17 Jan

CR IP TI ON BS SU

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

Obama unveils biggest gun control push in decades

150 FILS NO: 15691 40 PAGES

Facebook rolls out friends-based search product

Two killed as helicopter hits crane in London

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www.kuwaittimes.net

RABI ALAWAL 5, 1434 AH

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Ambitious Bayern hand the reins to Guardiola

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Kuwaiti-Kurdish ties deep-rooted: Barzani President of Iraq’s Kurdistan region meets Kuwaiti journalists

KUWAIT: Opposition supporters take part in a demonstration to demand the dissolution of the National Assembly in Riqqa yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat

Govt wants to impose VAT

By B Izzak and A Saleh KUWAIT: The government yesterday told the National Assembly that it plans to submit 56 draft laws on a variety of issues that should be accorded priority by MPs, including a draft law on value added tax (VAT). The list of priorities will have to be worked out by the Assembly and the government and later fixed dates will be set for the debate on these issues. The Assembly will also submit its own set of priorities

and then the two sides will agree on a united list.

The government’s list includes a draft law stipulating the imposition of VAT for the first time in Kuwait. Details of the proposed legislation were not provided. Also on the list is a government proposal to amend a 1995 law that bans the imposition of charges on public services or raising them without a law that must be passed by the Assembly. Also, there were no details Continued on Page 2

HIV is turned against itself in AIDS ‘cure’ SYDNEY: An Australian scientist said yesterday he had discovered a way to turn the HIV virus against itself in human cells in the laboratory, in an important advance in the quest for an AIDS cure. David Harrich from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research said he modified a protein in HIV that normally helps the virus spread, into a “potent” inhibitor. The protein was introduced to immune cells targeted by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV ), where it slowed the reproduction of the virus after infection.

The experiments were conducted in a lab dish, and thorough testing on lab animals is needed before any human trials can begin. “I have never seen anything like it. The modified protein works every time,” said Harrich. Harrich’s team, whose study is published in the journal Human Gene Therapy, said the modified protein dubbed Nullbasic inhibited virus replication about eight- to ten-fold in some cells. “If this research continues down its strong path, and bear in mind there are many hurdles to clear, we’re looking at a cure for AIDS,” the researcher said.

Commenting on the study, Frank Wegmann, an Oxford University HIV vaccine researcher, told AFP a Nullbasic-based drug was “quite far from application”.

Continued on Page 13

IRBIL, Iraq: President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region Masoud Barzani stressed that Kuwait-Kurdish relations are deep-rooted and Kurdish leaders always rejected the abusive practices of the Iraqi governments towards Kuwait before 2003. Welcoming a Kuwaiti media delegation currently visiting the region at the Salahuddin Resort in Irbil, Barzani expressed his happiness at the visit and termed it a good gesture by ‘a group of highly educated Kuwaiti elite’ who wish to have a closer look at the region.

“Relations between Kuwait and Kurdistan region are very strong and we have a lot in common - as peoples, we both suffered from the Baath regime of Saddam Hussein. For three decades, the Kurdish people went through what the Kuwaiti people suffered during the Iraqi invasion,” he underlined. Barzani also recalled that when the former Iraqi president Abdul Kareem Qassim erred against Kuwait in the 1960s, Mulla Mustafa Barzani, his father, rejected and opposed his claims. He also noted that he had always felt closely related to Kuwaiti politicians and has utmost respect for HH the Amir.

Barzani also called for a direct flight from Kuwait to the Kurdistan region to help boost both peoples’ communications. On the opportunities that the region offers to foreign investors, Barzani stressed that the region’s investment law is one of the best worldwide.

On the rise of Islamist movements in Kurdistan, Barzani stressed that they formed no more than 16 percent of the region’s population and enjoy freedom and democracy to a great extent as long as they remain within the limits of democracy and law. “We have no problem with either the Islamist blocs or any other movements,” he reiterated, reminding that, at the same time, a policy of zero tolerance towards any security threats or calls to spread anarchy in the region.

On yesterday’s Kirkuk blasts that claimed many innocent lives, Barzani stressed that terrorism was a dangerous phenomenon threatening everybody in Iraq.

However, he assured that the security situation was relatively stable in Kurdistan.

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Max 19º Min 09º High Tide 03:03 & 15:57 Low Tide 09:48 & 22:12

IRBIL, Iraq: President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region Masoud Barzani meets Kuwait Times General Manager Badrya Darwish at the Salahuddin Resort yesterday. — KUNA

Japan airlines ground Dreamliners TOKYO: Japan’s two biggest airlines yesterday took half the global Dreamliner fleet out of service on safety grounds after an emergency landing by an ANA flight brought new trouble for Boeing’s next-generation plane.

But carriers including All Nippon Airways insisted that the highly fuel-efficient 787 Dreamliner was still a safe bet, despite several incidents that have prompted investigations by US and other aviation regulators. ANA - the world’s first carrier to receive the Dreamliner from Boeing after years of delays - said smoke possibly connected to a faulty battery forced the pilots to land the passenger plane in Takamatsu, southwestern Japan.

The airline said cockpit instruments had detected the smoke inside a forward electrical compartment, and Japanese Transport Minister Akihiro Ota said it was a “serious incident that could have led to a serious accident”. One of the 129 passengers on the Tokyo-bound domestic flight was quoted by broadcaster NHK as saying he “smelled something strange” after take-off and feared the plane was going to crash. Nobody was seriously injured when the passengers and eight crew members evacuated via emergency chutes.

ANA and its rival Japan Airlines (JAL) - among Boeing’s biggest customers for the Dreamliner - said they would ground their entire 787 fleets through today at least, pending safety checks. ANA has 17 Dreamliners in its fleet and JAL has seven - half the total of 49 planes in operation worldwide. Boeing has orders for nearly 850.

Continued on Page 13

TAKAMATSU, Japan: An All Nippon Airways flight sits at Takamatsu airport after it made an emergency landing yesterday. — AP

Islamists seize hostages in Algeria gas field raid France launches ground campaign in Mali

SABZEVAR, Iran: An Iranian officer lashes a man convicted of rape in the northeastern city yesterday. Rape, like murder and treason, can be punished by the death sentence in Iran, but sometimes judges impose a sentence of lashes before execution or imprisonment. — AP

ALGIERS/MARKALA, Mali: French troops battled Islamist rebels in Mali yesterday as Al Qaedalinked fighters claimed to have taken 41 foreigners hostage in a retaliatory attack in neighbouring Algeria. After days of airstrikes on Islamist positions in the northern territory the rebels seized in April, French and Malian troops battled the insurgents in the small town of Diabaly, some 400 km north of the capital Bamako. In a dramatic development over the border in Algeria, Islamists claimed to be holding 41 foreigners hostage, including seven Americans, after an attack on a gas field in the country’s east.

“Forty-one westerners including seven Americans, French, British and Japanese citizens have been taken hostage,” a spokesman for the Islamists told the Mauritanian News Agency as

well as Sahara Media. The attack was the first reprisal by the Islamists for the French air and ground assault that began on Jan 11. It comes after Algeria threw its support behind the Mali offensive and opened its airspace to French fighter jets.

Algerian state media said two foreigners, including a Briton, had been killed and six wounded, in the dawn raid on a bus carrying engineers near a gas field. “We are members of Al-Qaeda and we came from northern Mali,” an Islamic militant told AFP by telephone in claiming responsibility for the attack. He said his group belonged to a fighting unit led by renowned one-eyed jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a former Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) leader.

Continued on Page 13

Mokhtar Belmokhtar

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

LOCAL

‘No punishment’ making students more rebellious No respect for teachers

By Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Students in Kuwait are now much more rebellious than in the past. One of the main reasons for this behavior is the Ministry of Education decree of early 1990s vintage which ordered schools and guardians to refrain from punishing the students. Most people, including teachers and parents, feel that teachers nowadays are not as respected as they were in the past. Reports about students assaulting their teachers and indulging in violence are published frequently.

“I think that corporal punishment should be meted out to students if they deserve it. That is how we were raised.

We were punished by the teachers when we were children. Otherwise the students, especially at an early stage, will not respect the teacher. I witnessed some of their reckless behavior. They rudely tell the teachers that their parents are paying money for them to study and they are not receiving education for free, so they have the freedom to do whatever they want. Of course, such punishment should not be excessive or cause harm or serious injury to the child,” Ahmad, a 56-year-old father, told the Kuwait Times.

Teachers agree that students these days are a mutinous lot, but they say they find ways to punish them. “It was always a tradition to punish the naughty students, but around 1993, the Ministry forbade physical punishment to students and asked the teacher to restrict the punishment to marks or termination for three days by the school administration. I do not think it has proven very effective, especially in case of careless students who are not bothered about their marks and come to school only because they are forced by their parents,” said Hasan, 51-year-old

teacher of English language at an Arabic public school.

For Hasan, the decree mattered little as he always had a rather great rapport with his students. “I was always trying to treat my students nicely and have friendly relations with them. Even when I wanted to punish them, it was always gentle to make them feel as if I was their older brother, and I only had their best interest in my mind,” he added.

According to him, the new generation was not open to the idea of accepting punishment and they also see great gap between their generation and the older generation of teachers, especially those above 50 years of age. “They see us as hailing from the dinosaur era as, unlike them, we are far removed from new technology and social media.

They think they know more than us, so they refuse to be punished,” stressed Hasan.

“The school has its own internal rules for study and to deal with behaviorial issues which are in harmony with the Ministry’s rules and decrees. So teachers can punish the students with marks, but they are not allowed to use deduction of marks as a threat. Also, a student can be terminated for three days, and if the days of his termination reached 15, he will not be able to sit in the exams. Usually, the teacher complains to the supervisor, and the school administration then takes action,” he pointed out.

He was once assaulted in the class by a student and had to complain to the administration, resulting in the termination of the student for three days. “The student then collected his friends to talk to me to refrain from the termination decision. I asked that he apologize in front of the class, and he did. Still, he was terminated by the school administration. I think this was a punishment that he deserved,” concluded Hasan.

Govt wants to impose VAT, new charges Continued from Page 1 on what the government needs to amend in the law. Government attempts to introduce such legislations were rejected by previous national assemblies when the opposition either controlled the house or had an important presence.

Among other bills on the government’s list is a legislation calling to amend the penal code to change the duration of detention which was sharply reduced by the previous opposition-dominated Assembly. The government also wants to add a new article to the penal code which will ban gatherings outside courts or justice offices in order to prevent any attempt to influence the decisions of judges.

The government also asked for according priority to a draft law for

fighting money laundering and counter-terrorism. Similarly, the government asked for priority to a key amendment to the civil service law to deal with strikes and work stoppages.

The government also sought early debate on a number of draft laws calling to establish a telecommunications commission, a roads and transport authority, a food authority and civil aviation authority. The government also requested that a draft law combating trafficking in persons should be on the priority list.

After discussing the priorities of the Assembly and government, the office of the assembly will approve the final list to be debated as soon as possible.

In other developments, the constitutional court postponed until Feb 5 nine petitions against the

elections. No ruling is expected on that date on these petitions as more deliberations are expected. The court has already dealt with around 20 out of 56 petitions it has received against the Dec 1 elections, some of which are against the results and others against the Amiri decree that amended the electoral constituency electoral law.

Member of the scrapped 2012 Assembly and opposition figure Hamad Al-Matar said yesterday that he will seek international recourse and the help of international human rights bodies against a decision to prevent him from travelling. Matar, a university professor, said it is illogical to prevent a university professor from leaving the country for a small case and warned that if the ban was not lifted, he will seek help from international bodies.

IRBIL, Iraq: President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region Masoud Barzani meets a Kuwaiti media delegation at the Salahuddin Resort yesterday. — KUNA

Kuwaiti-Kurdish ties deep-rooted: Barzani Continued from Page 1

“Iraq has been going through a real dilemma and everybody should stick to the constitution and work together on sparing Iraq going through possible disasters. Only then, we will all be able to find solutions and ways out of this dilemma,” he said.

Moreover, Barzani stressed that he wholeheartedly supported the demands of protestors in Anbar governorate and any other city provided everybody fully observes the constitution and prevents Al-Qaeda elements from penetrating their groups and seizing the

opportunity for their own benefit.

Commenting on the situation in Syria, Barzani said that in collaboration with UN organizations, Kurdistan has sent large quantities of relief aid to the Syrian people. He also expressed his readiness to coordinate with Kuwaiti NGOs to pass the aid to the displaced Syrians.

“Kurds in Syria are only seeking their rights - they have no ambitions to grab power or authority and they realize that the Syrian people have every right to determine their own destiny,” he concluded, reminding that he had rejected repeated requests from the chairman of the Syrian transitional council to intervene in the conflict.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

LOCAL

‘Priority to Kuwaitis’ at clinics proposal sparks debate ‘Most absurd idea ever by an MP’

By Ben Garcia KUWAIT: Reports about a proposal by an MP to accord priority to Kuwaitis in local hospitals and clinics have gone viral among the expatriates community which said the scheme, if passed, would be a huge blunder. Expatriates comprise nearly two thirds of Kuwait’s population. The proposal has generated a rather rabid debate on the social media where netizens are calling it “the most absurd and stupidest idea ever by an MP.” MP Nawaf Al-Fuzai submitted the proposal urging the Ministry of Health to accord priority to Kuwaitis at public hospitals and clinics. AlFuzai, who is a lawyer by profession, made the proposal claiming Kuwaiti patients usually have to wait for a long time before they are examined by the doctors.

Although he suggested that expatriates in an emergency situation must be exempted from having to wait till the Kuwaiti patients are cleared, some expats said medical services must be made available on an equal basis to everyone, regardless of their social status or nationality. Meanwhile, an expatriate doctor to whom Kuwait Times spoke to said, “Irrespective of whether you are poor or rich, you should receive the same amount of care and treatment from the hospitals and clinics.”

Wishing to remain anonymous, the expat doctor admitted that discrimination often happened in according priority at the hospitals in

Kuwait. “We all know that certain medicines are only given to Kuwaitis. We all know that there are services available exclusively to Kuwaitis and expats can avail of these only on payment. The prioritizing on nationality basis was a bad idea and is akin to rubbing salt into expats’ wounds,” he said.

“Nowhere in the world will you see a hospital giving priority to a class of patients on such a basis. We cannot do that, we cannot discriminate against someone while treating or seeing a patient. Why propose a law to legalize discrimination?”

A Kuwaiti employee, however, seemed to agree with the MP’s proposal. “I think it is the right of every Kuwaiti citizen to be treated without facing any problems in any of our hospitals since these are our own facilities and our government has a sworn duty to protect us and enact a law that will make our lives easier. So there is nothing wrong in it. I agree with the MP since he is protecting our rights and interest. If Al-Fuzai wants to prioritize Kuwaitis in the hospital because they have not enough beds, I think there is nothing wrong.”

An expat teacher disagreed with the proposal since expat patients pay for the treatment.

“Expats are paying their medical insurance, and a little percentage visits the hospitals in any given year. So, most of the money goes into funding the services provided by the hospital,” he commented. “If the Kuwaitis do not want to wait, I think the Kuwaiti government should build

special hospitals for Kuwaitis only or they should set up a separate counter and separate doctor’s rooms to serve only Kuwaitis. The problem is what will they do if they have 300 patients, all Kuwaitis, at the same time? Again, they will have to wait in a queue,” he noted.

A Filipino nurse noted that such a proposal is merely and virtually calling for legalizing what was being practiced in any case since long. “We have been witnessing certain biases already in favor of Kuwaitis since a long time, but we do not complain as we understand that they should be given priority because after all they are Kuwaitis and this is their own country. What I do not like is legalizing the discrimination. It is bad for the country and it could harm them in the long term.”

Prior to a residence permit being issued or renewed in Kuwait, every expat is obliged to pay the government a health insurance premium in return for a health card. By law, the sponsoring company will have to pay the obligatory KD 50 for an adult and KD 30 per child. After paying the amount, one is entitled to receive medical treatment at any government hospital or clinic on payment of KD 2 per visit at any hospital and KD1 in case of polyclinics.

Hospital services such as x-rays, operations, laboratory tests and medicines are usually free but payment is required in case of specialized laboratory tests including MRI and CT scans.

Nevertheless, the costs are still very low as compared to other countries.

Amir promises 5 hospitals, ‘touristic’ Failaka KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah assured a team of MPs he met on Tuesday that the government plans to build five new public hospitals, construct 80,000 houses on allocated lands, and transform the Failaka Island into a national touristic site, several local newspapers reported yesterday.

MP Tahir Al-Failakawi briefed the media about the meeting which was attended by MPs Abdullah AlMa’youf, Khalid Al-Shulaimi, Badr AlBathali, Hammad Al-Dousari, Mohammad Al-Jabri, Saad Al-Bous, Nasser Al-Shemmari and Mubarak Al-Urf. “HH the Amir urged [the par-

liament to ensure] top focus on achievements, law enforcement and meeting the ambitions of the Kuwaiti people,” MP Al-Ma’youf told Al-Rai. The reports came even as the cabinet submitted to the parliament yesterday a list containing issues it wished to give priority in discussion during future sessions.

In other news, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah, revealed in exclusive statements to Al-Rai that priority for naturalization of stateless residents this year is going to be given to servicemen. The government had submitted a draft

law setting a maximum limit of 2000 for stateless residents to be naturalized annually.

Minister Al-Sabah also indicated that the ministry is currently studying the recommendations passed following a session last week that was allocated to discuss the security situation in the country, adding that the ministry is committed to “work effortlessly to implement as many recommendations as we possibly can.” Al-Sabah also indicated that the ministry was preparing to submit “its vision to resolve the traffic crisis” during a parliamentary session next March allocated to discuss this topic.

Moving to another subject, Military

Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sheikh Khalid Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah told Al-Rai on Tuesday that joint maneuvers featuring the Gulf Shield troops as well as troops of other countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and France, are set to take place near Kuwait’s Northern borders starting from February 10, 2013.

Lt. Gen. Al-Sabah insisted at the same time that the maneuvers were not related to any regional developments. “The training is aimed to improve the Gulf Shield troops in order to boost the joint defense of the Gulf Cooperation Council states,” he added.

KUWAIT: Ministry of Public Works announced that 22.4 % of the work at the Jahra Road Project has been completed and the first five prefabricated pieces have been affixed along the slope between the Hospitals Road and the Jahra Road. Project Engineer Yasser Bu Dastour told reporters that the percentage of the project achieved is compatible with the pre-determined work schedule and work is in progress to fix the bridge pieces before the UN roundabout.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

LOCAL kuwait digest

kuwait digest

A strange attitude

Oil ambitions of America

By Aziza Al-Mufarrej

By Abdullah Al-Naibari

espite all the problems we are suffering from and which should have been solved a long time ago, despite the three million expatriates rendering a million natives into a minority, despite the traffic jams that now mar even the inner city residential areas and make one hate having to leave one’s house to run an errand, despite the tremendous pressure on state-provided civic amenities which has affected their quality and speed of delivery, despite the crime rate zooming every year, despite so many things that are not in the interest of the country, the interior ministry has come up with a new circular.

It has now decided to lift the ban on certain nationalities which were earlier debarred from entering Kuwait citing reasons that had to do with threat of terrorism and drug trade. The decision smacks of a strange attitude as if Kuwait lacked enough problems of its own already. The interior ministry has opened the door for family visas for Syrians, Yemenis, Iraqis, Iranians, Pakistanis and Afghanistanis. It will not be a long before we see the children of people of these nationalities gathered at the traffic signals or cooperatives’ parking lots begging under the garb of selling trinkets.

Such influx of more expatriates from new nationalities will lead to new criminal gangs of thieves. As it is, there is no dearth of gangs in Kuwait. The more skilled among them will undertake a training course on our cars in garages. Some wives and mothers of these new expatriates will have their share of activities and will be seen moving around charity societies

uwaiti newspapers pointed out recently to reports about the drop in the United States’ oil imports and expressed ‘concern’ about the development being felt in countries that depend fully or primarily on income from oil, especially the Arabian Gulf states.

Kuwait is perhaps the most concerned given the fact that oil revenues are the backbone of the state’s economy.

The slightest drop in oil prices can trigger panic for some people who believe that their country failed to provide any alternatives even sixty years after discovery of oil. It was not equipped to deal with a situation if global demand for oil was ever to be affected.

These news reports are based on a recent report of the International Energy Agency which indicated that America’s oil production has increased due to utilization of new techniques to produce shale gas. The report predicted that this technique would allow America to produce an additional four million barrels a day by 2020, which would limit its dependency on imported oil. As it is, the US oil imports have been declining steadily since 2005.

The most interesting part in the report concerned the United States overtaking the production rate of Saudi Arabia and Russia to become the world’s largest oil producer by 2030.

Achieving energy independence has been a strategic goal for the United States ever since Richard Nixon’s term as it wanted to reduce its dependency on countries when it came to oil imports as these nations, especially the

D

“If the country maintains the same policy, Kuwaitis will find themselves no more than one tenth of the entire population one day.” and Beit Al-Zakat to receive their share. Some will indulge in the practice of sorcery, something the Abdaly border post bears mute witness to.

The interior ministry has left it wide open for expat employees in both government and private sectors to bring in their wives and children on the basis that they can share the burden of their livelihoods although it knows well that this is not true. It is well aware about the fact that some people resort to forging their salary certificates in order to be eligible to bring in their families, especially in the private sector.

Let the interior ministry excuse us but this is a decision that lacks wisdom. What will Kuwait gain from allowing in families of these expats, especially when it is overcrowded with tailors, bakers, carpenters, constructors, Nikhi and Bajilla vendors, drugs traders and smugglers - these are professions some of the expats have excelled in, so why do we need more? We used to criticize the UAE saying we could hardly notice one Emeriti citizen among thousands of expats in streets and markets. Now, it seems that criticism will come back to our doors to haunt us as we are trundling down the same road. I do not think the Interior Minister is unaware that Kuwaitis make up for less that one third of the population. Who knows if they find themselves making up for only one tenth some day if the country continued with such a stupid policy. We ask His Excellency, the Minister of Interior, will you play your role as someone tasked with keeping our country secure, using the authority you have or will you let things keep running the way they are doing? — Al-Watan

kuwait digest

The problem in our country

By Jaafar Rajab

T

he problem in our country is that a student, who spends his time on three network-connected devices in his room, has to enter a computer lab at school and sit in front of an outdated computer while the teacher teaches the class how to ‘click Start’ and ‘press Delete.’

The problem in our country is that while Kuwaitis sit down to talk about freedoms and the best ways to ensure more freedoms and spread democratic awareness, the government at the same time believes that all problems can be resolved by suppressing the people.

The problem in our country is that while a Kuwaiti can watch all kinds of movies and read all kinds of books he can download on his personal computer, the

“Kuwait is a country with smart, developed and educated people governed by an unintelligent, underdeveloped and ignorant government.” government still maintains an active censorship department which bans publications with contents deemed ‘offensive.’

The problem in our country is that while a Kuwaiti can easily finalize procedures with companies worldwide through the internet and shop online without any difficulty, he has to suffer at the same time when he wants to finalize a transaction at a state department which can take months.

The problem in our country is that people realize that democracy cannot be achieved without law enforcement, commitment to the constitution and freedom, but the government still believes that democracy is represented only through the fifty members of the parliament.

The problem in our country is that there are highly qualified human resources who can work in almost all specialized fields, yet ministers, undersecretaries and other senior public sector officials are appointed as per their origins, religious belief or other social categorization. It is a problem when the people of a certain country are more qualified to run the state than their own government.—Al-Rai

K

kuwait digest

Why did they change mind?

By Hamad Salem Al-Merri

W

hoever has keenly followed the various marches and such marches to cause chaos and damage.

Ironically, the same people, before their meeting with the demonstrations organized under the Karamat Watan theme, will know that many of opposition political political leadership, were maintaining that the demonstrations factions, led by the Muslim Brotherhood Party in Kuwait, start- must be allowed and the decree must be cancelled. Why did ed withdrawing gradually from these protests in an attempt to they change their mind? Was it not for the sake of their partilet these be linked to members of the tribes only since they san interests? So, you, the leaders of the tribes, must pay attention to what is going on behind closed doors, as all politiare the staunchest opponents of government’s policy.

Some of those political factions, which could be more cal factions that were instigating all of you to participate in the accurately described as the hidden parties led by the Muslim demonstrations started keeping a door open so that they Brotherhood, were primarily opposed to the one vote decree could catapult back, leaving you to confront the authorities.

Do not allow yourself to be used as tools in the hands of and participated in the first unlicensed march near Sabah AlSalem area demanding that it be scrapped. But once they real- such political factions. Do not allow your youth to be used as a ized that the government was adamant on not withdrawing it, fuel when such factions are trying to set your country on fire.

Many Brotherhood members participated in the demonand their leaders had had a meeting with HH the Amir, the strations at Qurtuba, and we say stand of these factions began to this is indeed true, but they particishift gradually. to fulfill their personal politiThe Democratic Alliance which Do not allow yourself to be used pated cal gains only. If the Muslim had participated in several demonstrations against former as tools in the hands of such political Brotherhood had participated as a Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser factions. Do not allow your youth to political party, we would have seen all their members as we did Al-Mohammad decided to resort to the constitutional court and be used as a fuel when such factions during the first march since this is stopped participating in these are trying to set your country on fire. a highly organized cadre-based marches altogether in order to Many Brotherhood members partici- party and has experience in dealing with current events, and keep the door open for a comepated in the demonstrations at knows how to use these in its back in the future.

If the court now rules to cancel Qurtuba, and we say this is indeed favor.

The attempt to hark back to the decree and conduct the elections according to the four votes true, but they participated to fulfill Karamat Watan rallies, which were linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, per voter system and retains the their personal political gains only. makes it clear that the demonstrafive constituencies, it will become tions were being organized in triba hero in the eyes of many Kuwaiti people because it used a constitutional tool instead of taking al areas, particularly in Sabah Al-Nasser, every now and then as to the street and triggering chaos. It can then claim that it a bid to link the opposition with only the tribes.

The repeated calls by Karamat Watan organizers were in achieved the goal which many of those who boycotted the elections were longing to. If, however, the court rules in favor tune with what the book preaches while keeping such of the decree, then it will offer an excuse that it respects the protests non-violent. This book is taught at the Nahdha for constitution and will defer to it and participate in the politics change institute which is managed by Hisham Morsi, one of the three authors of the book. He is the son-in-law of the as it had consistently maintained.

As for the Muslim Brotherhood Party, they found the Muslim Brotherhood ideologist Dr. Yousuf Al-Qardhawi.

The aim of this book is to use demonstrations to achieve opportunity in the one vote decree to achieve their main goal which is to demand a popular Prime Minister in order to grab the main goal of changing the regimes by claiming that these the power, a tactic that succeeded in Egypt and Tunisia. They are peaceful marches and that the people have a right to participated enthusiastically in the first march, and the express their opinions. If the people became used to such Kuwaitis saw the interaction between the Brotherhood mem- demonstrations, some will indulge in actions like blocking bers and their youth during this unlicensed march. They also roads and throwing stones at policemen.

In case the public lent its support, they will take their saw the Brotherhood’s scathing statements against the govactions further and destroying cars and public property, then ernment.

However, the Muslim Brotherhood began withdrawing clash with policemen till the lar and order collapses and chaos gradually from demonstrations and marches, and their ideo- prevails. This will be a window of opportunity for the logues issued an edict that the ruler must be obeyed. They Brotherhood members and their supporters who will then rise directed their followers not to participate in demonstrations to demand a change of regime as happened in the Arab and marches, especially the unlicensed ones, in order to pre- Spring countries. Is there anyone among the tribes who can serve the country’s stability and to keep saboteurs from using see things clearly? — Al-Watan

Estimates indicate that global demand for oil is still expected to increase by at least one percent annually with countries like India, China and Korea set to register an increasing need for oil. Of course, oil is a global commodity whose price is subject to change depending on supply and demand. A lopsided production boost, for example, would affect the prices, and subsequently the revenues of oil exporting countries.

Middle Eastern countries, remained vulnerable to uncertainties. How much of an impact do the current developments leave on oil producing countries in the Arab and Gulf regions?

Estimates indicate that global demand for oil is still expected to increase by at least one percent annually with countries like India, China and Korea set to register an increasing need for oil. Of course, oil is a global commodity whose price is subject to change depending on supply and demand.

A lopsided production boost, for example, would affect the prices, and subsequently the revenues of oil exporting countries. But despite the projected increase in American oil production, it is not expected to affect prices given the increasing global demand, not to mention economic and environmental difficulties still facing shale gas production. So far, there are no indications that an increase in America’s oil production would leave an effect that warrants us to panic. We still have to remain cautious, however. At the same time, what we should panic about is the fact that oil is a depleting natural resource, and one day oil wells will definitely run dry.

That is the true risk threatening our country and the future of our children. — Al-Qabas

kuwait digest

Free to express our opinions

By Dr Ali Abdullah Jamal

kuwait digest

Opposition in weak position

By Hamad Al-Sarie

I

n more than one article, we pointed to the fact that in the council, the minority to impose its opinion and the Kuwaiti opposition suffered setbacks as far as ask the ministers and the Prime Minister about the its political positioning was concerned and even performance of their ministries? Putting the youth on the crowds that its rallies attracted have been dwin- the front line and asking them to face the authority without standing alongside them was a wrong thing dling.

The leadership of the opposition seems listless. to do. That some well known people involved with They lost the chance to participate in the elections political work and some university professors held as per the one man- one vote formula, and found opposed to the government indulged in this is a sad themselves edged out of the political game. They are fact. They led the youth to think that what they were doing was something legal now left with no constitutionand normal. al tools, or legal tools, or any The opposition thinks that it can The opposition has mainother logic to object to the laws issued by the National still question the Prime Minister or tained contacts with the authorities as declared by Assembly Council. They have no means to object to the the ministers about the performance one of its members, but that decisions being taken by the of their ministries even though it no does not mean that the will buckle before government. more enjoys the earlier exalted posi- authorities their demands. The opposiIt has also started losing significantly its political posi- tion. It thinks it can question the tion should now prepare tion as far as the number of decisions made or procedures itself to participate in the political work and contest those participating in its rallies or gatherings was con- adopted by the government. Had the the next election under the cerned. A large number of opposition allowed, when it was in one man vote system, after youth left them after they had the council, the minority to impose the current council approves it. The next election would to face the police, which took them to the court by filing its opinion and ask the ministers and happen when either the concases against them. Though the Prime Minister about the per- stitutional court holds that the decree was not constituwe did not want it to happen, tional and dissolves the we were expecting that the formance of their ministries? council or, if the constitutionorganizers of the rallies would al court approves the decree, then after the council be caught by crime sleuths or political detectives.

The opposition thinks that it can still question the completes its term. The opposition has to convince Prime Minister or the ministers about the perform- the voters that it was capable of solving the country’s ance of their ministries even though it no more enjoys political and economic problems if it wanted to win the earlier exalted position. It thinks it can question the votes and trust of the voters. It will have to adopt the decisions made or procedures adopted by the a new approach to win over people from various religovernment. Had the opposition allowed, when it was gious, sectarian or tribal domains. —Al-Anbaa

A

rticle 29 of Kuwait’s constitution, the fountainhead of all laws, stipulates: “All people are equal in human dignity and in public rights and duties before the law, without distinction to race, origin, language, or religion.” Article 36 stipulates: “Every person has the right to express and propagate his opinion verbally, in writing, or otherwise, in accordance with the conditions and procedures specified by law.”

These two articles prove that the Kuwaiti people are free to express their opinions the way they deem fit and that the authorities have to enforce the law equally on everybody without discrimination.

Yes, we do agree that passions can sometimes overcome reason and prompt a group of citizens to violate the law and disrupt peaceful demonstrations. Kuwaiti political history is full of incidents when laws were violated by certain groups due to perceived injustice. You can delve into Kuwait’s history to know for sure that most Kuwaiti people, if not all of them, did something like that at one time or the other.

Humans are rebellious by nature and the mob’s psychology worldwide tends to have a propensity to break the law in the belief that it could be a step towards achieving freedom. Kuwaiti people are no exception.

Who has not violated traffic laws, the law on smoking in public or some other law at least once?

This brings into the picture the role that the authorities have to play to enforce or invoke the law at all times and places, emphasizing the sanctity of the law and also the fact that it has to be applicable to all the people without any exception. As I see it, the government has been selective in dealing with the previous six demonstrations called for by an opposition which is riddled with contradictions and flailing aimlessly. But whether we agree or not with the opposition’s leaders of iconic stature or their demands, this kind of dealing with the protests is a dangerous indicator that confirms how thoughtless and contradictory the visions of both sides are. That, in fact, has led to heightened fears among the citizenry.

Finally, to the government, I want to say this: If you want to regain the trust of the ordinary citizens and want them to have faith in the state’s establishments, you should consider launching a demonstration under the title of “A Government’s Dignity” following in the steps of the opposition as evidenced in the recent Sabah AlNasser protest. — Al-Jarida

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

LOCAL

Kuwait confident on Egyptians’ ability to overcome challenge Bilateral ties ‘a role model’ CAIRO: “ We are confident of Egyptians’ ability to overcome strife and challenge, but beyond that, the policy of the State of Kuwait had always been opposed to interference in the internal affairs of other nations,” Information Minister and State Minister for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah told leading Al-Wafd paper here for its Wednesday edition.

and Human Rights. More specifically, he remarked that “freedom of thought and expression are good and desirable, but must stay within laws and regulations in place in the country concerned. The Ministr y of Information,” he added, “is, first and last, a state institution governed by law.”

The minister was asked to remark on the situation in Syria, and Sheikh

CAIRO: Kuwaitís Information Minister and State Minister for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah holding talks with his Egyptian counterpart yesterday.

The minister stressed Kuwait’s respect of the Egyptian people’s choices and its desire for political, administrative, and economic reform was reflected in the letter His Highness the Amir addressed to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Commander, which expressed support of the Egyptian revolution.

On bilateral level, the official noted the relations between the two countries are an example for the region, and added the cooperation and coordination in the field of media is just as strong, citing the protocol on cooperation and exchange of expertise.

Asked about political action in the country prior to the December parliamentary election, he said it was an opportunity for Kuwait to serve as an example for the region in democracy

Salman stressed “Kuwait fully supports efforts to provide relief to fellow Syrians. It firmly calls for a stop to bloodshed, arbitrary killing, and summary executions, and demands common sense in addressing this dossier and respect for the Syrian people’s desire for change.”

Earlier, Arab information ministers voiced solidarity with Bahrain against all media campaigns, as well as rejecting some satellite channels’ failure to respect Arab code of ethics.

The ministers, in a final communique following their meeting, referred to the union of Arab radio stations a decision to scrap membership of the Lebanese Media Group which owns Al-Manar TV and Al-Nour Radio. They called on Arab countries and organizations who were attacked

by satellite channels to sue the channels as well as forcing these channels to abide by the code of ethics.

They urged the Arab foreign ministers to take a firm action against countries jamming signals of the Arab satellites, called for criminalizing cyber-crimes and recommended formation of a team of Arab media experts to activate the Arab code of ethics and Arab media strategy.

The ministers elected members of the information ministers’ Council’s executive office, comprising Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Iraq, Libya, Jordan, the UAE and Bahrain.They called upon Arab countries to contribute to reviving the Arab Prisoner Day on April 17.

They called on Arab information ministries to coordinate with health ministries to launch awareness campaigns against non-infectious diseases. The ministers, in their one-day meeting, said information ministries should examine Arab strategies on peaceful use of nuclear energy and to educate the public over nuclear safety. Arab media organizations should have plans to encourage inter-Arab tourism, said the ministers who recommended formation of a team of Arab experts to place a media strategy against campaigns against Muslims and Arabs abroad.

The ministers recommended establishment of a website to highlight Arab causes. They also called for highlighting importance of Al-Quds, Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islamic and Christian holy sites, as well as disclosing and documenting Israeli plans.

They said the world should know that Israeli assaults on these sacred places, the separation barrier, settlement policies, and Palestinian and Arab prisoners would have consequences on the region.

The ministers said the Arab media should provide further reports over the Palestinian cause, shedding more light on the Israeli settlement policy and Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people as well as the judaizing of AlQuds.

They recommended the use of “State of Palestine” instead of the “Palestine National Authority” in media coverages and reports. Kuwait was represented by Minister of Information and State Minister for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem AlHumoud Al-Sabah. — KUNA

Pakistan Navy frigate docks at Shuwaikh on bilateral visit KUWAIT: On its second visit to Kuwait the Pakistan Navy’s guided-missile frigate PNS Alamgir docked at Shuwaikh Port yesterday, fresh from an anti-piracy mission in surrounding waters and to boost bilateral relations with Kuwait.

“Our visit to the friendly country of Kuwait is bilateral and aimed at strengthening our existing ties - I am very happy to be here in our brotherly country, Kuwait. The reception we received was very warm,” the ship’s Captain Abdul Munib said on board the frigate. “ We are being deployed on a CMCP (Coalition Maritime Campaign Plan) and anti-piracy mission, so our visit is basically being carried out during our deployment,” he added on the visit which lasts until Jan 20.

The Pakistan Navy is part of the CMCP, which is a USled maritime counter-terrorism operation currently being conducted to restore international peace and security under the UN Charter Chapter VII. Pakistan has been assigned to command Task Force-150, which covers an area of responsibility including the Gulf of Oman, the North Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa. “As far as deployment is concerned this is routine,

but making stops to visit our friends is very important.

During our deployment we made three stops, Bahrain, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and now Kuwait. Our future stop will be Pakistan.”

The 280-crew-member Alamgir was acquired from the U.S. Navy and is the only petty class ship in Pakistan’s vast navy. It was named after the great Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb ‘Alamgir’ (or world-seizer in English) who was known, during his close to 50-year reign, for spreading the Muslim Mughal Empire across the whole Indian subcontinent.

With a length of 139m (around one and a half the length of a soccer pitch) Alamgir has helicopter-hosting capabilities and can carry up to 4,100 tonnes. It is also equipped with several guns and torpedoes, travelling in speeds of up to 29 knots, which is considered quite fast in naval standards.

Captain Abdul Munib is planning to meet a number of senior Kuwaiti military officials early on Thursday, prior to hosting an on-board lunch reception for them along with representatives from the diplomatic missions and Pakistani community based in Kuwait. — KUNA

KUWAIT: Ahmadi Governor Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Duaij yesterday received the supervisor at Kuwait Society for Disabled Welfare, Amnah Deyab and a number of disabled children from Ahmadi Daytime Care Center, who thanked him for his constant support to the disabled.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

LOCAL

KUWAIT: Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Lt Gen Sheikh Mohammad Al-Yousuf Al-Sabah, yesterday visited the Kuwait-Iraq border to inspect the maintenance of the border signs being affixed under the supervision of a UN team in the presence of security leaders from both sides. He was accompanied by Col Ziad Tareq Al-Yousuf.

Interior Minister visits assaulted officer KUWAIT: The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud, yesterday met Lt Col Mohammed Al-Waheeb who, along with other security personnel, was assaulted by the crowds during a rally at Sabah Al-Nasser area.

Lt. Colonel Al-Waheeb, who met Al-Hmoud in his office accompanied by the Assistant Undersecretary for criminal security affairs Lt. General Abdul Hameed Al-Awadhi and Colonel Abdul Rahman AlJazzaf, presented to the Minister of Interior a full report about the assault by the rowdy members of

the crowd who also damaged several vehicles belonging to the security personnel.

Strongly backing his subordinates, Al-Hmoud emphasized that any assault on any security man will be considered an assault on the Ministry of Interior and will be deemed to have been committed against his own person. He said whoever committed such assaults will be pursued, arrested, investigated and punished. He said the law gives everyone his right and he cannot accept that security men be subjected to any assault.

Meanwhile, the First Deputy Prime Minister and

Preparations on for Kuwait Medica KUWAIT: Eng Samir Al-Asfor, Assistant ment, furniture, supplies and specialized Undersecretary of Ministry of Health stated applications with an additional 3,334 hospital that, “the healthcare sector holds the greatest beds in the public sector. An estimated numpromise for efficiency gains and cost reduc- ber of 15,000 medical, nursing and allied servtions through the adoption of latest develop- ice staffs will be needed to manage the new ments in medical sciences and the smart hospitals.

Government’s healthcare agenda has application of technology” and invited key players from the medical industry to partici- been to enhance quality of medical services pate in the 4th Kuwait Medica to become in through public-private sector participation. affluent partners in the development of the Global firms have been continuously invited healthcare industry and add new dimensions to partake in the country’s upgrade of healthcare service delivery. to their services markets.

Eng. Al-Asfor invited world’s The biggest healthcare best healthcare organizations, event organized under the medical professionals, medical patronage of Mohammad equipment companies, health Barrak Al-Haifi, Minister of services & solutions providers, Health, to be held from March and other healthcare vendors 19 to 21, at the Al Baraka to be partners in the healthcare Ballroom of Crowne Plaza infrastructure development Hotel, will offer unique B2B through the 4th Kuwait Medica. platform for facilitators, The Kuwait Medica runs parinvestors, commissioners and allel to annual Kuwait Medical managers of healthcare projTourism Conference focusing ects with key players in planon medical treatments abroad ning, design, construction, and E-Health GCC Conference supply, operations and manEng Samir Al-Asfor offering a dedicated platform agement. for emerging technologies in Kuwait has earmarked a budget spending of $7.3 billion on hospital healthcare and innovative Medical e-Learning projects in the next four years, out of which systems and solutions. The exhibition will 10 projects set for completion by 2016. The accommodate 100 exhibitors and over 5000 proposed healthcare infrastructure develop- people are expected to attend the event that ment plan will create an upsurge of potential offers B2B contacts and Trade partnerships as opportunities for medical-dental-lab equip- a key feature of the event.

NBK announces winners of DSF trips draw KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) announced the winners of the last draw in its Dubai Shopping Festival 2013 campaign offered to its Visa Cardholders in partnership with Visa International. Another 30 NBK Visa Cardholders won full travel packages to attend the Dubai Shopping Festival 2013, one of the most popular events in the world.

Hanaa Abdulmohsen Mohammed Al-Atiqi, Fouzeya Abdulla Habeeb Al-Habeeb, Mubarak Safar Fhaid Al- Hajri, Abdulla Salem

KUWAIT: Abdulmohsen Al-Rushaid, NBK public relations manager awarding prize to one of the winners.

Yaseen Al-Zaidan, Harish Lonknath Shetty, Ahmed Mohammed Kamel Al Fakhrany, Mohammed Osama Ahmed Al-Roumi, Nadiya Mohammad Abddulla Ali, Shurooq Abbas Hassan Al Hadad, Nabeel Mohammed Ali Al Houli, Anwar Abdulkhodor Awad Ali, Ilesh Narendra Kumar Patwa, Amjad Awni Abed Abukhass, Ajay Singh Tathgir, George Abraham, Samya Meshari Abdulkarim Al Dakheel, Shady Karam Yahya Abdelmajeed, Potenciano Rodico Pinlac, Abdulaziz Saoud Abdulaziz Al Rashed, Banala Najabhushan, Anwar Attia Saber Mohammed, Iqbal Mahmoud Al Halabi, Hassan Ahmad Abdulla Al Attar, Yaser Abdulaziz Ali Mustafa, Manju Shambeka Ragobal, Muwafaq Fahad, Sulaiman Najeeb Mohammed Abdulla Abdalwahab, Fouad Abdulkhodor Ali Ibrahim, Mohammed Abd Al Mannan Nour Ahmed and Seong Soon Kim each won a full travel package for two to the Dubai Shopping Festival 2013, with all expenses paid by NBK. Each travel package includes two round trip airline tickets with two-night accommodation in a five star hotel including transportation.

NBK Visa Cardholders (debit, credit and prepaid cards) had the chance to win 60 travel packages to Dubai during this campaign that was launched last November.

NBK Cards are accepted worldwide and are the safest, most convenient and rewarding way to pay. For more information log onto nbk.com or contact Hala Watani on 1801801, or follow NBK on Twitter @NBKPage, and on Instagram @NBKPage.

EU aware of important GCC role in resolving regional problems BRUSSELS: A leading expert on European Union foreign policy has urged the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to match its economic power with political clout. “The GCC has still not attained the political clout that matches its economic power,” Prof Steven Blockmans said in an interview.

“The EU is increasingly aware that the GCC is an important player that needs to be tagged along or cooperated with in order to solve regional problems which are in the interest of both groupings,” he said.

Blockmans is the head of the EU Foreign Policy programme and senior research fellow at the prestigious think-tank, Centre for European Policy Studies based in Brussels.

The Belgian academic also teaches at the University of Amsterdam in Holland and in the University of Leuven in Belgium. “To what

extent the economic power of the GCC would translate in political clout on the international scene depends of course on the translation of their power within voting mechanisms in global multilateral institutions like the UN or the WTO,” he said. The GCC includes six countries, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Belgian political expert said the annual EUGCC foreign ministerial meeting “has grown in importance here in Brussels.” He suggested that the GCC could assist financially and economically in trying “to resolve certain issue by putting economic and financial pressure or by dangling economic and financial carrots for certain countries.” More generally, he noted, the EU is discovering Arab and Muslim international organisations which can increasingly play a role next to the EU in solving issues of international peace and security. —KUNA

Minister of Interior, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud, yesterday met head of the British Foreign Ministry services administration Chriss Moxy, head of government contracts Julian Welsh, head of industrial security unit Ben Flitcher, and First Secretary for Defence in the British Embassy Richard Memdos.

Kuwait’s Assistant Undersecretary for technology affairs, Sheikh Mishaal Al-Jaber, was also present during the meeting at Al-Hmoud’s office.The British delegation is on a visit to Kuwait to discuss the Kuwait security system project, one of the most important security projects in the Middle East. In

another development, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Hmoud, set up a security committee headed by the Undersecretary General Ghazi Al-Omar to study the recommendations of the N.A. Council in respect to the state of law and order and to implement these.

A number of Assistant Undersecretaries and top brass from other departments would be members of this panel, set up on the orders of the Minister.

The Minister set a one month deadline for the committee to report back in detail about the implementation status and any other steps taken to deal with the law and order situation.

Kuwaiti, bedoon in police net for spate of auto theft Hunt on for three gang members

KUWAIT: Police managed catch a gang, including an employee of the Traffic General Department, which specialized in stealing cars and smuggling them out of the country. Investigations have been ongoing in several auto thefts reported at police stations around the Capital Governorates, which eventually led detectives to a bedoon (stateless) man who was arrested as a prime suspect. The man admitted during investigations of working with four Kuwaitis in stealing vehicles and then changing their chassis number with the help of one of them who worked in the Traffic General Department. Officers then arrested the employee who confirmed the first suspect’s story and added that the modification allowed his accomplices to “smuggle the stolen cars to be sold outside.” Search is on to nab the remaining three suspects.

Hit-and-run suspect A driver who was involved in a hit-and-run case turned himself in recently and told the police that he had accidently killed a cleaning worker while driving under the influence of alcohol. Ever since the accident was reported a couple of weeks ago, investigations have been on to trace the unidentified driver who left the Indian man dead. Police had zeroed in on a vehicle after a Salmiya resident tipped them off as he grew suspicious about the vehicle remaining covered for two weeks. Police summoned the car’s Saudi owner for investigations after blood traces found on the vehicle matched with the victim’s blood. After ignoring repeated

summons, the man eventually turned himself in before the Capital Department detectives and was held to face manslaughter and DUI charges.

Maid escapes A Filipina woman employed at a Jahra house was sexually assaulted for nearly a year by her Kuwaiti employer and his two brothers before she could escape and narrate her ordeal to the officials at her embassy recently. The 40-year-old domestic worker told officials at the embassy that the sexual assaults started soon after she was hired approximately twelve months ago. The embassy’s attorney reportedly filed a case at the Jahra police station.

Rapist at large Search is on for a male suspect accused of sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend after breaking into her Jabriya apartment recently. The 28-year-old Kuwaiti victim told the local police that the suspect forced his way into her apartment after she answered the door and then raped her before leaving. She said the Saudi man committed the crime as a form of ‘revenge’ since she had broken up with him after deducing that he was not committed to their relationship. She also indicated that she used to give money to her boyfriend during the time their relationship lasted, adding that he received a total of KD45,000 by the time they broke up.

Detectives reportedly succeeded in tracking the suspect’s movements and were confident of arresting him soon.

Teenager arrested A teenager who was facing investigations in 20 theft cases managed to escape from police’s custody by sneaking out and hijacking a stolen car but alert police officers went in hot pursuit, intercepted him and arrested him again. The youngster sneaked his way out from the Juveniles Prosecution Department where he was taken for investigations in 20 theft cases in which he was involved. He commandeered a car that its owner left outside a shop with its engine running, and drove along the Fourth Ring Road.

Police officers chased the car, forcing it to halt at a roadblock in Farwaniya but the boy tried to run away when he was overpowered by the police. He was taken to the proper authorities to face charges that also include attempting to stab an officer while being arrested, as well as damaging eight vehicles during his escapade in the Farwaniya neighborhood.

Girl saves father A nine-year-old girl saved her father’s life when she made an emergency call after finding him unconscious and bleeding at home. The girl could not remember her address but paramedics and police showed their presence of mind by quickly looking it up from a database since the girl had called them from a landline number, and rushed to the scene. Fortunately for the Kuwaiti man, they arrived in time and rushed the man to the hospital where his condition later stabilized. The diagnoses revealed that the man passed out due to low blood sugar.

Kuwaiti certified in Int’l dermatopathology KUWAIT: Dermatologist at As’ad Al-Hamad Dermatology Center Dr Mohammad Faihan AlOtaibi became the first Kuwaiti to obtain the International Board Certification in Dermatopathology of microscopic diagnosis.

He said the medical test of the international board was held at Frankfurt in beginning of December, 2012. It was held under supervision of International Board of Dermatopathology (IBDP), and The European Institute for Medical and Scientific Education (EIMSED), involving 35

doctors of various nationalities. Microscopic diagnosis of skin diseases is considered a rare specialty in the dermatopathology field, Dr. AlOtaibi said.

This diagnosis is done by taking a testing sample from under skin of a patient after applying local anesthesia. Diagnosis is done by a microscope, then the sample is analyzed for a period not exceeding two weeks, he explained.

Such a procedure spares a large number of patients suffering from chronic psoriasis or

eczema misdiagnosis. Some cases of skin cancer have been, in some cases, diagnosed as psoriasis or eczema.

Dermatopathology microscopic diagnosis is a recognized specialty in Kuwait and a large number of other countries.

This distinguished honoring was earned by Dr.Al-Otaibi, among other specialized dermatologists at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health. A total of 550 cases were diagnosed using microscopic diagnosis, in 2011. — KUNA

Municipality campaign to ensure food quality

By Hanan Al-Saadoun KUWAIT: Launching a major campaign to ensure that only good quality food stuff is sold to consumers, the Kuwait Municipality today expanded its campaign to record samples of food from factories and food stores in areas from where food stuff is mainly distributed to central markets and food outlets.

The campaign began at Mubarak Al Kabeer governorate to ensure that sellers abide by municipality regulations and only goods fit for human consumption are sold.

Sources at the Municipality said the drive

will cover the key areas of Al Rai, Al Shuwaikh and Al Ardiya industrial area.

The campaign which started at 9 am and lasted until noon was led by food supervisor Daidhan Al Adwani in cooperation with the public relations department of the Municipality. Random samples were recorded for meat, pastries, juice and water. All the samples were securely kept in an ice box and were sent to the health laboratories for tests. Al Adwani said in a press release that the results will be available in less than a week, and based on these, necessary steps will be taken.

He added that surprise and random sam-

pling will be done periodically to ensure that products meet the specifications set by Kuwaiti authorities.

Earlier samples were found acceptable and some observations were taken into consideration by factories and store owners.

Al Adwani said that a total of 1055 samples were sent to laboratories in the month of December while field campaigns resulted in 67 citations for working either without obtaining health certificates or possessing expired certificates. He underlined the importance of keeping valid health papers while dealing in food materials.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

Bombers kill more than 42 across Iraq

18 frozen human heads discovered Page 10

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ALEXANDRIA: Egyptians stand in rubble after an eight story building collapsed in Alexandria yesterday. — AP

22 die as building collapses Second deadly accident to hit Egypt in days

CAIRO: An eight-story apartment building collapsed yesterday in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, killing at least 22 people in the second deadly accident to hit the country in as many days. The MENA state news agency said 11 people were also injured and that rescue teams were searching for survivors under the rubble. Military police from a nearby naval base had cordoned off the area to help the rescue operation. The collapse came a day after 19 police conscripts were killed when the last car of the train they were riding in jumped the tracks and smashed into another train just outside Cairo.

It was not immediately clear what caused the building to collapse in a poor district of the Mediterranean port city, but violations of building specifications have been blamed for similar accidents in the past. The governor of Alexandria, Mohammed Abbas Atta, told Egypt’s official news agency that

the building was constructed without a permit. Abul Ezz el-Hariri, an opposition lawmaker from Alexandria, warned that hundreds of buildings in the city face the same fate, but that lax law enforcement following the ouster two years ago of Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak means that no action is being taken against building violations.

Residents complain that landowners in farmland on the city’s outskirts have taken advantage of the chaos and near lawlessness that followed the former president’s overthrow and illegally sold their land to developers who built shoddy apartment blocks. Similar violations have taken place across much of the country. Pointing to the magnitude of the problem, Housing Minister Tareq Wafeeq told reporters that a total of 318,000 illegal constructions went up in 23 of Egypt’s 27 provinces between 2009 and 2012. Alexandria’s security chief, police Maj-Gen Abdel-Mawgood

Lutfi, said the building was constructed five years ago and had 24 apartments.

That the building collapsed early in the day meant that most tenants were home. Police evacuated residents of two adjacent buildings out of concern that the collapse may have caused structural damage to them. The collapse could stoke criticism of President Mohammed Morsi administration. Critics accuse the government of failing to carr y out reforms and overhaul the nation’s deteriorating public services. Two months ago, 50 children died when a train rammed into their school bus in southern Egypt. That tragedy also sparked a storm of criticism of Morsi, who took office in June.

The latest train wreck led to protests Tuesday at railway stations in Cairo, Alexandria and a third city in the Nile Delta. The demonstrators were protesting what they said was official negligence in maintaining and upgrading

the country’s aging rail network. Morsi’s government has blamed Tuesday’s train accident on what officials say is nearly 30 years of corruption and misrule under Mubarak. Transpor t Minister Hatem Abdel-Lateef told another news conference that overhauling the countr y ’s railways would cost 15 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.3 billion), a hefty sum for nation reeling from two years of political and economic turmoil.

The news conferences by the two Cabinet ministers appeared to be an effort by Morsi’s government to take the initiative in the face of scathing criticism from the independent media and opposition parties. Morsi, the nation’s first democratically elected president, has struggled since taking office in June to address a host of major problems that include an ailing economy, tenuous security, a slumping tourism industry and seemingly endless political turmoil.— AP

Obama blasts Israel’s Netanyahu JERUSALEM: Long-strained ties between Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu sprang to the fore of Israel’s election campaign yesterday after the US president was quoted as criticizing the prime minister’s character. Less than a week before a Jan 22 ballot that opinion polls predict the right-wing Netanyahu will win easily, Israeli media highlighted a US commentator’s column on Obama and asked whether the Democratic president was trying to sway the vote.

“Obama said privately and repeatedly, ‘Israel doesn’t know what its own best interests are’,” wrote Bloomberg columnist Jeffrey Goldberg. The US president “seems to view the prime minister as a political coward, an essentially unchallenged leader who nevertheless is unwilling to lead or spend political capital to advance the cause of compromise”, Goldberg said. The White House has not commented on the column’s content. Netanyahu appeared to chide Obama, without mentioning the president or his reported remarks, during a visit yesterday to an army base near Gaza.

“I think everyone understands that

only Israeli citizens will be the ones who determine who faithfully represents Israel’s vital interests,” Netanyahu said in broadcast remarks. Obama and Netanyahu have been at odds over Israel’s settlement building in the occupied West Bank and heavy Israeli hints of possible military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities. Some Israeli commentators saw the column as payback for Netanyahu’s perceived back-room lobbying on behalf of Republican Mitt Romney in his failed run against Obama in November’s US election. Netanyahu has denied any such meddling.

Though it was front-page news in Israel, Goldberg’s column looks unlikely to dent Netanyahu’s electoral lead, with his Likud-Beiteinu list expected to take around 34 of parliament’s 120 seats and form the next coalition government. A centrist challenger, former Foreign Minister and peace negotiator Tzipi Livni, has made Israel’s international isolation under Netanyahu the focus of her campaign. Her party has lagged in polls with a projected 6 to 8 parliamentary seats. “Attempts to speak to the Israeli voter through the American press are total non-starters,” said Amotz Asa-El, a

fellow with the Hartman Institute, a liberal think-tank in Jerusalem. Most Israelis, Asa-El argued, were disenchanted by frozen peace efforts, worried by regional upheaval and preoccupied with domestic affairs. Foreign criticism of Netanyahu, he said, could shore him up against rivals further to the right. “ These (far-rightists) have never heard of Bloomberg, let alone of Jeffrey Goldberg. If anything, this (criticism) is likely to make them vote for Netanyahu,” Asa-El said. “There is no traffic of undecided voters between the rightist bloc and the centre-left bloc, only within the blocs.” Several Israeli officials questioned whether the quotes attributed to Obama reflected the view of his administration, which, like the Netanyahu government, has played up the strength of bilateral ties on issues ranging from the Palestinians to the Syrian insurgency and Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

Vice premier Silvan Shalom, of the Likud party, told Israel’s Army Radio: “I don’t know if these things were said because he (Obama) did not say them in his own voice.” Shalom appeared to acknowledge tensions between Netanyahu and Obama. —Reuters

Car bombs kill 24 in northwest Syria BEIRUT: Three car bombs exploded within minutes of each other in northwest Syria yesterday, killing at least two dozen people in a coordinated assault on government positions, a monitoring group said. Fighting has spread throughout much of Syria and upended civilian life in many areas as rebels have pushed to uproot President Bashar Al-Assad’s better-equipped forces and tip the balance of the 22-month-old conflict.

The World Food Program said Syria’s government had authorized it to step up food aid to some 2.5 million people going hungry, but did not say when it would be able to reach them all. In the meantime, the war shows no signs of abating. Car bombs at government buildings and a checkpoint in Idlib province killed at least 24 people yesterday - most of them members of government forces - said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group.

“The car bombs exploded within minutes of each other. It seems they were coordinated,” the Observatory’s director, Rami Abdelrahman, said. State news agency SANA said 22 people were killed in Idlib city when two car bombs exploded and said two other bombs were defused on a main road leading to Idlib.

Reuters cannot independently verify reports from inside Syria due to government restrictions on independent media. Insurgents have often used bomb attacks to try to break a stalemate with government forces, who have far superior firepower including warplanes and ballistic missiles.

Elsewhere in the country, the Syrian military stepped up attacks in the cities of Idlib, Hama and Homs, and seized hundreds of heat-seeking missiles from militants in the southern province of Deraa, state media reported. The armed forces renewed their assault on “terrorists” in the northern city of Aleppo and its countryside, killing dozens in the rebel strongholds of Sukari, Bab Al-Hadeed and Bustan Al-Qasr, SANA reported. A day earlier, two explosions at Aleppo’s university killed at least 87 people, many of them students attending exams, in the deadliest attack on civilians to hit the commercial hub since rebels laid siege to it over the summer.

It is still unclear what caused the blasts, which each side blames on the other. Russia - Assad’s long-standing ally and arms supplier - condemned the Aleppo explosions. “It is clear that this was a ruthless, bloody provocation, revenge by terrorists for significant losses they have sustained in the confrontation with government forces,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Damascus says rebels fired two rockets into the university. If confirmed, the claim would suggest rebels in the area had acquired more power ful weapons than previously used.—Reuters

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

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

IAEA experts back in Iran for fresh nuclear talks TEHRAN: Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were back in Tehran early yesterday to try to resolve long-running differences with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.

The eight-strong team, led by the UN agency’s chief atomic inspector and deputy director Herman Nackaerts, was greeted at the airport by Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, the ISNA news agency reported.

It was not clear who would represent Iran in meetings on Wednesday, but the office of top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili is in charge of decisions regarding Tehran’s atomic programme-on behalf of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who has final say on all key state matters.

On Tuesday, before flying out from the agency’s base in Vienna, Nackaerts had

called on Iran to be “constructive”.

“Throughout this process, the director general has always said that we are approaching these talks in a constructive spirit,” he told reporters.

“Also this time we are approaching it in the same spirit, and we trust that Iran will work with us in the same spirit,” he added. But the IAEA’s hopes of reaching a deal are not high. IAEA head Yukiya Amano said Friday he was “not necessarily optimistic,” while a Western diplomat told AFP on Sunday “there still remain some pretty big disagreements” with Tehran. The agency wants Iran to respond to what it calls “overall, credible” evidence of nuclear weapons research having been carried out until 2003 — and possibly since then.

Iran vehemently denies having ever

sought an atomic bomb. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said on Tuesday that the government hoped to conclude a comprehensive agreement with the IAEA yesterday.

But Ramin Mehmanparast said that would only be possible if the agency recognised Iran’s “nuclear rights.”

Mehmanparast appeared to play down the chances that the IAEA team might get access to Parchin, a military base near Tehran where the agency’s experts suspect Iran could have carried out experiments with explosives capable of triggering a nuclear weapon.

“Parchin has no connection with Iran’s nuclear activities,” Mehmanparast said.

Access to it could be discussed, but only in the context of a possible agreement, he added. But the IAEA has pointed to

new information uncovered since its last visits to the site in 2005. They include satellite evidence that the earth has been scraped and removed over a 25-hectare (62-acre) area, leading to Western accusations that Iran is destroying evidence.

Yesterday’s talks will be closely monitored by the so-called P5+1 group-Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany. Their parallel negotiations with Tehran over the nuclear programme are currently stalled.

At their last meeting, held in June 2012 in Moscow, Tehran rejected P5+1 calls for it to scale back its nuclear enrichment activities, while asking for substantial sanctions relief.

Iran’s economy is struggling to cope with punitive measures adopted by the US and the EU targeting its vital oil

income and access to global financial systems.

On Tuesday, top lawmaker Aladin Boroujerdi repeated Tehran’s demands, ISNA reported. “The main focus of the next talks with the P5+1 should be on lifting the sanctions imposed by the US and the European Union,” said Boroujerdi, who heads parliament’s influential foreign policy committee.

Mehmanparast added on Tuesday that a much-debated religious decree against nuclear weapons by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was binding. “The fatwa is of utmost importance in clarifying Iran’s nuclear activities,” he said, dismissing Western doubts that the fatwa only served a religious purpose and was not necessarily an obligation for the government. — AFP

Bombers kill more than 42 across Iraq Blast hits contested ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk

SANAA: Iraqi women living in Yemen take part in a protest in front of the Iraqi Embassy, in the capital Sanaa yesterday, demanding the sacking of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Iraq is engulfed in a political crisis with Prime Minister Maliki facing several protests hardening opposition against his rule and calls for his ouster from many of his erstwhile government partners. — AFP

Iraqi expats hold anti-Maliki demo SANAA: Hundreds of Iraqi expatriates protested against Prime Minister Nuri alMaliki outside the Iraqi embassy in Sanaa yesterday, an AFP correspondent reported.

“Maliki leave, the Iraqi people don’t want you,” chanted the protesters, who marched from Sanaa’s northern Sittin Avenue to the embassy carrying Iraqi flags.

Protests against Maliki and his Shiite-led government have gripped Sunni Arab majority areas of northern and western Iraq since December 23. The protests were sparked by the arrest of at least nine guards of Sunni Finance Minister Rafa al-Essawi on terror charges. In a statement, members of the Iraqi community in Yemen who organised yesterday’s protest said it was “to express our support to our Iraqi people who are demonstrating in the squares of dignity for their legitimate demands.”

“Free Baghdad, out Iran,” the protesters called, referring to Iraq’s Shiite-dominated neighbour with which Maliki’s government has warm relations.

Asem al-Dulaimi, spokesman of the Iraqi community in Yemen, accused Maliki’s government of “implementing foreign agendas, especially Iranian, in addition to US

and Zionist” agendas. Iraq is engulfed in a political crisis with Maliki facing calls for his ouster from many of his erstwhile government partners. A wave of attacks in Baghdad and northern Iraq killed 29 people on Wednesday as hundreds attended the funeral of a Sunni MP who died in a suicide attack on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, gunmen killed the deputy security chief of Dhamar province, south of the Yemeni capital Sanaa, an interior ministry official said, less than a month after an adviser to the minister of defence was shot dead in Sanaa.

“Two gunmen riding a motor bike shot Brigadier Abdulwahab al-Mushki and killed him immediately,” the official said.

On Dec. 25, gunmen and bombers targeted three senior military officers and the transport minister in a series of attacks in the capital.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is based in Yemen, is seen by U.S. officials as the most dangerous offshoot of the militant network. Yemen’s location next to top oil producer Saudi Arabia and major shipping lanes has made restoring its stability an international priority. — Agencies

Israeli watchdog rips PM over settlements JERUSALEM: A review of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s settlement policies shows a clear intent to prevent the creation of a viable Palestinian state by stepping up construction in strategic areas, an Israeli antisettlement group said yesterday.

During Netanyahu’s four-year term, 38 percent of nearly 6,900 West Bank construction starts were reported in settlements deep inside the territory, compared to 20 percent under his predecessors, the Peace Now group said.

The report by the watchdog was released a week before Israel’s parliamentary elections, which Netanyahu appears poised to win. According to the report, the government also issued bids for 5,302 settlement apartments in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and advanced planning for thousands more, the group said. The group’s findings were based on aerial photos, field visits and official reports.

The Palestinians want the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967, for a future state. In November, the UN General Assembly recognized a state of Palestine in these borders, over Israel’s objections. Israel still occupies the West Bank and east Jerusalem and while it withdrew settlers and soldiers from Gaza, it controls most access to the coastal territory, now ruled by Hamas militants. Netanyahu has said he’s willing to negotiate the borders of a Palestinian state, but wants to keep east Jerusalem - the hoped-for capital of the Palestinians - and chunks of the West Bank.

Netanyahu has rejected a Palestinian demand for a settlement freeze during negotiations, and talks have been on hold for the past four years.

Polls ahead of the Jan. 22 vote indicate Netanyahu is poised to win another fouryear term. Peace Now concluded that Netanyahu’s policies in his first term “disclose a clear intention to use settlements to systematically undermine and render impossible a realistic, viable two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev denied the government is trying to undermine prospects for Palestinian state-

hood through settlement expansion. Israel has “allowed construction in the Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem and in the settlement blocs, areas that will remain part of Israel in any future peace agreement,” he said. Israel hasn’t clearly defined settlement blocs, but they are believed to include larger settlements near Israel as well the Ariel enclave of 17,000 settlers in the heart of the West Bank. In all, about half a million Israelis live in dozens of settlements on war-won land, including nearly 200,000 in east Jerusalem and more than 300,000 in the West Bank.

Asked to comment on Peace Now’s report of a sharp construction increase in more remote settlements, Regev said: “I don’t know that figure to be true.” The Peace Now report said settlers in some of the more remote settlements built without approved plans or permits, but “with the tacit approval of the Netanyahu government.” In all, construction began on 6,867 apartments in West Bank settlements since Netanyahu took office in March 2009, the report said.

Thirty-eight of those apartments were located in Jewish enclaves east of Israel’s separation barrier in the West Bank, proposed by some in Israel - though not by Netanyahu as a future border with the Palestinians. Israel began building the barrier in 2002, portraying it as a defense against Palestinian militants who had killed hundreds of Israelis in an armed uprising. However, it meanders through the West Bank to scoop up Jewish settlements on the Israeli side, prompting allegations of a land grab under the guise of security. Thirty-two percent of construction starts were west of the barrier, and close to 30 percent in areas where the route of the barrier is not final, the report said. The report said the count is not complete, and that the final figure is expected to be higher.

Although Netanyahu outdid his predecessors in terms of launching settlement construction deep inside the West Bank, Peace Now researcher Hagit Ofran said the annual average of construction starts in the Palestinian territory was slightly lower under Netanyahu than under his predecessor, Ehud Olmert. — AP

KIRKUK: More than 42 people died in a suicide attack and other bombings in northern Iraq and Baghdad yesterday, worsening sectarian strife as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki faces mounting pressure from minority Sunni Muslims and Kurds. Shoppers and police helped drag bloodied survivors out of the rubble and wrecked vehicles after a car bomb and a suicide bomber in a truck set off huge blasts in Kirkuk, near the local headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Maliki, a Shi’ite Muslim, is locked in a feud with ethnic Kurds in autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan over disputed oilfields and is also confronting Sunni protesters in a western province calling for him to step down. “A suicide bomber driving a truck packed with explosives detonated the vehicle outside the KDP headquarters. It’s a crowded area; dozens were killed and wounded,” Police Brigadier Sarhat Qadir told Reuters in Kirkuk. Local Kirkuk health officials and police said at least 25 people were killed and more than 180 were wounded. Another five people died and 37 more were wounded in another bombing outside a rival Kurdish political party office in Tuz Khurmato, 170 km (105 miles) north of Baghdad. Roadside bombs and gun attacks in Baghdad and Baiji, north of the capital, killed seven policemen and soldiers. A year after the last US troops left, Iraq’s government of Sunni, Shi’ite and Kurdish parties is mired in a crisis over how to share power, increasing worries that the OPEC member state may relapse into widescale sectarian bloodshed Violence and unrest are compounding concern that the conflict in neighbouring Syria, where mainly Sunni rebels are fighting Shi’ite Iran’s ally President Bashar al-Assad, will upset Iraq’s own delicate sectarian and ethnic balance.

Yesterday’s attacks came a day after a suicide bomber killed an influential Sunni Muslim lawmaker in the west of Iraq, where thousands of Sunni protesters have been holding mass demonstrations against Maliki.

Sunni turmoil erupted in late December after state officials arrested members of a Sunni finance minister’s security team on terrorism charges. Authorities denied the arrests were political, but Sunni leaders saw them as a crack-

BAGHDAD: Fire fighters evacuate the body of a victim killed in a bomb attack that struck the local headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Kirkuk, 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of Baghdad, Iraq, yesterday. Two car bombs exploded in Kirkuk, the deadliest of the two explosions struck the local headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party. — AP down. Since the fall of Sunni strongman Saddam Hussein after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, many Sunnis feel they have been marginalised by the leadership of the Shi’ite majority.

Maliki’s National Alliance Shi’ite coalition and Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc held preliminary talks in parliament yesterday in attempt to defuse the crisis by addressing the demands of the demonstrations.

“We have to admit that we have a tough job ahead to reach common ground,” Ali al-Shallah, a lawmaker with Maliki’s alliance. “All the blocs agree to allow time for the government to review protest demands; that’s one step.”

Deputy Prime Minister Hussein al-Shahristani,

a prominent Shi’ite who heads the committee investigating protest demands, said the government had so far freed more 400 detainees held under anti-terrorism laws as a concession.

But protesters want detainees released, a modification of terrorism laws and more control over a campaign against former members of Saddam’s outlawed Baath party, a measure they believe is being used unfairly to sideline their leaders. Violence in Iraq is down since the height of sectarian bloodletting in 2006-2007, when thousands were killed. But last year witnessed a rise in deaths for the first time in three years with more than 4,400 people killed in attacks. — Reuters

Egypt’s Morsi says remarks on ‘Zionists’ taken out of context CAIRO: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi said yesterday that comments on Israel attributed to him before he was elected, slammed as deeply offensive by the United States, were taken out of context. “ The president stressed they were taken from comments on the Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and stressed the need to put the remarks in the right context,” said a statement from the presidency issued after Morsi met US Senator

John McCain.

According to a TV clip released by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Morsi refers in a 2010 interview to “occupiers of Palestine” as “blood suckers and war mongers, and descendants of pigs and apes.”

“We must resist them with all forms of resistance. A militar y resistance in Palestine against these Zionist criminals assaulting the land of Palestine and Palestinians,” he says in the remarks to Quds Channel three years ago.

In Wednesday’s statement, Morsi “stressed his commitment to the principles he has always insisted on, including full respect for religions, freedom of faith and religious practices, especially the heavenly religions.”

Morsi also “stressed the need to differentiate between Judaism and its adherents from (those who practise) violent actions against Palestinians.” He also “stressed the importance of building a strategic relationship between Egypt and the United States based on mutual

CAIRO: In this image released by the Egyptian Presidency, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, right, meets with Republican Sen. John McCain, at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt, yesterday. — AP

respect and shared interests.”

On Tuesday, Washington condemned Morsi’s remarks and urged him to clarify his views. “The language that we’ve seen is deeply offensive,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, adding “we think that these comments should be repudiated, and they should be repudiated firmly.”

Morsi, who was a leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, came to power in June as the Arab nation’s first democratically elected president, following the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

Nuland said Washington had already raised its concerns about the television clip with Cairo, and stressed again that Congress, which has blocked part of $1 billion in extra US aid, was watching the new Egyptian leadership carefully. “ We completely reject these statements, as we do any language that espouses religious hatred. This kind of rhetoric has been used in this region for far too long,” she told journalists. “It’s counter to the goals of peace.”

“President Morsi should make clear that he respects people of all faiths and that this type of rhetoric is not acceptable or productive in a democratic Egypt,” added White House spokesman Jay Carney.

The two administration officials stressed, however, that since coming to office, Morsi had reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to the 1979 peace treaty with Israel. He had done so “in both word and deed, and has proven willing to work with us toward shared objectives, including a ceasefire during the crisis in Gaza last year,” Carney said.

Washington would judge Morsi by both what he says and what he does, Nuland added. — AFP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

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

After reassurances on Iran, Israel, Hagel wins key votes WASHINGTON: Former Republican Senator Chuck Hagel’s chances of becoming the President Barack Obama’s defense secretary received a critical boost on Tuesday when two leading Senate Democrats said they had decided to vote to confirm him. US Senator Chuck Schumer, the No 3 Democrat in the Senate, and Senator Barbara Boxer, a senior member of the Senate Foreign

Relations Committee, said Hagel had eased their concerns over Hagel’s positions on Israel, Iran and other issues.

“Based on several key assurances provided by Senator Hagel, I am currently prepared to vote for his confirmation,” Schumer said in an extensive statement.

“I encourage my Senate colleagues who have shared my previous concerns to also support him.” Critics including

Obama takes on tricky task in 2nd inauguration WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama faces a near impossible task in his second inaugural address Monday: uniting a nation in which the compromise that oils governing is crushed by deep political divides. Before a crowd of thousands and the eyes of the world on television and online, Obama will stand on the West Front of the US Capitol and swear to faithfully execute the office of president and defend the Constitution.

In a quirk of history, the 44th president will already be serving the second day of his second term, as the 20th Amendment to the US Constitution states that presidential mandates end at noon on January 20. When the date falls on a Sunday, the president is privately sworn in-as Obama will be by Chief Justice John Roberts in the Blue Room of the White House on Sundayand then repeats the ritual for posterity on January 21.

While second term inaugurations lack the majesty of a peaceful power transfer from one leader to another, some have served as important rallying points at perilous moments in US history. In spectacular prose, and in only 720 words, Abraham Lincoln pledged in his second inaugural address in 1865 with “malice toward none” to bind the wounds of a nation split by civil war and reflected on the evils of slavery. In his second inaugural address in 1937, Franklin Roosevelt rallied Americans for a fresh assault on the clinging poverty of the Great Depression, warning : “I see onethird of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished.”

While Obama may struggle to reach those heights in the 57th US inauguration, he may recall the prevailing economic panic when he took office in 2009 and style the slow return to growth as evidence of enduring national purpose. Officials have declined to preview the president’s speech, but he is expected to map the broad contours of his second term, rooted in his campaign quest to frame a more equitable economy. “I intend to carry out

the agenda that I campaigned on, an agenda for new jobs, new opportunity and new security for the middle class,” Obama said Monday.

In their seminal study of presidential rhetoric, authors Karlyn Kohrs Campbell and Kathleen Hall Jamieson identified characteristics underpinning successful inaugural addresses. First, a newly sworn-in president must unify the wider audience in order to ratify his leadership, and then seal the patriotic binding by reaffirming traditional values drawn from his nation’s past.

Then, presidents seek to lay out the principles by which they will govern and demonstrate that they accept the limitations of executive power, cloaking the whole address in ceremonial and dignified rhetoric. “Unifying the country is probably the most important requirement of an inaugural address,” said Leila Brammer, a specialist on political rhetoric at Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota. “Even if you won by a 60-40 margin, there are still 40 percent out there and you still have to make the case that you are the president of everybody.”

Obama’s task is even more acute-he beat Republican Mitt Romney by 51 percent to 48 percent of the popular vote in November’s election, and his approval ratings, averaging 53 percent, reflect a nation split down the middle.

He was also deprived of a honeymoon that might have soothed tempers after a negative election, as he was forced to wage an ugly year-end fight with Republicans over taxes and spending. Coming fiscal and budget clashes in Congress are stirring new bitterness between the parties, and casting a shadow over Obama’s second term agenda. Inaugural addresses are not the place for detailed policy prescriptions-that is the job of the State of the Union address, which Obama will deliver in the House of Representatives on February 12. But he may refer obliquely to top priorities, including economic fairness, immigration reform, energy independence and an effort to curb gun violence. —AFP

Republican legislators and conservative pro-Israel groups have sought to portray Hagel as anti-Israel and as someone who is not committed to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, accusations he strongly denies. White House staffers arranged the 90-minute meeting between Schumer, a leading JewishAmerican legislative voice, and Hagel, which took place at the White House and

was kept secret until Schumer’s announcement.

Schumer was initially offered a telephone interview with Hagel, but Schumer said he would rather meet face-to-face.

The New York Democrat called both Obama and Hagel on Tuesday morning to inform them that he was about to issue a statement announcing his support, a Democratic Senate aide said. Boxer had

held off announcing her support. On Tuesday, she said Hagel would have her vote - after they had a long conversation and he wrote her a letter spelling out his positions on Iran, Israel and the treatment of gays and women in the military. “We spoke for quite a while last week and I was very pleased with that conversation,” Boxer told reporters on a conference call from California, her home state. — Reuters

Obama unveils biggest gun-control push ever Assault weapons ban may be tough sell to Congress WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama proposed a new assault weapons ban and mandatory background checks for all gun buyers yesterday in a bid to channel national outrage over the Newtown school massacre into the biggest US gun-control push in generations. Rolling out a wide-ranging plan for executive and legislative action to curb gun violence, Obama set up a fierce clash with the powerful US gun lobby and its supporters in Congress, who are expected to resist what they see as an encroachment on constitutionally protected gun rights.

Obama presented his agenda at a White House event in front of an audience that included children from around the countr y, a poignant reminder of the 20 first-graders who were killed along with six adults by a lone gunman on Dec 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. “While reducing gun violence is a complicated challenge, protecting our children from harm shouldn’t be a divisive one,” Obama said. Until now, Obama had done little to rein in America’s weapons culture during his first four years in office. But just days before his second inauguration, he appears determined to champion gun control in his next term with a concerted drive for tighter laws and other steps aimed at preventing further tragedies like the one at Newtown.

The proposals stem from a month-long review led by Vice President Joe Biden, who on orders from Obama met with advocates on both sides, including representatives from the weapons and enter tainment industries.

Obama’s plan calls on Congress for a renewed prohibition on assault weapons sales that expired in 2004, a requirement for criminal background checks on all gun purchases, including closing a loophole for gun show sales, and a new federal gun trafficking law - long sought by big-city mayors to keep out-of-state guns off their streets.

He also announced 23 steps he intends to take immediately without congressional approval. These include improvements in the

existing system for background checks, lifting the ban on federal research into gun violence, putting more counselors and “resource officers” in schools and improved access to mental health services. The most politically contentious piece of the package is Obama’s call for a renewed ban on military-style assault weapons, a move that Republicans who control the House of Representatives are expected to oppose.

The Newtown gunman, 20-year-old Adam

Capitol Hill. The NRA, which says it has about 4 million members, took aim at Obama in a stinging TV and Internet spot, accusing him of being “just another elitist hypocrite” for accepting Secret Service protection for his two daughters but turning down the lobby group’s proposal to put armed guards in all schools.

Obama’s plan appears to tread cautiously on the question of whether violent movies and video games contribute to the gun violence,

NEW CASTLE: Customers line up at the gun counter at Duke’s Sport Shop in New Castle, Pa. — AP Lanza, used a Bushmaster AR-15 assault rifle to shoot his victims, many of them 6- and 7-yearolds, before killing himself. Underscoring the tough political fight ahead, the National Rifle Association, launching a scathing advertising campaign against Obama’s gun control effort and deployed its representatives in force on

which would open up issues of freedom of expression. A senior administration official said, however, that Obama would be asking for $10 million for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the root causes of gun violence, including any relationship to video games and media images. — Reuters

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

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

British PM gambles with risky Europe speech LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron gives a long-awaited speech in the Netherlands yesterday that could push his country towards the European exit door and put his own position at risk.

The speech in Amsterdam promises to be one of the most important by a British leader since World War II, following in the footsteps of previous premiers who have gone to the continent to deliver speeches on Europe.

Cameron is expected to set out plans to renegotiate Britain’s membership with the EU and then allow British voters to vote on the new terms in a referendum after the general election in 2015.

The Conservative leader has said that he wants Britain to remain in the European Union, which is Britain’s biggest export partner, while wresting back some powers from Brussels.

But it is a huge gamble, as a “no” vote in

any referendum on new terms could precipitate a “Brexit” from the EU, with far reaching effects for the whole of the 27-nation bloc.

Cameron defended his plans on Monday, saying that a straight in-out referendum on membership would be a “false choice” and adding: “I’m confident we will get the changes that we want.”

Yet the issue has become a huge headache for him as he tries to balance the demands of an increasingly eurosceptic Conservative party and British public with those of his European partners.

The speech was repeatedly put back over the last six months, then suddenly brought forward from January 22 after it emerged it would clash with ceremonies marking 50 years of post-war reconciliation between France and Germany.

In a further sign of trouble Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will not attend the

speech being made on his country’s soil, although he will meet Cameron for talks earlier on Friday. Cameron has tried to win allies for his position and embarked on a round of telephone calls to European leaders in the past week.

But there is likely to be little sympathy for Britain’s demands for special treatment when the bloc is still recovering from the crisis in the eurozone, of which Britain is not part.

“Let’s be honest about it: renegotiation means either a ‘Brexit’ or the end of the single market and in fact of the EU,” Belgium’s former prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, now a member of the European parliament, said Tuesday.

International allies including the United States have criticised Cameron’s plans while business leaders have warned that the uncertainty could harm Britain’s economy.

Domestically, Cameron will be walking in the

shadow of previous British prime ministers.

Winston Churchill called for a “United States of Europe” in Zurich in 1946, but Britain was not allowed to join what was then the European Economic Community until 1973. Margaret Thatcher, the “Iron Lady”, went to Bruges in 1988 to say that Britain “does not dream of some cosy, isolated existence on the fringes of the European Community” while Tony Blair spoke in Warsaw to call for enlargement of the EU. But Cameron’s strategy means he must secure the repatriation of powers if he is not to appear weak-and then after that must still win a referendum on the new terms, likely in 2018.

Failure to win the referendum would not only torpedo his own leadership but would also point Britain towards an EU exit, as voters would effectively have failed to back Cameron’s vision for Britain’s place in

Europe. Cameron’s referendum plans likely depend in any case on his ability to win an outright majority in 2015, as the Conservatives’ current coalition partners the Liberal Democrats are strongly proEurope. The Lib Dem deputy prime minister Nick Clegg-a Dutch speaker-warned on Tuesday of a “chilling effect” on the economy. Britain could not “unilaterally simply rewrite the terms of our membership” of the EU, he said.

But the biggest threat to Cameron is his own party, which tore itself apart over the issue of Europe under both Thatcher and her successor John Major. The eurosceptic Conservative right-wing fears that the fervently anti-European UK Independence Party could steal its support. The British public is also turning against the EU. A poll in December found that 56 percent of those surveyed would opt to leave. — AFP

Two dead, nine hurt after helicopter crashes in London Chopper crashes near British spy agency MI6

NAIROBI: A demonstrator wears a mask in the colors of the Kenyan flag as he stands next to mock coffins, on which are written “State Burial, Ballot Revolution”, before demonstrators carried the coffins to the Parliament and burned them, in Nairobi, Kenya yesterday. — AP

Somali Shebab ‘decide to execute’ French hostage NAIROBI: Somali Islamists said yesterday they would execute a French agent they have held since 2009, as France said the hostage was likely killed in a failed rescue attempt. French commandos on Saturday launched a raid to free the hostage, known by the pseudonym of Denis Allex, but the rescue bid failed and resulted in the death of two French soldiers.

The Al-Qaeda linked Shebab said in a statement they have “reached a unanimous decision to execute the French intelligence officer, Denis Allex.” A senior Shebab official confirmed to AFP yesterday that Allex “has been sentenced and this judgment will not be changed. As far as we are concerned this man should die.”

Neither the statement nor the official explicitly said Allex was still alive. The Shebab justified their decision by saying they wanted to avenge “the dozens of Muslim civilians senselessly killed by the French forces during the operation.”

Witnesses said eight civilians died during the operation at Bulomarer, a town south of Mogadishu still in the control of the Shebab. The group also cited “France’s increasing persecution of Muslims around the world, its oppressive anti-Islam policies at home, French military operations in ... Afghanistan and, most recently, in Mali.”

The Shebab have not provided any proof that Allex is still alive. The French army yesterday accused the Shebab of “manipulating the media” and reaffirmed that Allex is likely already dead.

“We suspect, and I believe that we are not wrong to do so, that Somalia’s Shebab are manipulating the media,” France’s Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Edouard Guillaud said on Europe 1 radio.

“We have no element since the raid indicating Denis Allex is alive. We think he is most likely dead,” he said. In the operation to free Allex, two other French soldiers were killed. The French retrieved one of the bodies. Pictures of the second soldier, presented by the Shebab as the commander of the raid, have been posted on the Islamists’ Twitter account.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Saturday that the raid, by the elite DGSE secret service, was sparked by the “intransigence of the terrorists who have refused to negotiate for three and a half years and were holding Denis Allex in inhuman conditions.”

The minister said at the weekend that a French soldier was missing, but on Monday he said it now appeared that the soldier had died. He did not indicate that he was a commander. Le Drian said 17 guerrillas were killed in the raid.

Sources in Somalia said one of the reasons the raid failed was that the rebels had received advance warning, which senior Shebab commander Sheikh Mohamed Ibrahim confirmed to AFP by telephone without giving further details.

Le Drian’s explanation was that French troops had underestimated the Islamist rebels’ strength when they launched the operation involving some 50 troops and at least five helicopters-and some help from Washington. President Barack Obama has acknowledged that US forces provided limited technical support for the operation, but said they had played no role in the fighting. Denis Allex is the longest held French hostage overseas since French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt, who had been held for more than six years by Colombian guerrillas until being rescued by Colombia’s security forces in 2008. — AFP

BELGRADE: Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic (L) shakes hands with his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic (R) during a visit to Serbian capital Belgrade yesterday. The visit is the first since relations between the two neighbours, which have gradually improved over the last 10 years, deteriorated following the May 2012 election of ultra-nationalist-turned-populist Tomislav Nikolic as Serbian president. — AFP

LONDON: A helicopter crashed into a crane and fell on a crowded street in central London during rush hour yesterday, sending black plumes of smoke into the air as it smashed to the ground.

Two people were killed and nine others injured, officials said.

The helicopter crashed just south of the River Thames near the Underground and mainline train station at Vauxhall, and near the British spy agency MI6.

Police said one person had critical injuries.

Several people were taken to a nearby hospital with “minor injuries,” London Ambulance Service said. The Ministry of Defense said it was not a military helicopter, and a British security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the press said the incident was not terror-related. The horrific scene unfolded at the height of the morning commute when thousands of pedestrians are trying to get to work.

Video on Sky News showed wreckage burning in a street, and black smoke in the area. The video from the crash scene showed a line of flaming fuel and debris. Witnesses said the helicopter hit a crane atop a 50-story residential building, the St. George Wharf Tower.

Allen Crosbie, site manager for the landscape firm Maylim company, who was working at the scene, said the explosion convinced him and others that London was being attacked. “I was 100 percent sure it was a terrorist attack,” he said.

“There was debris everywhere, a ton of black smoke. Parts of the crane, parts of the helicopter.

I heard bang, bang, bang - I presume it was the helicopter hitting the crane and then the ground. People were just panicking. Everyone thought it was a terrorist attack.”

He and everyone just ran for their lives, he said. William Belsey, 25, a landscape worker at the St. George Wharf Tower, said he heard the helicopter hit the crane. “First we heard a big

crash, looked up, that’s when we saw the helicopter coming toward us.

We heard an explosion as it hit the ground,” he said. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe said he believed the helicopter was being diverted to a nearby heliport when it crashed.

“The top of the crane was actually obscured by fog so I didn’t see the impact,” Michael Gavin told the BBC. “But I heard a bang and saw the body of the helicopter falling to the ground along with pieces of the crane and then a large

plume of smoke afterwards.”

The area, roughly 10 blocks from the major Waterloo train and Underground station, is extremely congested during the morning rush hour. Many commuters arrive at the main line stations from London’s southern suburbs and transfer to buses or trains there.

Aviation expert Chris Yates said that weather may have played a role. Investigators also would look at whether the crane had navigation lights.

“The question then becomes whether the pilot was fit,” Yates said. — AP

LONDON: A picture taken by a member of the public shows the scene of a helicopter crash in central London yesterday. Two people were killed when a helicopter hit a crane at a building site in central London during morning rush hour and plunged to the ground, engulfing several cars in flames. — AFP

Pope’s secretary makes front page of Vanity Fair ROME: Pope Benedict XVI’s dashing personal secretar y Georg Gaenswein has made the front page of the Italian edition of Vanity Fair, under the headline “being beautiful is not a sin.” “ The George Clooney of St. Peter’s is the Vatican’s number two, following his ordination as bishop,” says the magazine, which goes on sale on Thursday and charts Gaenswein’s rise up the Holy See hierarchy.

The blue-eyed 56year-old, who lives in the Vatican as one of the tiny state’s 832 residents, receives love letters from enamoured fans and has Archbishop Georg Ganswein learnt not to be distracted from his work by the endless compliments on his looks, the magazine says.

Gaenswein is not officially the Vatican’s number two-that role is held by the powerful secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. But his promotion to Prefect of the Papal Household in December means Benedict’s closest adviser wields more influence than ever.

A dapper figure in his black robes and a broad pink sash, Gaenswein has been a constant presence at the pope’s side at the Vatican and on foreign trips and his close relationship with the pontiff is said to have sparked jealousy within the Vatican walls.

“Personally, I see my role or service to the pope as being like a window.

The cleaner, the better. I have to let the sun in, and the less you see the window the better,” Gaenswein said as he received a prize a few weeks ago, according to La Repubblica newspaper.

It was Gaenswein who rooted out the whistleblower inside the Vatican last year, after he realised that the pope’s butler Paolo Gabriele was the only person who could have had access to some of the secret documents revealing intrigue within the Holy See, which were stolen and leaked to the press.

Belief that he also has the pope’s ear on key doctrinal issues has led some to speculate over whether the leaks may have been part of a power struggle between Gaenswein and Bertone.

His supporters have insisted he is too devoted to Benedict to betray his trust and spark one of the most embarrassing scandals to hit the Vatican, though Italy’s media questioned how he failed to see the theft carried out on his watch.

The son of a blacksmith, Gaenswein was ordained in 1984 and rose through the ranks to become Joseph Ratzinger’s secretary in 2003.

When Ratzinger was elected to the papacy in 2005, he kept the blondhaired monsignor by his side, propelling him into the limelight, much to the delight of the international media, instantly smitten by the pope’s dashing assistant. Those who thought he might be punished for failing to prevent the leaks were wrong: Gorgeous George, once private and reserved, is now even more powerful and visible than ever. — AFP

18 frozen human heads discovered CHICAGO: It sounded ghoulish enough: a shipment of 18 frozen human heads discovered and seized by customs officials during routine X-ray screening of cargo arriving at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. The heads were used for medical research in Italy and were being returned for cremation in Illinois. The holdup was due to a paperwork problem.

It just so happens such shipments are commonplace, and heads - quite a few of them crisscross the globe via airplane and delivery truck.

“Just last week, we transported eight heads, unembalmed, to Rush University Medical Center for an ophthalmology program,” said Paul Dudek, director of the Anatomical Gift Association of Illinois, which supplies cadavers and body parts to medical schools in the state for training students. His association sends about 450 whole cadavers to medical schools each year and also ships individual body parts, including about a dozen shipments of heads annually.

The heads are used for training in fields such as dentistry, ophthalmology and neurology, where they are used for Alzheimer’s research. They are also used to train plastic surgeons and by students learning to perform facial reconstructions on accident and trauma victims, Dudek said. Most cadavers are obtained through voluntary donation by people who designate a willingness to have their bodies benefit science upon their death, Dudek said. A much smaller proportion are the bodies of people whose families could not afford their burial and so agree to allow the state to release them for research.

The shipment to O’Hare was properly preserved, wrapped and labeled “human specimens,” said Mar y Paleologos, a spokeswoman for the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office, which took hold of the shipment on Monday for storage in its morgue

cooler while authorities continued to investigate the paperwork. With little information initially, news of the shipment’s discover y fueled headlines and raised questions about where the shipment came from, where it was headed and why. In the end, it turned out the shipment of three containers, which arrived in mid-December, was held up because of a mix-up with the paperwork and there was nothing suspicious about it or its destination.

The heads were originally sent from Illinois to a medical research facility in Rome and were returned to the Chicago area for disposal as part of the agreement for the order, Paleologos said. On Tuesday, a cremation service arrived at the Medical Examiner’s Office with paperwork for the specimens. Once federal authorities confirm the paperwork, the specimens will be turned over to the cremation service, she said.

US Customs and Border Protection could not discuss the specific case because of privacy laws, but it said shipments of human remains into the US “are not without precedent,” are lawful with the right documentation and fall within the agency’s “lowrisk” category.

Dudek said such shipments require thorough documentation, in part because the scarcity of bodies donated to science means there is a black market for them. “It does go on,” he said of the illegal trade. Besides medical schools, many corporations making medical instruments and appliances use cadavers for their training and research programs.

“We receive about 600 wholebody donations a year. I could easily place 750, 800,” he said, explaining the short supply.

Some shipments go by air, but others end up in delivery trucks just like any other package. “In fact, we sent out a shipment of brains to the University of Texas at Austin last week via UPS,” Dudek said.— AP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

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

Indian police target single women, couples out after dark MUMBAI: An anti-harassment police squad launched in a district near Mumbai is targeting single women and young couples out on the streets after dark, following a brutal gang-rape and murder in India last month.

Since the December 16 attack, 10 to 15 plainclothes policemen have been patrolling streets in Thane district, which borders Mumbai. But instead of targeting sex offenders they are fining unmarried couples out late.

“Unmarried couples and single women, who are spotted in isolated places or in corners of parks and gardens late at night, have been told not to frequent such places,” local police official Ramakant Mahire said. “When we catch them, we tell them not to frequent these places or cause nuisance in public places,” he told AFP, saying the streets were now kept empty after sunset. Mahire said the drive was launched in response to growing concerns over crime in the area and the gruesome gang-

rape and murder of a female student in New Delhi last month that sent shockwaves across India.

He said couples seen behaving inappropriately were fined 1,200 rupees ($22) and occasionally their parents were called by the police. The Times of India newspaper said yesterday that 95 people had been booked under the Bombay Police Act for “causing public nuisance” since the drive began, but Mahire would not confirm a number. “Obviously if a girl is alone

in a dark place late at night, boys may try to approach her. It’s for their safety,” he said. Thane police commissioner K.P. Raghuvanshi was unavailable to speak to AFP, but he told the Times of India the drive was meant to protect women from harassment.

“If any policeman is found to have erred in enforcement of the rules, then we will initiate corrective and punitive action against him,” he said. Mumbai’s own police commissioner Satyapal Singh has mean-

while suggested that there is a higher rate of crime against women in countries which included sex education in their curriculum, such as America.

“According to a survey, rape is more common than smoking there,” he said, while taking part in a public discussion on women’s safety on Monday, the Indian Express newspaper reported. “Countries with sex education in their curriculum only have an increased number of crimes against women.” — AFP

Suicide bombers strike spy agency in Kabul Second attack on spy agency in two months

JAMMU: Indian Border Security Force soldiers patrol along the international border fencing at Suchetgarh area, about 27 kilometers (17 miles) south of Jammu, India, yesterday. Pakistan accused Indian troops of killing one of its soldiers along the disputed Kashmir border, in the latest of a series of tit-for-tat attacks that threaten to ratchet up tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. — AP

Pakistan accuses India of ‘warmongering’ ISLAMABAD: Pakistan accused India of “warmongering” and lodged an official protest yesterday after another soldier was killed in disputed Kashmir in a flare-up that threatens to derail a fragile peace process.

Diplomats on both sides have warned against allowing a spate of deadly cross-border incidents to wreck the tentative progress that has been made since a total break in relations following the 2008 attacks on Mumbai. But tensions escalated as Pakistan reported another of its troops had been killed Tuesday in “unprovoked” firing across the militarised border, bringing the toll on both sides to five since January 6. Pakistan army’s director general of military operation telephoned his Indian counterpart Wednesday to “strongly protest” over the death, an official told AFP. Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar hit out at strident comments by Indian politicians over the incidents, and warned against “upping the ante” between the nuclear-powered neighbours.

“We see warmongering,” Khar said at the Asia Society in New York late Tuesday. “It is deeply disturbing to hear statements which are upping the ante, where one politician is competing with the other to give a more hostile statement.”

India says two of its soldiers have been killed, one beheaded, since hostilities erupted along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border in Kashmir where a ceasefire has been in place since 2003. It has demanded the return of the soldier’s head which is still missing. Pakistan, however, denies its forces are responsible for the killings and says three of its troops have now been killed in the spate of incidents.

India’s army chief Bikram Singh, who has already called on his commanders to respond “aggressively” to any Pakistani firing, made a highly-charged visit Wednesday to the home of the beheaded soldier.

“Whatever we need to do we are doing,” Singh said in brief comments to reporters outside the home in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The two countries have

fought three wars since their independence in 1947, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmir. But Khar said they had to get over their “narrative of hostility”.

“The doors to dialogue are open,” she said. “We need to meet at any level, I think we need to call each other, we need to become mature countries which know how to handle their truth.” Khar again denied Indian accusations that Pakistani forces had beheaded one of two soldiers that India says were killed on January 8. She said an inquiry had found “no evidence” of the deaths.

Her comments are likely to stoke further indignation in India, whose prime minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday condemned the beheading as “unacceptable”. “It cannot be business as usual” with Pakistan, Singh said in his first public reaction to the attack which has caused outrage in the army’s ranks.

Indian newspapers said the prime minister had highlighted a growing sense of frustration in New Delhi at Islamabad’s denial of responsibility. “Singh’s comments signalled a hardening of the government’s stand which had so far seemed to be trying to resist demands for pausing the peace process,” The Times of India said.

After the collapse in ties following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which India blamed on Pakistan-based militants, relations had been making steady progress, with talks focused on opening up trade and offering more lenient visa regimes.

But the mood has soured dramatically since the apparent tit-for-tat exchanges along the militarised border. On Tuesday, India was meant to begin allowing Pakistanis over the age of 65 to obtain a visa on arrival at the border in Punjab.

However the programme was put on hold indefinitely hours after Indian officials said it had come into force, although the delay was attributed to “technical” reasons.

Nine Pakistani players were also withdrawn from a new field hockey league in India and asked to return home just before Singh’s comments. — AFP

ICJ urges Sri Lanka to reinstate ex-chief justice COLOMBO: The International Commission of Jurists has condemned the appointment of a trusted aide of Sri Lanka’s president as the country’s chief justice and urged the government to reinstate the former top judge who was fired after a highly criticized impeachment process.

The group denounced the appointment of Mohan Peiris, a retired attorney general and a legal adviser to the Cabinet, as chief justice, saying it “raises serious concerns about the future of the rule of law and accountability” and “a further assault on the independence of the judiciary.” Peiris was sworn in before President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday, two days after Shirani Bandaranayake was dismissed as chief justice after a parliamentary committee found her guilty of having unexplained wealth and misuse of power.

Bandaranayake denied the charges and accused the tribunal of not giving her a fair hearing. Courts have ruled in her favor, but the president and Parliament ignored the rulings.

“Mohan Peiris’ appointment as the new chief justice, after a politically compromised and procedurally flawed impeachment, adds serious insult to the gross injury already inflicted on Sri Lanka’s long suffering judiciary,” Sam Zarifi, ICJ’s Asia director, said in a statement on group’s web site. He said during Peiris’ tenure as attorney general and the government’s top legal adviser, he “consistently blocked efforts to hold the government responsible for serious human rights violations and disregarded international law and standards.”

Rajapaksa’s critics say appointing a confidante to the post of chief justice gives him control over the judiciary as well as Parliament, where more than two-thirds of the 225 members support him. Peiris has been prominent in

defending Rajapaksa’s government from allegations of human rights violations and enforced disappearances.

The critics say replacing the chief justice is part of an effort to consolidate the government’s power in the hands of the president’s family. Rajapaksa’s older brother is the parliamentary speaker, and two of his younger brothers hold the powerful positions of economic development minister and defense secretary. Rajapaksa’s eldest son is a lawmaker.

Many prominent lawyers in Sri Lanka have already said they still recognize Bandaranayake as the chief justice and have written to senior judges urging them not to recognize a new appointee.

On Tuesday, a local political think tank, the Center for Policy Alternatives, and its executive director filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging Peiris’ appointment. Bandaranayake said in a statement Tuesday that she was still the legitimate chief justice of Sri Lanka, but that she decided to leave her official residence and office fearing violence.

The impeachment has also drawn international criticism. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the impeachment “appeared to be highly politicized and lacking transparency,” adding Canada would continue to raise its concerns directly with Sri Lanka and through resolutions at the United Nations and the Commonwealth.

Media in Canada have raised the possibility of Canada boycotting this year’s Commonwealth leaders’ meeting to be held in Sri Lanka, citing concerns about Colombo’s commitment to human rights and democracy since the country’s long civil war ended in 2009. — AP

KABUL: Six militants wearing suicide vests including one driving a car packed with explosives - attacked the gate of the Afghan intelligence in Kabul yesterday, setting off a blast that reportedly caused several deaths and wounded at least 30 civilians, officials said.

Taleban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message sent to The Associated Press. A highranking official with the intelligence agency, called the National Directorate of Security, said there were deaths from the attack but did not say how many. He declined to give his name because he was not an official spokesman.

Kabul police said the first attacker detonated his bomb at the front gate of the NDS compound and the other five, all wearing bombs strapped to their chests, piled out of a mini-van and tried to storm the gate. All were killed, a police statement said, adding that the van was also loaded with explosives, which did not detonate and was later defused by police, the statement said. The explosion occurred about noon local time and was followed by volleys of gunfire for the next 30 minutes. Mohammad Zahir, the chief of the Kabul police investigation unit, said at least 30 people were wounded, but he did not have information on any deaths.

An Associated Press reporter at the scene saw at least 10 wounded people being taken away in ambulances. Reporters could see the mangled wrecks of at least seven cars that had been caught up in the explosion. The windows of nearby shops were blown out and glass shards littered the street two blocks away.

A heavy snow started to fall as uniformed NDS agents cordoned off the area around the blown-up gate. The blast walls at the entrance were blackened from the explosion and metal pieces - apparently the remains of the entrance gate - were twisted and strewn about.

The entire NDS compound is surrounded by tall, thick cement walls designed to protect buildings from bomb blasts. An eyewitness who was wounded by flying glass, Mohammad Zia,

said he saw a car drive up to the NDS gate and blow up. It was the second attack aimed at the intelligence agency in two months. On Dec. 6, a Taleban suicide bomber posing as a messenger of peace blew himself up while meeting with

perimeter of armed guards and blast walls that surround government buildings and embassies.

The most recent attack in Kabul was on Dec. 17, when a car bomber struck outside a compound used by a US military contractor. That blast killed

KABUL: Afghan firefighters clean the road near the scene following a militant attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday. Six militants wearing suicide vests including one driving a car packed with explosives attacked the gate of the Afghan intelligence in Kabul yetserday, setting off a blast that reportedly caused several deaths and wounded at least 30 civilians, officials said. — AP agency chief Asadullah Khalid inside a Kabul res- at least two Afghan workers and wounded more idence used for receiving guests. The attack seri- than a dozen people.

A spokesman for the international military ously wounded Khalid and he has since then coalition in Afghanistan confirmed an explosion been hospitalized in the United States.

Attacks in the heavily secured Afghan capital and small arms fire yesterday but did not proare less common than in the country’s restive vide further details. Maj. Martyn Crighton said south, but they do occur and are often more that Afghan forces were responding to the sophisticated. For example, they often include attack and there was no involvement from the multiple attackers trying to penetrate past the NATO military coalition. — AP

Pakistan cleric urges politicians to join protest ISLAMABAD: A populist cleric yesterday urged Pakistani politicians to join tens of thousands taking part in the largest protest in Islamabad for years, ratcheting up the pressure on the government to step down. In a threeand-a-half hour speech delivered from behind bulletproof glass, Tahir-ul Qadri urged his followers to remain steadfast, despite the winter cold, in their demands for key reforms and clean elections.

He welcomed a Supreme Court order to arrest the prime minister over alleged corruption but gave no indication how long he would prolong the protest outside parliament, which has brought the city’s main commercial avenue to a standstill.

“Keep sitting, don’t move. Be steadfast. Your destiny is closer. There will soon be a decision in your favour,” Qadri shouted in a third fiery speech since reaching Islamabad after a 38-hour “march” from the eastern city of Lahore.

“It is now or never.”

Security officials estimated the crowd numbered at least 25,000, which would make it the largest political protest in the capital since the government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was elected in 2008.

The rally comes as Pakistan struggles with a weak economy, a bloody Islamist insurgency, rising sectarian violence, a sinking rupee and as fledgling peace gains with India look in jeopardy following a spate of crossborder shootings. A general election is due to be held by mid-May, but Qadri wants parliament dissolved now and a caretaker government set up in consultation with the military and the judiciary, to implement key reforms first.

But his sudden-and apparently well-financed-emergence after years in Canada has been criticised as a ploy by the establishment, particularly the armed forces, to delay the elections and sow political chaos.

If it goes ahead as scheduled, the ballot will mark the first democratic transfer of power between two elected civilian governments in the history of Pakistan, where the military have staged three coups and ruled for decades. Qadri denies wanting to delay the poll, but is calling for a new, independent election commission and screening to ban corrupt candidates.

The cleric, who as a dual Canadian-Pakistani national is not eligible for office, called on opposition politician Imran Khan and other parties to join him.

“I invite Imran Khan to come and join us. He also wants change... I also invite other parties, those who are not siding us,” he said.

Khan, a former cricketer who leads the Pakistan Movement for Justice party but has no seat in parliament, has called on President Asif Ali Zardari to resign and for the government to set a date for elections.

So far, other political parties have backed the government over Qadri, favouring parliament to remain in place until the government’s mandate expires in midMarch. But Tuesday’s order to arrest Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf sparked rumours of a judicial-military conspiracy to force the government out. Commentators say there is no imminent sign that the prime minister will be arrested and that he can remain in office until and unless he is convicted. The Supreme Court has been at loggerheads for years with the government, and last June Ashraf’s predecessor was thrown out of office after the court found him guilty of contempt. — AFP

Pakistanis protest killing of 18 in village raid PESHAWAR: Hundreds of villagers from northwest Pakistan protested Wednesday the killing of 18 of their relatives in an overnight raid that they blamed on security forces, displaying the bodies of the victims in the provincial capital.

The Pakistan military has been waging a campaign against militants in tribal areas such as the Khyber Agency, where these deaths occurred late Tuesday, and according to human rights groups and residents sometimes commit rights abuses.

About 3,000 people gathered Wednesday outside the house of the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Peshawar. They said gunmen wearing military uniforms stormed homes in their area and shot villagers dead.

Shabir Ahmed, a soldier from the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary, said his four brothers and father were present at their home when uniformed gunmen stormed his house, opened fire and killed them.

“I want to know who killed my brothers and father and why?” he said, demanding justice. But an official with the Frontier Constabulary, which operates in the area,

said the villagers had been killed by militants. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Human rights groups have accused the Pakistani military of widespread human rights abuses in their counter-insurgency campaign in the tribal areas.

In a December report, Amnesty International accused the Pakistani military of regularly holding people without charges and torturing or otherwise mistreating them in custody. The Londonbased group said in the report that some detainees do not survive and are returned to their families dead, or their corpses are dumped in remote parts of the tribal region.

The military rejected the allegations and in a statement called the report “a pack of lies.” Amnesty also criticized the Taleban for a range of rights abuses, including the killing of captured soldiers and innocent civilians.

The militants have carried out scores of attacks around the country that have killed thousands of people. — AP

PESHAWAR: Pakistani villagers from the northwest gather around the dead bodies of their relatives during a protest in provincial capital Peshawar yesterday.

Demonstrators said gunmen wearing military uniforms stormed homes in Bara Tehsil in Khyber Agency, some 30 kilometers from Peshawar and shot 18 villagers dead in an overnight raid. — AFP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

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

Thailand grants access to presumed Rohingya BANGKOK: The UN’s refugee agency said yesterday it had received permission from Thailand to visit about 850 people, many thought to be from Myanmar’s Rohingya minority, held after raids on camps in the Thai south.

Hundreds of migrants have been arrested in the past week in police sweeps of remote areas in rubber plantations near the border with Malaysia, leading the UNHCR to try to confirm whether any of them plan to seek asylum.

“The Thai authorities have agreed in

principle to give us access to this group,” Vivian Tan, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office, told AFP. “There are likely to be Rohingya among them, but we can’t confirm their identity without us first talking to them and doing a preliminary assessment.”

She said no date had been agreed yet but the UN was pushing to do the inter views as soon as possible.

Thousands of Muslim-minority Rohingya have fled communal unrest in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine,

heading to Thailand and other countries.

Clashes between Buddhists and Muslims have left at least 180 people dead in the state since June, and displaced more than 110,000 others, mostly Rohingya.

Lieutenant General Paradorn Pattanatabut, secretar y general of Thailand’s National Security Council, confirmed that the government would allow UNHCR access.

“Police are focused on illegal entry, illegal detention and the sheltering of

illegal immigrants,” he said.

He said 160 minors under the age of 18 have been separated from the group and put into special facilities, with adults detained at two immigration centres and four police stations in the southern province of Songkhla.

Myanmar views the roughly 800,000 Rohingya in Rakhine as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship. The UN, which has called the Rohingya one of the world’s most persecuted peoples, has urged Myanmar’s neighbours to open their

borders to people escaping the communal violence.

Although tensions have eased since a fresh outbreak of killings in Rakhine in October, concerns have grown about the fate of asylum-seekers setting sail in overcrowded boats.

Thailand has faced pressure from rights groups to do more to help Rohingya migrants who reach its territory. The country has been accused of pushing them into neighbouring countries including Malaysia, which offers them sanctuary. — AFP

Japan, Vietnam to cooperate on regional challenges Pledge to play a more active role in peace

JAKAETA: People ride a man pulled cart through a flooded street in Jakarta yesterday. Floodwaters have inundated 52 subdistricts in Jakarta, claiming one life and displacing some 6,000 residents, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). — AFP

Floods force thousands to flee in Indonesia JAKARTA: Monsoon rains and rising rivers have forced thousands of people to flee their flooded homes in Indonesia’s capital.

Jakarta’s disaster management agency said on its website yesterday that 10,825 people were in temporary shelters after fleeing flooding up to 3 meters (10 feet) high in several places. In western Jakarta, a 13-year-old boy was killed after being swept away by a flooded river.

Media reports said floods inundated rice fields and roads in central Java and Indonesia’s part of Borneo. Deaths from flooding and landslides are common during annual monsoons in Indonesia. Last week, flooding cut off a toll road in the neighboring province of Banten for days, killing at least four people and causing a 12-kilometer (7 1/2-mile) traffic jam along a major highway for two days. — AP

Fiji imposes restrictions on political parties SUVA: Fiji’s ruling military yesterday unveiled a raft of restrictions on political parties, in a move condemned by Australia as the Pacific nation heads towards elections planned for 2014.

The government, which seized power in a 2006 coup, said trade union executives would be banned from founding political parties, along with other occupations deemed to be “public officials”.

The membership threshold for registering a political party had also been lifted 40-fold from 128 to 5,000, Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said.

Sayed-Khaiyum said Fiji’s 16 existing political parties would have 28 days to re-register from Friday and must meet all criteria set out

by the government. “If you hold yourself out to be a political party and you are not registered under the decree then you commit an offence,” he told the Fiji Times.

The moves comes less than a week after the government scrapped a draft constitution prepared by an academic panel and said it was instead writing its own version, a move criticised this week by United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon.

Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the conditions imposed on political parties were “onerous” and unjustified. “This restriction on the nature of political parties, however, cannot be justified. Vibrant political parties are a vital part of a democracy,” Carr said in a statement. —AFP

SEOUL: South Korean President-elect Park Geun-hye, right, shakes hands with US Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell before their meeting at Park’s office in Seoul, South Korea, yesterday. — AP

US warns N Korea against nuke test SEOUL: The top US diplomat for East Asian affairs warned North Korea yesterday against any “provocative” act, as concerns grow that Pyongyang might be preparing a nuclear test.

“We are very clear in our position that provocative steps are to be discouraged,” Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told reporters in Seoul when asked about the nuclear test speculation. Campbell was in Seoul to meet with top officials, including president-elect Park Geun-Hye. The impoverished but nuclear-armed North successfully staged a long-range rocket launch in December, sparking global security concerns and drawing UN condemnation and calls from the US and its allies for tougher sanctions.

Pyongyang said the launch was a purely scientific mission aimed at placing a polarorbiting earth observation satellite in space.

Most of the world saw it as a disguised ballistic missile test that violated UN resolutions imposed after the North’s nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.

Both of those tests came after long-range missile launches. The US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, citing satellite imagery analysis, said late last month the North was capable of carrying out a nuclear test at two weeks’ notice after repairing dam-

age to its test facility.

Campbell said “intense deliberations” were under way at the UN Security Council on how to punish Pyongyang for last month’s rocket launch. “ We anticipate formal steps in the Security Council in the immediate future,” he said, stressing Washington was in “very detailed conversations” with key players such as Russia and the North’s sole major ally China.

Beijing is resisting any significant tightening of sanctions already in place against Pyongyang. In a briefing with journalists yesterday, a South Korean government security expert said North Korea’s next nuclear test could see a uranium device used for the first time, rather than plutonium as was the case in 2006 and 2009.

“It needs to spare plutonium obtained from earlier reprocessing of spent fuel rods, while a uranium enrichment programme is sustainable for continuous testing,” the expert said. “Such tests are essential for North Korea to miniaturise nuclear weapons to fit them onto missiles,” the expert added.

Estimates on how far North Korea has progressed with its uranium enrichment programme vary widely, and some question whether it has succeeded in producing any weapons-grade uranium. — AFP

HANOI: Vietnam and Japan must “play a more active role” in maintaining regional peace and security, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said yesterday, in the face of growing maritime tensions with China.

The two countries, both locked in separate bitter disputes with Beijing over contested islands in the resource-rich South China Sea, said they would work towards closer cooperation after talks in Hanoi yesterday.

Citing “challenging developments” in the Asia-Pacific, Abe-on his first overseas trip since winning power-said the two countries should deepen their relationship. They “should increase political and security dialogues and work together,” Abe told reporters through a translator after closed-door talks with his Vietnamese counterpart.

The countries have “agreed to promote a strategic partnership (and) play a more active role in peace and security in the region”, he added. Abe, who scored a handsome election win last month after talking tough on a territorial dispute with China, met Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and other top officials.

He will spend less than 24 hours in the communist state before heading to Thailand and Indonesia in an attempt to bolster relations with the vibrant economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc.

Dung told a joint press briefing the two countries wanted all regional disputes to be resolved “through peaceful negotiations on the basis of international law”.

He did not elaborate. The two nations are major trade partners and Japan is Vietnam’s largest aid donor.

Political and security ties are also growing as Japan seeks to shore up regional relationships as a counterweight to an increasingly confident China. Japan and China are locked in a bitter battle over the sovereignty of the Tokyo-con-

trolled Senkaku islands, which Beijing calls the Diaoyus. Vietnam and China have competing claims to the Paracel and Spratley Islands, and regularly trade diplomatic barbs over sovereignty and fishing rights in the contested waters around the archipelagos.

China is also involved in an acrimonious territorial dispute with the Philippines over parts of

the South China Sea. Abe and Dung also announced a new $500 million pledge of aid Wednesday, without specifying what it was for.

Last year Japan became the largest single foreign investor in Vietnam, with major investments in banking, export-orientated manufacturing and consumer goods as Japanese companies eye the rapidly-expanding middle class.— AFP

HANOI: Visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung (R) leave a meeting room in Hanoi yesterday. Abe is here for a one-day official visit, the first leg of a Southeast Asian trip which will lead him also to Indonesia and Thailand. — AFP

Biden becomes Obama’s go-to-guy WASHINGTON: Garrulous, gaffe-prone and great at glad-handing, Vice President Joe Biden has become something else to this White House as his boss embarks on a legacy-building second term: essential. The first shout-out of President Barack Obama’s victory speech in November went to the man he termed “America’s happy warrior” and since then Biden has been everywhere. When talks to avert the fiscal cliff were in danger of collapsing, it was Biden to whom Obama turned to get things back on track. When tragedy struck in Newtown, Connecticut and 20 young lives were ended in a hail of bullets from a maniac’s gun, it was again the avuncular vice president who was tasked with drawing up the response.

Biden’s star is rising anew and commentators who once sniffed and smiled when he spoke of running for president in 2016 have now been given pause. At 70, a successful tilt for the White House in three years time is still a long-shot but there is certainly a spring in Joe’s step and he is increasingly becoming Obama’s go-to-guy in times of crisis. In one important way, Biden is a perfect foil for the president. Where Obama has been criticized for remaining aloof from the backroom-dealing of Washington politics, his deputy appears to relish getting his hands dirty, flashing his pearly whites and forging unlikely alliances. Biden’s verbosity has landed him in trouble in the past.

His statement in support of same-sex marriage last May was seen as forcing Obama’s hand even before he was ready to make his views known. A remark during the campaign that the middle class had been “buried” for the past four years was pounced upon by Mitt Romney’s team as evidence of the president’s failed economic policies. But when Obama needed him most, after being trounced by Romney in the opening presidential debate, Biden was right on cue. He was all fire and passion where Obama had been passive and listless, and his fierce defense of the president’s record in a combative face-to-face with Romney running mate Paul Ryan set the tone for the ticket’s winning comeback.

When Biden accompanied Obama into the White House in 2008, he brought with him a wealth of experience from Capitol Hill and the world stage. Known as much for his personal warmth as for his memorable public gaffes, Biden had spent 36 years in the Senate, representing the tiny state of Delaware, before Obama made him vice president. Having once referred to his predecessor Dick Cheney as the most dangerous vice president in US history, Biden maintained his role at the White House should be defined by strict constitutional limits.

He has not been an echo chamber for the president, however. The two differed over Afghanistan at the front end of Obama’s first term, with Biden opposing a 30,000-troop “surge” in American boots on the ground. Biden grew up in an IrishCatholic family, far from financially privileged, in the town of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and studied at the University of Delaware and the Syracuse University law school. In the 2008 campaign, his down-to-earth style and appeal to traditional grassroots Democrats gave him an edge in connecting with working-class voters who were initially wary of Obama and his unusual background.

The young Biden moved to Delaware at age 10 when his father relocated in search of employment. Growing up, he was hampered by a stutter so bad he was cruelly nicknamed “Dash.”

In adulthood, he developed a natty dress style and dazzling high-definition smile, but as a child in Scranton he sometimes had to walk barefoot as his family struggled to make ends meet.

He was first elected to the Senate in 1972, when he was just 29 years old. Shorty afterwards, he lost his wife and baby daughter in a Yuletide car crash that also left his two young sons badly injured. Biden took his Senate oath of office at the boys’ hospital bedside, then for many years commuted daily to Washington from Delaware so he could be home each night with them and, from 1977, his second wife Jill Biden. —AFP

SINGAPORE: Supporters of the Workers’ Party hold posters of their party’s candidate Lee Li Lian at the nomination center in Singapore yesterday.

Singapore’s ruling party, struggling to reverse a sharp drop in popularity, received a boost yestreday when the divided opposition fielded three candidates for a by-election. — AFP

Rape remarks by judge cause uproar JAKARTA: A senior Indonesian judge who joked that rapists should evade capital punishment because victims enjoyed the act triggered outrage and calls for his dismissal yesterday.

Daming Sunusi-a High Court judge running for a Supreme Court positionmade the remarks during a fit-andproper test, when parliament asked whether the country should introduce the death penalty for rapists.

“The one raped and the rapist both enjoy it, so (we would) need to think about the death sentence,” Kompas daily quoted him as saying.

Sunusi apologised for making the statement, saying he was trying to lighten the mood of the tense interview. “I’ve said something that no man should ever say, especially a Supreme Court candidate,” he said on national TV. His comments have caused uproar among lawmakers and rights groups, who have called for Sunusi to be sacked. “The comments were inelegant, inappropriate and unbecoming of a judge and a Supreme Court hopeful,”

lawmaker Sarifuddin Suding told AFP. Commission for Child Protection chairman Arist Merdeka Sirait said Sunusi’s comments were “insolent” and reflected the view from various segments of society that sexual violence is a norm.

“It is disturbing that a judge, whose role is to protect the legal rights of women and children, could say something so audacious and consider it as a joke. He should be sacked,” Sirait said.

Online petitions to parliament to reject his nomination for the Supreme Cour t have been circulating, one attracting 4,000 signatures overnight.

The Judicial Commission, which monitors judges’ conduct and professionalism, said it has questioned Sunusi and would decide on sanctions later this month, ranging from a warning to his dismissal.

The National Commission on Violence Against Women recorded 4,845 rape cases between 1998 and 2010, but rights activist Andy Yentriyani said many perpetrators got light sentences or escaped punishment.— AFP

NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

Islamists seize hostages in Algeria gas...

Continued from Page 1

“Different armed groups have caused havoc and human suffering through a range of alleged acts of extreme violence,” chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement. “I have determined that some of these deeds of brutality and destruction may constitute war crimes.”

As offers of non-military support for the Mali assault continued to pour in - with Germany pledging two transport planes and Italy logistical support - Ivory Coast’s leader Alassane Ouattara urged all European partners to “mobilise”. Both Paris and Islamist experts warn the Islamists are better armed and trained than expected and the battle is likely to be drawn-out and complex. The rebels have fled many of their northern strongholds since the French army launched its assault.

But they claim their retreat was merely tactical.

A first contingent of 190 Nigerian troops was due in Bamako as part of a regional force of over 3,000 soldiers from Benin, Ghana, Niger, Senegal, Burkina Faso and Togo. France says its troops will triple from 800 at present to 2,500 men, and are pitted against some 1,300 Islamic fighters. Mali has been effectively split in two since April 2012, when Islamists took advantage of a short-lived coup in Bamako and an offensive launched

by Tuareg separatists in the north to seize half of the country.

Western countries had voiced fears the vast desert zone could become Al-Qaeda’s leading global safe haven and be used to launch attacks on targets in Europe. France launched its campaign after the Islamists last week advanced into the government-held centre and vowed to push further south. The UN and aid agencies have voiced fears for civilians caught up in the conflict, as 144,500 refugees have fled to neighbouring Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Algeria and another 230,000 were internally displaced. -— Agencies

Syrian rebels from the Abu Baker brigade launch a missile yesterday near Albab, 30 km from the northeastern Syrian city of Aleppo. — AFP

The gas field, jointly operated by British oil giant BP, Norway’s Statoil and state-run Algerian energy firm Sonatrach, is located 1,300 kilometres (810 miles) southeast of Algiers, close to the Libyan border.

In Washington, the White House said it was closely monitoring developments. “We are ... in touch with the Algerians and our other partners in the region,” National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor told AFP. He did not confirm that Americans were among the hostages. An Algerian lawmaker said one French national and four Japanese were taken hostage. The Irish foreign ministry said a man from Northern Ireland was also among the hostages. A Norwegian man was also reported seized. French President Francois Hollande however said it was unclear whether any French were being held.

Yesterday’s ground battle in Mali was taking place in Diabaly, a town seized two days earlier by fighters led

by Algerian Abou Zeid, one of the leaders of AQIM. “The special forces are currently in Diabaly, in close-quarter combat with the Islamists. The Malian army is also in place,” a Malian security source said on condition of anonymity. The French military said it had secured a strategic bridge on the Niger river near the town of Markala, south of Diabaly, blocking a key route to Bamako. French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the western zone where Diabaly lies was home to “the toughest, most fanatical and best-organised groups. It’s under way there but it’s difficult”.

A Malian army source said the Islamists had enrolled child soldiers and were using the population as a shield.

The Hague-based International Criminal Court said it had launched a war crimes probe targeting the rebels.

Japan airlines ground Dreamliners

HIV is turned against itself in AIDS ‘cure’

Continued from Page 1 The Dreamliner is seen as an aviation milestone with its use of lightweight composite materials and electronics, instead of aluminium and hydraulics, and airlines have embraced the plane at a time of high fuel costs.

But a week of mishaps leading up to the forced landing in Japan has generated unwelcome headlines for Boeing - which says it has “complete confidence” in the plane and is pledging to work with its customers and regulatory agencies. Along with fuel leaks and a cracked cockpit window involving the 787 over recent days, there was a battery fire and smoke on an empty JALoperated Dreamliner on the ground in the US city of Boston last week.

JAL said that involved the battery used for the Dreamliner’s auxiliary power unit, located at the rear of the plane. Yesterday’s incident involved the forward battery for the main power unit, ANA said. “After examining the fuselage, we confirmed that inside the forward electrical equipment bay the main battery has been discoloured and the electrolyte solution has leaked,” it said in a press release. “We’ve only been using these aircraft for a year and we don’t have enough information about the cause. That’s why we decided to stop using these planes for the moment,” ANA vice president Osamu Watanabe told a news conference.

Both the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and

Japan’s transport ministry broadened existing probes into the Dreamliner to encompass the latest incident.

Authorities in India said they were starting their own investigation. Shukor Yusof, aviation analyst with Standard and Poor’s Equity Research in Singapore, said Boeing would suffer a “huge” blow if the FAA orders structural changes to the Dreamliner, “but we are nowhere near that stage”. Noting teething troubles with Airbus’s A380 superjumbo, he said technical glitches were not unusual with new planes. But Yusof described the problems as “very embarrassing” for Boeing and said: “This is an aircraft that was delayed for nearly three years, so potential customers will naturally question the safety part of the aircraft.”

Despite the grounding, ANA said it stood by billions of dollars committed to future 787 orders. The Dreamliner also received backing from other carriers that have bet big on the project, with British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Australia’s Qantas and Korean Air all affirming pending orders. Public confidence in the Dreamliner may have been dented, however, after production setbacks among Boeing’s large array of subcontractors - many of them Japanese - delayed delivery of the first plane to ANA by three years to 2011. “This morning, I heard the news and I got a bit scared. I checked that my flight wasn’t on a Boeing 787,” said Tomohiko Maruyama, who was waiting to board his ANA flight at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. — AFP

Continued from Page 1 Creating a drug would be challenging, he said, as it would require introducing “designed” information into the genes of people to be treated. “The immune cells of the blood are the primary cells which are infected by HIV and if you want to have a cure with this new protein, you need to... get every immune cell to make this protein,” he explained. This would require gene therapy - a complicated, rare, potentially dangerous and very expensive option. “They (the Australian researchers) have partly addressed that question. They have partly tested that (gene therapy), but not really in patients or in infected people, only in the lab.”

Harrich said Nullbasic held promise for curbing the spread of the virus as well as for treating people who already have AIDS, and described it as “fighting fire with fire”. “The virus might infect a cell but it wouldn’t spread,” he said. “You would still be infected with HIV, it’s not a cure for the virus, but the virus would stay latent, it wouldn’t wake up, so it wouldn’t develop into AIDS. “With a treatment like this, you would maintain a healthy immune system.” An HIV-infected person is said to have AIDS when their count of CD4 immune system cells drops below 200 per microlitre of blood or they develop any one of 22 opportunistic infections like cancer or tuberculosis as a result.

Most people infected with HIV, if left untreated, would develop AIDS about 10 to 15 years later, according to the UN. Antiretroviral treatments can prolong this window period. The new Nullbasic therapy, if proven, could see the spread of HIV halted indefinitely, bringing an end to the deadly condition, said Harrich. Using a treatment based on a single protein could spell an end to onerous multiple drug regimes for HIV patients, meaning a better quality of life and lower costs. Animal trials are due to start this year.

Even if all goes according to plan, said Wegmann, a Nullbasic-based treatment was probably about 10 years off. “There are many other potential strategies towards a cure, but so far nothing works and it’s not clear whether anything will ever work,” he said. “One really has to wait for results of animal studies and clinical trials to really judge this.” UN figures show the number of people infected with HIV worldwide rose to 34 million in 2011 from 33.5 million in 2010. The vast majority (23.5 million) live in sub-Saharan Africa, with another 4.2 million in South and Southeast Asia.

There were 1.7 million AIDS-related deaths worldwide in 2011 - 24 percent fewer than in 2005 and nearly six percent below the 2010 level. New HIV infections have at least halved in 25 low and middle income countries over the past decade. The UN said in November that achieving zero new infections in children appeared increasingly possible. — AFP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

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Issues

Mali war shows France is Africa’s reluctant gendarme

By Rory Mulholland and Catherine Rama

D

espite sending warplanes and soldiers to fight Islamists in the Sahara, President Francois Hollande has largely kept his promise to shun the shady system that saw France dictate politics in former African colonies, analysts said.

But the Mali conflict shows that the Socialist leader must accept that France is destined to play gendarme in Africa, they noted.

Hollande made his vow in a speech to Senegal’s parliament in October, saying “francafrique”, the murky system France used to maintain political and business interests in the colonies it gave up in the 1960s, was dead and buried.

On Tuesday he insisted his decision to send hundreds of troops to Mali - to battle Islamists poised to seize control of the entire country and install a Taleban-like regime - had “nothing to do with the policies of another era”. The intervention that began Friday was of a very different nature to previous French military ventures in Africa, said Paul Melly of the Chatham House thinktank in London. “You can’t say it is like the old-style ‘francafrique’ because that was France getting involved in decisions about overthrowing African governments or changing presidents or keeping allied regimes in place,” he said.

In Mali, “what we’ve got is a normal interaction between sovereign governments”, with the former colony asking Paris to provide support for its ramshackle army in the fight against the AlQaeda-linked extremists. “I think that what you might call the face-value explanation given by the French government, that if the French had not intervened then the jihadists would probably have taken over southern Mali, including (the capital) Bamako, seems entirely plausible,” he said. And that would have been a threat to all of West Africa, Melly noted.

France, whose colonial empire was the second largest in the world after Britain’s and spanned much of west and central Africa, has thousands of troops stationed in Africa and maintains three major military bases in Djibouti, Senegal and Gabon. Its soldiers have frequently intervened on the continent in the post-colonial era, sometimes to sway an African state’s internal politics under the “francafrique” system put in place by president Charles de Gaulle.

An uprising in the Central African Republic provided an opportunity last month to test Hollande’s resolve to break with past practices, said Antoine Glaser, a writer on African affairs.

Despite pleas from the country’s president who was worried that rapidly advancing rebels were about to capture the capital, he conspicuously refused to let French troops stationed there be used to prop up the regime. In stark contrast, Glaser said, Hollande made a snap decision to deploy major military force in Mali. “When it is a question of international security, such as the battle against terrorism, then obviously it is France that will be on the front line” in much of Africa, he said.

Richard Banegas, a historian and Africa specialist, said the Mali crisis gave France the chance to face up to the fact that it was a country “that has a foreign policy which can include military engagement if our interests are at stake, which does not mean that this is a recolonisation of the continent”. “Africa for the Africans is not operational (in the case of Mali) because the problem is not African, it is global, it is regional and it concerns the interests of France in the sub-region and on its own soil,” he said.

West African states had been preparing a United Nationsapproved force to intervene in Mali to oust the Islamists, who had seized the north after a coup last March. But they were dithering and after a swift Islamist advance towards the capital, France decided to send in its own force to hold back the rebels until the African troops were in place. France’s foreign minister recently rejected the suggestion that France was obliged to be Africa’s gendarme. But given its military presence and its historic links with the continent, this is the role it will likely have to play, said analysts. “It would be very difficult for France not to be involved in conflicts on the continent,” said Glaser.

Melly of Chatham House said that in the case of Mali, Hollande had little choice. “If having made those commitments to support reform and economic development and the progress of a modern democratic Africa, if France had then done nothing (in Mali)... that would have been a betrayal of what Hollande was saying,” he said. But he noted that as the president has only been in power a few months, it is still too soon to say whether he can keep his promise on “francafrique”.

His predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy also promised to break with the ‘francafrique’ networks of his predecessors. In his five years in power he used French troops to help install the democratically elected president in Ivory Coast and spearheaded the international intervention in Libya in 2011. Critics point out that France under Hollande still has close ties with African states, such as Gabon, Cameroon, Congo and Chad, whose governments have poor human rights records. “If there is a domestic political problem in these countries France will not of course intervene like it might have in the past, but at the same time it doesn’t want to offend these presidents” because of its economic or military

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

The editor reserves the right to edit any submission as necessary.

Mali’s Islamist groups united by war threat

By David Lewis

A

powerful southern offensive by Islamists in Mali last week, halted only by French air strikes, showed that a loose alliance of rebels from Al-Qaeda’s North African wing and local groups has been united by the threat of foreign intervention. When the coalition of Islamists swept across northern Mali last year, massacring army troops and carving up the vast desert zone, ties between Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and local groups Ansar Dine and MUJWA had looked opportunistic, and regional mediators believed they could prise them apart.

Some fighters imposed strict Islamic law and recruited foreigners and locals hungry for jihad, others framed the conflict around local Malian tribal politics and religion, while criminal networks smuggling drugs and contraband joined the fray, earning them the title “gangster jihadists”. With Mali’s army crippled by political divisions and a series of defeats to rebels that led to a March coup, West African mediators tried to divide the rebels by offering talks to local Islamists while excluding foreigners, extremists and criminals.

UN backing in December for an African-led intervention due later this year changed the picture. “People in the north don’t have any choice now but to stand together,” said Algabass Ag Intallah, a senior member of Ansar Dine, a group that only last month had committed to peace talks with Mali’s government. “This is an aggression. We all have to defend ourselves.” “Al-Qaeda helped us, but we are the ones who are leading,” he added. Residents in the north-eastern Malian town of Gao, MUJWA’s stronghold, confirmed pick-up trucks carrying its turbaned fighters had also joined the rebel offensive.

The seizure by Islamists of the northern two-

thirds of Mali, for decades one of West Africa’s most stable democracies, sowed fears that its desert dunes and craggy mountain ranges could become a base for terrorist attacks on Europe. Yet as Islamists severed limbs, silenced music and smashed traditional Sufi shrines in the ancient caravan town of Timbuktu - acts reminiscent of Afghanistan under the Taleban Malians and foreign powers wavered throughout 2012. Much of the delay was due to confusion over the nature of the Islamist alliance, experts say.

Some governments advocated dialogue to tackle the long-standing political grievances of those living in Mali’s under-developed north.

Others, led by France, called for swift military action to stamp out a security threat, finally winning UN backing for an African-led operation.

These divisions evaporated last week with the united rebel advance on the central town of Konna, a gateway toward the southern capital Bamako, deemed so dangerous that Paris reversed pledges not to intervene directly. The African force, which had not been expected until September, is being hastily rolled out.

Even Algeria, which had previously hoped to unravel the coalition by enticing Ansar Dine into peace talks, dropped its opposition to military intervention, allowing French Rafale jets to fly via its airspace to pound the rebels. “Ansar Dine, MUJWA and AQIM worked together and coordinated their push on Konna,” said France’s military chief Admiral Edouard Guillaud, whose jets and helicopter gunships have strafed rebel columns, training camps and fuel depots.

Behind Mali’s reputation for stability, AlQaeda’s presence there has worried regional powers and Western nations for over a decade.

The United States has led efforts to train national armies and improve security coordination within the region. Until last year, AQIM had struggled to break from its Algerian roots and

activities focused on the multi-million dollar business of taking hostages for ransom, including eight French citizens it still holds captive. Its numbers were limited to a few hundred mobile fighters in the remote desert.

However, last year’s rebellion - launched by Tuareg separatists but quickly hijacked by Islamists - changed all that. In Iyad Ag Ghali, a veteran of previous Malian Tuareg rebellions who had acted as a negotiator in hostage releases, AQIM found an ally to expand their local presence in return for arms and funding, diplomats said. Ag Ghali, described in US diplomatic cables as an expert at “playing all sides”, had sought to lead the Tuareg separatists. When he failed, he split from them to found Ansar Dine, with AQIM’s backing. Previously known for his love of the high life, Ag Ghali has over the last decade became a convert to fundamental Islam. After routing Mali’s army and sidelining MNLA Tuareg separatists, Ansar Dine occupied Ag Ghali’s fiefdom around Kidal in the far north.

MUJWA emerged in late 2011 as a splinter from AQIM, establishing itself by recruiting among Arab and black African communities in Mali and elsewhere in the region. Tapping into fears of dominance by the minority Tuaregs, the group was able to wrest control of Gao - northern Mali’s largest town - from the separatists in June.

Al-Qaeda fighters have since drifted between these groups but been more present in Timbuktu, experts say.

Washington estimates the core of the combined Islamist force to be 800 to 1,200-strong. A military plan drawn up by West Africa’s ECOWAS bloc estimated the rebel fighting ranks just over twice that size. With Mali’s army in tatters and neighbouring African states needing time to pull together an intervention force, hopes for regional mediation had focused on Ag Ghali’s Ansar Dine. “Ansar Dine had all the opportunities to talk. We wanted to bring Ansar Dine to the table. I

don’t know why they made the other choice,” said a senior West African official involved in the negotiation process. “In this war, they are all together.”

A former senior Malian intelligence officer said Ag Ghali’s commitment to fundamentalist Islam - cultivated during years spent in the Gulf and through connections in the proselytising Muslim movement Tabligh - had been underestimated. Mali and other countries in the region say scores of fanatical foreign fighters have flocked to the north. Independent reports on their numbers and their origin vary wildly. “The numbers I have heard range from 100s to 1,000s, so it is clear that no one has much of a clue,” a senior Western security official told Reuters. A Reuters correspondent travelling in Gao in the weeks before the French intervention reported at least three white Westerners in the Islamist ranks there. French officials have said about 10 of its citizens have been arrested trying to reach Mali to join the rebels. Late last year, the FBI arrested two US citizens they said were planning to travel to West Africa to carry out jihad. But the most serious threat could stem from closer to home.

Officials and residents say MUJWA, based in the eastern town of Gao, has succeeded in recruiting black Africans from Mali and elsewhere in the West African region in a way AQIM never did. The West African official involved in the mediation process called it a “gangrene” that had been underestimated.

Marc Trevidic, France’s top anti-terrorism judge, warned that Mali was the first case of jihad in sub-Saharan Africa. “For the first time there is a ‘black jihad’: a jihad done for blacks by blacks,” he told Reuters, saying its militants were both West Africans and dual nationals able to move freely in and out of France. Paris is concerned at the ability of African Muslims, some of whom have dual nationality, to move between France and the region. “That is the

France digs in for long, uncertain stay in Mali

By Mark John

I

n five days, France’s mercy dash to Mali to stop Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists seizing the capital has bounced it into a promise to keep troops there until its West African former colony is finally back on its feet. Exactly how long that will take is hard to say. But Africa’s latest war is likely to entail a long stay for France with an exit strategy that will depend largely on allies who have yet to prove they are ready for the fight. “We should get used to the idea we are embarking on a major mission alongside Malian and African forces for the duration,” Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said late on Tuesday.

The outcome could seal France’s role in Africa for decades. At best, it is a chance to rescue a country destabilised by arms flooding in from the 2011 war in nearby Libya which France, under ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, helped to promote. But if it goes wrong, it could burden France with accusations of neo-colonialism on a continent which it wants as a trading partner to boost its own flagging economic vitality. When France began air raids on the rebels last week and sent in ground troops, the government stressed it wanted to pass the baton quickly to Mali’s neighbours.

However, on Tuesday President Francois Hollande announced it would stay long enough to rid Mali of insurgents and ensure stability.

That long-term goal did not necessarily contradict a Foreign Ministry statement barely an hour

earlier that insisted France’s top priority was to hand formal leadership of the fight against Islamist rebels to an African-led force as soon as possible. But it suggested France foresees three phases: a weekslong, mainly airborne effort to inflict huge damage on the enemy in its northern stronghold; discreet but decisive support to African

his first military conflict since entering power in May, will encounter unknowables that could upset the timetable. France threw crack troops and state-of-the-art hardware including Rafale and Mirage jets into Mali, quickly blocking the rebels’ advance south and destroying many of their operating bases, fuel and munitions stocks with air

French army soldiers stand on armoured vehicles as they leave Bamako and start their deployment to the north of Mali as part of the “Serval” operations on Tuesday. —AFP troops in a messy ground war to win back the north’s main towns; and finally an open-ended stabilisation mission to protect its 6,000 expatriates and ensure chaos does not return.

That is if all goes well. But at each turn Hollande, who is embarking on

strikes in the north. Paris can rely on intelligence from its Harfang surveillance drones and 800 soldiers have been redeployed, some from missions in Chad and Ivory Coast.

Others, including units hardened by battle in Afghanistan, will bring the total up to 2,500.

But France is adamant it wants to transfer leadership of the operation to troops promised by nations of the West African ECOWAS regional grouping and to Malian forces which the European Union has promised to train up to battleground standards. Neither ECOWAS nor the EU are known for quick decisions or rapid implementation on the ground. “We’ve got some transport and logistics issues to sort out,” a French Foreign Ministry spokesman said, acknowledging the fact that many African countries simply do not have air transport to get their soldiers into the war zone.

Help from NATO allies including Britain, the United States, Germany, Belgium, Canada and Denmark means the first African troops should start arriving in Mali within days and a 3,000-strong ECOWAS contingent could gather in the next few weeks. But it will be weeks before the EU training mission starts yielding fruit, even if member states can agree later this week to speed up deployment of their military personnel. “In the best-case scenario, we could have a decision to launch the mission around mid-February,” said one EU diplomat, adding that this would only be when the trainers begin arriving rather than the start of activities.

But assuming France is able to hand over formal leadership to African troops relatively soon, even the larger contingents will struggle in a desert war zone far removed from the tropical savanna terrain they know best. “The whole thing’s a mess. We don’t have any troops

with experience of those extreme conditions, even of how to keep all that sand from ruining your equipment,” a top government adviser in Nigeria, which has promised a 900strong contingent. “We’re facing battle-hardened guys who live in those dunes.”

Strengthened by Libyan arms that spilled out of Muammar Gaddafi’s caches when NATO bombing helped his overthrow, the Islamist insurgents were still holding on Wednesday the central towns of Konna and Diabaly seized in the past week. The downing of a French helicopter on the first day of the strikes showed they may have MANPAD shoulder-mounted rockets to knock out low-flying aircraft. “Even when the African operation has started, the French will not leave the picture. They will offer support and no doubt one-off strikes,” said Bruno Tertrais, senior research fellow at the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS).

While French air power will give its allies a massive advantage over their utility vehicle-borne enemy, that will not substitute for the ground war needed in the end. UKbased Sahara expert Jeremy Keenan suggested one scenario could be that French troops embed with, and discreetly guide African units in the end-game to take back and hold northern cities such as Gao, Timbuktu and Kidal. “Sooner or later you will have to put ground troops in to clear up the mess - and it could be very messy,” he said. “In practice, France will run the shooting match.” —Reuters

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

S P ORT S Beckham rumors swirl

Schalke recruit Raffael

Tevez given driving ban

MILAN: David Beckham is on the verge of making a sensational return to Milan, according to media speculation in Italy yesterday. Beckham recently ended his long spell with Major League Soccer (MLS) side Los Angeles Galaxy but has not yet announced his next destination. Rumors of a return to Milan, where he played on loan on two separate occasions in 2009 and 2010, have, however, gathered pace in recent days. Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper carried a report Wednesday which claimed that bookmakers in England had slashed the odds of Beckham returning to the Rossoneri. The report cited no one from the club but speculated that Beckham would be a welcome addition to Massimiliano Allegri’s squad, especially for European fixtures. Milan sit seventh in Serie A, but are still in the Champions League and will meet Barcelona in the last 16 knockout phase next month. The seven-time European champions have made no official comment on the reports.—AFP

BERLIN: Bundesliga side Schalke 04 have strengthened their attacking options in the German league by signing Brazilian attacking midfielder Raffael on loan from Dynamo Kiev until the end of the season. Schalke play Hanover 96 in the Bundesliga tomorrow, then face Galatasaray in the last 16 of the Champions League on February 20 in Istanbul. Having played three Champions League games for Dynamo already this season, Raffael is now not eligible to play in Europe’s top domestic competition with the Gelsenkirchen-based Royal Blues. The 27-year-old has been brought into replace Dutch wing Ibrahim Afellay, who is out until the end of February with a thigh injury, and the Royal Blues have an option to buy ex-Hertha Berlin star Raffael. “Due to our bad luck with injuries - for example, the loss of Ibrahim Afellay for the next two months - we have decided to once again to be active in the transfer market,” said Schalke’s manager Horst Heldt. “We are delighted Raphael’s transfer has been completed. It increases our attacking options. “Raffael will have no problems adjusting as he has already spent four years playing in Germany.” Raffael joined Dynamo from Hertha last July for eight million euros (US$10.6m) and said he is delighted to return to the Bundesliga outfit, who have picked up just two points in their last six league games and are seventh. —AFP

LONDON: Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez was disqualified from driving for six months yesterday, after a court heard he failed to understand a letter sent to him by police. The 28-year-old Argentina international, who did not attend the hearing at a court in Manchester, was also ordered to pay £1,540 ($2,469, 1,855 euros) in fines and costs. Tevez pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to provide information relating to incidents when his car was clocked speeding. His solicitor, Gwyn Lewis, told the court he did not recognize the word ‘constabulary’ on the letters he received from police. “He does understand the word ‘police’, but not more complicated words. The letters are written from Cheshire Constabulary and the word police doesn’t appear on it anywhere,” Lewis said. “The word constabulary is not one that is recognized internationally, but of course police is. “The correspondence was not dealt with properly and that has resulted in these offences.” On the possibility that his client might face a fine, Lewis said: “He is a footballer and in that regard he is relatively well paid.” —AFP

Terranova breaks new ground for Argentina

BLOOMINGTON: Yogi Ferrell No 11 of the Indiana Hoosiers gets fouled under the basket by Jared Berggren No 40 of the Wisconsin Badgers during the game at Assembly Hall on January 15, 2013 in Bloomington, Indiana. —AFP

Badgers hold off No 2 Indiana for 64-59 upset BLOOMINGTON: Wisconsin played Tuesday night like it always does - defended everything, made big shots and limited the turnovers. Indiana looked like anything but its usual self. It was just another chapter in a series filled with strange twists. Ryan Evans scored 13 points, Traevon Jackson added 11 and the unranked Badgers moved into sole possession of the Big Ten lead with a 64-59 upset at No. 2 Indiana. “We’re feeling good about ourselves right now,” Badgers forward Jared Berggren said. “It shows we can beat anyone, anywhere, anytime; so I think it shows what we’re capable of.”

Especially if the Badgers (13-4, 4-0) keep playing this way. Wisconsin has won seven straight and has beaten two top-15 teams in four days. It is the last unbeaten team in Big Ten play.

All the Badgers needed to do against Indiana was hold the nation’s highest-scoring team to its fewest points of the season, its worst shooting performance of the season and end its 18-game home winning streak. Mission accomplished. Wisconsin became the first team to win 11 straight in a series with Indiana since the Badgers last did it in 1919, and the first team to win five straight in Bloomington since Purdue last did that in 1923. No team has ever won six straight on Indiana’s home court and only Purdue, from 1908-14, has won 12 in a row against the Hoosiers.

The Badgers just stuck to the game plan. “We knew that if they got it going in transition they can score in bunches. All you have to do is look at their game films,” Bo Ryan said, acknowledging he coached with flu-like symptoms. “Our goal was not to let that happen, but saying it and doing it, having it as a plan, are two different things. It just so happened to work tonight.” Indiana (15-2, 3-1) felt ill for another reason.

The Hoosiers scored only three fastbreak points and watched the Badgers toss in shot-clock beating 3-pointers.

Indiana came into the game averaging a Big Ten-leading 17 assists per game, yet

managed only seven against the Badgers.

And instead of pressuring Wisconsin into miscues, the Badgers committed just eight turnovers.

Cody Zeller, who made all eight of his shots and had 18 points in the first half, finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds and made only one basket in the second half. Christian Watford had 11 points, and Victor Oladipo had 10. “That’s their style of play. We just didn’t defend the dribble well enough, didn’t make enough shots,” Zeller said. “That’s what it boils down to.”

The Badgers followed the script perfectly.

They limited the mistakes, took advantage of seemingly every opportunity they got, especially in the second half as Hoosiers fans moaned and groaned about everything from missed shots to errant passes.

Indiana rallied late in the first half to take a 32-31 halftime lead, then opened the second half with a three-point play to make it 35-31. The home crowd figured it was going to be the start of a big run.

Instead, Wisconsin gave up only six points over the next 6:34, a drought that allowed Wisconsin to retake a 38-37 lead with a 7-0 run. A few minutes later, the Badgers were off on a 9-0 spurt that ended when Mike Bruesewitz’s 3 beat the shot-clock buzzer to make it 47-39. It was 51-41 before the Hoosiers finally cranked up the pressure.

“When you get momentum going, it’s amazing what can happen,” coach Tom Crean said. “They played really hard and they got the momentum.” Indiana looked like it had swung the momentum back in its direction when it scored four straight and after Evans made 1 of 2 free throws, they answered with a 6-0 spurt - the final basket a 3-pointer from Yogi Ferrell that cut the lead to 52-51 with 4:40 to go. But that was as close as Indiana got. Ben Brust made a 17-foot jumper and the Badgers closed it out with a game-ending 12-8 run.

“If you just play the game and have the right attitude about it, you make good things happen,” Ryan said. “Players have to play.”—AP

LA RIOJA: Orlando Terranova delighted the home crowd here on Tuesday by becoming the first Argentinian driver to win a stage of the Dakar Rally. The 33-year-old BMW driver competing in his seventh Dakar Rally - came home 2min 07sec ahead of Monday’s stage winner Nani Roma in a Mini and the latter’s team-mate and defending champion Stephane Peterhansel was third another 12sec adrift. Terranova was delighted with his victory and said that it had been a really smooth drive. “We took the stage very easily, to not make a mistake because it was very narrow and it was possible to burst a tyre or break some piece of the car,” he said. “We want to continue like we have done. We are having a good race without mistakes.”

Peterhansel, seeking his 11th win after six in the motorbike section and four in the cars category, extended his overall lead to 52min 38sec over South African Giniel de Villiers.

The 47-year-old Frenchman’s chances of winning the title again grew immeasurably when closest rival, Qatar’s 2011 champion Nasser al-Attiyah had to pull out of the race after suffering mechanical problems on Monday’s stage. Peterhansel admitted that he had vchanged his strategy now that Al-Attiyah had been forced out and conceded that it did not make for a great spectacle. “For the race, for the show, it’s no good, for the suspense, it’s not really good, but for me it’s not so bad and it’s more comfortable,” he said.

“I can manage the car as well. “I can manage for example the stage tomorrow and the stage at Copiapo which will be really complicated in the dunes. So if I have more time I’ll be able to manage the race, to wait to see the good places to cross the dunes, so it’s better for me for sure.” Earlier defending champion Cyril Despres took the overall lead in this

LA RIOJA: BMW’s Orlando Terranova of Argentina competes during the Stage 10 of the Dakar 2013 between Cordoba and La Rioja, Argentina. The rally takes place in Peru, Argentina and Chile between January 5 and 20. —AFP year’s Dakar Rally on Tuesday after the 10th stage, a 636km ride including a 357km timed section from Cordoba to La Rioja. The 38year-old KTM rider had made his charge on Monday when, having been over 24 minutes off the pace, he stormed to his first stage victory of this year’s edition and on Tuesday he showed he was the man in form in finishing second in the stage.

Spaniard Joan Barreda Bort took the stage honours on his Husqvarna bike, finishing 1min 15sec ahead of Despres. Despres, seeking his fifth Dakar title, leads overnight

leader and team-mate Ruben Faria by 1min 37sec in the overall standings in the race which finishes on Sunday. Despres said he was in good form and that his tactics of not racing all out throughout the Rally was paying off as it entered its decisive stages.

“Picking up seconds in the general standings is not the most important thing,” he said.

“What matters is making statements, making a difference, gaining in confidence and letting the racing do the talking. As a result, the general standings reflect that on paper in the evening.”—AFP

De la Rosa joins Ferrari ROME: Spanish driver Pedro De la Rosa has joined Ferrari in a development role to help them with simulator work this season, the Italian Formula One team said yesterday. Ferrari principal Stefano Domenicali also told reporters, at

a media event in the Dolomites resort of Madonna di Campiglio, that his team will launch their 2013 car at the Maranello factory on Feb 1. The first pre-season test starts at the southern Spanish Jerez track on Feb 5.

MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO: Ducati riders Nicky Hayden (top) and Andrea Dovizioso pose near a new Ducati racing motorbike during the Wrooom, F1 and MotoGP Press Ski Meeting, Ducati and Ferrari’s annual media gathering, in Madonna di Campiglio on January 15, 2013. —AFP

De la Rosa, 41, raced last season for the financially-strapped HRT team, absent from this year’s starting line-up after failing to find a buyer. He was a McLaren test driver for eight seasons. The move reunites him with compatriot Fernando Alonso, the double world champion who was runner-up in the championship last year for Ferrari, after they were together at McLaren in 2007 in Alonso’s troubled sole season with that team. “We decided to add De La Rosa to our group of drivers mainly to strengthen one area, namely work in the simulator, which with the current regulations regarding testing, is becoming ever more important,” said Domenicali.

Formula One teams cannot test during the 2013 season, apart from a three-day young driver session, which puts a premium on simulator work. Ferrari also have Spaniard Marc Gene as one of their development driver and De La Rosa’s arrival will be seen as further consolidation of Alonso’s grip on the team after eclipsing Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa on the track. Pat Fry, the Ferrari chassis technical director, was also previously at McLaren. De la Rosa made his Formula One debut with Arrows in 1999 and raced for Ferraripowered Sauber in 2010 as well as a one-off appearance in 2011.

“It is amazingly motivating to be working for a team like Ferrari, not just because of what it represents in the history of Formula One and motoring in general, but also because it will be a completely new and very stimulating experience for me,” commented De la Rosa on the team website (www.ferrari.com). “I really hope I can get to work as soon as possible and to help in the development of the car. I am happy to be collaborating with Fernando again and also to be working with Felipe. There’s not much time until Australia, but there is a lot to do and I am available to help the team from right now.”

The season starts in Australia on March 17. —Reuters

Badminton’s future ‘in doubt’ SEOUL: Badminton’s Olympic future is in jeopardy due to the continual midtournament retirements of leading players, Athens Games gold medalist Taufik Hidayat said yesterday. Last week’s $1 million Korean Open, the most lucrative super series event on the schedule, was blighted by a number of match retirements by players in the singles and doubles draws, a now common occurrence on the tour. Chinese coaches have long been criticized for withdrawing their players to stop them going head-tohead in tournaments, and Indonesian Taufik is concerned the International Olympic Committee could end the sport’s 20-year run at the Games.

“The situation has worsened since I started playing badminton at the age of 15. The constant retirements of players do not augur well for the game,” the 31year-old told Malaysian media on Wednesday. “There is talk that badminton may not make it as a sport in the 2020 Olympics. We must bear in mind that other sports are strongly lobbying to be included. “I have just started my own centre. It caters for eight or nine-year-olds. Now, I am not sure whether they will get a chance to play in the Olympics.” Squash is one of the sports that is campaigning heavily for a place in the 2020 Olympics alongside karate, the Chinese martial art of wushu, baseball/softball, roller sports, wakeboarding and climbing.

Badminton received a barrage of negative headlines in London last year after four women’s doubles pairs played to lose matches in order to get a more favorable draw. The Badminton World Federation (BWF) disqualified and banned the players involved and Taufik called for the Malaysia-based body to take a similar stance on withdrawals. “I hope to see BWF amend or strengthen their rules and regulations on players and the tournaments. And the BWF must also make a greater effort to make the sport big in America and Africa,” said Taufik. The Indonesian is in Kuala Lumpur to take part in the ongoing Malaysian Open, one of his final events before he retires in June after his home Indonesia Open. —Reuters

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

S P ORT S

First blood to US ahead of Ryder Cup ABU DHABI: The opening skirmishes for the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, Scotland, have been played out and the United States have come out on top. The issue of team captaincy, traditionally the starting point in the two-year cycle, saw the Americans act decisively in naming golfing legend Tom Watson to the position for a second time almost 20 years after his first stint as skipper.

In contrast, the Europeans went through a messy process that was only resolved in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night with the naming of Irishman Paul McGinley. Key to the early US edge was the speed with which they regrouped following the shocking last day collapse against Jose Maria Olazabal’s Europe side in Chicago in late September. The choice of Watson to lead the US team barely six

weeks later was not only met with near unanimous consent at home, it promptly stirred divisions in the European camp.

The early thinking had been that it was a straight choice for the captaincy between Irish pair McGinley and Darren Clarke, both of whom have fine Ryder Cup records as players.

But Watson, a nine-time major winner, who is adored in Scotland, suddenly loomed larger than life and fears were expressed that neither McGinley nor Clarke had the stature to go up against him. Enter Colin Montgomerie, a Ryder Cup legend himself, the winning captain at Celtic Manor, Wales in 2010 and a Scot to boot, eager to put in a second shift on home territory in 2014. With Clarke all but ruling himself out of contention, it came down to a contest between

McGinley and Montgomerie and it took what amounted to a player power movement, led by world No.1 Rory McIlroy, to ensure that the Dubliner got the nod to become the first Irishman to captain a Ryder Cup side.

Fittingly McIlroy was on hand in an Abu Dhabi hotel when the European Tour’s tournament committee announced their decision to name McGinley as captain. “I’m absolutely thrilled for Paul,” said the 23-year-old Ulsterman, who will open his season at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship this week. “As soon as I found out he had been appointed captain I couldn’t wait to rush down and congratulate him. “I’d like to think it means something when you’ve got players like myself, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald and Justin Rose all voicing their opinion that they want

Paul to captain the team. I don’t mind it being a David and Goliath situation in terms of the captains. It’s won on the course, not on the stage.”

McGinley, who sank the winning putt at the 2002 Ryder Cup at The Belfry, admitted that he had endured a testing last few weeks amid the doubts being expressed that he was undeserving of going up against the mighty Watson. “I watched with interest,” he said. “Like a yoyo my chances seemed to go up and down. “I felt the more I said the more my chances would lessen. I was very tempted to speak up, but my wife and friends told me to stay with dignity, don’t get involved and it will work in the long term.

I believed it too.” McGinley will now be able to enjoy a relatively quiet period when he can take stock of the task before

him and put in place a team of assistant captains to share the burden.

At some stage he will also have his first joint Ryder Cup news conference with Watson, when the comparisons of their respective careers will undoubtedly resurface. The American, 17 years older than McGinley at 63, dubbed his European counterpart a “class act” and added: “I congratulate Paul McGinley upon his selection as the next European Ryder Cup captain and anticipate that his passion and love of the event will transfer to being an outstanding leader of his team in 2014 at Gleneagles. “Paul has been connected to four winning European Ryder Cup teams and is an outstanding representative of European golf. I look forward to sharing the stage with him as we make our journey to Scotland.” —AFP

Montgomerie pledges ‘support’ for McGinley

Colin Montgomerie of Scotland

ABU DHABI: Colin Montgomerie has congratulated Paul McGinley on being named Europe’s Ryder Cup captain and insists there are no sour grapes from him over been overlooked for a second stint. Driven on by some powerful backing from Europe’s top players, the 46-yearold McGinley was chosen to succeed Jose Maria Olazabal at a late night meeting in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday of the European players’ tour committee. Five names were discussed at the meeting but Montgomerie, the victorious 2010 skipper at Celtic Manor, Wales, was viewed as the main threat to stop McGinley from becoming the first Irish Ryder Cup captain. As it turned out no vote was needed and McGinley, strongly backed by world No.1 Rory McIlroy, was a unanimous choice.

Montgomerie, a member of the 15-strong tour committee, said he fully supported the choice of McGinley, who was one of his assistants at Celtic Manor two years ago.

“I’m not at all disappointed - it would have been a dream come true, but it has not happened,” he said. “I was very flattered even to be considered again - it meant a lot to me. The selection process was such that they appointed the best man for the job. “We all get behind Paul now and wish him well. I appointed him for the Seve Trophy and he did a very good job - as he did twice as a vice-captain (in the Ryder Cup).

“He’s a very good man-manager

and very good at assessing people’s strengths. “I will be there to support and fly the flag for Europe McGinley, who sunk the winning putt at The Belfry in 2002 when Europe won back the Ryder Cup after a three-year absence caused by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, said that Montgomerie had been quick to give him his backing. “He was the first man I saw, he came up and congratulated me warmly and wished me the very best of luck,” the Irishman said on Radio 5 Live.

“He was very, very gracious to me.”

“Monty has been a great captain and a great stalwart of Ryder Cups. I have played in three Ryder cups with Monty, everybody knows what the Ryder Cup means to him and how he has carried the Ryder Cup, not just as a player, but how he spoke at the meetings and the air of authority he had around it.”

There was more praise for McGinley yesterday from Sam Torrance the victorious European captain at The Belfry in 2002. “I think he is the right man for the job,” the Scot told Sky TV. “He has the pedigree, he was twice captain in the Seve Trophy and has been (Ryder Cup) vice-captain twice. “He has the respect of the players, he is meticulous, he is a great orator. “The fact that he had McIlroy, (Luke) Donald and (Ian) Poulter on Twitter supporting him ahead of yesterday’s decision speaks volumes for what they think of him.”—AFP

Qatari pair qualify for 2013 Commercial Bank Masters DOHA: Two up-and-coming Qatari golfers, 18year-old college student Saleh Al Kaabi and 31year-old business owner Ghanim Al Kuwari, have earned the chance to compete with some of the world’s best players at the 2013 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, a pivotal stop on the European Tour. The two members of the Qatar National Golf Team qualified for a spot in the 16th Commercial Bank Qatar Masters by finishing as the top two Qatari Nationals at the 2013 Qatar Open amateur event this past weekend.

The European Tour sanctioned tournament will be staged on the Championship Course at the Doha Golf Club 23-26 January, Wednesday to

Saturday. Al Kaabi and Al Kuwari will join a field that includes World Number Four Louis Oosthuizen, World Number Five Justin Rose*, defending champion Paul Lawrie, Jason Dufner, Sergio Garcia and many other renowned professional golfers, all vying for the right to hoist the iconic Mother of Pearl trophy. “This is a tremendous accomplishment for Saleh and Ghanim, and they will now get to represent Qatar against topranked players on a world stage. We hope they enjoy great support from the spectators at the tournament,” said Andrew Stevens, Group CEO of Commercial Bank of Qatar.

Al Kaabi, the younger of the two, is training

with hopes of becoming a full-time professional golfer and competing in events like the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters regularly. Now a scratch golfer, he grew up in a family full of regular players who started bringing him along to the course when he was five years old. A graduate of Aspire Sports Academy and a first-year student at Qatar University, Al Kaabi has only been playing tournaments for about three years, but his coach, Mike Elliott, believes he has the skill set to make it as a touring golfer.

“He hits the ball extremely long, well over 300 yards regularly. He’s up there in distance with anyone,” said Elliott, the Qatar National Team coach. “He’s also a very calm and focused person on the course. His temperament always remains the same, which is great. He’s the whole package.” Al Kuwari, a married father of three, has been one of Qatar’s top golfers at numerous points over the past decade. A sporadic tournament player, balancing his love of the game with life responsibilities, Al Kuwari has recently rededicated himself as a member of the Qatar National Team and played some of the best golf of his life. Elliott highlights Al Kuwari’s course management and his putting as his top skills, calling him one of Qatar’s most exceptional playerson the green.

As regular playing partners on the National Team, the two golfers are enthusiastic about representing Qatar together and going toe to toe with the European Tour stars they usually watch on television. Said Al Kuwari, “I’m really excited that we will play alongside the best pro golfers in the world next week.” “It’s very exciting to be able to represent Qatar in such a prestigious, professional event,” Al Kaabi added. Both players admit they are excited to learn who they will be paired with when groups and tee times are announced in the days before the tournament, but their central focus remains on their own preparation.

When Championship play begins on Wednesday, 23 January, the two Qatarishope to make a strong impression on the fans that turn out to watch them. “The Commercial Bank Qatar Masters organizers and the thousands of spectators will all be supporting Ghanim and Saleh next week. Both men have worked tirelessly to improve their golf games, and now they have earned the opportunity of a lifetime to represent their country in a home tournament,” President of the Qatar Golf Association (QGA) Hassan Al Nuaimi said. “Part of the mission of the QGA is to provide Qatari golfers with the access and the support needed to achieve at a world-class level.

We are proud to have these two players representing Qatar golf in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.”

ABU DHABI: Rory Mcllroy from Northern Ireland (left) talks to Justin Rose of England, as he holds a traditional Arabic coffee pot at a press briefing ahead of Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. —AP

Justin Rose seeks to thrive in the desert ABU DHABI: Justin Rose believes he is capable of closing the gap that exists between himself and leading pair Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. The 32-year-old Englishman enjoyed a strong finish to 2012 at the Ryder Cup and in the Race to Dubai and he has chosen to open his campaign this year back in the Gulf at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. World No1 McIlroy and No 2 Woods head a strong European Tour field in the emirate and Rose relishes the opportunity to have an early crack at the game’s two biggest stars.

“I think status is something I’m a long way from but I believe my game is not that far at all,” he said yesterday. “I’m very happy with my skill set. I’m very happy that I can close the gap (on McIlroy and Woods) or hopefully make the gap disappear with some hard work and just continue what I’m doing. “I know what I need to improve and I know how I’m going to do it and I back myself and I feel comfortable standing up in that situation now and believing that I have the tools and the skills to compete.”

Rose’s career to date has seen a number of ebbs and flows in form since he first burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old ama-

teur at the 1998 British Open at Royal Birkdale where he finished fourth. He took several years to get to grips with the demands of the professional tour but by 2007 he had won the European Order of Merit and was ranked in the world top 10 for 34 weeks between November 2007 and July 2008. A troublesome back saw him tumble down the rankings but he rebounded in 2010 with two tournament wins on the USPGA Tour and was a regular contender in the majors.

Last year he ended the year ranked fourth in the world after a strong Ryder Cup where he beat Phil Mickelson in the closing singles, defeated McIlroy and Woods in Turkey and then took second spot behind McIlory in the season-ending Race to Dubai. “So, there’s three very positive experiences on which I can draw,” he said. “I now begin to trust. I don’t need to do anything different in order to, one, put myself into contention and, two, I trust my processes enough now to believe that I can deliver under pressure.” Rose will set off today in the company of British Open champion Ernie Els and Abu Dhabi defending champion Robert Rock.—AFP

Tour chief hints at captaincy change ABU DHABI: The European Tour may change the way future Ryder Cup captains are chosen after an often “unseemly” campaign ended this week with Paul McGinley being picked to lead the 2014 team, said chief executive George O’Grady. McGinley’s appointment on Tuesday as the first Irish skipper in the 86-year history of the event came at the end of a campaign during which golfing politics came to the fore.

Tour players came out in support of their own favorites in the newspapers and on social networking sites in the weeks leading up to the selection, causing a swirl of media debate about which of the candidates was most suited to the role.

“It was never meant to be a campaigning business,” O’Grady told Reuters in an interview on the eve of the $2.7 million Abu Dhabi Championship. “That will probably have to be looked at in the cold light of day but the world has changed with all this twittering. “I think personally one person should be invited to become captain and there should be no losers.

There should be a view that this is the right guy at the right time because it can all be a little unseemly.”

Ten members of the 15-man Players Committee, chaired by Dane Thomas Bjorn, debated the respective merits of McGinley, 2010 skipper Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Paul Lawrie and Sandy Lyle at a meeting in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday before plumping for the Irishman. “In the end, with all the talk in the social media and the newspapers in the run-up, it was a triumph for democracy,” added O’Grady. “It was done very well.

The decision was taken by the committee, it was a unanimous decision but it was more a consensus of everybody’s feelings. “I think to have a guy announced as captain and to have the world number one (Rory McIlroy) coming in at the back of the room to show his support gives you great confidence,” said O’Grady.

Before the Players Committee meeting, McIlroy said he felt strongly that McGinley should be appointed and the twice major

champion was there to back his man when the decision was announced to the world’s media in a hotel conference room. Bjorn said the captaincy never went to a vote and O’Grady congratulated the Dane for the way the meeting was conducted. “We have to say the Players Committee have a habit of getting it right,” said O’Grady. “Thomas chaired the meeting superbly well, everybody had their viewpoint, it went round the table once and then people had a view. “No single player dominated at all, one person proposed Paul and the motion was

Paul McGinley carried. “The actual physical process was conducted superbly but whether we need all that space in the papers, we’ll think about that calmly,” added O’Grady.

The tour chief backed McGinley’s selection and said he would make an “outstanding captain”. “We can’t be unaware of the fact that so many members of the current team were so supportive of Paul,” he explained. “Everyone in the room accepted the outstanding credentials of all the other candidates, especially Colin Montgomerie who was an outstanding captain in 2010, but generally speaking there’s an unwritten rule that you do the job once (only).” McGinley succeeds Spain’s Jose Maria Olazabal who led Europe to a remarkable comeback victory over the United States in Illinois in the biennial team event in September. —Reuters

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

S P ORT S

Armstrong could face legal action after confession NBA results/standings New Orleans 111, Philadelphia 99; Indiana 103, Charlotte 76; Brooklyn 113, Toronto 106; LA Clippers 117, Houston 109; Denver 115, Portland 111 (OT); LA Lakers 104, Milwaukee 88.

Western Conference Eastern Conference Northwest Division Atlantic Division Oklahoma City30 8 .789 W L PCT GB Denver 24 16 .600 7 NY Knicks 24 13 .649 Portland 20 18 .526 10 Brooklyn 23 15 .605 1.5 Utah 21 19 .525 10 Boston 20 17 .541 4 Minnesota 16 19 .457 12.5 Philadelphia 16 23 .410 9 Toronto 14 24 .368 10.5 Pacific Division Central Division LA Clippers 30 9 .769 Indiana 24 15 .615 Golden State 23 13 .639 5.5 Chicago 21 15 .583 1.5 LA Lakers 17 21 .447 12.5 Milwaukee 19 18 .514 4 Sacramento 14 24 .368 15.5 Detroit 14 24 .368 9.5 Phoenix 13 27 .325 17.5 Cleveland 9 31 .225 15.5 Southwest Division Southeast Division San Antonio 29 11 .725 Miami 24 12 .667 Memphis 24 12 .667 3 Atlanta 21 16 .568 3.5 Houston 21 18 .538 7.5 Orlando 13 24 .351 11.5 Dallas 16 23 .410 12.5 Charlotte 9 29 .237 16 New Orleans 12 26 .316 16 Washington 7 28 .200 16.5

Clippers send Rockets to fourth straight loss

LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard (right) dunks as Milwaukee Bucks center Larry Sanders defends during the second half of their NBA basketball game on Tuesday, Jan 15, 2013 in Los Angeles.— AP HOUSTON: Jamal Crawford scored a season-high 30 points, including 12 straight to start the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Clippers looked just fine without Chris Paul in a 117-109 win over the struggling Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.

The Clippers won their second game in a row despite missing their star point guard, who is day to day with a bruised right kneecap. Los Angeles used a big third quarter to take the lead, and Crawford extended the advantage to 20 by outscoring Houston 12-7 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. James Harden had 23 points for the Rockets, whose four-game losing streak is a season worst. The Clippers improved to 11-1 this season when Crawford leads the team in scoring. Los Angeles opened the second half with a 10-0 run to take a 68-59 lead with about nine minutes left in the third quarter.

NUGGETS 115, TRAIL BLAZERS 111, OT Wilson Chandler hit a tiebreaking 3pointer with 14.9 seconds remaining in overtime and Denver beat Portland for its season-best sixth consecutive victory.

Danilo Gallinari had 25 points, including a key 3-pointer in the extra period. Ty Lawson added 24 points and 12 assists for the Nuggets, who are 2-0 in overtime this season. Portland, which lost for the first time in six OT games this season, was led by LaMarcus Aldridge’s 28 points. Nicolas Batum had 22 points and J.J. Hickson 19.

LAKERS 104, BUCKS 88 Dwight Howard had 31 points and 16 rebounds, Kobe Bryant also scored 31 points and Los Angeles beat Milwaukee for its second straight win after a six-game skid. Metta World Peace added 12 points as the Lakers prepared for Thursday’s visit from the NBA champion Miami Heat with an impressive effort against the Bucks, who lost for the second time in five games under interim coach Jim Boylan. Bryant and Howard both had 30-point games for the second time in their brief tenure together, and the Bucks couldn’t cope with Bryant’s outside game or Howard’s inside dominance.

Monta Ellis scored 17 points for Milwaukee, while Brandon Jennings was held to 12 points on 4-of-14 shooting largely by Bryant’s defense. Howard again played with an obvious spark in his second game back from a three-game absence with a torn labrum in his shoulder, defending aggressively in the paint while overpowering the Bucks on offense. Pau Gasol missed his fifth straight game for the Lakers

with a concussion, but the 7-foot Spaniard worked out before the game and will be reexamined before Thursday’s game against Miami.

PACERS 103, BOBCATS 76 Roy Hibbert had 18 points and seven rebounds, and Indiana handed Charlotte its 13th straight home loss. The Pacers bounced back from Sunday’s 11-point defeat to Brooklyn and won for the fifth time in six games. With team owner Michael Jordan looking on from the bench, the Bobcats lost their fifth in a row. They’ve dropped 24 of 26 since Thanksgiving.

Indiana won this one going away behind some dominant inside play, outrebounding the Bobcats 60-31 and outscoring them 5222 in the paint. Paul George had 16 points and 10 rebounds, while David West added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Pacers. George Hill chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds. The Central Division leaders (24-15) have not lost consecutive games since Dec 9. Gerald Henderson led the Bobcats with 15 points.

NETS 113, RAPTORS 106 Brook Lopez had 22 points and nine rebounds, Joe Johnson and Deron Williams each scored 21 points, and Brooklyn beat Toronto to extend its season-high winning streak to seven games. Andray Blatche added 14 points for the Nets, in the midst of their longest winning streak since running off 14 in a row late in the 2005-06 season. A .500 team when they fired Avery Johnson late last month, Brooklyn is 9-1 under interim coach PJ Carlesimo and has pulled within 11/2 games of the New York Knicks for the Atlantic Division lead. The Nets dominated the fourth quarter again, pulling away for their sixth straight home victory. Kyle Lowry scored 21 points for the Raptors, who have dropped two in a row but still have 10 wins in their last 15 games.

HORNETS 111, 76ERS 99 Greivis Vasquez scored 23 points and Eric Gordon added 19 to help New Orleans beat Philadelphia. Ryan Anderson had 14 points, Xavier Henry scored 11 and Anthony Davis 10 for the Hornets, who are last in the Western Conference at 12-26 with matching 6-13 records at home and on the road.Jrue Holiday led the Sixers with 29 points and 11 assists. Nick Young and Evan Turner added 14 points each while Thaddeus Young scored 12. Philadelphia hasn’t won consecutive games since a three-game streak from Nov 25-30.— AP

WASHINGTON: The US government can take Lance Armstrong to court once the fallen cycling hero publicly admits to doping, experts and people familiar with the matter say. Armstrong is said to have come clean about his use of performance-enhancing drugs in an interview with Oprah Winfrey set to air today, his first interview since being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles last year. Until now Armstrong, 41, had strenuously denied doping allegations for several years, even after a 1,000-page report by the US Anti-Doping Agency put him at the heart of the greatest doping scandal in the annals of cycling. “Because he has now admitted he doped, that makes it a lot easier to prove a fraud claim,” said sports lawyer Brian Socolow.

“Given that he has now said that he did use performance-enhancing drugs, the government is given the opportunity to reopen an investigation.” Peter Keane, a law professor at Golden Gate University, said Armstrong could face criminal prosecution over the government sponsorship he received while riding on the US Postal team from 1998-2004. “I’m talking about money, lots of money. I’m talking about liberty,” he said. The interview was Armstrong’s first since he was stripped of his Tour de France titles and came after more than a decade of vigorous denials that he had used banned substances to win his way into the history books.

In terms of potential criminal charges, the case has enough of a high profile for the government to consider prosecuting Armstrong for fraud, over millions of dollars of public sponsorship, and for perjury, after his denials under oath, according to Socolow of New York firm Loeb & Loeb. In terms of civil charges, the Justice Department has until today to join a lawsuit filed in 2010 by Armstrong’s former teammate Floyd Landis to recuperate public funds disbursed to his US Postal team, a source close to the matter said.

A court document shows that Landis’s complaint has recourse to the False Claims Act, allowing an individual to file a lawsuit against someone else or against a company for having lied to the federal government. The text allows the accuser to pocket 15 to 30 percent of the funds recuperated by the government. The government spent more than $30 million sponsoring US Postal, according to The Wall Street Journal. Experts say the government can seek three times that amount. The Justice Department refused comment on any possible lawsuits, whether civil or criminal.

But a source close to the matter said there was no risk of criminal prosecution.

Experts, however, say criminal charges could come if Armstrong admits to more than just doping and confesses to distributing performance-enhancing drugs. “I don’t think the government-or a majority of the American people-have the stomach for a criminal suit,” in light of Armstrong’s widespread popularity, said Jordan Kobritz, who chairs the Sport Management Department at the State University of New York at Cortland. The government has had lackluster success

L’ALPE D’HUEZ: A file picture shows yellow jersey US Lance Armstrong taking the start of the 16th stage of the 91st Tour de France cycling race. Shamed cyclist Lance Armstrong has admitted that he used performance-enhancing drugs. —AFP

Club says Livestrong stadium deal is over KANSAS: Major League Soccer’s Sporting Kansas City have ended their stadium naming deal with Livestrong, the cancer foundation started by disgraced former cycling champion Lance Armstrong, the team said on Tuesday. The $200 million stadium was opened in June 2011 and the club announced a high-profile sixyear deal with the charity, naming the venue Livestrong Sporting Park and committing to contributions to Armstrong’s organisation.

Since being stripped off his seven Tour de France titles and deciding to end his fight against doping charges, Armstrong has stood down from his positions with the charity. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Sporting did not mention Armstrong directly nor did they give any specific reasons for ending the arrangement. “Over the course of the past year, it became clear that Livestrong no longer shared the same spirit of partnership, despite our perseverance to the contrary,” said Sporting CEO Robb Heineman in the statement.

“This morning we were disappointed to learn Livestrong is utilizing aggressive tactics designed to force us into an unsatisfactory arrangement. “We willingly

admit we were not expecting the foundation to treat a partner in this manner.

Even more surprising is that Livestrong would take this action in the midst of a significant transitional phase for their organization,” added Heineman.

Armstrong personally endorsed the deal for the stadium in March, 2011 saying it was an “innovative opportunity”. The stadium, which will hold this year’s MLS All Star game, will now be known as Sporting Park, the team said.

Livestrong were not immediately available for comment but chief financial officer Greg Lee told ESPN.com. “We strive to be great partners ourselves and expect the same from those we do business with. “If a partner is struggling to meet the terms of our agreement, we do everything possible to reach a fair and reasonable compromise. If no compromise can be reached, as good stewards of our brand and mission, we have no choice but to bring that agreement to an end.”

Armstrong is to break his silence over the doping accusations in an interview with Oprah Winfrey to be broadcast today. The Texan is reported to have admitted to doping in the show which was recorded on Monday.— Reuters

the extent of his confession, Pound said Armstrong should face a proper grilling from anti-doping and cycling authorities, naming names and details about how he cheated.

“Simply by confessing to what everybody knows is not going to do anything here,” Pound said in an interview. “USADA (US AntiDoping Agency) can, if Lance provides significant or substantial assistance in the fight against doping in sport, make a recommendation to change the ban from life to something less than life, depending on the degree of information and assistance he gives.”

‘I confess’ - 5 great sports ‘mea culpas’ PARIS: US rider Lance Armstrong will admit doping during his cycling career in a television interview with Oprah Winfrey to be broadcast today, the chat show host has confirmed. Here are five other memorable sports confessions: TIGER WOODS (GOLF) US superstar Woods’s carefully stage-managed goodguy image was shattered forever thanks to a car crash outside his Florida home in November 2009. That led to a string of scandalous revelations over his private life which revealed him to have been a serial cheat with a bevy of actresses, strippers and waitresses. Woods went on national television, apologising to wife, Elin, and his mother, Kultida. “I hurt them the most. Those are the two people in my life who I’m closest to, and to say the things that I’ve done, truthfully to them was very painful. I was living a life of a lie. I really was. And I was doing a lot of things, like I said, that hurt a lot of people.”

ANDRE AGASSI (TENNIS) Eight-time Grand Slam title winner Agassi retired in 2006 but in 2009 stunned tennis by using his autobiography to confess to having taken the drug crystal meth.

Equally shocking was his revelation that he had escaped a ban by convincing the ATP that he had taken it accidentally. “It was full of lies, interwoven with the truth,” wrote Agassi, when he described his letter written to the ATP seeking clemency. Agassi, who is married to former women’s world number one Steffi Graf, also admitted that he secretly hated playing the sport which brought him untold fame and fortune.

HANSIE CRONJE (CRICKET) South Africa captain Cronje admitted to accepting bribes from illegal bookmakers to influence matches when he appeared at the King Commission probing corruption in cricket. “My great passion of the game and for my team-mates was matched by an unfortunate love of money,” said Cronje who was banned from the game for life in October 2000, six months after New Delhi police accused him of taking money from Indian bookmaker Sanjeev Chawla. Two years later, on June 1, 2002, he was dead aged 32 when a light plane in which he was travelling crashed into the mountains near the South African coastal town of George in bad weather.

PARIS: A picture shows a broken Livestrong wristband, a yellow silicone gel bracelet launched as a fund-raising item for the Lance Armstrong Foundation. — AFP

Former WADA chief urges Armstrong to co-operate LOS ANGELES: The former head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Dick Pound, has called on Lance Armstrong to co-operate fully with drug-testing authorities if he wants to have his lifetime ban from the sport lifted.

Armstrong has given his first interview since being stripped of his seven Tour de France victories and banished from the sport. In it, the talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who talked to the Texan for two-and-a-half hours, said he admitted doping.

But on the eve of the much-anticipated broadcast and as speculation swirled about

with perjury cases against athletes who testified under oath about using illegal drugs, Socolow said.

It has spent millions of dollars in seeking to prosecute former baseball stars Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds, with meager results. A statute of limitations bars lawsuits for perjury more than five years after declarations made under oath. And there are contradictory reports as to when Armstrong made his declarations, with the oldest dating back to 2005. However, “the government could investigate him for obstruction of justice if he misled the grand jury investigation last year,” said Michael McCann, set to head a new Sports and Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire this fall.

Experts agree that Armstrong likely clinched an out-of-court agreement with the government before speaking to Oprah. “I’m sure his attorneys reviewed the potential impact an ‘admission’ would have in all existing legal matters against him and all possible suits that could result from his admission,” said Kobritz.

Armstrong “will return either voluntarily or by force of law millions of dollars of sponsors fees,” predicted Socolow. In addition to government prosecution and the Landis case, Armstrong could face several civil complaints.

In Texas, sports insurer SCA wants to recoup at least $7.5 million in performance bonuses paid to Armstrong in 2006 for multiple Tour victories. The Sunday Times of Britain has sued him for more than £1 million ($1.6 million) over a 2006 libel payment.

It had paid Armstrong £300,000 to settle a libel case after publishing a story suggesting he may have cheated, and now wants that money, plus interest and legal costs, repaid. And Livestrong donors may demand compensation after Armstrong’s admission. The foundation has raised more than $500 million since the cyclist founded it in 1997.— AFP

The USADA last year said Armstrong was at the centre of the most sophisticated doping program in the history of sport, publishing reams of damning eye-witness testimony from former team-mates about the extent of his cheating. The scandal plunged the sport into crisis, raising questions about how he was able to avoid detection for so long, amid claims that the International Cycling Union (UCI) governing body turned a blind eye to widespread doping in the peloton. Pound, who is now a member of the International Olympic Committee, alleged that profession-

al racers were tipped off about how to evade tests for the illegal blood booster erythropoetin (EPO). A Swiss lab even met Armstrong and his former team manager Johan Bruyneel at the request of the UCI to explain the EPO testing process, after the rider had given a “suspicious” test in a race in 2001, USADA has said. Pound said that by giving the interview now and admitting what he had always denied, Armstrong could be hoping to pave the way for a return to competition in marathons and triathlons and rehabilitate his tattered reputation.”— AFP

MARION JONES (ATHLETICS) In 2008, five-time Olympic medalist Jones appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show having just served a sixmonth jail sentence for lying to federal investigators about her drug use and her part in a cheque fraud.In a tearful performance, the American, caught up in the BALCO scandal, insisted she had no idea she was being given a performance-enhancing drug by her coach, maintaining she thought it was just a supplement. “I didn’t love myself enough to tell the truth,” she told Winfrey. Of her time in prison, she added: “There were moments, Oprah, where I felt like my world was over. But there were remarkably days where I just felt empowered, almost. It’s almost like I got this renewed energy where I felt that: ‘I’m here for a reason.’ The searching for that reason, I think, is what really changed my life.”

DAVID MILLAR (CYCLING) British cyclist Millar, once banned for two years for using the banned blood booster erythropoetin (EPO), has since become a vocal anti-doping campaigner. In his autobiography, “Racing in the Dark”, the man who once wore the famed Tour de France leader’s yellow jersey, wrote: “The moment I was caught I was fired and they didn’t bat an eyelid. I was so very unimportant in the big scheme of things. “I had built up this scenario in my mind that I had to win for Cofidis, that upwards of 70 jobs might depend on me delivering the goods, and to be honest that is why I eventually succumbed and started doping.”— AFP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

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Ba, Cisse, Eto’o - missing stars at Africa Cup PARIS: Didier Drogba may lead a star-studded cast list at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations-but this year’s competition which gets underway on Saturday is bereft of some of the continent’s top names. For while Ivory Coast captain Drogba and the Toure brothers Kolo and Yaya and company head for South Africa, the likes of Samuel Eto’o, Demba Ba and Papiss Demba Cisse are missing out, forced to watch the action on television. Ba and Cisse failed to join the party when Senegal were kicked out of the 2013 tournament by organisers CAF as punishment for crowd trouble which flared up at the qualifier against Drogba’s Ivorians.

Senegal’s disqualification must have been greeted with quiet relief, though, at the pair’s

respective Premier League clubs. Ba, who moved from Newcastle to Chelsea in the January transfer window, is one of the deadliest strikers in the league, and made an immediate impact for Chelsea when scoring twice in the 5-1 FA Cup third-round triumph at Southampton.

At Newcastle, the 27-year-old forward’s prowess helped lift the Magpies to fifth place last season. While sorry to see Ba head to London, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew still has a Senegalese ace up his sleeve in the shape of Cisse. He joined Newcastle on a £10 million (12,033 million euros/$16,093 million) deal from German Bundesliga outfit Freiburg and has proved a major hit, scoring 13 goals last term.

While the Africa Cup showcases the cream of the continent’s abundant talent, joining Ba and Cisse on the absentee list is one of Africa’s biggest names in the shape of Eto’o.

The 31-year-old is Africa’s most decorated player, being voted African Footballer of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2010. After standout spells at Barcelona and Inter Milan, he is currently one if not the highest paid footballers in the world, with a reported weekly pay packet of some £350,000 (421,000 euros/$563,000) at Russian big-spenders Anzhi Makhachkala. With three World Cups and six Nations Cups under his belt, the Cameroon captain and his team will be sorely missed. Cameroon’s shock defeat to Cape Verde in the qualifier also robs the 2013 Nations

Cup of talented midfielder Alex Song, who moved to Barcelona from Arsenal last August.

He made a name for himself at the 2008 Cup of Nations in Ghana when he was selected for the team of the tournament, an honor he also picked up three years ago. As in 2012, the former continental kings Egypt have once again been excluded from the feast of African football. The Pharaohs have suffered a startling dip in fortune since rattling off three consecutive titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010. Their bid to qualify for 2013, against the sombre backdrop of the Port Said stadium disaster in February which cost the lives of 74 people, came to a premature end with a first round 4-3 defeat to the Central African Republic. Their absence deprives the Nations

Cup of such Egyptian luminaries as goalkeeper Esaam Al Hadary, defender Wael Gomaa and midfielder Mohamed Abou Trika.

Of the teams who qualified, Ghana will have to do without the services of Marseille’s star midfielder Andrew Ayew and striker Yahaya Mohamed, who are both injured. Morocco’s Queens Park Rangers’ midfielder Adel Taarabt, Arsenal’s striker Marouane Chamakh, on loan to West Ham, and Qatar-based midfielder Houssine Kharja all failed to make the Atlas Lions’ squad. Hosts South Africa must do without retired midfielder Steven Pienaar, Mali’s Mahamadou Diarra is injured, while Nigerian duo Danny Shittu and Shola Ameobi declined their country’s call. — AFP

TV ‘pirates’ preying on Africa Cup of Nations JOHANNESBURG: Television rights to the Africa Cup of Nations have caused a stir as organizers battle illegal broadcasters using hi-tech modern-day piracy. Interest in the premier African football competition has grown in recent years with a rapidly expanding audience inside and outside Africa. “We’ll be present in Europe, we’ll be present in the Arabic countries. We expect to have a viewership of two to three billion people,” local organizing committee head Mvuzo Mbebe said.

Broadcasting rights for Africa’s largest sporting event are a cash cow which the organizers, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), guards jealously.CAF sold the media distribution rights for the tournament to French company Sportfive, who send the match feed to broadcasters.

However, many TV stations in Africa cannot afford the hefty fees, especially in subSaharan Africa, while others try to steal and resell broadcasts.”Some people were trying to sell these television and radio broadcasting rights or related advertising spaces in Nigeria,” said the distributor’s African affiliate LC2 Media-Afnex. They were “compelled to draw the public’s attention to the fact that these aforementioned people are usurpers”, said the company.

“All TV and radio broadcasts of Afcon

South Africa 2013, without prior written authorization, will constitute an act of piracy, leading to systematic and immediate prosecution.” South African public broadcaster the SABC will be the host broadcaster during the January 19-February 10 tournament. They will film the 32 matches with high-definition cameras, edit the pictures, and send the feed to Sportfive’s satellites.

Sportfive then distribute the images to rights-holders. Pirates tap into this transmission without anybody knowing, explains SABC group head of sport Sizwe Nzimande.

“They hack like you would hack any computer program,” he said. “They are sending it to another satellite, which then sends it to a receiver tower. You have now got a pirate feed.” The technology to do this is as common as TV cameras, he added. “It’s sophisticated, but it’s readily available.” CAF tries to safeguard the transmission by giving access codes that change regularly to rights-holders, but pirates even get around that. Botswana’s public broadcaster, BTV, broadcast the 2012 Africa Cup in Gabon/Equatorial Guinea without a licence.

When the renegade broadcaster said prices were too high, Sportfive halved the initial fee of $1.98 million (1.48 million euros) for the following tournament. — AFP

SUNDERLAND: Bolton Wanderers’ English striker Marvin Sordell (3 left) scores their second goal during the English FA Cup third round replay football match between Sunderland and Bolton Wanderers at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, on January 15, 2013. — AFP

Sunderland out of FA Cup

Chinese top club in limbo BEIJING: China’s most successful football club has been plunged into financial limbo after sporting authorities blocked a merger with their city rivals, state media reported yesterday. Eight-times Chinese champions Dalian Shide-struggling for cash despite their history on the pitchhad been due to join forces with wealthy neighbours Dalian Aerbin, who have just captured France international Guillaume Hoarau. But the Chinese Football Association (CFA) “negated” the deal, Xinhua news agency said, forcing Shide to reapply on Tuesday for their spot in the Chinese Super League (CSL).

“Shide may meet the requirements but it’s most likely that the club cannot hold it to the end of next season due to insufficient money,” said Xinhua, citing unspecified sources. Shide won the Jia A League, China’s first professional league, in its inaugural season in 1994, and went on to take another six Jia A titles before winning the rebranded CSL in 2005. They are also one of only two Chinese sides to

reach the final of Asia’s top club championship, now known as the AFC Champions League. Clubs in China are commonly controlled by mega-rich business titans and Shide were bankrolled by Xu Ming, one of China’s richest men and the owner of Shide Group.

The tycoon was a close associate of disgraced former politician Bo Xilai, who served as mayor and Communist Party Chief in Dalian before rising up the political ranks. Xu was linked to the scandal that brought down Bo, and was reportedly detained last March, on the same day Bo was sacked as party chief of the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing.

He is believed to still be in detention.

Dalian Aerbin were only founded in 2009 but are backed by one of China’s largest construction companies, enabling them to sign former Paris Saint-Germain player Hoarau on a three-year deal earlier this month, reportedly doubling his salary.

The CFA did not respond to AFP’s requests for comment. — AFP

Inter Milan overcome Bologna in Italian Cup MILAN: Inter Milan squandered a two-goal lead but then scored in the last minute of extra time for a 3-2 win over Bologna on Tuesday to reach the Italian Cup semifinals.

Defender Andrea Ranocchia scored the winner in the 120th minute on a rainy night at the San Siro with a header from a corner after Bologna goalkeeper Federico Agliardi had fallen over. Colombia playmaker Fredy Guarin had put Inter ahead in the 34th and substitute Rodrigo Palacio doubled the lead in the 77th - with both goals coming from beyond the area - before Bologna struck back with two late goals.

Italy international Alessandro Diamanti curved a free kick around Inter’s wall and in off the crossbar in the 80th, and Manolo Gabbiadini equalized with a volley from close range in the 84th. Inter will next face Fiorentina or Roma, who played yesterday.

Serie A leader Juventus and second-place Lazio already advanced in the other half of

the draw. Amid a flurry of action, Ranocchia briefly thought he had scored the winner in the 85th, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Earlier, Ranocchia had appeared to injure his left foot.

In the 110th, Inter’s 39-year-old captain Javier Zanetti hit the post. “It seemed like it was over after Palacio’s goal, but that’s the great thing about football, you never know,” Inter coach Andrea Stramaccioni said. Inter played the final minutes with virtually 10 men, since Antonio Cassano was limping but all three substitutions had been used.

“We really showed our character,” Stramaccioni said. “I think in the end we deserved to advance.” Before kickoff, representatives of both clubs honored Hungarian coach Arpad Weisz, who guided Inter to one league title and Bologna to two in the 1920s and 1930s. Weisz, who was Jewish, died at the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland during World War II. — AP

MILAN: Bologna defender Mikael Antonsson, of Sweden (left) and Inter Milan’s Tommaso Rocchi vie for the ball during their Italian Cup quarter final soccer match, at the San Siro stadium in Milan on Tuesday, Jan 15 , 2012. — AP

Fulham survive scare LONDON: Sunderland went out of the FA Cup to second-tier Bolton Wanderers after losing their third-round replay 2-0 on Tuesday, while Fulham celebrated the narrowest of narrow escapes against Blackpool. Sunderland have enjoyed an upsurge in Premier League fortunes in recent weeks, moving six points clear of the relegation zone, but they joined north-east rivals Newcastle United in falling at the first hurdle in the cup.

England Under-21 striker Marvin Sordell was the match-winner at the Reebok Stadium, striking twice in the space of nine second-half minutes to earn Bolton a home game with Everton in the fourth round.

His first goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 64th minute after a foul on Darren Pratley by Jack Colback, before he dispatched a Tyrone Mears cut-back in the 73rd minute to complete the scoring. “This is a big club and we shouldn’t be spending 40 years without winning something, we really shouldn’t,” said Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill. “I know some people field weakened sides but we didn’t. We tried to win tonight and we weren’t able to do it, and that was very disappointing.”

On the prospect of a meeting with Everton,

Bolton coach Dougie Freedman said: “We’re looking forward to it. “We feel right now that we can perform against anyone, and if we defend like we did tonight and keep our discipline, we have definitely got every chance.” Fulham were on the verge of elimination to Bolton’s Championship rivals Blackpool after on-loan Aston Villa forward Nathan Delfouneso put the hosts 1-0 up in the 82nd minute at Bloomfield Road. However, a stunning 25-yard strike by Kieran Richardson in the last minute took the game to extra time and Fulham skipper Brede Hangeland scored the winner with four minutes left to secure a 2-1 win.

Fulham will now meet either Manchester United or West Ham United, who locked horns in a replay at Old Trafford yesterday. Jon Walters went some way towards atoning for his horror show in Stoke City’s 4-0 loss to Chelsea at the weekend by scoring twice as Tony Pulis’ side saw off Championship club Crystal Palace 4-1 after extra time.

Walters scored two own goals and missed a penalty in Saturday’s game but he netted twice in extra time on his return to the Britannia Stadium, after Glenn Murray’s 87th-minute

penalty for Palace cancelled out Kenwyne Jones’ opener. Cameron Jerome claimed a late fourth for Stoke, who will tackle English champions Manchester City for a place in round five in what is a repeat of the 2011 final which City won.

Chelsea, meanwhile, will face a trip to third-tier Brentford in the fourth round after the League One outfit saw off Southend United 2-1. In the only all-Premier League encounter of the evening, Queens Park Rangers put their relegation fears to one side to win 1-0 at West Bromwich Albion through a 75th-minute header

by Jay Bothroyd.

Wigan Athletic avoided an upset as Mauro Boselli’s emphatic 18th-minute strike gave them a 1-0 win away to third-tier Bournemouth, who twice hit the frame of the goal. Former Senegal star El-Hadji Diouf celebrated his 32nd birthday by scoring the decisive goal from the penalty spot as Leeds United won 2-1 at Birmingham City to set up a home tie with Tottenham Hotspur. Arsenal host Swansea City in another all-Premier League replay on Wednesday, with second-tier Brighton and Hove Albion, conquerors of Newcastle, awaiting the victors in round four. — AFP

Local and foreign coaches vie for supremacy at Nations Cup JOHANNESBURG: There is a heavy French influence in the coaching ranks at this year’s African Nations Cup finals, but unusually some of the continent’s heavyweights have plumped for local expertise to lead their squads. The majority of the 16 finalists are employing an expatriate coach at the tournament in South Africa, with seven hailing from France and one from Belgium.

A single South American, Uruguay’s Gustavo Ferrin in charge of Angola, continues a trend of African sides moving away from seeking coaches to help them play a more flamboyant style. Some of the continent’s heavyweights, however, have now shunned the foreigners they previously preferred. Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria and hosts South Africa all have their own nationals at the helm, after expensive imports failed to deliver in recent tournaments.

“There is a time now for the local coaches to be given a chance at the highest level,” said South African Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani in a recent interview. Morocco’s Rachid Taoussi has only been in his post since September, having replaced Belgian Eric Gerets, who arrived amid high expectations but was unable to make the most of a talent-laden squad. There remains, however, a heavy French influence in Nations Cup dressing rooms. Franco-German coach Gernot Rohr has been in charge of Niger for only three months, but has experience from the last Nations Cup when he was in charge of co-hosts Gabon.

The other French connections

JOHANNESBURG: In this file photo, the sun sets over Soccer City Stadium, on the edge of Soweto, Johannesburg. — AP are provided by Bosnian-born Vahid Halilhodzic (Algeria), Herve Renard (Zambia), Patrice Calderon (Mali), Sabri Lamouchi (Ivory Coast), Didier Six (Togo) and Democratic Republic of Congo’s Claude Leroy, who is competing in a record seventh tournament. It was Le Roy who famously coined the term ‘Club Med coaches’ as a slur on the approach of those who led African national teams but only flew in for the matches and never took time to immerse them-

selves in the local culture. “It is important to understand and learn the richness of the culture. It is a privilege to be part of the passion for the game that Africa has,” he said.

The influence of foreign coaches has been palpable since the early days of the tournament over half a century ago, but they have won only half of the 28 previous tournaments.

For a young ambitious coach, Africa offers a potential springboard, as was the case with Carlos Alberto

Parreira who led Ghana as a 28-yearold in 1970. He went on to win the World Cup with his own country Brazil 24 years later. Renard won the Nations Cup with Zambia in 2012 less than a decade after he ran an office cleaning business in his home town of Aix-les-Bains in France. “I took out the rubbish for eight years and now I’m the winning coach in the African Nations Cup. Soccer is magical,” he said after last year’s success. — Reuters

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SPORTS Underclass leaders quietly advance to Open 3rd round MELBOURNE: Agnieszka Radwanska has not dropped a set and is unbeaten in 11 matches in 2013. Yesterday the world number four comfortably dealt with the challenge of Irina-Camelia Begu to advance to the Australian Open third round. As did fifth seed Angelique Kerber, who beat Lucie Hradecka 6-3 6-1 in 69 minutes.

Despite her hot form Radwanska, who won both the Auckland and Sydney titles before the year’s first grand slam, is not quite sure if she’s playing as well as she can. “I hope not,” she said with a broad grin when asked if she was in the form of her life after the 6-3 6-3 win over Begu.

“Then I can play even better. “I’m definitely happy that I’m playing my best tennis at the start of the year which is always tough after a few weeks just practicing. “(But) playing matches is always different and I didn’t really expect to win that many matches in a row and hopefully I can keep going.”

The Polish 23-year-old, who made her first grand slam final appearance last year when she lost to Serena Williams at Wimbledon, had entered the consciousness of the public at the Australian Open as one of the favourites of the underdogs. A player likely to advance comfortably through the early rounds, then just as likely lose to someone below here in the rankings from the quarter-finals onwards, as she was to beat the three women ranked above her. Champion Victoria Azarenka, world number two Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, who twisted her ankle on Tuesday, all demolished their first round opponents with their powerful ground strokes and service game to the fore.

Radwanska is more of a grafter.

Someone who plays superb defense, works her opponents around the court, mixes her pace and exploits the angles but does not overpower them.

Yesterday, she did exactly what she needed to do against Begu. She had initial problems with the ball toss of her serve as the giant television screen overhanging Rod Laver Arena was in her eyeline and was broken in the first game.

However she quickly adjusted and got into her stride, moving the tall Romanian around and running down everything to win the first set in 46 minutes.

In the second set, she was forced to scramble to overcome Begu, but again consistently put pressure on the Romanian and sealed the third round clash with either Heather Watson or Ksenia Pervak when she punched away a backhand volley. “Today was a better match for sure,” she said. “It was a tight match but I played the (important) moments a little bit better and I managed to take it in two sets.” Kerber, like Radwanska, dropped the first service game of the match before clicking into gear in the second set and sealing a clash against either American wild card Madison Keys or Austria’s Tamira Paszek with an ace. The German left-hander has also quietly moved into contention in the grand slams, accumulating rankings points with a series of semi-final appearances.

She also won her first WTA career titles, in Paris and Copenhagen, last year and won eight times against women ranked in the top-10. One of those victories was against Serena at Cincinnati the only match the American has lost since Wimbledon last year - and the German is relishing going deeper at Melbourne Park than her previous best third round appearances in 2010 and 2012. “I have a lot of confidence from the last year,” she told reporters after her victory over Hradecka. “I beat a lot of good players and reached the top 10, top five.

“I’m just enjoy(ing) where I am right now.”— Reuters

Swimming: Big money Super Series draws Chinese stars PERTH: Teenage Chinese Olympic sensation Ye Shiwen headlines the field for the inaugural Super Series, billed as the world’s richest swim meet, which starts tomorrow in Perth. The dual Olympic gold medalist is part of a powerful Chinese team facing on Australia and South Africa in the unique tri-nation event, with $500,000 in prize money paid by a wealthy mining corporation for both individual and relay events over two days.

The 16-year-old won Olympic gold medals in the 400 meters and 200 meters individual medley at London 2012, setting an astonishing world record in the 400m event and an Olympic record in the 200m. London 200m butterfly champion Jiao Liuyang and 2008 gold medalist Liu Zige will also be competing in the Super Series as China seek to continue their emergence as a swimming power to rival the United States.

The Chinese claimed five gold medals in London, second only to the USA, and their Super Series team includes four current world record holders. Host nation

Australia will be looking to reclaim some of the ground lost in London, where their reputation as one of the strongest swimming nations took a battering. They won just a single gold, in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay. Much of the attention for the Australians will centre on James Magnussen, the high-profile sprint freestyler nicknamed “The Missile”.

As the reigning world champion, Magnussen was the favorite for the 100m freestyle heading into the London Olympics, but finished second to American Nathan Adrian by a hundredth of a second and failed to reach the final of the 50m freestyle. One of the highlights of the Super Series in the Swan River capital of Western Australia will be the clash between Ye and Australian Alicia Coutts, who claimed the silver medal in the 200m individual medley in London. The South African team suffered a blow when Chad le Clos, who achieved worldwide recognition after beating United States Olympic legend Michael Phelps in the 200m butterfly in London, withdrew with a shoulder injury.— AFP

MELBOURNE: Poland’s Jerzy Janowicz reacts to a line call during his second round match against India’s Somdev Devvarman at the Australian Open tennis championship yesterday. — AP

Janowicz admits he ‘went nuts’ in Open meltdown

MELBOURNE: Polish giant Jerzy Janowicz admitted he “went nuts” and expected to be fined after an extraordinary meltdown during his marathon Australian Open victory over India’s Somdev Devvarman yesterday. The 24th seed screamed his discontent at a line call when he led 9-8 in the tiebreaker of his 67 (10/12), 3-6, 6-1, 6-0, 7-5 triumph. The imposing 2.03 meters tall Janowicz repeatedly yelled “How many times” before falling to his knees and continuing his tirade.

He faces sanctioning from the International Tennis Federation for angrily hitting the umpire’s chair with his racquet at the completion of the first set. “The umpires, they’re making so many mistakes,” Janowicz said. “One of the most important mistakes was set point in the tiebreak, 9-8. Was a shanked forehand from Devvarman. The ball was really slow, it was clean out,” he said. “I was already happy, I was already shouting ‘come on.’ But the refer-

ees didn’t say anything. This was the moment when I went nuts. “Sometimes it happens like this. Sometimes I have a problem to control my emotions, but I’m trying to work on this.”

The ITF will announce on Thursday if Janowicz will be fined.

He was unable to compete at the Australian Open last year because with a world ranking of 221, he could not afford the airfare to Melbourne. He has since taken his ranking to number 26 and accumulated career prizemoney of more than $660,000.

“This changed my life, but not changed me,” he said. “All the time, I’m the same crazy person, and I hope it is going to be the same all the time.” Asked if he had ever gone “as nuts” in a match, Janowicz smiled: “Yeah.” On whether it was the first time he had struck an umpire’s chair, he replied more sheepishly: “Maybe.” Devvarman said he had never witnessed an outburst like the one delivered by

Janowicz, whose tantrum was attracting a stream of YouTube viewers shortly after the match.

An outburst by Marcos Baghdatis at the Australian Open last year, when the Cypriot smashed four racquets during a changeover, has since had 1.4 million hits on YouTube. “I was thinking dude, relax,” Devvarman said.

“He is a friend and I have played him before.

He got a little upset with a couple of calls. “I’m the kind of guy who goes out there and works, regardless of what is happening on the other side of the net. I played him three or four years ago and he was only a baby back then. “He’s improved so much, you can see it in his game, his maturity, although ...

“Janowicz might have earned the ire of officialdom, but spectators were on his side.

Walking off court, a group of girls gave him flowers. “This was me,” Janowicz said. “Never, never happen to me before.”— AFP

Baker’s Open ends in wheelchair

MELBOURNE: American Brian Baker’s hopes of a fairytale run at the Australian Open were ended in the cruellest of fashions yesterday when he was taken off court in a wheelchair after suffering a serious knee injury. The 27year-old, who returned in 2012 after seven injury-plagued years off the professional circuit, had won the first set of his second round match against compatriot Sam Querrey when he suffered the injury. “I didn’t see what happened,” Querrey told reporters. “I hit a ball, and then he hit a ball long. I was looking at the ballkids to grab balls for my serve, and then I looked back and he was on the ground.

“And then just asking him, he said he kind of just felt his knee almost buckle and kind of heard like a pop or a snap. He didn’t know if it was bones or a tear, but he couldn’t straighten it, couldn’t walk. “I feel awful for him.” After receiving treatment on his right knee, Baker was wheeled away with what broadcaster ESPN reported was a torn lateral meniscus, which will require surgery and four months on the sidelines. Runner-up at the French Open juniors in 2003, Baker was working his way up the senior rankings in 2005 when he first felt an injury in his left hip, which required surgery.

That began a nightmare run of two left hip surgeries, a right hip operation, hernia surgery and right elbow surgery which, with the exception of a couple of matches in 2007, kept him off the tour until 2011. “He’s the last person that deserves anything like that with his five or six surgeries already,” added Querrey.

“He does everything right, treats his body great, just trying to come back, and then something like that happens, it’s just so unlucky.” Baker gave it one final go last year

MELBOURNE: Brian Baker of the US hits a return against compatriot Sam Querrey during their men’s singles match on day three of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne yesterday. — AFP and went from world number 456 to 57 at the start of this year’s first grand slam, taking in a run to the last 16 as a qualifier at Wimbledon on the way.

His victory in the first round at Melbourne Park against Alex Bogomolov Jr of Russia on Monday was his first at the Australian Open and he had hoped to get back into the top 50 in the world by May. “In my mind he’s a top 50

player and he can beat guys who are top 20, top 10,” Querrey, the 20th seed, said. “I think if he can heal quickly ... I think he can get right back where he is right now. He’s talented, he’s good enough.” Querrey, the sole American men’s seed this year in the absence of injured compatriot John Isner, will now meet Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka for a place in the fourth round.— Reuters

Federer and Tomic trade barbs at Australian Open

OSN awards UAE’s Khalil KUWAIT: Following a great game, UAE celebrated its exciting qualification to the highly anticipated finals after their victory against Kuwait on January 15th at the Gulf Cup of Nations which kicked off earlier this month in Bahrain. As part of its commitment to support local and regional sporting events, OSN awarded the Most Valued Player (MVP) award to

UAE’s National team player, Ahmad Khalil, for his game-changing performance. Ahmad Khalil also received a one year OSN subscription from Mehdi Baker, a senior representative from OSN, the region’s leading pay-TV network. The finale which takes place tomorrow will see the Most Valued Player of the tournament also being honored by OSN.

MELBOURNE: One year ago, a star-struck Bernard Tomic was left shaking his head in disbelief as he was taken apart by the great Roger Federer. This time around, his attitude is a little less reverent. Rather than paying homage to the mighty Swiss, the cocksure Australian has taken a distinctly different tack, cheekily suggesting Federer may lose before their expected clash in the Australian Open’s third round.

“Well, if he gets that far,” was the response of Tomic to being drawn against Federer, for a likely prime-time clash inside Rod Laver Arena on Saturday night. “I would love to get in that position to play Roger in the third round.

He has to get there as well. You don’t know what can happen.

Tennis is a funny sport. So we’ll see.” Given that Federer, who

meets Nikolay Davydenko in round two on Thursday, is on a run of 34 straight Grand Slam quarter-finals, it was an impertinent suggestion. To meet Federer, Tomic must first beat German qualifier Daniel Brands.

Last year, he only took eight games off the 17-time Grand Slam champion as he went down in straight sets in the fourth round.

At the same age as Tomic, Federer had only one tournament victory before going on to amass a record-breaking 17 majors. But Federer has been distinctly cool about the controversial young Australian. “Is he playing first?” Federer said, when asked if he would watch Tomic’s opening match on TV. “Second? I don’t know. I haven’t got my plan yet for tonight, my dinner

plans.” Federer, 31, also cast doubt on Tomic’s ambition of cracking the top 10 within a year, calling it a “big ask”. “Let’s speak in a year’s time. Everybody wants to jump from, what’s his ranking, 60, to 10 in a year. It’s hard to do.

Ten is a big ask,” he said. “Don’t forget how tough the top 10 players are right now.”

It was reminiscent of Federer’s attitude in the build-up to the equally hyped clash with Tomic at the Australian Open last year.

Tomic needed to beat Ukraine’s mercurial Alexandr Dolgopolov to reach the fourth round and face Federer. Asked if he had viewed Tomic versus Dolgopolov, Federer replied: “An entertaining match. I was laughing like everyone else. But it did take four hours out of my day.”

The message was clear. Tomic

was little more than nuisance value. Hardly a serious threat. Some 48 hours later, Federer schooled him 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

It was not the first time Federer, who is known to store remarks from opponents as motivational weaponry, has put a young upstart in his place at Melbourne Park. Famously, a young Novak Djokovic told an Australian TV station in 2007 that he would beat Federer in the fourth round. Federer was world number one and already on the road to becoming an all-time great. Djokovic, 18, was unproven. Federer learned of the Serb’s boastful prediction and vowed to remind him who’s boss. The result? A pointed 6-2, 7-5, 6-3 triumph to Federer. Then and now, he wants the last word.— AFP

Sunderland out of FA Cup; Fulham survive

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

Inter beat Bologna in Italian Cup

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‘I confess’ - 5 great sports ‘mea culpas’

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MELBOURNE: Russia’s Maria Sharapova serves during her women’s singles match against Misaki Doi (inset) of Japan on the third day of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne yesterday. — AFP

Sharapova pumped as Stosur flops Venus sets up Sharapova showdown MELBOURNE: A dominant Maria Sharapova routed another hapless opponent yesterday as ninth seed Samantha Stosur flopped out of the Australian Open, amid increasing speculation about Serena Williams’ fitness. The world number two Russian handed a tennis lesson to young Japanese Misaki Doi in a one-sided 6-0, 6-0 rout to book a blockbuster third round clash with seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams. Sharapova also thrashed her first round challenger 6-0, 6-0 to become the first woman since Wendy Turnbull at the Australian Open in 1985 to bag two double bagel Grand Slam wins in a row. “I was just really trying to be focused. I didn’t know too much about my opponent; just knew she was a few inches shorter than I was,” she said. “But it’s always tough, especially when you’re up a set and a couple of breaks to keep that momentum.” Next

up is Venus Williams, who disposed of France’s Alize Cornet in straight sets.

Williams has been battling injury and illness in the past two years and her ranking has dropped, but she has clawed her way back to be 26. She knows she will have to dig deep against Sharapova. “I look at the draw, I’m not superstitious. I play Maria and I better bring my best game against her,” she said. Venus’s sister Serena is due on court today against Spain’s Garbine Muguruza and she held a closed indoor training session, fuelling speculation about her fitness after she painfully rolled her ankle on court Tuesday. The defiant 15-time Grand Slam champion, a hot tournament favorite, claimed only a “fatal” injury would prevent her contesting the second round.

But she chose to move her scheduled session from court 17 to the indoor training facility

and closed it to the media and public, disappointing hundreds of spectators who wanted to watch. Australia’s Stosur threw away the last five games to hand China’s Zheng Jie passage in her match, admitting she choked. Stosur, who suffered first-round flops at WTA events in Brisbane and Sydney this year, was leading 5-2 in the third set but collapsed and double faulted to hand Zheng victory 6-4, 1-6, 7-5. “Whatever word you want to put on it, at 5-2 up in the third, double break probably is a bit of a choke, yeah,” she said.

Elsewhere, fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska built on her sizzling start to the season to progress along with Chinese star Li Na and fifth seed Angelique Kerber. Radwanska stormed to her 11th straight victory of the year as she carried the form shown in winning titles at Auckland and Sydney in the lead-up to the

Real blank Valencia 2-0 MADRID: Real Madrid put themselves on course for a place in the King’s Cup semifinals after securing a 2-0 first leg victory over Valencia at the Bernabeu on Tuesday.

Karim Benzema scored just before the break and an own goal from Andres Guardado in the 74th minute gave Jose Mourinho’s side the advantage in the quarter-final ahead of next week’s return at the Mestalla. The winners go on to meet either holders Barcelona or Malaga, who meet at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.

On the other side of the draw, Real Zaragoza hosted Sevilla yesterday, and Atletico Madrid receive Real Betis today. “It is a good result,” Real captain Iker Casillas told reporters, “But the way forward in the Cup is very tough. “We have the return leg away and after that, if we progress, a meeting with either Barca or Malaga, who are in good form. But the victory gives us a lift and helps us get over our frustrations in La Liga.” After a recent poor run of form which has seen Real slip 18 points behind league leaders Barcelona, Mourinho’s name once again was met with a mixture of whistles and applause before the start of the 600th top-flight match of his career.

Brazil full back Marcelo was back in the side after almost three months out with a foot injury but first-choice centre-backs Sergio Ramos and Pepe were missing through suspension and injury respectively. Luka Modric fluffed an early chance for the hosts and Iker Casillas pulled off a great reflex save to deny Jonas. As so

MADRID: Real Madrid’s Angel Di Maria from Argentina (center) duels for the ball with Valencia’s Guardado (right) during their Copa del Rey soccer match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid. — AP often happens with Real, a close chance at turned into the net by a combination of one end turned into a goal at the other, as Guardado and Gonzalo Higuain as the Michael Essien burst away on a counter- two slid in at the near post, the Argentine attack. getting the final touch with his hand.

He fed Sami Khedira, who immediately Valencia’s new coach Ernesto Valverde laid off for Benzema and the hosts were 1- was sent off after the goal, though he was 0 up in the 37th minute. Valencia carved sanguine when asked if he was unhappy the perfect opportunity to equalize mid- with the referee. “It’s a lot easier when you way through the second half, after good see it on the television,” Valverde told a work by Ever Banega, but when Casillas news conference. “We have to try and put parried Roberto Soldado’s shot Jonas fired ourselves in their place. “Perhaps when I wide of the gaping goal. As with the first see it on the television it will hurt more. goal, Real immediately struck back. We had chances to score and this is more Substitute Fabio Coentrao’s low cross was painful.”— Reuters

year’s opening Grand Slam. The Pole beat IrinaCamelia Begu 6-3, 6-3 and now faces Britain’s Heather Watson. While Radwanska had no dramas in overcoming the Romanian, former French Open champion Li was erratic in her 6-2, 7-5 victory over Olga Govortsova of Belarus.

Li sailed through the first set but struggled in the second, before finally knuckling down to claw back four games in a row to progress. “She started the second set much better so I’m just happy to win,” said Li, adding that she was confident of adding to her solitary Grand Slam title in 2011. “Australia for me-I really believe I can win this Grand Slam.” In contrast to Li’s struggle, Germany’s Kerber, who broke through last year with WTA titles in Paris and Copenhagen which pushed her to her current rank of five, looked comfortable in her 6-3, 6-1 win over Czech Lucie Hradecka.—AFP

Devastating Djokovic crushes US’ Harrison MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic delivered a stinging lesson in the realities of grand slam tennis to young American Ryan Harrison yesterday and warned the next generation they need to work harder to break into the top ranks. The steelyeyed Serb’s campaign for a hat-trick of Australian Open titles kicked into overdrive in the late match at Rod Laver Arena, as he demolished the highly-fancied 20-year-old 6-1 6-2 6-3 to charge into the third round. “I definitely didn’t want to underestimate my opponent tonight, even though he’s younger than me, still didn’t establish himself, you know, as a top 20 or top 30 player,” the world number one told reporters after the 91-minute rout. “But I still knew that he has a quality.

“Mentally he’s probably going to go out on the court knowing he doesn’t have anything to lose. “He’s going to try to smack serves and forehands. I went with that kind of mindset on the court, just trying to play as sharp as possible from the start, and I’ve done so.” Bullied on the baseline and broken early in each set, the 62nd-ranked Harrison scrambled hard to make a contest under the lights on centre court, but was left pinned at the back and stunned by Djokovic’s shot-making. It was a harsh reality-check for the American, who had pumped himself up like a prize-fighter prior to the match, talking of taking it up to the five-times grand slam champion.

Two breaks down into the second set, a punch-drunk Harrison was shell-shocked. He later conceded he felt powerless against a man with no perceptible frailty. “Whenever your game plan is to try and take control of a guy and you’re not getting balls to hit, you know, if I try to lace balls from six, eight feet behind the baseline I just look stupid and crazy,” said Harrison. “It’s one where you’re disappointed because obviously leading up the last day and a half, two days, I’m all excited because I’m wanting to make a statement, wanting to win this match, wanting to step up. —Reuters

BARCELONA: In this file picture, then FC Barcelona’s coach Pep Guardiola is thrown in the air after the match FC Barcelona and Espanyol during a Spanish La Liga soccer match in Barcelona, Spain. German soccer club Bayern Munich said yesterday Pep Guardiola will become the club’s coach in July on 3-year contract. —AP

Guardiola replaces Bayern’s Heynckes MUNICH: Bayern Munich have appointed former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola to replace Jupp Heynckes from the end of this season, the Bundesliga club said yesterday. Spaniard Guardiola, 41, will take over from Heynckes, who has decided not to extend his contract, in July and has agreed a deal until the end of June 2016, Bayern said in a statement on their website. “We are very pleased that we have managed to convince the football expert Pep Guardiola, who was coveted and contacted by many top clubs, to come to Bayern Munich,” Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.

“Pep Guardiola is one of the world’s most successful coaches and we are sure that he can bring a great deal of sparkle not only to Bayern Munich but to German football in general,” he added.

Bayern’s announcement brings to an end weeks of speculation about which club would win the race to hire Guardiola, who announced this month he would return to coaching next season after taking a year out to rest. He stepped down as Barca coach at the end of last term after leading the La Liga club, where he began his career as a player, to 14 trophies in four years, including two Champions League crowns and three straight Spanish league titles.

It is a significant coup for the German club, runners-up in the Champions League last season, given that big-spending rivals, including Chelsea, Manchester City and Paris St Germain, were reportedly also hoping to hire Guardiola. The Spaniard, speaking to the English Football Association as part of the organization’s 150th anniversary celebrations this week, had said his ambition was to manage in the Premier League in future. Bayern are top of the Bundesliga with a nine-point lead after 17 matches. The league resumes this week after a monthlong winter break.—Reuters

Business

Dubai stock market booms, cautiously Page 22 US consumer prices edge up, give Fed room to act Page 23

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Dollar squeeze adds to economic hardship in crisis-hit Sudan

Germany slashes growth estimates amid EU crisis Page 25 Page 24

FRANKURT: An employee of the German Federal Bank piles bars of gold during a press conference at the German Federal Bank in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, yesterday. (inset) An employee measures a bar of gold. — AFP

Bundesbank to bring home gold reserves Piles of gold ingots to be brought from US, France FRANKFURT: The Bundesbank has decided to bring home to Germany some of its huge piles of gold ingots stashed away in the United States and France, it said yesterday after accusations that it has not kept proper track of the reserves.

During the Cold War, the German central bank, which with nearly 3,400 tons has the world’s second biggest gold reserves after the US Federal Reserve, stored most of the ingots outside the country in case of a Soviet invasion. Up until unification in 1990, 98 percent of the Bundesbank’s gold reserves were stored outside the country.

Nevertheless, since the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Bundesbank has already repatriated some 900 tons it had given to the Bank of England for safekeeping. And now under a new storage plan unveiled by the central bank yesterday, it will also ship back home all 374 tons it had stored with the Banque de France in Paris, as well as 300 tons-or just under one fifth of a stockpile currently guarded by the US Federal Reserve.

That meant that proportion of gold stored in the Bundesbank’s own vaults in Frankfurt will increase from 31 percent to 50 percent by 2020, board member CarlLudwig Thiele told a news conference.

The increase has become possible thanks to additional capacity becoming available in the Bundesbank’s own vaults, Thiele argued. The shift will enable the central bank to “focus on the two primary functions of the gold reserves: to build trust and confidence domestically, and the ability to exchange gold for foreign currencies at gold trading centres abroad within a short space of time,” Thiele explained.

All of the reserves held in France would be moved back home, he said. The reason for this was that, since both France and Germany shared the euro as their national currency, the Bundesbank was “no longer dependent on Paris as a financial centre in which to exchange gold for an international reserve currency should the need arise,” Thiele explained.

High security The Bundesbank gave no indication as to when and how the transfers would take place, but Thiele insisted the central bank had “huge experience” in handling such high-security transports.

Thiele insisted the decision represented no diplomatic slight to France and the Bank of France “remains an important partner, whom we thank for taking care of our gold.”

In future, the US Federal Reserve would continue to guard 37 percent of the Bundesbank’s gold reserves and the Bank of England 13 percent.

Even though Thiele insisted the Bundesbank had taken the decision in full independence, it did come after the central bank locked horns with the federal court of auditors or Bundesrechnungshof last October over criticisms it was not keeping proper track of its vast reserves of gold.

At the time, the Bundesrechnungshof, which audits Germany’s finances, complained that the Bundesbank had never made sure that large parts of its gold

reserves held by foreign central banks were subject to regular on-the-spot checks.

“In view of the high value of the gold reserves stored with foreign central banks and the fact that these have never been registered, the court of auditors views it as essential for regular physical checks and assays to be carried out at the foreign central banks,” the letter stated.

The Bundesbank retorted that it was “not usual prac tice bet ween central banks” to carry out checks to verify its gold reserves were all present and corre c t . “ Th e re i s n o d o u b t a b o u t t h e integrity, reputation and security” of the foreign central banks’ depositary facilities and the Bundesbank received certified confirmation of its inventory down to the nearest troy ounce ever y year from the central banks concerned, it said. Nevertheless, public pressure and increasingly vocal euroscepticism in the wake of the debt crisis has increased for the bank to keep a closer track on its gold. — AFP

OPEC sees weaker demand in 2013 LONDON: OPEC expects demand for its crude to be lower than expected in 2013 because of higher supply from rival producers, indicating inventories could build up substantially if the producer group maintains current output. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ monthly report indicated world supply will comfortably outstrip demand in the first half of this year, even after top exporter Saudi Arabia cut its production in December to fend off a supply overhang and defend prices well above $100 a barrel.

It forecast demand for OPEC crude this year would average 29.65 million barrels per day, down 100,000 bpd from last month. This is less than OPEC’s December production of 30.37 million bpd as estimated by secondary sources.

Demand for OPEC crude will average 29.07 million bpd in the first half of 2013, the report estimated, implying inventories could build up by about 1.3 million bpd should OPEC maintain December’s output rate.

OPEC has a target for its 12 members to produce 30 million bpd. With prices above Riyadh’s preferred $100 but with expectations of slower demand in early 2013, OPEC at a meeting in December left the target unchanged, leaving the door open to informal supply tweaks depending on demand.

Saudi Arabia told OPEC it produced 9.025 million bpd in December, down from 9.49 million bpd in November, confirming figures provided last week by an industry source familiar with Saudi policy.

Record Saudi output last year of up to 10 million bpd helped to cushion the impact of Western sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program by helping to bring prices down from a 2012 high of $128 in March. The other significant cutbacks in OPEC output in December were due to technical and political setbacks in Iraq, the world’s fastest-growing exporter, and the impact of the sanctions on Iran.

Other OPEC producers may not join Saudi Arabia in voluntarily curbing output. The United Arab Emirates sees no need to do so since the market is well balanced, the country’s oil minister said yesterday.—Reuters

ATHENS: Striking Hellenic Postbank employees gather outside the offices of the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund in Athens yesterday protesting against bank’s planned split and privatization. — AFP

Markets bounce back on bargain hunting MIDEAST STOCK MARKETS DUBAI: Most Middle East bourses rose yesterday as bargain hunters bought banking stocks following early-week declines. Banks results in Saudi Arabia and Qatar have failed to impress investors, but three straight losses on both markets have enticed some buyers back in at lower prices. Saudi Arabia’s index rose 0.3 percent to 7,036 points, steadying around a psychological support level at 7,000 points. It hit a four-month closing high of 7,166 points on Saturday.

“Banks so far reported moderate growth and the only solid numbers were in smaller banks - investors are now waiting for the bluechips to report,” said Hesham Tuffaha, a fund manager at a Saudi investment firm. Heavyweight Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) gained 0.3 percent and Al Rajhi Bank climbed 1.8 percent. Both firms have yet to declare their quarterly results. Other banks also advanced, with the sector’s index closing 0.9 percent higher to claw back some of this week’s losses.

“I see the market as slightly oversold - I expect in the next two weeks to move towards 7,300 points again,” added Tuffaha. In Doha, the benchmark climbed 0.5 percent, up 2.6 percent so far in January. Qatar National Bank rose 0.5 percent, Commercial Bank of Qatar added 0.8 percent and Doha Bank gained 0.6 percent.

Sentiment was weak in Qatar after QNB set a 60 percent cash dividend, equivalent to 6 riyals per share, that disappointed retail investors due to a lack of bonus shares.

Foreign interest in Doha stocks has increased this year after a lull in 2012, although many investors are waiting for Qatar to move ahead with infrastructure projects planned as part of the country’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup in 2022. “Outflows of foreign funds were significant last year and despite recent inflows, it’s a drop in the ocean,” said Anastasios Dalgiannakis, institutional trading manager at Mubasher. “There is scope for more gains but we need some concrete signs.”

Elsewhere, Dubai’s top lender Emirates NBD lifted the emirate’s bourse, with its shares surging 6.4 percent. The bank will hold an analyst meeting later this month and is expected to post quarterly earnings earlier than usual.

“There’s been a focus on bank valuations and Emirates NBD is a lot cheaper in a peer group with National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) and First Gulf Bank (FGB),” said an Abu Dhabi-based trader. “If there’s good news from the bank, ENBD will get massively re-rated because it has been a laggard.” Dubai’s index climbed 0.4 percent, up for a second session in the last four since hitting a two-year high on Thursday.

Abu Dhabi-listed NBAD rose 1.3 percent and FGB slipped 0.8 percent. Abu Dhabi’s benchmark dipped 0.2 percent, down from Tuesday’s 26-month high. Elsewhere, Egypt’s measure climbed 0.6 percent, up for a second session in the last five. Shares in Talaat Moustafa advanced 1.2 percent, giving back some of their intraday gains after an early-session surge. —Reuters

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

BUSINESS

Dubai stock market booms, cautiously Companies successfully restructure debts DUBAI: Mohammad Jamal, a veteran investor in Dubai’s stock market, switched to trading commodities several years ago as the global financial crisis struck. But in recent months he has started putting money into stocks again.

The 40-year-old Egyptian, who runs a commodities trading operation in Dubai, thinks the market has bottomed out after a five-year slump and that real estate and banking stocks look particularly attractive.

“The downturn is almost over and the only way to go is up,” he says. “Things are not back to how they were in 2005, but they’re better than 2008.”

Dubai’s main stock index lost nearly threequarters of its value in 2008 because of the global crisis and the bursting of a bubble in the emirate’s real estate market. The index has largely moved sideways in the past four years as companies and investors licked their wounds.

But over the last several months, much of the confidence of both local and international investors has returned, as companies have made progress restructuring billions of dollars of debts, property prices have started to rebound, and a tourism boom has lifted the economy.

The improving mood has been seen in plunging yields on Dubai bonds and in the credit default swaps used to insure against the possibility of the government defaulting; CDS have dropped very near levels seen before the crises struck.

Now there are signs that stocks have entered their own recovery. The index rose 19.9 percent last year and is up 7.3 percent so far in 2013,

while trading turnover has in the last couple of weeks hit its highest levels in nearly a year.

The rise in turnover suggests many individual investors like Jamal, who left the market in disgust during its crash, are coming back.

“We’ve seen credit rally and real estate recover,” said Anastasios Dalgiannakis, institutional trading manager at Mubasher, a regional financial services firm.

Peak Nobody is predicting any quick return to the market’s pre-crash heights. The index, which ended Wednesday at 1,741 points, is still a whopping 72.5 percent below its 2008 peak.

And while trading turnover has reached 500 million shares on some days this month, it has not come close to levels of around 1 billion shares seen a few years ago. This suggests a degree of caution remains. Nevertheless, analysts say the fledgling recovery of the real estate market means the stock market is on a stronger footing than it has been at any time in the past five years.

Property stocks are heavily weighted in the index, and because an estimated 40 percent of bank lending in the United Arab Emirates is to real estate firms, bank shares are very sensitive to property prices as well. A boost to confidence in real estate came in November when Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid AlMaktoum, announced plans for a huge tourism and retail development including the world’s largest shopping mall. It is not clear when the project will be completed, or whether all of it will end up being built, but the plans fanned

Ahmadinejad pushes subsidy reform DUBAI: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared in parliament yesterday, urging lawmakers to allow government plans to cut subsidies to go ahead as a way to revive the economy, struggling in the grip of tightening Western sanctions.

Parliament suspended the second phase of the government’s subsidy reform plan in November, saying that reductions in subsidies, which began in 2010, had contributed to higher inflation. Further cuts would harm an economy already battered by Western sanctions on the banking and energy sectors, they said. But Ahmadinejad yesterday defended the reforms, also called the targeted-subsidies plan, saying they had reduced income inequality between the rich and poor and were key to combating the effect of sanctions.

The reforms are aimed at easing pressure on state finances by cutting tens of billions of dollars from government subsidies on food and fuel, while offsetting the impact on Iran’s citizens by giving them monthly cash payments. “Our foes claim they have imposed the heaviest sanctions against us, including restrictions on oil sales and sanctions on the central bank and monetary transactions,” Ahmadinejad told parliament, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).

“Naturally the sanctions create a series of problems, including a slowdown in the country’s growth, pressure on wide swathes of people who have a fixed income, disruption in foreign trade, and certainly a gap between classes.”

Iran’s economy is suffering badly, partly as a result of US and European Union sanctions, which are designed to starve Tehran of funds that might be channelled into expensive nuclear weapons programs.

Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons, saying its atomic program is solely for peaceful purposes.

Its currency the rial has crashed in value in the last year, contributing to higher inflation, which official estimates put at around 25 percent. Oil revenues, the country’s economic lifeblood, have been reduced by half in the last year. “One of the best development measures to ensure sustainable growth and circumvent the sanctions and neutralize the enemy’s pressures has been the targeted subsidies plan,” Ahmadinejad said.

“If this plan is fully implemented, wealth will be fairly distributed, national capital will be preserved, production efficiency will go up, the government’s dependency on oil income will be reduced and poverty will be eradicated.” Iranian MP Mohammad Reza Bahonar, in response to Ahmadinejad’s speech, said that there were problems that arose from implementing the first phase of the reforms that needed to be dealt with before the second phase is put in place.

Parliament speaker Ali Larijani, who some speculate may mount a bid for the presidency in elections due to be held in June, said legislators objected to parts of the subsidy reform which could hurt Iran’s manufacturing sector. He had said earlier that raising energy prices would hurt producers. — Reuters

interest in the sector. Another positive factor is the efforts of Abu Dhabi, a neighboring member of the United Arab Emirates, to engineer a statebacked merger between its two top property developers, Aldar Properties and Sorouh Real Estate.

By allowing better coordination of residential property projects, the merger, which is still under discussion, could support real estate prices in Abu Dhabi and thus have a beneficial effect on Dubai’s property firms and banks too.

“The UAE’s general macro picture is getting better - a potential positive trigger that can affect the UAE is the merger between Aldar and Sorouh,” said Ali Adou, portfolio manager at Abu Dhabi’s The National Investor.

“The more important aspect is the outcome of it and how it will affect the real estate sector, and what business lines the merged entity will operate. The other trigger is the improvement in Dubai from a debt perspective.”

The extent of the stock market’s confidence could be seen in its calm reaction to news at the end of last month that the UAE central bank was placing caps on mortgage lending, to reduce the risk of another property bubble developing.

Shares in Emaar Properties, Dubai’s largest listed property developer, initially dipped but quickly resumed rising and are up 8.8 percent so far this year, after a 46 percent leap in 2012.

Amer Khan, fund manager at Dubai’s Shuaa Asset Management, said the stock market would continue upwards if fourth-quarter corporate earnings, to be announced in coming weeks, met analysts’ expectations. — Reuters

UAE sees no need to reduce oil output after Saudi cut ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates sees no need to cut oil production, the UAE’s oil minister said yesterday, after Gulf OPEC ally Saudi Arabia slashed output in late 2012. The world’s top oil exporter cut its crude production by around 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) over the last two months of 2012, pointing to low demand at home and abroad.

The UAE produced around 2.60 million bpd of crude in December and November, down marginally from around 2.62 million bpd in October. But the UAE has enough customers to take all its current production and sees no pressing need to follow the Saudi cut.

“No. At the moment we are just producing the way we are ... We are monitoring the market all the time, and right now the market is capable of taking all we produce,” Mohammed Al-Hamli, the UAE oil minister, told journalists when asked if he saw the need to cut output.

“The market is well balanced ... Well maybe it’s a little bit over supplied, but generally it is well supplied,” he said.

“World demand is still not in good shape. There will be an increase in demand (in 2013) but less than last year ...

It really depends on how the crisis is handled.” Saudi production of 9 million bpd in December was more than a million barrels below its peak production last summer, when the kingdom’s own oil use peaks as it generates electricity to meet soaring air conditioning demand.

The UAE produces nearly all of its electricity by burning gas, so its demand for oil is less seasonal than in neighboring Saudi Arabia. Record Saudi output last summer helped cushion the impact on the oil market of Western sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program by helping to bring prices down from a 2012 high of $128 in March. Even after the Saudi reduction, OPEC output still looks set to outstrip demand in the first half of 2013.

OPEC is pumping about 30.2 million bpd, while forecasts from the cartel’s economists for the first half indicate demand for its oil of 29.25 million bpd. — Reuters

KUWAIT: Indonesian Ambassador Ferry Adamhar (right) with Minister of Commerce Anas Al-Saleh.

Indonesian Embassy takes part in economic exhibition KUWAIT: The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia participated in the 3rd Economic Exhibition for foreign embassies which was held by the economic department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kuwait at Sheraton Hotel on January 13.

The booth of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia displayed many hand-crafted and carved boxes of gift items and radios produced by one of Indonesian companies named PT Kriya Nusantara. The booth provided a glimpse into potential investment opportunities in the tourism sector in Indonesia especially in the tourism project of Tanjung Lesung.

In addition, the Indonesian booth displayed information about one of the biggest textile and garment companies in Indonesia PT Sritex which is involved in supplying military uniforms to various countries.

Besides, the booth also displayed the Achilles Tyre, a product of an Indonesian tyre company PT Multistrada Arah Sarana which has entered the Kuwaiti market in partnership with the Kuwait Automotive Imports Company as its distributor.

Samples of palm oil products, cocoa powder, stationeries and cosmetics and healthcare products from various Indonesian companies as well as other promotional materials on investment and tourism potential of Indonesia were also displayed. The exhibition served as a right opportunity to showcase many Indonesian products with a potential to find an entry of into the Kuwaiti market in cooperation with Kuwaiti partners.

Undersecretar y of the Ministr y of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah visited the exhibition accompanied by a number of high-ranking officials

KUWAIT: The Indonesian Ambassador with Mohammed Ahmed Al-Majren AlRoumi. of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the Director of Economic Department, Sheikh Ali Al-Khaled Al-Sabah and the Secretary General of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce. Indonesian Ambassador Ferry Adamhar explained to the guests about the hand-carved boxes of gift items and radios produced by PT Kriya Nusantara that reflect the high value of the art works and their superior quality. He informed them that the art works bagged 18 awards from UNESCO. The Indonesian booth was among the most visited booths at the exhibition.

Several high-ranging Kuwaiti officials including Anas Al-Saleh, Minister of Commerce of Kuwait and the Director of Asia Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait, Mohammed Ahmed AlMajren Al-Rumi visited the booth.

Saudi Savola Q4 net down 17% JEDDAH: Savola Group, the Saudi-based food conglomerate, posted a 17 percent drop in fourth-quarter net profit, missing analysts’ forecasts, mainly due to a gain it booked from land sales in the year-ago quarter.

The firm, which owns the Middle East’s biggest sugar refining business, made a net profit of 413.4 million riyals ($110.2 million) in the three months ending December 31, compared with a profit of 498.6 million riyals in the same period a year earlier, it said in a statement yesterday. Three analysts surveyed by Reuters

expected Savola to post an average profit of 456.7 million riyals for the fourth-quarter.

Savola attributed the dip in profits to a capital gain of 153 million riyals it incurred from the sale of two land plots during the fourth quarter of 2011. Operational profit for the fourth-quarter rose by 32.3 percent to 792.2 million riyals, the statement said. In a separate statement, Savola said it expects to make 1.5 billion riyals before capital gains and exceptional items in 2013 and net income of 260 million riyals in the first-quarter. —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 Egyptian pounds US Dollar/KD GB Pound/KD Euro Swiss francs Canadian dollars Danish Kroner Swedish Kroner Australian dlr Hong Kong dlr Singapore dlr Japanese yen Indian Rs/KD Sri Lanka rupee Pakistan rupee Bangladesh taka UAE dirhams Bahraini dinars Jordanian dinar Saudi Riyal/KD Omani riyals Philippine Peso

.2740000 .4480000 .3710000 .2990000 .2830000 .2940000 .0040000 .0020000 .0762170 .7425550 .3880000 .0720000 .7279430 .0430000 CUSTOMER TRANSFER RATES .2808500 .4509890 .3731370 .3013250 .2850110 .0500010 .0432120 .2964790 .0362260 .2292650 .0031860 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0000000 .0764950 .7452570 .0000000 .0749130 .7297650 .0000000

Al-Muzaini Exchange Co. Japanese Yen Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Srilankan Rupees Nepali Rupees Singapore Dollar Hongkong Dollar Bangladesh Taka

ASIAN COUNTRIES 3.203 5.150 2.889 2.224 3.246 231.160 36.408 3.533

.2840000 .4610000 .3810000 .3120000 .2920000 .3030000 .0067500 .0035000 .0769830 .7500180 .4060000 .0770000 .7352597 .0510000 .2829500 .4543610 .3759270 .3035780 .2871420 .0503750 .0435350 .2986960 .0364960 .2309800 .0032100 .0051950 .0022440 .0029100 .0035700 .0770670 .7508290 .4002120 .0754730 .7352220 .0070170

Philippine Peso Thai Baht Irani Riyal - transfer Irani Riyal - cash

UAE Dirhams Bahraini Dinar Egyptian Pound Jordanian Dinar Omani Riyal Qatari Riyal Saudi Riyal

6.994 9.443 0.271 0.273 GCC COUNTRIES 75.297 77.584 733.400 749.970 77.886

Saudi Riyal Qatari Riyal Omani Riyal Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham

EUROPEAN & AMERICAN COUNTRIES US Dollar Transfer 282.250 Euro 376.520 Sterling Pound 454.420 Canadian dollar 287.720 Turkish lire 159.460 Swiss Franc 304.150 Australian dollar 298.620 US Dollar Buying 281.050 GOLD 311.000 157.000 81.500

SELL DRAFT 301.97 290.56 308.38 378.73 281.65 455.48 3.27 3.554 5.151 2.231 3.244 2.899

Rate for Transfer US Dollar Canadian Dollar Sterling Pound Euro Swiss Frank Bahrain Dinar UAE Dirhams Qatari Riyals Saudi Riyals Jordanian Dinar Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupees Indian Rupees Pakistani Rupees Bangladesh Taka Philippines Pesso Cyprus pound Japanese Yen Thai Bhat Syrian Pound Nepalese Rupees Malaysian Ringgit

Selling Rate 282.650 286.870 454.355 370.475 306.160 748.310 76.930 77.585 75.335 398.440 43.553 2.212 5.144 2.900 3.506 6.913 693.345 4.230 9.375 3.975 3.305 92.855

Bahrain Exchange Company

UAE Exchange Centre WLL COUNTRY Australian Dollar Canadian Dollar Swiss Franc Euro US Dollar Sterling Pound Japanese Yen Bangladesh Taka Indian Rupee Sri Lankan Rupee Nepali Rupee Pakistani Rupee

77.200 748.000 45.500 399.500 733.000 78.500 75.350

Dollarco Exchange Co. Ltd

ARAB COUNTRIES Egyptian Pound - Cash 46.200 Egyptian Pound - Transfer 42.785 Yemen Riyal/for 1000 1.318 Tunisian Dinar 182.330 Jordanian Dinar 398.350 Lebanese Lira/for 1000 1.894 Syrian Lier 3.067 Morocco Dirham 34.212

20 Gram 10 Gram 5 Gram

76.75 749.94 42.79 401.26 733.02 77.78 75.32

SELL CASH 300.000 289.000 311.000 380.000 282.850 458.000 3.750 3.800 5.400 2.600 3.550 2.980

COUNTRY Australian dollar Bahraini dinar Bangladeshi taka Canadian dollar Cyprus pound Czek koruna Danish krone Deutsche Mark Egyptian pound Euro Cash Hongkong dollar Indian rupees Indonesia Iranian tuman Iraqi dinar

SELL CASH 301.000 749.950 3.910 290.100 553.800 45.900 51.500 167.800 45.080 381.000 37.080 5.470 0.032 0.161 0.242

SELLDRAFT 299.500 749.950 3.532 288.600

231.700 42.924 379.500 36.930 5.172 0.031

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

3.260 399.630 0.191 96.410 45.200 4.340 240.500 1.827 52.400 732.500 3.030 7.290 78.000 75.290 231.720 35.040 2.686 457.100 44.700 308.800 3.400 9.710 198.263 76.890 282.400 1.360

10 Tola

GOLD 1,765.300

Sterling Pound US Dollar

399.590 0.190 96.410 3.260 239.000

732.320 2.901 6.964 77.570 75.290 231.720 35.040 2.234 455.100 307.300 3.400 9.570 76.790 282.000

TRAVELLER’S CHEQUE 455.100 282.000

Al Mulla Exchange Currency US Dollar Euro Pound Sterling Canadian Dollar Japanese Yen Indian Rupee Egyptian Pound Sri Lankan Rupee Bangladesh Taka Philippines Peso Pakistan Rupee Bahraini Dinar UAE Dirham Saudi Riyal *Rates are subject to change

Transfer Rate (Per 1000) 281.650 377.150 454.650 288.300 3.225 5.142 42.765 2.224 3.559 6.945 2.889 750.200 76.700 75.175

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

BUSINESS ALAFCO earns net profit of KD11m for Q1 ended Dec 31 KUWAIT: The Chairman & CEO, Ahmad A Alzabin announced that ALAFCO has achieved a net profit of KD 11 million and earnings per share of 14 fils for the first quarter ended December 31, 2012.

He said that the net profit includes exceptional gains realized through the adjustment of some purchase agreements with aircraft manufacturers during the period.

During this quarter, ALAFCO announced the lease of 2 Airbus A320 aircraft to Vietnam based Vietjet Air for a term of 9 years, bringing the total to 5 leased aircraft to the same client. The company has also sold 2 used B777200ER aircraft, manufactured in 1998, to China Southern airlines. He reiterated that the selling transaction is in line with the company’s strategy of maintaining its owned portfolio consists of young and modern aircraft.

He also confirmed that ALAFCO has signed an agreement with Boeing to purchase 20 B737MAX aircraft valued $1.9 billion at list prices during the same period, enhancing the ambitious plan of ALAFCO that aims to expand the fleet to 100 aircraft by the end of this decade.

Alzabin concluded that the

PARIS: EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht listens during a press conference at the OECD headquarters in Paris yesterday to launch a new OECD-WTO database on trade in value-added. — AFP

Homebuilder confidence steady

Ahmad A Alzabin announced results are a testament to the company’s ability to achieve the aspirations of its shareholders. ALAFCO is a Kuwait-based aircraft leasing company. Its stock trades on the Kuwait Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ALAFCO. The company’s owned aircraft portfolio consists of 46 Airbus and Boeing aircraft leased to airlines globally. In addition, ALAFCO also manages another 6 aircraft for investors.

PARIS: WTO director General Pascal Lamy gestures while talking during a press conference at the OECD headquarters in Paris yesterday to launch a new OECD-WTO database on trade in value-added. — AFP

China’s trade surplus with US inflated by stats: OECD-WTO PARIS: Current trade statistics miss a vital part of the story of where production occurs in the globalised economy, the OECD and WTO said yesterday, adding that China’s trade surplus with the United States was overstated by a quarter.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Trade Organization unveiled a new database that seeks to measure the valueadded in trade.

With manufacturing highly dependant on imports of raw and intermediate materials, the OECD-WTO database sought to reveal where value was being added throughout global trade.

It found that measured by value-added that China’s bilateral trade surplus with the United States was over $40 billion (25 percent) smaller in 2009, and 30 percent smaller in 2005.

It said this reflected value attributable to goods China imported from the United States and Asian suppliers that China processed and ultimately sent the United States.

The OECD-WTO initiative also found that

US consumer prices edge up, give Fed room to act

services were greatly underestimated in traditional trade statistics. While services account for about two-thirds of output in developed economies, traditional statistics put their share in trade at less than one quarter, while on a value-added basis it rises to over 50 percent of exports for countries such as the United States, Britain and Germany.

With production chains becoming increasingly globalised, the OECD and WTO cautioned that “traditional measures of trade..., alone, may lead to misguided to misguided decisions being taken” in trade policy. “Blocking imports will damage a country own productivity growth and automatically damage its competitiveness,” said OECD chief Angel Guria.

The OECD-WTO calculations showed for example that a third of the value of the cars that Germany’s powerhouse car industry exports is generated in other countries. “If Germany would say ‘no imports’, well, no export of cars!” said Guria. WTO DirectorGeneral Pascal Lamy said “countries that export more and best are the countries that import more and best.” — AFP

YANGON: Buddhist nuns walking in front of Kanbawza bank in downtown Yangon.

As it strives to become Asia’s next economic star Myanmar has set its sights on overhauling its battered and distrusted banking system, a move which could pave the way for foreign lenders to open branches. —AFP

WASHINGTON: US consumer prices were flat in December, pointing to muted inflation pressures that should help give the Federal Reserve room to prop up the economy by staying on its ultraeasy monetary policy path. The Labor Department said yesterday its Consumer Price Index was unchanged last month, held back by a drop in gasoline prices. The reading was in line with analysts’ expectations in a Reuters poll.

Last month, the Fed said it would keep interest rates near zero at least until the jobless rate falls to 6.5 percent, as long as the central bank believes inflation will stay below 2.5 percent.

Yesterday’s data reinforced the view that inflation will not hit the Fed’s threshold anytime soon. “This leaves Ben Bernanke and the Fed with a free hand to continue with ultra-accommodative monetary policy.” said Michael Woolfolk, a currency strategist at BNY Mellon in New York. Stock investors, however, appeared to shrug off the data. Prices for US stock index futures slipped, with shares of Boeing set to weigh on the market after two Japanese airlines grounded their Dreamliner fleets.

To boost growth and get Americans back to work in the wake of the Great Recession, the Fed has kept interest rates near zero since late 2008 and has bought some $2.5 trillion in assets.

Some economists think steady improvement in the labor market could at least lead the Fed to curtail its asset-buying program by the end of this year. Weak inflation helped consumers increase their purchasing power last month.

Inflation-adjusted weekly earnings rose 0.6 percent, the Labor Department said in a separate report. Gasoline prices fell 2.3 percent, marking the third straight monthly decline.Away from gasoline and food, the cost of apparel fell 0.1 percent. New motor vehicle prices were flat.

Confidence among US homebuilders remained unchanged this month from December at the highest level in nearly seven years, but builders are feeling slightly less optimistic about their prospects for sales over the next six months.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index held steady at 47, the highest reading since April 2006, just before the housing bubble burst.

Readings below 50 suggest negative sentiment about the housing market. The last time the index was at that level or higher was in April 2006, at 51. It began trending higher in October 2011, when it stood at 17.

Prices for used cars and trucks fell 0.4 percent, declining for a sixth straight month.

Housing costs edged up, with owners’ equivalent rent of primary residences rising 0.1 percent. The Fed does not use CPI to target inflation, and instead uses an index released by the Commerce Department. The two indexes usually track one another quite closely.

By either measure, annual inflation remains below the Fed’s 2 percent target. In the 12 months to December the CPI increased 1.7 percent, the smallest increase since August. That compared to November’s 1.8 percent rise.

“This supports the Fed’s contention that inflation is mild and that inflation expectations should be stable,” said Terry Sheehan, an economic analyst at Stone & McCarthy Research Associates in Princeton, New Jersey. A measure of underlying inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, edged up 0.1 percent in December, slightly less than expected.

In the 12 months to December, core CPI increased 1.9 percent after rising 1.9 percent in November. The Fed’s efforts to lower interest rates are helping many Americans buy homes, and housing is expected to provide a substantial boost to the economy this year.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said applications for US home mortgages rose in the week ended Jan. 11, the second straight week of gains. — Agencies

NEW YORK: Trader Jonathan Corpina (right) works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Stocks are opening lower on Wall Street yesterday after the World Bank said that ongoing budget fights in Washington pose a significant risk to the global economy. — AP

European auto sector hits 17-year low, Renault cuts jobs PARIS: European auto sales plunged to their lowest point in 17 years in 2012, trade data revealed yesterday after Renault announced the latest job cuts to hit the beleaguered sector. New car registrations in the European Union fell by 8.2 percent from their 2011 level to 12.05 million units last year, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said. Sales in December fell for the 15th month in a row by 16.3 percent on a 12-month basis, even slipping slightly in Germany despite the global strength of top German brands.

French automakers in particular are being hard hit with Renault announcing 7,500 job cuts late on Tuesday.

PSA Peugeot Citroen, the second-biggest carmaker in Europe after the booming German VW group, has just been rescued by the state. The group is restructuring with 8,000 job cuts and targets development abroad after a government report said its strategy had missed the bus of globalisation.

And yesterday French car parts maker Faurecia reported weak results causing its shares to plunge.

By contrast the VW group has reported record global sales for 2012 with a rise of 11.0 percent to 9.07 million units and aspires to being the biggest manufacturer globally, ahead of Japanese Toyota, by 2018. German Daimler said at the Detroit auto show this week that it is on track to be the world’s top luxury carmaker by the end of the decade. The second-biggest manufacturer globally is General Motors, which struck a strategic partnership with PSA this year, but GM’s sales across the whole of Europe fell by 8.2 percent last year, the US group said in Detroit.

Hyundai-Kia sales rise These companies, and European manufacturers in general, are looking to growth in emerging markets to compensate for what they expect to be a lasting weaker trend in Europe, but these markets are also the home base for new competitors notably in China.

The European trade association said in its report on the European market: “Demand for new cars reached the lowest level recorded since 1995, totalling 12,053,904 units” in 2012.

Last year’s 8.2 percent shrinkage was the worst since a downturn of 16.9 percent in 1993, the association said.

The trend was aggravated by exceptionally bad figures for December in debt-stricken Europe.

“In December, new car registrations declined by a sharp 16.3 percent in the EU, continuing a downward trend commenced 15 months ago. The decline is the steepest recorded in a month of December since 2008,” the statement said. With the euro-zone struggling to cope with the tax rises and cuts in state spending imposed to correct its debt crisis, businesses and consumers have cut down their spending on vehicles.

In some countries the market, and employment, were supported after the financial crisis hit economies in 2008 by government subsidies for the replacement of old vehicles with new ones. But these schemes have run out and many European groups have announced job cuts and plant closures similar to, albeit less dramatic, those that occurred immediately in the US auto industry. The latest came late on Tuesday from Renault which said it would shed 7,500 French jobs, or about 17.0 percent of its workforce by 2016, but by means of not replacing normal departures.

Renault, which has diversified its manufacturing into low-cost countries close to western Europe in recent years, notably in Romania where it builds its Daciabranded vehicles, said that an agreement with unions on the cutbacks would save it 400 million euros ($534 million) in overheads and would avert any plant closures. “On the basis of a progressive recovery of the European market, establishing such an agreement would allow for growth in French output that is more sustained than that of the European market,” Renault said. However the European trade data for the year showed big differences between countries. — Reuters

Outlook for euro-zone’s strugglers worsens again LONDON: Spain, Greece and Portugal face a tougher 2013 than previously thought, while the outlook for growth in Ireland, the only bright spot among the euro-zone’s most vulnerable economies, was cut for the first time in nearly a year.

A Reuters poll of 46 economists published yesterday showed austerity has caused the southern economies to shrink far more than authorities predicted but will only lead to slow fiscal improvement and unemployment will keep rising.

The outlook for Spain, Portugal and Greece has worsened in almost every quarterly poll since the first one was conducted in June 2011. The forecast for Irish growth was cut for the first time since April 2012.

The gloom is incongruous with optimism in financial markets that started when European Central Bank President Mario Draghi promised in July to do “whatever it takes” to preserve the euro.

Spanish stocks are more than 15 percent higher since the last poll in October and benchmark sovereign yields are down 250 basis points from a peak before his comments.

“Regardless of the improvement in market sentiment, the fundamentals are still pointing to steep falls in output in those economies,” said Jonathan Loynes, chief European economist at Capital Economics.

He said a lack of competitiveness inside the currency union, high levels of debt, and structural problems prevented economies growing and governments bringing debt down.

The poll showed that Greece, Portugal and Spain should exit recession next year, although growth will be so slow that it will hardly make up for the huge declines in output since the start of the sovereign debt crisis in 2010.

Spain Furthermore, efforts to cut budget deficits will prove far more onerous than governments are suggesting. Spain’s deficit will shrink to 6.1 percent by the end of this year, not quite at the 6 percent target the European Union set for 2012 and worse than the 5.3 percent forecast from October’s poll.

There was also a marked deterioration in forecasts for Spanish unemployment, where around a quarter of the work force is already out of work. The jobless rate looks set to hit 26.5 percent by year-end, compared with 25.8 percent in the last poll.

“I’m very worried. The indicators show that there is no recovery and until the European economic policy changes, that will continue to be the case,” said Jose Carlos Diez, economist at Intermoney, a Spanish broker. “Spain and Italy need more time to meet their deficit targets and Germany needs a more expansive policy.

But, as we start the year, there’s this inexplicable optimism, which just doesn’t hold up.”

Predictions for the depth of Spain’s economic decline stabilised, with output expected to show a 1.5 percent decline for this year, unchanged from October’s poll.

Spain’s government, meanwhile, maintains the economy will shrink by just 0.5 percent this year.

Greece Greece is destined to suffer another year of depression, and worse than October’s forecast, although economists think it will make better progress in slimming its budget deficit.

The economy will shrink around 4.3 percent this year compared to the 3.0 percent decline pencilled in last October.

Economists think the jobless rate will reach 26.5 percent by the end of the year. Still, the poll suggested the Greek depression is starting to ease, even if a recovery may be years off.

“Latest readings of forward-looking indicators provide the first solid evidence of a sustainable improvement in confidence,” said Nikos Magginas, economist at the National Bank of Greece.

“Trends in exporting sector-especially tourism-appear far more supportive compared with 2012.” Greece’s economy will eke out a tiny amount of growth in 2014, perhaps around 0.2 percent, the poll showed.

Portugal Economists expect Portugal’s economy will contract 1.7 percent this year, compared to a decline of 1.5 percent in the previous poll and after shrinking some 3 percent last year. It will also miss its budget deficit target of 4.5 percent. The shortfall will be around 4.7 percent of gross domestic product by the end of 2013.

Portugal’s EU, ECB and IMF lenders, under a 78-billion euro bailout, agreed last September to ease the fiscal goals for 2012 and 2013, citing the country’s good record in following its austerity program.

Portugal’s tax revenues have plummeted in the steepest recession since the 1970s. “ We see economic conditions in Portugal remaining depressed this year, hit by tighter fiscal policy, high and rising unemployment and muted external growth,” said Diego Iscaro, economist at IHS Global Insight.

Ireland Ireland’s economy is the bright spot of the four economies, showing signs of a fragile recovery.

The poll suggested Ireland will grow around 1.2 percent this year, slower than the previous 1.5 percent forecast but better than most euro peers, including Germany, where the government cut its 2013 growth forecast to 0.4 percent. The Irish economy is still more than 10 percent smaller than before the crisis began in 2008 and although progress is being made, economists warned that it could be knocked off course.

“There are so many uncertainties that you’d be mad at this stage to get a tattoo of 1.3 percent growth put onto your hand or some other part of your anatomy,” said Austin Hughes, chief economist at KBC Ireland.

“But while again consumer spending will be a drag, it will be nowhere like the drag that we’ve seen.

The nature of Ireland’s export beast is that you should be able to eke out a significant positive contribution even if the global economy is soft.” —Reuters

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

BUSINESS

Oil rises due to North Sea pipeline closure LONDON: Crude oil edged up towards $111 a barrel yesterday, recovering slightly from a drop in the previous session, supported by the closure of the Brent pipeline system in the North Sea. Gains were limited as weak European data pushed down other risk-sensitive assets such as equities, and as OPEC released a downbeat assessment of demand for its oil output in 2013.

Benchmark Brent crude oil futures for February were up 15 cents to $110.50 a

barrel by 1346 GMT. The February contract, which expires later in the day, settled $1.58 lower in the previous session, while the more heavily traded March contract ended down $1.32.

US oil rose 5 cents to $93.33 a barrel.

The Brent pipeline system, which with oil from other fields in the UK North Sea underlies the futures contract, was shut as a result of the closure of the Cormorant Alpha oil platform, affecting as much as 90,000 barrels per day. Abu Dhabi oil com-

pany TAQA said it had no restart date for oil output stopped after a leak at the platform, linked into Britain’s 20-field Brent system.

“Pipeline outages in the North Sea have been putting (upward) pressure on Brent prices. Brent supply has been pretty unreliable over the past year and these interruptions have led to high price volatility,” Jason Gammel, a commodities analyst at Macquarie, said.

Geopolitical factors were also support-

ive of oil prices. In Algeria, Islamist militants kidnapped at least seven foreigners and killed a French national, creating worries about potential supply disruption.

Investors were reassured by a solid 0.5 percent rise in December US retail sales, which beat expectations for a 0.2 percent increase and showed consumers were resilient although at the time they faced the possibility of automatic tax increases and government spending cuts.

In Europe, however, demand for new

cars fell in December to the lowest level since 1995, registrations data showed, adding to figures the previous day showing Germany’s economy shrank at the fastest pace in almost three years in the final quarter of 2012. OPEC also said it expected demand for its crude this year to be lower than initially expected because of higher supply from rival producers, indicating inventories could build up substantially if the producer group maintains current output. — Reuters

HONG KONG: Demonstrators display placards against Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying prior to his policy address in Hong Kong yesterday. Leung who won office after he campaigned promising to improve the lives of poor and middle-class citizens, was to give his first policy address amid discontent over issues including sky-high property prices and antiBeijing sentiment. — AFP

Dollar squeeze adds to economic hardship in crisis-hit Sudan KHARTOUM: Scanning his company ’s 2012 financial statement, El Rashid El Amin Hamid, head of Sudan’s biggest pharmaceutical maker, should be celebrating sales shot up 70 percent while marketing costs plummeted as strong demand reduced the need to advertise.

But the entrepreneur still has a problem. How does his company get dollars to import raw materials for the antibiotics, malaria pills, diabetic tablets and other drugs it makes, and, if it can access hard currency, at what exchange rate?

“We need to import materials for our drugs which are paid for in dollars, but it’s very difficult to get dollars through the banking system,” said Hamid, director of Amipharma Laboratories, sitting in his spacious office in Khartoum’s Bahri industrial district. Sudan is battling its biggest economic crisis for decades as it struggles with a severe shortage of hard currency following the loss of three quarters of its oil production due to South Sudan’s independence in 2011. Oil revenues were the main source of revenue for Sudan’s budget and for foreign currency needed to pay for vital imports including food and medicine.

The situation has deteriorated sharply in the past few weeks as new tensions with South Sudan dashed hopes that oil exports from the South would resume soon and pass through Sudan for a hefty fee. South Sudan shut down its oil production a year ago after failing to agree a pipeline fee with Sudan. Economists say Sudan’s central bank and commercial lenders have been finding it increasingly difficult to supply the market with enough dollars. That forced people travelling out of the country, as well as exporters, to go to black market traders.

But when the Sudanese pound hit a record low in late December with black market dealers demanding a rate of 7.1 pounds to the dollar - compared to an official rate of 4.4 - the central bank, which does not disclose its foreign reserves, launched a crackdown on the black market. Within days, security agents had arrested dozens of dealers, seizing their cash, market sources say. Most street vendors went into hiding or left Khartoum.

The crackdown has brought down the dollar rate to 6.5 pounds on the black market. But now there is an even bigger problem: with the black market frozen it is almost impossible to obtain or even change dollars. Instead of going to a bank and using the poor official exchange rate as the government had hoped, many Sudanese with dollar reserves are sitting tight, depriving the economy of a muchneeded injection of hard currency.

The pharmaceutical industry, one of the country’s main industries along with food, mining and textiles, is being hit especially hard by the freeze in the black market and by sharp currency swings, which saw the pound lose as much as 15 percent in a month on a few occasions last year.

Depreciation of the pound has pushed inflation above 44 percent and is making it harder and more costly for Sudanese to access drugs. That raises the risk of dissent and is adding to the hardship of the 32 million Sudanese who have endured decades of ethnic strife, poverty and economic crises.

While the country has avoided an “Arab spring”, Khartoum and other large cities have seen small student protests against both high food prices and austerity measures imposed to plug a 6.5 billion pound ($1.5 billion) deficit caused by lost oil revenues. Many ordinary people struggled to pay for drugs or hospital treatment even

before the currency crisis.

“We don’t have some heart drugs and diabetic pills at the moment,” said a pharmacist in downtown Khartoum, who did not wish to be named. “Some foreign products have disappeared or are very difficult to get,” she said. The government has insisted it will ensure supplies but pharmaceutical traders stopped ordering some foreign brand drugs when the pound went down. That has triggered a surge in demand for cheaper local versions offered by companies like Amipharma. “ We cannot meet demand at the moment,” said Hamid.

But the jump in sales is offset by a rise in costs as raw material imports paid for in dollars account for a third of the company’s equipment operating expenses.

“It’s a challenge doing a good job,” said Hamid. With Sudan largely cut off from international financial markets due to US trade sanctions, local banks have never played a dominant role in the economy.

Most Sudanese do not have bank accounts, while many large firms such as Amipharma are family-owned and use money traders in and outside Sudan to obtain dollars.

Since South Sudan’s secession the black market has become a problem because the loss of oil revenues has left the central bank with insufficient dollars to keep the gap between the official and black market rates tight.

Last July it nearly halved the official dollar rate to 4.4 pounds, from 2.7, and allowed licensed dealers to offer a rate above 5.5 in an attempt to encourage millions of Sudanese living abroad to send money home via official exchange bureaus. Most remittances however seem to have been exchanged on the black market. The government hopes a $1.5 billion loan from a Chinese bank, announced by Sudan last week and guaranteed by Chinese state oil producer China National Petroleum Corp - the biggest investor in the oil industry in Sudan and South Sudan - will stabilise the currency. China has yet to confirm the loan.

But Harry Verhoeven, a Sudan expert at Oxford University, said Khartoum would not be able to keep the black market frozen for long as that would risk paralysing the economy because people are unwilling to sell dollars at the official rate. “This is clearly unsustainable,” he said. “ They’ll have to backtrack ... The main money traders in Sudan, these are guys who get picked up here and then the next day government officials themselves go to these guys to change money.”

But even if the dealers come back soon, the highly volatile exchange rate and the loss of oil production are making Sudan a difficult place to do business, despite its potential as a cheap manufacturing base from which to export to emerging markets in Africa and the Middle East.

“We came here in 2006 when Sudan was a very good market with a stable economy,” said Abdulrahman al-Shamiri, a Yemeni national who heads Azal Pharmaceutical Industries, a Sudan joint venture owned by investors from Yemen and Saudi Arabia.

“Now the economy is in shock.” While the currency crisis continues, Azal Pharmaceuticals is holding off on plans to open a second plant to serve neighbouring African countries such as Chad or Uganda. “We will see how it goes,” Shamiri said. Pulling out of Sudan is not an option though, despite the problems. “We would make big losses and lose our investment.

So we’ll stay.” — Reuters

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

BUSINESS

Foreign investment in China in first fall for 3 years BEIJING: Foreign direct investment in China declined for the first time in three years in 2012, official data showed yesterday, amid economic turmoil in developed markets and a slowdown in China.

FDI, which excludes financial sectors, into China declined 3.7 percent to $111.72 billion last year from 2011, the commerce ministry announced.

It slipped from an all-time high of $116 billion recorded in 2011 and was the first year-on-year decrease since 2009, according to previous figures.

Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang said, meanwhile, that in 2012, Chinese directly invested $77.22 billion overseas in non-financial sectors in 141 countries and regions, an increase of 28.6 percent from the year before. The investment figures come as China’s economy slowed

throughout most of 2012, while developed economies such as the United States, the European Union and Japan largely remained weak.

For the month of December FDI into China also fell, slipping 4.5 percent from the same month in 2011 to $11.7 billion, the commerce ministry said. Economic growth in China has declined for seven straight quarters through the three months ended September, though recent positive signs have led economists to expect a rebound in the fourth quarter and this year.

GDP growth figures for the fourth quarter and all of 2012 are scheduled to be released today.

The median forecasts in surveys of economists by AFP are for growth of 7.8 percent in the fourth quarter and 7.7

percent in 2012. Economists polled also expect the economy to grow 8 percent in 2013. The lion’s share of FDI into China comes from 10 Asian countries and economies including Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. That figure declined 4.8 percent last year to $95.74 billion, the ministry said. Investment from the European Union fell 3.8 percent to $6.11 billion, the ministry said.

But investment from the United States and Japan increased.

Inflows from the US gained 4.5 percent to $3.12 billion, while those from Japan increased 16.3 percent to $7.38 billion. “ The growth momentum of investment from some developed countries including the United States and Japan was good,” the ministry said in a statement. However, growth of invest-

ment from Japan last year slowed from the 33.2 percent gain recorded in 2011 amid a spiralling dispute between Beijing and Tokyo over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. Shen, the ministry spokesman, downplayed the overall decline in FDI, saying a study by the ministry did not find foreign investment leaving the country on a large scale. “We still actively encourage foreign investment”, he said, adding that China has been the largest foreign investment host nation among developing countries for 20 consecutive years.

In 2013, the ministry will “keep fundamental policies on foreign investment stable and the overall size of FDI stable”, he said.

China said yesterday that it expects foreign trade to grow at a similar pace to

the economy this year, indicating a feeble pickup from 2012. “Our target this year is... to try to keep foreign trade increasing at a rate that is roughly in accordance with GDP growth,” Shen Danyang, spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce, told reporters at a regular briefing without giving a specific figure.

China had declared it wanted to see trade grow by 10 percent in 2012, but last week announced expansion of 6.2 percent for the period, missing the target. That was a marked slowdown from 2011, when trade increased 22.5 percent. The world’s-second largest economy is yet to announce its goal for economic growth this year. But Beijing has set a target of 7.0-percent average annual growth for the five years through 2015.— AFP

Germany slashes growth estimates amid EU crisis solid rebound in 2014 predicted This handout picture taken yesterday and released from a passenger to AFP via social network Twitter shows a Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA) on the runway with its emergency slides inflated after an emergency landing at Takamatsu Airpirt in Takamatsu, west of Japan, yesterday.—AFP

Dreamliner scare also poses threat to Japanese suppliers TOKYO: The grounding of two Dreamliner fleets yesterday only dents the US giant’s reputation but also threatens to deal a blow to Japanese firms that make around a third of the aircraft, analysts said.

Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways halted all flights on the next-generation plane after an ANA domestic flight bound for Tokyo made an emergency landing when cockpit instruments showed smoke in an electrical bay.

The incident, the latest in a spate over the last 10 days that have triggered safety probes in the US and Japan, are a headache for the Japanese carriers which have bet heavily on the 787 Dreamliner, between them ordering 111 units. But with Tokyo having pushed hard for Japanese suppliers to be part of the manufacturing process, the setback also presents problems for companies that make everything from batteries to wing flaps for the high-tech plane.

Yesterday, traders fled from industrial behemoths like composite fibre-maker Toray and wing-supplier Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

“We should watch to see if this affects the broader Japanese economy as so many companies supply parts to the 787,” said Waseda University professor Hajime Tozaki, an expert on aviation policy. Tozaki said the Japanese government had actively pushed domestic firms to supply the new aircraft as “a national project”.

Market players had a whole trading day to digest news of the emergency landing-the seventh setback for the Dreamliner in a little over a week-which occurred shortly after the Tokyo bourse opened. It was not until late in the session that carriers including ANA, Korean Air, Qantas’s budget carrier Jetstar and Singapore Airlines’ offshoot Scoot began publicly backing Boeing’s centrepiece offering and pledging to keep orders intact.

By the close Toray had tumbled 4.13 percent to 510 yen, Mitsubishi Heavy fell 3.23 per-

cent to 478 yen and battery maker GS Yuasa plunged 4.46 percent to 321 yen. Fuji Heavy was off 2.87 percent to 1,150 yen. The drops outpaced a broader market decline-the Nikkei 225 index was down 2.56 percent on the day.

But while markets quickly reacted to the news, the glitches were unlikely to create a long-term problem for Japanese suppliers “unless a serious flaw is discovered”, Tozaki said, adding that Boeing rival Airbus had previously seen “minor problems” with its own new aircraft.

Masaharu Hirokane, analyst at Nomura Securities, said that “if authorities conclude these issues come from a fundamental problem, that would stop operation of the new airplanes”. “But if the Dreamliner has to replace its lithium-ion batteries with those of the older version, for example, that would take just a few months,” Hirokane said.

That is a key issue for ANA and Japan Airlines since major repairs would mean grounding their Dreamliner fleets-ANA currently operates 17, while JAL has seven-for an extended period, hitting customer traffic and taking a bite out of earnings, analysts said.

“That would have a really grave impact because both JAL and ANA plan to put the aircraft into their European and American routes to compete with low cost carriers,” said Tozaki.

The impact on the carriers’ share price was limited with ANA down 1.62 percent at 182 yen in Tokyo while JAL was up 1.80 percent to 3,675 yen. Boeing shares had closed up 0.51 percent to $76.94 on Tuesday in New York, before news of the latest safety scare.

For the aircraft maker itself, Shukor Yusof, aviation analyst with Standard and Poor’s Equity Research in Singapore, said that while glitches were not unusual with new planes, the problems were “very embarrassing” for Boeing.

“This is an aircraft that was delayed for nearly three years, so potential customers will naturally question the safety part of the aircraft.” he said. — AFP

TOKYO: A pedestrian passes before a share prices board in Tokyo yesterday.

Japan’s share prices fell 278.64 points to close at 10,600.44 points at the Tokyo Stock Exchange as the yen rebounded, while Boeing Dreamliner suppliers fell after two Japanese airlines grounded their fleets of the troubled next-generation aircraft. — AFP

JPMorgan Chase profit jumps 53% in Q4 NEW YORK: JPMorgan Chase said yesterday that its fourth-quarter profit had surged 53 percent, capping a third straight year of record income for the US banking giant.

Net income grew to $5.7 billion in the final quarter of 2012 from $3.7 billion in the yearago period, the largest US bank said. For the full year, JPMorgan posted a record profit of $21.3 billion, up from $19.0 billion in 2011, and underscored what was the third year in a row of record profits.

Earnings of $1.39 per share in the fourth quarter were well above the market consensus estimate of $1.16. “The firm’s results reflected strong underlying performance across virtually all our businesses for the fourth quarter and the full year, with strong lending and deposit growth,” Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. The blue-chip Wall Street

firm reported fourth-quarter revenue of $24.4 billion, up 10 percent from a year earlier, and “flat” full-year revenue of $99.9 billion. The bank lowered its provision for credit losses by 70 percent, to $656 million in 2012. Dimon’s 2012 bonus was slashed in half for the “London Whale” derivatives trade debacle by the bank’s Chief Investment Office (CIO) that racked up $6 billion in losses in the first half of the year. The firm’s board of directors approved an unchanged annual salary of $1.5 million for Dimon and cut his bonus to $10 million, compared with $21.5 million for 2011.

The board “took into consideration both the continued strong performance of the firm, and the CIO losses, including Mr. Dimon’s responsibility as the firm’s chief executive officer,” JPMorgan said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).— AFP

BERLIN: Germany slashed its estimate for growth this year by more than half yesterday, as the debt crisis hits the top European economy, but forecast a solid rebound in 2014. The German economy, the powerhouse in Europe, should expand by 0.4 percent in 2013, Economy Minister Philipp Roesler said.

This was a sharp downwards revision from a previous forecast of 1.0 percent. In 2014, growth should be 1.6 percent, he said. “There is every reason for confidence,” Roesler said in a statement as he presented the government’s annual economic report. “We believe that the weak phase this winter will be overcome in the rest of

the year and that our economy will get back into gear,” added the minister.

Germany has until recently fared better than most of its debt-stricken euro-zone partners in the crisis but the economy began to slow sharply at the end of last year. Data published on Tuesday showed that Germany’s economy grew by a mere 0.7 percent in 2012 after a stellar 2011 when GDP expanded by 3.0 percent.

And the economy seemed to have slammed abruptly into reverse in the fourth quarter of the year, as officials estimate a contraction of 0.5 percent.

Germany has been hit not only by the prob-

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, smiles next to German Economic Minister Philipp Roesler (right) prior to the weekly cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin yesterday.—AP

Oil firms overlook safety issues in Arctic: Watchdog STAVANGER, Norway: Oil companies are overlooking some vital safety issues when preparing to drill in frontier Arctic areas, the head of the safety watchdog for the Norwegian oil industry said.

The Arctic is estimated to hold some 30 percent of the world’s undiscovered gas and 13 percent of its untapped oil, which is leading energy firms to explore further north.

But exploring in this remote, cold region is risky, as Royal Dutch Shell most recently experienced when its Kulluk oil rig ran aground in Alaska on New Year’s Eve in near hurricane conditions.

Environmentalists have long said the Arctic’s challenging conditions make it too risky to search for hydrocarbons. A spill, they say, would be near impossible to clean up.

Norway, the world’s eighth-biggest crude exporter, is one of several Arctic nations opening vast swathes of northern offshore areas to oil companies, most of them so far ice-free and relatively accessible. But oil companies are also looking even further north to more difficult zones. “There are several things that do not appear to be clearly on their agenda,” Magne Ognedal, head of the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway, said in an interview. “One of them is satellite coverage, which is so bad so far north that some say that you cannot navigate safely in these areas,” he added.

“Polar low-pressure fronts are (also) difficult: a storm can form in half an hour.

Suddenly you have a storm that you were not warned about, and what do you do? We need better weather warning systems.”

A third issue is the lack of interest in predicting the edge of the polar ice cap, which changes in size with the seasons and the years, Ognedal suggested. Installations could be covered with ice or risk colliding with drifting icebergs. “Where will the ice edge spread to? It could be that they (companies) do not need to care about that, because the ice and snow are melting,” he said.

He cited Skrugard, Norway’s northernmost oil discovery so far, situated some 240 kilometres (150 miles) north of Europe.

“From a 10,000-year perspective, Skrugard is lying on the ice polar cap. It could be in 2014 or in 10,000 years, but there is a risk, and they need to factor that in.”

On other safety aspects, the industry is making good progress, including developing suitable clothing for staff to work outdoors in very cold temperatures, the regulator said.

Companies are also concerned about emergency preparedness - how to respond to a crisis situation, he said.

“They have a lot of good things on their agenda, for which they are seeking solutions,”

he said. Norway has no plans to change its safety regulations to make it easier for the industry as it pushes further north, Ognedal added.

“Someone who drops in the sea with a survival suit must be picked up from the sea within two hours, whether it is in the southern North Sea or in the North,” he said. “There will be no change in the regulations to make it feasible for companies to do work there.”

This year, the Norwegian safety regulator will pay particular attention to the monitoring of drilling firms. “We are sharpening our attention at the moment ... towards drillers ... such as Transocean and Seadrill, and not just the oil firms,” he said.

“Before Macondo, (drillers) did not have a good enough focus on how to prevent big accidents,” Ognedal added, referring to the BP’s huge Macondo oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico following an explosion that killed 11 people.

The Macondo disaster and a 2009 accident in the Montara field operated by Thailand’s PTT in the Timor Sea off Australia have resulted in a wider focus on drilling by safety regulators, he said.

In the United States, the regulator is scrutinising contractors more closely, unlike its previous practice of mainly examining the operators employing the contractors.

In Norway, high oil prices and a slew of recent discoveries have boosted investment to record levels. Authorities expect investments of 157 billion crowns ($28.2 billion) this year, rising to 190 billion crowns in 2017.

Companies are so busy exploring and producing oil that the industry’s own lobby has warned they may not have enough engineers to do the work required. Ognedal is concerned that a lack of competent staff could have an impact on safety.

“I have told the industry that they must set the limits themselves, not the authorities, but they must take it seriously,” he said.

“Some companies are very good and serious, but it is a more important question today than it was before ... when you see the level of investments expected for Norway.”

Ognedal is also concerned about delays in maintaining safety-critical equipment in good condition at ageing installations.

“It is getting better, but there is a lot to do ...

Not everything is as it should be,” he said.

He did not name specific companies, but the largest operator of Norway, state-owned Statoil, came under fire a few years ago for delays in maintenance at its Norwegian platforms.

Statoil says it still has a backlog to address but that maintenance of equipment crucial to safety is under control. — Reuters

lems of its euro-zone trading partners but also by a slowing of the global economy which has reduced demand for exports which are vital to German growth.

However, analysts said they still expected a bounce this year. “Following the soft patch (in the fourth quarter), we still expect the German economy to recover swiftly in 2013,” said analysts at Barclays Capital. Roesler also said he expected the fourth quarter to be the low point in the economic cycle, but declined to answer questions about whether Germany could suffer a technical recession-two successive quarters of negative growth.

“All the early indications we have are absolutely positive,” he said. He pointed to industrial orders and business confidence data as signs that the economy was likely to pick up in the course of this year. “In the course of 2013, growth should noticeably pick up. It will be driven primarily by domestic demand,” he added.

Industrial orders in October and November were up by 1.6 percent overall compared to the two-month period before. And figures in December showed that business confidence in Germany, as measured by the closely watched Ifo institute’s monthly survey, improved by more than expected. Unemployment remains at low levels for the moment, although analysts have warned that this too cannot last forever.

Roesler himself said there would be around 60,000 more people unemployed in 2013 than in 2012 but said this period of weakness would be “temporary.” The unemployment rate would be “virtually unchanged” this year compared to 2012. Last year, the annual average jobless total fell by 78,837 to 2.897 million on a raw or unadjusted basis and the annual average jobless rate fell to 6.8 percent from 7.1 percent a year earlier.

Germany would achieve its goal of registering a structurally balanced budget in 2014, Roesler said. — AFP

Ryanair to open two new bases in Morocco MARSEILLE: Low-cost Irish airline Ryanair is to open two new bases this spring in Morocco, its first outside Europe, company chief Michael O’Leary told AFP yesterday.

“We will open two new bases in Morocco, in Fes and Marrakesh, and we’ll be in two new airports, Essaouira and Rabat,” O’Leary said during a visit to Marseille’s airport.

“We’ve been growing strongly in Morocco in the last five years,” he said, noting that the new bases will also serve destinations in France and other parts of Europe. Ryanair closed its base in Marseille in early 2011 after French prosecutors charged the airline with a number of illegal labor practices, including registering workers employed in France as Irish employees. Two planes will be based in Marrakesh serving 22 routes and one in Fes serving 15 routes, the company said in a statement. It said it was investing more than $210 million (158 million euros) in Morocco. O’Leary also said Air France’s launch this month of low-cost flights to destinations in Europe and around the Mediterranean posed little threat to Ryanair. “Their low-cost offer is based on a relatively high fare for us, it starts at 49 euros, our first prices are 15 (euros),” he said. “It is a recognition by Air France that the low-cost model, which they always said wouldn’t work in France, is destined to rule in France.” — AFP

VITROLLES: Chief executive officer (CEO) of Irish airline Ryanair Michael O’Leary gestures during a press conference, yesterday in Vitrolles, near Marseille’s airport, southern France. — AFP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

BUSINESS

New models put Ford in the fast lane 2012 ME sales reach greater heights • Kuwait sustains solid performance KUWAIT: Ford and Lincoln sales in the Middle East closed 2012 on a high note, breaking the 75,000 unit barrier - a 10 per cent year over year growth. Sales of both brands in the last quarter of 2012 jumped an outstanding 42 per cent year over year according to Larr y Prein, Ford Middle East’s managing director who is confident that the momentum will be equally strong for 2013.

Kuwait posted a positive growth owed largely to the strong sales of trucks and SUVs which registered a 56 per cent growth versus 2011, led

by Ford Edge, Flex, Explorer, Expedition and F-150 trucks. Bestselling passenger cars for 2012 featured the Ford Focus (up by 72 per cent), Mustang (up by 21 per cent) and the Taurus (up by 30 percent).

“2012 has truly been a landmark

year for Ford in the region,” Prein said. “We continued to drive growth aggressively across our markets thanks to the great new products we’ve introduced lately, and the tremendous support we’ve seen from our dealers. In the last quarter we’ve gained momentum as our supply got better. It is quite impressive to see that despite the discontinuation of the large volume Ford Crown Victoria, our total sales still recorded a double digit growth for the year.

“With this, we are geared up to start 2013 on a high note as we continue to be laser-focused on the One Ford plan and work with our dealers to further grow the business and introduce exciting models such as the all-new Ford Focus ST, Escape, Fusion and EcoSport, together with

the all-new Lincoln MKZ, all of which are true to the One Ford promise,” he added.

According to Ford Middle East’s director of Sales, Thierry Sabbagh, Ford continued to witness increasing consumer preference throughout the region in 2012 as evidenced by the growing sales. “We’ve seen great demand on our new range of products last year,” he explained.

“This is a remarkable testament to the success of the One Ford strategy of delivering what the customer wants. More and more customers realise and value the superiority of Ford products in terms of technology offerings, quality and craftsmanship, attractive dynamic design and great value for money. These important factors, coupled with the great offers from our dealers make own-

A view of the attendees

‘Times Realty India 2013’ in Kuwait KUWAIT: If you have been planning to invest in India, this is the time to do so.

Reputed builders across India will showcase their properties at Times Realty India 2013 event to be held on 18th & 19th Jan 2013 at Ramada Hotel - Al Riggae - Kuwait Events organized by The Times of India Group- the leading media conglomerate, The Times of India Group’s business, span across the print , Television, out of Home , Radio and online space and Mindscape Exhibitions Pvt Ltd -India’s leading Event & Exhibitions Management Group in association with Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI), Kochi. Zia Sait - Managing Director Mindscape Exhibitions speaking to media and said India’s real estate sector is expected to grow to a $180 billion industry by the year 2020 as per the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). With rising urban population and a growing economy driven by a growing services sector, the fundamentals for the growth of the Indian Real estate industry are strong.

With the Real Estate sector opening up for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 2005, several foreign and domestic funds have invested in Indian Real Estate sector.

Until 2010 nearly 27% of all the PE investments made in India were in the Real Estate and Infrastructure sector.

Traditionally Indian Real Estate sector was dominated by regional players with limited expertise and sources of funding. But today, various channels of financing are available to the sector like PE funds, External Commercial Borrowings (ECB), Qualified Institutional Placements (QIP), Initial Public offering (IPO) and offshore listing to name a few. Also, the presence of foreign funds in the Indian market and strict regulation by Reserve Bank of India (RBI), transparency levels have increased in this previously unorganized sector. This has also brought in the much required stream-lined approach towards construction and project delivery.

On the demand side, the Net Employment Outlook for Q3 2012 remains positive as per HR Consultancy firm Manpower. Employers in all four regions and across all sectors expect their payrolls to increase in Q3 2012.Several technology firms have announced their expansion plans in the southern cities of Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai in 2013. Key companies that have announced their expansion plan in these cities include Facebook, Amazon, and AMD, Intuit and Xerox.

Office Commercial office space market in India is driven by the services sector. IT/ ITeS, BFSI, manufacturing, media and telecom industries are some of the industries that have contributed significantly to office space absorption in the past decade.

The office market has evolved significantly in the last decades. The total office stock in the seven major cities1 is pegged at 270 million sqft. Close to 55 million sqft of office space is under construction in the seven major cities in India and is expected to enter the market by 2013. Tier I cities namely Bangalore, Delhi NCR and Mumbai will contribute to majority of the absorption. Pre-leasing activities have been high during 2012 due to Seven major cities include: Bangalore,

Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata.consolidation activities of large corporations in Tier I cities in India.

Companies are also opting for the built-to suit option as in the case of Goldman Sachs deal in Bangalore. This quarter also saw several companies opting for the purchase option as valuations are attractive as in the case of Citi in Mumbai.

With an increase in office space absorption over the last two years rental and capital values are appreciating in almost all cities. The strongest market for office spaces is Bangalore which has recorded the maximum absorption in the last two years. With steady demand and restrained supply rental values are likely to remain stable across micro-markets in most cities.

Retail Mumbai and Delhi NCR have been the forerunners in the development of the organized retail real estate in India. These two cities account for more than 70% of the retail stock in the country. Cities like Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune are now witnessing high activity in organized retail segment. Post the financial crisis the retail sector has laid emphasis on good mall management and various revenue sharing models have been introduced.

Retailers are now focusing on leasing space in superior grade malls.

The first half of 2012 saw limited supply (1.65 million sqft) of mall space in the major cities with majority of the supply in Bangalore. The year 2011 saw the completion of nearly 14 million sqft of mall space in the seven major cities. As a result of such large supply, several developers have deferred completion of under construction malls this year in order to maintain demand-supply equilibrium. Also with the uncertainties in the macro-economic conditions and business sentiment retailers are watchful about their expansion plans.

Therefore both supply as well as absorption has been restrained thereby keeping the rents stable in most cities. Tier I cities are witnessing absorption in superior grade malls. This has led to retailers willing to pay a premium for space in good quality malls due to a shortage of such spaces.

No consensus has been reached on the proposal allowing 51% FDI in multi-brand retail, but a positive response is expected in the short-term.

Residential Residential sector contributes to more than 80% of the Real Estate sector. This sector also contributes to 5-6% of the India’s GDP. While the real estate recovery in India post the global economic recession was driven by the residential sector.

The residential sector currently has varied formats catering to different buyers falling under various income levels. Capital values are increasing steadily in most cities with some cities like Mumbai witnessing a strong price increase. RBI’s decision to shift focus from reigning inflation to easing liquidity in Q1 2012 is expected to be beneficial to the residential sector. However, there is a severe shortage for affordable housing units for people in the lowest income bracket. The government is taking steps at the policy level to encourage private sector participation in the affordable housing sector.

Dhari Hamad Al-Wazzan - Business Development Manager

Ford Middle East’s director of Sales, Thierry Sabbagh

Mohammed S Khuzam, General Sales & Marketing Manager

ing a Ford vehicle a vote that our customers are going for with their wallets,” Sabbagh added.

On the product front, the Ford Edge, Explorer, Expedition and F150 led the truck and SUV regional sales which sawa 43 per cent increase in 2012 versus 2011.Ford and Lincoln passenger cars registered 40 per cent growth in retail sales - excluding the discontinued Ford Crown Victoria - with Focus, Fusion, Mustang and Taurus leading the pack.

In the UAE, total Ford and Lincoln sales posted a remarkable growth of 55 per cent in 2012 where passenger cars recorded a 38 per cent growth. Best sellers included the Taurus, Mustang, Fusion and Ford’s all-new small car, Figo. Meanwhile, trucks and SUVs registered a whopping 55 per cent increase, driven by increased demand on Edge, Escape, Explorer, Expedition and F-Series trucks.

Lincoln’s new-gen crossovers, the MKX and MKT were also among the well-performing

models in the UAE having achieved a three digit growth.

In Saudi Arabia, overall sales were even year over year. However, excluding the impact of the Crown Victoria discontinuation, salesof the remaining vehicles grew by nearly 30 per cent, with strong performances across the range. Top sellers included the Expedition, Explorer, Edge, Flex, Taurus, Fusion, Focus and Figo. Ford also saw unprecedented growth in the remaining GCC markets where sales recorded an impressive increase of 107 per cent in Qatar, 42 per cent in Oman and 48 per cent in Bahrain.

“Overall, the momentum we gained together with our dealers in 2012 has been truly remarkable, setting a robust foundation for us to launch into 2013 from,” concluded Prein. “We are confident that with the continued investments from our dealers, the great new product introductions from both the Ford and Lincoln brands coupled with aggressive customer-focused

actions across the region, we will set yet another record performance in the Middle East.”

Growing in Mideast Ford and its dealers continue to work towards more network expansions in the GCC, Levant and Iraq, whether in dealership facilities, service centers and parts distribution outlets. The company has over 20 new sales and service facilities in process region-wide to serve the ever growing customer base.

Additionally, Ford expects to increase the number of Quick Lane and Quick Parts outlets in the GCC, with 40 branches scheduled to be opened this year to help provide a wider reach for customer service and genuine Ford and MotorCraft spare parts.

The $53m Middle East Regional Parts Distribution Centre in Jebel Aliis already providing growing support to the regional customer base and dealerships of Ford and Lincoln in the region.

HCL launches new range of ME Tablets in MEA U2, a powerful entry level tablet KUWAIT: HCL Infosystems Ltd India’s premier Services and ICT Systems Integration, Distribution and Hardware Company has today announced the launch of a new range of ME tablets in the Middle East and Africa. As part of HCL’s continuous commitment to the market and their customers, HCL has launched three new ME tablets, namely U2, V1 and Y3. HCL has emerged as the leaders in value tablets in the Middle East and the new series aims to enhance user experience and create absolute value for customers across categories in the region. HCL has tied up with Axiom Telecom, the leading telecom solutions provider in the region, as its service partner for the region.

The New ME Tablets will be available across leading retailers across the various countries in Middle East and Africa. In UAE the tablets will be available by this week in leading stores like Sharaf DG, Lulu, EMAX, Plug-ins, Ecity, Jackys and Abu Dhabi Cooperative. In Kuwait the new devices will be available in this week in stores such as Al Ghanim, GEANT, Lulu and Electrozan. In Oman the new ME Tablets will be available this week in Extra, Lulu, Emax and Sharaf DG. In Qatar the new Tablets will be available by this week in stores such as Lulu and Safari. In Egypt the new Tablets will be available by beginning of February 2013 in stores such as Compume and B.tech. In Saudi Arabia the tablets will be available by this week in major key retailers. In Bahrain and Jordan the tablets will be available in leading stores by the beginning of February 2013. In the African countries - Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda the new ME Tablets will be available in leading stores by the beginning of February 2013.

Some of the Exclusive Distributors for ME Tablets in the region include CGC (Consolidated Gulf Corporation) in Qatar; BDL Gulf and BDL Saudi in UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Commenting on the launch,

Srinath Nagarajan, Business HeadMEA, Mobility Business Unit, HCL Infosystems MEA, said, “We are very excited to launch our new range of ME tablets in the region. The launch comes as part of our commitment to offer the best in technology and continue our innovation and leadership in the value category of tablets in the region. This region has a highly competitive tablet market with the demand for innovative technologies growing at a rapid pace. We have made huge investments in research to develop innovations that would enable us to deliver devices to a larger customer base, making technology more accessible. Understanding the need to cater to individual preferences of our customers and resonating the brand message - Change Begins with ME, we wish to meet and exceed their expectations in technology by delivering an amazing user experience.”

The ME tablets have been innovated to offer various unique and

specialized features. The U2 Tab offers a fast processor and Google Play, the V1 Tab has a facility for 2G calling and the Y3 Tab has 3G calling facility and a Dual Sim. The U2 has an integrated HDMI connectivity Port, which connects the tablet to external display devices for gaming, video playback or emails.

It has a powerful CPU, being powered by a 1 GHz Cortex A9 CPU which enables U2 to deliver high performance with low power consumption.

The Tab has an integrated front camera for video chat. The tablet also carries a powerful GPU and 1GB DDR3 RAM which enables one to enjoy smooth 2D/3D graphics gaming. The tablet has an 8GB internal memory where one can store all their favorite movies, photos, games and also which is externally expandable through a 32GB micro SD card. It also comes pre loaded with Thinkfree Office which enables users to create and edit office documents on the go.

The key features & specifications of

the ME U2 are: • Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) • 7 inch Multi - touch Capacitive Screen • Next Generation Processor • ARM Mali-400GPU • Front camera for Video Chat • HDMI Port • Priced at KWD 29.99 The HCL ME V1 tablet has a sleek and slim Metal ID, combining fashion and sturdiness in an elegant form. It has a built-in voice calling, having the integrated phone functions of voice calling and integrated SIM slots. The V1 Tab even beats its similar competitors in the android tablet and phone category with its powerful features such as 1 GHz processor, Android 4.0, dual camera with LED flash, 1 GB DDR3 RAM and 8GB internal memory.

It also has an integrated voice receiver, proximity sensor, and loud speakerphone enabling the tab to be used as a full-fledged android smartphone.

It has integrated Graphics enabling smooth graphics and gaming.

Goldman Sachs net surges on investment banking NEW YORK: Goldman Sachs earnings almost tripled in the fourth quarter, handily beating analysts’ estimates, as investment banking revenues surged. The investment bank earned $2.83 billion after paying preferred dividends, compared with $978 million a year earlier. The bank’s debt underwriting business profited from a rally in bonds and a surge in demand for debt securities. Goldman’s debt underwriting business earned $1.96 billion in revenues for the year, its second-best annual performance and the highest since 2007. “While economic condi-

tions remained challenging for much of the last year, the strengths of our business model and client franchise, coupled with our focus on disciplined management, delivered solid performance for our shareholders,” Goldman’s CEO Lloyd Blankfein said in a statement yesterday.

The bank’s compensation cost rose 6 percent to $12.94 billion for 2012. The bank also reduced its headcount by 3 percent to 32,400. That means that the average employee at the bank earns almost $400,000 a year.

Goldman differs from other big US banks

because it deals almost exclusively with institutions, rather than consumers. Its clients are usually mutual funds, international corporations, other banks and similar firms. Revenue for the fourth quarter rose to $9.24 billion, 53 percent higher than in the same period a year ago, beating analysts’ estimates of $7.97 billion.

Goldman earned $5.60 on a per-share basis, compared with the average analysts forecast of $3.71, according to data provider FactSet. The banks stock gained $2.87, or 2.1 percent, to $138.46 in pre-market trading. — AP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

technology

Does everyone think someone else should drive a green car?

DETROIT: A Ford Focus electric concept car with a home charging unit on display at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. — AFP

Bling is the thing at Detroit auto show DETROIT: Headlights, grilles and other doodads are stepping up and popping out on cars. Car bling is proliferating, from daytime running lights that go up the hood of the new Cadillac ATS, to a wide, bold grille on the Ford Fusion, to engraving within the lamps of the new Corvette and Ford Transit.

It is inexpensive but distinctive, providing automotive eye candy that can even boost gas mileage or improve safety. Bling isn’t new, but advancements in technology and design are allowing automakers to do more of it and move it from luxury cars into the mainstream.

“You’ve got form and function with the beauty,” says IHS Automotive analyst Rebecca Lindland. The adornments are on display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which opens to the public Jan. 19:

Fisher says the grille helps the midsize family sedan “evoke the looks of an AstonMartin” - adding to the mystique and brand identity without adding to the bottom line.

Ford hopes to finally surpass Toyota Camry’s sales with the new Fusion, helped by a more aggressive-looking trapezoidal grille.

There are other grilles providing artistic thrills: When the light hits it just right, the angular brushed-metal grille of Hyundai’s new luxury concept car shows off at least a dozen small inverted triangles that appear behind horizontal bars. The wide-mouth grille has a bunch of tiny holes, and the angles reflect light. It’s just one of many new styling cues on the HCD-14 Genesis, which Hyundai says is the direction it will take the next generation of its luxury cars, the Genesis and Equus.

FETCHING ETCHING Mom never advised looking into lights, but peering into the lamps of certain vehicles offers some aesthetic rewards: Tiny engravings are appearing inside, like figures inside a snow globe.

Headlights in the splashy new Corvette feature the brand’s crossed-flag logo, and the utilitarian Ford Connect offers Ford’s Blue Oval logo contained in a seven-sided shape. Likewise, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee features a vintage miniature Jeep silhouette and the phrase, “Since 1941,” referring to the year Jeeps began rolling out. IHS Automotive analyst Rebecca Lindland says it’s intriguing that designers are “laying this kind of jewelry in just that small spot” - in the process attracting buyers and providing recognition on the road.

THE EYES HAVE IT The tail lamps on the high-performance version of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee are tinted black, giving it an ominous look.

Ralph Gilles, a Chrysler design leader, noted the lamps are “kind of like death.”

“They look like they’re really staring at you. If you look at them they’re all dark inside. You can’t even see the lens,” Gilles says. He says it’s the first time Chrysler has done such headlamps. The vehicle, he added, “can pretty much be sinister if you want it to.” He says designers wanted to create something unique that “owners will love.” The headlights on Land Rover’s small SUV - the Range Rover Evoque - also give that vehicle “a bit more of the sinister look,” according to IHS Automotive analyst Rebecca Lindland. The slim lamp also represents an advance in functionality.

“The great thing with lighting technology is that you can actually have a very narrow light and still have a tremendous amount of road illumination,” she says.

LINE OF SIGHT Distinctive lights abound, but a prime example graces the front of the new Cadillac ATS, a sport sedan.

The car’s daytime running lights go up the top of the fender along the hood line.

They help contribute to an overall design that is angular and edgy. Those lights are helping Cadillac set itself apart from competitors, says Consumer Reports lead car tester Jake Fisher.

Osram Automotive supplies lighting components for the ATS and other Cadillacs. David Hulick, the company’s global marketing director of solid state lighting, says the ATS benefits from hidden LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, which offer an “intense, white appearance” that can’t be duplicated with traditional bulbs.

Hulick says getting more out of illumination was the impetus behind the first automotive use of LEDs in exterior lighting: a mid-1990s Ford Thunderbird. He says that model used “super-red LEDs with a neon look” - something that also “couldn’t be achieved with traditional technology.”

HOT OFF THE GRILLE Ford is heating up its grilles, particularly its Fusion model. The Fusion jettisoned the old, bulky shutters that go back years and embraced a wide, bold grille with numerous thin blades. Consumer Reports’ Jake

CRYSTAL CLEAR When it comes to headlights, there’s bling, and then there’s the king of bling.

The Acura RLX’s headlights look like a crystal chandelier, courtesy of a horizontal collection of lenses and LED light that has been split and directed in a beam pattern, according to Hulick of Osram Automotive.

He says Acura’s lights are a great example of a vehicle being simultaneously eyecatching and illuminating with the help of LEDs. “Lighting, in my opinion, has replaced chrome as the jewelry on the car.”

STEPPING UP The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck has a practical feature that breaks up the boring horizontal view of the bumper.

There are two steps that make it easy to climb into the bed to fetch tools or tie down a load. The steps are inset into the corner of the bumpers, and even have treads to stop work shoes from slipping.

The always-ready steps could give GM an advantage over other automakers in an increasingly competitive pickup market, especially with buyers who constantly are going in and out of the truck bed. — AP

DETROIT: The green car market is only inching along in the United States, hampered by high comparative costs and limited ranges on pure electric vehicles, but automakers remain confident their time will come. “Everybody thinks that everybody else should be driving a green car,” said Dave Sergeant, an auto analyst with JD Power.

Automakers have launched a host of hybrids and electric vehicles in recent years with huge fanfare in response to political pressure from the Obama administration to improve fuel economy drastically. But lower emission vehicles are still struggling to find their public, winning over just 3.5 percent of US sales last year, with about 500,000 vehicles sold. That is perhaps one reason why they were not a prominent part of this year’s Detroit auto show, where luxury brands, pickups and performance dominated new vehicle launches.

“It’s getting better every year but there’s a very slow adoption rate,” said Jesse Toprak, an analyst with the specialty site TrueCar.com.

Hybrids have overcome the initial fears many consumers had about the reliability of a new technology. However, few are willing to swap to alternatives like a pure electric, compressed natural gas or hydrogen fuel cells that could strand them on the side of the road if they get too far from a filling station or electrical outlet, Sergeant said.

“Consumers are terrified by the range issue,” he said.. Cost is another major concern as consumers “tend to have a poor ability to do the math in terms of what they’re going to pay and what they’re going to save” on a hybrid, he said.

And even with big tax breaks, the $30,000 to $40,000 price tag for a plug-in electric Chevy Volt or fully electric Nissan Leaf is also off-putting.

Nissan responded to poor sales of its pioneering Leaf by slashing the price Monday by about $6,000, which would bring it down to as little as $18,800 in some US locations, once tax breaks are considered.

Leaf’s US sales rose just 1.5 percent to 9,819 vehicles in 2012, far below Nissan’s target of doubling sales in its second year on the market.

Global sales rose 20 percent, well below Nissan’s target of a 50 percent increase.

“It’s a disappointment,” admitted NissanRenault chief Carlos Ghosn. General Motors managed to triple the sales of its plug-in electric Volt to nearly 23,500 vehicles last year, but that remains well below the largest US automaker’s target of 35,000. “Unless gas prices go up to five to six dollars a gallon, we don’t see a major shift in this,” Sergeant said, noting that US consumers have become accustomed to gasoline priced at around $3.25 a gallon. “There will be a very slow drift towards these vehicles but it’s going to be very gradual.” Automakers expressed confidence in green cars currently on display at the Detroit auto

show. “When you look at our sales for electrified vehicles, we’re seeing growth in that market,” said Mark Fields, chief operating officer at Ford, which is developing a whole range of green cars, including its compact C-Max. Toyota dominates the green car market in the United States, accounting for 70 percent of hybrid sales. “There’s no question that over time the price of fuel is going to go up, so we’re confident that our plan to develop hybrids is the right long-term play, as is our foray into extended range plug-ins,” Jim Lentz, head of Toyota Motor Sales USA, said in an interview on the sidelines of the show. Toyota’s dedicated hybrid line Prius is the best-selling car in Japan and achieves volumes in the United States that most mainstream brands dream of: 236,000 in 2012. With hybrids also available in Toyota’s top selling Camry and Highlander models along with its luxury Lexus brand, they now account for 16 percent of the Japanese automaker’s US sales at more than 327,000 in 2012.

Despite an outsized investment in advertising of green cars-which can create a ‘halo effect’ for the whole lineup without necessarily leading to sales-Toprak said automakers haven’t done enough to explain the benefits of hybrids.

“They need to do a better job of communicating the financial benefit of owning this car,” he told AFP. With the GM Volt, if you calculate the benefits of tax breaks, attractive leasing costs and fuel savings “it’s basically a free car,” he said. — AFP

DETROIT: The Hot Wheels edition of the Chevrolet Camaro sits on an oversized track that appears to swoop down from the ceiling at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday. General Motors Co. last year announced it would sell the vehicle with Hot Wheels logos and other toy-inspired touches such as red-lined wheels. —AP

DETROIT: Visitors look over vehicles during the media preview at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday. —AFP

New tricks to lure young car buyers DETROIT: From navigation systems serving as game consoles to sound systems doubling as amplifiers and nail polish matching a paint job, automakers are trying new tricks to lure fickle young buyers. Connected consoles that sync with smartphones to stream music and even read incoming text messages aloud seemed to be almost standard features on most of the cars on display at the Detroit auto show. “It’s difficult to capture this group because they’re not brand loyal at this stage in their life,” said Joe Vitale, an auto analyst with Deloitte. Young buyers also have higher expectations than their parents, he said. They take reliability, quality and safety as a given, want good fuel economy and access to “infotainment” like satellite radio and social media, and perhaps like their parents-want a car that makes a statement.

Aggressive styling, a renewed focus on design, souped-up interiors and zippy small cars are becoming more common on the showroom floor as automakers jostle for position with a group that is expected to soon be buying one in every four cars sold in the US. “When you build more emotional cars, you get more young people to buy your product,” Jim Lentz, head of Toyota Motor Sales USA, said in an interview on the sidelines of the show. Toyota developed an entirely separate brand-Scion-to help it connect with young buyers and get them to develop the kind of brand

loyalty their parents have.

One way it connects is through a focus on personalization-something young buyers care a lot about and for which they are often willing to pay a premium.

Scion offers enthusiasts over 250 different ways to accessorize their cars, including sporty mufflers, lowering springs, graphics to highlight

circular key fob to match the console design.

The joystick-operated sound system shifts the volume on the speakers to match your drive (say, shifting to the right on a turn) and a little goldfish turns good driving into a game by falling out of its bowl if a corner is taken too fast.

Ford certainly doesn’t expect that

DETROIT: The Mercedes-Benz display at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday. — AFP the trim and an interior lighting kit a bottle of nail polish in “Ford Fiesta that illuminates the lower level of Storm” alone will bring new buyers the interior in green, red, purple and to its zippy small car lineup.

It gets them in the door by offerwhite. Daimler’s Mini brand also focuses on personalization and has ing a lot of higher-end features like got to be the hippest car at the heated side mirrors and a voice-actishow. The choices of colors and pat- vated entertainment system that terns for the exterior seem endless- will read incoming tweets aloud in a including the classic Union Jack fuel efficient, funky and low-price litrooftop-while the interior offers sur- tle car. The matching polish perk is prises like a hidden glove box and a part of a broader strategy to get

new buyers to make an emotional connection to their cars that will lead them to think of Ford again when it’s time to replace their vehicle. Ditto for Volkswagen’s Fender Beetle. It’s not a huge seller, but the advanced sound system-that you can plug your guitar into-and the stylish interior adds to the already distinctive car’s appeal.

Young buyers also want their cars to be more than just a way to get somewhere, said John Mendel, head of sales for American Honda.

“They’re looking for the flexibility of being the Swiss Army knife of cars,” he told AFP. Honda is reaching out with an expansion of its small car offerings, like the “urban SUV” concept unveiled on Monday that combines the function of a sport utility with the handling of a small car.

GM has targeted young buyers with its Chevy Spark and Sonic cars, which offer bold design in a small package, bright colors echoed in the interior through stitching and trim, and text-message reading sound systems that link up with smartphones. But its Equinox SUV and Silverado pickup are also big sellers among millennials looking for more utility. Hyundai tries to tempt young buyers with power and aggressive styling, but offers a great perk for anxious parents worried about teen drivers: a navigation system that will alert them if the car leaves a pre-set “safety” zone. — AFP

Searching for answers on Facebook

DETROIT: General view of the floor of the 2013 North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday. — AFP

Curiosity rover to drill on Mars LOS ANGELES: Scientists have zeroed in on a Martian target for the Curiosity rover to drill into: A rock outcrop as flat as a pool table that’s expected to yield fresh insight into the red planet’s history.

Running a tad behind schedule, Curiosity was due to arrive at the site in the next several days. After an inspection of the surroundings, the car-size rover will test its drill for the first time “probably in the next two weeks,” project manager Richard Cook of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory said Tuesday.

The highly anticipated drilling has been

billed as the most complex engineering task since the acrobatic landing inside a Martian crater last summer. Curiosity is on a quest to determine whether environmental conditions could have been favorable for microbes.

By boring into a rock and transferring the powder to the rover’s onboard chemistry lab and other instruments, scientists should get a better handle on the region’s mineral and chemical makeup. “We’re thrilled, and we can’t wait to get drilling,” said project scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology. — AFP

MENLO PARK: Facebook unveiled a new search tool yesterday that gives users a chance to sift through the photos, places and other information available on the site - all through the lens of their social connections. Would you like to know which of your friends live in San Francisco? Are you curious about who likes Madonna? Or are you dying to know which friends appeared in photos with you before 2006?

Facebook’s new search tool will tell you, in the hopes that you’ll spend more time on the world’s largest online social network.

The search feature, called “graph search,” is being rolled out slowly. For now, users can only search in English and the service will be available only to a tiny fraction of Facebook’s more than 1 billion users. As part of a group of reporters who attended Facebook’s unveiling of the service on Tuesday, I was one of these users.

I got a chance to try out the feature and sift through my friends’ interests, photos and other data. While most searches revealed little information about my friends that I didn’t already know, it was nice to see it indexed and categorized in a way that wasn’t possible before. There have been countless times I’ve wished I could group my friends by where they live, or find people who’ve worked at a particular company.

Google, too, has tried to incorporate social

features in its powerful search engine, but it doesn’t have the breadth of personal data that Facebook has amassed. Even so, Facebook isn’t the best place to search for home flu remedies or movie show times. As such, I will continue to use Google to find crucial information such as Ryan Gosling’s age or the year “The Hobbit” was published and I’ll stay with the reviews site Yelp to find the highest-rated Chinese restaurant in New York that’s cheap enough to warrant two out of four dollar signs.

Facebook, meanwhile, should help unearth interesting details about my social network. It’s through Facebook’s search feature I that I was able to find a trove of adorable “photos of my friends before 1990,” or see which of my friends are fans of the savvy Seattle sex columnist Dan Savage (12 of them, it turns out).

Searching for photos is one of the most personal and interesting features of the new tool.

There are 19 photos of me and my husband taken by my friends that my friends like, for example. There are “fewer than 100” photos of my family before 2008, which is pretty good considering I joined Facebook just a year earlier.

Rather than using keywords or various filters, Facebook’s search tool aims to replicate the way people talk. It prompts users to “search for people, places and things” and will try to complete

your sentences. It should get better over time as more people outside of Facebook’s labs use it. Graph search doesn’t dig through people’s status updates, only the likes and interests that they have listed on Facebook. But that could come later, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg hinted at Tuesday’s event. The tool also searches photos who’s in them, who’s liked them and who posted them. EMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson predicts a “mass exodus” of untagging and unliking of photos and interests as Facebook rolls out the search feature more broadly and people realize that the things they liked 5 years ago are suddenly searchable by their friends and others, depending on their privacy settings. To soothe privacy concerns that invariably arise with every new feature Facebook announces, Zuckerberg stressed that users will only be able to find information they have access to. This means no matter how many times you search for “photos of Mark Zuckerberg in diapers,” you won’t find one unless Mr. Z has shared his hypothetical baby photos with you in the first place.

The search tool could take more than a year to roll out to all of Facebook’s billion-plus users, and it’ll surely see a lot of changes in that time.

A shortcoming I already noticed is that few of my friends are the oversharing type. —AP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Dengue fastest-spreading tropical disease: WHO GENEVA: Dengue is the world’s fastestspreading tropical disease and represents a “pandemic threat”, infecting an estimated 50 million people across all continents, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday.

Transmitted by the bite of female mosquitoes, the disease is occurring more widely due to increased movement of people and goods - including carrier objects such as bamboo plants and used tyres - as well as floods linked to climate change, the United Nations agency said.

The viral disease, which affected only a handful of areas in the 1950s, is now present in more than 125 countries - significantly more than malaria, historically the most notorious mosquito-borne disease.

The most advanced vaccine against dengue is only 30 percent effective, trials last year showed.

“In 2012, dengue ranked as the fastest spreading vector-borne viral disease with

an epidemic potential in the world, registering a 30-fold increase in disease incidence over the past 50 years,” the WHO said in a statement.

Late last year, Europe’s suffered its first sustained outbreak since the 1920s, with 2,000 people infected on the Portuguese

Atlantic island of Madeira.

Worldwide, 2 million cases of dengue are reported each year by 100 countries, mainly in Asia, Africa and Latin America, causing 5,000 to 6,000 deaths, said Dr. Raman Velayudhan, a specialist at the WHO’s control of neglected tropical diseases department.

But the true number is far higher as the disease has spread exponentially and is now present on all continents, he said.

“The WHO estimates that on average about 50 million cases occur every year.

This is a very conservative estimate,” Velayudhan told Reuters, adding that some independent studies put the figure at 100 million. “Dengue is the most threatening and fastest spreading mosquitoborne disease. It is pandemic-prone, but it is a threat only. Definitely a bigger threat now than ever,” he said. Malaria caused more deaths but was on the decline, affecting

fewer than 100 countries.

Speaking to a news briefing after the WHO released a report on 17 neglected tropical diseases affecting 1 billion people, Velayudhan said: “The mosquito has silently expanded its distribution.

“So today you have (the) aedes mosquito in over 150 countries. The threat of dengue exists all across the globe.” In Europe, the aedes mosquitoes that cause both dengue and chikungya disease have spread to 18 countries, often via the importation of ornamental bamboo or second-hand tyres, he said.

“But we are trying to address this in a more systematic way, by controlling entry of vectors at points of entry - seaports, airports, as well as the ground crossings,” Velayudhan said, noting that it was hard to detect mosquitoes and their eggs.

Dengue causes flu-like symptoms that subside in a few days in some sufferers.

But the severe form of the disease

requires hospitalisation for complications, including severe bleeding, that may be lethal.

There is no specific treatment but early detection and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates below 1 percent, according to the Geneva-based WHO. “You have to bear in mind that it has no treatment and vaccines are still in the research stage,” Velayudhan said.

The most advanced, being developed

by French drugmaker Sanofi SA, proved only 30 percent effective in a large clinical trial in Thailand, far less than hoped, according to results published in September.But researchers said it did show for the first time that a safe vaccine was possible.

The WHO also said aims to eliminate globally two neglected tropical diseases, dracunculiasis, known as guinea worm disease, in 2015, and yaws, or treponematoses, in 2020—Reuters

100 kids die of flu each year Risk to all ages NEW YORK: How bad is this flu season, exactly? Look to the children. Twenty flurelated deaths have been reported in kids so far this winter, one of the worst tolls this early in the year since the government started keeping track in 2004.

But while such a tally is tragic, that does not mean this year will turn out to be unusually bad.

Roughly 100 children die in an average flu season, and it’s not yet clear the nation will reach that total. The deaths this year have included a 6-year-old girl in Maine, a 15-year Michigan student who loved robotics, and 6-foot-4 Texas high school senior Max Schwolert, who grew sick in Wisconsin while visiting his grandparents for the holidays.

“He was kind of a gentle giant” whose death has had a huge impact on his hometown of Flower Mound, said Phil Schwolert, the Texas boy’s uncle. Health officials only started tracking pediatric flu deaths nine years ago, after media reports called attention to children’s deaths. That was in 2003-04 when the primary flu germ was the same dangerous flu bug as the one dominating this year. It also was an earlier than normal flu season. The government ultimately received reports of 153 flu-related deaths in children, from 40 states, and most of them had occurred by the beginning of January. But the

reporting was scattershot. So in October 2004, the government started requiring all states to report flu-related deaths in kids. Other things changed, most notably a broad expansion of who should get flu shots. During the terrible 2003-04 season, flu shots were only advised for children ages 6 months to 2 years.

That didn’t help 4-year-old Amanda Kanowitz, who one day in late February 2004 came home from preschool with a cough and died less than three days later.

Amanda was found dead in her bed that terrible Monday morning, by her mother.

“The worst day of our lives,” said her father, Richard Kanowitz, a Manhattan attorney who went on to found a vaccinepromoting group called Families Fighting Flu. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gradually expanded its flu shot guidance, and by 2008 all kids 6 months and older were urged to get the vaccine. As a result, the vaccination rate for kids grew from under 10 percent back then to around 40 percent today.

Flu vaccine is also much more plentiful. Roughly 130 million doses have been distributed this season, compared to 83 million back then. Public education seems to be better, too, Kanowitz observed. The last unusually bad flu season for children, was 2009-10 - the year of the new swine flu, which hit young people especially

hard. As of early January 2010, 236 flurelated deaths of kids had been reported since the previous August.

It’s been difficult to compare the current flu season to those of other winters because this one started about a month earlier than usual. Look at it this way: The nation is currently about five weeks into flu season, as measured by the first time flu case reports cross above a certain threshold. Two years ago, the nation wasn’t five weeks into its flu season until early February, and at that point there were 30 pediatric flu deaths - or 10 more than have been reported at about the same point this year. That suggests that when the dust settles, this season may not be as bad as the one only two years ago.

But for some families, it will be remembered as the worst ever. In Maine, 6-year-old Avery Lane - a first-grader in Benton who had recently received student of-the-week honors - died in December following a case of the flu, according to press reports. She was Maine’s first pediatric flu death in about two years, a Maine health official said. In Michigan, 15-year-old Joshua Polehna died two weeks ago after suffering flu-like symptoms. The Lake Fenton High School student was the state’s fourth pediatric flu death this year, according to published reports. And in Texas, the town of Flower

Mound mourned Schwolert, a healthy, lanky 17-year-old who loved to golf and taught Sunday school at the church where his father was a youth pastor. Late last month, he and his family drove 16 hours to spend the holidays with his grandparents in Amery, Wis., a small town near the Minnesota state line. Max felt fluish on Christmas Eve, seemed better the next morning but grew worse that night. The family decided to postpone the drive home and took him to a local hospital. He was transferred to a medical center in St. Paul, Minn., where he died on Dec. 29.

He’d been accepted to Oklahoma State University before the Christmas trip.

And an acceptance letter from the University of Minnesota arrived in Texas while Max was sick in Minnesota, his uncle said. Nearly 1,400 people attended a memorial service for Max two weeks ago in Texas. “He exuded care and love for other people,” Phil Schwolert said.

“The bottom line is take care of your kids, be close to your kids,” he said.

On average, an estimated 24,000 Americans die each flu season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People who are elderly and with certain chronic health conditions are generally at greatest risk from flu and its complications. —AP

Shifa Al Jazeera Medical Center to hold cervical cancer campaign KUWAIT: Shifa Al-Jazeera Medical Group, the leading conglomerate among premium healthcare providers in GCC in the path of expansion with the newfangled innovative systems, technologies and equipments along with a dedicated team of medical and paramedical staffs, has announced an outstanding healthy offer as their dedicated New Year Gift to the society “Cervical Cancer Prevention Awareness Campaign” providing Cervical Cancer Vaccine- “CERVARIX”

woman is at a risk of cervical cancer throughout life, makes us realize the importance of vaccination and screening as a preventive procedure.

Dr Rekha Thomas, one of the well known Gynaecologist &Obstetric Specialist in Kuwait and a part of Shifa Al Jazeera Medical Center says that the cervical cancer is a form of cancer effecting Cervix (the lower part of uterus also known as ‘neck’ of womb) which is having two parts, endocervix and ectocervix / exocervix, and func-

women after breast and lung cancer.Malignancy or Cancer - normal cells of the body start to divide uncontrollably and form a tumor- of the cervix begins in the cells of the surface of the cervix and then invade deeply into the cervix-she added.

Dr. Revathi - a reputed name in Gynaecology / Obstetrics & Infertility, working with Shifa Al Jazeera Medical Centre mentioned that the cause of cervical cancer is infection by the Human Papilloma Virus HPV, a

KUWAIT: Gynecologist Dr Revathy Ravi and Dr Rekha Paulson with Medical Director Dr Abdul Nazer and Admin Manager Abdul Azeez. at a discounted rate from 12/01/2013 till 24/01/2013 - a 12-day campaign targeting the improvement of women’s health and saving lives through Cervical Cancer prevention programs which mean the ultimate goal of caring and assuring their responsibility towards the society as a part of accomplishing their vision and mission of reaching new heights in the medical world.

Apart from usual health campaigns held in the foregoing periods which was a form of socio awareness activity, this time it is against Cervical Cancer by which we lose a woman in every hour in Middle East. Vaccination is preferred for girls and women from 10-55 years of age based on physician’s recommendation. It could be identified only with regular screening and vaccination. When we come to know that possibility is 50% for cervical cancer in a normal situation and that every

tioning as a connecting agent of uterus to the vagina and makes mucus which facilitates sperm entry.

Also during pregnancy it serves to keep infection outside the uterus, protecting the fetus , helping to keep the baby inside the uterus.

During child birth it opens to allow the baby pass through the vagina.

The endocervix or the endocervical canal is lined by glandular cells and the exocervix is lined by squamous cells.The junction where the two cell types cells meet is called the Transformation Zone (TZ) where the two types of cervical cancers, Squamous cell Carcinoma (in the surface lining of the cervix) and Adenocarcinoma (from the glandular cells / columnar cells lining the endocervical canal) begins which is the second most common type of cancer deaths in women, worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer in

group of more than hundred related viruses by which most adults have been infected in their lives and most infection clearup on their own. She also explained about HPV types which cause warts on skin, genital (HPV 6 and 11of Low risk types), anus, mouth & throat and are rarely linked to cancer.

Major cases of cervical cancers are caused by infections with oncogenic or high risk types of HPV that is 16 & 18 because of risky sexual practices like having sex at an early age or having multiple sex partners, weakened immune system, poor socio economic status, smoking. She preferred screening test / Pap smear test (an outpatient procedure in which cells are scraped from the cervix and looked at under a microscope) and HPV vaccine before becoming sexually active as protective factors because most of the time, early cancer has no symptoms

and cervical cancer has a long precancerous phase.

She pointed out some symptoms like abnormal vaginal bleeding, post contact bleeding, continuous vaginal discharge and increased bleeding at periods about which we have to be cautious. Cervical cancer, in its precancerous stage which could be detected by a Pap smear is 100% treatable as it can take years for precancerous lesion to change to cancer.After doing a Pap smear, test like colposcopy & cervical biopsy could be advised as necessary.

Liquid based Pap cytology tests are nowadays available too.PAP smear is repeated every 3 to 5 years from the age of 21 for sexually active women. It is better to be combined with HPV Testing.

Also she explained the Pap smear results which could be reported as Inflammation, ASCUS (Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance), LSIL (Low grade Squamous Intra epithelial Lesion-CIN-1- most common and benign usually resolves spontaneously), HSIL (High Grade Squamous Intra epithelial Lesion- CIN 2 or CIN 3-Moderate or severe dysplasia which can lead to cancer of cervix which could be treated by LEEP-Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure, Cryotherapy, Conisation, Laser Ablation), Squamous cell carcinoma and Adenocarcinoma. Treatments for cervical cancer are surgical removal of uterus, ovary tube and lymph nodes apart from radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Developed countries which implemented similar programs have experienced dramatically reduced rates of cervical cancer due to well organized screening and treatment programs where as in developing countries in the cases cervical cancer occur, it remains a leading cause of death among women.

A recent situation analysis documented that screening women with an accurate test and positive test results managed properly increased the count of cured. Best possible protection against cervical cancer is Vaccination (Cervarix- Women Only Vaccine against HPV 16 & 18 & Gardasil- against HPV 6, 11,16,18) other than Screening. Shifa Al Jazeera Medical Center Management also informed that the detailed brochure of the campaign for the public awareness could be obtained from their Farwaniya Branch located opposite Farwaniya Police Station and all were requested to utilize this opportunity to safeguard their health.

Prestigious London Hospital welcomes Kuwaiti patients KUWAIT: The Harley Street Clinic in London has recently opened its newly refurbished Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The PICU boasts an internationally recognized specialist team of pediatric cardiac consultants to provide the best quality of care for the most complex heart conditions for babies, children, through to adulthood. The new pediatric unit is technologicallyadvanced and is now in the most beautiful and modern surroundings. The unit specializes in the treatment of cardiac conditions, particularly congenital heart disease and offers a combination of experience, technology and close, well-established links with other hospitals from across the globe to provide the highest standard of care for critically ill babies and children.

“As a global centre of excellence, The Harley Street Clinic prides itself on providing exceptional care for critically ill patients from many different countries including Kuwait,” said Neil Buckley, Chief Executive Officer.

“The newly opened unit further reinforces the hospital’s reputation as one of the most prestigious private hospitals in the world and adds to its existing intensive care offering for adults, children and babies”.

The paediatric service is comprised of a 13 bedded Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, a 5 bedded High Dependency Unit, and a whole floor at ward level providing 18 individual rooms that supports paediatric care. Parents are therefore offered the security of knowing that their child is in safe hands whatever the situation or treatment.

With specialist services available to Kuwaiti families, from referral to discharge, The Harley Street Clinic fully understands the needs of patients and their families and has created a caring, culturally sensitive and supportive environment in a modern setting. The Harley Street Clinic also understands the importance of privacy and personal space for families and this is reflected in the PICU through bespoke design features such as window partitions between beds, which become opaque with the flick of a switch.

For our congenital heart patients, Care for Life is offered from before birth, throughout their young lives and continuing on into adolescence and adulthood. By supporting and nurturing patients in each stage of their development, our highly trained and skilled team of professionals offer them every opportunity to live full lives of the highest quality and standard.

“The Harley Street Clinic is proud to have a highly trained, multi-disciplinary team of experts consisting of intensivists, resident medical officers, nurses and allied health professionals such as dieticians, play specialists, physiotherapists and speech therapists,” said Libby Basson, Paediatric Matron. “Our specialist team is on hand to ensure all our patients receive the full spectrum of care”.

The Harley Street Clinic is embracing digital technology to provide a more interactive and informative experience for people to help them choose the best care for their needs, from wherever they are in the world.

No exercise, more than lying around, tied to fat in kids CHICAGO: For children, time spent actually inactive - such as lying on the couch appears to have less of an impact on how much body fat they have than a lack of exercise does, according to a US study.

Researchers, whose study appeared in the Journal of Pediatrics, found that the more minutes children spent exercising at the pace of a fast walk each day, the lower their percentage of body fat. But the time they spent lying around made no difference.

“Our study supports the current physical activity guideline, that’s what I want people to know,” lead author Soyang Kwon, a pediatric researcher at Northwestern University in Chicago, said.

The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children and teens exercise at least at the intensity of a fast walk, about 5.6 kilometres per hour (3.5 miles per hour), for 60 minutes every day.

Last year, a study in adults found a different result: regular exercise doesn’t protect against the dangers of sitting for many hours at desk jobs. This is likely because children are more active than adults overall.

“In adults, where the activity levels are generally less, the time spent sedentary may have more of an effect,” said Russell Pate, who studies physical activity in children at the University of South Carolina in Columbia.

Kwon and her coauthors from the University of Iowa used data from a study in that state that followed children of various ages from 2000 to 2009.

A group of 277 boys and 277 girls were measured at eight, 11, 13 and 15 years old for body composition and fat content using a precise X-ray technique originally developed to assess bone density.

The same children wore an accelerometer, which measures body movement, for several days in a row sometime in the same year.

Even among children who exercised the least, the amount of time sitting didn’t make much of a difference.

For the 13-year-olds, those who sat less than, more than or equal to the average six and a half hours per day all had about the same body fat mass.

But boys who spend the least amount of time in moderate to vigorous activity had about 5 kilograms (11 pounds) more body fat on average than those who exercised the most. For 13-year-old girls, the low level exercisers had about 3.2 kg (7 lbs) more body fat than the exercisers.

Results were similar in every age group, but the researchers did not record if each child was overweight or not.

In a previous study, the same team of researchers found that even light intensity activity, like walking, every day, was linked to lower levels of fat in teens, but not young children.

“Parents should encourage their children to be physically active, the more the better,” said Ulf Ekelund, who studies obesity risk factors in children at the Nor wegian School of Spor t Science in Oslo. “That might sound simple, but the execution isn’t so simple sometimes.” —Reuters

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

H E A LT H & S C I E N C E

Cuba battles to contain fresh cholera outbreak 50 sick, one dies in Havana HAVANA: Cuba’s second cholera outbreak in four months after 130 years without the diseasehas sickened more than 50 people and killed one in Havana, authorities and the family of the deceased said Tuesday.

The latest outbreak was from the same cholera strain found to have been introduced in Haiti by Nepalese UN peacekeepers, unleashing an epidemic in 2010 that has killed some 7,900 people. Miriam RodrÌguez, who lives in the Havana neighborhood most affected by the outbreak, said her son, Ubaldo Pino, a 46-year-old barber, succumbed to the disease on January 6.

“He died of cholera and that is what is on his death certificate,” she told AFP. Authorities have not officially confirmed the cause of his death.

The Health Ministry said the outbreak was detected in the Cuban capital, a city of 2.2 million people, on January 6 after a surge in cases of acute diarrhea. It said 51 cholera cases had been confirmed.

The Pedro Kouri Institute of Tropical Medicine traced the disease back to the same strain of cholera that caused last year’s outbreak in the city of Manzanillo, 800 kilometers (480 miles) east of Havana in Granma province.

That outbreak, which hit in July and was declared eradicated August 28, claimed the lives of three people and infected 417.

It was the first time cholera had been reported on the Caribbean island since 1882. The Health Ministry said the Havana outbreak “is in a phase of extinction.” The cholera was “generated by a food vendor, an asymptomatic carrier of the disease, contracted earlier in other regions of the country,” the Health Ministry said. The latest outbreak first appeared in a working class district called Cerro situated in the center of Havana, between the Plaza of the Revolution and the city’s main baseball stadium.

Rumors of a cholera outbreak spread in recent days after doctors and nurses began going door to door in certain neighborhoods to distribute medicine. “They came to all the houses and said: ‘Are you allergic to penicillin?’ And they gave us three Doxycycline pills to take, but wouldn’t tell us anything,” a woman told AFP. “I asked them if it was cholera, and they laughed but didn’t tell us anything.”

Arasay Silva, whose Cerro music shop is next to the usually busy pizzeria “El Gran Pizzero,” said authorities shut down the restaurant indefinite-

Curves wants you to save more and weigh less

HAVANA: People wash their hands using disinfectant as a precaution against cholera at the entrance of a bus station in Havana yesterday. — AP Cuban doctors have gained experience treatly. The Health Ministry called on the public to pay increased attention to hygiene, urging fre- ing the disease in Haiti, which suffered a cholera quent hand washing, the drinking of chlorinated epidemic that originated in the Artibonite river water, and careful cleaning and cooking of food. valley near a base for UN peacekeepers from Preventive measures also were being taken at Nepal.

A 2011 study published by the US Centers for Havana clinics and schools, various sources told AFP. Rodriguez praised the medical attention her Disease Control and Prevention found that the son received, but said he had been weakened by cholera strain was brought to Haiti by the peacekeepers. The outbreak in Haiti, which had never alcoholism.

“If he had been a strong person he would had a recorded case of cholera, has since spread have been saved,” said Yanicet Pino, the victim’s to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and sister, who said Pino first presented symptoms the United States.

The cholera strain found in Haiti-V. cholerae El on December 22 but refused to see a doctor.

The outbreak comes at the height of the Tor 01 — was found to bear a strong relationship tourist season in Cuba, which runs from to a cholera strain isolated in Bangladesh. It is December to April, when planeloads of travelers the same strain identified in the Cuban outdescend on the island from Canada, Europe and breaks.

Cuban scientists have been working in recent Latin America.

Nearly three million tourists visited Cuba last years to develop a vaccine against cholera, year. Cuba was a Spanish colony when the last which causes serious diarrhea and vomiting, major cholera epidemic swept the island from leading to dehydration.

It is easily treatable by rehydration and antibi1867 to 1882, leaving nearly 6,000 dead, according to the Medical Sciences Information Center otics, but the ailment can be fatal if not addressed quickly enough. — AFP in the western province of Matanzas.

KUWAIT: Curves is all about strengthening women, and that also includes strengthening their budgets with an offer that allows them to keep more money in their pockets when they join Curves. Between January 1st 2013 and February 28th 2013, Curves is cutting 50 percent off the initial service fee and offering the first 30 days free to help new members save more and weigh less.

“Good health” is priceless. We are here to support our neighbors and to help them on their journey to a healthy lifestyle.

This promotion will allow women in the Salmiya, Jabriya, Shaab, Discovery, AlBairaq, and Salwa areas to join Curves at a great price and hopefully motivate them to get in shape and achieve their goals.

Curves provides an exercise and weight control program designed specifically for women. Whether you’re interested in getting more exercise for health and general condition, or want to lose weight or tone your muscles, Curves can help you establish a regimen to help you meet your goal.

We’ve helped millions of women lose millions of kilos. And now, we’re making it really affordable for new members to reach their fitness and weight loss goals. There’s absolutely no reason not to come in and get started today.

About Curves: Curves works every major muscle group with a complete 30-minute workout that combines strength training and sustained cardiovascular activity through safe and effective hydraulic resistance. Curves also works to help women lose weight, gain muscle strength and aerobic capacity, and raise metabolism with its groundbreaking, scientifically proven method that ends the need for perpetual dieting. Founders Gary and Diane Heavin are considered the innovators of the express fitness phenomenon that has made exercise available to around 4 million women globally, many of whom are in the gym for the first time. With nearly 10,000 locations worldwide, Curves is the world’s largest fitness franchise.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

SEND US YOUR INSTAGRAM PICS

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hat’s more fun than clicking a beautiful picture? Sharing it with others! Let other people see the way you see Kuwait - through your lens. Friday Times will feature snapshots of Kuwait through Instagram feeds. If you want to share your Instagram photos, email us at instagram@kuwaittimes.net

AUK’s Dr Al Awadhi discusses educational development in Kuwait

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s part of the daily show “Good Morning Kuwait”, Kuwait TV hosted Dr. Hesham Al Awadi, Associate Professor of Political Science and History at AUK to talk about Kuwait’s Future Generations Fund (FGF) and its role in boosting the governmental education sector in Kuwait.

The discussion covered several points including, the increase in the assets of the Future Generations Fund (FGF) and the concurrent talks over

loans write-off. Dr Al Awadi expressed his optimism about the rise in educational funds from 10% to 25% of oil revenues. This, in his opinion, should make great contribution to the standard of education in Kuwait, if wisely utilized. Such resources should go to the development of educators and educational resources rather than infrastructure investments. “People need to regain trust in governmental education in Kuwait”, stressed Dr Al Awadi.

The public discussion over loans write-off, in Al Awadi’s opinion, should not be seen in separation from the positive efforts in building the educational process. “The mentality of exclusion of opposing views should disappear from our dialogue”, Al Awadi commented on the Parliament talks over loans writeoff. Unless we forget about personal interests, we will never be able to build a future for our coming generations” he concluded.

Dr Hesham Al Awadi

Seniors have ‘the time of their life’ at Carmel School UC College Aluva Alumni Kuwait - 3rd Annual Day

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he UC College Aluva Alumni Kuwaitís 3rd Annual Day celebrations will be held from 5.30 pm on Friday, the 18th of January 2013 at the Jabriya Indian School, Kuwait. Prof. Dr. Varghese K. John former Principal of U C College will inaugurate the event and Prof. Dr. Jyothi Mariam John former Head of Chemistry Department of UC College will be felicitated on the occasion along with Professor N. Geethakumari former Head of Physics Department of UC College. Melodious songs by Strings of Kuwait, mimics parade, dances and various talent programmes will be performed on this day. Dinner and surprise gifts will also be there.

Announcements

Arabic courses

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WARE will begin Winter 1 Arabic language courses with new textbooks and curricula on from December 2, 2012 until January 24, 2013. AWARE Arabic language courses are designed with the expat in mind. The environment is relaxed & courses are designed for those wanting to learn Arabic for travel, cultural understanding, and conducting business or simply to become more involved in the community. For more information or registration, please log-on to our website.

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India - Flag Hoisting Ceremony

n the occasion of the Republic Day of India, a Flag Hoisting Ceremony will be held at the Embassy of India premises at 9.00 am on Saturday, January 26, 2013. This will be followed by the reading of the message of Honorable President of India by the Ambassador, singing of patriotic songs, and an Open House Reception. All Indian nationals in Kuwait are cordially invited to attend the Ceremony.

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Nritta Dhyana silver jubilee

ritta Dhyana, a well-known school for Indian classical dance in Kuwait, will celebrate its silver jubilee tomorrow January 18 from 5.30 pm onwards at the Marina Hall, Abbassiya. During the celebration, Nritta Dhyana students under the guidance of its creative director Sujatha Rajendran will present a dazzling show of Indian classical dances. All dance lovers are welcome.

TASK general body

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echnical Staff Association of Kuwait (TASK), Kuwait conducted 12th Annual General Body meeting at Hi-Dine Auditorium, Abbassiya. The meeting was presided over by President P.C. Biju and Patron Mathai Koshy briefs the activities of the association during his address. Jailesh P. Domnic, Gen. Secretary presented the annual report and Treasurer Mr. Achankutty submitted the annual statement of account.

R. Unnithan and Madhu Menon controlled the election and selected the following office bearers including committee members for the year 2013.

Patron - Mathai Koshy; President - P.C. Biju; Gen. Secretary- Jailesh P. Domnic, Treasurer - Achankutty Anchal and Gen.Convener - Bovas Mathew and John Yohannan as Joint Secretary and an executive committee. TASK gave a grandeur Farewell to Madhu Menon, a senior member who is leaving to Kerala after completing his 15 years of expatriate life in Kuwait. Madhu Menon was very much active in various social and cultural activities among the Indian community. Mr. P.C. Biju and Mr. Mathai Koshy gave memento to Madhu Menon as a symbol of his valuable service to the association during his tenure. Madhu Menon made felicitation speech and Achankutty conveyed vote of thanks.

Write to us Send to What’s On upcoming events, birthdays or celebrations by email: local@kuwaittimes.net Fax: 24835619 / 20

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he Time of Your Life’ was the theme of the Class XII Farewell at Carmel School, Kuwait. The extravagantly attired seniors were escorted in by the hosts, Class XI as the Band played the welcome march while teachers and students in the auditorium applauded them. The programme began with a prayer service which asked God to bless, guard and protect the students. This was followed by a powerful Pantomime which depicted the struggle of youth against the evil forces in the world and how they can be overcome if God is on their side. An amusing skit supported with media presentations had the audience in splits. The power point presentation showcased the activities of the Cabinet all through their senior years. A variety entertainment followed comprising of a Fusion, Contemporary Dance, a Hindi and Arabic Dance, Jive and a performance by DManiax all of which enthralled the audience. Sr. Marialytta then addressed them and told them about the importance of hard work, building a strong foundation and urged them to work tirelessly for the upcoming board examination. Every student from class XIIA, XIIB and XIIC was invited to receive a memento and a title from Marialytta, Sr. Serena and Sr. Hazel respectively. The Grand Finale presented the ever popu-

lar Gangam Style merging with memories of Class XII,much to their delight.

The hosts invited their teachers, Ms. Capuchina and Ms. Nandita to conduct the much awaited Master and Miss Carmel Competition. The contestants were Amy George, Avneet Anand, Sarah Abraham and Zainab Lokhandwala. The boys were Arjun Krishnamoorthy, Jansen George, Kevin Chacko and Vinay D’Souza. After two gruelling rounds of answering questions, both written and oral, Avneet was declared as Miss Carmel 2013 and Vinay as Master Carmel 2013. Amy and Kevin were the Runners up.

The representatives from all the three classes then spoke on behalf of their respective classes and thanked The Sisters, their teachers from classes KG through XII, the Office, Support Staff and all Carmelites for their contribution in their School life. On behalf of the staff, Ms. Marita gave a poignant message bidding Adieu to a much loved batch of Carmel. School Leaders, Hansel and Ashel closed the programme with a word of gratitude and invited them to a lunch buffet. The programme was a grand success thanks to the effort of the Class XI students and their Class teachers. Carmel School wishes its outgoing batch of 2012 - 2013 God’s every blessing, “In His Time”.

Santhwanam announces 12th anniversary & AGM

I

ndian socio-voluntary organization, “Santhwanam Kuwait” announces its 12th Anniversary-cum-Annual General Body Meeting on Friday, 18th January, 2013 at Abbasiya United Indian School Auditorium at 04 pm. Santhwanam has a strength of more than 2500 likeminded expatriate Indians from all walks of life, irrespective of region, religion, cast, creed or class. More than 50 volunteers from all areas of Kuwait actively involved in its day to day activities.

Santhwanam provides direct and indirect help to diseased, distressed, homeless, highly needy individuals & poor families in India, particularly in the rural areas of Kerala.During 2012 itself, it has helped more than 750 deserving patients, the office bearers told.

The association was formed in 2001 with a prime intention of providing financial aid for medical treatment of poor patients in Kuwait and India. Over the years, “Santhwanam” has risen as a source of valuable support to large number of helpless individuals afflicted by disease, poverty and calamities in diverse ways. It’s noble and timely contributions to all individuals helped them to recover safely and

live more fulfilled lives.

Every year Santhwanam initiate Special Aid Programs in addition to its regular philanthropic activities. Inassociation with DevakiWarrier Foundation in Kerala, it facilitated free accommodation for Out Patients waiting for treatment at Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) & Medical College at Thiruvananthapuram. The facility everyday benefits 70 patients and their by-standers those are coming from various parts of south India for treatment. Besides, Santhwanam continued sponsoring 8 heart surgeries at Heart Care Foundation (HCF)and supported children at “Special Bud School” for the Endosulfan affected children at Kasargod with milk & other nutritious food as a part of special aid scheme 2012.The program included financial help to Cancer Patients at Regional Cancer (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram.

Many kidney patients in Wayanad district are being benefitted from the free/subsidized dialysis unit operated by Santhi Medical Information Centre wherein Santhwanam donated a dialysis machine to the center as a part of their special aid program of 2011.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

W H AT ’ S O N

Kuwaiti businesswomen attend Taiwanese trade forum

Embassy Information EMBASSY OF AUSTRALIA The Australian Embassy Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department.

All processing of visas and immigration matters in conducted by The Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Email: info.ausdxb@vfshelpline.com (VFS) immigration.dubai@dfat.gov.au (Visa Office); Tel: +971 4 355 1958 (VFS) - +971 4 508 7200 (Visa Office); Fax: +971 4 355 0708 (Visa Office). In Kuwait applications can be lodged at the Australian Visa Application Centre 4B 1st Floor, Al-Banwan Building Al-Qibla Area, Ali Al-Salem Street, opposite the Central Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait City, Kuwait. Working hours and days: 09:30 - 17:30; Sunday - Thursday. Or visit their website www.vfs-au-gcc-com for more information. Kuwait citizens can apply for tourist visas on-line at www.immi.gov.au/e visa/e676.htm.

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T

he Taiwanese Trade Office in Kuwait invited Kuwaiti businesswomen to attend a trade forum in Taipei, Taiwan, and organized by TAITRA, a compa-

ny acting similar to a chamber of commerce and industry to represent Taiwanese companies in oil-producing countries. The three-day event featured various commer-

cial activities including a exhibition for Taiwanese products, a visit to the Taipei 101 Tower and tours across factories specialized in different manufacturing indus-

tries. The Kuwaiti delegation consisted of Ms Nawal Al-Khalid, Dr. Najat Behmen, Ms Narjis Al-Shatti, Dr haneemah Al-Sharhan and Ms. Narjis Al-Yousufi.

EMBASSY OF CANADA The Embassyof Canada in Kuwait does not have a visa or immigration department. All processing of visa and immigration matters including enquiries is conducted by the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. Individuals who are interested in working, studying, visiting or immigrating to Canada†should contact the Canadian Embassy in Abu Dhabi, website: www.UAE.gc.ca†or www.goingtocanada.gc.ca, E-mail: abdbi-imenquiry@international.gc.ca. The Embassy of Canada is located at Villa 24, Al-Mutawakei 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 open from 07:30 to 12:30. Consular services for Canadian citizens are provided from 09:00†until 12:00, Sunday through Wednesday. � � � ��� � �

EMBASSY OF KENYA The Embassy of the Republic of Kenya wishes to inform the Kenyan community residents throughout Kuwait and the general public that the Embassy has acquired new office telephone numbers as follows: 25353982, 25353985 - Consular’s enquiries 25353987 - Fax Our Email address: info@kenyaembkuwait.com.

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EMBASSY OF MYANMAR Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar would like to inform the general public that the Embassy has moved its office to new location at Villa 35, Road 203, Block 2, Al-Salaam Area in South Surra. The Embassy wishes to advice Myanmar citizens and travellers to Myanmar to contact Myanmar Embassy at its new location. Tel. 25240736, 25240290, Fax: 25240749, email:myankuwait11@gmai1.com.

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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.

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EMBASSY OF PERU The Embassy of Peru is located in Sharq, Ahmed Al Jaber Street, Al Arabiya Tower, 6th Floor. Working days / hours: SundayThursday /9 am - 4 pm. Residents in Kuwait interested in getting a visa to travel to Peru and companies attracted to invest in Peru are invited to visit the permanent exposition room located in the Embassy. For more information, please contact: (+965) 22267250/1.

Seminar on Islamic Banking & Finance

‘Be a distinctive journalist’ at AUK

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nder the slogan “Be a Distinctive Journalist,” the organizers of Sheikh Mubarak Al-Hamad AlSabah Award for Journalistic Excellence launched their awareness campaign aiming to establish a new generation of expert journalists in Kuwait. This year, universities around Kuwait were among the most important targets of the campaign.

On Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, the organizers visited the American University of Kuwait (AUK) to meet the students and present the competition guidelines, conditions and requirements for eligible participation.

Ayman Al-Ali, Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee, conducted the presentation at the AUK Auditorium. He started off by introducing the competition and the motives behind initiating this contest. Al-Ali spoke of Kuwait’s keen interest to establish a new generation of expert journalistic writersin Kuwait.

“The main aim of this competition is to entice the youth category, that’s why we are operating in means similar to the youth, use of technology, where our reg-

istration process is possible via the website, in a way to make it easier for the youth to participate and attract them more. We hope to have high youth participation this year,” said Al-Ali. The competition this year seeks not only to attract the Kuwaiti youth, but also to polish their journalistic skills.

Therefore, the conditions for the Kuwaiti Youth category come with more privileges to facilitate the process of their participation. This includes a lower word count and the possibility of English submissions, accompanied by Arabic translation. Additionally, the submissions should be related to Kuwait, yet not limited to a single topic, allowing more space for creativity and innovation to be part of the participation.

The deadline for participation in the competition is scheduled to be the 17th of January 2013. Participants will be required to visit Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) to complete their registration application and submit their work to Yasir Al-Saadi, Media Officer.

In order to have a comprehensive judging approach, the judging panel of

the competition will consist of professional journalists and academics. One of the announced renowned members of the judging committee will be Dr. Ahmed Al-Sharif, Head of Media Department at Kuwait University.

From their side, the Communication and Media Department at AUK saw this competition as a valuable opportunity for students to participate and increase their exposure to technical and professional writing. Therefore, in collaboration with the Public Affairs Department, the session was successfully held to encourage interested students to learn more about the competition and share their questions. “I would like to thank the organizers of the Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah Award for Journalistic Excellence for taking the time to talk to our students. I hope our students realize that participating in this competition will give them an opportunity to compete with other aspiring writers and to improve their writing skills,” said Dr. Mohamed Satti, Chair & Assistant Professor at Department of Communication & Media.

The informational session given by Al-

Ali did not only attract AUK Media students, but also students from different majors who were interested to know more about the competition guidelines, hoping to submit future contributions.

It is with the support of His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, Prime Minister, and his aspiration to create many initiatives to encourage youth participation and their involvement that this competition is running for its fifth session. Al-Ali, therefore, promised of a paradigm shift in attracting youth and creating more opportunities in future sessions.

Sheikh Mubarak Al-Hamad Al -Sabah Award for Journalistic Excellence was founded five years ago and took the name of the late, Sheikh Mubarak AlHamad Al-Sabah, with the support and blessing of the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, Prime Minister, who has spared no effort in the development of this award, which aims to encourage excellence journalist and for the first time the Kuwaiti youth, also create a spirit of competition to take them to the ranks of the highest levels of the global media.

“T

he AWARE Center cordially invites you to its diwaniya presentation entitled, “Islamic Banking & Finance: An Introduction to Riba ‘interest or usury’,” (Part One)

by TA. Omar N. AlHussainan on Tuesday January 22nd, 2013 at 7 pm.

This presentation aims at giving you an introduction to Islamic Banking and Finance from Riba’s (interest or usury) perspective. In the presentation, Omar will underline the key principles of Islamic banking, contrasts between the conventional banking system and the Islamic banking, define the variants of Riba and explain the Islamic rational for the prohibiting ‘Riba.’ Yet, he will describe riba from the Holy Qur’an, Sunnah (sayings, acts and approvals of Prophet Mohamamad (PBUH) and the economical perception.

Omar N. AlHussainan is a certified Islamic finance analyst and an Islamic banking and finance academic. He wrote research papers on “How Islamic is Islamic Banking?”, “Cross-country comparison of regulation on ownership characteristics and capital issues” and others within the Islamic Banking and Finance field. He graduated from one of the top research universities in the United Kingdom, Bangor University, Wales.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

TV PROGRAMS

00:50 Animal Cops Phoenix 01:45 Your Worst Animal Nightmares 02:35 Untamed & Uncut 03:25 Wildest Arctic 04:15 Great White: The Impossible Shot 05:05 Zebras On The Move 05:55 Call Of The Wildman 06:20 Cheetah Kingdom 06:45 Wildlife SOS 07:35 Wildlife SOS 08:00 The Really Wild Show 08:25 Breed All About It 08:50 Breed All About It 09:15 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 10:10 Weird Creatures With Nick Baker 11:05 Wildest Arctic 12:00 Animal Cops Philadelphia 12:55 Call Of The Wildman 13:20 Wildlife SOS 13:50 Gator Boys 14:45 Animal Precinct 15:40 Wildest Arctic 16:35 Cheetah Kingdom 17:00 The Really Wild Show 17:30 Dogs/Cats/Pets 101 18:25 Bondi Vet 18:50 Rescue Vet 19:20 Extraordinary Dogs 19:45 Extraordinary Dogs 20:15 Monkey Life

00:00 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Specials 01:20 Come Dine With Me 02:10 Antiques Roadshow 03:00 House Swap 03:50 Saturday Kitchen 2008/09 04:15 Saturday Kitchen 2008/09 04:45 House Swap 05:30 Come Dine With Me 06:20 Antiques Roadshow 07:15 House Swap 08:00 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes 08:50 10 Years Younger 09:40 Bargain Hunt 10:25 Antiques Roadshow 11:15 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Specials 12:35 Come Dine With Me 13:25 Rick Stein’s Mediterranean Escapes 14:15 Vacation Vacation Vacation 14:45 Vacation Vacation Vacation 15:10 Bargain Hunt 15:55 Antiques Roadshow 16:45 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Specials 18:05 Britain’s Dream Homes 19:00 Eating In The Sun 20:00 Rhodes Across Italy

00:05 00:30 00:55 01:20 01:45 02:10 02:35 03:00 03:25 03:50 04:00 04:30 04:55 05:20 05:45 06:00 06:10 06:35 07:00 07:30 07:55 08:10 08:35 08:50 09:05 09:30 09:55 10:20 10:45

Taz-Mania Pink Panther And Pals Moomins Tom & Jerry Kids A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Puppy In My Pocket Wacky Races Looney Tunes Duck Dodgers Dastardly And Muttley Dexter’s Laboratory Wacky Races Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tom & Jerry The Garfield Show Moomins Looney Tunes Tom & Jerry Tales Dexter’s Laboratory Baby Looney Tunes Jelly Jamm Gerald McBoing Boing Bananas In Pyjamas Ha Ha Hairies Tom & Jerry Kids A Pup Named Scooby-Doo Puppy In My Pocket Wacky Races Looney Tunes

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

Duck Dodgers Popeye Top Cat The Flintstones Dastardly And Muttley Ha Ha Hairies Gerald McBoing Boing Jelly Jamm Baby Looney Tunes Bananas In Pyjamas Moomins Dexter’s Laboratory Johnny Bravo Tom & Jerry Pink Panther And Pals The Garfield Show What’s New Scooby-Doo? Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries Tom & Jerry Tales The Looney Tunes Show Taz-Mania Moomins Pink Panther & Pals The Garfield Show Jelly Jamm

00:40 Chowder 01:30 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 01:55 Bakugan Battle Brawlers 02:20 Foster’s Home For...

02:45 Foster’s Home For...

03:10 Courage The Cowardly Dog 04:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 04:25 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 04:50 Adventure Time 05:15 The Powerpuff Girls 05:40 Generator Rex 06:05 Ben 10 06:30 Ben 10 06:55 Angelo Rules 07:00 Casper’s Scare School 07:30 Casper’s Scare School 08:00 Mucha Lucha 08:25 Johnny Test 08:45 Regular Show 09:05 Total Drama Island 09:30 Total Drama Island 09:55 Ben 10: Omniverse 10:20 Young Justice 10:45 Thundercats 11:10 Adventure Time 12:00 The Amazing World Of Gumball 12:50 Foster’s Home For...

13:15 Foster’s Home For...

13:40 Courage The Cowardly Dog 14:30 Powerpuff Girls 15:20 Angelo Rules 16:10 Batman: The Brave And The Bold 16:35 Young Justice 17:00 Ben 10: Omniverse 17:20 Johnny Test 18:00 Level Up 18:25 The Amazing World Of Gumball 18:50 Adventure Time 19:15 Regular Show 19:40 Mucha Lucha 20:05 Total Drama Island 20:30 Total Drama Island 20:55 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 21:20 Young Justice 21:45 Bakugan: Mechtanium Surge 22:10 Grim Adventures Of...

23:00 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 23:25 Ben 10: Ultimate Alien 23:50 The Powerpuff Girls

00:00 00:30 01:00 02:00 03:00 03:30 04:00 04:30 05:00 06:00 07:00 08:00 09:00 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00

Paranormal Cops Paranormal Cops Snapped: Women Who Kill Gangland Paranormal Cops Paranormal Cops Psychic Detectives Psychic Detectives Snapped: Women Who Kill Gangland The First 48: Missing Persons The FBI Files Psychic Detectives Psychic Detectives Crime Stories Beyond Scared Straight Psychic Detectives

12:30 13:00 14:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 17:30 18:00 19:00 20:00

Psychic Detectives Crimes That Shook Britain Snapped: Women Who Kill The First 48: Missing Persons The FBI Files Psychic Detectives Psychic Detectives Crime Stories Beyond Scared Straight The First 48: Missing Persons

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

Magic Of Science Time Warp Mythbusters Mythbusters Mythbusters Border Security Auction Kings Auction Kings How Stuff Works How It’s Made Sons Of Guns Mythbusters Discovery Saved My Life Gold Divers Border Security Auction Kings Auction Kings How Stuff Works How It’s Made Magic Of Science Time Warp Mythbusters Mythbusters Border Security Auction Kings Auction Kings Airplane Repo Gold Divers Mythbusters Sons Of Guns How Stuff Works How It’s Made Auction Kings Auction Kings Sons Of Guns Ross Kemp On Gangs Outlaw Empires

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

00:00 00:55 01:25 03:15 03:40 04:10

Risk Takers Mythbusters Street Customs Cafe Racer Cafe Racer American Chopper Sci-Trek 1,000 Places To See Before You Chasing Classic Cars Chasing Classic Cars Risk Takers Sunrise Earth Cafe Racer Cafe Racer American Chopper Sci-Trek Risk Takers How It’s Made Street Customs Cafe Racer Cafe Racer American Chopper 1,000 Places To See Before You Chasing Classic Cars Chasing Classic Cars Mythbusters Sci-Trek Man, Woman, Wild Atlas 4d Ultimate Journeys Chasing Classic Cars Chasing Classic Cars Risk Takers Sci-Trek Man, Woman, Wild Atlas 4d

Dirty Soap Style Star 20 Acts Of Love Gone Wrong Behind The Scenes Extreme Close-Up THS

05:05 E!es 06:00 15 Remarkable Celebrity Body Bouncebacks 07:50 Behind The Scenes 08:20 E! News 09:15 Ice Loves Coco 09:45 Ice Loves Coco 10:15 THS 12:05 E! News 13:05 Opening Act 14:05 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 14:30 Kourtney & Kim Take New York 15:00 Style Star 15:30 THS 16:30 Behind The Scenes 17:00 A-List Listings 17:30 A-List Listings 18:00 E! News 19:00 THS 20:00 Giuliana & Bill 21:00 Married To Jonas 21:30 Fashion Police 22:30 E! News 23:30 Chelsea Lately

00:15 Have Cake, Will Travel 00:40 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:05 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 01:30 Heat Seekers 01:55 Charly’s Cake Angels 02:20 Charly’s Cake Angels 02:45 Unique Sweets 03:10 Unique Sweets 03:35 Have Cake, Will Travel 04:00 Have Cake, Will Travel 04:20 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 04:50 United Tastes Of America 05:15 Unique Eats 05:40 Chopped 06:30 Iron Chef America 07:10 Unwrapped 07:35 Unwrapped 08:00 Iron Chef America 08:50 Kid In A Candy Store 09:15 Unwrapped 09:40 United Tastes Of America 10:05 Barefoot Contessa 10:30 Barefoot Contessa 10:55 Cooking For Real 11:20 Hungry Girl 11:45 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 12:10 United Tastes Of America 12:35 Unwrapped 13:00 Iron Chef America 13:50 Tyler’s Ultimate 14:15 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 14:40 Everyday Italian 15:05 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 15:30 Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger 15:55 Hungry Girl 16:20 United Tastes Of America 16:45 Chopped 17:35 Barefoot Contessa 18:00 Barefoot Contessa 18:25 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 18:50 Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives 19:15 Andy Bates American Street Feasts 19:40 Tyler’s Ultimate 20:05 Guy’s Big Bite 20:30 Chopped 21:20 The Next Iron Chef 22:10 Unwrapped 22:35 Unwrapped 23:00 Crave 23:25 Crave 23:50 Unique Eats

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

Disappeared Dr G: Medical Examiner The Haunted American Greed I Almost Got Away With It Disappeared Dr G: Medical Examiner The Haunted FBI Case Files Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

On The Case With Paula Zahn FBI Case Files Disappeared Mystery Diagnosis Street Patrol Street Patrol Forensic Detectives On The Case With Paula Zahn Real Emergency Calls Who On Earth Did I Marry?

FBI Case Files Disappeared Forensic Detectives Mall Cops – Mall Of America On The Case With Paula Zahn Who On Earth Did I Marry?

Nightmare Next Door Couples Who Kill Kidnap And Rescue I Faked My Own Death

01:15 Welcome To Woop Woop 02:49 The Lost Brigade 04:09 To Kill For 05:40 Shock To The System 07:10 I’ve Been Waiting For You 08:35 Solarbabies 10:06 Hunter: Back In Force 11:30 Mgm’s Big Screen 11:45 Charge Of The Light Brigade 13:50 Danielle Steel’s Once In A Lifetime 15:20 Frankie And Johnny 16:45 While Justice Sleeps 18:15 The Unforgiven 20:20 Masquerade 22:00 The Falling 23:30 Blacula

THE MORGUE ON OSN ACTION HD

00:15 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 00:45 Amish: Out of Order 01:40 Meet The Natives: USA 02:35 Bondi Rescue 03:00 Bondi Rescue 03:30 Bondi Rescue 03:55 Bondi Rescue 04:25 Ultimate Traveller 05:20 Nomads 06:15 Food School 06:40 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 07:10 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 07:35 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway

08:05 Amish: Out of Order 09:00 Meet The Natives: USA 09:55 Bondi Rescue 11:45 Ultimate Traveller 12:40 Nomads 13:35 Food School 14:00 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 14:30 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 15:25 Amish: Out of Order 16:20 Meet The Natives: USA 17:15 Bondi Rescue 19:05 Ultimate Traveller 20:00 David Rocco’s Amalfi Getaway 21:00 Food School 21:30 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 22:00 Nomads 22:55 Food School 23:20 Food Lover’s Guide To The Planet 23:50 Street Food Around The World

00:00 Megacities 01:00 Light At The Edge of The World 02:00 Nordic Wild 03:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 04:00 Situation Critical 05:00 Hunter Hunted 06:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 07:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 08:00 Megacities 09:00 Light At The Edge of The World 10:00 Nordic Wild 11:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 12:00 Situation Critical 13:00 Hunter Hunted 14:00 Bite Me With Dr. Mike Leahy 15:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr 16:00 Megacities 17:00 Light At The Edge of The World 18:00 Nordic Wild 19:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 20:00 Lockdown 21:00 Hunter Hunted 22:00 Cruise Ship Diaries 23:00 Dangerous Encounters With Brady Barr

00:00 Wild Case Files 01:00 World’s Deadliest 01:55 Wild India (aka Secrets of Wild India) 02:50 The Incredible Dr. Pol 03:45 Planet Carnivore 04:40 Swamp Men 05:35 Hidden Worlds 06:00 Hidden Worlds 06:30 Wild India (aka Secrets of Wild India) 07:25 The Incredible Dr. Pol 08:20 Planet Carnivore 09:15 Ultimate Animal Countdown 10:10 In The Womb 11:05 Hunter Hunted 12:00 Anaconda: Queen Of The Serpent 13:00 Cuba: The Accidental Eden 14:00 The Incredible Dr. Pol 15:00 Planet Carnivore 16:00 Ultimate Animal Countdown 17:00 Animal Autopsy (AKA Inside Nature’s Giants) 18:00 Ultimate Predators GPU 19:00 Monster Fish 20:00 The Incredible Dr. Pol 21:00 Planet Carnivore 22:00 Ultimate Animal Countdown 23:00 In The Womb

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

01:00 03:00 PG15 05:00 07:00 09:00 11:00 13:15 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

The Morgue-18 Deadtime Stories 2-18 Wild Bill-PG15 Season Of The Witch-PG15 The Presence-PG15 Boiler Room-PG15 Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle The Presence-PG15 Biker Boyz-PG15 Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle Alien Resurrection-18 Road To Perdition-18

Riddles Of The Sphinx-PG15 The Deep End Of The OceanGame Of Death-PG15 Eva-PG15 Riddles Of The Sphinx-PG15 John Carter-PG15 The National Tree-PG15 Certain Prey-PG15 Elevator Girl-PG15 The Artist-PG Young Adult-PG15 Killer Elite-18

00:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 01:00 The Colbert Report 01:30 Community 02:00 The Big C 02:30 The Ricky Gervais Show 03:00 New Girl 03:30 The Simpsons 04:00 Brothers 04:30 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 05:30 Til Death 06:00 Samantha Who? 06:30 Seinfeld 07:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 08:00 Brothers 08:30 New Girl 09:00 Til Death 09:30 Samantha Who? 10:00 Melissa & Joey 11:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno 12:00 Seinfeld 12:30 Brothers 13:00 Til Death 13:30 Samantha Who? 14:00 The Simpsons 15:00 Melissa & Joey 15:30 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 16:00 The Colbert Report 16:30 Seinfeld 17:00 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon 18:00 New Girl 18:30 2 Broke Girls 19:00 How I Met Your Mother 20:00 The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

HORRIBLE BOSSES ON OSN MOVIES HD 21:00 The Daily Show With Jon Stewart 21:30 The Colbert Report 22:00 Community 22:30 The Big C 23:00 The Ricky Gervais Show 23:30 Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

00:00 01:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 14:00 15:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 23:00

00:00 03:00 07:00 07:30 12:00 12:30 15:00 16:00 16:30 18:00 19:00 23:00

Warehouse 13 Awake The Finder Breaking Bad Good Morning America Royal Pains Emmerdale Coronation Street The Ellen DeGeneres Show House Royal Pains Warehouse 13 The Finder House Live Good Morning America The Ellen DeGeneres Show Emmerdale Coronation Street Drop Dead Diva American Idol Boardwalk Empire

Grimm Six Feet Under Emmerdale Coronation Street Emmerdale Coronation Street Parenthood Emmerdale Coronation Street C.S.I. Drop Dead Diva Six Feet Under

02:00 The Waterboy-PG15 04:00 Desperately Seeking SantaPG15 06:00 The Marc Pease ExperiencePG15 08:00 Elf-PG 10:00 Beware The Gonzo-PG15 12:00 Desperately Seeking SantaPG15 14:00 A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song-PG 16:00 Beware The Gonzo-PG15 18:00 12 Dates Of Christmas-PG15 20:00 Old School-18 22:00 The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou-PG15

01:15 05:00 06:45 09:30 11:15 13:00 15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00 23:00

Woodstock-18 Would Be Kings-PG15 The Insider-PG15 Pina-PG15 The Nanny Express-PG15 Miles From Nowhere-PG Pina-PG15 The Eagle-PG15 Yelling To The Sky-PG15 Resolution 819-PG15 Munich-18

01:00 Never Let Me Go-PG15 03:00 Hop-PG 04:45 Courageous-PG15 07:00 Restless-PG15 09:00 Alabama Moon-PG15 11:00 Real Steel-PG15 13:15 Ghost Machine-PG15 15:00 Kung Fu Panda 2-PG 17:00 Alabama Moon-PG15 18:45 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol-PG15 21:00 Young Adult-PG15 23:00 Horrible Bosses-18

01:00 02:45 04:30 06:00 08:00

Cars 2-FAM Free Birds-FAM A Fairy Tale Christmas-FAM Little Secrets-PG The Nimbols: Part I-FAM

10:00 Ploddy Police Car-FAM 11:30 Marley & Me: The Puppy Years-PG 13:00 The Happy Cricket-FAM 14:30 Little Secrets-PG 16:15 The Adventures Of Tintin-PG 18:00 Ploddy Police Car-FAM 20:00 The Hairy Tooth Fairy 2-PG 22:00 The Happy Cricket-FAM 23:30 The Adventures Of Tintin-PG

00:00 The Edge Of Love-PG15 02:00 Spud-PG15 04:00 Fat Albert-PG 06:00 Take Shelter-PG15 08:00 Spy Kids: All The Time In The World-PG 10:00 Josie And The Pussycats-PG15 12:00 A Better Life-PG15 14:00 Glee: The Concert MoviePG15 16:00 Spy Kids: All The Time In The World-PG 17:45 X-Men: First Class-PG15 20:00 The Ides Of March-PG15 22:00 The Romantics-PG15

02:00 05:00 05:30 06:00 07:00 11:00 11:30 12:00 16:00 17:00 17:30 22:00

00:30 01:30 02:00 02:30 06:30 07:00 10:00 11:00 11:30 15:30 18:30 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:00 22:45

Cricket Twenty20 European Tour Weekly Inside The PGA Tour Trans World Sport Snooker Masters Futbol Mundial European Tour Weekly Live European PGA Tour Trans World Sports Futbol Mundial Live Dubai World Cup Carnival Live Snooker Masters

Trans World Sport PGA European Tour Weekly Inside the PGA Snooker Masters Triathlon UK Cricket T20 Trans World Sport Triathlon UK Snooker Masters Cricket T20 NFL Gameday UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter UFC The Ultimate Fighter Live European Challenge Cup

00:00 World Cup of Pool 01:00 Golfing World 02:00 PDC World Darts Championship 03:00 Dubai World Cup Carnival 05:00 Trans World Sport 06:00 Extreme Sailing 06:30 Extreme Sailing 07:00 Golfing World 08:00 PGA Tour Highlights 09:00 World Pool Masters 10:00 World Cup of Pool 11:00 Rugby Union European Challenge Cup 13:00 Golfing World 14:00 Trans World Sport 15:00 World Cup of Pool 16:00 Live Snooker Masters 20:00 PGA European Tour

00:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter The Smashes 01:00 V8 Supercars Highlights 03:00 UFC Unleashed 04:00 UFC Unleashed 05:00 NHL 07:00 WWE SmackDown 09:00 V8 Supercars Highlights 10:00 V8 Supercars Highlights 11:00 NHL 13:00 WWE Vintage Collection 14:00 WWE Bottom Line 15:00 Prizefighter 18:00 WWE NXT 19:00 UFC The Ultimate Fighter The Smashes 20:00 UFC Unleashed 21:00 UFC 23:00 WWE NXT

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

Randy Jones’ Strike Zone Speargun Hunter Penn’s Big Water Adventure Tarpon Of Boca Speargun Hunter Randy Jones’ Strike Zone Roll With It Randy Jones’ Strike Zone Roll With It Fall Flight Wingshooting The World Ducks Unlimited Fall Flight Wingshooting The World Ducks Unlimited Fall Flight Wingshooting The World Ducks Unlimited Roll With It

00:55 02:40 05:00 06:30 08:00 09:30 11:50 13:20 14:45 16:20 18:00 20:25 23:00

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof Kelly’s Heroes-PG Live A Little, Love A Little-PG Bad Day At Black Rock-PG Live A Little, Love A Little-PG Kelly’s Heroes-PG Live A Little, Love A Little-PG Bad Day At Black Rock-PG Torpedo Run-FAM Key Largo-PG Ice Station Zebra-FAM Where Eagles Dare-PG Pink Floyd - The Wall

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

Storage Wars Storage Wars Pawn Stars Storage Wars Ancient Aliens Swamp People Storage Wars Storage Wars Mud Men Pawn Stars American Restoration Ancient Aliens Pawn Stars Storage Wars Mud Men Pawn Stars American Restoration Pawn Stars Storage Wars Ancient Aliens Swamp People Storage Wars Storage Wars Pawn Stars American Restoration Mud Men Swamp People Storage Wars Storage Wars Pawn Stars American Restoration Mud Men Pawn Stars Storage Wars Ancient Aliens American Restoration

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

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34

s ta rs CROSSWORD 72

STAR TRACK Aries (March 21-April 19) ARIES You are ready to understand what comes next in your life and you seem eager to get down to business. Your immediate superior is easy to work for and you may work closely with this person today. Here are real opportunities to complete and work out difficulties and projects that require both long-term effort and a high degree of discipline. You and your friends will be able to visit and enjoy activities together this afternoon. There is a talk of jobs, family, children, homes and health. You will probably agree to exercise together and at least a few will follow through with this. You will want to be in good shape mentally and physically for this evening’s activity with young people. These little guys need your encouragement and influence.

Taurus (April 20-May 20) Some people just need a boost in the right direction and that may be the case today with a friend or co-worker. Be aware of opportunities to encourage and uplift someone that may have had a rough time lately. Lunch with a co-worker may have you talking over past trips or vacations that you have each enjoyed. There is a feeling of support and camaraderie that you did not know could exist in the workplace. This is a great time to be with others and to work together. You may be sought after as just the person for a particular job this afternoon. Your management abilities and objective strategies are in demand. There is a boost in your home life this evening—everyone is in a positive mood. Dive into your creative endeavors tonight.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

ACROSS 1. Electronic warfare undertaken to prevent or reduce an enemy's effective use of the electromagnetic spectrum.

4. A tumor composed of immature undifferentiated cells.

12. Not reflecting light.

15. A flat wing-shaped process or winglike part of an organism.

16. A genus of Cricetidae.

17. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

18. Italian painter and art historian (1511-1574).

20. Large mostly Old World wading birds typically having white-and-black plumage.

21. The federal agency that insures residential mortgages.

22. (Old Testament) The eldest son of Isaac who would have inherited the Covenant that God made with Abraham and that Abraham passed on to Isaac.

23. A city in Tuscany.

25. A city in central southwestern Iran.

27. A Christian Bishop who translated the Bible from Greek into Gothic (311-382).

30. Type genus of the Amiidae.

32. An alloy of mercury with another metal (usually silver) used by dentists to fill cavities in teeth.

36. An awkward stupid person.

39. Any of a group of heavenly spirits under the god Anu. 42. Small depression under the shoulder joint where the arm joins the shoulder.

43. A burn cause by hot liquid or steam.

44. English theoretical physicist who applied relativity theory to quantum mechanics and predicted the existence of antimatter and the positron (1902-1984).

46. The compass point that is one point north of due east.

47. (prefix) Opposite or opposing or neutralizing.

48. An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.

49. The longer of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code.

50. To fix or set securely or deeply.

52. The financial means whereby one lives.

54. A Kwa language spoken in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.

56. The United Nations agency concerned with atomic energy.

57. (of eggs) No longer edible.

60. Humorously vulgar.

62. (in Gnosticism) A divine power or nature emanating from the Supreme Being and playing various roles in the operation of the universe.

64. The Mongol people living the the central and eastern parts of Outer Mongolia.

68. An organization of countries formed in 1961 to agree on a common policy for the sale of petroleum.

71. A vast multitude.

75. A branch of the Tai languages.

76. Small New Zealand broadleaf evergreen tree often cultivated in warm regions as an ornamental.

78. Beads threaded on a string.

80. A master's degree in business.

81. The state of being decayed or destroyed.

82. Especially a long, formal letter.

84. Tag the base runner to get him out.

85. Type genus of the Alcidae comprising solely the razorbill.

86. Chinese evergreen conifer discovered in 1955.

87. A loose sleeveless outer garment made from aba cloth.

DOWN 1. The overhang at the lower edge of a roof.

2. A loud resonant repeating noise.

3. A Nilotic language.

4. The rate at which heat is produced by an individual in a resting state.

5. A city in southeastern Germany famous for fairs.

6. A colorless and odorless inert gas.

7. East Indian tree whose leaves are used for fodder.

8. Constituting the full quantity or extent.

9. United States musician (born in Japan) who married John Lennon and collaborated with him on recordings (born in 1933).

10. An iron-clad vessel built by the Confederate forces in the hope of breaking the blockade imposed by the North.

11. Inquire about.

12. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

13. Title for a civil or military leader (especially in Turkey).

14. An official language of the Republic of South Africa.

19. A sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure.

24. An island in Indonesia east of Java.

26. Any organic compound containing the group -CONH2.

28. The syllable naming the fourth (subdominant) note of the diatonic scale in solmization.

29. Lacking in rigor or strictness.

31. A resource.

33. Fleshy spore-bearing inner mass of e.g. a puffball or stinkhorn.

34. American dramatist (1928- ).

35. A Dravidian language spoken in south central India.

37. (of complexion) Blemished by imperfections of the skin.

38. (usually followed by `to') Determined by tragic fate.

40. A Chadic language spoken south of Lake Chad.

41. Of or relating to Iraq or its people or culture.

45. According to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC).

51. (Greek legend) The greedy king of Phrygia who Dionysus gave the power to turn everything he touched into gold.

53. Windowpane oysters.

55. In an exposed manner.

58. The branch of engineering science that studies the uses of electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution and the control of machines and communication.

59. An uproarious party.

61. A gonadotropic hormone that is secreted by the anterior pituitary.

63. A state in New England.

65. A genus of Lamnidae.

66. Cubes of meat marinated and cooked on a skewer usually with vegetables.

67. Jordan's port.

69. United States feminist (1885-1977).

70. Surpassing the ordinary especially in size or scale.

72. A notice of someone's death.

73. The 20th letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

74. A collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn.

77. A former agency (from 1946 to 1974) that was responsible for research into atomic energy and its peacetime uses in the United States.

79. Relating to or characteristic of or occurring on the sea or ships.

83. An informal term for a father.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

You may not be in charge of activities today, but you are required to give your input. Whatever is asked of you gets your full attention. This is a lucky day for you to receive money—expected or not. Perhaps you have won a football pool and the money is just now forthcoming. A group meeting this afternoon is productive. There are excellent ideas to be shared and inspiration is easy to find. Everyone seems genuinely interested in accomplishing a goal as a group and not as a competition. This may mean you represent a customer that needs intervention or a project that demands the talent of the whole group. If you are in a music group, you may enjoy the results from a choir practice or a bell choir rehearsal this evening.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) The clarity with which you speak will aid you in an important meeting today. Your mind is quick and sharp and you have insight into how to outline important issues about which you have strong feelings. Gathering information for a presentation is a stimulating part of your day. The climb to reach your goal is almost as exciting as the achievement of your goal. Someone may oppose your ideas but you have great insight, particularly if you have done your research. This is a mentally and socially active period for you. The secret ingredient is research. A friend may seek you out for psychological advice today. Through listening and giving advice to others, you gain insights into some answers for yourself. You enjoy quiet activities this evening.

Leo (July 23-August 22) Your speed slows today as you contact with people that may want to unknowingly interrupt or slow your progress. Slowing down is okay—you may not be able to avoid the interruptions. Your intuition will come into play today. You can rely on it to steer you in the right direction. Your imagination will see you through any problems. Superiors watch the confident way you handle yourself. Your ideas could be challenged but do not give up—you are on the right path. It may be that the timing is just not quite right for now. Through helping a young person this afternoon, you may come up with new ideas that will benefit your own life as well. Believe in yourself so that others will believe in you too. You may spend some time this evening with a friend.

Virgo (August 23-September 22) This could be a time for real breakthroughs in the idea department.

You are in top form when it comes to mental activity now. This, however, may not be the time to try new things or make a push to break away from the old routine. This is a great time to reflect and understand your own situation, just how you feel about yourself. A problem concerning a friend may come to your attention this afternoon. You feel deeply and passionately and when you are asked for advice you give others your full attention.

Learn to make positive movements toward your own peace of mind—you do this for others, why not yourself? You are full of good ideas today. Later—laughter, as well as music, is good for the soul. A love relationship benefits from your affection.

Word Search

Libra (September 23-October 22) Listening is the key word today. The ability to clearly communicate may not be necessary just now. Some people can make our lives quite stressful if we allow it. You could be the third person in an argument and become too involved to be helpful—observe. Know that this situation will pass and you will then wonder what happen to cause the problem. Gathering information and working with others may be an important factor in your job duties for the next few weeks. You have some excellent ideas; do not be afraid to express them. A little progressive thinking when expressing yourself will develop into some fascinating ideas. Work, achievement and ambition, as well as a few sweet words from your beloved, are just what motivates you.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21) You may only have one project in the works for now but soon there will be more than you can handle. You seem to know that the work is about to increase. You go about your day helping others that have not figured out some new technical matter most of this day. Authority figures are pleased at your cooperation and ingenuity. In the afternoon, at home, you may find yourself running errands and helping family members with homework, correspondence, bills, etc. You might consider a trip to the country soon or some fun entertainment that would help you and your family have some real family time together. Find the time to have a side interest such as: a second job, volunteer work, charity, etc. Use your creativeness! You can relax this evening.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21) You are inventive, original and involved with high tech matters today.

Money will come to you through other people or through your loved one’s investments. Earnings are strong and new opportunities come through your contacts with a variety of people. There are some new ideas and new plans into what you want to do with your investments. You may want to work toward setting up some plans to help a particular family or group—perhaps a college fund. You see yourself in a better light than from the past and with this new awareness come the desire to help others.

Breakthroughs in compassion and fellowship are obvious today. Everything points to your taking the initiative. You could feel great support from those around you.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Sympathy and understanding are important qualities that take on greater meaning. It’s wisdom, not knowledge, that counts the most today.

Coming to understand how you got where you are may give you an attitude of appreciation. Remember that your goals are within your reach so that you do not become distracted with your competitive desires. You crave organization and practicality and you want to get things accomplished. You aim to have a place for everything and this includes the home place as well as the workplace. Others know just what to expect when they communicate or work with you. You can expect a little boost, some extra support from those around you. Your confidence is strong as you guide young people tonight.

Aquarius (January 20- February 18) You have an assistant or helper at work that will go the extra mile for you. Ask plenty of questions in order to understand a new project and seek this helper if there are remaining questions. You may be encouraged to expand your thinking with regard to education. Perhaps it is time to teach or take a class just to test the waters—you can do it! During the noon break, make sure that you find a positive atmosphere in which to enjoy your meal. Stay away from tense discussions at the table. Vary your menu as the same thing can become dull and will cause you to eat too fast. There may be unexpected surprises later today. Your romantic appeal is strong today; if you are looking, you could find that for which you are looking.

Pisces (February 19-March 20) Obtaining and exchanging information takes on more emotional significance for you now. You will begin to find yourself digging for answers today that you never really knew you cared about before. There are new and exciting challenges ahead. Avoid, however, mental power struggles with others—allow events to unfold. A friend will teach you a new skill—perhaps turning it into a hobby. Involve yourself with a volunteer program. This will give you insight into other ways of life and different levels of acceptance. You will become more involved with neighbors or siblings this afternoon. You could help with plans for a wedding or a shower soon. Listening and communicating feelings become more important now. This is one of your best days for love.

Yesterday’s Solution

Yesterday’s Solution

Daily SuDoku

Yesterday’s Solution

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

i n f o r m at i o n For labor-related inquiries and complaints: Call MSAL hotline 128 GOVERNORATE Sabah Hospital

24812000

Amiri Hospital

22450005

Maternity Hospital

24843100

Mubarak Al-Kabir Hospital

25312700

Chest Hospital

24849400

Farwaniya Hospital

24892010

Adan Hospital

23940620

Ibn Sina Hospital

24840300

Al-Razi Hospital

24846000

Physiotherapy Hospital

24874330/9

Kaizen center

25716707

Rawda

22517733

Adaliya

22517144

Khaldiya

24848075

Kaifan

24849807

Shamiya

24848913

Shuwaikh

24814507

Abdullah Salem

22549134

Nuzha

22526804

Industrial Shuwaikh

24814764

Qadsiya

22515088

Dasmah

22532265

Bneid Al-Gar

22531908

Shaab

22518752

PHARMACY

ADDRESS

Sabhan

24742838

24575518 24566622

Al-Helaly

22434853

Capital

Ahlam Khaldiya Coop

Fahad Al-Salem St Khaldiya Coop

22436184 24833967

Al-Faiha

22545051

Farwaniya

New Shifa Ferdous Coop Modern Safwan

Farwaniya Block 40 Ferdous Coop Old Kheitan Block 11

24734000 24881201 24726638

Al-Farwaniya

24711433

Al-Sulaibikhat

24316983

Tariq Hana Ikhlas Hawally & Rawdha Ghadeer Kindy Ibn Al-Nafis Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Salmiya-Amman St Hawally-Beirut St Hawally & Rawdha Coop Jabriya-Block 1A Jabriya-Block 3B Salmiya-Hamad Mubarak St Mishrif Coop Salwa Coop

25726265 25647075 22625999 22564549 25340559 25326554 25721264 25380581 25628241

Al-Fahaheel

23927002

Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh

24316983

Ahmadi

23980088

Al-Mangaf

23711183

Al-Shuaiba

23262845

Al-Jahra

25610011

Al-Salmiya

25616368

Hawally

ST TATE T OF KUW K WAIT A

Tel.: e 161

DIRECTORA ATE T GEN GENERAL OF CIVIL AV VIA AT TION METEOROLOGICAL DEP PARTMENT A DA AY: Y Weednesday

Ext.: 2627 26 - 2630

Fax: 24348714 WWW.MET.GOV V.KW .

16/01/2013

INTERNATIONAL CALLS

19:00

Issue Time

Expected Weeather for the Next 24 Hours BY Y NIGHT:

Very e cold with light to moderate north westerly wind, with speed of 08 - 30 km/h

BY Y DA AY:

Clouds will increase gradually with light variable wind, with speed of 06 - 20 km/h

WA ARNING

No Current Warnings arnin a

ST TAT TION

MAX. REC.

MIN. N. EXP P.

18 °C

10 °C 09 °C

Mirqab

22456536

NUW WA AISEEB

18 °C

08 °C

WA AFRA

18 °C

08 °C

SALMI

14 °C

04 °C

ABDAL LY

18 °C

06 °C

Sharq

22465401

Salmiya

25746401

Jabriya

25316254

JAL ALIY YA AH

17 °C

06 °C

Maidan Hawally

25623444

FAILAKA A

16 °C

09 °C

Bayan

25388462

AHMADI POR RT

16 °C

11 °C

Mishref

25381200

UMM AL-MARADEM

16 °C

13 °C

W Hawally

22630786

WA ARBA A - BUBY YA AN

17 °C

07 °C

Sabah

24810221

Jahra

24770319

SFC. CHART

16/01/2013 1200 UTC

4 DA AY YS FORECAST Temperatures DA AY

DA AT TE

WEA ATHER T

MAX.

MIN.

Wind Speed

Wind Direction

Thursday

17/01

clouds to increase

19 °C

09 °C

VRB

06 - 20 km/h

Friday

18/01

clouds to decrease

21 °C

11 °C

VRB-SE

06 - 26 km/h

24775066

Saturday

19/01

warm

23 °C

13 °C

SE

08 - 30 km/h

North Jahra

24775992

Sunday

20/01

warm + scattered clouds

23 °C

12 °C

SE

15 - 38 km/h

North Jleeb

24311795

Firdous

24892674

Omariya

24719048

N Khaitan

24710044

Fintas

23900322

RECORDED YESTERDA AY AT KUW WAIT A AIRPOR RT

PRA AYER Y TIMES Fajr

05:20

MAX. Temp.

Sunrise

06:43

MIN. Temp.

17 °C 08 °C

Zuhr

11:58

MAX. RH

50 %

Asr

14:53

MIN. RH

Sunset

17:12

MAX. Wind

Isha

18:33

TOT TA AL L RA AINF FA ALL L IN 24 HR.

All times are local time unless otherwise stated.

20 % NW 53 km/h 00 mm

16/01/13 14:20 UTC

V1.00

T1.06

PRIVATE CLINICS Ophthalmologists Dr. Abidallah Al-Mansoor 25622444 Dr. Samy Al-Rabeea 25752222 Dr. Masoma Habeeb 25321171 Dr. Mubarak Al-Ajmy 25739999 Dr. Mohsen Abel 25757700 Dr Adnan Hasan Alwayl 25732223 Dr. Abdallah Al-Baghly 25732223 Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mouner 24555050 Ext 510 Dr. Abdallah Al-Ali 25644660 Dr. Abd Al-Hameed Al-Taweel 25646478 Dr. Sanad Al-Fathalah 25311996 Dr. Mohammad Al-Daaory 25731988 Dr. Ismail Al-Fodary 22620166 Dr. Mahmoud Al-Booz 25651426 General Practitioners Dr. Mohamme Y Majidi 24555050 Ext 123 Dr. Yousef Al-Omar 24719312 Dr. Tarek Al-Mikhazeem 23926920 Dr. Kathem Maarafi 25730465 Dr. Abdallah Ahmad Eyadah 25655528 Dr. Nabeel Al-Ayoobi 24577781 Dr. Dina Abidallah Al-Refae 25333501 Urologists Dr. Ali Naser Al-Serfy 22641534 Dr. Fawzi Taher Abul 22639955 Dr. Khaleel Abidallah Al-Awadi 22616660 Dr. Adel Al-Hunayan FRCS (C) 25313120 Dr. Leons Joseph 66703427 Psychologists /Psychotherapists

Paediatricians

Plastic Surgeons Dr. Mohammad Al-Khalaf

22547272

Dr. Khaled Hamadi

Dr. Abdal-Redha Lari

22617700

Dr. Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rashed

Dr. Abdel Quttainah

25625030/60

Family Doctor Dr Divya Damodar

23729596/23729581

Psychiatrists Dr. Esam Al-Ansari

22635047

Dr Eisa M. Al-Balhan

22613623/0

Gynaecologists & Obstetricians DrAdrian arbe

23729596/23729581

Dr. Verginia s.Marin

2572-6666 ext 8321

Endocrinologist

25665898 25340300

Dr. Zahra Qabazard

25710444

Dr. Sohail Qamar

22621099

Dr. Snaa Maaroof

25713514

Dr. Pradip Gujare

23713100

Dr. Zacharias Mathew

24334282

(1) Ear, Nose and Throat (2) Plastic Surgeon Dr. Abdul Mohsin Jafar, FRCS (Canada)

25655535

Dentists

Dr. Fozeya Ali Al-Qatan

22655539

Dr. Majeda Khalefa Aliytami

25343406

Dr. Shamah Al-Matar

22641071/2

Dr. Ahmad Al-Khooly

25739272

Dr. Anesah Al-Rasheed

22562226

22618787

Dr. Abidallah Al-Amer

22561444

Dr. Faysal Al-Fozan

22619557

Dr. Abdallateef Al-Katrash

22525888

Dr. Abidallah Al-Duweisan

25653755

Dr. Bader Al-Ansari

25620111

Dr. Salem soso General Surgeons Dr. Amer Zawaz Al-Amer

22610044

Dr. Mohammad Yousef Basher

25327148

Internists, Chest & Heart Dr. Adnan Ebil Dr. Mousa Khadada Dr. Latefa Al-Duweisan

22666300 25728004

Dr. Nadem Al-Ghabra

25355515

Dr. Mobarak Aldoub

24726446

Dr Nasser Behbehani

25654300/3

info@soorcenter.com www.soorcenter.com

3729596/3729581

Neurologists

22639939

Dr. Abd Al-Naser Al-Othman

Dr. Sohal Najem Al-Shemeri

25633324

Dr. Jasem Mola Hassan

25345875

Gastrologists Dr. Sami Aman

22636464

Dr. Mohammad Al-Shamaly

25322030

Dr. Foad Abidallah Al-Ali

22633135

Kaizen center 25716707

25339330

Dr. Ahmad Al-Ansari 25658888 Dr. Kamal Al-Shomr 25329924 Physiotherapists & VD Dr. Deyaa Shehab

25722291

Dr. Musaed Faraj Khamees

22666288

Rheumatologists: Dr. Adel Al-Awadi

Dr Anil Thomas

Soor Center Tel: 2290-1677 Fax: 2290 1688

22545171

Jahra-Block 3 Lot 1 Jahra-Block 92

17 °C

24884079

Al-Nuzha

Modern Jahra Madina Munawara

KUW WA AIT AIRPOR RT

Ardhiya

24810598

Jahra

22451082

South Jahra

Al-Shuwaikh

23915883 23715414 23726558

Ayoun Al-Qibla

24772608

22545171

Fahaeel Makka St Abu Halaifa-Coastal Rd Mahboula Block 1, Coastal Rd

22459381

West Jahra

Al-Shuhada Sama Safwan Abu Halaifa Danat Al-Sultan

Qibla

24575755

22418714

Ahmadi

KUW WA AIT CITY

New Jahra

PHONE

Al-Madeena

25330060

Dr. Khaled Al-Jarallah

25722290

Internist, Chest & Heart DR.Mohammes Akkad

24555050 Ext 210

Dr. Mohammad Zubaid MB, ChB, FRCPC, PACC Assistant Professor Of Medicine Head, Division of Cardiology Mubarak Al-Kabeer Hospital Consultant Cardiologist Dr. Farida Al-Habib MD, PH.D, FACC Inaya German Medical Center Te: 2575077 Fax: 25723123

2611555-2622555

William Schuilenberg, RPC 2290-1677 Zaina Al Zabin, M.Sc. 2290-1677

Afghanistan 0093 Albania 00355 Algeria 00213 Andorra 00376 Angola 00244 Anguilla 001264 Antiga 001268 Argentina 0054 Armenia 00374 Australia 0061 Austria 0043 Bahamas 001242 Bahrain 00973 Bangladesh 00880 Barbados 001246 Belarus 00375 Belgium 0032 Belize 00501 Benin 00229 Bermuda 001441 Bhutan 00975 Bolivia 00591 Bosnia 00387 Botswana 00267 Brazil 0055 Brunei 00673 Bulgaria 00359 Burkina 00226 Burundi 00257 Cambodia 00855 Cameroon 00237 Canada 001 Cape Verde 00238 Cayman Islands 001345 Central African 00236 Chad 00235 Chile 0056 China 0086 Colombia 0057 Comoros 00269 Congo 00242 Cook Islands 00682 Costa Rica 00506 Croatia 00385 Cuba 0053 Cyprus 00357 Cyprus (Northern) 0090392 Czech Republic 00420 Denmark 0045 Diego Garcia 00246 Djibouti 00253 Dominica 001767 Dominican Republic 001809 Ecuador 00593 Egypt 0020 El Salvador 00503 England (UK) 0044 Equatorial Guinea 00240 Eritrea 00291 Estonia 00372 Ethiopia 00251 Falkland Islands 00500 Faroe Islands 00298 Fiji 00679 Finland 00358 France 0033 French Guiana 00594 French Polynesia 00689 Gabon 00241 Gambia 00220 Georgia 00995 Germany 0049 Ghana 00233 Gibraltar 00350 Greece 0030 Greenland 00299 Grenada 001473 Guadeloupe 00590 Guam 001671 Guatemala 00502 Guinea 00224 Guyana 00592 Haiti 00509 Holland (Netherlands) 0031 Honduras 00504 Hong Kong 00852 Hungary 0036 Ibiza (Spain) 0034 Iceland 00354 India 0091 Indian Ocean 00873 Indonesia 0062

Iran 0098 Iraq 00964 Ireland 00353 Italy 0039 Ivory Coast 00225 Jamaica 001876 Japan 0081 Jordan 00962 Kazakhstan 007 Kenya 00254 Kiribati 00686 Kuwait 00965 Kyrgyzstan 00996 Laos 00856 Latvia 00371 Lebanon 00961 Liberia 00231 Libya 00218 Lithuania 00370 Luxembourg 00352 Macau 00853 Macedonia 00389 Madagascar 00261 Majorca 0034 Malawi 00265 Malaysia 0060 Maldives 00960 Mali 00223 Malta 00356 Marshall Islands 00692 Martinique 00596 Mauritania 00222 Mauritius 00230 Mayotte 00269 Mexico 0052 Micronesia 00691 Moldova 00373 Monaco 00377 Mongolia 00976 Montserrat 001664 Morocco 00212 Mozambique 00258 Myanmar (Burma) 0095 Namibia 00264 Nepal 00977 Netherlands (Holland) 0031 Netherlands Antilles 00599 New Caledonia 00687 New Zealand 0064 Nicaragua 00505 Nigar 00227 Nigeria 00234 Niue 00683 Norfolk Island 00672 Northern Ireland (UK) 0044 North Korea 00850 Norway 0047 Oman 00968 Pakistan 0092 Palau 00680 Panama 00507 Papua New Guinea 00675 Paraguay 00595 Peru 0051 Philippines 0063 Poland 0048 Portugal 00351 Puerto Rico 001787 Qatar 00974 Romania 0040 Russian Federation 007 Rwanda 00250 Saint Helena 00290 Saint Kitts 001869 Saint Lucia 001758 Saint Pierre 00508 Saint Vincent 001784 Samoa US 00684 Samoa West 00685 San Marino 00378 Sao Tone 00239 Saudi Arabia 00966 Scotland (UK) 0044 Senegal 00221 Seychelles 00284 Sierra Leone 00232 Singapore 0065 Slovakia 00421 Slovenia 00386 Solomon Islands 00677

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Samsung Galaxy 27th Golden Disk Awards

South Korean K-pop band T-ara pose on the red carpet during the final day of the Samsung Galaxy the 27th Golden Disk Awards at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang outside Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The Golden Disk Awards have been called the Korean equivalent of the Grammys. Malaysia becomes the second country outside of South Korea to host the awards, as KPop’s bubble-gum tunes and dance moves continue to defy language barriers and find fans around the world. —AFP

South Korean K-pop band Sister.

South Korean K-pop singer Ailee.

South Korean K-pop band Teen Top pose on the red carpet during the final day of the Samsung Galaxy the 27th Golden Disk Awards at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang outside Kuala Lumpur.

‘X Factor’ winner Stevens signs record deal

Indian filmmaker accused of raping actress

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n Indian film producer was due to appear in court yesterday after his arrest for allegedly raping an aspiring actress whom he had promised a role in his next movie, police said. Ramesh Singh, 49, was detained on Tuesday after the woman complained to police in Mumbai about the alleged sexual assault, according to a police official at Oshiwara police station in the city’s north. “He had promised her a role in his upcoming movie, so he called her to read out the script.

He showed her the script and locked the room,” said the policeman on condition of anonymity.

“He told her to sit on the bed as there was a ‘bed scene’ and that’s when she got spooked.

She ran into the bathroom and locked the

“T

he X Factor” champ Tate Stevens has signed a record deal. A Tuesday news release says the Season 2 winner signed a deal with Syco Music/RCA Records Nashville and is already writing and recording his major-label debut.

The 37-yearold Stevens, of Belton, Mo, won “The X Factor” last month, earning the title by never finishing worse than second in voting on Simon Cowell’s reality singing contest show. The untitled new album will be released later this fall. Syco Music is Cowell’s label.

Edward Furlong arrives at the premiere “The Green Hornet” in Los Angeles. —AP

Edward Furlong charged with battery against ex

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ctor Edward Furlong has been charged with misdemeanor battery on an ex-girlfriend during an altercation on Sunday morning. The actor was arrested in West Hollywood, Calif, on suspicion of battery and for an outstanding misdemeanor warrant on another domestic violence battery case involving the same woman.

Furlong’s attorney, Brian Michaels, says he is still gathering information

about the arrest. The 35-year-old actor pleaded not guilty in the new case Tuesday and is due back in court on Jan 25. He has also been involved in a custody dispute with his ex-wife and faces a probation violation hearing on Feb 15 for contempt of court in a Los Angeles case. Furlong was charged in the domestic violence case in December but failed to appear at a court hearing. —AP

Singer Elton John a father for second time

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ritish pop star Elton John announced yesterday he had become a father for the second time after the birth via a surrogate mother of Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John.

The “Rocket Man” and “Candle in the Wind” singer and his partner David Furnish confirmed the news in a short statement on John’s official website, which also provided a link to an article in People magazine.

“Both of us have longed to have children, but the reality that we now have two sons is almost unbelievable,” said the couple, who entered a civil partnership in 2005. “The

IKEA Kuwait creatively displays its textiles at 360 MALL’s car booth fair

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KEA Kuwait presented its extensive range of textiles and fabrics in an innovative way to deliver inspiration for individuals planning for their home and furniture. In-line with its vision of establishing the perfect home, IKEA Kuwait recently participated at the Car Booth Fair, which was held earlier at 360 Mall. The car booth fair displayed variety of vendors which showcased their products on Ford cars.

The IKEA Kuwait Car Booth display, which took place from the 9th - 12th of January, aimed at educating the public about using textiles to breathe a new

door. He broke open the door and she said he then raped her.” The Indian Express said Singh was a Marathi-language film producer, as opposed to working in Hindi-speaking Bollywood which dominates the Mumbai movie industry. Sexual crimes against Indian women have been in the spotlight over the past month, since a 23-year-old student was gang-raped and murdered on a bus in the capital New Delhi in a case that has shocked the nation. The crime sparked nationwide protests expressing outrage over the worrying numbers of sexual assaults and calling for tougher laws to punish rapists. —AFP

life to a home or bring an old favorite back to life. This idea falls in line with IKEA Kuwait’s recently launched ‘Bring New Life to your Home’ Catalogue 2013, which focuses on textiles and their importance while also emphasizing on creativity and full utilization of an array of products to decorate a personalized feel to the home. Part of IKEA Kuwait’s ethos is to help its individuals express and build a home that reflects their personalities through colorful and inventive textiles that are zestful and filled with promise of new life and its endless possibilities.

birth of our second son completes our family in a most precious and perfect way,” they told People.

John, 65, and Furnish, 50, are already parents to Zachary, who is two. Elijah was born in Los Angeles on Jan 11. “I know when he goes to school there’s going to be an awful lot of pressure, and I know he’s going to have people saying, ‘You don’t have a mummy,’” John said of his decision to have another baby. “It’s going to happen. We talked about it before we had him. I want someone to be at his side and back him up. We shall see.” —Reuters

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Kirk Douglas

Douglas to receive Lifetime Achievement Honor from publicists

Winners of the 2012 Gulf Film Festival.

Call for entries for Gulf Films and International films competitions O fficial competition submissions are now open for the 2013 Gulf Film Festival (GFF), the home of bold, experimental, and the best of Arab cinema from the length and breadth of the Arabian Peninsula and around the world. Held under the patronage of Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) the Festival, whose core mandate is to encourages excellence in Arab cinema, runs from April 11 to 17. The non-profit annual cultural event has established itself catalyst for the evolution of regional filmmakers, whilst shining an international spotlight on the very best of Arab cinema.

Appealing to up-and-coming and established filmmakers the Festival welcomes entries across its’ three categories: Gulf Films, Gulf Students’ Shorts and International Shorts which will collectively offer over half a million dirhams in funds.

The Gulf Films category is open to feature and short film-makers from the Gulf, or film-makers with a film that showcases the region. To qualify for the Gulf Students’ Shorts category applicants must be current students in the Gulf with fiction or non-fiction short film. The final category, International, encompasses film-makers from around the world with fiction or nonfiction short films. Entries for all categories can be submitted through the GFF website at www.gulffilmfest.com, and must be completed before the February 25th deadline. The Festival is also home to multiple out-of-competition segments including Lights, Intersections, and Films For Children along with a wide range of initiatives such as master classes, nightly industry discussions and other special events.

Masoud Amralla Al- Ali, GFF Festival Director, said: “As the home of contemporary cinema from the Arabian peninsula, the key success factor for GFF lies in the

quality and diversity of films submitted and showcased from around the region. This Festival offers a window into the lives, issues and opinions of the region through raw, emotive and thought-provoking stories powerfully brought to life through the wonder of film. I have no doubt that this year’s submissions will offer strong competition and raise the bar - not only for filmmakers across the region, but also across the globe.”

With an eye to the business element of the industry, GFF will also host the second edition of Gulf Script Market for Short Films. The unique initiative aims to support script-writers by assisting them with script development and forging synergistic partnerships between producers and directors.

Participants will be offered an invaluable opportunity to exchange ideas, in addition to artistic and technical expertise, with their peers in order to realize the production of their short films and create long-

S

Arnold’s back in ‘The Last Stand’

“T

he Last Stand” is the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie you didn’t even realize you wanted to see. This is the action superstar’s first leading role in a decade, having left acting to serve as the governor of California and whatnot, and while it may not have occurred to you to miss him during that time, it’s still surprisingly good to see him on the big screen again. He is not exactly pushing himself here.

Korean director Kim Jee-woon’s American filmmaking debut turns out to be an extremely Schwarzeneggerish Schwarzenegger film, full of big, violent set pieces and broad comedy. He may look a little creaky (and facially freaky) these days, but Arnold proves he’s still game for the mayhem as he fires off rounds and tosses off one-liners, and the movie at least has the decency to acknowledge that it knows that you know that he’s old.

The script also feels a bit old - “The Last Stand” is essentially an amped-up version of “Rio Bravo,” with some “Jackass”-style hijinks courtesy of Johnny Knoxville himself. But Kim keeps things moving briskly and the members of the strong supporting cast don’t seem to mind that they’re playing flimsy types. Everyone’s just here for a mindless good time. Schwarzenegger stars as Ray Owens, sheriff of the tiny Arizona border town of Sommerton Junction, the kind of place where everyone knows everyone and the locals sit around the diner trading folksy jokes. That’s why the sheriff is immediately suspicious of some visitors sharing a booth over breakfast one morning they clearly don’t belong there. Andrew Knauer’s script makes some passing mention of Owens’ past career as a highly decorated Los Angeles police narcotics detective, which is intended to explain why this mild-mannered guy with the thick accent is such a bad-ass. Turns out these new folks (led by Peter Stormare) are there laying the

groundwork for Mexican drug kingpin Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), who’s just escaped federal custody in Las Vegas in elaborate fashion. He’s headed straight for the border at Sommerton with a hostage in the passenger seat in a stolen, souped-up Corvette that can reach speeds of 250 mph. While FBI agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker) and his crew try in vain to chase Cortez, the sheriff and his makeshift posse set up a barricade. And they wait. His team consists of the innocent newbie (Zach Gilford), the grumpy veteran (Luis Guzman), the pretty and capable female deputy (Jaimie Alexander), her screw-up exboyfriend who happens to be in the town’s lone jail cell (Rodrigo Santoro) and the wacko with an arsenal who gives his weapons pet names. That would be Knoxville. The shootouts and showdowns are muscular, high-energy and consist of an insane amount of gunfire, although there are some bursts of squirm-inducing, creative carnage.

Much of the hand-to-hand combat is shot and edited in a way to obscure what Schwarzenegger is actually doing while creating the illusion that he’s kicking all kinds of butt. Far more effective is a clever, intimate car chase through a cornfield that’s alternately thrilling and quietly suspenseful.

That this scrappy band of underdogs can take out the more technologically advanced villain and his crew should come as no surprise. It’s as predictable as Arnold saying he’ll be back, and making good on that promise. “The Last Stand,” a Lionsgate release, is rated R for strong, bloody violence throughout and language. Running time: 107 minutes. Three stars out of four. Motion Picture Association of America rating definition for R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.—AP

Review

Patti Smith on her photography show

Review

This undated publicity photo released by Lionsgate shows Forest Whitaker, left, as Agent John Bannister, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Ray Owens, in a scene from the film, “The Last Stand.” —AP

lasting industry relationships. The inaugural Script Market in 2012 saw over 100 submissions, with some chosen projects partnered with directors and producers and currently in production.

In order to participate in the Gulf Script Market for Short Films budding filmmakers must apply through the GFF website before March 15th. The fifth edition of GFF screened 155 films from 40 countries and over 100 films participated in the Official Gulf Feature Film Competition and the Official Gulf Short Film Competition. The event attracted a significant global audience, including a line-up of acclaimed filmmakers and actors including veteran Bahraini filmmaker Bassam Al-Thawadi, French filmmaker Gerard Courant and legendary Iranian actor Behrouz Vossoughi.

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irk Douglas will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 50th annual ICG Publicists Guild awards luncheon Feb 22 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the group announced Tuesday.

“No other actor personifies the term ‘iconic movie star’ more than Kirk Douglas,” said Publicists Guild awards committee chairman Henri Bollinger. “His acting talent is the underlining basis for his extraordinary success, but it is also due to his uncanny understanding and appreciation for the role that publicity and promotion play in the ultimate success of movies that made him a box office sensation.”

Douglas, 96, has earned three Oscar nominations for Best Actor - for “Champion” (1950), “The Bad and the Beautiful” (1953) and “Lust for Life” (1957) - and a lifetime achievement Oscar from the film Academy in 1996. He’s also received lifetime achievement awards from the American Film Institute, the Screen Actors Guild and the National Association of Theater Owners, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and National Medal of the Arts and a Kennedy Center Award. Past recipients of the publicists’ award include George Burns, Lew Wasserman, Warren Beatty, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Clint Eastwood, Julie Andrews, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, Robert Zemeckis and Carol Burnett. —Reuters

inger Patti Smith is best known for her rock ‘n’ roll songs from the punk era of the 1970s, but visitors to a new photo exhibition will see a different side of the musician, poet and artist. The 70 photos in Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) “Camera Solo” show, which runs from Feb 9 to May 19, include poetic images of gravestones, religious iconography and objects that belonged to dead writers and artists.

“The show expresses a lot about my inner life-about a certain vision I have of the world, my travels, my aesthetic vision and some of the wonderful things I’ve seen, the people I’ve met,” Smith said in an interview.

“Hopefully, it will inspire people to learn more about some of the artists or places I’ve shown, or to embark on their own studies or adventures.” The 66-year-old artist, whose songs include her rendition of “Gloria” and “Because the Night,” hopes the Polaroid snapshots will rekindle a sense of appreciation for the commonplace.

The show includes photographs of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe’s slippers, author Virginia Woolf’s bed, writer Susan Sontag’s grave and poet Arthur Rimbaud’s fork and spoon. In a 2010 memoir “Just Kids” Smith wrote about her love affair and friendship with Mapplethorpe, which lasted until his death from AIDS-related complications in 1989 at age 42. Smith, a mother of two was married to guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith who died in 1994. She released the album “Banga” last year and will begin a music tour in Japan. She spoke to Reuters about the show and Polaroid photography, a pre-digital technique that produces an instant print.

Q: What inspires you as a photographer?

A: “Truthfully, I don’t really think of myself as a photographer. I don’t have all the disciplines and knowledge of a person who’s spent their life devoted to photography. I’ve been taking pictures most of my life, but more seriously in the last decade ...

“Light inspires me. I’m drawn to architecture-often graves, statues, trees-things usually that are quite still ... I’ve been taking pictures continuously since 1995 until the end of Polaroid film. I’m taking very few pictures now because I have very little film left, most of it expired.

Q: Are your pictures about nostalgia or trying to hold on and remember that person?

A: It’s not nostalgia. I’m not really a nostalgic person. I’m memory-oriented, so a

sense of remembrance ... All of these things are to bring all these people and things up to date, to walk with us. These are artists, family, people that we love- people that pass away. We can keep them with us always.

Q: So you aren’t out there snapping everything-you are being quite selective?

A: I never snapped everything. Polaroid by its nature makes you frugal. You walk around with maybe two packs of film in your pocket. You have 20 shots, so each shot is a world.

Q: Was there anything that you learned from Mapplethorpe in doing your photography?

A: “The one thing that we had in common is that both of us had a very good sense of composition. It’s the same type of work ethic but I work quite differently. The atmosphere of my pictures is different. I drew a lot from 19th-century photographers and I don’t really strive for the things that Robert strived for-the deepest blacks and the most radiant whites. “Robert was a real photographer. He was an artist, but he also really immersed himself in every aspect of how to project light in his work. In any event, we had a different eye, but we understood each other.

Q: How would you say photography intersects with your other creative work?

A: I think of myself really as a writer. So perhaps the pictures are somewhat literary, but I think they also stand on their own.”

Q: Do you identify with the punk scene, a romantic tradition or is it more organic?

A: “I was involved in the pre- and postpunk scene in the 1970s ... I’m where I am today. I have two grown children; I’ve experienced a beautiful husband. I’m a widow.

I’m doing my work. I feel unfettered by any scene. I feel like I’ve moved through many scenes, scenes before the punk movement and scenes after the punk movement, and the punk movement is in flux. It’s still going on and it was going on before it had the name “punk movement.”

Q: How do you reflect on the fact that you not only pushed music forward, but you also pushed things forward for women in the music scene?

A: “I think I work in two worlds. I’ll always try to kick through a wall. I did that when I was younger and I still have my way of doing that ... People have said that I’ve opened up things for women, but look what they’ve done.” —Reuters

Naturalism of ‘LUV’ beset by cliches

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t comes as a disappointment that “LUV,” a drama about the tragic realities of fathers and sons in unforgiving urban environs, can’t measure up to the lyricism of its star’s own music. The film stars Common, the thoughtful, charismatic Chicago rhymer who, in three- and four- minute hip-hop ruminations, summons more vibrant social imagery than the well-intended but hollow 1 1/2 hours of “LUV.” Common has been more of a cultural ambassador for years now (he was a bizarrely controversial White House guest in 2011), and has increasingly concentrated on acting. “LUV,” for which he is also a producer, is perhaps the best close-up yet of an uncommonly smooth performer. In the film, the feature film debut of Sheldon Candis who co-wrote it with Justin Wilson, Common plays the former convict Vincent, an uncle to the parentless 11-year-old Woody (Michael Rainey Jr). “LUV” takes place over a day in Baltimore in which Vincent, driving Woody to school from his grandmother’s, instead detours for a lesson-filed day of bonding. Vincent pledges that he’ll teach the shy Woody how to “handle your business across the board.” Dressed handsomely and driving a Mercedes, Vincent appears an upright father-figure, but he’s desperate to put to work a business plan for which he’s $22,000 short. Worse, gang warfare is raging and the word on the street is that Vincent got out of prison suspiciously early.

It’s a promising enough conceit - a stressed, untrustworthy but inherently decent guy trying to play the role-model - but the day takes awkward, implausible turns, jumping from violence to stone-skipping in the harbor. The dialogue, too, is often cringe-worthy as the two meet various friends and associates of Vincent’s, with cameos by Danny Glover, Dennis Haysbert, Clark Johnson and Michael Kenneth Williams. Along the way, Vincent teaches Woody (whom Rainey Jr plays with poise beyond his years) some tenants of manhood: how to properly open crabs, how to give a strong handshake, how to drive a car, how to shoot a gun. Though lacking some dynamism, Common has the gravity to keep the film grounded. The film, wearing its inspirations on its sleeve, is a kind of “Training Day” hoping for interstitial Terrence Malick poetry in the Baltimore landscape of “The Wire” with the occasional sensationalism of an action film. The clichÈs mount as the journey leads to bloody standoffs and drug dealer confrontations.

Surely there is plenty here to scar a child, though there’s little that suggests any trauma for Woody. Still, there is tenderness in “LUV.” One suspects Candis can mature as a naturalistic director if he follows the tagline of his film: “Follow your hero, or become your own man.” After all, we are not exactly showered with intimate, aspiring films of urban life. “LUV,” an Indomina Media Inc. release, is rated R for violence, language, child endangerment and some drug content. Running time: 95 minutes. One and a half stars out of four. Motion Picture Association of America rating definition for R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.—AP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

lifestyle F a s h i o n

Fendi shows off Nordic-inspired winterwear M ore than a fashion show, the Fendi winter menswear presentation was a fashion happening. Dressed in the latest cold weather styles from cozy fur capes to sporty parkas, a bevy of Fendi models marched up and down makeshift scaffolding to an obsessive disco beat. The parade went on for an hour while the fashion crowd stood around sipping exotic Nordic drinks and tasting bean bread and frozen nuts.

The repetitive show presented Monday in a contemporary art gallery also gave fashion experts time to take in the collection and pick up the details, helped by mega screens projecting the show. Fendi designer Silvia Venturini Fendi said she had chosen the new show concept because it offered the opportunity to “study a collection from various angles” The Fendi winter menswear wardrobe is made up of generous coats in fur, wool or leather, an array of hooded sport jackets ranging from parkas to pea jackets, shirts combined with bulky knitwear, light wool daytime suits, and, for evening, a tuxedo made out of daytime fabric but with a distinguishing satin lapel. Accessories included heavy-soled moccasin laceups, fur boots, muffs and the latest Fendi bag - an oversized fanny pack in long-haired fur. —AP

Etro

Models display creations as part of Fendi Fall-Winter 2013-2014 Menswear collection. —AFP photos

John Richmond

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

lifestyle F a s h i o n

Models present creations by Omani designers Nawal al-Hooti, fashion house Das Collection and Zhor Rais during the 2013 Muscat Fashion Week in the Omani capital. —AFP photos

Muscat Fashion Week

Quvenzhane Wallis

Quvenzhane Wallis admits fashion is her ‘kryptonite’

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he nine-year-old star of ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ - who is the youngest person to ever be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar - is a fan of all things pink and sparkly and admits clothes are her biggest weakness. Quizzed about her taste in fashion

by VOGUE’s AndrÈ Leon Talley, QuvenzhanÈ responded by singing a line from hit song ‘Fashion is My Kryptonite’ by Disney teen duo Bella Thorne & Zendaya.

She laughed: “Fashion is my kryptonite!” after reeling off a list of her musical idols whose style she admires.

The adorable actress pondered: “Nicki Minaj, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Debby Ryan, um... who else?”

QuvenzhanÈ has taken the fashion world by storm with her cute and savvy fashion choices, most recently the glittery purple dress she wore while accepting her Best Young Actress trophy at the Critics’ Choice Awards. The actress refused to answer what her dress might look like at the Oscars ceremony on February 24, but there’s a good chance it could be pink since that is her favourite colour. However, she is adamant her sartorial choice won’t be floor-length, saying: “I might step on it and trip on it. And I don’t want to humiliate myself!” Asked whether she was enjoying her invitations to showbiz parties, she grinned: “Yeah, I just like partying!” —Bang Showbiz

Lima worriedabout victoria s secret show

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driana Lima was worried about appearing in lingerie after giving birth. The Brazilian supermodel almost backed down from the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show - held in New York in November last year - after giving birth to her second child, Sienna, only eight weeks before. She said: “I had no idea if I was going to make it, honestly. The hormones - you don’t know how your body is going to react.”

Adriana, 31, also has three-year-old daughter Valentina with husband Marko Jaric, and admits it’s not easy being a model and a mother of two. She said: “It’s not easy with two children because you basically have to go to the gym or work out at home when they are taking a nap. As a mom, you feel guilty leaving because you want to be with your children all the time.” Adriana is currently the fourth highest paid Supermodel in the world, earning an estimated $7.3million from may 2011 to may 2012. She also made headlines last year when she became the first pregnant model to appear in the famously raunchy Pirelli calendar’s 2013 edition. —Bang Showbiz

Berlin Fashion Week

Arterton insists she isn glamorous

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Models present creations by label ‘Minx’ during the Autumn/Winter 2013 show of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week yesterday in Berlin. The Berlin Fashion Week takes place from January 15 to 20, 2013. —AFP photos

he ‘Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters’ actress enjoys fashion and getting dressed up for red carpet events, but feels more at ease when she is relaxed about her appearance. She told Britain’s Hello! magazine: “I do enjoy fashion - I think it’s fun - and now that I’ve had my hair and make-up done, I do feel quite nice. “But you should have seen me a couple of days ago. I’d just got back from a trip to Spain, where I didn’t really wash for a week. My hair was in dreadlocks and my nails were filthy. That’s the real me not what you’re looking at right now.”

Gemma has previously admitted she likes to keep her style simple. She said: “For me it’s kind of simple really. I don’t really go for anything too embellished or fancy or frilly or girly and it has to be easy because I haven’t got time for anything that’s too difficult! I just like putting on a pair jeans and jacket and going, although I do like heels I’ve got a passion for shoes, but I always end up wearing the one same pair of shoes. But it works with my lifestyle because I’m always running around so it doesn’t work for me to wear tight skirts and corsets, or whatever it is! Jeans are definitely the way forward.” —Bang Showbiz

Kirk Douglas to receive Lifetime Achievement Honor

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

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Photo shows an Afghan girl, right, practices playing the piano in a class at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Kabul, Afghanistan. —AP photos

An Afghan girl, Gulalai plays the sitar in a class.

An Afghan youth, Sayed Menhaj Sadat, practices playing the cello in a class.

An Afghan boy, Ahmadullah, 14, practices playing the Rubab.

Afghan students practice playing the guitar.

An Afghan student practices playing the guitar.

Afghan students practice playing the bassoon and the trumpets.

Afghans practice playing the string instruments in a class.

Young Afghan musicians to tour US N

ot so long ago Fakira roamed the mean streets of the Afghan capital, hawking magazines for 13 US cents apiece to support her poverty-stricken family. Next month, the 15-year-old cellist appears in America’s most prestigious concert halls, performing alongside other former street children and orphans of Afghanistan’s decades of violence.

“Suddenly my whole life changed, and now I am going to America,” she says, recounting her chance encounter with a rather improbable school that’s reviving music, both Western classical and Afghan, in a country where the Taliban had made even listening to it a crime - and where a generation of musicians vanished through killings, old age or exile.

The teenager, who uses only one name like many Afghans, will be playing in the Afghan Youth Orchestra, which on Feb. 3 begins a 12-day US tour that includes concerts at Washington’s Kennedy Center President Barack Obama has been invited - New York’s Carnegie Hall and the New England Conservatory in Boston. “Most reports about Afghanistan are about suicide bombings, killings, destruction, corruption,

(depicting) Afghanistan as a place where hope has died,” says Ahmad Sarmast, who leads the youth orchestra. He says the young musicians will try “to show a different Afghanistan, an Afghanistan where hope is alive and the people are striving to bring about changes. The kids are the symbol of hope. “ The orchestra is the centerpiece of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, which Sarmast founded 21/2 years ago. By all accounts, the music institute is proving a success story in a country where failed development projects - through poor planning, corruption or militant violence - are more the norm. Its 141 students, half of them former street kids or orphans ages 10 to 22, study free of charge in a well-ordered, two-story building stocked with mint-condition instruments, new computers, a distance learning center and the country’s first instrument repair shop. Rising nearby are concert and rehearsal halls scheduled for completion this summer.

A cacophony of sounds echoes down the school’s first-floor corridor hour after hour. In one practice room, four girls practice scales on oboes under portraits of Bach, Mozart and

Beethoven, whose “Ode to Joy” theme emerges from a trumpeter down the hallway. The rubah, sitar and sarod traditional Afghan string instruments and the tabla drum are being played in other rooms. The 48-member touring company, which also includes three smaller ensembles, will perform both Afghan pieces and specially adapted Western classics when they will be joined by members of two American youth orchestras. One program item, titled “Four Seasons in Afghanistan,” fuses Antonio Vivaldi’s popular concertos with Afghan melodies played on traditional instruments.

It’s the handiwork of William Harvey, of Indianapolis, Indiana, a violinist and graduate of New York’s eminent Julliard School who serves as the institute’s principal conductor. Urbane and articulate, Sarmast has also been able to attract seven resident foreign teachers, visiting artists and hefty funding and donations from foreign governments, private sponsors and the World Bank, which provided $2 million and is exploring how the institute can be used as a template for other vocational schools in the country. Son of a famous Afghan composer

Malaysia rated top M alaysia has been rated the world’s top Muslim-friendly holiday destination in a survey released yesterday that listed Egypt, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Singapore as runners-up. The study by Singapore-based Muslim travel consultancy Crescentrating ranked countries on how well they cater to the growing number of Muslim holidaymakers seeking halal-or Islam-compliantfood and services. It used criteria including the level of safety in a country, the ease of access to halal food and prayer facilities, and whether hotels cater to the needs of Muslim guests.

On a scale of one to 10 in which 10 is the best score, Malaysia came out number one with a grade of 8.3 among 50 nations surveyed. Egypt was in second place with 6.7, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Turkey both with 6.6.

Saudi Arabia was in fourth place with a score of 6.4 and Singapore was fifth with

6.3. Indonesia, Morocco and Jordan scored 6.1 to tie in sixth place, trailed by seventh-place Brunei, Qatar, Tunisia and Oman, all with a score of 6.0.

Crescentrating chief executive Fazal Bahardeen said the survey was taken from the point of view of the traveller, meaning that it measured the ease of access by Muslim tourists—not locals— to halal food and facilities. “Malaysia is one of the few countries where you can find a prayer place in almost every location-be it a shopping mall or the airport,” Fazal told AFP. He said that while Malaysian authorities have been focusing on the market for several years, Indonesia-the world’s most populous Muslim nation-has not done as well.

“The main problem for Indonesia is that it’s not straightforward for a Muslim visitor to find halal food availability. For locals it’s probably not an issue.” Saudi Arabia figured as a holiday destination for the first time since the survey started

and conductor, Sarmast sought asylum in Australia after the Taliban swept into power and perpetrated what he calls “nothing less than musical genocide.” Obtaining a doctorate in musicology, he returned home after the 2001 US-led invasion toppled the Islamist group to “give back to my society.”

“It was my strong belief in the power of music in bringing about social changes,” he says. “A strong belief in the healing power of music, especially for a country like Afghanistan which is recovering from 30 years of civil war, where the people are badly traumatized, especially the children.” For some at the institute, Sarmast’s words ring true. “When I return to the orphanage and there is no trumpet, I miss my mother,” says Meena Zamani, a 10-year-old orphan just beginning to master the instrument. “Playing takes away all my sadness.” Fakira remembers watching students in neat, clean uniforms going off to school while she and her two brothers scoured the streets for money to help their jobless father, mother and five other siblings.

She was finally offered some schooling at an orphanage that took

in the poorest of children and where the institute was spotting for the musically talented. It was love at first sound when Fakira heard the “soft, comforting” tones of the cello. “When I pick up and play my cello, the hard times, the bad feelings vanish - I forget,” she says. Now, like other former street children, she receives a monthly stipend of $27 to compensate for lost family income, studies English and other subjects offered by the institute and looks forward to seeing the White House and the bright lights of New York City. But she and her fellow students also express anxiety, wedged as they are between the tragic past and an Afghanistan that could again descend into chaos after the departure of US and other NATO forces in 2014.

“I am not sure about my future as a musician in Afghanistan. But I love music so that’s why I came here,” says 22-year-old Shabeer Aharad, practicing the oboe in preparation for the American journey and heaping praise on his school and teachers. Other efforts to bring back a rich musical tradition, including a onetime budding Western classical scene in Kabul, have not proved so successful. The ragged

instruments at the country’s only university music department include one beat-up drum and a decrepit cello, with even music stands lacking. There are very few seasoned Afghan instructors and only two foreigners.

One is retired, 64-year-old Faith Rynders, who volunteered to come to Kabul University from Bemidji, Minnesota, hoping her career as a pianist and voice teacher could prove useful in building a new generation of musicians. Despite the hurdles she faces, it has. In an almost bare room, pierced through with bitter winter cold, one of her students slowly places his hands on a piano keyboard.

“The fingers get so stiff,” says 22-yearold Fawad Sultani by way of apology.

Then the lean, handsome pianist unfurls the rapid runs and yearning themes of Frederic Chopin’s FantaisieImpromptu in C-sharp minor. Rynders stands at a distance, smiling. “I’m very proud of him,” she says. —AP

Muslim-friendly holiday destination

in 2011 because more Muslims use their holidays to go there to perform the Umrah, a minor pilgrimage, Fazal said. In terms of cities as a shopping destination, Dubai pipped Kuala Lumpur for the number-one spot, according to the survey which rated the presence of halal food and prayer facilities at shopping malls.

Istanbul, Jeddah, Singapore, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, New Delhi, London and Doha completed the top-10 shopping destinations. Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport were rated among the friendliest to Muslim travellers.

Spending by Muslim tourists is growing faster than the global rate and is forecast to reach $192 billion a year by 2020, up from $126 billion in 2011, according to a study by Crescentrating and another company released last year. —AFP

Photos show rows of halal Muslim food restaurants next to Arab street in Singapore.

—AFP photos