economic sanctions they have already startedunless some sort of breakthrough is made in the talks.

US President Barack Obama said on Sunday that “so far at least we haven’t given away anything-other than the opportunity for us to negotiate.” Speaking to reporters after an Americas summit in Colombia, Obama said: “The clock is

News

in brief

VATICAN: Children dressed in traditional Bavarian costumes dance for Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of the Pontiff’s 85th birthday celebrations. — AP Pope marks 85th birthday VATICAN: Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his 85th birthday yesterday with visitors from his native state of Bavaria in Germany and is now the oldest pope since Leo XIII, who died in 1903 aged 93. The pope began his birthday with mass in the frescoed Pauline Chapel in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace along with his 88-year-old brother Georg Ratzinger, himself a bishop and the pope’s closest surviving relative. The German pontiff has told his closest aides that he wants “no major celebrations” and prefers “a family celebration,” the pope’s personal secretary Georg Gaenswein said in an interview with the Italian weekly Gente. “I ask you to pray for me, that the Lord may give me the strength to fulfil the mission that he has given me,” the pope told pilgrims on Sunday. Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the pope, who plans to visit Lebanon in September, was well though tired like other men his age.

Iran hangs eight TEHRAN: Iran yesterday hanged eight convicted drug traffickers in a prison in the southern city of Shiraz, the Fars news agency reported. The report did not identify those executed but said they had been convicted of trafficking in a variety of drugs, including heroin, crack and synthetic narcotics. The London-based Amnesty International said in its annual review of death sentences and executions worldwide published late March that Iran had executed at least 360 people, three-quarters of them for drugs offences, up from at least 252 in 2010. Last year, 277 people were hanged, according to an AFP tally. In 2010, the rights group Human Rights Watch counted 388 executions, while Amnesty International counted 252. The Islamic republic is one of the world’s main practitioners of capital punishment, a distinction shared with China, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Iran’s Chief Nuclear Negotiator Saeed Jalili

ticking and I’ve been very clear to Iran and our negotiating partners that we’re not going to have these talks just drag out in a stalling process.” The United States and many of its EU allies believe that Iran has been working towards developing a nuclear weapons capability-a suspicion given weight by the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency. But Iran insists that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, and its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called the possession of atomic weapons “a great sin.”— AFP

Swiss woman kidnapped BAMAKO: A Swiss woman who had stayed in the northern Malian town of Timbuktu after it was captured by Tuareg and Islamist rebels was taken from her house by unidentified gunmen on Sunday, a witness and several sources in the town said. Yehia Tandina, one of the town’s residents, said the woman, whom she identified only as Beatrice, was seized by armed men in turbans on Sunday afternoon. A neighbor of the Swiss woman who asked not to be named confirmed the incident.

Israel suspends officer JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said yesterday it has suspended an officer who hit a foreign activist in the face with his gun, in an attack that was condemned by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “Lieutenant Colonel Shalom Eisner has been suspended until the conclusion of the inquiry which has been opened,” a military spokesman said. The assault took place on Saturday during a bicycle ride in the Jordan Valley near Jericho which involved Palestinians and foreign activists. According to footage shot by a Palestinian cameraman which was posted on YouTube, Eisner is seen suddenly smashing his M-16 rifle into the face of a blond demonstrator in an apparently unprovoked attack.

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

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

Cradle of Libya revolt seeks autonomy Frustration with Tripoli drives eastern autonomy push BENGHAZI: It is the cradle of Libya’s revolution: the Benghazi square where protesters just over a year ago first demanded the fall of Muammar Gaddafi and waved the black, green and red flag that came to symbolize their rebellion. Last month demonstrators were back at the same spot, now part of a Libya free of Gaddafi. This time they also waved another flag, with a white star and crescent etched on a black background - the flag of eastern Libya. This flag has become the banner of a push for regional autonomy that has enraged Libya’s new leadership and raised questions about whether the country, focus of huge optimism after it forced out Gaddafi, can hold together now he has gone. Eastern Libya, with Benghazi as its main city, has historical reasons for being suspicious of central rule. Under the Ottoman empire it was the province of Cyrenaica, separate from Tripolitania to the west where the Libyan capital now lies. Colonial Italy brought the provinces together, eventually reviving the classical name “Libya” in the 1930s.

After independence, Benghazi became the home of the Libyan monarchy. However, the east was neglected after Gaddafi deposed King Idris in 1969, and it fears the same thing is happening now that the National Transitional Council (NTC) is in power.

But there is a stronger reason why the east is pushing for autonomy now.

Seven months after Gaddafi’s rule ended, the NTC is too weak and disorgan-

ized to impose its authority on the country, leaving a vacuum that is being filled by local solutions.

Just as Benghazi is pushing to run its own affairs, so the same phenomenon is taking place - though with less fanfare - in other cities such as Misrata and Zintan in western Libya. “The current context is one of a huge mess,” said Larbi Sadiki, a professor of Middle East Studies at Britain’s Exeter University.

“The NTC has not been reaching out to the Libyan heart. It is disorderly. Misrata is doing what it wants, Zintan controls the airport, all kinds of demands are being made on this government and it is not being responsive to it.”

The debate over regional autonomy matters to the outside world. A failed state in Libya would create a haven for violent militant Islam, weapons smuggling and the drugs trade right on Europe’s doorstep. It could also jeopardize energy supplies. Eastern Libya is home to the country’s biggest oil fields and its Arabian Gulf Oil Co, at the moment a subsidiary of the National Oil Corporation, pumps 331,000 barrels of crude a day. One of the leaders of the drive for eastern autonomy, Bubaker Buera, suggested that Benghazi could use the oil to press for its aims. Asked what would happen if his demands were not met by the government in Tripoli, Buera said: “We may be forced to stop oil flow.”

GOLDEN YEARS Many people in eastern Libya view

the present through the prism of an apparently more prosperous past. For about 10 years after Libya became an independent state in 1951, the country was run along federal lines with three regions. Power was devolved to

monarchy. Gaddafi sped up the process after he staged a military coup in 1969, concentrating the power of the state in Tripoli. Easterners say that their infrastructure was neglected, their schools and hospitals poorly

TRIPOLI: Libyan street vendors sell peanuts dipped in honey in downtown Tripoli yesterday. — AFP Cyrenaica, to the southern province of Fezzan, and to Tripolitania in the west.

Benghazi was Libya’s commercial capital and the east had the cachet of being the family homeland of King Idris, and of Omar Al-Mokhtar, who led the resistance to Italian occupation a generation before.

But Libya began to centralize its government in the last years of the

equipped. The same could be said of other parts of Libya, but for Benghazi the decline felt steeper and more grievous. Few international flights landed in Benghazi and the airport was often closed. Embassies and government offices were moved to Tripoli, with only a handful of consulates staying in Benghazi. In a sign of discontent, eastern dissidents led the National

Front for the Salvation of Libya, which almost assassinated Gaddafi in 1984.

An Islamist insurgency against Gaddafi in the 1990s also came from the east.

With Gaddafi gone, the east hoped for better but for most the experience has been disappointing. They say the east has been all but ignored since the NTC left its temporary headquarters in Benghazi and moved to Tripoli last August.

PUSH FOR FEDERALISM Last month, a group of civic leaders from the east brought together several thousand people to create what it called the Congress for the People of Cyrenaica. The gathering set out a manifesto for a federal Libya where the central government is responsible for issues such as foreign affairs, energy and defense, but the east has powers to set its own taxes and manage its own police force and courts. In the meantime, leaders of the congress say they want a debate about federalism and are pushing for greater representation for the east in a new national assembly which is scheduled to be elected in June. The Cyrenaica congress chose Ahmed Zubair Al-Senussi, a distant relative of King Idris, as its symbolic head. He is the closest thing Libya has to royalty as Idris was his great uncle. “Just because we have one language and one religion, it doesn’t mean that our own people won’t oppress us,” said Senussi, a political prisoner under Gaddafi. —Reuters

Egyptian candidates appeal to stay in presidential race Candidate cull dents election credibility

JUBA: SPLA spokesman Colonel Philip Aguer Panyang stands in front of the first batch of Sudanese war prisoners from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) (seated on the ground), captured in days of bloody fighting, after they arrived in the South Sudanese capital of Juba. — AFP

S Sudan seizure of key oilfield raises questions KHARTOUM: Questions are being raised in Sudan over how easily South Sudanese forces marched in and seized Khartoum’s main oilfield, worsening an economy already mired in crisis. Analysts say the South’s invasion of the Heglig area last Tuesday has put Defense Minister Abdelrahim Mohammed Hussein under scrutiny. “There is a growing criticism of Abdelrahim,” an international analyst said, declining to be named. “To me it’s absolutely absurd that they couldn’t protect their main oilfield... it’s inexcusable.”

Hussein is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against civilians in Sudan’s western region of Darfur several years ago. AlTayib Z. Al-Abdin, a supervisor in the University of Khartoum’s political science department, said the ease with which South Sudan took Heglig “is one of the big questions.” “They took it just like that,” he said. The area along the disputed southern border had already been attacked during earlier clashes that began on March 26.

Renewed fighting over the past week, which started with waves of aerial bombardment of the South, is the most serious since last July when South Sudan separated after an overwhelming “yes” vote under a peace deal that ended 22 years of civil war. When the South became independent Khartoum lost about 75 percent of its oil production and billions of dollars in revenue, leaving the economy reeling and Heglig as its main remaining oil centre.

The region accounted for roughly half of national oil output but since Tuesday’s attack production has stopped, said Ahmed Haroun, the governor of surrounding South Kordofan state. Heglig is now at risk of either deliberate or combat-related damage, one foreign diplomat said. “According to the information that we have, they have positioned their tanks right beside the oil facilities, so if the Sudanese bomb they will also destroy those facilities,” said the diplomat, requesting anonymity.

On Sunday Sudan denied the South’s charge that it was bombing the Heglig area “indiscriminately” and warned the South against damaging oil facilities there. “If they destroy that, I think Sudan will try to avenge this and may try to also destroy the oilfields in Southern Sudan,” Abdin said. South Sudan disputes that

Heglig is part of the north’s territory. Key among unresolved issues between north and South has been a dispute over oil fees, which led the Juba government in January to shut its crude production after Khartoum began seizing Southern oil in lieu of compensation.

Landlocked South Sudan was using a northern pipeline and port to export its crude, but the two sides could not agree on how much Juba should pay for the trans-shipment. Common sense says neither side would have an interest in damaging the oil infrastructure, the analyst said, unless the South is trying “to level the situation” after stopping the flow of its own oil which accounted for 98 percent of revenue. The diplomat said it will be “very difficult” for Sudan to restart production in Heglig. “So this war will be a more negative impact on the Sudanese economy”, he said.

Before separation Southern oil represented more than a third of Khartoum’s revenues and its largest source of hard currency, leaving the government struggling for alternatives since then. Inflation has risen month after month, exceeding 20 percent, and Sudan’s currency is plunging in value. University of Khartoum economist Mohammed Eljack Ahmed said that after South Sudan occupied Heglig the black market exchange rate jumped from about 5.5 pounds to 6.1 pounds for one US dollar-more than double the official rate. “Some people anticipate that the exchange rate might actually reach about seven,” Eljack said.

Analysts say the bankrupt nation could turn to Arab and Muslim nations for financial help.

The border war could last weeks, and in the meantime some people have called for the defense minister’s resignation, Abdin said. “He’s one of the least efficient ministers in the government,” the professor added. But Hussein is protected by President Omar Al-Bashir, who is also wanted by the ICC for alleged crimes in Darfur, the international analyst said. “So I don’t think very much will happen,” he said.

He and Abdin suggested Sudan’s military may be over-stretched. It was already battling insurgents in South Kordofan state, faces a smaller uprising in Blue Nile, and continues to have a presence in Darfur. “How can you open three or four fronts at one time?” asked Abdin. — AFP

CAIRO: Three of Egypt’s main contenders for the presidency have filed appeals to stay in the race after the country’s election commission disqualified them from the vote, along with seven others.

The disqualifications rocked an already tumultuous race for Egypt’s next president. Muslim Brotherhood’s chief strategist and top choice, Khairat El-Shater, sent his lawyer yesterday to file an appeal. Omar Suleiman, who served as spy chief under Hosni Mubarak, and ultraconservative Islamist candidate Hazem Abu Ismail filed their appeals Sunday.

The deadline for filing appeals was yesterday evening. The election commission is expected to decide today which appeals will be reviewed. A final list of candidates will be released April 26, about a month before the vote.

LOSING CREDIBILITY Egypt’s search for a successor to Hosni Mubarak is losing credibility. A move by the authorities to bar 10 of the 23 candidates, including three top contenders, could reshape the presidential election just five weeks before the polls start. This will add to the concerns of investors who should worry more about a timely, free vote than about who actually

ends up in charge of the country.

Liberals won’t mourn the loss.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s primary nominee Khairat Al-Shater, popular hard-line Salafi preacher Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, and Mubarak’s former chief spy Omar Suleiman were among those kicked out the race, pending appeals, by the election commission. Past criminal convictions, citi-

is a mixed blessing for foreign investors. True, they may have some reason to rejoice. The election of Abu Ismail would stoke fears about the impact of ultraconservative Islam on the economy. That of Suleiman would raise concerns of corruption from the old guard.

A win by Al-Shater, meanwhile, would consolidate power in the

CAIRO: Egyptian Muslim cleric and candidate for the Egyptian presidency Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, smiles as he talks to his supporters at Tahrir Sqaure in Cairo. — AP zenship problems and some technicalities were given as reasons for disqualification. But this mass ouster from the candidates’ ranks

Turkey jails 1997 coup suspects pending trial ISTANBUL: Four generals, including a former deputy chief of staff, accused of ousting Turkey’s first Islamist prime minister in 1997 in a coup, were put under pretrial detention yesterday, the latest move against a once all-powerful military. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), which itself has Islamist roots, has sought to curb the military’s political influence and prosecutors have pursued officers suspected of plotting against current and former governments. An Ankara court decided over the weekend that former deputy chief of staff Cevik Bir and other officers should be held under pre-trial detention to remove any risk of them fleeing, having ordered on Thursday they should be questioned over their role in the overthrow of prime minister Necmettin Erbakan 15 years ago.

A total of 18 former officers were detained pending trial, state-run Anatolian news agency reported on its website. There is no provision for bail in Turkey, and pretrial detention can drag on for months. The suspects are being held in prison at Sincan, a town outside Ankara where the military ordered tanks onto the streets in 1997 in what became known as the “post-modern” coup because, unlike three earlier coups, the military did not resort to the actual use of force. Erbakan, who died of heart failure aged 85 in March last year, pioneered Islamist politics in Muslim but strictly secular Turkey and paved the way for the subsequent success of Erdogan’s socially conservative AKP. “Those who have made this country pay great prices, put this country under great burden, will account for that before the courts,” Erdogan said on Sunday.

“Everyone should understand that Turkey is not the old Turkey anymore. Turkey is no longer a country where anyone who gets up early can stage a coup,” he said.

Many AKP leaders, including Erdogan, had belonged to Erbakan’s party before it was banned. — Reuters

hands of one party, following the Brotherhood’s dominance of parliamentary elections. Their exit leaves room for more market-

friendly moderates like Amr Moussa, a former Arab League secretary general, or exBrotherhood member Abdul Moneim Abol Fotouh, who was expelled from the movement for launching his own presidential bid last year. The Brotherhood also has a reserve nominee who made the list, but he may find it hard to mobilize support for a replacement at such a late stage.

That’s where Egypt’s election risks coming unstuck. These disqualifications, after nominations have closed, will deprive key factions of the opportunity or time to rally support for alternative candidates. And it will leave a question mark over those, if any, that are reinstated. Under the current timeline, the work on a new constitution is unlikely to be finished before the elections. Without it, no one can be sure of the ultimate balance of power between the president and parliament. The Muslim Brotherhood is currently blocking much-needed financial aid from the IMF until the army hands over more power, something it has pledged to do by the end of June. Egypt’s election turmoil increases the chance of a disputed vote, or of a delay that would prolong the country’s financial uncertainty. — Agencies

Iraq hosts first arms expo after the fall of Saddam BAGHDAD: Iraq is hosting its first arms fair, replete with warplanes, tanks, missiles and telecommunications gear, since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein which saw the US completely dismantle the country’s military. Iraq is still rebuilding its security forces, which today they number some 900,000 people, including 650,000 employed by the interior ministry. Baghdad allocated $14.6 billion, or about 15 percent of the budget, to security in 2012, second only to energy which takes up 20 percent as the country seeks to develop its oil sector and fix a chronic electricity shortage.

“This is the first exhibition since the fall of Saddam Hussein, as we need specialized companies to come to Baghdad to show their products to our ministries, so we choose the best,” Deputy Interior Minister Adnan Al-Assadi said. A pavilion at the Baghdad fairgrounds is hosting 40 companies from 13 countries, mainly from South Korea, China, Turkey and Bulgaria, for three days from Sunday, amid tight security measures that are paralyzing the city, causing massive traffic jams. Almost all Western countries, however, are absent from the expo.

South Korea and China are showcasing a full range of military equipment, from weapons of all calibres and military vehicles to communications, uniforms and riot gear. “We came to win contracts, but also to develop our relations with this country, where we had the third-largest contingent in the multinational forces

after the United States and Great Britain,” said Lee Jong-Duk, director of international relations for the Korea Defense Industry Association. Sang Choi, vice president of Korea Aerospace Industries, was hoping to sell Iraq 24 T-50 Golden Eagle aircraft which can be used in both training and combat. “We made a proposal last year and we hope that the contract will be signed very soon. I am very optimistic,” he said. For Iraq, rebuilding its air force is a priority, and it has ordered 36 F-16 warplanes from the United States in pursuit of that goal.

Its air force virtually disappeared following the Gulf War in 1991, when it was destroyed or rendered inoperable by the international military coalition that pushed Saddam’s forces out of Kuwait which he invaded the year before. “We need many things but our budget is limited. Our principal concern is the air force and anti-air defense, while the interior ministry’s is border protection and explosives detectors,” Iraq’s top military officer, Lieutenant General Babaker Zebari said.

In a highly competitive market, the Iraqi Raban Al-Safina group began selling products from foreign companies three years ago, especially jamming equipment, robots to disarm bombs, and detection equipment. “It is very important that we are here, because, dealing with terrorists, our country needs this type of equipment,” said Ali Jawhar, an engineer in Raban Al-Safina’s electronics department. — AFP

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

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

Suicides among entrepreneurs shake wealthy region MONTEBELLUNA: In Italy’s wealthy northern Veneto region, a new helpline is advising struggling entrepreneurs to kill their businesses before they kill themselves. This deeply Catholic part of Italy, where work is an article of faith, is home to nearly half a million small companies and workshops, one for every 10 inhabitants and one of the highest business densities in Europe. The euro zone debt crisis came as a bitter shock after the boom of the 1980s. More than 300 people took their lives in this region between Lake Garda, the Alps and the Venetian Lagoon in 2010, the latest state data show.

“If you concentrate all your energy and efforts on a business activity, a financial failure easily becomes a personal failure,” said Pietro Muraro, who oversees the Life Auxilium (Life Help) support project for entrepreneurs set up by small business association Confartigianato last month. While the Life Auxilium project remains a local initiative, the worrying

Helpline targets desperate entrepreneurs in Italy trend in suicides has prompted Italian politicians and national media to call for a free helpline nationwide. But whereas the number of suicides in Italy as a whole increased by two percent in 2010, in Veneto they were 16 percent up.

Regional business associations say that trend has continued and that dozens of those who have taken their lives in the past three years have been entrepreneurs crushed by a combination of frozen bank loans, late client payments and high taxes. “In Veneto, work is the essence of life and entrepreneurial activity is almost always a family affair,” said Muraro, a psychologist and co-director of Veneto-based therapy centre Eidos.

Mauro De Vincenti was part of the army of small businessmen and artisans who are the region’s economic backbone. In September, aged 47 and mired in debt, he hanged himself inside the car repair

workshop he had set up three years before in Zelarino near Venice.

“The workshop would have never made us rich, but it was his dream. That dream killed him,” his 45-year-old wife Valentina said. Suicides have increased in several of the worst affected euro zone countries since the debt crisis hit, but not in all. In Greece, from where the crisis spread, suicides were up 18 percent in 2010, an increase which social workers blame at least partly on economic suffering. The number of suicides in Ireland increased 24 percent in the crisis year of 2009 compared to 2008, but in Spain, they were at their lowest level in 18 years in 2010 and data from Portugal does not suggest any unusual trend. The suicides in Veneto just the extreme tip of a crisis that extends across Italy and is hitting firms with less than 10 employees which make up 95 percent of Italy’s regis-

tered companies - particularly hard. The Veneto region, with a population of 4.8 million, has 460,000 companies and is second only to Italy’s industrial power house Lombardy in wealth, number of businesses and exports. Its entrepreneurs are used to changing with the times. In the 1990s, when leading Italian textile groups began to move production first to eastern Europe and then Asia, many reinvented themselves by turning to the-then booming construction business.

This time around, however, a combination of prolonged economic crisis, crippled internal demand and scarce liquidity is pushing many to the edge. A sort of business euthanasia is often a less painful choice than hanging on to a faded dream, explains Stefano Zanatta, a regional representative of the artisan organization Confartigianato which set

up the toll free helpline and support project for entrepreneurs overwhelmed by the crisis. To survive, small firms may have to join forces. “Until a while ago, small was beautiful. Today, the world has become our market. Like with the evolution of the species, we have to adapt,” said Zanatta, who heads the A s oloMontebelluna section of Confartigianato and is himself an entrepreneur. “We have to change our mentality and understand that united we stand stronger.” Bankruptcies in Italy rose to nearly 12,000 in 2011, equivalent to 31 companies per day.

This is up 4 percent from a year earlier and 25 percent more than in 2009.

According to the World Bank, Italian companies face a total tax rate of 68.6 percent on commercial profit, the highest burden in the European Union. That can shoot above 84 percent if indirect levies such as a new housing tax, sales tax on goods and petrol and others are included, Confartigianato says. — Reuters

UK faces terror threat ‘Lone wolf’ attacks causing concern

TIMBUKTU: Tuareg separatist rebels from the NMLA (National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad) stand beside a pick-up mounted gun, at a checkpoint near the airport in Timbuktu, Mali. — AP

Mali to talk to rebels, not ‘foreign jihadists’ NOUAKCHOTT: Mali’s interim president is willing to open dialogue with Tuareg-led rebels and Islamists occupying the north of the West African country, but “armed foreign jihadist groups” among them should leave, a Malian envoy and mediator said yesterday. “We want to resolve the difficulties in the north of our country through dialogue and negotiation,” Tiebile Drame, a prominent Malian politician and mediator for interim Malian President Dioncounda Traore said in Nouakchott.

Malian envoys later met a separatist MNLA rebel delegation, which said further talks were possible and indicated that they would consider a form of federation within Mali rather than a new state, which has already been rejected by world leaders. Mali has been divided in two since the rebels declared an independent Tuareg homeland in the north this month, following a March 22 military coup in the southern capital Bamako that led to the insurgents capturing key northern towns.

Drame, who opposed the Bamako coup, was accompanied by Mustapha Diko, an aide of Traore, who was sworn in on Thursday in a transition deal. Traore has vowed to restore Mali’s territorial integrity, by military force if necessary. The two envoys met Mauritanian President Mohamed Abdel Aziz to request his help in solving the Malian crisis. “We’ve come to look for credible interlocutors,” Drame said. While offering dialogue to the MNLA, Drame said the separatist Tuareg rebels should bear in mind that no foreign government nor international organization had recognized their declaration of an independent Azawad homeland in the north.

He recommended they withdraw this declaration of northern independence, saying this would “accelerate the dialogue that we want to have with them”. Speaking after a meeting with the delegation from Bamako, Hama Ag Mahmoud, a senior MNLA figure in Mauritania, said that the idea of a federation as well as an independent state would both be on the table in further talks. “We would need guarantees from the international community on the implementation by both sides of any deal and that talks would be held by a legitimate government in Bamako,” he said.

Drame said the rebels’ occupation of major northern towns like Timbuktu and Gao had created a “humanitarian crisis” and added many residents there saw them as occupiers not liberators. He made clear that the offer of talks did not extend to what he called “armed foreign jihadist groups” which had taken advantage of the lightning MNLA rebel advance southwards to establish themselves deeper in Malian territory. This was a clear reference to members of al Qaeda who have been using north Mali, a vast and rugged area bigger than France, as a base from which to seize and hold Western hostages. “We want those who are not Malian to quickly leave ... because they’ve no reason to be on our soil,” Drame said.

He said the authorities in southern Mali had also been in contact with another of the principal north Mali rebel groups, the Islamist Ansar Dine movement led by veteran Tuareg insurgent Iyad Ag Ghali, whom he said “we know well”. Ag Ghali, he said, recently freed 161 Malian army prisoners captured during the rebel advance. “I think there are objective conditions for a frank and sincere discussion,” Drame said. The declaration of a Tuareg rebel homeland in northern Mali has raised fears among Western security experts that the remote, inhospitable zone could become a secure haven for al Qaeda and a “rogue state” in West Africa. — Reuters

LONDON: Britain will mount its biggest peacetime security operation for the London Olympics, with “lone wolf ” attacks causing most concern but a range of other threats also under surveillance. A security force of more than 40,000, backed by a huge intelligence operation, will guard venues, athletes and the millions of visitors expected to throng the British capital. The halting of the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race by a protester swimming in the River Thames this month highlighted the difficulty of ruling out a disturbance at the Games.

Cyber-attacks, crowd trouble, riots, civil emergencies and even extreme weather are among the scenarios that British authorities are planning for, officials and analysts say. “It’s impossible to totally guarantee that you can get rid of all risk. You can’t,” security analyst Margaret Gilmore of the Royal United Services Institute in London said. “But you can go a long way to deterring anyone who wants to disrupt or attack the Games, and mitigating any impact if, for example, a terrorist attack gets through.”

The shadow of a terror attack has hung over the London Games since the start.

The day after London was named host city, four homegrown suicide bombers attacked three underground trains and a bus on July 7, 2005, killing 52 people. It is also 40 years since Palestinian militants massacred Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, and 16 years after a bombing at the Atlanta games. British Prime Minister David Cameron said during a visit by International Olympic Committee Chief Jacques Rogge last month that the security operation would be sensitive to the spirit of the Games. “I

am determined that this will feel like a sporting event with a very serious security operation rather than a security operation with a really serious sporting event,” Cameron said.

Sebastian Coe, the former British ath-

face-to-air missiles.

Britain has also ramped up its original security blueprint for the games, boosting the budget in December from £282 million to £553 million ($877 million, 662 million euros). While the Games them-

BELFAST: Police forensics officers search for evidence after a 47-year-old man and his 18-year-old daughter were critically injured after being shot by suspected dissident Republican terrorists in this file photo. When the flame of peace comes to Northern Ireland this summer, police will face an Olympic task to ensure that IRA die-hards don’t try to blow it out. — AP letics star who heads the London 2012 selves start on July 27, the security operorganizing committee, added: “These are ation will in fact get underway as early as an Olympic Games-they are taking place next month when a special Scotland Yard in London, not siege-town. There is a bal- unit shadows the Olympic Torch on its ance to be struck.” That may be, but the tour of the country. But no amount of numbers are huge: 13,500 Ministry of security can rule out attacks by “lone Defense personnel, 12,000 police and wolf” attackers with no attachment to more than 16,000 private security guards wider terror organizations such as Aland unpaid volunteers will make up the Qaeda, who have slipped under the Olympics security force. The operation radar of the intelligence agencies.

Europe has been shocked by a series involves warplanes, two navy ships including a helicopter carrier stationed in of such attacks, from the shootings by the River Thames and batteries of sur- Islamist gunman Mohamed Merah in

France in March to the bomb and gun attacks in Norway by rightwing extremist Anders Behring Breivik last year. “I really know that the one thing that will be causing them (security forces) not to sleep at night is the ‘lone wolf ’,” said Gilmore. A more traditional threat from the Al-Qaeda network remains a possibility despite Osama bin Laden’s death in 2011, while Irish republican militants also present a risk.

A cyber attack by hackers or foreign states is a further threat, and one that could cause mass disruption if it targets Olympic or transport infrastructure.

Meanwhile as protest swimmer Trenton Oldfield proved at the Boat Race, demonstrations are a possibility. “It just takes, and is likely to be, one idiot... That is why all the security measures need to be put in place to minimize the chance of that happening,” British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan said. In a major world city like London there are wider issues. Riots are a possibility, with memories fresh of the mass unrest in London and several English cities in August 2011 which left five people dead.

London’s transport system also presents its own problems, not just because of its reputation for unreliability but also the fact that it has previously been the target of a terror attack. In February thousands of London emergency personnel held a two-day exercise simulating a terror attack on the Underground during the Olympics.

Strange as it may sound in rainy Britain, authorities are also having to make contingency plans for the summer weather. “It may be the case that a heat wave or traffic jams prove the biggest nightmare,” Gilmore said. —AFP

Behring Breivik: from ‘boy next door’ to a mass killer

ALBI: A fan touches the cheeks of France’s Socialist Party (PS) candidate for the 2012 French presidential election Francois Hollande as he walks in the streets in the French southwestern city of Albi yesterday. — AFP

Far-left eyes future role if French Socialists win PARIS: Buoyed by a wave of support for its firebrand presidential candidate, a renascent far-left movement in France could cause a headache for Socialist Francois Hollande if he wins the upcoming election by jostling for weight in his government. With radical leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon riding a tide of popular support ahead of presidential and legislative elections, front-runner Hollande may be obliged to give the far left a government post and make policy concessions or see his centre-left agenda cramped by an unruly left-wing parliamentary group.

While Melenchon is adamant he would not want a ministerial post under Hollande, and prefers to keep his anticapitalist fight on the street, his Communist Party allies are more powerhungry and analysts see a messy struggle ahead. Riding high on the buzz he has created in the last weeks of the election race, Melenchon on Saturday urged a sea of flag-waving supporters to fight on after the vote to build a “Social Republic” and end a “monarchy of bosses”. “There is no point electing a left-wing

government unless we do this,” said Melenchon, whose Left Front groups what is left of the Communist Party with other far-left parties.

He told reporters over lunch this week that the far left would campaign for as big a score as possible in June parliamentary elections, to give it a voice in government policy, and then focus on more street rallies. “If we win the presidential election it will be rock and roll. If we don’t win, it will still be rock and roll,” he said. “We don’t want ministers in a Hollande government. Our movement will continue on the street and in 10 years we will win power.” Opinion polls put Hollande up to 10 percentage points ahead of conservative Nicolas Sarkozy in a May 6 deciding runoff.

Melenchon’s score of 13-17 percent in surveys for the first-round vote on April 22, against the 2-3 percent polls given the Greens party, means his coalition could pressure Hollande to ditch a deal with the Greens securing their support for the runoff vote in exchange for help winning seats in parliament. —Reuters

OSLO: Anders Behring Breivik came across as your average guy but behind his courteous exterior lurked one of history’s most gruesome killers, fuelled by a hatred of multiculturalism and Islam.

Tall, blond and with piercing blue eyes, the 33-year-old rightwing extremist has confessed to killing 77 people on July 22, 2011, when he gunned down youths attending a Labor party camp after setting off a bomb outside the government offices in Oslo. The massacre was “a preventive attack against state traitors” guilty of “ethnic cleansing” due to their support for a multicultural society, Breivik told a court hearing in February.

His trial opened in Oslo yesterday.

Born on February 13, 1979 in tranquil and affluent Norway, Breivik grew up without anyone around him suspecting what would one day unfold. He has said he had an unremarkable childhood, with a diplomat father and a nurse mother who divorced when he was just one year old. “I have had a privileged upbringing with responsible and intelligent people around me,” he wrote in a 1,500-page manifesto he published just before the massacre. Raised by his mother in a middle-class family, he said he never had financial problems and has only one gripe: “I had way too much freedom though if anything.”

But from a young age, child welfare services were concerned that he may not have been receiving proper care. “Anders has become a contact adverse, somewhat anxious, passive child... with a feigned, disarming smile,” a psychologist wrote when he was just four. “Ideally he should be placed with a stable foster family,” the expert wrote in a report revealed by Norwegian media. But that never happened. Around the same time, Anders’ father failed in his bid to obtain custody of his son.

After this episode, Anders Behring Breivik appeared to have a typical childhood with no major problems. “When he was younger, he was an ordinary boy but not very communicative. He was not

interested in politics at the time,” his father told Norwegian media. The diplomat cut off all contact with his son when he was around 15, supposedly when Anders, during a hip-hop phase, was caught drawing graffiti tags.

His old friends describe him as a discreet person, who sometimes had a hard time finding his place in the world-not at all the natural leader he presents himself to be. He quit high school at age 18 without getting his diploma, supposedly to undertake a career in politics. In 1999 he joined the populist right-wing, antiimmigration Progress Party and was active with its local youth branch. He left the party in 2006, writing later on an Internet forum that he felt the party was too open to “multicultural demands” and “the suicidal ideas of humanism”.

While his criticism of Islam, multiculturalism and Marxism are all over the Internet Breivik considered himself “a laid-back type and quite tolerant on most issues”. “Due to the fact that I have been exposed to decades of multicultural indoctrination I feel a need to emphasise that I am not in fact a racist and never have been,” he wrote. “Being a skinhead was never an option for me. Their dress codes and taste of music was unappealing and I thought they were too extreme,” he wrote, adding that he had “dozens of non-Norwegian friends during my younger years”. On his Facebook profile, Breivik describes himself as “conservative”, “Christian”, and interested in hunting and video games like “World of Warcraft” and “Modern Warfare 2”, which, he later revealed, he used to train for his deadly rampage.

On July 22 last year, he spent more than an hour methodically killing 69 people, most of them adolescents, on the island of Utoeya, in what is believed to be the deadliest shooting ever carried out by a single person. Shortly before the island massacre, he killed eight people when he blew up a bomb in a van parked in the government block in Oslo. —AFP

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Americas leaders end summit in discord CARTAGENA: A Pan-American summit has ended in discord here as regional leaders failed to agree on Cuba’s inclusion in future summits in the face of US and Canadian opposition. US President Barack Obama, who defended his stance on Havana at a post-summit press conference, also faced questions on Washington’s approach to the drug war and found himself on the defensive over an embarrassing Secret Service prostitution scandal.

The vast majority of the region’s democratically elected leaders attending the talks in the coastal Colombian city of Cartagena said they wanted Cuba included in future meetings. But Obama, backed by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, objected and the summit ended without the release of a final statement, as happened at the previous summit in Trinidad in 2009. Cuba has yet to take part in a Summit of the Americas, a regular meeting sponsored by the US-based Organization of American States (OAS).

Explaining his opposition to Cuba’s participation, Obama told a press conference that he hoped for a democratic transition in the hemisphere’s only one-party Communist state but said it had not yet taken

place. “ The fact of the matter is Cuba, unlike the other countries participating, has not yet moved to democracy. Has not yet observed basic human rights,” Obama told a news conference. Nor did summit participants agree on a call by Guatemala to consider decriminalizing drug use in view of the failure of the war on narcotrafficking, which is creating havoc across the region, particularly in central America.

But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, the summit host, said participants agreed on the “need to analyze results of the current antidrug policy and to explore new approaches to strengthen the fight and to be more effective.” Santos, who leads the country that is the world’s leading cocaine producer, said the 33 leaders present at the summit gave a mandate to the OAS to begin the process. Obama, whose country is the world’s biggest consumer of drugs, agreed for the first time to a direct dialogue with his Latin American partners on the issue of drug consumption and the flow of money and arms toward Latin America.

But he said he was opposed to the decriminalization or legalization of drugs proposed by Guatemala. On

Argentina’s call for support for its claim on the British-ruled Falkland Islands, Santos said most countries “call for a peaceful solution” to the dispute, but Obama said Washington would “remain neutral.” For Obama, the summit was certainly not that easy. Speaking at a business forum Saturday, he said it was “remarkable to see the changes that have been taking place in a relatively short period of time in Latin, central America and in the Caribbean.”

But he was bluntly told by his Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff to treat Latin America as an equal. “In Latin America, we have a huge space to make our relationship one of partnership but partnership between equals,” said Rousseff, whose country has gained increasing international clout as the world’s sixth largest economy and Latin America’s dominant power. On a positive note for the US leader, he said the USColombian free trade agreement will come into force next month, after years of Washington pressing for reform in the South American country. Obama hailed the accord as “a win for both our countries”.

Implementation of the pact will reduce duties on US exports entering Colombia, as well as help create

CARTAGENA: United States of America’s President Barack Obama (center) is photographed at a multilateral meeting with Caribbean leaders during the sixth Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia. —AP half a million jobs in five years in Colombia, increase the country’s output by one percent and lift 1.2 million Colombians out of poverty, according to government estimates.

Before flying home, Obama joined

Santos and pop superstar Shakira at a ceremony to hand over land titles to descendants of Colombia’s runaway African slaves. Representatives of some 1,000 Afro-Colombian families descended from runaway slaves

received ownership titles to more than 3,350 hectares of ancestral land they occupy. Cartagena used to be Spain’s largest slave trading port in the Americas during the colonial era. —AFP

Scandal overshadows Pan-American summit US Secret Service under spotlight after prostitution flap

GUADALAJARA: Mexican presidential candidate for the National Action Party (PAN), Josefina Vazquez Mota, wears a typical Mexican hat during a rally in Guadalajara, Mexico. Mexico will hold presidential elections on July 1, 2012. —AFP

Pena Nieto extends lead over main rival MEXICO CITY: Mexican presidential front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto has widened his big lead over struggling ruling party candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota, with just 2 1/2 months to go until the July 1 election, an opinion poll showed yesterday. The latest voter survey by polling firm BGC for Mexican newspaper Excelsior showed support for Pena Nieto, a member of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), running at 50 percent, according to BGC’s Website.

That score was 3 percentage points higher than a previous BGC/Excelsior poll published on March 26. Vazquez Mota, the candidate from President Felipe Calderon’s conservative National Action Party (PAN), slipped one point to 29 percent. Third placed contender and 2006 runner-up, leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, fell back two points to 20 percent. Pena Nieto has led the polls for more than two years and is widely expected to put the PRI back in power after more than a decade on the sidelines.

The centrist faction ruled Mexico for 71 years straight until the PAN ousted it in 2000. Pena Nieto, 45, has had his share of troubles along the way. The ex-governor of the State of Mexico, a populous region flanking the capital to the north, made a number of gaffes at the end of 2011, most notably when he struggled to name three books that influenced him.

In January, he admitted he cheated on his first wife, fathering two children

out of wedlock with different women.

But none of this has done lasting damage to his bid, because voters believe he is more likely to end the violence plaguing Mexico and reinvigorate the economy. Vazquez Mota is trying to shake off discontent with the PAN, whose reputation has suffered due to a surge in lawlessness that followed the army-led offensive Calderon launched against drug gangs shortly after he took office in December 2006. More than 50,000 people have since been killed in fighting between the gangs and their clashes with security forces. Many of the victims have been young people lured by the prospect of quick cash from the gangs.

The PAN has also struggled to create enough jobs for Mexico’s growing population.

Vazquez Mota’s campaign has been undermined by squabbling within the PAN, as well as a number of mishaps on the election trail, including the botched staging of a major rally last month that left her addressing a half-empty stadium stands. Lopez Obrador, the former mayor of Mexico City, is still trying to win back voters he alienated after his narrow loss to Calderon in 2006. He accused the PAN of robbing him and declared himself the rightful president of Mexico, launching massive street protests in the capital that eroded his support. The latest poll for Excelsior surveyed 1,200 registered Mexican voters from last Monday through Wednesday and had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points, BGC said. —Reuters

Obama witnesses land handover to blacks CARTAGENA: Visiting US President Barack Obama Sunday joined his Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos and pop superstar Shakira at a ceremony here to hand over land titles to descendants of the country’s runaway African slaves. The ceremony outside a church in Cartagena’s old colonial district took place on the sidelines of the Summit of Americas which both Obama and Santos attended along with 29 other democratically elected leaders of the Western Hemisphere. The attendance of the first black American president at the event was seen by White House officials as having high symbolic significance, given the large Afro-Colombian

population in the Cartagena region.

Representatives of some 1,000 Afro-Colombian families descended from runaway slaves received ownership titles to more than 3,350 hectares of ancestral land they occupy. The families hail from the nearby towns of San Basilio de Palenque and La Boquilla, Afro-Colombian communities that do not have land titles. “This is a historic day-decades, even centuries in the making. For generations, many of you have lived on these lands, toiled these lands, raised your families on these lands,” Obama said to loud applause from the largely Afro-Colombian crowd, that included 80 children. —AFP

WASHINGTON: They are known for their shiny sunglasses, dark suits, and stern gazes. Secret Service agents, the men and women who protect US leaders, are as much a part of the American political tableau as the presidents, cabinet officials, and candidates they shadow and protect. But, unlike their high-profile charges, they are not supposed to make news. The suspension of 11 agents this weekend after alleged misconduct involving prostitutes in Colombia brought unwelcome headlines and attention to the agency’s culture.

One critic said the incident reflected a systemic breakdown of standards and practices among overworked agents that could leave a president vulnerable to an attack. An investigation will show whether the event, which overshadowed President Barack Obama’s meetings with Latin American leaders in Cartagena, Colombia, was an unfortunate anomaly or a sign of an agency-wide problem. Either way, it shed light on the human frailties and working conditions of a group expected to perform discreet and self-sacrificing services for US leaders.

People familiar with the Secret Service described long work hours on stressful presidential trips, some of which are scheduled at the last minute. Agents often meet at hotel bars at the end of the day on such trips to drink and unwind. Those who are not traveling with the president sometimes hold “wheels-up” parties after Air Force One has lifted off for Washington or another destination. On Thursday, some US agents brought a number of prostitutes back to a beachfront hotel in Cartagena near where Obama was due to stay the following day, according to a local police source, sparking a weekend of scandal.

“We’ve heard about these

wheel-up parties when the president leaves,” said congressman Darrell Issa, speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation” program. “Well, this was a pre-wheel-down. So the question is, is the whole organization in need of some soul-search-

story,” he said in an interview. “This is really an abnormality.”

WILLING TO TAKE A BULLET David Gergen, a political analyst who worked for four presidents including Ronald Reagan,

CARTAGENA: US President Barack Obama leans over to kiss Colombian singer Shakira during an event to hand over land titles to representatives of the Afro-Colombian community at the Plaza de San Pedro in Cartagena, Colombia. —AFP ing, some changes ... before the president, the vice president, members of the cabinet are in danger?” Ralph Basham, a former director of the agency who is now a principal with Command Consulting Group, said the incident was a rare mishap for an agency that prides itself on its professionalism. “I do not believe that there is a systemic problem in the Secret Service because if there were, this wouldn’t be such a huge

who survived an assassination attempt thanks to Secret Service protection, said occasional incidents such as the one in Colombia were not out of character given the masculinity of many in the profession. Overall, he said, the agents were brave, outstanding people. “These are guys who are willing to take a bullet to save a president. I’ve seen them do that,” Gergen said. “My hope is people keep it in perspective.”

One prominent critic was less forgiving, saying the connection to prostitutes should end the careers of the agents involved.

“The fact that they were engaged in this conduct, you know, compromises the agents,” said Ronald Kessler, author of “In the President’s Secret Service: Behind the Scenes With Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect.” “The prostitutes could have blackmailed them, could have been involved with terrorists, drug cartel people, or foreign intelligence services,” he said. “Any foreign intelligence service would love to get a Secret Service agent in their pocket.”

Kessler said the events in Colombia were illustrative of a general slide of Secret Service standards. He cited the admittance of uninvited guests to a White House holiday party early in Obama’s tenure as further evidence of lax behavior. The Secret Service stressed that Obama’s safety was never in question and rejected Kessler’s claims of a wider problem. “We have hundreds of personnel that travel around the world every day that conduct thousands of security advances, thousands of events, and we don’t have incidents like this that occur,’ said Ed Donovan, an agency spokesman. “It’s an anomaly.”

Obama, speaking at the end of the summit, said he, too, would withhold judgment until all of the facts were established. “These men and women per form extraordinary service on a day-today basis protecting me, my family, US officials. They do very hard work under very stressful circumstances and almost invariably do an outstanding job,” he told reporters. Even so, Obama said he would be “angry” if the allegations about the agents in Colombia proved true. “I’ll wait until the full investigation is completed before I pass final judgment,” he said.—Reuters

Shooting zombies a fad among gun enthusiasts ST LOUIS: One of Patrick Flanagan’s favorite movies as a kid was “Night of the Living Dead,” a 1968 horror film about a family trapped in a rural Pennsylvania house and attacked by zombies. “I really dug zombie stuff since then,” said Flanagan, 23, an unemployed concrete worker from Alton, in southern Illinois. So Flanagan combined his interest in zombies with another hobby guns. He was one of many gun owners crowded around a display of lifelike zombie paper shooting targets at the National Rifle Association’s Guns and Gear exhibition on Saturday during the NRA annual conference in St. Louis.

The Hollywood-inspired zombie craze - featuring blood-soaked ghouls rising from the dead to attack the living - has extended to gun enthusiasts. At the huge NRA exhibition, vendors displayed zombie targets, zombie bullets, zombie paint coating for guns and zombie patches for a shooting jacket. Firing ranges across the country are offering zombie-themed shooting events, some held as daylight fades for atmosphere, said Brad Ross, a division manager for Law Enforcement Targets, Inc, a maker of zombie targets. Flanagan, who said he owns 19 guns, likes to

drive out into rural areas to practice shooting. He is bored with shooting cans or simple bullseye targets and the zombie targets will be more fun, he said, clutching his roll of 40 poster-sized images. Sales of zombie targets are booming and are expected to grow about 30 percent to a million targets this year, Ross said. “It is absolutely dumbfounding,” said Addison Sovine, a salesman hustling on Saturday to keep up with the demand for the shooting accessory at the Law Enforcement Targets booth. For the truly zombieobsessed, Sovine demonstrated small packets of blood-colored liquid that can be purchased to attach to the back of the zombie target so that it bleeds when shot. If an explosion is desired, a grainy mixture is for sale that will blast like a firecracker when hit.

TAKING AIM ON “ZOMBILADIN” TARGET Among the most popular of the 18 zombie target designs offered in its catalog are “Becky,” an image of a wounded, pale and dark-eyed female, and “ZombiLadin” a bearded and bloody likeness of the late al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, company officials said. Ammunition maker Hornady introduced a

zombie bullet last fall with a green painted tip and it was one of their most successful product launches ever, according to marketing communications manager Everett Deger. The bullets come in a bright green box saying “20 rounds certified Zombie ammunition” with a warning that it is not a toy. Zombie-themed paint coatings for guns are among the 10 most popular camouflage designs offered by DuraCoat Firearm Finishes, which paints guns, said Operations Manager Amy Lauer-Potaczek.

Much of the interest in zombies has been fed by popular culture, such as the movie “Zombieland,” starring Woody Harrelson, and the “Walking Dead” television series about a group of people trying to survive in a world overrun by zombies. But Sovine said the obsession has gained momentum from “preppers” people who are preparing for doomsday - and the belief by some that, according to the Mayan calendar, the world as we know it will end in December. “As soon as we pass December if we are not all dead, we live on, and it is really not the end of the world ... I think you will see it (zombie target sales) start to come back down the other side,” Sovine said.—Reuters

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Clashes at beef-eating festival in south India Hindu activists battle low-caste Dalit groups HYDERABAD: A beef-eating festival at a university in southern India triggered clashes between rival students as Hindu activists fought with low-caste Dalit groups who had organized the event. Police fired teargas on Sunday evening to break up the fighting, in which at least five people were injured and two vehicles were set ablaze at the Osmania University in the city of Hyderabad. Hindus, the religious majority in India, regard cows as sacred and the animals are often used in temple ceremonies as well as allowed to wander at will through the country’s busy towns and markets.

In the traditional Hindu caste system, Dalits (formerly known as ‘untouchables’) are considered the lowest of low castes, and some Dalit groups reject Hindu religious

practices such as the ban on eating beef.

Beef biryani and other beef dishes were served to 200 people at the festival before about 50 students belonging to a right-wing Hindu group tried to enter the venue, police said. “The organizers told us that they were not going to cook beef on the campus but were only bringing in cooked food from outside,” senior officer Y Gangadhar said. “There was some stone-pelting forcing us to throw teargas shells to bring the situation under control.”

The event, the first of its kind at the university, was to campaign for beef to be included on menus at student hostel accommodation.

“It is unfortunate that people who consume beef are looked down upon by the upper castes, but for centuries beef has been part of

our diet,” B. Sudarshan, a Dalit research scholar and festival organizer said. “What is wrong in consuming beef? Those opposed to it can advise people not to have beef but they can’t force their diktat on us.”

Hyderabad student politics have a history of violent confrontation, with previous clashes over the proposed creation of Telangana state, which would be carved out of the present state of Andhra Pradesh. The city has attracted major investment from global firms such as Microsoft and Google and is a symbol of India’s emerging economy, but also suffers from deep inter-religious tension. Many Indian states have introduced various jail terms for cow slaughter in recent years in a trend seen as reflecting radical Hindu views and anti-Muslim sentiment.—AFP

Troops end Taleban onslaught; 51 killed Karzai says ‘NATO failed’; Haqqanis blamed KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai said yesterday that a coordinated Taleban attack showed a “failure” by Afghan intelligence and especially by NATO, as heavy street fighting between insurgents and security forces came to an end after 18 hours. Battles which broke out at midday on Sunday gripped the city’s central districts through the night, with large explosions and gunfire lighting up alleys and streets.

were killed in the attacks which paralyzed Kabul’s government district, and which targeted three other provinces in what the Taleban called the start of a spring offensive. One fighter was captured. Eleven members of the Afghan security forces and four civilians were killed in the wellplanned attacks in Kabul and the eastern Nangarhar, Logar and Paktia provinces, it said. “In only a short time we managed to cut

while attacking a NATO base in the eastern city of Jalalabad. Fighting in the capital only ended with Special Forces assaults which were mounted as dawn broke.

Assisting physically for the first time in the attack, NATO helicopters launched strafing attacks on gunmen in the building site, which overlooked the NATO headquarters and several embassies, including the British and German missions. Elite Afghan soldiers scaled

KABUL: The bodies of alleged militants are seen on the ground after a gun battle in Kabul, Afghanistan yesterday. —AP “The fact terrorists were able to enter Kabul and other provinces was an intelligence failure for us and especially for NATO,” Karzai’s office said in a statement, which also strongly condemned the attack. Though the death toll was relatively low considering the scale of the assault, it highlighted the ability of militants to strike at high-profile targets in the heart of the city even after more than 10 years of war. Karzai echoed his Western backers by praising Afghan security forces, saying they had proven their ability to defend their country - a task which will increasingly fall to them as foreign armies reduce their troop numbers in Afghanistan.

His office said 36 insurgents

short their devilish plans,” said Defense Ministry Chief of Operations Afzal Aman. “They carried suicide vests, but managed to do nothing except be killed.”

The attacks were also another election-year setback in Afghanistan for US President Barack Obama, who wants to present the campaign against the Taleban as a success before the departure of most foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

Insurgents were killed attacking the Afghan parliament, and in a multi-storey building under construction that they had occupied to fire rocket-propelled grenades and rifles down on the heavily fortified diplomatic enclave. More were killed in Kabul’s east, and

scaffolding to outflank the insurgents, who took up defensive positions on the upper floor of the halfbuilt structure. Bullets ricocheted off walls, sending up puffs of brick dust. “I could not sleep because of all this gunfire. It’s been the whole night,” said resident Hamdullah.

The assault, which began with attacks on embassies, a supermarket, a hotel and the parliament, was one of the most serious on the capital since US-backed Afghan forces removed the Taleban from power in 2001.

STRIKE ON DIPLOMATIC ZONE The Taleban claimed responsibility, but some officials said the Haqqanis, a network of ethnic Pashtun tribal militants allied with

the Taleban, who live along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, were likely involved. “My guess, based on previous experience here, is this is a set of Haqqani network operations out of North Waziristan and the Pakistani tribal areas,” American Ambassador Ryan Crocker said.

North Waziristan, in Pakistan, is a notorious militant hub. “Frankly I don’t think the Taleban is good enough,” Crocker said. Taleban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the assaults in Kabul and three eastern provinces marked the beginning of a new warm-weather fighting season. “These attacks are the beginning of the spring offensive and we had planned them for months,” Mujahid said. He said the onslaught was revenge for a series of incidents involving US troops in Afghanistan - including the burning of copies of the Koran at a NATO base, and the massacre of 17 civilians by a US soldier - and vowed there would be more.

The Taleban said on Sunday the main targets were the German and British embassies and the headquarters of the NATO-led force.

Several Afghan members of parliament joined security forces in repelling attackers from a roof near parliament. The attacks came a month before a NATO summit at which the United States and its allies want to put the finishing touches to plans for the transition to Afghan security control, and days before a meeting of defense and foreign ministers in Brussels to prepare for the alliance summit in Chicago.

Western combat troops are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014, under a plan to hand over responsibilities to Afghan forces.

But those forces are plagued by poor discipline, and they have apparently failed to learn lessons from a similar assault in Kabul last September, when insurgents took up a position in a tall building under construction to attack embassies and NATO offices below.

Hours before the Kabul attack, in neighboring Pakistan dozens of Islamist militants stormed a prison in the dead of night and freed nearly 400 inmates, including one on death row for trying to assassinate former President Pervez Musharraf. —Reuters

HYDERABAD: An Indian man, dressed as a local deity, sits next to portraits of Bhimrao Rao Ambedkar, a key architect of the Indian Constitution, in Hyderabad, India. The birth anniversary of Ambedkar, who is revered among the low-caste community as a hero even greater than Gandhi, is being marked Saturday. —AP

Key political risks to watch in Pakistan ISLAMABAD: Relations between the United States and its ally Pakistan are stuck at their lowest in years after a NATO cross-border air attack that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last November.

The incident prompted Pakistan to reassess ties with the US, and in mid-April, parliament approved recommendations from its national security committee, including a demand that America ends drone strikes in Pakistan. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani did not say whether Pakistan would reopen overland supply routes to US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan, which were suspended after the November incident.

The US is putting pressure on Pakistan to go after the militant groups on its soil which take advantage of the porous border with Afghanistan to attack NATO and Afghan troops there. Pakistan’s cooperation is critical to US-led efforts to stabilize Afghanistan as NATO combat troops prepare to leave the country by the end of 2014. In December, US lawmakers agreed to freeze $700 million in aid to Pakistan until it gives assurances it is helping fight the spread of homemade bombs in the region.

Pakistan’s Supreme Court charged Gilani in February with contempt for his failure to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, deepening Pakistan’s political crisis.

Gilani has said were he to be convicted, he would lose office. He could also face jail time. To lose its prime minister would be deeply embarrassing for Pakistan’s government, but is not likely to cause a collapse, or threaten the position of the president, who heads the ruling party and has immunity from prosecution as head of state.

POLITICAL VIOLENCE, GOVT WEAKNESS During Pakistan’s parliamentary review of its ties with Washington, the head of US Central Command General James Mattis and the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, General John Allen, met with Pakistan’s army chief General Ashfaq Kayani in March at the military’s headquarters in Pakistan. It was the first highlevel military visit since the November attack, and could signal a thaw in bilateral relations.

Their talks, announced by the Pakistani military, took place a day after US President Barack Obama met Gilani in Seoul, where he expressed hope that Pakistan’s review of ties with Washington would respect US security needs.

The Pakistan military, which has governed the country for more than half of its history, is often seen as the real driving force behind Pakistan’s foreign and security policies. Many political leaders are viewed as incompetent and corrupt, and have offered little guidance.

Zardari’s government is weak, dependent on unreliable coalition partners, and has limited control over the military. It has failed to tackle corruption or implement economic reforms.

Serious problems in formulating and implementing policy will continue to deter invest-

ment. The government also faces growing political opposition. Politician and former cricket star Imran Khan is riding a wave of dissatisfaction with the government, and has held several large rallies across Pakistan, boosting his standing as a political force.

WORSENING RELATIONS WITH US An American investigation into the November border incident found that both US and Pakistani forces were at fault, putting further strain on already deeply damaged ties.

Pakistani officials said the attack was “deliberate”. Washington has long pushed for action, military or otherwise, against the Haqqani militant network, one of NATO’s deadliest foes in Afghanistan and thought to largely operate from North Waziristan. Islamabad has repeatedly said its forces are overstretched and it cannot afford to provoke a general tribal uprising.

Reflecting American frustration with Pakistan, and the suspicion that there are links between Pakistan’s powerful spy agency and militant groups, there have been many proposals to make US aid conditional on more cooperation in fighting militants. In February, a leaked NATO report suggested that, according to Taleban detainees questioned, the influence of Pakistan’s spy agency over the Taleban was undiminished.

INTERNAL SECURITY Dozens of Islamist militants stormed a prison in northwest Pakistan in April, freeing nearly 400 inmates, including one on death row for trying to assassinate former president Pervez Musharraf. As well as bomb attacks in February which killed dozens in the northwest of the country, violence continues to affect parts of the southern port city of Karachi, Pakistan’s key financial hub. More than 1,600 people were killed in the city in 2011, over half of them in political and sectarian violence, and Pakistan’s paramilitary forces are often deployed in the southern port city to try to stabilize violent districts. The violence and instability are a huge deterrent to foreign investment. Investors are particularly sensitive to attacks in Karachi, home to key financial markets and the central bank.

EXTERNAL SECURITY Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan are strained, with cross-border attacks reported by both sides. Tension between the neighbors has been heightened by whispering from some Afghan lawmakers that Pakistan’s spy agency, the Inter-services Intelligence (ISI), was behind recent assassinations in Afghanistan, something Pakistan vehemently denied. Pakistan is a critical regional stakeholder, and in late February it urged the Afghan Taleban to enter direct peace talks with the Afghan government, a sign that Islamabad may be increasing its support for reconciliation across the border. —Reuters

Delhi helmet law takes deadly toll on women NEW DELHI: Priya Mahindroo, 25, zips through New Delhi traffic on the back of a motorbike every day to get to work. While the law mandates a helmet for her male driver, as a woman she can legally go without. Campaigners are becoming increasingly vocal about the consequences of this anomaly which results in dozens of lives needlessly lost each year as well as thousands of serious injuries that wreck families and burden hospitals.

Others see it as a sad reflection on patriarchal Indian values: that women are men’s inferiors, their lives simply worth less in a country with a culture of celebrating sons over daughters. For women such as Mahindroo, however, the considerations are mostly aesthetic and unless she is forced to wear a helmet by law, she’ll continue to ride some of the world’s most dangerous streets with her head unprotected. “It ruins my hair,” she said in New Delhi as she arrived for work at her newspaper’s office in the busy central area of the city. “I don’t wear a helmet because I feel really hot and suffocated inside so I don’t really think about the safety.” India’s federal Motor Vehicles Act of 1988 stated that every person driving or riding a twowheeler had to wear a helmet, but this sparked an uproar from the Sikh community which raised religious objections. Sikh men were later exempted, largely because of the religious demand for them to wear turbans. The local New Delhi government decided it was impossible to tell a Sikh woman from a non-Sikh and so made helmets optional for

all female motorcycle riders.

About 133,938 people or 366 a day died on India’s roads in 2010, according to the National Crime Records Bureau, more than any other country. On the streets of New Delhi-where rash and drunk driving is commonplace, as is the sight of a family of four or five squeezed onto a bike - 64 women were killed in accidents involving twowheelers in 2010 and 50 last year. ‘Women are programmed to neglect themselves’-Many of these victims end up at the capital’s busiest trauma centre, the public-funded AIIMS hospital, where doctor Sanjeev Bhoi is in no doubt about the cost of New Delhi’s law.

“Each day there is a new story where you have severe dramatic brain injuries especially in women and even in children. “It’s very stressful to see a young girl with a severe brain injury, someone who is a mother or a daughter of someone,” he added.

“The ladies must wear a helmet not just for themselves but also for their families.” For writer Antara Dev Sen, the law reeks of discrimination and is another proof that women are seen as secondclass citizens. “In India, women are programmed to neglect themselves,” she told AFP. “To be a good woman you need to ignore yourself. “It is also not quite done to talk about your own safety. It comes from the patriarchal values by which we are programmed to live.”

She along with others is involved in the campaign to change the status quo, which has been

helped by a challenge in the Delhi High Court and complaints from police and medical figures. Last month, the Delhi government introduced harsher penalties for road safety violations, including a bigger fine for male motorcyclists wearing sub-standard helmets. It had seemed an opportunity to change the law, but one that was ultimately not taken, partly out of fear of antagonizing Sikh women or other female voters ahead of local polls, some observers said. Paramjit Singh Sarna, president of a prominent Sikh organization in Delhi, said the community would adamantly oppose any regulatory change. “We consider a helmet to be like a cap or a hat-the wearing of which is technically banned by our religion,” Sarna said.

Acknowledging the safety benefits of helmets, Sarna said there would be “no objection” if an individual Sikh woman chose to wear one, but stressed that ordering the community to do so would prompt a passionate backlash. “Sikhs are a minority community and a sensitive one. A mandatory order would inflame sentiments, lead to protests and make the whole thing into a major issue,” he warned. The New Delhi police have made numerous appeals for the helmet exemption for women to be rescinded, arguing that safety concerns should trump all other considerations. “It may be a bit inconvenient but everybody has to make a call on what is more important: the safety, or the convenience,” said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of the city’s traffic police. —AFP

NEW DELHI: A woman rides on the back of a motorbike in Delhi. —AFP

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

i n t e r n at i o n a l

Briton poisoned after threat to expose Bo’s wife CHONGQING: The British businessman whose murder has sparked political upheaval in China was poisoned after he threatened to expose a plan by a Chinese leader’s wife to move money abroad, two sources with knowledge of the police investigation said. It was the first time a specific motive has been revealed for Neil Heywood’s murder last November, a death which ended Chinese leader Bo Xilai’s hopes of emerging as a top central leader and threw off balance the Communist Party’s looming leadership succession. Bo’s wife, Gu Kailai, asked Heywood late last year to move a large sum of money abroad, and she became outraged when he demanded a larger cut of the money than she had expected due to the size of the transaction, the sources said.

She accused him of being greedy and hatched a plan to kill him after he said he could expose her dealings, one of the sources said, summarizing the police case. Both sources have spoken to investigators in Chongqing, the southwestern Chinese city where Heywood was killed and where Bo had cast himself as a crime-fighting Communist Party leader. Gu is in police custody on suspicion of committing or arranging Heywood’s murder, though no details of the

motive or the crime itself have been publicly released, other than a general comment from Chinese state media that he was killed after a financial dispute. The sources have close ties to Chinese police and said they were given details of the investigation. They said Heywood - formerly a close friend of Gu and who had been helping her with her overseas financial dealings - was killed after he threatened to expose what she was doing. “Heywood told her that if she thought he was being too greedy, then he didn’t need to become involved and wouldn’t take a penny of the money, but he also said he could also expose it,” the first source said. The sources said police suspect the 41-year-old was poisoned by a drink. They did not know precisely where he died in Chongqing. But they and other sources with access to official information say they believe Heywood was killed at a secluded hilltop retreat, the Nanshan Lijing Holiday Hotel, which is also marketed as the Lucky Holiday Hotel.

The sources said Gu and Heywood, who had lived in China since the early 1990s, shared a long and close personal relationship, but were not romantically involved. The sources did not know details of the offshore transactions that Heywood facilitated for Gu, but said exposure

of the deals would have imperilled her and her ambitious husband, who was campaigning for promotion to the top ranks of China’s leadership. Bo has since been ousted over the scandal. “After Gu Kailai found that Heywood wouldn’t agree to go along and was even resisting with threats - that he could expose this money with unknown provenance - then that was a major risk to Gu Kailai and Bo Xilai,” said the first source, requesting anonymity due

to the sensitivity of the case. It was not possible to get official confirmation of the case police are building against Gu. The Chinese government did not respond to faxed questions about the case. Some of Bo’s leftist supporters have said the case could be a campaign to discredit him. Gu, who is in custody and facing a possible death sentence for murder, and Bo could not be reached for comment. Bo has not been seen since appearing at parlia-

BEIJING: A Chinese policeman blocks photos being taken outside Zhongnanhai which serves as the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China after the sacking of politician Bo Xilai from the countries powerful Politburo. —AFP

ment in March, when he held a news conference decrying the “filth” being poured on his family. Efforts to contact Heywood’s mother and sister at their homes in London were unsuccessful. The door to the mother’s home carried a note saying she would not speak to reporters.

Heywood had spent his last week in Chongqing in Nan’an district, an area politically loyal to Bo, and stayed at two hotels: the Nanshan Lijing Holiday Hotel and the Sheraton hotel. Staff at each hotel said they knew nothing of a British man dying there. A guard was barring access to an apparently empty row of villas within the grounds of the Nanshan Lijing Holiday Hotel on Sunday and Monday, saying a meeting was going on. Heywood’s falling-out with Gu followed a period in which she had grown distant from her ambitious, perpetually busy husband and she had turned to Heywood as a soulmate, sources said. “Bo and Gu Kailai had not been a proper husband and wife for years ... Gu Kailai and Heywood had a deep personal relationship and she took the break between them deeply to heart,” said Wang Kang, a well-connected Chongqing businessmen who has learned some details of the case from Chinese officials. “Her mentality was ‘you

betrayed me, and so I’ll get my revenge’,” Wang said in his office, decorated with pictures of himself meeting senior officials, including Bo’s late father, the revolutionary veteran Bo Yibo, a comrade of Mao Zedong.

Heywood got to know the powerful family when Bo Xilai was mayor of Dalian in the 1990s. Heywood helped with getting the couple’s son, Bo Guagua, into an exclusive British school, Harrow, said one of the sources with police contacts.

The scandal over Heywood’s death broke in February when Bo’s former police chief, Wang Lijun, fled to a US consulate after he had confronted Bo with allegations of Gu’s involvement. He spent about 24 hours inside the consulate before he left into the hands of Chinese central government authorities.

Bo was stripped of all his party positions last week, ending his bid to join the upper echelons of the Chinese leadership at a Party Congress late this year, and opening the door to jockeying among rivals to get a place in the new lineup. It was not immediately clear how Heywood would have helped Gu shift large sums of money offshore, though China’s capital controls pose a formidable barrier to anyone trying to move large sums of yuan out of the country.— Reuters

US and Philippines kick off war games US seeks to reinforce influence across Asia-Pacific

PYONGYANG: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un acknowledges cheers during a mass military parade in Kim Il Sung Square to celebrate the centenary of the birth of his grandfather, national founder Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea. — AP

North Korea unveils new missile, shrugs off uproar PYONGYANG: Nuclear-armed North Korea has shrugged off the uproar at its failed rocket launch and unveiled an apparently new missile, in what analysts see as an attempt to exert diplomatic leverage. The 30-metre Unha-3 rocket intended to put a satellite into orbit disintegrated just two to three minutes after blast-off last Friday. The UN Security Council “deplored” the launch and Washington scrapped plans to send 240,000 tons of food aid to Pyongyang.

Just two days later, at a major military parade on Sunday, the North put what seemed to be a new long-range missile on show.

Ham Hyeong-Pil of Seoul’s Korea Institute for Defense Analyses said the weapon-apparently longer than the North’s existing Musudan midrange missile seemed to be a new long-range missile. “The Musudan, about 12 metres (40 feet) long, is believed to have a range of 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers. But this one appears capable of reaching at least 1,000 kilometers further,” Ham said. “It is certain that the North has developed a new long-range missile.”

Christian Lardier, a specialist with the French magazine Air and Cosmos who watched the parade said it was a Taepodong-class missile about 20 meters long and the first stage was identical to that of the Unha fired Friday.

Choson Sinbo, a Japan newspaper which reflects Pyongyang’s policy, said yesterday the North will push to launch a bigger rocket than the Unha-3 as part of a five-year space program despite last week’s failure. “Scientists and engineers will never give up,” it said. Yesterday South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak accused the North of trying to develop a long-range missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Narushige Michishita, of Japan’s National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, said the display at the parade suggested the North plans to develop inter-continental ballistic missiles.

Michishita said the new missile currently had no military meaning because it was untested. And the North’s existing missile technology would not give it enough range to threaten the US heartland.

“And yet, psychologically it certainly has an impact as the media are running stories on it, and the North may intend to use it for diplomatic pressure,” he said. The North for years has used its missile and nuclear programs as bargaining chips with the United States. Bernard Loo, of the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, also saw the new missile as a political card. The North’s three previous long-range rocket launches, in 1998, 2006 and 2009, ended in failure. These suggested there was nothing to worry about militarily from the new weapon, Loo said. But much of its motivation for missile tests was a desire to gain leverage over South Korea and, more importantly, the United States.

“It’s a political card more than anything else,” Loo said, adding that the unveiling seemed deliberately timed following the failed satellite launch. Tim Huxley, of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, said the object on show Sunday may have been a mock-up or dummy supposed to represent the rocket launched Friday. It would not significantly change the security situation on the peninsula but “may serve to reinforce regionally and internationally a sense of the regime’s obduracy”.—AFP

Malaysia PM vows to review sedition law KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak yesterday pledged to review the country’s tough sedition law that critics say has been used to silence dissent as part of reforms to claw back votes. Parliament was also expected to pass a new law to replace the controversial Internal Security Act (ISA) that allowed for indefinite detention without trial of terror suspects and dissidents.

The slew of reforms follows Najib’s pledge last September to improve civil liberties in a country long known for authoritarian rule ahead of elections expected to be called soon.

“The government will continue to carry out these political reforms. As such, I would like to announce that the government will comprehensively review the Sedition Act,” he said in an address to lawmakers. However, Najib said the new law replacing the Sedition Act, which has been used against political opponents, would still be used against those who “bring hatred or insult” to the country’s monarchy and “promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between races or classes” in multi-ethnic Malaysia.

He did not say when the new act would be tabled or give further details. Najib said the

government would also replace the restrictive Printing Presses and Publications Act that requires all publications to be licensed annually, with a media council that will help self-regulate the industry. “We want to create a Malaysia where human rights principles are upheld, where an individual is free to gather peacefully and to express opinions openly while balancing the interests of the individual and community,” Najib added. Later Monday, parliament, where Najib’s coalition holds well over half of all seats, is expected to pass the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act to replace the colonialera ISA, which was heavily criticized by rights groups. The new act, tabled in parliament last week, stipulates suspects must be released or brought to court after 28 days in custody, and people cannot be detained for their political beliefs. The premier has been courting voters ahead of polls, which could take place within months and will likely be a tight battle against a resurgent opposition. Critics have slammed Najib’s reform pledges as ploys to garner voter support after the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition suffered its worst performance ever at the last polls in 2008.— AFP

MANILA: American and Filipino troops launched two weeks of annual naval drills yesterday amid a territorial stand-off between China and the Philippines as the United States seeks to reinforce its influence across the Asia-Pacific. The most recent dispute between China and the Philippines entered its second week, with a Philippine coast guard ship and two Chinese maritime surveillance vessels faced off near the Scarborough shoal, west of a former US navy base at Subic Bay, once the biggest outside the United States.

Chinese fishermen refused Manila’s request to hand over their haul, highlighting Manila’s powerlessness to confront its giant neighbor and its need to keep its main ally, the United States, sweet. China has territorial disputes with several countries in the South China Sea, which is believed to be rich in oil and gas and is crossed by important shipping lanes.

China has sought to resolve the disputes one-onone but there is concern among its neighbors over what some see as its growing assertiveness in staking its claims over the sea and various islands, reefs and shoals.

Philippine officials hope the war games, in which nearly 7,000 American and Filipino troops will simulate assaults for the first time in an area near the South China Sea, will become more frequent. “We need the US to bring stability and security,” said an army major-general who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the press. Before the Philippines voted to remove US bases in 1992, Chinese fishing boats kept clear of waters near the Scarborough shoal, the general said. “After the Americans went, China erected structures in Mischief Reef and Chinese fishermen became more bold and active in Scarborough,” he said. “I don’t want to wake up one day seeing new Chinese structures there.”

SURVEILLANCE After Manila failed to arrest the Chinese fishermen last week, Chinese surveillance ships stood their ground near the shoal and Chinese planes were seen circling on Saturday and Sunday. “We hope the relevant countries can do more to con-

tribute to regional peace and stability, and do more to enhance mutual trust,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters.

Richard Jacobson, of security consultancy Pacific Strategies and Assessments, said China’s only accomplishment in the dispute was to reinforce its image as a bully. “I guess you can argue that it was an embarrassment for the Philippines,” Jacobson said. “It really underscores their lack of capacity to enforce their maritime enforcement issues.” Aileen Baviera, of the Asian Centre at the University of the Philippines, said China’s actions were being shaped by the active US interest in the region and the close Philippine-US maritime security cooperation.

Twenty years after voting to remove the American bases, the Philippines wants to give US troops more access to its ports and airfields to deter China’s growing assertiveness. The defense and foreign secretaries of the two nations will hold a rare “two-plus-two” strategic dialogue in Washington on April 30, working to broaden rela-

tions. US President Barack Obama has sought to reassure Asian allies that the United States will stay a key player in the area, and the Pentagon has said it will “rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region”. China has repeatedly warned the United States over its arms sales to Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing calls an illegitimate breakaway from mainland sovereignty.

And China’s naval reach has extended as tensions over territorial claims have grown. China has advertised its long-term ambitions with shows of new hardware, including its first test flight of a stealth fighter jet and its launch of a fledgling aircraft carrier-both trials of technologies that remain years from deployment. In this year’s “Balikatan” (shoulder-to-shoulder) war games, US commandos will supervise Filipino counterparts in a mock assault to re-take an oil platform from a terrorist group on Palawan. The western island faces disputed areas of the South China Sea.— Reuters

SAN ANTONIO: US marines take their position during a amphibious landing simulation on the shores of San Antonio town, Zambales province, north of Manila as part of RP-US Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX). —AFP

East Timor holds run-off vote for new president DILI: Two former guerrilla leaders vied for East Timor’s presidency yesterday, each hoping to steer the young, often-troubled nation after UN peacekeeping troops begin their planned withdrawal later this year.

Francisco “Lu Olo” Guterres and Taur Matan Ruak - running neck-and-neck after incumbent Jose Ramos-Horta was knocked out in the first round of voting - joined small lines in the dusty capital, Dili, to cast their ballots.

While the role of president is largely ceremonial, the winner has the potential to help unify Asia’s newest and poorest nation, which is still

recovering from its 1999 break for independence following nearly a quarter-century of Indonesian occupation.

Withdrawing Indonesian troops and their militia proxies killed nearly 1,500, and the road to democracy has been anything but easy. Gang violence and splits in the army and police at times have turned deadly and six years ago resulted in the collapse of the government. Yesterday’s voting was largely peaceful, with only a few reported incidents - a vast improvement from the last polls.

While the homes of several political

DILI: An East Timorese puts his finger into ink after voting at a polling center in Dili yesterday. —AFP

supporters were set on fire during campaigning and rocks were thrown last week at Ruak’s headquarters, security forces were able to quickly bring the situation under control.

“The only real concern now is, if the voting is very close, we could see supporters of the losing team take this out publicly,” said Damien Kingsbury, an Australian academic familiar with East Timor politics. He said there have been unsubstantiated allegations on both sides of intimidation. Yesterday’s winner he has the ability, like Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ramos-Horta did, to lead the country at a crucial time. If July 7 parliamentary elections - to select a new government - are peaceful, Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith said recently discussions would begin about the withdrawal of 400 international peacekeepers still deployed in the country.

They could start heading home before the end of the year. Justino Menezes, who was among more than 700,000 eligible voters, said he wanted most to see his country develop economically. Many people earn less than 50 cents a day. Roads are still in disrepair. There is little access to clean water or health services. And the capital is littered with abandoned, burned-out buildings where the homeless squat. “It’s time to move forward, and to move forward without fear,” said Menezes, a 61-year-old farmer.

As was the case in the country’s two previous presidential elections, the candidates were both heroes in East Timor’s 24-year freedom fight. Lu Olo, the 57-year-old candidate for the opposition Fretilin party, spent nearly half his life battling Indonesian rule as a commander in the guerrilla army.

He is university-educated and has been active in politics in recent years.

“I will be a president for all the people, ensuring peace and prosperity,” Lu Olo said. “And when it comes to international diplomacy, my philosophy will be like that of my predecessor. We will have zero enemies.

Everyone is our friend.” Ruak, 55, former chief of the guerrilla force, is a relative newcomer and is running as an independent.

He called repeatedly during his campaign for universal military service, something that failed to resonate with many voters who see such words as reminders of war and civil strife. But he has the backing of several high-profile figures, including Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao. “I’m ready to lead,” Ruak said.

“But I appeal to the great people of our country to accept the result whatever it is. ... Let’s show the world that we are civilized and ready to promote our own democracy with dignity.” Counting began immediately after polls closed yesterday afternoon, with initial results expected by evening. Full results are expected by tomorrow.— Reuters

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TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

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Issues

Kim shows confident face despite fiasco

By Simon Martin orth Korea’s young new leader has shown a confident face to the world, despite a failed rocket launch that was a costly international embarrassment and deprived the nation of muchneeded US food aid. Kim Jong-Un gave an assured 20-minute address Sunday, his first public speech since taking charge of the impoverished but nucleararmed nation four months ago. The surprise address came at an elaborate mass military parade marking the centenary of the birth of his grandfather Kim IlSung, founder of the dynasty which has ruled the communist nation since it came into being in 1948.

Jong-Un smiled and chatted with military leaders and waved to the crowd from a balcony decorated with giant portraits of his father Kim Jong-Il and his grandfather. The North also invited an unprecedented number of foreign journalists to report on preparations for the satellite launch and the anniversary celebrations. They were told to surrender mobile phones and escorted everywhere they went. But officials allowed them unrestricted Internet and phone access from a specially equipped modern media centre.

When the rocket disintegrated last Friday, official media - unlike after previous satellite launch flops in 1998 and 2009 - admitted the exercise had failed. The announcement, albeit brief, was carried on the state news agency and TV news in what was widely seen as an unprecedentedly open response by the secretive state. After the launch, which went ahead in defiance of stern warnings from Western nations, the United States confirmed it would cancel a recent deal to send food aid in return for a moratorium on missile launches.

Jong-Un, aged in his late 20s, was thrust into the leadership unexpectedly early when his father died of a heart attack last December and must now prove his credentials. “I think the speech was designed to send a clear signal to the North Korean people and the world that he is firmly in control,” said Peter Beck, Korea representative for the Asia Foundation. “Only time will tell whether that is actually the case,” he told AFP. Beck said Sunday’s speech “does help compensate for the embarrassment the leadership must have felt after the rocket launch”.

Jong-Un praised his late grandfather for defeating “the most ferocious two imperialisms in one generation” - a reference to Japan’s occupation of Korea and the 1950-53 Korean War, in which Pyongyang claims it triumphed over Washington. He vowed to strengthen the military “in every possible way” and praised his nation’s nuclear program, saying enemies could no longer threaten his country with atomic bombs.

South Korean observers said it was the North’s biggest display of weapons some 880 - in a military parade, including a missile the North appeared to be displaying for the first time.

Jong-Un has a more outgoing image than his father, who spoke just once - a single sentence - at a major public occasion. He has been seen hugging soldiers, posing for photos with troops and linking arms with women. He physically resembles his grandfather, who still commands respect among some North Koreans for his past as an anti-Japanese guerrilla fighter and national founder. “Jong-Un’s style is clearly different from his father and is similar to his grandfather,” said Yang Moo-Jin of Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies. “He is quick in decision-making and especially is more media-friendly, probably because of his age,” Yang told AFP, adding that the quick admission of the launch failure showed him well informed about international opinion. “He appears to be more open than his father and is trying to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, who enjoyed genuine public support.”

The analyst said the launch failure was an apparent embarrassment but that Jong-Un had moved in accordance with a well-planned political schedule aimed at strengthening unity. “His confidence means the transfer of power has been completed and JongUn is firmly in power. He is also trying to show the world that the regime is stable,” Yang said. — AFP

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Arab revolts fail to stir divided Palestinians

By Noah Browning opular uprisings have transformed the Middle East and North Africa in the past year, unseating four veteran autocrats and capturing the imagination of a generation of youths. But the protests have left Palestinians - long at the centre of the Arab world’s main political conflict - unmoved.

Dejected by lingering political divisions and exhausted by decades of mostly fruitless rebellion against Israel, they appear to have lost their appetite to take their fight for change up another level.

“There’s no revolution here because the government is less oppressive than in Egypt or Syria, and anyway it’s Israel that deserves our anger,” said Mahmoud Bisher, 20, a student from the West Bank city of Hebron. “But we’re divided and there’s no coordination. This only serves the occupation’s interests,” he sighed, referring to the schism between the Fatah-dominated Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in the West Bank and the Islamist group Hamas in Gaza.

Small protests waged weekly in some of the villages pressed up against Israeli settlements and a separation barrier in the West Bank are among the few outlets for popular frustration, attracting a regular group of dedicated demonstrators. In Nabi Saleh, Fridays usually see a couple of dozen activists and children surge towards Israeli military positions waving banners and hurling stones, only to be quickly scattered by the advancing soldiers’ rubber bullets and tear gas.

“Resistance has been part of our strategy for more than 40 years,” village activist Faraj Tamimi said, flinching as a tear gas canister sailed low, crashing and hissing near his feet. A companion’s deft kick sent it back towards the Israelis to a roar of cheers from his friends. “But after such a long time being suppressed by the Israelis, we get tired of confrontation all the time. The leaders could support us more and we hope protests like these become wider and will have more popular support,” he added.

There is no sign of that happening, however, even though

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the last Intifadas, or uprisings, remain fresh in people’s memories. The first intifada in the 1980s resulted in the Oslo interim peace accords, but that was seen by many Palestinians as an appallingly bad deal. The second intifada resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Israelis and thousands of Palestinians between 2000-2005, and prompted Israel to erect a barrier in the West Bank. A call to rise up again, issued last month by Fatah strongman Marwan Bargouthi - who is serving five life terms in an Israeli prison for murders he committed during the last intifada - has pointedly failed to galvanise many Palestinians.

“They (the intifadas) had limited political impact, and that’s why people haven’t repeated them,” said Rami Khoury of the American University of Beirut. “The Palestinian leadership is directionless and as the occupation continues, civil society and independent groups have failed to provide much intellectual guidance to the people.” Officially-sanctioned rallies for the “Global March to Jerusalem” last month attracted only modest numbers in the West Bank - after hours of Palestinian stone-throwing and Israeli firing of rubber bullets, life quickly returned to normal. Unofficial demonstrations in the squares of Gaza City and Ramallah in the heady first days of the Arab uprisings calling for the estranged Hamas and Fatah factions to reconcile and unite also fizzled, in part due to tight police surveillance and arrests. Efforts to resolve the IsraeliPalestinian conflict through a negotiated peace deal are equally moribund. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas refuses to resume direct talks unless there is a halt to all Jewish settlement building in the occupied territories - a precondition that Israel rejects.

Palestinian leaders had hoped to provide some kind of rejoinder to the Arab Spring. But they failed to overcome internal divisions or to achieve UN recognition of their statehood after a high-profile campaign stalled in the face of US opposition. After any spring comes winter, and the scenes of death and destruction in Syria may also have discouraged those Palestinians eager to confront either their own leader-

ship or the Israelis.

Nervous about political discourse taking place outside its control, the PLO in the West Bank has discouraged independent protests while putting the rhetoric of resistance to work on its own faded image. In Bi’lin, a flashpoint for communitybased protests against Israeli settlements, a once-modest annual town meeting on popular resistance was mobbed this week by ruling Fatah party flags and government VIPs. Foreign envoys and ageing international solidarity activists occupied the front rows, listening to translations of speeches on headphones, while uninterested-looking Palestinian youths mostly chatted among themselves.

“Peaceful resistance goes side by side with efforts to...found a state,” Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told the small gathering. “This is the twin track of the political struggle conducted by the PLO - the single, legitimate representative for our people in all areas and forums,” he added. Fayyad is an economist. He knows that the greatest challenge to his government’s institution-building drive may yet be curbing public sector unrest if dwindling foreign aid finally affects its ability to pay salaries.

The PA failed to pay civil servants salaries in full and on time on several occasions last year and is facing an even more difficult financial environment in 2012, with its budget deficit projected to exceed $1 billion. “For 20 years after the peace accords, the Palestinian Authority has gone from concern for the collective to concern for itself, to stay in existence by collecting checks and paying salaries,” said Ibrahim Shikaki a lecturer at Al-Quds university and a youth organiser.

During Friday’s modest demonstration in Bil’in, resident Umm Samarra walked along a deserted path in her traditional dress and headscarf towards the Modi’in Illit settlement’s wall, as Israeli soldiers manning the ramparts with tear gas guns looked on. Asked if she felt abandoned by the Palestinian leadership, she shrugged: “We don’t know if the authorities support us or not, and we organise ourselves. Me, I’ve protested here for six years and I’m as strong as any man.” — Reuters

As ice cap melts, militaries vie for Arctic

By Eric Talmadge o the world’s military leaders, the debate over climate change is long over. They are preparing for a new kind of Cold War in the Arctic, anticipating that rising temperatures there will open up a treasure trove of resources, long-dreamed-of sea lanes and a slew of potential conflicts. By Arctic standards, the region is already buzzing with military activity, and experts believe that will increase significantly in the years ahead.

Last month, Norway wrapped up one of the largest Arctic maneuvers ever - Exercise Cold Response - with 16,300 troops from 14 countries training on the ice for everything from high intensity warfare to terror threats. Attesting to the harsh conditions, five Norwegian troops were killed when their C-130 Hercules aircraft crashed near the summit of Kebnekaise, Sweden’s highest mountain.

The US, Canada and Denmark held major exercises two months ago, and in an unprecedented move, the military chiefs of the eight main Arctic powers - Canada, the US, Russia, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland - gathered at a Canadian military base last week to specifically discuss regional security issues.

None of this means a shooting war is likely at the North Pole any time soon. But as the number of workers and ships increases in the High North to exploit oil and gas reserves, so will the need for policing, border patrols and - if push comes to shove - military muscle to enforce rival claims.

The US Geological Survey estimates that 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and 30 percent of its untapped natural gas is in the Arctic. Shipping lanes could be regularly open across the Arctic by 2030 as rising temperatures continue to melt the sea ice, according to a National Research Council analysis commissioned by the US Navy last year. What countries should do about climate change remains a heated political debate. But that has not stopped north-looking militaries from moving ahead with strategies that assume current trends will continue.

Russia, Canada and the United States have

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the biggest stakes in the Arctic. With its military budget stretched thin by Iraq, Afghanistan and more pressing issues elsewhere, the United States has been something of a reluctant northern power, though its nuclear-powered submarine fleet, which can navigate for months underwater and below the ice cap, remains second to none. Russia - one-third of which lies within the Arctic Circle - has been the most aggressive in establishing itself as the emerging region’s superpower.

Rob Huebert, an associate political science professor at the University of Calgary in Canada, said Russia has recovered enough from its economic troubles of the 1990s to significantly rebuild its Arctic military capabilities, which were a key to the overall Cold War strategy of the Soviet Union, and has increased its bomber patrols and submarine activity. He said that has in turn led other Arctic countries - Norway, Denmark and Canada - to resume regional military exercises that they had abandoned or cut

back on after the Soviet collapse. Even nonArctic nations such as France have expressed interest in deploying their militaries to the Arctic. “We have an entire ocean region that had previously been closed to the world now opening up,” Huebert said. “There are numerous factors now coming together that are mutually reinforcing themselves, causing a buildup of military capabilities in the region. This is only going to increase as time goes on.”

Noting that the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the globe, the US Navy in 2009 announced a beefed-up Arctic Roadmap by its own task force on climate change that called for a three-stage strategy to increase readiness, build cooperative relations with Arctic nations and identify areas of potential conflict. “We want to maintain our edge up there,” said Cmdr Ian Johnson, the captain of the USS Connecticut, which is one of the US Navy’s most Arctic-capable nuclear submarines and was deployed to the North Pole last year. “Our inter-

In this March 19, 2011 photo, crewmembers look out from the USS Connecticut, a Sea Wolf-class nuclear submarine, after it surfaced through ice in the Arctic Ocean. —AP

est in the Arctic has never really waned. It remains very important.”

But the US remains ill-equipped for largescale Arctic missions, according to a simulation conducted by the US Naval War College. A summary released last month found the Navy is “inadequately prepared to conduct sustained maritime operations in the Arctic” because it lacks ships able to operate in or near Arctic ice, support facilities and adequate communications. “The findings indicate the Navy is entering a new realm in the Arctic,” said Walter Berbrick, a War College professor who participated in the simulation. “Instead of other nations relying on the US Navy for capabilities and resources, sustained operations in the Arctic region will require the Navy to rely on other nations for capabilities and resources.”

He added that although the US nuclear submarine fleet is a major asset, the Navy has severe gaps elsewhere - it doesn’t have any icebreakers, for example. The only one in operation belongs to the Coast Guard. The US is currently mulling whether to add more icebreakers.

Acknowledging the need to keep apace in the Arctic, the United States is pouring funds into figuring out what climate change will bring, and has been working closely with the scientific community to calibrate its response.

“The Navy seems to be very on board regarding the reality of climate change and the especially large changes we are seeing in the Arctic,” said Mark C Serreze, director of the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences University of Colorado.

“There is already considerable collaboration between the Navy and civilian scientists and I see this collaboration growing in the future.”

The most immediate challenge may not be war - both military and commercial assets are sparse enough to give all countries elbow room for a while - but whether militaries can respond to a disaster. Heather Conley, director of the Europe program at the London-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said militaries probably will have to rescue their own citizens in the Arctic before any confrontations arise there.—AP

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

NEWS

North Korean performers sing at a theatre during celebrations to mark the 100th birth anniversary of the country’s founding leader Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang yesterday. — AFP

Norway killer defiant as massacre trial opens Continued from Page 1 on his heart then extended his hand in salute. “I do not recognise the Norwegian courts. You have received your mandate from political parties which support multiculturalism,” Breivik told the court after refusing to stand when judges entered. “I acknowledge the acts but not criminal guilt as I claim self defence,” he added, seated in front of a bulletproof glass wall. Occasionally suppressing a yawn, cracking his knuckles and sipping water, he stared down at the indictment papers, following without visible emotion the list of his killings as the prosecutor read out each one. Some details were so graphic that Norwegian television bleeped out descriptions of the massacres.

In the 1,500-page manifesto he posted online shortly before the attacks, Breivik described the gesture as “the clenched fist salute” of the Knights Templar organisation, of which he claims to be a member but which the prosecution argued does not exist. The defendant remained stone-faced for almost an hour as prosecutors read aloud a long list of names of the dead and injured and recalled chilling details of his massacre.

But he then lost his composure when his self-made movie was screened. His face red with emotion, Breivik’s lips trembled and he wiped away tears as photographs of Islamists set to music were projected on a large screen. Breivik’s main lawyer, Geir Lippestad, told reporters after the first trial day that his client appeared to have cried over his feelings that his attacks were “cruel but necessary ... to save Europe from an ongoing war.”

Some of the survivors and victims’ relatives also said they did not interpret the tears as remorse. “I personally feel that him crying was basically him being moved by what he had accomplished. It was not a sign of regret at all,” John Kyrre Lars Hestnes of the July 22 Support Group told AFP. On July 22, Breivik killed eight people when he set off a bomb in a van parked at the foot of buildings housing the offices of Labour Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, who was not present at the time. He then travelled to Utoeya where, dressed as a police officer, he spent more than an hour methodically shooting at hundreds of people attending a ruling Labour Party youth

summer camp. The shooting spree claimed the lives of 69 people, trapped on the small heart-shaped island surrounded by icy waters. It was the deadliest massacre ever committed by a lone gunman.

Prosecutor Svein Holden played a haunting recording of an emergency call to police placed by a young woman on the island, Renate Taarnes, as bullets whizzed around her. “Come quickly! ... There’s shooting all the time,” she whispered desperately, as numerous shots could be heard in the background. She survived.

Survivors and relatives of the dead also gasped as previously unreleased surveillance footage was shown of people walking towards Breivik’s parked van as it exploded outside the government block.

Four court-appointed psychiatrists sitting in the courtroom - who have drawn two contradictory conclusions about whether he is sane - observed Breivik to monitor his reactions. The court also heard Breivik’s own calls to police asking to give himself up. “I have completed my operation and I want to surrender,” Breivik said in a calm voice after a first call was cut off. Before police could arrest him, he went on to kill five more people.

“The accused has committed very serious crimes of a degree we have not seen in our country in modern times,” one of the two prosecutors, Inga Bejer Engh, told the court.

Fifty-six of the shooting victims were under the age of 20, and the youngest victim had just celebrated his 14th birthday, she said. Several relatives of victims wept quietly as they listened to Engh. The trial was adjourned to today, when Breivik will start testifying. It is due to last 10 weeks and focus primarily on his sanity, which will determine if he will get a 21-year jail term which could then be extended indefinitely if he is still considered a threat to society. If he is found insane he could receive closed psychiatric care, possibly for life.

Breivik wants to be found sane and accountable for his actions so that his ideology and manifesto will not be considered the ravings of a lunatic. During the trial, “he will not only defend (his actions) but will also lament, I think, not going further,” his lawyer Geir Lippestad said last week. The five judges will have to decide whether he is sane and accountable when they hand down their verdict sometime in July. — Agencies

Korean-American Kim chosen next World...

Continued from Page 1 The US nomination of Kim, breaking the pattern of the 11 American bankers and diplomats who have come before him, had surprised many, as he was little known outside global health circles and has no background in development economics. But the South Korea-born, USraised physician and anthropologist, with degrees from Harvard University, has a strong record in developing programs to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in poor countries. He said after being nominated that he had the ability to work with economists and other specialists in running the Bank, which has a staff of 9,000 and a loan portfolio that hit $258 billion in 2011, including $43 billion in new loans and grants.

“I will come with an open mind and apply my medical and social-science training to take an evidence-based approach,” he said, before embarking on a globe-spanning trip to convince other countries to back him.

“There’s just no comparison between him and any of the prior World Bank presidents,” Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington said yesterday. “The others were political insiders; they spent most of their lives getting rich or becoming politically powerful, or worse. Kim, by contrast, has spent most of his life trying to improve the lives of poor people.”

There had been little doubt about the Bank’s choice of Kim. By a longstanding pact Washington has chosen the head of the World Bank while Europe has held control of who leads its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund. On Friday Ocampo pulled out of the race, saying the decision would be made on politics and not merit. Okonjo-Iweala said the same earlier yesterday. “You know this thing is not really being decided on merit,” she told reporters in Abuja. “It is voting with political weight and shares and therefore the United States will get it.” Even so, after earlier promising the Bank’s directors would decide by “consensus”, there was no mention of the word in the announcement, suggesting that some directors held out for Okonjo-Iweala, who spent more than two decades working at the Bank.

In reactions to the choice, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Kim would “breathe new life” into the Bank. Zoellick said “his rigorous, science-based drive for results will be invaluable for the World Bank Group as it modernizes to better serve client countries in overcoming poverty”. But the global development agency Oxfam called the selection process a “sham” even as it praised Kim. “Dr Kim is an excellent choice for World Bank president and a true development hero,” said Oxfam’s Elizabeth Stuart. “But we’ll never know if he was the best candidate for the job, because there was no true and fair competition.” — AFP

Mislem questions Blair deal with government Continued from Page 1 the Assembly can recommend to suspend Subaie.

The minister explained that Subaie’s term at the helm of the company had been renewed for a fresh three-year term, but added that the decision was taken in December and ratified by the Kuwait Investment Authority in January.

In another development, the criminal court yesterday fined Al-Shahed newspaper and former MP Saadoun Hammad KD 10,000 each after the newspaper published a story that the Qatari premier paid 200 million riyals to a man known as Musallam. The story was later repeated by Hammad. The case was filed by the Qatari prime minister.

MP Nabeel Al-Fadl meanwhile asked the interior minister if any member of the current or previous Assembly holds American citizenship besides the Kuwaiti nationality. The lawmaker also asked for copies of the correspondence the ministry plans to undertake with the US embassy about the issue and if not, it should explain the procedure it adopted in confirming its answers. Also, MP Falah Al-Sawwagh claimed that he has learned that the Syrian regime has threatened MP Mubarak Al-Waalan. Sawwagh warned that he will hold the interior ministry responsible if any untoward incident takes place. The Assembly meanwhile starts today the delayed debate on the Amiri address that was delivered at the opening of the new Assembly about two months ago.

Clashes as observers begin work in Syria DAMASCUS: Syrian forces were locked in fierce gunfights yesterday with rebels in one city and shelled another, as the UN chief urged “maximum restraint” after the arrival of observers to oversee a truce aimed at ending 13 months of bloodshed.

President Bashar al-Assad’s forces killed at least 12 civilians and were fighting rebels at Idlib in the northwest, while also shelling the flashpoint central city of Homs, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Since a UN-backed ceasefire came into force at dawn Thursday, at least 55 people, mostly civilians, have died in violence that prompted UN chief Ban Ki-moon to urge Syria to ensure the truce does not collapse, the Observatory said. It said yesterday that 11,117 people have been killed in 13 months of unrest - 7,972 civilians and 3,145 military and gunmen, including fewer than 600 rebel fighters.

In Brussels, Ban called on Damascus to exercise “maximum restraint” and the opposition to “fully cooperate” to cement the shaky ceasefire. An advance team of six international observers arrived in Damascus late on Sunday, the United Nations said. The delegation - the first of 30 monitors the UN Security Council approved on Saturday - will set up a headquarters and prepare routines to verify a cessation of hostilities. “They’ve arrived and they will start work (yesterday) morning,” UN peacekeeping department spokesman Kieran Dwyer said. “The other monitors in the advance party are still expected in Syria in coming days.”

The remainder would come from around the Middle East and Africa “so we can move people quickly and they

DAMASCUS: UN observers led by Moroccan Col Ahmed Himmiche (center) leave the Sheraton Hotel yesterday. — AP are experienced in the region,” he told AFP. Their mission is just one part of the six-point peace plan that Syria agreed with UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan. The former UN chief wants more than 200 observers to be deployed in Syria, but the Security Council has said there would be a full mission only if the violence halts. The United States warned yesterday that heightened violence in Syria threatens the sending of the full mission. New attacks by government forces “call into question the wisdom and viability” of sending the full force, said the US ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice.

The observers were welcomed by Syria, which hoped they would see for themselves the “crimes” committed by “armed terrorist groups,” said the state news agency SANA. They face a perilous task, with Western nations doubting Assad’s commitment to the ceasefire amid reports his forces have kept

battering rebel strongholds and clashed with rebels. A spike in deadly violence forced the Arab League to end its own Syrian monitoring mission in late January, barely a month after sending observers.

Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, told a press conference in Rome yesterday that the chances for success for the Annan peace plans were “no higher than three percent”. Yesterday, security forces killed two civilians when they fired on a car in Hama, while a third passenger later died of wounds, said the Observatory. In the same province, security forces killed a 16-year-old youth after it opened fire at random in the village of Khatab, said the Observatory. Elsewhere, fierce gunfights broke out at dawn between forces loyal to Assad and rebels in the northwestern city of Idlib, is said. Four civilians were shot dead by security forces during the gunfight. — AFP

UAE says island spat threatens global...

Continued from Page 1 Abu Dhabi earlier recalled its ambassador to Tehran and lodged a protest with the United Nations over Ahmadinejad’s visit, stressing that the territorial dispute should be resolved in talks or at the International Court of Justice. On Sunday, Sheikh Abdullah met ambassadors representing Security Council member states in Abu Dhabi to convey the “UAE’s condemnation of this provocative visit”, WAM

said. Tehran has insisted that Ahmadinejad’s trip, during which he said historical documents proved “the Persian Gulf is Persian”, is a purely “domestic issue”.

Foreign ministers of the six Gulf Cooperation Council states are to hold a special meeting in the Qatari capital today to discuss the dispute. Both Iran and the UAE claim territorial sovereignty over Abu Musa and two other islands in the southern Gulf. Iran, then under the rule of the Western-backed

shah, gained control in 1971 of the islands of Abu Musa, Lesser Tunb and Greater Tunb, as Britain granted independence to its Gulf protectorates and withdrew its forces. Abu Musa, the only inhabited island of the three, was placed under joint administration in a deal with Sharjah, now part of the UAE. Abu Dhabi says the Iranians have since taken control of the entire island which controls access to the oil-rich Gulf and have built an airport and military base there. — Agencies

Protesters scale Bahrain embassy in UK Continued from Page 1 the event as a sign of stability in the island nation.

London’s Metropolitan Police said yesterday that it was preparing a statement on the embassy incident. Rescue officials said they had two ambulances standing by at Belgrave Square, which is also home to the embassies of Syria and Germany, among others. Phone calls to the Bahraini Embassy were not answered.

Meanwhile, Bahrain’s hosting of the Formula One Grand Prix is a “time bomb”, the International Crisis Group warned in a statement yesterday that detailed lingering tensions and violence in the Gulf state. “Beneath a facade of normalisation, Bahrain is sliding towards another dangerous eruption of violence,” the international think tank said, urging the government in Manama to heed to calls for reform. “The government acts as if partial implementation of recommendations from the November 2011 Independent Commission of Inquiry... will suffice to restore tranquillity, but there is every reason to believe it is wrong.”

The commission probed last year’s month-long Shiiteled democracy protests and found that police used “excessive force” and tortured detainees in the crackdown that left 35 people dead, including five from torture. The Shiite Muslim-majority kingdom of Bahrain is ruled by a Sunni dynasty. King Hamad has pledged to press on with political reforms, in line with the commission’s recommendations

amid criticism from UN rights bodies and international organisations that Manama has not lived up to expectations.

The ICG said hosting the event is one of “two potential time bombs” - the other being Khawaja’s fate - and spoke of “internal disagreements over the wisdom of proceeding” with the race. “On 8 April, the Coalition of the Youth of the February 14 Revolution, an umbrella for an array of opposition groups that commands the loyalty of Shiite neighbourhoods, warned that it would consider participants, sponsors and spectators as regime allies and declared that it would not accept blame for ‘any violent reaction’ during the event,” said the ICG. Bahrain “is trying to make the competition a symbol of national unity... Instead it is underscoring deep divides and risks further inflaming the situation,” it said. In the run-up to the race there have been clashes between protesters and security forces, with the ICG saying confrontations “occur nightly”.

Earlier this month seven policemen were wounded in what Bahrain authorities called a “terrorist attack” in the Shiite village of Akr south of Manama. The ICG said the attack “crossed a significant threshold and could be followed by worse”. It also warned that Khawaja’s death “would spark a serious intensification in anti-regime activism”. “The only path out of the current crisis is a return to dialogue and negotiations over real political reforms” that must include the release of political prisoners, the ICG said. — Agencies

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

sp orts Gebrselassie to make final 10,000m bow LONDON: Twice Olympic and four-times world 10,000 metres champion Haile Gebrselassie plans to run his final competitive track race over the distance in Hengelo, Netherlands, next month.

The Ethiopian, who will turn 39 tomorrow, dominated over 25 laps in the 1990s before switching to road racing and the marathon after the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

“This will be my last 10,000 metres race,” Gebrelassie told a news conference in Vienna on Monday, the day after he beat women’s marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe in their half-marathon headto-head in the Austrian capital. The Briton was given a head start of seven minutes 52 seconds. “But I still feel good.

There is only a small difference compared to 2011. I am just a bit slower now.” Gebrselassie will run the 10,000 at the Fanny BlankersKoen Games in Hengelo on May 27. — Reuters

Bangladesh coach Law to step down in June

Happy Hamilton on top SHANGHAI: A more mature Lewis Hamilton has harnessed the power of family and friends to lift him back on top of the Formula One world championship.

McLaren’s 2008 champion leads the overall standings after taking his third successive third place finish in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix. The bottom rung of the podium may not feel like much of an achievement for an all-out racer like Hamilton but the 27-year-old has learnt that consistency wins titles as much as victories.

So, too, does having the right people around him. Hamilton was managed by his father Anthony, who had steered him through the junior series and accompanied him on every step of the journey to Formula One, until 2010 when the driver decided a break was needed. In China, they were together again. “I think just everything’s better this year. The team are better, the car is better and I’m a lot better. I’ve got my Dad here, you know, and that’s not fake.

That’s real, a good bond we’ve got now and on the up,” he told British reporters after the race. “Things are great with my mum, things are great with my girlfriend, so things are great and that’s reflecting in my performances I think.” Hamilton senior, who also manages British Force India driver Paul Di Resta, had not planned to attend a race before the start of the European season until he got the call from his son inviting him to Shanghai. — Reuters

DHAKA: Australian Stuart Law will step down as the national cricket coach of Bangladesh in June to spend more time with his family, the former batsman said yesterday.

Law, who played one test and 54 oneday internationals for his country, took over as head coach of Bangladesh last July, agreeing to a two -year contrac t when he replaced compatriot Jamie Siddons.

“It is a personal reason as to why I am standing down. Living away from the family and not seeing people growing up... I think we all understand that family comes first,” Law told reporters.

“Cricket has been a huge part of my l i fe b u t o v e r t h e ye a r s I h a v e realised that there is nothing more important than the family and if they are not happy then I am not happy, and something had to give.” — Reuters

Tigers stop White Sox CHICAGO: Detroit’s Gerald Laird homered among his three hits to power the Tigers to a 5-2 win over Chicago on Sunday, ending the White Sox four-game winning streak. Laird homered to left against Chris Sale (1-1) leading off the third.

His efforts were backed by a strong outing by Rick Porcello (10), who was sharp and aggressive, not issuing any walks in 7-2/3 innings.

The White Sox brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Jose Valverde struck out Dayan Viciedo to end the game.

Sherwood wins Dubai stop of $1 million World Tour DUBAI: New Zealand’s Levi Sherwood was the winner of the 2012 season opener of the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour in Dubai (UAE). The former ‘wunderkind’ of FMX got his first victory since 2010.

Dubai, UAE - Under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, Levi Sherwood won the 2012 season opener of the $1 million World Tour in front of 20,000 spectators. Sherwood presented a brilliant performance on a stunning dirt track set up on the white sands of the Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residence, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Majed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and His Highness Sheikh Rashid Bin Saud Al Mualla, Umm Al Quwain’s Crown Prince.

Kicking off the six-month long season with its six stops on four continents, Dubai gave Sherwood his fourth career victory and first since triumphing in London in 2010. Australia’s Rob Adelberg was a surprise second while Javier Villegas of Chile got his first podium with third place.

“It was an outstanding competition”, said Alberto Chahoud, Regional Communications Manager for Red Bull Middle East and Africa. “I would like to thank His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his generous patronage. Special tribute goes to all concerned local authorities for their great contribution, as well as to all partners and sponsors, mainly “du”. We

hope we have managed to offer our fans an adrenaline-filled experience.”

It was a night filled with upsets as defending World Tour champion Dany Torres of Spain and Norway’s Andre Villa, a leading title contender, were both knocked out in the quarter-finals, finishing eighth and fifth, respectively. Villa had earlier wept with tears of joy after taking second in Qualifying, overcome with emotions that he was able to ride well again after suffering a leg injury last season.

Sherwood was clearly on top of his game in the sweltering heat of Dubai, able to once again display his incomparable flexible and fluid style in the world’s most prestigious Freestyle Motocross competition that will have a total purse of $1 million based on performances and appearance fee.

“It means a lot,” said a beaming Sherwood, 20, after celebrating with the spirited crowd that savored the spectacle with riders jumping up to 12 meters high and 20 meters in distance on their bikes.

“I didn’t have much confidence coming into it,” added the friendly New Zealander.

Villegas was thrilled to get the first podium. “After years of sacrifice, I finally made it,” he said. “I’m not going to stop here. I want to be on the podium all season.” Red Bull X-Fighters has become the biggest and most respected freestyle motocross tour on the planet since it was created in 2001 with the best FMX riders anywhere battling for championship points at six stops on four continents.

Blue Jays 9, Orioles 2 In Toronto, Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer and Brett Lawrie added a solo shot in Toronto’s win over Baltimore.

The Blue Jays used a seven-run sixth inning to avoid what would have been their first three-game sweep by the Orioles in seven years.

Toronto starter Kyle Drabek (20) allowed one earned run in 7 13 innings, striking out six.

Baltimore’s Brian Matusz (0-2) allowed five runs in 5 2-3 innings, extending his winless streak to 11 starts.

Rangers 4, Twins 3 In Minneapolis, Josh Hamilton’s two-run homer in the eighth capped a three-run inning that lifted Texas over Minnesota.

Glen Perkins (0-1) walked a batter to start the eighth, and

Elvis Andrus followed with an RBI triple to bring the Rangers within one. Then Hamilton hit the first pitch he saw from Perkins into the upper deck above right field.

Robbie Ross (2-0) struck out three in two scoreless innings for

a solo homer with two outs in the third off Graham Godfrey (0-2).

Blake Beavan (1-1) threw seven strong innings.

Red Sox 6, Rays 4 In Boston, David Ortiz doubled

CHICAGO: White Sox starter Chris Sale delivers a pitch against the Detroit Tigers during the fifth inning of a baseball game. The Tigers won 5-2. —AP his second win in two days, and the Rangers completed their first series sweep in Minnesota in 13 years.

Mariners 5, Athletics 3 In Seattle, Brendan Ryan hit a two-run homer and Justin Smoak added a solo shot as Seattle defeated Oakland. Smoak snapped a skid of 11 straight atbats without a hit when he lined

in the go-ahead run for his seventh consecutive hit as Boston won its third straight game over Tampa Bay. Mike Aviles hit his second solo homer in two days from the leadoff spot. He moved there when Jacoby Ellsbury was injured.

Vicente Padilla (1-0) pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings for the win.

Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore (0-1) gave up six runs in 6 1-3 innings

in only the third regular-season start of his career.

Yankees 11, Angels 5 In New York, Derek Jeter hit a three-run homer to extend his fast start and power New York to victory over Los Angeles.

Jeter also doubled during a four-run rally to help the Yankees take two of three in an early series between high-priced teams expected to challenge for the American League pennant.

New York starter Ivan Nova (20) struck out eight over six innings to win his 14th straight decision. Angels starter Jerome Williams (0-1) made his season debut and was gone in the third inning.

Indians 13, Royals 7 In Kansas City, Travis Hafner hit one of the longest home runs in Kauffman Stadium history to highlight Cleveland’s win over Kansas City which completed a three-game sweep.

Shelly Duncan also homered and drove in three runs for the Indians, who were so dominant that the Royals had to resort to using outfielder Mitch Maier as a pitcher in the ninth.

Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0) was back from a five-game suspension and took the win despite conceding nine hits and three walks in five innings. Kansas City starter Luis Mendoza (0-2) was pulled after four-plus innings, permitting nine runs and four walks. —AP

Dodgers triple play sinks Padres LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Dodgers turned a bizarre triple play in the top of the ninth inning as they beat the San Diego Padres 5-4 on Sunday, completing a three game sweep. It was 4-4 when the Dodgers turned their first triple play in 15 years.

San Diego’s Chris Denorfia led off with a single against Javy Guerra (1-0) and Chase Headley walked. With two men on base, Jesus Guzman then squared to bunt, but the high, tight pitch hit his bat as he backed away.

The ball landed fair in front of the plate and the catcher picked it up and threw to third for the out. The third baseman threw to second for the second out, and the ball was relayed to first where Guzman was out because he had been stunned by the pitch and hadn’t run to the base.

In the bottom of the inning, Dee Gordon singled home the winning run. Brad Brach (01) was the loser for the Padres, who have lost four straight.

Reds 8, Nationals 5 In Washington, Joey Votto hit a two-run double in the 11th inning to lift Cincinnati to victory, avoiding a four-game sweep by Washington.

The Reds, who had scored just 10 runs in losing five of six, scored their most runs in a game this season. Drew Stubbs, who had been 1 for 15 in the series, singled off Tyler Clippard (1-1) to open the 11th. After an unsuccessful bunt, Zack Cozart singled and Votto doubled to left. Scott Rolen followed with an RBI single.

Jose Arrendondo (1-0) threw a scoreless 10th for the win. Sean Marshall worked the 11th for his first save of the season.

SAN DIEGO: Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon throw to first after getting the force out on San Diego Padres’ Nick Hundley at second to complete an inning ending double play in the second inning of a baseball game. —AP in for the injured Lance Berkman, Carpenter is batting .409 with 10 RBIs in 22 at-bats. Cubs starter Paul Maholm (0-2) surrendered six runs in four innings.

Phillies 8, Mets 2 In Philadelphia, Cole Hamels pitched seven strong innings to lead Philadelphia past New York. Hamels (1-1) struck out 10. It was the 19th double-digit strikeout game of his career.

Ty Wigginton drove in four runs for the Phillies, who scored twice in the seventh inning against Mets reliever Ramon Ramirez (1-1). The Phillies blew the game open with five unearned runs in the eighth off two Mets relievers.

Diamondbacks 5, Rockies 2 In Denver, Trevor Cahill earned his first win with Arizona, pitching the visitors past Colorado. Acquired from Oakland in the offseason, Cahill (1-0) held the Rockies to four singles in 7 1-3 innings.

Chris Young homered and drove in three runs as the Diamondbacks avoided a series sweep. Colorado’s Drew Pomeranz, making his first start of the season, lasted only 4 1-3 innings and threw 100 pitches.

Cardinals 10, Cubs 3 In St. Louis, Jake Westbrook allowed one earned run in seven strong innings to steer St. Louis past Chicago. Westbrook (2-0) pounded his sinker for 12 groundball outs.

Rookie Matt Carpenter homered, tripled and drove in five runs for the Cardinals. Filling

Braves 7, Brewers 4 In Atlanta, Chipper Jones hit a three-run homer in his return after missing two games, lifting Atlanta above Milwaukee.

Brandon Beachy (1-1) pitched seven strong innings, giving up only one unearned run for the Braves, who have won five straight after losing their first four. Chris Narveson (1-1)

gave up five runs in four innings for the Brewers, who have lost four straight.

Marlins 5, Astros 4 In Miami, Omar Infante and Hanley Ramirez hit Miami’s first homers in its new ballpark, activating the much-discussed gaudy home run sculpture and beating Houston in 11 innings.

Ramirez tied the game in the eighth with a two-run homer, then singled home the winning run with one out in the 11th.

It was the last of five games without suspended manager Ozzie Guillen. The Marlins went 2-3 in that spell. David Carpenter (0-1) was the loser. The Astros loaded the bases with two outs in the 11th, but failed to score against Chad Gaudin (1-0).

Pirates 4, Giants 1 In San Francisco, Pittsburgh ended a fivegame skid by beating San Francisco. Kevin Correia (1-0) gave up only one run in six innings. Garrett Jones hit his first homer of the season off Ryan Vogelsong (0-1). —AP

17

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

SPORTS

A rare tragedy at sea hits US sailing community

SAN FRANCISCO: This frame grab image provided by the US Coast Guard shows one of three crew members from the yacht Low Speed Chase being rescued from the Farallon Islands west of San Francisco. —AP

SAN FRANCISCO: A century-old tradition, the Full Crew Farallones Race has never been for the faint of heart: Winds averaging 10 to 20 knots and churning 14-foot (4.25-meter) Pacific Ocean swells are among the rough conditions typically braved by yachts and their crews during the daylong regatta, a spring favorite of skilled sailors.

But on Saturday, powerful waves and a disastrous series of events brought rare tragedy to the august race and the San Francisco Bay area’s large sailing community.

One crew member died and four others remained missing at sea Sunday after two strong waves swept them from their boat near the rocky Farallon Islands, the halfway point of the 54-mile (87-kilometer) race that began at daybreak in San Francisco and had 49 entrants.

It was the first known fatality in the 143year history of the San Francisco Yacht Club, which managed the race for the Offshore Yacht Racing Association and where the yacht involved in the accident, the 38-foot (11.5-meter) Low Speed Chase, was based, club director Ed Lynch said.

“The race community is a very tight-knit group of people, and obviously this tragedy has reached far and wide around the world,” Lynch said. “It’s an event that will give everybody pause.”

Low Speed Chase’s owner and captain, 41-year-old James Bradford of Chicago, was among the three survivors whom the U.S. Coast Guard, assisted by National Guard helicopters, pulled from one of the islands about 300 feet (90 meters) from their damaged vessel, Lynch said.

Bradford and another crew member were

briefly treated at a hospital, while the third survivor was admitted overnight with a broken leg and contusions, he said.

The seven men and one woman on board ranged in age from their 20s to their 40s, according to Lynch. He said the County Coroner’s Office has identified the crew member whose dead body was pulled from the water as Marc Kasanin, 46, of California.

The crew members who are still missing are: Alan Cahill California.; Jordan Fromm of California.; Elmer Morrissey, who is from Ireland; and Alexis Busch of California who was the only woman aboard the Low Speed Chase, Lynch said.

Lynch said the yacht club, which is located just over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco in Belvedere, has 1,400 members and is a place where “lawyers, carpenters and doctors can all have a beer together and talk about their love of sailing.” But Saturday’s race was likely to attract the most dedicated recreational sailors, he said.

“The Farallon Islands are a destination to go and sail around, and it is certainly some of the toughest conditions around in a sailing environment,” Lynch said. “It’s not for everybody, but for the people who do it, it’s a thrill.”

The conditions during Saturday’s race were typically rough, but Low Speed Chase ran into trouble when it was broadsided by a large wave and some crew members were swept overboard, he said.

As the boat was turning around to get them, a second wave flung all but one of the remaining crew members into the water and the yacht aground, Lynch said. At least one other boat in the race witnessed the acci-

dent, but was unable to render aid without endangering its crew, he said.

The vessel master told investigators the yacht was rolled several times by the waves, the Coast Guard said. A Mayday call went out at about 3 p.m. PDT on Saturday, Coast Guard Petty Officer Levi Read said. Three helicopters, a surveillance plan, two patrol boats and a larger cutter were visually searching a 15-mile (24-kilometer) by 30-mile (48-kilometer) swath of water around the islands, as well as shoreline areas Sunday for the missing crew members.

The entire crew was believed to have been wearing life vests and foul weather gear, which made rescuers optimistic they may find more survivors, Read said.

“We wouldn’t have all the assets we have out there now if we weren’t hopeful,” he said.

The Farallon Islands are a series of steep, rocky outcroppings visible from San Francisco on a clear day and uninhabited except for a manned research station. Part of a national wildlife refuge and closed to the public, the islands are home to vast quantities of sea birds and are surrounded by waters rich with seals and sea lions, and sharks that feed on them.

Search crews have encountered plenty of wildlife in their search for the missing crew members, but have not reported seeing any sharks that would pose additional danger to anyone stuck in the water, Read said.

Low Speed Chase remains grounded on one of the islands while the search for survivors continues, he said. Search crews reported that the boat is intact, although Read said it is probably wrecked.—AP

Lakers down Mavs in OT LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Lakers won their fourth straight game without Kobe Bryant, beating the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks 112-108 in overtime on Sunday.

Andrew Bynum had 23 points and 16 rebounds while Pau Gasol made back-to-back 3-pointers in overtime for the Lakers.

Los Angeles rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit before finishing off a four-game season sweep of the Mavericks, who bounced the Lakers out of last season’s playoffs.

Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points on 9-of-28 shooting and 14 rebounds for Dallas but Jason Terry missed a potential tying layup at the rim with 5 seconds left in overtime.

missed two crucial free throws late in the fourth quarter.

Nuggets 101, Rockets 86 In Denver, Arron Afflalo scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half, leading Denver over Houston

in the Western Conference, half a game behind Dallas.

The teams are clinging to the final two playoff spots in the West, trying to fend off fast-charging Phoenix and Utah.

Ty Lawson also scored 20

Hornets 88, Grizzlies 75 In New Orleans, the hosts upset playoff-contending Memphis. Eric Gordon scored 18 points for the Hornets, who pulled away in the fourth quarter. Carl Landry had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Rudy Gay scored 24 points for the Grizzlies, who had won five of six.

LOS ANGELES: Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki shoots a three pointer over Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol during the first half of an NBA basketball game. —AP in the opener of a crucial two games between playoff hopefuls.

With the win, the Nuggets took sole possession of seventh place

points for Denver, which has won five straight at home. Chase Budinger and Luis Scola each scored 19 to lead the Rockets,

NBA results/standings Miami 93, NY Knicks 85; LA Lakers 112, Dallas 108 (Overtime); Chicago 100, Detroit 94 (Overtime); Orlando 100, Cleveland 84; Sacramento 104, Portland 103; Toronto 102, Atlanta 86; Boston 94, Charlotte 82; New Orleans 88, Memphis 75; Denver 101, Houston 86.

Eastern Conference Atlantic Division W L PCT Boston 36 25 .590 Philadelphia 31 28 .525 NY Knicks 31 29 .517 New Jersey 22 39 .361 Toronto 22 39 .361

Chicago Indiana Milwaukee Detroit Cleveland

Miami Atlanta Orlando Washington Charlotte

Raptors 102, Hawks 86 In Atlanta, DeMar DeRozan scored 23 points to lift injury-riddled Toronto over Atlanta. Alan Anderson, one of three Toronto players whose 10-day contract is about to expire, added 16 points for the Raptors.

Josh Smith scored 12 of his 26 points in the first quarter for the Hawks, but they never led and allowed Toronto to shoot 55 percent (41 for 74).

Magic 100, Cavaliers 84 In Cleveland, Orlando clinched a playoff berth with a win over Cleveland. Jameer Nelson scored 21 points for the Magic, who led from the start despite star center Dwight Howard being absent again with a herniated disk in his back.

Howard and forward Hedo Turkoglu (facial fracture) are sidelined indefinitely. Coach Stan Van Gundy said he’s preparing to play the rest of the regular season and the playoffs without the two.

Antawn Jamison led the Cavaliers with 21 points.

Heat 93, Knicks 85 In New York, Miami clinched the Southeast Division title by beating New York. LeBron James had 29 points and 10 rebounds while Dwyane Wade added 28 points and nine boards for the Heat, who pulled away in the fourth quarter of a possible playoff preview. Miami is second in the Eastern Conference and New York came into the game tied for seventh, although they fell back behind Philadelphia after the loss.

Carmelo Anthony scored 42 points but had only two baskets in the fourth quarter for the Knicks, who had won nine straight at home.

Bulls 100, Pistons 94 In Auburn Hills, Michigan, Derrick Rose hit a tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, and Chicago went on to win in overtime, beating Detroit for the 15th straight time.

Rose finished with 24 points while Joakim Noah had 20 points and 17 rebounds for the Bulls, who stayed 3-1/2 games ahead of Miami in the race for top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Rodney Stuckey scored 32 points for the Pistons, but he

who had won four straight on the road.

Central Division 46 14 .767 38 22 .633 29 31 .483 22 38 .367 20 39 .339 Southeast Division 42 17 .712 35 25 .583 35 25 .583 14 46 .233 7 52 .119

GB 4 4.5 14 14

8 17 24 25.5

7.5 7.5 28.5 35

Western Conference Northwest Division Oklahoma City 44 16 .733 Denver 33 27 .550 Utah 31 30 .508 Portland 28 33 .459 Minnesota 25 36 .410

11 13.5 16.5 19.5

LA Lakers LA Clippers Phoenix Golden State Sacramento

Pacific Division 39 22 .639 37 23 .617 31 29 .517 22 37 .373 20 41 .328

1.5 7.5 16 19

San Antonio Memphis Dallas Houston New Orleans

Southwest Division 42 16 .724 35 25 .583 34 27 .557 32 28 .533 18 42 .300

8 9.5 11 25

Kings 104, Trail Blazers 103 In Sacramento, Marcus Thornton scored 20 points and made the winning jumper with 3.4 seconds left, lifting Sacramento over Portland.

Thornton hit a 17-footer off an inbound pass before Portland’s Raymond Felton missed a desperation shot from halfcourt at the buzzer.

DeMarcus Cousins scored 23 points for the Kings, who rallied from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to snap a sevengame skid.

Wes Matthews made a careerhigh eight 3-pointers and scored 31 points for the Trail Blazers, who made lost despite making 16 of their 32 3-point attempts.

Celtics 94, Bobcats 82 In Charlotte, Boston was able to rest its star players and still comfortably beat Charlotte.

Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were given the night off, but the Celtics did not need them. Rajon Rondo had 20 points and 16 assists while Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass each scored 22 points.

The loss was the Bobcats’ 16th straight, tying a franchise worst set earlier this season.

Gerald Henderson had 22 points in a losing effort for the Bobcats (7-52), who need to win one of their final seven games to avoid having the worst singleseason winning percentage in NBA history. —AP

LOS ANGELES: Chris Higgins No. 20 of the Vancouver Canucks skates the puck behind the net against Drew Doughty No. 8 of the Los Angeles Kings in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Staples Center. —AFP

Flyers take 3-0 series lead PHILADELPHIA: Philadelphia’s Danny Briere, Matt Read and Max Talbot each scored two goals to lead the Flyers to an 8-4 victory in a fight-filled clash with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, taking a 3-0 lead in their NHL first-round playoff series. Wayne Simmonds and Claude Giroux also scored for the Flyers, who can complete a sweep of the series at home.

The goals might be hard to find on a highlight reel. This one was all about the brawls. Three players were tossed in the first period. There was a rare fight between superstars when Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby squared off against Giroux. Jordan Staal and James Neal scored twice for a Penguins team pushed to the limit by its hated Pennsylvania rival. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was benched after allowing six goals in two periods. He has allowed a whopping 17 goals in the first three games.

Predators 3, Red Wings 2 In Detroit, Shea Weber turned boos into silence with a goal early in the first period and Nashville held on to beat Detroit to take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference series. Weber, jeered for smashing Henrik Zetterberg’s face into glass at the end of Game 1, snapped Nashville’s 0-for-12 streak on the power play against the Red Wings. Kevin Klein and Sergei Kostitsyn also scored for Nashville, and Pekka Rinne made 41 saves. Pavel Datsyuk added a goal for Detroit. Zetterberg scored with just under a minute left to pull the Red Wings

within one, but they couldn’t tie the game to force overtime. Game 4 is today in Detroit.

Kings 1, Canucks 0 In Los Angeles. Jonathan Quick made 41 saves to shut out Vancouver and move Los Angeles to a 3-0 series lead. Quick hung on for his second career playoff shutout after setting a club record with 10 in the regular season, and the Kings snapped a five-game playoff losing streak at Staples Center in front of a sellout crowd starved for playoff success. Dustin Brown scored the sole goal on a long rebound with 13:30 to play. That put the Kings one win away from their first playoff series victory in 11 years and the Canucks on the brink of another shock early exit after having been the best side in the regular season.

Panthers 4, Devils 2 In Sunrise, Florida, Stephen Weiss scored the first two playoff goals of his 10-year NHL career to lead Florida over New Jersey, squaring the series at 1-1.

Marcel Goc had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who survived a frantic Devils rally in the third. Thomas Fleischmann had an empty-net goal as time expired, prompting fans to throw hundreds of toy rats onto the ice - a traditiosn dating back to the run to the 1996 Stanley Cup finals. Panthers goalie Jose Theodore stopped 23 shots. Travis Zajac and Ilya Kovalchuk scored in the first 2:02 of the third period, and Martin Brodeur made 20 saves for New Jersey.—AP

Russian swimmers out to banish Olympic nightmare MOSCOW: Russia’s swimmers go into their national championships here today with not only Olympic places at stake but also a determination to go on to London and erase memories of the team’s dreadful performances in the 2008 Games.

Russian swimming team head coach Andrei Vorontsov said he was confident that the team which would emerge from the championships would improve on their Beijing record of one silver and two bronze medals. “This year we already tested some of our best swimmers at the competitions in Saint Petersburg in March,” Vorontsov said.

“The results that were clocked at the event gave us reason for optimism. Some athletes already recorded results better than the required Olympic qualification.

“I believe we will be able to select a competitive team for the London Olympics, which will perform well at the Games.”

Vorontsov said he was especially encouraged by the performances of Anastasia Zueva in backstroke and Vyacheslav Sinkevich in breaststroke at Saint Petersburg.

“Zueva recorded the season’s second best time in the world at 100 metres and third at 200 metres, while Sinkevich’s time in the 200 metres was a bit better than the Olympic qualifying standard.”

The head coach added he was expecting the Russian swimmers, who were training abroad and did not compete at Saint Petersburg, to produce top-class results at the championships. —AFP

18

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

S P ORT S

Bolt runs into competition from Missile, Missy LONDON: In the battle for Olympic headlines, Usain Bolt faces competition from an Australian nicknamed “Missile” and a “goofball” American teenager whose first priority is a dress for her school prom. With 100 days to go to the start of the London Games, Bolt, the defending 100m and 200m champion from Beijing, only launched his season at the lowkey UTech Classic meet in Jamaica on Saturday.

But he showed no signs of rustiness, anchoring his 4x100m relay team-which also featured world champion compatriot Yohan Blaketo victory in a season’s world-best 37.82sec. “I’m always a bit nervous before my first race but I got through it OK and that’s good,” Bolt said. “I’m always wondering if I’m still fast, even if I’m doing well in training, so it is always good to come out and run.”

Blake became the youngest 100m world champion last year in South Korea but his victory lost some of its lustre after Bolt false-started out of the race. He believes the Jamaican

Olympic trials 100m final will be a major indicator of London fortunes.

“A lot of the guys are running real-

think it’s going to be a tough one.”

The sprint kings will not hog all the limelight at the main stadium when

Usain Bolt ly fast. A lot of them are going to be in the Olympics 100m final,” Blake said. “Asafa Powell, me, Usain Bolt, I

the track and field gets underway on August 3. Russia’s Olympic polevault champion Yelena Isinbayeva, who

suffered a disastrous world championship when she finished sixth, is back to her best. Having set another new indoor world record in Stockholm to supplement her outdoors mark, she then claimed the indoor world title in Istanbul. She has set an incredible 28 world records in her career.

In the pool, all eyes will be on 14time gold medalist Michael Phelps, who is slowly ramping up his challenge ahead of the US trials in June.

At the recent Indianapolis Grand Prix, the American took victory in the 200m medley in 1min 56.32sec, almost two seconds faster than the season’s previous top time at that stage. Phelps added the 200m medley to the 100m butterfly and 400m medley victories he claimed earlier in the event. If Phelps is an old hand, then Australia’s James Magnussen is the new kid on the block, not that the 20-year-old, nicknamed “The Missile” is likely to suffer stagefright.

Magnussen has been criticized for his acts of verbal intimidation but his

form in the pool backs him up-his 50m and 100m freestyle double at the Australian trials was the fastest this year. The United States has their own swimming rookie in the shape of Missy Franklin, who won’t turn 17 until May. Franklin holds the world short course and US long course records for the 200m backstroke and at last year’s world championships in Shanghai she won five medals-three gold, one silver and a bronze. FINA, the sport’s world governing body, named her their Female Swimmer for 2011. But her first priority before the Olympics is to find a high school prom dress suitable for her 1.85metre frame.

To her friends in Colorado, the world’s top woman swimmer is just one of the girls. “They just see me as ‘Missy the goofball’,” she said.

Missing from the pool will be Australia’s five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe who failed to qualify on his return from his 2006 retirement. France’s Olympic 100m freestyle champion Alain Bernard

will also be absent after he failed to qualify, having to settle for a relay spot instead. London will also see women from 2020 hopefuls Qatar taking part for the first time.

Teenage shooter Bahia Al-Hamad, swimmer Nada Mohammed Wafa Arakji and Noor Al-Malki, a 100m and 200m sprinter, will represent the gas-rich Gulf state.

However, Gulf neighbors Saudi Arabia remain isolated after they refused to officially sanction women competitors. South Africa has two high-profile athletes sweating on their places. Caster Semenya, who underwent gender tests after her 2009 world championships triumph in the women’s 800m, has already bettered the Olympic qualifying time. Oscar Pistorius, who is hoping to become the first double amputee competitor at an Olympics, has also run under the qualifying mark for the 400m. But under South African rules, athletes must record two qualifying times before June 30 to gain selection. —AFP

A unified British football team but divisions remain LONDON: Britain’s footballers will join forces at an Olympic Games for the first time in 52 years this summer but off the field England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland remain as divided as ever.

No Great Britain team has taken part at the finals of an Olympic tournament since a squad of fresh-faced amateurs participated in the 1960 Games in Rome, suffering defeats to Brazil and Italy while beating Taiwan.

FIFA. Those concerns have exploded into the public arena in the long run-up to the London Olympics, where the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish associations have opposed the presence of a British team.

Despite repeated assurances by FIFA that the status of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will not be affected by a British Olympic team, sceptical officials have remained at loggerheads with their

agreement been reached. “The Football Associations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland reiterate our collective opposition to Team GB participation at the 2012 Olympic Games.”We have been consistently clear in explaining the reason for our stance, principally to protect the identity of each national association.” Yet despite the defiant stance, the unpalatable truth for administrators in Scotland, Wales and Northern

LONDON: A woman takes a picture of the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London. —AFP But the English Football Association’s decision to end the official distinction between amateur and professional players in 1974 was the death knell for Britain’s Olympic side, which has not played since. That state of affairs suited the associations of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, who have long harbored fears that a unified British team could jeopardize the unique independent status they enjoy within

English counterparts. The schism was highlighted last year when the British Olympic Association (BOA) issued a jubilant statement saying a “historic agreement” had been reached that would allow Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish players to play in London.

Within hours a joint statement from the affected nations denied the BOA claims, stating bluntly: “No discussions took place with any of us, far less has any historic

Ireland is that they remain ultimately powerless to prevent their players participating in London should they choose to do so.

The Football Association of Wales acknowledged as much earlier this month, saying participation was a “matter for the players concerned”. “There won’t be any sanction or action taken against them. They won’t find that it prejudices their involvement with Wales in the future,” an FAW spokesman

said. “As an organization, we have made our position clear in the past and it has not changed. But if someone is asked and chooses to play, that is their personal choice.”

It followed intense speculation that Welsh veteran Ryan Giggs and rising Welsh stars Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale had indicated a willingness to be involved in the Olympics.

The reasons behind the opposition of the respective associations may also struggle to make themselves heard as footballers eye the once-in-a-lifetime prospect of playing in a major tournament on home soil. Team GB head coach Stuart Pearce predicts that excitement in the British Olympic team will be “off the Richter scale” when the tournament kicks off. “Euro 96 (in England) was one of the most exciting experiences I ever had,” said Pearce. “Playing any tournament on home soil, the interest goes off the Richter scale.

“I am sure the players will want to be part of it. I understand that one or two of the associations are a little bit nervous but FIFA have waylaid that.” Early indications are that Pearce’s optimism is wellfounded. Of 191 players who were contacted to see if they would be available for Olympic selection, only seven so far have ruled themselves out of contention.”Players recognize how special this opportunity is,” BOA spokesman Darryl Seibel said. “This is an outstanding response and it confirms what we have believed all along, which is that there is widespread interest among players in competing for Team GB at the London 2012 Games.” —AFP

Protest groups ramp up Games campaigns LONDON: Green groups have formed a coalition against three high-profile London 2012 sponsors, the latest in a wave of protests that have heightened fears that demonstrators are ramping up their campaigns in the run-up to the Games in nearly 100 days’ time. The coalition, which launched the campaign “Greenwash Gold 2102” yesterday, argues that Dow Chemical, oil company BP and mining giant Rio Tinto should not be involved in the Olympics because of their environmental records.

The campaign, which includes activist groups the Bhopal Medical Appeal and UK Tar Sands Network, is one of a collection of protests ranging from local communities fighting construction of venues in their neighborhood to trade unions complaining about work conditions. Protests have been peaceful, but police and Olympic chiefs are aware the Games, and torch relay, could be a magnet for demonstrators keen to publicize their message at a time when the world’s attention will be on London.

Police last month warned that attention-seekers rather than the violent protesters who marred the torch relay four years ago will pose the biggest threat.

Earlier this month, a lone protester disrupted the traditional university boat race between Oxford and Cambridge, forcing a restart. Authorities have so far taken a softly, softly approach, with the aim of deterring copycat behavior, saying protesters have the right to demonstrate peacefully. But they warn they will clamp

down on anyone attempting to disrupt events. London Olympic organizers (LOCOG) said it had planned for any disturbances, adding it was “confident that any protests will be handled in a sensible and appropriate way”.

MONEY TALKS The most high-profile protest so far has been Bhopal Medical Appeal’s campaign against Dow Chemical’s sponsorship of the wrap, strips of plastic decorating the outside of the main stadium. BMA says the seven million pound sponsorship should be dropped because of Dow’s link to the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster in India, in which activists say 25,000 people died in the years that followed. Peaceful demonstrations have been held, and some lawmakers in both Britain and India have backed the campaign. Another protest catching the headlines this month was a hoax press release and web page by the Campaign for a Sustainable Olympics which falsely claimed LOCOG had dropped BP as a sustainability partner.

The group, complaining at BP’s role in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and its work in the controversial Canadian tar sands, fooled a couple of news outlets which published the story.

Other demonstrations have seen London Occupy activists join forces with locals in an attempt to halt the building of temporary basketball training courts near the Olympic Park, arguing the development had been pushed through without proper

consultation and an environmental impact assessment.

Four people were arrested when bailiffs moved in last week to enforce an eviction order. The TUC-backed Playfair, which campaigns against what they say are poor working conditions and low pay in factories where 2012 merchandise is made, will hold a series of demonstrations in the next week in several British cities. In a separate move, a local campaign called the Counter Olympics Net work is planning “major actions”. The launch of Greenwash Gold 2012 was chaired by Meredith Alexander, who in January resigned from the body overseeing the environmental and ethical impact of the London Olympics in protest at Dow’s sponsorship.

“There is an expensive machine behind the Games that is funded by corporate sponsors,” she said in a statement. “Sadly when these sponsors are selected, money talks much more loudly than values.” Rio Tinto, which will provide the metals for the 4,700 medals, said; “We run our business to very high ethical standards and are committed to human rights and running our mines responsibly. “A commitment to the environment and sustainable development is ingrained in the Olympic charter.” Dow, which denies any responsibility for the accident at the then Union Carbide India Limited factory, said in an interview with Reuters earlier this year that it would not be deterred by protests. BP said it “remained committed to help LOCOG deliver a more sustainable Games”. —Reuters

LONDON: A Royal Navy Lynx helicopter hovers over a passenger ferry on the Thames near Woolwich during a safety and security planning exercise for the London 2012 Olympic Games in London. —AFP

Transport: Achilles heel of the London Olympics LONDON: Packed into a subway train that has broken down, or stuck in gridlocked traffic, it’s easy to spot one key aspect of London’s 2012 Olympic Games that is causing organizers sleepless nights. Despite seven years of planning and a colossal budget, transport remains the Achilles heel of preparations that otherwise seem to be progressing well at the 100-day mark to go before the opening ceremony on July 27.

“Keeping the capital moving smoothly during the Games will be nothing short of a Herculean task,” the London Assembly, which oversees the work of the mayor, warned last month. “Given the scale of the challenges, some disruption to the transport network is inevitable,” it added. London’s trains, underground train system and buses suffer from decades of under-investment and already struggle to cope with the 12 million journeys made each day, with the Tube in particular regularly breaking down or suffering delays.

During the Olympics, the network will have to deal with an extra three million daily journeys, as 10,500 athletes, 9,000 officials, 20,000 journalists and millions of spectators descend on the 13 Olympic sites across the capital. Faced with the hideous prospect of athletes missing events while stuck in traffic or in a tunnel, London’s transport authorities have embarked on a huge £6.5 billion ($10.4 billion, 7.5 billion euros) modernization program. The budget, drawn up after London won the bid in 2005, is the equivalent of twothirds of the money spent on the rest of the Games-and Transport for London, which manages the network, is confident it will bear fruit.

TfL’s director of Games transport Mark Evers saidthat they had been preparing for the Olympics for the last seven years. “We’re really confident that the London public transport and the roads network will cope during the Games,” he said. As part of the often disruptive works program, road junctions have been reorganized, Stratford station next to the Olympic site in east London has been extensively renovated, and existing train lines have been extended. Extra buses, trains and Tubes will be laid on dur-

ing the Games, while the high-speed Javelin shuttle service will whisk passengers off Eurostar trains coming from France and Belgium, directly to the Olympic site.

Lawmakers have also expressed concern that London’s Heathrow airport, already the busiest in the world in international passenger terms, will be unable to cope when 17,000 athletes and officials depart on August 13. The issue is not just capacity, however-negotiations are currently under way with transport workers’ unions who are demanding extra pay during the Games, to prevent the nightmare scenario of a strike.

TfL has sought to reduce the number of non-Olympic passengers who use the network by urging Londoners and commuters to travel by foot or by bicycle where possible during the 17 days of events.

It has also called on companies to offer employees the option of working at home or at least working flexible hours to ease rush-hour congestion. To be on the safe side, tens of thousands of VIPs will be given access to 48 kilometers of special Olympic road lanes to help ease their journey through the capital, with 4,000 cars and 1,500 coaches hired to take them to the Olympic venues. The plan has sparked strong criticism, particularly from taxi drivers who will not be allowed in the fast lanes, even if London’s authorities insist that 70 percent of the road network will not be affected by the Olympics.

John Thomas, chairman of the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association, questioned why the VIPs had not been given hotels closer to the Olympic sites to avoid the need for such measures. “London will be totally and completely gridlocked,” Thomas said. Mayor of London Boris Johnson has dismissed such fears as “complete and utter nonsense” but traffic monitoring company Inrix forecasts a 33-percent increase in jams during the end of July and the beginning of August. Tony Travers, a transport expert at the London School of Economics (LSE), said it was very difficult to predict how the transport network would cope. “We’ll only find out when it happens,” he said.—AFP

Sebastian Coe marks Olympic countdown LONDON: With the opening ceremony just over 100 days away, Sebastian Coe is working on the final touches for the London Olympics that he hopes will make the difference between “a good and a great games.”

With the new venues in place and the 9.3 billion pound ($14.7 billion) project within budget, Coe and his London organizing committee are heading into the final stretch with plenty still to do but without any major crises to overcome.

Tomorrow marks the 100-day countdown to the July 27 opening, the climax of a seven-year buildup that centered on the regeneration of a deprived industrial area in east London into the Olympic Park. For Coe, winner of two Olympic gold medals in the 1,500 meters, the latest symbolic milestone carries significance beyond just the numbers. The clock is truly ticking. “One hundred days - it sort of means something to people,”

Coe said in an interview with The Associated Press, with the Olympic Stadium in clear view from his 23rd floor offices. “When you’re talking about seven years, six years, five years, four years, that’s one thing, but actually you’re talking about days.

“And we’re talking 12 Wednesdays or something. It’s really very close. The realist in me says, ‘Yes, it is 100 days to the opening ceremony,’ but actually for some ... it’s earlier.” More than 10,500 athletes from 204 countries will start moving into the Olympic village two weeks before the opening ceremony, and thousands of media will begin working at the press and broadcast center. Coe believes Olympic fever will take off in Britain once the Olympic flame arrives in Land’s End on the westernmost tip of England on May 19, heralding the start of a 70-day, 8,000-mile torch relay across the UK. —AP

19

TUESDAY APRIL 17, 2012

SPORTS

Pettersson wins Heritage, Donald loses No 1 ranking

TRINIDAD: Australia’s Michael Hussey raises his bat after scoring a half century against West Indies during the second day of their second cricket Test match.—AP

Slow day for Aussies and Windies at Queen’s Park PORT OF SPAIN: Australia and West Indies shared the honors on a slow opening day in the second test at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad on Sunday. When stumps were drawn, both teams retreated to the dressing room satisfied but not elated after a tough day in the Caribbean sun.

The Australians had 208 runs on the board but West Indies had five wickets. Last week’s first test in Barbados was a thriller which Australia won by three wickets and already the second test looks like being another close encounter.

The revival of West Indies cricket has been slowly gathering momentum in the past two years and on Sunday it was their slow bowlers who did most of the damage.

Shane Shillingford, playing his first test since 2010, captured two vital wickets and took a catch in the outfield to give his fellow off-spinner Narsingh Deonarine a wicket. Paceman Kemar Roach also collected two wickets to rattle the Australian top order before the vistors dug themselves out of trouble with some disciplined batting. Shane Watson made a watchful 56 off 172 balls while captain Michael Clarke scored 45 from 99 deliveries.

When play ended, Mike Hussey, Australia’s last specialist batsmen, was unbeaten on 26 after being dropped on five, while wicketkeeper Matthew Wade not out 11. After winning the toss and electing to have first use of a dry batting wicket, the Australian openers made a flying start, reaching 53 without loss when drinks were taken.

But the home side soon took over, dismissing David Warner for 29 then his fellow

opener Ed Cowan for 28 as it became increasingly more difficult to score freely.

Warner had a lucky escape in the first over from Fidel Edwards when he was given out caught behind by South Africa umpire Marias Erasmus.

Warner challenged the ruling and television reviews showed that he did not get an edge but might well have been out leg before wicket. The left-hander was allowed to stay and struck four boundaries in his 42-ball knock before his good fortune ran out after the drinks break when Shillingford was introduced into the attack.

Shillingford, who was brought into the team at the expense of Devendra Bishoo, had not played a test for 18 months after he was reported for a suspect bowling action and had to remodel his action. He repaid the selectors’ faith when he turned the ball sharply and Warner edged to Darren Sammy at slip.

Cowan was trapped lbw by Roach with the total on 65 just before lunch when the paceman swung the ball back in and rapped him on the pads. Cowan, whose innings featured five fours, challenged the decision but lost. Roach got a second wicket after lunch when he squared up Ricky Ponting on seven and the former skipper nicked one behind that was fumbled by wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh but snapped up on the rebound by Sammy. Watson and Clarke steadied the Australian innings with an 84-run stand for the fourth wicket before Clarke hooked Deonarine to Shillingford at deep square leg. Shillingford got Watson’s wicket when he had him caught at bat-pad

by Adrian Barath.— Reuters

SCOREBOARD Scoreboard at the close of play on the first day of the second test between West Indies and Australia at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad yesterday: Australia 1st innings D.Warner c Sammy b Shillingford E.Cowan lbw b Roach S.Watson c Barath b Shillingford R.Ponting c Sammy b Roach M.Clarke c Shillingford c Deonarine M.Hussey not out M.Wade not out Extras (lb-3 nb-3) Total (for five wickets, 90 overs) 208

29 28 56 7 45 26 11 6

Still to bat: M.Beer, B.Hilfenhaus, N.Lyon, J.Pattinson Fall of wickets: 1-53 2-65 3-83 4-167 5-178 Bowling: Edwards 13-7-28-0 (nb-1), Roach 184-77-2 (nb-1), Sammy 12-4-16-0, Shillingford 32-11-56-2 (nb-1), Deonarina 15-3-28-1.

West Indies - A.Barath, K.Brathwaite, K.Powell, D.Bravo, S.Chanderpaul, N.Deonarine, C.Baugh, D.Sammy, S.Shillingford, K.Roach, F.Edwards

Kahne wins Truck Series race ROCKINGHAM: Kasey Kahne celebrated NASCAR’s return to Rockingham Speedway with a victory Sunday in the Truck Series race. The track was purchased at auction by Andy Hillenburg, and he successfully brought NASCAR back. The truck race was the first NASCAR-sanctioned event at The Rock since 2004. “As soon as I heard about it, I was trying to figure out who I would race for and how I would make it here,” Kahne said.

ROCKINGHAM, North Carolina: Kasey Kahne celebrates after winning the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 at Rockingham Speedway on Sunday. — AP

“There is a lot of people who put a big effort in to make this happen and Steve Turner was one of them, so it was pretty awesome to be able to do that and have an awesome truck like we had here today.”

Kahne held off Turner Motorsports teammate James Buescher for the win.

Kahne had to start at the back of the field because he didn’t qualify the truck Saturday while at the Sprint Cup race in Texas. It was the fourth win in five career Truck Series races for Kahne, who finished seventh in the Cup race Saturday night.

“I got about 4 1/2 hours of sleep last night and that was plenty,” Kahne said.

“Coming to The Rock, I was so excited that I woke up early. My alarm was supposed to go off at 9 this morning and I woke up at 7:30 and couldn’t go back to sleep. I had tons of energy, but I’ll sleep good tonight.”

Kahne took the lead from Crafton with 46 laps remaining and led the rest of the way.

Matt Crafton was third, followed by Johnny Sauter and series points leader Timothy Peters. Pole winner Nelson Piquet Jr. had a dominant truck, leading three times for 107 laps, but a pit road speeding penalty during the final caution period cost him a chance at victory. He ended up seventh.

Kahne finished second to Matt Kenseth in February 2004 in the last NASCAR race at Rockingham. Rockingham hosted Cup and Nationwide races from 1965 to 2004. The track was near capacity Sunday for its first truck race. “Obviously, we will need a week or two to digest it because we don’t really have any fancy systems here,” said Hillenburg, a former driver.

“I think it will take a week or two to even figure out what happened. We have a wonderful staff here and it is also a very small staff. As a promoter, I still want to go and do better, but I am very proud of our efforts. It was a team effort and I feel like we did the best that we could do based on the knowledge that we had.”—AP

HOUSTON: Sweden’s Carl Pettersson won the Heritage Classic at Hilton Head on Sunday to claim his fifth PGA Tour title as Luke Donald gave up his number one ranking to Rory McIlroy.

Pettersson shot a final round two-under-par 69 to finish the tournament at 14-under, a comfortable five shots clear of his nearest rival, former Masters champion Zach Johnson (70).

“The swing felt good,” Pettersson told reporters. “I felt calm. It was a great feeling today.” It was his first PGA Tour win since the 2010 Canadian Open and allowed him to match Jesper Parnevik’s total for most won by a Swedish player.

Donald needed to finish eighth or better to retain his number one ranking but the Englishman tied for 37th after a final round 71 for a two-over total 286. Northern Ireland’s McIlroy will leapfrog back to the top when the updated rankings are released on Monday. Colt Knost’s chances of winning his first PGA Tour title vanished with a 74 that put him third, one stroke behind American Johnson.

Kevin Stadler (68) and Billy Mayfair (69) tied for fourth at six under par, a distant eight shots back.

The outcome was never in doubt after Pettersson birdied

three of the first five holes on Sunday. “Getting off to a birdie on number one was great,” said the Swede, who sank a 24-foot putt at the first and thrived on the outward side throughout the tournament. “The whole front nine I played really good.”

Pettersson said a swing change he incorporated three weeks ago at the Houston Open had paid off. “In Houston I found that new swing key, just opened up my stance and left my left hip clear through the ball,” he said. “I’ve played great. So hopefully this feeling lasts a long time.”

The last time the portly Pettersson tinkered with his game and lifestyle it did not work out so well. “In ‘08 I had a good year. I won Greensboro that year.

I was trying to figure out what I was going to do to get to the next level and fitness, and I really started working out and eating better, and I lost 30 pounds very quickly,” he recalled. “That was during the off-season, and it really threw my golf game. In ‘09 I played terrible, I finished 150something on the money list,” the 34-year-old Pettersson said.

“It took a long time, just the last six months I felt comfortable again. Threw my timing off,” he said, adding that his Canadian win in 2010 was more like catching “lightning in a bottle.” “I felt

HILTON HEAD ISLAND: Carl Pettersson of Sweden holds the championship trophy after winning the RBC Heritage presented by Boeing at Harbor Town Golf Links. —AFP like this year my game was starting to come back to where it was. I played really solid. It’s fun to play again, and I kept the weight on.” Pettersson said putting the weight back on had

been easy. “Well, you drink 10 beers and (eat) a tub of ice cream before you go to bed,” he said, drawing laughs at his press conference. “That puts it on quickly.— Reuters

Bahrain F1 race is no gamble: Circuit boss SHANGHAI: Formula One teams and drivers may be reluctant racers in Bahrain this weekend but they need not worry about their safety, according to circuit chairman Zayed Al Zayani.

Speaking to Reuters before the first members of the travelling circus arrived in the troubled Gulf kingdom yesterday, Al Zayani said the decision to go ahead with the controversial grand prix was not putting anyone at risk. “We wouldn’t take a decision on a gamble,” he said at the Chinese Grand Prix. “I think it’s a calculated decision, we’ve weighed our options and we are committed to the grand prix and to its success.

“I don’t think anything drastic will happen.

It’s not Afghanistan, it’s not Syria. I don’t see why anything should happen this year that hasn’t happened in the previous years,” added the Bahraini. Formula One’s governing body said last Friday that the race would be going ahead, despite calls from activists for it to be cancelled due to continuing unrest with regular clashes between police and anti-government protesters. Three teenagers were wounded later that day at a rally in Manama after the funeral of a man shot during a protest two weeks ago.

Petrol bombs were thrown at police, who used tear gas. More demonstrations have been called for this week leading up to the grand prix, the biggest sporting event in Bahrain and one broadcast to a global television audience of many millions. Last year’s race had to be cancelled due to the February uprising and Formula One, whose teams have been deeply uneasy about going to Bahrain but have bind-

ing contracts to do so, has not returned since March 2010.

“You have some stuff going on in villages, but it’s nothing that can’t be handled,” said Al Zayani. “I have no doubt at all that Formula One is not a target, not the teams, not the media.”

Some drivers flew in yesterday, although others were spending time relaxing in nearby Dubai or Abu Dhabi.

Advance personnel from Formula One Management have been in Manama for some days already. Some freight is already in Bahrain while the cars should arrive at the circuit on Tuesday.

Practice for the fourth race of the season starts on Friday and Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone has said he will be at the track. Al Zayani said it was safe to go racing, even if there were some demonstrations across the tiny island.

“I think they (the protesters) will probably look out for the media to try and get their message abroad, which is fine. Let them express their opinion,” he said. The race is important financially for Bahrain, with organizers saying it brings in some half a billion dollars in spending.

“The country has gone through a tough year, we are still wounded in some aspects or another and we are on the way to regaining our health, so to speak. I think the race will be positive to the country,” Al Zayani said. “We need it as a country, we deserve it. I think we have passed the worst of the incidents and we need help to restore the country back on track.” Last year’s bloody crackdown on protesters left

more than 30 dead and has been condemned by international human rights groups while the decision to race has divided opinion.

Within Formula One, some television broadcasters have decided not to go while a member of the Williams catering staff has left the team by mutual agreement after she refused to travel on ethical grounds. Much of the world media, particularly in Britain where a majority of the teams are based, has been opposed to the race going ahead.

Al Zayani suggested some of the other countries on the calendar had worse human rights records and questioned the motivation of some of the critics. “I think every time we plug a hole about Bahrain, something else seems to pop up,” he said. “I sometimes wonder and ask myself what is it that they’ve got against Bahrain? Are they just trying to find anything to spoil the race?”.—Reuters

Matches on TV (Local Timings)

UEFA Champions League Bayern v Real Madrid Aljazeera Sport 1 HD Aljazeera Sport +4 Aljazeera Sport +8

21:45

Nadal frets over knee MONACO: Rafael Nadal is fretting over his troublesome left knee as he attempts to win the Monte Carlo Masters for the eighth straight time and end a title drought stretching back to last year’s French Open. Nadal has only just started practicing again after pulling out of his semifinal against Andy Murray at last month’s Sony Ericsson Open.

After the withdrawal, Nadal had treatment for a knee tendon problem, having already skipped a chunk of the season to rest his knees after the Australian Open.

“It’s OK now, (I need) time to see how it is at the top level, (to) run without thinking about the knee, when I put all my pressure on the knee,” Nadal said Monday. “It’s the start of the clay-court season for me, and hopefully it will work well.”

But the 10-time Grand Slam champion expects to be rusty in his second-round match against Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen tomorrow. “I start(ed) to practice four days ago, it’s not enough after 15 days off without chances to practice a lot because I couldn’t move my knee,” the 25-year-old Nadal said. “I’m a little bit scared, but seems like today I am able to practice with no (problems).”

Nadal rested his knee after the Australian Open, where he lost his seventh straight tour final to topranked Novak Djokovic, and didn’t play again until several weeks later at Indian Wells - where he lost in the semifinal to Roger Federer in

straight sets.

At the following tournament in Miami, his left knee flared up again.

He withdrew hours before he was due to play Murray as a precaution.

“It’s not easy to explain, in English especially. Even in Spanish it will be difficult. I had a little bit broke in the tendon on the top, but especially behind the knee,” Nadal said.

“I did (have an injection), I did the treatment two times.” The Spaniard is relieved to be back on clay, where the strain is considerably easier on his knees. “The worst surface for the players is the hard,” Nadal said. “I believe we are wrong in the tournament(s) to play more and more on hard (courts), and less and less on clay and grass.”

Since 2005, Nadal has won at Monte Carlo and Roland Garros every year except ‘09. “It’s special to come back to a place where I have more success than (anyone),” said Nadal, who has won 37 consecutive matches in Monte Carlo and holds a 39-1 record. “The conditions worked for me in the past, I always played my best tennis here, I believe.”

The six-time French Open champion, who could face his nemesis Djokovic in the Monte Carlo final, is playing down his title slump. “I didn’t win a title, but how many final I played?” asked Nadal, who has 46 career titles compared to 73 for Federer. “I am doing my calendar to try and win important titles, or the most important titles on the tour, to try to be healthy as long as I can.”—AP

Spanish player Rafael Nadal juggles with the ball during a training session. —AP

Lakers down Mavs in OT

17

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

Pettersson wins Heritage

19

A rare tragedy at sea hits US sailing community

Page 17

BOSTON: Wesley Korir (left) and Sharon Cherop, both of Kenya, kiss the winner’s trophy after winning the men’s and women�s divisions of the 116th Boston Marathon.—AP

Kenyans Korir, Cherop win Boston Marathon BOSTON: Kenya’s Wesley Korir and Sharon Cherop captured titles at the 116th Boston Marathon yesterday in heat that slowed the pace of world-class racers trying to impress Olympic selectors.

Korir won the slowest men’s race since 2007 and second-slowest since 1985 in an official time of 2hr 12min 40sec, closing in the final mile to pass countryman Levy Matebo.

Matebo settled for second in 2:13:06, seven seconds ahead of third-place Bernard Kipyego of Kenya, with American Jason Hartmann fourth in 2:14:31.

Cherop led a Kenyan women’s podium

sweep as well, winning in 2:31:50 to edge Jemima Jelagat Sumgong by two seconds, with Georgina Rono third in 2:33:09.

Ethiopia’s Firehiwot Dado was fourth in 2:34:56. The race gave top runners a chance to impress their homeland Olympic selection committees with barely three months to go before the London Games.

Korir, 29, was well off the personal best of 2:06:15 he set in finishing second to compatriot Moses Mosop in last year’s Chicago Marathon. The two-time Los Angeles Marathon winner is living in the United States and seeking US citizenship.

He is married to Canadian runner Tarah McKay and their daughter McKayLA’s name combines his wife’s maiden name and LA for his wins there.

Cherop, 28, was third last year at Boston in 2:22:42 and shaved three seconds off that time last January at Dubai for a new personal best. She collected prior marathon triumphs at Hamburg and Toronto in 2010.

Organizers had warned novice marathoners not to race over concerns about heat but a field of 22,426 started the 26.2-mile journey from 26,716 original entrants.

Defending men’s champion Geoffrey Mutai, a Kenyan who ran the fastest marathon ever clocked last year at Boston and went on to win at New York as well, dropped out after 30 kilometers due to cramping. Mutai won last year in a stunning 2:03:02 and followed up with a New York Marathon triumph in record time, but his Boston time was not recognized as a world record because the Boston course lacks proper change in elevation and has different starting and finishing areas to satisfy IAAF regulations.

Matebo, who won marathon titles in 2010 at Brussels and 2011 at Barcelona,

Preview

with great pride and they know this is probably their last chance to end the season on a high, not to mention the fact that the final is at their stadium. “As professionals and as a team they will want to prove their mettle and they will try their hardest against Real Madrid.”

Yet Butragueno is all too aware of the bitterness between the two clubs, having played for Real during the 1980s.

The first meeting between the two sides, in the 1975/76 semi-finals, set the tone. Real’s Roberto Martinez broke his nose in a collision with Bayern goalkeeper Sepp Maier and a fan known as “El Loco del Bernabeu” (The Bernabeu madman) ran onto the pitch and attacked the referee and Bayern striker Gerd Mueller. Bayern went on to the win the competition for the third year in a row.

Their next competitive meeting, another semi-final 11 years later when Bayern again won, brought the infamous incident where Juanito stamped on the back and then the head of Matthaeus while a team mate kicked the German playmaker’s thigh.

Juanito, who died in a car crash in 1992 at the age of 37, was given a fiveyear European ban. Even when the matches were supposedly friendly, there was trouble. In 1981, Bayern’s entire team stormed off the pitch during a match in Real’s pre -season Santiago Bernabeu trophy tournament after they had a player sent off for making obscene gestures to fans. It got little better during Real’s so-called Galacticos era when Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn became public enemy number one among Real fans, while the Spaniards were seen in Bavaria as showboaters.

Before a first knockout round meeting in 2004, Bayern’s Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro said: “We’re going to

pace at mile 18. By mile 21, Cherop was joined by Sumgong and Rono, setting the stage for the second-closest margin in Boston women’s history.

Canada’s Joshua Cassidy set the fastest time ever clocked to win the men’s wheelchair title in 1:18:25, two seconds under the old mark set in 2004 at Boston by South African Ernst Van Dyk. Cassidy was the first Canadian to win the men’s wheelchair title since Andre Viger in 1987. American Shirley Reilly won the women’s wheelchair crown in 1:37:36, edging 2011 winner Wakako Tsuchida of Japan by one second.—AP

Falcao lifts Atletico

Feuding giants Bayern and Madrid meet again MUNICH: From Juanito stamping on Lothar Matthaeus’ head to an entire team storming off the pitch in a friendly, there is no love lost between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, who resume their bitter rivalry today. The luck of the draw has ensured a five-year truce between the two swaggering giants, who have been European champions 13 times between them.

But the peace will be shattered when they clash at the Allianz Arena in their Champions League semi-final first leg. It will their fifth semi-final meeting in Europe’s top club competition and offers Real Madrid, well on course to win La Liga, the chance to bring Bayern’s season to a miserable conclusion. The Bavarians have already seen their Bundesliga title challenge fizzle out and are now playing to keep alive their dream of playing the Champions League final in their own stadium.

There is an endless list of ingredients to spice up an encounter whose history of violence, slanging matches and red cards would not be out of place in South America. Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes and forward Arjen Robben both have scores to settle, having left the Bernabeu through the back door after their spells at Real. Heynckes was the coach who ended Real’s 32year wait for their sixth European Cup title in 1997/98 yet despite this was removed. Dutchman Robben was booted out after being told he was not wanted by club president Florentino Perez.

The pre -match comments have been the usual banal fare with players and officials offering respect for the opposition and playing down rivalries.

“There are a lot of elements to take into consideration and the first of those is Bayern’s history,” said Real director Emilio Butragueno. “They are a club

seized the men’s lead after nine miles and stayed with the lead group until, one by one, his rivals fell back.

Matebo pushed past Matthew Kisorio at Heartbreak Hill and stretched his lead to 17 seconds by mile 22, only to see Korir close on him in mile 24.

After a brief pass, Matebo fought back into the lead only to see Korir charge ahead for good with a sizzling closing effort. Kenya’s Caroline Kilel, trying to become the first woman to defend a Boston Marathon crown since Catherine Ndereba in 2005, led early and kept a slow pace until Cherop began pushing the

GERMANY: Bayern’s Anatoliy Tymoshchuk of the Ukraine lifts balls during a training session in Munich. Bayern Munich will face Real Madrid in a first leg Champions League semi final soccer match today.—AP score five goals against those clowns.” It that Bayern have won eight and drawn brought a predictably furious reaction one of nine home meetings against from Spain but Real had the last laugh, Real. “We have to go to the limit and winning 2-1 on aggregate. There was beyond, but we can do it with our fans none of the trash talk from Bayern’s behind us. It won’t be easy and it Bastian Schweinsteiger following comes down to mental strength. I hope Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Mainz 05. we show the mentality which marks “It’s all or nothing today,” he said, aware Bayern out.”— Reuters

BARCELONA: Radamel Falcao scored his 30th goal in all competitions this season to give Atletico Madrid a 1-0 win at Rayo Vallecano in Sunday’s Spanish capital derby.

Falcao made the breakthrough in the 64th minute when he latched onto Juanfran Torres’ long pass, dribbled past goalkeeper David Cobeno as he rushed off his line and shot into the open net. The Colombia striker’s tally of 22 league goals is the third highest in Spain this season.

“I am happy with my good form because it has contributed to the team’s win,” Falcao said. “It’s a great triumph against a rival that is tough to beat on its home ground.” Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol also stayed in the hunt for a Europa League spot with home wins. The victories left Atletico, Bilbao and Espanyol level with Sevilla, which played Getafe yesterday. All are one point behind sixth-place Osasuna after its 1-0 loss at Real Betis.

While Bilbao edged out Mallorca 10 thanks to Fernando Llorente’s early goal, Espanyol thrashed third-place Valencia 4-0 at Cornella-El Prat stadium. Llorente turned Ibai Gomez’s free kick through the legs of Mallorca goalkeeper Dudu Aouate in the 13th minute for his 17th league goal this season.

“It was a very important goal and an important victory that will give us a boost,” said Llorente, who has scored 28 goals in all competitions this campaign. In Barcelona, Sergio Garcia’s crafty dribbling allowed him to pick out Cristian Gomez for Espanyol’s 26thminute opener, with Joan Verdu unleashing a shot into the top corner four minutes later to make it 2-0.

Valencia goalkeeper Vicente Guaita lost the ball inside his area, allowing

Garcia to find substitute Alvaro Vazquez to score in the 57th, and Kalu Uche capped the victory by scoring with 10 minutes left. “We were better than Valencia in every facet of the game,” Espanyol coach Mauricio Pochettino said.

“We clearly deserved the win over an adversary that is in third place.” At La Rosaleda stadium, Malaga looked set to reclaim third place but had to settle for a 1-1 home draw against 10-man Real Sociedad to sit one point behind Valencia with five weeks to play.

Francisco “Isco” Alarcon grabbed Malaga the lead in the 19th with a shot that took a deflection off a defender to loop over diving goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Sociedad was reduced to 10 men at the end of the first half when defender Mikel Gonzalez received his second booking. Despite the disadvantage, Xabi Prieto fired home a poor clearance by Malaga’s defense to equalize four minutes into the second half.

Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini downplayed his team’s stumble that let slip a great chance to move closer toward clinching a top-four finish and a Champions League spot for next season. “If we had won we wouldn’t have tied it up anyway,” the Chilean manager said. “There are 15 points still in play and a lot of teams left in the fight.”

Lautaro Acosta scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to salvage last-place Racing Santander a 1-1 draw at Villarreal, while Zaragoza beat the Granada 1-0 at home, following midfielder Tomislav Dujmovic’s early strike.

The relegation-threatened Zaragoza’s first win in three weeks lifted it to within four points of Granada and Villarreal, who are both left hovering on the edge of the drop zone. — AP

Emarat to buy Kuwait jet fuel; Mideast flying grows Page 22

India inflation shoots up but rate cut looks likely Page 25

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

KSE stocks edge lower amid global uncertainty Page 24

WBank post not decided on merit: Nigerian candidate Page 23

NBK reports $292m net profit for Q1 2012 Bank delivered solid performance in challenging conditions: Dabdoub

NBK Group CEO Ibrahim Dabdoub

NBK Chairman Mohammed Al-Bahar

KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), the largest Kuwaiti bank and the highestrated in the Middle East, reported net profits of $292 million (KD 81.0 million) for the first quarter of 2012 compared with $291 million (KD 80.8 million) for the same period in 2011. First quarter 2012 net profits came 5.5% ahead of the fourth quarter of 2011.

As of end of March 2012, NBK Group’s total assets reached $51.8 billion (KD 14.4 billion) up 3.5% compared to March 2011, while total shareholders’ equity increased by 5.5% year-on-year to $8.1 billion (KD 2.3 billion). Profitability indicators remained

among the highest in the region with ROA of 2.33% and ROE of 15.0%. NBK’s net operating income continued to improve in the 1Q2012 reaching $481.4 million (KD 133.7 million).

Ibrahim Dabdoub, NBK’s Group Chief Executive Officer, said “NBK’s strong financial position underpins the bank’s ability to generate solid performance despite the challenging operating environment”. “Our focus on core banking operations in and outside Kuwait remained a differentiator as our regional operations delivered resilient performance and contributed to the strong profitability achieved in the first quarter.

This along with the strengthening of Boubyan Bank ’s (47.3% owned by NBK ) market position and profitability continued to support NBK’s efforts to better diversify its income sources.” Dabdoub added.

Dabdoub also highlighted that NBK’s fundamental strengths, along with its clear strategic vision, robust risk management practices and sustainable financial performance helped the bank maintain its strong position through different crises and continued to earn it international recognition. In 2011, NBK maintained its top ranking among Middle Eastern banks and was named the “Best Bank in the Middle East”

by Euromoney, The Banker and Global Finance magazines. Additionally, NBK moved 14 positions to rank 33 in Global Finance’s list of the 50 safest banks in the world.

NBK continues to enjoy the widest banking presence in Kuwait with 67 branches, which together with its growing international presence totals 176 branches worldwide. NBK’s international presence spans many of the world’s leading financial centers including London, Paris, Geneva, New York and Singapore, as well as China (Shanghai). Meanwhile, regional coverage extends to Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Turkey.

NBK continues to enjoy collectively the highest ratings among all banks in the Middle East from the three international rating agencies Moody’s, Fitch Ratings and Standard and Poor’s. The Bank’s ratings are supported by its high capitalization, prudent lending policies, and its disciplined approach to risk management, in addition to its highly recognized and very stable management team.

NBK headquarters

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

BUSINESS

Dubai’s Nakheel posts 33% rise in 2011 profit DUBAI: Indebted Dubai state-owned developer Nakheel Properties reported a 33-percent rise in 2011 profit yesterday and said that it anticipated an improvement in the struggling real estate sector.

Nakheel reported a net profit of 1.3 billion dirhams ($353.93 million) last year, up from 1 billion dirhams in 2010.

Revenues rose to 4.1 billion dirhams, a company statement said.

Total liabilities fell to 41 billion dirhams last year from 61 billion dirhams

handover of properties in several of the Group’s developments, mainly Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Village, International city, the World, and Al Furjann,” the company statement said.

Nakheel, which overstretched itself late last decade with ambitious projects such as a man-made islands in the shape of palm trees, was brought under direct government control last August as part of the restructuring of its parent Dubai World. Although there are some signs

in 2010. “The market is picking up so there was no need for impairments (in 2011),” Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah told reporters.

Assets at the end of 2011 totalled 24 billion dirhams, up from 8 billion in the prior-year period. Lootah attributed this to a restructuring, improved market conditions and a revised business plan.

During the year, Nakheel delivered 820 units including land parcels.

“Revenues were mainly driven by the

that Nakheel’s business is reviving - it launched a residential project on its Palm Jumeirah site this year, the first to be publicized since the real estate market collapsed - it still faces difficult business conditions and a multi-year process of paying down debt.

Nakheel’s $1.0 billion, five-year sukuk is currently bid at a yield of about 14.4 percent, down from levels above 21 percent when the Islamic bond was issued to trade creditors last August as part of a

Bank Muscat Q1 net profit rises 20%

Emarat to buy Kuwait jet fuel; Mideast flying grows Emarat to purchase six cargoes from KPC SINGAPORE: Emirates General Petroleum Corp (Emarat) has secured an additional term contract with Kuwait Petroleum Corp to purchase jet fuel in anticipation of an increase in domestic demand, industry sources said yesterday.

With Gulf airlines intensifying competition with their European rivals, there is an expected increase in demand for jet fuel in the Middle East region this year, they said.

Emarat has finalized a term deal with KPC to purchase six jet fuel cargoes for delivery over April to December, one of the sources familiar with the matter said.

It is unclear if this is Emarat’s first term deal of its kind with KPC, but the deal was finalized in anticipation of premiums for jet fuel surging further on an increase in demand from airlines which are expanding rapidly, the source added.

Emarat already has an existing term contract with Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC), importing about 40,000 tons of jet fuel every month.

The company has bought 40,000 tons of jet fuel in the spot market for loading in May and is expected to purchase an additional spot cargo in September, the source said.

Middle East passenger traffic grew 23.4 percent in February from a year ago, versus 7.6 percent in Europe, according to airlines body the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Middle East carriers posted the second largest gain in passenger traffic in February, just behind African carriers. Recent aircraft improvements have put most of the world’s population

within a direct flight from the Gulf, resulting in airport and fleet expansion and shifting more of the global network map to large hubs such as Dubai from the US and Europe. — Reuters

DUBAI: Bank Muscat, Oman’s largest lender by market value, rode increased lending growth and a drop in impairments to post a 20-percent rise in first-quarter net profit, beating analysts’ forecasts.

First-quarter net profit rose to 33.4 million rials ($86.75 million), compared with 27.8 million for the year-ago period, Bank Muscat said in a bourse statement yesterday.

Four analysts polled by Reuters were on average expecting the bank to post a net profit of 31.6 million rials for the quarter.

Impairments against credit losses dropped to 12.5 million rials from 13.1 million rials, the lender said. Loans and advances rose sharply by 24.7 percent to 4.99 billion rials for the quarter.

Oman reversed its secular approach to finance last year after seeing a steady trickle of investment flow to nearby countries with well-established Islamic banking, and Bank Muscat said in December that it would set up a sharia-compliant banking arm.

Brokerage NBK Capital, which upgraded Bank Muscat and rival National Bank of Oman last month, predicted then that the introduction of Islamic banking in Oman would lead to loan growth of 15 percent this year. Last week, Bank Dhofar, Oman’s second-largest bank by market capitalization, saw its first-quarter net profit rise marginally by 0.2 percent.

Shares in Bank Muscat have dropped 6 percent year-to-date. — Reuters

Qatar to keep short-term debt issuance steady Emarat has secured an additional term contract with KPC to purchase jet fuel in anticipation of a rise in aviation fuel demand.

Mideast trader FAL Oil close to $700m debt restructuring SINGAPORE: Middle East trader FAL Oil is close to securing an agreement to restructure about $700 million of its debt with creditors that will include additional loans to keep its operations going, at least two company sources told Reuters. FAL Oil, based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was up until recently considered to be one of the biggest privately run Middle East trading firms. But it has been struggling to keep its business operations in full swing due to a lack of funds.

Earlier this year it was sanctioned by the United States for its role in supplying gasoline into Iran.

“Banks (creditors) have in principle agreed on the restructuring but it is not yet complete because of the delays in the execution of certain documents,” one company source said.

“It is going to be a package ... one is a standstill agreement for the $700 million for a certain period, the other is new money ... a loan for $620 million to work on our business”, the source said, referring to working capital needs.”

FAL Oil has put forward a medium-term plan with its creditors which allows it to generate income to repay the core debt of $700 million.

“For the time being, (if the plan is accepted) we will be paying only the interest for

restructuring of the company’s $16 billion debt. Lootah said that 5.3 billion dirhams of claims from trade creditors is still under negotiation.

Earlier this month, the chairman said a second, $65 million tranche of Nakheel’s sukuk will probably be issued to trade creditors by the end of April.

The tranche will be about a quarter of the size previously expected after the firm persuaded creditors to accept a big discount on their claims. — Reuters

the new and old debt,” the source said. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter.

The company was not immediately available for comment.

FAL Oil’s creditors include Standard Charted Bank, which is heading the steering committee, along with Barclays Capital and Saudi Arabia’s SAMBA Financial.

The UAE banks who are involved include Emirates NBD , Commercial Bank of Dubai, MashreqBank , National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Union National Bank and First Gulf Bank.

KPMG is the financial advisor for FAL Oil and PriceWaterHouse Coopers (PWC) is advising the banks.

A lack of funds has forced FAL Oil to cut its fuel oil and bunkering business in the United Arab Emirates by as much as 60 percent. It has also shut down trading operations in the last few months at its unit in Singapore and London, sources familiar with the company operations said.

“With no banking lines, we cannot bid and there is no bank financing for the oil business, so we had to cut our business drastically, more than a 60 percent cut,” the source said.

FAL Oil tangled with the Pakistan State Oil Company (PSO) in October after failing to meet contractual agreements. — Reuters

Oman Islamic Bank Nizwa eyes $156m IPO DUBAI: Omani lender Bank Nizwa, the sultanate’s first Islamic bank, plans to raise $156 million by selling 40 percent of capital in an initial public offering on the Muscat Securities Market.

The bank is not yet operational and has only a representative office. Three branch openings are planned after the IPO. “Bank Nizwa will start IPO subscription on April 23. The bank is offering 600 million shares, with a par value of 102 baisas each, including two baisas for meeting issue expenses,” the lender said in a statement.

The subscription period will last one month. Bank Nizwa, sponsored by Al Khalili Group and other local shareholders, has a capital base of 150 million rials ($390 million) and the IPO is being managed by local lender Oman Arab Bank.

The shares are expected to list on June 6 and the bank is expected to be operational by July this year.

While neighboring Gulf states have ramped up Islamic finance services in recent years, Oman stood out by refusing to participate in the industry, with its central bank head saying in 2007 “banks should be universal”.

The central bank reversed that stance last year.

Another Islamic bank under formation, Al Izz International Bank is expected to issue an IPO of 40 percent of its 100 million rials capital by June this year, central bank of Oman said earlier this year.

Conventional lenders are also allowed to establish Islamic banking windows in the non-OPEC oil producer. Both Bank Muscat and National Bank of Oman have said they would do so, while Standard Chartered is considering whether to offer shariacompliant services. — Reuters

DOHA/DUBAI: Qatar’s central bank will keep issuing 4 billion riyals ($1.1 billion) in treasury bills every month, its chief said yesterday, suggesting that policymakers are still comfortable with strong bank lending growth despite higher inflation risks.

The world’s top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter is expected to see longsubdued inflation reach a four-year high this year, fueled by public wage rises and large investment projects ahead of hosting the 2022 soccer World Cup. “We will continue to issue 4 billion riyals in T-bills at the beginning of each month,” central bank Governor Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud Al-Thani told reporters on the sidelines of a financial conference in the Qatari capital.

He declined further comment on monetary policy. Qatar along with most other Gulf Arab oil exporters pegs its riyal to the US dollar. That limits the central bank’s flexibility to adjust interest rates to counter inflation as too large a differential against US benchmarks could invite inflows of speculative capital.

Instead, the central bank has to count on tools such as T-bills, reserve requirements and open market operations to drain potentially inflationary liquidity from the banking system.

“They do see liquidity as being a little too abundant at the moment, and loan growth has been very rapid over the last year or so,” said Liz Martins, senior MENA economist at HSBC. The central bank cut its key overnight deposit rate by 25 basis points to 0.75 percent last August to fuel bank lending to the private sector and trim hot money inflows. Despite massive investment plans, Qatar does not need to sell government debt thanks to robust income from LNG exports but it has been issuing

T-bills since last May to help fine-tune liquidity and develop the local debt market.

The country of 1.7 million people has outlined public investment plans worth $95 billion over five years to 2016, propelling real estate credit, which grew by 59 percent a month on average in the 12 months through February.

Overall, growth in bank lending to the private sector slowed to an eight-month low of 16.4 percent in February but still remains above rates seen in other Gulf countries. “Right now, we are looking at a situation where inflation largely because of a property market correction is relatively moderate but it’s clear that it has started picking up,” said Jarmo Kotilaine, chief economist at National Commercial Bank.

“So in that sense you want to have this instrument (T-bills) in your toolkit,” he said.

Annual inflation has been holding steady at 1.2 percent this year but a Reuters poll forecasts it will average 3.2 percent for 2012 as a whole, well up from 1.9 percent last year but far below a record 15 percent in 2008. The central bank sells T-bills with three, six and ninemonth maturities every month but it does not publicly release results of its auctions. The yields range from 1.9 percent to 2.75 percent for different tenors, a market source said.

“Unfortunately there is not enough transparency in the market about the results of each auction regarding the maximum and minimum yields accepted and the amounts accepted too,” said the source, who did not want to be identified. Qatari banks held about 12.4 billion riyals worth of T-bills at the end of February, slightly up from 12.0 billion in the previous month, the latest central bank data show. — Reuters

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 .4380000 .3600000 .2990000 .2760000 .2850000 .0040000 .0020000 .0754720 .7352970 .3830000 .0720000 .7208260 .0040000 .0430000

CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES US Dollar/KD .2780000 GB Pound/KD .4399770 Euro .3620390 Swiss francs .3011920 Canadian dollars .2779720 Danish Kroner .0486740 Swedish Kroner .0407080 Australian dlr .2867990 Hong Kong dlr .0358290 Singapore dlr .2216910 Japanese yen .0034460 Indian Rs/KD .0000000 Sri Lanka rupee .0000000 Pakistan rupee .0000000 Bangladesh taka .0000000 UAE dirhams .0757180 Bahraini dinars .7376940 Jordanian dinar .0000000 Saudi Riyal/KD .0741530 Omani riyals .7223590 Philippine Peso .0000000

.2810000 .4490000 .3690000 .3100000 .2840000 .2950000 .0070000 .0035000 .0762300 .7426870 .4000000 .0770000 .7280710 .0072000 .0500000 .2801000 .4433000 .3647740 .3034670 .2800720 .0490420 .0410150 .2889650 .0361000 .2233650 .0034720 .0054550 .0021980 .0030990 .0034380 .0762900 .7432670 .3961810 .0747130 .7278160 .0065970

US Dollar Pak Rupees

Rate per 1000 (Tran)

279.200 3.075

Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

5.417 2.195 3.414 6.565 76.120 74.595 742.300 46.200 448.500 3.190 1.550 369.300 284.900 3.510

Rate for Transfer

US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

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

5.426 2.168 3.405 3.082 75.92 742.13 46.17 396.93 725.10 76.93 74.50

5.700 2.600 4.000 3.250 76.50 741.00 47.20 395.50 725.00 77.25 74.95

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

Al Mulla Exchange Currency

Kuwait Bahrain Intl Exchange Co. Currency

Indian Rupees Sri Lankan Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso UAE Dirhams Saudi Riyals Bahraini Dinars Egyptian Pounds Pound Sterling Indonesian Rupiah Yemeni Riyal Euro Canadian Dollars Nepali rupee

278.850 366.000 443.700 280.900 3.475 5.397 46.115 2.197 3.410 6.515 3.076 742.500 75.950 74.500

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY

SELL DRAFT SELL CASH

Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka

293.84 283.95 308.35 368.16 445.40 3.52 3.406

292.00 284.50 307.50 369.00 447.00 3.70 3.650

Selling Rate

278.950 281.210 444.240 365.770 303.830 738.695 75.925 76.570 74.345 392.660 46.178 2.189 5.426 3.082 3.411 6.549 684.255 4.440 9.120 5.875 3.480 92.305

Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar Japanese yen Jordanian dinar Lebanese pound Malaysian ringgit Morocco dirham Nepalese Rupees New Zealand dollar Nigeria Norwegian krone Omani Riyal Pakistani rupees Philippine peso Qatari riyal Saudi riyal Singapore dollar South Africa Sri Lankan rupees Sterling pound Swedish krona Swiss franc Syrian pound Thai bhat Tunisian dollar UAE dirham U.S. dollars Yemeni Riyal

Bahrain Exchange Company 10 Tola COUNTRY

SELL CASH

Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka

291.400 742.660 3.680

282.600 548.500 45.500 49.900 167.800 47.850 367.700 36.680 5.710 0.032 0.160 0.237 3.550 395.750 0.189 93.380 45.300 4.290 232.300 1.809 49.300 725.360 3.180 6.850 77.250 74.560 224.100 39.170 2.661 445.900 42.000 306.400 4.200 9.440 198.263 76.140 279.600 1.340 GOLD 1,727.220

SELL DRAFT

289.900 742.660 3.410

Sterling Pound US Dollar

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 443.900 279.200

281.100

224.100 46.258 366.200 36.610 5.410 0.031

395.700 0.188 93.380 3.400 230.800 725.180 3.088 6.535 76.820 74.560 224.100 39.170 2.167 443.900 304.900 4.200 9.280 76.040 279.200

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

BUSINESS

Solid US retail sales may ease Q1 growth jitters WASHINGTON: US retail sales rose solidly in March as Americans shrugged off high gasoline prices and bought a range of goods, implying that economic growth in the first quarter was probably not as weak as many had feared. Total retail sales increased 0.8 percent, the Commerce Department said yesterday, after rising 1.0 percent in February.

Last month’s gains, which surpassed economists’ expectations for only a 0.3 percent rise, could prompt analysts to raise their first-quarter growth forecasts from an annual pace of around 2.5 percent currently. The economy grew at a 3.0 percent rate in the fourth quarter.

“It’s a clear sign that US consumer spending remains strong. On balance I think it’s the latest sign here that the US economy is outpacing a lot of its major counterparts in recovery,” said Omer Esiner, chief market analyst at Commonwealth Foreign Exchange in Washington.

However, the growing optimism over the economy was tempered by a separate report showing that manufacturing in New York state slowed sharply this month as shipments of goods weakened.

Factories, however, hired more workers and received higher prices for their goods, giving the report a mixed tone. The New York Federal Reserve Bank said yesterday its “Empire State” manufacturing activity index fell in April to 6.56, the lowest reading in five months, from 20.21 in March. “We’ll have to see if that’s a one-off or the start of a trend. If manufacturing slows down, that will certainly be a headwind to the economy,” said Wayne Kaufman, chief market analyst at John Thomas Financial in New York.

US stock index futures edged higher on the retail sales report, while prices for Treasury debt held their gains. The dollar extended gains against the euro and trimmed losses versus the yen.

The rise in sales last month was broad-based, even though Americans paid 27 cents more per gallon of gasoline than they did the prior month. So far, Americans appear to be taking rising gasoline prices in their stride, thanks to a mild winter that has cut heating bills for households.

Motor vehicle sales rose 0.9 percent after increasing 1.3 percent in February. Auto sales have accelerated in recent months, boosted by pent-up

US firms’ stockpiles grow WASHINGTON: US companies restocked at a steady pace in February, suggesting businesses are more hopeful about sales. The Commerce Department says business stockpiles rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6 percent. That’s below January’s upwardly revised gain of 0.8 percent.

The increase pushed stockpiles to $1.58 trillion, nearly 20 percent above the low hit in September 2009, just after the recession ended. Restocking

hasn’t slowed at the start of the year as much as economists had expected, leading many to raise their forecasts for January-March economic growth.

Larger stockpiles require businesses to order more goods. That leads to more factor y production, which boosts growth. A healthier job market and warmer weather boosted retail sales in March, which should also contributed to stronger economic growth in the first quarter. —AP

GDF Suez takes control of International Power PARIS/LONDON: French utility GDF Suez took control of Britain’s International Power yesterday through a sweetened offer of 6.4 billion pounds ($10.2 billion), leaving the world’s biggest independent power producer better placed to win contracts in fast-growing emerging markets.

The deal comes a few weeks after IPR turned down as too low an earlier offer GDF Suez had made to buy out the remaining 30 percent of the company it did not already own. In order to finance the deal, GDF said it would tap bank lenders and sell a n additional 3 billion euros worth of assets located primarily in mature markets, on top of 10 billion euros in assets it had originally planned to sell by 2013. GDF Suez conducted the acquisition in two stages, keen to prevent its debt from increasing too significantly and to preserve its A credit rating. It has completed two thirds of its earlier asset disposal plan. GDF Suez estimated that increased profit contributions from the takeover would lift its earnings by as much 9 percent to 4.2 billion euros. Greater competition and regulation in mature energy markets in Europe, bogged down by the economic crisis, have steered GDF Suez’s focus to developing markets where energy needs are growing fast.

The International Energy Agency forecasts overall energy demand to grow by 40 pct between 2009-2035, the bulk of which is seen outside industrialized nations. The purchase of IPR will boost GDF Suez’ presence in regions where energy demand is growing, such South America, the Middle East, South-East Asia and Australia, and

buying out the remaining stake will simplify the group’s structure.

The IPR acquisition in 2010 added 35 gigawatts in electricity production capacity worldwide, or the equivalent of 35 small nuclear reactors, to a total of 117 GW today at GDF Suez.

Some 15 GW are currently being built and International Power’s pipeline of large projects is expected to deliver a contribution to earnings between 2014 and 2017.

The 418 pence per share offer, at a 7 percent premium to an earlier approach by GDF, values IPR at about 21.3 billion pounds ($33.8 billion).

GDF said the offer valued the entire issued and to be issued share capital of IPR at about 22.8 billion pounds, assuming full conversion of IPR’s Convertible Bonds and exercise of share options.

In the medium term, GDF intends to increase its guidance for investments in fast growing markets to 40 to 50 percent of the total, up from 30 percent now, helping the group with its target to build 90 MW in installed capacity out of Europe by 2016.

“It represents a significant shift in GDF Suez and to a certain extend a change of identity,” the group’s Chief Executive Officer Gerard Mestrallet told a news conference.

Analysts have said a deal would make good strategic sense for GDF given IPR’s strong growth prospects. IPR said the offer, which will also see its shareholders getting a 6.6 euro cent dividend, was attractive, given the company’s position in international power generation markets and its growth potential.-—Reuters

Spain may slap spending curbs on regions MADRID: Spain’s central government may impose budget curbs on regional authorities as soon as next month in return for extending them credit lines, a government source said yesterday, an effort to placate markets as the cost of borrowing hits dangerous levels.

Spanish 10-year government bond yields broke through the 6 percent mark on Monday for the first time since the beginning of December. Spain has acknowledged that it has probably tipped into its second recession since 2009. The conservative government says it is committed to making major budget cuts. But concern is growing on financial markets that the recession will make it impossible to meet deficit targets and that Spain will have to seek some kind of an international bailout, like Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

The 17 autonomous regions account for around half of public spending. They are expected to lower their own deficits to 1.5 percent of GDP by the end of the year from 2.9 percent. “ I wouldn’t be surprised if we had to intervene as some (regions) do not have access to capital markets. So we will have to take the budget path together. The word ‘intervene’ sounds weighty, but they would accept the help willingly as they won’t have funding on markets,” t h e high ranking source said.

The 1970’s Constitution gave the regions a lot of power over their own budg-

ets, but their inability to rein in spending after a decade-long country-wide property boom has spooked international investors.

Regions have to present their plans to make savings of around 15 billion euros ($19.62 billion) i n the first two weeks of May a n d the government could take action on plans not meeting requirements almost immediately, t he source said. Some regions have failed to pay public service contractors for months. The Spanish central government has offered credits to help pay those debts, on the condition that regions abide by their deficit goals.

Despite rising financing costs, the source ruled out any possibility the country would need international aid. “Markets are not being driven by the real situation in the country. Banks and the Treasury have their liquidity resolved,” the source s aid.

Soaring bond yields raise worries the government’s borrowing costs could quickly reach unaffordable levels unless the European Central Bank resumes buying government bonds in a program which has helped to keep yields down in recent months.

“We’re back in full crisis mode,” said Rabobank rate strategist Lyn GrahamTaylor. “It is looking more and more likely that Spain is going to have some form of a bailout. Assuming there is not an (ECB) intervention you would not see a cap on Spanish yields, they would just keep increasing.”—Reuters

demand by households.

A devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan caused disruptions to auto production last year and left dealers without models that consumers wanted to buy. Excluding autos, retail sales climbed 0.8 percent last month after advancing 0.9 percent in February.

Elsewhere, gasoline sales receipts increased 1.1 percent after rising 3.6 percent in February. Excluding autos and gasoline, sales advanced 0.7 percent in March, adding to the prior month’s 0.5 percent gain. Details of the report showed some strength, suggesting consumer spending will continue to support growth.

Last month, clothing store receipts rose 0.9 percent, while sales at building materials and garden equipment suppliers jumped 3.0 percent - the largest gain since December.

Unseasonably mild weather has helped to boost sales at clothing retailers as well as purchases of building materials and garden equipment.

So-called core retail sales, which exclude autos, gasoline and building materials, rose 0.5 percent after increasing by the same margin in February.

FREEPORT: A shopper carries bags of merchandise in Freeport, Maine. US retail sales rose at a solid pace in March 2012, as a healthier job market encouraged more consumers to shop, the Commerce Department said yesterday. —AP Core sales correspond most closely with the consumer spending component of the government’s gross domestic product report. Sales at restaurants and bars edged up 0.3 percent, while receipts at sporting goods,

hobby, book and music stores rose 0.5 percent. Sales of electronics and appliances increased 1.0 percent, the largest gain since October, while receipts at furniture stores climbed 1.1 percent. — Reuters

WBank post not decided on merit: Nigerian candidate “Helped bring change to selection process’ ABUJA: The Nigerian candidate to head the World Bank said yesterday that the appointment was not being decided on merit and that the US nominee would win, but added that she had helped bring change to the process.

“You know this thing is not really being decided on merit,” Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi OkonjoIweala, also a former World Bank managing director, told reporters after a briefing on the country’s 2012 budget. “It is voting with political weight and shares and therefore the United States will get it.” The World Bank’s directors meet on Monday to decide who will be the powerful institution’s next chief, with all expectations that the United States will maintain its unbroken lock on the position. The next head of the bank will succeed Robert Zoellick, who is stepping down at the end of his term in June.

Okonjo-Iweala said she had declined to withdraw her candidacy and that rules of the process should be published. “At one point, they said I should withdraw. I refused,” she said, without specifying who. “The Africa which sent me said I should stay on.”

She added later: “If they want me to withdraw, they have to publicly tell people why and everybody will understand. Otherwise, nobody will understand what I’m doing. “So they need to publish the rules. They did not publish the rules for every-

one to know how this thing is going to be done. So now they will have to do it.” Okonjo-Iweala said that despite the apparent failure of developing nations to have a nominee appointed to the post, her candidacy had helped inject change

victory. Who gets to run the World Bank-we have shown we can contest this thing and Africa can produce people capable of running the entire architecture.”

Under a tacit agreement since the Bretton Woods institutions

“It is voting with political weight and shares and therefore the United States will get it,” Okonjo-Iweala said yesterday.— AFP into the process.

The US nominee, KoreanAmerican physician Jim Yong Kim, faced a challenge for the first time for 66 years from two strong developing country candidates. The other candidate, former Colombian finance minister Jose Antonio Ocampo, dropped out on Friday complaining that the selection process was all political. “It will never ever be the same again,” OkonjoIweala said. “So we have won a big

were founded nearly 70 years ago, the United States has always put a US national at the helm of the World Bank and Europe has picked a European to lead the International Monetary Fund.

Okonjo-Iweala, a respected Harvard-educated economist, was widely seen as a strong candidate to challenge the status quo. She took over as Nigeria’s finance minister in August, her second time in the role, after serving as World Bank

managing director from 2007 to 2011. The 57-year-old previously served as Nigeria’s finance minister between 2003 and 2006 and was lauded for having negotiated the cancellation of 18 billion dollars of Nigeria’s debt. She also served briefly as foreign minister. Since taking over in August, she has pushed for various reforms in Africa’s most populous nation and biggest oil producer, which has long been held back by deeply rooted corruption. The reform push has had mixed results, with the most high-profile initiative -an attempt to end fuel subsidies widely seen as riddled with corruption and a drain on the country’s budget-turning into a political fiasco.

Nigeria’s bid to end subsidies all at once and without prior notice at the start of the year caused petrol prices to instantly more than double and led to a week of strikes and street protests that virtually shut the countr y down. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan was forced to compromise and partially reinstate the subsidies.

The series of events led to criticism of Okonjo-Iweala from average Nigerians, most of whom live on less than $2 per day and who see fuel subsidies as the only benefit from the nation’s oil wealth.

Other areas the minister has sought to improve include the country’s neglected agricultural sector and its dysfunctional ports, seen as a brake on investment. — AFP

Citigroup buoyed by Markets, economy NEW YORK: Citigroup Inc’s quarterly profit beat Wall Street estimates as the third-largest US bank cut expenses and benefited from an improved economy and more active capital markets after a dismal end to 2011. Profit was also boosted by loan growth in the lender’s core Citicorp division, strong fixed income performance, and continued improvement in credit quality that allowed Citigroup to release reserves set aside for bad loans.

Shares of the New York-based lender, which received multiple bailouts during the financial crisis, were up $1.07, or 3.2 percent, at $34.48 in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

“They continue to progress.

They have headwinds that maybe only Bank of America has, but they seem to be managing those headwinds,” said Gary Townsend, CEO of Hill-Townsend Capital. “It’s a good quarter without being as superlative as JPMorgan’s was.”

JPMorgan Chase & Co beat Wall Street’s expectations on Friday, helped by some of the same macro trends - a better economy and more active capital markets.

The results confirm investor expectations of a recovery after the European debt crisis roiled markets late last year, and they augur well for other major US banks such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Corp, all due to report results this week.

But the KBW index of bank stocks is already up more than 19 percent this year, and investors

NEW YORK: A Citibank branch in New York. Citigroup reported yesterday, a profit of $2.9 billion for the first three months of the year. — AP are now turning their attention to much macro uncertainty and we Street analysts, who usually determining the strength and will continue to manage risk care- exclude such accounting items, extent of the recovery, which still fully.” Citigroup’s first-quarter net had expected, on average, $1 a lags the optimism of early last income fell 2 percent to $2.93 bil- share, according to Thomson year.Citigroup Chief Financial lion, or 95 cents a share, from Reuters I/B/E/S. Expenses were down 7 percent Officer John Gerspach said $2.99 billion, or 99 cents a share, demand for loans remains soft in a year earlier. Revenue from the from the fourth quarter and were the United States and Europe but company’s ongoing securities flat with a year earlier, reflecting continues strong in emerging trading and investment banking seasonal factors and the compabusiness declined 12 percent ny’s commitment to bring costs markets.

Loan growth was particularly from the strong quarter a year down for the year, Gerspach said strong for trade finance, he earlier but rose 65 percent from in the conference call. A set of assets that the company has added in a conference call with the weak 2011 fourth quarter.

Citigroup said earnings per been selling off or running down reporters.

Chief Executive Vikram Pandit share, excluding the impact of since the financial crisis, declined said in a statement, “While the certain accounting adjustments 29 percent from a year earlier to operating environment improved for changes in the value debts $209 billion, or 11 percent of total in the first quarter, there is still and credits, were $1.11. Wall Citigroup assets.— Reuters

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business

KSE stocks edge lower amid global uncertainty GLOBAL DAILY MARKET REPORT KUWAIT: Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) traded lower yesterday as investors remained cautious amid rising concerns about the global growth outlook. Eyes are on 1Q2012 earnings for near-term direction.

The market benchmark KSE Price Index edged lower by 0.34 percent and closed at 6,196 points.

The Global General Index shed 0.70 of a point (or 0.39 percent) to close at 177.21 points. Large Caps staged a session of poor performance as highlighted by a 0.32 percent drop posted by the market’s blue-chips’ barometer, Global Large Cap Index.

Yesterday’s performance was accompanied by mixed trading activity. Volume of shares traded on the exchange rose by 0.95 percent, at 328.71mn shares. Services groups accounted for 128.02mn shares (38.95 percent) of the market’s total volume. Hits Telecom Holding the most actively traded stock, with 62.32mn shares changing hands. The scrip was down by 5.36 percent.

Future Kid Entertainment and Real Estate Company was the prominent gainer. The scrip added 8.16 percent to close at KD0.106.

On the other hand, Warba Insurance Company was the biggest loser today as it plunged by

6.94 percent to close at KD0.134.

Sector-wise Sector-wise, all the indices went down yesterday, Global Investment Index was the biggest decliner as it shed 1.11 percent to close at 80.58 points. This was mainly because of the heavyweight National Investment Company which decreased by 1.33 percent to close at KD0.148. The second biggest

decliner was Global Insurance Index, which shed 0.77 percent to close at 43.48 points. This was a result of Warba Insurance Company which dropped by 6.94 percent.

Real Estate sector followed as it came down by 0.64 percent. Mabanee Company was the major loser in the sector this day with 2.02 percent decrease. Salhia Real Estate Company came second with a decrease of 0.85 percent to end the day at KD0.232.

Oil news The price of OPEC basket of twelve crudes stood at $119.10pb on Friday, compared with $118.72pb the previous day, according to OPEC Secretariat calculations.

Corporate news National Bank of Kuwait (NBKK) 1Q2012 net profit KD81mn versus KD80.8mn year-ago.

Iraq’s southern oil exports rise in April LONDON: Iraq’s oil exports from its southern ports have jumped by 190,000 barrels per day (bpd) in April, according to shipping data tracked by Reuters, a sign shipments are heading for another post-war record.

Exports from the Basra oil terminal, Khor AlAmaya, and a new Gulf outlet have averaged 2.11 million bpd in the first 16 days of April, the data showed. Iraq said its southern exports averaged 1.92 million bpd last month. Iraq is

expected to provide the world’s largest expansion in oil export capacity in 2012 as new outlets open. Its supply to the world market had been held back for years by a lack of port capacity after decades of war and sanctions.

Oil began loading from a new floating single-point mooring (SPM) platform in the Gulf the first of several - on March 8. So far in April, the facility has exported four 2 million-barrel shipments, more than in all of March. The extra

port capacity is allowing Iraq to sell more of its increasing oil output. Oil companies such as BP and ENI have been working to boost production in Iraq, which holds the third-largest reserves in the Middle East.

Until the new Gulf outlet came into operation, industry sources said companies were having to keep a lid on output at the southern oilfields, because shipments were at the limit of capacity.—Reuters

Oil drops to $120 on Spanish, China data SINGAPORE: Oil dipped towards $120 yesterday as renewed worries about the euro-zone triggered by Spanish debt problems and concerns about slower growth in China prompted a pull back in investor risk appetite. Brent crude futures were down $1.16 to $120.05 a barrel by 1010 GMT, after earlier falling below the key $120 level and trading down to $119.59 a barrel.

US crude was down 19 cents to $102.64 a barrel, off an intraday low of $101.86 a barrel.

“The overall mood is one of risk aversion after the news from Spain,” said Eugen Weinberg, an energy analyst at Commerzbank in Frankfurt. “Credit default swap spreads are at record high levels and Spanish banks are having trouble getting money in the markets and are going to the European Central Bank instead. That is weighing on sentiment.”

Spanish 10-year bond yields broke above the key six percent level as investors worried the country would not be able to keep its budget deficit in check. The rise in yields followed data on Friday that showed record borrowing by Spain’s banks from the ECB. “Across the board, from equities to commodities, the sentiment is risk off,” agreed Michael Poulsen, an oil analyst at Global Risk Management. As a result of the renewed worries about the eurozone, the euro came under pressure against the dollar, falling to two-month lows.

This helped the dollar rise 0.25 percent against a basket of currencies. A stronger dollar makes commodities priced in dollars more expensive for buyers using other currencies. Oil prices were also reflecting worries about reduced demand from China after data on Friday showed the economy growing at its slowest pace in nearly three years in the first quarter.

China’s implied oil demand rose moderately in March over a year earlier, but stood at a five-month low on a daily basis, as refineries scaled back their runs to the lowest level since October due to maintenance and poor refining margins.

Reflecting the shift in sentiment, speculators cut their net long positions in US crude oil futures and options positions to the lowest level since December in the week to April 10, data from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed on Friday.

Analysts also pointed to talks between Iran and six world powers that took place over the weekend, which were considered constructive enough to go ahead with another meeting in Baghdad on May 23. “Despite the upcoming import ban for Iranian oil, Iran is back at the negotiating table, which has reduced the possibility of immediate attacks on Iranian installations or a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, so the geopolitical premium in Brent is waning,” said Commerzbank’s Weinberg.

US President Barack Obama said more sanctions would be imposed on Iran if there was no breakthrough in nuclear talks with global powers in the coming months. The potential for supply disruption and tighter sanctions has helped push crude prices higher in 2012. The European Union’s ban on importing Iranian oil, which is set to start in July, has already curbed Tehran’s exports.

However, some analysts believe a pick-up in supply from other producers, as indicated by last week’s report from the International Energy Agency, should drive prices lower in coming months.

“We feel that prices above $120 are too high for the current fundamental underlying situation, with rising supply from Libya and high supply from Saudi Arabia,” said Andy Sommer, energy market analyst at EGL. “Inventories are rising and that should put downward pressure on prices,” he said.

Oil at $120 a barrel is seen as a key technical suppor t level for Brent because it is a former line of resistance that held almost all last summer before prices eventually punched higher into a new trading range this year.

“We might fight with this strong support line for a couple of days, but if it breaks, prices could slip a bit further,” said Sommer. — Reuters

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business

Abandoned workers highlight plight of French industry PLANCY-L’ABBAYE, France: Every morning the employees of the Sodimedical hospital supplies company in this small town in eastern France show up for work in their shuttered factory. They haven’t been paid in six months, since Sodimedical’s German parent company Lohmann & Rauscher moved their jobs to cheaper factories abroad. Yet still they go to work every day, a symbol of the brutal de-industrialization that hit France in the last 30 years and has become a key issue ahead of the first round of the country’s presidential vote yesterday.

All the candidates have vowed to return French industry to its former glory, with right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy promising tax cuts to help factories survive and Socialist Francois Hollande offering state

investment. In the meantime the workers at Sodimedical, abandoned and increasingly in despair, struggle to pay their bills with no solution in sight.

“It’s outrageous,” said their spokeswoman, 33-year-old Angelique Debruyne. “There is no consistency between what is being said in the campaign speeches-that we must produce in France-and the reality on the ground.”

That reality hit home for the 47 women and five men who worked at Sodimedical in April 2010, when Lohmann & Rauscher announced it was closing the factory’s doors to relocate operations to China and the Czech Republic. “That night when I went home and told the children, I was lost,” said one of the employees, 42-year-old Nadine Kapusta. “I have no

degree, no other training, there is nowhere else to go and I have bills to pay,” she said.

For 15 years and more, employees followed the same routine-cutting, folding and assembling textiles for hospitals, at the plant in PlancyL’Abbaye, a town of 1,000 in the Aube region 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of Paris. Charts still hanging on the wall in the factory show productivity was rising and the workers were confident, buying bungalows on credit. But a few years ago things started to change. A group of Chinese businessmen visited the factory and took pictures. Managers noted that a factory had been set up in China to make the same products. Finally, in April 2010, the axe fell. Employees were told the factory was moving and they could

keep their jobs only by relocating to China on a salary of 120 euros ($156) a month or to the Czech Republic for 400 euros per month. They balked.

“It was a shock. We could understand if a factory closes because it is in difficulty-but not if it’s to boost profits on the backs of employees,” said Veronique Aubert, 38. The employees had little hope of finding other work.

They were on average 45 years old, with no degrees and highly specialized skills of little use elsewhere.

Once a powerhouse of the French textile industry, the Aube region has seen the number of employees in the sector fall from 24,000 in the 1980s to only 4,000 today. The employees launched a campaign to save their jobs, hiring a lawyer and filing more than 30 legal cases against Lohmann &

Rauscher, which declared Sodimedical bankrupt.

Each time the courts has ruled in their favor, but nothing could be done.

Production ceased and the employees sit in the ghost factory every day, knitting, talking and growing increasingly worried. Help has poured in from the community, with private donations made to help support the workers and the local priest fundraising. But the employees say their bills are piling up and there seems no hope of a turnaround. Local mayor James Lionnet worries that his once-prosperous town is slowly dying with each factory that closes. “This means less investment in the area, less work for bricklayers or floor tilers, losses for businesses,” he said. “And if people have no jobs, they will leave.” — AFP

India inflation shoots up but rate cut looks likely RBI in dilemma ahead of policy meet

TOKYO: Businessmen pass before a share prices board in Tokyo yesterday.

Japan’s share prices fell 167.35 points to close at 9,470.64 points at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, tracking declines on Wall Street, as market sentiment was also hit by a strong yen and ongoing concerns over Europe’s debt problems. — AFP

Japan still undecided on IMF contributions TOKYO: Japanese Finance Minister Jun Azumi said yesterday that Tokyo has not finalized yet how much it will contribute to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help Europe tackle the sovereign debt crisis.

“We are still coordinating opinions with other countries prior to the Group of 20 (G20),” Azumi told reporters, denying Sunday’s media reports saying JapanIMF’s second-biggest contributor after the US-is considering offering around $60 billion in emergency loans to the Washington-based lender.

His remarks come ahead of the planned meeting of G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors on Thursday and Friday in Washington to discuss whether countries will contribute more resources to the IMF. The 187-member fund estimated in January it would need an additional

$500 billion to boost its lending resources and another $100 billion for reserves to counter European debt crisis.

But Azumi has repeatedly urged European leaders to make further efforts to contain the sovereign debt crisis before seeking help from the IMF. In February, Japan and China agreed to consult each other in determining their possible contributions to the IMF. Meanwhile, Azumi earlier this month welcomed recent agreement among euro-zone finance ministers to expand their bailout funds to EUR 700 billion ($912 billion) from EUR 500 billion ($651 billion).

The G-20 groups Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the US and the European Union. — KUNA

Nigeria faces big oil price risk: CB chief NEW YORK: A sharp fall in oil prices would be a relief for much of the world, but for Nigeria it could spell big trouble.

“There will be a very bad day and a lot of gnashing of teeth if the oil price crashes and we haven’t saved a thing,” Nigeria’s central bank governor, Lamido Sanusi, said.

Africa’s most populous country is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies - gross domestic product expanded by more than 7 percent last year - and foreign investors have poured money into its financial markets to take advantage of high interest rates. But it remains dependent on oil production which accounts for about 80 percent of government revenues, Sanusi said.

He is a leading advocate for an overhaul of Nigeria’s economy to make it less exposed to fluctuations in oil prices, a campaign which has drawn opposition from the country’s powerful state governors. They fear reforms such as creating a sovereign wealth fund could prevent them from dipping into Nigeria’s windfall oil revenues.

Sanusi noted recent discussions between the United States and other industrialized nations about the possible release of strategic petroleum reserves, and signs that producer countries such as Saudi Arabia might increase output to help bring down oil prices.

“Our major concern is a major decline in the price of oil or (domestic) output would lead to a massive depreciation of the currency, a collapse in reserves and a huge growth in deficits and some of the states outside of the oil-producing region might find actually themselves in a situation where are not able to pay salaries,” he said.

“I am trained to think in terms of ‘what if’ and that’s the mindset I bring to my job. What happens if oil prices go to $50 a barrel? It’s happened before.”

Sanusi, a former banker who special-

ized in risk management and who is allied with Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in the push for reforms, has warned that Nigeria’s system of subsidizing fuel prices is unsustainable. The Nigerian government tried to scrap the subsidies but backtracked after widespread protests earlier this year and partially reinstated them.

Sanusi said the government should spend no more than the 880 billion naira for subsidies in 2012 earmarked in the budget signed by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday.

“I would simply like to see that the government does not pay a penny more than that, no matter what happens,” he said. Asked how low oil prices would need to fall before they pose a risk to Nigeria, Sanusi said a decline to around $85 or $90 a barrel - from around $120 now - could lead to a shortfall in projected revenues and higher budget deficits, if Nigeria’s oil output does not increase.

Speaking to Reuters in New York on Friday, Sanusi said Nigeria’s central bank was comfortable with its monetary policy stance, having hiked interest rates sharply last year, but that could change if the government breaks its new 2012 budget. The budget includes an assumed average oil price of $72 a barrel, any earnings over which are saved into the country’s excess crude account. That is $2 more than the level recommended by the central bank, but the difference did not translate into a major increase in the planned level of spending, Sanusi said. “So I don’t think the headline numbers alone would justify a change in monetary stance from where we are today,” he said. Nigeria’s central bank implemented a string of rate hikes in 2011 that pushed the benchmark borrowing rate to 12 percent. “We frontloaded most of the tightening. We met seven times last year and tightened six times out of seven.” — Reuters

NEW DELHI: India’s inflation climbed unexpectedly in March, data showed yesterday, throwing the central bank a dilemma ahead of a meeting at which policymakers are expected to cut interest rates.

The closely watched Wholesale Price Index rose to 6.89 percent in March from the same month a year earlier-fuelled by a rise in food prices-and is above market expectations of a 6.7 percent climb.

But slowing growth as a result of 13 rate hikes means the central bank is still likely to lower borrowing costs for the first time since 2009 at its policy meeting in Mumbai today, economists said.

“We have to look at the fact the economy is very clearly softening,” Yes Bank chief economist Shubhada Rao told AFP. “I expect the central bank to cut rates by a quarter point at its meeting,” she said.

India’s benchmark repo-the rate at which it lends to commercial banks-stands at 8.50 percent. “The time for the Reserve Bank of India to cut (rates) has come,” agreed Credit Suisse economist Robert Prior-Wandesforde, adding there was an outside chance the bank might lower rates by 50 basis points.

The government estimates the economy grew 6.9 percent in the fiscal year to March 2012 — the weakest clip since the 2008 global financial crisis-and it expects expansion to be 7.6 percent this fiscal year. The bank has already moved to crank up lending and spur investment by lowering the amount of cash commercial banks must keep in reserve.

India’s slowing growth comes as the Congress-led government, already battered by a string of graft scandals, has been under

heavy financial market pressure to curb public spending and rein in a ballooning deficit.

Emerging market nations have been cutting rates to bolster expansion and shield their economies from Europe’s sovereign debt crisis as well as the weakened US

near double-digits for most of last year but now policymakers’ attention is focused on the slowing economy.

India’s industrial output grew in February by a lower-than-expected 4.1 percent after growing by just 1.1 percent in January, data

MUMBAI: India’s Reserve Bank of India tower in Mumbai. economy and to offset a slowdown in China.

But India has kept rates at their highest level since 2008 to tame inflation, which has caused huge hardship to the country’s hundreds of millions of poor and is a political tripwire in the nation of 1.2 billion people. The rate rises have subdued inflation that was

Italy’s booming export? Gold to Switzerland ROME: Gold ingots sent to Switzerland are Italy’s fastest growing export, according to data published yesterday which showed the trade deficit falling to 1.1 billion euros ($1.4 billion) in February.

Exports from Italy, the euro-zone’s third-biggest economy, to Switzerland grew by 35.6 percent in February compared to the figure for February 2011 “mainly because of sales of non-monetary raw gold,” the official data agency Istat said in a statement.

This was up from a 33.4-percent rise seen in January over a 12-month period. Total exports from Italy were up 2.1 percent from February 2011, while imports fell by 5.8 percent. The fastest-growing export markets after Switzerland were Japan (22.1 percent) and the United States (21.5 percent).

Imports were down 22.3 percent from Turkey, 20.4 percent from Japan and 11.5 percent from China, but imports from Russia-a key source of natural gas supplies during a particularly cold winter-were up 31.8 percent.

Italy’s economy has been stuck in recession since the second half of last year and experts said improvements in the trade balance could be a tentative sign that Prime Minister Mario Monti’s reforms are beginning to take effect. The rapid rise of gold exports to Switzerland, however, is seen as a sign of continuing lack of confidence in Italy’s economic prospects and a symptom of the government’s crackdown on tax evasion and implementation of austerity cuts.

Italy exported a total of 120 tons of gold to Switzerland in 2011 — a 65-percent increase from 2010.

Almost half of that amount was exported in the last four months of the year as tensions on the financial markets peaked. — AFP

last week showed. But still strong inflationary risks, especially from volatile global fuel prices, mean the bank will tread carefully in cutting rates this year, Rao said.

“We could still see upside surprises on inflation,” she said. —AFP

One in 10 rich pay under 20% tax in UK: Report LONDON: Almost one in 10 people earning more than 10 million pounds a year is paying less than the 20 percent basic rate of income tax, the UK Treasury said yesterday.

It released the figures to show that government plans were needed to prevent very wealthy people from paying less tax than low-earners. Proposals include limiting the tax relief on charitable donations.

But that idea has been criticized by the opposition Labor party and philanthropists, as well as some senior figures in the government.

Among them is Conservative Party treasurer Lord Fink who says it will put people off giving large sums to good causes.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair has also stepped in to the row and will urge the government not to damage incentives for giving.

In a speech tonight, Blair is expected to say “ This is absolutely the right moment for government to do all it can to promote philanthropy; and certainly nothing to harm it”, his aides said.

Blair will make his comments when he addresses the Global Philanthropy Forum in Washington.

Meanwhile, Ministers say they want to end the practice of wealthy people

minimizing their tax bill - sometimes to zero - by donating to charity. Although the donor does not personally profit in this way, it means they are choosing where their money is spent - unlike normal taxpayers.

Under the plans, previously uncapped tax reliefs - including on charitable donations - would be capped at 50,000 pounds, or 25 percent of a person’s income, if that was higher, from 2013.

At the moment there is no limit, so it is possible to donate enough money to charity to effectively bring a tax bill down to zero.

The Treasury figures showed that 6 percent of the 10 million-pounds-plus earners paid less than 10 percent in tax and another 3 percent paid less than 20 percent.

They also showed that fewer than three-quarters of high earners paid more than 40 percent in income tax. A Treasury spokeswoman said: “ There are currently millionaires paying a lower tax rate than ordinary taxpayers. “This is the system we have at the moment, but the government is committed to making it fairer.

We’re capping benefits and these figures clearly show why it’s fair to cap tax reliefs for the wealthy as well.” — KUNA

Temasek raises stake in China’s ICBC bank

The Temasek tower in downtown Singapore

SINGAPORE: State-linked Singapore investment firm Temasek Holdings said yesterday it will increase its stake in China’s ICBC bank to 1.3 percent by purchasing shares from US financial group Goldman Sachs. Dow Jones Newswires, citing the term sheet, said the deal was valued at $2.3 billion.

“Temasek has agreed to acquire 3.55 billion H-shares in Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) from the Goldman Sachs Group,” the firm said in a brief statement on its website.

It said that when the deal is completed, Temasek’s deemed interest in ICBC “will be approximately 5.3 percent of H-shares, or 1.3 percent of total ICBC shares.” Temasek previously held a 0.3 percent stake in the firm ICBC. H-shares are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. ICBC is also listed on the Shanghai

Stock Exchange, where the stocks are referred to as A-shares.

Temasek also has shares in China Construction Bank (CCB) and Bank of China (BOC), meaning it has a toehold in three of China’s “Big Four ” lenders. The firm in September raised its stake in CCB to 8.10 percent from 6.27 percent. It also holds a 2.2 percent stake in BOC. The move is in line with Temasek’s increased focus on Chinese businesses, and comes three months after the firm set up a new investment arm specifically targeting privately-owned firms in China, the world’s second-largest economy. Temasek Holdings is one of two Singapore state investment firms and had a portfolio worth Sg$193 billion ($149.53 billion) for the financial year ended March 31, 2011. — AFP

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TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

business

Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive showroom

BMW, MINI sales in Kuwait rises 22% in Q1 2012 KUWAIT: Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive has reported a 22% increase in BMW and MINI car sales in the first three months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011.

The official importer of BMW Group vehicles in Kuwait demonstrated its intention to complete yet another successful year by retaining its position as one of the five best performing markets in the Middle East, clearly demonstrating Kuwaiti customers’ desire for top-ofthe-range, premium vehicles.

“The increase in our sales confirms the loyalty of our customers and the strength of the BMW and MINI brands in Kuwait,” said Yousef Al-Qatami, General Manager, Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive. “BMW Group vehicles represent high performance, engineering excellence and pioneering innovation, all of which are qualities appreciated and desired by discerning customers here in Kuwait. This factor coupled with

an exceptional model portfolio and great customer service makes us optimistic for the months ahead.”

The BMW 5 Series was the highest volume selling model. A core product for BMW, it combines sporting and elegant design, excellent comfort, the highest standard in efficiency in its class and sets the benchmark in driving dynamics and safety having achieved 5 stars in both the Euro NCAP and US NCAP vehicle safety assessment programs. Also contributing to Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive’s solid performance was the flagship BMW 7 Series, the 3 Series, X5 Sports Activity Vehicle and the X6 Sports Activity CoupÈ.

Reaffirming its position as the fastest growing premium brand in the world as well as in the Middle East; MINI also witnessed growth in Kuwait during the first three months achieving 50% growth. Sales were led by the MINI

Gulf Bank sponsors 2nd Gulf SME Forum Bank provides tailored SME services KUWAIT: Gulf Bank yesterday announced its silver sponsorship of the Second Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Forum, which will be held under the patronage of H H the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The event will take place at the Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Kuwait on 2425th April 2012.

Fawzy Al-Thunayan, General Manager, Board Affairs at Gulf Bank said: “We are proud to sponsor this regional SME Forum. It is a great opportunity to showcase our tailored SME services as well as share ideas and help encourage young businesses to grow. Our sponsorship of this event is part of the Bank’s initiative to support Kuwait and its business community and to encourage the emergence of leaders of the next generation.”

The SME Forum is the first and largest of its kind across the Gulf region and is expected to be attended by a great number of local small and medium enterprises (SME’s) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) companies.

Gulf Bank was recently awarded ‘Best SME Start up Scheme’ from The Banker Middle East. The award is an endorse-

MINI Countryman

APICORP posts highest profit in 36-year history Net profit for 2011 rises 11% to $105.4 million

Fawzy Al-Thunayan, General Manager, Board Affairs at Gulf Bank ment of the skills of Gulf Bank’s Business Banking Department, which was established to meet the financial needs of small business owners and entrepreneurs. The Bank’s Business Banking Department offers exceptional financial assistance and start up packages, as well as access to a dedicated team of experienced commercial managers who have the knowledge to guide and support each customer on an individual basis.

Al-Babtain Group holds training program on situational leadership for its companies’ managers KUWAIT: Abdul Mohsen Abdul Aziz AlBabtain Group organized a training program for the senior managers and heads of the group divisions. The program comes as the key hub of the company’s strategy of developing leadership and human cadres, and to sharpen their skills, refine their experiences through training programs and workshops in various areas of leadership and a modern management, thereby increase their effectiveness in production and perform their duties effectively.

The training program was organized at the Radisson BLU Hotel “Failaka hall” for two days, 3rd & 4th of April 2012, under the title of “Situational Leadership Workshop”, in collaboration with Leaders Academy for Consultancy and Training.

The training is to clarify the concepts of modern leadership, according to the up-to-date standards of the international leadership schools, and includes manifold workshops to assess the work environment, and to identify the primary or the dominant leadership style for each participant and his secondary style too, And thus the ability of each participant to use the correct type of leadership according to the situations that he faces.

Also included practical applications of real situations within the work environ-

Countryman, while the MINI Hatch and MINI Coupe were also strong contributing factors to the brand’s first quarter 2012 success in Kuwait.

MINI also pushed ahead with the rigorous expansion of its model family during the first three months of the year, with the March launch of the MINI Roadster. The sixth model addition to the range, the MINI Roadster is the first open-top two-seater MINI and a great example of the brand’s progressive growth over the years to appeal to new audience groups.

Another area of the business that continues to grow for Ali Alghanim & Sons Automotive is BMW Premium Selection, the company’s pre-owned program that offers customers the same peace-of-mind motoring as if they were purchasing a new BMW. The importer saw a 14% growth in pre-owned vehicles over the same period in 2011.

ment to identify the behaviors patterns of the employees and their needs, and how to motivate them effectively according to the needs of the team member.

The program explained of how to set goals, develop a clear vision for the team work, provide an effective and positive work environment for them to achieve the maximum possible productivity, increase the team effectiveness level individually or collectively to the whole team work.

It is worth mentioned that Al-Babtain Company has topped the first rank in the customer satisfaction for the year 2011, due to the excellence of its service offering, this training course is one of the main topics developed by the Company within its strategy to continue providing high level services to its customers which always expected from Al-Babtain Group.

At the end of the program, Saleh AlBabtain - CEO of Al-Babtain Group hands over the certificates to the participants and he praised the tireless efforts of the team work and achievements.

Abdul-Mohsen Abdul-Aziz Al-Babtain Company as the authorized dealer of Nissan Motor Co, Ltd in Kuwait has been honored by Nissan Motor Company which recently granted Al- Babtain as “Best agent for Nissan” for 2011.

KUWAIT: Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP) underscored its rising presence in a challenging regional banking environment by announcing its annual net profit of $105.4 million for year 2011 - the highest net profit in its 36 year history.

The results surpassed APICORP’s 2010 record profit of $95 million by 11%. The multilateral development bank, founded in 1975 by the ten members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), also announced total assets of $4.6 billion for 2011, a rise of 7% from its corresponding 2010 figure. The government of Kuwait owns a 17% stake in APICORP. APICORP’s General Assembly met in Cairo on Sunday, 8th of April, where it thanked APICORP ’s Executive Management and discussed APICORP’s key achievements in 2011, which included APICORP’s continued portfolio diversification, the success of its strategic divestment for re-investment plan, the expansion of its funding mix, and the acquisition of secondary market loan assets from European banks.

The General Assembly also discussed and approved the Board of Directors recommendation to distribute $45 million as dividends to shareholders, another record in its 36 year history.

“APICORP’s success in balancing proactive business expansion with conservative fiscal management has helped it effectively navigate the challenges posed by the volatile global economy and credit environment of 2011,” said Ahmad Bin Hamad Al-Naimi, Chief Executive and General

Manager of APICORP. “As a result, APICORP’s performance has enabled it to

Ahmad Bin Hamad Al-Naimi deliver value to its OAPEC shareholders, with Net Asset Value per Share increasing from $1,707 in 2010 to $1,824 in 2011.”

“With the region’s infrastructure financing landscape being reshaped following the European debt crises, we believe API-

CORP will play an even more significant role this year in supporting the MENA energy sector,” Al-Naimi said.

APICORP’s research shows that the real economy has continued to face tight credit markets and relatively high borrowing costs.

This is par ticularly the case in the M iddle East and Nor th Africa (MENA) region where capital inflows, the bulk in the form of dollar loans, have collapsed after European banks reduced their country exposure limits or just pulled back from lending.

Meanwhile, APICORP ex tended its growth momentum into the first quarter of 2012, registering a net profit of $30.7 million. Total assets and total shareholders’ equity reached $5.2 billion and $1.3 billion respectively at the end of the first quarter.

Also, in January this year, APICORP continued to expand its funding mix with a highly successful oversubscribed debut Sharia compliant club syndicated facility for $667 million.

At the same time, APICORP continues to carry out its developmental role by acquiring Arab energy-based loan assets of withdrawing international banks.

Since its founding in 1975, APICORP has played a vital role in fostering the development of the Arab energy industry. The bank has invested in 16 joint ventures in the oil and gas industry.

It has also participated in direct and syndicated energy transactions worth an estimated $128 billion. APICORP’s aggregate commitments in these transactions, b o t h e q u i t y a n d d e b t , a re v a l u e d i n excess of $12 billion.

Burgan Bank provides facilities worth $150 million to UASC KUWAIT: Burgan Bank announced yesterday that the bank’s Corporate Banking Group has successfully completed a finance deal with United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), the largest shipping company in the Middle East. The $150 million loan will be used for financing the capacity expansion undertaken

by UASC through the acquisition of nine A13 class container ships, one of the largest of their kind in the shipping industry at present.

Majed Essa Al-Ajeel, Burgan Bank Chairman said during the signing ceremony on the 15th of April: “Burgan Bank’s Corporate Banking Group has proved over the years to be a reliable partner

for growth by industry leaders such as UASC. The group continues to expand its finance deals with its corporate clients to support them in executing their strategic plans. Our support reiterates our commitment to develop and provide the best financial solutions to our clients and their businesses.”

UASC is owned by six Gulf countries, namely Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Iraq. To find out more about Burgan Bank’s Corporate Banking Services, customers can call the department’s dedicated hotline on 1803080, or log on to Burgan Bank’s website at www.burgan.com.

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

TECHNOLOGY

Oracle suit vs Google over Android hits trial SAN FRANCISCO: Jury selection in a high-stakes dispute over smartphone technology between Oracle Corp and Google Inc is set to begin here yesterday morning, kicking off a trial in which both companies’ chief executives are set to take the stand.

Oracle sued Google in August 2010 over seven patents and copyright claims for the Java programming language, which Oracle acquired when it bought Sun Microsystems. According to Oracle, Google’s Android operating

system tramples on its intellectual property rights to Java.

Google says it doesn’t violate Oracle’s patents, and that Oracle cannot copyright certain parts of Java.

Early on, damages estimates ran as high as $6.1 billion. But Google has narrowed Oracle’s claims so that only two patents remain, reducing the possible damages that could be awarded.

Oracle is seeking roughly $1 billion in copyright damages.

The trial before US District Judge

William Alsup in San Francisco is expected to last eight weeks. Alsup had told both companies last month that if they intended to settle the case, they should do it by April 13 at noon, in order to save potential jurors a trip to the courthouse. That deadline passed on Friday without any announcements.

Both Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and Google CEO Larry Page are listed on Oracle’s list of potential witnesses.

Oracle said in a court filing on Sunday

that it anticipated Ellison and Page would be among its first witnesses.

Ellison is no stranger to the courtroom, having testified in a 2010 trial involving copyright claims that Oracle brought against SAP. Ellison would testify about Oracle’s reasons for acquiring Sun Microsystems, the importance of Java to Oracle’s business, and the harm Android has caused Oracle, according to the witness list.

Page is a much more reclusive fig-

ure than Ellison. His testimony would include details about Google’s business plan and marketing strategy for Android, including Google’s recent acquisition of Motorola, the witness list shows.

The trial will be divided into three phases: copyright liability, patent claims and damages. Page could also testify about revenue and profit projec tions for Android, including advertising revenue, the witness list said.— Reuters

Google fined $25,000 for impeding FCC investigation Google refuse to identify any employees WASHINGTON: Google Inc has been fined $25,000 for impeding a US investigation into the Web search leader’s data collection for its Street View project, which allows users to see street level images when they map a location.

The Federal Communications Commission imposed the fine late on Friday, saying Google had collected personal information without permission and had then deliberately not cooperated with the FCC’s investigation.

“Google refused to identify

SEOUL: Image provided by Samsung shows the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, 10-inch version. Samsung Electronics Co., Apple’s biggest competitor in the market for iPadsized tablet computers, is updating its line to include a feature that lets a tablet act as a universal remote control for an entertainment center. The storage space on the new Galaxy Tab 2 will also be expandable with small memory cards. — AP

Web freedom facing threat LONDON: The principles of openness and universal access that underpinned the Internet’s creation are facing their greatest-ever threat, the co-founder of Google Sergey Brin said in an interview published by Britain’s Guardian newspaper yesterday.

Brin said the threat to freedom of the Internet came from a combination of factors, including increasing efforts by governments to control access and communication by their citizens.

Brin said attempts by the entertainment industry to crack down on piracy, and the rise of “restrictive” walled gardens such as Facebook and Apple, which tightly control what software can

be released on their platforms, were also leading to greater restrictions on the Internet.

“There are very powerful forces that have lined up against the open Internet on all sides and around the world,” Brin was quoted as saying. “I am more worried than I have been in the past. It’s scary.” He said he was concerned by efforts of countries such as China, Saudi Arabia and Iran to censor and restrict use of the Internet.

Brin said the rise of Facebook and Apple, which have their own proprietary platforms and control access to their users, risked stifling innovation and balkanising the web. —Reuters

China internet censorship futile LONDON: Dissident artist Ai Weiwei warned the Chinese government that its attempts to censor the internet would inevitably fail, in an article published in yesterday’s Guardian newspaper.

Ai, who was held for 81 days last year as police rounded up dissidents amid online calls for Arab-style protests in China, wrote in the British newspaper that new “real identity ” rules to curb troublesome microbloggers would only “push the problem to the next generation”.

“In the long run, they (the government) must understand it’s not possible for them to control the internet unless they shut it off - and they can’t live with the consequences of that,” he wrote.

“The people will always have the last word - even if someone has a very weak, quiet voice. Such power will collapse because of a whisper. “ The internet is uncontrollable. And if the internet is uncontrollable, freedom will win. It’s as simple as that,” he added. Separately, Google co-founder Sergey Brin told the paper that

online freedom was under severe threat from governments and giant internet firms like Facebook. “I am more worried than I have been in the past,” he said. “It’s scary.”

He cited “powerful forces”, including countries eager to control the communication channels of their citizens, the entertainment industry’s keenness to stamp out piracy and the software constraints imposed by firms such as Facebook and Apple.

The 38-year-old billionaire, who was reported to be behind Google’s partial withdrawal from China in 2010, disagreed with Ai’s belief that China would have to loosen its censorship laws.

“I thought there was no way to put the genie back in the bottle, but now it seems in certain areas the genie has been put back in the bottle,” he told the Guardian.

Brin also claimed that Google would not have survived in today’s climate due to the control that Facebook, which is due for a mammoth stock market flotation, exerts over the internet. —AFP

iPad arriving in South Korea SAN FRANCISCO: Apple said yesterday it would start marketing its new iPad on Friday in South Korea and 11 other countries, and the hot-selling tablet would be available in more than 50 countries by the end of the month.

The April 20 launch of the third-generation iPad will be in South Korea, Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela.

By April 27, the new tablet will be available in Colombia, Estonia, India,

Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand. Apple launched the device last month and sold three million over the course of its first weekend on the market.

China has been noticeably absent from an iPad release schedule, and some analysts said it may be the result of a nettlesome trademark battle with Chinese computer firm Proview Technology.

Debt-laden Proview is suing Apple in China for trademark violation for calling its tablet computer “iPad.” — AFP

any employees or produce any emails. The company could not supply compliant declarations without identifying employees it preferred not to identify,” according to an FCC order dated April 13.

“Misconduct of this nature threatens to compromise the commission’s ability to effectively investigate possible violations of the Communications Act and the commission’s rules.” Google said in a statement said it turned over information to the agency and challenged the finding that it was

uncooperative. “As the FCC notes in their report, we provided all the materials the regulators felt they needed to conclude their investigation and we were not found to have violated any laws,” the company said in a statement.

“We disagree with the FCC’s characterization of our cooperation in their investigation and will be filing a response.”

Between May 2007 and May 2010, Google collected data from wi-fi networks throughout the United States and across the world as part of its Street View

project, which gives users of Google Map and Google Earth the ability to view street-level images of structures and land adjacent to roads and highways.

But Google also collected passwords, Internet usage history and other sensitive personal data that was not needed for its location database project, the FCC said.

Google publicly acknowledged in May 2010 that it had collected the so-called payload data, leading to an FCC investigation on whether it had violated the Communications Act. —Reuters

EMC introduces VSPEX proven infrastructure E MC announced EMC VSPEX Proven Infrastructure - a simple, efficient, and flexible reference architecture comprised of EMC’s award-winning storage systems and next-generation backup products, along with best-of-breed virtualization, server, and network technology from EMC alliance partners Brocade, Cisco, Citrix, Intel, Microsoft, and VMware.

The fourteen initial VSPEX configurations represent the most popular use cases for customers moving to cloud computing. These use cases are focused on enabling customers to accelerate deployment of private cloud and end user computing environments. For private cloud deployments customers have the option of running VMware vSphere 5.0 or Microsoft Windows Hyper-V from 50-250 virtual machines and for end-user computing deployments customers can choose between VMware View and Citrix XenDesktop(r) from 50 to 2000 virtual desktops. Full details are available on emc.com. Additional VSPEX configurations will be made available based on partner demand.

VSPEX Proven Infrastructure is now available to partners in the EMC Velocity(tm) partner program. For the first time partners can fully leverage the EMC brand and industrial design in delivering VSPEX solutions to their customers. In addition EMC is providing VSPEX labs for partners to test, validate and demonstrate new VSPEX solutions.

•

EMC VSPEX Customer Benefits VSPEX Is Simple - VSPEX Proven

Infrastructures deliver predictable performance that significantly reduces the planning, sizing and configuration burdens of adopting private cloud or end-user computing environments. In addition, EMC’s validation of the VSPEX configuration greatly reduces deployment time. Finally, tight alignment with Windows Server Hyper-V and VMware vSphere cloud infrastructure provide customers a single point of management using System Center for Microsoft cloud and VMware vCenter(tm) Operations Management Suite for private cloud deployments.

• VSPEX Is Efficient - Built on EMC’s awardwinning VNX(tm) and VNXe(tm) unified storage systems and Avamar(r) and Data Domain(r) next-generation backup produc ts, VSPEX provides customers with unmatched levels of efficiency. Leveraging technologies such as data deduplication, compression and Fully Automated Storage Tiering (FAST), customers can expect to significantly lower operational costs. By integrating these technologies tightly with the hypervisor and end-user computing environments, customers can also benefit from simpler administration and lower management costs.

• VSPEX Is Flexible - VSPEX allows customers to combine their choice of industryleading server, network, and virtualization technologies into a proven infrastructure validated by EMC and built on a highly flexible EMC storage and backup infrastructure.

Additionally, the customer’s channel partner of choice - who understands the specific customer’s requirements - can customize

VSPEX to meet their needs.

EMC VSPEX Channel Partner Benefits • Increased Market Opportunity - With VSPEX, channel partners can now sell complete, highly-flexible solutions to their customers, resulting in a higher attach rate of components, and a bigger sale. VSPEX allows partners the option to mix and match server and network components based on customers’ specific infrastructure and application requirements to improve profitability while optimizing the value delivered to the customer.

• Faster Time to Market - VSPEX offers channel partners complete configuration and sizing guidelines for the most common workloads that can reduce the requirements collection phase of the sales cycle. VSPEX adds significant value to the partner’s sales process by reducing integration and validation costs while still getting all the benefits of delivering complete solutions. EMC is enabling its channel partners with training and technical and sales collateral to help the partner quickly bring VSPEX to market. The broad awareness, integration into EMC campaigns and demand generation tools helps partners to generate leads for their VSPEX solutions.

• Par tner Branded and Customizable Solution - VSPEX allows partners to brand their VSPEX solution and increase their mindshare in the customer’s environment.

• VSPEX Labs - Par tners can leverage EMC’s investment in the new VSPEX Labs to test additional infrastructures in collaboration with EMC and other VSPEX partners.

King.com videogames overtake Electronic Arts on Facebook LONDON: European start-up King.com has overtaken videogames giant Electronic Arts on Facebook, with almost 10 million people every day now playing its games that include Bubble Witch Saga on the social network.

The nine-year old company has experienced an explosion in popularity since launching on Facebook little over a year ago with its saga games, in which players move through a competitive landscape and pass their friends on the way.

The games appeal to a growing trend for players, more and more of them female, to play puzzle games with their friends in short bursts, especially as games are increasingly played on the move on phones or tablets to kill spare minutes.

Bubble Witch Saga, King.com’s top Facebook game, now has more daily players than Zynga’s hit game Farmville, in which players have to invest longer periods of time in activities like planting virtual crops and raising livestock.

King.com’s sixth Facebook saga game, Candy Crush Saga, has already acquired nearly half a million daily users since its launch last week, according to Facebook metrics firm AppData. Zynga, with almost 80 Facebook games including titles that span other genres like Texas HoldEm Poker and Mafia Wars, is still by far the most popular games developer on the site, with 65 million daily users of its apps.

Apart from Zynga, only German

social games firm Wooga, whose most popular game is Diamond Dash, in which players compete to tap on gems of the same colour for 60 seconds, how has more daily players on Facebook.

“Our ultimate ambition is to be the leader in our segment of games for the casual social player, mainly female, social and mobile,” King.com’s chief executive and cofounder Riccardo Zacconi said in an interview with Reuters.

“Our target is to reach Zynga.”

Zynga went public late last year in a high-profile initial public offering that raised $1 billion, and Zacconi is also eyeing a possible IPO next year, although he said no decision had yet been taken and he declined to estimate King.com’s value. “The market is changing very fast. There will be consolidation, and we want to have a war chest,” he said. “We are preparing the company.” Makers of games and other Facebook applications are currently changing hands for large sums.

Facebook last week bought Instagram, a two-year-old photosharing application developer with about 30 million users, for $1 billion, while Zynga bought OMGPOP, maker of the popular game “Draw Something”, for about $200 million last month.

Zynga is now trying to reduce its dependence on Facebook with a new gaming network of its own that it launched last month.

Zacconi said King.com was thinking carefully about whether to join.

“Zynga is going from being a games developer, a competitor, to being a platform. There are many things we need to understand regarding this move.”

King.com, which is older than Facebook, has had its own website since launch. It is aimed at players who want to play competitively with strangers and may spend several hours a day on the site.

The company, whose main offices are in London and Stockholm, had some 300,000 games being played monthly on

King.com before the Facebook launch early last year. Now about 2.5 billion King.com games are being played every month.

Mobile is the next frontier for King.com, and it is about to launch its most popular games for Apple and Google phones and tablets so that players can pick up games on their mobile devices where they left off on their desktop.

“It can be in a couple of weeks, it can be in three weeks,” said Zacconi. “It’s close, quite close, but we launch the game when it’s ready. It’s launched when it’s perfect.” — Reuters

GEORGETOWN: John Askew, Sr, a patient/actor, left gives feedback to third-year Georgetown medical student Gregory Shumer after a training session in an examining room on the Georgetown Medical School campus in Washington. As the moves to paperless medicine, doctors are grappling with an awkward challenge: How do they tap the promise of computers, smartphones and iPads in the exam room without losing the human connection with their patients?—AP

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

H E A LT H & S C I E NC E

Texas OKs experimental stem cell therapy rules AUSTIN: The Texas Medical Board on Friday approved new rules on experimental stem cell therapies such as the one Gov. Rick Perry underwent during back surgery last year, despite objections they don’t do enough to protect patients and could led to an explosion of doctors promoting unproven, expensive treatments.

The rules require patients to give their consent, and a review board must approve the procedure before doctors use stem cell treatments. Supporters say establishing formal rules will lead to more medical innovation by opening doors for researchers in Texas. At the same time, board members acknowledged they don’t know how many doctors are already performing stem cell

procedures, and several who voted in favor said the rules provide the first layers of patient protection.

“We’re trying to be safe. It’s the wild, wild west right now,” said Dr. Scott Holliday, an anesthesiologist from Arlington. The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved using adult stem cells to help people heal from surgery, but experimentation is common.

Some scientists tout possible benefits of stem cell treatments, including treatment for heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Others argue adult stem cell experimentation actually increases the risk of cancer and can cause blood clots.

Perry, who appointed the board, had

stem cells taken from the fat in his own body that were then grown in a lab. They were injected into his back and his bloodstream during an operation to fuse part of his spine.

Celltex Therapeutics Corp. of Houston, which is co-owned by Dr. Stanley Jones, Perry’s friend who performed his operation, supported the rule approved Friday. Nathan Kottcamp, a Celltex attorney, testified before the board and dismissed predictions of an explosion of new stem cell labs promoting therapies. Harvesting stem cells is a complex, expensive process that cost patients up to $35,000, Kottcamp said.

Texas doctors using stem cell treatments are ethical and trying to help their patients, Kottcamp said. “Critics seem to

believe stem cell theories are little better than snake oil,” he lamented. Jones appeared before the board last year to tout stem cell therapies and said thousands of Americans are going to other countries for treatments. Texans should be able to get care in their home state, he said.

Supporters of the rules said requiring treatments to be approved by review boards is a critical step in favor of patient safety. Boards could be attached to medical schools or hospitals, or be accredited, independent for-profit review boards.

But Leigh Turner, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Bioethics & School of Public Health who has complained to federal

regulators about Celltex, warned that doctors will be able to “shop around” for a for-profit review board that will give them a favorable ruling. “(Review board) is not necessarily high-quality review,” Turner said. Texas joins at least 10 other states, including California, Illinois and New York, who have enacted rules governing stem cell research. Board member Dr. W. Roy Smythe, a surgeon from Temple, voted against the rules, saying they do too little to protect patients or rein in doctors touting unproven treatments.

“This doesn’t put the cat in the bag. It allows more cats to proliferate,” Smythe said. “I believe in giving patients hope.

I’m against giving false hope that empties patient’s bank accounts.” — AP

Psychic surgeon treats thousands of sick people Miracle man or charlatan?

KARACHI: This handout photograph released by the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) yesterday, shows a newly-born child with six legs as he lies in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward at a hospital in Karachi. — AFP

Doctors fight to save life of baby with six legs KARACHI: Doctors in Pakistan are fighting to save the life of a baby boy born with six legs because of a rare genetic condition, hospital officials said yesterday. The infant was born to the wife of an X-ray technician a week ago, Jamal Raza, the director of National Institute of the Child Health in Karachi, told reporters.

“It is not one baby actually. They are two, one of them is premature,” he said. A doctor at the institute who did not wish to be named said the extra limbs were the result of a genetic disease which

would affect only one in a million or more babies. “The doctors are examining the infant to plan for necessary treatment to save the baby’s life and ensure he lives a normal life,” said a statement from the provincial health department.

Imran Shaikh, the baby’s father who lives in Sukkur, around 450 kilometres (280 miles) north of Karachi, said he was grateful his son was being treated. “We are a poor family. I am thankful to the government for helping us treating my baby,” he told the media. — AFP

ABADIANIA: Every week using mainly his hands but also armed with scissors, a knife and scalpel, Joao Teixeira de Faria, a self-styled Brazilian medium and “psychic surgeon,” treats thousands of sick people who claim to be cured.

Among those who have sought the services of the healer known as “John of God” has been none other than Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the popular Brazilian ex-president, now said to be in remission from larynx cancer.

“I am going to cure you,” de Faria told one young woman during a session in the small town of Abadiania in the central state of Goias.

After going into a trance, he stuck a four-centimeter (nearly two-inch) needle into the sole of her feet. “Don’t look, it’s going to hurt,” he warned her as he thrust the needle in several times.

The young woman apparently felt nothing and when it was over, the nearly illiterate faith healer flashed a big smile. His patient, visibly moved, extols that she has just been cured from a chronic illness which doctors could not treat.

Born on June 24, 1942, “John of God” is an adept of spiritism, a religious doctrine based on the belief in the survival of a spirit after death.

Founded in the 19th century by Frenchman Allan Kardec, spiritism today is particularly popular in Brazil, where it has nearly three million followers.

The healer’s entourage said “John of God” paid several visits to the former president when he was being treated at a Sao Paulo hospital for a larynx cancer. Lula however has refused to confirm or deny press reports that he met at least three times in Sao Paulo with the healer.

American TV show hostess Oprah has also vis-

ited the town to film the crowds who gather around the healer. “John of God” says he communicates with spirits when he goes into a trance.

He diagnoses diseases, prescribes medication and conducts surgeries, either with his hands, or with kitchen knives, scalpels or scissors.

“Since the age of eight, God has given me this energy. I don’t heal. God heals,” the spiritual healer told AFP during a brief respite. He receives about 1,000 people a day, three times a week and more than half of them are foreigners.

The ritual is always the same: The faith healer sits in a big armchair, his feet on a cushion. In front of him and in adjacent rooms, several hundred followers and so-called mediums meditate to form an energy circle.

One by one, the patients then parade before John of God who treats them, gives them instructions or calls them to come back for a surgery or treatment, often in less than a minute.

Miracle man or charlatan? —In one operation, performed without anesthetics, the medium opened up the eye of one patient and began scratching it with a knife, according to Reinaldo Daher, an orthopedic doctor who witnessed the operation.

“You could hear the scraping. The patient did not flinch and he told him: ‘You are healed, you can go,’” Daher told AFP. He fervently believes in the healer’s powers. “I have to believe because I have seen it,” he said. But some, particularly in the medical establishment, are wondering whether “John of God” is a miracle man or a charlatan. “We have a major dilemma in Brazil. The constitution guarantees freedom of faith, which makes it difficult to take any actions against illegally practicing medicine or charlatanism,”

Emmanuel Fortes, audit director of the Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine, told AFP. He stressed the council warns people against “inconsistencies in some practices, as well as those which do not offer any guarantees.” “We do not recommend that patients abandon their traditional medicines and prescribed drugs.”

Many of de Faria’s patients turn to him as a last resort after being disappointed by mainstream medicine. Others come seeking jobs or spirituality. And many just come to say thank you. “All will be received,” said a volunteer through a microphone. Instructions and spiritual messages are transmitted in English, French, Spanish, German, Russian and Portuguese. “I arrived in 2006 with multiple sclerosis diagnosed in 1999. I had been in a wheelchair. And now you can see, I am cured and I can walk. My symptoms are gone,” said Marina, a New York-based Russian woman who now comes several times a year to work as a medium and a guide in Abadiania.

For the past 35 years, John of God has been receiving patients and admirers in this small town where the economy revolves around his healing center. There are more than 40 inns and dozens of taxis operating shuttle services to and from Brasilia airport.

There is no charge for the treatment. His center maintains that its income comes from donations, sales of natural remedies and purified water. But the skepticism from the Brazilian establishment remains.

“Operations in a contaminated environment and unnecessary therapies at religious events are illegal,” the vice president of the Federal Council of Medicine of Brazil, Vital Carlo, told Globo television. — AFP

Turmeric extract protects heart after surgery

SRINAGAR: A Kashmiri health worker administers polio drops to a child outside a bakery in Srinagar, India, Sunday. India celebrated a full year since its last reported case of polio on Jan 13, a major victory in a global eradication effort that seemed stalled just a few years ago. Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad warned that India needed to push forward with its vaccination campaign to ensure the elimination of any residual virus and to prevent the import and spread of virus from abroad. — AP

Chin implant surgery skyrockets in US WASHINGTON: Cosmetic surgery to make the chin look more prominent has soared in popularity in the course of a year, making it the fastest growing trend among men and women, US plastic surgeons said yesterday.

Chin implants are particularly popular among those over 40, said the report by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

A total of 10,593 men had the operation done in 2011, a 76 percent increase over the prior year, and 10,087 women had the procedure, a 66 percent rise-for a combined total of 71 percent.

“The chin and jawline are among the first areas to show signs of aging. People are considering chin augmentation as a way to restore their youthful look just like a facelift or eyelid surgery,” said ASPS President Malcolm Roth.

“We also know that as more people see themselves on video chat technology, they may notice that their jawline is not as sharp as they want it to be. Chin implants can make a dramatic differ-

ence.” Chin implants were more popular than lip augmentation, which grew 49 percent from 2010 to 2011, and cheek implants which rose 47 percent, and far more than the old-fashioned facelift which saw a mere five percent increase, the data showed.

New York plastic surgeon Darrick Antell, who said his clients have included many appearance-conscious chief executives of companies, said the chin is a symbolic trait to people in power. “We know that CEOs tend to be tall, attractive, good-looking people. We now know that these people also tend to have a stronger chin,” he said.

“As a result, people subconsciously associate a stronger chin with more authority, self-confidence and trustworthiness.” Breast augmentation surgery was the most popular of all among Americans seeking a cosmetic boost in 2011, with 307,000 procedures, up four percent in a year, the plastic surgeons’ group said. – AFP

BANGKOK: Extracts from turmeric spice, known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, may help ward off heart attacks in people who have had recent bypass surgery, according to a study from Thailand.

During bypass surgery the heart muscle can be damaged by prolonged lack of blood flow, increasing the patient’s risk of heart attack. But the new findings, published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Cardiology, suggest that curcumins - the yellow pigment in turmeric - may ease those risks when added to traditional drug treatment.

The conclusions are based on a relatively small group of subjects and needs to be confirmed in larger studies, said researchers led by Wanwarang Wongcharoen from Chiang Mai University. Turmeric extracts have long been used in traditional Chinese and Indian medicine.

Research has suggested inflammation plays an important role in the development of a range of diseases, including heart disease, and curcumins could have an effect on those pathways, said Bharat Aggarwal, who studies the use of curcumins in cancer therapy at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. “It’s very, very encouraging,” said Aggarwal of the study, which he did not take part in. The researchers studied 121 patients who had non-emergency bypass surgery at their hospital between 2009 and 2011. Half of those patients were given one-gram curcumin capsules to take four times a day, starting three days before their surgery and continuing for five days afterwards. The other half took the same number of drug-free placebo capsules.

The researchers found that during their post-bypass hospital stays, 13 percent of patients who’d been taking curcumins had a heart attack, compared to 30 percent in the placebo group.

After accounting for any initial pre-surgery differences, Wongcharoen and his colleagues calculated that people on curcumins had a 65 percent lower chance of heart attack. Researchers said it’s likely that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumins may have helped limit heart damage in the patients.

“Curcumin has for many years now been shown to reduce inflammation and to reduce oxygen toxicity or damage caused by free radicals in a number of experimental settings,” said Jawahar Mehta, a cardiologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, who didn’t work on the study.

“But that doesn’t mean that this is a substitute for medication,” he said, noting that drugs like aspirin, statins and beta blockers have been proven to help heart patients and people in the current study were taking those as well. One limitation was that the study was relatively small. Another is that while curcumins are thought to be safe, there could be side effects at very large doses.

“Taken in moderation or used in cooking, (curcumins) are quite useful. But I wouldn’t go to a health food store and start taking four grams of curcumin a day, as was done in this study,” Mehta said. — Reuters

CHANGCHUN: In this photo taken Oct. 22, 2007, a worker packs drug capsules in a plant of Jilin Xiuzheng Pharmaceutical Group in Changchun in northeast China’s Jilin province. State broadcaster CCTV ran a report yesterday, saying that China’s State Food and Drug Administration suspended the sale of 13 drugs that it said are believed to have been made with capsules that contain excessive chromium. —AP

China bans sale of unsafe capsules BEIJING: Police have arrested 22 people in eastern China on suspicion of producing and selling capsules for medicine that contain excessive amounts of chromium, state media reported yesterday.

The official Xinhua News Agency said police are investigating 43 capsule manufacturers in Xinchang county in Zhejiang province. China’s State Food and Drug Administration announced Sunday it has sus-

pended the sale of 13 medicines that are likely to have been made with the contaminated capsules. State broadcaster CCTV said the capsules were made from industrial gelatin, which has more chromium than edible gelatin. China has suffered from a slew of food and drug safety problems and faces an uphill battle eliminating the widespread use of illegal drugs and additives, which are often made in makeshift chemical factories. — AP

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Fuad Jaafar Mohammed (R), known as Abu Amin, treats a man with “Hijama” or “Wet Cupping Therapy” in his herbal remedy store, in the old Sheikh Omar quarter of Baghdad, yesterday. Hijama is a popular traditional medical treatment in Islamic countries where blood is drawn by vacuum from a small skin incision for therapeutic purposes. Cupping therapy has been found in ancient records dating back 3500 years and it is still used in Asian and Islamic countries like China, Iran and Arab world. — AFP

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

H E A LT H

Scientists get under skin of tattooed tipplers PARIS: French scientists said yesterday they have found evidence proving the stereotype that people who sport tattoos and piercings are heavier drinkers. Alcohol tests performed on nearly 2,000 young men and women frequenting bars in the west of France showed a strong correlation between body art and boozing, they said.

“Pierced and/or tattooed individuals had consumed more alcohol in bars on a Saturday night than patrons in the same bars who were non-

pierced and non-tattooed,” said a study for the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Previous research had shown that people with tattoos and piercings were more likely to engage in unsafe sex, fighting and heavy drinking, but this was the first such project to measure more alcohol per litre of exhaled breath. The subjects were tested as they left 21 bars in four cities on four different Saturday nights on the Atlantic Coast of Brittany, an area with

Mom’s caffeine not linked to infant sleep problems PELOTAS: A baby’s sleep may not suffer just because its mother likes a daily cup or two of coffee, according to a Brazilian study based on nearly 900 new mothers. Studies over the years have come to mixed conclusions on whether caffeine during pregnancy was linked to increased risk of miscarriage or premature birth, but more recent studies have failed to show any heightened risk.

Not much was known, however, about whether caffeine during pregnancy or breastfeeding might disturb new babies’ sleep - until the current study, published in Pediatrics. The findings by Ina Santos and colleagues at Federal University of Pelotas, in Brazil, do not endorse heavy caffeine intake during pregnancy or breastfeeding, experts said, but are in line with research suggesting modest amounts may not pose a danger.

“Caffeine consumption during pregnancy and by nursing mothers seems not to have consequences on sleep of infants at the age of three months,” wrote Santos and her colleagues. The team interviewed 885 new mothers about caffeine intake and infants’ sleep habits at the age of three months.

All but one said they drank caffeinated beverages during pregnancy. About 20 percent were considered heavy consumers of at least 300 milligrams a day. Just over 14 per-

cent reported a heavy caffeine intake three months after giving brtth.

Two hundred mg is about the amount in a 12-oz cup of coffee. Overall, the researchers found no clear link between caffeine intake and the likelihood of reporting infant sleep problems. Almost 15 percent of mothers said their three-month-old woke up more than three times each night, which was considered “frequent.” But the odds were not statistically greater for the mothers who were heavy caffeine consumers.

“I think this report adds to the growing body of literature suggesting that moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy is generally safe,” said William Barth, chief of maternal-fetal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Barth, who was not involved in the study, chaired the committee at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that in 2010 wrote a report saying that 200 mg of caffeine a day probably did not carry pregnancy risks.

He said the bottom line for women is that moderate caffeine intake, up to a cup or two of coffee per day, seems safe during pregnancy, but that it is currently not known if there are adverse effects of higher levels of caffeine consumption— Reuters

high alcohol consumption, said the researchers.

The men and women were asked whether they had tattoos or piercings and then asked to take a breathalyser test. Tattoos and piercings are relatively new phenomena in France, and under-18s need permission from their parents.

The men tested were on average 20.6 years old and the women 20.2 years. Of 1,081 men interviewed, 903 had no body art and an average meas-

ure of 0.18 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air, lower than France’s 0.25 drink driving limit.

The figure increased to 0.19 in the 98 men with tattoos, 0.23 percent for the 53 men with piercings, and 0.26 for the 27 men with both. Of the 884 women, 537 had no body art and an average alcohol measure of 0.12, which rose to 0.14 for the 124 with tattoos, 0.20 for the 138 with piercings, and 0.24 for the 85 women with both tattoos and piercings.

Researcher Nicolas Gueguen of France’s Universite de Bretagne-Sud, said the findings showed that teachers, parents and doctors should consider tattoos and piercings as potential “markers” for alcohol abuse.

But fellow scientist Myrna Armstrong from Texas Tech University, who reviewed the paper, cautioned against a “tendency to see a tattoo or piercing and automatically profile or stereotype that individual as a ‘highrisk person’.” — AFP

Tiny gene change affects brain, IQ Searching for explanation for brain disease PARIS: An international team of scientists said the largest brain study of its kind had found a gene linked to intelligence, a small piece in the puzzle as to why some people are smarter than others. A variant of this gene “can tilt the scales in favour of a higher intelligence”, study leader Paul Thompson told AFP, stressing though that genetic blessings were not the only factor in brainpower.

Searching for a genetic explanation for brain disease, the scientists stumbled upon a minute variant in a gene called HMGA2 among people who had larger brains and scored higher on standardised IQ tests. Thompson dubbed it “an intelligence gene” and said it was likely that many more such genes were yet to be discovered. The variant occurs on HMGA2 where there is just a single change in the permutation of the four “letters” of the genetic code. DNA, the blueprint for life, comprises four basic chemicals called A (for adenine), C (cytosine), T (thymine) and G (guanine), strung together in different combinations along a double helix. In this case, the researchers found that people with a double “C” and no “T” in a specific section of the HMGA2

gene had bigger brains on average.

“It is a strange result, you wouldn’t think that something as simple as one small change in the genetic code could explain differences in intelligence worldwide,” said Thompson, a neurologist at the University of California at Los Angeles.

The discovery came in a study of brain scans and DNA samples from more than 20,000 people from North America, Europe and Australia, of European ancestry. People who received two Cs from their parents, a quarter of the population, scored on average 1.3 points higher than the next group-half of the population with only one C in this section of the gene. The last quarter of people, with no Cs, scored another 1.3 points lower. “The effect is small,” said Thompson, but “would be noticeable on a (IQ) test ... (it) may mean you get a couple more questions correct. “It wouldn’t be an enormous change.

Even so, it would help our brain resist cognitive decline later in life.”

It is generally accepted that genes, a good education and environmental factors combine to determine our intelligence. “If people wanted to change

their genetic destiny they could either increase their exercise or improve their diet and education,” said Thompson. “Most other ways we know of improving brain function more than outweigh this gene.” He added there were ethical safeguards and laws in place to guard against the abuse of genetic information. The research, published in Nature Genetics, was conducted by more than 200 scientists from 100 institutions worldwide, working together on a project called Enigma.

Thompson said other studies have implicated some genes in IQ, but this was the first to link a common gene to brain size. The team found that every T in place of a C represented a 0.6 percent smaller brain-equal to more than a year’s worth of brain loss through the normal ageing process.

Asked to comment on the research, Tom Hartley, a psychologist at Britain’s University of York said he was “a little wary of thinking in terms of a gene for intelligence. “There are undoubtedly a lot of things that have to work properly in order to get a good score on an IQ test, if any of these go wrong the score will be worse.”— AFP

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TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

W H AT ’ S O N

GUST organizes Science Expo

Greetings

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Happy birthday our father in the Lord, Bishop Jonathan Njoku. We pray that the good Lord will continue to bless you and fill you with his Holy Spirit. Greetings from LAIF, wife Pastor Zinny, Ada, Favour, Chinwe, friend and well-wishers.

Charity evening for ‘Palestine’s Children’

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he ‘Kuwaitis for Jerusalem’ committee; a joint committee between the Women’s Cultural and Social Society and the Kuwait Graduates’ Society, organizes a charity evening next Sunday, April 22, 2012, to support a planned project for the ‘Relief for Palestine’s Children Society’ to establish a cancer treatment pediatric hospital in Bait Jala, Palestine. The event, titled ‘We Deserve to Live’, takes part at the Movenpick Hotel at the Free Trade Zone.

For reservations or other inquiries, please call: 99714347 99723474 - 67676167.

he Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) organized a 2day Science Expo where students at all levels and disciplines participated and worked on different models to explain various scientific phenomena in biology, environmental science and nature, physics, chemistry and mathematics.

As noted by Mrs. Margaret Combs, the Director of the Foundation Program at GUST, Educational events are an essential tool that helps in the overall development of the students’ ability to steer through the rest of his/her college life. The concept of Mathematics was portrayed through hand-made posters by students of the Math Foundation Unit portraying the theme - Math Study Skills.

Dr Fawaz Azizieh, Professor of Biological Sciences and Environment at GUST noted: Part of GUST’s objectives is to enrich the cultural, intellectual and technological aspects of an individual’s experience, not only within our student body and staff, but even our society as a whole. And it is from this ideal that the idea of the Science Expo was initiated and was used as a tool for educating the students as well as educating the public about various issues through the models they created. For example, when it comes to environmental concerns, many students created varied models to stimulate interest in and commitment to preserve the wildlife and marine systems and the environment as well as touched on the issues of overpopulation, pollution, information on chemicals harmful to our health and the importance of recycling. As for the area of human science, models describe the work of some vital human organs such as our muscles, respiratory system, skin,

Frontliners grand cultural show

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rontliners Association, Kuwait is conducting a starstudded “National Integration and Grand Cultural Show’ on May 4, (Friday) at 6 pm at Al-Jeel Jadeed, School, Hawally. The highlight of the function will be the release of “Frontliners Book - series 16” by writer N.C.Mohandoss.

The book highlights the achievements and indominatable spirit displayed by people, especially those physically challenged, in facing the hurdles in their life and is expected to have an excellent motivational effect on its readers.

Three eminent persons with illustrious career will grace the occasion of the Book release. Gopalaswami, Former Chief Election Commissioner will be the Chief Guest. He is well-known and respected for following the highest standards of efficiency and probity in public administration throughout his distinguished career.

V.Ponraj, scientist & advisor to former President Dr Abdul Kalam, is a key public figure whose recent tasks included the preparation of “Koodankulam Report” and conducting special training session for the MLAs after the Assembly election last year. Ponraj, who likes to propagate the great vision of Dr Kalam “Mission - 2020” for India at all public forum will be a key speaker.

Vivek, the special guest for the evening - is a ‘Padma Shri’ awardee and a popular Tamil film comedian known to south with a string of awards for his hilarious and stylish performances. He is known for thought-provoking social messages as a part of his comedy acts and would add sparkle and wit to the function.

The function also would have a number of super entertainment acts from Cine/TV artistes Raj Kamal, Aishwarya, Azarudeen, Shivani and Maggie. Local Sangamon talent group would add to the variety.

Announcements Golf Tourney American Business Council of Kuwait invites you to its 11th Annual 4-man 18 hole Golf tournament at the Sahara Club on Friday, May 4th. If interested to participate, register now, individually or a team off our at americanbusinesscouncil@abckuwait2012 Non-Golfers are welcome to enjoy the day-out at the Sahara club and experience the delicious luncheon at the tournaments prize distribution ceremony.

and the structural degrees of burns.

The Science Expo included other activities such as a Photography Competition on the photo which best captures a scientific phenomenon. The photography club headed by Ms Taiba Jassim Al Najjar and Ms Afrah Waleed Theyab deserves commendation for their efforts in combining education through fun. The Scientific Centre conducted live animal shows including some animals from the local environ-

ment and demonstrated how to care for and maintain the proper environment for the protection of these animals.

The Expo also welcomed Dr Mahmoud Abdel Rahim, Director of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) for a lecture which was attended by a number of students and faculty. The lecture was to stress on the importance of science in our daily lives.

GUST thanks wholehearted all those

who have supported this event, including: Gulf Bank who provided the financial support for the event, Turkish Airlines who provided wonderful prizes for the Expo winners including tickets to Istanbul as prizes and the Kuwait Scientific Center, who provided free tickets as prizes to all participants. It is with this kind of support that allows local institutions to play an active role together to develop and serve the community.

Palestinian Cultural Exhibition

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andicrafts reaffirm the Palestinian national identity and support needy children and families. The Palestinian Culture Center in collaboration with the Women’s Cultural Society invite you to its spring exhibition. The exhibition aims to preserve Palestinian handicrafts in order to reaffirm the Palestinian national identify by adapting it harmoniously to the 21st century demands.

We display classic designs intertwined with modern uses, colors, and motifs, to showcase some of the creativity of the Palestinian women. Items on sale include: cushions, runners, scarves, shawls, long traditional dresses as well as smaller items. We also have handmade ceramics from Palestine, books, music, and movies.

On Thursday evening there will be a folklore dance and a bake sale of traditional foods as well as children’s activities at The Kuwaiti Women Cultural Soceity, Khaldiya, Block 2, Al Qurouba Street Date: Monday April 23 to Thursday 26th 2012 from 10 am to 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm to 8:30pm. Call 25755866, 25727388, 99376608.

Stage is home for this singing trio

By Sunil Cherian

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aisal Serangoon, Sindhu Premkumar and Saleesh who enthralled the audience by their ranged and raged singing voice last weekend at the Touristic Park, Abbassiya, during the Kozhikkode District Association’s 2nd anniversary event feel at home wherever they perform. The visiting Indian singing talents are independent singers while belonging to V4U Music Highway, a band that merges the orient musical raagas with the western notes. As stage performers, as well as having established their fame in TV reality shows and albums, the trio became traveling singers ever since they stepped into the field more than 10 years ago.

For Faisal, a civil engineer who gave up his engineering job for his passion for music,

music and travel are synonymous. Performing through almost all the states in India and many gulf countries has become a way of life for him, he said. Stage concerts are so varied these days that he finds himself one day in Nagaland, in the north east part of India, and the next day in Dubai. After a star-studded program in a posh city, these singers land in a wedding hall in a small town and still head to a stage set on a beach where the audience sits in the sand. The songs are as varied as the people they sing to, though Faisal is more famous for singing Hindi old melodies and fast numbers. “I was once named as Mohammed Rafi specialist” , he said.

Considering the leap Indian music has made, Faisal admits the stage performers have become stage specialists switching between high, low and middle voices.

Ahmadi Music Group Ahmadi Music Group is very pleased to announce that tickets for Semele are now available on our website www.ahmadimusicgroup.com or though our charming and energetic ticket person Yvonne whom you can reach at tickets@ahmadimusicgroup.com Semele is a dramatic story of love and deception which scandalized audiences when it first opened, and has enraptured audiences ever since. Our performance will be in the beautiful Dar al-Athar alIslamiyyah which is much smaller than our other recent venues. Entry will be very limited, so please do not delay. nPlease note also that purchase of a “ticket” is in fact a subscription to “Friends of Ahmadi Music Group” which entitles you to attend a performance of the opera. There will be no tickets available at the door.

Gulf Jazz Festival Gulf Jazz festival at 8 pm at Al Hashemi II Grand Ballroom at Radisson Blu Hotel on 25th April. Opening concert/dinner performed by Full Drive Quartet (Poland) with Vivian Buczek (Sweden). 26th April, Speical Concert performed by Michaela Rabitsch & Robert Pawlik Quartet (Austria).

PAWS quiz night PAWS Kuwait quiz night on Friday, 27th April at 7:30 pm till 12 am Venue: Jade Garden Chinese Restaurant, 12th Floor Gulf Hotel, Baghdad Street, Salmiya. Dinner: Authentic Chinese Cuisine will be served. Dress: Smart/Casual oriental theme preferred. Spot prizes for best dressed. Quiz: Teams of 8 people. For more information Email: events@paws-kuwait.org Public speaking “Speech Craft” Public Speaking course vy Bright Horizons Toastmasters Club. May 4, 2012 - May 26, 2012 (all-day).

Weekly on Friday and Saturday until May 26, 2012 at Better Books & Cafe (Located behind Rashid Hospital, right around the corner from the Titanic building and Sanbouk Supermarket, Salmiya). Contact: Anil Lobo or Mariam Othman 9928-3020 or 6640-5018.

ICSK marks another milestone with merger of senior classes

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he Indian Community School, Kuwait, (ICSK) held a resplendent ceremony on April 15th at the Senior School campus, to mark the merger of two senior-most classes from its three school branches. The XI and XII classes of the school’s branches at Amman Street and Khaitan will now begin functioning under one roof, at the Senior School in Salmiya. The merger event was marked by the presence of students of class XI and XII, their teachers and members of the school’s Board of Trustees (BOT) headed by Ashok Kalra, Honorary Chairman and Rajan Daniel, Honorary Secretary of the Board of Trustees.

In his welcome address, Principal of Senior School branch, Dr. V. Binumon, welcomed the attendees and outlined the objectives of the merger. He stressed that by combining the two senior-most classes of three schools, ICSK aims to provide students with equal opportunities and an environment where they can develop their intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual potential to the fullest.

Following a welcome song and lighting of the traditional lamp, felicitations on the merger were delivered by the Honorary Chairman, the Honorary Secretary and Bobby Mathew, the Head of Academic Committee of BOT. In his

felicitation, Kalra reiterated that by bringing the students of classes XI and XII from the three schools under one roof, the school was providing them access to the same stimulating school environment, the use of same facilities, the same teaching procedures, and interaction with same set of high caliber teachers.

He exhorted the students to seize this opportunity presented by the merger, and wished them all the best.

Subsequent to the lively address by the student representative and the distribution of Class XI Attendance Registers to the teachers by Vijayan Karaiyil, Honorary Joint Secretary of BOT, the oath taking ceremony was led by Dr N

Namboori, Honorary Member of the Academic Committee. A new interactive school diary that provides for Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) by students, teachers, parents and principal, as mandated by Central Board of Secondary Education, was then released by the Chairman through presenting a copy to Dinesh Kamath, the Honorary Treasurer of the Board of Trustees.

The event ended with the Indian national anthem and a flower distribution by BOT members to the students of classes XI and XII, to welcome them to their new school environment and to wish them the best in the future.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

W H AT ’ S O N

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

EMBASSY OF BANGLADESH The Embassy of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Kuwait will observe the following program on the occasion of the ‘Historic Mujib Nagar Day 2012’ today, 17 April 2012 at the Chancery: Chancery Roof: 08:00 am - Ceremonial hoisting of the National Flag Multipurpose Hall: 05:00 pm - Recitation from the Holy Quran, dua & munajat Observance of silence; Reading out of the Messages; Discussion. nnnnnnn

Kuwait English School - History Week

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ecently, Kuwait English School held its 5th annual History Week. Glittering arrays of period costumes, reflecting British history over the last two millennia, were worn enthusiastically by both staff and students. Sumptuous banquets, replete with food appropriate to the historical periods, were enjoyed by all. The week climaxed with a spectacular parade of Year 5 and Year 6 students who demonstrated the changing nature of fashion and music in Britain since 1948.

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakel St., Block 4 in Da’aiyah. Please visit our website at www.Kuwait.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is open from 07:30 to 15:30 Sunday through Thursday. The reception is closed from 12:30 to 01:00 pm for lunch break.

Consular Services for Canadian Citizens are provided from 09:00 until 12:00 on Sunday through Wednesday. The Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi provides visa and immigration services to residents of Kuwait. Individuals who are interested in visiting, working or immigrating to Canada are invited to visit the website of the Canadian Embassy to the UAE at www.uae.gc.ca. nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF CYPRUS The Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus requests Cypriot citizens living in Kuwait to register with the Embassy has moved. This registration service is provided so that the Embassy can update its contact list and assist Cypriot citizens in cases of emergencies. Registration information can be emailed to cyprusembassykwt@gmail.com or faxed to 22253227 or given by phone to 65906048 (Mrs Christine). nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF FRANCE For the first round of voting for the French presidential election, the French Embassy in Kuwait will be closed to the public on Sunday April 22, 2012. nnnnnnn

Korean Embassy hosts 3rd meeting of the Korean Culture Diwaniya

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he Embassy of the Republic of Korea hosted on Wednesday, April 11, the 3rd meeting of the Korean Culture Diwaniya. The main theme of the event was the Korean Food. It was an exciting experience as many activities were prepared for the participants to learn about Korean cooking and cuisines.

The activities included showing a short video clip on Korean food and brief presentations by some participants on popular dishes of Korean food as well as Kuwaiti food. They also enjoyed the cooking classes prepared by the “Envoys for the Korean Culture Promotion”, who are talented Korean community people to teach participants how to make the most tasty and delicious Korean dishes. They had fun cooking together some recipes for Korean food such as Korean style pancake (Buchimgae), beef barbeque (Bulgogi), stir-fried rice cake (Tokpokki,).

They also had an idea about making Kimchi -eaten with almost every meal in Korea- is delicious, healthy, tasty and nutritious.

Some popular Korean sweets and

EMBASSY OF MYANMAR Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar would like to inform the general public that the Embassy has moved its office to new location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, AlSalaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location.

Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, email:myankuwait11@gmai1.com nnnnnnn

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 yesterday, 15th April, 2012. Till the new telephone connections are installed, the Embassy may be contacted by email: info@nepembku.org nnnnnnn

EMBASSY OF NIGERIA The Nigerian embassy has its new office in Mishref. Block 3, Street 7, House 4. For enquires please call 25379541. Fax25387719. Email- nigeriakuwait@yahoo.com or nigeriankuwait@yahoo.co.uk nnnnnnn

desserts were also exhibited during the event along with short explanation on their cooking methods and the participants liked the taste of most of them.

Part of the event was allocated to the Kuwaiti food and a lot of Kuwaiti participants offered information about the Kuwaiti recipes, bring various Kuwaiti traditional dishes, desserts, sweets and drinks. Small Kuwaiti traditional corner was also prepared by one participant,

which became one of the popular activities.

Everybody enjoyed this exciting and amazing evening dedicated to share information, knowledge and experience on Korean and Kuwaiti food.

The Korean Culture Diwaniya launched on February 2nd as a one year project to share Korean culture with locals and also learn about local culture. For the next meeting, the Korean Embassy and the

Korean Culture Diwaniya will host “Korea Week” from May 8th to 11th. Various cultural activities will be prepared.

The Embassy truly hope that such events would contribute greatly to increasing the awareness of Kuwaiti people about the Korean culture and traditions and look forward to hold more useful and exciting meetings so as to deepen cultural ties and boost bilateral relations between Korea and Kuwait.

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. nnnnnnn

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. nnnnnnn

ASSE organises technical meet

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merican Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), Kuwait Chapter as a part of continuous efforts in its professional journey, organized 13th technical meet in this term on 15th April, 2012 at KHS Hall, Fahaheel, titled “Safety to Continuity”.

Subba Rao Palagummi, President, ASSE - Kuwait Chapter welcomed the participants. He briefed about the significance of the technical meet

and the importance of conducting these meets monthly for the benefit of all. Bala Siva Srikanth Adivi, Head, Technical Events Committee introduced the topic and the speaker Dhiraj Lal, Executive Director and Principal Consultant of Continuity and Resilience (CORE) proceeded with the topic.

During the Key Note presentation, Dhiraj Lal explained about concepts of Business

Continuity Management with llustrative examples. He also explained salient features of BS 25999. He further explained about the umberalla of Business Continuity Management and various elements of BCM for implementation. Looking at the active interest of ASSE, Kuwait Chapter, he extended free offer of BCI Institute (offerign Affiliate Membership) for all those who attended this

technical meet whcih will be valid for one year.

The technical session was very much interactive and it was followed by Question & Answer session. More than 60 ASSE Kuwait chapter members participated from various sectors (Government Sectors, Oil & Gas Companies, Contractors and, HSE Consultancies).

As a token of appreciation EC Members presented a memen-

to to Dhiraj Lal, who is speaker of the day. Amarnath Burugapalli, Secretary, ASSE Kuwait Chapter made some announcements on the upcoming chapter activities like GCC HSE Excellence Award 2012, Mobile Crane Inspector training & Rig Inspector training and concluded the meet with vote of thanks. High tea Sponsored

by ASSE - Kuwait Chapter was served at the end of the meet.

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 TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

DIAL 161 FOR AIRPORT INFORMATION

Airlines JZR QTR JZR RJA GFA UAE ETD OMA DHX FDB MSR QTR KAC THY DHX FAH JZR KAC BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB IRA ETD IRA GFA MEA JZR MSR JZR JZR RKM MSR GFA KAC KAC FDB KNE QTR SVA KAC RJA VTF KAC QTR JZR JZR ETD JZR JZR UAE GFA SVA UAL JZR JZR ABY ALK KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC MSR RBG KAC KAC KAC KAC JAI KAC AXB FDB OMA MEA QTR GFA SYR KLM UAE JZR ABY QTR DHX AIC GFA UAL JZR DLH THY PIA

Arrival Flights on Tuesday 17/4/2012 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 148 DOHA 539 CAIRO 642 AMMAN 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 641 MUSCAT 370 BAHRAIN 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 544 CAIRO 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 201 DUBAI 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 157 LONDON 416 JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 605 ISFAHAN 301 ABU DHABI 619 LAR 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 618 ALEXANDRIA 561 SOHAG 201 DAMASCUS 310 RAS ALKHAIMAH 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 672 DUBAI 514 TEHRAN 57 DUBAI 472 JEDDAH 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 562 AMMAN 640 AMMAN 302 AL MAKTOUM INTERNATI 678 ABU DHABI/MUSCAT 134 DOHA 535 CAIRO 324 NAJAF 303 ABU DHABI 787 RIYADH 215 DEIREZZOR/ALEPPO 857 DUBAI 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 177 DUBAI 777 JEDDAH 127 SHARJAH 227 COLOMBO/DUBAI 542 CAIRO 786 JEDDAH 166 PARIS/ROME 63 DUBAI 104 LONDON 624 SOHAG 3553 ALEXANDRIA 618 DOHA 674 DUBAI 742 DAMMAM 614 BAHRAIN 572 MUMBAI 774 RIYADH 389 KOZHIKODE/MANGALORE 61 DUBAI 647 MUSCAT 402 BEIRUT 146 DOHA 221 BAHRAIN 341 DAMASCUS 415 AMSTERDAM 859 DUBAI 135 BAHRAIN 129 SHARJAH 136 DOHA 372 BAHRAIN 981 CHENNAI/HYDERABAD/AHMEDABAD 217 BAHRAIN 981 BAHRAIN 239 AMMAN 636 FRANKFURT 772 ISTANBUL 205 LAHORE/PESHAWER

Time 0:15 0:20 0:30 2:10 2:20 2:25 2:30 2:50 2:55 3:10 3:20 3:25 4:10 4:35 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:15 6:30 6:35 7:15 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:15 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:20 9:20 9:30 9:40 10:00 10:55 11:05 11:25 12:25 12:30 13:10 13:30 13:35 13:40 13:40 13:45 14:15 14:25 14:30 14:30 14:55 15:00 15:05 15:15 16:00 16:15 16:35 16:40 16:40 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:25 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:00 18:15 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:45 18:55 19:00 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:35 19:40 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:35 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:15 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:55 23:10 23:40 23:59

Airlines JZR QTR JZR RJA GFA UAE ETD OMA DHX FDB MSR QTR KAC THY DHX FAH JZR KAC BAW KAC KAC FDB KAC KAC KAC KAC UAE ABY QTR FDB IRA ETD IRA GFA MEA JZR MSR JZR JZR RKM MSR GFA KAC KAC FDB KNE QTR SVA KAC RJA VTF KAC QTR JZR JZR ETD JZR JZR UAE GFA SVA UAL JZR JZR ABY ALK KAC KAC KAC FDB KAC MSR RBG KAC KAC KAC KAC JAI KAC AXB FDB OMA MEA QTR GFA SYR KLM UAE JZR ABY QTR DHX AIC GFA UAL JZR DLH THY PIA

Departure Flights on Tuesday 17/4/2012 Flt Route 185 DUBAI 148 DOHA 539 CAIRO 642 AMMAN 211 BAHRAIN 853 DUBAI 305 ABU DHABI 641 MUSCAT 370 BAHRAIN 67 DUBAI 612 CAIRO 138 DOHA 544 CAIRO 770 ISTANBUL 170 BAHRAIN 201 DUBAI 555 ALEXANDRIA 412 MANILA/BANGKOK 157 LONDON 416 JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR 206 ISLAMABAD 53 DUBAI 302 MUMBAI 332 TRIVANDRUM 352 COCHIN 284 DHAKA 855 DUBAI 125 SHARJAH 132 DOHA 55 DUBAI 605 ISFAHAN 301 ABU DHABI 619 LAR 213 BAHRAIN 404 BEIRUT 165 DUBAI 618 ALEXANDRIA 561 SOHAG 201 DAMASCUS 310 RAS ALKHAIMAH 610 CAIRO 219 BAHRAIN 672 DUBAI 514 TEHRAN 57 DUBAI 472 JEDDAH 140 DOHA 500 JEDDAH 562 AMMAN 640 AMMAN 302 AL MAKTOUM INTERNATI 678 ABU DHABI/MUSCAT 134 DOHA 535 CAIRO 324 NAJAF 303 ABU DHABI 787 RIYADH 215 DEIREZZOR/ALEPPO 857 DUBAI 215 BAHRAIN 510 RIYADH 982 WASHINGTON DC DULLES 177 DUBAI 777 JEDDAH 127 SHARJAH 227 COLOMBO/DUBAI 542 CAIRO 786 JEDDAH 166 PARIS/ROME 63 DUBAI 104 LONDON 624 SOHAG 3553 ALEXANDRIA 618 DOHA 674 DUBAI 742 DAMMAM 614 BAHRAIN 572 MUMBAI 774 RIYADH 389 KOZHIKODE/MANGALORE 61 DUBAI 647 MUSCAT 402 BEIRUT 146 DOHA 221 BAHRAIN 341 DAMASCUS 415 AMSTERDAM 859 DUBAI 135 BAHRAIN 129 SHARJAH 136 DOHA 372 BAHRAIN 981 CHENNAI/HYDERABAD/AHMEDABAD 217 BAHRAIN 981 BAHRAIN 239 AMMAN 636 FRANKFURT 772 ISTANBUL 205 LAHORE/PESHAWER

Time 0:15 0:20 0:30 2:10 2:20 2:25 2:30 2:50 2:55 3:10 3:20 3:25 4:10 4:35 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:15 6:30 6:35 7:15 7:45 7:50 7:55 8:05 8:15 8:25 8:30 9:00 9:20 9:20 9:30 9:40 10:00 10:55 11:05 11:25 12:25 12:30 13:10 13:30 13:35 13:40 13:40 13:45 14:15 14:25 14:30 14:30 14:55 15:00 15:05 15:15 16:00 16:15 16:35 16:40 16:40 16:55 17:15 17:20 17:25 17:30 17:40 17:45 18:00 18:15 18:40 18:40 18:45 18:45 18:55 19:00 19:20 19:25 19:30 19:30 19:35 19:40 19:55 20:00 20:10 20:15 20:25 20:35 21:00 21:05 21:15 21:15 21:30 21:35 22:00 22:25 22:35 22:40 22:55 23:10 23:40 23:59

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

Fajer: Dhour: Asser: Mughreb: Esha:

03:58 11:48 15:22 18:15 19:35

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

ACCOMMODATION Sharing accommodation available for one or two working ladies to share with other Filipina. Airport road, Khaitan, just one minute to all route bus stop. Contact: 60077068. (C 3950) 14-4-2012 A flat in Farwaniya air conditioned 2 bedrooms + 1 drawing room with 2 bathrooms, only Pakistani or Indian family. Rent KD 180.

Contact: 55321944. (C 3949) A room available for a single working class lady in a furnished 2-bedroom flat in Salmiya -close to Hadi hospital. Please call 66801355 Furnished room in apartment (for Pakistani or Indian decent bachelor) in Salmiya near City Center. Rent KD 65. Tel: 99959140. (C 3946) 11-4-2012 For decent bachelor (non smoking) or working ladies location: Amman street, opposite to Al Rashid hospital. Building no. 44 2nd floor, room no. 10. Contact: 66232356, 50223132.

(C 3945) 10-4-2012

FOR SALE Eitcher half lorry model 2001 for sale. Contact: 50631577. (C 3937) 10-4-2012

SITUATION WANTED Diploma in Civil Engineering having 7 years experience in India, transferable residency no. 18, seeking suitable placement.

Can join immediately.

Please contact: 66242041.

Email: abrahamkjohn@rediffmail.com (C 3955) 15-4-2012

CHANGE OF NAME I, Purushothaman, son of Nagarajan, holder of Indian passport No. G1674605 have converted to Islam on 21st October 2009 and do now here after be known by my new name Abu Bakkar. (C 3956) 17-4-2012 Marali Surya Pujari holder of Indian Passport No: F1052862 has converted to Christianity with name of SURESH JOSEPH ARANHA, and shall be known here forth.

(C 3951) I, Abul Abdul Rehman Bongai holder of Indian

Passport No: F8708599 hereby change my name to ANSAR ABDUL REHMAN BONGYA. (C 3952) I, Pushpa Boosey Tanaji holder of Indian Passport No: F5734663 have changed my name and hereafter be known by my new name FLORY JOHN HERMAN. (C 3953) 14-4-2012

Hospitals

SITUATION VACANT A family is looking to hire a cook for Arabian and Indian dishes. Contact: 99006777.

(C 3942) 9-4-2012

Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

ICDL / ECDL trainer needed for home tuition. Must speak English. Contact: 97862486 (C 3941) 8-4-2012

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

MATRIMONIAL

Clinics Looking for young Pakistani Muslim girls age 23-28 for two Pakistani Muslim Hanafi, well established, drawing 500-1000 Kuwaiti Dinars. Marriage can be arranged within the shortest possible time.

Please contact Email: mkamalazhar@gmail.com (C 3948) 12-4-2012

Rabiya

24732263

Rawdha

22517733

Adailiya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Khaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salim

22549134

Al-Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Australian man 50 years old Lebanese born just arrived in Kuwait, seeking alliance from a Kuwaiti lady single divorce widow ok, must be God fearing lady.

Contact dadogeorge@hotmail.com (C 3947) 11-4-2012

Al-Qadisiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Ghar

22531908

Al-Shaab

22518752

Al-Kibla

22459381

Ayoun Al-Kibla

22451082

Mirqab

22456536

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

Maidan Hawally

25623444

Bayan

25388462

Mishref

25381200

W.Hawally

22630786

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

New Jahra

24575755

West Jahra

24772608

South Jahra

24775066

Marthomite parents in Kuwait, invite proposals for their daughter (27/160/Fair), B/B in Kuwait, Masters from UK, currently working in Bangalore as senior executive, from well qualified and employed MARTHOMA /CSI/ORTHODOX boys (preferably working in (USA/UK/AUSTRALIA/CANADA/KUWAIT/DUBAI). Email: thomaskw8@yahoo.com (C 3943) Pakistani parents Sunni Muslim in Kuwait invite proposals for their son (31/179/Fair) currently working in Kuwait. Email: wwxxyyzz123@live.com (C 3944) 10-4-2012

North Jahra

24775992

North Jleeb

24311795

Ardiya

24884079

Firdous

24892674

Al-Omariya

24719048

N.Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

3900322

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

Russia’s Lada retires ‘classic’ Soviet car

By Dmitry Zaks

R

ussia’s main car maker Lada said yesterday it was pulling one of its classic 1982 models from production after sales shrank for the boxy vehicle that was dated from the moment it was introduced. The announcement leaves Russians without a rickety but adored four seater an entire generation grew up with and confirms the manufacturer’s shift to newer models with safety and other features more acceptable in the West. “Demand for the ‘classic’ has dropped a lot. It is time to say goodbye,” company spokesman Igor Burenkov said in a statement released to AFP. The Lada 2107 - a trademark of the AvtoVAZ manufacturer that was sold in Europe under the Riva tag - was the Volga region plant’s fastest and most sporty model at the time of production. The car was an updated model of a 2101 version that was first developed by the Soviet Union under agreement with Italy based on the Fiat 124 - a four-door sedan first produced to great European acclaim in 1966. The 2107 was the last of the original square and diminutive sedans sold under the Zhiguli brand in the Soviet Union. It was also a victim of more jokes than possibly any other make in the world.

But the car’s legend rested not only in its ability to break down almost anywhere but also its drivers’ inside out knowledge of how to fix every nut and bolt by hand. AvtoVAZ said it reached its final decision after seeing the 2107’s sales shrink 76

percent in the first quarter. Statistics compiled by the Avtostat agency still showed it being Russia’s fastest-selling used car. The five-speed manual transmission - its main upgrade on the earlier model comprising a chrome front grill - could reach 150 km an hour on a good day. A car radio and a fan were luxurious extras available only on some models.

But the 2107 again became Russia’s top sellers when rebates from the government’s 2010-2011 “cash for clunkers” program brought each vehicle’s cost down to 206,000 rubles (around $7,000 at the time). Lada now manufactures its cars in alliance with Renault-Nissan in a bid to rejuvenate the lineup with foreign technology and styling help. But the plan has been painfully slow getting off the ground. Data compiled by the Association of European Businesses in Russia shows Lada sales down 15 percent in the first quarter compared to the 50-percent gains recorded by second-place Nissan and third-ranked Hyundai.

The sleek new Hyundai Solaris for its part was Russia’s second-fastest selling car in February. The 2107 - known as “the seven” in Russia and produced in its heyday in countries stretching from Mexico to Brazil - had most recently been produced at AvtoVAZ’s Izhevsk plant. The same plant still manufactures a hatchback cousin of the 2107 called the 2104. But those cars will also soon be put out of production as AvtoVAZ and RenaultNissan move begin rolling out the four-door Lada Granta. — AFP

A VAZ-2107, known as ‘Semyorka’ (‘The seven’) in Russia and as the Lada Riva in most Western European markets, built by Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAZ, rolls in central Moscow yesterday. — AFP

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

TV PROGRAMS

00:45 Untamed & Uncut 01:40 Shark Attack File 3 02:35 Animal Planet’s Most Outrageous 03:30 Baboons With Bill Bailey 03:55 Baboons With Bill Bailey 04:25 Face To Face With The Polar Bear 05:20 Going Ape 05:45 Wildlife SOS 06:10 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Orangutan Island 07:25 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife 07:50 Talk To The Animals 08:15 The Really Wild Show 08:40 Project Puppy 09:10 Must Love Cats 10:05 Face To Face With The Polar Bear 11:00 Animal Precinct 11:55 Animal Cops Phoenix 12:50 Wild Animal Orphans 13:15 Dolphin Days 13:45 SSPCA: On The Wildside 14:10 Wildlife SOS 14:40 Face To Face With The Polar Bear 15:30 Animal Battlegrounds 16:00 The Really Wild Show 16:30 Chris Humfrey’s Wildlife 17:00 Talk To The Animals 17:25 Dogs 101: Specials 18:20 America’s Cutest...

19:15 Wildlife SOS 19:40 Going Ape 20:10 Orangutan Island 20:35 Animal Battlegrounds 21:05 Last Leopard 22:00 Wild Animal Orphans 22:25 Safari Sisters 22:55 Wildlife SOS

00:10 New Scandinavian Cooking With Claus Meyer 00:40 Indian Food Made Easy 01:05 Saturday Kitchen 2007/08 01:35 Living In The Sun 02:20 Bargain Hunt 03:05 New Scandinavian Cooking 03:30 New Scandinavian Cooking With Claus Meyer 04:00 Antiques Roadshow 04:50 Living In The Sun 05:35 Bargain Hunt 06:20 Indian Food Made Easy 06:50 Antiques Roadshow 07:45 MasterChef Australia 08:30 MasterChef Australia 09:20 Bargain Hunt 10:05 Antiques Roadshow 10:55 Come Dine With Me 11:45 10 Years Younger 12:35 Holmes On Homes 13:25 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 14:10 Fantasy Homes Down Under 15:00 House Swap 15:45 Bargain Hunt 16:30 Antiques Roadshow 17:20 Cash In The Attic USA 17:40 Cash In The Attic USA 18:00 Rachel’s Favourite Food For Living 18:25 The Hairy Bikers’ Cookbook 18:55 Indian Food Made Easy 19:25 James Martin’s Favourite Feasts 19:50 10 Years Younger 20:40 Holmes On Homes 21:30 Fantasy Homes By The Sea 22:15 Bargain Hunt

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 11:30 12:00

Snapped Nightmare In Suburbia The Killer In The Woods Snapped Crimes That Shook Britain Nightmare In Suburbia Snapped Infamous Murders Infamous Murders Crime Stories Crime And Punishment Crime Central Infamous Murders Infamous Murders Crime Stories

13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:30

Crime And Punishment Crime Central Crime Stories Infamous Murders Infamous Murders Crime Stories Crime And Punishment Crime Central Snapped Nightmare In Suburbia Britain’s Bravest Cops Parking Wars Parking Wars

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

Aircrash Confidential Destroyed In Seconds Dirty Jobs Battle Machine Bros Ultimate Survival Mythbusters How It’s Made How Stuff’s Made Dirty Jobs Mythbusters Alaska’s Great Race Fight Quest How Stuff’s Made Cake Boss Border Security Auction Kings Motor City Motors Motor City Motors Motor City Motors Motor City Motors Motor City Motors Battle Machine Bros Wheeler Dealers Ultimate Survival Mythbusters How It’s Made How Stuff’s Made Border Security Auction Kings Cake Boss Fight Quest Freddie Flintoff vs The World Scrappers Carfellas

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

Deadliest Catch Fantastic Festivals Of The World Smash Lab Deadliest Catch Time Warp The Reinventors Mythbusters Out Of Egypt Sunrise Earth International Time Warp The Reinventors Smash Lab Extreme Engineering Kings Of Construction Twist The Throttle Fantastic Festivals Of The World The Reinventors Mythbusters Smash Lab Chasing Classic Cars Chasing Classic Cars Time Warp The Reinventors Deadliest Catch Out Of Egypt Man, Woman, Wild Solving History With Olly Steeds Fantastic Festivals Of The World Smash Lab Chasing Classic Cars Chasing Classic Cars Out Of Egypt Man, Woman, Wild Solving History With Olly Steeds Twist The Throttle

00:35 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 01:25 The Tech Show 01:50 Mega World 02:40 Superships 03:35 Weird Connections 04:00 Weird Connections 04:25 The Kustomizer

05:20 Building The Future 06:10 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 07:00 The Gadget Show 07:25 The Gadget Show 07:50 Kings Of Construction 08:40 Mega World 09:35 Superships 10:25 Weird Connections 10:50 Weird Connections 11:20 Building The Future 12:15 The Kustomizer 13:05 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 13:55 The Gadget Show 14:20 The Gadget Show 14:50 Weird Connections 15:15 Weird Connections 15:40 The Tech Show 16:05 Building The Future 17:00 Kings Of Construction 17:50 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 18:40 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 19:30 Bad Universe 20:20 The Gadget Show 20:45 The Gadget Show 21:10 Ecopolis 22:00 Through The Wormhole With Morgan Freeman 22:50 Bad Universe

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

Fairly Odd Parents Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Emperor’s New School Brandy & Mr Whiskers Brandy & Mr Whiskers Replacements Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Fairly Odd Parents Fish Hooks Recess So Random Wizards Of Waverly Place Good Luck Charlie Shake It Up Phineas And Ferb Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jake & The Neverland Pirates Handy Manny The Hive Mouk Recess So Random Have A Laugh Hannah Montana Suite Life On Deck Jake & Blake Sonny With A Chance Wizards Of Waverly Place Phineas And Ferb Phineas And Ferb So Random Suite Life On Deck Shake It Up A.N.T. Farm Phineas And Ferb Recess So Random Fish Hooks Wizards Of Waverly Place Shake It Up A.N.T. Farm Suite Life On Deck Good Luck Charlie Have A Laugh Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Phineas And Ferb Shake It Up Good Luck Charlie Wizards Of Waverly Place Kim Possible

06:00 06:20 06:45 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:25

Kid vs Kat American Dragon Rekkit Rabbit Mr. Young Mr. Young Mr. Young Mr. Young

The Kingdom is one of many movies in the ever growing “boy the Middle East” genre that’s taken over theaters since it became clear to most of the country that the war on terror isn’t going to be easily won. But director Peter Berg’s film is more than just another face in the crowd. It’s by far the best of that depressing, sand-soaked group; mixing action and intentionally obvious political relevance together in a movie that’s part police procedural, part military action, and all smarts.

The Kingdom ON OSN MOVIES ACTION & OSN ACTION HD

08:50 Kick Buttowski 09:15 Zeke & Luther 09:40 I’m In The Band 10:05 Phineas And Ferb 10:30 Kid vs Kat 10:55 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 11:20 Pair Of Kings 11:45 Rekkit Rabbit 12:10 American Dragon 12:35 Kick Buttowski 13:00 Phineas And Ferb 13:25 I’m In The Band 13:45 Kid vs Kat 14:10 Pair Of Kings 14:35 Zeke & Luther 15:00 Rekkit Rabbit 15:25 Pokemon: Black And White 15:50 Timon And Pumbaa 16:15 Rated A For Awesome 16:40 Iron Man Armored Adventures 17:05 Zeke & Luther 17:30 Mr. Young 17:55 Phineas And Ferb 18:20 Phineas And Ferb 18:45 I’m In The Band 19:10 Kickin It 19:35 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 20:00 Pair Of Kings 20:25 Zeke & Luther 20:50 Escape From Scorpion Island 21:20 Aaron Stone 21:45 The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes 22:10 Phineas And Ferb 22:35 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 03:15 Behind The Scenes 03:40 Extreme Close-Up 04:10 Sexiest 05:05 Extreme Hollywood 06:00 25 Most Sensational Hollywood Meltdowns 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Scouted 10:15 15 Remarkable Celebrity Body Bouncebacks 12:05 E! News 13:05 Ice Loves Coco 13:35 Ice Loves Coco 14:05 Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami 14:35 Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami 15:00 Style Star 15:30 THS 16:25 Behind The Scenes 16:55 Khloe And Lamar 17:25 Khloe And Lamar 17:55 E! News 18:55 THS 19:55 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 20:55 Keeping Up With The Kardashians 21:25 Khloe And Lamar 21:55 Khloe And Lamar 22:25 E! News 23:25 Chelsea Lately 23:55 Fashion Police

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

Gotta Grudge Blood, Sweat And Gears World Combat League Gotta Grudge Gotta Grudge Enfusion Glutton For Punishment Blood, Sweat And Gears World Combat League Ride Guide Mountainbike 2008 The Alli Show Asian X Games 2010 Best Of The Streets Ticket To Ride 2009/2010 Dr Danger Dr Danger Untracked Gotta Grudge Salad Days World Combat League Dr Danger Untracked The Alli Show Asian X Games 2010 Best Of The Streets Best Of The Streets Ticket To Ride 2009/2010 Salad Days Gotta Grudge Glutton For Punishment BMX Masters 2010 World Combat League Enfusion Gotta Grudge

00:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 00:30 Kid In A Candy Store 00:55 Gourmet Farmer 01:20 Gourmet Farmer 01:45 Easy Chinese: San Francisco 02:10 Easy Chinese: San Francisco 02:35 Andy Bates Street Feasts 03:00 Andy Bates Street Feasts 03:25 Mexican Made Easy 03:50 Mexican Made Easy 04:15 Dessert First With Anne Thornton 04:40 Good Eats 05:05 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 05:30 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 05:50 Food Network Challenge 06:35 Barefoot Contessa 07:00 Food Network Challenge 07:50 World Cafe Asia 08:15 Barefoot Contessa 08:40 Good Eats 09:05 Dessert First With Anne Thornton 09:30 Paula’s Best Dishes 09:55 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 10:20 Lidia’s Italy 10:45 Reza, Spice Prince Of India 11:10 Unwrapped 11:35 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 12:00 Food Network Challenge 12:50 Aarti Party 13:15 Cooking For Real 13:40 Barefoot Contessa 14:05 Dessert First With Anne Thornton 14:30 Kid In A Candy Store 14:55 Paula’s Best Dishes 15:20 Meat & Potatoes 15:45 Iron Chef America 16:35 Cooking For Real

17:00 Barefoot Contessa 17:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 17:50 Aarti Party 18:15 Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam 18:40 Dessert First With Anne Thornton 19:05 Kid In A Candy Store 19:30 Food Network Challenge 20:20 Iron Chef America 21:10 Guy’s Big Bite 21:35 Guy’s Big Bite 22:00 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 22:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 22:50 Meat & Potatoes 23:15 Meat & Potatoes 23:40 Meat & Potatoes

00:30 01:20 01:40 02:05 02:30 03:20 03:45 04:30 05:20 05:45 06:10 07:00 07:50 08:40 09:30 09:55 10:20 Jones 11:10 12:00 12:25 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

Ghost Lab Crime Scene Psychics Crime Scene Psychics I Married A Mobster Scorned: Crimes Of Passion Deadly Women: Face To Face Autopsy: Most Shocking Cases Ghost Lab Crime Scene Psychics Crime Scene Psychics Disappeared FBI Files Murder Shift Life Or Death: Medical Mysteries Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

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

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared FBI Files Murder Shift Real Emergency Calls Mystery Diagnosis Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn Disappeared Couples Who Kill Deadly Women Autopsy: Most Shocking Cases

00:00 City Chase Marrakech 01:00 Banged Up Abroad 02:00 Departures 03:00 Graham’s World 03:30 Earth Tripping 04:00 Perilous Journeys 05:00 Which Way To 06:00 City Chase Marrakech 07:00 Banged Up Abroad 08:00 Departures 09:00 Graham’s World 09:30 Earth Tripping 10:00 Perilous Journeys 11:00 Which Way To 12:00 City Chase Marrakech 13:00 A World Apart 14:00 Treks In A Wild World 15:00 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 16:00 Graham’s World 16:30 Graham’s World 17:00 The Green Way Up 17:30 The Green Way Up 18:00 Lonely Planet: Roads Less Travelled 19:00 A World Apart 20:00 Treks In A Wild World 21:00 Extreme Tourist Afghanistan 22:00 Graham’s World 22:30 Graham’s World 23:00 The Green Way Up 23:30 The Green Way Up

00:00 Banged Up Abroad 01:00 Wild Russia 02:00 Dangerous Encounters 03:00 Caught In The Act 04:00 Somewhere In China 05:00 Great Migrations 06:00 Dangerous Encounters 07:00 Mega Factories 08:00 Banged Up Abroad 09:00 Wild Russia 10:00 Dangerous Encounters 11:00 Caught In The Act 12:00 Banged Up Abroad 13:00 Great Migrations 14:00 Dangerous Encounters 15:00 Plastiki 16:00 Banged Up Abroad 17:00 Animal Impact 18:00 Dangerous Encounters 19:00 Hunter Hunted 20:00 Inside 21:00 Air Crash Investigation Special Report

01:25 02:50 04:45 06:35 08:15 09:30 11:10 12:50 14:30 16:40 18:15 20:35 22:00 23:50

Go Fish The Amityville Horror-18 Audrey Rose-PG A Breed Apart-PG Just Another Story-PG Cherry 2000-PG Flight From Ashiya-PG Across 110th Street-PG The Battle Of Britain-PG Delirious-PG Irma LA Douce-PG Spellcaster-18 Report To The Commissioner-PG After Dark, My Sweet

01:15 The Ward-18 02:45 The Godfather III-18 06:00 Altitude-PG15 08:00 The Librarian: The Curse Of Judas Chalice-PG15 10:00 Inside Out-PG 12:00 Arctic Predator-PG15 14:00 The Librarian: The Curse Of Judas Chalice-PG15 16:00 Camp Hope-PG15 18:00 Arctic Predator-PG15 20:00 Blood Out-18 22:00 The Kingdom-18

01:00 Everywhere And Nowhere-18 03:00 Gentlemen Broncos-PG15 05:00 The LXD: The Uprising Begins-

BLOOD OUT ON OSN ACTION HD 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:00 15:00 17:00 18:45 21:00 23:00

Love The Beast-PG The Art Of Getting By-PG15 The LXD: The Uprising Begins Dear John-PG15 The LXD: Secrets Of The RaThe Art Of Getting By-PG15 Bright Star-PG15 Oceans-PG15 Love And Other Drugs-R

00:30 The Daily Show Global Edition 01:00 The Colbert Report Global Edition 01:30 Entourage 02:00 How To Make It In America 03:00 Melissa And Joey 03:30 10 Items Or Less 04:00 The Simpsons 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 06:00 Weird Science 06:30 How I Met Your Mother 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 The Simpsons 08:30 Melissa And Joey 09:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 09:30 Raising Hope 10:00 Modern Family 10:30 How I Met Your Mother 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Weird Science 12:30 The Simpsons 13:00 Tyler Perry’s House Of Payne 13:30 How I Met Your Mother 14:00 10 Items Or Less 14:30 Modern Family 15:00 Raising Hope 16:30 Weird Science 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 Melissa And Joey 18:30 10 Items Or Less 19:00 Raising Hope 19:30 Modern Family 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 23:00 It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

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

Bones The Closer Game Of Thrones Desperate Housewives Revenge Burn Notice Bones Emmerdale Coronation Street Surface Desperate Housewives Revenge Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show Surface Parenthood Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Nine Lives Of Chloe King Grey’s Anatomy Private Practice House Pillars Of The Earth The Killing

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The Morgue-18 The Warrior’s Way-PG15 The Godfather III-18 Freight-PG15 Jesse Stone: Innocents LostTriassic Attack-PG15 Secret Window-PG15 Jesse Stone: Innocents LostLargo Winch 2-PG15 The Losers-PG15 The Kingdom-18 The Nun-18

00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00

Tooth Fairy-PG Crazy On The Outside-PG15 Mean Girls 2-PG15 Double Wedding-PG15 Straight Talk-PG15 16 To Life-PG15 Frank McKlusky, C.I.-PG15

14:00 Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement-FAM 16:00 Tooth Fairy-PG 18:00 Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie-PG15 20:00 Hitch-PG15 22:00 Greenberg-18

01:00 03:00 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:15 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:45

Posse-18 Skirt Day-PG15 On Strike For Christmas-PG15 Good Hair-PG15 Mammoth-PG15 Stomp The Yard 2: Homecoming The Associate-PG15 Freestyle (2010)-PG15 The Nutty Professor-FAM The Deep End Of The OceanHorse Whisperer-PG15 Veronica Guerin-PG15

01:00 The Fourth Kind-PG15 02:45 Celine: Through The Eyes Of The World-PG15 05:00 Glorious 39-PG15 07:15 Love And Mary-PG15 09:00 Love N’ Dancing-PG15 11:00 Flipped-PG 13:00 A Family Thanksgiving-PG15 15:00 Battle: Los Angeles-PG15 17:00 Love N’ Dancing-PG15 19:00 Hitch-PG15 21:00 Oceans-PG15 23:00 The Green Hornet-PG15

00:00 The Prince Of Dinosaurs-PG 02:00 Winner & The Golden Child: Part I04:00 How The Grinch Stole Christmas 06:00 The Lion King 1 1/2-FAM 08:00 Gladiators: The Conspiracy-PG 10:00 Yogi Bear-FAM 12:00 The Nimbols: Part I-FAM 14:00 How The Grinch Stole Christmas 16:00 Pocahontas & The Spider Woman 18:00 Yogi Bear-FAM 20:00 The Swan Princess-FAM 22:00 The Nimbols: Part I-FAM

00:15 Mercy-18 02:00 Hereafter-18 04:15 The Marc Pease Experience-PG15 06:00 How To Go Out On A Date In Queens-PG15 08:00 Ways To Live Forever-PG15 09:45 The Great Debaters-PG15 12:00 Flash Of Genius-PG15 14:00 Ways To Live Forever-PG15 15:45 The Great Debaters-PG15 18:00 Made In Dagenham-PG15 20:00 Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son-PG15 22:00 Justin Bieber: Never Say Never-PG

02:30 European PGA Tour Highlights 03:30 UFC 145 Prime Time 04:00 Super Rugby Highlights 05:00 NRL Premiership 07:00 Super Rugby Highlights 08:00 Premier League Darts 11:30 Super Rugby 13:30 European PGA Tour Highlights 14:30 Volvo Ocean Race 15:30 WWE This Week 16:00 Super Rugby Highlights 17:00 Super Rugby 19:00 NRL Premiership 21:00 European PGA Tour Highlights 22:00 Futbol Mundial 22:30 Volvo Ocean Race 23:30 Super Rugby

00:30 Top 14 01:00 Futbol Mundial 01:30 Trans World Sport 02:30 Premier League Darts 06:00 SPL Highlights 06:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 07:00 NRL Premiership 09:00 AFL Winners 10:00 Adventure Sports 12:00 Volvo Ocean Race Highlights 13:00 Futbol Mundial 13:30 Super Rugby Highlights 14:30 AFL Winners

15:30 Premier League Darts 19:00 SPL Highlights 19:30 NRL Full Time 20:00 Top 14 20:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 21:00 Futbol Mundial 21:30 SPL Highlights 22:00 Trans World Sport 23:00 Golfing World

00:00 Mobil 1 The Grid 00:30 Futbol Mundial 01:00 Super Rugby 03:00 Super Rugby Highlights 04:00 Adventure Sports 04:30 Adventure Sports 05:00 Adventure Sports 06:00 Ping Pong World Championship 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 Scottish Premier League Highlights 08:30 Top 14 Highlights 09:00 Mobil 1 The Grid 09:30 Super Rugby Highlights 10:30 Scottish FA Cup 12:30 Scottish Premier League Highlights 13:00 AFL Winners 14:00 Golfing World 15:00 Top 14 Highlights 15:30 PRO 12 Celtic League 17:30 AFL Premiership 20:00 Super Rugby Highlights 21:00 Super Rugby 23:00 Top 14 Highlights 23:30 Premier League Darts

01:00 Prizefighter 04:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter 05:00 UFC Unleashed 06:00 UFC Unleashed 07:00 WWE NXT 08:00 WWE Bottom Line 09:00 Prizefighter 12:00 V8 Supercars Extra 12:30 Mobil 1 The Grid 13:00 WWE Bottom Line 14:00 WWE Vintage Collection 15:00 V8 Supercars Highlights 16:00 V8 Supercars Highlights 17:00 Mobil 1 The Grid 17:30 UFC 145 Countdown 18:00 WWE NXT 19:00 WWE Experience 20:00 UFC Prelims 21:00 UFC

00:00 Escape To Victory-PG 01:55 Tea And Sympathy-PG 04:00 Where Were You When The...-PG 05:30 Live A Little, Love A Little-PG 07:00 Flamingo Road-PG 08:35 Boys’Town-PG 10:05 Escape To Victory-PG 12:00 The Unsinkable Molly Brown-FAM 14:05 They Were Expendable-PG 16:15 The Champ-PG 18:25 Rebel Without A Cause-PG 20:15 Pennies From Heaven 22:00 Brainstorm 23:45 Gremlins

00:00 Ice Road Truckers 01:00 Declassified 02:00 IRT: Deadliest Roads– The Andes 03:00 IRT: Deadliest Roads– The Andes 03:55 Mega Movers 05:00 Sliced 05:30 Sliced 06:00 Ice Road Truckers 07:00 Declassified 08:00 IRT: Deadliest Roads– The Andes 09:00 IRT: Deadliest Roads– The Andes 09:55 Mega Movers 11:00 Sliced 11:30 Sliced 12:00 Ice Road Truckers 13:00 Declassified 14:00 IRT: Deadliest Roads– The Andes 15:00 IRT: Deadliest Roads– The Andes 15:55 Mega Movers 17:00 Sliced 17:30 Sliced 18:00 Ice Road Truckers 19:00 Declassified 20:00 Storage Wars 20:30 Pawn Stars 21:00 Pawn Stars 21:30 Storage Wars

35

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

stars CROSSWORD 650

STAR TRACK

CALVIN & HOBBES

Aries (March 21-April 19) You have a great deal of understanding and sensitivity to the needs of others just now and may be called on to help a co-worker or you could be asked to run some important errand. It may be easy to come up with ideas for a neighborhood beautification project later today. You seem able to create incentives so that others want to be included in future plans. This may involve planting of flowers or hedges along the entrance to your neighborhood. Perhaps a protective cover near a bus stop could be petitioned for now. Whatever the case you will successfully involve others in a quest to beautify your neighborhood or city. There is a real opportunity today to complete and work out difficulties that involve people or projects requiring a high degree of discipline.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) You will easily adapt to any environment or social group today.

You are naturally attracted to agreeable people who can satisfy your craving for continuous mental encouragement. You will need to pick and choose your activities so that you are not scattering your energies in too many different directions. You could spread yourself too thin and find yourself spent of energy by this evening. There may be an opportunity to listen to a motivational speech, attend a lecture or learn a new craft today. Listening and learning instead of teaching and action may be the mode of the day—going with the flow, so to speak. You crave new experiences and as you reach out for that something new, you will not be disappointed. You are optimistic about your future.

POOCH CAFE ACROSS 1. The state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by.

4. (informal usage) A general feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction.

9. part of the peritoneum attached to the stomach and to the colon and covering the intestines.

13. The quality of a color as determined by its dominant wavelength.

14. Not very intelligent or interested in culture.

15. (usually followed by `to') Having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something.

16. A system of one or more computers and associated software with common storage.

18. An amino acid that is found in the central nervous system.

19. A cord that is drawn through eyelets or around hooks in order to draw together two edges (as of a shoe or garment).

20. Submerged aquatic plant having narrow leaves and small flowers.

22. An early form of modern jazz (originating around 1940).

24. A trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group.

25. A city in southern Turkey on the Seyhan River.

26. The branch of computer science that deal with writing computer programs that can solve problems creatively.

27. The act of carrying something v 1.

28. A state in northwestern North America.

30. The basic unit of money in Bangladesh.

38. Being one more than ninety.

40. A soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

42. Resinlike substance secreted by certain lac insects.

44. Tall feather palm of northern Brazil with hard-shelled nuts yielding valuable oil and a kind of vegetable ivory.

46. A form of Japanese poetry.

48. A soft silvery metallic element of the alkali earth group.

49. A public promotion of some product or service.

50. A heavy brittle metallic element of the platinum group.

51. A lipoprotein that transports cholesterol in the blood.

57. A small cake leavened with yeast.

59. Largest known toad species.

62. An Arabic speaking person who lives in Arabia or North Africa.

63. Any of various coarse shrubby plants of the genus Iva with small greenish flowers.

66. The compass point midway between northeast and east.

67. A river in north central Switzerland that runs northeast into the Rhine.

68. Open to change.

69. A condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders.

DOWN 1. A republic in West Africa on the Gulf of Guinea.

2. Wild sheep of northern Africa.

3. A shade of brown with a tinge of red.

4. Minor or subordinate.

5. (of roads) Made of logs laid down crosswise.

6. Jordan's port.

7. A populous province in northeastern China.

8. Block consisting of a thick piece of something.

9. A high-crowned black cap (usually made of felt or sheepskin) worn by men in Turkey and Iran and the Caucasus.

10. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

11. A circumscribed inflammatory and often suppurating lesion on the skin or an internal mucous surface resulting in necrosis of tissue.

12. Openly distrustful and unwilling to confide.

17. The capital and largest city of Yemen.

21. East Indian tree bearing a profusion of intense vermilion velvet-textured blooms and yielding a yellow dye.

23. South American wood sorrel cultivated for its edible tubers.

29. Prolific Spanish playwright (1562-1635).

31. A radioactive element of the actinide series.

32. A large oven for firing or burning or drying such things as porcelain or bricks.

33. The blood group whose red cells carry both the A and B antigens.

34. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

35. An associate degree in applied science.

36. A solution containing a phosphate buffer.

37. The 19th letter of the Greek alphabet.

39. Any of a number of fishes of the family Carangidae.

41. A genus of Ploceidae.

43. A Loloish language.

45. The cry made by sheep.

47. An anti-TNF compound (trade name Arava) that is given orally.

48. Perennial herb of East India to Polynesia and Australia cultivated for its large edible root yielding Otaheite arrowroot starch.

52. A Tibetan or Mongolian priest of Lamaism.

53. A Gaelic-speaking Celt in Ireland or Scotland or the Isle of Man. 54. A particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography).

55. An unofficial association of people or groups.

56. In bed.

58. A room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter.

60. Light informal conversation for social occasions.

61. A type of submachine gun that is designed and manufactured in Israel.

64. A silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite.

65. A Mid-Atlantic state.

Yesterday’s Solution

Gemini (May 21-June 20) A strong need for nurturing is a bigger than usual element in your life now. You may feel the need to care for others or to have them care for you. You have needs and you sense the needs of others: fitting the two together makes progress easy. Your mind could be quite clear and natural just now.

Ideas are flowing and come with ease. It is easy for you to talk a lot. Activities with neighbors, friends or relatives make the afternoon go along with the strong feelings of support and appreciation for life. Demands on you and on others will begin to loosen.

However, other people may tend to encourage you to act prematurely. Think things through before jumping into something you may not want to do in the future.

Weather permitting, enjoy a walk tonight.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

NON SEQUITUR

You tend to enjoy making a difference for people with a common cause or a universal ideal instead of seeking power. However, today you may find others could give you much encouragement along the lines of obtaining a power position, perhaps in your profession or perhaps in the community.

If you desire this, support is available. Part of the responsibilities and additional life experiences that come with having such a wide scope of friends is that you are constantly manipulating your time. This afternoon you may find yourself helping or being with friends—someone could be moving or otherwise needing your assistance. Your unique qualities stand out today—you are able to help others without relinquishing your personal time.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Too many people in one place today may have everyone in a frustrated mood. This may mean a meeting has been going on a little too long. Perhaps it is time to suggest a break. People always see situations in a different way after getting a little fresh air or taking in a little snack. New insights make everyone happy this afternoon. A few chores at home after the workday is over and you are ready to play with friends or family. Close relationships take on more emotional depth, power and importance this evening. A love of music, an appreciation for sensual pleasures and other fine things in life are the signs of the cycle that has begun for you. A few of your friends, relatives or neighbors may gather this evening to chat about plans for the summer.

ZITS

Virgo (August 23-September 22) You want balance during the working week and the easier you can make it for you and your family, the happier you are. Meals made ahead of time and frozen and lunches ready to assemble in a quick manner are fun to grab and go . . . you are proud of yourself and you feel organized. If you have a large family, you will enjoy helping them become organized. They will all learn from you, so keep up the good work. Consider writing a magazine article on some of the techniques you use to make your family run well. You may be surprised at the response you get . . . you could even put out feelers to the crowd and see if readers will support a blog. You may want to send a letter to a friend or secluded family member, via fax or computer this evening.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM

Stay away from lifting and moving heavy things today, unless you can get someone to help or you wear a brace and bend from your knees—your back will be much more relaxed. There are opportunities to move equipment, help someone carry boxes, etc. Your professional life is interesting today, in that you are around entertaining, smart and witty people. As much fun as it is to listen to a few jokes or witty remarks, it is also fun to hear your own voice—easy does it.

At home this evening you may become aware of an elderly friend or relative that has some background of interest. Encourage the elderly in your family, or friend’s family, to write down genealogy or event facts for the next generation. You could record their stories for posterity.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Check out a class or book on meditation. It will give you tools for relaxation. Meditation classes will also help you have that an inner comfort that comes with being nurtured. You might even find some cassette tapes along this subject. A library or store that will trade your cassette tape for another will save you money and allow you to find the rhythm or style of meditation best for you. Nurturing and being nurtured are important to us all. Today is a great time to collect the support that comes from being positive and calm. Close relationships take on more emotional depth, power and importance. You are in a great mood today and can appreciate your own better qualities. You may have fun caring for animals this evening—perhaps a bath.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) Arriving at work early this morning helps to avoid the crowd of commuters. You have lots to do. This is a very good time for meeting, decisions and finding your way through just about any problem you may uncover. Visiting a music store at the noon break creates some fun-filled minutes. If you do not have children, someone in your family or among your friends does. You will find yourself around children this afternoon. There is a chance that someone will want to borrow your tools, car, lawn equipment, etc. If you feel that there could be a risk—say no. You are learning to stand firm in many different areas of your life—about time!

More thoughtful communication with a loved one is enjoyed this evening. Harmony fills the air this evening.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

To

You could enlist the aid of others to help you in the workplace now. There can be rewards in team efforts. Your creative abilities are in full gear and you could come up with some creative ideas that will aid your team.

Your success arrives in an educational, legal or publishing venture. You could be involved in helping the elderly, handicapped or children this afternoon. There is a second chance today to make a dream come true—for yourself or someone else. You could be most persuasive with others. A good conversation with those you love is possible this evening. Stability satisfies a deep emotional need. If you are staying home, music could be fun this evening, whether it is in listening or participating in a jam session with your musical friends.

Yesterday’s Solution Yester

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) A group meeting turns out to be quite successful this morning.

You always have intelligent, serious, yet light-hearted ways to get your message across to others. Employees that know you are speaking will not usually be absent on those meeting days. A creative and upbeat meeting provides a positive sort of atmosphere for the whole day. There are stimulating conversations popping up in the most interesting places. This afternoon, a friend may encourage you to take better care of yourself. You may find you have an interest in signing up for a nearby exercise class with this friend. The domestic scene gains new appeal and now is a good time to talk with your family. You are very aware of other people and their needs.

Consider a summertime offer.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Word Sleuth Solution

This is not the time to be lazy. There is much to do this morning and the preparations for a presentation or sales pitch will go very well. A tendency to scatter your energies may need watching at this time. There are workable solutions to most everything and you are patient. Do not hesitate to follow up on a blossoming business venture—research may be in order. There may be someone new that you will meet who will give you important information. Dealings with relatives may keep you very busy this afternoon. The results of these interactions with relatives are most positive. It pleases you to make others happy. Group and social activities fill your time this evening. Often community or hobby activities provide a relaxing break.

36

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

LIFESTYLE G o s s i p

Aniston to

attend Pitt and Jolie wedding ennifer Aniston plans to go to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s wedding.

The ‘Wanderlust’ actress - who is currently dating actor Justin Theroux - is said to be delighted her ex-husband is planning to remarry. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Jennifer is happy for Brad and Angelina. She is so in love with Justin that she is really grateful how things turned out. “If it weren’t for Angelina, Jennifer would not have connected with Justin. I wouldn’t be surprised if she even went to the wedding.” It is believed the betrothed couple will marry in their French chateau later this year. Brad and Jennifer split shortly after he met Angelina on the set of movie ‘Mr & Mrs Smith’, but Brad and Angelina didn’t embark on a romance until after the actor marriage to the former ‘Friends’ star was over. They confirmed they were engaged last week and the kids Maddox, 10, Pax, nine, Zahara, seven, Shiloh, five and three-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne were delighted. Brad’s spokeswoman Cynthia PettDante said: “Yes, it’s confirmed. It is a promise for the future and their kids are very happy.

There’s no date set at this time.” Angelina has since been seen wearing a specially created ring by Robert Procop, which Brad had a helping hand in designing.

J

Houston

W

Lady Gaga sastrology

fears

shton Kutcher is reportedly dating Mila Kunis.

The ‘Two and a Half Men’ actor - who split from estranged wife Demi Moore last November after he allegedly cheated on her - is said to have enjoyed several dates with Mila, who he starred with in ‘That ‘70s Show’. According to X17 Online, the pair have been spotted together on multiple occasions and they have both spent nights at each others’ houses.

Yesterday , Ashton and ‘Black Swan’ star Mila spent the day furniture shopping and then enjoyed a sushi dinner at Los Angeles restaurant Asanebo, before heading back to Ashton’s Hollywood Hills home. An onlooker at

A

Minaj deletes

was deeply affected by ruined voice N hitney Houston was “deeply, psychologically and emotionally” affected by the state of her voice shortly before her death. The tragic singer’s vocal coach and friend, Gary Catona, said her whole personality had been changed by the deterioration of her voice through smoking and drug abuse before she was found accidentally drowned at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in February. Gary told The Sunday Times newspaper: “She was horrified by it. When someone is a singer at that level, their voice is so much of who the person is. She identified with her voice. It was not possible for Whitney to be affected very deeply, psychologically and emotionally, by the fact she couldn’t sing.” Gary - one of the world’s leading voice coaches - first met Whitney in 2005, at which point she could barely speak. He says he managed to get her voice to return by around 75 per cent, but she never fully recovered before she would then “take off” and damage it again.

He added: “As her voice started returning, lo and behold, her personality began changing, just as I predicted. She became more confident, she became who she really was funny, charming, an intelligent person.

Her self-esteem began rising. “But what would happen was that I would work with her, and she’d get her voice back to some extent, and then she’d take off.

“She’d try to sing here, or she’d try to sing there. Rather than getting her voice back completely, which would have secured her legacy, she got caught up in her lifestyle again and she began practicing the habits which were not beneficial to her voice.” Whitney, 48, was found face down in the bathtub of Beverly Hilton with a bloody nose and the remnants of cocaine nearby on February 11. The Beverly Hills Police Department cited cause of death as accidental drowning with drug abuse and heart disease also factors.

Kutcher and Kunis are

the restaurant said: “Ashton was touching Mila’s hand and Mila was all dressed up. She looked hot; this was definitely more than a dinner between friends - this was a full-on date!” Ashton - who was married to Demi for six years - was recently linked to ‘S&M’ singer Rihanna, although the romance was never confirmed.

Mila previously dated Macaulay Culkin for eight years but they split in 2010.

twitter account

icki Minaj has deleted her twitter account after getting angry about her music being leaked online. The ‘Turn Me On’ singer became annoyed after fan site NickiDaily posted leaked tracks from her relaunched album ‘Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded’, causing her to state she would not be returning to the social networking site. In a series of tweets, she wrote: “And that’s exactly why I’m paying the barbz DUST right now! And deleting my twitter. Smdh - don’t cry for me Argentina. Like seriously, its but so much a person can take. Good bye. (sic)” She briefly returning to the site yesterday ,tweeting: “On second thought I’ll just follow a new set of barbz.

The ones I follow r very mean and ratchet. side eyes them looks into the sea for more (sic)” Her account has now been deleted and she has 30 days to reinstate her username should she change her mind. Meanwhile, Nicki has topped the Billboard 200 album chart with the LP, knocking Madonna - who she collaborated with on the 53-year-old star’s new record ‘MDNA’ and appeared with at the half-time Super Bowl show off the top spot.

Gibb

making a

bucket list

R

L

Hathaway postponed wedding due to hair nne Hathaway has reportedly postponed her wedding because of her newly-cropped hair. The 29-year-old actress - who has had to lose weight and cut off her long locks to play dying prostitute Fantine in the film adaptation of ‘Les Miserables’ - apparently wants to wait for her hair to grow back before tying the knot with fiance Adam Schulman. A source told the Daily Mail newspaper: “Anne’s worried there won’t be time to get back in shape and grow her hair for a summer wedding. “She also has to promote her movie Batman. They are thinking about postponing until later this year or maybe 2013.” The couple - who started dating in 2008 following Anne’s split from Raffaello Follieri after he pled guilty to 14 counts of money laundering, conspiracy and wire fraud - announced their engagement in November and Anne explained he “ruined” her plans to stay single. She said: “We hit if off immediately but it took us a pretty long time to get together. He thought that I had a boyfriend and I thought that he had a girlfriend, so I thought that I’d better keep my distance because I didn’t want to be that girl. “I am very much in love with him, [only] Adam totally ruined my plan. I was really actually looking forward to a little alone time, and then I fell in love like a fool!”

A

before he fell into a

obin Gibb was making a “bucket list” before he fell into a coma. The 62-year-old Bee Gees star - who had just achieved remission from colon and liver cancer was drawing up a list of things he wanted to achieve in the rest of his life. But the singer took a turn for the worse after being struck down with pneumonia last week, and now has friends and relatives, including wife Dwina, and son Robin-John, 29, keeping a bedside vigil amid fears he has just days to live. A source said: “He has kept an antique notebook by his bed to write down lyrics and ideas he has had floating around. “He has also expressed a desire to set up a children’s charity involving music. It was a “bucket list” of things he wanted to achieve. But everyone is very worried now. “His family are taking it hour by hour, praying for a miracle. But with Robin they know never to give up.” Speaking about the fast deterioration of Robin’s health, a second insider described the situation as “devastating”. The source told the Daily Mirror: “His spirit has been shattered since the pneumonia and he has gone visibly downhill. Before he slipped into a coma he was struggling to get out of bed without a wheelchair.” Robin underwent seven rounds of chemotherapy after being diagnosed 18 months ago, and previously admitted he wonders if his family tragedies including the deaths of his brothers Andy in 1988 and Maurice in 2003 - are a “karmic price” for the band’s worldwide success. He said: “I sometimes wonder if all the tragedies my family has suffered, like Andy and Maurice dying so young and everything that’s happened to me recently, is a kind of karmic price we are paying for all the fame and fortune we’ve had. “But we’ve worked hard for everything we’ve achieved. “I am not and never have been at death’s door. But the illness, and the untimely death of my brothers, has made me conscious of the fact that - rather than just think about it - it’s crucial that you do today what you want to do.

for tour

ady Gaga is taking emergency advice from astrologers over fears the stars will be aligned in the wrong direction for her world tour. The 26-year-old ‘Poker Face’ singer who is set to kick off her Born This Way Ball in Seoul later this month - is less than pleased after learning planet Mercury will be travelling backwards through the sky from July 15 to August 8 - which in astrological terms can signify bad luck. A source told The Sun newspaper: “Gaga is worried as she wants the stars to be aligned when she hits the road. She follows her horoscopes closely and has been looking ahead for when she’s away. “She’s a typical Ariesoutgoing with a sense of adventure. But when she found out Mercury is likely to go retrograde, she wasn’t happy and has been talking it through with her spiritual team.” Tickets for Gaga’s two UK dates in London and Manchester sold out in just 60 seconds on Ticketmaster last Thursday , and fans who missed out are said to be fuming after they were directed to another site owned by the company, which increased the price from £80 to £1,100. —Bang Showbiz

dating

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

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M O V E S

Iron Man 3 to be partly filmed, produced in China

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ron Man 3 will be co-produced by a Chinese film company and partly filmed in China, the Walt Disney Co announced yesterday, as Hollywood seeks to tap into the Asian nation’s fast-growing movie market. Filming for the third movie in the billion-dollar franchise from Marvel Studios-a Disney subsidiary-is due to start in May in the United States. The cast includes Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle. The film will be co-produced by DMG Entertainment, a Chinese film company that will make an undisclosed investment in the movie, Walt Disney, Marvel and the Chinese firm announced yesterday.

Parts of the film will also be shot in China beginning later this summer, they added.

“Adding a local flavor, and working with our new local partner, will enhance the appeal and relevance of our characters in China’s fast-growing film marketplace,” Rob Steffens, General Manager of Operations and Finance for Marvel Studios, said in a statement. Dan Mintz, head of DMG Entertainment, added that the three-way collaboration marked a “milestone” in global entertainment. “This signifies the first multi-billion dollar franchise to be produced between Hollywood and China,” he said. China has become the holy grail for

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‘Matilda’ mops up 7 prizes at theater’s Oliviers M

US actor Robert Downey Jr poses with a life-size “Iron Man” as he presents himself during a press conference of his new film “Iron Man” in Tokyo.—AP

Cosby says black teen’s death about US gun culture

Cast members from Matilda the Musical, who each play Matilda on different nights, pose for photographers after each winning Best Actress in a Musical awards at the Olivier Awards in central London on April 15, 2012.—AFP

ischievous musical “Matilda” dominated British theater’s Olivier Awards on Sunday, winning seven prizes including a joint best-actress trophy for the four children who play the title role. Written by the playwright Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Australian comedian Tim Minchin, “Matilda” took more prizes than any show in the Oliviers’ 36-year history. Its trophies included best new musical and best actor for a cross-dressing Bertie Carvel as well as the prize for young performers Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram, Sophia Kiely and Eleanor Worthington-Cox. The quartet, who each perform two shows a week, are all 12 or under.

Worthington-Cox, at 10, is the youngest person to win an Olivier.

“That’s pretty cool,” she said. “Scary.

But I find that pretty amazing.” Carvel praised the youngsters’ performances as “beautifully unfinished ... and full of life.” Matthew Warchus, who took the best-director trophy for “Matilda,” said he was often asked which of the lead actresses was his favorite. “It’s a ridiculous question,” he said. “There’s four little miracles there.” The musical, based on Roald Dahl’s tale of an extraordinary little girl from an ordinary family, combines exuberance with Dahl’s characteristic touch of the macabre. It has become a big hit for

Hollywood film studios eager to cash in on a potentially hugely lucrative market that boasts the fastest growing movie box office in the world.

Last year, cinemas in China raked in more than 13 billion yuan ($2 billion), a nearly 30 percent increase from 2010, the state Xinhua news agency has reported.

But foreign studios and film distributors face a tough time in the Asian powerhouse, where authorities limit to 20 the number of foreign movies allowed to be screened in China every year. Despite this, Hollywood blockbusters are incredibly popular in China and foreign films took in just under half of box office earnings last year, Xinhua has said, quoting the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.—AP

the Royal Shakespeare Company, which has transferred it to the West End and plans to open it in New York early next year.

Minchin praised the RSC for hiring two writers from outside the mainstream to create a family musical. “I think that’s a victory for risk,” he said.

The Olivier awards honor achievements in London plays, musicals, dance and opera. Winners in most categories are chosen by a panel of stage professionals and theatergoers. The prize for best actor in a play went jointly to Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, who alternated the roles of a scientist and his monstrous creation in Danny Boyle’s National Theatre production of “Frankenstein.”

Miller paid tribute to his director, saying the hit show had succeeded because of “Danny’s quest for honesty and truth.”

Ruth Wilson was named best actress for playing a weathered woman of the world in “Anna Christie” at the Donmar Warehouse. The production of Eugene O’Neill’s maritime melodrama, which co-started Jude Law, was named best revival. Wilson, who is currently filming action movie “The Lone Ranger” with Johnny Depp, thanked “Anna Christie” director Rob Ashford, because “you always cast a harem of gorgeous men for me to act

with.” Sheridan Smith - last year’s best actress in a musical for “Legally Blonde” - was named best supporting performer in a play for her non-musical role in wartime drama “Flare Path.”

Nigel Harman won the prize for best supporting role in a musical for his recently ended stint as Lord Farquaad in “Shrek.” The best new play award went to John Hodge’s “Collaborators,” a funny and chilling look at authoritarianism based on the relationship between Soviet leader Josef Stalin and writer Mikhail Bulgakov. The prizes were handed out during a ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House hosted by Imelda Staunton and Michael Ball, currently co-starring in “Sweeney Todd.” The show featured a live linkup to an Oliviers reception in New York, currently home to a glut of British theatrical talent. According to the Society of London Theatre, a quarter of the shows currently running on Broadway originated in London. The audience award for most popular play, chosen by public vote, went to long-running favorite “Les Miserables.” There were special achievement awards for Tim Rice, lyricist of “Evita” and “The Lion King,” and Monica Mason, outgoing director of the Royal Ballet.—AP

eteran US actor and comedian Bill Cosby spoke out Sunday about the fatal shooting in February of an unarmed black teen in Florida, blaming his death on the prevalence of guns in the United States. “We need to get rid of it on the streets. And if people have one, they should be checked out so thoroughly,” said Cosby, who is perhaps best known as the dad on the long-running 1980s TV sitcom “The Cosby Show.” “When a person has a gun, sometimes their mind clicks that this thing is-it will win arguments and straighten people out,” the 74-yearold African-American actor told CNN. “In the wrong hands, in the wrong mind, it’s death. It’s wounding people, people who don’t have money to buy a decent meal for themselves, yet, someone will put an illegal gun in their hand,” he said, lamenting that firearms are “all around this United States.” Cosby was speaking to CNN about the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, a case which has gripped the nation and sparked a fresh debate about race relations and the right to self-defense in the United States. Prosecutors in Florida last week filed second-degree murder charges against neighborhood watch guard George Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, over the shooting of Martin in a gated community of Sanford, Florida.

Martin’s parents and supporters say the teen was a victim of racial profiling. Zimmerman’s backers say the

(From left) Vibraphonist Warren Wolf, tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath, trumpet player Christian Scott, and actor-comedian Bill Cosby joke about the height of a microphone as musical director George Duke looks on during the opening gala of the historic Howard Theater in Washington, DC on April 12, 2012.—AFP sion over time that he was better off watch volunteer fired in self-defense without the weapon. after Martin attacked him. Cosby has “I also believe that when you tell firsthand knowledge of the tragedy of me that you’re going to protect the gun violence, having lost a son 15 neighborhood that I live in, I don’t years ago who was fatally shot. He want you to have a gun,” he said. “I admitted he once owned a handgun, want you to be able to see something, for use in protecting his family, but that he had since decided to get rid of report it and get out of the way, because you happen to be a part of the firearm. “I used to have a gun,” he the neighborhood,” said Cosby. “I don’t said. “The policeman who okayed it want you to get hurt. And I don’t want said to me, ‘Mr Cosby, when you pull you to hurt anyone.”—AFP this trigger, you can’t call it back’,” he said, adding that he came to the deci-

‘Hunger Games’ again a winner in N America

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uggernaut hit film “The Hunger Games” topped the North American box office for a fourth weekend in a row, raking in $21.5 million in ticket sales, industry estimates showed Sunday. The movie blockbuster raised its total to $337.1 million, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said. Legions of fans have flocked to see the movie, based on a book by Suzanne Collins, in which a teenage girl played by Jennifer Lawrence fights to win a death match TV reality show featuring children in a post-apocalyptic world.

The film edged “The Three Stooges,” a Farrelly brothers tribute

to the US comedy act which took in $17.1 million in its debut weekend.

“The Cabin in the Woods,” the muchhyped horror flick written and produced by “Avengers” director Joss Whedon, came in third place in its opening weekend with $14.85 million in ticket sales, Exhibitor Relations said.

The 3D-enhanced re-release of 1997’s “Titanic” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet-in theaters as the world marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ocean liner-finished in fourth place with $11.6 million. “American Reunion”-the sequel to the 1999 hit

“American Pie”-came in fifth place with $10.6 million, followed by Snow White rehash “Mirror Mirror” with $7 million. “Wrath of the Titans” came in seventh place, earning $6.9 million, followed by “21 Jump Street,” a reboot of the 1980s TV series, which took in $6.8 million for eighth place.

Rounding out the top 10 were new space thriller “Lockout” starring Guy Pearce, in ninth place with $6.25 million, and the animated film “Dr Seuss’ The Lorax” with a $3 million weekend take. —AFP

Butler enjoys dance with a mystery brunette at the Coachella

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erard Butler enjoyed a dance with a mystery brunette at the Coachella Music Festival in Palm Springs. The Scottish hunk - who received treatment for prescription drug problems in February - partied with the beauty at the A/X Armani Exchange and T-Mobile Neon

Carnival on Saturday and seemingly did not mind he was being seen out and about. A source told the New York Post newspaper: “The two were grinding like they were at a middle school dance. He didn’t seem to care who was watching.”

Carrie Brownstein of Wild Flag performs during the band’s set.

It is believed Gerard stayed sober at the event. Gerard was not the only celebrity to enjoy the glamorous bash; Emma Roberts, Zoe Kravitz, Paris Hilton and Emile Hirsch were also in attendance. Soon after completing his threeweek rehab stint in February the ‘Coriolanus’ actor was

Dr Dre, left, and Snoop Dogg perform together.

seen partying at the Weinstein Company’s Soho House party in West Hollywood. According to those at the event he was seen chatting to a number of women telling one he was doing “pretty good” following his time out. —Bang Showbiz

Eminem performs onstage during Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg’s headlining performance on the first weekend of the 2012 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Sunday, in Indio, Calif.—AP

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

lifestyle T r a v e l

Our fascination with the

Titanic endures a century later S

Volunteer ship-modeler Gerald Wright, 84, nears completion of Titanic model at Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax.

The Halifax Seaport Farmers Market, now housesd in a new building full of energy-saving bells and whistles in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, traces its roots back to 1750. —MCT photos

imple, says the gravedigger. It’s about the movie. No, says the academic. It’s about the money. Absolutely not, says the model-ship builder. It’s about people. This is what happens when you ask why the sinking of the Titanic continues to fascinate us. The question has a special resonance in Halifax, a rainy, foggy port and capital of Nova Scotia that inherited perhaps the nastiest of all Titanic tasks. It was the seamen of Halifax, nearest major port to the sinking, who were sent out to collect corpses and wreckage in the days after the Titanic went down on April 15, 1912. Putting to sea with cargoes of ice, coffins and embalming fluid, they collected more than 300 bodies, buried many of them at sea, sent about 50 for burial elsewhere and buried the rest here.

“I can remember before that movie come out, there wasn’t very many people coming to visit the burial sites,” said John Rooke, a gravedigger and longtime Haligonian, as residents of Halifax are known. (“That movie,” of course, is James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster.) As he spoke, a hard rain pounded the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, where 121 Titanic victims are buried. People come here to see the rows of markers all with the same date of death: April 15, 1912. And the curious have other places to explore as well.

The just-opened Titanic Belfast attraction woos customers with nine exhibition galleries full of details on the ship’s construction in Northern Ireland. In New York, the auction house Guernsey’s has been taking written offers and hoping to reap tens of millions of dollars from the winner-take-all sale of 5,500 artifacts raised from the wreck.

Temporary Titanic exhibitions have been staged in Las Vegas and San Diego. Permanent exhibitions continue in Branson, Mo., and Pigeon Forge, Tenn.,

Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, includes more than 120 Titanic victims and draws a steady stream of visitors. buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, a dozen more at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.

Edgette can tell you about Robert Douglas Spedden, the boy who survived the Titanic’s sinking at age 6, only to die three years later in what might have been the first fatal auto accident in Maine.

For the last eight years, Edgette has been tracking down graves and cenotaphs (markers for those whose bodies are elsewhere) of Titanic victims and survivors, inspecting cemeteries in Halifax, New England and beyond. It’s impossible, Edgette said, to deny the central role of wealth in the Titanic phenomenon. “If you take the combined wealth of the passengers in first class on that ship, no other list of passengers even came close to that kind of wealth,” Edgette said. “And probably half of the first-class passengers were Americans, and they were from the wealthiest of the wealthy of this country.” Yet upstairs at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, where volunteers John Green and Gerald Wright have been laboring for two years over a model of the ship, the big-money theory is about as welcome as a stray iceberg.

“It’s all about people,” Green said. For all the hundreds of hours he has spent squinting at 2-inch lifeboats and tinkering with railings with the circumference of toothpicks, Green said, he’s convinced that the key to the Titanic story is “the human aspect, the reality of how individuals dealt with the tragedy.... Never mind the money. That’s a crock, as far as I’m concerned.”

where privately owned for-profit museums are devoted to the doomed ship. The 3-D version of “Titanic,” which hit theaters April 4, grossed $25.7 million in its first five days.

Clearly, Titanic sells. But why exactly? Plenty of people still wrestle with that question. One is J. Joseph Edgette, folklorist emeritus at Widener University in Chester, Pa, who has made Titanic his life’s work and can tell you that 12 survivors are

Halifax’s Old Clock Tower dates to the first decade of the 19th century.

Queen Street in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, includes several colorful businesses.

Ah, but down at the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market, which dates to 1750, Euen Wallace sees other forces at work. As crowds filed in on a Saturday morning, Wallace, the operations manager, looked on from an upstairs perch in the market’s new building, replete with newfangled energy-saving features. Maybe the real theme of the Titanic story, Wallace said, is the limits of technology.

“As we move forward,” he said, “we’re constantly building new things that are newer and better and invincible, but something as simple as a block of ice can bring it all tumbling down.”

After a brief boom in the aftermath of the movie’s initial release, visits to Halifax’s Maritime Museum and the city’s Titanic cemeteries slowed from a torrent to a trickle, many Haligonians say.

And in the local annals of disaster, they sometimes add, Titanic is neither the newest nor the deadliest.

It’s not even the only White Star ship. In April 1873, 39 years before the launch of Titanic, the White Star Line’s SS Atlantic ran aground and sank near Halifax, killing 562 of 952 aboard, one of the worst steamship accidents of the 19th century.

Five years after Titanic, in December 1917, a World War I munitions ship collided with another vessel in Halifax Harbor, touching off a vast explosion that killed about 2,000 people and injured an estimated 9,000. Massachusetts doctors were among the early emergency teams to reach the site, prompting thankful responses from throughout Nova Scotia.

In September 1998, Swissair Flight 111 crashed into the sea near Peggy’s Cove, about 30

Argyle Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, is known for restaurants, bars and shops that draw from the city’s hefty college population. miles from Halifax, killing all 229 people aboard.

When the 9/11 attacks disrupted air traffic throughout North America in September 2001, Halifax Stanfield International Airport took in 40 diverted flights, and the city sheltered about 8,000 passengers for up to four days, prompting thankful responses from throughout the US In other words, Halifax has seen catastrophe from many angles. Tour guide Blair Beed-whose grandfather worked as an undertaker’s assistant when the city’s curling rink was converted into a makeshift Titanic morgue-likes to mention that when shepherding cemetery visitors.

And, of course, Beed, the author of “Titanic Victims in Halifax Graveyards,” has his own ideas about why we’re still retelling the tale of the Titanic. Naturally, he said, movies, celebrity and “women in their gowns getting in the lifeboats and waving goodbye with their silken hankies” are part of the picture. But there were subtle factors too.

For instance, Beed said, because it took time for the ship to sink, “there were survivors who could recall what other people were doing at the time of the sinking.” Moreover, he said, “it was a slow news day. There was no war, there was no famine, there were no great disasters other than the Titanic.” And a century later, the great ship’s wake continues to ripple.

The Waverley Inn, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, dates to the late 19th century.

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

lifestyle T r a v e l

Titanic timeline May 31, 1911 Titanic, part of the White Star Line, is launched in Belfast, Northern Ireland; interior work begins soon afterward.

April 10, 1912 Titanic leaves from Southampton, England, on its maiden voyage under the command of Capt. Edward J. Smith but has to maneuver to avoid hitting the ship New York, which is docked.

Evening: Arrives in Cherbourg, France.

Passengers must be tendered in-that is, sent to the port in small boats-because the dock is too small. Ship departs two hours later.

April 11 Morning: Docks in Queenstown, Ireland.

April 14 Evening: Ship approaching an area known for icebergs. It is about 400 miles south of Newfoundland.

7:50 pm: The ship Mesaba, sailing as a freighter, sends a warning to Titanic about ice.

9:40 pm: Titanic receives the Mesaba message, but the information is not sent to the bridge.

10:55 pm: The Californian, a liner, radios Titanic that it is surrounded by ice. The Titanic radio operators are displeased that their work, which is mostly sending passenger messages, has been interrupted.

11:40 pm: Lookouts spot an iceberg. The bridge is notified. First officer orders the engines reversed and a left turn.

11:40 pm: Iceberg rips the Titanic Exact time undetermined: Capt. Smith orders the radio operator to send a distress signal.

April 15 12:20 am: The Carpathia receives the distress signal but is too far away to respond immediately. The Californian is closer, but its radios have been shut down for the night.

Exact time unknown: Lifeboats are launched; women and children are to go first.

Exact time unknown: Lifeboat No. 7 is the first to leave. It carries 27 people; its capacity is 65.

2:18 am. Titanic breaks in two.

2:20 am: Titanic goes under, taking hundreds of passengers and crew. Among the dead: Thomas Andrews, the designer of the ship. Among the survivors: J. Bruce Ismay,

Lettering covers the front of a building on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a style of eras gone by.

The Jane, a hotel in the West Village of Manhattan, New York, was once a lodging for seamen, including some Titanic survivors.

April 19-May 25 US investigates, ultimately blaming the British Board of Trade for the disaster.

May 1912 Britain opens its investigation, and after 28 days of testimony, it blames the speed of the Titanic and the Californian and its captain for failing to help.

—MCT

chairman of White Star.

3:30 am: Carpathia arrives in the area and rescues all survivors.

8:30 am: Californian arrives, too late to rescue survivors.

9 am Carpathia leaves for New York.

April 18 Carpathia arrives in New York. (A German U-boat sinks the Carpathia in 1918.)

New York Water Taxi vessels cruise between the South Street Seaport and Pier 83 at West 42nd Street, Manhattan, passing the Statue of Liberty on the way.

Dial M for Mazatlan: The coastline sweeps northward in Mazatlan. —MCT photos

By Anne Z. Cooke

M

exico might seem a strange place to lose your heart.

But when you’re young enough, that first encounter with our southern neighbor’s warmth and charm-the smell of roasting corn drifting from the sidewalk vendor’s grill, the red and pink flowers drooping over adobe walls, vegetables piled high on tarps laid over the ground and women in multicolored shawls carrying jars on their heads-changed my 8-year-old world view forever.

Mexico does that to people. Last year more than 15 million Americans crossed the border, searching for the perfect beach or shopping for hand-made crafts.

Some were touring Mayan ruins; others simply were going to work.

But with the US State Department’s recent travel advisories warning about the drug cartels and the continued violence, even I, an admitted addict, was worried.

Was Mexico safe? I needed to see for myself, so I booked a week in Mazatlan, in the state of Sinaloa on the Pacific Ocean’s golden beaches.

Though I timed my trip to coincide with the city’s “Day of the Dead” revelries, the trip was less of a vacation and more of a mission. Were the headlines coming from Mexico telling the whole story? The only way to find out was to talk to people who live there.

Where is it most dangerous to be, and what can travelers do to stay safe? Can visitors to Mazatlan count on security if they book a hotel in the “Golden Zone” (Zona Rosa), the beachside district with hotels, restaurants and beach facilities developed specifically to accommodate visitors? Do the same rules of caution that you or I follow when we travel to cities around the world be enough to avoid trouble here?

Waiting in the airport lounge I found myself sitting next to Kurt Miller, a jolly 50-something man from Oregon who laughed when he heard my question. “That’s what all my friends want to know,” he said.

“But we don’t know anyone who’s had any kind of problems. We love our house and we’ve got great neighbors. Here, take a look,” he added pulling out his computer to show me photos of his house in the El Cid Marina and snaps of him on his bicycle, posing on Mazatlan’s beach front walk.

I’m glad I came to see for myself.

the top of my list. Drifting out to deep water was next.

I spent a day exploring the historic downtown area, a square-mile area adjacent to the shore, where enterprising Americans and Mexicans have invested both money and time, restoring the colonial structures still standing after 150 years. Newly planted trees and

private courtyards, I peaked into the recently restored Teatro de Angela Peralta (you may know it as the Opera House), where Handel’s “Messiah” was playing. In the ballet studio next door, 21 teenage girls and one boy in toe shoes were at the bar, practicing their routines. As the pianist banged out a tune, the maestro herself-stern and imposing-

Freshly caught shrimps and lobsters are sold in the Fish Market in Mazatlan, Mexico.

A Day of the Dead parade starts in Plaza Machado.

Papier mache skeleton figures displayed.

People rest along the Malecon, the sea wall.

This port city’s sandy beaches are broad and clean, the water is warm and the surf rolls slowly up on the sand curling into tiny waves gentle enough for kids to play in. Changing into beach wear for a stroll along the Malecon-the sea wall-was near

A shoe shine man waits on customers on the Zocalo in the historic center of Mazatlan, Mexico.

flower gardens shade parks and benches. Artists and artisans have opened studios and set up shop in ground floor spaces.

After wandering through the Plaza Machado, sneaking looks into

went from one to the next, raising a leg higher there and arching an arm back here. The scene spoke of a tranquil lifestyle. But it didn’t mean I had forgotten to stay alert.

Whether I’m traveling in Paris,

Buenos Aires or New York City, I don’t walk out alone at night or look for fun in seedy joints. I stay in busy, well-lit neighborhoods and leave at the first whiff of drugs. And when I investigated the details surrounding some of the recent crimes in Mazatlan, the facts suggested that some victims had been careless.

“It’s safe here in the Zona Rosa,” said Ruben Salazar, a waiter at the El Cid Marina Hotel, one of a dozen people I interviewed. “But Sinaloa is famous for its mountains, where anybody can hide. I wouldn’t go there. I live 20 minutes away and I drive to work at 5 o’clock in the morning. The road is empty, but I’ve never had trouble.”

Miller, part of large American community here, was also reassuring. But he couldn’t change my sense of outrage. It’s drug users in the United States who’ve created Mexico’s crime wave. It’s the drug users on our side of the border that continue to fuel the drug cartel murders.

“I don’t know why people here don’t get it,” said Ashley, the hardworking 24-year old who cut my hair the day before I left. She smiled, remembering a long-ago vacation in Ensenada. “It’s all our fault. We’re just stupid,” she told me, stabbing at another piece of hair.

She was right, of course. If the demand for drugs stopped tomorrow, the cartels would vanish. Not in a day, but soon. No sales, no cash, no more bodies rotting in acid-filled barrels. Market economics at work, pure and simple.

If you go, remember to visit the Fish Market, where Mazatlan’s signature shrimps-caught in the early morning and sold before noon-are heaped in ice-filled buckets next to Pacific lobsters and crabs. During the season, from September through January, shrimp dishes top the restaurant menus.

Wandering through the Zocalo (the old-town square) gardens, we walked around the bandstand, snapped photos and had our shoes shined by a man with a step-stool, polish and brushes. After touring

the newly painted Cathedral-decorated as only Mexicans can-we crossed the street to the open-air Central Market, still housed in the original 19th century iron arcade.

You can buy everything there, from fabrics, straw hats and kitchen ware to vegetables, fruits, slabs of beef, and whole chickens hanging by the feet.

When I had the chance, I asked people if they felt safe. “I have to live,” said Salazar, shrugging his shoulders. “I have an 8-year-old son, he plays baseball and I take him two nights a week and to tournaments.

We don’t worry.”

Of the many people I met, it was the Alvaros, a retired Mexican couple from Guadalajara-staying in their own condominium near my room in the El Cid Marina Hotel-who said it best. “Yes, safety is a concern for some,” said Jose Alvaro. “But not when you visit a place like this where people are on vacation ... But the criminals are bad for business and I hope the government kills them all. You shouldn’t worry.

Gangsters want to avoid the police.”

If you go: FLY on Alaska Airlines through Mexico City or directly from the West Coast. Mazatlan’s airport is 40 minutes from the historic beach district.

Staying there: The El Cid Marina Hotel, one of a half-dozen hotels on coast, is at the north end of the Zona Rosa, near the marina. See www.elcid.com/marina(underscore)beach/.

Resources: Go to www.mazatlan.com or www.gomazatlan.com.—MCT

Aniston to attend Pitt and Jolie wedding

TUESDAY, APRIL 17, 2012

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Visitor Jessica Kiraly sits next to a wax figure of US talk show host Oprah Winfrey , on the opening day of the new Madame Tussauds exhibition in Sydney yesterday.—AFP photos

Madame

Tussauds opens Sydney attraction

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axworks museum Madame Tussauds opened a branch in Sydney yesterday with Australian personalities Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman sharing the stage with Barack Obama and Lady Gaga. The worldfamous London attraction set up shop in tourist precinct Darling Harbour after 56,000 hours of work creating the 70 figures on display.

“Madame Tussauds is synonymous with history, heritage and fine artistry and we’re so excited that we can finally welcome such an iconic attraction to Sydney,” said general manager Hywel Mathais.

He said it took 60 artists about 800 hours to create a single figure.

“I’ve got a dedicated team who literally spend all the time re-touching, making it perfect, keeping it 100 percent right,” Mathias said.

Other waxworks featured in Sydney include Hollywood A-listers Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie, TV host Oprah Winfrey, Queen Elizabeth II as well as iconic Australians Elle Macpherson and “Crocodile Dundee” star Paul Hogan. Madame Tussauds first opened its doors more than 200 years ago in London and has since expanded across the globe.—AFP

Television reporter Gabrielle Boyle poses with a wax figure of actress Marilyn Monroe.

Al-Jothen Gallery opens at Al-Liwan Mall Egaila

Australian singer/songwriter Delta Goodrem comes face-to-face for the first time with a wax figure of herself.

Feathers fly as pillow fight overtakes central Rome

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ome 100 people did battle with feather-filled pillows Sunday in front of central Rome’s Santa Maria in Trastevere church, to celebrate International Pillow Fight Day. The pillow warriors, most between 18 and 30 years old, lined up face-to-face, then unleashed their fiercest pillow-fight moves when the church’s bells rang at 6:00 pm (1600 GMT).

After about 20 minutes of battle, with clouds of feathers in the air and piled on the ground they threw down what was left of their weapons, then proceeded to lie down on them. International Pillow Fight Day was launched in 2008. This year, events will be held from April 6 to 15 in dozens of cities including Belgrade, New York, London, Paris and Sydney.—AFP

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n the occasion of opening the fifth branch of Al-Jothen Gallery in AlLiwan Mall Abdul Majid Madi, CEO of Al -Jothen company has declared that the new showroom is the first of its kind to be opened in a sophisticated mall in Al- Egaila region to include a wide range of global brands perfumes, cosmetics equipment, hair accessories and a big variety of hands and feet care products, also includes a private facial room to examine the skin using the latest sophisticated equipment and under the supervision of a highly experienced specialist to provide tips for customers on how to treat their skin and to give them the right identification of its kind, in addition a special corner for Nail care and treatment, all the advices are offered for free to Al - Jothen customers in the showroom. Moreover Al -Jothen Gallery is characterized with the discounts and services it provides to their customers through their beauty club membership which includes sav-

Abdul Majid Madi, CEO of Al- Jothen company ing vouchers of 40% discount valid for use throughout the period of membership and thus subscribers can get discount without the need to wait for offers associated with occasions related to certain seasons. Madi added that he will go on with the scheme that he developed since long time based on the presence in all provinces and regions in Kuwait to save time and distance for Al- Jothen Gallery’s customers also he appreciated their customers support and stressed that without their trust the name of Al -Jothen wont became a pioneer in the field of cosmetics.

People take part in the Roman pillow fight on a square in the Trastevere in Rome.—AFP photos